Reaching across to Ares’ side of the coffee table, Eliza grabbed a puzzle piece to place in the last spot of her section of the night sky. The Milky Way finally looked like itself in the image. The dark matter and smattering of stars were coming together in the nicest of ways. There were still a bunch of missing pieces in the image, though, because Ares still had a huge chunk missing on his side.

Eliza smirked, “Need some help, Ares?”

His topaz eyes shifted to her for a second. “Feeling high and mighty just because you’re almost done with your section?”

“It’s not that hard. You look at the picture, then match the piece.”

“My strategy is different.”

“I don’t think trying each piece in every open spot is the best way to do puzzles.”

“And I don’t care what you think, dear Lizzy, because I’m going to do this how I want.”

Eliza checked her watch. Dinner was almost ready, not that the smells wafting in from the kitchen already gave it away. “You don’t have much time before your mom calls us over for the meal.”

“I can’t finish this if you keep talking, you know.” Ares managed to finally place a piece. He glanced at Eliza who studied the paper picture in her hand and then the pieces on his side of the table. Her eyes fell on the piece on his far right, so he picked it up. She met his eyes with a frown.

“Oh, come on. We could finish this before dinner, but you won’t quit being stubborn. Just let me help.”

The corner of Ares’ mouth rose, “Sounds like someone I know.”

She peeked into the kitchen to make sure Katie was distracted. When she was satisfied the older woman was ignoring them, she flipped off Ares. “Suit yourself."

He laughed, handing her the piece. Eliza quickly placed it right in its spot. Her attention to detail amazed Ares. She would pick up a piece from his side and immediately find its place in the puzzle. Sure, it could have been dumb luck, but the time she took between placing pieces as she studied her options told him she was amazing at puzzles. Eliza was amazing at more than just puzzles.

Eliza didn’t feel bad she took over his section. She still didn’t feel any guilt when he leaned back against the front of the couch and let her do her work. There might have been a twinge of guilt when she all but pushed him aside so she could be closer to the missing section. When she finished the puzzle 15 minutes later, anything she felt for taking over disappeared.

She crossed her arms over her chest and smirked at Ares. “Told you it wasn’t hard.”

He stood and shrugged, “I guess you were right.”

“If you two are finished with that puzzle, I could use some help setting the table,” Katie called out.

“Coming, Mom.”

Eliza should have been embarrassed knowing Ares’ mom had been paying attention to the two of them, but they weren’t trying to be quiet, so she was acting silly. She rolled her eyes at herself and stood to follow her partner to the dining room. Plates, bowls, and silverware were already sitting on the table, so she confidently started grabbing the plates and bowls, placing them at three seats. Setting the table reminded her of her younger days when she and Donovan would eat together. He wasn’t home for dinner every day, but on the nights he got off early, they’d go all out for dinner. She kind of missed the cop back on Mars.

Katie walked in with a large baking pot with a roast in it. She carefully set it in the center of the table and smiled at the two. “Thank you both. I hope you like roast, Eliza. I also have salad, which I need to make up real quick.”

Eliza finished folding a napkin and set it under the spoon and fork. “Do you need any help?”

“No, dear. I just have to throw all the ingredients together. Praise the Lord for pre-cut veggies.” Katie chuckled and walked back into the kitchen.

“Is your mom religious?” Eliza asked.

He laughed, “Not really. It’s just a saying she uses. Why? Are you afraid to be in a religious home?”

“No, that’s stupid. I just haven’t met many religious people. We’re bounty hunters. Religion is the last thing we find in the business.”

“Fair enough.”

Katie came back with a bowl of salad and a couple of dressings. She set them down beside the roast and smiled. “All right! Let’s chow down!”

Both hunters eagerly sat down and started filling their plates with roast and their bowls with salad. As soon as Eliza was pleased with her spread, she dug it. It was delicious. She hadn’t had good cooking in years. There was something about the older generation making food. It was always good no matter how practiced they were with cooking. Eliza only hoped she would master the same level of cooking in her old age.

“So, have you always lived on Mars?” Katie asked.

Eliza swallowed her food and shook her head. “I’m actually from Earth.”

“Really? Did you move after the rock showers?”

“Uh, sort of.”

“Now that’s not much of an answer.”

Ares smiled, “Now you see my problem.”

Katie looked to Eliza expectantly. “How’d you end up on Mars?”

“Uh, an old friend brought me with him.”

“What about your parents?”

“Mom –,” Ares cut in, but she held her hand up to stop him.

Eliza put her fork down and set her hands on the table. “They died during the first rock shower after the explosion. Their best friend since high school transferred over to the new Mars police department and brought me with him. He didn’t want me to have the constant reminder of their death, so I never came back. Satisfied?”

Ares’ eyes shifted between the two women staring each other down. He knew his mom was a little bull-headed, but he was shocked by her actions. Eliza though, she was holding her own just fine. He could see the fire in Eliza’s eyes. The silence at the table made him fidget in his seat.

His mom backed down first, sadness on her face. “I’m sorry that happened.”

“Life just gave me a bad hand.”

The tension in the air didn’t diminish from Eliza’s side of the table. Ares watched the younger woman start to push her food around her plate. He frowned. Fighting the urge to reach over and somehow comfort Eliza, he clenched his fist under the table.

“So how long do you plan on staying again, Ares?” his mother questioned. It was like she didn’t upset his partner seconds before.

“I think a few days. The criminals build up pretty quick when we’re not actively hunting them down, so we can’t stay long.”

“Well, I have to work tomorrow, so you both can do whatever you want. Just be sure to clean up after yourselves and lock up if you leave.”

“Yeah, Mom. We will.”

The rest of dinner was filled with small talk. Ares kept his eye on Eliza who only spoke once more to thank his mom for dinner before she excused herself. She disappeared up into her room while his mom hardly noticed. He loved his mom, but sometimes she made his life difficult, and suddenly Eliza’s.

There was knock on the door and Eliza sighed as she got off the bed to open it. Ares was standing there looking apologetic. The lights were off except the lamplight coming from her room. She peeked passed him to see if Katie was still awake.

“She’s asleep,” he said.

She nodded. “I hope you’re not here to apologize for dinner. I don’t care what happened.”

“I am going to say sorry for that. My mom is usually better behaved for guests.”

“It’s fine.”

Ares nodded. “You did look badass standing up to her though. It’s no wonder bounty heads are afraid of you.”

The glimmer of a smile showed up on her lips. “Uh huh. Well, it’s late. I’ll see you in the morning, I guess.”

He wasn’t quite ready to go to sleep, but for her sake, he nodded. “Sleep well, Lizzy.”

She gently shut the door and went back to the bed. She curled up under the covers, pulling them to her chin. The pillow held her head comfortably in its fluff, but it wasn’t comforting enough to keep silent tears well up in her eyes. They said talking about the hard things in life help someone deal with it, but for Eliza, it only made it all worse.