Part 13

Vin heard Molloy before he saw him. Saw his looming shadow before he saw the outline of his body as it edged its way toward him. And he cursed whatever had happened to activate his ex-partner's extreme cautiousness. He sank further into the shadows - and waited.

A yell came from behind him and Molloy paused to look at the sudden commotion. Marenti was swinging the door to the warehouse open and signalling to Layton. Layton stood in the door to the office speaking to the woman. He nodded to Marenti then came forward to greet the group of men coming along the short hallway.

Molloy almost stopped his search right then. The gut instincts he was running on fading away, but just has he made to move they flared back up again. He dropped to a crouch, gun ready, trying to discern just what it was that had started his internal alarm ringing once more. He steadied his breathing and slowly pushed himself around the edge of the crate.

+ + + + + + +

He was trapped. There was no where else to go but forward, nothing else to do but attack. He heard the arrival of more men, saw Molloy's momentary distraction, and prayed for a little more of the luck he'd had earlier. His prayers went unanswered as he watched Molloy snap back to attention, he's like a fucking bloodhound, and continue his hunt. Vin waited for Molloy to get just a little bit closer.

The kick that Vin sent out from his half-crouched position was a blur of deadly movement that caught the other man just below his ear and sent him stumbling to the ground, stunned. Molloy groggily rolled over to defend himself, but not before another kick knocked his weapon from his hand to send it skidding across the cold concrete floor. Vin dropped to the ground and rammed the barrel of his H&K under the downed man's chin. He roughly grabbed a handful of Molloy's black hair and dragged the man to his knees, pulling his head back to glare icily into hooded eyes.

"Tanner, old friend! We've been looking for you," Molloy's voice was smooth and friendly. His eyes reminded Vin of a rattler ready to strike; he could almost hear the warning rattles of impending death.

"So glad you could drop in," Molloy continued.

Vin backhanded him across the jaw, "Shut the fuck up, Molloy." He pushed the gun harder into Molloy's jaw, "You and me are gonna take a little walk." He looked around him. The room had gone deathly quiet, just a few urgent whispers and the soft tread of creeping feet. He was being surrounded.

Molloy's world shifted and he lost his balance as the tight grip on his hair and force under his jaw was abruptly released. He lurched forward but caught himself quickly and was turning around to attack when pain exploded in his head. He watched in amazement as silver confetti swirled before his eyes, and the concrete floor rushed up to meet him before everything went black. He collapsed with a solid thud and a sharp exhalation of breath to lay unconscious on the floor, a pool of blood forming under his head where his nose connected with the hard concrete.

Vin heard a soft scraping from behind him and silently retreated to the shadows. There was nowhere to hide now and nowhere to run. As the first of his pursuers came into view, Vin pointed his gun and fired. The soft thwack as the bullet travelled through the silencer extension alerted the intended target. But it was too late and he fell to the floor – dead. Vin spun around and fired again at the man who'd been sneaking up on his left. Three down, how many to go?

Vin felt the presence directly behind him before he felt the cold steel of the weapon being pressed into his lower back. It was the change in atmosphere that warned him. Cold, empty space changing to a warm closeness. As the gun touched the edge of his black flak jacket Vin burst into renewed action, twirling around and pinning the arm that held the weapon to the crate he'd been using as a shield. Vin jabbed the man in the chin with the heel of his hand, quickly following with his elbow. The man's head flew backwards then came forward as Vin's fist pummelled into his stomach. Vin caught the man's head with his knee. Still holding the man's arm against the crate, he took the weapon and let him drop to the ground. Tucking the gun into his jacket pocket, he stepped away from the body and brought his own gun back up ready to shoot. Four down, and he was ready for number five.

+ + + + + + +

Buck waved Chris back to the skylight. Below them they could see the change in atmosphere as one of the men started issuing orders and the others splitting up to follow them. Two of the men disappeared but one stayed in the room warily searching.

Chris pulled his cell phone out again and punched in a number. Buck listened, once again, to the one-sided conversation.

"JD, Ezra and Nate back yet?"

"Good. Call in for back up but warn them to stay at least three blocks away. I don't want the bad guys tipped off too early."

"No, not yet. We're coming back down."

Chris ended the conversation and turned to Buck, "Let's go."

+ + + + + + +

Chris and Buck reached the street in time to observe the arrival of Del Miardo accompanied by Sofia Gentilescha and some more of his crew. The streetlights cut a flickering arc along the sidewalk throwing sections of the building facades into deep shadow. The two agents hugged the wall and eased themselves around the corner of the building watching as Miardo's men combed the street with eyes alert to possible danger. Miardo and his woman rushed into the building, the men following, on their guard.

When they were all inside, Buck and Chris ran across the road and around the corner to where the van was parked. Ezra, Nathan, Josiah and JD were all crowded inside.

"Chris, team two estimates their arrival in five minutes. How do you want them deployed?" Nathan asked as soon as their leader was in the van.

"I want them on the roof and at the dispatch doors in the alley. Both doors are secured so tell them to bring their calling cards. We'll take the front entrance. Miardo's just gone in with six of his goons and his girlfriend. That makes thirteen altogether, so we'll be fairly even. They won't expect us to strike so quickly so we'll also have the element of surprise." Chris paused to look at his men, "We don't know where Vin is so keep an eye out for him and try not to shoot him. Everybody got that?"

The other five men nodded and grunted their agreement and prepared to go in. They were going to miss the gun drop but no one cared about the guns at this point.

+ + + + + + +

Leigh felt herself grow cold from the inside out as she watched Miardo enter the building. His time is coming. Her smile as she stepped out of the office was as cold as her heart.

"Leigh!" Miardo greeted the woman as she walked towards him, "You and Sofia go down and stay with my guests. Make sure they stay safe, I want no repeats of past mistakes."

"Past mistakes, Mr. Miardo?" Leigh asked.

Miardo shook his head as if to say, 'Not now', and walked over to Layton.

"Roberto, is it Tanner?"

"Probably boss. We've got four men out of the picture, including Molloy," he pointed to where Molloy was half-sitting against one of the work table legs trying to connect back to with the real world. His skin was a ghastly shade of death-white and blood covered his white shirt.

"Damn! It's got to be Tanner. I want him alive. Rough him up if you have to but make sure he stays alive, for now," Miardo snapped before swivelling on one heel and heading for a safer position, away from Tanner.

Leigh found herself following Sofia down the stairs once again. She'd tried to come down earlier but was thwarted by the unexpected change in the situation. No matter, she thought. Her eyes half-closed as she thought about Miardo's 'past mistakes' and the ice in her soul burned coldly.

Part 14

Vin was cornered. No way out.

"Mr. Tanner? That is you, isn't it? You cannot escape, please throw down your weapon and come out."

Vin furtively looked for a vantage point, and found none. His mind ticked over plan after plan until he decided simplicity would be best. He'd just keep quiet and shoot whoever came in after him.

"Come now, Mr. Tanner," Miardo was having a hard time keeping his voice calm. Finally! Finally, I've got that Texan where I want him. "I hold no hard feelings against you, I just want to talk with you. Go over the good times."

Vin clamped his mouth tight at the invectives that came tumbling to his lips. Good times! Who the hell he think he's kiddin'! A shadow in front of him parted from the others, a sliver of light separating the fixed from the moving. He lowered his gun and tracked the movement till it stopped. He held his breath and counted. One, two, three …The shadow moved again and became the outline of a man. Vin's pistol barely bucked as he fired. The moving shadow became fixed, on the floor, a trail of blood running out from its depths. Five.

Miardo flinched at the sound of another of his men going down. He glanced across to Layton, "Roberto, do you have any suggestions?"

"Rush him," was his short reply. "He can't shoot all of us at once."

Miardo raised one eyebrow. "Do it! But, remember, I want him alive."

Layton nodded and signalled to his remaining men. Molloy staggered to his feet to join them. One of the men handed him his lost weapon.

Miardo turned and signalled to Rafael Antonio, standing in the doorway to the office, to come out and join in the hunt. Layton now had four men to capture one. He hoped it was enough.

+ + + + + + +

Sofia continued to the bottom of the stairs, Riley waited at the top, watching events unfold.

"Caves?" Sofia called. Caves did not answer. Sofia looked toward the room under the stairs. The door was open. She glanced back up at the other woman and then slipped towards the open door. She could hear mumbled voices inside. A man's voice, Caves slightly threatening, full of lust, and a woman, fearful. Sofia smiled and went inside.

+ + + + + + +

On Layton's signal the men rushed the corner where their quarry was trapped. Tanner had only seconds to react as he heard the first of the men coming toward him. He fired at anything that moved rolling away after each shot, and two more of Miardo's men went down. He'd set his sights on a third when he heard heavy breathing behind him and a low, satisfied snigger.

"Gotcha, ya bastard!" It was Molloy, standing just out of Vin's reach. "Don't you move a muscle or I'll drop ya where ya stand."

The rest of the men came forward, guns pointed.

"Ahhhh, what the hell," Molloy snidely remarked. The retort from his gun as it fired echoed around the building. Vin was thrown back against the crates in agony, blood spurting from his left shoulder. Molloy came a little closer, "Miardo wants you alive so I won't kill ya just yet, Tanner."

As Molloy leaned over Tanner brought his right elbow up to smash into Molloy's groin and lifted his fist to connect with the already damaged nose as Molloy doubled over in reflex. Layton stepped up and cold-cocked Vin before he could inflict any further damage and ordered his men to drag him out into the open.

"Idiot!" he hissed to Molloy as he brushed past him.

Leigh watched the unconscious man being dragged across the floor to be dropped at Miardo's feet. A bright red smear of blood left its trail on the pale floor. She pulled her gun from its holster and eased herself back into the room and around the crates until she was in line with Miardo.

Vin groaned - his head was throbbing, the roar in his ears was deafening. His eyes had fluttered in a desperate bid to open but slammed firmly shut again as pain lanced through his body. His breath quickened and he struggled to gain control of his senses. The roaring eased faintly and he could hear disembodied voices floating in the air around him.

His eyes abruptly opened and he was looking at a pair of black patent leather shoes. Curiously, he could see his own reflection in their highly polished surface – he didn't look too good. He groaned again and jerked as he came back to full reality.

+ + + + + + +

"Hello, my beauty." Caves' voice dripped with a malevolence that sliced through Mary's defences like a razor.

"Oh, my God!" she breathed. Mary pushed Billy behind her in a futile gesture of protection.

Caves' laugh was low as he approached the pair. "There's no need to be scared. You'll love every minute of it. I'll even let the boy watch."

Her maternal hackles rose at the perceived threat to her child. "You stay away from him!"

Caves stood directly in front of her and reached up to cup her chin in one hand. His grip was firm, his fingers squeezed tightly around her face. He brought his face close to hers and brushed his lips along her cheekbone, breathing in the scent of her hair. He closed his eyes and shuddered as the first stirring of his lust radiated throughout his body.

"…and just what are you going to do about it?"

Caves almost didn't hear the door open behind him. He opened his eyes, and brought his face down to meet the beautiful eyes of the woman he now held in his power. The pale eyes looked away for a fraction then came back to pierce him with hate and disgust. He squeezed her tighter and leered down at her then released his grip and turned to meet the newcomer.

Mary gasped, her hand flying straight to her aching face. From behind her she could hear Billy whimpering and she turned around to hold him tightly.

"Sofia!" Caves' leer grew wider, "come to join the party?"

Sofia sidled up to him. "I'm hurt," she purred into his ear.

Mary's hope rose as soon as she heard the woman's voice only to sink back into despair as she listened to what she was saying.

"Senor Caves, you've started without me."

Part 15

Leigh had spent some time preparing for this moment. Months of planning, days and nights blurring into each other as she worked to get herself exactly where she needed to be. She'd adjusted her plans over the last few days with the change in situation but overall, things had gone as they were meant to.

She smiled, as she thought of the hours spent filing notches into the bullets of her gun. She'd read somewhere that this would cause the bullets to spread on contact causing the maximum amount of damage to the target. And that's what she wanted to do, cause the maximum amount of damage to Del Miardo as possible.

She stayed her position and waited to see what would happen next.

+ + + + + + +

"C'mon Tanner. Wake up!" Molloy followed his command with a punch to the injured man's kidneys. Tanner gasped loudly but he could do nothing to protect himself – he was held too tightly. The pain in his shoulder screamed at his senses, threatening to obliterate any chance of clear thought. He panted audibly, blood flowing down his arm.

"Enough!" Miardo's voice was stern and angry at Molloy's loss of control. "Get yourself cleaned up, Molloy. You're a mess!"

Vin watched the patent leather shoes move apart before growling in a mix of fury and pain as his head was snapped backwards and held in place by rough fingers entwined in his hair. He glared at Miardo, gathered some strength and spat full in his face.

Layton stepped forward and immediately back-handed Vin across the jaw. Blood welled in the rebellious man's mouth and he spat again, this time on the patent leather shoes.

"You surprise me, Mr. Tanner," Miardo spoke calmly as he wiped the dripping saliva from his face. "I thought you were above such spiteful behaviour."

He nodded to Antonio, who sharply pulled Vin's head back up.

"Still the loner, Mr. Tanner? Where are your new friends now?"

When it became obvious that the man was not going to reply, Miardo continued.

"You've cost me a great deal of money over the years, Tanner. A great deal of money, and pain."

Though it felt like his face was on fire, Vin smiled. A small, half-smile of satisfaction in a job well done.

Miardo's fingers itched to wipe that smile from Tanner's face. "You should have accepted my last offer of a job, like your partner here did. But what did you do? You shot my nephew and handed him over to the law." His voice dropped to a snarl, "like the no good bounty hunter you are!"

"Heard he likes it jus' fine. Reckon he's got lots of boyfriends by now," Vin goaded him.

Layton moved to hit him again but Miardo stopped him.

"My nephew hung himself in his cell last week. He'd be a successful 'business' man today, if it wasn't for you. He'd be alive today, …… if it wasn't for you."

The two men stared at each other with mutual loathing.

"You were a dumbfuck then Miardo and you're an even bigger dumbfuck now."

Miardo's hate curdled in his stomach and bile rose in level with his anger.

"Let him go!" he order his men and Vin found himself in a heap on the floor. He rose to his knees and looked up, directly into the barrel of his own H&K. His whole body went numb, the pain faded to a mere annoyance, the worry and the hate faded with it. His eyes met Miardo's, and he smiled.

Miardo literally saw red, he pulled the safety back on the pistol, his hand tensed and he gradually started to pull the trigger.

Everybody flinched as a shot blasted out across the room, Miardo's face the picture of surprise as a deep red rose of blood bloomed across his shirt. The gun hung loosely in his nerveless fingers as he looked first at Tanner and then at his own chest.

Vin threw himself to the ground, rolling out of harm's way as another shot, followed by another and another rang out.

Miardo's men watched in stunned amazement as their boss buckled under the onslaught. First one knee was blown away, then the other. By the time the last shot exploded into the soft flesh of Miardo's lower abdomen, the men were whirling around to face the attacker – firing madly in the general direction of the crates piled near the basement door.

Vin reached his right hand around to his back and pulled his second gun from its hiding place. He looked at Miardo writhing in agonising death throes, and muttered quietly, "Once a dumbfuck, always a dumbfuck." He left him there as he got unsteadily to his feet and sought out a safer position.

+ + + + + + +

The ATF teams had taken their positions around and on top of the building. The security camera at the front door had been disabled. Chris and his team were creeping through the front entrance and into the hallway as the first of the shots rang out.

"Holy shit! Vin!" Chris cursed as he pressed the radio attached to the shoulder of his flak jacket connecting him to the other two entry teams.

"Shots fired!" he warned. "In! Now!"

He nodded to the rest of the team. They took off up the hallway, hugging the walls and kicking in doors checking for stray bad guys as they went. Chris reached the doorway to the warehouse in time to see Miardo's men in total disarray – all running, guns drawn, to a spot just outside his field of vision. He slid around the doorframe and aimed his weapon, waiting for some of his team to follow him in before yelling, "Freeze! ATF!"

The henchmen did freeze, in shock, but not for long as they brought their weapons round to fire at the new threat. Chris dove to the floor, firing and rolling at the same time. Ezra, already in a safe position layed down more covering fire enabling the rest of the team to scatter. Team two came in from the rear of the building and the roof to surround the two lone survivors of the battle.

"Drop it!" Chris yelled, cautiously approaching the gunmen, his weapon trained firmly on them. Layton placed his gun on the ground and slid it across to the ATF agent then held his hands high. Molloy followed suit, but as he stood, he reached under his jacket. Before his hand came into contact with the butt of the sneakgun, a new round of shots came from the area of the work table and benches.

Molloy's body jerked in a macabre dance of death as each bullet hit him, until his knees finally sagged and he sank to the ground.

Chris turned to the table and saw Vin's arms sink to the ground between his knees as the gun suddenly seemed to grow heavy in his grip. He rested his head back on the table leg he leaned against, as one leg slid down to lay straight on the floor.

ATF agents surrounded Layton and dragged those gangsters that qualified as not-dead-yet over to one corner for treatment.

Nathan and Chris raced over to where Vin half-lay, half-sat.

JD disappeared down through the basement doorway.

"Hang on, JD!" Buck called, but JD was already gone.

"Dammit!" He looked towards Chris and Nathan, saw them busily working on Vin, "Dammit!"

Part 16

Caves heard the first of the shots and came running back up the stairs to go flying back down as one of Riley's bullets found its mark in his chest. Sofia came out of the room, her face flushed with excitement, as Leigh reached the body of Marty Caves.

"Leigh? What is happening? What is …" her words froze as Leigh levelled her gun towards her. She stepped away from the other woman, backing up against the small room.

"There's been a change of plans, Sofia," Leigh told her.

"But, our deal? What …"

"I've changed my mind about the deal. You can keep the guns for yourself. Miardo certainly won't be needing them."

"You killed him? Why?"

"Everyone pays for past mistakes, Sofia."

Sofia half-closed her eyes, "… and what about us?" she purred.

She really is just like a cat, Leigh thought.

"Changed my mind about that too."

The desire in Sofia's eyes changed to anger in a flash.

"After all, Sofia," Leigh continued on. "You have mistakes to pay for as well."

"What are you talking about, Leigh? I don't understand. Are you playing games?" Sofia stepped forward keeping her dark eyes locked onto Leigh's. Riley let her come. Sofia was so predictable.

Leigh's voice was husky as she spoke, " I told you. I don't play games, Sofia." She let her lips brush against the other woman's ear deliberately mimicking the scene from their previous meeting in the basement.

"Did you hurt her, Sofia? Hurt her like you hurt Serena?" She wrapped her fingers around the back of the smaller woman's neck, holding her tightly as she tried to pull away.

Sofia hissed her reply, "Yessss!" She licked her lips, poking her tongue out seductively, "and I enjoyed every delightful minute of it!"

Leigh pushed her violently away to stumble and fall back against the doorjamb of the room. She could hear cries and whimpers coming from the small space and for a moment she was back hearing the cries of another distraught woman – left desolated by these people. She was so focussed on the sounds from the room she didn't hear the arrival of the ATF agent until he called out.

"Freeze! ATF!"

Leigh didn't move except to glance at the agent and smile.

"It's the kid," she said softly.

JD Dunne took the last couple of steps slowly, jerking his gun at the woman to indicate she should raise her hands. She did as she was told until he stepped over the body of Caves and in between her and Sofia. Then, she moved her hands until she too was pointing a weapon.

"Put the gun down, ma'am," JD warned.

"Y'know, I really hate to be called ma'am … kid," she replied, still smiling. She dropped one hand to her side and spread her fingers wide before closing them to a fist. JD watched, perplexed. He started to speak but she frowned at him and he kept his mouth closed. He looked at her hand again, she was pointing – one finger, behind him. His face showed his understanding.

"Put 'em up, kid."

He spread his arms out, pointing the gun away from the woman. "Y'know, I really hate being called, kid."

Behind him, Sofia had found Caves' gun from where it had landed as he fell down the stairs. She slowly rose to her feet bringing the gun in line with JD's back.

As the second ATF agent came down the stairs, Leigh raised her gun just a little higher. JD lifted his hands into the air and watched the woman's face for the next signal.

"Freeze!" Buck Wilmington's voice boomed in the silence. JD turned to warn him, catching the change in the woman's stance as he did so and throwing himself to the ground. The twin echoes as the gun's fired, one just a fraction before the other, caused JD's ears to ring.

JD turned back to see the woman land amongst the crates. He was in shock at both his close call and the way the woman landed like a rag doll and didn't move.

"Oh, God! Buck, what have you done?" JD got up and staggered over to the body of Sofia Gentilescha, her once pretty head destroyed by the impact of the notched bullet. He heard wailing come from a small room set under the stairs and a scream. Mary Travis darted from the room, dragging Billy behind her. Their faces were streaked with tears.

"JD, thank God. You're here." She looked at the body of the woman that had given her false hope. Her face paled and she turned Billy away before he could see it. "Where's the other woman?"

JD looked towards the spot where the crates had settled. One bloodied leg could be seen beneath the pile of crates. Mary rushed over to it.

"We can't let her die! She was protecting us."

+ + + + + + +

The hum of the monitors that warned of the cessation of a patient's heartbeat ran non-stop in the small, private hospital room. No sound came from the patient in the bed. No sound either from the man who sat by the window, vacantly staring through the clear glass – at nothing.

Vin Tanner figured if he had to stay in hospital – again – he may as well sit here with the woman and try to figure out the enigma she presented.

It was her bullets that had saved his life two days previously and, as he'd found out later, her that had confirmed his presence in the building to the others in his team. A thorough search of the whole building's structure had unearthed a web of secret cameras and sound recording equipment. Technicians had worked around the clock on her laptop and the Palm IIIe she'd had in her coat pocket. They'd found images of everyone that had been in the building in the few days before the raid, as well as plans for the whole security system. Then they'd gotten over-eager and set off a self-destruct virus hidden amongst the files, which destroyed all the information the two computers held and rendered them totally useless

No one had been able to get the computer at the apartment to work at all, though they had managed to find the secret camera. The network, he'd been told, had been complex. Not nearly as complex as the woman though, I bet.

Chris had taken Mary and Billy back to the Judge's home. They were both traumatised by events but were already seeing counsellors and on the road to recovery. Mary had told them she thought the woman's name was Leigh, and a small voice-activated tape recorder, found outside the door of the room beneath the stairs, confirmed this, and more. Leigh Riley. They knew her name, but they'd found no trace of a Leigh Riley anywhere, nor any record of her fingerprints. Leigh Riley was a non-person.

They'd investigated the name Serena too, and come up empty. Chris and Buck had used all their best persuasive techniques on Robert Layton – nothing.

A mystery.

An enigma.

+ + + + + + +

The woman on the bed floated between the dark void of unconsciousness and the light of reality. Occasionally, falling deep into the void but not quite making it to the light. When her eyes finally fluttered open she lay staring at the ceiling, at the light – not realising that she was awake.

"Hey there," a soft voice called her. Her dazed eyes fell upon the face of a stranger.

A stranger, who wore a wide smile beneath a bushy moustache, she closed her eyes again and wondered when she was going to wake up. When she opened her eyes again the man with all the facial hair was still there, still watching her with the silly smile on his face. What she could see of it.

"Who the hell are you?" she croaked. Buck's smile grew wider as he passed her a cup of water with a straw. He placed the straw between her lips and waited for her to drink before answering.

"The name's Buck Wilmington, ma'am …..," he paused when she rolled her eyes and groaned. "You okay there? Should I call the doc?"

"She just really hates being called, ma'am, Buck," JD said from the doorway.

Leigh turned her head towards the new voice. "It's the kid," she said hoarsely.

In the short time she managed to stay awake, she assured both men that she didn't blame either of them for her current stay in the hospital. She'd expected to be shot at, that's why she wore the bullet-proof vest – she was always prepared. Leigh tired quickly and neither man got the chance to question her about her identity, or about Serena. Before she gave in to the pull of exhaustion though, she did manage to request access to a telephone – she was entitled to a phone call.

They left her sleeping once again, and went to arrange her one phone call, for the next time she woke up.

+ + + + + + +

Buck ambled down the corridor, later that evening, toward the woman's room. He'd stopped by the florist to pick up a bunch of flowers to cheer the stark hospital room up a bit. He still felt guilty for shooting the woman but as everyone had patiently, and impatiently, informed him for all he knew she had been going to shoot JD. Buck knew they were right, but still … He nodded to the police guard sitting in the corridor before softly knocking on the door to the woman's room and pushing it open to let himself in.

His smile faded as he looked at the bed.

She was gone.

+ + + + + + +

The woman known as Leigh Riley, sat in the living room of her parent's house, somewhere south of Denver, flicking through the pages of an old photo album. She'd spent the morning checking over her set-up in the basement. Nothing had been affected by the loss of the laptop and Palm devices – the viruses she'd installed in them had been contained to the individual pieces of hardware.

Her headaches had faded significantly over the last few weeks but she still used a cane to get around. Full-body armor next time, she thought for the hundredth time as her leg cramped up in a sudden spasm. She was lucky though, and she knew it. One bang to the head and a bullet in the leg - pretty damn lucky! It wouldn't be much longer until she could head up into the mountains for some serious soul-cleansing.

The pages of the album fell open at a blown-up shot of two young women – smiling and happy, not a care in the world as they sat in the low branches of an old oak tree, idly chatting and sharing confidences. The woman turned sad eyes to where the oak tree still stood at the rear of the house, a lone sentinel in a deserted yard.

A soft, tremulous voice called out from deep within the house.

"Sascha, are you back?"

The woman sighed and closed the dusty album of old memories.

"Yes, Serena. I'm back."

And in thy sister's trust should place A welcome for the soul A bond so tight, so close, so real A love too strong to break. And should such connection, Such living, be harmed Should hatred and violence invade Beware fully the wrath of the sister Guardian over the soul of her other.

THE END

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