Forbidden love for a Barkley
Part Forty Three:
"Serpente e Trappola!"
Stefania brought Heath inside, told Silas to go get Dr. Merar, and helped Victoria get him (Heath) upstairs, but not before ripping a piece of her petticoat off & tying it around Heath's leg. This was due to the fact that after just by eyeballing the wound, Stefania immediately knew that the wound was far more severe than it appeared. Her know-how impressed Victoria and a little bit later, Dr. Merar, who would admit that he was so impressed that he was very tempted to let her remove the bullet, but ultimately didn't for ethic reasons. Out of respect for the fact that he was Nick's brother and to be sure he was alright, Stefania stayed by his side while downstairs and unbeknownst to her, as Victoria and Dr. Merar talked, they were singing her praises, even saying she was the right one for Nick and voicing their hopes that things go right between them. Back upstairs, as soon as Heath regained consciousness, he immediately tried to get out of bed in order to finish up mending the fence only for Stefania to stop him and tell him about the bullet wound as she tucked him in before asking if he could remember being hit in the head and shot in the leg. Due to his headache being really bad, Heath said no and that to even think of trying to remember what all had happened made his headache worse. Well, not those exact words, but something similar. Stefania understood completely and instructed him to stay put before going downstairs to inform Victoria that he was awake and talking. Victoria went up to see him, but not before thanking Stefania for all that she did only for the latter to say that she really didn't do that much to which the Barkley matriarch politely corrected her, pointing that she: A) stayed by Heath's side, B) knew how severe his gunshot wound was, C) tied it off, and D) brought him inside & in her (Victoria's) eyes, that was doing a lot. Stefania shrugged and said she tries to which Victoria told her that, that's all anybody can do to which Stefania nodded in agreement before heading outside to see what was going on with Nick. Right as she came outside, Nick and the mysterious intruder came rolling out of the barn, still in a fight. The mysterious intruder seemed to be getting the upper hand as they were ripping chunks of Nick's hair out by the roots and squeezing him with their legs. Stefania joined the scuffle and after a few more minutes of the struggle, managed to get one of their gloves off before unmasking the person to be...drum roll, please...her sister Allegra! Clearly steamed at her sister, Stefania demanded to know why Allegra was making all of that noise outside and rattling everybody's nerves to which the latter revealed she was trying to hide from a masked man who chased her along with a girl who was either of Cherokee or Navajo descent which resulted from a home invasion at the Mangano household where Andrea was heard screaming and once Allegra ran in to see what was wrong, the Mangano matriarch told her to run for it, which she did. Nick suggested that they go check on Andrea and get her to Dr. Merar and the trio would make their way to the house. Nick would then suggest that Allegra stay there where it was safe before asking how Heath was to which Stefania told him everything, including that she stayed upstairs by his side until he woke up before begging Nick to not get mad or anything to which he told her he wasn't at all mad before asking if Pasquale got mad at her for doing something like that. Stefania said no and revealed that she had dated another man named Carlo Bianchi who apprently got mad at her for doing something similar. Surprised to hear this, Nick told her that she never once mentioned anything about Carlo to which Stefania said she had tried to forget about him as he was awful. Nick would go to say something only to stop when a cooing sound was heard which led to the trio looking up and seeing that there was a Mourning Dove perched on the roof. The bird cooed at them once more before flying down and landing next to Stefania's foot. This piqued their curiosity only for them to decide to find out why the bird was there and what it could mean a little later as Andrea needed them and now. The trio headed into the house, were followed by the Mourning Dove flying in & landing on the fireplace mantle, and were met up by Eugene and Audra arriving home. Upon seeing her bruises, Nick went to question his sister only to be stopped by Eugene and judging by the look on his face, the former understood completely and backed off before informing him of what all happened and leaving with Stefania. Then, there was a knock at the door and once Eugene opened the door, there was a person standing there, asking for Nick while at the Mangano household, Stefania and Nick found Andrea on the floor crying & her hair strewn everywhere, clearly showing that the perpetrator chopped her hair off during the home invasion. As of now, Nick would spot the Mangano's statue of the Virgin Mary crying and Carmine would walk in right after & stand in total silence after seeing what he saw; his wife with Nick and her hair all over the place. Uh oh! The questions that remain are as follows: Why was the Mourning Dove there?, Who are the masked men and why are they doing their heinous acts?, Are Cara and Mariah okay?, What's going to happen now?, Where is the Cherokee or Navajo girl and is she okay?, What happened to Esther?, Who is the perpetrator behind Heath getting hurt?, Will Allegra finish her story?, Will Audra tell Victoria what happened?, Who's the person asking for Nick?, and most importantly, will Carmine believe what he sees or what Nick, Stefania, and Andrea have to tell him? 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, Emilio Mangano, Serafina Mangano, Santo Mangano, Francesca Mangano, Cara & Mariah Mangano, Chet and the men Heath rounded up, Jess and Mavis Chaney, the Animal Team, Leonard Barkley, Seth & his gang, Violet Pascucci, Julissa Kurilenko, Daphne Gubenheimer, Simonetta Mangano, Father Margolis, Caleb (the little boy in the church), the Masked Men, the Cherokee or Navajo girl, the Mourning Dove, and the Mangano family. As I stated in previous chapters, I'm modeling the relationship between Jarrod and Violet after the one of James Bond/007 and Miss Moneypenny & Marshal Matt Dillon and Kitty Russell which by the way, those characters, the James Bond franchise, and Gunsmoke rightfully belong to their owners. Happy reading! :D
Spoiler Alert: There may be the return of yet another character!
(Flashback to part 42)
"Mmph! M-Mother?" Heath called out, his voice a little groggy.
"No, Heath. It's Stefania. Your mama is downstairs with Dr. Merar." Stefania walked over to him.
"St-Stefania, what are you doing up here? If Nick sees this-" Heath was cut off.
"Nick isn't going to see anything. Speaking of which, I gotta get downstairs and go see who he found in the barn. In fact, I was going to, but I stayed up here to make sure you were alright and out of respect for the fact that you are Nick's brother." Stefania told him.
"The fence! Boy howdy, I gotta finish mending it then-" Heath started to get up, but was stopped.
"Oh no you don't. You are staying in bed and not moving a muscle. In fact, you are to stay off your leg for a good while." Stefania gently laid him back down on the bed and waved her finger like a typical mom.
"Why?" Heath asked.
"You were shot and by how deep that bullet was, you could've lost your leg." Stefania put a sheet over him and tucked him in, "Don't you remember being shot and hit in the head?"
"Stefania, with this headache, it's hard to even think of trying to remember what happened before everything went black." Heath winced as he felt a shooting pain in his head.
"I understand. Well, I'm going to go inform your mama that you are awake then go help Nick. In the meantime, you stay put. You hear?" Stefania instructed as she made her way to the door.
"Yes, ma'am." Heath gave a thumbs up.
"Thank you, Heath. Now, to get Nick to say that." Stefania chuckled.
"That'll be a challenge." Heath half smiled.
"I accept that challenge." Stefania smiled as she closed the door.
*Downstairs*
"Signora Barkley." Stefania called out as she came down the stairs.
"Yes, Stefania?" Victoria asked.
"Heath is awake. Groggy, but awake thanks be to God." Stefania told her.
"Amen to that and thank you for staying up there with him to make sure he would be alright." Victoria took Stefania's hands into hers.
"Anytime, Signora Barkley. However, I didn't really do that much." Stefania replied.
"Oh yes, you did, Stefania. You stayed by his side, you knew how severe his gunshot wound was, you tied it off, and you brought him inside. I would say that was doing a lot." Victoria politely corrected her.
"Eh, I-I suppose. I do try." Stefania shrugged.
"That's all any of us can do." Victoria reassured her or tried to.
"That's true. Well, Heath's awake and talking & now, I must go see who Nick found in the barn. I don't want to leave him alone for too long." Stefania nodded before heading outside.
'I wish she realized that she did more than she was willing to give herself credit for, which wasn't much. She's a lovely young lady. Well, that whole credit and confidence plus pride is something to be delved into at a later time. Now, to go see Heath.' Victoria thought as she made her way up to Heath's room.
*Outside*
Right as Stefania came outside, Nick and the dark figure came rolling out of the barn, still duking it out. By the looks of it, the dark figure trapped Nick by the waist with their legs and was in the process of ripping chunks of his hair out by the roots. Seeing this, Stefania ran over and tried to pry the dark figure's hands off of Nick's hair.
"Let go of him! Let go! Let...go!" Stefania had a tight grip on the figure's hand and gasped after getting a glove off of one of the hands.
"What is it?" Nick asked.
"I think I know who the culprit is, Nick." Stefania pulled the person's black veil off and made an annoyed noise.
"Who is it?" Nick looked back at Stefania.
"Just my sister Allegra!" Stefania was not too happy about this.
"Allegra?" Nick asked.
"Allegra, let him go!" Stefania ordered.
"Nick? Nick Barkley?" Allegra looked up at Nick.
"Yes, it's Nick. What were-" Nick was cut off.
"Nick, move aside." Stefania told him.
"I can't, because she's...trapped me...with...her legs." Nick gulped while saying that.
"Allegra, let him go or I'll break both of your kneecaps!" Stefania warned.
Allegra, knowing her sister wasn't bluffing, loosened her legs.
Nick moved back a few feet and started to breathe heavily, even putting his hand over his chest.
"Nick, are you alright? Allegra, what did you do to him?!" Stefania went over to Nick and put her hands on his shoulders.
"Oh, I'm fine, Stefania except that she had a snake-like hold on me, because it felt like her legs or thighs were squeezing the hell out of my lungs and ribs. Pardon the expression." Nick managed to compose himself.
"Are you sure you're alright, Nick? I can take to Dr. Merar and have you checked out." Stefania held him close, albeit gently.
"Stefania, I'm fine. Look at me, I'm fine. I just needed to catch my breath. I've never been squeezed like that before in my life, but I have had cracked ribs and survived." Nick tried to reassure her.
"My poor Nick." Stefania put his head on her shoulder.
"Poor Nick? What about me? He pounced on me!" Allegra interjected.
"Good!" Stefania told her.
"Good? Good?" Allegra asked.
"You heard me! You had it coming for making all of that noise out here and rattling nerves! In fact, what was the idea behind that plus dressing in all black and squeezing Nick?" Stefania was not happy with her sister and demanded a good explanation.
"I was trying...to hide!" Allegra told her.
"You were trying to hide? What a good time to play hide and seek!" Stefania shook her head.
"Why did you choose here to hide and who were you hiding from?" Nick asked.
"I was just desperate to get away from him!" Allegra looked down.
"Him? Who's him?" Stefania asked.
"A masked man. I was just trying to get away from him. Well, me and this Cherokee or Navajo girl. I have no clue where she went, but this masked man chased both of us." Allegra replied.
"Why was a masked man chasing you and the other girl?" Nick was curious.
"Stefania, remember that noise we heard outside?" Allegra looked up at her sister.
"Yes. Why?" Stefania nodded.
"Well, there was a knock at our door and mama answered it. All of a sudden, I heard her scream. Panicked, I ran in to see what was wrong and she told me to run for it." Allegra had tears spring to her eyes as the scene started to play out in her mind, "She...told me...to run for...it!"
"Oh my God!" Stefania's eyes got big for a moment and she put her hands over her mouth.
"Stefania, let's go check on your mother right now and get her to Dr. Merar!" Nick quickly stood up, helped both Stefania and Allegra up, and walked towards the house.
"I haven't finished my-" Allegra was cut off.
"You can tell us on the way over!" Stefania told her.
"No, no, she better stay here with mother, Heath, and Silas. It's safer." Nick said before stopping in his tracks, "By the way, how is Heath?"
"He's awake and talking with your mama right now. He must take it easy with that head wound and his leg recovering after being on the brink of amputation." Stefania replied.
"He was worse off than we thought. Did he say who did it?" Nick shook his head.
"No. His head hurt too much for him to try and recollect what happened." Stefania sighed.
"I can see why. Well, once he gets a little stronger, he'll be able to recollect it all." Nick nodded, "The main thing is he's alright."
"I stayed with him until he woke up. I didn't feel right leaving him alone." Stefania told him before looking down, "Please, don't be mad at me for that."
"Mad? Stefania, I would never be mad about that. I learned from my experience with Hester to never jump to conclusions like I did that time." Nick hugged her and put her head on his chest, "In fact, that's the nicest thing anybody could do. None of my other girlfriends would've done that. Well, Hester, but only because she wanted to be the hero and the center of attention. Not for any other reason."
"You sure you're not mad?" Stefania asked.
"I'm positive. Why? Did Pasquale get mad at you for that?" Nick asked.
"No, not Pasquale. It was another man I was dating. Carlo Bianchi." Stefania replied.
"You never told me about Carlo." Nick said.
"I tried to forget about him, Nick. He was awful!" Stefania cringed.
Nick opened his mouth to say something, but stopped when a cooing sound was heard.
"What was that?" Stefania lifted her head.
"I don't know. It sounded like an Owl, but it's daylight." Nick had a quizzical look on his face.
"Look! Up...there!" Allegra pointed up at the roof.
"Colomba del Lutto." Stefania said after looking up at the roof.
"A Mourning Dove. I keep thinking they are Owls due to their calls sounding somewhat the same." Nick looked up and smiled when he saw the bird perched on the roof.
The Mourning Dove cooed at the trio.
"I wonder why it is here." Allegra scratched her head.
"Doves are usually a positive sign or in some cases, the spirit of a loved one reaching out to you. I could be off on that second part." Nick continued to look up at the bird.
The Mourning Dove flew down from the roof and landed next to Stefania's foot.
"I think the Mourning Dove is trying to tell us something, but what?" Stefania tilted her head to the side for a moment.
"Well, whatever it is, we can find out later. Right now, let's get to your mother." Nick said before walking into the house, Stefania and Allegra joining him.
*Inside*
The trio of Mangano, Barkley, and Mangano came in and were about to make their way to the front door when the Mourning Dove came flying in and perched itself on the fireplace mantle, cooing yet again. Before they could react, the front door opened and in came Eugene and Audra.
"We're home now, sis. You're safe." Eugene was heard saying.
"Eugene, where were y-Audra!" Nick walked over to his sister and baby brother and a look of horror when he saw Audra's bruises, "Audra, what hap-"
Eugene gave Nick a look and shook his head, as if to say: "Not now, Nick. She's been through a lot.".
Nick, understanding completely, nodded in response.
Audra remained silent and made her way up to her room.
"I wonder what happened to her and who did it." Nick said after hearing the door to Audra's room close.
"Maybe one of the masked men had something to do with it." Allegra suggested.
"They did. She went through pure hell. That's all I'll say." Eugene's voice had a solemn tone to it.
"First Stefania, now, Audra, and Mrs. Mangano. Not to mention Allegra and either a Navajo or Cherokee girl, Cara & Mariah, and many more. Who's next?" Nick folded his arms.
"Mrs. Mangano, Allegra, and an Indian girl? What happened to them?" Eugene asked.
"Mrs. Mangano went through pure hell & Allegra and the Cherokee or Navajo girl were chased by a masked man. Allegra hid out in our barn. The whereabouts to the Cherokee or Navajo girl are not known as of now." Nick told him, "Stefania and I are going to check on Mrs. Mangano. Allegra will stay here for safety reasons."
"Good call." Eugene nodded.
"Oh and Heath, too." Nick added.
"Heath? What happened to him?" Eugene asked.
"Heath was hit in the head and shot in leg, but thankfully, he is alright. He's awake if you want to go see him." Nick replied before going to the main foyer hand-in-hand with Stefania.
"Amen to that, but if I may ask one more stupid question, why is there a bird in the house?" Eugene was taken aback when he saw the Mourning Dove.
"That's a mystery within itself, but seeing as how Doves are usually a positive sign, who knows?" Nick said before leaving with Stefania.
Eugene nodded and shrugged in response.
Then, there was a knock at the door.
"Coming." Eugene said before going to the door and answering it.
"Hello. Is Nick around?" a voice said.
*A few minutes later*
Nick and Stefania arrived to the Mangano household and went up to the porch. Stefania barely put her hand on the door when it opened by itself, clearly indicating that it was left unlocked. Alarmed, the couple slowly made their way inside.
"Mama?" Stefania called out.
"Mrs. Mangano?" Nick called out.
A faint crying sound was heard coming from the kitchen.
Nick and Stefania exchanged glances before nodding and heading to the kitchen.
*Inside the kitchen*
The second the couple entered the kitchen, their mouths went agape when they discovered Andrea on the floor crying and pieces of her hair strewn everywhere, indicating that somebody cut her hair by force.
"Mama!" Stefania knelt down beside her mother and held her close.
"Mrs. Mangano!" Nick also knelt down beside Andrea and put his hand on her shoulder.
Andrea continued to cry, never noticing that the couple was there at her side.
Nick looked around only to stop when he spotted something and let out a slight gasp.
"What is it?" Stefania asked before looking up and getting wide eyed, "Maria che Piange!"
"Crying Mary. Your statue of the Virgin Mary looks like she's crying." Nick pointed at the statue.
"Colomba in Lutto e Maria Piangente? (Mourning Dove and Crying Mary?)" Stefania whispered the question.
"Apparently, so." Nick nodded.
Before anybody could say a word, Carmine came into the kitchen and stopped dead in his tracks when he saw Andrea's hair all over the place and Nick with a crying Andrea.
"Stefania, why do I suddenly have an uneasy feeling?" Nick could almost feel Carmine's presence.
"I don-Papa!" Stefania looked up and gasped when she saw her father.
Carmine stood there and looked at them, not saying a word.
"Carmine, I know what you're thinking. Now, are you going to believe what you see or what any of us have to say?" Nick held his hand up.
(Now)
"Carmine, sei tu ? Sono andati?! Gli uomini mascherati sono spariti?! (Carmine, is that you? Are they gone?! Are the masked men gone?!)" Andrea, sensing her husband's presence, looked up and wiped her tears away.
"Uomini mascherati ? Cosa intendi dire uomini mascherati? (Masked men? What do you mean masked men?)" Carmine raised an eyebrow.
"Sì, Carmine. Uomini mascherati. Orribile ... terribile ... brutali selvaggi. Selvaggi che nascondono i loro volti ! (Yes, Carmine. Masked men. Horrible...awful...brutal savages. Savages that hide their faces!)" Andrea sniffed.
Carmine knelt down beside his wife and picked up a piece of her hair that was next to his foot.
"Forza, dillo. (Go ahead and say it.)" Andrea sighed.
"Che cosa? (Say what?)" Carmine asked.
"Sono brutto e innovabile. Andare avanti. Dillo, Carmine. Voglio dire, sembro un mostro con i capelli così com'è, quindi vai avanti e ammettilo ad alta voce per il mondo da sentire. (I'm ugly and unlovable. Go ahead. Say it, Carmine. I mean I look like a freak with my hair the way it is, so go ahead and just admit it out loud for the world to hear.)" Andrea pointed at the chopped remains of her hair on her head.
"Andrea, mi conosci meglio di così. In effetti, sono sorpreso che tu pensi che direi una cosa del genere. (Andrea, you know me better than that. In fact, I am surprised that you would think I would say such a thing.)" Carmine rested his wife's head on his shoulder.
"Bene, cosa ti aspetti?! Come ti aspetti che mi senta quando quegli orribili uomini hanno fatto quello che hanno fatto e ha detto che mio marito non mi avrebbe più amato?! (Well, what do you expect?! How do you expect me to feel when those horrible men did what they did and said that my husband would no longer love me?!)" Andrea shook her head.
"Spero che mia moglie sapesse che suo marito la ama, non importa cosa e che chi le dice altrimenti è morto. (I would hope that my wife would know that her husband loves her no matter what and that whoever tells her otherwise is dead wrong.)" Carmine told her.
"Mi dispiace, Carmine. Tutta la faccenda è stata così straziante che la mia mente è solo-(I'm sorry, Carmine. The whole thing was so harrowing that my mind is just-)" Andrea cut herself off.
"Mamma, tu rilassati con papà mentre io e Nick usciamo e ci diamo un'occhiata in giro. (Mom, you just take it easy with dad while Nick and I go outside and look around.)" Stefania spoke up before looking over at her father, "Papà, non osare iniziare a dare la colpa a Nick. Siamo entrambi appena arrivati. (Dad, don't you dare start blaming Nick. We both just barely got here.)"
"That's right, Carmine. Stefania and I barely came here. I had nothing to do with what happened to Mrs. Mangano or your daughter Allegra or-" Nick was cut off.
"Allegra? Oh, Nick, you have seen her?" Andrea reverted to English.
"Yes, Mrs. Mangano. I-" Nick was cut off, again.
"She was outside of Barkley Ranch skulking the place. Making all sorts of noise and rattling everybody's nerves. She and Nick had a brief fight and well, she squeezed his ribs with her thighs or hips! She coulda killed him!" Stefania told her parents, annoyance showing in her voice.
"But she is safe now. She's at Barkley Ranch with my mother, Silas, Audra, and Eugene. As for the Navajo or Cherokee girl, we haven't a clue." Nick added.
"Thank Heavens. I was so afraid they would get her!" Andrea wiped away more tears.
"Mama, you said there were masked men, right?" Stefania's eyes got big.
"Yes. Why?" Andrea asked.
"Andrea, gli uomini mascherati che ti hanno fatto questo e che hanno inseguito Allegra sono gli stessi che hanno terrorizzato una chiesa, tormentato Audra Barkley e rapito le nostre nipoti! (Andrea, the masked men who did this to you and went after Allegra are the same ones who terrorized a church, tormented Audra Barkley, and kidnapped our granddaughters!)" Carmine informed her before shaking his head, "Le nostre nipoti! Le nostre Cara e Mariah! Per non parlare del fatto che un prete è stato colpito e la chiesa è stata saccheggiata! (Our granddaughters! Our Cara and Mariah! Not to mention that a priest was shot and the church was ransacked!)"
"Cara e Mariah erano-(Cara and Mariah were-)" Andrea paused and put her hand over her mouth.
"Rapiti da uomini mascherati! (Kidnapped by masked men!)" Carmine nodded.
"Then, to add to it, Heath was hit in the head and shot in the leg while Allegra hid out in our barn." Nick added.
"Mi chiedo chi lo sta facendo e perché. Perché questa persona o queste persone stanno facendo queste cose? (I wonder who is doing this and why. Just why is this person or why are these people doing such things?)" Andrea said before turning to Carmine, "Dobbiamo cercare Cara e Mariah! Datemi solo il tempo di-(We gotta search for Cara and Mariah! Just give me time to-)"
"No, Andrea. Tu resta qui. Sei molto più al sicuro e in più, hai già passato abbastanza per un giorno. (No, Andrea. You stay here. You are much safer and plus, you have been through enough for one day.)" Carmine shook his head, again.
"Ma Carmine...(But Carmine...)" Andrea said.
Before Carmine could say anything, Vincent and his wife Simonetta came running into the room.
"Vincent? Simonetta?" Stefania looked up and saw her brother and sister-in-law, "Come avete fatto a scappare dagli uomini mascherati? (How did you two get away from the masked men?)"
"Non è stato facile. Abbiamo dovuto sgattaiolare in giro solo per arrivare l'uno all'altro, perché ce n'erano due in giro, tutti armati. (It wasn't easy. We had to sneak around just to get to each other as there were two riding around and very armed.)" Simonetta replied.
"Mamma, cosa ti è successo? Dove sono Allegra e Italia? (Mom, what happened to you? Where's Allegra and Italia?)" Vincent looked around, "Che diavolo è successo qui? (What the hell happened here?)"
"Tua madre e tua sorella sono state attaccate dagli uomini mascherati. Tua sorella è al Barkley Ranch. Per fortuna è al sicuro. Detto questo, tu e tua moglie restate qui con tua madre mentre Stefania, Nick e io usciamo e diamo un'occhiata. (Your mother and sister were attacked by the masked men. Your sister is at the Barkley Ranch. Thankfully, she is safe. That being said, you and your wife stay here with your mother while Stefania, Nick, and I go outside and take a good look.)" Carmine replied before turning to Stefania and Nick, "Let's go outside."
"Let's go outside? Carmine, you're teaming up with not only your daughter, but me as well?" Nick was surprised.
"As strange as it is to you, yes. Yes, I am, Nick." Carmine nodded.
"Aren't you going to point the finger at me? Call me a bad man or something?" Nick asked.
"No, Nick. I am not. I'm not going to blame you. Now, let's go." Carmine stood up and gestured for Nick and Stefania to follow him before going outside.
Nick and Stefania exchanged glances before joining the Mangano patriarch.
*Meanwhile back at Barkley Ranch*
"Not at this moment. Nick just left with Stefania. However, if you want to wait for him, come right in." Eugene said to the person before stepping aside so they could come in.
"Sounds good." the person said before coming inside.
"Say, you look familiar. Do I know you?" Eugene asked as he shut the door.
"I think we met a few times before you went off to school for a while." the person nodded.
"Eugene?" Victoria called from the top of the stairs.
"Yes, mother?" Eugene said.
"Who's at the-Oh my goodness!" Victoria started to come down the stairs only to stop and get a smile on her face when she saw the person, "Carl? Carl Wheeler?"
"Mrs. Barkley. Hello." Carl looked up, smiled, and tipped his hat before taking it off, "It is a pleasure to see you, ma'am."
"I knew you looked familiar." Eugene nodded.
"Carl, what brings you here?" Victoria asked.
"I was in town and just wanted to drop by for a visit with Nick, but seeing as he isn't here, I'll wait patiently." Carl told her.
The Mourning Dove flew off of the mantle to the stair rail and made the "coo-ah, coo-coo-coo" noise.
"Oh my! Looks like we have another visitor." Victoria looked at the bird, "Eugene, where did this little guy come from?"
"I'm trying to solve that mystery myself. All I know is that when Nick and Stefania came in along with Allegra, the bird followed them." Eugene told her.
"Maybe the bird's presence could be a sign of some sort?" Carl suggested.
"You think so?" Victoria asked.
"Yes, ma'am. Since it is a Mourning Dove, it could be a positive sign. Usually when a Dove is around, it's a good sign." Carl replied.
"That could be since it is a Dove after all." Victoria nodded in agreement, "That being said, Carl, forgive me, but I do have a feeling you're not only here just to see Nick."
"Well, I'll be honest with you, Mrs. Barkley, I'm not here only to see Nick. I'm also here to see Audra. I've been writing to her for two months, but never got a reply. I got worried and decided to come to Stockton in order to see if everything was alright." Carl admitted.
"Everything is-Well, everything was alright until recently." Victoria started.
"Ma'am, if you don't mind me asking, what's happened? Is Audra alright?" Carl got a look of concern on his face.
"It's too long of a story to go into detail, but today, Audra has been through a harrowing situation. She hasn't told me what happened, but from what I heard, it was traumatizing." Victoria sighed.
"I'm sorry to hear that, Mrs. Barkley. Well, I hope she'll be alright." Carl sucked his teeth and shook his head, "I was planning on seeing her today, but since you said that, I'll give her some space and time to regroup. I'll be in Stockton and whenever she is ready, I'm here."
"Thank you for understanding, Carl and when the time is right, I'll see to it that you two get the chance to see one another. I promise." Victoria told him.
"Much obliged, Mrs. Barkley. That being said, if you don't mind, I'd like to wait here for Nick." Carl smiled.
"I don't mind at all, Carl. Make yourself at home." Victoria said before looking back at the Mourning Dove, "Now, in the case of this little guy right here, we best get him back outside where he belongs."
The Mourning Dove looked up at Victoria and cooed.
"Come on, sweetheart. Let's get you back out in nature." Victoria went to gently grab the bird.
The Mourning Dove flew off of the stair rail and landed onto a nearby drum table that had a drawer.
"I'll get him, ma'am." Carl walked over to the bird and held out his arm, "Come on, fella. Easy does it."
The Mourning Dove flew off of the table and up the stairs, landing right at the top of the staircase.
"You gotta be kidding me!" Eugene tried to stifle a laugh.
"We tried, Eugene. It's your turn now." Victoria told him.
Eugene nodded before walking up the stairs and bending down to pick the bird up only for the bird to fly back down the stairs and land perfectly onto a curtain rod.
"Looks like that bird is here to stay." Carl said.
Before Victoria or Eugene could respond, a noise could be heard outside, yet again.
"What on Earth?" Carl turned his attention to the direction the noise came from.
"Sounds like something is out there..." Eugene got a quizzical look on his face, "Again."
"I'll go check it out." Carl headed outside.
*Outside*
The mere second Carl stepped outside, footsteps could be heard running and very fast, too. Curious, he decided to run in the direction he heard the footsteps in the hopes of capturing the person and possibly interrogating them. Unbeknownst to him, a large snake could be seen slithering right behind him only to switch directions and head into the barn.
Pretty soon, the horses were heard whinnying and by the sounds of the whinnying, something spooked them. Believing that whoever was out here could be inside the barn spooking the horses, Carl ran into the barn in order to check.
"Okay, whoever is in here, come out where I can see you then state your business!" Carl called out.
No answer.
"Alright, you wanna play tough guy, huh?" Carl asked.
Still no answer, but a faint hissing sound could be heard.
Carl continued to look around before feeling something around his ankles and getting a weird look on his face for a brief moment only to shrug and shake his head.
The hissing sound was heard, again, this time louder and closer.
"What in the world?" Carl said before going to take a step only to fall down, "Ooh! What the hell?"
The hissing sound was heard for a third time.
"Ohhh! What in the-Why does my body suddenly feel like it is being squeezed?! Hey, what's the-" Carl looked down and got wide eyed after discovering that there was an Albino Burmese Python constricted around his ankles and now his waist, "Sn-Snake! Sn-Sn-Snake!"
The Python lifted its head and practically got face-to face with Carl, hissing for a fourth time while tightening its hold on his body.
"Hey! I-I did-didn't do anything to you!" Carl grabbed the Python's head with one hand and part of its body with the other in order to hopefully loosen its grip and get free.
*Back inside*
"I wonder what is taking Carl so long and if he found who or what was the source of that noise." Victoria said.
"I'll go out and-" Eugene was cut off.
"Signora Barkley?" Allegra called from the top of the stairs.
"Yes, Allegra?" Victoria turned her attention to the top of the stairs.
"Signora Audra wants to talk to you. I was up there talking with her and she wants to talk to you about what happened." Allegra told her.
"Oh, okay. Thank you, Allegra." Victoria said before starting to make her way up the stairs.
"Should I tell her who is here? She heard somebody talking." Allegra asked.
"Don't worry. I will, dear. In fact, could you see what is going on outside?" Victoria asked.
"Sure thing, but what if it is one of those masked men?" Allegra got a fearful look on her face.
"Well, if it is, you'll be protected, because there's a good friend of the family out there right now probably confronting them. However, that family friend is taking a long time, so could you see what is going on and Eugene, go with her." Victoria told the two before going up to Audra's room.
"Sure thing. Come on, Eugene." Allegra went downstairs and headed outside, Eugene following her.
*Back outside*
Allegra and Eugene headed outside and looked around only to find no trace of Carl or anybody anywhere.
"Carl, couldn't have left that-" Eugene was cut off.
"Eugene, I-I'm in here! Th-The barn!" Carl managed call out, albeit in a somewhat raspy voice.
"In there." Eugene went into the barn, Allegra following.
"Signor Carl, where where are you?" Allegra called out.
The Python sensed Eugene and Allegra's presence and hissed, yet again.
"Serpente! Serpente!" Allegra gasped and exclaimed.
"Serpente?" Eugene asked.
"That's Italian for snake and I heard one hiss just now!" Allegra told him.
*Back at the Mangano household*
Carmine, Stefania, and Nick were outside searching around in the hopes of maybe confronting one of the masked men and to see if the coast was clear. So far, they found absolutely nothing and were ready to quit. Well, quit here and continue elsewhere.
"Well, whoever was here is obviously gone now." Nick sighed.
"Yeah, but where are they now?" Stefania asked.
"Lord only knows." Carmine replied.
"Well, let's go searching everywhere. All of over Stockton if we have to, because those little girls' lives are at stake. Possibly many more lives along with theirs and it is only a matter of time." Nick put his hat back on.
"I'm with you." Stefania told him.
"No, you're not. You're going to take your mother, sister-in-law, and brother to Barkley Ranch & stay with my mother and the others there. It is the only way for you guys to be safe." Nick shook his head.
"Oh no, you don't. I'm going with you!" Stefania replied.
"No, Stefania." Nick said.
"Nick, I wasn't asking your permission." Stefania shook her head.
"Stefania, I never thought I would say this, but I agree with Nick. You went through hell once. We won't stand for round two in your case." Carmine told her.
"Unh uh. I'm going with you two. Besides, a woman's place is..." Stefania walked over to Nick and hugged him, "with her man and besides, I failed you two once. I am not aiming for that, again."
"Stefania, you didn't fail us." Carmine shook his head.
"Yes, I did. You both went over that waterfall!" Stefania's voice started to break.
"Stefania, you had no control over that. None whatsoever. It was just one of those things..." Nick paused.
"That just happened." Carmine finished Nick's sentence.
"Which by the grace of God, we survived and lived to see many more days." Nick added before making his way back to the door.
Then, as if on cue, a metal sound could be heard which was followed by a clamping sound.
"YEEEEEOUCH!" Nick shouted before falling to the ground.
Stefania and Carmine ran over to him to see what just happened.
"Ohhhhhhhh!" Nick groaned.
"Nick, what happened? What's wrong?" Stefania knelt down beside him and gasped, "Trappola!"
Unable to speak due to the excruciating pain since the trap was clamping onto his broken leg, Nick panted and made heavy breathing noises in response.
"I bet those masked men did this! I bet they set this trap!" Stefania shook her head in disgust.
Nick muttered incoherently and nodded in response.
"Don't worry, Nick. We'll get this off. Papa, hold him still while I-" Stefania was cut off.
"Stefania, this thing is too heavy for you to get off. You better hold him still while I get it off." Carmine told her before grabbing the trap.
"Alright." Stefania held Nick close to her as tightly as she could.
"You got him?" Carmine asked as he got a good grip on the trap.
"Yes." Stefania nodded.
"Okay, Nick. Hold still now." Carmine told him before making an attempt to pry the trap off of his foot.
Nick groaned, winced, and grunted.
"Stay still, Nick. It'll be off before you know it." Stefania rubbed his head in order to comfort him.
From behind a bush, a figure could be seen watching the whole thing.
To Be Continued...
Happy belated Valentine's Day, everybody! :D
80 years ago on February 19th, the Battle of Iwo Jima started. Lest we forget those heroes and a BIG salute to them & all of our veterans.
Carl: Somebody...p-please...get this...snake...off!
Nick: Ohhhhh! This trap is killing me!
Jarrod: What's going on?
Eugene: Wait for the next chapter.
Audra: Why didn't those masked men take me instead?
Victoria: Audra, don't think that way, honey and don't ever say that, again.
Stefania: Who's over there by that bush?
Carmine: R&R, everybody. R&R.