Kill Bill: Prequel Volume 1

by Bloody Satisfaction

Have you ever wondered how the relationships in Kill Bill Vol1&2 became to be? How did it all start? This story is an indepth look, for TRUE KB fans. This is a prequel to help answer the questions that have been plaguing everyone.

13. The Challenge

Chapter 13

The Challenge

Knowing Beatrix and knowing himself, Bill let a few weeks slip by without any activity. He purposely gave an assignment originally intended for Beatrix to Vernita and then made a very uncharacteristic move. He decided he would go visit Beatrix at her place. He wasn't really sure why he wanted to do this but he felt it was necessary.

Knowing that Beatrix liked to sleep in he showed up at 6am just so he could get her slightly irked. He made sure to knock very loudly giving the small house a disapproving scowl as he waited.

Within the absent weeks that followed Beatrix spent them dislocated from the world. She remained in her apartment complex either doing one of three things; sleeping, eating, or training. Once and awhile she'd flip on the television. It was difficult to focus on anything. She never felt this shitty about her actions. Yes, Paco deserved what he got but Bill didn't seem to think so and that's what brought down her mood. She had made an effort to behave herself, to try and show respect, and make a good impression that night. She had even made the makeshift pact with Elle, which was difficult in its own manner, to behave. And Beatrix ended up breaking it in the most disrespectful behavior. Deep down she cared about Bill and what he thought about her. Even though she never initially would try to show off, it always felt good to know she impressed him. It felt great to know she could surprise him. But, this surprise was unwelcome.

During the long days that followed since the party Bea made it a highlight of her lonely days to practice. May it be; sword play, perfecting her tiger-crane method, or even practicing a secret technique of Pai Mei's that she knew could use some refreshing. Sleeping was a major factor for Beatrix and when it was disturbed she wasn't too keen to be happy. It took numerous knocks on the door to completely stir the tall blonde from slumber and rouse her from the comforts of the bed. Muttering about whom the hell could be disturbing her at this hour, she shuffled to the door. She was clad in an oversized white t-shirt with a funky Japanese design that came down past her knees and blonde hair was pulled into a sloppy braid. Long white fingers laced around the door handle and she pulled it open in a harsh manner. The look of aggravation and annoyance left her face the instant blue eyes settled on the man in the doorway.

"Bill," she half muttered and half spoke as a greeting. "What are you doing here?" Not what she initially had planned to say in greeting but it came out before she could push it back.

Bill was getting irritated standing there in front of the less-than-worthy apartment complex and was just about to turn and leave when Beatrix threw open the door. "Hey Kiddo, you d-," he took in her full appearance, "...God, that's sexy," he drawled sarcastically but with a friendly glint of humor, "Look, can I come in?" Bill rarely asked if he could so something.

When Beatrix ushered him in, he stood in the middle of her small living room looking somewhat out of place. Sometimes Bill could take forever to get to the point, other times he went right for the throat, "Paco's long gone. I have the feeling we have preeminently parted ways," he picked up a trinket from the coffee table, "It came down to the cold fact that I had to choose between him or you." Bill had been thinking about this a great deal over the last few weeks. It had been a hell of a lot easier to say to himself. He looked up at her, "It seems I have chosen you."

Beatrix was far from mad at him over the incident that happened a few weeks ago. Her anger was more directed towards herself. She stood in the middle of the living room, her position a few feet from his own. Arms were crossed over her chest and expression was mellow tone. In any other situation when her anger was directed towards him her demeanor wouldn't have been as forgiving. Her head tilted idly to the side as she took in his confession. She knew that was a hard thing for Bill to come to terms with and she respected him for coming out and saying it as he did. A hint of a smile tugged at the side of her lips but she wasn't about to fully submit herself to him. She let silence linger as she gathered her thoughts. "How do you expect me to react to that? I won t say I'm sorry for my actions but I will give subtle hints that it was not my intention to have disrespected you nor in any way have tried to make you disappointed in me." A hand came up to tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, as if trying to prepare herself to speak words that always came hard for her. "For that I am sorry."

"I don't expect anything from you," Bill said, looking back down at whatever trinket he was fiddling with, "Your reactions are your own...whatever regret or anger you feel is your own to deal with. Just as whatever disappointment I feel towards you I have dealt with. Be careful not to project your own inner struggles on other people...they'll despise you eventually." He set down the trinket, turning towards her, "But, on the other hand, I understand how you feel. And for whatever it's worth I accept your apology." He had remained fairly neutral throughout all of this. "Mainly because I know how difficult that is for people like us to vocalize." He turned away, examining a few pictures on the wall, "You can stop beating yourself up now Kiddo. I did not come here so we could throw ourselves at each others feet. I came here to because I want you to stop punishing yourself." He turned towards her again, "It just doesn't work for you, self loathing that is." He raised his eyebrows, "Fair enough?"

She took his proposition of sorts into great debate. Beatrix unlike many others always listened to Bill's words of advice and shared wisdom as if they were life lessons that she would need to refer back in later years. Finally she gave a tight nod of her blonde head and flopped down on the over stuffed recliner. She felt as though a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders and she could finally relax. Her hands came up and she rubbed her open palms against her face to lighten any remaining grogginess and dismissing the self loathing she had so evidently been putting herself through. Slowly she lowered her hands and blue hues peered over to him. "I didn't accept you to come by, personally. I had to make a list of impossible things that could never happen, you being more pissed at me than I've ever had care to witness so far in many years of knowing you--I was sure you were you going to strike me. Or end up sending some postal man to give me my last pay check--or even send someone to dispose of me--those things they'd rank up pretty high on that list. Not number one, because I haven't come up with number one, but it comes pretty damn close," words were spoken in a bitter sweet tone but held a sprinkle of sarcasm. "I'd've been right, wouldn't I?"

Bill smiled broadly, amusement twinkling in his eyes, "Yes...you'd probably have been right. As far as number one," he rubbed his chin, "Well ya know how I like surprises. So, I guess it will just have to remain a mystery. But," he held up a finger, "I'll make sure that number one is a real dozy. Something even you wouldn't expect." He eyed Beatrix, looking satisfied as she seemed to rub away her self loathing, "Now, that's my girl. See, you already look better." He continued to wander around the living room, the realization that he had never actually been in Beatrix's apartment dawning on him.

"Ya know Kiddo...I don't know how you can stand this place." And just like that Bill had moved on the entire thing forgiven and forgotten. It was odd what things Bill tended to forgive and those he did not.

If Bill was willing to forgive and forget Beatrix was going to go along with it. She had a tendency to linger on things but this was she was going to let slide. The more she'd end up thinking about the party and what happened the more it would bring back that self loathing. She positioned herself on the chair in a horizontal manner, back up against the arm of the chair, and long legs draped over the other arm, her head tilted to back, bangs falling upside down. It was a rather awkward position but there was nothing like blood rushing to your head to clear things up. She mockingly rolled her eyes. "My apartment may not be as big as your hacienda nor as extravagant with artifacts ranging from Japan to the old west but its home and I love it. And besides, this place wouldn't scream Beatrix Kiddo if I decorated it the way you'd like it." She raised a slender brow in question.

"Ah, well...I suppose your right about that." Bill admitted with a smirk, picking up and setting down another random trinket. "To each his...er..her own." Beatrix was, if anything, her own individual. Of course, he wouldn't have it any other way. He looked at her in the chair with an amused expression. She looked a little silly...if not beguiling like that. But he didn't say anything. Thus far, Bill had been all business well in a personable way that is. "Can I make the assumption then that you are ready to take another assignment?"

Beatrix had to stifle a laugh at the question. She knew that was coming. Her hand came up to the back of the chair and she pulled herself back up to a normal sitting position. The blood had pooled enough in her brain and she was returning back to her norm. A smile tugged her lips. "To keep myself occupied these past agonizingly lonely weeks you'll be happy to know I didn't sit around wallowing in complete self pity. I trained. So, yeah, you re assumption is accurate."

Bill looked very pleased to hear this. "Excellent. Now..." he pulled out one those familiar manila envelopes from inside his jacket. He sat down on the couch and spread out the contents on the coffee table. "It's a solo job. This one's a little different...well," he raised an eyebrow, "aren't they all. Anyways, the target happens to be a son of a prominent governor...who's name will remain unsaid for now. I thought the fucking secret service had found me when a bunch of government suits showed up. Scared the shit outta me." He cast a cynical look Beatrix, "Don't believe any of that wholesome bullshit the US government says...they deal with bastards like me all of the time.' He turned back to the case information, "This kid...former Marine, completely flipped out a few months ago...killed a bunch of his fellow solders. He went MIA...and recently surfaced in Miami. Naturally, Daddy wants him silenced before Junior does any real damage to the prestigious governor's public image." Bill chuckled, "and they call me cold..." He flipped through some papers and notes, pulling out a glossy color photo of a young man...no older than twenty-five, in a full Marine dress uniform. He looked severe...with a set jaw and shorn head. "Just a kid really but don't be fooled. This asshole...Bobby...is a fully trained sniper, hand to hand combat fighter and...so his file says East Coast regional Judo champion." He tossed the picture onto the pile of papers. "He was institutionalized two years ago for Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome...they think he got a little fucked in the head during the Gulf War." Bill shrugged, "He could just be crazy...I don't really care. This is a huge job...these government pricks don't play with small money." Bill began putting the papers back into the envelope. "Of course, I know you can handle it Kiddo," he added matter of factly.

Beatrix was leaning forward in her chair as Bill went over the details. Long white fingers traced and skimmed through the material in the manila folder before handing it back to Bill to put away. She leaned back in the chair, arms folding over her chest in the process. She held a pleased smile on her face. "Is there something about me that draws the psychos?" She laughed flippantly and shook her blonde head. Eyes came back up to him, shining with a blood thirsty glint. "This is gonna be fun. I'm glad I took the time to freshen up on my own hand to hand combat." Bea rose to her feet and stood at her full height, arms stretching over head and extending to the ceiling to stretch her muscles before falling back to her hips. "Guess I'll start packing now and leave within the hour. You're welcome to hang around."

Bill leaned back on the couch, leaving the manila envelope on the table for Beatrix. "I have a lunch meeting with our charming Miss Driver, but I'll hang around for awhile. I'll drive you to the airport." As usual Bill rarely asked things, he simply did them.

At the airport, Bill delivered his usual casual adios and sent Beatrix on her way.

---

When Beatrix arrived in Miami it was fairly late into the evening. The hot Miami nightlife was in full swing. The hotel Bill had set Beatrix up in was right in the middle of the large nightclub district. This wasn't done for Beatrix's social life benefit. The target, Bobby had been seen in this area a number of times. Apparently he had a few former military connections with a number of nightclub owners and drug dealers. He had most likely been using them for coverage. The hotel, while certainly nice, fit right in with the scene. It was covered to an obnoxious amount with pink neon tubing and "nightclub" style track lighting. It looked the sort of place that rich young people went for one night stands. The help at the hotel were all young overly tan women and a number of Cubans. A young, attractive Cuban man in tight white pants led Beatrix up to her room, carrying her small amount of luggage. He offered her a broad white smile and swaggered out of the room leaving Beatrix to unpacking.

Beatrix couldn't help but find the hotel way too preppy for her taste. Her room was decorated in neon pinks and plastic furniture. It reminded her of a late 80's chick flick. She threw her duffle bag up and on to the bed and instead of bouncing it swayed on contact with the mattress. "Water bed snazzy," Beatrix muttered to herself using a fake girly accent. She nonchalantly unzipped the black duffle bag and began to take out her toys . Before equipping the weapons she took out an outfit that would make her blend in better. A pair of bell-bottom jeans, taut with a chain-link style belt, and a t-shirt of a pale yellow decorated with a white stitching design and ruffles on the bottom. It didn't take her long to become equipped with dagger, 9mm, and pocket knife all cleverly hidden beneath her outfit. Bea than went out to join the night life of the city Miami.

The streets were packed to the brim with all types of people; smokers, drug dealers, and prostitutes but there were your occasional tourists (such as herself). Heeled boots clicked against the pavement as she weaved through the crowds. No one was going to bother this tall blonde as it was fairly odd to see someone walking the streets with a sword strapped to their back. But, no one seemed to notice it was a sword but something long in a black sheath.

Steps ceased at the approach of one of the many nightclubs her target had been spotted at. Strip-Tease read the sign in messy script, blinking a bright pink. Strip-tease, which said a hell of a lot about the place she d be investigating. And she was correct. The nightclub was shaped like an ordinary club except for the large stage where a hefty amount of overly sexy women were taking their clothes off. Scowling in disgust Beatrix walked over to the bar to make herself comfortable.

Due to the obvious heavy cultural influences in Miami, there was more Spanish being spoken in the strip joint/bar than English. It was loud and there seemed to be neon lights everywhere. Men who were more than comfortable with themselves were crowded around the stage, sitting at small circular tables. Another set of loner men crowded around the bar, sprinkled with a good variety of women. Most of these women looked either barely 18 or far too old to be in a place such as this. Fake tans and hair extensions were seen everywhere. It was most likely that the men there had used more hair products than the women. Due to this over flux of "beauty", Beatrix had a fairly easy to time slipping in and remaining thus far unnoticed. Apparently she was just a little too "real" looking for most of this sort. A short man who looked like he was trying far too hard to be James Dean...or was it Elvis, winked at Beatrix from across the bar. He got up and looked like he was going to make his way towards her, but he never reached her another woman caught his attention and he wandered off in another direction. Finally, the bartender, a tall Latin man...who looked like some Ricky Martin clone, leaned on the counter. "Get you a drink senorita? Or perhaps you looking for a man? I help you with both, yes?"

Blue eyes peered over to the bar tender and the song shake your bon-bon rolled annoyingly in her head. A smirk tugged at her pink glossed lips and she gave a tight nod of her blonde head. "Yeah, I'll have a pina colada." She gave pause and leaned her body forward, elbows on the bar top, her head tilted to the tender. "And," Long fingers that had been residing in her pocket now came out with a black and white wallet sized photo. She slipped it under the Cuban s nose. "I'm looking for this guy. Does he look familiar?"

Ricky Martin gave Beatrix a wide white grin, and then looked down at the photo she had just produced. "Hrm..." he rubbed his strong chin, "...yeah...I think I see this man...," he got to making her drink, obviously still thinking, "He's been here allot recently...not much for the ladies this guy," he shook the drink mixer. "He likes to sit it that corner mostly," he pointed a long tanned arm towards one of the club's many dark corner booths. "Sits with other guys mostly..." Ricky squinted his eyes, "...I dunno think he likes the men either though...strange guy." He poured Beatrix's drink and set the chilled Pina Colada in front of the tall blonde. "Viola," he seemed very pleased with his creation, "Best on the block senorita." He leaned back on the counter, "I bet you hang around here long enough...he'll show up. He comes here almost every night...," he tiled his head, "This guy...he dunno seem your type. Kinda a prick, I think." He nodded.

Beatrix laughed lightly at the Ricky Martin-wannabes' remark. She slipped money on the counter adding a more than worthy tip. White fingers than pricked up the cherry and licked the juices from the tip in an unintended sexual manner. "Muchos gracias." Her Spanish was rusty but appropriate. "I'll keep that in mind." She than bit the cherry from the stem and chewed. The Pina Colada was delicious. "Ricky" made a hat tipping motion to Beatrix and turned his little tush back to the drink mixer.

She spent the next hour and a half warding off men and going over a game plan. As the second hour began to roll around the club began playing a game they called Take it ALL off. This involved everyone at the bar that wasn't a coward to bet money on which women on the stage had the biggest whatever. It was disgusting and Bea was losing her patience. Her glass was half way down and she was aimlessly twirling a little pink umbrella between her thumb and index fingers when she spotted a new pardon enter the building. Her curiosity sparked but she didn't give any evident clue she noticed an entry.

The club, in it's later hours was most definitely becoming more sleazy and out of control. Nobody seemed to care; most likely this was a typical night. The bar was getting rowdy as men shouted at the stage and jostled on another for their bets. It was during one of these bouts of shouting that a new group of patron's entered the club.These newcomers were a group of four men. Beatrix's target was most definitely one of these men. He was young, head shorn in a military crew cut...medium height and obviously in very good shape. He was wearing a pair of grey cargo pants and a tight black t-shirt. He would almost be good looking if he didn't look so pissed off. The three men around him were all dressed in suits. One of these men, a tall Latin man, was wearing a white blazer. He appeared to be somewhat agitated as they entered. The four men went straight for the exact booth that "Ricky" had pointed out to Beatrix earlier. They sat down quickly and began ordering drinks from a tall brunette cocktail waitress.

Black Mamba had spotted her target and gears clicked into place. It was time to have some fun. She flashed a fleeting smile to Rick and began a moderate paced saunter over to that dark corner. She evaluated the situation effortlessly taking note to the three bodyguards. A sly grin played across her features but was quickly masked over with a lopsided smile as she approached the rounded table. Her steps ceased as the blonde came up and behind two of the bodyguards.

"I'm sorry to bother you gentlemen but I was wondering if you could answer me a few questions."All four men looked up at Beatrix as if she was some alien visitor. Obviously they rarely got guests. There were a few moments of silence as they all stared hostilely at the blonde.

The Latin man in the white jacket...we'll call him "Scarface" for the moment, sneered. "Why th' fuck shoul' we answer your questions?" he said nastily in heavily accented English.

Bobby, Black Mamba's target, remained silent. He watched Beatrix with a pair of cold grey eyes...far too hard for a man so young. There was a cool resolve on his face.

"Scarface," continued sneering. "Well? Wha' cho 'have to say? Huh?" He leaned forward in a threatening manner. Beatrix remained undaunted by Scarfaces rude social skills. Hands slipped to her hips and she put on a haughty appearance. Blue eyes fixed with intense seriousness. "You'll answer my questions if you know what's good for you, asshole." She flashed a less than charming smile. Long white fingers flexed anxiously against her hips. These men were already starting to piss her off and taking note to that she began to ponder going to her plan B.

A small chuckle rippled throughout the men at the table...Bobby excluded...who continued to look just as serious as ever. "Well," 'Scarface began, "Looki' we got 'ere boys...fiesty bitch 'eh." He turned his mocking gaze back on Beatrix, "I asked you wha' the fuck you 'ad to say...," he pulled his white jacket aside, revealing a holstered pistol, "...so..why don' you stop stickin' yer tits out at us...and ge' on wit' it? We a'nt goin' to waste much more time with ya'..." Bobby hadn't said a word, nor even moved.

Beatrix held a bemused facial expression. Slender brows would rise at the revealed pistol which she found almost laughable. Alright, she was going with plan B. "And I m not gonna waste much more time with cause you are really starting to get on my nerves." Words spoken in a matter-of-fact tone and when finished as quick as lightening her hand came up. Long white fingers laced around the handle of her sword that was protruding from her back. Unsheathed she swung it around with needless effort and the result ended with Scarfaces head dished out in the middle of the table. A large fountain of blood erupted from the decapitated body, splattering her outfit to take on a burgundy hint.

Heaving a loud sigh Beatrix settled the deadly weapon poised in front of her. Blue eyes stared at the remaining men and she kept her mouth shut. She wasn't always one for going public with assignments but this place was so fucked up almost no one would notice.

Indeed, few people took notice. The music and the shouting were more than loud enough to cover up the sounds of violence. It was dark enough that nobody a few patrons very nearby noticed the bloody mess.

But the men at the table most definitely took notice.

"Holy fuck!" One of Bobby's two remaining thugs jumped up standing awkwardly on the booth's cushioned seat. He stared down at the head that was now sitting in the middle of the table...like some bloody entree. He looked like he was going to be sick. The other thug, had pushed himself back into the seat as far as the material would allow him to go...he seemed just as frozen in terror as the other man. But quite suddenly he whipped out a pistol from under the table, aiming it at Beatrix's face. "Don't you fucking move!" he croaked.

Bobby remained seated. He still hadn't moved. A large arterial spray of blood lay sprinkled across his tight features. His expression remained unchanged. It was apparent that this man had seen a large amount of death in his life...he was haunted nightly by horrors far worse than a decapitated head. His grey eyes settled on the head of his former bodyguard...he almost looked amused. He then slowly raised his gaze back up to Beatrix. For the first time he spoke,

"This is my father's doing."

"Course it is," Beatrix chimed enigmatically. That sword was clenched tight in front of her and didn't attempt any sudden movements. Her face held firm and annulled even with the droplets of blood speckling her finely tanned facial features. Blue eyes focused on Bobby but she kept the man with the gun in check. She than spoke up again in a lighter more conversational tone, "You're father isn't too keen on your behavior lately. So he sent me to straighten you out."

Bobby thought about this for a moment, and then he began to laugh. It was a chilling, bitter laugh. "Not too keen on my behavior...sure...I bet not...seeing as it's election time soon." Finally, he made the first real movement he'd made thus far. Leaning forward, he pushed "Scarface's" head off of the table with a single sweep. "My father's a real asshole, but why the fuck he sent some samurai sword totting blonde bimbo after me...well, that's a new one." He leaned back...looking far more cynical than his young years normally entitled. He looked at Beatrix with his cold gaze, "Go ahead...kill me...honestly, I don't give a fuck." There was definitely something slightly crazy about the kid. "I want it to end."

Beatrix found her fingers tense against the hilt of her sword. This guy was nuts. Slender brows furrowed as she took in his request. The snide remark about being a blonde bimbo she let pass. Her head canted to the side suspiciously. "You know--Bobby...I am a trained killer and when killing I like to know that my opponent is worthy. But when they make a request to be killed...that's not being all that worthy. Nor does it give me any reason to really believe that you just want to die. Or--" She held up a single digit for enthusiasm. "You may be just that crazy."

"A trained killer..." Bobby slowly said the words..."Hrm." Like her, he was a trained killer...trained to do nothing but maim and slaughter. He tiled his head back, closing his eyes. "You can decide whatever you want...maybe I want to die, maybe I only said that to make you think I was crazy...maybe I don't want to die...," he let out another one of those eerie laughs, "...whatever suits your tastes baby." He opened his eyes, deep hallow wells staring back at her, "...nobody is worthy...nobody..." He snorted, not out of spite or humor...a small line of blood began to seep out of his right nostril. Obviously, Bobby had been doing his share of coke recently. His head rolled back again, he almost looked like he was going to pass out, but suddenly his head snapped back up again.

"Well fuckin' do it bitch!" he shouted out of the blue.

Beatrix showed no signs of faltering in front of this psychotic maniac. Her mouth came firm set and she stared uncertainly at the young man. The blood that dripped from his nose gave her a sure sign that he wasn't all there, more than usual. "I'm not going to kill you--not yet. You're stoned and I find that gives me an unfair advantage and I'm going to hold off for now. So," her voice lowered. "When do you want to die?"

Bobby's head rolled to the side. "I want to die..." he drawled, "...I want to die...anytime..." he breathed. His head snapped back up, "So, your an honorable killer huh? Not the type to shoot a man in the back? Or kick him when he's down?" He nodded, "Alright..." He slid out from the booth, his two bodyguard types following suit. The man with the gun still held it level at Beatrix, although more inconspicuously. "You were hired to kill me..." Bobby said, sounding a little spaced, "...I respect that...I've been there. I cannot deny you a chance at least..."

He eyed her with a sideways look...he still didn't look entirely convinced that Beatrix was an assassin...as if the head chopping wasn't enough of a demonstration. "How do you want to this then?...Outside?...On the roof? In the street?...your kung fu," he made a mocking kung fu gesture, speaking in a bad oriental accent, "against my kung fu!" He laughed...nobody laughed with him. Bobby wiped a hand across his bloody nose. "I'm gunna fuck you up..."

Beatrix watched his kung fu demonstration with vast revulsion. She lowered her sword to waver vertically to her waist but she didn't put her guard down completely. She tilted her head down and eyed him evenly. "I'll do the fucking," she clarified gently.

"I believe I asked that question first. When do you want to die? Tonight, tomorrow?" She paused. "Let me rephrase that; Where do you want to die? Outside away from civilians? In some dark alley. I'm all go for anything, baby." She raised knowing brows in a mocking manner.

Bobby, unlike some other people Beatrix knew or had killed in the past, was not one to enjoy word play much. He seemed to have reached some sort of depression/drug induced breaking point. "Just...shut up!" He spat. With that, he grabbed her free wrist and with an amazing skill level managed to flip her entirely over in one swift motion. The two bodyguards were on her within seconds.

That was different. Beatrix found herself flat on her back on top of the table. She grit her teeth in momentary discomfort. The second the two thugs were on her she reacted. She happened to lose her grip on her sword during the process of being flipped over and it was now residing under the table. There were always other weapons of choice. Long white fingers slithered around a sharp stake knife and plunged it deep into the chest of the man was crawling on top of her. The stabbed man clutched at the blade in his chest, he struggled...but quickly lost the battle. He fell backwards onto the floor of the club. He twitched for a few moments and then fell silent.

The second bodyguard obviously didn't learn very fast, he leapt at Beatrix. Bobby had taken a step back, watching the whole thing with a bemused expression. Meanwhile, people in the club began to take notice...a large circle of abounded floor space began to grow around them. The music was still playing but fewer and fewer people were dancing, choosing instead to watch the scuffle. Even "Ricky" behind the bar, stopped making his drinks to turn and look. His chiseled draw dropped...

Perhaps this was going to be easier than she thought as she quickly noticed that the two body guards were complete dumb asses. As dumb ass number two leapt at her she quickly rolled out of the way and let the man fall into a plate of bean dip and chips. A grin of amusement crossed her face as Beatrix hovered on the end of the table. On her stomach, that long arm extended and snatched up the fallen blade from the floor. Feeling much more comfortable with her favorite weapon she swiftly turned back around to meet her bean faced opponent. The stupid idiot spat out a good amount of bean dip, we wiped a hand across his eyes so he could see.

"You fucking-" he leapt at her, pulling out a gun from who knows where. He reeled around a little awkwardly and brought the barrel to bear upon her face. Needles to say, this guy was pretty damn stupid. Bobby had folded his arms...he didn't seem surprised that his hired help were a bunch of morons. They had served their purpose to look threatening. When it came down to protecting himself, Bobby was more than capable of that himself.

As the man's arm extended forward and poised the gun at her face, Bea just blinked. Her facade was hard and held deep concentration as it was needed even when battling idiots such as these. Without a word she flipped the blade and swung it around in one swift movement. The sharp edge coming down and slicing hand from arm. The crimson liquid exploded and only made her blouse take on a deeper shade of red instead of yellow that she had been sporting before. That did it for thug #2, getting his arm cut off was where he called it good and done. Screaming, he fell to the floor into a bloody puddle... to bleed to death.

Understandably, this caused quite a reaction from the onlookers in the club. There were a number of screams and many people ran out of the establishment. The few, more sadistic ones stayed to watch what would happen next. "Well," Bobby looked down at the bloody mess around the table, "...that was pretty cool. Hope ya had fun..." He fell back into a fighting stance, "...because that's just about to end."

Black Mamba casually slipped off the table and stood up avoiding the bloody mess on the floor. She didn't take notice to any of the onlookers, she was use to attracting crowds. She had a one track mind. Sword still secularly in hand she turned to face Bobby. "You're unarmed and I'd hate to win at an unfair advantage. So, I wanna make sure you don't have a sword up your ass before I go and put mine aside."

Bobby smirked, slowly turning around to show her his backside. "No sword..." He turned back around, eyeing her coldly, "I don't need a warning." He looked deathly serious...on top of crazy. "I've seen stuff that would make you want to kill yourself." He jerked his head to the side, "Now...put aside the samurai junk and we'll make this a fair match." He seemed pretty damn cocky. Despite Beatrix's show of skill, he still seemed doubtful. Most likely because Bobby was a rich governor's brat turned military brat...in his mind women simply do the things that Beatrix had just done.

"Alright," Beatrix replied as she sheathed the blade and placed it gingerly on a vacant chair. The blonde hair warrior than turned back to her enemy. He was so damn cocky she tried to make sure his cockiness didn't rub off on her. Her expression became vacant and blue hues blazed as she came into her fighting stance. Some would laugh at her display of kung fu fighting methods but Black Mamba knew her Tiger-Crane method was the finest choice in hand to hand combat. Unmoving she instructed, "Attack me."

Bobby didn't laugh when Beatrix fell into a Tiger-Crane stance...he'd been around enough martial arts to know what she was doing. Likewise, Bobby bent into a low fighting stance...something more akin to Judo or wrestling. The two fighters began circling one another slowly. Bobby watched Beatrix closely and with a calculated intensity. It was obvious he was an experienced fighter. A couple of the remaining spectators, mostly men, began making bets. Most of them were favoring Bobby. They circled for a few moments, growing steadily closer to each other. Finally, Bobby made a quick dive for Beatrix's lower legs. He caught her and immediately twisted her around in a painful cradle style hold. The young man was definitely strong, his grip was iron-like.

Beatrix mentally scolded herself for having underestimated her opponent. She hadn't by much but enough to cause her to lose her balance. Her lower body hit the floor with a thud as her legs stayed in his grip. She let out a soft groan of pain that admitted from her head and lower back region. Hoisting herself into an awkward sitting position Bea leaned forward and wrapped her long arms around his neck. It was similar to a hug but most hugs don't cause a person to lose air supply.

Bobby was surprised that the tall blonde pulled off a grappling move so easily. She wasn't so untrained after all. There were a number of jeers from the onlookers. He grasped at her long legs, attempting to free his constricted neck. Gasping, he managed to land a hard knuckled blow right into her upper thigh. Taking advantage of the brief moment, he twisted out from her legs, grabbing her arm in the process and wrapping it around her back. He then kicked her viciously in the back of the knees, relishing every moment.

Beatrix felt her muscles tense up in excruciating pain. She clenched her teeth firmly together to stop herself from yelling out in pain. The last thing she needed to do was display a show of weakness. Placing mind over matter she bent her knees as if they were giving way to the fierce hits but she was doing completely the opposite. Knees bent she quickly sprang up and preformed a fluid back flip up and over him. The arm he had still been holding behind her back was now along side of him and she was in back of him. Grunting back her pain as her arm was twisted in the most unpleasant manner she used her free arm to lace back around his throat.

Now that was unexpected. Bobby had never...ever...had anybody flip over him like that, let alone seen anybody even do anything remotely close to that This blonde continued to impress. Grimacing as she once again got a firm grip around his throat, Bobby threw a sharp elbow back into her chest and, bending forward, flipped her over his back. He followed that up with a hard right hook to her face.

Luckily Beatrix regained herself in time to duck from that on coming black eye. A red tint had replaced the pink painted lip gloss she had been wearing moments before and trailed down her jaw line. She was becoming a bit light headed from all the flipping and decided it was time to turn the tables. Now ducked in to a crouching position, that long leg extended and came around to land a hard blow to the back of his legs. A glint of satisfaction sparkled in those blue eyes as she watched the tough military boy fall to the floor. In no time she was mounted on top of him and delivering a balled up fist to his chin.

Beatrix's punch caused the back of Bobby's head to bounce off of the club floor. He blinked his eyes attempting to recover from the double blow. He was stunned not only by the punch but by the utter surprise of the whole thing. This woman could fight dirty.

It was impossible to get up with her on top of him. He tried to move her legs, but she was far too strong. Every second he stayed like this was just another second she had to pound his face in. He had to something quickly. For the moment his hands were still free and he rounded a punch into the side of her head. This didn't seem to phase her all that much. Ever so slowly, Bobby was beginning to realize he was dealing with far more than he had originally thought. For the first time, a glint of fear began to creep into his cold grey eyes. In desperation he quickly spread his arms and brought his open palm's together...one on each side of Beatrix's face.

Kiddo was finding a lot of surprises in this battle. For one thing she hadn't had her face squished since spending the weekend with her great Aunt Fanny when she was eight. Eyelids came to squint as she felt her cheeks brush against her teeth. This was more annoying than it was painful. Hands were preoccupied adding another black eye to go along with the first (and the fact he may have been too strong to just pull his hands off) she tried another tactic. Canting her head as she much as she could, lips brushing against the flesh of his hand, she opened her mouth and let pearly whites bite down hard and deep.

There were generally two things that stopped a man dead in his tracks; one...getting hit in the groin, two; getting bitten. Bobby let out a very unmanly yowl, and imminently ceased his facial assault on Beatrix. Out of pure reaction he grabbed at his bitten hand with his other. This move left him momentarily completely limbless. A small oozing of blood, began to flow out from between his fingers. "Fuck!" he yelled, eyes squeezed shut.

Bea spit the blood that pooled in her mouth to land across Bobby's face but he seemed to be too distracted by the bite to care. Taking the upper hand she put palms face down against his neck and applied all her body weight in an effort to crush his wind pipe. She wasn't entirely sure why she preferred to choke him to death but she knew her fighting tactics proved successful no matter how she used them.

Bobby gagged under the pressure on his windpipe. He hardly even noticed the blood that had been spat on him. For fear of blacking out, he forgot his bite and letting go of the wound he lashed out with his good hand, attempting to hit Beatrix across the face. In the same motion he bucked his torso, flipping both of them over to the left side. This didn't appear to ease the woman's grip on his throat...but now he had some freedom to use his legs. With all his weight he rammed his right knee right into her midsection.

Beatrix could feel her appendix or some other inner body organs sustain a drastic amount of injury from that blow. She cringed in pain, perspiration decorating her body, and her breathing was becoming labored. Bobby had to die soon or she was going to make more of an effort to play cautious to her body. Blue eyes glazed over with that killer glint as they stared into his eyes and she reclaimed her grip to his neck. She brought her own knee up and made contact to his gut. Bobby could certainly dish it out, but when it came back to him he didn't expect it. Coughing he doubled over in pain. He was getting just as tired as Beatrix and his hand was obviously a distraction.

He rolled over onto his back, but it was more of a ploy so he could swing his leg up for a falling ax kick...but the blonde was fast and rolled out of the way. Cursing he attempted to roll up into a sitting position, still coughing. That clever blonde warrior had managed to roll behind him while she had been avoiding his latest attack. She sprang on top of him, one palm rested on his neck and her other palm settled against his cheek. Since Bobby didn't enjoy small talk Beatrix kept her mouth shut and performed the dirty deed silently with little emotion in tact. Her hands moved in one fluid shift and the loud sound of bones snapping could be heard. She had effortlessly snapped his neck in half, causing paralysis up his spinal cord, and death seconds after.

Surprisingly the blonde gingerly settled his head to lie on the wooden floor and brushed fingers over his eyelids to close them. All in all he had turned out to be a worthy opponent and like all that were worthy and privileged enough to die at the hands of Beatrix Kiddo, they deserved some manner of respect. Rising to her feet she snatched up her sword from the chair, wiped the blood and sweat from her face with the back of her hand, ignored all the gaping stares, and exited the bloody massacre.

---

Beatrix arrived at Bill's place to fill him in on the gory details of her mission, she let herself in as usual. This was becoming pretty normal. Nikishi didn't appear to be around...who knew with that woman anyways. But, as it turns out, the place wasn't entirely deserted. Bill rarely left his house completely unoccupied...precaution. The house sitter this time around was none other than the near six foot tall blonde known as Elle Driver. Elle was seated comfortably on the large couch, bare feet propped up on the coffee table, a magazine in her boney hands. She had a cigarette hanging from her lips. Normally Bill forbade her to smoke in his house, but when the cat's away the mice will play or whatever that stupid saying was.

She raised her one blue eye to look at up Beatrix as the other woman entered the room, pursing her red lips. Elle was dressed in a pair of tight white slacks and a red sleeveless button up shirt. "Ah," she exhaled a puff of smoke, "...thought you'd show up." She turned a page loudly, "Daddy's away if you're wondering...gallivanting around with some woman," she made quote fingers, "friend of his. I'm sure he'll be back at some point." She turned another page, "But you can fill your buddy Elle in on all the details in the meantime." She opened her eye widely, "I'm just dying of curiosity!"

Beatrix clearly wasn't thrilled to find Elle as the house sitter. Ignoring her inquiry to know the gruesome details Bea indifferently strode across the room and over to the ice box. She snatched up a dish towel on her way over and rolled up a few ice cubes to create a make shift ice pack. Ice pack in hand she strode back over to the living room and plopped down in an over stuffed chair across from the other blonde. As she sat Beatrix gave Elle a disappointed look. "Damn, you aren't dead," she inclined coolly.

Elle watched Beatrix move about, make her ice pack and sit down. "No...I'm not dead yet," she exhaled more smoke, "Sorry to disappoint ya Bea...," she pointed at the other blonde with her cigarette, "...but when the time comes...I'll make sure your there to see it all. Every detail."

Exhaling an over dramatic sigh Bea positioned herself as comfortably as possible. Her attire consisted of a pair of denim jeans and a t-shirt of a faded indigo. She slipped her boots off and propped her feet up. Bea had the ice pack situated behind her neck that was aching the most out of all her body parts. Well, her insides hurt like a bitch but you couldn't ice those. Blue eyes focused back on her buddy Elle. "I don't feel like playing story teller right now."

She went back to her magazine momentarily, pursing her lips in a mock pouting gesture when Beatrix said she did not want to play storyteller. "Aw...but I so wanted to hear," she cooed. "Very well," she dropped the act, along with letting the magazine fall onto her lap. She crossed her long legs, focusing her eye on Beatrix, "So, how ya been Bea?" She said this in a falsely cheery choice and a large smile. She cocked her head to the side, looking like some nightmarish Barbie doll.

Beatrix was craning her head back on the ice pack, cold shivers running along her spine. A relaxed grin tugging at her pale pink lips she replied in mellow tone, "I'm still a live." She moved a hand up and raked long white fingers through those clean cut bangs before falling back to her lap. She came to a quick decision she'd be a smidge nicer to the other blonde and elaborated. "Pushing aside the fact I almost lost my job last week and than regaining the fact that I most certainly did not lose it but only got myself into a blood-fest. Yeah, I think I'm pretty good." Blue eyes sparkled. "And how have you been, Elle?"

"Hrm yes," Elle cocked her head the other direction, "...that was quite a performance in the backyard last week. Poor old Paco didn't know what hit him." She laughed, "I thought the guy was a fucking asshole anyways," she took a long drag, "...he deserved it. And you gave Bill a run for his money...always entertaining."

Her eye widened, "Blood fest huh? Do tell..." She made a little shrugging motion when Beatrix asked how she was, "I survive...," she snubbed her cigarette on the ashtray next to her, "...got pretty roughed up a couple days ago on assignment. Pretty shitty...of course," she inclined her blonde head towards the other woman, "...then again, I think at this moment...you can relate." Thus far Elle was actually being rather decent.

If Elle was going to be decent Beatrix thought it only appropriate that she return to the favor. She extended her own long legs and propped them open the coffee table in the same manner as her blonde equivalent. "Well," she cleared her throat in an over dramatic manner. "Seeing that we both can relate I'll share my side of the gory details. Just to make your day a little more pleasant." She flashed a contemptuous smile.

Beatrix started off her story by giving minor details of her assigned target. She than went into the club scene. She gave extravagant details on the bloody mess she left and missing limbs. She wasn't as descriptive on the final battle but she summed it up well. "I finished him off by snapping his neck. Painful but quick." She shrugged her shoulders as if it weren't a big deal.

Elle listened, looking extremely involved. There was no doubt that Elle was something of a sadist. She lit up another cigarette watching Beatrix speak, a small delighted smile growing across her red lips. "Mmm," she concluded, "I liked the snapping neck thing...good touch. And since you already cut one head off...you kept it from getting redundant." She inhaled, nodding...apparently giving her approval on Beatrix's actions.

"I uh..noticed you acquired a slick new sword...nice piece...where'd ya get it?" she asked innocently, tapping her red tipped toes together.

A large amount of hesitation was taking in giving a reply to Elle's oh-so innocent question. Beatrix couldn't come up with a decent or expectable lie and even if she did Elle could just take a look at the inscription on the blade and tell whom it was from. She knew no matter what her next set of words could cause a quarrel between the two blondes. Blue eyes averted to stare at her bare feet, skimming down to each digit individually and ending with her big toe. "Bill gave it to me," she said in a cool and rather unmeaningful undertone.

"Ah, I see," she replied as if she had already known the answer, "That was real sweet of him." It was hard to decipher her mood. "Hah, Bill sweet...please!" She leaned forward, laughing...argument averted, for the moment. She picked up a bowl of M&M's, tossing the colored candies into her mouth at a frantic pace.

She offered the bowl to Beatrix, "M&M?" She pulled the dish away, "..oh wait...your probably dieting as usual. My bad!" She popped another candy in her mouth, crunching away. She picked up her magazine again, still popping M&M's.

She began turning pages, "How To Please Your Main 101." She read out loud, eyebrow rising. Apparently she was reading Cosmo again. One would hope that she brought her own magazines over to Bill's. "Hrm..." she quarried sarcastically.

Slender brows furrowed as she listened to Elle muse over the magazine. Silence filled the air a brief moment before Bea stretched over and snatched the bowl of M&Ms from the blonde's lap. Grinning with a silent pleasure she leaned back with the bowl positioned on her lap and popped a few of the colored candies into her mouth. She chewed and swallowed before inquiring in a civil undertone, "Just tween us girls, Elle, you ever think about getting yourself a main 101 to please?"

Elle looked up at Beatrix, and burst out laughing...she sounded a little bitter. She had let Beatrix snatch the bowl of M&M's without any struggle. It wasn't worth it. Elle snorted, "Nah," she concluded. "I think I prefer to kill them..." She didn't sound entirely convinced. "Poor sad bastards."

She crunched on her candy. "Besides, girlies...like you and I," she pointed at Beatrix with her cigarette, "...we aren't cut out for that sort of life...hunks and all that." It was odd to see Elle actually being semi-serious...actually making a point. "Not our shtick." She chewed contend idly for a moment, looking like she wanted to say something else. But then she closed the magazine and tossed it onto the table. "And, what about you Bea? Any dreams of 2.5 children and a white picket fence?"

Beatrix shrugged her shoulders. "No white picket fence for me, if anything it'd be chain link." She grinned wide but it soon settled into something a little more serious. It was rare for the two blondes to have a civil chit chat and she may as well take it for what it was worth. "As for kids? Perhaps. I've always had a soft spot for 'em." She settled back and folded arms over her chest, blue eyes narrowed on her. "But, as you said, us girilies aren't fit for that kinda life. Though, putting all of that shit aside, a girl can dream can't she..?"

Elle smirked. She hated kids. Smelly, noisy little brats. But...whatever. "Well...you'd better not get knocked up anytime soon Bea...kinda puts a damper on your whole career thing..." Just the thought of being pregnant made Elle want to retch. She stood up, stretching her long limbs. "Sure, Bea...a girl can dream...but that's about it." She strolled over to the bar, busing herself for a few moments. She appeared to be mixing Marguerites. Without even asking she made one for Beatrix and set it on the bar. Taking a large gulp out of her own glass. "Bill had better get back soon," she scowled, "I'm getting really fucking tired of being Miss Housekeeper here." She sat down daintily on one of the stools, eyeing Beatrix. "...we are being way too nice to each other. It's somewhat disappointing..."

Beatrix canted her blonde head in a curious manner. A single brow was raised. "It's so disappointing that you hope if we both get drunk enough something will start up?" Her curious grin flipped to a smirk of utter amusement. A hand reached behind her neck and she pulled out the now wet towel.

Draping it over her shoulder she raised to her feet with some needed effort, a few bones cracked in the process of standing. It only demonstrated how fucked up her body had gotten during that assignment. Putting aside her aches and pains Beatrix came over to the bar, put the towel down on the table, and took up the drink. She gave a nod of thanks before gulping down a good portion without acquiring a brain freeze. She set the glass back down to the counter top. "If Bill doesn't get back in an hour I'm leaving. My body keeps on yelling at me to go home and take a bath."

Elle laughed, surprised a little that Bea hadn't fallen into their usual trap of bickering. Maybe there was something different about the woman...who knew. She seemed a little less quick to anger. Then again, maybe she was just too tired and injured to care. Elle smiled and silently went to drinking looking somewhat content. They sat like for a few minutes, when the calm was broken by the door being opened. There was loud laughter..Bill's and an unknown woman's. Elle rolled her eye, "Looks like Bill and his...friend are back." She slid off the stool. "About fucking time..."

Bill came sauntering in, his arm around the shoulders of an attractive brunette who looked to be in her late thirties. They appeared to be well acquainted. Obviously, Bill had not been expecting Beatrix to be waiting there when he got back. His smile froze a little. "Ah, Kiddo! Was wondering when you'd be back." He made a small gesture to the woman next to him, "This is an old friend of mine...Linda...we go way back. Linda, there are two of my employees..." He played the whole thing off smoothly.

Linda looked less pleased. "Nice to meet you ladies." She gave the blondes a slight nod.

Beatrix returned the nod in a polite manner. She kept her facade vacant but she was laughing internally. This woman, Linda, either knew what Bill meant by employees or she was playing the dumb blonde better than the two blondes could. Blue eyes exchanged a look to Elle's one blue eye. She than rose the glass to her lips and downed the rest before she could spark further amusement.

She set the glass down to the counter with a soft thud. "Excuse us if we're intruding on anything, her snide words directed to the brunette. "I was just leaving anyway."

Elle returned Bea's look...for once the two blondes actually agreed on something...although they weren't really sure what that something was...but they seemed to feel the same way about it. Bill was no stranger to these sort of situations, "No..no, stick around Kiddo," he motioned for her to stay.

Linda sat down on the couch, looking more than uncomfortable. Her brown eyes darted between the tall blondes. She looked a tad scared on top of everything else. "Linda and I were just catching up...she hasn't been here before, so I was showing her the sites." Bill said opening a bottle of something, "Well...all the ones worth seeing that is."

Elle looked annoyed being forced to stay longer. Resolving herself, she plopped down on the couch across from Linda, looking like a cat about to toy with a mouse. "So...Linda...," she started to light up another cigarette, but quickly remembered Bill was now home...she snubbed it out when he had his back turned. "What sort of industry do you toil in?"

Linda stared at her for a good ten seconds, mouth agape. "Uh...I...I work...in banking." she replied finally.

"Oh!" Elle pursed her lips, forming a big "O", "Now that sounds exciting! Hrm, my daddy wanted me to go into...banking, but I just didn't have the stamina to do it." There was a small cough from Bill at the bar.

"Uh...yes...it's...hard sometimes," poor Linda. "But...I manage."

Elle nodded sympathetically, "Hrm...no doubt...I can only imagine..." She reached out and gave Linda a small little slap on the knee, the woman nearly jumped, "Well, you just keep it up there honey.."

Beatrix had lingered at the bar as Elle went to interrogate Bill's friend . She had to hold a hand to her mouth to muffle her need to laugh. Elle was a character and at time and days like these she almost found her company tolerable. Calming herself, Kiddo averted her gaze to Bill whom was preparing another set of drinks. "Incase you're curious," her voice lowered as she walked around the bar and across to the ice box, towel in hand once more. "Everything went fine." She flashed a mock smile and walked away with another ice pack.

Bill glanced at Beatrix out of the corner of his eye. The glowering expression he wore was one that doubtfully Linda had ever seen. He gave Beatrix a small silent nod and went back to his task..turning his back on her.

Approaching the couch she flashed Elle a glare to move the hell over and plopped down on the other side. She casually bent down and rolled up her pant leg to reveal a rather nasty black and blue mark. She glanced up to Linda who looked utterly disgusted. She laughed lightly, that had been her intention. "Got this pretty baby when some asshole decided to use my leg as a new flexi-toy." She noted the woman's expression. Beatrix waved a dismissive hand. "Nah, I'm just kidding I bumped into a chair earlier."

She set the ice pack on the bruised area as if it were just a minor irritation. "So, Linda," she began in a cool conversational tone. She could play cat just as well as Elle could. "How long have you known Bill?"

Linda stared at Beatrix, her expression turning from digest to utter revolution as she looked from the leg back up to Beatrix's face. "A flexi-toy?" she breathed, eyes large. She didn't seem to calm down when Beatrix retracted the comment. At that moment Bill came over to the couch, two drinks in his hand. He sat down next to Linda, who continued to gawk at Beatrix. The woman turned and stared at him, "Bill...you told me that you ran an adult entertainment business...But..but her leg...a flexi-toy?" Her eyes narrowed with disgust.

Bill nodded smoothly, the ever conciment liar, "Hrm, yes that's right. Risks of the the business dear." He smiled broadly at Beatrix and Elle, his head cocked slightly to the side.

Elle had stopped eating her M&M's and stared back Bill, her mouth partially open.

Linda stared back at the pair, her hands fumbling nervously in her lap, until Bill shoved a drink into her open palm. Bill leaned back, he seemed to be enjoying this little game. "To answer your question Kiddo, since...Linda here is currently preoccupied with her own thoughts, we met when I was living in LA working on my movies. Actually, I believe I knew her brother first, good man...we met through him." Linda nodded absently.

Bill knew he was in deep shit. But he was used to that. He knew he would have to dig himself out of this one...big time. He had no clue this was going to get turned on him.

Beatrix had turned her head to Bill and was staring at him, her expression clearly reading; what the fuck? She was well aware of all the lies Bill pilled up to cover his profession but she never knew one of them consisted of filming porno flicks. It made her stomach churn to even think that this had been an old lie that had been living on for quite some time.

Though she let the moment of being flabbergasted pass and replaced it with something that played the part a little better. "Oh, and flexi-toy isn't the best part," she grinned wide knowing she was going to make this into a fun game (or at least get back at Bill for making his Deadly Vipers sound like deadly sex toys). She rolled up the rest of her t-shirt to reveal a more than pleasant appearing slash. "Got this one when some sick bastard decided blood would make things more..lubricant."

Linda made a small noise in the back of her throat, that could have been a gag. "Oh my god!" She stared at Beatrix's wound. She rounded on Bill, "Bill you asshole!" She slapped him hard across the face, "How could you do this! That's...that's...disgusting! I had no idea you...were...this sick!" She slapped him again for good measure. "You told me..it was tasteful!"

Bill took the slaps like a man who had taken many. He did look completely shocked...which, for once, he was. Elle looked as if she was about to die from holding in a raucous bout of laughter. Her boney hand was held up to her lips, in a mock expression of shock. "Bea...," she mumbled out of the corner of her hand, "...I don't think I'm ever going to forget that.."

Linda stood up, her hands on her hips. "Bill! I get this distinct feeling that I don't know you as well as I thought!"

Elle snorted into her hand...No shit...

Beatrix pursed her lips together as to not burst out laughing. Blue eyes were huge with surprise. Sure she wanted to hit Bill back for his lie but not literally. Also adding the fact that it wasn't Beatrix herself whom slapped Bill but some classy-preppy bitch. No one hit Bill. The only time Beatrix could recall applying psychical contact to him was either during training or in a playful mocking manner. She couldn't deny that he didn't deserve it. She glanced to Elle than settled her gaze on Linda. This was more or less her fault. Clearing her throat Bea added casually, "Sweety, don't get too worked up about it. It's all part of the job and Bill, here has no control over how other's use his employees when he isn't looking."

Bill simply stared back at Beatrix, hand on his red left cheek. It was obvious he was having some sort of conflict between his real self and the persona he was projecting. If he had been himself, his reaction would likely be far nastier. There was a definite familiar anger growing in his brown eyes as he sat silently.

Linda smoldered, eyes flashing to Beatrix. "I just...I'm just shocked that he could allow...men to do this to you...it's wrong!" She turned on Bill again, "You led me to believe you were some sort of...gentleman...but your no better than those...those..." obviously Linda wasn't too familiar with he underworld, "...pimp..guys...you know."

Elle tried not to laugh, yet again. "Bea-er...my coworker here is right dear." She wasn't sure why she was standing up for Bill as well...she wasn't exactly amused by his lie. But, on the other hand...this was Bill. "We are simple ladies of the night," she said this very prissily, "...it's our choice."

Nothing seemed to be calming Linda down, she only looked more furious. "So, what else have you been lying to me about Bill? HuH? All these years!" This chick was a drama queen. Elle rolled her eye. She hated high maintenance bitches like this. "I think you need to calm down n-"

"Shut up!" Linda flailed. Obviously she felt very wounded by all of this. "What would a hooker like you know about being hurt?" Bill's head swung around to look at Linda. It was clear to see he had dropped the persona.

This fun little game was starting to get out of hand. Beatrix knew a remark like that would send anyone off the deep end and keeping to the fact it was directed to Elle could be deadly. Before the other tall blonde could react Beatrix piped up. Her expression was serious, highly annoyed, but also was a tad sympathetic. Besides, Linda had gotten entirely the wrong idea about them. "We know more about pain than you could even imagine." Her tone was leveled and calm to mask her irritation.

"And if you don't calm down we may have to demonstrate exactly what my coworker and I are talking about." Okay, so she had tried to mask her apparent disgust with this woman but some leaked through. They were trained killers, it was hard to take a remark like that and not finding it disrespectful and threatening.

Linda stared at Beatrix. She was obviously very confused. This whole thing was just too weird for her. Elle sat silently, lips pursed. Like Beatrix, she was having a hard time not ripping off this bitch's head. Bill...well he just looked cranky. Linda looked at each of them, "I think I should leave."

"Hrm, ditto that..." Elle said, her voice deadly. Linda looked at Bill, as if she was expecting some sort of reaction...ideally him jumping up and begging her to stay. But she obviously really didn't know him. He looked at her and raised his eyebrows as if to say, 'oh, your still here.' Linda huffed, "You're a real asshole Bill! A real...bastard!" With that she turned on her heel and stormed out of the house and slammed the door behind her.

Elle snorted, "Yeah...as if we don't already know that." She burst out laughing. "That was fucked up!" Bill looked far less amused, although there was a small smirk threatening to take over.

Elle stopped laughing, "Wait, what the FUCK was that about 'adult entertainment'?"

A pleased facade was on Beatrix's face as she watched Linda depart. Good riddance. She was sure if the women stayed any longer blood would be shed or something deadly along those lines. She idly fixed her position to something more comfortable. Sitting up in such a manner did a number on her aching body parts. She swung her legs up and onto the couch in a diagonal position, her bare feet resting on top of Elle's thighs seeing they were in the way and she wasn't up to moving. Elle would have to deal. She leaned down and put the ice pack back on top of her bruised leg. Elle didn't seem to care that Bea had used her for a foot rest. Maybe there was hope for them yet.

She settled back in contentment and craned her blonde head to eye Bill. "Yeah, Bill, what was that about?" A single brow was raised in further question.

Bill looked at them both. He rested his elbow on the arm of the couch, placing his face in his hand. "That...ok...I've only used that story once." He held up a finger to emphasize that point. "I had to...Linda ended up seeing too much at one point...I had to make something up quick." He didn't go into what 'seeing too much' meant. He waved the hand, dismissively, "Doesn't matter...she's long gone." He sounded just slightly sad. Perhaps, Bill, much like Beatrix, had moments where he thought things could be 'normal'...only to find out there was no escaping who you were. He knew far too much to do something so stupid. At that moment he swore never to make that mistake again. He put his feet up on the table. "Oh well...can't win 'em all..."

Elle sniffed, "She was a bitch anyways Bill..."

"Hrm, yes..." he replied absent mindedly.

Elle suddenly stood, "I've had enough for today..." She nodded at Beatrix, "Cya around Bea," she sauntered towards the door, swatting at Bill's feet on the way, "Bill," The willowy blonde picked up her purse by the door and left.

There was a few moments and silence, and then Bill glanced over at Beatrix, "Why the hell haven't you had that gash looked at yet?" He frowned, referring to the lovely wound she had so boldly presented to Linda.

Beatrix was stretched out on the couch, her head propped up on arm rest and her feet barely hanging off the end. Blue eyes were gazing up at the ceiling off in her own thoughts. What had just happened brought a large amount of questions to go through her pretty blonde head. At Bill's almost concerned question she turned her head and snapped back to reality. "Oh?" She replied a bit stony. "This?" She moved to roll her sleeve back up to reveal that gash that was on the brink of infection.

"I don't know." She shrugged her shoulders. "Wanna look at it?" She asked indifferently.

Bill glared at her, mouth an angry line. He absolutely hated it when Beatrix was so nonchalant about her wounds. She could be a real smart ass. Well if that wasn't the biggest 'no shit' next to him being called a 'bastard.' He didn't move for a few moments. It was hard to tell who was more stubborn.

"Jesus Kiddo...augh..." he got up. Fine she won. He rounded the table, kneeling down by where he was laying, gently holding up her gashed arm. He shook his head, "How long have you been strutting around like this?"

She swayed her head back and forth debating the number of days in her head. "Four or five." She finally calculated. Blue eyes remained focused on him showing a mixture of fondness, annoyance, and remorse, neither more clear than the other. She knew he hated it when she became careless about battle wounds but she wouldn't be where she was if she wasn't a little careless. "I didn't expect it to blow up like that," she confessed a tad more quietly.

Once again Bill shook his head as he continued to examine the infectious gash. "Well...god, Kiddo no wonder it blew up...looks like you didn't put a damn thing on it and then just left it open." He gave her a friendly scolding look, "I'll be right back." He stood up and disappeared down the hallway. Bill owned his own fair share of First Aid paraphernalia. It was often very crucial to have around. Not only for himself, but for those who worked for him. Hospitals were not always the wisest option.

A few minutes later Bill returned with an armful of stuff...bandages, bottles, boxes. Perhaps he was overreacting a bit. "So...you say everything went fine," he said conversationally as he set everything down and began working on Beatrix's arm. "Do entertain me and elaborate on that."

Knowing her infected arm was in good hands Beatrix got herself comfortable once again. Her head leaned back and she debated whether Bill or the ceiling was more interesting to watch. Using her unattended hand she raked it through blonde locks. "Well," she began in a familiar story tell tone. She gave more elaboration on certain parts for Bill than she did for Elle. She found telling stories to Bill was far more fun and one of the perks of her job. "I finished him off by snapping his neck in half. Than I left." She gave him a weary smile before closing her eyes a brief moment to gain relaxation.

And as always, Bill thoroughly enjoyed listening to Beatrix's stories. He didn't hide that fact. "Sounds like the guy was a pretty good match...I like the snapping his neck in half...nice touch," he bit at the medical tape to cut it off. "I'm sure his daddy will be so happy..." He began winding the tape around. Beatrix had shown no reaction when the painful antibacterial solution had been applied...that made Bill very happy. She was getting better at this whole thing.

"Well, I would have preferred you hadn't made such a scene...but...I'm afraid...that's becoming one of your trademarks." He smiled warily at her as he secured the end of the bandage. "Now...are you hiding any other life threatening injuries from me? Internal bleeding, cut off toes, ingrown nails...?" He gave her a patented Bill glare, "I'm being very serious about this," but he looked more amused than angry.

She returned his glare in the most playfully mocking manner she had. "No," she stated bluntly before a wide smirk crossed her angelic and yet lethal features. Still smirking blue eyes narrowed down her legs to eye her feet. "Mmm, all tosies are accounted for." And she wiggled those set of tosies for further emphasis.

Bill smiled, "Well...I'm very glad all your tosies are attached and accounted for...you just wouldn't be the same woman without them."

Bea turned her gaze back to him and nonchalantly cupped her hand to his reddened cheek. She pouted a pink lip in an aww expression. "You know I hadn't intended for the brunette bitch to slap you. If anything I'd of done it myself."

His smile grew softer and a tad more sincere when she touched his cheek. "Hrm, yes...I would much rather have been slapped by a blonde...believe me," He shook his head, hand reaching up to grasp Beatrix's, "Linda was a doomed case anyways Kiddo...far too normal for a lying bastard like me. Besides," he pointed at his cheek, "I think this one went numb years ago..." He gave her a sideways smirk.

Her mouth parted a few inches and she let the tingle of body heat exchange between their two hands. She blinked and flicked her tongue out to dampen her chopped lips. Her blonde head canted to the side almost viewing the man before her in a different light. "Too normal?" She recounted to herself. "I never thought Bill would even try to seek out someone that was normal when he's so not normal." Slender brows furrowed. "Does that remind him how someone named Kiddo had tried to find someone normal for herself?" Her hand pulled away from his cheek and settled on her lap. "I suspect we hold the same views when it comes to the norm of things, huh?"

Bill watched her closely as these thoughts went through her head. He had not forgotten her little "set up" encounter a few weeks back and he knew that in a different way he had just repeated that same mistake. Deep down Bill knew that they were both searching for perhaps some sanity in their insane world...something more stable...the eye in the storm. And of course, they both knew it was a futile gesture...yet they had tried nonetheless. He nodded, "I suspect we do..." He sat down on the ground, finding this much more comfortable than crouching. "I suspect we both are denying the fact that no matter how hard we try there will never be a normal conclusion for us." He raised an eyebrow, "No riding off into the sunset for us cowgirl. It's a luxury that we rarely receive in this lifestyle." He gave her a sideways look, "But...I think you already know this...and I think you know that if you attempted to break free...you'd not be Beatrix Kiddo. You'd be some..." he waved his hand searching for the right word, "...alias. Whomever..not you," he ran a finger up her arm and pressed it briefly to her nose, "...and that would be the end of the you as we know it." He leaned back, "Of course...I would suppose the same goes for me as well..."

Beatrix nodded her head slowly as she took in every word and memorizing it. She had taken on aliases before but that was played as an act. The idea of taking on an alias for real was a secret temptation in her mind that she was unwilling to share. Her discussion with Elle and further topic with Bill brought her to that almost sorrowful conclusion that living any kind of normal life was unacceptable. She pursed her lips and leaned her head back to cradle her neck into the leaking ice pack. "When you said there never being a normal conclusion for us." She paused to gather her thoughts and words. Rewording in her head to make sure she didn't come off as hinting to something but just stating plain facts. "I completely understand that but you are exempting the fact that we are two not normal people and if you put two not so normal people together aren't you logically supposed to end up with one normal whole?"

Bill's eyebrows rose, taking in that statement from every angle possible. "Well...if you were took at it an a mathematical way...yes I suppose your right. Two negative's make a positive...or some crap like that...I was never good at that sort of stuff." He paused, "But...from my experience you never really know until you try..." He held up a hand, "I don't mean that how it sounded...what I mean is there are so absolutes in life...things only work out for certain in textbooks. Real life is far more unpredictable." He said this with relish. "That's what makes it so damn interesting. Who's to say what I am going to do tomorrow for sure...who's to say what you're going to do. We think we know...but we really don't. For all you know, I could just decide I'm going to break your neck...right now.." he laughed, "..just fuckin' around with ya...But you get my point." He grew a little more serious, "Back to your original idea...I don't think any human being is truly full...no matter who or what parts they bring to themselves," he shrugged, "...that's just what I've found."

Bea gave a tight nod unsure if she fully agreed with his side of the problem. It made sense in some manner and complete nonsense in the other. She blinked hard trying to bring her own thoughts into focus. Blue eyes were focused back to the ceiling, hands folded on top of her stomach, and her mouth was a thin line of ponderment. She glanced to him as if trying to clarify something before averting her gaze again. Silence lingered as she preformed her in-depth thought process. Once through she turned her attention back to the man at her side. "If I were to tell you, right now, not seconds before that I thought you were on to something would you think I was fucking around"? She rolled onto her side, an elbow bent and she settled her chin in her open palm. "That the possibility of two not normal people put together could make a whole and that it could work? That we should try..?" She paused averting her gaze. Her soft, mellow tone facade quickly masked over and turned to something almost embarrassed. She ran a hand over her face before turning to settle her forehead on the edge of the couch. Her mind was reeling and whatever thoughts she was trying to think of weren't coming out right and it was just making her frustrated.

Bill shook his head slowly to her first question, "No...I wouldn't think you were fucking around." He had grown quite serious realizing that the conversation had moved far beyond being slapped in the face and infected wounds. He watched her intensely as she struggled to get the words out. "I don't think..." he began quietly, "...that I was trying to make sense to anybody but us..." He turned away unhappy with how that came out. "Like I said before...nothing is for sure. Normal...not normal...putting together, not putting together." He was growing frustrated as well, "Fuck...I don't know Kiddo...the only thing you can be certain of is how you feel...fuck what the rest of the world has to say." He leaned forward a little, "How do you feel then?"

Realizing that Bill was having as much trouble comprehending this as she was made it a smidge easier. She slowly lifted her head up, layers of blonde hair falling back into place. "That I have an unhealthy obsession with my boss." She tried to make that statement as humorous as possible to mask the blatant truth it held. Her cheeks burned and she wanted to stick her head back under a pillow like a shy little girl but she kept it up. It was better to face the truth than hide from it. And they sure as hell didn't say the truth that often. Blue eyes staring at him with a far off glint.

"You just told me the complete truth," Bill murmured looking both impressed and completely mesmerized by the woman in front of him. This meant more to Bill than many other things and Beatrix knew this. And to tell the truth of all things...about what she just did...well...that definitely scored some high points in Bill's book.

He brought a hand up, running his fingers through her blonde hair, "Who said all obsessions were unhealthy ones..." his voice came a little huskier than he intended. Well, too late. He smiled gently, "Don't ever be embarrassed by the truth Kiddo...you can't deny yourself the truth. You can lie all you want, but eventually...the truth makes itself known one way or another. And this is coming from a real lying bastard." His hand strayed to her cheek. "Thank you...," rare words from Bill. The thanks was a little cryptic..it was hard to tell exactly what he meant by it, but from the look on his face he was being just as honest as Beatrix.

Beatrix smiled. This was a real smile that came from deep down which was a rare sight on her part. They both had their rare occasions and they'd always be ones to remember. Especially when Bill brought out his sweeter side, just for her and she always felt like a gem when he managed it. Letting the simplicity of the moment fade Bea tilted her chin down to her chest and blue eyes looked over to him. A thank you would have done just fine, it would have been more in context, and far more expected. But Beatrix Kiddo wasn't much for expected nor was she keen on the idea of making things simple.

"Kiss me," she stated out of the blue, taking on that tone Bill often used; as it wasn't something to be questioned just done.

That did it for Bill. It wasn't just what she said it was how she said it. It was a demand...and it was possibly the sexiest thing he'd ever heard a woman say to him. Another snapshot of Beatrix Kiddo that would be with him until his dying day. Keeping any sort of dangerous smirk or glint out of his expression, not to mention any typical male remark, he leaned forward. He brought his other hand up to fall softly on her shoulder. There was a brief moment where he locked eyes with her, almost as if to make sure it was OK. But she already been very clear with that...habit he supposed. And with that he closed the remaining distance and kissed her, not with one of Beatrix's prior sentimental kisses...but not overly excited either...there was a fine balance...but he was a man confident in his abilities and he could only hope she wouldn't freak out...because...thus far, it had been quite extraordinary.

What was done was done and Beatrix had no intention of undoing it. She'd frame this in her mind as one of their more blissful moments when it was just the two of them. Happy and content with one another and their feelings. A feeling that would be longed for in years to come. She was far from freaking out but only took it in more in knowing that Bill knew exactly what he was doing and he was damn good at it too. One arm used to prop herself up and the other hand idly came to cup against his cheek. Her head tilted ever so slightly to apply further passion to an already passionate kiss. Lids closed over blue hues as she let herself melt into him.

Just about any man knew the "no, I've had enough" signs as well he knew the "yes, more" signs and out of the two Beatrix was most certainly leaning towards the latter. Knowing this alone nearly sent Bill through the roof...but he had more control than any man Beatrix had ever known...and she knew that. Shifting himself onto his knees so he better leverage, Bill now had both hands in her hair. The kiss had turned into something deeper and far longer than intended. He pulled away slightly, looking as if he was going to say something, but quickly changed his mind, returning to the initial activity. It was often said that a true test of two individual's chemistry was in a kiss. Well, if that were the case...then there was definitely something right here.

Beatrix wasn't as educated as Bill when it came to the finer points of controlling oneself but she did have a clear idea of what she wanted. The kiss was taken in deep and perhaps hinted to lust but she covered that up with further passion. Her neck craned in an awkward position she decided if she was going to make this last she had to get comfortable. Lips still locked to his, she slipped off the couch and came down to the floor on her knees in front of him (still managing to keep that kiss which took talent). Now both hands were free to cup to his face in an overly loving manner.

Only too happy to help Beatrix move, Bill let her slip onto the ground in front of him. With her like this, it only made it that much better. He knew he could easily take this as far as it could possibly go...easily. But he also knew that it wouldn't be right...not now. That didn't mean he wasn't going to make whatever it was well worth it. Wrapping his arms around her strong torso, he held her as tight as one could...without being murderous that is. There was a good amount of not only passion but comfort in this embrace. Everything about Beatrix was soft...at least right now. It was strange...how a killer could become so soft...ironically in the arms of another killer.

Beatrix parted the kiss with immense reluctance only to catch a breath. Her heart rhythm had noticeably picked up a notch due to excitement and a hint of worry. It was a priceless moment to have two people with such blackened hearts to let light shine through and Beatrix wanted it brighter. She draped her arms over his shoulder and hooked them behind his neck before moving in for another round. Her body gingerly pressed up against his as she let the kiss ignite further.

Bill was once again elated to know that Beatrix was willing to not only keep going but she was initiating things. One of his hands came up to cradle the back of her blonde head. He could hear her heart beating...or was that his own...it was hard to tell. It didn't seem to matter much at the moment. There was a certain universal pace at which human passion seemed to work. Bill was having a hard time keeping his hands on deemed "decent" places...but he was managing thus far.

The "kiss" if you could still call it that, was quickly getting out of hand. Bill could feel his breathing speeding up among other things. He pulled away only to bend his head slightly to kiss Beatrix's graceful neck.

Beatrix inhaled a sharp breath through clenched teeth as she felt his tender kisses. She idly craned her neck to the side to make it easier, a hand coming up to wisp locks of blonde hair off of her shoulder. Lids closed as she was finding herself falling into a peaceful bliss. Bill was very good at this and she knew it was due to years of experience. A brief flicker of jealousy and greed caught her senses at the idea of her 'man' with some other women. That was foolish but who couldn't say this was foolish. A whisper of his name parted from her lips. It wasn't said as a cue to stop but more to exaggerate the point that she was enjoying this.

Bill smiled slightly against her skin, elated that she was enjoying this. Bill was a firm believer that a real man... who considered himself a good lover, always put the woman first. Men were far too easy to please...somewhat boring really...but a woman on the other hand, was a true challenge. A mystery wrapped in a conundrum...unless you knew what to do. But even then, every woman was just that much different to make it all that much more challenging. He continued kissing her neck since she appeared to enjoy it. Knowing he could keep that up as long as she wanted. Somebody, surely one of Bill's "mentors" (he was having trouble recalling much at the moment) had told him once when he was young, that if you kissed a woman's neck like one ate strawberries she would be yore's forever. Well, that sounded a bit too dramatic and overly erotic to him...but being young and impressionable he had taken any sort of advice (especially when it came to women) closely to heart. He glanced up briefly at Beatrix's face. She looked so amazingly beautiful with her eyes closed and head tilted just so. He brought a hand up to stroke her cheek, keeping it there as he returned to his task in front of him.

Unconditional love was something every human bean needed and Beatrix always came to believe that her life lacked love whether it was conditional or not. The need to be touched, held, kissed, a deep down desire to know someone cared were all rather foreign in her mind but nowhere near unwanted. Even before she came to Bill she held grudges against the male species partially due to her younger years. The idea of having a relationship never seemed to be an option for her. It never worked out. But, now at this moment maybe it could work, as unlikely the pair. Beatrix found herself craning her neck to the side as far as it would go without straining or making the moment uncomfortable. Her cheek now firmly nestled against his open palm.

Part of Bill's makeup was this relentless inner drive and self confidence...that could be often mistaken for ego driven self gratification. But often this was a wrong assumption...he was a man of high standards. This drive enveloped everything in his life; from the material things such as cars, weapons, houses, and so on, to the much more metaphysical and weighty; murder, pride and love. This didn't mean he was always right, but it meant that in his mind, he had done the very best he possibly could. This left him without regret in the end. This seemed like somewhat of a lengthy explanation for something so seemingly simple as loving a woman. But to him it made perfect sense. He knew that Beatrix was extremely wary of men, and he really couldn't blame her for her feelings. In many ways he encouraged that she continue that mentality. Not only for his own jealous self intentions but for her own protection. Bill knew quite well the often not so wholesome intentions that all men, no matter who they were, possessed within them. He had, on a number of occasions, been one of those men himself.

But now, now there was nothing sadistic in what he was doing. It was, perhaps the first time he felt this way. Like in all things, he lacked no self-confidence in his abilities, but he also felt a desperate need to prove to Beatrix that she could trust him...trust him with herself at the very least. And with Beatrix, this was indeed a worthy challenge.

With one seamless action, Bill switched sides, alternating his hand on her face in the process. He found that he could lose himself in this for sometime.

It took a lot for a woman such as Beatrix to put any trust in a man or even a woman. She had little to no friends and she never really thought of her coworkers as being placed in the friends category. Even if she thought about it she wasn't entirely sure she had full trust in Bill. He was a bastard, a dangerous one but that didn't go to say that she wasn't a bitch, and a dangerous one at that. Putting further thoughts of conflict behind her Beatrix was continuing to move into uncharted areas. Her neck was now canted to the other side, lips parted by inches, and her eyes remained closed. Everyone had their weak spots and for Bea she was finding herself terribly vulnerable at the neck. She idly lifted a single digit and traced it along his jaw line. She found no need for words so allowed her actions to speak. That lone digit traced down against his rigid features before coming off to move along her collar bone were more bare skin was exposed. Lucky for Bill and herself she was wearing a v-neck blouse.

Bill took the cue like a man who had no need to read the cards, moving his attentions to her newly exposed skin. Any straight man who didn't like having his head between a woman's breasts was a complete fucking moron...and that was a fact! He found he wanted to give this whole thing a good amount of thought, but was finding it impossible to form any coherent thoughts at the moment. Being an intellectual person, Bill didn't like losing control of thought, but on the other hand there was a perfectly natural reason that that "Reasonable Thoughts/Uncontrolled Lust" mental switch was there. If there wasn't...well people would get into far less trouble.Taking his hand off of Beatrix's cheek, he slowly moved both of his hands down her long torso and pressed her body against his. He knew that this was only going to go so far...he had to make the most of it while he could...

Any coherent or logically sensible thoughts had long since left Beatrix. Chilling sensations of forbidden pleasure tingled her skin. She tilted her head and her back arched pressing her body fully against his, the exchange of body heat was beginning to quicken her heart rate for a second time. It was a known fact that Beatrix Kiddo lacked self control and in this type of situation it was a more blatant realization. She was more than willing to go all the way but in her self conscious she was screaming no. This was Bill, this was her boss, and she found it against her own morals to do that. But as much as she tried it didn't put a stop to the fact she wanted him.

Finding her back arching amazingly exciting, Bill only leaned into her more. Equally as exciting was the fact that Beatrix seemed more than willing to keep going...she always had a self control problem...apparently that "problem" stretched beyond the realm of violence and smart-ass remarks. Something to keep in mind. He lost rational thought for a few moments, and seemed to gain back the ability for a split second, finding that his hands had begun to creep under her shirt...very much on their on fruition.

Something in Bill's mind, something far more responsible than what was controlling him now, yelled, "NO! WHOA HOLD UP THERE BILL! This woman works for you, sure you want her..but you've got to THINK before you do anything further. STOP!" This was easier said than done it was going to take more willpower than even Bill wasn't sure he possessed. Gasping like he had just surfaced from nearly drowning, Bill pulled away. Moving his face back up to hers. "Kiddo..." he breathed, looking incredibly flushed, hair falling across his face "...I...," seeing her like that, he forgot what he was going to say and decided to kiss her instead...but again, that voice began in his head, he pulled away, "...we...," whoops..forgot again, kiss, "...stop..."

Well, at least she found it reassuring to know that Bill had some control issues as well. She leaned back into the kiss. "No," she breathed her lips lingering inches from his. "I completely. . ." she came back in for another kiss. "Agree." And she did but it came down to the point of putting words into actions. Her arms wrapped back around his neck in a fluid motion as her head tilted her body pressing against his once more. No, no, no, she had to stop. Someone had to gain the upper hand. On instinct and training she tried to think of the situation as an assignment. Bill was the bad guy, she was the good guy and she had to bring him down. Down on the floor would be preferable. A soft barely audible moan of mixed pleasures and frustration passed her lips as she had parted a kiss for air. No, if she could end this it would be a further demonstration that she could surprise him. Her hands settled on his shoulders and Beatrix reluctantly broke that kiss, hopefully for the last time. She affectionately leaned her forehead against Bill's and stared into his eyes. Her breathing was labored but not the point her words came out stuffy, "Bill we're done."

Bill made a Zen-like attempt to get control over himself as he stared back into those intense blue eyes. He nodded against Beatrix's forehead, finally shutting his own eyes. She had made a statement not a question. He was beginning to like that...quite a bit. "Yes...," he said finally, a little breathlessly, "...you're right." He knew he had to get away from her if he was going to actually hold to those words. She was still touching him far too much for his own good at the moment. Pulling away from her hands, her face...everything...he backed up on his knees and threw himself back against the cushions of the couch as if she was on fire and his very life depended upon getting away. He sat there for a few moments, attempting to get further control over himself.

Beatrix had remained on the floor, her long legs folded Indian style and hands clasped in her lap. Blue eyes were downcast and focused on the interknit weaving of the rug she was sitting on. "Well..," Bill rasped, trying not to look at Beatrix, "...that changes things a little..."

She gave a tight nod of her blonde head. Realizing Bill wasn't looking at her nor her movements she replied in an overly soft tone, "Yeah, it does." A hand came up to rake through her hair in a moment of discomfort. Any passion and heavenly or in their case hellish bliss, had long dissipated from her system but the memory was fresh. Bea almost felt embarrassed to have had allowed herself to be thrown at him in such a manner. She wasn't regretting it at least. Exhaling a breath she casually rose to her feet. Her muscles winced in the process as a heinous reminder that she was injured. Blue eyes hesitantly side glanced in his direction. Something had to be said. "Bill I..just want you to know," But she trailed off finding her words weren't coming out as planned.

Bill turned to glance at Beatrix, raising an eyebrow. He was actually very curious about what she was going to say...but she seemed to be having problems saying it. He could completely understand that...given the particular moment. He turned away again, rubbing his face. "Take your time on that one Kiddo...I'm just going to sit here for awhile..." he ran a hand through his hair, "...and...think."

Finding a small wood sculpture of Buddha in the corner of the room to concentrate on, Bill attempted to digest what had just happened. He wasn't used to losing control...that had never really happened to him before. But there was no doubt that he had lost a good amount of control with Beatrix. His thoughts wandered to what Paco had said about "getting rid of her" Well, that was out of the question but had Paco keyed in on something? With loss of control came the risk of danger...whatever form that danger took. On the other hand Bill had never been a man to deny himself what he wanted...to go against that would be to go against who he was. And he had never been one to shy away from danger But either way...it was a catch 22. His gaze, unknowingly turned back to Beatrix.

What was it about Beatrix Kiddo? Of course she was beautiful, attractive, sexy, smart, interesting and not to mention deadly but there was something else...something he couldn't quite put his finger on. There was that stupid hokey saying that you always knew it when you found "the one." Well, he never really believed any of that bullshit...but he couldn't deny something akin to that was clawing at the back of his mind, as well as his heart. No doubt Paco had been right...this woman was going to be the end of him. The thing was...he didn't really care as long as he had her What he would gain would far outweigh the loss in the end and besides...hadn't his whole life been a bold game of gain and loss? He continued to watch her, his gaze turning to something far more soulful than had ever been there before.

Beatrix like Bill knew when what she wanted and it was a dangerous fact that she did indeed wanted Bill. The whole aspect of boss/employee had been brushed aside a long time ago. Now it just came down to the fact of two people needing and wanting one another and if it was right. Bea and Bill were two very complex people that lived overly complicated lives. The idea of having something remotely normal would be a treasure. So, as Beatrix stood there in her overly awkward position she began going over pros and cons in her head. Unlike her male companion Beatrix had the will to walk away. It probably would have been the best decision in the long run to have walked right then but she was holding off. She was holding onto the idea that a relationship between them could work, they could try and make it work. Her gaze fell back to him and she stared. Her facade had softened dramatically and blue hues sparkled with an almost warm affection. Arms folded across her chest as she hugged herself as though the temperature had dropped. "Actions speak better than words but I'm not about to go kiss you again," her voice came out soft but hinted seriousness.

Bill shook his head adamantly, "Don't kiss me again...not right now," he teased, although with a good amount of seriousness.

Beatrix continued, "I don't regret what happened and I don't want to forget it and pretend like it never happened. Because it did and it needed to. I'm sure you've held back those actions countless of times it just never came out right." She shrugged her shoulders. "Maybe this demonstrates the idea that we have potential together, as an us."

He thought about her words, and was once again surprised and thankful for her honesty. He as also thankful that she wasn't regretful about what had just happened. "I regret nothing...," he stated flatly. Of course, they both already knew that. "And yes...I've held that back for sometime...," his face softened momentarily, "...longer than you probably care to know." He leaned back letting out a long breath, "Us...us...," he said this if trying it out for the first time. "Yes...well...if I ever saw potential...," he laughed softly, "...then we certainly have it." The smile dropped, "I think you already know the risks you are taking...involving yourself with a murdering bastard," he pointed a finger, "...but you can't ever say I didn't tell you that Kiddo...remember that." He paused, "I don't expect a normal life...and if you're expecting one...well, I'm afraid you're looking in the wrong place. But, I know you better than that...I think you've already resolved that issue." He raised an eyebrow, "The die has been cast...and now, we have two choices...walk away from this right now before we get in too deep...or...," a small smile, "...take the risk. Because, I'm tellin' ya Kiddo I don't do anything halfway."

Beatrix took it all in with a heavy heart. The two choices he presented stuck out in her mind as a fork in the road. More or less she knew which path she wanted to take but the warning in the back of her mind could not be ignored. Bea knew she could easily get in over her head but she had high hopes that if that were to happen she could resurface again. This had to be the second to hardest choice she'd have to make in her life. Arms still folded over her chest, head tilted down, locks of blonde hair veiling against her face, a mixture of a smirk and a smile tugged at her lips.

Slowly she raised her gaze over to him. Her voice remained leveled, "I adore taking risks and the idea of taking a risk with you, I'm more or less up to the challenge."

Bill listened to her words, his hard features difficult to read. He weighted those words...and thus came to a decision. He knew, that deep down, he had made that decision long, long ago...far before he'd ever laid a caring hand or soft look on Beatrix Kiddo. For Bill, unlike Beatrix, it has been a fairly easy choice. It was a choice that would not only change his life forever, but eventually literally end his life itself. Of course...that was much further in the future, and if human beings could see the future they would never take the risks that allow them to love, learn, grow and in some cases create new life. But, in the end Bill would leave with no regrets...just as he had stated from the beginning. Unknown to any these repercussions, thinking only of what he knew and felt then, Bill slowly stood and hands in pockets walked across the carpet...his stern gaze fixed on Beatrix. He stopped in front of her and bowed his head slightly, as if about to engage in martial combat, "Then Kiddo...I accept your challenge," he said humbly. Fitting really that Bill would make such a seemingly odd gesture when it came to something such as a love affair...but this was Bill and Beatrix...not your normal run of the mill folks here. He rose his eyes back up to hers, a small smile on his face.

The lioness had just chosen the road less traveled, the road of love, loss, heartbreak, betrayal, redemption and eventually revenge.