Costa Crew 3: Make or Break

Chapter 24 - Sacrifice

She hadn't been shooting to kill. She had aimed carefully for Amelia's shoulder. She would have been wounded enough to stop coming after Becky, but she could have recovered in hospital before going back to prison.

What happened next was a blur. Of course, Becky missed all of it with her eyes closed. If she'd had her eyes open, she would have seen exactly what followed.

She would have seen everyone turning to the sound of the gunshot. She would have seen the terrified look on Amelia's face. And she would have seen the figure leaping in front of Amelia right into the bullet's path, and Amelia rushing to catch them as they were struck down.

"I can see why they don't like it," Anthony whimpered. "Getting shot hurts."

Amelia held Anthony in her arms, speechless. "I-" she began, then stopped, not knowing what to say.

"Someone get him medical," Becky pleaded, looking to Connelly and the prison guards.

"I don't take orders from you, Hidgens," Connelly snapped, looking to Amelia for what to do.

"Fine, then I'll get him medical," Becky sighed, going to leave.

"DON'T YOU MOVE," screamed Amelia, tossing Anthony to one side and storming towards Becky, knife in hand. "You'll pay for that."

"I'm trying to help him!" Becky yelled in frustration. "If you really do care about him. If you truly love Anthony Andrews, you'll stop thinking about revenge for one second, put our differences aside and get help."

"Says the one who shot him," Amelia snarled, grabbing Becky by the throat and holding up the knife.

"You know fine well that wasn't a fatal shot," Becky snapped. "Anthony will only die if you let him bleed out. Now for God's sake let me help him."

Amelia looked from Becky, pushed against the wall with nowhere to run, to Anthony, looking up at her pleadingly, losing blood every second, clearly not with long left. If she helped Anthony she would lose her chance for revenge on Becky. And if she took her chance to hurt and eventually kill Becky then her fiancée would die.

"I hope this hurts," Amelia snarled as she held the knife to Becky's heart. "I hope you're in a lot of pain."

As Amelia went to push the knife in, Paul ran to her with what energy he had left and grabbed her from behind. "Not on my watch," he said, turning Amelia around.

Amelia's eyes lit up. "You make a point," she said, smirking. "Hidgens took Anthony from me. I'll take someone she loves from her."

"For God's sake just go to your fiancée!" screamed Becky.

Amelia shook her head and held the knife to Paul's throat. "This is your ultimatum, Hidgens," she hissed. "I'll let him go, sure. But you have to do something for me in return."

"Anything," pleaded Becky.

Amelia passed Becky the knife. "End it," she snarled. "Right through your heart and your friends go free."

Becky stared at the knife in her hand. "Don't you dare," whispered Paul. "You're thinking about it, I can see you thinking about it. Don't let her win."

Becky looked from the knife, to Amelia, to Paul. "I can't let you die," she whispered. "If I die this ends. And you get to go free."

"Amelia..." croaked Anthony, reaching out to her with what little energy he had.

Amelia turned and looked from Anthony to Becky. "Just hang on five more minutes," she said to Anthony. "I've almost got her. I've almost won."

"I don't think I can," Anthony muttered, his eyes closing. "Just...hold me close one more time..."

Amelia hesitated. "I-"

Becky lowered the knife. "Go to him," she said. "I won't move."

"Don't you dare," Amelia snarled, before running to Anthony's side and grabbing his hand. "Anthony..."

Anthony squeezed Amelia's hand as she sat him upright and placed an arm around him. "I'm sorry..." she said, tears streaming down her face.

Anthony smiled. "I love you, Amelia."

Amelia hugged Anthony tightly. "I love-" she began.

But it was too late. Anthony had already stopped breathing.

"NO!" screamed Amelia. "Anthony, please...come back..."

"There's nothing you can do," Becky said softly, dropping the knife and going to Amelia's side. "He's gone."

"I can do anything!" screamed Amelia, shaking Anthony desperately. "He can't die...I never even told him..."

"Amelia, listen to me," Becky continued. "He knows. And he died loving you. Even if things don't end the way you wanted, it doesn't take away from everything that came before that ending. And if you truly loved him, then a part of Anthony still lives. And none of them are truly gone. Curt, Lisa, Lindsey, Drake, Anthony...we carry them with us."

Amelia turned to Connelly and the guards. "Surrender," she ordered. "It's over."

Connelly, Bradshaw and Turnbull all dropped their guns and threw a set of handcuffs and keys on the floor before raising their hands, allowing Charlotte, Hannah and Ted to cuff them. Becky watched, then turned back to Amelia, who was now wiping away her tears. "Thank you," she said, nodding to the others to escort the three out. "We'll be there in a minute."

Paul, Charlotte, Hannah and Ted left, looking back at Becky and Amelia kneeling down beside Anthony's corpse. "Well, I guess this is it," Amelia said as she and Becky stood up. "Well played, Agent Hidgens."

Amelia held out her hand for Becky to shake. "It's been quite something, this little game of ours," she continued. "All the twists and turns. One moment I've got you tied to a chair, then you've got me in handcuffs...neither of us made it easy. But you won, fair and square. So before you put me in handcuffs, let's shake hands and say good game."

Becky sighed with relief, and nodded. Finally, after twenty years of conflict, she had found peace with Amelia. Their battle was over. She took Amelia's hand and shook. "Good game."

As Becky and Amelia shook hands, a sly smile grew on Amelia's face. "You know, for the smartest kid in school," she began, "you really are nothing but an idiot."

Becky frowned, then cried out as Amelia shoved her to the floor. "Did you really think I was going to give you peace of mind?" she spat, kicking Becky repeatedly in the side. "Seriously? After you killed Anthony?"

Becky tried to speak, but could only cough. "There's only one thing that will bring me peace of mind," Amelia continued as Becky coughed more violently. "And it's seeing you dead, in the middle of this floor, screaming until your last breath."

With every kick slammed into Becky's side, it became harder and harder to breathe. "That's more like it," Amelia said gleefully, kneeling down as Becky started coughing up blood. "Nobody's coming to save you. You sent the Costa Crew away. Oh, I'm going to enjoy this."

Amelia grabbed the knife. "Two members of the Hidgens family with the same knife," she said softly. "But why rush? I can take all the time I want to enjoy this."

Becky's eyes widened in terror, then she screamed as Amelia plunged the knife into her side. "Whoops," snickered Amelia, pulling the knife out. "Oh, that's a lot of blood. And it's mixed with Curt's...sheer poetry."

Becky looked around desperately, then as Amelia was staring down at her blood soaked hands and beginning to laugh maniacally, she reached out and grabbed Drake's gun. "Drop the knife," she whispered.

Amelia looked down and frowned as she saw Becky holding the gun. "So let me guess," she spat, plunging the knife through Becky's right hand. "Your dear friend Charlotte taught you how to use a gun. Won't do you any good now."

Becky winced as Amelia pulled the knife out of her hand. "As a matter of fact, she did teach me how to use a gun," she panted, holding the gun in her left hand and aiming it at Amelia. "With both hands."

Amelia froze as Becky pulled the trigger, striking Amelia in the shoulder. "Paul..." she cried as Amelia fell, before falling into unconsciousness herself.