A/N: Man, I haven't watched the show in forever. I should probably do that...especially since I think Robbie has been up to the airship, now that I think about it. Let's just say he was lying in the last chapter, cuz he really didn't want to go up there...? I should really research more, that way I wouldn't have to put my foot in my mouth so often. Hm, oh well. Just, excuse any canonical errors, yeah? Thankies ;-D

I was going to try and get this out yesterday, (pardon me if I go slightly OT here) but then I really got into this book I found at the half price book store…and it's really awesome and out of print and apparently hard to find (not that I knew that at the time…): The Catch Trap by Marion Zimmer Bradley, anyone else read it? It's very Brokeback-esc without quite so much tragedy, which is a very good thing. So I was reading that all day yesterday…till about three in the morning…and I'm still only half way through. Heh, anyway…even without all that this chapter's still out much faster than the last one was, ne?

Thanks again to the reviewers, y'all really inspire me to write faster ;-D o x Hugs x o go out to: Glanni Glaepur, KrysSaiyan, The Shekinah, Pocketface, NightmareAhead, authoraisarete, AnonyMiss731, and Shi Rurouni of the Aphrodesiac. Thank you!

A Slippery Slope

Chapter 7: The Rescue

"Aha!"Sportacus hugged the faded red photo album to his chest. 'I've finally found it. Now, all I need to do is find and show Robbie and explain...and he'll have to trust me.' He was so enthused about his discovery he couldn't help but hop up off the floor and pop out a few exuberant jumping jacks.

Just as he was getting to the good part—'When the muscles start to burn and the breathing gets heavy, you know you're doing it right,' he thought to himself—a loud banging reverberated through the airship, interrupting his energetic joy. No bird made that much noise; none of the big ones was silly enough to run into a door, unless it was ill. Sportacus leapt to the entryway, a list of remedies for fowl concussions already whirling through his mind.

"Door!"

It slid open, responding to Sportacus' demand, and revealed an even paler-than-normal Robbie Rotten, who was clutching the rope ladder as if his life depended on it (which it did, incidentally).

"Robbie, what are you doing all the way up here?" Sportacus exclaimed, fairly shocked to see that his soon-to-be friend had made it all the way up to his home. He was pleased, of course, but surprised as all get out.

Robbie just shook his head, his eyes shut tightly; he didn't have enough concentration to talk and clutch desperately to the ladder at the same time. However, he had noticed the strange tone Sportacus used. Robbie blindly assumed it was suspicion laced in his voice, since that's what it usually was.

"And Stephanie!" A flash of pink alerted the hero that his protegé had made the climb as well. She let go of the ladder to wave weakly at Sportacus, then quickly grasped the rope once again. Sportacus cheerfully returned her greeting, then turned his attention back to the petrified man in front.

"Here, let me help you up, Robbie." Sportacus leaned forward, offering a hand; the other anchored on the frame of the door.

Robbie forced himself to look up at Sportacus, only to discover that, unfortunately, he was looking horrendously gorgeous today. His hat was missing, allowing his golden sorrel locks to fall loosely about his face, framing incandescent blue eyes. His official Super Hero vest was also absent, and Robbie got an eyeful of thinly veiled, chiseled washboard stomach and broad chest. His gaze traveled downwards, quickly past the slight bulge in the blue pants, even more defined muscle toned legs, and finally down to his bare feet, amazingly not yet turning blue from the nippy morning breeze. A blur of movement brought his attention back up, and Robbie then noticed that Sportacus was reaching for him. Instead of taking his hand, 'No touching!' Robbie shook himself clear of the stupor Sportacus always managed to put him in, and threw out a defense mechanism. "So, when it was only me you're not sure, but as soon as Stephanie the Pink appears it's a green light?" His hazel eyes flung shards of ice through that wonderful chest and headed directly towards the hero's heart.

Sportacus sighed, a small frown ghosting across his features. "Robbie, I'm sorry if I sounded like I don't trust you. It's just that you've done some things in the past, and I never would have expected you to come..." he smiled. "It's just a silly bad habit I've picked up. Would you help me break it? Please, Robbie?" Sportacus pleaded, stretching his hand further.

Robbie blinked at the large man-paw which was hovering just inches from his own pale, spider-slender fingers. 'Defense mechanism: "ice shards" deflected. Blast!' He shifted his weight, hand twitching. 'No! Robbie, don't do it!' an inner voice screamed at him. But he wasn't listening anymore. He was hanging thirty feet in the air on a flimsy rope ladder and the only way up was through Sportacus. 'Besides, what's the worst I could do? Compared to falling to my death, going forward sounds pretty good right now...' he reasoned, starting to raise a hand off of the rung. He stretched slowly towards the proffered lifeline. Sportacus hovered, waiting for Robbie to come to him. (Besides, if he leaned out any further he'd lose his balance, and then where would they be?) When their fingertips finally brushed, sparks shot through Robbie. A large gust of wind whipped across the trio and Robbie gripped Sportacus's hand to stave off a dramatic plunge to earth. Sportacus grinned broadly at him, and he tried not to let the corners of his mouth drift up too terribly far in response. The wind continued to howl.

"Well, pull me up already before the blasted elements get the better of us!" Robbie blurted out.

Sportacus, still beaming, tugged hard, pulling Robbie to him. 'I'll get through his walls, even if it takes all the hugs in the world,' he thought to himself.

Enveloped in yet another embrace, Robbie tensed again. 'Hand holding and hugging? Not both in one day...let alone in the span of two seconds.' But his bones were cold, after hanging in the chilly breeze for what felt like hours, and Sportacus was so pleasantly warm. Robbie's arms rose from his sides and he lightly placed his hands on Sportacus' hips. His heart felt like it was going to burst out through his throat, but it felt so right, somehow, to be here like this. He moved his thumbs tentatively. 'Soft.' The blue fabric seemed as velvety as rabbit fur, and body heat radiated through, thawing his icy fingers. He flinched instinctually as Sportacus moved even closer, "You fit really well, Robbie."

Robbie gasped a little, almost imperceptibly. He opened his mouth to say something, anything; to explain himself, to ask what Sportacus thought he was doing, and a million other things that were racing through his head. This was all highly confusing to Robbie, particularly since he never had many friends.

"Cue cheesy Lifetime channel music..." Stephanie muttered to herself. It really wasn't so bad up here. It was the closest to flying she was ever going to get, besides being on an airplane, which didn't count anyway since you're strapped in most of the time. But really, did they have to gaze into each other's eyes for so long? Didn't they remember there was another person hanging on a limb here? If they were going to kiss they should just get it over with. Although she really didn't want to have to see them making out…being supportive was one thing, but the whole kissing thing was still kind of gross.

"Hey, I'm still out here! Could I get a little help?"

Robbie sprung away from the shelter of Sportacus' encircling arms, with a deer-in-the-headlights expression splashed across his face. Sportacus smiled at him before stepping back out of the hatch.

"I'm sorry, Stephanie. I got distracted." He grabbed her by the arm and hoisted her onto the platform. One hand rested on her back, guiding her into the ship as she found her footing."I'll say," she scoffed, winking to show that she was only a little miffed. Sportacus rubbed her pink hair affectionately and she giggled.

"Wow!" Stephanie exclaimed. "Your ship is so cool!" She took a few steps into the threshold, eyes wide, trying to take everything in at once.

"Now that we're not hanging underneath it," Robbie muttered.

Sportacus laughed beatifically. "Robbie!" Robbie looked up, startled. "I have something to show you," He scampered off to find what it was that he had been looking for all morning.

"Hey! What about me?" Stephanie called after him, shooting Robbie a dirty look. He stuck his tongue out at her.

"You too, Steph!" Sportacus' voice drifted out from another room and she smirked.

"Are you jealous now?" Robbie sneered.

"Why should I be jealous?" She put her hands on her hips. "Sportacus doesn't even—" she clamped her mouth shut. She needed to learn not to say things out of spite to Robbie. If Sportacus was trying to get closer to him, then being civil was the least she could do. It was just so difficult sometimes. Robbie knew exactly what buttons to push to get nasty comments to pop out of her mouth, especially involving such a touchy subject. Sportacus was her, and the rest of the kids', idol. Who could blame her if she maybe had a teeny, tiny, bit of a crush percolating on the back burner? She resolved to concentrate much harder when she was talking with Robbie from now on, and not let her knee-jerk reactions get the best of her. The night before she had even said she was going to help them get closer. She had forgotten how antagonizing Robbie could be, and that he wasn't going to change over night. "Nevermind," she muttered.

Robbie raised an eyebrow at her self control. 'Hm, maybe she's changing...' he thought vaguely, before Sportacus bounded back into the room chasing all thoughts of Stephanie's maturation from his mind.

He stopped in front of one of the walls. "Couch," he commanded cheerfully. A blue and white striped sofa slid out and Sportacus beckoned the two to join him.

Stephanie skipped over and sat next to his side. "What's that?" she asked eagerly, pointing to the object in his lap.

"It's a photo album." He gently opened it to the first page. Then, noticing that Robbie was still standing, looked up inquisitively. "Come sit," he said softly, as if coaxing a skittish mare.

Robbie nodded hesitantly and perched on the edge of the over-stuffed bench, folding his arms across his knees.

Sportacus took in the image, as Robbie stared resolutely down at his shoes. The couch had been a custom job made for Sportacus, and since his legs were of average length, and Robbie's were not, Robbie was forced to sit much lower than he would have preferred, his knees bending sharply. His lanky limbs jutted out at odd angles, as if he had never quite grown beyond the "awkward stage." His cheeks had a slight coloring to them, contrasting nicely against the surrounding pale skin. Sportacus wanted to muss up his perfect obsidian hair, which shined under the sunlight streaming in from the numerous windows. It was delightfully new to have Robbie in his home; his dark mien was so different than what Sportacus was used to.

Robbie stirred restlessly, feeling his gaze burning into him.

Stephanie cleared her throat. "Sportacus? You wanted to show us something?"

He jumped slightly. "Oh, yes, my pictures."

Robbie looked up and scooted nearer to Sportacus, careful to keep a few inches in between their sides.

"I don't have many, because my parents died when I was very young, and the people who raised me, my grandparents, didn't like to spend a lot of extra money, especially on such a frivolous thing as a camera."

Robbie made a small discontented sound and Stephanie put a hand on his firm arm. "I'm so sorry, Sportacus," she consoled.

"It's okay," he shook his head. "I'm not complaining. I had a good life. My guardians were good people. I couldn't have gotten where I am today without them."

Sportacus proceeded to share his memories.