"My dearest Eliza is gone. When she took ill just a few weeks ago, we thought it was a simple fever--but no treatment seemed to help. She wasted away before my very eyes. And I find myself with a young boy to raise, and no clue about how to do it. Jacob has been very stoic about it. He was always a serious-minded boy, but now he seems almost stern. I wish I could see him smile again..."--excerpt from the private journal of Ephraim Barton
Smoky Hills Part 10
Good Samaritan
It was the day after the refusal of the registered letter at the Barton place, and yet Duo hadn't been able to drag his thoughts away from the incident. He'd all but driven Quatre to distraction, harping on the topic and wondering what might have been in the mysterious letter.
His boss had finally, forcibly, reminded him that the contents of the mail were none of their business, per postal regulations, and said that furthermore, if he didn't drop the subject, he'd send him home and call in his substitute.
Duo gave up talking about it at that point, grudgingly. But he didn't stop thinking. He'd seen several letters from that same person come through over the past couple of weeks, on fancy stationery from some law office in Sanc.
His imagination wanted to paint an intriguing scenario, where Yuy was some kind of caretaker for yet another crazy Barton descendant. Or maybe he was trying to hide him from someone. After all, no one but Hilde had actually gotten a glimpse of the elusive Mister Barton, and then only in through a car window. For all anyone knew, Yuy could've killed the man since then, hidden the body, and taken over the estate.
"Stop thinking!" Quatre called from the front of the office, apparently still able, through intuition or just plain magic, to hear the wheels turning in Duo's head.
"That's the opposite of what you usually tell me!" Duo called back, trying a bit harder to forego his speculations and just do his job.
By the end of the day though, he was feeling a bit overwhelmed by it all. Yet another drive up around the reservoir had him remembering camping in the woods, and just hanging out with friends, and he found himself craving the peace and solitude of the forest.
So after he finished up for the day, he told Quatre he wouldn't be home for dinner and slipped out the back door before his friend could press him for more information. It certainly wasn't the first time Duo had gone for a walk or a drive to clear his head, and for sure it wouldn't be the last.
He started out by going to Howie's to gas up the Jeep and get something to eat.
"Duo!" Hilde chirped brightly when he walked in. "How's it hangin'?'
He shook his head, and smirked. "You know better than to ask things like that, girlie."
"Yeah, I know. It's the ultimate 'straight' line, isn't it?" She replied. "So how 'bout I just ask what's up?"
"The sun," he joked. Then, more seriously, "Same shit, different day, Hilde. You know nothing ever changes in this town."
"Hope springs eternal," she quipped. "Hey, we got in more of that beef jerky you like. Wanna stock up?"
"Sure--throw a couple on the counter for me," he replied, digging through the cooler for a six-pack of soda. "And can you make me a roast beef sandwich, mustard, no mayo, and one or two leaves of lettuce so I can tell Quat I ate a healthy dinner?"
"This is your dinner?" came a faintly disapproving query.
"It's a picnic," he clarified. "I'm gonna go for a hike--stretch my legs a bit."
"Ah."
When Duo carried the soda up to the counter, he realized Hilde had placed a small carton of milk, an apple, and a packet of chocolate chip cookies alongside his jerky. "What's all this?"
"A balanced meal. Fruit, milk, and dessert." She grinned as she sliced up the beef for the sandwich. "This way you can tell Mother Quat that you included the four food groups."
"Since when are chocolate chip cookies a food group--not that I'm complaining--?"
"Fruit, dairy, meat--" She held up the slices of beef to illustrate her point. "And the hard roll is bread. The cookies are a small indulgence--and besides, I read something about chocolate making your body release endorphins or something."
"Naw, it's that chocolate contains flavonoids," Duo corrected her. "I looked it up once, just to prove to Quat that the stuff wasn't all bad. Got him eating the occasional candy bar these days, the freakin' health nut."
"You aren't exactly a non-health nut," Hilde pointed out. "How many weekends out of the year do you spend hiking or tromping around in the woods? And I know you eat granola bars--" She wagged a finger at him. "I know all your deep, dark secrets, Duo Maxwell."
"Not all of 'em," he mumbled under his breath. "At least, I hope not."
She eyed him suspiciously. "Hm...intriguing. You know better than to intrigue me, Duo."
He blinked wide eyes at her, the very picture of innocence. "Would I ever do that?"
"In your dreams!" she said with a grin, wrapping up the sandwich and bringing it over to set beside the rest of the food. She began ringing up the order with practiced ease. "So, that Yuy guy came in again--a week or so ago."
"Uh-huh."
"I asked him about the Barton heir."
"And--?"
"He told me he's as antisocial as the rest of the clan, and that they keep dogs."
Duo had to laugh at that. "I shoulda checked with you before I went up there with a registered letter then. I almost got eaten by one of those dogs."
"Really?"
He shrugged. "Kind of. I didn't see him in the yard until I was up at the house. Biggest freakin' wolfhound you ever saw. And there was another one inside when Yuy came to the door. Monstrous big dogs!"
"Oooo." Hilde gave a little shiver. "Guess I'll keep away from there--even if Yuy is sex on legs."
Duo snorted at her description. "More like solid ice." But even as he said it, an image came unbidden into his mind--Yuy answering the door in his sweats and tee shirt, looking a bit tousled and sleepy. He had to admit, the man was gorgeous; but he didn't have to admit that to Hilde. "He's got all the personality of a chunk of granite."
"Who needs personality? I just want his body."
Duo rolled his eyes. "Nympho."
"And proud of it," she quipped, bagging his food and pushing it over next to the six-pack. "That'll be twelve-fifty."
Duo narrowed his eyes. "What about the apple and milk and shit?"
"Those are complimentary," she said sweetly. "My feeble attempt to civilize you just a bit--so you aren't living on raw meat and caffeine."
He shook his head. "You'll make someone a great mother some day."
"Oh please! Perish the thought! I'm not ready to chase rug-rats around the house."
"Plus, you'd kind of need a man in order to have any," Duo pointed out. "And I know how meager the selection is around here."
"Don't remind me," she said with a grimace. "Otto asked me out--again."
Duo's face darkened. "You better have said 'no.'"
"I did." She gave a half-shrug. "But compared to Trant--"
"Don't go there, Hil!" Duo said sharply. "You can do better than both of them. And you know it. You've got your own business here, and you're pretty and smart and funny. You deserve a good man--not one of those backwoods thugs!"
"Well there aren't exactly an abundance of 'good men' around."
"Don't settle. I never did."
"You never got over Solo--!" Hilde stopped abruptly, clapping a hand over her mouth, and shaking her head. "I'm sorry," she blurted, when she saw the pained look on Duo's face. "I didn't mean to bring him up--"
"It's okay," Duo sighed, looking more worn out than angry. "You're right, anyway. I guess I kinda keep hoping--y'know?"
She reached across and grabbed his hand. "I do know. And I think you're a great guy for being so loyal. Just--don't miss out on life because you're holding on to the past."
"It's what I'm best at," he said mirthlessly, setting the money on the counter and gathering up his food. "I've gotta get going. Don't wanna miss the sunset over the reservoir."
Her expression turned melancholy. "Hope it's a pretty one."
"Always is."
Duo headed straight for the reservoir, turning off onto a dirt road that led into the woods, and parking about half a mile from the lookout point. He wanted to hike up to the ridge--to breathe in the pine-scented air and listen to the soothing whisper of the wind in the trees.
So he gathered up his bag, and just one of the sodas, and set out on the narrow game trail.
It took him all of fifteen minutes to reach the summit and step out onto the rock ledge that overlooked the sparkling blue water. But when he did, he wasn't quite prepared for the rush of nostalgia that came over him.
There was a big, flat-topped boulder to one side of the ledge, and he remembered millions of visits--lying on the hard granite and watching the clouds drift by overhead, or staying until the sky darkened and the stars become pinpoints of light scattered across it.
And with a sudden sense of purpose, he crossed the clearing and climbed up, setting his bag of food off to one side and lying back to lose himself in the vast, cloud-dotted sky.
"That one looks like a frog, doncha think?"
Solo smirked evilly. "I think it looks more like a penis...a really big one."
Duo glanced aside at the boy who was playing with his hair. "It does not!"
"Does too."
Duo looked back up, squinting and trying to see it. "You're a pervert, Solo. Everything looks like a penis to you."
"Maybe it's because you've got me preoccupied--thinking about what I'd like to do--with you."
Solo rolled over so he was half on top, and kissed Duo deeply and thoroughly, letting his free hand wander down the boy's bare chest and play with the button on his jeans.
"Mmm--Solo--" groaned the brunette.
"Want you--" Solo shifted and his hips ground down, the bulge of his erection pressing against Duo's.
"But--"
"Shhh. You know how much I love you--" he breathed against Duo's mouth, smiling as he felt the other boy's hips arch up against his.
"Yeah, I know--gonna take me away from here, and we're gonna build a new life--our own life--together."
"Forever, kid. Forever."
Duo woke with a gasp, sitting up sharply and looking around in confusion, until he realized where he was, and that he'd apparently dozed off and missed the sunset altogether. "Fuck!"
He ran a hand across his eyes and yawned, trying to shake the cobwebs of sleep from his brain. "Goddamned dream," he muttered, reaching for his bag of food, and opening the soda so he could take a long drink to soothe his parched throat.
"Must've slept for hours." He looked at the dusky sky and the deepening shadows, knowing it would be dark before he made it back to the car.
"Well, fuck it then," he sighed, pulling out the rest of his meal and starting to eat, keeping an eye on the vast expanse of indigo, and waiting for the stars to come out.
As if on cue, the first faint flicker appeared on the eastern horizon, and out of habit, he made a wish--the same one he'd made whenever a chance arose.
"I wish I may, wish I might--get the hell out of this shithole of a town."
He'd long since given up wishing Solo would come back. Enough time had passed that he knew full well his childhood boyfriend wouldn't return. He'd even given up wishing he'd meet someone else, who'd make him forget Solo ever existed.
All that was left was the desire to save up enough money to move far away from Smoky Hills--to somewhere he could start over fresh--with no past to nip at his heels. In the town where he grew up, too many people had known him too long--and no matter how much he might change and grow, they'd just never see it. He'd always be "the Maxwell kid," who grew up in an orphanage, was gay, and had a temper the size of a mountain, and an imagination to match.
It was fully dark by the time Duo finished eating and mulling over the things he hated about Smoky Hills. But he felt infinitely better as he sat under the broad canopy of sky and picked out the constellations. It really was a beautiful place--and if he had to be stuck in a dead-end town, he was pretty sure he couldn't find one more picturesque.
"Yeah, there's a bright side to everything, eh?" he chided himself. "Time to pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and get on with life, Maxwell."
He followed his own advice, getting up and gathering his wrappers--stuffing them into the bag and rolling it up to carry out with him. One thing no one would ever be able to say about Duo Maxwell was that he was a litter bug.
He found himself smirking about that as he headed down the trail, going a bit slower in the dark, but still able to pick his way along the once-familiar path.
He was almost back to his car, when in an eerie replay of that moment back at the Barton farm the day before, he saw a huge grey shape standing beside it. Blinking a couple of times, wondering if it was actually a wolf this time, and not just a wolfhound, he drew a hand across his eyes, and took a step forward. The animal instantly turned towards him, its long tail waving softly side to side, and it took a limping step before whimpering and laying down right on the spot.
"Oh--" Duo said softly, his wariness disappearing in a flash. "You're hurt!" In a few quick strides he was next to the dog, kneeling and holding out a hand for it to sniff. "Hey there, big guy," he murmured, as the enormous nose pushed at his fingers and a long tongue flicked out to lap at his hand. "Awwww."
He edged over so that he was sitting cross-legged, with the big, shaggy head in his lap as he fondled the dog's ears. "Poor baby. Did your nasty owner bite ya?"
Soulful brown eyes looked up at him, and the animal sighed and relaxed against him, giving a quiet groan of pleasure as he found all those itchy places under the collar.
While he scratched and rubbed, Duo took a moment to slip the leather collar around so he could read the tag. "Thor."
The dog raised its head fractionally, and thumped its tail a couple more times.
"No shit," Duo chuckled. "God of Thunder, are ya? Well, you're sure big enough to be." He looked under the name and saw Heero Yuy and what he presumed was a cell phone number. "Yeah, well--I'd call your mean old man, Thor. But cell phones don't work worth shit out here. How 'bout I get you in the Jeep and give you a ride home, huh?"
He eased out from under the dog, and tugged gently on the collar to coax it to stand, which it did. And when he opened the car door, a bit concerned that he'd have to try to lift the beast in, it hobbled over and fumbled its way into the back seat on its own.
"There's a good boy!" Duo purred, digging under the front seat for the wool blanket he kept for picnics and emergencies. He tucked it around the dog, who'd lain across the seat as if he'd been in the car a million times before. Then he also dug out his box of biscuits and pulled a couple out. "Hungry, ya big monster?" he asked playfully, waggling a dog treat in front of its face.
Thor gave an experimental sniff, and then grabbed the biscuit and swallowed it more or less whole.
"Whoa--watch it there!" Duo cautioned. "I'd like to keep all my fingers." He closed the next treat inside his hand and held it under the big jaws. "Gently," he urged, making the dog nudge and poke at his hand to slowly reveal the biscuit, and pick it up with much more restraint. "There's a good boy." He gave him one more, but then since he wasn't sure if the dog might get carsick, he put the rest away and climbed into the driver's seat. "Let's get you home, Thor-baby."
It was only a few minutes' drive to the Barton farm, though Duo winced a little at pulling into the place in the pitch dark.
"Tell you what, oh God o' Thunder. If anything lets out a blood-curdling shriek, will you promise to maul it for me?" he joked weakly.
When he pulled up in the drive and shut off the Jeep, he was relieved to see the porch light on. At least, he was until Heero Yuy burst out of the house, and headed down the steps looking even more upset than he had at the post office.
Duo quickly threw open his door and got out. "Lookin' for your dog, Mister Yuy?"
The man stopped in his tracks, the expression on his face almost making Duo laugh, because it went through so many emotions so quickly. "You--? You've got Thor?"
Duo nodded, and Heero rushed past him, pulling open the back door and reaching for the big dog, who had already shifted around to get out.
"Careful!" Duo yelped. "He's hurt!"
Heero stopped, turning a questioning look to the mailman, and then frowning. "You hit him--?"
"No! Shit, man--stop jumping to conclusions!" Duo snapped. "Let me talk here."
Heero visibly composed himself, though even Duo could see what an effort it was.
"I was up at the reservoir, and when I got back to the Jeep, Thor here was standing there looking all sad and lost. An' I noticed he was limping on his left front leg, when he came towards me. So, I coaxed him into the car, and here he is. I don't know how he got hurt, or how bad it is; I just figured getting him back to you as fast as I could was the best thing to do."
Heero was already on his knees, gently examining the dog's leg and letting out a soft hiss of concern when Thor flinched and pulled back. "Shh," he soothed. "Easy." He felt around some more, and then turned over the paw and looked at the underside. "Ah--I think he sliced the pad on rocks or something," he guessed, looking up into the shaggy face, and scratching Thor's ears. "Big baby," he chided in a voice so filled with tenderness that it made Duo shiver.
"Uhm--y'need a hand getting him inside?" Duo asked.
Heero shook his head, scooping up the massive dog in his arms and lifting him out of the car almost effortlessly. "I've got him." He headed around the front of the Jeep, leaving Duo wondering whether to follow or just leave.
But then, halfway up the walk, Heero paused and glanced back over his shoulder, a soft look in his eyes, and a downright warm smile on his lips. "Thank you for bringing him home."
Duo smiled back, glad it was dark enough to hide the blush that those blue eyes brought to his face. "No problem," he shrugged. "I was in the neighborhood anyway."
With a quick nod, the Japanese man turned away again, and hurried up the steps with his armful, managing the door without any trouble at all, and then disappearing inside.
"And a nice night to you, too," Duo sighed, waiting for his pulse to settle back to a normal speed, before getting back into the Jeep and starting it up.
God, Yuy was gorgeous when he smiled! Duo kind of wished they hadn't gotten off to such a rocky start, and maybe he'd have seen that beautiful smile sooner. But then, better late than never...
He was pulling around the horseshoe-shaped drive, when his lights flashed briefly in the half-open door of the barn, and reflected in a pair of eerie, green-glowing eyes. He was past before he thought to hit the brakes, and there was no way in Hell Duo was going to stop and back up for a closer look; especially when he heard a shriek from somewhere behind him, just like the one he'd heard out by the mailbox.
On the contrary, he made record time down that driveway and out into the street, not slowing down to legal speeds until he was almost halfway back to town.
When Duo pulled into the driveway, he sat for a moment, trying to sort out reality from fantasy. It had seemed so very "normal" for a moment up at the Barton farm, when he'd brought the dog home, and Yuy had carried him inside. But then, he hadn't imagined those glowing eyes in the barn. He knew he'd seen them, and that they were real and not just figments of his too-vivid imagination. Even looking at it objectively, he concluded he hadn't conjured up the sight. Why would he? For once, he hadn't been totally spooked and creeped-out by being at the farm. It was the last time he'd have expected to see or hear something so totally out of the norm.
"I'm not crazy," he muttered. "There's something in that barn."
Something with luminous green eyes.
Duo shivered. Hadn't Hilde mentioned the guy in the car with Yuy having green eyes?
"Jesus," Duo mumbled, shaking his head. "Y'r losing it, Maxwell. The Barton guy wouldn't have been out in the barn, crouched to what must have been about waist level, for the headlights to flash across those eyes. "Unless he's a psycho nut case and Yuy has him chained out there..."
Duo smacked the palm of his hand against the side of his head. "Get a grip!" he told himself. "Seriously. I gotta stop thinking. Only gets me into trouble anyway."
He slipped out of the Jeep and closed the door quietly, hoping to not disturb Quatre at that hour. But of course, his ever-vigilant roommate was watching the news, sipping tea in the living room when he walked in.
"You were out late," Quatre piped up, raking him with a searching gaze.
Duo glared back. "I took a drive to clear my head," he said flatly.
"Ah." Quatre glanced back at the television. "Where'd you go?"
Right--he should've known the interrogation was far from over. "Up around the reservoir."
A flicker of a sympathetic wince crossed Quatre's face. "Duo--"
"Look, Quat. All I did was go on up to the lookout and watch the stars come out," Duo told him, scowling and walking into the kitchen to get something to drink. "An' it was nice!" he called to his boss, while rummaging in the fridge.
"That's good," came a voice right behind him, and Duo jumped and spun around with his soda in hand, nearly dropping the bottle.
"Sheesh! Don't sneak up like that!"
Quatre smiled. "I just wanted to make sure you didn't snag the last beer."
"You have an unhealthy obsession with my drinking habits, Winner."
"More like a healthy one. And I like to make sure you take proper care of yourself, Duo Maxwell." Quatre laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "I worry."
"Shouldn't," Duo said with a shrug. "I got along fine for a lotta years before you came here, y'know."
"Yes, your arrest record makes that very clear," came a snide response.
"Only reason you know about that is 'cause I told you. It was juvenile shit, an' you know it."
"Still--Otto and Trant and your feud with them haven't gone away. When you go off without telling me, I wonder if you've had another run-in and come out on the losing end."
Duo rolled his eyes. "Mother hen, like I keep saying!" He sat at the table and Quatre sat opposite him, pushing the wrapped-up plate of cookies over. "If you must know, I went up to the lookout just to reminisce a bit," Duo clarified. "An' I'd have been back just after dark, except that I found Yuy's dog wandering around up there, hurt."
"Oh!" Quatre's face filled with concern. "How badly?"
"Not very. Yuy thought there might be a cut on the paw."
"Yuy?"
"I drove the dog home," Duo clarified. "Figured it was the neighborly thing to do, y'know?"
"It was," Quatre replied with a knowing smile. "And you got on the hunk's good side, didn't you?"
Duo snorted wryly. "That guy hasn't got a good side. Just a whole bunch of bad ones."
"He wasn't grateful you brought his dog home?"
"Well, yeah," Duo conceded. "He said 'thanks,' anyway, as he was carryin' the dog up the walkway to the house. I wasn't there very long, Quat. Just long enough for him to come boiling out of the house and get the dog. Looked like he'd been pretty worried about him, too."
"Aw, so he has got a heart."
"Yeah, right. More likely the dog's some kind of valuable show animal or something and he's worried about his investment. Like that 'important mail' that got a little smudge of dirt. Asshole." Duo chewed on a cookie and washed it down with soda. "I'm goin' to bed, Quat. You should too. Gotta get up early for work."
"I was waiting up for you," Quatre pointed out.
"In the future--don't," Duo suggested, standing and tossing his empty container into the recycling bucket in the corner. He headed out before his roommate could continue the pointless conversation.
Taking the stairs two at a time, Duo made his way up to his room and only took a moment to shed his shoes, jeans and tee shirt before falling face down into bed.
TBC...
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