Disclaimers: These are my characters, all mine, even if they bear a striking resemblance to a certain warrior and bard. Sorry MCA/Universal you should know by now that I can't resist. But, so ya know, in no way do I make money from this. It's just my own sick, twisted fun.

Sex/Violence: Lots. More then the usual eps of Xena, and more then my usual stories. This is a tough city, a tough neighborhood where just about anything does and will happen. This story depicts love between two members of the same sex, so if this is illegal or offensive, read elsewhere. This story also depicts an act of rape, but no graphic sex scenes. Sorry folks, just not my style.

Anything else? Don't know about that yet. Guess this story has an R rating because of the violence and potty mouth language. Um, that'd be all now. Go ahead and read. Delve into my twisted mind, if you dare! :)

Chapter Four

Shane catapulted herself across the ditch and climbed up the rusty fence. She threw her leather jacket over the barbed wire at the top and climbed on over, jumping off the other side.

With a narrowed glance left and right Shane trudged down the worn dirt path to her favorite place in the world. Her only place really. One that was safe. Somewhere that even Casey or Cadence didn't know about.

It was an abandoned train station, mostly overgrown with weeds now, and the occasional snake. Transients lived here, took over a few of the old rusted out cars, but there was a place that she was sure they didn't even know about.

She waded through a thigh high patch of weeds to the back of the train station. There was a small patch of overgrown asphalt and a sewer drain. Shane stole a quick glance around. Satisfied that no one was looking she heaved the drain up and hauled it over to the side.

Then she climbed down the rickety ladder and pulled the grate back over the opening. Once at the bottom of the ladder she turned around and headed straight for a few feet then blindly turned left. Here she flicked open her zippo. The bright flames danced across the slimy stone wall and illuminated the long tunnel.

She followed the tunnel to the end and hooked a right, down another tunnel. Here there was another opening in the ground. She snapped the lighter shut and followed the ladder down.

Cold, moldy smelling air assaulted her nostrils. She resisted the urge to sneeze and flicked the lighter on once more. Ahead and to the left was a door.

Her safe haven.

Charley had played here with her. They'd been kings and knights defending the castle, traveling through the dungeons and mazes. They'd never been too old for this place. Time meant nothing here.

Shane opened the door and flicked the switch for a generator that she and Charley had smuggled down here one summer long, long ago. It struggled to life with a groan and the smell of burning kerosene.

Like all children with forts or playhouses it had beds, chairs, things snuck from home and stolen from the junkyard.

She sat on the edge of one of the beds, sinking slowly and painfully into more memories.

"Can't catch me, " he taunted, knowing that she would and always did.

He'd rounded the corner and there she stood, hands on hips, wooden sword grasped easily in her hand.

His mouth gaped open. "How do you do that?"

Shane had laughed. "I have many skills."

Charley laughed too, it was a joke between brother and sister.

"I have many skills," she repeated sarcastically. "If I have so many goddamn fucking skills then why the hell are you dead Charley!" she screamed.

But that was the ironic thing, her skills and her intuition had heard him coming around the aisle even though she hadn't known who it was. Her heightened sense of awareness had allowed her to kill him before he could cause her any harm.

He was my brother! He would never harm me... For the first time in two years she allowed the tears to gather and cling to her eyelashes. "Oh God, Charley, I'm so sorry," she curled into a ball on the bed and cried silent tears for her lost brother.