My computer has once again decided to hate me, this time by refusing to connect to the internet. As such, I had to do some convoluted things to get this sorted out. The formatting might be a little odd, but I'll try to fix that for the next chapter. This story is done, so it will likely all be posted within the month. It was just waaaay to long to leave as one segment. Enjoy.

Something wasn't right. He didn't know what had alerted him, but his hackles were up and his muscles clenched.

He almost hoped it was a fight. He'd had a hard day at work, making deals and being nice to total idiots because they had important contacts. However, a fight would be terrifying for the normal everyday people around him. Even the ones that were currently looking at him out of the corner of their eyes he didn't really want to scare. Much.

He was causing a disturbance, stopped as he was in the middle of the sidewalk. He craned his head, looking for whatever it was that had caused his alarm. Not seeing anything blatant, he moved carefully to the side of the building next to him, out of the passerby's way. He carefully kept his hands near his pockets, just in case it was a thief that had caught his attention.

When nothing materialized, he shook his head at himself, a wry smile twisting his lips. Here he was, the infamous Kale Diurn, shark of the business world, jumping at shadows like a frightened child. Then he frowned, annoyed. His gut was rarely wrong. There should be something...

A hint of motion in the shadows of a nearby alley drew his attention. Something was moving there, in that pile of garbage. He glared at it. Just his luck to become all bothered by some mangy ally cat going through trash. It was a good thing he had leave coming up soon. If he was that jumpy about something that small, it was probably time for some relaxation. He could go somewhere and forget all about work, and exes, and cats digging in trash piles. Although there was that patch that was way too golden and shiny to belong to an animal...

He edged closer, alert to signs of hostility from whatever life forms were hiding back here. Finally he was standing right over whatever-it-was that had caught his eye. The whole pile of dark cloth shuddered, and he heard a slight moaning coming from it.

He blinked. Animals didn't make sounds like that. It was like something out of his happier past, when him and his buddies would go out drinking. Zach always sounded like that in the morning. He squatted down next to the pile gingerly. If it was just a drunk, he could just call the cops to come pick him up. The poor guy would probably be better off in the drunk tank than on the streets.

"Hey. Hey, dude. Wake up a little, eh? You alright?" He reached out to shake what he figured was the shoulder, wanting to give the man the opportunity to go back to his own home with some dignity still left.

As soon as his hand made contact, the body bolted upright. A burnished gold braid swung wildly while hands instinctively clapped over a heart-shaped mouth. Bright blue eyes looked at him without seeing, still focused on some other scene.

It's a woman. He thought dazedly. A frightened, hysterical woman. Oh joy. Why me? It was indeed a woman, dressed classily in tights and an obviously high quality sweater dress. Her brand name jacket, what he had originally taken for garbage due to the dirt and muck on it, had indents in the lapels where she had apparently gripped the heck out of it earlier. Add that to the blotchy spots on her face that indicated excessive crying, and he was starting to wish he hadn't noticed her at all. Still, he wasn't the type of person who could leave another in this state.

"Ma'am? Are you injured? Shall I call an ambulance? A friend of yours? The police?" At the last word,her eyes cleared and her expression somehow managed to fall even further.

"No!" She whispered urgently, as if afraid to speak any louder. "Don't call the police! Please! He'll... he'll find me. I can't... I... He..." She shook her head, tears spilling down her face unchecked.

"He who?" Kale asked, catching some of her urgency himself. "What did he do? Why not call the police? What happened?"

She buried her face in her hands, still shaking her head. "I... don't... he's... I don't know!" She whimpered, fear lacing her words.

He sighed. Apparently his long day wasn't over yet. "Look, let's start at the beginning. I'm Kale. And you are..."

She lifted her head quizzically, then cocked it to the side. Silent tears still ran down her face, but she didn't seem to notice them. "I... I...I don't know. I can't remember." She sounded mildly intrigued at the thought. She closed her eyes then, obviously thinking hard. "I'm... I... hunh. Nothing. I live... somewhere. Somewhere with a big, south-facing window. I... uh." She raised her hand to her temple as if she had a headache, then winced with obvious pain.

"Here, let me look at that." Kale said, reaching for her face. He took her chin in one hand, then slowly lifted her bangs from her forehead. There, right on the side of her face, was a huge, purple lump. It extended just a little past her hairline, and careful probing found it extended back a ways.

He looked straight in her eyes, startled. "You have a lump on your temple about the size of the end of my fist."

She nodded, mimed a cuff to the head, then unbalanced and fell over. He managed to catch her before she hit the ground. "He... he... it hurt... I ran... I..." She looked around, not bothering to right herself. "That's how I got here. I ran. I wanted... away. I wanted away. I..." She shuddered and started sobbing.

Kale held her against him, attempting to give her some measure of peace. She just kept sobbing, her hand fisted in his shirt. He sunk to his knees then, unmindful of the state of the sidewalk. His calves were cramping from his squatting position, and it didn't look like he'd be able to leave anytime soon. At least, not without provoking his conscious.

Finally he got her calmed down a bit. "Are you sure we shouldn't call the police..." No sooner had the question left his lips than she jumped up, face pale, and started to sprint down the alley. Kale cursed mentally and leapt after her, almost falling at the sensation of pins and needles in his legs. She was sure to get away...

Until she stumbled, still trying to run. She didn't even seem aware she was falling, so intent was she on her escape. She never even put a hand out to stop herself as she tumbled onto the pavement, her head hitting with a slight thunk.

He sighed, exasperated. Then he carefully gathered her up in his arms, before heading to his house. After a display like that, the heart he wasn't often credited with wouldn't let him leave her to the authorities.

Those idiots who think they know me should see me now! Bet they wouldn't know what to make of this. I don't know what to think about this!