Alfred eyed the car approaching them from behind warily. "Mattie… Take a look behind us. It doesn't look good."

"I know." Matthew had been watching in the mirror on his side the entire time. "Better speed up, just in case."

"Right. Hold on!" He pressed down on the gas, urging the dark vehicle to go just a little faster, but it didn't seem to deter to other driver, who continued to creep up behind them. Only a few minutes since they'd first noticed the car, a bullet shot into the back window.

"God bless bullet-proof glass!" Alfred breathed, pressing even harder on the gas. "Come on babe, just a little faster!"

Vash thought of his guns, which were now sitting in the back trunk of their vehicle, and resisted the urge to throw his hands up and swear. "Matthew! Are there any guns in here?" He asked quickly.

The Canadian nodded, and dug through the glove compartment for a moment before tossing a handgun into the backseat. "Sorry. It's all I've got."

Green eyes raked across the small hunk of metal, before he decided that it would be good enough, and started rolling down the window. "Get down Lily."

She nodded, and crouched forward, still watching the others nervously, while Vash angled himself for a clear shot.

Whichever moron they had shooting in the other car, he wasn't going to be shooting for long. Vash held the gun up in front of his face, aimed, and let the rest of the world go silent. The wind that sent his hair flying every-which-way seemed to still, and rest. Alfred's panicked swearing was muted into the background, along with the noise of the engine.

He closed his eyes, and fired.

Time sped to catch up, and the noise returned, along with the added faint sounds of pain coming from the other car, as the man likely clutched at his bleeding hand. His handgun would lie forgotten on the road for quite some time.

Meanwhile, Vash prepared for a second shot at the driver, hoping their glass wasn't bullet-proof.

It wasn't. But Alfred jerked the wheel slightly as he fired, and the shot was off. By his judgement, it was off by just enough to keep it from being a kill shot as he'd hoped. Either way, the car behind them skidded off to the side of the road, barely making it to the shoulder before coming to a halt.

With a satisfied sigh, Vash returned to a sitting position, and rolled the window back up. "All done."

"Dude… that was awesome." Alfred breathed, returning to a slower speed. "Like… James Bond awesome. I am so freaking glad you're not trying to kill me anymore."

"He definitely is one of the best." Matthew added.

"Was." Vash corrected, making the others stop, and think about it.

"Right. There's no way any of us are going back there."

"What about Liz? And Gilbert?" Lily asked in horror. "Your job… everything!"

"Is this Kohler guy doesn't kill us first, I'll get fired for helping Alfred here escape. I'm practically AWOL right now." He explained steadily, though it was clear that he was angry about this fact as well. Everything he'd worked for was gone now. Though they'd discussed it before, based on her reaction, she probably thought that they'd be going back in a few months after it all blew over. She didn't know how long a grudge could last.

"Don't worry about it anyway Lily, we can start over somewhere else. What's important now is that we all get out of here safely."

At that, Alfred grew oddly silent. Matthew only needed a glance to tell that he was feeling guilty. And while it wasn't really Alfred's fault that the siblings would have to pull up their stakes and move elsewhere, there would be no telling him that, and he'd continue to feel guilty for quite some time.

He just hoped that Arthur would be able to talk some sense into him. That had always been a skill of his.

{}}{{}

"For fuck's sake, I said I'm fine! Now get your asses back into that car, and catch them!" Vargas snarled, holding the bandages to the side of his head.

Alfred jerking the wheel as Vash had taken the shot had really saved his life back there, even if he didn't know it. The bullet that had had his name on it had just barely grazed the side of his temple. The wound was neither life threatening, nor deep, but it was certainly enough to be painful, and a serious hindrance to driving any farther.

"Sir, we can't just leave you here alone." One of the men offered quietly.

"Like hell you can't! Look, unless you want to deal with Kohler when he's pissed, you'll get into that fucking car, and keep going until you find Jones and his buddies!"

"At least let one of us stay with you."

"No way in hell. I can walk myself over to the next town just fine, and the more people you've got capable of shooting whoever they've got gunning the thing, the better. Speaking of which, how's your hand kid?"

The younger man, who was still clinging to his steadily dripping hand, looked up and shrugged.

"Well then you'll be no good for the team. Come on, I'll take you with me to a hospital. A for you three… get moving!"

Grudgingly, they obeyed, and within minutes, the car was back on its way to hunt down Jones. Even though Lovino knew that they wouldn't catch up at this point.

With a groan, he pulled out his cellphone, and began searching for reception as they walked. Stupid highway towns, not having a cell tower for miles.

Finally, he got a few bars, which was all he needed, and quickly dialled Andreas' number.

"Yes?"

"We got hit. I sent the guys on ahead, but I don't know if they'll be catching up anytime soon."

"Who was it that shot you?"

"That cop Jones has working for him, isn't it? The guy's a fantastic shot. I'm surprised he didn't kill me."

"It's a pity it didn't. Mathias might do worse."

Lovino swallowed sharply, and nodded, even though the man wouldn't be able to see him. "Well I'll just have to take my chances, won't I?"

"I suppose you will. Now, did you at least get a better idea of where they're headed?"

"Yeah. They just crossed the border to Quebec near some town called North Bay when we'd caught up to them. They'll probably cross it again in a bit to catch a plane from Ottawa. They're as good as gone once they get into a city that size."

"I'll let him know. He won't be happy, but maybe he'll learn to live with it."

"Don't get your hopes up."

"Same to you." Andreas paused, as if thinking about something, before continuing. "He doesn't need to know you're alive Vargas." And without another word, he hung up, leaving the other man stunned. He hadn't known the man to be that helpful, or forgiving.

But then again, his patience with their leader had been waning lately. That would be part of it.

Maybe losing this battle with Jones would help him.

{}}+{{}

Thanks for reading~!

Next up, to Arthur's house!

Just going back and rereading chapter 6, and noticed a terrible, terrible error in consistency, which makes me want to cry. I'm too lazy to fix it, but just know that I acknowledge it's there, and if you spot it… don't point it out please.

Tired… very tired… leave a review please. I'm going to bed.