Beatrix watched Tommy's death in silent horror, and now she watched the blood seeping from the bullet between his eyes in equally silent sorrow. She was still covered behind the pew and she was thankful for that; it gave her a moment to collect herself. Everyone was dead; her friends, Tommy…Tommy didn't deserve to die. He didn't do anything, dammit. He just had the unfortunate 'luck' of crossing Beatrix's path.

She wasn't going to blame herself for Tommy's death, but she did blame her stupidity for having not seen this coming. She should have known Bill would pull a coup on her. She had become blinded by his charm. He had played it so perfectly. He knew that just as she had fallen for his charm years ago she'd do the same now. Fucking bastard.

Even so, Beatrix allowed herself a moment of pining for Tommy, now dead on the wooden chapel floor, before her thoughts were interrupted by the various sounds of steps approaching.

She blinked hard, all feelings of repentance and mourning removed and replaced by pure and utter abhorrence in those blue eyes. She had two choices; hide and allow her past 'comrades' to dig her out or she could come out of her hole…willingly. Either way no one was on her side. Well, one person was…hands consciously settled on her bulging tummy. She had failed miserably protecting Tommy, but the last thing she'd do was subject her unborn child to the same brutality.

Another choice came to mind, she could run. It was in her character to run but not when she was so irate. They had to pay for ruining what she had tried so hard to achieve. But, she knew she couldn't make them pay, not in her condition…and they knew that too…

She methodically and cautiously pulled herself up to her feet. She made her choice. Facing her a few feet away, guns disposed of, was Vernita, Budd, and O-Ren. Long looks were exchanged, but Beatrix wasn't about to waste all of her time. She immediately turned, an attempted dash….she chose to run. But she only managed one step before she was stopped abruptly; to be cut off by…Elle.

Elle had been looking forward to this moment for so long…so, so long. And now, she was getting her wish. She could, with Bill's permission, now beat the living shit out of Beatrix Kiddo. She couldn't kill her, but this was just about as good...perhaps even better.

Giving her blonde comrade a wide smirk, she reared back and punched the woman right in the face; that fucking pretty face of hers. Well, it wasn't going to be pretty for much longer. And the bitch was so pregnant; it was almost too easy to knock her off balance. Elle punched her again; feeling higher than she'd ever felt in her entire life.

Elle's strikes caused Beatrix to stumble awkwardly into Vernita, who just looked at her without an ounce of compassion. Lashing out, Vernita, took her own opportunity to give the tall blonde a nasty uppercut in the jaw. Bill had told her she couldn't' bring any of her trademark knifes, ah well...punching the bitch was nearly as good.

Bill had situated himself in the corner of the chapel; where he now stood in the shadows, arms crossed, an unreadable expression on his face. His full attention was on Beatrix, the only time it was broken was when Sofie showed up. Sofie had first been invited to attend upon Bill's request as a 'look-out', but now she was just there to watch. Whoever said Sofie wasn't one to enjoy a bloody scene was terribly wrong. They exchanged nods as she passed by. He said nothing the entire time.

Elle cracked her knuckles; punching Beatrix again, her bloodthirsty smile widening further. Vernita took a step back allowing the others some room, as she wiped a blood spattered hand across her black top; in preparation for another round of attacks.

Beatrix stumbled, almost lost her balance, but she was caught by something or someone. Regaining her composure, she did a turn around; standing before her was Budd. Blood was trailing down the side of her mouth, droplets staining the front of her once beautifully white gown. Beads of sweat began trickling down the side of her neck, and a prominent black and blue mark was forming just below her left eye. The tall blonde stared at Budd with irate blue eyes. He wouldn't fucking dare…he out of all of them had no reason…but he did anyways; balling up a fist and hitting her nose….which splattered blood on contact.

She took an uneasy side step to the right. She was overcome with a feeling of nausea, and gulping down she only managed a wad of blood to stick to the back of her throat. This couldn't be happening. They couldn't be doing this to her…but they were and she was allowing it…

Her wobbled steps brought her over to O-Ren. The half breed was cold and void, but Beatrix could see the satisfaction in her dark brown eyes. The only thing exchanged between the two was a raised heel from O-Ren. Beatrix wasn't going to allow it. Before the piercing tipped heel of O-Ren's boot could connect, Beatrix grabbed the half breed's foot in mid air. They both swayed a moment. The tall blonde's jaw was set hard as she tried her hardest to evade the attack.

The struggle didn't last long and O-Ren availed by jerking her foot free and bringing it back around with expert ease; this time hitting Beatrix in the chest with a force that sent her off her feet, one sandal included, and hitting the floor with a cry of pain.

Elle seemed to think that was really funny and laughed nastily before kicking Beatrix right in the throat with her own heeled boot. Vernita followed this up with a kick of her own to Beatrix's chest. She could have easily kicked her in the stomach, but Vernita would not do that. She was hoping Bill wouldn't notice this tactful avoidance of Beatrix's belly.

All four Vipers came into a circle around the blonde; each continuing to dispose their own method of hostility against her.

After another full round of continuous beating, the bloody blonde, having fallen back on her back managed to get up again; which was quite something considering she was in a dress, quite pregnant and beginning to be in pretty damn bad shape. But none of her former fellow Vipers seemed surprised by this; they knew how good she was and knew that if she wasn't in her current condition, this would have been a very different situation. But, she was completely vulnerable and they simply continued to beat her up.

Bill remained unmoving in the corner. He seemed nothing more than a shadow plastered on the wall right now; perfectly composed and still. It was difficult to tell if he was really thinking of anything at all at the moment.

Sofie was just watching.

A couple hard punches later Beatrix was back down on the ground and all of them took the opportunity to rail on her in such a prone position. Most of them seemed to be concentrating on her face; which was starting to look like a train wreck.

Vernita then grabbed Beatrix, and hauled her back up to her feet, only to knock her back down with a vicious roundhouse kick to the knees; a brilliantly wide toothy grin on her face.

Before Beatrix had any time to collect herself again, she felt a sharp kick to her side. She wasn't sure whose it was, it didn't matter anymore, but this time she screamed out in torture. She was in so much pain. She had been beaten up on assignments before, but this time the emotional baggage seemed to make it ten times worse. She was drenched to the bone in her own sweat. The entire left side of her face felt numb and what she could feel hurt like a bitch. The steady stream of blood from her nose only proved it was most likely broken and she was finding it harder to keep her right eye open.

More than anything she wanted to curl up into a fetal position and hide, but she wouldn't allow herself to fall that low. She wouldn't allow them the satisfaction of seeing her at her weakest and most degrading point.

Finally, they ceased allowing the blood-splattered bride time to get back on her feet. This task was becoming more and more difficult after every round of attacks. Soon she wouldn't be able to do it on her anymore; but for now she still tried her best.

Back on her unsteady two feet she now stood near Budd. This time she caught his eye for a lengthier time. She distinctly heard a noise within his throat. Was he disappointed in her? Well, it was no different than her disappointment in him for participating in this.

He punched her once again in the face. She stumbled back, keeping her footing but almost lost it as O-Ren sent a roundhouse kick to her jaw. She could feel the blood seeping from her gums; coating her teeth. So, when she came back around to Vernita that pool of blood collecting in her mouth was spat in the other woman's eye.

"Bitch!" Vernita hissed under breath, wiping away the spittle from her face and answering with a hard punch into Beatrix's teeth. At least now she could react how she wanted to without Bill stopping her.

At this point, the tall blonde was running out of strength, and Vernita's punch sent her back onto the ground. Vernita, then followed this up with a few more heel kicks to the chest, shit...now that had to hurt like a bitch.

Elle was sneering with the utmost sadistic pleasure, and she knelt down next to Beatrix. She locked eyes, well now in both of their cases...locked one eye each. Elle's sneer widened; loving this moment. She tilted her head to the side, sticking out her lower lip in a mock pout expression. Then, her expression turned feral and she slammed a fist down into Beatrix's already bruised and bloody face. When, she pulled her bony knuckles away they were smeared with a fresh coat of blood.

Standing up, she nodded to Budd, who bent down and hauled Beatrix back up to her unsteady feet.

It was coming close to the point where the tall blonde felt her knees want to buckle from beneath her. Budd continued to support her with hands under her arms. He could feel her violent shaking and the sensation almost vibrated to his own hands. So much blood had coagulated in her throat at this point that her breathing was coming in short gasps mixed with sobs of pain.

The calm and cool demeanor half breed stepped forward and with ease performed a high jump kick directed at the side of that pretty blonde head. Unable to fall off her feet this time, her head snapped to the side. This was quickly followed up by Budd ruthlessly pushing her forward and providing a hit under her chin.

This time her fall brought her a few feet away from the group of Vipers. They didn't approach, not yet. Instead the horrendous silence was broken by the high pitched, obnoxious melody of a cell phone ring tone. Beatrix knew that tone anywhere, and with that sharp blue eye, the one that had yet to be completely dominated by a black and blue mark, shifted to the source.

Sofie Fatale was standing near the far side of the chapel talking merrily on that fucking cell phone. The blonde whirled her head away unable to take the sight, and the action only brought on another wave of nausea. But instead of throwing up, she coughed up a large wad of blood that spilled down her chin and along her neck line.

Sofie's annoying cell phone tone didn't seem to cause too much pause to the Viper's. Instead, they went back to their former brutality, this time to the background soundtrack of Sofie speaking in cheerful Japanese.

This method of holding Beatrix up and hitting her seemed to be working well, and they went back to that. Budd, being the biggest was the natural choice to hold up the bloody blonde while the rest took turns beating her up.

Vernita had to admit, Bea was looking more than pretty damn bad at this point. The coughing up of the blood had been a good sign that things were taking a real turn for the worst...for her that is. The bitch's nose was definitely broken, and her teeth looked pretty bad. It was hard to imagine her as being so beautiful just fifteen minutes ago.

Elle much preferred Beatrix like this; looking like utter shit. And it made her feel quite good to know that many of those nasty injuries were her doing. It was so easy, to find reasons to hate her, and then to take it all out on her now. Bill could feel betrayed all he wanted, but Elle was doing this for Elle Driver and nobody else.

Vernita had just got done throwing Beatrix to the ground with a simple hip toss...and like a sack of flour, the pregnant bride to never be collapsed to the ground. It was so fucking pathetic, seeing her like this. It was almost as if she was a different person...for she certainly wasn't 'the deadliest woman in the world' in what would certainly be the last few minutes of her life. Pathetic.

That was it; Beatrix couldn't take it any more. She could take a lot of things, suppress pain from bullet wounds and knife slashes, but she couldn't suppress this pain. It was too much and her strong and commendable demeanor was cracking. Shit, fine, she'd learned her lesson. Bill was a cold murdering bastard and, no matter what she would never ever belong to anyone else.

All she wanted to do was shrivel up and die…but…she couldn't allow herself to break down to that point. She had to concentrate on her baby. Her poor baby girl…it wasn't fair. What if the baby was harmed or dead? Even though Beatrix hadn't sustained any hits to her stomach, thankfully, that didn't mean her current state wouldn't affect the baby.

Damn them all, and damn Bill most of all for doing this to…their child. But he didn't know. Maybe if he'd known he'd have spared her this pain…but even as the thought flickered through her fuzzy head she still felt inclined to reject the idea. It wouldn't come to that point. But then again a lot of things she had thought over the last few minutes were far from the truth.

Finally, the blood splattered blonde had hit the ultimate point of being pathetic. Her eyes had welled up with tears and she didn't try to push them back, but allowed herself to shed the hot burning liquid that trickled down against her open facial wounds. All four Vipers were now standing over her; each with an expression that showed no pity or remorse for their actions. She wasn't afraid of them…no…her tears weren't spilling for that reason…it was the boiling anger that caused her body to shake and take in sniveling breaths that brought her tears.

As Beatrix laid there, beaten, bloody and bruised under the snide scrutiny of the four Vipers. Bill, from his dark spectator's corner knew she'd had enough. He could see it, he could sense it in her. She was ready.

When Budd turned to glance at him, he gave his brother a slow nod. The Vipers in turn stepped a little further back from Beatrix's prone form.

And why hadn't Bill taken part in this physical brutality on Beatrix? Well, the simple answer to that was that he didn't want to. He didn't want his last moment of physical contact with her to be a hostile one. They had shared too many gentle moments to have him mar it with physically beating her. He had no desire to beat her; he simply wanted to kill her. No, his cruelty would be by the bullet; a far more detached and swift means of gaining what he wished. He had wanted her to suffer, like he had...and the Vipers had more than done that for him.

And now, like some dark savior, he would swoop in and grant her the swift ending to her suffering.

Watching her get so cruelly beaten hadn't been the easiest moment in Bill's life, but it hadn't been unbearable either. Bill had always been a sucker for brutal violence. And there was something rather alluring about watching the woman he loved, who'd betrayed him, be so belittled in front of him by those that would follow his every order. Talk about power. It certainly was something that a man could get off on. But, Bill was an old player at power. Yes, this was certainly alluring, but he wasn't blinded by it. He was aware of the pain that Beatrix was feeling right now. She was a tough gal...and now, she was reduced to a bloody weeping woman. Just a woman. She had always hated being demeaned with the utmost passion. And the furious glint in her pain stricken and swollen eyes was enough to show her true feelings towards this situation.

Bill smiled a little at that thought. How he still adored her, even like this, even after all she'd done to him. He felt an odd sense of cold tenderness towards her. Later, some would most likely think this had been a hate crime, but in fact it was the furthest from. He loved her.

Enough, it was time to end this.

Stepping out from the corner, Bill strolled up the middle of the bullet shell strewn chapel aisle; well worn cowboy boots thundering off the old wooden floorboards in the otherwise eerily silent room. As he did this, he pulled out one of his distinctive monogrammed handkerchiefs that he always kept in his jacket; Beatrix would appreciate the irony, even in her current state. He did not remove his gun quite yet.

Stepping in front of the Vipers and staring down at her, he met her marred yet still fiery gaze head on. Ohhh, she was angry alright. He smiled. She thought he was an evil bastard...a cold unfeeling son of a bitch, she thought he was sadistic...

"Do you find me sadistic?" He asked softly, crouching down next to her. He began to wipe the blood from her face with the handkerchief; gingerly, tenderly even. She tried to pull away from him, but it was no use and he persisted. All the while, he spoke to her in that slow smooth tone of voice that she had, in a time not so long ago, adored so much. She should have known better. It was well known advice to never befriend the snake; for that deadly sly tongued serpent was apt to turn around and bite you when you least suspected it. Bill thought that perhaps Beatrix was just now realizing the real weight of her mistake. Ah, so was the tragedy of this story.

"...this is me...at my most...masocistic..."

The rotation of the chamber and the clicking of the hammer echoed in the Bride's ears. He was going to kill her. He wasn't fucking around, he was going to bust a cap in her crown and she couldn't do a damn thing to prevent it. At first she thought this was punishment for what she had done to him. She could handle that, and she could easily learn her lesson, but as the brutality went on and the pain increased her thoughts swayed.

A moment ago she wasn't scared. Her anger outweighed any other emotions, but as he loaded that chamber, her anger faltered…to be replaced with an expression that did not suit her; fear. It wasn't fear for her own life, but the life inside of her and that's when she knew she had to make a final choice.

Like a switch turning off the tears ceased, so did her labored breathing. And the fear dissipated, for now she was filled with a white hot hate that shined in both blue eyes as she stared at the man above her. This had been her man, her lover, mentor, teacher, corrupter, and…the father of her child.

Beatrix caught Bill's gaze down the barrel of the gun. Her expression although irate was severe and almost…pleading. "Bill," she started in a stronger tone than expected from a woman that had endured such a beating. This was her last chance to save herself and her baby…

"It's your bab..." But it was too late, all turned black after that loud bang, as blood and skull fragments soiled the wooden floor beneath the side of her once beautiful blonde head.

And then it all went to hell.

AUTHOR'S NOTES:

Hi everyone! Wow…can you believe it? We've finally finished. It's rather sad actually. Mel and I will greatly miss reading your wonderful reviews and posting up new chapters.

A big thank you to all of those that have read this story and especially a huge thank you to those that have been with us since the prequels. We owe a lot to you guys!

Well, incase you all are in a state of panic that Mel and I may never write again, you will be happy to know we have a few more chapters to Kill Bill: Three Months. It isn't much, an epilogue of sorts and the first part of it should be posted in a month's time, maybe less. Look for updates on this story. And check out Mel's solo fic devoted to Bill; "The Life and Times of a Murdering Bastard" which is still in the process of being written but is a great Bill-fix.

As for more stories revolving around the fantastic world of Kill Bill written as a joint-fic, Mel and I unfortunately have run out of ideas for things to write together. Yes, there is always the sequel but everyone has written a sequel and it just hasn't caught our interest. SO we'd like our fellow readers and KB lovers to tell us if they have any story ideas in mind.

Feel free to contact either Mel or I, or both of us at our emails or instant messengers, either just to chat or tell us an idea. We don't want to not write…it's hard for us as the writers to not write together because we love it so much.

Anyway, thanks again and we promise this won't be the last you hear from us!

Jess and Mel