Title: Chasing Morning - Chapter Three

Author: Robin Graves

Rating: T-MA

Pairing: Graverobber/Shilo

Summary: Shilo quite literally, stumbles upon Graverobber after the night at the Opera. Graverobber takes her home and nurses her back to health, helping her through the inevitable withdrawal from seventeen years of drugs being pumped into her system.

Disclaimer: All Repo! characters and the Repo! world belong to TZ and DB and not me. No profit will be made from this. Please don't sue. I'm already a starving artist.

Graverobber woke to a faint buzzing in his ear. He blinked a couple of times, and slid his gaze to his left. Ah, Poe. That would explain the buzzing sound in his ear. During the night, the kitten had wedged himself between Graverobber and Shilo and was currently pressed quite snugly in the crook of Graverobber's neck. He smiled softly and nestled his face back into the crook of Shilo's neck, allowing himself to slip back into the dark abyss of sleep.

"C'mon, kid. Get your shit together! We've got to get a move on." Graverobber was pacing back and forth in front of the bed in their bedroom. He had taken her robbing with him a few times, but tonight, he was going to teach her how to extract Zydrate. Poe was pacing with him, back and forth to each end of the foot of the bed.

The door to the bathroom opened, and Shilo stepped out, hands on her slim hips, "Someone's impatient this evening." Her hair was damp and spiky and her clothes were dark and skintight. Her chunky black boots were laced over the top of fitted black, leather pants and her black corset top fit her snugly.

Her attire was both a blessing and a hindrance. It was a blessing, because the fitted clothing would make escaping the GenCops easier. There was no loose fabric to catch on anything. It was a hindrance, because how the fuck was he supposed to teach her how to extract Zydrate when he was staring at her sweet little ass in those pants?

"Just grab your shit and let's go. We've got a lot of ground to cover tonight," he grumbled.

She rolled her eyes, "Always so grouchy," she muttered, snatching her messenger bag from beside her vanity.

Of course he was grouchy! He was in a perpetual state of arousal due to her wardrobe choices! What man wouldn't be grouchy?

As she passed the bed, she scooped Poe up, showering the tiny kitten with kisses. "Mommy will be home later. Be good." She placed him on her pillow, upon which he immediately curled up for a nap.

It was Graverobber's turn to roll his eyes. He grabbed her wrist, pulling her toward the door. "Come on, kid!"

She giggled as he dragged her into the hall and down the stairs, completely oblivious to his inner turmoil. And yes, he realized how fucking pussy-whipped he sounded, but he'd long since given up trying to fight it. It was best to just keep it in his pants and get his rocks off with the scalpel sluts that couldn't afford a hit.

They took the secret passage from the house to her mother's grave. Since Rotti Largo's death, it was faster and safer than using the alleys and back streets. They crept through the tunnel, quiet as mice, and emerged in the small mausoleum dedicated to Marni Wallace. Shilo dropped something onto the headstone before following Graverobber out into the cemetery. It had become a ritual. Once a month, she would lay a single, red rose on her mother's grave to honor her parents.

Once out of the tomb, they kept low, weaving in and out of the monuments and headstones. Graverobber reached back, grabbing her hand to lead her toward the entrance. "We're going to one of the cemeteries across the way. It's rumored that there is a mass grave in Trimble."

"Gross," she muttered.

"You didn't have to come."

"You're the one who wanted me here," she pointed out.

"If I thought you were going to be a little girl about it, I wouldn't have asked you."

She stopped in her tracks, forcing him to stop with her. He turned toward her, closing the distance between them quickly. "What?" he hissed.

Her eyes narrowed and she stomped on his foot. Graverobber grit his teeth, growling low in the back of his throat. "Do you want to get us caught, kid? You know what they do to grave-robbers, right? Execution on sight."

"Yeah, I know!" she snapped quietly. "I was almost executed, if you'll remember correctly, while you ran like a little bitch."

His eyes narrowed and he clenched his jaw. "Go. The. Fuck. Home."

"No." she hissed.

"Then shut the fuck up and do what I tell you to do."

"Stop treating me like a kid."

"Stop acting like one, and I will. If you're coming with me, move your ass. If you're not, get back into the tunnel." He whirled around, heading for the gate.

"Dick," she muttered.

He turned around with an incredulous expression, "What?

"I called you a dick," she said slowly, as if he were mentally challenged.

He marched back to her, grabbing her bicep, pulling her into him. "Kid, you are really trying my patience," he ground out. "I'm not your daddy. The rebellious teenager shit is going to stop. I have a job to do. Either you are going to help me, or you are going home. I'm not getting a bullet in my brain because you decided to throw a temper tantrum."

She wrapped his hair around her fist, pulling him down to her level. "Then teach me how to do my job and quit acting like an overbearing older brother."

Graverobber didn't know whether to hit her, or fuck her. He was beyond pissed, but he was so aroused that his pants were becoming uncomfortable. Her father's drugs must have stunted more than just her growth. Why did the years of repressed teenage angst have to rear their ugly heads at this very moment?

Shilo watched the internal battle wage behind Graverobber's closed eyes. She knew it wasn't the best time to pick a fight, but she was tired of being treated like a child. She also knew that there was a good chance he would send her home and not come back for a few days.

When he opened his eyes again, they were a smoldering, smoky blue. "I should send your ass packing, but I'm taking a chance on you. If you come with me, are you going to keep your trap shut?"

She nodded, afraid she would say something to make him angrier.

"Will you do exactly as I tell you?"

"Will you stop with the cheap shots?" she shot back.

He glared at her, nodding tersely.

"Then, yes, I will do exactly as you tell me."

Graverobber rolled his eyes. "Let go of my hair."

"If it weren't so girly—"

"If you finish that sentence I will tie you to a headstone and call the GenCops myself."

She un-wrapped his hair from her hand and strutted around him, nose in the air. She opened the gate as if the whole outing was her idea. "Are you coming?" she threw back over her shoulder.

"I will be later," he muttered under his breath.

"What was that?"

"I said, 'Yes, I am.'" He followed her out the gate, grumbling under his breath about little girls getting too big for their britches.

"Like this?" Shilo asked as she jabbed the needle into the nasal cavity of the corpse.

Was it wrong that the sight of her stabbing a corpse in the brain was giving him a hellacious erection?

"Almost," he murmured in her ear, wrapping his hand around hers. "You've got to smack it a little to get it in all the way." He tapped the heel of his hand against her hand that was holding the collection needle. "Feel the difference?"

She looked over her shoulder at him, nodding. "And then I press the bottom of the syringe to release it and start the flow?"

He nodded, watching the electric blue liquid flood the vial. "Good job, kid." He ruffled her hair.

She sighed, rolling her eyes. There was really no way she was ever going to get him to treat her like an adult. She decided she would take what she could get when it came to him.

He handed her a pack of syringes and collection vials, a kit much like his own. "You're ready kid. Let's split up. I'll take the north end. You stay here."

She looked up at him with wide eyes. "What if the GenCops find us?"

He wrapped an arm around her neck, pulling her into his chest. "You trust me, right, kid?" She nodded against his chest. "Then trust me not to get you caught."

"You didn't do such a great job of that last time."

"You mean a lot more to me this time, kid." He murmured against her hair.

"Okay," she whispered, smiling into his chest.

"We'll be okay, kid. I promise."

She gave him a watery smile. "Let's do this."

"That was amazing," she exclaimed breathlessly.

"We almost get caught by the GenCops and you think it's amazing?" he asked incredulously.

"Yes!" she exclaimed, leaping onto his back.

He chuckled darkly, "You, my dear, are experiencing an adrenaline rush for the first time."

She giggled, wrapping her legs around his waist, clinging to him like a living backpack. "I never knew I could feel like this. I feel so…free." She rested her head on his shoulder. "Graverobber, for the first time in my life, I feel free." She pressed her face into his neck. "And you gave me that."

"You did a great job, kid. We made a good haul. Now, we need to get you home."

"Can I go selling with you?"

"Absolutely not."

"Why not?

"It's too dangerous."

"Come oooonnnn!" she whined. "I won't get in the way. I'll be good. I promise!"

"No."

"Pleeeeaaaasssse?"

"If I let you come along, will you shut up?"

"Yes!"

"I honestly doubt that, but we can give it a try."

"I'll be as quiet as a mouse," she whispered against his ear.

He fought the shiver that her warm breath on his ear produced. "Fine. Get down and let's go. But you're not touching the Z. And you're not handling the money. No one's going to know you're with me."

"Okay," she whispered, smiling against his neck. She slid down his back, adjusting her collection kit across her right shoulder to rest at her left hip.

He looked her up and down. "We're making a stop first."

She looked up at him questioningly. "A stop?"

"A stop."

"Where are we stopping?"

"Lilith's."

"Who's Lilith?"

"You'll see."

Shilo stared at the red lacquered door with a small amount of trepidation.

"Chill out, kid. Lilith is cool. You'll like her."

She didn't have time to respond before the door was flung open and she came face to chest with Lilith herself. The woman in question leaned against the doorframe.

"Well, if it isn't our neighborhood friendly Graverobber. What brings you to Lilith's?" she asked in a husky purr.

"Hey, Lil. This is The Kid. Kid this is Lilith."

The much larger woman offered Shilo a perfectly manicured (if somewhat gargantuan) hand. Shilo accepted, grasping it firmly. The blonde grinned. "Firm hand shake." Her gaze slid to Graverobber. "I like her. Most people are too afraid of me."

Graverobber grinned his patented panty-dropping grin, "Nah, Lil. They're just too intimidated by your beauty."

"You're so full of shit. I'm surprised your eyes aren't brown," Lilith replied, rolling her baby blue eyes. "Now what do you want?"

Shilo giggled behind her hand and Graverobber glared at her.

"She wanted to come selling with me, but there's no way in hell I'm letting her do that." He shot a glare at Shilo when she punched his shoulder. "I thought you could keep her out of trouble for me and" he gestured at her ensemble, "fit her for attire more appropriate for a kid her age."

"I'm an adult," she pouted sullenly, and Lilith laughed.

Lilith grinned wickedly, holding her hand out palm up. "Come into to my parlor, said the spider to the fly."

Shilo placed her hand in Lilith's, glancing over shoulder to catch Graverobber's eye before he disappeared behind Lilith's hulking frame.

"Don't worry, kid. You're in good hands."

"Go to work!" she snapped. His deep chuckled reached her as Lilith shut the door behind her.

Shilo sighed, "He is such an ass."

Lilith laughed, "That definitely describes him.

Shilo turned to face Lilith. "My name is Shilo, by the way."

"Well, Shilo. He wants you to have a new wardrobe, so let's get to it." She headed towards a small room off the east side of the parlor.

"I don't see what's wrong with what I have," Shilo muttered petulantly.

Lilith turned back to the girl who was standing with her arms crossed over her chest, the most adorable scowl on her face. Looking her up and down, Lil had an idea of why he might want her to change her wardrobe. Graverobber had a thing for this adorable young woman and he wanted to make sure she stayed an adorable young girl in the eyes of other potential suitors. She smiled, taking Shilo's tiny hand in her own. "Come on, peanut. Let's play dress up."

Lilith led Shilo to a room full of clothing, fabrics and wigs. Shilo looked around in awe. "Where did you get all of this?"

"I made most of it."

Shilo's head snapped around, staring up at her incredulously. "You made all of this?"

Lilith grinned, "Peanut, with a body like this, it's not like I had much choice.

It was true, she was huge! Graverobber was six feet tall easy and Lilith had a few inches on him. She wasn't unattractive. She had strong features—plump lips, straight nose, strong jaw. She moved with a practiced grace as she browsed the racks of clothing. Lilith caught her staring and Shilo ducked her head, blushing.

"It's okay, peanut. People tend to stare."

"I've never seen anyone like you, before," she murmured shyly.

The older woman brushed a lock of hair from Shilo's eye. "I don't suspect you have, peanut."

Shilo grasped one of her hands in both of hers. "You have square palms," she noted, tracing one finger down the center of her palm. She looked up at Lilith, searching her face. "Women have rounded palms."

Lilith smiled, "You're an observant one, aren't you?"

Shilo blushed, ducking her head. "My dad had lots of medical textbooks and not much else. Like I said, I don't get out much. You do make a beautiful woman, though."

Lilith draped an arm over her narrow shoulders. "Thank you, peanut. Oo!" She reached across Shilo to pick up a crayola red wig off of it's wighead. She held it out to the girl. "This will look fantastic on you."

Shilo smiled, taking the wig from her. Now that she didn't need to wear a wig every day, she saw it as a rare treat. She slipped it over her short, mahogany hair, turning to face Lilith. "How do I look?"

"Like the most adorable pixie I've ever seen."

Shilo grinned. At least she hadn't said anything about her being a "kid." She scowled, thinking about Graverobber and his refusal to see her as anything but a kid.

Lilith chuckled. "Don't let him ruin our girl time."

Shilo's eyebrows disappeared beneath the red wig. "I wasn't."

"Peanut, I know when a girl is thinking about the guy she's crazy about."

"I'm not crazy about him. He just drives me crazy," she muttered

Lilith laughed. "Fair enough." She turned to thumb through the racks of clothing. "Now, let's get you outfitted in a more grown-up wardrobe."

Shilo fingered a confection of delicate lace and satin. "Lilith, can I commission something from you?"

Lilith eyed the corset she was admiring. "Will this get me in trouble with our dear Graverobber?"

Shilo shook her head. "I want to get him a birthday present."

Lilith raised her eyebrow. "I don't think he would appreciate the value of a corset."

Shilo giggled. "I don't want you to make him a corset." She considered the rigid contraption. "Though, I might be interested in having one for myself. It might take me a while to be able to pay you, though."

Lil draped an arm over her shoulders. "I think I have a way you can pay me."