"I brought you some food." Graverobber motioned toward a paper bag on the floor where he had dropped it. "tell me about the new you." he urged. Shilo rifled thought what he had brought and pulled out a bottle of water and a sandwich. She sat crossed legged on the floor with her food.

"I'm changing my name for starters." she said around a bite of chicken salad.

"you can't do that." Graverobber said indignity.

"you did… or did your parents hate you?" he shook his head.

"this has nothing to do with me." he growled. "what exactly do you plan calling yourself?'

"apple."

"what like the old evil corporation that made electronic devices that ended up brainwashing an entire generation?"

"I was thinking more along the lines of the fruit?" she giggled.

"well your not exactly the right shade of red"

"apples don't have to be red."

"no, they can be green, or yellow, but nether one of those colors would look good on you. And your not exactly round." the cellophane that had wrapped the sandwich hit him in the head. "okay okay…lets see apples can be sweet, or sour, they can be hard and crisp, and even rotten…alright the name suits you…but I think I'll just call you 'kid' if you don't mind." the scowl on Shilo's face made Graverobber break into an uncharacteristic laughing fit.

When he stopped he had to wipe a tear from his eye. Shilo was still grimacing at him from her spot on the floor. "tell me more about apple." he demanded.

"well apple is thought, I'm not gonna be pushed around and I'm not gonna cry like a baby. Since I am alone in this world I've gotta learn to fend for myself."

"alone in the world? What am I chopped liver?"

"you're a friend, but I can't expect you to be responsible for me, or to want me around forever. I may be naive but I'm not stupid. Your business involves contact with the opposite sex and I don't think you want me butting in all the time." his eyebrow shot up she ignored it and pressed on. "that's why your gonna teach me to be a Graverobber like you, once I'm good enough to keep my self alive I'll leave you alone." Graverobber just stared. He didn't know what to say. the girl he had saved last night was sitting in front of him as a woman. He had vowed to himself he'd keep her safe and off the streets and here she was flat out telling him to turn her out. "oh yeah and I want to have sex."

Graverobber jumped off the bed puller her to her feet and held he face roughly between his hands. "no." he told her looking straight into her dark brown eyes.

"no? what are you saying no to?" she demanded he face smooched in his big calloused hands.

"all of it. Damn it kid!" he let go and turned away. "I'm not going to call you fucking apple. I'm not going to turn you into a drug dealer. And I'm sure as hell not going to fuck you!" he faced her again, her pale face had gone stark white. Unshed tears swam before her eyes, she looked crestfallen.

"fine don't fuck me…I must not be your type. Go hump Amber sweet in some back ally, got spend all your tine with those zydrate sluts." Graverobber put his hands to his heard pulling at his dirty blond hair.

"god damn it!" he growled. "your not understanding me. Your better than any of those bitches. Your not some god forsaken Barbie doll with as a plastic smile and fake boobs. Your real, your young your sweet, your perfect just the way you are." she watched him pace to room, he was worked up.

"Graverobber?" she whispered. His eyes flashed. "you think I'm perfect?" she sounded so unsure.

"jeez kid do I have to spell it out?" she nodded a tiny smile playing at her lips. "I'm crazy about you, ever since I saw your pretty face collecting fucking bugs in a grave yard at night. I haven't been able to stop thinking about you." he admitted pulling at his hair again.

"t-then, w-wh-why wont you fuck me."

"your to good for me kid. I've never been with a woman who wasn't beggin' me for z before, I wouldn't know how to treat you right. You don't really want me any way, I put on a good show get the addicts drooling, but I'm scum kid." "what's your name, your mom didn't call you Graverobber."

"no…she didn't. she called me gutter trash, good for nothing, son of the devil. Does it matter if you call me ass hole, or Graverobber, or Terrance? I am who I am today because I came to accept that what she called me as truth. No one had ever treaded you bad, so you could never be bad." he took her into his arms, cradling the back of her head in the palm of one of his big hands.

"but I'm so tiered of being good." she sighed into his mouth before he clamed her's for her first kiss.