Once upon a time, Saints Row had been the vision of peace and serenity. It was where the hardworking man lived with his wife and two-point-whatever kids. It had been created, in some hope, that it would to add some class to the poverty stricken Shivington but instead the opposite had happened.

Parts of the seedy Red Light district and the underdeveloped Shivington had slowly begun to take over the Row and now, however many years later, the Row stood just as impoverish as the surrounding districts.

Saints Row is also where I grew up.

Like so many other Row kids, I had a fucked up childhood but it was a childhood that gave me the talents I had today.

Talents which included being able to pick a lock in fifteen seconds, steal a car in ten and be able to spell Massachusetts (don't ask) in five.

I'd never had much going for me, always in trouble with either the law or one of the gangs that run Stilwater but it was a life I liked, however little I had going for me.

But that all changed when I met Julius.

I was heading towards a party I knew about, where I could crash and no one would question why I was still there in the morning.

It may have only just turned into night but already the nocturnal people were starting to come out. As I strolled down a side street, I was already seeing illegal activities. A guy was selling fake watches. He called out to me as I passed by but I ignored him, "Aww, forget you then!" He said and kept calling out to people. Past him a prostitute was already on the prowl. Her eyes ran up and down my scrawny frame, "Hey girl, you looking for any work?" She wriggled her hips suggestively and smiled at me. I paused and stared at her. Prostitution was not on my bucket list, but it reminded me that I needed money. I wondered where I could get a job.

"Oh, hell no!" My head snapped up as I heard a loud voice. The prostitute did the same thing but backed up a few steps. Three guys in yellow were motioning towards a blue tag that someone had graffiti on the wall.

"Man, fuck the Rollerz!" The guy in the middle turned to the one on his left.

"Lavar, you gonna let those bitches disrespect us?"

"Shit, whatchu think?" The one named Lavar responded, already shaking a spray can before starting to paint over the tag.

The people who were in the alley were already starting to slink away, not even trying to be discreet. As I went to turn away, three more men turned up but this time they were dressed in blue.

Hmm, yellow meant Vice Kings and blue meant to Rollerz. I reminded myself silently. This could get ugly.

As the Rollerz sauntered up to the VK's, one Roller went, "Tha fuck you think you doin'?" Tension hung thickly in the air. I tried to make myself as inconspicuous as possible. The VK turned and stared defiantly.

"Just bein' civic-minded is all." One VK replied with a disrespectful edge to his voice.

"That so?"

A VK decided to get smart with the Rollerz, "Yeah, some dumbass cracka went and shit all over this wall, we jus' cleanin' it up."

With that, the tension broke and all restraint left their bodies as a Roller threw the first punch in response to the remark. Then it became a small brawl, full of fists and too much ego.

I took a couple of steps backwards, though the hooker was too scared to move. One of the Rollerz received a punch from a VK and obviously decided he couldn't take anymore because he took off, abandoning the other two and pushed past me. As I was staring at the Rollerz retreating back, an engine roared into the scene, making the rest of the guys pause. A red convertible pulled up and a guy with a bandanna pulled over his nose and mouth started to wave an SMG towards the VK's and Rollerz, sneered, "Hector says 'Buenos noche'," before letting off a spray of bullets.

Everyone took cover, most diving out of the way. Only two of the gang members weren't hit and they drew their own weapons and responded in kind. Someone managed to hit the bandanna guy and his body slumped over the side of the car. Another Carnales pushed the original driver out of the way and slipped into the driver's seat. The red convertible tried to drive away but the Roller who had run away had clearly had a change of heart because he came pushing back past the hooker and me before firing at the car. A bullet must have found the driver because the car swerved towards me. I stood, frozen for a few seconds but my sixth sense kicked in. I jumped out of the way and as I landed I twisted my ankle, making me groan in pain. However, the car jerked sharply and crashed into a wall. Smoke started to curl from the engine as flames began to rise from under the hood.

The surviving Carnales coughed from the fumes as he tried to pull himself from the wreckage. As he began to pull himself up a Rollerz ambled up, aimed his gun and put a bullet in the Carnales head. Blood and bits of brain matter splattered on the ground. His smirk only lasted a millisecond because the remaining VK shot him from behind. His body sank to the ground and the VK made his way towards me, raising his gun as his got closer. For the first time, fear flickered through my body. Stupid I know, but these kinds of fights happened all the time in the Row so you get used to it. Usually, if you don't have flags the surviving members leave you alone but this guy thought differently. "Wrong time, wrong place, bitch." He said.

I closed my eyes and heard a shot go off. I waited for the hot, sharp pain but there was nothing. Did he shoot me in the head and I was dead? I opened my eyes and blinked a couple of times as the VK lay slain at my feet, blood already making its way towards me.

"You okay, playa?" A voice asked.

I glanced up, slightly shocked at the kindness in the voice. It was deep and soothing. The man had to be in his early to mid-forties, black and dressed in a snazzy, purple outfit. Too snazzy for the Row. A guy stood behind him, dressed in purple as well.

There were only three gangs of bangers in Stilwater and none of them wore purple but a bit of information flashed in my head. Apparently there was a new, small gang, just starting out. What were they called again? The Sharks? The Sinners? No, wait, it was…it was the Saints. The Third Street Saints.

The man offered me hand to help me up. I took it and liked the way it felt safe, "Julius, let's move." The guy standing behind him was looking around and seemed to notice the rising flames coming from the car. His hair was neatly cut and his clothes looked ironed. He also looked completely out of place standing in a dirty alley way, with a smoking gun in his hand. He must have been the one who killed the VK. Maybe he wasn't so clean-cut after all.

Julius slipped my arm over his shoulder and allowed me to lean heavily on him as we staggered away from the burning mess. Troy walked beside us, holding out his gun and glancing around nervously. The car behind us finally gave into the fire and exploded, making us lurch forward.

Our odd group only made it to the next wall and Julius carefully placed me against it. With gentle hands, Julius prodded my leg. Satisfied after a few seconds, Julius said, "That doesn't look so bad, you should be fine," It didn't feel fine but I made myself flex it, wincing as white pain shot through my leg, "That's Troy," Julius explained, "You can thank him later."

Troy gave me a small nod that I returned, "Hey." He glanced around, seeming nervous that someone might find us.

Julius' voice drew me back to him, "The Row ain't safe no more. We got gangs fightin' over shit that ain't theirs, and if you get in the way, they don't care if you representing or not." I didn't know how to respond. If I hadn't lived in the Row all my life then this incident would had proved the truth in his words. But what surprised me was he seemed to be genuine. I searched his face, looking for any sign of deception, however I found none. Still, I find myself feeling a little wary of his motives. Men don't just help woman without wanting something in return.

Suddenly, Troy's voice cut through, "Julius, this is no time to be recruiting." He was motioning around the wreckage behind us.

Recruiting for what?

"We need all the help we can get, son." Julius replied.

"No, we need to get our asses out of here." Troy shot back, sounding impatient.

Julius noticed his tone and half turned to face him, a slight scowl on his face, "In a minute!" He ordered, sounding, for the first time, annoyed. He turned back to me, sounding more urgent, "Look, the Row's got a problem. Come to the church if you want to be part of the solution."

With that he stood and turned to walk away. I watched his retreating back, wishing that I could follow him. My eyes flickered to Troy and he caught my gaze. I had never been the analytical type so I couldn't quite work out the look that flashed in his eyes. But as quick as it was there, it disappeared. Troy gave me a nod before following Julius.

I sat there, stunned for a few moments. Did that just happen? I glanced around and starting noticing that people where starting to converge around the wreckage and their eyes were landing on me, the only person who was left. I heard the sound of sirens and knew it was time to leave.

Quickly, I pulled myself up, ignoring the stab of pain in my knee and vacated the area. I thought of Troy and Julius and how Troy had followed Julius so willingly. How Julius seemed to have such a commanding air about him. Such a powerful air.

I mulled over his words. Being such a poor area, the Row was an easy target for the three gangs to fight over. Since there were consent gang fights in the area, police were always slow to react, always wanting to pretend that it wasn't happening unless it was happening before their eyes.

I lifted my eyes to look around. The Row wasn't much but it was where I had grown up. Where I had learnt and started my career as a petty criminal.

All at once, Julius' words made sense. I didn't want the Row to be torn apart because of some boys that wanted to show that their dicks were bigger than the next guys.

Besides, I had nothing to lose so why not give the Saints a try.

This is my first try at Saints Row, so please read and review to let me know how I did :)