Amanda Darieux had changed very little in the time I had known her. And one of those traits of hers that I knew so well was her ability to turn the kneecaps of every man within a five mile radius to Jello with sensuality so blatant that it ought to be outlawed. Methos was old enough and canny enough that I didn't have to worry about him. Duo, on the other hand...

"Close your mouth," I ordered the slack-jawed American, "You're attracting flies."

Duo closed his mouth then blinked as if trying to clear his sight. I didn't blame him. Amanda Darieux wasn't exactly one of those things you could just shake off; not if you were a red-blooded man with a pulse and hormones. Especially when she was dressed like something out of a wet dream. Even I had to admit as annoyed as I got with the woman, she had sex appeal. She had it in spades. And watching her sashay her way towards us, her slender body encased to perfection in a leather catsuit that made her every movement look like liquid sex wasn't helping my reservations about leaving Duo in her care any.

"Heero Yuy," she practically purred my name as she came to stand a few feet away from us. Her short hair was dark again. I was glad. The last time I'd seen her she'd been a platinum blonde. She was attractive whatever the hair color but I much preferred her natural brunette. It made her seem less hard and more open.

"Amanda," I said evenly. I was fairly proud of my cold, unshaken tone.

"I haven't seen you in...sixty, no seventy years and all you can say is 'Amanda,'" She pouted at me charmingly. "And in such a cold tone. I'm hurt. What kind of greeting is that for an old friend?"

I started to point out that 'friend' was too strong a term to describe our relationship when she sidled up to me, closing the distance between us in a few fluid movements. "Amanda, what are you--"

I didn't have the time to complete my words as she took my chin in her hand and pressed her lips against mine, promptly drowning out the rest of the sentence. My brain did a complete shutdown as she pressed herself against me in a wriggle that should definitely be outlawed. Of their own accord, my arms found their way to her slender waist. I 'd like to claim it was because I was going to push her away but even I'm not that good a liar. It was difficult--no, pretty much impossible to concentrate on anything with except the way her mouth was moving against mine, the way she felt, and that distinct scent that was uniquely hers--the smell of jasmine and springtime. There's a reason Amanda has survived as long as she has--and it's not because of her skill with a sword.

She drew back, the whisper of leather causing me to open my eyes. She gave me a tiny smirk. "Now that, Hee-chan, is the way old friends say hello."

I stared at her stupidly, my clouded brain struggling for a moment. Methos was snickering. Slowly my brows knit together. "Hn."

"Snappy comeback," Duo wheezed.

I glared at him. The idiot's face was bright red and he was shaking with suppressed laughter. "Nani?!" I demanded.

"N-n-nothin'," he chucked. "Nothing at all--Hee-chan!"

He collapsed into howls of laughter. Methos looked like he wanted to join in but he had better sense.

"Duo, omae o korosu."

Amanda raked her eyes over the giggling pilot, an acquisitive gleam in her dark eyes that didn't sit well with me at all. "Is this my new present, Hee-chan?" she purred.

Duo straightened, laughter dying away as he scrambled to recover his equilibrium. Baka, I snorted. This is a baaaaaaaaaaaad idea, I thought. Throwing Duo to Amanda ... Duo by himself could get into more trouble than I could handle. Adding Amanda to the equation was a sure recipe for disaster.

"I'm Duo," the American baka chirped up. "Duo Maxwell, at your service."

She stepped around him, studying him up and down. "I like, Hee-chan."

"You do?" I asked warily.

"You do?" Duo near squeaked at the same time.

She stopped in front of him. "I like a lot of what I see," she replied, her voice velvet with deeper promises.

Did I say disaster? This was far, far worse. Between the two of them, I wondered just how long it would take before the innuendos and hormones got to be too much. I reached out, tugging Amanda away from him by her forearm. "Hands off," I growled.

There was a flash of surprise on her pert face chased by annoyance. "Why?" she asked sweetly, "Is he yours?"

Methos erupted into a sudden fit of snicker-filled coughing meanwhile Duo was gaping at both Amanda and myself in disbelief. "Hi-his?" Duo was stuttering, face turning crimson in embarrassment.

"Amanda." I glared at her and she held her hands up in a peace gesture.

"All right, all right. Geez, Heero, what the hell happened to your sense of humor?" she scolded.

"Heero? And a sense of humor?" Duo shook his head vigorously. "Lady, those words just don't belong in the same universe, let alone the same sentence."

He would think that, I supposed. After all, I had never given him any indication that I was anything beyond the icy facade I presented to the world these days. I had grown into that cold demeanor and maybe his words had merit now but that didn't mean it had always been this way.

"That's what you think," Amanda reproved, then she threw a sizzling glance my way. "Still ticklish?"

I flushed, remembering exactly which incident she was referring to and she knew I remembered, damn her. "Hnn."

" 'Hnn'. I remember you being a lot more vocal than that," her voice smoky with memory. "I remember you making a lot of noises that night, Heero and I don't think 'Hnn' was among them."

As pleasant a memory as that was, I really wasn't interested in discussing that night or any of its details with an audience around. Duo was blinking at me with a dazed expression. Too many shocks to his system in too short a time, I supposed. I couldn't help but wonder how he was going to handle his first Immortal. If he froze up like this, he was going to die, pure and simple.

Best to just cut to the chase, I decided. If I didn't, we'd be dithering around here all day; I well remembered how fond of games Amanda was. That much hasn't changed, I thought sourly.

***End Teaser