Unshown Moments for Magnus, S1 (2)
AN: Whether Matt and Kitty were intimate by season one is kind of open for debate. I know people on both sides of that aisle. But there was no doubt they were already a couple. You could see that by the looks they exchanged. I think I'll stay out of the intimate debate and go with the obvious on this one.
As Matt hurried to the Long Branch, his thoughts were only of a lovely red head, until he heard the shot. A shot gun it sounded like and his blood ran cold. Lucifer's threat to Kitty hadn't been forgotten by him and he was half scared that the old man had followed through.
Once he entered and saw that Magnus and another man had already subdued the old goat, he was relieved but still concerned when he saw the shaken look on Kitty's face and the way she was shivering. "Take him over and lock him up." He growled as he handed the jail house key to the man who'd helped Magnus.
Gently taking Kitty by the arm, he led her over to the bar and gestured to the bartender to pour them a drink. Though the bartender had placed a drink in front of Kitty, Matt handed his to her first, needing that small amount of contact to comfort them both.
Gratefully, Kitty accepted the glass and sipped at the warming fluid, happy that Matt was there and that Magnus had been able to stop Lucifer Jones before he'd killed her.
Matt was grateful for that as well and he told the frontiersman that. But later, as the party went on and Chester continued to brag about his brother's deed and he saw the smiles Kitty gave her blonde headed savior, he began to be a bit peeved. He knew that Kitty and, truthfully, he himself had a lot to thank Magnus for but enough was rapidly becoming enough as Kitty once again accepted a dance from Magnus while he stood at the bar fuming.
Finally, he'd had enough. Taking a deliberate swallow of his whiskey, Matt walked to the middle of the floor, tapped Magnus on the shoulder and swiftly took Kitty in his arms when Magnus turned around. "I'm cutting in." He arched a brow at the blonde who wisely stepped out of the way.
"Why sure." Magnus answered as he relinquished Kitty's hand.
Kitty looked up at Matt and was slightly taken aback and more than slightly pleased to see a flash of jealously cross his handsome face. "Why, Marshal." She put her tongue in her cheek for a moment to keep from laughing in glee. "I didn't think you liked to dance."
"I don't." He answered then looked down at her with a grin. "Unless it's with you."
Speechless, Kitty nodded and glided giddily around the room in his arms for the rest of the dance as well as the next two.
When the party was over and most of the people were gone, Matt lingered behind, wanting just a little more time with the woman that was rapidly claiming him heart and soul.
Chester, with a little prodding from his brother, finally left the bar and his employer behind to go back to the jail and sleep off the large amount of alcohol he'd consumed in celebration of his brother's deeds of daring do and the holiday.
Bill Pence smiled as he watched the normally stoic lawman look tenderly at the most popular, and as Lucifer had stated, the prettiest girl in the place, and knew his presence wasn't needed or really wanted. Still, he did have a bar to clean up and couldn't just as easily leave.
"Uh, Kitty." He spoke a little loudly to garner her attention away from one the Marshal. "Why don't you go on now. I've got a little more to do here and then I'll finish up in the morning."
Kitty, realizing she'd pretty much forgotten her job and even the night's scare as she'd lost herself in her handsome date, shook her head. "No, Bill. Now I promised I'd stay and help clean up after the party and I intend to. After all, it was my idea, ya know."
"Yes, and a grand one at that." He smiled. "But it's late and you look tired and after facing down old Lucifer the way you did, you deserve a night off."
Matt frowned when he heard that and looked over at him and then back at Kitty. "What do you mean, face him down? I thought Magnus took care of Lucifer Jones."
"He did, Marshal." Pence confirmed. "But before he done it, Kitty here walked right out into the middle of the room prepared to be shot rather than let Lucifer hurt anyone else. He threatened to do that, you know, if she didn't step out. So she stepped right out there. You might say, she kinda protected everyone here before Magnus Goode protected her."
Mixed emotions swept through Matt as he listened. Undoubtably proud of Kitty, he was still upset when he realized she had literallystood up to a mad man with a shotgun pointed at her. "Kitty…"
"Matt, I am fine." Kitty hastily reassured him. "I admit I was a little frightened by it all but it's over with now and I'm okay. Magnus took care of Lucifer and you came right after, so it's all alright. Honestly."
Though he could tell she was fine, Matt was still worried about the incident and wasn't ready to let it drop. However, he realized, that the discussion he wanted to have with Kitty over this, needed to be had in private.
"Alright." He shook his head. "For now. But I'll want a full report on this later, uh… uh, for my records." He quickly added for Pence's benefit.
"Alright, Marshal." Kitty looked up at him with a grin, loving that he was so protective of her.
Matt wanted to offer to take her home so they could talk but she lived right upstairs and he didn't think it'd look too good for him to take her up there. But Kitty solved the problem for him.
"Uh, Matt. I know it's cold outside and all, but I'd still kinda like to take a little walk before I turn in. Would you mind going with me?"
Matt grinned happily. "Sure wouldn't." He answered quickly, not realizing it was just a touch too quickly. Pence noticed it but he said not a word or even showed that he heard it. He figured the two people in front of him deserved some private time and happiness in each other's company.
After Kitty grabbed her coat and Matt helped her into it, they left the saloon and walked down the deserted streets of the town.
"You sure you're not too cold?" Matt asked when he looked over to see her shivering.
"Well, I am cold." Kitty admitted. "But I had a feeling you wanted to talk to me and we couldn't do it at the saloon."
"Your feeling was right." Matt confirmed. "But us freezing to death out here isn't going to do us any good. Come on, we'll go to over to my room so we can talk in private."
Kitty said nothing as Matt led her down to Ma Smalley's boarding house to the small room he kept there but seldom used. If the thought of going to his room alone bothered her, she gave no sign of it.
Once they reached his room, Matt quickly unlocked the door and let her in, closing it firmly behind him and hastily lighting a lamp. "It's uh, a little Spartan around here but it's private." He smiled as he took off his hat and coat. "Have a seat. I don't have anything to drink but…"
"I don't need anything, Matt." Kitty shook her head as she gingerly sat on the side of his bed. "But you do."
"No, I…"
"You need reassurance that I'm alright and that I don't have eyes for Magnus and that people like Lucifer Jones will never get to me again." Kitty cut him off. She could see by his expression that she'd hit the nail on the head.
"Well, you can relax, Mister. I am alright, I promise. I'd of told you by now if I wasn't. As for Magnus, he could never turn my head away from you. Ever. And as for the last one… well…" She sighed as she stood back up and stepped over to him, placing a warm hand on his arm. "I can't promise that last one. No one can. I can promise that I will never court trouble like that. But if it comes, I'll face it. It's how I am, Matt. I couldn't have stood in the shadows tonight and watched other people get hurt in the hopes that Lucifer Jones would leave me alone. I just couldn't have."
Matt nodded and pulled her into his arms. "I know you couldn't have." He gently pulled her chin up so that her eyes would meet his. "You're one of the bravest and sweetest and prettiest and smartest women I have ever met. But that doesn't mean I won't worry about you. Kitty, if Lucifer had of…"
"But he didn't Matt." She stopped him. "And it's over now. So can we move past tonight and go forward?"
"Forward?" Matt arched a brow.
"Um hum." Kitty nodded with a wicked smile as she stood on tiptoe and kissed him. "Forward."
Chuckling, Matt pulled her even tighter to him and kissed her again, this time even deeper. "Forward it is, Miss Russell. Forward it is."
END
AN: GunsmokeFan and Well-Mannered Guest. I got your requests and I promise pull all those episodes out and see what I can do for you. Thank you for entrusting me with the chance to do so.