A/N: I realize that I follow the movie line extremely closely, but there
are a few variances with plot and dialogue so I apologize for the lack of
continuity, this is just the way I enjoy it to go. (I realize this is way
late to make this disclaimer, but better late than never! I do not own any
of the characters except for Jaime.)
Frank and I bounced along the dirt road in his wagon on our way to Doc Mimms. It had been three weeks since the rescue mission, and we had finally been able to go back to our farms once the army division left town. I had spent the past two days over at the James', helping Ma James cook a grand feast, both for our Homecoming and Jesse's recovery.
Doc Mimms was smart enough to come back to our hiding spot with his cart, after checking on Jesse, he loaded him into the back, placing bags of apples around him so it would look innocent enough. He had then taken him away and we hadn't seen him since. I had been with Ma James when Frank got the news that Jesse was well enough to come home, he invited me along for the ride, of course I agreed eagerly.
"That boy's been lazy for too damn long now!" Frank said cheerfully as we pulled up to Doc's house. "Why don't you go rustle him outa there, Jaime?"
"Sure thing!" I said and hopped down from the wagon. Just as I reached the gate a beautiful blonde girl stepped out of the front door backwards, laughing at someone I couldn't see.
"I'm just teasing, it was completely unfair." She said to the dark figure that had followed her out. I instantly recognized Jesse, but made no move to get his attention. I watched, frozen, as he bantered enthusiastically with the girl.
"What you do to me is unfair." He said smiling at her with a suggestive grin.
"Well I shouldn't tease a hero." She responded keeping her eyes locked in his, not backing down from his provocative air. I began to back up; I wanted to run before he saw me; back to the safety of my house, my family, and my horse. I knew I should've never let myself fall for him!
"Hey Jesse, how 'bout you get yourself back to the farm so Ma can fuss over you herself!" Frank shouted right then, snapping Jesse's attention over to us.
"I'm coming." Jesse called back, then swiftly turned back to the girl standing beside him. "Bye Zee" He said stumbling off the porch. She giggled at this waved and disappeared into the house.
So that was Doc Mimms daughter Zee, I had known her brother Webb, since I hung around with boys all the time, but had only heard of her till now. And just from that brief interchange I hated her. But I hated myself more for being so petty, yet no amount of reasoning made the burning feeling in my chest decrease.
"Hey you," he said as he came up beside me, I kept my eyes focused on the dirt path. Then I felt his index finger gently slide under my chin and raise it upwards until I was looking right into his big brown eyes. I stared at him hopelessly. "I heard it was you who bandaged me up in the woods, Doc says that saved my life. I owe you one Jaime." He wrapped his arms around me and held me close for a while. I closed my eyes and soaked in every blessed sensation from this moment. As he let me go I smiled up at him, trying as hard as I could to push the image of him and Zee out of my mind.
"I did whatever I could. The gang wouldn't be the same without you Jesse." He smiled back at me for this then helped me up into the cart. After he jumped in, we all headed back to the James' farm for the party. * * * * * * *
"Come with me dear." Ma James said to me as we arrived back at the James' place. I jumped out of the wagon waving back at the boys as I followed her inside.
"Well hurry up with her Ma!" Frank called. "The Younger brothers are here and we'll be starting soon."
"Patience, I need to spend some time with Jaime, woman to woman."
"Woman?" scoffed Jesse, "I see no woman, just another Younger!" I stuck out my tongue at him and continued inside.
"You just wait young man, and you might want to spiff up yourself, isn't that the same shredded outfit you've been wearing for three weeks?" Ma James chastised back at him.
"I thought the bullet hole added some flare to it." Ma James only raised her eyebrows at this.
"Alright I'll change!" He said and made his way into the house as well. Once inside Ma James led me to her room at the back.
"Now Jaime, how long has it been since your parents have passed?" this question shocked me but I answered promptly.
"They will have been dead eight years now ma'am." I responded
"Yes, and in all that time, you have been so strong being the only female at your place taking care of those boys of yours." I smiled at this, I was proud that she thought I had done well by my family.
"Thank you Ma, but you've taught me so much over the years, I couldn't have done it without you." It was Ma's turn to smile.
"Well here is your next lesson Jaime. You've grown into such a fine woman, it's high time you start looking like one." At this I glanced down at my appearance, I was wearing one of my favorite dresses, it was brown, a bit shabby, too short in the skirt and too loose in the chest but that's how I liked it. I could move so much easier without the constraints of fashion. I looked back up at Ma dubiously and she chuckled.
"I have some of my old, fine dresses from when I was a young maid, lets show you off tonight!" With that she filled her water basin and instructed me to wash off my face and hands.
"Somewhere under all that dirt I know there must be a fine complexion." She fussed as she began to comb my long brown hair.
Twenty minutes later I stood in front of her vanity mirror, not believing my own eyes at what she had accomplished. I did indeed have a fine complexion of white skin with a pink hue. My blue eyes sparkled underneath thick, long lashes that I had never noticed before. Ma James had fought long and hard with my hair in order to get rid of all the knots, but she had finally succeeded and had piled in onto the top of my head, while a few tendril curled around my face. I was wearing a dress of Ma's that was a dark blue that set off my eyes. It fit snuggly around the chest, forcing me to stand up straight, curved in around my stomach and then swept out from my hips into a long full skirt that just skimmed the ground. I smiled meekly and watched the graceful reflection do the same back at me.
"You are a beauty my darling." Ma said from behind me, placing her hands on my shoulders. "You're mother would've been pleased to see you like this. Now let's go shock those boys huh?" My stomach gave a slight jump at this. What would the boys think of me like this? What would Jesse think? I followed Ma James out of the house, my new finery had done something to my wild ways as well, I felt I had to act as gracefully as my reflection had looked. For the first time in my memory, I walked down the porch steps of the James' house instead of running or leaping. Together we walked to the back of the house where tables were set up near the bonfire; I could here the music and laughter wafting over from the party. Ma held my hand and patted it reassuringly.
"Here we go!" She said and rounded the corner.
Frank and I bounced along the dirt road in his wagon on our way to Doc Mimms. It had been three weeks since the rescue mission, and we had finally been able to go back to our farms once the army division left town. I had spent the past two days over at the James', helping Ma James cook a grand feast, both for our Homecoming and Jesse's recovery.
Doc Mimms was smart enough to come back to our hiding spot with his cart, after checking on Jesse, he loaded him into the back, placing bags of apples around him so it would look innocent enough. He had then taken him away and we hadn't seen him since. I had been with Ma James when Frank got the news that Jesse was well enough to come home, he invited me along for the ride, of course I agreed eagerly.
"That boy's been lazy for too damn long now!" Frank said cheerfully as we pulled up to Doc's house. "Why don't you go rustle him outa there, Jaime?"
"Sure thing!" I said and hopped down from the wagon. Just as I reached the gate a beautiful blonde girl stepped out of the front door backwards, laughing at someone I couldn't see.
"I'm just teasing, it was completely unfair." She said to the dark figure that had followed her out. I instantly recognized Jesse, but made no move to get his attention. I watched, frozen, as he bantered enthusiastically with the girl.
"What you do to me is unfair." He said smiling at her with a suggestive grin.
"Well I shouldn't tease a hero." She responded keeping her eyes locked in his, not backing down from his provocative air. I began to back up; I wanted to run before he saw me; back to the safety of my house, my family, and my horse. I knew I should've never let myself fall for him!
"Hey Jesse, how 'bout you get yourself back to the farm so Ma can fuss over you herself!" Frank shouted right then, snapping Jesse's attention over to us.
"I'm coming." Jesse called back, then swiftly turned back to the girl standing beside him. "Bye Zee" He said stumbling off the porch. She giggled at this waved and disappeared into the house.
So that was Doc Mimms daughter Zee, I had known her brother Webb, since I hung around with boys all the time, but had only heard of her till now. And just from that brief interchange I hated her. But I hated myself more for being so petty, yet no amount of reasoning made the burning feeling in my chest decrease.
"Hey you," he said as he came up beside me, I kept my eyes focused on the dirt path. Then I felt his index finger gently slide under my chin and raise it upwards until I was looking right into his big brown eyes. I stared at him hopelessly. "I heard it was you who bandaged me up in the woods, Doc says that saved my life. I owe you one Jaime." He wrapped his arms around me and held me close for a while. I closed my eyes and soaked in every blessed sensation from this moment. As he let me go I smiled up at him, trying as hard as I could to push the image of him and Zee out of my mind.
"I did whatever I could. The gang wouldn't be the same without you Jesse." He smiled back at me for this then helped me up into the cart. After he jumped in, we all headed back to the James' farm for the party. * * * * * * *
"Come with me dear." Ma James said to me as we arrived back at the James' place. I jumped out of the wagon waving back at the boys as I followed her inside.
"Well hurry up with her Ma!" Frank called. "The Younger brothers are here and we'll be starting soon."
"Patience, I need to spend some time with Jaime, woman to woman."
"Woman?" scoffed Jesse, "I see no woman, just another Younger!" I stuck out my tongue at him and continued inside.
"You just wait young man, and you might want to spiff up yourself, isn't that the same shredded outfit you've been wearing for three weeks?" Ma James chastised back at him.
"I thought the bullet hole added some flare to it." Ma James only raised her eyebrows at this.
"Alright I'll change!" He said and made his way into the house as well. Once inside Ma James led me to her room at the back.
"Now Jaime, how long has it been since your parents have passed?" this question shocked me but I answered promptly.
"They will have been dead eight years now ma'am." I responded
"Yes, and in all that time, you have been so strong being the only female at your place taking care of those boys of yours." I smiled at this, I was proud that she thought I had done well by my family.
"Thank you Ma, but you've taught me so much over the years, I couldn't have done it without you." It was Ma's turn to smile.
"Well here is your next lesson Jaime. You've grown into such a fine woman, it's high time you start looking like one." At this I glanced down at my appearance, I was wearing one of my favorite dresses, it was brown, a bit shabby, too short in the skirt and too loose in the chest but that's how I liked it. I could move so much easier without the constraints of fashion. I looked back up at Ma dubiously and she chuckled.
"I have some of my old, fine dresses from when I was a young maid, lets show you off tonight!" With that she filled her water basin and instructed me to wash off my face and hands.
"Somewhere under all that dirt I know there must be a fine complexion." She fussed as she began to comb my long brown hair.
Twenty minutes later I stood in front of her vanity mirror, not believing my own eyes at what she had accomplished. I did indeed have a fine complexion of white skin with a pink hue. My blue eyes sparkled underneath thick, long lashes that I had never noticed before. Ma James had fought long and hard with my hair in order to get rid of all the knots, but she had finally succeeded and had piled in onto the top of my head, while a few tendril curled around my face. I was wearing a dress of Ma's that was a dark blue that set off my eyes. It fit snuggly around the chest, forcing me to stand up straight, curved in around my stomach and then swept out from my hips into a long full skirt that just skimmed the ground. I smiled meekly and watched the graceful reflection do the same back at me.
"You are a beauty my darling." Ma said from behind me, placing her hands on my shoulders. "You're mother would've been pleased to see you like this. Now let's go shock those boys huh?" My stomach gave a slight jump at this. What would the boys think of me like this? What would Jesse think? I followed Ma James out of the house, my new finery had done something to my wild ways as well, I felt I had to act as gracefully as my reflection had looked. For the first time in my memory, I walked down the porch steps of the James' house instead of running or leaping. Together we walked to the back of the house where tables were set up near the bonfire; I could here the music and laughter wafting over from the party. Ma held my hand and patted it reassuringly.
"Here we go!" She said and rounded the corner.