Sheriff Of RedRock

A/N: So, I had an idea for a new story. I hope you like it. It is extremely AU, so please bear with me. Enjoy.
Any places mentioned are totally fictional and a figment of my wild imagination.

Sheriff Of RedRock

Chapter one

June 4 1886, RedRock Valley, Northern California

The frontier town of RedRock was gripped with fear. Many of the adjacent towns had been attacked by bandits, and the mayor, Samuel Bosco, was worried that his town would be next. In the wake of the attacks, the latest sheriff, Craig O'Laughlin, had resigned and moved back to San Francisco. This left the town without a lead lawman. Without a sheriff, the town was at a high risk. The bandits knew this, which only made everybody even more nervous.

Bosco sat in his tiny office. He had written to the state troopers, asking if they could send a sheriff out to RedRock to help them. He was reading a letter from the state troopers, the response to his request. "Mr Bosco, we have heard your plea for a new sheriff. We are sending you our best officer, T Lisbon. We trust that this shall help in the capture of Red John's gang. Truly, V Minelli."

Bosco knew that T Lisbon would be arriving that evening. After that, the sheriff's department would have just a month to capture Red John and his gang. The town of RedRock would be hosting a Fourth of July celebration, and they needed their many visitors to know they would be safe. He stood up, and left his office. He turned to his secretary, a pretty red-haired girl. "Grace, please make a note that T Lisbon will be arriving tonight on the six thirty train."

Miss Van Pelt nodded. She studiously wrote a neat note onto a piece of paper and placed it onto her desk. Bosco left, and went to the sheriff's office. He found the two deputies in there, sitting at theirs shared desk playing cards. RedRock wasn't exactly a busy town. "Wayne, Kimball," both deputies stood up and faced the mayor. "Tonight, the new sheriff is arriving. We need to go out to meet him at the station. His name is T Lisbon."

Wayne Rigsby and Kimball Cho glanced at each other. They both hoped that this Lisbon was going to be a better sheriff than what O'Laughlin had been. Craig wasn't exactly sheriff material, but no sheriff had been able to fill the position for very long.

As the sun began to set, a small group of men collected on the station platform, waiting for the evening train to arrive. The train pulled in on cue, and people began to disembark. A tiny figure stepped off of the train, and Bosco watched a tiny woman stride over to him. She wore low-heeled leather boots, a loose shirt and pants, and a leather waistcoat. Strapped onto each hip was a revolver. She carried a hat in her hand and a bag over her shoulder. "Good evening, Mr Bosco," said the woman. "My name is Sheriff Teresa Lisbon."

Every jaw dropped. Nobody had expected a woman to step off the train and announce that she was sheriff. "Teresa Lisbon?"

The woman folded her arms. "Is there a problem, Mr Bosco?" Her voice was dangerous.

Rigsby stepped forwards. He took off his hat. "I'm deputy Rigsby. It's a pleasure to meet you, ma'am."

Lisbon nodded towards him. Cho stepped forwards too. "Kimball Cho. A pleasure to work with you, ma'am."

Bosco turned to the rest of the group, who all looked a little disgruntled at this turn of events. "Gentlemen, Sheriff Lisbon."

There was a low muttering amongst the men, but no-one openly complained. Lisbon scowled, pulled a revolver from her hip and put a single bullet hole into the swinging sign above them. The men in front of her jumped, and everyone on the platform turned to face the group. Lisbon re-holstered her gun. "Listen here," she growled. "I'm the new sheriff in town. If I don't have your support, we won't capture Red John, and visitors won't want to come here. No visitors, no business."

The men all reluctantly agreed with her, and Lisbon nodded. She stalked off into the town, leaving the men standing on the platform in shock.

Rigsby and Cho hurried after her. "Ms Lisbon," said Cho. "Shall we show you the office?"

Lisbon turned to the deputies. "I will see it in the morning. For now, please take me to my lodging. It's been a long day."

Both men nodded, and led her across the single street to a boarding house. There, they were met by a young woman. "Ms Harrigan," said Rigsby. "Do you still have that room reserved for Sheriff Lisbon?"

Sarah Harrigan nodded, and then glanced around. Lisbon stepped forwards. "I'm Sheriff Teresa Lisbon."

She held out her hand, and the young woman took it. "You're the new sheriff?"

Lisbon nodded. "If I had a dime for every time I had seen that same facial expression…"

Sarah nodded. "I'm sorry if I seem shocked. It's not easy for a woman to get ahead in this world. I'm proud of you, Ms Lisbon."

Lisbon smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow," she said to the deputies.

Both men nodded and left. "I'll show you to your room, Ms Lisbon."

"Thank you, Ms Harrigan."

Once the kindly woman had left, Lisbon put her bag down and sat down on the bed. She unbuckled her gun belt and slung it over the footboard on the bed. She washed at the washbasin, and climbed into the bed. The room was dark, and Lisbon tossed and turned, trying to fall asleep. Her mind turned to the arrival that evening. It was deemed unusual, almost taboo, to have a woman working as a sheriff. But Lisbon was more than capable. She had grown up with younger three brothers, and was raised by her father. Her mother had died when the four siblings were very young, killed by Red John himself. Lisbon knew how to cook and clean, but she could also shoot, ride and run like any man could. This was good, because she was on a personal vendetta against the man who took her mother away.

Elsewhere in the town, a local bar named Bertram's was buzzing. The men were drinking, and little snippets of news were being passed around. The hottest topic was the new sheriff. "Teresa? A woman sheriff?" The man sitting at the end of the bar was incredulous.

Bosco nodded. Even though he was mayor, he often could be found in the bar, mixing with the other men. "This tiny woman walks over to me, introduces herself as Teresa Lisbon, and then proceeds to shoot a hole in my sign. My town will be a disgrace because of this."
The news spread quickly through the bar, and men flocked to Bosco for information. He relayed the meeting again, and the men grumbled amongst themselves. It wasn't right for a woman to be sheriff, and the men didn't like it. One man sat alone at the bar. Patrick Jane wanted very little to do with the other men in the town. He was still relatively new to the town, and he worked at the local general store. He listened with disinterest as the men complained about the way the world was going. He paid for his sarsaparilla and stood to leave. He was interested in meeting this new sheriff, and if she was as Bosco had claimed, it wouldn't be very long until they met. He hurried back to his house, enjoying the warm night air. The breeze ruffled his curly blonde hair. He looked around as he went inside. It wasn't safe outside anymore. Not with Red John running around.

XxxxxxxxxxxX

The next morning, Lisbon arrived early at the sheriff's office. She let herself in, and wandered around the office. A short while later, the door opened and the two deputies wandered in. they all looked at each other, and Lisbon smiled. "You must be the first men I've ever met who are willing to work under a woman."

Cho stepped forward. "Ms Lisbon, I watched you shoot that sign yesterday. I know you can shoot, and there is something different about you. You are willing to lead us."

Lisbon nodded. It would be nice to have a man in the town that was willing to follow her. Rigsby nodded in agreement. "I was in the bar last night, Ms Lisbon. The men aren't happy. Bosco was badmouthing you to the men. It isn't going to be easy to be accepted, Ms Lisbon."

Lisbon picked up the sheriff's badge off of the desk and pinned it to her leather waistcoat. "I will manage, gentlemen. And please, just call me Lisbon."

Both men nodded. "What's the plan today, Sheriff?" asked Rigsby.

Lisbon turned to the door. "It's time to patrol the town."

Both men nodded, and followed the tiny sheriff from the room.

A/N2: So, this is the start of a new story. Please let me know how it's going, and anything you would like to see in this story. Thank you.