Wanted: A Hero

A/N: This is a Slim Bob and OC coupling…sort of. After watching Slim Bob's ending, I couldn't resist pairing him with the damsel he saved from the train, what with him receiving that sweet kiss to the cheek, I thought they looked so cute together. So I did rename (or gave) her Evie. Anyways, I hope you have fun reading this as much as I had fun writing it. If the world doesn't end on Friday, this story should hopefully be finished by Christmas. Thanks again for reading!

If only she could see him again…Since he saved her on that fateful fall day, the image of her "handsome hero" remained imbedded in her mind. His dazzling blue eyes, curly, platinum blonde hair, and that slim, narrow body he owned…All his features haunted her day in and day out.

At night, he ran through her dreams, saving her from not only trains, but criminals and thieves alike. Then during the daytime, she would see him reflected in a shop window or catch him passing by in the corner of her eye. But whenever she chanced a glance, it was always just another man, mannequin, or lamppost. Another one of the games her mind had been enjoying playing with her.

Now it was nearing the holidays and just like the past months, Evie found herself staring blankly out her studio apartment at the drab city streets below. It had been a beautiful snowfall that took place last week, a decent four inches, but now all of the snow had turned to slush, becoming dirtied and muddied by the gas guzzling cars that occupied the roads. No longer were there children frolicking about in their "Winter Wonderland" or couples skating merrily on the iced-over streets. Nope, everyone had gone back to being their plain Jane selves, going on with their lives listlessly. That was the problem with this city. It was so bland, so…lacking. It needed a spark, something to spice things up and motivate the civilians.

"Like a hero…" The blonde whispered to herself.

As her mind filled with images of her hero, the phone she had set in her lap began to ring, startling her back to reality. Reading the name of the caller, she let out a breath of air before answering. "Uh…Hello?"

"Hey, Eve," her friend answered cheerfully from the other end. "What's up? Are you fantasizing about your knight in shining armor again?"

"How'd you guess," Evie replied with a gentle smile on her lips. "Did you need something?"

"Yeah," Tiffany replied. "You, me, and a whole day of holiday shopping! How about it?"

At this, Evie frowned, glad that her friend wasn't able to see. "W-what? But…" She hated to lie and an excuse just couldn't find its way into her head at the moment. She didn't hate spending time with her friend, but she didn't feel like leaving her apartment for the time being.

There had been a few seconds of silence between them until Tiffany said solemnly, "Look, Eve, you've been acting so weird since your accident, I just thought that maybe you should get some fresh air, clear your mind and everything, y'know? But if you don't want to…"

She was tugging at her guilt strings now. Just like Tiffany. Evie gave a gentle smile as she replied back, "No, you're right. A little fresh air wouldn't hurt."

"Great!" Was the reply emanating from her phone, "Then how 'bout we meet up around lunchtime?"

"Sounds like a deal."

It was near lunchtime and the diner was becoming filled as students, businessmen, and every other worker piled in. Bob, sitting at his usual spot by the window, kept his face buried in his menu as people walked back and forth past him. He was never one for big crowds considering what his "occupation" was and would prefer to be seen as the average Joe, easily forgotten the minute he was seen. However, he was finding that blending in was not so easy since his major weight loss.

Every time a young lady, or sometimes even an elderly woman, caught a glimpse of him, he would receive a wink, flirtatious "finger-wave", puckered lips, or a combination of the three. Of course he would always look away, pretending that he never noticed, and briskly walk away. It was never like this when he was over three-hundred pounds.

Hence the reason why, since his weight loss, he has been eating here. He had eaten at countless food courts and fast food joints, but this one he found seemed to serve the oiliest, fattiest, heart attack-provoking foods known to man. Hell, he was sure the whole building was coated in grease as he had, on a few accounts, slipped on the flooring due to some unknown wax. Yet, no matter how much he stuffed in, he always seemed to remain this thin, finely chiseled man. He looked at the image of himself reflected off the window and thought, Make that thin, finely chiseled, and weak…

He groaned aloud and slapped his forehead onto the table. Why was he, of all people, blessed with such a curse called fast metabolism? Raising his head back up, he rested his chin on his fist and lazily peered out the glass at the streets outside. There wasn't much to take in aside from cars and two young ladies across the street, both of whom he decided to study as he awaited his order.

Both possessed slender, model worthy bodies and could easily be mistaken as sisters if not for the difference in their hair coloring. One was a brunette while the other a blonde. The blonde one, he couldn't help but feel as if he knew her from somewhere. Just as she was turning to face the diner, a taxi drove by and blocked his view. By the time it had moved, the two had vanished around the corner. He shrugged. It didn't matter now because his tray of burgers and fries had arrived.

Evie was so sure she saw him in the corner of her eye, but just as she turned to see, the yellow cab decided to drive by, obscuring her vision, and her friend had decided, at that very second, to yank her to a store just down the street. Although desperate to find out if that was really him sitting in the diner, she forced herself to believe that it was just another mind game her brain was playing and continued following her friend.

"This is it," Tiffany called over her shoulder, releasing Evie's wrist.

Rubbing the wrist which was now growing red, Evie looked up at the store that she was taken to. It was a moderately small, albeit, vintage outlet, and by the looks of it, very well-kept. However, despite it being a very nice looking store, Evie knew the real reason as to why her friend had dragged her here. The answer lay in the window display.

Wrapped on the mannequin before them was the most lovely, virgin-white ballet dress both Tiffany and Evie had ever laid their eyes on. So dazzling and stunning it was it was easy for passersby to become envious of a mere mannequin. Tiffany looked at Evie from the corner of her eye and upon seeing the awe in her hazel eyes, smirked. "So…What do you think?"

In spite of how beautiful it was, Evie shook her head at the idea of her owning such a thing. "It's beautiful, but…" She shifted her eyes to the floor, causing the brunette to frown.

Quickly hoping to make amends before things would start to get worse, Tiffany gripped the blonde's hand and began dragging her away from the store. "Y'know what? There's another store around here that's really cute too. Let's go check it out."

Before she could take her far, she felt a resistant on the other end. Tiffany stopped and looked back at her friend who had a weak smile on her lips. They stared at one another for a long time before Evie finally broke the tension between them. "I know what you're trying to do and I really appreciate it, Tiff', but you don't have to worry about me." Her smile grew as she wrapped her fingers around Tiffany's hand. "So I lost my ability to dance, but I'm alive aren't I? And not only that, I also met my handsome hero in tights." She added that last statement with a wink.

Tiffany wasn't convinced but found that it wouldn't help matters any if she persisted with their current topic. She instead decided to let it go and whispered, "You're right."

"Good. Now, let's go check out that store you mentioned." Evie said joyfully.

As the day wound down and dinner time was just around the corner, the two women went their separate ways, both of them leaving each other's company with armfuls of shopping bags. Evie hadn't planned on spending much during this shopping excursion, but she should've known that when you spend any time with Tiffany, leaving a store empty-handed was highly unlikely.

"Speed and weight!" The sounds of nearby kids were heard as Evie maneuvered her way through the neighborhoods. She wasn't a fan of the configuration of her apartment area what with all the turns and alleys, she was frequently getting lost. Yet the positioning had been convenient as it was only a walk away from the subways which she had used for her daily transportation from home to work. Yet, now left without a job, she now wondered if she should consider finding a new place, one that she could find more welcoming.

Lost in her thoughts, she had somehow made her way to the location of the children's play area between two rundown apartment buildings and stopped in her tracks at the sight that laid itself out before her. She must not have noticed it during her pondering, but at some point, the children's laughter had silenced and the reason stood before her.

He was a common street thug, a stereotypical bully. He was holding two of the four boys up by their collars, leaving the other two younger ones on the ground crying. So appalled was she by the sight, the blonde dropped all of her bags, the sound of the dropping paraphernalia gathering the attention of the boys.

"What's going on here?" Usually, sweet-natured and tame, Evie's voice came out and directed itself at the thug.

Giving the slender woman a look over, the hooligan cocked an eyebrow and dropped the two boys onto their rears. "Say something, princess?" He began his advance towards her, a dirty look playing across his face.

Despite his approaching steps and the slimming distance between them, Evie remained where she stood, her eyes showing no signs of fear. When he was only an arm's length away, he made a grab for the front of her shirt, but quickly found himself grasping only a handful of air. Surprised that the young lady had managed to evade him without even seeming to move, he wasn't prepared for the pain that would soon reach his nether regions as Evie delivered to him a kick from one of her well-toned legs.

Sinking to his knees, he watched as the blonde hovered over him, her slim figure overshadowing him. "You should leave while you still have an ounce of dignity," he heard her lecture to him. "And for your own sake, don't come back."

She turned back to her fallen bags and went to go gather them but stopped as she heard a series of footsteps follow after her. Turning around she found the four boys running by her and, following them with her eyes, she watched as they bent to the floor to pick up her shopping. "What's this," she asked as a smile grew on her face.

"Hmph." The child who appeared to be the oldest looked away, probably to hide the blush growing on his cheeks, and mumbled, "You may think we're kids, but we know when to be grateful. So…thanks lady. Just don't tell anyone else about this."

"Of course." Evie giggled to herself. "I'll tell everyone that you were the little heroes that saved little ol' me."

The youngest child ran up to her and while bouncing up and down said, "That was so cool! It was almost like watching Mr. Red!"

"Mr. Red?" Evie repeated.

"Yeah," one of the older boys replied. "Some superhero that comes by once in a while to check up on us. Kinda' a loser if you ask me."

A superhero who wears red? Suddenly Evie's heart began to beat rapidly as her own hero came to mind. It couldn't be coincidence. But she needed confirmation. "Um…this superhero of yours, he wouldn't happen to wear pants that are just a little too big for him, would he?"

All four boys nodded in unison which was all the evidence Evie needed. Quickly she bent down and gathered all the children around her. "Listen up boys. Care to tell me all you know about him?"

They switched glances between one another, probably thinking to each other how loony this woman was, but nonetheless began telling her of the hero in red and overly huge pants.

Bob, who had spent the day as the town glutton, walked miserably down the dimly lit streets as he felt his stomach. Despite all the food he devoured today, a gut had yet to form. What was wrong with him?

As he headed back to his apartment, he walked by a little chic shop where a ballerina outfit was displayed and a brunette who was staring holes through it. Looking back over his shoulder at her, he realized it was one of the girls he had seen from the diner earlier that day. By the looks of it, her blonde friend had probably gone home while she decided to continue her shopping spree late into the night. Girls… Bob thought. He could never understand them.

Just as he was prepared to cross the street and gesture for a cab, a group of men decided to make an appearance and approach the young lady.

"Hey little lady," one called, breaking the silence of the night, "What are you doing out here by yourself?"

Tiffany, alerted back to the real world, turned to look at them and narrowed her eyes. "And to what do I owe the pleasure of being granted a visit by such ugly men? I thought I had been a good girl this year, Santa."

"Cute." Another man scoffed.

The three men took their spots around her, surrounding her and trapping her against the glass window. One reached for one of the bags in her arms, but before he could grab ahold of it, he was suddenly yanked back by the collar of his shirt and launched into the lamppost behind him. With the open space provided and the other two men distracted by what happened to their partner in crime, Tiffany silently crept away to watch the fight break out from a distance.

After throwing the man into the lamppost, Bob turned his attention to the other men who were currently gazing at him as if he were the biggest joke.

"What the heck are you?" One of them questioned, completely unconcerned of his fellow friend who lay out cold on the concrete floor.

Bob, while attempting to keep his pants up and around his waist, let out a groan. "C'mon guys. Can't you at least pretend to be threatened?"

With fists out, one of the thugs made a lunge for Bob's face. "I'm gonna' rip that mask off your face to see what kind of joke lies under that stupid mask of yours!"

Bob side-stepped the oncoming blow then delivered a gut punch of his own, causing the man to crumple to the floor. Then, using the fallen man as a step stool, the hero in red launched a flying, full-powered kick into the other man's chest, all the while holding his pants up.

As he finished dealing with the men, Tiffany had silently watched from the shadows, not believing her eyes. This man was the hero Evie had been fantasizing about since her accident. There was no mistaking it. The slim body, red outfit, and overgrown pants…He fit the description to a solid T. "So…you're the one who saved Evie that day," she spoke up, stepping out from her hiding spot.

"Uh, Evie," Bob questioned, turning away from her in an attempt to hide his face despite the fact that it was hidden beneath his mask.

"Yeah," Tiffany spoke. "It was about five or six months ago when you saved her from getting completely decimated by the subway train. Do you remember or have you saved so many lives it has become blended in with the others?"

So that was why she was familiar to him. He almost couldn't believe he hadn't recognized her earlier, what with the sweet kiss she had planted on him that day. "Well, saving lives is part of my duty," he replied, returning to the conversation. "Now if you'll excuse me…"

Just as he was prepared to sprint off, the brunette's husky, strong voice froze him in his tracks. "Hold it! I'm not finished talking to you!" Bob listened to her approaching footsteps which stopped just behind him. In a gentler tone, Tiffany continued speaking. "Although you saved her life that day, she suffered torn tendons and a broken ankle in her left leg and because of it, she really hasn't been herself. You see, she was a renowned ballet dancer, dancing in national theaters all over the world but due to her injury, she was forced to quit. Or…so she says. But I know better."

Bob's shoulders sagged as he released a sigh. Why the heck is she telling him this?

Although she saw and heard him sighing, Tiffany, keeping her anger in check, continued with her story. "She's still that amazing dancer she always has been. She just gave up and became this lifeless hermit living this monotonous routine of eating, sleeping, and bathing. But," she shifted her eyes to the back of Bob's head, "whenever she talks about you, she comes back to life. Which is why I need you to do me one more favor: Bring the passion back into Evie's life. If anyone could do it, it's you."

At her proposition, Bob coughed. "S-sorry! But I only specialize in beating up bad guys. Now if I could just…" Before he knew it, the mask that had once been donned on his head had slipped off causing him to gasp and hid his face behind his hands.

"Oh really?" Tiffany spoke, examining the mask which now lay in her possession. "Then I guess you wouldn't mind then if I just tell everyone who their hero is, would you?"

"You wouldn't!"

"Is that what you think? Don't forget that all I have to do is just take two steps and I'll be right in front of you."

Bob listened to her feet as they began to move and gasped. "Okay, okay! I'll help her!"

There was a soft giggle as the mask was deposited back onto his head. "I knew I could count on you," Tiffany whispered into his ear, "my hero…"

Bob turned around after adjusting his mask so that he could see out of the eye slots, only to find that he was standing alone on a deserted street. He scratched his head in confusion as he questioned aloud, "How am I supposed to find her?"