Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews so far! I'm pretty pleased that this
story started the "American Outlaws" category. Yaaaay! Please keep
reviewing and I'll keep writing! ^^
As the two teens came down the stairs, side by side, Jim took a quick glance at his fellow gang members to see what they were up to. Seven of them were in a serious poker game. He could tell by the way that they were hunched over their cards and looking at each other. But where was Jesse? His crystal blue eyes averted to the bar where he saw his cousin in a deep conversation with a brunette whom was sitting on the other side of the counter. Both were smiling at each other and there was only about seven shots of whiskey beside Jesse and four of them were full. So, he obviously wasn't drunk. During this whole time, Jesse was feeling much closer to Brooke after their discussion about their deceased mothers, among other things. He wasn't one to get very drunk, so he decided to abandon his whiskey and scan the room for something him and Brooke could join in on, "Ah, looks like your little sister has fixed Jim up real good."
"She's a miracle worker, that's for sure," Brooke nodded, a proud expression on her face.
"A miracle worker, eh? Jim told me it was just a scratch," He grinned.
"She's seen worse," She leaned a bit closer, her nose almost touching his as she said this, "Then again... She is the smarter one of our family." Jesse laughed heartily, again, at this and returned to almost touching noses with Brooke, smirking stupidly, "If what you say about yourself is true, that's something we have in common."
Blythe stopped on the last step. "It looks as if we have a spot of trouble, Jim." "Whaddya talkin' about?" His gaze averted to Blythe.
"But of course Jim, we have a serious problem at hand!" She began laying on the drama, "Poker, drinks, conversation..." Blythe leaned against Jim, the back of her hand against her forehead, "Whatever are we to do?"
Jim's nervousness started up again and he looked down at Blythe, "You drink...?"
"Just sassafras, of course! That alcohol stuff is nasty, wouldn't you say?"
"Well, um... I suppose it is," Jim wasn't about to admit that last time he drank whiskey, he had to throw it all up, "Can I buy you a drink?"
"Silly, I work here. Drinks are on the house!" Blythe grabbed Jim's wrist lightly and led him across the room to the bar, taking a seat next to Jesse and motioning for Jim to sit next to her.
Jesse turned his stool slightly to face Jim and Blythe, "Hey little buddy and little buddy's friend who is also the buddy of this here larger buddy! I hope you didn't come over here expectin' some whiskey, Jim."
"No siree, Jesse James, no whiskey for us!" Blythe announced with a wide smirk. Jim looked over to Brooke, wondering what was going through her mind... What she thought of Blythe getting so close to him. However, Brook only gave Jim a kind look before standing up straight with a smile, "The usual, Blythe?"
"Of course," replied the younger sibling.
"H-Howdy, Jesse," Jim finally said and grinned at his cousin, "You never cease to get a moment in with a pretty girl at the bar, do you?"
"By the looks of it, neither do you," Jesse grinned teasingly and Jim rolled his eyes at Jesse as a reply.
"Here you go, you two," Brooke interrupted the two boys by setting a bottle of sassafras in front of Blythe and Jim, "Did y'all behave in that room?"
Uncharacteristically, Blythe blushed slightly and played with the rim of her drink cup, "I just put a bandage on the poor boy, Brooke. Why you gotta go and say somethin' like that?" "Cause' I'm your sister. I need neither rhyme nor reason to tease y'all," Brooke retorted but then smiled mischievously.
"I've taught Jim well, no worries to be had about it, Brooke," Jesse reached over Blythe to rustle Jim's hair. Jim shoved Jesse's arm away and frowned, "Yeah, yeah..."
Until the early hours of the morning, the two cousins stayed at the bar, engaging in conversation with the Capulet sisters. Each one had their own story to tell, whether it be of robbing backs or throwing out aggressive drunks. Brooke had kept the sassafras out for the four of them and none in the mood for drinking any more whiskey. The other customers had cleared out and left them all alone. It was like they had strayed into a dream.
The grandfather clock in the upstairs hall could be heard, the bell chiming three times and this caused them to fall silent for a moment. Blythe politely covered a yawn; "You boys ever have a bedtime in the job of outlawing?"
Jim laughed at the sound of this, "Bedtime? Us?"
"Quit glorifying the life, Jim. We tuck you in every night at seven sharp and you know it," Jesse nudged Jim in the ribs with his elbow.
"Well, I do suggest a bit of sleep before dawn comes..." Brooke said as she cleared off the empty sassafras bottles and shot glasses and Blythe naturally helped her sister clear the table, so between the two, it was a minimal chore.
"Anyhow, I saw a yawn escape that mouth of yours earlier, Jim," Blythe grinned, "The rest of your crowd was on to something smart-like when they chose to sleep."
Looking over to Jesse, Jim raised his eyebrows, "But... aren't we supposed to leave at dawn?"
"Yep, so we best sleep fast. Are there any rooms left, after my cousins got their pick, Brooke?"
Glancing to the charismatic outlaw, Brooke nodded once. Her voice had changed into a slightly colder tone, "I'm sure there is..."
"Whoa! Brooke, sis, you're soundin' evil on us there. Did Jesse give you the wrong look?" Blythe hitched arms with her older sister and started leading her towards the stairwell.
"Whaddya mean by that?!" Brooke's cheeks began to turn rosy.
"I dunno, what'd ya mean by the voice change?" She blinked rather obliviously at Brooke.
"Get up there!" Brooke gave her sister a hard but playful shove up the rest of the stairs before following her, "Go find a room..."
As the two teens came down the stairs, side by side, Jim took a quick glance at his fellow gang members to see what they were up to. Seven of them were in a serious poker game. He could tell by the way that they were hunched over their cards and looking at each other. But where was Jesse? His crystal blue eyes averted to the bar where he saw his cousin in a deep conversation with a brunette whom was sitting on the other side of the counter. Both were smiling at each other and there was only about seven shots of whiskey beside Jesse and four of them were full. So, he obviously wasn't drunk. During this whole time, Jesse was feeling much closer to Brooke after their discussion about their deceased mothers, among other things. He wasn't one to get very drunk, so he decided to abandon his whiskey and scan the room for something him and Brooke could join in on, "Ah, looks like your little sister has fixed Jim up real good."
"She's a miracle worker, that's for sure," Brooke nodded, a proud expression on her face.
"A miracle worker, eh? Jim told me it was just a scratch," He grinned.
"She's seen worse," She leaned a bit closer, her nose almost touching his as she said this, "Then again... She is the smarter one of our family." Jesse laughed heartily, again, at this and returned to almost touching noses with Brooke, smirking stupidly, "If what you say about yourself is true, that's something we have in common."
Blythe stopped on the last step. "It looks as if we have a spot of trouble, Jim." "Whaddya talkin' about?" His gaze averted to Blythe.
"But of course Jim, we have a serious problem at hand!" She began laying on the drama, "Poker, drinks, conversation..." Blythe leaned against Jim, the back of her hand against her forehead, "Whatever are we to do?"
Jim's nervousness started up again and he looked down at Blythe, "You drink...?"
"Just sassafras, of course! That alcohol stuff is nasty, wouldn't you say?"
"Well, um... I suppose it is," Jim wasn't about to admit that last time he drank whiskey, he had to throw it all up, "Can I buy you a drink?"
"Silly, I work here. Drinks are on the house!" Blythe grabbed Jim's wrist lightly and led him across the room to the bar, taking a seat next to Jesse and motioning for Jim to sit next to her.
Jesse turned his stool slightly to face Jim and Blythe, "Hey little buddy and little buddy's friend who is also the buddy of this here larger buddy! I hope you didn't come over here expectin' some whiskey, Jim."
"No siree, Jesse James, no whiskey for us!" Blythe announced with a wide smirk. Jim looked over to Brooke, wondering what was going through her mind... What she thought of Blythe getting so close to him. However, Brook only gave Jim a kind look before standing up straight with a smile, "The usual, Blythe?"
"Of course," replied the younger sibling.
"H-Howdy, Jesse," Jim finally said and grinned at his cousin, "You never cease to get a moment in with a pretty girl at the bar, do you?"
"By the looks of it, neither do you," Jesse grinned teasingly and Jim rolled his eyes at Jesse as a reply.
"Here you go, you two," Brooke interrupted the two boys by setting a bottle of sassafras in front of Blythe and Jim, "Did y'all behave in that room?"
Uncharacteristically, Blythe blushed slightly and played with the rim of her drink cup, "I just put a bandage on the poor boy, Brooke. Why you gotta go and say somethin' like that?" "Cause' I'm your sister. I need neither rhyme nor reason to tease y'all," Brooke retorted but then smiled mischievously.
"I've taught Jim well, no worries to be had about it, Brooke," Jesse reached over Blythe to rustle Jim's hair. Jim shoved Jesse's arm away and frowned, "Yeah, yeah..."
Until the early hours of the morning, the two cousins stayed at the bar, engaging in conversation with the Capulet sisters. Each one had their own story to tell, whether it be of robbing backs or throwing out aggressive drunks. Brooke had kept the sassafras out for the four of them and none in the mood for drinking any more whiskey. The other customers had cleared out and left them all alone. It was like they had strayed into a dream.
The grandfather clock in the upstairs hall could be heard, the bell chiming three times and this caused them to fall silent for a moment. Blythe politely covered a yawn; "You boys ever have a bedtime in the job of outlawing?"
Jim laughed at the sound of this, "Bedtime? Us?"
"Quit glorifying the life, Jim. We tuck you in every night at seven sharp and you know it," Jesse nudged Jim in the ribs with his elbow.
"Well, I do suggest a bit of sleep before dawn comes..." Brooke said as she cleared off the empty sassafras bottles and shot glasses and Blythe naturally helped her sister clear the table, so between the two, it was a minimal chore.
"Anyhow, I saw a yawn escape that mouth of yours earlier, Jim," Blythe grinned, "The rest of your crowd was on to something smart-like when they chose to sleep."
Looking over to Jesse, Jim raised his eyebrows, "But... aren't we supposed to leave at dawn?"
"Yep, so we best sleep fast. Are there any rooms left, after my cousins got their pick, Brooke?"
Glancing to the charismatic outlaw, Brooke nodded once. Her voice had changed into a slightly colder tone, "I'm sure there is..."
"Whoa! Brooke, sis, you're soundin' evil on us there. Did Jesse give you the wrong look?" Blythe hitched arms with her older sister and started leading her towards the stairwell.
"Whaddya mean by that?!" Brooke's cheeks began to turn rosy.
"I dunno, what'd ya mean by the voice change?" She blinked rather obliviously at Brooke.
"Get up there!" Brooke gave her sister a hard but playful shove up the rest of the stairs before following her, "Go find a room..."