Rory wandered through the windy, empty streets of Colorado. His footsteps crunching in the thin layer of snow. Surely humans have pain meds... something like that? Right? Looking for something that could potentially resemble a pharmacy.

It felt cold, without Kitty at his side. He's asleep right now. Can't wake Kitty. Rory thought.

"Aw dude... you brought the shit?" a muffled voice asked from behind a nearby building. Rory quickly pressed himself against a wall, careful not to alert any humans of his presence.

"Yeah, uh- did you hear that?" another muffled voice asked.

"Nah man. Just gimme the shit,"

"Alright bro. You owe me,"

"Yeah yeah," the first voice said. Rory heard a quiet shuffle. "See ya man,"

"Yeah. But'tchu better have my money when you do!"

"Uh-huh," the first voice said, walking out of the alley. Sounds like drug dealing. Bet they know where I can get something as simple as pain meds. Unless they don't exist here, or they're illegal. Rory thought, mustering up the courage to cut off the guy walking out into the street.

"'Scuse me," Rory grumbled.

"Oh fuck- um... hey man," the guy said shakily. He's scared. Just play it off like I'm supposed to kill him. Ahh, but do I act mean? What if it's legal?! I don't wanna come off the wrong way! Rory panicked. "You good dude? I've gotta get home," the guy said, putting his hands in his pockets, looking around anxiously. Screw it.

Rory slammed him against the wall and held a dagger to his throat.

"Woah- what do you want man? Do you- you want money?!" the guy asked with a terrified expression. He had pale skin and bruises and scratches all over his face.

"Cut the shit. You don't have any money to give me. Look at you," Rory said scornfully.

"Yeah man- uh... what can I get you?" he whimpered, pushing himself against the wall, trying to get away from the dagger.

"Look, I'm not from around here. Y'know where I can get pain meds?" Rory asked in a gruff voice.

"Uh, the pharmacy's closed, they open at eight tomorrow morning," the guy winced. "And you coulda just asked-"

Rory wasn't sure how to respond. He was prepared to kill the guy to find pain meds. Now though, having the answer, he wasn't sure what to do.

Do I thank him? Or do I just like- kill him? Rory wondered. How do people interact so casually?! Rory wondered.

"C-can I go?" he asked.

"Yeah. Thanks," Rory grunted, pocketing his dagger. "Could ya point me in the direction of the pharmacy?"

"Um... this is, the pharmacy," the guy said shakily, pointing up to the glowing red sign that said CVS, with a little heart next to it.

"Thanks," Rory grunted. They stood there for a long second, when the guy ran off. Eight in the morning won't do. Rory thought, walking up to the 'CVS' building.

He looked up, and saw a camera. Humans don't have me on their records. Cameras shouldn't matter. Rory thought, backing up a bit, then charging towards the window, hurling himself at the glass, and doing a tuck-and-roll into the CVS.

He saw a large sign in the back that quite obviously said 'Pharmacy,' so he ran over there. Painkillers, painkillers... he reminded himself, sliding over the counter. He saw what seemed like an impossible amount of brands and types of medication. Damn it. I don't have time to read the back of every bottle! Rory thought, quickly glancing at all the labels.

Until he found it.

Aspirin. Pain reliever.

Yes! Rory thought, snatching the bottle, and grabbing a bottle of water on his way out of the store. He carefully climbed out of the window he'd broken, realizing he probably could've just pried the front doors open.

Might as well look around a little more. Rory thought, walking along the sidewalk. He walked down the street for a long while, until he saw light in one of the buildings, and light music.

He opened the door, and poked his nose inside to see it was a breakfast diner. It's open? This late at night? Rory thought, looking up at a clock that read five forty nine. It's morning?! Rory realized, closing the door, and sprinting down the sidewalk.

When he kicked something.

His eyes widened. He knew what it was. Not again! I don't have time for this! Rory thought. It was too late though. The moment he kicked it, things began to distort, and he fell into the time knot.

"Rory..." the soft, raspy whispers began.

"Shut up," Rory snapped. Again, something wrapped around his foot. This time though, he didn't struggle, and to Rory's surprise; it let go.

That wasn't it though, for a moment, he felt something dive into his ear, causing Rory to panic. WHAT THE FUCK WAS THAT?! He wondered as he reappeared in the real world.

Rory took in a deep breath.

"What the hell?" Rory wondered out loud. His ear was screaming in pain, and his whole body ached like hell.

"Um, excuse me sir," a small voice whimpered from behind him. Rory turned around, to see a small girl, short enough where Rory had to look down to see her. She wore a puffy red coat and yellow rain boots. She had sad, blue eyes that looked as deep as the seas of Caphazoa, with short red hair, a little darker than Rory's, and light skin. She wore a small yellow bucket hat, that matched her boots with some black leggings.

"Huh?" Rory grunted.

"Have you seen my dad? He said he'd be back soon, and he got on a bus, and it's been a night already," the little girl mumbled.

"No, I-" Rory paused with a sigh. "I haven't seen him," Rory said, kneeling down to meet eye to eye with the little girl. "Where's your mom?" Rory asked.

The girl looked down, small tears forming in her eyes. Oh, her mom's probably dead. Rory realized. "It's okay. You don't need to tell me," Rory said, standing up.

"Thank you, um... do- do you have any food? I'm a little hungry..." she mumbled. I've got eleven dollars. That can't buy shit, and I'm not even sure that currency works on Earth. Rory thought.

"I'll see what I can do," Rory sighed, walking along the sidewalk. The little girl followed closely behind him, which made Rory slightly anxious.

"Where's your mom?" the little girl asked. Rory flinched.

"She wasn't nice to me. So I left," Rory grumbled.

"What about your dad?" she asked.

"I wasn't nice to him, so they left," Rory said, crossing his arms.

"Oh. Do you have any siblings?" she asked.

"Two," Rory said simply, trying to take a more light hearted tone of voice. Which was difficult with the pain he was in. It felt like growing pains, but ten times more painful, and his ear felt like it was going to fall off. Yet he could still hear out of it.

"What's your name?" she asked.

"Rory,"

"Nice to meet you, I'm Pepper," the little girl squeeked, offering her hand for a hand shake. Rory paused, and looked down at her tiny little hand, offering her friendship. What kind of monster would say no? Rory wondered with a sigh, timidly shaking her hand.

"So how old are you Rory? You look like one of the big kids at my school," Pepper said, as they continued to walk down the sidewalk.

"How old are the kids at your school?" Rory asked.

"Sixteen. Are you sixteen?" Pepper asked.

"No, I'm twenty," Rory said.

"Woah, so you're a really big kid!" Pepper exclaimed with a little jump.

"I guess so," Rory shrugged with a small chuckle.

"Two weeks ago, I turned seven years old!" Pepper exclaimed gleefully.

"Wow, almost a big kid," Rory said softly, trying to ignore the pain.

"Mhm!" Pepper nodded.

"Do you like dogs?" Rory asked.

"Yup! I love doggies! My dad had a Rottweiler and we named her Cona!" Pepper exclaimed.

"That's a nice name. Was she a good dog?" Rory asked.

"She was my best friend!" Pepper smiled. "My sister took her to Califo- Califron- Califrena," Pepper sighed.

"California, lucky for you, I'm headed that way. Wanna come with?" Rory asked.

"Mhm. My sister can keep me safe," Pepper mumbled.

"Alright. Tell me, are you afraid of aliens?" Rory asked.

"Nuh-uh! Aliens are cool as heck! I've always wanted to meet them, and go on a spaceship!" Pepper smiled.

"What if I told you I was an alien?" Rory offered. Pepper gasped.

"REALLY?!"

"Shh, you can't tell anyone. It's a secret,"

"Ok!" Pepper whispered. "Can you do alien magic?" Pepper asked.

"No, but I have a spaceship," Rory said thoughtfully. Pepper gasped again.

"Did you crash land here on Earth?! What's your planet called?!" Pepper asked in a hushed voice.

"You could say that. My planet's called Test Place 46," Rory whispered.

"Woah... I met an alien!" Pepper whispered to herself, jumping up and down. "I met a real life alien!"

Rory tried his best to ignore his aching body, for the sake of not scaring Pepper, but it felt like he was going to collapse at any moment. I just need to make it to the forest. Rory thought.

"Oh, do you cover your eyes, to hide your alien secret?" Pepper asked, somewhat discreetly.

"Uh... yeah, an alien secret," Rory said. That reminds me... I really need a haircut. Rory thought.

"Do you have alien friends?" Pepper asked with wide eyes.

"Yeah, I'm taking you to them so we can help you get to California," Rory said reassuringly. They finally made it to the forest, and Pepper stopped on the outside.

"What?" Rory asked. Oh, I guess it's a little weird for a seven year old to follow a twenty year old stranger into the woods. Rory realized.

"Mom said I shouldn't follow strangers into weird places," Pepper mumbled. "I don't know if I can trust you," she said, putting her hands in her pockets and looking down at her boots.

"Ok, you can wait here, and I'll go get my friends," Rory offered.

"Mmm, no! You're gonna leave me!" Pepper cried, running up to Rory and hugging his arm.

"Please let go," Rory said quickly. His arm cried out in pain, making Rory flinch back a bit.

"Ok. You promise you won't leave me here?" Pepper asked, releasing his arm.

"I pinky promise," Rory said, offering his pinky out to Pepper. They shook pinkys, and Pepper waited on the edge of the woods.

"You're not allowed to break pinky promises!" Pepper shouted.

"I know!" Rory said, walking into the forest.

"RORY! We thought you were dead!" Synth exclaimed, running up to him.

"Not yet. Where are the others?" Rory asked.

"Back at camp, c'mon," Synth said, leading Rory over to the others.

"Oh, there he is," Stellarax smiled, handing Rory a piece of doe, to which he timidly ate. Kitty brushed up against Rory's side, and stared up at him.

"Where's Meerjou?" Rory asked.

"In pain," Pyraxis said. "She's in a pile of leaves. We might have to wait a few days before-"

"Nope, we gotta get going. Give her a couple of these," Rory said, tossing Pyraxis the aspirin.

"What's this?"

"Painkillers. Give her thirty minutes, hopefully she'll be alright after that," Rory said. "And have her chase it with this!" he added, tossing Pyraxis the water bottle as well. She caught both from the tree she was perched in, and flew down to a pile of leaves.

Renclaws have adaptive immune systems. It should recognize the painkiller and amplify it, making her good to go. Rory realized. Let's just hope it doesn't take too long. He thought, looking back towards where Pepper was waiting for him.

Suddenly, Rory's aching started to fade, and his ear stopped hurting entirely. What? There's no way- why'd it just stop?! Rory wondered. Completely dumbfounded by how simply it just, 'stopped hurting.'

"I'M CURED!" Meerjou's voice shouted. "WHAT THE HELL WAS IN THAT?! IT FIXED MY WING!" she exclaimed, flying out into view.

Reliable Renclaw immune system. Rory thought. Suddenly, he was being squeezed to death by Meeryjou. "Aww, thank you!" she said happily, squeezing Rory, again to the point where he thought he was going to throw up his insides.

"Please- let- go-" he managed.

"Never!" Meerjou grinned.

"Seriously- I'm gonna die- to death-" Rory tried, gasping for air. He felt the doe he'd just eaten start crawling up his throat. There goes breakfast. He thought. He pushed Meerjou away and puked on the dirt.

"Aces Meerjou! What the hell?!" Rory asked.

"Sorry, just got a little excited," Meerjou said with a sheepish smile.

"Just please stop doing that," Rory groaned.

"Okay, okay fine. Be that way, but thanks for the healing stuff," Meerjou beamed.

"So... you're alright now?" Rory asked. Meerjou nodded.

"Then let's get going!" Synth grinned. Rory heard the crunching of leaves behind them, and turned his head to see Pepper, wide eyed with curiosity.

"Aliens..." she whispered, in pure awe at the sight of them.

"I thought you were gonna wait at the edge of the forest," Rory said.

"I got bored," Pepper shrugged.

Right, seven year olds have no attention span. Rory remembered.

"Um, who's that?" Pyraxis asked. "Oh! You brought us a human to snack on!" Pyraxis grinned. Pepper coward back a bit.

"Pyraxis, kindly shut up," Synth said, shooting a death stare at her.

"We're bringing her to California. No one can change my mind," Rory said.

"Well, we really shouldn't be exposing ourselves-" Stellarax started.

"Too late. This is Pepper. Pepper, these are my alien acquaintances," Rory said, gesturing to the team.

"What the fuck-" Pyraxis started.

"Language!" Meerjou shouted at Pyraxis.

"Potty mouth!" Pepper called, pointing at Pyraxis. "Go to your room and eat soap!"

"HAH!" Synth laughed. "Yeah Pyraxis, go to your room!"

"Let's get going, we shouldn't waste any more time," Stellarax grumbled, picking up his bag and stomping on the fire.

"Hi Pepper, I'm Meer!" Meerjou smiled, offering a hand to Pepper.

"Hi," Pepper said shyly, shaking Meerjou's hand.

"Let's go," Stellarax said sternly. Everyone followed him out of the forest, except Pyraxis, who walked in front of him. Pepper stuck close by Rory, which again, made him a little anxious.

"So you guys are aliens?" Pepper asked.

"We prefer the term 'people,'" Pyraxis said.

"Oh, my bad. So you guys are space people?" Pepper asked.

"Yeah! We even have a spaceship!" Synth smiled.

"Can I see?!" Pepper asked enthusiastically.

"When we get to California," Meerjou said.

"You said you liked dogs... right?" Rory asked.

"Mhm!"

"Kitty," Rory called.

"A cat?" Pepper asked.

"Ah... you could say that," Rory said thoughtfully as Kitty prodded up to Rory.

"It's a Doberman! He's so skrunkly!" Pepper said, patting Kitty on the head.

"Skrunkly?" Stellarax asked.

"Adorable!" Synth corrected.

"Yeah!" Pepper beamed

"Yeah!" Synth grinned back.

"You guys are awesome," Pepper smiled.

"Yeah, uh- just one question for ya kid," Pyraxis started. "Where're your parents?" Pepper winced.

"Um, dad went on a bus last night and hasn't come back yet... and m-mom is..." Pepper started shakily.

"Dead?" Pyraxis offered mercilessly.

"Um... yeah," Pepper sniffled.

"Damn. My mum's dead too, my brother killed her. To death," Pyraxis said. Pepper wandered a bit closer to Rory, making him even more anxious.

"She isn't very nice," Pepper whispered not-so secretly to Rory.

"You could say that again," Synth smirked. Pyraxis only sighed, and shook her head.

"Who gave you the skull on your head?" Pepper asked, pointing to her forehead. Synth froze.

"I um-" he started, clearing his throat. "Asked nicely," he looked around anxiously. "With a chainsaw," he added quickly.

"So you killed them?" Pepper asked.

"Uh- yeah, I killed them," Synth said with a sheepish grin.

"Rory," Pepper started, looking up at him. "Have you killed anyone?"

"Uh-huh. A lot of people," Rory answered subconsciously. "They were all mean people though," he added.

"So you kill bad guys?" Pepper asked enthusiastically.

"Not necessarily-" Rory started.

"Yup. He chops 'em up and stuffs them in bags for money," Meerjou grinned, interrupting him.

"You're the one who dismembered Ellie," Rory pointed out.

"Yeah, but you're the one who told me to," Meerjou said smugly.

"You wanted to split the money, so I was just giving you a chance to do some work!"

"You guys kill people... together?" Pepper asked.

"Yeah," Meerjou smiled.

"Once," Rory corrected.

"What does the tall man do?" Pepper asked, pointing to Stellarax.

"Oh, I was a chauffeur for a royal family that I... killed," Stellarax smiled, looking down at Pepper.

"What does the mean one do?" Pepper asked, pointing to Pyraxis.

"Whatever I want. Mostly kill people though," Pyraxis said, not bothering to look at Pepper.

"So you're all murder- murdurers?" Pepper asked.

"Murderers, yes." Meerjou said.

"Hey, woah. It was only one guy- alright?" Synth said, holding out his hands.

"But you still killed them though," Pepper said dryly.

"Uh- I guess I did. Yeah, I killed them," Synth sighed, sounding disappointed in himself.

"They had a very cool skull," Pepper smiled.

"Thank you!" Synth said, smiling back. Rory noticed they were all walking much slower than before, trying to make sure Pepper didn't fall behind.

Meerjou must've noticed this too.

"Want a piggyback ride?" Meerjou asked Pepper.

"Yeah!" Pepper beamed, hopping on Meerjou's back.

"Did you know that I can fly?" Meerjou asked as the group started picking up their pace again.

"You can?!" Pepper asked with amazement.

"Yup! Wanna see?" Meerjou asked.

"Uh-huh!" Pepper nodded eagerly, gripping Meerjou's shoulders and flying up into the dawning sky. "WEEE!" Pepper cried out as Meerjou landed.

"What did you think?" Meerjou asked.

"Best- Day- EVER!" Pepper exclaimed gleefully. Meerjou chuckled.

"I'm glad!" Meerjou said with a sweet smile.

"Can we be a bit more serious here? This isn't all sunshine and rainbows. We've got work to do," Stellarax said.

"We're doing it. Aren't we?" Rory asked, glaring at Stellarax. He seemed to get the message, sighing, and shaking his head.

"I met flying space people!" Pepper grinned.

"Well, not all of us can fly," Synth said with a smirk. "Only Preppy Two and Meany can fly,"

"You gotta drop that man," Meerjou sighed.

"Nuh-uh," Synth said. Kitty looked up at Rory, and huffed at him.

"What is it?" Rory asked Kitty. Kitty huffed again, followed by a small growl. "What?" Rory asked.

"BARK!" Kitty snapped.

"Why're you mad at me?" Rory asked.

"Huroo," Kitty huffed, looking up at Rory with sad eyes.

"Oh don't look at me like that, you're a good boy. Alright?" Rory said reassuringly, scratching behind Kitty's ears.

"Bro casually talking to his dog," Synth joked.

"I talk to dogs all the time!" Pepper exclaimed.

"Heh. Okay kiddo," Synth said. That was the last thing any of them said for hours.

The sun was high in the sky at this point, when they had to stop at a gas station to get Pepper a snack.

"Thank you!" Pepper smiled, opening the bag of trail mix.

"Hey Rory. You could learn a thing or two about manners from her," Meerjou grinned. Rory didn't respond. Not needing to be reminded how socially inept he was.

"Cut the man some slack, Meerjou. He's doing his best," Stellarax smiled at Rory, who didn't know how to respond to that.

"Here's a tip; you're supposed to say 'thank you' to that sort of thing," Synth smirked.

Rory wasn't sure how to respond to that either.

"Change of subject though, I've been wondering. What was the deal with the 'Jinx hunter?'" Synth asked as they walked out of the store, back onto the road.

"Who's that?" Pepper asked.

"Jicknox. He was a bad guy. We killed him, but jinxing someone would summon him, but jinxing him would kill him. He'd have been much harder to kill if he'd stayed silent," Rory explained.

"You kill a lot of people," Pepper said with a small nod.

"Yup. Sure do," Rory grumbled.

The police on Test Place 46 are too soft on criminals deserving of retribution. I'm one of those people, but someone's gotta do it. Why don't I change? Can I change? I used to be a wannabe vigilante, fighting the assholes I've become. I do kill a lot of people. I did back then, but even more so now. What made me this way? And why... for the life of me... why can't I go back? Rory wondered. Is it just the way I am? My nature? Who I was born as? Was it those who influenced me when I was young? Or is it just me? The supposed 'bad guys' I kill? Aren't I just like them? No real purpose other than to serve for pay?

No. I won't have that.

Ace fucking damn it.

I will not stand for that anymore.

"Guys we... we did it!" Stellarax exclaimed. "We made it to California!"

They looked up at the sign that said: "WELCOME TO CALIFORNIA!"

With it, a little bunny sat at the base of the sign, right next to the ship that was parked next to it.

"Can I go inside?" Pepper asked.

"Go for it!" Synth smiled, walking into the ship with Pepper.

"Stellarax, help me get the bunny," Meerjou said, as the two of them started trying to coax the bunny into going with them.

"So Rory," Pyraxis started. "Who's Lucy Lust? Because indeed, I've heard that name before,"

"My mother," Rory grunted.

"Yeah right," Pyraxis laughed for a moment, then looked at Rory's expression. "Y-you're serious?"

"Do I look like I'm kidding?" Rory asked.

"But- I thought she didn't have any kids! The Three Sisters of Chaos swore to not have kids!" Pyraxis exclaimed.

"My mom wasn't big on keeping promises. Unless they involved cash or sex," Rory grumbled.

"With a name like Lucy Lust? Yeah, I should've assumed so," Pyraxis sighed. "Ace... what was being her kid like?!"

"Torture. Do you really want to know what my childhood was like? Pyraxis?" Rory asked, putting his hands in his pockets.

"Do I?" Pyraxis asked, genuinely sounding unsure.

"I'll let you think on it," Rory grumbled, beckoning Kitty to follow him onto the ship. "Pepper!" Rory called.

"This ship is amazing!" Pepper said, in pure awe at everything, running up to Rory, and giving him a hug.

"Woah, easy there Pep, Rory isn't too great with those," Synth smirked, walking up behind Pepper.

"Synth, you really do get on my nerves sometimes," Rory grumbled.

"Heh. Yeah, I tend to do that, don't I?" he grinned.

"So, you're gonna take me to my sister?" Pepper asked.

"If that's what you want us to do," Rory said.

"I wanna stay with you guys," Pepper mumbled.

"We can't do that," Synth said, putting a reassuring hand on Pepper's shoulder. "We're on a dangerous mission right now," Rory thought for a moment, and after some careful consideration, he decided.

He knelt down to meet eye to eye with Pepper, who looked on the verge of tears knowing she couldn't go with them.

"Hey," Rory said, lifting Pepper's chin. "I'll be back for you," he promised, offering his pinky. Again, they shook pinkys.

"You can't break a pinky promise," Pepper sniffled.

"I know," Rory said, picking her up and carrying her off the ship. "Let's go find your sister,"

"This was my favorite day," Pepper mumbled, resting her chin on Rory's shoulder.

"Oh? What was your favorite part?" Rory asked.

"Meeting you, and the other space people... definitely getting to fly... and go on the spaceship..." Pepper mumbled, relaxing her eyes.

"Today was a good day," Rory sighed. "A very good day,"

"It's Christmas today," Pepper said.

"Really? What do humans do for Christmas?" Rory asked.

"We put gifts under a tree and open them, we eat food and sing songs, but dad never got me anything for Christmas... only mom did," Pepper mumbled. "She's not here though," she sniffled.

"Well, I don't have any trees, but I'll see what I can do about a gift. Do you like comics?" Rory asked.

"Mhm, I really like superhero comics, with the ono- onomoto-onomatopoeia, and the cool effects," Pepper said.

"Alright. Where'd you say your sister lived?" Rory asked.

"Down that street I think," Pepper said, pointing down the street. Rory walked down the street, until Pepper stopped him at a gray brick apartment with a black car parked in the driveway.

"Go knock on the door," Rory said, putting Pepper down. Pepper looked down at her boots.

"Can you go with me?" she asked.

"Sure," Rory sighed, taking her hand and leading her up the steps. He knocked on the door, and Pepper seemed to recognize the middle aged woman who opened the door.

"Pepper?" she asked. She had long red hair, and almost identical blue eyes. She wore a black wool sweater with black jeans and a gray crop top.

"Addison... dad left, can I stay here?" Pepper asked shyly.

"O-of course! Just um... Who are you, sir?" she asked Rory.

"The name's Rory," Rory said.

"Right, and... how do you know Pepper?" Addison asked.

"I asked him for help, and he was really nice to me, and brought me here," Pepper explained. "Except one of his friends was a little mean,"

"You brought her here?" Addison asked Rory.

"I did," Rory grumbled. "I'm on a bit of a time budget right now, but I'll drop by and visit sometime," Rory said, turning to look at Pepper. "Happy Christmas kid," he sighed, pulling a pocket comic out of his back pocket. "Emergency comic. Made by me,"

"So... no one else has one?" Pepper asked.

"Nope,"

"Woah..." Pepper said, taking the comic.

"It's not great. That's the best I could do though," Rory grumbled.

"Happy Christmas Rory," Pepper said, handing Rory a small bracelet with a tiny cork bottle as the charm. Pepper hugged Rory. "Please come back soon," she whispered.

"I promise," Rory said, patting her on the head and starting down the steps.

"Thank you sir!" Addison called.

Shit, what do I say again? Rory wondered. "Um- you're welcome!" he called, making his way down the street, Pepper waving to him as he walked. He waved back, and left.