Let it Snow? ((Cheshire and Zacki))

"Damnit, it's cold."

The complaint left the mouth of a young man, wearing a thick, heavy coat. Despite wearing three to four layers of clothing, including a scarf that had been given to him by a family member, Henry was still rather cold. Standing on the street at a crosswalk, watching as the light across the way blinked, switching to give him the walk symbol, he began to walk slowly on the icey roads. It was Christmas Eve, and the entire town was now getting white snow falling slowly. Over a foot of snow in the past week had fallen - it turned the city into a winter wonderland - or a cruel hell for those few who did not have somewhere to go.

And yet, it was partially for that reason Henry was walking home, instead of driving. Trudging past alleyway after alleyway of the downtown, his blue eyes glanced down alleyways. He had offered to help a neighbor find a cat that had escaped - likely by now, the cat must have found his way back home. At least, Henry hoped so, even as he kept looking down dark alleys, occasionally turning on a flashlight to look down there.

Henry was in his early twenties, a former military grunt from the army. Having a crew cut really sucked at this part of the year though - short red hair did nothing to stop the cold from getting to his head. Cursing to himself even as his boots took another stomp through the ground, thankful for at least having the foresight to wear snowshoes, he continued walking in the night, noticing the snow getting heavier...

She ran through the alleys as fast as her body would let her. She knew that they were on her trail and that she couldn’t run for much longer but she couldn’t stop. She couldn’t let them catch her but she knew that it would not be long before they caught it. She didn’t know the layout of the city and had found her way through a path of back alley’s which was all well and good other then the fact that no one would see her in the alleys and she needed someone to see her in order for her to get some help.

She was freezing, the boots were the best thing that she had because the rest of it was jeans and a casual jacket. Long brown hair protected her head both nothing else. The clothing was meant for walking around the warm house nut running through the snow. Especially not carrying what she was... The woman was with child, only she wasn’t exactly a woman. She was just a teenager, her swollen belly was covered by a red shirt and a black jacket covered that. Just as she thought she couldn’t go on any further she saw the light from a street lamp. There was a street. On the street there were houses and people and help! She needed help.

Shivering as she ran she moved as fast as she could to get out of the alley, to bad she didn’t make it. She heard them behind her, if she looked over her shoulder she would be able to see them. One grabbed her shoulder and jerked her backwards, the icy floor making her fall but thankfully she landed on her but instead of her front. They mocked her, how dare she try and run from them. What right did she have? And all of those other kinds of things. Then one through a punch and hit her in the face. She screamed. She didn’t bother to try and protect her face, her arms went to protecting her stomach “Help!” she screamed, “Someone help me!!!”

“Shut you bitch!” they yelled at her and they slapped her across the face. Another one kicked her side and when she tried to get up they pushed her back down. She could see the street, she had been so close. They kicked her back and her sides, even kicking at her stomach but her arms took every blow. She would protect her unborn child over herself. “Help me!” she yelled, praying that someone, anyone, would hear her and save her from these people.

Henry's peaceful romp through the snow ended when he heard the screams, an instant motion of raw movement overcoming him. Running through the snow, the man rolled into view at the entrance to the alleyway, turning to look - seeing at least three figures kicking something. Anger welled inside Henry - of all the bullshit he had to put up with in another country, now to come back and see this sight burned him to the very core.

Whatever they were hitting was not an animal, Henry knew - it was another human. And, given the clothing, it was someone who didn't plan to be outside - but was either chased or dragged to this alleyway. So obvious were the men who were causing pain that Henry's nerves just seemed to go white; Henry had been known for his temper, but after what he'd seen in the war, seeing something similar here was just too much.

"Hey DIPSHITS!" He called out at the top of his lungs, his right hand already reaching into his jacket. With a swift motion, he withdrew a M9 Pistol, the standard military pistol, and aimed it at the men. "Freeze, or I'll shoot, you bloodly cowards!" He added, being cautious to move if they were armed - though Henry doubted they were. Scum of the earth would likely die tonight, and if that person was badly injured, Henry doubted God would have any mercy on the men.

Then men turned around and saw the gun, their eyes went wide and, after delivering a final kick, they turned and ran leaving the person there on the ground. She was sitting, her back to the man so she couldn’t even see who had rescued her. He couldn’t see anything but from the long hair he could guess it was as woman, then when she turned to look at him her would be able to see that she was just a teenager, making what the men had done even worse, however the worst part of it came when she tried to get up.

She managed to stumble to her feet, using the walk to keep herself up and facing the man revealing a large, pregnant belly. Kicking a pregnant young girl, that was what they had been doing. She managed to get out of the alley and into the street lights. Her beautiful brown eyes looking up at him, there was blood trailing form her lip from when she had been punched. She whipped it off on her hand and smiled at him weakly. “Thank you.” She said, still using the wall to support herself, one hand on the wall and the other on her stomach. She was still dizzy form being punched in the head.

Henry ran forward as the men were leaving, moving towards the... girl, or so he thought she was, quickly. However, as she stood, Henry's running stopped in his shock. A look of utter disbelief came to his face as he took in the young girl's condition, and the fact she was quite pregnant wasn't lost on him. His rage vanished - his mind was clear, and ready to pull the trigger. But, he wasn't stupid, nor was he cruel. Moving quickly he quickly undid one of his jackets, wrapping it around the girl's body. "You're welcome. Let's get you inside - you need warmth." He said simply, moving to wrap his arms around her as well, moving quickly to become her support, almost slipping himself because of how fast he moved.

"Come, my house is just down the street." Henry told the girl, putting the gun's safety on and putting it away with one hand, before using the other arm to give the girl even more balance as he would move with her down the street. Anger and hatred boiled with him - he should have just fired, he told himself angerily. That way, they would never have the chance to beat another girl - if beating this poor pregnant teenager was the only thing they did to her.

Quickly enough, assuming the girl was willing to go with him, Henry brought the girl to a large condo complex, swiping a keycard to open the front door. Like most gated communities, it was rather secure, if a bit empty. Henry paid it no mind as he helped the girl inside, unlocking a second door as proof of his entry, and walking her through a well Christmas Decorated hall to the nearest elevator, about fifteen feet in. Hitting the Up button, he then looked at her. "So, who were those jackasses following you? Don't worry, they won't make it here." He added, trying to smile at the girl, but still feeling anger at the fact those men escaped...

Suddenly the man just took off his jacket for her and he put it on her. He would be cold but he didn’t seem to care. Her jeans were wet form the snow and she was shivering and he was going so kind and helping her out like this, she could hardly believe it. For a while she thought that men like this simply didn’t exist anymore. He walked with her and he even helped balance her. Once she was sure that he would not let her fall she wrapped both her arms around her stomach, protecting the unborn child from the elements.

She looked up at him occasionally, almost falling a few time but he always caught her and he kept her on her feet. He was going to take her to his home and she didn’t object. She didn’t have anywhere else to go. He took her to his condo complex and into the elevator and she looked at him, confused as to why he was doing this for her.

“They.... they were supposed to bring me back...” she told him as she looked away, “But I didn’t want to go back. I am tired of being there.... there is no kindness in that place and I refuse to bring another life into the one that they gave me.” She told the man as she looked down at her stomach. She rubbed her belly and she smiled weakly. “I.... I never asked for this...” she told him, meaning that she had not asked for the child, which most likely meant that it had come about by a rape.

“And I hated it. I hated it so much that I wanted it gone.... but not anymore....I want to keep the baby now.” She told him as she looked up at him. Then she frowned. “They want to take it from me. The child. And if they do I will never get to see the baby. I had to run but they took my winter cloths. With no where else to go and no warm cloths they didn’t think I would make it out there and that even if I did some how get out, I wouldn’t be able to survive.” She told him. She would never be able to survive out there on her own, had it not been for her then she would be on her way back to that hell right now.

As Henry listened to the girl's tale as they entered the elevator, his mood took a darker turn, if that was possible. He literally punched the button for the 15th floor of the building, near the top of the 18 story building. She hadn't asked for a child - she had been forced. Likely, she had been abused - and she still didn't look like an adult. "Why do they want the child? Most wouldn't care about it, and to be honest, those thugs were aiming for your stomach part of the time, so if they really cared about the baby, they wouldn't have been so rough." He replied, reasoning that the thugs may not have been the rapist. And if he was going to deliever justice upon them, it would be to their leader, as an example.

As the elevator took it's intended destination, Henry moved to help the girl along, walking her to 1507 - his Condo number. Unlocking the door with a key, he opened the door, helping the girl walk inside. It was a large place, albeit, being a studio of sorts, meant that the entire condo was a single room, with a small bathroom attached. The bed was a large Queen sized bed, and there was a couple bean bags nearby in front of a large TV and an XBox 360 console. Otherwise, the room was rather bare, but well lit.

Perhaps the most telling thing about the condo was the large glass wall - the outer wall of the condo looked like a giant sheet of glass with a balcony on the other side. That left a view of the city, stretching onwards for a few miles until one could see the port. An fairly expensive place, but Henry didn't seem to be hurting for cash, so it was affordable somehow. "You should go take a bath. I'll find some spare pajamas, and then you can lie down and rest in the bed." He offered kindly, not relishing the prospect of sleeping on beanbags, but not being entirely against the idea either...

She listened to what they said and she let out a small, humorless laugh. “They were kicking my stomach because I didn’t want them to kick my stomach.” She said with a sad smile. “They are sick people. Giving me a child when I did not want one only to try and take it away when I do want it.... sometimes I think it was their goal in life to make me unhappy... they would have probably sold the child to someone if they got it so loosing it would hurt no one but me.” She told him weakly, they were twisted bastards to do something like that.

She didn’t even seem to notice that he punched the button. She was barely awake in his arms and barely standing. “I’m dizzy...” she told him, resting her head on him, then she jerked slightly and looked down. She smiled at her belly and rubbed it. She wanted the child, after everything she had been through carrying it she wanted it. She would do anything to protect it.

When they got into the room she looked around, it was nice, that was all she was able to gather. She listened to what he said and smiled. “Tomorrow.” She told him. “I just need to get warm.” She told him, clinging to her jacket. It was very likely that she didn’t want to be napped for the time it would take to be in a bath in his home. After what she had been through it would not be surprising.

Henry listened to the girl's responses, feeling angry and yet managing to keep it inside. People like that needed to die, he decided, but that could wait for later. The girl was warm, and as she leaned on him, Henry couldn't help but be a bit self-conscious of her lovely form. Even in pregnancy, she was a lovely girl - he could almost see why she was captured.

As the girl tried to tell him that she would take the bath tomarrow, Henry's eyes went up a bit in alarm. "No, not tomarrow - at the very least, we need to get you dry and in pajamas. Come, I have a few spare sets - you just relax on the bed and undress whatever is wet, and I'll get you a towel and dry wool pajamas so that you don't get sick. After all, your baby is counting on you." He told her, moving to help her to the bed, before moving quickly to fetch both a thick, woolly red pair of pajamas, and a towel to help her dry off before she donned the pajamas. Hypothermia would set in if she slept in cold wet clothing for very long, and therefore Henry would, at the very least, get her into warm clothing before bed. Bringing her the items, he then asked, "Do you need help drying off? If not, then I'll just go over there..." He suggested, pointing towards th bathroom. Naturally, he wasn't going to stop her from refusing a bath, but he knew he needed the warmth as well... and if he stood there, she wouldn't think highly of him...

She looked at him confused at what he said for a moment, he told her to change while he was gone? Hell no. She wouldn’t undress and wait for him naked. That was how she got into this baby mess! She waited for him to come back and she looked at what he was going to give her and she smiled and thanked him. “I can dry myself off.” She told him and then she waited fro him to leave. Once he did leave she began to undress. Yes, she had been very beautiful before the pregnancy and she still was.

When she took off her clothing it exposed bruises, lots and lots of bruises. Apparently they had not been very kind to her. Some were new and others were very old. The abuse had been going on for a while. There was even some bruising on her stomach which she touched tenderly. Forcing her into an abortion was not enough, they wanted to make the child die inside of her.

She changed into the red pajamas once she had dried off her body and stripped form her wet clothing. After she was all changed she looked at her clothing, it was soaked but she folded it. She needed to sleep. She thought and thought for a name but none came to mind. The pants were pulled up to under her belly and she had managed to fit the shirt over it and she called for him. “Um... sir?” she said, unsure of what to call him, they had not made introductions but she sat on his bed, her hands on her stomach and a smile on her face as she watched her belly s if she could see the life inside.

Henry nodded, retreating into the bathroom - there, he quickly did the same thing she did, changing into a pair of green pajamas. Now, his muscular look was even stronger, as he stepped out of the bathroom at her call, turning to look in her direction. "Yes, miss?" He asked, looking at her with a curious look, stopping from going over towards her as he pulled out a series of quilts and down comforters, moving the extra blankets towards the bed and the giant bean bag, knowing it was going to be fairly chilly tonight.

"Oh, I do believe I've forgotten to introduce myself." Henry said, before adding, "The name's Henry Carrier, M'aam. It's a pleasure to meet you." With that he stopped what he was doing, offering his hand out for a handshake, giving her a smile. "May I have your name?" He asked after a moment's notice, deciding that since he was giving his name, perhaps she would give him her name...

She looked up at the man as he introduced himself, she smiled weakly, half out of it as it seemed, “My name is Caroline....” she said, then the smile faded as she kept trying to think, “Caroline....... Caroline.....” she said, it seemed that she was trying to think of her last name but she couldn’t, she smiled up at him. “Just Caroline will be fine.” She said, playing it off like it was nothing. She had been given so many names that it seemed that she couldn’t remember her own. It saddened her a little bit but she didn’t seem to mind.

She sat on the bed, holding the swollen belly as she looked around. “Where will I sleep?” she asked him, assuming that he would be taking the bed. Bean bags could be comfortable, certainly better then the floor so she wouldn’t mind terribly. She stood up from the bed and stepped aside so he could get into his own bed, she didn’t think he would be giving it to her.

Henry smiled, listening to her name - "Caroline... that's a nice name." He said with a nod of his head. As she asked where she would sleep, moving to get off of the bed, he replied, "You will be taking the bed, Caroline. I brought some spare sheets in case there's not enough to warm you up." He said, motioning towards the bed with his hands, before adding, "I'll be sleeping right over there-" With a motion of his hand to the beanbag, "-So you don't have to worry about a thing." Of course, it hadn't occured to him that perhaps those men had treated her horribly over the last several months - it had to be months, as she was raped and forced to bear a child.

Waiting for her to move towards the bed, he added a question, "How many months are you in your term?" With that, he decided to leave it up to her to answer, as he would simply help her with the sheets and whatever she needed to make herself comfortable in the bed.

She looked up at him and thanked him when she was allowed the bed, she heard what he said as she laid down, laying on her side to the weight of the belly wouldn’t be forced down on her but form the moment she did lay on her back he would be able to see how big her belly was. “Six, maybe seven but I think its six months.” She told him with a smile as she rubbed her belly. Then she laughed slightly and looked at him

“The baby kicks now. The moment it kicked I knew that I couldn’t let them have my baby. It’s alive, it is something good that I can do and I won’t let them take this form me.” She told him with a weak smile She was sleepy, she hadn’t had a comfortable bed to sleep on so she was so happy to have one to sleep on. “Good night Henry and thank you so much.” She said with a smile, happy that he saved her and slowly drifting to sleep.

Henry smiled back at Caroline, nodding his head to her reply. "Goodnight, Caroline. Sweet dreams." With that, after letting her cover herself up, Henry moved ot the beanbags, moving to lie on one. Maybe it was because he was tired, aybe because he needed sleep, but soon after, Henry's eyes closed and he fell into a deep sleep.

Early the next morning, Henry woke up at around six in the morning, moving quietly into the bathroom to take a long, hot bath. Drawing the water for himself, he moved to lie in the tub, relaxing as he leisurely woke himself up, knowing that Caroline was still sleeping in the bed, and therefore being quiet as to not disturb her sleep. After his long morning bath, Henry got dressed again, redonning a new set of clothing, from a black t-shirt to camo pants, he dressed, shaved, brushed his teeth and flossed before walking out fo the bathroom, looking in Caroline's general direction, moving towards the kitchen section of the room silently...

Caroline woke up with a really bad headache. She couldn’t remember much form last night, only being kicked around then taken somewhere and given cloths and sleeping in someone else’s bed. When she opened her eyes she saw she was wearing someone else’s pajamas and she planed to try and find warm clothing and sneak away, after going to the bathroom. Darn baby. She went and when she was done she left the bathroom and took a look around. It was a rich place and she looked around, she saw the kitchen and she decided to get something to defend herself with but when she went in there she saw someone.

He was buff, handsome and tall and she didn’t remember where exactly she had met him but she knew that she knew him form somewhere. “You.... who are you?!” she demanded, reaching over she grabbed a knife but she didn’t come at him, she backed away. Not a strange reaction considering what she had been through. The place was nice so she assumed that he worked for her boss, all of the people that worked with him had nice homes, other then her. “Where am I?.... Where are my cloths and what am I doing here?!” she demanded. Her heart was pounding in her chest and she backed out of the kitchen, holding the knife in one hand and her belly in the other, intent on using it to defend herself.

Henry's movements to cook breakfast first thing that morning ceased, His right hand holding a whisk, his left hand holding a bowl with eggs being scrambled in it. "Henry Carrier." He replied, looking at her with a bit of concern, and a wariness that belied just how cautious he was around that weapon. He was no fool - she was armed, and he didn't want to use his gun, so... He would have to figure out another way.

Turning to the side, to provide minimum cover from any knife stab attack that Carolline could come up with, he then asked, "Don't you recall? Last night, I rescued you from being beaten by some thugs, and after we came up here, you changed into my pajamas and slept on the bed. You seemed awfully friendly then - I thought to make breakfast, but if you're going to keep aiming that knife at me..." With those final words, he left the threat in the air, looking at her eyes, a bit wondering if she really forgot, a bit preoccupied with the likely answer if she decided to fight...

She listened to what he had to said and she tried to think. “Agh.... My head hurts..... they probably punched me in the head. Bastards.” She said, clearly unhappy about this. She looked around, she seemed to be a bit more relaxed then she ehard the threat and her eyes went wide, “You’ll what?!” she demanded, she didn’t like to be threatened, the way she held the knife said she had no experience in using one and most likely the only reason she took the knife was because it was the closest thing that she had.

Once more she was backing away form him with the knife, she had a weapon but she didn’t want to use it. “I was cold and tired and... I think.... I think you saved me, which meant that I had some hope. So I was nice... but.... but why the hell would you help me?!” she demanded, as if the fact that he had helped her was the most unthinkable thing in the entire world. “Why would you help me, why would you risk crossing him just for some stupid girl you met in an alley!?” she demanded, by him she no doubt meant her boss. She didn’t trust him and in her mind she had every reason not to. The fact that someone would do something out of the kindness of their own heart was unthinkable for her. After spending so long with mean, selfish and cruel people who did mean, selfish and cruel things to her she just couldn’t imagine that there was anyone who would do something simply because it was ‘right’.

Henry watched as Carolline asked him what he'd do if she didn't drop the knife, and he then said, "I'll defend myself." With that, he reached into his shirt, withdrawing his M9 Pistol, to let Caroline know it was there, but didn't aim it at her - not yet, anyways. Instead, he placed it back in it's holder, looking at her as she backed away. "Why would I help you?" He asked, giving her a stare. "I don't know who I'm crossing, but I don't care - I do what I want. I wanted to help you, that's all. I would have killed those guys attacking you if I knew then what I know now. At any rate, put down the knife. You're not even holding it right for a knife-fight, and you're up against someone trained to handle people with improvised weapons."

With those words, Henry watched and waited. Surely Caroline would put down the knife sooner or later, after all, even she could understand the situation wasn't in her favor anyways. "Oh, if you continue walking backwards, you'll hit the glass wall - please don't risk your life by going on the balcony at this time of year - it's quite slippery." He warned her, looking at her with only a bit of concern...

Her eyes widened when she saw the pistol. She didn’t like guns, she really, really didn’t like guns. She continued to back away form him. She stopped when she heard his answers and they shocked her. How could he not care who he was crossing? How could he be so bold as to have been willing to kill them for beating her up? When she was younger she remembered, vaguely, of hearing about good people in the world but after she ended up with the boss she never thought that those good people could possibly exist. Now, if she wasn’t wrong, there seemed to be one of those people in the house and he was making her breakfast.

She heard what he said and she looked at the glass door. She was so confused. She lowered the knife and put it down on the counter as she sighed. She was silent for a while, the child kicked inside of her as if telling her to do something. “I-..... sorry.....” she said, looking down. “I remember talking to you, telling you stuff, I don’t remembered exactly what I said but where I came from.... having anything sharp is useful....I would have killed just to have a knife back then.” She said as she looked at the knife on the counter, tempted to pick it back up, and she did, not to use it against him but simply for the security that having a weapon gave her.

She looked up at him, eyeing him suspiciously. “You... don’t seem like you would for him... you beat up his goons... I still don’t understand why you even bothered to help me....”she admitted, the idea that there was someone that kind left in the world was something she never thought she would see.

Henry tared at Caroline, raising an eyebrow as she once again referred to this Man she was so terrified of. He could safely say he hadn't heard of anyone that powerful in town, but then again, just a dumbass with some thugs was enough to be considered powerful. "Nevertheless, put my knife down." he said, coolly, before adding, "As for why I helped you, it's something I decided to do. What I expected to gain from it is a net sum of nothing but Karma." With that, he returned to the whisking, whisking eggs for breakfast.

Moving to turn on a frying pan, tossing a bit of butter into the pan, Henry's eyes then returned to Caroline. "So, what will you do? You're free to stay here, but if you don't trust me, you're free to leave as well." He told her, laying out her options - since it was unlikely she had options before. "Also, while you're at it, mind telling me how many thugs your pals have working for them? Two dozen, three dozen, a hundred..." He began, tossing out a few random numbers out of curiousity, attempting to glean why the girl in front of him was so afraid...

She listened to what the man said about the knife and she looked down at it. “I.... I just feel safer holding it...” she told him as she looked down at the blade and at her stomach, if she had a knife at that time this would not have happened. “He has lots of thugs. I don’t know the number but he had cops and doctors on his payroll. I can’t go to the police or the hospital so I don’t know what I am going to do. I don’t have anywhere to go but back there and if I go back there they will take my child from me.” She said as she looked down sadly. “It used to be just my life, whatever happened I was the only one that had to pay for it and now my baby will have to pay for it too...” she said sadly, she ,looked up at him.

“Can... I stay?” she asked him hopefully, wishing that she could stay with him since he seemed to want to keep her safe. “Why do you have a gun?” she asked him as she sat on the bed. The gun made her uncomfortable and after a pause she stood up. “I’m sorry; I should have asked to stay... I will bring you more trouble if I do. No doubt trouble is already on its way.” She told him, feeling bad that she got him into trouble for his saving her.

Henry watched as Caroline held the knife in her hands, and listened intently as she told him about the organization he was up again. Great, so Police and doctors were in the man's payroll - not an ordinary gangster, it seemed. Nodding his head to himself, Henry decided it was more than enough warning to be cautious - even though he doubted the man would go out of his way to get one teenager. After all, it was as easy as to find another girl, one that was not pregnant to abuse and toy with. As Caroline asked to stay, he nodded to her in thoughtful silence. After asking why he had a gun, the girl seemed to think that the man would go after him because of her. "Sit back down - I have a gun because I was in the military, and this is standard issue. There's no trouble coming that I can't handle." He told her, inwardly thinking it true - gangsters rarely had good aim, and therefore he already knew their attack styles.

With that, he watched Caroline, moving to block her way out the door if she moved towards it. Then, deciding that a reality dose might be good, he then added, "This is a secure location, with security cameras and feeds. Even if your assailants wanted to target me and you, they wouldn't be stupid enough to leave enough evidence to be tracked down - the FBI would be more than glad for an excuse to take your friends down, I'm certain." With that argument, he watched Caroline, carefully noting the knife's position...