Trigger Warnings: Very brief gore

"Are you trying to make me deaf?" I shout. A bullet ricochets off the back of my motorcycle, making me wince. My baby is a part of me, and when something hits it, I can feel its pain.

"How else do you think I would react?" Jennie yells, clinging tighter to me.

"Not like a cat about to die!"

"Well, I am about to die! Oh my god!" she shrieks. Another bullet whizzes by my ear, hitting the pavement beside us.

Serena is a highly skilled shooter, so it's only a matter of time before she hits one of us. And my biggest concern is Jennie. If one of those bullets pierces her back, she's as good as dead. The jacket may be "bulletproof", but only against the average gun. Serena has her own special weapon the same way I have my knife. And hers is a golden Staccato CS enhanced by Lena, which can penetrate any "bulletproof" fabric, even ones designed by KSD.

An idea pops in my head. It may be reckless and insane, but judging by the bullets flying all around us, it's the best chance I have to keep Jennie safe.

"You have to switch to the front, Jennie!" I shout out loud. Glancing back for a brief moment, I twist the throttle a little more to speed up.

"What?" Jennie squeaks as another gunshot rings out. "Are you crazy? That's impossible!"

"Nothing is impossible with me." I definitely got this, even though I've never done it before.

Jennie tightens her grip around me. "Cocky much?"

"Do you want to stay behind and get shot? Come on, twiggy. You're as light as a feather. I won't drop you."

"That's not reassuring at all!"

"Do you trust me?"

"No!!"

"Good, now put your arm around my waist while I do the same, then let your body go before swinging your leg back over. Got it?" Tightening my hand's grip on the handlebar, I manage to wrap my other arm around Jennie's waist.

"No, I don't-"

"And go!"

I force-lift her off the seat. She screams as her feet almost kiss the cement. The motorcycle wobbles a little. Her hands apply heavy pressure on my wounded stomach as she holds on to my waist. Grimacing through the pain, I focus on regaining balance and not letting my grip on Jennie slip.

"I got you, Jennie! Now lift your stupid leg up!" Another bullet flies by and shatters the left side mirror. Bits of glass explode into the air, a few tiny pieces piercing my face. I curse under my breath at the damaged part.

"I... I can't!" Jennie screams, attempting to swing her leg over the seat.

My arm strains to hold onto her flying body. Serena is slowly gaining on us. It's now or never. But when I'm about to yell at Jennie again, doubts and questions flash through my mind.

Why don't I just let her go? What's stopping me from dropping her? Sure, it may be too late to solve my problems without harsh consequences, but there's still a chance that Eve will forgive me again. Why should I risk so much and give up everything for this screaming hello kitty wearing twig?

That's when it dawns on me; I don't want to return to my old life. Weak or not, Jennie has managed to bring back a part of me that I thought has been long dead and buried.

Jennie's warmth and bright energy has thawed away the ice in my heart and brought it back to life. Just like sunshine.

With a burst of strength, I hoist her up and fling her in front of me. She yells as her butt lands on the hard surface. The motorcycle nearly tips over, the bottom left part scraping the cement in a jarring sound. Another bullet whizzes by my ear, missing my head by inches.

"Grab onto me!" I shout. Jennie doesn't need to be told twice. She hugs me even tighter, her embrace nearly crushing my bruised ribs.

With both my hands free, I grip the handles and balance out the vehicle. Letting out a relieved sigh, I glance behind us. Serena is no less than twenty feet away. She has managed to gain on us while I struggled with Miss Twiggy here.

Serena's helmet visor is open, revealing her dark skin and brown eyes filled with a menacing glare. The raging hate on her face is visible even from my position. She bares her white teeth at me and fires another shot.

Releasing my hold on the left handle, I reach behind me and take out Lena's gun.

"What are you doing?" Jennie squeaks.

"Saving our asses," I reply casually. Flipping the safety switch off, I fire behind me. Serena dodges my shots by zigzagging across the narrow lane, each bullet failing to meet her flesh.

Lena's gun clicks empty in my hand after about ten rounds. Tossing it away with an angry grunt, I contemplate my options. I don't have any other weapons within reach beside my knife. There are extra weapons in my motorcycle cargo, but there's definitely no way I can take them out now.

I should have thought about that before. This is why I keep messing up from time to time.

A glint of light from up ahead catches my eye. Peering through the thick forest, that glint turns out to be a truck windshield. It's about half a mile away, steadily driving towards us. An idea suddenly comes to my head; one which should guarantee getting rid of Serena. And thanks to my knowledge of the roads here from previous missions, it has to work.

"What are you doing?" Jennie asks when I turn onto a side road. Huge clouds of parched earth and sand trail behind us, the motorcycle rattling a little on the gravel. I glance into the only intact side mirror as Serena bursts through the dust in the reflection.

"Just hang on tight to me, Jennie."

Small rocks clatter against the metal of my motorcycle as I take the right curve ahead, steering us back to the highway. The view of the truck appears through thick trees as the speedometer on the dashboard crawls towards its maximum limit.

When we're close to the highway, I slow down just a bit so Serena can be no more than forty feet behind me. The truck is only sixty feet away as the motorcycle's tires hit the cement road. Jennie screams when I drive across the highway, the truck missing us by just a few feet.

I drift to a partial stop on the other side and turn around in one smooth maneuver just when the sickening sound of the expected impact fills the dusty air. The truck's tires squeal as it wobbles across the road before speeding away. The hard surface of Jennie's helmet presses into my face, her body tensing against me as particles of motorcycle parts fly in all directions and crash to the ground. Serena's unrecognizable bent body lies right where the truck had just passed through. A growing pool of crimson blood spreads in the middle of the highway. Her helmet is still bouncing a couple dozen feet down the road.

Poor motorcycle. It didn't deserve the same fate as its owner.

Jennie lifts her head and glances behind her before facing me again. "Did you just..." her voice trembles. Even through the visor, her wide eyes stare back at me like a frightened kitten.

I quirk an eyebrow. "Cause her to smash into a truck going sixty miles an hour? Yes." I slowly drive back onto the highway. No other vehicles are in sight, including the truck. I don't blame them for running away, I guess. Although they'll probably have to explain the possible bloody dent on the side.

Jennie's breathing quickens into short bursts when she stares at the gruesome sight before her. Serena's spine is visibly broken in half, the two blood dripping ends protruding through her back. Her head has become an unrecognizable mess of skull pieces mixed with bits of brain matter.

I can only imagine what Jennie must be feeling.

"Hey," I say softly, "don't look if it makes you uncomfortable."

"It's just... it's so much... blood," Jennie forces out, her voice quivering with each word.

The sound of pain in her voice stirs something up in me. We should be leaving the site before anyone else shows up. Against better judgment, I park the motorcycle on the shoulder of the highway. Kicking out the leg stand, I climb off and stand in front of Jennie.

"Hey, it's okay." I reach my hands out to grab her. To my surprise, she swats them away. Okay, maybe it shouldn't be surprising since I'm basically kidnapping her. But I ignore her resistance and unbuckle her helmet. I place it on the back before lifting her off the motorcycle and releasing her on the ground.

But instead of remaining on her feet, she crumbles down in a sobbing mess, her chest shuddering with every tear-filled breath she takes.

"No... no, it's not okay. How... how did I get here?" She chokes on her sobs, burying her face in her hands.

"It wasn't your choice. Things happened, but look, I'm here for you, okay? You've got me. We'll get through this," I gently try to reassure her. But I'm not good at comforting anyone, much less a crying human heap. So I don't know what to do, what to say, or how to help her emotionally.

"You... you're not blaming me..." Jennie sniffles.

A soft chuckle escapes me.. "No... you're not to blame in any of this. I... I brought you into this mess, and I'll get us both out of it." Those words taste bittersweet on my tongue. I'm finally admitting to her out loud that this is all my fault.

Jennie glances up, her face scrunched up in surprise. Without thinking, I bring my hand towards her face. She flinches as my fingers wipe away the hot tears streaming down, lingering on her skin for a second before I remove my hand.

"We have to go before someone else sees us." I stand and hold out my hand. Jennie wipes away the remaining tears before accepting my gesture to pull her off the ground.

"Do you know of any place where no one knows you go to?" I ask.

Jennie blinks. "Um... A friend owns this small flower shop on the Upper West Side... Pink Delights. She gave me a key to access it whenever I want, and nobody else knows I go there."

I ponder for a few seconds. "Is it closed today?"

"Yeah. They're closed on the weekends."

I nod. "Okay, sounds good enough to me. We'll hide out there and recuperate while I figure out what to do next." I check her helmet. A bullet graze marks the side of it, but otherwise it is still in good condition.

I hand it back to Jennie. "Good thing you were wearing this," I chuckle. Her eyes widen when she notices the dent, but she doesn't say anything. Taking the helmet from me, she straps it on.

I settle on the motorcycle and kick it into gear. It roars to life before quieting down to a low putt. I motion for Jennie to hop on. "I think you should get in front. We wouldn't want to do the switcheroo while being shot at again."

"Again?" Jennie gapes.

"Yep."

"Are you sure it's not... uncomfortable for you?" Even through the helmet visor, her face is visibly pinker than usual.

I shrug. "Not at all. Now come on, cupcake."

Jennie hesitates before climbing on the high spot in front of me. I'm looking straight at her, our eyes almost on the same level. Her big, adorable eyes are filled with worry, panic, and... embarrassment. With an amused smirk, I readjust myself on my seat to make it more comfortable.

I remove the leg stand. "Comfy?" I ask Jennie.

"Not really, but I'm fine." her voice rises higher at the end, proving her last part to be a lie. But I don't let it distract me when I rev the motorcycle a little.

"Great. Now hang on to me, and let's go find that payphone of yours."

Word Count. 2069