Whoo! Update! UP-DATE! It's been way too long. I hope you enjoy!

They walk down the street, the now silent and completely vacant street. They don't say a word, not until they come within eyeshot of the alley. Instead of looking toward home though, Liz's eyes are drawn to the opposite side of the street. "Hey…" She slips her arms from around Slash's. "Hey! Look!" She races across the street.

Slash starts. "Liz!" Her real name slips past his lips in his surprise. He turns hard and follows after her. "Where do you think you're going?"

Liz bends down in a smooth arc, reaching the lowest point as she makes it to her destination. Her eyes shine and her mouth stretches into a wide grin. "I can't believe it." She breathes. She scoops the object up and bounces to her full height.

"Hey!" Slash crosses his arms and scowls down at her. "What do you think you're doing? Didn't you learn anything from today?" He sighs and shakes his head. Obviously not. Stupid girl.

Liz spins around and shoves her hands toward Slash. "Ta-da!" She giggles. "Isn't it great?" In her hands sits a camera phone. The screen is cracked a little, but it probably still works. All she has to do is test it to make sure it's only the appearance of the phone that is damaged.

Slash blinks. His brows knit together and a frown forms. "Sure…I guess." He says it slow, carefully. But he can not contain the question on his lips. "But what the heck is it?"

Liz makes a face, but it quickly shifts into one of pure amusement. She laughs. "Oh, Slash." She clicks a bunch of buttons and holds it out to Slash before clicking the button all in one swift instant. The phone makes a soft sound and she lowers it, her grin ever present. "It's a phone, you know, with the ability to take pictures."

Slash stares through narrowed eyes at the device. How strange. He's seen cameras before, Raph and the others found bits and pieces enough for Donnie to make one. And while recently they had created something like a phone, Donnie never bothered to give it the feature of taking pictures.

"And with a phone," She spins the phone around and shoves it at Slashes face. "Lets you look at the pictures instantly." She sighs in content. "See?"

Slash quirks a brow. He sees a mirror image of himself staring back. Ok, so that's pretty cool. He scoffs. "Why would I want a picture of myself?" He shakes his head. "It's just creepy."

Liz puffs out her lower lip. She scowls. "No," She stretches out the word. "It's a way to remember things." Pain flickers across her face. "It lets you remember the good times even when things aren't going so good." She feels the words on her lips, but she lets them die. She doesn't mention what he told her not fifteen minutes ago.

Slash frowns, his mind whirring. His thoughts flash to Raph. He remembers his friend's smile and the tender way he handled him. A small, pained smile passes his lips. "I suppose." He also thinks back to mere minutes after his transformation. There was a picture hanging in Raph's room, a picture of Raph's brothers. He supposes it showed how much he truly loved his brothers despite how much he vented about them. It was the sign that Slash completely overlooked.

Liz's smile bounces back. "And this one is almost identical to my old one." She draws the phone back and turns it to stare at the picture herself. "Makes me feel…better." Slash scowls through the picture as much as he does in reality. She snorts. "And now I have a picture of you!" She grins from ear to ear.

Slash ducks his head and presses his lips tight together. "Delete it." He looks hard at her. "Now." His expression suddenly goes blank. "You…can do that right?"

"Of course you can." Liz only grins wider. "But no," She stretches the word out. "I don't think I will." She jumps back, preparing for his advance.

Slash scowls. He springs forward after her. "Give it to me." He snatches for it.

Liz squeals. She spins around and darts down the opposite alley. "Stop it!" She laughs, throwing her head back to look over her shoulder. Another delighted squeal rushes from her mouth as she sees him right behind her.

Slash catches up to her and wraps his giant arms around her, effectively stopping her escape. "Nowhere to go now." He smiles despite himself. He lifts her up so her feet dangle just above the ground, leaving her without traction. "So give it up."

Liz kicks fervently. "Never!" She wriggles and twists every which way. "It's mine! You can't have it!" In the end her fighting does no good. She slumps in his hold and she puffs her lip out to go along with her scowl. "So let go." She growls deep in her throat, trying to imitate him but only sounding childish and one short step from downright laughable.

Slash smirks. "I don't think so."

Liz huffs. If he didn't have her arms pinned to her sides she would have crossed them. "It's not funny Slash." She grumbles.

Slash notes her expression and that all amusement is gone from her face, so he loosens his hold.

Liz feels his grip grow slack and her face brightens. She slips effortlessly from his arms and jolts forward, far from him. "Ha!" She spins around and points at him. "I win!" She rubs it in, but her eyes show plainly that she understands he let her.

Slash scoffs and rolls his eyes. "Whatever."

Liz jumps slightly in place and her face lights up even further. "Hey!" She runs at him. She grabs his arm and pulls but doesn't really pull him back toward their alley. "I wanna try something." She is very aware of the split second resistance in her efforts and the fact that she is only able to take him back toward their alley because he lets her.

Slash shrugs as he follows.

Liz releases him halfway down the alley and charges into a run. She grips the crate without stopping and shoves herself up, kicking her legs out horizontal for an instant just for show before landing on top. She spins on her heels and turns to Slash, beaming. "C'mere." She waves him over.

Slash shakes his head, barely hiding a smile. She's such a child. And he loves it despite himself. "What is it?" He quirks a brow and crosses his arms as he comes to a stop a couple feet in front of her. "Didn't you say you were hungry?"

Liz waves her words away. "Yeah, yeah, but in a minute alright." She beckons him closer, to her right side. "First I wanna try this. It will only take a sec." Her smile spreads clear across her face.

Slash moves where she wants him to. "Like this?" He tilts his head to see her reaction.

Liz puffs her lips out in over-exaggerated thought. "Yep!" She scoots over and stands on the tiptoes of one of her feet, the other lifting up behind her. She throws an arm around Slash's shoulder and shoves the other far out in front of them.

Realization settles on Slash. Oh God. He turns his head to the side and sticks it in the air. He closes his eyes and refuses to partake.

Liz's arm trembles as she tries to hold it steady. She sticks her tongue out in her concentration, finally getting the phone where she wants it. "Okay," She pushes her face against his, both for the picture and to nudge him. "You better smile."

Slash snorts. He opens his eyes a sliver to humor her, but he continues to look away from the phone. And he certainly doesn't smile.

Liz giggles, but she does not press the issue. She clicks the button and the phone makes a sharp sound. "All right!" She bounces to the opposite edge of the crate. She clicks a few buttons and brings up the picture. "Aww, you look so cute."

Slash stomps a foot and jerks his head around. "What? No I don't!" He looks at the picture, knowing the instant he does it that was what she intended. Stupid girl.

Liz grins. "Nah, you aren't very photogenic." Her smile softens. "But it is nice." She stares at the image of their faces for another moment. Then she tucks the phone in her pocket. "Now I'll always have you with me."

Slash snorts. "Don't be stupid. A picture of me won't do you any good." He shakes his head. "What about when you get attacked? You think the picture is gonna come to life and protect your sorry butt? Huh?"

Liz is undeterred. Even after such a short time of knowing him she is already used to his demeanor. "No, but you won't ever be too far." She hops from the crate. She tilts her head to look over her shoulder. "Right?"

Slash starts. For a moment he is lost for words. He frowns hard and scowls. "Whatever."

Liz nods. "See?" She chuckles. "Now come on. You were right," She nudges him on. "I'm still hungry."

Far away, a soft sound pierces the silence. A tiny red dot blinks on the screen. "That was stupid." Someone says. "Completely idiotic." He shake his heads. "I mean, how could you even know she would be the one to find it. Anyone could have. An-y-one."

Another man makes a quiet sound of disbelief. "No." He shakes his head. "I knew she would find it. And she did."

"Cocky little-"

"No." The man cuts him off. "I know my daughter." He pushes a button and the screen lights up, zooming in on their coordinates. All the vague details come to life, vivid and clear.

The other man rolls his eyes. "And what about that thing?" He points to the giant creature at Liz's side. "What do you plan to do about him?" He knows he sure as hell isn't going anywhere near that monstrous thing.

"All in due time friend." He crosses his arms. A smirk curves his lips. "All in due time."

…

The streets are still clear from Slash's scouting for her, so Liz's steps are light and she swings her arms freely at her side. She hums softly to herself as she dips her head in an arc back and forth between the buildings. She searches for a good place to nab some food. Not that she wants to steal it or anything, she just…really wants some human food. Her brows knit together and discontent shines in her eyes.

Slash notices her shift and immediately guesses the cause. She doesn't want to become a criminal. Even after such a short time of knowing her he understands her nature. She's soft, much too soft for a life on the streets. A life he has lived for quite some time. He lets out a heavy breath. "Hey, look, why don't you, um, go over there." He nods up to the rooftops.

Liz perks, jolted out of her conflicting thoughts. "Huh?" She follows his eyes to the tops of the buildings. "Oh, you mean up there?" A deep frown settles on her lips. "I don't know…" She tugs at her sleeve. "It's kinda high." And the last thing she was in that high she fell out of. So…

"Come on," Slash rolls his eyes. "It's not really." He grabs her arm. "All you gotta do is climb the fire escape." He drags her over into an alley.

Liz squeaks and stumbles after him. "Slash," She tries to protest, but he cuts her off.

Slash shakes his head. "Shut up." He releases her and reaches up to pull down the extendable stairs. He grabs hold and pulls, but to no avail. It sticks. He growls beneath his breath and narrows his eyes. But it quickly fades. He turns sharply. "Hey," He motions at himself. "Get up on my shoulders."

Liz blinks, her stare blank. Then she bursts out laughing.

Slash makes a face. "What?" His lips pull tight and he glares. "What's so funny?" His clenches his fists instinctively.

Liz waves her hands dismissively. "No, no, it's nothing." She wipes at her eyes. She giggles a final time. "I just…it sounded funny for some weird reason." She grins up at him, her eyes shining with life once more.

Slash snorts and rolls his eyes. "Whatever." He grabs her around the waist and lifts her up over his head. He places her more on his neck than anything because it's the only way to avoid the spikes from his shell, his head twisted in order to keep an eye on her. "Now stand up on my shoulders and jump up on the fire escape."

Liz nods. "Alright." She presses her hands on his head pushes herself up. She wobbles precariously, her feet sliding on his shoulders. She sticks her tongue out in concentration, tentatively lifting her gaze from her feet to the fire escape. She takes in a deep breath and leaps.

She grasps the railing but yelps all the same. Her legs dangle as she hangs with nowhere to go. She whines softly to herself. She's no ninja. She wasn't even any good at the pull up bar in gym. How the hell is she supposed to-

"Come on, Liz." He says her name without thinking. "Just swing your legs." He crosses his arms and looks hard at her. Useless girl.

Liz swallows hard. She nods stiffly. She swings her legs and gradually gains momentum. She manages to get high enough to find traction, her clawed toes curling hard into the metal of the fire escape. With sturdy footing she manages to scramble over the railing and tumble head over heels onto the rickety flooring.

Slash takes a quick step back to see. "A-Are you alright?" He looks quickly away from her, scowling to hide the concern.

Liz pops up and swirls around. She grins and chuckles. "All good!" She waves. "So, um, I just go on up to the top?" She flicks her hand upward, following the movement with her eyes. It makes a shudder fly up her spine. She tugs at her sleeve. "A-Alright."

Slash frowns and brings his gaze back to her. Stupid girl. What's there to be afraid of? Heights? Compared to everything else she's been through it's incredibly trivial. Still, "Just don't look down." He says it flippantly as he turns away.

Liz starts. She surges forward, her body pressed hard against the rail as she leans over. "W-Where are you going?" Her voice is strangled as it reaches an especially high pitch.

Slash waves his hand dismissively. "Relax, I'm coming back." He keeps his gaze trained forward. He might be compelled to stay if he meets her eyes. "I'm just going to get some food for you."

Liz perks. "Oh." She lets out a breath and steps away from the rail. A smile curves her lips. "Well, alright. Just, y'know, don't be too long." Her stomach growls loudly.

Slash snorts and shakes his head. He doesn't acknowledge Liz more than that. He just walks away, around the corner, and out of sight.

Liz watches after him long after he is gone. She sways gently back and forth on the railing until finally her legs start to grow heavy. She lets out a long sigh and turns, slowly, ever so slowly. She makes her way up the fire escape just as Slash told her to and hops at the top, clamping her hands down over the concrete and struggling to pull herself up. If only she was better in gym.

With a grunt she slings her leg over and haphazardly pulls the rest of her after the limb. She heaves and flops over on her back. Her chest rises and falls a little too fast. "I was not made for this." She cringes, then she bursts out laughing. She lifts her green hands and turns them over in front of her eyes. Actually, she probably was. Just proves how much I suck. Her laughter subsides and her eyes dim.

She rolls over and crawls to the edge of the roof. Her eyes widen and mouth gapes. Amazing. She can see farther than ever before. The buildings tower over everything else, but even the little things are beautiful. The tiny bushes tucked in corners and the glass of stores that shine as they reflect the sun. In the distance there's a park too, barely visible but so full of green and trees.

She swings her legs over the edge and just stares. It's all she can do to ignore her stomach and the gnawing ache of loneliness. When will Slash be back? A frown purses her lips. Hopefully soon. She can only ignore the heights for so long. She can only keep the fear at bay for little while. He has to come back soon.

It's an hour at least, it must be, before she sees him. Her face lights up and she scrambles to her feet. She scurries to the edge of the roof and leans over, peering past the fire escape and into the deep alley below. Her heart flutters and her skin quivers.

A loud crash and a quake of the fire escape makes Liz start, but the shock is fleeting. Slash appears before her in the next instant and she grins to contrast the flat line of his mouth. "Brought you stuff." He shrugs the bag off of his shoulder and catches it. He hands it up to her. "It's heavy."

Liz heaves it up and drops it on the concrete. The smack it makes causes her to cringe. "Oops." She offers a tiny smile as her cheeks tint red.

Slash sighs and rolls his eyes. He slams his palm the roof and shoves himself up and over in one smooth move. The concrete practically rattles beneath them with his weight. "Come on." He scoops the bag up and walks to the edge of the roof, settling down to wait for her.

Liz hops in place and scampers after him. She takes her spot at his side, squeaking as she is pushed farther away. Her brows knit together and she frowns up at him.

Slash doesn't meet her eye. "There has to be space for the food." He sets the bag down behind them and draws out a set of containers – macaroni, chicken, coleslaw, and strawberries. "Which ones do you want? I…" He coughs. "I didn't get forks or anything."

Liz grimaces, but hurriedly hides the sentiment. "It's ok." She smiles up at him. It's better than nothing. Better than starving. She runs a finger back and forth in the air over the containers and plucks the macaroni from its place. "You can have the coleslaw." She snaps the lid off and her mouth waters as the smell wafts up to her. Still, she hesitates. She tilts the container to the left then the right. A deep frown crosses her lips for a fraction of a second, then she shrugs and shoves her face at an angle into the food.

Slash blinks. He stares blankly as she digs her face deep into the food with seemingly no regard for the mess she is making of her face. Before he can stop it he snorts and an amused smile curls his lips.

Liz freezes. She lifts her face from the container and blinks up at Slash. "What?" She scowls and her lips press into a flat line. "What're you laughing at?" Her fingers curl sharply around the container and it crunches, bending in on itself.

Slash snickers and shakes his head. "Nothing." He snorts again despite his efforts and his smile grows. "You just…that was so undainty." He can't think of any other way to describe it.

Liz huffs. "Well sooo-rry. But someone forgot the utensils." She throws a sharp look his way. "And I am not using my fingers. It'd make them all icky and sticky." She wriggles her fingers and sticks her tongue out in disgust.

Slash rolls his eyes. "That doesn't mean you have to shove your face in it like that." He notes. "Just tip it like cereal or whatever." He nabs the coleslaw and demonstrates, gulping it down in the blink of an eye. "See? No mess." He shrugs.

"My mouth's not as big as yours." She watches him from the corner of her eye, a smirk curving her lips.

"Ha ha." He grabs the chicken container. "Big mouth or not there's no way you can make a mess with this." He shakes the container a bit to indicate it. "It was made to be finger foods. Unless, of course, that's too gross for you." He grins. "Then we can try it like bobbing for apples."

Liz's cheeks burn. "Oh shut up!" She snatches the chicken from him. "Just for that you don't get any." She opens it slowly, keeping one eye on him all the while. Waiting for some sort of reaction.

Slash shrugs. "It's ok. You were the one hungry. Not me."

Liz blows out a breath. He makes it impossible to get back at him. She pinches a piece of chicken between two fingers and bites slowly, trying not to give him another reason to make fun of her. With her mouth half full a thought strikes her. "Hey," She draws out the word. "How'd you get this stuff anyway?"

Slash keeps his gaze as far from her as possible. "Don't ask."

Liz gasps. "Slash!" She puffs out lower lip and narrows her eyes. "You did not terrorize those poor people." She points out at the streets below, still devoid of life. It's good enough of an answer on its own.

Slash grunts and turns his head farther away.

Liz slams the container on the space between them. She crosses her arms and her gentle eyes catch with a sudden fire. "You can't keep doing that." She shrills. "They're people – just like me, just like you."

Slash scowls, still away from her. But he dares to speak. He says the worst thing possible. "They're only human."

Liz chokes on air. "What?" Her voice is a breath on the wind. Her eyes widen and her mouth gapes.

"They're nothing but worthless humans." He repeats through gritted teeth. He means it, wholeheartedly, but he inwardly cringes anyway. He knows it's coming before it does.

"What about me then, huh?" Her fingers curl into fists and tremble. Her nails dig into skin and it hurts, but nowhere near as much as his words. "I was human once too you know." Her eyes burn with brimming tears.

"Yeah, were." He turns his head and meets her dead in the eye. "You're not anymore. Won't ever be again."

Liz hisses as his words cut her deeper than any blow could have. She knows it is a sign to stop, to let it all go. Because it's true. He's so unbearably right. Yet she doesn't, can't. "So what?" She snaps. "Are you telling me that if…if I had still been human when I fell from that building you wouldn't have saved me?" She straightens herself, tries to match his height. "Huh!?"

Slash looks hard at her. He runs his tongue over his lips, chews lightly, almost stops it. But it leaps forth, "No. I wouldn't have." Ouch.

Liz sucks in a sharp breath. She chokes on a sob that was lodged in her throat, jarred loose by the not entirely unexpected shock. "You…" Her lip quivers. The tears fight to fall, but she fights harder. "You ass." She slaps his arm, slaps as hard as she can. Yet he doesn't even flinch. She's the one who does as a wave of pain rockets back up her arm.

Slash blinks. He glances at where she struck him and slowly look back at her. Her crystal blue eyes are clouded and the fleeting anger is consumed by her hurt and betrayal. He should say something. This much he knows. But, what the hell is he supposed to say? He was never good with words. Still isn't good with them.

Liz catches her breath and leaps to her feet. She kicks over the food and storms toward the fire escape. That's as long as she can hold it in. She bites down hard on her lip but the sobs burst forth anyway. The tears in her eyes slip past her guard and trickle down her cheeks.

Slash sighs. "Come on," He pushes himself up and follows after her. "Why do you have to take it like that? I mean, you're not human. I did save you. So what does it matter?" he reaches out for her, but he doesn't get the chance to make contact.

Liz whirls. She smacks his hand away. "It just does." Her voice is thick with tears. Her shoulders quiver and slowly the rest of her is too. "You-You didn't…it wasn't for me…" The tears flow harder and all she wants to do is get away from his emotionless gaze. All she wants is someone to care. "It was because I'm a mutant." She says it with the utmost disgust. "A freak."

"You knew that already." He scoffs. "I told you why I saved you before this."

Liz makes a sound somewhere between a laugh and a scream. "I guess I didn't believe you." I thought you cared. She turns hard and blindly leaps down. She thanks the lord she hits the fire escape, but the gratefulness is swallowed whole by her furious sadness. She rockets down the stairs and doesn't look back. She leaps and nearly falls as she hits the ground, but still she doesn't stop. She has never been more glad for all those years of track. She doesn't want to deal with him, she doesn't even want to look at him right now. So she runs around the corner and disappears into the city, hoping to never be found again. Liar. Hoping to be found by someone who will understand. Not really. Fine, hoping that he'll follow her anyway. Pathetic. She knew that already though.

Slash stares blankly after her. He means to follow, right at her heel, but he doesn't. He doesn't even move for the longest time. All he does is stare at the emptiness below – where she once was. "Touchy." He scoffs. He rolls his eyes and walks back to the overturned food. He sits down and sets it back up, goes to open and eat the rest of it. Only he doesn't. He sits and stares at it much like he stared after her.

He looks up then, looks half expecting to see her. And he does – at least in his head. She smiles at him and chides him for being so indecisive. And honestly he can't tell if it's the food she's talking about or her and how he isn't following. He sighs. Not like I want to know either. Because he doesn't. Yeah, right. Really. Bull. He growls and smacks his hand into the food, sending it flying off the roof before it smashes into the sidewalk and splatters across it, like a bloodstain made of yellow, red, and everything that hurts.

"Stupid girl…" He glances back at the bag and the one thing still hidden within – the thing he nabbed especially for her. The pink glares up at him, sharp against the chocolate underbelly. He tenses to grab it and chuck it too. Only he stops at the last second. His shoulders slump and he lets out a heavy sigh. "I'd of never done it if it wasn't for you." He doesn't need this expensive crappy food. God. She is so unbelievably stupid.

Um, wow, ok. So this spiraled completely out of control. I swear I tried to keep it cute and fluffy but then it just...I just...I don't even know. I didn't even get to one of the scenes I meant to be in this chapter. lol So what did you think? I hope you liked it. Please review!