-
Morgan turned away from the cell which held Will, Talbert and MacGruder. "I'd be lyin' if I said I wasn't surprised," he told Jet and Spike. "No one's gone after MacGruder's bounty and lived."
"We didn't exactly go after him," Jet reminded the sheriff.
Morgan looked over his shoulder at the scowling outlaw. "Whatever the story, we're glad that you caught him. The people in this town and the surrounding areas can sleep easier at night."
"What about the other two?" Jet nodded to the irritated Talbert and the defeated Will Harman.
The sheriff shrugged. "That's up to the judge. With the list of charges against them, I doubt they'll see the light of day for a long time."
"Who said there's no justice in the world?" Spike half-grinned when he saw the reaction that garnered from two of the prisoners.
"With MacGruder's bounty money, you should be able to repair any damages done to your property."
"Going to take more than money to cover the repairs we'll need."
"Not like we have any place to be," Spike commented as he pulled out his pack of cigarettes. Last one. He crumpled the empty package and tossed it into the nearby trashcan. "Besides .. Who's going to help you?" He lit the cigarette, enjoying the final one the best he could.
Jet's gaze shifted over to MacGruder sitting in the cell, ultimately sulking, then looked back to Morgan. "Hey ... sheriff. How would you feel about a temporary work release program?"
Morgan turned back to Jet and Spike. "Huh?"
-
"How come you're not inside with the others?"
Wolfwood opened his eyes to find Faye standing in front of him. He sat up straighter, glancing at the sheriff's office behind him. "They don't need my help with that. What about you? Vash show you where to find your little friend?"
Faye nodded as she sat down on the wooden sidewalk with him. "He left her with that insurance girl. The one with the bitchy attitude." She recalled the look on Meryl's face when Faye showed up at her door with Vash. Even after she tried to explain that she wasn't after Vash's bounty, Meryl continued to watch her like a hawk.
"She's on edge lately."
"And I'm not?" She shook her head. "Anyway, Ed and Ein are with them. They went somewhere. Knowing Ed, food is probably involved." She gestured to the sheriff's office. "How long have they been in there?"
"Not long." He glanced at her. "What do you plan to do once your ship is repaired?"
She shrugged as her fingers picked at one of the belts on Wolfwood's cross leaning against the railing. "Who knows? Even if we could leave, where would we go? No telling how far away we are from Mars. And, if we ever found it, it wouldn't be home." She sighed, sadly. "It's funny. I'm finally debt-free and I'm more miserable than ever."
"Money has nothing to do with happiness."
"You don't have a dime and you're pretty grim. What's your excuse?"
"It's a long story."
"I'm not going anywhere for a while." She turned when she heard voices from inside of the sheriff's office become louder. A moment later, Spike, followed by Jet, exited the building. "What happened?"
Spike glanced at Jet, shook his head then stepped off the porch and walked across the street.
"What's his problem?"
"He's not thrilled about the deal I made with the local sheriff."
"What deal is that?"
-
"Aye! Spike!" Ed waved from across the room as Spike entered Ali's Saloon. The girl sat at one of the tables with Vash, the two young women from the insurance company and Ein. A good number of empty plates lay before them. "Merry-Meryl bought us food!"
"Is there any way I can make her stop calling me that?" Meryl groaned as she slumped in her chair, her head tipping back. "All day, that's all I've heard. It's driving me insane!"
"Aww, I think it's a rather cute name, ma'am," Milly chimed in, grinning at Ed who devoured another full plate of food. She picked up a piece of leftover meat from one of the other plates and fed it to Ein. "Besides ... it's just her way of showing how much she likes you."
"I thought giving her food would shut her up."
"Hello!" Ali's cheerful greeting drew Spike's attention away from the others. She smiled brightly. "I'm so glad you're okay. I heard about what happened." She frowned slightly. "I never thought they'd do something so stupid."
"Really? You didn't?" he said as he neared the woman behind the counter.
"No." Her expression changed again when Spike stopped in front of her. The look in his eyes made her extremely uncomfortable. "I didn't know they were capable of such a thing. Or that Bob Talbert was a relative of that ... that man."
"Maybe you should remember that the next time you eavesdrop on someone else's conversation."
Ali's heart thumped a little faster in her chest as she tried her best to look confused. "I ... I don't know what you mean - "She gasped suddenly when Spike leaned towards her, his face half an inch from hers.
"If I had my way, you'd be in jail with the other three." He motioned to the doorway, indicating the sheriff's office across the street from her place. "Your big mouth almost cost me my life and my ship." He narrowed his gaze on her. "I hope you've learned your lesson. The next person might not be as forgiving as I am."
Ali only nodded, quickly. "Y-yes," she shakily whispered. "I-I won't do it again. I promise."
After staring hard at her for a few more seconds, he stood straight. "Good." As he turned, he noticed Vash was on his feet, apparently preparing to intervene. "Sit down," he ordered Vash as he reached the table.
"What was that about?" Meryl inquired as she turned away from the terrified barmaid, her eyes on Spike as he took the empty seat next to Ed.
Vash sat down, his gaze steady on Spike while the other man fished through his jacket pockets, searching for something.
"Someone should learn to keep her mouth shut," Spike muttered then gave up on what he was looking for.
Milly glanced at Meryl then tried to smile as she focused her attention on Spike. "You have the money you need, Mr. Spiegel. Won't you be able to fix your ship now?"
"What's the point?" he snapped in such a fierce tone it made Milly flinch. "We don't have anywhere to go if Jet does manage to fix it." He scoffed as he remembered the deal Jet made with Morgan. "We're trapped on a planet we don't belong and in a time period we don't belong."
Milly bit her lower lip, trying to think of something to say to inspire hope in the man. "You shouldn't give up so easily. You never know what tomorrow's going to bring! Or the day after it. Or the day after that."
"I do know. Us leaving here and going back to where we belong isn't in our future." Fed up with the false hope speeches, Spike shoved back his chair and left the saloon, his head hanging low.
Milly sighed. "I was only trying to help."
"I know, Milly." Optimism was Milly's forte and to see her so viciously shot down by a man as cynical as Spike Spiegel, it took every ounce of her willpower to stay in her chair. Part of her wanted nothing more than to chase him down and give him a piece of her mind. Would it solve anything? Probably not. But she would certainly feel better. "You tried."
Ed shoved a slice of bread in Milly's face and grinned when the woman looked at her. "Ed shares her food! Anything can happen! Yep, yep!"
Meryl smiled when Ed's gesture took the sadness away from Milly. Her gaze shifted over to Vash, who silently stared at the doorway of the saloon. He had that look on his face again. She wished she could figure this man out. It would make everything easier, including her job.
More To Come ...
Song Title Used: "I've Tried Everything" by The Eurythmics