A/N: This is my final installment. This is the reading order: Revving Rally, Unfinished Business, Riding Bean (not to be confused with the anime Riding Bean), and Road Busted. Enjoy! I do not own Gunsmith Cats or the affiliated characters.
Rally was nervous. Her palms were sweating as she stared at her watch. It was almost midnight. Minnie May was sitting beside her and for once the bubbly little blonde was solemn…quiet. They watched as Roy finished up his phone call. With a grim face, he turned to the girls, who were sitting in their own living room. "Well, it's official…Bean Bandit is dead." Rally had braced herself for the words, but she still let out a sob when she heard them. May put her hand on Rally's.
"What happened?" May asked and looked at Rally, who had her face buried in her hands. She knew their house was under surveillance. A black four door had been spotted, by Bean, that very morning. There were listening devices pointed straight at them and most likely their phones were tapped.
"He was hired by someone to help that guy who tried to kill Rally escape. When I found out, I went after him." He put his hand on Rally's shoulder and she put her hand over his.
"You don't think he knew that guy tried to kill me, do you Roy?" She lifted her eyes to him and he saw real pain there. This was hard for her.
"If he did, this may have been his way of taking care of the guy, though I doubt he was counting on going up in flames himself." He noticed Rally wince and he grimaced. "Uh, sorry. I know the two of you were friends." Rally nodded before snorting.
"Yeah…I guess we were. I don't really know if it was more about rivalry or friendship. He was hired to get them out and I was hired to take them in. That's…" She had to swallow past the lump in her throat. "That's what he said, anyways." Roy sighed and sat in front of her.
"I'm sorry Rally. I didn't know he'd drive off that bridge. I chased after him purely because of the guy he was driving. I wanted to make sure that bastard didn't try after you again." Rally smiled sadly, nodding.
"Well, at least you have something to brag about in the department when you go in tomorrow. You…" She let out a small sob before continuing. "You took down the Road Buster." Roy sighed and shook his head.
"No…I didn't Rally. The Road Buster took himself out…and he took that bastard assassin with him. Dammit…this is not how I wanted this to end! I wanted a piece of that Michaels guy!" Rally looked up at Roy. There was complete honesty in his face. He really had wanted a piece of Eric Michaels, would be assassin of one Irene 'Rally' Vincent.
"He didn't kill me, Roy. He didn't even come close. Beau was there with me." Rally blushed, knowing the ruse depended on them drawing attention from Rally onto 'Beau Brannigan'.
"Damn lucky, though I doubt the Road Buster would have liked that much. He was sweet on you from what I heard." Rally blushed for real then and cleared her throat.
"He…he did make his…attraction…very obvious…" Rally was bright red and refused to look at May or Roy. It was then that knocking on the door caught their attention. Roy went to the door and stared up at the huge figure of the previously named Bean Bandit, who now had the legal identity of Beau Brannigan.
"Detective." He stated before walking in. He looked at Rally, who seemed upset. He went to her other side and sat down. He sighed and handed a letter to her.
"This was delivered by someone claiming to know the Road Buster. Said he used to buy cars off him in a tight spot." Rally knew who was being referred to and nodded, opening the letter. It was in Bean's handwriting.
"To Rally Vincent, I know things are confusing but I wanted to clear something up. The reason I never wanted to talk about my past when we were together was because I was a statistic…one of the thousands of kids lost in the system called Foster Care." Rally looked over at Bean - dammit, she needed to learn to call him Beau now - and knew that whatever was in this letter would be truth. "I got lost when I ran away from my foster family when I was eleven. I found out years later they never reported me missing, so they just got all the money the state paid them for taking care of me without really doing the work. Needless to say, I paid them a visit after I turned eighteen and got my money." Rally rolled her eyes and gave Bean a hard look. He shrugged.
"After I ran away, I lived on the streets, doing anything I could to get by. A guy named Finnigan took me in and taught me everything he knew about cars. He was the closest thing to having a family I'd ever had. He was killed by crooked cops." Rally put her hand to her mouth, tears forming in her eyes. "I was seventeen when he died and that's when I started driving in street races. I raced and earned tons of money for five years. On my twenty second birthday, I ran into a guy with the same face as me. His name was Beau Brannigan - my twin brother." Rally gasped and looked up at Bean. He was looking at the floor.
"Twin? Beau…?" Bean shrugged and she looked back down at the letter. "It seems that when we were born, our parents left the hospital without a word. That left us to social services. We were put into different foster homes and eventually Beau was adopted by the Brannigans. He lived a completely different life from me…and I'm thankful for it. At twenty two I didn't really understand what having a brother, especially a twin, meant mainly 'cause I'd never had one. The older I got, the more I started to realize what having a family, no matter how small, meant. Beau was attacked two years ago by someone gunning for me. I guess that's why I feel so guilty about this contract on you. Yes, I know the guy I'm going to be picking up tonight tried to kill you. Beau told me. So I'm going to do what is necessary to protect you both. I'm tired of people targeting my brother and the woman I love to get to me. So this is me, saying goodbye. Don't cry for me, okay babe? I'd hate that. I love you, Irene Vincent." Tears were pouring down her cheeks and she clutched the letter to her chest. Bean had told her everything he felt in that letter…everything he couldn't seem to tell her with words, he'd written in this letter. And it meant everything to her.
Rally was sitting in Roy's office cleaning the aging detective's gun for him. She was waiting for Bean, aka Beau, to arrive to take her home. Bean, as Beau Brannigan, had taken her to the funeral held for Bean 'The Road Buster' Bandit by some unknown facilitator and had asked Roy to take her to the station while he checked on something. She had just put Roy's gun back together when Bean, dressed in black suit pants and the leather jacket he was famous for, came waltzing into the station. People gasped and started whispering about his appearance, but he'd only responded when Roy had called to him.
"Beau! She's in here!" He'd turned and headed to Roy's office. He leaned against the door frame and allowed his eyes to rove over Rally. She blushed and handed Roy his gun back.
"So?" Rally asked, looking away so that her blush wasn't visible to the entire department. Bean just shrugged.
"I managed to dig up some leads as to who is responsible for the hit taken out on Rally." Both Rally's and Roy's attention snapped to him as he walked into the office, leaning against Roy's desk.
"And?" Roy demanded, his hands on his desk. Bean's eyes flickered from Rally to Roy before going back to Rally.
"Does the name 'Snake Charmer' mean anything to you?" Rally gasped and stared.
"That's the female courier who was obsessed with Bean. She's called Riff-Raff the Snake Charmer because she drives an AC Cobra 427; it's her signature car." Roy was about to ask something when suddenly Percy Bacharach appeared in the doorway to Roy's office. He was yelling at Roy for taking out 'his' target, but when his eyes landed on Bean, he drew his gun. Rally drew her CZ and pointed it point blank between Percy's eyes. Her own blue eyes were stormy.
"What the hell are you doing Vincent!? The Road Buster is standing right there! I'll have your badge for this, Coleman!" Bean didn't even crack a smile as he looked at Rally.
"Who's the asshole pointing a gun at me, Rally?" He smiled internally when Percy's mouth fell open.
"He's a sleazy cop who had it hard for Bean." Rally sneered. Bean stood and put his arm around Rally's waist.
"Ah…the guy who cost you your license 'cause he couldn't stand losing to Bean." He noticed Percy about to say something but he shrugged. "Names Beau Brannigan." He didn't offer his hand but he did lock eyes with Percy. "Bean was my twin brother. We were separated when we went into Foster Care." Percy stared as Roy sighed.
"Bacharach, get your gun out of Mr. Brannigan's face before he sues the department. You've caused the Chicago PD enough embarrassment, thank you." Roy grumbled and stacked some papers. When Percy lowered and holstered his gun, Rally kept hers trained on him. She glared, tears in her eyes.
"Bean died because you targeted me. He was tired of low life's like you hurting the people he cared about. He drove off that bridge so that Beau and I wouldn't be targets anymore!" She screamed and would have lunged for the officer, but Bean held her tightly, whispering in her ear. She turned and sobbed against his chest, her hands clutching in his jacket. Percy noticed the jacket and commented on it.
"That's the Road Buster's jacket. How did you come by it?" Bean narrowed his eyes on the man.
"It, along with a bunch of other things, was delivered to my house this morning by a guy who was friends with my brother. Apparently, I'm the only family he had." He noticed Percy's calculating gaze and he looked at Roy, who was pissed that Rally was crying.
"Percy, get your ass out of my office before I shoot you!" The dark haired detective roared. Everyone stopped and stared. Roy wasn't known for raising his voice, but when he did, he meant business. Percy stared at him, obviously contemplating whether Roy was serious or not. When Roy reached for his sidearm, Percy held up his hands.
"Alright! Alright! I'm going! Sheesh what the hell is wrong with you, Coleman?!" Roy pointed at Rally, who had tears streaming down her face as Bean held her. Her tears and distraught face were visible to everyone and the entire department turned nasty glares to the outsider in their midst.
"That girl is like a daughter to me, Bacharach, and you targeted her when Bean got the better of you. You cost her the one thing she held dear and now you're tormenting her after her friend kills himself to make sure no one else targets her to get to him. Now you tell me what the hell is wrong with me!" Roy bellowed and Percy cringed. He backed out, only to be met with cold looks from the officers around him.
"Glory seeking bastard, harassing Miss Vincent right after the funeral." One woman grumbled to another as a man stood with them, all leveling him with cold looks.
"It's sleazy cops like him that make the people not want to trust us." The man with them stated before crossing his arms over his chest. Another officer walked up and nodded.
"Yeah, no wonder people have lost faith in the department. Look at the headlines." He held up the newspaper and Percy's face was on the front, his mouth open as he screamed at whoever took the photo. There were fingertips visible, as if he was grabbing for the camera. "With this much bad publicity, the Department is lucky that people like Detective Coleman and Dr. Tanakawa are around."
Percy clenched his teeth and growled, storming out the door with curses under his breath. Back in Roy's office, Rally had calmed slightly but was still pressed against Bean. She sniffled and closed her eyes, suddenly very tired. "Can we go home now?" She asked in a small voice. Her exhaustion was evident. Bean nodded and kissed her forehead, looking at Roy.
"I'll be in later with what I know." He said before smirking. "Road Buster is dead, so I have to do this legitimate like now." He stated so that only Rally and Roy could hear him. Rally smiled and Roy just shook his head.
"Take care of her Brannigan." Bean nodded and tucked Rally under his arm, heading to the parking lot with her.
Rally was sitting in the new car Bean had gotten. It was a 1967 Mustang Fastback. Not his usual preference, but they both knew Percy Bacharach knew Bean's personal preference, so he'd stuck with a Ford, but a different type than those he normally gravitated to. It was sunfire orange with black detail work. This had been a 'gift' from the guy who Bean used to get cars for emergency situations. A sort of 'farewell' to Bean Bandit.
Bean pulled into the driveway at Rally's house and stopped the engine. He looked over at Rally, who was looking at the floorboard. "Babe…you okay?" Rally looked over at him and he clenched his teeth at the tears in her eyes. He could see in her face she wanted to talk to him, so he nodded and started the car again, pulling out. It was a quiet trip but when they arrived at Bean's place, he pulled in and got out, going to her side and opening the door.
Rally got out and they made their way up to his apartment. Once inside, he locked the door and turned to Rally. She was looking at his bed again, which made him smirk. He stepped up behind her, his hands on her shoulders. He was about to make a comment when she suddenly turned and sealed her lips over his. He gasped but then deepened the kiss when she ran her hands up his chest, pushing his reinforced leather jacket off his shoulders. It was the lightest of the many combat jackets he owned.
Her hands made quick work of his black button down, jerking it open and running her hands over his bare chest and abdomen. His tie hung loosely around his neck, his previously slicked back hair was tousled, and her hands were now busy with getting his belt undone. As much as he wanted this, and as flattered as he was at her impatience, he didn't know what was going on with her right now.
He took both her hands in his to still them and then pulled away from her lips, the noise she made making it hard to control himself. "Babe, what's going on with you?" He panted and stared at her, his whiskey eyes worried. He noticed tears spring to her eyes again and she pressed her face against his chest.
"I need you, Bean. I need to feel you against me…warm…alive…I-I…" She sniffled and he nodded, understanding what was going on. It was one thing to know with her brain that he was still alive, but having to pretend that he was dead was hard for her.
With a growl of hunger he grabbed her rear and lifted her up, guiding her legs around his waist as he made his way to his bed. When he laid her down he followed right after and blanketed her with his warmth. He kissed her deeply, taking his time to thoroughly kiss her. He ran his hands up her sides, enjoying the noises she made. When he leaned back enough to be able to unbutton her shirt, his eyes glittered as he noticed she'd already started on it. He watched as the cloth fell away, revealing her heaving chest to him. He already knew what lay beneath that lacy black bra, but the idea of unveiling her made him hard.
He reached one large hand down and gently slid her bra up, her breasts bouncing as they were freed. He groaned and leaned down, taking one nipple into his mouth and gently swirling his tongue around it. She gasped and he felt her hands tangle in his hair. He hummed in pleasure and she arched, choking on a gasping scream. Releasing the nipple he'd been toying with, he took the breast into one large hand, the nipple sliding delicately through two of his fingers and rubbing between the knuckles. Rally whimpered but Bean just leaned down and took the other nipple into his mouth while rolling the breast in his hand and teasing the nipple with the rough skin of his knuckles.
He grunted when he felt her hips contact his as she threw her pelvis up, soft cries and whimpers driving his lust higher and higher. He could sense her desperation to feel him against her. He pulled back once more to look down into those beautiful blue eyes of hers and found a deep, throbbing need in them. He groaned and leaned back down, resting his face against her breasts. His heart was thundering and he could hear it in his ears. He could feel his hands shaking with anticipation. He was so excited that he could barely stand himself. He looked up when he heard her croon his name.
"Bean…" His whiskey eyes met her blue ones once more and he groaned, grabbing her hand and leading it down the front of his pants.
"Rally…only you do this to me…only you can make me so hard I can't think straight…" He noticed the blue of her gaze sharpen, darken several shades. And then she was on top of him, straddling his waist. He blinked a few times and stared up at her. She had a glazed, hazy look on her face. It reminded him of when she'd been drugged by Goldie, but he found it hard to think when she started running her hands all over him: up his chest, over his waist, along his sides, up his shoulders and into his hair. He groaned and put his hands on her waist, rubbing her hips eagerly as he stared up into her eyes.
And that's when words ended between them. Their eyes told each other everything they wanted to say. He sighed and let her explore him, reassure herself that he was alive, well, and in her arms. She ran her hands over every inch of him, followed by her lips. He groaned when her lips grazed some of his sensitive areas, but he stifled his urges to grab her and take her hard. He knew she needed this time to come to terms with his 'death' as Bean Bandit and his 'rebirth' as Beau Brannigan. He stared at her as she straddled him once more, her eyes boring into his as she moved her hands over him.
His jaw clenched when her small hand wrapped around his length. He closed his eyes at the feel of her touching him, only for them to snap open and bore into her as he felt her heat slowly engulfing him. It was scorching inside of her, and so tight…he noticed her mouth opening slightly and he reached up, rubbing his thumb against the corner of her mouth. His member pulsed when her little pink tongue darted out and rubbed against his thumb. She gasped and he watched as she lowered herself cautiously onto him. As tight as she felt around him, he had to feel impossibly large inside her. She whimpered slightly and then panted, her eyes unfocused and dazed. He was about to ask her if she was alright, but he lost his ability to think-much less talk-when she suddenly collapsed against his chest and bit him…hard.
Almost like a short circuit in his brain, he growled and started thrusting up into her. Preferences for depth, speed, and power were no longer a factor…it was just him and her, trying to find completion by any means necessary. His arms were wrapped tightly around her, one hand tangled in her hair at the base of her neck, holding her to him as her teeth cut into the muscles on his chest. The other hand was busy cupping her backside to hold it still while he pounded up into her. He sucked in deep breaths, trying to regain control but finding that impossible while she was biting him. Instead, he rolled them so that she was under him and he completely blanketed her form. He spread his knees slightly so as to alleviate some of his weight from crushing her tiny form as he thrust quickly into her.
He felt her legs curl up around his hips, her ankles locking at the small of his back. He used his head to hold some of his weight as well, his eyes closing as pleasure wisped through him when her inner muscles began pulling on him. She wouldn't last much longer…and neither would he at this rate. He pulled his arms out from under her and instead grabbed fistfuls of the sheets around her, gripping so tightly that had it been her he was gripping, he may have bruised or even injured her. Her arms wound up around his neck, one slipping down under his arm to curl up around his shoulder. He felt her teeth ease from his chest only to sink in a little higher up, near his shoulder.
His body shook and he growled, his hips moving in double time as he sought to take her with him should he finish soon. He thrust his hips forward suddenly, very hard, and he gasped when he felt her clench around him, making moving impossible. He groaned when her nails dug into his back, right over his shoulder blade. He could feel her body pulsing and knew she'd bitten him to stifle her scream as she'd fell over that precipice into completion. He hummed slightly, which caused her body to shudder. The fluttering of her inner muscles were too much for his overexcited body and he hissed, his body spilling into hers.
He gasped and twitched, his body subconsciously thrusting into hers. He could feel her shuddering and a smirk stretched his lips tiredly. He was panting when he felt her legs slowly slide from around his waist, resting against his thighs. He could feel her chest heaving against him as she sucked in deep breaths. The sting of her bite made him moan and he nuzzled her before collapsing at her side. He pulled her to him and wrapped himself around her, purring in contentment.
When they returned to Rally's house the next day, May was there, her large eyes worried. Rally smiled half heartedly at the small blonde before looking over her shoulder at Bean. It would be hard to think of him as anyone other than Bean Bandit, but when he wrapped his arm around her and kissed her temple, she smiled fully. She then looked at May, who was giving them a mischievous grin. She was confused but the blonde just smiled, not saying anything to them. Instead, she handed Rally a piece of paper…a message for both of them from Roy. Rally looked at Bean and bit her lip.
"Bean…this means…" He nodded, a frown stretching his lips and thinning them. Rally looked back down at the little piece of paper. Scribbled across it in Roy's handwriting was information she was sure made Bean feel sick: police informant reported that a woman out of New York put a death sentence on Rally after news of Bean Bandit's death.
She watched as Bean took a step away from her and looked over his shoulder at his car. Rally gasped and grabbed his arm, tears in her eyes and shaking her head. "You can't…" She noticed him look away and she felt him tensing, as if he was about to pull away, but May held something up. He noticed Rally blanch, her tanned skin suddenly turning almost white.
"Bean, I wasn't going to say anything until Rally told you herself but…" The blonde looked at Rally, who shook her head. Bean regarded both women, confused. May then glared at Bean and pointed at him accusingly. "Rally's pregnant." Bean's eyes widened as he stared at the two women. Rally looked ashen, like she was going to be sick. May looked determined, clearly scared for her friend, but determined to keep him from doing something stupid.
"When…?" He looked at Rally, who was looking down at her feet, her whole body trembling. He went to her then, all thoughts of going and getting rid of who they both knew responsible was for this instantly vanishing. He engulfed her in a tight, gentle embrace. It was her tearful whisper that met his ears.
"I…I took it the day…" She swallowed then and closed her eyes. "The day of Bean's funeral." He knew she purposefully said Bean's funeral instead of your funeral. It helped her to control her emotions, though now that he thought about it, her being pregnant explained a lot about what happened last night. She then looked up into his eyes, her own blue ones frantic. "B-but I thought it was negative! I swear I thought it was negative!" She cried and buried her face against his chest. He put his hand on top of her head and shushed her. He murmured how much he loved her, that everything was going to be okay.
He looked over at May and Ken, who were whispering to each other frantically, May giving her much older lover a look Rally had often turned on him. The Japanese-American bomb expert quickly became silent at that look and Bean just shook his head. May and Rally sure were a lot alike in some ways.
Bean then looked back down at Rally and held her tightly, nuzzling the top of her head. "May, contact Roy. Tell him that we know who the person is and they have a felony warrant on them. Tell him that Rally and I are going to New York. Do not tell him she's pregnant." He noticed May arch a brow at that. "We've got a bounty to collect." He smirked when Rally looked up at him, tears in her shocked blue eyes. He leaned down and kissed her, his hands around her neck and tilting her head up so he could devour her. She moaned and he smirked into their kiss. He'd never get enough of this woman.
Rally was leaned comfortably back in the seat of the Buff. Bean had been insistent on taking it since learning of Rally's pregnancy. The Buff was armored, he'd stated with a pointed look at Rally, who blushed and nodded, unable to argue with his logic. Rally had packed her bags and they'd headed to Bean's place, where they'd stayed the night before heading out early this morning. They were just on the other side of Ohio into Pennsylvania when May had called them with an angry Roy ranting in the background.
At first they had thought he'd found out Rally was pregnant, but then they'd heard him yell into the phone about 'going off on their own without any care to the people they left behind' and they'd looked at one another before chuckling. Well, Bean smirked and Rally had stifled a laugh as best she could. That had been an hour ago and they were quickly approaching the Pennsylvania/New York state line. They'd been in the car almost all day, only stopping for breakfast around eight, lunch around one, and two other times for bathroom breaks.
Rally had slept a good portion of the trip, at Bean's insistence, and was now wide awake and staring around-still comfortably leaned back of course. Bean looked over at her and his jaw tensed. He was nervous about bringing her along, but knew she'd never have allowed him out of the state without her…even for a bounty. He knew what she was scared of. He'd seen it last night when she'd practically seduced him. She was terrified of losing him. And that fear, while irrational in a way, was all too real in his mind because he feared the same thing. The thought of losing Rally was what had sent him to New York in the first place. He looked over and noticed her looking around, alert as ever. He smiled, his eyes softening.
"Hey babe, let's stop for dinner. It'll be late before we get to the hotel." He noticed her arch a brow and then blush slightly. He smiled as he remembered that the first time he'd ever shared a bed with Rally, and whetted his appetite for her, had been in a hotel in New York. She mumbled something and he nodded, knowing just the place to take her. He pulled off the highway and headed to the place he had in mind. It was just over the state line. When they pulled up, he noticed Rally's curious gaze. She was in a tight pair of leather pants, a white long sleeve shirt, and a red jacket he'd given her. Like his jackets, this one was designed to stop whatever came at her. But hers was lighter than his was.
He was in a pair of dark blue jeans, a black shirt and the leather jacket she'd given him. He had a heavier protective jacket in the back of the Buff, but it was likely people would recognize him if he wore it. Instead, he forewent his headband and instead wore a skullcap with a strip of protection right where his headband used to be. He knew his facial scar was fading, thanks to some home mixture Rally had concocted and convinced him to let her apply to the scar to lessen it. He still remembered the first time she'd applied it, after his 'death'. She'd cried silent tears as she'd smeared it on.
He looked over at her, at the curiosity on her face, and he smiled. He got out and went to her side and opened her door. He helped her out and turned, only to see someone watching him with wide eyes. It was a man…one he'd seen before, back when he'd first encountered his twin. He noticed the man grab another man's shoulder and they both looked at him. That man then tapped another on the shoulder and soon there were four guys staring at the two of them. His eyes narrowed. Who were the other guys? And why did they seem to recognize him?
He turned back to Rally, who put her hand on his wrist. He looked at her, saw her concern, and he shook his head. He locked the Buff up and they started walking towards the restaurant. He noticed the guys loitering near the entrance, as if waiting for them. He growled slightly and put himself between them and Rally. It was the guy he recognized that called out to him. "Hey, Beau! Beau it's me! It's Flynn!" Bean narrowed his eyes on the man and herded Rally close to his back. He remembered the guy alright…and remembered Beau hadn't trusted the man at all.
It was one of the guys with this 'Flynn' that spoke up then. "Surprised to see you in New York, Brannigan. After the beating you took, we figured you'd have hightailed it out of here." Bean felt Rally grip his wrist tightly and he looked at her. She shook her head and he sighed, looking back at the group.
"Sorry guys, but I'm on a tight schedule." He stated and ushered Rally around the group, making sure to put himself between her and the group, his eyes narrowed in suspicion. Beau had told him these guys were drug dealers…guys Beau had detested. That this Flynn character was with them only showed that his twin's attack hadn't been accidental. He noticed one guy step forward, brandishing a knife. He stopped Rally so that his large body was protecting hers.
"Yo, Brannigan, who's the broad? Bring us another toy to play with?" Bean's eyes snapped fire and he glared. At that moment, he was Bean Bandit, not Beau Brannigan, and if they got anywhere near Rally he'd-he heard a click and noticed Rally's prized CZ-75 First Edition snaked very skillfully through his arm, no doubt aimed at the knife wielder's forehead.
"I'd scurry along like the rats you are. Beau and I have business here and it's not with you." She stated in a no-nonsense voice. Bean noticed the shock and confusion on the men's faces. Bean couldn't help but smirk.
"Meet my partner, Irene." He noticed the guys whispering and smirked. He knew Rally hated using her first name, but people knew her as Rally. Until they had the death sentence rescinded or took Riff Raff down, they couldn't afford people to know who she was. He heard one of the men scoff.
"Ain't afraid of no broad. Women can't shoot." He heard her growl and he chuckled, his eyes shining like aged whiskey in a crystal glass.
"This one can take your left nut off and leave the right one swinging in the breeze. Don't test her, buddy, you won't like the outcome." He sucked in a quick breath when he felt her nuzzle against his back. He just kept smirking though. The guys kept whispering and he growled loudly. "Get out of our way." He noticed the guy, Flynn, look up at the other guys. The stooge, of course, Bean rolled his eyes. The knife guy chuckled, clearly too stupid to be afraid of Rally's gun training on him.
"I ain't gonna let no empty threat from a broad scare me. Hiding behind Beau don't make you invincible, lil momma. We took care of his hero ass once before, right boys?" The other guys started laughing, but Bean could feel her chest against his back, could hear the breath hissing from between clenched teeth. He just closed his eyes with a dark chuckle.
"Irene, baby, don't kill them okay? Don't want to have to deal with the cops, as well as the bounty, right?" There was a hiss and then the shots rang out, the beauty of the setting sun only upset by the cacophony of screaming that joined the resounding gunfire. Bean smirked, shaking his head. Four of the six guys, including the one who'd brandished the knife and the one who'd called her 'broad', were rolling on the ground with wounds in various portions of their body.
"I've got twelve left. You wanna test my patience further?" Rally's growl coming from behind him was just loud enough that the two men standing, the leader and Flynn, took a few steps back. The leader clenched his teeth and glared at Bean.
"Don't think your hot shot girlfriend can make you anything more than you've always been, Brannigan. You're a pathetic dropout, just like the rest of us. Only difference is we admit it." He hissed and then stomped away, leaving his 'friends' to writhe in pain. It was Flynn that stared in shock at the four guys with bullet holes in them. Flynn then looked at Bean, fear and anger in his blue eyes.
"They were right about you, Beau. You really are a bastard." He choked out before leaning down and attempting to help one of the guys up. The guy punched him for touching the wrong place and Bean just shook his head. He led Rally into the restaurant as she stowed her CZ. He looked over his shoulder at the guys who were slowly getting to their feet so they could find a hospital to treat them. It worried him, what the guys had said. What did they know about Beau that he didn't? What had happened? What did they mean by bringing them a new toy? He sighed and wrapped his arm around Rally, who looked over at him, slightly worried. He gave her a half hearted smile and she hesitantly smiled back before he leaned over and kissed her.
Bean had his arm behind his head when he felt Rally wake up. It was about one in the morning and he'd been unable to sleep. What those guys had said, their demeanor-it bothered him. He felt Rally snuggle against him and look up at him, her large blue eyes curious. He looked at her before staring at the ceiling. "Beau came to me four years ago beat all to hell. He'd been doing the bounty hunting thing for a few months. Didn't have much experience in dealing with criminals. I helped him, used his licenses and shit to establish a pretty good reputation for him. It helped we had the same face. You really couldn't tell us apart." He said quietly, knowing she was curious about this twin brother of his. He sighed and ran a hand through her hair.
"I took down the boss of a small time drug gang. Beau hated drugs, even more than you do. Something about his girl being a druggie and her stupid brother getting her hooked on them at sixteen." He sighed and pursed his lips. It still hurt, knowing what he did about his brother's life. He'd been sheltered most of his life, until he'd gone to college and found out how cruel the real world was. Bean hadn't wanted that for his brother…had wanted to protect him. "Beau and I got these scars at the same time, but from different sources. I got mine in a fist fight. Beau got his in a college football game." Bean smiled slightly, remembering the confusion in the hospital when the brothers had been brought in with the exact same wounds and both claiming to be Beau Brannigan. In the end, both had been treated and the doctors never really found out what had been going on.
"Beau dropped out after that. It was maybe a year after we met by chance. Doctors told him he'd never be able to play again 'cause of the head injury he'd got. Wish he'd have stayed in school." He sighed and closed his eyes. "Two years ago, Beau and me were in New York together. I'd come to check on him, make sure things were okay with him. He'd called me, said something had happened to his girl." He grimaced as he remembered his brother's choked up voice. "Never found out what, but I know she died from it, whatever it was. My guess is she OD'd and he didn't know what to do." He felt Rally run her hand over his chest and he sighed. He was glad he had someone to share this with. He'd carried the guilt for two years now.
"Told him to go back to my hotel and wait for me, that's I'd snoop around and find out what happened. He said that he'd been after a bounty when she'd called him, crying and screaming. Said I should check around their apartment for clues. I went, but all I found was a purse, some drugs, and some blood." He said softly and then pulled his hand out from under his head and rubbed at his eyes. "When I got back to my hotel room, the place was tossed. I'd left all my shit in my car, but Beau was layin' on the floor by the window. He was covered in blood and he was barely breathing."
He heard Rally whimper and he moved his hand and looked down at her, concerned. He noticed tears in her eyes and she leaned up, kissing him gently. He smiled and nuzzled her. "I took him back to Chicago with me after I had a doctor friend patch him up. Doc said it was temporary, that he needed real medical help, not just patching. He been beaten up pretty bad, so no one noticed he was my twin." He said very quietly. He felt her hug him and he sighed again. "He died six months later, despite all the fancy doctors I hired. I found out later that rumors were going around about 'the man who killed the Road Buster'. I tracked him down and showed him just how alive I was." He closed his eyes and swallowed. It had never sat well with him that Beau had died in his place.
"You said Beau called you in to find out who killed his girl, right?" He looked down at Rally, who stared up at him with glittering blue eyes. He nodded and she twined her fingers with his. "Well maybe he didn't want to live." He stared at her and she blushed slightly and looked away. "You said he loved his girl, maybe with her dead he didn't want to live. I know that if something happened to you-" He grabbed her and kissed her passionately as he understood what she was getting at. His brother, who had loved that girl with every fiber of his being, had allowed himself to die so that he could be reunited with her. It was crazy, but it was just like something his brother would have done. He pulled away slightly and stared at Rally.
"I'd do the same, if anything happened to you. I wouldn't want to live without you here with me." He whispered and she smiled shyly. He kissed the top of her head and they shifted, settling down for sleep. After a few minutes, he felt her snuggle tighter against him.
"I'm glad you decided to go legit, Bean." And then she was asleep. He smiled down at her and kissed her head.
"Me too, babe." He shifted again, cradling her body fully against his, and closed his eyes. He was asleep in minutes.
Bean was sitting in the restaurant attached to their hotel, a cup of black coffee in hand as he regarded Rally, who was sitting across from him. She didn't have much of an appetite, but he'd insisted she eat a hearty breakfast. She'd glowered at him but let herself be bullied into a full course breakfast. She was sipping on a glass of milk when he noticed her nearly choke on the stuff. She hurriedly lifted the newspaper sitting beside them and he arched a brow, looking over his shoulder at what could possibly have his woman on edge.
His eyes narrowed when he noticed a small woman with short blond hair speaking to the cashier. She had on tight black jeans and an old, faded jean jacket. He noticed the cashier point in his direction and he turned away as she started to turn around. He cursed and whispered to Rally to slip away while he distracted her. Rally made a small noise but said nothing. He kept eating, even when he felt a presence behind him.
"Bean Bandit." He didn't turn or even acknowledge the speaker, just kept eating. He did pause when a hand grabbed his fork and flung it away. All noise in the restaurant stopped then and Bean looked up at who he knew to be Riff Raff. There were tears in her eyes, which made him arch a brow. He was shocked when suddenly she leaned in and kissed him. He stood, breaking the kiss, and stared at her.
"Lady, I don't know who the hell you are, but don't touch me like that again." He noticed her eyes widen before she clenched her teeth.
"You're Bean Bandit, aren't you? I'd know that face anywhere!" Bean looked around and sighed, noticing all the attention this woman was drawing to them.
"Don't call me that. The name's Beau…Beau Brannigan. I'm a bounty hunter." He noticed her brandy colored eyes widen as he glared down at her.
"B-but…y-you look…j-just-" Bean's eyes widened when Rally dropped the newspaper and looked at Riff Raff.
"Just like Bean, yeah, freaky as hell ain't it?" Bean's eyes went from Rally to Riff Raff, who narrowed brandy colored eyes on his black haired, blue eyed lover.
"Vincent!" Riff Raff hissed and went to pull her gun, only for Bean to stand in the way. He looked down at the shocked little blonde.
"Now that you know my name, who the hell are you? And how do you know my brother and my woman?" He felt Rally brush against him lightly and he relaxed a bit. Riff Raff just stared in shock.
"Br-brother? You're the Road Buster's brother?" Bean crossed his arms over his chest.
"Twin brother, to be exact. We were separated into different foster homes. I got adopted by a family here in New York." He noticed her eyes widen and she pointed.
"Brannigan…yeah, football star, right? You were that kid who got taken out his freshman year in college. They say it was a conspiracy to keep you from playing professionally." Bean shrugged and kept his eyes on Riff Raff.
"Got the scar to prove it too. But that's not the point. Why were you about to draw on my girl?" He noticed her mouth drop open slightly and she made a small noise of confusion.
"B-but she…Bean and her…" It was then that Rally spoke up.
"Bean never hid his feelings for me. But he also knew that we'd never work out. He was a courier and I was a bounty hunter. I wasn't going to give that up and neither was he." She spoke quietly, tears in her eyes. Bean put his hand on her to comfort her. It was then that Riff Raff hissed.
"You should know, Brannigan, that bitch killed Bean. It's her fault that he's dead!" Bean growled and advanced on Riff Raff, only for Rally to stand and wrap her arms around him. He looked at her over his shoulder and he sighed. He then looked at Riff Raff, who was confused and scared, all wrapped in the same package with a dash of jealousy.
"Actually, Bean killed himself." He held up a hand when she was about to protest and even spoke over her. "And he did it because of me." He felt Rally's arms tighten on him while Riff Raff stared in shock. He shook his head and looked around. "Look, I don't know about you, but I'm tired of being stared at like a side show freak. You want answers, then follow us." He turned and wrapped his arm around Rally, leading her out of the restaurant. He heard Riff Raff following slowly, at a distance.
He walked into the elevator to take them to their room and noticed the blonde stand as far from them as possible. When the doors closed, he sighed loudly. "Two years ago I was attacked and almost killed by people after my brother." Riff Raff's eyes widened in shock. She looked at Rally, who had tears rolling down her cheeks. "Because of my brother's reputation, my life has been in danger. That never sat well with Bean. My brother took me with him to Illinois to hide me from them. I've been in hiding the last two years." He looked at Rally, who just stood there quietly, tears falling down her cheeks.
"Beau and I met by chance. I was tailing a bounty and he happened to be tailing it too. I thought he was Bean as well, but then Bean showed up, yelling at Beau about being out when it was dangerous for him." The lie slid off her tongue and it was bitter. She loved the man standing before her-Bean, Beau-whatever they wanted to call him now. Talking about him in the past tense…it just didn't sit well with her.
"Didn't help that you were draped over me either, babe." He chuckled when she shot him a hot look, her cheeks burning. He grinned and they heard Riff Raff clear her throat. She was looking at Rally, her brandy eyes uncertain.
"So…you and Bean…you weren't…together?" Rally closed her eyes and shook her head, her throat clogging up with tears. A small sob left her and she turned against Beau, who rubbed her back.
"Bean was very open about his feelings for Rally. She was the only one he was ever really close to except me. He loved her." He felt her curl her fingers into his coat and she nuzzled him. He ran his hands over her lower back soothingly. "But he wouldn't risk it. He knew what kind of danger she'd be in if he pursued any type of relationship. He refused to put that on her after everything that had happened to her." His voice was low, sad even. Rally knew he was baring his soul to her as he spoke to Riff Raff.
"So it was one sided?" Bean noticed something akin to anger in the blonde's eyes and he looked at Rally, who shook her head.
"No." Rally stated quietly. Bean noticed Riff Raff stiffen. "I had feelings for Bean as well. But I wasn't willing to turn a blind eye to what he was doing. After I won our bet and he stopped running drugs, tensions eased a bit. But he still helped criminals escape and it was my job, as a bounty hunter, to stop him." She took a deep breath and she closed her eyes, leaning against his chest.
"So you both had feelings for each other but neither of you acted on them?" She sounded incredulous and Bean didn't blame her. Hearing it out, like this, made it sound a bit stupid. But Rally was right. She'd never have gone against her morals, even to be with the man she cared for. She'd have sacrificed her happiness instead. He felt Rally turn in his arms so that she regarded Riff Raff.
"Let me ask you something, Riff Raff. If you loved someone but they did something you were completely against, what would you do?" She noticed the blonde open her mouth and then close it. She sighed and closed her eyes. "I was kidnapped, drugged and forced to hurt people I cared about. I was tortured, sexually abused, and tormented for the amusement of a sadistic lesbian crime lord. My father was forced to kill people for this same woman, who force fed him the same drug; a psycho-pharmaceutical called Kerasine. All for money and drugs." She looked at Riff Raff, who had wide, disbelieving eyes trained on them.
"Rally went after Bean's delivery because it was the same drug that was used on her to try and kill her loved ones. Rally's gun license was suspended for almost six months because of what that bitch did. She couldn't open her gun shop, she couldn't carry a firearm, and she was told that bounty hunting wasn't a job she should be doing. They told her that 'cause she was a woman she should find something more suitable." Rally noticed indignation color Riff Raff and she nodded.
"Assholes, making judgment calls when they should be keeping their mouths shut." Rally smiled and leaned against Bean once more. The elevator dinged and they stepped out, Riff Raff following. It was then that Bean turned slightly and looked at the little blonde.
"Now it's our turn for a question: why did you issue a death sentence on Rally?" They noticed Rally arch a brow and give them a confused look.
"What are you talking about? I don't have that kind of pull in the underworld. I'm a courier, not a mobster." Rally and Bean exchanged looks and Rally bit her lip.
"We came here because our sources told us that the one after Rally was you. Used your nickname, the name of your car, everything." Riff Raff's eyes widened in shock and she stared. What the hell? Rally had just opened the door to their room when she was sent flying back. She screamed in pain, clutching her stomach. Riff Raff noticed the man named Beau Brannigan shout and run to her, holding her stomach and looking over his shoulder at whoever had attacked Rally.
Standing there with a smug look on his face was the leader of the guys Rally had shot yesterday. Bean glared, his teeth bared. He stood and looked at Riff Raff. "Take care of her." He growled and advanced on the drug dealer, his whiskey eyes dark with unbridled hatred. Riff Raff went to the young woman's side and noticed her gasping for breath, panic in her eyes.
"M-my…b-baby…" Riff Raff's eyes widened in shock. Rally was pregnant?! She looked up at Brannigan, at the buried fear, the anger, and she had no doubts as to who the father was. She held Rally's hand as the black haired girl fought to catch her breath. The sound of a bat cracking had both women looking up at Bean. He was staring the drug dealer down, his eyes crazed with how angry he was.
"If you cost us our baby, I'm going to kill you, punk." Bean snarled and grabbed the man, his large hand covering the entire top of the man's shaved head. The man laughed, almost maniacal, and Rally pushed herself up. She managed to get to Bean's side with Riff Raff's help and she stared at the man.
"B-Beau…put him down." She gasped and grabbed his arm. "He's…" She tried for another deep breath. "He's d-doped Beau. Kerasine." Bean's eyes narrowed and he leaned down, looking the guy in the eyes.
"You're going to show me who is after my woman, got it?" The man said nothing but when Bean squeezed his head and gave the order in a lower, almost growling voice, the man nodded. They let him go and Riff Raff told them she'd follow him, that they had to get Rally to a doctor immediately. They'd nodded, Rally giving Riff Raff her number, and they'd headed separate ways.
Rally and Bean stared at the doctor with complete shock and disbelief. Rally closed her gaping mouth before opening it again and closing it. "You…you mean I'm…not pregnant?" She looked shocked, disappointed, relieved…Bean wasn't sure what she felt as the doctor shook his head.
"You had a change in hormones recently, but nothing to indicate you're pregnant. Sorry that I had to deliver bad news." Bean looked at Rally, who was staring down at her hands. It was sadness and disbelief, disappointment, on her face at that moment. He thanked the doctor and kissed her temple, gently whispering to her.
"It's alright, babe. False positives happen." Even though he was disappointed that she wasn't pregnant, he wasn't about to tell her that. She was already disappointed enough on her own. He noticed the tears that fell from her eyes and he kissed her gently. "Babe…" He noticed her look up at him, misery on her face.
"I…I was…I don't…" She stood and stepped into his arms, bawling her eyes out. He just rubbed her back until she calmed down enough to speak clearly. She sniffled and closed her eyes. "I…I was actually…happy…at the thought of a baby…" He kissed her forehead and hugged her tightly.
"Babe, we have time for kids. I'm just glad you're alright." She sniffled again and he heard her mumble something. He arched a brow and she sighed.
"I don't believe that doctor. I want a second opinion." She noticed Bean arch a brow and she blushed. "It wouldn't be the first time doctors were wrong. I…I just want to be sure…" He smirked and nodded, leaning in and kissing her under her eye.
"Oh babe, trust me when I say I don't mind." He noticed her blush and he chuckled. "The idea of you carrying my kid…I been entertaining that since Texas." He nuzzled her with a purr. She blushed brighter and smiled at him, wrapping her arms around him tightly.
"Thank you, Bean." She whispered in his ear, very quietly, so that he was the only one to hear. He smirked at her and kissed her on the lips once, looking at her.
"You're welcome, babe. Now, let's say you and I pay this drug junkie a visit and find out what's really going on." Rally smiled and nodded, standing on tip toe to kiss him gently.
Rally noticed Riff Raff look at her stomach once more and she smiled. It seemed that no matter what life a woman led, when there was a baby involved, certain behavior could be expected. For the fifth time in an hour, the blonde courier bit her lip and asked, "Are you sure you're alright, Vincent? That prick didn't hurt anything, right?" Rally bit her lip and nodded, a blush on her cheeks. Riff Raff nodded and crept forward with Rally right behind her, Bean carrying up the rear…and staring at Rally's rear. Rally shot him a hard look and he chuckled, rubbing her rear when they stopped momentarily. She growled at him to behave and he smirked, holding up his hands in mock surrender. She shook her head with a sigh.
Riff Raff crouched under a window of a large house in some rundown neighborhood. She leaned in to whisper to the two lovers. "The guy I tailed came here. Went in several hours ago and hasn't come back out. My guess is they're asking him what happened." Rally nodded and they huddled together to discuss a plan of action. When they'd agreed to let Bean barrel through and Riff Raff bring up the rear, Rally giving cover fire, they moved.
Lots of shooting, shouting, and screaming found them to the inner most bedroom of the house. Guards were lying around in various stages of disarray, not to mention pain, and Rally had destroyed all the Kerasine she'd managed to find. Unlike the last time she'd destroyed Kerasine while with Bean and Riff Raff, she didn't use fire. Instead, she dumped all the Kerasine down the sewer pipes. Let the rats go crazy. Now, they stood before the last door between them and the master mind behind everything.
Riff Raff reached out and grabbed the door handle, only for the door to be jerked open, which sent her careening into whoever had been on the other side. She looked up with shocked brandy eyes into equally shocked ice blue eyes. They were so light, they almost appeared clear. But it was the familiarity of the person under her that kept her from moving. "D-Daniel?" She whispered and reached out to touch him. He stared at her as she laid there on top of him.
Rally arched a brow and looked at Bean, who arched a brow with a smug smirk. He leaned in and whispered to Rally. "He likes her…a lot." Rally looked at her lover, shock in her eyes. He nodded and crossed his arms over his chest. "Oh yeah…trust me. You'll see." The light blue eyed male stared for a few seconds longer before finding his voice.
"R-Riff? Is…is it really you?" His voice wasn't as deep as Bean's, but it wasn't high pitched as a kid. He was somewhere between the two. It was then that Riff Raff remembered that Rally and Beau were behind her. She blushed ten shades of red and grabbed this 'Daniel' character by the collar of his shirt.
"What the hell is going on Daniel?! Why are you trying to kill Rally?! And who sent that moron to their hotel?! He nearly killed Rally's baby!" Bean noticed the young man's eyes widen before going dull. There was a sadness in him.
"I…I heard that that courier guy you were so into got killed. I…I thought if the one who killed him were to die, you'd be happy." Bean noticed Riff Raff stare down at the youth but Rally smiled gently when the blonde courier blushed and looked away.
"Killing people ain't how I do things, Daniel. If I got a problem with them, I hash it out myself. Don't need anyone's help." She grumbled. It was Rally that shook her head with a sigh.
"Riff, you are clueless." She walked over to the two, who were now staring up at her. She helped Riff Raff up before helping the kid, Daniel, to his feet. She then gave the young man a gentle shove, which landed him pressed up close to Riff, who had a bright red blush on her face.
"Wh-what you think you're doing Rally?" Rally chuckled and looked over at Bean.
"Same thing that May did to me when Beau came a knocking. It's obvious this guy likes you." Riff's eyes widened and she stared at Daniel, who had a bright blush on his face. Now that they were on their feet, she noticed he wasn't as short as she remembered. He was almost a head taller than her. And his eyes were lighter…or maybe that's because his glasses were gone. And his curly blonde hair was longer than she remembered. He was actually kind of cute now. She blushed and looked away from him and into Rally's darker blue eyes.
"B-but he's four years younger than me." She protested weakly. It was then that she noticed him staring at her, his heart in his eyes.
"I'm sorry if I've upset you, Riff. I…I just wanted you to be happy…even if it wasn't with me. I wanted you to smile…always smile…" Riff's eyes widened then and she stared at him.
"You…you did all this…for me?" He nodded, looking away in shame.
"I'm sorry that things got so out of control. I should have researched things better. I just thought-" He was cut off when Riff jumped at him with a slight cheer and he yelped as she tackled him to the floor, chuckling and nuzzling him like a love struck teenager. Rally giggled at how red he became and the almost dazed look in his eyes.
"You're so cute!" Rally shook her head and swore she saw steam coming out of the neck of his shirt as his skin turned the color of her jacket. It was then that Bean cleared his throat.
"Uh, there's still the matter of calling off the death sentence on my woman, ya know." Rally shook her head and smiled up at Bean, who smiled back at her. It was the youth, Daniel, that nodded.
"I called it off this morning, after I heard of Riff being sighted in your hotel. I realized what a mistake I'd made in not talking to Riff first." Again, the blonde courier made a noise very reminiscent of a squeal and jumped the blonde drug manufacturer. It was this memory that had Rally eyeing the youth.
"I dumped all your drugs down the sewers." She noticed him regard her through those ice blue eyes. It was almost like he didn't care.
"Oh, that. It's not mine. I've just been staying here because I didn't want my associates to find the others." Rally arched a brow and Riff shrugged.
"Daniel and me are orphans. We grew up with about five or six other orphans. We fixed up an old house and have been living there for years, up until I got my first job as a courier. I left the house so that if anyone came looking for me, the others would be safe." Daniel nodded and closed his eyes.
"I invented a security system that the mob families took an interest in. They financed it and it's grown into a large corporation. They keep me around and encourage me to invent new technology to make more money for them. I really don't mind, mainly because they give me seventy percent of the sales each year from my inventions." It was Rally that gasped and stared.
"You're Daniel Knight? The kid genius?" He shrugged and looked away, running a hand over Riff's clothed knee.
"Riff's the only one who calls me Daniel. To everyone else, I'm just Dani…" He blushed and looked over at Riff, who just smirked at him. She leaned in and whispered to him and Rally noticed his ears turn red, as did his cheeks. She smiled and shook her head.
"Well let's get you two out of here. Now that I'm not worried about getting jumped all the time, we can head back to the hotel. You guys are welcome to stay for dinner." Rally smiled when Riff smirked and shook her head.
"Thanks Rally, but I think it's way overdue for us to have ourselves a little chat." There was a lusty look in Riff's eyes and Rally wasn't about to argue with the woman. She knew about those urges, and she turned her sparkling sapphires to her lover just as he was about to insist the two blondes join them.
"I completely understand Riff." Bean shut his mouth quickly and stared at his little blue eyed lover as the two blondes got to their feet once more. Rally smiled and they all agreed to meet up tomorrow, since Rally and 'Beau' had the hotel booked for the week. Rally then took Bean's hand and led him out of the house, as Riff led the still slightly clueless Daniel Knight to her car, a smirk on her lips. Rally climbed into Bean's car and looked at him. His eyes flared with want and he started the car. It took them half the time to get to the hotel as it had taken them to get to the house.
Rally sighed and turned over on the couch. It had been a month since the doctor in New York had told her she wasn't pregnant. She was afraid of going to another doctor, afraid she'd find out she really wasn't pregnant. With a groan she turned and looked over at May, who looked slightly irritated. Rally had found out, upon their arrival back home, that it hadn't been her pregnancy test that May had brandished at Bean, it had been May's pregnancy test. The mouthy blonde was two months pregnant with her first child with Ken. They were set to be married in six days and Rally was slightly envious of her friend.
She and Bean had been together for a while now and she was still no closer to understanding him than she had been on day one. Well, that wasn't entirely true. He loved her, that much was obvious. But ever since he'd taken her to the doctor and found out there was a good chance she wasn't really pregnant, he'd seemed…different. Sure, they still slept in the same bed-his king size bed at his apartment most often-and they still made love, but he seemed distracted lately. She sighed and stared up at the ceiling.
May yelping had her looking over and she noticed the small blonde throw something to the side, tears in her eyes and her finger in her mouth. Rally shook her head and sat up, deciding to go to the shop. She'd taken to letting Bean run the shop, which doubled as the office for their bounty hunting business. If someone came in about guns, he called, and she came running. So, she put her tennis shoes on, pulled her apron off the peg, and walked out the door, jogging to the shop with ease. She had just opened the back door to the shop when she noticed Bean and Roy look over at her, shock on their faces. Rally stood there like a deer in the headlights, wondering what it was they'd been discussing that would have had them staring at her like this.
She noticed Roy regard her before looking back at Bean and nodding. Bean smirked and looked at her, heat in his eyes. She bit her lip, knowing he'd show her just how happy he was to see her when Roy left. Maybe this time they'd break the table instead of move it. Roy cleared his throat and stood, mumbling about getting back to the department before his lunch hour ended. Rally hugged him gingerly and waved as he left. She then looked at Bean over her shoulder as he made a purring noise. He walked over to her and kissed her shoulder, wrapping his arms around her and nuzzling the back of her neck gently.
"Six days until May and Ken get married." She stated, a kind of ritual that amused him. As the day of the wedding drew near, she'd taken to reminding him, almost like a countdown. As if he could forget. He rumbled as he kept kissing her neck gently.
"Ten until they move into that house in the suburbs. We could always look for a house out that way if you wanted. The commute to work wouldn't be bad." She chuckled and leaned back into him.
"I like living where I do. It's close to the shop, so I always have the gun range when I want to shoot." She smiled as she felt him laughing against her shoulder.
"Any thoughts on what you're going to do with that room once they're out?" Rally bit her lip. She'd thought about it alright, but she wasn't sure she wanted him to know about that quite yet. She turned to him, her eyes hooding as she nodded. He smirked and leaned in to talk to her.
"Yeah? Well I have an idea too." She arched a brow and he leaned down to kiss her, his lips brushing against hers. "I say we turn it into a nursery." His hand immediately went to her belly and she gasped. She'd been thinking the same thing. Just how-she gasped when a small red box appeared in his hand. "I couldn't give you anything as Bean Bandit, Rally. But I'm prepared to give you everything as Beau Brannigan. Irene Vincent, will you marry me?" She put her hands to her mouth and nodded, managing to get out a choked yes before she turned and kissed him frantically. He laughed and kissed her back, thoroughly happy she'd said yes.
Two months after their wedding, news was spreading around their circle of friends: Rally was two months pregnant. Riff Raff laid in bed with Daniel, staring at the little card with a smirk. Daniel kissed her shoulder and she looked at him. He gasped and groaned as she was yet again ready for another round.
Back in Chicago, May was smiling as she and Ken debated on when the child had been conceived. Ken bet it was on the honey moon. May bet it was on the airplane taking them to Hawaii for their honeymoon. Neither Bean nor Rally had anything they wanted to say on the matter.
