A/N: Sully's Sidekick, thank you for the reviews and email! They've been brightening my very dark week. I am seeing this through to completion; I've only ever deleted one incomplete fanfiction and that's because I had some reviews on it that made me want to make it better, so I'm going to repost it as soon as I rewrite it a little. So, have no fear, Isabelle will be complete!
Chapter 16
Belle had the pistol in her hand, when she went to the door to answer it. She peeked through the curtain over the window and Ezra tipped his hat in her direction. Sighing inwardly, Belle opened the door and stepped aside so the gambler could enter.
"Good evenin, Miss Belle. How are you and young Billy fairing?" His Southern drawl was shaking and Belle couldn't help but notice a swagger in his step.
She took a step closer to him, an all-too-familiar scent coming from his breath. "Ezra, are you drunk?" Belle was indignant as she looked into his reddened face.
"On a normal occasion, I would not dignify that comment with a remark, but I cannot lie to you, my dear. I may have had a few intoxicating libations before coming into your domicile."
Belle was in a rage. "Ezra, how are we supposed to feel safe when our protector is drunk?" She tried to keep quiet so Billy wouldn't hear her from where he was sitting in the other room, having come downstairs sleepily not long after Vin had left; the last thing she needed was a worried little boy on her hands, or worse, one who tried to take on the role of protector himself.
Ezra had the decency to look ashamed of himself. "I am sorry, Miss Belle, but when Mr. Tanner gave me this assignment, it reminded me all over how much I care for you and how much it hurt me to lose you to a competitor, particularly one who was putting me in charge of your protection. I needed to drown in my sorrows." Ezra collapsed onto a chair. "The truth is, Miss Belle, that I still love you. And I was quite at a loss when we went out to find you. I watched as you approached camp and clung to Mr. Tanner and it broke my heart once again." He placed his head between his knees, looking utterly dejected. "I am so weak, ma'am."
Belle collapsed onto the floor in front of him and placed a hand on his cheek. "Ezra, you are a wonderful man, and in another time, another life, you would have been the man for me." She smiled at him. "After all, we have a lot of the same vices. But I came here for Vin, and I am so sorry I hurt you." She kissed his cheek. When she pulled back, there was a darkness in her eyes and when she spoke again, her voice was like icy venom. "But if my nephew gets hurt because of your stupidity, I will shoot you myself." Her hand moved from his cheek down to his arm, where she clung with sharp nails, nearly piercing the skin. "Do I make myself clear?"
Ezra, wincing in pain, nodded. "Crystal clear."
Belle stood up and let go of his arm. "I'll make you some strong coffee. Maybe it will sober you up a little. Don't you dare move." Slightly less disgusted, especially considering her own weakness where liquor is concerned, she walked off into the kitchen to begin his beverage.
Meanwhile, on the edge of town, Vin was sitting with Chris. His friend had left his beloved's side only because he knew Vin and the boys needed all the help they could get defending the town from Connelly's wrath. They were sitting on a rooftop, Chris leaning back with his hat over his face, resting, Vin on edge very alert.
"He won't figure out she's gone for a while," Chris muttered, not moving an inch from his position.
"While that may be true, I want to be ready." Vin's eyes flicked from one side of the street to the other. "I'm not letting him off easy. He's going to pay."
"Revenge will kill you."
"Speaking from experience?" Vin looked over at him.
Chris raised his hat a little and glared at his friend. "Maybe."
Vin smirked and went back to looking at the street. "I'd like to kill him," he admitted, so softly Chris almost had to strain to hear him. "But, since we took this job, I've gotten a respect for justice. Short of self-defense, he's going to pay for his crimes in a court, not by my gun."
Chris smiled softly, returning his hat to its original position. "Lot smarter than me." He refolded his fingers on his chest.
Vin glanced out of the corner of his eye at Chris. "How's Mary?"
The air around the men filled with tension. "She's doing a lot better. Still weak, but better." His teeth were gritted together. "Yeah, revenge will kill you," he repeated, mostly to himself. If she had died, well, Vin wouldn't have had a chance to bring him in for justice. Chris knew he would have snapped and killed Connelly himself.
"How exactly did she do it?" Chris hadn't gotten the chance to hear the whole story.
Vin bristled slightly; it wasn't a subject he really wanted to talk about, but he knew Chris would want to hear exactly what happened. Keeping to a short version, Vin divulged the story to his friend. "Knocked Kenneth out with a ceramic pitcher. Then knocked David out with the butt of his brother's shotgun." He didn't mention she'd had to flirt with David to get his guard down; it was a sore spot for him. He knew he shouldn't be jealous of the youngest Connelly boy, especially when Belle had made it very clear it was just for her to escape. But something about it made him very cranky.
Chris was nodding, thinking it over. "Must have been pretty convincin to have'em let their guards down like that." He didn't ask for an explanation, but he didn't really need to; he had a good idea how Belle Manning had connived her way out and didn't want Vin upset any more so than he was. He sighed heavily and glanced at his companion. "Ever think things will settle down around here?"
Vin smirked at him, still looking down the sight of his gun toward the horizon. "Sometimes I hope so. A fella can only take so much fightin'. But, other times, I think Four Corners would just be borin' without all the commotion." He smiled, thinking back to Belle's first day in town. "Yeah, I kinda hope it doesn't."
Chris knew what Vin was saying, but this recent episode with Mary was just one more thing he wished he could have avoided. He was seriously thinking of turning in his guns for a different role, one he knew Mary would approve of…if he could only get up enough courage to ask her…
A/N: Sorry it's taken so long, anxious readers…I'm trying my hardest to get caught up, but I haven't watched the series in a while and I'm working from memory on how the characters talk and act…so it's been taking longer than usual. Writer's block doesn't help, either :D. I'm going to try to finish this one and start a new Vin/Belle fic by the end of the summer. Fingers crossed! R/R, Nelli!
