I can't believe Rancid! Using a gun for a simple bank robbery? His grey skin scares people enough as it is but that gun just caused chaos. It is weird that he deviated from his normal chain and motorcycle routine but I guess villains can evolve too…
Robin snaps out of his thoughts when he hears Starfire asking him a question.
"Robin why are we going back? Surely Red X is smart enough to leave while he had the chance?"
"Maybe, but he might have left a clue to who he is. It never hurts to check."
Starfire nods and continues flying next to her leader. Robin flips over the gap in the buildings and looks ahead to the roof where they were fighting X. He narrows his eyes at a black lump on the roof and quickly speeds up. His team notices his change in speed and all get ready to fight if needed. Raven flies ahead of Robin and lands on the roof before her team and kneels beside the lump.
"What is it Raven?"
She rolls the lump over and sees the skull mask and narrows her eyes. Robin kneels beside her and stares at the body before placing a hand on his torso. His eyes narrow as he rolls up the thief's sleeve and checks for a pulse. As the blood pounds in his vein Robin lets out the breath he didn't realize he'd been holding.
"Dude, is he dead?"
"No, just unconscious."
Robin runs a hand over the older boy's torso and hits a spot making X groan in pain. Raven frowns and feels around to see what's making X groan. Her hand brushes over a large bump and accidentally places more pressure onto the area. Red X suddenly sits up making the boy wonder jump back in shock.
"Ahhh! Damn!"
He rolls onto his knees and groans again in pain. Raven watches X and lays a hand on his shoulder. He smacks it off and tries to stand. Raven quickly stands in front of him and watches as he winces every time he moves.
"You have broken ribs…let me help you."
He shakes his head.
"Sorry Sunshine but I can't risk you getting in my head."
Raven says nothing but nods in understanding. Robin looks the thief over and tries to figure out what's happened.
"What happened after we left?"
X looks at Robin and cracks his neck before answering.
"Some crazy chick dressed like Slade came out of nowhere and stole from me. I tried getting it back but as you can see that turned out badly."
"You got your butt handed to you by a girl?"
Raven and Starfire turn and glare at the green boy making him yelp and quickly hide behind Cyborg. X laughs but wraps an arm around himself with a groan.
"She was dressed like Slade?"
He nods.
"Ya…she said she was his new apprentice…"
The Titans tense and look at their leader waiting for a reaction. Robin looks away from the thief but says nothing else. Raven watches Robin but walks to X. She uses her magic to raise any of the rubble from the Red X's fight into the air. A metal chain and a setting are among the rocks that rise into the air. X grabs it and swears under his breath.
"Was this something you stole?"
"It was the most expensive thing I did steal sunshine. It's worthless now though so you can have it."
She takes it from him and gives it to Robin. He places it into a pouch on his belt and looks back at the thief.
"Why are you telling us all of this?"
Red stares at the younger boy and shrugs in response. He stiffly jumps onto the edge of the building and turns back around to stare at them.
"No matter how much you may hate me…you will always hate Slade more..."
Robin nods at his statement and looks at his team, silently signaling them to leave. They all turn and disappear except Raven. She stands on the roof and looks at the ground trying to piece together the thief's story. X hops down and walks to the demoness making her look up at him.
"Penny for your thoughts?"
"What did she look like?"
He stares at her and then the roof.
"...she was a little taller than you, about Robin's height, with light brown hair that had blonde in it, but also with a reddish brown. Her eyes were blue and she had fair skin with slight freckles over her nose. She was skinny but was obviously built."
"…that was very descriptive…"
He snorts and chuckles at her.
"You wanted to know."
She nods and looks at him stoically.
"Thank you."
He nods and watches as Raven raises a hand to his chest, making it emit a white light. He looks at her face but she just drops her hand and stares back at him. As he takes a deep breath they both step apart and disappear into the night. A lone figure steps out of the shadows and frowns.
"Master, the witch and the thief have an interesting relationship…"
A person jumps from another rooftop and lands silently behind the other. They walk slowly and take in the damage of the roof.
"Yes my dear, they do, but then again, so do we."
The girl frowns but nods in agreement. A heavy hand falls on her shoulder and she looks back to the man. He steps into the moonlight making his mask shine and she looks away quickly.
"What did you do to the thief?"
She shrugs and looks at the dent in the concrete.
"Broke a few ribs and scared him…he won't get in our way."
She bends down and touches the dent in the concrete and sighs.
"Something wrong?"
She shakes her head and stands while looking out at the bright city.
"No…"
As she turns a foot connects with her chest making her slide backwards. She quickly stands and looks at the man. He stalks towards her and backhands her sending her to the ground. She falls but rolls so she ends on her elbows and knees.
"I do not permit lying apprentice. Now, is something wrong?"
She runs her tongue over her front teeth and spits before looking up at her master.
"No."
He holds his hands behind himself as he paces in front of his kneeling apprentice.
"Do you understand why I had you steal from this thief?"
"He got in our way."
He stops and bends down to her level and takes her chin with his fingers.
"And?"
"To assert our power over him."
He lets her head fall and stands.
"Very good…do you feel remorse for him?"
She stares at her master and then drops her head to the concrete.
"Answer me!"
She holds back her tongue and looks back at the man.
"Of course not…master."
She stands and rubs her steel covered hand over her mouth wiping away the blood. He watches her and then looks back to the city.
"May I ask a question?"
He nods but doesn't look back at her. She spits out the blood in her mouth before composing herself to ask.
"Why am I showing myself to people that do not matter? I could have easily stolen that necklace without having to waste my time on the thief."
"Patience my dear, everything will fall into place and soon you will help me rule this city with an iron fist…just like your parents wanted."
"I understand…but now the Titans know who I am."
"Yes, but they do not know what you're after or what you can do. The thief may have told the witch what you look like but he failed to mention that you held him in midair."
She looks out at the unsuspecting city but doesn't respond to him until she realizes what he just said. He turns away from the view to look back at her.
"You were watching?"
"Of course…I have to make sure you do what you're told and do it to my standards."
She looks at him and just stares.
"This troubles you?"
"Of course not, you have every right to watch what I do. You are my master."
He walks to her until they're a foot apart.
"But?"
She looks at him and stares before speaking.
"I thought that you trusted me."
He chuckles and suddenly grabs her by the neck holding her in the air. She grasps his hand and glares at him.
"You are my apprentice."
He throws her to the ground making her land hard on her wrist.
"Not my equal. Do not forget this fact girl. If it wasn't for me you'd still be back in Russia."
She holds her wrist and nods stiffly to him. He turns and walks to the edge of the roof and hops onto the edge.
"You may have the night off apprentice for your good work."
She nods to him and stands easily.
"I'm sure you know what to do before you go…"
Her hair shifts to blonde and when she blinks her blue eyes turn green. He chuckles and disappears into the night. She looks back at the city and walks to the edge of the building and slips into the window below. Her armor easily comes off and she places it into a duffel bag hiding it under her bed. She easily changes into civilian clothes consisting of jean shorts and a tank top. She looks herself over in the mirror and frowns as she runs a hand over her shoulder tattoo. Her hand drops as she grabs a black leather jacket from the closet and she walks away from the mirror to grab her purse and a switch blade. She steps out of her room and walks to the door but as she's about to leave the picture lying face down on the nightstand makes her stop and stare. She picks it up gingerly and flips it over to see a man and woman in their late thirties looking at the camera with neutral expressions. There are two young children standing in front of them, a girl and boy, with light brown hair and blue eyes. She gives a small smile as she runs her thumb over the boy and girls faces before looking at the man and woman again. The man is dressed in a classic black suit with a gold chain around his neck and a gold watch and the woman in in a tight black dress with matching gold earrings and bracelet.
"I will find you, and make you pay..."
She drops the picture onto the ground and quickly leaves the apartment, slamming the door on her way out. The faces of the two adults start to singe and bursts into flames but stops before it can reach the children.
The girl walks down the dimly lit alley and turns onto the sidewalk and keeps going. She looks at her surroundings and sighs at the dark buildings and walks faster. She looks ahead at the lights in the distance and smiles as she shoots into the air and heads towards the board walk. Children and teens run around on the old wooden surface oblivious to her in the air. A soft breeze sends some of her hair into her face. She grabs a strand and stares at the bleach blonde color with disdain. The wind carries the hair from her fingers and makes it float in the air while she thinks back to her childhood. The memories of her running around in a large mansion hiding behind drapes and busts of important people in her family make her shake her head hoping that this action might make them disappear.
"Alessandra that's not your life anymore...they abandoned you."
The blonde looks to the moon and then the stars mapping the sky in her head. She smiles slightly thinking that her siblings would love to see this view, but her thoughts quickly return to the boardwalk as the shouts of the many people riding the rollercoaster reach her ears. She wraps her hand around her hair and silently lands on the beach far enough away from any spectators that could possibly see her. The warm air and soft sea breeze makes her smile slightly as she heads to the board walk. When she finally reaches the top where all the games and rides are she views kids and adults run from booth to booth in search of the best prize to win. She tucks her hands into her jacket pockets and walks around watching the happy families.
"Come one, come all! This is the easiest game on the entire board walk!"
Aless walks by but stops at the sight of a crying boy. The boy has tears running down his face and rubs his nose as his parents try to quiet him, but he shoves their hands away and points to the large stuffed bear hanging in the corner of the booth. She unknowingly walks closer and notices the young boy has light brown hair and dark brown eyes. Aless turns to the booth and recognizes it from a show she once saw. Milk bottles stacked high and tennis balls line the inside of the booth.
"What about you pretty lady? Would you like to give it a try?"
She looks from the greying man juggling three balls to the young boy and eventually nods. He smiles and gently tosses the balls to her. Aless easily catches them and looks back up at the man.
"That will be 5 dollars pretty lady."
She nods and hands over a ten and takes the change he offers her. She walks backwards to the line the man instructs her to and she stares at the bottles. She makes sure to control her strength as she throws the three balls making a bottle fall. She frowns at them and walks back to the booth. The boy sniffles and she glances at him before looking back at the man to see a smirk on his face.
"Nice try girl, but not good enough. Care to try again?"
She looks at the little boy and he stares back at her with tears in the brims of his eyes.
"Yes."
He smiles and hands her the three balls again. As she walks to the line the gaze falls onto the bottles and she smirks sending them flying. The bottles shatter upon contact making the man duck from the shards flying everywhere. Aless smirks and walks back up to booth and watches him warily glance at the broken bottles. He looks at her in shock and she just smiles quickly.
"What does that win me?"
He just stares at her for a few seconds before raising his hands and motioning to all the toys around him.
"I'll take the giant bear."
He quickly gets it down and hands it to her. Aless smiles and puts it under her arm while walking towards the family.
"Excuse me, I couldn't help but notice that your son wasn't very happy."
The boy looks at her while rubbing at his eyes. She gives him a small smile and kneels beside him.
"Here."
He eagerly takes the bear and hugs it tightly to his small body. She smiles and stands getting a very grateful look from the parents.
"Thank you."
She nods and quickly walks away towards the end of the board walk. As she reaches the end the wood of the boardwalk turns darker, obviously from all the salt and sun, making her mind wander back to what she just did. I'm the apprentice to the world's most ruthless mercenary and I just helped a boy? She reaches the end and leans against the railing letting a sigh slip past her lips as she closes her eyes.
"Hey."
The new voice startles her and she turns to look where it came from. A teen with bright red hair and a mask walks towards her. Aless looks him over and instantly recognizes the popular superhero and frowns.
"I'm not in the mood."
He's taken back by her harsh tone but continues to walk to her. She watches him warily but looks back out to the sea. Her hair flies behind her and he watches as it shines in the moonlight. He stands beside her and leans his back against the railing allowing him to watch the civilians enjoying their night. Aless glances at the other teen and looks him over trying to notice any distinguishable scars or birth marks but the slightly tanned skin is just littered with freckles. He suddenly looks down at her and she looks away blushing slightly. He smirks at her and turns around to look at the moon.
"How's your night going?"
She looks at him and just shrugs.
"What do you care?"
He can catch the glimpse of a cut lip that's slightly swollen making him frown.
"I'm a good citizen…I was just curious."
She makes a noise between a snort and a laugh at his comment. He smirks and leans against the railing and looks at the sea.
"Of course you are…"
He smiles at her comment and looks at her.
"What's your name?"
"Well you're forward."
He smiles and shrugs.
"I'm Speedy."
Her smile drops and she drops her gaze for a second.
"I know who you are…you're a Titan. The archer."
He glances at her but she doesn't say anything. It wasn't unusual for people to know about him, especially the girls but this one seemed to regret knowing him and talking to him.
"Yepp, that's me…and you are?"
She looks at him and he swallows slightly as she stares at him. Her eyes seem like they are looking right through his mask and into his head. They're a bright green but suddenly turn blue. He stares at her but she looks away suddenly and leans back from the railing.
"…someone you don't want to know."
She starts to walk away but he quickly grabs her wrist making her turn back towards him. He just stands there looking at her and her now green eyes as she looks directly into his mask covered eyes.
"Maybe I do."
A soft blush spreads over her cheeks and Speedy instantly smiles. He drops his grip from her wrist to her hand and squeezes it. She looks at their intertwined hands sheepishly and then over her shoulder to look back at the city.
"You okay?"
Aless looks back at Speedy and stares at him before nodding. He smiles and gives her hand a slight tug to get her by his side as they walk back down the boardwalk.
"So are you going to tell me your name?"
She looks at him and shrugs as they walk towards the rides.
"You going to tell me your secret identity?"
He smiles at her but shakes his head. She nods and smirks while glancing at the taller male. He's staring down at her with a genuine smile making her look away. Aless looks back and is about to say something but a shout interrupts her.
"Speedy!"
They both look to the voice and see a green boy smiling at him. He looks to her and squeezes her hand slightly before walking over to him.
"Hey Beast Boy, long time no see. Where's everyone else?"
He nudges his head in the direction of the booth she had won the bear at. They walk over to the booth and the man's eyes widen as he sees her. She stares at him and he nervously steps to the side of the booth avoiding her gaze.
"Boo yah!"
A half metal teen jumps into the air and high fives a shorter male standing behind him which she recognizes as Robin. A giant bear is handed to him and he smiles at his teammates. A girl with bright red hair floats in the air and hugs her friend making him cough from the force.
"Glorious! You have won the bear of teddies!"
He hands it to her and she smiles even more while snuggling into it.
"Hey guys, look who I found!"
They all turn around to look at Beast Boy and smile as they see the archer. The teens instantly surround Speedy.
"Speedy! Nice to see you."
Speedy one arm hugs Robin and smiles at all of them. She slips from his grasp unnoticed and watches the exchange between these friends at a distance. They ask him questions about Steel City and his team before one of them notices her. Raven turns and stares at her suddenly making everyone slowly turn around and stare at her too. The red head, that she recognizes as Star Fire floats above all their heads and looks her over. Speedy notices all his friends staring and quickly walks to her and grabs her hand while giving her a small secretive smile. He turns and smiles at the others.
"This is my new friend guys."
Star Fire shouts and quickly hugs her and Aless just stands still until the hug ends. The red head backs up with a large smile so the others can introduce themselves.
"Hi, I'm Robin."
She shakes his hand awkwardly and looks at Speedy. He gives her a small smile as they all bombard her with questions.
"I'm sorry, I didn't catch your name."
Cyborg looks at Speedy and he just shrugs.
"Dude you don't know her name?"
He rubs the back of his neck embarrassed and she smirks at his display.
"My name is Alessandra."
Speedy looks at her with a surprised expression but quickly smiles. She takes a step back from the group to give herself some breathing room and smirks at Speedy.
"How'd you two meet?"
She looks at Robin and shrugs while turning around and walking away from Robin. "Where are you going?"
Aless smirks and turns back around and walks backwards.
"This is my only free night. I'm making the most of it. You can come."
Speedy smiles while jumping over his friends and running to catch up to her. She smiles as he walks besides her making his friends smile and follow the two. They walk part of the way down the boardwalk before Speedy stops and pulls her to one of the many game booths. They stop in front of a basketball booth and hands the man some money to pay for the both of them. Cyborg quickly joins along with Robin and Best Boy. They all quickly start shooting the basketball into the hoop while trying to outdo each other. The buzzer rings a little while after making the operator laugh as he hands Aless the prize. The boys turn and stare at her and she shrugs looking for someone to take the prize off her hands. Aless spies a young girl pulling back on her mom's hand while pointing towards the brightly colored booth but she just gets dragged along. She quickly jogs to the girl and offers her the large plush animal and she takes it eagerly. The mother looks at her before turning and walking away.
"That was really nice of you."
She turns and gives a small smile to Cyborg before walking back towards Speedy. When Aless reaches his side she notices Raven staring at her. Raven looks away and follows her team down the boardwalk in search of another game. Speedy grabs her hand and gives her a small smile while walking down the board walk. Before he can say anything about her act of kindness Beast Boy quickly swoops in and pulls her away.
"Dude how'd you do that back there? You were like lightening!"
She smiles at Beast Boy and shrugs while taking off her jacket. Speedy stops at the sight of the tattoo on her shoulder. The black ink stands out against her pale skin and makes goose bumps raise on his arms. Aless turns and notices Speedy just staring at her.
"Speedy?"
He looks to her face before giving her a fleeting smile and walking to take her hand. Robin watches Speedy as he walks to Aless and smiles at his friend's action but stops dead in his tracks at the sight of her tattoo when she turns. His eyes narrow and he stops in his tracks. Cyborg, noticing that his leader is missing; turns around making them all stop and do the same. Speedy looks up from Aless to see everyone staring at him but before he can say anything a scream breaks the tension. Robin quickly switches into leader mode and yells his famous motto.
"Titans go!"
They all fly or run off in the direction of the scream except for Speedy. He turns to Aless and squeezes her hand reassuringly.
"Stay here. I'll be right back."
He grabs his bow and runs after his friends leaving her to stand alone on the boardwalk. Aless looks in the direction that they ran off in and smile but suddenly frowns at the feeling of being watched. She stands there and looks around at the now deserted board walk listening for any sounds. Aless suddenly jumps up and flips backwards to avoid a foot aimed for her middle back. She lands in a crouch with a deadly look in her face but it disappears as she realizes who attacked her.
"Nice to see you're still on guard.
She stands as Slade walks closer to her.
"Getting friendly I see."
She clenches her jaw but says nothing in response.
"I don't blame you. All girls want to experience love, but a hero? That will become difficult once he finds out about me wont it?"
She frowns at his teasing tone and glares at him. Slade looks over his shoulder to view his apprentice and walks to stand directly in front of her. Aless watches him and she has to stop herself from stepping back.
"Did you not plan on telling your little 'friend' about your job?"
"…no."
He chuckles and just shakes his head.
"You know you can't keep this from them forever, don't you?"
"Of course."
"Yet you still lie and wait to break the boy's heart? That's cruel, even for you."
She glares up at him and her hands clench.
"I'm not going to break anyone's heart."
Aless' face softens and she looks away.
"…I wouldn't let him get close enough to it."
Slade frowns at his apprentice's change in attitude for a boy she just met.
"You wouldn't?"
Aless looks him in the eye and shakes her head. He instantly smirks and thinks up a plan that will benefit him and possibly her.
"You can't have friends…"
She looks away from him but he easily pulls her chin making her look at him again.
"But since you insist upon trying to make connections then I think you should go and help your new friends."
Aless looks up at him and takes a step back.
"What?"
"Go help them. Show them what you can do. Now."
She takes a few more steps back and warily looks over her shoulder to where the Titans ran off to.
"They're going to want answers. What do I tell them?"
"Anything you want. Make them trust you. If they offer to let you stay at the tower, say yes."
Her brow furrows in confusion but as he takes a step towards her she sprints away to where Speedy went. Slade smirks and quickly disappears into the night.
As Aless rounds the corner she sees the Titans trying to hold together the Ferris wheel. She watches as Speedy shoots arrows that explode and form ice on the bending metal. He shoots another arrow and turns to fire another but stops and stares at her in shock. Before he can yell to her he's suddenly knocked to the ground and hears a loud crash a few seconds later. He groans and looks up to see Aless lying on top of him. She looks down at Speedy before standing and pulling him up. He opens his mouth to say something but she just flies into the air. He stares up at her but quickly gets back to shooting his arrows. Star Fire and Robin work to grab the screaming civilians off the ride before it collapses. Alessandra watches the Titans before taking a deep breath and closing her eyes. Robin turns and narrows his eyes.
"Alessandra get out of here!"
She opens her eyes making the boy wonder gasp to see them bright white. Aless shoots her hands into the air making the ride completely still. Robin grabs more of the passengers and brings them to safety. When he reaches the ground Star Fire lands next to him. Speedy walks over to watch Aless control the ride. She breaths out as she slowly lowers the broken wheel to the ground making the metal bend. When it's completely down Aless lowers her hands and blinks making her eyes turn to their normal color. She slowly lowers herself down and lands almost silently. They all run to her with tons of questions but she looks over them for Speedy. He stands behind Robin and stares at her as his friends continue to speak.
"You have powers?"
"Obviously."
They laugh and Robin gives her a slight smile which she softly returns.
"Aless."
She turns Speedy's voice and a strong hand suddenly grabs hers. She looks up to see Speedy staring at Robin. He glances down at her and then back up at Robin. Robin nods to him making Speedy smile in return.
"Titans let's go home. We'll see them later."
They look to their leader and walk away with him sparing glances over their shoulders. She watches them disappear and feels a tug on her hand. Speedy smiles down at her and leads her to the end of the board walk where they met. The moon is out and illuminates the ocean making it shimmer.
"Do you like the ocean?"
"Yes…it's mysterious and beautiful."
He chuckles and looks out at the ocean.
"You would like Aqualad…he used to live in the ocean."
Aless smiles and suddenly hops onto the rail making Speedy laugh.
"Why'd he live there?"
"He's atlantean."
"Like from Atlantis?"
She glances at him as she asks and he nods.
"Wow, that must have been so cool."
He shrugs to her and smiles. Aless easily flips off the beam and landing perfectly a few feet behind where he's standing. He claps and she does a small bow to him. He leans against the railing and looks up at her.
"Who are you?"
She stops her walk and turns to look at him.
"I already told you…"
"No, I mean what makes you…you? Where did you come from?"
She sits on the beam a few feet from him and shrugs.
"Does it matter?"
Speedy looks at her as she stares at the boardwalk instead of him and walks over to her. She looks up and sees him an inch from her face. He stares into her eyes and sees the turmoil that's behind them.
"What's wrong?"
She looks away.
"We shouldn't be doing this."
He makes her look at him and smiles. Aless blushes and tucks her hair behind her ear before looking away again. Speedy chuckles and gently pulls her chin to make her look him straight on. He brushes a thumb over her cut making her wince slightly. She pulls back and they lock eyes for a second before she hops of the beam.
"Do you have a boyfriend?"
She shakes her head and can see his smile widen slightly.
"Why?"
He shrugs and looks at her lip again. He frowns and runs his thumb over it again. Aless holds his hand and brings it away from her face so it's by his side.
"How did you do this?"
Aless shrugs before looking up at him.
"Fell during a practice. I was careless."
Speedy stares at her and she sighs.
"I'm not abused if that's what you're wondering."
He doesn't look convinced and softly runs a hand down her cheek where a bruise is forming. She frowns and grasps his hand making him stop. He looks at her and she just glares back.
"Who did this?"
He gets pushed back roughly and turns around to walk away. Speedy catches himself and propels himself forward to catch up with Aless.
"Aless!"
"What? Why do you care Speedy? It's not your business…"
She turns around with her arms crossed over her chest looking away from him. He walks to her and grabs her making her turn towards him. He places his hands on her hips to keep her from stepping away. At first she doesn't look up at him but he patiently waits. When she finally looks up he can see fear in her eyes. He runs his soft hand over her cheek making her shake her head and trying to step away. He pulls her back and hugs her tightly.
"I just do. Hero's protect others. It's in the job description."
She pulls her head back to look up at him.
"I don't need protection. It was an accident…nothing to worry about. Besides, I don't want to be another 'job' for you."
"You're not, really. I know you take care of yourself but it never hurts to know someone's got your back."
She stares at him for a few seconds but eventually nods believing him. She steps back and sighs running a hand through her hair.
"How many girls do you do this with?"
"Do what?"
She motions to them and the air. He laughs slightly watching her frown.
"Do you mean hit on at the pier?"
She looks away and he frowns.
"None actually."
Alessandra looks back up at him and nods.
"The papers always described you as a lady's man…I just had to ask."
He laughs and shrugs.
"Maybe. I've had plenty of girlfriends and one night stands."
She looks incredulously at him and punches him lightly. He doesn't wince but smiles even more.
"You asked."
She tries to hold back a smile but fails miserably.
"I didn't need to find out your whole dating history. It's not my business."
He shrugs and looks at her.
"What about you?"
"What?"
"What's your man history?"
Her eyes widen and he instantly regrets asking.
"You don't have to tell me…it's not my business."
She shakes her head and looks at him.
"Don't worry…I've just had bad luck in the man department…"
He nods and watches as she looks at the wood below their feet. He hooks his fingers through her belt loops bring her closer to him and picks her head up with his fingers. He stares into her eyes and can see the hidden torture in them and wants to comfort her.
"Speedy…"
He leans down and kisses her lips while twining his arms around her hips.