Wow, it has been a long time! Too long! But surprise, I'm back! And with more adventures to add for my fav pair. So after an overlong wait here's the next chapter! Enjoy! And please review if you feel so inclined. :)

Vanishing Act

Tramp could hardly contain his glee. He ran fast and hard but his legs didn't feel a thing; he was too pleased with himself for that. He had actually made his sweet companion do something reckless. He would be lying if he said he didn't feel a tremendous amount of satisfaction seeing Lady cause trouble by his side.

"C'mon Pidge, follow me!" Tramp said, trying to keep a small smirk off of his lips as he stopped and waited for her to catch up to him. She had fallen behind by a bit and he watched as she ran over the railroad tracks from the farm they had just wildly disturbed. With her expression fretful and her fiery ponytail swishing behind her, she looked different from when they had met. Tramp thought it looked better on her. With her dress wrinkled, sleeves rolled to her elbows and her face smudged she looked beautiful. As Lady closed the gap between them she didn't slow her frantic pace quick enough so when she reached him she bumped into his chest, her face and hair pressing into him.

Tramp chuckled under his breath secretly enjoying how she felt against him. He tried his best to hide his delectation, poorly so, when she looked up at him with distress in her bright eyes. She softly murmured an apology over her panting breaths, taking a step back from him. Tramp couldn't help but notice a blush manifest under her freckles and he gave up the weak fight of hiding his smile. He felt the sensation of wanting to caress her cheeks, so he leaned over and quickly planted a light, playful peck on the side of her face.

"Stay close."He said. "Just follow me and we'll be fine!" Lady nodded, her whole face blooming a pretty shade of pink. "Okay."

Tramp's smile almost hurt it was so wide. He gave her hand a reassuring squeeze and then began to run once again. They hurried down the dirt hill from the tracks hand in hand and came to a bridge underpass. They splashed through its wet underbelly and came out into a rural slum. Dilapidated houses sat crammed together on crackling yellow lawns and telephone wires sloped heavily on their crooked beams. In the late afternoon sun the shadows were cut inky and crisp, creating strangely dark alleys and corners.

They came to a battered wooden fence that cut off the house yards from the neighboring street. Beyond it Tramp thought he began to recognize the ghetto that lay far in the distance. Releasing Lady's hand he nimbly jumped over the fence with ease. His feet crunched on the gravel as he landed and he turned back around to help her. Her face still terrified Lady looked back where they had come apprehensively. "You sure we should have done that? To the animals I mean?"

"C'mon kid, don't stress! They'll be fine I promise. But we gotta make tracks!" Tramp said, reaching a helping hand out to her. Fiddling with her skirt Lady turned around, looking no less nervous and took Tramp's hand. With his help she was able make it over and they continued on.

Now that Tramp began to get his bearings he turned towards the street, his gaze trained ahead. He jogged for a few moments looking for a place to stop. His eyes fell upon a large grounded billboard across the way and decided it was as good a place as any to catch their breath. He turned amply and came to a stop behind its wide wooden face. Tramp leaned over, panting with exhilaration and placed his hands on his knees to pace his breathing "Well there's a little bit of criminal in all of us, eh Pidge?" He asked roguishly. After a few more pants he looked up, flashing his winning smile.

But no one was there.

Tramp stood up erectly. His smile dropped in an instant. He turned and looked from behind the billboard's shadow to see if Lady had merely fallen behind. But the way they had come was empty. He listened for any sign of her but nothing sounded to reassure him of her approach. He stared at the street for a minute or two, his eyes wide in bewilderment. Hadn't she just been with him?

"Pidge?" He called. "Pidge!" He moved from the billboard, alarmed. His good mood was fading by the second and the silence that followed his call didn't help. He gave it a little time but still Lady remained unseen, making any trace of his good humor diminish into nothing. Tramp quickly ran back the way he'd come, his confusion switching to misgiving.

"Pidge!" He tried again. "Where are you Pidge?"

He scanned the neighborhood with sharp eyes. The sun was still beaming down acutely on the poorly kept houses, showing him everything he wanted to see except his missing companion. Tramp shook his head in disbelief. She really seemed to have vanished and he couldn't understand why. He continued to call out to her as he kept up his quick pace and become more confused as they remained unanswered.

He back tracked even farther to the fence and was dismayed to still see no sign of her. Agitated, Tramp clawed his fingers through his hair. What had happened to her? He stared at the gravel beneath his boots through narrowed eyes as though searching it for answers. Possibility after possibility came and went through his mind, each one worse than the last. The scene of their second meeting came to him, unbidden, and he was forced to remember how wide eyed and helpless Lady had been in the face of danger.

Tramp closed his eyes and let out an uneven breath, trying to calm down. You can't think like that. He set his jaw in forced composure and sprang over the fence, breaking into a sprint back towards the bridge underpass. When he arrived he still didn't see any trace of Lady's figure within it's shadowy mouth. "Pigeon!" He shouted, his voice dire. "Lady!"

But the sound of his echo bouncing off the stonewall was the only answer he received. He swore under his breath, trying to fight the bile like panic that was welling up in his throat. What was it about her that made him so crazy?

It seemed no matter the situation he was fervently, ridiculously passionate when it came to her. He hadn't experienced anything like it before with a woman or anyone else for that matter. What happened to the old Tramp? He wouldn't have been overly concerned, confused sure but not afraid. Yet this new self fretted like an old woman, terrified of something awful happening to her. Tramp didn't know if he could bear it if she were harmed. For it would be his fault, without a doubt. And after he had said he'd take care of her. What a joke.

It was getting harder and harder for Tramp not to panic now. He couldn't wrap his head around how she'd disappeared. He should have heard or seen something at the very least. He now felt guilty for making the mischief he had. She could be in danger simply because, what? He'd wanted to show off? He ran his fingers through his hair again, berating himself. Stupid. Stupid.

Collecting himself as best he could, Tramp ran through the bridge like before and kept going until he came to a busy intersection. Carriages and rusted automobiles thronged on the dirt roadway while pedestrians walked to and fro. Tramp strangely felt a flare of anger at the mundaneness of it all. Lady was gone and everything looked unchanged compared to his burning trepidation. Taking a quick moment to control his anger, he spotted a couple walking down the sidewalk and ran to them earnestly.

"Hey, you seen a small redhead anywhere around here?!"