Hello darling readers! Thank you again for all the support, especially the reviews and what not. I was glad to see a positive response on the last chapter. Figured ya'll might enjoy a bit of a role twist in that respect. Anyways, I wrote this chapter to be a happy, fluffy treat for you all, so I hope it warms your heart and makes your day more colorful. Love all around!

Berwald changed his mind. He definitely wanted to remember this night for as long as he lived, if for no other reason than the fact that Tino's attempts at "rich people talk" were absolutely priceless.

"So, Mister James, did you say you came from back east?"

"Yah! We come from the east, which is…east…of here, yah?"

"Indeed. And what does your family do for a living?"

"Oh...uh, actually we don't have to anything because we're so rich, ya know? We just sit around in a parlor room smoking expensive stuff and talking about how many houses we're going to buy that week!"

"I say! Quite fascinating. How ever did you get such a tall woman to marry you, Mister James?"

"Well, it's ah...because tall, handsome women love a gentleman with bucket loads of money and a talent for telling witty parlor jokes?"

The sheriff blinked, trying with little success to squint through the blurry crowd of people for signs of Sin Nombre Hombre's henchmen. Just as he was silently cursing himself for not considering how blind he'd be without glasses, the strong scent of maple caught Berwald's attention. He nudged Tino and pointed in the general direction of the aroma.

"Over there?" Tino whispered as he gazed at the other party guests. Then his super sniper vision zeroed in on something suspicious. "Moose tattoo alongside the number 4 on that man's neck. He's moving out into the gardens. Should we follow him?"

Berwald nodded and Tino clutched the sheriff's waist a bit tighter as they wove their way through the crowd. His heart fluttered as he felt the sheriff's rock-hard abdominal muscles through the fabric. Even if this was all for mission and basically everything was done to keep their cover as Mr. and Mrs. James, this evening had still been quite a pleasurable one for Tino.

It would be normal for a married man to maybe give his wife a gentle squeeze on the rear end, yah? Tino wondered to himself as they stepped outside. I mean, Berwald wouldn't be upset if he thought it was just part of an act, would he?

You should be ashamed of yourself! the demon scolded.

Ah! You're right, Tino hung his head in a moment of guilt. It would be so disrespectful of me to treat this honest man in such an unchaste fashion.

Actually you should just be ashamed because all human love is automatically disgusting, the demon shrugged. Although, if you want to give yourself extra shame over that particular detail, go right ahead.

Tino closed his eyes and shook his head. No good letting the demon distract him at this point. As they carefully followed the suspect further into the garden, they passed by several giggling couples engaged in intensely intimate passionate kissing.

Oh my...Tino turned rosy as they walked into the more shadowy regions of the shrubbery. I wonder if we might need to do that to blend in?

Just shut up, the demon suggested.

Finally the suspect stopped and stuck his head through a particularly thick shrub and whistled to somebody on the other side. Berwald and Tino ducked down and took cover behind an extremely jovial and an extremely naked statue of Sir Roman Empire.

"Ready?" Berwald asked after retrieving the derringer from his silk handbag.

"Yep!" Tino replied as he pulled the Volcanic out of his jacket pocket.

"On th' count of three-"

"Three!"

Because of his impaired vision it took Berwald a couple of shots to successfully blast through the suspect's brains. The man's dying squeal was soon followed by the stunned gasps of his three comrades as Tino shot through the shrub and successfully planted a bullet through each of their skulls.

"All done!"

"Nice work. Let's shove this guy under th' shrub in case someone comes by."

Blood smeared across the leaves as they shoved the body into the bushes. No sooner had they finished when Tino heard the sound of concerned voices off in the distance.

"I say! Whatever was making that noise over there?"

"If I am not mistaken that sounded something like gunshots! Perhaps we'd better investigate."

"Eeek!" Tino looked over at Berwald, who was too busy kicking the suspect's arm further under the shrubbery to notice what was going on. He looked nervously away and started trembling out of confusion and panic when the sound of far off giggling caught Tino's attention.

"Oh yes! Kiss me again Henry, you handsome rogue! Oh ha ha! Oh that tickles!"

NO! the demon hissed sternly as he watched the idea formulate in Tino's mind. No Tino, don't do this. I swear that is the most disgusting...oh no, oh please no.

It was too late to interfere now. The demon couldn't do a single thing to stop Tino as he took Berwald's hands into his own, sat him down on a stone bench, leaned over and-...

...

"I say! In public even, my goodness!"

"This might explain the noise from earlier. The source was a different sort of 'bang' then I anticipated."

"Dear heavens Leopold, such metaphors. How very classless on your part!"

"Perhaps you should discipline me with a riding crop in order to correct this character flaw of mine-"

"LEOPOLD! I say, do save that kind of talk for our private chambers, will you?"

Berwald did not notice the commentary of the upper class commentators. Words of any kind had vacated his thought process the moment that Berwald felt Tino's lips close over his own. The sheriff offered no resistance as the deputy slid on top of Berwald's lap and pinned his shoulders down against the stone bench.

Tino's warm, soft lips gently caressed the side of the sheriff's neck as the chilly night breeze slipped between the frills of his dress and up the legs of Berwald's borrowed bloomers. The same question he'd asked himself back in chapter 10 ran through his mind again.

M' god, what is happening t' m'?

The sheriff's heart went haywire as he felt the layers of skirt fabric around his legs get pushed aside and a small, delicate hand softly slid up his leg-

"Oh good! They're gone. We sure fooled them, yah?"

"Nh?" Berwald mumbled in reply as his eyes reluctantly flickered open. There was a sudden wave of coldness as Tino's hand slid out of his skirt and the deputy stood up from the stone bench.

"The rich people that came to investigate the noise, looks like our act worked on them. Score one for "Mrs. and Mr. James"! Heh heh…" Tino looked down at Berwald nervously and extended a hand towards him "Um…sorry I didn't warn ya or anything. I figured ya wouldn't mind, since, ya know…had to keep the act together and everything…"

The feeling of coldness vanished, as did the warmth of the memory of the kiss he and Tino had just shared. Of course, an act…part of the mission. Right. Nothing had changed then, nothing to get worked up about. Balance was restored to the sheriff's mind as he took Tino's hand and let his deputy help him back to his feet.

"Er, so you're not mad then…right?"

"Hm? Oh, no. Course not," the sheriff straightened up and dusted himself off "Just part of th' mission. Didn't think a thing of it."

"Oh!" Tino swallowed nervously, unsure of whether he was relieved or disappointed. "Ah, good because…you're my good friend, yah? And I wouldn't want to do anything to upset ya-"

"Ya are m' good friend," Berwald confirmed as he readjusted the feathery mountain of a hat on his head "Let's go check th' bodies for clues 'nd stuff."

"Y-yah! Good plan," Tino stammered as he and Berwald slid to the other side of the shrub. They found several sheets of paper in the dead men's pockets covered in unusual patterns of splotchy dots.

"Code," Berwald concluded as he carefully folded the sheets up and tucked them into his handbag. "We'll figure it out later. Best t' take care of th' bodies at present."

Dawn had just started to break when they returned to the inn after burying the four gang members. After removing his disguise and washing his face off, Berwald wearily collapsed onto the lumpy mattress, ignoring the sunlight that started to creep through the dusty window.

"Ah man, I'm so tired but too tired to fall asleep, ya know?" Tino yawned as he stretched out beside the sheriff "Didn't know it would take so long...maybe I could take you out for drinks tomorrow night...I mean tonight. Geez, it's tomorrow already...only it's today, but...ha ha ha! I'm sorry. I should just stop talking. My mouth is moving but my brain fell asleep a long time ago, ya know?"

"Mmhm," Berwald nodded and closed his eyes. "Happy tomorrow, m' good friend."

"Ya sure ya didn't mind about earlier tonight...I mean last night?"

"Last night?"

"Yah, um, when I...ya know? Umm...with the bench and-" Tino took a breath in before barely managing to squeak out the second half of the sentence "-kissing ya, and everything..."

"It's fine."

"Ya sure?"

"Didn't mind it."

"Oh, good!" Tino let out a sigh he didn't know he'd been holding in and stared up at the ceiling. So the real question is, would the sheriff mind it terribly if I kissed him again-?

"...soft."

"Eh?" Tino turned back towards the sheriff, whose eyes remained closed and arms remained neatly folded on top of his chest.

"Yer hands are soft," Berwald repeated, still not opening his eyes "Noticed that, last night."

"Ah...r-really?"

"It's nice."

"Oh! I... thank ya!" Tino's face burned as he turned back up to the ceiling. "That's kind of ya to say."

"Hm."

Tino swallowed nervously as the increasingly bright inn room fell silent once again.

Be brave! He tried to tell himself.

Be quiet! The demon recommended. This more than anything convinced Tino that he ought to say something in return.

"Ya know you're a really handsome guy Berwald!" Tino blurted out, significantly louder than he meant to. Although the long moments of silence afterwards seemed even more intrusively loud...

"Thank ya," the sheriff replied, opening his eyes momentarily "That's th' first time anyone told m' that."

"I-is it? Ah, but it's true! It's really true. I mean yes, you are genuinely terrifying but there's no denying that you're also authentically handsome. I suppose one could say you're terrifyingly handsome, ha ha ha! And you're kind too! And brave and strong and really you're just the best. I'm so glad we're good friends. I know the circumstances that brought us together were kind of…illegal, but I'm still really happy that I got to meet-"

Tino gasped as he felt a strong hand slide across his fingers and gently wrap around his wrist.

"M' too."

Tino turned back towards the sheriff. Berwald's eyes were closed and it seemed like the lawman had finally fallen into a peaceful slumber. Before Tino joined him in dreamland, he noticed the gleam of something shiny on one of Berwald's fingers.

The wedding ring from the sheriff's disguise, Tino noticed, remembering that he hadn't removed his own ring either. When the sun rose all the way through the window, its brightness was nothing compared to the sunny smile on the face of the sleeping deputy.