Halfway through the night the cranks all poured out into the back alley again, for a few rounds of wild brutal fighting. Switch Blade was ruthless tonight. Every loser in the fight was executed.

"I challenge Goose!" A crank from the crowd screamed. Heads all turned to him.

Goose snorted and laughed. It didn't seem to phase him. Evelyn's stomach clenched in fear.

"You scared?" The crank challenged.

"Hardly." Goose yawned.

"Then fight. Winner gets to keep the new Gang Pet. Looser dies."

"Might as well kill you now then." Goose waved a hand.

"COWARD!" the crank screamed. He had shoved his way into the middle of the ring. Goose switched so fast Evelyn flinched. His crank took over. She saw the wild dark eyes and his breathing increased. He was growling like a wild dog.

He pushed Evelyn out of the way, behind himself and snarled. He ripped his shirt off and pulled the knife from his back pocket. Amanda pulled her close, wrapping an arm around Evelyn's shoulders.

Goose was savage in a fight. I guess that's why he was second. For such a huge guy he was quite quick and nimble. The other crank didn't stand a chance. A few well placed punches the crank stumbled and dropped.

"NEVER CALL ME A COWARD AGAIN!" he screamed, "SHE'S MINE." he threw a finger at Evelyn.

With a wild savage roar he slit the cranks throat. He sputtered and choked, crumpling to the side he twitched a few times, then was still. Evelyn had stood rooted to the spot absolutely terrified. If Goose had lost, she wouldn't have any protection, she would have been taken by someone else used and abused and then passed around like some object. Goose was the only one standing between the entire crank city and her. Tears of relief slipped out. She ran into the middle of the ring where he was still panting over the body of the other crank.

"Goose!" She cried.

His head snapped up, she launched herself into his arms. He caught her easily, picking her up, she wrapped her arms around his neck and legs around his waist. She just held him

"Thank you! Thank you Noah." She whispered, only for him to hear. She could have yelled it and no one would have heard, the wild crowd of cranks had started cheering again when she wrapped around him.

She could feel his body sag for a second. She knew the crank was gone and Noah was back.

"Evelyn." He panted.

"I'm here. I'm here."

Without a word he placed her down, threw his t shirt on and walked through the crowd and back down the stairs into the club. And back to their corner of the dance floor. He just pulled her close and held her tight. Swaying to the loud thumping music.

It wasn't the life she wanted. She wanted a white life with a garden, and her books and plants. She wanted one with Newt. Instead she had a wild life with loud music and psychotic cranks and Goose. A life she deserved. She had done too many awful things to deserve a happy ending. With her face pressed into Goose's chest she let the tears fall. He held her tighter.

Slowly the cranks around them started to drop; either Blissed out, drunk or asleep. Evelyn was exhausted. Her body was starting to sag.

"Hey, stay with me Kitten. We still gotta figure out how to get your friend and his girlfriend out of our basement. And I haven't seen Pistol, Butch and Lola for a while. Something's up."

She picked her head up off his chest, looking up into his dark blue eyes. The club door slammed open and a stream of screaming people came storming in.

"Dammit!"

He pushed her behind him, he had pulled out his knife. Evelyn pulled her hatchet and dagger out. One in each hand. Swinging the axe. It was pure chaos for a moment. Cranks just turned on each other.

"So much for loyalty and a family!" Evelyn yelled over the chaos.

"It's a gang in cranks! There is no loyalty!" Goose yelled.

Evelyn growled. And narrowed her eyes. A group of screaming cranks charged them in the corner.

"Stay behind me!" He yelled.

"Shuck that!" She stepped up beside him swinging her hatchet. She used the shaft of the hatchet to block someone's stab down and used the dagger and stabbed it up into his stomach. Yanking it back out the warm blood spilling over her hand. She spun into the next crank, swinging her hatchet. She felt a crunch of bone. The wild crank was cackling a wild wet shrieking laugh.

"Yes! Yes little murderous Witch! Yes yes! Kill them all!"

She felt a sting on her face. She yelled. And stumbled backwards. Someones knife had got her on the cheek. Goose roared and the crank was dead in a second.

"You okay?"

She nodded. And jumped back into the fight.  Some of these cranks seemed to be way further gone than the crowd the last two days. Evelyn ducked and swung her hatchet back and forth. She used it to block a few wild swings, slashing her dagger instead.

She just dropped another crank, one who had blood dripping from his mouth. She stepped towards the next guy, with a wild snarl.

"Wait! PIXY?"

She hesitated with the hatchet, but she was still growling and snarling. She still swung the dagger.

"Pixy! It's me! Feisty little Pixy! Stop! Whoa!"

"Kitten! What are you doing?"

"Evelyn?"

She had stopped moving, frowning.

"Evy?"

She blinked, and shook her head like she was trying to shake something loose.

"Kitten!?" Goose screamed.

"Who are you?"

"Kitten!" He yelled again. Evelyn registered the panic in his voice, Goose was shoving his way through the crowd as best he could. As if in a dream she saw a knife and spear held to Goose's chest and throat.

"Your a shucken crank!"

She registered that, and the weapon being raised.

"NO!" She screamed. Finally moving, she ripped the hand off of her arm. "NO! STOP!"

Someone tried to stop her but she snarled, "MOVE!" She threw herself in front of Goose, smacking the spear away with her hatchet. She stood in front of the only protection she had in the messed up life. She would throw her life into harms way. She would rather die then be left alone in Crank City.

"Evy?"

A voice made her freeze.

"Lee..? Love? Evelyn? What the bloody hell?!"

Evelyn blinked, dropping the weapons in her hand and grabbed her head.

"No no no! Go away! Go away! Stop!"

"Kitten?"

"Love?"

"Stop stop stop!"

The cackling slowly died away. She was breathing heavily. She was dishevelled from the fight. She felt a hand on her hip. But her head was her own again. It was pounding but her mind was clear. She slowly lifted her head, her eyes wide, terrified. She came face to face with big brown eyes filled with worry, hurt and confusion.

"Lee?"

"Newt?"

"The shuck? Pixy?"

"Minho?"

"Kitten ..your family."

"Who are you?"

"...Newt...?"

The questions that were overlapping went quiet, watching her. Her body started to shake, her lip trembled. She tried to stifle a sob.

"Evelyn....?" He whispered hesitantly.

She threw herself at him. Sobbing, she wrapped her arms around him. Her didn't hesitate, his arms were already pulling her close before she even made contact. A hand buried into her hair.

They were both crying now. She had said good bye earlier today. She wrote a letter to say good bye, she had decided to stay, but he was standing here. Newt was really standing alive and well in front of her. Every resolve to walk away broke. She felt like her heart was at home. Her resolve crumbled. She sobbed into his neck.

"I thought you were dead!" Newt said, he had pulled away, and now holding her face in his hands, they wouldn't stay still. Holding her jaw, and then cheeks, her hair, smoothing her hair away from her forehead.

"Then somehow we ran inta Tessa-"

"She made it? She made it to Jaz?"

"Yeah. Evy. I made it. No problems."

Evelyn turned her head and saw Teresa standing beside them, holding a spear and her dagger.

Newt continued, pulling her eyes back to his big brown eyes that held her captivated. "Yeah Love, and everyone else. They said you buggen' seen Tommy and went ta look and then were bloody taken by cranks!"

She was laughing because he was here, he was alive and crying and nodding. Her hands grabbed his dirty tattered shirt, holding tight. Her hands wouldn't stay still either, touching him, holding him. He was battered and bruised, he looked tired, but he was whole.

Something slammed into her and she made an omph noise.

"MOM!"

"Chuck?" She screamed.

Big brown child doe eyes looked up at her. She sunk to her knees and pulled him tight.

"Oh Chuck! Chuck, your really here!"

"Yeah Pixy! We're all here. I won't hold it against you you almost took my head off."

Evelyn picked her head up and looked around. Minho, stood before her. Bloody, a few burn marks, holding two daggers. But it was Minho. She got up and wrapped her arms around her best friend. She pulled away and looked around, everyone was there, tired and battered, but they were there. Her boys and the Group B girls.

Jorge and Captain Jaz had Goose on his knees a knife held to his neck.

"NO!" She screamed.

Flying towards them. Someone tried to stop her, she "MOVE!" she screamed. Fear, anger and a fierce protectiveness came over her. Minho's hand let go startled by her mood shift. She swiped her dagger and hatchet off the floor, in a smooth motion and lunged forward.

"Back away!" She hissed. Jorge and Jaz glanced at each other.

"Do it. Or I start shucken swinging!"

They hesitated.

"NOW!" she screamed. They finally removed their weapons.

"You two missing friends are in the basement." Goose spat.

"You took him?" Minho growled.

Goose snapped his eyes to Minho.

"No. I didn't. We were just trying to figure out how to get them out when your group stormed the club, causing a fucking massacre."

Minho shrugged, "their just cranks."

He growled, and Evelyn snapped her eyes to him.

"I'm a fucking crank, Minho." She snarled.

"Evy!" Newt gasped.

Minho's face went pale and he had the decency to look ashamed. Her eyes scanned the group.

"Evelyn, ma Hija, do you know who that is?" Jorge asked.

"He was the only one who stood between me and all of Crank City for the last two days. You touch him that will be the last thing you ever feel with that hand. Do I make my self clear?"

"Evelyn-"

"Am I clear?" She  cut him off. Her eyes flashing with the white frost. She could feel the crank trying to push through. Her hands felt cold and tingly. Her infections burnt with a freezing sting. She thrashed her head to the side. Closing her eyes for a second.

"Yeah Evy, we understand. And I owe him everything for keeping you safe." Newt said gently.

She looked back at him. His eyes were genuine, he was nodding and both hands outstretched towards her.

"We all understand. Jaz,  Tessa, Minho and Sonny will go get Tommy and Brenda."

"We will?" Minho asked frowning. His eyes hasn't left Evelyn, but he was looking at her with a mixture of fear and possible...distrust and disgust ..

"Yes. You will." Newt stressed, give Minho a pointed look.

"Fine."

"Is there somewhere we can sit down and figure out what's going on?"

"If you trust a damn crank my apartment is too floor last door on the end.

Evelyn turned her back on the group holding a hand out for Goose.

"Thank you, Noah. Are you sure?"

His eyes softened when he looked at her. And nodded.

"Feral Kitten has a family. Her family is part of my family."

She smiled up at him, she squeezed his hand, "Thank you."

"Switch and Amanda are both Blissed out. We got a while, it's also day break, the Club is closed for the day."

She nodded. Goose turned and walked to the far door.

"Your friends are down the stairs. Come on."

Without waiting, Evelyn followed. The others had no choice but to follow. The group split and the four went downstairs and the rest trudged up the steps after Goose and Evelyn.

Newt caught up with her. He tried to skid his hand into hers but she hissed, yanking her arm away and close to her chest, tears formed in her eyes.

"Shuck! I'm sorry Love!"

"It's...it's okay. It's getting worse, the more I crank out the faster it spreads which makes cranking out happen more often."

"Evelyn-"

"Newt...please don't." She whispered sadly. She leaned into him, he gently put an arm around her and held her close as they walked down the hall.

___________________________

Thomas was laying on the couch waiting for the drugs to wear off. Brenda sat hunched on the floor leaning against the wall, looking a little sick. Goose was sitting at the table, his boots up on the table. Jaz and Jorge were questioning him rather aggressively.

"Where's Marcus?"

"Wait Amanda's Uncle is Marcus?" Evelyn frowned looking at Goose.

Goose glanced at her and nodded.

"Shuck sakes." She threw her hands into the air.

"Why?"

"He has information and some supplies we were going to come...get." Jorge answered.

"Marcus is pretty far gone. The gang usually runs the place. Amanda and me ...Switch is too much of a junkie now...though Amanda is close behind."

"And you?" Jorge demanded.

"What bout me?"

"Jorge back off." Evelyn snapped.

"Pixy relax."

"No Minho. You guys don't get it. This city is all cranks. You're all immune and get to go have nice full long lives, nice sweet peaceful lives the second you get to the shucken Safehaven."

She pushed off the wall and walked over to the table where Jorge was interrogating Goose.

"Cranks like us" she emphasized, "have to survive, day by day. We do what we have to to survive. You have no idea what I've had to do the last few days to stay alive. What Goose has done to help keep me safe."

"Then explain Love. Tell us what happened. We got the story up until you sent Tessa off which was stupid by the way!"

"No. It was the smartest thing she did. I wouldn't have been able to keep both off them. One of them would have been given to another gang member and...you don't want to know what would have happened.."

"They both could have gotten away." Newt narrowed his eyes at Goose.

"No. They wouldn't."

Newt and Goose glared at each other for a second.

"Enough!" Evelyn snapped. She closed her eyes and rubbed her temples. Her pounding head was getting worse.

"Look Newt. It happened, I did what I had to do. I kept her safe. I'm a crank. I am. Stop trying to say otherwise. It was easier to be a crank with other cranks then be regular with you munies. I kept her safe the best I could."

Newt hung his head, used a hand to run through his hair and looked back up at her with sad broken eyes.

"Okay. Tell your story Love."

There was a groan. Teresa was leaning over Thomas.

"Hey. We gotta stop meeting like this."