by Karen

Author's Note: Thanks to Sameena for all her help with this story. You're the best!

Disclaimer: The characters of The Young Riders were created for television by Ed Spielman. The series aired on ABC TELEVISION from 1989 - 1992. This story is a sequel to my stories "Acceptance" and "Morning Sun" which took place six years after the Pony Express was disbanded.

Chapter Four

"It'll be fine," Buck tried to reassure Kid as he and Kid waited anxiously outside Louise's door. Kid just nodded and continued to pace. Buck wished Teresa would get here. He hadn't seen her in town, but he'd left word with Jeremiah at the sheriff's office. He felt sure she knew. Just when he was sure the Kid would wear a hole in the floor, the doctor came out.
"They're both fine. You have a healthy baby boy and an exhausted, but healthy wife. Why not go see them?"
Kid shook the doctor's hand. "Thank you," he said.
"Don't mention it," replied the doctor. "Keep her resting a few more days. I'll be back later this week. Go see them."
Buck pushed Kid into the room, waved at Lou and closed the door. He walked out with the doctor, "They really both alright?" he asked.
"Yes, they're both fine. A few days of rest and Louise will be up and around. I'll check back later. If they need anything before then, come get me."
"Thanks, Doc. I'll do that," said Buck.
He watched the doctor ride off and then returned to the stock pens and the tiresome job of separating cattle. He waved to his wife when he saw the buckboard go by and then returned to his work. The excitement of the afternoon had caused him to fall behind schedule so he didn't notice that Mary Morning Sun wasn't with her mother.
When it got to dark to see the different brands, he headed back up to the main house where Jeremiah, Kid and Louise lived. He figured Teresa and Mary Morning Sun would be over visiting and helping get the evening meal ready. He opened the door quietly so as not to disturb the new mother and her son.
"What do I do?" he heard Teresa say.
"Go home," said Kid. "Get her cleaned up and into bed. Keep Buck from seeing her until the morning. Get him to come here to talk to Jeremiah, tell him I need to see him, anything. Just don't let him see her before she's cleaned up. Now get back to your house and get Jeremiah over here."
"How do I explain what happened?" asked Teresa.
"You don't explain any more than you know. Just break it to him in pieces," Kid said.
Buck stood still, his hand still on the door latch. Something had happened to Mary Morning Sun. He quietly slipped back out the door. He got his horse and headed towards the stables. He put the horse up for the night, cleaned himself up for dinner, and looked towards his home. He wondered what could possibly have happened in town to have Teresa so upset and afraid to talk to him.
He waited at the stables until he was sure Teresa had enough time to have gotten back to their house. Then he walked over and slipped in the kitchen door. He found her sitting at the table crying. He went to her side.
"I'm so sorry," she said as she buried her face in his chest.
"Why?" he asked.
Just then there was a scream from upstairs, and Jeremiah came running down the stairs. "Sorry," he said as he flew past them and out the door.
Buck went upstairs. He found his daughter standing outside her bedroom door. Her clothes were a mess, her face was bruised and her hand was bandaged. He could tell that it had been bleeding. She took one look at her father and disappeared into her room slamming the door shut behind her. Buck heard the latch fall into place and the muffled cries coming from her room. He stood there, powerless to help.
He tried talking to her, but quickly figured out that he was only making it worse. Finally, he went downstairs.
"Let me try," said Louise as she entered the house on Jeremiah's arm. She went up the stairs and they soon heard the door open and close. As soon as he'd helped Louise up the stairs, Jeremiah left and went back to the main house.
"She should be at home in bed," Buck said to Teresa.
"I know, but she came over when she heard Jeremiah telling Kid he didn't know what we were going to do. She decided that she could help since she's the best one of us all at getting Morning Sun to calm down. I just pray she can help us this time," said Teresa.
The two of them sat is silence for what seemed like years. Finally, Louise came back down the stairs. "She's getting ready for bed. I'd give her a few minutes before either of you go up there. In fact, I think I'd just leave her be until morning. I think she'll be fine by then. She's very upset. She wouldn't tell me why, just that she's ruined everything. You know how stubborn and closed lipped she can be when she's troubled. Prying ain't gonna do any good." Louise smiled weakly at Buck, "She's got too much of her father in her."
Buck stood and went to Louise. "Thank you, Lou. Let me help you get home. Then I'll go check on her." He turned to Teresa, "Alright?"
Louise took hold of the arm he offered her and nodded.
Teresa nodded also. "I'll stay here in case she calls, but I won't go up unless she does. I don't want to make things worse again."
Buck nodded and headed Louise towards the door. He helped her back to her own house where Kid took over the job of getting her back into bed.
Buck reentered his kitchen, he glanced at his wife. "Anything?" he asked.
She shook her head. Buck turned and quietly climbed the stairs. He went to Mary Morning Sun's bedroom and gently pushed open the door. Standing in the doorway, Buck watched his seven year-old daughter sleep. She looked so peaceful and content. So different from how she had appeared just hours earlier this evening. He sighed as he quietly closed her door and turned to join his wife in the kitchen.
"How is she?" asked Teresa.
Sleeping," Buck answered. He sat next to Teresa. "Can you tell me what happened? I promise I won't get upset."
Teresa smiled, "Yes you will; you can't help it. It's who you are."
"Please," said Buck. "I need to know what upset her or I can't help her. She's so young."
Teresa nodded. "We discussed her choice of names on the ride into town and when we went to the school she introduced herself as Morning Sun Cross. We asked when classes started and if she could start this year or not. The teacher, Miss Clarke, said that classes started next week and that Morning Sun Cross was more than welcome to attend.
"We found out what items she would need, and left to go back to the store to get the supplies we needed for here. On the way out of the school, we met Nathan Jones and Nicholas."
Buck's breathing quickened at the mention of Nathan Jones, but he kept himself from interrupting Teresa.
She continued, pretending not to notice the change in Buck's demeanor, "The children went to go play with some other kids from town. Nathan went inside to talk to Miss Clarke about Nicholas enrolling in school, and I went back to the store to pick up our supplies.
"I'm not sure what happened because I wasn't there, but the best I can figure out is that Morning Sun started a fist fight with Nicholas. I don't know what they were fighting over. She refused to tell me, and he wouldn't tell his father. It was rather awkward. He was in trouble for fighting with a girl; she was in trouble for fighting at all, and to top it off she'd won." Teresa sighed.
"When I got there, Miss Clarke had Morning Sun by the arm and Nathan had hold of Nicholas. I probably made things worse by telling her that if she couldn't get along with other children Miss Clarke would have every reason to not let her come to school. At least that's when she pulled herself free from Miss Clarke's grasp and ran off. She went to the jail and waited for Jeremiah. He had to bring her home. Maybe he knows more."
Buck shook his head. What could possibly have caused his sweet little girl to get in a fight? He knew she was able to defend herself. He'd made sure of that. No one was going to hurt her as they had his mother, at least not without paying for it. But he'd also taught her to only fight in order to defend herself. She was never to try and hurt someone else just for fun or out of anger. He couldn't for the life of him figure out what another child could have done to cause her to . . .
"Isn't Nicholas Jones a bit older than Morning Sun?" he asked.
"I think he's around 9 or 10," answered Teresa. "Why?"
"Just thinking," answered Buck. "I'm going to go talk to Jeremiah."
Early the next morning, Buck went to his daughter's room and gently shook her awake. "Morning Sun, I need you to tell me something. I'm sorry to wake you so early, but it's important I know."
Mary Morning Sun Cross sat up sleepily. Her liquid brown eyes looked at her father and then the floor. "I'm sorry," she said. "I didn't mean to cause trouble so I can't go to school. I didn't mean to make you ashamed of me. I know you think schooling's important, but I couldn't let him say those things and not punish him."
"That's alright, Baby. What did he say that made you so mad?" Buck reassured his daughter with a hug.
Morning Sun pulled away from her father and continued staring at the floor. She took a deep breath then said, "He said Momma weren't nothing but a whore 'cause she was with you instead of his daddy. He said that she couldn't be a good person if she weren't married proper in the church and since you was a low-down, dirty, half-breed and a heath . . . a heathen there probably hadn't been no proper wedding. That would make me a no good bas. . ."
Buck cut her off. Taking a deep breath to control his own rising anger, he said, "That's alright. I don't need to hear the rest. What did you say?"
She glanced at her father before continuing, "I told him you and Momma was married by the priest in the church same as his ma and pa. That I was baptized and we went to church most Sundays. I told him that if he didn't take back what he said about Momma I was gonna whomp him to defend her honor," she paused and peeked at Buck. "You know, like them knights in those stories we read."
"He wouldn't take it back?" Buck asked.
Morning Sun shook her head. "He just laughed and said that seeing as how I had a whore for a momma and a no 'count half-breed for a papa he doubted I knew what honor was. Only respectable folks had that. That's when I hit him."
She sighed. "I told him that my folks was some of the most honor-filled people around and that he was just jealous 'cause my momma hadn't run off and left me like his had, and that my daddy didn't beat me for no reason. That's when he hit me.
"It just kind of went from there until the other kids was around us hollering. Pretty soon I had him on the ground sitting on his back with his arm twisted up behind him like you and Jeremiah taught me. I told him I'd break it if he didn't take it all back."
She started to cry, "That's when Miss Clarke came and told me to get off of him. Then Momma showed up and told me if that's how I was gonna behave I wouldn't be able to come to school. I got upset and run to Jeremiah at the jail. He let me stay with him until he come home." She lifted her eyes to search her father's face fearing the anger and disappointment she knew would be there.
To surprise, it wasn't. Instead there was love and pride -- maybe even a touch of approval. Buck smiled at his daughter, "I can't think of a more noble cause to get in a fight over than defending your mother's honor, but you'll need to work on not letting others make you lose your temper if you don't want to keep getting in trouble in school."
"You mean I can still go?" she asked.
"I'm sure you can. Especially if we go later and explain to Miss Clarke what happened and you promise to do your best not to let it happen again," Buck said with a smile.
"We can go this morning if you want. You only have one thing you have to do first after you get dressed."
"What's that?" asked Morning Sun with worried frown.
"You have to go meet your new cousin," answered Buck. "He came yesterday around the time you were busy defending our family honor."

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