'…and the Bag's in the River'

There were two smells in Jesse's house the next morning; burnt eggs and acid. Groaning as he remembered the events that had transpired yesterday, the twenty four year old sat up and gazed upon the sleeping lump beside him. Her alarm hadn't gone off yet, meaning it still wasn't past eight twenty-five and it was too early to deal with a disintegrated body in his hallway. Unfortunately, just as he flopped back down into the cozy mattress and wrapped an arm around his girlfriend, her cellphone blared to life. This time, both youths let out disappointed groans and rolled over.

"You need a ride to work?" Jesse lit a cigarette as he watched his significant other pull on jeans and worn converse. Again he was reminded of her thin frame as his eye caught the 'Kids S' tag on her pants. He remembered her whining about having to purchase from the Kid's section of thrift stores to find jeans – one of the blatant signs that something was wrong with her weight. Jesse would never fully understand how someone so beautiful and so loved could hate themselves just as much as Charlie did.

"That would be lovely." She smiled, crawling over to Jesse so that her legs straddled his and laying a kiss on his lips. Again, a suggestive grin crept up on his face and his hands crawled up to her sides, sliding up and down against her skin.

"I'm gonna be late, big boy." Charlie grinned back, sliding up off of her boyfriend and tossing him a shirt. "Let's bounce."

Jesse made another noise of protest but reluctantly rose from the bed, sliding on shoes and grabbing the car keys. The two peeled out of the driveway moments later, Jesse still trying to convince Charlie to eat a bit of granola bar before going in to work. It took him several minutes, but she eventually gave in once he locked the car doors and refused to let her start her shift until she took a bite. It cost him his goodbye smooch, but to him it was worth it. Giving her even the tiniest bit of nutrition to start the day off was essential, even if it meant that she would be moody until lunch. Jesse sighed as he drove back to the house, grimacing as he remembered the task that awaited him once he would arrive back home. Mr. White was due to show up in about an hour to assist in helping him clean Emilio's bloody remains, something that Jesse knew he would never hear the end of. It was a stupid mistake on his part – perhaps Mr. White was right…he should have paid more attention in Chemistry class.

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During Charlie's lunch break, Jesse had very angrily pulled into the Los Pollos parking lot, heading straight for the back of the building where he knew all of the smokers took their daily doses of tar and nicotine. Considering Charlie barely ate or used the bathroom, he knew that he could almost always find her at the back of the restaurant during her breaks.

"Hey angel," He greeted, sauntering up to her and giving her a warm hug. She buried herself in his arms, careful not to burn his sweater with her fag. "How're you doin'?"

"I'm alright," She smiled up at him, eyes glinting like a cats. "How 'bout you?"

"Oh man," Jesse sniffed, switching his weight from foot to foot and beginning to explain the events that had taken place prior to his arrival at the restaurant chain. "Mr. White went totally crazy, yo!" Jesse ranted, pacing back and forth. Charlie shushed him, sensing his anger and taking another drag of her cigarette. "He tried to flush my glass – and he still hasn't done anything about Krazy 8 -"

"He's still locked in our basement?"

"I don't even -" Jesse seemed extremely frustrated, and delved in his pocket to search for his own pack of cigarettes whilst checking the time. "You're gonna be late, baby. Start your shift – I'll wait in the car."

Charlie stubbed out her cigarette butt and pecked her boyfriend once more on the lips before disappearing inside, struggling with the heavy door. Jesse watched her go with squinted eyes, wondering how the hell she managed to stay alive in a shithole restaurant like Los Pollos. It was no secret to her employers that she had serious problems; he had received calls from concerned fellow employees after Charlie had passed out in the locker room several times, and he had broken several traffic laws to get to her on time before her boss managed to send her to the hospital. There was no denying that her weight was becoming a serious problem.

|:|

"Thanks for stopping at Los Pollos – have a nice afternoon!" Charlie quoted from the company's script and bid her final customers farewell. Retreating into the 'employees only' locker area, she located number 14 and replaced her work shirt with one of Jesse's more comfortable shirts. It came down to about mid thigh and drooped well past her hands. Used to these setbacks, she simply pushed the sleeves up and grabbed the rest of her personal effects before slamming the locker door closed. Quickly locating the red Monte Carlo in the parking lot, she set a brisk pace towards it and lit a cigarette in the process. She woke a sleeping Jesse, and the two clambered into the front seats of the car.

"We're stayin' at Crossroads tonight," Jesse placed the keys in the ignition and started the vehicle. "Mr. White's gotta deal with Krazy 8 on his own."

Charlie merely nodded and accepted, only slightly miffed about the fact that she would have to spend the night without Po. That teddy bear was the only valuable that she had left; she hated spending more than a night without it. Jesse caught her eye and grabbed her hand, stroking her thumb lightly. Trying to distract her, he turned on the radio and asked about the tips she had collected. Grinning, she pulled out her wallet and showed him the thick stack of cash. Compared to the wads he had made selling his drugs it was nothing, but she was still proud.

"There was this cute old lady today that really liked her smoothie, so she gave me extra." Charlie placed the money back in her pocket and folded her legs up to her chest, running a hand through her hair. Even though she tried her very best to hide it, Jesse caught sight of the clump of long black strands that she held in between her fingers for a couple of seconds before discarding it out the window. He sighed and chose to say nothing, but he felt Charlie's eyes on him as he pulled into the motel's parking lot.

While Jesse rented a room for the night, Charlie ventured up to room 106A and softly knocked on the door. There was some rustling inside, and after several seconds her dealer opened the door. Scott was a fairly pleasant guy for someone who sold heroin, and not many customers were aware of his hidden apartment in the 'crystal palace'. Charlie however, was one of his long time customers, and she deserved the privilege of knowing his secret getaway locations. She quickly purchased several grams, thanking the skies for her good week at work, and bid farewell to Scott. Running into Jesse on the staircase, she didn't even bother to hide the box she was clutching in her fingers, causing him to sigh. He merely wrapped an arm around her and led the girl to 112B – their usual abode. Not even minutes after they had settled in and turned on the TV to catch 'Duck Tales', there was a quiet knocking at the door. Jesse turned down the volume and unraveled himself from Charlie's arms, going to open the door discreetly.

"You got anything?" A gruff voice questioned. Recognizing the tone, Charlie rose from the bed and crept towards the door. She usually kept her distance from Jesse's customers, but Wendy Stewart was one of the few exceptions.

"Hey kid," Wendy gave half a smile as she caught sight of Charlie, and Jesse opened the door further to let the older woman inside. "How are you doin'?"

"I'm alright," Charlie smiled, going to grab a root beer from the fridge and popping it open for the blonde woman. "How are you? How's Patrick?"

"We're both just fine," Wendy gladly accepted the cool drink while she waited for Jesse to separate her share of his infamous illegal substance. "He's stayin' with daddy for awhile."

"Yeah?" Charlie sat Indian-style on the bed, picking at her fading nail polish. "Is his new school okay?"

"Loves his teachers – and the other kids are friendly," Wendy shrugged, sliding eighty bucks over towards the table for Jesse. "But I got booted out of the place for smokin' during parent teacher night."

Charlie had taken care of Patrick for a brief period of time while his mother had been in jail for several weeks – something that Wendy would never be able to forget. Patrick was a bright young boy, very attached to his meth head of a mother and always eager to chip in his two cents. He was the cutest little boy Charlie had ever known; even Jesse had taken a strange liking to him.

"Here," Jesse tossed a small baggie towards the blonde woman, and she rose to her feet wearily.

"Nice seein' ya, kid." She ruffled Charlie's hair and exited the room, footsteps echoing down the hallway.

Jesse locked the door behind the drug-addled mother, leaning his forehead briefly against it before going to rejoin Charlie on the bed. The two fell asleep moments later tangled in each other's forms, not even bothering to get undressed.

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The next morning was strange and slightly nerve wracking as the pair drove back to the house, unsure about what they were going to find there. As soon as they pulled into the driveway, Jesse instructed Charlie to wait in the car, and she obeyed with wide eyes while her boyfriend hopped out and checked the RV. Upon approving that it was clear, he opened the passenger door for her and ushered her out by the hand. The two made their way inside the house, where Jesse called out several times to make sure the home was clear. After leaving Walter on such an unhappy note, he was nervous about the amount of retaliation he was going to face.

Instructing Charlie to wait in the – what she noted was now sparkling clean – hallway, Jesse opened the door to the basement. "Hello? Anybody down here?"

There was no response, so the two let themselves downstairs. What greeted them was a very clean, empty basement. Charlie waited by the stairs, biting her knuckles as her nerves slowly took over. Did this mean that Krazy 8 had been let loose? Where was Walter? Why hadn't he left a note or a message?

Jesse walked across the stone cold floor until he reached the pipe where Krazy 8 had been locked up against, and grabbed at something sitting on a nearby shelf. His bike lock lay abandoned, keys next to it. Picking it up and turning around, he held it out to where Charlie could see it. Her eyes flitted nervously between the object and her boyfriend's gaze, teeth pulling at skin as hard as they would work. It was only until Jesse walked back across the basement and took her knuckles out of her mouth that she came to her senses and asked the one question that was on both of their minds.

"What do you think happened?"