A/N: Thanks stiffkittens101 for the review. I'm glad you like it. I guess you'll be the only one reading this. Hopefully, you will continue liking this.

Chapter One

Graverobber was still pondering about whether or not he should stay over at Shilo's house while he sells Zydrate to the addicts. Hopefully, Amber Sweet wouldn't come tonight while he tries to think. And of course, nothing goes his way. Amber Sweet was walking seductively towards him. He was getting tired of that woman sometimes.

"Graverobber, where's my Zydrate?" Amber asked as he smirked.

"Where's my money?" He questioned back as Amber handed him the money while he took it from her hands and gave her a hit of Zydrate. She smiled at him and put her hands on his chest and looked at him.

For some reason, Graverobber wasn't at all turned on. The darn thought about whether to stay at Shilo's house or not was still on his mind. The constant touching was starting to annoy him, but he didn't do anything.

"What's wrong with you, Graverobber? You usually push me to wall when I do this," she told him while putting her hands near his area. Graverobber just smirked and pushed her to the wall.

"Well, I've got things to do," he told her before he walked away from her. Amber stopped him.

"Nobody! I mean nobody ignores Amber Sweet! What's wrong with you, Graverobber? Found a new lover," she yelled. He silently sighed and looked over at her with a smile.

"Amber Sweet, I've got Zydrate to sell. I can't survive if I don't have money in my pocket," he told her before he turned to walk away and sell his Zydrate someplace else.

After a while, he was finally finished with his job. He was already at Shilo's home without even realizing it. He pondered a bit, and he finally decided that he wanted to see what it is like to live with Shilo and the kids. He would've opened the gate to Shilo's house, but the gate was already locked. He pressed the button near the gate to ring the bell.

"Hey, Kid! Open the gate," he yelled.

He leaned back on a wall, waiting for the gate to be opened. Hopefully, she heard him. And well, it was already dusk. The kids may have already been asleep while she slept too. If it weren't for Amber, he would've gotten here earlier. He suddenly heard the gate creak open as Shilo's head took a peek and found him leaning back against the wall.

"Sorry, I took a while. I had to coax one of the children," she explained to him and got out of the way for him to enter.

"At this time of night," He asked as Shilo smiled.

"She had a nightmare," she told him. "Thankfully, the other children didn't wake up."

Shilo locked the gate again when he entered. She walked inside the house with Graverobber behind her. After Graverobber got inside, she closed the door and locked it. She then went upstairs quietly as Graverobber continued to follow her. She opened the door to a well-furnished room and a bed that looked big enough for two people.

"That's your bed. Well, I'd better get some sleep now. I've got a busy morning. Good night, Graverobber," she told him before she yawned and walked to her room which was right next to Graverobber's temporary room.

She silently closed the door and lied on the bed. A smile placed on her lips before she was unconscious. Meanwhile, Graverobber was lying on his bed and looked up at the ceiling. For some reason, he felt good to have a bed for once and a clean one at that. He turned and saw a small picture frame of Shilo's mom and dad, holding each other and smiling.

"Must be the Repo man's room," he whispered and then turned the opposite side.

He sighed as the bed felt too good that he couldn't sleep. He suddenly heard light footsteps running and a knock on the room next to him. Since he was already wide awake, he might as well see what was going on. His door creaked open, and he saw Shilo carry the little girl and sang her a lullaby inside her room. He walked over to it and listened to the whole lullaby.

When the little girl was asleep, Graverobber saw Shilo smile and then she laid the little girl to sleep right on her bed. She sighed and then looked up to see Graverobber before her. She walked towards him while her index finger touched her lips, telling him to not make a sound. She closed the door lightly and sighed in relief.

"You're quite busy," Graverobber whispered as Shilo just shrugged.

"Just as long as the children are okay, it's all right," she told him.

"Is she the same girl that had that nightmare?" He asked as Shilo nodded with a frown.

"Ever since I took her in, she had nightmares of the Repo men. Unfortunately, she saw everything what the Repo man did to her parents," she explained and then looked up at Graverobber. "Why aren't you asleep?"

She tried to change the touchy subject about the Repo men as it reminded her about her father once being one and him dying in her arms.

Graverobber shrugged and answered, "I just can't."

"Do you want something to drink? I'm going to get some water," she told him as he shrugged.

They walked down to the kitchen together. Graverobber sat on a chair in the dining room while Shilo poured some water in a glass. She sat down the opposite side of Graverobber. She drank a bit and sighed.

"You seem tired?" Graverobber asked. She surely was a strong girl to take care of those five children. She merely chuckled and sipped her water.

"I'm a bit used to it. It's nothing much, but I want to give those children some comfort." She yawned a bit but continued to drink her water.

"Comfort," he questioned and then leaned forward to look at her, "You are too nice for your own being." He then leaned back to his chair.

She chuckled once more and shook her head.

"I'm not nice, just a person wanting to change a child's life for the better. The word 'nice' isn't at all... me."

"Kid, it's been four years already. It isn't your fault the original Repo man was killed," he told her as she knew instantly that he was talking about her father. Graverobber knew he made it worse, but it was better off if she got used to it. And of course, he was never one to coax people.

"Maybe... maybe if I hadn't left this house to begin with, he wouldn't be dead. But then again, I may have killed myself if I didn't," she said and looked at her half empty water glass.

Graverobber's eyes looked at her questiongly. He knew she was meek; but for someone to think so much like this, he knew something was wrong with her. He wondered too, though. What would happen if she never did leave the house?

"For a kid, you think too much," he told her. She looked back at him with a questioning look while tilting her head a bit. She stayed like that for a few seconds before she suddenly chuckled.

"Maybe you're right. But you know, Graverobber, is being twenty-one still make me a kid," she asked and then drank her water again.

"Just used to calling you 'Kid', I guess," he answered and then smirked. "But for someone being twenty-one, you've grown in the right places. Just need some more growth in some areas." He started looking at her chest as Shilo frowned and punched him lightly on his arm.

"There's plenty girls that you can look at. I'm off limits," she told him. He merely smirked in response.

Suddenly, Graverobber remembered something.

"Oh yeah, one of your kids, they asked me if I was their 'Daddy'? What's up with that," he asked. Shilo looked at him for a moment before she sighed.

"Television, you know. Where there's a mother, there's got to be a father. And anyways, I've never let any guy stay in this place. Maybe, that's why they think you are the dad in their minds," she answered and then glimpsed at her water glass.

"Hm...?" He looked at her questioningly. "I'm not going to be anybody's dad if I'm staying here."

"You mean 'temporary' stay," she corrected him with a smile before continuing to speak again. "And don't worry, you are far from likely to be my make-believe 'husband'." She continued to drink her water while Graverobber was unaffected by what she said.

"So, Kid, how are you able to pay for all of them? I mean food and shelter for the kids," Graverobber asked quite interested. Maybe, she would give him some money.

She looked up at him and smiled.

"It's for me to keep quiet and for you to find out," she told him and gulped the last bit of water in the glass. She washed the glass and put it back to its original place.

"What's that about," he asked while walking towards her, her back facing him. "I'm not that much of a stranger."

She turn towards him and patted his shoulders.

"Graverobber, you'll find out soon." She then walked and then stopped at the door. "I'm going to sleep. You should do the same." After that, she disappeared from his sight.

Graverobber was astonished at how much Shilo changed. She was no longer the timid little girl he first saw at the graveyard. No, not at all. She seemed more motherly and kind. And at that moment, he sometimes wonder, who that kid really is.

The next morning Graverobber felt well rested. No pain aches on his body today. He opened the door and went downstairs to smell the most delicious smell he ever had in his life. He went to the kitchen and found Shilo cooking breakfast. His eyes widened to see breakfast haven in there. He was about to sneak in a taste of those delicious looking sausages, but Shilo slapped his hand away.

"Did you clean your hands?" She asked him while going back to the eggs.

"How could she do that without looking," Graverobber thought before sighing. He went over to the kitchen sink and washed his hands with soap this time.

"Now, can I get a sausage?" He asked permission with sarcasm in his voice while Shilo chuckled.

"Of course. Get as much as you like," she told him as he got five sausages, some scrambled eggs, and two waffles.

"It's like a feast in here," he told her as he ate his food with his hands. She looked over at him and shook her head with a disapproving look.

"Don't eat like that near the kids. I want them to at least have manners when they eat. Other than that, do you want toast?" She asked before putting the scrambled eggs on a dish.

"Nah, this is good for me," He told her and then sat on a chair. "You're a good cook." She chuckled at the comment.

"It takes practice," she told him.

A few minutes later, Graverobber finally licked his plate clean and put it in the kitchen sink.

"That was a good feast," he told her as she smiled and nodded.

"Thank you," she told him. She opened the door to the kitchen. "Children! Breakfast is ready!"

Suddenly, a mob of children ran into the kitchen; but when the children saw Shilo's stern look, they quickly set themselves in line and took as much as they wanted. Graverobber observed the scene. He found that Shilo was well-respected by the children. He could only chuckle inside. The kid, he knew, would've been loved by everyone if she kept GeneCo, not that bratty and stuck-up Amber. He watched as the kids left one by one out of the kitchen.

"Where are they eating?" Graverobber asked. Shilo turned to him and smiled.

"They're eating in their room and so must I. Want to come along?" She asked while picking up her plate of food that she piled. It wasn't that much though: one sausage, one waffle, and three spoonful of scrambled eggs.

"Sure. I got nothing to do in the morning anyways, and I only go to work at night," he told her as he followed her where the children ate in their play room/bedroom/dining room.

"You can sit on one of the beds if you want," Shilo told him as she sat down by the boy who was pulling her by the pants.

"Mommy, is that guy our 'Daddy'?" The boy asked, pointing at Graverobber. Graverobber gave a quizzical look before pointing at himself with a questioned look and mouthing a questioned 'me'. Shilo smiled kindly and shook her head.

"He's Mommy's friend. He'll be staying here," she told him as the boy frowned.

"I was hoping for a 'Daddy'," The boy said as Shilo smiled.

"Someday, Ryan. But right now, Mommy only needs to see her children smile," she said in such a motherly tone. Graverobber was quite surprised at how she could be so nurturing for someone so young, and he was quite annoyed at how these kids think he was the 'Daddy' of their group.

After breakfast finished, the kids were talking to each other. Shilo put her finished plate, as well as the children's and Graverobber's, inside the kitchen sink. When she finished cleaning the dishes, she returned to the children's room and watched as the children were laughing, playing and/or chatting with each other while she sat beside Graverobber.

"These kids sure love you a lot, Kid," Graverobber told her as she looked at him and sighed.

"Yeah. But someday, they will have to leave me and find a better place to live," she said to him as Graverobber saw her expression. It was full of hurt, but she tried her best not to show it. "This is my way to change the world, to give these children hope."

Graverobber never saw anyone as pure as her in all his years. Even after she was exposed to this unrelenting and twisted world, she didn't seem to follow the status quo. He was most certain she would taint herself after the Opera scene. And by his surprise, he was wrong. The girl before him was certainly different from the rest of the woman he has seen in his life and that made him very intrigued.

"Hm... You're cute, Kid. Thinking about those kids," he told her as Shilo raised an eyebrow at him.

"Graverobber, I still wonder about you sometimes. But I guess, you'll do fine," She smiled at him and then patted his shoulder. "Now, take a shower. You smell too much, and it's bad if the kids have to smell your workplace. After you finished showering, give me your clothes to wash. It needs quite a bit of cleaning." She stood up and lightly pushed him to get up.

Graverobber looked at her as he sighed and got up. He was going upstairs but stops at his footsteps. He saw that Shilo was still staring at him, waiting for him to go upstairs and take a shower.

"I don't have clothes to wear," he told her as Shilo rolled her eyes.

"Wait, just one moment," she told him before running upstairs. It took several minutes before she got some clothes and a towel for him.

"These clothes belong to my dad's. It may be a bit tight on you, but it would do for now. Go take a shower and meet me downstairs when you finish," she ordered.

Graverobber stared at her in disbelief and let out a sigh. He picked up the clothes and towel before he grudgingly went up the stairs.

"What is she? My mother? Why am I listening to her," Graverobber thought but didn't dare do anything to object. For some reason, he was a bit scared of Shilo. And well, he kind of liked it.

After thirty minutes or so, he went downstairs with a buttoned shirt and black pants. And just like Shilo said, it was a bit tight on him. When he got to the living room, he saw the children dressed up and ready to go somewhere. Shilo then walked downstairs wearing different clothes as well. She looked over at Graverobber and looked at him intently. Graverobber smirked and thought Shilo was checking him out.

"We're going shopping together, Graverobber," she said. She smiled at him while Graverobber gave a confused yet disappointed look, confused because he wonders if she was really a female and disappointed because she wasn't like any of the other females he knew. Somehow, he felt today was going to be a long day. After all, all women like to go shopping.

"And I'm paying," Shilo added.

Graverobber eyed her. He never liked to repay anybody unless the others are repaying him.

"Don't worry, Graverobber. I'm doing this for the children, so there's no debt to be paid," she told him while observing him.

She saw how he was checking his pocket with his hand earlier. Shilo was not blind. She learned many things from the outside world in those four years, and being observant was one of them. It was a particular skill that became quite helpful to her in the four years she became independent. And of course, Shilo was quite a fast learner.

Graverobber was at a loss. Nobody could be this kind. He also wondered where her money came from. He didn't want to be in any deep shit if that time came because of fucking buying clothes. But heck, he took chances when there are freebies.

"When are we leaving," he asked.