Inside the cell

"You look a little nervous, my dear friend." Keating said, looking at Warrik who was walking back and forth across the room.

Warrik grunted. "Of course I'm nervous, Patrick! She's just a child, for the heaven's sake, no matters how intelligent she is! If they get her..."

"They won't"Keating reassured him, pouring another glass of beer for himself.

"How can you be so optimistic, Patrick?"

Keating laughed. "Hey, I'm Irish. I trust my good luck."

Warrik raised an eyebrow. "I've always tought that you're a little crazy."

"I'm not crazy, my dear Jack. I'm just a poor, misunderstood poet."

Warrik sighed."Yes, of course."

Fidged said nothing, simply staring at the wall. Althoug he wanted to be as optimistic as Keating, deep inside he was worried. Warrik was righ, after all Ginny was just a child. The bat cursed under his breath. He wished to help them, but he was on the police's wanted list and he couldn't even left Keating's home. It was worse than a jail: he couldn't do anything. He only could wait...

Nuts looked towards Newgate Prison from a roof. There was no one in sight. The little bat flapped his wings three times: it was the signal.

Ginny silently approached to the built, then she looked at the map Warrik had given to her. As she found the entry of Newgate's piping system, she put the map into her poket and forced the grating. She looked into the pipes: she only could see darkness. The little girl took a deep breath.

"I'm coming, dad" Ginny whispered to herself, then she slipped into the pipes.

Nuts gulped as he saw his friend disappearing into the pipes. "Good luck, Ginny"he whispered.

The guard placed a dish with some food and a jug of water on the stone floor, just out of Ratigan's reach. "Are you hungry, Professor?" he mocked "or maybe you're too worried for that filthy little mud-blood of your daughter to think about the food?"

The other guards laughed.

Ratigan closed his eyes to not see the dish and the jug. He would never give them the satisfation to see him pleading them for food.

"Come on!" another guard exclaimed "I know you're hungry, sewer rat! You hadn't eat for two days! Come on, you only have to beg us and..."

Ratigan growled. "I would rather die of thirst and hunger before beg you!"

"Whatever you want, Professor"one of them scoffled "anyway you're going to die, no matter how. Have a nice dinner, rat." The guards laughed again as they left his cell, leaving the dish and the jug on the floor. Ratigan sighed and sank on his knees, cursing the chains at his wrists. If he hadn't been in chains, no one of those idiots would never dare to talk him like that.

"Damn...damn cowards..."he snarled. That guard was right, he was literally starving, but the thirst was much, much worse: he could feel his throat burning like fire. He shut his eyes and leaned against the wall, trying to not think about the food and the water who were just a few feet from him. He stayed like this for almost a hour, then he finally fell asleep.

"I warned you"said a husky voice behind him. Ratigan turned to see the familiar figure of his father staring at him, his red eyes full of grudge.

"What...?"

"Two years ago...I warned you that your daughter would be the next one. Don't you remember?"

Ratigan felt his blood freeze into his veins. "No. No, she's not dead. She can't be dead!"

His father smirked, revealing his sharp fangs. "Aww, poor James" he mocked "four years ago you lost your wife, and now you've lost your daughter too. You're quite alone by now. I'm so sorry..."

"Go to hell!" Ratigan growled. His father laughed.

"I'm already in hell, my dear son, and all because of you. You killed me, remember? You killed me and that poor, stupid woman of your mother. Poor little orphan..." his smirk widened "oh, but now you're going to pay for what you have done."

Ratigan stared silently at his father as he began to fade, still smirking. "See you in Hell, James."

A dream. It's just a dream.

Although he was aware that it was a nightmare, Ratigan was still half asleep, his father's voice still echoing in his ears.

I warned you...

"Daddy..."

...I warned you that your daughter would be the next one...

"Daddy."

...poor James...

"Daddy!"

...you're quite alone by now...

"Daddy, wake up!"

Ratigan suddenly awakened and opened his eyes. "What the hell...?"he felt his heart skip a beat as he saw his daughter beside him"Ginevra! You're alive!"

She smiled. "Brilliant deduction, dad."

Ratigan rolled his eyes. "Please, stop talking like him!"

Ginny grinned. "Sorry"she said, then she hugged him, hiding her little face on his chest "I missed you, daddy..." she whispered.

Ratigan stroked her hair, causing his chains to tinkle. "I missed you too, honey" he said softly "God, you almost gave me a heart attack! Why are you here? How did you come in? How did you escape from the orphanage? Where did you go?"

Ginny sighed. "Well, I have a lot of things to tell you. Listen..."

"Wait a moment" Ratigan cut her off "are you saying that Jack Warrik is going to help me?"

"You don't like him, don't you?"

Ratigan sighed. "Actually, he doesn't like me."

"Why?"

"Er...it's a long story, honey. As you were saying?"

"Mr. Warrik is still working about the plan. He said that he'll try to get you free the same day of...well, the day of your execution, you know."

Ratigan gulped. He didn't like that word. Not at all. "And what should I have to do?"

"He said that you must ask for a priest the day before your execution."

"He wants me do WHAT?"

Ginny shrugged. "Don't ask."

"Should I trust him?"

"Do you have another chance?"

Ratigan sighed. "Very well, tell him that I'll do whatever he wants."

"Good" Ginny stayed silent for a moment, then: "are you hugry?"she asked, pointing at the dish and the jug that the guards had left out of his reach to torture him. Ratigan felt a sharp pain at his burning troath.

"Yes, I am. And I'm thirsty too. But you can't give me anything of this, they would notice..."he suddenly stopped, mouth open, as he saw his daugher smile and take a flask of water and a sandwich from her poket. She handed these to him.

"I tought you might need something to eat and drink."

Ratigan smiled and took the flask of water. "And you were damn right, honey."

Ginny smirked as her father began to drink from the flask. "I'm always right, daddy" she said, giving him the sandwich too "now I should go, it's getting late."

Ratigan took the sandwich and looked at her. "Take care of yourself, Ginevra. And give my regards to everyone."

"I will" she said, then she hugged him. He smiled and hugged her back.

"Now get away from here, Ginevra. It's too dangerous."

Ginny nodded and stepped towards the pipes. "Daddy?"

"Yes, honey?"

"I'm sure that Mr. Warrik will find a way to get you free, daddy. Don't worry."

Ratigan wasn't just worried- he was dreadfully worried, considering the fact that he had been sentenced to death- but he tried his best to keep his emotion inside. "I' not worried."

Ginny gave him a sceptical look. "Really?"

Ratigan shrugged. "Well...just a little."

She smirked. "I knew it."

"Oh, don't start."