AN: Wow, that last chapter was rough. Keep reviewing, people!

            The ride to the mansion was long and uncomfortable. Mush just kept his eyes glued on the window, his hands gripping the edge of the seat in a white knuckled death grip. I suppose he may have been afraid of me. Hell, if I were in his place, I'd be scared, too.

            The diary. Blake had mentioned getting on the train to Chicago, and he'd been found within a mile of the station, which was a long way from our home. It hadn't seemed like anything then- we'd assumed he'd gotten lost.

            I looked up at the boy who was now biting his lower lip nervously, shivering noticeably in the bitter cold but obviously trying to hide it. He had been wearing only socks this whole time, and was only wearing shorts and a light undershirt otherwise. I took off my thick trench coat and offered it to him, and he stared at it suspiciously a moment before hesitantly reaching out and taking it.

            "Thank you." He muttered, wrapping it around himself tightly and rocking back and forth to try and stay warm. I remembered one night when Blake had forgotten his coat because it wasn't that cold, and then while we were in the party, weather took a turn for the worst. In fact, Mush was sitting in the same spot that Blake had been when I offered that same coat to him, and the guttural 'thank you' I got had the same ring of suspiciousness in it. Could it have been that my son was really that much of a stranger to me?

            I shook my head, trying to clear my brain of such thoughts. That was ludicrous. These boys couldn't possibly know my son better than I did. After all, I'd known him for 17 years, and they couldn't have known him for more than a few.

            We pulled up to the house and Mush jumped out of the carriage before I did, sniffing and then sneezing violently. He's going to catch his death of cold out here, I thought before leading him to the door and opening it for him. He immediately hung up my coat by the door, and then went straight for the kitchen door.

            He knows where the kitchen is. He couldn't possibly have known, unless…unless he'd been in my home before.

            "Skittery? Skitts? It's me, Mush. Come on out. I'm takin you back." Mush said, carefully leaning against the door. When no response came, his face became laced with concern. I put my arm around Annie, who was standing a good distance from the door and sobbing.

            "Skittery, I'm comin in. Just me, no one else, ya here? Don't pull anything stupid."

            Mush pushed the door open just wide enough for him to slip in, and Annie looked up at me anxiously. "I didn't know what to do, Terrence, and when he wouldn't answer…I thought…"

            "Ssshh…everything will be fine. Just calm down. It's okay…I'm here now."

            Her forehead wrinkled in thought. "What did that boy mean, he was 'taking him back'?"

            "Skittery is going back to the lodging house. He can't stay here."

            At that moment Mush pushed the door open with his back, an unconscious Skittery limp in his arms. Annie rushed forward, looking him over. "Is he alright?" she asked Mush.

            "He's fine. Looks like he just passed out." He replied, laying Skittery down on the couch. "But it looks like he's more than sick, Mr. Thurston. What didn't you tell us?"

            I lifted my chin in the air, insulted that he would be asking questions of me at a time like this. "He told me that he didn't want the other newsboys to know. I was honoring his request."

            Mush took a few deep breaths, rubbing his most-likely-numb hands together. "Can I borrow a blanket so he doesn't freeze on the way back?" he asked quietly, a shudder running a course all the way through his body. He's worried about Skittery freezing out there when he should be asking to borrow a pair of shoes, I thought.

            Annie was appalled. "Neither of you boys are going anywhere tonight! You yourself are not in any shape to be walking back, let alone carrying him!"

            "I'm sorry, ma'am, but your husband wants us 'street scum' out of his house. I'm only honoring his request." He said, the first time I'd actually heard a hint of annoyance in his voice.

            "Terrence, what is going on here? You were the one who wanted to help him in the first place!"

            I stood on the edge between anger and pity for one more moment before I decided that I had to protect my wife. No matter what, she couldn't know about Blake. "Nonsense. I was certainly not serious when I said that. You are both staying right here at least until the morning."

            Mush's eyes widened in shock as I pushed him into a chair and tossed a blanket on his lap. He looked from me, to Annie, then back to me before realizing what I was doing.

            Annie finally broke the silence as I checked up on Skittery, making sure his fever hadn't grown worse. "My God, you're skinny. When was the last time you ate something, boy?"

            "Um…I haven't eaten since Tuesday, ma'am…" he said sheepishly, his eyes glued to the floor. Annie's mouth dropped open, and I suspect mine did as well. He'd been two days without eating while still working all day? It was a wonder he was still on his feet!

            "I will be right back with some hot chocolate and soup. You make yourself comfortable."

            She left the room, and all was silent for a few moments before Mush looked up at me and spoke. "That's real cheap, ya know?"

            "What is?"

            "You aren't gonna tell her about Blake, are you? You're gonna leave her thinking she had a perfect son who just happened to get caught outside in a snowstorm six miles from home."

            I gently checked the bandage on Skittery's face, and then put a damp cloth on his forehead. "It isn't any of your business what I tell my wife. You're lucky I didn't tell her, because then you'd definitely be kicked out. As soon as I can get you out of here, you're leaving and taking him with you."

            "Fair enough. I know when I'm not welcome."

AN: Next chapter…Annie just might find out. But what does she know about the situation that even Terrence didn't?