Forbidden love for a Barkley
Part Twenty Five:
"Pride and Prejudice, pt. 1"
After hearing a lot about him, Jarrod, Heath, and a little later, Victoria finally came face-to-face with & met Carmine Mangano in person. Of course, it wasn't in the way they had hoped to meet the Mangano patriarch, but all things considered, sometimes people meet each other in a way they didn't expect/imagine. Carmine would waste no time in making his disdain for white people known and continue the narrative of Nick being the one who violated Stefania & being buddy buddy with Seth McMahon and his gang of lowlives, but Victoria, Heath, and Jarrod each tried to dispel that narrative since they knew Nick way better than Carmine did. Naturally, stubborn Mangano patriarch would hear none of it nor did he believe that the Barkleys had great empathy for and related with him and his family when it came to tragedies such as losing a loved one way too soon, especially after Carmine started to tell the story of the lie that led to Santo's lynching only to stop due to the pain being as fresh now as it was when it happened. Understanding of the pain, Victoria told Carmine to take as much time as he needed and divulge more on the story whenever or if he felt ready to so, but Carmine took it as Victoria ordering him round like a servant rather than appreciating the understanding and compassion. Victoria tried to reassure him otherwise and upon uttering the term "Injustice", the Mangano patriarch would recite the bible verse Ezekiel 25:17, stating that it summed up his feelings of the injustices & his plan for seeking revenge to which Heath would inform him that, that's what Nick wanted & the Barkley matriarch would talk of how revenge was not the answer nor would it be what Tom, Beth, Emilio, Santo, Allegra, Serafina, and Stefania would want. Paulie and Enzo would get nasty about it and basically tell Victoria that none of them need her to preach to them or tell them how to feel before asking her what her suggestion is, albeit in a nasty way. All the while, Stefania caught Italia assaulting Nick or well forcefully kissing him until the life was sucked out of him. After a back and forth between the two, the women started to poke and push each other. Now, the two Mangano women were circling each other like alley cats and back on the bridge, the sound of hoofbeats was heard. The questions that remain are as follows: Who else was approaching the bridge?, Will there be a catfight?, Will Carmine divulge more about the injustice done to Santo?, Will the Barkleys and Chet be let across the bridge?, and most importantly, will Nick be freed from captivity and get back to his goal of seeking revenge? Stay tuned and find out!
Author's Note: I do NOT own The Big Valley or its characters. I ONLY own this fic and the characters of: Stefania Mangano, Carmine Mangano Sr, Carmine's friends, Paulie Mangano, Italia Mangano, Chet and the men Heath rounded up, Leonard Barkley, Seth & his gang, and the Mangano family. This will be another multi-parter chapter saga and the first of however many parts. As you can very well see by the title, I modeled this chapter after the Jane Austen book, tv shows, and movies of the same name. Full disclosure, I have neither read the book, watched the 1958, 1967, 1980, 1995, or 2014 series, nor seen the 1940 or 2005 film. I just think the title is fitting :D
WARNING: There may be a possible catfight, intense moments, equally intense subjects that may be delved into a little more deeply (subjects such as lynching, s*xual assault, and r*pe), and profanity in this chapter. I cannot guarantee anything, but I will give you a heads up just in case. That being said, if anything makes you feel uncomfortable, I understand and urge you to skip this chapter. Plus, as I previously stated a chapter ago, in regards to the profanity, I know nobody talked that way in the era "The Big Valley" was set in, but seeing as what all happened and the anger the characters feel, it is understandable. Rated 'T' for a reason.
(Flashback to part 24)
"Mr. Mangano, I presume." Victoria greeted with a smile after getting in front of Jarrod, Heath, and Chet & face-to-face with Carmine.
"You presume correct, Signora Barkley." Carmine nodded before sporting an unimpressed look on his face.
"Yes. My name's Victoria Barkley. I see you have met my sons. Anyways, we know and understand how upset you are at what happened to Stefania. We're upset, too. It was a-" Victoria was cut off.
"Upset?! You think upset cuts it?!" Carmine bitterly asked.
"No, I don't. Upset doesn't begin to cover it. It just doesn't. If it were my daughter Audra, I'd feel the way you are feeling now." Victoria told him in her usual gentle tone of voice.
"Yeah except you forgot one thing...It wasn't your daughter! It was my daughter!" Carmine started to raise his voice.
"Mr. Mangano, I'm trying to be civil here and not raise the temperature, if you will." Victoria gestured "take it easy" with her hands.
"You have some nerve, Signora Barkley. You expect me to be civil and all cool, calm, and collected after what happened to my little girl plus my brother Santo and my papa?! You expect me to be all nice and civil after what has happened?!" Carmine's face was starting to turn red.
"No, I don't. I don't expect you to be calm. You have every right in the world to be angry. Every right. None of us expect you to idly sit back and be calm, but we do wish you would direct your anger towards the ones who deserve it." Victoria calmly told him.
"Oh, I am directing my anger towards the ones who deserve it and your son Nick is one of them!" Carmine gritted his teeth, again.
"Mr. Mangano, Nick didn't do anything wrong. Why can't you realize that?" Victoria asked, her patience beginning to wear thin.
"He's white, isn't he?!" Carmine snarled.
"And being white makes him guilty? Mr. Mangano, you're better than that." Victoria shook her head, clearly not believing what she was hearing.
"White people have been cruel beasts to my family and me! Your kind has done nothing, but treat us like dirt!" Carmine fired back.
"Yeah, Seth McMahon, his gang, Matthew Sturgis, Jack Clevenger, Hiram Ballinger, Jessica Ballinger, Stan Reardon, Kevin Sinclair, Tim Bodine, and Robert T. McIntosh. Those are the ones who deserve your anger. Not Nick or any of us." Jarrod chimed in.
"How dare you repeat those horrible names?!" Carmine raised his voice, again.
"You and your family encountered Jessica and Hiram Ballinger, too?" Victoria got the "Oh no" look in her eyes as those two names were now echoing through her mind.
"Yeah. Why? Are they your friends?!" Paulie asked.
"No. They are no friends to us. You and Mr. Mangano may not believe it, but Jessica nearly destroyed the reputations of Jarrod, Heath, and Nick by making false charges that were later proven to be...well, false." Victoria shook her head, "What did she do to you?"
"That's none of your concern!" Paulie barked.
"Idiot!" Carmine slapped him on the back of the head, again, "What did I just get through telling you?!"
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you do the talking and I don't, but Carmine-" Paulie was cut off.
"No buts, Paulie! You don't speak unless you or the others are spoken to! Is that clear?!" Carmine threw his hand up before turning to Victoria, "You wanna know what that yellow-haired little she-devil did?! You really wanna know, Signora Barkley?!"
"Yes, I do, Mr. Mangano." Victoria nodded.
"It was a week after we first settled here in Stockton. My late brother Santo was out looking for a job. Any job to help bring in the dough, if you will. As he walked around and looked, he accidentally bumped into a yellow-haired woman, causing her to drop her purse. Being polite as he usually was, he bent down to pick it up and give it to her. What he didn't realize was that she went down at the same time and the moment she locked eyes with him, she screamed-she...she..." Carmine, due to feeling tears threatening to spill down his face, started to have a hard time continuing the story.
"Mr. Mangano, you don't need to say anymore. Those memories are bringing you-" Jarrod was cut off.
"No, I need to tell the story. I need to remind you all what your kind has done to us!" Carmine managed to hold the tears back.
"Mr. Mangano-" Heath was cut off.
"Your kind isn't as perfect as you all think!" Massimo chimed in.
"None of us ever said we were. In fact, none of us are perfect. We're all flawed in our own ways, of course. That being said, some of us still try to do good and stand up for what is right. Go against those who are wrong and in some cases, bring them to justice and hold them accountable for the wrongs they have done. It may not be much at times, but there is a good comfort in knowing that one day...one day, they will have to answer for everything when they meet their maker." Victoria replied.
"Lady, we didn't ask for a preacher!" Luca spoke up.
"Luca, Massimo, do you mind?!" Carmine slapped the both of them.
"Carm, we were-" Luca was cut off.
Carmine didn't say anything, just glared at him.
"Just being quiet." Massimo added, before putting his hand on his mouth, Luca following suit.
"Now, as I was saying before these two decided to flap their jaws, the moment this yellow-haired heathen saw Santo, she screamed and I unfortunately quote: "R*pe!" unquote. She screamed that before tearing her dress and putting dirt all over her face plus messing her hair up. Her screams got everyone riled up enough to come to the scene. Santo tried his best to clear himself by informing those idiots that he didn't attack her and was simply trying to return her purse. Of course, being that he was a beautiful Italian man and that yellow-haired heathen was ghost white, they all took her word over his. Upset and distressed, he ran back to my house. Paulie, my wife Andrea, and I asked him what had happened and what was the matter, because by the looks of it, his beautiful tan had drained out of him. He looked all white. White like a ghost! He told us everything and-I can't! I can't say anymore right now!" Carmine shook his head and stopped due to the pain of what happened to Santo coming back full force and being just as fresh now as when it happened.
Heath, Jarrod, Victoria, and Chet sported sympathetic looks on their faces and shook their heads. They couldn't begin to imagine how painful it had to be for Carmine to re-tell or start to re-tell the story of Santo and his lynching. Re-opening old wounds that were still not completely healed. Re-hashing a horrible memory that hadn't quite become a thing of the past as of yet.
One thing that was for sure, the Barkleys could very well empathize and relate to Carmine and his family when it came to losing a loved one so suddenly. Tom Barkley, husband of Victoria and love of her life plus father of the Barkley children, lost his life to a cold blooded murder & Beth Randall-Barkley, wife of Jarrod for a short time, lost her life in the same manner; murder. It was safe to say that the Barkleys felt the pain the Manganos had experienced. Whether Carmine believed it or not, that was entirely up to him.
"Mr. Mangano, whenever you're ready to divulge more details, if you choose to do so, feel free. There is no rush." Victoria tried to sound sympathetic.
"You telling me what to do?! You ordering me around?!" Carmine asked in a very snooty way.
"No, no, I'm just telling you that whenever you're ready, feel free to tell us more about Santo and the injustice that was done to him. You don't need to divulge it all at once and pick at the scab, if you will." Victoria held her hand up.
"You're damn right it was an injustice as was the murder of my papa, the assault on my other daughter Allegra & my other niece Serafina by Jack Clevenger and Matthew Sturgis, and what happened to Stefania! All of them are injustices and I have waited for too long! I stood on the side after the others happened, but the assault and r*pe of Stefania crossed the line! This time your kind went too far! Too damn far!" Carmine ranted then sighed, "Did you ever read the bible?"
"Yes. We do when we go to church and sometimes at home. Why?" Victoria seemed a little thrown off by this.
"Did you ever read the verse Ezekiel 25:17?" Carmine asked.
"We probably have at some point. Why? Is it your favorite verse?" Jarrod was curious.
"It sums up my feelings about the injustices and how I want to make those bad people pay dearly. I believe it goes and I quote: "And I will execute great vengeance upon them with furious rebukes; and they shall know that I am the Lord, when I shall lay my vengeance upon them." unquote." Carmine tightened his grip around his shotgun, "I shall get justice. Justice for what happened. Those heathens shall pay!"
"We understand, Mr. Mangano. In fact, Nick wants what you want." Heath gave a nod.
"To which I say what I said to Jarrod after Beth was killed which is what I had to say to myself when my husband Tom was killed...revenge is not the answer. I didn't know Beth too well, I didn't know Emilio or Santo plus I only know Stefania through Nick and I do not know Serafina or Allegra, but there's one thing that I do know and it is that Tom, Beth, Emilio, Santo, Serafina, Allegra, and Stefania wouldn't want revenge. They just wouldn't. Tom wouldn't have wanted my family and me to destroy the memory of his love by destroying ourselves, Beth wouldn't have wanted Jarrod to destroy the memory of her love by destroying himself, Emilio & Santo wouldn't want that, and neither do Allegra, Serafina, and Stefania. I also told Nick the same thing in regards to his father and Stefania. Revenge doesn't accomplish a thing." Victoria understood the quest for revenge, but knew that it wasn't the answer nor would it solve a thing. She knew it wouldn't have made her & her children any better than Pat Hyatt, Jarrod any better than Cass Hyatt, Carmine & Paulie among others any better than Jessica Ballinger, Seth McMahon, & their bunch, or Nick any better than McMahon and his gang. It would've made them equal to or possibly worse than the ones who did wrong and deep down inside, none of them would've wanted to be the same or worse than the wrongdoers. She knew that and so did they.
"Lady, we really don't need you to preach to us nor do we need to be told how to feel. Besides, you say revenge isn't the answer? Then, what is?! Tell us, because it's apparent that in your eyes, we just don't know how we should go on about the injustices." Paulie growled.
"Yeah, what's your suggestion even though we don't care nor will we listen." Enzo spoke up.
Victoria opened her mouth and started to say something, but stopped when the sound of hoof beats was heard, yet again.
(Now)
"It's Roy, Joe, and John." Heath looked over his shoulder and saw that it was three more of the men he had rounded up besides Chet.
"Who are they?!" Carmine got into a combative pose.
"Just friends of mine, Mr. Mangano. Friends who, like Chet here, were going to help me search for Nick." Heath held his hand up in the "calm yourself" motion.
"Do they have rope to lynch us with?!" Paulie asked.
"Look, nobody is going to lynch any of you. Not on our watch." Jarrod spoke up.
"Not on your watch. What?! Are you promising protection?!" Carmine spat on the ground and kicked at it.
"Why as a matter of fact we are, Mr. Mangano. We are promising protection." Jarrod nodded.
"Phhht! Your protection means absolutely nothing to us!" Paulie scoffed.
"It may not mean anything to you and we understand that, but we do promise that there won't be a repeat of what has happened to you and your family. No repeat of Jessica and Hiram Ballinger, Seth McMahon & his bunch, any of them." Victoria added.
"You're forgetting one person, Signora Barkley." Carmine reminded her.
"Oh yes. My brother-in-law Leonard since McMahon and his bunch mentioned him." Victoria replied.
"Yes, him, but one more, Signora." Carmine held up one finger.
"I-" Victoria was cut off.
"Nick Barkley. Your son." Carmine's voice had a lot of venom in it.
"Mr. Mangano-Carmine, let's be reasonable here. My son Nick cares a lot about Stefania. You could say that he may be in love with her. In fact, if he is in love with her, why would he hurt her? Anybody who loves somebody as much as Nick may love your daughter would never even think of hurting that person. Never." Victoria pleaded.
"Why can't you see that, Mr. Mangano?! Why can't you believe it?!" Heath asked, a bit firmly this time.
"Is it, because you are so consumed by your hatred that you absolutely refuse to believe that where there may be bad people there are also good ones?" Jarrod sounded a bit combative while asking said question.
"You paint everybody with a broad brush." Heath shook his head.
"Heath, I hate to interrupt, but what in the name of all things good is going on here?" John spoke up.
"We're trying to reason with Carmine Mangano, his brother, and his friends." Heath replied.
"And if I were you, Roy, and Joe, I would drop my gun. They mean business." Chet added.
Without hesitation, guns could be heard dropping onto the bridge, one by one. It was almost as if John, Joe, and Roy knew the intensity of the situation and that one false move could result in disaster plus that it was best to de-escalate the situation rather than exacerbate it, unintentionally or otherwise.
"Mrs. Barkley, I would-" Chet started to whisper to Victoria, but was interrupted.
"Chet, mother isn't dropping her gun and neither are Heath or me. Not yet." Jarrod whispered to Chet.
Victoria shot Jarrod a look that said: "Honestly, Jarrod. I can speak for myself" and Jarrod returned it with a little shrug and half smile.
*Back with Italia, Nick, and Stefania*
Stefania and Italia were still circling each other, fists in the air, and engaging in a back & forth with each other while Nick sat around and watched, hands literally tied. He wasn't one to be nosy when two people were having a disagreement or just a conversation in general, but he knew eventually that he would have to intervene in order to get himself untied, out of this room that was basically the beginning of a hellscape, something one saw in the beginning of their nightmares, and get back to his family plus hopefully get the Mangano patriarch to understand & realize that he (Nick) didn't do anything wrong nor was he pals with McMahon and his gang. Also too, maybe and finally get back to his own original goal of getting to his dastardly uncle Leonard then McMahon himself then his buddies, one by one.
"Non posso credere che siamo arrivati a questo. Tu e io... litighiamo. (I cannot believe it has come to this. You and me...fighting.)" Italia shook her head and smirked.
"Di cosa diavolo stai parlando?! Litighiamo sempre, perché lo inizi perché sei... come altro potrei dirlo? Oh, vediamo...(What the hell are you talking about?! We always fight, because you start it due to being...how else can I put it? Oh, let's see...)" Stefania looked up at the ceiling for a moment then back at Italia, "Geloso! (Jealous!)"
"Geloso? Di cosa? Ti piace un uomo bianco? Di cosa c'è da essere gelosi?! (Jealous? Of what? You liking a white man? What's there to be jealous of?!)" Italia scoffed.
"Non negarlo, Italia! Sei gelosa, perché fai sempre quella routine! Lo facevi con Pasquale e ora lo fai con Nick. (Don't deny it, Italia! You are jealous, because you always do that routine! You did that with Pasquale and now, you're doing it with Nick.)" Stefania wasn't believing a word Italia was saying.
"Non è vero! (Not true!)" Italia slapped Stefania.
"Ti dice! (Says you!)" Stefania pushed Italia, "Brucia il tuo dietro che ho un uomo o per lo meno, una possibilità con un uomo come Nick e tu no ! Brucia il tuo dietro e si attacca nel tuo craw! (It burns your behind that I have a man or at the very least, a chance with a man like Nick and you don't! It just burns your behind and sticks in your craw!)"
"Cazzate! Sono tutte bugie! (Bulls*t! It's all lies!)" Italia went to throw the first punch, but was blocked when Stefania grabbed her fist.
"Italia, ammettelo! Ti sconvolge quando Allegra, Serafina, Francesca, o trovo un uomo e ho una scarsa possibilità di felicità mentre fai fatica a trovare il tuo qualcuno speciale. Ammettilo! (Italia, admit it! It upsets you when either Allegra, Serafina, Francesca, or I find a man and have a slim chance at happiness while you struggle to find your special somebody. Admit it!)" Stefania had a tight grip on Italia's fist.
"Stefania, perché dovrei essere arrabbiato e cosa sono arrabbiato? Hai una possibilità con il nemico?! Il NOSTRO NEMICO MORTALE a questo! (Stefania, why would I be upset and what am I upset at? You having a chance with the enemy?! OUR MORTAL ENEMY at that!)" Italia denied once more and chuckled a little.
"Ammettilo, Italia! Ammetti che è l'unica ragione per cui ti sei unito a zio Paulie e papà in questa caccia.(Admit it, Italia! Admit that it is the only reason you joined uncle Paulie and dad on this hunt.)" Stefania started to twist Italia's fist.
"Questo non è vero! Tu di tutte le persone sai perché ho unito lo zio Paulie e lo zio Carmine! Voglio giustizia non solo per il nonno Emilio e mio padre, ma per quello che è successo ad Allegra, Serafina, e ciò che quel pagano ha lasciato che ti è successo mentre si alzava e guardava. (That is not true! You of all people know why I joined uncle Paulie and uncle Carmine! I want justice not only for grandpa Emilio and my dad, but for what happened to Allegra, Serafina, and what that heathen let happen to you as he stood and watched.)" Italia shook her head before spitting on the ground only for some of it to hit Nick in the face.
"Bitch! Hai appena sputato contro di lui! (You b*! You just spat at him!)" Stefania saw some spit on Nick's left cheek and shot her cousin a glare.
"E? (And?)" Italia asked in a nonchalant way.
Stefania released her fist from her grip, kneed her in the gut, and punched her, sending her staggering backwards into the hallway.
"Non giusto! (Not fair!)" Italia yelled back.
Stefania rolled her eyes then went over to Nick and wiped the spit off of his cheek before beginning the process of untying him.
"Ouch! Careful, Stefania. I have some rope burns from trying to break free." Nick hissed.
"I'm sorry, Nick. I'm so sorry for everything that you have been through." Stefania's voice started to break.
"Stefania, you don't need to be sorry for anything. I fully understand your family's anger considering all that has happened. However, I did not expect to meet some of them under these circumstances. I thought I had a fiery personality." Nick tried to reassure her.
Stefania stopped untying him for a brief moment and looked at him.
"No offense, Stefania. Please, don't-" Nick was cut off.
"Nick, none taken. My family is crazy for doing this to you. They've been acting crazy towards you and I know I shouldn't, but a part of me if not all of me feels responsible." Stefania smirked, clearly agreeing with Nick and knowing he was spot on while feeling partially if not fully responsible for their actions.
"What they've done to me doesn't reflect on you at all just like what all Leonard said on father's birthday, his views and everything do not reflect on me or my family or at least I hope not." Nick replied.
"They don't. If only my family could see it that way, but they're so hardheaded it makes my nose bleed." Stefania managed to get Nick's hands untied, "I got your hands untied."
"Ohhhh! Thank you, Stefania. Thank you so much!" Nick had relief in his voice and started moving his fingers in order to get the blood flow going. Not that the blood flow wasn't going at all, but considering how tight his wrists were bound, it was safe to say that his hands had fallen asleep so to speak and now, he was trying to "wake them up" if you will.
"You poor thing you. I'll tend to your wounds after we get you out of here." Stefania took another look at Nick's bruises and wounds & let out a sad sigh before getting into the process of untying his ankles.
"Oh, Stefania. I appreciate that, but I'll be fine. I got that Barkley toughness." Nick smirked.
"Nick, it won't hurt you to let me tend to your wounds and to you." Stefania put her hand on his forearm.
"I know, Stefania, but I'll be fine. Really. Besides, you're the one who needs to be tended to and resting." Nick started rubbing his left hand after his right hand got back to normal.
"Nicholas, please, don't fight me on this. I want to take care of you. Let me." Stefania stood her ground.
"Stefania, I'll be-" Nick was cut off.
"Nick, let me care for you. Let me take care of you. You've been through enough and being in agony alone doesn't do anybody any good. Now, I won't have you fight me on this." Stefania affirmed.
"Stefania." Nick said.
"Nick." Stefania replied.
The two looked at each other for a moment before getting into a bout of laughter.
"Look at us! Just look at us! We're already bickering like a husband and wife." Nick chortled.
"It sure does sound that way, doesn't it? Well, we are in a slow growing relationship and I want to pull my weight by taking care of you like a good girlfriend does, so it is safe to say that we'll probably have many of these moments." Stefania laughed.
"You betcha." Nick nodded.
"Plus, we may have moments where we finish each other's sentences and try to have the last word, but never give it to each other." Stefania smiled before going back to untying Nick's feet.
"You better believe it, Stefania and prepare for me to always have the final say." Nick teased.
"Oh, really, now?" Stefania asked in a joking way.
"Yes, really. I know the truth hurts and that it hurts to know that I will always have the final say. You'll get used to it." Nick teased, again.
"Okay, you know wha-" Stefania was cut off.
"Oh, brother! Why don't you two make out already?!" Italia crawled back into the room and made a vomiting noise.
"Pardon me, Nick." Stefania leaned back, delivered another punch to Italia, then leaned forward and continued to untie the series of knots that helped tighten the rope on Nick's ankles, "Good grief! How many knots are there?!"
"Five." Italia groaned while rubbing her jaw.
"Who asked you?!" Stefania replied.
"Stefania, all humor and everything else aside, you really should be resting." Nick told her, concern filling his voice, "I mean you were r*ped and well, you face the possibility of...you know."
"I know, Nick but I haven't felt sick or anything as of yet. However, I'm more concerned about you. Now, let me be the one who worries while you rest and I take care of you." Stefania got his ankles untied, "There we are. You are untied. Now, let's-"
Italia jumped onto Stefania's back, tackling her to the ground. Stefania rolled onto her back, slightly crushing Italia before punching her in the side and gaining the upperhand by turning herself around and attempting to pin her cousin to the floor. Italia used her feet to push Stefania back before getting to her feet and lunging at her, pinning her to the wall only for the latter to put her hand on top of her head and grab her hair. Italia balled up her fists and punched Stefania twice; once in her thigh and again on her back, knocking her down. Stefania grabbed at Italia's ankles and pulled them out from under her, sending her to the ground before getting on top of her. It would turn into a round where the two women rolled around on the ground, taking turns punching each other.
*Back out on the bridge*
The Barkleys (most notably Jarrod and Heath) continued their defiance in not dropping their guns despite being told to so via whispers from Chet and the other guys & demands from the Mangano men and their buddies. It was, because of this that the tension continued to increase by the second. Wanting to get past this tense moment and get across the bridge, Victoria stepped down from her buggy.
"Mother, what are you doing?" Jarrod's eyes were the size of plates.
"I'm going to go meet Carmine half way and try to talk to him, parent to parent, woman to man. Maybe it'll get things going and cool the waters, if you will." Victoria started walking towards the Mangano men and their friends.
"Mother, if I were you, I'd be-" Heath was cut off.
"Heath, Jarrod, I'll be fine." Victoria insisted.
"Mother, please-" Jarrod was cut off.
"Trust me on this." Victoria told him.
*Over where the Mangano men and their friends were standing*
Seeing Victoria coming their way got their attention and even surprised some of them. Paulie, among those surprised, slightly lowered his shot gun and turned to Carmine.
"Carmine, what do you make of this?" Paulie asked.
"Yeah, this white woman is coming our way. This is not a good sign." Arturo shook his head.
"She may have a whip and start using it on us as if we're her servants!" Massimo sneered.
"Carmine, are we just going to stand here and let her tell us how things should be?!" Enzo chimed in.
*Back with Nick, Stefania, and Italia*
The Mangano women continued to fight and went from rolling on the ground taking turns punching each other to throwing whatever they could at one another. However, Stefania, having since grown tired of tossing things at Italia, delivered a sucker punch that hard enough to make her cousin visibly dizzy to the point of collasping to the ground. Nick, clearly proud of Stefania's tough streak and the fact that it mirrored his own to a perfect "T", folded his arms and smiled.
"Ti arrendi?! (You give up?!)" Stefania reverted to Italian, wiped the blood away from the corner of her mouth, walked over to Italia, and used her (Stefania's own) foot to sit her cousin upright, pinning her against the wall.
Italia, panting a little, looked up at Stefania and made a "Hmph!" noise.
"Answer my question!" Stefania reverted back to English and started to press her foot into her cousin's chest.
"Let...Let him go, Stefania!" Italia wiped the blood away from her nose, "He may be a white man, but he's handsome and I just might find him handsome!"
"Never! He's my man and I found him handsome..." Stefania pressed her foot into Italia's chest a little harder this time, before bending down as best as she could and getting nose-to-nose with her, "First."
Italia shot Stefania a glare and let out another "Hmph!" noise.
"Who's the alpha of the two of us?!" Stefania asked, before gritting her teeth.
Italia didn't say anything, shaking her head instead, clearly not wanting to admit to anything.
"Answer me, Italia. Who's the alpha and do you give up?!" Stefania slightly raised her voice.
"I won't give you an answer! I won't!" Italia shook her head, again, "You pulled this when we were kids and you're doing it again! You're a bully, Stefania!"
"And you're whining as usual, because I bested you. Plus, it looks like you may need to cool off and there's a trough outside. So, why don't I help you?" Stefania took her foot off of Italia's chest, grabbed her by her shoulder, forcefully standing her up and starting to pull her outside.
"No! No, you wouldn't dare!" Italia protested as Stefania pulled her along.
"Wouldn't I?!" Stefania asked as the two got outside and headed to the trough.
"Don't you do it!" Italia shrieked.
Once approaching the trough, Stefania picked Italia up the same way Jarrod had picked up that Maybelle Williams girl and then...*SPLASH!* tossed her into the trough just like he did. As Italia shrieked and struggled in the water, splashing it everywhere, Stefania went back inside to where Nick was.
"Let's go, Nick." Stefania said before taking his hand into hers and walking out with him.
While Nick and Stefania were walking off, Italia managed to get out of the trough and screamed at the two of them, mainly at Stefania before throwing what appeared to be a whiny tantrum due to the humiliation of being bested by her own cousin, yet again.
*A few minutes later, back out at the bridge*
As Victoria continued to make her way to the Mangano men and their friends, like Paulie, Carmine also lowered his shot gun, albeit very slightly, making it appear that while he was keeping his guard up, he just might be sensing something other than danger and/or deceit from the Barkley matriarch. Seeing that both Mangano men did this, Massimo and the others followed suit, to a degree. Meanwhile, Jarrod, Heath, and company were watching Victoria like a bunch of hawks, hoping against hope that nothing bad would happen.
"I hope Mrs. Barkley knows what she's doing." Chet whispered to Heath and Jarrod.
"So do we, Chet." Jarrod whispered back.
Just as Victoria was approaching the Mangano men and Carmine was making his way to her, very reluctantly, both the Barkley matriarch and the Mangano patriarch stopped in their tracks when a creaking noise could be heard coming from the bridge. Unphased by noise and believing it to be nothing, Victoria and Carmine continued to make their way to each other only to stop when the creaking noise got slightly louder. They looked down at the bridge then looked back up at each other, locking eyes.
To Be Continued...
Happy early Halloween, everybody! :D
Author's Note 2.0: For three of the men Heath rounded up (Chet, John, and Roy to be exact), I named them after three of my favorite characters from the Jack Webb t.v. series "Emergency!". Just thought I'd give a little nod to that show. Full disclosure: Like "The Big Valley", "Emergency!" and its characters belong to their rightful owner.
R.I.P.
Fernando Valenzuela
November 1, 1960-October 22, 2024
Nick: Thank you again, Stefania!
Heath: We need to get to Nick.
Stefania: We're coming your way.
Carmine: Does anybody hear that creak noise?
Italia: I'm all wet! It's not fair!
Stefania: Oh, dry up, Italia and stop whining!
Jarrod: Is nobody hearing that creaking sound?
Nick: R&R, everybody! R&R!
Stefania: And have a safe Halloween.