A Second Kind of Rescue

"How's our little captive?" Lupin said, stepping into the hotel room with Jigen. The night had been long for the two men, and their worn appearances showed every sign of it. Instead of the easy in and out job they had planned, they were thrown into the chaos that is Inspector Zenigata. But, like all the other times, Zenigata was foiled by some master slight of hand and disguising, which allowed the two friends to slip away with their equipment unnoticed.

"She has many bruised ribs and would not fall asleep until about an hour ago," remarked the samurai and then quickly added, "her name is Jess." His own suddenness shook him and led to a mumbled, "I must transcend this…" as he walked out the door.

As the other two men were too tired to really perceive what had just happened, they shrugged their shoulders and pondered what was to be done with her.

"I don't know, Lupin," yawned Jigen rather incoherently as he slumped into a chair. "This chick is on our friggin' shoulders; it's like I feel guilty or something."

"Yea, that's because you're a friggin' pussy. Why don't you go put on a skirt, Little Miss Muffet? And sit on a tuffet at that!"

"Hey man, I'll give you something to sit on…" but he was cut off when the two bantering friends noticed the girl shuffling around and finally sit up with her back to them.

"Son of a bitch," Jess mumbled as she rubbed her aching ribs. "That's the last time I go to some f-ing museum to see some f-ing diamond in the f-ing rain." She muttered a few other curses under her breath as she drunkenly felt her way around looking for a restroom. Jess didn't notice the two men on the other side of the room. In fact, she didn't notice much of anything in her comatose state. It's safe to say she wasn't a morning person.

"She's wearing my boxers!" Lupin exclaimed when Jess found what she was looking for in the room adjacent and was out of ear shot.

"Yea, well she's wearing my undershirt, but let's face it – that's the best our clothes have ever looked," the sharpshooter said with a smirk. "I rather like her personality as well. I haven't heard a girl curse so much in a long time," he added with a chuckle.

"She's like a female version of you, except you act like that all the time."

At that moment, Jess reentered the room (finally with her wits together) where she stopped in the doorway just staring at the two men from the previous night. She had to lean against the doorway as it felt like her ribs were going to bust open, but she never kept her eyes off of them. The one in the red jacket had a devilish grin on his face while the one in the black fedora kept his solemn look from the night day previous except for now he raised his hat slightly to get a good look at her.

"Ah, you DO have eyes," she said with a laugh, but her laugh brought much pain instead and sent her to the ground in with a loud thump. "SHIT!"

The two men got up with a start, set her on the bed with little protest from Jess as she was in no position to complain. They then let her ask her expected questions about how she got there and when she would be released. As much as it was better to be battered and bruised and away from her previous life, she knew she would have to go back.

Lupin responded artfully as follows: "Yes, it is true you got here because of our escapades at the museum. I'm not going to pretend to act like we don't know what you are talking about in reference to the Hope Diamond as it is obviously sitting right over there. We won't kill you, we don't do that; and in regards to when you may leave – that is tentative on when you get better. Till then you may not call anyone or have contact with the outside world as we have our own asses to cover. Since you will be here for a while, let me introduce Jigen over there. I myself am Lupin III…and hey! Do you need someone to redress those wounds for you?" The last part was added when Lupin's eyes rested on Jess' chest to which Jess responded with slapping him on the face. "Damn."

The rest of the day was spent with the two men sleeping, no word from Goemon, and Jess sleeping on and off (as she had slept none really the night before.) Just for safety, Lupin and Jigen set up some crude booby traps to make sure Jess didn't leave, though they were sure she wouldn't get very far. By about 7 PM everyone was rested enough, but Lupin began getting ready like he was going out.

"Where are you going?" Jigen asked.

"I have myself a date with Fujiko, please repress any forms of jealousy." Jigen rolled his eyes in disgust as Lupin continued. "I'm counting on you to keep our little prisoner entertained. Don't do anything I wouldn't do wink.

"Yea, yea, whatever man. You just keep that friggin' bitch away from me. I don't trust her and it's really not good that she has you wrapped around her little finger…"

Lupin cut him off and waved, "Alright mom! Don't wait up!"

"Damn him…"

Suppressing her initial reaction to just say 'awkward' and laugh, Jess turned to the surly gunman and asked, "Do you have any cards?"

"Do I wear a hat?" Jigen said with a smirk. "But yea, what's your game?"

"Poker – Texas Holdem."

"A girl after my own heart, do you drink? What am I talking about; you're not 21 yet…"

"Do you have schnopps? I remember I liked schnopps when I was in Germany," Jess cut in. She really just wanted something to lighten her mood and possibly dull the pain in her side. Jess had been a "good girl" for so long that she saw her opportunity to finally just let her hair down. Tonight, she wouldn't care.

The night was much more eventful then either of them could have hoped for. Jess was finally able to be herself, well her self plus a bit of alcohol, which added a bit more cussing to her speech. Jigen found in Jess the most entertaining girl he had ever met. Just as Goemon found the night before, she was a tad different from girls they had been around in previous engagements. That infectious smile and the light brown eyes that always lit up when she won a hand were so addicting that he began losing a few hands on purpose just to see it.

"Hey, I was wondering…back in the museum, why did you smile at me?" Jigen asked with the confidence of alcohol.

"Oh, you looked as happy to be there as I was (which of course was not at all)…it was nice to find a kindred spirit, so as to speak. Going out is nice, but sometimes I rather just stay at home, how about yourself?"

"I'm pretty much the same way. Lupin goes out every almost every friggin' night, mostly with this chick Fujiko. Personally any night I can spend with a bottle of whiskey is a good night – either in or out." Both laughed at the comment; though it was mostly a laugh at anything point of the night. Their countenances both changed, though, after their laugh. All of sudden they became very silent, very awkward. Neither knew if something real or something of the liquor persuasion was happening.

"I…I need to use the restroom," Jess stammered and walked into the adjacent room. Jigen just nodded his head in compliance and looked away but kept watch out of the corner of his eye till she was out of sight. He had been able to drink much more then he had tonight without getting drunk, but every time he saw that girl he felt…he didn't really know.

Meanwhile, Jess shuffled her way to her proclaimed destination, but next to the bathroom door she saw the front door. Lupin had forgotten to re-booby trap it when he left and now it was unlocked and screaming for her to make her escape. Jess was torn; she had more fun tonight then she had ever had in her life…but she was a captive. Her intuition told her she must leave. The brunette couldn't help but be reminded by her song Killer Queen. "To avoid complications, she never kept the same address…heh. She looked toward the room where she had left her new found friend, whispered good bye, and slipped through the front door.

Thirty minutes had passed and Jigen realized that even a girl doesn't spend that much time in the restroom. He walked casually to the room in question and found it empty and the front door slightly ajar. "Shit," he whispered. The gunman put on his coat and ran out the door in search of the sly little captive.

Now, when one has been trampled by hordes of people and is working with more than a few bruised and possibly broken ribs, one will not get very far. Just two blocks from the hotel she had been held, Jess found herself groping the sides of buildings for support. It was all she could do to keep herself up, but she knew she must keep going. The night was not a forgivable one. For March weather, it was very brisk and the chill was biting at Jess' bare feet. Wind whipped around her and she began to cry at the pure desperation of her situation. "I just can't do it anymore…I just can't go it alone anymore…" she cried and finally fell to the ground. Jess hadn't the heart to go any further. Her eyes began to close and a deep sleep began to creep over her. For the first time in her life, Jess was allowing herself to give up. But what seemed like a dream, something lifted her from the ground.

Jigen had found her lying under a lamp post unconscious just as he had met her before. He picked her up in his arms and began walking slowly toward the hotel.

"We need to stop meeting like this," he whispered with a grin.

"I'm sorry, I'm really sorry. I saw my chance and I had to take it. I promise I won't leave again…I…I'm just so sorry."

"Hey, that's just the alcohol talking. Just don't do it again; I can't lose my favorite poker partner anyways.

"I won't." It was good enough for her. For such an odd and disturbing night, she was quite content with her present situation. Jess was able to let go, but now she had someone to at least carry her partly, figuratively and literally. The rest of the way to the hotel she just closed her eyes and smiled.