Disclaimer: If I owned the Gunmen, would I be sitting here right now? Nope, I'd be chillin with Langly. I don't own Yves or Susanne either, in case you couldn't gather that.


Chapter 5. In which the shit hits the fan.
The next morning, a loud knocking and then crashing sound, awoke all of the Gunmen. Jimmy was the first to reach the scene.

"You know when someone knocks you should answer the damn door!" screeched Sam McCoy as she closed the door she had just beaten open.

"Not if we're sleeping!" said Jimmy defensively. Frohike stumbled in, his eyes narrowed at Sam. "Why are you here?"

"Don't start with me, Mel. Renee's gone off to get the program from Eric. The girl has a death wish or something."

"She what!" cried Langly.

Byers tried to smooth things over, "Langly, calm down."

"I will not calm down! She was engaged to that jackass and he's still trying to mess up her life!"

Sam smirked. Life with one of the Lone Gunmen was a trip; love with one was a vacation in Florida... mixed with a hurricane. She missed Frohike, she really did, but she was tired of coming in second to his work. That was why she left. She had had no luck in the love department since; perhaps because she didn't want too. She did have to admit, Frohike and his friends were the most caring people she had ever met. She glanced at Melvin, countless memories running through her mind. Wondering if she should tell him...

"How do you know she went there?" asked Jimmy. He had a bad feeling about this entire situation. Something was up and Jimmy Bond didn't like it one bit.

Sam paused, "I've been stalking Eric, trying to find the perfect opportunity to get the program he stole. I saw Renee pull up on her motorcycle last night. Eric is a sick bastard and I'm not kidding when I say he's mentally deranged. He wants to kill all of you because you've been helping Renee. He has spies everywhere. She left last night in order to save your lives. I bugged his house with help from ... a silent partner, who wants the program and heard the ultimatum he offered her. It's her in exchange for you all. Renee found one of the bugs and told me that she would get the program to my partner.

"Is he killing her? What does he want with her?" yelled Langly, as he started to pace.

"Man, he hasn't been this worked up since the Captain Toby incident," mutter Frohike under his breath.

"Don't open up old wounds, Frohike," hissed Byers.

"Speaking of old wounds," Jimmy said, looking to the door. A blond woman, her hair short, stood in the doorway. She tossed a disk to Sam, then her gaze immediately went to Byers. "Hello, John."

"Su-Susanne?"

Susanne Modeski, the love of Byers's life. He'd assumed that he would never see her again. Reality can really disorient one's head at times. She looked at him. She had rehearsed this moment so many times mentally. Now, however, the words just wouldn't come. She smiled and took his hand after a moment. "We said someday...I'm tired of hiding, John."

Byers stood dumbstruck. "Dude," Jimmy hissed, nudging Byers to Susanne. Byers kissed her then, feeling like all his dreams were coming true. Frohike looked astonished. What the hell was happening here? First Sam comes back, then Susanne, working together nonetheless! It was all too convenient. Could someone have staged it? But who would and to what purpose? Frohike plopped down on the couch, his mind swimming in a vast lake of thoughts and feelings.

While Frohike was swimming in his thought lake, Langly was drowning in a pool of guilt. He was sitting on the opposite end of the couch, frowning and thinking. 'How could I have let this happen? She all but told me she was leaving. She's too damn independent to admit she needs help.'

Sam coughed to get everyone's attention. "I'm sure that we're all thrilled for the happy ending to your warped fairy tale, but we need to help Renee."

"How? How can we save her? She doesn't want help. She told me last night that she could handle it," replied Langly despairingly.

Jimmy stood up, "Great friends know when not to listen. Now is one of those times. So let's go!" exclaimed Jimmy as he walked out the door.

"Wait, you idiot! We don't have a plan!" yelled Frohike.


The House of Eric Nefar looked just as though it had been pulled from a bad horror film. It was a huge, dark, Victorian mansion set atop a steep hill. Upon entering, however, you were greeted with marble floors, soft Persian rugs and expensive modern art. The furniture all looked as thought it were brand new. We find Mister Nefar, master of the house and all in it, on the third floor ...

Nefar dug in his pocket for a moment and then his hand emerged with a key. He sauntered to the end of the hall and unlocked the door on the right. When he entered his gaze immediately went to the girl standing at the window. "You know, if you decide to jump, I will kill them."

Renee crossed her arms. "You hired Ryan to make up the program, didn't you? Then you set him up."

Eric smiled. "Very good, and did you figure out why? No? Let me tell you then. Ryan was your only protection. Now that he's gone, you have no one except me." Renee snorted; Eric's eyes narrowed, but he continued, "However, when Miss Harlow and the Gunmen, as you call them, entered the picture, I saw the flaw in my plan. So, I teamed up with a guy who wants to put them out of business for good.

Renee turned, "You said no harm would come to any of them if I stayed!"

"Deals can change, unless you do as I ask." Eric crossed the room and handed Renee something that she never thought she'd see again – The engagement ring that he had given her so long ago. She looked from the ring to Eric. "Put it on, and get dressed in something nice. We're having company tonight. Clothing in your size is in the closet for you." Eric kissed her cheek and swept out of the room, shutting the door.

Renee slid down the wall so she was in a sitting position. "How did I get myself into this?"

"I don't bloody know, but I'm going to get you out of it," said Yves walking out of the closet. Renee jumped. "Oh, don't look so surprised. Who do you think delivered the clothes? All skirts and dresses by the way, you won't like it at all."

Renee sighed. "I can't leave. You heard him. If I do you, the Gunmen, Sam, Susanne ... all of you will be in danger."

"When am I not in danger?" scoffed Yves.

"I should have killed him when I had the chance," muttered Renee.

"You leave it to me and the others."

"What are you going to do?"

"You'll see."


The Gunmen, Sam, and Susanne were outside with Jimmy, coming up with a plan. It wasn't going particularly well, due mainly to Frohike and Sam's bickering. From their yelling one could gather that they were once married. This shocked all of the Gunmen. "I can't believe he didn't tell us," mumbled Jimmy indigently. Langly was pacing, frustrated that they weren't getting anywhere. Yves pulled up and hopped out of her car. "What's going on here?"

"Frohike and Sam are having a yelling competition," replied Byers.

"And Langly is freaking out," added Jimmy.

Yves sighed. "Hopeless, all of you." She raised her voice, "Samantha, Melvin! You can argue about your failed marriage later! We have more important things to worry about!" Sam and Frohike muttered an apology, looking like chastised children, and this left Jimmy wondering how Yves knew.

Yves stood against her car, her arms folded. "Now that we're all acting our age, does anyone have a plan?"

Jimmy began to pace in tune with Langly. "He'll probably have security cameras all over the place. Plus, since he's after us, he'll know our faces. So, I'd say our best bet is to disguise ourselves and enter as workmen or something."

Yves nodded, " He's expecting a cleaning crew in three hours. I think we can have it all worked out by then."

"Why do I feel like this won't work?" moaned Langly.


As the butler answered the door of Mr. Nefar's house, he found himself looking at the oddest cleaning crew he had ever seen. The three women were all attractive, each with long brown hair tied in a bun; two had blue eyes and the other, exotic green. The males, however, were a different story. The short one was clean-shaven with wavy black hair and announced himself as the overseer of the group. The tallest was scruffy looking with emerald eyes and bright red hair tied back in a pony tail. The second tallest, around 5'11, was sporting a three day unshaven face and had black hair which enhanced the effect of his blue eyes. The other had blonde beard and hair, kept out of his face by a red bandana.

The butler let them inside and told them to get down to business, Mr. Nefar was expecting guests in two hours time. After that, he scuttled off to find Nefar, who hadn't been seen for an hour. Upon further thought, the butler decided that Nefar was probably with his fiancee.

He was right, sort of. Nefar's body was Renee, lying inert in a pool of his own blood. Renee kicked the body out of frustration and began to pace. "All his associates will be after me by night fall... there's no getting out of this," she muttered aloud as she looked in the mirror at the bruises and cuts on her body. Nefar had come in, drunk, and when he got drunk, he got violent. He told her that he had executed an order for the assassination of the Gunmen and Yves. Renee, who had been in the middle of changing, had a large pocket knife hidden in her jeans. A struggle ensued after he told her he was going to make her miserable, and make her live with the knowledge that she had killed them all; Renee ended up thrusting the knife into his chest. 'It doesn't matter if it was in self defense. Because of me, my friends... and my brother are dead.' She fingered the knife blade as she sank to the floor. If she was going to die, she'd rather it be by her own hand than rotting in jail or by assassins. Raising the blade, she closed her eyes and slit one wrist.


Cliff hanger? That is so unlike me. Oh well. :)

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