Jerome Matthew Hernandez peered just around the alleyway and into the street, waiting... watching, seemingly comfortable and relaxed except for the slight tenseness in his face and the hint of wariness in his eyes.

"Hey man, what's up?" the heavy voice came from a large, broad shouldered man. They shook hands- homies status- trading all at once an eigth of weed and a fifty dollar bill.

"Thanks for the hookup. See you in a couple days, eh man?"

Jerome nodded, "For sure man. Peace."

Jerome waited until the man was out of sight, stalking away in teh other direction as soon as he felt safe. You never could be too careful with people these days. Likelyhood was someone would turn you in or pop a cap in you for a twenty. And Jerome had spent enough days in juvi to know he didn't want to spend any in jail. And he hated hospitals so getting shot was out of the question. He was being careful. Only his closest friends knew where he lived and he was going to keep it that way. It may not have been such a big deal- hustling the least dangerous of duges- had he not already known that the cops had an eyes on him, mostly because he was involved with shady people. They didn't know much else other than that. At least it wasn't worse, though. He could be dealing coke. Or something much worse. Weed slipped past cops easy. And he was one of the few dealers so he made bank.

His phone rang, shocking him slightly out of his thoughts and he stopped for a moment to pick it up.

"Yo?"

"Hey man, it's me. Do you have any Mexican dirt this time?"

Jerome shook his head, not that Jaime could see it, "Not this week. Just the good stuff."

Jerome swore he could almost hear the frown in Jaime's voice as he spoke again.

"Alright man. I'll settle. Can I get a little guy?"

"Yeah, I'll be home in about fifteen if you want."

"I'll be there in a couple hours. Got shit to take care of."

Jerome sighed as the malice dripped off his friends voice, "Just be careful."

And then the line went dead. Jaime did that often. When the conversation was over it was over and there was nothing more that needed to be said. Not even goodbye.

Another sigh escaped Jerome's lips and he put the phone in his pocket before continuing to walk. The sun had just set below the horizon and the light purple color was beginning to fade in the sky. Maybe he should stop by the grocery store and pick up a few items before heading back. Afterall, he had time.

He took a short cut down an alley way. He could already tell this was going to be a long night... he only hoped it didn't turn out the way he could feel it was about to. Maybe he should call Jaime back- make sure he didn't do anything stupid. Doubt flooded through him. It wasn't like it would help anyway.

((Heh heh I thought this might be interesting... If not just let me know and I'll delete it ;) ))

Mira had run away from Rose. She wouldn't make that scary woman go away, and Rosa hardly ever spent time with her anymore. It had been a few days and Rosa probably didn't even know that she was gone.

She could take care of herself, she'd done it before and it was warmer out now. So it wouldn't really be all that cold, she would be able to live a little better now that it was getting warm again.

Her eyes widened as she saw a man... Wa... It had to be! She'd seen his face many many times in the pictures that her mama kept about. He had to be... She ran after him as fast as she could, clutching her backpack to her back.

"Papa!" She cried out as she saw his face again. It was him! It had to be him, it couldn't possibly be anyone else.

"PAPA!! No!" He turned down the alley, leaving her behind.

"Papa! Don't leave me please!" She called out in Spanish as she turned down the alley he had, running as fast as she could to keep up with him.

Jerome heard the cries and at first, didn't turn. There was no way she could be talking to him. But as the footsteps continued after him, he frowned. Who else could she be talking to? And then she was speaking in Spanish and he couldn't help but respond. Firstly because there was no one else with them and secondly because he couldn't leave a little girl alone in an alley way running after a man that didn't exist.

He turned to face her and got done on his knees as she ran toward him. Would she stop when she saw he was not who she thought he was, "Who are you looking for, young one?" His answer was also in Spanish, "Where are you parents?"

She must have been lost because he had never seen her in his entire life. And she had been crying for her Papa, which meant, perhaps they looked alike and she had lost him on the street. Or so he thought.

"Did you lose your father? Do you need me to take you to him?"

Grinning widely as he stopped and turned around, Mira ran to greet him, her eyes bright and full of happiness. "Papa!" She threw her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder. "Papa! I knew I would find you one day! Mama said that you were gone, that you wouldn't ever come back, but I knew that you'd come for me!" She mumbled excitedly.

"After mama told me to run... And she didn't come or me I knew that you would find me!"

She released her hug and looked back at him. His hair, his face... even his eyes were just like the pictures she'd seen of her father.

"I've always wanted to see you... And and here you are!" She said brightly.

Her father... She finally got to meet her father...

"Don't you know who I am papa? It's me. Mirabelle! Mama said you only saw me when I was a baby... But I've gotten bigger now." She said with a grin.

He enfolded her into his arms and buried his face in her hair, a natural reaction. The shock was written all over him. Why did she keep calling him that?

After the moment of shock had worn off, he grabbed her gently by the shoulders and pulled her out to stand in front of him so that he could see her face. She was pretty child and couldn't have been over six or seven.

"My you are big, but I'm sorry Mirabelle," he told her softly. He had a habit of mumbling, no matter who he was talking to, "I'm not your father." He didn't want to crush her hopes, but he couldn't pretend he knew this child.

He stood up, automatically swinging her into his arms. He had to find her parents, at the very least. He wouldn't leave her standing there.

"Come on," he told her, holding him protectively against his chest, "Let's go get some ice cream and then you can tell me where your mother is."

Mira blinked with a frown at his statement that he was not her father. It couldn't be... He looked just like the pictures. He had to be her father. Where else could he be anyways? She shook her head as he swung her up into his arms. He was acting just as a father would...

"You... You have to be... You look like him... And... And I knew you would try to find me after... After mama died." She mumbled. "When we came here, mama said that you couldn't come with us. That you had to stay back home when we came here." She said softly but still speaking quickly in Spanish. Tracy had taught her some English, but it was still limited, and she couldn't think of the words right now anyway.

"Mama? She... She's dead." Mira mumbled. "Those men we had to run from... They... They found us and she told me to run because otherwise they'd kill me too or take me and hurt me. So I ran... A lady told me that she died later... That was why she didn't come back for me... Don't you remember papa? When we left? I was really little..."

But she trailed off hopefully, smiling at him. He would remember right? She couldn't be wrong about him... She just couldn't.

Jerome watched little Mira, his eyes sad. He didn't know what to say to her. He wasn't her father. That he knew. The best he could do was introduce himself as they walked out of the alley way and down the street, headed towards the ice cream shop.

"My name is Jerome, Mira." He didn't deny what she said. Didn't try to sway her. He wanted to stick to the facts and he wanted to get her home. As long as she trusted him, he could keep her safe.

Poor child. No mother, no father. Who was taking care of her now. What would she do on her own.

It wasn't like Jerome to connect with children, but his heart ached for her. Maybe it was because she had called him Papa. A meaningless gesture for him, perhaps, but for her it meant everything because she truly thought she knew him.

"How old are you, Mirabelle?"

Jerome? Well... She couldn't remember her father's name... Maybe it was Jerome.

With a happy smile Mira wrapped her arms around his neck and lay her head on his shoulder as he held her close. He must remember. After all, why else would he hold her like this if he wasn't her father? He was happy to see her, so maybe he remembered who she was and.... And she would have a home again!

"I... I'm six. Yeah..." She said looking up for a moment before putting her head back on his shoulder.

"Papa? Do you think those men are going to chase us again? The ones Mama thought hurt you?" She asked curiously. But... Even if they did come, she'd be okay because he was back now. If only he had come back sooner... He... He could have saved mama...

But maybe he couldn't come back then... But he was back now.

Jerome sighed at her question and kissed her forhead, sadness in his eyes. He'd never had fatherly instincts before and up until this moment if he had ever thought that something like this would have happened to him he wouldn't have known what to do.

Stopping where they were on the street he put her down, so that they were facing each other and he watched her unsure of how to begin.

"Mira. I don't know anything about your mother. I don't know who she was or what her name was or who those men chasing her were," for all he knew it was all over active imagination on her part but he didn't really believe that. This small child had been through a lot, "I don't have a daughter." Not that he knew of, "So for now let's not think about that okay?"

He didn't want to let her down, didn't want to hurt her, and he really didn't want her wandering off on her own.

"We'll figure out what to do together."

He continued walking, his large hand swallowing her tiny one as they walked into the ice cream parlor.

"What kind of ice cream do you like?"

He'd been away of course he didn't know what happened to her. She shook her head looking up at him. He had to remember... He had to know who she was. But how could she help him remember? Her face brightened as she remembered the few things she had let from the apartment. Most of it was still with Rosa.

"Look! You have to remember when you see this!." She rummaged through her backpack and pulled out a photograph that was tattered on the side, but the occupants were unscathed. There was a woman with large brown eyes, long dark hair holding a little girl maybe a little over a year old who was smiling brightly.

Standing next to the woman was a man in his mid twenties, black jeans and a gold t-shirt with black devil horns painted on it. He was grinning as well, a hand on the little girl's head. In truth he looked just like the man before her now, but of course Mira's mind couldn't adjust for the passage of time.

"It's you! Can you see? And there's me and mama!" She exclaimed brightly. "See, it's you... It is... Right?" She asked hesitantly.

Jerome looked at the picture she had pulled out, his eyes going wide. He certainly saw the resemblance and saw why she might think it was him. But the person in the photograph was no him and didn't look like anyone he knew.

"Wow," he breathed, "That does look like me."

He took the picture from her to take a closer look, "Your mama sure was pretty."

He handed the picture back to the little girl and waited for to put it away before swinging her up into his arms again as the stood in line.

"Who is taking care of you now, Mirabelle?"

Jerome half thought that maybe he should play along, but the other half of him thought it would be cruel. But if he stopped denying it, it might make it easier for him to find out where she had been before she had wandered about and spotted him.

He couldn't just take the little girl home without trying to find where her caretaker was. He'd be arrested for kidnapping. And what they found in his house would dredge up charges worse than that.

"Yeah! It is!" She said with a smile as she looked at the picture again. "Maybe... Maybe something happened and you forgot?" She offered as she looked up at him hopefully. "Do... Do you remember?"

But her face fell and she shook her head her as he asked who was caring or her.

"I was staying with a lady who found me. But... She's got a new friend and she works all the time too... I didn't wanna be there with her anymore. She probably doesn't even know I'm gone." She murmured.

She wanted to ask him if he could take care of her, if he would be able to be her father again. But he didn't seem to remember her or her mother. Maybe he didn't remember because... But... He had to be.

"I... I don't really like ice cream though..." She said softly, putting the picture back into her backpack. Besides... She wanted real food if anything.

The ice cream had just been something to distract her while he thought about what to do. He didn't like ice cream either. Maybe he could take her to his place and cook her a nice meal. She looked hungry. How long had she been gone?

"How long have you been away from her?" His eyebrows were now creased in frustration. What kind of person didn't notice the child they were taking care of was gone? If this little girl got out of his hands now he'd probably panic and he didn't even know her.

"Tell you what. Forget the ice cream. Do you want to come over to my house and eat some real food? I mean, are you hungry?"

At least that would give him more time to figure out what to do if she said yes. He felt slightly awkward about it. What if someone accused him of kidnapping? What if someone thought he was some sort of molester? But what else could he do? He didn't see any other options.

"Uh... I left.... not yesterday but the day before... She works all day so I just left when she wasn't there." She murmured with a shrug. "She's got that ghost girl... She doesn't need me around anymore." Cai... It was all her fault. She was happy with Rosa and Miss Tracy watching her. But Cai had came... And Miss Tracy left because Cai was so mean to her... She didn't like the new babysitter, but it was the only person that Rosa could find.

"I don't think she wanted me there anymore anyway." She muttered, almost in audibly.

"Hungry? I... I guess so. I brought some food but it's only snacks really." She shrugged. "But yeah, food would be good." She said with a smile as she looked up at him. Maybe he would remember if they spent more time together. She didn't have very many memories of her father, but she might be able to make him remember.

Two days ago? Two days ago and no one had noticed? Anger crossed his features, distorting them in an almost scary way. It was a look he had perfected over the years, to seem intimidating, but now it was natural for him and though he wiped it away as fast as he could, he wasn't sure if the girl had seen it.

"I don't think that's it..." at least he hoped not. If that were the case why would she have taken the girl in at all? He didn't want to think about that right now. For now he'd put some food in her stomach and give her a nice, hot bath if she so choose- then maybe put on a movie for her while he called around to figure out what to do.

He couldn't keep her. That was just insane. Despite how hard he found it to resist her cute smile and her large, confused eyes and despite how much he wanted to help her he couldn't bring her into his world. It seemed like she'd had enough of that sort of danger in her life. He couldn't possibly bring this down upon her too.

"Okay, let's go."

He didn't put her down. Not the whole three blocks. Part of him was afraid if he let her go she'd run off again and he'd never find her. Or she'd just disappear as though she was never there. It had to be some sort of a joke God was playing on him. He didn't know how to handle children. Any second now he was going to wake up. But he didn't wake up.

Standing in front of his flat, he set her down on her own two feet. His arms were a little tired but her hardly noticed. Putting the key in the lock, he opened the door and ushered her in, with a click glance around. No Jaime yet.

He closed it quickly behind the two of them and locked both bolts and the handle. He wasn't taking any chances. Most of his friends were trouble enough. He didn't need the stress of them and the child at this moment.

His apartment was big. Two bedrooms, three if you counted the one he used as a study and a huge open living room/dining room and kitchen with a nook. He knew he didn't need it all to himself, but he always felt more comfortable in a big home. Maybe it was because he had, in part, grown up with a large family. If it could be called that. And his homes had always been less than small. He liked the room. He liked a place to call his own. Not to mention, it impressed the girls.

One whole wall was entirely windows and this is what he had placed his favorite couch in front of, though facing at an angle where one could see outside if they so choose. As well as the television.

"You can take a seat if you want. Or you can look around. I'm going to start dinner." Everything that needed to be hidden away was hidden away. He wasn't worried about her getting into anything she shouldn't have.

"I can even put on a movie for you if you want? I've got Aladdin. I'm sorry, I don't got much for you to do," He wasn't a movie watcher. And his collection of children's movies was limited.

As he carried her to the apartment, her head rested on his shoulder, her arms around his neck. Father or not... He was really so kind to her. But she knew that it had to be him. After all, what person on the streets would be as nice as her own father?

Her eyes opened as he set her down and she rubbed them slightly. Was this where he lived? As she toddled in she looked around blinking slightly. It was bigger than Rosa's place it seemed. More open and friendly. She smiled and nodded looking around.

"Aladdin?" She bit her lip slightly. "Can it play in Spanish?" She asked hesitantly. "I... I don't know a lot of English. Miss Tracy was teaching me, but the ghost Lady scared her away. Miss Rosa had some movies that could play in Spanish too."

Setting her backpack on the table she sat on the couch and looked up at him.

"I... I've been trying but it's really hard..." She murmured.

Jerome nodded, "Sure it can play in Spanish."

He walked over to the television and knelt down to put the dvd in the player. Aladdin had always been one of his favorite movies. Not that he would admit that to anyone. He especially loved the scene on the magic carpet. Childish perhaps but he thought, even in the lie, their romance was so perfect and innocent. The way love should be. He didn't see it like that anymore. And he was certain he'd never find it.

"Don't worry so much. It'll come to you," he told her about learning English, "It's the hardest language to learn. Too many rules. Don't none of us pay attention to that anymore. It's hard to believe that, when I was in school, English was one of my favorite classes. I think because it was always so hard for me too. My mama taught me Spanish and English at the same time when I was young. But Spanish was always easier from me. For you and me, it's in our blood."

He stopped, realizing how he had made that sound. Instead he was quiet, focusing on turning the language on the movie and starting it. He even put English subtitles on for her- to help her learn. From the kitchen he could watch her and she could still talk to him if she wanted. He wandered back into the kitchen then and began pulling out ingredients for pork chops. He had thought about making a good homestyle dinner, but wasn't sure if her stomach could handle it. He generally made everything with green chile. Another day, he thought. Then, another day? He had to stop thinking that way. After tonight he was sure he wouldn't see her again. She'd be safe in the arms of a hopefully new caretaker because he didn't want to leave her with a woman that didn't pay her any mind.


He frowned. He should start making phone calls. Should being the operative word. He didn't even know where to begin.

Mira looked at him with a smile as he talked about learning English, and how even though it was hard she would be able to do it. She nodded in agreement. But as he said that Spanish ran in their blood, her eyes sparkled and her face lit up.

Was he remembering? Had he remembered that she was his daughter and that... That...

But he was quiet after that, and it only made her puzzle slightly.

The start of the movie distracted her though and she took her coat off, putting it beside her on the couch, and leaned against a pillow. That probably wasn't the smartest thing for her to do, because by the time Aladdin and Jasmine first met, she was fast asleep, her head buried into a pillow.

It didn't take long for him to finish dinner, but as he did he glanced out into the living room. He couldn't be sure, but he thought that she might have been asleep. He walked over to her, just to check, and indeed she was fast asleep. Smiling, he took her shoes off very gently and then he covered her with a blanket. He might have moved her into the guest bedroom, but he was worried that she might wake up and freak out if she didn't know where she was. So he left her there.

He turned off the movie and walked back into the kitchen to put the rest of the food in the fridge, while he ate silently by himself. Then he took a seat in one of the chairs in the living room, with a book as he waited for her to wake up. But it wasn't long until he too, was fast asleep, the book open in his lap.

With soft murmurs Mira began to stir.

"Papa?" She called out softly, rubbing her eyes. The sun was still out now, but it was beginning to set behind the city scape. Looking around she spotted Jerome in one of the chairs. Pulling the blanket with her she made her way over to him and took the book from his lap, setting it on the floor. Curling up on his lap, she pulled the blanket over both of them and settled against him with a soft smile.

Even... Even if he wasn't her father, he was still so nice to her and he cared about her. She would be happy with him... And well, for the moment she was thrilled to be with him. Maybe... Maybe when he woke up she could ask him to be her father. Even if he really wasn't.

Jerome hardly noticed when she crawled up into his lap and he didn't wake up. However, his arms automatically wrapped around her and held her close to him, in a gesture so unlike him.

When Jerome did finally wake up, the sun had faded completely away and it was dark in the room now. He opened his eyes and smiled softly as he saw Mira in his arms and then, gently, he stood up and placed her back on the couch.

"Mirabelle," he said softly, "Wake up, baby girl."

She needed to eat something. Then if she was still tired, he'd let her go back to sleep. He needed to make a few phone calls anyway.

She heard a voice calling her, and began to stir once more. "Papa?" Again came the soft murmur as her eyes tried to focus.

Smiling up at him eagerly she sat up. "I guess I was really tired... I'm sorry." She said as she rubbed her eyes, looking at the window. It was dark out now, but she didn't know what time exactly. "I... I'm hungry though... Is there anything to eat? I didn't mean to fall asleep cause I was so hungry, but now I'm even hungrier." She gave a little grin.

Standing up Mira moved closer, wrapping her arms around his waist and laying her head on his hip.

"But I'm still kinda sleepy..."

Jerome felt a surge of love go through him as she wrapped her arms around him like that and he immediately wondered where it had come from. Perhaps it was only because children were so innocent and so easy to love and already it seemed as she loved him though she didn't really know him.

"That's why I woke you. I was going to heat up some of that dinner I made for you. Do you like pork chops and apple sauce?" He grinned back at her as he looked at her, sleepily clinging to him.

He pulled her up into his arms again, something that seemed so natural to him already. He carried her to the dining table and set her in the chair as he went to heat up food for her.

"What do you like to drink, Mira?"

With a soft giggle as he picked her up, Mira put her arms around his neck. "Pork chops? I haven't had those in forever!" She said with a grin. "It sounds yummy!" She said nodding.

And it did really. The last real meal that she had had been the night before she let Rosa's house, since then she'd been munching on cereal, gummies and other snack type foods. So needless to say she was looking forward to the meal.

"Drink? Could I have a glass of milk please?" She asked tilting her head. Rosa always had milk for her, but when she'd been with her mother, she hadn't had it a whole lot because it was expensive now. "Or water's okay too." She said simply.

She wanted to ask him about what she'd thought about before, but she decided to wait...

It took about ten minutes for him to heat up her pork chops in the oven. They tasted better that way. Meanwhile, he got her a glass of whole milk and set it in front of her. He liked whole milk, because he never gained weight and so it was better for him.

"Do you go to school, Mira?" He asked her as he set a plate in front of her. Pork chops and apple sauce, like he promised, and mac and cheese as well.

At least if she went to school he might be able to track down some idea of where he should take her.

"School? No... I don't go to school. Miss Tracy said I should get better at my English so I would understand more. But Miss Tracy taught me a lot until the Ghost Lady chased her away. The other lady Ms Rosa had come to watch me... She didn't try to teach me as much. Miss Tracy said she always wanted to be a teacher... She was really nice. I miss her a lot." She said looking down at the table for a moment sadly.

But she looked up at him with a grin as he put the food down. "Thank you!"

Mira eagerly began to eat the Macaroni and Cheese, hungry but still trying to savor each bite.

But she looked up after taking a drink of the cold milk, her eyes curious yet almost pleading. "You... You aren't going to call Ms Rosa are you? I... I don't wanna go back to her. She... She wasn't mean or hurt me or anything... But... She just started ignoring me when the Ghost Lady came. And she doesn't seem to want me around anymore."

Ghost Lady? Why did she keep saying that? Who was the Ghost Lady? And why did it seem the presence of this lady had changed everything.

"You're welcome," he muttered still lost in thought. She didn't seem happy about it as she talked and he didn't want to send her to a place she wasn't happy. But he couldn't obviously keep her there. Something bad was bound to happen if he did that. His mind kept going in circles. Well at the very least he supposed he could call the police station and make sure there was no Amber Alert out for her.

"Whose this Ghost Lady anyway? Why do you call her that?"

"Ghost Lady... Well her name is Cai... But she's got pale skin... really really light hair. And really weird eyes. Almost red or purple. She had some problems or something Ms Rosa said... I can't remember. I don't like her... She tried to be nice to me, but she was always really mean to Miss Tracy and... And she ended up leaving because of her." She murmured.

"Ms Rosa told me not to call her that... But I do anyway cause she's mean... And... And Ms Rosa seems to care about her more than me. She's always taking her out places... Buying her things... She even let her stay in my room and I had to sleep on the couch for a while."

She continued to eat, falling silent. She didn't want to think about this... She didn't But... But what choice did she have? She couldn't just keep living on the streets... She knew that much. Her mother didn't want that and well, nether did she.

"Albino," Jerome told her softly. That was strange. This whole situation was strange.

"Well, don't worry baby girl. I won't make you go back to her. If she doesn't notice you're gone now then that's someone you probably shouldn't be staying with. Just hold on a second while I make a phone call. Finish eating, alright darling?"

He stepped aside, cell phone in hand and began talking in a whispered voice to the person on the other line. It was the local police station and he asked if there was an amber alert out for anyone named Mirabelle. He didn't know her last name, but he was sure that her name was unique enough it'd be easy to point out. After a few more whispered words he figured out there was no amber alert out for her and he gave the cop his number and asked him to keep him updated if anything came up. He could hear the frown in the officers voice as Jerome told him he had met her on the street and that she had disappeared before he could talk to her anymore- but he was going to try to find her again and when he did he'd bring her into the station. But he didn't have any intention of doing such a thing. Then he hung up the phone.

"Well, what do you say, Mirabelle," he began, "To staying here until we can figure out what to do?"

Mirabelle gave a little shrug. She really couldn't care less... It was because of her that Rosa ignored her... And Miss Tracy left. Everything was her fault.

"I wish Rosa never would have met her... I loved being with her... But when she came, everything changed...." She murmured, poking at the meat with her fork. She nodded without a word as Jerome said he had to make a call real quick.

On the phone he was speaking English, but she couldn't make out any of the words.. They were all too quiet. So she resigned to eating her pork chops, dipping the bits into the apple sauce.

She smiled though when he came back.

"Stay with you? Yeah! I would love that!" She said enthusiastically. "I... I was thinking... That... That maybe if you aren't my real papa..." She bit her lip though and turned away, almost embarrassed at what she wanted to ask. But... But what if he really didn't want to be her father? He had said she could stay until they figured out what to do. How long would that really be though?

"Well... If you aren't him... Do you think we could find him?"

Find him? Jerome's gaze softened as he looked at her. Poor child. Without a mother and a father... he couldn't imagine what he would have done without his mother. A child should at least have one or the other. Maybe that's why he didn't want to call an orphanage. She was just a little girl. He didn't want to put her through that... going from foster home to foster home. He hated the idea. He had known plenty of children like that and most of them had ended up dead.

"I don't know where your Papa is, Mira, but I'll certainly do my best to help you find him, okay? What was his name?"

At least that was a piece of information that could get them started looking. It might be futile, but it would give her hope. That was all he could give her now.

Mira frowned and looked at the table as he asked. Trying to remember. She'd been so little... She couldn't remember him at all. The only time her mother had talked about him she called him Papa. But... But what was it those men had said?

"The men who hurt my mama... They called him something. I don't know if it was his name, but they called him... Mano del diablo. Devil's Hand..." She fell silent then, a light shrug as her eyes went to the table.

Her mother had said that papa had some rough friends. That was why he had to leave. Because his friends could hurt us. He'd been protecting them from the men right? So why did they come after them?

"Why would they call him that?"

Jerome frowned. Devil's Hand? The only time he had heard the term was in the title of an old movie. One he had never seen before. He didn't know what it was about, demons or something of the sort.

"I don't know baby girl." What else could he say to her? He was just as lost as she was. If not more. And he didn't understand, if the girl's father was dead, why the men would come after his family. Even in gang wars it usually ended with the target. Or else the family got taken out first. Maybe they just wanted to finish the job.

"Are you tired Mira? Do you want to take a bath and get ready for bed?" It was getting somewhat late. He wasn't sure what the bed time of a six year old was. And it's not like he had pajamas for her to wear. Except maybe one of his t-shirts. That would probably work. Did children even like baths? The whole thing was lost on him. He didn't know how he was going to survive the night with a child, let alone until he could figure out what to do. He guessed he'd just have to learn.

"A bath? That... That would be nice... I don't like feeling all icky." She said making a face. And she was getting sleepy again, even with the nap she'd had.

She scooted off of the chair, her plate empty and her belly now full. She put her arms around his waist and leaned against him, closing her eyes. "Thank you for helping me... Rosa... She didn't even try to look for my papa... I just don't know why he hasn't found me yet..." She murmured.

At least she'd accepted the fact that he wasn't her father. It was a step in the right direction at least.

"I... I thought he'd find us before mama died, I just hope he still looks for me."