Cassie
Written with the help of Cougar!
Rating: PG.
Disclaimer: no one besides Cassie and her family belong to me, no infringement intended.
AN: My apologies for any grammatical mistakes and colourful spelling errors. Right…I suppose after this chapter is where it will start to be more of an AU. And I've decided that they come home a few times before the Lawmen and bounty hunters come around. Oh, right. No knowledge about guns or the sort, so just go with it and sorry for the mistakes. Read and review, but no flames please!
Thanks to: Cougar! Who got me started writing this story again and who helped me write it! Thanks so much! And also to those who reviewed!
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Cassie yawned and pulled her quilt up over her head.
"Cassie," her sister called.
"Nmmph," Cassie murmured.
"Cassie," Becca said again, this time Cassie didn't say anything but rolled over, dropping her pillow onto her head. Becca rolled her eyes. "Cassie," she whispered sneaking over to her sister's bed. Suddenly Becca launched herself on Cassie, pinching her sides. "Cassandra!"
Cassie shrieked awake, "wha?" She demanded, "Wha is it?"
Becca grinned, "Cole's here."
"Here? Now?" Cassie flew out of bed and ran for the door, she froze, skidding to a stop. "I'm not even dressed!"
Becca giggled.
Cassie glared at her sister, "what's so funny?" She snapped grabbing her housecoat.
"Abby said Cole was gonna ask you to marry him."
"I beg your pardon?" Abby was Meg Carter's only cousin who just turned fifteen. "What would make her say that?"
"Well apparently Cole never shuts up about you. Abby told me Jim complains about it all the time"
"Well, Cole's been with a lot of girls what makes you think he'd want me?" Cassie pulled open the door and padded down the hall. She walked down the stairs and opened the front door. Cassie spotted Cole standing on her steps, "What is it? What's happened? What's the matter?"
"We're going."
"Going? Where?"
"To settle a score."
"What kind of score?"
"With the railroad. We ain't gonna let some lousy shits to tell us what we can do with our land. And we're not gonna let 'em think they can push us around."
"Are you crazy?" Cassie spat, "no, I mean it. Are you crazy?" Cassie slammed the door behind her. "You were almost hung once Cole, I don't think I could manage if you were hung again."
"We won't hang."
"How do you know that?" Cassie demanded.
"Because we wont get caught."
Cassie folded her arms and shook her head; "I don't like it." She muttered. "I swear to God," she snapped, "if any of you get caught I'm killing you myself!"
"I'll be back," he called out. He untethered his horse and Cassie shook her head again.
"I don't like it."
"All right," Cassie said the next say. She set up her last can and opened the barrel of the shotgun and loaded it.
She cocked the rifle and aimed for the first can. She narrowed her eyes and set her jaw in a look she hoped was remotely threatening. She had an idea she failed miserably.
She braced the gun tightly against her shoulder like her Pa showed her and fired at the first two cans reloaded and fired at the third and forth. She hit the fifth can and it spun off the barrel.
"Ha!" Cassie exclaimed happily, she winced and rubbed her shoulder.
"Mr. Weston?"
Cassie turned grinning.
"Mr. West--" Frank repeated, "Cassie?"
"What are you doing?" Cole asked Cassie.
"What does it look like I'm doing?" She replied.
"Looks to me like you're out here shooting your Daddy's rifle all wrong."
"What are you doin' that for?" Frank wondered.
"Pinkerton's, came round the other day."
"You ain't thinking of shootin' them if they come round again are you?" Frank asked, his tone serious.
"No," Cassie replied, "but it might help me to sleep better at night. Knowin' you know, I could ya know, if I had to."
"Damn it Cassie! I told you to stay out of it!" Cole yelled.
"Am I robbin' any banks Cole Younger?" Cassie retorted, "and I already told you, I--"
"Can't we all just get along for cryin' out loud?" Frank cried, "I don't see why we all got to be yellin' at each other all time."
"Fine," Cole muttered, "but if you're gonna shoot the damn thing, I reckon you better do it right." He took the gun from her hands and shot the first can straight off the barrel.
Cassie rose her eyebrows. "You gunna teach me?"
Frank chuckled "This should be good," he said sitting down in her father's old wooden chair.
"Look at what you're aimin' at!"
"I am!"
Cole let out a strangled yell, "women!" Cassie just glowered.
"Patience is a virtue," Frank pointed out.
"So is doin' what you're told!"
Cassie looked down at the rifle then back over at Cole. "Is it a hangin' crime if he deserves it Frank?"
Frank pondered on that for a moment, "nah," he replied with an amused smirk. "I don't think so."
"All right, all right," Cole sighed, "we'll go over it, again."
Cassie reloaded the shotgun and lifted it, looking back at Cole.
"Now," Cole said sidling up beside her. "Loosen up," he dropped his hands onto Cassie's shoulders. "Okay. Hold the end tight to your shoulder, just like that. Now you don't want to just shoot blindly cause it's a waste of bullets. So, pick where you're gonna shoot."
"Are you tellin' me to 'be the bullet'?"
"In a sense I guess," Cole replied his lips close to her left ear. "It really ain't that hard, you just have to practice."
Cassie squeezed the trigger and missed the first shot. She fired again and the bullet hit the top of the can and it toppled off the barrel.
"Good, now practice that everyday for maybe three months and you might be a decent shot."
Cassie rotated her right shoulder, it was tight and she could feel the bruises forming.
She pushed her hair back from her face; "ya'll want something to drink?"
"Not today, we need to get on." Frank said standing up, "where's your Pa at Cassie?"
"I think he went to town to get feed, why?"
"We got something for him," Cole replied and Frank pulled something out of his pocket. He walked over and handed it to Cassie.
She took the bills from his hands, it took her a moment to register how much it was and where it was from.
"We can't take this. I know my Pa, it's too much, it's--"
"Your's," Frank finished, closing her hand around the money. "Don't spend it all in one place y'hear?"
Cassie curled the bills in her fist.
"Give me a minute," Cole told Frank. He turned to Cassie. "We gotta leave for a while again. But I wont be gone too long, so don't go missin' me too much."
"I'll do my best," Cassie teased, "well. You'll be back the sooner you leave."
"Would you mind, maybe, if I wrote you. While I'm gone?" He ran a hand through his hair quickly and shifted his feet nervously.
Cassie folded her arms.
Cole's face flushed, she was enjoying this far too much in his opinion.
She prodded his shoulder with her finger, "are you blushin' Cole Younger?"
"No," he replied quickly.
Frank cleared his throat. "I can leave you two alone if you'd like," he just laughed and walked to the front yard.
"How long you think you'll be gone?"
"A month, maybe longer."
"That's a long time," Cassie said softly. She licked her lips, "you can write me, if you have time."
"Cole!" Frank yelled from the front yard.
"In a minute!" Cole retorted.
Cassie grinned and gave him a gentle shove, "go on." She followed him to the fence and grinned at Frank.
"Keep an eye on them, make sure they don't go an do somethin' stupid."
"I will do my best," Frank replied, winking.
Cassie waved as they rode off and she stood, watching until she couldn't see them anymore. Then she went inside to talk to her father.