A/N: This one takes place after the Christmas one shot collection "Perfect Christmas Night" through "Believe". So, about a year after "Ain't No Mountain High Enough".

The line I was challenged to use for this story is: "Don't you dare lie to me."

"Care to explain?" Negaduck asked, crossing his arms and narrowing his eyes.

Moliarty straightened his tie, sliding the knot up to rest in the hollow of his throat. Negaduck's fingers itched to grab at the tie himself and choke on the breath from this minuscule rodent, but he fisted the material of his cape instead.

It would've been easy, though.

So very easy.

Well, choking the ever-living out of the deranged mole could always be his backup plan.

With his tie adequately in place, Moliarty locked gazes with Negaduck, a smug look painted on his small pinched features. "I was scouting the area."

No.

No, something didn't add up.

Negaduck smelled a rat.

Or a mole.

Whatever.

"Don't you dare lie to me," Negaduck snarled.

Moliarty sneered. "Why would I waste my precious time lying to you?"

With a roll of his eyes, Negaduck's hands darted out and grabbed ahold of Moliarty's collar, his fingers wrapping around that idiotic tie as he swung the tiny villain up and slammed him against a nearby building.

Which didn't do much to the small peon's nerves because Moliarty insisted, "I don't know what you want me to tell you; I was scouting the street for my upcoming crime."

"But not the crime I arranged for you," Negaduck growled, leaning in so close he was the only thing in Moliarty's line of vision.

Even now, when he was being held up by the front of his suit and pinned against a wall, Moliarty had the gall to roll his eyes. "Please," he spat. "That petty burglary wasn't even worth my consideration, let alone my dazzling criminal talents. I was scouting the street for a crime worthy of me."

Negaduck had been doing better with controlling his temper.

No, really.

He was miles from where he used to be.

But this.

It was amazing how much progress could be lost in a few short seconds.

Blinding rage coursing through him, Negaduck brought up his other hand, wrapping his fingers around the mole's neck.

So choking the life out of Moliarty had become plan A. Good thing Negaduck was flexible.

He was starting to tighten his grip, his fingers barely digging into the tender flesh of Moliarty's jugular, when he heard, "Don't even think about it," from behind him.

Recognizing the speaker, Negaduck snarled. The only reason he didn't whirl around to argue was because he caught sight of the blind panic on Moliarty's face.

"B-but," the small villain stuttered, his beady eyes growing comically large as he glanced at Negaduck, "you work alone! Y-you don't have anyone—"

"Drop it, Moliarty," Gosalyn said, her voice nearer than it had been a moment ago.

Drop it? Drop what?

But Moliarty complied, something clattering to the ground as he raised his hands up over his head.

Glancing down, Negaduck saw a Taser gleaming against the black asphalt and one of Moliarty's trouser pockets turned inside out.

So.

Moliarty had come prepared. And Negaduck in his anger – his all-consuming rage – hadn't noticed his adversary had been planning his own retaliation. How much of Moliarty's confession had been meant to goad Negaduck into a rage so Moliarty could harm him?

Stomach roiling, Negaduck glanced up at Moliarty, swallowing the bile that threatened to creep up his throat. He hated being manipulated. And this second-rate villain had so nearly accomplished just that.

But now.

He wouldn't be taken for a fool again.

Moliarty would regret going up against Negaduck.

"It's good you obeyed her so quickly," Negaduck purred, smoothing down the tails of Moliarty's tie with one hand as his other rearranged its hold onto the collar of his shirt. "She hates repeating herself."

"So annoying," Gosalyn agreed. And Negaduck was grateful for it. If partners intimidated Moliarty, then a unified fighting force would scare the shit out of him. Gosalyn probably knew that. She was smart, something Negaduck had taken for granted.

"Now," Negaduck said, the picture of composure even though his blood was still boiling at Moliarty's treachery, "how about we try this again?"

Moliarty glanced over Negaduck's shoulder to where Gosalyn was, no doubt, standing. Swallowing visibly, he returned his gaze to Negaduck. "I-I was casing the area you assigned me."

"A little early to be visiting there, isn't it?" Negaduck asked.

"A whole week early," Gosalyn said. God, she was amazing. Negaduck bit back a smirk as he continued to study Moliarty.

"I, um… yes. Yes, it's early. I wanted to see the place for myself."

"Was my information not clear to you?" Negaduck asked, his tone rising in false surprise.

"N-no, not a-at all. I-I… I wanted—"

"You," Negaduck interrupted, "were looking to commit another crime that was worthy of you. Isn't that right?"

Defiance and irritation sparked in Moliarty's eyes and he opened his mouth to retort, but the sound of Gosalyn drawing her bow string echoed in the silence, causing panic to flash across Moliarty's face again. He glanced between Gosalyn and Negaduck, at a loss of what to do or even who to address.

Negaduck made the decision for him.

"I'll tell you what," Negaduck said, smoothing the wrinkles out of Moliarty's suit. "You sit this one out. I'll try to find you another crime. A better one."

"What? No! You can't take this away from me!"

"Sounds like he just did," Gosalyn said and Negaduck could just see her shrugging as she said it.

"It's my mistake," Negaduck mentioned, dropping Moliarty unceremoniously, taking some pleasure when the small villain grunted as he came in contact with the ground. "This crime is better for someone else. It's not worthy of you." He turned and, catching sight of Gosalyn, walked over to her. She kept her gaze and arrow trained on Moliarty as he scrambled to his feet.

"What am I supposed to do in the meantime?" Moliarty whined, tugging his shirt and suit back in place. "You won't let anyone commit their own crimes and I have a whole colony of moles to think about!"

Negaduck glared down at Moliarty. "Guess you should have thought of that earlier."

Moliarty glowered. He was going to say more, Negaduck could see that annoying need of wanting the last word.

Not willing to deal with it, Negaduck grabbed his pistol out of his cape and fired a round into Moliarty's shoulder.

Gosalyn winced as the small tyrant collapsed, howling in pain. Negaduck walked up to him, scooping up the Taser on his way.

"You're not in charge here, Moliarty." Negaduck crouched beside him, caressing the side of the mole's face with the barrel of his gun. Still hot from use, the end of it burned Moliarty's cheek, causing the small gangster to cry out again.

"Shhh, shhh, shhh," Negaduck soothed. He leaned in closer, whispering, "Remember who makes the rules next time."

One last caress along Moliarty's jaw and Negaduck stood. Holstering his pistol, he strolled own the street, Gosalyn matching his stride beside him.

After a few blocks, when they were definitely out of ear-shot, Negaduck glanced toward Gosalyn. "I'm surprised you showed."

She rolled her eyes. "Of course I did."

Negaduck shrugged, trying to be noncommittal. "I know you're not a fan of my methods."

Gosalyn glanced at him, slowing her pace fractionally. "Is that why you tried to sneak off early? So I wouldn't go with you?"

"Tried to sneak off early?" Negaduck asked, purposefully ignoring the questions.

She sighed, clearly aware of his avoidance, but said, "Obviously you weren't successful in sneaking off if I was able to find you."

"I'll have to try harder next time," Negaduck said begrudgingly.

"I wish you wouldn't." Gosalyn easily leapt over a pothole, landing lightly on her feet beside him. "Even if I don't like what you're doing, I want to be there."

"To back up the methods you hate so much?" Negaduck wondered, weaving expertly through the hoards of decaying cars that lined the streets. He could blame the distance he was putting between himself and Gosalyn on the Negaverse's landscape. Doesn't matter if that was the real reason or not. Negaduck just needed options. A way to explain himself.

"To be there for you," Gosalyn said, climbing up and down the cars as she walked over the hoods and roofs of the rusting automobiles. Which was a stupid and tiring path. Until Negaduck realized it kept her close to him without actually walking next to him. Because she knew closeness made him anxious. Especially after he'd been proven wrong.

Was he really that transparent? First to Moliarty and now to Gosalyn? He needed to work on his menace….

And then her words hit him.

"To be there for you."

Even when she disagreed with his interrogations and his methods, she was willing to go. To stand beside him. Support him.

"Negaduck, I'm not going to leave you."

And where the hell had that come from? It wasn't like he hadn't thought about those words since Gosalyn had said them — God, was it last year? — but to think of them now.

He glanced over at Gosalyn, who was still leaping from one car to another, like she was the avatar in a video game.

She'd kept her promise.

So far.

If only she knew she wouldn't be able to keep it.

Promises were always broken, even if they had the best intentions.

"Get down from there," he snapped, his voice harsher than he'd intended. "You'll break your neck and I am not explaining to Dipwing that his sidekick died in the Negaverse."