The Christmas Gift

Chapter One

by Alias

e-mail: [email protected]

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Disclaimer: The magnificent 7 and related characters belong to

Trilogy. I don’ have their permission to use their characters, and am

not getting paid for this.

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Author’s note: I started this back around the beginning of November,

planning to have it ready by Christmas. However, I got talked into

doing "An Awakening of Hope" instead, so this is going out late. This

takes place about ten years before the show, and I think that you

should be able to pick up on what it’s about pretty quickly(and if

not, I’m not doing my job right.) Shutting up now. Enjoy the story,

and, as always, send lots of feedback.

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"Look, Chris, what’s so hard about it? You go up to her, pretend to

harass her, and then I come along and rescue her, and everyone’s happy."

"How does that make me happy?"

"I’ll leave you alone." He had a point there.

"And how will that make her happy?"

Buck grinned.

"She gets to meet me."

Chris rolled his eyes. "Reason enough not to do it, spare the girl

the pain."

Buck briefly considered punching the older man, but then decided that

getting into a brawl with Chris might leave him with a face unsuitable

for meeting the redhead down the street with. He might be the bigger

man, but Chris was a consummate brawler, and a good one at that.

"Which girl is this again?"

Chris followed Buck’s finger to a young girl of perhaps eighteen or

nineteen. He couldn’t tell much about her, except that she was small,

and that her hair couldn’t seem to decide if it was going to be red or

brown.

"You sure she’s worth all this?" Chris asked quizzically. Near as he

could tell, no woman was worth all the fuss Buck was putting up for a

girl he’d never met.

"Of course I’m sure."

"And if I do this you’ll leave me alone." It was more of a statement

than a question, but Buck replied anyways.

"Yup. So, you’ll do it?"

"All right all right, anything to get you to shut up." Chris stalked

off towards the girl before Buck could answer.

When he was close enough, he grabbed her by the arm and spun her

around…and saw quizzical gold-brown eyes staring up at him from the

face of an angel.

*******************************

Sarah Woods stared up at the man who had grabbed her arm and spun her

around, watching his face go from determined to dumbstruck, as if

whatever he had been about to say suddenly left his mind. She

wondered what had caused the change. She knew she wasn’t beautiful,

her unusual—and unfashionable—hair and eyes saw to that.

"Yes?" She asked, pulling her arm free.

"I-ah-" She got the feeling that being speechless was a very new

experience for him. "I thought…you were someone I knew. I was wrong

though. Uhm, sorry." And with that he hurried off in the direction

of the saloon, leaving Sarah staring after him.

As he entered, another, younger, man who she’d seen around town that

morning, but didn’t know, stared after him, dumbstruck. He glanced at

her, and then hurried after him into the saloon.

*******************************

Buck quickly located Chris at the bar. Why he’d glanced around the

room first he had no idea. If Chris was going to be in a saloon, it

would be at the bar.

"What the hell was that all about?" Were his first words when he

reached his friend.

"Changed my mind."

"Changed your—changed your mind?" Chris nodded at Buck’s incredulous

question. "Mind if I ask why the hell you went and did something like

that?"

"Didn’t feel like it anymore."

"You didn’t feel like it?"

"Nope."

"Well then, just what did you feel like?"

Chris grabbed the bottle of whiskey and stood up from the bar.

"Like being alone."

*******************************

Sarah knew there would be trouble the moment she saw Joe Cates talking

to her father. Or rather, bullying her father. Cates owned two large

tracts of land nearby. Just between them was a smaller, but

industrious, ranch. Joshua Woods just happened to own that ranch. So

naturally, Cates wanted it. Only Joshua wasn’t interesting in

selling, no matter how much money he was offered.

Sarah came to stand just behind her father, just as he had pushed

Cates’s final button.

"Listen Mr. Woods, I’ve been generous up ‘till now, offered you more

money than anyone else would be willing to. More’n enough to get land

and stock somewhere else."

"Got all the land and stock I want, and it’s right where I want it."

Sarah knew the exact moment Cates noticed her presence, and moved to

stand closer to her father.

Cates tipped his hat to her.

"Afternoon Miss Sarah."

"Mr. Cates." She replied as coldly as she could before turning to her

father. "I’m done with my shopping Papa, are you ready?"

"More than." He started to move his daughter away, but Cates hastily

cut them off.

"I don’t thi-" Cates ignored Joshua and addressed Sarah.

"As you know Miss Sarah, there’s a social in the town square in a few

weeks. I would be honored if you would allow me to escort you."

"I don’t think so Mr. Cates, but thank you for the offer."

He smiled at her congenially, but Sarah saw the hard determined look

in his eyes.

" I really must ins-"

"Lady said she wasn’t interested Mister, I suggest you listen to her."

*******************************

Chris suppressed his groan when he saw Buck come out of the general

store and get himself involved in whatever it was that was going down.

Knew why he did it to, man couldn’t leave well enough alone if there

was a woman involved, even if she already had a man to take care of

her, which this one obviously did.

He was going to let Buck sort the mess—whatever it was—out on his own,

since he’d chosen to get involved, but changed his mind when he saw

three armed men approaching Buck from behind. That they were with the

man Buck was facing was clear by the look he shot them. Dammit, Buck

was gonna get himself killed one of these days, if not today.

Chris reached the group just as Buck was being informed that it would

be in his best interests to move on, and deftly plucked the gun from

the holster of the man nearest him.

"Seems to me Mister," Chris said, making them all suddenly aware of

his presence, "That’s it’s you who’d be best off moving on."

The man opened his mouth, but then shut it. Although he and two of

his men were still armed, Buck and the man with the girl he was so

interested in had drawn their guns, and Chris had drawn his own before

reaching the group and had both guns trained on him. That was all the

incentive the man needed apparently.

Before he left however, he told the girl’s—what? Father?

Husband?--that he’d be best off reconsidering his offer. Chris didn’t

miss the relieved sigh that escaped the man they had helped, or the

tenseness that suddenly left the girl.

"You folks all right?" Buck asked.

"Yes," The man replied, "Thank you. I’m Joshua Woods, and this is my

daughter, Sarah." So that’s what she was, his daughter. Well then,

she probably wasn’t married, or she’d be with her husband, which

meant—what the hell was he thinking? That line of thinking was

Buck’s, not his. "And you gentlemen are…?"

"Buck Wilmington. And this is Chris."

"Just Chris?"

"Only name I need Mr. Woods."

"I see. So, are you boys just passing through town?"

"Yes, we a-"

"Actually," Buck interrupted before Chris could finish his sentence,

"We were thinking of staying for a while, finding a bit of work. Know

of anyone needing a bit of help?"

"Actually, I’m in need of a bit of help myself. All you’d need is

your guns. Interested?"

"Any particular reason you need extra guns?" Buck responded before

Chris could open his mouth.

"Come out to my place around six, have dinner with us, and I’ll

explain everything. The dinner is free regardless of what you decide,

as thanks for your help today."

"Sounds good." Buck tipped his hat at Sarah as she and her father

started to leave. "Nice meeting you ma’am."

"And you Mr. Wilmington. And thank you Mr…Chris."

Buck caught Chris’s glare after the two had left.

"Wha-at?" Chris just rolled his eyes and went back to where he had

left the half empty whiskey bottle.

*******************************

"So what you’re saying," Chris spoke up for the first time that

night, shocking his three dinner companions, "Is that this Cates guy

owns the land on either side of you, and he wants your’s?"

"Well," Joshua overcame the surprise that his sullen, silent guest

had chosen to speak. "That’s not quite all of it, but that’s right.

So what would you suggest?"

"Sell." Three pairs of eyes went incredulous, and Sarah’s gold-brown

eyes turned to almost liquid gold, flashing angrily. "Least that way

you’ll be alive, and have money to get new land."

Chris ignored Buck’s glare. He knew that what he was suggesting

wasn’t the brave thing to do, probably not even the right thing,

considering the impression he’d gotten of Cates, and he knew it

wouldn’t be easy for the proud rancher, but it was the sane thing to do.

"So what you want me to do," Joshua answered icily, "Is be a coward

and run away."

"Like I said, least you’d be alive that way."

Joshua stood up.

"If that’s all you have to say on the matter Chris, then I suggest

that you leave."

Chris saw the looks on Buck’s face. He knew that Buck wanted him to

stay. Despite Sarah’s anger, she wanted him to stay to, but that

wasn’t what he wanted. If it wasn’t for the girl, then maybe then he

would reconsider. But dammit, the best thing for her was to get as

far away from this place—and Cates—as possible, and his staying would

only make her father more determined to stay, and she wouldn’t leave

without him.

"Fine by me. Coming Buck?"

"I think I’ll stay." Buck replied coldly.

"Suit yourself. I’ll be sure to go to your funeral. Your’s to Mr.

Woods." And with that, he left.

*******************************

Chris stopped the bartender as he started to pull the whiskey bottle

away. "Leave it."

He had just started his drink when Joe Cates sat down beside him.

"Understand Josh Woods gave you a job offer."

"And if he did?"

"Obviously, you didn’t take him up on his offer."

"Oh?"

"If you had, you’d be out there insteada in here."

Chris shrugged and took a swig of whiskey. "If you say so."

"I’d like to make you an offer myself."

"Not interested."

"You haven’t heard my offer yet."

"Like I said, not interested."

"I think you might change your mind once you hear my offer. You see,

this could all be easily resolved if Sarah Woods would do the smart

thing and marry me. However, her father—and opportunity—prevents me

from making any headway with her."

"So what’s your offer?"

"Ensure that the opportunity will arise. I’ll make it worth your

while."

"Kill him you mean."

"Not at all. Merely… unable to interfere. As I said, I’ll make it

worth your while."

"What’re you willing to pay."

"Three times as much as Woods offered."

"I’ll sleep on it."