Hostage: Kitty's Fate, The Morning After

Chapter 5

Gunsmoke

Author's Note: This was cluttering up my mind, so I worked hard and fast on this. I apologize for all and any mistakes. But enjoy. Thanks, K.R.

Matt lay with Kitty in his arms. Her body had stopped trembling and the sobs had subsided. All in all, even with her trying to pack the house up in just a few minutes, he thought she had taken it pretty well. She had tried to quickly pack her bags and told him, point blank, they were leaving. But he had convinced her that this was their home, and she would be safer with her family around her. She had busted a few items in her tirade, but nothing that couldn't be replaced. When he had seen that she was exhausted, and trying to breathe, he took her into his arms and held her as she began to tremble with fear and the sobs began. But that was almost three hours ago. He had known that he would not get back to the jail this evening. As she lay there finally sleeping in his arms, he thought about what he would have to do, if Bonner were to show his face in Dodge. The only thing that came to mind, was killing the man. He would not let any man take away what God had given him. Kitty was his gift from God. She had been his saving grace so many years ago. And she had continued to be so. He heard a light tap on the front door. Carefully dislodging himself from her grasp, he slowly got up from the bed and headed out the bedroom. The tap at the door came again as he came down the stairs. Matt pulled his gun from the holster as it lay on the table beside the door.

"Who is it?" He asked being cautious.

"It's Doc!" Came the scraggily voice of Doc Adams.

Matt pulled the door open and noted that the sun would be setting quite soon. "Come on in, Doc." He said opening the door and stepping aside. He noticed that doc had his black bag with him. "Festus told ya!" It wasn't a question, but a statement. He knew that Festus was only worried about Miss Kitty. He wasn't some town gossip, he was genuinely concerned about her and Matt. "She finally fell asleep, Doc." He said trying to pick up things that lay on the floor.

"Looks like a cyclone went through here, Matt." He said as he started to help pick up some of the articles of clothing. Then he saw the opened bags on the couch. "Someone leaving town?" Doc asked worried.

"No, Doc. She became hysterical, she was trying to pack the house up and told me we were leaving Dodge." He shook his head picking up the dressing gown of hers. It was of soft satiny material in his favorite color, sky blue. "I finally got her calm enough to listen to me. Told her we were safe here with our family." Lying the garments on the couch, he pushed things over and sat down. His head fell forward as he rubbed his eyes. "How am I gonna protect her, Doc. I'm afraid of something happening to her. I won't lose her, Doc. I won't. I'll kill Bonner before I let him near her. I'll kill him with my bare hands if need be."

"It won't come to that, Matt. Bonner has no reason to bother either of you." He said as he sat in the chair to Matt's left.

"What about the baby, Doc? What if, somehow, he finds out that she's pregnant and wants his child?" He said looking into the old grey eyes of one of his best friends.

"The baby is yours, remember." He said trying to convince him of the child's paternity.

"In here," He points to his chest. "she is mine. But what if the child isn't mine? What if he tries to take her from us?" Matt did not know that Kitty was standing at the top of the steps listening. Neither of them could have seen her.

"Are you having second thoughts about raising this child, Matt? Kitty is trying very hard to come to terms that this may not be your child, are you going to walk away from her and this baby?" Doc asked, unsure of where Matt was going with this confession of his.

"What are you talking about, Doc?" He scratches his head. "All I'm sayin' is that I love that woman upstairs with all my heart, and that child that she is carrying, is mine, in here, in my heart. I don't want Bonner to put his hands on her or the child. I will do whatever is necessary to keep my ladies safe. That is my child Kitty is carrying. Mine!" He said somewhat agitated.

"I'm sorry, Matt." He started but Matt stopped him.

"It's not you, Doc, it's me. I've never been more terrified in my life. Not even when I went up against the Dog Soldiers. The one thing that terrifies me the most is losing Kitty and our Daughter. I can't lose her. I've said it a million times, Doc, but I need you to understand, that without Kitty, I'm just an empty shell. She saved my life so long ago." He smiled and there was a twinkle in his eyes. "Do you know, she kissed me first. She had to make the move first. Well, you know how skittish I was when I saw her at Del Monico's. She was just this little thing, so beautiful. Her eyes seemed to pull me in, and I was lost from that day on." He chuckles as he remembers their first kiss.

Kitty had been in town only a few weeks when a rather nasty man had accused her of cheating. She had been playing poker, and Matt had found out then and there that is she had wanted to, she could have cheated and beaten every last one of them, but she did not cheat, of that she was very adamant. A few days later they had gotten into a heated argument, in the back room of the Long Branch. She had argue vehemently that she did not cheat. Then he asked her not to deal in the Long Branch again. She saw this as a perfect opportunity. She would agree, but she would have it sealed as a gentlemen's agreement, if you will. "All right, Marshal, I'll do as you ask. Just as long as you understand, I did not cheat." She smiled up at the big lawman. Then shoved him against the door. She hooked the small wooden stool with her foot and pulled it in front of her and stepped up on it. Before Matt knew what was happening she had him pressed against the wall and her warm moist lips were on his. Matt stood there, at first with his hands handing loosely at his side. They then slid to her waist and he pulled her tightly against his chest. "I promise, Matt. But I didn't cheat." She said whisper soft as her mouth caressed his again. He lost all train of thought holding her against him. Five minutes later, he left the room, his heart in his throat, and his stomach in knots.

"What's that silly grin on your face for, Matt?" Doc asked him.

"I was remembering the promise she made, not to deal. She had promised never to deal in Dodge again. She gave me her word of honor, shoved me against the wall, hooked the stool with her foot, stepped up and kissed me. I never saw it coming, thank God." Doc and Matt laughed.

"She….she made the first move?" Doc shakes his head and laughs at it.

"If I had waited for him to make the first move, Doc, I'd still be waiting." Kitty said as she started down the stares. Doc smiled up at her as she made her way over to Matt. "I promise I won't go flying off again." She said laying her head against his chest as his strong arms pulled her tighter against him. "I love you, Cowboy. Ever since I first saw you at Del Monicos. You scared the hell out of me, but I fell in love that very day." She looked up and smiled at him. "I know you'll do everything within your power to protect us."

Matt gently leaned down and kissed Kitty on the lips. Doc scratched his beard and cleared his throat to remind them that he was standing there.

"We know you're still here, Doc." Matt said looking up from his wife. Kitty playfully slapped him on the chest.

"Well, if you will just disengage yourself from that man, I'll be taking you upstairs so that I can take a look at you to make sure you two are fine." Doc said to Kitty whose cheeks flamed red with embarrassment.

"I'm fine, Doc, really I am." She said reluctantly pulling from Matt's strong arms.

"Yes, well you let me be the judge of that, young lady, upstairs with you. I'll be right behind you." He said as Kitty pouted at him like a child and he smiled at her. She headed up the stairs and he shook his head. "She's quite the stubborn little thing." He said shaking his head.

"You're telling me, Doc. I'm married to her." He laughed as Doc began to climb the stairs to Kitty and Matt's bedroom, where he knew she would be waiting.

Matt began to clean up again. It wasn't like Kitty to leave things around, and he knew she'd be down after Doc looked at her and trying to clean this mess up. But he didn't want her doing this work. He neatly laid the clothing on the couch and began to pick up the broken frame of a painting she had bought some time ago. As he continued to gather the clothing, he heard a noise behind him and turned just in time to see the butt of a rifle being smashed into his face. He fell hard, to the ground and made a solid thud. Doc came down the stairs after hearing the thud, thinking that Matt had fallen due to his back. But what he saw terrified him. Standing there was Jude Bonner, LaFete and two other men he had never seen before. Bonner grabbed him and pulled him down the stairs.

"Unhand me, you animal!" Doc yelled and pulled away from Bonner to go to Matt. As he knelt down, he looked Matt over and silently prayed to God that Kitty would not come down.

"Doc, is everything alright?" She asked walking down the stairs. Suddenly she froze halfway down the stairs. Her heart was in her throat as she saw the man in her nightmares standing there smiling at her.

"RUN KITTY! RUN!" Doc yelled. Kitty turned to run, but only got a step or two up, when Bonner pulled her to the ground and lay on top of her as she lay there on the steps.

"No! Nooooo! Let me go!" She screamed as he held her. His mouth came crashing down on hers.

"Leave her alone!" Doc yelled as he tried to get up, but LaFete struck him on the back of the head with the butt end of the rifle. All became dark as Doc fell unconscious to the ground.

Jude pulled from the kiss, and looked into her terrified blue eyes. "Hello Reds." He said.

"Please, please don't!" She cried as he smiled down at her. Bonner smiled down at her. She was terrified and that's how he wanted it. He loved to see the fear in her blue eyes. Suddenly he got to his feet and jerked her to her feet as well. Shoving her towards the top of the stairs, he followed behind her, guiding her to her own bedroom. Once inside, he slammed the door behind them. Kitty backed away from him. He noticed the hand that lay resting protectively on her belly had a gold band on the ring finger. Looking at the neatly made bed, he angrily grabs her arm as he rips the covers down the bed.

"Is this where you lay with him, you whore? Is it?" He tightened his grip on her arm.

"Owww! He's my husband!" She yelled trying to pull her arm free from his grasp, but his grip only tightened.

"Not anymore!" He said angrily grabbing her hand. Within seconds, Kitty realized what he wanted and she began to fight him in earnest. He was after her wedding band and desperately she clenched her fist and tried to pull it from Bonner's grasp.

"No! No! Stop it! Stop it! You're hurting me!" She screamed as he ripped her hand opened and somehow managed to pull the gold band from where it had set these past months. He held the thin band in his hand and laughed as she punched at him, trying to reach for her ring. Suddenly, she slapped him across the face. She expected him to hit her, but instead, he only laughed at her.

"You belong to me now. I claim what is rightfully mine." He told her.

"I don't belong to you. And neither does this baby." She said, her hand at the bottom swell of her heavy belly.

Jude didn't like her response. He knew this was his child. He grabbed her by the throat and shoved her down on the bed. His body only inches from her own.

"Please, don't!" She cried as the memory of him taking her came rushing over her like a tidal wave. Crashing about her, shattering the haven she had fought so hard to find. Once again, she was at the clearing, Looking at her breast heaving beneath the corset, he smiled. "My, my, Marshall Dillon sure does know how to pick his women, don't he?" His hard angry mouth descended on hers and she attempted to pull her hands free, only freeing one hand, which she attempted to use to push him away. "It's time we got better acquainted, Reds."

"No!" She says trying to push him away. He lifts her into his arms and carries a thrashing Kitty over to the grassy area. He puts her down and pulls her arms behind her back as he kisses her again. This time, she bit down on his lip, causing it to bleed.

"Fight me all you want, Reds, I like it that way." He said shoving her down on the ground. He held her by the wrists with one hand, above her head and she struggled to pull free, not realizing that his other hand was busily wondering up her skirt and relieving her of her under-garments. She felt the thin material being ripped from her body

"N-Noooooooo!" She cried as he brutally penetrated her. He gripped her leg, under her knee and pulled her knee up as he pounded into her, pulling his upper body up, so he is on his knees, then held her down with his hand on her throat, and his other hand grabbed her thigh and pulled her up his thighs, to meet him. Once again, he pounded into her.

"Nooooooo! Nooooooooooo!" She cried as he continued. Desperately she swung at him, but her fists only struck his hard chest to no avail. Jerking his hips forward, he cried out his release, and his body slumped forward, on top of her.

Kitty cried as he continued to look at her. Sitting up, he leaned back, leaning against her thighs, keeping her pinned on the bed. Pushing the blouse up, he bared her belly to his eyes. Jude then slid the skirt down over the swollen belly and his hands began to caress her. Kitty tried to sit up and push his hands away, but Jude just grabbed her about the throat and shoved her down on the bed, once again. "Please don't hurt my baby." She whimpered.

"This is my child!" He said looking at her belly, the haven within which his child lay.

"No, she's not yours, she's mine." Kitty said again pushing his hands away.

Bonner suddenly pulled his hunting knife from his boot and Kitty saw the flash of the blade once again. The cold steel of the blade caressed the side of her belly and she gasped in horror.

"Please." It came out as a whisper. "Please don't hurt my baby." She was pleading for her child's life. "Please."

"I'll ask you one more time, then I'll cut you open like a fish. Is it mine?" He asked, but all she could do was cry. Bonner was losing patience with her. He turned the blade inward and allowed the sharp edge to nick her skin. Kitty gasped in pain, as he cut her side. Nothing too deep, but a long razor sharp cut about two inches long which began to bleed immediately.

"YES! Yeeeessssss!" She cried out. She knew he meant it. He would cut her open and leave her and the child to die. "Don't hurt her!"

This time when he touched her bare belly, he did it in awe. Gently caressing his child, which lay within this woman. He would not allow any harm to come to either of them, but he also would not allow a white man to raise his son. Kitty closed her eyes, squeezing them shut against the sight of him touching her. The bile rose in her throat and she fought not to get sick, because Jude would retaliate by hurting her, and possibly her daughter. She had to protect her baby at all cost.

To be continued……