The intro was pretty short, so I'm posting the first chapter along with it. Enjoy =]

Noodle awoke to the steady pounding of her head and a wave of nausea. She opened her eyes and immediately regretted the action. The sun was streaming in through her window, burning her eyes and sending a stabbing pain through her skull. She rolled over and her heart swam with gratitude at the glass of water and bottle of aspirin that had been placed on her nightstand. More than likely, 2D had woken to the same thing and hadn't wanted her to suffer.

"2D, you're a saint,"

She popped more than the directed amount into her mouth and washed them down with the water. Noodle burped slightly and giggled to herself before gulping the rest of the water. Her bed seemed so inviting and warm, but she knew that she should fill the empty void in her stomach and the sun appeared to have hidden behind some clouds. Not bothering to turn on the lights, Noodle dressed and ran a comb through her tangled hair.

Kong was unusually quiet as she walked down the corridor to the kitchen. Upon entering, she found out why. Murdoc was seated at the table, an open beer in front of him and a stub of a cigarette hanging from the corner of his mouth. His dark hair was messy and his mis-matched eyes were droopy, as though he hadn't slept well.

"Mornin' Noodle-luv,"

"Good morning, Murdoc,"

Cereal sounded good since she wasn't up to the task of cooking, it just wasn't her strong suit. Noodle rifled through the cupboards, appalled at all the sugary cereals that Murdoc and 2D usually ate. Her last box of 'Crunchy Vanilla Sunrise' was gone, so she settled on Sugar Snaps, nothing too sweet.

She joined Murdoc at the table and stared at her bowl. Her stomach started churning at the sight of the cereal, but she managed a few spoonfuls before pushing the bowl away in disgust.

Murdoc laughed, "Heard yeh had quite a fall las' night"

Noodle gave a small laugh, "Yeah, nothing bad though. I just had a little too much to drink,"

"Migh' wanna think about cuttin' back. Yeh put away almos' as much as me these days"

Noodle glared, "I can take care of myself. Besides, I only ever go out with 2D, he makes sure that I'm okay. I don't need all three of you on my case,"

Her head started pounding again putting pressure on the backs of her eyeballs. Why couldn't they just leave her be? She was 22 now, hardly a child.

"An' yeh think I don' notice all the missin' bottles from the cupboards?" Murdoc's face was drawn into a rather serious expression.

Noodle slammed her fist onto the table and jumped to her feet, "Goddammit, I'm not a child! If I want a drink, then I'll have a fucking drink. You're not my father! And neither is Russ, just do me a favor and butt out!"

She stormed from the room, leaving her cereal to grow soggy in the bowl. Murdoc shook his head and stood, he carried the bowl and his half empty beer to the sink, emptying them both down the drain.

Back in her bedroom, Noodle was caught up in a rage. She threw everything within arms reach, her make-up and books, magazines, shoes, empty glass bottles that had once been full of Murdoc's best tequila. The satisfying tinkle of the bottles shattering made her smile. She slowly came down from the mental high and stared in amazement at the mess before her.

She sat on the edge of her bed, realizing that there were tears pouring down her face, and buried her head in her hands, sobbing.

Noodle heard the soft click of her door closing and looked up to see 2D, his dark eyebrows scrunched into a worried expression.

"Oh, love, why're yew cryin'?"

He stepped over the fragments of broken glass and knelt in front of her, taking her shaking form into his lanky arms.

"R-Russel and M-M-Murdoc. They t-treat me l-like a little k-kid, they d-d-don't like it when I d-drink. B-but I'm an adult now, r-right? And you're always h-here with m-me..."

2D nodded, his azure locks tickling her cheek, "They're jus' worried abou' yew, love. I don' fink yew should drink so much either, but yew know m'always here fo' yew. I love yew so much,"

Noodle pulled herself from his embrace and gave him a small smile, "Thank you, 2D. I know that they're only worried, but I still get angry. Thank you for being here for me, it means a lot,"

He grinned at her, a grin that made her heart do backflips. He really didn't know how handsome he was.

"'Course, darlin', yew're mah li'l love,"

2D wiped her tears away with the pad of his thumb and leaned in to give her a quick kiss on the forehead.

"Now, le's get yew dressed so's we can get ou' of here,"

Noodle stood and nodded, heading for her closet. 2D took her seat on the edge of the bed and waited while she got dressed. It was awkward dressing in front of Shaun, whom at the moment wasn't awake, so she was quick about it. She pulled on an old t-shirt of 2D's and some cut-off shorts, grabbing a sweatshirt and some tennis shoes as she re-emerged.

The blue-haired man waited while she slipped on her socks and shoes before taking her hand and leading her outside, away from the stale air that surrounded Kong, right into the heart of Essex.

The streets were crowded with people who all gave Noodle the strangest looks as the two of them made their way, laughing and talking loudly, to a little noodle shop. 2D used to take her here quite often, it was their favorite place to just get away from everything.

The shop was dark and nearly always empty, Noodle often wondered why they never went out of business. The owner, a small, good-humored Japanese man, led them to a small booth in the back, their regular table. 2D sat opposite her and smiled as Noodle browsed the menu, though she already knew what she was going to order.

"What will you have, 2D?" Noodle awaited the usual answer of 'chow mein and prawns tempura'

"Oh, nothin' for me today, love,"

Noodle raised her eyebrows at his response, perhaps he had already eaten lunch. Her thoughts were interrupted, however, as the owner returned to take their orders.

"The usual?" The man grinned enthusiastically at her.

She nodded and he set off for the kitchen, leaving her to wait impatiently as the little shop filled with the delicious smell of noodles and shrimp.

"So, any brilliant ideas there, lards?" Murdoc swept the remaining shards of glass into the dustpan and stood to look over at Russel.

He shook his head as he arranged Noodle's make-up on her dresser. The two had spent the last hour cleaning the mess Noodle had left.

"Nah, man. I really don't know what to do anymore, I mean, anything could set her off, anything,"

"Where'd she run off to this time?"

"I don't fucking know. Probably with 2D or something," He rolled his milky white eyes then sank to his knees, tears spilling down his face, "Why? Why is it so hard for her to accept, man? I just don't get it…"

Murdoc dumped the contents of the dustpan into the trash and seated himself on Noodle's freshly made bed, "I dunno, Russ, I really don' know. But I do know tha' we can' spend tha rest of our lives baby-sittin' an unstable li'tle mess like her,"

Russel gave him a look so intense that Murdoc wished he hadn't said anything, "We're all she's got, Muds. We can't just leave her. I can't…"

Murdoc clapped him on the shoulder and stood, "C'mon man, le's drive aroun' an' see if we can find 'er"

Reviews are nice! Lemme know what you think of it so far...