Author's Note: Back again, revising some more. I'd like to leave a special thanks to PashHanin, who happened to be my first constructive review for the story, and everyone else who took the time to leave me a reply. It's really a wonderful thing to hear from readers, so if you're reading for the first time, I'd genuinely love to hear what you think. I'm sorry you won't find out why Duncan has a weird accent in this chapter, but if he can manage to beat Bailey in the Crucible, maybe he'll get a chance to tell her over that drink, eh?

Two

The next afternoon was cool and damp, but it found Duncan heading towards the Hangar with Kellin hot on his heels. The pair of Guardians hadn't spoken about the night they'd had at the bar or the challenge the Hunter had accepted from a Warlock on that same evening. However, Duncan could sense Bailey was the only thing Kellin had wanted to talk to him about all day.

There was only so much to be said about the differences between the pulse rifle Kellin had borrowed from Banshee to test and the one he favored for patrols or missions from the Vanguard. And Kellin had already spent the entirety of their lunch talking about that damned pulse rifle. Duncan couldn't take it anymore.

He knew, of course, it had everything to do with the fact he had invited a lady out for drinks that had the Titan intrigued. And probably the part keeping the Titan so quiet about the situation was the simple fact the lady had only agreed if she could be bested in the Crucible. Oh, yeah, and there was the part about her being a Warlock… historically, not the sort of girl to have ever caught Duncan's eye before. Not that he spent all too much of his time thinking about girls.

Women, where Duncan was concerned, were not a subject the sandy-haired human was completely comfortable with. Certainly not to the extent he was comfortable with his hand cannon or his throwing knives, at least. He had a better track record with guns and ammo than he did with the ladies, though it wasn't like he was actively comparing.

Not for lack of opportunity-the part about women, that is. It wasn't like he was unable to talk to girls. He was just, well, busy with other things. Like hand cannons and throwing knives. And not talking to pretty blonde-haired Warlocks at the bar.

Scratching the back of his head, Duncan considered if their roles were reversed this entire situation would probably be rather relative to the Titan. Kellin had more than his fair share of women; he had no problem finding something interesting about any girl who thought to introduce herself to him. And when the Titan was around, the already slim margin of possibility someone might fancy herself a Hunter like Duncan decreased exponentially.

Whether it was Kellin's good looks or electric personality, people had always been drawn to the Awoken Titan. Duncan considered himself rather lucky to have such an outgoing and confident friend as the crimson haired Awoken. It didn't bother him he wasn't the center of attention like Kellin. In fact, he much preferred his privacy and the hours of isolation he could manage while on his own exploring. They needed one another, him and Kellin; Titan to pull Duncan out of his shell and the Hunter to help smooth over the ripples Kellin would manage to create wherever he went.

And the Titan seemed to agree, mostly.

Their silent acceptance of one another's differences didn't prevent Kellin from offering unsolicited advice about 'Duncan's Girl Problems'. Things like, "You can't stare at her and expect she's going to come over here to talk to you," and "Stand up straight - you're short enough as it is."

For all the small bit of advice he'd actually asked of the Titan in his Fireteam, Duncan couldn't remember a time when any of it had paid off… it was Duncan's pride leading him to his jumpship that afternoon to make good of his promise to Bailey. It was his pride and a subtle sense of hope that maybe there'd be some sort of luck on his side of the arena that day.

And maybe, just maybe, he'd find his evening ended back at the bar sitting across from the silvery-haired Warlock he'd met the night before.

When suspense seemed to finally reach its boiling point and become too much for the Titan to bear any longer, they were rounding the corner into their Fireteam's bay of the hangar. Running a hand through his shaggy crimson bangs, Kellin finally asked, "What's your plan? You're just going to shoot her a few times?"

"Yup," the Hunter replied, reaching out to the lower wing of his jumpship to pull himself up to the cockpit.

"And then she's gonna let you buy her a drink?"

"Yeah," Duncan replied, scratching the back of his head nervously as he pulled his sniper rifle off of his back to secure it safely behind the pilot's seat within the cockpit. "Leas', tha's how I understand it."

"Fuckin' crazy dame, that one," the Awoken Titan shook his head as he crossed his arms over his shoulder.

"Awh, don' call 'er tha,' Kellin," Duncan frowned, turning over his shoulder to point at the box of hand cannon ammunition at the Titan's feet and hoping Kellin would understand. "You 'ad to know she was gonna be a spitfire to 'old 'er own aroun' here."

Pouting, not willing to concede his point that this girl was fucking nuts and his friend was even crazier for entertaining this idea of getting to know her over drinks, Kellin uncrossed his arms and tossed the Hunter the ammunition he was waiting for, "If you're sure about this, seems your point would've been better served if you'd just bought her a drink last night, 'stead of offering me up to do it."

Hopping into the cockpit of his jump ship to begin checking operations before he took off, Duncan laughed at Kellin's sour mood. Sure, he'd sacrificed the Titan's stock of glimmer to save himself a bit of face with Bailey, but he wasn't ready to believe Kellin's support was going to have been for a lost cause. Not before he'd had a go at the Warlock in the Crucible, at least.

Smirking, the sandy-haired Hunter replied, "Serves you righ' fer tryin' to embarrass me."

"Given enough time, you woulda done it yourself," Kellin teased back. The Titan's crimson hair gleamed in the early afternoon sunlight and, as his bangs fell into his amber eyes, Duncan watched as he shook them out of his face.

At a workbench a few paces away from the Titan, Amri was at work repairing a scout rifle which belonged to one of the younger Warlocks he mentored. He didn't look up for the banter being shared between his Fireteam-mates but did offer, "Watch out for this one, mate. I've heard a thing or two about that Warlock and if any of its true, you'll be in a world of hurt next we see you."

Duncan felt himself pale. So much for the unwavering support of his Fireteam.

Kellin laughed.

Taking a deep breath, the Hunter shook his head for Amri's warning. As he finalized his assessment of the jumpship's operations and sent a request for takeoff to the control center, he couldn't think of a proper reply. It was too late to back out now. Not that he would have; probably not, anyway.

Finding no other reason to delay his departure, Duncan eventually replied, "Wish me luck, then."

"Good luck, mate," Amri looked up from his work to give the Hunter an encouraging wave.

"Good luck," Kellin shook his head, crossing his arms over his chest again. Then, for good measure, he decided to throw in, "Don't embarrass me while you're in there!"

Pulling the helmet over his head before tightening the restraints across his shoulders, the Hunter muttered to himself, "Indeed, le's hope I'm no' an embarrassmen'."

The Hunter watched his best friend meander over to Amri's workbench and start peeling through the box of tools the Warlock kept in meticulous order. Watching the Exo smack away the Awoken's hand, Duncan smiled. Although he could no longer make out what was being said over the roar of his jumpship's engine, watching Kellin rubbing the pain from his knuckles did seem to lessen the nerves he felt about the reality of walking into the Crucible for the purpose of, if Amri was to be trusted, getting his ass handed to him.

It was only a few moments more before the craft roared out of Tower's Hangar. Feeling the force pressing his back against the familiar frame of the pilot's seat, Duncan closed his eyes until he felt the shaking lessen and the ride smooth out.

As soon as they were in orbit, his Ghost, Albert, materialized with a message, "It's from her. That Warlock."

"And?"

"She says she's playing Rumble; queued for the arena at Black Shield."

"Tell 'er Mars seems an awful long way to travel," he laughed. "To have a Hunter like me bea' her at Rumble."

"Don't close the door before you're out of the room, Guardian," Albert scolded. And when the Ghost could sense the blank stare he was receiving from his Guardian, he offered as explanation, "Amri was right about her. I've already reviewed her standings with the Quartermaster. She's got a far higher ranking than you do."

Duncan sighed.

And Albert seemed to realize his error as he panned, "Oh. You weren't trying to challenge her at all! You were trying to give yourself a pep talk!"

Raising an eyebrow, which was obscured behind his dark visor, Duncan shrugged his shoulders. There wasn't much to be done about that, any of it, now. She was already expecting him and the last thing the Hunter intended to do was stand her up. But Albert had a point and a better message was probably in order, after all. After a moment of thought, he finally replied, "Alrigh' then. Tell her I wish 'er luck and I'm on my way."

"Discretion is the better part of valor," Albert seemed to agree, sending forward the message. "But, for what it's worth, I think you've got a reasonable chance at victory."

Duncan leaned back in his seat, drawing a deep breath before he finally condescended to ask his Ghost, "So, wha' advice do ya have fer me?"

"Guardian?"

"Yer the one tha' reviewed 'er reputation with the Quartermaster. Don' tell me ya stopped at tha'."

Making a noise like he was clearing his throat, Albert hovered in front of the Hunter and replied sheepishly, "Well, she is a Voidwalker-" and as Duncan felt his shoulders tense of their own accord, the Ghost quickly added, "B-but only recently so! She used to be a Sunsinger. Um, until recently."

"Recen'ly?"

"This past year, she shifted disciplines," Albert clarified. He was no stranger to his Guardian's poor taste for Warlock Void magic, but that didn't mean he had anything useful to offer about how the Hunter might keep himself outside of it's reaches.

"I've gotta think of some way to bea' her, you know," the Hunter sighed.

"Maybe shoot her more times than she shoots you?" Albert replied, laughing at his own perceived humor.

"Well, 'ave you got anythin' useful on how I migh' manage tha'?" Duncan growled.

"Hmm?" Albert's smooth metallic tone hummed over the whir of Duncan's jumpship speeding along its path.

"How am I gonna bea' her?" Duncan reminded.

After a long pause where Albert turned his attention to the ship's central computer, the silver box buzzed happily around his Guardian's head, proclaiming, "She's gotten almost seventy percent of her kills in the Crucible with a hand cannon, Duncan. And over half of the remainder, she obtained with a shotgun."

"So don' get close, eh?"

"Don't get close."

Feeling himself re-materialize after transmat always left a lingering sense of dizziness concentrated at the base of his skull. Before pulling his hand cannon off of his waist, Duncan pressed his fingertips against the place where his helmet met his neck and exhaled slowly. He took a moment to inspect his surroundings, pausing for a moment to consider it was still midday at the Firebase, though it would have been almost sunset by Tower's clock.

As he inspected the barren landscape laid out before him, the Hunter squinted against the sunlight. He was thankful for his visor that it would keep the thick red sand out of his nose and eyes.

"Eyes up, Guardian," Albert cautioned through their shared commlink. "I sense movement; the others are already searching for their first kill."

Duncan needed no further coercing. He sprang into motion, leaping to an elevated section of land on the outer perimeter of the arena. Sensing a flicker of movement from his HUD, the young man drew the sniper rifle from his back and had the mid-range scope trained to his eye in a flash.

When he saw the first Guardian moving towards him, when he recognized the familiar hue of dark blue and crimson in her robes, he felt his heart skip a beat. His finger hesitated where it laid against the trigger.

Bailey…

She'd wandered around a bend in the outer track surrounding the perimeter of the Firebase; she was on the opposite end of the arena from him. The Warlock held her ebony hand cannon trained to the horizon as she moved quickly through her surroundings. If she was counting on her HUD to lead her to Duncan's position, she'd have to rely on her eyes… He had no intention of setting her off to his sniper's perch.

"What are you waiting for, Guardian? Shoot!" Albert pleaded.

Dark brown eyes caught a whisper of green from behind the Warlock's shoulder and without hesitation he switched targets immediately. The slightest pressure against the trigger leveled a Titan. Duncan exhaled a silent thanks the explosive round hadn't managed any harm to the Warlock.

Through the perceived safety of his scope, he watched Bailey turn around to his position. She seemed to hesitate, perhaps caught up in making the decision to attempt out-sniping the sniper with her hand cannon or scrambling for cover. Duncan, of course, already knew he wouldn't shoot her. He'd know it when he had her lined, up, dead to rights, a few moments before. So the pair of Guardians remained still as they considered one another, her out in the open and he not paying any serious mind to the fact they weren't the only two Guardians in this arena.

When his HUD flickered and he noticed a female Hunter rounding a corner on Bailey's right, he took aim and fired a second shot in the Warlock's immediate vicinity. The shot managed to strike the Hunter in the chest. The bullet hadn't resulted in a kill, but he smirked for the realization the Warlock had such quick reflexes. Bailey put herself on the offensive, striking the other woman in the shoulder with a Void-charged melee to steal the kill from him.

"Would you stop flirting and change your position, Guardian?" Albert sighed in exasperation. "She might not be after you herself, but I'd wager that Titan remembers where you are!"

And as though on cue, Duncan felt the sting of a single burst from a pulse rifle rain down over him from his left. Cringing as he evaded the second burst, the Hunter drew his hand cannon and turned to the direction of his attacker. He dropped a grenade behind himself, trying to retreat and regain his bearings before the altercation could escalate any further.

When he heard the tripmine explode, Duncan turned around for the showdown. He sprinted in close, too close for the Titan to make practical use of his pulse rifle, and fired three shots from his hand cannon into the pursuing Titan's chest.

It had been enough to do the job.

The Titan fell forward at the Hunter's feet.

Without pausing to consider where any other Guardians were within the arena, Duncan rushed for a slight inlet near the primary structure of the Firebase for cover. He'd lost track of Bailey and whether she'd followed after him or focused her sights on a different Guardian.

It didn't take long before the Hunter asked his Ghost, "Yer trackin' the score, righ'?"

"Yes, of course! She's already two kills ahead of you."

"Already?" Duncan replied incredulously. He hustled inside the Firebase, careful to keep his attention shifting between his HUD and his surroundings. Locating a reserve of special ammo, the young man threw a tripmine grenade to his left and took the sniper ammo in the crate for himself.

When he heard the grenade explode beside him, Duncan turned around to shoot a single bullet from his hand cannon at the male Warlock who had inadvertently set it off. Wandering forward to pilfer some additional hand cannon ammunition the Warlock had dropped, the Hunter celebrated, "Now the lady's jus' one kill ahead."

"Still two," Albert replied dryly.

"Well, you don' have to soun' so damn excited abou' it," Duncan shook his head, moving into the center of the Firebase. He kept to the left, following the wall around the open portion of the room. He sounded exasperated when he finally brought himself to admit, "I better ge'to work."

"There's an idea," the Hunter's Ghost sounded exasperated.

Duncan gunned down the female Hunter from earlier as he made to exit the Firebase on the opposite side of the arena from where he'd started. She'd had her back to him, so he considered there was probably someone else nearby, despite not finding any indication against his HUD. Pressing his back against the wall behind him, the Hunter moved slowly out and around the Firebase.

He was in another nook at the edge of the base when he heard the footsteps. Someone was running towards him. He turned around just in time to notice the other Guardian, still just out of range, pointing a shotgun towards him.

Bailey...

Sidestepping and reaching out to cause the weapon to misfire over his shoulder, Duncan noticed a Titan was pursuing her. Readying his hand cannon to fire at the charging Titan, Duncan felt the very breath stolen from his lungs. His chest felt like it was collapsing on itself as the Light was being pulled out of him. His heart froze in his chest, missing a beat before he managed to gasp for breath and spur it back to life.

Regardless of his surprise, Duncan reached for Bailey in an attempt to position himself in front of her. If the Titan was going to shoulder-charge anyone, it wasn't going to be the Warlock…

But the Titan fell before he reached the two Guardians beneath the alcove. It was the metallic 'pop, pop, pop' of Bailey's hand cannon, fired three times that brought him down. Feeling his shields beginning to regenerate, the Hunter stood up straighter and turned to look at Bailey. She scrambled forward, reaching out to put her palm over the place she had, earlier, struck him with her melee attack.

"Oh, Duncan," she seemed worried. "I'm sorry! I didn't realize it was you; I panicked!"

Laughing as he wrapped her hand up in his, the Hunter confessed, "Fel' like ya were tryin' to pull my heart righ' outta my chest, Warlock!"

Taking a step closer to him, she replied coyly, "Well, how else would I steal it?"

Duncan smiled, fully aware she couldn't read his expression for the helmet he wore. He knew the answer to her question, or at least how he would plan to go about achieving the accomplishment. But that didn't mean he would be the one allowed to show her.

His heart was racing. Having the Warlock standing so close, knowing she could decide to shoot him at any moment and trusting in blind faith she wouldn't.

It was exhilarating just being near her. Exactly like it had been the night before.

With a burst of confidence he couldn't quite explain, Duncan squeezed her hand gently before pulling away. Nudging her towards the opposite exit of the alcove, the Hunter replied, "I'm no' so sure yer score's high enough I'd le' ya try tha', Lady Warlock. No' ye'."

In reply to his teasing, Duncan barely managed to dodge a warning shot she fired over his shoulder from her hand cannon. When he heard her laugh, he hesitated before deciding to blow her a kiss as he teased, "Good luck, lady!"

"Oh! Go on, you!" she exclaimed, seemingly in no hurry to be along on her way. "Before I decide to make some points out of you."

Duncan left first, ducking out of the shared alcove and into the sunlight. He didn't take the time to check his HUD or glance around at his surroundings and he paid for it dearly with a sniper shot straight to the left side of his helmet. In the brief period of stasis before Albert was allowed to revive him, the Hunter could make out the mumbled sarcasm of his Ghost confessing, "Very smooth, Guardian."

And when the Hunter felt his feet land on solid ground again, Albert added, "I suppose we're both lucky she's a Warlock and not something tainted with Darkness. The way she's got you all mixed up, it'd be the end for both of us!"

"Tha's a bi' harsh, don' ya think, Ghost?" Duncan protested, quick to hurry into the relative safety of the main structure of the Firebase. He had his hand cannon at the ready and was studying some brief flickers against his HUD to try and sense what was waiting for him inside. When he heard the sound of guns firing, the Hunter scurried into the room and managed to pick off both of the Guardian's that had been engaged in a firefight with only five bullets. As he reloaded his gun, he said, "I think this is goin' well."

"Even with those extra points, she's still two kills ahead," Albert dismissed. Then, sensing his Guardian's irritation, the Ghost quickly added, "But you still have five minutes before the round is over."

"Bes' hurry, then," Duncan replied resolutely. He shifted focus back to his purpose of finding the other Guardians in the arena, managing to maneuver into a passable sniper's perch and notch another quick kill.

Waiting a few moments to ensure nothing else was wandering his way, Duncan moved from his position and headed back towards the center of the arena. His radar had briefly flickered in that direction, and he understood time wasn't on his side. He needed to find a faster way of hunting down the other Guardians… so, while close quarters combat wasn't his forte, it seemed his best opportunity.

Wandering into the center of the arena, he managed to pick off one of the male Titans from earlier who was engaged in a firefight with another Guardian. Stealing the kill from a female Hunter, he took two bullets from her scout rifle before her magazine was empty. Duncan emptied his hand cannon and managed to put her down, as well.

"On your left, Guardian!" Albert warned.

Duncan spun around with an empty hand cannon and took the full brunt of the male Warlock's Arc-charged melee attack. He'd been unable to defend himself, and his shields hadn't had a chance to recover from his brief encounter with the female Hunter.

Stasis.

"Couldn't you hear him approaching?"

Duncan could still feel the sting in his chest from the Warlock's Arc attack… or it might have been Bailey's Void magic. Either way, he clung to the final moments of status like a shield, a calm before the storm. And as soon as his feet were on the sand, he was running back towards the Firebase with his hand cannon at the ready.

"I guess not," Albert worried over their shared communication link. "Guardian, it seems you've lost your ability to hear anything from your left ear."

Duncan paused at a crate to obtain special ammo, wondering aloud, "Is tha' so?"

"Don't worry!" Albert urged. "I'll fix it when we get back to Tower. You need to hurry if you're going to make up those last two kills."

Continuing forward, the Hunter dropped a tripmine grenade at the far side of the door he wandered through. Once inside the central room of the Firebase again, he hugged the right wall and followed it towards a pair of double doors that would offer the quickest route back to the center of the arena. Watching a flicker of movement against his HUD from the central portion of the arena, Duncan jumped when he heard his tripmine grenade fire from behind him.

Turning around and pressing his shoulder blades against the wall, the Hunter hit a male Titan with two bullets to manage the kill. And at the same moment, the doors to his right opened… both sets. The male Warlock ran through the door directly to his right; his attention focused on the female Hunter that had run into the room from the doors on the far side.

"Now, Guardian," Albert agreed, reading Duncan's mind.

Taking a deep breath, Duncan channeled his Light into a powerful Solar attack. Rushing forward as he reached for the Golden Gun on his hip, the Hunter fired his first shot. The Warlock fell. A second shot. The Hunter fell.

"Behind," his Ghost managed.

"Bailey?"

He froze, watching her rush into the room from the same door that he'd used to enter.

"Shoot, Guardian!" Albert urged. "You're tied. You shoot her, you win!"

But Duncan lowered his Golden Gun, feeling the final waves of Solar power fading from his limbs. The magical weapon dissipated in his hand and he was left entirely helpless, grappling for the gun on his hip, as he watched her raise her ebony hand cannon…

The first shot hit his lower abdomen, sending a searing pain rushing straight to his chest.

Her second shot hit his shoulder.

And the third?

"Good game, Duncan," she blew him a kiss, lining up her final shot. And when he heard the sound of the gun firing, he closed his eyes and smiled.

She'd won…