Chapter Text
Judith Ward often felt that she could feel life itself seeping from her and dissolving into nothingness. Every morning she woke up next to her husband and went about her dull, daily life, listened to his stories while he sucked down the dinner she’d made and went to sleep. She rarely spoke, rarely ever meeting someone aside from River to speak to. The most exciting days of her life were when she was permitted to go into the town and shop for food, as at least then she could remind herself there was a world beyond the four walls that were rapidly becoming more of a prison than a home.
The tiny town known as Laguna Bend that her husband presided over as sheriff was nothing special, a dusty little hovel by a long dried-up lake that was at most a rest stop for folks riding west towards California. When Judith was a child, she dreamed of a horse of her own and riding as far away as she possibly could- to the mountains in the East or the snowy wastes of the far-off British colonies in Canada, anywhere but here, this tiny piece of nothing in the depths of the Nevada desert. But it was never to be. Judith grew up poor, her grandmother ill and her grandfather desperate for any money to help her. She should really count herself lucky that River took an interest in her. They’d spotted each other- or, more accurately, he had spotted her- when she was working for pennies in the town’s local saloon. She’d never felt much for him- or anything, really. He was tall, square-jawed, traditionally handsome in a way her abuela would have adored, but there was never any spark on her end, no firey love like her grandmother had talked about when she was little. But, while not rich, he was plenty well-off, and she knew he could provide her grandparents with a comfortable life for their last few years. They married just two months after they met, and Judith’s life was changed. She’d thought it was for the better.
That was four years ago and Judith had spent them desperately dancing around the topic of children. She had gotten lucky, at least in one way- River said he was currently too busy for children. Not that he’d have been doing any of the work of child-rearing anyway, but he said he wanted to be there to show his son ‘how a man made his way through the world’. He’d already decided they were having a boy. Judith didn’t know how to break it to him that that wasn’t how that worked.
Children terrified her. The idea of spending the rest of her life trapped in that house, her days spent on teaching three or four screaming babies how to read and write and God knows what else until she wasted away was possibly the most awful fate that she could think of. Unfortunately, she saw no other path ahead of her. She was utterly trapped.
The carriage trundled along the dusty road as River drove them into town. He had said over breakfast they needed to ‘keep up appearances’, which she knew meant he would parade her around town for a couple hours while he went and checked up on everything.
“I’ll bring ya in to meet the fellers at the offices,” he rambled. Judith was only half-paying attention. “They’ve been wanting to meet my lovely wife for quite some time.” He smiled at her in a way Judith supposed she should find attractive. She half-smiled back. It wasn’t hard to pretend. River never seemed to notice her discontent. “We’ll visit the bank and I’ll make sure security’s up to scratch before I bring ya home.”
And home is where I’ll stay… for the rest of my godforsaken…
“Judith?”
She blinked. River was looking at her expectantly. “Of course.” she smiled. “Home.” River nodded and started rambling about his plans to visit his sister on the other side of town. Judith let her mind wander. They trundled past the old saloon where Judith used to work and she gave it a wistful look. She missed those days. She had friends there- Thomas and Roxanne, a server and another barmaid who worked there with her. They used to sneak time in the back to steal beer and laugh about… well, whatever they could think of. Then her darling husband had spotted her by the bar and that chapter of her life ended. That was life, she supposed. She wondered if they still met in the back when they got the chance. River didn’t allow her to go to the saloon. “Too much rough-housin’ for a delicate thing such as yourself,” he insisted. While he went and drank, she sat at home, washed clothes and prepared food. That was mostly it.
River pulled sharply on the reins and the carriage stopped just outside the sheriff’s office. A couple of deputies sat on the stairs outside. She recognised them. They were Gaston and William, and they had been infamous for drinking far too much and causing trouble in the saloon while she worked there. Gaston looked asleep and William was obviously close to it. She couldn’t blame them. As much as horror stories about outlaws and murderers were spread across the West, the most exciting thing Laguna Bend had ever experienced was drunkards breaking windows. River coughed loudly as he stepped off the carriage and helped Judith down without her asking. The half-asleep one shook his head and punched the other in the shoulder. “Mornin’, Sheriff!” he said, leaping to his feet and pulling his friend with him.
“Boys,” River nodded. “Judith, these are my deputies, Gaston and William. They’re good men. Fellers, this is my darling wife, Judith Ward.” Judith suppressed a grimace at River’s last name and smiled politely. If she kept smiling like that, soon it would freeze onto her face.
“River’s a lucky man, ma’am.” Gaston greeted, tipping his hat. His leer made Judith want to vanish into the ground. “A very lucky man indeed.”
“I miss when she was workin’ in the saloon,” William grinned. Judith thought very hard about choking him with his cravat. It helped her not vomit all over her dress at his stare. “Made that trash place much more bearable havin’ somethin’ pretty to look at. Riv snatched ya up, though.”
Once again, Judith half smiled and nodded, shoving the queasy feeling in her stomach deep down and desperately hoping her disgust didn’t show on her face. “Good to see our town’s law looking so alert.” she replied. River’s brow creased slightly, but he didn’t say anything. William laughed uncomfortably. “We, uh…”
“I’m sure any outlaws who happen by will be shaking in their spurs.” Judith continued. Gaston fidgeted with his belt. The obvious discomfort of the men at her ‘praise’ lit no small amount of amusement in her stomach, a welcome relief from the queasy sensation. “That’s if they can even get past your eagle eyes. Why, with such fine examples of modern deputies-”
“Judith is right,” River interrupted, with obvious tension in his voice. “Fine job, fellers. Sugar, if you could wait in the carriage, I just need to talk with Bill n’ Charles here for a sec.”
Judith bit back an angry retort and returned to the carriage. River had been ‘whipping the town’s law into shape’ for the last four years, and yet on the rare occasions that she passed by, all she saw were snoring lawmen. After a few minutes, River returned. He climbed back up beside her on the wagon and whipped the reins, speeding back up to a trot. “You don’t talk to my men that way.” he said, his voice tight. Judith sniffed. “I didn’t say anything.”
“Maybe, but I could hear it in your voice. Those are good, hardworking-”
“When I worked in the saloon, those men were addle-headed drunks,” Judith hissed back. “Putting them in a uniform and giving them badges doesn’t change a damn thing.”
“I am trying-”
“And failing, clearly.”
“Stop!” River raised his voice and Judith fell silent. “I’m bringing the law to this town,” he growled. “If any outlaw ever came near us, we’d be sitting ducks, and I am not waiting for the fuckin’ federals to do it for us. Laguna Bend will defend its damn self, and that’s the Gods’-honest truth. And my wife will support me.” His knuckles were white on the reins. Judith didn’t reply.
—
Judith clasped her hands, keeping silent while River spoke with the bank teller. There were only a few other patrons in the building. The long dress felt uncomfortable around her legs and the collar itched. It was boiling and the bank seemed almost designed to trap the heat. She could feel sweat gathering uncomfortably at her back. She closed her eyes, just wishing she was anywhere else on earth.
There was a crash from behind her and she spun around in shock. The doors to the bank had been kicked open and three masked individuals stormed through, revolvers out and gleaming. River’s hand went to his holster, but there was a bang and a sudden smoking hole in the wall next to his head. He froze and Judith’s eyes went to the woman who’d shot the gun.
She wore a black mask that covered the lower half of her face. Judith could see her sharp brown eyes. She was tall, a couple inches taller than Judith. She wore trousers, something even more scandalous than the gun pointed in River’s face. She wore a light blue jacket over a loose white shirt and scruffy workman’s pants. Her boots were black leather with a steel tip, and she wore a black, expensive looking- gambler’s hat on top of her short black hair.
“Afternoon, sheriff,” she said. Judith could hear the grin in her harsh, raspy voice. “Why don’t ya toss that there equalizer to the ground before folks start gettin’ hurt?”
“Goes for the rest of ya!” her friend shouted. He was taller, burly, about River’s height, and broad-shouldered, clearly powerful and wearing a wide-brimmed white Stetson. He held a huge shotgun that looked ready to kill a rhino. “Guns down!”
“You heard him.” The final bandit, another woman wielding a rifle, aimed at one of the shocked guards. She wasn’t wearing a hat and her long dark hair was messy around her shoulders. “Down.”
Guns went dropping to the floor. River didn’t drop his. “C’mon, Ward,” the woman with the revolver grinned. “Drop the gun or I make your pretty little wife here a pretty little widow.” Judith blinked. River bit his lip. The woman rolled her eyes and reached forward with her other hand, snatching the front of Judith’s dress and dragging her into a tight grip, her arm wrapped tight around her neck faster than she could blink. “You think you can draw faster than I can pull the trigger?” her assailant whispered. “You’re welcome to try, but all you’ll do is put dear, uh… what’s your name?”
“Judith,” she choked out. “All you’ll do is put dear Judith below snakes and we don’t want that, do we? Drop the gun, Ward.”
River slowly took his revolver from his holster and dropped it to the marble floor. Judith expected the woman to let her go, but instead she felt a sharp yank as she was dragged from her husband towards the centre of the lobby. “Don’t fight me, don’t be a hero, you’ll be just fine,” she whispered in Judith’s ear. “Understood?” Judith nodded. “Good girl.” the woman muttered.
She raised her voice. “Nobody here’s gotta die. Just here to rob this fine establishment and my associates and I’ll be on our way.” The huge man grabbed the teller and pulled him towards the back, where they must have known the vault was. The other woman followed him and the bandit holding her backed into the centre of the room. Judith gasped as she felt the cold metal of the revolver’s barrel press against the side of her head. “Now,” she called. “Down on the floor, hands on your head. Anyone tries something, poor Judith here is gonna have her brains spread all over this lovely marble.”
Judith’s heart was beating faster than it had in years. She felt fearful goosebumps rise all over her body. The woman’s hold on her wasn’t so tight that she couldn’t breath, but at the same time she was completely unable to escape. She saw the few people in the bank shuffle to their knees and her husband followed, staring at her with grim desperation. Judith's heart was beating faster than it ever had in her life.
The woman holding her didn’t falter. She heard shouting from behind and after a few tense minutes, the others came out from behind the till, holding a sack each. Neither seemed full. The large man came and whispered something in Judith’s captor’s ear. “You fuckin’- shit!” she cursed. “Gonna kill that sonova-”
“Bigger fuckin’ problems,” he hissed. “We gotta go.” He whispered something else and Judith felt her captor's grip tighten. “Oh, he’s dead .” she replied. “Cover me.”
She holstered her weapon and River went to move, but the man aimed his shotgun directly at his head. ‘Don’t even fuckin’ think about it, sheriff.’ She held on tight to Judith and pulled rope from inside her jacket, wrapping it so tight around her wrists they burned. The slight thrill was giving way to fear as her situation sank in. ‘What are you-’
"We were misinformed," the woman muttered. "Gonna need ya as an backup plan. Don’t struggle and ya should still be fine. But ‘fraid to say you’re gonna be with us longer than expected.”
“What the hell are you-”
She clamped a hand over Judith’s mouth. “Hush, now. Got bigger problems. What now, J?”
“Looks like federals," ‘J’ responded. “But we gotta get out, now.”
“There even any notes in the vault?”
"Couple a’ bundles,” the other woman hissed. “Nothing worth the trouble went through.”
“I’m gonna bury that fat bastard.” Judith’s captor finished tying the rope and grabbed her by the wrists. She heard her unholster her gun and she was pushed forward towards the door, feeling the cold barrel of the gun press against the back of her head. She stumbled as she was forced forward through the doors. She heard them lock, trapping River and the others in the bank inside. ‘J’ must have taken the keys from the teller. She was dragged forward towards three horses, one white with dark patches down its neck and face. The woman slung herself onto her horse and pulled Judith up behind her. She rapidly untied her bonds, grabbed her hands and brought them around her waist, re-tying the knot so Judith was trapped holding onto her. "You try n' yank me off and you break my fall,” she hissed. “N' you'll be dead long before your husband reaches us. Got it?” Judith nodded.
‘Hyah!’ her captor shouted and the horse took off like a shot down the street, her two companions following close behind on their own. Gunfire began to ring out behind them, and she heard bullets zip through the air, the few lawmen's poor aim failing to strike any of the outlaws. People began to shout as they reached the border of the town and out into the empty desert.
“Got riders!” the man shouted. Her captor hissed in frustation and keeping one hand on the reins, unholstered her revolver and aimed behind her over Judith’s shoulder. The bang nearly deafened her as she flinched away from the smoking barrel, but she could just barely hear the shout of V’s companion. “Shit! Nice shot, V!”
“Can barely fuckin’ aim with Lady Sheriff here!” V shouted back. “Gotta pick up the slack!”
A bullet zipped by just a few inches from Judith’s head and she couldn’t help but let out a sharp, maniacal laugh. She was more terrified than she’d ever been in her life. She’d been kidnapped by and literally tied to a strange woman wearing pants who was currently firing at her husband’s men while riding a horse that was going faster than she’d ever ridden with River. At any moment, one of the lawmen could misjudge a shot and shoot her in the back of the head, and even if they didn’t it was very likely that these bandits would execute her themselves as soon as they were out of reach of the town’s frankly inadequate law. She was scared out of her mind, but at the same time, never in her life of cleaning glasses at the local saloon, washing clothes and praying at the local chapel had she felt so damn alive. Her captor’s- V’s- eyes flicked back to her for a moment when she laughed, but she was clearly focused on other things. The others had started to shoot back and although Judith couldn’t crane her neck to see she knew at least some of the men she’d met at the sheriff’s office that morning were now dead. That feeling curdled and settled in her stomach, mixing with the thrill of the chase in a way that made her feel both euphoric and nauseous at once.
Her captors were clearly far less concerned. As the other woman fired back at their remaining pursuers, the man dug around in his bag with one hand and retrieved what looked like a red block. “V!” he shouted. Judith heard V growl as her gun clicked, empty of ammo. “Fine!” she shouted. She couldn’t see the man’s face, but she could almost feel his grin. He held the block under his arm and took a match from his coat, holding it close to the block and tossing it away. Judith saw a spark and it was only as the man threw it behind them that she realized what it was.
The men behind them shouted something, but it was too late. The dynamite exploded just as it landed, and Judith closed her eyes as she heard screams and a low boom. The man whooped in laughter and the other woman laughed. “Fuck yeah! Never fuckin’ fails!”
“Ya see any others?” V shouted.
“Nah! Two-bit town barely had any law! What now?”
“Ride ‘til sunset and set up camp. The other’s’ll have gone ahead. We ride t’ meet ‘em tomorrow.”
“And… Miss Sheriff over there?”
V blinked, seemingly having forgotten about Judith just behind her. “Shit. Can’t have her getting back too quickly. Hold her for a couple days and we shove her off by the next town.”
Judith felt like she should say something, but her mind hadn’t caught up to her situation. She felt dizzy, but from the speed of the horse or the gravity of her situation she wasn’t sure. It was only her hands tied tight around V’s waist that stopped her from falling off the horse. V pulled on the reins similarly to how River would and the horse slowed. The others yanked on their reins as well. From how V turned the horse to face them, Judith could tell that she was in charge.
“How much did we get from that?” she asked, her voice weary. The other woman dug around in her sack. “Uh… ten bucks. Jackie?”
“Didn’t got anything.” the burly man said, showing them his empty sack.
“God damn it!” V cursed. “Fuckin’- how!?”
“Why’d you rob Laguna Bend?” Judith asked before she could stop herself. They stared at her for a moment. She felt V start, like she’d forgotten she was there. “What?”
Judith now realized she had three outlaws, one of which had just killed three men with dynamite, staring at her in confusion and annoyance. Her mouth was dry. “Laguna Bend ain’t a town for folks with money,” she said, hoping she sounded braver than she felt. “Anyway, the law’s so bad most folks don’t even bother with the bank.”
“Well, shit.” Jackie said. V growled. “We get s’far as we can ‘til nightfall n’ set up camp. Tomorrow, we meet back up with the others. Then, we ride to NC. I got a goddamn bone to pick.”
Judith felt like she should say something, but she decided that not reminding the three annoyed murderers of her presence was probably the wisest move. V turned her horse and continued her gallop away from the only place Judith had ever known.
—
River collapsed to his knees and pounded the ground with his fist upon seeing the smoking crater scarring the desert outside Laguna Bend. His men, rough around the edges, but good lawmen, were dead. Their bodies were left strewn around the crater, almost unrecognisable. Even worse, his beloved wife and the future mother of his children had been robbed from him by the outlaws. Who knew what they would do with her, or how far they’d go? They could be on the West Coast by now.
‘Ya made a damn fine mess of this,’ a voice said from behind him. River turned his head to see a tall, dark skinned man with close-cropped greying hair and sharp eyes. He looked at River with disappointment. A golden badge gleamed on his lapel.
‘Who the hell-’
“Solomon Reed.” the man replied. “U.S. Marshals.”
River growled. “I told ‘em, I don’t want any damn federals-”
“Nah, that ain’t an option for ya no more. Especially after this fuck-up.” Reed gestured at the crater. “Talked to a few townsfolk. Bank robbery.”
He curled his fists and replied through grit teeth. “Sure seems like it.”
“And these were your men, huh?” Reed looked over the corpses of River’s men with a dismissive eye. “Fine job they did.”
“No damn federal is gonna come here and insult my -” River growled. Reed just raised an eyebrow and he stopped. He felt like he was being stared down by his father after missing a shot on a prized buck. Reed continued. “Was told your wife was taken. That the truth?”
River bit his lip. Things with Judith weren’t perfect- they never had been, to tell the truth-, but he hated the idea of her out there all alone and terrified with outlaws who could shoot her or scalp her or do God knows what else. “Yeah.”
Solomon nodded. “You wanna get her back? Ride with me.”
“I ain’t riding with a-”
“The varmint who robbed the bank.” Solomon interrupted. “They called her V, right?”
Reed paused, remembering the woman. Her sharp eyes, her harsh mocking voice, her gun in his face. V.
“I can do more than get your wife back,’ Reed said. His boots crunched on the sand as he approached River. He spotted a gleaming Schofield revolver on his hip.“I can make sure the woman who stole her away n’all her outlaw pals get a rope ‘round their neck for the trouble. ‘N I can do it with or without you.”
River looked over the dead bodies of his men. His fists curled and he nodded. Reed turned. “We ride tomorrow.”