The sun barely showed its light above the horizon when Eliza stepped out of Donovan's office where she slept the night before. Sheriff Donovan was a good friend of hers since she was in diapers. He was always kind enough to let her stay in his office when she brought a bounty in late at night. He had a cot conveniently tucked away for his own late nights that she would also use. When she arrived at the station just after 3 a.m., Donovan insisted that she rested while he worked his shift. She gladly took the offer.

"You be careful out there, Liz," Donovan said as Eliza handed him the blanket she borrowed. His wise brown eyes brightened with his warm smile. His mustache, starting to salt and pepper, matched his short hair. It always had. Eliza couldn't remember a time where he looked any different. If any woman ever realized how sweet Donovan is, she would be the luckiest woman in the universe.

"Am I not always careful?"

Donovan laughed, "Do you want me to start that list? I could go on for days."

"Let's not and say we did, okay?"

They stared at each other for a moment, Donovan worrying over her well-being and Eliza wondering how often the old man lost sleep hoping she was safe. Hell, she was the luckiest woman in the universe to call him her father figure.

"I guess I'll see you next time I've got a bounty, huh?" Eliza smiled, "Thanks again for letting me stay here. The rest was needed."

"Anytime, Liz. Don't ever be afraid to ask me for anything."

"Got it. See ya, Mac. Get some rest today."

He waved her off with a smile. Eliza waved quickly as she meandered out of the station. The glass door to the station closed softly behind her.

The city was beginning to wake up. People were walking along the sidewalks, filling them quickly. Wheeled cars started crowding the streets. It still amazed Eliza that cars made the travel to Mars. Starships were still preferred as the transportation, especially for hunters who traveled between Earth and Mars, but there were those citizens that liked the classic feel of a car.

Honestly, Eliza was surprised there were still advances in technology in 2156, but somehow there were things still to be upgraded. She preferred the vintage over the new. Her starship, though a newer model, was put together with old car, plane, and some of the first starship model parts. It ran just how she wanted.

Eliza yawned and ran her fingers through her slept-on auburn hair. She looked at the ends, frayed and damaged from years of not caring for her appearance. She quickly gave up on taming the mess and pulled her hair into a high ponytail.

"I kind of like the messy look. It's cute on you."

A slew of curses ran through Eliza's mind as she turned to find the stranger from last night leaning against the brick wall of the police station. A half-smoked cigarette sat between his lips that were turned up in a smirk. He wore blue jeans, weathered from God-knows-what, and a white button-up that was tucked into the waist of his jeans. The red sand was already turning his shirt a light shade of pink. A soft bruise was visible under a cut on his cheek, clearly leftover from her kick.

"I didn't ask for your opinion," she said. "What do you want?"

"That was a good kick for a lady," he said. He was amused by the way he already seemed to grate on her nerves. He was going to have a great time getting to know her. He liked her spunk. And that kick of hers was something else.

"Go away," Eliza said, strutting past him. "I already turned the guy in. Tough luck."

She stepped too close to him and his scent wafted around her. He smelled good, too good for Eliza's taste. It was almost dirty because of the Mars dust, but there something underneath that. Eliza couldn't put her finger on it. Maybe it was his natural smell.

The stranger's long, lanky legs carried him to match her pace in a couple of steps, "How do you know I'm a hunter? Are you?"

As if he didn't know. Another flirting tactic of his, she presumed. "Leave me alone."

"Now where's the fun in that?" It had been far too long since he had such an interesting woman to flirt with especially on who could clearly take care of herself. Plus, her green eyes were refreshing on such a rust-colored planet.

Eliza prayed for an excuse to get away from him. She was a little uncomfortable he sought her out. He was too invasive, and his flirting wasn't working on her. Though, she was flattered by the attention. It had been a while since a man had been that interested in her. He wasn't half bad looking for a nuisance either. Everything was moving to fast. She couldn’t keep up with her thoughts.

"The names' Ares," he said. "Yes, after the god. My mom was kind of into mythology."

Ares? He didn't look like an Ares. What human actually does? In the rising sun, his eyes looked like red clay, almost like the Mars dust after an artificial rainstorm. His soft brown hair framed his face and looked as if he rolled out of bed and ran his fingers through it. And his eyes looked gold in the rising sun. He had a James or a Luke vibe about him. Not an Ares.

"Eliza."

She didn't know why she introduced herself so readily. She didn't want to admit that she was intrigued by him. To most women, he'd be the creepiest man in the world for following her to the police station, but for Eliza, she was curious as to what was going in that head of his.

Ares hummed in thought. What a lovely name for a fiery personality. It fit her perfectly. He wondered if her full name was Elizabeth, or if she was given Eliza as her birth name. Did anyone call her Liz or Lizzy? He wanted to find out.

"Do you need money or something?" she asked.

"I just want to get to know the woman who kicked my ass."

He wanted to make her laugh, or smile.

"I actually kicked your face."

He laughed. Without Eliza's wishes, her brain filed away the lightness of it. It was unusual in comparison to the depth of his speaking voice. The contrast was, dare she think it, attractive. Where did he come from? What was it about him that made her want to talk to him more? She felt like a child.

"All right, enough playing. You're a hunter. I'm a hunter. We should join up," Ares suggested with a grin. "How about it?"