What's a Gun Between Friends?

"I can't control my destiny. I trust my soul. My only goal is just to be," sang the familiar young woman.

A week in France had given Jess a warm glow and the usual little freckles across her nose and cheeks. This was due to her daily excursions to the pond she found about half a mile behind the chateau. Every day it was the same thing. She'd shove the back door open singing a tune that would never resemble any other she had sang before and would then stop and pick dandelions.

"Stupid bastards won't stop growing!" she exclaimed out loud. "Why don't you understand that you must grow away from the house?"

After about 5 minutes of yelling at the silent weeds the brunette would then throw her hands in the air and continue on with her preset journey. Everyday it was the same and everyday she would have an audience from the second story window.

"Hey, are you listening man?" a perturbed man in red yelled to his comrade at the window.

"Huh? Oh, yea. Actually no, what did you say?"

"Come over here, stop oogling her, and look at these floor plans." The gunman turned around and restrained his initial reaction to tell Lupin to shut up. Walking up to the large blueprint on the table he joined the other two men studying it carefully.

"Is this where they are keeping the painting?" Goemon asked pointing to the inner box of the rooms on the map.

"Yea, I'm not going to lie. It'll be harder to get to than Mother Theresa's underwear, but we can do it."

"The Louvre has some the most tricky friggin' security work I've ever seen," Jigen said indicating to the entrances and posts of guards.

"It'll be fine gentlemen, I have a plan." The master thief leaned back in his chair and smirked with his usual confidence. "But, for now I recommend you just relax since we have been at this all morning."

By mid afternoon the brunette reappeared. Noticing the time she got dressed in real clothes (since a bathing suit isn't very appropriate for normal day attire, much to the men's disappointment.) Walking out to the main foyer of the house she couldn't find a soul so just took the lazy route and yelled.

"I'm going to town! Does anyone need anything?"

"Dry cleaning!" responded Lupin as he suddenly appeared from around the corner and consequently throwing the needed cleaning at her.

"Hey, friggin' A…"

"Yea, me too!" exclaimed Jigen right behind Lupin as he thrust his clothing at her as well.

"I hate you two."

"Thanks Jess, you're a godsend. Kisses kisses!" answered Lupin while waving and quickly disappearing with Jigen in tow who merely smirked at the disgruntled girl.

"If it's going to be like that, I'm taking you with me," Jess remarked pulling an unsuspecting Goemon who had heard all the noise and decided to see what was causing it. "Your food came in anyways, plus I need company."

"Very well…and did you just say my food came in?"

"Yea, miso soup and pickled radishes or whatever."

"Excellent."

During her stay with the Lupin gang, Jess began to find it necessary to have some kind of purpose. She never liked receiving things she didn't earn, and in thinking like so took it upon herself to act as an organizer and planner. It worked to her advantage as well since it allowed time for her favorite pastime of escaping (even if it was just to town.)

"Goemon, can you tell me a story of slight significance?" the young woman asked staring at the warm sun.

"I rather hear a story or more so a truth of slight significance from you."

"What do you mean?" she inquired bringing her gaze back to earth.

"What are your intentions with Jigen?"

"I'm sorry, did you say you were his father because that is adorable."

"I'm serious. Unfortunately he has been betrayed by women in the past and had quite given up on the gender as a whole until he met you. If he had to go through one more…"

"Goemon, don't worry about it."

"It is impossible for me to ignore the matter."

"No, I mean, you don't need to worry because my intentions don't lie in misleading him." Jess turned to look up at the stern man and nodded. "Understand?" She gave a shy smile at having to confess but was able to deter the subject when they reached the town. "Your food is at the post office. Meet me here when you're done."

"Very well."

Jess' own errands were quite short and the post office was far on the other side of town, which led to a bored waiting girl. Her boredom was dispensed, though, when she felt a tap on the shoulder.

"Jessica, is that you?" That voice was familiar but she couldn't place it. Luckily she didn't have to guess as she looked up to see a much unexpected face.

"Malcolm? Malcolm Narcus? Why in the world are you here?"

"I thought you would be happy, my dear. I couldn't stop thinking about you and the things you said. You were right, I have to follow my heart and my heart is with you."

"Well, that's wonderful Malcolm, but what are you doing here?"

"I came to get you. I got information from the signs I had up that you had boarded a train for this town and since then I have been asking everyone here if they had seen you. To be honest I had quite given up, but seeing you here has made all the difference."

"That's very…" Jess wanted to say creepy, odd, stalkerish, anything to make him go away, but she instead said, "flattering."

"I knew you would think so. You must come back with me to Italy. I can give you anything you want."

"I can't go, I'm sorry." She wasn't sorry. The brunette was kicking herself for want of telling this guy to leave her alone.

"What! Why not? Money is no option." He began to move closer to her, which made the young woman a tad afraid. The billionaire didn't move with a sense of tenderness, this was anger.

"You must understand. My…my heart lies with someone else."

"Is it that man who just left you at the ball? What kind of man would do that? He obviously doesn't appreciate you as I would."

"Yes, it is that man and it isn't your right to make judgments like that." Jess noticed that her sought after samurai was approaching. "Listen Malcolm, I'm sorry you went through all this trouble, but please do no bother me again. Good bye." With that she took her spot next to Goemon and walked away without looking back.

"Who was that man you were speaking with?"

"No one important."

"I sense trouble about him."

"Yea," she mumbled, "so do I."

After dinner that evening, the quartet went about their separate business. Lupin went back upstairs in an attempt to continue research on his next job. Goemon found outside was where he wished to be and left for the pond Jess insisted was "grood" for meditation. Outside seemed to then be a popular spot as the other two members migrated out as well. Jess took all the information she had received on Oxford that she had meant to read and read it. Jigen simply took the time to take a smoke. Both of the smokers in the house, in consideration to Jess' complete abhorrence, smoked outside. It wasn't even an inconvenience at this point and merely out of habit.

"What the hell is wrong with me?" the gunman thought to himself. "There's no point in carrying this crap on with her. All girls in the end really are the same – just manipulating bitches." He looked off in the distance and could just barely make out the silhouette of the lounging young woman. "Yea, you look so harmless out there. Why won't you just betray us and get it over with."

His gaze continued in the young woman's direction, which led him to crack a smile as he saw her fling another dandelion and curse. The confused man's simple enjoyment was cut short when he heard a very soft bang and felt something bite his arm.

"Damn it." Jigen looked down at his arm and noticed it was bleeding. Someone had shot at him and grazed him. He turned around to find his assailant standing a mere ten yards away. "Who the hell are you?" The marksman began to reach for his gun.

"Don't even think about it. Put your hands up right now and turn back around or I'll shoot at the girl." Jigen complied with the crazed man's directions, but he couldn't shake the feeling he was familiar. "As to whom I am, I am Malcolm Narcus."

"So what the hell do you want? A medal?"

"No, I want what should be mine since you don't deserve it. I want Jessica."

"You want Jess!"

"That's right. You certainly don't know how to treat a woman who is like that. She says her heart belongs to you and I figure if I get rid of you she'll be mine for the taking."

"You act like she's a piece of property." Of course what the man in black was really thinking about was the statement about Jess' heart…and how to kill this bastard. His shooting arm was injured and the fact that Narcus had a silencer on his gun gave him the ability to shot and make an escape. Jigen's train of thought was interrupted by a familiar sound off in the distance.

"If you wanna love me, then darlin' don't restrain…" sang a strolling brunette. She decided the mosquitoes would eat her alive if she didn't go inside but would find a bigger problem to worry about.

"You hear that? She sings for me!" the crazed billionaire proclaimed.

"JESS! Don't come any closer. Run the hell away!" But it was too late as the young woman stopped dead in her tracks to see Malcolm pointing a gun at the bleeding gunman.

"No, let Jessica see that it is I who is the better man for her."

"Listen bub, if you don't even know she prefers being called Jess than what the hell kind of chance do you have?"

"Shut up! Shut up!" He was shaking now with anger and obvious insanity. "You're the one who just left her all alone at the ball. You obviously don't appreciate her as I would. That is why you must die."

As the events unfolded in front of her, Jess began to cry. She was crying without a sob, merely rolls of tears pouring down her face. For once, she didn't mind letting anyone see her cry. It didn't seem to matter. Through the water, the brunette stared straight ahead at the stuck man who too shared the forward gaze. This had to end now.

"Malcolm, please just let me hug him one last time."

"What? You mean you will come with me then?"

"Yes, just let me say goodbye."

"Fine, but you may not kiss him!"

The young woman, although very tense, walked smoothly up to Jigen and put her arms around him.

"You bitch, you'll just let me die…" he whispered

"Shut up, where's your gun?"

"What? You want to shoot me instead?"

"Where's your gun," she asked again without flinching. Jess didn't wait for an answer, though; as she remembered he kept it tucked into the back of his pants. Moving her hands slowly down underneath the marksman's jacket she plucked out the gun and shot their assaulter.

"Jess, did you just kill…"

"No, I shot him in the shoulder. Stay here." The brunette no longer had the broad smile she normally wore. This man had crossed the line and would now have to deal with the cold hearted Jess. She picked up the billionaire's gun which had fallen to the ground and then proceeded to walk straight up to the crazy man himself.

"Jessica…how could you? I thought…"

"You thought wrong. Don't you ever come near me or my friends especially, again. You see, I merely shattered your shoulder, but if you come within a country of me that man behind me will kill you. If not him, I will. I don't love you much less like you, so please move on. No woman wants to be told, threatened or pitied into liking a man. You disgust me." With that, Jess turned around and retrieved Jigen.

"Your arm needs attention, let's go inside."

"What were you thinking doing something like that?" he asked when inside and sure Narcus had scrambled away

"I was thinking you smelled like cigarettes actually." Jess remarked while tying the bandage on his arm.

"Where did you learn to shoot straight?"

"My dad is a hunter, NRA member, and owns 12 assorted guns. I was bound to pick up something. Plus," she added with a grin, "You leave your safety off so I knew I would be OK."

"He said you told him your heart belonged to me." Jess stopped, thought for a moment and then continued with her work.

"It would stupid to deny that now." Her heart pounded hard in her chest so much she was sure the whole house could hear, but she continued in her cool tone, "You mean a lot to me and I really don't know why. You're a smoker, a drinker, sarcastic, take pleasure in making fun of others, and have the ability to be completely distant and cold on the turn of a dime. But you know what? I am too, well minus the smoking and drinking."

The young woman stood up as she had finished bandaging the gunman and walked towards the window.

"I thought you said if you had the chance you would shoot someone in the face," came a voice from behind her as she felt a hand rest on her shoulder at the same time.

"I guess we can add liar to that list."

"That's fine. You work on the truth and I'll take some of that nicorette gum. And to finally answer your question, yes."