Chapter Text
Disclaimer: I don't own The Magnificent Seven, not making any money, just cheap thrills.
Warnings: AU; Angst; Violence
Rating: FRT
A/N: This story is set in 1930s Wyoming and is inspired by the Kenny Rogers song, Lucille. Whenever I hear that song I see Josiah as the wronged husband. As the song mentions the city of Toledo, and having found there are other U.S. cities with that name, for the sake of the story I'm pretending that one of those other cities is located in Wyoming. Thanks to SJ for her help in fleshing out the outline for this story that has been floating in my head for a couple of months now.
Summary: In 1930s Wyoming, Josiah struggles to care for his four sons after his wife's desertion.
A Little Help From My Friends
Chapter 1
Josiah Sanchez looked out over his fields of wheat, a feeling of contentment stealing over him as the stalks waved in the wind. If Lucille could see the field like this maybe she would understand his surety that they would finally see the good year they needed. He knew this life hadn't been easy for his wife, but he hoped that with a good crop he could finally give her some of the things she had been forced to do without.
Lucille Sanchez glared at the small boy in front of her, the vase that had belonged to her mother at his feet. Her hand shot out, slapping the boy across the face. "You worthless little bastard, look what you've done," she screamed.
Vin dropped his head, blinking rapidly to hold the tears back. He hadn't meant to break the vase, he'd only been trying to reach his father's whiskey. He'd heard Nathan talking about how alcohol was good for cleaning wounds so they didn't get infected; he only wanted to clean the small cut on his finger. "I'm sorry, I only..."
"I don't care to hear your excuses Vincent," Lucille snarled. "It's bad enough I have to raise my husband's mistake, I shouldn't have to tolerate you destroying the few nice things I have."
Vin shook his head, "But you's always saying that vase is ugly."
Shaking with rage, Lucille grabbed the boy's thin arm, dragging him towards the small hall closet and shoving him inside. "You can come out when your father gets home and you can tell him you're the reason I'm leaving." Giving one last look of loathing towards the boy, she slammed the door closed. She was unaware of the silent witnesses to her tirade as she marched off to her room. She would pack the few nice things she had, take her butter and egg money and leave this hell hole that her husband insisted was a palace in the making. Curling her lips in disgust, she quickly packed her things and was soon on her way to town, dressed in her nicest outfit.
Buck had been in his room, playing with his cowboys and indians when his mother's voice had caught his attention. He sighed, it sounded like Vin was in trouble again. He glanced at the bed where JD lay napping, he was glad his mother hadn't woke his brother. Buck loved his mother, she was beautiful and always had a little story to tell him or his youngest brother. Yet, in the past two years, young Buck had been forced to admit his mother had a meanness in her. He didn't understand everything but he knew that two years ago there had been a knock at their door, a knock that had changed everything. When his father had opened the door, Vin had been on the other side, a note pinned to his shirt and a small bag in his hand. The bag hadn't held much, a change of clothes, a nightshirt, a beat-up harmonica and a small picture of his mother.
His father had brought the younger boy inside and removed the note from his shirt. After he had read the note, he had spoken quietly with the little boy before taking Buck's mother into the other room. Buck had heard their voices as they spoke, it was the first time he could remember hearing his mother sound truly angry. He hadn't liked it and for a time he had blamed Vin for the change in his mother. That anger towards the younger boy had continued until a year later. Vin had woke up crying, still frightened from the nightmare that had woke him. Buck had thought about getting up to check on him when the door opened, admitting his mother to the room shared by all four boys. Buck had closed his eyes, Vin would be okay now, mama would see to that. Shocked, he had listened as his mother laid into Vin for waking her up, warning him that he'd better not do it again or she would switch him for it. That had been a turning point for Buck, it was then he had realized that the only one to blame for the change in his mother was his mother.
Later he had spoken to Nathan, his adopted brother, about the way his mother treated Vin. He had thought maybe Nathan would understand it, after all she didn't treat him much better. Nathan had explained that Buck's father had known Vin's mother and that Lucille hated the reminder that there had been another woman Josiah had liked, that was why she was so mean to Vin. Buck had been angry, that wasn't fair, it wasn't Vin's fault.
When he heard his mother saying she was leaving, a part of him wanted to rush out of his room and beg her to stay. He didn't though, somehow he knew they would be better off without his mother's hatred and anger poisoning the air, certainly Vin and Nathan would suffer less with in his mother's absence. As soon as he heard the car start up, Buck left his room, hurrying to the closet. He opened the door, his heart flooding with sadness as his little brother looked up at him with big blue eyes that pleaded for understanding. "You can come out now Vin."
Vin shook his head, "She said I had to wait for Pa to come home." He wanted out of the small closet, he hated it in here, but he didn't want a whipping.
"She's gone Vin," Buck told the younger boy. "I don't think she's coming back."
"I'm sorry Buck, I didn't mean to be bad," Vin whimpered.
"I know Vin, but you ain't really bad," Buck tried to console the boy.
"Buck's right Vin, come on out of there now," Nathan said, startling both of the younger boys. At twelve, Nathan was the oldest of the four boys, and would naturally take charge whenever the children were alone. "Ms. Lucille left?" he asked Buck.
Buck nodded, "She had a bag, I don't think she's coming back."
Nathan sighed, he wasn't surprised. He had lived with the Sanchez family for a few years now and like many people in these times they struggled to meet the needs of their children. Rarely was there anything left over for extras, sometimes there wasn't even enough to cover the necessities. Ms. Lucille had never enjoyed living hand to mouth as she called it, but she had tolerated it, until the day little Vin had arrived on their doorstep. The constant evidence of her husband's unfaithfulness was more than she could take. Unfortunately she chose to take her anger out, not on the man who deserved it, but on the innocent little boy who still grieved for the mother he had loved.
Trusting his brothers, Vin crawled from the small space. Heaving a sigh of relief, he stood up. "Nathan?" he nearly whispered.
"What is it Vin?" Nathan kindly asked, while inside he seethed over the treatment Ms. Lucille had heaped on his brother.
"I gots a cut," Vin said, holding out his finger.
Nathan took the small hand in his, "So ya do. Come on to the kitchen and I'll clean it up for ya." Treating the small cut didn't take long, and once he was done he shooed the younger boy out of the room. Nathan didn't know how to cook much, but he guessed he could make some pancakes and fry some sausage. He hoped his father wouldn't be too disappointed at the less than filling meal he would find, but it was the best he could do. Pulling ingredients from the pantry, Nathan began to mix up the batter. It was to this scene that Josiah returned.
Josiah furrowed his brow in confusion. "Nathan, son, what are you doing?"
"Fixing supper," Nathan replied. Taking a deep breath, he steadied himself for the task at hand. "Ms. Lucille left," he carefully began. "she took a bag with her."
"Damn her," Josiah cursed, his hand curling into a fist. Seeing the fear in Nathan's eyes, he forced himself to a calmness he didn't feel. God knew things hadn't been good between them for a couple of years, not since she had discovered the short affair he'd had with Spotted Dear, an affair that had given him another son. "I'm sorry Nathan, I shouldn't have said that. What are you making?"
Nathan relaxed, he'd wondered for a minute if Josiah was going to hurt him. It was true the man had never done so before, but he'd never had reason to be this angry before either. Nathan trusted his adopted father, but he'd already seen one adult visit their anger upon an innocent child. "Pancakes and sausage."
Josiah nodded, "Do you think you can look after your brothers while I go to town?"
"I guess," Nathan hesitantly replied. "Can't ya go after supper?"
He shook his head, "It's gonna take me a little while to get there, but I've got to get the car back if nothing else." He wasn't about to tell the twelve year old that he was going to try to convince Lucille to come home, a man had his pride after all.
"Oh," Nathan hadn't thought about that, he guessed they did need the car. "Don't worry Pa, I'll take good care of the kids."
Josiah smiled, "I know you will son. I'll be back as soon as I can," he promised. Turning on his heel, he started the long walk into town.
　
Chris Larabee leaned back in his chair, sipping the beer, enjoying the coolness as it slid down his parched throat. He'd stopped in the small town of Toledo, Wyoming a week ago. It was just one more town to pass through as he searched for any sign of his wife and son. A year ago he'd had a small farm in Oklahoma, in the heart of what they were calling the dust bowl. The first few years there had been good, but then erosion had set in and soon the topsoil was blowing in the wind, literally and the promised land had turned to ashes. He had struggled on for a couple of years, promising Sarah that soon things would turn around for them. He didn't really blame her for leaving. It was a miracle she'd held on as long as she had. Sarah was a beautiful woman and she deserved to be surrounded by pretty things, not choking on the dust of the prairies. Coming home to find his family gone had been the catalyst for Chris. He'd turned his back on the small farm and left, drifting from town to town as he searched for the woman and child he loved.
Arriving in Toledo, he had been in need of funds if he was going to continue his search. Asking at the local bar, he had been pointed in the direction of Bill Miller. Mr. Miller was an older man who owned a small gold mine a few miles from town. He wasn't making a fortune, but he was making a comfortable living from the operation. Unfortunately, his horse had thrown him a few days before Chris' arrival, leaving the older man unable to work. Fearing claim jumpers, Miller had hired Chris to work his claim until he had recovered. In exchange Larabee would receive room and board, along with a small share of any gold he found during the time he worked the mine. That had been a week ago. The work was hard, but satisfying in its way. Chris had come to town to tell Miller how the workings were progressing. After the short meeting, he made his way to the bar across from the bus depot, intent on enjoying a couple of beers before he returned to the mine.
Chris looked up when the door opened, his eyes widened when he took in the attractive blonde as she eased into the room. He hadn't realized there were such attractive women in these parts. Then he saw it, the wedding ring on her left hand. He watched with a frown as the woman made her way to the bar, slipping her ring off as she sat down near the only other man in the place. He listened with growing sadness as she spoke, all too easily imagining Sarah saying similar things. Of course his Sarah would never be in a bar picking up men. His attention was pulled from the bar by the opening of the door a second time. The man standing there was huge and as he headed towards the woman, Chris wondered if he would have to protect the blonde from the man.
Josiah had made it to town much more quickly than he had expected, thanks to a ride with a passing neighbor. Seeing his car parked in front of the Brand B Bar, he figured that was where he would find his wayward wife. Stepping inside, it took a moment for his eyes to adjust to the dark interior. He had expected to feel anger, but all he felt was pain. The pain of loss as he saw his wife speaking to a man he'd never seen before and the pain of guilt as he realized he had pushed her to this. Still, for the sake of his children if nothing else, he had to try.
"You picked a fine time to leave me Lucille," his deep voice rumbled.
Lucille hid her surprise. "Surely you saw it coming Josiah," she coldly answered.
"Maybe," Josiah admitted. "Still, we got four hungry children waiting at home and I got a crop to care for. How do I take care of it all alone?"
She turned to him then, a cruel smirk on her face. "That would be your problem Mr. Sanchez. I never wanted children, you knew that when we wed, and yet within only a year of our marriage I found myself with a child to tend to. You wanted those children, wanted to be a farmer, well you're welcome to it all. I am finished living on dreams which are not my own." Without another word, she turned back to the other man and took his hand. Letting him lead her from the bar, she left Josiah standing alone, his heart broken by the cruelty of her words.
Humilated and hurting, Josiah left the bar. He returned in a moment with a small bag in his hand. "Fred, if my wife returns could you see that she gets this?"
"Sure thing Josiah," Fred Baker replied. He had recognized Lucille Sanchez when she walked in the bar, it was a small town after all. Like many in Toledo, he had never thought the woman would stick it out on Josiah's farm. It was too isolated and she had always been a flighty little thing, made for the bright lights of a city not the peacefulness and hard work of a farm. Frankly he was surprised she'd lasted the nearly dozen years of their marriage.
"Thank you." Josiah turned away and left the bar once more. A moment later he was driving his car back along the road towards his home and children. He promised himself that no matter the difficulty, he would find a way to provide his children with all of the love and care they deserved. He wouldn't allow his wife's desertion to deprive his boys of what they should have.
TBC
Well that's the first chapter and I hope y'all liked it. Please feed the muse with reviews.