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And a bit of a drive it was. Two days later, as Jo was waking up, rubbing her eyes of the soft morning sun bathing the Black Hills, the rumblings of the truck across the highways being the best lullaby she’d had in months…she smiled.

She remembered the ranch from her first, and last, visit. The lone bar standing off from the adorable, two story farmhouse. The long cow shed off to one side. As the truck rumbled down the gravel road leading to the farmhouse, she watched the cattle grazing in the fields on either side of the avenue.

“Hasn’t changed much,has it.”

Her hushed whisper brought a shake of red locks from her traveling companion. “That’s why this place is the best area to recoup, and get back to finding yourself.”

“And you’re still alright with living out here?” Jo asked as they turned off the main section of road onto a smaller one that ambled its way around to the side of the main farmhouse. They pulled to a stop outside a second building, a more modern looking home, though Joanne knew that it was much more than that to her friend who was putting the truck into park.

“Yes I am, when I ain’t in Florida for FAWN matches, or traveling for other wrestling feds I’ve been invited into. It’s everything I need…” she opened her door, a twinkle in her eye. “Plus so much security that we’d be safer than the president himself. So don’t you fret about and vagrant Vagabonds. I’ll vamoose their vat vaces in notime vlat.”

Joanne couldn’t help but giggle slightly at the phrase and structure of Ariane’s reply. It was a quick she noticed about her friend; the ability to find humor and fun in most anything. The Scandinavian still found it hard to believe that Ariane enjoyed wrestling as much as she did, frequently watching her friend laughing mid match as the cowgirl fought an intimidating opponent.

Jo shrunk a bit in her seat. “And…you’re sure you want me here?”

—----

With one foot outside the truck already, Ariane turned around, looking at her friend. “Why do you think I drove you here?” She put an arm around Joanne’s shoulders. “Remember the Halloween party? I want you to be your happy self as you were back then, and if that means getting away from Vagabonds and all that kerfuffle, then that’s what we’ll do.”

A cautious smile appeared on her face. For the first time in what felt like an eternity. Come on, Jo, Ariane thought. A little bit of optimism never hurt anyone.

“You’re right.” Joanne finally said, staring out into the distance as if she was reminiscing about something, then sighed and shook her head. “Gotta look forward.”

“That’s more like it!” Ariane exclaimed, patting her on the shoulder.

As she stepped out of the vehicle, Ariane stretched her limbs. This 25 hour drive had not been the most fun experience, especially considering that she hadn’t blasted her country music out of respect for Joanne whose cogs seemed to have constantly been turning the entire time. 25 hours of boredom that had just come to an end. She was greeted by the familiar smell of the fields and grasses, the chirping of birds, and a soft gust of wind blowing against her face.

Home.

“Good to be back!”

With another stretch of her muscles, and several breathlessly beautiful pops from her back, the country cowgirl started towards her house. “Now come on, Jo, we’ve got a lot to get ya used to over the next few weeks.”

Jo nearly stumbled over her feet. “Weeks?”

Ariane laughed. “What, did ya think I was just gonna kidnap y’all for a weekend? It’ll be a couple of weeks until your new place is all gussied up, so until then, y’all will get used to the country life!”

Joanne watched as her friend radiated positive energy while she walked towards the comfortable looking, yet quaint, home. “What have I gotten myself into…”

That was a question she found herself asking every day for the first week. Ariane was true to her word on making Joanne work hard and embrace the country lifestyle. The first two days she’d been woken at 3am sharp by a cowbell clanging and the lights in her room blazing to life as well as a shouted “MORNING JO! TIME TO SKEDADDLE FOR WORK!”

A quick, but hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast washed down by orange juice was what then powered her through until lunch while the pair worked with the rest of the ranch hands milking cows, feeding the sheep, fixing fences, corralling loose animals, and whatever else chicanery took place on the homestead that day.

Lunch was always a quick affair, usually a slapped together sandwich or large container of chocolate milk… “Best way to rehydrate!” Ariane would say before chugging hers down and hopping right back to work. It all seemed neverending, and Joanne nary had a second to think of anything else but the unfamiliar tasks at hand.

Which was entirely Ariane’s plan from the beginning.

Day Four mixed things up a bit. She drowsily woke around 5am, before jolting out of bed, frantically looking for her clothes to get out to the barn for milking duties. She’d spilled out of her room, buttoning up a new shirt that Ariane had bought for her, only to find a very calm and sedate Ariane sitting at the breakfast table.

Wearing scrubs?

“Morning Sunshine, sleep well?”

Joanne blinked.. “What’s going on today?”

“Got an injured horse down on a farm a couple miles away. Going to be helping out in seeing if it can be rehabilitated. Might have a broken leg. Hope not. After that a few more house calls. Want to help?

Jo didn’t even need to think about it. In her youth, she had spent a lot of time with horses, and in the past years she had longed to do so again. “Sure! When do we leave?”

Ariane smiled, hearing an enthusiasm in Joanne’s voice she had sorely missed. “As soon as you had a bite. Though, if you could hurry, Roger, the town vet, is heading over now.”

Pushing a plate with sandwiches towards her, Ariane watched her eat in silence. Unlike many others who had worked on her farm, three days of intense manual labor hadn't left a single mark on Joanne. Not a sign of fatigue or tiredness. At the same time, she seemed changed. Better, even. Maybe it was the change of scenery, maybe it was the work, or maybe as they said, time healed all wounds.

After they had finished breakfast, they jumped into Ariane’s truck. On the entire way to the clinic, she thought about that horse. Even though it wasn’t hers, just the thought of it never being able to run again caused something inside her chest to twist painfully. While she loved all animals, horses held a special place in her heart. Please don’t let it be a broken leg, she thought to herself.

Ten minutes later, as they were riding along the empty highway towards the farm, Ariane got a message on her phone. “Here, can you check it for me?” Ariane asked, pointing towards her cellphone in the cup holder without taking her eyes off the road. Joanne opened the message and became instantly confused.

“What does it say?” the redhead asked, flicking her eyes towards her friend for a half second.

“It says,” Joanne began, before looking up. “Stop by the clinic. You know what to get?”

Ariane sighed, and Joanne noticed a visible change in the cowgirl. Her shoulders sagged just a touch, her brows lowered and when she spoke, her normal cheerfulness had evaporated.

“Guess we’ll be a little bit later now. I know what he means.”

A few minutes later, they’d stopped at the veterinary office in town. Joanne had been asked to stay inside while Ariane went in, and what seemed like barely a moment later, hurried back out, a satchel hanging over her drooping shoulder.

“What did the doc need?” Joanne asked.

Ariane gave a ghost of a smile. “Just some stuff.”

Now puzzled, the two women drove in silence to the Coolidge farm, the location of their injured horse. Upon pulling to a stop next to the veterinarian’s truck that was already there, an elderly woman, appearing in her 70’s, walked from the farmhouse and greeted them warmly, before pointing them towards a nearby field.

“He’s out there,” the frail looking woman stated, a bit of sadness in her voice as she went to give them hugs. “Would have been lovely to see you under different circumstances. I always missed you doing dressage with Dusky when you were a wee little lass.”

Ariane froze mid hug from the woman, something that hadn’t been missed by her friend. “Dusky? Dressage?”

The old woman released Ariane from her hug, a soft smile appearing upon her face. “Oh, Ari here used to ride Dusky for her dressage practice when she was a teen. He was the only horse that was docile enough to follow directions, and smart enough to listen.”

Ariane stepped forward. “Is it…Dusky?”

The woman nodded.

A lump formed in Ariane’s throat as she stared out towards the field. She spotted two figures standing in the field a ways off. Without waiting any further, the redhead grabbed her bags from her truck and barreled towards the field, hopping a wire fence in her rush to get towards the horse laying in the field.

One of the two elderly gentlemen looked towards her as she slowed her pace to a crawl. “Ah, Jones, do you have the bag?”

Jones nodded, kneeling next to Dusky, the horse she had ridden for years as she was learning dressage. Her hand tentatively reached out to brush his mane, his hair flecked with gray. The horse’s sedated eyes seemed to flicker for a brief moment as she whispered his name, ears flicking towards her. He tried to raise his head, but dropped it back down as Ariane’s hand drew itself across his muzzle. The voices around her muddled to a dull noise, her mind barely recognizing what was said as she stared into the worn, and tired eyes, or her childhood friend.

‘He was running in for dinner when he galloped straight into that groundhog hole. Snapped his ankle immediately.’

Ari remembered being handed Dusky’s reins for the first time. The joy she felt riding him and time spent practicing…

A feminine voice gasped. ‘Can his ankle be healed?’

Memories of racing Dusky through the fields, of competing in Dressage for years…

‘Not likely. He took a tumble and broke a few ribs as well, Doc Roger said. Nothing we can do. Already sedated him until Jones here could arrive. He’s barely hanging on right now as is.’

An elderly woman smiling as Ariane pulled up to the stable. “Just remember, treat him well, and he’ll treat you well too.” How she nodded, Dusky nuzzling her affectionately as she fed him…

‘Jones?’

Five years riding him…

“Jones?”

Ten years taking care of him…

“Ariane?”

She shook herself from her memories. Looking at Doc Rogers, she gave a soft, forlorn smile. “I brought the pentobarbital. He’s already been sedated, correct?”

A nod.

“Alright,” she breathed in deep. “Let’s set up the IV and I’ll measure it out. Mr Coolridge, might want to get your wife to say your last goodbyes to Dusky.”

Joanne watched in silence as Ariane worked, setting up the IV, before pausing. Taking a moment to pat the horse's flank one more time, she squeezed the syringe into the IV, waiting a few seconds as she stared into the horse’s eyes.

“You’ll…you’ll be okay now, Dusky…” she whispered, patting his cheek one last time as his eyes fully closed, his labored breathing slowed…then stopped for the last time.

~-~-~

The drive home was silent. Ariane focused on the road and on keeping up appearances of being in control. Part of her wanted to cry, to let all the emotions spill out of her. Dusky had basically been her horse…her friend…for over a decade, but, this wasn’t the time or place. She had to remain strong, not just for herself, but also for Jo, who was going through a tough time herself by the looks of it.

“Look.” Joanne said tentatively. “If you want to talk, I’m all ears.”

Ariane didn’t respond, keeping her gaze fixed on the road. Not because she didn’t want to answer, but because she didn’t know what to say. How could she explain this situation to Joanne without seeming like she dismissed her efforts to help? She attempted to turn on the radio, when Joanne’s hand gently took hers. And when Ariane looked into those deeply concerned green eyes, something inside her broke. If she could, she would have hugged her right then and there. Instead, she gave Jo a sad smile.

“Thank you, that is very sweet of you. But I will be alright.” She said with such conviction that even someone who didn’t know her would believe her.

Joanne shook her head. “How do you keep your cool like that without feeling like you’re going to explode? How do you stay sane in moments like these?”

Ariane sighed softly. “Don’t think it comes easy to remain in control. I’m not a stoic. I think if you just bottle up your feelings and pretend they don’t exist, it will destroy you. There has to be a valve. But this valve can not just be violence.” She looked over to Joanne who stared out the window with a blank expression on her face, yet it was evident the cogs were turning inside her brain. “My secret may surprise you.”

“What is it?”

“I talk to people about it. My boyfriend, to be exact. Sometimes he just sits there and listens. Sometimes he helps me see things from a different perspective. But most of all, he understands. Without him, I don’t think I could do this.” Ariane inhaled deeply, clearing her thoughts. “But listening to my favorite songs also helps.”

For a while, Joanne was sitting still, as if she was contemplating what she had heard. Then, she turned on the radio. A few seconds later, “I feel like a woman” started playing.

“I’m going out tonight, I’m feelin’ alright, gonna let it all hang out …”

To her surprise, it was Joanne’s voice. Quiet and tentative, like a child dipping its toes into the lake to see if the water was warm enough. But it was beautiful. And when Ariane smiled back at her, it grew in strength, and soon Ariane joined in as well.

“The best thing about bein' a woman Is the prerogative to have a little fun!

—--------

And there is Part II. I hope that the ninjas slicing onions didn't get anyone too badly. So what is next up on this adventure between this Unlikely Duo? You'll have to find out in Part II!!!!

Joanne is created/owned by Emot1onBlur
Ariane is my own.

Part I -
Part III - Coming Soon

Description

And a bit of a drive it was. Two days later, as Jo was waking up, rubbing her eyes of the soft morning sun bathing the Black Hills, the rumblings of the truck across the highways being the best lullaby she’d had in months…she smiled.

She remembered the ranch from her first, and last, visit. The lone bar standing off from the adorable, two story farmhouse. The long cow shed off to one side. As the truck rumbled down the gravel road leading to the farmhouse, she watched the cattle grazing in the fields on either side of the avenue.

“Hasn’t changed much,has it.”

Her hushed whisper brought a shake of red locks from her traveling companion. “That’s why this place is the best area to recoup, and get back to finding yourself.”

“And you’re still alright with living out here?” Jo asked as they turned off the main section of road onto a smaller one that ambled its way around to the side of the main farmhouse. They pulled to a stop outside a second building, a more modern looking home, though Joanne knew that it was much more than that to her friend who was putting the truck into park.

“Yes I am, when I ain’t in Florida for FAWN matches, or traveling for other wrestling feds I’ve been invited into. It’s everything I need…” she opened her door, a twinkle in her eye. “Plus so much security that we’d be safer than the president himself. So don’t you fret about and vagrant Vagabonds. I’ll vamoose their vat vaces in notime vlat.”

Joanne couldn’t help but giggle slightly at the phrase and structure of Ariane’s reply. It was a quick she noticed about her friend; the ability to find humor and fun in most anything. The Scandinavian still found it hard to believe that Ariane enjoyed wrestling as much as she did, frequently watching her friend laughing mid match as the cowgirl fought an intimidating opponent.

Jo shrunk a bit in her seat. “And…you’re sure you want me here?”

—----

With one foot outside the truck already, Ariane turned around, looking at her friend. “Why do you think I drove you here?” She put an arm around Joanne’s shoulders. “Remember the Halloween party? I want you to be your happy self as you were back then, and if that means getting away from Vagabonds and all that kerfuffle, then that’s what we’ll do.”

A cautious smile appeared on her face. For the first time in what felt like an eternity. Come on, Jo, Ariane thought. A little bit of optimism never hurt anyone.

“You’re right.” Joanne finally said, staring out into the distance as if she was reminiscing about something, then sighed and shook her head. “Gotta look forward.”

“That’s more like it!” Ariane exclaimed, patting her on the shoulder.

As she stepped out of the vehicle, Ariane stretched her limbs. This 25 hour drive had not been the most fun experience, especially considering that she hadn’t blasted her country music out of respect for Joanne whose cogs seemed to have constantly been turning the entire time. 25 hours of boredom that had just come to an end. She was greeted by the familiar smell of the fields and grasses, the chirping of birds, and a soft gust of wind blowing against her face.

Home.

“Good to be back!”

With another stretch of her muscles, and several breathlessly beautiful pops from her back, the country cowgirl started towards her house. “Now come on, Jo, we’ve got a lot to get ya used to over the next few weeks.”

Jo nearly stumbled over her feet. “Weeks?”

Ariane laughed. “What, did ya think I was just gonna kidnap y’all for a weekend? It’ll be a couple of weeks until your new place is all gussied up, so until then, y’all will get used to the country life!”

Joanne watched as her friend radiated positive energy while she walked towards the comfortable looking, yet quaint, home. “What have I gotten myself into…”

That was a question she found herself asking every day for the first week. Ariane was true to her word on making Joanne work hard and embrace the country lifestyle. The first two days she’d been woken at 3am sharp by a cowbell clanging and the lights in her room blazing to life as well as a shouted “MORNING JO! TIME TO SKEDADDLE FOR WORK!”

A quick, but hearty breakfast of eggs, bacon, and toast washed down by orange juice was what then powered her through until lunch while the pair worked with the rest of the ranch hands milking cows, feeding the sheep, fixing fences, corralling loose animals, and whatever else chicanery took place on the homestead that day.

Lunch was always a quick affair, usually a slapped together sandwich or large container of chocolate milk… “Best way to rehydrate!” Ariane would say before chugging hers down and hopping right back to work. It all seemed neverending, and Joanne nary had a second to think of anything else but the unfamiliar tasks at hand.

Which was entirely Ariane’s plan from the beginning.

Day Four mixed things up a bit. She drowsily woke around 5am, before jolting out of bed, frantically looking for her clothes to get out to the barn for milking duties. She’d spilled out of her room, buttoning up a new shirt that Ariane had bought for her, only to find a very calm and sedate Ariane sitting at the breakfast table.

Wearing scrubs?

“Morning Sunshine, sleep well?”

Joanne blinked.. “What’s going on today?”

“Got an injured horse down on a farm a couple miles away. Going to be helping out in seeing if it can be rehabilitated. Might have a broken leg. Hope not. After that a few more house calls. Want to help?

Jo didn’t even need to think about it. In her youth, she had spent a lot of time with horses, and in the past years she had longed to do so again. “Sure! When do we leave?”

Ariane smiled, hearing an enthusiasm in Joanne’s voice she had sorely missed. “As soon as you had a bite. Though, if you could hurry, Roger, the town vet, is heading over now.”

Pushing a plate with sandwiches towards her, Ariane watched her eat in silence. Unlike many others who had worked on her farm, three days of intense manual labor hadn't left a single mark on Joanne. Not a sign of fatigue or tiredness. At the same time, she seemed changed. Better, even. Maybe it was the change of scenery, maybe it was the work, or maybe as they said, time healed all wounds.

After they had finished breakfast, they jumped into Ariane’s truck. On the entire way to the clinic, she thought about that horse. Even though it wasn’t hers, just the thought of it never being able to run again caused something inside her chest to twist painfully. While she loved all animals, horses held a special place in her heart. Please don’t let it be a broken leg, she thought to herself.

Ten minutes later, as they were riding along the empty highway towards the farm, Ariane got a message on her phone. “Here, can you check it for me?” Ariane asked, pointing towards her cellphone in the cup holder without taking her eyes off the road. Joanne opened the message and became instantly confused.

“What does it say?” the redhead asked, flicking her eyes towards her friend for a half second.

“It says,” Joanne began, before looking up. “Stop by the clinic. You know what to get?”

Ariane sighed, and Joanne noticed a visible change in the cowgirl. Her shoulders sagged just a touch, her brows lowered and when she spoke, her normal cheerfulness had evaporated.

“Guess we’ll be a little bit later now. I know what he means.”

A few minutes later, they’d stopped at the veterinary office in town. Joanne had been asked to stay inside while Ariane went in, and what seemed like barely a moment later, hurried back out, a satchel hanging over her drooping shoulder.

“What did the doc need?” Joanne asked.

Ariane gave a ghost of a smile. “Just some stuff.”

Now puzzled, the two women drove in silence to the Coolidge farm, the location of their injured horse. Upon pulling to a stop next to the veterinarian’s truck that was already there, an elderly woman, appearing in her 70’s, walked from the farmhouse and greeted them warmly, before pointing them towards a nearby field.

“He’s out there,” the frail looking woman stated, a bit of sadness in her voice as she went to give them hugs. “Would have been lovely to see you under different circumstances. I always missed you doing dressage with Dusky when you were a wee little lass.”

Ariane froze mid hug from the woman, something that hadn’t been missed by her friend. “Dusky? Dressage?”

The old woman released Ariane from her hug, a soft smile appearing upon her face. “Oh, Ari here used to ride Dusky for her dressage practice when she was a teen. He was the only horse that was docile enough to follow directions, and smart enough to listen.”

Ariane stepped forward. “Is it…Dusky?”

The woman nodded.

A lump formed in Ariane’s throat as she stared out towards the field. She spotted two figures standing in the field a ways off. Without waiting any further, the redhead grabbed her bags from her truck and barreled towards the field, hopping a wire fence in her rush to get towards the horse laying in the field.

One of the two elderly gentlemen looked towards her as she slowed her pace to a crawl. “Ah, Jones, do you have the bag?”

Jones nodded, kneeling next to Dusky, the horse she had ridden for years as she was learning dressage. Her hand tentatively reached out to brush his mane, his hair flecked with gray. The horse’s sedated eyes seemed to flicker for a brief moment as she whispered his name, ears flicking towards her. He tried to raise his head, but dropped it back down as Ariane’s hand drew itself across his muzzle. The voices around her muddled to a dull noise, her mind barely recognizing what was said as she stared into the worn, and tired eyes, or her childhood friend.

‘He was running in for dinner when he galloped straight into that groundhog hole. Snapped his ankle immediately.’

Ari remembered being handed Dusky’s reins for the first time. The joy she felt riding him and time spent practicing…

A feminine voice gasped. ‘Can his ankle be healed?’

Memories of racing Dusky through the fields, of competing in Dressage for years…

‘Not likely. He took a tumble and broke a few ribs as well, Doc Roger said. Nothing we can do. Already sedated him until Jones here could arrive. He’s barely hanging on right now as is.’

An elderly woman smiling as Ariane pulled up to the stable. “Just remember, treat him well, and he’ll treat you well too.” How she nodded, Dusky nuzzling her affectionately as she fed him…

‘Jones?’

Five years riding him…

“Jones?”

Ten years taking care of him…

“Ariane?”

She shook herself from her memories. Looking at Doc Rogers, she gave a soft, forlorn smile. “I brought the pentobarbital. He’s already been sedated, correct?”

A nod.

“Alright,” she breathed in deep. “Let’s set up the IV and I’ll measure it out. Mr Coolridge, might want to get your wife to say your last goodbyes to Dusky.”

Joanne watched in silence as Ariane worked, setting up the IV, before pausing. Taking a moment to pat the horse's flank one more time, she squeezed the syringe into the IV, waiting a few seconds as she stared into the horse’s eyes.

“You’ll…you’ll be okay now, Dusky…” she whispered, patting his cheek one last time as his eyes fully closed, his labored breathing slowed…then stopped for the last time.

~-~-~

The drive home was silent. Ariane focused on the road and on keeping up appearances of being in control. Part of her wanted to cry, to let all the emotions spill out of her. Dusky had basically been her horse…her friend…for over a decade, but, this wasn’t the time or place. She had to remain strong, not just for herself, but also for Jo, who was going through a tough time herself by the looks of it.

“Look.” Joanne said tentatively. “If you want to talk, I’m all ears.”

Ariane didn’t respond, keeping her gaze fixed on the road. Not because she didn’t want to answer, but because she didn’t know what to say. How could she explain this situation to Joanne without seeming like she dismissed her efforts to help? She attempted to turn on the radio, when Joanne’s hand gently took hers. And when Ariane looked into those deeply concerned green eyes, something inside her broke. If she could, she would have hugged her right then and there. Instead, she gave Jo a sad smile.

“Thank you, that is very sweet of you. But I will be alright.” She said with such conviction that even someone who didn’t know her would believe her.

Joanne shook her head. “How do you keep your cool like that without feeling like you’re going to explode? How do you stay sane in moments like these?”

Ariane sighed softly. “Don’t think it comes easy to remain in control. I’m not a stoic. I think if you just bottle up your feelings and pretend they don’t exist, it will destroy you. There has to be a valve. But this valve can not just be violence.” She looked over to Joanne who stared out the window with a blank expression on her face, yet it was evident the cogs were turning inside her brain. “My secret may surprise you.”

“What is it?”

“I talk to people about it. My boyfriend, to be exact. Sometimes he just sits there and listens. Sometimes he helps me see things from a different perspective. But most of all, he understands. Without him, I don’t think I could do this.” Ariane inhaled deeply, clearing her thoughts. “But listening to my favorite songs also helps.”

For a while, Joanne was sitting still, as if she was contemplating what she had heard. Then, she turned on the radio. A few seconds later, “I feel like a woman” started playing.

“I’m going out tonight, I’m feelin’ alright, gonna let it all hang out …”

To her surprise, it was Joanne’s voice. Quiet and tentative, like a child dipping its toes into the lake to see if the water was warm enough. But it was beautiful. And when Ariane smiled back at her, it grew in strength, and soon Ariane joined in as well.

“The best thing about bein' a woman Is the prerogative to have a little fun!

—--------

And there is Part II. I hope that the ninjas slicing onions didn't get anyone too badly. So what is next up on this adventure between this Unlikely Duo? You'll have to find out in Part II!!!!

Joanne is created/owned by Emot1onBlur
Ariane is my own.

Part I -
Part III - Coming Soon