Disclaimer: I own none of the characters of this story. The WWE or themselves own them. No profit is being made from this story. It's purely for fun!
A/N: Thanks for the reviews. I meant to post this before Thanksgiving but the site was down. We're almost to the conclusion of my story and I want to take the time to thank everybody who has read the story and those that have reviewed. I've really enjoyed writing the story and I think it shows;-)
Chapter Notes: Due to the nature of this chapter, I feel that I must put an R rating back up. I feel that I should warn you that this chapter has some more disturbing images and violence.
Chris sat there quietly in the pantry where he couldn't be seen but he could see out perfectly. He had the doors opened slightly, not enough to be noticed but enough for him to see. He had a clear shot of the front porch and the front door. He had gotten there rather quickly and was grateful. He had had enough time to scope the place out and find a place to hide while waiting for Hunter to show with Stephanie.
He hoped that Dave got there in time but suddenly he thought he heard Stephanie crying, "Help me Chris, help me." The fire in his eyes showed his determination. "I'm here Stephanie, I'm here and I'm going to save you sweetheart. You've just got to hold on just a little bit longer."
He noticed some movement outside the house. He heard the voices and recognized Ric's voice immediately. He didn't know the other voice but it didn't take him long to figure out who the other person was. There couldn't be a wedding without a minister and Chris was betting that was exactly who Ric had with him.
"Sorry for the mess," Ric said apologetic towards the minister. He walked into the shack with a look of chagrin on his face. He hated for his friends to see the way his life used to be. At least his old pal had gotten a look at his current home; that made him feel just a little bit better.
"No problem, I've seen worse places than this to get married in," Reverend Arn Anderson said walking in the door. "Besides, there isn't anything in this world that I wouldn't do for you. You know that."
"I appreciate that my friend," Ric said slapping him on the back of the shoulder. When Hunter told him of his plan, he knew of only one man that he could count on to do the ceremony, the Reverend Arn Anderson. He was one of Ric's most trusted friends even though he was a man of the cloth.
"So how much longer before they get here?" Reverend Arn asked. Ric had told him the situation and as much as he didn't like doing it, he was going to marry Hunter and the woman. He owed Ric a lot of favors. His friend had finally asked him to do something; he really couldn't afford to turn down the opportunity to pay back his friend for the favors that had been granted to him all these years.
"It should be any time now," Ric said with a slight grin. He was wishing Hunter would hurry up. He didn't like being in this old house. It brought back way too many memories that Ric didn't want to face.
"Good, the sooner the better," Reverend Arn said smiling.
Show, Taker, Benoit, and Dave were pushing their horses just about as hard as they dared to push them. They all knew that time was running out and that there was no way that Chris could take on the entire Evolution ranch alone. The boy needed help and he needed it fast.
As they rounded the corner, they stopped their horses completely. The Basham brothers were waiting at the entrance of the ranch on their horses. Dave motioned for the guys to follow him around the gate the back way. Quietly but quickly, they got thru unnoticed.
"Whew, that was close," Show said pain showing on his face.
"Too close," Benoit said while looking around. "What are they doing there?"
"Extra protection for Hunter when he brings Stephanie," Dave said with a worried look on his face. "I knew I should have found out more sooner."
"Don't beat yourself up about it," Taker said with a slight grin. "We'll get them. It's only a matter of time."
Dave nodded his head and motioned his horse forward. The others quickly followed him as he went towards the old shack on an old road that wasn't used anymore by the ranch hands any more. It was longer than going straight to the shack but it offered more protection with trees surrounding them. They needed to get there quickly but without being seen. As they followed in behind him, they were all wondering how Chris and Stephanie were doing.
Stephanie sat looking straight ahead with no emotion on her face. She was putting on her 'McMahon' face, a face that she hadn't used in a very long time. Her face held a blank expression and that was it.
She knew the key to getting out of this mess were two things, her staying calm and Chris. At the thought of Chris, she felt a peace come over her that wrapped her from head to toe in warmth. She knew he wouldn't let anything happen to her. He would be there for her; she could feel it.
Hunter pushed his hair out of his way and grinned at his 'wife to be'. He reached over and pulled her into his lap keeping her hands firmly in his. "What do you say we try and give ourselves a chance?" He kissed her softly on the lips. "You'd be surprised at how damn good I am in the bedroom."
Stephanie started to struggle but to no avail. He was just so much stronger than she was. It frustrated her that she wasn't stronger physically. She tried to turn her head away and wished she hadn't. She thought he was letting her go, but then he tightly gripped both of her hands with one of his hands.
Suddenly she felt the other of Hunter's hands all over her breasts squeezing them tightly almost to the point of hurting her. She pulled her hands out of his other hand with strength that she wasn't aware that she had. She began slapping at him as hard as she could, hitting anywhere she could hit him. "Get your filthy, rotten hands off of me!"
Hunter laughed as he continued massaging her breasts. The little hits she was giving him did nothing but arouse him even more. It had been a long time since he had had a woman fight back and he didn't realize how much he had missed those days until now. "I don't think I will. I think I like my hands right where they are at." He then looked down and noticed her buttons. He quickly grabbed her hands in one hand again and started unbuttoning her blouse.
Stephanie felt as though her world was crashing down around her. She turned and twisted shrieking in anger. She felt the air on her chest and tears of humiliation fell down her face. She couldn't believe that this was happening. In her wildest dreams, she had never imagined anything like this happening to her. She had to fight back. She couldn't just let him do this to her. She thrashed around as best she could but to no avail.
"Oh my," Hunter said looking at her chemise. It was creamy white and her dark nipples showed through it perfectly. He reached in with his hand and made contact with her naked breast for the first time. He felt the shock in Stephanie's body over him doing that and took full advantage by ripping her chemise right down the middle so that he could look at both of her breasts at the same time.
Stephanie had never been more frighten or angry in her entire life. No man had ever seen her naked, let alone touched her, and she wanted to die from embarrassment. She closed her eyes trying to block out the feelings of despair that were wracking her poor innocent body while still trying to get out of his grip.
Hunter grinned as he saw her breasts for the first time. There were a lot bigger than he thought and that pleased him. He grabbed both of them enjoying the naked feeling of her breasts and of the fear he felt coming from his 'wife to be' thinking she would be too much in shock to do anything other than let him do what he wanted to do.
Stephanie screamed as loud as she could. She could not let him do this to her! Feeling his disgusting hands on her body was more than she could stand. She struggled for a moment but finally pulled her hands out of his and started pounding him on the head with her fists. She didn't care where she hit him as long as she made contact. She had had enough of his manhandling and he was going to stop it, one way or another.
Hunter glanced up at her and smiled. She looked absolutely stunning with her shirt open, her breasts hanging out, and her face in anger. He quickly grabbed her hands and pulled her back into his lap with her face away turned from him. He used his hands to cross her hands in her lap and held her tightly against him. "My goodness, you look absolutely delectable," he said licking her on the side of her face.
Stephanie shuddered in revulsion at his tongue on her face. She had never wanted to experience anything like this ever again. She turned her head and with hatred burning brightly in her eyes. "I hate you!"
"Feelings mutual sweetheart," Hunter said with a chuckle. He looked out the window and saw that they were almost to the ranch. He let her go and pushed her into the seat. "Fix yourself, would you? You look like a whore."
Stephanie quickly buttoned the buttons on her shirt. She noticed her hands shaking and tried to calm herself. Chris immediately popped in her head. She took a deep breath and tried to concentrate on him. He had to save her and soon before it was too late.
Hunter looked out the window and saw the Bashams waiting for him just like he had instructed them to do. He took his hand and motioned for them to follow him. He needed two witnesses for his wedding and those two were just perfect.
Chris listened to the two men talk. From the way they talked, they had known each other quite a while. What puzzled him was how a minister could be such good friends with such an awful person. He shook his head of his thoughts. The main thing that he needed to concentrate on was Stephanie.
He smiled a small smile when he thought of her blue eyes looking in to his as if she could see every thought that he had ever had in his mind. She had his heart in her hands and he wanted her to have it. He had never felt this way about a woman before in his life and he would be damned, he wasn't letting her go without a fight.
"There they are," Ric said walking over to the door.
"Well, she's a pretty little thing, isn't she?" Reverend Arn said.
Hunter got out of the wagon and turned around. He held his hand out and was angered by the fact that she wasn't moving. He reached in and jerked her out of the wagon. "You had better learn to obey me now before I have to beat you."
Stephanie still showed no emotion on her face. She didn't know why this lug wanted to marry her so bad but she wasn't going to marry him. As a matter of fact, she smiled a little when she thought of an old saying of her father's from years past, "There's no chance in hell."
Vince watched as Hunter grabbed the young lady out of the carriage. He was surprised by the forcefulness of Hunter's handling of the girl. He was also pleased. In his mind, a woman needed to understand her place and quickly. If he could have been stricter on his daughter, she would have done exactly what she was supposed to do. He shook his head of his thoughts and concentrated on the situation at hand.
Vince smiled a small smile as he decided that he would witness the two getting married. Why not? It was for his benefit that they were getting married. The least he could do was be a witness to the ceremony. After all, once they were married, he was going to be the richest man to ever have walked the face of the earth.
"Pat, go to the shack," Vince said tapping on his ceiling.
Dave held his hand up and they all stopped. He smiled a small smile. He pointed towards the old shack with a smile on his face. "There they are."
Taker, Show, and Benoit looked towards where his finger was showing. They took in the shack and the Bashams standing guard outside the door. They saw Hunter manhandling Stephanie into the shack. They needed a plan and they need it now. They also needed Chris but they weren't sure exactly where he was.
Taker looked around taking in the lay of the land. As he scouted, he noticed the back door on the shack. Now that he had the way to get in, he needed to know a little more information. He turned to Dave. "Where's Chris?"
"He is already inside or at least he should be," Dave answered. He had seen Chris's horse hidden behind the shack. He knew in his gut that Chris was in there waiting. Call it his Indian heritage or intuition; he knew that Chris was in there waiting for Hunter.
Taker calmly took in the situation with his years of experience as a US Marshall. This was not going to be easy but he had to help Chris. What kind of 'father' would he be if he didn't help his 'son'? He turned and looked at Dave while rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Do we know how many are inside?"
"There should only be my dad, a minister, Hunter, and Stephanie," Dave answered. He honestly couldn't think of anybody else who would be in the shack. Hunter trusted very few people and with the exception of himself, he had all those that he trusted right there with him.
Benoit stood there quietly listening and taking in everything. He wanted to trust Dave but it wasn't easy. Sure, he had come by the saloon to try and stop Hunter but what if he was part of Hunter's plan to keep them off track. He had to let Taker know that just because Dave said there were only a few people in there, that may not be the case. "But we don't know that for sure."
Dave noticed the look of distrust in Benoit's eyes and couldn't fault him for it. His family had done nothing but cause pain and heartache to the town. "That's true, I can't say for sure that they are the only ones in there. I know that they were the only ones that were mentioned this morning."
Show had stood there quietly listening to everybody. He didn't give a shit how many people were in the shack; he only cared about Stephanie. They had to get her out of there and soon. "Well, what do we do?"
"First off, you're staying here until the smoke settles," Taker said holding up his hand when Show tried to argue with him. "You are more of a liability right now then anything with your shoulder hurt. I don't mean anything by it. I'm only thinking of what is best for Stephanie and Chris."
Show didn't like what Taker had said but knew he was right. He didn't want to hamper their efforts to get them out safely. He only wanted to help but he really wasn't in a position to do that. "I understand," Show said. "I'll stay here and keep an eye out."
"We'll leave the horses here and sneak down," Taker said sliding off his horse while Benoit and Dave did the same. "Let's go."
Hunter walked into the house holding Stephanie firmly by her arm. He grinned at his father with a conceited look. "I told you she was pretty, didn't I daddy?"
"Yes son, you sure did," Ric said walking over to look at the young girl. He took his hand and grabbed her by the chin roughly turning her head from side to side. He then released her and grabbed her by the hips. He smiled as he spoke, "She's going to give me some grandbabies."
"Like hell she is," Chris thought to himself as he watched the entire scene thru the pantry. It was all he could do to stop himself from rushing out and killing him for touching his woman like that. The moment that he saw the look on Stephanie's face, it had taken all of his self-control to stay right where he was. "They'll all be lucky to get out of here alive," he muttered to himself.
After the almost rape in the carriage, Stephanie was like a dynamite keg ready to explode. She had been kidnapped, manhandled, and treated like a whore. She had reached her boiling point and then some. "Do you mind?" Stephanie asked outraged. "Isn't it bad enough that he kidnaps me and expects me to marry him? You have to grab my hips and tell me I'll give you grandbabies!"
"She's spunky son, I like that," Ric said with a wide smile on his face. He liked the look of fire on her face. He reminded him of Hunter's mother. He knew his son had chosen the right woman to give him the grandbabies that he was desperately wanting.
"Shall we get on with the ceremony?" Reverend Arn asked politely. He was getting more and more uncomfortable with the idea of an unwanted marriage, especially seeing the young lady in question. He knew that if he didn't perform the ceremony soon that his conscience wouldn't let him later on.
Suddenly a carriage pulled up. Hunter and Ric looked at each other with questions in their eyes and then quietly walked over to the window followed by Reverend Arn. All of them were puzzled as to who it could be until Hunter saw Pat pulling the carriage to a halt. Hunter smiled and patted his dad on the back. "That's Vince."
Chris felt as though his whole world was coming apart at the seam. He knew that once Stephanie saw her father, that all hell would break loose. He had to stop it from happening. It wasn't an option for her to see her father, not yet anyway. He quietly opened the pantry and got out while the other's attentions were on the door.
He walked up behind Stephanie as quietly as he could. He quickly put his hand over her mouth just long enough to whisper in her ear, "Ssshh, it's me. We've got to get you out of here." He quickly took his hand away from her mouth and held it out for her to take.
The relief Stephanie felt was immediately. She felt her eyes filling with tears of joy. Chris was there and he would make her feel safe again. She wanted to throw her arms around him and hug him but knew that there wasn't time. She quickly grabbed his hand.
Chris and Stephanie quietly made their way out the back door to see Taker, Dave, and Benoit coming down the hill. He pushed Stephanie towards Dave and said, "Get her out of here now, it's getting ready to get really ugly in there."
"Wait," Stephanie said rushing back over to his side. "Be careful." The look of gratitude in her eyes was mixed with love. He had to come back to her; she would never feel whole again if he didn't.
"Don't worry, I will," Chris said with a grin. "Besides, I told you that we were getting married and you are not backing out on me."
"No sir, I'm not," Stephanie said with a slight grin. She leaned up and kissed him softly on the mouth. "I meant what I said about being careful."
"I will, I promise," Chris said with a slight grin. "Now go with Dave."
Stephanie nodded her head and turned around to follow Dave. She knew everything would be ok. She didn't know how she knew but she did. She smiled as Dave held out his hand. She took his hand and let him help her up the hill. She had always liked Dave and now she knew why. He was nothing like his family.
Chris turned to look at Taker and Benoit. The seriousness in his eyes shone for everybody to see. This was his fight but he needed help. He couldn't take all of them on his own. Besides, the only thing he wanted was to kill the stupid jackass for touching 'his' woman. "It looks like it is only the three of us."
"Well, I don't know about you but I'm ready to get this over with," Benoit said with a cold look in his eyes. He had seen every horrible, rotten thing that Hunter and Ric had done over the years to his town. He wanted it to end and it felt like it was really going to happen this time. "The rein of Evolution is finally going to be over."
"We're very close to achieving that goal," Chris said with a smirk. His eyes took on a cold hard glint. He wanted Hunter and he wanted him now. He was going to get him but he had to make sure that he didn't have any outside interference. He turned to look at Benoit. "Can you take out the Bashams?"
"Am I missing a tooth?" Benoit asked with a smirk. His eyes turned into icy steel right before Chris's eyes. "Consider it done." He quietly walked around the corner of the shack to get into position. Chris turned around and looked at Taker.
"One more thing," Chris said looking at Taker. He smiled a small smile; the kind that Taker hadn't seen in a very long time. It let him know that there was something else that he needed to tell Taker, something that Taker was going to like. "Vince is in there now."
"Right now?" Taker asked. He couldn't believe his luck. Vince was wanted in several states with several charges. After all this time, Vince was finally going to have to answer for the things that he had done.
"Right now," Chris said with a grin.
"Well, what do you say we sneak back in there and see what's up," Taker said. He smiled at Chris and patted him on the shoulder. "This is just like old times. I say you go back in there and let your presence be known. I'm going to be right there with you but out of sight."
Chris smiled a cold smile. It was time to end this farce once and for all. There was no turning back now. He looked at Taker with cold eyes. "I say that we end this whole Evolution and Vince thing once and for all."
Vince smiled as he climbed out of the carriage. He loved surprising people and he could tell from the look on Hunter's face that he was very surprised. He didn't care. He was here to make sure that he got the saloon. At that point and time, that was the only thing that mattered to him. "Hello Hunter."
"Hi Vince, I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow," Hunter said with a smug grin. He was really surprised to see him but in a way, he was glad he was there. He was more than capable of handling the things Vince had given him to do and this would prove it. "Can I introduce you to my father Ric and his friend, Reverend Arn?"
"How do you do?" Vince said shaking hands with each one of them. He noticed that the woman wasn't exactly in eyesight. "Where's the bride?"
"She's inside waiting for us," Hunter said with a smile. "Would you like to meet her?"
"I believe that I would," Vince said with a smile. "After all, she has been my silent business partner all this time and I've never even seen what she looks like."
"She's a real looker," Hunter said patting his boss on the shoulder. He led the way back into the house and froze with a look of puzzlement on his face. Stephanie was standing right at the cabinet but she wasn't now. Instead the newcomer was standing there with a smile on his face and a gun in his hand.
"If you're looking for her, you won't find her here," Chris said with a smile while aiming his gun at Hunter's chest.
Benoit quietly went around the side of the shack looking for the Basham brothers. Knowing Hunter the way Benoit did, he knew they were close by and wasn't disappointed. He smiled a cold grin when he saw them standing there with their backs to him. It was almost too easy to kill them. He dropped off the porch quietly and quickly went behind a tree unseen.
Doug Basham thought he had heard a twig break. He glanced out towards their horses seeing nothing out of the ordinary. He turned to his brother. "Did you hear that?"
"Hear what?" Danny Basham said with a bored look on his face. "You're just hearing things again, just pay attention."
Doug shrugged his shoulders and turned his head back. He thought he heard something but if his brother didn't hear it, maybe he really was imagining things. He went back to scouring the land in front of him without another glance behind him.
Benoit knew that now was his chance. He pulled out his gun and checked by opening the barrel it to make sure it was loaded. He closed the barrel back and spun it. It was now or never.
Dave quickly got Stephanie back to where Show was. He didn't even think about telling her that Show was ok until they were almost there. He decided to keep quiet and let her see for herself that Show was ok.
There were a million thoughts running thru her mind. She wanted to know that Chris was ok, she wanted to forget what had happened in the carriage, and she desperately needed to know that Show was ok. "Do you know if Show is ok?" Stephanie asked as if reading Dave's mind.
"Why don't you take a look for yourself?" Dave said with a small grin and nodded his head towards the top of the hill.
Stephanie turned around and saw Show standing there grinning from ear to ear. "Show!" she hollered racing up the hill to get to him. After all this time, Show was more like a father to her than her own father was. She could hardly wait to get her arms around him, as best she could, to hug him and make sure that he really was ok.
Show smiled and bent down hugging her to him oblivious to the pain in his arm. Stephanie was safe and that was the only thing that mattered to him. She pulled back and looked into his face with concerned eyes. "Are you okay?"
"I'll live," Show said with a wink. He was so relieved that Stephanie was safe that he could have actually kissed Dave. He didn't but he could have. He turned his head towards Dave. "Where are the others?"
"Taking care of some unfinished business," Dave said with a grin.
"What in the hell is this? Is this some kind of sick joke?" Vince asked Hunter. He didn't have time for games. He needed this done so he could get his gold and get the hell out of town. He turned his anger towards Hunter as he had failed to do what he was supposed to do again. "Is this what you call getting a job done?"
Hunter's anger was nothing like he had never felt before. He had always gotten his way and now, his plan was not going smoothly as planned. There was going to be hell to pay for making him look bad in front of Vince. "No sir, it's not," Hunter said thru his teeth. "Where the hell is she? I'm warning you, I do not have a lot of patience right now."
Chris looked at Hunter. The man was as good as dead and he didn't even know it. He had dared to touch the one thing that Chris loved the most, Stephanie. The stupid jackass had not even begun to pay for what he had done. "Oh and that's supposed to scare me," Chris said leaning back against the pantry still aiming the gun at Hunter's chest. "I think I'll take my chances you son of a bitch!"
"Damn it to hell, where in the hell is she?" Hunter screamed letting his emotions get the best of him. He couldn't believe that this was happening. Everything was going according to his plan until he got to the shack. Until Chris Jericho had screwed everything up.
Suddenly two shots rang outside. Everybody's attention quickly turned towards the front door. Benoit walked up on the front porch with his gun still smoking in his hand. He looked at Hunter with his cold eyes wanting nothing more than to put a bullet in the man that stole his father's farm. His vendetta was personal but Chris's was way more personal then his. He then looked at Chris and said, "Bashams are not a problem any more."
"Thanks Benoit," Chris said with a smile and a nod of his head. He turned his attention back to the men standing in front of him. "I guess there will not be a wedding today. You know, you're not supposed to see the bride before the ceremony, Hunter. It's bad luck."
"You know, I didn't like you the first time I met you and that's not changed," Hunter said the fury on his face turning his face red. He didn't know who in the hell this man thought he was but he was no match for him and he was getting ready to find out the hard way.
"Feelings mutual," Chris said with a grin. "I'm not surprised that you would stoop so low as to kidnap a bride but to deal with Vince McMahon." He let out a soft but clear whistle. "That's pretty damn low, even for you."
Vince's eyes widened at the mention of his name. He felt cold chills go down his spine at the mention of both his first and last names. He swallowed nervously and put on his best fake smile. "I don't think that I know you."
Chris paused for a moment looking at the man that had ruined his own family's life. A look of disgust showed on his face. "No sir, you don't," Chris said with a sigh. "Although I guess you can call me 'son' since I'm going to marry your daughter."
Vince's eyes widened at the mention of his daughter. He had not seen Stephanie in such a long time; he then felt anger coursing thru his veins. How dare this young punk even mention his daughter, let alone say that he's going to marry her! "What in the hell are you talking about?" Vince said sputtering in outrage. "I don't know who the hell you are but you're not being funny."
Chris smiled at Vince with an amused look on his face. "And here I was thinking that I was being a riot," Chris said shrugging his shoulders. "The name's Chris Jericho and I will be marrying your daughter sir. It's just a matter of time and there's not one damn thing that you or anybody else can do about it."
"I don't even know where my daughter is," Vince said with a sad look on his face. The sad look quickly turned to an evil, angry look. "How in the hell would you know?"
"You would be surprised at what I know," Chris said with a knowing look. He turned to look at the reverend. "Sir, if you would like to leave, you can."
"Thank you son, God will bless you for it," Reverend Arn said hurrying out of the room as if the devil himself was chasing him. He figured this was God's way of getting him out of a bad situation. As he jumped on his horse, he promised God all the way back to his chapel that he would never do anything like that again.
Chris then turned his attention to Ric. He almost felt sorry for the man getting caught up in his son's actions but it quickly fell away. In a lot of ways, it was Ric's fault that Hunter had turned out the way that he did. "I don't really have a problem with you but you are his father and that makes you responsible for the jack ass so you get to stay."
Chris turned his attention to Hunter with a cold smile on his face. "You," Chris said pointing his gun at Hunter. "I've got a big problem with you. You put your hands on what belonged to me. Now that is just wrong, so very wrong."
Hunter looked at Chris with unabashed anger flashing in his eyes. Everything was perfect until this young punk decided to stick his nose where it didn't belong. It was getting time to put him in his place. "She was and is mine," Hunter growled putting his hand on his pistol. "She was never yours."
"See, that's where you are dead wrong," Chris said with a smirk. "She's mine; from the first time we made eye contact up until the end of time, she will always be mine. You never stood an inkling of a chance with her. Hell, look at yourself man. You had to kidnap her in order to even spend time with her. If that doesn't tell you something, then I don't know what will."
Hunter closed his eyes and counted to ten. When he opened them, the coldness in his eyes showed how nothing mattered to him but himself. Hunter reached for his gun aiming to shoot Chris. He wanted to kill Chris so bad that he could almost taste it.
Chris noticed the look of anger on Hunter's face and smirked. He could tell that Hunter was pissed. He didn't care. The son of a bitch was going to pay for hurting Stephanie and pay dearly. Chris cocked the hammer on his gun. "Do you really want to die today?"
"No, but you do," Hunter said not taking his hands off of his pistol. "And you will."
Hunter quickly pulled his gun out of the holster but Chris had already fired his gun before Hunter could point his gun towards him. Hunter looked down in disbelief as he watched the blood pour out of his heart. He dropped his gun and fell to the floor face first while Ric raced over to him.
Ric bent down and turned his son over. At the glazed look in Hunter's eyes, he felt as though his whole world was crumbling right before him. The tears fell down his face one right after the other as if there were no stopping them. "Son, don't leave me, you're all I've got," Ric said crying while pulling him into his lap. "Please son, don't leave me. You can't leave me."
Hunter looked up at his father for one last time. He opened his mouth to speak but could not. All he could do was try to speak only for it to come out as croaking noises. The light of life in Hunter's eyes slowly faded until there was no life left to see. Ric screamed, "No, not my son! Not my son!" He grabbed Hunter and pulled him into his arms. The tortured screams of Ric losing his son filled the air until only sobbing was heard.
Chris stood there watching the whole scene without one show of emotion on his face. He hated Hunter and he killed him. He should have never even thought of putting his hands on 'his' Stephanie. The dumb son of a bitch had gotten exactly what he deserved as far as Chris was considered. He then noticed the pain on Ric's face as he cried over his son.
Chris did feel sorry for Ric but he had other things to attend to. Chris turned and looked at Vince. He smirked as he looked at the man who had made his bride-to-be's life a living hell. "You know Vince, I'm going to make your daughter really happy."
Vince was still in shock over Hunter being shot. He looked up at Chris wishing he knew what in the hell this strange man was talking about. Over and over, he continually kept saying that he was going to marry his daughter. Vince had no clue as to where she was. "What in the hell are you talking about?" Vince said with a confused look on his face.
It suddenly dawned on Chris that Vince didn't know Stephanie was the saloon owner. He didn't know where his daughter had been or what she had been doing since she had disappeared. "Well, I'll be damned, you don't know do you? The woman that owns the saloon; that's your daughter Stephanie," Chris said watching as the truth finally hit home.
"Stephanie is here," Vince said with hope in his eyes. "She's here in this town?"
"Yes, she's here," Chris said with a slight smile. He had seen the hope flare in his eyes. He didn't know if it was too late for them but he wouldn't shame Shane by helping him see Stephanie. "Too bad you won't get to see her."
"What do you mean? Do you know how long I've looked for my daughter? Nothing short of a miracle will take me away from here," Vince said with a stubborn look on his face. He didn't know the young punk in front of him but he didn't care. As far as he was concerned, there was nobody on this earth that could keep him away from his daughter.
"How about a US Marshall?" Taker said walking in behind Vince.
Vince turned around and turned white as a ghost. Taker smiled as he noticed how scared he was. "I've been waiting on your ass for a long time Vince. Chris, why don't you head on back to town and check on that pretty lady of yours? Vince and I need to talk some business."
Chris looked at Taker and realized that he had had a family since the first day that he had met Taker on that street so long ago. It just didn't hit him until right then that family wasn't just about being blood related.
Being family meant loving somebody and being loved in return with no strings attached. It had taken him almost all of his life to realize that and it had cost him dearly. He had lost a lot of valuable time with the man Chris considered his father. It was time to let that man know exactly how much he really did mean to him.
"Sure thing dad," Chris said with a slight smile on his face.
Taker looked at Chris with all the fatherly love showing in his eyes. "Get out of here son," he said softly while watching him walk outside. He turned his attention to Vince, the warm feeling on his face dropping to a cold hard stare in a matter of seconds. "We can do this the easy way or the hard way, it's your choice."
Chris jumped on his horse as if his very life depended on it. It didn't matter how fast he went, he felt like he couldn't get there fast enough. He had to see her and touch her. He had to make sure that she was okay and he had to tell her that her father was in town. He knew Dave had taken Stephanie to Show and that was exactly where he was heading.
As he rode up towards the meeting place, he smiled as he saw her running towards him. He jumped down off the horse and took off running. His future was running towards him wide open and he could hardly wait to get his hands on her.
Stephanie had stood waiting patiently for Chris to come to her. She didn't have a doubt in her mind; he would be back for her. She saw his horse and his long blonde hair flying in the wind. She couldn't stop herself from running towards him. As she ran, Show and Dave witnessed the reunion with amused and knowing looks on their faces.
"Chris," Stephanie cried wrapping her arms around him and never wanting to let go. The tears spilled out of her eyes uncontrollably. She had been through so much and hadn't really thought about any of it. The only thing that she was waiting on was to find out that Chris was ok. Now that she knew, the emotions had to be freed.
"Stephanie," Chris said holding her as tight as he could without hurting her. He would never ever let her out of his sight again. He didn't know what he would have done if he had lost her. She was his life; his very purpose for living was to be with her. He knew that as sure as he was breathing. He pulled himself out of her arms. "Let me look at you."
"You don't want to do that," Stephanie said trying to turn her face where he couldn't see the bruises that Hunter had left. She didn't think that she would ever be able to tell anybody what had really happened on the carriage. She mentally pushed it out of her mind hoping she never ever thought about it again.
Chris watched her turn her head. He gently placed his fingers on her chin and pulled her face towards him so that he could see. His eyes showed the anger he felt at seeing the bruises on her face. "Hunter's gone. He'll never hurt you again. As long as I have a breath in my body, nobody will ever lay a hand on you again. I promise."
"I know," Stephanie said with a soft smile on her face. She felt his hands wiping her tears and then kissing each one of her eyes. She opened her eyes and let him see all the love that she had for him. She was never letting him leave her side again. "I'm just so glad that it's all over."
Chris looked at Stephanie with a sad look on his face. He knew what he had to tell her and he didn't want to but he didn't have a choice. "We've got one more thing to deal with," Chris said quietly. He noticed the look of puzzlement on her face. He didn't know of any way to tell other than to just come out with it. "Stephanie, your father is here."
Don't you just hate me right now? LOL! What will happen next? Will Vince see his daughter? Will Chris and Stephanie have happiness? Stay tuned;-)