Blondie scraped the bottom of the chipped bowl with his spoon, determined to eat every last drop of stew. The front door squeaked open and cold air filled the room. David nudged Blondie, who's back was to the door and he spun around. Crossing the threshold was Jack Kelly, his face red from the wind.

When Jack saw Blondie, he furrowed his brow in confusion. He ran a hand through his hair in frustration and pulled off his jacket. "What'd he send you for Blondie? He gonna pin this on me?"

"Jack-"

"Or did he think of another way to ruin my life?"

"Listen, Jack-"

Jack simply ignored Blondie, his anger from two years boiling to the surface. "Who the hell does he think he is? When is he gonna realized that he may own Brooklyn, but he don't rule the world? I'm sick of his shit-"

"Kelly-"

"He thinks he knows what's best for everyone, so be it, but there is no way in hell that I am going to sit back and watch him ruin my life or Isie's. I love her." As soon as the words were out of his mouth, Jack's eyes widened. Somehow his subconscious had answered all the questions that had been swimming in his head for months.

"No you don't."

Jack's head shot to Blondie, fixing the smaller boy with a steely cold glare.

"You don't, neither of you do. You have let this damn competition between you two destroy her life. If either of you had her best interest in mind he wouldn't have sent her away, and you wouldn't have let it happen. And she sure as hell wouldn't have left again. So fuck you both!" Blondie threw up his arms in frustration and bolted out the door.

Jack quickly recovered from shock and darted out into the dark street after him. "Where?"

Blondie ignored him and sped up toward Brooklyn.

"Come on, Blondie. Tell me where she is."

Blondie gave an exasperated sigh and spun around. "Why?"

"Because I wanna find her, she may be in trouble," Jack said softly, the concern in his voice nearly choking him.

"Ain't you learned by now that she can take care of herself?" Blondie was shocked how convincingly he masked the worried quiver in his own voice.

Jack was desperate. "You just gonna go back and tell Spot you gave up? Good luck with that."

"It ain't your problem."

Jack stood in the street watching Blondie disappear into the shadows. He pulled out a cigarette and lit it with great difficulty, his hands shaking uncontrollably. Whether it was the cold or the thought of losing Isie for another two years didn't matter. He just needed to find her.

Without giving it too much thought, he started down the street in no particular direction. It was up to his heart to lead him now.

Champ watched Kiara finish washing her face in the bathroom, captivated as she crossed the room toward him. She looked much more relaxed, swimming in the spare shirt and pants that he had found for her. Her hair hung in damp clumps of curls around her shoulders and her skin showed with a renewed glow that made her look more angelic than ever. He smiled shyly at her when they met in the middle of the room, handing her the extra blanket in his hands.

"It's a cold night," he explained awkwardly. "I set up a bed for you in the corner."

Kiara smiled gratefully, following him across the room. The springs of the bed creaked under her weight as she sat, and she instantly felt relief wash over her whole body. The only thing that she could think of was curling up under the covers and sleeping for days.

"Anything else I can get fer ya?" Champ asked, carefully sitting beside her.

"No, thank you. You've already done so much."

Champ blinked and nodded "Well you try to get some rest. My bunk is right over there if you need me."

With a smile, Kiara swung her legs around and scooted down under the covers. The warmth instantly enveloped her. "Thank you, Champ. For everything."

"Sweet Dreams." In a move bolder than usual, he leaned down and lightly placed a kiss on her forehead.

Kiara gave a soft, sleepy smile before her eyelids fell heavily and the lodginghouse around her slipped into darkness. A hazy fog settled into her mind and she fell into a dreamless sleep.

His face still burning, Champ leaned against the brass pole of the bed, mesmerized as Kiara's breathing became steady and deep. When she was certain that she was asleep and safe, he left her bedside. Setting his jaw, he crossed the room to where Blade sat on his bunk reading a paper.

Champ kicked the bed to get Blade's attention. With mild irritation, Blade lowered his paper. "Whatta ya want?"

"You lay one hand on her and I swear that I will kill you."

A smirk began to pull at Blade's lips, but when he saw the glare on Champ's face, he felt better of it. He nodded curtly.

Champ pushed passed him and, with one glance back to Kiara, started down the hall to Spot's room. With the door slightly ajar, Champ could see Spot laying on his bed, staring at the ceiling.

"Ya might as well come in if you're gonna jist stand there starin."

Champ jumped. Spot's keen senses were sometimes frightening. He entered slowly as Spot sat up and lit a cigarette.

"Ya gonna tell me what that was all about back there?"

Champ shook his head. "It's taken care of."

Spot sighed and offered Champ a cigarette. "Already fallen for her have ya?"

Champ blushed and busied himself with lighting a cigarette.

"I'll have a little chat with Blade in the mornin. No more fightin, ya hear me?"

"Loud and clear," he replied with a nod, smiling slightly. He has the feeling that it wouldn't be a problem after the look of fear on Blade's face. He turned to leave, but froze with his hand on the doorknob. "Spot?"

"What?"

Champ turned and swallowed with difficulty. "What happened to Isie?"

Spot glared at him for a moment before taking another long drag on his cigarette. "She bolted. Blondie's out lookin for her."

Champ hung his head. He knew full well where she had gone. "Anythin I can do to help?"

"You just go keep an eye on that girl of yours."

With that, he excused himself into the hallway and leaned his back against the opposite wall, lazily finishing his cigarette.

Jack unconsciously navigated the streets, but already knew where he would be when he looked up. When he looked up at the old, crumbling red bricks of the abandoned apartment building, he felt as though he had been struck by lightning. The hairs on his arms and the back of his neck stood up on end. It was as though he had gone back in time. The window just to the left of the door glowed dimly from the flickering candle on the other side of the glass. It took some concentration but he finally forced his feet to cross the threshold. The soft sound of sniffling echoed through the building and Jack moved through the darkness, being guided more by his memory than his eyes. Squinting as he came into the candlelight, he saw her. He suddenly found it hard to breathe. He hesitated only a second before forcing himself to speak, but all the words that he had prepared for that moment failed him. All that he could manage was to weakly whisper her name.