Marble didn't want to get up again the next day. Dutchy was taking his day off so there was no really good reason to, except she couldn't sleep anymore. She hadn't been sleeping earlier but now she was getting tired of lying there thinking about how much she wanted to kill Spot. She sighed and rolled over.

Blink looked up from where he was working and put a finger over his lips. She watched him, unconsciously starting to smile, as he continued to put shaving cream into Pips' hands. When thought they were full enough (he ran out of shaving cream) he picked up a long feather. Marble had to cover her mouth with both hands to keep from laughing in anticipation.

At first when Blink tickled Pips' face she just twisted her head away, but he was relentless. Finally her left hand came up and smeared the shaving cream all over her face, she didn't even stir. Blink fell back laughing silently as the girl's face started to twitch wildly. Her other hand started to move but she suddenly stopped. He eyes fluttered open and she jerked into a sitting position.

Blink got his laughter under control long enough to say, "Ya looked like ya could use a shave."

"Prick!" She flung the cream from her hand at him but missed as he ran laughing.

She went angrily into the bathroom just as Kloppman came up the stairs. Blink reappeared suddenly by the old man's side, "Ya seen Pips?"

"Nope."

"T'anks." He gave the room another shifty eyed glance then darted into the bathroom.

Marble wanted to say something, she really did, but she just sat there, mouth half open unable to speak. There was a scream and Blink shot out of the door followed by a multitude of small, hard, easily thrown bathroom objects.

"Sorry, I's sorry. My God believe me ain't nobody sorrier den me roight now. I think my eyes are bleeding." A bar of soap hit him directly in the head and he moved a safe distance from the door.

Marble finally broke out of her daze and ran into the bathroom. Pips was curled into a little shaking ball.

Marble went to her side, "Pips?"

The girl looked up red faced with tears streaming down her face. Marble was about to say something when Pips snorted ands clapped her hands over her mouth to keep it in.

Marble gave her a questioning look and she managed to speak through her laughter, "Did you....did you see...., oh my God did you see the look on his face?" Marble could only nod as the insane giggling became contagious.

* * *

Dave met everyone at the distribution center later on, for once minus Les. There was a thin layer of snow that swirled around on the pavement in a breeze that nobody could feel. It was almost pleasant out and would have been peaceful if it hadn't been for the riotous group of boys.

"Heya Dave! I t'ought I lost ya da oddah day."

"Sorry, I had to get Les home."

"Oh yea? So wheah is da liddle devil?"

Dave grinned, "I left him at home."

"Is dat so? Ya know I heah Medda's got a new bit an' she's doin' it for da foist time taday."

"Oh well, I guess we're going to have to stop by later and wish her good luck."

"Yea, but it'd be impolite ta leave afore seein' it."

"And if we stay that long we might as well catch the whole show."

Jack sighed dramatically, "Well dere go me plans ta spend da whole day starin' at ya ugly mug."

"I have to make you miss out on it but we must do what we must do." The boys grinned at each other as they went to the window to buy papers.

Race was right behind them with Mush but he seemed too depressed to hear them, "Cheer up Race, ya knew it was gonna happen soonah or latah."

"But dis soon? I don't know what I's gonna do."

"It's late Novembah, dis da longest it's evah lasted an ya know it ain't gonna be dat long."

"I know but it's all so hard ta take."

As the boys were passing, Pips caught Mush's leg from her seat on the loading dock. "What happened, did he get dumped or something?"

"Worse." Mush pointed to he headline board and right there in bold print it said, 'Sheepshead Races Closed For the Winter." Pips laughed and went back to scanning the paper for good headlines.

Dorry had come to snuggle into her lap when she fainted. There was no warning, she started to fall and he started screaming. There was instantly a crowd and as Dave and Bit tried to calm the frantic child the others tried to wake Pips. It took someone for the office coming out with smelling salts to wake her up and her waking up to calm Dorry down.

Race slowly helped her to her feet but she continued to cling to him after she was up, "I want to go home."

"What's wrong?"

She looked up at him with panicked, teary eyes, "Please just take me home."

He nodded and gently led her through the crowd. Dorry tried to follow her but he couldn't get through and started panicking again. Dave lifted him up and went after the others with Bit close behind him.

Dorry reached for Pips and she quickly took him from Dave and buried her face in his soft hair. The five of them left silently and the others slowly got back to work.

Marble watched them until they were gone them reached for the paper Pips had dropped. It almost slipped form her fingers when she saw the third page headline. Right there like a bold printed death sentence it said, 'Wealthy Man Comes to New York Offering Reward for Runaway Wife.' Pips' name and description were right underneath.

* * *

Back at the Lodging House Pips was sitting on her bed cradling Dorry and worrying Race sick, "Are ya gonna be alroight goil? Come on, talk to me."

She smiled weakly, "I'll be ok, just kinda startled that's all."

"Why? What happened?" She didn't answer but Dave handed him the third page article he had just found. Race read through it twice and sank down on to the bed next to her.

Pips looked at him worriedly, but he had a small smile on his face, "They'll nevah find ya."

"What?"

"Heah it says dat yous a small feminine goil wit long blond hair an' yous proally desperate an' out on da streets. Also says yous ovah t'ree months pregnant. Ain't nobody gonna recognize ya. Yous changed Pips, betcha even he wouldn't recognize ya if 'e saw ya."

Pips smiled up at him with watery eyes then threw her arms around him, "Thank you."

Race sat there looking startled up at Dave but the other boy just shrugged and mouthed, 'girls'. He sighed and put a comforting arm awkwardly around her until she calmed down.

* * *

"Marble, hey Marble!" She turned to see Blink running towards her. She stopped and waited until he caught up then they both continued walking together.

"What's up?"

"I's got a question."

"Go ahead, unless it's about Pips."

"It's 'bout Pips."

"No."

"Marble dis is important."

"No."

"Dere's sumpthin' seriously wrong with dat goil."

"No."

"I read dat article, says she's jist a typical spoiled rich goil. Well Marble she ain't. Dere ain't no rich goils like 'er, what's going on?"

Marble stopped and turned to him, "It's nona your business. If she wants you to know she'll tell you. Just forget about it." She turned and kept walking, leaving him standing there alone.

There was no warning as a body slammed into her, driving her into an alley. Before she could react a heavy body had her pinned against the wall, holding her roughly so she couldn't fight back.

Marble looked up into the enraged face of one of her friends, "Listen ta me! I don't care 'bout ya stupid liddle morals wit oddah people's secrets. Dis is too important. Somebody's gonna git greedy an' rat 'er out to da bulls if dey find out dat she's supposta be some rich guy's snobby wife. I ain't lettin' one a me friends get in trouble cause some rich brat got bored wit 'er life an' decided ta go slummin'. Dere's sumpthin' we don't know 'bout 'er and you need ta spill it afore someone gits hoit."

Marble shrank back and tried to sink into the rough brick wall. She silently refused to meet his eyes until he shifted his weight angerly against her. Her terrified gaze went straight to his face, trying to read his intentions from his expression.

"God goil, you tremblin' like a leaf. I ain't gonna do nuthin' ta hoit ya." Her eyes went dow to bring his attention to where he was pressed rather firmly against her thigh. Blik cleared his throat in embarassment ans akwardly shifted his hips away from her body, "Yea..... well...."

He shrugged his shoulders uncomfortably, "Jist answer me question."

"Let me go first."

"I ain't stupid," He ignored her look, "If I let ya go yous gonna beat da crap outta me." He did loosen his grip a little bit anyway and Marble relaxed slightly.

"Now tell me why she came heah."

She was about to refuse again but his hands clentched hard enough to bruise her and she gave in, "Fine I'll tell you. Pips' fater arranged for her to be married to some horrible drunken rat bastard that just happened to have money and seh refused, of course. He had her sent to a nut house for being disobedient."

"Dey can do dat!?"

"Appearently if you have enough money you can do anything. It was probably the most horrible place in the world. She was stuck in there with completes nutcases, the criminally insane and wardens who thought insanity could be beaten out of people. I think the only thing that kept her from flipping out was Max."

"Her uncle?"

"He wasn't her uncle, just a mental charge that looked out for her, a compulsive gambler. Max was let out before her so even though she's probably a better person because of him Pips came out of it a little bit weird. She got married after she got out and ran when she found out about the baby. She came here because Frick and I told her this is where we were going and trusted us."

Blink's grip on Marble loosened as he thought it through but he managed to pin her back before she could get a hit in, "Ya ain't gonna git me dat easy."

"I will eventually."

"But not roight now. Is gonna git a good runnin' start."

"How?" He gave her a meaningful look ans she groaned when she realized what he meant.

"Ya understand why roight?"

"Yea, but you're a dead man for doing it."

"I know." There was no more warning as he punched he in the stomach then ran like hell as she doubled over.

Between coughs she yelled "I'm gonna kick your ass." He only ran faster.

* * *

People were going through Cental Park with coats buttoned tight and heads down in their own cold little worlds. No one was outside unless they had to be and, unless they were out of their minds, everyone who was out was rushing to get back in.

Blink was sitting on a park bench with his head in his hands. He had never been more ashamed of himself than he was at that moment. It wouldn't have been so bad if it was only one thing but there were so many things he was beating himself up for.

There were little things eating at him like cheating at poker or stealing his friend's cigarettes. Then there were bigger things that were always there like being so sick that he had to accept charity that he could never pay back. None of that mattered to him at the moment, they were only magnifying what he had done today.

That morning had finally convinced him that he was the worst person in the world. Not only had he physically forced information out of a much smaller friend but he had attacked a rape victim in an alley. Blink was so disgusted with himself that he thought he would throw up. The worst pas of it was his body's horrible timing. He could have easily told Marble that she wasn't' the cause of his 'reaction' and maybe she wouldn't have been so scared of him, but then he would have had to tell her the real reason. Somehow it just seemed better to let her go on thinking that she had gotten him aroused and not the memory of walking in on Pips topless in the bathroom that morning.