THE STAGECOACH SCENE

ARCHIVE: You like it that much? ::tears of joy::

CHARACTERS: DrH TQ CM mentions of M G

RATING: G Humor

SYNOPSIS: Tessa reveals herself. This does not go where you think it does...

COMMENTS: Warning -- it was late and I was tired. I claim no responsibility for this... whatever this is, and I place the blame completely on the shoulders of my muse, Dobbin the Nob. Muchos gracias to Ellayo for helping me out when my brain died.

~~~~~

"Going somewhere?"

"You shouldn't be here." Tessa motioned for the servants to continue loading her trunks into the stagecoach.

"What're you running from, the question or the answer?"

"There is no answer, Doctor Helm. Let it be."

Helm wouldn't be dissuaded from getting to the meat of the matter, "Is what she said true?"

"I'm leaving." Tessa shooed the servants away and went to climb in.

The doctor moved directly into her path, blocking the way. "No, you're not. You're not leaving. Is what she said the true?"

"The times were different, Robert. I was different. The whole maltido world was different, okay?"

He made a strange face, half disbelief, half disgust. "Did you kill all those people?"

Tessa regarded him steadily for a moment, then, apparently having made up her mind, she faced him boldly. "Yes. Is that what you want to hear?" She paused dramatically, then continued harshly, seeing his expression. "Killing was all I knew. Is that what you want to hear?"

Robert blinked, "It's enough." He turned to walk away.

Tessa snapped and rammed him into the side of the vehicle. "No. It is not enough! I saved, but I didn't save fifty, I didn't save a hundred, I saved a thousand, I saved TEN THOUSAND reales! And I was good at it."

She smiled and her tone abruptly changed to a pleasant conversational pitch. "And it wasn't because I was frugal. It wasn't for greed. It was, because, I liked it." She let go of his coat and backed off slightly. "Grisham was nothing. The pueblo was nothing. Do you know who I was? I was the Queen of Swords..."

Tessa laughed and continued to do so even after Helm slammed her into the coach, eyes fiery and smile cold. "The Queen, the Queen of Swords. When mothers warned their children there was a vigilante, that vigilante was me. I was the hero that kept their hopes up through the darkest of night... Is that what you want to hear? Then the answer is yes. Ooh, yes." There was an uncomfortable pause and they stared at each other for a long moment before Helm finally pushed himself away.

"We're through," he muttered.

Tessa nodded, heart breaking inside. Helm turned abruptly and walked to his patient's waiting wagon. He threw his coat onto the seat and climbed in. Tessa watched the wagon until the dust had blown away before taking off her shawl and tossing it into the stagecoach, getting in after it.

Colonel Montoya emerged from his hiding place in the alley. He smiled icily, the shadows of the setting sun casting a shadow across the right side of his face. This was interesting, indeed.

FINIS