Note: I HATE polo shirts lol. So for this fun (but difficult) chapter, I'm using it to my advantage.

"Hey kid! I have to question! What's with the violent aggression? Details blurry, lost him too early. Welcome to the family!"

Alley, 9:21 am

"Nice rims," Jack mumbled as he approached a sleek, silver BMW and stopped to eye them more appreciatively. Where Tooth was fond of birds, Jack was fond of fast cars. But when he kicked the wheel slightly with his boot, the vehicle's sensitive alarm system went off and echoed across the dirty alley.

Jack rolled his eyes and bent under the front of the car to trip the wiring from the fuse box. When it stopped, he pulled back up and kept moving while Tooth nervously followed in tow.

There were cars parked into every available spot on the tight street and the two of them weaved around them heading to...well, Tooth wasn't sure where but Jack kept flitting his eyes up and around. She bit her lip as his fingers twitched at his side and he clenched his jaw.

"Come on Jack," she grumbled nervously. "This isn't funny, why are we here?"

Jack didn't say anything as he scanned the alley, searching for something. When he spotted what he was looking for, he moved around several vehicles and went toward it.

"I'm getting you a passport," he simply said but when Tooth decided to jog up to see where he was going, she froze.

"No," she raised both eyebrows, "you look more like you want to start your own spice garden!"

Indeed, as she crossed her arms, Tooth watched Jack kneel in front of a large wooden crate filled with different herbs and green plants. He narrowed his eyes as he scanned each one.

'Thyme - call for a hit'

'Cilantro - smuggling operation'

'Rice stalk - break and enter'

'Coriander - weapons exchange'

Finally, he reached into it and plucked a tiny stem from one of the clusters.

When he stood back up, Jack walked toward her and held it out for her. Tooth grasped it and twirled it in her fingers.

It was a four-leaf clover.

"Hang onto it," he said curtly and she blinked up at him.

"Why?"

"Because it's the thing that's gonna get you out of this country."

"Seriously?" she started to say but Jack had already spun around and kept scanning the alley for...something else. So Tooth just sighed and placed the clover behind her ear before she fluffed her hair and moved forward. Suddenly, Jack paused for a second to look up briefly then made a high jump at the wall.

A second later, he pushed off it and used his hands to catch the bar of a rusty fire escape ladder nearby.

She gasped. The ladder was nearly invisible against the rest of the steel hanging from above and Tooth wouldn't have noticed it if Jack hadn't been looking for it. He swung tightly and with controlled momentum, pulled himself down to the ground with it in front of Tooth. After he made sure it was secure and stared up, he clambered up a few feet before he twisted down to look at the princess.

Jack narrowed his eyes.

"Well, what're you waiting for?" he snapped insinuating that she follow him up the steel ladder. "Or would you rather stay down there and wait 'till the other guys show up?"

Toothiana snapped her head up at him, eyes wild.

"What other guys?!" she cried and Jack rolled his eyes as he continued to climb. She gulped and grasped its rusty bar fearfully. Tooth wasn't afraid of heights, far from it, but she didn't like knowing that as usual Jack liked to keep things from her and drag her wherever he felt. Still...staying down in the alley surrounded by all the morning silence and shady cars was even worse. So after a moment to compose herself, Tooth breathed deeply and climbed up the ladder slowly, taking her time with each bar and her footing. She was also a little self-conscious about going up a ladder in a skirt.

By the time she finally got to the steel balcony of a third floor apartment complex, Jack was standing there with his arms crossed. His stance annoyed her.

"What?!" she snapped.

"Congratulations," he said deadpanned. "I'm a hundred years old."

Tooth looked up and gave him a rueful smile.

"You know, you're probably ten times more fun when you're drunk," she bit out and Jack narrowed his eyes.

"I don't drink. Sobriety's essential for a spy's mental clarity." When she finally got to the last bar, he held out his hand to pull her up. She mumbled a 'thank you' but when she righted herself, she shot him a look.

"Well, you would know since you suck the fun out of everything," she said sweet-as-sugar and went to pat his cheek but Jack caught it and pulled it back down. She rolled her eyes.

As she smoothed her dress, Tooth stared ahead of her. The balcony lead to a steel-trapped door with strange Viet marking carved into it. She narrowed her eyes and translated the wording.

"L-Leprechaun's Den?" she breathed nervously.

"Don't make that booze comment around any of the guys, alright?" Jack stated offhandedly as he pulled his glove on more tightly and flexed his fingers. "Otherwise, you'll get pushed out of your comfort zone."

And before she could open her mouth to argue with the idiot that had already happened hours ago, Jack pounded on the door twice with his fist. Seconds later, the door opened and a grumpy looking Vietnamese body builder was staring down at the two.

Jack leaned his arm against the frame and smirked up at him.

"Remember me?"

And Tooth was shocked as she watched the doorman's eyebrows shoot up into his greasy hair.

"J-Jack!" he sputtered in a thick accent and quickly stepped to the side to let Jack through. He didn't say another word as the shorter, skinnier man brushed past him.

Jack didn't tell Tooth to follow but she trailed behind and stepped in after him. When the bodyguard closed the door behind her, she felt a powerful blast from the air-conditioning system wash over her. She shivered and took a look around the new place nervously. It lacked the beautiful sunlight that was outside.

Tooth instantly felt her anxiety skyrocket.

The apartment floor had been expanded into one room and there was crude rock music pounding faintly through high speakers. Dirty men were lounging around everywhere, drinking hard liquor, smoking, and spitting at each other. Two men in the far back beside the grungy bar got into a brawl and glass was thrown, smashing against the walls. When she flicked her gaze down ahead of her, she saw several men counting wads of money and crossing what looked like drugs and guns across their dirty wooden tables, and when they saw her eye them, they shot her dark smiles. Tooth's hair on her neck shot up like lightning rods.

It was a thug hangout! Jack had brought her to a heavy gangster den where every person in the room looked like they belonged on a police wanted list. She went to reach for Jack's forearm but remembered what happened earlier when she touched him while he was angry and on edge.

So instead, she leaned up as high as she could to his ear.

"It figures this would be your kind of place," Tooth muttered bitterly. "You got me all dressed up for criminals?!"

"Welcome to my world," Jack muttered as he pointedly lifted his eyebrows. He soaked in the cool air and flexed both his hands as the AC blew frigid wind into his face. Jack then grabbed her wrist and confidently moved across the floor.

It was all Tooth could do to clench her jaw behind her closed lips and give the back of his head the dirtiest look she could muster. She really wanted to wring his neck!

That's when a scrawny guy with bloodshot eyes suddenly flew into Jack from the punch of another idiot. Jack actually chuckled under his husky breath and caught the loser.

"Come on fellas," he smirked and dropped him on the floor. "It's way too early to get a party started."

When the skinny guy turned to see who had dropped him, he sputtered.

(Vietnamese) "E-Ey! It's Jack!" he gasped and suddenly the whole room grew quiet. Tooth's eyes widened as she felt all the testosterone settle on the two of them. The rest of the criminals got up from their tables and sauntered in a large circle around the three. As Jack walked over him and held out his hand for her, she nervously eyed the shaking man at her feet. But when he looked up at her expectantly, Tooth glared back and hopped gracefully over his body. When she crossed over him, Jack slipped his arm around her waist, showcasing his relationship with her and the two walked together.

Tooth surprisingly thought nothing of it. She just really wanted to rub her arms for comfort but kept them stiffly at her sides.

All the while, she kept her eyes and ears open, listening to their hushed tones.

Tooth was deeply, deeply terrified of all the heated gazes on the two of them. 'Shady!' she cried in her head. 'Everyone is shady, shady , SHADY! Including Jack!' But she decided that pretending to look like she owned the place over looking scared was necessary. Otherwise she knew they'd try to use it against her. So with her best Jack-imitation, she kept a cold look on her face as she continued to follow him. And for added measure, she lifted her chin and tried to be the epitome of royal authority, even if none of the men knew her – and they didn't.

(Viet) "That kid's back," they mumbled hotly under their breath before one nodded at Tooth, "Who's the girl?" And when Jack flashed him a look they snapped their heads sideways. "Don't-Don't look at him, idiot!"

They remembered the last times he'd shown up. The den held underground pit fights four times a month and Jack mysteriously appeared out of nowhere and participated each time. Everyone bet against him since he was the new 'skinny, American guy' and they didn't think he'd last long. But after twenty rounds, he kicked all their asses and killed three of their cheaters. But he didn't take the money, he just wanted to prove a point – and he did. Since then, every guy in the hangout knew the name Jack Frost and didn't mess with him when he arrived.

They weren't sure where he came from and why he kept coming back, and in his dark, blue shirt and police belt, they feared that maybe he was a corrupt cop. Jack meanwhile had a smirk on his face, unfazed by the pair of eyes in the room. He was actually enjoying the atmosphere and took a deep breath, taking in the smell of muscular stupidity and black market activity. Having been trapped alone with (and yapped to death by) the colorful princess for the past twenty-four hours nearly drained him, but being back in the grit and grime of criminal lowlifes kicked up his spirits.

That's when a voice in a dark corner of the room rang out.

"Jack Frost...Well, ah'll be damned," mumbled a man leaning back in his chair behind a table. He had a small crowd of bodyguards standing around him. Tooth saw he was carving a block of wood with a knife. "Comin' a wee bit early, arnae ye?"

As Jack neared the man's table situated in the back of the room, he let go of Tooth and discreetly pulled a gun out of one of the bodyguards' holsters. He then quickly slipped it into his belt.

"Hello Hue," Jack addressed the man and flashed a grin.

Jack was smiling. Smiling. Tooth couldn't believe it. His perfect teeth lined up handsomely against his pale lips and the brightness nearly blinded her. She really wanted him to turn so she could faint with happiness.

It's just...too bad it wasn't for her–and it was SO not the time to think like that!

Tooth fisted a hand into her skirt as the heavily accented voice spoke up. She couldn't see his face due to the lack of lighting in this one corner.

"You miss me?"

"Miss ye?" the man scoffed. "Ye devil, ye cost me thirteen men last time ye showed yer face in–" He stopped when his eyes fell on Tooth.

He spotted the green plant behind her ear and raised an eyebrow.

"What business ye have with me?" he asked slowly.

Tooth suddenly felt Jack's hand press against her back. She tensed up but then he pushed her forward slightly.

"Show him the clover," he mumbled under his breath. Tooth shakily reached up and pulled the green stem from behind her ear. When she showed it to the group, the man stopped his carving and counted the leaves.

He then nodded.

"Aye...this conversation's not fer th' whole room." Then with a rise of his fingerless glove, the man gestured his posse to move.

"A business matter, lads!" he called out then he got up and beckoned the two into his office. As the man's bodyguards dispersed, Jack and Tooth followed him into a smaller room in the back.

...

Inside the Leprechaun's Den, 9:27 am

Tooth gulped and narrowed her eyes. She twirled the tiny stalk in her fingers.

She already figured out that 'Hue' or whatever his name was, was the boss in charge, the Leprechaun no doubt. When he was comfortably sitting in his chair at his computer desk, he spoke up again. She still couldn't see his face because the only light came from a lamp on his desk and it was twisted downwards.

"Sae," Hue spoke to Tooth as Jack closed the door behind her, "Ye want a new identity?"

Tooth's eyes widened and looked down at the clover.

"W...Is that what this means?" she asked as she lifted it up to catch some light. The silhouette of Hue's head tilted.

"Ye mean ye didnae know comin' in ta ma den?" he asked coyly and Tooth felt a shiver creep up her neck. She shot Jack a suspicious gaze as he came to stand ahead of her. When Hue saw Jack ignore her and cross his arms, he smirked.

"Ahh...tryin' to play th' part of th' handsome, mysterious hero, are ye?"

Jack narrowed his eyes into slits but didn't reply. So Hue chuckled and continued.

"Is that why ye enter in ta ma tournaments and kill off all ma men? To impress th' lassies? How dae ye think 'at makes me feel, knowin' ahm short a good supply fer th' upcomin' season?"

Jack gritted her teeth.

"Well then, get new ones," and Jack raised a hand above his head dismissively. "I'm not even here for that anyway."

"Well, obviously. It canae be fer another fight since all th' men are still shakin' in their boots..." Then he eyed Tooth. "Sae it must be because of th' wee lass over there."

Tooth fisted her hands at her sides but otherwise stood straight and alert. Hue flashed her a smirk.

"Th' name's Hubert, madam," he said coyly, nodding his head to her, but she wasn't about to show him any fear. Tooth narrowed her eyes cautiously.

"A-Aren't leprechauns supposed to be Irish?" she mumbled loudly and Hue rose his eyebrows at her bravery to speak. He grinned devilishly as he pointed his block of carving wood at her.

"Keen ears, dearie," he continued to speak in his thick, Scottish accent, "But th' men here wouldnae know th' difference anyway. Heh, ye ever dance with a Scotsman before?"

But she clenched her teeth and didn't reply back. Jack averted Hue's attention with an unchanging glare. He took a step forward.

"You want me to enter as a contender again?" Jack asked but the man scoffed.

"Again?" he said. "Ha, ye'll run me oot ma bloody business with all th' bets th' men make!"

Hue then moved out of the chair and around the desk. He walked into the only light above Jack, finally illuminating his face.

"Yer good, lad," he said, "but too good."

That's when Tooth saw his face.

Hue had a deep voice but when the light hit him, she realised he was only like...a teenager. Maybe a few years younger than her and Jack, he was probably nineteen. He was taller than Jack by a head and was slender from what she could tell by his dark, ruddy jeans, sweater, and trench coat. He had fair skin and rosy cheeks sprinkled with freckles. And when he scratched his hand into his thick curly red hair, she caught his mischievous (though somewhat bloodshot) blue eyes land on Jack.

"Ye'ver gonna tell me where ye learned those moves?" he asked but Jack frowned. All his cheekiness washed away instantly.

Touchy subjects were better left untouched.

"You ever gonna let me get on with this business transaction?" Jack bit out and Hue crossed his arms.

"Ye got th' money?"

Jack crossed his arms too. "Why the hell would I march in here if I didn't?"

Hue paused for a second before he sighed heavily and moved to lean against his desk. He then looked down to calculate on Jack's request. Meanwhile, Tooth exhaled through her nose anxiously, waiting for his answer. So that's why Jack wanted them to come here. She gulped as the room feel silent until finally after a while, Hue glared back down at Jack.

"Hae ye...found anythin' of ma brothers?" he asked instead of answering.

Jack stared at Hue sternly, his brown irises boring into the Scotsman's blue ones. He then shook his head.

Hue didn't say anything but Tooth knew from his stiff posture that he was disappointed. He started carving his block of wood again as he concentrated on it vehemently. Hue began to shake his head.

"They're still oot there somewhere. And ah canae do what ye dae," he muttered darkly but Jack was unfazed. "Remember with ye...background, yer ma best chance at findin' them. Ah canae lose them like ah did ma sis–"

"You don't have to say," Jack cut him off starkly and Hue looked up at him. Jack nodded. "I told you. Anything on the name 'DunBroch' that shows up and I'll track it."

Hue stopped carving. He chucked the block of wood on his desk and when he turned back around, he looked over at Tooth and lifted his eyebrows.

"Nae Jack, dae me one better," he offered and that's when Tooth noticed...Jack's back stiffen slightly.

"What?" he growled but he watched as Hue (not so discreetly) pressed a button under the ledge of his desk. A red light came on from the ceiling and as Hue blew a low whistle, his office door opened.

Tooth and Jack whipped their heads around to find several of Hue's bodyguards, maybe more than ten, quietly move into the room. As they circled the two, Hue flipped his knife in one hand before he continued.

"Let's play a game, ah know ye like games, Jack," he said, wrinkling his freckled nose. "It's called 'Get Away With Murder'. A set o' pranks ah used to play it with ma brothers and ma sister when we were wee lambs. But since ahm a grown man now–"

"Pfft, hardly," Jack scoffed and Hue stepped up to Jack. He stared down the shorter man with a dark look.

"Donae come in here at nine in th' morn and expect ta be treated like th' prince ye are after dark," he bit out. "'He that winna be ruled by the rudder maun be ruled by the rock.'"

Jack lifted an eyebrow.

"Ancient wisdom?" Jack said coyly as he flexed his right hand.

"Nae, a highlander's warnin'," and Hue narrowed his eyes, "Sae th' rules of th' game hae changed since then."

Jack then flicked his brown eyes at Tooth's dress before he brought it back to the redhead.

"What do we need to do?"

"Not 'we', just ye," Hue pointed his knife at Jack. "Ah'll give th' lass new prints, a passport, an entirely new fabricated identity...but first ye gotta knock down more men than th' record?"

Jack lifted his eyebrows briefly.

"That's it?" he asked and Tooth couldn't believe that didn't faze him. "Well, what's the record?"

Hue grinned. "Whatever yer record was before."

Jack frowned but after a moment...he finally smirked.

"Eight," he stated and Hue gave a one-shoulder shrug. "Fine," he said, "eight."

'EIGHT?!' Tooth snapped in her head. Jack knocked out eight men in a circle!? But she couldn't relax on the thought as Hue suddenly signaled the men to move in on them.

When she stepped back cautiously, Jack huffed tiredly and stepped around Hue to stand in front of Tooth. As he backed into her slowly, Tooth subconsciously lifted a timid hand to place on his shoulder. Jack looked up at the younger redhead and found him lifting an eyebrow at the princess.

"Pretty lass, ain't ye?" he teased with a smirk and Tooth glared annoyingly. She hated when men eyed girls like a toy so she stood her ground defiantly...but she would admit though that she didn't like that he was still holding his knife and twirling it playfully. Jack narrowed his eyes.

"No names, remember?" Jack said starkly but all Hue did was chuckle and shrug again.

That's when several of the men behind her chuckled to themselves and began to mumble softly. They were speaking in Malay so Jack couldn't understand but Tooth's ears were ready for the listening.

(Malay) "She must be his prize," they teased darkly as they checked her out.

"Can't blame him," another chuckled. Tooth squeezed her hands into her fist into her dress and the other one into Jack's shirt.

"Cute little ethnic thing like her, I'd take her for a ride t–ARGH!"

Tooth growled angrily and removed her foot from between his legs. Several men froze, stunned but suspicious that she even knew what they were saying. When he fell to the floor holding himself, Tooth bent down to give him a dirty look. She gritted her teeth.

"Not even if we were the last two people on earth," she spat. When she pulled back up and turned her head, she found Hue giving her a surprised look.

Jack had his eyebrows lifted and she shrugged, sending him a beatific smile. She shrugged as if to say 'what?' but the other men didn't find it as funny and they turned her attitude around.

Suddenly, one of the other men moved forward and wrapped his arm around her neck.

Tooth's mouth flew open–

But Jack pulled out his gun and clicked the safety off so fast, the guy's bearded face turned pale. Jack's gaze was lethal as he pointed it right between his eyes.

"Let her go," he ordered callously just as another man beside Tooth started patting his pants.

(Malay) "H-Hey! He stole my gun!" he growled but he and the others were still nervous. Tooth's captor unconsciously tightened his hold around Tooth's neck. She panicked.

"Jack!"

And he actually pulled the trigger.

But when the click went off, no bullet was fired.

Jack pulled it back instantly and gritted his teeth. He checked the rounds...it wasn't loaded!

The man who owned the gun suddenly turned red with anger.

(Malay) "It wasn't full?!" he spat, "T-That red-haired bastard gave me a blank!" And as he spoke, the rest of Hue's men checked their own guns (which he had just given them new this morning) to find them empty of bullets too.

They glared at their boss, but Hue shrugged as he twirled his knife.

"Ahh th' black market," then he shot a cheeky look at Jack. "Such a mistrustin' business, aye Jack?"

The other men growled and as Tooth's captor shoved her away, they all advanced on both Hue and Jack. They didn't like to be conned out by a skinny nineteen-year old. Hue raised his hands.

"Calm yerselves, lads!" he grinned darkly and Jack backed up to stand beside him. He sent them a cold look before his gaze flew to Toothiana across the short space of the room. He narrowed his brown eyes at her.

"You see the shit you put me through?" he said and Tooth snapped.

"The shit I put you through?!"

"Yeah," Jack spat as the men finally surrounded him and the taller redhead. Jack's fingers twitched, "Now I've got to do it the hard way."

And a second later, he threw a straight punch at the guy on his side with the back end of the empty gun.

"Oi!" Hue shouted. "It's too early fer shite like 'at, Frost!"

And the next thing Tooth knew, all the men were throwing themselves at Hue and Jack and the entire brawl became of flurry of fists, grunts, and dark clothes.

She balled her fists at her sides as she heard the two laugh.

"ARGH MEN!" she fumed and screamed when one of Hue's men was high kicked (by Jack) into the wall beside her. She couldn't believe Jack was showing emotion here of all places!

Hue placed his knife between his teeth as he fought his own hired help. He chortled at Tooth's comment despite the chaos that was going on.

"Jack!" he cried as he kicked two of his own men in the gut. "Where's 'at finesse ah keep hearin' aboot?!"

A bodyguard hit Jack in the back with a barstool but when the brunette recovered instantly, he kicked the guy down. Tooth almost yelled out to him when another guy suddenly appeared behind him and grabbed both his shoulders but Jack reacted quickly and twisted downwards. Jack laughed.

"It's right here, Hue!" he yelled back and when he twisted back up around to face the other goon, the guy had managed to pull his polo over his head and down his sleeves. Jack caught the ends of his sleeves at the last second and held onto it tightly as he moved forward to kick the guy in the stomach.

"Argh!" When the guy bent in pain, Jack twisted the length of his shirt's sleeve around the guy's neck and spun him into his chest. Hue saw the move and laughed out loud.

"Hah! There's Jacky fer ya fellas!" he commented to his 'buddies' and Jack smirked when another thug moved in to get him. Tooth's mouth fell open as Jack simply kicked him in the shin and when the thug threw a punch, Jack twisted his other sleeve around the idiot's arm. For kicks, Jack threw an elbow strike at the guy who was still trapped against his chest. He then twisted the final length of his shirt around the second thug's neck and tied them both together. The two hobbled awkwardly in their contorted knot and growled angrily but couldn't get to Jack.

When he stepped away from them, Jack laughed and showcased it to Hubert.

"You wanna do the honors?" he shouted over the noise and Hue swooped in to punch both men in the face. Then each turned back to the rest.

After that, the fight lasted about fifty more seconds.

All of Hue's hired help ended up holding their sides and leaning on the walls. They didn't try to fight back again – everything about Jack Frost was still true. The guy was virtually untouchable and while Jack rubbed his eye and smirked, Hue sported a split lip and wiped the blood away with a knuckle.

Both were breathing heavily, trying to catch their breath as the adrenaline began to wear off.

"Ahh, ma Da woulda been proud..." he chuckled as he looked at Toothiana's shaking form. She was the only person who still looked presentable in the whole room. Jack flexed his fingers and turned to stare at Tooth.

"See the mess you caused," he grumbled before he ran a hand through his hair stressfully.

"ARE YOU INSANE?!" Tooth screeched and her voice was high from embarrassment. She was trying not to entertain the fact that Jack was shirtless and his (dyed) brown hair was striking against his maple eyes and pale, white skin. He looked like he was made of marble to her and could be the muse for a modelling agency. So instead, she averted her eyes to the crumpled men, cheeks pink and sputtering.

"IT WASN'T...AND I...WH–No! NO!" When she landed on the one she'd kicked in the balls, Tooth pointed heatedly. "It was his fault so don't you DARE blame me, Jack! Now go put on a shirt!"

Wait...

...what?

Tooth snapped her mouth shut as her face grew hot. She wanted to ground to swallow her up as both men eyed her.

That last part wasn't meant to be said out loud.

'TOOTH! How could you...and they...but he–GAH!' Her mind couldn't take it.

Tooth frustratingly turned and kicked another guy in the nuts beside her. When he cried out in more pain, she crossed her arms like a stubborn princess. "Well?! Hurry up! YOU'RE BLINDING EVERYONE!"

Jack rolled his eyes at her less-than-polite request and moved to his backpack while Hubert wiped his brow and laughed.

"Ye got lucky, Jack. Ah like her," he pointed out and Tooth squeezed her arms more tightly around her as the wind from the AC blew against her.

When she huffed angrily, her blue-green feathered earrings rustled under her curling hair. She kept staring at Jack's back, feeling like a freaking pervert but she couldn't help it – he had that slim, toned body of a competitive swimmer! And where did he get that long scar from near his torso?

Jack huffed pointedly as he pulled out another shirt, a dark blue, cotton shirt and buttoned up the front. He stopped when there were only two left, exposing his throat again before he quickly shoved the length of it inside his pants.

"You really shouldn't," he muttered as he rolled up the sleeves the way he seemed to liked it and Tooth chose to ignore that comment as she inwardly fainted. She couldn't tell a soul how much she'd just loved seeing him get all brute-strength-perfect-body-smooth-pale-skin-shirt less on her...even though she was probably sure it was splashed all across her face.

Tooth decided that was THE LAST time she entered a bar with Jack.

As her skin was fighting down a flush, Hue smirked at Jack's comment. Then finally, Hue gestured at both of them to walk over to his desk.

"Alrigh', fine come on," he sighed. "Let's get this done with before she castrates all ma men...She's almost as bad as ye, Frost." Hue then turned to his men in the room.

(Malay) "Oi! Ye lot get oot! Jack's done playin' with ye fer th' day. Only Kwong an' Tai ah need!" he barked and they somehow understood through his accent and left the room in pain. The men that Jack had tied around with his shirt stumbled out awkwardly until only two of Hue's new bodyguards stepped in and stayed.

A brief flash of frustrated relief washed over Jack's features before he walked toward the desk and on nervous toes, Tooth crossed the room to join. Hue's men locked the room's door and went back to their own business in a small group by the corner, leaving their boss to his customers.

As Hue went around his desk and started up his systems, Jack crossed his arms, serious as always. Tooth tried to ignore him and stared down at Hue's desk distractedly.

She saw what looked like an old photograph of Hue and who were probably his other siblings. He had two other identical brothers and they looked like they were about four in the picture. In the corner was written Hubert, Harris, Hamish. That's when she also noticed there was an older girl with bright, red curls holding the triplets all from behind.

Tooth frowned with a sinking feeling in her gut. They looked like a beautiful family...and Jack was looking for them for him.

She cast her gaze up at him quickly before he saw it. Jack didn't look like he wanted to talk as he moved to brood silently against the wall, eyeing the other men across the room. He was flexing his fingers and Tooth bounced her flats nervously.

She couldn't lie...Jack's new dark, button-down shirt looked better on him. He looked business-casual (minus the leather glove he still wore on his left hand) and blue was definitely still his color. Then Hubert spoke.

"Sae how dae ye want it?" he asked and she blinked.

"Sorry?"

Hue lifted his head with a handsome smirk, eyeing her teasingly through his bright, ginger hair. "Ye wanna be from here? Same age? New occupation? Yer a student nae doubt?"

Tooth nodded. "Y-Yeah," she replied and Hue began typing with a crease in his forehead.

"Donae worry. Ah'll come up with th' rest...Sae ye want ta be married ta him?"

"Um..." Tooth rubbed her neck, feeling uncomfortable but when she threw brooding Jack one more gaze, she glared. "No, thank you."

And when Hue flicked his clear, blue eyes at Jack (of who was rubbing an eye and not paying attention to either of them at the moment), the redhead chuckled darkly.

"Aye, ah can see why."

After a moment the two fell into comfortable silence and Tooth shot him a surprisingly small (but still nervous) smile. She vaguely wondered why this guy was all the way out here in Southeast Asia, doing shady business with a bunch of crooked men who probably didn't understand what he said half the time. She also really wanted to ask him about the girl in the photograph and his lost siblings since she felt like she would...be able to relate at the current moment.

But as he placed the knife between his teeth and kept typing, Tooth thought it was better not to ask.

...

Hue's desk, 9:54 am

By the time they were finished and she had a whole new identity, the princess had kicked the other two bodyguards in the nuts.

They hadn't been in the room earlier so they unfortunately didn't get the memo. Jack had already figured it out – when you provoked Tooth's size, strength, or gender, she fought back like a kitten.

As Hue and Jack stood at the side of the desk mumbling to each other under their breaths, Tooth leaned against it as she read her new passport and stared at her picture.

Hubert was really good at making illegal IDs...it looked authentic and he'd done it so fast! Granted she had to practice writing a new signature for a couple of minutes, still, she couldn't believe she had a fake identity. She never had one before and had always heard of girls getting ones to go clubbing early but she didn't like the club scene so never entertained the idea of needing a fake ID.

But she gulped bravely anyway. So long as this got her one step closer to finding BT and stopping Pitch, she'd be someone new.

That's when Jack's head suddenly appeared by hers. He was glaring down at her passport and her picture. Tooth scrunched her face as she read it again. She fiddled with her feathered earring thoughtfully and fidgeted on the balls of her feet.

"Are you sure 'Katie Chopra' suits me?" she said out loud.

Hubert popped up on her other side. He had finished carving his block of wood and was holding the figurine of a bear.

"It's nae supposed ta, lass" he said. "Th' more generic th' name, th' better."

And Jack nodded to her but she frowned.

"H...How did you do it?" she asked. Hue shrugged.

"Got a lad in th' Auss who designed th' program," he mumbled thoughtfully. "A damned 'ElectronicAlpha: Status-Type Existence Rewriter Egg' he calls it...but like shite ah care whit it is, so long as it gives me business. Ah donae even know if th' man's real."

And Tooth nodded but thought it unsettling that Hue would trust a guy to make him a passport design program when he didn't even know who he was. As she thought to herself, Hue tilted his head at the brunette.

"Oi Jack, ye didnae ask. Dae ye want a new one too?"

Jack reached into his pocket and pulled out his IDs.

"You think I need it?" he asked cautiously as Hue took the IDs and stared down at them. After a moment he shook his head, his red curls bouncing across his forehead and handed it back to Jack. Tooth tried to read Jack's ID as it passed her line of vision, but it moved too quickly and all she got was the surname.

Bennett.

She raised her eyebrows delicately but neither boys noticed her.

"Nae, they're still good...but hang on," Hue said before he quickly reached over to his desk and pulled out three more passports. He handed them to Jack.

"Two blanks an' another ghost just in case those fail," Hue mumbled and Jack nodded, "Punch ma star code on a phone and get ta th' nearest online printer an' ah'll send ye new IDs alrigh'?" He then glared. "But ah'd really rather ye donae."

Jack rolled his eyes before he paid Hue the amount for the Tooth's new IDs. As he unlatched his police belt from his waist and gave it to the redhead, Jack spoke again.

"You know what to do with this, right?" Jack was referring to it while Tooth looked on nervously.

'Why is he giving him his weapon belt?' she wondered, but she didn't ask because the two seemed to understand the connection. Hue nodded firmly as he lifted it.

"Donae worry. Ah'll get a guy ta dae it," he said, then as Tooth turned, Hubert reached out and took hold of her wrist. She spun nervously to face him unsure of what to do before he pressed his lips to her hand.

"It was a pleasure, Kat," he mumbled charmingly with a smirk. Tooth gulped but she shot him a nervous smile regardless before she slipped out of his hold and moved to Jack. He let her rush pass him to the door.

When he turned to look at Hue, Jack gave him a hard look and the Scotsman returned the gesture.

"Okay now get th' hell oot ma shop. Ah hae more men comin' in an' ah donae want ye gettin' in ta a figh' with th' girlie here."

And Jack nodded and put his IDs and hers into his pocket, then he put on his backpack.

He didn't say goodbye or thank you, just abruptly turning to the door but Hue didn't seem to mind since he'd already turned too. They were strictly business partners...and yet as Jack took hold of the doorknob–

Thunk!

Hue's carving knife suddenly lodged into a poster on the door beside his head.

Jack spun to glare at the Scot but Hue was glaring back.

"Ah learned that from ma sister, sae donae forget our deal...Ma sister may be dead, but ah still want ma brothers found, Frost."

And Jack spared him one more glance before he opened the door and stepped outside.

Tooth decided not to look back as she followed. That was the last time she ever saw Hue again.

...

Main bar room, 9:59 am

Jack and Tooth moved across the large bar room again.

"We've only got half an hour, so let's get moving," Jack muttered.

"I know, Jack," she bit out and she followed close behind him. They both had different things on their minds so neither said a word to each other after as they moved quickly across the dirty floor, while Jack was busy scanning the room and its men.

That's when someone reached out and grabbed Tooth's hand and yanked her back. She yelped.

Jack spun and found one of the bar's regulars drunkenly pulling the princess close to him. Tooth shuddered disgustingly.

(Viet) "Hey lady, how about a dance?" he breathed and she felt herself go stiff until he pulled her gold chain around her neck.

That's when Tooth reacted.

She lifted his other hand and bit down on his grubby wrist with her white teeth. As he pulled away in pain, Tooth jumped back just as Jack moved in around her and threw a right hook to his jaw. When the guy wheezed out and stumbled back, Jack nudged him with a gloved finger and pushed him down back into his chair.

"Hey!" another guy yelled and moved up to throw his own hook at Jack. Jack caught it swiftly and twisted it sideways before he slammed the guy's head onto a nearby long table and dragged him across it. The guys head smashed into all the glasses on top and he cried in pain as Jack pushed him off the end.

Jack sighed angrily and ran a hand through his hair before he spun to face the room.

Suddenly he sensed something and when a shadow moved out of the corner of his eye, Jack reacted on instinct.

"Wh-Who is...no how did he...Wait, where'd he go?...Dammit where'd that bastard va–CRACK!"

As the memory faded, Jack's palms lifted themselves from the ears of the man – the same man who'd gotten up again to move at Tooth. He'd just snapped the man's neck and the guy fell like a heavy sack to the floor. The body made a dull thud when it hit the bar floor and everyone in the room fell deathly silent. No one had seen that coming and as Jack rubbed his eye with a frustrated snarl, Tooth just stood there with the rest of the guys completely still.

Jack exhaled a controlled breath but was unsure of what had just happened. When he turned to face Tooth, the men moved away from her general area and pretended to ignore the two of them. Toothiana's eyes were wide as saucers and she had her hands clasped around her mouth...she'd seen Jack shoot men but never...

Her heart skipped a beat and a wave of nausea passed through her face. She didn't say a word but Jack could see her feathered earrings shake at her earlobes and he frowned.

"That wasn't..." he mumbled and looked away. He missed when Tooth shook her head.

He didn't...didn't (somehow against her moral judgement)...need to apologize to her for that.

He then gave the room one more scan with his brown eyes before he calmly walked back to her and pushed the princess towards the door. She was about to move away from his touch when she stopped herself. Jack looked placid, but something about the way his fingers touched her arm...told her different. He looked like something had just disturbed him and he couldn't stay.

"What is i–" Tooth started to say but Jack cut her off.

"Keep walking," he muttered under his breath as he pretended to look ahead. "Don't look back."

"W-Why?" she breathed. Her heart rattled in her chest as they glided to the door.

"Because one of Pitch's men is here," he whispered. "And I think he just recognized your necklace."

And indeed, as Tooth looked down horrifically, the rainbow feathers from her chain were jumping on the outside of her dress.

Neither realised that the time was already 10:03 am.

Chapter soundtrack: "Welcome To The Family" - Avenged Sevenfold (Thanx Finmonster fer helpin' me with ma Scottish dialogue! Fin's currently writing an amazing Brave-HTTYD crossover called 'The Dragon and the Bow')