AN: Sorry it took so long to update I've had a bit of writers block. Who knew sitting up till midnight could cure it in a flash. Well this is my lastest installment of Storm's Brewing so I hope you enjoy it and please review so I know where to improve. Thanks and enjoy.

Tumbler knocked at the door and waited for an answer. As it opened his eyes fell on a young girl. She was thing and pale, almost as if she'd never been outside a day in her life. Her hair fell to her waist and was the lightest of browns complementing her keep chocolate brown eyes.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"Does Mistah Conner live here?"

"Yes but he won't be back until eight tonight why?"

"Ise think he's me fadder. Me name's Patrick.

The girl gasped at the sound of the boy's real name. She opened the door wider and allowed him inside. After telling her mother who the boy was she sat him down on the moth eaten couch to wait for Mr. Conner's return.

"My father hasn't gone a day without thinking about you. He knew that you'd come back to him someday. You have no idea what this will mean to him…to us." she said.

"Ise just wanted to belong somewhere. My friends only evah lied ta me about my past.

"You'll always have a friend in this house."

As soon as Mr. Conner set foot into the apartment his wife told him of Patrick's return. He wheeled around to see the small boy on the couch watching his every move.

Mr. Conner was a portly man with little to no neck. He was bald save for his beard, eyebrows and a small patch of hair on the top of his head. His eyes were a steely brown that held no warmth and his hair, what little there was, was a pale brown.

"Patrick?" he asked in a soft voice.

"Yes sir."

"Where have you been all these years?" he asked bringing Patrick into a hug.

"Ise been a newsie wit Skittery, youse knew him as Matthew."

"That dirty rotten rat! He had you all these years! Just wait until the police hear about this."

"Yeah but dats not important any more what's important is dat Ise home now."

"Katilyn get our dinner on the table NOW!" he said leaving Patrick standing there. "If you're staying here we've got to lay down some rules. Lose all of your bad grammar right now! No son of mine will talk with grammar like that. In this house I am law, what I say goes. If you break the rules you will be punished as I see fit. Should you cry you'll be punished as well…"

"Yes sir." Patrick said cutting Mr. Conner off.

The room grew quiet at the blatant disrespect to Mr. Conner. His face turned purple and he clenched his hand into a fist.

"Come here boy!" he said through clenched teeth. Patrick made his way to his father slowly full of nerves. He looked up into his cold unforgiving eyes.

In one swift movement Mr. Conner raised his hand and smacking Patrick across the face.

"You NEVER interrupt me again! You got that boy?!"

"Ise get hit for interruptin ya!" Patrick said shocked.

Mr. Conner struck him two more times. Patrick's face turned numb as he looked up at his father. Raised by newsies had taught Patrick how to fight and to never take unfair punishment. He lifted his small fists and punched his dad twice in the stomach. Mr. Conner lost in and started mercilessly attacking Patrick. When he was finished the small boy lay there motionless.

"TUMBLER!" Twirl cried causing Mr. Conner to look out the window. Frightened she jumped and rand down the fire escape. Mr. Conner grabbed Patrick's hair and brought his face up so he could see her before she completely disappeared.

"Who is she?"

"Ise don' know Ise nevah seen dat goil befoah!"

"You little liar! You know who she is and you'll tell me right now!"

"Ise tellin' da truth! Ise nevah seen dat goil befoah!"

Mr. Conner forced Patrick up and down the hallway. He pushed the boy into a room with three candles in the center. The room was windowless preventing escape and when Mr. Conner closed the door Patrick heard the click of a lock behind him. Great, why didn't I listen to Skittery? he thought as he sat staring at the black walls.

Twirl ran down street after street trying to get as far from that apartment as possible. Panting hard she ran until she saw the lodging house. Tears were streaming down her face by now and she knew she had to get help for Tumbler. She ran inside and into Skittery's arms.

"Twirl?" Skittery said as she cried into his shirt.

"Tumbler…"

"What?"

"Tumbler…in…trouble…Mr. Conner…" was all she could get out before she collapsed into his arms crying.