New York City - August 1904

The ones Jack left behind in New York wrote every so often, and while some were diligent in their correspondence, others stopped writing altogether. Sophie and David remained his most ardent pen pals.

Tide was a close second.

For a time, he'd lived in a boarding house in the city. He visited both Grim and Jack as often as he could. On those occasions, they'd sit together and reminisce and catch up. Sometimes alcohol was involved, sometimes it wasn't.

So far, Jack was one of the few who'd married – aside from Marquette and eventually Alexei. At least, this was as far as Jack knew. Tide eventually found himself a wife, though it seemed more out of necessity – a need to be loved – than a desire to get married. Jack and Grim visited the newlyweds at their home in upstate New York.

Tide's wife was timid and monosyllabic and rather melancholic, but she seemed nice enough. Tide had also gotten a puppy that he'd fallen in love with, naming it Bear. And Tide, his wife, and the dog lived quietly in a modest home near Lake Ontario.

They eventually moved to California at Grim's beckoning, residing just a few houses down from the two Krause boys. From there, Tide was able to visit Jack more regularly, though he did lose touch with a lot of the others back in New York. Unlike Jack, he stopped making the effort to write them. For his part, Henry was ecstatic to have a new neighborhood dog, as well as his cat, to play with.

He and Sarah still engaged in petty arguments. Those arguments never lasted long, and by the end of the day they were carrying on like nothing happened. Sarah taught Jack everything she knew about cooking, and rather quickly Jack became quite the chef. He enjoyed cooking and baking, as it provided him with an escape and a way to do a kind thing for others. He made enough for his neighbors, regularly dropping off batches of cookies and helpings of pie. Jack also did a lot of the grocery shopping and cleaning, as he enjoyed staying busy.

Sarah, when she wasn't working, spent her free time painting and reading to Jacob. He was a whirling dervish of energy with Jack, but he would always slow down for a story or a cuddle with Sarah.

In August of 1904, shortly after Tide settled in California, Jack took the train to New York to see Sophie. Sarah stayed behind with Jacob, as Jack would only be gone for the weekend. As he made his way through the streets, navigating to Sophie's place of residence, he ran into none other than Muggs Tracey near Printing House Square.

With him, he was holding a raven-haired little girl in his arms, no more than two or three years old.

Without thinking twice, Jack gave him a rather awkward side-hug, careful not to crush the little girl. "Muggs," Jack said. "It's been a while, hasn't it?"

Muggs sort of flinched at the hug, backing up a step as if he'd expected Jack to swing at him. Finally, he relaxed at the half-hearted embrace, though he did pull away first.

"Who's this?" Jack asked conversationally, waving at the girl.

She shied away into Muggs' shoulder, giving a dimpled smile.

"My daughter," Muggs said simply, reading Jack's bewildered expression. "I know. Fuckin' unbelievable, huh?" He chuckled a bit and then tried to pry the little girl out from hiding, urging her to face Jack. "Sadie, you ain't scared. Say hi."

Sadie, in fact, did not say a word to Jack. She peeked at him from the crook of her father's neck and clutched tightly to his shirt.

Muggs looked pretty much the same as always: dark Irish features, a piercing glare, an imposing stature.

"So, how have you been?" Jack asked.

"Alright." Muggs shrugged. "She's a goddamn handful," he said. "A boy would've been a lot easier."

"Are you married, or…?" Jack scratched the back of his neck. "I mean, her mother…"

"What about her," Muggs scoffed, rolling his eyes. "She left us. Went back to her ways." He readjusted his hold on Sadie, looking down at her. "But we get along just fine without her, ain't that right, kid?"

"Are you living in Manhattan, then?" Jack asked, suddenly wanting to catch up on all that he'd missed.

"Nah. I had to leave Water Street." Muggs fished a cigarette out of his pocket, put it in his mouth, and lit it. "I'm back in Brooklyn."

Jack nodded. Nearer to Colleen.

"Got my own flat, two-bedroom, a kitchen, all that shit," Muggs went on, blowing out a cloud of smoke. "Plus, I've got the little one now. Alexei's been teaching her to read. Don't think I'll be able to afford a school, but fuck it, I don't trust 'em with her anyway."

He took another drag from his cigarette, nodding a little. "And on Sundays, I've been taking her to Mass."

"Mass?" Jack sounded incredulous, almost wanting to laugh. "What for?"

He shrugged again, looking like he didn't quite know what for. Jack had never seen him so doubtful.

"Because I don't wanna fuck this up. Not like my mother did with me, or I did with my sister," he said quietly. "I just want her to grow up with what I didn't have. Mass seemed like one of those things." He laughed a little. "At least one of us will get into heaven. I'd want it to be her."

Jack gave Muggs a curious smile, having a hard time picturing him sitting reverently in a pew with his bashful little girl. Jack noticed the little ragdoll Sadie held in her left hand – it looked old and worn, with scraggly hair and a missing eye.

"You buy her that?" Jack asked.

"It's a gift from Aunt Colleen, ain't it?" Muggs directed this at Sadie. He looked back at Jack. "My older brother gave it to her a long time ago. After she died, I guess I just couldn't part with it."

From the strained expression Muggs displayed, Jack was at a loss for words. He compared his comfortable little life out west with Sarah and Jacob to the gritty reality of Muggs and Sadie's livelihood. At least, Jack thought, he had unburdened himself from the secrets and trauma of the past by revealing them to Sarah and Kloppman. He suspected Muggs had held them in for the past six years, telling no one.

They were standing amidst the bustling sidewalk near Sophie's place. Out of nowhere, Muggs' smile faded as he ducked his head, looking elsewhere. "I, uh…" he trailed off, clearing his throat as he brought his eyes back to Jack. "I really miss her." His voice had that rare tremble to it, the kind it took every once in a while when his humanity came back to the forefront of his brain.

Jack nodded slowly, giving him an empathetic look. "I know you do. I miss her, too."

Sniffling quickly, Muggs rolled his eyes and smiled again. "You wanna know something else?" He reached into his pocket and pulled out the old tin he used to keep his cocaine in. He opened it with his teeth and presented Jack with its emptiness. Nothing was in there, not even a trace of white powder.

"Good for you," Jack said with an encouraging grin. "What changed?"

"I like to think it was Colleen," Muggs said, putting the tin away as he switched Sadie to the other hip. "But little doll-face here was the real turning point." He held up Sadie's hand, waving it for her. "Someone needs a nap. Tell Jack bye, kid."

Sadie faced Jack timidly, still shielding her delicate features behind her ragdoll. "Bye-bye," she chirped, looking at Jack with eyes nearly identical to Muggs'.

"Bye, Sadie," Jack said softly, waving back. He nodded to Muggs as the dark-haired young man turned away.

The two were headed to catch the trolley to Brooklyn. Just before he rounded the corner, Muggs paused and looked over his shoulder, meeting Jack's gaze.

"Hey, Duane Street," Muggs called after Jack. "You still have those nightmares?"

Jack sputtered for a moment, ignoring the looks pedestrians gave him. "Yeah," he replied. "Most nights."

"So do I." Muggs shrugged. "Well, can't let it beat ya…or whatever the fuck. I don't know," he said rather nonchalantly before disappearing from the corner and from Jack's life forever.