MacGyver

At the Deputy's invitation, Alex chose the cell next door to Chet's and sat down on the small cot. With his back protectively to the wall, he watched the horse thief like a hawk and Chet returned the less than friendly gaze. When the dawn came, the three outlaws would seeminly part ways, but what happened once the three men reached the outskirts of Hazzard, and the law's jurisdiction, it was every man for himself. But what did that mean? The question kept Alex's mind racing as he waited out the night. Would it mean that Chet would come after him and Brian or lay in wait somewhere and ambush them one at a time? Chet's previous threats and promises came back to him...the horse thief had made it crystal clear he wanted revenge for the piece of hot lead in the gut courtesy of Alex's gun. But would the varmint be hell bent enough to come after him? And what about Brian? Chet and Brian hadn't been bosom buddies either, sure Brian hadnt shot him but the cold gaze he had seen on his friend's face earlier dictated that things weren't over yet between the two men. Between the three men... Alex sighed and shook his head, tipping his head back to touch the wall. Whatever was going to happen, the three men would find out with the approaching dawn... (Cue Brian or anyone!)

Alex watched Chet as he got ready to go, wasting absolutely no time at all taking the Deputy's offer. Chet stood fully dressed and ready to hit the road, walking back and forth in his cell all too eager to leave. Not that any of the three men had much choice in the matter, it was either a one way ticket out of town or to Eternity... "Me too Deputy--" Alex spoke up as he glanced at moment at Brian. He didn't want to leave his friend but again, there weren't a whole lot of options at this point. The most he could hope for was the two of them would meet up again in the next small town on the trail. (Cue Anyone!)

Alex stood on the sidelines listening to the exchanges with the now unarmed and captured horse thief. Chet's less than surrendering tone had riled Brian and despite his confession to his crimes and sudden change in attitude...he still seemed like the same old rustler that had blinded both Alex and Brian with beer mugs and had somehow miraculously survived two gunshot wounds. "Yes Chet, you're the pillar of virtue--" Noticing where Chet's gaze had drifted to, the blond man went over to the open cell door and pushed it closed, the metal hitting metal with a loud clang. "I wouldn't want you to tarnish your halo by escaping." He said as he stared through the bars at Chet. "I'm sure you don't mind me closing this door. After all...you're surrendering and there are a lot of folks in here that don't want to become your next kidnapping victims or handy hostages." (Cue Anyone!)

(Please note: Alex isn't posting twice, but Chet's author is having computer issues and can't post this herself so she asked me to do it.) Chet's blood leaked down the front of his abdomen and leaked onto his leather chaps staining them on contact. Greatful for the medical attention Chet pressed his heavy duster off his shoulders, his heart lept suddenly, he still wore his shoulder holsters which packed two fully loaded .45's. Hesitantly he unbuckled the holsters around his shoulders, his dull gaze steady on the deaputy, leary of her reaction to him being so heavily armed. Sowly he pressed the holsters off his shoulders and laid them at the foot of the cot, Chet also removed the two .45's jammed in the back of his belt. Feeling alittle more at ease he pulled his shirt off of his arms, his left shoulder bearing the bandages that covered the hole above his hert. "Thats all I've got.... now take it easy I dont mean any harm to anyone." Chet glanced at Alex and Brian wondering what they had told the female deputy about him. "I don't know what these slicks have told you about me... but I hope you'll hear my side of the game." Narrowing his mismatched eyes at Alex for a split second Chet slowly relaxed back down against the wall witha sigh, his attention reverted back to the pain. He winced and looked down at the blood seaping down his demin pants and chaps. (Cue anyone.)

Both Chet and Brian seemed to wake up at almost the exact same time, though Chet had woken up in a panic. The Deputy's reassurances that he wouldn't be shot seemed to calm the rustler down and he once more returned to his bunk and let MaryAnne finish her tending to his wound. Seeing his friend now fully awake, Alex stepped closer to the second jail cell where Brian sat on the cot; the outlaw still seemed a little groggy but got more alert with each passing moment. "The horse didn't do anything Brian, and neither did you. You're not under arrest I just put you in that cot instead of on the floor. I thought Damascus waking you up was a lot safer than a bucket of water." Taking a hold of Damascus' reins, Alex led the big black horse back out the door where he joined Showdown and Phoenix, then came back inside. While MaryAnne took care of Chet, Alex went over to the small Franklin stove close to the back of the room and poured two cups of water from the tin pot that sat on top of it. He handed one to MaryAnne for Chet, then offered the second one to Brian. "Here...try some of this." He passed the cup to the man in black, then sat down in the chair beside the cot. "Thanks for what you did out there Brian." (Cue Brian or anyone!)

"Wake up Brian?" Alex glanced into the other cell and nodded. "All right, I'll see what I can do." Getting up from the floor, Alex left the cell and stood between the two glancing back and forth. "Well...if I use water, I'll be the one that'll be needing a doctor's care." He crossed his arms over his chest a moment, then glanced over his shoulder and looked out the open door into the dark night. A grin came to his face as he then turned and went outside. The three horses were still tied to a post and Alex went to the big black Percheron-Arabian and patted his neck. "Hey Damascus, want some sugar?" The horse got excited at the sweet prospect and Alex untied him from the post. "Well, Brian has got some in his pocket!" Alex then took the reins and guided the horse to the door of the jailhouse. "Go find the sugar Damascus!" He let go of the reins and watched as the big black horse went inside the jailhouse. The horse barely fit inside and stuck his head through the open cell door and began nuzzling his unconscious master in search of his treat... (Cue Brian!)

"All right Deputy." Alex moved behind Chet and tucked his hands under the rustler's arms. "Just grab his legs and we'll get him inside." Between the two people, Chet got lifted from the dirt and taken into the jailouse. They set him down in a cot and MaryAnne knelt down beside the small bed and began unbuttoning the horse thief's shirt to get to his wound. Alex gathered what medical supplies he could find around the jailhouse and a basin, then set them down next to the Deputy. "I'll bring Brian inside." Alex disappeared a moment and returned with the unconscious outlaw slung over his shoulder like a sack of oats. Stepping into the empty cell next door, Brian got deposited on the empty cot. "There... at least its more comfortable then the ground." Alex then made sure the iron door was wide open before rejoining MaryAnne. "Is there anything I can do?" (Cue MaryAnne!)

Alex heard the question the Deputy asked and crouched down by the unconscious form of Chet Duke. He rolled the rustler over and took a bandana from his pocket, pressing it to the bleeding wound in his stomach that he had managed to reopen. "Deputy, this is Chet Duke, and as for what happened..." He stood up and went over to Brian looking down at his friend. "He saved my life." Alex then turned to look over his shoulder at the Deputy. "When I heard that shot I came around the corner of the building and met up with Chet here and the business end of his .45. He wanted me to make Brian come out from the behind the jail by pointing his gun between my eyes. When I refused to call for Brian, he said he was going to shoot me and started counting down from ten. Brian here dove onto Chet from the roof and got smacked in the jaw for his trouble--" A soft groan caught both Alex and MaryAnne's ears, they turned towards the noise and saw the black clad outlaw beginning to move... (Cue Brian or anyone!)

“Brian!†Alex had shifted to his knees, about to get up when he saw Chet smack his friend with his gun, then push the black clad outlaw off of him. He went over to Brian and checked on his friend, rolling him over onto his back. Brian’s black coat opened with the motion, it slipped down enough to reveal the outlaw's holster. Alex had lost his own gun when Brian had bellowed out a warning and had dove away from Chet, the firearm had slipped from his hand and landed somewhere in the dirt around him. “Sorry about this Brian, but this has got to stop.†Alex quickly drew Brian’s gun and cocked it. Rising to his feet, he now stood over Chet as the rustler examined the blood on his hand from the now reopened gunshot wound in his stomach. Alex jabbed the barrel to the back of the Duke boy’s skull. “You’re caught Chet…the games are over.†Turning the gun over, Alex drew his arm back and slammed the butt end of it against Chet’s head, rendering the rustler unconscious in the same manner Chet had hit Brian. Alex watched in satisfaction as the varmint fell face down on the ground. “One good turn deserves another!†With the horse thief now unconscious, Alex returned Brian’s gun to its holster and fixed his coat. He knew with all the commotion MaryAnne would be rounding the building any minute now and find two unconscious men…one outlaw that was also her kin and one wanted horse thief. (Cue MaryAnne!)

At the click of the gun and the poke of the barrel against his forehead, Alex closed his eyes briefly and sighed. He had been caught, but good and there seemed to be no way out of this predicament unless he wanted a third eye. The gun he held tipped over and dangled upside down by his index finger as he raised his hands. He recognized the face on the other side of the gun instantly and shook his head, a scowl coming to his face. "Knew you'd show up sooner or later Chet. You want to get Brian's attention, you do it yourself. I won't make him an easy target for you." Alex raised his chin gazing at Chet, it was bad enough to be captured by the likes of this rustler but the last thing he wanted was to get his friend in the same ugly predicament... (Cue Chet!)

At Showdown's protest, Alex stopped talking to MaryAnne and turned towards the direction of the door. "Something sure has those horses spooked--" He said to the Deputy. "And Brian hasn't come back inside yet." He narrowed his eyes in puzzlement as the flickering light from the lanterns on the porch suddenly grew dim, their glow barely seen from beneath the closed door. "I don't like this Deputy." He drew his gun from his holster and cocked it. "I'm going to find out what happened to Brian." Leaving MaryAnne, he raised his gun barrel up and opened the jailhouse door a tiny bit. "Brian?" He pressed his face in the crack and saw nothing but the three horses tied out front. Just as he gave the door a push and it swung back on its hinges, the sound of another horse gallopping away from behind the building reached his ears. This only confirmed Alex's suspicions that something was definitely going on. "Brian?" He said again as he stepped out onto the wooden sidewalk. A quick glance left, then right showed nothing and that only worried the blond man all the more, especially with his friend no where in sight. With quiet steps, Alex chose to go left and headed down the creaky wooden walkway, his back to the building. He tried to make as little noise as possible as he moved, trying to not even breathe too loud. The crack of a gunshot suddenly shattered the silence of the night and he whipped around towards it, his heart now pounding hard in his chest. The blast came from the opposite side of the jailhouse, but he didn't head that way. Figuring to get the drop on whoever was back there from the opposite side, Alex quickly turned back and ran down the sidewalk to the edge of the building. (Cue Anyone!)

Alex took one last look at the jail cell, then back at the lady Deputy. He had already spent time in that small cell and didn't want to go back in, especially not knowing how long he might be a guest of the county. He glanced at Brian, not sure what his friend wanted to do but to Alex the choice seemed pretty clear, help capture Chet or go to jail. "All right Deputy.." Alex started in a low voice, then turned to face her. "I'll help you get Chet and bring him in." However, the question had been put to both outlaws and only one had answered. Alex then shifted towards Brian, waiting for his response to the Deputy's offer. (Cue Brian!)

Brian spoke the truth, Alex did have similar thoughts as the black clad outlaw at his side. Leaning a little in the saddle towards Brian, Alex nodded at what Brian had said. "The dam is going to break Brian, and everyone including the Deputy and Sheriff just might get caught up in the flood." He glanced a moment at MaryAnne, the female Deputy a few hoofbeats in front of the pair of outlaws. "What do you want to do? If we get locked up and Chet and his buddies are out and about..." Alex stopped talking and shook his head, he didn't finish his sentence... he didn't have to. He watched Brian, waiting for his friend to add his two cents... (Cue Brian!)

Hey Gang! On the Internet Movie Database they have a small trivia section for the new DOH Movie! Here's the link: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0377818/trivia Its pretty interesting! I recommend everyone check it out! Jax

Alex listened to Chance and shook his head. "You weren't the only person Chet kidnapped, remember when you told me and Brian about him kidnapping your friend the saloon girl? Then he confesses to stealing those horses--" He then gazed at the Deputy. "And that's not all he confessed Deputy, he told me and Brian in the saloon about how he and his gang stole a total of 9 race horses. They then split up and he took three while his gang took the other six. But then he and his gang had a falling out or something because he said they sold the horses and kept the money without him. Then he started a big ruckus both in the saloon and outside of it when we were taking him to the Sheriff's office." Alex then glanced at Brian for a moment for verification to Chet's saloon confession and the trouble that started soon after. (Cue Brian, MaryAnne or Chance!)