InsaneJournal

Tweak says, "Save the cheerleader..."

Rachel (veiledtruths) wrote in oldwest_rpg,
@ 2008-09-06 00:38:00

Entry tags:

cole fulton, rachel hudley

Who: Rachel Hudley and Cole Fulton
Where: Founder's Day Festival
When: September 5, 1867, mid to late afternoon
Status: PG with possibilities of going higher
Summary: Rachel leaves her daughter to wander the festivities while she sneaks toward the saloon.

Grace had already promised her mother she would meet her back in front of the General Store before it got dark. A little bit of independence wouldn't hurt either of them and Rachel was fairly sure her daughter was a responsible young lady. Though she knew better than anyone the sorts of trouble a young woman could get into on her own. Hopefully she hadn't suddenly met a boy in the last two weeks.

Two weeks hadn't been enough time to get any new leads as to where the pair might head next. She had a job at least, and a place to stay that was rather comfortable. She'd only been to the saloon once trying to gather information, and that trip hadn't involved much more than looking around a bit for possible informants. Only time would tell how good they would be at giving her an idea where Cole had ran off to next and what sort of mark he had left, if any. She'd also seen the brothel and considered just "wandering" in there to see what else she might find. Yes, there were times she considered why she was running clear across the country following the trail of an old flame. Perhaps just so one day she could head home and still look his mother in the face when she said she tried to find him? She wasn't sure if she would actually go back, but that had usually been part of the plan. For all she knew she had lost the actual trail when she left home, or Cole could even be dead. Nothing would surprise her lately.

She could probably go back to the Saloon today and hope that someone might be around that would know anything of use. Rachel wandered off though, trying to stay non-chalant as though she didn't actually know where she was headed, going toward the saloon, just looking down the streets and everything she passed. She had become so engrossed with someone's curtains though and pondering if they had been made by the lady of the home or store bought when she found herself running into someone on the semi-crowded street. "Sorry 'bout that. Wasn't paying attention as to where I was headed."

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	cole_fulton 2008-09-08 08:28 am UTC (link)
	Cole was caught off guard when he ran into a woman. She looked very familiar, but he wasn't quite sure who she was. That was until he looked into her eyes. He knew those eyes. But it couldn't be, could it? (Reply to this) (Thread)

veiledtruths
2008-09-08 12:16 pm UTC (link)

He looked older... Then they all looked older, and she might have taken longer to even realize who he was if she hadn't been trying to remember his face to give any sort of accurate describtion to others. It also didn't help that her... their daughter had the same eyes looking up at her every day of her life.

She'd also played this moment through her head several times. What exactly she was going to say to him, and several times just considering slapping him. Right now she was just frozen in the street, mostly at a loss for words.

"Your mama says hi..."

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cole_fulton
2008-09-08 04:25 pm UTC (link)

Cole almost choked. His mama? His mama still cared where he was, who he was? He wouldn't.

All of a sudden, her voice alone brought back tender memories of the night they'd shared that had resulted in her being taken from him. "R...Rachel?" He couldn't think of anything else to say. He'd wondered on occasion what he'd do if this day had ever come.

He'd had a million things he wanted to say, a million apologies, a million questions. And as he looked at her standing in front of him, all he could do was open his arms, hoping like hell she'd let him hold her.

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veiledtruths
2008-09-08 04:46 pm UTC (link)

Rachel just nodded to her name, smiling just faintly at him. He hadn't gone and gotten himself shot at the very least, or at least nowhere fatal. When he spread his arms apart though she just took a half step back, careful not to run into anyone else. She might have been raised to forgive, but forgetting was not going to be as easy. "Cole..." She reached over and tried to push his arms back to his sides, getting just close enough to speak only loudly enough for him to hear. "Do you really want to do this out where the whole town can hear?"

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	cole_fulton 2008-09-08 04:57 pm UTC (link)
	He was so shocked at seeing her that he didn't even bother to hush her when she said his real name in front of the crowd. When she pushed his arms down, he let her, but he didn't want to. "No. I reckon not," he responded, trying not to stop breathing. "Let's... Come on," he took her arm and turned to go behind the nearest building. (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

veiledtruths
2008-09-08 05:25 pm UTC (link)

She would have been willing to come up with an excuse if anyone had overheard them. It didn't make much sense to track him down and then turn him into the sheriff now. Rachel looked back to see if she could spot Grace before letting him lead her away to somewhere a little more private. She would be fine though... And she was already weighing his responses to see how much if anything she was going to be telling the girl later. "It's good to see you're alive and well and all, but." She had to take a deep breath. "You first. You might answer my question before I even ask it."

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cole_fulton
2008-09-08 06:00 pm UTC (link)

He looked at her. He could only assume what question was weighing on her mind. "Rachel," he said. "You're probably wondering why I didn't come looking for you and the baby..." The baby. He wondered what the baby was like. Was it healthy? That would be his next question.

"The truth is, I got in a lot of trouble, and I didn't want to risk you being on the run with me forever... I knew I couldn't settle down, and you deserve better." He looked her in the eyes. "Dammit, Rachel, I'm sorry."

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veiledtruths
2008-09-08 06:54 pm UTC (link)

She had to give it to him, he was a rather intelligent, even if he had done some pretty dumb things in his life. "You weren't in trouble yet when I got sent off though Cole. I heard all the stories when I finally got back... And who back home would even look at me twice after I was carrying around your child. I wasn't exactly considered proper young lady material, and you know my father." Rachel looked up at him though, trying to keep her nerves calm and not end up drawing people over to them. "You could have asked though. I'd have followed you across the oceans back then." Now, she wasn't entirely sure.

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	cole_fulton 2008-09-09 03:54 pm UTC (link)
	He shook his head. "I know that, but what the hell could I do? I didn't know where your grandmama was... Your daddy wouldn't even talk to me when I went to him... He told me I'd be no kinda husband... Said I'd done enough damage." He looked her in the eyes, wishing he knew what to say. "Rachel... The baby... Is it a boy or a girl? Reckon it's 12 or 13 now, huh?" (Reply to this) (Parent) (Thread)

veiledtruths
2008-09-09 04:03 pm UTC (link)

She almost rolled her eyes. That about sounded like her daddy though, strict and likely already condemned Cole to the lowest pits of hell. Rachel wouldn't have put it past him either to tell anyone who knew at the time that she had been raped. "Can't really see you listenin' to all that without arguing back with something."

She looked up at him though, the wheels going in her head a bit. "What would you do if I told you they drowned the baby in a well and I just recently escaped the nunnery?"

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cole_fulton
2008-09-09 04:17 pm UTC (link)

"I did argue..." he said, his voice husky. Dammit, he refused to break down. "He didn't care. Told me if I went lookin' for ya, he'd have me 'taken care of.'"

He looked down at her, not quite sure how to answer that. "I... I reckon I'd feel like it was my own damn fault." He blinked, looked away for a minute, then looked back at her.

"That ain't wwhat happened, is it?" he asked, his voice showing his hope that she wasn't telling the truth.

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veiledtruths
2008-09-09 04:32 pm UTC (link)

"Would that be the raining acid, turning to salt or covering you in boils?" She tried not to look too amused at the idea though of the good reverend as much as harming a fly. She tucked her smile away though and tried to be serious about it. "Somehow I don't see your mama being quite as willing to be at church if he had done anything." Rachel remembered coming back though and being pulled along to the picnics and other events in hopes that she would move on or at least let one of her sisters, once they were married, adopt her daughter and no one needed to be any the wiser.

She shook her head though to his final question. Rachel couldn't lie for long and he seemed sincere in his worry that it might have happened. "No... Though I think Grandmama considered it a few times. Baby's perfectly healthy though. Got your eyes." She was purposefully not answering though if it had been a boy or girl. "How much longer are you even planning on staying in town though? Wouldn't be exactly kind of me to introduce you just to have you run off to God knows where the next day."

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cole_fulton
2008-09-14 09:44 am UTC (link)

"All three," the outlaw answered, smiling a little. She was a quick witted woman. Always had been.

He looked her in the eye as she talked about their child. "Good. Glad to hear it."

He shook his head. "Listen, Rachel... I never know where I'm gonna be, but I should be around here somewhere for the next while. Got no plans of leavin', I just never know." He looked at her. "Now, where's the kid?"

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veiledtruths
2008-09-14 11:29 am UTC (link)

"Wonder if it counts if I found you. Might want to be keeping your eye out for any rain clouds for a while." Hopefully all the water in town wouldn't suddenly turn to blood nor would locusts come in great hoards. Dust storms were always possible.

She bit her lower lip though, still torn as to how much to be telling him. Rachel knew how much it had hurt her though when Cole abandoned them, but what would it do to their daughter? "Somewhere at the whole celebration likely wandering around. She could be anywhere for all I know, so all you're getting, because it's all I know, is that she is indeed in New Shelby." She smiled just a little though. "Yes, the baby's a girl."

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