Bounty Hunter Diaries
by Gemini

Chapter 11: Duo Maxwell is an excellent teacher.

Rated PG-13 for Pirate-like cursing.

Disclaimer: As much as I would love to be able to lay claim to Duo Maxwell (heh heh) I can't, because the only thing I currently own is my Kenshin plushie, and even he's licensed! Long story short, Gundam Wing in owned by other people.

I've never been in love before. Once, when I was in college, I thought I was. The man in question was my boyfriend for almost three years, the former owner of the nearly threadbare white Oxford shirt I sometimes sleep in or clean in these days. He was good looking and smart and he seemed perfect to silly old me. He even asked me to marry him, the last Christmas we were together. He asked me on Christmas morning, we were sitting next to the tree, surrounded by discarded wrapping paper and my family. With that stupid and rather tiny diamond ring, I thought my life was perfect. Then I walked in on him and my little sister, Gretchen, on the old couch in the basement rec-room two days after Christmas, and they weren't talking, no matter what they tried to tell me. So much for that. I didn't talk to my sister for a year. As for him, I hocked the ring and stole his favorite shirt. Hah. Revenge is sweet.

Now, there is a point to all this, I'm not just rehashing my rather painful past romantic experiences for your amusement. What I'm getting at here is that I've never really been in love, until I met Duo Maxwell, that is. If you had asked me, hell, a week ago, if it was possible to fall in love with a guy in a matter of a few days, I probably would have told you off for asking me stupid questions and maybe hit you up for a loan. But I am now a firm believer in dime-store romance novels, cheesy love ballads and every schlocky chick flick ever made. I have been converted.

Duo, as he had promised, stuck by my side the entire time I was in the hospital, only leaving for brief intervals in order to shower or get something to eat or run some errands, but he never left me alone. If he did have to go somewhere, he always made sure there was a police officer at my door to keep me out of trouble until he returned. For four days, the two of us spent a lot of time together. And by the time Nurse Attila, er, I mean Helen, brought me the release forms and a bag of clean clothes from my mom (She did all my laundry! Yeah!), I was absolutely, positively stupid with love. And a healthy dose of lust. Hell, I'd been sleeping with Duo Maxwell for four nights, but not in the Biblical sense, the fact of which had me lamenting that my legs weren't shaved, that we were both clothed, tired and injured. Because otherwise, well...I'll leave it to your imagination. I know mine has been going into overdrive lately.

After signing all the necessary papers and putting on my clothes, Duo took me home. Hurricane Lena had hit my apartment hard, leaving clean clothes, a fully stocked fridge and an immaculate bathroom in her wake. Mom had been itching to do this for years, but she had to wait until I was in the hospital and couldn't stop her. Not that I minded her doing my laundry or buying me comfort food (I checked the freezer-Swanson's chicken pot pies and rocky road ice cream, I love you, mom!), but it doesn't do much for my so-called independence to have my mom running my life.

But before I could even step foot into my apartment, Duo stopped me and told me to wait for him to check the place out. If there wasn't the very real threat to my life hanging over my head, the sight of him pulling out his gun and prowling around my apartment like some action hero in a bad late-night movie would have probably made me laugh. Unfortunately, the pull of stitches in my side as well as the long-dried blood stains still evident on my Welcome mat reminded me that this was no joke.

After poking around my closet and under my bed, he finally let me into my apartment. We were truly alone for the first time in days, there was no danger of nurses or God forbid, my mother, coming in and interrupting us, so the minute he had his gun holstered, I kicked my door shut and threw myself on him.

What passed were several minutes of very enthusiastic making-out. But just as I was gearing up to grab him by his ridiculously long braid and drag him into my bedroom, hairy legs be damned, he stopped.

"God, Hilde..." he muttered, resting his forehead against mine, his arms tightly wound around my waist.

I smiled, very pleased with his reaction, which I could feel as well as hear. "Why'd you stop?" I asked, peeking up at him through my lashes.

"Because I have to go and do something..." He paused and grinned wickedly. "And unfortunately, that something isn't you." His grin turned rueful as he pulled away from me. "I'm supposed to meet with someone in about a half-hour, an informant."

I frowned. "Do you have to?" I tried a suggestive pout, which, according to Sally worked wonders on a man, and was pleased to see that she hadn't led me astray. Duo looked like a tortured man.

"Don't look at me like that Hilde, seriously. I'll be back as soon as I can. I promise." He held up his hand in a very good imitation of a boy scout.

"Oh, all right." I wasn't exactly happy about his leaving, but at least I'd have time to shave and primp a little. A hospital isn't exactly a beauty spa, after all. I'd been having nothing but sponge baths for the past couple of days and frankly, a shower would be heaven. I went through a little mental check-list of things I needed for the evening ahead and suddenly remembered that I lacked something very important. And I also had a perfect opportunity to torture Duo one last time before he left.

"There's a police officer in an un-marked car in your parking lot, you can wave at him from your front window." He had the door opened and his hand on the door knob when I slithered up behind him, wrapped my arms around his neck and put my lips to his ear. He stiffened. I grinned.

"Duo, can you run a little errand for me before you get back?" I breathed into his ear.

He gulped and nodded slightly.

"Pick up a box of condoms, would you? A big box." I sent him out the door with a little pat to his very nice rear, my grin growing wider as I watched him walk rather stiff-legged down the hall. I'm new to this whole sex-temptress thing, but really, I don't think I'm doing too badly.

I spent an hour in the bathroom, shaving and exfoliating and plucking and generally making myself as presentable as possible. The stitches in my side bothered me a little as I went about my business, but it wasn't too bad. I wiped the fog from the mirror and grinned at my pink-cheeked reflection. "Hilde, girl, you are ready!" I gave myself the thumbs-up for good measure.

I'm way too practical to own any slutty lingerie. It also doesn't help that I haven't been with a man since, well, since my duplicitous ex-fiancé two years ago. Anyway, I was talking about underwear. I don't own anything lacy or satiny. I'm strictly a cotton girl. But who says cotton undies can't be sexy, dammit? I slipped on a pair of white bikinis and, after a brief debate over the pros and cons of wearing a bra, I decided to put one on. Why not? It would be fun taking it off later.

I heard my front door open and close just as I was arranging myself into what I sincerely hoped was a sexy pose on my bed.

"Hilde?" Duo's voice called out from the living room.

"In here!" I replied, practically rubbing my hands together with anticipation.

He appeared in my doorway and I took a moment to admire his wide-eyed stare. Yup, Hilde the sex goddess had landed!

"I...uh..." He cleared his throat and held up a paper bag. "They didn't have any of those jumbo bulk boxes, so I had to buy a lot of little boxes."

I raised an eyebrow. "How many?"

"Ten? Twelve? I don't remember." He tossed me the bag and hastily started to shed his clothes. Honestly, he is so cute, especially when hopping around on one foot, trying to get his shoe off. I guess he's been looking forward to this as much as I have.

While he worked on his rather stubborn footwear, I grabbed one of the boxes from the bag and snatched a few of the little packets, stashing them in various places on the bed so they could be within easy reach no matter what we were doing.

I felt the bed move as Duo sat down and a bolt of nervousness shot through me all of the sudden. It had been a very, very long time and really I think maybe after two years, you become a virgin again, not to mention the fact that I'd only been with one guy...what if I...

It's hard to be worried when a very attractive man starts kissing one of your legs. Frankly, it's hard to concentrate on much of anything except for said man and his activities.

"Hilde, babe, you are so beautiful." Duo murmured from his position near my knee.

I reached down and grabbed his braid, using it to pull him up to me. "Say that again." I whispered, looking him in the eye.

He smiled, a slow, sweet smile that turned my insides to mush. "You are so beautiful."

Oh hell, I was so in love with him, it hurt. I took his face between my hands and kissed him.

I felt his hands running over any part of me he could reach, my shoulders, my arms, my stomach. His touch stopped over the stitches in my side. He pulled away from me and frowned down at the black thread. I had a brief moment of fear then, maybe he thought they were ugly, maybe he would change his mind and leave...

He moved down and began laying gentle kisses on the stitches and I felt the fear leave me then. "Hilde...I promise, I'll protect you from now on." He whispered into my stomach.

I went from mush to putty. How does he always know the right things to say? Then again, I was supposed to be a bad-ass bounty hunter. In theory, I shouldn't need him to protect me. I was about to protest that I could take care of myself when he resumed his exploration of my legs, and I decided to just keep my mouth shut on that subject for the time being and concentrate on more important things, like...just what the hell he was doing with his tongue.

I was suddenly nervous again. He was doing many, many good things and I really wanted to reciprocate, but honestly, I didn't know what to do.

I tugged on his braid again and caught his attention. "Hey, Duo..."

"Hmmm?" He slid back up to eye level, one eyebrow cocked in question.

"It's been a while since I...um, since I...well, and I was only with this one guy and he wasn't...that is, I'm beginning to think that he wasn't all that great, could you..." God, I was turning bright red, but I really, really wanted to make him as mindless as he was making me.

"Could I what, babe?" He started dropping kisses along my collarbone, his tongue darting across my increasingly hot skin and I almost forgot what I was going to ask him.

"Could you maybe...show me what you like?" I bit my lip nervously as I awaited his response. He didn't answer right away; instead, he rested his forehead on my shoulder and took many, many deep breaths.

When he finally looked up at me, his gaze could have melted the polar ice caps. "I'd be glad to." He replied quietly.

Say what you will about Duo Maxwell, but he is an excellent teacher.

A/N: Hello! Long time no see! Think of this chapter as a reward, my loyal readers. There's not much plot, really. It's not a full on lemon, but you get the idea. I've finished up the RK story that was eating my life, so now I'll have more time to spend on this story. Whee! Thanks for reading!