Finally, finally, the sky began to darken and the lights in the city began to wink on. Inej slipped off of the deck and climbed up to the roof of the nearest building. She would miss the rush that flowed through her veins every time she saw this city from above. It was a view afforded to so few, and she was one of the lucky ones.

She made her way to the Slat, running on autopilot. In her time in Ketterdam, she had approached the home of the Dregs from every angle imaginable, and she knew them all intimately. Even after three years away, her body knew these roofs like she knew the back of her hand.

Inej made good time, and reached the rooftop of the Slat just before eight bells. She was disappointed that the crows seem to have left for the night. She made up her mind to feed them before she left again.

At exactly eight bells, Inej grinned and lowered herself in through Kaz's window. She would beat him at his own dramatic game. But she was greeted only by darkness and empty space.

Kaz wasn't there.

Irritation rippled through her and she scowled. But, she hadn't thought he was on the roof of the Church of Barter either, and he had been.

So she lowered herself to the floor, prepared to wait. Inej looked around slowly, wanting to be completely sure that she was alone. But she couldn't sense anyone in the room. There was no sign of Kaz's presence.

After a few minutes, she started pacing. Her eyes flicked to the desk, and she sighed. Kaz was entitled to his privacy and she shouldn't snoop. But wasn't that what a spider did best? And he had said he wanted a spider tonight.

She crossed the narrow room and began sifting through the papers on the desk. Bills, accounts for the Crow Club, copies of various biographies of merchants… nothing Inej would have deemed out of place, or particularly interesting. Her fingers brushed over a ledger that felt more textured than the others.

Frowning, she lifted it to see a small letter with a black seal on it. It was addressed to her.

She swiped a hand over her face. Of course she wasn't going to beat Kaz in a contest of dramatics. She was foolish for thinking they were even playing the same game. Breaking the seal, her eyes scanned over the looping handwriting.

"Where the willows bend and only the dead are witness."

Inej couldn't help the snort that escaped her. Did Kaz Brekker really just try to write poetry? It was a poor example, but she could still appreciate the effort. Shaking her head, she stuck the letter in her pocket and headed out the window.

She crept over the city, thankful for the darkness that had now fallen. She relished the cool night air on her skin, and the light breeze playing with her braid, which remained stubbornly tied. It was used to the gusts of the sea, and no light Ketterdam breeze would be enough to liberate it from its plait.

Finally Havenbridge came into view. Inej wasn't sure exactly what she would find, but she trusted that Kaz would have planned a way for her to get to the island. Sure enough, as she lowered herself onto the bridge, she saw a small gondel waiting in the shadows.

Inej huffed out a breath but got into the gondel and began rowing to Black Veil Island. There had been no doubt in her mind that Kaz had meant for her to come here, and the gondel waiting for her proved that. Thankfully, the current was low and it didn't take her long to get to the shore.

She pulled the small boat as far up as she could so it wouldn't drift off and then paused. She wasn't sure where to go next. She could head to the mausoleum that they had hidden Kuwei in, but Inej wasn't sure what good would come of that.

The wind blew and the branches of the willow rustled, and Inej remembered a night, all those years ago.

"I didn't know if you would come," the words were spat out quickly, forcefully. The words tore at her throat and tasted like bile in her mouth, but she hadn't been able to stop them.

She saw the flicker of hurt on Kaz's face, but there was no anger there. Instead he just looked sad. But then the moment passed, and his face was impassive once more.

"I would come for you," he said simply.

Inej eyed him warily. Dirtyhands would not have come for her. She had reached that conclusion, despite how painful it had been to admit to herself. Van Eck had forced her to examine that terrible truth. But wasn't that all Kaz had ever offered her? Better terrible truths than kind lies.

"I would come for you," he repeated, more forcefully this time.

She watched him as he told her that he would have came, that he would have crawled and fought tooth and nail if it was required. That he would never stop fighting. That they would never stop fighting. She saw it in his eyes, eyes so dark that they didn't even reflect the moonlight. He believed what he was telling her. Maybe the boy behind the mask was still there after all.

Inej felt the flutter in her chest and she did her best to stamp it down. Kaz Brekker was not one for romantic sentiments. He was a murderer and a thief, a self-proclaimed monster. He was not a boy declaring his love for her with flowers and promises.

As Inej weighed it in her mind, she supposed in a way, this promise meant more to her than any other could.

She smiled softly, picking her way around the tombstones to the giant willow where Kaz had made his promise on a night just like this.

It was no surprise that he wasn't there either, but Inej pulled herself up onto a large boulder, after checking to make sure she wasn't disrespecting someone's headstone. It still wouldn't have been the worst thing she had done, but she wasn't actively trying to make her Saints forsake her.

The breeze tickled her hair against her face and she closed her eyes, basking in the moonlight and memories.

"You figured it out faster than I thought," Kaz commented as he slid out of the shadows.

Inej smiled, cracking open her eyes. "What, you didn't think I could decipher your poetry?"

Kaz frowned, but Inej could see the humor glinting in his eyes. "I was hoping you wouldn't just sit there and twiddle your thumbs," he shot back.

"Please," Inej scoffed. "I'm a pirate, not some silly pigeon."

Kaz grinned at that, and managed to haul himself up onto the boulder where she was sitting, wishing that she had picked a shorter rock, and suspecting that she hadn't on purpose. "I apologize, I should have given you more credit."

Inej hummed in agreement. "So, to what do I owe this pleasure?"

"The pleasure is all mine," Kaz replied smoothly.

Inej felt that flutter again, the one she had tried and failed to smother the last time they were here. She fought hard to keep the smile off of her face, only partially managing it. "I heard you're a regular mother duck now," she said, keeping her tone light.

Kaz looked confused for a moment before shooting her a halfhearted glare. "Calo needs to learn to keep his damn mouth shut," he muttered.

"Aww Kaz, I think it's adorable!" Inej laughed.

The half glare turned into a full glare and Inej backpedaled. "Honestly though. You're doing a really great thing for those boys."

"I'm not doing it to be good," Kaz scowled. "I'm doing it because I have messages that need to be delivered and information that needs to be gathered. No one gives street urchins a second glance around here, and they can get to places I can't."

He sounded cross, but Inej had given him her approval, and really that was more than he would dare ask for. If he couldn't be a good man, maybe he could still be good for her.

She leaned back on her hands and swung her legs gently. "So Kaz, why did you need a spider tonight?"

Because I need you every night. "The Dregs have a recently vacated position and I find myself in need of a new spy."

She had heard earlier that Kaz's current spider took a bad fall and wasn't going to be spying on anyone for a while.

Inej tried to bite down her disappointment. "You know I left the Dregs Kaz. I've got a job, a crew, and a reputation to maintain now."

Kaz was silent for a moment. "I know. I just… wanted you to know the spot was open. In case you wanted… in case you knew someone who might be a good fit."

"I don't," she said shortly, sliding down off of the boulder.

"Inej wait," Kaz followed, wincing as he hit the ground with his bad leg first.

Against her better judgement she stopped and turned back towards him. He could see the anger flashing in her eyes.

He took a deep breath to steady himself. If he didn't tell her now, he was going to lose her. Kaz could feel it crackling in the air.

This isn't easy for me either. The words that Inej spoke to him once came back now, and he repeated them like a mantra.

"I want you to stay. Here. In Ketterdam. With me. I'm sorry Inej, I can't make you any promises. And I wouldn't even if I could. But you make me want to be better, you make me better just by being around. I spent so long making myself into Dirtyhands. And yet you're able to see through me, which is terrifying. I don't know who I am without him, but you've shown me that there's something else there. When I'm with you I feel like I'm drowning, but not in the way I normally do. This one, I might just be ok with."

Here he was, offering Inej what she wanted three years ago. So why did she suddenly feel so hollow?

"Kaz…" she trailed off. "I can't." She wasn't sure when she had decided, but now she knew.

The hurt was plain on his face. She knew what it had cost him to make that admission, and yet she shot him down anyway.

"I am the Captain of the Wraith now. You have an obligation to the Dregs, just like I have an obligation to my crew. If I asked you to give all of that up and come with me, would you?"

Kaz's lip turned up into an angry smirk. "No, I wouldn't."

"You have your life here, in Ketterdam. I have a life out on the sea. I can't just give all of that up because you want me to stay now. You're the one that gave me this opportunity in the first place."

And really, he had always admired that about Inej. She knew her own worth and would never back down when she felt slighted. Inej didn't have to demand respect, Kaz gave it to her more willingly than he had ever given anything.

Kaz's smirk twisted into something sadder. After a moment, he nodded. "I want you to be happy."

Inej thought about the salty sea air that whipped across her face, the feel of the sun against her bronze skin. The satisfaction when her crew captured another ship, killing the slavers and rescuing their captives. The looks of awe and disbelief, and occasionally gratitude on their faces. She thought of the heat radiating from the vessels they burned. The sweat that beaded on her forehead and the burn of her muscles when she helped the crew on deck. Rast and his kind smiles and infinite wisdom.

A smile spread across her own face. "I am."

Kaz nodded again. "Good," he said, holding out his arm.

They walked back to the gondel like that, arm in arm.


AN: Thank you to everyone who has read and enjoyed this so far! I appreciate every view, follow, favorite, and comment that comes my way. This story is almost over, but don't worry, I still want my murder babies to be happy