Beatrix Kiddo Black Mamba The Bride Administrator
Posts: 504
(8/30/04 5:33 pm) Reply
Massacre at Two Pines
Chapter Six
Massacre at Two Pines
Now, the incident that happened at the Two Pines Wedding Chapel that put this whole gory story into motion has since become legend.
'Massacre at Two Pines'- That's what the newspapers called it. The local TV news called it 'The El Paso, Texas Wedding Chapel Massacre'. How it happened, who was there, how many got killed and who killed them, changes depending on who's telling the story. In actual fact, the massacre didn't happen during a wedding at all.
It was a wedding rehearsal.
Could you do what you did? Of course you could.
But I never thought you could- or would- do that to me.
It was a quiet afternoon at the Twin Pines Chapel, The weather was fairly normal hot as hell with little breeze but none of that mattered as it was a very special day or a prelude to a very special day rather. A Wedding rehearsal! All of the critical members of the wedding party were there to go over the final preperations for the wedding. Tommy Plympton and his lovely bride to be (Censored) were seated tougher in the first roll listening to Reverend Harmony going over the wedding plan one last time and telling them about there Do's and Don'ts. Though there some certain people missing from this gathering Reverend Harmony had noticed and he'd even asked Tommy about it. "No Cameramen son? Don't you want to record this special occasion?" Tommy quickly replied by saying of course, but they'd already blown way to much money on the wedding gown and The Camera Monkey Works of El Paso Texas, Ran by a Uncle and nephew who looked a bit to much like catholic priests when they dressed up simply charged to much for a simple wedding, So in short? No, no wedding Video besides the real fun for him would begin after the wedding on the honeymoon where he'd blown the real money!
"Now when we come to the point where I say, 'You may kiss the bride.' You may kiss the bride but don't stick your tounge in her mouth.." Harmony said as he eyed Tommy closely, somehow he suspected this guy might just do that, it'd happened before and it was awful, Tommy just simply nods along as the Reverend speaks, while others chuckle and snicker. Finally Tommy smirks a little and looks back over his shoulder at some of his friends, it was funny really and yes he'd thought about doing it, he loved doing it actually. "This might be funny to your friends.." Harmony continues. "but it would be embarrassing to your parents." this time he divides his gaze equally between The Bride and Groom.
Beatrix Kiddo Black Mamba The Bride Administrator
Posts: 505
(8/30/04 6:09 pm) Reply
Re: Massacre at Two Pines
The young, blonde woman in her bridal gown shared half a smile with her husband-to-be as their friends giggled at the Reverend's apparently serious comments. Not once had she thought of doing anything of the sort. In all honesty, she knew she would feel very uncomfortable if she did.
In fact, she wasn't feeling particularly comfortable now. Her long fingers wound in her veil, fiddling absently as she replied, looking at both the Reverend and his wife, who stared back with what the bride could have sworn was a look of scorn... as if she didn't quite belong here.
"We'll... try to restrain ourselves, Reverend," she replied quietly, only to be almost drowned out by another fit of giggles from the girl friends who surrounded her.
Could you do what you did? Of course you could.
But I never thought you could- or would- do that to me.
Re: Massacre at Two Pines
As the giggling continued, The middle aged Black Piano player sat off to the side of the chapel with a smoking cigarette in his hand as he casually listened in to all of this. "Y'all got a song?" he asks the Groom and the Bride. Tommy Glances over to him and then to to Beatrix, shaking his head slightly, They really didn't have a special song or anything which most couples did have.. Which was kind of ironic considering they worked in a record shop. She too shakes her head in a no "How bout "Love Me Tender"? I can play that." He asks them.
Tommy looks back to the black man for a moment before again shifting his gaze back to Beatrix for approval, she nods faintly
and says. "Sure." Tommy smiles a little and glances back to him. "yeah Love me Tender would be great." It was Elvis after all.
Reverend Harmony grins a little and waves his finger at the Piano Player as he glances to the Bride and Groom. "Rufus, He's the man." he looks back over to Rufus, still motioning with his hand "Rufus, Who was that you used to play for?"
"Rufus Thomas." was Rufus's reply. "Rufus Thomas, Rufus Thomas." The Reverend thought back on that for a moment before again looking to the wedding party. "I was a Drell. I was a drifter. I was a coaster. I was part of the gang. I was a barkay. IF they come through Texas? I done played with 'em."
The Old Reverend smiles a bit more, he always loved Rufus's Piano playing, he was really pretty good. Again shifting his gaze to Rufus and back to the wedding party. "Rufus he's the man." he gestures with his left hand as he smiles still. Falling silent the Reverend tries to think back to the topic at hand and anything that they've possibly missed going over.. He leans over to his wife and whispers almost.
"Have I forgotten anything?"
"Uhm." Mrs. Harmony thinks on that for a moment before remembering. "Oh yes, You forgot, uh, The seating arrangements."
The Reverend straightens up a bit. "Thank you, Mother."
"yes.."
"Now, the way we normally do this." The Reverend gestures to one side of the room. "we have the brides side, and then we
have the grooms side." also gesturing to the other side of the room with his other hand to back up the point. "But since the
Bride ain't got nobody comin', And the grooms got far to many people comin'" he claps his hands backtogether as one of the
women interupts. "Well, yeah, They're coming all the way from Oklahoma." which causes everyone to chuckle and giggle some
more, Tommy Included
"right.." The Reverend was truly annoyed by this wedding party and he'd be glad when they were done married and out of this chapel forever, though they'd probably get a divorce. "well, I don't see no problem with... The Grooms side sharing the brides side.." he trails off as he leans over and speaks to his wife. "Do you, Mother?"
All the while Rufus hung off to the side smoking his cigarette and watching the others.
Beatrix Kiddo Black Mamba The Bride Administrator
Posts: 506
(8/30/04 8:42 pm) Reply
Re: Massacre at Two Pines
If the Reverend and his wife were getting agitated with the crowd sat before them, it was nothing compared to the tension and annoyance that was brewing up inside Beatrix. The quavering voice of the Reverend's wife hung in the air, seemingly from some way away as she answered her husband.
"No, I don't have a problem with that," she said, though now, her beady eye was turned upon the Bride, with a look that she clearly thought was kind and considerate, "But, er... honey, y'know... it'd be good if you had somebody come. Y'know... as a sign of good faith?"
Upon being addressed directly, Beatrix raised her eyes to the woman sat before her. "Well, I don't have anybody," she said quietly, "Except for Tommy, and... my friends," she gave a warm smile and a nod to each of them in turn.
"You have no family?" The Reverend's wife continued incredulously, arching a brow.
What was left of Bea's smile soon faded. The tone of this woman's voice was scornful, and she did not like it one little bit. "Well I'm workin' on changing that," she replied, though there was flash of something dangerous in her eyes. At this point, one of her girl friends spoke up, voicing her own mild distaste.
"Mrs. Harmony, we're all the family this 'lil angel's ever gonna need." Beatrix was extremely grateful for this show of support. But the fact still remained, that the stifling air and the almost-suffocating personalities of these Texans were putting her on edge, and aggravating her. Still keeping her bright smile, she leaned over the back of the pew, and instantly her friends leaned in to listen.
"I'm not feeling very well, and this bitch is starting to piss me off," she whispered. The girls giggled, nodding in aggreement, "So while you all babble on, I'm going to go outside and get some air." With that, she rose from her seat, one had consciously resting on her stomach, swollen thanks to her being heavily pregnant.
"Um, Mrs. Harmony, she's just gonna go outside and get some air-"
"Yeah, due to her delicate condition-"
"Just give her a few minutes, she should be fine..."
Beatrix listened to her friends make her excuses. Passing Tommy a smile, she carried on down the aisle to the open front doors, still twisting her veil between her fingers. Allowing herself to delve deeper into her own thoughts, now that she could breathe clear air again.
There had been a time, not so long ago, when she had been happy. Happier than this, at least. A time when she had been surrounded by people who were just like her, who respected her, who she didn't have to hide her true self from. It was at times such as now, when she felt stifled by 'normality', that she went back to these thoughts. And the same song always accompanied them.
The hollow melody of the 'Silent Flute', as she had come to know it. Gentle and quiet, each note could be easily carried away upon the wind... how she missed it. She remembered how she could sit for hours on end, just listening to him play, each strain of music telling its own distant tale. This was the song that floated through her mind, causing her to smile again, closing her eyes, lost in her reminiscing. In truth, she would do anything to return to those days.
Only when the sound of the flute became louder, did Beatrix begin to question whether or not she was dreaming. Unless her sharp ears deceived her, the sound was coming from outside the chapel doors.
New Music: Il Tramonto - Ennio Morricone
She looked up, eyes wide. It couldn't be... Turning her head sharply, she looked back to the others. They seemed not to have heard it. The pair of blue eyes turned once again to the open doorway. Warm air and bright light flooded into the chapel, and nothing more. But she knew that he was there. The man and the face that had unwittingly haunted her for these three, endless months. And her excitement grew at the thought of seeing him once again.
Taking slow, careful steps, she walked to the doorway. Nervous, yet hopeful of what she would see beyond it. Bea stole a quick look to the left, before finally stepping into view, blinking as the bright rays of sunlight got caught in her eyes. She did not look at him immediately though. Instead, she stared off into the distance, contemplating what to say to him now, after all this time.
Could you do what you did? Of course you could.
But I never thought you could- or would- do that to me.
Bill Snake Charmer Student of Hanzo Administrator
Posts: 338
(8/31/04 5:02 pm) Reply
Re: Massacre at Two Pines
Sitting calmly outside the church, Bill was completely absorbed by the music. He played a song that spoke of many lost lives and memories, like all the songs he had learned from Pai Mei during his training. Bill had always shared the priest's point of view about the survival of the strongest, so he played his flute with nonchalant conviction.
Then, suddenly, she was there. He knew it even before looking, even before listening to her sandals stealing little noises from the wooden floor. They had lived so many things together that he could feel her presence now. So, when Bill put his flute aside and turned his head, he already knew what he was going to see.
Beatrix Kiddo, the Black Mamba, the deadliest of his vipers.
So it was true, she was alive. The personification of beauty, as always, and she was wearing a wedding dress no less, even though this was supposed to be a rehearsal. Also... either Beatrix had already began growing fatter in her attempt at being like a simple mortal, or she was visibly pregnant.
But she was alive, against all hope, and here they were again, the both of them.
"Hello, Kiddo" Bill spoke... with a voice that did not show the three months of intense mourning or the years and years of love.
---
Oh, and for the record, letting someone think that someone they love is dead when they're really not is quite cruel.Bill
Beatrix Kiddo Black Mamba The Bride Administrator
Posts: 521
(8/31/04 5:18 pm) Reply
Re: Massacre at Two Pines
Beatrix turned her head and looked upon him in silence for a moment. Even the mere sound of his deep, modulated voice was still enough to make her smile. 'Kiddo'... she certainly hadn't been called that in a long time, mainly thanks to the alias she had taken. Back in her days as an assassin, her last name would have been a formality to anyone else. Only Bill ever used it as an endearment.
There were so many things that she thought of saying to him, questions she wanted to ask. But they all seemed to get lost at the tip of her tongue before she had a chance to make them known.
Dropping her gaze to the veil that was firmly twisted beneath her fingers- an outlet for her nervousness, she finally spoke, but only with the question that was most prominent in her mind at that moment. "How did you find me?" Her voice was quiet and sweet, as though she was afraid that a tone any louder or more raucous than a whisper could shatter the atmosphere of comfortable calm that lingered out here. She knew that the feeling came from him, of course. No matter where they were in the world, or who they had set out to kill, his presence always put her at her ease... although it often led others into a false sense of security.
Could you do what you did? Of course you could.
But I never thought you could- or would- do that to me.
Bill Snake Charmer Student of Hanzo Administrator
Posts: 340
(9/1/04 4:26 pm) Reply
Re: Massacre at Two Pines
Bill turned his head ever so slightly, even though his eyes and his smile kept fixed on Beatrix. That was most certainly not what he had expected to hear. After the longest three months of his life, he didn't expect Kiddo to make a question she knew the answer to anyway.
"I'm the man," Bill answered simply. Any passerbys would hardly consider it a satisfactory response, but Bill knew it'd be enough answer for Beatrix.
---
Oh, and for the record, letting someone think that someone they love is dead when they're really not is quite cruel.Bill
Beatrix Kiddo Black Mamba The Bride Administrator
Posts: 530
(9/1/04 4:54 pm) Reply
Re: Massacre at Two Pines
Bea had expected a cryptic answer like that. But the statement was true, and she knew that any who doubted it wouldn't live long enough to ask any more questions.
She turned herself to face him fully now, and her expression had become mildly curious, a small frown creasing her brow. "What are you doin' here?" Her questioning continued. It seemed that she had found her voice at last, and all that she wanted to say to Bill after so long was finally coming to the surface.
Could you do what you did? Of course you could.
But I never thought you could- or would- do that to me.
Bill Snake Charmer Student of Hanzo Administrator
Posts: 341
(9/1/04 5:29 pm) Reply
Re: Massacre at Two Pines"What am I doing?" Bill repeated, as if he asked the question to himself. That was closer to what he expected from Beatrix.
"Well, a moment ago I was playing my flute," he said, looking at the old flute on his hands.
Bill put the flute -as well as the tales it conjured- aside on the wooden bench, and stood up. Even though he wasn't taller than Beatrix, he still had an aura of commanding power that made him look bigger. Dressing tastefully in black, with a jacket that suited his seriousness and a shirt with open collar that went more with the nonchalant attittude of 'the man', his cowboy boots sounding clearly when the wood of the heel hit the wood of the floor.
Bill leant against one of the white columns of the chapel.
"At this moment, I'm looking at the most beautiful bride these old eyes of mine have ever seen"
And every single word was the undisputed truth.
---
Oh, and for the record, letting someone think that someone they love is dead when they're really not is quite cruel.Bill
Beatrix Kiddo Black Mamba The Bride Administrator
Posts: 531
(9/1/04 5:44 pm) Reply
Re: Massacre at Two Pines
The expression on Bea's face stayed unmoved, even after such a generous compliment as that. Leaning against another one of the columns not far away, she stayed quiet for a moment before answering.
"Why are you here?" she whispered. This was the one question she was most curious about, and she couldn't even begin to guess the answer. After all this time, he must have thought her dead. But that didn't explain his sudden, out-of-the-blue arrival at this little chapel, stuck in the middle of nowhere.
Could you do what you did? Of course you could.
But I never thought you could- or would- do that to me.
Bill Snake Charmer Student of Hanzo Administrator
Posts: 342
(9/1/04 6:12 pm) Reply
Re: Massacre at Two Pines
And.... Bingo. Kiddo had finally got to the heart of the matter, the question she wanted to ask from the beginning.
Incidentally, it was the exact same question Bill wanted to ask.
But he didn't say it. He thought whether or not tell Kiddo the truth. Bill's concept of truth was as fragile and ambivalent as his concepts of life or love, so lying was not a problem in the slightest.
But he chose to say the truth anyway, and thus he told Kiddo why he had come to see her this pleasant day in Texas.
"Last look."
His smile was no longer there.
---
Oh, and for the record, letting someone think that someone they love is dead when they're really not is quite cruel.Bill
Beatrix Kiddo Black Mamba The Bride Administrator
Posts: 532
(9/1/04 8:11 pm) Reply
Re: Massacre at Two Pines
Trust Bill to be so maddeningly vague at a time when she needed to hear the truth from him most. Tilting her head to the side slightly, she gave him a look that could have been called untrusting. Of course, it wasn't, though incredulous would be far nearer to the mark.
"Are you gonna be nice?" she asked him. Though it was something of a rhetorical question- an answer wasn't needed. Of course he would be nice. After all, this was the prelude to what was meant to be the happiest day of her life. Or it would be, if Bill's appearance hadn't started the nagging sensation that made her question whether she was marrying the right man in the first place.
Could you do what you did? Of course you could.
But I never thought you could- or would- do that to me.
Bill Snake Charmer Student of Hanzo Administrator
Posts: 344
(9/2/04 6:01 pm) Reply
Re: Massacre at Two Pines"I've never been nice in my whole life," replied Bill, in the same casual tone he was using before, "but I'll do my best... to be sweet."
And those who knew Bill knew very well that very few people got even that little honour from him...
---
Oh, and for the record, letting someone think that someone they love is dead when they're really not is quite cruel.Bill
Beatrix Kiddo Black Mamba The Bride Administrator
Posts: 537
(9/2/04 6:17 pm) Reply
Re: Massacre at Two Pines
Bea allowed herself a small laugh. She even felt brave enough to take a step closer to him now. This was the Bill she knew, with his roundabout way of getting to the point.
"I always told you... your sweet side is your best side," she said quietly, her smile returning now.
Could you do what you did? Of course you could.
But I never thought you could- or would- do that to me.
Bill Snake Charmer Student of Hanzo Administrator
Posts: 349
(9/4/04 9:57 am) Reply
Re: Massacre at Two Pines"I guess that's why you're the only one who has ever seen it," Bill replied, taking one step ahead towards Beatrix. The noise of the boots seemed thunderous in the sudden silence of the desert.
"I see you got a bun in the oven," he said then, his smile definitely gone.
---
Oh, and for the record, letting someone think that someone they love is dead when they're really not is quite cruel.Bill
Beatrix Kiddo Black Mamba The Bride Administrator
Posts: 541
(9/4/04 6:02 pm) Reply
Re: Massacre at Two Pines
Bea's eyes travelled to where Bill had indicated with his own. She was pregnant, that much was clear. But surely anyone could see that a woman who was three months pregnant or less would not be in this condition?
Allowing herself another small laugh, she kept her gaze firmly downcast. "I'm knocked up," she continued, taking yet another step forward.
Could you do what you did? Of course you could.
But I never thought you could- or would- do that to me.
Beatrix Kiddo Black Mamba The Bride Administrator
Posts: 542
(9/4/04 6:53 pm) Reply
Re: Massacre at Two Pines
She looked up for a moment, frowning slightly. That seemed a little uncalled for. Bea would be one of the first to admit that Tommy wasn't exactly a perfect specimen of a man, but she found it unfair for Bill to comment on someone he had yet to meet.
Or maybe he already had?
"Have you seen Tommy?" she asked him, raising her brows and giving Bill an appraising look as she continued to step even closer to him.
Could you do what you did? Of course you could.
But I never thought you could- or would- do that to me.
Bill Snake Charmer Student of Hanzo Administrator
Posts: 354
(9/5/04 6:09 pm) Reply
Re: Massacre at Two Pines
Just when Beatrix asked about Tommy, Bill took another step forward until he was right in front of her. Her eyes looking at each other, their feet mere inches apart.
"The big guy in the tux?" Bill replied. But he knew that was Tommy Plimpton, Bill knew how to make his job. The Deadly Vipers were the best assassins of the world for a reason.
"Then I saw him," he continued, barely paying attention to Bea's confirmation.
"...I like his hair," Bill said after a while, the flashy blonde head of the big guy coming to his memory.
---
Oh, and for the record, letting someone think that someone they love is dead when they're really not is quite cruel.Bill
Beatrix Kiddo Black Mamba The Bride Administrator
Posts: 546
(9/5/04 6:22 pm) Reply
Re: Massacre at Two Pines
Both of them had stopped walking now, and were a few inches apart, staring at each other intently. Bea didn't know whether to take Bill's words as a compliment, though she thought she could hear the tiniest hint of sarcasm in his voice.
Turning her head, she gave him a sidelong look as she scolded him gently;
"You promised to be nice."
Could you do what you did? Of course you could.
But I never thought you could- or would- do that to me.
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