Ethan Lamb was a sinister man, with a violent anger against she who had wronged him. Her blasted horse had nearly killed him, but when she'd cried out, the beast had stopped fighting him and pulled back...
He'd lain still, knowing that the slightest movement on his part would have caused the animal to strike again. He could feel several broken bones already and knew he was lucky to be alive. Then his employer had come rushing into the barn and wrangled Hades into his stall. Ethan hadn't known how the man had done it, maybe Hades finally recognized the importance this man held in Vanessa's life, but he wasn't about to question him. What he needed was a could stiff drink and a doctor. Nicholas had knelt next to him and made sure he was still alive. Ethan groaned lightly in response, then Nicholas had lowered his mouth to Ethan's ear, "You attacked my daughter, you demon. You're luck I don't let that horse at you again." he'd run his hands over Ethan's chest and felt the broken ribs, then he leaned back in, "I will tell my daughter that you are dead, and you will leave our ranch. If ever I see you again, I will unleashed the full fury that Hades can give, and then I will destroy whatever he leaves for me." Ethan had growled at the man, but couldn't do much more.
And now he sat here, in a grand house, larger than the one on the Summerset, and holding that same man hostage. He couldn't help but chuckle, "Do you remember your last threat to me?" he said to the man, his eyes burning with anger. Nicholas just stared back at him, his arms folded tightly against himself. Ethan chuckled, "I do. You said that if you ever saw me again you'd sick that horse onto me." Nicholas gave no reaction, his eyes focused on his daughter. Adam and Vanessa had been brought into the house, Adam disarmed then both had been shoved into a corner of the main room.
She now sat terribly close to Adam, a semblance of intimacy between them. Her face was a mask, but Nicholas knew his daughter, knew that she would be feeling something akin to severe revulsion mixed with an uncontrollable fear. She'd been shown Joe when she came in, his nearly broken form lying painfully still on the settee, and Nicholas knew that she felt a deep pain over having been the cause of his injuries. Now she was simply staring at his body, the occasional shiver going through her as she dried off.
Adam was glowering at the man who made Nessa so scared, his blood wanting to boil over. This man should be dead, and yet here he was, holding his family hostage in their own home, and not showing the slightest care for them. His youngest brother could very well be dead, but they could call for a doctor or see to his well being themselves. Nessa had given a start when she'd seen how badly hurt he'd been, but they had been tossed into this corner like ragdolls. He was furious, with himself and their captor, but there wasn't anything he could do about it. The were strongly outnumbered, and Nessa wouldn't be any help, with her skirt still soaked and her being the object of Ethan's attack.
There was silence for a moment more, then Nicholas finally spoke, "So what brought you back?" Ethan raised an eyebrow at him, then grinned, "My brother. He'd gotten word to me that you intended to marry your daughter off to one of these Cartwright boys, and I just had to stop that." He turned on his seat to look at Vanessa, who didn't meet his eyes, "Yes...you remember that she's already been promised to me." that caught her attention, and Vanessa couldn't contain herself any longer. A growl came from her throat and she leapt to her feet, anger rising in her eyes, "PROMISED!" her voice was a lot stronger than he'd thought she would be, "I'm promised to NO man, Ethan, least of all a pitiful excuse for one such as yourself." That riled him, and he stood, his own frame towering over hers. "Pitiful, huh? Was it a pitiful man that killed your horse?" Vanessa didn't give him the satisfaction of breaking, "It only shows how pitiful you are, to think that by killing a defenseless animal like him your stronger. It shows how truly weak you are. To think that I ever felt anything for you is shocking." she then took a great calculated risk, and brought her hand across his face...hard.
Ethan was stunned, this wasn't the same woman he'd attacked all those years ago, no not at all. He swallowed his shock and glared at her, his own temper flaring. "You WHORE!" he grabbed her arms and nearly shook her, but the look on her face stopped him. Her chin was set and her eyes were cold sapphires. She'd grown up, and there was nothing he could do about it. She stood still in his grasp, then after a few tenuous heartbeats, she grabbed his hands and pushed him away. "Am I? I've never once changed who I was or meant to be, but you... you're nothing but a fraud. I should have known that you'd be like this. You've ambition go to your head, and ruin your spirit. Whatever feeling of tenderness I may have once had has grown sour. You're nothing to me." Her back stiff and her head held high, she marched past him and went to Joe.
It was a testament to the force that Vanessa commanded that she was allowed to move past him and kneel next to Joe. Her hands moved quickly across his face and body, and once sure of her diagnosis, she turned to Ben and said, "I'm going to need a few bandages and warm water. We've got to keep him conscious." Ben took a second to respond, then dashed to the kitchen, past the men holding them here. Hoss came forward from his place by the fire, and she muttered to him, "He's got a broken arm and his heads bruised, but he'll live." She then turned to her father, "Help him, you know the herbs I'll need to wake him." Nicholas nodded, and moved quickly as Vanessa stood again, her eyes square on Ethan. The man turned his back on Adam and that was all that he needed. He jumped on the man's shoulders and they both toppled the ground, fists and feet flying in an angry fight. Nessa dropped to her knees and covered Joe's body with her own and Hoss grabbed a gun and began firing at the intruders.
Quick as it started, the fighting stopped, with the Cartwrights the victors. Ethan was badly beaten and bleeding on the floor. His groans filled the room as Vanessa showed Ben what to do to wake Joe. Slowly she got to her feet and moved over to the man that had given her nightmares for these last few years. Adam grabbed her arm, making her look up at him, "Don't..." Nessa pulled from his grasp and shook her head, "I won't lower myself to his level." and with that she knelt over his body and looked over the bruises on his face.
"Little one..." he coughed, blood coming from his mouth. Nessa grabbed the hem of her skirt and dabbed at it. She shook her head, "Easy Ethan...You'll only make it worse." he wasn't listening, "Little one...I'm sorry... I never meant...you're so beautiful." his hand came up and stroked her cheek. Vanessa looked into his eyes, and for a moment saw the man she'd fallen in love with; a man with strong convictions and a open heart. "I only wanted to give you....what you deserved." Ethan was dying, there was bleeding inside that she didn't know how to heal. Deciding against the lesser of the two evils, she brought her hand to his and smiled, "Oh, Ethan... I only wanted you. I didn't need anything else." the poor man chuckled, then coughed on the blood seeping into his lungs, "Nessa... you always were a terrible liar. Can you ever forgive me for what I've done?" his voice was so quiet now, and against her will tears came to Nessa's eyes. "Ethan...I've already forgiven you." his hand fell limp in hers, and his eyes rolled back. The nightmare was over, Ethan Lamb was officially dead.
Swallowing her tears, Nessa stood as Joe jerked in his sleep. The herbs that her father had grabbed were strong, but they wouldn't be enough. She turned to Hoss, who stood over the remaining bodies, "Hoss, is there any mint nearby?" his brow crinkled, then he thought, "Yes, there's a patch just beyond the barn." she nodded, "Good, go get a few leaves and hold them under Joe's nose, it'll wake him faster than what we've currently got." Hoss jumped to move as she walked to the settee and waved the two fathers away. Putting her hand on the youngest Cartwright forehead, she spoke to no one in particular, "Go get the doctor. I'm good, but I can't help these bones." someone walked out the door, and Nessa heard Ben's horse race away. That left her father and Adam...
Adam stood to the side, watching this remarkable woman. She'd stood up to Ethan, and possibly saved them all. His brother would be well taken care of, he knew that much. He'd seen Jennifer Warrick work what he could only call magic on his mother, Marie, when she'd hurt her ankle. It only made sense that she would have taught those tricks to her daughter, who now leaned over Joe with a calm on her face that he couldn't understand. When she'd come to say goodbye to Ethan, he hadn't wanted to see her kneel by him, show him any affection...but she'd been right. By not doing anything, she would have lowered her standards. Vanessa Warrick was nothing if she didn't stand for something.
Hoss returned quickly, and she held the leaves carefully beneath Joe's nostrils. The boy jumped and nearly crashed into Vanessa. "Nessa...Nessa!" he groaned loudly now, holding his chest in agony. "You had to fight him..." she whispered, not knowing if she wanted to slap the poor boy or hug him in her gratitude. Joe grinned at her, "Why not? He threatened you..." his voice was fading, "JOE!" she nearly shouted, keeping him awake. Nicholas came to her shoulder, "I'll stay with him. You go watch for the doctor." Ana nodded, and then moved outside, her clothes only partially dry. Adam watched her leave, but didn't move after her. Nicholas coughed, making Adam jump. He glanced back at the man and raised an eyebrow, "What?"
"Go after her...she needs you more now than ever." Adam hesitated, then heard Joe speak, "Go Adam...she's always belonged to you." that caught his attention, and made him move. His feet were taking him out of the house, past the porch and to the corral where Nessa's frame stood, shuddering with deep, tortured breaths. He knew what she was crying about... "Hades." he whispered, coming up to hold her shoulders. He felt her nod, and turn in his arms, "He's been the only constant in my whole life...and now he's gone." Adam tilted her head up to look into her eyes, "Ethan could have lied..." Nessa was already shaking her head, "No, Ethan was a lot of things, but he wasn't a liar. If he said that he killed Hades, then he's dead." she sniffled and Adam wiped a tear from her cheek. She turned into his touch, and he felt her lips caress his hand. Without thinking about it, he dropped his grasp from her face to her shoulders and pulled to her to him. Lowering his face to hers, he waited, only a breath away. "Adam..." she whispered, and it was enough, his mouth caught hers. Fire burned through him as he finally shut her up. All those years of fighting and he'd been so tempted to do this. One hand dropped to her waist and pulled her closer. He felt her melt against him, move one hand to his hair and the other to his shoulder, keeping him here. This was what she'd been made for, to kiss and be loved and... what was he thinking? Forcefully he pulled away, and stared at her as she made a little whine from him leaving. Her eyes opened and she looked up at him, "Adam..." her voice was so soft, so troubled, he couldn't help himself. Throwing away all the cares, he grabbed her to him one more time and kissed her again.
The time passed quickly, and one sundown found Nessa dressing herself in her favorite gown, preening before the dance. The gown was of a blue satin that flowed gently around her trim body. The neckline was wide and set the shoulders just above her own. The skirts were wide and voluminous, she couldn't believe the number of petticoats she wore, but she secretly loved the soft rustle as she moved. She had her hair braided around her head, letting the rest remain loose around her shoulders. Woven in with her hair was a sliver chain that her mother had given her, and hanging around her neck was a similar chain, holding a locket that her father had given her. Running her fingers along the chain, she felt a small pang of regret that her mother couldn't see her tonight, and the thought made her move to the window. Her eyes lifted to the stars, and she whispered, "I miss you Mama..." there came a knock to her door, and Adam's voice came through the wood, "Vanessa...are you ready? They're waiting for the announcement." Nessa turned back to the door, and called back, "Just a moment." her gaze returned to the sky and she smirked, "But then again...you knew that didn't you?" off to the left, a star blinked and Ana felt a comfort that she only knew when her mother had been alive. Carefully, she moved to the door and opened it, revealing Adam waiting in his black suit, hair slicked back and looking as nervous as a caged bear. "Ready?"
"Ready as I'll ever be, my love," Nessa smiled, and for the first time since her arrival, it reached her eyes.