CHAPTER 21: THE LAZARUS EFFECT, PART 6

The Green Eye is well-known throughout the city of Hillwood, but is not often thought about by its citizens, no more than you would think about the efforts of police or firemen keeping your own community safe. With the efforts of caped crusaders like the Green Eye and the Hillwood Heroes, people can safely assume their own lives in peace, not thinking twice about what sort of misdeeds go on around themselves.

Regular citizens are not alone in their own carefree attitudes; there are members of even the Hillwood Heroes that take advantage of this peace. Two such members are the Mauve Avenger and Flower Child, better known to the rest of the city as Eugene and Sheena. While not assuming their duties as their alter-egos or attending college to better themselves, they decide to spend time together as friends.

Here, in Eugene's own small home, they do just that. With someone as unlucky as Eugene, certain precautions are made for his own home. His windows have been filled with bulletproof glass, several first-aid kits and hand sanitizer bottles are stashed about the home, the walls are padded and the corners have been ground to smooth curves, silverware and plates are nonexistent in substitute of paper plates and plastic utensils, and any and all furniture is bolted down tightly.

Relaxing on one set of furniture, specifically his sofa, Eugene holds Sheena's bare feet in his lap, performing a full manicure and applying nail polish to the maintained toenails. With the toenails taken care of, Eugene pulled out a scraper to tend to her calluses, gingerly grinding away at the dead skin and exfoliating her feet.

"Mmm-mmm, honey, this is just not right. You are on your feet way too much for the kind of work you do. I feel like you're gonna get crow's feet on me before you know it." Eugene said.

"Geez, Eugene, you really think it matters?" Sheena asked.

"Oh, of course. I take personal hygiene very seriously. I know you've got your whole hippie background, but you're just too pretty to go like this."

Hearing the compliment paid to her so casually, Sheena felt herself light up ever so slightly, all to Eugene's obliviousness.

"Do you really think I'm pretty?" Sheena asked.

"Sure I do." Eugene said.

"Heh. Thank you."

"Heh-heh, look at us, on my couch, me giving you a pedicure on a perfectly good day like this. You'd swear we were still teenagers."

"We still kind of are; 19 is in the teens."

"Barely, but better than barely legal, I guess."

The joke had no true comedic value, but the two found themselves laughing out loud at his quip, as if they had heard one of the funniest things that had ever come to their ears. Their laughter was hearty, but soon came to a deafening silence once the laughter had subsided.

In her moment of silence, Sheena let her own thoughts fester, allowing a question to come to her lips and soon to be sent to Eugene's ears. Her own thoughts brought hesitation to the action of speech, but her own unresolved feelings for Eugene pushed her to ask anyways, though the end result left her confused whether she felt more brave or afraid for asking.

"So... Eugene... I, uh... Well..." Sheena stammered.

"Yes?" Eugene asked.

"I, uh... I was curious if you'd been seeing anyone recently. I mean, I know you haven't had the best of luck trying to find someone, but I wanted to just see if you, you know, made it or something."

"Uh, nope, not just yet."

"Not yet?"

"Nope. Still looking, though. I guess I'll always be on the lookout for a future ex-Mr. Horowitz. Of course, nobody's ever gotten that far with me yet."

"And... that doesn't bother you?"

"Not really. There's plenty of fish in the sea. There's got to be at least 2 million guys in this city, I've only had a handful, no pun intended."

Preparing herself to ask her next question, Sheena bit her lip, quivering ever so slightly before finally asking the next question.

"Let me ask you something. Have you ever... thought about... trying it with a girl?" Sheena asked.

"Mmm... No, not really." Eugene said.

"'Not really'?"

"No, never really crossed my mind to ask out a girl. I should've figured I was gay when that thought hit me, but, it didn't. Whatever."

"Well, I mean, if you've never really made it with a guy too far, maybe, don't you think you should try the other side? I mean, not that I'm saying you're not gay, or there's anything wrong with being gay or anything, but... You know, don't you think you should at least try it?"

Eugene found himself without an answer; his own carefree demeanor slowly diminishing under Sheena's question.

"Well... I mean... I've never really thought about it before. Just not something that interests me. I don't really like women in that way." Eugene said.

"But if you've never tried, how do you know you don't like them? I'm sorry, I just... I just want you to be happy." Sheena said.

Eugene had no answer for Sheena's question; unable to fully articulate the question enough to answer it quickly. Putting his focus back on her feet, he removed all thoughts of the question, now only concerning himself with the task of finishing his friend's pedicure.

Soon, Eugene had finished his work on her feet, giving the soles a light rub with a towel to finish his cleansing. Getting up off the couch, Eugene moved over to a stereo set with several lines of CDs, seeking out one particular album on his mind, and subsequently taking it off the shelf.

"What are you doing?" Sheena asked.

"Well, I got your feet looking nice and healthy again, how about we start moving those feet a little bit?" Eugene asked.

Taking his CD in hand, his copy of George Michael's Faith, Eugene inserted the disc into the stereo, waiting for it to begin playing.

[Soundtrack Cue: George Michael - Faith]

As the instrument of church organs began to rise in volume, the song had just begun, and Eugene took a moment to listen in before making his next move.

Once the sounds of acoustic guitar began to play, Eugene began shaking his hips to the side, holding his arms to the air. Following with the sounds of vocals and drums, he then spun to face Sheena, continuing to dance along to the song. Eugene's sudden and playful act seemed strange to Sheena, making her start to laugh at his actions.

"Eugene, what are you doing?" Sheena asked.

"Well, girl, sometimes I just need to cut a rug every now and then. I'm not always too keen on dancing alone, and you're right here, so let's make the best of it while we can." Eugene said.

Eugene reached out and grabbed Sheena's hand to pull her into his dance, but she protested his invitation with many laughs and playful slaps towards his reaches. Despite her attempts to remain in her seat, Eugene eventually got a hold of her hand, dragging her to the floor, and putting the two in a dance.

The two stayed in a dance for a good portion of the song, reaching up to the first chorus with their dance shared hand-in-hand. Once the second verse began, Eugene broke the dance off, instead moving on to a solo dance for Sheena to watch. Despite her face partially being covered to stifle her laughter, Sheena watched him continue on; her mouth stuck in a wide smile.

"C'mon, you go now. Your turn." Eugene urged.

"No, no, no, I-" Sheena tried to say.

"No, no, I had my dance, now you have yours."

"Okay, okay. This is what I got."

The second chorus began, which led Sheena to begin her own solo dance. While not particularly a professional dancer by any means, she still managed to hold her own, making good use of footwork along to the music. Her entry into the song was slow and slightly awkward, but she soon found the rhythm to the beat move her to it.

"That's it, you got it!" Eugene said.

Sheena continued on her solo dance until the end of the bridge of the song; putting more energy and enthusiasm into her performance. When her part reached its end, Eugene jumped back into the dance, taking her by the hands again and leading the two into another dance together.

When the third pre-chorus came in and slowed to a halt, Eugene leaned Sheena back, supporting her while looking back at her; each smiling towards one another. When the music picked back up and the final chorus came in, the two shared one last dance together, ending with the two holding each other in their arms.

[Soundtrack Cue End]

Still in the arms of Eugene, Sheena felt a security and warmness reserved only for the most intimate of relationships, leaving her wishing for this feeling to continue for much longer than this small moment in time. Feeling the warmth and the joy start to reach her mind, Sheena felt her most personal thoughts make their way out.

"I love you, Eugene." Sheena said.

Hearing these words from his best friend, Eugene's face changed from a happy and cheerful demeanor from their dance to a look of confusion and shock from this last message. Still trying to comprehend this sentence from his friend, Eugene released his hold on her and backed up, continuing to wear a look of confusion on his face.

"Wh-What?" Eugene asked.

"I... I love you, Eugene. I've wanted to say that for a while, but I haven't got the courage to say it until now. I've always really liked you, and, I know you're gay, but I really think that you and I could probably make it work. I know you're not happy, Eugene, but I can make you happy. Please." Sheena ranted.

"Huh?! I- Sheena, this is all real fast, I... Look, I don't think I can..."

"Eugene, you've had how many relationships that didn't work out? 10? 20? 30? None of them knew you like I do, and none of them were as good friends with you as you and I are. We've known each other for a long time, right?"

"Well, yeah, but..."

"Please, Eugene. I... I know I might be pushing this a little hard, but I've wanted to say this for a long time, and I just can't wait any longer."

"Listen, Sheena, I like you a lot, and you'll always be my best friend, but I just don't like women. I've never felt anything towards them. I can't-"

Before she could allow Eugene to finish his sentence, Sheena began stripping off her clothes, soon leaving her naked in front of her friend. The sudden act surprised Eugene to make him cease his own protest, and left him barely even able to come up with a sentence to comment on this situation he was in.

"Look at me, Eugene. Look at my body. I'm offering it to you. Are you sure you don't want it?" Sheena asked.

Utilizing his eyes while his mouth remained silent, Eugene looked up and down the slender build of Sheena's nude body; her small breasts and narrow hips, trying to at least think over her offer. Never before having any attraction to the female form, Eugene tried to find some connection or arousal from her body, but, despite his best efforts, felt nothing whatsoever.

Trying to get another reaction out of him, Sheena grabbed his hands and placed them on her breasts, making him lightly rub them. Her breath began to quiver under the act, leaving her excited and wanting more, but Eugene felt himself wanting nothing more than to put a stop to the act.

"Feel me. I want you. Don't you want me?" Sheena asked.

Unable to take the aggressive advancement from his friend any longer, Eugene snatched his hands away and turned his face from hers, trying to place his mind somewhere else other than this place and this moment in time. Letting his breath catch back up with him, his mind finally built up the courage to speak to her again.

"I... I'm sorry. I can't. I... I really need to be alone right now. Please." Eugene said.

With her advances ultimately rejected, Sheena quickly turned to tears, grabbing her clothes and crudely placing them back on, and rushing out of the front door while slamming it behind her. The affair was long over for Eugene in the physical world, but the mental realm in his own head found the complications of the affair still stuck in his mind.

Trying to sort these thoughts and feelings out, Eugene sat on the couch, thinking carefully over what to make of himself and his relationship with his friend.

Elsewhere in the city, a few other souls work their own way through the day as they try to earn their hard-earned pay. These two are Miles and Stella Shortman; the parents of Arnold Shortman. Far away from the Sunset Arms, the two pass their time working at Tucker's, a small-time diner downtown in Hillwood.

Working in the back as the line cook, Miles placed a stack of freshly-cooked pancakes at the counter, ringing a bell to signal its completion.

"Order 17: Stack of flapjacks with scrambled eggs and silver-dollar hash browns." Miles said.

Stella, the waitress for the diner, took the plate and began taking it to its intended customer.

"Anything else, sir?" Stella asked.

"No, sweetheart, thank you." The customer said.

"Alright, anything else, just let me know."

With the customer served and temporarily satisfied, Stella returned to the back of the counter, taking a moment to relax herself. Taking notice of his wife appearing in a slight form of distress, Miles reached out to hold her hand, giving her some physical comfort to aid her.

"You alright, honey?" Miles asked.

"Fine, just getting a little tired." Stella said.

"Well, our shifts are almost up, you just hang in there, we'll be home soon."

"I am, but we've still got other things to do back home. Rent's due to be collected, Chris said he's having problems with his internet, and I promised the Grossmans I'd help William with his history homework."

"I can take helping William if you like. You look like you've got enough on your hands."

"Really? Oh, thanks, Miles. I really need it."

"Hey, no problem. That's why I married you."

Giving a mutual smile towards one another, their moment of peace was soon interrupted by the ringing of the bell at the door, signalling the entrance of more customers. This new group of customers was a tall, well-built man accompanied by two others; all dressed in suits, fedoras, and sunglasses.

Breaking off their moment by kissing Miles' hand, Stella turned her attention to the new customers.

"Hi, go ahead and sit wherever you like." Stella said.

Taking Stella's request, the 3 customers, led by the tall one, sat at the booth, facing Stella herself. Pulling out menus for the 3 men, Stella gingerly handed the menus to each of them; subsequently stepping back and patiently awaiting for their orders to be placed.

"Can I get you gentlemen anything to drink?" Stella asked.

"Yahoo Soda." The tall man said.

"Same here." The second man said.

"Ditto." The third man said.

Walking to the soda fountain, Stella pulled out a trio of glass cups, filling each with a scoop of ice. With each glass full, she filled each glass up with the sweet, brown cola, stopping each filling of the glasses to let the carbonated foam settle down. Filling each glass as ordered, Stella served each man their beverage, which each of them promptly took a sip.

"So, are you gentlemen ready to order?" Stella asked.

The two lesser men waited for the tall man to make his order first; both looking to him in anticipation. The tall man took his time to answer the question, as he was far too occupied with his beverage to focus on the inquiry or to be concerned with anything else at that moment in time.

From the look on the man's face, it looked as if he had never tasted the beverage before in his life, or as if he had tasted the nectar of the gods itself. Feeling the sugary liquid reach his lips and tongue, letting it swish around in his mouth, the man let a smile come to his lips; behind it a sense of satisfaction not felt in a long time.

"Oh, sorry, miss, it's just been such a long time since I've had a good drink. You got some kind of special soda machine?" The tall man asked.

"Uh, no, sir. It's just a regular machine." Stella said.

"Hmm. Well, in any case, that is the best damn Yahoo Soda I've ever had in my life. I'm not sure what makes it so good, but it just is. I'm sorry, I've recently been out of focus on a lot of things in my life for a while, just taking some time to enjoy the little things again."

"It's quite alright, sir. As long as you're satisfied; that's my job."

"Yes, of course. Well, to answer your question, I will have the blueberry waffles with eggs benedict, please."

"I'll take the same." The second man said.

"Me, too." The third man said.

"Alright, coming right up. Miles, 3 orders of blueberry waffles and eggs benedict." Stella said.

Stella handed off a piece of paper to Miles, documenting the order of the 3 men and delivering it to him to make. Taking the piece of paper and hooking it to a string of other orders, Miles began cooking the eggs and filling a waffle maker with batter, readying the order.

"So, Miles and Stella, huh? I think I've heard of you two before. You're those two adventurers that went down to San Lorenzo, went missing, and got brought home, right?" The tall man said.

The sudden mention of this fact took Stella by surprise, making her look to the tall man as such.

"How'd you know that?" Stella asked.

"Read it in Time. Very interesting interview you did." The tall man said.

"Oh, that was a while ago. Well, we weren't adventurers, though; I was a botanist and Miles was an anthropologist."

"But you must've had a good adventure or two down there, right?"

"Well, I can't say no to that. I met my husband during my time there."

"Mmm, I love a good romance story. Bit of a sucker for them."

"Aren't we all?"

"Touche. You got any kids?"

"A boy, all grown up now."

"Same here."

Miles rung the bell for the order, signalling its completion.

"Order 18: 3 blueberry waffles and eggs benedicts." Miles said.

Putting a pause on their conversation, Stella turned to take the 3 plates, setting each down in front of them to eat. With these customers served and sated with their food, Stella began to make her way elsewhere, giving them some space to enjoy their meals.

"Well, here's your order, I'll leave you to enjoy. Just call me if you need something." Stella said.

"Hey, wait a minute, you got someone else to take care of?" The tall man asked.

"Uh... not at the moment."

"Well, then, why don't you hang here with us and chat? We were having a good conversation going for a minute."

"Oh, well... okay."

Stella stepped back to the 3 customers, facing with the tall one to continue their conversation.

"So, you were down in that jungle for nearly a decade or so, right?" The tall man asked.

"Yeah. Like I said, Miles was an anthropologist, studying the people of San Lorenzo, and I was a botanist studying the flora." Stella said.

"So what brought you to working in a diner like this? No offense; it's a nice little place, but, work like that, you should probably be out there doing some big discoveries, right?"

"Oh, that's long past us now; we're retired. We're alright financially, my husband's parents left us a nice amount of money, but we just needed something to pass the time. Not to mention, the extra money doesn't hurt. Besides, we were cooped up and asleep for a good chunk of our lives, it's nicer to be out and doing something else to make up for it."

"Staying busy; I like that. So, you must've had a tough time coming back to the world after that coma. What was it like readjusting to the world again after that?"

"Well, we were definitely in for a lot of surprises. Smartphones were the big one; I felt really old trying to figure those out."

"Heh. You and me both. I'm still trying to get a hold of them. I've been gone for quite some time myself, you see; not often I get to relate to someone else with keeping up to modern times."

"Oh, I understand. People often treat us like we're one step away from retirement homes."

"Yeah. Happens too often when you get old and the world starts changing around you."

"Well, like Bob Dylan sung: 'The times, they are a-changing'."

"...And that's how you know people like us are old."

Stella and the stranger shared a laugh, sharing a small bonding moment over the lighthearted joke regarding their generation. As his own laugh subsided, the tall man feasted on some of his food, taking several bites out of his waffles and eating half of his eggs benedict.

"Mmm... Mmm-mmm-mmm, that is good. You know what I love most about these 'All-American Breakfasts'? It's always so many different foods behind the plate, each with a different origin: Canadian bacon, English muffins, Dutch sauce, Belgian waffles, French toast, Irish potatoes; yet we call it an 'All-American Breakfast'. Know why that is? 'Cause America's a land of opportunity, and it's a melting pot of so many different cultures. We're all so different, but we all come together and we can offer the things we all have to each other to make something bigger and different. We live together, and we grow together." The tall man said.

"That's a beautiful sentiment." Stella said.

"My parents learned it first-hand. They were Italian immigrants. I was born here when they had nothing to their name but a restaurant. But enough about me, tell me about you. You say you got a boy?"

"Oh, yes."

"What's he up to?"

"Not too much; he just graduated high school not too long ago."

"Gonna move out soon?"

"Heavens, no. See, we live in a big boarding home called the Sunset Arms, and we own it and run it, and we've done so for a lot of generations. We inhereted it from my husband's parents, and, well, our family's always lived in it. Besides, he's also gotten back from a long trip himself, and we're not really all that eager to see him go yet."

"Mmm, I understand that very well. My boy recently left himself, and it wasn't that easy to see him go."

"Nope, never is."

"Yeah. You've sure got a lot of love for Arnold, don't you?"

The conversation that once sailed along pleasantly and smoothly quickly came to a stop with the mention of her son's name, with her face turning from a smile to a look of suspicion. At no point during their conversation had she ever mentioned his name at all, so, how could this stranger somehow already know his name?

"Who said my son's name was Arnold?" Stella asked.

"Well, from what I hear, he's not just known as 'Arnold'. By night, a lot of people call him something totally different. I hear they call him... The Green Eye." The tall man said.

Having finally gained her attention for a more serious turn to the conversation, the tall man removed his hat and sunglasses, revealing his full face to the waitress. The sunglasses and hat were but a minimal disguise, but they were enough to conceal the true identity of the man before he could reveal it, showing himself now to be...

"Oh, sorry, Nicky Russotti. Call me 'Little' Nicky." The tall man said.

Realizing that she had been associating with and even starting to bond with a notorious mob boss, Stella turned to surprise to instant fear; backing herself up against the edge of the counter. Despite Stella being totally mortified at the sight of the wanted man, 'Little' Nicky just smiled and gave a wave in gesture of peace.

"Please, Mrs. Shortman. Don't be alarmed. I didn't come here to start some trouble. Take it easy." 'Little' Nicky said.

"If you're not here for trouble, then what are you doing here?" Stella asked.

"Two things. The first: Breakfast. I've just been in prison for nearly a decade, not too different than you being in a coma down in San Lorenzo, and I've wanted to get the hang of things back here in the rest of the world. I wanted a nice, good, old-fashioned breakfast, and I wasn't looking for some cheap dog food like McDoogal's. So far, you have more than sufficiently filled that need, and you've done a grand job at it, too; this is the most delicious breakfast that I've ever had, same as that Yahoo Soda. The waffles are cooked to perfection, the eggs are just the right amount of runny, and the blueberries are fresh and tart. Your husband's quite a good cook."

'Little' Nicky took another bite of the waffles to illustrate his point, visibly enjoying his breakfast with a look of satisfaction on his face. Upon swallowing his bite and wiping his face with a napkin, the massive mafioso cleared his throat to speak his next point, letting out a quick deep breath with it.

"The second: I came to ask you do to something for me. See, your son recently stopped me from doing something I really wanted to do. I want you to ask him to let me have what I want." 'Little' Nicky said.

"What is it? What do you want?" Stella asked.

"I told you I had a son. Maybe you've heard of him: 'Big' Gino Russotti. He hired that... so-called 'supervillain' calling himself the Freak to fight your son, and then he shot him down. He killed my big boy. See, I watched it happen; I had a good set of security cameras around my old building, and they caught this little gem for me."

One of 'Little' Nicky's men pulled out a smartphone, playing a video on its screen. Watching the video play, Stella witnessed a room of Russotti Tower, where 'Big' Gino barely held himself up off the floor; covering his bloody stomach and groaning in pain. Standing over him was the Freak, holding a gun to his head.

"I want you to know something before you die. I'm not doing this just because I want your job. Sure, I'm gonna use your whole crime organization for what I need it for, because, as you well know, crime organizations are very hard to establish, no thanks to you. Hope you don't mind, since you're dying anyway. No, what you have to give me is just a means to an end. Do you know how I became the Freak? How I was born again? I saw the Green Eye on TV during his first night. I saw how he managed to inspire change in people's hearts. I saw how he made people want to be better people and actually make a big difference. And I absolutely hated it. I don't want things to get better. I like the violence. I like the hatred. I like the pain. I don't ever want that to change. That's what makes this city so beautiful to me. What gives it meaning to me. That's why I'm gonna burn it to the ground, just so I can knock Arnold off his high horse and show him how pathetic his little mission really is." The Freak said.

"Do you know who I am?! 'Big' Gino Russoti?! Son of 'Little' Nicky Russoti?! My father'll kill you for this, you psychopathic emo bastard!" 'Big' Gino said.

"I'm looking forward to it. I'll get to kill him, too."

The Freak put his gun to Gino's head, cocking the hammer back and gripping the trigger tightly with his finger, preparing to pull it.

"See ya." The Freak said.

"See you in Hell... motherfu-" 'Big' Gino tried to say.

'Big' Gino's last words were interrupted by the Freak's gunshot, sending a bullet through his head, and ending his life. The image of seeing the young man was haunting to witness for Stella, causing her to hold back tears for even this ruthless crime boss as he was mercilessly shot like a dog.

With the video shown, the henchman put the phone away, allowing 'Little' Nicky to make his next point.

"I watched my big boy die and I couldn't do a damn thing to stop it. Now, that piece of shit that shot my son is in a hospital bed; kept alive on tax dollars. What I want is to find this little bastard, and shoot him square in the head, just like he did my son... after I beat the living daylights out of him myself and make him beg me for the bullet. I sent a few of my men to pick him up, but your boy showed up and laid waste to my own men. All I want is to take revenge for my son and rid the Earth of this living cancer cell. You see on the news how all these little loser kids are starting to worship him and be like him; going out and killing people just for fun." 'Little' Nicky said.

"As opposed to people like you?" Stella asked.

A flare of his nostrils came to 'Little' Nicky in rage, but slowly subsided with the return of his patience.

"I... could see how you might compare me to someone like him. I'm no angel, but I'm the first to tell you that. You can say whatever you want about what I do, but I don't kill for 'fun'. Not like these people. If I off someone, it's because they got in my way. This man gets in others' ways, just so he can kill them. He's a wild animal. He's a maniac. That's not what I do." 'Little' Nicky said.

"No, you just sell crack to kids." Stella said.

"Not to kids. Only the junkies who need it. You might not like it, but there's always gonna be someone who wants what I sell. You can make anything as illegal as you want, but you won't stop someone from wanting it. Because of that, there's always going to be someone to sell it. That just happens to be me, and I just happen to be very good at it."

"I don't care what you call yourself, but you're not going to convince me to get Arnold to stop. Even if you did, there's nothing I can do anyway to convince him."

Realizing that he was not getting through to Stella on his arguments, 'Little' Nicky tried a different approach to his conversation.

"You know something about this place? A few decades ago, it used to be the Russotti Italian Restaurant. My parents owned it, and I worked here as a dishwasher and bus boy. I didn't get a lot of school, nor that much food. I made more cash working with the boss of the time, a man named Mr. Martin. I fell in love with his daughter, but I had to prove myself worthy to marry her to him. I worked my ass off in his business and I bulked up like hell, and I had a life as the new boss with her as my wife. She died while giving birth to Gino, and he was the only family I had. See, the rest of my family moved away and changed their names once I had my own street rep. I found out my parents died sometime later. Gino was all I had... and, now, he's dead. And the man who took away the last of my family is still out there. I know your husband and son are the only family you've got, and I know you love them. If somebody killed them, and you had the chance to kill that person, would you take it?" 'Little' Nicky asked.

"It's not my place to judge someone like that." Stella said.

"If not you, then who? You believe in a higher power? Something like that?"

"Not really. Miles' parents were Catholics, raised Arnold that way."

"Well, I'm of the belief that we all need to act as judge and jury, and, sometimes, executioner. Your son seems to take that part well, even if he won't kill. If he gets to judge who's good and bad, then what makes my need for the Freak's death any different?"

"I might not be the most religious person, but I can tell you that revenge is never worth it. Please, I can't help you, and I... I do not want to be associated with you. Please, just go."

Giving a slight nod to the waitress, 'Little' Nicky returned his attention to his food, quickly finishing it up while still taking just enough time to enjoy his breakfast. His two henchmen did much of the same; speedily chowing down on their food and sipping down their Yahoo Sodas.

In only seconds, the trio finished their plates, leaving them clean.

"Thank you again for the breakfast, Mrs. Shortman. It really was very good." 'Little' Nicky said.

'Little' Nicky reached into his pocket, causing Stella to step back in fear, believing him to be pulling out a gun or weapon of some kind. Soon, her fear soon subsided at seeing the actual item; revealing itself to be 'Little' Nicky's wallet. Opening the wallet, the crime boss pulled out 2 $100 bills, paying for his meal and leaving a very generous tip.

"Here, this should be enough." 'Little' Nicky said.

"No. We don't want your money." Stella said.

"No, no, don't give me that. You're hardworking people, and you deserve some decent pay for what you do. I've been where you are now, during much worse conditions; I know what it's like. Buy yourself or your family something nice."

Stella still stood motionless; refusing to take the money.

"Go on, just take it. I don't want anything from you, and I won't bother you again. I want to pay for the meal honestly." 'Little' Nicky said.

"Paying with drug money is your idea of 'honesty'? God, you talk about how much family means to you, but do you ever think about how many families you've destroyed with what you do?" Stella asked.

'Little' Nicky grew silent under Stella's words, as if contemplating on the concept she proposed itself. Soon, 'Little' Nicky simply laid the money on the table, leaving it to be collected later. Placing his hat and sunglasses back on, 'Little' Nicky readied himself to head out the door.

"I do, and it's not easy. Have a good one, Mrs. Shortman." 'Little' Nicky said.

'Little' Nicky and his two henchmen got up from their seats, beginning to head to the front door. Just before making his final exit, the massive mafioso turned to the counter one last time, giving Stella one last message sent before he departed from the restaurant.

"If you won't tell him to stop, at least tell me this for him: I tried to be nice, and I tried to work this out in a peaceful manner. I just wanted my son to rest in peace. But if it's a fight he wants, it's a fight he's got." 'Little' Nicky said.

Sharing his last message, 'Little' Nicky walked out the door to the restaurant, making his way out and heading towards wherever it was he happened to be heading at that moment in time. Watching his two henchmen follow him out, Stella felt herself relieved to see him gone at last, but in distress again at the final warning he left before departing.

Walking to the back into the kitchen, Stella pressed against a wall, her knees beginning to buckle, and she slid down to the floor in tears. Taking notice of his distressed wife, Miles knelt down beside her and held her head against his chest, gently stroking her hands to calm her down.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, what happened, baby?" Miles asked.

"Arnold... Arnold's in danger... He's coming for him... and we can't help him..." Stella said.