The guys talked with the most enthusiasm they'd felt in over a week at Medda's penthouse - especially after holding it in all day and eight cups of coffee with sugar. They were worried, they were nervous, but David's plan…it just might work.

"Jus' hope she knows bett'ah than ta drive up in her Charg'ah," Racetrack said between bites of pizza.

"Sharin's carin', asswipe," Spot said as he reached for a piece between Race and Mush.

They were gathered around the kitchen counter with Jack and David, their shoes discarded by the elevator door. Medda was still at work but Kat had been there all afternoon - Medda insisted they use her townhouse any time, day or night. Medda felt safe knowing they had her door code.

Kat's sketchbook lay open and forgotten on the couch, sketches of Kid Blink on the pages. Soft images of him in blue and red colored pencil, thinking, laughing…

She tried to be as positive and supportive as she could, but…

She glanced at Jack, who was watching her. She swallowed and gripped the sleeves of her thick knit sweater, his gaze steady on her.

They all had the same worry.

"I'm sure she will take every precaution," she said, looking down at her wine glass. "…Tiffany looked petrified when we saw her today. I don't think she'd risk anything, especially her best friend, if she thought there wasn't some chance for success."

"Honey's open minded and has dealt with crazy before, I know she can handle it," Mush said confidently, waving off their paranoia.

Racetrack scoffed. "'Hey Honey, I'm from the flippin' 1800s an' old as dirt!' Yeah, I see that goin' ov'ah great –"

Mush crushed his beer can and threw it at Race –

"Boys!"

Spot shook his head, "This better work, David."

"Let's just hear what she tells us, first," David said a little defensively. "I'd rather not tell her about our crazy reality yet, if it can be helped…"

"How can we not?" Mush questioned, staring at the slice of pepperoni in his hand. "How are we gonna tell her that Wilks knows who Tiffany is from a different life without tellin' her about us?"

Kat thought for a moment and shook her head. "She'll think we're mad."

"We are," Jack huffed.

"Come with us tonight," Spot said with an excited glint in his eyes. Kat's grew wide when she saw he was talking to her.

"Yes!" Mush perked up.

"No way," Kat dismissed them quickly with a wave of her hand as she turned to refill her wine, trying to hide the spike of anxiety she felt tightening around her lungs at the idea. "That would ruin what little chance we have –"

But her voice rose higher as she back peddled and she could feel the assholes smirking.

"Did you all forget I worked there for a week?"

"I think it's a brilliant idea," Racetrack said with a full mouth.

"No, not brilliant, stupid."

They snickered and David cleared his throat, "maybe not completely stupid -"

Kat wrestled the cork out of the bottle. "Honey will recognize me instantly, and with our luck, she'll think you're double agents or something -"

"She may be inclined to believe us more if you're there," Spot said with a clever smirk as she walked past them to pace 'casually' in front of the wall of windows.

"Beautiful, smart, also has an accent -" Mush mused.

"Believability," Racetrack added.

"Because we're both from the UK?" she asked incredulously, her eyes panicked. "You're basing her believing you on the fact that she and I are both -"

"Passionate to save people? Absolutely," Spot said quickly.

Kat felt her mouth pop open in surprise and they laughed warmly, even Jack.

"C'mon," Spot went to her and grabbed her arms. "You know you'd rather be with us than up here all alone."

She glanced at her sketchbook. Her thoughts swirled around the same images of him every day, the same dreams she had about him every night…

"This plan is for Kid too, ya know," Spot said gently.

She looked at Jack.

He gave her a small understanding smirk. "I'm tired of seeing him as the bad guy, too."

The others nodded in solidarity. She looked back to Spot.

After a moment of debating in her head, and losing, she grumbled and drained her glass. "Fine."

They cleaned up and left a note for Medda at half past ten.

But they couldn't sit still at the pub either: they took turns smoking in the alleyway, joked with the few regulars at the bar, played billiards and darts. They brought Conner leftover pizza.

It was a slow night because of the storm coming in, and Conner had plenty of time to notice the change in the guys' usual light demeanors, despite their restlessness.

"...need a shot, Jack?" Conner asked as he slowly polished a glass.

Jack leaned back on the bar and sighed as he watched Race and Spot play darts.

"Probably," he muttered as he checked his watch for the tenth time that hour. It was a quarter to midnight.

Conner set a fat one on the bar behind him. "Ya look like you're at your own funeral."

Jack turned around and smirked. It was certainly how he felt. But he didn't care about himself. He never did.

Because of his wild idea to take her out for her birthday, she lost her freedom. The one he wanted to protect most was out of reach. Again. The same thought went round and round in his mind and he felt drained.

He dropped his eyes. None of it felt right. It echoed of the past but felt so much bigger now.

He downed the shot of whiskey and kept his eyes closed for a long moment as he felt it burn down his throat. "Dames, man."

"Say no more," Conner said as he tilted the whiskey bottle over Jack's glass and poured himself one too.

Kat stepped up and drained her beer. She put her empty pint glass on the bar and Jack smiled as he tilted his head to her.

"She needs a double."

Conner smirked and poured again - they clinked their glasses and tossed them back. Kat made a face and Jack laughed, temporarily forgetting.

Snow began falling heavily outside, and David brought it in with him when he opened the door. He came to the guys in the back. Jack didn't look up.

"She here?" Spot asked as he and Mush moved to their favorite booth.

"Not yet," David breathed. He set his bag on the table and took off his gloves. "Bum and the others said they'd keep an eye on things outside."

"Good," Spot shoved David down into a seat and handed him a pint glass. He eyed Jack. "Now ta get mommy and daddy to make up."

Jack and David's eyes met for a second. Kat nudged Jack and he gave her a pointed glare.

Mush, Spot, and Racetrack turned back to their dart game as David slowly stood and took his beer to Jack's elbow, sat down, and looked at Kat. She nodded once before taking her glass and joining the others.

David closed his eyes and sighed, "Jack, I know I fucked up -"

"Royally," Jack said evenly, finally looking at him. "Ya confided in these assholes before comin' to me. I'm fucking insulted."

"'ey!" Spot objected as Racetrack let a dart loose. He cursed as he missed and Spot and Kat laughed at him.

"Could you blame me?" David challenged softly, reading his friend's strong face. "I didn't want to keep it from you…but I didn't want to worry you more either."

Jack thought for a moment. "Yeah well…I fucked up royally too." His eyes softened on his friend's face. Good ole squeaky clean David. "...for not trustin' ya."

David exhaled and Jack hit him on the back.

"We're good, Davie…jus' don't do it again."

Conner put seven shot glasses down and David smiled a little at Jack.

"I think the bartender's tryin' ta get us drunk," Spot said with a smile behind Jack.

"Good thing we live jus' a few stumbles that way," Racetrack said as he lifted his glass. "To being mad."

Kat huffed again and they threw their shots back.

"We'll have what they're having."

The guys' heads turned in unison to see Honey's hair bouncing towards Mush and a blonde guy behind her -

"Tyler?" Jack wondered aloud.

"Who?" Spot asked with a narrow glare.

"Who's tha pretty boy?" Racetrack echoed behind them.

But Mush didn't care and didn't hear any of them - he held Honey for a long moment before pulling back to look at her face. She smelled and looked so good, as usual, but her eyes and cheeks were wet.

She buried her face into his shoulder and he enclosed her in his arms, squeezing tight. He felt her soft sobs against his chest. He kissed her neck and she sniffed as she composed herself, wiping her puffy eyes.

Jack stood and her eyes welled up again at the sight of him.

"She's ok," she choked out the words, her Scottish voice hoarse and full of emotion. "She's…holding it together."

"Barely," Tyler said honestly as he stepped forward and shook Jack's hand. "There's no time to waste, lover boy. Hi fellas, I'm Tyler."

Spot looked at Jack. "He clears out?"

"Definitely," Jack murmured, smiling a little. "He's their friend."

"I think you're – the most beautiful man I've ever seen," Racetrack said with a hint of wonder, slightly stunned and confused at Tyler's perfect complexion and pretty eyes.

Spot eyed him suspiciously. Jack, David, Kat and Conner laughed at them.

Honey hit Tyler in the stomach. "Please, don't inflate him."

"Drinks?" Conner prompted.

"Please," Tyler handed him a credit card. "We were sweating like farm animals on the way over here – haven't been this nervous since the spring recital of 2012."

"You're a dance student too?" David asked.

"So…are all of NYU's dancers models?" Spot asked Honey, who rolled her eyes.

"Oh I like them," Tyler said as he carried a double shot of scotch and double shot of tequila to the booth.

"You weren't followed were you?" Mush asked as he touched Honey's elbow.

"Nope, thanks to Tyler's -"

"- piece of shit Toyota," Tyler finished with a grin.

Racetrack laughed. "Alright, he made me laugh. He can stay."

"I missed you," Mush murmured next to Honey's ear. She turned and kissed him.

Honey's tired smile fell when her eyes finally landed on Kat. Her energy bristled just as Kat expected. The others fell quiet, and Kat gave the guys a look, telling them 'I told you so'.

"You worked at the club," Honey stated, her eyes narrowing. "...you're a student?"

Kat nodded slowly. "Yes…Tiffany and I had some classes together this semester."

Honey's gaze slid to David who held up a hand almost in surrender.

"I promise: we'll explain everything."

They all slid into the booth, the dim lighting and empty tables offering them privacy. Jack and Spot stood sentinel and waited patiently as Honey took a deep breath. Mush held her hand under the table. She looked at Racetrack and David across from her.

"We only have an hour before Jade and Kiki get home, and I promised we'd be back before the storm." She glanced at the windows and watched the snow for a moment. She swallowed and dropped her eyes, her hand tightening on Mush's fingers. "I…We're risking a lot by coming here…even her life," she whispered.

Understanding and silence fell over them. Jack kept his head lowered as his arms tightened across his chest.

"I know," David said slowly. "But I think we can help her."

"How?" She almost sounded hopeful.

David eyed Tyler before continuing. "Well…first, is there anything we need to know?"

"Plenty," Tyler scoffed. Honey gave him a look and he licked his lips. "She just clued me in. There's…a lot of moving pieces."

"She's escorting five clients this week." Honey recited. "She's made it through three... and they each place bets on her." She swallowed.

Jack moved stiffly, turning his head and averting his eyes from the table. He wanted to punch something.

"Like she's a fuckin' horse," Racetrack said tightly.

"Her 'presents'," Spot murmured, recalling Boots' account from the ambush.

Honey nodded. "The last one is the night of the gala."

"Wilks," Jack said tightly.

Honey looked up at him, seeing the hatred in his face.

"You said he knows who she is. How do you know that?"

The guys looked at each other. Tyler watched them carefully.

Jack squeezed into the booth next to David.

"Because he's not who he says he is," Jack said, his eyes unwavering on her face.

Honey's eyes flashed with fear and awareness and Jack was sure she was thinking of the reading she had given him on Halloween: someone isn't who they say they are.

Honey shook her head and held up her hands, "wait, wait, wait. Before anything else is said, you need to know about Agent Martin -"

Spot's cool calm demeanor dropped like a sack of bricks. "Agent?"

"The feds are involved?" Racetrack hissed as he leaned across the table.

Honey was a little surprised by their reactions. "We've been working with Agent Martin exclusively for over a year –"

"Her 'internship'," Jack said, piecing it all together. He felt hot beneath his clothes. "Christ, no wonder -"

"He's a good man," Honey pressed.

The guys laughed bitterly and Spot went to the bar, hitting his hat on the bar in frustration. Mush looked sick. Kat closed her eyes.

"It's his job to lie," Racetrack said as he shook his head. "Ta get whatever it is he's after - hurry up, Spotty I'm drowning over here -"

"He only cares about his stack of paperwork," Jack said, holding Honey's eyes across the table. "They don't care what happens to her."

"He does," she retorted. "And he wants to talk to you."

Jack's expression hardened. "You told him about us?"

Honey nodded. "I had to. He asked who you were. And he said he needs to talk with you immediately."

Spot laughed darkly as he set down a tray of full shot glasses. "This jus' keeps gettin' bett'ah," He slid shots across the table. "We're all going to jail -"

David ran his fingers through his hair, trying not to freak out.

"Feels like a horrible Lifetime movie…" Tyler murmured.

"Wait, Feds could be a good thing, right?" Mush asked Honey. "They can get these guys - you can get these guys."

"Did someone jus' drop ya on ya head?" Racetrack asked hotly. "Did ya get a sudden case of fuckin' amnesia?"

"They're probably all in cahoots with each other," Spot muttered angrily. "Playin' us like damn fiddles, jus' like before -"

"Tiffany can make a difference," Honey said gently. "She can succeed. But not without tangible proof."

Jack fumed in his seat as he glared at the snow falling outside the window.

Honey leaned towards him. "Please, talk with him. She's in so deep, I'll do anything it takes to keep her safe. It's why we're here with her, it's why we use cover names."

Jack turned and his eyes locked with David's. They looked like a lightbulb went off between them.

Honey read their suddenly bright expressions - "What?"

Spot leaned on the table, thinking. "So…maybe he doesn't know who she is…not in this life anyway."

Kat saw the worried glance exchanged between Honey and Tyler -

"She can play dumb," Mush mused.

Tyler's eyebrows knitted. "That's what I said...but -"

"She can keep 'im at bay," Race added, lost in thought. "...she's still in danger."

Honey looked at Mush carefully. "...'this life'?"

The guys froze.

"Look," David began slowly. "What we know… it's going to sound crazy."

"Crazier than you knowing Cage?" Honey challenged.

Kat's breath caught. Honey noticed.

"Yeah," Mush said sheepishly. She rounded on him, reading his face.

"We're askin' ya to trust us," Jack said. His eyes were still dark on her face. He didn't like feeling trapped. "Hear us out, an' I'll talk to 'im."

Honey's eyes slid to Kat at the head of the table.

"...try not call the looney bin on us," Spot said as he leaned against the booth, dragging his hand over his face. "Though we should probably be in there ta be honest -"

"You know Cage too," Honey's voice was more curious than accusatory.

Kat's throat still tightened. "Yes. But by a different name."

Honey exhaled as she looked at the young blonde, closing her eyes. "You love him."

Kat felt breathless. Was it that obvious?

"I remember you, at the club," Honey said slowly, remembering. "You looked heartbroken -" She looked up and met Kat's eyes. "We thought you were taken."

"I love who he was," Kat whispered. "This is not who he is."

Honey sighed heavily. "How in the hell -"

"All we ask is for one chance," David pleaded.

Honey thought for a long moment and looked into Mush's eyes again before deciding.

She looked at David, her back rigid straight. "Alright."

David pulled out the purple book from his bag…Honey's brows knitted at the title as he thumbed to a page.

Tyler watched intently as he sipped on his tequila, his bright eyes flashing between everyone's faces.

David met Honey's skeptical expression. "Have you ever done readings…on a room?"

"On a room?" Honey repeated, glancing at Mush. "Like…reading its history?"

"Yes," David slid the book to her and pointed to a passage. "I've read - and correct me if it's bullshit - that with someone's astrological chart, it's possible to do a past life reading on them."

Her eyes cut back to him. "...Yes."

"What if…you did it from a room of a person's past?"

Honey's questioning glare deepened.

David glanced at Spot for encouragement as he continued. "...a room from a person's past life?"

Honey abruptly let go of Mush's hand and met Jack's heavy gaze. Her voice was venomous. "This is your idea of helping her? I told you I won't do it -"

"No, not for Jack's dead girlfriend -" Racetrack said quickly, muttering an apology to Jack's glare. "- it's for Jack."

Honey and Tyler's expressions dropped. Everyone was still as billiard balls burst in the background and laughter floated over from the bar.

Honey read Jack for a long uncomfortable moment and her eyes slowly softened…she saw he hadn't been sleeping either.

"...well this is unexpected," Tyler whispered, his eyes frozen on Jack.

"Better hold on to your ass," Spot huffed.

Honey thought about their words and spoke slowly, holding Jack's eyes with hers. "...you mean to tell me…you know a room from… a past life?"

Jack nodded.

"...and, somehow, it connects to what's going on now?"

"It connects to everything going on now," David said evenly. Her eyes wavered on his face before flashing back to Jack.

"You said...you'd seen it before," she murmured, her eyes examining Jack as if for the very first time. He looked tired, the kind of tired that stretched over months, years... She looked at the others. She saw it in their eyes.

Jack leaned back and drained the rest of his pint. He set the glass down and stared at it, thinking. The guys were sweating around him, despite the winter temperature outside.

"I can either tell ya about it…or you can see for yourself."

Honey and Tyler looked at each other. He laughed darkly and shook his head as he reached for a shot.

"We are in too deep and I am too hooked to turn around now, sister."

She watched them carefully as they each took a shot glass and threw them back, an unspoken deal forming between them.