Welcome Home

"Rocky, he's here!" Riley exclaimed as she ran to the front door. Outside, I rolled the car to a stop and shut off the engine. Rocky quickly followed my sister outside with his hands in his warm coat. Opening the door, I held out an arm for Freckle to hold onto. He could now walk… sort of. Elsa said the muscles were repairing themselves nicely and the chance of serious infection was minimal. By his side, I helped him shuffle himself to the porch where Rocky was quick to take his cousin's other arm. Together, we helped him into the house.

"Welcome back, cousin. Getting stronger every day I see!" Rocky said.

Freckle looked around at the house, quickly noticing a bed in the corner along with a dresser. "What's all that about?"

I shrugged my shoulders. "We figured it would be easier for you we moved some of your stuff to the living room."

"Yeah, now you won't have to climb so many stairs!" Riley said.

"Although, I don't think you'll be able to get much privacy for a while." I added. "Still, it's only until you're strong enough to get up and down the stairs safely. Then your old room will be waiting for you. In the meantime, don't be doing any work that puts too much stress on you.

"Thanks guys." Freckle said as he settled into the couch. Joseph came out from the back with a surprise for his 'uncle'. Rocky slapped his forehead when he saw what Joseph brought out. "Of course, I almost forgot. Thanks, buddy. Freckle, we figured you could use this in the meantime."

Joseph held Freckle a familiar cane. "That's the one Viktor had."

"Yeah, we found it down in the Lackadaisy." I said with some sadness in my voice. "He never got to use it much and it was collecting dust behind the bar."

"It suits you more, cousin. Blackthorne from the Isle. And nothing is more terrifying than an Irishman with a shillelagh."

"It's a walking stick, Rocky. Unless, of course, the farm still isn't safe. So, where are you guys on that?" He looked up at me with serious eyes while patting Joseph on the head.

"They know who I am and they know I'm alive." I explained. "But Giannola and his gang are busy chasing after us in the city. We've already hit their five biggest warehouses and freight depots. I've also taken… precautions around the property. So best stick to the beaten paths."

"You booby-trapped the farm?" Freckle asked with some concern.

"Eh, I wouldn't say that, exactly. Tripwires, downed trees in important locations. We got some curtains up to block the windows pointed into the trees. And Rocky found a good place to stash vehicles, so the front drive looks disused. Rocky climbed onto the roof and put a spark arrester over the chimney so that no one could see the cinders at night. We're trying to use different routes as well so that it's harder to track our comings and goings. That's why we took the 'scenic route' from Defiance. But the main key is going to be keeping up the appearance that I am hiding out in the city."

Freckle seemed to stare past us like he was looking at something below the window across the room.

"What, still worried?" I asked.

"No… That all sounds good. I hoped that this would all be over before I got back here, though."

"It's okay, cousin. We've only got one night left to plan for the speakeasy. We're looking at New Year's Eve to have one last celebration. But you don't ever have to pick up again."

"We'll see…" Freckle replied. "So, what now?"

"Now? Do what you've been doing, Freckle. Rest. Let the kids entertain you. Move about a bit to keep the muscles strong. Fiddle around with little things here and there." I suggested. "So long as you aren't straining yourself, you should still be able to do whatever you want."

"Oh." He replied, sounding disappointed.

"What? I thought you would like to sit around and not have to do anything for a while. If you want, I do have some smaller projects you could still do around the house. The door knob isn't quite lined up right, a couple of cabinet doors could use tightening up, and if you put the kids to work, we could get the firewood stacked on the back porch and by the fireplace."

"That sounds fine, but I had a couple of things I wanted to do. One should wait for a while longer, but the other could be done today if its not too much trouble."

"Just name it, cousin! I'll be happy to help."

"I'd like to go see Ivy. She wouldn't be upset seeing me like this, right?"

"Freckle. She saw you split open on an operating table and within an inch of death. You standing there on your own two feet is what she's been praying for." I said.

"Come on, Freckle. I'll get your coat." Rocky said, rushing over to the coat rack.

"I assume you'll be back for dinner."

"Can I come too, Rocky?" Joseph asked.

"Are you okay with the kid coming with?" Rocky asked me.

"You don't need my permission, Rocky. You're the one who's in charge of the kid, which means you get to make the decisions."

Rocky smiled, patting the boy on the shoulder. "Then in that case, I think it's a splendid idea. We'll go find something to do while uncle Freckle and aunt Ivy are 'visiting' each other."

"Hey, I don't think I'm up for that." Freckle retorted while I chuckled.

"All in jest, cousin. Okay, boys, let's go."

Freckle was instantly more mobile with the cane, though he still moved like a little old man instead of the strong Irish lad he was weeks before. It would be a long road to recovery for him, but Elsa said that he'd be nearly back to full strength before Christmas. The rest… well, only time could tell if he'd fully recover. Just because the bullet missed vital organs doesn't mean that it didn't do damage. Muscles and nerves could take years to fully heal, if ever. But I had seen people bounce back from worse injuries, and that boy had the strength necessary to eventually put this all behind him.

As the car pulled out of the driveway, I slumped into the couch from pure exhaustion, feet on one end and head resting on the arm rest on the other. I hadn't properly slept now in three weeks and the reserves of stamina I had built up in the copper mines and the battlefield were spent. Still, I had to muster something because I soon found myself as the backrest for Riley who curled up by my side.

Dracula

"It's been a while since it was just the two of us, hasn't it?" I commented, rotating on my side to give my sister more room to sit. "How has school been? Hopefully the three week streak of showing up is paying off."

"School is okay. I'm excited for Halloween!" She said. "I even found this in Mrs. Casewell's library." She held out a book for me to look at.

"Dracula? I think that book is meant for kids a little bit older than you."

"It's about a vampire, right? That doesn't seem so bad. They turn into bats and fly around at night."

"The vampire is the villain. A cold-blooded killer who stalks the night in London. The hero is a vampire hunter, Van Helsing. Huh, well that sounds familiar…" I commented.

"Familiar, how?"

"It's nothing."

"Is it because you're a killer?" She said with an innocent tone.

"Killer? Well, yeah, I've killed people. But I wouldn't call myself a- where did you get that idea, anyway?"

"Nick found a copy of that book you keep in the box under the bed. He said you've killed a lot of people in France."

"That wasn't how it—never mind. This 'Nick' doesn't know what happened."

"Are you like Dracula?"

"I- no, I'm nothing like Dracula. You'd have to read the book first. I haven't read a lot of books, but I did read that one in school. It will make more sense if you wait until you're older. You don't understand what happened in France. That whole war, it's just… I don't suppose you found something else to read, have you?"

"We could read that book."

"No. It's fiction anyway. Just like Dracula. Most of the stories in it are made up. If I had known what the author was going to twist it into then I never would have agreed to an interview. Although, my CO might have ordered me to…"

"What's a CO?"

"Commissioned officer. CO's lead military units full of enlisted soldiers. Some volunteered, others were drafted."

"Were you an officer?" Riley asked as she laid down and rested her head on my arm.

"Ha! I wish. Would have gotten better food then. No, I was drafted. That's when the government tells you to fight. Just boys though, you don't have to worry about that. Our brothers were upset, I remember having to say goodbye. You were just a baby kitten, so I told them to watch over you. When I finally got back after the war, you were walking! They taught you to walk." I said while stroking her hair.

"So you didn't want to go, but the government made you? But you were in a war? What if you… oh. Is that why you don't like talking about it? Because you might not have come back?" Worry and sadness spread across her young face.

I took a deep breath. Sooner or later she was going to start figuring this stuff out on her own anyway, so I shouldn't be too surprised. Even so, the thought that I might not have been in her life at all was a bit much for Riley to take in. That same thought haunted me for years but most of the time I was able to keep it in the dark recesses of my mind. I had been lucky enough to live through that terrible war and my reward for that was being able to experience family life, even if the tragedy of our first family falling apart sent Riley and I in a new direction and toward a yet uncertain fate.

As for my answer, in times before that alone would have been answer enough, but it wasn't the complete truth. "I guess you're old enough to understand now. Yes, I was terrified of dying in France, Riley. I thought of our family every day. I had a friend named Derrick. We went to school together and worked together, you wouldn't remember him. He died in my arms…" I said, tightening my grip on my sister. It was more for my security than hers as I let myself feel that terrifying experience once more.

"You know I was part of the Lost Battalion. That was the worst week of my life, Riley. We pushed too far into the German lines and got cut off."

"Why did you do that?" She asked, staring at the fireplace while trying to imagine what it must have been like.

"We were ordered to not take one step back by General Pershing. The Americans, French, and British were trying to invade Germany and end the war. After nearly four years it was the only way to end the fighting. So we pushed on and got surrounded by the Germans. They hit us with everything they had. Riflemen, artillery, snipers, machine guns, bombs dropped from airplanes… everything. Even our own side was shelling us. They didn't know we had pushed in so far. One shell hit our hole and killed this guy named LeBlanc. He had been doing some voodoo magic to keep us safe.

Well, that magic failed, assuming it existed at all. Derrick died wishing he could see his mother."

Riley managed to wriggle free and I thought for a second she might bolt for her room. I could hear her sniffling and I could see she was trying to hide tears. But instead of running, she buried her head into my chest. I thought about stopping, but this is what she had been asking me about most of her life. After a brief pause to hold her tight once more and reassure my little sister, I continued.

"Well, I had to fight to survive, Riley. When I saw those Germans coming at my position, I couldn't hold back. I gave them everything I could think of. Six days later I was lucky enough to walk out of there, and a little over a month later peace was finally declared. But if you want to know what I drift off and get quiet, or why sometimes I can't sleep, it's because I remember what it was like. My story doesn't have a sad ending though. Losing Sean and Liam was horrible. Watching mom fade away last year was tough too. But I'm still here with you, and now we've got another family. So when your friend says I'm a killer, he doesn't understand that everything I've done, good or bad, has been to protect my family. To protect you. But lately I've realized that I was foolish to think running liquor could ever be safe. It was fun for a while, but once this whole mafia war is over it will be good to move on."

Riley didn't respond, instead she continued to hug me tight. I suppose there are few things scarier than the thought of losing the brother who's been there all her life. It was barely enough for me to deal with, but those images didn't need to haunt my little sister. That isn't something she should ever be burdened with, and just then the thought came to me…

"You know what? Let's read Dracula. Or part of it at least. I took on the Kaiser's best and fought like hell to come home. Some old dead guy is a joke of a villain by comparison. Heck, we can just make fun of him the whole time we read it! We could even rewrite it into a comedy."

"Huh?" Riley asked, not daring to let go, but still clearly listening while I continued.

"Yeah, maybe instead of some old man who hates the sun, this 'Dracula' guy is young and handsome. And he sparkles in the sunlight like some fairy princess."

Riley started to giggle before looking up at me. "That Dracula sounds fun!"

"Or maybe we should find something intelligent to read, did Joseph pick anything out for the weekend?"

As we read through a fun little book Joseph found on Casewell's shelf, the question came to me; am I like Van Helsing? The man who hunts the monsters… or am I more like Dracula? The monster who hunts men. Maybe it is all a matter of perspective, but I couldn't deny that the 'Ghost' was terrifying to common thugs who never had to fight a real battle once in their lives. All I could say for certain is that when this was all over, I just wanted to be a normal big brother, never needing to pick up a rifle again.

Rekindling the Fire

Alena walked across the open courtyard of the student commons, going from one study group to another. She tightened the scarf around her neck as a bitter breeze swirled in the air, tossing fallen leaves in a torrent of autumn colors. As the gust subsided, she caught sight of a particular grey tabby scanning the passing students for someone in particular.

"Rocky, is that you?" She called out. Rocky's eye's lit up with excitement.

"Alena! Perhaps you could be of some assistance."

"Assistance?"

Freckle coughed from the cold air before speaking up. "I'm looking for Ivy. Have you seen her?"

"Oh, Freckle! You're recovering! Sort of…"

"Slow but steady." Rocky added.

"I came too!" Joseph's small voice called out from behind the bench Freckle was sitting on. "Rocky, what's this thing do?" He asked, pointing at a pipe sticking out of the ground.

"That's… uh…"

"Sprinkler head." Freckle answered. "Don't touch it though. It might spray you with cold water!" He teased. Joseph instantly backed off and rejoined Rocky's side.

Alena smiled at the boy before thinking about where Ivy had gone off too. "Let's see… I think Ivy said she was going to the library. You should see it, she's been studying every day!"

"Aces! Thank you, Alena. Come on lads, let's go find her."

"I'll come too. The study group meets for three hours so I can spare some time."

"The more the merrier! Let us hasten forth!"

Ivy poured through her textbook, head hurting from the hours of catch-up work she had been doing since her father left town. She was making progress in bringing her grades back up and had yet to bend or break the rules. The only consequence of this was that she could feel herself getting stir-crazy. The mind and soul yearned for something more exciting than… Introduction to Oriental Philosophy. The book was thicker than a King James Bible and as captivating as the worn-out desk she was seated at.

"Room for one more?" A voice asked in hushed tones. She looked up and Freckle's face instantly brought joy to hers. It took every ounce of restraint to not shout with joy and jump over the desk. The brief confident look on Calvin's face immediately gave way to confusion and disappointment that they weren't already making out.

"Let's go before I explode with happiness!" She said, leading Freckle outside and noting the limp in his step and the cane he was using. Finally outside, she hugged and kissed him properly. "You're here. You're really here! Oh God, I missed you so much!" She said, setting her head against his shoulder.

"I missed you too, Ivy. It was getting boring at the Arbogast's home."

"Boring is good though. It means things are normal." She replied.

"True… Hey, let's go sit on that bench over there. I can't stand for very long."

Once seated, Ivy couldn't resist lifting up Freckle's coat and shirt to see the bandages underneath. "Well, it certainly looks cleaner than when I last saw the wound."

"Elsa did most of the work in keeping it from getting infected. But she said you help a lot too during the operation."

"Yeah, and Rocky gave a lot of blood to keep you from dying. A gamble that paid off."

"The boys have been filling me in on all that's happened. Sounds like your father didn't exactly approve of your… activities."

"No, but he shouldn't have been yelling about Rocky or Ethan. Those two didn't do anything wrong."

"Perhaps not, but a bullet wound is a bullet wound. I'm done with Lackadaisy, Ivy. I'd like you to be done with the speakeasy as well."

"I hate to leave Miss M alone with this mess, but you saying that makes it easier to move on."

"Miss M will be fine, I'm sure. But what about us? With your father in town, did that… change anything?"

Ivy kissed Calvin before resting her head against his chest and curling up under his arm. "Dad still doesn't know Rocky is your cousin, so I suppose that his current approval doesn't mean much."

"Oh…"

"But it also means we've got a chance to make our case to him properly! I'd like to see the family at Christmas, and if you're able to travel then it would be great to have you come with."

"I'd like that. Mom probably won't be happy to spend Christmas day alone though."

"Your mom? Have you talked to her?"

"No, not yet. But it's time to see her again. Not today, but before Thanksgiving for sure. She'll already be angry that I'm limping around with a blackthorn club for a cane. If the wound is mostly healed then it would probably make things easier."

"If you say so. I think it's a great idea to try and patch things up."

"Now, what have you been up to in my absence?" Freckle asked, ready to listen to all the exciting and wonderful things Ivy surely had to say.

"I've… mostly just been studying. I can't leave campus until my grades are back up to where they should be. But you remember Dr. Polk, right?"

"The guy who helped us get Joseph's mom out from under that building? Yeah, I remember him. Why?"

"He's kinda helping me get back on track and wants me to transfer to the university medical school."

"That's awesome! Of course, if that's what you want… you want that, right?"

"I- I don't know yet. Dr. Polk saved me from being kicked out of school right then and there, but practicing medicine isn't something I ever saw myself doing."

"Well if you ask me, you'd make a fine nurse and maybe even a doctor one day. You and Elsa saved my life, and for that I'll always be grateful. But whatever you decide, I'll support you. I'll go where you go."

"Aww…" She then kissed Freckle on the cheek.

Still Haven't Found What I'm Looking For

"So, how have things been? You know, since you all almost got killed?" Alena asked as she and Rocky walked in circles around campus. Rocky was only halfway paying attention on account of Joseph regularly going off to explore as young boys did.

"Well, I'm happy to be alive at least. Ethan put me in charge of making sure the kids are getting all that they need, like going to school and going to bed at a reasonable hour. I'll admit, I'm starting to see why Aunt Nina was at her wits end…" He replied, snickering at all the times Nina wanted to pull her hair out keeping the cousins out of trouble as young boys. "It's going to be tough moving on from the speakeasy though." He added.

"How so?" The young woman asked.

"Let's just say most of my skills aren't synonymous with a decent job. But living with Ethan and Freckle has its perks. Namely the issue of rent is taken care of. And the place is relatively safe, infestations of enemy gangsters notwithstanding."

"Those are all good things, Rocky. Well, maybe not gangsters showing up to murder you, but on the whole it sounds alright."

"It's okay… I guess. You know, it might sound silly, but I didn't think I'd need to find work anywhere else once Miss M took me in. I keep telling myself that everything will be okay, but…"

"But what?"

"I- I don't know. It's difficult to explain because I can't quite put a finger on it myself. It's like something is still missing."

"You're missing something, Rocky?" Joseph asked as he ran up behind the two older cats. Rocky reached out a hand for Joseph to grab onto and let the boy walk between him and Alena.

"It's complicated, buddy. I'm not really missing a thing." Rocky explained.

"So if it's not a thing, it's not something I can help you find?"

"I'm afraid not. But you've helped in other ways."

"I have? How?"

"I'll explain it when you're old enough to understand. Just know that I live for things like being able to walk with you in a place as beautiful as this. You know, had I known a college campus held such beauty I might have tried harder in school to end up here."

"Well, I wouldn't call the classes easy. I'm sure Ivy would agree. I feel bad for her having to work so hard just to catch up."

"In the end, it's for the best. Say, you think she and Freckle are going to end up together?"

"All I can say is that when she isn't around Freckle, Ivy is trying to find ways to be around him." Alena said.

"Freckle is often hard to read, but Ivy was the first person he wanted to see after coming home. He's got some kind of plan, but I can't figure out what it is just yet. You can see it in his eyes though. They've got… a focus to them."

"Perhaps you need the same thing?" Alena proposed.

"Same thing?"

"Well, that was Ivy's theory when she set us up on a date. Finding someone."

"I'm not really sure… but I did find someone right here." Rocky responded while picking up Joseph who's pace had slowed considerably after burning up a lot of energy. Joseph put his arms around Rocky's neck and leaned against his shoulder, while Rocky formed a seat with his hands for the boy to sit on. "I think even Ethan is starting to accept that the boy isn't going anywhere."

"Yet another good thing, if you ask me." Alena said, taking a moment to run her hand through the boy's hair. "Is Rocky doing a good job of taking care of you, Joseph?"

"Yeah! I still miss my mom, though."

"Of course you do!" Rocky said, holding the boy tight. "No one can replace your mother. Take it from someone who knows… Anyway, enough about us, how have you been Miss Vasko?"

"Well, classes are fine. I'm running out of people to knew my father, though. I suppose I would eventually, and I am grateful to get to know him, but I don't want it to end. My whole life, I wish I had known Viktor better, and then he just… wasn't here anymore."

"Losing Viktor was one of our greatest regrets, Alena…"

"You shouldn't regret it, though. After all I've heard about my father, he was clearly a person in conflict with himself. It is a common thing among us Slavs."

"I think that's a common thing among people in general." Rocky said, thinking of is own inner turmoil. "But I'm sure Viktor would be happy to know you cared enough to learn about him. Pieces of Viktor are still around, too. Ethan's rifle was Viktor's, Freckle's cane was gifted to Viktor originally, a lot of his stuff is down in the Speakeasy; and most important of all, you are here. A spiting image of Viktor right here for all to see."

Doublecross

"Remember, what we are doing here carries great risk to all of us. So I recommend acting civilized for once." Mordecai ordered Sera and Nico.

"I still don't get what this is about…" Nico commented.

"It will become clear very soon. Just know that your boss, Russo, has given his blessing for this interrogation. Now, are you ready?"

The Savoys looked at each other and shrugged their shoulders, prompting Mordecai to roll his eyes. "Good enough."

Walking into the small freight transfer facility on the edge of town, Mordecai had a seriousness to his expression which instantly told people that he was here on business. Spotting a fellow dressed in a dark suit, Mordecai turned and walked up to the cat. The gangster was hardly impressed but could sense that this new feline in his presence wasn't here to inquire about a late shipment.

"Can I help you?" The cat asked.

"I need to speak with Roscoe. Weatherbird sent us."

"Frank too busy to run his own errands? Yeah, Roscoe is in the back office."

"Very good. See to it that we aren't disturbed." Mordecai said as he walked past the cat. He took notice of the two others with the stranger. One dressed in a green vest and cut-off sleeves. The other in a women's suit. Something seemed off. "Hey, you ain't no made man. What gives—" The cat reached out and grabbed Mordecai's shoulder. Heller wheeled around and the cat instinctively reached for his pocket pistol. However, Mordecai anticipated this and blocked the cat's arm, preventing him from being able to draw the pistol from his shoulder holster. Within the blink of an eye, the gangster found himself staring down the barrel of two revolvers.

"The hell is this?"

"If I am giving you an order, then you should take it as coming straight from Frank Russo himself. Now, are you going to do as you are told, or do my associates need to straighten this whole operation out?"

"N-no! This is just a misunderstanding, that's all! My job is to keep Roscoe safe."

"Make a move like that again and no one here will be safe. Understood?"

"Crystal…"

"Good." Mordecai released the cat. The gangster looked around and noticed the crew of workers around him looking on. "What are you fleabags gawking at? Back to work and mind your own damn business."

"You would do well to remember your own advice." Mordecai added before walking into the back office.

"And he thinks we're uncivilized." Nico scoffed.

Roscoe was indeed in the office room, pouring over ledgers for shipments of various goods, some legitimate and others not-so-much. Heller opened the door and turned to Serafine. "Ensure that I am not disturbed. You may listen in if you like."

She nodded in understanding before taking her place next to the door. Heller entered the Roscoe's office like a predator which has just cornered its next meal. Roscoe looked up from his desk to see a dark figure in a black suit and polished glasses reflecting his own face back to him.

"Who the hell are you?"

"I am Mordecai Heller, and I am here on behalf of Frank Russo."

The cat gulped before looking around nervously. "H-he usually comes to check on us personally."

"I am aware of this. Two weeks ago he would have come here to inform you that a shipment of bootleg liquor was going to be intercepted by Orchard Farm."

"Yes?"

"This plan was a decoy intended to find out who has been supplying the Green Ones with information. I had many of these decoy orders distributed throughout Russo's and Santino's outfits. According to my own connections, this shipment from the Orchard farm was the only one to be supplied with overwhelming security. I am sure you can guess what this means."

"No, I really don't understand—"

"You have been backstabbing your own boss and sabotaging our fight against the Green Ones. Do you deny this?"

"Of course I deny it! I have no such connection to the Green Ones."

"You'll have to forgive me for finding that hard to believe. Either way, I have been given orders to eliminate you right here and now." Heller then unholstered his 1911 and cocked the hammer back, taking aim with one hand.

"Wait! I wasn't giving information to the Green Ones. I swear it!"

"Then who were you giving information to?!"

"Santino!"

Heller lowered his gun. "What? You were spying on Russo for Santino?"

"Yes! He was paying me money under the table. Hell, here's this month's payment!" The cat then produced a wad of money from his desk.

"I've been taking notes of whatever Weatherbird has been telling me. Santino said he just wanted to make sure he wasn't being lied to. It was like a… eh, way of verifying trust or something."

"I believe you." Mordecai said before raising his gun again and ending the traitor with a single bullet. "Unfortunately, a spy is a spy."

Heller left the office, wiping off the single drop of blood that found it's way onto his pistol. "What the hell was that?" Nico asked, worried that others heard the shot.

"This information needs to stay between us until I can figure out why Santino is spying on his own allies. Your lives and mind depend on it."

The gangster from earlier then ran up, gun drawn. "I heard a gunshot, what did you do?"

Mordecai adjusted his glasses, unfazed by the gun being waved in his direction by the gangster in a pathetic attempt to intimidate him. "Roscoe was giving information to the Green Ones, and he has been taken care of. Unless you wish to be taken care of as well, I suggest putting your gun away before you hurt yourself."

"Roscoe was spying on us?" He asked.

"Yes. Now, if you don't mind, I have other things to do today besides trying to explain such an obvious situation."

The cat put his revolver down but did not holster it. Mordecai shook his head before continuing. "By the way, you just got promoted. Your first task is disposing of a body. Oh, and you may want to clean up your new office. If you possess some level of intelligence, you will ensure that I don't have to come back here."

The three former Marigold associates walked past the gangster who cautiously opened the office door to find his boss dead at his desk from a single bullet through the cranium.

"Well, shit…"