Standing Alone Chapter 14: Jack Pays, a newsies fanfic

Jack couldn't believe what he was hearing. He would have laughed if his teeth weren't gritted.

After starting this whole mess, Spot was changing his tune. Jack couldn't say he was surprised. Spot had a habit of complicating everything he touched, twisting it into whatever would benefit him most.

If Race's story hadn't backed up Spot, he might have been tempted to let Blink go, to sort it out in a calm and civilized manner. But he had come too far to be swayed. It was too late to second guess and any shred of civility had left him long ago.

"And why should I believe that?" Jack questioned him.

"'Cause it's the truth," Spot said with a finality that seemed to indicate there was no other explanation needed.

"That don't mean nothin' coming from you."

"Maybe not," Spot said coolly, "But it is what it is."

Spot left it at that and didn't say another word. He watched Jack carefully, waiting for him to make a move.

Jack's grip wavered too slightly to be noticed by anyone but himself. He couldn't ignore Spot, as much as he wanted to.

He couldn't believe Spot, not now. Not after all this. Doubt had come back into his mind after he had fought so hard to remove it. His hand slipped again. He was holding more of Blink's shirt than his neck now. His gut told him to let Blink go. He couldn't. He didn't know what to trust.

Jack tore his attention from Blink and looked at Spot narrowly. He was listening.

"Greene wanted him to rejoin. He didn't. I seen it with my own eyes," Spot said, "He's loyal. That much I can say. Ain't too bright, but he ain't no rat. It's up to you, do what you want."

It was Spot's word against Race's.

Spot's story could fit with whatever Race saw to convince him. It could explain why someone might have seen Blink talking with Greene. More importantly, it meant Blink was loyal, it meant he could be trusted. It meant this night could be forgotten and that they could go back to selling papers tomorrow. It meant Jack could have one less nightmare haunt him when he closed his eyes.

He wanted it to be true. He needed it to be true.

Jack looked back at Blink, "That true? Is that how it happened?"

"Yeah," Blink said, his voice barely above a whisper.

Jack watched him carefully as he responded, trying to find something that would tell him truth. He saw only Blink. No lies, no defense. Just Blink.

All at once, his hand released Blink's throat.

Blink began coughing almost uncontrollably as the air surged back into his lungs. Jack held his shoulder to the wall to keep him from doubling over.

Spot nodded in silent approval. Jack ignored it. It was a mistake to ever trust Spot.

"Why didn't you tell me?" Jack asked as Blink regained enough of his breath to speak. His tone wasn't apologetic. He would not say he was sorry. He had done what was right and Blink would understand that.

"I ain't told no one about it. It's my business, ain't nobody else's."

"You see this?" Jack said, holding the knife out plainly for him to see, "This is my business."

"Shit, Jack."

Any doubt that Jack would have gone through with it was dispelled in an instant. Blink regarded him with a renewed sense of uncertainty, as if he had never truly known Jack until this moment.

"Stupid, Blink. Real stupid." Jack released him with a shove. He wouldn't have done it. God help him. He couldn't have.

Jack put the knife out of sight once again and righted a chair that had been knocked over, "Sit down."

With his hand still over his neck, Blink eyed Jack cautiously and sat down.

Jack leaned against the back wall and willed his heart to stop beating so fast. He crossed his arms to hide the fact his hands were shaking. He couldn't let Spot see that.

"He wants your boy dead," Spot said, his tone back to business as he took his seat once again. The situation was resolved enough for his needs.

"Why?'

"Bad blood," Spot shrugged, not interested in reasons.

"Who was it, Jack?" Blink asked.

Jack didn't answer. He only glanced at Blink long enough to shake his head. Now was not the time.

"He's on guard now, won't try nothing risky," Spot continued as if Blink hadn't spoken.

"Was it Race?"

"He won't want no witnesses, use it to your advantage."

"Jack," Blink started again, not one to be ignored.

Spot cleared his throat. He wasn't used to being interrupted and apparently didn't like it.

"No," Jack said sharply to any and all questions Blink asked, implied or was thinking about asking. Blink didn't look satisfied, but held back anything else he might have said. He wasn't dropping it, there was no way in hell he would leave something like that alone, but at least he got the message not to pursue it in front of present company.

"You think Greene's done with this?" Jack turned and asked Spot, grateful to have something -anything- else to focus his attention on.

Spot shrugged, "He might forget about it for awhile, but he ain't done. Who knows, we might even be able to get him out in the open."

"No, Kid's out of it, you get to Greene another way," Jack said flatly. Blink gave him a nod in thanks, which Jack returned. It was an important gesture for Jack to make. Their existence was based on a certain level of trust, a trust that had been shattered in the space of an hour. Jack was showing Blink he was back in the fold.

"It's an opportunity, Jack. One I wouldn't walk away from if I was you," Spot persisted, making it clear he wasn't merely suggesting a possible course of action. No doubt Spot had worked out a master plan with Blink as the linchpin and, by the unamused way Spot was looking at him, Jack could tell he was singled-handedly fouling it up.

"Who does he belong to? You or me?" Jack said, "Use one of yours as bait."

"He don't want one of mine."

"He wants you don't he?"

Spot didn't answer, but he couldn't quite suppress the half-smile that found it's way to his lips. At least it told Jack what Spot was after in playing Good Samaritan. He wanted a fall guy not named Spot.

At least Spot had a back-up plan, or at least that's what Jack reasoned. If the success of bringing down Greene lay solely on Blink, he wouldn't have abandoned the argument so quickly.

Spot let the silence hang in the room for only a moment before he turned to Blink.

"Say, why don't you take off," Spot said, indicating the door with only the slightest movement of his finger.

Maybe he hadn't given up after all.

Blink looked to Jack for agreement. When Spot said 'jump' he wasn't going to ask how high.

"Yeah, get some sleep," Jack said, offering Blink a hand up. Blink took it and pulled himself to his feet with a bit of effort.

"Who was it, Jack?" Blink asked in a low tone as he stood. Jack glanced away and let go of Blink's hand. This time the question was pointed and would not be ignored. He looked back at Blink and met his eyes so that there would be no uncertainty in the answer.

"No one. It was a mistake, my mistake. Race had no part in it. If you need to settle anything, you settle it with me. If your gonna take a swing at anyone, it'd better be at me. You understand?"

Blink wasn't satisfied, but nodded. He had a look in his eye that Jack had seen too many times to count. As he moved to the door, Jack caught his arm.

"No trouble, Blink. I mean that."

"I know."

Jack stepped aside and opened the door wide enough for him to pass.

When the door opened, all Blink was aware of was the quietness and the eyes staring at him. As he stepped out of the room, all attention intentionally turned away from him and conversations picked up once again.

No one would say anything and he was grateful for that. No one mentioned the serious stuff. Life was too serious already.

"He can stay," he heard Jack say quietly to someone near the door, probably Mush. He turned his head to see them exchange a silent look before Jack closed the door. He knew what that meant. He had been the subject of more knowing glances than he would care to admit and they all meant the same thing: Keep him out of trouble.

Maybe tomorrow they would have to worry, but tonight all he could manage was keeping one foot in front of the other. As he reached the stairs, he felt a hand on his shoulder, steadying him as he began to climb.

"How you doin', Kid?"

It was Mush.

"Doin' fine," he replied with the steadiness his legs seemed to lack at the moment.

"Take my bunk, alright?" Mush offered.

"Thanks," Blink nodded. Part of that favor was the fact Mush had a bottom bunk and he wouldn't have to manage climbing up to his. The more important part was that it was as far away from Race's as possible. If Blink was lucky, he would be able to get in and out in the morning without running into him. He promised Jack there would be no trouble and he wanted to keep his word.

As odd as it seemed, he realized he had nothing against Jack for what had happened. True, he wasn't as sure about him as he used to be, but he understood where Jack was coming from. In the same situation, Blink knew he would have been compelled to do the same thing. In a way, Blink had to respect Jack for being so loyal to Manhattan.

Race. Race, however, was another story.

He gave him up so easy. And even though Jack wouldn't admit it, Blink knew that was the case. Race was only too willing to pass on what he saw, misconstrued as it was, even though he knew what the outcome would be.

In theory, Blink couldn't be angry with Race for that, just like he couldn't be angry at Jack for doing what he did. It was what anyone loyal would have done. But it still didn't sit right with him.

He didn't even give him a day. Not one day before he gave him up.

Race knew Blink better than Jack, better than probably anyone else did. Even so, he was the first to believe the worst. Race didn't give him the benefit of the doubt, or a chance to work it out. Hell, he was only trying to keep Race out of it…

It was the fact Race didn't stand by him when it counted that really got him.

Blink reached the top of the steps, stopping only long enough to get his bearings.

"Jack said he could stay," Mush said to someone in the washroom. He prompted Blink to keep walking.

There was only one person who would care if he was back or not, so he didn't bother to look and see Race standing in the doorway. He heard a short exchange between the two as he felt his way down the line of bunks in the dark. He only caught the last remark, which was clearly directed at him.

"Fuck that. You keep him away from me."

"Fuck you, Race," Blink shot back. It was taking all his remaining energy not to clock Race, so he felt one parting jab wasn't exactly causing 'trouble.'

He instinctively tensed. He waited for Race to barrel across the room and jump him, but it didn't come. Mush was talking to him calmly, telling him to leave it alone, to wait, to sleep it off. It didn't seem to be working too well. There were more heated words, but those gradually subsided as Mush kept talking. Blink waited until Race's voice had calmed down before he kicked off his shoes and fell onto the mattress. Mush was still trying to get Race to back off as Blink slipped off his eye-patch and propped a pillow under his head.

At least Race was getting his. It must have been killing him to be under the same roof as his 'traitor' and not being able to do a damn thing about it. He earned it. After all the crap Blink had gone through because Race couldn't keep his big mouth shut, Race deserved a sleepless night.

He only wished he could be there when Race found out the truth.

The last thing he heard before drifting off was the sound of someone out on the fire escape and the window slamming shut.

Jack was out the door of the lodging house early the next morning. It was early enough that he could see his breath faintly in the chilled air and hear his footsteps against the street. He hadn't gotten much sleep, but that wasn't so unusual.

He tucked in his shirt as he walked and buttoned it up to the collar. He had slept in his clothes last night, anticipating he'd be woken up at any moment. As it turned out, the night was quiet. There were no fights, no drunks, no cops and no Box Greenes. From what he'd heard, someone stole Snitch's shoes, Race left and hadn't come back, and Blink slept like a baby. There had been a 'run in', as Mush put it, but no blood. Words and nothing else.

If that was all he had been worried about, he would have slept easily.

What Spot had told him last night after Blink had left was not a comforting thought. Greene had made his way deep into Manhattan with a small army and without being seen. And, as Spot so thoughtfully reminded him, if Greene could do it once, he could do it again.

The problem was nobody knew what the kid even looked like. Jack would have to start spreading the word for everyone to be on the look out for new faces with…what did Spot say? A brown hat. Yeah, that would narrow the field.

At least he knew Blink was on Greene's list. Whoever was looking for him would have to ask questions. Someone asking around for Blink wouldn't be too hard to watch out for.

Of course, there was always the possibility that Greene wouldn't have to ask any questions. Spot was still convinced there was a rat, someone helping Greene silently gather information on both Manhattan and Brooklyn. But then again, Spot was paranoid.

That possibility had kept him awake the longest. It was a real and dangerous scenario that hadn't gone away simply because Blink was no longer suspect. Time was growing short and he was no closer to figuring out what was going on.

Spot was planning something big, but hadn't let Jack in on it. At least, that's what Jack figured. Spot had been calm last night, calmer than usual. He only got that way when his ducks were in a row and the pressure was off.

Jack decided he would not be one of Spot's ducks this time around. If he worked with Spot, it would be with him and not for him. That was the only way Manhattan would get a fair shake out of the deal. He wasn't going to stand by and watch them all be sacrificed for the greater glory of Brooklyn.

Spot hadn't stayed long when it became clear Jack wasn't going to play by his rules. When he stood to leave and offered Jack his hand, Jack didn't take it. If Jack ever deluded himself into trusting Spot, the illusion was over.

"You need me, Jack. Make no mistake about that," Spot had said simply before disappearing through the door.

He had to put Brooklyn out of his mind. As much as he knew he couldn't forget about them completely, he had to focus his energy on the present and the people who depended on him. He needed to keep Blink safe and he needed to keep everyone else safe in the process.

Blink needed someone nearby. Jack got the impression, no matter what Spot said, that Greene wouldn't wait on Blink. To back off simply because Spot was involved would show his supporters that he wasn't ready to take on Brooklyn. It would be a matter of principle to finish Blink off and it would be a feather in his hat to do it behind Spot's back and under Jack's nose.

That's why Blink needed someone to watch his back, at least until things cooled off. Blink wouldn't want it and he definitely wouldn't like it. To his dying day, he would never ask for help. Jack could only hope that coming close to that day several times in the past week would shelf some of Blink's pride.

Jack would ask Mush to go. Mush could talk Blink into liking anything. More importantly, Mush could fight. Jack would have gone himself, but he didn't want to tip Greene off just yet. He wanted him to think he was still operating unnoticed. He didn't know if it would be an advantage, but he had to keep as much of this under his control as possible. He had the feeling it would all go to hell anyway, but he would rather know when and how than leave it up to chance.

Up the block, Jack caught sight of Mush standing on the corner and waiting to cross.

"Hey Mush!" Jack called ahead. Mush looked over his shoulder and stopped as he saw Jack. He finished his cigarette as Jack jogged to catch up.

"How ya doin'?" Mush nodded.

"Good enough. How 'bout you? You sleep good?" Jack asked with his normal amount of good humor.

"Pretty good," Mush replied. No one could pretend like nothing was wrong like Jack could. It was as if last night never happened, which was probably the idea.

"Say, Mush, could I ask you a favor," Jack said as they started walking.

"What's on your mind?"

Jack didn't answer for the few moments it took them to get around a pushcart that had gotten stuck in a pile of garbage on the street. It was with more than a little reluctance that he would ask this of Mush. He knew Mush would agree to it even if he didn't want to do it.

"Well, I was thinking', if you could spare a day, maybe you wouldn't mind sellin' down by Blink."

It was a big thing to ask. Mush would have to give up his spot and his customers and take his chances that he would make back anything.

"He ain't gonna like that, Jack," Mush laughed.

"That's why I ain't tellin' him."

"What'd he do this time?"

"Some boys been givin' him trouble. They don't seem to wanna lay off," Jack shrugged, explaining in deliberately broad terms. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell Mush what was going on, it was just better that as few people knew as possible.

"Yeah, alright," Mush nodded, accepting both the request and explanation. He didn't mind helping Blink out, it wouldn't be the first time and he wasn't expecting it would be the last.

"Thanks, I owe you one," Jack clapped a hand on Mush's back in sincere gratitude.

"You better not forget it. I could buy half of Brooklyn with what you owe me.

"What about what you owe me?"

"Nah, ya see, all this shit you have me do cancels it out. I don't owe you nothing."

"Oh yeah?"

"Well, maybe this," Mush grinned and took a light swing at Jack, but instead of hitting him he lifted Jack's hat and took off running with it.

"You little-" Jack broke into a run after him, dodging anyone unfortunate enough to be in his path.

There was already a lengthy line forming around the gates at Distribution. Apparently it wasn't as early as he thought, either that or his idea of 'early' was everyone else's idea of 'on time'.

Mush slowed down enough to avoid colliding into the iron gates before cutting through the line. He ducked behind Dutchy, using him as a shield against Jack's attempts to get his hat back.

"Say Dutchy, you wanna eat lunch with us? Jack's payin'," Mush said with an even wider grin.

"What?" Jack dropped his hands and forgot about his hat for the moment.

"Sure," Dutchy agreed before Jack could refuse, "Hey Specs, Jack's payin', you want lunch?"

"Hey, wait a minute," Jack protested half-heartedly. It was already too late.

"Yeah, and Skittery wants in to," Specs called from further up the line.

"Thanks, Jack!" Skittery shouted back, "And Snitch says thanks too!

"You better start runnin'," Jack warned Mush.

Mush shrugged innocently, "You said you owed me."

"Yeah, I guess I did," Jack said, missing entirely that Mush had passed off his hat to Dutchy.

"For what?" Dutchy asked as he slipped Jack's hat to Snipeshooter.

"For…" Jack thought quickly," For puttin' in a good word for this girl…"

Dutchy rolled his eyes, "Fine don't tell me."

"No really," Jack said, following the movement of his hat out of the corner of his eye. "She's a real beaut. She's got all her teeth and everything."

Jack took advantage of the subsequent laughter to snatch his hat from Snipeshooter's hands. There was a large bend in the brim that wasn't there before and Jack tried in vain to flatten it back to its prior perfection. They had ruined his hat. They'd always been jealous of his hat.

"Run," Jack said to Mush, "I'll give you a head start. Go, I ain't even lookin'."

"So, Jack. What's this I hear about lunch?" A voice said from the back of the line.

Jack gave Mush a parting glare and jammed his misshapen hat back on as he stalked off toward the front of the line, ignoring the laughter that followed him.

Mush didn't have the faintest idea where Blink was selling these days. He had asked around, but even the most solid information had only given him a general idea of where to look. Mush hadn't left his own spot in years, not being one to mess with a good thing, but Blink liked to move around every so often.

The last boy Mush had asked had pointed him to this particularly congested side street. It seemed to be a smart choice for a spot and Mush was beginning to think his financial prospects for the day wouldn't be as dim as he anticipated. That, however, all depended on finding Blink.

Mush had been milling up and down the street for a good half-hour before he finally caught sight of Blink. He didn't seem to be selling, but rather on his way to somewhere he would set up for the day. That didn't stop a passing businessman from buying a paper off of him, a delay that allowed Mush to catch up enough to be within earshot.

"Wait up," Mush called to Blink as he shouldered his own stack of papers and threaded his way through the few remaining people that separated them.

"You get lost or something?" Blink glanced over his shoulder at Mush as he kept walking. It wasn't exactly a warm welcome.

"Just thought I'd try sellin' down here for a change," Mush shrugged. It didn't take much to see Blink wasn't buying it. He gave a Mush an irritated glare that told him to cut the act.

Mush couldn't help laughing to himself and angled his papers in front of his face so Blink wouldn't see the smile. Blink couldn't hide any emotion. If he was annoyed, everyone knew it. If he was happy, everyone knew it. If he was angry, everyone and their brother knew it. He was honest like that. Of course, that very quality had probably gotten him into whatever problem he was dodging this week.

"Jack's idea?" Blink asked with no real question in his voice. He knew why Mush was there and he didn't like it.

"He thought it'd be a good idea."

"What, you cuttin' into my business?"

"Don't ever lose your charm, Blink. It's a gift," Mush said with intentional sarcasm as he took in the surroundings for a good spot to set up.

"You can go back and tell him to forget it. I can take care of myself," Blink said, blowing passed an older woman who was holding out a penny and had no doubt expected a paper. Mush lifted his hat to the woman in brief apology as he passed.

"Yeah, and look what good it's done you," Mush shot back.

Blink stopped mid-step and turned to face Mush. Annoyance had just become anger.

Mush had hit the money on that one, but wasn't regretful for saying it. Blink wasn't one to take criticism gracefully, especially when it was justified. A fool could see the mess Blink had made. And, whatever was going on, Blink had done a piss-poor job of fixing it. The sooner he woke up and realized he needed a hand, the sooner they could all go back to minding their own business.

"This is my spot," Blink said finally, indicating the corner they had abruptly stopped on, "If you plan on stayin', you better find somewhere else."

That was as good of an invitation as he was going to get from Blink at this point. A smart person would have gladly taken the extra set of eyes and rested easier for the day. This, however, was Blink.

Mush let it go, same as always. And Blink looked at him with a faint sense of guilt, same as always.

"You know how it is," Blink said, attempting to take the edge off his earlier tone, "I gotta milk this for all its worth." He gestured to the bruises on his face as he took out a cigarette. Every possible avenue to illicit pity had to be taken advantage of to the fullest. A black eye could sell five extra papers and it was reasonable not to want any more selling competition.

Mush nodded, " Yeah, I know how it is." He appreciated the attempt Blink was making to crawl out of his bad mood, even though he could tell he was still an unwanted presence.

"Excuse me. Excuse me, young man." A rather prim-looking woman tapped a gloved finger on Mush's shoulder. "One newspaper, please."

"Sure thing, lady," Mush handed her a paper and waited for the coin that dropped into his hand. It was a nickel and he made only a token attempt to call her back. Money was money and, in his opinion, he was in more need of it than her.

"Look at you," Blink said, giving the nickel a glance, "You're here five minutes, you make five cents. I won't point out that was my sell. I also won't point out that was my nickel."

Mush rolled his eyes and handed it to Blink. Blink gave him a paper to replace the one sold and a cigarette to make up the difference.

"I'll be down a block. Find me when you wanna eat," Mush told him and tucked the cigarette behind his ear.

"You payin'?" Blink asked over his shoulder as he sold another paper.

"Jack is," Mush said with a smile that Blink didn't understand.

"Thank you, sir," Blink said, pocketing a penny, "Yeah? Alright, I'll find you."

It was as if life had finally decided to cut him a break. It could have been the bruises or the fact the headline featured two variations of the word 'insane,' but whatever the reason, business was good and he was going to enjoy it. The sun was still beating down on his neck and the garbage in the street still stunk worse than the Delancys, but even that couldn't keep him down.

A weight had been lifted from him.

This was the first day in the past few weeks that he hadn't had to look over his shoulder every few minutes. It was the first day he hadn't had to ditch selling to avoid being out in the open too long. That was all behind him. At least for now.

Even Spot had admitted Greene would back off for awhile. He said Greene didn't make plans or take action quickly. From what Blink had seen, he did both on a regular basis, but he wasn't about to correct Spot on it. It was a long time since he was in a position to see Greene's mind at work and, for all he knew, Greene had become cautious in his old age.

Either that or Spot wanted him to relax enough to go off guard. It was a good thing he trusted Spot as far as he could throw him or he might have been tempted to relax.

Blink glanced down the street to the next corner where Mush had set up. It wasn't far enough away to be the most profitable for either of them, but to go any further would have put them out of eyesight. As much as he didn't want to admit it, it was nice having someone keep an eye out. It meant he could kick back and let the money roll in. No more half-eaten sandwiches from the trash. Tonight he was eating in style, with a plate and everything.

From what he could tell Mush had been making out pretty good too. Considering he spent most of his time scanning the street traffic for trouble, Blink found it amazing he sold anything at all. Maybe people mistook his watchful eye as the erratic gaze of a lunatic orphan. It might explain the fact Mush had been getting more pitiful expressions, not that he was keeping track of course.

It was almost noon when he felt a nudging at his elbow. He turned, expecting to find a cop trying to move him along, but instead looked down to find a small boy staring back at him with purpose clearly written on his face.

"You gotta minute?" the boy asked.

"Depends who's askin'," Blink responded, giving him little more than a glance. He didn't have time for sob stories and wasn't about to be taken in by a pick pocketing twerp.

"A friend of yours."

"Look kid, I don't know you. So do me a favor and scram, ok?"

"Not me," the boy corrected him, "Him over there."

Blink looked in the direction the boy pointed with only half-interest. As he scanned the corner, the boy bounded back into the crowd. Blink's hand went to his pockets, making sure his money was still accounted for. Finding it was, he glanced back to the street. If this was Mush's idea of joke, it wasn't funny.

It was only a moment before he met Greene's eyes.

And everything was going so well.

He had the presence of mind to keep searching the faces of the crowd as Greene gestured for him to approach. He knew Greene wouldn't be fooled, but it gave him a few extra seconds to figure out what the hell he was going to do.

Greene had proven himself much bolder than Blink ever anticipated. There he was, as plain as day, in the middle of Manhattan. He was standing next to a cop for God's sake.

Blink pulled his hat down to cover more of his face and sank into the street traffic. He knew enough to walk slowly. Nothing said 'arrest me' like running down a block at full speed. A call of 'thief' went up from somewhere down the street and he took advantage of the momentary confusion to change directions and disappear further between the buildings and people. He was trying to make it back to Mush without being obvious about it.

As much as he wanted to leave Mush out of it, he couldn't leave him behind. He had no idea how long Green had been watching, and chances were he had seen Mush and him together.

Blink tried to get Mush's attention at a distance, to no avail.

Mush was talking with a girl in the window of the building he was selling in front of. She was leaning out to hang her laundry to dry and had dropped a piece. Mush had thrown it back up and was now reaping the rewards of her gratitude. Blink finally stepped between the exchange of bashful smiles and thickly veiled comments.

"Mush, let's go."

"I'll be with ya, hang on a sec," Mush waived him off and looked back up to the window to finish his conversation.

"We gotta go, now," Blink didn't wait for an answer as pushed Mush ahead of him into the crowd.

"What's the matter with you?" Mush pulled his arm free and planted his feet.

They didn't have time for this. Blink looked over his shoulder, making sure there was no one following them before he pulled Mush to sidewalk.

"You see that kid standing next to the lamp post back there?"

"Yeah, I think so," Mush said, straining to get a clear line of sight through the people and carts that were constantly moving, "Why? What'd you do? You didn't steal nothin' from him, did you? He's standing next to a cop for God's sake."

"I didn't do nothin' to him," Bink said defensively.

Mush picked up on the seriousness in his voice and couldn't help but notice the way he kept glancing back the way they had come. It didn't long for him to put two and two together

"He the one botherin' you?" Mush asked. He took another look at the boy in question, this time with a more critical eye that seemed to be sizing him up.

"Him and a few of his friends."

"So let's go back and take'im while he's alone."

He ain't alone," Blink said, pointing to a spot further up the block and then to the doorway of a building they just passed. "You see them?"

Mush saw them. There was one boy at each spot that seemed to fit in just fine, except for the fact they were watching him and Blink very intently. It was too intent for any casual passerby.

"What's this about, Blink?" Mush asked as Blink started them walking again. He was getting the impression this wasn't a conflict of the normal variety. It wasn't some kid looking for a quick shot at revenge, it was a setup and a well thought out one at that.

Blink kept his voice low, "You ever hear of a Box Greene?"

"Tell me you ain't serious," Mush looked at him as if he had just thrown a cat off the Brooklyn Bridge, "Greene. Fucking Box Greene?" He tried to get another glimpse of the boy, but they were moving to fast.

"So what's the plan? You wanna hide out somewhere or what?" Mush seemed considerably more concerned now that he knew who was after them.

They passed a run-down tenement and Blink ducked through a large hole in the gate and led Mush around the back of the building.

"I figure if we can get in here, we can give'em the slip. I've gone in here plenty of times, the people inside will cover for us."

With its maze of dark hallways and staircases, it would be easy to lose anyone that was following them. The clotheslines, screaming babies and harried housewives would be an added benefit and a sure diversion on the off-chance they were seen.

"Try that door, I'll get this one," Blink said once they had reached the back. It was as well hidden entrance between the neighboring buildings, one that couldn't be seen from the street. Once they were in, no one would be able to find them.

"Rusted shut," Mush said after he had given it his best shot.

"Same here."

"Any more bright ideas?" Mush asked as he glanced back toward the street.

"I'm thinking."

"Think faster," Mush backed up a step as his eyes found what they were looking for.

Blink turned when he heard the footsteps. Footsteps. He had never felt so defeated at the sound of something so common.

"It just ain't your day, is it Kid?" Greene's voice responded lightly.

"Ditch your papers," Blink said quietly to Mush as he tossed his own to the ground.

He knew they wouldn't be talking their way out of this one.

A/N: Thank you for you patience on this chapter :0) I hope you enjoyed!

And thank you to all who have been reading, especially B, Spotlover421, Altertum, The Second Batgirl, Saddie, Gothic Author, Cat, ravenclawer, and Tuesday. Also to Pickles for being beta-rrific.