Chapter Three: Turning Tables in the Dark
A/N: Just wanted to let you know that Vanillafluffy inspired the title for the chapter in her review! I liked the way that she worded something and I was like "hey! That'd make a good chapter name!" Thanks!
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"Advantage?" Lorenzo hissed. "I'm calling Fideo first chance I get."
"It is an advantage, you're just do stupid to realize it," Sands answered. "Where's El?"
"I don't know. I can't see anything," the other man growled.
"Then just do everyone a favor and shut your trap." A grin spread across his face as he listened, hearing the men walking towards them. He knew that if it was dusk when El had picked him up, the sun was long past down by now. It was pitch black in the house, but that didn't bother him. He lived in the darkness. He stood, not wasting a moment, as he fired into the darkness. He heard several yelps and then quiet. How many were actually in there, he wondered briefly.
"Sands?" El's voice broke through his concentration.
Sands jerked his head around so he was facing the mariachi. "What?"
"Do you hear anything?"
"Your babbling," the former agent answered without hesitation, but then paused to listen again. There was nothing above the night breeze, which wasn't much, and the sound of a house. No creaking of floorboards under the feet of cartel men, no uncontrolled breathing in the room that would signify that the men had been running from his shower of bullets. Nothing but his, El's, and Lorenzo's steady breathing. "I think it's clear," he said quietly, finally giving into an urge to lean heavily against the couch he'd hid behind.
"You think or you know?" Lorenzo growled.
"You wanna be next?"
That shut him up, for the moment at least. Sands focused on not falling over the side arm of the sofa and, ungracefully, landing on either the floor or anything around it. He would not show weakness around El Mariachi or his friends. It was a simple thing, wasn't it? Standing up strait... Why did his head feel so light and his balance was all off? Oh yeah... loss of blood, that'd do it.
Lorenzo, who had disappeared to another room, reentered when the lights did. He looked around at the bodies strewn all over the living room and sighed. "This is what I was talking about, El."
El sighed loudly and glanced over at their third companion. He was pale under his tan and leaning far too heavily on the couch. "Sands?"
"What?" came the agitated reply.
"Are you all right?"
Sands pushed himself off the couch, turned as if he were going to say something, and promptly crumbled to the ground. He vaguely heard El shouting something to him and Lorenzo grumbling about more blood on the carpet and then nothing.
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"Listen, I had a lot of respect for him and what he can do, but as long as he stayed far away from me," Lorenzo said as he tied the last body up in a bag. He glanced over at the unconscious American on his couch. "I'm not going to protect him again, El. Either get him out of here or I'll hand him over and get a reward next time they come looking for him."
El sighed and turned his eyes from his friend, to Sands, and then back to Lorenzo. "I'll take him with me, then."
"You're leaving?"
"I was planning on going before his. You know that he wasn't the only person they were after last night."
Lorenzo frowned. "I'm not running you off, El. You're my friend and I'm not kicking you out." He paused, looking the elder man in the eye carefully. "Why are you really helping him?"
"As I said earlier."
"Then you really want to go chasing after the cartel with a blind man? That's suicide."
"Did you know," El began as he lit a cigarette, "that he was the one that hired us a year ago?"
Lorenzo frowned at this. "I don't care. El, do what you want. Hell, I know you can take care of yourself, but still be careful, okay?"
El smiled tightly. "Sure."
"Call Fideo and me for back up when you get to that point."
The mariachi eyed him for a moment. "Just two seconds ago..."
"Yeah, yeah, but then I thought about the money that we could get off of it," he answered with a grin. "Now get going."
El chuckled at this before walking over to collect the blind American and start for the car.
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Sands came back to reality with a pounding headache and pain radiating over every limb. He groaned slightly and shifted his weight. Where was he? They were moving... A car? Shit... Had they caught him after he collapsed?
"Sit still."
The former CIA agent relaxed a fraction at the sound of the mariachi's voice. "Where are we going?"
"Somewhere more safe. We were putting Lorenzo in danger."
Sands sighed as he shifted again, trying to find a comfortable position. "I've got somewhere to go. They won't look there, unless they follow us."
"Where's that?"
Sands grimaced as he turned his face towards the mariachi. "In Culiacan. Jorge Ramirez's house."
"How do I find that?"
"I don't care. Phone book?"
El glanced at the American in the passenger's seat. The bandages that he had wrapped around Sands' wound earlier were all ready dark red with blood. It was a good day's travel to Culiacan from where they were. Well, a good day's travel unless he pushed it. One more glance at the man next to him and he decided it was time to push it.
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A/N: Okay, finished a chapter in the morning, so I MIGHT have one out by this evening. That's a big maybe, though. :) Hope it was good!
LaVieSansAmour: I'm glad I'm keeping them all in character. Yay! That was one of my major fears with this story is that I wouldn't be able to. Oh, don't worry, I don't think I'd write a fic where Jack and Ana REALLY hated each other.... But a fake spat... Hmm... ::gets ideas::
Sands-Gasms: Ah! Thank you! You're so nice!! Hope this chapter lived up to your expectations.
Charm65: Keeping them in character is my biggest problem on this, lol! This is my first OUATIM fic, so I'm kinda getting a feel for it. Glad I've got them in character though :) People tend to say I keep the characters very in character, so I'm glad this isn't an exception.
Vanillafluffy: I think I'll have Fideo show up later. I like drunk characters, they're fun ::grins:: You would have gotten your money from it, but of course our wonderful Sands won! Thanks for the idea for the chapter name :)
A/N: ::looking over reviews:: Ya'll really like it? Cool! I'm really excited (really, you just made my day!) because I thought this story was going to suck and everyone was going to be like "what are you doing writing, you dolt! Go back to PotC and leave this fandom alone!" But you didn't! Yay! Sorry... I'm really happy I'm getting people in character and all that jazz. Much thanks!
A/N: Just wanted to let you know that Vanillafluffy inspired the title for the chapter in her review! I liked the way that she worded something and I was like "hey! That'd make a good chapter name!" Thanks!
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"Advantage?" Lorenzo hissed. "I'm calling Fideo first chance I get."
"It is an advantage, you're just do stupid to realize it," Sands answered. "Where's El?"
"I don't know. I can't see anything," the other man growled.
"Then just do everyone a favor and shut your trap." A grin spread across his face as he listened, hearing the men walking towards them. He knew that if it was dusk when El had picked him up, the sun was long past down by now. It was pitch black in the house, but that didn't bother him. He lived in the darkness. He stood, not wasting a moment, as he fired into the darkness. He heard several yelps and then quiet. How many were actually in there, he wondered briefly.
"Sands?" El's voice broke through his concentration.
Sands jerked his head around so he was facing the mariachi. "What?"
"Do you hear anything?"
"Your babbling," the former agent answered without hesitation, but then paused to listen again. There was nothing above the night breeze, which wasn't much, and the sound of a house. No creaking of floorboards under the feet of cartel men, no uncontrolled breathing in the room that would signify that the men had been running from his shower of bullets. Nothing but his, El's, and Lorenzo's steady breathing. "I think it's clear," he said quietly, finally giving into an urge to lean heavily against the couch he'd hid behind.
"You think or you know?" Lorenzo growled.
"You wanna be next?"
That shut him up, for the moment at least. Sands focused on not falling over the side arm of the sofa and, ungracefully, landing on either the floor or anything around it. He would not show weakness around El Mariachi or his friends. It was a simple thing, wasn't it? Standing up strait... Why did his head feel so light and his balance was all off? Oh yeah... loss of blood, that'd do it.
Lorenzo, who had disappeared to another room, reentered when the lights did. He looked around at the bodies strewn all over the living room and sighed. "This is what I was talking about, El."
El sighed loudly and glanced over at their third companion. He was pale under his tan and leaning far too heavily on the couch. "Sands?"
"What?" came the agitated reply.
"Are you all right?"
Sands pushed himself off the couch, turned as if he were going to say something, and promptly crumbled to the ground. He vaguely heard El shouting something to him and Lorenzo grumbling about more blood on the carpet and then nothing.
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"Listen, I had a lot of respect for him and what he can do, but as long as he stayed far away from me," Lorenzo said as he tied the last body up in a bag. He glanced over at the unconscious American on his couch. "I'm not going to protect him again, El. Either get him out of here or I'll hand him over and get a reward next time they come looking for him."
El sighed and turned his eyes from his friend, to Sands, and then back to Lorenzo. "I'll take him with me, then."
"You're leaving?"
"I was planning on going before his. You know that he wasn't the only person they were after last night."
Lorenzo frowned. "I'm not running you off, El. You're my friend and I'm not kicking you out." He paused, looking the elder man in the eye carefully. "Why are you really helping him?"
"As I said earlier."
"Then you really want to go chasing after the cartel with a blind man? That's suicide."
"Did you know," El began as he lit a cigarette, "that he was the one that hired us a year ago?"
Lorenzo frowned at this. "I don't care. El, do what you want. Hell, I know you can take care of yourself, but still be careful, okay?"
El smiled tightly. "Sure."
"Call Fideo and me for back up when you get to that point."
The mariachi eyed him for a moment. "Just two seconds ago..."
"Yeah, yeah, but then I thought about the money that we could get off of it," he answered with a grin. "Now get going."
El chuckled at this before walking over to collect the blind American and start for the car.
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Sands came back to reality with a pounding headache and pain radiating over every limb. He groaned slightly and shifted his weight. Where was he? They were moving... A car? Shit... Had they caught him after he collapsed?
"Sit still."
The former CIA agent relaxed a fraction at the sound of the mariachi's voice. "Where are we going?"
"Somewhere more safe. We were putting Lorenzo in danger."
Sands sighed as he shifted again, trying to find a comfortable position. "I've got somewhere to go. They won't look there, unless they follow us."
"Where's that?"
Sands grimaced as he turned his face towards the mariachi. "In Culiacan. Jorge Ramirez's house."
"How do I find that?"
"I don't care. Phone book?"
El glanced at the American in the passenger's seat. The bandages that he had wrapped around Sands' wound earlier were all ready dark red with blood. It was a good day's travel to Culiacan from where they were. Well, a good day's travel unless he pushed it. One more glance at the man next to him and he decided it was time to push it.
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A/N: Okay, finished a chapter in the morning, so I MIGHT have one out by this evening. That's a big maybe, though. :) Hope it was good!
LaVieSansAmour: I'm glad I'm keeping them all in character. Yay! That was one of my major fears with this story is that I wouldn't be able to. Oh, don't worry, I don't think I'd write a fic where Jack and Ana REALLY hated each other.... But a fake spat... Hmm... ::gets ideas::
Sands-Gasms: Ah! Thank you! You're so nice!! Hope this chapter lived up to your expectations.
Charm65: Keeping them in character is my biggest problem on this, lol! This is my first OUATIM fic, so I'm kinda getting a feel for it. Glad I've got them in character though :) People tend to say I keep the characters very in character, so I'm glad this isn't an exception.
Vanillafluffy: I think I'll have Fideo show up later. I like drunk characters, they're fun ::grins:: You would have gotten your money from it, but of course our wonderful Sands won! Thanks for the idea for the chapter name :)
A/N: ::looking over reviews:: Ya'll really like it? Cool! I'm really excited (really, you just made my day!) because I thought this story was going to suck and everyone was going to be like "what are you doing writing, you dolt! Go back to PotC and leave this fandom alone!" But you didn't! Yay! Sorry... I'm really happy I'm getting people in character and all that jazz. Much thanks!