Author's Note: Don't get too excited. It's the same story, mostly, but I'm correcting a few grammar and spelling errors throughout, divorcing my terrible love affair with the word 'that,' and making the whole thing, in general, a little less cheesy. In a few spots, I reworked a bit of the dialogue and made a few characters more consistent, in my humble opinion. Hell, who am I kidding? There's enough new it's worth another read. I had to make it worth the 'M' rating, yeah?

Disclaimer: I don't own it. But if I did, you wouldn't have to sell your soul for a Light level. And you wouldn't get bored three days into the week. Sorry, Bungie, I said it.

Bullet Nine

"To rend one's enemies is to see them not as enemies, but objects-hollow of spirit and meaning."

- 13th Understanding, 7th Book of Sorrow

One

It wasn't until the man seated beside him shifted in his seat, gripping his shoulder over the place his chest plate separated from his arm guard, the Hunter realized he'd been staring.

Openly.

It seemed his good fortune she hadn't taken any notice; a fact which most pleased the Hunter as he sat beside the Titan and Warlock that rounded out his Fireteam. The trio was sharing a drink in the back corner of their favorite bar; a dimly lit establishment tucked near some of the lesser used bays within the hangar. It was another, entirely different, stroke of luck neither of the men sitting around the table with him had taken notice, either.

Duncan wasn't sure he possessed patience enough that evening, in particular, to put up with the Titan's teasing or the Warlock's lecture.

Not about the staring, at least.

Noticing the Titan's attention was beginning to drift to the same table that had earlier caught his attention, the Hunter decided his best course of action was to pass the blame… quickly and before either of his Fireteam-mates had a chance to notice where he had chosen to direct his attention.

"Daydreamin' again, Kellin?" the Hunter goaded behind his smooth accent.

As the Awoken Titan shifted so he was leaning forward over the table, his attention no longer on the trio of female Guardians seated near the front of the bar, the Hunter watched as Kellin narrowed his amber eyes and took a long, thoughtful sip of his dark amber ale. The Titan smirked a handsome half smile which screamed of mischief and misery and everything else only years of experience could convince Duncan he wanted to avoid. Kellin seemed to consider the Hunter's accusation, or he might have enjoyed the lingering taste of ale on his tongue. With a tone of practiced disinterest, Kellin replied, "Daydreamin's a whole helluva lot better than listenin' to whatever you're on about this time."

Duncan managed a friendly, patient laugh, pausing only to take a drink from the glass of scotch in his hand. His hazel eyes traced a cautious path back across the bar to the same table he'd been pretending to ignore. There were two Warlocks–an Exo and a human–and an Awoken Hunter talking in a loud and animated manner to one another. An impressive collection of empty barware was stacked in the center of the table between them.

It was the human Warlock, talking with her hands, who captured the Hunter's eye…

Her skin was pale, but her cheekbones were glowing a light shade of rose-red, suggesting she'd already enjoyed a few drinks of her own. She had icy blonde hair which seemed to shine almost silver in the dim light of the bar. Duncan reached forward for his glass of scotch and used the smoky taste to clear his mind of what sort of things he might have the privilege of whispering to her in the darkest corners of the hangar if Kellin didn't make it to her first.

He watched as her long hair fell over her shoulders to cascade down her back from her laughter. Her features seemed to soften until she looked almost angelic when the female Hunter with her leaned across the table and gestured in the direction of his Fireteam. Even from as far away as he was seated, Duncan could tell she was beautiful.

He couldn't blame Kellin for daydreaming about her if that's who the Titan's attention had fallen on, but there was her Awoken companion to consider. She was taller than either of the Warlocks. He could make out the fact for the way she hooked her heel on the bottom rung of her barstool while the other women had opted for the top. Her bright eyes glimmered through the dim light of the bar in a haunting shade of pale blue that reflected an eerie sort of knowing gaze from behind her grey skin. Her hair was a striking hue of midnight blue, held away from her face in a severe bun tied at the nape of her neck.

Duncan couldn't help but hope Kellin had been looking at the Hunter…

"So, which one is it, Titan?" Amri, their Warlock, had the foresight to ask. And Duncan breathed a silent sigh of relief the Warlock had been the one to ask the question so he wouldn't have to.

"Hn?"

"You're thinkin' abou' one of them," the Hunter clarified, watching the way the Titan's amber eyes widened in surprise for a brief moment; it was the way he'd reacted to the word 'you're.' Like he was surprised to have been caught admiring the trio of female Guardians… like he was hoping to find the Hunter in a position to be just as guilty as he.

Duncan felt his skin crawl. This Titan knew him well. Too well.

Quickly composing himself, Kellin ran a hand through his shaggy crimson bangs and smirked, "The Exo."

Duncan snorted, almost spitting out his scotch for the absurdity of the Titan's confession. Regaining his composure as fast as he'd lost it, the Hunter dismissed his friend's outburst by dropping his glass back on the table with a loud thud, "Well, 'less there's onena them other ladies included in tha' perverted fantasy a yours, I s'pose I'm no' as interested as I'd previously though'."

"She's rather fetching," Amri defended levelly, tapping his index finger against his chin as though considering his statement further. After a brief pause where neither of his Fireteam-mates seemed to understand what he'd just offered to their conversation, he clarified, "The Exo Warlock."

Both men turned to look at their Warlock with raised eyebrows.

It was thanks to that Exo, Amrinian-12, or Amri as they preferred to call him, this pair of Guardians had been brought back to the Tower safely. The comradery shared in their newness, coupled with the false confidence each had adopted to replace the persistent fears around their shared uncertainty, had bonded the two men, a Titan and a Hunter, on an unspoken level. Amri simply felt responsible for keeping them both alive.

Now, after seven years in the Traveler's service, the trio was more like brothers than Fireteam-mates.

With a deep breath, the Hunter took a sip of scotch as his eyes settled on the Titan sitting across from him. The other man's bright crimson bangs were falling forward to obscure a bit of his face, but the Hunter could still make out the faintest hint of a mischievous glimmer in the Titan's amber eyes. His voice was low when he challenged, "Well, which is it you'd rather hear about? The Warlock or the Hunter?"

"The Hunter," Duncan lied too quickly. He was not sure he was yet ready to let on to the Titan how much he preferred the little Warlock at the other table to either of the other two women seated with her.

Kellin shrugged his shoulders, and the Hunter relaxed a little when he perceived the Titan was unsurprised. Shaking the bangs out of his face, the Titan cocked his head to the side and inspected the human Hunter.

It was no great mystery Duncan had never found himself fond of a Warlock; it was something his Fireteam knew all too well. He'd been rather outspoken in his dismissal of the entire Order, excepting of course Amri. And he was never at a loss for words in expressing his desire to see them spend more of their time locked in the archives, rather than mucking up the Crucible with their ridiculous Firebolt grenades and melee over shields.

Duncan knew however, the Titan preferred to think he was just jealous of their thick overcoats.

And their Void Magic.

The truth of the matter, however, was Duncan may or may not have found himself on the wrong side of a Nova Bomb in the Crucible a few times too many to have ever fostered any great love for a Warlock. Watching his friend with a careful eye, the Hunter caught a familiar glimmer in the Titan's eyes that suggested he'd happened upon an idea. Weary and not at all trusting his intentions to be good, the young Hunter took a deep breath as the Titan shook his head.

Hiding a smile by taking another drink of his ale, the Titan smirked, "I don't know. That Warlock sure seems something. I wouldn't mind gettin' to know her if you know what I mean."

Duncan knew what he meant, alright…

And he felt like a rock had sunk to the pit of his stomach, taking with it everything he'd, earlier, so foolishly thought of saying to her to break the ice. Kellin never struggled where he determined to apply his skills with attracting the ladies of Tower. He had a gift. And it seemed only to work for him. When Duncan had condescended to implement some of the techniques he'd seen the Titan practice. Well, the results never seemed to work out the same for him as they did for Kellin.

Recollecting himself, the Hunter decided trying to subtly talk his Titan out of the idea beginning to form in his mind would be the best course of action. Shaking his head, Duncan replied carefully, "Lady's easy on the eyes, maybe, bu' I be' she's one 'elluva liability to whatever Fireteam she's assigned."

"How do you mean?" the Exo interjected, crossing his arms over his chest and not trying in the slightest to hide his irritation at the Hunter's implication.

"Well, 'er size for starters," Duncan paused to clear his throat. "An' you can tell from 'ere she's as flighty as they come."

The Titan and the Warlock shared a skeptical look with one another while the Hunter took an uncomfortable pause to finish his scotch. Duncan had a sneaking suspicion the two of them were in on something together, but he was too preoccupied to worry himself with deciding what it might be. He wasn't sure where he was going to go with this discussion next… maybe it was time to change the subject? Suggest Kellin go over to their table and talk to one of them, hopefully not the Warlock, or something?

"I bet she's worth two of you any day, Hunter," the Titan challenged with a mischievous edge to his tone.

"Easy, Kellin," Amri cautioned, reaching across the table to place a reassuring hand on Duncan's forearm.

The Hunter frowned nonetheless.

This was a new turn in the usual pattern of Kellin's ill-conceived banter.

"Is tha' so?" the Hunter's voice was a note louder than normal, and neither of the men with him would have suspected it was the alcohol. Sticking the point of his knife into the wooden surface of the table just beside the Titan's helmet as a warning, Duncan challenged, "Tha' frail, lithe little thing worth two a me? You've lost yer damn mind, Titan!"

He could feel himself starting to lose his temper as the solar light began to swim through his core.

He could feel it, but after two drinks gone there was little he could think to do about it now. Little he would want to do if the Titan continued along his current line of teasing.

"And I bet she's far better company," Kellin added as further fuel to the Hunter's fire.

"Oh, tha's it," the Hunter growled. As he stood, he pushed his chair away from the table with the back of his dark leather boots. He was up and away from the table in such a flurry of motion his cape whispered behind him in a flash of crimson and ebony. His voice was a low growl behind him as he went, "Only one way ta prove yer wrong."

"Now look what you've done," Duncan could make out the tail end of Amri scolding Kellin.

But the Hunter wasn't listening. Duncan's head was spinning – Kellin, his Titan, had just suggested he'd have taken that little Warlock, a Guardian he'd never even met, from two tables away over him in a fight. After everything they'd been through together. After everything they'd fought and bested.

And had he covered the Titan didn't even know this girl?

Clenching his left hand to a fist at his side, the Hunter grabbed the Warlock's wrist in his right hand and spun her around on her barstool so she was facing him. He was glaring daggers down at her, ready to-well, uhh…

When she looked up at him with her soft grey eyes full of curiosity and chirped a happy, "Hello, Hunter!" up at him, well, he'd forgotten exactly why it was he'd just gone over to her table. He'd completely forgotten about Kellin and Amri. He'd forgotten he was supposed to be angry, challenging her to a few rounds in the Crucible or, um, something…

All Duncan could do was stand there next to her, staring down at her while she looked up at him, and let all the pent-up solar light he'd been building up inside fade into nothing.

"A Gunslinger, eh?"

Snapping out of it, he let go of her wrist like she'd burned him and took a step away from her. Shaking his head in disbelief, he gently pulled his fingers closed over his palm.

Hiding a laugh behind her hand, she pressed her open palm against his chest plate and smiled like she might be the most innocent thing in all the galaxy, "Don't be shy, Hunter! I love Gunslingers."

His heart flipped in his chest, and he pretended her voice wasn't the most magnificent, sweet tenor he'd ever heard in his life. He was already completely lost in the most lovely pair of sea-grey eyes he'd ever seen. What would have been enough?

"It's nice to meet you," she offered, peeling her hand away from his chest to provide it to him in greeting. He could only watch as she bit her lower lip in a way Duncan couldn't decide was more seductive or adorable.

"Hunter!" an amused Titan joined the table now, followed closely by the Warlock. The Hunter felt the Titan's hand press against his back, between his shoulder blades. Shoving him forward again, this time so he was practically standing on top of the Warlock's barstool, the Titan began to explain, "You'll have to forgive his temper, ladies. He wants to challenge your Warlock to a few rounds in the Crucible. It's the only way he can hope to increase his reputation with the Quartermaster, finding women smaller than he is."

Everyone at the table laughed except for the human Warlock and Duncan.

"Oh, is that all?" she sounded disappointed as she lowered her gaze to where she had her hands folded in her lap.

Laughing, the Exo Warlock teased, "So the Hunter wants to become the hunted?"

Quickly defending himself, Duncan hurriedly tried to explain, "No, I-"

"If you'd help him out, we'd be forever grateful to you, Warlock," Kellin interrupted, running his hand through his dark red bangs before picking up her right hand and holding it firmly between both of his.

And Duncan could only watch as she looked across the table to her Fireteam. The Hunter just shrugged, tossing her knife in the air like this interruption to their evening was nothing of interest to her. The other Warlock watched patiently, letting her gaze float between Amri and her friend, seeming to find something about the entire situation amusing.

When Duncan looked back at the Warlock, she was pulling her hand away from Kellin before she shifted her focus back to him. She didn't seem nearly so excited to have him standing next to her as she had a few moments before. Her voice was soft as she offered, "Bailey."

"Wha'?"

"My name is Bailey," she expanded. "You'll need it for tomorrow. You know, to find me in the Crucible."

And he knew he needed to think of something-anything else. This wasn't how he wanted to meet the pretty Warlock a few tables over. Not at all…

"The Crucible?" Duncan asked, watching the Warlock offer Kellin a puzzled glance over her shoulder. Stepping back towards her, the Hunter cleared his throat and defended, "Forgive my manners, Lady Warlock. You see, yer quite a bi' more lovely up close like this. I, uh, wasn' expectin', but tha's not the poin'. I came over to ask if you'd allow my Titan to buy you ladies another round a'drinks."

"What?" Kellin protested, letting his open palm fall between the female Warlocks with a loud thud.

"Well, in that case," the Awoken Hunter suddenly became interested as she leaned towards the Titan and offered him a knowing smirk. "Vodka soda."

"Actually, she'd better not. She's already rather intoxicated," the Exo Warlock interrupted. But Duncan was no longer concerned with their conversation… Instead, his attention had fallen back to the Warlock beside him. He watched her grey eyes brighten and tried to bite back a smile as he looked down at her.

"Bu' I wondered, Bailey," and he paused to take her hand in his, working his thumb into her palm, "Can I call ya Bailey?"

"Of course," she agreed.

"Would ya le' me buy you a drink?"

Out of nowhere at all, a spark flashed in her eyes as she looked up at him and the Hunter felt his heart rattling off of his ribcage like a jump ship breaking orbit. She pulled her hand out of his to place her palm against his chest plate again. Working her left hand to the nape of his neck, she narrowed eyes and pulled him forward so their lips were nearly touching to whisper, "I'll let you buy me a drink if you can beat me in the Crucible."

He smiled, letting his left hand come to cover hers as it rested against his chest. Smirking, he said, "Duncan."

"What?"

"My name is Duncan. You'll need it to find me in the Crucible."