Author's note. See last chapter for note. ;)

Thanks to Scarlett for the use of Cameron. He's just so fun!

Thanks to all my loyal readers.

Unbeta'd.

Cam had left to go to headquarters to see what he could dig up from Matinize's files. Sarah was checking her e-mail while Cerise was pacing. "Listen Sarah, I'm going to go down to the cafe and get...I don't know, a cup of coffee or something."

Sarah looked up at her. "You want company?"

Cerise sighed, shrugging. "I'll go with you." Sarah said, shutting down her lap top. She stood, grabbing her 9mm off the table and putting it in her shoulder holster, pulling her jacket on to cover it.

Cerise watched her, before she shook her head. "I still can't get used to the idea you're so dangerous." She muttered.

Sarah grinned. "Oh I know... Took me awhile to get used to playing the naive role."

They left Sarah's room and headed to the elevator. "I'm sure Jeff and El are alright."

"I don't doubt that..." Cerise muttered. Sarah wrapped an arm around Cerise's shoulders as they got into the elevator.

"Everything'll be fine, luv." Sarah said soothingly. "Before you know it, Lily'll be back in you're arms."

Cerise smiled grimly. "I know...it's just all the time in between now and then that worries me."

The elevator came to a stop and they got out, heading towards the cafe. Cerise was trying to fight back the tears that were threatening at the very thought of Lily. They were almost towards the door of the cafe when the cry pierced the air. "MUMMY!" Cerise's eyes grew wide and she spun. Sands and El were striding across the lobby confidently. And in Sands' arms was Lily. Cerise felt her knees buckle, the tears rolling down her cheeks, she didn't hold back. Half way across the lobby, Sands stopped and put Lily on the ground. Lily ran to Cerise, who dropped to the floor when her knees gave way. Lily flung her arms around Cerise's neck, hugging her. Cerise held her tight, rocking slightly, crying softly. "I miss you." Lily said, grinning. "Oh Lily bug!" Cerise hugged her again.

Sands walked over to where El said Cerise had dropped to the floor, where he could hear Lily. He crouched down beside Cerise, reaching out to touch her face. Cerise looked up at him. "I told you, I'd get her back." Sands said with a cocky grin. Cerise shifted Lily on her lap and threw her arm around his neck, pulling him to her and she kissed him passionately.

"Oh God, Sheldon... I..." Sands cupped her chin with his hand, putting his thumb on her lips, hushing her.

"Shh. It's all right. But it's not over yet, sugar. You know Rick will come gunning for us now." Cerise nodded, still holding on to Lily, still sitting on the floor of the lobby with Sands crouched next to her.

"El and I are going to take you, Lily and Sarah to El's village. Rick wont follow right away, it'll give us a chance to prepare for him." Sarah grimaced. That changed everything. She'd have to tell Sands that Cam was here and she'd have to tell Sands at least SOME of what was going on.

"Right," Sands took Cerise's hand and pulled her to her feet. "We'll grab our shit and get the hell out of here." He said. One hand on Cerise's waist, they all headed towards the elevator. They were half way to it, when someone opened fire on them from the doors of the hotel. Cerise ducked, holding Lily. Sands grabbed her arm and shoved her up the stairs as El and Sarah turned and opened fire on the gun men that had appeared. "Go!" Sarah yelled, with out looking over her shoulder. Sands pushed Cerise again.

They ran up the stairs, Cerise leading Sands. But she stopped in the hall, turning to him.

"Where are we going to go!" She demanded, holding Lily to her. Lily was crying, clinging on to Cerise. Sands stopped, catching his breath, putting a hand on Lily's back. He turned his head towards the stairs. "Is there a back door to this place?" He asked Cerise.

"I imagine..." Cerise looked around.

El and Sarah came running up the stairs at that moment. "They're Rick's." Sarah told them.

"No shit!" Sands snapped.

"We'll escape via the fire escape. Come on!" Sarah said. They ran down the hall. Sarah stopped at her door, kicking it open, breaking the lock. She ran in and grabbed her laptop and cellphone, stuffing them in a black bag as she ran back towards the door. El had already gone up the hall to his room and recovered his guitar case, so they met up with him as they ran by.

"Wait!" Cerise cried, starting to stop near her and Sands' room, but Sarah grabbed her arm. "We don't have TIME!" Sarah replied, pulling her.

"But, Sarah..." Cerise started to pull back. El and Sands were running a head of them.

"No! Let's go Cerise!" Sarah ordered. She shoved Cerise and Lily a head of her as they heard pounding footsteps coming up the hall. Sarah glanced over her shoulder as they turned a corner, but kept running.

El had led the way to the fire escape and he opened the window with a dull bang, sticking his head out. It was an old kind of escape, with a counter weight on the ladder. He climbed out and started out on it, letting the ladder lower slowly. When he started to get off, he grabbed the last rung, so he could hold it down as the others came. Sands followed, Cerise after him. Carefully, having told Lily to hang on tight with her arms around Cerise's neck, she climbed down slowly. At the end, Sands took Lily around the waist and pulled her off of Cerise, so Cerise could get down. Sarah followed. And as she got off, she turned and drew her gun, firing off two shots, cutting the rope holding the counter weight, which crashed to the ground, the ladder flinging back up, and locking in a horizontal direction.

"Now what?" El asked. "We look for a car." Sands answered. Sarah and El peaked out of the alley for any sign of their pursuers. When there was none, they made a break for the parking lot that was behind the hotel. They found a black Nissan.

"There are no keys in it..." El said, looking through the window.

"Oh ye of little faith." Sands muttered, running his hands over the side of the car, till he found the driver side window. Then he drove his elbow through the glass, shattering it. Then he stepped back.

"This is where Cherry comes in." He said to the other two.

"Take Lily." Cerise said softly, handing Lily to Sands. He held her, letting her bury her face in his shoulder. Cerise unlocked the door and yanked it open, brushing the seat off. She crouched down and felt under the steering wheel with her fingers.

"I think I can...yes..." She muttered, mostly to herself. She pried the covering off and pulled out a hand full of wires into view.

Standing for a moment, she reached into Sands' jean pockets, "Carefull what your lookin' for." He said with a grin. Cerise pulled out his butterfly knife, flicking it open. She then sat down in the seat, turning her self at an angle and laying back, so that her head was under the steering wheel, her feet on the ground infront of Sands. She began cutting a couple wires.

When she'd cut the right ones, she flipped the knife closed and laid it on her stomach, going back to work. Twisting a few of the cut wires together, she waited. Then she twisted the last two together and the engine started up. She got out of the driver's seat.

"All your's El." She said, fingering the knife.

"How did you do that?" El asked, looking for the car to her.

Cerise smiled slightly. "I learned, from my partner."

El got into the driver's seat and Sarah got into the passenger's seat. Sands and Cerise got into the back seat with Lily. The little girl curled up on Sands' lap, laying her head on his shoulder, the thumb of one hand in her mouth. "Where are we going?" Sarah asked. "To El's village." Sands answered.

El started to open his mouth to object, but in the review mirror, he saw Sands' hand slip to his gun and he put the car in gear, pulling out of the parkinglot and on to the road. Cerise sighed, looking out the window. "It's going to be a long drive, if you two keep arguing like this." Sarah said from her seat. Sands turned his head in her direction, "Aw, you know El and I, sibling rivalry." El snorted, but kept his mouth shut.