A/N Mariana, Bitemee, spufette, and msberry, I must thank you for reading my story, and being nice enough to say it was good, and well, wasn't bad.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, but it's my plot, so I feel special.
Different Sides Of The Track
The sun shown through the bedroom window caressing the room with a soft, warm golden light. It washed over Buffy's face, and she turned over, not wanting to believe it was morning already, or to move from her bed.
She sighed and opened her eyes, allowing them to adjust to the bright light pouring in through the window. Then, sitting up in her bed, she heard soft gurgling noises coming from the crib beside her. She smiled to herself, and moved to stand up, needing to tend to the baby.
"Good Morning sweet Dawn, did your dreams treat you well?" she asked, the little girl just smiled at her, and giggled. "I take it they did."
Buffy bent over and picked Dawn up out of the crib, carrying her out of the room, and down the hall with her. Not wanting to be rude, Buffy taps on the wooden doorframe of the guest room; not looking passed the open door.
"Charles?" she asked, then waited for a response from the man.
"Yes m'am?" she heard his answer and smiled at how polite he was.
"May I come in?"
"'Course ya can." Charles responded, and Buffy entered the room.
She smiled warmly at him, "Breakfast will be in a little while, that is, if I ever get around to cooking it. So if you want to come down, we'll wait for you."
He looked at her with gratitude, and nodded, "Thank you."
"Your very welcome Charles. I'll see you later." She said, excusing herself from the room.
She walked down the hall, then down stairs to another guest room. Again she knocked on the doorframe, not wanting to intrude on the man inside.
"Xander, you awake?" she asked.
"Yeah. Come on in, I got something to tell you." He said seriously.
Buffy moved into the room, and looked at him concerned by his tone, "What is it."
"That black man I brought you. He might be highly wanted by his owners, there might be some people out looking for him, even though I haven't come across any yet." He said, "I saw some banners, and some posts offering a hefty reward for him, so be careful."
"I always am." She replied.
"I know you are Ms. Summers, but don't go allowing him to answer the door, or greet people in any way. If anyone recognizes him, you'll be in some trouble."
She nodded at him, "I'll do that. Thank you. And, for the last time, you can call me Buffy, no need to be calling me Ms. Summers all the time, not unless you want to go by Mr. Harris." She said, jokingly.
"Alright Buffy." He smiled at her, "I guess I'll be off, be seeing you in a couple of weeks if we get another one."
"Xander, you know I can't let you leave on an empty stomach, stay for breakfast, then you can be on your way." She told him.
"I was hoping you'd say that." He smirked at her, and she rolled her eyes.
"Do you ever think about anything but food?" she asked, turning from him to go into the kitchen.
"Not very often." He joked, following her.
She sighed and turned back to him, "Could you hold Dawn for me?"
"Sure." He took the little girl from Buffy's arms, and sat down at the table, bouncing her on his knee.
Buffy smiled, and watched as Dawn giggled, and smiled, she couldn't help but think that Xander was going to be a great father someday. He was so good to Dawn when he came over, whether it was on business, or just to say "Hello" on a trip up to Boston, he was always the cheerful jokester Buffy had grown to love like a brother.
Her thoughts were interrupted by footsteps on the stairs, both She and Xander looked to the staircase to see Charles enter the room.
"G'morning Gunn." Xander said, nodding at him.
Charles nodded back, "Morning Mr. Harris." He said, the uncertainty Buffy had heard in his voice the night before was gone, and he spoke to Xander like they had known each other their entire lives.
Buffy turned her attention back to making breakfast for everyone, wondering what she was going to make. She hadn't gone out to do the chores yet, so there were no eggs, and no milk. But there were berries, and some bread, it would do for this morning, and she hoped no one as expecting a huge buffet.
Gathering up the strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, she puts them in a large basket, and rinses them in a pale of water. Shaking off most of the water, she dumps them into a bowl, and grabs a loaf of bread from oven. It was a day old, but wasn't stale, and she figured it would be ok.
"Hey sorry about this, but I wasn't expecting a crowd this morning." She said, placing the bowl of fruit, and the bread on the table. "I know, not the greatest, but it's all I got right now."
"S'alright Buff, this is better than what I had for dinner last night." Xander said, smiling at her.
"I'm glad you're happy Xander." She said, "Well, you guys eat, and Xander?"
"Yeah?"
"Watch Dawn for a second. I have some things to do before I can eat." She told him, opening the back door, and heading for the small barn out back.
Buffy Summers didn't have much considering what her neighbors had, but she never complained about it. One cow, a half dozen chickens, and hyper Border Terrier was plenty for her to handle, especially when her cousin was away, and she had to do all the work alone.
Walking into the barn she grabbed a pale, and made her way over to one of the four stalls in the barn, first checking on Xander's horse for him, making sure he had food and water before checking up on her cow.
It was a new addition to the small farm, and Faith had had the idea to let Dawn name the cow when she was old enough to talk. Figured since Dawn got a kick out of seeing the animal and the fact that when she was older she'd have to help care for her, she should get to make it hers with a name.
Buffy opened the stall down, and using a horse halter, and lead rope, tied up the sow so she could be milked. Pulling up a stool for her to sit on, Buffy placed the pale under the utter, and began to fill up the bucket with the warm white liquid.
When she was done, the cow defiantly seemed relieved. Buffy patted her on the nose, and placed the bucket of milk in the isle way. She had made the mistake of leaving the bucket in there once before while she untied the cow, and she had ended up with no milk that day.
She pulled the halter off on the cows face, and closed the stall door behind her as she left, carrying the milk pale, filled with milk, back into the house with her.
Deciding to make one more stop on her way to the house, Buffy stopped at the chicken shed, and grabbed the two or three eggs that were in the roosts. She pocketed them, and went back inside the house, only to find most of the fruit and bread gone, and Xander making funny faces at Dawn, and Gunn watching the two of them with an amused smirk on his face.
(-{-:-}-)
The sun had risen hours ago, and William had only stopped to rest but once on his journey northward. He had stopped at various houses along the way, and put up the sketches he had made of the runaway in the towns he hadn't already put them up in two days before.
There was a reward offer for the man, which William was going to have to pay himself, because he knew his father would never give anyone anything for helping him out. Personally William didn't understand his father, or his older brother. All they talked about was how they were going to buy slaves, sell slaves, or make more money. They never paid attention to his mother, or his baby sister, and William acted more like the man of the house every time his father went away, used to being left with nothing but what he could do himself.
As he walked through the town he wondered how his mother and sister were faring at home. He figured the same as when he was home, doing all the chores women were expected to do, and William was forced to do.
He shook his head to clear it of any thoughts but finding his father's prized runaway, not wanting to think of the things he should be doing at home. Instead, he focused on what he knew already, and what the people he had talked to had said.
Most people he talked to said they had heard about this runaway, either from his flyers or from others Will had already talked to, or said they knew nothing about it. He had run into a couple of people who had sent him on a wild goose chase to a farm way off course, to look at slaves that were at the plantation they belonged at. Some people completely ignored him, and by this time, Will was extremely frustrated.
He had no idea where he was, except that he had crossed into South Carolina just before sunrise. And he really didn't care, to tell the truth, he was taking his time in finding his fathers slave, not wanting to return home, with or without the black man.
The small town he was in now seemed to be deserted except for a few young men standing outside of a general store, waiting for it to open. William sighed in boredom and annoyance and patted PenDragon on the muzzle.
"Looks like you and me get to take a break for now, Pen." He said, grabbing the reins and leading him to a place where he could tie him up for a while.
Making sure the reins looped tightly on the tie post, William patted PenDragon one more time before joining the group of boys at the front on the store.
"What's going on here?" he asked, curious at why these boys had nothing better to do than wait out in front of this shop.
"Mr. Carry hasn't opened his shop yet," One kid said.
"Yeah, and we're thinkin' it's 'cause the sheriff caught him illegally smugglin' slaves to the North." Another added.
"Really?" William asked, "What's the punishment in your area for that?"
"Well," one of the boys spoke up, "They used to just fine them, and send them on their way, but now they fine and jail them, because they keep doin' it as long as they can afford to pay the fine. It's really stupid actually, damn Nigger lovers should just turn in those good for nothin' spades, and collect the rewards."
"Yeah, 'stead of helpin' them, that'd way they'd be makin' more money, instead of losin' it." A fourth boy joined in.
William thought about this for a second, slightly offended by how the children were talking about blacks. He had grown up side by side with blacks, and it turned out most of them were more descent than some of the white men her had met. Another part of him believe it to be right, that blacks were under him in society, and it was that part that always kept him from speaking good about blacks.
"That would make sense, now wouldn't it," William said, "Hey, anyone know where I could find your Mr. Carry? I'm missing a nigger of my own, maybe he knows were he's at."
"Well, seein' as he ain't here, he's probly down at the sheriff's."
"And where would that be?" he asked.
"Down the street, there's a big sign that says 'Sheriff' on it, pretty sure you can't miss it."
"Thanks."
William returned to his horse, and untied him, not feeling very inclined to leave PenDragon anywhere near these kids, unsure of how good this towns ethnics were, he didn't want to take a chance in losing his stallion.
Pulling on the reins, William led PenDragon down the street, finding it just as easy as the boy had said to find the sheriff's building. It looked a little old; maybe this town lacked federal funding or something.
He tied up PenDragon again, and walked inside the building, looking around for the sheriff, and much to his luck, the sheriff was sitting in his chair behind a desk, working on some things.
"Excuse me?" William had always been one to use manners around those he wasn't acquainted with.
"Yes Sir?" the sheriff said, looking up at him.
"I was just wondering, would you happen to be holding a Mr. Carry in here?" he asked.
"Yeah, I am."
"Could I speak with him?"
The sheriff eyed William warily, "Why would you need to se him?"
"I believe he may be able to help me find a slave of mine, seeing as he was arrested for the illegal holding of them, he could have some information for me." William explained.
"What's your name boy?" the sheriff asked, still eying him.
"William Scott, sir."
"Alright, I see no harm in you talking to him, C'mon with me." He stood up, and opened a door, leading into a back room. William followed him, hoping this jailed man could be on some help to him.
"Here you are." He said, "Now don't be to long."
"Yes Sir."
William looked into the cell where an elderly man was in, sitting in the corner, looking like he wanted to hit someone.
"Excuse me?" William asked, trying to sound like a gentleman, still not sure about how much he liked this town.
The man grumbled at him, "What do you want?"
"I heard you dealt with runaway slaves?"
"I find them, I turn them in." he said, glancing at the sheriff.
"Oh, well maybe one slipped from your grasp then." William asked, "About this high, goes by the name of Charles Gunn."
"Never heard of him, now leave me alone."
William sighed, that had been very unsuccessful, and if he kept making stops like this, it was going to cost him too much time. His father probably expected him home in a week or two, and at this rate, going on what he knew; it was going to take a month to track that nigger down.
"I guess I'm done here sheriff." William said, walking out of the back room, "Thanks for that."
"Sure son, anytime" the sheriff said, "Just be sure to turn in any niggers you see. There are quite a few besides yours missing nowadays."
Will nodded, and left, untying and mounting PenDragon as quickly as he could.
"C'mon Pen, looks like were not going to get any help here. Lets just hope that I do find him. My dad will kill me if I don't."
He tapped his heals at the horses side, and PenDragon began to walk. Will didn't want to rush his horse today, not after all the running they had done last night, and plus, Will, himself, was tired as well, and not looking forward to riding hard that day.
Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, but it's my plot, so I feel special.
Different Sides Of The Track
The sun shown through the bedroom window caressing the room with a soft, warm golden light. It washed over Buffy's face, and she turned over, not wanting to believe it was morning already, or to move from her bed.
She sighed and opened her eyes, allowing them to adjust to the bright light pouring in through the window. Then, sitting up in her bed, she heard soft gurgling noises coming from the crib beside her. She smiled to herself, and moved to stand up, needing to tend to the baby.
"Good Morning sweet Dawn, did your dreams treat you well?" she asked, the little girl just smiled at her, and giggled. "I take it they did."
Buffy bent over and picked Dawn up out of the crib, carrying her out of the room, and down the hall with her. Not wanting to be rude, Buffy taps on the wooden doorframe of the guest room; not looking passed the open door.
"Charles?" she asked, then waited for a response from the man.
"Yes m'am?" she heard his answer and smiled at how polite he was.
"May I come in?"
"'Course ya can." Charles responded, and Buffy entered the room.
She smiled warmly at him, "Breakfast will be in a little while, that is, if I ever get around to cooking it. So if you want to come down, we'll wait for you."
He looked at her with gratitude, and nodded, "Thank you."
"Your very welcome Charles. I'll see you later." She said, excusing herself from the room.
She walked down the hall, then down stairs to another guest room. Again she knocked on the doorframe, not wanting to intrude on the man inside.
"Xander, you awake?" she asked.
"Yeah. Come on in, I got something to tell you." He said seriously.
Buffy moved into the room, and looked at him concerned by his tone, "What is it."
"That black man I brought you. He might be highly wanted by his owners, there might be some people out looking for him, even though I haven't come across any yet." He said, "I saw some banners, and some posts offering a hefty reward for him, so be careful."
"I always am." She replied.
"I know you are Ms. Summers, but don't go allowing him to answer the door, or greet people in any way. If anyone recognizes him, you'll be in some trouble."
She nodded at him, "I'll do that. Thank you. And, for the last time, you can call me Buffy, no need to be calling me Ms. Summers all the time, not unless you want to go by Mr. Harris." She said, jokingly.
"Alright Buffy." He smiled at her, "I guess I'll be off, be seeing you in a couple of weeks if we get another one."
"Xander, you know I can't let you leave on an empty stomach, stay for breakfast, then you can be on your way." She told him.
"I was hoping you'd say that." He smirked at her, and she rolled her eyes.
"Do you ever think about anything but food?" she asked, turning from him to go into the kitchen.
"Not very often." He joked, following her.
She sighed and turned back to him, "Could you hold Dawn for me?"
"Sure." He took the little girl from Buffy's arms, and sat down at the table, bouncing her on his knee.
Buffy smiled, and watched as Dawn giggled, and smiled, she couldn't help but think that Xander was going to be a great father someday. He was so good to Dawn when he came over, whether it was on business, or just to say "Hello" on a trip up to Boston, he was always the cheerful jokester Buffy had grown to love like a brother.
Her thoughts were interrupted by footsteps on the stairs, both She and Xander looked to the staircase to see Charles enter the room.
"G'morning Gunn." Xander said, nodding at him.
Charles nodded back, "Morning Mr. Harris." He said, the uncertainty Buffy had heard in his voice the night before was gone, and he spoke to Xander like they had known each other their entire lives.
Buffy turned her attention back to making breakfast for everyone, wondering what she was going to make. She hadn't gone out to do the chores yet, so there were no eggs, and no milk. But there were berries, and some bread, it would do for this morning, and she hoped no one as expecting a huge buffet.
Gathering up the strawberries, blueberries, and raspberries, she puts them in a large basket, and rinses them in a pale of water. Shaking off most of the water, she dumps them into a bowl, and grabs a loaf of bread from oven. It was a day old, but wasn't stale, and she figured it would be ok.
"Hey sorry about this, but I wasn't expecting a crowd this morning." She said, placing the bowl of fruit, and the bread on the table. "I know, not the greatest, but it's all I got right now."
"S'alright Buff, this is better than what I had for dinner last night." Xander said, smiling at her.
"I'm glad you're happy Xander." She said, "Well, you guys eat, and Xander?"
"Yeah?"
"Watch Dawn for a second. I have some things to do before I can eat." She told him, opening the back door, and heading for the small barn out back.
Buffy Summers didn't have much considering what her neighbors had, but she never complained about it. One cow, a half dozen chickens, and hyper Border Terrier was plenty for her to handle, especially when her cousin was away, and she had to do all the work alone.
Walking into the barn she grabbed a pale, and made her way over to one of the four stalls in the barn, first checking on Xander's horse for him, making sure he had food and water before checking up on her cow.
It was a new addition to the small farm, and Faith had had the idea to let Dawn name the cow when she was old enough to talk. Figured since Dawn got a kick out of seeing the animal and the fact that when she was older she'd have to help care for her, she should get to make it hers with a name.
Buffy opened the stall down, and using a horse halter, and lead rope, tied up the sow so she could be milked. Pulling up a stool for her to sit on, Buffy placed the pale under the utter, and began to fill up the bucket with the warm white liquid.
When she was done, the cow defiantly seemed relieved. Buffy patted her on the nose, and placed the bucket of milk in the isle way. She had made the mistake of leaving the bucket in there once before while she untied the cow, and she had ended up with no milk that day.
She pulled the halter off on the cows face, and closed the stall door behind her as she left, carrying the milk pale, filled with milk, back into the house with her.
Deciding to make one more stop on her way to the house, Buffy stopped at the chicken shed, and grabbed the two or three eggs that were in the roosts. She pocketed them, and went back inside the house, only to find most of the fruit and bread gone, and Xander making funny faces at Dawn, and Gunn watching the two of them with an amused smirk on his face.
The sun had risen hours ago, and William had only stopped to rest but once on his journey northward. He had stopped at various houses along the way, and put up the sketches he had made of the runaway in the towns he hadn't already put them up in two days before.
There was a reward offer for the man, which William was going to have to pay himself, because he knew his father would never give anyone anything for helping him out. Personally William didn't understand his father, or his older brother. All they talked about was how they were going to buy slaves, sell slaves, or make more money. They never paid attention to his mother, or his baby sister, and William acted more like the man of the house every time his father went away, used to being left with nothing but what he could do himself.
As he walked through the town he wondered how his mother and sister were faring at home. He figured the same as when he was home, doing all the chores women were expected to do, and William was forced to do.
He shook his head to clear it of any thoughts but finding his father's prized runaway, not wanting to think of the things he should be doing at home. Instead, he focused on what he knew already, and what the people he had talked to had said.
Most people he talked to said they had heard about this runaway, either from his flyers or from others Will had already talked to, or said they knew nothing about it. He had run into a couple of people who had sent him on a wild goose chase to a farm way off course, to look at slaves that were at the plantation they belonged at. Some people completely ignored him, and by this time, Will was extremely frustrated.
He had no idea where he was, except that he had crossed into South Carolina just before sunrise. And he really didn't care, to tell the truth, he was taking his time in finding his fathers slave, not wanting to return home, with or without the black man.
The small town he was in now seemed to be deserted except for a few young men standing outside of a general store, waiting for it to open. William sighed in boredom and annoyance and patted PenDragon on the muzzle.
"Looks like you and me get to take a break for now, Pen." He said, grabbing the reins and leading him to a place where he could tie him up for a while.
Making sure the reins looped tightly on the tie post, William patted PenDragon one more time before joining the group of boys at the front on the store.
"What's going on here?" he asked, curious at why these boys had nothing better to do than wait out in front of this shop.
"Mr. Carry hasn't opened his shop yet," One kid said.
"Yeah, and we're thinkin' it's 'cause the sheriff caught him illegally smugglin' slaves to the North." Another added.
"Really?" William asked, "What's the punishment in your area for that?"
"Well," one of the boys spoke up, "They used to just fine them, and send them on their way, but now they fine and jail them, because they keep doin' it as long as they can afford to pay the fine. It's really stupid actually, damn Nigger lovers should just turn in those good for nothin' spades, and collect the rewards."
"Yeah, 'stead of helpin' them, that'd way they'd be makin' more money, instead of losin' it." A fourth boy joined in.
William thought about this for a second, slightly offended by how the children were talking about blacks. He had grown up side by side with blacks, and it turned out most of them were more descent than some of the white men her had met. Another part of him believe it to be right, that blacks were under him in society, and it was that part that always kept him from speaking good about blacks.
"That would make sense, now wouldn't it," William said, "Hey, anyone know where I could find your Mr. Carry? I'm missing a nigger of my own, maybe he knows were he's at."
"Well, seein' as he ain't here, he's probly down at the sheriff's."
"And where would that be?" he asked.
"Down the street, there's a big sign that says 'Sheriff' on it, pretty sure you can't miss it."
"Thanks."
William returned to his horse, and untied him, not feeling very inclined to leave PenDragon anywhere near these kids, unsure of how good this towns ethnics were, he didn't want to take a chance in losing his stallion.
Pulling on the reins, William led PenDragon down the street, finding it just as easy as the boy had said to find the sheriff's building. It looked a little old; maybe this town lacked federal funding or something.
He tied up PenDragon again, and walked inside the building, looking around for the sheriff, and much to his luck, the sheriff was sitting in his chair behind a desk, working on some things.
"Excuse me?" William had always been one to use manners around those he wasn't acquainted with.
"Yes Sir?" the sheriff said, looking up at him.
"I was just wondering, would you happen to be holding a Mr. Carry in here?" he asked.
"Yeah, I am."
"Could I speak with him?"
The sheriff eyed William warily, "Why would you need to se him?"
"I believe he may be able to help me find a slave of mine, seeing as he was arrested for the illegal holding of them, he could have some information for me." William explained.
"What's your name boy?" the sheriff asked, still eying him.
"William Scott, sir."
"Alright, I see no harm in you talking to him, C'mon with me." He stood up, and opened a door, leading into a back room. William followed him, hoping this jailed man could be on some help to him.
"Here you are." He said, "Now don't be to long."
"Yes Sir."
William looked into the cell where an elderly man was in, sitting in the corner, looking like he wanted to hit someone.
"Excuse me?" William asked, trying to sound like a gentleman, still not sure about how much he liked this town.
The man grumbled at him, "What do you want?"
"I heard you dealt with runaway slaves?"
"I find them, I turn them in." he said, glancing at the sheriff.
"Oh, well maybe one slipped from your grasp then." William asked, "About this high, goes by the name of Charles Gunn."
"Never heard of him, now leave me alone."
William sighed, that had been very unsuccessful, and if he kept making stops like this, it was going to cost him too much time. His father probably expected him home in a week or two, and at this rate, going on what he knew; it was going to take a month to track that nigger down.
"I guess I'm done here sheriff." William said, walking out of the back room, "Thanks for that."
"Sure son, anytime" the sheriff said, "Just be sure to turn in any niggers you see. There are quite a few besides yours missing nowadays."
Will nodded, and left, untying and mounting PenDragon as quickly as he could.
"C'mon Pen, looks like were not going to get any help here. Lets just hope that I do find him. My dad will kill me if I don't."
He tapped his heals at the horses side, and PenDragon began to walk. Will didn't want to rush his horse today, not after all the running they had done last night, and plus, Will, himself, was tired as well, and not looking forward to riding hard that day.