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A/N: Thanks for the feedback, especially Rin22 - I'm glad it works for you and you enjoyed the last chapter title.

Part Eight: Hit Me with Your Best Shot

"Jordan? Jordan? Open your eyes." Lily's voice was fuzzy. "Please. Come on, Jordan." The grief counselor shook her friend gnetly, hoping for some sign from the prone figure on the floor.

Groaning, Jordan opened her eyes and pushed herself into a sitting position. She felt her gorge rise and took several deep breaths fighting it. Her head thudded in time to her pulse. She reached around and touched the back of her head. She winced and pulled away her hand. Her fingers were sticky with blood, but not much. Her mind cleared quickly and, though it made her woozy, she turned to look at Lily. "It's all right, Lily. I'm going to live." She grimaced. "And let's discuss the irony of that statement later."

"Jordan, he said he was coming right back. As soon as he made another cup of his 'special' tea. "We've got to get out of here."

Jordan nodded. "Yeah. Are you better? Can you stand?"

"I'm going to," Lily stated.

"All right, this way." Jordan levered herself up using the edge of the crate Lily had been sitting on. She swayed for a moment, put a hand out to steady herself and then put one foot in front of the other. She reached a hand to Lily and helped her up. They kept their hands clasped as they made their way toward Jordan's unorthodox point of entry.

"Watch out for the glass," Jordan warned.

"Jordan, don't take this the wrong way, but this is really weird. I mean, you're - you're - we all thought..."

"I know, Lily." Jordan's was soft and regretful. "And I'm really sorry."

They reached the window. Quietly dragging over another of the crates littering the room mocked up as a grocery supply room, they decided Jordan would go first and then could help Lily through the window, since her leggs were still the wobbliest. Jordan was halfway through the open frame when Lily shrieked. "Not again," Jordan muttered as Neill Cassidy grabbed her and shoved the crate aside with his foot. He caught hold of her legs but was unprepared for her resistance. A sudden kick knocked him off balance. He reeled, holding on to Jordan, pulling her back into the basement. Legs flailing, nails ready to scratch, teeth even bared, Jordan didn't go down easily. Instead she and Cassidy fell in a heap on the floor. Jordan gasped with pain as they hit the floor. She was pretty certain she'd cracked a rib or two and her hip was going to be one large bruise. Not bad, though, for a dead woman.

Next to her, Cassidy gasped for breath, the impact having winded him. Metal glinted in the dim light. Sticking up from Cassidy's waistband was a thirty-eight. Jordan grabbed for it. Though he moved as though underwater, the Tell killer tried to stop her. His hand closed on her wrist like a vise. He began shaking her wrist. Jordan felt her grip weakening.

She screamed Lily's name and flung the gun as far as she could.

On her hands and knees, Lily crawled toward the weapon. She glanced over her shoulder a couple times, the sight redoubling her efforts to reach the gun. Though Jordan was fighting for her life, Cassidy was slowly winning. He pinned the M.E. to the floor and straddled her. Grinning maniacally, his eyes glittering with utter insanity, he leered down at her.

"I'm going to use you for target practice, bitch."

Jordan snarled back, "I bet that's what you say to all the girls."

He paused for just a moment. "You think I'm joking?"

"I think you're going to fail," his intended victim replied. God, Dad, please get here, she thought. Her hasty phone call while she'd cased the house had to prove helpful.

"You know, most of the time, I make it easy."

"Really? How's that?"

"I give them the tea first." He licked his lips. "You ,I'm going to do alive - and kicking."

"No, you're not." Lily's voice was dead cold. In the sudden silence, it was nothing to hear the hammer being pulled back, the round being chambered and Jordan had little trouble imagining the feel of the metal pressed against Cassidy's skull. "Get up. Keep your hands where I can see them."

As Cassidy moved off, his knees trembling, Jordan scurried back Pushing herself upright when she reached Lily. "Good job," she panted. "Want me to take that?"

Which was about when hell broke loose. Again.

END Part Eight

TBC...

Sorry, I know it's super short. I'll try to post the next part really soon.