Kill Shot

By

Lela Kaunitz

Mmm… Another one of those stories that makes you really miffed (I gave up swearing for lent) that the author doesn’t seem to be writing Xena fan fic anymore. Where have all the cowboys gone?! Actually, I think Gabrielle’s cow-hide outfit, and general degeneration of the show during Season V scared them witless and they ran for their lives – off into the direction of Buffy and such shows (Ew. And I mean that in the best possible way.) – and who can blame them?

But, you’re here to hear about the goods at hand, so – on with the show. This story is dark. It’s so dark you could stub your toe trying to find your way through a dark room, but not quite so dark that you’d fall into a manhole grappling through the darkness…

Confused yet? I am.

Ok. It’s an uber, told in first-person both from the perspective of the Uber-Gabrielle (Corey) and the Uber-Xena (Jill) characters. Corey, our young, strapping blonde sharp-shooter is messed up. Really messed up. Killing-people-cause-"Dad"-told-her-so messed up. She gets assignments, and then she does them (Get it? As in – she ‘did’ him. Get it?… Ew, not like that!)

Ok – plain English, Xenalicious, plain English. Corey is on a routine mission – she has been given a kill assignment by her mentor – and the story opens with her aiming at a woman standing in a parking lot. Alas, one of those Uber moments happens, she looks into the stranger’s eyes and misses. First time ever.

Well, that’s the beginning of what is a very tight, very intense, extremely convoluted (but in the best way) story that will take your breath away and leave you aching for more. Literally – I was so wound up by the time I finished, I had cramps. Yes, there is sex (between women) in it, but – sadly – it’s not gratuitous – it fits rather nicely in the whole story line. (Hey, come on! I only put all that "best sex scenes ever" stuff on my site to draw you in. This is a *serious* recommendations arena!). Right.

Again, since I really can’t bring myself to draw a deep breath and compose a somewhat educated sentence, whatever I can write down here will really negate the quality of Lela’s writing and the impact of the story. So go read it. After all, after I had to slave away for 10 minutes at my computer writing the fucking review, the least you can do is get your miserable ass over there and indulge me by reading the damn thing! See, you bastard, now you made me swear again! Gah!

Hail Mary full of grace… (Go Read!)