Not Another Game

Who: Dodge and Maddy
Where: Maddy's place
When: late morning

Dodge hadn't headed home from Evie's the night before. Still reeling on an afterwave of being rejected and drudging up more memories of ways he'd fallen short for those under him, he'd headed towards Maddy's hoping perhaps to find her at home. Just as before though, she was still missing, the wooden duck Dodge had picked up for her was still sitting on the vanity where he'd left it for her when he'd first came by.

He hadn't been ready to go home, even though she wasn't there. Finally really alone for a moment he sat down on her bed, burying his head in his hands. Feeling vulnerable was rare for him, normally he was unstoppable, but last night he'd been feeling like his world was crashing down on him. Patrick's voice had whispered in his ear, coaxes of bringing in younger and younger boys, training the next generation of their pack as the older boys got older. Another reminder for Dodge to keep supplying him with victims. Hours had passed before the whispers stopped and he curled up, sleeping fitfully for the few hours he'd laid down. As morning came that's where he was, strewn across Maddy's bed, asleep, but his face contorted in frustration rather than the peaceful ease of sleep.

Maddy was relieved to walk back in the warm, dim interior that was known as the Hill Street Theater. She strolled through the front door like any important patron should and was greeted by the caretaker's wife, who immediately handed her a comb, tsking her for walking around with her hair in a rat's nest. The couple were good about respecting her and she was one of the few women that didn't want to bundle her up and take her home. Maddy figured she was just one in a line over the years that had sought refuge in the theater.

With comb in hand, Maddy slowly headed up the stairs to her room, brushing her hair until it shown, glossy and golden and completely out of the ordinary for her but she was starting to discover that she really like it. However when she reached the door of her room, she slowed down, treading carefully, not wanting to alert anyone who might be in her room to her presence. She was good at avoiding certain floorboards, so there were no creaking floorboards or footsteps that would reach the ears of anyone inside.

She was absolutely careful opening her door and peeking in, she didn't spot anyone at first, but then there was Dodge. Dodge passed out across her bed. And that confirmed all her suspicions. She still remained silent however, moving across her room to set the brush on the table. She spied the duck, which hadn't been there when she left. She knew that for sure. Dodge must've brought it over when he found her missing.

Maddy took the oppurtunity to change her clothes, wearing a short sleeved, cream lace dress, passing on gloves for the moment. It was not of her usual fare, but she felt that it would be appropriate to approach Dodge differently. To reiterate that she wasn't just some other street girl that he knew. That she was Doll Girl. His superior. Supreme queen of the universe.

She slipped on a pair of thick, warm socks and headed across the attic floor to her bed and looked down at him. Roy had definitely given him what for. His face looked terrible, bruised and swollen and his hand was banged him. Sighing softly, Maddy sat down on the edge of the bed beside him, looking down at her hands in her lap as she thought what to do, long hair curtaining her face.

Something flashed and he groaned in his sleep, obviously in some sort of pain. It was actually enough to rouse him from his dreamless awkward sleep. He shifted a little, eyes fluttering. At first her thought he was dreaming, some figment version of the girl he'd been looking for sitting at the end of his bed. But after a moment and some more blinking he registered that he wasn't in his bed, nor was he hallucinating. Propping himself up some, he looked at her again, now that she was in focus, he was doubting what he was seeing. Mostly because she didn't look like her. "Maddy?" His voice was rough with unsatisfying sleep, hair tousled and free from the fedora which was on the bed next to him.

Maddy didn't answer for a minute, still contemplating her bare hands. Instead of answering him, she moved one of her hands and plucked his fedora from it's resting place and carefully placing it on her head, adjusting it until it sat high off her forehead and then looked at him. Her face was paler than normal from sickness, her blue eyes bigger, and she was frowning a little, looking down at him with a vague look of sadness, as if to ask Where did I go wrong? Which she was feeling but she also knew that Dodge himself must be having problems.

She didn't have to answer for it to dawn on him that she was actually there and not lost or taken or anything else that he'd dreamed might have happened to her in the past two days. Elated, he had his hands on her in a moment, sitting up enough to wrap his arms around her and tug her almost into his lap. His hands on either side of her face, tangled in her surprisingly blond hair, his breath was almost shaking. "Thank God," he barely whispered, kissing her forehead. "I thought I'd lost you. But here you are, alive and here and... smelling delicious." Finding her recharged him somehow, and in an instant he was Dodge again, ducking his head to bury it in her hair.

Dodge's fedora fell off of her head when he latched onto her and for a second there, Maddy thought he was going to kiss her properly, but he went for the forehead and then held on. He was shaking although trembling would be a more fitting description. He was scared. That's what he'd been when he'd gone to Roy. Terrified. The position she was in was awkward though and she crawled fully into his lap to relieve the pressure on her side and wrapped her arms around him, holding him just as tight. For now, she had to show him that she was very real and very safe. "I'm here," she confirmed, a whisper in his ear and she trailed a kiss very, very gently across his bruised cheek, reaching up to comb a hand through his tangled hair.

He tugged her closer as she shifted so she was properly in his lap. Dodge's head was still in her hair, only now he was nuzzling against her chin. The words would never leave his mouth, but he'd needed this, someone to hold him. He'd hoped it would have been Evie, but she'd thrown that wall up, shutting down, leaving him alone. "I thought I'd..." he started, but realized he'd already said it once and his voice was giving out on him.

"Almost," she told him softly, bending her head over his, her long hair still tangled in his hands as he clung to her. Last week, Maddy wouldn't have said 'almost'. She would've said that she was perfectly fine, but no. She told him 'almost'. Maddy kept stroking his hair and allowed herself to relax against him. Maybe she was Dodge's 'Roy'. Maybe Dodge needed her more than he'd let on. "I'm right here though, Dodge. I'm not leaving." Her other hand stroked the ridge of his spine, soothing. Comforting. She was offering him as much comfort as she could.

Almost? Dodge's whole body tensed with that, mind reeling. For a moment he'd thought this would fix things, reassure him he wasn't losing his grip, but even this couldn't fix him. Reacting just as he had the night before with Evie, he pulled back, feeling stupid for waiting here for her. Unlike waiting on Evie's stoop though, it wasn't as easy to just walk away.

"High fever," she explained immediately, panicking when he pulled away. "I got really sick." Her hand moved, small and cool to cup his unbruised cheek. Skin contact. Actually feeling her hand there might calm him down again. "That's all. I didn't run away or hide from you. No one kidnapped me. I swear." Please don't look at me like that. "No one tried to take me away from you." She stroked his cheek, looking at him desperately. She hadn't looked at him like that since that night when he went into the tunnels and dammit, she was desperate. She wanted everything to be better. Maddy grabbed one of his hands and put it on her chest, covering it with her own. "See? Heartbeat."

Dodge didn't lean into her touch, didn't relax. When she pulled his hand against her chest he pulled back. "You blame me don't you?" Just like everyone else. He'd scowered the damn city for her, trying everywhere and nothing. Nothing. He pulled himself away from her completely then, lifting her off his lap and everything. It wasn't fair, he would have found her, she just got to appear out of thin air first. It felt like like a game. Like a bad game that he'd been stuck at the end of, drowning without help.

Maddy looked at him like she'd been smacked and she felt like it too. She'd never seen Dodge like this, so broken and lonely. "Why would I blame you for me getting sick?" she asked, not letting him move away like he'd been trying to. "I got sick, Dodge. Did you want me to get sick?" She crawled back into his lap, making him look at her. "I know you wouldn't want me to get sick so why is it your fault?" She was shaking, partially due to the cold, mostly because she was scared and her face was open to him, scared and worried for him.

He didn't want her to do that, to move in closer. No, he wanted to leave. She was fine now, he didn't need to be here, he could just go back to his life again. Patrick's whisper was in his head again, only older voices, from when it was just Patrick and Dodge. Patrick saying how Dodge would need him, how together they could do whatever they wanted. No matter how skilled Dodge was he needed Patrick to make it all work. Fighting against the surreal Dodge tried to place himself in the current conversation. "No I don't, but I didn't find you." He closed his eyes, face gritted in frustration.

"Yeah, you did," she whispered, still cupping his cheek. "You knew exactly where to look for me. You just got here first." She ducked her head down, nuzzling his neck and kissing his shoulder, affectionate, still trying to soothe him. "I'm glad you were here when I came back." She kissed his cheek this time, still being affectionate, carding fingers through his hair. Anything she could think of.

His body slightly relaxed to her attention but it was involuntary. Dodge had been craving something like this since the night before. It was what pushed him to make that move on Evie, even though that had set him back farther from where he'd started. Still, he didn't want it now because it didn't seem right. He remained silent and passive, fighting back the voice in his head.

Maddy lifted her head, pulling away a little bit to look at him. He'd relaxed, a little bit, but he was still stiff with that frustrated look on his face. Maybe he was getting freaked out like when she teased Roy the night before and she felt embarrassed, her cheeks turning pink. She looked away, still stroking his hair, but she still looked embarrassed and now she didn't know what to do and yeah... This was the Dodge she hadn't been expecting and she was scared. So now she was scared and embarrassed.

He saw that she'd flushed pink, and more than anything he wanted to fix it, or at least enjoy it, but he couldn't get past the wall that had gone up. He'd almost lost her. Sure she'd said it would never happen again, but he'd come that close to failing her. Dodge just didn't know how to deal with that. In a slight effort, he twisted a few strands of her hair around his fingers, amazed at how soft it was all combed out that like. "I looked everywhere I could," he finally mumbled softly.

"I know," she said quietly. Boy, did she know. She let him play with her hair, still playing with his in a weird kind of cross comfort action. "I know you did everything you could. I know if something ever happened you'd find me." Maddy was still pink but she looked at him gently. Encouraging.

"Where did you go?" he asked softly. His voice seemed to be coming back, and talking helped to tame Patrick's voice some as well, which helped him breath easier. "The only place I didn't get a good chance at was the orphanage, but you know they want me there. They think if they can pull me off the streets for the next few months I have left until I'm eighteen they can turn me around or something." Dodge wanted to lean in closer for more, but he was still wary, still unsure of what she'd meant. "I will find you. I was going to. I just..." He just hadn't been able to. That was really what it boiled down to wasn't it?

"I passed out at the church," she murmured, rubbing soothing circles along his scalp, scratching her fingernails gently against his head. Maddy was more affectionate with him, yes, but Dodge was finally responding again. He had her in the palm of his hand. Again. Maddy hated that. Everything was always so confusing with Dodge but the way he was right now... she'd probably give him everything if he asked for it, just to make him feel better.

There was no denying that her attention was bringing him back from that dark place, but it wasn't fixing the problem, just blocking up the windows for now. So while he didn't lean into her touch or push his any further, he didn't pull away. "You weren't there though, I looked there. They hadn't seen you."

Maddy nodded a little, leaning against him tiredly, even if he wasn't doing the same. Because yeah, she was still tired from being sick. "One of the ladies there took me to her place. Helped me get better. I sorta woke up there, didn't know what was up. Got out as soon as I could stand on my own. Knew you'd be looking for me." Because yeah, she knew he would and was surprised that he hadn't found out where she was. It seemed though that in his panic, he couldn't think. She didn't realize he'd end up like this and she felt bad for going to see Roy first. She wouldn't tell him that though. No. She'd never tell him that.

"No one saw you leave. Or at least no one I found. I looked everywhere. I was headed for the tunnels this morning if you didn't turn up." When she leaned against him he actually wrapped an arm across her shoulders, resting his head against hers. "I got in a fight with Pepper, 'cause I wasn't thinking right and I said something to upset her. I got in a fight with..." Dodge paused. He didn't feel up for telling her about the fist fight with Roy. "With that girl, the one I went to the ball for." It would have been easier to just say Evie or Amelia, but he'd kept her secret, and kept it from Maddy. And he had gotten in a fight with Evie. Hell, he wasn't even sure when he'd feel okay with going back by her place. Dodge wasn't usually the type to give up on a prospect, no matter how hopeless, but things with Evie were a realm he wasn't used to.

She leaned her head a little against his back, relieved that she was making progress. Her fingers kept combing through his hair and rubbing gently as he spoke, his voice quiet and a tone she hadn't heard before. God, he was really messed up. He didn't mention the fight with Roy, but the other fights were a surprise. She frowned when he said 'that girl I went to the ball for'. It was annoying how she was still a bit jealous over that. "Well, it was a lady from the church. I dunno. I was passed out cold. Brain cooking fever so it might've been a good thing you didn't find me though. I'd hate myself forever if I got you and the boys sick." Because she would.

"We would have been fine. We could have taken care of you." Dodge would have tried if she'd come to him. Hell, he hadn't even heard about her being sick until she went missing. That didn't sit well with him at all. With his free hand he rubbed his face, wincing in pain from where it was still swollen. It was also the bandaged hand which was proving to be more painful than he'd expected. It was a little swollen as well, and sore as hell. Actually he hurt almost everywhere. The pain medicine Evie had given him had helped with staving off the pain last night, but now it was obvious how badly hurt he was. Thinking about his injuries made him wonder why she hadn't asked out them yet. Pepper was good, but Dodge knew how he'd looked last night and was sure he probably looked worse now. Normally Maddy would be breathing storming about, demanding to know why he looked like a punching bag.

"You know what I mean," she murmured in his ear. And she had noticed his injuries, but was waiting for him to explain what had happened. "You always seem to get beat up on my account, don't you?" Maddy turned her head a little bit and took his injured hand in hers, gentle so she didn't aggravate it. She lifted it to her lips and pressed a kiss to it, as if that would make it all better but knew she should go look for some pills.

"I didn't get beat up," he told her, feeling like his pride was in question. "You should see the other guy." Which he knew she would and she'd be back here yelling and screaming at him instead of trying very hard to be sweet to him.

Yeah, I did and we're going to have a talk about that But that would be later. "Your badges of battle are very handsome just the same," she assured, knowing that his pride was hit a little bit when she said that he'd been beat up. "Knight in shining armor, aren't you?"

"More like the outlaw with a heart of gold," he told her, discounting the title that implied he had some sort of proper standing in society. "I missed you," he finally murmured, turning his head to breath in the clean smell of her again. He wasn't feeling better as much as not wanting to feel bad anymore, pushing away the broken parts to let the real Dodge out. As a result his voice had more of it's normal lilt to it, the friendly, playful tone starting to creep back.

"I know." Her hand moved to the nape of his neck, stroking the hair there so she could hug him properly, not noticing some of his normal voice coming back. Maddy was just glad that he was responding. That she was being held back because there was something to say about human contact that could soothe you. "I missed you too. I like the duck you got me. I'm sorry I wasn't here for you to give it to me."

"I got it from a girl on the street. She was just painting them up and giving them away. Very interesting. There was a whole story there, but it's sort of not as much fun to tell now. I did carry it around under my hat for a while. I thought you would have enjoyed that." Dodge leaned in closer, nuzzling her cheek a little, feeling more like he had when he first woke up, less distraught at least. Somewhere in his head he realized he should deal with his issues, but for right now he had her full attention and playing with her was more than worth it.

"Under your hat, huh?" Affectionate Dodge was better than a depressed and anti-social Dodge in her book, even though it confused her and frustrated her absolutely to no end. Still, moving into this mood without talking about anything was concerning and she wondered if she'd have to bring up some of her issues so he'd share hers. "Yeah, I like that." Maddy kept stroking his neck, still letting him know that she was there.

"Like I said, thought you would." He shifted her again, pulling her around so she was facing him, far enough away that an actual move would have to be made to reestablish that close contact they'd just had moments before. The slight glint was back in his eye, most of the sadness pushed away and his smile was the typical playful Dodge grin.

While she was relieved to see his face back to its usual look, she also felt a wave of weariness that she knew would ensue now. The ribbing she would get for being so 'loving' and 'affectionate'. "Well, I appreciate it. I'll have to find a place of honor to put it." Her hands moved away from his neck when he pulled her around and she felt, ironically, like a doll that he was playing with.

Dodge ran his fingers along her ribs, playing with the lace of her dress. "A place of honor huh? How fancy." The tease was back in his voice, whispers that she couldn't hear mostly ignored. He wanted to play, to chide with her a little or to slip back into their usual game, something familiar. Letting his hands slid upward he traced the line of her figure, small as it was. "Let's go back to the part where you missed me." And you promised not to leave me again.

Maddy shivered and hated herself for it, but passed it off as the cold than what he was doing. "I missed you very much," she said. "I could've used something to amuse me, although I was delirious with fever, trapped in my tower room, all by my lonesome." And that was kind of it, when everything boiled down. She was lonely up there in the attic, looking like a ghost in her old dress and soft, blonde blonde hair.

He caught the shiver, it was hard to miss when he was touching her, and his smile quirked a little, pleased at the reaction. "Amuse you?" Dodge raised an eyebrow at that. "What exactly did you have in mind to cure your loneliness?" Using his hold on her for leverage, he slid her a few inches closer to him, not quite close enough, but the point of the movement was to put the idea in her head. He was glad she'd missed him, he'd assumed she would have, but it was good to hear it. Especially with "very much" tacked on to it.

She was able to mask her reaction much better this time around, putting on an air of superiority, which she knew she had over him anyway. Because she wasn't easy and she wasn't some flitty girl that usually fell over him. No. She was Supreme Goddess. "Oh, the usual things one could expect with the jester of their court," she sighed, hands on his shoulders to keep her balance. "Juggling. Magic tricks. The army of servants you provide me at my beck and call." With all the scooting around, her skirt was kind of half bunched up on her thighs or pulling between his thigh and hers and it was tugging at her collar and she was kind of afraid it would rip but she was trying to ignore that.

"You are sorely mistaken m'lady. You're in the presence of true royalty. I don't juggle." Dodge leaned back, reaching around for his fedora which he dropped back on his head, tugged low on his brow so all that really showed was his grin. The perfect Chesire Cat "You'll have to come up with something else."

"You may be royalty then, but I'm still Supreme Goddess," Maddy pointed, gripping his shoulders to keep her balance when he moved so she didn't fall on top of him. She didn't like not saying his whole face so she reached up and pushed the fedora back with a little, imperious frown. "And that means I rank higher than you. So what else did you have in mind?" Maddy looked at him, properly curious, cocking her head and everything. At least when he moved her dress wasn't pulling any more.

Ball was in his court. Maddy had a feeling he was just messing around with her.

Dodge chuckled lightly, enjoying that little curious face of hers. "What else did I have in mind? You're the one who needs entertaining. The lonely one." It was a blatant lie, but he showed no indication that it might be. For someone always surrounded by his crew, he'd been feeling more than lonely lately. But this was their game, back and forth until someone made a move, or changed the game.

She shrugged. "I've amused myself with everything already," she said, looking around her attic. "Might put together a proper bed sometime." She looked in one of the corners where the bed frame of a brass bed was laying haphazardly but she hadn't really thought about that. "But that won't amuse me for very long." Her hands brushed his shoulders, as if she were wiping away specks of dusts and looked back at him. "Is it amusing to you that I'm lonely?" The same curious face, no indication that she was vaguely annoyed. Or curious as to his ideas.

"That could be done, the bed and all." Dodge quirked a dangerous smile, that hinted at dangerous ideas. "And no, it's not at all amusing," he lied again because it was thoroughly amusing. She needed him, which meant he'd been right when he'd fought with Roy. Roy had said Dodge didn't have claim over Maddy, that she only did what she wanted, but Roy had been wrong. Hands on her waist he tugged her closer again, right up next to him. "Actually I think it's a damn shame."

"It shouldn't be," she said seriously, winding in the truth with her imperious look down at him. "Wouldn't you be lonely? all by yourself up here with the dogs circling under your window?"

This is how it was. This is how it would always work. This is how those women did it, mistresses and Madames and manipulative wives of powerful men. Not that she enjoyed the manipulation, but Dodge was tugging her around and toying with her and it was a game to him. And she could see it, the way he was looking at her, that he felt triumphant that she was there. Was this how he was hiding? And he really, truly thought he had all the power. That she was his.

And it was suddenly so startlingly clear. The look he was giving her. That smile. She owned him. It was why he was loyal to her. How she'd kept him so loyal. And it worked for the two of them and Maddy wondered how much she could ask of him and how much he'd give her back.

"Although the bed... I'm sure they would appreciate a proper bed than some mattresses on the floor. Like Babylon." Even though it was gone. And she said this so offhand, a lilting sigh in her voice. She was Cleopatra, exercising control over this boy of Rome.

She thought she was tricky, that she could bait him like that but Dodge knew better. There weren't others, just him. Maybe that insolent pain in the ass Roy, but Roy didn't have the control over Maddy that Dodge did, nor would he know what to do with her in this sort of situation. "It's so unfortunate that you're lonely, even with all your suitors." He was playing along, teasing in his voice.

Dangerous games. That's what it was. She was right up against him, her arms draped around his neck and she got up on her knees so he'd have to tilt his head back and look up at her, her hair curtaining their faces. "It is. I might have to start charging more for a better group of clientele." Her hands slid away, across his shoulders to gently pull his away from her waist and climbed off off him, dragging his fedora off his head and putting it on hers. "I made $40 last week. Could have double that if I got a bed."

He let her go, another play of cat and mouse, stretching out and rolling on to his, propping himself up on his elbow. "Forget the bed, at that rate, you could move out soon." He continued to play even if the idea of her selling herself made him sick. Thankfully he knew her well enough to know that she wouldn't stand for that.

That's the plan. "I'm a hot commodity, didn't you know?" Maddy asked flippantly. She walked over to a pile of boxes and casually started going through it. "Everyone wants to own a piece of me. Why do you think they call me Doll Girl? Put me in a display case and show me off. They like it when I pretend I'm asleep." That was true and she let that settle on him while she rummaged through the box, finally closing her hands on a cracked cigar box. It was nothing fancy and was full of costume jewelry, but in it was money. Oh, it was mostly fake money, but it was impossible to tell the difference. Combined with a few real bills that she'd earned over the years, the was no indication that anything was amiss. Even Dodge wouldn't be able to tell the difference. Eidolon had very good counterfeiters. And she pulled out a wad of cash and showed him the bills. "I'm going to buy a house one day. For me and Jack." Enough truth in the lie to make it work.

That did settle and it didn't settle well. Dodge did not want to share, but the way she was talking it sounded less and less like a game. And even more so, it sounded like her johns weren't young guns. The money, that much money...what was she playing at? "A house?" God he hoped she was joking, even though the money...that made him think she might not be. He'd wreak havoc on the streets if people thought they could have what was his.

"Yep," she smiled brightly at him and put her money back in the cigar box, patting the lid gently. Lovingly. "I don't do it all the time. Just when I'm lonely." The box went back under the clothes and Maddy closed the lid. She adjusted his fedora on her head and walked back over to where he was lounging on her bed. "Supreme Goddesses need worshiped, you know? And it isn't so bad. I'm appreciated." The point of the second half of her speech wasn't to bother Dodge, but to convince herself that yeah, her ideas for getting her money would be okay. She wouldn't have to do it forever because she could make a lot of money in a short amount of time. Get her house, and everything would be okay.

The voice was starting to creep back, mumbling about how girls were just trouble. It had been a conversation in reaction to Dodge planning on bringing in a girl to the group, how they could be useful because people trust pretty little girls. Patrick had tossed the idea out the window, saying they couldn't be trusted. Little did Dodge know, they just hadn't been his type. "Maddy," Dodge said when she came back towards him reaching out to grab her hand and pull her towards him, back down on the bed. "I can't promise worship, but we'll work on the lonely." Which translated to "I'm not sharing you. Ever."

"You do the same thing you know," she whispered, half leaning over him, hand still in his. "You want to keep me on a shelf at to show off to people but no one else gets to play or share." She didn't know what he meant, exactly, but assumed that now he was thinking of taking her away somewhere and she didn't want that. "I'm not 'Maddy' to you, Dodger. I'm still the little Doll Girl that you play with." Roy didn't treat her like that, he never treated her like that. He had never called her 'Doll' or 'Doll Girl'. He knew he hated that. And this was her warning to him, her excuse for baring her soul to Dodge. That he treated her that way and it made him no different from the 'men' that paid her. The only difference was that he got it for free.

That he didn't appreciate, being compared to those who used her. "It's not the same. I protect you. It's different." He pulled her down closer, enough to slide a hand along her cheek. "You are Maddy to me, and I'm Dodger to no one. He's a character in a story. And so what if I like to play? You like the game just as much as I do." He didn't want her on a shelf, but that didn't mean that she wasn't his prized possession.

"You're Dodger to me," she said, not leaning into his touch. She sounded hurt. Tired. "Aren't I a real person to you? Or don't you realize that?" It wasn't said harshly, just more of the quiet hurt. Maddy wanted him to understand without yelling at him. Without ripping him apart like she wanted to. Maybe he'd realize what he was doing to her.

"So you get to think of me as a fictional character then accuse me of not treating you like a real person? That's not fair." Dodge's tone wasn't accusing, just confused. He sat up a little, trying to slide her back down next to him so they were eye level.

"I don't think of you as a fictional character. The only reason I know Dodger is the name of a fictional character is because you told me. I call you Dodger because that's my nickname for you." Maddy looked away, plucking a loose thread from his sleeve. She still looked sad but she was more relaxed because they were talking now. They weren't playing a game. At least, she didn't think it was a game.

A nickname? His whole name was a nickname, or at least an identity. He didn't even have a real name, or at least he didn't remember it. He'd been "boy" before he met Patrick. His hand was still on her cheek so he tugged her back to looking at him. "We're not talking about names anymore are we? What's going on?" Dodge was confused.

"You hurt me," she said, meeting his eyes. It wasn't like she was crying or anything. There was no way in hell she was going to cry in front of him. "I have other friends besides you, you know. Other people who make me happy and it's like you don't want me to talk with anyone else. That you have a right to have your boys grab me and lock me up in your apartment." It was clear that the whole kidnapping incident is what bothered her the most. "I feel like some stupid yippy dog you own dangling treats in front of. You're so lucky, Dodge. To have an apartment and a family. And just because I haven't found the other half of mine yet doesn't mean you get to put me in your pocket and do with as you please."

"I hurt you? What are you talking about? And when we took you, it was for your own good. You have no business going down there, especially not by yourself. You saw that I barely made it out." Dodge shook his head as if he could make her accusation go away. "And you know full well that if you'd really wanted to leave that night you could have. I took the tough guys down in the tunnels with me. If you'd put up enough of a fight they would have let you go. But you didn't fight, you didn't want to leave, you wanted to be there. You didn't even leave after I came back, remember?" Dodge pulled her closer with the hand on her face, sliding the other hand around her waist. "And you have a family Maddy, you have me. We'll find your brother soon, but for now you have me. The boys too if you want them."

Maddy looked down at the space between them, plucking at a couple buttons on his shirt for lack of anything to do. "I stayed because I was worried about you. Because you're my friend and you went into the tunnels. But I would've been fine." That wasn't the point though. "I didn't know who you took. I was locked in your room and yeah, I could've climbed out the window but I told you I was worried about you. And I don't go trying to scare your boys..." She looked at him then, face fierce. "But don't you ever think that for a minute that means you can do that to me again, Dodge." As for the family... "Not sure I know what you mean," she murmured, confused.

"They told me they locked you in there for their own protection. Said you were mad as hell and scared them. I told them I wasn't surprised. I went down there for you, if you were just some toy, why would I even bother? And you didn't need to worry about me. I'm fine. I always come out on top." Dodge dropped his face to it was even with hers and so very close. "I won't do it again, but maybe you'll think next time, that I'm trying to help, and just listen to what I have to say." He liked that soft sound of her voice, the sweet murmur. "Not sure what I mean about what?"

She was cold, even sitting there next to him and his body heat. She felt it bone deep, like weariness. She realized that he hadn't grabbed his hat back from her and wondered what that was supposed to mean because he usually grabbed it back. Was it a badge of ownership. "You didn't buy me, Dodge. You have no ownership papers that say that you can control my life. The orphanage already did that." Her voice was still soft. There was no reason to raise it because he was so close. "I don't know what you mean about family."

"And you don't own me either, even though you're always bossing me around. But I'm here aren't I?" Dodge smiled just a little. He didn't like this conversation. It almost sounded like she wanted to get rid of him, which he wasn't okay with. It did make him wonder what had made her think this way. "As for family, it doesn't have to be anyone you're actually related to. You and I can be family enough."

Maddy nodded, a small motion but she nodded just the same. "I just wonder sometimes, that's all," she said in reference to the more serious half of the conversation. "The boys too if I want them? What, are you asking me to move in or something?" God, those boys needed to be taken care of. She could do that. And she wouldn't be as lonely. But no. She was waiting for her house. She turned her head and kissed the palm that was cupping her cheek and like some stupid stray kitten, leaned her face into it.

It wasn't entirely reassuring but at least she wasn't deciding that she was done with him. "You don't have to move in, not sure you'd want to. But if you need them, they're your family too. I can tell them so." When she leaned into his touch he smiled. Despite what she was saying, she sure was acting like she needed him which was enough for Dodge. He ran his thumb along her hairline, fingers playing in her hair.

Sometimes it was kind of painful when he played with her hair, the knots and tangles catching his fingers but really. She could get used to the whole clean and very brushed out hair. He seemed to like it too. "And what does them being family entail?" she whispered curiously, back to plucking at the buttons on his shirt. This was nice. She liked this. No power games or her having to give an inch when he tried to take a mile. Maddy liked this.

"We look out for each other, share what we have. That's most of it." Dodge sighed a little, a common side effect of thinking of his crew these days. "Most of them, they were either abandoned by family or their family died. They were alone. With me, they don't have to be." He flinched again, thinking of Patrick. That had been Patrick's idea. Kids with no one because they needed someone. Or they had no where to run to when you hurt them. Not being able to shake the constant flow of memories of his old Fagin was not helping the overall disease that Dodge was trying to ignore.

Maddy caught Dodge's flinch and she reached out and slung her arms around his neck, curling up close against him. He seemed to benefit from the contact. She didn't blame him. "So you an' me will take care of them?" she asked quietly, head on his shoulder. "I know you can take care of them on your own, but I can help." She looked up at him from her position, rubbing her cheek against his shoulder to comfort him.

He cradled her close, one hand in her hair, the other just around her. "It's okay, you don't have to help. That's sort of my cross to bear." It was, it was his obligation to take care of them, not anyone else. If it didn't work, and he couldn't do it, he didn't need to bring Maddy into that. "Thanks though."

"You sure?" Her voice was still that soft murmur that he seemed to like. "I don't mind. I like taking care of people." Because she did and knew that they boys under Dodge's care could benefit from her. Because, well, why wouldn't they?

"I'm sure," he told her leaning his head against hers. As much help as he might need with them, he wasn't going to put it on anyone else. He was their leader and he'd stay that way.

Maddy hated feeling like this. Vulnerable and ripped open with all her insides spilling out. She had hoped that going to sleep would've helped that, what with her late night, panicked confessions to Roy wholly out of character, but she was still feeling the same way, and it was ten times worse with Dodge because things weren't supposed to be like this between them. And it would go back, she was sure of it. But it was like when she got sick, DG went and ran off for awhile and left Madeline all by herself again. She felt scared and lonely, just like how she did when Jack left. "What's wrong with us?" she asked, now beyond caring if she sounded scared or sad or anything like that because all her street cred had flown out the window.

"Nothing's wrong with us," he answered without thinking. Maybe if he'd thought about it he would realize that there might be something wrong, maybe with them as individuals or as a duo, but he didn't think about it. He was fine, Maddy was fine, they were fine.

"Yeah there is," she countered quietly. "But I can't figure it out and I was hoping you might know." Because she just couldn't understand him anymore. What he wanted from her.

Dodge frowned against her head. "I dunno, maybe we just don't deal well being apart." It was sort of of a weak answer because he wasn't even sure what she was asking. What felt wrong.

It was because he was a boy. She was pretty sure that's what it was. "You just confuse me sometimes. With the stuff that you do."

"Like what?" Dodge was completely confused now, he'd been pretty sure their entire relationship made perfect sense.

She rolled her eyes but still kept her head on his shoulder. Yeah, it was because he was a boy. Maybe he didn't realize what he was doing. Or maybe he did and didn't care. No. Dodge did care, which was the reason for half of the problems in her life. "The next time you kiss me, is it going to be a game or are you going to kiss me because you're over that girl from the Drake? That sort of thing."

Dodge pulled away from her a little, moving so he could see her face. "So what does it mean when you kiss me?" It wasn't like that between them was it? It had always been part of the game, but now she was asking about Evie. It was different. This was Maddy, that was Evie. Different.

Her face turned pink and she avoided looking at him, instead fixing her eyes on a pile of old clothes across the room. She hated being a girl. She hated being unsure. She hated just everything. "I just wanted to know where I stood because… I dunno. I don't want to be kissing some other girl's guy and… I dunno." Maddy figured she should probably move but then she wasn't she if he was gonna pull her back or if he was gonna walk away and she just didn't know.

"I'm not some other girl's guy," Dodge answered. As much as it pained him to say it, he wasn't. At least not yet. Or ever. It really would depend on where things were with Evie. Which meant he'd need to talk to her again. Which he really wasn't ready to do. Maybe he'd just wait until after his bruises had healed. That would win him a few days at least.

"I'm not going to be your rebound girl. I deserve better than that." She still wouldn't look at him. It would be nice not to feel like this and she wondered again if other girls felt like this. She needed a drink and her eyes slid over to the abandoned 'bar' on top of a flat-topped trunk near her bed. There was still a decent amount of alcohol left.

"You're not a rebound from anything, Maddy." Dodge didn't like this, putting all this definition on things. Sure she did deserve better, but admitting that meant admitting that he shouldn't be in the equation. That wasn't a solution he was willing to look at. He took her chin pulling her eyes towards his.

Maddy met his eyes reluctantly, still pink and embarrassed and a myriad of other emotions. It was a lot less than looking at the best way to re-exert her dominance over him and more to do with the fact that she was tired of feeling like lost puppy or something. She wished it was easy. She wished she wasn't going to hurt him one day. She knew she was going to hurt him and she didn't want to do that. "Good," was all she found she was able to say.

Leaning in he pressed a kiss against the space between her eyebrows that sometimes creased when she was upset. "Good," he murmured against her skin. There was probably a chance that this would end badly, but so long as she was pleased for now, he could sort out later, later.

She shut her eyes tight when he kissed her, hand fisting in his collar and she held onto him tightly. She just needed something to hold onto, like she did last night. Maddy didn't know whether she should be disappointed that he didn't actually kiss her or relieved that he didn't actually kiss her. "Guys my age don't usually go for me anyway," she said, opening her eyes and looking up at him.

"Technically I'm not your age either," he reminded her. He wasn't quite sure what to make of her hand on his shirt, but he just went with it, hugging her tightly again. "What do you want Mads?"

Maddy didn't answer him for awhile, just content to be held. She remembered Janey holding her sometimes while she was sick. God, she was so lonely. She really and truly was and she hoped that he realized that. "What did you mean when you said we'd work on me not being so lonely any more?"

"Depends on what kind of lonely you are. But I could come by more often." Until lately they'd stuck to meeting in the streets, but times had called for them to spend more time at each other's places. Dodge had assumed that now that she was found, and feeling better, there wouldn't be as much of a need for that.

Maddy shook her head. That would make things a little more difficult. She wondered if a slow, gradual seperation would be the best way to go about things. To slowly stop being an important fixture in his life. Her hand let go of his collar and she wiggled away and out of his embrace, settling on the bed beside him. She ran her hands through her hair, the locks tangled from him playing with it. "I don't need a babysitter," she said, sounding more like herself.

Her change caught him a little off guard, enough that he didn't resist when she tugged away. "I never meant as a babysitter," he told her, voice reflecting his confusion. "I just meant...Okay I don't know what I meant but it wasn't that."

She chuckled, leaning over and kissing his cheek, trying hard to be playful again. "Well, you seemed pretty adamant that putting my bed together could help with my loneliness."

"That was your idea. I just said it could be done." But he still remembered her discussion about how that would be better for business. He still didn't approve of that at all.

"Well if you're coming over, I'm sure you could use a comfortable place to sleep." Meaning that putting the bed together would be for his sake. That yeah, him coming over more would be nice. Maybe if he felt that he could come over more, it would be easier to gauge what was going on with him, then plan how the separation would work. "Unless you're backing out now."

That relieved him a little, that she wanted to put it together for him, not some other guy. "That would work, although you'll end up spoiling me. It'll be nicer here than at home." He ran a hand through her hair right along the hairline. "And no, I never back out."

She shrugged softly and smiled at him, a soft but brilliant Doll smile, one that she pulled out to tug at heartstrings when she was in a sticky situation. It wasn't that she felt she was in a dire situation with Dodge, but she wanted him to feel better because at the base of it all, he'd been practically sobbing in her arms not that long ago. "Never ever ever?"

Dodge smiled back her, that Chesire Cat grin that mixed between getting him in and and out of trouble. "Never ever ever. I'm Dodge." He'd be lying if he said he wasn't feeling better, but he wasn't well yet. He was able to ignore it but the broken aspects were still just below the surface.

"No, you're my Dodge," she corrected, moving around so she was sitting next to him, just facing the opposite direction and he could still play with her hair. "Because I'm your Maddy, right?" She said it for a few different reasons. One: because she knew he needed to hear it. Two: To show that they were at least equals. Three: Because she wasn't Doll Girl.

"Right," he said softly. Of course she was his, there was no denying that. "My Maddy." He repeated it with a smile.

Maddy titled her chin up, as if to say 'yeah, that's right', and leaned over to kiss his cheek again. "Wanna help me put the bed together?" She considered saying 'our', but chose not to. "Would be more comfortable. And we wouldn't have to move after that." Comfortable was the key word. If she could get him to relax, then maybe things would be easier. "If you want to stay here..." To stay here with her, because she'd been missing for three days and she wondered if maybe he'd prefer to stay longer before going to see the boys.

"We can do that," he told her, already starting to eye the frame, and get up from his current place. Normally he would have insisted that he was fine, but she wanted to do this for him, which meant he was willing to do it. Once he was standing next to her, he leaned in, kissing the top of her head. "I'll stay as long as you want me to."

She smiled gently at him, but inside she wasn't sure. She didn't know what to do anymore. She still had to talk to him about Roy but something was... not right in Dodge and she was pretty sure he was just pretending to be okay. And she had to fix it. "You can stay as long as you agree to do the heavy lifting."

She couldn't be sure how long she wanted him to stay anymore.