Outlaws to the End (HotCider & heartofcourage)

[heartofcourage]

"I don't know what happened." Elizabeth murmured, shaking as Ian finally wrapped her up in his arms. "Ian, I don't know what happened."

It was all she could really say and she was numb saying it. It felt like there was no blood in her lips as she shivered violently, holding Ian just a little bit tighter, her face pressing against the crook of his throat.

"I don't know what happened." She sounded like a broken record, but she honestly didn't know.

Tom sounded and acted like such a nice guy. He was kind, handsome, he loved his dog, he loved his father, and then he had just turned into a monster. Her jaw ached faintly with the imprint of his fingers and her temple would probably bruise just the same. Tom's snarling had her shivering again and Ian wrapped his arm around her waist to escort her outside.

"What about our bag? And what about the dog?" Elizabeth asked, looking up at Ian with haunted blue eyes. "We can't leave the dog and the puppies with him."

 

[HotCider]

The bag concerned Ian more than the damn dog, but he kept his feelings about the animal to himself. Squeezing her one last time, Ian stepped back from her, looked her in her baby blue eyes and told her, “You wait right here. Don’t move. I’ll be right back.”

Ian turned toward the steps and raced up them. He didn’t think about anything else. Not the creepy room. Not Tom. Ian went straight for his and Elizabeth’s old bedroom and retrieved the bag. Grabbing the banister because he was racing down the stairs so quick, he strode over to Elizabeth, hooked his arm about her waist and ushered her along outside.

The pastor watched them leave. Ian took Elizabeth out of that damn house and didn’t look back. He went over to the car, opened the door, and urged Elizabeth into the back.

“Come on, get in,” Ian told her. He would get in after her, close the door, set the bag at their feet and draw her into his arms. “Don’t think about anything else. Just don’t worry please.”

Ian buried his face in her hair and closed his eyes. He held her so close and didn’t want to think about anything else. He had almost lost her. He had nearly lost everything. That night, Ian didn’t know what the pastor did to Tom or that house. He didn’t ask. The older man strolled out of the house as though his business was finished and walked around the front of the car to assume his place behind the wheel. He closed the door and turned in his seat to gaze at Ian and Elizabeth.

“Where you folks headed?” he asked.

“Anywhere but here,” Ian replied.

“Well, I guess we’re headed to Utah again. We can go to my town. Get you folks to stay for a while and get those burns looked at. You all got nothing to fear. We’re God’s people.”

“Let’s just go please,” Ian begged.

“All righty!” said the pastor. He changed gears and they were back on the road.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Ian." Elizabeth said as he bade her to stay right where she was while he went on the search for something.

She wanted to follow him, to not be alone in that moment, but it seemed like he needed her to stay where she was. Her heart was hammering in her chest as he dashed up the steps, his footsteps loud in the house. He was just as loud when he raced down the staircase and his arm was around her waist in an instant, pulling her out of the house and into the chilly evening.

She had a million questions that she wanted to ask him, but she found herself unable to speak. Instead, she got into the car as he encouraged her and let him pull her into his arms. His face was buried against her hair and she couldn't stop shivering. It was as if her bones were chilled and nothing was ever going to warm her up again.

"I just want to know what happened." She said softly, her eyes drifting towards the house from time to time. "Maybe one day you can tell me."

She didn't say another word as the other man came out of the house, speaking to Ian about where they wanted to go. It seemed that Utah was their next destination and without hesitation, the man put the car into gear and got them far away from the mysterious farm house.

At some point, exhaustion won and she was soon asleep, her head resting in Ian's lap as she stretched along the backseat. Ian would keep her safe from whatever would come after them.

 

[HotCider]

St. Louis, Missouri

Stephen stood in the Collingwood Bank lobby with a squad of St. Louis police. He was staring about his bank as though he was in a dream. The investigators had cleaned it up so well that he would have never even guessed a robbery had happened. The chief reported: “He stole from your bank 10,000 dollars and murdered two innocents.”

10,000 dollars…Stephen didn’t hear anything else. He didn’t care about the innocents. The son of a bitch had stolen 10,000 bucks from him! Ian Darcy…he remembered that redneck he had encountered in the Kansas City Penitentiary (Scene #348). Red hair…Stephen’s eyes widened as he recalled when he thought he had seen a red-head also in Kansas City.

“What did he look like?” Stephen asked.

“He had a black curly moustache, black-framed glasses and jacket. The other officers feel it might have been a disguise,” the officer replied.

Stephen turned toward the doors.

“Sir? Where are you going?”

“I need to make a phone call.”

~~~~

As the pastor got them rolling again, Ian continued to stroke the back of Elizabeth’s head as she slept in his lap. He didn’t know how to tell her what happened. He couldn’t comprehend any of it himself. The car rocked and Ian stared exhaustedly at the road ahead that was lit by the high beams.

“Hey Priest,” Ian called.

“Yes, son?” the priest replied.

“Where we’re goin’…there aren’t no weird folk there are they?”

“No, Sir. Where we’re goin’ is where God’s people live.”

“Is it safe?”

“Yes, Ian. It’s safe.”

The fact the pastor knew his real name disturbed him a little, but he must have heard Elizabeth say it. He swallowed a moment, and then chose to think nothing of it. The pastor had helped them so far. His eyelids were growing heavy. His hand went still on the back of Elizabeth’s head and he closed his eyes.

The next time either of them would wake, the pastor would be stopped at a gas station filling up the vehicle and buying them both breakfast sandwiches.

 

[heartofcourage]

Elizabeth woke when the car idled and turned off, signalling that they were somewhere safe enough to stop. As the man who had rescued them tended to the car and paid or his purchases, she slipped from the car and stretched. The scenery had changed yet again, a dry desert stretching around them and the lush mountains long gone. It was for the best, she thought to herself. She never wanted to see the mountains again after what had happened.

"I'm going to get cleaned up in the bathroom." Elizabeth murmured as she ducked her head back into the car, looking at Ian. "I'll be right back."

She didn't even wait to hear what he had to say. She made her way into the gas station, past the front counter and into the restroom. The naked bulb above her head made her look shadowed and pale. Her blue eyes were rimmed red and there were bags under them from the lack of sleep and the stress that they had just gone through. She was lucky that she hadn't bruised after the evening before, but she would take small miracles whenever she could get them.

Combing out her red hair, she was soon splashing cool water on her face. It seemed as if they were never going to make it to California. She wanted somewhere sunny and light, far away from the darkness that they had already been through. Nothing could change her thoughts and feelings for Ian, but she was quickly growing weary of the journey.

 

[HotCider]

When the car stopped and the engine was cut, Ian’s brown eyes split open to peer groggily up at the ceiling. The bright sun revealed to him that it was day. Elizabeth had rose from his lap, and he tilted his stiff neck left and right. The car hadn’t exactly been a comfy bed.

I’m going to get cleaned up in the bathroom…

He had barely heard her for he was still waking up. When she poked her pretty head inside the car, he heard her clearly then, I’ll be right back.

As she scurried away, Ian popped open the door and sluggishly stretched his limbs out of the vehicle. He groaned softly, hearing almost every bone in his back and legs crack and pop as he stood. He couldn’t have been getting old, but in that moment, he had known what an old man felt like. Closing the door, Ian stretched his legs and walked around the vehicle to where the fueler was fueling the vehicle. He frowned a little, he had actually been looking for the pastor. He turned around to see the man leaving the store with a white lunch bag in his hand and two waters in his other.

“Good Morning,” the pastor greeted.

Ian nodded and leaned back against the car. The pastor looked him over. He was looking absolutely bushed despite him and his wife sleeping the rest of the way. He gazed upon Ian’s burns. They were red but had dried and started to flake. The pastor handed him the bottled water and looked back and forth.

“Where’s your lady?” he asked.

Ian gazed across the gas station at the store with half-lidded eyes. Elizabeth had been different that morning. He feared that she was finished. He didn’t know exactly with what, but she had sounded so out of it. He blamed himself.

“I don’t know what I’m trynna’ do anymore,” Ian muttered.

The pastor frowned at him in confusion before he urged, “Go on, son. Drink some of that water. You must be parched.”

Ian gazed down at it and thought to himself, why not? He checked the cap and found that it was already loose. The pastor must have popped it before he brought them out. Raising the bottle to his lips, Ian took a long drink—a drink longer than what he had expected to take. He truly had been thirsty. He lowered the bottle when there was but a quarter of water left and the pastor gazed at it with a smile.

“I’ll go buy another before we leave,” he reassured him.

“You don’t have to,” Ian replied. He turned toward the passenger door and opened it so that he could sit upon the seat.

“I know, but I will.”

Ian changed the subject. “I wanted to take her to Vegas, but every time we get close, something happens. It’s like the land is cursed, or we’re just not meant to go there.”

He rested a hand against his forehead and stared at the ground. “I almost lost her and I don’t even know if it’s worth it to keep going now.”

The pastor gazed upon Ian sympathetically. He asked, “What would you rather do then?”

Ian lowered his hand, resting his forearm upon his knee. “I don’t know. I promised her that we’d live somewhere nice, have a dog, and a picket fence like some silly dream house.”

“Make it happen then.”

“Easier said than done.”

“Why? Vegas is right next door. You’re so close. So is California.”

“My wife wants a break. A long one. I could hear it in her voice. She’s done.”

“Well, you can stay for a while in my town. You’re in Utah now. If you want to get to California, you got to go through Nevada. Either way, you still can cut through Vegas and decide then if you want to stop or continue on. But before you decide, you both are welcome to stay as long as you need to. Me and the wife got a guest house in the yard. We’re used to having travelers show up. You’ll both have some privacy.”

Ian was tired of trusting people. Even Tom had been friendly. But what choice did he have? He wanted to hear Elizabeth’s decision. “I want my wife to decide when she gets back,” he told him.

The pastor nodded and then handed Ian one of the sandwiches. “That’s fine, son. Here, you should eat. You got to try and eat something or you’ll get sick.”

Ian took the sandwich and peered down at it thoughtfully. Was he going to get Elizabeth back?

 

[heartofcourage]

It seemed like an eternity before Elizabeth felt like leaving the barren little bathroom. Her face was scrubbed clean and fresh, in spite of the dark circles under her eyes. Ian looked just as beat as he looked down at the pavement beneath him, a sandwich in his hand and the man that had rescued them standing at his side. She made her way towards the two of them, giving the man a small smile.

“A sandwich sounds pretty good right now. Think you could get another?” She asked, waiting until he agreed and stepped away before she turned to look at Ian again. “I’m tired, but not of you. Never of you.”

She reached out and touched his cheek, wishing that he would look up at he with that warm coffee colored gaze that was strong and confident. She knew that he was tired too. She only hoped that he wasn’t ready to call it quits with her.

 

[HotCider]

The pastor turned as Elizabeth emerged from the bathroom scrubbed clean and looking fresher than how he had last seen her. As she asked about a sandwich, he reached into the white bag and handed her one. He had gotten two just for the two of them. He gave her a bottled water next.

“There you are. I’ll get another water for Ian,” he told her. He figured the two might have needed a moment alone. It seemed that they had gone through much more than the situation in Colorado. He felt sorry for them. He turned and let the two be.

I’m tired, but not of you. Never of you.

Ian didn’t feel himself react to her reassurance how he had hoped to. He felt nothing. When she touched his cheek, her fingers brushing across his bristly jaw, his hand rose to cup her hand. He held it against his face and closed his eyes. His head seemed to sink even further as nightmares from Colorado flashed through his head.

“I feel like an idiot,” he told her. “Up until that moment, it hadn’t been so clear how important to me you are until I thought I near lost you. I’ve been saying ‘I love you.’ We’ve made love plenty of times. We’ve been through just about everything together…”

He looked up at her and his brown eyes were glazed over with tears. “When he held that gun against your head, it was as if he was holdin’ it against me too. I knew that if he had pulled the trigger that everything would have been over. It wouldn’t have mattered if I had survived. It would have been over.”

His tears ran warmly down his cheeks, cooling in the air. “You’re my life. You understand? I know that I may seem brave at times, but I am absolutely terrified of losing you.”

 

[heartofcourage]

Elizabeth listened as Ian confessed that he hadn’t felt the depth of what they shared until he had seen her with a gun at her head. She knelt in front of him, the sandwich in her hand placed aside as she reached out to cup his face with both hands.

“I knew you’d come back.” She said softly, her hand moving to dry his cheeks. “Come hell or high water, I knew you’d come back. I never once for a moment have doubted you, Ian. You might frustrate me beyond belief but I don’t doubt you. If you say we’re making it to California, we’re making it. If you say we’re going to have our little house with a passel of children and a beagle in the yard, it’s going to happen.”

Elizabeth leaned in and pressed her forehead against his, her eyes closing against the exhaustion she felt. He needed her in that moment. That’s all that she could think about. Ian Darcy needed her just as much as she needed him.

“When we get to Vegas, I want to call my brother. He’ll help us if he possibly can.” She said softly. “And he won’t give us up. He knows how miserable I was.”

 

[HotCider]

Ian set his own sandwich on the seat behind him and cupped both of her hands. He closed his eyes just as she closed her own, listening to her restored determination. She wanted to see everything happen the way they had planned it. They were going to fight God and the world to see it happen it seemed. When she talked about California and the dog…Ian grinned and softly laughed.

“Who said we’re gettin’ a beagle?” he jested.

Opening his eyes, he raised his head and kissed her lips. He kissed them twice before he held them, cupping her soft clean cheeks in his rough hands. He then suddenly realized how clean she smelled and released her in embarrassment. He must have been smelling awful in comparison.

“Sorry,” he apologized with a sheepish smile. “I’m about as clean as an old shoe right now.”

The pastor returned and stood a few feet behind the love birds with a smile. He had overheard Ian.

“When we get back to my place, my wife will run a bath for you both and prepare a nice meal,” he informed.

Ian then remembered what he was supposed to ask Elizabeth. “I forgot. He’s invitin’ us to his house. I know how exhausted you are with trustin’ people, but it’s either we accept this man’s hospitality or we find a way straight to Vegas. I want you to decide.”

 

[heartofcourage]

“I believe you were the one to mention the beagle. A male. That way we wouldn’t have to worry about puppies.” Elizabeth said with a smile as he leaned in and kissed her a few times before really kissing her with all that he was worth.

“It’s not so bad.” She said softly as he mentioned that he must have smelled like a shoe compared to her. “I’m obviously not running down the hills or anything.”

When the pastor spoke, she turned and looked over her shoulder. A warm bed and a hot meal sounded like heaven, but afte what they had been through, she wasn’t sure that they could truly relax.

“I think we could stop for a day or two. However, I want to make certain that the place we stay had a sturdy lock. Maybe you could point out a good hotel for us in your town.” Elizabeth compromised, glancing over at Ian.

 

[HotCider]

The pastor nodded. He wasn’t going to press his hospitality on them—not after all they had gone through. “There’s some nice hotels in town.”

Ian mused over the hotel idea. He didn’t think it was a bad idea for the night, but the pastor had offered a nice meal. He reached behind him to grab his breakfast sandwich and unwrapped the paper. He bit into the egg and sausage bagel, trying to hold off his appetite. They had eaten at Tom’s, but he hadn’t gotten far with the meal. He couldn’t even remember it. A meal that didn’t leave an impression wasn’t a meal at all.

When Elizabeth looked his way, he couldn’t help the shameless smirk that tugged at his lips. “Hotel. Sure. As long as we’re not wastin’ this man’s generosity…” He looked off to the side innocently. “I haven’t had a good home cooked meal since Ma’s place.”

The pastor grinned in amusement. “I can drop you two off at the hotel. Allow you both to get checked in and cleaned up. Then in the evening, I can stop by to pick you up for dinner.”

Pointing the sandwich at the man, Ian said, “I like his plan.”

 

[heartofcourage]

Elizabeth snorted as Ian innocently declared that he hadn’t had a good home cooked meal since his mother's house. He forgot the meal that he had been fed at Jesse’s and the wild nights that they had experienced along the way.

“You best get your fill then. I’m a terrible cook.” She said with a shrug of her shoulders, finally standing from her spot and grabbing her own sandwich. “No one ever took the time to teach me.”

She had grown up in a house with multiple cooks. She had never had to lift a finger when it came to anything to fill her belly. Women in her shoes never cooked.

 

[HotCider]

The pastor laughed merrily at the two. “Gabriella could teach you I’m sure. She’s a great cook.”

Ian’s smile stretched across his face as he continued to fill his mouth with breakfast sandwich. “I am tortured by these words, and all I have is this breakfast sandwich to survive on until then.”

“Let’s get moving then. Time’s a wasting!” the pastor merrily exclaimed.

A nice bed, a good meal, and a true break—even if it was for two days it was desperately needed. Ian pulled his legs into the car and closed the door. As he continued to munch on his sandwich, he couldn’t wait. He was going to eat his fill and probably sleep for two days. He had a feeling that sleeping was going to be rough. He had some demons to escape, and it wasn’t going to be easy, but once they were off to Vegas, he knew that everything was going to be all right. Once they had made it to Vegas, then they would have completed the first part of their dream.

 

[heartofcourage]

Elizabeth shook her head as she rounded the back of the car to get in beside him. She relaxed as she closed the door, offering him her sandwich. She was sure he was hungry and she could hold off until their final destination that day. She couldn’t wait for a warm bath and a long nap. Maybe even a new change of clothes. She was going to insist that they spend some of their money on a couple of new outfits. If they were going to travel, they were going to do it correctly. Suitcases and luggage, something that was permanent and not made of burlap.

 

[HotCider]

Sandy, Utah

The pastor had taken them to his home town as he had promised. Sandy, Utah, a pretty square town where the sun seemed to shine and people were dressed very Christian. As eager as Ian had been to finally reach their destination, the types of clean, greased, and colorful people he saw out the window made him cringe a little. They were usually the types of people he tried to avoid because they made him feel like “The Devil” Darcy. They looked like tulips walking around. Children were jumping rope and playing marbles on the sidewalk. Old men sat in rocking chairs outside their favorite barber shop. Naturally, Ian’s hand went to his hair—and not just the hair on his head neither. He could use a clean cut and shave. He was about as unkempt as curly-haired terrier.

Their driver pulled up to a small two story hotel that read, “The Garden Hotel.” The pastor turned around with a kind smile.

“Here we are folks. Good ol’ Sandy, Utah. You won’t have much trouble getting around town since we’re pretty small. Everything is within walking distance. However, I live on out yonder a few minutes in the country,” the pastor introduced.

Ian smiled. Finally. He gathered up the sandwich wrappers, including the second sandwich he had reluctantly taken from Elizabeth. He stuffed them into his pants pocket and extended his hand to give the pastor a firm shake.

“We couldn’t have done it without you. I thank you for saving me and my wife,” Ian told him.

“It was no problem, Ian. I would never turn away from a stranger in need. What time do you folks want me to return?”

Ian glanced over at Elizabeth and said, “7 o’clock?”

 

[heartofcourage]

“7 should be fine.” Elizabeth said with a nod as she’s looked around the idyllic streets of the little town. “Should give us enough time to get cleaned up and presentable again.”

As Ian shook hands with the pastor, she slipped out of the car and stretched. She was making mental note of everything that they needed to get before they checked in officially. Ian needed a shave and she needed a new dress. Some toiletries would be nice as well.

When Ian stepped out, she waved to the pastor and then looked at her beau. “Let’s go get some things before we check in.”

 

[HotCider]

Elizabeth wanted to go shopping. There was nothing wrong with the idea except that secretly, Ian was feeling restless. He hadn’t slept well since…perhaps since the last time they were in Tom’s place—before all of the ghostly business. It was a feeling that he had to set aside. If he had taken a nap, he knew he would sleep through the pastor’s dinner.

I should have said tomorrow, Ian thought.

Once again inspecting the coarse hair on his jaw and neck with his fingers, Ian followed after Elizabeth gazing at people as they passed, while they in return eyed him. He must have looked like a sleepless and grizzly mess. There was a trend in the fashion of Sandy, and Ian didn’t exactly like it. It was just too…nice. Sunday school nice.

“I might pass on the clothes shoppin’,” Ian admitted. An amused smirk cocked on his face as he shared, “You see how they dress around here? I’m too much of a sinner to dress like that.”

He lightly brushed his fingers through the ends of her hair, twisting a few downy strands between them. His brown eyes gazed down at her ends. They were a faded red. He muttered, “Who knows, if I dress like that you may get nothin’ from me until we’re married.”

He then asked about her hair, “Are you going to dye it again?”

 

[heartofcourage]

Elizabeth walked at Ian's side, glancing around the little town that they found themselves in. It was nice and clean, people walking around the street in their best clothing. Even in Chicago, in her own beautiful gilded cage, she had never seen anything like this. Life was simple here, their clothing clean but not flashy. In Chicago, she was expected to look the part of a high class lady with expensive clothing and jewels to show off just how much money she and her family had.

Ian looked absolutely uncomfortable as he ran his hands over his shaggy hair and beard, glancing at her as he said that he was going to pass on clothes shopping. "Really? I think you look handsome in a smart suit and hat."

His fingers were soon in her hair, twisting the tips of her locks as he looked intently at something that it seemed only he could see. Then he mentioned dying it again and she let out a small sigh.

"I suppose there's still too much danger to not dye it, right?" Elizabeth asked as she looked down at the faded red in her hair. "Until we get somewhere safe, it'll just have to be red."

 

[HotCider]

Ian again eyed a man who passed by. He wasn’t wearing the suits Ian was familiar with, which were the kind of suits he liked from the city. “Might as well be holdin’ a shovel,” he muttered under his breath. Hearing Elizabeth sulk about dying her hair made him frown a little. It wasn’t an angry frown but a sympathetic one. He knew that she would always be his sunshine no matter what color her hair was. The thought made him smile. His fingers combed a little deeper into her hair and he lightly pulled on her mane to stop her. Ian came up behind her, tilting her head back a little as his brown eyes gazed into her pretty blues.

“I will always love you no matter what color your hair is. You could have no hair at all,” he told her, his lips just an inch above her own before he kissed them. Immediately some gasps of shock and disgust erupted around them. Ian’s attention motioned away from Elizabeth to the surrounding people and he sucked his teeth in exasperation. “People act like they ain’t seen nobody kiss before. I swear, if you buy one of those dresses, there’s gonna be a chastity belt built in them. It’s gonna lock tight and they’ll charge me an extra 100 dollars for the key. ‘Sold separately.’” He was joking, but he was also wondering if his speculation was going to be true. It was going to be hard letting Elizabeth enter one of those stores.

“If you don’t come out wearin’ somethin’ like that one dress…” Ian cracked a shameless grin. “Golly, when you were playin’ nurse with me. Good god that dress. I enjoyed poppin’ those buttons.” His voice grew lower as he naughtily spoke against her neck, “You weren’t wearin’ nothin’ neither.” He was feeling randy just thinking about it.

 

[heartofcourage]

Elizabeth felt her heart race just the slightest bit faster as Ian dug his fingers deep into her hair and pulled her head back. All talk about dying her locks stopped as she looked into his eyes and he swore that he’d love her even if she lost every strand in her head. She simply smiled as he leaned in and kissed her. The chorus of gasps that followed the moment made her chuckle and it seemed to hat he instantly took offense.

“Sweetheart, I hate to tell you but only a few months ago I probably would have had the same reaction if I saw two people kissing in the middle of the street.” Elizabeth insisted as he talked about the dresses the women were wearing. “Beggars can’t be choosers. It would also serve you right if I did end up in a Chasity belt. At least you’d keep your hands to yourself then.”

She let out a sigh as he nuzzled against her neck, remembering the dress that she had been given in the hospital. It had been the ugliest dress she had ever seen, but the way that Ian heatedly spoke about it said that he had loved every moment of it.

“You just liked the idea of me naked underneath.” Elizabeth murmured. “It wasn’t the dress at all. You’re just like a child on Christmas morning. The wrapping doesn’t matter.”

 

[HotCider]

Ian blinked and his mouth fell open as he feigned offense at her claim. “What? I know how to keep my hands to myself. I mean come on…it’s not like you don’t like me touchin’ you.” With an exasperated sigh, Ian stepped back from Elizabeth as she continued to throw jabs at him. He held up his hands and closed his eyes as he said dismissively, “Y’know what? You go buy whatever plain-Jane, Sunday dress you want. I’ll be over here keepin’ my hands to myself. Let’s just hurry this up. I’m tired and I don’t think I’m makin’ that pastor’s dinner. But if you’re wide awake, you are welcome to go without me.”

 

[heartofcourage]

“Don’t be a brat.” Elizabeth said as he threatened her with going alone to the pastor’s house for dinner. “If you want to go get some sleep, we’ll go get some sleep. It makes me absolutely no difference at all.”

She placed her hands on her hips and waiting for his choice, knowing that he very well might choose the contrary option just to be difficult. Ian was a mystery to her, even though she probably knew him better than anyone else in the world. They had fallen into each other only a few weeks earlier, but she had never opened up like this to anyone.

"You know I love you even when you're being stubborn, right? It's not going to scare me away." Elizabeth murmured, giving him a slight smile.

 

[HotCider]

Lowering his hands, Ian pretended to not even hear her confession and started walking ahead of her. “Oh no, we’re already out here. We might as well finish the mission.”

Whether Elizabeth wanted to go into the particular clothing store or not, a bell rang sounding Ian’s abrupt entrance. He walked straight up to the counter, and the owner greeted him silently with wide disturbed eyes. A hillbilly had just walked into his store - at least that was what the unshaved and unkempt Ian resembled to the shopkeeper. Ian slapped his hand down upon it. “One good Christian dress for this lovely angel please.”

He didn't seem to care if he was embarrassing her. Teasing her had been the whole point.

 

[heartofcourage]

Elizabeth shook her head as he started to walk, pushing past her as he insisted that they needed to finish their mission. What ever went on inside of his head, she would never truly understand. He was scattered and all over the place, impulsive, but he did have the best of intentions when it came to her.

Elizabeth followed after him as they walked the town square before he suddenly veered into a shop. The bell over their head rang loudly as he marched to the counter and insisted on a Christian dress for her as the shopkeeper eyed him suspiciously.

"Don't mind him, sir." Elizabeth said to the man who didn't want Ian in his store at all. "We just got off a long car ride and he's in desperate need of a good nap."

She glanced around the store at the modest dresses that the man carried. Not that she minded a dress that covered her, but there didn't seem to be anything there that was of the times. Everything seemed just a little bit dated. Old fashioned seemed to be the name of the game in Utah.

Elizabeth wandered through the store under the watchful gaze of the man behind the counter, searching for something that might take her fancy. The only dress that didn't have a long sleeve to it was a cornflower blue dress, decorated with tiny white flowers in the fabric. She stared at the dress for the longest time before she glanced up at Ian and shrugged her shoulders.

"I guess this is it." She murmured, showing him the dress that nearly matched the color of her eyes.