We both left her. That should be the end, huh?

Well, it wasn't. Not even close.

When I was reunited with Jon, wait no. I don't like the sounds of that. When Jon came back, when I found him and him me, I asked him what had happened.

He told me little, that I was right and she left him to die, to be beaten to death by thugs, but that's not til a little later.

So, I was alone, Fuu was alone and Jon was having brain-melting sex with one of the cheapest high-class looking bitches I'd ever seen.

At some point, Fuu came looking. I was camped in a hostel, a real fleabag of a place, drinking myself stupid.

Serious. I didn't even recognize her. She asked around, I guess, for a gangly bleached blond and found me, like I said, one hundred percent shitfaced.

I was lying in the communal bathroom, on the floor. I wanted to cry (I didn't, I just wanted to) and get in a fight, but I'd been drinking for something like six hours solid and I couldn't find the door, much less someone to fight. Yeah, yeah, I'm exaggerating, but listen to the story, okay? Christ.

Anyhow. Fuu came in, calling out all shaky, "Morgan?"

"Mm," I said.

"Are you puking?"

"No. But I had to. Had to take a piss. Floor's comfortable right now."

She sat down next to me, slowly, and slipped the gutrot bottle from my hand. She sipped at it slowly and sighed.

"Why'd he have to go?"

"Jon? I don't know. Maybe he thought she really needed him. That we'd be fine on our own."

"Heh. That girl needed money an' muscle. That's it."

She took another sip, without wincing. I could love this girl, I could.

"And. You know. What, Fuu?"

"What's that?" she said. She was huddled into the crook of my arm, her little soft body pressed into mine.

"We won't be fine on our own."

"I know you're going to miss him—"

I stood up.

"We won't be fine on our own because now. There is no 'we'."

"You're not leaving me again, not when I'm this close!"

I laughed and snatched my bottle back. Took a big swig, not expecting one of her tiny fists to hit my gut.

Most of that cheap booze flew out like a hilarious spit-take, while my body remembered Jon's earlier assault.

"We're almost there!" she whined. "California, remember? You promised!"

"No I fucking didn't."

"You know what I mean," she was wiping at her eyes now.

"Obviously I don't. I can't even spell 'California' right now."

The bathroom suddenly seemed to small, so I got out and went back to my room.

She followed, of course.

"If there ain't no Jon, there ain't no 'we'," I told her, shutting the door firmly. I fumbled, looking to turn a lock that wasn't there.

I heard her pace for a bit, before I heard the telltale walk away click of her sky-high heels.

I didn't know she'd look for Jon. She ended up in jail, overnight, for vagrancy.

Jon was easy to find. I don't know why, I don't believe in that fate bullshit or anything like that, but I just puked, brushed my teeth and left. And I found him.

Now, back to the beginning. He was standing in a hotel room, door already knocked down by a beefy tug-type, fighting off three at once.

"Jon!" I wish I hadn't yelled. He looked for a second and caught a blow to the jaw he coulda easily dodged.

I jumped in the fray, tossing him his gun.

I shot once, him twice and we ran as fast as we could to his car. He made a call, someone to clean the room and take out the bullets and I caught my breath, offering him a swig of slightly less rancid booze from a pint bottle.

He took it gratefully and we drove back to the hostel. And we woulda fucked, but like I said: hostel. Four other people in the room.

We ended up sharing a bunk, two exhausted, mostly straight guys gay for each other, resting and dreading the next morning.

Which came, of course, and delivered massive hang over for me and random aches and pains from our various fights the previous day.

He suggested some dive for breakfast and I gladly agreed. We sat at one of those little two person booths and ordered two of the breakfast special, both far too tired still to think.

And for a second, he reached for my hand, squeezing it. For most people it was almost too fast too see, but I saw it, felt it, my heart jumping.

"What happened to the kid?" he asked.

"I don't know. Let's see…fucked her, left her, found you."

"You fucked her?" he asked. He sounded mostly surprised.

"Yep."

"Hm."

We drained our coffee cups and signaled, simultaneously, for more.

"Maybe we oughta look for her?"

"Maybe."

"Still wanna go to California?"

"Maybe."

"Yeah," I agreed. I exhaled and leaned back as far as I could. "Let's go find her."