"Bobby, where are you going?" Evelyn Mercer called. Bobby froze by the door.

"Out," he replied. Evelyn raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, really? I could never have guessed. Out where?"

"Just this place I went to a couple of days ago," Bobby said avoiding eye contact.

"Are you going to look for that girl?" Evelyn asked. Bobby rolled his eyes.

"Damn it, Jerry," he muttered. "What girl?"

"You know exactly what girl I'm talking about. Angel told me about her, how she stole your wallet. What are you going to do?" Bobby sighed. There was just no use trying to lie to this woman. Especially with all the rats in the house.

"I just wanna talk to her. I mean she's living on the streets, Ma."

"Oh, and you're just going to offer her a home?" Evelyn said skeptically. Bobby scratched his head.

"Why not? You do that all the time. Besides, I was just gonna buy her some food or something." Evelyn smiled and shook her head.

"I think I will never fully understand you, Bobby Mercer," she said. Bobby looked confused. "Go find her. Do you need money?"

"Nah, I'm good," Bobby said. When Evelyn didn't say anything else he turned and left. He got in his wreck of a car quickly and pulled out with screeching tires. He felt sorry for the kid, he really did, but there were loads more where she had come from, and he knew it. What he really wanted to know was why she had snatched his picture. He couldn't think of any other reason than that it reminded her of a family, and that broke his heart a little.

"Now where the hell are you kid?" Bobby muttered to himself as he drove up the street where she had taken his wallet. He tried to remember where kids used to hang out around this neighborhood, but it had been too long since he had lived around here. He spotted some boys around her age and decided to get out of the car.

The boys were talking but instinctively turned quiet and suspicious when Bobby walked up to them.

"I'm looking for a girl," Bobby said.

"We're boys, sorry," one of them said. Bobby rolled his eyes.

"Do I look fucking blind to you, asshole?" he said. The boy frowned.

"Some girls your age hang out a few blocks from here", he said pointing Bobby in some direction.

"She ain't for me," Bobby sighed. "She's a friend. She's your age or younger. Her name's Emma." The boys shrugged. "She's got an accent." The boys knew her, he could see that by the look in their eyes.

"Sorry," another of them said. He started to back away from Bobby, signaling that the conversation was over.

"I ain't gonna hurt her," Bobby said. "I'm from around here. You know Jeremiah Mercer?" The boys shook their heads. Damn, they were too young. "Angel Mercer?" Suddenly, one of them nodded. "Yeah? He's my brother. Where can I find the girl? I got something of hers."

"She usually hangs out by the old factory," the boy who knew Angel said. Bobby knew what factory he meant. Angel had used to spend every day there, and Bobby would go insane about it.

"Thanks!" Bobby said, jogging back to the car.

The factory was nearby and Bobby got there in a few minutes. Now came the hard part. He didn't know anybody in there, and these kids were suspicious. If one of them recognized him, it would be from when he had gone in there to beat up Angel's sorry ass, and having barged in like that wouldn't exactly help his case. Right when he was sitting there, trying to figure out how to go about it without scaring the kid again, a small figure walked right past him. He instantly recognized the messy hair and the leather jacket. He opened the car door and yelled after her: "Hey, kid!" Emma turned around, and her eyes widened when she recognized the source of the sound. She started running, and Bobby went after her. She tried to jump over a few barrels and boxes to get away, but Bobby grabbed her jacket, causing her to trip and fall. A cough escaped her as she landed hard on her back, and Bobby crossed his arms, standing over her.

"I gave you back your wallet!" Emma whined.

"Yeah, I know. That's not why I'm here." Emma tried to get up.

"Then why?" she said. Bobby scoffed.

"I think you know why. You took more than just my money, kid." Emma pouted and crossed her arms, imitating Bobby.

"Did not."

"Did too."

"No."

"You took my picture."

"It must have fallen out."

"Stop lying to me!"

"Leave me alone!"

"Don't take my stuff!" Emma looked at Bobby for a second and then sighed.

"Okay," she said. "So I took it. I just wanted to remember what you looked like. In case I'd run in to you again."

"Liar. Give it back."

"I don't have it," Emma said.

"Like hell you don't! Just give me the damn picture!" Bobby was growing impatient. This kid sure knew how to get on his nerves.

"I don't," Emma insisted. "Not here."

"Then get in the car, we're getting it." Emma shook her head.

"No way."

"Get in the car, you little thief!"

"Why is it such a big deal? It's just a picture, I bet you have loads of them at home!" Emma said. Bobby sighed.

"It's the first picture I have with my youngest brother. Right when we got him."

"Yeah, right. I thought you said I was the liar. There was no baby in the picture! I've seen it, remember?"

"I'm not lying. I wasn't born into my family, none of us were. We used to be just like you before our Ma adopted us. My brother even used to hang out at this place," Bobby explained. Emma didn't look convinced, but at least she stopped trying to pull away from him.

"I'm not getting in the car with you," she said. "I'll walk."

"No, you won't," Bobby said. He knew where she was coming from, but he didn't want to leave his car by the factory and he sure as hell wasn't going to let her wander off. "I won't hurt you, I promise." Emma spit at his feet.

"You could swear on your mother's grave, I'm not getting in there!" she said.

"Look, kid, you don't have a choice! Get your ass in there or I'll carry you myself, but then I'm gonna be real pissed. What's it gonna be?"

"People know me. They'll notice me missing," Emma warned as she got on her feet.

"You won't be," Bobby assured her. As they got in the car, Emma curled up in her seat, nervously looking around.

"Buckle up," Bobby said. "And get your feet of the seat." Emma sighed and slowly did as he told her. As Bobby started the engine her hands quickly examined the areas around her. Bobby caught her movement in the corner of his eye and sighed.

"If you take something, I'm gonna come back for it," he warned. She said something under her breath. "What?"

"As if I didn't know that!" she said, louder. She crossed her arms over her chest and looked out the window. After a little while she pointed out the window.

"Stop," she said. As they got out of the car she walked ahead of him, moving fast and not turning around to see if he was still with her. She probably didn't care, Bobby thought to himself. She stopped by a big container and Bobby saw some blankets lying on the ground.

"Is this were you sleep?" he asked.

"No," she said. She rolled her eyes when she saw Bobby's skeptical look. "This is where I stay but I don't sleep here. Here." She handed him the photo and Bobby put it in his back pocket.

"Then where do you sleep?"

"The fire escapes."

"I'm sorry?" Emma turned red and looked at Bobby's feet.

"That's where I sleep. The fire escapes. People sneak around here at night but they don't see me up there."

"I guess that's pretty clever, but why don't you stay at the shelters?"

"People."

"You don't like people?" Bobby asked. Man, this kid was strange, he couldn't get the hang of her.

"I like nice people," she said with a shrug. "Most aren't."

"Well today's your lucky day, kid, 'cause I am. Lemme buy you some lunch."

"No," Emma replied.

"No? Kid, you don't even have a roof over your head, you're not exactly in the position to turn down food."

"If I let you buy me food, I'll owe you. I don't wanna owe you."

"That's stupid reasoning," Bobby said, "but let's make a deal: you let me buy you some food and in return, you go see my Ma?"

"Why?" Emma said, nervously fiddling with the sleeves of her jacket. "Is she the weird type?"

"Why would she be the weird type?" Bobby asked, slightly offended.

"Because she wants to see me. What does she want with me?"

"I never said she wanted to see you, I said I wanted you to meet her," Bobby said. He could tell from the look in her eyes that she was close to giving in. "Come on, you gotta be hungry."

"Fine."

"Fine. Great. Get in the car."

"She's a charming girl," Evelyn said to Bobby that night.

"You think?" The meeting hadn't exactly gone as Bobby had planned, with Emma basically not saying anything and refusing to look up. "She didn't say anything."

"A little shy, perhaps. She's probably never had someone take her home before," Evelyn reasoned. Bobby scratched his head.

"Yeah, I know, Ma, but I thought… I thought…"

"You thought she was going to get all excited and happy and move in."

"Yeah, I guess it doesn't really work that way, huh?" Evelyn smiled at her son.

"No, sweetheart, it doesn't. But I'm glad you tried."

Several weeks later, one especially rainy afternoon, Bobby ran up the stairs, keys in hand, covering his head with a newspaper. He opened the door and suddenly found himself eye to eye with his mother.

"Jesus, Ma, you scarin' the crap outta me! It's pissin' rain outside, it's crazy. Angel home yet?" Evelyn quickly shook her head.

"Take your coat off and come with me," she said quietly. Bobby eyed her suspiciously.

"Something wrong?"

"You have a visitor," Evelyn said. Bobby frowned.

"Who?"

"A girl."

"Damn it, Ma! You shoulda told her I wasn't here. That I died or something."

"Don't you use that tone with me, Robert Mercer. It's not one of your flings. Just come with me." She led the by now very confused Bobby into the laundry room and pointed towards a table.

"What is it?"

"Not a what," Evelyn reminded him, "a who. Look for yourself." Bobby bent down, kneeling in front of the table. The person under it coughed.

"Emma?" Bobby looked up at his mother, who nodded. "Hey, kid, what you doing under there?" The girl didn't reply, but she coughed again.

"I found her in the kitchen and she ran in here and hid. Now she won't come out," Evelyn said. "I thought she might trust you more. I'll be in the kitchen."

"I wasn't going to steal anything," Emma muttered.

"That's okay. What were you doing here?" Bobby asked. He was trying to sound as harmless as possible, without sounding as if he was making fun of her. "How'd you get in?"

"I wasn't going to take anything," Emma said again. She coughed.

"Yeah, you said that already. Why don't you come out? That cough doesn't sound too good. You sick?" Bobby tried to reach for her and help her out but all he got in return was a kick. "Okay, okay, calm down. No one is going to hurt you."

"Is she gonna call the police?" Emma asked carefully.

"No. You're not in trouble. Just come out, okay? You can stay here for the night if you want, it's fuckin' freezin' out there." Emma seemed to hesitate.

"I didn't come for that," she muttered, slightly embarrassed.

"How'd you get in?"

"Bathroom window", Emma said quietly.

"That's on the second floor," Bobby said. Emma rolled her eyes.

"I noticed."

"You getting cocky on me now?" Bobby laughed. Once again he tried to grab her arms, and this time succeeded in pulling her out. He sat her down on top of the table.

"How'd you get up there?" Emma shrugged.

"It wasn't too hard."

"You usually climb into people's houses? Why didn't you just ring the doorbell on the front door like a normal person?"

"Because she wasn't just gonna hand me the meds…" Emma's eyes widened and she quickly covered her mouth with her little hand.

"Ha!" Bobby exclaimed. "That's what you were doing here, huh? Looking for meds? Yeah, well with that cough, who can blame you?" Emma didn't answer him, she just kept staring.

"You coulda just asked and she would have given you some cough syrup or something," Bobby assured her. "Ma! Do we have cough syrup?"

"Yes, in the usual place," Evelyn replied from the kitchen. If she didn't like Bobby's shouting, she didn't mention it.

"Okay, here's what we're gonna do. I'll give you the meds, you'll eat dinner here and stay the night. If you're still sick in the morning, we'll take you to the doctor," Bobby said. Emma shook her head violently.

"No. I don't need a doctor. I don't even need meds, I'm feeling much better!" she said. Bobby laughed.

"Okay, no doctor, don't worry. But you'll stay the night. You can't sleep outside in this weather or you'll get pneumonia."