Chapter 14: The Bride and I
Nicki and Elle spent the next few days hitchhiking back to California, with Elle donning a pair of sunglasses to make people more willing to pick them up. Once they got into town, she decided to keep them on to avoid attracting attention. It was a typical beautiful California day, but Nicki didn't need it to get her spirits up. She knew where her enemy was, and she would soon be there.
First, though, she had a loose end to take care of. Elle wasn't happy about it, but Nicki was allowed to make a quick call before heading to Beatrix's house. She called home, but lost heart as the phone just kept ringing. Finally, she heard her father's voice: "This is Lawrence Bell. I'm not here." After the beep, she worked up the courage to tell him what she had to: "I'm doing it now. I may not survive. If I never see you again, I just want you to know that I love you."
"Can we go now?" said Elle impatiently as Nicki came back to her. "Yes," she said. "Let's get this over with."
Beatrix Kiddo had spent the last eleven years purely caring for her daughter BB. Her past life as a killer for hire was completely over. She still kept up with her training; you never knew when it might come in handy. However, the vast majority of her attention was spent on being a good mother.
BB didn't know anything specific about her mother's past, but she did get the feeling that she wasn't like all the other women she knew. None of them had been shot by their lovers and made to sleep for four years, then come back and killed them. She tried not to let this color her judgment. She loved her mother, and would do anything for her. That didn't work the other way, though. Beatrix refused to teach her daughter how to kill people, though she did submit to standard defense moves. She was no longer a part of that world, and didn't want BB to ever be a part of it.
BB came into the kitchen, where Beatrix was preparing lunch. "So, any boys take notice of you yet?" she said. "Mom!" BB replied, "I'm not comfortable talking about that, like I've been saying for the past month." "Well, as soon as you get comfortable, tell me." "I will. Can we just eat, please?"
The doorbell rang, startling them both. "You expecting anyone?" Beatrix asked. "No, you?" BB said. "No. It's probably a salesman or something. Go upstairs for a while, I'll take care of it."
Nicki waited, then the door opened. Standing in front of her was the woman who had killed her mother and ruined her father's life. While her family struggled, Beatrix was living the American dream. Alarm bells rang in her head. All that would end today. She drew back her fist and threw a punch at Beatrix's face...
...which Beatrix caught, then used to spin her around and get Nicki in an arm bar, just like Pai Mei had used on her the day they met. The pain was extreme, but Nicki could still make out her words. "Who are you? Did Bill have some other employees I didn't know about? I'm not really in the mood to be picking off strays."
Even through the pain, Nicki concentrated on what she was there to do. She lifted up her foot and brought it down hard on her captor's. She found herself free, and turned back around. Beatrix backed inside the house, and Nicki followed. "This is a nice house. I bet you and your daughter are very happy here. I bet you're very close to your daughter, and you love her with all your heart. Kind of like my mother and me. I wish I still had that with her. You remember what you said to me? If I still felt raw when I grew up, you'd be waiting. I see you were telling the truth."
A light bulb seemed to click on in Beatrix's head. "Little Nicki? Well, I can't say I don't deserve whatever you want to do to me, but look at you. I said I'd be waiting when you grew up. You're my daughter's age, and she's still in high school." "I dropped out. The tuition was too high for my father to pay after you broke his heart and made him lose his job." Well, I didn't intend to do that. I'm truly sorry about that. But if you know these things about me, you must also know that I was also telling the truth when I said your mother deserved it."
For a moment, Nicki was unsure of how to respond. During this time, Beatrix noticed BB sneaking up behind the intruder. She had to keep her busy until her daughter could get the drop on her. Nicki finally came back with, "Yes, you did deserve your revenge. But I deserve mine just as much." "That may be, but I'm still going to make you work for it. By the way, just how did you find out about me? Bill kept the lid pretty tight on our identities." By now BB was just about in position, but with catlike speed Elle rushed into the house and grabbed her. She threw the girl like a rag doll against the wall and knocked her out. She then turned to Beatrix and said simply, "That would be from me."
Nicki realized how close she had come to being overpowered and said, "Let's get her now." Elle spoke just as harshly as she had her first day of training: "If you interfere, you're next. You got my foot in the door, now I'm taking over." As Nicki fumed, Elle walked over to Beatrix and said, " Go ahead, I'll let you have the first attack."
Beatrix gave a front kick, which Elle blocked and returned with a punch to the face. The two of them rampaged through the living room, with Beatrix fighting gamely but Elle just barely getting the upper hand. Though she couldn't see, she had been adapting to her condition for a decade, and had learned to listen to develop a sense of where an attack was coming from. Every attack Beatrix tried Elle blocked, but every once in a while she got a hit in. It was clear to Nicki who the winner would be, and her anger grew as she realized how completely she was being robbed of her revenge.
Eventually, Elle got Beatrix into a chokehold from which there appeared to be no escape. The woman was getting the life slowly drained out of her, with her tormentor enjoying every moment. Then, Beatrix played her last hand. She slowly raised her hand, and put her fingers straight out with the tips just touching the bridge of Elle's nose. Elle felt it, but thought it was just the last gasp of life showing itself. She couldn't have been more wrong. Just as Pai Mei had taught her, Beatrix closed her hand into a fist and sent it barreling straight ahead. The blow shattered Elle's sunglasses, and the pieces went through her eye sockets and out the back of her head, where they stuck in the wall.
Her brain sliced to ribbons, Elle fell to the floor. She could barely make out Beatrix's last words to her: "I believe the pertinent phrase is, miserable old fool." She then turned to Nicki. "You want to keep going?"
Nicki looked at BB and saw that she was beginning to wake up. "I know you didn't want to kill my mother in front of me. I'll extend you the same courtesy." Beatrix nodded. "You know, just before Vernita got cheap with that gun, she made me an offer. We'd meet at a baseball field after midnight dressed in black, and have a knife fight. You know the one she was talking about?" Nicki replied, "Yes, I do. Are you suggesting we do it?" "Yes. I'll see you there." "Not before I see you."
With that, Nicki walked out of the house, knowing nothing could stop her now.
Nicki and Elle spent the next few days hitchhiking back to California, with Elle donning a pair of sunglasses to make people more willing to pick them up. Once they got into town, she decided to keep them on to avoid attracting attention. It was a typical beautiful California day, but Nicki didn't need it to get her spirits up. She knew where her enemy was, and she would soon be there.
First, though, she had a loose end to take care of. Elle wasn't happy about it, but Nicki was allowed to make a quick call before heading to Beatrix's house. She called home, but lost heart as the phone just kept ringing. Finally, she heard her father's voice: "This is Lawrence Bell. I'm not here." After the beep, she worked up the courage to tell him what she had to: "I'm doing it now. I may not survive. If I never see you again, I just want you to know that I love you."
"Can we go now?" said Elle impatiently as Nicki came back to her. "Yes," she said. "Let's get this over with."
Beatrix Kiddo had spent the last eleven years purely caring for her daughter BB. Her past life as a killer for hire was completely over. She still kept up with her training; you never knew when it might come in handy. However, the vast majority of her attention was spent on being a good mother.
BB didn't know anything specific about her mother's past, but she did get the feeling that she wasn't like all the other women she knew. None of them had been shot by their lovers and made to sleep for four years, then come back and killed them. She tried not to let this color her judgment. She loved her mother, and would do anything for her. That didn't work the other way, though. Beatrix refused to teach her daughter how to kill people, though she did submit to standard defense moves. She was no longer a part of that world, and didn't want BB to ever be a part of it.
BB came into the kitchen, where Beatrix was preparing lunch. "So, any boys take notice of you yet?" she said. "Mom!" BB replied, "I'm not comfortable talking about that, like I've been saying for the past month." "Well, as soon as you get comfortable, tell me." "I will. Can we just eat, please?"
The doorbell rang, startling them both. "You expecting anyone?" Beatrix asked. "No, you?" BB said. "No. It's probably a salesman or something. Go upstairs for a while, I'll take care of it."
Nicki waited, then the door opened. Standing in front of her was the woman who had killed her mother and ruined her father's life. While her family struggled, Beatrix was living the American dream. Alarm bells rang in her head. All that would end today. She drew back her fist and threw a punch at Beatrix's face...
...which Beatrix caught, then used to spin her around and get Nicki in an arm bar, just like Pai Mei had used on her the day they met. The pain was extreme, but Nicki could still make out her words. "Who are you? Did Bill have some other employees I didn't know about? I'm not really in the mood to be picking off strays."
Even through the pain, Nicki concentrated on what she was there to do. She lifted up her foot and brought it down hard on her captor's. She found herself free, and turned back around. Beatrix backed inside the house, and Nicki followed. "This is a nice house. I bet you and your daughter are very happy here. I bet you're very close to your daughter, and you love her with all your heart. Kind of like my mother and me. I wish I still had that with her. You remember what you said to me? If I still felt raw when I grew up, you'd be waiting. I see you were telling the truth."
A light bulb seemed to click on in Beatrix's head. "Little Nicki? Well, I can't say I don't deserve whatever you want to do to me, but look at you. I said I'd be waiting when you grew up. You're my daughter's age, and she's still in high school." "I dropped out. The tuition was too high for my father to pay after you broke his heart and made him lose his job." Well, I didn't intend to do that. I'm truly sorry about that. But if you know these things about me, you must also know that I was also telling the truth when I said your mother deserved it."
For a moment, Nicki was unsure of how to respond. During this time, Beatrix noticed BB sneaking up behind the intruder. She had to keep her busy until her daughter could get the drop on her. Nicki finally came back with, "Yes, you did deserve your revenge. But I deserve mine just as much." "That may be, but I'm still going to make you work for it. By the way, just how did you find out about me? Bill kept the lid pretty tight on our identities." By now BB was just about in position, but with catlike speed Elle rushed into the house and grabbed her. She threw the girl like a rag doll against the wall and knocked her out. She then turned to Beatrix and said simply, "That would be from me."
Nicki realized how close she had come to being overpowered and said, "Let's get her now." Elle spoke just as harshly as she had her first day of training: "If you interfere, you're next. You got my foot in the door, now I'm taking over." As Nicki fumed, Elle walked over to Beatrix and said, " Go ahead, I'll let you have the first attack."
Beatrix gave a front kick, which Elle blocked and returned with a punch to the face. The two of them rampaged through the living room, with Beatrix fighting gamely but Elle just barely getting the upper hand. Though she couldn't see, she had been adapting to her condition for a decade, and had learned to listen to develop a sense of where an attack was coming from. Every attack Beatrix tried Elle blocked, but every once in a while she got a hit in. It was clear to Nicki who the winner would be, and her anger grew as she realized how completely she was being robbed of her revenge.
Eventually, Elle got Beatrix into a chokehold from which there appeared to be no escape. The woman was getting the life slowly drained out of her, with her tormentor enjoying every moment. Then, Beatrix played her last hand. She slowly raised her hand, and put her fingers straight out with the tips just touching the bridge of Elle's nose. Elle felt it, but thought it was just the last gasp of life showing itself. She couldn't have been more wrong. Just as Pai Mei had taught her, Beatrix closed her hand into a fist and sent it barreling straight ahead. The blow shattered Elle's sunglasses, and the pieces went through her eye sockets and out the back of her head, where they stuck in the wall.
Her brain sliced to ribbons, Elle fell to the floor. She could barely make out Beatrix's last words to her: "I believe the pertinent phrase is, miserable old fool." She then turned to Nicki. "You want to keep going?"
Nicki looked at BB and saw that she was beginning to wake up. "I know you didn't want to kill my mother in front of me. I'll extend you the same courtesy." Beatrix nodded. "You know, just before Vernita got cheap with that gun, she made me an offer. We'd meet at a baseball field after midnight dressed in black, and have a knife fight. You know the one she was talking about?" Nicki replied, "Yes, I do. Are you suggesting we do it?" "Yes. I'll see you there." "Not before I see you."
With that, Nicki walked out of the house, knowing nothing could stop her now.