A/N: So, I actually whipped this chapter out a lot faster than I thought I would.

Disclaimer: Zip

Chapter 3

THUD, THUD, THUD.

The pounding of Dave's footsteps echoed in his ears as he ran, keeping a rhythm with his heartbeat.

IN, OUT, IN, OUT.

He counted each breath as he exhaled, taking in the air of New York City with an appreciation that was nearly immeasurable. He doubted that there was another person in the entire state of New York that appreciated the gritty, unfiltered air like he did.

After angering Horvath that morning with one of his frequent and furious outbursts, Dave had known that he would be punished harshly. Horvath had forced him to maintain several defensive spells strong enough to withstand attacks from a sorcerer of the five hundredth level for over four hours.

While most people would have thought that being a sorcerer would solve all of their problems, Dave knew the truth. Learning sorcery and using all of that energy took a toll both mentally and physically. He had to train both his body and his mind constantly to be able to withstand handling the powers that he had inherited.

So, after a brief respite from training, Horvath had told him to go run until he could keep his temper under control. Hence the reason he was running through back alleys in New York at ten o' clock at night. Horvath clearly thought it was a punishment for him, but Dave reveled in his illusion of freedom. Each step he took was a step back into the mortal world and a release from the arcane life he led. Dave dreaded Horvath ever finding out how much he loved to run.

Dave stopped near a bench when he felt warm, coppery liquid run over his mouth. With a sigh he pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket and pressed it to his nose. Nosebleeds had been a common occurrence for him the past ten years. His body was constantly trying to keep up with the physical stress it was under and sometimes it failed.

Breathing deeply through his mouth, Dave willed his heart to slow down beat by beat. Though he couldn't use magic outside the training circle or without Horvath nearby, he did have excellent control over his own body due to the meditation he had been taught. As his heartbeat slowed, Dave took note of his surroundings. He had ended up in a fairly quiet neighborhood a few blocks from the NYU campus, which meant he was about 4 miles from the apartment building that he lived in. Horvath had told him to be back by midnight and Dave knew he wouldn't be able to continue running without exhausting himself even more. Resignedly, he began to head back.

SA-SA-SA

Sylvio loved his wife very much and had learned to tolerate her eccentricities quite well over the past forty years of their marriage. So when she had brought home an ugly, antique urn from the flea market eight years ago, he had simply rolled his eyes and shrugged. Now, however, it was the middle of the night and the damn thing had been rocking back and forth since four o' clock in the afternoon.

With an aggravated growl, Sylvio walked into the living room and picked up the urn just as his wife, Marie, walked by.

"What are you doing?" Cried Marie, angrily.

"I don't understand," Sylvio grunted as he heaved the urn towards the front door, "why you had to buy this piece of junk in the first place."

"Junk! It's an antique!" Responded Marie.

"It's a piece of junk from a flea market." Sylvio stumbled awkwardly and dropped the urn with a resonating 'thunk.'

As he moved to get a better hold on the urn, black smoke began streaming out of the lip of the lid, pushing against the top. Sylvio and Marie backed up against the wall as the thick smoke began to solidify. Slowly, the figure of a man emerged from the black cloud.

Looking around, the man spotted Marie and Sylvio and nodded politely. "I'm sorry for intruding. I'll just leave now." And with that, he simply walked away.

Two minutes later, Marie and Sylvio had dragged the urn to the dumpster outside their apartment complex.

SA-SA-SA

Dave was making his way back to the apartment when he heard a woman screaming for help. Shaking off the exhaustion that he felt, he began to sprint towards the voice. Rounding a corner he saw a young woman being held at knifepoint, sobbing.

"Here, take it." She began to remove the bracelet clasped around her wrist.

"Get away from her." Dave's voice was so low it was almost a growl.

The mugger turned towards him, removing the knife from the woman and releasing her. He took a step towards Dave, planning on telling him to mind his own business and step off, when he caught the look in the young man's eyes. Dave's eyes were cold with fury, his whole body tensed and ready for a fight. The mugger instinctively knew that the young man's slight appearance was deceiving and that Dave would not hesitate to kill him.

"I'm outta' here." The mugger stumbled back, turned on his heels and ran. As soon as he was out of sight, Dave turned to the young woman, who appeared to be in shock.

"Hey, are you alright?" He asked softly, approaching her. He noticed that the knife had bitten into her pale skin, leaving a thin scratch on her throat. Dave remembered the fear and the pain he had felt when Horvath had hurt him the same way. He still had the scar.

Instead of answering, the young woman threw her arms around Dave and began crying. Unsure of what to do, Dave stiffened and backed away slowly, grasping her hands and unwinding them from his neck. Once she was an arm's length away, Dave released her. Silence reigned as they both looked each other over a little more cautiously.

The woman studied Dave slowly, taking in his sweaty, bedraggled appearance. Her gaze stopped on his eyes. Nice eyes that seemed genuinely concerned, if somewhat cautious, for some reason. She couldn't shake the feeling that they had met before.

Dave was examining her with just as much interest, taking in the long blonde hair and clear blue eyes. Dave instantly felt a connection to her that went deeper than a mere physical attraction. Something inside was telling him that they were meant for more than just one chance encounter.

The young woman was the first to break the awkward silence, "Thank you, just, I can't thank you enough. Thanks…again. I'm, uh, Becky. Becky Barnes."

Dave drew breath so sharply that he almost started coughing. It couldn't be his Becky, not after all of these years, but there she was, looking more beautiful than he had ever imagined. And he had imagined an older Becky nearly every day for the past ten years. The woman he had loved before he even liked girls. He realized that she was waiting for him to respond. "I'm…Dave."

She reached out and shook his hand with a surprisingly strong grip. "Well, it's nice to meet you Dave." She paused then said, "Have we met before?"

Dave hesitated before answering, knowing he was still an awful liar. Finally he managed to sputter, "Uh, no, I don't think so."

"That's so weird, I just feel like I know you from somewhere. I don't know why." She smiled sheepishly at him. "Well, I'd better get going."

"Wait!" Exclaimed Dave, "I'll walk with you, we're headed the same way."

"Great!"

Dave was surprised to see she was actually interested in walking with him and not just humoring him. They began walking side by side, with Becky chattering quietly next to him. Dave wasn't really paying attention; he was still too amazed at just being next to a person who was content with him just being him.

"-and I was stuck in the studio all night because I wanted to get tomorrow's show ready ahead of time and-" Becky stopped talking suddenly. "I'm sorry, I'm blabbering."

"No, don't be. I find your voice soothing." Dave replied quickly. "So, you have a radio show?"

"Just college radio. It's not much, but it's like the one thing that…I don't know." Becky looked down, blushing.

Dave just nodded, trying to understand. He couldn't remember the last time he had possessed anything that he could call his own.

"Well, this is me." Becky had stopped in front of a small duplex. "My roommate's probably worried sick. It was nice talking with you, Dave."

"You too, Becky." Dave turned to go but was stopped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Look, I know this is weird, but do you want to hang out sometime." Becky said, a little awkwardly. When Dave didn't answer right away, she immediately backtracked. "I'm sorry, that was so stupid. I don't even know you."

"No, it wasn't stupid. It's just, I can't. I'm sorry, but I just can't." Before Dave could feel like an even bigger idiot, he turned away and began running back to the apartment complex where he lived.

Becky stood on the doorstep, wondering if she had done something wrong.

Neither of them noticed the dark figure that stepped out of the shadows and began to follow Dave.

A/N: And this is where I leave you for today. I know Dave didn't have a physical advantage in the movie, but I decided to make him a runner for two reasons. One, I have guy friends who run and they are stick thin. So I figured it wouldn't be too far out of the realm of possibilities. Two, I'm a runner, so I know how therapeutic and relaxing it can be.

Also, Becky will be playing a pretty big part in this story. I like her character and her balance with Dave. So I hope no one is disappointed that I brought her in.