-1Murdoc was bewildered at the site of the waitress standing in his doorway. He squinted at her through the rain and darkness before stepping back to let her in. "Dun drip on any fink yeah?" he commanded, not showing any sympathy for her sopping wet and cold state. She shot him an icy stare before grabbing a blanket that lay on the couch and wrapping it around herself for dear life.

He slowly and casually made his way over to her and leaned on the wall. "Fanks for bringing my wallet." he took the tattered leather from her outstretched white hand. Izzie immediately thrust her hand under the sanctuary of warmth under the blanket and plopped onto the couch. "Go ahead," Murdoc said sarcastically. "Make yaself at 'ome." He didn't particularly enjoy any form of company. Especially when it was one in the morning and he really wanted to get another twelve hours of sleep in. However, he wouldn't mind seeing Noodle skip through the door with her guitar slung around her shoulders. Murdoc knew that her sweet strumming would lull him into some type of happiness.

"Whyah 'ere? I woz pretty rude to ya at Prezzo." he cocked a dark eyebrow, which went shooting into his mop top. Murdoc admitted he was rude, knowing it probably wasn't the best choice of actions. He had met someone who was genuinely interested in him for the first time in forever. Sure she wasn't some major record producer's daughter or a pop star who could give him his fame back but she was alive. She was a breathing soul with feelings that he had hurt and hands that were shaking from the cold gripping her lungs and ripping through her head. He watched her for a moment, seeing as she was silent and unresponsive to his question. "Ya deaf love? I asked you a question." he said softly, afraid she would burst into tears and flames. He wasn't quite sure which seemed more logical to lean towards.

"Ta bring ya your wallet." her voice was soft and fragile, quite a contrast to the way it had sounded during their first encounter. It kind of croaked and laid lazy off of her tongue and onto the floor of the Winnebago. Murdoc was startled by this sudden change in her character.

"Ya awrigh'?" he didn't move closer to put a hand on her shoulder and look into her eyes. Murdoc Niccals couldn't bring himself to do that. He was afraid beyond all thought and reason. He was afraid that she would cry and make him uncomfortable and also afraid of himself for actually caring about anyone's state of well-being.

She sniffled and remained silent. Murdoc withdrew a shaking breath, actually terrified of the onslaught of tears that was almost certain to follow. He winced and braced himself with his eyes closed and his teeth clenched. He mentally decided that he would remain where he was and let her cry out whatever hormones were raging through her system at the moment.

"Muhdoc." was all she had to say for herself. He opened one eye cautiously and cast it upon her. Izzie turned to look at him, the moonlight spilling white shadows across her already pale face. He studied her green eyes absently before running over her absurdly pointed nose and lips that were naturally shaped in a frown. The moonlight brought out her imperfections flawlessly. It was almost magical to see all that was damaged with a person in one sweeping glance. "I go' fired."

He wasn't sure he was hearing her right. "Wot Izzie?"

"My boss fired me. I slacked off too much." Izzie sighed shakily, tears shining in her eyes against the almost harsh moonlight. She squinted out one of the windows of the Winnebago and tried to suppress the tears threatening to spill out. Her worst fear was looking like an emotional cry baby in front of someone like Murdoc. Someone who cared himself so imposingly and flawlessly. She didn't want to look stupid. Izzie always looked stupid.

"Love," Murdoc sighed and sat down on the couch next to her. He had deemed her not a threat to his emotional wellbeing and kind of felt bad for her. His hand found its way to her shoulder which was now hunched in line with her ear. "There's nufink wrong wif dat. You dun need dat job anyway. Ol' Muds has got ya covered." Sure it sounded nice and innocent coming out of his mouth, but in his head these words had other intentions. He could make a friend out of Izzie and maybe…eventually…a playmate of sorts. Murdoc could see in those swimming green orbs that there was hurt, lack of self confidence, panic, loneliness, and self hate. If he thought about it a little further he realized those eyes were mirrors of his own; holding all that he kept locked in his own soul. His mind shook him out of his thinking stupor and reminded him chastely that there was a reward of sexual gratification at the end of the Izzie tunnel. He needed to keep his eyes on the prize and not on the idea of a "friend". Murdoc didn't need friends. In fact, friends needed Murdoc.

"'Ow so? You're livin' inna dumpstah." she spat at the shag carpets, gesturing around at the Winnebago.

Murdoc punched her arm playfully, standing to his feet with a grin on his lips. "A dumpstah? Nah love, this 'ere is a palace. I got loads uh cool stuff in 'ere." His mind bounced around quickly to think of something to distract her. A light bulb seemed to flicker above his head as he darted to the bedroom. He came back with his arms laden with records. "Ya like ol' stuff righ'?" he said eagerly, his long graceful fingers bending their way through the stack of cardboard sleeves.

"Yea…?" her voice was quizzical. What the fuck is he getting at?

"Ya mus' like da Runaways den, yeah?" he whipped out a record with Joan Jett and her girls that composed the rough and wild band known as The Runaways adorning the front. A smile flickered over Izzie's face as she snatched the record from him.

"Where da 'ell is your record playah Muhdoc?"

xxx

There were records scattered all over the floor and Bon Scott was crooning "Back In Black" in a dull roar on the record player. Murdoc sat up straight with El Diablo across his lap while Izzie sat hunched over astride him on the bed watching intently like a child may watch Santa or their mother making cookies. Her attention was focused on his olive fingers as they danced across the fretboard in time with Cliff Williams.

"Ya got dat? Pretty simplistic." he said, swiping a finger under his nose absently. Izzie nodded and grabbed for his other bass which lay on the ground. "Be careful wif dat, yeah?"

"Sorreh." her fingers fought their way onto the correct frets. They were much too small to sit properly against the large frame of the bass. Izzie's delicate fingers struggled to pull the heavy steel strings and make much noise. She sighed in defeat and Murdoc laughed at her. "Wot Murdoc?" she snapped, offended he would laugh at her.

"Ya fingahs look like a spidah on glass." he snorted, scooting so that his shoulder was resting against hers. Murdoc swiped her hands away from the bass and then caught them inbetween his fingers. Izzie blushed but Murdoc didn't seem to notice because he was far too wrapped up in teaching her this song and being a know it all. "Look 'ere love. Lemme 'elp ya." he helped her to position her fingers correctly. Izzie groaned as her fingers reached their stretching limit in there sockets. She eventually managed to pluck out "Back in Black" with much struggle and lack of audibility but it was still accomplished nonetheless.

She sighed and took a good long look at him. Murdoc didn't notice that she was soul staring at him because he was absorbed in showing her the bass riff for one of his old band's songs, he'd said it was called "Dracula". Izzie didn't quite remember if that was exactly right. She was becoming sure, however, of a couple of other things. For one, she had become so comfortable and safe with Murdoc in the about two or three hours they'd spent with each other. Izzie felt like she finally had found a friend in someone. Sure, they butted heads and their opinions crossed each other in the most awkward of circumstances. That's not to say, she didn't find some type of familiarity in him. It was almost like he was her embodied in someone else. She could feel that he was like her in the way that he felt different, cast aside, lonely, not good enough for himself or anyone else, and that his black flame of evil burning inside him was slightly larger than that of the average human. Izzie was filled with wickedness too, but she believed that Murdoc hadn't discovered that side of her yet. She planned to pleasantly surprise him. There was one thing that scared Izzie about Murdoc though. He was most definitely hiding something. This something disturbed him quite a bit. It made him sad, careful, and caring. Izzie could almost feel, especially after their first encounter at Prezzo, that by nature Murdoc was not a caring man. She could see he had no patience, tolerance, or love for anyone else in this world. Aside from that Noodle he had mentioned once or twice before. Who was she?

"Whatsa mattah love?" he stirred her from her musings. Izzie started and widened her eyes.

"Nofink. Sorreh." her eyes swept the Winnebago for a distraction and they rested on the clock. "Shit! It's almost five. I'm sorreh to 'ave kept ya up Muhdoc…I should be off den." she stood to go but Murdoc held out his hand. Izzie looked at him expectantly but he seemed to rethink whatever he was going to say and dropped his hand.

"Lemme walk ya out." he accompanied her to the door. As Izzie turned to leave she stopped to say something to him.

"I'll be back tomorrah. 'Ow do ya feel about hotcakes and grits?" a smile waned on her face. Murdoc was prepared to laugh her plans off and shoo her out of his life but something seemed to grip him in the region where his heart lay. This pressure seemed to shoot to his brain like fast pumping dynamite and change his response.

"Shure." Fuck you 2D and your caring nice-ness.

"See ya den." she waved, pulling her hood up to shield her from the rain, which had by now died down to a steady drizzle. Her form disappeared into the night and was soon swallowed by the darkness. The sun was in the distance though, threatening to vanquish the darkness from the sleepy streets where cars were already zipping to get to work.

Murdoc retreated to the bedroom where he found sleep faster than the previous time he had sought it. He wound up again in the lonely beach but this time there were others. Pelicans dove into the water in search of pray and a pair of people had taken up a seat on the rock that Murdoc and 2D had occupied earlier.

He could recognize 2D from where he was standing but the other person he struggled with. Murdoc began to shuffle towards them. 2D waved happily as Murdoc approached. "'Ello Muhdoc, there's someone I'd like ya to say 'ello to." he gestured to his companion. The figure turned to face him and the breath was knocked out of Murdoc.

"Dio?" Murdoc gulped, absolutely exhilarated to see one of his heroes.

Murdoc, 2D, and Ronnie James Dio sat down on a rock in heaven and had a nice long talk about politics. They laughed, cried, and hugged each other in a non-homosexual way multiple times. 2D even managed to get beer to materialize out of the air at some point. It was all a good time, until a knock at the door stirred Murdoc from his wonderful dream.

-Chapter 5 Fin-

Author's Note: So sorry for the delay on this one! It's a tad shorter than the other chapters but I really wanted to get it out there for you all. Now that I've had a full chapter with Izzie and everyone's seen a lot more of her any suggestions? I hope you all find it in your hearts to make these constructive criticism. Hope you all enjoyed…cheers. (: