Author's Notes: I really like how this chapter turned out, though admittedly it took quite a while to figure out how certain plot points should go. I had to change a scene for the sake of keeping everything running smoothly. I've also wondered if I should change the genre of this fic. It's listed as humor/drama because that was my original intention, but I'm not sure if it's funny enough at this point to keep humor in the description. Perhaps some of you have ideas. Should it stay the same, and if not then what genre or genres would you ascribe to this fic? If you have an opinion on the matter, let me know :)

Chapter 7

Warning Signs

Talking Dog drove along the railroad tracks with his head hanging out the window, following the scent of the missing girl. Billy tried to make himself as small as possible riding in the passenger seat, but due to his size he was still cramped in the car and accidentally touching Talking Dog.

The car swerved to and fro as the pooch tried to keep everything steady despite half of him being outside the car and the other half being pushed by the green teenager. They probably would have gotten a ticket, but fortunately this was the rural outskirts of Townsville, and nobody really patrolled this area.

"Are you sure Fluffy is near here?" Billy asked.

"According to the scent trail, yes!" The dog shouted from outside the window, "It's getting harder to pick up on though, what with all these fragrant weeds and woody textures. Oh man…all these tree smells are making me need to pee!"

"Uh, can we stop then?" Billy asked, "Billy needs to pee too."

Nobody had to ask Talking Dog twice. He immediately pulled the car over near a birch tree and ran out. Unfortunately, Billy decided to use the same tree.

"Go to the other side, you moron!" Talking Dog barked, "I can't go with you watching!"

"Dah, okay," Billy shrugged.

Billy scooted a few steps, but was still too close. Talking Dog knew getting rid of the big oaf was nearly impossible, so he just rolled his eyes and tried to think of fire hydrants.

A few minutes later, with that little detour out of the way, the unlikely duo went back to the car to follow the scent. It didn't take them very long actually, since Talking Dog picked up the scent again as soon as they came across the first building they had seen in fifteen minutes.

"In there!" Talking Dog declared, "I'm sure of it. Your missing person is in that large dilapidated house."

"No she's not," Billy argued.

"Seriously? You think this nose would lie?" Talking Dog asked, affronted.

"Fluffy ain't in there!" Billy shouted stubbornly, "Nobody's in there! Keep going!"

"Well…this certainly took a turn," Talking Dog replied, a little shocked, "You seemed so desperate to find your pet before. Why turn back now when we're so close?"

"Uh…maybe Fluffy went back to the dump," Billy suggested, his muscles tight and his lips quivering.

Talking Dog was starting to notice the smell of sweat coming off Big Billy, and heard the sound of his shivering. That was when Talking Dog realized what the problem was.

"You're afraid to go in there, aren't you?" Talking Dog stated rather than asked.

"No," Billy said, but then, "Yes. Billy not wanna go in ABC Land again. What if Billy can't get out?"

"What if your friend can't get out?" The dog countered, "I might not be a genius, but I see from here that this building is unsafe and unstable. Your Fluffy could get hurt wandering around in there. You should go get her before something terrible happens."

Billy knew Talking Dog was right, but looking up at that yellow house brought back too many memories for him. Kids disappeared from this place. Brittney disappeared from this place. The adults that ran this foster home were mean, and they hated Billy. If he went back inside, he might not get out.

"Ahem," Talking Dog loudly coughed, "Are you going or not?"

Billy gulped and looked back at the house. He didn't want to go in there. He wanted Fluffy to be somewhere else. He wanted to drive away from the barbed wire and the bad memories. He wanted to go home.

Yet, when he thought about home, he knew what he would see. An empty bassinet. Yet another pet that ran away. A little girl trapped in the worst place in Townsville. ABC Land standing tall with another kid disappeared behind its walls.

No. Not like this. He had to go in there. He had to save Fluffy.

Billy got out of the car, puffed up his chest, and clenched his fists ready to take on his fears. He marched right up the overgrown path, stepped onto the porch step, and immediately got his foot stuck when the wood gave out.

"Uh oh…" Billy said dully, "Uh, doggy? Billy's foot is stuck."

"So you can't get out?" Talking Dog asked.

"No," Billy replied.

"Alright then," Talking Dog replied as he turned the ignition of his car, "See ya."

With that the dog drove away, leaving Billy stranded with his foot caught in the broken stair. It took Billy a moment to realize he'd been ditched, and when he did he slumped over sadly.

"Dang it," Billy muttered helplessly, "Help! Help! Someone help Billy! Help!"

Marny slept restlessly in yet another strange bed. Her dreams were chaotic, and her hand was falling asleep from laying on it for too long. Marny didn't want to wake up, but staying asleep was becoming increasingly difficult. The final straw came when she heard what sounded like yelling.

She awoke dehydrated and sore. Stumbling off the bunk bed she was sleeping on, she heard the yelling more clearly this time. It was Billy's voice.

At first Marny wanted to hide under the bed, wanted to try to escape her former captor. She imagined that he was angry, that he had stalked her all the way here and was going to beat her up for leaving. Instinct told her to flee.

Halfway under the bed however, Marny listened again and realized that Billy wasn't nearby. He was outside, which meant she could sneak out the back and maybe avoid him altogether.

Sneaking, ever so quietly, Marny sidled up to the window to see if she could locate him. At first she couldn't see anything except the side yard. He didn't seem to be out there, but when she forced her face against the glass to look at the porch, she could see Billy standing there with his foot in the rotted wood of the stairs.

"Help! Help!" Billy shouted, his voice surprisingly calm given the situation, "Someone help Billy! Billy stuck!"

Marny's first thought was that this was perfect. She could escape Billy and the Gangreen Gang, and never get in trouble for running away.

She ran to the bedroom doorway and grabbed her backpack, ready to be a self-imposed fugitive once again. Once she made it as far as downstairs however, she could hear Billy more clearly. He sounded so broken and pitiful, crying for help in the middle of nowhere. Nobody was here except for her. No one would save him.

Marny sighed in defeat and realized she wouldn't be able to live with herself if Billy got hurt. Sure, he was a big scary ogre of a man, but he also protected her and loved her, albeit in his own warped way. Marny had been unable to fully trust a grown up since her mom died, but Billy was probably the closest thing to a decent grown up she'd found since then.

Resigned to whatever her fate would be, she searched around the house for something that might help Billy. He was already pretty strong, so she didn't know how his foot could get stuck in normal wood. She would have to find something that makes strong men even stronger. But what?

She scoured the house until she found a supply closet. There was surprisingly still some odds and ends left, including a hammer. Marny smiled. This was a good tool, the kind that breaks things if someone was strong enough. Marny lifted the hammer, realized it was too heavy, put it down, and then lifted it again with both hands. She stuffed the hammer in her backpack so she could carry it on her back, and then walked outside to see if she could help Billy.

Billy, for his part, was still standing out there and looking toward the road. Part of him hoped that mean dog would come back and save him, but that seemed unlikely.

He heard the front door suddenly open, but he didn't want to turn around right away and see who it was. It could be Fluffy, but it could also be Mrs. Woodrow or Mr. Mendez. He could be dragged back into ABC Land never to return…

There was a tug on Billy's pants leg, and he whimpered and shut his eyes tight.

"Billy no wanna go back in there…"

The tugging grew more insistent, and Billy forced himself to look down. It was Fluffy! She was okay!

"Fluffy!" Billy cheered, "You're alive! Billy was so worried about Fluffy."

Marny didn't respond, as usual, but rather held up her backpack. Billy didn't know what she wanted, but he grabbed the backpack anyway. He pulled out the first thing inside, a hammer, and Fluffy nodded and pointed to the stairs.

"Uh, Billy can't fix the stairs. Billy's foot is stuck," Billy said apologetically.

Marny roughly shook her head and then made a hammering motion with her fist before pointing to the stairs. Then she pointed to her foot as she raised it off the ground.

"Uh…what?" Billy asked uncomprehendingly.

Marny breathed out, practically groaning at this guy's stupidity. Didn't all grown ups know how to use tools?

"Billy wil try to help," Billy said uncertainly.

He didn't know how to fix stairs, especially with his foot caught in one, but he figured it couldn't be that hard. He pounded on the broken step as hard as he could, and the deadwood gave way, freeing his foot.

"Aw, Billy broke it!" Billy whined, "Billy not good at anything!"

Marny couldn't help but laugh. It was the closest Billy had ever come to hearing what she sounded like. Her voice was raspy from dehydration, but her gap-toothed smile warmed Billy's heart.

"We should go home," Billy told her, "If they find out Billy broke the stairs then Billy will get in trouble."

Even though Marny didn't really want to go back to the Gangreen Gang, it didn't seem as scary as it did before. Billy wasn't as bad as the rest of them, and part of her even missed the others. Grubber could be funny, Snake seemed chill enough, and Arturo was small like her so he seemed safe. Ace was the scariest, but she decided she could live with that for a little while longer. Somebody was better than nobody, even if she still didn't entirely understand them.

Ace found himself in the park after spending all day looking for Marny. He spent the first couple hours in the dump, but it didn't take a genius to realize she wouldn't stay there if she had a choice. With that area eliminated, Ace decided to look in all the places kids like to go.

His first stop was the arcade, where he got distracted and stole some kid's pizza and soda. After that he tried the public pool, but she wasn't there. With few options left, he now walked around Townsville Park.

He loved this place because all the kids were afraid of him. It used to be a great place to steal change and bully weaklings, but then the Powerpuff Girls started fighting crime in this area and made that line of work more difficult. Still, the fear his face instilled was enough to keep him coming back.

He glanced whenever he saw a kid, but none of them were Marny. At this point he wondered why he was even still looking. She had a family to go back to. She was probably already home by now. Her grandma sure seemed worried about her when the gang first called a few days ago.

Getting tired from walking, Ace sat on a bench and watched the world go by. Whenever he made eye contact with anyone, young or old, they usually walked a little faster and avoided him. Good. He was still a fearsome thug to Townsville. At least he could bask in his own infamy while he rested.

One thing still nagged at the back of Ace's mind, however. Snake told him Marny was injured, yet didn't tell anyone. No normal kid hid their wounds like a scared bunny rabbit. He knew because he was used to picking on kids. They would cry out, they would scream, and sometimes they would threaten to tell their parents. He knew Marny was mute, but that didn't negate the natural instinct to seek help when dealing with pain and suffering.

Her behavior reminded Ace more of himself when he was younger. Other kids cried, but he never cried. He knew better than to cry, though occasionally begging worked. Ace tried to avoid injury, but once it happened that was that and crying about it further was a waste of time…not to mention a one-way ticket to making the situation worse.

Ace snorted and kicked a small pebble near his foot. His old man didn't give him much, but at least he made Ace tough enough to rule the streets. Being born green, not to mention smaller than most of the other boys, made his dad angry. Ace wasn't good enough for his parents, and was beaten frequently for his inadequacies. That was all in the past though, and Ace knew he turned out fine. He commanded respect and fear wherever he went, and could talk himself out of almost anything he couldn't fight his way through. If only his rotten family could see him now…

He saw a brown haired girl out of the corner of his eye, and turned his head to see if it was Marny. She wasn't, and the little girl screamed when she realized she caught the punk's attention. She ran away, but for some reason Ace didn't feel the same rush this time. Probably because he was distracted.

It still didn't add up to Ace. What would make a little girl not tell anyone about her pain? Was it because she was in the presence of The Gangreen Gang? That seemed unlikely. Grit wasn't something that came naturally to children. It had to be learned. Ace was about her age by the time he figured out how to stop crying when he got hurt or hit or burned or-

Oh.

Billy carried Marny as they walked along the road. It was dark now, and it would still be a while before they made it home. The smaller suburbs of the city slowly passed them by as Billy walked; the street lights illuminating the happy homes.

Marny sighed as she looked at the lights slowly turning off around them, one by one, as families went to bed. She wasn't sleepy yet, but she still felt tired. Probably from all the walking she did earlier, or maybe because her nerves were only just now calming down.

Wanting something to do, Marny decided to check her backpack for toys. She had a few from back home. Perhaps she could play with her baby doll or her tops or maybe…

As she rifled through the bag, to her horror, her journal fell out of the bag and onto the ground. Billy saw what happened and stopped, and Marny's heart sank. At first she worried about losing her diary, but now she had an even bigger concern: What if Billy read it? She said some unflattering things about him and the gang. He would be really mad at her and then she would get in trouble. He might even hit her…

Billy put Marny down, and then picked up the notebook. He stared at it for a moment, and Marny held her breath in panic. Finally, Billy looked down with a smile and handed the journal back to her.

"Fluffy dropped this," Billy said helpfully.

Marny took the journal back and quickly shoved it back into her backpack. She breathed a sigh of relief, and then Billy picked her back up. She smiled up at him, a new sense of respect forming for the big lug. Most grown ups would read the journal. She hid this thing like a stolen fortune when she lived with her grandparents. She knew her grandpa would read it if he found out, and she knew she'd probably be killed for what she wrote about him.

For the next few minutes everything was peaceful. Marny was able to look up at the stars, however few they may be in the light-polluted sky, and she was able to see Billy's face as he kept moving. She didn't know how he didn't get tired. She heard from her brother that fat people were always tired, but Billy always seemed to move at the same pace no matter what was happening.

When they reached a crosswalk Billy didn't stop even though the light told him to. There were no obvious cars around, and Billy wanted to get home soon so they could finally eat something and sleep.

Marny looked toward the road just in time to see a pickup truck barreling straight for them! It was going way too fast for a residential area, and at Billy's slow pace it was sure to hit them!

"Watch out!"

Billy turned and saw the truck coming. He couldn't move out of the way in time, so he turned around and let the truck hit his backside. There was a scream, the truck rammed Billy, and the airbag deployed inside the truck as it hit full force.

Billy, sure the danger was over, opened his eyes and looked down at Marny. Her eyes were owlish as she stared up at him, seemingly not even breathing.

He put her down on the road and then turned toward the truck. Billy's back hurt a little, but otherwise he was okay. This wasn't the first time he'd been hit by a vehicle, and thankfully his freakish body was built to absorb damage.

The guy in the truck got out, shocked from the impact and Billy's strength, and wobbled away to call for a tow. Billy didn't say anything, but just stood there for a moment watching the guy.

Marny finally started breathing in and out, shocked by the ordeal. Billy, none the worse for wear, picked Marny up again and began walking.

They passed by stores, restaurants, and gas stations on their way home. Billy was so hungry, and he could really go for something to drink too. He was sure Fluffy would need to eat something as well, especially after almost getting hit by a car.

It was while Billy was on this singular train of thought that something finally hit him. He only noticed that truck…because Fluffy warned him. Fluffy…spoke.