This story's rated T for now, but it might end up being M for violence and language in later chapters.

Disclaimer: It helps to have already seen Public Enemies before reading this story. I do not own John Dillinger, Public Enemies, or any of the other references in this story. Allison Parker along with a few other characters are my own, and once again I'm not asking for any money out of this. This for just pure entertainment.

Biograph Theater, Chicago – July 22, 1934

Just outside of the movie theater late one summer evening, a frantic crowd gathered around a moment that would change the course of history. There in the middle of the street laid the body of Public Enemy #1 himself: John Dillinger. The FBI was waiting for him outside of the theater before they finally gunned him down just moments earlier. As Dillinger laid face down on the concrete with multiple gunshot wounds, his breath kept getting shorter and shorter while his heart gradually started slowing down.

He knew that this was it. His time had finally come, but all he could think about at that moment was his dear Billie and what was going to happen to her. She was his everything, and he knew that if he were to go before she got out of prison, she would be lost in that big bad world once again with nowhere or no one to turn to. In a sense, the mere thought of that killed him quicker than the bullets that had penetrated his skin.

Soon, his heart was barely beating while his breathing was teetering on the edge of stopping. The screaming crowds and cars that were once loud enough to wake the entire Northern Hemisphere was not a faint whisper in the distance. Amongst all that he heard a voice that stuck out just enough for him to hear.

"Johnny," the voice was calm yet somewhat stern. He wanted to respond or at least look to see who was addressing him, but alas all he could get out were a few barely audible mumbles.

"It is not yet your time. Tomorrow you will wake up. Here in this city, by this theater. There will be no crowds, no police. You wounds will be healed, but it will be a brand new era. A lot will have changed by the time you awake. Good luck Johnny." Soon, all that was left of the mysterious voice was an echo slowly blending into the sounds of the streets. Just moment later, though he could hardly see or hear anything for that matter, he could sense that somebody was close.

There was no turning back now. He had one last thing on his mind before he was to go. Perhaps whoever this person standing near him could hear it, and so with whatever little strength he had left in him he mumbled, "Bye Bye Blackbird." And within moments his heart finally gave out. He was on the other side, off to a better place. At least that's what he believed.

Interstate 90, Chicago – July 23, 2009

God damn it! Allison Parker thought to herself tapping her fingers against the steering wheel to "My Sharona", as the song blared from the iPhone connected to the car stereo. She kept her eyes on the traffic, but as far as she knew it wasn't going anywhere. As soon as her lane would start moving again, she'd let out a sigh of relief before eagerly stepping on the gas only to slam on the brakes again after traveling a good three feet. Knowing that she was probably going to be repeating this action multiple times she started singing along to her iPhone in hopes that it would pass the time.

Ooh my little pretty one, pretty one.

When you gonna give me some time, Sharona?

Ooh you make my motor run, my motor run.

Gun it comin' off of the line, Sharona.

This was certainly not the first time Parker found herself in this kind of situation. At the tender age of eighteen with a high school diploma and the title of valedictorian under her belt, Parker wanted so desperately to leave this Godforsaken city and start a new life in college, but just when she was ready to spread her wings, she was pulled right back in, as if she was a yo-yo that was ready to perform an around the world trick. Now, instead to starting her freshman year at UC-Santa Barbara as a U.S. History major like she wanted, she was set to do so at nearby Northwestern just like her parents, teachers, and pretty much everyone else around her wanted. She was lucky enough to visit the UC-Santa Barbara campus once before to see a friend who was a student there, and immediately she knew that this was the place for her. She loved the soft white sand beaches that cradled the cool Pacific and the laid-back attitude of the surrounding neighborhoods. Knowing the stresses that she would soon face in college, she felt that this was the perfect place to counterbalance all that.

Not good enough, was the thought that rang through her parents' minds. In their little world Santa Barbara was not the place for a girl of her stature: straight-A student, all AP classes, student body president, editor-in-chief of the school newspaper, National Honor Society chapter president, captain of the girl's track and cross-country teams, 2320 SAT score, not to mention National Merit Scholarship winner. A girl with this many credentials, according to her parents, was not meant to go to such a mediocre school, even if she was offered a full scholarship. She was to attend a much more prestigious institution, where she was guaranteed to walk out a woman ready to conquer the world. That was the reason why Mr. and Mrs. Parker decided that their daughter was to attend Northwestern University. It provided all of that, plus the fact that she would be close to her home, giving them the extra guarantee that she would be safe and sound in her college experience.

Never gonna stop. Give it up.

Such a dirty mind.

Always get it up for the touch

Of the younger kind.

My, my, my, aye, yi, WHOO!

M M M My Sharona.

She left the house at 7:30 that morning, thinking that for once it would only take her 20 minutes to reach downtown Chicago. Unfortunately, many other people had the same idea, and now the highway traffic was worse than ever. She continued to sing along to the generous mix of songs on her iPhone as she putted through traffic for another two hours before finally reaching the concrete jungle she had come to know and love.

Despite living here all her life, Parker always sought comfort in the hustle and bustle of Downtown Chicago. The larger-than-life buildings that seem to go on forever provided her shelter from the rest of the big bad world, while the infinite amount of strangers that continued to roam the land day after day allowed her to disappear from those who knew her all too well. It was here that she truly be herself without the harsh criticism of those who expected so much from her. She could make one little mistake of any kind, and still walk out with her pride intact since nobody here had any real reason to know who she was, though the few that knew her would certainly beg to differ. She loved coming here, and in some cases almost wished that she could just live out here, away from her friends and family, and be the woman she wanted to be without much criticism.

She managed to find a parking space in a public parking garage a few blocks away from the Magnificent Mile where she came for a day of shopping. She was alone in the crowd of shoppers and drivers, which was just the way she liked it. It allowed her to visit any store she wanted, and to be as picky as she could when it came to buying more pieces to expand her wardrobe. It took her nearly four hours just to walk up and down North Michigan Avenue, stopping at nearly every store that caught her eye. Though she ended up only buying a few tops from Express, a couple pairs of jeans from The Gap, and some books from the Notre Dame Bookstore, for Parker it was enough to consider it a successful shopping trip.

Afterwards, she came back to the parking garage to put her bags in her car. After finding her cherry red Corolla in a sea of dark-colored vehicles, she threw everything in the trunk, and locked it up. Just then a grainy version of the song "Blue Collar Man" rang from the green oversized handbag hanging off her delicate little shoulder, echoing across the . She fumbled through her bag until she took out her iPhone and saw that it was her mom on the other line.

"Hey Mom," she answered in a sweet tone.

"Allison," her mom said using a tone stern enough to show authority over her. "Where are you?"

"I'm out near North Michigan Mom. I just got done shopping." Upon hearing that her mom let out a sigh of both frustration and relief now that she knew where her daughter was.

"Honey, you know how your father and I get when you go out there by yourself."

"I know," She rolled her eyes as she let her other arm hang out of annoyance, allowing the handbag to slide off her shoulder before she caught it with the same hand. "I'm fine though. Nothing bad happened while I was out."

"Well that's good to know."

"Yeah…um, I think I'm gonna go ahead and get some lunch before I head home this afternoon. Is that okay?"

"Where are you thinking of going?"

"That little place out on North Lincoln just across the street from the Biograph Theater." After a moment of silence on the other line her mother sighed and spoke up.

"Alright, but you come right home afterwards. Okay?"

"Fine," and with that she hung up and threw her phone back in the bag before digging her keys out and stepping into the driver's seat, only to peel out just moments later.

After weaving through even more traffic, Parker managed to parallel park between a white Prius and a blue Focus next to a parking meter several feet away from the Biograph Theater. Not really knowing how long she'd be in the restaurant, she got out and put enough money in the machine for two and a half hours. Just as she did this she looked up and noticed a man lying right in the middle of the sidewalk as if he just passed out right there. While it was not uncommon for her to see such a thing in the streets of Chicago, it was the way he was dressed that made him stand out. He had on light-colored khaki pants that seemed to be a little high-waisted by today's standards along with a pale blue button down shirt and a woven hat that seemed to resemble some sort of fedora pushed back on his head. It was as if these light colors against the otherwise mute surroundings were just begging to give this guy some attention.

Always the one to help someone in need, Parker walked over and squatted down to get a better look at his face which was hiding behind a pair round-framed dark glasses. She leaned in a little closer and saw that he was just barely breathing, and then took his wrist to find that he had a pulse. A little irregular, but a pulse nonetheless. Suddenly the man started moving his head a little as if he was trying to wake up from a deep sleep.

"Sir?" she asked with much concern in her voice as the man slowly but surely got up from where he laid and took a look around, squinting his eyes from the bright July sun despite wearing his sunglasses.

"W…what…where am I?" the man managed to mumble in a somewhat raspy tone as he looked over to see a young girl by his side.

"You're still in Chicago Sir. You must've passed out or something."

"I did?"

"I don't know. I was just minding my own business until I saw you laying here in the middle of the sidewalk."

"Okay, well uh…thank you." The man rubbed his eyes a little and looked around to see the theater from the night before still in good condition along with a few surrounding buildings, but he also noticed a few changes in his surroundings. For one thing the cars that continued to speed left and right down North Lincoln. Not only were there more of them, but much different in appearance from what he remembered. They came in all sorts of shapes, sizes, and even colors, much different from the black beauties he was used to. He noticed that even the people that continued to pass by were quite different. No longer were the men wearing hats or the women in skirts and dresses, although there were a few on the street that did. It seemed as though the people around him were wearing enough clothing to cover maybe a little less than half their bodies. Even the girl trying to help him seemed scantily clad in her denim shorts and white snug-fitting Rolling Stones t-shirt, but at the same time he couldn't really blame her or the others for their choice of clothing. He certainly felt like he was melting with the way he was dressed in the July heat.

"C'mon," she said as she grabbed his hand and tried to help him up. The man struggled a bit, but managed to get back on his own two feet. "Let's get you to a hotel or and let you rest a bit. I'm sure that concrete's not too comfortable."

"Yeah, sounds good." He hung on to the girl's hand as he followed her to the passenger side of her car before she opened the door and let him get settled in. Parker knew that this wouldn't look too good in her parents' eyes, but she had a plan. So she took her iPhone out and called her best friend Kelsey.

"Hello," said a girl on the other side.

"Hey Kelsey. Listen, could you do me a big, big favor?"

"Sure, what do you need?"

"Can you cover for me today? If for some reason my mom decides to call you could you tell her that I'm at your house?"

"Uh sure, why?"

"Well, it's kinda hard for me to explain right now. I'll tell you about it tomorrow, okay?"

"No problem."

"Oh, thank you so, so much. You're such a great friend."

"Uh, it's no problem…I guess I'll see you tomorrow."

"Okay, see you then. Bye"

"Bye." Parker hung up on Kelsey and then called her mom.

"Hello," her mom said over the phone.

"Hey Mom. There's been a change of plans."

"What now Allison?"

"I just ran into Kelsey a few minutes ago, and she wants me to come to her house for a bit. Hope you don't mind."

"That's fine, just be careful."

"Thanks Mom. Love ya." She quickly hung up and threw the phone back in her bag before getting back into her car and squeezing her way out of the parking spot to head out to a nearby hotel.