"Snipes!" Adelaide yelled as the Tumbler and Emma helped the boy limp down the street. She rushed over to him. One eye was swollen shut and his lip was bleeding. He was holding his side and wincing.

"What happened?" she asked.

Snipeshooter looked at her. "Is it true?" he whispered.

"What?" she asked.

Tumbler looked between the two.

Snipeshooter didn't say anything.

"Who was it, Snipes?" asked Jack, jogging up to them. "Who did this to you?"

Snipeshooter didn't break eye contact with Adelaide.

"Was it the midtown boys?" asked Jack. "We been having trouble with them. Don't worry. We'll take care of it."

"It wasn't Midtown," said Snipes.

"What do you mean?" Jack frowned.

Snipeshooter swallowed, still looking at Adelaide. "It was Fire and Blade."

Adelaide felt her heart race.

"Let's get you back to the lodging house," said Adelaide. She and Jack each took a side, putting one of Snipeshooter's arms around each of their necks.


"What were you doing in Brooklyn?" asked Adelaide as she bandaged Snipeshooter's small cuts. Emma and Tumbler stood in the door of the bunk room and Skittery stood at the foot of Snipeshooter's bunk.

"I was gonna show Tumbler and Emma were we used to live."

Adelaide snapped her head up and looked at him. "Are you crazy?!"

Snipeshooter winced. "I know. I shouldn't have."

"What were you thinking?!"

Snipeshooter clenched his jaw. Between the pain, the terror he had felt when he realized what a mistake he'd made, the adrenaline, and Adelaide yelling at him, he felt tears sting his eyes.

"Seriously, Snipes. What made you think that was a good idea? What if Blade had decided he wanted to sell Emma to a brothel, huh? What if Fire decided to put Tumbler where Ralphie put you?"

Snipes stared at the ceiling, his jaw clenched, breathing labored, and tears rolling down his temples.

"Aide..." said Skittery.

"No. He needs to know what could have happened."

"Adelaide!" Adelaide jumped and look at Skittery when she heard his tone. He inclined his head to where Tumbler stood near the door, his arm around Emma. Emma was sniffling, tears running down her cheeks and Tumbler was trying his best to stay strong for Emma.

"See?" Adelaide turned back to Snipeshooter. "You got them scared too."

"It's not Brooklyn, it's you!" Tumbler shouted.

Adelaide turned toward him. Adelaide blinked at him and then looked over at Snipeshooter.

"I'm sorry, Aide," Snipeshooter said. "We were in the neighborhood and it was getting dark. As soon as I realized it was a bad idea, Fire and Blade were there."

Adelaide swallowed. "Did they say anything before they soaked you?"

Snipeshooter looked at the others in the room.

"Skitts, why don't you take them downstairs," Adelaide said quietly.

"We don't need anyone to take us anywhere," said Tumbler. He tightened his arm around Emma and led her downstairs.

"Is it true?" Snipeshooter asked Adelaide when it was just him, Adelaide, and Skittery.

"Is what true?"

"The gun I stole for you in Brooklyn," he said quietly. "Is it true you killed Ralphie?"

Adelaide froze. "Is that what Fire and Blade said?" asked Adelaide.

Snipeshooter nodded. Adelaide's heart raced. She was a dead woman.

Adelaide swallowed and looked over at Skittery.

"Do we need to leave town?" he asked.

"We might. I need to talk to Spot."

"He's locked up, Aide," said Snipeshooter.

Adelaide looked at Snipeshooter. "What?" She frowned. "Since when?"

"I dunno."

Adelaide sighed.

"You can't go into Brooklyn with him locked up, Aide," said Skittery. "If Fire and Blade see you there, you're dead."

"Did you see Charlotte over there?" Adelaide asked Snipeshooter.

Snipeshooter nodded. "Yeah, we saw her coming out of our old basement," he said. "She didn't look good."

"What do you mean?" Adelaide frowned.

"She got real skinny and she shook a lot."

Adelaide chewed on her lip. "I gotta get over there," said Adelaide.

"Aide…" said Skittery.

"Come with me," she said to Skittery.

Skittery hesitated before he nodded.

Adelaide turned back to Snipeshooter and took his hand in both of hers. "I'm sorry I yelled at you," she said softly.

Snipeshooter subtly shook his head. "I deserved it. I shouldn't have even thought to take them over."

"Why'd you even want to?" Skittery furrowed his brow.

Snipeshooter just shrugged, watching the bottom of the bunk on top of him.

Adelaide watched him for a few beats. "They already think the world of you, Snipes. You don't need to try and impress them anymore."

"I know," he said in a small voice. Adelaide watched him for a few moments before she gave his hand a squeeze.

"I need to go apologize to Tumbler and Emma," said Adelaide. "You gonna be okay?"

Snipeshooter nodded, but Adelaide could see his tears didn't stop.

"What's wrong?" she asked, smoothing his hair away from his forehead.

"I'm just...I never...if I had gotten Emma or Tumbler into one of those places…I'd never forgive myself."

Adelaide looked at him softly. "I shouldn't have brought that up. I'm sorry."

Snipes shook head head again. "It's my own fault."

"Look at me," said Adelaide. Snipeshooter looked over at her. "They're safe. You're safe. That's all that matters right now, okay?"

Snipeshooter nodded.

Adelaide have him a kiss on the forehead and walked down stairs.

Tumbler and Emma were sitting in the lobby. Tears had subsided, but Emma still sat meekly on the bench, and Tumbler glared at Adelaide as she walked down the stairs.

"I know I messed up," Adelaide said, putting her hands up as she walked down the stairs.

"Why do you always overreact?" Tumbler frowned.

"Tumbler, you've never been to that neighborhood, it's-"

"But there was no reason for you to start yelling!"

"I know," she said softly. "I shouldn't have done that. I apologized to Snipes, and I'm here to apologize to you."

Tumbler sat up straight, waiting.

"I'm sorry," she said, simply. She looked at Emma. "I'm sorry. I just...I know what happened to me in that neighborhood. I know what happened to Snipeshooter. The very thought of you two going there...I panicked."

Tumbler nodded and was quiet for a moment. "I know it was stupid for us to go over there."

Adelaide nodded. She walked over and wrapped both of them in a hug.

The feeling of their cheeks resting against each of her shoulders calmed her.

"So you saw everything, huh?" she asked, pulling back.

Tumbler nodded. "Just the outside. You really spent all that time in that place?"

Adelaide nodded.

"Were those two men there?" asked Emma.

"Fire and Blade?" asked Adelaide.

Emma nodded.

"Yeah," said Adelaide. "They were there when I had to stay there."

"I don't like how the tall one looked at me," said Emma.

Adelaide knew she was talking about Blade. "He can't get you when you're over here," she said. "He doesn't leave Brooklyn."

"They said you killed Ralphie Valentini," said Tumbler.

Adelaide looked at her brother. She was faced with a choice - telling the truth and having to explain such a situation to such young kids, or stick with the official story. "Ralphie jumped off the bridge."

Tumbler watched her for a beat before he nodded. She knew he didn't believe her; he also knew to keep his mouth shut about it.