"LARABEE'S LADY: THE ELLA FACTOR" – CHAPTER NINE

Title: "Larabee's Lady: The Ella Factor"

Author: Michelle Heath

Rating: MA for adult language and situations

Summary: An old flame causes trouble for Chris and Catherine.

Date Written: September 26, 2010

Disclaimer: Chris Larabee, Vin Tanner, J.D. Dunne, Buck Wilmington, Josiah Sanchez, Ezra Standish, Nathan Jackson, Casey Wells, Mary Travis, Nettie Wells, Inez, Ella Gaines, Jack Averell, and The Magnificent Seven are the property of TM CBS, The Mirisch Group, MGM and Triology Entertainment. Other characters, i.e., Catherine Stewart, Jonathan Stewart, Eloise Stewart, Henrietta Wilkes, Miles Kettering, etc. are the sole property of the author. The author makes no profit from this work of fan fiction and no copyright infringement is intended.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This story follows my first story, "Larabee's Lady" in which Chris Larabee met and fell in love with Catherine Stewart, Mary Travis' best friend. I didn't like the whole Ella Gaines story line, so I wrote "Larabee's Lady" without bringing Ella into it, but I've decided that maybe she can provide some interesting dynamics.

(Ella Gaines spends the remainder of the afternoon putting the final touches on her plan, and takes extra care with her appearance. This is her last chance to make Chris see just how much she loves him, and she'd determined that, this tine, she will succeed. Before she goes downstairs for the evening, she visits her "special" room and lovingly runs her hands over her "trophies": the newspaper clippings which tell of the fire and the deaths of Chris' wife and son, pictures of Chris from years past, and the burned locket that belonged to Sarah. Feeling much better, Ella finishes dressing. . .

Some of the men guarding Catherine and Mrs. Tyson have gotten careless and the two women overhear them talking.

Man 1: "How long we supposed to keep them here.?"

Man 2: "Til Miss Ella says different."

Man 1: "Hope we ain't gonna be here too long. The accommodations ain't what I'm used to."

Man 2: "Soon's as Miss Ella gets that gunslinger she's got a hankerin' for we'll be done."

(Catherine's suspicions are confirmed. Pacing in the confines of the small room where she and Mrs. Tyson are being held, Catherine is imagining all sorts of horrible things she would dearly love to do to Ella Gaines. . . .

Ella has spared no expense with the party she has thrown. Food is plentiful, fine wines and spirits flow freely, there is a fine group of musicians filling the air with pleasing music, and most of Ella's guests are in light-hearted moods. Chris, Ezra, Buck, Nathan, Josiah, and J.D., while trying their best to be cordial, are tense and edgy. Ella is being the perfect hostess, and her mood is very care free. She turns all her charms on Chris, but he doesn't take the bait. As the hour gets late, Chris and the others excuse themselves and return to the bunk house. Ella is angry but maintains her composure because she knows she has an ace in the hole. . . .

Just before the sun comes up, Vin bursts into the bunkhouse and awakens Chris. Vin's face is tight with anger, and the others assume similar expressions as he explains what he found in Red Fork.)

Vin: "Catherine's missin'"

Chris: "What?"

Vin: "Catherine's missin' There was a wire from Mary waitin' at the telegraph office in Red Fork. Yesterday mornin', sometime between sun up and about an hour afterward, Catherine and Mrs. Tyson went missin' from the ranch. One of the hands found tracks indicating ten riders heading away from the ranch, but lost em' before he could figure out which way they were headed. And, Ella Gaines owns Culpepper Mining Company which means Jack Averell and his men work for her."

(Chris is livid. Telling the others to get ready to ride, he angrily strides toward the house bare-footed and wearing only his pants; the telegram from Mary in his hand. The others start getting their gear together; each of them imagining all sorts of horrible things. . . .

When Chris reaches the house, he heads straight upstairs to find Ella. He turns the corner at the top of the stairs in time to see Ella, dressed in a nightgown and a wrapper, unlock a door at the end of the hall and enter. Following her, Chris eases into the room behind Ella, and she is so absorbed in looking at her newest trophy that she is unaware that Chris is behind her and this allows him to fully take in the contents of the small room. He picks up Sarah's burned locket His voice, angry and loud, startles Ella and she jerks around. The look on her face is one of pure serenity.)

Chris: "What the Hell is going on here, Ella?"

Ella: "I've always loved you, Chris, now you know just how much."

Chris: "What are you doing with my wife's locket?"

Ella: "Fowler brought it to me after the fire."

Chris: "Fowler? . . .You paid him to murder by wife and son?"

Ella: "I couldn't let her come between us, Chris. I'm the woman you love. Not Sarah, and (she holds up the yellow, satin ribbon she is holding. Chris recognizes it as one Catherine often wears in her hair and his gut clenches) not Catherine."

(Chris grabs Ella by the throat and throws her back against a wall; his fingers closing around her windpipe.)

Chris: "You sick bitch! Where is Catherine?"

(Gunshots ring out and a shout from Jack Averell telling Ella's men to take out the bunkhouse are the only thing that keeps Chris from killing Ella. Slinging her away from him as hard as he can, Chris races downstairs grabbing a rifle on the way. The six in the bunkhouse manage to get into the root cellar before any of them is hit by the myriad of bullets pounding into the bunk house. They get out of the exterior entrance and find places to take cover around the yard. Chris steps out onto the front porch and starts firing. Vin manages to work his way around the fray so that he can come up on the other side of the porch. The gun battle between the Seven and Ella's men continues for several more minutes. Chris has reached the end of the porch and managed to take out three of Ella's men when she yells out his name. Spinning around, Chris sees Ella mounted on a horse not far from him. He raises his gun to shoot her but hesitates because Ella can't tell him where Catherine is if he kills her. Jack Averell sees Chris' hesitation and fires at him. Chris immediately drops to the ground and Ella spins the horse around and gallops away. Vin shoots Averell and then takes a shot at Ella's departing form but misses. He immediately drops to the ground beside Chris and yells for Nathan. Nathan runs over to them followed by the others. Kneeling beside Chris, Nathan takes one look and realizes Chris is very lucky; it's only a flesh wound, and not serious. Chris realizes this too, and quickly relates what he discovered upstairs. In a matter of minutes, Chris has finished dressing and the Seven are after Ella. . .

Spurred on by fear and fury, Ella reaches the abandoned house where Catherine and Mrs. Tyson are being held in record time. Telling her men that they need to be on the lookout for the Seven and are to shot to kill should they see them, Ella has Catherine and Mrs. Tyson brought outside to the yard.)

Catherine: "Where's Chris?"

Ella: "The last time I saw him he was lying on the ground bleeding. Don't worry, he's not dead"

Catherine: "You can't have him so no one can?"

Ella: "I will have him. When he realizes what I did for him, how much I love him, he'll see that I'm the only woman for him."

Catherine: "What you did for him . . .?"

Ella: "I got rid of Sarah and her brat. I gave Chris time to get over her. But then you had to come along. Now, I'll have to get rid of you, too. "

Catherine: "Oh my God! You hired Fowler to kill Sarah and Adam!"

Ella: "Of course, I did. I told you, I'm the woman for Chris; the only woman. Now, I'll have to take care of you, too."

Catherine: "You mean you'll have your men take care of me. You aren't the woman for Chris; you aren't even woman enough to get rid of your own problems."

Ella: "Shut you!"

Catherine: "You want me out of your way, Ella, you want me dead? Then kill me. But be woman enough to do it yourself."

(Ella raises her hand in which she is holding a small Derringer and aims it at Catherine.)

Catherine: "No! You want Chris? Then you fight me for him. No guns, we do this unarmed. You that much of a woman, Ella?"

(Ella takes the bait Catherine is dangling in front of her; a crazed look on her face.)

Ella: "You boys stay back. This is between Miss Stewart and me. . We finish this here, Catherine, we finish it now!"

(And with those words, Ella leaps for Catherine. The two women engage in an all out struggle. Fists are flying and connecting and nails are raking. Catherine has the advantage because she is physically bigger and stronger and is wearing pants, but Ella is fueled by fury and madness and manages to hold her own. When the two women break apart momentarily, one of Ella's men calls out to her and throws her a large, wicked looking knife. A glint of insanity in her eyes, Ella raises the knife high and goes for Catherine. They once again end up in a tangled heap rolling on the ground, and it is how the Seven find them when, having followed Ella's tracks, they ride into the yard. Vin lifts his gun as if to shoot, but Chris yells at him to stop; saying he might hit Catherine. After disarming Catherine's men, all the Seven can do is helplessly watch Catherine and Ella. The knife, sharp and vicious looking, glints in the morning sunlight as the two women roll on the ground. Finally, Ella rolls on top of Catherine; there is a grunt of pure pain, and Catherine's eyes close. Chris is off his horse instantly and sprinting for the two women with Vin and Nathan right behind him Chris reaches them first and snatches Ella off of Catherine. Much to his surprise, Catherine's eyes open, and she looks up at him with those beautiful emerald green eyes of hers. Glancing over, he sees the knife sticking out of Ella's shoulder. Not caring that Catherine is covered in dirt and Ella's blood, Chris pulls her into his arms and holds her tightly.)

Chris: "Are you hurt?"

Catherine: "I'm fine."

Chris: "God, Catherine, I thought . . . I thought I'd lost you, too."

Catherine: "Chris, Ella . . . She paid Fowler to kill Sarah and Adam."

Chris: "I know."

(Nathan has looked at Ella's wound and determined she'll live. He and Josiah take her into custody while Ezra assists Mrs. Tyson, and the others gather up Ella's men. The ride to Four Corners is accomplished in record time and Ella and her men are locked up in the jail. As soon as they've gotten cleaned up, Catherine and Chris ride up to his cabin and don't give a damn who knows it. . .