The dawn broke into the following morning without much force. The rain had ceased to fall outside and from the lack of sunlight in the room it had all the makings for a dreary day; gray skies, hardly any breeze, and low temperatures for May. Gabby awakened slowly and felt her head move up and down steadily as she had slept on Spot's bare chest. He snoozed silently with his arm draped lazily over her as she moved her face to look up at him. Out of all the times she had seen him, he was in his most calm state, it seemed. Yet even so, Gabby could still sense the growing concern within him. Poor guy; he did not know what he was getting himself into. Or had already gotten into.

"Spot," Gabby whispered quietly, nudging his shoulder gently. "Time to wake up, Spotty."

Ever so slowly, his eyes opened groggily. An inaudible growl came from the back of his throat and he shut his eyes once more. Gabby sat up, now remembering that she hadn't changed to pajamas before going to bed, and swiftly retrieved her shirt from the floor. Her cheeks turned to a shake of pink as she was slightly embarrassed for sleeping topless with just a slip.

"Come on, Spot," she cooed enthusiastically. "You'll be late for work."

"Five more minutes, baby, and I'll get up," Spot replied in a sleepy voice.

Gabby sat on the edge of the bed next to him and yanked him to a sitting position by his arms. He slouched his shoulders and yawned tiredly.

"Ya're killin' me, woman."

"Sorry, sweetie, I have stuff to do, too, after you leave." She pulled him up to stand next to her on the floor as he rubbed the sleep out of his eyes. "Rise and shine," she added perkily.

After much struggled and too many kisses goodbye, Spot walked out the door and down into the streets. Gabby fumbled around the apartment to straighten up for her visitors; Tyce was bringing Jumper from Harlem to her place for their meeting. Tyce didn't like mess around him, which was an odd quality to have when you live on the streets. But Tyce was not a normal orphan. She scurried around the bedroom, making the bed and double-checking for any evidence Spot had slept in it.

Gabby went to the washroom on her floor and changed into a reasonably nice, dark green dress. She made sure this time it didn't have a low neckline or require a corset. She walked around the small apartment once more and ended up plopping down onto the couch to wait.

"You want to see me dance?"

"I would love to see you dance."

Gabby smiled irresistibly as she thought about that lovely evening.

"So, Brooklyn can dance."

"As much as ya'd like to think so, ya haven't got me figured out completely."

"I guess not."

She wanted the good thoughts to keep coming. She let her mind think back to all the times she spent with him. She enjoyed these thoughts—they even carried her to lie on the bed so she could recall further memories with him with much more ease. She figured going back to the scene of the crime would help. It did. Her mind was filled with every possible good thought thinkable. Her brain was a sea of memories.

"Don't you look happy," cam Tyce's voice suddenly.

Gabby jumped in fright. She got up and clutched her pounding chest to calm her shot nerves. With a sigh, she stood and faced the boys. Jumper, she presumed, was the sixteen-year-old standing next to him. He was rather short to be the ruler or Harlem; he just passed Tyce's chin with his almost black, curly hair.

"Did I scare ya?" Tyce asked.

"No," Gabby answered quickly. Tyce never scared her—or at least she liked to think so. "You just surprised me."

"Oh. Well, this here's Jumper," he introduced with a nod as he crossed his arms over his chest to lean against the wooden doorway.

Gabby walked toward the fair-skinned, dark-eyed boy and held out her hand politely. Jumper looked up at Tyce with ruffled brows briefly and then clutched Gabby's hand in some form of a handshake. It was then tat Gabby realized why he was a ruler—his grip alone was painfully strong. The door opened behind them and Ace came running up.

"Sorry I'm late," he panted, out of breath. "What'd I miss?"

Gabby felt Tyce staring at her and she made her eyes wander slowly towards his. Just his menacing gaze caused a pang to jolt about her stomach. Quickly she flicked her eyes away.

"Nothin'," Tyce answered while still looking at Gabby. "We're just gettin' started."

"Good! Let's go to it," Ace said as he and Jumper made their way to the table.

As Gabby went to join the boys, Tyce placed his arm to the other side of the doorway as to keep her from exiting. She gulped a bit and looked up at him. She could tell her knew what she was doing to her. The smirking quality he possessed took form in his lips so that a corner upturned. He brought up a hand and curled pieces of her hair behind Gabby's ear. He leaned in and, thinking, he was going to kiss her, Gabby turned her cheek to other way. But instead, Tyce buried his hand to the nap of her neck and his face moved about her hair, her neck, and her face.

"You smell 'a Brooklyn," Tyce sneered into her ear. He moved back and Gabby only looked at him without answering. "Sleep with 'im?"

Gabby hardened her gaze to him. "I slept next to him" she said truthfully. Without another word, she walked underneath his arm and sat down upon a chair. Tyce sighed and joined the others.

"So, how's Harlem?" Ace asked Jumper in an obliviously happy voice.

The short, angry-looking boy unclenched his jaw to speak. "'Sgood."

"Everythin's dandy, Ace," Tyce said in a condescending tone. "What d'ya guys got fer me today? Gabrielle, let's start with you."

Refusing to look at Tyce, Gabby fixed her eyes to a long crack on the table to focus in on. How should she answer this one? Spot blatantly told her exactly what the boys were planning to do, and that was going after Harlem. "Nothing," she responded. "Spot didn't tell me anything."

There was silence as Gabby could feel Tyce's silver eyes burning into her. She continued to look at the table.

"Are ya ly—" Tyce began.

"I got somethin'!" Ace interjected loudly. "And it's a damn good thing ya're here, Jumper, 'cause they'se plannin' on strikin' Harlem."

Tyce turned his gaze to Ace and away from Gabby, Gabby the Liar. "Really? What else?"

Ace readjusted in his wooden seat because of his obvious importance. And Gabby cursed him in her mind.

"I ovaheard the boys, they'se gonna send someone to 'send a message' to ya, Jumper. They know all about yah guys alliance and they are pissed!"

"How'd they find out about it?" Jumper demanded in a scratchy, low voice. "That was top-secret."

"They had spies, 'a course," Ace told him. "Right before Blink died."

Tyce and Jumper both looked at Ace directly and intently with challenging looks. Although they were not given to her, Gabby was afraid.

"Why didn't ya tell us before?" Tyce yelled, "we nevah knew dat!"

Ace furrowed his eyes. "Yeah ya did, I told they sent some out!"

"Ya nevah said Harlem, ya dumb fuck! Ya told me Bronx, Midtown, and East Side! Nevah said nothin' 'bout spies in Harlem!" Tyce's anger was skyrocketing by the second.

Ace turned to stare at the table, searching his brain to meetings in the past in which he passed along information. "I didn't.?..."

Tyce grunted loudly and pounded his fist against the table and jumped up, pacing fast around the small area. "I knew you'se was bad fer the job! Goddammit, Ace! We coulda used that before and this shit woun't've dragged out fer so long!"

Ace's expression shifted quickly from dumb to plain terrified. He looked across the table to a helpless gabby and then to Jumper, who said nothing except stared at Ace meanly.

"I'se sorry, Tyce," Ace apologized.

Tyce inhaled quickly and exhaled through his nostrils. He spun back around while his face decreased in red color. He stepped to the side of Gabby's chair and began twirling a piece of her hair around his finger. Gabby closed her eyes quickly and opened them again once her shoulders shuddered uncontrollably.

"It's a'right, Ace," Tyce finally said. "I forgive ya. This time. Just as long as Jumper ain't too mad."

All eyes turned to Jumper, the silent and unpredictable boy whose presence alone created an uncomfortable and intimidating mood. Tyce continued to fiddle about Gabby's hair while Ace squirmed motionlessly in his seat with anticipation.

"Forgive ya this time," Jumper finalized in his rough voice. "Next time ya slip up, though, Ace, ya're as good as dead."

Ace nodded understandingly and frightened. He licked his lips and gulped down his passing fear.

"Movin' on," Tyce declared and took his seat, letting Gabby's hair to fall back down her shoulder. "With the but little info we got, Jumper and I've come to a decision."

"We figgered Brooklyn would do a strike 'a some sort," Jumper said, "we just thought it'd be Queens they would attack. But, tweakin' the plans a lil' bit, we'se gonna keep on listenin' to their thoughts through you'se guys, and we gonna attack Brooklyn ourselves. We'll call them to, say, a meeting 'a some sort and…well, take 'em out once and for all."

"Surprise!" Tyce grinned cruelly to Gabby.

"I can't say I didn't expect that, Tyce," Gabby told him. "But I don't like it at all. I didn't know it'd come to this…" she trailed.

Jumper breathed a sarcastic laugh. "It ain't up to you. You'se just a dumb girl we put in there for props."

Gabby sighed and looked down to her lap, her thumbs twiddling quickly and nervously. "So, it's not quite over yet, is it?" She looked up at Tyce for a response.

He placed his hand upon her shoulder, four fingers on her back and her thumb on her collarbone. "No. It sure as hell ain't ovah."