Disclaimer:
Ummm...not mine...uhh....no sue, ok?

Hmm...about halfway thru I got the inspiration for a songfic...and when the muse calls...yeah, try and ignore it. Just try. I don't own the song either. It's Catch me If You Can, from the Pokemon movie. Yes, I know Pokemon is evil, but some of the music is nice. Down, Pikachu, Down!

Bang! *Heero appears with a smoking gun.* One down, 149 to go. *leaves*

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Falling Angels: Chapter 8

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Cerena was walking on the sidewalk in the middle of L1. It was about noon, and she was hungary, because she hadn't finished her breakfast. Normally kids would get a good dinner, and then wait until past midnight when they ran away. She didn't even finish her breakfast and left before 10 in the morning. She was feeling surprising cheery for what she had just done.

Let's see, shuttle tickets, check, room and board, check, extra cash, check, fake IDs, check. she ran through a mental list of things she would need. I bet I can do better my second time around.

He shuttle didn't leave until three in the afternoon, so she had a few hours to explore the colony. She'd never been here, save for meetings, and the last month, she'd been busy. First stop, food. Second stop, different clothes, third, wherever her feet took her.

She sighed, and decided to forget Chris for the time being. She missed him already, and she knew he'd be missing her. But if only for a little while, if the two of us could let go...

* * * * *

...then perhaps we could finally be happy, together, or not. Chris finished his thought, and pulled himself out of his bed. Goddammit, it's noon, and I'm still in bed. It yesterday's clothes, too. Since when did I become such a lazy slob?

He showered, and went out for lunch. I...I have to let her be. She'll be back. Until then, I have to live my own life. He let out a long breath, and pushed all thoughts of her from his mind.

He wandered down the hall, until he bumped into a glaring Demon.

"Hey, Angel." the boy snapped. His green eyes flashed.

"What, Demon?" Chris sighed, and waited for what he knew was coming.

"You owe us a game." the boy said, evenly.

"Kitty's got a bad leg, we can't play." he said, and tried to get past the boy.

"Eric's got the flu, he can't play either. Two on two." the boy pressed. He was a good two years younger than Chris, and half a foot shorter, but he still looked imposing.

"Sorry. I don't want to."

" 'Don't want to?!' By God, Angel, you're getting weak!" she boy scoffed. He was about to make a smart remark, when he was slammed against the wall. Chris was holding the boy agister the wall with one hand, so that his feet didn't touch the floor, and their eyes were level. His other hand was poised to strike, should he give Chris a reason to.

"Aaron Demon, do not swear by that which you don't understand." Aaron saw anger, and *something else* in those cold blue eyes. After a moment, Chris let the boy down.

"But that's why I'm here, isn't it?" the younger boy said, and Chris stepped back.

"Yes, it is. But, you'd better get lost, kid. Now." Aaron nodded, and quickly ran off.

Chris sighed. So much more here, than what meets the eye.

He walked through the front room, and hugged Jamie, who was cleaning up. "I'm going for a walk, Jamie. See ya!"

The older woman smiled. "Come back soon. If Em doesn't find you around when she wants to challenge, she'll get pissed."

"Sucks to be Em, ne?"

"Be nice, Chris!" she admonished. "Have a nice walk!" she said, and went back to cleaning.

He smiled, and walked out the door. He was surprised how easy it was to just let her go, knowing that she'd be back. He felt that everything was going to all right, even though he still longed to feel her in his arms.

He walked around, not caring where he was going, he knew this colony inside out.

He reached a park where he and his sisters had played all the time. He sat down in one of the swings, and got a shock. God, these swings are small!! They seem tiny!! Then he smiled and realized that the last time he was here, he was 6 years old. Maybe the fact that he stood 5'10 now, and all of 4 feet tall then, had something to do with it.

He remembered everything he could about his past, but so many things were missing... his parents names for one thing. He could remember his parents, and he remember their names, as far as a four year old was concerned. Momma and Poppa. Not their real names. He would never know that, but he did remember what they were like. He needed something to jerk his memory...he knew there were memories he had that weren't surfaceing.

He also knew exactly what would jerk his memory. He got up off the swing, and started off towards the slums of the colony, where he had lived for several years.

* * * * *

Cerena stood in the alleyway where she had spent that week of hell. How did I get back here? she asked herself. Then it came to her. She had unfinished business here.

She slowly walked over to where the box was hidden, and pulled it out. She stood up, and looked for the lock. She remembered throwing it against the wall...ah, there it is!

She picked it up, and quickly picked it. She opened it, and kneeled down to replace it on the box.

"Stop!" a boy's voice rang out. "Don't touch the box, it's mine." he looked at the person who was kneeling over it. A girl, dressed too fancy to be a street rat.

Actually, she wasn't dressed fancy at all, in a pair of blue jeans, and an oversized forest green sweater. The fact was, they weren't ripped at all, in fact they looked brand new. Unless she had stolen them, she didn't belong in an alleyway.

"I wasn't going to take it." she said. He frowned when he heard her voice. He saw her gently replace the lock on the steel box.

"Stand up, slowly. I've got a gun." She did as he said, and got up, with her back to him.

Oh, god, that voice! Cerena thought, startled by the tone of voice.

"Turn around." he commanded.

She did so, and gasped. "Chris!"

"Cerena!" he dropped his gun, eyes wide. "Did...did you look inside?" he said, shocked. She shook her head warily, and picked her backpack up off the ground.

She took a few steps backwards, and when he made no move to stop her, she decided to make a run for it. She quickly whirled around and hopped the fence at the back end of the alley.

"Cerena, wait!" he cried out. She froze, although he could not see it. But, somehow, he knew she was still there, listening. "Cerena...I'll be waiting for you!" he called to her. He bent down to retrieve his box, and then stood again. "Good luck."

He turned, and walked out of the alley. He stopped in his tracks when he heard her voice calling back at him. "Chris!" he turned to see her face peeking over the fence. She was smiling. "I'm going to L2 for a while. I'll miss you." she said.

"If you get in a jam, Duo and Hilde live there. They'll help you out if you need it." he replied, walking closer to the fence so he didn't have to yell.

"I know. I love you."

"I love you too. And...Cerena..."

"Yes?" she prompted him.'

He jumped over the fence, and before she could react, he was holding her wrist, tightly. "When does your shuttle leave?" he asked. "You can't come with me." she said, looking away.

"I know. I just want to see you off."

"Oh, well, at three. I have to be at the spaceport at 2:30." she said.

"Then I have two and a half hours with you, before you go. And no way are you gonna skip out on me." he warned, smiling.

"Don't worry." she said. "By the way, what's in the box?" she inquired.

"What? Oh, the box. Oh, nothing special. baby pictures, old toys, etc." he said, conversationally. Nothing like the Heero Yuy she knew. But then again, she wasn't talking to Heero Yuy. She was talking with Chris Angel.

"What! Baby pictures! I shoulda looked in the box when I first found it!" she yelled. She yanked the box from him, and picked the lock before his eyes.

"Uhh....you coulda used the key." he said, producing a small metal item.

"But that so boring!" she laughed, and threw him the lock. He looked at it, then her with surprise.

She can pick locks. That's new. Oh no! She's got the album!

"What might this be, hmm?" she asked, with a book marked 'Pictures of Chris'.

"Ahhh!" he yelled, and tried to grab it from her. "Don't!"

Giggling, she dodged him, and flipped opened the cover. She then gasped, and erupted into peals of laughter. She pulled the old photo out, and showed him, keeping a foot or so out of reach.

"Noooo!!" he cried, color rising in his cheeks.

"And I quote:" she said, reading the back of the photo, " 'Momma! Look, I went on the potty!' Chris, Age 3 years, 7 months." she then collapsed, unable to hold herself up, she was laughing so hard. He took that to his advantage, and tried to grab both the photo and the book.

Laughing harder, she rolled away, and stood up again. She replaced the picture in the book, and held tightly to it.

"God, i don't know if you're cuter now, or when you were a kid!" she giggled even more. "Duo HAS to see these!" she shoved the album in her backpack, and ran.

"Duo! No! You...You can't! Cerena! Wait!!" He looked, after her, and then he quickly locked the box, and dropped it where it wouldn't be seen. He then turned to see her at the other end of the alley, tapping her foot impatiently.

Oh... Come on, try to catch me
Oh... Catch me if you can!
Oh... Come on, try to catch me
Oh... Catch me... if you can!

He ran after her, laughing, and as he approached, she turned around and sprinted away.

Look out! It's time the world was headin' for a
New thing, it's time I got ahead
Get back! Nothin's gonna stop me and I
Won't quit 'til I'm sittin' on the top

Never give up when the going gets rough
I know I'm gonna make it through
To just try will never be enough
I'll show you there's nothin' that I can't do

Chris never knew she could run so fast, with such a heavy load on her back. He had to work hard to catch up to her. After a few moments he was running beside her. He grinned, and she veered to the left suddenly, surprising him. He stopped, and watched her, laughing, sprinting away.

Oh... Come on, try to catch me
Oh... Catch me if you can!
Oh... Come on, try to catch me
Oh... Catch me... if you can!

Cerena didn't spare a look back, she knew he was following. Soon, the green field they were running over turned into an old building. She ducked in the door, and swung around, looking for a way out. She spotted a window with the glass long since knocked out. She jumped out, only to find herself face to face with a rather stunned Chris. He was hoping to sneak up behind her.

Get up! Let's see what you're made of
Bring it on! You know I'm not afraid
There's no way that you can slow me down now
It's time to show you what I'm all about

I never give up when the going gets rough
I know I'm gonna make it through
To just try will never be enough
I'll show you there's nothin' that I can't do

She turned, and ran faster than ever, leading him through a maze of hidden alleys, parks, and city streets. They startled passerbys as they darted through the busy streets, laughing. Chris was hot on her tail, determined to catch her, to show her he could, if he so chose. It wasn't proving as easy as he thought it would.

Oh... Come on, try to catch me
Oh... Catch me if you can!
Oh... Come on, try to catch me
Oh... Catch me... if you can!
Try to catch me!

It's so close, I can almost taste it
There's no way I'll ever look back
It's so hard, but stoppin's not an option
I'm gonna keep on, keep on 'cuz I believe in me!

Cerena was cornered. Chris had run her into an open park, but it had tall fences on three sides, and Chris on the fourth. With no options left to her, she jumped into a tree. When she was pulling herself, Chris jumped up and grabbed her ankle. He yanked down, hard. She yelped, and fell out of the tree, onto Chris. They collapsed into a heap on the grass. She picked herself up, and began to run. He reached out, and held onto her ankle once more. She fell, and hit the ground with a grunt. Chris laughed as he pulled her back, and wrapped his arms around her waist, preventing her from escaping again.

Catch me, if you can!

She struggled against his hold, but her heart wasn't in it. No, her heart was in staying right where she was, in his arms. After a few moments, she sighed, and leaned back. With one strong arm still around her, he took off her backpack, and threw it off to the side.

Did he forget about the album? Yes, he did! Sweet! Very pleased with herself, she sank back, and rested, leaning against his chest. She tucked her head under his chin, and closed her eyes for a few moments.

She's so beautiful. he thought, examining her face. After a few moments, she began to sit up, but he held her back.

"Chris..."

He made a noise of disapproval, as she tried to free herself from his arms. "What is it?"

"I'm hot. Lemme take off my sweater, will you?" she complained.

"Oh, OK." he said, and then he unzipped her sweater for her. She wriggled out of it, and threw it aside, next to her backpack. He then wrapped her arms around her petite waist once more. He leaned back against the tree, and looked down, to receive a shock. She was wearing a black spaghetti strap shirt that showed her white silk bra straps. On the front, in ornate white lettering, he could read the words 'Super Wench.'

"Nice shirt." he remarked, making her blush. Her only response was to snuggle in closer to him, and close her eyes. It felt so good to be next to him.

Soon, her breath became slow and even. He closed his eyes, and rested a bit himself. That run took a lot out of him. After a little while he looked down at the sleeping girl in his arms. Suddenly a thought occurred to him. He quickly checked his watch, and was surprised at how much time had passed.

"Cerena. Cerena, wake up." he said, gently shaking her.

"Five minutes. Please." she murmured. He stopped for a moment, frowning. Then he picked her up, and got out from under her. "Ahh...where you going?" she asked in a sleepy voice.

"You have a flight to catch." He said, trying to wake her up. That did it.

"Oh, my god! The flight!" she sat straight up, and rubbed her eyes. "What time is it?" she demanded.

"Two thirty three." he said, and she picked up her bag.

"Great! I don't even know where we are, much less the spaceport."

"I know. I used to live here, you know." he said, and took her hand. "This way."

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He watched her as she boarded the shuttle. She still had to leave, dispite everything that had just happened. But now he knew, with his whole heart, that she would be back, as soon as she could.

He saw her in the window, waving at him. He smiled, and waved back. Then the shuttle took off. She stared back at the building, at the colony she was leaving behind.

He watched the shuttle leave. As soon as it was out of sight, he said to her Don't look back.

Somehow she heard his voice in the back of her head. She smiled, and turned around. There was no in flight movie, because this was only short hop. She looked forward. To her future.

Rather than glance back at Heero Yuy, she looked ahead, to Chris Angel.

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Oh no!!! I made her leave!! But the chapter was nice and fluffy, with the promise of her coming back. I think this is the longest chapter I've ever written, and my first songfic too. I hope you liked it!

*hugs for all*

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-Ayanami_Chan
ayanami_rei@softhome.net