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"...What, have you never seen a snake before?"

I stared at him. Of course I had seen a snake before, but never wrapped around somebody's hand!

It was only until my jaw was starting to ache that I realized my mouth was agape. I closed it and looked down, embarassed.

"Aw, come on." He switched hands. I checked before grabbing and let him pull me up; he was really strong for someone so skinny. "Just don't start screaming, okay? You're not supposed to bring snakes onboard...damn you, Snakes On A Plane!"

He laughed at his own joke and looked at me. I stared back. His eyes were a beautiful deep violet, and they pulled me down so deep I felt as if I were drowning in them. He smiled.

"Duo Maxwell." He'd had a hold on my hand the whole while I was staring, and he now took the opportunity to shake it violently. "And this..." He let go of my hand and indicated his small black snake. It turned it's head towards me and tasted my scent with it's tongue. I mentally screamed. "..is Scythie. Say hello, Scythie!" The man called Duo stuck out the hand with the snake on it and grinned. I slowly put my other hand into his and gasped as Scythie wrapped up my arm.

"Holy Jesus!" I exclaimed. Duo held tight to my hand so I wouldn't fling his snake into the air. He grabbed the snake fondly and stuffed it into a pocket somewhere inside his gigantic trench coat.

"Thought I told you not to scream?" He smirked evily at me and turned back to the screen of Arrivals/Departures. "Well, looks like I'm gonna be here for a while." He turned to me. I jumped and looked away, hoping he hadn't seen me staring. He had, but chose to ignore it and said, "Where're you headed?"

I struggled not to stammer. "I--I don't know yet. I was l-looking when you c-came." I flicked my eyes to him and back again. I could feel him grin again as he suggested politely, "Maybe you could hop on with me? I'm just goin' around trying to get some adventure in before I my vacation is up. I just got back from Colony R39, but that was something I'll never do again. That place was nothing but business and boredom."

I thought all Colony R39 was is a business colony...? But I decided to ix-nay that question and ask instead,"Where are you going now?"

He shifted his weight to the right, put his hand on his hip, and sighed. "I don't know yet. I thought about Colony SX0036, but it's nothing but hippies and treehuggers that love themselves and each other over there." He rolled his eyes. I kicked myself mentally for even considering that one. I totally agreed with Duo and rolled my eyes also. "Well, since we're both new to each other, why not ColonyY-"

Attention all shuttle-goers, attention! All out-going and in-coming shuttles will be momentarily postponed until further notice because of weather conditions. I repeat: All out-going and in-coming shuttles will be momentarily postponed until further notice because of weath-

"Yeah, yeah! We heard you!" Duo shouted at the intercom. He looked back at me and frowned. My eyes widened. So he DOES have another facial expression!

He sighed deeply and shrugged. "I guess we're stuck here 'until further notice.'" I smiled at his imitation of the Speaker Lady and followed him as he pointed towards the back part of the Shuttle Port.

I stopped as I noticed where he was taking me. We were heading into a bar called "Once in a Blue Moon", and it was positively dark inside. Duo turned to see what was holding me, looked at the bar's sign, and back to me again. He held up his hands to proclaim his innocence and said "What? They have reaaaaally good burgers!"

Seeing that I wasn't in the least convinced, he sighed and scratched the back of his head. "Guess there's no changing your mind, is there?"

I shook my head violently. I had quit drinking after a horrible incident between me, a shovel, and a parked Mercedez a couple of weeks back. When he didn't move, I emphasized my choice by stepping back a pace. He gave in.

"Alright, alright. I won't force a pretty man into a choice he doesn't want to make. You'd wake up in one of these restaraunts wondering why your head hurts and where your pants are." He winked, grabbed my hand and pulled me into a bright smoothie place in front of a observation window.

As soon as we were seated, a small woman with a clean white apron came prancing over to our table and gave us a small but pleasant smile. Duo grinned back winningly and I could see that the girl resigned herself as defeated. He obviously had a better smile.

"What can I get you?" Her voice was like tinkling crystal; my stomach churned at the sound of it. I had much rather preferred Duo's low bass. She looked at me and smiled sweetly. "You first, sir?"

I tried a smile and shifted uncomfortably. "Just a regular sized espresso, please."

"And you?" she turned to Duo.

"Large mochacino. Holiday special; extra whipped cream."

"Alrighty!" She turned and trotted off in the direction she came without even writing it down. Duo turned to me and propped his feet up on the chair beside me. My attention was once again drawn to his shoes. I've GOT to get some of those... I told myself. Minus the pink shoes laces, of course...maybe a different color, too...like red or green...with black and white checkered shoe laces... I was too busy thinking of various shoes to realize that the young girl had already brought our drinks back. And when Duo snapped me back into reality, we were both too caught up in each other to realize that the young girl who had smiled so sweetly just to be beaten by Duo's even better smile had used those same lips to whisper a secret message into a bouncer's ear in the bar next door.


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