Buckle Clothing Store
Ghost Town
Author's Note: This story is short, very short - and it's the only Mary Sue I hope to ever write. It needed to be done, if only to put certain things to rest. Dead, buried, and hopefully, no more hauntings.Don't let yesterday use up too much of today. ~Cherokee Indian Proverb
"I'm really sorry, Daniel." Ms Babs held out a small scrap of leather to him.
Daniel looked at her with an expression Jack couldn't figure out. When Daniel wouldn't take the leather, Jack plucked it from her hand.
"Isabelle's father returned it to me this morning. Just like Robert's parents, they feel that teaching their children about the Indian ways isn't right."
Jack turned the scrap of leather over, noting how an edge of it had been embroidered. "What is this?"
Daniel turned and walked away, his body tense with what looked like anger.
"Medicine pouches. Daniel was teaching them about them and gave each of the children material to make one."
"And the problem with that is...?"
"Some of the parents feel that we shouldn't be teaching about other cultures—"
"That's bullshit!" Daniel twirled angrily, stomping over to them. Ms Babs looked up at Daniel, who reached over and snatched the leather from Jack. "This is no worse than the little dolls the girls carry around or the wooden guns the boys wave at one another. It's not going to make their skin turn red and send them out to dance naked in a full moon."
"Of course it's not. What are you talking about?"
"That's what they're saying in town. And you know what's worse, Jack? They're not even trying to keep their voices down when I'm around. What the hell is wrong with this town?"
"When did this happen?" Jack only been out of town for two weeks. He had the oddest feeling that he'd been gone for years and didn't recognize the place anymore.
"You know that Daniel comes to the school every couple of weeks to tell the children about the Indian culture—" Ms Babs nervously pushed a lock of red hair back behind her ear.
"Yeah, I thought the kids loved those stories."
"They do. They hang on to his every word. It's their parents that are objecting to this."
Jack shrugged, his attention on the way Daniel's fingers were worrying the scrap of leather. "There's always a couple of idiots in any town—"
"It's more than a couple, Jack. Haven't you noticed how the town's changed over the past months? Ms Devra nearly got an earful by old man Collins last week because she was putting a poultice on Black Feather's stallion and didn't have time to look at his dog."
"That mangy old beast's just fat. If he'd stop carrying it around everywhere and let it run loose like a normal dog—"
"Mr. Collins thought that Ms Devra should have given his dog priority treatment, because he was paying cash."
"The Indians have always been fair traders," Jack began. Daniel slammed his palm on the wall, causing Babs to jump.
"They always come to Ms Devra because she cares about the animals. And they would never cheat her for her services."
"That's not what I meant, Danny." Jack softened his voice, and that seemed to calm his friend.
Daniel nodded. "I know. I'm sorry." He gave Ms Babs a smile that nearly reached his eyes. "Some of the women won't go visit the seamstress' shop because they saw a couple of teenagers from the Indian village go look inside. The girls bought some ribbons from her and now the townsfolk think they contaminated her materials with vermin."
"That can't be right. The people here have never been prejudiced... I mean, that's one of the reasons we moved here in the first place."
"A little piece of heaven," Daniel sighed. "Like the saying goes, all good things must come to an end." He tossed the scrap of leather onto the table and left the jail. The door shut behind him with finality.
oo~O~oo
"Sheriff! Sheriff!"
Jack paused, waiting as little Billy Thompson came running down the street, one hand on his hat, the other pumping like crazy. "Ms Devra sent me. It's Deputy Daniel. He needs your help." The kid skidded to a stop, panting as he grabbed Jack's hand and began tugging.
"Whoa, hold on, Billy. Where does she want me to go?" Jack pulled his hand away and the kid pointed towards the far end of town.
"Just past the apple orchard, beyond the stream. She was coming to get help but ran into me 'cause I was fishing and sent me to get'cha instead."
"Help?"
"The Deputy's hurt, maybe hurt bad."
"Go get doc Fraiser, tell her to meet me there."
"Yes, sir." Billy began running towards the hospital while Jack ran for the stables.
oo~O~oo
"What happened?" Jack was off his horse in a shot, running towards Daniel, who was half sitting, half reclining against an old stump. Ms Devra was kneeling next to him, dabbing at cuts on his scalp with her shawl.
"Someone jumped him," Ms Devra said. She tsked as Daniel tried to bat her hand away, and with a practice born of treating unpredictable animals, dodged his hand and put the bloody shawl to his scalp again. "I think he's concussed, and he's definitely got some bruised, if not cracked ribs."
"Doc's on her way. Did you see who did this?"
"No. I was coming back from the Indian village to check Black Feather's horse and heard the sounds of a scuffle. When I rode towards the fight, I must have frightened his attackers because they rode off before I could see who it was."
"Stupid," Daniel said thickly, squinting up at her. "You could'a gotten hurt."
"Shush." She pushed a lock of hair from his face with her free hand.
"They beat me up for no good reason." Daniel tried to sit up, only to have Ms Devra push him back. "Said they wanted no Indian lovers in town, and warned me to stay away from their children and womenfolk."
"Did you see who did this?" Jack ran his fingers lightly over Daniel's torso, checking his ribs himself.
Daniel hissed in pain when he moved up his right side. "No. Three men. They had masks on but I recognized their horses. That new family that moved here last year. Moved into the old Jenkins' place? And one of the men from the lumber mill, the one with the broken nose. I'm not sure where he lives—"
"Not far from the Millers," Ms Devra said, "they got all those goats in pens."
"Yeah, I know them," Jack said. They seemed like polite folks.
"And the third guy was that soldier you like shooting the breeze with."
"Graham?"
"Yeah, him." Daniel closed his eyes, swallowed, and swallowed again.
"You gonna be sick?"
Daniel raised a finger, asking Jack to wait. After a good two minutes, the finger came down.
"You gonna be sick? Jack asked again.
"No."
"Good. 'Cause Fraiser's not gonna be happy if you puke in her buckboard," Jack said with a grin when he heard the sound of wheels and hooves.
oo~O~oo
"What do you mean, you have no proof?" Jack snarled at the Mayor.
"Daniel admits he didn't see his attackers, only the horses. And when questioned, all three men have attested that their horses were stolen."
"Pretty damn coincidental, isn't it?"
"I'm sorry, Sheriff, but my hands are tied."
"You're going to allow these bigoted idiots get away with this, aren't you."
"Isn't that a little harsh?"
Jack stood there, shocked, and stared at the woman who he though he knew. "You, of all people..." He shook his head. "I don't know you anymore."
oo~O~oo
Daniel sighed loudly as he watched the three women ride out of town, leading a packhorse with all their worldly belongings. He had his hand wrapped around his ribs, a pose he'd adopted over the past two weeks as his cracked ribs had healed.
"I can't believe they're leaving. I can't believe things have gotten this bad." Daniel turned and began walking down Main Street. Jack jogged a few steps to catch up. Both of them were silent until they reached the boarded up house Ms Devra had just left. "I'm going to miss seeing all the ladies gathered here on her porch. Seems like a lot of tall tales were told."
"Is that what they were doing? I thought it might have been a quilting bee or knitting session or something." Jack tried to remember if he'd seen the ladies with knitting needles and yarn, and all that he could come up with were tall glasses of something that always looked cool and refreshing.
"Ms Jo gave all her material to the Indians, rather than let the townsfolk get their hands on them. She was really pissed."
Jack cleared his throat, knowing the news he was about to break would hurt Daniel. "I heard a few other folks are planning on leaving in the next few days."
"I know."
"You do?"
"Ms Babs told me."
They started walking again, and Daniel stepped into the street to make room for a couple heading their way on the wooden sidewalks. When Daniel stepped back onto the sidewalk, the man turned and spit on the ground.
Daniel stopped, stared at the man and woman, and swore. "That's it. I can't live here anymore."
Walking fast forced him to hunch over slightly. He crossed the street, heading for the stables.
"Daniel."
"No more. I can't live with this."
"It's just a few—"
"Yes, but half the town is ignoring what's happening. That hurts more than the downright insults. Some of these people are... were my friends."
"Where will you go?"
"To the Indian village. At least there I'm not mocked for my white skin." He shuffled on, sweat breaking over his forehead. Daniel wouldn't admit to the headaches that blow to the head still caused him, but Jack knew the signs.
"I have a better idea... if you'd be willing..."
"What?" Daniel slowed and glanced over at Jack.
"Well, the women were heading for the Daedalus Plains. Remember that Mackay guy that rode in here a few months ago, looking for directions to that town? The one Ms Babs was enamored over? I reckon the town might have need for a man of the law. And if not, well, there's plenty of work we could find."
"We? This doesn't affect you, Jack."
"Hey, if the town's turned on you, how long before they start thinking I'm not good enough for them."
"You'd leave here?"
"Like you said, Daniel, these were our friends. And like a wonderful lady mentioned recently, people come into our lives for a lot of reasons. Many of them just leave memories in their wake. Some memories are good, some are bad. Some make you smile and others damn near break your heart. But then, there are the people who are your friends. Forever, and ever. Like me."
"Who said that?" Daniel squinted at Jack.
"Ms Devra. Just before she helped Ms Jo onto her horse."
"Smart woman, that Ms Devra."
"The smartest."
"You know, I'd feel better if those ladies didn't have to ride all that distance on their own."
"You're right. They might appreciate an escort."
"Think we can catch up to them before dark?"
"The way Ms Jo rides, I don't doubt it."
Daniel laughed, the first true laugh Jack had heard in weeks.
"Won't take me but an hour to pack my things and hand in my badge."
"I'll meet you at the livery."
Jack hurried off, left a note for the mayor, paid off his room and was at the livery just before his allotted time. To his surprise, Carter, Teal'c, Hammond, Fraiser and Cassie were all there, surrounding Daniel.
"I hear that you're leaving the Flats and heading off for the Daedalus Plains." Hammond looked pointedly at Jack's bulging saddlebag.
"You heard right."
"Place is small. Not like the Flats."
"I know." Jack threw his saddlebag onto his saddle and began tying it. "Might smell a tad better, not as many skunks hanging around in the shadows."
"What do you think? Place like that might need a judge?"
Jack could hardly hold back the smile. "Might."
"It might need a doctor, also," Fraiser said, hugging Cassie close.
"Might."
"I don't like this place anymore," Cassie said. "Some of the kids were talking about joining the army so they could go kill some Indians. Why would they say that?"
"Because their parents are stupid and ignorant and the kids just pick up what they're hearing." Daniel opened his arms, and she came into them. She hugged him hard and Jack saw Daniel wince. "You wouldn't mind coming out to a small town and starting over?"
"No. Because my family would be there." She turned to her mom, looking up at her pleadingly. "We're going, right, Mom?"
"We're going," Fraiser said decidedly.
"Then that's settled." Carter smacked a palm on her leg. "We'll leave in the morning, and we'll probably catch up to you and the ladies by nightfall."
"We may have a straggler or two with us. Some people have said they were thinking of leaving." Hammond held Jack's pack secure as he tied it to the saddle. "Especially now that the ladies have gone."
"Hey the more the merrier." Jack tested the pack, swung into the saddle and gave tapped his index finger to his hat, giving his friends nod as well as the salute. "We'll see you soon." He met Daniel's gaze. The man's eyes were haunted but Jack knew this was best for them.
They rode slowly out of town. Past Ms Devra's boarded up house. Past the empty schoolhouse. Jack knew it had hurt Ms Babs an awful lot leaving the kids in the lurch but at the moment, half the parents were angry at her and the other half were angry at the half that were angry and he knew she was torn. Past the newly sold bathhouse and boarding room. Jack sighed; he'd spent many an hour soaking in one of the tubs inside. He wondered where Ms Deb had gone; she'd left on the stage a few days ago and had left no forwarding address.
"It's like a ghost town," Daniel said softly.
Jack looked past the bustling town and saw the shadows of despair that Daniel was seeing. Strangers, most of them. Old Jake came racing down the street, barking at their horses half-heartedly, only to take off in the opposite direction when a child laughed.
"Yeah."
"I was happy here," Daniel said once they'd left the town limits. Daniel's sigh seemed to start from his toes, carrying momentum, more poignant than the words he'd just uttered.
"I know." Jack couldn't help sighing in response. Lost dreams, lost friends. Such is life. "So was I."
FINIS!
Author's Comments: To the two gals who have stuck with me through thick and thin - I'm sorry for the tears, and I'm hanging on to your hands really, really tight. Devra and Babs, I love you guys.
I want to dedicate this story, short as it may be, to Celtic Angel, who, while she is no longer in the fandom, is often in my thoughts. Thank you for the creation of the Tok'ra Flats world - it was fun while it lasted.
Here's hoping that Daedalus Plains may one day find its way on the map.