VOYAGERS! - The Voyager Chronicles
OLD FRIENDS, NEW BEGINNINGS - BOOK 6
(Sequel to A Ray of Hope)
By DA Daugherty (VoyagersFan)
December 2008 (Revised 03/2010)
Previous disclaimers apply

Chapter 9 - BREAKFAST WITH A LEGEND

Morning had finally come. The streets of Dodge City were for the most part, quiet and unoccupied as most of the townsfolk were still warm and snug in their beds. After indulging in a long night of drunkenness, carousing and card playing, the local cowpokes had finally returned to their campsites outside the city limits in preparation for the day's cattle drive. Outside the Long Branch saloon, the town drunk was clinging to a hitching post, bottle in hand, mumbling to some imaginary figure in front of him. In the distance a few irritated roosters whose feathers had been ruffled by the onset of daylight, began to crow in defiance of their interrupted sleep.

After a rather long and arduous night, Bogg and Jeff had risen early to get a jumpstart on their day. Once dressed their old west attire, they made their way downstairs to the rustic dining room of the Dodge House to wait for Mallory and get some breakfast. As they entered the room, the two paused for a moment upon noticing Mallory sitting at a corner table reading the local newspaper.

"Take a look over there, kiddo." Bogg whispered as he pointed to Mallory's table. "Looks like ol' Shawn beat us to the punch."

"What's he doing here? I figured he'd still be in bed after the day we had yesterday." Jeff replied. "If he keeps this up, he's gonna make us both look like slackers."

"Slackers, huh?" Bogg teased. "I don't know about you, but I'm no slacker, that's for sure. By the way, what's a slacker, kiddo?"

Jeff rolled his eyes and grimaced. "Never mind slacker, never mind."

Bogg stood with a puzzled look on his face for a moment, before his partner's cutting remark finally sunk in.

"Hmmmmm. Slacker, huh? I'll remember that one the next time you need someone to extract you from a man-eating bush plant."

Jeff turned to his partner. "C'mon Bogg, I was just joking."

Bogg winked at his partner as he softly elbowed him in the side. "Hey! You up for a bit of fun?" He asked.

"Yea, Bogg!" He whispered. "Whatcha got in mind?"

"You just follow my lead, ok? Quick! We need to get to Shawn before he puts down that newspaper."

Without saying another word, the two made their way over to Mallory's table and stood behind him as they put their plan into action.

"Are dese here seats tak'n?" Bogg asked with a sort of old west country drawl.

Mallory didn't flinch. He continued to concentrate on the news of the day, undaunted by Bogg's prodding.

"Yes." Mallory replied from behind his paper. "I'm waiting on my two partners to arrive for breakfast."

"You talkin' 'bout dat daire tall feller wid-da strange attire and dat curly-headed young'un a his?" Bogg asked as he attempted to hold back a laugh.

"Yes. What about them?" Mallory replied from behind his newspaper, still fully engrossed in the news of the day.

"Well, I seen dem two out front a while back."

Bogg poked his partner to signal him to join in the fun. At this point, Jeff cleared his throat and tried his best to disguise his squeaky voice.

"Paw?"

"Yea, boy?" Bogg replied.

"Didcha see what happen'd after dat tall feller pulled out dat dair pocket watch a his'n?" Jeff asked.

"Yea, I seen it." Bogg continued as he choked back his laughter. "Dem two jus' up and vanish'd. Right inta thin air."

"They did WHAT?" Mallory yelled as he threw his newspaper down on the table and sprung up from his chair like a rabbit.

"They can't leave me here alone!" He quipped.

Mallory quickly reached for his backpack and before he knew it, Bogg had reached over and pushed him back down in his seat.

"Whoa there! Where are you going in such a hurry?" Bogg asked as he and Jeff began to laugh.

"What? You guys!" Mallory exclaimed as he gasped. "Whew! Why did you two have to scare me like that?"

Bogg nodded his head and smiled a bit as he and Jeff pulled out a chair and sat down at the table.

"Well, I reckon' you were just ripe for the pickin'." Bogg teased.

"I should have known you two were going to try something this morning. I have to say that was a really good one you pulled on me. Those western accents of yours were excellent. If I hadn't turned around, I would have never known it was the two of you standing behind me."

"Thanks Shawn." Bogg said with a smile. "No hard feelings, I hope."

"Of course, no hard feelings!" Mallory replied. "You're my best friends. But, just remember…paybacks are a bear!"

By this time, Jeff was sporting a concerned look. He turned and whispered softly to his partner. "I may be wrong, but I have a bad feeling about this."

"A bad feeling?" Bogg whispered.

"Yea, I think we've opened up a can of worms with this one"

"You think? I believe he's just yanking our chains." Bogg said with some skepticism.

Unconvinced by his partner's arguments, Jeff continued to voice his concern. "I wouldn't be too sure about that. The quiet ones are always the ones you have to worry about."

Mallory picked up his newspaper and continued to read. After overhearing his colleague's conversation, he began to sense their immediate concern. Not wanting to ignore an opportunity like had been presented to him; he decided to compound their uneasiness by turning up the heat a bit.

"Guys, is there a problem?" Mallory asked from behind his paper. "You seem a bit…hmmm…distracted."

"No, no! Shawn. We're ok." Bogg replied nervously. "Jeff just had to remind me about something important we need to attend to later."

"Oh, ok." Mallory said as he took a sip of coffee. "For a minute there, I thought it might have been something I said."

The two Voyagers looked at each other, surprised and somewhat puzzled by Mallory's statements.

"I take it you two were finally able to get some sleep last night." Mallory said candidly.

Before Bogg could respond to the question, Jeff had already beaten him to the punch.

"Yea, after we put Bogg to bed, the rest of the night was pretty much uneventful. Fortunately for me, he slept like a rock."

"In light of what happened yesterday, I'd say he deserved a good night's rest." Mallory replied.

"You said it." Bogg affirmed. "After being stuck in the vortex and then having that horrible nightmare last night, I was ready for it."

Jeff nudged Mallory in the side. "You know, as long as I've been with Bogg, I've never seen him as scared as he was last night."

"Kid, I WAS scared." Bogg admitted without reservation. "Even though it was just a dream, the mere thought of Drake getting his hands on you was more than I could handle. Nobody, I mean NOBODY will ever do anything to harm you, especially Drake. I just hope I never have another nightmare like that again."

While Bogg continued to speak about his terrible ordeal, unbeknownst to them, a beautiful young barmaid emerged from the kitchen. She stolled over and stood quietly behind him for a moment.

"Can I get you gents something?" She asked.

"Ayyyyyyeeee" Bogg yelled as he jumped with surprise.

"I'm so sorry, sir." She said with remorse. "I didn't mean to startle you."

The warm and sensuous tone of the barmaid's voice was more than older Voyager could bring himself to ignore. Without hesitation, he turned to face her and upon making eye contact, his chin dropped to his chest.

"Uh…umm… It's ok" Bogg reassured warmly. "Really!"

"Can I get you gents something?" She repeated.

"Uh…uh…uh…yea…uh…ok…" Bogg uttered. The overwhelming beauty of this woman that was standing next to him had all but overloaded his brain. He had seen beautiful women in his travels before, but this one was second to none. Tall and well endowed, with a pearly white complexion and beautiful brown locks, she was the epitome of beauty. As she stood there silently awaiting his reply, without realizing it, Bogg made the ultimate in Freudian slips.

"Yes…you…uh…on the menu?" Bogg asked as he stumbled on his words.

The barmaid smiled and blushed a bit before responding. "I'm sorry. You are quite a handsome man, but unfortunately, I'm not on the menu today."

Embarrassed by his little faux pas, Bogg grinned sheepishly as he attempted to backpedal out of this situation. "Oh…umm…excuse me…I mean…What's on the menu?"

Jeff rolled his eyes. Now feeling the need to accentuate his partners' slip-up, he leaned over and whispered to him.

"Way to go there, Casanova." Jeff said with an air of cockiness. After slapping his partner on the shoulder, he continued to observe him making a virtual fool of himself.

"Well, hon. We have the usual, that's eggs, bacon, biscuits, gravy and coffee. Or if that doesn't tickle your fancy, you can always try the special."

"The special?" Bogg asked curiously. "What's that?"

"Fried rattlesnake with gravy and a side of grits."

"Eeeuuuu!" Jeff exclaimed as he cringed at the thought. "Fried rattlesnake?"

Mallory leaned over and teased his fellow Voyager. "And don't forget the gravy and a side of grits."

"I think I'll have to pass on that one." Jeff whispered

"Me too, guy." Mallory acknowledged.

"Ma'am, I think the kid and I will have a plate each of the usual." Bogg said as he rubbed his churning stomach. "I'll have some coffee. Bring the kid here a glass of milk."

"Ok, two usuals, a coffee and some cow juice." She confirmed. "Anything else?"

Bogg smiled in a dream-like state as he gazed up into her beautiful brown eyes and whispered. "You're number would be nice."

"My number?" She asked, unable to comprehend his meaning. "What number are you talking about?"

Quickly, Jeff chimed in as he attempted to save his partner from his inevitable fate.

"Hey, what about Shawn?" Jeff asked. "Maybe he'd like something as well."

Mallory looked up from his paper and smiled. "Oh, I'm ok. I've already had my plate of hot, smothered rattlesnake." He teased. "As they say here in Dodge City…Yum Yum!"

The barmaid laughed a bit as she bantered with Mallory. "Don't you gent's believe a word of it. He didn't have the special. He was as put off by it as you two are."

Mallory looked over at the beautiful woman and played along. "Shhh! You're making me look bad." He whispered.

Jeff tried his best to suppress his laughter as he looked up at the barmaid. "Thank you ma'am, I think that'll be all."

"I'll be back with your food shortly." She then slowly turned and walked away.

"Jeffrey! Why'd you have to go and do that for?" Bogg ranted. "She was gorgeous. I wanted a chance to get to know her better. But now you've ruined it for me."

A shocked expression quickly came over Jeff's face. "What! I've ruined it!" He exclaimed. "I don't think so. If anybody ruined it, it was you! You just had to open your mouth and stick that big boot of yours in it."

"What?" Bogg asked innocently. "What did I say?"

"Phineas, are you always like that around women?" Mallory asked while trying to keep a straight face.

"Like what?" Bogg asked with an air of impatience.

"You know, melting into a big blob of goo at the mere sight of a lovely lady like that one." Mallory chided.

"What are you talking about Shawn? I didn't melt into a big blob of goo."

Mallory knew he had struck a nerve with his 'goo' comment, so he continued to poke fun at his friend.

"Oh, yes, Phineas. You were so overtaken by her beauty, you couldn't even speak. There was nothing but gibberish coming from your lips. You know, when I heard you ask her if she was on the menu, I was so stunned, I almost fell out of my chair."

Jeff put his hand over his lips as he began to snigger.

Bogg lowered his brow and gave his partner a stern look. "And what are YOU laughing at?" He quipped.

"You…", Jeff replied, his tone a touch higher than his usual squeaking. He looked over at Mallory and then burst into laughter. "And to answer your question...Yes…he is always like that around a beautiful woman!"

"I am not." Bogg argued.

"Admit it Bogg! You are and you know it!" Jeff said pointedly.

As always, Bogg knew exactly how to pull at his partner's heartstrings and this situation was no exception. Once again, another academy award winning performance was now underway. In response to Jeff's ribbing, Bogg playfully pouted and lowered his head.

"Why do you always have to make fun of me?" Bogg said dejectedly. "All I wanted to do was kiss her. What's the harm in that? You never want me to have any fun."

By this time, Jeff's smile had been completely wiped off his face as Bogg's performance had been a smashing success. Feeling extremely guilty about teasing the guy who had been there for him through thick and thin, Jeff stood up and put his arm around him.

"I'm sorry, Bogg. I was only kidding. I didn't mean to hurt your feelings."

Without warning, Bogg cocked his head to one side and donned a mischievous grin as he glanced up at him. Quickly, he grabbed his partner and began to tickle him unmercifully.

"You may be sorry, but I'm not…" Bogg exclaimed.

"Quit, Bogg!" Jeff shouted. "Quit it…please… I give up…Please, Bogg!"

While the two continued with their playful aggravation of each other, Mallory sat silently in his chair, intrigued by it all. After a few moments, the two stopped and Bogg set Jeff down on his knee.

"Guys, for a moment there, I thought I was going to need a handkerchief myself." Mallory said as he wiped a fake tear from the corner of his eye. "They broke the mold when they made you two. You were destined to be together. I hope, someday I'll have a son like Jeff as my partner."

Bogg craned his neck as he winked at his son. After tickling Jeff in the ribs a couple of times, he smiled and gave Mallory some words of encouragement.

"Yes, there's nothing like being a dad." Bogg whispered after covering Jeff's ears. "He may be a royal pain sometimes, but he's the greatest. I wouldn't give him up for the world."

Jeff pulled his partner's hands away from his ears.

"Bogg, what did you say to him?" Jeff teased. "I know you told him something bad about me. Now c'mon, 'fess up… What did you say?"

Bogg started to respond, but Mallory suddenly interrupted him.

"Jeff, your dad was just telling me how lucky he was to have you." Mallory said warmly.

Bogg nodded and grinned as Jeff turned and looked at him.

"Why did you have to cover my ears, just to tell him that?" Jeff asked.

"I didn't want to give you a swelled head, kiddo." Bogg replied as he raised his brow a couple of times and smiled.

"Bogg!!!!" Jeff exclaimed.

Bogg turned his attention back to Mallory. "Shawn, you too will have a partner like this one someday. I guarantee that."

"I hope you're right, Phineas." Mallory replied softly.

"I know I'm right, Shawn." Bogg reassured. "And when you do, you'll be chanting one of Phineas Bogg's famous quotes, over and over again."

"What's that?"

Bogg chuckled a bit, before giving his response.

Jeff quickly chimed in. "Wait a minute…I know this one!"

"You should, kiddo. You've heard it way too often." Bogg teased.

"Yea. Right!"

"Ok, you two…spill it!" Mallory demanded.

Bogg raised his eyes to the ceiling, held his left hand high in the air and put his clenched fist over his heart. His pose was strikingly similar to that of Romeo as he knelt below Juliet's window. He then paused for a moment to get the desired effect.

Mallory was growing impatient with his friend's theatrics.

"C'mon Phineas…Quit clowning around and tell me."

With the flare and panache of a thespian from the Shakespearean era, he began to recite his lines in his powerfully deep voice.

"Smart kids…give me…such…a…pain!"

"I knew it!" Jeff exclaimed as he stood up and sat back down in his chair. "I knew he was gonna say that."

"I was beginning to wonder." Mallory teased.

"What do you mean?" Bogg asked.

"Well, based on your performance, I was expecting something more like "What light beyond yonder window breaks? It is the East and Juliet is the sun." Mallory recited with some flair. "Maybe you should try that on the barmaid the next time she comes around? You might just succeed with that one."

Bogg shook his head and grimaced a bit. "Funny, Shawn, very funny." He said. "You're definitely no Shakespeare."

Mallory laughed. "And from what we've seen so far, you're no Romeo either." He quipped before taking a sip of coffee.

Bogg glanced at Mallory. "First, the kid, now you!" He whined. "I can't believe the two of you are ganging up on me like this. What did I do to deserve this torture?"

A mischievous look came over Mallory's face. "Undoubtedly you've forgotten what I said to you earlier. Remember, I said paybacks were a bear?"

"I didn't think you'd be paying me back this quick though." Bogg replied.

For a moment, there was silence. Suddenly, the three looked at each other and then burst into laughter.

"What just happened here?" Mallory asked, while trying to regain his composure.

"I don't know, but it was hilarious." Jeff replied.

"Yea, right…hilarious." Bogg said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Guys, I hate to change the subject, but, I was thumbing through my guidebook this morning, trying to figure out what could have happened to Earp. The only thing I can come up with is that somehow his meeting with Clay Allison didn't go so well."

"Have you figured out what actually happened here?" Bogg asked.

"According to the guidebook, some of Allison's men rode into town shortly after his arrival. The purpose for them being here was to guarantee his safe departure when it was time for him to leave town. It also says they were all armed and had stationed themselves on the roofs of the buildings and inside Wright's general store."

"Sounds to me like an ambush." Jeff stated.

"That's what I thought, too, Jeff." Mallory acknowledged.

Mallory continued. "Later today, one of Earp's men will observe an inebriated Allison sitting inside Webster's Saloon making threats to kill Earp. He will report his observations back to Earp, who in turn will seek him out. In doing so, he'll enlist the help of Bat Masterson to cover his back."

"Do you think they'll have a confrontation inside the saloon?" Bogg asked.

Mallory reached over and pulled his guidebook from his backpack. He turned to a marked page in the book and pointed to one of the entries.

"No, according to the guidebook here, Earp meets up with Allison twice. Once on the sidewalk outside the Long Branch saloon and then again in the street before Allison rode out of town on his horse. There's nothing mentioned about a shootout in either of those meetings."

A look of mysticism came over Mallory at this point. "One thing, though. After the first meeting, Earp apparently started walking toward the general store. That's when Masterson, who was stationed near the drugstore at the time, gave him a signal to warn him that Allison's men were inside."

Jeff chimed in. "You know, what if he didn't get the signal. Suppose one of Allison's men took him out?"

"That could be it." Mallory agreed. "They could have got to Masterson before he was able to warn him."

"Well, regardless of what happened we've got to put a stop to it." Bogg said forcefully.

"I'd say and pronto." Jeff agreed.

Mallory leaned toward his two colleagues and started to whisper. "Oh, by the way, take a look at the man sitting at the table across the room."

Bogg slowly slid around in his seat and peered discreetly at the man.

"Which one are you speaking of?" Bogg asked as he craned his neck a bit.

"See the one in the black coat." Mallory whispered.

"Yea, I see him." Bogg acknowledged. "What about him?"

"That's Bat Masterson, himself."

Amazed by the fact that was just presented to him, Bogg lost control of his voice.

"That's Bat Masterson?"

"SHHHH! Not so loud…" Mallory whispered. "He'll hear you."

"How did you find that out?"

Mallory smiled like the proverbial cat that just caught the mouse. "Funny you should ask that question. It's like this…I was sitting here earlier, reading my newspaper when this tall, intimidating man came through the door and walked past my table. He made his way over to the far side of the room and quietly took a seat. Not too long after that, the barmaid walked over and called him by name."

"Wow, Bogg!" Jeff exclaimed. "Bat Masterson, the legend, here, in the same room with us!"

"Don't let it go to your head kiddo." Bogg teased. He may very well be a legend. But before you invite the guy over for tea and crumpets, you need to remember what happened the last time you became infatuated with a legend."

"Yeah, I remember. Billy the Kid." Jeff said sullenly. "But that was different."

At that moment, the barmaid brought out Bogg and Jeff's plates and placed them on the table in front of them.

"Thank you ma'am." Bogg said with a twinkle in his eye.

"You're welcome." She replied. "I'll be back in a moment with your milk and coffee."

Before she was out of earshot, the two hungry Voyagers began to devour the delicious breakfast set before them. Mallory watched the two in amazement, since he had never seen such ravenous appetites before. It was reminiscent of a pack of vultures, pecking at some fresh road kill.

A look of sheer disbelief came over Mallory's face as he continued to observe the two. "Hungry, guys?" He taunted and then chuckled a bit.

The two did not respond and kept on eating. No amount of teasing by their friend would interrupt this grand feast. Realizing his words were having no effect on them; Mallory picked up his newspaper again and continued his reading.

After a time, a young cowboy wearing chaps and a hat, came through the door and made his way over to Masterson's table.

"Excuse me." The cowboy said politely. "Mr. Masterson?"

"Yes, I'm Masterson. What can I do for you?"

"Wyatt Earp sent me to fetch you. Clay Allison is in town."

"So…What's so special about that?" Masterson asked sarcastically.

"Sir, he's drunk and he's been making threats to shoot Earp if he sees him." The cowboy stated with fervor. "Mr. Earp heard all about it and he's on his way now to confront him."

"Damn! Can't I at least get a bite'a grubb before we have a shootout in this town?" Masterson quipped as he threw down his fork and got up from the table. "Where'd he say he was headed?"

"Sir, he was headed to Webster's saloon. That's where Allison was last seen."

"Boy, you got a gun on ya?" Masterson asked as he reached over and grabbed his hat.

"Yes sir." The cowboy replied.

"I assume ya' know how to use it?"

"Yes sir!"

"Well, com'on then." He urged. "Allison's probably not here alone. I'd say Earp's gonna need some help."

The cowboy turned and followed Masterson as he made his way through the door.

"Did you guys hear that?" Mallory asked.

"Yea, I heard." Bogg replied. "Looks like there's going to be some action in this town after all."

"Wow!" Jeff exclaimed. "Some wild west action! I can't wait to see this."

Mallory leaned over, picked his backpack up off the floor and slung it over his shoulder as he rose from the table.

"I'd say that's our cue." Mallory said as he turned and walked toward the door. "Strap on your eight-shooters, boys…it's time to go. We've got an Earp to save."

Bogg turned to his partner and with a puzzled expression, asked, "Eight-shooters?"

Jeff grinned. "I believe he meant six-shooters."

Bogg nodded his head. "Ok, right. C'mon, kid we better get a move-on. Besides, this maybe Shawn's first mission, but, we can't let him have all the fun."

The two rose from their seats and took off running out the door as they attempted to catch up with their partner.