"You know what, I really hate driving cars." Mutt announced suddenly breaking the half-hour silence. Rose looked at her husband, not the way she thought this conversation would start.

"Ok?" She replied.

"Bikes are so much better, less boring." He concluded.

She laughed. He raised his eyebrows at her briefly, "I just realised," She told him, "our problems started around the time you sold your bike for a car, on my orders." Mutt turned to her quickly and was about to interrupt when she added, "I guess it was my fault. I wanted you to leave the old, more dangerous, Mutt thinking that it would have made you a better father." As soon as she uttered her last words she regretted it.

"You thought I was a bad father?" Mutt asked sadly forgetting she had just blamed herself for his misery.

"No!" She cried throwing her hands into the air and making him jump. "No, I didn't mean that. But you were always… egging on James, trying to make him want to be as dangerous as you and I didn't want my son to be killed in a motorbike accident before the age of seven." She smiled at him but his expression didn't change. "You've never been a bad father."

Mutt sighed, "Just a bad husband." Rose didn't know what to say she couldn't deny he had his faults but he hadn't always been this way, they used to be happy, before they pretended instead.

"You've never been a bad husband just lately you haven't been a particularly great one?" She questioned her own answer and he laughed, "That sounded like you have decided to forgive me." She looked at him opening and closing her mouth like a fish, "What happened to "I can't forgive you yet, I need more time"?" He asked solemnly.

"Well," She started slowly letting out a long sigh. "I have had more time, and I've over analysed everything you said to me in each of your apologies."

Mutt laughed, "Sounds just like you." He then said apologetically, "Go on."

"That you actually meant your apologises and that… I do forgive you and I want to work this out." She told him softly. He smiled at her with his bashful half-smile that he knew she loved. She blushed slightly and turned to look away from him grinning to herself.

"I love you, Rose Jones. Never forget that." He told her taking hold of her hand but keeping his eyes on the road as a motorbike flew past.

"I know." She replied and squeezed his hand, "I love you, too."

*

Anna tried to read her children's book, complete with pop-ups and flaps, but the rhythmic bump, bump was really starting to get on her nerves. "James, please can you stop hitting the ball against the wall?" She pleaded through the intercom.

He sighed but stopped. Cobra stared into their rooms, he had never noticed how James looked like a younger Mutt.

He thought back to the day he met the Jones's he had at once fallen for Rose's short black hair and her bright, wise eyes. He had kept his mind on the job until his father wanted to kill her. He hoped then, because of his heroic deed, she might like him back but of course Mutt got in the way. The guy had been nice enough but he made Cobra so jealous he could have strangled his "best friend."

Suddenly the lights went out and a small blue strip across each ceiling of the cell became the only source of light. The children moaned but climbed into they're new beds. A mattress had been put on the floor for them both with their sleeping bags and a pillow each on top.

The darkness had always been Cobra's friend but he was starting to begin to fear it.

*

"Well I thought that was very successful don't you Carl?" The man stood next to the door that lead to "The Room." She had just arrived back he didn't wish to know what she had done with the body.

"Yes ma'am." He replied.

She giggled, ""Ma'am" I feel like the Queen." He raised his eyebrows quickly but dropped them before she noticed. "Ah, I am exhausted." She sighed, "I'm feeling nice so I am going to let you have the rest of the evening to yourself." As he turned to leave she added, "But if you hear anything about the Jones's then I want to hear straight away, some imbecile lost them in Ireland."

He left abruptly knowing that, that he couldn't go home early that night if at all.

*

Rose's eyes were drooping, she could hardly keep them open. "Go on. Sleep. I'll be fine, me and the radio can get better acquainted while you do." Rose smiled and let her eyes drop falling into an exhausted sleep.

Mutt looked at her and smiled before turning on the radio quietly. In his wing mirror he could see the same black Mini that had been there for the past two hours. I think we have a problem. He thought to himself.

*

"Mum?" Carl re-appeared to find Mum doing her usual reading in front of the fire, "Jones and Nelson picked up the Jones's just under two hours from here."

"Who?" She replied looking up at the man.

"Um, Richard and Frederick."

"Oh!" She looked back in the fire and grinned, "They know what to do." She looked up at the man and he saw a menacing twinkle in her eyes which could only mean one thing, annihilation.

*

The black Mini started to speed up. Mutt noticed. His wife had been asleep for five minutes he didn't want to wake her up so quickly. You can do this. He thought to himself remembering the many different weapons that he had on his body. As he thought of drive-bys and the like he heard an almighty crash as the Mini rammed into the back of Ian's car. Rose abruptly woke and held her neck. "What the fuck?" She shouted and turned to look behind her narrowly missing the bullet that flew through the glass, past her head and got stuck in the windscreen.

"Oh, now I'm pissed off!" She cried and climbed into the backseat of the car. Mutt couldn't help but be attracted to his wife when she went all Clint Eastwood on him. She became strong, powerful and one kick-ass fighter.

Rose grabbed her gun and tried to point it at the man driving but couldn't get a good enough view so shot blindly and managed to hit the other man while a bullet ripped through her shoulder. "Ah!" She cried.

"Rose?"

"I'm fine Mutt, concentrate on the road." She commanded.

She reloaded the small pistol and muttered, "I have got this far and I'm not letting some block-headed low life kill me now." Mutt blinked hard but kept his concentration on the road.

Rose shot at one of the front wheels of the car but even though she could see the air escape it the man showed no sign of slowing. "Damn it!" She yelled clutching her shoulder. She shot at the men again this time hitting the man in the passenger seat between the eyes. He hit his head on the dashboard but the man driving didn't even look upset. She felt exhausted but couldn't stop, her family were in danger, that was when she noticed it.

A larger car appeared behind the mini, it looked like it was trying to catch up. "Um, honey?" Rose started, "I think they've got company."

Mutt looked in his mirror. Sure enough the larger blue car was starting to drive side-by-side the Mini. "This is it. We can't take them like this." Rose mumbled eying the hole in her shoulder.

"There's hope, there's always hope." Mutt replied noticing how white his wife was and how red the backseat had become.

Oh leaving it on a cliff-hanger (well ok not really). I know I promised serious butt kicking but I thought that it didn't quite work in this chapter and I wanted a car-chase. But I promise major arse kicking in the next chapter which will either be the final or penultimate.