This was a series of challenge responses of an adventure of Montoya's on QoSFF list

GUNGUYS

RATING: Totally G
CLASSIFICATION: Crossover
DISCLAIMER: Fireworks and SurferDude, and FOX

~~~~~

The three men suddenly appeared on the lip of a majestic chasm. The long blond-haired one held onto his laptop for dear life, perilously close to the edge, and screamed as he started to lose his footing. The well-suited one pulled him back to safety and checked their coordinates on the GPS system. The oily one thumped his fist against their home-made Transmigrator. While the other two were getting themselves settled on solid ground, he looked at the landscape in front of them. The rock cliff walls were colored various rainbow hues in the early morning sun. "Toto, I think we're not in Kansas anymore," Frohike said.

"I don't think we're in Nevada, either," Byers said, his voice echoing over the vast space below them.

"Well, we can't be too far away. We're in the desert," Langly said, sitting on a boulder, turning on his laptop.

"Good, Langly," Frohike grumbled. "But which desert? We could be in the Gobi for all we know. Why do we trust you with anything?"

Byers scanned the dial of his GPS and said, "I think we're in California."

"You think?"

Byers hit the machine and then stated, "The GPS just went dead, but the last readout was, I think, California."

"California?" Frohike walked over to Langly and thumped him on the side of the head. "Area 51 is in Nevada."

"I know that," Langly yelled.

Frohike tossed the Transmigrator on the ground in a huff and took off his leather jacket, then wiped his brow. Langly picked it up and dusted it off. "According to the Transmigrator readout, we're only about 184 miles off course."

"Oh, is that all? There's nothing to worry about then." Frohike looked around. "Think we can find a cab?" He pulled out his cell phone. The battery was juiced, as it always was before the three amigos would head out on a mission, but it couldn't zero in on a tower.

Byers picked a small black object up off the ground and inspected it. "What's that?" Frohike asked, while snatching it from Byers' hand. "A glove," he said. "At least someone lives around here."

"Besides big animals," Byers said, nervously pointing at some tracks on the ground. From his estimation, they were of the coyote family.

Langly punched some keys on the laptop. He moaned, "This isn't right! We should be in the Alien Hold. I know that guy wasn't just yanking our chain."

"Never trust a man who gives you too much information without asking for it," Byers said.

"Now you tell us," Frohike fumed.

"But it keeps blinking 184," Langly said, turning the laptop so they could see the monitor. "What does that mean?"

Byers looked at it and couldn't make head nor tail of the readout. "This is your area," he said as he handed it back to Langly. Then they all froze when they started to feel the ground shake, being so close to the edge. They jumped back from the chasm and turned around to see a swirl of dust coming toward them from the mesa. They heard the thundering hooves of horses. They could see men on horseback through the kicked up dirt. A garrison escorting an enclosed formal carriage made its way toward them. Small flags flew on six poles that various men in the company were holding. The red banners on the carriage stood straight out in the wind, because of the speed at which they were traveling.

"Looks like we have an armigerous visitor," Frohike said.

"What a set up," Langly said, in awe of the site before them. "Is this Reenactment Day or something?"

Byers shook his head. "It doesn't look like there's even civilization around here, let alone anyone to reenact anything."

"What would anyone be reenacting?" Frohike said, holding back the impulse to wallop Langly again for getting them into this fine mess. He checked out at the men coming in their direction again and said, "That looks like a Spanish flag, gentlemen."

"I see that along with ripping off the page of your word-a-day calendar, you took your sage this morning, too, Melvin," Langly said.

"A Spanish flag?" Byers wiped the sweat off his brow, but wouldn't think of even opening one button of his silk shirt under his expensive suit. "Is there a mission around here?"

As the garrison got closer, Langly started to edge back, and saw that there wasn't anywhere to go behind them, unless going head over heels down the chasm was on the agenda. "Um. Guys? Um. Should we be trepidatious right about now?"

The garrison stopped yards away from the three men, who grabbed their instruments and held them protectively to their breasts. The front guard laughed, pointing at the threesome as he remained on his steed. Byers looked at Frohike, Frohike looked at Langly, Langly looked at the chasm behind them, then back to Frohike, who looked at Byers, who stepped forward with a smile. "Hello."

The guards only laughed in return as the door to the carriage opened and a booted leg stepped down. Colonel Luis Rameriz Montoya turned to look at the men who he had seen at a distance as they were on their way to Monterey. He needed to see what that rag tag set of misfits could possibly be up to. As he walked toward them, he inspected their demeanor, and costumes. He put on a fake smile and said in his rodomontade manner, "Buenos Dias, señors."

The three Gunmen just looked at the military man, completely lost, as they tried to figure out what he was saying. Then, Byers stepped forward. "Habla usted inglés?" He told the rest of them, "That's about all the Spanish I know."

Montoya scrutinized his visitors and said in English, "Of course. Are you immigrants?"

"Not really," Langly said. "We've been to California many times."

"Ah. Many times," Montoya cordially said. "Interesting. How do you get about? I see no horses, I know that there are no haciendas around here."

"We're just visiting. Is that real?" Frohike asked, looking at the medal pinned to Montoya's chest. "What did you do to win that?"

Montoya patiently moved Frohike back from him and said, "I am Military Governor here. How long will you be visiting?" The last thing he wanted were more English speaking trouble makers.

"Not long. Langly got the coordinates wrong," Frohike said. "As soon as we get it figured out, we'll be off."

Montoya noticed the black glove in Frohike's hand. Montoya held his hand out for it. Frohike gave it to him without a moment's hesitation. "I know this glove," Montoya said, glaring at who he assumed were the Queen's conspirators. "More importantly, I know the hand it belongs to. Where is she?"

"If you find her, tell me," Frohike said, chuckling. "From the size of that glove, she's petite. Just how I like them."

Langly nudged Frohike to shut up as Montoya's reaction wasn't as frivolous as Frohike had obviously intended the conversation to be. He laid his laptop on the ground and sat before it. He hurriedly started clicking keys and looking at where Byers and Frohike stood to make sure that they would get to their correct destination this time.

"What are you doing?" Montoya demanded.

A soldier went to Langly as Montoya continued, "You do not sit unless I allow it."

The soldier stopped when he saw the flip-top box that the weird guy with odd black rimmed spectacles on his nose was working on. Shocked, he stood rooted to the spot, looking at the monitor and keyboard and how it seemed to make little lights appear and disappear. Where was the candle or oil lamp in that little box?

Montoya stepped forward to take the box to see it for himself. Only thing was, Langly wasn't going to let it go anytime soon. "It's mine!" he said as he and Montoya played tug of war.

Just then, the soldier felt heat and fell backward as a flash of lightening singed his arm. He howled as other soldiers rushed to him with their guns drawn. One by one, Byers, Frohike, then Langly and Montoya, still struggling over the laptop, disappeared.

~~~~~

THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME

Rating: G
Disclaimer: Fireworks and FOX and brig and Julie <g>

~~~~~

Luis was completely befuddled, a foreign sensation for him, as he was in a completely foreign environment. He was sitting on a wobbly stool made out of a strange, yet sturdy, shiny substance. It wasn't at all comfortable. Give him his chair in his office, his rocking chair in his bedroom, better yet, his feather bed. He had been completely thrown for a loop ever since suddenly appearing in a dank, dark, strange room filled with odd machinery. The men who made his transportation possible were an odd trio, and they had excitedly described everything that was on the shelving, on makeshift tables, on the floor. Computers, monitors, television screens, stereos, printers... the items were totally off the wall and Luis wondered when he would wake up from this astounding dream. One minute he was riding with his entourage, the next, he was in the year 2001.

The three of them were once again furiously working on their machinery to get him back to where he had come from, for the third day in a row. They had tried their best to make their visitor comfortable. Luis understood some English, but most of the time, the three of them were talking gibberish. The cot they had provided for him was so uncomfortable that Luis was sure that he had been sleeping on rawhide cords strung between two pieces of wood. When he finally couldn't take it anymore, and in the middle of the night had yanked the mattress off the bed, he saw that his presumption wasn't too far from the truth.

But an interesting thing happened the evening before. The gunmen had taken Luis to The Bijou to see what was called a `movie'. Amazing! The `theater' was where people congregated for an entertainment event, like a play, but there were no actors. There was only a big white wall and after the lights went down, the wall showed pictures. Luis, dressed in Frohike's clothes as they were roughly the same size, looked behind him at the flickering stream of light that filtered from a small glass windowpane high up on the wall. When he wanted to go and find the origin of that light, Byers just passed him a delicacy called `popcorn' and told him that it was magic. "Just watch and enjoy," Byers had said.

Watch it he did. The words that came up at the beginning of the `movie' and the English spoken pretty much went over his head, but Luis was enthralled by the pictures that flashed before him. The pictures weren't still, the people moved. Most of all, he was shocked when the black and white pictures became tinted by every color of the rainbow. Luis sat with his mouth agape as he watched the moving play, that took place called Kansas, and then in Oz. A talking scarecrow, lion, tin man, trees. On the surface it seemed silly, but he couldn't help but be delighted by the songs and the plight of the young girl. Luis couldn't help but see the parallel between her life and his own when she clicked her shoes together and said, "There's no place like home."

An instrument that the Lone Gunmen were huddled around suddenly made a lightening noise and sparks flew out from it, making them all jump back, and snap Luis out of his reverie. Darkness covered the room. Luis stood, a little scared, and asked, "What happened?!"

A small red light in the upper corner of the room came on casting an eerie glow to the weird room. Langly looked at him and said, "Well, amigo, seems we have a short." The computer console he was sitting in front of started to smoke, then flames flickered inside it. "Byers, grab the fire extinguisher. Frohike, change the fuses." Then Langly slammed his hands on the computer keyboard. "Damn! We were almost there." He hurriedly went to another computer down the table from where he had sat.

Frohike walked toward Luis and bopped him on the arm. "Come on, bub. You can hold the flashlight."

Luis stared at the long, black, somewhat heavy, metal thing that had been placed in his hand, then looked up at Frohike questioningly. Frohike sighed and said, "This is a flashlight." He grabbed the instrument back and clicked a button. Luis jumped back when light came out of it, shining right in his eyes. "Oh, sorry," Frohike mumbled. "Here." He gave the flashlight back to Luis and motioned for him to follow him down the stairs. Frohike turned on another flashlight that he still held as Luis was still enraptured by his own, shining it on all the reflective material in the room, making a circle pattern on the ceiling.

"Luis!" Frohike yelled from the basement. "Help me here!"

Luis shone the light on the doorway to the basement and down the rickety wood stairs. He saw a beam of light downstairs and walked toward it. Frohike, hunched over, kneeling on the floor, had opened a small box that Luis now knew was 'cardboard', and had taken out strange looking short things. "Hold the flashlight so I can see what I'm doing."

"What are you doing?" Luis asked.

"We need new fuses." Frohike shook his head. "I keep telling them that we're overloading the circuits and should get a new electrical system, but no one listens to me."

Luis held the light beam so that it shone on the metallic face plate as Frohike pulled out a fuse. Frohike asked, "So, Louie. Do you miss home?"

"Yes. I do. While I'm gone there is only one person who has taken over my command and I will have some messes to clean up, I am sure. I miss my bed. My own clothes. My aunt. I need to see Lucy. My cat."

Frohike looked at him. "You have a cat?"

"Yes. Her name is Cleopatra."

"Cats are intended to teach us that not everything in nature has a function," Frohike said.

"I beg your pardon?!"

"I'm allergic to them. And really, what do they do all day? Unless she clears out the rats for ya."

Suddenly, the lights came back on and the whirr of machinery upstairs hummed once again. "Frohike! Get him up here, quick."

Frohike nudged Luis to the stairs and up them. Luis said, "You do not have to push."

As soon as they got up the stairs, Byers manhandled Luis and placed him on a small circle marked out on the floor with chalk. "Don't move, Luis."

"What is going on?" Luis asked, straightening the leather jacket that he had borrowed from Frohike.

"I think you're going home, Luis," Langly said. "How many years back does he have to travel?"

"184," Byers said, "And make sure the coordinates are correct."

Langly looked at him, stung. "Please!"

Byers shrugged. "Well, it was you that got him here."

Langly swivelled his stool and said, "I got us back to our time. Give me some credit."

Frohike interrupted them. "Fellas, there's more important fish to fry here."

Luis stepped forward. "What is going on?"

All three gunmen reacted, motioning with their hands for him to stand in the circle. Byers even moved him back on it. "You're going home, Luis." Then whispered, "If Langly really knows what he's doing."

Byers slipped a metal and black object made from a substance called `plastic' into Luis' pocket and said, "That will tell us where you end up. Hopefully it will work. Nice meeting you, Luis."

Langly and Frohike smiled to him and waved. "Yeah, it was fun hanging out with ya," Frohike said. Langly turned back to the computer keyboard and dramatically pushed the enter key. A swirl of red and yellow lights surrounded Luis and he thought he heard Langly yell, "ALL RIGHT!"

Suddenly, Luis was standing on the edge of a great chasm. His balance was off and he rolled over the edge. His hands groped for anything to hold on to, and was scraped and cut by the impact of sliding down the steep side. He finally got hold of something and held on for dear life. After he shook off his confusion and breathed heavily, Luis realized that he was hanging onto a mesquite tree branch that had grown out from the side of the chasm wall. He adjusted his grip on the branch and got up the courage to look down. Under his feet was air, and the ground looked fuzzy, from how high he was. He couldn't possibly just jump. He could break every single bone in his body. Luis heard a slight, but continuous beep, but couldn't figure out where it was coming from.

Then he looked up to see that he was dangling about ten feet from the lip and there weren't any handholds. Suddenly, frustration took over and he yelled, "Muchas gracias, senors!"

He started to get worried, and then got even more so, when he heard footsteps above him and looked up. What he saw a woman's head, a black lace mask, and her long hair flowing to the side in the breeze as she looked down upon him. "Having a little problem?" she sarcastically asked.

Luis groaned and hung onto the branch. Great! Suddenly a rope appeared at his side. He looked up to see that the other end of it was in the Queen's hand. "Take hold of the rope and I'll tie this end to my horse!" she called down.

His hands were sweaty and he felt he was starting to lose his hold on the branch. He laid one arm over it and pulled himself up so it was his arm holding his weight. He couldn't stay there forever; that rope looked inviting, but that would mean that the Queen had saved his life. What a quandary. He didn't want to have to owe that woman!

"Any day, Montoya," the Queen called down. "I might change my mind."

Luis muttered, "Whenever one is caught between two evils, take the one you have never tried," and grabbed the rope, wrapping it around his hand. Suddenly, the rope grew taunt and he was being lifted up. "This had better not be a trick to get me off the branch!" He held onto the rope as he was pulled up to the edge, and then over it. As he collected his breath and looked up, he saw the Queen, still on her horse, pulling at the rope that he had let go, looping it into a small circle and then hooking it back on her saddle.

He stood up and brushed himself off. The Queen giggled. "What an interesting outfit for you, Colonel."

He looked down at the leather jacket, t-shirt and jeans and had thought he looked good. Dirty, but good. He straightened the jacket and stared at her, wondering what would happen next.

What happened was, the Queen said, "No need to say `thank you'," and turned her horse and rode off.

Luis looked around at the familiar landscape, the great plain in front of him, and at the deep chasm behind him. He walked forward to not fall in again and said, "Thanks amigos," with a smile. As he headed toward Santa Helena on foot, he was somewhat bittersweet about not having been able to say goodbye to them.

He heard the beeping again, that was now fading in volume. He pulled out the metal and plastic gizmo Byers had slipped into his pocket and saw the red letters flash, 1817, just before the contraption went dead. Off in the distance, he saw four men on horseback, the flag of his garrison proudly flowing in the wind as they headed out of the pueblo, toward the sea. He yelled and flung his arms to get their attention. The gang slowed, and then veered to his direction. He wouldn't have to walk all the way into Santa Helena after all.

Luis wasn't wearing red shoes, but he smiled as he clicked the heels of his borrowed boots and said, "There's no place like home."

~~~~~

HOME

~~~~~

Beatriz was ticked. The dining room table was elegantly set for three and Beatriz sat alone, tapping her cane angrily on the tiled floor. When she was in such a mood, no one who worked in Montoya's house dared disturb her. Even though she was an old woman, Beatriz could also be the poster child for 'cranky'. She was determined also. She had been waiting for almost seven hours, refusing to let the staff clear the table or prepare something fresh for her to eat. Beatriz's stomach was rolling from hunger, but stubbornness precluded her from taking them up on their kind offer. Her pursed lips clenched, her fingers and cane tapping in rhythmic succession, her gray eyes glaring at the door, her best dress wrinkled and also stained from a spot of wine, the only thing that she had disturbed on the table since it was set for her birthday lunch.

Suddenly, the quiet was disrupted by a flurry of activity out in the hall. She heard Luis call out, "There's no place like home!" and she heard his minions reply, "Si, Colonel," in a confused manner. She heard heavy footsteps run up the stairs, thinking there was a herd of horses thundering up the stairs, then Luis walked into the dining room.

He was wearing what Beatriz pegged as a ridiculous getup. He was a colonel, not a farmhand. The boots he wore were heavy. His pants were dark blue, but faded. His white shirt read "Garcia Forever" on it. That dusty, black leather jacket had certainly seen better days. His long hair was hanging loose and he hadn't shaved in days. He was supposed to have come back from his meeting with the Governor that morning, and he was dressed like that?

"The gnomon shows seven, Luis," Beatriz bitterly said, focusing her steely eyes on him.

"Auntie," Luis gleefully said as he walked to her and gathered the old woman into his arms and lifted her up and swung her around.

"Bunky! You could break every bone in my poor, decrepit body! What has gotten into you? Put me down! I am mad at you!"

"Why?" Luis said, making sure that her feet were firmly planted on the floor. "I am your favorite nephew," he said with a wondrous look around at his possessions.

"You are late!" Beatriz said, sitting again at the table. She picked a piece off of her birthday cake and chewed, finally giving in to her hunger. "Jorge left!"

"Who?" Luis was admiring his portrait on the wall that had been done when he had just received the rank of Colonel.

"Jorge! My boyfriend! Soon to be your uncle, if you are lucky! You were not here to lunch, so he got nervous and left."

Luis laughed as he looked over the table, set with his best china and crystal. In the middle of the table was a goose, that was probably prepared perfectly and would look delicious if it had not been sitting there all day. The dessert cart held the cake with one unused candle atop it. The wine holder held an empty bottle of wine. He looked at his aunt and said, "Happy Birthday, Tía! How many years have you been gracing us with your wonderful disposition?"

"You know how exactly how old I am, and if you tell anyone, I will have your head... favorite nephew or not. Where were you?"

"You would never believe it, Auntie," Luis said, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jeans that Frohike had lent him. He pulled out a round disk. He held it in his hand and realized that it was one of those coins that the Gunmen had used to put their clothes into metal barrels and they came out wet, then they would need more of the coins for another contraption that would dry them. It really was a miracle! Luis took a seat at the table and wondered if he had dreamt the entire three days and all the awe inspiring things that he had seen. He always had a vibrant imagination, maybe he thought up those conveniences... But he had the coin...

"Where is my present, Bunky?" Beatriz asked. Her nephew had to have had a long, arduous journey back from Monterrey, and as long as the gift was appropriately expensive, she would forgive him.

"Come with me," Luis respectfully said, as he held out his hand to her, slightly bowing.

She took his hand and he carefully helped her up and walked her out of the room. "What has been going on since I left for Monterrey?"

"That satrap that goes by the name of Grisham has been strutting around like a peacock. You had better keep your eye on him, Luis. I found him sitting behind your desk one day."

"He was?" Luis asked with a grin, knowing that he would. "I am sure he was not sitting behind it long after you found him."

"Nope," Beatriz proudly said. "I took a broom after him. I can be quite fast if I set my mind to it."

"And formidable. You are a Montoya, all right. I am just pleased that you are on my side," Luis said, stopping before the stairs to help her up.

"What do I have to go up there for? It is not my bedtime."

"Your present is up there."

"Oh," Beatriz said, instantly taking the stairs. "In that case... but I thought you would be buying me fancy clothes, jewelry, a new rug for my bedroom, while you were in Monterrey."

Luis brought her into his bedroom and said, "No, Auntie. I have had this chosen for you since your blessed arrival four months ago."

"What is it?" Beatriz excitedly said, dropping her cane and clapping her hands.

Luis laughed with her, then realized that his tía was a child trapped in an old, alcoholic woman's body. He sat her on his bed so she wouldn't fall and then went to his armoire and pulled on the finial. A drawer popped out of the side. Beatriz said, "Luis! I did not know that was there."

Luis took out a leather thin, oblong box and sat along side her on the bed. "No one does. If you are wise, you will not tell anyone."

Beatriz did a locking motion on her mouth and grabbed for the box. Luis stopped her and said, "This is the only thing I have of my mother's, your sister's. Please wear it in good health, Auntie."

He flipped the latch and opened the box to reveal a pearl necklace. Beatriz gasped at the sight she remembered so well. "That is where my necklace went! You have it! How did you get it?"

"What?"

"She stole it from me!" Beatriz grabbed the necklace. "This was the last time I ever let your mother borrow anything of mine. I lent it to her to wear to your christening..." Beatriz's voice darkened. "She said she lost it!"

"What are you talking about? This was my mother's necklace."

"No, it was given to me by our father. She was always jealous of me. I got it, but she wanted it. She received a horse that Christmas. I never did get to ride that damn mule. Kicked me in the head once."

Luis asked incredulously, "My mother stole this from you?"

"Yes! Thank you for giving it back. Now where's my present?"

"But...," Luis said, pointing at the necklace.

"I see." Beatriz went into auntie mode and patted his hand and kissed his forehead. "This is a marvelous gift, Luis. I am glad to have it back. I am pleased she did not lose it after all. Thank you."

Grisham walked in and saw them in a familial mode and coughed and stepped back to the hall. Luis said, "Marcus! So good to see you."

Grisham, caught off guard by the use of his first name, awkwardly smiled and then nervously entered the room. "I'm sorry to interrupt you both, Colonel..." He tipped his hat to Beatriz. "Ma'am."

"What can I do for you, Capitan?" Luis asked, standing straight in his jeans and leather jacket.

Grisham's eyes did a quick once over of his Colonel and said, "Welcome back, Colonel. You will see that I have kept the peace here in Santa Helena during your absence."

"Wonderful," Luis said, then thought, A miracle...

Grisham proudly said, "This morning, me and my men cleared out Beggar's Canyon and are holding them in the jail."

"Excuse me," Luis asked, squinting his eyes at his minion.

"Yeah, we cleared it out. We have them all in jail," Grisham said, a little less forcefully. Then he explained, "I thought that..."

"You thought..." Luis said, shaking his head with an ironic smile. "Please, do not think, Grisham. The reason I have not cleared out Beggar's Canyon in the past was because it is not only a safe haven for bandolero, but there are also homeless people living there. Families. People who are unlucky. People who are not thieves, but are just trying to survive. People, Grisham, who the Queen protects."

Luis stared down Grisham for a moment, giving the Captain time to let that information creep into his mind while Beatriz was trying to put her necklace on but was having trouble with her arthritic hands. She looked up to get Luis to help her, but saw that Grisham was about ready to dig a hole to hide in.

Luis asked in a mocking tone, "Why rile the Queen when we do not need to? Do you at least have a plan of entrapment for her?" Luis sighed heavily, and shook his head. Help arrived moments too late. He came back just in time to see his men once again look like fools, again. He pushed Grisham to the hall. "Well, go do something! Do I have to think of everything? Get her when she comes!"

"Yes, sir!" Grisham said, saluting, and disappeared down the hall.

Luis heavily sat down on the bed again, his head in his hand. Beatriz patted his back and said, "So, you want this Queen of Swords..."

"How could you possibly tell? I have a pueblo to run," Luis angrily said. He stood and then paced. "I have a Governor breathing down my neck for the gold mine to be productive and for the Queen to be captured." Then he stopped and remembered. "Damn that woman! She saved my life today."

"She did what?"

"Never mind."

"All right," Beatriz said, a little more confused than usual when it came to her nephew's motivations. "If you want her, use sugar. Be sweet."

"I see that bottle of wine has affected you."

"Bunky, you are not going to get anywhere by sending inept men to do your dirty work. If you want her, you have to get her yourself. Propose a detente. Butter her up. Invite her to dinner. I will make a fabulous meal for her. Just as she is enjoying my apple tart, you set some rules."

"There are no rules! You are talking nonsense."

"Of course there are no rules... now. And look what you have accomplished. Nothing."

Luis looked at the old woman for a very long time, remembering all the advice she had given him over the years. They heard shouts outside, "La Reina!", and "Get her!". Luis heavily trudged to the balcony to look at the foolish game that happened every time the woman in black came to Santa Helena on a mission.

Beatriz toddled over to stand alongside him and shook her head. "Those are trained men. She is only one woman. What is the problem?"

Luis was going to speak, but Beatriz hushed him. "I will tell you what the problem is. She is a woman and women are resourceful. We think and feel with our heart and therefore will always find a way to win, or escape. Men think with their heads, usually, and the overall, or ways for her to escape, escapes you. You going about this all wrong. Think like a woman, Luis. Always do right. This will gratify some people and astonish the rest." Beatriz squeezed his cheeks for old time's sake. "Including that woman who wears black."

Luis couldn't look at the mess in the square, and looked at his aunt, thinking over her words. Then, his lips curled into a beautiful, healthy smile and his eyes danced with possibilities. "Interesting..."

~~Jo