The next day proved to be sunny once more. After a brief morning meeting, the Monroes decided to have tea served out in the garden. Dee Lemma and Edward Nigma soon got into what could only be called a "lover's spat."

"Tangram needs to go for a walk," she said innocently enough.

"So take him for a walk."

"Don't you wanna come with me, Eddie?" she asked, running a finger up his jacket sleeve.

"Q, I am in the middle of a conversation here," he said with an obvious edge to his voice. "You can take him yourself!"

"We've hardly spent any time together since we've been on this trip, Eddie. I just thought that you might want to go for a nice walk in the woods with me," she said with a pout and a bat of her eyelashes. She pouted beautifully.

The Monroes squirmed uncomfortably at the exchange, wondering if they shouldn't excuse themselves and let the two work out whatever needed to be worked out. Benny and Trigger watched, eyes wide from where they stood against a nearby tree. The Monroe's three guards elbowed each other, each smiling smugly at what was happening.

"Dee, I said I was busy! Now go take your little pet and play elsewhere! I'm with clients and I don't have time for your silly games!" he growled at her.

Chin trembling and caught between hurt and anger, Dee stood up from her seat at the shaded table.

"Fine, Edward! You can very well spend all the time you want with your clients. I see where I stand!" Dee stomped her foot and tossed her long red hair as she spun from the table and headed into the fringe of the woods, Tangram trailing behind her.

"I'm sorry about that..." she heard Edward begin as the woods closed around her.

~ ~ ~

Ten minutes later, Dee found herself in a dusky clearing. Oak branches wove a tight canopy overhead, cutting out most of the light. The ground was littered with dead oak leaves, and little else. Here and there was evidence of another plant attempting to grow, only to be killed off by the acidic oak leaves. All around the clearing were shrubs and brambles. There were only a couple natural breaks in the barrier. Anyone wanting to leave a different way would have to blaze their own trail. It was here that she stopped, taking the time to kneel down and remove Tangram's leash so he could play.

Speaking in a clear voice, she talked to the cub as he chased the tip of a stick she dragged across the ground. "Stupid man! No sense of romance! You would think that he would want to spend some time, completely alone, with his girlfriend."

What sounded like a herd of elephants, announced the arrival of the Monroe's three guards. The men shoved their way through the undergrowth, snapping twigs and leaves as they came. Forcefully, they widened the opening, cursing as their clothing snagged on the thorny brambles. She had named them all at the last meeting. The first one to come through to the clearing she had named "Leader" as he obviously held the position. The next she called "Lighthair" for lack of a better name. She wasn't trying to be clever. "Dirtyhair" brought up the rear, named for his disgustingly greasy and unkempt hair.

"'Ere she is, Gents!" said Leader with a thick Cockney accent.

Dee glanced over her shoulder, uncaringly. With a sniff, she said, "If that man sent you to bring me back, you can very well turn around right now and tell him I'm not going. If he wants to see me, he can come after me himself and bring an apology while he's at it!"

"We didn't come on account o' that deadbeat. We came on account of a great man!" he said wiping his nose with the back of his sleeve.

"A great man, hm? Do I know this 'great man' that sent you?" she asked, facing them now.

"Yeah. You know 'im. German bloke named Graf Stromel. Says he wants you to come be 'is personal bodyguard." Leader snorted at the idea and grinned, his thoughts mirrored on his face. "I'm sure he 'as other 'jobs' in mind for the likes of you!"

The other two chimed in with laughter as Leader continued to chuckle at the idea of her being a bodyguard.

"Yeah! Other 'jobs' like wankin' 'im off!" guffawed Dirtyhair. "No one 'er size could be a proper bodyguard! 'Specially a girl!"

All three howled with laughter as Dee's anger became real.

"Are you three quite finished?" she hissed icily. "If you are, I suggest that you scamper back to Stromel and tell him to go to hell."

They laughed harder, Leader saying, "The little cat is showing her claws!"

"Kitty better watch her claws, or we'll 'ave to spank her!"

The snap and pop of twigs made the three men turn to the opening they had pushed through. There, flanked by Benny and Trigger, stood Edward. Each wore a scowl, the shadows accentuating the lines in each man's face. Edward looked as if he were wearing the domino mask he wore as the Riddler. Dee gave a little smile at his expression, knowing that he was extremely pissed off at the three men between him and her. It reminded her of the expression he had when he was dealing with Vanessa not that long ago.

"I would suggest you follow the lady's suggestion, boys," said Edward coolly.

Dirtyhair gave a very eloquent response of, "Oh yeah?"

"We suggest you leave, little man," Leader said, stepping forward. "Leave and we promise not to rough you and your boys up too bad."

Edward clicked his tongue. "Shame on you boys. Minor players as yourself should not get involved with people like me." His voice dropped to a cold, dead tone as he pulled his gun from his jacket and lowered the barrel at the leader. "Leave now or we'll kill you."

Benny and Trigger followed suit, each aiming at a different man.

"Now, now, Gov'! We can play that game too!" Leader said as all three pulled out their own guns.

Tangram bristled at the tension, hissing at the three strange men. Dee picked him up to sooth him. Though she knew Edward was an excellent shot, she wasn't too positive on Benny and Trigger. As inappropriate at the time was, she couldn't help but think of how handsome Edward looked, poised with that stern look on his face, a glint in his eye, and a gun held so casually in his hand. In their time together, she had watched him target shoot, and he always hit his intended target, even sighting from the corner of his eye.

"I'll tell you one more time, gentlemen - and I use that term loosely - leave now or die."

"You've got it all wrong. It's you who should leave before we kill you," Lighthair said.

Dee shook her head at Edward. It was obvious the men weren't going to leave without a fight. She mimed claws and pointed to her ring. He shook his head, motioning her to wait. The last thing he wanted was for her to turn into a cat in front of these men.

"Tell me boys, what exactly did Stromel say and give you to bring my bodyguard to him?"

"'E don't want either one a those two. 'E wants the little tart!" Dirtyhair said.

"As you so tastefully put it, that 'tart' just happens to be my bodyguard and my girlfriend."

"What'd I tell you boys? She is for shaggin'!" Leader laughed.

"I take it none of you think I could kick your ass, do you?" Dee said in a calm voice. "No, you yellow bellied pansies would probably shoot me first." She placed Tangram on the ground and ushered him over to Edward.

"Cute, Kitty. But we promised Stromel we'd bring you back unharmed. We'll let you demonstrate your 'talents' to us on the plane though," Leader said grabbing his crotch and winking at her.

"That's it! Put your gun down and fight, you coward," she growled.

"I ain't fightin' a girl!" Leader said over his shoulder, keeping an eye on Eddie and his group.

Scooping up a rock, Dee hurled the projectile at the man, hitting him on the side of the head.

Leader shook his gun at her. "Don't you do that again!" he warned.

"Or what? You'll shoot me? Fight me then. Show me that you actually have a spine, you worthless pile of spit!" she challenged, throwing a larger rock at him this time. "Chicken! I'll bet that gun is ten times bigger than your shriveled prick." Looking at the other two, she asked, "Is it, boys? You can tell me. Or is he incapable of getting it up? I know he can't get a woman so he uses you two as his bitches."

Dirtyhair and Lighthair shouted protests at this accusation. To her delight, Leader's face turned several shades of red and purple.

"You shut your mouth, tramp!" raged Leader.

Dee's voice was calm and mocking when she spoke next. "Ah, getting angry about it. It must be true. So, is it just these two that do it for you, or do you enjoy the occasional small boy? Perhaps dogs and sheep as well?"

Benny and Trigger were attempting to smother the laughter from the insults she flung at the men, doing their best to hold their guns steady. Eddie looked overly calm, which meant his anger was increasing to a dangerous point. He glared at her, in an effort to make her be quiet.

"Right, that's it! 'Old my gun, boys. This little bitch needs to be taught some respect!" he said, tossing his jacket to the men as well, as he pushed his sleeves up. Leader took a boxer's stance, brandishing his fists.

Grinning, Dee watched as the man advanced on her. She stood still, arms crossed behind her back, weight resting on her back foot. The man was blindingly mad, feeding off the energy of his anger. He would fight sloppily, much to her advantage, which was the point of the taunting.

"Query! I demand that you stop this at once!" Edward insisted. His tone said, "Don't you dare ignore my order!"

"No. This is my fight. I'm the one they're after, not you," she replied, her eyes never leaving Leader. Her voice and stance were relaxed. This was what she did. This is what she lived for.

"I don't care what Stromel said! I'm takin' you to 'im as one big bloody lump!" he said, lunging at her.

She easily danced out of the way, taking full advantage of her smaller size and speed. "You're not taking me anywhere. And yes, I will be bloody at the end of this fight. But the blood will not be mine." When he lunged at her again, she kicked him hard in the ribs, causing him to double over. "But you mentioned claws," she said, sounding reflective. "Were these," she partially shifted into a panther, taking advantage of the dappled light, which almost instantly camouflaged her, "the claws you were speaking of?"
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