Chapter 8-- Uneasy Reunion
"All right, UP! Carry da Banner, let's go ya lazy bums!" The ritual morning wake up sounded through out the Newsboy Lodging House. Groans, moans, and pillow throwing at the breaker of the silence followed. "UP, UP, all youse, UP!!" Slowly, feet hit the floor and trudged off in different directions.
**********
**Knock** **knock** **knock** Raider looked up, it was morning, he'd dozed off briefly. He glanced at the bed beside his chair, she was still out, he couldn't tell if she was sleeping now, or if she really was still unconscious. An ironic smile crossed his face, even now, Slick had a presence to her, her dark blonde hair and dark tan standing out in contrast with the rest of the bed sheets.
**Knock** **knock** **knock** "Come in." The door creaped open to reveal Kid Blink. "Yeah?"
"Uh, hey Raider. I was jus' wonderin' if ya wanted ta get some sleep? I'll watch 'er."
Raider looked between his friend and Blink, he was tired, he had to admit, but he wasn't so keen on leaving his friend. "Yeah he'll go, he needs ta rest." Raider looked at Sly, who had just appeared behind a startled Blink. "Common Raider, let Blink watch 'er. I need ta go get our stuff, an' you need ta sleep, since I know ya didn' all night."
"Geez Sly, don' sneak up on people like dat, I thought ya were from Chicago, an' knew not ta do dat." Blink griped.
Sly grinned, "Yeah, but ya don' have a blade an' it's my job ta be sly an' sneak up on people, hell, they named me for it."
Raider couldn't help but grin as well, Sly did have a knack for making people either jump out of their skin or grin at his antics. "Yeah alright, ya gotta come wake me up when she does though k Blink?" he complied getting out of his chair, taking one last look at Slick, before heading out the door.
"Shoah Raider." Blink agreed and moved to Raider's vacated spot as Sly ushered Raider out and shut the door behind him.
***********
"Owwww"
"SLICK! Yer alive!" Blink cried, his wide trademark grin spreading over his face.
"'Course I'm alive, jus in a li'l pain." That was an understatement. Slick's whole body ached with a non-receding pain. "Were am I?"
"Yer in da Lodgin' 'ouse, jus' in da otha spare room. Ya been unconscious since last night."
Slick grimaced as the memories from last night came flooding back into her head, Slider, the fight, her arm........wait, her arm? Slick looked over at her left arm that was bandaged from her elbow to her shoulder, and muttered an Italian curse.
Blink raised an eyebrow and looked at her, his face serious, "Why didn' ya tell me Slick?"
Brief panic spazed through Slick, "Uh, tell ya what?"
"Dat you'se a goil. Ya couldda tol' me at least, I thought I was yer best friend." A look of hurt crossed his face.
Sudden relief replaced the panic, but a little guilt remained. "I know I shouldda told ya Blink, you an' da rest a the guys, but I didn' want ya ta treat me any different. An' don' say that ya wouldn' have, cause I know ya Blink." Slick added stopping the objection set to come out of his mouth. "I'm still da same person Blink, the exact same, jus' now ya know that I'm a girl 'stead of a boy."
Blink looked at her quietly before smiling again, "Alright Slick, I know ya are." He leaned over and gave her a warm hug that she gladly returned.
The door suddenly opened, "Hot Shot?"
Slick sat straight up, ignoring the shooting pain, but instead looked in shock at the familiar face of the tall black-haired and green-eyed boy. "Raider?! What the hell are you doin' here?!"
He'd been woken by the sound of a shout from the room across the hall, and it had only taken him a minute to figure what was said and what it meant. "Your alive!"
Slick glared, "No kidding."
Raider ignored her sardonic comment and strode over to her bedside and gave his old friend a hug, who cracked a grin.
Slick looked back at Blink who was looking back and forth between her and Raider, who in turn had his eyes fixed only on her. "Uh Blink?"
Blink locked eyes with Slick and understanding passed between them, "Shoah Slick." She smiled gratefully at him as he got up and turned to leave.
**********
Blink knew he had no right to be jealous, Slick was his friend, and Raider was her friend as well, they just had things to talk about right? He was about to contemplate it further when Sly ran into him coming up the stairs. "Ugh, watch it Sly."
Sly grinned apologetically "Sorry Blink." He stopped suddenly a moment of realization coming over him as he looked from Blink to the closed door behind him, "Hey, why ya out 'ere? Slick awake?"
Blink answered both questions with a simple, "Yeah." And Sly brushed past him, his arm still holding two bags, into the room he'd just left Raider and Slick in. Sighing, he turned and walked down the stairs heading for the restaurant he knew all his friends would be gathered in, leaving the three Chicagoans to themselves.
************
"HOT SHOT!!!!!!" Sly was grinning from ear to ear as he stepped inside, dropped the bags and rushed over to Slick's side.
"SLY?!" Slick's face lit up, contrasting Raider's darkening one. She reached out and gave her other friend a hug. "I missed ya both!"
"Why didn' ya tell 'em Brooklyn?"
Slick's face darkened suddenly, "It's Slick. And ya honestly expected me to?"
"Well ya shouldda told 'em somethin'!"
Sly looked helplessly between his two best friends, he knew better than to get between them when they were arguing, which actually happened a lot.
Both tempers were raising, "So what are you doing here?"
"We came to protect you! We saw Slider leave Chicago, an' knew he was comin' after you. But we thought you wouldda taken more precaution, an' told yer friends somethin. They deserve ta know somethin at least!"
Slick glared, "What didja want me ta tell 'em?! I'm wanted for the murder of two people, an' brutal beating of another by the cops, an' the leader of The Sliders is afta my blood?! Is that what ya wanted me ta tell 'em Raider?!"
***********
Author's Note: Ohhh.... I left ya on a cliff, don't fall off!! J/K! I know this is short again and it's been awhile since my last update, but I have been REALLY busy! I will try to post more ASAP.
§Shout Outs§
Swimmer-Thank you!!!! But you sorry, you will just have to keep reading to figure out what happened to Slick in Chicago!
Pure-Princess888- ::Takes a bow:: Thank ya much, I do try ;-)
KtStar-Here ya go gurl, you gotta be one of my most loyal fans, and I totally appreciate it!
Rumor-Nah, you ain't spoiled, you had to wait for this one, an' I'm sorry! But here ya go, tho it really ain't much.
Stymie-Thank you so much, I appreciate all the complements! And will do!
Lucky- Thank you, and thank you. I didn' mean to steal names, it was just the name I had planned for his part all along, but yeah, that is ironic!
"All right, UP! Carry da Banner, let's go ya lazy bums!" The ritual morning wake up sounded through out the Newsboy Lodging House. Groans, moans, and pillow throwing at the breaker of the silence followed. "UP, UP, all youse, UP!!" Slowly, feet hit the floor and trudged off in different directions.
**********
**Knock** **knock** **knock** Raider looked up, it was morning, he'd dozed off briefly. He glanced at the bed beside his chair, she was still out, he couldn't tell if she was sleeping now, or if she really was still unconscious. An ironic smile crossed his face, even now, Slick had a presence to her, her dark blonde hair and dark tan standing out in contrast with the rest of the bed sheets.
**Knock** **knock** **knock** "Come in." The door creaped open to reveal Kid Blink. "Yeah?"
"Uh, hey Raider. I was jus' wonderin' if ya wanted ta get some sleep? I'll watch 'er."
Raider looked between his friend and Blink, he was tired, he had to admit, but he wasn't so keen on leaving his friend. "Yeah he'll go, he needs ta rest." Raider looked at Sly, who had just appeared behind a startled Blink. "Common Raider, let Blink watch 'er. I need ta go get our stuff, an' you need ta sleep, since I know ya didn' all night."
"Geez Sly, don' sneak up on people like dat, I thought ya were from Chicago, an' knew not ta do dat." Blink griped.
Sly grinned, "Yeah, but ya don' have a blade an' it's my job ta be sly an' sneak up on people, hell, they named me for it."
Raider couldn't help but grin as well, Sly did have a knack for making people either jump out of their skin or grin at his antics. "Yeah alright, ya gotta come wake me up when she does though k Blink?" he complied getting out of his chair, taking one last look at Slick, before heading out the door.
"Shoah Raider." Blink agreed and moved to Raider's vacated spot as Sly ushered Raider out and shut the door behind him.
***********
"Owwww"
"SLICK! Yer alive!" Blink cried, his wide trademark grin spreading over his face.
"'Course I'm alive, jus in a li'l pain." That was an understatement. Slick's whole body ached with a non-receding pain. "Were am I?"
"Yer in da Lodgin' 'ouse, jus' in da otha spare room. Ya been unconscious since last night."
Slick grimaced as the memories from last night came flooding back into her head, Slider, the fight, her arm........wait, her arm? Slick looked over at her left arm that was bandaged from her elbow to her shoulder, and muttered an Italian curse.
Blink raised an eyebrow and looked at her, his face serious, "Why didn' ya tell me Slick?"
Brief panic spazed through Slick, "Uh, tell ya what?"
"Dat you'se a goil. Ya couldda tol' me at least, I thought I was yer best friend." A look of hurt crossed his face.
Sudden relief replaced the panic, but a little guilt remained. "I know I shouldda told ya Blink, you an' da rest a the guys, but I didn' want ya ta treat me any different. An' don' say that ya wouldn' have, cause I know ya Blink." Slick added stopping the objection set to come out of his mouth. "I'm still da same person Blink, the exact same, jus' now ya know that I'm a girl 'stead of a boy."
Blink looked at her quietly before smiling again, "Alright Slick, I know ya are." He leaned over and gave her a warm hug that she gladly returned.
The door suddenly opened, "Hot Shot?"
Slick sat straight up, ignoring the shooting pain, but instead looked in shock at the familiar face of the tall black-haired and green-eyed boy. "Raider?! What the hell are you doin' here?!"
He'd been woken by the sound of a shout from the room across the hall, and it had only taken him a minute to figure what was said and what it meant. "Your alive!"
Slick glared, "No kidding."
Raider ignored her sardonic comment and strode over to her bedside and gave his old friend a hug, who cracked a grin.
Slick looked back at Blink who was looking back and forth between her and Raider, who in turn had his eyes fixed only on her. "Uh Blink?"
Blink locked eyes with Slick and understanding passed between them, "Shoah Slick." She smiled gratefully at him as he got up and turned to leave.
**********
Blink knew he had no right to be jealous, Slick was his friend, and Raider was her friend as well, they just had things to talk about right? He was about to contemplate it further when Sly ran into him coming up the stairs. "Ugh, watch it Sly."
Sly grinned apologetically "Sorry Blink." He stopped suddenly a moment of realization coming over him as he looked from Blink to the closed door behind him, "Hey, why ya out 'ere? Slick awake?"
Blink answered both questions with a simple, "Yeah." And Sly brushed past him, his arm still holding two bags, into the room he'd just left Raider and Slick in. Sighing, he turned and walked down the stairs heading for the restaurant he knew all his friends would be gathered in, leaving the three Chicagoans to themselves.
************
"HOT SHOT!!!!!!" Sly was grinning from ear to ear as he stepped inside, dropped the bags and rushed over to Slick's side.
"SLY?!" Slick's face lit up, contrasting Raider's darkening one. She reached out and gave her other friend a hug. "I missed ya both!"
"Why didn' ya tell 'em Brooklyn?"
Slick's face darkened suddenly, "It's Slick. And ya honestly expected me to?"
"Well ya shouldda told 'em somethin'!"
Sly looked helplessly between his two best friends, he knew better than to get between them when they were arguing, which actually happened a lot.
Both tempers were raising, "So what are you doing here?"
"We came to protect you! We saw Slider leave Chicago, an' knew he was comin' after you. But we thought you wouldda taken more precaution, an' told yer friends somethin. They deserve ta know somethin at least!"
Slick glared, "What didja want me ta tell 'em?! I'm wanted for the murder of two people, an' brutal beating of another by the cops, an' the leader of The Sliders is afta my blood?! Is that what ya wanted me ta tell 'em Raider?!"
***********
Author's Note: Ohhh.... I left ya on a cliff, don't fall off!! J/K! I know this is short again and it's been awhile since my last update, but I have been REALLY busy! I will try to post more ASAP.
§Shout Outs§
Swimmer-Thank you!!!! But you sorry, you will just have to keep reading to figure out what happened to Slick in Chicago!
Pure-Princess888- ::Takes a bow:: Thank ya much, I do try ;-)
KtStar-Here ya go gurl, you gotta be one of my most loyal fans, and I totally appreciate it!
Rumor-Nah, you ain't spoiled, you had to wait for this one, an' I'm sorry! But here ya go, tho it really ain't much.
Stymie-Thank you so much, I appreciate all the complements! And will do!
Lucky- Thank you, and thank you. I didn' mean to steal names, it was just the name I had planned for his part all along, but yeah, that is ironic!