Chapter Two

"Hawk, come here boy!"

Meliodas heard the voice and knew all to well he should at least try to run, only if it had not hurt so much to move. It hurt to breathe, to think, to live. But then, he had made that choice, didn't he? He had chosen to live.

In all honesty, he hadn't planned to go out and get himself killed. Not to say that if the opportunity had arose, he wouldn't invite it in to talk things out over a cold glass of ale. Yet, when the aftermath stared him straight in the face, he discovered something in himself he had assumed had left along with Liz: his will to live

"Hawk!" The dog's owner called out once more, a feminine voice.

Snatching up a rock, Meliodas tossed it at the barking dog, in hopes of shutting it up. The ugly mutt looked like that Yoda character from Star Wars, except with reindeer horns and a grooming gone bad.

Grimacing, he stood to his feet. The last thing he needed was to explain himself to a nosy civilian. If it was true what Hendrickson had said, then the news would have already had his face broadcasted on every television in Britannia.

Inhaling the icy cold air deeply into his battered lungs, he knew he needed to get in contact with someone. But who would believe him when he said Hendrickson, a twenty-year HPD veteran, had gone bad? Hell, Meliodas even had a rough time believing it.

His gaze went around the property. The small clearing in the pine thicket had a storage shed that backed up to a house, it looked promising. He needed a place to catch a breather, a place where he could think things through - and out of this damned wind. He needed to find out what book Hendrickson was talking about.

Meliodas eyed his bloody shirt and scowled at his shoulder wound. The bullet only grazed him. Even though it hurt like hell, the bleeding had stopped. Still, he wouldn't mind a painkiller right about now. His whole body throbbed in agony from his jump from the bridge. Or it could've been Dreyfus' fist? Smoothing his hand over his ribs, he didn't feel any of them broken, thankfully, but they damn sure felt loose.

"Geez," He almost fell over his own feet, causing him to grumble a few choice words to himself. Having been undercover for nearly a week, he had almost never closed his eyes. And for the past two hours, he had exerted himself more than he should've, powered on a fuel of adrenaline that had long since dried up. "Cant I catch a break?"

Sensing approaching footsteps, he began to move, despite his body's protests. His pain shot higher and higher tenfold. Stumbling behind the shed with gun in had, he pressed against the splintery planks of the wall and let out a hiss of air.

"What is it you're barking about out here, Hawk? Please don't get your outfit dirty."

The cold wind whipped against Meliodas' soaked clothes, causing him to shiver unconsciously. He listened closely and created a mental image of the stranger who had owned such an unappealing dog and dressed it in reindeer antlers in the middle of February.

"Hawk, please don't tell me you found another cockroach to add to your collection." The voice sounded way too young to belong to a purple-haired old woman, he deduced in his mind.

Meliodas' legs buckled a fraction, the cold nipping at his bones. He leaned more into the shed and heaved heavily. Right now would definitely not be a good time to pass out. The mutt's owner would no doubt call the ambulance, along with the police, and he'd be fixed up and sent off to jail in a heartbeat.

No, before he faced the officers, he needed a plan to prove his innocence. Or better yet, to prove Hendrickson's guilt. Hendrickson would never take him down without a fight.

"Hawk!" The voice called again, more desperate, "Mama's tootsies are getting cold, along with other body parts that shouldn't be."

The dog hurried to the shed, hopping and yelping, his horns flapping around with his movements. The footsteps got dangerously closer, causing Meliodas to brace himself for the unwanted encounter. Damn, he really didn't want to do this. Getting a civilian involved into this mess meant definite trouble.

"For goodness sakes, come on, Hawk. Let's-" The silvernette's mouth fell open as her voice stopped abruptly. Her aqua blue eyes growing as wide as saucers.

Meliodas observed her features. She had damp, silver hair that was held in a high bun, a few strands cascading down her face. Her eyes stared at him unwavering, a mix of shock and fear in the depths of them. His gaze slowly lowered down her voluptuous body. Her height was average, she was definitely taller than him by a few inches, however nothing else about her fit that word. Her large shirt hung to her mid-thigh, but swayed enough to give him a mental image of what laid beneath. Breasts, curves, and hips. And at the end of that shirt, that did little covering her form, a pair of nice legs.

As she hopped from one foot to the other, the edge of her shirt moved as well, revealing more of her creamy thighs. He swallowed thickly as his mind nearly stopped functioning. His interest leveling were peaking, and his reason for passing out was now entirely different.

His eyes stayed set on the hem of the shirt, finding himself unable to look away. Could it be that she was naked underneath-? The woman let out a loud squeal and tugged the bottom of the shirt own in an effort to cover herself more. With the shirt tugged, he could see the words 'Divorced, Desperate, and Delicious' written down the front in bold, italic letters.

Meliodas blinked slowly. He was shot, beaten, cold, and wet, but he wasn't dead. And he knew delicious when he saw it.


"Oh, God!" the woman gasped, noticing the gun in his grasp. Dropping to her knees, she picked the dog up into her arms and held it close to her bosom. "Don't shoot, he doesn't bite!"

Meliodas realized the gun did, in fact, point at the dog, and was now pointing at the woman with it in her arms. Quickly turning the gun away, he forced himself off the wall. "Calm down, I'm not going to shoot. I need your help."

The lady looked over at his shoulder, where his grey T-shirt had soaked dark with blood. Her eyes transfixed on his face. "Oh, God!" She repeated again, her complexion becoming washed.

That last, "Oh God" had let Meliodas know she had recognized him. Yep, his face was all over the news. Great.

"Are you alone?" He asked hoarsely, pain itched in his voice.

"No! My husband is in the house." Her eyes went wider momentarily, then darted to the right as she tucked a stray strand of hair behind her ear.

He eyed the word 'Divorced' plastered on her shirt. As a cop, he was thankful for the poor lying skills of a person, it made his job a whole lot easier. "Stand up."

She quickly rose to her feet, keeping the hyperactive dog cuddled into her arms. "How about I close my eyes, turn around, and you can disappear. Then, I'll pretend I never saw you?" The lady said, nervousness edging in her voice.

Meliodas raised his eyebrows, slightly surprised at her offer, "You would do that?" he asked, studying her, and wanting to believe what she said.

He could see her visibly swallow before her eyes shot left again and she said, "Of course."

If multiple different levels of different pain didn't have him clutched in their grasps, he would laugh at her terrible way of lying. Hell, if not for the pain, he didn't think he would want to leave. His eyes traveled to her body again. Yeah, he definitely wouldn't want to leave. At least he had her caught: A very attractive, possibly crazy divorcee, who probably always told the truth, or did a bad job of it when she attempted to lie.

"Let's go inside." Meliodas said, forgetting he was holding a gun in his left hand and motion for her to move.

"Please, just leave. I'm begging you." She spoke, her voice wobbly.

Breathing air into his bruised lungs, he considered doing just that for a moment. But his next step flung him back against the wall with a pained groan. he wouldn't even make it a block before the cops caught up to him. Then, no way in hell would he have a chance at proving his noninvolvement in killing Zeldris, or that he hadn't stolen the drugs from the bust Hendrickson and he had worked on over a month ago. But, why hadn't he ever expected Hendrickson of taking drugs

"I can't leave," He rasped out, pulling himself from the shed wall once more, careful this time, "Listen, I know you're scared and you don't believe me. You'd be an idiot to. But I'm not going to hurt you. I don't care about what they've been saying. I've been framed, and...Fuck, I'm not guilty.

Her throat bobbed up and down as she tried to digest his words as the truth. One look into her doubtful orbs let him know she wasn't convinced.

Sighing, Meliodas said again, "C'mon, let's go inside," He made sure to motion with his hand instead of the pistol, 'You're safe with me, I promise."

She took a cautious step back and stumbled over her feet, almost falling. Usually, he would have leaped at the opportunity to wrap his arms around someone as beautiful as her, someone he was certain was bare under that flimsy shirt. But after being shot, beaten, and jumping off a bridge, moving to her aid wasn't an option for his body. Instead, he waited for her to gather herself, then nodded his head toward the house, "C'mon."

Her gaze went back to his bloody shirt as if she was debating if she had a chance to overpower him. She bit her plump lips in uncertainness as her eyes darted to his for a brief second.

Slightly worried about that chance himself, he squared his shoulders, trying to ignore the wrenching pain caused by the action. He refused to show weakness. "Move." He said, intending for his voice to sound intimidating, but instantly regretted it when fear cloaked her eyes.

Chin low, she started to head slowly to the house, Meliodas trailing right after her. He made sure to stay hip-close, just in case she tried something. When she finally reached the front door, she opened it and he instantly stuck his foot in the door jamb. The woman tripped over him in a last attempt to run inside and lock him out. His bruised ribs the last thing in mind, he reached out and caught her swiftly by her waist. The excruciating pain from his body pulled out a low growl from his throat as his fingers dug tightly into her momentarily.

The mutt in her arms-Hawk, he believed, let out an angry snarl at Meliodas' action. He quickly unlatched his hands from her waist, not wanting to add dog bites to his list of injuries.

Turning around sharply, she glared at him, before her eyes widened in realization for a moment. Realization in her blue orbs quickly turned into anger. Before the beauty could even jump into action, he nudges her into the house. Following behind her, he closed the door and made sure he locked it, his emerald green eyes never leaving her form. Until he could make her believe he wasn't going to hurt her or that damned dog, he was sure she wouldn't be a willing hostage.

"Sit down." Meliodas said, pointing to the brown leather couch. She hesitated, her glare now downcast to the ground, before he could see her let out a sigh and obeyed. That's when he took the chance to survey the room. A sofa, chair, sixty-inch television, he noted. But in the corner of his eyes, he saw something move. Spinning around with gun pointed and ready for some types of confrontation, he was met with a red tabby wearing a...Santa hat. He lowered his gun in confusion as curiosity began to eat away at him.

He blinked once, then twice, and looked again. The cat gave him a slow once-over, before finding his uninteresting, he went back to his nap. Meliodas noticed the tune of 'Jingle Bells' sounding around the house, all the more furthering his confusion. He inhaled his next breath and the scent of gingerbread and pine hit his nostrils. he could only describe it as one word -Christmas.

Meliodas ran his hand over his face, in disbelief at what he was seeing, before continuing to look around. The television played silently on the living room wall, and an antique-like grandfather clock ticked slowly on the west wall.

Walking to the black recliner, he leaned against it and exhaled a breath, He had never in his life seen such a mix of modern and old fashioned furniture in his life. the woman seriously had a weird taste.

Unconsciously, his knee hit against the side of the chair as it quickly come to life, vibrating and humming. This caused Meliodas to jerk back slightly. the tabby that rested on its cushions meowed in satisfaction, and cuddled deeper into the chair. Christmas music tuned through the house, "Jingle all the way..."

Meliodas raised an eyebrow at the lady in growing curiosity. The dog sitting in her lap had his eyes trained on him, ad if making sure he didn't come any close to her. His reindeer horn now barely staying on his head.

"You do know Christmas ended two months ago, right?" He asked her.

Not answering, she pulled at her shirt and gazed down the hall, where another cat walked. The white feline, wearing a green elf costume, strutted forward and hopped onto the vibrating chair, joining the other cat.

"Alright, this is strange." Meliodas spoke, eyeing her.

She still didn't answer. Suddenly, an almost robotic voice was heard from the adjoining room, "Eat the tuna and pick up a cartoon of milk."

Meliodas swung around quickly, gun pointed out once more in front of him. He hurried to the entrance of the kitchen, his eyes darting between the direction of the voice and the woman.

She shifted in her spot on the couch. "Are you going to shoot my refrigerator?"

Lowering his aim, he stared at her with slightly shock displayed on his features, "The fridge talks?"

She nodded slowly, looking down to not meet his gaze, while tucking her shirt more between her exposed thighs.

His thoughts on her took a while new direction. Sure, she was still a ten on the beauty scale. He'd bet his wet socks her lying hadn't improved at all, however his meaning of her being slightly crazy no longer fit the bill. This woman, along with her costumed pets, vibrating recliner, and talking refrigerator, took crazy to a whole new height.

Meliodas looked further into the kitchen and spotted the appliance, all grey with double doors. It didn't look like a refrigerator that speaks. "Have any other appliances that talk?"

"The litter box and microwave...Also the fish on the wall, it sings." She answered, as if the question was not at all weird.

Meliodas blinked, trying to understand the insanity of all of this. "What's your name?" he asked finally. Could it be possible that he died from his drop on the bridge and this was Purgatory...or Hell? After a second, he overruled that thought, finding her too gorgeous for it to be Hell.

She hesitated for a moment before answering, "It's Elizabeth..., and yours?"

He looked at the TV and said, "I thought they would've said it by now?"

"It's on mute, I only saw your picture." Elizabeth explained briefly, turning her gaze back to him, a small frown set on her lips.

Well, at least she hadn't attempted to lie about that, he thought. He stumbled slightly in his steps to an old chair that was placed in the corner of the room, before plopping down onto it. "Meliodas Samuels." He told her, feeling something hard pressing underneath him. Reaching under him, he pulled out a damp towel and a black phone. He looked over at her.

"What did you do?" Elizabeth asked, her voice unsure as she stroked her fingers through Hawk's fur. "If...If you don't mind me asking."

He could hear the nervousness in her voice, as if she was not sure if she truly wanted to know. Fear was still very much present in her eyes, but also that glimmer of indignation from earlier.

"I'm a narcotics officer," Meliodas answered, " My partner framed me to look like the dirty cop. I didn't do anything." He set the blue towel and phone onto the floor, stifling a groan as he sat back up

Elizabeth's frame remained unmoving as Hawk wiggled in her lap, his eyes looking between his owner and the unwanted intruder. "What are you accused for...?"

He thought of lying momentarily, but couldn't find any reason to. "I think they're accusing me of stealing some New Generation drugs and possibly killing a fellow officer." he said, watching her expression for any changes.

"Oh." Elizabeth said, her eyes shifting to look at her two cats and her features becoming stoic.

"You don't believe me, do you?"

She sucked in her lower lip as she gnawed at it, before it popped out freshly moist and a shade darker than it was before. "Of course I believe you." She spoke, brushing her right cheek against her shoulder.

"No, you don't." Meliodas said, easily seeing through her awful lie. Her eyes widened a fraction as if she was caught red-handed and he held up his hand. "Don't worry, I don't blame you. If I was in your position, I wouldn't believe me either." He laughed dryly, dropping his head into his hands shaking his head in frustration. Why did Hendrickson have to do this?

"You should leave before my husband gets here." Elizabeth said after a long drawl of silence.

Meliodas raised his head to look at her before darting his eyes around the room. On the mantel of the fireplace was a row of framed pictures. Most of them displayed photographs of her cats and disturbing dog, but one showed a picture of an older lady. Another held an almost old-fashioned wedding photo. The woman in it had silver hair as well, but he could clearly tell it wasn't Elizabeth.

He fixed his gaze on her once more, "You're lying."

"I'm not, he must have gone to the store...for milk," Elizabeth drawled, nodding her head toward the direction of the kitchen. "We're out of milk, didn't you hear the fridge?" Her color drained slightly and she blinked once, then twice, and then a third time.

Meliodas' eyebrows knitted together. He believed the fridge, but not her. Standing up carefully, he slowly made his way over to her. Each footstep unleashing a new torrent of pain. "Show me your left hand"

Elizabeth looked down to where her fingers laid buried beneath the dog's curly fur. "Uh- I... I don't wear a ring."

"And the T-shirt?" He questioned

Her eyes shifted to her shirt and her face regained some of its color. "It's old. I was divorced and got married again. People get divorced and remarried all the time. My parents divorced and my mother remarried-lots of times."

"So, are you no longer desperate or delicious either?" Meliodas said, then immediately regretted the flirtatious remark as panic became visible in her eyes. "Sorry, I didn't mean...I'm not going to hurt you."

He looked around the room, noticing the holiday-scented candles he smelt earlier before saying, "Listen, I need a place to lie low for awhile, just until I'm strong enough. Then, I'll be out of your way. But for the time being, it would be better if you come clean with me. Does anyone else live here?"

Elizabeth lifted her eyes to stare at him, clearing debating whether to tell him or not, before finally giving in." I live alone, but people stop by all the time." This time she didn't blink, he noted.

"Is anyone coming over soon, today or tonight?" He recognized the music now playing, 'Here Comes Santa Claus'.

"Yes." She blinked.

"Don't try to lie to me," Meliodas said, sitting down next to her on the couch. "I'm not going to hurt you or your Christmas munchkins."

"I'm not that stuck up friend who feels like people need to let me know before they visit." She spoke truthfully.

"I wouldn't call you stuck up." 'Insane could be a better word'. He leaned back into the cream brown sofa and closed his eyes, resisting the throbs that ranged throughout his body. Finally, managing to let his body go limp, he listened to the soft tune of 'Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer' as it began to play. His gun rested in his lap. Soon, the home's heater kicked in, taking the chill out of the air and soothing his cold-nipped skin slightly. The woman shifted and the couch dipped. He opened his eyes.

"Where are you going?" He asked her as she was beginning to stand up from the couch.

"To the bathroom." Elizabeth replied slowly, her color draining once more as she froze.

"Where's the bathroom?" He asked, and she pointed down the hall. "C'mon, let's go."

"Never mind." She said flatly, resettling down into the couch.

"I'm not going to watch you if that's what you're thinking." He gripped the back of the couch to ease himself as he stood. The movement caused a jingle from his hip where his handcuffs hung out of his belt loop. Sticking his hand into his front pocket, he was relieved to find the key still there. No doubt she would protest, but until he could convince her to believe him, he didn't really have a choice. He reached for the cuffs and unlocked them form his belt loop.

She noticed the cuffs in his hand, "I really don't have to go that bad."

"C'mon." Meliodas said once more, motioning for her to stand up.

Elizabeth nudged Hawk off her lap gently, before standing up, as he instructed, and tried to dash down the hallway.

"Not so fast." He said, catching her arm swiftly.

She paled even more as her eyes landed on his shoulder. "You're bleeding.

Looking down, he noticed the darkened blood spotting on his shirt. "Use the bathroom, Elizabeth. I don't have time for these games."

Right then, the ring of the phone sounded through the house. Hope glimmered in her blue eyes at the sound. "I should answer that. If I don't, they might call the police."

"Yeah, right. And if you do answer, you'll say something to tip them off. Go to the bathroom."

Then, the answering machine played. "Hi, you've reached Elizabeth Liones' Photography. I'm probably in my studio with my eye in the lens, so leave a message and I'll get back to you!"

"Elizabeth!" A loud feminine voice practically shouted across the line." I'm very disappointed in you, you know how I feel about being hanged up on! Now, I realize your sex life is not at all any of my business, but I'm your mother. I gave you life, Ellie! If you can't talk to me about it, then who can you talk to?"

Meliodas' eyes widened as Elizabeth's expression morphed into one only could describe as complete, mortal shock, then her face shaded red as the shock turned into anger as she noticed Meliodas' mouth twitch slightly.

The recorder continued, "But since I know how hard today is for you, I'm going to let this one slide. But don't let it happen again! And don't let today get you down. Bye, sweetheart. Muah!"

The machine clicked off, the Christmas music returning, Meliodas looked toward Elizabeth, whose fierce gaze was boring right into his. "Don't seem so amused."

"This isn't amusement, this is pain. I'm hurting like hell. Now go to the bathroom." He stated coolly.

"Not with you, I wont." Elizabeth defied, her shoulders stiffening as she crossed her arms in a defiant stance. This told him more about her character. She was not going to let him do anything without a fight. 'Interesting' He thought.

"Then, I'll just check it out." Meliodas said, shrugging.

Elizabeth raised an arched eyebrow before saying, "You think I have a weapon hidden under the toilet or something?"

"No, but you might have an escape hatch or high-speed internet connected to it." He gazed briefly at the talking refrigerator.

Meliodas walked past her to glance inside the small bathroom. It did seem normal, nothing appeared unusual to the eye. Well, the toilet seat has a dog painted on it.

Stepping out, he motioned for her to go in before turning his back. "Don't close the door."

Meliodas leaned against the grey washer and dryer up against the wall and waited for her.

Hearing a flush and then running water, he turned around. When Elizabeth walked out, she had a glint in her eyes that he didn't particularly like. He needed to get her handcuffed to something fast, so he could go through her medicine cabinets for painkillers and some antibiotics. He wasn't really hungry at the moment, but realizing he hasn't eaten in more than thirty-eight hours, he decided to see what the refrigerator held. He wondered if the strange appliance would tell him if he asked.

"You got anything I can eat?" He nudged her forward slightly, "Bread, milk?"

"I told you already and so did the fridge, I'm out of milk." Elizabeth pointed to a loaf of bread on the counter. " I wasn't exactly expecting company, but help yourself to the bread."

"You want anything?" Meliodas asked as he led her to the kitchen.

"My appetite seems to fail me for some reason." She answered, sarcasm dripping from her voice.

He sighed and pulled a wooden chair from the kitchen table to the center of the room. "Sit there and try real hard to believe me." He said, spotting some knives on the counter and moved the chair a little further from them.

Watching her carefully as she sat, he went to the fridge. He saw multiple bowls of leftovers, but opted for jam. Pulling a butter knife from the dishwasher, he spread the strawberry jelly onto the slices of bread he had gotten. Placing the pieces together, he buried his teeth into the sandwich. "Thanks."

"Eat the tuna and pick up a gallon of milk." The fridge repeated, and Meliodas shook his head.

The phone rang again as Meliodas rested against the kitchen counter and continued to eat. The answering machine played before another female voice came onto the line. "Hey, girl. I thought you would have flipped at Elaine's topic for tomorrow night by now. Have you read your email? Do so now, if you haven't. I swear, that woman is a few fries short of a Happy Meal. But, I have to say, our topics are never dull whenever she chooses one. And yes, I still think your topic of the second Holy War last week was boring."

Meliodas pushed the last bite into his mouth.

The caller continued, "Anyways, call me when you have a chance. You didn't seem like yourself yesterday. Something going on? Besides you being horny?" The female chuckled, "I can't wait to see what you pull up on this one. Jericho was amazed by your research on multiple orgasms."

The sandwich that he was swallowing caught immediately in his throat and it took a good two tries to get it down. He looked over at Elizabeth and smiled. Her face took on three different shades of red as she continued to listen to the call. So, his gorgeous, yet nutty hostage, was horny, huh? And she seems to know a thing or two about multiple orgasms. If things would have been different, he would've gladly helped her out in her...predicament and to further her research.

"You think it's funny?!" Elizabeth blue eyes glared, "You threaten to shoot me and my dog, come into my house and invade my privacy, even eating my food. And now you're laughing at me!"

"Sorry," Meliodas' smile fell short a moment after, knowing any discussion on the multiple orgasm subject would probably make her believe her intended to do some things he didn't. Maybe not now at least. "And I didn't threaten to shoot you. Now, let's go."

"Where?" Elizabeth asked, standing up as she pulled at the hem of her shirt.

"To the bedroom."

"I don't think so!"

"I already told you I don't plan on hurting you. I know you don't believe me. But when I walk out of here, you're going to be saying to yourself, 'Damn, he was telling the truth'. Now, come on." He pushed the gun into the waist of his pants and took her by the elbow.

Elizabeth tried to snatch her arm away, but his grip was strong as he pretended he wasn't hurting. He exited the kitchen and back down the hallway with her in tow as the song, 'Grandma Got Ran Over by a Reindeer' started to play. "You're a real Christmas fan, huh?"

Each step he took brought a new pain to his limbs. He wandered why Elizabeth lived in the forest, away from neighbors.

He also wondered why any woman as sexy as her would be horny. Even with her very obvious obsession and talking appliances, men should be lined up outside her door.

It didn't make sense to him.


Here is Chapter Two everyone! I am so thankful for all of the positive feedback I got for this story! I didn't think this story would hit off so well at all, but I was wrong! This chapter was longer than I thought, which why it took so long to post because I had to type it up. But here it is! Please review and thank you once more! :)