Click.

Gilbert woke up immediately and looked up to find a barrel of cold steel meeting his face. His froze up immediately.

"I figured out why you ran."

"Viveka…GEEZ, WHAT THE HELL!"

She rolled her eyes and glanced at the room, "this room is filthy."

"Sorry, I didn't have any intention of sharing it with you."

"Gute, let's go home."

He rolled over and yawned, "go home prinzessin, you can't handle my life."

She leaned in close and grinned maliciously, "I thought you would say that." The lights went out in the room and Gilbert frowned, sitting up immediately. What in the world?

~.~

"Bruder?" Gilbert looked into Ludwig's office and let out a sigh in relief. "There you are, we've been waiting for you for about ten minutes now~"

He stopped as Viveka turned the chair and smiled at him, "Ludwig's busy. He told me to go ahead and get comfortable. Care to join me? I have cake…"

Gilbert stood up in the middle of the meeting and cursed.

Ludwig looked over at him angrily, "bruder, would you care to comment on our investigation?"

"Ja, we better get paid awesomely."

The group nodded, "of course. You always are."

Ludwig sighed, "forgive mein bruder. He's been tired lately."

The head guy nodded, "I hear you got engaged. Tricky business there. According to your report, she knows everything?"

"Ja, what about it."

"Nothing… it's just…"

"What?"

"She has some questionable ties to public officials…"

"Yeah? Which would come in useful if Ludwig or I ever get into shit."

"That's true…" The man thought quietly. "This could be useful."

"Come on! Fritz! Help me out here!"

Fritz looked at them all and grinned, "it's a nice way to round off the group. Someone with official ties to the public officials… by the time Gilbert and Ludwig retire, her usefulness will be gone as well."

The others nodded, of course they would, it was Fritz talking. He was a freaking genius! Gilbert grinned, "if you'll all excuse me…"

"Where are you going Gilbert?"

"I have work to do Fritz."

"Alright."

"What! YOU ARE LETTING HIM GO? WE ARE IN A MEETING!"

Fritz chuckled, "I know where he's going and I think it's a good idea. Besides, we all know this meeting is getting nowhere." Ludwig sighed as the others nodded in agreement and Gilbert slipped down the stairs. He rushed into his office and started to grab his coat.

"Morning Gilbert."

"Morning Viveka, I can't talk. I have to get to Viveka's house and~" he stopped and looked over in shock.

Viveka sat on his desk, helping herself to some of the wine he kept stashed in his desk. She looked back at him contently and sipped some more of the wine. "You were saying?"

"How the hell did you get into my office?"

"I walked in."

"It was locked!"

"I unlocked it. The janitor was very willing."

"I bet… and why are you drinking my wine."

"I like this flavor. Cherry has always been delicious."

Gilbert shut his office door and walked over to her, "it's rude to intrude in someone else's place."

"I was… paying tribute to the royal crown… I believe those are your words for it."

"No that is for sex. This," he motioned at the whole scene. "This is breaking and entering… and stealing."

"Nein, it's cherry wine."

"MY cherry wine."

"The bottle says it's Ludwig's."

He sighed, "well, he gave it to me."

"Why do I doubt that?"

"Because you're drunk."

"Nein, I've only had half the bottle."

"WAS?"

"I'm just kidding, although I might."

"Like hell you will. Give me that." He took the bottle away and set it aside, "you mind telling me why the hell you're in my office."

"I have no idea."

"Really?"

"Not a clue. I just got up this morning and decided a change of pace was necessary. "

"So you came here?"

"Well, I went to your house yesterday and had a… talk? I suppose… well I did get him to tell me some things… and you weren't there so I decided to come here today."

Gilbert froze, "did you break into my hotel room?"

"Nein, why?"

"No reason." He really needed to stop drinking.

"Anyway, it was nice talking to you. I should get going." She stood up and walked right out of the office, not even bothering to shut the door behind her. Gilbert watched as the new accountant met her outside the room.

"Hey! I'm Peter!"

"Guten morgen Peter."

"You're pretty."

"Danke." Gilbert glared at them as they got into the elevator and the door started to close.

DAMN!

He would not chase after her. No, she wanted to play stubborn he could… play… MORON! YOU RAN FIRST! SHE'S JUST THROWING YOUR CHOICE INTO YOUR FACE! IT'S YOUR OPTION TO CHASE OR SIT ON YOUR LITTLE PEDESTAL AND LET HER GO!

RUN YOU FICKING MORON! RUN!

Gilbert leapt up and ran past Liz, causing papers to fly into her face as he headed to the stairs. He sprinted down the stairs two at a time and made it to the bottom floor, panting hard. People shrieked a bit as he zipped past them and he ran over to the elevators. The thing was open, schiesse!

He took off for the parking lot and found Viveka driving already. Gilbert sprinted quickly and jumped into his car, following her out of the parking lot and down the street. They made it to the house at the same time and pulled up in the driveway.

"Gilbert?"

Gilbert walked right up to her and glared down at her, "You're going to marry me."

"What~"

He crushed her into his embrace and held her close, taking in everything he'd been denying himself. It felt so much better to give in and have her. She kissed him back and wrapped her arms around him.

"I can't… have you getting hurt…"

"Oh, Gilbert?"

He pulled back and frowned, "what?"

"One, I still have your gun from last night. Two, if you ever pull that kind of shit on you again; I won't be responsible for what Ludwig does to you."

"What West does?"

"Ja, here's your gun," Gilbert stared at his usual third gun and his mind flickered back to the gun being aimed at his head.

"YOU DID BREAK INTO MY HOTEL ROOM!"

"Nein, I was in the area and used a key."

"THAT STILL COUNTS!"

"Sure it does." She smirked up at him and headed into the house. "Breaking into other people's property is illegal, same as threatening men at gunpoint to call their bruder to tell them to get their ass to work."

"…Is there something my awesome is not aware of?"

"Nein… unless you count the fact that Francis is waiting at your hotel room ready to jump you."

"And how would you know this?"

She paused as she poured water into a kettle, "probably because he told me that was what he was doing after I refused to have a threesome with him. He's completely inappropriate."

Gilbert sat down on the counter and tossed his tie at the wall. "So…what the hell are we supposed to do?"

"I'm having lunch and then playing piano. I don't know what you are doing. I thought you were going to stay at work."

"Yeah, well… that was before someone started to flirt again! IT WAS NOT AWESOME AT ALL!"

"I have no idea what you are talking about. He complimented me and I thanked him. He followed me to the elevator and then we had a moment on the way down~"

"WHAT?"

"I'm just kidding, he got off on the floor under yours. Nothing happen~"

Gilbert crushed her against him and picked her up into his arms. She stared at him wide-eyed, but after a minute softened against him. She wrapped her arms around him and he found himself laying back on the counter, he grinned up at her in humor. "This won't work prinzessin, I love topping too much."

"Prepare to be topped then."

"Nein, I mean it." He started to move them when she grabbed his gun and held it to his head, "pfft, you think you're going to shoot~"

She clicked off the safety and Gilbert felt himself get that much harder.

…um…yeah…

He really had no explanation for this…

She smiled down at him, "I think I might keep one of these with me at all times." She kissed him hard and he tried to grab his gun. She moved the gun away and fired a round into the wall on the other side of the room. They both paused at the loud shot.

"HOLY CRAP!"

"I know… my wall is ruined…"

"YOU NEARLY SHOT ME!"

"Maybe you should have behaved."

"I'll get you a fucking whip. Geez," Gilbert took the gun away and set it, along with his other two, on the other side of the counter.

She sighed and started to pull away. He held strong, "where the hell do you think you're going?"

"I'm going to turn off my stove and see if I can fix my wall later by calling someone to spackle it up."

"Yes to the first, but fuck the wall~"

"Language, Gilbert."

"I know, mine's awesome."

"Gilbert…nein…"

Gilbert picked her up and turned off the stove before carrying her out of the room. "We need to talk."

"We were talking."

"I prefer bedroom talk. It always ends in good news."

"Was?"