A steady rhythm of footsteps echoed off the alley walls as Ares chased after a bounty head, Louisa Hernenda. It was a rare occasion to have a bounty on a woman, but that specific one spent a lot of time with wealthy men. Those men usually wound up dead or divorced and she got a hefty raise in her value of life. Her last husband was part of a very powerful family that put the price on her head.

"Have you caught up with her yet?" Eliza's voice pierced his thoughts. She was following Louisa from another direction, hoping to cut her off. It was a smart tactic.

"Nope. I'm getting close though."

His partner's voice was stern in his earpiece, "Run faster then. I'm nearly on her."

He sighed and lengthened his stride, boosting him forward. He could actually see Louisa's black hair whip around a corner. So close.

Eliza entered the alley that would meet up with Louisa. Glancing at the radar on her watch, she calculated how long it would be before she met up with her. Mere seconds away. Hurried, Eliza grabbed a metal trash can lid and used her whole body to fling it toward the alley intersection. It was hard to keep her celebration at bay when the satisfying sound of the make-shift frisbee slamming into Louisa's face echoed against the brick walls. Louisa skidded across the concrete ground unconscious.

Ares followed after the bounty head, his face full of surprise having witnessed a trash can lid come out of nowhere and take her out. When he saw Eliza hovering over the older woman's limp body, he smirked. Leave it to Eliza to improvise.

"Is she dead?" he asked, kicking the bottom of the unconscious woman's sneakers. For a woman stealing millions of dollars, he half expected her to be running in heels.

Eliza stared at the woman. Her chest was still rising and falling as if she was sleeping. "No. She's still alive. She'll have a killer headache in the morning. Now let's get her cuffed and take her to the station."

The tall man tossed handcuffs to Eliza. "Here. I'll carry her back to my ship and meet you there."

"Don't get lost."

Ares was stunned by her. She smiled. She joked. She did have an emotion besides frustration. He couldn't keep his eyes off her as she jogged away. Only the groan of Louisa brought him out of his trance. Right. There was a job to do.

"Hey, Liz!" Donovan greeted as she and Ares walked into the station together with Louisa. "You were the one that brought in Jim Taylor. Why are you two together?"

Eliza forgot that she and Ares had yet to come in at the same time, but Louisa was a force to be reckoned with and they couldn’t take the chance of her waking up with only one of to keep a hold of her. She was surprised that Donovan didn’t already know Ares. Her partner clearly had a reputation as a bounty hunter.

Ares immediately held his free hand out to the sheriff, "I'm Ares Matthews. Eliza and I work together."

"You work with someone now? That's unlike you, Liz. She must have a soft spot for you."

Eliza frowned, feeling her cheeks warm up a few degrees. "Watch it, or I'll send bounty heads to Nemesis. I don't like him. He just wouldn't leave me in peace. I had to let him work with me just to shut him up."

"Oh, Lizzy, darlin', don't break my heart!"

"Mac, take that woman, please. I'm going to leave and never come back."

Donovan laughed but listened to the young woman. He had a couple of lower officers take Louisa off Ares' shoulder to put her behind bars.

He never thought his little Liz would find anyone for company. What was it about the man in front of him that won her over? He didn't believe her story completely because she had withstood far more irritating people without cracking. She saw something in him.

"I'm leaving," Eliza reminded the two men, walking toward the door. "See you whenever I decide not to hate you."

Ares smiled at Eliza as she walked out. He really liked her. She was consistent in her personality no matter who she was around. A genuine woman. He wondered if there was still a side of her that was buried deep inside her. Maybe Donovan had seen it at some point in her life.

"Has she always been that way?" the younger man asked, taking in the sheriff. His mustache was badass. Almost like a cop from 2079, which stemmed from the iconic 1980s cop. Ares liked old cop shows.

Donovan nodded as he crossed out Louisa's name on his short bounty list.

"Stubborn, brave, and impossible to get to know? Yeah."

Just as he thought. Genuine.

"Take care of her, Ares. She tough, but there's a fragile girl she's protecting behind those barriers she's got."

"I'll do my best, sir," Ares said. "There's only so much a bounty hunter can do."

He noted to speak with Donovan more about Eliza later. Maybe he could finally get her to open up a bit more.

With a smile, Donovan looked at Ares. "You better catch her before she goes off on her own again."

"Thanks. I look forward to seeing you again, Sheriff."

With a wave, Ares started to follow his fellow hunter, but he stopped and went back to the older cop.

"Coming strictly from a business standpoint, but it makes more sense for a team to live in the same home, yes?"

Donovan thought about it a moment, knowing Ares was talking about him and Eliza. "It depends on the team. Some teams work better when they share quarters while others don't. It's worth trying." The cop took one intimidating step toward Ares, "And if she doesn't want to do that, don't force her. I'll know about it, kid."

"Yes, sir."

The two men once again said farewell and Ares jogged after Eliza. Ares was going to change Eliza's life. Donovan could already see that she was more chipper than before. That boy was something special, like his Liz. She might go off and marry him. The idea made Donovan grab his heart dramatically. That was going too far.