chapter word count: 477

noir heart: eighty-three

Glock in hand, wrists crossed with the whiskey in the other - Jack barges through his ajar apartment door with a bang and levels his firearm at the only occupant in the living room. Elsa Black, sat boldly in the corner of his sofa with her fingers entwined over crossed knees, regarding him with a wry, closed-lipped smirk.

"Do you brandish your weapon at every woman in your apartment?" she asks in a playful tone, "or do only I get the honour?"

Jack relaxes, but eyes her warily and irritably. Sliding his Glock back into the holster, he puts the whiskey on the nearby kitchen counter, all the while not taking his eyes off her. "Only the ones that commit breaking-and-entering. Felony charge. I could legally arrest you right now."

"Then it's fortunate the superintendent was kind enough to open the door for me," she says, then her eyes flick down to his belt, "though the idea of handcuffs is appealing."

Inside his head a multitude of curses rage, along with a mental note to chew Sandy out. Sliding out of his jacket, he tosses it onto the other end of the sofa whilst opening his mouth to tell her to get out - but then he sees what's on the table in front of her.

His father's revolver. The one he pulled out and spun shortly after Rapunzel left, just before he decided he needed booze first. It's loaded. His right hand automatically and slowly moves to rest on his Glock, watching both her and the revolver carefully.

Her eyes glance down to his hand and back up. "You needn't worry. I'm not going to shoot you."

"How do I know that?"

Effortlessly and fluidly, Elsa uncrosses her legs, leans over to pick up the revolver and points it at the external windowed wall, when an almighty crack fills the air. Drawing and levelling the Glock upon her, the smell of cordite infiltrates his nose while the revolver's barrel exhales wisps of smoke, and with adrenaline racing through his body via his thundering heart, he aims the pistol squarely at her chest.

And still, she half-smiles with amusement like it's just another Tuesday. "I'm only an alleged killer, remember? Besides," she says, and as she rises to her feet there's a thud as she drops the revolver, "I just saved your life."

Jack narrows his eyes. "How'd you figure that?"

"One bullet, five empty chambers." she says, and with swaying hips approaches him. "Russian Roulette. Tonight's suicide attempt - if that is what it is - would have been successful. Had I not been here, you would be dead, and I…" she stops just three feet from him, Glock pressed against her chest, staring up into his eyes, and murmurs, "...I would be inconsolable."

elsaaaaaa. missed writing this. Trivia - the first chapter of OGaV Act II: "Hour of the Wolf" is halfway done.

special thanks to: anastasia, ghost angel14, invisible me, doomstone, vrupd.1992, jpbake, maravillakatana47 and hornedgoddess for the reviews!