Outlaws to the End (HotCider & heartofcourage)

[HotCider]

After Elizabeth left the bed, a minute after, a deep breath left Ian’s nostrils. He budged for the first time in a few hours, slowly rolling onto his back until he felt the emptiness in the bed. His eyes were still closed when he stretched out his arm across the bed, brushing the mattress. Elizabeth was gone. As he started to awaken, he could hear the soft echoes of sobbing.

Is she crying? Ian thought as his brows converged. Was it because of him? Shit. Ian slowly sat up as though both of his shoulders weighed 50 pounds each. He was still exhausted. Rising out of bed, Ian walked over to the bathroom and stopped before the door.

“Baby, I’m sorry,” Ian apologized in a whiny tone. He was so tired that he could have cried, but he didn’t want Elizabeth to be upset with him. “Come on back to bed. Please?”

 

[heartofcourage]

Hearing Ian at the door, Elizabeth stuffed the heel of her palm into her mouth and bit down to choke the sounds of her crying. She hadn't wanted to wake him, but it seemed that she had. His voice was muffled as he apologized and asked her to come back to bed. It took everything she had in her to make her stop crying enough to answer him.

"In a minute." She called back, her voice shaky and thin.

She splashed water on her face from the tap and tried to make herself look somewhat presentable. The reflection in the mirror showed that she looked like shit. Her eyes were wide and terrified, rimmed red from crying. Her nose was red as well, skin pale elsewhere on her face. With a long sigh, she scrubbed at her face with a towel and then opened the door.

He was still standing there, body blocking her path. Elizabeth met his gaze for a moment before she looked down at the floor beneath her bare feet.

"I'm not mad anymore. I promise." She murmured. "I just had a bad dream."

 

[HotCider]

The door opened. Their eyes met; and in that brief gaze, Ian had seen Elizabeth’s red, puffy eyes. He cupped the side of her cheek when she looked down. His thumb gently caressed her cheekbone, feeling the dampness on her skin. She had a bad dream.

“It seems we both did,” Ian shared. His hand reached behind her ear, taking with it red, curly layers of her hair. His fingers splayed across the back of her head and Ian gently urged her closer. His other arm reached around to embrace her in a hug.

“I trust you,” Ian told her. His breath was on the top of her scalp as he kissed her head. “I hate it, but I’ll bear it for you. I’m gonna get us to Vegas, and then we’re gonna get married and settle in California like we planned.”

The lips cocked to the side in amusement as his brown eyes narrowed with fatigue.

“We just need to sleep first.”

Ian reached down to take her hand in his. Her hand wasn’t as smooth as when they first met. His rough fingers brushed her tips and digits. “Gettin’ leather fingers,” he teased and cracked a grin. If she let him, he led her back to the bed, and tossed the blanket aside. Ian released her hand as he got settled in the bed first and waited for him to join her before he would cradle her close, drawing the blanket around them both.

 

[heartofcourage]

The muscles of her body were stuff as he pulled her towards him. She wasn't ready to give in, but when she did, she absolutely melted against him. Her arms were around his waist and her head buried against his chest. The shivering that had accompanied her little break down were still there, but lessening as her held her tightly.

"I promise you that he won't rat us out. He's not that kind of person." Elizabeth murmured against his chest as she felt his lips press against the crown of her head. "And we don't have to get married in Vegas. If we need to save up our money, there will be many other opportunities."

She felt his lips move and she assumed that he was smiling. As he took her hand, she let him lead her back to the bed. It made her pause when he mentioned that her hands were feeling rough. She hadn't really noticed, but she supposed that wasn't abnormal considering she was doing real work and living real life for the first time ever.

"Maybe some day I can take the time to be beautiful again." Elizabeth said with a dry sarcasm. "We'll make it."

She crawled back into bed, sighing as Ian got in beside her and pulled the blankets around them both. "I might not know much about the world and how it works, but I do know who I can trust. I trust Junior...and I trust you."

 

[HotCider]

Ian was lying on his side, facing Elizabeth. His coffee bean eyes peered into her pretty blues and his lips curled into a smile. “You’re always beautiful,” he reminded her. He then uttered a short laugh. “When we first met, I would have never imagined to find myself all the way out here with you. I thought you were baggage that was gonna weigh me down, but I’ve since stopped smokin’ and robbin’ banks. Love makes you do things you don’t expect.”

“I still don’t trust your family. I only trust you,” he admitted. “I will protect you with my life, Elizabeth. You don’t need to fear the boogeyman. I’m The Devil after all.”

Ian brushed her cheek once more, and then scooted closer to her, resting his head against her chest. He closed his eyes and asked, “What was your nightmare about any way?”

 

[heartofcourage]

Ian wasn't a devil. He was far from it. The man that haunted her dreams was the devil. Stephen was a spoiled, ego-maniacal brute. He probably had never really loved her, but wanted her as she completed the image of what he saw his future to be. She was pretty, meek, and would make good looking children. That's all that mattered to someone who only lived for appearances.

"What was it about?" She murmured as he asked, resting his head against her chest. "Stephen beating me to death in his car."

It was blunt and brutal, but true. She could still close her eyes and feel every single blow that came from his fists.

 

[HotCider]

Ian’s eyes instantly opened at the weighted statement Elizabeth had practically dropped upon his head. He planted his hand flat against the mattress and sat up upon his hip to gaze down at the red head with a mixed expression of anger and shock. He studied her face and recalled her crying. Seeing Elizabeth so scared and shook by this man, made Ian’s blood run hot. He could feel it like hot water coursing throughout his hands. Elizabeth had told him before how Stephen had used to hit her but for her to have nightmares to the point it made her cry? Ian grinned, and then he laughed. It might have seemed random because he had seemed so tense a second before.

“I swear. Every time you tell me about this guy. As soon as I see him,” Ian informed her. He balled his hand into a fist and shook it up and down. “He’s not gonna want to hit nobody no more.” Immediately Ian’s mood shifted. He was furious and he growled, “Elizabeth, if I see that guy lay hands on you, I am gonna lose my mind. I just might murder him! I’m gonna go to jail!”

 

[heartofcourage]

"You're not allowed to do anything." Elizabeth said in an instant as Ian growled and said that he would take care of Stephen. "You're not allowed to go to jail. You're not allowed to leave me alone."

That was her greatest fear, even with all the noise that she made about going to California on her own. If Ian left her, she had nothing. This crazy little adventure would be done and she didn't know if she was strong enough to live the life that she had discovered that she really wanted.

"He'll forget about all of this sooner or later and move on to someone else. Hell, he probably already has another woman in his bed. He always did. I'm nothing to him but a pretty face who could give him nice looking children. There's a dozen girls just like me in Chicago." Elizabeth was spilling her guts to Ian about her life before all of this craziness.

"He kept me in a tiny apartment in one of his apartment buildings because he was too busy with other women in his own home. He gave me the smallest allowance possible and only wanted to see me when we went to the country club because he needed me on his arm. Trust me. He'll find someone else and be just as happy with her."

 

[HotCider]

Ian turned his cheek to her when she told him he wasn’t allowed to do anything. He scowled over at the bathroom as she started to reveal what her life was like. How Stephen kept such a beautiful girl cooped up, while he did whatever he wanted with those women willing. Ian eventually closed his eyes and his brows converged so tightly together. His brain couldn’t handle it. He couldn’t handle hearing anything more about Stephen.

“Stop. Stop baby. Stop!” Ian shouted. He settled upon his side and took her face within his hands. He looked her in her eyes and reassured her, “You’re not gonna live that way anymore. We’re together now. Don’t even think about that meathead anymore. I’m gonna take care of you; I’m gonna take care of our children; and that man is gonna be so far removed from our life. I love you Elizabeth. I chased down a train; got shot; and nearly died more than once for you. I won’t ever leave you. Nothing will take me away from you understand? So please stop thinking about him.”

 

[heartofcourage]

"I might not be the smartest girl in the world, but I think I have a pretty good head on my shoulders." Elizabeth murmured as he laid back down and took her face between his palms, insisting that he never wanted to hear about Stephen again. "And the fact that you trust me even when I piss you off means the world to me. I don't think you'll ever know just how much it means. No one ever trusted me before the way that you do."

Elizabeth leaned in and pressed her lips against Ian's. It wasn't sexual, but an expression of just how much she adored him. She couldn't get enough of him and his crazy passion and energy.

 

[HotCider]

Ian’s left arm reached across her waist when she leaned in to press her lips against his, and his right stretched out above her head across the pillows. He grasped her opposite hip and pulled her close to his body, and when their lips parted, he sternly continued to delve his eyes into hers. “You never piss me off Elizabeth,” Ian said.

He smirked impishly and his hand moved from her hip to grasp the back of her bottom. “You make me do crazy things because I’m madly in love with you, and I don’t mind it one bit.”

 

[heartofcourage]

"Of course I piss you off." Elizabeth murmured as he gave her that impish smirk and gripped her bottom with his hand. "You wouldn't yell at me like you did if you weren't mad at me."

She pressed her forehead against his own, letting her eyes close. She felt exhaustion all the way down into her bones. Waking up to Ian's melt down and then the confrontation with Junior and Ian afterwards had worn her out. She so desperately wished that they were already in California, starting their own little life, but there was a long way still to go.

"Just hold me tight, Ian. That's all I want right now." She said as she opened her eyes to look into his again. "It might not be able to make everything better right now, but it's a good start."

 

[HotCider]

Ian’s smirk softened into a smile. “You annoy me sometimes, but you don’t piss me off.”

He released her bottom as his arm crossed behind the small of her back. He held her close against his body and closed his eyes as he savored the sensation of her head against his own and her body in his hold.

“I feel better already.”

Just before they could doze, a knock sounded at their bedroom door. Ian’s eyes snapped open and the content smile that had been on his face straightened and sank into one of annoyance.

“Now I’m pissed,” he muttered before he raised his head and shouted at the door, “What do you want? We’re trynna’ sleep!”

Ian?

Ian’s eyes grew to the size of saucers and his face turned as white as a sheet. Someone knew his name. His entire body went as stiff as a board as fear flooded his system. Who knew his name? Who was that? Who the hell was that? It was the cops! It was the fucking cops, wasn’t it? For a moment, Ian had stopped breathing.

It’s me. Pastor Davis.

Pastor Davis? Was that his name? Elizabeth might had been able to see Ian’s soul leave his lips when a relieved breath escaped his mouth. Color returned to his face, and he dropped his head.

“One moment,” Ian answered. Ian threw back the covers, stood up on the mattress, and stepped over Elizabeth. He stepped down from the bed and approached the door. Sliding back the peep hole, Ian cautiously made sure no cops or other officials were with him. He then unlocked the door and cracked it open to peer first at the smiling face of the pastor, and then passed him down the hall. Ian poked his head out to peer down the other end of the hall, and then finally opened the door wider to allow the man in.

The pastor smiled sheepishly as he wondered aloud, “Am I disturbing something?”

Once the pastor was in the room, Ian closed and locked the door. He then walked over to sit on the bed. Another wonderful moment with Elizabeth ruined. It was after they had made up to. Ian rubbed at his eyes and answered, “No.”

The pastor gazed at Ian and Elizabeth’s state. “You two look…well…like you could use more sleep.”

“We’ve been havin’ nightmares since that night,” Ian shared.

“How dreadful. It’s a good thing I’ve come then. I want to invite you both to my home. I was waiting for you last night, but when you two never met me out front, I figured you were both exhausted. Don’t worry; Mrs. Davis saved you some pie. Tonight is meatloaf night.”

Ian lowered his hands in surprise. “Tonight? What time is it?”

“It’s 5 o’clock.”

Ian blinked. He didn’t realize that he and Elizabeth had literally spent an entire rough night in the hotel, slept the day away, and it had taken the mention of food to allow Ian to realize they hadn’t eaten. Not since that one pit stop at the store long ago. What had he gotten from the store? Some coke.

“Wow,” was all Ian had to say. He wanted to keep on sleeping, but the pastor was offering a free meal.

 

[heartofcourage]

Elizabeth was just relaxing as the knock shook their door and she blew out a long sigh. Her eyes opened as Ian shouted at whomever was knocking and suddenly his arms were tightening around her. He was squeezing her almost a little too tight and he looked like he was about to die.

"Baby?" Elizabeth whispered in sudden concern until the man on the other side of the door called back that it was the pastor that had helped them escape from Colorado.

Ian was up in a moment, flinging the blanket to the side and stepping over her. She sat up in bed as he opened the door and let the man in before sitting back on the bed. She quietly listened to the two of them talk as she stood and came to Ian's side, wrapping her arm around his shoulders.

"I think we could stand to eat something. Then we can come back and get a good night's sleep." Elizabeth offered as she glanced down at Ian. "If we're not out too late, that is. You could bring us back after a while, Pastor?"

She knew Ian might be ready to throttle her, but she wasn't about to pass up a free meal. She was starving and if he was worried about money, it was to their advantage.

"What do you say, babe? Think that we could get out of here for some fresh air and good food for a while?" Elizabeth asked, giving Ian the chance to destroy all of those plans if he so wanted.

 

[HotCider]

Pastor David smiled at Ian and Elizabeth. "You don't have to stay here. My home is open to you both," he offered. "I live out on the pasture with my wife, Nancy, and my son and daughter Chris and Amy. I'm sure Nancy won't mind having guests for a while. At least until you two can find your feet. You both have been through so much. I beg the Lord to forgive me for leaving you here."

Ian felt Elizabeth's arms drape his shoulders as his face dove into the palm of his hand. Not another one, Ian thought. This was just like the Tom situation.[/I]

Elizabeth was all for it. He was starving...and tired. He had to sacrifice one in order to get the other. Ian did owe the pastor not only his life but Elizabeth's. He saved them both, and he just may be trying to save them again.

Ian lifted his head, and asked, "Hey priest, you're not secretly some psychopathic, whack job are ya?"

It was a question that might have been construed as rude, but Ian was serious. The pastor didn't take his question to heart, and instead laughed, "Of course not. I promise, and may the Lord strike me dead if I'm lying."

Ian grasped Elizabeth's hand and pressed it against his forehead as he thought hard about the decision. He exhaled a deep sigh and moaned, "Please don't make me regret this."

Pastor Davis cheerfully replied, "You won't regret it. We'll take care of both of you."

"Give us ten minutes," Ian told the pastor.

Pastor Davis happily nodded and stepped out of the room. Once they were alone, Ian looked up at Elizabeth with a pathetic expression and asked, "Why are we doin' this again? We can't trust nobody. Why do we keep doin' this?"

 

[heartofcourage]

"Because we are not the kind of folks that learn from our mistakes." Elizabeth said as she moved to stand in front of Ian. "Babe, we don't have to stay with them, but if you're already concerned about how much money we're spending, maybe we should give it a chance. You can have the final say, though. If you don't want to go, we'll stay right here."

"Or we can run to the train station, grab a sandwich, and hop a train. Either way, we're doing it together. You and me." She said with a little smile, showing him that she was still that same crazy broad that had tried to beat him to death with a bag of apples back in Chicago. "You just give me the word and we'll be off on our next adventure."

 

[HotCider]

Ian’s hand returned to his face as he wondered why was everything suddenly up to him? Was he ready to go to Vegas yet? He asked himself these questions and waited for his heart to answer. There was something he had to do and that man had something to do with it. “We…can’t,” Ian confessed. “Not just yet, but soon.”

He dropped his hand and frowned down at the floor. “Give me two days. There’s somethin’ that I got to do, and it involves that pastor.”

Ian looked up at Elizabeth still wearing a frown because he hated the idea of what he was about to say, but he was doing it any way. “We owe this man our lives. Let’s go to his house, get some food, stay the night, and then I’ll handle my business the next morning. We’ll then be on the train to Vegas by noon. How does that sound?”

 

[heartofcourage]

Elizabeth stared down at Ian as he swore that he needed to do something with the pastor. She had no idea what he meant, but it wasn't unusual that he talked in riddles. As usual, she was concerned for Ian, but he was going to do whatever he wanted to do.

"I think it sounds fine." She said she as gave him a little smile, leaning down to kiss his cheek. "As long as you don't get too wild and crazy at the pastor's house, I think we can manage a noon train. You'll just have to be on your best behavior."

She moved away from him then, gathering the few things that they had in the room. It wasn't much, but she didn't want to leave anything behind. With as paranoid as Ian could be, she was sure that he would think that someone might track them by anything they left in the room.

 

[HotCider]

Ian smiled after Elizabeth kissed his cheek. “Wild and crazy?” he repeated. “It’s a Christian household. How crazy do you expect me to get? I probably won’t be allowed to curse. Hell, I probably couldn’t pass gas without gettin’ struck by lightning. I might just burst into flames as soon as I cross the threshold.”

He rose from the bed and met her over by the door. Before she could step out, Ian clapped a hand against her bottom and gave it a squeeze. “I wouldn’t be worryin’ about the pastor. We’re headin’ to a new place. There might be a bath, and another bed to christen.” Ian was referring to them sullying it with sex.

Ian allowed Elizabeth to exit before him. They would meet Pastor Davis in the lobby. Ian rubbed at his tired eyes. “We’re ready priest. That’s everything.”

Pastor Davis smiled. “Great! This way please.”

Ian turned to Elizabeth. “Go on ahead Hope. I’ll check us out here.”

Pastor Davis politely opened the door of a black convertible for Elizabeth. The shiny car had a brown roof. Less than three minutes later, Ian met them outside and climbed into the back next to Elizabeth. He purposefully slid over, playfully squishing into her before he gave her some space. Ian flashed a grin at her.

Pastor Davis entered the front seat and started up the car. “I am so happy that you both chose to come by. Nancy loves cooking for guests. I hope you don’t mind, but before I came here, I told her that you both might be coming by for dinner, so she’s already started cooking.”

Ian raised a hand to his mouth as though to hide the excited, fat boy smile that had stretched across his face. “Oh does she now? Do you think she could spare some lessons for Hope?”

Ian flashed another playful grin at Elizabeth. The pastor didn’t catch that Ian had been teasing her. His brows rose as he said, “Oh? Well, of course, I’m sure she’d love to. She won’t mind at all!”

 

[heartofcourage]

"Ian Darcy, I'm not having sex with you in a pastor's home." Elizabeth warned him as he palmed her bottom and gave it a squeeze. "You can wait until we make that train."

She took Ian's hand as they walked down the hallway, meeting the pastor in the lobby. Ian looked rough and tired, far more tired than she had remembered him being in the past. She blamed herself for riling him up with her phone call to Junior, but she knew that he had the weight of the world on his shoulders. Ian was the kind of guy that would do whatever it took to protect her.

"Don't be long." She said as she went to follow the pastor and left Ian to do what he needed to do.

The car that was outside reminded her of something her father would drive. It was shiny, gleaming in the sun, and spoke of a wealth that few might ever attain. She wasn't sure if the pastor was wealthy or simply cautious with his money. In a town like this one, the pristine little village that didn't have a single thing out of place, it seemed just about right.

Slipping into the back of the car, Elizabeth watched the front of the hotel. When Ian came out, she let a sigh of relief loose. She didn't feel right without him there by her side. When the two started to talk about dinner, she glanced over at Ian and threw an elbow into his side.

"We haven't had much reason to cook on our trip." She muttered as Ian teased her about taking a few lessons. "And until we get to where we're going, I don't think it does me much good to learn. Someone has to buy me a kitchen first."

 

[HotCider]

Ian grasped his side where Elizabeth had elbowed him and bent over in an exaggerated wince. He then straightened and looked at her with a frown on his face. The former bank robber leaned closer to her and whispered low enough for them to hear: “I won’t stand for this abuse. First you refuse to sleep with me for two days, then you want to take out my kidney, and now you’re refusin’ to learn to cook.”

Ian’s bronze eyes rolled hungrily down her body, and then back up to her pretty face: “I never really liked that lamp shade dress you keep insistin’ on wearin’, but you’re trynna’ put me in a drought. That dress is gonna look as good as that night gown you bought by the end of this.”

It was apparent that despite Ian’s faux-serious expression that he was whining. “What about making out? Touching your breasts? Fingering you? Maybe I could go inside without makin’ a big scene?”

Pastor Davis glanced through the rear-view mirror. He saw Ian and Elizabeth talking, and based on the serious look on Ian’s face, he assumed it was something private and important. The pastor returned his attention to the road and didn’t interrupt them with his small talk.

 

[heartofcourage]

"Who ever said that I'd be the one doing the cooking?" Elizabeth asked as he leaned in, whispering and whining about not sleeping with her for two days. "I'm sure you'll find some way to survive."

He hated the dress that she had on, but it wasn't like she had many choices in their current town. She had chosen what she thought would do. Now all he'd done was complain that it made her look like a box or a lampshade.

"Maybe I'm trying to keep you away from me for a few days. Some peace and quiet." She said with a small grin towards him as he continued to whine. "Ian, he's going to hear you..."

The blush that covered her cheeks was scandalous when he mentioned playing with her breasts or fingering her. Her eyes flicked towards the pastor who was minding his own business and then back to Ian.

"I'm not saying no, we would just have to be discreet." She murmured, hoping that she sounded as judicious as she wanted about the matter. "You tend to get a little wild when it comes to things like that and I don't want to be embarrassed."

 

[HotCider]

Ian cracked a naughty grin at Elizabeth when she feared the pastor would hear him. His grin then fell off his face when she claimed he would embarrass her. “What?”

He straightened in his seat and crossed his arms before his chest. There was suddenly an indifferent look on his face. “All right; I won’t embarrass you,” he said. His words described a compromise, but his tone didn’t match. “I’ll just be a good Christian and keep my hands to myself until we’re on the train.”

Ian further turned toward the window to watch the passing pasture. He was going to make her wish she hadn’t told him no. The corner of his mouth cocked mischievously at his thoughts.

They had left Sandy behind and seemed like they were headed to the prairie. A wife; children; Christian; the pastor couldn’t have been another Tom.

 

[heartofcourage]

"You are the most infuriating man I have ever met." Elizabeth murmured in an exasperated tone as he turned away from her and sulked.

She gave him the same silent treatment as she looked out her own window at the farmland as it passed. Would California be like this, she asked herself. Would they live in the country or near a big city? She'd never lived in the country before, only visited from time to time. She'd never done the hard work that was expected of farmers and their wives. The thought scared her a little bit. Did Ian expect her to cook and clean all the time? Would he let her get her own job and find her own joys and hobbies? He certainly wasn't Stephen, but he was temperamental.

She shook those thoughts from her head as the pastor turned down a dirt road and the drive suddenly turned bumpy. She could see a quaint farmhouse just off the road, a single story little clapboard that seemed homey and tidy.

"You have a lovely little home, pastor." Elizabeth said as he pulled to a stop next to a small barn, chickens scattering around the yard at the intrusion.

 

[HotCider]

When Elizabeth spoke to him, Pastor Davis smiled at her as he unbuckled his safety belt. “Thank you. This is home sweet home!”

As the pastor stepped out of the car, two kids around the age of nine and ten raced toward him.

“Dad! Dad!” they cried.

Pastor Davis turned toward his children. Amy exclaimed, “Chris found a snake!”

Chris immediately pouted. His bottom lip stuck out as he looked ready to cry: “I wanted to tell him…”

Nancy stepped outside in a bright-yellow dress that matched her permed and curly blond hair. “Arthur, oh! Those must be those nice people you told me about.”

Ian had stepped out of the car and after witnessing Pastor Davis being a father, he couldn’t help but stare at Nancy’s dress. It hadn’t been similar to the one he had bought Elizabeth when they first met, but it made him reminisce. He walked over to meet her halfway, offering his hand as she offered hers.

“My name’s Nancy,” she introduced herself, and then turned to Elizabeth to shake her hand if she offered it.

“Ian, and this is my wife Hope.”

Nancy smiled brightly at Elizabeth. “Oh she’s lovely. I love your hair.”

Amy interrupted, “Let’s go look at the snake Dad!”

Nancy turned to Amy with a frown. “Amy, mind your manners. We have guests.”

Amy wrinkled her freckled nose. Ian grinned. “I don’t know. That snake does sound interesting…”

Pastor Davis turned to Ian and chuckled. He asked the children, “Where’s the snake?”

Chris extended an arm, pointing behind the house. “In the back. It’s a big one!”

“Does it rattle?” Ian asked.

The children nodded and Nancy’s eyes grew large as she gasped, “You two were playing with a rattlesnake! You could have been bit. We have to call the police.”

Pastor Davis tried to reason, “Come on now Nancy, it isn’t hurting anyone. It’ll go away.”

“The police have to get rid of it. I won’t let Chris and Amy play outside with it there.”

“Aw!” the kids sadly exclaimed.

“I got it,” Ian said. Nancy and Pastor Davis looked at him curiously. “There’s a lot of rattlesnakes where I’m from. I’ll get rid of it for you.”

Nancy stared in surprise at Ian, and then at Hope as though expecting her to protest or say something to her crazy husband.