A Midwest Kind Of Love

Chapter 3- The Clock Strikes Midnight

[Ride Family House; Nudge is over once again]

"Now Ella, darlin'," Max said smugly, "That's absolute BS!" Ella stared Max down with her dark brown eyes, before sighing.

She rolled her eyes, picking up the large pile of cards in the center. "Ya' suck, ya know that, Max?" Max seemed to ignore her comment, as she examined the cards in her hand.

"Ella, hun, that's my job as your old'r sister. 'Sides, you were bleedin' all over the place," Max retorted, after selecting three cards in her hand. "Three jacks."

Ella glanced at her deck, before her eyes connected with Nudge's, who was sitting across her. "BS Max!" she cried, trying to get the measly amount of revenge on Max that she could, although it was only three cards.

Max smirked at her sister. "Ella, Ella, Ella. When'll you ever learn?" she teased, extracting her hand towards the center of the wooden table. "I got me some of 'em right here," Max said smirking, as she flipped the three cards over.

"Jus' shuddup, Max," Ella grumbled, collecting them as Max smiled triumphantly. Both sisters turned to look at Nudge expectantly.

Blinking for a second, she refocused on the card game. "Huh?" Nudge burst, shaking her head wildly, and her light colored tendrils danced in the air. "Oh wait! Sorry!" She quickly looked down at her hands. "Uh… Four queens," she mumbled, placing it down.

Both Max and Ella raised their eyebrows at the mocha-skinned girl before them. Something was up — she was never this quiet. "What's wrong?" Max asked worriedly, as Ella continued the game, not completely concentrated.

"One king," As soon as Ella said those two words, Nudge's face brightened. Both Max and Ella looked at her in befuddlement, with a hint of amusement.

"Are you okay, Nudge? Yer kinda scarin' me..." Ella teased.

She nodded wildly, "Yup! I'm just fine... Seein' I jus' fooled all y'all! One of you ought to have a queen somewhere in your deck!"

Max and Ella glanced down at their hands. Sure enough, each sister had two queens of their own.

"Wait, so you're sayin' all those cards weren't queens? Not even one of 'em?" Max asked incredulously. "You can't be seriously, darlin'."

Nudge wiggled her eyebrows. "Wanna bet?" she challenged, trying to hold her giggles in. Ella quickly shook her head no. "And guess what else?"

Both girls looked over at the other, their eyes questioning what else Nudge could have in store. "What?" Max finally asked.

"I win," she smiled, getting up out of her chair, stretching. "Gonna go get some fresh air. Have fun... Losers!" Nudge yawned deviously. She walked out of the house, with two pairs of eyes glaring at her back.

[Large Ranch in town. Fang is talking to the rancher, out by the barnyard, Midnight beside him]

"So all the cattle out in'e west?" Fang confirmed, as he leant against the old picket fence.

"As much as ya' can find," the rancher agreed, nodding his head. He glanced up at Fang's horse, Midnight. "That's a mighty fine horse you got there, young man. Take good care of 'er."

Fang put his hand on Midnight's sleek, well-kept black mane of hair. "Yes'sir. She's a keeper," he winked, causing the man adjacent him to chortle.

"Ah, we'll see. First ya' gotta find yerself a woman," the rancher teased.

Adjusting his hat, Fang shook his head. "The only women I got in my life is my Mama, and Midnight right here," he smirked.

The rancher smiled. "Well why keep all 'em girls waitin' for yer hand, if they all ain't gonna get it?"

Fang sighed. "You got that right," he concurred. "Someday I'll find 'er. The right one, that is. Not like 'em girls you were talking about." He saddled up on Midnight's back, and tilted his hat down at the rancher. "I'll get yer cattle."

"Get a girlie, while you're at it!" he joked. Fang scowled down at him, as Midnight began trotting around. The rancher raised his arms in surrender. "Geez, sonny," he muttered. "Yer as bad as my wife!"

"I HEARD THAT!" a female voice from inside called. "YOU LITTLE –"

"Sorry about 'er..." the rancher apologized shakily. Fang nodded, fighting a smirk, "Well, good luck, and good fortunes. Not that you need it, ever since ya' became famous and all that stuff."

"See ya'!" Fang called.

The rancher ran after Midnight for a second, and Fang stopped. He fidgeted with his straw hat, eyes forwards, focused on Midnight's hide. "Yes?" Fang asked.

Hesitantly, the rancher wondered, "Can I ask what made ya' so famous around the west?"

Fang paused for a moment, before carefully answering his question. "I saved a life 'r two," And then he turned around, and rode off, dust clouds forming in every spot Midnight stepped on.

He stopped by his home, to pack some before he left. Water, food, another hat, some rope – all the essentials needed for work. Fang quickly wrote a note to his mother, and then left, riding out into the west.

With each grand gallop Midnight took, it brought Fang farther and farther away from town. And he would go even farther, if it meant finding the cattle.

Around ten o'clock, – about three hours since Fang left town – when the sun had finished setting, Fang led Midnight to a complete halt. "Whoa, girl," he said gently. He wiped the sweat that had formed at his brow with his shirt-sleeve, and looked at the ground, smirking at what he found.

They were cattle footprints. They seemed almost fresh, meaning the lazy cattle weren't grazing far from where they were. Fang quickly slid off Midnight, and holding onto the harness, he inspected the ground.

They were close. Extremely close.

He saddled Midnight once more, and had her softly trot around, as he tried to peer through the darkness for some kind of life besides himself, and Midnight.

An hour and a half must've passed by without Fang noticing. Yet he still hadn't found the herd of cattle, and even more, one, single cattle. There weren't any in sight.

Fang sighed, and hit Midnight gently on the side of her torso with his boot, to get her moving faster again. They rode on in the dark, the ground barely lit by the moon's glow.

If there had been light, Fang would've seen the ditch. But there wasn't light, so he didn't see it, and Midnight stumbled right into it, flinging Fang off her back. She collapsed to the ground, Fang not far from her.

He crawled over to his horse, and examined her as best as he could, trying to make sure Midnight wasn't hurt.

With his fingers, he found something wet. Something wet, with a faint smell of metal. Fang held his damp fingers to the moon, illuminating them. His heart stopped.

It was red.

It was blood.

And it wasn't his.

[Blackout]

Authors' Note: NOW we're getting somewhere!

Fluffy: OOH! SUSPENSE! R&R please?

Anna: I LOVE FANG! *Awkward silence.* …I meant as a cowboy, silly people. *Eye roll.*

Bubbles: Psh, I LOVE FANG WHETHER HE'S A COWBOY OR NOT, Anna! Review please!

=) SACA BAF (=