"Stupid, stupid, stupid!" kept shouting Clyde as David took of the armor.

"What was all of that? We agreed that this was not a thrill seeking adventure! We were going to lay out a plan and follow it. Get information and such. Not go around jumping out of no freaking building and crashing cars!" said Clyde.

"Don't forget the getting shot up part," said David.

"You got shot!?" replied Clyde.

"Only a little. OK, a lot," replied David.

"This ain't no joke! We are not going to be able to work like this," said Clyde.

"I had to do something. I couldn't let them away."

"From what? We don't even know what they did?"

"Exactly! And if they got away we wouldn't know anything."

"But they did get away! And we still don't know nothing."

"Well, we have the car. They left the car. And what was with that van? Why was there a second vehicle so close by?" asked David regarding the hit and run.

"You wouldn't have let them go free either and you know it," said David to Clyde.

"Yeah, well that's different."

"How is it different?" asked David.

"I wouldn't be rushing like that. You supposed to be training not running into gun fights like a damn fool!"

"Yeah well at least we know a few things. The grappling hook can work. We need brakes for it. And the armor can take falls, fire arms and vans," said David.

The two rode in silence for a moment when curiosity got the better of Clyde.

"So the armor handled OK?"

The performance of his work being tested, in a way he had never been able to do so previously, proved to be too much to resist knowing.

"Yeah. Handled four armed men unloading at it from about nine yards," said David guessing at the distance.

"Four guns? And you are fine?" asked Clyde.

"As far as I can tell. You know whose turf this is?" asked David who was still trying to figure out who the gang was.

"On the south side? I'll have to find out. They keep changing hands," said Clyde.

At a red light, police sirens were finally seen coming on the opposite direction from Clyde and David. Back to the scene of the crash. Both stood still in the van as if moving would be the thing that gave them away. The red and blue lights flew by past them, and once they were in their rear view, David climbed into the passenger seat.

They drove through the city on their way to drop David off as his home. They talked about the modifications Clyde would do to the gear with some tension still between them. David tired and sore looked out into the streets. He saw homeless camping out, or sleeping on the streets by the business building. Some were in groups and some on their own. People would walk right over them as if avoiding a piece of gum, or garbage spilled on the street.

This reminded David of the Capt'n and Ramba, being the first and only homeless people David knew. He noticed someone in the crowd handing out food, and clothes to the other homeless. The sight filled him with warmth and comfort. More so than he would have expected. Maybe because of the nights events, or because it was one of the most generous acts he had seen since he got back. Or maybe because the person didn't look much better off than the people being helped.

As Clyde passed the person, David go a better look at them.

"What? Clyde, pull up ahead!" he demanded.

"What? Why? What's going on now?" asked Clyde, afraid of the new development.

"Just pull over. I need to get out," said David again without much details.

Clyde pulled over the next street and David got out before Clyde had a chance to park.

"I'm going to have to child proof these doors if you gonna keep jumping out of moving vehicles," said Clyde but David was already out.

David had on the bullet ridden coat and hood on as he approached the corner where Clyde had turned. The person was still handing things to the homeless as David peaked to see who it was. It was Grams. It was almost midnight, and she was out in the middle of skid row; pulling a grocery cart full of food - feeding, and clothing the homeless.

"This is where she always goes and why she's always cooking?" deduced David.

His heart raced as he heard her talking to the homeless as if she knew them.

"I got a nice clean blanket for you," David heard her tell one of the persons.

"Ohhh, you an angel! Mmm it smells so clean. Just how my old lady used to get it," said one of the gentlemen.

"Mum, mum you got any of those sweet muffing with the red paper on them?" David heard a woman ask Grams.

"You know I do sweetheart," Grams replied.

"Yeah, because those are my favorite," said the woman.

"See, see! I told you that Doña (Mam) Lupe always comes through. She's my momma. Aren't you my momma? She be taking care of me and feeding me," said the woman in a speech pattern indicative of some mental disorder.

"Oh yes, yes. I'm your momma," said Grams giggling.

"She's all of our mamma. Haha!" said another man.

David remained motionless. A big smile on his face as he heard the exchange. His eyes watered as he continued to hear the conversation. Suddenly he heard the group say goodbye to their surrogate mother who pushed her cart in David's direction. Realizing he didn't have anywhere to hide, David put the hood over his head and laid on the floor facing the wall of the building he had been leaning on.

He heard the wheels get closer and hoped to hear them pass him by. Grams stopped right over him, and like a kid who hides under the covers when mom comes to tuck him in, David remained laid still.

"Hi. Are you cold?" asked Grams in a soft, friendly tone as to not startle him.

David remained quiet, still.

"Are you hungry?" Grams asked again, getting closer to him.

"Are you new? I haven't seen you before," she continued.

He did not reply.

"Are you OK? Do you need help?" she said, concerned at his lack of response.

"Mhmm," David groaned to ease her worry.

"Ok. If you need help you can go with my friends back there. I'll leave you some warm food and a nice blanket. The one you have on is old and smelly," she said placing her care package at his feet.

David was shaking to suppress his emotions, his desires to tell grams it was him and that he was alright.

"Well, you take care of yourself, alright son," she said as she pushed her little cart on to the night.

"I left you some money too if you need it," were her parting words; whispered in a secret between them.

She had left him a thin wool blanket and a plastic grocery bag with tinfoil containing a still warm beef broth with red sauce and potatoes.

"It's what she made today," David realized picking them up.

"Everything OK?" asked Clyde who had seen the whole thing from a distance.

"That's my grandma," said David.

"She's out here feeding the homeless," he continued smiling.

"She would. She feed me too when..." said Clyde not finishing the thought, but David knew.

"You want to get going then?" asked Clyde.

"If it's OK with you, I'd like to stay," said David.

Clyde saw in David's somber, yet content, glossy expression that he would not leave Grams now. Clyde had considered calling the whole partnership off after the shootout. He thought David was just an impulsive, thrill seeker, but now he realized there was more.

"OK son, we can stay," said Clyde putting his hand on David's shoulder.

"You don't have too," said David.

"Many do what they don't have too, and it's a good thing."

They followed Grams the rest of the night. She repeated the same scene multiple times until she boarded the bus to go back home. They followed the bus and finally passed it once they deemed it safe. David got home and said bye to Clyde.

"So Monday then?" said Clyde.

"Yes, Monday. I may be a little late. Gotta figure out the bus routes and times."

"Don't worry about that. Someone will be over to pick you up. You just be ready."

"You don't need to do that," tried to say David.

"Not a problem. You just be ready and no more getting into fights you hear me!"

"I'll try," replied David smiling.

Clyde started the van and was ready to leave when David called him.

"Clyde!"

"Yes?"

"Thanks, for everything," said David.

Clyde nodded and gave David a salute as he left. David got back into the house and went up to his room and laid in bed. He heard Grams open the door shortly after and he went to sleep in peace.

Back at the hardware store, Clyde was unloading the equipment they had used that night. He looked at it with pride, and relief. He saw the bullet ridden coat and frowned as he shook his head disapprovingly. He then inspected the armor pieces David had worn. He could see where the bullets had impacted, and felt the indentations with his fingers. Then he saw the back plate armor which had taken the most damage. He looked it over carefully and saw one of the dents had gone completely through.

"What the!?" he said in alarm as he looked at it carefully. The bullet had gone through the armor plate and was lodged in the rubber padding. The tip going through the padding and a small spec of blood on it. A chilling realization came over Clyde.

"Ihave a lot of work to do," he said turning off the lights. 

____________________________________________________________________

Hello my dears! So this concludes David's and Clyde's first night out. How did you like it? And how about Grams! Isn't she just the best? I mean come on! :D 

Anyway, this will be the only update this week. I'm going to up load a new intro next week and fix some of the earlier chapters too. Hope you all can check it out next week and let me know how you like it! 

Please comment and vote and I'll see you all soon! 

Roge. 

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