Between Sunrise and Sunset... Part Seven

[Loyce]

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Between Sunrise and Sunset
Part Seven
By Loyce
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Duo was fit to be tied.

The iron horse he was riding in seemed to move slower than a plow mule on a hot day. If luck was on his side, he would be pulling up to the train station in Las Cruces in time for a late lunch.

Pacing the length of the passenger car, he grabbed the attention of other people sitting quietly on the train. A baby's cry was the only sound heard over the constant click of the metal wheels steaming down the track. All of the windows in the car had been opened, but the air flowing through them did little to combat the heat of the day. Running his bandana across his forehead, he wiped away the sweat that threatened to fall into his eyes. He felt as cranky as the crying child held tightly in his mother's lap. Sighing with disgust, he turned around and opened the door to the train car and stood out on the platform. The heat was still oppressive, but at least he was no longer stuck in tiny car full of people.

A sea of barren landscape sped past him as the train flew down the tracks, taking him closer to Las Cruces, closer to Hilde. He thought back over the past couple of days as he leaned up against the railing. Had it really only been a week since he strolled into that bar in Albuquerque and bought the assistance of a bounty hunter, who turned out to be a woman and who nearly got him killed? It seemed more like an entire lifetime had passed in the span of the past couple of days.

Breathing in the stale summer air, Duo rolled his right shoulder and tried to work out some of the stiffness that has settled into the muscles during his journey south. Against Sally's orders, he refused to wear a sling. It had taken some strong convincing and some of the Maxwell charm, but he had finally won the argument; but most of that had been due to the fact that Wufei had stepped out of the office.

Duo reached into his pocket, pulled out a gold coin and began flipping it through his fingers. He shook his head as a chuckle rumbled in the back of his throat. The idea of Hilde robbing him infuriated him, but he couldn't help but find the humor in the whole situation. While he stood in line at the telegraph office, ready to ask his superiors for more money, he also decided to look into all of the captures 'Barton' had made over the last year. A few hours later and a few dollars richer, Duo walked out of the office with a list of names. It didn't surprise him in the least that most of the names on the list were someway or another connected with Oz Blackburn.

Jay Mueller. Trant Nicolas. Quinze Chavez.

All three had been part of Oz Blackburn's renegade posse, the White Fang. The group had reportedly disbanded in the late summer of 1887, after a reign of terror that swept across the northern Texas panhandle and parts of the new territory, destroying everything they touched. And all of the men had later crossed the path of one bounty hunter by the name of Barton.

Looking back at the events that had taken place, he hadn't really paid attention to the name that Hilde had mentioned in the cave; he was more lost in the impish woman that sat across from him. There wasn't much information on the capture of Mueller, but Duo had already heard the story from Hilde.

Details were also vague as to the arrest of Trant Nicolas. The notorious con man was known for raising hell in the local saloons with his violent temper. Apparently, Trant had been working on one of the card tables at a saloon in Taos but met his match in a young man. Trant had been turned into local authorities wearing nothing but his thermal britches. Duo couldn't wait to ask Hilde the entire story once he caught up with her.

The story that grabbed his attention the most wasn't one that revolved around Hilde's outrageous stunts. His contacts in Albuquerque relayed the information that had been printed in the newspaper about how the bank robber, Quinze Chavez, had been captured. The newspaper headlines spoke of a brave youth, single handedly bringing down such a dangerous person. Within the accounts were mentions of how the bounty hunter had been seriously injured during the ensuing shoot-out, but not before disarming and wounding Quinze so that the sheriff could contain him. Duo cringed at the mental image of Hilde exchanging fire in a shoot-out with Quinze, who was unforgiving when it came to authority figures. Many sheriffs had been found hanging from nooses in the towns that he had passed through. In his mind, Hilde had come to close to meeting her end at the hands of Quinze, and then again with Oz.

Duo wasn't sure of exactly what he would do if...when he found her. Part of him wanted to strangle her for pulling a stunt like this, but that part warred with the part that wanted to wrap her in his arms and then shake her to her senses. His mind cleared slightly as he stared out onto the passing terrain, when her voice drifted through his mind.

'I never meant for any of this to ever happen to you.'

Hanging onto her voice like a lifeline, Duo closed his eyes and tried to push through the fuzzy haze surrounding the memory. The feel of her wiping him down with a cool damp cloth punched through the cloud followed by bits and pieces of what she had told him, while he was lost in his feverish sleep.

'Why I became a bounty hunter... justice... killed my family... Oz Blackburn... stole my innocence, scarred my back... left me for dead.'

Pieces of the puzzle had fallen into their places, revealing the entire picture to him. He had known deep down what had happened to her, after she had avoided his contact, her standoff-ish demeanor, and the way she held her emotions in check. But to hear her confirm his assumptions...

The sudden stop of the train threw Duo from his place against the railing and slammed him into the wall of the passenger car. Fire spread from his injured shoulder and a deep growl spilled from his lips. Pushing away from the wall, he cradled his injured shoulder and went back inside the car to make sure that the other passengers of the train were all right. Shouts from outside the car drew his attention and he moved to stick his head out one of the opened windows. He couldn't see the engine, but he could see a few rider-less horses shifting next to the train.

"Could things possibly get any worse?"

They were passing through Indian Territory, completely unclaimed land; also known as a haven for outlaws. There was really no telling exactly who was holding up the train without facing them first hand. Pulling his head back into the car, Duo glanced around at the passengers. Most of them had returned to their seats and had removed their valuables and money, holding them like an offering at Sunday Mass. It looked as if these people had been through more than one train robbery, as they sat in silence with their heads hung low. Even the crying infant from earlier was calm.

Duo could only feel sympathy and anger as we looked at the people around him. Out in the wilds, there was no way for the law to protect innocent people such as the ones that sat in the wooden benches of this passenger car. He pushed his duster jacket away from his gun belt, tucking the folds back so they wouldn't get in the way, his silver star catching a brief glint from the sun. Tipping his hat further down on his head, he moved forward through the car, drawing curious looks from a few people as he passed.

He made his way through two more cars before he met up with the first of the train robbers. The young man was going through some of the parcels in the storage car, stuffing a few valuables into a leather satchel. He looked up from his work as Duo moved into the car, his spurs echoing off the old wooden walls.

A good guess was that this was probably the young man's first holdup. His hand was shaking; his knuckles were a bloodless white color from gripping the hilt of the gun too tightly. Above the green bandana, his brown eyes danced around nervously while a thin sheen of sweat could be seen forming along his hairline, caused by fear and not the heat.

Duo kept his guns on the young man. "You might want to consider leaving. It will be less bloody that way."

He could hear the young man's breath catch and watched the gun fall from his limp fingers. The youth raised his empty hands into the air. Slightly shaking his head, Duo moved over to the 'man' and picked up the gun off the wooden floor and tucked in into the waistband of his pants. "Go back home and find yourself another job; this one's going to get you killed. The life of an outlaw isn't much of a life."

Nervous brown eyes became focused as he realized that Duo was letting him go. Skirting around him, the boy made his way to the open door of the boxcar and jumped out. Duo watched him as he ran for his horse and took off leaving a trail of dust behind him. A sudden movement off to his right caught Duo's attention. Another robber had strode into the storage car.

"Jake, stupid runt, you done in 'ere yet?"

"Jake left."

The man spun around and his eyes widened as they fell on the Silver Star pinned to Duo's chest. "Shit!" He pulled his gun out of his belt and fired a shot. Duo moved quickly out of the way, letting the bullet hit the wall behind him, causing splintered pieces of wood to fly in the air. He ducked behind one of the crates in the storage car as he waited for his moment to return fire. The robber kept on him, using all six shots in one gun before pulling out the other gun.

Time was slowly ticking away and Duo knew the longer this holdup took, the chances of catching up to Hilde were diminishing. Becoming frustrated with the entire situation, Duo stood up from behind the crate, took quick aim and fired. He didn't just shoot to disarm; he hit the man's gun hand, causing enough damage that he wouldn't be using it for anymore robberies. The weapon fell to the ground, as blood began to pour from the opened wound. His scream was quick, but the groaning that followed continued with no end.

Growling, Duo made his way over to the crying man. On his way, he picked up some of the twine that had been pulled of some packages. Using the rough rope, Duo bound the robber's hands behind his back and then crossed the man's legs, wrapping some more twine around the man's ankles. He yanked the bandana off the man's face and tied it tightly around his wounded hand.

"How many more are there?" Duo asked the sobbing man.

Between the man's groans and incoherent babbling, Duo was able to make out that there was only one other robber on board; the one that had the engineer and conductor held hostage. Glancing around, Duo was at a complete loss as to what to do with the man lying on the floor in front of him. The shuffling of boots behind him caused him to wheel around quickly with both his guns drawn. At the entrance that lead to the passenger car, stood a white haired man who held his hands up, showing Duo that he posed no threat.

Duo's eyes narrowed. "Are you a passenger's on this train?"

"Yes, sir Marshal. I'm Howard." He replied, rubbing his hands on his worn chaps. "Noticed ya were a Marshall when you moved through the car and thought I could help ya out some."

Duo raised his eyebrow. "Are you armed?"

"Nope." Howard shook his head. "Don't have a need for weapons anymore. I can make do with what I find around me." He tucked his thumbs into his chaps and rocked back on the heels of his boots.

"Then the question is, can I trust you?"

Howard moved his hat off his eyes and dug into the top pocket of his shirt and pulled out an old tarnish silver star. He tossed it at Duo, the badge coming to a halt right by his hand. Duo picked up the badge and moved his thumb across the surface, making out the word 'Sheriff' that had been engraved on the sliver star. Rising off his haunches, he tossed the badge back to the man named Howard.

"He's in your custody until I get back. I doubt he'll try anything." Duo reached for the gun tucked into the waistband and went to hand it to Howard, only to have him turn it down.

Howard walked by him and pulled a crate over to where the captured man was lying. "Go on, we need to get this train moving again."

Duo checked the chambers of his guns, making sure that he was ready to face the last man. He looked towards Howard one more time before making his way out of the storage car. Carefully, he made his way across a flatcar carrying wood and crouched down by the darkened car carrying a huge pile of coal.

Eyeing the coal car, Duo tried to think of the best way to get up to the engine without being noticed. The tiny edge of metal that ran along the coal car, leading toward the engine would have been a good way to go, however, he wouldn't have much to hold onto if bullets started to fly. Instead, Duo started to climb up the metal rungs that led into the bed of the coal car.

Dark pieces of coal shifted under his feet, causing him to fight every step for his balance. Holding his breath, Duo inched forward along the bed of coal. The voice of the last robber drifted back toward him. Duo's foot made silent contact with a shovel lying on the coal, a quick smile formed on his face. He grabbed hold of the shovel, slunk along the pile of coal until he hit the crest and peered over the edge.

The robber had the engineer and conductor pinned up near the broiler, his back facing Duo. He was trying to figure out the best way to get the robber when he saw the engineer's eyes flicked toward him. The robber stopped pacing and looked toward the engineer in time to see him try to cover up something. Duo ground his teeth together; it was now or never. Quickly coming to his feet, he leaped off the pile of coal and brought the wooden handle of the shovel crashing down on the back of the man's hand. The robber fell to the floor of the engine like a ton of bricks.

Duo dropped to his and checked the unconscious man's neck, finding a pulse. His eyes filled with a few tears of pain, as he wiped his forehead. His shoulder was screaming out in pain, but he tried his best to ignore it. Duo turned and faced the engineer. "How long until you can get us back under way?"

"I don't know. I've got to get the steam built back up." The engineer rubbed his chin. " 'Bout an hour or so."

Tossing him the shovel, Duo picked up the knocked out man and slung him over his good shoulder. "You better get this train under way in less time than that." He climbed down off the engine and moved back towards the storage car. Howard was still sitting on a crate watching over the other robber. He turned and looked at Duo as he lifted the other man off his shoulders and laid him on the floor, before pulling himself up into the car. Again, he hissed in pain.

Howard moved over to help Duo move the unconscious man to corner where the other man was still whimpering about his hand. "This all of them?"

"Yeah. Howard, stay here and watch both of them while I get their horses loaded into the stockcar. Hopefully, we'll be moving here shortly." Duo took one last glance at the train robbers before he moved over to the door and jumped out of the car.

As he worked under the blazing sun, people from the passenger cars stuck their curious heads out of the rail car windows and watched as he struggled with the first horse. With his injured shoulder throbbing in pain, he was no match for the stubborn animals. Eventually, a few men came out of the cars and helped Duo corral the two horses and get them into the livestock cars. Just as they were lifting the plank into place when the steam rose out of the engine, splitting the silence with a shrill whistle.

Duo used part of his rolled up sleeve to wipe the sweat from his face. Everyone scattered, climbing back into the passenger cars; fearing they would be left behind. Picking up his discarded duster, Duo moved back to the storage car. Howard helped him climb inside, as the train began to lurch forward. Both men sat on the floor by the opened side door, letting the hot breeze wash over them.

As he watched the landscape pass by him, Duo couldn't help but wonder what mischief Hilde was getting herself into in Las Cruces.

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Sighing, Hilde sunk down further into the hot water of the wooden tub. This was first time in nearly two months that she had allowed herself the extra luxury of sleeping in a hotel room and ordering up a bath. Though she didn't mind the cold waters of the Rio, but nothing compared to an actual bath.

Guilt formed a knot in her stomach. It wasn't in her original plan to take any money from Duo. Hell, nothing was going according to plan anymore. The knot of guilt grew when she thought about how hard she had ridden Renegade. The trip to Las Cruces had taken only three days instead of four. And all the while she was out in the barren land, she kept replaying everything that happened in Socorro, wishing that she could go back and undo all the damage she had caused.

"But you can't go back and change the past, can you Hilde girl?"

Duo was safe, in the capable hands of two people who seemed to care for him, although the young Chinese man tried to hide his true feelings under a gruff attitude. Taking a deep breath, Hilde dunked her head into the bath water and rubbed her hands through her shoulder length hair, rinsing out the bubbles from the scented soap. She lifted her head back out of the water and sent droplets across the hard wood floor.

The plush hotel towel lying on a stool next to the tub seemed to call her, telling her that her time was up. Her head lulled to one side as she tired to ignore it, like a child being called in for the night. Lifting her hands out of the water, she found her fingertips wrinkled and a pale white. With a heavy sigh, Hilde brushed the damp strands away from her face, leaning her head forward; she wrapped the towel around her thick mass of hair and stood up in the tub. In the distance, a train whistle sounded, signaling the arrival of the late Southbound Express.

Climbing out of the high-sided tub, Hilde grabbed the other towel and began to dry off her body. When her skin had been rubbed to a healthy pink glow, she tossed the towel aside and pulled some fresh clean clothes out of her saddlebag. As she finished buttoning up her shirt, she moved over to the window and pushed the lacey curtain to the side.

Twilight was already hanging over the town. If she rode out tonight, she could beat Oz into El Paso. In the afternoon she had spent roaming around town, she was able to pick up on some information on Oz. He had been bragging to one of the local saloon owners about shooting down some guy in Socorro. The saloon owner had also told her that he had mentioned about passing through a nearby town before heading out to El Paso, though he couldn't remember the exact name of the town. She had tried to jog his memory, but even with a pistol pointed directly between his legs hadn't pulled anything useful for the bar owner. The information had cost her a pretty penny, and she made a mental note to pay back Duo ten fold. If she could beat Oz to El Paso, she would be ready for him, this time.

Hilde turned from the window and stuffed the remaining personal items in her bag. Although she had already paid for the room, she wanted to start her journey. Twisting her hair, she pulled it up high on her head and covered it with her hat. She shrugged into her duster and tossed her saddlebag over her shoulder. Closing the door behind her, Hilde headed down the hallway, dropping her key on the front desk and stepped into the dining area.

The room was already filled with many customers involved in their nightly meals. Clattering plates and murmured voices crowded the air. Not finding an empty table in sight, Hilde gave up and made her way into the kitchen. Tossing her bags onto the floor near the door, she sighed as she sat down on the stool near the door. No one seemed to bustling about the kitchen preparing food for the waiting patrons. With a deep sigh, Hilde closed her eyes and let her head fall against the wall.

"I sure hope your boots are clean, missy. I spent the day scrubbing that floor. I've got the splinters to prove it."

The warm voice broke through the haze of her thoughts, like a bucket of cold mountain water being dumped a hot piece of metal. Her eyes flung open and regarded the woman standing in front of her, slapping a wooden spoon against her folded arms.

Adopting a low tone in her voice, Hilde tried to dissuade the woman from her current line of thinking. "I'm not a..."

"There's no use pulling the wool over my eyes. I may be old, but I'm neither blind or stupid."

From under the brim of her hat, Hilde glared at the woman. This elderly lady had been the first person to through her disguise, and in a matter of seconds, nonetheless. No one, not even Quatre and Trowa, had been able to recognize her when she first showed up at the ranch after her first bounty. "Look..."

"Emma." The lady supplied.

"All right, Emma. I need some rations and I was hoping to have a couple of those mouth-watering biscuits I had earlier today."

Emma eyed her with a cautious expression before she turned away and pulled a wicker basket off of the high-topped table behind her. She held them out for Hilde to take, before she quickly pulled them away. Gesturing to Hilde's hands with the wooden spoon, Emma asked, "Are they washed?"

"I just finished taking a bath." Hilde turned her hands over so show the elderly lady her clean hands. "See, Emma, all clean."

A huff came from the cook as she handed over the basket and moved away from Hilde. Unable to help herself, Hilde pulled back the linen napkin and let the smell of hot biscuits hit her in the face. The flaky pastry started to fall apart when she lifted it out of the basket. She juggled the hot biscuit between her fingers between bites, savoring every last crumb.

Two more biscuits were devoured before Hilde looked up to find Emma staring down at her. Feeling like a child, she dropped her unfinished biscuit back in the basket and rewrapped the napkin. She tried to pass them back, but Emma just held out her hands, signaling to Hilde they now belong to her.

Emma passed her the additional care package. "Every body out here has a story to tell, I'm sure you're no different from the rest. I'm not about to ask you to spill it out to me, but I will tell you to be careful. The West is called wild for a reason. Good Luck."

"Thank you, Emma." Hilde tipped her hat and retrieved her discarded saddlebags. After tucking all the rations into the pouch, she flung it over her shoulder and headed out the back door of the hotel. There wasn't much of an alley between the hotel and the shop next door and within a few steps Hilde was on the main street of the town.

Just like Socorro, the townspeople had gone home for the night, locking the doors to their shops, while the saloons opened their doors and filled the street with the sounds of drunken laughter and barroom music. Digging into her pocket, she pulled out a fresh pack of cigarettes. She smiled as she placed one between her lips and ran a match across the saddlebag. Hilde took a long drag off the cigarette as she continued to make her way toward the livery. By the time she had finished her cigarette and made her way through the throng of stumbling drunks, Hilde pushed the side door to the livery open.

A young stable boy was propped up in the chair by the door. The hat pulled over his head did nothing to smother his soft snores. Even though the livery was dimly lit, Hilde had no problem finding her way back to Renegade's stall. Her mount pawed at the dirt floor in the stall the minute he noticed his rider. His nostrils flared as he bared his teeth at her, a sign of his frustration at being shut up in the small space. She undid the latch on the tall door and grabbed his gear off the tack table.

"I know. I know. You're mad at me, aren't you?" She asked the horse, as she set the saddle blanket along his back. Smoothing out the wrinkles in the protective material, Hilde prepared to saddle him. Renegade sidestepped her, allowing it to fall into a pile of hay. Hilde threw her hands up in the air. "Fine. Be that way." Turning her back to the horse, she bent over and picked up the discarded saddle. Hilde rocked back on her heals and whistled a few verses of the song 'Dixie' before spinning around and tossing the saddle onto his back.

Hilde silently cheered her victory, while Renegade snorted in defeat. "Don't be like this." She cooed, while running her hands down his neck. "I realize you're tired, but I promise that this will all soon be over." Grabbing the bridle, she moved around to stand in front of the animal. "Come on now, we've got a long ride ahead of us."

"Yes, we do have a long ride ahead of us... which is perfect, since you have some explaining to do."

The bridle she had been holding slipped from her grasp and landed on the floor with a muted thud. Words failed her; her tongue felt like dead weight in her mouth. Finally, she found her voice. "D...Duo?"

He materialized out of the shadows from the far corner of the livery. The spurs on his boots counting out the steps he took toward her. "You looked surprised to see me, Hilde. I take it you weren't expecting me to follow you, were you?"

"How did you...Are you..." Hilde took a few steps backward as he closed in on her. Her foot slipped on a pile of loose hay and she stumbled for her balance, her hat falling to the ground, her dark hair spilling down her back.

Duo continued to advance on her, like a hawk after a field mouse, with his eyes unblinking and narrowed. "The train. I took the train. And as for my injury..." He moved his shoulder, wincing slightly. "It hurts like hell."

"Duo, I never meant for... Shouldn't be lying down or something? Gun shot wounds take a while to heal. I know from personal experience. I'm surprised that Sally let you out of the office. They told me they would look out for you..."

"Hilde?"

"Yeah?"

"Shut up."

She knew she had been babbling; her eyes darted around for some escape route from the angered man that was nearly upon her. But it was too little, too late. Hilde's back bumped up against the hard wall of the livery, a few sharp piece of wood almost cutting into her skin. Her body was flanked on both sides by his powerful arms. Trapped between him and the wall, she tried to swallow against the lump lodged in her throat.

The hard lines of his face wrinkled. "Why'd you run off like that, Hilde? We made a deal, partners, until the job is finished. What were you thinking, going after Oz without me? What in the hell were you trying to prove?"

"I wasn't trying to prove anything!" She fisted her hands as she yelled, slamming them into the wall. The intensity in his eyes was too much. Dropping her gaze from his, she stared through the veil of her hair, down at her feet. It took her a moment to suppress her emotions, so they wouldn't show in her voice. "I was... I was trying to..."

"To set things right."

Her eyes widened, but she refused to look into his face. "What did you just say?"

"I said that I know you were trying to set things right." His voice had lost its harsh edge. "Do you know how worried I was when I woke up and found you gone?"

Hilde looked up from the floor and watched him pull his arms away from her and take a step back. "Duo..."

He pinched the bridge of his nose. "It took me a minute to realize that you weren't there. Once I learned that you had headed off, I started to recall bits and pieces of what you had whispered as you sat by me while I was stuck in the fever." He reached out and tucked some stray strands of hair behind her ear. "Hilde, I know what happened..."

"No." She shook her head. "No, you can't... you don't know anything about what happened..."

His rough hands skimmed up the sides of her face. "I remember everything you said to me, Hilde." He placed a finger against her lips, a silent request to let him finish. "It all came back to me while I was pacing the length of the passenger car on the train. I know what Oz did to you, and I'd give anything to take back all the pain he caused you." Lowering his face to hers, Duo ran his callused finger ran across her bottom lip. "But then, I'm selfish because if I did that, I would have never met you."

She felt him sigh, his breath dancing across her face. A need, which she never felt before, ballooned inside of her. His eyes never left hers as he leaned forward, capturing her lips.

The initial surprise soon gave way to other warring sensations. Closing her eyes, Hilde relaxed against the pressure of his kiss, allowing herself to enjoy every second. It started out shy and testing at the same time. She'd never been kissed before; she'd never let a man close enough to touch her. But she wanted more as the flames of desire roared to life.

Her lips parted, giving Duo access to her mouth. His tongue teased her lips into opening farther, his arms pulling her away from the wall and into his embrace. The rug had been pulled out from underneath of her, letting Hilde fall into the gorge of emotions that she kept under tight control. Needing to be closer to him, she wrapped her arms around his waist, opening up to his tender attack.

A crashing sound caused them to break apart. Turning, they saw that Renegade had moved out of his stall and was pawing at the ground, flicking his head up and down. Water stood on the dirt floor of the livery, next to the overturned pail.

"Stupid horse." Duo muttered underneath his breath.

Hilde tried to hide her blush and giggles from beneath her hands. Part of her was relieved that Renegade had stopped them, she wasn't quite sure if she was ready to take the next step with Duo. But the other part of her burned with an ache that she knew only Duo could put out. Her mind cleared from the haze of his drugging kisses, but not before she touched her swollen lips.

"Hey! What's going on?"

Feeling the blood rush to her cheeks again, Hilde moved away from Duo and stepped into the shadows of the stall, his warm chuckle followed her.

The boy she had passed on her way into the livery was rubbing the sleep from his eyes as he rounded the corner. Duo clapped the youth on the shoulder and turned him back toward the front of the livery. "Have someone tell ya when you're older."

Their voices became muffled noises as the continued to move farther away from the stall. Hilde bent over, picked up her hat and began repairing the damage to her disguise. Stepping out of the stall, she grabbed a hold of Renegade's mane. "The next time you pull a stunt like that, I'm turning you into glue."

Content with her overblown threat, Hilde finished preparing Renegade for the trip. Duo's spurs alerted her to his return. Glancing over her shoulder, she saw him stop, with Bandit in tow.

"So where are we headed?"

"El Paso. Seems that he's not changing his course; he's still headed to the border. It's the last chance we'll have to stop him." She eyed him. "Are you sure you're up for the ride?"

Even with his injury, Duo mounted his horse without any help. "Don't worry about me. Besides, I'm not letting you out of my sight."

Rolling her eyes, Hilde put her foot in the stirrup and lifted herself onto Renegade's back. Slowly the two of them moved out of the livery and into the night.

"All right then. Let's see if you can keep up."

As he watched her take off, Duo was beginning to lose track of how many times Hilde left him following her trail of dust.

TBC...

[miaka mouse]

::sigh:: first kiss!!!! yay! hilde deserves some happy moments after all she's been thru... so glad ur posting this here... does that mean it's almost done??

can't wait for the rest babe

MM <?__)~

www.livejournal.com/~miakamouse