"All that'd do is wear me out, then he'd catch me and it'd happen all over again," snorted Eight.

"Well you can't keep makin' a mess on him every time you fight," said Seven.

"I don't normally... but it'd been so long this time, an' he was wrastlin' around on me. Aside from bein' horny, seem like he felt the same way I did," said Randy VIII.

Seven gave a chuckle, "You an him. Damn if you two don't end up in love...."

Randy VIII snorted and swatted him on the shoulder. "Yeah, right."

"You never know Baby Boy, he can't hate you forever, specially if he goes around wipin' your tears!" said Seven

"It was just a one-time thing," Eight insisted. "I told 'im what happened to Mother... He ain't have a good mother like we did, so maybe it just softened 'im up for the moment. 'S over now."

"I wouldn't be so sure....I mean, he might just be soft all together under all that sourpuss, you might see it again some day," said Seven.

"Yeah, yeah..." Randy VIII waved a hand dismissively. "We'll see."

Seven ruffled his hair, "I think maybe you an' Kurt have a shot at surviving this thing!"

"Maybe you right..." Randy VIII kissed him on the cheek. "But I think you're nuts."

"But if I am right then you'll be happy won't you?" asked Seven.

Eight thought about it for a moment. "I guess so," he agreed with a faint blush. "But... I like things the way they are."

"You sure about that?" asked Seven as he put an arm around him.

Randy VIII nodded firmly. "I mean, I love our fights. I like what we got. I don't need anything else."

"not even if it would make Kurt happy?" asked Seven.

Randy VIII frowned. "He'd be happier if I just up an' left," he muttered.

"But if he can't have that...maybe something less...violent?" Seven suggested.

Randy VIII took a deep breath and exhaled slowly. At length he nodded. "If that's what he wants."

"How will you feel if he does want that?" asked Seven.

"I dunno," Eight replied as he tugged at one of his ears. "I mean, that's... That's just weird to think about."

Seven studied him, "If you say so Baby Boy..."

Randy VIII kept quiet. He wasn't sure what other kinds of feelings and possibilities lurked beneath the surface, and he wasn't sure he wanted to know.

I wasn't too much later that he discovered that Kurt had struck up a relationship with a woman. What Randy VIII found most interesting about this, though, was that the woman happened to be his cousin. While they hadn't kept particularly close contact in recent years, Randy VIII and B had spent a fair amount of time together as children and tended to meet up along with various other members of the family from time to time.

Kurt found that B had a spontaneity and vigor that greatly appealed to him and it wasn't long before he found himself wanting to get serious, while he was with B he almost forgot about Randy VIII completely.

Randy VIII, on the other hand, was more curious about Kurt than ever. He resolved to speak with B and gather whatever sort of information he could from her...

Kurt had no idea that Randy VIII and B were connected and it never crossed his mind that they'd ever meet....

B pulled on her favorite tank top and rummaged about for just the right shade of lipstick. Though it was mostly subconscious, she always made an effort to look her most attractive when she knew Randy VIII would be around. She had had some interest in him since their younger days, though now that she was attempting to settle down with Kurt, she had no intention of mentioning it. "My cousin wants to meet up with me for lunch; I'll be back in a little while," she called on her way to the door.

"Your cousin?" asked Kurt, "Well, I suppose that's fine, have a good lunch," he called after her.

B waved to him before heading out to meet Randy VIII. He was waiting for her at a restaurant near the border of Schickelgrubertonfieldvilleburginghamshire, within comfortable walking distance from his home. She greeted him with a kiss and sat across the table from him while they ate and chatted...

Kurt tended his garden, cleaned up around the house and then made a dinner for himself while he waited for B's return.

She came through the door looking a bit less cheerful than she had when she'd left. Randy VIII had told her something dreadful, as a warning that it was bound to surface at some point.

Kurt rushed over to hug and kiss her, "Hello dear, are you alright? You seem...off,"

B nodded quietly. Was she supposed to tell him what she knew? It was a subject they hadn't discussed, and she was sure there was a reason for that. "I just... think I should sit down for a minute."

Kurt raised his eyebrows and lead her to the couch, "What's the matter?"

B blushed and fidgeted. She never had been very good at covering up when something was on her mind. "Well, he... he told me something about you that I didn't know," she said quietly.

"Oh? Who is your cousin and what does he know?" Kurt asked, his eyes narrowing.

"Randy VIII," B replied, barely above a whisper. She didn't bother answering the second part of the question, as the name alone spoke for itself.

Kurt was still for a long moment, "So....he told you....about our encounter," he said quietly.

B nodded. "He didn't tell me much about it, but... he thought I should know since we're family and... and..." By now her eyes were glistening with the onset of tears.

Kurt sighed, pulled out his handkerchief and wiped her eyes,"I understand...but I think it goes without saying, I have no love for Randy VIII and I will not lie, one day one of us might destroy the other,"