Notes: I'm sorry this story has gone so long without being updated. On top of my usual work, I also was doing a playthrough of Spectre's Call that I wanted to get off my plate before carrying on with other things. But we're back now and this chapter is one I've been working towards since the start of the fic.


The train journey back to Misthallery went as uncomfortably as could be expected when one of their party wasn't talking at all. The other three had managed to catch up with Crow, but he'd remained silent the whole time and simply trudged along with the rest of them to the train station. Once they'd got on the move he'd stared at fixed points in the walls or floor for the entirety of the journey and never made eye-contact with his friends.

This is turn made the rest of them feel unwilling to even talk to each other and had resulted in what felt like the longest train journey ever.

Although the lack of noise seemed like a bit of an agitation to Louis, Badger and Gus actually didn't mind it so much. It was just a shame that it was also filled with the worry of what was going on with Crow. Each of them wanted him to speak up, even once, so they'd know where they stood right now.

But he didn't.

Badger had so much that he wanted to say to Crow. He wished that he could reassure their leader that it was going to be all right, they hadn't lost Wren & Socket forever and this wasn't going to be the end for the Black Ravens. He wanted to tell him that if the worst happened, Badger would always stick by Crow. But at the same time, he knew that even if Crow did open up to them, Badger wouldn't be able to say any of those things. He'd clam up like usual and leave the talking to the others. Some brave new Badger he was.

Eventually the train did pull up to the station of the town closest to Misthallery and there was an awkward shuffle amongst the three of them. Made more awkward still when Gus and Louis realised they were on their feet, but Crow wasn't.

"Crow, this is our stop," Louis pointed out.

Not even a glance his way.

"If we don't hurry the train will pull off without us," pressed Gus. His face showed the sort of panic that Badger was feeling on the inside.

Still not a word from the leader, this was something that Badger hadn't even dared to dread would happen. Made worse still was the fact that he also hadn't moved from Crow's side either.

Louis tutted loudly; "Gus, get off the train and try to get someone to hold it for a few minutes. Badger, come with me."

Not needing to be told twice, Gus dashed away and out the door to find a station guard. For whatever reason, Badger was a bit more hesitant, but he did get up and follow Louis. The two of them walked far enough away for Crow to not be able to hear them, but didn't get off the train.

"You need to stay with Crow," Louis whispered.

"What!"

In that instant, all of the worry in the world seemed to flood to the front of Badger's mind. He had no idea where Crow was going or if he'd ever talk to him again. It had been fine when it was the three of them, but just Badger couldn't do anything on his own. He could barely even talk to Crow on the best of days, let alone right now!

A-and what about his Dad... waiting back in Misthallery? Had he even managed this long without Simon by his side to help him...?

"You've got this kind of... I dunno, understanding and loyalty to him that me and Gus can't match," Louis insisted, "If I stayed with him I can't promise I wouldn't hit him in the face for being such a prat about all this and while Gus might be wise, he'd also be too nervous. But I think Crow would feel better about talking to you. And you have to admit that you didn't want to leave him."

So Louis had paid attention to the fact that Badger stayed by Crow's side.

"Ah'reet, b-but what do I do?" Badger mumbled.

"Just stick with him and don't let him do anything stupid. If you do get a chance to call us then do that, but we know he'll be fine if he's with you," instructed Louis.

Badger wished that he had Louis's confidence in himself.

He nodded and muttered, "W-will do... See you lateh then, Lozza..."

"Take care," concluded Louis.

After he'd given Badger an encouraging pat on the back, he hopped out of the nearest door. It was pulled shut heavily behind him and within a few moments the train lurched into movement once more. Maybe Gus hadn't managed to find a station guard and Louis was just lucky to get off in time. Badger wasn't sure. Right now that was the last thing on his mind.

Part of him felt that he should have asked Louis to check in on his Dad, but he knew that he couldn't do that to the other Black Ravens. Even if Louis was the oldest of the group, Badger still felt as if no one could deal with his Dad except for him.

As the train started to pick up speed once more, Badger nervously walked back through to the carriage where Crow was and sat back down on the seat he'd been in before. Right now he just wanted to cry. This was the worst day in a series of pretty terrible days...

"Thanks, Badge'."

It took Badger a moment to even register that Crow had spoken. For all he'd wished he would do throughout the journey, he'd subconsciously reached the conclusion that he wouldn't. To hear Crow's voice again was a very sudden surprise.

"'S ah'reet...?" Badger mumbled. He pressed close in the hope for more. Without realising it, he'd even bitten his lip in anticipation.

"I'm glad ya came with me. It's all gonna be okay," Crow assured.

If Badger had hoped for anything other than that, he was sorely disappointed. These small words of comfort were all that he got from Crow. But they did just that – comfort him. As much as he still didn't know why Crow hadn't got off the train to go back to Misthallery or even where they were going, he now felt that Crow knew. And Crow would look after him. Maybe Gus had been right before and he did just need time to blow off some steam before coming back. It would be Badger who'd stuck by his side and Crow might even be thankful to him for that...

Butterflies danced in Badger's stomach at the prospect of further praise from Crow.

The warm, fuzzy feelings lasted long enough that they almost cancelled out the nerves Badger felt when they didn't get off the train at the next stop along. Part of him had been hoping that Crow might realise the mistake he's made, get off here and the two of them could walk back together, since it was only a few miles. But this wasn't to be the case.

Nor would Crow get off at the next stop. Nor the one after that. After a while, Badger stopped counting stops and stayed confident in the knowledge that Crow knew what he was doing.

Eventually Crow did rise from his seat, which took Badger as much by surprise as it had done when he'd spoken. The lanky lad was even more shocked at where they were apparently going. The biggest hubbub in all of England.

"London?" Badger gasped.

"Just stick with me, we'll be movin' quick," Crow hummed.

He snapped his bag up and Badger hardly had time to do the same before he'd darted out of the door. At least in this, Badger knew that Crow couldn't best him. All of the Black Ravens might be good at flitting through a crowd, but none were faster than Badger. His speed was one of the few things he had confidence in and he knew, should it come to it, that he could easily beat Crow in a race.

He saw the stout leader's cap disappear into the rush of people and made to follow him. The two of them pushed out of the station and down the street. Even here, London seemed to be just as busy. Badger had been to cities before, but he'd never seen anything quite like this. Privately he felt like this would be the perfect place for a bit of pickpocketing if he'd had the time, but right now he was too focused on Crow. Which was starting to become the story of his life...

As they cut down winding roads and side-streets it was clear that Crow had a definite idea where he was going and how to get there. He'd travelled these paths before. This had to be where he'd gone in the two months that he'd been away. At least for a good chunk of it.

After some time, they reached parts of the city that seemed to be less busy. It didn't feel like they were packed in like sardines any more and instead felt more as if they were fish heading down a river – there were still people about here, but not as many. This place gave the impression of a much rougher residential part of the city, which Badger was thankful for. Even having never been here before, it still felt more familiar to him, almost putting him back in the frame of mind of when his Mam had visited friends in Manchester when he was little.

Now he could keep pace with Crow without having to worry at all. Although he was still almost caught off-guard when his companion made an abrupt stop in front of a hotel. Badger wouldn't have even noticed the building if it hadn't been for Crow, since it blended in so well with the rest of its surroundings.

The Weathered Duke's Hotel.

It seemed like a strange name, though Badger knew that a lot of guest houses had artsy names like this. No doubt there'd be some rich history behind it that'd probably be written on a brochure in the lobby. Not that Badger could read those, but Crow would tell him anything important if he needed to know.

He followed Crow inside and watched him look around. It didn't take long for Crow to catch sight of an old woman dozing at the counter and head over to her.

"Margaret...? Are ya awake?"

His voice was so quiet that he was obviously nervous of waking her up if she wasn't. That hidden tenderness to Crow always made Badger smile.

There was a loud snore from Margaret and it seemed to snap her out of her slumber; "Oh... Crow. So you're back, are you? And you've got a friend with you this time."

"Yeah, this is Badge', one o' the Black Ravens I told ya about," Crow eagerly introduced. All traces of the silently brooding boy from the train were gone now and had been replaced by someone who sounded so cheerful that Badger had to remind himself that this change was probably just an act to not worry the elderly lady.

"Nice to meet you there, sonny," Margaret yawned, "Now Crow, show yourself up to your room and we can talk about this in the morning. Your friend should be running around back there, too. Keeping himself out of mischief, I'd hope."

"Thanks, Margaret. Ya the best," chimed Crow.

Badger noted that Crow's face lit up at the mention of his 'friend'. It was a sort of joy Badger hadn't seen from him at all since he'd returned to Misthallery and made him uneasy for reasons that he couldn't place.

He turned away to let Margaret get back to dozing and motioned for Badger to follow him to a staircase. Where they were going was kept a little more out of sight from the main routes of the lobby and even the staircase itself was roped off with a note that said 'STAFF ONLY'. But Crow wasted no time in stepping over this, so Badger followed him.

It seemed that Crow had transformed back into his usually chatty self, as on the way up he started to give Badger the full run-down of this place.

"Mags in a nice old lady, she let me stay 'ere when I was runnin' around London like a clueless fool," he explained, "Said I 'ad to work my keep like the others o' course, but workin' ain't a problem for me. I was just glad to 'ave a roof ovah my 'ead."

"Uh-huh," replied Badger. Not wanting to talk too much, since he'd been anxious to hear about Crow's trip away for a while now.

"Would ya believe that she knows Mr. Layton as well?" Crow went on, "Remember that thing in the news when 'alf o' London got smashed up by a big robot? Well Mags an' 'er granddaughah Becky were two o' the people livin' in that undahground London! Said they 'ad no idea they were involved in anythin' fishy an' they were runnin' an 'otel down there, just like this one. Well, apparently it was a bit poshah than this one. Aftah all that stuff with the robot, they pulled their money togethah to buy this place."

"That's pretty impressive..." Badger mumbled, mostly because he felt it was expected of him to say something. Admittedly it was indeed very impressive, but Badger was much more focused on Crow's involvement with the building at the moment.

Luckily for Badger, Crow pressed on, "An' they weren't the only one 'ere who've 'ad a run-in with Mr. Layton. This must be like a gatherin' spot for people 'e's 'elped, 'cause-"

"Talking about me already?"

"Umid!"

At the top of the stairs a tall boy was waiting for them. His arms were filled with laundry and he was looking down at Crow with an exasperated expression.

The leader took the rest of the steps almost two at a time to reach him and Badger hurried to keep up.

"Betcha didn't expect to see me again so soon," Crow proclaimed, as they drew level him.

"No, I thought I'd seen the last of you for a while," teased Umid, "So what do we owe the honour of another visit from Crow? And who is your friend here?"

"This is Badgah, one o' the Black Ravens from back 'ome," Crow answered, "Badge', this 'ere is Umid. He came from Mosinnia to see wot joy ol' England was like."

"And so far I've not seen much more than bad weather," Umid laughed, "He was right about what he was saying earlier though. Mr. Layton and his friends helped save my village a few years back. My family might not be here if it wasn't for him. But enough about me, you still haven't answered why you've come back so soon, Crow."

"Can we talk about it latah?" muttered Crow, "We've 'ad a long trip 'ere an' we're both kinda knackered."

Now that Crow mentioned it, Badger had to admit that the weariness of the last couple of days were catching up on him. The last night's sleep they'd gotten was out in a field, which had hardly been the most comfortable place in the world to rest your head.

"Very well. Your room's made up and waiting for you," Umid concluded, "Becky's going to have your head when she sees you've come back here to waste our food again though."

"She likes me really," Crow joked.

He waved Umid off to go back to his job, before he motioned Badger through to the room. Once inside, Crow dumped his bag down on the floor and jumped onto the bed.

"This place is propah nice, Badge'. We don't get as fancy rooms as the guests do, but it's still the comfiest bed I've evah slept on," he sighed, wistfully.

Not in any mood to share Crow's enthusiasm, Badger placed his own bag down and sat on the edge of the second bed. He nodded in response and although he tried not to look too upset, some of it must have come through enough for Crow to notice.

"I'm sorry Badge'..." Crow said, his voice sounding unusually sensitive, "I know I've put ya through a lot today an' not really explained very much. But... tomorrah I'll get everythin' sorted. Let's just get a good night's sleep first."

"Yeah."

Badger lay down and turned away from Crow. It felt harsh to snub him like this, but he wanted Crow to know that his behaviour today hadn't been right. Even if he had known he was going to come here, he could have at least told them so they wouldn't have worried. The others were probably still worried about them both back home, for that matter. Tomorrow Badger would have to find a phone so he could call Louis.

"Badge'..." Crow whispered. His voice was soft and laced with worry. It made Badger half hope that he was going to come over to apologise, but that wasn't meant to be. Instead Crow simply lay down himself and presumably drifted off to sleep soon after.

Once again, Badger found that his mind was too full for him to peacefully reach any sort of slumber himself. He envied Margaret downstairs, who seemed to have no trouble falling asleep where she sat. Badger never knew why he was such a light-sleeper in general, but he wished right now that he could just shut off for a while and forget about all his worries over what had happened and what might happen still.

He was still awake when he heard the floorboards creak maybe an hour later, but he pretended to be asleep as he heard Crow sneak out of the room. Nice try, Crow, but you've taught me better than that, Badger grimly thought to himself.

After Crow's footsteps had disappeared down the corridor, Badger quickly got out of bed to follow him. It didn't take long to catch up, so Badger did all he could to hold back and stay silent. Sneaking around after Crow didn't feel as bad when Crow was the one sneaking off in the first place.

Most of the lights were off in the hotel now, save for a dim lamp in the lobby, should any late-night guests go for a wander. Even Margaret seemed to have disappeared from behind the counter. The whole place gave off a feel that they shouldn't be here right now. Not that this stopped Crow, who disappeared out one of the back doors.

This time Badger waited a bit longer before he followed, since he didn't want the noise from the door to alert Crow. By the time he did go after, he'd almost lost Crow, who had turned a corner at the end of the street. As stealthily as he could, Badger hurried after and paused at the corner to peer around. He'd been right to do this, because Crow hadn't gotten too far away. In fact, he'd stopped entirely and seemed to be talking to... Umid.

"Sorry that I dropped in unannounced like that," he said.

"We're all getting use to it from you," scolded Umid, though his tone sounded affectionate enough, "So are you going to tell me any more about it now that it's just the two of us? When you left it sounded as if Big Bad Crow was ready to go back home and lead his group again."

"Things didn't go exactly as planned..." mumbled Crow. On that, Badger could only agree with him.

"Oh?" Umid pressed. He walked over to put a hand on Crow's shoulder. This sudden display of affection made Badger's heart race unreasonably.

Crow looked up to him and explained, "Things changed while I was away, would ya believe? I dunno if we can go back to bein' the Black Ravens we were before... I got scared, so I bolted 'ere without really thinkin'."

To hear Crow admit to anyone that he was scared was almost too much for Badger. He'd never open up to any of them like that, so what was so special about Umid? Badger could feel a sudden jealousy boil up inside of him, even though he should have no reason to feel that way.

"And you dragged that poor boy with you," added Umid.

"I'll have to make it up to Badge'," Crow vowed. Badger also more than felt as if he should; "But I can do that tomorrah. Right now I just wanted to talk to ya."

"What makes me so important?" wondered Umid.

This was something that Badger also wanted to know the answer to. He pressed in close and leaned so far forward that he was running the risk of getting caught. Though he needed to be that close to even be able to hear the low purr that came out of Crow's mouth next.

"Ya already know wot..."

His tone sounded so alien to Badger. It held all of the usual intoxicating effects of Crow's voice, but seemed to be amplified even more so. The eavesdropper felt himself shudder with embarrassment just to hear it.

And if this wasn't overwhelming enough...

...Crow leaned up, standing on the balls of his feet. In response, Umid ducked down to be level with Crow. It took Badger's brain a moment to catch up with what his eyes were seeing.

They were kissing. Crow had kissed Umid. And Umid had... kissed him back.

In that moment, Badger's world came crashing down. He felt as if he was going to be sick.