The Present

By AliasFluffyOne

"Hoo wee!" exclaimed Kyle. "Looka there!"

Heyes dark brown eyes flitted warily about Wildwood as the Devil's Hole gang rode into the town. The normally quiet, rough-hewn frontier town was almost unrecognizable. The outlaw leader pulled the lapels on his dark jacket close over his white henley. Two days ago, the weather had been much warmer. The temperature had dropped since they left their hideout this morning. Snow seemed imminent. Had it been a mistake sending Kid on ahead of the rest of them?

"Ain't never seen the town with so many folks," nodded Wheat.

The riders continued into the changed town. The tailor's door was festooned with bright red ribbons. The grain exchange was bedecked with lanterns and more ribbons. A banner over the open doors proclaimed, "Christmas Social Tonight."

"They's gonna have a dance?" breathed Kyle in astonishment.

Sounds echoed from inside the building. Plonking sounds that might have been a piano, the squeal of an accordion, and a bow screeched as it was drawn across taut strings. A hearty voice urged 'once more from the top…'

"With music," added Preacher.

"You call that music?" groused Lobo.

"You think you can do better?" challenged Wheat.

The boardwalk in front of the general store was lined with shoppers. Children stared at the window’s bright display. A brightly painted rocking horse took center place. Alongside the children, mindful parents talked and caught up with each other. Empty buckboards hugged the railing. A bell tinkled as a dark-haired man carrying several packages stepped outside. The man made his way to the nearest wagon. The rancher was followed closely by two laughing boys and a smiling woman carrying an infant bundled tightly in a pink blanket. The bell tinkled again as a small form pushed open the door to the store.

“Hey, wait up!” called another smaller boy as he chased after the family. “Pa said I could come with you.”

The child clambered aboard the wagon to join the family. Watching, the dark-haired young Kansan gulped at the onrush of childhood memories. Years ago, his own family might have looked quite similar. Heyes swallowed and shook his head to clear it. This was Wyoming, not Kansas. Those days, those memories, like most of his family, were long gone.

"Shoppers," stated Lobo.

"Presents," suggested Wheat with a knowing look. "Christmas presents."

"More likely getting the last of their winter supplies," objected Preacher.

The gang neared the saloon. Murphy's was the largest saloon in Wildwood. More importantly, Murphy’s was the only place that rented rooms by the night. The boarding house rented rooms by the week, but there was no hotel in town yet. Heyes was surprised to see that even this raucous saloon was decorated. Pine boughs draped every window and the wide arch over the front doors.

"Can we go to the dance?" asked Kyle.

Four heads turned to look at the littlest outlaw in amazement.

"You wanna…"

"I ain't never…"

"No way!"

"I don't…"

Seeking to forestall an argument, the strategist spoke.

"Let's get our rooms and find Kid first," declared Heyes. "Then, maybe…, just maybe… we'll see about this dance."

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Leaving the horses hitched at the rail, Heyes strode confidently into the crowded saloon. Seats at the tables were full. Women carried heavily laden trays of food and drink as they weaved in and out of the crowd. The far end of the bar was packed with men standing elbow to elbow. If there was a bartender, Heyes couldn’t see him. Worse yet, Heyes didn’t see Kid anywhere. The nearest end of the long, dark wooden bar was set up like a hotel’s front desk. A ledger for renting rooms sprawled open in front of a harried man with spectacles. In front of him, a fussy little man in a green coat pointed to the lone key dangling from the key rack.

“What do you mean you don’t got no rooms?” demanded the irate man. “There’s a key right there!”

“It’s reserved…,” began the desk clerk.

“They ain’t here!”

“Actually, we are here,” interjected Heyes.

The lithe man stepped closer to the counter. Heyes flashed a dimpled grin at the desk clerk.

“My partner, Henry Owens, would have arrived the day before yesterday, rented rooms,” asserted Heyes.

“Yes sir Mr. Terwilliger,” nodded the desk clerk with a relieved smile. He glared at the man in green. “Told you we didn’t have any rooms available.”

With an affronted huff, the fussy man shoved a black bowler on his head and stomped out of the saloon. The desk clerk reached for the last key on the rack and laid it on the counter in front of Heyes.

“If you would just sign in, please,” directed the man. “The key is for the big room in the back, two beds, and we do allow three to a bed.”

A graceful hand reached for the key and passed it to Preacher. Picking up the pen, Heyes began to sign the register. As crowded as the town was this close to Christmas, doubling up was necessary. The big room would work for Wheat, Kyle, Lobo and Preacher. Heyes planned to share Kid’s room. He grinned. And if Kid was otherwise occupied, he’d have the room to himself.

“And what room is my partner in?” asked Heyes as he finished signing his alias with a flourish.

“Mr. Owens?” spluttered the clerk in surprise.

“Yes,” nodded Heyes. “My partner…”

At the befuddled look of the desk clerk, Heyes continued.

“Henry Owens, curly blond hair, blue eyes, about my height,” prodded Heyes. The suave man leaned forward across the bar. “You know, the man that paid for the rooms…”

“He ain’t here!” protested the clerk.

"What do you mean he isn't here?" demanded Heyes.

Behind him, Wheat, Kyle, Lobo and Preacher shuffled their feet uneasily.

“Mr. Owens got the last two rooms, but then Mr. Owens gave up his room,” explained the clerk.

The clerk pointed to a nearby table. A man and a woman had just finished their meal. Heyes could hear the solicitous voice of the man as he rose to stand.

“Mary let me help you up,” urged the man.

A grateful smile. A slender hand reached for the man’s support. As she rosed to stand, Heyes could see the woman was obviously in the family way. Very much so. Before Heyes could wonder if the man was named Joseph, he heard the woman speak.

“Thank you, Elmer.”

The couple headed to the stairs leading to the rooms above. Heyes turned his attention back to the clerk. The flustered man gulped and continued his spiel.

“They came in and the stage ain’t going anywhere until after Christmas, so Mr. Owens gave them his key.”

Heyes gave a rueful shake of his head. Of course, his partner gave them the key, their key. So now where was Kid? With his favorite brunette?

“Is Mr. Owens staying with Miss Deanna?”

“Miss Deanna ain’t here neither,” replied the clerk with a shake of his head. “She ain’t due back from Porterville until later tonight.”

“Then where is he?” demanded Heyes.

The clerk spread his arms wide, palms upward.

“How am I supposed to know?”

The exasperation the man felt was shared by the outlaw. Someone nudged Heyes before he could say anything more.

“Hey…,” began Kyle.

The clerk’s eyes widened. The tension in Heyes ratcheted up. It was one thing to be recognized as a frequent visitor to the town, but quite another to be recognized as an outlaw. Wheat elbowed Kyle.

“Uh, I mean… Mr. Terwilliger, sir,” Kyle corrected himself.

The desk clerk averted his gaze. The littlest outlaw gestured to the front doors. Through the saloon’s glass panes, Heyes could see their horses tied at the hitching post. The biting chill in the late afternoon air had the animals huddling close against each other.

“Ki-,” Kyle’s eyes widened again at his near mistake, and he stepped back from Wheat’s elbow. “I mean Mr. Owens, your partner, his horse ain’t there.”

A slow smile spread across Heyes’ face. He nodded at Kyle.

“Yeah. Let’s go get the horses stabled for the night,” urged Heyes. “Then find my partner.”

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

“See! Kid’s horse is here,” grinned Kyle as he opened the wide livery door.

Kid’s black gelding contentedly munched at the hay manger against the back wall. None of the stalls on either side of the entryway were occupied. Once inside the spacious stable, the door swung shut to keep the chill out. The gang made quick work of getting tack and harness removed from their own mounts. It wasn’t until the horses joined their missing companion and began to eat that Wheat spoke.

“His horse is here, but where…”

The entrance of a stable boy interrupted. The teenager carried a heavy bucket of water. The tow-headed youth looked a bit surprised to see Heyes flanked by the other men. The boy’s eyes flitted past the outlaws to see the additional horses in the stable. The wariness in his eyes turned to business.

“You fella’s wantin’ to board your horses?” he asked.

Heyes nodded. The boy set the bucket down.

“Pa charges four bits per horse,” said the stable boy. “Feed’s extra.”

“How much extra?”

They haggled for a moment, then Heyes reached into the inside pocket of his coat and withdrew the necessary funds. He stepped closer. As the boy reached for the money, Heyes held on. He tilted his head towards the black gelding.

“You seen the fella that rides that horse?”

“What’s it to you?”

Heyes wasn’t expecting the hard tone in the youth’s voice. Had Kid gotten into some sort of trouble?

“He’s my partner,” answered Heyes. “We’re supposed to meet up with him.”

“Hnh! You gents?” The boy’s expression of surprise was followed by a grin and a tumble of fast words. “Said he was waiting for...”

“You’ve seen him?” interrupted Heyes.

“Yeah,” answered the youth. “Pa let him sleep in the loft seeing as how he’s boarding his horse.”

The loft? Heyes’s eyes widened in surprise. Kyle scrambled up the ladder to peer into the hayloft.

“He’s not here,” called Kyle.

“Phht! I coulda told you that,” huffed the stable boy.

“They why don’t you tell me, where is he?” pressed Heyes.

The boy tugged the money from Heyes’ hand and pocketed it. The youth grinned in admiration.

“That fella takes good care of his horse!” declared the boy. “Every morning feeds and grooms that gelding himself. Then he goes out to practice shooting. I’ve watched...”

“It’s a little quiet for target practice,” objected Heyes.

“And it ain’t morning neither,” sniped the boy. “This time of day, he’s probably looking for supper.”

Supper? Was it already that late wondered Heyes.

“Church social is having a fellowship dinner tonight,” added the boy. “Everyone is welcome.”

“That blessed boy will be there,” intoned Preacher.

As the youth moved towards the horses, Heyes lips spread in a broad smile. Yep. Kid would be there.

“Where’s the church social?” he called after the stable boy.

“Just past the general store, at the grain exchange,” answered the boy. “You can’t miss it.”

“Let’s go find my partner.”

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The five men strode past Murphy’s and continued up the boardwalk towards the general store. A bell tinkled as an older man stepped from the store.

“Clarence?” whooped Kyle.

The gray-haired head turned. A smile lit up Clarence’s craggy features as the men stepped closer to their sometime gang member.

“Thought you would be in New Mexico by now,” greeted Heyes.

The older man shrugged.

“Nah, a long ride like that is a bit hard on the back,” admitted Clarence. “I’m staying with friends in Thunder Ridge this winter.”

“Coulda stayed with us…,” began Heyes.

“She makes better coffee than you do,” interrupted Clarence with a wry grin.

Laughter stopped more questions for a moment. Wheat pointed at something inside the store. The burly outlaw reached past Clarence to open the door again. He beaconed to Kyle, Lobo and Preacher.

“We’ll meet you up at the grain exchange,” said Wheat.

The four outlaws disappeared inside the building, leaving Heyes facing Clarence.

“Have you seen my partner?”

“No, I just got to town,” answered Clarence.

He tilted his head towards the grain exchange and sniffed. The enticing aromas of baking bread, cinnamon, and many more delicious things now wafted from the grain exchange.

“But if I know your partner, we just have to follow our noses,” grinned Clarence.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

“Where is he?” muttered Heyes.

His dark eyes anxiously scanned the crowded grain exchange. He’d gotten separated from Clarence as he circled the huge room looking for his partner. Heyes was now back at the front entrance, and he still hadn’t found Kid. The door behind him opened. Three familiar figures bumbled into the room.

“You find Kid yet?” greeted Wheat.

At Heyes’ glare, Lobo spoke.

“We’ll find him.”

“That blessed boy has got to be here somewhere,” added Preacher.

The door swung open again to let the littlest member of the gang inside. Heyes felt a tug on his jacket sleeve. He turned to see Kyle pointing across the room.

"Looka there!"

Heyes turned to see what Kyle was pointing at. The worry and tension drained from his shoulders at the sight of his cousin. Smiling, Kid’s hands settled a tray of dishes on the table in front of a motherly looking woman. She handed a plate to Kid and pointed to the serving line. Ignoring everything else, Heyes strode after his partner. He caught up with his cousin at the first heavily laden food table.

“Hey Jed,” smiled Heyes.

The fast draw spun around. A bright smile spread across Kid’s face. The blue-eyed Kansan lowered his arm and set the plate down. Kid threw his arms over Heyes’ shoulders and pulled him into a bear hug.

“About time you got here!” declared Kid. As he released his grip on Heyes, he asked, “What took you so long? I was worried!”

“You were worried?” chuckled Heyes. “How do you think I felt, when you weren’t at Murphy’s?”

“You didn’t expect me to sit around there all day, did you?”

“No, but I expected you to at least sleep there at night, not sleep in a hayloft! You gave up our room!”

“Slept worse places,” shrugged Kid.

The partners exchanged a knowing look. They both had slept in worse places. Someone nudged Heyes in his back. He turned.

“You’re holding up the line,” reminded Clarence.

Behind Clarence stood Kyle, Wheat, Lobo and Preacher. They all carried plates, while Clarence held two. He handed Heyes a plate, as Kid picked up the one he’d laid down earlier. Warm childhood memories filled Heyes once more as he followed Kid down the serving line. They were welcomed by townsfolk as if they were regular church members, folks that belonged here. Food was served generously. Kid and Heyes soon found themselves seated at a round table near the musician’s stand.

“Reminds me of Christmas when we were little,” murmured Kid.

The shootist forked a bite of an orange concoction. Heyes glanced back at the serving line. The others were still waiting on a refill of some of the dishes.

“The sweet potatoes are almost as good as Ma’s,” added Kid.

The blond picked up a dinner roll.

“And this bread reminds me of your…”

“Our folks aren’t here,” interrupted Heyes.

Kid looked up at Heyes sharp tone.

“I know, but we are,” stated Kid’s mild voice. His head tilted to one side. “And we’ve got friends, family of sorts…”

“Family?” hissed Heyes. He leaned forward, his low voice bitter. “You call them family?”

“Yeah, I do,” nodded Kid. “We look out for each other…”

“They left to go looking inside the general store,” interrupted Heyes. “Only Clarence…”

Before Heyes could say anything more, they were joined by Clarence, Kyle, Wheat, Lobo and Preacher. Chairs scraped against the wood floor as the men settled themselves. Heyes turned, his lips spread in a hard, tight smile.

“So fella’s, what was so important that you had to go into the general store?”

Wheat grinned and pulled back one side of his coat. A bottle of whisky with a gilded label was tucked into the inside pocket. He gestured towards the punch bowl.

“Might be able to spike the punch later,” Wheat answered with a mischievous grin.

Lobo shrugged.

“Just picked up some smelling salts,” answered the medical man.

“Maple syrup,” grinned Preacher. “For when we get back home, flapjacks ain’t no good without it.”

Home? Heyes was startled to hear Preacher refer to Devil’s Hole as home. But beside him, Kid was nodding in agreement as if Preacher’s words made perfect sense. Heyes dark gaze turned to Kyle. The littlest outlaw looked downcast.

“They was outta peppermint sticks,” mumbled Kyle. “So I didn’t get nothin’.”

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

The musicians started tuning up their instruments as Heyes took the last bite of his dinner. Maybe practice helped. Hopefully the music would sound better now. A shadow fell across the table. He looked up to see a dark-haired woman standing beside Kid. Deanna held a sprig of mistletoe above his head.

“Hey handsome,” greeted Deanna.

Kid looked upwards; a smile spread across his face. The pretty barmaid leaned in to place a warm kiss on his lips. It wasn’t until they parted that Heyes spoke.

“Heard you went to Porterville,” prodded Heyes.

“The general store has been out of a few necessary things, so I went to Porterville to see if I could get them there,” Deanna shrugged. “I couldn’t find everything I went for.”

As Heyes wondered what she considered necessary, Deanna reached inside her coat and withdrew a small package. She set it on the table in front of Kyle. The littlest outlaw’s blue eyes widened in delight.

“Jed said you liked peppermint sticks.”

Heyes stared at the candy in amazement. She’d brought Kyle candy canes? Deanna laid the sprig of mistletoe on the table close to Clarence’s outstretched hand. Kid’s arms coaxed her to sit in his lap. The pair chuckled as Wheat, Lobo and Preacher left the table headed towards the dowager guarding the punch. Heyes wondered if Wheat would ever get close enough to spike the festive drink. As Deanna whispered in Kid’s ear, Kyle opened the box. The littlest outlaw held out a peppermint stick to Heyes.

“You want one?”

Sharing. Yeah, realized Heyes as he took the candy. He understood what Kid meant earlier. Friends, family, the present. This moment, it’s a gift, right now, we’re here together, sharing this life. The musicians started to play.

“Tis a gift…”

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Disclaimer: Alias Smith and Jones does not belong to me. This is fan fiction, not for profit. Any references to people, places, businesses, etc. are entirely fictitious.