Author's Note: Hopefully now that this chapter is conquered, I can recapture the flow of words I'd been floundering with. Although, I've gotta say, having someone badgering me in e-mails about "all" the stories I've supposedly abandoned, really got me steamed. My Halloween story will be finished shortly. This one will be continuing until it's complete. And "Academy," my only somewhat stalled story, WILL be finished. All my other stuff is already complete. So, I dunno where people get their notions, but that one person should probably only read stories labeled as "complete" if they are going to be such a twerp! Seriously.
"I buried old Red today. Damn fool of a hound dog! I owe him my life. We were out in the forest hunting, when we stumbled across a puma kill. And before I could even call Red back, the puma appeared from nowhere and jumped straight at me. I hadn't the time to bring my gun up to fire, but Red leapt to my defense. He wasn't a young dog, and the devil of a cat just ripped into him. I held back shooting, afraid of hitting my faithful hound, until I realized he was about to die either way. At least I gained the satisfaction of burying the mountain lion as well as old Red. And Red lived long enough to lick my hand goodbye, as I knelt beside him and told him he'd won the fight, in the end. I kept the lion's hide, to show Jacob if he ever makes it back home. He loved that dog--almost as much as I did..."
--excerpt from the private journal of Ephraim Barton
Smoky Hills Part 29
Another Dateless Friday Night
Duo settled into their regular booth at Sally's, stretching his legs out under the table. "I'm tellin' ya, Quat, you won't find your answers in that book."
"But it says here that lions can make a moaning sound--"
"Sure. African lions. But no self-respecting puma's gonna make a noise that could be mistaken for a moose."
Sally caught the tail end of the sentence as she brought them drinks and menus. She raised an eyebrow. "You saw a moose?" she asked.
"No. Quat heard one," Duo told her, taking his drink and nodding thanks.
"It wasn't a moose." Quatre brandished his book. "Says here that autumn is their rutting season."
"Yes, but there's no law against some dumbass moose with a lousy sense of timing letting out an off-season bellow," Duo argued. He leaned in closer to Quatre. "Just go with that theory, would ya? Before you end up getting laughed out of town, too." He looked up at Sally with a disarming smile. "D'you have fried scallops this week?"
"For you, honey, any time," Sally said with a grin, jotting down Duo's second-favorite meal. "Rice for a side--and salad with honey mustard?"
"Yeah, thanks," he said brightly.
"I just don't believe it was a moose," Quatre piped up, glaring over his menu at Duo. "I'll have chicken parmesan and a side salad with Italian dressing."
"What then?" Duo scoffed. "A mountain lion with a stomach ache?"
Sally perked up at the mention of mountain lions. "Quatre? You saw one, too?"
"No. I heard something when we went camping last week."
"Oh." She looked vaguely disappointed. "Lotsa things out in those woods, dear," she said with a shake of her head. "Maybe you heard Barton's Hounds..."
"Sal--!" Duo warned, glaring.
Quatre turned a questioning look on the woman.
"Every Barton has had dogs," Sally told him. "From that original Ephraim guy right down to the new one. And supposedly, on moonlit nights the ghosts of all the Barton dogs that are buried on their land run in a pack and chase down trespassers--"
"Cut it out, Sally!" Duo barked sharply. "She's yankin' your chain, Quat."
The blonde looked at Sally just in time to see her drop the far-away look and start grinning.
"Oh--you!" he snapped.
Sally giggled in delight. "You were actually buying it, weren't you?" she teased.
Quatre scowled at her. "Maybe you should cancel my order. Not sure I'm hungry any more."
She smirked gently. "Aw, don't be mad. It's true about the rumor--people have heard dogs out there sometimes. But they're probably just local ones that got loose--out chasing deer or something. Maybe you heard a coon hound baying; they make a pretty mournful sound."
Quatre gave a reluctant shrug. "Yeah, maybe," he conceded. "I just never heard anything like it before."
She patted his shoulder. "You're fairly new to town," she pointed out. "Stay here long enough, and you'll hear it all."
She went off to place their orders, and Duo eyed Quatre with an "I told you so" look. "Relax, buddy," he suggested. "I'll admit it could've been a mountain lion, if you'll admit an equal possibility it was a moose."
"I guess," Quatre sighed, still a bit frustrated. He looked up at Duo with a frown. "It really sucks that you didn't hear it too."
"Hear what--?" Hilde asked, sliding in next to Duo.
"Noise in the woods," Duo said in a quick mumble, glossing over the whole thing so Hilde wouldn't pry.
"Oh." She stole a sip of Duo's soda. "Hey, guess what! Barton's dog led the cops to the rest of that skeleton!"
Duo made an exaggerated yawning motion, and Quatre crossed his hands behind his head, leaning back and looking bored.
"You knew?" she demanded.
"Everyone knows," Duo said blandly, having heard the chatter around town all week. "Sorry, hon--no scoop there."
Sally showed up at that moment, with their salads and Hilde's drink, and after taking the girl's order, she paused and leaned one hand on a hip. "If you guys want a scoop, I may have something for you," she suggested. "Ralph told me that when the Yuy guy's dog found the rest of the remains, he called his forensic buddy in Sanc and that guy--Chang something--got all over Tsubarov's case about conducting a proper investigation. He made them cordon off the area and everything, until his crew could get out there and pick up all the pieces." She rolled her eyes dramatically. "Ralph said they figure maybe it was a hiker or camper who got sick--had a heart attack or something--and Tsubarov's pretty sure the city folks are overreacting."
"Did he say where they found it?" Hilde asked.
Duo and Quatre exchanged a quick glance.
"No," Sally admitted. "It was--confidential. But I got the impression it was somewhere on Barton land, near the State forest." She glanced away as someone hailed her, looking for a refill. "Back in a bit, kids," she said, hurrying off to tend to other customers.
Hilde snorted. "Most of the Barton land is near the State forest. That doesn't really narrow it down." She tapped her chin speculatively. "Maybe it had to do with those fire trucks out on Dibble Hollow Road..."
"Um--if I were you, I'd keep that theory to myself," Quatre said carefully. "The last thing we need is to start rumors that encourage local kids to trespass, you know."
She waved a hand airily. "Kids have been trespassing on Barton land since Colonial times--right Duo?"
He grinned and ducked his head. "Maybe."
"You still got the 'no trespassing' sign Solo stole?"
He shook his head, sobering as he recalled the first "romantic" gift Solo had ever given him--stolen just for him. "Naw--kept it in my room at the orphanage. It burned down along with the rest of the place."
She winced and then moved quickly ahead with the conversation. "At any rate, I think it's pretty exciting that they found a whole skeleton, don't you?"
Quatre rolled his eyes. "Duo says he's not curious about it."
"What?" Hilde demanded. "C'mon, Maxwell. You're the nosiest person in town. Don't you want to know who it was?"
He gave a shrug. "Does that matter? 'S not like it'd be anyone we know. Probably someone that died decades ago."
"Of course it matters!" she chirped brightly. "It's a mystery!" She leaned forward conspiratorially. "And you are right in the thick of it."
"Me?" Duo demanded, looking alarmed. "Hey--I've got nothing to do with any dead body--!"
"No, silly," she scoffed, punching his arm. "You deliver mail to the Barton place. You could probably find out stuff from the hot Japanese guy."
Duo glared at her. "I doubt he had anything to do with it either."
"Yes, but if he's in touch with the forensic people, you can probably find out all the juicy details next time you take a package or letter to the Barton place!" Hilde said hopefully. She batted her eyes at him. "You know you want to."
Duo sighed, smirking a bit. "Maybe it'd be interesting to find out how much they really can figure out from just a pile of old bones--"
Quatre nudged him with an elbow. "You talked about letting the dead rest--but I'll bet that one would do it a lot easier once it's identified."
"True." Duo nibbled on a carrot, his expression pensive. "It'd be pretty cool if it was really old--maybe someone from the Barton clan--"
"I'm not sure the forensic people would be that worked up over it," Quatre mused, frowning. "Their reaction seems more urgent--like it might be a recent death."
Duo snorted. "Seen Otto or Trant lately?" He gave an evil smirk. "Maybe I finally found a place to hide the bodies."
Sally showed up just then with Duo's and Quatre's meals and Hilde's salad. And after she left, Hilde picked up a fork and poked at her greens, looking a bit uncomfortable.
"Otto was at the store yesterday," she admitted quietly. "Without Trant, for a change."
Duo grimaced, hoping Otto hadn't actually taken his advice. Whether he hung around with Trant or not, Duo didn't want the intolerant jerk dating one of his best friends.
"He's not all bad," Hilde added, not quite looking at Duo.
"Ugh! We are not starting this!" Duo insisted. "You are too damned good for him!"
Hilde pursed her lips, looking pointedly away. "According to you, I'd be too good for a fucking prince."
"Exactly!" Duo said with a grin.
She couldn't stay mad in the face of such good-natured concern. "Well maybe you could put in a good word for me with Green Eyes."
"Why not Blue Eyes?" Quatre asked with a trace of defensiveness.
"Because if the way he looked at Duo that time at the store was any indication," she grumbled, "it'd be a waste of time."
Duo gaped at her. "The way--? What do you mean?"
"I mean, he looked worried about you--maybe interested," she said with a sigh.
Duo grimaced. "He'd just seen Trant and Otto bullying the shit out of me. Anyone would've looked worried. Besides, even if he is gay, I've seen his roommate, who is also drop-dead gorgeous. What're the odds he'd dump him for me? And d'you think I'd want to break up a couple--if that's what they are?"
"The point is," Quatre cut in. "You don't know either way. Why don't you just be your usual charming self the next time you see the man, and let him know you're interested? You know he's gay--"
"--and possibly taken," Duo reminded him.
"You're just making excuses," Quatre said with a scowl. "Why d'you keep sabotaging yourself that way? Why not just ask the guy out for lunch or something; give it half a chance?"
Duo shrugged, using his fork to split a scallop in two. "Not like I see him at the mailbox all that often," he muttered. "An' I don't know the phone number--"
His boss glared in exasperation. "I swear, if you come up with one more excuse--I'll drive up there myself and ask him straight out if he's available and interested."
"You wouldn't dare!" Duo looked up, horrified, while Hilde chuckled in the background at their little by-play.
"You hope I wouldn't," Quatre shot back. "And if you don't want to find out, I suggest you shelve your insecurities and just offer to buy him a cup of coffee or something. Ask about the dog, or his bird or something."
"Last time I tried that I ended up telling him to have a nice day," Duo lamented.
"Seriously?" A smirk began to grow on Quatre's lips, and Hilde's snickers bubbled into genuine laughter.
Duo spared her a scathing glance, until she threatened to fling a cherry tomato at him, balancing it on the end of her spoon as if it were a catapult.
At that point, Duo's shoulders slumped and he cast an embarrassed look at Quatre. "Yeah. I just froze up and got nervous and told him to have a nice day," sighed the brunet. "Felt like a fucking moron, too."
"With good reason," chuckled Quatre. "God, Duo--do I have to coach you on how to talk to guys?"
"Well it's not like you did much better, did you?" Duo accused. "You let Trowa walk out of the office without lining up a date!"
"I might not have, if you'd told me he had journals to be restored," grumbled Quatre. "It would have given me a perfect 'in' to set up a meeting with him."
"And would you have had the guts to do it?"
"Yes," came the firm reply.
"Good for you," Duo muttered, trying to look interested in his food. "Maybe after you and Trowa are an item, you can invite Heero and me for a double date, hm?"
"I will," Quatre assured him. "Although, I'd rather hoped you wouldn't need my help that much."
"I don't," came a petulant reply. "Why don't you just leave me to my misery?"
"Because I'm determined to help you end it." Quatre turned his friend's face towards him and looked Duo squarely in the eyes. "You, Duo Maxwell, are a great guy. You have a killer sense of humor, are way more gorgeous than you give yourself credit for, and are smart and fun to hang out with. Let Heero see that side of you, and he won't be able to help falling for you."
"Says you."
"Yes, I do."
"Me, too!" Hilde piped up. "If you talked to Heero the way you talk to me, he'd see what a good friend you are. You already saved his dog once. And he returned the favor at the store. There's the beginning of a friendship there, and the potential for way more. Just give it a chance. Give yourself a chance."
Duo sighed heavily. "I want to. I just keep making a mess out of every conversation we almost have."
"So this time, try to forget it's Heero you're talking to," Quatre suggested. "Pretend it's me--or Trowa. You didn't have trouble talking to Trowa, right?"
"Yeah."
"So, just pretend it's him, instead of Heero. Try to relax." Quatre narrowed his blue eyes. "Seriously, what's the worst that could happen--you say something stupid and look like an idiot?"
"Well--"
"According to you, that's already happened. So this time, there's no pressure. You can't possibly fumble any worse than you did with the 'have a nice day' moment."
Even Duo had to smile at that. "True," he admitted.
"Okay. Now that you acknowledge that, there should be nothing to make you nervous about talking to Yuy again. Next time just be yourself and joke around like you do with me. Trust me--he'll see how great a catch you'd be."
"I hope so," Duo said quietly. "Because I kind of think he might be a great catch, too."
"Then get fishing!" Quatre urged.
Sally arrived with Hilde's meal, and Duo breathed an audible sigh of relief as their conversation turned from his non-existent love life back to the latest gossip around town, and what their weekend plans were. With the spotlight off him, the weary mailman could relax and enjoy his Friday night, grateful for the company of his good friends, no matter how pathetic the dating prospects in Smoky Hills were. There was something to be said for friendship, after all--it was something to count on in spite of what life threw his way. It made other shortfalls seem just a bit less important in the grand scheme of things. It kept life somewhat interesting, and more importantly, it kept life bearable. And that was good enough for Duo; at least for the time being.
TBC...
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