Disclaimer: Do not own the Gorillaz. But, you guys already knew that by now.

"Mmmm...Murdoc? Did we fall asleep?" Noodle asked wearily as she rubbed her eyes.

"Hmmmm...yeah, looks like it, luv." he stretched out while raising his arms above his head. "You're probably wantn' to...get outta here..." He looked away from the girl as he lifted himself up off the bed.

"I guess I should be going, yes. I mean...I do have a lot to think about..." Noodle replied.

" ...Wot...do yew mean? The bassist turned around to face her.

"Well, everything we talked about last night. About...us..." She reached her hand up to hold his, but he pulled away.

"Noodle..." he had a sad look on his face again, "look, yew don't have to worry about this, I'm sure I can figure sumthn' out. Besides, I didn't tell yah about this so that yew would feel guilty and do something you don't really want..." Murdoc sighed and sat down beside her. "...this is not somethin' yew need to think about."

"Murdoc, I think we know each other pretty well by now. I know what your intentions are, you made it perfectly clear just how much you really do care about me." Noodle replied as she moved closer to him. Murdoc attempted to hide his red face by turning away and coughing loudly. "And I know it's not something I'm being forced into, either. The truth is..." Noodle placed her hand softly under his chin and lifted his head so he would face her. "I have been thinking about you a lot... since we escaped. Well, even before that..."

Murdoc felt his heart beat louder in his chest. "C'mon luv..."

"No, it's true, Murdoc...I can't explain it, but I know it wasn't just because you saved me." Finally, he held her hand in his as she continued. "These feelings you're having..I'm having them too. Maybe they had always been there. Just...the situation brought us closer together than we ever were before. The feelings were forced to the surface...for both of us." her bright green eyes met his brown ones and they stared at each other for what seemed like eternity. How could this be? How could she be having the same feelings as him, and how long has it really been going on for?

Murdoc didn't know what to say. He honestly had no idea the girl had felt this way about him, and for a moment it almost made him forget about their dire situation. It felt so good for that moment... however, the Satanist knew better. He couldn't let himself be convinced that easily. After all, the girl was still so young. What if she was just trying to spare his feelings? How could he be sure she even felt the same...

He swallowed the lump in his throat. ..but what if she does...

"But, like I said, I still need....time." she finished, bringing the bassist back down to Earth.

"I know luv, it's a lot to take in. I want yew to understand... whatever decision yew make, that's wot we'll do." Murdoc patted the girl on the shoulder, a bitter-sweet feeling swept up inside of him. He sighed to himself because knew he would have to be patient. This was a very delicate, very unique situation. But deep down, he couldn't help but wonder if he had the ability....or the will power...to handle it correctly.

*****

Over the next few weeks, Murdoc and Noodle would have secret meetings once everyone else had fallen asleep or left the building. They had decided it was best to keep it between themselves and not include any of the other band members in the peculiar predicament. During the day, each would do their own research about the Satanist religion, Demonology, or any other information they could find. And then at night, they would rendezvous and go over their findings together.

But even after all that time and the pages and pages of research, it seemed as though they had no way out of their situation. After the fourth week of searching and coming out empty-handed, they both felt exhausted and disappointed.

"I had no idea there was so much to this whole...religion." Noodle exhaled sadly.

"Yah, I wos try'n to tell yah before. It's all quite intense for someone who doesn't know their way around it." Murdoc replied as he cracked his knuckles. Then, to Noodle's surprise, he pulled her closer to him in a gentle hug. "Look, I'm real sorry for gettin' yah involved in this, hun."

"There is no need to apologize, M-Murdoc-san. You did what you thought was best... and it saved my life." She stammered a bit as she looked up at him, then hesitantly leaned up against his chest.

"Yeah, but at wot cost? Who am I to decide your fate, it wos wrong and selfish...and a horrible thing to do." Murdoc's harsh words made Noodle frown. She wrapped both her thin arms around his mid-section and pulled him in close. As odd as it was seeing the Satanist being so hard on himself, she had to admit it was nice to finally hear him being responsible too. The girl closed her eyes and let herself go in the embrace, taking that chance to collect her thoughts and breathe in his (for once) refreshing aroma.

She didn't know what to say to comfort him, maybe she didn't need to say anything at that moment. All she could think about was how close they had grown in the past few months. She had seen Murdoc in a completely different light and, whether he wanted to admit it or not, he had changed. It was almost as if it were happening right under her nose this whole time...but she had to admit, she was really starting to like it. It seemed even the little details she hadn't noticed before were starting to become glaringly obvious. For starters, his hygiene was much better. The green, sharpened fangs he used to call teeth looked white and clean, almost presentable now. Hair was no longer jutting out in every direction (but still maintained a cute, shaggy look). Even his body was in better physical shape, which she confirmed by secretly squeezing his muscular arm that was wrapped around her. All of this was complimented with a fresh new attire of clothing which somehow gave the bassist a clean cut/bad-boy quality at the same time.

Not to mention his personality. God...she had no idea he was actually so strong and protective, or even thought about her feelings. He was gruff and rough like the old Murdoc she knew for so many years, and still kept his clever, witty sense of humor. But seeing him act this way, the way he cared so much about her and wasn't afraid to show it...it made her heart leap into her chest.

What are you doing to me, Murdoc-san...she sighed hopelessly to herself.

"Wot wos tha', hon?" his gruff voice broke her out of the trance and she looked up at him.

"Sorry, I didn't say anything." she felt her face go hot. "Anyway Murdoc-sama, you should not beat yourself up so. We will figure everything out." Noodle leaned into his chest again, wanting to be as close to him as possible. But as she closed her eyes, her chest went tight and she realized she felt...afraid. Afraid of what was happening between them.

All this time, trying to find other options, trying to think of another way...what if the only option left IS the right way...

Ever so slowly, she shifted her weight and leaned in closer to his torso, her arm moving slightly upwards over his thigh. Noodle grinned to herself, she wasn't sure what she was doing or why she was doing it, but she liked feeling the bassist react under her touch. His body would go tense when she moved her hand over his thigh with barely a soft touch. She could feel his arm wrap just a bit tighter around her, moving down more towards her waist. It sent shivers down her spine. Noodle leaned up into his chest, letting her neck lean back so her head fit perfectly rested on his shoulder. She didn't realize it, but she was also giving him a perfect shot of her newly formed cleavage. His heart beat louder in his chest as he couldn't help but tilt his head to the side to catch a glimpse down at her figure.

No, bad Murdoc...this is bad...but still, quite nice...NO! Stop it! He screamed in his thoughts, yet he couldn't seem to pry his eyes away. All those nights he spent thinking about her, watching her from a far, wishing he could be this close to her. Now she was laying in his arms and he was staring down her top? Real suave, dumb-ass...

The tension was becoming almost too much for both of them. Noodle could feel her whole body tingling while she laid up against his strong body. He caught her chest rising and falling faster as her breathing picked up. For an instance their eyes met. She sat up straighter, as did he.

He watched as she leaned into him and felt her arm wrap around his shoulders. It was almost happening in slow-motion, he knew what she was doing but he didn't dare make a move. He tried to lean back but her face inched closer in to his, their lips were oh so close with barley a space between them as each one closed their eyes and braced for impact. Finally, he felt her soft lips collide into his shaking ones as they shared a passionate kiss that only lasted a moment. Noodle pulled away first and caught her breath harshly.

Murdoc's eyes shot open in surprise and he stared straight ahead for a moment. Then slowly turned towards the guitarist again. Noodle looked back up at him in shock with a bright, red blush spread across her face.

Noodle opened her mouth as if to speak, but then quickly closed it and turned away from the bassist.

Murdoc said nothing, he was still staring at her with a surprised expression.

"...I...I'm sorry...It's late. I should probably go." was all the girl could squeak out as she made a mad-dash for the door. Before Murdoc could even say anything, she was already standing up and starting to briskly walk away.

It wasn't until she was in the carpark that she felt his pressence behind her. She hung her head down with a deep blush still high-lighting her cheeks. She could tell he was standing in the doorway, watching her...waiting for her.

But she wouldn't turn back around, it was all too much. Why did she have to go and do something so completely stupid? As if the situation weren't weird enough, now she has to go and make an ass out of herself by kissing him. Noodle mentally berated herself before dodging quickly into the lift and closing her eyes tight until she was sure the door was closed.

"What is wrong with me!" the guitarist breathed to herself as she walked out onto the second floor. Slowly, she paced back to her own room, feeling like crawling under the bed and staying there for a month. Instead, she sat crossed-legged on the floor and took out her over-sized head phones. "Maybe some music will take my mind off this", she muttered.

Meanwhile, back in the car park...

Murdoc was dumbfounded. Had that really happened? Did she really kiss him, or was it just some dream?It forced him to think about their current situation and everything that had been going on recently. It was true, he knew he had strong feelings for her. But as far as he was concerned, Noodle may not even feel close to the same way. He had already decided she was too young to understand what these feelings were, to tell the difference between infatuation and true feelings. And with all the emotions flying around, maybe she was looking for some security. Looking for someone to just...keep her safe and be close to her.

Murdoc frowned as he thought through the situation.

He sat rigidly down on the bed and leaned forward as he reached for yet another cigarette. The past few months had been such an emotional roller-coaster ride. He couldn't even begin to imagine what that had been like for Noodle. And it had all started with him making a horrible decision. Why did he have to her fate into his hands? She would have been better off if she had never met me...

Suddenly, he felt a surge of anger pulse through him and he threw the nearby ashtray into the wall. It made a loud crash that even 2D heard from his room. Murdoc paced quickly back-and-forth through the Winnebago. He had to handle this, had to save her...from him. He knew what he had to do...

Without even a second thought, the Satanist began to pull out drawers and dig into them while pulling out various tools. He reached his hand under his shirt and squeezed the inverted cross that laid across his neck.

Murdoc headed out the door of the trailor with an old army bag swung over his shoulder. It was time to pay his old friend Satan a visit.

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A/N: Well, here's the next chapter. Sorry to leave it on a cliff hanger but, hey...that's what I do. Lemme know of any errors, yadda yadda yadda...