Summary: Follows Cold Fingers Around My Throat and answers some of the questions left unanswered at the end of that scary story and moves the story along a bit further as the family fights evil.
Rating: T Word count: 3,277

The Vine Series:
Cold Fingers Around My Throat (by BettyHT)
Cold Vine (by BettyHT)
Cold Hearts, Warm Hearts (by BettyHT)

---

Cold Vine

On the way to town after the vine killing, Hoss pulled up his horse and sat silently but thinking hard. Joe could tell because whenever Hoss was deep in thought he pulled his hat back but dropped his head down. Chubb seemed to know that his master needed some quiet time and stood without moving. Joe rode back and waited patiently which was a challenge to him, but he knew it had to be important for Hoss to act this way. Finally, or so it seemed to Joe, Hoss was ready to talk.

“Joe, I got some big questions to ask, and maybe we should have asked Pa some of these before we left.”

“Like what?”

“Like where did that vine come from, and why was he so all-fired up about keeping it when Marie, Hop Sing, and Adam all wanted to get rid of it?”

“I don’t know. It was kind of ugly, wasn’t it? It wasn’t at all like that rose vine we have.”

“Hop Sing said Pa was enchanted for twenty-five years. Do you suppose that all them things Adam was upset about all them years was because of that vine? Was it trying to get Pa to make Adam leave? All those things that Pa done that made Hop Sing mad and he said he was going back to China – now was that because of that vine too?”

“You make it sound like some thinking thing.”

“Joe, it came after you, didn’t it? Who knows what it could do?”

“It was funny that the vine dried up around Adam’s window when he was leaving like it didn’t have anything to do there anymore.”

“Joe, Adam said this place was choking the life out of him. I wonder if he had a problem like you had.”

“He never said he did. Oh, yeah, he never would do that. He would say everything was fine and never tell us. Damn. He needs to talk to us too. Hoss, one of us should go talk to Pa, and the other one talk to Adam. We need to clear things up around here.”

“Which one of us goes where?”

“Normally, I’d talk with Pa and you would be the logical one to talk with Adam.”

“But not this time. Pa wouldn’t want to tell you anything that would hurt you, and maybe you and Adam have more in common in this whole thing than we know. Yeah, I’ll go back and talk with Pa, and you go find Adam and talk. I’ll be in to see you two when I have some answers.”

In town, Joe found Adam walking to the International Hotel. He was smiling and didn’t stop that when he saw Joe. Instead, he waved to him and asked if he would like to join him for dinner. They stopped in the middle of the street.

“Is Hoss with you? I’m feeling generous. I would be willing to buy dinner for both of you.”

“You’re in a pretty good mood.”

“I am. I started feeling that way early this afternoon and see no reason to change. I hope you’re not bringing some bad news to change all that.”

“No, but I’m wondering if your good mood happened about one. You see that’s when Hoss, Hop Sing, and I finished killing that vine in the back of the house. You know, the one you hated and you thought maybe helped kill my Mama.”

“Hop Sing?”

“Yeah. I guess he didn’t know it was growing back there all this time. Pa put it there for that reason by what we can figure.”

“I guess that makes sense. I didn’t know it was the same one.”

“Hop Sing said it was evil. Said Pa was enchanted for twenty-five years.”

“Joe, not here. Let’s go to my room. We’ll order dinner to be brought up there.”

“You do know more than you said.”

“Joe, not here. We’ll talk but in my room.”

“All right, but it better be talking. No more secrets.”

The brothers stopped at the restaurant to make their order and asked that it be brought to Adam’s room because they had confidential business to discuss. The staff promised to deliver the meals in a half hour. In the room, Adam asked Joe to wait for that long so they would not be interrupted or possibly overheard. Once the meal was there, Adam pulled a chair to the small table by the bed and let Joe sit on that as he sat on the bed.

“You start eating and I’ll start talking with what I know. Then you can pick up with what you know.”

“What about questions?”

“Could you try to hold them until later? I’m trying to remember back a long way, and interrupting with questions will not help.”

“All right.”

“Pa came back to the Ponderosa already married to Marie. It was a shock to everyone, but they were happy. She was already carrying you, and soon I had another brother. Everything seemed fine until about then. A cousin from New Orleans arrived. He said the marriage had been so sudden and the departure so quick that many had not been able to congratulate the couple or give appropriate gifts. Now that there was a son, there seemed to be even more reason to make that right. He brought many gifts including the china dishes we use, linens, that rose vine, some lace, and that ugly vine that was supposed to be good luck. As soon as Pa held it, it seemed to be his favorite gift. He held it up to his face and sniffed it, and that was strange because no one else liked it at all. Marie said it was ugly and Hop Sing said it was evil. Pa had me plant both of those vines. The rose vine was pretty, but the other one was nasty. It scratched me when I planted it. I kicked it and stomped it a bit. I had more of a temper in those days.”

“Those days?”

Even though Adam had not initially wanted any interruptions, there was a need for a break in the tension. He felt it and so did Joe. They shared a laugh, ate some dinner, and relaxed a bit before Adam continued.

“When I went in the kitchen to clean up, Hop Sing saw the scratches and washed them with lye soap and then put some kind of oil on them. It all stung like hell. It seemed like steam rose from the scratches, but at the time, I thought I must have imagined it. Later, when that vine reached out and tripped Marie’s horse and Hop Sing did his best to kill it, he used lye water and oils, and I did see steam rise from it. So then I knew I hadn’t imagined it earlier. Now in between, I only knew I had to keep you and Hoss away from that vine. I don’t know exactly how I knew it, but I knew it. I told Hoss it was like poison ivy and would make him itch. You know how sensitive his skin is to poison ivy so he stayed a long way away from it. For you, I told you it scratched me and made me bleed. Pa heard me tell you that and said I was wrong, but I stuck to my guns on that one, and Hop Sing backed me up. So you wouldn’t go near it either when you were little. Then I thought it was killed. I didn’t realize for a long time that it was the same vine in the back of the house. When I did, I dumped my wash water out my window on it every morning adding extra lye soap to the water when I could. The steam would rise from it every time I did that making the vine have a tougher time growing, but it got bigger year after year anyway.”

“I did the same because I knew you did, and it was easier than carrying it downstairs. We didn’t have the porch roof like Hoss and Pa so we could just dump it out.”

“I didn’t realize Hop Sing didn’t know it was there.”

“All right, now it’s time for what I know. I think that vine is what was coming in my room and wrapping around my neck. I found leaves on the floor.”

“And when you were ten?”

“I know now that was Pa, but in a way, it was the vine.”

“What?”

“Pa is really sick now that the vine is dead. Hop Sing said that twenty-five years of enchantment was a lot to get over, but he said Pa will be fine now.”

“Enchantment?”

“Do you remember who sent the vine?”

“No, there were a lot of names mentioned, but most of them meant nothing to me. They were names.”

“Someone hated Pa or maybe Mama too. They sent that evil thing. Hop Sing knew it, but Pa was caught right away. You were lucky Hop Sing saw those scratches and that you hated that vine. You kept me and Hoss away from it, and then Hop Sing killed it or most of it.”

Joe saw the look Adam had and made a guess.

“But it came after you anyway too when it got big enough, didn’t it? Why didn’t you say anything?”

“I told Pa it scratched me. I told him it tripped Marie’s horse. He didn’t believe me. I saw the reaction you got when you told your story. I wasn’t going to try to convince that audience.”

“No, you were going to run away and let it take over.”

“No, Hoss was killing it. I told him the story about Marie’s horse for a reason. He already knew not to touch it directly. I told him how Hop Sing killed it out front. He knew all he needed to know.”

“How could you be sure about that?”

“He killed it, didn’t he? I have always had more confidence in Hoss than many people have. I have more confidence in you than many people do. It’s why I thought I could leave. I believe that you and Hoss can handle anything that needs to be done.”

“You do?”

“Of course, I do. It has been Pa who has wanted to treat you as less than you are.”

“Like he treated you. Adam, what if it was because of the vine? What if he was under its control at least somewhat, and it was trying to get rid of you in the only way it could by having Pa drive you away?”

“You know how crazy that sounds?”

“No crazier than a lot of the other things we’ve been talking about. Hoss is talking to Pa about that kind of thing. It should be interesting to hear what he finds out.”

Staring at nothing for probably fifteen minutes, Adam thought about the implications of Joe’s theory. It could affect their lives and affect his immediate plans as well. Then he had a question for his youngest brother.

“If you’re right, do you think our father would ever admit that it was true?”

“Maybe when he realizes it was coming after his sons, he will.”

“That brings up another question. Why do you think it was after you?”

“I do think that was your fault.”

“My fault?”

“I followed your example. It had no way of knowing that I didn’t know what I was doing.”

Frowning at first, Adam soon had a smile.

“Oh, the bowls of lye water made it think you were attacking it like I was instead of being lazy.”

“Now you know I have told you that I prefer to think of it as selective participation in assigned tasks.”

“Yes, you have told me, and I still think it’s hoo-hah. However, it does show a gift for language. You should think about writing.”

“Aw, I don’t want to get into all that serious stuff.”

“Writing doesn’t have to be serious. Think about that stuff Sam writes.”

“Yeah, and he doesn’t even use his own name. Yeah, I could do that and use a name like he does. I mean if he can be Mark Twain, I could use another name too. I could write funny stories like how me and Hoss almost got you married off to Abigail.”

“Now, wait a minute. Don’t write about me. Write about you.”

“Yeah, fun stories about me as a hero. That would be fun too.”

“It doesn’t look like Hoss is going to get to town tonight. You want to sleep on that couch or get another room?”

“I’ll sleep on the couch. It’s long enough for me.”

When Adam asked the staff for extra blankets and a pillow, they brought in a trundle bed instead so Joe was more comfortable. Adam tipped the men who hauled it in so everyone was happy with the solution. In the morning, both awoke well-rested and headed down for breakfast expecting Hoss to be there. Shortly after they ordered, he was there but not in as good a mood as his brothers. After ordering, he explained why.

“Pa ain’t accepting none of this as the truth. He’s got his pride and he’s darn stubborn to boot. I laid it all out for him, and he still ain’t about to give in.”

“Well, that about tears it then.”

“No, Adam, it doesn’t because me and Hoss are damn stubborn too, and Pa can’t stand up to us when we keep working on him. Hop Sing is going to be there to back us up too.”

“Damn straight. Joe is right. I told him about that already. He don’t like it, but he’s got to face the truth. He’s a good man, and he done things that weren’t good. He can’t have it both ways. Accepting the truth allows him to face that he wasn’t responsible for the bad things that was done, and he can do what he has to do to make them right now.”

“Is he coming to see me off tomorrow?”

“You’re still going then?”

“I am. I have made some plans for things I want to do, but based on what Pa says, I may not go so far nor for very long. I can be back soon enough and work around things. Unless he wants to stand by what he’s said and done. Then I may be gone further and longer.”

“I hate to say it, but based on what Hoss said, that’s fair.”

“Let’s have breakfast then, and spend the day and the night having some fun. I don’t want to miss a minute of our time together seeing as how there’s a chance it could be the last day we have together in a while.”

Adam agreed, and they ate breakfast and made plans for the day. By midnight, the three were exhausted. They didn’t want to be separated, so Adam squeezed into the trundle bed, Joe took the couch, and Hoss slept in the bed. In the morning, they had to be up early to get breakfast before Adam caught the stage out of town. Ben met them in the lobby of the hotel and said he had reserved the alcove of the restaurant for their breakfast. Once their orders were in, he began to talk.

“I know you must be waiting to hear what I have to say. There’s a lot I’m not ready to talk about yet, but I have to say Hoss laid it on me pretty heavily. I’ve been thinking, and I accept that much of what he said has to be true. It is humbling and difficult for me to accept. I’m going to talk to the minister after this breakfast. I think I need some time to get through all this, but first, Adam, I’m so sorry for the things I’ve done that hurt you. I will be more specific in the future, but right now, I don’t have all the words I need. I hope we will have a chance to talk about this and not too far in the future. All of this has festered for too long and that is my fault. I know I have time to talk to Hoss and to Joe.”

“With.”

“What?”

“You need to start talking with us and not to us.”

“Yes, I guess I do.”

“I have plans and things I want to do. If all goes well, I should be back in about six months. We can talk then.”

“You’re still leaving?”

“I appreciate the apology, but it is still my life, my decisions, and my future. Yes, I am leaving, and I will be deciding what my life will be like when I come back. However, based on this conversation, there’s a good chance my life will be here or near here.”

Hoss and Joe liked that answer and reached over to slap their brother on the shoulder. Ben stared at first because it was more reality he had to accept. Finally, he shrugged, and then he smiled.

“Yes, you’re a man, and a man needs to make his own way. All my sons are men and need to make their own decisions.”

Ben rubbed his forehead then prompting his sons to worry a bit.

“I still have a bit of a headache. I guess it takes more than a day to recover from all that happened.”

Of course, with all the emotional turmoil, none of them thought anymore about it. Adam got a good sendoff with his promise to return. The three then mounted up for the ride home with a better disposition than any of them would have thought they would have if this had happened without all the intervening drama.

On their arrival at the ranch house, they found Hop Sing with a bucket of his lye water concoction strutting about and looking intently at every shoot poking up in the yard. Steam was still rising from a small patch of blackened earth near the porch.

“Find vine trying to grow again.”

“Why that’s where I cleaned my boots after we killed that vine out back.”

Ben stared at the steaming area, and then he rubbed his forehead again.

“Hop Sing, do you have a few more buckets of that mix?”

Ben lead his sons around the house looking for more of those green shoots. They looked and looked finding several more, but Ben insisted they keep looking. They headed for the tool shed and found some there where the tools they used had been cleaned. When those were killed, Ben stood up from pouring the concoction over some roots, and he smiled.

“My headache is gone. I think I’m finally completely free. I wish I could talk to Adam now. I think I’ll write a letter though and tell him about this. That damn cold vine is gone.”

The three walked to the house, and Ben told Joe that he could tell Hop Sing that the raise he had asked for was his. Hoss suggested a new bed for Hop Sing’s room and a few other amenities, and Ben agreed to that too. Hop Sing had been a hero in the war of the cold vine, and he was family as much as any of them. Ben was going to put that in the letter to Adam too. That vine had been intent on getting rid of Adam. Ben thought it had been as focused too on destroying him. It had done neither. The family had not only survived but triumphed.