Duo dropped me off in front of Wufei's office with bags full of stuff at 4:30. He tooted his horn and drove off into the sunset at the reigns of his shiny black SUV. I looked down at the bags that huddled around my feet and wished they were full of shoes or even food. Instead, they bulged with weapons of mass destruction. Okay, maybe that was a bit much, but still, a stun gun in my hands had the potential for disaster.
I sighed and heaved the bags up and trudged into the office. Dannie was sitting at her desk, reading a trashy magazine and eating a bag of Doritos. She glanced up at me and raised an eyebrow. "Went shopping, hmm?" She asked, licking the cheese powder off her fingers.
I nodded.
"What did you get? Let me see!" She said, suddenly looking like a child on Christmas morning.
I hefted the bags onto her desk and began pulling things out. A stun gun, pepper spray, handcuffs, a black mesh belt to hook the aforementioned items on, a shoulder holster, a black Kevlar bullet-proof vest, a black windbreaker that said BOND ENFORCEMENT AGENT in large yellow letters on the back and a black baseball cap.
"Where's the gun?" Dannie asked me eagerly.
"There's a waiting period." I said, hiding my relief. I hate guns and the thought that I now owned one gave me the creeps.
Dannie sighed. "Stupid colony laws." She said mournfully.
I grunted noncommittally and looked around for a box. "Do you have a file box or something I can put these in?" I asked, gesturing to the pile of bounty hunter paraphernalia. "I don't think my mom needs to know what I signed on for yet."
Dannie nodded and bustled into the back, emerging a few minutes later with a large cardboard box marked "FILES FOR STORAGE". "Here." She said, plunking the empty box down in front of me.
I thanked her and began piling the stuff in.
"Incidentally, how did you pay for all of this?" Dannie asked curiously. "I hope Duo didn't do you any favors. He has a bad reputation when it comes to collecting his debts from the ladies."
My face tinted pink. "Actually, I paid for these with my emergency credit card." I said.
Dannie sighed again. "Too bad. I heard…"
Luckily, my mom saved me from any lascivious tales of Duo Maxwell. She came breezing in exactly at 5:00.
I picked up the box and looked up to meet my mom's quizzical stare.
"I'm taking some work home." I said, hoping she couldn't see through my lie.
She smiled. "You always were such a go-getter."
This coming from a woman who had called me lazy several hours earlier.
She dropped me off in front of my apartment building and promised to lend me my uncle's old car in the morning. It was a wreck from god-knows when, its original color had long ago given way to rust and it had mismatched doors and whitewall tires. It was the colony's ugliest car and it was all I had.
I trudged up to my apartment with my box and let myself in. I put my burden on the kitchen table and went to go take a long, hot shower. This day had been terrible. Yes, I had gotten myself a job, but it was as a bounty hunter, which I knew nothing about. Yeah, Duo Maxwell was hot, but he was also dangerous and far too fond of weaponry for my taste. Yeah, I got a car, but it was the Wreck. I felt sorry for myself all through my shower and while I was putting on my pjs, which consisted of a pair of cotton pink-plaid pants that were so big that I had to roll up the waist and an old white Oxford cloth button-down shirt that I had stolen from a college boyfriend. I rolled up the sleeves and went to the kitchen to search for comfort food.
I found a half-eaten carton of Rocky Road ice cream in the freezer and I was just scraping the bottom when there was a knock on my door. Who the hell would be bothering me now?
I opened the door as far as the security chain would allow and blinked in surprise when I saw who was standing at my door. Heero Yuy and Quatre Winner. The two plainclothes detectives from the R&C Café.
"Umm…hello?" I said stupidly.
Quatre smiled at me and produced his badge. "We're here on official business Miss Schbeiker."
I did a quick mental catalogue of all my crimes and couldn't think of one serious enough to warrant a visit by two detectives.
Quatre noticed my confused look and gave me a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, you're not in trouble."
His partner stood beside him and said nothing. I was tempted to reach out and test for a pulse.
"Okay, hold on a sec." I said, closing the door and unhooking the chain.
I stood aside to let them in. "Can I get you something? I have water and…water." I said.
"No, thanks. We're on duty." Quatre said with a little laugh. Duo was right. He was too happy. Meanwhile, his flower-wilting, baby scaring partner was unabashedly looking around my apartment. I frowned at him.
"Nice painting." He said, pointing to one of my walls. It was a print of the four seasons by Mucha that I had picked up somewhere.
I nodded and crossed my arms, assuming the classic "Well?" posture.
"Well?"
Heero turned his attention back from my walls to me. His gaze was piercing and made me fidget. "How well do you know Duo Maxwell?" He asked.
So that's what this was about. I shrugged. "I just met him today. He's training me, but I don't have any illusions about why. He's just doing it to piss off Wufei."
I heard Quatre giggle and I thought even Heero cracked a tiny smile.
"Did he mention anything about a case involving someone named Trieze Khushrenada?" Heero asked.
"Only when you two came up to us at lunch." I replied, wondering just what exactly was going on.
The two men exchanged glances and I waited for them to say something.
Finally, Heero reached into his pocket and produced a card. "If he mentions anything, give us a call."
I looked at the card, but didn't take it. "Not to be rude, but why should I?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
Heero frowned and Quatre intervened. "This is a very important case, Miss Schbeiker. The police have been looking for Khushrenada for months and we need to find him before he gets killed. He jumped bail, so Duo's looking for him as well, and, although we'd rather not admit it, he's got better connections than we do. We were hoping Duo would help us out, but we don't think he will. Perhaps you could help us." He said in a wheedling tone. His large blue eyes were pleading and he looked like he might cry if I refused. I looked at him and back to Heero. Hmm. Heero Yuy may look scary, but it looked like Quatre was the more dangerous partner. I reached out and took the proffered card.
"I'm not guaranteeing anything." I said. "But I'll think about it."
"Thank you, Miss Schbeiker." Quatre said with another one of his super happy smiles.
I nodded.
After they left, I tacked Heero's card up on my bulletin board and considered it. I was pretty sure that I had no intention of ratting out Duo, but Quatre's plea had been rather effective. How could I say no to him? He might cry and that would make me feel bad. I could just see those big eyes of his filling with tears and his lower lip trembling. His partner would give me an accusing look and ask "How could you?" as he comforted Quatre.
I blinked. Gods, I was an idiot. I shook my head and busied myself with household things. There is something rather therapuetic about scrubbing grease off an oven door.
I was admiring my shiny oven door when there was a knock at my door. I threw my dirty sponge into the sink and approached the door warily, praying that it wasn't Grumpy and his partner Happy again. I looked through the peephole and sucked in a breath. It was Duo Maxwell and he was looking right sexy as usual. I glanced at myself in the mirror that hung in my little entry way. My hair stuck out at all angles and I was covered with sweat and grease. Shit.
"Hey, Hilde, I've got a lead on your guy." Duo said through the door.
"Um...hold on...I'll be right with you." I said lamely.
"Are you naked?" Duo sounded faintly hopeful.
"Get your mind out of the gutter, creep." I said.
He chuckled. "Well hurry up and get dressed and don't forget to grab your gear. Marquez's sister just had a baby and if I'm right he'll be with his family right now."
I let him cool his heels in the hallway while I ran back into my room to pull on a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. I went into my bathroom to check myself out and groaned at the sight of my hair. It was sticking up in places where it shouldn't thanks to my aggressive oven-cleaning, which had drenched me in sweat. I wet my brush and ran it through my hair, flattening the whole mess. It would work for now. My next stop was my big box o'weaponry. I pulled the black baseball cap on over my hair and sighed in relief. Next, I put on the utility belt, feeling not a little like Batman. My pepper spray and stun gun went into their proper places and, after a little digging, I found the handcuffs and clipped them into place. I grabbed the windbreaker and ran to my door, throwing it open and nearly running into Duo.
He grinned at me and I idly wondered if Marquez would wait while I dragged Duo inside and had my way with him. I shook my head to clear the thought and turned to lock the door. "All right. Let's go." I was a bounty hunter on a mission.
I sighed and heaved the bags up and trudged into the office. Dannie was sitting at her desk, reading a trashy magazine and eating a bag of Doritos. She glanced up at me and raised an eyebrow. "Went shopping, hmm?" She asked, licking the cheese powder off her fingers.
I nodded.
"What did you get? Let me see!" She said, suddenly looking like a child on Christmas morning.
I hefted the bags onto her desk and began pulling things out. A stun gun, pepper spray, handcuffs, a black mesh belt to hook the aforementioned items on, a shoulder holster, a black Kevlar bullet-proof vest, a black windbreaker that said BOND ENFORCEMENT AGENT in large yellow letters on the back and a black baseball cap.
"Where's the gun?" Dannie asked me eagerly.
"There's a waiting period." I said, hiding my relief. I hate guns and the thought that I now owned one gave me the creeps.
Dannie sighed. "Stupid colony laws." She said mournfully.
I grunted noncommittally and looked around for a box. "Do you have a file box or something I can put these in?" I asked, gesturing to the pile of bounty hunter paraphernalia. "I don't think my mom needs to know what I signed on for yet."
Dannie nodded and bustled into the back, emerging a few minutes later with a large cardboard box marked "FILES FOR STORAGE". "Here." She said, plunking the empty box down in front of me.
I thanked her and began piling the stuff in.
"Incidentally, how did you pay for all of this?" Dannie asked curiously. "I hope Duo didn't do you any favors. He has a bad reputation when it comes to collecting his debts from the ladies."
My face tinted pink. "Actually, I paid for these with my emergency credit card." I said.
Dannie sighed again. "Too bad. I heard…"
Luckily, my mom saved me from any lascivious tales of Duo Maxwell. She came breezing in exactly at 5:00.
I picked up the box and looked up to meet my mom's quizzical stare.
"I'm taking some work home." I said, hoping she couldn't see through my lie.
She smiled. "You always were such a go-getter."
This coming from a woman who had called me lazy several hours earlier.
She dropped me off in front of my apartment building and promised to lend me my uncle's old car in the morning. It was a wreck from god-knows when, its original color had long ago given way to rust and it had mismatched doors and whitewall tires. It was the colony's ugliest car and it was all I had.
I trudged up to my apartment with my box and let myself in. I put my burden on the kitchen table and went to go take a long, hot shower. This day had been terrible. Yes, I had gotten myself a job, but it was as a bounty hunter, which I knew nothing about. Yeah, Duo Maxwell was hot, but he was also dangerous and far too fond of weaponry for my taste. Yeah, I got a car, but it was the Wreck. I felt sorry for myself all through my shower and while I was putting on my pjs, which consisted of a pair of cotton pink-plaid pants that were so big that I had to roll up the waist and an old white Oxford cloth button-down shirt that I had stolen from a college boyfriend. I rolled up the sleeves and went to the kitchen to search for comfort food.
I found a half-eaten carton of Rocky Road ice cream in the freezer and I was just scraping the bottom when there was a knock on my door. Who the hell would be bothering me now?
I opened the door as far as the security chain would allow and blinked in surprise when I saw who was standing at my door. Heero Yuy and Quatre Winner. The two plainclothes detectives from the R&C Café.
"Umm…hello?" I said stupidly.
Quatre smiled at me and produced his badge. "We're here on official business Miss Schbeiker."
I did a quick mental catalogue of all my crimes and couldn't think of one serious enough to warrant a visit by two detectives.
Quatre noticed my confused look and gave me a reassuring smile. "Don't worry, you're not in trouble."
His partner stood beside him and said nothing. I was tempted to reach out and test for a pulse.
"Okay, hold on a sec." I said, closing the door and unhooking the chain.
I stood aside to let them in. "Can I get you something? I have water and…water." I said.
"No, thanks. We're on duty." Quatre said with a little laugh. Duo was right. He was too happy. Meanwhile, his flower-wilting, baby scaring partner was unabashedly looking around my apartment. I frowned at him.
"Nice painting." He said, pointing to one of my walls. It was a print of the four seasons by Mucha that I had picked up somewhere.
I nodded and crossed my arms, assuming the classic "Well?" posture.
"Well?"
Heero turned his attention back from my walls to me. His gaze was piercing and made me fidget. "How well do you know Duo Maxwell?" He asked.
So that's what this was about. I shrugged. "I just met him today. He's training me, but I don't have any illusions about why. He's just doing it to piss off Wufei."
I heard Quatre giggle and I thought even Heero cracked a tiny smile.
"Did he mention anything about a case involving someone named Trieze Khushrenada?" Heero asked.
"Only when you two came up to us at lunch." I replied, wondering just what exactly was going on.
The two men exchanged glances and I waited for them to say something.
Finally, Heero reached into his pocket and produced a card. "If he mentions anything, give us a call."
I looked at the card, but didn't take it. "Not to be rude, but why should I?" I asked with a raised eyebrow.
Heero frowned and Quatre intervened. "This is a very important case, Miss Schbeiker. The police have been looking for Khushrenada for months and we need to find him before he gets killed. He jumped bail, so Duo's looking for him as well, and, although we'd rather not admit it, he's got better connections than we do. We were hoping Duo would help us out, but we don't think he will. Perhaps you could help us." He said in a wheedling tone. His large blue eyes were pleading and he looked like he might cry if I refused. I looked at him and back to Heero. Hmm. Heero Yuy may look scary, but it looked like Quatre was the more dangerous partner. I reached out and took the proffered card.
"I'm not guaranteeing anything." I said. "But I'll think about it."
"Thank you, Miss Schbeiker." Quatre said with another one of his super happy smiles.
I nodded.
After they left, I tacked Heero's card up on my bulletin board and considered it. I was pretty sure that I had no intention of ratting out Duo, but Quatre's plea had been rather effective. How could I say no to him? He might cry and that would make me feel bad. I could just see those big eyes of his filling with tears and his lower lip trembling. His partner would give me an accusing look and ask "How could you?" as he comforted Quatre.
I blinked. Gods, I was an idiot. I shook my head and busied myself with household things. There is something rather therapuetic about scrubbing grease off an oven door.
I was admiring my shiny oven door when there was a knock at my door. I threw my dirty sponge into the sink and approached the door warily, praying that it wasn't Grumpy and his partner Happy again. I looked through the peephole and sucked in a breath. It was Duo Maxwell and he was looking right sexy as usual. I glanced at myself in the mirror that hung in my little entry way. My hair stuck out at all angles and I was covered with sweat and grease. Shit.
"Hey, Hilde, I've got a lead on your guy." Duo said through the door.
"Um...hold on...I'll be right with you." I said lamely.
"Are you naked?" Duo sounded faintly hopeful.
"Get your mind out of the gutter, creep." I said.
He chuckled. "Well hurry up and get dressed and don't forget to grab your gear. Marquez's sister just had a baby and if I'm right he'll be with his family right now."
I let him cool his heels in the hallway while I ran back into my room to pull on a pair of jeans and a black t-shirt. I went into my bathroom to check myself out and groaned at the sight of my hair. It was sticking up in places where it shouldn't thanks to my aggressive oven-cleaning, which had drenched me in sweat. I wet my brush and ran it through my hair, flattening the whole mess. It would work for now. My next stop was my big box o'weaponry. I pulled the black baseball cap on over my hair and sighed in relief. Next, I put on the utility belt, feeling not a little like Batman. My pepper spray and stun gun went into their proper places and, after a little digging, I found the handcuffs and clipped them into place. I grabbed the windbreaker and ran to my door, throwing it open and nearly running into Duo.
He grinned at me and I idly wondered if Marquez would wait while I dragged Duo inside and had my way with him. I shook my head to clear the thought and turned to lock the door. "All right. Let's go." I was a bounty hunter on a mission.