28
Heero picked up a very happy Relena up from the hospital. She threw her arms around and jumped into his car. He tossed her bags into the trunk and zoomed off. He called his friends on his cell phone, indicating his early departure (they were like ok, whatever, of course).
"Where are we going, Heero?" Relena asked sweetly after they were on the road.
"To somewhere very special to me: the house I grew up in." Heero said. Relena smiled. She scooted close to Heero, and he wrapped his free arm around her shoulders. They stayed like that for several minutes. She watched his handsome face watch the road, smiling gently. Heero switched lanes. He looked in his rearview mirror. A stylish station wagon was behind them. It caught up to them. The guy in the passenger's side flicked Heero off and the driver glared at him. Heero looked at them and his eyes flashed. The two guys' expressions were ones of intimidation, and they slowed down. Heero thought that one of them looked familiar, with his pale flushed skin, light green eyes, and dark hair, the passenger. The station wagon pulled into the sight of the rearview mirror. Heero watched the car and the passenger. He watched the passenger pull a stick out of the back seat, connect it with something, and drive up. As they drew closer, Heero saw that the 'stick' was a rifle. Relena looked at him. Heero's contented expression melted into an angry mask. He unbuckled his seatbelt and pulled out his handgun and handed it to Relena.
"Load this," he told her, "there are bullets in the glove compartment. Hurry up. " Relena mimicked the process she'd seen in so many movies. She handed the gun to Heero. There was a gunshot. Relena cried out, dropping the gun. There was a thin, red cut on her hand where a bullet had grazed it. The bullet hole was in the glove compartment. Heero's eyes went wide and the station wagon pulled up closer. Heero sped up. The two cars exceeded the limit. The station wagon pulled up enough for the driver to aim.
"Relena! Duck!" he covered her with his body. The rear and one of the back windows collapsed with the shock of a gunshot. Relena screamed. Heero cursed. He jerked around, shoved his hand down into the back pouch, and pulled out another gun. He fired two shots at the front window, just missing the gunman. He was two feet away from a car in front of him. He jerked the wheel to the left and hit the front of the station wagon. The car jolted, almost throwing out the gunman. He sat on the windowsill. Heero tried to shoot him, but somehow got the back seat. The gunman fired at Heero, but took off the headrest with one ruthless shot. Heero stuck his arm out and fired three more times. One hit the driver, but he kept coming, faster than ever. Heero tried to hit the gunman again, but his gun clicked with the sound of a bullet-less barrel. He threw the gun at Relena and yelled at her to reload it. She did in a split second and tossed him the gun. He fired at the gunman.
"Heero..."
"What?"
"Heero!"
"What?!"
"Heero!"
"What?" They were flying toward a construction-side pit.
"Aaaaaahhh!" they screamed in unison. Heero yanked the wheel. The car pounded the station wagon, crushing the gunman between the two cars. The cars flew apart again. The gunman's arm was grotesquely curved, but he still picked up the rifle, and fired like a madman.