"So, Ally, how long have you known Josiah?" Chris asked finishing his third glass of whiskey.
"Since I was twelve. Josiah walked into our village one day and asked to speak to my grandfather." She
laughed. "Grandfather decided that Josiah was either one of the most bravest men he'd ever met or the
stupidest. A white man, one that no one knew. For all we knew he could be intending to kill someone. It
had happened before. Anyway he marched up to one of the braves and asked in halting Cheyenne
where he could find the chief. My mother thought he looked harmless enough. He carried no weapons.
So she got, grandfather and he was impressed so Josiah stayed." Ally shrugged." End of story."
"What she is tactfully leaving out," He said with a smile. "Is what followed."
"And what followed?" JD asked looking interested.
"I attempted to learn their language. With some rather humorous results." Josiah said calmly.
She almost choked on her whiskey laughing.
Nathan gave her a quick thump on the back and she sat up. "Thanks Nathan. And as I recall Josiah, they
were more than humorous. I think you had almost all the tribe laughing hysterically more than once. Even
some of the elders. And you nearly insulted them."
"Oh?" Vin sat up and leaned forward. "How?"
"Well he was trying to learn how to pronounce the word for elders which is tsehaa'ehahese. But instead..
and I never did figure out how he managed to mix these two up....he called them tahtaenotovahe..."
Josiah blushed slightly and looked down at his whiskey.
"Which means?" Chris inquired a small smile playing around the edges of his mouth.
Ally grinned. "Killdeer."
The men chuckled.
"And that was one of his least funny mistakes. He once accidentally insulted several visiting chiefs. They
were not amused. Grandfather, however, almost choked on his supper. I think that was one of the reasons
he liked having Josiah around. His mistakes were hilarious."
"Thank you Ally. For that embarrassing experience." Her friend said with a wry smile.
She looked innocent. "Well...you brought it up, I would never have mentioned it."
"Liar." He countered.
She only smiled.
-----
Before they parted ways that night Josiah saw to it that Ally had a room near Chris'. He wasn't placing any
bets on her safety. He wanted her near someone he could trust just in case those cowboys figured out
where she'd been hiding and came back.
As he headed back to the church he reflected on the woman who he practically considered a sister.
When he'd first started to spend time with the tribe, the majority of the Cheyenne were wary of him. They
widely distrusted white men in general and his size only made him more intimidating to them.
Ally, however, had taken an instant liking to him.
Mo'e'hahkeso...Little Magpie. He'd stated calling her that shortly after he'd learned the word. She'd been
like a shadow to him. The young girl had been fascinated with his blue eyes. Her own father, despite being
a fair man in coloring, had eyes of the deepest brown. Almost as dark as his Cheyenne wife. And Ally had
spent her entire life within the tribe. She'd never seen anyone with blue eyes before. She'd sit there for
hours just staring at his eyes. She became his best friend.
He chuckled. A deep rumble in his chest. Most men would have pushed her aside. Laughing at her
childlike seriousness. But for some reason, he'd seen the wisdom that was hidden in her young eyes and
had learned to trust her judgement. She'd also helped him learn the Cheyenne language. Despite knowing
several other native languages Josiah'd had an impossibly hard time learning Cheyenne. He seemed
daunted by the long words and stumbling syllables. Ally'd seemed bemused by his attempts to speak her
language so she'd taken it upon herself to become his tutor. They'd spend hours wandering the woods.
Ally testing him on his knowledge of the names of the plants and animals they encountered. She turned
out to be an excellent teacher, grounding him in the basics before making him learn the more difficult
aspects of the language. Thanks to her tutoring he'd become relatively fluent in the language and remained
so.
She'd grown up beautiful. He smiled, just like her mother. Motse'eoo'e, Sweet Medicine woman, had
taught him how to recognize certain herbs in the wild. And to know their medicinal value. A skill Josiah
now highly valued. That knowledge had saved his life on more than one occasion. And had helped save a
few others.
Walking into the church Josiah prepared to go to sleep. Unbeknowndest to Ally, he'd once promised her
grandfather that he'd keep any eye on her. And that was exactly what he planned on doing.
------
She woke to Aenohe pulling at her hair.
"Hey!" She waved at him slightly.
The hawk flew from the bedpost to pitch on the back of her chair.
"Thanks for the wake up call but I was about to get up anyway." Ally said sitting up and yawning.
He tilted his head to one side and she swore the look in his little eyes was 'yeah right'.
"Are you a hawk or my mother in disguise?" She grumbled reaching for a hair brush. "Or perhaps Raven
here to teach me a lesson?"
He screached slightly and flapped his wings.
She chuckled. "Or not. No need to get testy Aenohe, I was just teasing."
The hawk flew out the window.
"Contrary this morning aren't we?" She said softly.
Swiftly she dressed and headed down to the restaurant to get some breakfast.
----
On the way there she was nearly bowled over by a young boy.
"Woah!" She laughed. "Why the hurry young one? The day's just begun."
The boy smiled brightly. "I was following a hawk ma'am!"
"A hawk huh?" She smiled, spotting Aenohe perched on a nearby rail. "That hawk?"
"Yes ma'am."
She held out her hand and Aenohe pitched on it.
The little boy's eyes were like saucers. "He's yours?" He asked suprised.
She considered the question. "Not really. He's a friend, I think he just travels with me for the food. " She
chuckled. "Would you like to touch him?"
The little boy nodded vigorously.
Ally gently took hold of one of the little boy's hands and brushed it lightly through Aenohe's feathers. The
hawk leaned against the touch enjoying it.
"He likes that!" The little boy said surprised.
She nodded. "I think it relaxes him. Either that or his feathers make him itch,"
The little boy laughed delightedly. "Does he have a name?"
"Aenohe...it means hawk in my language."
"You're indian?" He questioned.
"Half." She clarified. "Cheyenne." She smiled and held out a free hand. "I'm Ally."
"I'm Matthew." He smiled and shook her proffered hand. "Pleasure to meet you ma'am. So what brings
you to Four Corners?"
"My friend Josiah lives here. He told me about this place and since I didn't like where I was living I decided
to move here and see it this place needs a doctor." She glossed over the true reason there was no need
to upset the boy.
"MATTHEW!!!!" A high voice shrilled. "Who are you talking to?"
A thin, wirey woman hurried up and snatched up one of his hands.
"Hi, Momma. This here's Dr.Ally; she's a doctor."
"Matthew, you know better than to talk to one of her kind!" The woman shrilled.
She stiffened. Her kind? She'd heard that kind of talk before. And nothing good ever came of it." Excuse
me ma'am." She interruped. "But exactly what kind are you referring to?"
The woman turned cold eyes on the young woman. "You know full well what I mean breed," She snapped.
"If you know what's good for you you'll leave town now. Your kind don't belong in a town with decent,
civilized folk."
Across the street the doors of the saloon flew open and a drunk was thrown out into the street. He stood
and shouted obscenities at the doors waving a bottle wildly.
Ally turned an ironic eye on the woman. "Oh yeah," She said dryly. "Real civilized folk you got around
here."
"Ma!" Matthew spoke up. "She's nice. Mr.Sanchez's a friend of hers."
The woman raised a hand to smack her son. "That's enough out of you young man!" She snapped and
began to bring her hand down....
But found it immobilized.
Ally held it bar tight and stepped forward enough so that she could whisper into the woman's ear without
the young boy hearing. "You smack that child and I will show you what uncivilized means. Because
Ma'am, if I ever hear of you harming that sweet little boy. Or trying to convince him that my kind are to be
ignored or insulted...I'll will not be happy.." She then released the woman and stepped back.
Matthew looked up at his mother who stood stock still staring in shock at the Cheyenne who stood before
her. "Ma? Are you all right?"
She crouched before the young boy. "Matthew, I want you to listen carefully to me."
He turned to look at her and nodded. He waited for her to continue his little face the picture of serious.
"If anyone...anyone tries to hurt you in any way...I want you to promise you'll come find me. I'll help you.
Ok?"
He nodded.
"Anyone." Ally repeated. "Family or no you come find me. Promise?"
He nodded again. "Promise." He said seriously.
"Good." She stood and watched him and his mother go.
"You scared her."
She turned and looked at Chris Larabee. He'd been standing in the shadows the entire time, watching.
She smiled but there was no laughter in it. "Good." She said again. "I wanted to."
"You handled that well." He said simply. "I'd have probably hit her. No one should ever harm a child." The
venom in his voice made Ally realize something.
"How long?" She asked quietly.
He looked over at her surprised. "How long what?"
"Has your child been gone." Ally clarified her voice gentle.
"Too long."
She inclined her head towards the restaurant and he nodded. Together they began moving. As they
walked he found himself telling her the entire story. How he'd lost Sarah and Adam. How much it hurt.
She listened. That was all. She just listened. She offered no comments, no useless remarks of empathy,
of understanding. She just listened. Like Vin. Chris knew that was probably one of the reasons he trusted
the ex-bounty hunter so much. Vin neither demanded answers for questions that had nothing to do with
him nor did he offer judgment on the answers. He just listened and let Chris volunteer what he wanted.
And because of that Chris knew, he offered more than he would normally. And that was exactly what he
was doing now.
Ally ordered breakfast for the both of them and when it came she managed to coax Chris into a decent
breakfast. Something he hadn't had in a while. Except when he was travelling and one of the seven
cooked. Most of the time he just had coffee...or whiskey. Whatever liquid was readily available. Lately
that'd been coffee. He was being paid to protect the town. Drinking first thing in the morning wasn't the
way to do that.
"Mornin'" Josiah said as he ambled into the restaurant.
"Mornin' Josiah."
He looked surprised. "You mean I got it right?"
Ally chuckled. "You didn't drink that much last night."
"I didn't?" He grinned. "I don't remember that."
"There's a surprise." Larabee murmured into his cup.
Josiah eyed his plate. "Why Chris Larabee...that's the first time I've seen you eat a decent breakfast in a
long time."
He shrugged. "Ally was heading here anyway. And we were talking."
"So, I talked him into eating with me." She finished. "You know I hate to eat alone."
Josiah grinned at her. He knew when Ally was slipping into doctor-mode. And it was out in full force at that
moment. "Hope ya'll don't mind watchin' me eat."' He said nodding to the matronly woman serving another
customer.
"What else am I going to do? This isn't exactly a bustling metropolis you've got going round here." Ally
teased playfully. " 'Sides, I'm not finished yet. After a couple of days eating food cooked over an open fire
I've a mighty big desire to eat a good homecooked meal."
"Mornin' Josiah." The woman walked over and smiled down at them. "Enjoy your meal Mr.Larabee?"
He nodded.
"And you, Doctor?"
"It was delicious and please call me Ally. Doctor Dusalle is my father. And as far as I know I don't look
much like him."
Josiah shot a sneaky grin at the woman across the table, "Nope. He's taller."
Ally burst into laughter.
As did the woman standing next to her. "Now, Josiah!" She scolded laughing. "You shouldn 't be teasing
her like that. Remember, she's the only certified doctor in town. And she's planning on working with Mr.
Jackson. That doesn't leave many choices should you get yourself shot anytime soon."
Josiah laughed. "Don't worry Meg," He said with a grin. "Ally knows it's all in good fun."
She chuckled. "Can I get another cup of coffee and some more eggs please Meg."
Meg smiled. "No problem," She turned to Josiah. "And what do you want?" She listened as Josiah listed
off the meal he wanted. "All right. Anything else Mr.Larabee?"
Chris considered his empty plate for a moment then considered the fact that his stomach was still growling.
"Actually, another plate of eggs should do."
She nodded and hurried off. "Won't be but a moment."
"Interesting." Ally said leaning back in her chair.
"What is?" Josiah inquired.
"The kinds of people living in this town," Quickly she recounted her incident with the young boy and his
mother. "It's interesting how two women living in the same town. Not that far from each other, could be so
drastically different. That boy's mother would have probably tossed me out on my ear if she were the one
running this place. But Meg merely escorted me and Chris to a table. Took our orders, chatted with us for
awhile then left." She shook her head. "A true study in contrast. Hell..." She said finally. "The entire town
is a study in contrast."
Josiah and Chris smiled ruefully.
"Ain't that the truth." Vin said sitting down. "Mornin'.." He drawled as Meg reappeared with their food. As if
by magic she had an extra plate which she placed before him.
Vin smiled up at her, questioningly.
She smiled back. "I had a hunch you were coming."
His smile turned grateful and without another word he dug into his food. Except, Ally noted, he waited for
Josiah to bow his head and say a quick word of thanks before starting.
Ally knew that Josiah didn't have much of a use for the organized religions of his people. But he could no
more turn his back on his God than her people could leave the land they loved. Josiah had shown the
Cheyenne of her tribe what the white man's God was really like. And they admired him for it. He sowed
seeds without even realizing it. For, unlike the missionaries with all their words and empty actions, he put
more stock in what he was doing than what he was saying. And that was something he did without thinking.
She knew that if all white men who claimed to live by their Good Book behaved as Josiah did then the
Cheyenne would except them as they had Josiah. But most spoke one way and behaved another. And
so...they them.
"Heavy thoughts?" Vin inquired startling her out of her reverie.
She looked at him blankly. Before she realized what he'd asked. She smiled cheerfully. "Not really. Just
old memories."
Josiah shot her a scrutinizing look. He knew her mixed heritage had caused her more problems than he
liked to admit. When those folks who considered Ally's kind to be distasteful looked at her they saw a child
of two worlds who was no better than the dogs that ran in the streets. Someone to be considered
sub-human and to be shunned.
He'd never seen Ally that way. How could he? When he looked at her he saw a talented and beautiful
young woman. Someone who's opinions should be respected and valued. Someone to count on.
Someone to trust.
Resolutely he decided that no one was going to hurt her. He'd die first. With a small smile he realized if
she could hear him thinking like that she might speed up the process. Ally was a very independant woman.
She didn't want to be the protected but the protector. And she did it very well. "Ally, you're not old enough
to have old memories." He teased.
She shot him another mock glare. "Josiah Sanchez I am not the child you knew."
He chuckled. "If you were still the child I knew you'd have some serious explaining to do about the way
you fill out those clothes." He countered his blue eyes twinkling.
She rolled her eyes as Vin and Chris nearly choked with laughter. It was apparent that neither Ally or
Josiah cared about what was considered proper and their conversations were more than evidence of that
fact.
"So what are the plans for today?" Vin asked leaning back.
Chris, finished, pushed his plate away and sat back to enjoy the remainder of his coffee. "I was thinking
we'd ride out a ways and scout around. I don't want to run into these guys in the middle of the street. Too
dangerous."
He nodded. "Sounds 'bout right."
"I agree. I''ll get Nathan and we'll ready up some supplies, if we're going to be getting into a gunfight
chances are someone's gonna get shot."
"Mr.Larabee!" Mary Travis' strident voice interrupted their conversation.
Ally groaned into her coffee cup. "Josiah, pray for a miracle."
He looked over," What kind?"
"That the ground will open up and suck me in."
"Mrs.Travis," Chris leaned back and looked up at the beautiful blonde.
"I just spoke with Agnes Murty, she says that Dr.Dusalle threatened her!"
"I did." Ally said flatly.
"And why, praytell, would you do that?"
"She was about to hit her son."
"And that was cause to threaten her?" Mary returned.
"Yes, it was. The boy had done nothing wrong except defend me. And where I come from, we don't let our
friends be hurt for helping us."
Mary stared into Ally's dark eyes. The entire time she'd been speaking, her tone had stayed even and
calm. She wasn't about to be provoked into any sort of fight. She'd been in this situation many times before
and it had always come out the same. A fight meant trouble. Even if it was verbal. And the town always
sided with the one who had white skin. And a more respected background.
She turned to Chris. "Are you just going to stand there and let this woman run around threatening people?"
Ordinarily, he respected Mary Travis. She'd survived a lot and kept going. She had her bad points. But she
was primarily a decent person. But right now she'd crossed the line.
"Mrs.Travis, that woman had it coming, before you argue, realize something. I was there and I heard and
saw everything that went on. If I were you I would direct my anger at the woman who is so full of prejudice
that she nearly slapped her son for defending a woman who hadn't done anything wrong except be born
of a mixed background. That woman should be the one punished. Not the woman who defended the child.
You as a mother especially should understand what kind of treasure a child is. Especially one with a heart
as pure as that little boy's."
She nodded stiffly and turned and left without another word.
"Well!" Ally said brightly. "That went well."
He half-smiled.
"I would give ten to one odds that this will appear in tomorrow's edition of the Clarion." Ezra said from the
doorway. "Well, my dear doctor, it would appear that you are not Mrs.Travis' favorite person in Four
Corners."
She sighed. "I have a feeling that primarily she is a decent person. Unfortunately her views towards
indians and those of my background are questionable at best. At worst they are not that high."
"However, I must say," Ezra pressed. "You did handle her with admirable patience."
"Admirable?" She laughed shortly. "I wanted to shoot her."
"And what kept you from doing it?" Josiah inquired.
"Well, if she lived, either Nathan or myself would have to patch her up. And if she died her father-in-law
would hang me and the point of me coming to Four Corners was to survive not to get hanged."
"You know who Mary's father-in-law is?" Vin looked suprised.
She nodded. "I met him about a month back. He'd been shot and wanted me to take a look at the wound.
The stagecoach trip had been very dirty and uncomfortable and he wanted me to check it just in case.
While I did so he told me about where he'd gotten shot. And about his daughter-in-law and the seven men
he'd hired to protect the town." She nodded at Josiah. "Which is how I figured out where you were."
Josiah smiled. "And I'm very glad you did."
She smiled back. "So am I old friend, so am I."
"Since I was twelve. Josiah walked into our village one day and asked to speak to my grandfather." She
laughed. "Grandfather decided that Josiah was either one of the most bravest men he'd ever met or the
stupidest. A white man, one that no one knew. For all we knew he could be intending to kill someone. It
had happened before. Anyway he marched up to one of the braves and asked in halting Cheyenne
where he could find the chief. My mother thought he looked harmless enough. He carried no weapons.
So she got, grandfather and he was impressed so Josiah stayed." Ally shrugged." End of story."
"What she is tactfully leaving out," He said with a smile. "Is what followed."
"And what followed?" JD asked looking interested.
"I attempted to learn their language. With some rather humorous results." Josiah said calmly.
She almost choked on her whiskey laughing.
Nathan gave her a quick thump on the back and she sat up. "Thanks Nathan. And as I recall Josiah, they
were more than humorous. I think you had almost all the tribe laughing hysterically more than once. Even
some of the elders. And you nearly insulted them."
"Oh?" Vin sat up and leaned forward. "How?"
"Well he was trying to learn how to pronounce the word for elders which is tsehaa'ehahese. But instead..
and I never did figure out how he managed to mix these two up....he called them tahtaenotovahe..."
Josiah blushed slightly and looked down at his whiskey.
"Which means?" Chris inquired a small smile playing around the edges of his mouth.
Ally grinned. "Killdeer."
The men chuckled.
"And that was one of his least funny mistakes. He once accidentally insulted several visiting chiefs. They
were not amused. Grandfather, however, almost choked on his supper. I think that was one of the reasons
he liked having Josiah around. His mistakes were hilarious."
"Thank you Ally. For that embarrassing experience." Her friend said with a wry smile.
She looked innocent. "Well...you brought it up, I would never have mentioned it."
"Liar." He countered.
She only smiled.
-----
Before they parted ways that night Josiah saw to it that Ally had a room near Chris'. He wasn't placing any
bets on her safety. He wanted her near someone he could trust just in case those cowboys figured out
where she'd been hiding and came back.
As he headed back to the church he reflected on the woman who he practically considered a sister.
When he'd first started to spend time with the tribe, the majority of the Cheyenne were wary of him. They
widely distrusted white men in general and his size only made him more intimidating to them.
Ally, however, had taken an instant liking to him.
Mo'e'hahkeso...Little Magpie. He'd stated calling her that shortly after he'd learned the word. She'd been
like a shadow to him. The young girl had been fascinated with his blue eyes. Her own father, despite being
a fair man in coloring, had eyes of the deepest brown. Almost as dark as his Cheyenne wife. And Ally had
spent her entire life within the tribe. She'd never seen anyone with blue eyes before. She'd sit there for
hours just staring at his eyes. She became his best friend.
He chuckled. A deep rumble in his chest. Most men would have pushed her aside. Laughing at her
childlike seriousness. But for some reason, he'd seen the wisdom that was hidden in her young eyes and
had learned to trust her judgement. She'd also helped him learn the Cheyenne language. Despite knowing
several other native languages Josiah'd had an impossibly hard time learning Cheyenne. He seemed
daunted by the long words and stumbling syllables. Ally'd seemed bemused by his attempts to speak her
language so she'd taken it upon herself to become his tutor. They'd spend hours wandering the woods.
Ally testing him on his knowledge of the names of the plants and animals they encountered. She turned
out to be an excellent teacher, grounding him in the basics before making him learn the more difficult
aspects of the language. Thanks to her tutoring he'd become relatively fluent in the language and remained
so.
She'd grown up beautiful. He smiled, just like her mother. Motse'eoo'e, Sweet Medicine woman, had
taught him how to recognize certain herbs in the wild. And to know their medicinal value. A skill Josiah
now highly valued. That knowledge had saved his life on more than one occasion. And had helped save a
few others.
Walking into the church Josiah prepared to go to sleep. Unbeknowndest to Ally, he'd once promised her
grandfather that he'd keep any eye on her. And that was exactly what he planned on doing.
------
She woke to Aenohe pulling at her hair.
"Hey!" She waved at him slightly.
The hawk flew from the bedpost to pitch on the back of her chair.
"Thanks for the wake up call but I was about to get up anyway." Ally said sitting up and yawning.
He tilted his head to one side and she swore the look in his little eyes was 'yeah right'.
"Are you a hawk or my mother in disguise?" She grumbled reaching for a hair brush. "Or perhaps Raven
here to teach me a lesson?"
He screached slightly and flapped his wings.
She chuckled. "Or not. No need to get testy Aenohe, I was just teasing."
The hawk flew out the window.
"Contrary this morning aren't we?" She said softly.
Swiftly she dressed and headed down to the restaurant to get some breakfast.
----
On the way there she was nearly bowled over by a young boy.
"Woah!" She laughed. "Why the hurry young one? The day's just begun."
The boy smiled brightly. "I was following a hawk ma'am!"
"A hawk huh?" She smiled, spotting Aenohe perched on a nearby rail. "That hawk?"
"Yes ma'am."
She held out her hand and Aenohe pitched on it.
The little boy's eyes were like saucers. "He's yours?" He asked suprised.
She considered the question. "Not really. He's a friend, I think he just travels with me for the food. " She
chuckled. "Would you like to touch him?"
The little boy nodded vigorously.
Ally gently took hold of one of the little boy's hands and brushed it lightly through Aenohe's feathers. The
hawk leaned against the touch enjoying it.
"He likes that!" The little boy said surprised.
She nodded. "I think it relaxes him. Either that or his feathers make him itch,"
The little boy laughed delightedly. "Does he have a name?"
"Aenohe...it means hawk in my language."
"You're indian?" He questioned.
"Half." She clarified. "Cheyenne." She smiled and held out a free hand. "I'm Ally."
"I'm Matthew." He smiled and shook her proffered hand. "Pleasure to meet you ma'am. So what brings
you to Four Corners?"
"My friend Josiah lives here. He told me about this place and since I didn't like where I was living I decided
to move here and see it this place needs a doctor." She glossed over the true reason there was no need
to upset the boy.
"MATTHEW!!!!" A high voice shrilled. "Who are you talking to?"
A thin, wirey woman hurried up and snatched up one of his hands.
"Hi, Momma. This here's Dr.Ally; she's a doctor."
"Matthew, you know better than to talk to one of her kind!" The woman shrilled.
She stiffened. Her kind? She'd heard that kind of talk before. And nothing good ever came of it." Excuse
me ma'am." She interruped. "But exactly what kind are you referring to?"
The woman turned cold eyes on the young woman. "You know full well what I mean breed," She snapped.
"If you know what's good for you you'll leave town now. Your kind don't belong in a town with decent,
civilized folk."
Across the street the doors of the saloon flew open and a drunk was thrown out into the street. He stood
and shouted obscenities at the doors waving a bottle wildly.
Ally turned an ironic eye on the woman. "Oh yeah," She said dryly. "Real civilized folk you got around
here."
"Ma!" Matthew spoke up. "She's nice. Mr.Sanchez's a friend of hers."
The woman raised a hand to smack her son. "That's enough out of you young man!" She snapped and
began to bring her hand down....
But found it immobilized.
Ally held it bar tight and stepped forward enough so that she could whisper into the woman's ear without
the young boy hearing. "You smack that child and I will show you what uncivilized means. Because
Ma'am, if I ever hear of you harming that sweet little boy. Or trying to convince him that my kind are to be
ignored or insulted...I'll will not be happy.." She then released the woman and stepped back.
Matthew looked up at his mother who stood stock still staring in shock at the Cheyenne who stood before
her. "Ma? Are you all right?"
She crouched before the young boy. "Matthew, I want you to listen carefully to me."
He turned to look at her and nodded. He waited for her to continue his little face the picture of serious.
"If anyone...anyone tries to hurt you in any way...I want you to promise you'll come find me. I'll help you.
Ok?"
He nodded.
"Anyone." Ally repeated. "Family or no you come find me. Promise?"
He nodded again. "Promise." He said seriously.
"Good." She stood and watched him and his mother go.
"You scared her."
She turned and looked at Chris Larabee. He'd been standing in the shadows the entire time, watching.
She smiled but there was no laughter in it. "Good." She said again. "I wanted to."
"You handled that well." He said simply. "I'd have probably hit her. No one should ever harm a child." The
venom in his voice made Ally realize something.
"How long?" She asked quietly.
He looked over at her surprised. "How long what?"
"Has your child been gone." Ally clarified her voice gentle.
"Too long."
She inclined her head towards the restaurant and he nodded. Together they began moving. As they
walked he found himself telling her the entire story. How he'd lost Sarah and Adam. How much it hurt.
She listened. That was all. She just listened. She offered no comments, no useless remarks of empathy,
of understanding. She just listened. Like Vin. Chris knew that was probably one of the reasons he trusted
the ex-bounty hunter so much. Vin neither demanded answers for questions that had nothing to do with
him nor did he offer judgment on the answers. He just listened and let Chris volunteer what he wanted.
And because of that Chris knew, he offered more than he would normally. And that was exactly what he
was doing now.
Ally ordered breakfast for the both of them and when it came she managed to coax Chris into a decent
breakfast. Something he hadn't had in a while. Except when he was travelling and one of the seven
cooked. Most of the time he just had coffee...or whiskey. Whatever liquid was readily available. Lately
that'd been coffee. He was being paid to protect the town. Drinking first thing in the morning wasn't the
way to do that.
"Mornin'" Josiah said as he ambled into the restaurant.
"Mornin' Josiah."
He looked surprised. "You mean I got it right?"
Ally chuckled. "You didn't drink that much last night."
"I didn't?" He grinned. "I don't remember that."
"There's a surprise." Larabee murmured into his cup.
Josiah eyed his plate. "Why Chris Larabee...that's the first time I've seen you eat a decent breakfast in a
long time."
He shrugged. "Ally was heading here anyway. And we were talking."
"So, I talked him into eating with me." She finished. "You know I hate to eat alone."
Josiah grinned at her. He knew when Ally was slipping into doctor-mode. And it was out in full force at that
moment. "Hope ya'll don't mind watchin' me eat."' He said nodding to the matronly woman serving another
customer.
"What else am I going to do? This isn't exactly a bustling metropolis you've got going round here." Ally
teased playfully. " 'Sides, I'm not finished yet. After a couple of days eating food cooked over an open fire
I've a mighty big desire to eat a good homecooked meal."
"Mornin' Josiah." The woman walked over and smiled down at them. "Enjoy your meal Mr.Larabee?"
He nodded.
"And you, Doctor?"
"It was delicious and please call me Ally. Doctor Dusalle is my father. And as far as I know I don't look
much like him."
Josiah shot a sneaky grin at the woman across the table, "Nope. He's taller."
Ally burst into laughter.
As did the woman standing next to her. "Now, Josiah!" She scolded laughing. "You shouldn 't be teasing
her like that. Remember, she's the only certified doctor in town. And she's planning on working with Mr.
Jackson. That doesn't leave many choices should you get yourself shot anytime soon."
Josiah laughed. "Don't worry Meg," He said with a grin. "Ally knows it's all in good fun."
She chuckled. "Can I get another cup of coffee and some more eggs please Meg."
Meg smiled. "No problem," She turned to Josiah. "And what do you want?" She listened as Josiah listed
off the meal he wanted. "All right. Anything else Mr.Larabee?"
Chris considered his empty plate for a moment then considered the fact that his stomach was still growling.
"Actually, another plate of eggs should do."
She nodded and hurried off. "Won't be but a moment."
"Interesting." Ally said leaning back in her chair.
"What is?" Josiah inquired.
"The kinds of people living in this town," Quickly she recounted her incident with the young boy and his
mother. "It's interesting how two women living in the same town. Not that far from each other, could be so
drastically different. That boy's mother would have probably tossed me out on my ear if she were the one
running this place. But Meg merely escorted me and Chris to a table. Took our orders, chatted with us for
awhile then left." She shook her head. "A true study in contrast. Hell..." She said finally. "The entire town
is a study in contrast."
Josiah and Chris smiled ruefully.
"Ain't that the truth." Vin said sitting down. "Mornin'.." He drawled as Meg reappeared with their food. As if
by magic she had an extra plate which she placed before him.
Vin smiled up at her, questioningly.
She smiled back. "I had a hunch you were coming."
His smile turned grateful and without another word he dug into his food. Except, Ally noted, he waited for
Josiah to bow his head and say a quick word of thanks before starting.
Ally knew that Josiah didn't have much of a use for the organized religions of his people. But he could no
more turn his back on his God than her people could leave the land they loved. Josiah had shown the
Cheyenne of her tribe what the white man's God was really like. And they admired him for it. He sowed
seeds without even realizing it. For, unlike the missionaries with all their words and empty actions, he put
more stock in what he was doing than what he was saying. And that was something he did without thinking.
She knew that if all white men who claimed to live by their Good Book behaved as Josiah did then the
Cheyenne would except them as they had Josiah. But most spoke one way and behaved another. And
so...they them.
"Heavy thoughts?" Vin inquired startling her out of her reverie.
She looked at him blankly. Before she realized what he'd asked. She smiled cheerfully. "Not really. Just
old memories."
Josiah shot her a scrutinizing look. He knew her mixed heritage had caused her more problems than he
liked to admit. When those folks who considered Ally's kind to be distasteful looked at her they saw a child
of two worlds who was no better than the dogs that ran in the streets. Someone to be considered
sub-human and to be shunned.
He'd never seen Ally that way. How could he? When he looked at her he saw a talented and beautiful
young woman. Someone who's opinions should be respected and valued. Someone to count on.
Someone to trust.
Resolutely he decided that no one was going to hurt her. He'd die first. With a small smile he realized if
she could hear him thinking like that she might speed up the process. Ally was a very independant woman.
She didn't want to be the protected but the protector. And she did it very well. "Ally, you're not old enough
to have old memories." He teased.
She shot him another mock glare. "Josiah Sanchez I am not the child you knew."
He chuckled. "If you were still the child I knew you'd have some serious explaining to do about the way
you fill out those clothes." He countered his blue eyes twinkling.
She rolled her eyes as Vin and Chris nearly choked with laughter. It was apparent that neither Ally or
Josiah cared about what was considered proper and their conversations were more than evidence of that
fact.
"So what are the plans for today?" Vin asked leaning back.
Chris, finished, pushed his plate away and sat back to enjoy the remainder of his coffee. "I was thinking
we'd ride out a ways and scout around. I don't want to run into these guys in the middle of the street. Too
dangerous."
He nodded. "Sounds 'bout right."
"I agree. I''ll get Nathan and we'll ready up some supplies, if we're going to be getting into a gunfight
chances are someone's gonna get shot."
"Mr.Larabee!" Mary Travis' strident voice interrupted their conversation.
Ally groaned into her coffee cup. "Josiah, pray for a miracle."
He looked over," What kind?"
"That the ground will open up and suck me in."
"Mrs.Travis," Chris leaned back and looked up at the beautiful blonde.
"I just spoke with Agnes Murty, she says that Dr.Dusalle threatened her!"
"I did." Ally said flatly.
"And why, praytell, would you do that?"
"She was about to hit her son."
"And that was cause to threaten her?" Mary returned.
"Yes, it was. The boy had done nothing wrong except defend me. And where I come from, we don't let our
friends be hurt for helping us."
Mary stared into Ally's dark eyes. The entire time she'd been speaking, her tone had stayed even and
calm. She wasn't about to be provoked into any sort of fight. She'd been in this situation many times before
and it had always come out the same. A fight meant trouble. Even if it was verbal. And the town always
sided with the one who had white skin. And a more respected background.
She turned to Chris. "Are you just going to stand there and let this woman run around threatening people?"
Ordinarily, he respected Mary Travis. She'd survived a lot and kept going. She had her bad points. But she
was primarily a decent person. But right now she'd crossed the line.
"Mrs.Travis, that woman had it coming, before you argue, realize something. I was there and I heard and
saw everything that went on. If I were you I would direct my anger at the woman who is so full of prejudice
that she nearly slapped her son for defending a woman who hadn't done anything wrong except be born
of a mixed background. That woman should be the one punished. Not the woman who defended the child.
You as a mother especially should understand what kind of treasure a child is. Especially one with a heart
as pure as that little boy's."
She nodded stiffly and turned and left without another word.
"Well!" Ally said brightly. "That went well."
He half-smiled.
"I would give ten to one odds that this will appear in tomorrow's edition of the Clarion." Ezra said from the
doorway. "Well, my dear doctor, it would appear that you are not Mrs.Travis' favorite person in Four
Corners."
She sighed. "I have a feeling that primarily she is a decent person. Unfortunately her views towards
indians and those of my background are questionable at best. At worst they are not that high."
"However, I must say," Ezra pressed. "You did handle her with admirable patience."
"Admirable?" She laughed shortly. "I wanted to shoot her."
"And what kept you from doing it?" Josiah inquired.
"Well, if she lived, either Nathan or myself would have to patch her up. And if she died her father-in-law
would hang me and the point of me coming to Four Corners was to survive not to get hanged."
"You know who Mary's father-in-law is?" Vin looked suprised.
She nodded. "I met him about a month back. He'd been shot and wanted me to take a look at the wound.
The stagecoach trip had been very dirty and uncomfortable and he wanted me to check it just in case.
While I did so he told me about where he'd gotten shot. And about his daughter-in-law and the seven men
he'd hired to protect the town." She nodded at Josiah. "Which is how I figured out where you were."
Josiah smiled. "And I'm very glad you did."
She smiled back. "So am I old friend, so am I."