Daniel Dreiberg looked at the girl in disbelief. Rorschach did not like people, especially women. Well, while the girl didn't exactly fit the bill as a 'woman', yet, he still wasn't sure that Rorschach would be in cohorts with anyone female. And definitely not this young. He looked at the man, skeptically, but Rorschach didn't seem to notice. Dan cleared his throat.

"Um, Rorschach," the other man looked up at him. "Who is this?" Rorschach swallowed again, wiping his mouth with his sleeve, then rested the can on the table and pulled his mask down to cover his mouth.

"Found her. Was attacked by two men. Took one down by herself. Interesting. Needed place for her to stay." The girl looked up at him with large, sole black eyes, as innocent as they came. It was hard to believe that someone that little could take down a full-grown man.

Before he could ask any more questions, Rorschach was up and out the door, leaving the girl alone with him. He shifted uncomfortably, glancing everywhere but at the girl. The only noise was her scraping the can for any last bits.

"Daniel," the voice came suddenly, and he turned to look for Rorschach, but no one was there. He realized it was the girl. Amazing how two people so different could use the exact same tone of voice. He looked back at the girl as she held up a now empty tin can. "More. Please?" She gave him the most pitiful look and he just couldn't resist.

"Sure. But we'll heat them up this time, okay?" The girl smiled at him, and he rummaged through his cabinets to find another can of beans. Upon finding one, he opened it and poured its contents into a bowl, placing it in the microwave. The silence was nerve-wracking.

"What's your name?" The girl stared at him for a moment, making him feel as if he'd asked the wrong question. She finally shook her head.

"No name." Dan was confused. Everyone had a name. It was a part of them.

"Parents?" The girl shook her head again.

"Do you have a home?" The girl shook her head again. The microwave beeped, and Dan opened it, placing the bowl in front of the girl. She dug in without hesitation, as if she'd never seen food before in her life. When she was done, the first thing Dan did was see if she'd take a shower. She didn't smell half as bad as Rorschach, but, then again, what did? She happily obliged, happy to be free of the grit and grime of New York City.

Dan sat at his kitchen table, pondering over what was going on. Rorschach brought him this strange little girl with no name, no family, and no home, who killed a full-grown man on her own, and seemed to want to be a vigilante, if the mask said anything. How did this all fit together? He faintly heard the shower stop and knew he only had a few minutes longer to try and evaluate what to do. Obviously this girl was staying with him until Rorschach came back, but who knew when that would be.

The girl appeared in the kitchen without making a sound, startling him. He noticed that she had no shoes on, but her feet were no longer charcoal black, and now a soft pink. The best part was that she no longer smelled like she fell in a Dumpster. Her black jacket was draped over her arm, and she wore a grungy white dress. Her mask was still tied on her head, covering the top half of her face. What was the point of concealing your identity if you didn't even know it?

"Feeling better. Thank you, Daniel." He kept himself from flinching. She was like a younger version of Rorschach, and, frankly, that bugged him a bit. Someone that young and innocent shouldn't turn into someone like that. Not that Rorschach was a bad guy or anything. Some of the things he did were just sort of… radical. He forced himself to smile.

"Glad to hear it. Now, can you tell how everything happened? From the beginning?" The girl took a deep breath and looked away, as if he'd asked something she wasn't supposed to answer. She looked back at him with those black eyes and frowned.

"Woke up in alley with bruised eye. Read paper about Watchmen, needed help. Found jacket that I'd used for pillow, made mask. Found out ability. Wandered around after dark, looking for Watchmen, then was attacked. Killed first man, couldn't get out of second one's grasp, and suddenly Rorschach kills other man and I'm okay. He bruised eye more, but it'll be fine, I think. Showed him ability, he said to follow him. Brought me here, showed me how to break door, and gave me food. Said I was getting home, and that we would wait for you. Waited long time, then you come. Then, all this."

She finished with a hint of embarrassment, as if she felt bad for admitting what all had happened. Daniel thought for a moment. Was that it? This girl sure was a mystery.

"Do you remember anything before that?" The girl shook her head, sadly. That was a lot of help. He went over what she said again. Ability?

"Can you show me this 'ability'?" The girl shook her head and he felt a twinge of jealousy. How come she could show Rorschach something and not him? He was trustworthy enough. The girl looked at him, as if reading his mind.

"Cannot show you, here. Too many things to break." Dan felt his spirit lift a bit. So she could trust him. His mind was searching for a place where she wouldn't destroy anything, however she was going to do it. His mind flitted to his little… den, but he didn't let anyone other than any of the other Watchmen into it. Her found the girl staring at him, brow furrowed in thought.

"Watchmen?" She caught him off-guard. He struggled to keep control of his expression.

"Yeah?" The girl stared at him, thinking hard.

"Part of Watchmen?" He pondered over what answer to give. She obviously figured that Rorschach would not come in contact with anyone besides another masked vigilante. He nodded, and that was the end of the indecision. He stood up and watched her do the same.

"I have a place where you can show me." He led the girl to a door, and, hesitantly, opened it to reveal Archie and all his inventions he was so proud of. The girl's eyes widened, and her mouth was slightly agape at all the things in that room. She looked up at him.

"Sure I won't break anything?" Dan nodded, smiling uneasily.

"Yeah, if it breaks then I didn't do a great job in making, it, right?" The girl nodded, still unsure, but walked down the stairs, glancing around at all the things in there. She'd never seen anything like that, before. It was fascinating. She stared at a large object covered in a heavy canvas, wondering what it was. There was a long stretch of what looked like a tunnel that she could shoot in. She jogged down there, down about twenty feet, and stopped, watching Dan as he stopped at the end of it.

"Okay," she said, making sure he could hear, "Walked into dead end alley, and man walks up. He grabs my arm." She held out one arm, fist clenched, to emphasize. Dan nodded.

"Then, I Punch him in solar plexus," she threw a punch into the air, "But he didn't let go. Stomped on his foot," she stomped her foot really hard on the ground, "But he still wouldn't let go. He stood up, and I broke his nose." She sent her palm into an imaginary attacker's face. Dan nodded again, wincing.

"Let go. I ran back," she did so, "And he ran at me. I dodged." She jumped out of the way of an imaginary attack, then ran to the other side of the tunnel. "He ran at me again, and I did this." She held up her hand, feigning a gun. Dan nodded again, not seeing how that would hurt anyone at all.

The girl took a deep breath, then muttered, "Bang." Dan was wondering what she was doing when something took a chunk out of the wall. He stared at the piece on the ground, awestruck. He looked back at the girl.

"Can I see that, again?" The girl nodded, pointing at the same spot.

"Bang!" A larger chunk flew out of the wall. Dan was speechless. This little girl, not only with the ability to hurt people with fighting skills, could shoot invisible bullets by simply pretending to have a gun. How did that happen? He could easily see why Rorschach didn't just leave her out there. The kid was a three-foot-tall killer. She skipped happily towards Dan, stopping right next to him as if she hadn't just blown a hole in his wall with nothing but her mind. He smiled uneasily, back.

"That's…. uh, that's some talent you got there." She nodded. He led her back into the normal house where she curled up on the couch and immediately fell asleep. It was late, actually, after 11:00. Dan placed a blanket on her shoulders and left her to dream. He wasn't used to having another person in the house, especially someone so young, so he felt pretty uncomfortable about it and just walked into his room to fall asleep, himself.

&&&&&&&&&&

The girl woke up before him, and sat on the couch, waiting for him to come out. He rubbed his eyes, groggily, walking down towards the kitchen for some coffee when she somehow appeared in front of him. He jumped back, gasping, but calmed himself down, remembering that he was currently sharing his house with someone else.

He turned on his coffee maker, and poured the girl a cup of orange juice, which she sipped happily. He got himself a mug and some sugar cubes to place in it. The girl examined the sugar cubes, then pointed to one. Dan handed it to her, and she inspected it closer, before popping it in her mouth. CRONCH! CRONCH! She smiled as she chewed, savoring the sweet taste. Yep, she definitely was a mini-Rorschach…

Dan frowned, remembering that Rorschach hadn't told him what to do with the girl. He simply left her there; probably to go prevent crime, but when was he coming back to get her? He certainly never came out during the day, which meant that he was to spend a whole day with the girl. She didn't even have a name!

He glanced nervously at the girl, who realized she was being looked at, and looked at him. He looked back at the coffee maker, waiting for it to finish brewing. He was no good at conversations, and the girl's broken speech made it even more awkward. He glanced at her feet, which swung back and forth. She didn't have any shoes, right? She'd need to get some, soon, if she was going to walk around New York.

His coffee maker beeped, and her poured himself a cup, dropping a few sugar cubes in and stirring it. The girl took another one, chewing on it, happily. She'd have to eat real food, sooner or later. Beans and sugar cubes somehow kept Rorschach going, but a little girl ran on different things, and needed vitamins and nutrients. She looked up at him, smiling again, then grimaced, holding her eye.

"What's wrong?" She looked at him, not knowing what to do. She wasn't supposed to take her mask off. Ever. He eye was throbbing, though, and sleeping on it didn't make it better. Her stomach was starting to hurt, too, right where the man had grabbed her. She looked at Daniel again, not sure whether she should tell him. He looked back at her.

"I can't help if you don't tell me what it is." She sighed and looked down, then untied her mask, slipping it off her face. Dan couldn't help but not be prepared for what was under the black cloth. Her left eye was almost swollen shut, and was turning a brilliant purple. He immediately got her an ice pack and had her hold it against the bruised eye. She yelped at how cold it was, but she held it there, nonetheless.

"Anywhere else?" The girl nodded and wrapped her free hand around her midsection. Daniel winced. He couldn't help with those.

"Here," he said, nervously, handing her another ice pack, "You can go look. I'm going to.. uh, stay here." The girl nodded, grateful for the privacy and made her way back to the bathroom. She pulled up her dress to reveal her stomach. She honestly wasn't ready for what was under there. Her entire stomach was covered in purple and fading yellow bruises, and she was sure there were a few more on her back. That man had gripped her HARD.

She winced, rubbing the ice pack all over her wounds, feeling the soothing cool for a moment, then fading back into the pain. After a few minutes, she was feeling well enough to walk out. Daniel was sitting in the kitchen, now dressed, and sipping his coffee. He checked her eye and said it was healing well.

"We need to get you some shoes, and I need to get some groceries. Are you alright?" The girl nodded, running to the couch and picking up her jacket. The rusted, broken pocketknife slipped out of the pocket and onto the ground. Daniel picked it up, inspecting it. He looked at her, uneasily.

"I think we'll keep this put away," he mumbled, sticking it in a drawer, hopefully never to come out. The idea of this girl being armed was scary. Well, unarmed she was just as dangerous. She nodded, frowning as if she'd done something wrong and slipping her jacket on, grabbing her mask and stuffing it in her pocket. Daniel led her out the door and onto the sidewalk, sighing as he examined the cracked doorframe in the light. He'd have to stop to order a new door. Again.

&&&&&&&&&&&

The girl trotted merrily along behind him, smiling widely and often glancing down at her feet. Her new shoes were nice and black and shiny, just like she wanted. They made soft sounds whenever she walked, so if she wanted to walk silently, she could. And, she didn't have to worry about stepping on anything. Daniel, however, was slightly less cheery, carrying a few grocery bags (One full of bean cans that the girl chose out, saying, ""Rorschach!") and not really knowing what to do. The kid was really little and following him. She had no name, no home, and no possessions except for her clothes and an old pocketknife, which he took away, and she could shoot things with an invisible gun.

He looked back at her, but she wasn't there. Panicking, he turned around, eyes frantically searching for the little girl. Had she been abducted? Or run away? Or…. No, she was just staring through the window at a bagel shop, eyes large as saucers. Daniel remembered, embarrassed, that she hadn't eaten yet. He led her inside and ordered her and himself one.

"No need. Okay." He looked down at the girl who looked guilty. Oh, she was feeling bad about him paying for all this. She obviously didn't know about his inheritance. He smiled at her.

"It's no problem." He handed the cashier the money and received the bagels in return. He handed the girl hers.

"You chose the right place. Bagels in New York are the very best." The girl nodded, then bit into her food, smiling widely at the taste. She swallowed and looked up at him.

"Right!" She took another big bite. They stopped by the newspaper stand, Daniel saying hi t the newspaper man, Bernard, and discussing something about the president. The girl tapping the shoulder of the young man, Bernie, and held out her foot to show off her new shoes. He looked at them and smiled.

"Looks like you found them. Good thing, too." She nodded, taking another bite of bagel, almost finishing it, and going to show Bernard. The man paused his conversation with Daniel and looked down at her shoes. The he looked at her eye.

"Where'd you get the Shiner?" The girl frowned, reaching up to her eye. Why did the newspaper man ask her all the wrong questions?

"Fell. Accident. Nothing bad." The man nodded and she finished her bagel, staring sadly at her empty napkin. She looked up to see the man from the day before buying a newspaper. He didn't seem to notice her, but she stared at him. He looked the exact same: old clothes, sign, red hair, freckles. He bought his newspaper, handing the newspaper man his money, then turned to walk away. Towards her. The man caught sight of the girl though. He stopped, looked at her for a moment, then turned the other way. She watched him walk away, sadly.

She felt a hand on her shoulder. Daniel smiled at her.

"Time to go." She nodded, letting herself be led back to Daniel's home.

&&&&&&&&&&

Night was coming soon, and that meant Rorschach would come back with some answers. Hopefully. The girl sat on the couch, watching the television with wide eyes, as if she'd never seen one before. Oh right. She hadn't. She was wearing one of his shirts, since her dress was in the wash. It was getting kind of gross. The little girl looked funny in her over-sized shirt. Since she was so small and he… wasn't, it fit her like a tent.

He glanced at the clock. 8:30. It was getting darker by the minute. Where was Rorschach?! The girl yawned, curling up on the couch, though he eyes never strayed from the TV. They had eaten some soup he'd bought for dinner, and the girl had eaten more than he had. He guessed all that, plus the excitement the day had had for her were starting to catch up with her.

The girl, as he had predicted, was asleep in minutes, snoring quietly. He smiled, then turned his attention to the television, trying to keep his eyes from wandering back to the clock.

&&&&&&&&&&

He cracked. It was after 10:00. Where was Rorschach?! Daniel angrily flipped the TV off, careful to not wake up the sleeping girl, and walked back to his room. Not bothering to change clothes, he turned off the lights and climbed into bed. The day's events replayed themselves in his head, each memory crystal clear. What a day. And it wasn't going to end until Rorschach came to get the girl. Not that he minded. She was nice company, despite the awkwardness of it all. He felt all his thoughts float away as he drifted off to sleep.

&&&&&&&&&&

Daniel was awoken by the door being slammed. He leapt out of bed, glancing at the clock to see it was 11:00, then rushed to his living room. The girl was up and already dressed in her coat, mask, and shoes. Standing beside her was Rorschach. FINALLY! The girl smiled at him and he felt himself automatically smile back.

"Good to see you up, Daniel. Have to go." Daniel looked from the vigilante to the girl. Where was he taking her? Not to keep the city safe! She was just a kid!

"Where are you going? I'm coming with you." Rorschach just looked at him, shoving his hands in his pockets.

"Not what you think. Seeing someone." Dan looked at him skeptically.

"Who?" If Rorschach could smirk, he knew the vigilante certainly would, right now.

"Who else? Indestructible Man, Doctor Manhattan."

A/N: Chapter two is up. Hope I kept everyone in character and that this is just as good as I've been told the first chapter was. Doc Manhattan might be able to clear some things up for us….. Maybe. Still no name. Hopefully by the next chapter, I'll think of one. I need to think of a normal name, too. I hope to get a picture up here, at some point, to maybe make it easier to imagine. I dunno.

-H&B