"The Plan" This is an MM/ATC to "Daddy-O" (Season 2)
Matt walked up to the batwing doors of the Long Branch. As he peered over the top, he could see Kitty and Wayne Russell sitting at a table over by the staircase. He refused to refer to Wayne Russell as Kitty's father. In his opinion, he didn't deserve to have the title as Kitty's father. The man abandoned Kitty and her mother shortly after Kitty was born. In the twenty-three years Wayne Russell was gone, he hadn't once made an attempt to contact Kitty. Now suddenly he wanted to be a father to her. Matt Dillon did not trust Wayne Russell.
It was because of Wayne Russell's presence that Matt was hesitant about going inside. He really didn't want to be in that man's presence. He could just skip going to the Long Branch during his rounds and tell Kitty he was busy. However, he knew that wouldn't work. He couldn't lie to Kitty not only because she read him like a book and would pick up on his lie in an instant, but also because he just couldn't lie to her. In the short couple of years they had known each other, their trust in one another had been growing. Matt didn't want to do anything to lose that trust.
Matt took a deep breath and walked inside. Bill Pence saw him and motioned over to where Kitty and Wayne were sitting. Matt said his thanks to Bill and walked over to Kitty and Mr. Russell's table. Kitty smiled when she saw him.
"Good evening, Kitty," Matt said, touching the brim of his hat.
"Evening, Matt," said Kitty.
"Mr. Russell," said Matt, acknowledging the man.
"Marshal," said Mr. Russell. "Why don't you sit down and join us in a drink?"
"Oh no," Matt refused. "I'm on my rounds. I don't wanna be a bother."
"Come on," said Kitty. "We have something to tell you."
"Oh yeah?" Matt questioned. 'In that case, I'll sit down."
Matt took a seat and Wayne Russell motioned to Bill to bring over a glass. Wayne was about to pour Matt a glass of wine, but Matt stopped him. He told Wayne he wasn't much of a wine person. Wayne accepted that and didn't pour any wine for Matt.
"Do you wanna hear the news?" Kitty asked.
"Yeah," Matt replied. "What is it?"
"I'm leaving," Kitty answered. "I'm going back to New Orleans. I decided this afternoon."
Matt's face fell. This was not the news he was expecting Kitty to give him. He wasn't really sure what news he was expecting, but it certainly wasn't this. Maybe he misunderstood. Maybe she didn't mean permanently.
"Do you mean that?" he asked.
"Bill Pence is buying back my half of the share in cash," Kitty responded.
"Kitty and I had a long talk this afternoon and she finally made up her mind," said Wayne.
"I'm going to put the money in my father's freight business," said Kitty.
"We are going to be great partners, and I'm mighty proud of my daughter," said Wayne, patting Kitty's hand.
"He's right, Matt," said Kitty. "This is no place for a lady. This is my last night in any saloon ever."
Matt was hoping that Kitty's trip to New Orleans would only be temporary, but now he knew that wasn't the case. She was selling back her share of the Long Branch to Bill Pence and putting it in Wayne Russell's freight business. The most crushing blow to his hopes was that Kitty had just said this was her last night in any saloon. Her last night? He couldn't wrap his head around the fact that he only had one last night with her. She walked into his life without warning and now she was walking out of his life without warning.
"Your last night?" asked Matt.
"There's no sense in putting it off," said Kitty. "We're leaving tomorrow."
"That reminds me. We need our tickets," said Mr. Russell. "Is there anyone at the stage office at this hour?"
"There's always somebody there," said Kitty.
Wayne got up to leave. "I'm a proud man, a proud and happy man." He patted Matt on the arm and left for the stage office.
"So he finally convinced you?" questioned Matt.
"He's a pretty smart talker when he really tries," said Kitty. "What's wrong Matt? Don't you like him?"
Matt wanted to be careful in how he answered. If this was his last night with Kitty, he didn't want to get in an argument with her on whether or not he liked Wayne Russell. "It doesn't matter if I like him or not. The point is that I don't trust him."
"Now we're getting some place," said Kitty.
"What?" Matt asked.
"I don't trust him either, and I'm going to need your help. Let's go someplace where we can talk," said Kitty as she got up from the table.
"Alright," said Matt as he too rose from the table.
From the moment Matt sat down at the table, Bill Pence had been watching. Kitty had already told him that she was not leaving, but had convinced her father that she was taking her money and putting it into his freight business. She also told him that Matt didn't know of any of this. She hadn't had a chance to say anything. Bill felt awful when he saw the emotions on the Marshal's face. However, as he watched them ascend the stairs to Kitty's room, he knew the Marshal would be relieved of the hurt he was feeling.
Matt followed Kitty up the stairs and into her room. She said she didn't trust her father and she needed his help. He was pretty sure Kitty wasn't asking him to help her pack and leave. She was more than capable of doing that on her own. There was now a sliver of hope that Kitty wasn't really leaving.
"How can I help?" asked Matt.
"I told you that I don't trust him," said Kitty. "I have a strong feeling that he's just trying to steal my money. I need your help in proving that. I need you to play along with me leaving Dodge City."
"You're really not leaving?" Matt asked. He knew that Kitty wasn't actually going to leave, but he needed to hear it from her.
"Of course not, Matt!" exclaimed Kitty. "Do you really think I could ever leave you? You came into my heart and took a hold of it. No man, especially one who abandoned me is going to change that."
"Sorry, Kitty," said Matt. "Your news downstairs took me by surprise. I wasn't expecting that. You were so convincing. I just had to hear from you that you were staying," said Matt. He pulled Kitty to him and held her, thankful she wasn't walking out of his life.
Kitty enjoyed the feel of Matt's arms around her. She could never leave the man that meant more than life itself to her. "I had to be, otherwise my father wouldn't believe me."
"What about Bill Pence?" asked Matt. "I can only imagine how he took the news."
"Bill already knows," Kitty responded. "I had a chance and told him earlier today. I told him I didn't get a chance to say anything to you. I'm sorry that I wasn't able to tell you, Matt. I hated to see the hurt on your face. Please forgive me."
"I'll admit that your news shocked the hell out of me. I wasn't expecting that. But since you're not leaving, I guess I can forgive you," said Matt with a smile on his face. "Now, let's get back to my original question. How can I help?"
"I told you that I don't trust my father," said Kitty. Matt nodded and Kitty continued. "I don't think he would really care if I worked in a saloon or if I was a dressmaker. I have a feeling he just wants my money and once I put it into his freight business, I won't see it again."
"If there even is a freight business," said Matt.
"Exactly," said Kitty. "My plan is to prove that it's my money he wants and not me. So here's my plan. I'm going to convince my father that I want to do the business of selling my share back to Bill alone. Bill and I will walk to the bank, but that's it. The stage leaves tomorrow at 9:10. I'm going to tell my father I'll meet him there at 9:00. When I get there, I won't have the money. I know he'll notice that and question it. I'll tell him I changed my mind about putting the money in his business and that I'm going to keep it in the Long Branch. His reaction to that will tell me whether or not he wanted my money or was actually interested in building a relationship with his daughter."
"Are you prepared for the possibility he's going to choose the money?" asked Matt.
"I'll be ready," said Kitty.
Matt noticed that Kitty didn't say that she was prepared, just that she would be. "What's my part in all of this?"
"I need my father to stay away from the bank. I need you to come to the stage depot and make sure my father stays there. I know he said he would let me do my business with Bill Pence on my own, but I just have to make sure he doesn't change his mind about that. If he changes his mind and goes to the bank and realizes we aren't there, then there goes my plan," said Kitty.
"I'll be there," said Matt. "If that's what it takes to keep you here in Dodge, then I'll be there."
Kitty listened to Matt's response, but then a thought came to her. "Matt, would you have let me leave?"
"I would hope that I could say or do something to convince you to stay, but that the decision would be yours. You know I'm a man of more action than words. I guess I would have made love to you all night in the hopes that you would decide to stay. If that didn't work, I would hope that our lovemaking left you so exhausted that you slept too late and missed your stage. At least that would've given me a little more time with you," said Matt.
"Ooh, I like that plan," Kitty said seductively. "Maybe we should try it."
"As much as I would love to make love to you all night, we can't do anything that would risk your plan not working," said Matt as gently cupped her face in his large hand.
"You could still stay the night," said Kitty, as she softly stroked Matt's cheek.
"I do plan on coming back after my rounds and I plan on making love to you, but not all night," said Matt.
"Spoil sport," Kitty pouted.
Matt laughed and then kissed Kitty. "I'll see ya later."
The next morning Matt and Kitty made sure they were up early enough for Kitty to get to the bank and to the stage depot before nine o'clock. Matt executed his part of the plan by arriving at the depot to make sure Wayne Russell didn't decide to walk over to the bank. Matt really wasn't sure how he would keep Mr. Russell from the bank, if necessary. He figured he would play it by ear. Matt saw Mr. Russell at the depot and walked up to him.
"Where's Kitty," Matt asked, knowing where she was.
"She's at the bank doing her business with Bill Pence," said Wayne. "She insisted on doing it herself."
"Maybe because it'll be the last time she does any business on her own," Matt offered.
"I hope so. Women shouldn't be in business," said Wayne.
"Especially Kitty," said Matt. "She trusts people too much. They would take advantage of her."
"Not anymore," said Wayne. "I hope she's safe carrying all that money."
Matt digested Mr. Russell's statement. He was getting mixed signals from the man. Wayne said Kitty wouldn't be taken advantage of, yet he brought up Kitty's money. Did he care about Kitty or the money?
"I don't think anyone would rob her in broad daylight," said Matt.
"But they would at night," Wayne Russell responded.
"Mr. Russell, some men would do anything for a dollar, night or day," said Matt. He watched Wayne. He wanted to gauge his reaction.
"Yes," said Wayne, really not paying attention to Matt. He caught sight of Kitty coming and noticed she wasn't carrying any sort of bag. As Kitty came closer, Wayne waved. Matt turned and did the same.
"I knew she'd be here. I don't think anyone would ever bother her. She's really well liked around here by a lot of people. I think they would take it personally if anything bad happened to her, no matter who did it," said Matt.
What Matt was really saying was no one that had lived in Dodge would bother her. Most people that had been around for the last two years knew if anyone did ever bother her, they would have to face the wrath of the Marshal. He didn't care if Wayne Russell was Kitty's father. If he did anything to hurt her, Matt would take it personally.
"Excuse me, Marshal," said Wayne as he walked over to Kitty.
"Good morning," Kitty said to her father.
"You're late," said Wayne.
"The stage hasn't left yet," said Kitty.
"No, but we need to get our seats," said Wayne.
Kitty saw Matt approach them. "Good morning, Matt."
"Morning, Kitty," said Matt.
"Don't you have a bag of any kind?" Wayne interrupted.
"My bags are all taken care of," said Kitty.
"I mean a hand bag," Wayne clarified. "You're not carrying one."
"No, I'm not," Kitty confirmed.
"What about the money? Did you get it?" asked Mr. Russell.
"No, I didn't," Kitty replied. "I changed my mind."
"What do you mean?" asked Wayne. You could hear the disappointment in his voice.
"I decided to keep it here in the Long Branch. It's a good investment and I can always come back and get it," said Kitty.
"Kitty, I'm deciding everything for you from now on," said Wayne. His plan wasn't going as he had hoped.
"We can talk about it on the stage," said Kitty as she went to take her father's arm to lead him to the stage.
Wayne jerked his arm away. "No! We don't go until you get that money."
Kitty had her answer. She knew why her father had come back into her life. He was hoping that she had money and if she did, he would swindle it from her. She had her answer, but she still asked.
"What is it you really want, me or the money?" she asked.
"Never mind, you just do as I say," said Wayne.
"Mother was right. She said you would never change and you haven't. Don't tell me you have a freight business in New Orleans," said Kitty, her voice full of anger.
Wayne was now upset. He knew he wasn't getting his daughter's money. He grabbed Kitty's arm. "That's enough, Kitty."
Matt had been a quiet observer, but couldn't keep quiet when Wayne grabbed Kitty's arm. "Russell!" Matt's voice was firm.
"Stay out of this, Marshal," Wayne told Matt. "She's my daughter."
"And you're just another man to me," said Kitty, pulling away from her father. "And a crook too."
"You'll be sorry for this, Kitty," said Wayne.
"I'd be even sorrier if I let you steal my money," Kitty responded.
"It's alright, Kitty," said Matt. "I think he understands now."
Wayne turned to look at Matt and then back at Kitty. He realized that the two of them had planned this whole thing. He was angry. It wasn't supposed to be like this. He and Kitty were supposed to be getting on a stage with all of her money. His daughter's money was supposed to be making him a rich man.
"You two had this all planned. Didn't you!" he yelled.
Matt walked over to Kitty. He wanted to be near her, to offer all the support he could. He was about to pull her close, but the stagecoach driver's voice caught his attention. Matt turned towards the stage. The driver was making the last call for the passengers.
"Well, Russell, you've played it smart so far. Don't let us down now. Play it all the way, for Kitty's sake," said Matt.
"Please get on that stage, father," said Kitty. "Leave me with some pride."
Wayne Russell knew the only choice he had was to board the stage. "Yes," he said in defeat. He knew this would probably be the last time he saw his daughter. He walked over to give her a kiss on the cheek and say goodbye. Matt stepped back and turned away to give them some privacy. Wayne and Kitty said their goodbyes. He shook Matt's hand and got on the stage.
Matt turned towards Kitty and saw the pain on her face and in her eyes. He put his arm around her and led her away. They stopped as the stage took off. Matt noticed the tears. He wasn't sure if they were because Kitty was relieved that their plan worked or if she was really upset about losing her father for the second time. Maybe she wasn't as prepared for her father's rejection as she thought she was.
"Kitty, Wayne Russell doesn't deserve those tears," Matt said. "The man tried to make you believe he was returning to have a father/daughter relationship with you, but in reality he turned out to be a con artist."
"I know. I don't know why I'm crying," she said. "I'm glad I know that he wanted my money more than he wanted me. I never planned on going with him, no matter what. However, I would've always wondered if it was me or the money. At least now I know. I guess the tears are for the father/daughter relationship I was hoping to have, but never will."
"What do you mean, you never will?" asked Matt. "I don't know if you've noticed, but Doc thinks of you as the daughter he never had."
"Really?" Kitty quietly asked. She considered Doc like a father to her, but wasn't sure if he considered her to be a daughter.
"Of course I'm sure," Matt affirmed. "Trust me. There's been more than one occasion that he's threatened me if I were to ever hurt you. That's something a father would do to protect his daughter."
Kitty smiled through her tears. Hearing Matt's answer confirmed what she was already suspicious of. Kitty didn't need Wayne Russell in her life. It didn't matter if he was her biological father. She had a loving surrogate father in Doc Adams.
"Come on. Let's go and get some breakfast at Delmonico's," said Matt. "I haven't eaten yet and I'm starving. I also know you haven't eaten either."
"You know me so well," said Kitty. "Breakfast at Delmonico's sounds wonderful."
"I know you so well because I love you," Matt whispered to her.
Matt and Kitty walked to Delmonico's secure in the knowledge that they were still together, that they still had one another.
The End
