"It's not enough. It never is."

- Breaking Benjamin

                                                                                ***

Galloway sighed and leaned back in her seat, trying to get comfortable as she stared into the night sightlessly. She watched through Sirius' eyes as he loped smoothly toward the opulent ranch-style house in a quiet suburb of Albuquerque. 

She had parked a street over. The most neighbors would be able to say the next morning was that they had maybe seen what looked like a big, black dog prowling around.

Sirius stopped suddenly and tensed, making her tense as well. She jumped when a soft chuckle went through her head.

What? she asked crossly, only to jump again when a cat streaked out from under a nearby car, running right past Sirius' nose. She rolled her eyes. You don't have time to chase cats, Sirius. It's almost midnight.

He growled under his breath, leaping a fence neatly to land without a sound in thick grass that must have cost a fortune to maintain in the desert. She heard small tsking sounds in her head and he scoffed. She had to wait as he slid through the shadows, cocking his head at the wide open sliding glass door.

There is so much I want to say in response to that, Sirius mused, approaching the opening lazily, making her roll her eyes once more. But I'm busy.

Noisy cicadas overwhelmed their hearing, making Sirius' ears twitch every few seconds. Smells, too thick and numerous for her to sort out, flowed through his senses into hers. A chill night breeze ruffled his fur, disturbing the sensitive skin around his muzzle and ears.

She might experience everything as he did, but that didn't make her accustomed to it in the same way he was. In all honesty, his heightened senses were the other reason she tried to avoid joining their minds. The first being, of course, that she just didn't like anyone but herself inside her head.

Galloway bit at her lip when he got to the door, not really wanting to stick around.

You don't have to. Sirius' left ear swiveled to listen behind him.

Shut up.

She frowned as he stopped short just at the doorway. After another minute, she shook her head. I'm not going anywhere, Sirius, so just get it freaking done.

We have a problem, he responded. There's—

Galloway was shoved out of his mind unceremoniously and looked around the car in a daze, wondering what in the hell had just happened. Sirius had never thrown her out like that before and she got out of the Audi, slamming the door irritably.

She whirled around when she heard the gunfire.

It was coming from Sirius' direction.

Galloway's heart dropped like a stone and she threw herself back into the car, tires screeching as she wheeled it around, leaving skid marks on the pavement. She raced down a side street, the car sliding as she turned violently onto the road the house was on.

She saw the bright muzzle flashes through the windows and tried to link minds with Sirius again.

It wasn't working.

Fear clawed its way up her throat, tearing her chest apart as she scrambled out of the car, popping the trunk and grabbing her gun. She started to run, checking that it was loaded and grimaced, but decided that silver bullets would kill a human just as well as regular old bullets would.

Galloway saw porch lights start to flip on around the neighborhood and lengthened her stride, pushing for more speed. She vaulted up the stairs and slammed her shoulder against the front door, swearing when the wood did nothing more than creak in protest.

Still swearing, still unable to contact Sirius, she put two rounds right next to the knob before kicking it. The lock broke. The wood screeched in protest as it was smashed open, the frame splintering as she crashed through the front door.

The room was wide open and airy. Galloway could see right through into the backyard, where Sirius was lying motionless in the lush grass.

There was another burst of light and sound, and she dove behind a couch as bullets ripped through the air. She racked her gun and peered around the edge of the sofa to be greeted by the sight of the Debtor pointing a semi-automatic rifle at her.

Two more rounds punched into the couch, tearing through the fabric just by her head. The tangy smell of gunpowder filled the room. It tasted smoky, even a little sweet. She had the wild thought that it was probably strange that she loved the scent so much. There was something dangerous and sexy about it. 

"I've worked too hard for you to take me now. I want an extension!" the man shouted, barely audible over the ringing in her ears.

She scoffed. "Worked hard, my ass! You made a Deal. It's time to pay up."

"No!" The almost pouty statement was punctuated by another three rounds. She threw herself to the ground to avoid getting shot.

"Don't be such a bitch. Man up and take your punishment!" Galloway sat back up and ducked a little as another round flew over the couch, punching into the wall opposite her. She wasn't sure, but she thought she could hear sirens.

"I want another Deal."

"You only got the one Soul, jackass!" Galloway said, exasperated. Those were definitely sirens. "How can you make two Deals when you can only pay once?"

His only answer was another couple bullets. A succinct answer, but not one with much thought or intelligence. With a weary sigh, she rested her forehead against the cool metal of the barrel and tried to link to Sirius again. Still nothing.

Red washed over her vision. "You played, now you have to fucking pay!" 

He shouted some unintelligible answer, and then Galloway heard the most wonderful sound of the night.

The subtle click of an empty chamber.

The man swore and she heard a clatter as he ejected the magazine, fumbling to put in a new one. But she was done with this.

She needed to get herself and Sirius out of here to try and figure out how badly he was hurt.

Galloway flung herself over the top of the couch and aimed with cold precision. The bullet punched into the man's stomach, tearing through him and knocking him down. She sprinted over to him and slid to a stop, making sure to slam her knee into the bullet wound, grinning as he screamed.

She grabbed the collar of his expensive silk shirt, savoring the fear and pain that flickered over his face. She brought her face closer to his, almost kissing him, practically tasting the blood he coughed up. Whispering, she said, "This could have been so much easier for you."

Then she did the nastiest, most painful thing she could think to do. It wasn't something she had ever done before. It wasn't even something she had ever considered. She had never wanted to hurt someone so badly before.

Slapping her hand over his mouth, Galloway started pulling and he started screaming.

The man fought hard, resisting as she yanked his Soul out. But her anger was completely beyond her and he was dying and there was nothing he could do to stop this.

Blood coated her hand as it spewed from his mouth, tinting the bluish light of his Soul a ghastly ruby when she finally held it in her hand. She kicked his body once before all but throwing his Soul into Hell, laughing. "Have a nice trip."

She turned and staggered, feeling drained. Now she could hear voices over loudspeakers demanding things she was under no circumstances going to do. She had bigger problems, anyway.

Galloway rushed into the yard, her breath catching as she finally got a good look at Sirius.

His once white shirt was stained black, darker spots pinpointing five or six bullet holes in his chest and stomach. They made a macabre connect-the-dots leading from his lower stomach up to his throat, which was torn completely open. Her hands shook as she tried to do something, anything to help him.

Something in her mind shut down, not accepting any of this. Looking around wildly, her eyes found the outline of a car beyond the wooden slats of the fence surrounding them.

Her hand rested on his chest for a moment. "Give me a sec," she said, even though she knew he couldn't hear her.

Galloway sprinted toward the fence and jumped, grabbed the top and hauled herself over it. She landed with a thump on the other side before she got to the car parked on the side of the street.

Red and blue flashed on the side of her face and she swore. Flipping the gun over in her hand, she slammed it into the glass. It shattered, sprinkling the ground and driver's seat with a frosting of broken shards.

The alarm started to blare and sirens started screaming as Galloway used her knife to pry the steering column apart, yanking the wires out. It took a couple tries but the ignition finally turned over. She slammed it into reverse, swerving to avoid a cop car, plowing through the fence.

Grimacing, she sent a few shots over the police, shouting apologies the entire time as they ducked behind their vehicles, returning fire. She hissed as a bullet passed through her forearm. That didn't stop her from running over to Sirius after opening the back door.

She swore when she realized how heavy he was and ducked as more bullets made their way toward her. "Sirius! Sirius, you have to help me. Come on. Come on, please!"

But he didn't respond, and Galloway swore one last time before grabbing his shirt, dragging him. The slick grass helped her slide him over to the car before she wrestled him up into the cab.

She slammed the door shut, then felt like a sledgehammer had been swung right into her hip, knocking her back into the car. Galloway couldn't help but scream before limping to the driver's door, falling into the car.

Blood pooled in the seat under her as she put it in drive, trying to find a way out. But everything in front of her was blocked.

Her breath came out in a hopeless little gasp, then she looked over her shoulder, sure that she was completely crazy.

The front of the house had gigantic picture windows. Practically floor to ceiling. 

Something else was shouted at her, but she didn't care. She hit reverse and punched the gas.

The engine screamed as the car shot backwards through the house. Galloway was thrown forward into the steering wheel when they impacted with the windows. Bullets crashed through the windshield and she ducked lower, her foot still pressed onto the accelerator.

There were shouts and cries of alarm as the car burst through the front of the house, barely avoiding the three cop cars in the front.

She jacked the car around, the wheels locking and screeching before she popped the car into drive and took off. Her blood thrummed through her as she risked a peek in the mirror to find the cops scrambling to their cars. She had gained a little time. 

That was all she needed.

Galloway stopped looking back and pushed until the pedal hit the floor, screaming through the quiet suburbia they were still in. She headed toward the busier sections of the city.

They cleared the first neighborhood just to enter another, and she started looking for something else. She saw her opportunity just at the end of the street they were on and hit the brakes, the car skidding and fishtailing hard as she tried to go from about one-ten down to zero too fast.

Galloway got out of the car and sprinted to the house, ducking under the half-closed garage door. Feeling a little bad, she pointed her gun at a very startled middle-age man.

"Car keys," she demanded. "Now."

He gulped and tossed her the keys to a black Mercedes. Galloway laughed at the obvious mid-life crisis, already feeling the horsepower. With a brilliant smile, letting a little of her Collector persuasion seep into her voice, she said, "You'll get it back. So don't worry. But...you'll probably have to re-upholster."

She hit the garage opener and slid into the leather seat, the growl of the engine powerful and music to her ears. She inhaled the new-car smell and looked over her shoulder, speeding back to Sirius in reverse. She whipped the car around so that she wouldn't have to move him so far this time.

Opening the passenger-side door, she crawled into the back of the wrecked car and started dragging Sirius. Her eyes widened in relief when he screamed, the sound torn and wet through his ruined throat.

At least she knew he was alive.

"Sirius!" she shouted. "Sirius, come on. You gotta help me, baby. You gotta get into the car."

But Sirius was still too far gone to actually be tuned in to what was happening around him. His body twitched and seized as it tried to heal, the pain rocking through him now. Black blood cascaded over his fingers where they clutched at the ruined flesh.

She groaned and grabbed him, pulling as hard as she could. She apologized profusely when he hit the pavement, another scream of pure agony escaping him.

Struggling harder now, panicking a little as she heard sirens getting closer, she heaved him up for a moment. Regardless of the fact that she was strong for her size, she couldn't make up for the fact that he was much heavier than her and they both fell into the car. Galloway wiggled out from under him, watching in concern and horror as his claws started popping in and out beyond his control, doing even more damage to his already shredded throat.

She forced his hands down before shutting the door and sprinting around to the driver's side.

Not thinking, she rubbed  the back of her hand over her eyes, blurring them with blood, both red and black. She blinked rapidly before taking off in the sports car, the engine's whine high and heady as she tried to make them disappear.

Sirius was choking now, his hands scrambling again at his throat and chest. Galloway reached over, trying to stop him, and cried out when his claws sliced into the back of her hand.

She urged the car faster.

They had to get back to Las Cruces.

They were halfway through the desert when her phone started to ring. Galloway ignored it, letting the call drop. Sirius' breath rattled as he thrashed, still trying to breathe, taking too long to heal.

There was half a second of silence, then it rang again, the sound more demanding this time. She swore and dug the phone out of her blood-soaked pocket, almost dropping it. The gore made her hands slippery.

Leaving sticky, red prints on the screen, she hit accept. "Not a good time."

"What happened up there, Galloway?" Theron demanded, sounding pissed.

"I don't fucking know yet, Theron! I'm trying to avoid getting arrested and making sure Sirius keeps breathing."

"I don't care about the Hound. You tell me what happened, and you do it now. Do you understand?" Theron hissed and bile rose in Galloway's throat.

Snarling now, she answered, "Sirius was going to take the son of a bitch out and he got fucking shot to shit. That's what happened. I killed him. I killed the prick. Tore his Soul out while he was still breathing. Is there anything else you need to know?"

Voice completely calm now, Theron replied, "Check in when you're done with your original assignment. Let us know if you need a new Hound."

Galloway sat in stunned silence as he hung up, the dial tone harsh in her ear. Then with a furious scream she rolled down the window and threw her phone out into the darkness, watching in satisfaction as it splintered into a million pieces strewn out on the pavement.

"It...it's good t-to know that th-they care," Sirius coughed out, blood spilling into his fingers as he tried to clear the viscous fluid from his throat, which was still just tattered flesh.

"Shh. Just stay still, Sirius. Just heal, don't talk," Galloway pleaded, passing someone on the lonely highway, flying along at a cool one-thirty.

Sirius coughed again, the wet sound horrific in the close air of the car. He spit and more blood splashed over him. "I am h-healing. And I've got g-good news."

He doubled over, retching. Galloway reached over, rubbing his back.

"Easy, baby. Easy," she soothed.

His face paper white, his mouth stained black, he looked up at her. "All the bullets went through," he said.

Then, he slumped sideways, unconscious.

Galloway pushed the car even faster, blessing German engineering.

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Okay, I just have to say that I in NO way condone shooting at the police. Or hot-wiring...though technically, I just see it as a useful skill.

All right, that's it. Hope you guys liked this one!