Chapter One
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Prologue
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Trudging through the streets, clothes tattered and torn, barely warding off the cold air as it nips at her exposed skin, thirteen year old Elizabeth wraps her arms around herself in hopes of keeping some sense of warmth. Her stomach growling, a cringing pain tightening her insides as she's reminded of the extended amount of time she has gone without food. What she wouldn't give to be anyone else right now. Walking becoming nearly impossible, she pauses outside of an Italian restaurant, eyes landing on a small family gathered for the holidays. How nice that must be. To have a family.

"Hey!" a voice calls out to her as she continues to walk past the restaurant.

Glancing around at her surroundings, she looks at the boy with an arched eyebrow, "Me?" she questions in confusion.

"Yeah." he says simply, walking over to where she stands, a look of understanding gracing his features. "Here."

"I don't want your scraps." she says, pushing the bag back to him. "I'll survive on my own."

"Never be too proud to accept help." he says seriously, pushing the bag into her arms. "And its not scraps. Its a freshly made order. I'm not that much of an ass."

"Oh." she sighs, hugging the bag to her chest, relishing in its warmth. "Sorry...and thanks."

"Don't mention it." he says with a slight smile. "The name's Johnny."

"Liz." she says after a moment, growing slightly nervous at his outright kindness.

"Nice to meet you, Liz." Johnny says with a slight smile. "Now, I'm gonna offer ya something, but you can't bite my head off, kay?"

"Okay." she whispers, the aroma of the food getting the better of her, hoping that he couldn't hear her stomach growling in demand of the food.

"There's an extra room at my place if you need a place to crash. Its a pool house actually." Johnny says carefully. "No strings or nothing. Just a place to hit the hay."

"Why?" she tilts her head to try and get a read on him, uncertain of his intentions. "Why help me?"

"Cuz you look like you need it." Johnny answers honestly. "And it don't look like anyone else is reaching out a hand."

"T-Thanks, but I'm okay." Elizabeth shakes her head, taking a deep breath. "I should..."

"Its just me and my sister there." he assures with a slight smile. "If you don't like it, you can up and split, no questions. Okay?"

"I..." she starts to say before she takes a deep breath and shakes her head. "Okay."

"Cool, okay." he says, shrugging out of his jacket to give to her. "Here. You must be freezing."

"A little." she admits, allowing him to help her into it. "Thanks."

"My sister should have some clothes around your size." Johnny voices as he guides her to his car. "Gotta warn you, though, she has a very unique sense of style."

"Will she be okay with me?"

"She's pretty chill." he assures. "So no sweat, kay?"

"Okay."

After settling into the passenger seat of the sedan, Elizabeth's finally able to tear into the food that he had given her, relishing in each and every bite. Lord only knows how long she's gone without food, each bite feeling like a gift straight from the heavens, a treasure to be cherished to the last bite. Johnny could see that she was still on her defense with him and he didn't blame her. Hell, he pretty much encourages it, given the world he lives in. He wasn't sure whose sins he was trying to make up for by helping her, his father's or his own, but he's going to do whatever it takes to help her.

"Seriously, John, another one?" his sister sighs, eyeing Elizabeth through the window of the sedan before turning back to him. "What did I tell you that last time you brought the homeless here?"

"Its not the same thing." Johnny insists, knowing she would act like this, but she'll see things his way eventually. "She's just a kid. She needs our help, Claudia."

"You're a kid, too, ya know." Claudia reminds him. "You're barely sixteen, John. Don't you think I have enough teens in my house as it is?"

"She'll be staying in the pool house. So...technically not in the house."

"You and your technicalities." Claudia shakes her head before throwing her hands up. "Fine, John, fine."

"Also...she kind of needs clothes..."

"She can have whatever's in the donation closet." Claudia says plainly, pulling open the door. "Get her inside already, huh. She looks on the verge of hypothermia."

"Love you!" he calls out to her as she walks into the house.

"Yeah, yeah." Claudia shakes her head. "Love you, too, brat."

Smiling to himself, Johnny makes his way back to his sedan, pulling open the passenger door to help Elizabeth out of the car. Sharing a soft smile, he shows her into the house, bringing her to the backyard where the pool house is located. Elizabeth's eyes go wide at the sight of the building. It was a lot bigger than she thought it would be. Its a lot bigger than her family's home back in Boulder. This couldn't be the pool house, she thought to herself, its way too big to be a mere extension of the main house.

"Everything in this closet is yours for the keeping." Johnny explains when he pulls open the door. "She has no use for them anymore."

"They all look nearly brand new." she says in a soft tone as she walks into the closet, finding rows of clothes and shoes.

"She hardly wears her clothes more than a few times." Johnny replies simply. "Anyway, I'll leave you to it. Fridge is fully stocked if you find yourself getting hungry later. Don't hesitate to head up to the main house if you need anything else."

"This is more than enough." she says softly. "Thank you."

"Ya really gotta stop thanking me." Johnny says as he gets ready to leave. "Kay?"

"Okay."

"See ya later."

Turning back to the clothes as he leaves, Elizabeth couldn't help the tears that welled up in her eyes, unable to understand how she had gotten there. Living on the streets, she has come across the most spiteful human beings she has ever come to know, but never once has anyone ever shown her this level of generosity. This level of kindness. Picking out a set of pajamas from the bunch, Elizabeth makes her way to the bathroom, amazed at how beautiful the place truly was. Even the bathroom was so elegant.

Filling up the bathtub with warm, bubbly water, Elizabeth strips down before lowering herself into the water. The instant the warmth surrounded her body, she felt her body relax, relishing in such simple pleasures. It has been so long since she has taken a decent bath, so long since she has been allowed to relish in such simple pleasures and it was perfect. The sweet smell of the bubble bath paired with the warmth of the water has put her in a kind of tranquil state. Even if this doesn't last, even if she's back on the streets tomorrow, Elizabeth is thankful for this one moment of peace. This one moment of comfort.

"What's with you and this girl?" Claudia asks her brother as they sit down to dinner. "Why the need to help her?"

"I don't know." Johnny admits. "I've seen her a lot on the streets. Always so lost...so broken...I just couldn't take it anymore. I had to help."

"You have a big heart, John, but not everyone is worth saving."

"She is." Johnny says firmly. "I know it."

"Okay." Claudia sighs before smiling. "Okay. If you feel that strongly about it, I'll help."

"You...help?"

"Don't look so surprised." Claudia laughs softly. "I can be helpful."

"You gonna tell dad about her?"

"If the need arises, but not until it does." Claudia assures. "For now, she's our concern alone."

"Okay." Johnny accepts before rising to his feet. "I'm gonna chill by the pool."

"You go ahead. I've got a few calls to make." Claudia says, taking their plates. "Try not to stay up too late, huh? You have school in the morning."

"Yeah, yeah, I know."

Walking out of the house, Johnny makes his way to the edge of the pool before sitting down and placing his feet in the water. Leaning back, he stares up at the stars, swearing that it was his favorite part of the night. Staring up at the vast beauty above, he can't see himself ever growing tired of staring up at them. He knows that he tries to hard sometimes, but he just can't see anything wrong in being that way. In always trying to help people. Sure, he's made a few mistakes in his life, he's not without sin, but he doesn't see why that should stop him from helping when he can.

"Hey." he greets her as she makes her way out of the pool house and over to him. "Can't sleep?"

"Not really." she admits, lowering herself to sit down next to him. "Its been so long since I've slept in an actual bed..."

"Can I ask how you ended up the way you are?" Johnny questions curiously. "You don't have to tell me if ya think its too personal."

"Its not...not really." Elizabeth admits before shaking her head. "All my life, I had been the odd child out, my parents regretting my very existence."

"That's harsh."

"Yeah...but its life." Elizabeth sighs. "I made a mistake one day, a mistake that hurt their precious daughter. I tried to explain, but they wouldn't hear me. Before I knew it, I was on the streets doing whatever I could to survive. My sister's okay, though, thankfully."

"And I thought my family sucked." Johnny comments with a shake of his head. "Well, its their loss, so, screw them."

"Heh...yeah." Elizabeth replies with a laugh. "Screw them."

"You're welcome to stay here however long you want." Johnny says after a moment as they both relax to look up at the stars. "No timetable. No limit."

"I'll keep that in mind."

"Good." he smirks. "I'm glad."

Note: Other stories on Hiatus for now. Just until I finish this. Shouldn't take too long, promise. Just a little birthday gift for a little special someone. Thanks.