“Nuh, uh, uh. Don’t even think about it.” Danny growled, removing the safety off his handgun and pressing the barrel against the young bank teller’s scalp as her hand slipped underneath the counter. Her efforts at triggering the silent alarm went in vain, as she was yanked harshly down to the floor and then dragged out from behind the counter into the waiting area where all the other hostages were placed.

Teddy followed suit, pulling the bank manager’s hands behind his back and tying them in place with plastic ties. There were a total of four employees, one security guard and four patrons in the bank, which considering the hour of the day it was, wasn’t so bad. Placing the hostages back to back on the floor in the center of the lobby, Teddy got the first headcount of the day. “There’s nine total.”

Placing his laptop on top of the desk with a sign that said “private loans” hanging overhead, Jinhwan replied. “Got it Tom.” In mere seconds, he had managed to successfully tap into government satellite footage revealing to him a live-feed of a five-mile radius around the bank and simultaneously gained access to police frequencies to ensure the silent alarm hadn’t been triggered. “We’re good to go.”

“I can’t believe this is happening!” The middle-aged mother whispered frantically under her breath while she rocked her little three-year-old in her arms. She had been the only one allowed to have her hands free, as it seemed to be the only way to keep the little toddler from screaming continuously at the top of her lungs out of sheer fear.

“You’re telling me,” Alex responded dryly, shutting her eyes mentally beating herself up for having accepted the task of running to the bank for her boss that morning.

“Hey, shut up.” A masked man yelled at Alex while he prodded her arm with the barrel of his AK-47, causing the young woman to regret ever opening .

Teddy turned to see Baek Kyoung toy with the young woman and growled. “Focus, Jerry, focus.”

This isn’t happening, Alex repeated, keeping her eyes closed, in hopes that when she finally opened them she would be standing in the diner once again.

[Flashback to earlier that morning]

“Where’s the Scrambled Passion for table two, and the Pattycake Deluxe?” Alex shouted, peeking her head over the narrow opening in the wall into the kitchen in the back, watching as the two chefs slaved away on the open stove.

Wiping the drop of sweat that teetered at the edge of his brow with the towel that hung over his shoulder the chef yelled back. “Two more minutes! Can’t they wait? Give ‘em another cup of coffee Alex!”

Alex groaned, turning around to smile brightly at the patron sitting on the bar stool at the counter, trying to use her charm to ease his impatience and anger. “It’ll be out shortly. Care for another cup o’ Joe?” Keeping the smile plastered on her face, she poured the searing hot dark liquid into his cup, her eyes darting around the small diner. Alex preferred the 6am rush of patrons much more than the 9am rush. The early hour tended to bring in customers that were more laid back and languid, as opposed to the latter hour where the people always seemed rushed and pressed for time.

“Hey boys!” Alex called out giddily, almost slamming the small container of creamer and sugar onto the counter next to the man’s coffee mug, as she half-ran around the counter to the group of five men that just walked in. “You guys are late. I was beginning to think you weren’t coming in today.”

Sliding into the corner booth, the silver-haired fox responded. “And what, not get the chance to see your pretty face?”

“Ugh, smooth Seunghyun, but you used that line yesterday.” Alex laughed, playfully punching the tallest male in the arm while her eyes perused over each of the four other men that sat in the booth. The five men all worked at the auto repair and body shop down the block, ingeniously named “Big Bang,” and were normally part of the 6am rush. She loved how she could always start her morning off right, seeing how the men never failed to put her in a foul mood. Besides, who else wouldn’t love to stare at the five ruggedly handsome men before her? “Will it be the usual for you guys today?”

“You know it.” The blonde-haired male replied, winking playfully at her while he ran a hand through his hair.

Alex walked back around the counter, ignoring the angry patron who was still waiting for his pancakes and peaked into the opening of the kitchen once again. “The boys are here, and they want their usual.”

“Coming right up, Alex. And here’s the Pattycake.” The chef yelled over the sizzling stove and shoved the ceramic plate of pancakes layered 2 stacks high onto the serving table. Alex grabbed the small metal syrup dispenser and turned around to face the still angry patron.

“Here ya go hun, the Pattycake Deluxe.” Alex sweetly smiled back at the male and reveled in victory when she saw his anger slowly dissipate as his eyes gawked at all the food piled on the plate. Maggie’s Diner wasn’t known as the best diner in Downtown for no reason. They were notorious for their large servings and prices that barely put a dent in your wallet. Smiling smugly to herself, Alex whipped around and nearly screamed when she found she was only a hair’s width away from Injung, her greasy, grimy erted forty-one year-old boss.

Running his tongue over his lips, wetting his chapped and dry mouth, Injung smirked at the young woman. “Good morning to you too sweetheart.”

Alex stepped backward, creating more space between their bodies and attempted to turn around and walk away when she felt her arm being tugged at. “Yes, Mr. Lee.”

“I need you to do me a favor.” Injung began to speak, and Alex finally let her eyes travel down his form noting the blue bank bag in his hands. “Can you go across the street and get me change? We’re running short.”

Alex turned her head, looking over her shoulder when the chef pressed the bell indicating the dishes for the five mechanics were done. “I’m busy, Mr. Lee. Sam couldn’t come in today. So-”

“Alexandra.” Injung growled. He was a man with little to no patience and hated non-compliance the most. Alex hated the way he insisted on calling her by her whole name and shuddered at the way it sounded coming out of his mouth. “I’m busy. Go now, while things are still quiet.”

Darting her eyes over the booth of men who were chatting amongst themselves, Alex let out a sigh in defeat. Why did it seem like she wasn’t going to get her daily dose of happiness? “Fine. I’ll go.”

Waving to the group of men before she left, Alex let out a small giggle when the blonde-haired male pouted at her for having to leave. Trust me I don’t want to leave either, Alex grumbled as she pushed the door open and walked out onto the sidewalk. Quickly looking both ways before she her foot touched down on the black-tarred asphalt, Alex sprinted across the street toward the front doors of HKG bank clutching the small bank bag in her hands.

“Where’s Paul?” Alex asked out loud when she noticed the new security guard standing in place of her old friend and groaned mentally. She had grown attached to Paul, the security guard who not only knew how to hold a substantial conversation but also knew what his job was. Not this new guy, who managed to continuously flirt with one of the female tellers the entire two minutes Alex had been in the bank so far.

Hugging the blue bank bag to her chest, Alex’s eye shot up to the large plasma screen television that hung on the wall behind the tellers watching the local news while the stock market ticker zoomed by on the bottom of the screen. When is the economy ever going to bounce back?

“Times were easier when we were kids.” The elderly man standing in front of her in line spoke up, his eyes drifting away from the television screen down to the little three-year-old girl as she used a pen to scribble on the wall while her mother was talking to the bank teller unaware of her child’s actions.

Smiling to herself, Alex replied to the old man. “Tell me about it. No bills to pay, people to please, not a care in the world.”

“Oh now, being a kid isn’t always easy you know.” The male turned to face her. His smile, although exquisite, was nothing compared to the deep blue color of his eyes that seemed to only be complimented by his salt and pepper hair leaving Alex blushing like a school girl when their eyes met. “Poor kid is acting out right now. Look at her, she’s craving for attention but poor mother has no clue. Think about it. She lives her day being told ‘no’ or ‘you can’t do that’ or ‘stop that’ and unlike us she actually has to listen. You and I have the privileged of doing what we like, she on the other hand won’t know that type of freedom.”

Nodding her head, Alex sighed. “But the grass is always greener on the other side.”

Throwing his head back, the male let out a laugh that tickled her heart. “Isn’t life grand? Always showing you something you don’t have, making you want it, but never showing you that it might not always be what you need.”

“What are you, a therapist?” Alex smirked.

Shaking his head, the male smiled back. “Youth pastor, but I’m basically a therapist aren’t I?” Pulling his hand out of his pocket, he held it out for her. “The name is Choi Hyunshik.”

Taking his hand and reciprocating the firm handshake, Alex introduced herself. “Alex Park. It’s actually Alexandra but please just call me Alex. It’s nice to meet you, um, Father?”

“Oh please, just call me Hyunshik, and it’s my pleasure, Alex.” The two returned their attention back to the little girl who continued to draw on the walls, both debating how her mother was going to react while wondering if they should step in and stop her. The little girl turned and faced them, her face lighting up when she realized she had an audience and waved at the two while they looked on. Alex and Hyunshik were so enamored by the adorable toddler and her antics that they didn’t notice the four men wearing ski masks that had entered the bank.

The piercing shrill of a gun being shot into the air broke the silence, which was nothing compared to the screams that followed. “May I have your attention please? The lovely people of HKG Bank, you are now being robbed.” Hyunshik instinctively wrapped his arms around Alex, his hands covering her head while he buried her face into his chest, while the mother did the same to her toddler who cried endlessly.

“Don’t move!” Another voice bellowed out, and Alex instantly complied, her body freezing in Hyunshik’s arms. She shut her eyes tightly while her entire body shook with fear. Her hands gripped onto the Youth Pastor’s jacket tighter when she felt someone pull them apart, not wanting to leave her momentary sanctuary. “On the ground now!”

Alex and Hyunshik where thrown onto the ground, hitting the cold marble floor with such a force that Alex knew she would get a bruise later. The feel of cold plastic wrapping around her wrist made her entire body shudder, as Baek Kyoung tied her wrists together behind her back with the plastic tie. Teddy walked over to the group of people in the center of the lobby getting a final head count and relayed the newly acquired information to all the other guys.

After setting up his new workstation, Jinhwan walked around the desk and took his first glance at the hostages situated in the center of the large room. His eyes looked over each individual, trying to assess how much of a pain in the each one would be during the whole ordeal and widened with shock when they fell on the figure of Alex. What is she doing here?

“Spike,” Teddy called out, trying to get Jinhwan’s attention as his friend stood still staring at the young woman seated on the floor in front of him. “Spike.” Danny tried this time, but still no answer. “SPIKE!!!” Baek Kyoung yelled, standing right behind the man’s ear, loud enough to finally bring the man out of his own thoughts.

“Huh? Yeah, sorry.” Jinhwan answered sheepishly staring back at his annoyed colleagues, intimidated by the reproachful glare from Teddy. His eyes being the only part of his face exposed, but was more than enough for Jinhwan to see his friend's displeasure.

“What the is wrong with you?” Teddy yelled. “Sweep them, Tyke help him.”

Danny and Jinhwan patted down the hostages, taking cell phones and itouches, anything that could get a signal and threw them into a plastic bag after turning them off. Jinhwan made sure he was the one that patted down Alex, timidly letting his hands peruse her body, thankful that Danny, the notorious ert, didn’t do it. Meanwhile, Baek Kyoung, toting two large duffle bags, ventured down to the basement where the “holy grail” was kept – the bank vault.

The first two hours of the hold-up went by relatively without a hitch, at least in terms of handling the hostages. Whether it was cowardice or common sense that fueled their actions, none of them tried to do anything particularly stupid or speak up. Choosing instead to value their lives, they sat in silence watching the four men move around the bank as though they owned the place. But nothing could refute the growing aggravation in the security guard as he watched the four friends stomp all over his territory.

a/n: I felt I should include a small key - so no one would get confused with the use of code names and who was who...

Teddy is Tom

Baek Kyoung is Jerry

Danny is Tyke

Jinhwan is Spike

if you hadn't noticed they are the characters of Tom and Jerry....lol

word count: 2366

thank you guys for reading!!!

(yes I let the BB men have an unannounced cameo...lol I couldn't help it)