Final Shootout

A/N: This story is in the process of being re-written to make it flow better. I'd love to get your feedback, good, bad or otherwise. Enjoy.

Adios.

...

We arrived back in Lincoln a little after suppertime the next day and headed straight to Alex's house.

Doc was first through the door. "Alex?" he yelled as he made his way down the hall.

We found Alex and Susan in the study. They looked up in surprise when they saw us.

"Alex let's go," Billy said. "The word's out, they're gonna come kill ya."

"Goddamn it Billy, I told you not to come here," Alex sighed. "I'm not leaving my house."

"Alex if you stay they'll kill you and then I'm gonna have to go around and kill all the guys that killed you," Billy said. "Now that's a lot of killing!"

"You heard me Billy," Alex replied.

"Alex, maybe-" Susan began before being cut off.

"You heard me!" Alex said rounding on his wife.

"Well we can't just stay here and hope the good Lord save us from an all out-" Susan tried to speak again.

"Susan, I'm sick, I can't go to Old Mexico," Alex replied.

Doc had been keeping watch out the window and he was suddenly on alert. "Don't fret Alex the trip's been postponed. They're coming around the front."

Billy looked out the window in the front room. "It's Peppin," he muttered.

I joined him and saw men scurrying around in the street attempting to overturn a half-loaded wagon. I looked at Billy nervously. "We're going to be alright aren't we?"

Billy pressed his lips to mine and smiled. "Don't forget who I am Jackie, 'course we'll be fine." I didn't miss the fact that his smile didn't reach his eyes as he turned back to the window. "Hey Chavez! How is it from the East side?"

"Murphy men," Chavez replied before loading his rifle.

"Charlie? How's it over by you, can we break?" Billy called.

I could see Charlie was staring out the window with a bug-eyed expression.

"Hey Charlie, how is it?" Billy asked turning towards him.

"I-It's John Kinney!" he stammered.

Alex came over and joined Billy and I at the window. "I think the word you got was just some trap to get us all together in the same place." He swallowed nervously "my God look at them all, it's going to be a massacre."

"Well maybe they just want us?" Billy said hopefully.

Alex moved away from the window and ran a hand through his hair. "No, they figure they can end the war right here in one fell swoop, and that's what they're about to do."

Charlie came into the study. "It's John Kinney!"

"Thank you very much Charlie!" Doc yelled from his window.

"Oh God, we're hanging for sure now," Charlie said, the panic clear in his voice.

I looked at Billy with pure fear in my eyes. "If you're wrong I'll haunt you from the other-side forever."

"Bonney!" a voice called from the street. ""We got ya up there Kid; take a look at the fire power we got down here; y'all come on out, real slow."

"God save us all," I whispered when I saw the amount of men gathered in front of the house.

"You up there Bonney? What about the girl, Williams?" Peppin called out.

My stomach dropped and I started to feel a little sick.

"Let's have some fun Doc," Billy smiled before pulling me away from the window. "Yeah I'm here you bastard, and so is she!"

We all ducked for cover as a hail of bullets ripped through the house; broken glass came down like rain.

"Billy what the hell do we do now?" Doc asked from his corner. A piece of glass had hit him in the face as he had a trickle of blood running down his cheek.

Billy peeked out the window before sitting back down with a grin. "Hey Peppin?" he called out as he loaded his gun.

"I'm hearin' ya Bonney," the Sheriff replied.

"I see you got Charlie Crawford down there with ya," Billy's grin turned a little crazy.

"Yeah we got a whole lot of-" Peppin didn't get to finish his sentence because Billy stood up and fired a shot through the broken window.

He quickly ducked back to safety. "Hey Peppin, Charlie Crawford ain't with ya anymore," he laughed.

Another hail of bullets flew through the house as the posse on the street opened fire again.

"You alright Doc?" Billy asked once the bullets stopped.

"Yeah," came the reply through the dust.

"Lord these boys won't give up," Billy chuckled before turning to me. "How 'bout you?" he asked brushing wood chips out of my hair.

"I'm f-fine," I stammered back; the shaky grip I had on my rifle said otherwise.

Steve rushed in and went straight to Alex and Susan. "Are you alright? Ma'am you alright?"

"Charlie take two rifles and go upstairs!" Billy said throwing his rifle to Charlie. "Doc, go on up with him and load heavy." Billy turned to Steve "Steve, go up and cover the North side, Jackie you go on up too."

I nodded and followed Steve up the stairs. We sat by the window and checked our guns. Alex and Susan were not far behind and seated themselves near a pile of trunks and boxes.

"We know you can shoot Bonney, but so can we!" Peppin yelled.

I dragged Steve down as more bullets entered the house. I felt a sharp pain as glass rained down on my face and blood started dripping in my eyes. Once the bullets stopped footsteps sounded on the stairs. To my relief Billy came into view, quickly followed by Chavez, as another round of bullets ripped through the house.

Soon night fell and the men on the street were making barricades with sandbags. Alex and Susan had wrapped a blanket around themselves as they leant against a large trunk. Steve was sitting with Chavez and still chewing his damn tobacco. I was sitting with Billy on one side of the big window and Charlie and Doc doing the same on the other side. Steve soon fell asleep and filled the air with his snoring. Before long it was only me and Billy awake. He was looking down at the street as though keeping watch so I moved closer and laid my head on his shoulder.

"I love you," I said with a heavy sigh. I fully believed we would all die tomorrow. I shifted and laid my head in his lap and curled my fingers around his hand. I felt his hand gently stroke my hair.

"I love you too," he whispered fiercely. "But we are gonna make it!"

…

Morning arrived along with a sick feeling in my stomach. I had barely slept a wink last night because I was scared about the outcome of today. I glanced around the room and saw haggard faces everywhere; Billy was still awake and his eyes followed me as I stood up and stretched as I made my way over to Susan. "Can you help with changing the bandages?" I asked picking up a roll I'd found the night before.

"Of course," Susan replied and we went into an unoccupied corner.

"Chivato!" Chavez jabbed his head towards the window.

Billy and Doc peered out and I joined Steve once Susan had finished with the bandages. I saw a platoon of soldiers ride into town and swallowed thickly. "We're all gonna die!" I started shaking again until Chavez came over and held me tight.

"No we're not Gatito! Have faith," he said kissing the top of my head.

"They've sent in the troops," Billy laughed.

"Billy we're good but this is getting ridiculous," Doc sounded nervous.

I turned my head away from Chavez's chest and saw Murphy pull up in a wagon. I didn't know any of his passengers besides the delicate Chinese girl; she was one Doc had danced with at the New Years Eve party. While Murphy was talking with the Colonel she jumped down from the wagon and ran towards the house. Two soldiers made to follow until Doc took aim.

"YEN!" Doc yelled out before firing into the ground in front of the soldiers. "Cover me!" he said throwing his gun to Chavez before heading downstairs.

"Burn it!" Murphy yelled from the street.

Doc was soon hurrying back up the stairs with Yen close behind. The air was quickly filled with flying bullets and dust. I covered my mouth with my bandanna and put my hands over my ears; rifle forgotten on the floor. I could see Charlie was having a panic attack and weeping about something. Chavez, I noticed, was creeping down the stairs.

"They lit it boys," Steve yelled. "They lit the house!"

"Mr. Bonney. Mr. McSween. Miss Williams. This is Colonel Nathan Dudley, come out with your hands high!"

"With your hands high, I better reason with him," Billy laughed. "Hey Colonel Shithead! You can kiss my ass!" he yelled through the window.

"GODDAMN IT BILLY!" Alex hissed; his arms tightly wrapped around his wife.

"You get the President down here, then we'll come out," Billy smiled. "Let's see how they like that one."

The reply was another hail of bullets. The good thing was it snapped Charlie out of his muttering.

"HEY KINNEY, YOU BASTARD! I'M GONNA SHOOT YOUR ASS FROM HERE TO PATRICIO IF I HAVE TO. YOU SHIT DOG!" Charlie yelled as he emptied his rifle onto the street.

"Yeah Charlie!" Billy laughed as he fired his guns.

I joined them and we took turns firing out the window. "TAKE THAT MURPHY YOU BASTARD! THAT'S FOR MY FATHER!" I yelled when it was my turn.

The room was filling with smoke now and it was beginning to get difficult to breath; we were all coughing and my eyes were stinging from the smoke.

"Alex get Susan out of here!" Doc yelled over his shoulder.

Susan didn't want to go but Alex hauled her to the side door and kicked it open. He waved his handkerchief around. "Let my wife come out!" he yelled.

The bullets stopped and Alex all but pushed Susan down the short flight of stairs. Doc tried to get Yen to go too but she shook her head and clutched at his shirt tightly.

Steve helped Alex throw things out the windows and door in an attempt to reduce the fuel load for the fire. I helped where I could and when my wounds let me.

"Where's Cha-vez?" Steve asked spinning in circles trying to see through the smoke.

"I don't know," Doc replied.

"I knew we shouldn't have trusted him!" Steve started to kick things around. "He left us here to die while he's out there doin' it with his horse!"

"Steve!" I said indignantly as I threw some books out the window. "That was uncalled for!"

Billy's eyes were darting around the room in search of a way to escape. They appeared to stop on a large steamer trunk and a grin spread across his face. "Charlie give me a hand."

Charlie came over and helped Billy open the old trunk. Billy smiled when he saw there was nothing in it. He re-loaded his guns and stepped inside. "Jackie I need you to help Charlie lift me through the window," he said climbing into the trunk. "Once I start firing you all skin out of here as fast as you can."

We all nodded and Billy curled up on the floor of the trunk. I closed the lid and took hold of one end while Charlie took the other. We staggered to the window and heaved the trunk through. I winced when I heard the loud thump on the ground but quickly busied myself with reloading my guns. Before long the sound of Billy's guns firing reached our ears and we ran for the door.

Charlie was first through and he had a horrid grin on his face as he charged down the stairs; his rifle blazing. Doc and Yen were next with Steve covering their descent. I gently touched Steve's shoulder as I passed before whipping out my other gun and letting loose on the bastards in front of us. Steve was only halfway down the stairs when he stopped.

"Steve come on!" I yelled as I placed a shot square between the eyes of Sheriff Peppin.

"CHAVEZ!" Steve yelled suddenly.

I looked to where he was staring and saw Chavez come around the corner on an army horse; another two behind him. He leapt over the barricade and screamed out.

"REGULATORS!"

"Doc!"

I whipped my head around as Yen cried out. Doc had been trying to get on one of the horses and had been shot in the arm. I saw Billy fall just on the other side. "NO!" I screamed pushing my hair out of my face; it had escaped its braid and I'd had no time to fix it. I turned to see Kinney had fired the shots and Charlie had also noticed.

"KINNEY YOU BASTARD! IT'S YOU AND I!" Charlie yelled turning to race the rotund man. He raised his gun but Kinney beat him to it. Charlie staggered and fired a shot back.

"No, Charlie!" I felt tears begin to flow. I turned around and to my horror I saw Chavez fall to the ground.

Steve helped him onto a horse only to get hit himself.

"Steve!" I aimed by guns in the direction of the assholes who'd shot him and my stomach dropped when all I got was a click. "Shit!" I rammed them back into the holster and spun around searching for Billy.

He had made it onto a horse and as he was coming towards me he suddenly reeled backwards; he'd been hit in the chest again. With a grimace he pulled me up behind him and tried to get control of his skittish horse. I looked around and saw Doc had Yen safely behind him and Chavez had made in back onto his horse. I felt a lump rise in my throat when I saw the still figure of Steve; face down in a puddle, and Charlie; on his back with unseeing eyes facing the sky. The tears started flowing again and I turned my face into Billy's back as we skinned out as fast as we could.

"Go boys!" Alex yelled as we took off; he was silenced by the roar of a machine gun.

"It's over," I mumbled wiping my eyes with my sleeve.

"No it's not, not yet." Billy turned our horse around and headed back towards the battle scene.

Murphy had started after us but he stopped in his tracks when he saw Billy aiming his gun. "Reap it Murphy, you son-of-a-bitch!" Billy said before pulling the trigger. The bullet planted itself squarely between Murphy's eyes and he fell to the ground.

"Now it's over," was all Billy said.