The banging on the door continued. Giving Evelyn an instant headache. Her hands covering her mouth slid to hold her head. The crawling feeling at the base of her skull was back.

"No no no." She whispered.

"HOLD ON A DAMN MINUTE!" Goose roared at the door.

"Stop stop stop." She whispered to her, her eyes were closed and she had hunched over.

"Happy thoughts, Kitten." She heard Goose's deep voice through the whispering voice.

"Newt... Chuck... Minho... Nick... Sonny... Jeff... Frypan... Tommy... Gally... Alby... Clint... Tessa... Sonya... Jorge... Jaz... Winston... George and Jack..."

She repeated their names, over and over, rocking back and forth. While she did that Goose slowly got up and went to the door. He wrenched it open.

"What?" He snarled.

This idiot interrupted them. He had mixed feelings about it. On one hand he knew her heart was in the hands of another... But she kept saying he wasn't infected and he was going to some safe zone. He didn't really need her full heart... just a companion for each other while they both go crazy. Though there was something about her that made the crank in him slow down and become easier to handle. She made him feel more human, more in control.

"Goose? Boss?"

"What?!" He yelled again.

"I told you..what do you want me to do?"

"What? What did you tell me? Have you talked to Switch Blade?"

"Uhhh Flower said he's on The Bliss and to come talk to you."

"Dammit." Goose muttered. Switch was slowly turning into a junkie. With a growl he ran a hand through his hair. "What did you say?"

"Someone spotted that gang leader Horhey close by, a large group was with him. Also someone said they had eyes on that Thomas kid from the plaques around the city. He's alone with some girl."

Goose growled. "Fine. Keep watch for now. If something changes come find me."

The guy left. Goose closed the door and turned around. Evelyn was standing in the middle of the room, staring at him.

"Kitten?"

"That's what you wanted wasn't it?"

"Enlighten me. What did I want?"

She took a step forward, she was little, but he saw the wildness in her eyes. The crank had won at the moment.

"You kidnapped me. Holding me hostage to lour Jorge's gang here... you knew my friends were with him! You want to take over his gang and territory... you're going to kill my friends!" She yelled at him.

He growled to himself. She had heard the conversation. He actually had no idea that she had a connection to Horhey's gang until this morning. Same with that Thomas kid. Might make it all easier...or a lot harder. She had stormed up to him while she was yelling.

"No."

"No?" She whispered, but it was so twisted and malevolent, like she dared him to repeat it. Took another step closer, she was now in his personal space.

"You heard me Kitten." His voice had also taken on an edge.

She shoved him. She was so little it didn't do much, but he stepped back anyways. She pushed him in the chest again, her face twisted in anger.

"Don't lie to me! Don't! Lie to me!"

He was backed into the door. He could easily lift this little kitten up with one arm and hold her while she struggled. But instead he let him pin him to the door. He couldn't hold the ammusment in anymore. A crooked smirk showed on his face.

"You're using me!"

"Am not."

"Prove it!" She yelled.

He grabbed her hips, she was already close. But he pulled her closer. It made her gasp in surprise. It was so tiny and delicate, like her. Before either of them stopped, he had his lips pressed to her naturally pink ones. She froze for a moment. But then her hands slid up his chest and neck. Something in the back of his mind was bugging him, nagging at him.

There was something off about this. He had kissed plenty of Crank women...but this didn't feel the same. The cranks he'd been with threw themselves willingly, like they still knew what was going on. Evelyn on the other...her crank takes over completely.

He had broke the kiss and moved to her neck. She whispered something...it sounded like a name...or maybe two names.

"...Noah....Newt..."

She called him his real name again...Noah. She thought he was this Newt guy.

"...Noah..."

Something click in his brain. He pulled away. And held her at arms length. She was breathing hard, her wild eyes had calmed and now she looked lost and confused and like such a small child. Her big green eyes welled up with tears.

"Shuck..shuck!" She whispered, "I'm sorry Noah! In so sorry!"

"What the hell are you sorry about?" He asked confused. He had kissed her.

"For yelling and accusing you of using me. You have been nothing but kind." Her voice caught in her throat.

He growled. The thoughts he had at first weren't...but her defiance last night earned his respect. He just pulled her into a hug.

"We're Cranks, Kitten. Not the first time I've been yelled at. Won't be the last."

"Oh joys I get to look forward to."

Even between her quiet hiccups she managed to say it so dryly he laughed. He pulled away and used his thumb to wipe tears.

"My turn to shower. Then coffee."

She gave him a small smile. He let go and turned.

"Wait!"

He turned back.

"Do you have paper? And something to write with?"

He frowned and rummaging through the drawers in the kitchen. Finding a pen and some crumpled paper he handed it to her and went to shower. Evelyn sat down at the table and wrote. The first page was for herself.

My name is Evelyn. WICKED calls me a Healing Witch. I have powers to heal the broken. I am wounded. My power is destructive now. My home was the Glade. There is no more Glade. I am an infected Crank. And I'm dying. I'm not scared of dying. It's forgetting that scares me.

Newt. Minho. Chuck. Nick. Sonny. Jeff. Tommy. Frypan. Tessa. Sonya. Jorge. Jaz. George. Jack. Gally. Alby. Clint. Winston.

These people are my happy thoughts when the crank becomes too much. My friends. My family. My love. My home. I say them over and over; like a prayer. Trying to keep me sane; trying to hold on.

The second page, if she ever had the chance, a letter to give to Newt. She was crying by the end. She knew there was no future for them. She was a crank. He was not. She was dying. He would live.

The bathroom door opened and Goose came out. She tried to wipe the tears away before he saw, but it was too late. He sat down at the table without a word he just reached for her hand and held it.

"Did it help?" He asked.

She nodded. And shoved the papers towards him. He hesitantly picked them up and read them.

"You have a very beautiful way with words."

"You should see me draw." She smiled sadly. She was fidgeting with the letter to Newt.

"It's hard to say good bye to a loved one." He said quietly.

He squeezed her hand and then got up. She took one more deep breath and let it out slowly. No more tears now. They had to leave. She had to be a gang members girl. She had to play the part. She folded up the papers and slid them into her front pocket. Getting up from the table she turned to grasp her hatchet.

"Here. A belt might be helpful. Also take the dagger. It's probably easier to handle...though you swinging an axe is really badass and kinda sexy."

He tossed her a leather belt that also buckled around her leg. Frowning she strapped it on.

"How in the world did this fit you?" She asked.

"Didn't. Wasn't mine."

"I see." She nodded and continued to buckle it. The designs on the leather sheath matched the dagger designs.

"Who's was it? Some bikini clad Crank would not have worn this."

"Emerson's."

Evelyn looked at him in confusion.

"Was my sister's. A gift from our father."

Her eyes went big and she took the dagger out and looked closer. There was a big engraved E and under the letter it said
With Love on the handle of the dagger.

"It's beautiful Noah." She said quietly, rubbing her thumb over the engraving.

He shrugged. "Keep it. I'm going to forget anyway. And it's your size."

"Thank you. That's very sweet of you." She walked up and kissed his cheek.

"Don't be telling the gang that. I'm a ruthless gang leader, killer of Cranks." He chuckled, his dark blue eyes looked lighter, happier.

She picked up her trusty hatchet and twirled it around, smirking, bringing the blade up under his chin, like she did to Switch Blade. And raised a challenging eyebrow at him.

"We do what we have to to survive."

Her face lost all its gentleness and playfulness, and turned to the cold steel of last night. Shoving everything back deep down and putting a tight lid on it.

Noah hummed, a crooked smirk on his scruffy face. She lowered the hatchet and slid it into the belt as well so it hung on her hip.

"Out that door, no more Noah. It's Goose, gang leader."

"I remember."

"All right Kitten. Welcome to gang life."

___________________________

The music was blasting again, the walls vibrated with the guitar and the thuds of the base made her head hurt. The alcohol was flowing and someone had got their hands on a stash of Bliss. Evelyn sat in the back room with Goose and the other gang higher ups. It was just as wild as the night before.

Arguments breaking out, fists flying, skantly clad women all over the other guys. Goose kept an arm wrapped around her in some capacity. He definitely had two very different sides to him. Stone cold leader in the night club and the sweet caring man in his apartment. Evelyn supposed she did too.

"Hey sweetheart."

The gang leader of a smaller group of Cranks had come bagging for an audience. Trying to pledge his allegiance to Switch and Goose. He was a nasty skeezy guy, and probably was even before the Flare took hold. Evelyn could see it from his eyes he was a nasty and twisted human. And he was drunk.

Which ment he was trying to get her attention, she just ignored him. She was leaning on the wall beside Goose's chair. Spinning the dagger in her gloved fingers. His head was leaning against her hip, his arm loosely wrapped around her thigh.

With a roll of her eyes she turned her head down to look at Goose, running a hand though his, silently asking him to look at her, and beg for help.

"Aww come on Kitten. You can talk to me. He doesn't own your mouth!"

"Ha! He does though! Shoulda heard the screaming from his place last night! Hey Goose?"

Evelyn ground her teeth. Goose smirked and tightened his grip on her, running his hand higher up her thigh.

"Damn straight I do." He growled, "she's part of Saints and Sinners, she's mine. All of her."

"Oh come on Goose, I just pledged my loyalty to your gang... Show me some something in return..." his eyes were glued to Evelyn's chest, he was drooling like a wild dog over a bone. "Come on...share the pretty new pet."

Goose growled threatening. These cranks never seemed to get the picture, or social cues. He kept going. And kept inching closer.

"What I wouldn't do to that pretty little pet if she were mine."

"I'm not. So keep imagining." Evelyn spat, and looked the other way, disgust on her face.

"Oh I'd keep that mouth busy."

She felt his hand grab her. Her crank took over so fast Evelyn had no idea what happened until she was breathing hard, being held by the hips and pinned to the wall.

"Hey! Stop. Enough. He's long dead." Goose's deep voice cut through. The Crank in her head relinquished their hold. She blinked and found herself with her legs wrapped around Goose's waist, one hand in his hair the other around his shoulder, the bloody dagger held loosely down his back.

"Keep it together Kitten, don't break down now." He warned quietly. His face inches from hers.

"You did good, Kitten, ya did good." He whispered.

She took a breath and gave him a small nod. He pulled away from the wall and let her down. She was terrified to see what her crank did. It was like the moment Goose put her down the show was over and the cranks went back to whatever they were doing before. The few other crank members from the other gang just shrugged like their hang leader dying is an every day occurrence for them. Goose pulled her over to their chair in the corner and pulled her down onto his lap.

She only now glanced at the crank on the ground. She winced internally. The crank inside her cackled and in a childlike sing sing voice whispered, "Witch. Witch witch witch. Murderous little witch."

The crank who had touched her lay in a pool of blood. With more than one long jagged slash to his chest and stomach.

"Kitten's claws are sharp today." Switch chuckled, "saved me the trouble of killing him."

Switch was gone most of the night apparently Blissed out somewhere. But he was back now and he looked like nothing changed. Still as cranked as ever, a wild gleeful look in his cranked eyes.

"Apparently threating the leader did nothing to deter the idiots around here."

Goose gave her a twisted grin. His hand slid across her bare waist and held her tight.

"Well she's a loyal little thing, I'll give you that." Switch nodded in approval.

"Finders keepers." Goose barked possessively.

She turned to face him. Unease in her eyes that he could see, but she still grinned and buried her face into his neck. She kept it there for a while, trying to calm her racing heart. She had just picked her head up, when the blond crank she threatened earlier today sauntered over.

"Oh shuck sakes." She muttered, making Goose chuckle.

"Shh, Kitten."

The blond crank kept coming, his greedy eyes lingering on Evelyn. When Goose leaned forwards and drapped an arm over her shoulder, and pulling her into his chest, did the cranks eyes finally went to Goose.

He leaned forward and whispered something into his ear. Goose growled and narrowed his eyes. The blond straightened up, his eyes went back to Evelyn.

"Thank you Pistol, go away."

He lingered a bit too long.

"Keep it up Blondie. Take a look at the last guy to try something." Evelyn snarled and pointed her dagger at the dead crank that was still in the room. The cranks eyes flashed dangerously at her, but slid to the body. He spun on his heel and left.

"What the hell did he want?" Switch asked.

"Nothing. Just being a damn coward." Goose waved a hand dismissively.

Switch shrugged and went back to his drink and Flowers neck. Evelyn could tell Goose was lying, she felt his body tense almost immediately. She glanced at him and with a sharp shake of his head warning her to not ask here. It was another half an hour before he found an opening to get up and pull her from the room, much to the wolf whistling.

Goose pulled her into the loud main club room. He pulled her into the far corner. He spun her so her back was to his chest, wrapping his arms around her waist and started swaying to the obnoxious music.

"Apparently your friend and his companion are here. Drugged and tied to a chair in the basement." He whispered into her ear.

Her breath froze in her lungs.

"Don't do anything right now. I'll do what I can to get him out. But too many cranks are awake. Give it until dawn and we can do something."

"Goose!" She gasped.

She felt a hum in his chest. She relaxed back into him. He had been truthful and true to his word, so far. She had no choice but to trust him again. Evelyn closed her, and tried to ignore the lonely ache in her heart.