Vernita was staring at Beatrix with a truly murderous glare. It was rather creepy actually...with just her head and shoulders submerged, her arm attached to Beatrix's ankle, the whites of her eyes shimmering off the underwater lights, small murky trails of blood swirling around her. There were no sounds....save for the soft swish of the water and the dim hum of the party in the background. The two women locked eyes for a few long seconds. Vernita's Cheshire Cat grin widened even further. All those years of friendship were now so easily dashed away by petty anger. Vernita had thrown that all away like useless foul trash.
Bill had gone into the house to make amends to Peter and his wife for the mess out in back. When he found them, they were both in the kitchen standing in front of the window above the kitchen sink. They were watching intently out onto the scene taking place by the pool. Following their gazes, Bill quickly spotted who and what they were watching. With a series of vicious swear words he turned and began picking his way back through the crowded house.
Vernita was still staring at Beatrix with that chilling look, her hand still clamped onto the blonde's ankle. "If I had my knife....right now..." she began in an eerie whisper, "I'd gut ya right here...."
Beatrix was officially creeped-out. She had never seen Vernita hold that kind of glint in her eyes nor her current facial expression. She was far from scared but she was a tad uneasy. The blonde began kicking and thrashing her leg to try and remove Vernita's shell-clamp-grip. Her movements were similar to a fish flapping out of water trying to flee from the predator.
This movement wasn't doing her any good so she went for another tactic. She pulled herself into a sitting position, leaned forward, and dug her nails deep into Vernita's hands. Her face was hard set, water droplets were still streaming, dripping down and now a mixture of blood was trailing down her temple. Blue eyes were hazed over with lasting confusion and evident anger. Bill said it was over, done, they were supposed to stop. But Vernita wanted to finish it. What she wanted to finish exactly, Beatrix wasn't sure but she couldn't allow it. The nail tactic wasn't working to the extent Beatrix was hoping for. Blue eyes darted around her surrounding area. She spotted her weapon and snatched it up. Without a spark of remorse she brought down a heavy rock on top of Vernita's clenched hands.
That worked, at least momentarily. Vernita made a sound that was halfway between a growl and a yelp. Her hand retracted to her chest for a brief moment. The open scrapes added more blood to the water as she clenched her hands together. Despite having a crushed hand, with lighting quick speed she clamped the bloody appendage to the edge of the pool and pulled herself out with ferocious tenacity. Her predatory look was focused right on Beatrix. Every ounce of humanity was absent in her face. It was the look of a killer. Bill was a professional at this look but for some reason on Vernita, at this moment, it was far creepier. She crawled towards Beatrix, a bloody hand picking up another smaller sized rock that had been sitting with the group of the others. If she couldn't gut the bitch, then she would bludgeon her with a fucking rock. She was not playing around....in her mind, she could easily kill Beatrix right at this moment. Something had switched over in Vernita and.whatever it was....it was far from pleasant.
Elle picked her head off of Budd's shoulder, "She's gunna kill her....." she said in a lazy voice. Elle knew Vernita's look. Bill had yet to show up.
Budd blinked and tilted his head down to Elle. He also had yet to realize how long she had been hanging on him but like Elle he didn't give a fuck. "Ya think?" He drawled lightly. When Elle nodded Budd let out a low whistle turning his head back to the action.
"Shit," Beatrix stated as she rolled out of the way of an oncoming rock. She didn't need to over hear Elle and Budd to finally catch on to what finishing this really meant. The tall blonde knew Vernita didn't 'like' her at the moment but she never thought she wanted to kill her. Elle was usually the only one that had pure sadistic tendencies against the tall blonde. This was scaring the shit out of Beatrix.
She rolled onto her stomach and came on to her hands and knees in an effort to crawl away. She didn't make it far when Vernita jumped onto her back and her body caved in from the weight. The tall blonde warrior let out a yell of pain as she felt the harsh thud of a rock against the back of her skull. She thrashed her body up with a fierce amount of body strength, sending Vernita onto the ground beside her. Beatrix took no hesitations but crawled over to Vernita, came on top of her, legs on both sides and her hands pinned Vernita's wrists to the ground. The droplets of blood from the blonde's bloody temple slipped down her face giving Beatrix her own appearance of being creepy. Someone had to be logical in this illogical event. "Goddamit Vernita!" She breathed still rather flustered.
Vernita stared back up at Beatrix with those emotionless eyes. It was at moments like this that one truly realized what separated people who were not killers and those who were not. Much of the time it was hard to tell, but then...there were times when the true sickness showed itself. Some people, like Bill were so good at treading that line that the two sides were often one grey line. He was aware of this dichotomy and could make scarily seamless changes from one to the other. It took a lifetime to perfect the real art of a true sociopath. But Vernita had not perfected the art to that point. She was snapped into some sick corner of her mind, the corner that allowed her to do what she did for a living, and she was having difficulty snapping out of it. Deep down, she most likely did not really want to kill Beatrix, although...she was certainly working towards it. Vernita continued to stare up at the bloodied blonde. It seemed like she hadn't even blinked in minutes. She appeared as if she was going to say something, but instead she just spat viciously into Beatrix's face. This murderous self hypnosis required her full concentration and it was difficult to talk and keep at it with real effectiveness.
She fought against Beatrix's grip, but the blonde had the dominant position and thus had gravity going for her. Both women were equally strong and skilled at physical brawling.....but at the moment, Beatrix had the upper hand. The moment she lost it though, Vernita was going to end this for good. When it came down to the finer arts of what made a killer a killer Beatrix was almost identical to Bill. One could say he 'molded' her to take in the same mannerisms that he had when it came to killing. Her tracks were rickety but most of the time she could effortlessly switch tracks without flaw. Bill had been one of her teachers and what the teacher taught usually rubbed off on the student. Bill taught her to view killing as an art and only those that truly understood the deeper prospects of it could perfect it. In Bill's eye Beatrix hadn't perfected it. She wasn't 'him'. But to Beatrix she was sure as hell almost perfect, a few years and she'd be there. It was a concept of different morals. But, they've had this spat before. Beatrix wasn't Bill. If she was she wouldn't do certain things that could have a life time of consequences.
She shifted her weight on Vernita trying to keep her upper hand as she was vulgarly spat on. She didn't grimace but pinned her down more harshly. She wanted to speak but she couldn't find the words. Her hopes were now on the simple ideal that Vernita would just stop. Verntia had absolutely no intention of stopping. As long as she was stuck in this killer frame of mind, she was on a one way street to murder.
But she would stop and Bill had just shown up to assure that. It was instantly revealed why he had taken some time in coming back. In his right hand was a small 22 cal pistol. This time the small remaining crowd was more than willing to part for him. Elle raised her eyebrow as she watched him brush past. "Uh oh.....Billy the Kid has just entered the saloon....." she giggled against Budd's shirt.
"I don't think you heard me quite clearly enough Vernita," Bill said calmly and quietly as he approached at a swift pace, "I said...enough....and I mean...enough...." He yanked Beatrix off of Vernita with his unarmed hand and pointed the gun right at Vernita's face. Bill did not fuck around. He'd already been pushed far enough, and this shit was going to end right now. He pulled the hammer back on the pistol, staring down the barrel at an expert arm's distance. Vernita stared back at him, her eyes stuck on the hole of the barrel. "Enough.....Vernita....are we clear on that matter now?"
Vernita blinked, for seemingly the first time since her and Beatrix had thrown their first punches. She took a few shallow breaths, life and fear coming back into her eyes. "Yes...Bill.....I'm sorry....."
"Not as sorry as you'll be if you don't fucking stop this."
A look of very human panic crossed her face, "I'm done......I swear it....Bill....I...." She pushed herself up on her elbows. "It got out of hand.....I...." Bill glared down at her a moment longer, a deep frown on his face. Then slowly he raised his arm above his head and fired the gun into the air. There was nothing like a gunshot at close proximity...even a small 22cal. It was loud and jarring as hell.
Vernita flinched a little and lowered her eyes to the pavement. She seemed to cave in....a mere shaky human being, compared to the animalistic killer she was moments ago.
Elle was staring at this tableau with fascination, her hand grasped onto Budd's shoulder with sharp fingernails.
Beatrix stood off to the side with arms protectively hugging herself. Her features were taut, void, and her lips formed a thin line. Her breathing was coming in harsh wisps through her flared nostrils. When Bill set off the gun she noticeably cringed and recoiled a step. That was fucking scary.
Budd didn't flinch at the gunshot. It was either because he had witnessed this behavior from Bill before or he was too stoned to care. What he did care about was Elle's finger tips in his shoulder. He almost gingerly put a hand to Elle's back and turned her around. "Come on sweet cheeks. I'll drive ya home. Don't want ya drivin' into a tree," he muttered as he lead her off the patio and back inside. He knew it was over and there was nothing else to stick around for.
Bill slowly lowered the smoking pistol, letting his arm fall to his side. His expression was difficult to read....he was back in that "closed book" mode again. This was not the first time, nor most likely did the last time he'd threaten his employees with force and/or a gun. When dealing with killers, it was often necessary to take drastic measures to get them to listen and Bill was just the man to take those drastic measures.
Vernita slowly picked herself up, eyes completely averted from Beatrix and Bill. She attempted to dust herself off, which was rather silly since she was dripping wet with water and blood. She looked a little ashamed....but there was still a good amount of hostility emitting from her. Bill turned away with a piercing glare at both of them. He switched the pistol to his left hand, which he was equally proficient in, turned back towards the house and stalked inside.
Vernita stood there, a little shakily and then pulled her sopping wet braids out of her face. She took a few steps forward, but paused when she and Beatrix were standing side by side...facing opposite directions. She turned and looked at her former friend, "You may have it all going for you now Bea...." she whispered, afraid to still be heard, even if Bill was now inside the house, "But....I assure you...I'm going to get out of this life. I'm going to have that normal life that we always talked about...the kids….the lunches...the mini van and soccer practice. You..." her eyes narrowed, "...your stuck....you always will be...even if you try not to be. Your with Bill now….and you'll always be with Bill......no matter where he is...alive or dead. You're too corrupted to go back now." She raised her brows, "You're doomed to this life. I'll remember you when I have what you wanted." With that, she pressed her lips together and swaggered into the house...clothing sticking to her awkwardly.
Beatrix sucked in a breath as if she had just been hit in the gut. There were some things that really touched home for Beatrix and the idea of being normal was a large factor. She knew subconsciously that Vernita was accurate in what she said. She had almost wished that Vernita could have been right when thinking Beatrix was with Bill for the attention but instead she had to be right about being stuck. Even so Beatrix would always deny it. She was a master when it came to denying the truth. But at that moment it was beginning to register. She couldn't handle it as she usually had difficulty handling 'truthful' situations and made a quick sprint back into the house and out the door. She was wet, cold, irate, and morally wounded. The only cure for this was to go home or in lamer terms; runaway from the situation.
And that was pretty much the end of that party. Bill made amends with Peter and his wife about the back porch. No doubt, he paid them more than what was even close to being necessary. But, in Bill's mind he felt it was important. Peter and Jasmine didn't seem all that rattled about the whole thing. In fact, they were rather glad for the...entertainment. Their guests would doubtfully never forget that party.
After that, Bill went home...alone. He stayed up too late, sitting at his desk staring at a stack of papers in front of him until he felt sober enough to try to sleep.
Elle let Budd drive her home. Later on that night when the pot had worn off, she had a major freak out when she remembered half of what she had done. She swore that if she even came close to sleeping with him she was going to slit her wrists right then and there and let herself die. In the meantime, she had the munchies from hell and ate just about everything her refrigerator had to offer.
Vernita left right after Beatrix. She received a phone call the next day from Bill, informing her that she was on suspension without pay for an indeterminate amount of time. She'd screened the call and listened to it on her answering machine with a scowl.
O-Ren remained rather oblivious to what had transpired that night. After she informed Bill of Beatrix and Vernita's first round of trying to kill one another she went off to further chat with her Yakuza friend. After the party she went home and the next day Bill sent her off on assignment. O-Ren Ishii was 'private' in that manner.
Bill left Beatrix alone for a few days. He knew how she operated. She needed time to herself, in her little apartment, to recover. After three days, he drove over and genially rang her doorbell. He waited with hands in his trouser pockets until she opened the door. "May I come in?" he said quietly.
Beatrix was leaning against the half way open door. She was clad in a pair of gray sweat pants, white tank top, locks of blonde hair were pulled back into a French braid, a hair style she wore when she didn't want to deal with it for the next three days. She had completely secluded herself to her small apartment. Some people when they were 'depressed' binged on food or anything comforting. Beatrix binged on training. And during this particular binge she worked on maneuvers that were increasingly difficult leaving her physically worn down. Hard blue eyes stared at him before she replied tartly, "It depends on why you want to come in."
There were a number of very sarcastic responses to that, and if they had been on better terms at the moment Bill might have replied in such a manner. But, at the moment being direct was much more appropriate. "I want to come in so I can talk to you about what happened the other night. Vernita's on suspension. I want her away for awhile." A pause, "I'm not here to interrogate you Kiddo.....I just want to hear what happened after you've had some time to cool off." He was being completely calm and straightforward. He had not wanted any of this to happen. He was happy with how things were going. But he also knew better than to come crawling back with kind words and sappy promises. He didn't regret doing anything he did and he simply wanted truths so he could better understand what had happened. He raised his eyebrows. "Just a talk..."
The tall blonde stared at him for a moment longer as if taking in his words and weighing the pros and cons. Coming to a decision she silently and methodically stepped aside and let him enter. She closed the door behind him and followed him into the living room where they each took separate seats. Her regression was evident by her body language and all out unhappy aurora. During her three day cool down she did a tremendous amount of thinking. She didn't think about how she may have fucked up and was doomed from here on in and she didn't think about regretting anything. But no matter what she thought, her answers always brought her right back to where she started. This only brought confusion and irritation. She settled back in the plush recliner and made herself comfortable. She waited for Bill to do the same before she spoke up, "You saw what happened," a pause. "Put two and two together. You're smart Bill."
Bill frowned, displeased with her small dose of sarcasm. "Well...generally when you put two and two together you get four." He leaned back into the recliner, "But....the other night...something went wrong with that addition. And I didn't even have to be all that smart to figure that one out." He let the metaphor drop, "I wasn't referring to the physical events Kiddo. One week it's Elle...the next it's O-Ren.....and now...Vernita," a harsh chuckle, "....your friend, Vernita...attempting to smash in your skull with a rock. Well now, what a funny fucked up world we live in." Goddamn, was that true. He watched her for a moment, that half smirk frozen on his face. He let the expression fall into a frown. "I can't have this sort of shit happen in my organization," he said seriously, brown eyes harsh and bright on the woman sitting across from him. "Something has to give.....and," he held up a ringed hand, pausing in thought, ".....I can't quite figure out what that is....." It always difficult to tell with Bill, when he was like this, if he was genuinely lost and seeking advice or if he was simply toying around with the object of concern.
Beatrix sat there watching and listening with a haughty expression. She knew even without the fucked up metaphors and added zingers what Bill was aiming at. Was he looking for advice and guidance from his lover? If he was he was fucking the wrong person. The disgruntled blonde simply shrugged her shoulders. "You've got me, Bill." Her arms shifted across her chest, her façade turning cooler. "It's your organization. You've dealt with this shit for years, you'll figure out a way to work around it or…get rid of it."
Bill raised his brows, taking all of that in rather placidly. After all, he'd expected no less from Beatrix. She was not one to eagerly give advice or wanted help. As much confidence as he had in her, she had in him. He supposed he'd find a way to deal, or he'd end it. "Hrm...well...I suppose your right...," he replied with a tilt of the head.
After a moment, he rested his elbow on the arm of the recliner, chin resting in his palm. "I think we should go away for awhile..." he murmured, gaze wandering aimlessly around Beatrix's small living room. His eyes returned to her quickly, "Not right now....you despise me too much right now," a smirk, ".....but in awhile perhaps. Somewhere far away.....away from..." he waved his other hand, "...all of this...bullshit." A pause for a few seconds, "Maybe it's time to move things again as well...." Every few years or so, Bill would generally pick up and move the whole organization. Of course these locales tended to center around the Southwest US. He'd been at his current place for over five years. It was getting well past that red zone once again. There had already been some run ins with the FBI lately and Bill was not a man to tempt the law more than he already did. At this point in his life, there was no option for getting caught....getting caught was sure death. And he sure as fuck was not going to die in some shitty federal prison somewhere. His look came back to rest on Beatrix after that little mental tangent. "Well....either way.....the rules are changing around here faster than I can rewrite them."
Beatrix listened to all of that with raised eyebrows and a sour-puss face. She vaguely remembered when she first came to the organization Bill was doing some redecorating on the hacienda seeing as they had recently relocated. She had never witnessed an actual relocation but she heard from Elle that it was 'fucking annoying'. Either way Beatrix didn't care much about it. What did spark her interest was his reference to just 'them' going away. She shifted in her seat and her fingers flexed on the arm of the chair. Blue eyes were rising up a few degrees but not by much. "You know," she began in a much calmer tone of voice. "My birthday is in a few weeks." Like Bill, Beatrix wasn't keen on the idea of getting older, not that she was getting that old but she focused more on the concept of spending such a day with someone 'special'. That made it worthwhile. But she wasn't expecting much of anything. Shit, for Bill's birthday Beatrix ended up getting stabbed numerous times. Hell of a way to celebrate a birthday. So, she really wasn't expecting anything. "Surprise me," she added quaintly.
Bill gave her a lopsided smile, chin still in hand. "I'm generally not one for the pleasant type of surprises. But....I'll see what I can come up with." Actually, he was loving this new bit of information. He had Beatrix's birthday circled on his calendar...he'd known it was coming up soon, but he hadn't realized how soon. And lord knew Bill was a spoiler. "Well.....I can count out showing up at your door dressed a little too flamboyantly for your tastes, and you're already done the birthday stab wounds thing….so that's out....hrm….not leaving me with many choices here." He squinted at her with humor and then raised an eyebrow, "You are turning something over eighteen right?" A sarcastic smirk, "Because...I really don't want to add yet another new type of felony to my already long list...."
Ok, so Bill's sense of humor wasn't always tasteful, but Beatrix was at least not acting as frosty to him as she had been a moment ago. In truth, he'd just wanted to come over here to see her. Oh sure, he could have used a word or two on just exactly what the hell as going on in his organization, but the real truth of the matter was...he'd just missed her. Even just to sit here and banter with her as she gave him a barely luke warm look was enough. He grew serious, "It will be special Kiddo....I promise.." Like himself, he was sure that Beatrix had spent many birthdays by herself or pretending to enjoy the current company. It was nice, now and then, to have a real good one....and Bill, now knowing this new information, was hell bent that she would.