A/N: I never have been to London and also don't know how it looked like in medieval times. So I will make up all the street names and stuff. Please forgive me mistakes ::smiles pleadingly::

Feel free to review.

Enjoy.

~*~

*Maureen woke up from a violent shaking at her shoulder. She had fallen asleep while she had been waiting for Jane and Pete to come back. Now they were back and Pete had been waking her. Jane seemed not to have been successful at selling the jewellery: she still had it all around her neck, fingers and wrists. But inspite she and Pete were cheerful - they probably had had a bit too much of an ale. And they even had bought new clothes for Maureen: there was a grey package lying on the table. It was dark outside.

"You have a deep sleep, boy! So, now go with Jane. She'll give you your new clothes and show you a good bath." He grinned then shooed them both out of the room. Maureen was still a bit dazed from the sleep and didn't refused Jane taking her hand and swiftly dragging Maureen behind her. She led her through a narrow and dark labyrinth. From somewhere the stroke of the clock came: it was 10 pm. And quite chilly, too. There were still many people on the streets. A boy passed and greeted them. Maureen couldn't see much of him but the voice sounded like Jaques'. Why was such a young lad still out on the streets? Before Maureen could greet back she and Jane were around the next corner and so Jaques was out of sight. After what seemed an eternity of walking in the dark they went around a last lonely corner and suddenly Maureen could hear the gurgling of water. Jane gave her a small push.

"Some feet ahead is a small sheltered bay of the Thames. Go down and have a good wash! Here you have the new clothes." She gave the package to Maureen "Leave the old ones down in the high grass. And hurry up! I'll watch out and warn you if somebody comes."

Maureen went up to the river and tested the water - it was icy cold but there was no way out of this. She undressed always looking around her if somebody was watching and then released her chest of the bandage. It was a wonderful feeling inspite of the chilly air. She carefully placed the little bundle with the picture of her mother on the bandage. Then looked a last time around her before going into the water. She sharply breathed as she dived into the water. She stayed in the low water for she couldn't swim and tried some movements but it was painful to move. She sat down and began to wash herself carefully. When she had finished she again looked suspiciously around her making sure that nobody had come near meanwhile. Then she went out of the water drying herself with the cloth the new clothes had been bundled into. Then she renewed her chest bandage stuffed the picture into it and dressed. The new clothes felt like being quite the same size as the last ones had been. 'Fate' Maureen thought. But they were made after the fashion of the city. She left her old clothes behind her as she had been told to do. She wrapped the cloth around her head to prevent catching a cold then went back to Jane who gave her an examining look then nodded and in silence they made their way back through the secretly streets of London.

Maureen was feeling very well back in Jane's warm room. She lay down on her sack and immediatly went to sleep.

+++

The next day she woke up by Pete's shaking again. He lifted her up and pressed a slice of bread into her hands.

"Come with me." He said and dragged her behind him. Maureen fastly scanned the room before leaving it. Jane wasn't there.

After 10 minutes of walking Pete made a halt ifront of a shabby inn called The Drinking Rat. He walked into it and gave Maureen a sign to follow him. Hesitatingly she did it - she never had been at an inn before. Too scared of the many people in it.

Pete led her directly into a small back room. Soon the inn-keeper followed them. Pete introduced him as Harry Boulders. Harry was a huge man, at least 6 feet tall (and 2 feet wide). He was dirty and mean-looking. His face was red from alcohol. His nose was even redder, glowing out of his face. Maureen couldn't see his eyes for they were narrowed, being merely more than two menace slits. Maureen was scared. Pete told Harry about Maureen being their new delivery boy. Harry only nodded then said that he and Pete would have to speak secretly. They pushed Maureen out of the small chamber - and into the bar room. Maureen eyed the sparse people (it was still early in the morning) in the room but nobody seemed to notice her. Suddenly Jane came down the stairs from one of the upper rooms followed my a satisfied grinning man. He left the inn while Jane was heading to Maureen.

"What are you doing her?" Her voice was shaking a bit.

"Pete has brought me to Harry. He agreed me being their new delivery boy. I have a hiring! Isn't it great?"

"Oh, erm, yes, of course." Jane looked not too happy about the news

"Have you got your jewellery upstairs? Did the man buy something?" Maureen asked

"Yes - he did." Jane said flushing a bit

"Why do you sell it here in the inn?"

"Um . Having a stand out of the streets costs money - money that we don't have, see? Um, I have to go out now. Good luck for your first day." And with that she left the inn but was back ten minutes later with another man carefully avoiding Maureen's glance. Maureen began to wonder about this when the door behind her opened and Harry stepped out.

"Here you have your first delivery." It was a small but rather heavy package "Bring it to Gary Stalkers, Lower Downing Street. Here you have a half-penny. Find someone who leads you. And don't dare spending the money for yourself! You wouldn't recognize yourself after I'm finish with you."

And so began the first day of Maureen's delivery life in London.

+3 months later+

Maureen was speeding down London Bridge trying to escape from a guard of the city. Somebody had told him that she was the "Boulders and Cunning's errand-boy" - and now the guard was after her.

"When I get this damn traitor." Maureen cursed - she was used to it meanwhile and didn't wince anymore when she heard somebody cursing. And she knew the streets of London good enough to get away from troublesome guards. She really had transformed into Ryan of London by now.

"Left, straight ahead - one - two, right - one - two - three, left, straight ahead."she mumbled while squeezing through the masses. After one month she had known the labyrinth of lanes by heart. After 20 more minutes of running she slipped into a ruin, crawled deep into it and waited panting. After half an hour she was sure she got rid of the guard and left the "house". She slowly went back to Harry's, keeping a good look around her to make sure that nobody was following. This chase hadn't been her first one and she had got clear instructions for that case: make a good run for it. If one of the guards ever would get her, nobody could help her anymore. She didn't know why people were always after her but she suspected Harry and Pete being into some sort of crime. She didn't know anything for a fact - she was only the errand-boy. She wasn't really satisfied and didn't agree with all of this but it was work. Finally she herself was earning some money which gave her a good feeling.

Shortly before she had reached Harry's she met Jane pacing up and down the street looking for customers. Maureen never had actually seen her selling some of the jewellery but she seemed to be successful. At least Pete was seldom mad at her. The only strange thing was that Maureen never had seen Jane leading female customers up to the room where she was selling the stuff. But she didn't care anyways. Men have more money - everybody knew that!

Jane gave Maureen a hug and smiled. But she couldn't deceive Maureen. She was feeling bad and didn't slepp much last night.

"Tell him!" Maureen urged "He should know!"

Jane was pregnant. She had told Maureen two weeks ago but Pete didn't know anything so far.

"I know." Jane now said "But I'm afraid. What if."

"If what?" Maureen interrupted "Don't you think he'd be happy to become father? Everybody would be!"

"Yes, you're right, I know! I'll tell him tomorrow."

"Why not today?"

"Tomorrow's February 14th. Valentine's Day."

"What?" Maureen never had heard of it.

"Little nitwit. You don't know Valentine's Day? Corton was really isolated, was it?" Maureen had told Jane some sparse things about her village "It's lover's day. The day for romantic approaches, see?"

"Oh, yeah, sure."

"So, will you approach a young miss of your choice, too?" Jane asked with a small cheeky grin. Maureen flushed.

"There isn't any young miss of my choice." She answered a bit too rude.

"No reason to be in a fuss. Who is it? I won't tell anyone. Is it young Lindy? SHE likes you anyway." her grin broadened as Maureen flushed even more. The thought of Lindy was ridiculous. Maureen really disliked that pushy foolish girl. And it gave her no good feeling that Lindy apparently had a crush on her Ryan-part.

"No way!" Maureen cried laughing then entered the inn leaving a grinning Jane behind her.

+++

The next day Maureen had an errand very early in the morning. Knowing that Lindy would probably be waiting for her outside of the Drinking Rat she decided to go home and have breakfast first. She still was living in the old shabby house but had an own small room for herself. She was very proud of it and kept it as clean as possible.

As usual Jaques was sitting on the doorstep. And as usual, too, Maureen tussled his black hair when passing him. Sometimes she also gave him a half- penny. When she had reached her door she heard a muffled sound out of Jane's room at the other end of the floor. She went over, knocked and entered. She found Jane lying on her bed, crying. Qickly she sat next to her caressing Jane's back and trying to hush her. Jane placed her head into Maureen's lap.

"He was angry. He doesn't want a child. Too long absence from work. Too expensive to raise up." She uttered under her tears. Maureen stroke over Jane's brown-red hair, saying nothing. She noticed the bruises on Jane's face. She was sure that there were more all over Jane's body. So he had beaten her up once more. Fury rose into Maureen. How could he dare? Maureen had received some cudgel from Pete, too, and from Harry, and some others, mainly for getting a delivery wrong or for just being there. It was all right. Cudgel had been a part of her life since she could think. But Jane didn't deserve such a treatment.

"He." Jane spoke again "He wants me to go to a herb woman and." she couldn't say it but Maureen knew what she meant - aborting a child was a high sin but Pete didn't care much about such things.

They spoke no more. Maureen kept on stroking Jane's hair gently until Jane weeped to sleep. Then she carefully laid Jane's head onto a pillow and quietly sneaked out of the room. She wasn't going to her own room. She wasn't hungry anymore. She only was angry. She wanted to find Pete and let him feel her anger. She never had beaten someone but now she truly felt like it. She was blind of anger and tripped over a step. She didn't feel the pain of rolling down the stair. But she felt her head hitting painfully the bottom step. She fell unconscious at once.

+++

Maureen woke up from a yell outside. She got up massaging her forehead. Her head swam and felt like being double sized than normal. She staggered out of the house trying to remember what she was on to do before she had fallen down the stairs. She merely noticed that Jaques wasn't sitting on the doorstep. Then she remebered - Pete! - and wanted to make a run to Harry's but was stunned by the many people pushing before the house. Normally their lane was less busy then others but now there were standing many men and women looking up to the roof. Maureen did, too, causing her head to ache even more, and her breath stopped: on the edge of the slippery (for being wet as usual) roof was standing Jane, dressed in her best gown, eyes looking to nowhere. Maureen was taken aback. How did Jane got there? How long had she, Maureen, been unconscious? What could she do now?

It began to rain but Jane didn't bother the rain drops falling straight into her widely opened eyes. She had to do something. She didn't know how to come up at the roof so she yelled up to her.

"JANE!" Jane slowly broke away her glance to nowhere and looked down to Maureen. Her lips formed words but Maureen couldn't hear them.

"DON'T DO ANYTHING WRONG" Maureen pleaded crying and despaired. For she already knew what would happen next. She always knew what Jane would do (or say) next.

Janw took a step forward, almost as if expecting to walk on a simple lane, and fell. Maureen yelled. It gave sick noise when Jane hit the ground and immediately her body was surrounded by the onlookers to see if she was really dead. Maureen didn't have to look or ask. She knew the answer. Jane was dead and Maureen hadn't understood her last words.

Suddenly she felt a firm grip on her shoulder. She looked up - Pete, looking more furious than ever. He must have been in the crowd, too. Why hadn't HE tried to prevent the worst, too?

"YOU." he hissed between gritted teeth. "YOU."

Maureen became anxious. What was he on about? His nose was bright red - a sure sign of being drunken. She didn't like the menace look in his eyes.

"You have known about the baby, haven't you?"

Maureen nodded slowly. No avail to deny it. He knew.

"Why haven't you told me? Then this" he pointed over to the crowd which didn't care for them at all "would never have happened!"

Maureens eyes grew bigger. The meanwhile very familiar force in her rose.

"That's not true! You would have beaten her to death otherwise, wouldn't you?" she cried hoping that anybody would hear her. His eyes narrowed.

"You think me able to do such a thing? Well, what about trying it out?" he said slowly, obviously enjoying the fear on Maureen's face "You don't mind if I test it on you, do you?" Maureen was too shocked to feel anything at all. She hadn't been prepared for death this day.

Sudenly the firm grip loosened and in Pete's eyes was perplexity - and pain. Maureen teared away - and saw Jaques giving Pete another hard hit with one of his little lances.

"RUN!" he yelled to Maureen who fastly reacted. After some paces she heard a yell of Jaques but didn't dare glancing behind her for she already heard running footsteps following her. She fastened up her speed and ran for dear life. She knew the lanes - but Pete, too. He wasn't to be shaken off as easily as the guards who didn't know Downtown very well. Maureen ran, turned off, ran. She headed on to the lively parts of London hoping to get rid of Pete in the crowd. But she still could feel him behind her. She could almost hear his angry panting and curses over the noise of the city. She dared taking a look behind her when she ran around a corner - and in full speed bumped into a man. She gave a small cry and fell onto her bottom. She glanced up to a tall figure. She somehow had the feeling that she knew this man in his noble-looking clothes. He hold out a hand, smiling - of course - this was the stranger who had given her food and told her the right direction to London. She had thought about him sometimes the last three months.

"AAAAAAAH, GOT YOU!!!!!" a yell came from behind her. Pete had come around the corner, too. He skidded to a halt. Then slowly came pacing over to her. And with every step he looked more furious and malicious.*

~*~

Yeah, a cliffhanger! Cool, isn't it? How'd you like it?