(Author's note - . Included this chapter are: Racetrack/Talia, Specs/Stretch, Skittery and Rachel)

Chapter 2: Under Pressure

by Firecracker

"All in boys! Who's ready for the next hand?" Racetrack Higgins looked triumphantly after winning the first poker hand of the night. His trademark cigar dangled precariously from the corner of his mouth as his arms closed greedily around his meager prize of two cigarettes, a penny and a button -- which was without a doubt Skittery's smartass idea of a contribution to the pot. Displeased by the lack of a response, Race quickly picked his head back up to look at the other boys, his forehead quickly furrowing. "Come on already, ya bums! I asked who's ready for the next hand!"

In light of Joe's recent murder and the impending turf war that Jack was adamant about starting, the general mood of the card players was significantly darker than normal and Race couldn't take it. Just because things were rough for everyone in the lodging house, it didn't mean that no one was allowed to have any fun! He sighed heavily and took another puff of his cigar before dealing out the cards for the next hand, these bums were going to play whether they liked it or not.

Specs pushed his glasses back over the bridge of his nose before looking down at his hand. He placed them face down on the table again and sighed to himself. Something about this just didn't feel right and, looking across the table at Skittery, he could clearly see that he wasn't alone . "I'm out," he stated simply without even giving his cards a second look. Sometimes, there were just some feelings that even a poker game couldn't cure. "What about you, Skitts?"

Before Skittery could give his answer, Rachel peeked over his shoulder at his hand, her long brown braid falling lightly over Skittery's shoulder. "He's in," she replied with a grin before giving him a pat on the shoulder.

"Hey, Rachel, come on," Skittery quickly protested before he slammed the cards down on the table. He was almost free of having to play the hand! His dark eyes narrowed slightly at the girl who had taken a seat beside him, but she simply flashed him a smile. Slowly, he returned it in spite of himself and shook his head, picking his cards back up. "I guess I'm in."

"That's what I like to hear," Race said with a grin as he finally picked up his cards. He took the butt of the cigar out of his mouth and tossed it aside. "Your girl, Skitts, she's a smart one."

"Makes up for the smarts he doesn't have," Stretch joked, cutting off protests from Skittery and Rachel (who were not a couple, according to them at least) as she sauntered over to the table, her tall, figureless form swaying as much as she could allow it. "Isn't that right, Glum and Dumb?" She walked past Race on her way to Specs and innocently dropped the still-glowing cigar butt in front of him on the table. "You lost that."

Specs held in a smirk as he watched Race quickly flick the cigar off of the rest of the deck of cards, his head soon turning to his girlfriend once she had taken her seat beside him. "Where'd you come from?"

"Well, some tell me I came from my mother," Stretch replied quickly as her elbows rested casually on the makeshift tabletop, pieces of blond hair falling into her face. "Or you could just say the girls and I decided to see what the three of you were doing. Isn't that right?"

Specs shook his head, unable to keep his rather wide mouth from turning up in a grin, Stretch simply looking casual about the whole thing. They had been together for a good six months and had grown into that comfortable stage, unlike the budding love of Kid Blink and Shooter, who she had guessed were the ones romping it up downstairs if it weren't for Shooter's more reputable reputation. No, things were comfortable, as evident when she took a drag from his cigar without question and played idly with his winnings.

"She's right," Talia agreed as she took a seat between Specs and Race, her hand reaching up to brush an auburn curl out of her eyes. "We didn't think that you'd actually be playing poker." It was really no surprise she had found herself alongside Race, the pair of them stubborn as mules, sarcastic as they come, but more loyal than anyone you could ask for. It was also no wonder she found herself curious at his current hand and his status in the game. Gambling, for better or worse, was another shared trait.

"Why wouldn't we?" Race asked quickly, a smug grin on his face as he quickly glanced over at Specs and then Skittery. Now they had no choice but to play! "Like I always say, no better distraction than a good girl, a good hand of cards, and a good smoke." He took one last look at his cards before setting them back down on the table. "Last chance to place your bets, boys. Specs, are you in or not?"

Specs lifted his head again, his glasses sliding back down towards the front of his nose. Honestly, he hadn't heard a single thing Race had said since Stretch and the other girls showed up. "What?" he asked as his hand idly slid over the cards that he had quickly set aside a few minutes prior.

"Your hand," Talia answered, an eager smile on her face as Race's free hand slowly crept around her shoulder. "Are you gonna play?"

"If I'm playing, you're playing," Skitts commented before handing Rachel a penny to put in for his bet. She tossed the penny in, her dark blue eyes bright with anticipation. This was going to be a good hand.

Specs sighed as he glanced over at Stretch, a pleading look in his eyes. Maybe she'd have some sympathy at least!

"Just play," Stretch replied with a shrug, her chin resting in the palms of her hands. After all, watching the boys play poker was a hell of a lot more fun than trying to guess who was making the incriminating noises that were currently coming from behind the locked door of the broom closet.

Defeated, Specs picked his cards back up and tossed in another cigarette, "I'm in."