Mac sat on Eliza's couch, reading an old copy of National Geographic. The company didn't run any more magazines because photographers became obsolete as more and more people decided they could take better photos. It was sad to see such an art disappear, as well as an informative magazine.

Eliza once dreamed of being a photographer; an old childhood dream before she had to move to Mars as a kid. There were a couple of old digital single-lens reflex cameras hidden in her bedroom closet, but they were abandoned a long time ago. Donovan used to ask her about her photography, but once she aged and started bounty hunting, he gave up. There was no use trying to convince her to continue caring for something that died.

"Where's Ares today?" Mac asked. His eyes continued to scan the magazine articles, almost as if he didn't say anything at all.

A feeling a dread filled Eliza. Now that Donovan knew of Ares' partnership with her, he seemed to bring up the annoying man constantly. "I don't know and don't care. Quit asking about him, Mac." She nearly dropped a glass she was putting into the cabinet.

"I'm just curious. It's not like you have a lot of friends, especially male friends."

She finished putting away her clean dishes and leaned against the counter to stare at the older man. She crossed her arms over her chest. "Friends in this business is dangerous. You know that. And Ares isn't my friend. He's a constant migraine."

Mac chuckled, putting the magazine down on the coffee table. He was close to adding another comment when a hard thud sounded on the wall beside Eliza's apartment. A weak knock followed. The sheriff was up in seconds, jogging to the door. His hand hovered over the pistol on his hip. Eliza was thankful he carried it off duty.

She peered around the kitchen wall and watched Donovan. He slowly unlocked the door, waiting for a moment, listening. Then he swung the door open. A bloodied and bruised Ares sat on the ground beside the door, using the wall to prop himself up.

"What happened to you?" Eliza asked as she ran to his side. "You've looked better."

Ares grinned, a little blood coating his teeth. "You've thought I looked good, Lizzy? I'm flattered."

"Let's get him inside. We'll take him into the spare room."

The two of them hoisted Ares to his feet, Donovan on one side and Eliza on the other. It was hard for Eliza to ignore his tattered clothes, the blood seeping through the tears, and the limp in his walk. Whatever happened to Ares, the person who did that to him meant to scare him. She imagined that person wanted him dead the next time Ares came around.

Eliza didn't care that blood smeared all over her sheets when they got Ares to the bed. She was glad she put the comforter in the washer before Ares showed up. That was far too expensive to replace.

"I'll go get a first aid kit, Mac. Get his shirt off and check him for any hidden wounds."

The officer nodded so Eliza rushed over to her own bathroom to get the kit she has had to use plenty of times on herself. It had everything from the simple cotton ball to a suture kit. She also made sure to grab a few wet, dark-colored washcloths to clean him up.

She rushed back into the room but nearly tripped over her own feet when she saw her partner's injuries. He had cuts all over his chest, stomach, and arms. She suspected that the dark, bloody holes in various places on his torso were bullet wounds. Thank God none were near his heart. It was hard for her to quit staring at his chest; hard for her to resist gingerly touching the large purple bruising by his left rib.

"I'm sure taking a picture will be a better idea than staring, Lizzy."

The idiot could still joke while bleeding out on her bed.

"Here." She tossed a washcloth over to Donovan. "Start cleaning him up."

Eliza gently took her own wet cloth and wiped the blood away. Halfway through her second rag, she realized they were going to need a bowl of water to rinse them out. It didn't take her long to get a warm bowl of water and get all the dirty washcloths rinsed. Donovan continued cleaning the blood off Ares.

His wounds were numerous. Donovan and Eliza worked tirelessly to pull out any stray bullets in his body and sew him back together. Mac did a good job checking for any internal bleeding, pressing on the unscathed skin to see if there was any pain. Ares didn't show signs of any discomfort, but Donovan suggested calling an in-house doctor to make sure.

Many bloody rags later, Ares looked like an Egyptian mummy with bandages wrapped around his torso and arms. There was only one bullet wound in his leg that Mac took care of while Eliza stepped out to put the rags in the laundry. She could easily imagine the flirty remarks her partner would have sent her way if she had been the one to cut a section of his jeans off. She was thankful Mac was there, to say the least.

To keep herself out of the room, she called her personal doctor who saved her life too many times to count. Doctor Lauren was efficient and trustworthy. Eliza just hoped that she didn't find anything seriously damaged on Ares.

Mac came into the bathroom where she sat on her running washing machine. "I just got a call from the station. Ares looks like he's going to be fine. Did you call a doctor?"

"Lauren said she'd be over within a half hour. She doesn't want to take too much of a risk if he has any internal bleeding."

"Good. Make sure to keep an eye on him until she arrives, okay? Let me know if there's any news. I'll have my phone on me."

Hopping off her washer, she patted Donovan on the shoulder. "I will. Thanks for helping him. I couldn't have helped fast enough on my own."

Secretly, Eliza loved it when Mac placed his hand on the top of her head. It was a sure way to calm her down. It was no different then.

"Of course," he smiled. "I'll see you later. Don't forget to keep me updated."

One last nod from her and he was gone.

Eliza let out a deep sigh, not quite ready to see Ares, but she knew she needed to get back to him. Delaying a few moments longer, she grabbed a glass of iced water for him. She didn't have any straws though. He'd figure something out.

The walk down her hall seemed twice as long, but she finally made it to her guest room. Ares was still lying on his back, his body covered by a sheet from his waist down. He was doing something on his chunky tablet, something she didn't care enough about.

Ares' face lit up when he saw her. He turned off his tablet and set it next to him on the bed. "Welcome back, Lizzy."

"How are you so cheerful when you're like this?" She set the glass on the bedside table. "You should be moaning and groaning about how much it hurts."

He struggled to sit up, so Eliza helped him to keep any of the stitches from bursting open. "I've had worse. And why wouldn't I be happy? I'm finally getting a feel for what it'll be like sharing an apartment with you."

"As soon as you're well, you're leaving. You don't get to stay here any longer than it takes for you to heal."

Ares pouted. It was like his entire body slumped lower onto the bed. "You're no fun, Lizzy."

"You're irritating. Drink some water."

She grabbed the water glass once more and handed it to the injured man. He only stared at her, eyes big and begging.

"It's hard to lift my arms. I can't hold the glass."

A string of foul names for the hunter crossed her mind, but she held the glass to his lips for him. He eagerly drank it down, his eyes glancing between the glass and her annoyed glare. She was a little pleased when she accidentally poured the glass a little too far and a little dripped over his shirtless torso. It was difficult to hold in her snicker when he jumped from the frigid water touching his skin.

"I called a doctor," Eliza said. She put the mostly empty glass back on the table. "She's going to check for any serious damage that we couldn't find."

"Is she cute?"

Eliza nearly slapped the injured man. "You're despicable. Don't you dare hit on her while she's doing her job. She's happily married and has three children, so if you even think of flirting with her, I will personally kill you."

That familiar grin of his appeared instantly. Ares was too happy about her reaction. "Aw, are you jealous, Eliza? Fear not, fair maiden, but my heart will always belong to you."

Her middle finger stood tall and proud as she turned on her heel to leave. She refused to acknowledge any more of his comments. His begging for her return went unanswered. Ares was left alone to wonder about the doctor and the fiery woman in the other room.

It made him happy she was concerned for him. He'd never forget that fear that crossed her eyes when Donovan opened her door. Eliza was finally warming up to him whether or not she realized it.