Elise and Penny settled onto Elise's bed as about half the girls in the lodging house, as well as Skittery and Crutchy, crowded the tiny room. The Brooklyn girls had been nice enough to clean up the room and set everything right again in hopes that Penny and Elise would come back safe and sound. Their wish had been granted, and everyone was happy to see them – even Catch, who had smiled and welcomed them back when the girls arrived.

Elise looked around the room, her eyes focusing on the open, empty dresser drawer. She looked up as the mass of girls parted.

"Let me through!" Mrs. Brown's voice commanded obedience. She appeared in front of the bed, carrying a tiny bundle. Elise's eyes lit up. "We took good care of him for you, sweetheart."

She handed the bundle to the girl, who let out a sigh of relief as she looked into her baby's face. Killian cooed happily in response, and Elise began to cry as she cradled him to her chest.

"Come on, girls, out, out. They've had a busy couple of days, and they need their rest." Mrs. Brown shooed the girls out of the room and closed the door behind her. Penny smiled in relief and gratitude as the woman left.

"You feel better now?" Crutchy asked, watching Elise cuddle the child.

Elise nodded. "He was all I could think about," she said, raising her happy eyes to Crutchy in a way that told him that wasn't entirely true. "I was so scared that I wouldn't see him again."

"Funny story," Skittery said with a grin, "we felt the same way about the two of you."

Penny laughed for the first time in what felt like ages. She reached over and took his hand, smiling up at him. "We're sorry about all of this."

Skittery scoffed. "Don't be sorry. None of this was your fault." He ran his free hand along Penny's cheek. "'Sides, if we didn't meet the two o' you, our lives would still be pretty damned boring."

Crutchy laughed and nodded in agreement. "Yeah, who needs papes when you can chase down Irish thugs and save pretty dames?"

Elise smiled. "Well, thank you."

Crutchy leaned back in the chair, grinning. "All in a day's work," he said with a cocky shrug.

The four of them erupted in laughter. As it died down, Skittery looked out the window at the setting sun. "Well, speakin' of work, I got my own to go out and do."

Penny frowned and pulled him to her, wrapping her arms around his waist. "Can't you just miss work for one night?" She leaned her head against his stomach, refusing to let go.

Skittery laughed and stroked her hair. "Not if I wanna keep this job." He reached his hand under her chin and lifted it, smiling. As he bent down and kissed her, he chuckled. "And anyway, I got some unfinished business to take care of. Don't worry," he added when Penny looked at him in concern, "it's nothing bad. It's actually really good."

"Okay," Penny said with a sigh, squeezing his waist a little.

"You gonna walk me out?"

"Of course."

Skittery turned to Crutchy. "Make sure you get these two somethin' to eat. Somethin' decent, okay?"

"Gotcha," Crutchy replied, and then he turned back to Elise and Killian.

Penny walked Skittery down the steps and out to the front stoop. "What's this 'unfinished business' you have to tend to?"

Skittery grinned. "That's for me to know, an' for you to find out." He wrapped his arms around her waist, pressing his lips to her forehead. "I don't even know if it's a sure thing yet, if it's gonna happen. But you'll know soon enough, okay?"

Penny rolled her eyes. "Fine." She looked at him, took in his face, his eyes, everything she thought she'd never see again. "Can... can you come back tomorrow?"

He smiled. "I'll see what I can do. I think I can squeeze in a little time to see my best girl."

"You say that like I'm not your only girl."

Skittery laughed and kissed her. "I love you. Missed you," he said, brushing a hand down her cheek and cupping her chin. "Be here when I get back, okay?" And he kissed her again.

She smiled. "I will be. I promise."

"So did you go and see your father like he wanted you to?" Elise relaxed now, glad to finally be home, back with Killian, back with Crutchy.

"Nah." Crutchy shrugged. "Ain't done much of anything the past couple'a days, worryin' about you and Penny."

"How... how did you find us?"

He cleared his throat. "Well, Skittery's got that new job down at the docks, right? Anyway, so his boss tells 'im to go and drive a shipment out to Queens and drop it off at this warehouse. So he goes with his pal James, and peeks in the window as they're unloadin' the crates." Crutchy shifted in his chair, watching her. "An' he sees all this stuff in there, and this door with crates stacked in front of it. Figures somethin's goin' on."

"Why didn't he come inside?"

"He didn't want to risk the McKennons comin' back, not when there was just one of him and James didn't know what was goin' on. 'Sides, he had to get back to work or James was gonna start askin' questions."

"So he brought you all back this morning."

"Yup. An' it worked, didn't it?" He smiled, then held his arms out for Killian. "Can I hold 'im for a little bit?"

"Of course." Elise handed Killian to him, smiling. "Thank you for making sure he was taken care of."

Crutchy looked at Killian, studied his face, and looked back up at Elise. "Well, it wasn't like we was gonna leave a baby lyin' on the floor like that. And anyway, I'm kinda attached to the little bugger. I look at him like... well, sort of like he's my own son." He swallowed the lump forming in his throat. "I ain't sure why, exactly."

"I would love for him to have someone like you for a father." Elise looked at the two of them. They made such a perfect pair. "I'd love for him to have a father at all, really."

The words hung in the air for several minutes as the two sat in an awkward silence.

Fed up with the quiet, Elise finally spoke again. "Are you going to go talk to your father?"

"Um... I don't know. I'm kind of nervous about it."

"I think you should. Even if it's just to close the book on things. You shouldn't leave him hanging, Crutchy."

Crutchy considered this for a moment. "Alright. I guess I could..."

"Tomorrow."

"Tomorrow?" His eyes went wide at the concept.

"I know you." Elise smiled softly. "You'll never do it if you don't do it right away."

He let out a little huff of air. "Fine. But only if you'll come with me."

Elise shook her head. "No."

"Why not?" Crutchy's eyebrows knitted together in frustration.

"Because you need to do this by yourself. I'll only distract you. You need to talk with your parents, just the three of you. I'm not part of your family, Crutchy."

This time he shook his head. "Yes, you are."

Skittery arrived at the docks, smiling a little to himself. Life had righted itself, in so many ways. James greeted him as he started working.

"Hey, Michaels."

"Hey, Bartlett." He loaded a crate onto a ship, excited even to be doing heavy lifting. "Our little shipment get off without a hitch?"

"Yeah. Everything's fine and dandy."

"Good."

"You still comin' over to take a look at that apartment?"

"Yeah, if your landlord don't mind me comin' over so late." Skittery smiled and loaded some more crates.

"Nah, he won't care. Long as he gets a new tenant."

Skittery laughed a little, shaking his head. "I know a couple'a people like that."

James helped him load some of the crates. "So, was that your girl here earlier?"

"Yeah," Skittery replied with a proud smile.

"She's awful pretty."

"Ain't she?"

"What's her name?"

"Penny." Skittery grunted as he hauled a heavy crate from the ship to a wagon.

"Why do I get the feelin' that your, uh, extra cargo has somethin' to do with her?"

"Well..."

"You said you'd explain it to me, an' I been wonderin' all damn day." James leaned against the wagon, taking a break.

"You ready for a long story?"

"I got all night."

And a long story it was indeed. Skittery didn't finish it until they were leaving work. James was silent for most of the walk to his building.

"Those rotten sons a' bitches," he said finally. "You shoulda let me at 'em for a little bit."

"Well, much as I wanted to kill 'em, I ain't the type for murder."

"I think you'd've had a good excuse in this case."

Skittery shrugged. "Well, the problem's solved anyhow."

James nodded. "This is my building," he said, walking inside. He led Skittery to a door, pushed it open. "Landlord left it unlocked for us. I live a couple floors up, but this is the place." He lit a lantern as they walked inside. "It's got one electric light, over there," he said, pointing. "Otherwise you're stuck with candles and lanterns."

"I can deal with that." Skittery looked around the apartment. Most of the belongings had already been cleared out, but the furniture remained. There was a bed, a dresser, and a few tables, along with a rather ancient-looking sofa and several chairs. "It's bigger than I thought it would be."

"Yeah, it ain't a bad place, really."

"You got a bad rat problem or anything here?"

James shrugged. "Everywhere in New York's got a rat problem. But it's okay here."

"Well, better than what I got." Skittery laughed a little. "Your landlord gonna be here tomorrow?"

"Yeah, should be."

"Well, I'll stop by and see about movin' in here, then."

James nodded. "How come you're lookin' for a place, when you already got somewhere to live?"

"I want a place of my own. See, I live in a lodging house, an' I sell papes during the day." He shrugged. "Now that I can afford it, I want someplace I can call mine. 'Sides, I got a plan."

"It involve that girl o' yours?"

Skittery just smiled. "I'll see you tomorrow, Bartlett."

"You didn't answer my question, Michaels."

"Don't wanna jinx it."