Title: WWW : Ghost Riders
Author: Julia
Archive: GG
Rating: OTIS (Oh.this is stupid)
Disclaimer: This here fic poaches into Mr. Lucas' world and uses characters of his creation without his permission. Unlike Mr. Lucas no characters were harmed or gerbalized during the writing of this fic.
Summary: Kendra and I tossed around some ideas then never did anything about this for Halloween because.well, both of our muses weren't into it. Mine suddenly chomped on it and I let it go where it would, so.sorry if it went odd places! I have no idea if this follows all the WWW so far since not all of them were in the archive. Sorry if I stepped on any toes and messed up people's characters! It's a bit Mary Sue, but in the Scooby spirit.I tried to get everyone in there. And it's not beta'd so.any mistakes are mine, all mine. Oh, all right, mostly I wanted that black-clad, swaggering, little bit of stubble on his cheeks Marshal Kenobi! So sue me.

~*~

It was an ill wind that gusted through the streets of Hestia, coming down out of Deadman's Canyon, blowing and tumbling several chickens along the wooden sidewalks.

A bad omen.

Whenever anything bad was about to happen, chickens always appeared.

Deputy Jules kicked one of the fowl things off her boot and it squawked indignantly, clucking at her. "Keep it up and ah weell give you lead poisoning," the grrl threatened, putting her hand on her holster. "Limier de poulet damné!"

Fortunately - for the chicken - the wind kicked up, and the chicken only had time to let out a startled, "BRAWK!" before it tumbled off in a swirl of white feathers.

Black Xan was up to something, the damn Chicken Wind was blowing, and it just was NOT a good time for Marshal Kenobi to hole up somewhere. Especially without his Deputy.

"Ah hate ze chickens," Jules declared as another one tumbled past. With a sniff she continued towards the stables to saddle her horse. Time to go see what her sister, Ramie, was up to.

~*~

"A shootin' contest!" Emmy pushed her stylish black cowboy hat back off her forehead to examine the flyer posted on the Mercantile. "During the Harvest Festival. I'm in!"

"Let me see." Calamity Dor gave a huff of irritation as Emmy ripped the posted down. "Hey! What was that about a prize?"

"What prize?" Emmy stuffed the flyer down her shirt, giving Dor a guileless look.

"The one that said something about twin, gold-plated, double-action Colts," Dor shot back. Seeing that Emmy wasn't going to give up any information, Dor turned and stomped down the wooden sidewalk. "Fine! I'll go ask Tara!"

Sticking her tongue out at the retreating GreyGrrl's back, Emmy darted the other way, looking for any other posters that had the information she could rip down.

That prize was going to be hers!

~*~

"What the-" JenJen stared at the Appaloosa horse approaching, rider hanging on precariously as the saddle continued to slip further and further.

"Hhheeeeeyyyyy gggggigiiiiiirrrrrrlllllssss!" Kendra attempted to smile as her entire body was jounced by the horse's trot.

"Ken! You're supposed to ride on *top* of the horse!" Ky shook her head as the odd pair continued through Hestia's main street.

Ellie shrugged. "At least she isn't hurting any of us in the learning." She shrugged. "This time."

"True." Ky hefted a small sack. "Let's go get this gold converted to money, grrls, then we can go get some drinks and maybe check out that new Marshal everyone is talking about."

~*~

"Dammit." Ramie kicked the dirt, sending a small puff of dust whirling into the wind. "I lost four more horses last night!"

Dismounting, Jules dropped the reins of her well-trained horse who simply gave her a curious look then began to nose the scraggly plants, looking for something tender to munch on. The Deputy walked around the area, Ramie at her side, examining the ground. "Your horses are shod, no?"

Ramie pushed her hat back. "Of course. Wouldn't do the Pony Express much good if they weren't."

It was one of the curious oddities of Hestia that while the two women were full sisters, only one had a French accent. Ramie had come out west with their mother, while Jules had stayed in France with their father. Their parents were long gone, one because of a duel, the other to a carriage accident, leaving the sisters to fend for themselves.

"Dese were not." Jules pointed to a group of hoof marks preserved in a long slide of mud. "I do not think they were ridden either. The tracks are not as deep as those of a horse carrying a rider."

"Wild horses?" Ramie rubbed her neck. "You think a stallion is stealing my horses to add to his herd?" The grrl shook her head. "They weren't all mares."

"Odd and odder."

Both looked up at the sound of creaking leather, thudding hoof beats, and jingling metal floated to them on the wind.

The girls had their guns out and were crouched behind a rock, warily waiting to see what came over the rise.

Kendra, still slipping slowly towards the bellyside of her horse, flopping in the saddle like a ragdoll clinging for her very life, came into view. "H-h-he-ll-ll-ooooo!"

Ramie stood, walking forward to grab the Appaloosa's reins, halting Kendra's wild ride. "What in the name of tarnation are you doing?"

Jules helped Kendra get her foot out of the stirrups, untangled her hands from the reins and helped balance the young woman as she regained solid ground. "Easy, amie. Ma soeur, she is trying to learn to ride." The deputy managed to keep a straight face as she said this.

"Ain't doin' very good from the looks of things," Ramie replied with a doubtful look. "First thing is, make sure the saddle is on tight."

Kendra nodded. "I know, and I thought it was!"

"Eh, these damn animals will fool you." Ramie walked around, lifting the stirrup to reach the girth. She unfastened it, smoothed the blanket, settled the saddle, and tightened the girth, taking a moment to "encourage" the horse to let out its breath with a not-so-gentle nudge from her knee. As the horse gave a chuff of surprise, she tightened the girth and slapped the creature's shoulder. "Ha! You wiley critter."

Jules chuckled as the Appaloosa shook its head. "He's a beet of a lazy one, Meez Kendra, no?" Cupping her foot, she gave Kendra an expectant look.

"Um.I can walk him back.."

"Nonsense." Ramie gestured for her to mount the horse. "Get on and we'll take you back to the Ranch. You'll be riding in no time."

Jules shot her sister a look as she gave Kendra a leg up. She'd seen what a problem the woman had in learning to ride firsthand while in Hestia. "Just seet." She grinned up at Kendra. "Until we reach the fenced corral, then you can have ze reins."

"Probably a good idea," Kendra sighed as she grabbed the saddlehorn and held on as Jules led the Appaloosa over her horse. "I don't know why I'm such a disaster at this."

"Horses are not stupeed." Jules swung up on her horse, turning him and bringing Kendra's horse up alongside. "You have to show them who is in charge." She winked at the woman. "Rather like a man, eh? You take him in hand and he is yours to do what you will."

Kendra's eyes widened. "Um.with a man that makes sense, but a horse?"

"Little different dynamics," Ramie agreed with a grin. "But the end result is much the same."

Jules slanted a sly grin at her sister. "You have not met ze Marshal yet, ma soeur.you might change your mind."

"Nah." Ramie flapped a hand. "Men are men. Ain't seen one yet I can't tame!"

Kendra and Jules shared a secretive smile.

"He does have a way with a duster," Kendra sighed dreamily.

Jules nodded, nudging her horse into a ground-eating canter. "'e knows how to handle hees pistol, zat one."

~*~

"That looked painful." Ramie winced as Kendra was reintroduced to the ground.

Again.

"Peut-être..glue on ze saddle?" Jules shrugged and grinned. "She will stick then." The woman looked towards the ranch entrance, eyes narrowed then smiled at her sister. "You have a visitor."

"Damnation," Ramie sighed, hoping it wasn't another of the visits from that "prestigious" Princess Academy woman. "I hate it when people just show up." Her voice trailed off as she watched the man ride towards the corral.

A black hat protected his head and face from the sun. A black cotton shirt was tucked into jeans that emphasized the slim, powerful hips and nicely shaped butt. Muscular thighs gripped the saddle as his horse slowed and stopped.

Nice hands too. Strong, tapered fingers, nicely shaped with neatly trimmed nails.

He tipped his hat. "Ladies."

Jules smiled a greeting, stifling a chuckle at the purring noise her sister made. "Allo, Marshal."

"Hel-lo, Marshal," Ramie echoed. Her smile widened as he swung off the horse, black duster swinging around his legs. Oh, he was yummy! Her sister had told her and she hadn't exactly disbelieved.but love did funny things to a person. Made them exaggerate and overlook faults.

Looked as though she owed her sister an apology!

"Marshal Obi-Wan Kenobi, ma sister Ramie. Ramie, dees is Obi-Wan." Jules stepped aside to watch, a knowing smile firmly in place.

Her sister didn't stand a chance.

Kenobi walked over, bowing slightly over Ramie's hand as he lifted it to briefly touch his lips to her hand. "My pleasure. I've heard a great deal about you, Miss Ramie." He didn't release her hand right away.

"All of it flattering, no doubt," Ramie purred.

Jules rolled her eyes at the flirting pair and turned her attention back to Kendra. Stepping up on the lowest log, she pulled herself up to perch on the top of the corral. "Kendra.you are not geeving up, are you?"

"My butts sore." Kendra sighed. "And the damn animal is laughing at me, I swear he is!"

"Riding lessons?"

Jules nodded, arching her eyebrows as hands framed her seated position right before a warm, solid presence pressed against her back. Warm breath puffed in her ear as a honeyed voice softly drawled, "I take it the horse is winning?"

"Oui." Turning her head slightly she caught her sister admiring the backside view of the Marshal and chuckled. "She needs a more.hands applied approach, eh mon cher?"

His chuckle was warm in her ear, chest rumbling against her back. "Hands on? Hmm.."

A quick, warm kiss, brush of light stubble against her check and the Marshal swung easily over the fence, landing lightly to walk over to where Kendra stood with her horse.

Ramie scrambled up to perch next to her sister with a sigh. "That..is one fine man, my sister." She rubbed her hand where he'd kissed it, watching as Kenobi talked Kendra back up on the horse, and then swung up behind her, his arms around her, helping her guide the reins. "He has a nice seat on a horse. Light hands. Strong legs."

"Jes." Jules' grin was very French, very naughty. "He is a good ride."

With a mostly scandalized look, Ramie let her gaze follow the pair in the corral, noting how much more relaxed Kendra was in the saddle.

Jules gave her sister's hair a gentle tug before swinging down from the fence. "You'll have to geeve him a trial ride some time, ma soeur, and see for yourself." With a wink, she headed for her horse. "Vogue la galere, Ramie!"

Ramie made an exasperated sound before turning back and finding he had heard also. For a moment the Marshal's gaze met hers before she pushed herself off the corral and hurried off to find something else to do.

~*~

"No, really! I rode back into town without falling off once!" Kendra boasted, happily accepting a cold drink from Judita.

"Madre de dios, a miracle!" Judita proclaimed. "So.dees.Marshal. Hee is as good as they say?"

"Better."

"He's a very nice young man." Dande joined the two, thinking about the menu for the evening meal. "The Sheriff said he was educated somewhere in England. I should think so from those pretty manners of his." She put her list on the bar, careful to avoid writing on Judita's prized mahogany. "Kendra, dear.did you get that shipment of molasses in?"

"Came in yesterday."

"Oh good! We need it for the baked beans." Dande stood. "Can we go get some of it now? I really do need to make sure it's added soon or the recipe won't be quite right." She smiled, eyes twinkling. "And you know how the Sheriff is about his food."

"Dande, he'd eat slops as long you smiled that way while you served him." Kendra stood, shaking her head. "C'mon. I'll let you in now. Don't want to be blamed for putting the Sheriff off his feed or nothin."

"The Sheriff's off his feed?" Madame Laure gave a concerned frown as she came down the stairs, absently tying a loose bow on her silk gown.

"Dunno." Dor was busy piecing together the bits of the posters she had picked up around town, trying to find out what the prize was for the shooting contest. "Does that make sense?"

Laure looked at the glued mess, frowning. "Shootest conting?"

Dor swore, using words that had even Madame Laure's cheeks faintly tinged pink. "It's a shooting contest!"

"Oh.well, your words are all wrong and-"

"If Emmy hadn't ripped down all the posters, I would know what it said without having to do all this!"

Judita walked over and set a glass on the table. "I am adding this to jur tab, Dorothea." The bartender gave the Greysider Grrl a long look. "But I think ju need it."

"I owe you, Judita!" Dor cradled the glass in her hands, smiling beatifically. Life was good. She had a drink. Pelham was in the corner, plunking out a pretty tune on the piano, Xanatos was..somewhere..and she had the means for figuring out this mess of a poster.

Then. Then she *would* win that prize.

Or steal it.

Whatever.

~*~

Sound of metal sliding on leather, a whir, click.BAM!

"Ha." Emmy the Kid blew on the barrel of her gun, twirled it and deftly slipped it back into its holster. "No way anyone is beating me out of those silver spurs and fancy pistols."

She eyed the can that she had blown a hole smack in the center, and knocked off the fence. Had to be farther than anyone here could shoot, she'd bet her best pair of boots on it!

Well, okay.so the new Frenchie could shoot supposedly, but Emmy had yet to see her so much as draw her gun from its holster! What kind of deputy was she anyways?

A smart one.for sticking close to that Marshal.

Emmy grinned, remembering her own encounters with the Marshal.and looking forward to more. He'd even let her play with his.badge of office.

And he never gave her guff about shooting in town, or galloping like a wild woman through the main streets.

Unlike the Sheriff. "That ol.fuddy-duddy!"

A howl made Emmy look up, frowning. It wasn't quite sunset. What were the coyotes doing out already? Walking over to her horse, she untethered the animal, patting its neck.

Odd. There was a cloud of dust on the horizon. Almost as if someone had run cattle through the area earlier. Emmy had been out in the clearing practicing her shooting for the better part of the afternoon. She hadn't seen or heard any cattle. Hadn't heard anything.

Until now.

Whistles split the air. The sound of hundreds of hooves shook the ground, vibrating through the soles of her boots. The plaintive bawling of calves and the angry bellowings of cattle filled the air. Horses whinnied as cowboys cracked whips, whistling and yelling.

The air temperature took a sudden drop and Emmy shivered, looking around.

The dust cloud was much closer than before.

Moving much faster than it should.

With a short curse, Emmy swung up on her horse and swung it around sharply, spurring it for Hestia. "Hyah!"

Satan sprang forward like a sprinter off the starting line, sending chunks of sod up in his wake. Ears back, neck stretched out flat, the black horse ran for all he was worth.

And still.it approached.

Inevitably creeping closer.

The ground rumbled now with the sound of the hooves pounding the soil, air filled with the dust and cries of cattle and men, horses and whips.

A wind whipped up, sending the dirt flying into a cyclone around horse and rider. Satan slowed then halted in his wild run, rearing as the dustdevil sent a tumbleweed in front of him.

"Whoa!" Emmy hung on as her horse reared, coughing as the dust whipped against her face, getting in her eyes and mouth.

The wind rushed up on the pair, cutting through them with bitter cold. Sounds and sights filled their senses as ethereal cattle rushed past and through them, chased by cowboys whose eyes gleamed with unholy red glee as they cracked their whips and yelled at the herd.

It was like standing on the tracks, watching as the Express rushed towards you, and not getting off the tracks.

And just as suddenly..

It was over.

The wind died, dust dropping out of the air like falling snow, coating everything in a fine sheen of brown.

Emmy felt the horse literally trembling under her legs and automatically leaned forward, rubbing the scared animal's neck. "Shh.it's all right. I think." She swallowed, grimacing at the gritty feeling of dust in her mouth.

Everywhere she looked she saw only quiet mountains, plains and forest.

Not a trace of cow or cowboy.

"Let's get the hell outta here before they come back!" Emmy spurred the horse forward, not looking back once.

~*~

There was quite a crowd gathered at the Golden Spur when the Marshal and Jules stepped through the swinging doors.

Everyone was gathered around, listening to Emmy.

The pair quietly walked over to stand and listen.

".then nothing. Just me and my horse." Emmy grabbed the shot glass in front of her, downing another shot, trying to ignore the trembling in her hand.

"The Ghost Riders," JenJen whispered in an awed voice. "My pappy told me about them."

"That's just old gramma stories to frighten children into going to bed!" Ky said scornfully.

"Is not!" JenJen crossed her arms, glaring adamantly at the other miner. "Pappy said he saw them once, out there on the plains."

Dande crossed herself and moved closer to Sheriff Jinn, snuggling into his lean form when he absently put an arm around her. "I don't like this."

"You don't like it?" Emmy scowled. "How do you think I felt?!" She gripped the table to stop her hands. "Ghosts. I never wanted to see a ghost and I saw a whole fucking herd of them!"

Marshal Kenobi grunted as a small elbow dug into his ribs, and he looked over at Jules.

The young woman gestured with her head towards Emmy. Seeing only a puzzled frown, she reached out and grabbed Kendra's arm, yanking the woman out of her chair. She pushed Obi-Wan forward, towards the now-empty chair next to Emmy.

"Hey! What-" Kendra frowned at Jules who glared right back.

"I wanted to talk to you." Jules pulled Kendra along with her, looking back to see that the Marshal was finally with the show and had taken Emmy's hands in his, warming them between his by gently rubbing.

"Next time try asking," Kendra huffed.

"Alors." Jules held up her hands. "Désolé. Ah'm sorry."

Slightly mollified, the woman crossed her arms. "What was that all about?"

"You 'ave been 'ere a while, no? In Hestia?"

"'Bout five years or so." Kendra nodded. "Why?"

"Not 'ere." Jules gestured for the woman to follow her, and walked out of the Golden Spur, Kendra following curiously.

Sheriff Jinn noted the deputy and Kendra leaving and his brow furrowed. Something was going on in his town and he did not like mysteries. Especially mysteries that involved ghosts frightening the usually unshakeable women. These were strong, intelligent women, not given to fits and vapours like so many of their eastern counterparts. It was part of what had drawn him out west, that spirited independence.

That and the love of his Wishpuff. Once he'd found her, Jinn knew his place was at her side.wherever that might be. Leaning down, he kissed the woman's soft cheek. "I'm just going to make sure everything is all right, 'Puff."

"Hurry back." Dande smiled that million watts smile and arched an eyebrow. "I have a bath and rubdown with your name all over it."

With an appreciative grin, and a fervent hope whatever it was wouldn't take long, Jinn strode out into the night to check up on his town.

~*~

"Come in, hurry." Tara looked out at the street, saw no one and shut the door, locking it. She turned to find Jules wandering around the shoppe, looking at the printing press and all the tools curiously. Kendra was sitting in front of Tara's prized typewriter, idly tapping on the keys.

"You 'ave 'eard what 'appened to Emmy?"

Tara nodded and grinned. "I hear everything."

Kendra nodded. "If you want to know something, this is." She looked at Jules. "That's why?"

The woman nodded. "So thees.ghost riders.they are nothing new?"

"No." Tara hopped up on the counter, leaning against the wall. "The stories are as old as Hestia."

"There's also supposed to be a Wild Hunt that chases claim jumpers until they drop dead from exhaustion," Kendra added.

"How convenient," Jules sighed. "What about Black Xan and hees gang?"

Tara shrugged. "What of them?"

"They really haven't done much since they got here." Kendra jumped as the typewriter pinged and left it alone. "I mean, I guess they have quite a bad record and all.but since he met Calamity Dor and Pelham, Xanatos just seems mostly content to harass folks around here and rob the odd bank or two." The blonde frowned. "That didn't come out quite how I thought.."

Jules shook her head. Hestia was an odd place, indeed! "Xanatos is a dangerous criminal, Kendra. Ze Marshal and I 'ave seen what he can do. Eet is not pretty."

"Some of what Emmy does isn't either, shooting the sheriff in the ass, shooting up Old Man Johnson's scarecrow, shooting up the ..." Kendra bit her lip and decided quiet was a good thing for the moment.

Grinning at the young woman, Jules sat by the window. "What about horse rustling? Is there much of that around heere?" She peered out the window.

Tara thought for a moment. "Cattle rustling was more common back in the early days when there were more men around." She smiled. "It's been a lot more civilized since women began running the place. Not," she quickly added. "That we mind having Sheriff Jinn or Marshal Kenobi here! We don't. Not at all. Though it is odd that the only figures of law enforcement are men." Her gaze fell on Jules' badge. "Heh..um.and you. I mean, you're a deputy of the Marshal and so I guess you're a figure of the law too. Right?"

Jules nodded and stood, hand falling to her holster. "Zat.is true, mes amies." She pulled her pistol, stepped to the door and unlocked it, throwing the door open as she leveled her pistol.

Into the startled face of Sheriff Jinn.

"You," she stated angrily, "should not be sneaking around leestening when you know you 'ave a townful of peestol happy women!"

"You ladies do seem to have a great fondness for .pistols," Jinn agreed, not moving. He stared at the young deputy, who stared right back.

With a huff, Jules lowered the pistol, re-setting the hammer so it wouldn't go off and shoot her in the foot. "Homme d'alpha," she muttered, pulling her brown duster around her as the wind blew into the print room. "Merde." With that she left, stalking past the man to be swallowed up in the moonless night.

"Umm.." Kendra stood. "If you're going back to the Spur I'll be happy to escort you!"

"Right, Dande would never forgive us if we let something happen to you." Tara smiled, locking the door behind them.

"That's right kindly of you grrls," Jinn purred, tipping his hat and offering each an arm. "It ain't safe for a man out on these street at night."

"Definitely not," Kendra agreed. "Especially when you have Calamity Dor and Emmy the Kid shooting up people's..um.. So. Do you think it's going to storm tonight?"

Tara snickered but managed not to grin outright at the Sheriff's put-upon sigh. "Oh.I hope so! I'd loooove to see that new Marshal all wet."

Kendra leaned forward, around the Sheriff's chest to grin conspiratorially at Tara. "We really should be hospitable and take him up to see the waterfalls. They're beautiful this time of year."

"You," Tara declared with a delighted smile. "Are so right!"

Sheriff Jinn lengthened his strides. There were just some things he didn't want to know about the new lawman.

Besides, he had his Wishpuff, a warm bath and massage to hurry back to.

~*~

Laure listened as the wind howled through the shutters and shivered, snuggling closer to the warm form in her bed. "What a horrendous night. I hope no poor souls are out in it."

"Mmm." A tousled head popped up from under the covers as Commo smiled at her. "Just those dirty cowhands, love. But we.have more important things to think upon."

Laure giggled as he showed her just what he meant.

~*~

Darry listened to Cic's heartbeat slowly return to normal and traced another word through the chocolate syrup still coating his chest. "Are you ready for your next lesson, lover?"

"We're on.letter 't', right?"

"Right," Darry agreed, raising up to press her lips to his. "T is for touch.."

~*~

"Shhh." Dande ran her fingers through the mane before her, almost purring in contentment. "Don't you worry about anything, my love. Let the Marshal worry about the town tonight." She carded her fingers into the big man's hair, leaning over to press a kiss to his forehead.

Jinn growled in agreement, reaching up, pulling Dande to him and rolling to put her underneath his body. "Now," he growled against her lips. "I want to see if I can make my kitty purr."

~*~

Jaellebelle sighed and rested her head against Max's shoulder. This trip back east had been fun, but she missed Hestia. Missed all the friends she had found there.

She listened to the chugging engine and the chuffing of the wheels as the train sped through the night. The sound of the train combined with the beating of Max's heart, the heat of his body, the sound of his breathing, lured the young woman back to sleep, a smile curving her lovely mouth.

~*~

Dor kicked something, heard a muted groan and sprawled into the space vacated as Pelham shifted. On her other side, Xanatos muttered something about gold and guns and rolled over, pillowing his face into her hair. He sighed in contentment, dropping into a deeper sleep.

Dreaming of shooting, riding and shopping, Dor drifted away in the arms of the two men she loved.

~*~

Ramie burst into Jules' room in Miss Maevey's Boarding house without so much as a knock or a by-your-leave or even a hello and excuse me for barging in here in the middle of the night and interrupting ..

"Oh.crap!" Ramie whirled, putting her back to the room, feeling her face heat up to at least boiling.

Maybe scalding even.

So, she missed seeing the Marshal bolt upright, hand reaching automatically for his pistol on the bedside stand. Missed seeing his look of bemusement upon realizing it wasn't Black Xan bursting in to kill him while he.slept.

Missed the murderous look her sister shot her as she sat up, pushing her hair back out of her face. "Zut alors, Ramie!"

"S-sorry! Sorry!"

Jules felt a reluctant grin tugging at her mouth as Obi-Wan laid the pistol aside and arched an eyebrow at her. It was hard to stay angry with a man like Kenobi around smiling at her in that way. Taking a deep breath, she grabbed for clothing and came up with a black shirt that wasn't hers.

Oh well..that worked too.

Pulling it on, she buttoned it up, found her hands in the too-long sleeves and stood to walk over to her sister. "Ma soeur, what is wrong?" Ramie was trembling, and despite what she'd done tonight, usually had impeccable manners.

Risking a peek, seeing that her sister was at least covered to mid-thigh, Ramie grabbed her arms. "She was there. Said she needed a ride and I didn't think a thing about it because folks around here help one another out and I just offered to take her home and never even thought that maybe she wasn't actually living there and-"

"Ramie!" Jules shook her sister, steering her to a chair and pushing her to sit. "Slow down!"

"Breathing is always recommended at a time like this." Dressed only in black jeans, the Marshal knelt next to Jules. "Tell us again. Slowly this time." He took hold of one of Ramie's hands, squeezing it reassuringly.

Ramie took a gulping breath, looking from one to the other. Both looked tousled and she had no doubts what she had interrupted. Miserably she shook her head. "I'm sorry. I.I shouldn't have-"

"Ca ne fait rien," Jules assured, reaching up to push her sister's hair out of her face. "Tell us."

"I was coming back from getting supplies and it was just getting dark." Ramie took a deep breath, letting it out slowly. "There was this girl walking alongside the road and she looked so tired. I offered her a ride home. She said she lived not far from me. I knew some folks had moved in recently so I didn't think much about it."

"What happened?"

Ramie focused on the Marshal, letting the calm, deep tones of his voice wash over her. "We got to the homestead and she got out. She thanked me for the kindness and.." The woman gulped. "She disappeared. Vanished right in front of me!"

Leaning forward, Ramie met her sister's gaze. "Jules, you know me! I'm a real sensible type! I don't believe it until I see it and."

"I know." Jules nodded.

"I didn't know what to do, so I.I went to the little cabin there on the property. The folks living there said this had happened to them before and all they could tell me was she had lived there some years back and they thought she'd died one winter of consumption."

"Merde."

Kenobi nodded. He stood. "Is your horse still out there?"

Ramie nodded. "I.I didn't think.I just."

"It's all right, Ramie." Jules stood, pulling her sister to her feet and hugging her. "You're safe."

"She was.dead, sis. Dead.and she looked."

The Marshal gave his deputy a look seeing her nod before grabbing another shirt, pulling it over his shoulders and shoving his boots on. He pulled his duster on and smiled at the two women. "I'll go put the horse and wagon in the stable. Don't worry about anything, all right?"

Ramie nodded, still shaken, but feeling better in the presence of real, living beings.

"Seet." Jules pushed her sister towards the bed. "I will get dressed and then we will see if we can find something to drink, non?"

"Yeah.sure." Ramie pushed a hand through her hair, feeling the sweat chilling her skin. "Sounds like a plan." She listened as her sister rustled around getting dressed. "I really am sorry for busting in here."

Seeing the forlorn look on her sister's face, Jules sat on the bed and pulled the younger woman to her, hugging her. Each was the only family the other had. That had bonded them closer than anything, even when they didn't see one another very often. "I ahm glad you deed.even if I was mad at ze time." She kissed her sister's cheek, hugging her hard before releasing her and standing. "For anything less ah would keel you, but thees? Thees is understandable." With a wink Jules turned, searching for her boots which seemed to have mysteriously been flung.somewhere in her haste to lose clothing.

She found one under the bed and crawled back grinning at her sister. "However.you had better realize..ah!" Her other boot had wound up wedged behind the dresser. "That eef you want him you will have to do eet yourself." Jules arched an eyebrow. "There are some theengs a woman will not do, even for her beloved sister."

Ramie nodded, offering a sly grin. "I promise to only break in on you for the most dire of emergencies and not just to get a glimpse of Obi-Wan au natural."

Rolling her eyes Jules muttered a prayer for impetuous sisters and pulled her boots on. "Let's go get a drink." She grabbed her brown duster and tugged it on, wedging her hair up before shoving her hat over it. "And you can take up your flirtation with ze Marshal there."

"I wasn't!"

A disbelieving snort was her only answer.

~*~

And so it went. Folks bustin' back into town with stories of ghostly apparitions chasing them down the road at night, sometimes all the way to their homesteads. Ghost herds were seen almost every night at sunset, an invisible dog howled mournfully nightly at the grain mill, and the miners began to talk nervously of a ghost that was wandering the mines at night, lantern in hand, searching for his lost plot of gold.

It got so no one really wanted to go out at night. At least not outside of Hestia. Even the nightly shootemups were few and far between.

It just wasn't as much fun when your rush through town potentially took you through a ghost.

The Harvest Festival was coming up, but it was hard to get folks interested. That worried Sheriff Jinn. The festival had always been a highlight for everyone. A signal to the end of a long growing year, and a celebration for the crops brought in.

Emmy and Dor were the only two who were vocal about the festival - and that mostly because of the prizes given.

It was a full moon that night, just several days before the Harvest Festival.

Time, some reckoned, to put an end to whatever was going on in the once peaceful..er..fun-loving town.

"I don't believe this is a good idea."

Jules ignored the Marshal, continuing to strap on her gunbelt, tying the holster down on her thigh.

"Whatever." Emmy pulled her Colt, spun the barrel to check that it was loaded, and jauntily twirled the gun back into the holster.

"You're not going alone." Ramie had her Winchester Rifle and would not be talked into to staying behind.

"The sheriff-" Kenobi began.

"Is busy with trying to keep everyone calm here in town." Emmy put her hands on her hips.

"Right." Jules pulled her gloves on and gave a look of cool appraisal as she turned to Obi-Wan. "We need to geet moving."

"The horses are behind the stable." Ramie shrugged. "I didn't want anyone to get suspicious."

Kenobi sighed, knowing it was useless to argue and only a waste of time. "Let's go then."

~*~

"Are you sure this is all right?" Kendra whispered as she and Tara snuck out after the four people riding out of town.

"We're not breaking any laws or anything," Tara retorted. "And my reporters sense tells me there's a story to be had wherever they're going."

"I hope you're right." Kendra bit her lip as she crouched down over the neck of her horse.

"Me too." Tara grinned. "If nothing else, we'll get to see plenty of the Marshal's backside, right?"

"He's got his duster on."

"Oh. Damn."

"Maybe it'll rain?"

"Ooooh.there's a thought!"

~*~

"I'm not going." Dor sat on the bed and gave her best petulant, stubborn look.

"Fine." Xanatos continued stuffing his clothing into a bag.

"You'd have to beg me to come with you."

"Not gonna happen." The Greysider snorted. "You're mistaking me for Pelham, pet."

"I shall stay and watch over you, my love." Pelham gave a courtly bow, managing to look elegant despite the fact that he was dressed in jeans and a cotton shirt.

"Thank you, Pelham." Dor sniffed disdainfully. "It's nice to know someone truly cares for my welfare."

Xanatos laughed. "Besides yourself you mean?"

"Where are you going, anyways?" Dor really hated it when he took off this way.

Without her.

Even though it was her choice.

"Away, pet." Xanatos trailed his fingers across her face, leaning down to kiss her.and bite her lip. "The less you know, the less you can blab to that mouthy woman with the guns."

"Emmy is not .." Dor scowled, trying to ignore the tingling in her lip from the kiss. And the bite.

"Let's just say I need to get away and let some things cool down." Xanatos pulled his black duster on and headed for the door. "Pelham, try to keep her out of jail?" With one last rakish grin, the Greysider left.

"Fine." Dor stood and faced Pelham. "I have a pair of spurs and guns to win anyways. I don't need him." She sighed as Pelham stood, embracing her. "Lover.it's time for drastic measures."

"Oh dear."

Dor grabbed the man's hand. "That's right. To the Golden Spur!"

~*~

Eerie howling and moaning sounds echoed out of the gaping maw of the mine.

"Oh my gawd." Emmy pulled out the vial of holy water Miss Kitty had pressed into her hands earlier in the day. She liberally sprinkled herself with it, then surreptitiously flicked each of her companions with the water.

"Eets very dark," Jules agreed quietly. She edged a tiny bit closer to the Marshal.

"It's freaking pitch black!" Ramie gripped her rifle and blinked as water hit her face. "Is it raining?"

Marshal Kenobi frowned as the light of their lantern was swallowed just past the mine entrance. "All right," he said quietly, reassuringly. "We stick together. No separating. No exploring different shafts.."

Ramie snickered, sobering as Emmy and Jules shot looks at her. "What?"

"We're with you, Marshal." Emmy edged close enough that her arm was pressed to his. "All the way."

"Good thing ze mine shaft is wide, eh?" Jules grinned in nervous anticipation for what they were about to do. "Wee would not all feet."

"It probably narrows once we get deeper." Kenobi frowned for a moment, thinking. "Jules, you bring up the rear." He held up a hand as she looked at him. "I trust everyone here, but you and I have the most experience at this sort of thing and you know how I work." He touched his index finger to her lips. "I'm trusting you to cover us."

With an eye roll, the deputy nodded and stepped aside.

"I'm right behind you." Emmy claimed shotgun position behind the Marshal, smirking at Ramie.

"Just don't shoot one of us. I know how quick you are to shoot first and ask questions-"

"Enough." Kenobi cut the bickering off. "Let's go."

Jules waited until they had all passed her, taking one last sweeping look around before following them into the mine.

~*~

"They're going in there?" Kendra shook her head. "No! No way!"

"We can at least go just to the entrance and ..wait, right. We'll be right there when they come out." Tara wiped her sweaty hands on her jeans. That mine entrance was dark. And spooky. And there were some very creepy sounds coming out of there.

"Uh.yeah." Kendra nodded. "We'll be like..the back-up team." The thought cheered her. "In case anything happens to them."

Tara didn't find the thought quite as comforting but smiled anyways. "Right." She looked around. "We can wait over here, by this boulder. Maybe..even a little fire?"

"Fire! Good idea. Light and warmth, yep. Goooood idea!" Kendra began to gather wood as Tara dug a slight firepit out of the sandy earth.

It took six tries.

The sparks kept dying.

Finally Tara got the kindling going and shortly, the two had a small, but steady, fire burning.

"Now we just.wait." Kendra looked around nervously. Was it her imagination or did it seem darker now that they had the fire going?

Tara nodded, nibbling on the end of her pencil.

~*~

The mineshaft slowly angled down.

And down.

Down until the cold was so intense they could see their breath in the meager light of the lantern.

"Did we bring extra oil for that thing?" Emmy almost ran into Kenobi as he stopped suddenly.

"I have eet." Jules' voice echoed eerily in the dark.

"Why did we stop?" Ramie edged a little closer to the Marshal.

"Listen."

The four were absolutely quiet, almost not breathing in straining to listen.

Plop.

Plunk.

Plop.

"Water?"

Kenobi nodded. "Hard to guess where the sounds coming from with the echo in here."

Ramie staggered forward as Jules whirled, pushing her towards the others.

"What?" Emmy grabbed the woman, pulling her pistol with her free hand.

"Something touched me!" Jules was crouched down, looking around a bit wildly, the hand holding her pistol trembling. "Something cold!"

Ramie groaned. "This is no time for joking." She grimaced. "You're not joking?"

"No!"

"All right, let's stay calm." Marshal Kenobi moved to the center of the group, moving the light closer so that it shone back the way they had come. "It wasn't a draft?" He almost recoiled at the fierce frown leveled on him.

"Non!" Jules gestured in a purely Gaelic manner. "Eet was like cold fingers on ma neck!"

"Ohhh..ick!" Emmy let go of Ramie and pulled out the bottle of holy water. "Here."

"Sacre blue." Jules took the water and dabbed a finger with it, anointing her forehead. She reached out and swiped it across the Marshal's forehead before he could move to protest. At his slight frown, she shrugged and handed the water back to Emmy. "A leetle added security never hurts, mon cher." Shaky smile for him.

Shining the lantern a bit higher, Kenobi spotted something they had missed. "There's a path back there. Looks like it evens out instead of going down. Should we-"

"Good idea." Emmy nodded, reholstering her pistol. "Let's go up."

Jules stepped back, letting them pass, before taking up the rear position again.

This time she pulled the collar of her duster up around her neck.

The quartet tromped along in silence for a while, each feeling skittery, like someone was watching.

The feeling intensified as they walked.

A sudden temperature drop and a loud moaning had everyone halting mid-step.

"Oh..not again," Ramie groaned.

"Who's there?" the Marshal demanded. "Show yourself!"

"That's really not necessary." Emmy clenched her pistol. True, bullets didn' t hurt ghosts, but holding it made her feel a whole lot better.

"Up there!" Jules pointed up to where a glowing grey figure of a man stood on a cliff.

"These are sacred grounds," the man intoned. "Leave now!"

"What's so sacred about a bunch of cold rock?" Ramie grunted as Emmy elbowed her.

"Who are you?" Obi-Wan stepped forward. "We want some answers."

"You know." Jules pursed her lips. "Doesn't he look fameeliar?"

Squinting in the dim light, Emmy scowled. "Now that you mention it."

"Xanatos!" Marshal Kenobi growled.

As if they had drilled for their entire lifetime, the group pulled their weapons, each sighting in on the Greysider.

"We'll see if the 'ghost' is affected by cold lead!" Emmy cocked her pistol.

"Wait!" The ghost held up his hands. "You wouldn't shoot -" He ducked back as a hail of bullets greeted his statement.

~*~

"Did you hear that?" Kendra and Tara jumped to their feet, staring into the blackness of the mine entrance.

"Gun shots."

"Bullets don't work against ghosts."

"You think Emmy is going to stop and think about that before shooting?"

"Good point."

"So.what do we do?"

The pair leaped back as a glowing grey figure lurched up out of the entrance, barreling towards them.

"AGH!!!"

"GHOST!"

Tara brandished her notebook as a club, while Kendra picked up a half-burnt stick, waving it threateningly at the rapidly-approaching ghostie figure.

"You're all insane!" Skidding to a halt, the ghost made a quick course correction and headed off deeper into the mountains.

The sound of pounding feet heralded the arrival of the Marshal and his group who skidded to a halt upon seeing the two grrls standing there looking both astonished and ready to attack at the same time.

"What are you.." Kenobi grimaced, looking around. "Where did it.he go?"

"That way." Kendra pointed.

"The mountains," Tara added.

With a curse, the marshal took off running, Jules and Emmy right behind.

Ramie shook her head and walked over to the other grrls. "It was Xanatos. Can you believe that? The whole time.."

Tara chewed on her lip a moment. "That doesn't really explain everything, you know."

"How could Xanatos do all of the things that have been going on?" Kendra gave a doubtful look.

Shrugging Ramie looked in the direction the trio had charged off after the Greysider. "Dunno, but.Black Xanatos is capable of anything." She gave a solemn nod. "Even conjuring ghosts."

"You mean..magic?"

"Why not." Ramie shivered and wrapped her arms around her waist. "I've heard of odder things when I was visiting relatives in Louisiana." She winced. "They have vodoo and all kinds of weird magic down there."

Kendra's eyes grew huge. "I heard Dor telling Madame Laure one day that she and Xanatos had spent time down in New Orleans!"

"Oh.my..god," Tara breathed, shaking her head. She grinned suddenly, snatching her pencil from behind her ear to kneel, and began to scribble madly. "This is going to be THE best story!"

~*~

Ping!

Plunk.

Dor glared at Emmy the Kid and lifted her gun, aiming carefully. No way was Emmy gonna steal her prize!

The shootin contest was gonna be hers.

It should be! The least this town could do after chasing her lover Xanatos off like some common criminal.

He was far from common.

Okay, so.he'd conjured a few ghosts, cast a few spells, robbed a few miners of their claims and gold.

What, did everyone loose their sense of humour suddenly?

Sheesh.

Of course, they hadn't caught him. Emmy had come back two days after the group entered the mine, mad as a hornet at Dor, at Sheriff Jinn, at anyone who had any association with Xanatos.

The chase, she had declared, had gotten very old when it began to rain, they hadn't eaten or slept in two days, and she hadn't had a bath or decent bed to sleep on.

Sleeping rolled up in one's coat was not for her.

Even if it did mean being near the Marshal.

She did have a contest to win, after all, and priorities were priorities.

"He'll be back," Emmy declared airily. She slanted a Look at Dor. "And he'll be dragging Black Xan behind him like the criminal he is!"

"Hey!" Dor scowled. "He's a master mind criminal, not your common run of the mill thief."

"Whatever!" Emmy had tromped off in search of a warm bath, a hot meal and a soft bed.

In that order.

Ping!

Plunk.

"So." Tara sidled up to Ramie. "Have you heard anything from your sister?"

"Nope." Ramie watched the shooting contest.

"Aren't you worried?" Kendra came up to stand on the woman's other side. "I mean.they're chasing a wanted, known, dangerous criminal."

Nodding, Ramie applauded as Dor made a difficult shot. "True, but it's not the first time, is it?" She grinned at the two grrls. "And I know they'll be back sooner or later." She held up a finger. "One, Xanatos won't stay away from Dor and Pelham forever. He'll come back here if they don't get him first. Two, I'll hunt my sister down and kill her if she doesn't come back with Kenobi. Three, Marshal Kenobi promised me a moonlight stroll in the pines and he's a man of his word." The grrl nodded. "They'll be back."

Sheriff Jinn's voice broke in. "Of course they will." Crossing his arms, he watched both contestants to make sure neither one cheated. "Kenobi is a Federal Marshal on the trail of a wanted and known criminal. He can cross state lines, territory lines. Marshals have a great deal of authority granted to them." Upon feeling Ramie's waiting stare, he added, "And his deputy."

Ramie nodded and turned back to the contest.

Dande slipped her arm through her sheriff's and smiled. "Obi-Wan will be back, grrls. He's such a nice young man.and I really do believe he became fond of everyone." She sighed as she looked at the community. "I think he started to view Hestia as home."

Ping!

Plop.

"Ha!" Emmy crowed. "Top that!"

Dor scowled and raised her pistol.

For Xani.

For glory.

For the prize!

Ping!

Plop.

~*~

finis