Chapter Twelve

By mid afternoon, the two of us met up with Bravestarr, and the rest of Tex's group at the ships loading dock. Staring up at the vessel, Tex peered toward me and shook his head. "As many of these as I robbed, I never thought boardin one as a passenger. . ." He mimed, as I chuckled. "And then ta earth. . ." As he sighed, Bravestarr cocked his head and asked, "Mind if I ask what's the first thing you're gonna do?"

Thinking about it for a minute, Tex playfully raised an eyebrow and smiled. "Oh, that's easy. I'm gonna grill myself a big steak," he mocked, "Then gain about fifty pounds!"

Struck funny over that unexpected answer, Bravestarr grunted then snickered loudly under his breath. Shaking his head, he replied, "You would say that!"

"Well. . .It's true, ain't it?" he chuckled. "I'm long overdue. . .on alot of things. . ."

He replied as McBride now hovered up to the two of us. For a minute the two men could only stare at each other in that same awkward silence. Although Tex had apologized, I believe he felt the damage was just too great to repair. As if reading him, McBride smiled and replied,

"When you get to San Antonio, make sure you give your family my best, hmm?"
Eyes lighting up, Tex nodded and replied,

"I sure will. . ." Hesitating for a minute, McBride then added,
"It'll be alright, Tex. . ." Knowing he meant reuniting with his family, he nodded very troubled. "I sure hope so."

"Things will work out. You'll see. And then once your affairs are settled, maybe you can come back and pay us a visit? We've got some catching up to do. . ."

Briefly marveling at him, Tex's head slowly shook. "Now I remember why we got along so good. You're one of the most. . .forebearin people I've ever known. . ." He muttered, as a touched expression crept over McBrides face. Slowly Tex's hand went out until it was gently gripping his.

"And I thank ya fer that. . ." he sincerely replied, beginning to shake it. That's when McBride done something Tex wasn't expecting. Tugging on his hand, he leaned forward in his stratochair until he was giving Tex a friendly embrace. Overwhelmed by the gesture of his old friend, Tex tightly closed his eyes and actually hugged him in return. For a minute we were so caught up in that, that none of us noticed Captain Silas coming down the runway. Rather awkwardly he cleared his throat just enough to get our attention. "Just came to let you know that we'll be departen within the next fifteen minutes."

Giving him a nod, I replied, "Ok thanks." As he turned and walked back towards the ship, I noticed the way Tex looked from McBride, to his faithful posse, who had silently been standing there the whole time. Looking at me he said, "Hold on a minute."

Nodding, I watched as he walked up to the group of them and stood there. For a minute, no words were said. Then he looked at Thundestick and smiled,

"Later Tinhead. . ." Letting out a mechanical chuckle, he replied,
"B-bye boss. . .T-take care. . ."

"See ya around, Tex. . ." Cactushead replied, as Tex looked down at him.
"So long, pin-cushion." He mimed, now turning his gaze on Vipra who disguised her sadness with a smile. "Well now, Tex. . .I guess this really it. . ."

"Yup. . .It sure seems that way, don't it?" he said, he began digging in his pocket. Pulling out a piece of paper, Tex answered, "Here. . .I want ya ta take this."
He said, handing it to her. "What is it?"

"The combinations to the lock on my door, and the vault under my bed." He replied, as her mouth fell open with surprise. "I have no use for it, anymore. So I want you to take all the loot and divide it amongst yall selves, evenly, understand?" He stressed, keenly raising an eyebrow. Catching on, she grinned at him, "Alright. . .I give my word."

"Hmph. . .Ok. But do it anyhow. . ." he playfully implied as she began to chuckle with the others. Now giving her a very serious gaze, he said, "You've um. . .kept me in line on several occasions. . ." he awkwardly stated, as her eyes widened with disbelief. "I know I never let on but. . .I appreciated it. Now. . .Do the same for them, will ya?"
Determined to not to cry, Vipra smiled through the tears.

"Will do, Tex. . ." Smiling back at her, he nodded, then sadly shifted his gaze down to Scuzz, who was staring at the ground. Hesitating, he then looked over at me and I nodded, knowing what he was going to tell Scuzz. This caused him to stoop down to his level. "Say fuzzball . .Carla and I talked it over and we thought that maybe you'd want ta come back with us."

Mouth falling open, Scuzz could only marvel at the two of us with surprise.

Then he said, "Oh, Boss. Me appreciate offer. . .but it not right for me to tag along with newlyweds. Besides. . .Scuzz find new home too."

"What? Ya mean. . .you're not goin back to the Hexagon?" Tex asked rather surprised. This in turn caused Scuzz to earnestly gaze up at him.

"Boss. . .you different, me different. . .It just not be the same if you not there. . ."

Touched beyond reason, Tex tried with all he had to stay composed.
"Well then. . .where ya gonna go?"

Before he had a chance to reply, Dep. Fuzz got on the side of his cousin and draped an arm around his shoulders. "Scuzz still have kin. He stay with Fuzz's family in Prairie people kingdom. . .Where he belong" he announced, as Scuzz let out an awkward sigh.

Bending down next to Tex, I sadly looked at Scuzz replied,
"Well. . . I'm certainly gonna miss you. That's for sure. . ."

Smiling at me, Scuzz replied without any hesitation.

"Me too, Mrs. Carla. We been through a lot together. . ."

"I know. . ." I whispered, in a cracked voice.

Caught up in my own emotions, I bent forward until I gently kissed him on his furry little cheek. When I pulled back, his eyes were wide with surprise. Giving him a playful wink I replied, "Just don't cause anymore cave-ins, Ok?"

Blushing intensely, he let out a snicker and shook his head.
"No worry. . .Me won't. . ."

Now through the silence, I knew that the hardest part was yet to come. As the two looked at each other, at first not knowing what to say. Trying to make light of the situation, Tex timidly shrugged his shoulders. "Well then varmint. . .I guess this is really it. . ." Not so facetious, Scuzz let out a heavy sigh.

"Yup. . .First time we part in nearly twenty years. . ." Picking up on his marred tone, Tex shook his head. "Hey now, this ain't goodbye. . .We will come back again. I promise. . ." he said, looking back at McBride who nodded with satisfaction. But Scuzz didn't seem convinced. Slowly his shook with some skepticism.
"Hmph. . .No make promises you can't keep."

"What? Ya don't believe me?"

"Come on, Boss. . .me not stupid. Earth be so far away. You forget in no time."
He muttered, looking away.

"Alright. . .then I'll prove it." Tex said, reaching in his side holster until he had grabbed his Hexmaker. Staring down at it for a moment, he then handed it to Scuzz who could only stare up at Tex with disbelief. "This is a loan. . ." he stressed. "Cause ya know I never part with this. . .So's I want ya ta take care of it until I come back." He noticed the concerned look on Deputy Fuzz's face, then deliberately added, "And don't fire it on nobody! Ya give me your word?" Gaping at him, he quickly nodded and said,
"Sure boss. . .Me picks it up for you. . ."

"Good." Tex said, as Scuzz proudly took it from him.

"Look. . .I know I've never said this before. . .but. . .you've always been a. . .partner ta me." By the way Scuzz's mouth fell open, I could tell he wasn't expecting to ever hear that from Tex. Almost immediately his eyes glistened with tears, causing him to sadly look away. The sight of this had Tex beginning to choke up. Roughly clearing his throat, he fought with all he had to be strong. "I know I never showed it cause I didn't want ya ta think I'd gone soft. . . But ya always were, and. . . always will be. So how could I forget about you?" he muttered in a high cracked voice.

By then Scuzz's bottom lip was beginning to uncontrollably quiver, causing my own heart to ache for the both of them. With a lump in my throat, I watched he shakily set the Hexmaker down on the ground. Then before Tex knew what was happening, he lunged forward throwing both arms around his neck, until he was hugging him hard. Stunned, and teary-eyed, Tex could only look down at his little partner, shocked with the realization at how much Scuzz really cared for him. All of them years together had more of an impact on their friendship than what he realized. Tightly closing his eyes, a hand slowly went up until he patting him on the back. It was at that moment that Scuzz quickly let him go. As he spun away from Tex, I could see the tears uncontrollably sliding down his furry little cheeks.

For Tex, seeing this was more than he could handle. Standing to his feet he shook his head, painfully looking in my direction. Dolefully giving the others one last glance, he spun around and hastily headed for the door. Looking toward the disheartened group, I tearfully blew them all a kiss, then turned and followed my husband up the walkway.

Although relieved to be on the ship, Tex was still very much on edge and rather paranoid. No matter what I tried to tell him, he was still afraid that Stampede would come back and snatch him away from his new life, and from me.

It wasn't until we broke the planet's atmosphere, and jumped into hyperdrive, that the reality finally sank in that he was going to be just fine. And most of all, that he was safe. This in turn caused the tension to leave, and the exhaustion to overwhelm him so that he could barely keep his eyes open. After all, it had been over thirty hours since he'd gotten any sleep. Not to mention that he had just come out of a great ordeal, that had taken a toll on him physically. Although I suggested we go to bed a little early, he argued with me, not wanting to abandon me so soon. Yet, the more he tried to fight it, the more the exhaustion overwhelmed him until finally, he just couldn't take it anymore. As we lie in each other's arms, Tex nodded off, falling into a deep coma-like sleep.

As I stared down at the now tranquil expression on his face, I still found it so hard to believe that this man was really my husband. And that after everything that happened, he truly belonged to me.

Throughout the entire night I held onto Tex, not wanting to let him go. But when the morning came, he still looked so tired that I just didn't have the heart to wake him up. So, out of courtesy, I let him sleep a little while longer while keeping myself occupied by working on my laptop.

As I continued to work, I heard a low moan come out of Tex. Looking up, I watched as he turned over on his back, and slowly opened his eyes. Now his sleepy gaze shifted from the ceiling, straight unto me. Setting the computer to the side, I playfully mimed,

"Well, hello sleepyhead. It's about time you wake up."

As he attempted to sit up in bed Tex stopped, weakly rubbing a hand over his face. "Are you alright?" I asked, as I poured him a strong cup of coffee.

"No. . .Not really." he moaned again, "My head is spinnin, and it feels like I got hit by somethin."

"Well. . .This oughta wake you up." I said, handing him the cup. As I went to turn
around, Tex cocked his head at me and asked, "Hey. . .Where do you think you're goin?"

Grabbing me by the arm, he gently pulled downward, until I was staring at the tired smile on his face. "You'd better kiss me, woman."

"Oooh. . ." I chuckled giving him a tender peck on the lips.

"Say. . .What time is it, anyway?" he asked, now taking a long sip of coffee.

Hesitating for a minute, I replied, "A little after one. . ."

By the way Tex lurched forward, I thought he'd either burned himself, or was choking!
"What? Ya mean in the evening?"

"Yes. . ." Rolling his eyes with frustration, he set his cup to the side and moaned,

"Oh, Carla. How could ya let me sleep so late?"

"Why? You on some kind of schedule?" Shooting me a look, he irritably replied,

"No. But. . .ya could've woke me up sooner." Folding my arms I asked,

"Tex. . .When was the last time you ever slept this late?"

"Never!" He fussed, roughly tossing the covers to the side.

"That's exactly the point. You're body was tired, and you needed to rest."

As he got up and headed for the bathroom, I deliberately added, "Besides, it don't pay to argue with me. You're officially half mine, you know."

"Oh, really?" his voice echoed out in a rather mocking fashion.

"That's right. . .So I'm gonna make sure you take care of yourself, so you'll be here as long as possible. . .understood?" After a few minutes of silence, Tex now walked out fully dressed. Giving me a playful peer he mimed, "Yes ma'am."

"Good. . ." I picked, watching as he sighed and shook his head. "Besides, we still got a whole day and night alone on this ship. And then before you know it, we'll be home." Staring ahead in a daze, Tex sighed, then repeated,

"Home. . .It's still hard to believe."

"Yes. . ." I whispered, now taking him by the hand. "And to make things fair, I thought it would be a good idea to head to San Antonio first. . ." As the reality hit him, Tex let out a nervous chuckle. "Now I don't know whether ta be excited, or scared. . ."

"But at least you won't be alone. . ." I replied, taking his hand. Giving it a gentle squeeze, Tex smiled and replied, "I know. . ."

"Besides. . . I want you to see your family before the press gets wind of this. Because once they do, our privacy will shot for at least a month."

"Ohhh, man. . ." Tex moaned, tightly closing his eyes. "I forgot all about that. . ."

"Well it's true. Especially when we get to my town. . ."

"Speakin of which. . ." Tex quickly interrupted. "With all that's been goin on, I haven't even bothered ta ask where you're from?"

Chuckling under my breath, I replied, "I live in Chicago, Illinois."
Mouth falling open, he asked, "Are you serious?"

"Yup. . .And since it's just me, I rent a two bedroom apartment on the tenth floor of a high-rise."

"High-rise?" he nervously muttered. Seeing the troubled expression on his face, I asked, "That doesn't bother you, does it?" Eyes widening, he looked at me and said,

"Oh, no! I just that. . .I got ta get used to it. That's all. Sides. . .I can't complain. Any place is better than nothin at all. Cause Lord knows I have nothin ta give you now. Except for me." Grinning, I shook my head and answered,
"That's not true, Tex. . ."

"What are you talkin about?" Fighting with all I had to keep my composer, I cleared my throat then asked, "Have you forgotten about the money?" Mouth falling open, Tex gaped at me with disbelief. "What?"

"You know? The compensation you said you didn't want?" I answered, watching as his eyes slowly began to widen with shock. "Tell me, Tex." I playfully mimed. "Would it still go against your principles if I offered you the money again?"

By then Tex was so thrilled, he could hardly contain himself. Beaming with excitement, he jumped off the bed and asked, "Do ya have any idea what this could do for us? And all the things I can do for you?"

"Yes. . ." I replied, standing up until I had taking him by the hand. "And even though I would have been happy with just you, you now have something to give me after all.

By then Tex was so overwhelmed with gratitude, that all he could do was stare at me with a moved expression across his face. Shaking his head, he reached for me until he was holding me tightly in his arms. "Oh, I do love you. . ." he whispered, in my hair. "I love you so much." Now he gently cupped my face, until he was tenderly staring into my eyes. "And I'm not wasten anymore time, either. I'm gonna do all I can ta make things right. . .and ta make you happy. I promise. . ."

Smiling up at him, I replied, "I know you will, Tex. I know you will. . ."

"Upon our arrival on Earth, As we docked at the space port in San Antoino Texas it was raining, one of the first things Tex had the pleasure of experiencing, was the splash of cool rain on his face."

The End