Ana's Legacy

Following the hanging of Miss Nicolette Charpentier for the murder of Kitty Doxie. Sadie and Philip wake the next morning and discuss their next steps on the road to healing and we find out that there is far more to Nicolette's legacy than the knowledge she was able to impart to her students. Tombstone Beware!

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The Morning After

Nicolette's House - Benson

8:19 AM

Philip Neithan Harnett drags his hand through his hair and sits down at the table

Sadie Hiker moves around the room, slowly closing the shutters one by one.

Philip Neithan Harnett watches sadie. what was sadie doing that for

Sadie Hiker locks the back door before crossing the room to do the same with front... muttering "World says out t'day."

Philip Neithan Harnett leans back in his chair glancing at the stairs every now and then

Sadie Hiker sits at the table and looks Philip in the eye, almost emotionlessly "B'fore ah came found you yesterday... ah asked y'Momma how we can live without her..."

Sadie Hiker: And she said... when all hope is gawn... we will live with one'nuther... an'bah Christ, that's what we gonna do. Fur her.

Philip Neithan Harnett looks at sadie his eyes already burning and blinks a few times as he listens then bows his head "I'm sorry i wasn't with you all sooner." he looks hurt and almost growls "miss lilly knew! and she didn't say a word."

Sadie Hiker shakes her head "No, Son, y'let go that one right nah. Lilly did NAWT know y'Momma wuz ov'r there... all she knew was SOMEONE wuz goin' t'trial. That's all she knew."

Philip Neithan Harnett lip trembles but he nods accepting that he didn't want to be mad at lilly anyway.

Sadie Hiker leans back in her Chair and nods "Nah... we been talkin' 'bout that rage y'gawt lawked'way inside ya... n'what y'gonna do 'bout it... n'how y'gonna live with it... n'how y'gonna control it..."

Sadie Hiker sniffs a little "Ah saw it in ya yesterday... n'ah want y'tell me what wuz goin'thru y'mind. What wuz it tellin' ya?"

Sadie Hiker gives him the most supportive smile she can, preying he doesn't hate her, or lash out at her for making him go back there when it was all still so raw... but believing in her heart this was the right time...

Philip Neithan Harnett sniffs again and nods taking a slow shaky breath "first with wes at the at the office... I I wanted to snatch his gun and get the keys." sobs loudly "the whole way through the trial I knew she wasn't going to get out of it but everyone was celebrating when the jury come back and that bitch ripped the rug from under everyones feet... I don't know what i wanted to do i just went numb... nothing... not even outside at the gallows. But at the undertakers... when SHE put that rose in moms hand I wanted rip her fucking arm off...amongst other things..."

Philip Neithan Harnett silver eyes turned hard as slate "I want her dead."

Sadie Hiker scrunches up her nose "Ah know. Ah felt the same... What ah dun tell anyone... when ah went t'Annie's the other night... ah stashed ah bag at the Coral. Two rifles. Two peacemakers. When they lead y'Momma 'way... ah wuz gonna get 'em. Ah wuz gonna end that bitch an'Menkie's then n'there n'damn what followed... ah dun see past the red. Ah lost ev'rythin... Ah just wanted t'go with Nicolette..." then chokes, shaking her head a little and wiping her eye "N'then Joseph clung t'me... an ah 'member you two... n'what ah promised her..." then looks back to him, hard and resolute "But believe you me. It ain't ov'r yet. They died the second they took her frum us..."

Philip Neithan Harnett wipes his face on his sleeve unable to stop the tears "my baby brother didn't come to me, not once through any of that. he wouldn't have have forgiven me if i didn't read the note either. i could see it in his eyes."

Sadie Hiker: Oh... no... no don't think like that Son. He wud ah. Y'gotta 'member, he ain't like us... he's fragile. Delicate. He's special. He needs you t'be strong fur him. Fur us t'be strong fur him... cuz mah gawd... Y'think we're hurtin... ah promise ya... its hurtin' him worse. All y'saw in his eyes wuz pain n'confusion. Give him time. Be patient with him. Be there fur him... n'no matter what he says, no matter how hurtful it may seem... just know he dun mean it... its his way ah lashin' out... cuz he can't do... what WE are gonna do.

Philip Neithan Harnett listens and nods again with a sigh "what are we going to do paw?"

Sadie Hiker rolls her head as she gets up and heads to the kitchen counter with a "Ahm glad y'asked..." and starts to rummage behind it...

Philip Neithan Harnett follows sadie with his eyes trying so see

Philip Neithan Harnett: what she was up too.

Sadie Hiker lays out on the table a plant... books... a chest... then sits back down "Time y'gawt t'know y'Momma ah lil'bit better."

Sadie Hiker points to the plant "That lil'lady is Atropa Belladonna... Deadly Nightshade. Y'treat her with respect."

Philip Neithan Harnett looks over the plant nervously he's heard about that before and picks up one of the books "I was thinking more along the lines of blood and gore... this is almost subtle"

Sadie Hiker smiles, beaming her teeth at him "Subtle. Oh, that's y'Momma. She wuz subtle... she wuz ahn artist. Y'Momma wuz better than either ah us will ev'r be. She wuz smart. Real smart. She dun rage n'lash out like we duz, She wuz clever, calculatin' n'cool. She dun need no guns ah fists... she just used ah lil'nature..." then rolls her eye, bobbing her head a little "for the most part. Her only downfall wuz, when she saw red... she tended t'get ah lil'stabby..."

Philip Neithan Harnett looks at the chest "i thought miss kitty was being paranoid about the poison."

Philip Neithan Harnett shakes his head wipeing his eyes with a little hickup, he had calmed down now and was looking at sadie " what exactly do we have to do to make that thing" gestures to the plant "useful?.."

Sadie Hiker rolls her head a little "All in good time. We gawt things t'do first... we gawt ah lawng journey t'be goin' awn..."

Philip Neithan Harnett frowns looking impatient "why?"

Sadie Hiker leans in "Because, the first thing we do, no matter how much it hurts us... we respect Y'Momma's last wishes. We take Clara n'Claudette t'her family up north."

Philip Neithan Harnett head snaps towards the balcony then looks back with slumped shoulders "do they have to go?"

Sadie Hiker shudders a sigh "It's tearin' mah heart out to Son... but its what y'Momma wanted fur them... so... that's what's gotta happen..."

Philip Neithan Harnett: we are going to take them... arn't we? they can't go all the way to canada alone..."

Sadie Hiker nods "Like ah said WE got ah lawng journey 'head ah us..." then leans in "N'then... then when we get back..."

Philip Neithan Harnett mumbles "we've got to be subtle."

Sadie Hiker reaches in, putting her hand on the book "Subtle?... Oh it ain't gonna be subtle... believe you me... when they writhin' in agony, chokin' awn their own vomit, eyes bulgin', bleedin' outtah ev'r orifice n'knowin' they done. They're gonna know its Anaise Charpentier that has her hands round their throats an ain't lettin'go!"

Philip Neithan Harnett listens looking grim then tilts his head "her names anaise?"

Sadie Hiker nods slowly "That's right. That's y'Momma's name... dun ev'r forget it."

Philip Neithan Harnett nods sagely "never."

Sadie Hiker smiles at him once again, turning the notebook to her, opening it at the first page with a "Nah then... lets make her proud." before preparing to read aloud... then stops... and laughs loudly....

Philip Neithan Harnett looks between sadie and the book strangely "what is it?"

Sadie Hiker chuckles shaking her head, wiping a tear from her eye with a "Ah dun speak French!" as she slides the book across the table to him.

Philip Neithan Harnett takes the book and looks it over unable to stop himself from laughing