Summary/disclaimer: Time for another chapter of Shooting Blanks. Enjoy the 1200-word chapter. I don't own Black Lagoon; Rei Hiroe and a few others do.

Andros sat in his office. He was WELL aware of how things had gone currently considering he knew what had happened. They had tried to kick him upstairs, away from his beloved wife. The only way they could do that was try and transfer him to another branch.

"Tell me you will not turn on me as well." Andros asked as he turned to look at his friend over his shoulder. "I am beginning to run low on patience, Major Alexis." Andros said while shaking his head as he turned and started to shake his fingers a moment later.

The bald and portly man was not someone that wasn't considered to be underestimated at the end of the day. He knew very much how Andros was with Balaika. The man was just as dangerous as the rest of Andro's inner circle and he could tell that Alexis was someone that he could trust at the end of the day.

"Do you honestly think I'm as stupid as those who wish to have the captain killed?" Alexis asked as Andros shrugged a moment later. "Ros, I am far more insulted that you'd have no faith in me. I've been keeping an eye on her like you desire for far more then you've said so." Alexis asked as he nodded once more.

"If it was so easy to tell WHO you could trust?" Andros questioned a moment later. "There would be no amount of camaraderie, no friendship…. And not a single person outside the men and women of our military understands what that is." Andros added as he turned to look around at the officer.

The major nodded as he turned to look around with a curious look. He knew more than anything that Andros was a good friend, an interested friend that Andros had understood.

"How is she?" Andros questioned as he turned to look at his friend a moment later. "Do you really think that things would be different? They will not allow her to come back. I've been watching them. They want her to die out there because she scares them… Shall I inform them just HOW bad things have been as of late?" Andros asked of his friend who simply shrugged.

Andros knew things could be a lot worse. There was no shortage of enemies for them to contend with. The battlefields were more home than the walls of their offices, it almost made Andros chuckle considering just how savage the outside world seemed to be.

"Do they know your busy talking to them?" Andros asked while he turned and slowly stood up from his desk. "We will have to leave soon unless you'd prefer to do things her way… She always thought I was just as ruthless as she. I would be if not for her." Andros said as he cracked his fingers and set his hands on his desk.

It was something that couldn't entirely be denied at the end of the day. Andros loved his wife, but she was stubborn. You couldn't do something without at least some small amounts of violence being placed in the path.

"She is a strong woman, is she not?" Alexis said which got a hearty chuckle from his friend. "You would not be with her if she did not constantly challenge you, push her to be something more, yes? I question just how much you love her if your idea of fun is wanton violence." Alexis said while his friend simply gave a smirk.

"Do not try to understand her, old friend." Andros said as he waved his hands back and forth. "You'd be consumed by the sheer will she exerts upon others given enough time and effort in her orbit. Balalaika is many things, predictable and understandable are NOT 2 of them." Andros stated while he rubbed at his temples.

Andros was quite aware that trying to help Balalaika would get him in trouble. The government feared both him and her in the intelligence department, if Andros wanted those idiots dead, however? He'd have killed them himself.

"We have not been given the order to send any reinforcements to that area." Andros heard from Alexis, making him roll his eyes and shake his head. "But I doubt that will stop her, old friend. Balalaika is a woman of sheer force of will. She will survive, she's survived far worse than you remember." Alexis stated to which Andros could only roll his eyes, bored at his friend's words.

He was well aware how dangerous Balalaika was given enough time and resources. The entire government would still try to dispose of her.

"They want her head on a pike, Alexis." Andros stated while leaning back in his seat. "Do you know how hard it is to maintain a type of communication towards her?" Andros questioned as he looked around as he started to think about how things were like.

He was quite curious about how she was doing; Balalaika was nothing but a hunter in the wild when he thought about it. Still? The woman was still a skilled planner when it came down to it.

"I have something then you may wish to have." Alexis stated, pulling something from inside his coat. "It was something from them you may wish to know about. I just thought you might be interested in it." Alexis stated while he started to think about how things were.

"What are you talking about, Alexis?" Andros asked as the soldier started to leave, leaving Andros's question unanswered and causing him to sigh as the officer left.

"Sometimes I wonder how we are even friends at this time…" Andros muttered as he shook his head, unwilling to put much stock into his friend's actions.

"That man makes me question how any work actually gets done in these offices." Byvym muttered to himself while slowly picking up the envelope that Alexis had left here before departing.

He'd ask the soldier what was really happening next. Still? If it was anything like what he thought of? Then Andros believed he had a LOT of work on his hands to try and fix.

"They always give me the near impossible work and yet wonder why I'm onto them." Andros stated as he slowly started to open the letter, curious as to its contents the more, he thought about it.

"Who would actually bother to send me a letter to begin with?" Andros asked as he finally opened the letter, placing it on the table.

He was greeted by a letter from none other then Balalaika herself, causing Andros to drop the letter in shock.

From her? How did Alexis manage to get this to him?

Author Notes

Phew. Another chapter done! I want to point out I want next chapter to be longer and such. Next chapter will be in 2-10 months and will show both Balalaika and Andros talking when it comes down to it. There will be a little more bonding and such. Next chapter will be 900-6500 words and all and will be delayed and such. Until then, Lighting Wolf out!