A/N: I'm happy to hear constructive criticism, so if you have any, bring it on!
B.A. pulled the van to the side of the unpaved road, far enough away from the house that neither of the occupants would notice their approach but close enough that they would have no trouble making a quick getaway. "How far away are we?" Hannibal asked.
"'Round a quarter mile," said B.A.
"All right," said Hannibal. "Face, you and I will go in and get Julia. Sounds to me like Jarman will try pretty hard to hang onto what he thinks is his, so let's try to get in and out clean without attracting his attention." Face reached into the back and grabbed a rifle, handing it to Hannibal and taking one of his own.
"Murdock, make sure Jarman doesn't make any trouble for us," said Hannibal.
Murdock took the shotgun, loaded with the non-lethal projectiles he had helped B.A. put together. "Don't worry, Colonel. I'll make sure to aim above the waist." B.A. gave him a disgusted look. "Oh, come on, big guy," said Murdock. "You know I don't miss the target more than 20 percent of the time at the most."
Hannibal tried, not very successfully, to keep from laughing. "Face, we're moving," he said.
Face and Hannibal trotted up the roadway together toward the house, with Murdock following behind. The house was heavily shaded by the landscaping in the front yard, but it proved to be less foreboding than Hannibal had expected - like a well-kept version of the decaying property where the team had met Vivian.
As Hannibal had expected, the windows were covered with blackout blinds. Still, as the three men approached the house, he could see faint bursts of light flickering through the sides of the picture window. Someone was watching TV in a front room.
Hannibal motioned to Murdock, indicating that he should go around the house and through the back door. Murdock nodded and disappeared into the back yard.
After listening for a moment to make sure Murdock hadn't run into any unpleasant surprises, Hannibal stepped up on the front porch, Face close behind. He tried the door, finding it open, and walked quietly through the doorway. He and Face padded quietly through the entranceway, following the sound of the television.
Julia was sitting on the couch, looking far thinner and more care-worn than she had in the photo that Vivian had shown them. When she saw the two men, she started and began to say something. Hannibal quickly put his finger to his lips. "Shh - it's all right, Julia," he said, his voice low. "Vivian sent us to get you out of here." She stared at him, silent. "Come on." He put out his hand.
Julia still didn't move. Hannibal glanced toward the door, and then, without thinking, grabbed her by the wrist a little more tightly than he had planned. She let out a scream.
"Jesus, lady." Hannibal immediately wished he hadn't spoken. "We're here to help you, I said." It dawned on him that he wasn't helping the situation and he let go of her wrist. "Face . . ."
Face stepped in front of Hannibal and half kneeled in front of Julia. "Hey, Julia. You remember me, right?" She didn't respond, but the fear began to recede from her eyes. "Will you come with us?"
Julia looked at him, and then at Hannibal, and finally gave a staccato nod. "Ok," she said. She took Face's hand.
The three of them had gotten as far as the front porch when Hannibal noticed a flash of silver, caught by the afternoon light. Chrome. It took Hannibal's mind a moment to click into place. Oh my fucking god. How the fuck did I not make sure she wasn't following us?
There was no point in treating Julia with kid gloves now; she might not survive to appreciate it if they did. Hannibal grabbed her by the arm again and whisked her down the stairs so quickly that she was nearly airborne for half a second. As they began to cross the yard, Hannibal heard the van's rumble as B.A. approached.
Hannibal heard Murdock shouting. A man came running out the front door, moving faster than Hannibal would have thought possible for someone built like a Clydesdale horse. Jarman. At almost the same second, Vivian appeared in Hannibal's field of vision. What a goddamned time for a family reunion. "Face, go." Face held Julia firmly around the waist and ran across the yard with her.
Murdock, following Gus close behind, raised the shotgun. It exploded toward Gus, the handmade projectile knocking him over. He lay on the ground, dazed, and Hannibal thought he might be injured enough that he wouldn't be able to follow them. But Gus got up, rolling back his shoulders. He looked around, confused for a moment, and seemed to make a decision. He ran at Vivian, and although she saw him coming, she stood her ground. He punched her with a closed fist, knocking her to the ground.
The van came barreling up the roadway; Face and Julia reached it just as B.A. brought it screeching to a stop. Face threw open the door with his free hand, still holding Julia around the waist. In the second that they were standing still, Julia looked behind them and saw Vivian. She screamed her sister's name, struggling to get away from Face.
I'm sure this day could get even worse, but I don't see how, thought Hannibal. "Face, get her inside!"
Face held on to Julia, but kept his gaze trained on Vivian and Gus. Hannibal could almost see the wheels turning in Face's head. "Lieutenant! Into the van! Now!" Face cast one more look in Vivian's direction, and then dragged Julia, still screaming, into the back seat. B.A. made a hard U-turn toward Hannibal and Murdock.
Gus cursed and pivoted on his heel. He took a pistol out of his waistband and pointed it at Vivian, who was still half supine on the ground, bleeding from her mouth.
I guess I just figured out how. Hannibal trained his rifle on Gus. Before he could say anything, he saw Gus flick the safety off and prepare to shoot.
Hannibal and Gus fired at the same second. The force of Hannibal's shots threw Gus into the air as they reached their target, but not before his own round hit Vivian. Goddammit. Game over. Goddammit.
The van fishtailed as it headed toward Hannibal and Murdock, and B.A. slammed on the brakes so that the two could get inside. Hannibal slammed the the door shut and the team sped away.
Face said something, but only thing Hannibal could hear was Julia. She was still screaming her sister's name as she looked out the back window, watching the carnage recede into the distance.