Eliza woke up to a gentle knock on her bedroom door. She rolled over, made sure to slip on sweatpants over her shorts, and opened her door. She rubbed her eyes and pulled her sweater up over her shoulder, looking up at a smiling Ares.

"Mac has some information from Mae and Teel," he said. "Get dressed. We're meeting him for breakfast."

She nodded and shut her door with a quick glance to his face. He didn't seem to show any signs of the night before. There was a chance she could go back to hating him in his company. He'd believe that everything was a hoax.

All her hopes were dashed when she came out an hour later to see Ares leaning against the back of the couch looking at his communicator. He put half of his hair up in a ponytail, bringing back an old style that Eliza didn't know she had an affinity for until then. A few choice words crossed her mind before she shoved her thoughts about her partner far from her mind.

Ares noticed her, looking up and sending her a pleasant smile. "Ready?"

"Sure. Let's go see if Mac got anything good."

The hunters loaded up into Ares' ship and flew to a Waffle House near the police department. The Waffle House went through a lot to get onto Mars. It took so much to get a location there that a second location never made it. At first, it was always busy. Once more people realized it was there, the traffic slowed down to manageable levels. It was no longer the new thing to visit.

It was a tradition for Eliza and Mac to go there before she moved out, so it was nice to come back again, even if she had a friend. Mac liked Ares so it could be a pretty good breakfast. She could go back in time before life got complicated and enjoy the moment. They'd only get so many peaceful days while trying to deal with the Scorpions. The next task was to get to Ezra.

When Ares and Eliza walked up to the Waffle House, Mac studied the two hunters. He noticed a difference in Ares first. His eyes were bright until he looked back at Eliza and they softened into a look he knew all too well. The surprise came when Eliza's eyes did the same as she quietly thanked him for opening the door for her. Something happened and he was suspicious. He put on a smile though when they spotted him in the corner.

Ares slid into the booth and Eliza sat next to him, both of them in serious mode as they stared at the cop. Mac would have to ask them about what changed later. The waitress came by, took everyone's order, and called it out to the cooks. Once she was out of earshot, Mac readied himself to tell them the news.

"Mae Valen is marrying Terence Logan to give the Scorpions power in Olympus City," Donovan said. "Her family has deep ties to this city that she kept hidden for years. Your Scorpions caught wind of it and made the deal. If the wedding happens, they'll infest our city. The watch on the bride and groom intensified once we got the news."

"And they've made sure they have trustworthy officers watching them?" Eliza wasn't going to let Mae get out again. She might have finally made progress to get over Luke but her hatred for his sister didn't falter. If she got out again, Eliza wouldn't hesitate to kill her. Screw the bounty.

Donovan nodded, "Yeah. They have cops who've been in the field for years before the Scorpions started infiltrating. It's easier on Earth to keep them out since they still don't have a hold there. If they get this town, Earth will be their next target."

"We'll have to get to Ezra soon," Ares said, looking at Eliza as he leaned back in his seat. His arm rested on the back of the booth behind her.

"How soon?" She felt Mac's eyes watching her, so she kept her gaze on her partner. Mac wasn't stupid and probably already observed some change between them.

The male hunter frowned and rubbed his face, "We have to get to him tonight. If that's not possible, then we need to try tomorrow. If I know anything about my father, he's already implementing his backup plan. He prepared for Terence and Mae's disappearance."

"Wait," Mac stopped Ares. "Your father is a Scorpion?"

"Not just a Scorpion, the boss."

Eliza didn't like the look in Mac's eyes as he studied Ares in a new light. "Ares isn't like him, Mac. He's practically disowned because he left."

"You were one of them?"

Ares sat up straight. He clasped his hands together on the table. "My father didn't give me much of a choice. As soon as I had the chance to get out of there, I took it. I started hunting just to spite him. I haven't had any contact with him since I left. He wants me dead because I've joined up with the only threat to his plans. Unfortunately, I've brought Lizzy into a crap situation and he's going to find a way to take us both down."

"You're too good at your job..." Mac mutters, staring at Eliza.

"If we can take care of this threat, I'll be glad to take a step back. One day I'll regret not doing it and letting everything pass by without enjoying it."

Mac reached across to feel Eliza's forehead. "Are you sick, Liz? I never thought I'd hear you suggest slowing down."

"Sometimes there are things I need to take a moment to appreciate and I haven't done a great job of that."

Ares smiled at his partner, transferring his smile to the waitress as she brought their food. Donovan saw it and one corner of his mouth turned up. Ares was better for his Liz than he initially thought. That would explain the unusual interaction between them when they came in. They even seemed different sitting in front of him, closer.

"If it'll get you to relax a little, I'll help you out," Mac smiled, biting into his waffle. "Any time either of you needs me, just call."

"Thanks, Mac," Ares said, his eyes scrunching up when he smiled. "We'll keep you in mind because we'll need all the help we can get."

Eliza agreed. "You didn't hear any word on where Ezra is going to be the next few days, did you?"

The cop shook his head, "I didn't get any information on that. His kid and future daughter-in-law didn't know where he'd be. He's a hard man to pinpoint."

"Would your mom have any idea?" Eliza looked at Ares curiously. "I know she doesn't speak to him, but she might have insight into how he works."

"I doubt she'd know, but we can ask. We'd have enough time to run over there and back after breakfast."

Mac sighed as he looked at Eliza, "You've met his mother?"

Pink colored her nose. "I didn't have much choice in the matter when you gave us that day off and asked him to take me somewhere. She's nice and refused to let me sulk in the mood I was in. I visited Mom and Dad, too. It'd been awhile."

The table went silent until Ares stole a strawberry from Eliza's fruit bowl. She raised her voice and reached for his hash browns to smash them with her fist. Ares grinned at her, chomping on the red fruit to make her eyebrows come together. Mac chuckled at the two of them and continued eating his food. He was seeing his Eliza come back even if it was with the son of a gang leader. He'd ignore that little detail for the time being.