There are some very very minor spoilers for Now You See Me: The Second Act in this piece, but they are very minor and not noticable unless you have already seen the second movie (at least, I don't think they are). But here is your warning just in case. This was inspired by the very first scene in the new movie, but is set years before either movie.

Category: Tragedy
Setting: Pre-NYSM
Characters/Pairings: Dylan Shrike, Thaddeus Bradley
Rating/Warnings: T, death.
Summary: Ten year old Dylan Shrike confronts his father's killer.

Disclaimer: Neither Now You See Me or its characters belong to me.

The Funeral

The last time his mother ever saw his father was an hour before he left with Dylan for the Hudson. She had wanted to be there but was unable to get off of work. She was working on paperwork in the ER when she received the call and Dylan would never be able to erase the memory of returning to their small apartment and finding her weeping over his father's trunk of tricks. Dylan had cried all he could at the river, and so he simply sat with his mother as she cried throughout the night. They waited for word of the body being recovered, but none ever came and the best anyone could figure was that the current had swept the safe somewhere downstream. When his mother heard this news, she lost herself to her grief, but Dylan had no more tears. He sat silent at his mother's side as she fought to regain control and began to make the necessary arrangements.

The funeral was held two days after on the banks of the river where it had all gone so wrong. With no body to view, mourners and curiosity seekers laid flowers in the river and expressed their condolences to the grieving widow and her son. Lionel Shrike had never made it back into the spotlight after his tricks were exposed, but thousands came to pay their respects and say farewell to the magician who had once affected so many. As person after person marched by to speak with them, Dylan simply stood at his mother's side and remained silent while his mother cried and thanked each and every one for coming.

The majority of the day was spent on that riverbank and eventually the ten year old couldn't handle it anymore. Leaving his mother's side, he made his way through the slowly thinning crowd and took a seat on the same steps where he had watched his father die. Alone, he watched the murky water slowly flow by and began to count, his hand holding tightly the watch his father had given him just three days before. When he reached three hundred, he began again. The sun was beginning to set and he had lost count of how many times he reached three hundred and with each count he almost expected to see his father break through the surface of the water and laugh at him and ruffle his hair like he would after every successful trick. He had reached one hundred seventy-three when a familiar voice broke through his stupor and he turned to see the tall man standing alone in front of his mother.

"I am truly sorry for your loss, Mrs. Shrike."

"Are you, Mr. Bradley?" His mother's voice wavered with barely concealed emotion. "My husband is dead."

"If I had known what would happen I…" Bradley's voice choked off and he bowed his head.

His mother bowed her own head and took the television star's hand in her own. She offered a faint smile and spoke quietly.

"I know, Thaddeus. Thank you."

Dylan wasn't even aware he was running until he had reached the two. Without pausing to think, he launched himself at the older man who stumbled backward but managed to catch them both. Dylan didn't hesitate but began to beat Bradley with his fists, screaming:

"You killed him! It's all your fault! You killed my Dad!"

"Dylan!" his mother was there in an instant to pull him away. "Dylan, stop!"

He did, but his fists remained clenched at his side as he glared defiantly at the man who had ruined his father and all but forced him to his death. His mother kneeled beside him with her arms wrapped around him, but Dylan had eyes only for the man who simply stood there with a blank expression.

"You killed him." Dylan repeated with as much hate and anger as he could muster as his eyes filled with tears he refused to shed. "It's all your fault and one day you'll pay."

Thaddeus Bradley said nothing, but nodded once to Mrs. Shrike who gave a quick nod of her own. He met the boy's eyes for a moment before looking away quickly and turned to melt into the crowd. Dylan watched him go and it wasn't until he was sure the man was gone with no intention to return. Then his knees gave out and he buried his face in his mother's shoulder and cried.