Part two
Baranca snorted into the air, shifting uneasily as he became unnerved by the confused signals he was getting from his rider. Unsure of what was expected, the palomino slowed its gait and waited.
"Sorry, it's not fair taking this out on you, is it, boy?" Johnny apologized as he leaned over to rub a calming hand down Baranca's neck. Taking a deep breath, the gunfighter straightened in his saddle. "Don't look back," he whispered to himself as he closed his eyes. "It's looking back that got you thinking in the first place." With his mind made up, Johnny looked toward the end of the road and spurring Baranca on, headed toward his past.
LRLRLRLRLRLRLRLR
"Rise and shine, Brother," Scott pounded on the door of his brother's room. It was unlike Johnny to over sleep, but after the day he had in town, they all decided to let the young man lay in a little longer. "You're going to sleep the best part of the day away," Scott called as he opened the door and found himself facing an empty room.
More confused, than surprised, Scott imagined that his brother, unable to sleep, had risen early and was probably halfway through checking the south pastures by now. Never quite sure if he would ever fully understand this new brother of his, Scott shrugged and was about to leave the room when he caught sight of two neatly place papers on the middle of Johnny's bed.
LRLRLRLRLRLRLRLR
"Murdoch!"
Murdoch Lancer hadn't known his sons for very long, but he had heard that tone in Scott's voice before. It had occurred during their first weeks together, Scott had used same fear-tinged voice, as they stood helpless, watching as the raiders who were threatening Lancer, shot Johnny from his saddle. The memory of his instant reaction to protect his remaining son and hold him back from rescuing Johnny's body still shamed him. But Scott had been right, Johnny wasn't dead and as movement return to his body, his eldest had without a second thought for his own personal safety, had run to his brother's side and pulled him from danger. These were the two men he was now proud to call his sons.
"Scott, what is it?" Murdoch asked as he stood to meet his son.
"It's Johnny, he's gone."
"What do you mean, gone?"
"I mean gone, as in packed," Scott snapped as he pushed his free hand through his hair. Remembering the papers, he found the blonde man passed them to his father. "He left these for you."
Opening the first piece of paper he was surprised to find Johnny's deed to his part of the ranch. With his frown deepening, Murdoch tossed the deed on the table and turned his attention to the next piece of paper.
~~~~~~~
Murdoch,
I'm not one to write letters, never really had anyone to write to, but I couldn't leave without telling you why. My mother already put us both through that Hell once. I won't repeat her mistake. I didn't expect a lot in hearing from you again old man, and I didn't think I'd cared whether you lived or died, but I surprised myself. I care.
You once said to us boys, what happened before is in the past and forgotten. Nothing's that easy, Murdoch, nothing's ever that easy.
My past won't die an easy death. Don't think I ever really expected it to, I guess. But it's my past and it's a past that shadows me as the boy in saloon proved yesterday. He is just the beginning.
I don't belong at Lancer. I never have. If you were honest with yourself, old man, you know you'd agree with me. A gunfighter may be useful at times, but as a son............
I'm not going to say don't look for me, cause if there is one thing I know, it's that you won't. Not because you don't care about Johnny Lancer, but that you still mistrust Johnny Madrid. Don't worry, I don't hold that against you, old man.
I left you the deed to my share of Lancer. I don't see how it belongs to me, though I am taking Baranca. He and I are one of a kind.
Tell Teresa and Jelly that I'll miss them and Boston, tell him to stay out of trouble, because I won't be there to bail him out anymore.
Johnny
~~~~~~~~~~~
"Damn!" Murdoch cursed as he handed the letter back to Scott to read. "Does he think so little of us?"
"No, Murdoch," Scott said sadly as he glanced up from the letter. "He thinks so little of himself."
"What's going on?" Teresa asked, feeling the tension as she entered the room. "Where's Johnny?" She was more than a little worried about the youngest Lancer, since she learned about the incident in town. Since the death of her father, Teresa had come to see Murdoch as a second father and Scott and Johnny as the brothers she never had. It hurt her to see her 'family' in turmoil.
"Johnny's gone," Scott said sadly as he passed the letter to Teresa.
"Gone?" She whispered as she dropped into a chair and silently began to read.
"Everything was going so well. What really happened in town yesterday?" Murdoch asked his eldest son, hoping that somewhere in the facts, there was the real reason to why Johnny left home.
"I told you." Scott sighed in exasperation. "I came along when it was all over. But the Sheriff said that all the witnesses agreed, Johnny did everything he could to get the boy to walk away, but he wouldn't. He's not reverting to his old ways Murdoch, if that's what you're thinking."
"I wasn't," Murdoch answered firmly, tackling his son's anger head on. "But there is more to this than what Johnny is saying in that letter."
"Well, what do we do about it? If you think I'm just going to sit here and let him go, you--,"
"We're not going to do any such thing. Saddle the horses." He ordered before turning to Teresa, he could she see was eager to be of help. "Teresa, can you get provisions for at least four days ready please?"
"Four?" Realizing she was wasting time, Teresa left the room to get the supplies.
Scott?" Murdoch called after his eldest as his son opened the front door on his way to saddle the horses. "He's not only your brother, he's 'my' son. I let you both go once, I don't aim to do that again."
TBC
Baranca snorted into the air, shifting uneasily as he became unnerved by the confused signals he was getting from his rider. Unsure of what was expected, the palomino slowed its gait and waited.
"Sorry, it's not fair taking this out on you, is it, boy?" Johnny apologized as he leaned over to rub a calming hand down Baranca's neck. Taking a deep breath, the gunfighter straightened in his saddle. "Don't look back," he whispered to himself as he closed his eyes. "It's looking back that got you thinking in the first place." With his mind made up, Johnny looked toward the end of the road and spurring Baranca on, headed toward his past.
LRLRLRLRLRLRLRLR
"Rise and shine, Brother," Scott pounded on the door of his brother's room. It was unlike Johnny to over sleep, but after the day he had in town, they all decided to let the young man lay in a little longer. "You're going to sleep the best part of the day away," Scott called as he opened the door and found himself facing an empty room.
More confused, than surprised, Scott imagined that his brother, unable to sleep, had risen early and was probably halfway through checking the south pastures by now. Never quite sure if he would ever fully understand this new brother of his, Scott shrugged and was about to leave the room when he caught sight of two neatly place papers on the middle of Johnny's bed.
LRLRLRLRLRLRLRLR
"Murdoch!"
Murdoch Lancer hadn't known his sons for very long, but he had heard that tone in Scott's voice before. It had occurred during their first weeks together, Scott had used same fear-tinged voice, as they stood helpless, watching as the raiders who were threatening Lancer, shot Johnny from his saddle. The memory of his instant reaction to protect his remaining son and hold him back from rescuing Johnny's body still shamed him. But Scott had been right, Johnny wasn't dead and as movement return to his body, his eldest had without a second thought for his own personal safety, had run to his brother's side and pulled him from danger. These were the two men he was now proud to call his sons.
"Scott, what is it?" Murdoch asked as he stood to meet his son.
"It's Johnny, he's gone."
"What do you mean, gone?"
"I mean gone, as in packed," Scott snapped as he pushed his free hand through his hair. Remembering the papers, he found the blonde man passed them to his father. "He left these for you."
Opening the first piece of paper he was surprised to find Johnny's deed to his part of the ranch. With his frown deepening, Murdoch tossed the deed on the table and turned his attention to the next piece of paper.
~~~~~~~
Murdoch,
I'm not one to write letters, never really had anyone to write to, but I couldn't leave without telling you why. My mother already put us both through that Hell once. I won't repeat her mistake. I didn't expect a lot in hearing from you again old man, and I didn't think I'd cared whether you lived or died, but I surprised myself. I care.
You once said to us boys, what happened before is in the past and forgotten. Nothing's that easy, Murdoch, nothing's ever that easy.
My past won't die an easy death. Don't think I ever really expected it to, I guess. But it's my past and it's a past that shadows me as the boy in saloon proved yesterday. He is just the beginning.
I don't belong at Lancer. I never have. If you were honest with yourself, old man, you know you'd agree with me. A gunfighter may be useful at times, but as a son............
I'm not going to say don't look for me, cause if there is one thing I know, it's that you won't. Not because you don't care about Johnny Lancer, but that you still mistrust Johnny Madrid. Don't worry, I don't hold that against you, old man.
I left you the deed to my share of Lancer. I don't see how it belongs to me, though I am taking Baranca. He and I are one of a kind.
Tell Teresa and Jelly that I'll miss them and Boston, tell him to stay out of trouble, because I won't be there to bail him out anymore.
Johnny
~~~~~~~~~~~
"Damn!" Murdoch cursed as he handed the letter back to Scott to read. "Does he think so little of us?"
"No, Murdoch," Scott said sadly as he glanced up from the letter. "He thinks so little of himself."
"What's going on?" Teresa asked, feeling the tension as she entered the room. "Where's Johnny?" She was more than a little worried about the youngest Lancer, since she learned about the incident in town. Since the death of her father, Teresa had come to see Murdoch as a second father and Scott and Johnny as the brothers she never had. It hurt her to see her 'family' in turmoil.
"Johnny's gone," Scott said sadly as he passed the letter to Teresa.
"Gone?" She whispered as she dropped into a chair and silently began to read.
"Everything was going so well. What really happened in town yesterday?" Murdoch asked his eldest son, hoping that somewhere in the facts, there was the real reason to why Johnny left home.
"I told you." Scott sighed in exasperation. "I came along when it was all over. But the Sheriff said that all the witnesses agreed, Johnny did everything he could to get the boy to walk away, but he wouldn't. He's not reverting to his old ways Murdoch, if that's what you're thinking."
"I wasn't," Murdoch answered firmly, tackling his son's anger head on. "But there is more to this than what Johnny is saying in that letter."
"Well, what do we do about it? If you think I'm just going to sit here and let him go, you--,"
"We're not going to do any such thing. Saddle the horses." He ordered before turning to Teresa, he could she see was eager to be of help. "Teresa, can you get provisions for at least four days ready please?"
"Four?" Realizing she was wasting time, Teresa left the room to get the supplies.
Scott?" Murdoch called after his eldest as his son opened the front door on his way to saddle the horses. "He's not only your brother, he's 'my' son. I let you both go once, I don't aim to do that again."
TBC