Frankie's mouth wound into a thin, tight line. "No, you are not." As Ben continued, Frankie growled his replies just above the sound of the city slowly waking up.

"You are not. I have the paperwork from the orphanage; his mother did not leave him with a guardian, and I adopted him."

"And what does that matter? We will not be staying in this city."

But at the last point, Frankie actually took a step back, his eyes widening with disbelief. Had Ben cracked him in the nose again, Francisco could not have looked more surprised. He didn't want to believe it. But after having grown to know Ben Goldberg as well as he had during their forced cooperation, he didn't believe that the man would spout such a lie. Even now. Especially now.

"Why?" Frankie half-whispered. Not 'You're lying,' or 'You're right, I don't believe you,' as he would have liked to say. "Why? Why would he say such a thing?"

Francisco seemed to neither hear nor see Ben for a moment. He took a slow step back, then turned, breathing slowly and massaging his face. Thoughts of Adolpho filled his mind for a moment; their youth, the moment they had decided on different paths, the last time Frankie had seen his brother before fleeing to Scilla. The last time he had seen him alive. After a moment, those thoughts were replaced with thoughts of Tommy.

Frankie wondered if Adolpho really had intended on taking care of the boy. He wondered if, had she not died, Effie Knowles really did love both, or either of them. The two had married in secret. That meant something. But they hadn't acted quickly enough, and their own mistakes caught up to them. How long would it be before Frankie's mistakes--his decisions--caught up with him? Would Tommy be the one to pay for it again?

"I will let you take Thomas," Frankie said, his voice a touch wetter than normal, "on one condition. You bring him to visit me. In Scilla. I want to be a part of his life. Because, even if only through my brother's marriage, Thomas is my nephew. I--I cannot--"

He stood upright, and turned to face the other man. His mouth was a hard line and his eyes carried a dark light. "You will care for him. Yes? Do we have a deal?"

Surprising himself, Frankie didn't hesitate to shake Ben's hand. Nor did he hesitate to accept the offer of coffee. After all that had happened, and with the loss of his youngest brother still weighing on his heart, Frankie needed the boost. He stepped into the small house, where Josephine Goldberg sat with her arms wrapped around her newly adopted son, both sleepily trying to coax the other into eating.

The morning spread out with suspicious ease. The danger had passed, or at least crept back into its own shadows. The news of the ship exploding spread quickly, but the general populace would never know the full story. It would spread throughout the city, just another urban mystery to be buried by the day-to-day. The truth was equally buried, in the hearts of those involved.

In the effort to find out who had murdered a villainous old man, two children had been put in danger. In effort to save the little boy, countless nameless others had suffered and died. Now the boy was safe. He had a new family. He had old family. In effort to save the little girl, sinners from the past had been faced with their own crimes. Lives were uprooted, changed forever, snuffed out.

Now the children, and those to follow, and those who championed them, had the world at their feet. The darkness of their lives had been chased away by light, for now. And for as long as was possible, they would keep it that way.


The End.