AUTHOR'S NOTE: hey everyone, I have another one going! This one has no name, but I think it's going to be good. As I said, not title. If anyone has a good name for this fic, that would be great if I could get a couple of suggestions. BTW, this was all written on a whim. Nothing was planned out or written in a notebook like all my other stories are… Hmm… Nice change, don't you think? Lol. Enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I own nothing. Did you really think I DID?! ::dazed:: Wow… I wish I came up with the idea of this movie…

SUMMARY: None yet. Lol. Of anyone can help me out …? Probably going to be hurt/comfort though Miguel/hurt, Tulio/comfort.

Okay, on with the story! And as always, EVERY REVIEW AND COMMENT IS APPRECIATED!!! :-D Okay. Off we go!

Ooh, I'm gonna like this story… :-D


Miguel looked out past the bars to the cell, hardly even able to stand up anymore. He allowed himself a small shudder as his body tried to warm itself.

"Why does this always happen?" he asked Tulio, who was in the prison cell across from his own.

"Because you can't lie low?" his friend suggested bitterly, shrugging his shoulders.

Miguel decided to let that little comment slide. It was too cold in this particular prison and he was too tired to care.

After about a week of being in here with little food and water, no real warmth and being alone no way to talk to his friend about getting out of here, he didn't feel like arguing at all.

That's when Tulio knew something was wrong. Miguel always fought back. No matter how stupid it was.

"Miguel, are you okay?"

No. He wasn't. He was about to pass out, in all honesty. Stale bread crusts, dirty water and the freezing cold was getting to him. He staggered back to the poor excuse of a bed and flopped down on his, wishing he had a blanket.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Miguel lied, curling up with his back towards Tulio, "just tired."

Trying to stay awake, he recalled what had gotten them into this mess…

((flashback))

"Come on!" Miguel yelled to his raven-haired partner as they ran.

"Yeah! Let's not ever, ever try that again!" Tulio gasped, trying to talk and run at the same time.

"Agreed!" the blonde replied.

What they agreed on was never to try to outsmart another general like Cortez. This one was eerily like the hated man, looks and personality both. They had to be related somehow.

Now they were running for their lives from a small army of soldiers on horses that were trying to kill them for making a fool of the general.

How? One may ask?

They had no idea. They were playing in the alley with Tulio's trusty, 'lucky' dice, the man they were beating found them out and then he turned out to be the Cortez lookalike! Nice twist of fate! And now, they were the ones being chased while the other guy got away with the same thing the con men where running for! Ah, the frustration!! They knew him only as Jose.

So, they ran.

And ran. And ran.

After what seemed like hours, the sounds of hoof beats slowly died away as the pair of criminals dodged their way through the city, squeezing into small places that no horse could fit.

And it worked!

For a while, anyway…

Ten minutes after the hoof beats died, Tulio and Miguel were cut off by the towering general they knew as Jose.

"Ah, damn it!" Tulio swore, stamping his foot in the dusty road.

They spun around to see they were cut off from behind as well.

"Damn it!" Tulio swore again and they both put their hands over their heads in surrender.

Miguel cried out softly as he was struck on the back of the head by something hard and fell to the ground heavily.

Tulio put his hands down and knelt to his friend's side. A thin rivulet of blood trickled from just behind his right ear. He was going to be okay, he hoped. Miguel was only knocked out for the time being.

From the ground, Tulio glared up at Jose.

"There was no need for—" he was cut off when he was hit from behind as well.

Everything went black.

When they woke up, they were both in a dark, dank, freezing prison. In separate cells. No chance of escape unless they could talk together quietly.

They had nothing to eat for the day. Or the day after that. Or after that. Finally, on the third day, they were brought a couple of stale bread crusts with a small cup of filthy water, all of which were gone in a matter of minutes.

The next day was much the same. And the next one.

Now they were here. And half-frozen and miserable with still no hopes for escape.

((end of flashback))

"Miguel?" Tulio called softly.

No answer.

"Miguel!" A little louder this time.

Still there was no answer.

Tulio picked up the small cup that came with their pitiful meals. Then chucked it at his blonde friend and hit him in the small of his back, receiving a soft groan in reply.

"What?" Miguel asked without moving.

"Are you okay?"

"I was until I was just bombarded with cheap tin," came the sarcastic reply.

"Well, throw it back then."

An exasperated groan this time.

"You shouldn't have thrown it then."

"Miguel! Just throw it back," said Tulio, trying to get a look at his friend's face.

Miguel sat up, steadying himself with one hand against the cold stone wall. Then swung his legs off the board and got off. He spotted the cup, walked over to it, picked it up and took it over to the bars of his cell.

Now Tulio could see him. And was shocked. He knew Miguel was as miserable as he was, but he looked worse.

His face was pale, his eyes were a bit sunken with bags under them and his cheeks were hollow. A thin sheen of sweat coated his skin and made his stained red shirt stick to his back.

"Don't do it again, okay?" he asked tiredly, after tossing it back.

"Miguel, you're not okay, you look like hell," the skinnier man said.

"Thanks," and the blonde went back to his cot and laid down.

Miguel was not okay and they both knew it. Tulio had to do something, and soon.

Little did they know, something was about to happen. Something that was different from all the other prisons they had ever been in.


AUTHOR'S NOTE: Okay, so what did you all think? All reviews (including flames) are appreciated. Every one of them counts. Don't just think, "Oh, someone else will say the same thing as I would, so I'll just let them do it." I want to know what you all have to say. :-D So, click that little purple Button!

Until next time, fellow freaks and morons!

JILLIAN