"I'm not gunna make this any clearer, Duke," the man said in a mock-sympathetic voice "give us the money or I'll kill both of you."

"I don't owe you any money!" he shouted, struggling to get free of the ropes. Audrey concentrated; she was almost there. She was almost free. Just a little more. . . a little more. . .yes! Her wrists snapped apart just as the man's finger flexed and there was a loud bang. There was nothing left to do – Audrey jumped up and leapt in front of Duke just as the bullet would have hit his chest.

Instead, it hit hers.

Nathan screeched before Duke's boat. The words she had taunted them with as she escaped the Police Station still rang in his ears – "Second kiss under mistletoe seals the deal." She had sang like a Christmas Carol.

"We're here," he told Pete and Myka before jumping out and onto the seemingly empty boat, gun in hand.

"Where are they?" Pete asked, looking around.

"AUDREY!" a muted yell sent them running towards the noise. Nathan was first in the room and had to fight a stagger backwards with what he saw. Two men were stumbling around, having obviously been standing in front of the door before Nathan burst in. As Nathan gaped at the men, trying to aim their guns at him fast enough, as Duke flung both his legs up, kicking the men in crotch from behind. They grunted in pain but, to their credit, they only grunted before falling to their knees and curling into little pain-filled balls and coughing.

"Audrey!" Duke cried "She's been shot, help Audrey!" Nathan looked down and, sure enough, a bra-and-jean clad Audrey was shuddering on the floor. There was a bleeding bullet hole on her left shoulder.

"Audrey," Nathan kneeled beside her as Pete undid Duke's binds and Myka started working with Audrey's wound "oh, God, don't worry we're gunna fix you up, Parker, you'll be fine."

"Duke!" she croaked, straining to see him "Is Duke ok? I'm not going anywhere until I see him!" Duke snapped the last of his ropes before Pete could undo them and ran to Audrey's head, shouldering Nathan out the way in the process.

"I'm here," he said in a loving tone Nathan had never heard him use before "I'm here – God, why did you do that? You know I can't bear to see you hurt!"

"I can't bear to see you hurt either," she whispered back "I love you Duke." Nathan narrowly stopped a disgusted sound from coming into existence and looked to Myka instead of the uncomfortably intense gaze Audrey and Duke directed at each other.

"We need to find Claire and stop this Artefact." He said lowly. Myka nodded – she had used Audrey's abandoned shirt as a bandage and was just finishing tying it off.

"Yeah – Audrey'll be fine for now, but she'll need proper care later. We have time, but we can't leave these two alone together."

"You don't have to," a girly voice trilled from the doorway "in fact, you can watch!" Nathan closed his eyes for a second in annoyance and looked up – sure enough, Clair had picked up the men in black's gun and was pointing it straight at them. Duke shifted his body protectively in front of Audrey, who was whimpering in pain.

"Claire, you can't do this." Nathan stood slowly. She raised the gun, anger flashing in her eyes.

"Don't tell me what I can't do," she snapped, that sugary sweetness breaking to reveal an angry little girl once again "get to the wall. All of you. And leave your guns on the floor." Nathan, Myka and Pete complied, putting all weapons on the floor and moving to the back wall, every movement prolonged with exaggerated slowness. Claire took the mistletoe from her bag with a magician-like flourish, holding it above Audrey and Duke, who were still wrapped up in their own Little World of Love.

"Hello," she said kindly, but the pair didn't look up, just carried on whispering to each other – Claire didn't seem to mind at all, just smiled wider "you're such a cute couple – I don't suppose you could kiss? Just for me? I love seeing two soulmates meet." She smiled even wider, beaming at Duke as he leaned down to kiss Audrey.

Their lips touched.