Sidestepping a weak thrust from Jake, Emma ducked behind another bookshelf. Panting quietly, she watched as he straightened back up and calmly turned to face her. The sick grin on his lips stretched slightly and his eye twitched twice. He had already given her several cuts on her shoulders and one across her cheek, but they weren't deep enough to slow her down.

"We really should end this little dance, babe. Once Madam finishes off those pesky new kin and your meager oddball group, she'll meet me up here and expects you to be properly subdued."

Wait. New kin? She knew about the attack?

Emma thought it was insane at first, to think that Madam could have predicted things so easily. After another moment, however, she realized that she likely had plenty of ears around the city and saw it coming. Dread settled in her belly at the idea of Madam being able to plan her own counterattack, but considering she could already hear the rushing water far below through the open door in the floor, she hadn't been able to stop the second half of the plan.

Perhaps she was fooled and didn't realize there were burrowers until it was too late.

When Jake's knife suddenly swung toward her again, Emma snapped out of her thoughts and ducked to the right, then carefully began backing up as he stalked forward. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Catch appear from the inside of a broken bookcase. His large, fuzzy body silently made its way behind Jake, then disappearing from sight. She couldn't be sure, but she also thought that she saw Stilts, surprisingly, on Catch's back, but the much smaller spider was a lot harder to see in the dim light, especially with its gray coloring.

If any of you guys aren't still busy with the worms, I could really use your help in Widow's shop.

Emma pushed the thought out from her mind, hoping that it got the attention of at least a few black widows, then returned her full attention to Jake. He was only about three feet away, but as she hurried to put more distance between them, her back came into contact with a hard surface. She tried to pull away and duck around the dilapidated bookshelf to her left, but when she darted to the side, her shirt jerked taut, forcing her to stumble backward.

When she chanced looking behind her, since Jake had stopped for some reason, she realized the huge mistake she'd made. She'd backed into the front door. The threads Madam had woven across the old wooden frame easily held her shirt, keeping her from being able to move much.

Great. This would have been a useful trap for Jake, yet you got caught in it instead, genius.

Emma slowly leaned forward, trying not to look suspicious as she tested the silk. Most of them were firmly secured to her shirt, and she could just barely feel others tug at strands of her hair. It's going to hurt like hell getting off this door... but I can do it.

Biting her lower lip to hide a grin, she turned her attention to calming her breathing and focusing on Jake. He had walked closer, stopping little more than a foot away. He was turning the blade nonchalantly in his hand, his gaze narrowing on it as he snuck tiny glances up at her between rotations.

"You've kept me waiting for so long," he finally mumbled quietly as he met her eyes, right hand grasping the knife tightly. When it began to lift toward her neck, Emma had to force herself not to lean her head back. She couldn't afford to get her hair stuck further.

"You'll look just as pretty under me with a few more scratches... and you'll have learned a valuable lesson," he said, his voice turning into a growl as he spoke.

Emma felt her breathing pick up but she kept her mind focused and pushed away the panic trying to grow there. This is your chance. Now or never. With that thought, she ducked abruptly. The flat portion of the knife smacked her beneath her jaw but thankfully didn't cut as she dropped out of her shirt. The threads stuck in her hair pulled, making her wince and yelp as it tore strands from her scalp. She hurried past Jake the second she was free. His eyes were wide with surprise clear on his face.

She knew she had to find another way out of the shop before he started after her again, but that was easier said than done. If even possible. Of course, she knew that she could always jump through the open hatch, but death wasn't really something she was interested in pursuing just yet. She had to get back to Salem and Widow.

Blowing out a calming breath, she whirled around, unsurprised when she noticed that Jake had turned and was currently leering at her. "I like that look on you, babe, though I think I'll like you naked much more."

Bet you would, creep.

A movement caught her eye as she began to back away, careful to stay near the wall to her left to keep from possibly falling into the hole in the floor the kin had disappeared down earlier or tripping over the mess built up from Madam's rage.

Faux! The spider was slowly meandering up Jake's pant leg, its light weight seemingly going unnoticed.

"Why are you wasting time? You know you can't get away. I'll tell you what. Just come here, and I won't touch you with the knife anymore," Jake said.

Right. Because your eye twitch isn't getting worse and you haven't already cut me several times.

Her thoughts dripped with sarcasm as she tried to keep her eyes from straying to the spider and giving it away. Her mind was so focused on Jake that she didn't notice the small black dots moving along each surface in the shop until they began dropping from the ceiling down onto his head and shoulders. He swatted at them, frustrated, but the little arachnids persisted. A couple appeared to be trying to bite, while others just swarmed in an attempt to help. The few bites wouldn't do much unless there were some females among them, but when she saw Faux appear on Jake's shoulder, a huge wave of relief crashed over her.

Bite him, Faux.

She wasn't someone who would wish harm upon anyone normally, but when it was either her or him... The spider tilted its body slightly, then appeared to be massaging its long fangs for a moment with its front legs. Emma lost sight of Faux as the widow swarm grew, but when Jake gave a sudden pained yell and his body jerked in a stagger, she knew that Faux must have finally done it. When his hands jerked up to smack the spiders from the right side of his neck, he confirmed her suspicion.

Running forward, Emma hurried to reach into the throng of black and red bodies that nearly engulfed Jake. He was grabbing at his neck, unfortunately squishing several of them as he tried to get to Faux.

Before she could find the spider, Jake managed to snag it, and after a sharp shake of his head, which sent several widows flying, he slammed her father's spider to the floor. "Die, you little bastard!" Jake yelled as he lifted his foot. It descended upon the stunned spider right as Emma dove for it. Before Jake was able to smash it, however, Catch darted across the floor and picked up the smaller arachnid. He somehow managed to drag Faux just out of reach before he was flattened.

Thank you, Catch!

Emma pushed herself up to her knees, relieved. She then grabbed Catch with her left hand, being careful of Stilts, who was still on his back, before taking Faux from him. She would have grabbed Fuzz, too, but she couldn't tell where he was in the swarm of spiders. Instead of worrying about it right then, she backed away, stopping only when she saw Jake drop to his hands and knees. At first, the widows darted away, trying to avoid being crushed, but as soon as he stopped moving, they all started to swarm again. She knew that Faux's bite was the main one that had brought him down. She wasn't sure if it would kill him, but considering how venomous her father claimed to be, she had no doubt that it was going to be bad. She didn't, however, expect what happened in the next few seconds.

Jake suddenly forced himself to his feet. Stumbling forward in a partial run, he stomped on any widow that wasn't fast enough to get out of his way. Emma hurried to back away, but Jake just picked up speed to a full-on run. He easily caught up to her in the middle of the shop.

"If I'm going down, then so are you!" he shouted as Emma saw the dagger coming, but couldn't dodge fast enough to avoid the slash across the front of her chest. It nearly caught her bra strap, digging into her skin until she lost her footing on a slightly risen floorboard trying to get away. The trip sent her backward and down. Unfortunately, when she braced herself for impact, squeezing her eyes shut, but only felt a strong whoosh of wind, she realized too late what had happened.

I'm going to die.

Opening her eyes, she could barely see the meager rays of light coming in from the dusty windows in the store above. It was likely from the streetlamps outside, but she refused to look away from the shrinking dim glow as she clutched the spiders to her chest, being careful not to hurt them, but at the same time, not drop them.

She had no idea how she could get out of being killed by the impact she was destined to make with the water below, but she hoped that somehow, the spiders would survive. Pursing her lips as the rushing sound got closer and closer, she took in a deep breath, then screamed.

"Widow! Brax! Legs! Goliath! I fell from the shop and need help! Please, anyone!"

Heck, she'd even take Madam if it didn't end in her being broken on the rushing water's surface below.

Knowing that her time was running short, she moved the small group of spiders to her shoulders, then blindly reached out as she tried to turn her body. It took several tense seconds before she felt dirt and rocks whizz past her fingers, sharp pieces easily cutting the tips of them.

Okay. You can do this.

Focusing, she smacked her right hand against the wall and tried to repeat what Widow had shown her in the caves. Her fingertips barely caught long enough to nearly jerk her arm out of its socket before she was plummeting again.

Keep trying. You don't have a choice.

She slapped the wall again as the sound of the water below deafened her. After a moment her fingers caught and she felt an abrupt, sharp pain shoot up her arm as she tried to hang on, but it was fruitless. Her fingers slipped and she was unable to find the wall again.

When she finally left the descending tunnel, she thought that her eyes might have adjusted enough to see something, but then she remembered that she'd sent the spiders to hide or kill the glow worms. With the realization that she would hit the water in mere moments and her vision was useless, Emma squeezed her eyes shut and tried to stay calm.

A familiar high-pitched snarl ripped through the air at the same time she felt something collide forcefully with her body. It knocked the air from her lungs and made her aching left arm scream in pain. She thought that just maybe, she was safe right then. She could smell Widow's scent, but when there was a sudden jerk and they both abruptly dropped into the water only a few feet below, her heart fell right along with them. The frigid rapids immediately sucked them both under. Emma reached up and quickly grabbed the first spider she could, which happened to be Catch, and did her best to hold onto him. She had no way of getting Stilts or Faux, and still had no idea where Fuzz was, but she knew that there was nothing she could do about them right then.

One of Widow's arms tightened around her with what Emma knew was panic, but he refused to let her go in order to try and save himself. They both knew that he couldn't swim and the current was far too strong for her to even try. Her lungs began to burn as they were swept away and she had no doubt that Widow was going to be struggling soon as well, if he wasn't already. They crashed against several large boulders as they moved, and Emma noticed that each time, they slowed down slightly. She assumed that Widow was trying to get a purchase with desperate swipes of his claws. They finally seemed to catch and hold on a particularly large rock, but she knew that neither of them had the ability to climb up and out of the churning water. It pulled at them with its current and was about to drag them back down when a hand suddenly snagged her shoulder. Claws dug in and yanked, forcing her to hold back a gasp that would havemade her to swallow a mouthful of water as she was pulled up and out of Widow's arms, then the water.

She gulped in greedy breaths of air as she was tossed onto the hard rock surface that remained out of the water. When she opened her eyes, she was surprised to see Goliath kneeling down, reaching into the water. She quickly noted that she could see a little, too, making her glance up. A few glow worms hung from the ceiling of the cave that she and Widow had to have been carried into by the water.

"Dammit!"

Goliath's angry roar made her jump and drop her attention back to him. When the giant kin whirled around and got to his feet, she knew what was wrong.

He hadn't been able to get him.

Swallowing back the growing lump in her throat, Emma looked down at her arms and felt a slight bit of relief when she saw Catch begin to unfurl there. She didn't see Faux, but after a moment, she felt movement in her hair, then looked to the side to see the odd-colored spider descend to her shoulder. She still wasn't sure where Stilts or Fuzz were, but she had to focus on Widow right then. Looking up at Goliath, she staggered to her feet and took a step toward him.

"Can you still get to him? Is there a place the water will flow out soon that he could climb out by himself?"

Goliath's expression turned grim as he knelt down and gestured for her to get on his back. Knowing that remaining where they were would help no one, she hurried to set Catch on her other shoulder, then climbed up. Once the kin was moving through the only tunnel she could see in the small area, he began to speak.

"I'm sorry, Emma. I don't know where this cavern ends. Legs was watching overhead when I fished you out and he followed when he noticed Widow's shadow disappear."

Emma bit her lower lip and hugged her arms around Goliath's broad shoulders. "But...?" she whispered after a moment.

Goliath sighed, leaping over a small hole in the ground of the tunnel before replying.

"He's injured from fighting Madam, Emma. Brax managed to kill her, but Widow passed out right afterward. We found him and managed to get him to come around, but then he disappeared when we got back from checking some of the close tunnels we hadn't gotten to yet."

He went looking for me, then must have heard my shout as I was falling.

It hurt her to know that he was injured and still in the raging torrents. He couldn't swim, either. "Legs will get him," she mumbled after several quiet moments. Even though she tried to say the words with a determined voice, she couldn't keep the tears from running over the edges of her eyes.

When Goliath didn't reply, she remained quiet, resting her cheek on his large shoulder. The roar of the water quieted, then disappeared altogether as they began to climb. She could tell that Goliath was tired, considering he slipped several times and yawned more than a few, so she kept her thoughts to herself.

Fresh air finally hit her when they climbed into what looked to be an abandoned warehouse, its ceiling partially collapsed, which let cool air into the building. When Goliath hopped off of the ladder he'd been using for the last few feet of the ascent, Emma hurried to drop from his back. Her legs wobbled but managed to keep her upright. She reached for Catch once she was sure she wouldn't fall over and handed him to Goliath as the kin turned toward her. His face lit up with a tired smile as he held the spider close to his face and pressed a soft kiss to its fuzzy body.

"Thank you so much for saving him," he said in a gruff whisper before setting the arachnid on his shoulder. It was clear that Catch was still having trouble pulling himself together, as he was still hunched up, but he looked like he'd manage.

Emma replied with a quiet "You're welcome," before looking down at Faux. Surprisingly, Stilts was there, too, settled on the larger spider's back.

But still no Fuzz.

"Come on, Emma. We need to get back to the hotel. If—when, Legs gets Widow. He'll bring him there," Goliath said.

She nodded solemnly and started walking behind Goliath. She stepped outside. There were barely any people about yet, and the few that were didn't pay them much mind, even with their disheveled appearances and her lack of a shirt, on top of the few small cuts she sported that had thankfully stopped bleeding for the most part.

Before Emma realized it, they were back at the hotel. She hurried to her brother once they got inside and wrapped him up in her arms in a tight hug, ignoring the pain that shot through her side and arms caused by the gesture. He was half-asleep, but after a moment he returned the hug happily. When she finally set him down, she noticed Goliath holding Foster against his dirty chest as he sat on one of the beds. The boy looked calm, but his eyes were streaked with tears.

When Salem walked over and climbed up, then snuggled in with Foster, sharing his own comfort, Emma gave a small smile and walked into the bathroom. She began undressing as the shower warmed up, thinking that removing the wet articles would be nice, especially because her bra had been causing her skin to itch after it had gotten wet, but when the uncomfortable feeling continued, she glanced down at herself.

Tears sprung to her eyes and she hurried to reach up, gently moving the tiny black spider into the palm of her hand. Fuzz's legs were partially scrunched up against his body and partially stretched. The ones that were already extended were moving slowly.

"Hey there, little guy. I don't know why I didn't look there first. You always seem to hide where any guy would love to," Emma whispered, sniffing as her tears flowed freely. It took Fuzz nearly a full minute before he was able to right himself, and another two before he could walk with an awkward stagger. An overwhelming wave of relief flooded her system as she watched him and she dropped to her knees with a shaky sigh. Raising her now-cupped hands up to her forehead, she choked back a sob, then lowered her hands and opened them again to stare down at the little spider tapping her palm.

"I-I'm so happy you're okay, Fuzz. Now we just need to wait f-for your best friend to come back safe and sound."