Hope [anne with an e]

| SINNERS AND SAINTS

Once the play was over, she stood out of her seat and put her coat on again. Before Caroline could walk away, Josie pulled on the sleeve of her coat, stopping her from moving. 

The girl looked down at the floor, "Look, don't tell anyone about what happened outside, okay? A-and don't expect everything to be like this tomorrow, understand?"

"Of course.", Caroline started walking again, "I'd hate for people to know you have emotions."

Josie snarled, Caroline was sure of it, but it didn't matter anymore. She had wanted to ask her all sorts of questions about what had happened earlier that night, but nothing seemed right whenever she thought about what to say. Josie was fragile and Caroline was worried that if she said something wrong, it would shatter her into a million pieces. Perhaps, they were alike in that sense.

After meeting up with her brother and Bash, Caroline left the building, body stiffening in the cold. The three of them walked in silence, save for Gilbert cracking a joke every once in a while. It wasn't until they heard footsteps breaking the snow behind them in a hurried pace that they stopped, turning around to see James and Oliver Kingsley, both running as fast as they could. James stopped right in front of Caroline, trying to catch his breath.

"James? What's wrong? Did it work?", she asked, placing her hands on his back, trying to calm him down.

"You can ask him that, from between the bars.", Oliver answered and Caroline's eyes widened as she took her hands away.

 Gilbert's eyebrows furrowed and he glanced over to Oliver with a sneer, "What are you talking about?"

With a heavy sigh, Caroline glanced back at her brother, "I will tell you everything Gil', I swear. But, right now, I have another matter to attend to."

With that, she was taking off into the frigid and stormy night, her scarf blowing so swiftly that it slipped off her neck and sank into the snow. James stood up and with help from his brother, chased after her. Gilbert followed them but stopped when he reached the spot where the scarf lay at his feet. He bent down and picked it up, feeling the fabric on his gloves and between his fingers. What had she done now, he thought, and why hadn't she told him anything about it?

*   *   *

She had her arms crossed against her chest as she stared at Mr.Kingsley, who glared at her so hard she thought his eyes were about to explode. The look on his face didn't stop a large grin from stretching over her lips. Caroline liked the way he looked sitting behind the bars of a cell, it was fitting in every way possible.

"Penny for your thoughts.", she said, noticing the way he tensed up when she spoke.

"What do you think you've done?", he grumbled, tapping his fingers along the bars, "Do you know what I could do to you, to your brother?"

"Nothing, you can do nothing. Because, right now, you're handcuffed to a beam, sitting a cell, with a little girl standing over you. You are nothing but beaten, Mr.Kingsley.", Caroline teased, not even minding the menacing look on his face as she leaned down to his eye level.

"Do you want to know how I did it?", she didn't really care what his answer was; she was going to tell him anyway.

"Well, first, James, Oliver and I met up a little while before the dinner and each of us brought a specific item. James brought a key, one that unlocked the door to your office. I am not sure how he got that, actually. Oliver did not have an item, but he had asked the staff what order they were serving their meal and made sure to have them salt the items so heavily that you would have to have your drink refilled quicker than usual. I brought a small vial leftover from when my father was sick, now, here is the funny part, I did not actually know what it did. So, we were taking quite a large risk there.", Caroline was getting into her story but it didn't seem like Mr.Kingsley was that shocked.

He didn't know how James had gotten to his key, either, but it didn't surprise him that he did. It was Oliver who confused him. His son had always obeyed. Caroline snapped her fingers in front of his face, making him flinch. I am not finished, she thought.

"At the dinner, I asked to go to the bathroom and James volunteered to show me the way, which left you alone with Oliver. James and I made our way to your office and began to dig around through your files, your desk, anything we could see, but we could not find what we were looking for. But, James had another idea, so we broke the bricks to your fireplace. Sorry about that. Meanwhile, Oliver had slipped a few drops from the vile into your drink and you were completely unaware of what had been done until you fell to the floor. By that time, James and I were back, having found what we were looking for and I am sure that you know what that was by now."

The door to the small room opened and the two Kingsley brother stood in the doorway. James walked into the room and waved to his father with a snicker. He liked seeing him like this. Oliver stepped in slower, avoiding his father's eyes. Mr.Kinglsey scoffed at both of them. Had they really teamed up with this aggressive and bratty girl to have their own father arrested? Well, this certainly wouldn't be his end.

"I can pay my way out of here and you know that!"

"No, you can not.", Oliver whispered and Mr.Kingsley's eyebrows raised.

"What was that, boy?"

"We returned all of the money that you stole from the people of Avonlea, all that was left of it, anyway. Plus, with the profit reports, we showed the police of your business, there was no question if you had done the crime or not. Thirty thousand a year, father? To make that much you would have had to be working day and night for every day of the year.", Oliver paused and narrowed his eyes, "Clearly, we did not get our intelligence from you."

"Where will you go now that you don't have me? What will you do, did you forget your illness boy?", Mr.Kinglsey was reaching now, Caroline could see it.

"Illness?", she muttered, regarding how Oliver tensed.

"My son has been sick since the day he was born and it's a miracle he has lasted this long. He will need doctors to take care of him and, quite frankly, none of you look like you have any medical experience at all."

"I will take care of my brother, just like I have done since we were children. Do not act like you have done anything but make him worse!", Caroline put a hand on James' chest, holding him back from storming toward his father.

"He is nothing to you anymore, a small pebble under your feet. You do not need to prove anything to people like him.", she said, hoping to feel him loosen up under her palm.

James took in a deep breath. He swung his arm around Oliver and escorted him out of the room. Caroline glanced down at Mr.Kingsley, the once-powerful businessman who had been brought to his knees by a little girl. She loved this feeling. With a tip of her head, Caroline strolled out into the hallway. 

"Aren't you coming home?", Oliver questioned when James put his hand on the door handle.

"In a while, make sure you get Caroline home safely.", he smiled then shut the doorway behind him. 

Caroline and Oliver walked side by side into the snow, glancing at each other briefly. Even though she should feel incredibly relieved, there was a burbling worry in her stomach at the thought of Oliver being weak and even ending up like her father. There had to be something else she could do for him. 

"So.", she began, catching his attention.

"Let's speak about you and Ruby.", Caroline teased as Oliver's cheeks flamed bright red.

"C-Caroline!"

*   *   *