A/N: Hi there, everyone! Wondering What Breakfast Is (AKA Julia) here, submitting a BRAND NEW STORY! Aw, it's happiness on a stick! I'm sorry to all those who just love Herc and Meg. I loved them up until about two days ago. I saw a really cute pic of him by himself and I thought "What they hey! Meg has Hades, so Herc should get a non-evil cutie!" And then this sprung from my twisted, evil, teenage brain, and I just HAD TO write it! Sorry for a few things. One being Meg and Hades. Slightly disturbing, yes, but we all knew it was gonna happen. And the length, sorry too. But this is only the first chapter. Bear with me people. MWAHAHAHAHA!

The stars thingies mean a flashback. There may be more in the future, so this is just to be safe.

Disclaimer: I do not own Disney, the movie Hercules, the series, or any of the characters. But I do own Melaina. If I did own Disney, I wouldn't be here writing on my beloved compy, but laughing in money. But I'm not, so this is the sad result. Enjoy.

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There was something I saw in her eyes, something I wanted. I desperately desired it, wanted to call it my own. I wouldn't rest until I had it. I wouldn't rest until I had her. I was smitten the moment our eyes met, but I hadn't wanted that. She was so... odd. In a world like mine, she was a fish out of water. I couldn't stop thinking about her. Her eyes, those green eyes, they begged for me to return to her. But of all the people, her? Why couldn't it have been Megara, or Helen, or at least Cassandra? But I knew it was for the best. Megara was with Hades, and good riddance to her. She had betrayed the gods and me, Hercules, all for what? Her debt to be gone? I had spared Hades for her sake, but when she tried to go back to me, I didn't even look at her. I despise her, but I do not hate her. Hate is a feeling I could never fully understand.

Helen liked me, but only as a friend. She had Adonis, who lost his preppy boy hotness as the high school years left. He had grown fat and at twenty, his hair was receding. He pretended he had intended for all of this to happen, but everyone knew his cruelty was coming around in an even crueler way. Helen remained as gorgeous as ever. But living with Adonis had made her harder. She still smiled, but it was a longing smile. She wanted to be in times past, where Adonis didn't treat her so terribly and they were in love, and not just married. She was regretting not being with me. I wasn't a gawky teenager anymore. I was the man she had always envisioned- kind, sensitive, generous, and handsome enough. But now any chance with me was gone when she married Adonis, for she was bound to him for life.

As for Cassandra, she had ol' Icarus. My best friends in high school finally got together. Took them long enough. I laughed at the memory of Icarus proposing to her. He had done it so many times before, just for a laugh, and Cassandra would play along. She finally got a sense of humor senior year. She would always say yes, but then pretend to have a vision, then tell him they couldn't get married because Icarus would get eaten by the Minatour or she'd die and marry Hades instead. She kept making excuses to keep him hanging. Then, on the night we graduated, Cassandra was accepting an award for aiding a hero. Icarus just so happened to be giving it to her. He wouldn't give it to her, and she got so mad at him she swore she'd never marry him. Icarus laughed and didn't give her the trophy, but a small red box. He continued to laugh while getting down on one knee. He told her to open it, and she did. He stopped laughing and she screamed at the box, then the crowd of almost-grads, then Icarus himself. He was so afraid that she was truly upset with him. She smiled really big and said that she dreamed of no one but him. Then he wasn't sure if she said yes or no to his proposal. She kissed him in front of the entire school, as to confirm the entire thing. Icarus jumped off the stage and ran into the crowd and once he got back to Cassandra, he automatically fainted. I would never forget that day. And Cassandra and Icarus had their happily ever after.

But for me, my happily ever after had never come. And Melaina was the closest to it I'd had in the longest time. But the Son of Zeus with the oddest girl Greece had ever seen? She wasn't like other girls, that was for sure. She had a thirst for knowledge that would make Athena proud, and her want for adventure and her competiveness rivaled that of Artemis. She was far prettier than Aphrodite, in my opinion. But no one found her combination appealing. They labeled her as an outcast, and pushed her around. They day I met her she was nearly killed by a mob. I had to rescue her, no matter what anyone said. I broke through the crowd, and saw her beaten and bashed, and in tears. The insults kept coming and people were throwning things at her. Once I shielded her, eveything stopped. They wouldn't dare mess with me, because all of them knew what would happen if they did- a one way trip to the Underworld. I remember the entire scene, as if it were only a day ago. The scene began to play in my mind.

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"Please stop! Ow! Geez, you didn't need to throw a stick that hard!" Melaina's shouts could barely be heard over the crowd.

"Why should we stop? You are nothing but a good-for-nothing lying thief. And today, you made the women look good! Men are superior, didn't you ever learn that?" Men and women alike were attacking this brave girl for tossing a spear the farthest and beating all the men. But they never really liked her because of her family, who hated her just as much they did.

"I'm sorry, sir, I never learned that normal men were supposed to be total and complete jerks twenty-four seven." She laughed slightly, but I could tell it was forced. She wanted to make them angry.

"You will pay for that comment, woman." A young man went into the center of the circle and started to harrass her. A few more men followed his lead. I saw them push her down to the ground. I heard a slap and a few punches. I finally broke when I heard her crying.

I pushed my way through the ring of onlookers and threw the men who were hurting her. I kneeled next to her and looked at her weak and battered body. She gave me a tiny smile and whispered something for my ears only.

"Thank you for not being a normal guy."

And with that she went unconscious. They'd really done it now. I knew what she looked like before this beating, and what they had done to her had changed her. Her tan skin was now pale and spotted with bloody scrapes and bruises. Her brown hair was damp with sweat and dirty water, and it fell limply in front of her face. The once clean and fresh dress she was wearing was torn and filthy. She was practically reduced to being a ragdoll in my arms.

"Is this what you wanted? Did you intend to hurt her as severly as you did?!" My anger was coming out, but I didn't want it to.

"No, Hercules. I mean, your Heroness. Um, your Heroship?" The man that first attacked her was fumbling with what to call me. I could tell he was terrified.

"But you did. Do you see what you have done? DO YOU?!?!" I roared at them.

They fell back in utter terror. They tried to run away, they almost did, too. But I thrust my sword into the ground and sent a shockwave to knock them over. I looked at the abused woman I had stood up for and picked her up and held her. I put my sword away and walked toward the scum known as the men who harmed Melaina.

"If you ever do this to her. or anyone else, again, I will do far worse. Be thankful for your lives." I informed them with a dark tone. I brushed past them and carried her back to my home.

I layed her in my bed, and I pulled a chair up next to her head. I stroked her forehead and began to think about what I'd done. I had saved her, and that was a good feeling. But hurting those guys made feel like I was a villian. I just wanted to protect her.

She stirred slightly and her eyes fluttered open. I finally saw her green eyes. She smiled at the ceiling and sighed. She rolled over and our eyes met. I wanted to break the gaze, but she didn't. I knew there was something between us at that moment. Then she realized where she was. She sprung out of the bed at looked me in the eye once more.

"I'm sorry, I really am, but I have to... I need to..." She was at a total loss for words. But a few managed to escape her lips. "Thank you."

"No, please don't go." I grabbed her wrist, and she winced at my touch. I let go quickly, hoping that I hadn't hit a bruise.

She paused for a moment at my words. "I can't stay here. I know my rep as the geek no one ever wants, and I know how the rumors about you, possibly us, would fly around. I'd love to stay and have a nice time, but I really must go. For your sake. Maybe we can meet again soon. I promise we will." She gave me a kiss on the cheek and ran.

I touched my cheek and smiled. Maybe there was hope for us yet. Her words still lingered around in my head. "I know my rep as the geek no one ever wants..." But that wasn't true. I wanted her.

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I wanted to see her again. I really did. I wouldn't rest until I had her. But I couldn't get her to stop and talk to me. I saw her so many times in the market, and our eyes met every so often. But us being apart was tearing at me, and I swore I'd do anything to have her.

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Another A/N: Yay for the first chapter! Reviewers get cookies. And I just finished at 6:38am EST. Not really smart. Did you like it? Hate it? Either way, press the blurple button under this.