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Description
The movie credits rolled across the screen. Pepper rested her head on Gerry's shoulder and he leaned his in onto hers.

"Not a bad movie, right?" She asked giving his hand a squeeze.

"Better than I expected."

She grinned. "Don't lie to me, I saw those tears of laughter."

He smiled feeling his cheeks redden. "Okay, a lot better than I expected."

She reached over a removed the long empty popcorn bowl from his lap and sat it on the coffee table. "Look, about the background check thing-"

Gerry shook his head. "No, I get it."

"I normally just do that before the first date, but let's say things didn't go like they usually do."

He gave her hair a gentle stroke, it was softly and glossy beneath his fingers. "Yeah, I've never really had anything like this happen to me before." He adjusted his position so that he could look down into her pretty brown eyes. "Just what do you see in me anyway?"

She half smiled with a small shrug. "It's hard to put my finger on. I just really like guys who aren't afraid to be a little vulnerable."

He leaned back. "Ah, it's the panophobia."

She chuckled giving him a light thump in the chest. "High school, college, the academy, the station- I'm surrounded by guys that think it will kill them to show a little emotion. Guys that think the way I act and dress is just begging them to put me in my place. I get tired of it, you know?" She sat up and straddled his lap. "Generally by the third date I've been called mannish."

"They're crazy." He said placing his hands on her hips. He bit his lip trying to keep his mind off of the beautiful golden skin he knew was under her shirt.

"There are lots of crazy men out there." She whispered pushing his hair out of his face. "Guys who think it's my job to get them off, to make them feel more like men. You aren't like that. That's what I like."

"So, it's not my Seabiscuit-esque visage ? "

"Would I kiss a horse?"

He grinned. "You tell me."

"You'd better shut up if you want a kiss." He pantomimed zipping his lips. She smiled and pressed her lips to his, kissing him softly. She pulled back displaying a mischievous grin. "You know what I like most about quiet guys?"

"What?"

"Getting them to make some noise." She ran her hand up his shirt and tweaked his nipple coaxing a gasp from him. "Aw, I think we can do better than that."

Al typed out a quick message on her phone: R U coming home 2nite?
She had to wait a whole fifteen minutes for a response:
Nope.
She sighed pocketing her phone. She looked up at the pretty pink duplex. Nothing to do now but wait. She closed her eyes and searched out a suitable energy signature. Right next door seemed favorable. She was already in her usual "collage girl" disguise. She grabbed her bag and a six pack. She rang the doorbell. A moment later a young man in his early twenties opened the door looking confused. Al held up the beer.

"Is this Ryan's party?" She asked.

The man turned to look at the empty room behind him, then back at her. "Um, no."

She groaned letting her shoulders sag. "I'm never going to find that stupid house."

"Sorry." He muttered beginning to shut the door.

"I don't suppose you could use some company?" She asked sweetly.

He stopped and looked her over. "I don't know, this isn't my place. I'm just house sitting."

"I'm willing to share." She cooed wiggling the six pack.

His eyes sat on the beer a moment before drifting over to her chest. "Ah, what the hell." He said waving her in.
She smirked.
Hook, line, and sinker- without even a drop of her energy wasted.

"Are you sure? I can do it." Pepper asked as Gerry read over the back of the Hamburger Helper box.

"It's been a while, but I'm sure I can handle it." He said. "Plus you've got actual kitchen stuff. Al only keeps plastic shit she can throw away."

She chuckled. "Okay, okay, Master Chef. I'm going to go take a shower. Just scream if you catch the house on fire."

"Will do." He said shaking his head. He watched as she sashayed out of the room. The second he heard the door shut he grabbed the package of hamburger. He tore into the plastic and shoved a handful into his mouth. The texture didn't entertain the demon much, but the flavor was satisfactory. He prayed she wouldn't notice the missing meat. Kit finally roused from his newly claimed spot in front of the fire place. Gerry pinched off a small chunk and tossed it down to him. If she questioned it at least he had an adorable scapegoat. No one could be mad at Kit.

He washed his hands and mouth off as the beef browned on the stove. Time for the veggie side dish. So, this was how normal people ate, not just out of boxes and bags. He began chopping the medley, keeping an eye on the stove . He had to stop to drain the meat and get the rest of the meal started. Back to chopping.

He spotted a carrot with a blemish. He took the knife and attempted to slice off the bad part, but the blade glanced off the tough flesh and wedged itself deep in his thumb. He yelped dropping everything. The blood ran black down his hand leaving inky drops on the floor and counter. He snatched a paper towel wrapping his thumb tightly, then more to clean the splatters. He threw the knife and carrot into the sink and ran water over them to wash away the blood.

In a panic he twisted the knob on the stove and rushed for the guest bathroom. He locked the door and dug around for a Band-Aid. He was in luck, Pepper had a fully stocked first aid kit. He over-wrapped his thumb in gauze. He knew too well that the slightest peep about someone with black blood would have the city swarming with demon hunters.

He couldn't get his mother's horrified expression out of his head, how her jaw had dropped and the way her face had gone white as a sheet. That cut had been much smaller, yet she had still covered her heart and prayed aloud for his soul.

He looked at the wad of paper towels in the sink and thought about flushing them. What if they clogged the toilet? The image of black water spilling out on to the floor filled his mind. He forced the thought away, he was prepared for this. He pulled out his wallet and found a piece of paper tucked into one of the pockets. Al had given him the incantation, it was only for emergencies and he was confident that what he was dealing with counted. He held his hand over the towels and softly the chanted the spell. He felt the power building near his fingertips. Suddenly the paper burst into flame, incinerating almost instantaneously. The magic ricocheted back up his arm with the puff of smoke sending a blinding shot of pain through his skull. He fell back against the wall gripping his head. He felt something wet at his lip and tasted blood. He had forgotten what a motherfucker burnout was. At least the resulting nose bleed was easily stopped with a ball of toilet paper.

A knock at the door startle him.

"Gerry? What's that smell; are you smoking?" Pepper asked. "You know I don't care what you do at home, but I really can't let you do that here. You have to understand my position."

"No! I was just-"

She gasped outside the door. "Dinner!" she shrieked racing down the hall.

Gerry stared down at the charred mess in the skillet. "I'm sorry. I really thought I'd turned it off."

Pepper shrugged. "No big deal, everyone is alive." She looked down at his thickly bandaged thumb. "You sure you don't need to see a doctor?"

"It wasn't all that bad, I'm just a bleeder."

She sighed. "You get light-headed on me and I'm dragging you to the ER."

"I'll be fine."

She took his hand and lead him to the kitchen table sitting him down. "You don't have to hide anymore. No one is going to come get you. You and Al were minors when you left, but you are both adults now."

"But Al said-"

"Look, I'm sure Al means well, but she doesn't know the law like I do. Your parents can't come after you if you don't want them too. You can start living your life the way you want to."

"It's not that easy-"

"What isn't? I can help you get a job. I can set you up with the right people to get you taken out of the registry. I can help you get a restraining order if you want. And seeing as the background check was clean, if you wanted, you could stay with me."

He blinked unsure he had heard her right. "Wha-?"

She pointed to Kit. "The house still has a doggy-door from the last owner and there's a big enough back yard. You and Kit could be happy here if you wanted to be."

Gerry kept his eyes on his hands. "Why would you want to help me like that?"

She tapped her chest. "Hey, protect and serve, right?" She placed her hand on top of his. "You don't have to decide right away. You may want to talk it over with Al since you two have been together so long. I don't know. It just seems like you two haven't been getting along, maybe a bit of distance would do you some good."

"I owe Al a lot, but at the same time she's done things..."

"Want to tell me about it? I'm really curious about you two."

He shrugged. "What's to be curious about?"

"Well you two seemed to be really comfortable with each other in a pretty sexual way, yet you claim you've never been a couple."

His cheeks reddened. "Our folks were not the most forthcoming with adulthood knowledge. We got curious. We weren't quite ten the first time we saw each other naked." He ducked his head. "Sorry that's weird as shit."

Pepper smiled. "It's really not that unusual for kids to 'play doctor'. My parents were all into the church and sent me to an all girls school. I still experimented. It just took me longer to do it with a boy. Funny how that works isn't it."

He gave her a weak smile. "I guess."

She gave his hand a squeeze. "Well, when you're ready to talk I'll be here to listen, okay?"

"Okay."

"Alright then. I think I have some old pizza in the fridge."

Al stepped over the unconscious man on the floor, his pants still around his ankles. "Thanks for being a creep right off the bat, I was a bit peckish." She pressed her hands to the wall separating the house from the one Gerry was in. She closed her eyes searching out the energies inside. So far everything was calm, maybe it would stay that way. It was a pain, but who would look after him if she didn't?

****

Gerry struggled against the ropes that held him in his chair. Two men stood above him.

"This is why we have to check," The bearded one started "for every few thousand religious nutjobs there is always one that is actually possessed. "

The younger man shook his head. "Shame it's a kid though. You sure there's nothing we can do?"

The bearded one took out a knife and quickly cut Gerry's arm. Gerry cried out into his gag as black oozed down his arm. "You know the rules, you don't attempt an exorcism on anything that bleeds black. Besides the fact that he's sealed proves that he did this to himself." Gerry shook his head wildly, but was ignored. "Probably after power. These magic types are dumb like that."

"Still, I feel bad for the parents."

"They did the right thing. Now we have to do the same. You sure no one is going to be near that incinerator?"

"Yeah, I double checked."

The older man nodded and pulled a syringe from his pocket. He gave it a thump and looked down at Gerry. "Don't worry, this little prick is the last thing you'll ever feel. You and your demon get to leave this world peacefully."

As the man leaned in Gerry jerked back knocking the chair over. He wriggled in a vain attempt to escape.

"I'm not gunna fight you, kid. If you wanna go in the burner awake that's your prerogative." He seized him by the arm, but only pulled him up half way before he froze.
Gerry blinked away the tears clouding his vision. The man's face had lost all expression as had his partners.

"Now untie him." A familiar voice ordered.

He began freeing Gerry from his bindings . Finally lose Gerry scooted back pulling the gag out of his mouth and rubbing his wrists.

"Now, you two go make out or something." Al said stepping out from behind the demon hunters. She crossed her arms over her chest. "You aren't very good at keeping secrets are you?"

He choked on a sob. "It was- an- accident."

"We have to leave now. You know that."

He nodded.

"Alright, let's get out of here." She said holding out her hand.

Gerry took Al's hand and she pulled him the rest of the way into the old tree house. They were eight years old.

"This can be our hide out!" Al exclaimed holding out her arms. "No one will ever find us out here."

Gerry looked around at the aging structure. "Is it safe?"

"Sure, sure. And we have everything we need." She rushed over to a wooden chest. "Comics and books and snacks." She grabbed an opened package of cookies. "Ants!" She shrieked hurling it out the window. She recovered quickly. "It's okay! I have more."

"Why can't we go to your place?"

"Pierce is home." She said sadly. "He says girls and boys have different bodies and shouldn't be friends."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. He said I'd find out when I get married."

Gerry frowned. "What's so different?"

Al shrugged. "I dunno. I guess we could find out."

Gerry shook his head. "No, we'll get in trouble."

"No one will know!" She hopped in front of him and grabbed the hem of her shirt. "On the count of three?"

Gerry wrinkled his nose. "Okay, I guess."

"One, two, Three!"

They both lifted their shirts. Gerry pointed to Al. "What's that?"

Al looked down at her chest. "Oh, my training bra."

"What's it training for?"

"I think that's so when my boobs come in they know where to go."

Gerry frowned. "That's dumb, but you gotta take it off so we can see."

She pulled the cottony fabric up revealing her bare chest. "It's really not that different." She pulled her shirt back down. "I guess it's the bottom parts. I heard some other kids say that." She hooked her fingers over the elastic of her skirt. "Bottoms now?"

"Okay." He muttered even less enthusiastic.

"Okay, one, two, three!"

They both jerked down their bottoms.

"No fair!" Gerry protested. "You don't have anything!"

Al pouted. "There's stuff!" She grinned then. "Yours looks weird."

"No it doesn't! That's what it's supposed to look like." He snapped tugging his pants back up.

"Can I touch it?"

"No!" He darted away from her holding on to his pants and she pursued. They both crashed into the wall of the tree-fort and it groaned loudly and seemed to tilt. They both froze staring wide eyed until it settled back down.

"Never mind." Al whispered "I'll touch it later."

Gerry opened his mouth, but his words were obscured by growling.
******

Gerry opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. His stomach growled again despite having just eaten two slices of pizza. He turned his head. Pepper still seemed to be asleep with her arm draped over his chest. He slid out from under her as carefully as possible. He slinked out of the bed room and into the kitchen. He searched the fridge, but only found a few frozen pork chops. He glanced at the clock. Three a.m.

He gnawed at his bottom lip, maybe he could make it to a 24 hour store and back before Pepper woke up. His stomach ached as if something were squirming wildly inside. He'd have to risk it. He grabbed his jacket and made for the door. He shushed Kit as he attempted to leave with him. He slipped outside the door only to nearly step on Al who was sitting on the front steps.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" He hissed.

She said nothing, just held up a plastic bag containing a t-bone.

Gerry sighed and plopped down beside her. "Should I even ask?"

"Googled her name and I've only known you forever."

He took a bite of the meat using the bag as a wrapper. "Pepper invited me to live with her."

Al just looked out onto the empty street. "Do you really think that's a good idea?"

He chomped down on a bigger hunk and chewed slowly. He swallowed. "No, I don't guess it is."

Description
The movie credits rolled across the screen. Pepper rested her head on Gerry's shoulder and he leaned his in onto hers.

"Not a bad movie, right?" She asked giving his hand a squeeze.

"Better than I expected."

She grinned. "Don't lie to me, I saw those tears of laughter."

He smiled feeling his cheeks redden. "Okay, a lot better than I expected."

She reached over a removed the long empty popcorn bowl from his lap and sat it on the coffee table. "Look, about the background check thing-"

Gerry shook his head. "No, I get it."

"I normally just do that before the first date, but let's say things didn't go like they usually do."

He gave her hair a gentle stroke, it was softly and glossy beneath his fingers. "Yeah, I've never really had anything like this happen to me before." He adjusted his position so that he could look down into her pretty brown eyes. "Just what do you see in me anyway?"

She half smiled with a small shrug. "It's hard to put my finger on. I just really like guys who aren't afraid to be a little vulnerable."

He leaned back. "Ah, it's the panophobia."

She chuckled giving him a light thump in the chest. "High school, college, the academy, the station- I'm surrounded by guys that think it will kill them to show a little emotion. Guys that think the way I act and dress is just begging them to put me in my place. I get tired of it, you know?" She sat up and straddled his lap. "Generally by the third date I've been called mannish."

"They're crazy." He said placing his hands on her hips. He bit his lip trying to keep his mind off of the beautiful golden skin he knew was under her shirt.

"There are lots of crazy men out there." She whispered pushing his hair out of his face. "Guys who think it's my job to get them off, to make them feel more like men. You aren't like that. That's what I like."

"So, it's not my Seabiscuit-esque visage ? "

"Would I kiss a horse?"

He grinned. "You tell me."

"You'd better shut up if you want a kiss." He pantomimed zipping his lips. She smiled and pressed her lips to his, kissing him softly. She pulled back displaying a mischievous grin. "You know what I like most about quiet guys?"

"What?"

"Getting them to make some noise." She ran her hand up his shirt and tweaked his nipple coaxing a gasp from him. "Aw, I think we can do better than that."

Al typed out a quick message on her phone: R U coming home 2nite?
She had to wait a whole fifteen minutes for a response:
Nope.
She sighed pocketing her phone. She looked up at the pretty pink duplex. Nothing to do now but wait. She closed her eyes and searched out a suitable energy signature. Right next door seemed favorable. She was already in her usual "collage girl" disguise. She grabbed her bag and a six pack. She rang the doorbell. A moment later a young man in his early twenties opened the door looking confused. Al held up the beer.

"Is this Ryan's party?" She asked.

The man turned to look at the empty room behind him, then back at her. "Um, no."

She groaned letting her shoulders sag. "I'm never going to find that stupid house."

"Sorry." He muttered beginning to shut the door.

"I don't suppose you could use some company?" She asked sweetly.

He stopped and looked her over. "I don't know, this isn't my place. I'm just house sitting."

"I'm willing to share." She cooed wiggling the six pack.

His eyes sat on the beer a moment before drifting over to her chest. "Ah, what the hell." He said waving her in.
She smirked.
Hook, line, and sinker- without even a drop of her energy wasted.

"Are you sure? I can do it." Pepper asked as Gerry read over the back of the Hamburger Helper box.

"It's been a while, but I'm sure I can handle it." He said. "Plus you've got actual kitchen stuff. Al only keeps plastic shit she can throw away."

She chuckled. "Okay, okay, Master Chef. I'm going to go take a shower. Just scream if you catch the house on fire."

"Will do." He said shaking his head. He watched as she sashayed out of the room. The second he heard the door shut he grabbed the package of hamburger. He tore into the plastic and shoved a handful into his mouth. The texture didn't entertain the demon much, but the flavor was satisfactory. He prayed she wouldn't notice the missing meat. Kit finally roused from his newly claimed spot in front of the fire place. Gerry pinched off a small chunk and tossed it down to him. If she questioned it at least he had an adorable scapegoat. No one could be mad at Kit.

He washed his hands and mouth off as the beef browned on the stove. Time for the veggie side dish. So, this was how normal people ate, not just out of boxes and bags. He began chopping the medley, keeping an eye on the stove . He had to stop to drain the meat and get the rest of the meal started. Back to chopping.

He spotted a carrot with a blemish. He took the knife and attempted to slice off the bad part, but the blade glanced off the tough flesh and wedged itself deep in his thumb. He yelped dropping everything. The blood ran black down his hand leaving inky drops on the floor and counter. He snatched a paper towel wrapping his thumb tightly, then more to clean the splatters. He threw the knife and carrot into the sink and ran water over them to wash away the blood.

In a panic he twisted the knob on the stove and rushed for the guest bathroom. He locked the door and dug around for a Band-Aid. He was in luck, Pepper had a fully stocked first aid kit. He over-wrapped his thumb in gauze. He knew too well that the slightest peep about someone with black blood would have the city swarming with demon hunters.

He couldn't get his mother's horrified expression out of his head, how her jaw had dropped and the way her face had gone white as a sheet. That cut had been much smaller, yet she had still covered her heart and prayed aloud for his soul.

He looked at the wad of paper towels in the sink and thought about flushing them. What if they clogged the toilet? The image of black water spilling out on to the floor filled his mind. He forced the thought away, he was prepared for this. He pulled out his wallet and found a piece of paper tucked into one of the pockets. Al had given him the incantation, it was only for emergencies and he was confident that what he was dealing with counted. He held his hand over the towels and softly the chanted the spell. He felt the power building near his fingertips. Suddenly the paper burst into flame, incinerating almost instantaneously. The magic ricocheted back up his arm with the puff of smoke sending a blinding shot of pain through his skull. He fell back against the wall gripping his head. He felt something wet at his lip and tasted blood. He had forgotten what a motherfucker burnout was. At least the resulting nose bleed was easily stopped with a ball of toilet paper.

A knock at the door startle him.

"Gerry? What's that smell; are you smoking?" Pepper asked. "You know I don't care what you do at home, but I really can't let you do that here. You have to understand my position."

"No! I was just-"

She gasped outside the door. "Dinner!" she shrieked racing down the hall.

Gerry stared down at the charred mess in the skillet. "I'm sorry. I really thought I'd turned it off."

Pepper shrugged. "No big deal, everyone is alive." She looked down at his thickly bandaged thumb. "You sure you don't need to see a doctor?"

"It wasn't all that bad, I'm just a bleeder."

She sighed. "You get light-headed on me and I'm dragging you to the ER."

"I'll be fine."

She took his hand and lead him to the kitchen table sitting him down. "You don't have to hide anymore. No one is going to come get you. You and Al were minors when you left, but you are both adults now."

"But Al said-"

"Look, I'm sure Al means well, but she doesn't know the law like I do. Your parents can't come after you if you don't want them too. You can start living your life the way you want to."

"It's not that easy-"

"What isn't? I can help you get a job. I can set you up with the right people to get you taken out of the registry. I can help you get a restraining order if you want. And seeing as the background check was clean, if you wanted, you could stay with me."

He blinked unsure he had heard her right. "Wha-?"

She pointed to Kit. "The house still has a doggy-door from the last owner and there's a big enough back yard. You and Kit could be happy here if you wanted to be."

Gerry kept his eyes on his hands. "Why would you want to help me like that?"

She tapped her chest. "Hey, protect and serve, right?" She placed her hand on top of his. "You don't have to decide right away. You may want to talk it over with Al since you two have been together so long. I don't know. It just seems like you two haven't been getting along, maybe a bit of distance would do you some good."

"I owe Al a lot, but at the same time she's done things..."

"Want to tell me about it? I'm really curious about you two."

He shrugged. "What's to be curious about?"

"Well you two seemed to be really comfortable with each other in a pretty sexual way, yet you claim you've never been a couple."

His cheeks reddened. "Our folks were not the most forthcoming with adulthood knowledge. We got curious. We weren't quite ten the first time we saw each other naked." He ducked his head. "Sorry that's weird as shit."

Pepper smiled. "It's really not that unusual for kids to 'play doctor'. My parents were all into the church and sent me to an all girls school. I still experimented. It just took me longer to do it with a boy. Funny how that works isn't it."

He gave her a weak smile. "I guess."

She gave his hand a squeeze. "Well, when you're ready to talk I'll be here to listen, okay?"

"Okay."

"Alright then. I think I have some old pizza in the fridge."

Al stepped over the unconscious man on the floor, his pants still around his ankles. "Thanks for being a creep right off the bat, I was a bit peckish." She pressed her hands to the wall separating the house from the one Gerry was in. She closed her eyes searching out the energies inside. So far everything was calm, maybe it would stay that way. It was a pain, but who would look after him if she didn't?

****

Gerry struggled against the ropes that held him in his chair. Two men stood above him.

"This is why we have to check," The bearded one started "for every few thousand religious nutjobs there is always one that is actually possessed. "

The younger man shook his head. "Shame it's a kid though. You sure there's nothing we can do?"

The bearded one took out a knife and quickly cut Gerry's arm. Gerry cried out into his gag as black oozed down his arm. "You know the rules, you don't attempt an exorcism on anything that bleeds black. Besides the fact that he's sealed proves that he did this to himself." Gerry shook his head wildly, but was ignored. "Probably after power. These magic types are dumb like that."

"Still, I feel bad for the parents."

"They did the right thing. Now we have to do the same. You sure no one is going to be near that incinerator?"

"Yeah, I double checked."

The older man nodded and pulled a syringe from his pocket. He gave it a thump and looked down at Gerry. "Don't worry, this little prick is the last thing you'll ever feel. You and your demon get to leave this world peacefully."

As the man leaned in Gerry jerked back knocking the chair over. He wriggled in a vain attempt to escape.

"I'm not gunna fight you, kid. If you wanna go in the burner awake that's your prerogative." He seized him by the arm, but only pulled him up half way before he froze.
Gerry blinked away the tears clouding his vision. The man's face had lost all expression as had his partners.

"Now untie him." A familiar voice ordered.

He began freeing Gerry from his bindings . Finally lose Gerry scooted back pulling the gag out of his mouth and rubbing his wrists.

"Now, you two go make out or something." Al said stepping out from behind the demon hunters. She crossed her arms over her chest. "You aren't very good at keeping secrets are you?"

He choked on a sob. "It was- an- accident."

"We have to leave now. You know that."

He nodded.

"Alright, let's get out of here." She said holding out her hand.

Gerry took Al's hand and she pulled him the rest of the way into the old tree house. They were eight years old.

"This can be our hide out!" Al exclaimed holding out her arms. "No one will ever find us out here."

Gerry looked around at the aging structure. "Is it safe?"

"Sure, sure. And we have everything we need." She rushed over to a wooden chest. "Comics and books and snacks." She grabbed an opened package of cookies. "Ants!" She shrieked hurling it out the window. She recovered quickly. "It's okay! I have more."

"Why can't we go to your place?"

"Pierce is home." She said sadly. "He says girls and boys have different bodies and shouldn't be friends."

"Why not?"

"I don't know. He said I'd find out when I get married."

Gerry frowned. "What's so different?"

Al shrugged. "I dunno. I guess we could find out."

Gerry shook his head. "No, we'll get in trouble."

"No one will know!" She hopped in front of him and grabbed the hem of her shirt. "On the count of three?"

Gerry wrinkled his nose. "Okay, I guess."

"One, two, Three!"

They both lifted their shirts. Gerry pointed to Al. "What's that?"

Al looked down at her chest. "Oh, my training bra."

"What's it training for?"

"I think that's so when my boobs come in they know where to go."

Gerry frowned. "That's dumb, but you gotta take it off so we can see."

She pulled the cottony fabric up revealing her bare chest. "It's really not that different." She pulled her shirt back down. "I guess it's the bottom parts. I heard some other kids say that." She hooked her fingers over the elastic of her skirt. "Bottoms now?"

"Okay." He muttered even less enthusiastic.

"Okay, one, two, three!"

They both jerked down their bottoms.

"No fair!" Gerry protested. "You don't have anything!"

Al pouted. "There's stuff!" She grinned then. "Yours looks weird."

"No it doesn't! That's what it's supposed to look like." He snapped tugging his pants back up.

"Can I touch it?"

"No!" He darted away from her holding on to his pants and she pursued. They both crashed into the wall of the tree-fort and it groaned loudly and seemed to tilt. They both froze staring wide eyed until it settled back down.

"Never mind." Al whispered "I'll touch it later."

Gerry opened his mouth, but his words were obscured by growling.
******

Gerry opened his eyes and stared up at the ceiling. His stomach growled again despite having just eaten two slices of pizza. He turned his head. Pepper still seemed to be asleep with her arm draped over his chest. He slid out from under her as carefully as possible. He slinked out of the bed room and into the kitchen. He searched the fridge, but only found a few frozen pork chops. He glanced at the clock. Three a.m.

He gnawed at his bottom lip, maybe he could make it to a 24 hour store and back before Pepper woke up. His stomach ached as if something were squirming wildly inside. He'd have to risk it. He grabbed his jacket and made for the door. He shushed Kit as he attempted to leave with him. He slipped outside the door only to nearly step on Al who was sitting on the front steps.

"What the hell are you doing here?!" He hissed.

She said nothing, just held up a plastic bag containing a t-bone.

Gerry sighed and plopped down beside her. "Should I even ask?"

"Googled her name and I've only known you forever."

He took a bite of the meat using the bag as a wrapper. "Pepper invited me to live with her."

Al just looked out onto the empty street. "Do you really think that's a good idea?"

He chomped down on a bigger hunk and chewed slowly. He swallowed. "No, I don't guess it is."