Do I Know You?

Chapter One:

The rain on the hard cement filled the air with soft patterings in the quiet of the deserted sector of the city. Nothing stirred, except the occasional small animal rummaging for dinner beneath the discarded piles of debris. A cat's luminescent eyes glowed from under an old cardboard box as it tried to stay out of the rain.
Ross's footsteps as he rounded the corner startled the animal and it hissed at him from its relative safety. He merely grinned at it as he leaned against the battleship gray walls for a moment to catch his breath, white vapor tumbling from his mouth and nose. A quick glance to all side, then he wrapped his jacket tighter before darting down the alley.
He ducked into a crevice in a side building with the ease of familiarity and took a moment to run his hands through his hair and give the dark strands a shake. No sense dripping all the way to the door. The building inside was warm and dusty, the elements blocked mostly by a few windows still, through some unimaginable means, standing. After checking over his shoulder, Ross followed the few barely discernable footprints to a hole in the plaster between the beams in the ceiling. Glancing around one more time, he grabbed the edge of the hole and vaulted himself into the darkness above.
Into the relative darkness anyway. In a corner behind a sheet hung between several crates a soft glow lit part of the chamber. "Evening Ella," Ross called, as he drew the rough curtain back with a smile.
She turned still seated to face him with a smile. "About time, I'd started to wonder if those cats had eaten you. Did you find anything?"
Ross opened his coat and dug into an inside pocket, handing over its contents in answer. "It's a wonder what people throw out these days. Perfectly good victuals." He trailed off and shrugged. "Oh well," he concluded with a grin, "more for us!"
Ella nodded as she accepted the small parcel of food. "For now anyway," she mused as she sifted through the contents. "I just hope we'll be able to find enough in a few months time."
Ross carefully lowered himself to his knees and looked into her eyes with a smile. "Don't worry, love. We'll find a way. We always have." His hand reached out to touch the barely discernable lump in Ella's stomach. "One more mouth to feed won't be too much trouble. I promise."
Ella smiled. "I know. I just can't help worrying sometimes. You understand." She grinned. "We'll just blame the hormone's this time, ok?" She pulled out a battered and well-used pot from one of the carefully organized crates and placed it on the already lit campfire stove as Ross took of his soaking outer garments and pulled back the curtain to dry them in the large empty section of the abandoned floor. A line had been set up some time ago for that purpose at the beginning of the rainy season within a natural breezeway between two cracked windows. Several of Ella's clothes were already dangling from the line.
After attaching his jacket and socks, Ross moved to the window. Four streets down, the Atlantic Ocean was lapping at the base of the other abandoned buildings. The large skyscrapers usually visible several hundred meters out to sea were obscured by the lingering haze of the rain. As it was, Ross and Ella wouldn't have to worry about food. An abundant and natural grocer was just a few blocks down, with all the seafood anyone could ever want. But the rains made it dangerous to go more than a few meters out, and the fish wouldn't bite anyway.
Ella pulled back the curtain enough to put her head through. "Ross? Are you coming? We have to hurry if we want to make it to Macy's in time."
"Of course. I'll be right there." Ross looked one more time before returning to the warmth and comfort of their corner.

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A/N: Yes, I know it's short. I just wanted to give you something before I went away for a week to ENGLAND! (sorry, that's really happy) Anyway, this is the story with the plan. I will write more, I promise you, and perhaps even finish. But not right now. Call it a teaser if you will. Macy's as in the department store. But that will be clearer in the next chapter. , A/N2: Thank you, Ryan. *grumble..can't spell..grumble*