*Wow even I'm getting excited now; this story is turning into an action movie!

So, as usual, big huge thanks to all you kind reviewers and to the rest, thank you for staying with this story – 10 months old next week, can you believe it! *

SPOILERS – this week – Hostage situation at Pine Valley Hospital… Will Griffin save his beloved Kendal, will AJ and Miranda be discovered, how badly is Jack hurt, and just how has Ricky come back from the dead? Keep reading to find out!

…

When Kendal heard her mother's voice after the gunshot a wave of relief washed over her, but the more she overheard, the more danger she knew her family was in. Ricky was after her; the bastard wanted her… and she couldn't allow anyone else in her family to get hurt because of it.

When Ricky's countdown reached 'one', Kendal took a deep breath and, hand's raised, stepped out into the hall.

"See that wasn't so hard." said Ricky and he smiled at her… he actually had the gall to smile!

Kendal felt sick at the sight of the man who had tried to murder her husband. When she remembered what she had forced herself to do to get a confession from that man, the smiles and the kisses, it made her skin crawl.

Kendal pushed down the bile as Ricky slowly approached her. In that same moment Erica rushed to Jackson's side, although for Ricky the move went unnoticed. He only had eyes for Kendal.

Ricky was still smiling as he stepped closer.

"I'd forgotten how beautiful you are," Ricky sighed, "Your blue, blue eyes…"

He reached out a hand to touch her cheek but Kendal flinched away, so instead Ricky brought up the gun and pushed it up under her chin backing her up against the wall.

"…Your cold, cold eyes."

"What do you expect?" Kendal retorted, trying to push down the panic now he had her cornered. "You tried to murder my husband; terrorised my sister… shot Jack." She gestured to where Jackson was being nursed by her mother.

"I hate you!" she said trying to keep the tremor from her voice.

Ricky simply smiled in response.

"I hate you too." He said reaching up to stroke her cheek again; this time she had no way to avoid it. "You ruined something that should have been oh so simple. You put a great big spanner in the works with your beautiful smile, and your beautiful eyes… and your beautiful lips. You were an inexcusable distraction."

Ricky was staring at her intently as he talked.

"I had come here to extract some revenge. Make you pay… but now." He leaned closer his lips barely inches from Kendal's. "Now I find myself distracted all over again."

"You're insane." Kendal whispered.

Ricky's smile never wavered.

"Maybe I'm just crazy in love."

When his lips pressed against her she sealed her mouth tightly closed and tried to pull away but the barrel of the gun was still pushed roughly up under her chin.

"Let her go!" That was her mother's voice. But another distraction came from a completely unexpected source.

There was a chime and a whirl and the elevator door slowly opened. Everyone turned to see two police officers step off the elevator. They had no idea what they had just walked into.

Not missing a beat Ricky turned and fired. The first cop dropped in an instant. The second one grabbed his colleague, dragging him frantically back into the cover of the elevator only to fall himself as more bullets flew. Ricky was still firing when a figure appeared from the opposite direction and tackled him to the ground.

Kendal felt a surge of relief, it was Griffin. Griffin had come to save her!

Kendal's relief however was short lived. While the two men tussled Kendal realised Ricky still had hold of the gun and he used it to lash out violently at Griff's head, causing a gash on the doctor's cheek. Griffin was stunned and Ricky was quickly on his feet kicking the downed would-be-rescuer in the gut.

"No!" screamed another voice and a second figure followed Griffin from concealment, leaping onto Ricky's back. It was Marissa. But Ricky slammed her into the wall and as she lost her grip he turned and caught her around the throat; pulling her in front of him as a human shield.

Ricky looked breathless and angry.

"Does anyone else want to try something." he panted, the gun turning back to point at Kendal's head.

There was a tense silence. The elevator doors closed quietly on the fallen police officers. Erica was pressing her Louis Vuitton scarf against Jackson's shoulder to try and stop the bleeding. Griffin lay on the floor, glaring at Ricky as he clutched his stomach. Marissa weakly clung to the arm clamped tightly around her throat. Kendal could only stare back at the barrel of the gun.

Slowly Ricky's smile returned; he knew he was still in control.

"I thought not…"

…