Part 1:

Chris entered Eagle Bend on a freezing November evening, wishing he had brought his heavier coat as the harsh wind bit at his cheeks.  Damn, he’d be glad to get to the hotel and bury himself under the covers. 

Chris was on boring package detail and was traveling alone as everyone else was tied up with something or another.  Josiah and Nathan were out at the Indian village helping with the residents rebuild a few homes that had suffered from a recent fire.  JD and Buck were delivery a prisoner to Bradley, looking forward to Miss Marcella’s cooking.  That left Vin and Ezra to watch the town.  While Chris had originally thought of sending one of them, as no good ever came of that pair being by themselves, he had decided it would do him some good to get out of town and spend some time alone.  Now he was regretting that decision.

He quickly stopped in at the jail, picked up the package and headed over to the nearest saloon to find a room and a meal. 

The saloon was full of people seeking shelter from the cold and after a bit of looking, and some usage of the Larabee glare, he found a seat and went about trying to get some waitress to notice him. 

Finally he spotted one, her back was turned to him, busy as she was with another customer at a nearby table.  As moved to head back to the kitchen Larabee called to her, the woman turning around at his voice.

Chris was instantly struck by her age.  The girl could not have been more than fifteen, her large dark eyes shining with both innocence and hardship.  She was a strange looking girl, different than most Chris had ever seen.  The waitress was tall for her age with a long neck, high cheekbones, pale skin, black hair and a strong nose.  Dressed in a drab dress that hung on her too small frame, the young waitress looked like a little lost girl.

““How can I velp you, sir?” she asked, her accent thick and foreign. 

Chris looked at the girl for a moment, wondering why a girl four years younger than Casey was working in a saloon.  Cause her family needs the money, he thought.

He shook away the thought and said, “I’d like some stew and a beer ma’am.”

The girl nodded and moved away quickly.  Chris watched her leave, wondering what the girl was doing so far away from wherever she had come from.  Wonder where that is? he thought.  He smiled.  Josiah or Ezra would know.  Hell, those two could probably speak her native tongue, whatever it was.

He shook his head, thoughts of the young waitress floating away as easily as they had arrived, as he simply enjoyed the warmth of the saloon.

Chris threw his hat and gun belt on a chair and plopped down on the bed, pulling off his boots.  He did not care how lumpy the saloon bed was as long as it was warm he would be happy.  After the warm stew and the cold ride Chris was ready to curl up in bed and just forget the world.

“Get over there you little Russian bitch!” 

Chris’s head snapped up and the yell, which was followed immediately by something hitting the other side of one of the walls of Chris’s room with a thud. 

Instantly on guard, Chris grabbed his gun and left his room.  Standing in the hallway without boots, gun in hand, knocking at the door Chris recognized that he was crazy.  None of this was his business, but hell, that did not matter in the least at that moment.  All he could think about was the thud he had heard.

“What the hell is it?” the same voice that had yelled a moment ago asked angrily.

“What’s going on in there?”

“None of your business.  Now go the hell away.”

“Well I’m making it my business,” Chris growled as shoved open the door, which the idiot had forgotten to lock. 

For an instant Chris was faced with the end of a gun barrel and he knew he had let his passion get the best of him.  Suddenly the man dropped boneless to the ground, revealing a young girl standing on a chair behind him, a heavy bible in her hands. 

Chris just stared at the girl, not more than twelve, for a moment before moving into action.  He shut the door and lowered his gun, moving to the man to make sure he was out but still alive.  Relieved to find a pulse, Chris looked up to see the girl watching him warily, Bible ready.

“Hope you don’t plan on giving me a Bible teaching too?” he said with a small smile.  

The girl’s looked softened slightly, though she still watched him carefully through dark eyes.

“Are you goin’ to ‘urt us too?” she asked, the same thick accent of the waitress filling the room.

Chris forced a smile and shook his head.  “Naw, I ain’t going to hurt you.”

The girl watched him a moment before smiling, lowering her weapon.  Suddenly, the smile disappeared as she seemed to remember something.  She jumped off the chair, and dropped the bible.

“Jelena!” she yelled, running to the still form by the wall that Chris had not yet noticed.

Chris walked over to where the girl was hunched over the form, shaking her by the shoulder, trying her to get up.  Chris sat on his heels next to the two girls and his eyebrows rose when he realized it was his waitress.  He should have known, what with the young girl’s accent and the same pale skin and dark eyes and hair.

“Jelena, Jelena,” the young girl repeated.  “Please vake up,” she begged.

“Larissa?” came a small voice.

Chris turned his head to see yet another dark eyed girl, this one only six.  She had clearly been crying and clutched a tattered doll to her chest, her eyes widening at the sight of the inert form of the waitress.

“Stay over dar, Vania,” the middle girl, apparently Larissa, commanded.

“Is Jelena all vight?” the little girl asked, her voice beginning to waver.

Chris knew that tone, had heard it in Adam right before his son burst into tears.  This was getting out of hand and it was time to get things under control.

“Larissa,” he said firmly.

The girl looked up at him quickly, surprised to hear her name coming from the English stranger.

Chris looked at her steadily, using a softer version of the Larabee glare.  “We need to get Jelena out of here, and then one of you is going to tell me what is going on.”

Larissa just stared at this man who spoke so much like her papa; stern but not cruel.  She simply nodded to show him she understood.

Chris gave her a nod before picking up Jelena and carrying her to the door.  “Come on,” he said without looking back. 

Larissa jumped up, hurried to the corner of the room, and grabbed their one bag before turning to the little girl standing in the room, her huge eyes glued on the disappearing form of Jelena.

“Come on Vania,” the older girl said, grabbing the little one’s free hand.

“Vere is he takin’ Jelena?” she asked.

“To somevere save,” Larissa assured her as they followed Chris out of the room.

Chris led them into his room, wondering what he was going to do next.  While he wanted to go into his room and take the time to look Jelena over and find out what the hell was going on, he knew the man next door would wake up with murder on his mind.  Chris did not doubt that he could deal with the man if he was alone, but now he had three foreign girls to look after.  God, what the hell am I doing?

“Larissa.”

The girl was instantly by his side, little Vania clutching her hand.  “Ves, sir?”

“My gun belt and hat are over on that chair.  Could you hand them to me?”

Larissa nodded, let go of Vania’s hand with some assurances and hurried over to the chair, retrieving the items.

“Vere you are sir,” she said, handing them to him.

“Thank you,” he replied, grasping them with one free hand.  With a little trouble he put on his hat and slung his gun belt over his shoulder.  It wasn’t too hard considering Larissa wasn’t heavy at all.  “Now, could you get my boots?”

With another nodded, Larissa did as he asked, holding up the boots to him.

“Good.  Now could you do me the favor of holding onto those until I ask for em?”

She nodded.

“Now, you make sure you take good care of them boots, they’re my favorite,” he said with smile.

Larissa pulled the boots close to her, a serious expression on her face.  “I vill.”

“Good girl.  Now let’s get out of here.”

With that Chris headed down the back stairs of the saloon, two little girls on his heels.

PART 2:

y this has been so long and it's been so long I think this is the 3rd posting, if I'm wrong you didn't miss a piece, I just can't count.  Plz tell me what you think!

-Answer to Nov 2003


Chris ducked his head as snow was blown directly into his path by the harsh wind.  I'm insane, he thought for the hundredth time as he pulled his arms tighter around little sleeping Vania.

After leaving the saloon Chris had led the girls to the stables and, with some trouble, placed all three on Job's back, finding a seat in the saddle behind Vania and in front of Jelena, who was still unconscious, and Larissa, who was holding on tightly to her sister.

Now he was riding through the middle of a blizzard with three girls, one of them wounded and unconscious.  The only blessing was that the snow would keep anyone from following them.  Chris did not know what was going on, but his gut told him to keep the girls away from the man in the saloon.  It also told him that he had to find a place to hole up for the night before any of them froze to death. 

Vin said there was a cave in an outcropping around here somewhere, Chris thought.  He squinted through the snow and spotted rock formations standing out against the gray haze.  Turning Job to the right Chris headed for the cave, urging the black into a trot. 

Vania stirred at the sudden change in movement.  "Vere are ve going?" the little girl asked sleepily.

"Some where safe," Chris guaranteed her, wrapping his arms tighter around her form.  She is as small as Adam was, Chris thought.  But this was not his son, nor was it the daughter he might have had.  That's what Sarah had wanted next, a girl.  She had even been picking out names. 

Chris sighed, pushing away the memories, focusing on the task at hand, getting the three girls warm. 

When Chris reached the small-mouthed cave he carefully dismounted and led Job into the back of the cave, sheltered from the wind and snow. 

"Come on Vania," he said, holding out his arms. 

The little girl happily let Chris take her from Job's back and place her on the ground. 

"Jelena next." 

Larissa pulled her hands away from her sister as Chris gently lifted her in his arms and laid her on the ground.  He then helped Larissa down, placing her next to her sisters.

Chris gazed around the cave and noticed a pile of wood Vin had probably stowed away just in case.  Thank God that man plans ahead, he thought.  He then turned to the three girls.  

"All right, I'm going to start a fire, then I want an explanation."

Larissa nodded gravely as she sat down between Vania and Jelena.  "Sir?"

"Yes?" he said, looking back from the wood.

"Vat is your name, please?"

"Chris Larabee."

"Thank you Mr. Larabee."

Chris smiled at the girl softly.  "You're welcome Larissa."  He raised an eyebrow.  "It is Larissa isn't it?"

She smiled and nodded.  "Ves, Larissa Pavlov, and these are my sisters Jelena and Vania."

"Pretty names."

Larissa blushed at the cowboy that seemed to have come right out of one of the stories Papa had told her in the old country. 

"Thank you."

Chris gave her a smile before turning back to the fire he was building. 

Larissa watched him for a moment before she turned to her sisters. 

Vania was sitting next to Jelena, petting her big sister's hair.  Larissa moved over to them and looked down at her sister who was still asleep.  There was a dark bruise on her face from where Mr. Johnson had hit her and her shoulder was mottled with bruises from where she had hit the wall.

"Mind if I have a look?"

Both girls turned to see Chris standing behind them, his saddle bag in his hands.

Larissa nodded.  Permission granted, Chris moved over to Jelena and turned her gently onto her back.  She'd been hit in the face and the shove against the wall had obviously bruised her whole right side.  There was a bump on her head, the reason she was unconscious.  The fact that she had been out for awhile worried Chris, but the bump didn't look that badly.  She had been out for so long probably because she didn't look that well fed and she looked as if this wasn't the first beating she'd taken.  He pushed gently on her ribs and found nothing broken.  One damn blessing, he thought.  A little food and rest and she would be fine.

"Is Jelena goin' to ve all vight?"

Chris looked up at little Vania who was staring at him with big worried black eyes.  "She's going to be fine."

The smile on Vania's face would have made anyone's heart melt, and Chris found himself smiling.  "Now, let's get something in you two," Chris said as he pulled a blanket over Jelena, making her as comfortable as he could.  That done he moved over to the fire and pulled out his canteen jerky.  The girls were still sitting by their big sister.

"I'd hate for your sister to wake up to find you both passed out from hunger."  That did the trick.  Larissa led Vania over to him, each sitting on one side.  "It ain't much I'm afraid, but it should hold you over," Chris said as he handed each one a piece of jerky.  Larissa gazed at her piece in curiosity for a moment before beginning to eat it.  Vania just started chewing and Chris almost laughed at the expression on the girl's face as she tried to chew the hard jerky.  As Vania worked on her jerky, she cuddled up next to Chris. 

At first Chris wasn't quite sure what to do.

I wish Ezra was here, he thought.  Ezra was so good with children, they just flocked to him and he was always so comfortable around them, always knowing what to say.  Children had never like Chris, even before the death of his family.  He was pretty sure he scared them.  He'd never been that comfortable around them either.  It had taken him awhile to get used to having someone around who trusted him completely and the idea that he couldn't break his son.  After Adam's death the sight of another kid was painful for a long time.  Why Billy trusted him so, or why Chris tolerated him was beyond Chris.  It mostly had to do with the fact that Billy looked like Adam, which Chris knew was unfair to the boy.  But, Chris didn't want to crush his feelings by spurning him.  So he spent time with Billy, but he was never truly comfortable around him. 

And they had to be girls, Chris thought.  At least boys he had experience with, girls were a whole other matter.  Now Ezra was at his best around little girls.  They trusted him instantly and he knew exactly what they liked and how to talk to them.  In fact, Chris believed, while Ezra loved all children, little girls were his favorite.  If Ezra ever had children, Chris hoped he had several girls.  He chuckled at the thought of several green- eyed Standish girls scheming and running around Four Corners.  That's the last thing we need, he thought.  All he could think about was the ease in which Maude could wrap everyone around her finger. 

With an image of Ezra playing with little Julia Jackson in his mind, he wrapped his arm around Vania's shoulders and held her close.  The little girl instantly responded to the touch snuggled further into Chris's side. 

Larissa eyed her sister and then looked up at Chris, unsure if he could be trusted.  After a moment of consideration she leaned against him.

Chris looked down in surprise at the feisty girl leaning contently against his side, eyes closed.  He smiled.  For all her fire, she was quite sweet when it came to doing what he asked.  He wondered why a girl who had stared at him with such mistrust at first, did whatever he asked.

He leaned against the wall and closed his eyes, his arms wrapping protectively around the two little girls snuggled into his sides. 

PART 3:

Chris awoke a few hours later, finding that the fire had died and Vania and Larissa were asleep.  He found himself smiling down at the two girls who were holding onto him like he was there father. 

He looked over at Jelena to make sure she was all right.  She was in the same position she had been before he'd gone to sleep.  Chris felt worry gnawing at his gut.  Maybe he had been wrong.  Maybe the girl was in serious trouble.  Maybe there nothing he could do.  Maybe she would just slip away and leave her two little sisters alone in a strange country.

Chris shook his head.  When did I start to worry so much? hethought.  I'm starting to sound like Nathan.

Just then he saw Jelena's eyes flutter and one of her hands twitch.  Moving first Vania, then Larissa, to the ground, Chris carefully moved out from underneath the girls, succeeding in not waking them.  Quietly he moved towards the waitress and kneeled beside her.  Not wanting to scare her, he waited for her to fully awake before making any move towards her.

Jelena moved her head slightly as she fought to get out of the fog she was in.  Her eyes struggled to open and when they did they settled on a darkly dressed man with gray eyes staring at her.  Her eyes grew wide and she jerked away from the man, ignoring the searing pain in her head and side.

Chris damned himself for scaring her and laid his hands as gently as he could on her shoulders, trying to hold her still so she wouldn't herself further.

This did not help the situation at all.  Jelena tried to pull away from Chris, her eyes wide with fear.  "Who are you?  Where are my sister!?" she croaked out.

"Shhhhhh," he hushed, surprising her.  "They are over there, sleeping," he said quietly, pointing. 

She turned her head and when she was satisfied that they were fine she looked back at the strange man.  She stared at him for several moments, trying to place his face though it was hard with the pounding in her head.  After a moment, realization lit in her eyes.

"I served you tonight."  It was not a question but a statement.

Chris just nodded.  Deciding that it was safe, he removed his hands from her shoulders and sat back on his heels. 

Free, Jelena tried to sit up but grabbed her head as pain radiated through her skull.

"Easy now," Chris said, gently pushing her down.  He disappeared for a moment before returning with a cup of water, which he held out to her.  "Here, drink."  Without another word he eased the girl up just a little so she could sip from the cup.  When she was done he settled her back on the cave floor, absent mindedly pulling the blanket up over her shoulders.  That done he sat back to give her some room.

"Who are you and vie are you being so nice to me and vere are ve?" 

It's like talking to JD, Chris thought, so many damn questions.  Though he guessed that if he was in her situation he'd have just as many questions.

"Name's Chris Larabee ma'am and you're in a cave coupled miles outside of Eagle Bend.  I heard some man hitting you and got you and your sisters out of there."

Jelena just stared at him before a few tears trickled down her cheeks.  "You stopped Mr. Johnson and got my little sisters out of zere?"

Chris nodded, concern washing over him that perhaps the girl was hurt worse than he thought.  "Are you all right Miss Pavlov?"  Even though this girl was younger than Casey or JD, Chris felt that what she had obviously been through had earned her the honor of being called Miss Pavlov. 

Jelena nodded weakly, wiping at her tears.  She felt silly at crying but the gratitude she felt was overwhelming.  "You have no idea how grateful I am to you Mr. Larabee.  I owe my life and ze lives of my sisters."

"Now I ain't no hero ma'am.  I just saw that you three needed help.  Nothing gets into my crawl like somebody beating women and children."

"It is still ze kindest zing anyvne has done for us since coming to zis country."

"That makes me want to ask if you don't mind, how did you three girls
end up with that jackass?"

Jelena closed her eyes and took a deep breath.  "My family left Russia about two years ago.  My mama died on ze ship and my papa thought New York a wretched place.  He missed ze open land of ze old country.  My papa is a Cossack, like vne of your cowboys, and he hated ze city.  He vanted to go vest, but he vanted to go out first, get settled and then send for us.  My papa loves us and vanted ze best for us, and zat is vhat he thought vas best.  He set us up vith a Russian family and then left.  Zat was a year ago.  Ze last letter ve got vas over seven months ago.  I vas tired vaiting.  I couldn't stand ze thought zat something had happened to him.  So I took my sisters and vent in search of him.  I did not vant my family torn apart.  I vorked as a vaitress along the vay to pay for train tickets or my sisters and I vould sing on street corners.  I used to have a violin that was my grandpa's and my sisters have beautiful voices  Ven ve came to Eagle Bend I started vorking at Johnson's saloon.  Ze man seemed so nice at first, he offered to help us, God I vas such a fool.  I should ave known better."

Chris heard the guilt in her voice and knew that guilt all too well.  "He tied us to him by charging me a huge rent I could never pay off.  He hit me because I vouldn't give him vhat he vanted and he never tried it because he knew I vould go to ze sheriff no matter what or Larissa vould kill him.  Hitting me seemed to satisfy him, for ze time being.  That is vie it is good you saved us."

Chris closed his eyes as his stomach churned.  He knew exactly what Johnson had wanted from Jelena and it made him sick to think that anyone would do that to a woman who was still very much a girl, or any woman for that matter.   

"I couldn't leave vithout paying, he vould tell the sheriff and he vould throw me in jail and then who vould protect my sisters?"  She closed her eyes as tears of shame and failure rolled down her cheeks.  "Zank you so much, Mr. Larabee."

Chris had no idea what came over him but he pulled out his handkerchief and wiped away her tears gently, like he had done with Adam so long ago.  "It's all right, sometimes you just can't control what happens, no matter how hard you try."

Jelena sniffled and looked up at the gray-eyed gunslinger, seeing nothing but understanding there.  She hated herself for letting Johnson hit her, but she saw no judgment in this man's eyes.  "Papa vould say a Cossack doesn't cry," she said with a light giggle as she wiped at her eyes.

Maybe not a Cossack, but young girls who have been through this do, Chris thought.  But he didn't say anything as it would hurt her obvious pride.  He had give it to the girl.  She had traveled across a strange country with two little sisters all in order to find a father that may or may not be alive, or even want them, he added bitterly.  It was completely possible that Mr. Pavlov, finding himself without a wife in a strange city with three daughters, had seen the west as a way out and had had no intention of sending for his girls.  It happened all too often for Chris's liking.  But he didn't say any of this to Jelena.  She obviously believed something had happened to her father, who she seemed to hold in high regard, and Chris refused to ruin that ideal.

"Now zats enough of zat," she declared, taking a deep breath and stopping her tears.  "Vhere are ve going?" 

"After the storm I planned on heading to this town where I'm a peacekeeper.  You and your sisters will be safe there.  I have some friends who may be able to help you find your papa."  He knew that Josiah and Ezra had connections he couldn't even fathom and Mary could always print something in the newspaper.  Then of course there was Marcella Sullivan who had amazing connections throughout the immigrant community.  Somehow he trusted that if Pavlov wanted to be found, they would find him.

"I can not zank you enough Mr. Larabee.  You are being too kind."

"You know, I have two friends who would say you can never be too kind to a lady."

At this the girl smiled.  No one ever called her a lady.  She was just a Russian girl in a strange country, immigrant trash and nothing more.  But this man treated her like somebody special, like his own little girl.

"I can't wait to meet these friends of yours," she said with a smile.

"You'll like them, they're good men."  Chris knew he'd have to warn Buck to keep his intentions in check around Jelena.  Now Buck would never go after a girl so young, but with her long neck and dark haunting eyes, Jelena could pass for much older to someone who wasn't looking too carefully.  He just didn't want Buck to scare the girl with all types of attention.  He knew his old friend would do nothing to hurt the girl and that he and Ezra would treat all three like princesses.                           

"Now you need to get some sleep," his said, using the same tone he had once used with Adam.

Jelena smiled.  "Yes, Mr. Larabee," she said as she closed her eyes, instantly falling asleep.

Chris made sure she was asleep before moving back to her sisters, hoping to sleep away what he had just heard. 

TBC