Chapter Six: All Jacked Up.

I can make anybody pretty,I can make you believe any lie, I can make you pick a fight with somebody twice your size- Alcohol, Brad Paisley

So she had been right; Molly came in at the butt crack of dawn with breakfast. Theresa lifted her head out of the pillow groggily; with one look out the window at the pinky blue dawn sky, Theresa grabbed the pillow next to her covering her head. After much protest; and name calling Molly made her way back into Theresa's room mug in hand.

"Darlin' one more warning…it's time to get up." Molly said all too calmly, at the foot of the bed.

"No, please." Theresa whined childishly.

"Now this is the last time." Molly said, hands on her plump rounded hips. A beat passed and a slow mischievous smile crept on her lips. "Lady Cornwallis said you must wake…by any means necessary." Again the troubling smile.

"Nope, not comin' out." Theresa's muffled voice called from under the pillow; and then shock. Cold. Wet, dripping down her back on to the mattress beneath. "Oh MY GAWD!" she shot upright, mouth gaping, eyes wide.

"Good," Molly smiled defiantly. "Eat…although I guarantee its cold." Molly said smugly; closing the door behind her.

For the next six hours Theresa had been pushed, pulled and primped in ways she didn't even know were possible; Molly hovered over the much smaller girl from behind tugging and pulling her hair; teasing. Theresa couldn't help but laugh; apparently not that much had changed, big hair was still fashionable. Molly groaned, and hissed.

"I've been told I have really nice hair." Theresa said slightly insulted as Molly cursed her hair for the 20th time in an hour. Becoming more self-conscious by the second she picked at invisible lint on her shift.

"Ugh, I'm sorry, dear; it's just…very long and thin….makes it hard to work with." Molly stuck another pin into the pile of hair on top her skull. "It' is lovely though dear."

"No no." Theresa laughed shaking her head. "My fault I'm a little overly sensitive, I guess…. I've never really been...well, you know."

"No, I don't know, dear." Molly said encouragingly.

"Well, I'm not ...well, like Charlotte." Theresa gestured wildly with her hands, trying to get her point across. Molly raised an eyebrow. "Pretty! I've never been pretty." Theresa spat. "Smart, nerdy even...I'm good at…pretty not so much." Molly noted that Theresa for a small girl; if possible; she visibly deflated.

"Darling, Where would you get an idea like that?"Molly huffed her hands on her hips. "Out with it." She demanded.

"I don't know…" Theresa shrugged. "Everybody." She said simply.

"Silly girl."

Theresa and Charlotte walked side by side through the lavish event. She had to admit she was quite impressed and growing up the daughter of the 'Queen Bee' of Charleston she had been to her share of overrated parties. Wine glass in hand; she tried her best not to bump into one of the hundreds of people that littered the courtyard of the manor. She watched couples dance as if they were on air; ladies in their large but oh so glamorous gowns; and couldn't help but feel terribly inadequate. Head up; boobs out. Her mama's voice chided.

"That;" Charlotte's voice whispered in her ear. "Is Margret Harrison. She is Mr. George's mistresses, he is the biggest tea importer in the colonies…" she whispered conspiratorially. "See her middle? That's not from sweets; I assure you." Charlotte snickered. Theresa gaze traveled down the young woman's mid-section and sure enough it was quite large. "He had poor Lady George institutionalized so he could be with that trollop." She spat with a hint of disgust. Theresa's eyes widened in surprised as she looked at Charlotte. Oh. My. God. Substitute the large blonde hair with auburn, she already had the wine in hand, smack a Marlboro between those lips, some gawdy jewelry and by god she was Mama! Knew everything about everybody, and you didn't want to get on her bad side.

"That's horrible." Theresa shook her head; bringing herself back into the moment.

"Ladies." O'Hara seemed to appear out of nowhere at all; bowing his head, his kissed Charlotte's hand as she held it out expectantly." Good evening"

"Good evening General, "Theresa received and elbow in her already mushed ribcage.

"Hi." She waved; earning puzzled looks all around. Tucking her hand awkwardly back at her side she just decided to slap a dumb smile on her face.
"Lady Cornwallis would you do me the honor?" General O'Hara gestured to the dance floor, and Charlotte glanced at Theresa.

"Go ahead, I'll be fine." Theresa smiled earnestly. Theresa dark blue eyes followed Charlotte as she grasped O'Hara's elbow and made their way away from her towards the dance floor. She had to give the Lord General credit; it was a beautiful party; and she was having a decent amount of fun; more than she ever thought she would. She watched the other couple with a cautious curiosity as they twirled around the dance floor beautifully.

"Lady Theresa, Good evening." Theresa felt someone graze the back of her arm, turning her head she was met by the imposing and always scary Colonel Tavington. He held a small glass of wine in one hand and with the other he reached for her gloved hand; kissing the back softly.

"Hi;" a deep red blush crept its way up to her cheeks. They always kissed Charlotte's hand but never hers. Downing the wine in one gulp she grimaced; liquid courage; it always loosened her up at the bars with Katie. "How are you?" She asked politely.

"Well, well." He nodded. "I am a bit surprised; I expected to see such a lovely dancer…well, dance, at least once." Theresa laughed heartily shaking her head.

"I think if General O'Hara saw me heading' for the dance floor he'd run away screamin'." She laughed harder at the mental image of O'Hara running away screaming like a little girl. Tavington gave her half a smirk. She quickly stopped laughing; Okay. Guess it's not that funny.

"Would you care for another?" He seemed to gesture to her empty wine glass politely.

"Oh...umm yeah sure...thanks." raising an eyebrow his icy pale blues met her much deep darker ones, but taking the glass from her she watched his form retreat. And she let go a breath she hadn't realized she been holding. Five glasses of wines later, she was feeling...no pain, and somehow had become quite the social butterfly. Charlotte even seemed to laugh and enjoy the new less shy, more liquored up Theresa.

"'Course I can shoot!" Theresa said incredulously. eyeing Captain Wilkins warily. "I'm from the South ain't I? My mamas got more guns than she's had boob jobs." She laughed haughtily. Her accent had somehow become distinctly more pronounced the more she drank.

"I'm sorry Miss Theresa I've just never-"

"Lady Theresa would you do me the honor?" Colonel Tavington seemed almost rudely interject himself, and Theresa eyes widened, as he held out a hand impatiently.

"I'm talkin'."

"I can see that." He took her hand almost violently and dragged her to the dance floor. Pulling her against him. "For your own sake, might I suggest you stop...talking."

"Why would I ever wanna do tha'?" Theresa shivered a bit as his strong hand fell on the small of her back.

"You are drunk." He leant down and whispered almost dangerously against her hair, as he lead her though the dance with a grace and elegance that she would never possess.

"I am not." She gasp.

"Ah but darling, you are." He spun her out and bought her back in against him.

"I don't trust you…Charlotte told me not." She blurted out with an air of self-righteousness. He sneered at her, his icy blue eyes now fixed on her with something in them that she couldn't read; contempt? Maybe.

"Do you always do what others tell you?"

"Pretty much."

"You should not trust me..."he said with a profound honesty, his eyes met hers. "I will find out where you came from, I know you to be…strange …and I will make it my business to insure you are not with us for very long." With a sharp turn he pulled Theresa against him, and dropped her into a dip; their eyes met again his stony; her heart racing.

"I'm not a spy." She said honestly; softly.

"We will see…we will see about that. I assure you." He face mere inches from hers, she gasp. Pushing him back haughtily.

"Back off buster! I've got a bubble, and you're totally in it." Thankfully, not one of the other partygoers seemed to pay the couple ant mind, but as she wretched herself from the ever so intrusive Colonel. She tried to make her was to the much quieter safety of the garden area. Tavington watched the back of the small woman, and as she struggled to walk a damn straight line. But after the third time she stumbled. "Damn." He hissed.

"She's going to get herself killed. Or worse." Bordon commented as he took another sip. Without a word the two men started after her slow at first, watching the staggering woman. Theresa didn't know what happened…before she knew it she was her back in to cool night damp grass.

"Are you alright, Miss?" Bordon asked hovering over the young woman.
"Just get her up." Tavington said his teeth clenched.

"Oh no, not you again." She muttered mainly to herself. The sky was spinning her face felt hot and very tingly.

"Can you move?" Tavington asked impatiently.

"Oh yeah, I got moves you never seen!" as soon as the words left her mouth she regretted them, and she didn't know what was happening, it was like her mouth had a mind of its own, and her brain had decided to take a vacation. Quirking an eyebrow turned his head to Bordon, who shrugged.

"I'll take that as a 'no'." he muttered, bending down, he grabbed her arm a little forcefully wrapping it around his neck as he scooped the small woman up, as if she weighed nothing. Her head rolled about lazily with each step he took, and her legs bounced about.

"Colonel?"

"What?" he groaned. Nothing like the ramblings of a drunk.

"I know you hate me and I know you don't trust me but I need to tell you this before I die..."

"You are not going to die." He muttered. "You are going to have a devil of a headache..." Theresa groggily tried to shush the man with her finger, but after two attempts of smacking him in the face she settled for just laying her palm on his face.

"Shhh..." she slurred. "I'm trying to tell you that you're kinda...hot."

"Woman." He growled removing her hand from his face. "What?" both men fixed her with a puzzled look.

"Well yeah, that's about it…Your pretty…and a lot more likable" hiccup. "When I'm drunk."

"Will," Bordon said slowly. "Pay no mind it's the liquor talking."

"Pass a message on to Lady Cornwallis…I will be taking her back to her room." He said with an obvious distaste. Bordon raised an eyebrow questioningly. "Unless you would rather…"

"No! I'm quite alright." Bordon answered quickly.

"Buh Bye !" Theresa managed to raise her head up from Tavington's shoulder where it rested. "Woooah." The courtyard spun.

"Put your head back down…and be quite."

"Why? "

"Unless public humiliation is your idea of a good time." He hissed in her ear through gritted teeth.

Theresa laid on top of the comforter on her bed, gown still on, hair still holding together quite well, Molly bustled in with a bucket that she laid next to the bed, pushing past the Colonel who still stood at her bedside looking down at the small woman; who looked utterly pathetic at this moment.

"Thank you Colonel; I can take it from here." Molly offered.

"Good evening." He nodded to Molly, before turning on his heel and starting for the door.

"Colonel?" Theresa struggled to sit up, and when she finally did her upper half seemed to sway abit. "Why do you hate me so much? You were kinda nice the other day…and now..." she trailed off. He rolled his eyes and put a hand on the door knob but seemed to pause.

"I do not hate you, miss. I do not KNOW you." He never took his eyes of the door. "I find everything about you, and the circumstances of your being a bit….odd."

"I didn't do crap to you…I'm not a friggin spy I swear..." she slurred. He just nodded, and turned their eyes meeting a small smirk found a way onto his lips as she flopped back down on the bed.

"If the room starts to spin…put your foot on the floor."