DISCLAIMER: Once again, I'm clueless how to cash in on this, so – for now – I'm broke. I claim only the story as mine.

Chapter 2 – Uncertain Observations.

Sitting there in her chair inside her apartment, Beth stared across the room at her sofa. The creature was currently sprawled along her couch, sleeping and, for the moment, unaware of its surroundings. Its slumber was fitful at best, where it seemed to be dreaming, its limbs jerking every now and then as if it were fighting something – or someone.

Beth had sat there for a good twenty minutes after bringing the creature up the stairs and into her apartment. When she had first helped it to her sofa, it collapsed almost gratefully, slipping into an unconscious, though restless, state immediately thereafter.

Now, whatever the thing was, it seemed to be fading in and out of wakefulness. It would open its eyes every now and then, but seemed unable to focus on anything in particular, only to fall back to sleep again. Then, periodically, it would moan as if in a great deal of pain.

From the obvious cuts and abrasions that were evident along its body, Beth assumed someone had beaten it up. The more she looked at some of the more grievous wounds, however, she was certain a very sharp implement made the cuts; maybe even a sword like the one she found back in the alley. If that were true, then someone else probably knew about the creature.

That thought worried her a great deal.

By her astute observation, however, Beth could tell that what lay on her sofa was reptilian…and heavy! How she managed to get it to the brownstone from the alleyway, let alone up the stairs by herself to her apartment, was a miracle. Yet, almost as if from the being itself, she had felt a sudden urgency to help hide it, to keep anyone else from finding it. She really couldn't explain the feeling and, certainly, under normal circumstances, she would not have even gone out of her way to assist it.

Beth trusted very few people, as it was.

Still, it was perfectly clear to the girl that this creature was not human, though it did seem surprisingly intelligent. Despite its injuries, the beast's determination to climb the apartment stairs with her encouraged Beth to do what she could to give aid. Moreover, she was rather amazed with his ability to traverse such a simple obstacle as steps. It just seemed to her to be a rather strange oxymoron, considering the creature's obvious species.

As Beth sat there in her chair and watched the creature, she thought back to when she was still in the alley with it. It wasn't lost on her, then, that taking this creature out among the public for all to see would not have been a good idea. Had she done so, by now it would surely be at the police station in an observation room, surrounded by scientist and zookeepers all arguing over who would get to keep it. Maybe they would call in the federal agency, considering the thing's unique physical attributes. Yet, Beth knew that there would have been only one of two futures for the creature, the zoo, or a laboratory. Either one promised ill will for the being.

Therefore and despite her fears, once she had helped it up to a stand, Beth had forfeited her own cape to hide it.

That alone blew her away. It could actually stand and on two feet, no less. She originally thought it would crawl on all fours, as an animal would. Yet, unlike an animal, the moment it became aware of her help, it had reached out for her proffered hand with one of its own.

At first, Beth was hesitant. This was how it had all happened the last time, when she tried to help someone. The memory came back, taunting her with visions of an outreached hand belonging to an injured homeless person, begging for her help. But then, when she did try to help him…

Beth quickly shoved the memory aside; this was different, she knew this. The man who attacked her, he wasn't green and, as she looked at the creature lying on the ground, the man of her past didn't wear a blue mask, either. She had puzzled over the face covering, taking note of how it only covered the area just above its snout. When the creature looked at her, she could easily see its eyes, the chocolate brown orbs pleading through the openings, yet full of pain and worry, too.

Determined now, she assisted the creature in righting itself up. Just as it managed to rise to a stand, the beast suddenly slumped forward against her as its legs buckled, its strength nearly spent. Beth tried to steady it, catching it by its other arm to help keep it from dropping back down to the ground. She ended up slightly bloodied as his arms wrapped around her for support, but she was so busy trying to keep it vertical, she hadn't noticed – not until later, after she had it in her apartment and lying on her couch.

It was also when she discovered how heavy the creature truly was. Realizing the improbable odds of getting it to safety if she had to carry it, she began to second-guess her decision to help. Yet, in the next moment, it seemed to mumble something to her, his chin resting upon her shoulder, whispering weakened words to her. She could feel its breath as it tried to sound out, yet his voice was so garbled, Beth was unable to discern if it was trying to speak or was just making animalistic noises.

Nevertheless and despite her inability to discern what it was trying to say, she clearly sensed that the creature was grateful for her help, but desperate to avoid discovery, too. That was when Beth made a decision as far as how she was going to hide it.

Not at all sure that the creature would understand, Beth said, if only to herself, "I need to take my cloak off; try not to fall, okay?"

Surprisingly, it nodded, though seemingly too weak to utter even a growl. She startled a little, but realized she didn't have the time to think about it. Shrugging one arm out of the coat-sleeve, she used that arm to help support the creature, while she eased her other arm out of the opposite one. Then, she swung the garment around the animal's shoulders, adjusting the hood over its head and securing the first couple of buttons to help keep the cape on. All this she did while she tried to keep it upright, a task that was almost exhausting, considering how heavy the creature weighed against her.

Once she had it concealed beneath her cloak, she then slowly led it through the alley towards the front of her brownstone apartment. With one of his arms draped across her shoulders, it walked hesitantly beside her, its weakened state compromising its stride. She adjusted her pace to match that of the creature's, not wanting to overtax it and, thereby, causing it to fall. Beth was certain that if it did, she would never get it to stand back up again.

Just the same, she was thankful that the creature stood a bit shorter than she did, in that way the cape covered most of its body. Only its feet were exposed and that alone was startling enough. Aside from the fact they were green like the rest of it, Beth noted that the creature had two toes for each foot. As if things could not be more amazing than that, she quickly saw that both of its hands were green, too, and sported only three fingers.

Considering the overall strangeness of this incredible find, Beth couldn't help but to be somewhat excited about it. Yet, she thought it ironic how her own kind scared the wits out of her, yet this creature did not. Why, she couldn't say, but it was as if she knew, instinctively, that it wouldn't harm her.

Fortunately, she had found that whatever was going on at Seventh and Greenwich was still keeping curious eyes distracted. Thankfully, as she stepped out from the alley and onto her street, the population at large virtually ignored her and her 'friend'. Thankfully, the two made it up the brownstone's front steps and into the main foyer of the building before anyone saw them.

However, once she succeeded in slowly helping it up the four flights of stairs, it was nearly impossible to guide it around the maze of squeaks in the floor by her apartment. The first groan from the wood boards made her cringe, almost causing her to hurry the creature along towards her apartment. The second squeak was louder than the first, followed by the gentle creak of a door from behind her. Beth knew that the old woman was watching, now, but Beth had to ignore her in order to get the creature into the apartment.

As Beth thought about it, the situation seemed rather amusing. With her nosey neighbor always listening for the familiar squeak in the hallway, the woman seemed oblivious to the fact that her own door sounded out a bit when opened. How she could think that no one was aware of her prying eyes was hilarious.

Just the same, it irritated Beth a great deal, even now – oh, especially now, where she was certain the elderly snoop would scream if she knew what was under the cape. The girl could only hope that the old bat would sum up the 'visitor' as one more oddity in her strange neighbor's life – and not notice the creature's green feet.

Now, as she sat in her apartment, Beth was in a quandary. What was she going to do with it? As she continued to watch the creature sleep on her couch, she knew she had to clean its wounds; otherwise, they would become infected. Since it was impossible to take it to the doctors or even to a veterinarian, it was obvious she would have to care for it herself.

When she was certain that it would remain asleep, Beth moved from her chair and made for her bathroom. She quickly returned to the living area with antiseptics, bandages, and a wet cloth.

However, she hesitated before getting down to work.

She remembered from years ago, when her dog had been hit by a car, how an injured animal behaved. Although she ended up having to put down her pet and best friend, the animal's resistance to accepting help had surprised her. Snapping and growling, the dog refused to let anyone get near him – even his owner. Beth's father had told her then, that animals would oftentimes become dangerous when injured. Eventually, they did manage to get the dog to the vets, but his injuries were far too severe for him to survive.

Still, recalling how vicious her beloved friend had reacted, the memory gave her something to consider now.

Consequently, her hesitation in assisting the creature sleeping on her couch was understandable.

"It did seem willing to let me help it earlier," she thought to herself, "but, maybe it was too weakened to fight then." Not surprisingly, she had mixed feelings about what to do.

As she watched it, trying to decide the best course of action to take, the creature suddenly opened its eyes and looked straight at her - again.

She faltered just a little, swallowing and realizing that her mouth had suddenly gone dry.

Nevertheless and adding one more quirk to her bizarre experience, it spoke, "P – please…help me?"

"Wh-what did you just say?" Beth stood there, bug-eyed and not quite believing what she had just heard.

"Please – help me," it asked again, but weaker this time. The creature's head lolled to one side as if trying to hold it steady was painful. Then, its face grimaced a little as if to confirm that point.

So taken with the creature's physical state, Beth failed to realize the absurdity of its ability to speak. All she thought of was giving it aid. Shaking her head and realizing it was requesting her assistance, "Of course, yes, of course I'll help you," Beth then hurriedly sat down next to the couch with her supplies, facing the creature.

The being looked at her for a long moment and, out of reflex, she looked back. She was somewhat surprised by its almost human expression, consequently, she quickly shied away. It had been a very long time since anyone had looked at her, so the creature's gaze made Beth quite uncomfortable. Considering how she had stopped caring for herself and had very few reasons to do so, knowing her own lackluster appearance only added to her uneasiness.

The creature faintly smiled at her as if sensing the girl's mild distress, but then it closed its eyes and turned his head away.

It was then that Beth began the process of cleaning his cuts. Taking the wet cloth in her hand, she gently wiped away the blood and grime from the beast's open wounds. While she did, she watched the creature's face from the corner of her eye. She didn't look directly at it, for fear of having it look right back at her again, but she was just a little curious. It groaned once when she became too distracted with her study, wiping too hard on a more open wound.

"Sorry, sort of got carried away there…" she apologized quickly.

Swallowing, it replied weakly as it looked back up at her, "S'okay…y'need to clean it out,"

Beth startled just a little. Initially, when it first spoke to her, she was in too much shock to realize its verbal skills. However, now she did. The voice was definitely male, if she was anything of an expert on such matters. He seemed young, though, as if maybe still in his teens or even his early twenties.

Nevertheless, considering his species, it was hard to discern how old he truly was.

Yet, how the creature came to be this way was a mystery to her.

Questions about his origins ran through her mind like a hive of angry bees as she gingerly worked at tending to his wounds. Looking at them, she knew that his injuries would need a better cleaning than what she was giving them. Considering the poor thing's current state, though, what she did so far would have to be enough.

After cleaning as many of the cuts as she could, Beth followed up with peroxide and some Neosporin. She then bandaged the worse ones, to stem the flow of blood. Most of his cuts seemed superficial, though, which was good. However, a few were more serious. Fortunately, blood loss seemed to be minimal. Just the same, she was puzzled as to why he would be in so much pain and so incapacitated, when his injuries did not seem to be that severe.

As she worked, Beth soon noticed bruising along his head.

She braved a question to him, "Did you fall down?"

"Don't know….can't – remember," he replied hesitantly, frowning. He furrowed his brow in concentration and then in frustration, "Can't remember anything," he sighed in despair, bringing one hand up to rub the side of his head.

She was quiet for a moment, casually looking at the discoloration along the side of his skull. Even though his skin was green, the purplish blue abrasions were quite evident. "You probably have a bit of amnesia," she told him, "More than likely from a concussion."

He nodded a little, but still seemed more out of it than not. He swallowed a bit and commented, "Probably, yeah…" Then he closed his eyes and appeared to fall back to sleep once again.

As she watched him, Beth could not help but notice his oddly shaped head, but then, for that matter, most of the creature was odd. His skull was more domed and broad between the eyes, allowing the possibility for a large brain. Considering he had just spoken, she finally admitted that he seemed quite intelligent, too. She also took note of the blue bandanna around his. The material seemed weathered, as if it were old and well worn, with small rips and threads evident to that fact. Tied in the back, the mask had tails that were long and flowing. Beth's eyes traveled down his front to his waist and noticed that he wore something like a belt. It had a crisscross of leather going up the front of his chest, wrapping sharply around the top of his shoulders and down his back – or his shell.

A shell?

"Why didn't I see that earlier?" she thought in surprise. A shell on his back – a…turtle shell? "Well, why not," she mused to herself wryly. As odd as he was, she realized that the shell should not have been too much of a surprise for her.

As he lay on his side with the edge of his carapace exposed to her, Beth gingerly ran her fingers across the scalloped edges of his shell. She felt the rough, bony texture beneath her touch and, although much of it was flat against the back of her couch, she could see the varied definitions of the shell's design. Overall, it had sections, like plates, and was brownish in color, with flecks of green and orange here and there. Beth could also denote cuts and slashed carved into the surface and which marred its otherwise beautiful design.

It made her wonder what had caused the imperfections.

Looking at the rest of the creature, she saw how his chest seemed to be made of the same material as his shell, only not as rigid. It was of a different color, too, almost a tawny yellow. Then, she noticed his eyes open once again. Before she looked away and retracted her hand, she realized that his eyes were indeed chocolate brown, with black pupils and a bluish ring around the edges. Beth thought they were quite beautiful to look at. However, considering she was touching him, she quickly took her hand away and blushed, embarrassed with becoming too personal with the creature.

Trying to distract him from her inspection, she then asked, "What's with the leather straps?"

"What?" he looked up at her with a dazed and puzzled look.

"These straps that cross in front of you and around your backside, what are they for?" she asked.

He looked down at his chest at them and almost reacted as if seeing them for the first time. Shrugging a little, he looked back up at her and replied honestly, "I don't know…maybe to hold my pants up?"

She looked down at his legs and then back to his face, shaking her head as she smiled a little, "Nope, no pants. You're naked."

He looked at her with a wide surprised expression and shot a look at his lower half, but she laughed a little and said, "I don't think you have anything to worry about. You seem to be self-contained."

Nodding weakly and then relaxing a bit more, he sighed, "Head hurts, though," as he rubbed it again.

Not the least bit surprised, considering the bruising there, she asked him, "Hmm…can you take aspirin?" As she waited for his reply, Beth then began to gather the leftover bandages and other items in order to put them away.

"Y – yeah, I think so," he said and then he tried to sit up. However, the moment he did, his head began to pound, with nausea soon following. "Oh…can't do that, not yet," he moaned as he slid back down onto the couch and into a prone position once more.

"Best you stay horizontal for a while. I'll be back with some Tylenol for you." and then she stood up and left for the bathroom.

When Beth returned to the living area, she saw that her patient had fallen asleep yet again. She knew that if he had a concussion, sleep was the last thing he should be doing. However, her growling stomach reminded her of why she had been in the alley in the first place. She was certain this creature would be hungry, as well, and would want food. Where her cupboards and refrigerator were bare, she knew she would have to go out once again to the store. Unfortunately, she couldn't be in two places at once, so knowing she would not be gone long, she allowed her guest to nap.

Beth sighed and placed the aspirin bottle and the cup of water onto the coffee table. She then retrieved her cape from the floor at the end of the couch where she had dropped it earlier, after bringing the creature back to her apartment. Before he had collapsed onto her sofa, she had managed to unbutton the cape and remove it from him. More concerned with his physical state at the time, Beth had dropped the garment to the floor in a heap.

Now, slipping it on, Beth steeled herself for her second walk across the land mind of squeaky floorboards. As she slipped quietly out the front door, she looked back one last time at the creature. She said a small prayer for him, her compassion growing by the moment for the poor pitiful turtle-man.

Then, after securing and locking the door behind her, Beth carefully maneuvered through the hallway and down the stairs of her brownstone, ignoring - once again - the curiosity of the elderly woman who watched her progress.

A/N – Wow, is all I can say. Seventeen reviews for the first chapter is so far out of my league…I'm dumbstruck, which is not saying a lot since I'm always dumbstruck with any response regarding my stories. :0) I was almost afraid to put up chapter two for fear that it may disappoint some of you! Guess I'll know soon enough.

So, due to the large volume of reviews and the fact that if I commented on each one I'd end up violating some Fan Fiction rule, I am forced to just list you by name. I offer my heartfelt appreciation that all of you found the time to even glance my way! Thanks so very much for your comments! Pretender Fanatic; Kuroi Neko-kun JeFfYzGaL2, Ramica, NemesisMuse, MidnightHeir, BubblyShell22, beth hart, Bird8402, Mystic Mewtwo, Katana-Babe, Lioness-Goddess, pacphys, hazlov2004, Lunar-ninja, Buslady Of SoCal, and finally last, but certainly not the leas, Melika !

Be blessed, one and all:0)