After a few more days bed rest Creedy was bouncing around with boredom, waiting to be let out of his cell. True to her word Ma arrived with fresh bandages, Quinn held him still while she changed them. People outside could hear Creedy's screams of agony as she changed them. Quinn winced for him, with no painkillers at all, all they had been able to do was drug him to sleep, sleep being the only place the pain of his skin wouldn't get to him. But it was healing slowly but surely.
After wards Ma hugged Creedy, as he blinked back tears.
"My brave boy", Ma sighed.
"Can I go out and play now Ma?" Creedy blinked his eyes and pouted.
"Oww," Ma softened, "Get away with you then, but don't lift anything, or mess up that bandage!"
Creedy and Quinn ran out the room together like a pair of kids having found each other again. Quinn took Creedy to each of the people he had risked his life to help that fateful night a week back. The married couple turned out to be Pete and Jane, who thanked Creedy with all their hearts as Jane was expecting a child. Creedy just smiled and joked, until he was shown to little children who seemed terrified.
"Who do we have here then?" he questioned, kneeling on one knee to be on their eye level.
"This is A and B." A pair of legs appeared before him which the children grasped and hugged. Rising to his feet Creedy got his first look at Rosie.
"The little devils won't tell me their names so they are A and B to me." Then Rosie addressed the children. "You two go on now while I talk to this man. Go on, I'm not going anywhere. I'll be right here!"
Creedy watched the twins eye him up, then glance around. Clearly unsure of their surroundings, they took each other's hands and plodded off toward a group of children who were being told a story by Jane.
"They haven't spoken a word since they found out their daddy isn't coming back."
Creedy's eyes flew back to Rosie. "Not a word?"
"Nope, they are like two little ghosts, they barely eat, they sheep me and refuse to be separated. I'm really worried for them."
Creedy stared down at the young woman in front of him. "So you're their angel now."
Rosie turned his eyes back to the man in front of her. "I guess so, but you are mine. You didn't have to come out there and save us but you did, and I'm eternally in your debt."
"No problem". Creedy shook the hand she held out to him. "It was fun, I haven't been waited on hand and foot for years. If I'd known all I have to do was face a dragon and burn my arm I would have done it years ago."
Rosie giggled and pushed him away.
Creedy yelled out in pain, "Oh God!" Rosie held him gently. "I didn't know... I thought it was your other arm."
Suddenly healed, Creedy smiled, "It was." Rosie had a word on her lips to describe his humour but the twins had run back over and were hiding behind her once more.
"Evil," she laughed. "Anyway, I had better get these terrors down for a nap, I'll speak to you soon…"
"Creedy", Creedy smiled. "Dave Creedy"
"OK I'll see you soon, Dave"
"It's Creedy."
"OK, Dave."
With that Rosie grabbed her little charges and headed to the dorms.
Quinn had watched his friend across the room, waiting until Rosie had left he strolled over, digging Creedy in the arm.
"Jesus" Creedy gripped his arm, "OK, that was actually my left arm!"
"Oh shit sorry mate, I saw Rosie do it and thought everyone was allowed. Didn't that hurt you?"
Creedy's eyes told his pain. "I almost cried, but I didn't want her to know she had hurt me."
"Silly sod. Well was it worth losing half your arm then?"
Creedy looked over and saw Rosie and the twins disappear up the stairs.
"Oh yeah, it was worth it. Now do I get a hero's drink? Where's my black label?"
"You can have a Sidekicks drink matey boy."

Laughing they headed toward the kitchen.

A few weeks later Creedy had his bandages off, his arm was clearly scarred and not properly healed, but it was bearable to touch.
"Real heroes have scars Quinn, you know that."
Quinn dropped his pickaxe and stood facing Creedy. The sun was beating on them both as they dug, topless and sweating like mad. Quinn welcomed this break.
"What heroes do you know that have scars, Creed?"
Creedy leaned against a pile of rock and thought hard.
"The Joker, The Phantom of the Opera...er.. me!"
"The Joker was a villain; Batman was the hero there. The Phantom was a menace, and you are my side-kick so your theory falls on its arse there."
Creedy gasped, "Batman sucked, he was the worst superhero ever, all he did was dress as a bat and hang from roofs! The Joker was a legend! And as for the Phantom... he was just misunderstood."
"Well, yes one can't really understand murder and obsession."
"If you want to be a hero I can give you a scar Quinn."
"Alright but just a small one, OK? Don't damage my sexy hero face!"
Creedy choked on laughter. "Look pretty boy, lasses want rugged sexy men….. with scars, like myself if you will."
"Well one lass does."
Creedy looked around wildly and smiled when he saw Rosie walking toward them, carrying two glasses of water. The twins were running about behind her, they had come a long way since Creedy had first set eyes on them, they didn't talk but they weren't so pale looking anymore.
"Here you are boys, courtesy of Ma and myself. It was time to give these devils some air so I thought you might need a drink. Please tip your waitress."
Smiling Quinn and Creedy took the offered glasses and drank them eagerly.
"What are you up to today then, lass?" Creedy's eyes bore down on Rosie as he awaited her answer.
"Ohh" she sighed, "nothing important, I'll help Ma cook tea, and then try coaxing A and B to talk I guess. Tonight however us three will be seeing you fine gentlemen onstage. 6.00 is it? What treats are we to witness?"
Quinn laughed. "We haven't decided between Batman or Phantom of the Opera yet, we have our scarred villain for both…but we aren't sure."
Rosie's eyes flicked between the two. "I thought it was a bedtime story. Isn't the Phantom a wee bit complex?"
"But sexy." Creedy butted in, "women love a scar right?"
Rosie shook her head. "Nutters! Come on A, come on B - we aren't staying around here with these crazy men. It's not right, we'll start to go funny."
Creedy stuck his tongue out at the wee boy in front of him. "I'll bet these bairns can talk perfectly, they just can't get a word in edgeways with you around here."
Rosie glared at Creedy and took him and Quinn's glasses back. "Watch it, Dave."
"Ohh" Quinn laughed, "Dave hey! She means business."
Laughing Rosie walked off with A following closely. Creedy noticed that B, the wee boy, had no intention of leaving.
"B? Come on, lad!" Rosie shouted.
"Why don't you leave him if he wants to stay" Creedy shouted back. "We could always use another pair of hands, ehy lad?"
B shot Creedy a smile.
"Alright then." Rosie was confused, B hadn't left her side for weeks now. "But you will look after him, won't you Creed?"
"Like he was my own." Creedy held his hand out to B, uncertain of how the boy would react. B didn't move, he simply bent over and picked up a small rock. He carried it to where he had watched Creedy and Quinn moving bigger rocks, then he stopped and waited.
Creedy withdrew his hand. "Nice one lad, I know me and Quinn were trying to work out how we would move the little ones. See, we can move the big rocks easy enough but the little ones just slip through our fingers!"
B smiled again and spent the evening moving rubble with the two men he now looked up to as fathers.