"What I do, I just do. It's out of necessity."

-Frank Castle

                                                                           ***

When they got to their room, she dropped her bag and fell face down on the teal-and-brown striped bed with a groan.

It had taken three days to get to Chicago, which was much too long to be trapped in a car with a surly Hellhound. Galloway could have danced with joy when she found a motel that would take cash, then wanted to kill something when it only had a shared room available.

Apparently, even the universe wanted to keep her stuck with Sirius.

But Galloway was exhausted and running short on time, so she took this with as much grace as she could muster. 

"You wouldn't be so tired if you'd let me drive," Sirius said somewhere off to her left. Rolling over, she saw him looking around with disdain. "Two thousand bucks and you decide to stay in some no-name motel?"

Galloway stretched her arms over her head, working the kinks out. "First off, there is no way in hell I'd let you drive my car." She paused and glared when Sirius scoffed at her. "Second," she continued, voice hostile, "we're going to be here a week."

"So?" Sirius asked, eyeing the bare strip of stomach revealed by her stretching.

"So," Galloway drew out the word, "hotels are expensive."

"Again." Sirius crossed his arms. "My question is so?"

She sighed. "So sue me! I grew up in the Depression. Old habits die hard. Even mortal ones."

"Oh," Sirius said. Then: "Okay."

Galloway raised her head to stare at him. "Okay?"

"Uh-huh," Sirius said absently. "Oh, and we won't be here a week." He dug the folder Theron had given them out of one of the bags and flipped through it. "We'll be here three days tops."

She sat straight up, eyes going wide. "Are you insane?" she hissed. "Three days for twenty people?" Then she shook her head as something else came to mind. "We have to collect on the right day." 

Galloway snatched the folder from his hands, making him yelp when the folder gave him a paper cut.

She flipped through the assignments, taking quick looks at the dates, trying to ignore the specifics. "The last collection date is this Saturday. So we'll be here all week. Besides, it takes a little while to find the Debtors in a city this big anyway."

Galloway looked up to find him watching her with an unreadable gaze. She frowned at him. Did he honestly think she was that stupid? There was no way he was going to get her on such a dumb infraction. 

The rule was that you collected a Soul on the right day.

Failing that rule was punishable by up to a year in Hell. Galloway's frown deepened. She knew Theron was mad at her, but had he really asked Sirius to try and trip her up too? Did Theron want her to be stripped of her Collector title? Did he want her to be turned into a regular demon, losing her Soul permanently?

She scoffed at herself. Of course he did.

Sirius sighed heavily. "I always saw that rule as more of a guideline. I want to hurry up and get this done. It won't matter if we collect a little early. And it might take you a week by yourself, but now you have me." He grinned at her, the expression cocky. "I can already smell them."

All she could do was stare at him with her mouth open. Sirius took the folder back from her, making a big show of being more careful than she had been, and leafed through the pieces of paper, extracting five different Debts. "These are closest, so we can get them done quickly tonight and get some sleep before we have to start again tomorrow."

Galloway stood up, her hands on her hips. "Are you being serious right now?"

He frowned, eyebrows drawing together a little. Then he shrugged and said, "I don't particularly feel like being anyone else at the moment so, yes, I suppose I am."

Galloway rolled her eyes. "That's not what I meant and you know it."

All he gave her was a crooked grin. "Do you really want to spend an entire week doing this?"

No, no she did not. But it wasn't like she had a choice. So, she just took the folder back and pulled out the four Souls that needed collecting before midnight tonight. "We have to do these."

Sirius groaned and said, "Fine. That one's the closest." He pointed at the piece of paper on top.

"No, we'll do this one, then this one." Galloway handed him the papers in the order she wanted to do them.

"Why these first? They'll take us to the opposite side of town, then we'll have to go all the way north to get the last two," Sirius complained. Then he perked up when he saw the second to last Debt. "So make it worth my while and promise me you'll let me do what I want with this one. Also, that we can do him last. I like to end my evenings on a high note."

Curious, Galloway looked at the case, then raised her eyes to his. "He sold his Soul to get away with running illegal dog fights?"

With a laugh, Sirius said, "Yes. Obviously just not smart enough to get away with it by himself." He rolled his eyes. "And desperate. For obvious reasons, I take this just a little bit personally."

She couldn't stop a laugh of her own and shrugged. "Yeah, sure."

Checking the clock to already find it close to eight, she frowned down at the Debt she had chosen to do first. Already, guilt was gnawing at her heart. Galloway stood up quickly and grabbed her jacket. "Come on. Let's go."

Galloway had put the one good Debt for the night first, just wanting to rip the band-aid off. It was one of four she would have to deal with this week.

She sighed, unlocking her car. Four people out of twenty had sold their Soul to try and do some good. That was only half of the sixty-forty ratio Galloway had worked out. She wished that she could just do all of the good Debts in one go and spend the rest of her week washing away her guilt with the scumbags that made up the rest of her list.

She jumped a little when Sirius opened his door and said, "Let's go. Let's get it done." Galloway nodded and he rolled down his window, breathing deeply through his nose. "Head east."

She drove, following Sirius' directions as they tracked the first Debt. Trying to distract herself, Galloway played with the radio, settling on a classic rock station before she made little games of weaving precariously through the traffic. She grinned every time he swore at her.

"So what's the Debt?" Sirius asked, looking out on the lit up city.

Galloway didn't look over. She just handed him the piece of paper and waited while he read. He glanced at it. "She was just trying to help her sick kid?"

She nodded, surprised by the fact that he was asking at all. Sirius shook his head and said, "Take your next left. Third house on the right."

Galloway parked the car on the quiet cul-de-sac and squeezed her eyes shut, steeling herself for what came next. She jumped when Sirius put a hand on her shoulder and looked at him. 

Light from a nearby streetlamp reflected off of his eyes as he said, "She's alone. Her family's not there too." He opened the door. "I'll make it quick."

Her lips parted in shock, but he was already gone, melting into the shadow of an unnaturally large wolf. Unease rolled through her, and she wondered if he knew why she had picked the order that she had. 

After all, she wasn't supposed to care one way or the other. A Debt was a Debt and she should only care about collecting. Theron had all but drilled that into her head from day one.

Unsure if she wanted to do this, Galloway leaned back in her seat and reached out to Sirius, linking her mind to his, watching through his eyes. Like she was supposed to when she had a Hellhound.

She felt his surprise and... something else that was gone too quickly for her to understand. He shook his head and thought, You really want to watch this?

Galloway bit her lip. No. But it's my job.

Sirius was silent then, prowling toward the house in his wolf form. Galloway hadn't gotten a very good look at him, but she had been surprised by the form he took as a Hound. Most other Hellhounds she'd seen looked like overgrown pit bulls or Rottweilers, which often matched their human forms. 

She didn't want to admit it, but his Hound form seemed to match his sharp, intelligent and, well, beautiful human form perfectly.

She watched as he used the shadows to slip through the walls into the house. Galloway blinked at the odd sensation of her own eyes adjusting as his did to the low light in the kitchen Sirius found himself in.

A woman with curly brown hair was sitting at the kitchen table, wrapped in a blanket. Her eyes were red like she'd been crying and she held an old picture of a little boy in her hand. She looked up when Sirius' claws clicked on the tile.

Galloway's heart clenched as the woman stood up. Sirius stopped and looked at her. The woman brushed her hair out of her face with a shaking hand and said, "It wouldn't do any good to fight, would it?"

Slowly, Sirius shook his head.

The woman sighed. "Well, you're prettier than I thought a Hellhound would be."

Galloway and Sirius both stiffened at that, Sirius cocking his head to the side. Generally, Debts didn't know about Hellhounds. A few took the time to research what they'd done after the fact, but most just assumed the same demon who'd made their Deal was the one coming to get them when time was up.

The woman smiled wryly. "What? You think I'd sell my soul and then not do any research? I know what you are. And I know my time is up. Please, just," the woman's voice shook for the first time, "just make it quick."

Sirius lowered his head in a nod, and the woman dropped the blanket though her son's picture was still clutched in her hand.

Galloway broke the connection when Sirius lunged at her. She didn't mean to. She knew she was supposed to supervise and make sure the Soul got to Hell. But Sirius had been right. She didn't want to watch this. Didn't want to taste the woman's blood as Sirius bit into her throat.

He returned to her car shortly after that. Getting in, he rubbed at his mouth with the sleeve of his shirt, which was blessedly dark tonight, then spit red out the window. All he said was, "Turn around. We need to go back south now."

The next two Debts were quick and unmemorable. Each time, Galloway would wait in the car, watching as Sirius killed them. Each time, he would return in silence, directing her to the next Debt.

They had just finished with the third Debt—a man who had been in deep with the wrong bookie—when Galloway finally spoke. "You don't enjoy it."

Sirius spit out the window again. "What?"

"You don't enjoy it. I've seen Hellhounds work before. They savor it. A lot of them play with their victims, scaring them, wounding them. They like the fear. They like the taste. But you're not like them. You don't enjoy it." Galloway turned right when Sirius started directing her to the last Debt of the night. The illegal dog fighter guy.

He tilted his head to the side, eyes narrowing slightly. "That right?" Looking over at her fully, he said, "What of it?"

"I just want to know why," Galloway answered, and Sirius looked back out the partially opened window, the night breeze ruffling his hair.

"If we're trading idiosyncrasies, why don't we start with why you put the good Debt first. Or why she was the only one you couldn't watch?" Sirius said conversationally. "Turn left." Galloway did and he continued, "Yeah. I noticed that. So, you want to tell me why?"

When she remained silent, Sirius shook his head, a sharp laugh gusting from him. "Uh-huh. That's what I thought. Look. I've got my reasons and you have yours. The way I do things, that's my business. So let's just make this easy and cut the questions, yeah?"

Galloway parked the car outside of an abandoned warehouse in an industrial district. She got out with Sirius and he looked at her in surprise. "You're coming with me?"

"I thought we said we were cutting the questions?" Galloway said flippantly, putting a hand on her hip.

Sirius blinked, then gave her a devilish grin and she bit her lip as that expression intensified his good looks. For perhaps the hundreth time, she wished he wasn't so physically alluring. It had been a long time since she'd had to show any kind of restraint when it came to men she found attractive, and it was a surprisingly hard habit to reinstitute. 

Sirius came around the car and offered her his elbow, hands in his pockets. "Well then, shall we?"

Galloway hesitated, remembering that she wasn't supposed to like or trust him, however brief the feeling might be. He looked down at her through his lashes. "Come on. This one's going to be fun."

With a skeptical frown, Galloway took his elbow finally, thinking it wouldn't hurt anything to at least be civil. He led her up to the warehouse door, and she shivered as Sirius pulled her through shadow so that they were inside the main warehouse.

She brushed at her face and neck. "Ugh. Feels like I walked through cobwebs."

He laughed low in his throat, the sound rough, and Galloway gave him a sideways look before staring around what looked like an abandoned warehouse. The old machinery was rusted and quiet, dust covering the floor in a thick coat. Sirius caught her eye, and his smile sharpened. "Come on," he said, grabbing her hand, "this way."

They traveled farther into the dank warehouse and started hearing dogs barking and growling. Beside her, Sirius said, "Shh."

The dogs immediately quieted and he eased a side door open. Galloway's hand slipped from Sirius' up to her mouth in horror as she stared. The dogs all looked back at her, shoved into cages that were most of the time much too small. Many of them were bleeding from bite and claw marks.

The rank smell of unclean animals, urine and blood filled the air, gagging her slightly. 

"This is disgusting," Galloway whispered. She moved toward one of the animals, but Sirius yanked her back when the dog slammed against the wire of his cage, snarling and snapping at her.

"Careful. They're bred and trained to be vicious," Sirius said. He growled and the dog backed down, whining. "They don't just attack on command like I do."

He smiled again, but there was no humor this time. They paused when they heard the door to the main warehouse open behind them. Sirius leaned over, whispering into her ear, "You promised. Let me do this my way."

Galloway's stomach fluttered nervously at that. What did he mean by 'his way', and was it something that would get her in trouble?

But... she'd promised. Galloway looked up at him, then took a step back when his face was right next to hers. She caught a whiff of mint, which seemed exotic and out of place in this horror show. He gave her a pleading look and she nodded. "Knock yourself out."

"Do me a favor?" Sirius walked over to one of the cages. A giant Rottweiler growled at him, but quieted when he shushed it.

"Okay. What?" Galloway asked.

"Get up on that table over there."

She started to ask why, then stopped when Sirius opened the Rottweiler's cage. She hurried over, hopping up on top of the table, watching in disbelief and amusement as he released all of the dogs.

They crowded around him with excited whines and wagging tails. Sirius ruffled the ears of a German Shepherd, then turned as the door they had come through opened.

A man stopped, his eyes going from Sirius and the dogs to Galloway up on the table. She grimaced at the tacky pattern of his shirt and greasy hair, then sat cross-legged on the table and said, "You know, just because you're a slime-ball doesn't mean you have to look the part."

Sirius gave a throaty chuckle and the dogs milled around him, snapping at one another as they tried to get closer to him.

"Who the hell are you?" the man demanded. He paled when the dogs all growled at him. Sirius clicked his tongue, and Galloway watched in amazement as every dog sat, their hungry eyes still watching the man.

Sirius patted the German Shepherd again. His tone light, he asked, "Don't you know what day it is today?"

The man sneered. "Let me guess. You're one of those pain in the ass animal rights freaks?"

Sirius paused, seeming to consider this statement. Galloway stayed silent and watched, highly entertained by all of this. 

Finally he shook his head and said, "I don't think I'd label myself as such." He paused and growled at a Doberman who was trying to inch toward the man. "Though," Sirius continued when the Doberman laid down, "I do have rather a fondness for dogs."

Galloway watched as the man seemed to search for something to say.

"Oh dear. Not very bright are we?" Sirius asked, making her laugh. He grinned and winked at her, making her roll her eyes.

The sound seemed to anger the man, and he pulled out a little snub-nose revolver. "I don't know who you pricks think you are, but you messed with the wrong guy."

Galloway yawned, and the man's face turned a magnificent shade of purple. He pointed the gun at her and snarled, "I'm not messing around, bitch."

"Is that anyway to speak to a lady?" Sirius asked, his voice suddenly flat and mean. "I'm starting to get bored." His eyes began to glow. "Yeah. Just a little bored. So I think I'll just make it easy."

Sirius rolled his neck and his claws extended, the pale, flat nails morphing into shiny black talons with razor edges. The dogs stood up, barking and snapping, growing more excited as a growl rumbled through his chest. 

"Twenty-five years ago, you were starting to feel the heat a little bit." Sirius sneered, casting cruel eyes over the man's soft, pudgy body. "My guess is that you thought you wouldn't do too well in prison. Then, you met someone who said she could make all your problems disappear."

Sirius patted the Shepherd's head again. "Just one little snag. She needed payment. A very specific payment."

The man's face paled. The hand holding the gun trembled.

Sirius grinned and Galloway shivered at the diabolical expression. His sharpened canines didn't help any with that image and she wondered what he planned to do, suddenly resigned to the fact that this collection probably wasn't going to be by the book.

"Time to pay up," Sirius snarled, then snapped his fingers. The dogs all howled and Sirius motioned to Galloway. She climbed down off the table to join him as the dogs charged at the man.

He laughed as the man started screaming, the dogs he'd abused turning on him. She couldn't find it in her to be mad at Sirius for his unorthodox method. She admired his sense of poetic justice too much to be mad.

The man fell and Galloway watched, feeling no sympathy, no remorse, as a pool of blood widened under him, churned and smeared by the dogs as they scrambled around, tearing into the man. She caught his Soul easily—the little ball of energy an opaque, wispy white—then sent it quickly to Hell.

Sirius grabbed her hand once more. "Come on. We're done here. Let's head to the motel."

"What about the dogs?" Galloway asked as he led her back through the warehouse.

Sirius left all the doors opened behind them. "Don't worry. They'll be fine. After all," he said, grinning as they got into the car, "he did make them fighters."

Galloway blinked at him and the side of his mouth twitched. She shifted into first then snorted. "You know those dogs will probably eat someone, right?"

"So?" Sirius asked. "Did you see the look on his face?" He laughed, the sound raw and unpracticed at first, then richer as he continued, obviously delighted by the events of the night. 

She glanced at him. His hair was tousled and the look he wore was pure joy. His eyes were closed as he laughed, and his dark lashes fanned out like ink strokes against his pale skin. It was the kind of sound that belonged to someone who hadn't had a reason to laugh in a long time.

Galloway looked back at the road, weaving through late night traffic, teeth sinking into her lower lip.

"Maybe you do enjoy it a little," she said, and Sirius stopped laughing to look at her thoughtfully.

The side of his mouth twitched down momentarily, and he shrugged. "Maybe you do too," he returned before staring out the window like he had for most of the trip.

They drove the rest of the way in silence, though it was no longer uncomfortable.

Galloway couldn't stop glancing at him in curiosity, the street lights gleaming off of his black hair as they drove.

She sighed internally and tried to remind herself that, regardless of how gorgeous or charming he happened to be, Sirius was most likely still Theron's spy and therefore an enemy.

She bit her lip.

Well... enemy might be a bit strong.

But he certainly wasn't her friend, either.