John edged away from the door and crawled carefully across the shards of glass that covered the carpet. He reached the bedside cabinet and pulled it away from the wall, finding the loose board at its base and reaching inside for his hidden gun.

And now there was a different sound echoing around him. Someone was already returning fire. John gasped and turned towards the noise. Henry.

John scrambled back to the open doorway and chanced a quick peek outside. The gunman had changed aim, the shots now focused on another room a few doors down from them.

"Al!" John urged in a loud whisper.

Alex lifted her head and saw him signalling her to hurry inside. She glanced behind her and caught sight of Henry's gun poking through the shattered motel room window and he shot back at the gunman.

"Al!" John insisted.

Alex slowly got onto her knees and was suddenly running, keeping her head down. She reached their motel room in just seconds and dove inside as the gunman spotted her and a hail of bullets followed her retreat.

John grabbed her arms and pulled her close, both of them huddling together beneath the window. Bullets rammed into the wall and zipped through the shattered window, sinking into the opposite wall. They held onto each other and hardly dared breathe.

And the gunfire suddenly stopped.

They listened to the car pulling away and stayed still in each other's embrace for a long moment, hearing the noise of the car's engine receding back into the forest.

Henry burst in through the front door, gun ready. His eyes fell on them both and he gave a loud sigh of relief. "Oh, thank god! You okay?"

John nodded and moved away from Alex to look into her face.

"I'm fine." Alex affirmed.

John groaned and let his head fall back against the wall. "Fuck me …"

Henry nodded in agreement, "Think you might have pissed someone off, mate."

John slowly got to his feet and peered through the broken window at the ruined car.

"I got 'im, though." Henry declared, checking the chamber of his gun and pulling a new clip from his pocket. "I shot the bastard."

"Did you see him?" John urged.

Henry shook his head. "Didn't have the chance to have a good look. But there were two. Driver and shooter."

John groaned and closed his eyes.

Henry surveyed the devastation and then stepped outside the front door. He whistled in awe and moved back inside.

"It's okay." John offered, "I'll pay for repairs."

"Yeah?" Henry frowned, "Shame money can't bring you back to life."

John glared at him in annoyance.

"I told you!" Henry continued, "I bloody told you!"

"Okay!" John shouted back angrily, "I know!" He turned to Alex and saw her leaning back against the wall, her face pale and her eyes closed. "Al?"

Alex raised a trembling hand. "I'm fine." She managed a small smile and nodded slightly. "Just need new underwear."

John laughed, "You and me both, babes." He caught Henry's disapproving frown and shot him a warning glare.

"Mr Fraser! Mr Fraser!"

John hurried outside and saw the motel's owners running across the car park.

"Mr Fraser! (Are you alright?)" The woman urged.

"(We're fine.)" John replied, hurrying forward to meet them.

The couple huddled against each other tightly in fear, glad to see their guest was okay and then beginning to take in the damage to their property.

"(Who was that?)" The man asked suspiciously.

"(We don't know. Are you two okay?)"

The man nodded, "(We are fine. We called the police.)"

John's heart sank. But then he suddenly saw an advantage. "(Thank you.)" He hurried back inside.

"Thank you?" Henry demanded in annoyance. "What the hell are you on? If the police are coming then we have to get the hell out of here!"

"No." John countered, "The police will now be hunting down a gunman and the city will be under surveillance."

"No shit! And that's good because …?"

"Because only the heavyweights will dare to come out tonight. Alex and I can play the innocent honeymooners who just got shot at and give you cover to continue with the plan."

"And Mr and Mrs 'Caught-Up-In-It-All?" Henry urged, nodding outside.

"They can verify our alibi. And they saw someone strange lingering about the place. They're good people – I think I can even convince them to give a description."

Henry was doubtful but could see where John was headed.

John watched Henry regarding him in suspicion. "Well?"

Henry sighed. "Fine." He put his gun away and sighed heavily. "Against my better judgement and only cos some arsehole just shot at my niece."

John nodded, "Thank you."

Henry grumbled. "But I'll need one of your ID badges and some sort of disguise. In case people around these parts have a long memory."

"Sure." John agreed. "And we need to salvage any incriminating evidence from the car and our rooms."

"Okay. That's our priority before the police get here." Henry agreed and stepped outside.

"John?" Alex called quietly.

John gasped and glanced outside quickly, seeing with relief that the couple were out of earshot. "Careful." He warned Alex, "We need to stay undercover now."

"Sorry." Alex offered. "It's just …"

John turned to her and frowned as he saw her lifting up the hem of her jumper. He then saw the glistening dark patch amid the black cotton and his heart sank.

"Is it me …?" Alex wondered aloud, trying to look beneath the fabric, "I mean … um …"

John hurried across the room and fell to his knees beside her. He took the jumper from her and pulled it up, seeing the dark puddle on the t-shirt beneath and quickly lifting the material away from her skin.

"Oh god, no!" John choked, staring in disbelief at the gaping wound in her side. "Henry!"

Henry took one look and bolted to the bathroom.

"I wasn't sure." Alex continued, looking up into his distraught face. "It doesn't hurt."

John nodded, his vision misting with tears. "It's okay, babes. It's gonna be okay."

Alex watched his face crumple and frowned in confusion. "Is it bad?"

"Quick, get her onto the bed." Henry ordered, racing back into the room with towels and water. He crouched down and grabbed Alex's arm and together they pulled her to her feet.

Alex swayed between them and flopped back onto the bed. "Oh, this can't be good." She muttered, frowning as she tried to focus on them.

"Shh, babes. It's okay." John soothed, perching on the bed beside her and leaning down to place a kiss on her forehead. Her skin was cold and he bit back on a sob as he stroked her fringe back from her face. He turned to look at Henry and saw the concentration on his face.

Henry pulled back the clothes from Alex's waist and frowned at the broken edges of the bleeding hole just above her hip. "Wait. This is …" He grabbed her shoulder and thigh and rolled her onto her side.

John peered underneath her and saw the second smaller hole on Alex's flank. He could feel bile rising and he turned his attention back to Alex as he swallowed it back.

"Okay." Henry shoved a towel under Alex and rolled her back onto it. "The bullet went through. Good."

John glanced back at him and saw the 'well, sort of' in Henry's shrug.

Alex looked up at John and frowned in confusion. "How come it doesn't – OW!" She doubled over as Henry pressed a towel onto the larger wound on the edge of her abdomen.

"Al!" John grabbed her shoulder and forced her to lie back. "Come on, babes. Lie still."

"I can't! I – oh god! That fucking hurts!" She grabbed at the towel and Henry's wrists and tried to push him away.

"No, honey!" Henry ordered softly, "Let me do this. I need to put pressure on here."

"No!" Alex fought against him and was suddenly sobbing loudly.

The noise had drawn the motel owners to the door and they gasped in horror as they saw the blood on the bed sheets.

"(Call an ambulance!)" Henry ordered quickly, "(Please! Hurry!)" He was aware of the man racing into the room and grabbing the phone and then he turned his attention back to the bleeding wound.

John grabbed Alex's hands and nestled his face against hers. "Shh … come on, babes. Lie still. You'll be okay."

Alex suddenly calmed. "Babe …?"

"Yeah." John smiled through his tears. "I'm here." He placed a kiss on her forehead. "Nothing bad can happen if we're together. Right?"

"Yeah. To infinity - " She groaned in pain and leaned her face against his. "And beyond."

"Abso-fucking-lutely."

Alex gave a short laugh and then her face crumpled. "Oh god!"

"Shh." John soothed softly and then glanced back at Henry.

Henry swallowed back tears and pressed harder on the wound, trying to ignore Alex's whimper of protest and the blood that was oozing relentlessly through the towel. He took one hand away and reached up to take Alex's pulse. He caught eye contact with John and shook his head sadly.

Alex had grown quiet. John turned back to her and gave her a gentle nudge. He watched her eyes blink open and smiled down at her. "Stay with me, okay?"

"I'm cold." Alex whispered.

"Yeah? Well, I thought this was what you wanted." John offered lightly, grabbing the blankets she lay on and wrapping them round her shoulders. "You said you wanted a holiday somewhere cold."

Alex quirked an eyebrow. "Not … not quite … like this."

John smiled, "I don't know. There's just no pleasing some people."

"Sorry."

John watched her face relax and his heart was suddenly pounding in his ears. "Al?" He gave her a gentle nudge and a sob caught in his throat as he got no response. "Al? Al, please! Come on, babes! No! Don't do this!"

Tbc …