Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chicago, Illinois, September, 1930

In the city of Chicago, the residents were in a mood to be ready for the winter that was a few months away. At Union Station on the West Side, the local train rolled in and stopped. Coming off the train were a group of people from the state of California, bringing with them some horses too. Their names were William "Billy" Hill, Fortuna "Lucky" Prescott, Prudence "Pru" Granger, and Abigail Stone. The horses were Thunder, Athena, Chico Linda, Boomerang, and two of them were named Spirit, one belonging to Hill and the other to Lucky. When they left the station, they were greeted by their friend from New York, Joseph "Joe" Jones.

"Hey, Joe," Hill said as he hugged his friend. "It's been a long time."

"Not that long, Billy," Jones said. "So, you no longer need a cane."

"Yeah, but it hurts whenever I try to run, so I let Spirit handle the running part for me."

Hill's Spirit neighed, which sounded like he was laughing.

"Hey, Billy," Lucky said. "The girls and I are going to the hotel. We'll see you there."

"Yes, ma'am," Hill said with a smile as he waved.

When the PALs left, Jones grunted with curiosity.

"What?" Hill asked.

"Spirit?" Jones asked.

Spirit leaned his head toward Jones and listened.

"I do believe someone is smitten."

Spirit nodded in agreement.

"What- I- No!" Hill exclaimed. "Lucky is my friend."

Jones chuckled. "Billy, we are friends. That, my friend, was something more than friendship."

"Joe, we are just friends. Nothing more."

"Yes, I'm sure Abraham Lincoln said the same thing about Mary Todd before they married."

Hill grunted, but there was a side of him that made him wonder if he really thought that or that was just what he wanted to believe.

***

Lexington Hotel, Chicago

On the other side of the city was a grand hotel called the Lexington Hotel. Within the walls of the hotel were reporters asking questions to a man who was having a shave from a barber. The man, Alphonse "Al" Capone, that was being interviewed had some scars on the left side of his face, like he was cut by a knife and left a permanent mark on him.

"An article, which I believe appeared in a newspaper," said a reporter. "Asked why, since you are, or it would seem that you are in effect, the mayor of Chicago, you've not simply been appointed to that position."

The other reporters in the room chuckled.

"Well, I'll tell you," Capone said. "You know, it's touching. Like a lot of things in life, we laugh because it's funny, and we laugh because it's true. Some people say, reformers here say, 'put that man in jail, what does he think he is doing'? Well, what I hope I'm doing, and here's where your English paper's got a point, is I'm responding to the will of the people."

The reporters chuckled at the his answer.

"People are going to drink," he continued. "You know that, I know that, we all know that. And all I do is act on that. And all this talk of bootlegging. What is bootlegging? On a boat, it's bootlegging. On Lake Shore Drive, it's hospitality."

The reporters chuckled again.

"I'm a businessman," Capone finished off.

"And what of your reputation?" asked a reporter. "That you control your business through violence? That those that don't purchase your products are dealt violently?"

Capone turned his head slightly, but because the barber was working, he cut himself on the razer. He flinched, placed his fingers where the razer cut him, and saw blood on the fingertips.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Capone," the barber said in fear.

Capone raised his hand and calmly said, "It's all right."

He turned to the reporter.

"I grew up in a tough neighborhood," he replied. "And we use to say, 'you can get further with a kind word and a gun than you can with just a kind word'. And in that neighborhood, it might've been true. And sometimes a reputation follows you. There is violence in Chicago, of course, but not by me and not by anybody I employ, and I'll tell you why. Because it is not good business."

***

The PALs were nearing the hotel that were to lodge for their time in Chicago.

"Why did we agree to lodge in the rough parts of the city?" Pru asked.

"Because it's cheaper in this area," Lucky said.

"But we still have most of the silver that we took from the island three years ago. We can afford the more expensive hotels here."

"We agreed that the silver was only going to be used for financial things back in Miradero, Pru. We all agreed on it."

"Still, I'm with Pru on this one, Lucky," Abigail said. "This area gives me the chills for some reason."

Lucky heard what sounded like a young girl shouting. She noticed a man in a white suit leave a parlor and a girl standing at the entrance with a briefcase in her hands.

"Mister, wait!" the little girl shouted. "You forgot your brief-"

Suddenly, the entire parlor burst into flames and exploded. The explosion sent the PALs of their horses and onto the ground. When they got up, there was smoke all over the place.

"What was that?" Pru asked. "A gas leak?"

Lucky watched as a automobile drove away, seeing the white-suited man inside the passenger side of the vehicle.

"I'm not sure it was a gas leak," she said.

"Lucky, Pru," Abigail said in a panic. "It's Athena."

Athena was laying on the ground with small pieces of wood and glass in her left side, which was in the direction of the explosion.

"What about Thunder?" Lucky asked.

"He's all right," Pru said. "He was being shielded by Athena when the explosion went off."

Athena neighed loudly.

***

Spirit heard something in the distance and then heard a horse crying for help. It was Athena. He neighed frantically.

"What is it, boy?" Hill asked.

"Billy, look," Jones said.

Hill noticed a trail of smoke going up into the air.

"Oh, no," he said with a gasp.

Hill got on Spirit's back.

"Joe, get on."

Jones hoped on and Spirit ran in the direction of the smoke, fearing the worst.

Chapter Text

Police Department, Chicago, three days later

In the conference area within the Chicago Police Department were reporters ready to hear from a new member that arrived from the Treasury in Washington. Another reason was because he was a Prohibition officer who was tasked with putting Al Capone behind bars.

"We are glad to welcome Eliot Ness, special agent from the Treasury Department," the police chief told the reporters. "Mr. Ness?"

"Thank you, chief," Ness said. "At the request of the city of Chicago, the federal government specifically the Department of the Treasury, has inaugurated a special program to deal with the flow of illegal liquor and the violence which it creates."

"Mr. Ness," said one of the reporters. "Of what does this program consist?"

"I and other agents of the Treasury will be working in conjunction with the Chicago police and other enforcement-"

"Isn't this just another showpiece program?" a reporter butted in.

"What do you think about Prohibition, Mr. Ness?" another reporter asked.

"Do you drink, Mr. Ness?" a third reporter asked.

That question made the other reporters laugh.

After a moment of silence, Ness gave his reply. "It's not just a showpiece. And I'll tell you how I feel about Prohibition. It is the law of the land."

"Do you consider yourself a crusader, Mr. Ness?" a reporter asked. "Is that it?"

Soon, all the other reporters were asking their own questions at once. Ness, having enough of the questions for the time being, departed the room.

"All right, boys," said the police chief. "I think that'll be enough."

Ness headed down the hallway and greeted a police officer.

"Mr. Ness, Lieutenant Anderson," the officer said. "The Flying Squad. Are you ready to meet the men?"

"Yes, I am," Ness replied.

After going through the list of the names of the officers in the room, Ness had a few things to explain to them.

"I have something to say," he said. "I know many of you take a drink. Now, what you have done before today is not my concern. But now we must be pure, and I want you to stop. It's not a question of whether or not it's a harmless drink. It may very well be, but it's against the law, gentlemen. And as we are going to enforce the law, we must do first by example."

"Are there any questions?" Anderson asked.

There was nothing but silence.

"Good," Ness continued. "The Department of the Treasury's had a man undercover here for some time now. We've received word from this informant that a very large shipment of Canadian whiskey has arrived in Chicago. So, I hope that you've signed on for some action, gentlemen, 'cause you're going to get it."

***

Later that night

A truck with a snowplow crashed through the doors of a warehouse and soon police officers swarmed the warehouse.

"Federal officers," Ness said when he entered. "You're all under arrest for violation of the Volstead Act."

The policemen gathered the people in the warehouse and Ness found a fire ax to brake open one of the crates in the warehouse.

"Excuse me," a reporter who sneaked into the warehouse.

"Who let you in?" an officer asked.

"I'm here with permission."

"Yeah, from who?"

"It's okay," Ness said. "Let him through."

The reporter approached with his camera in hand.

"You want to take your picture, take it now. Ready?"

The reporter nodded. Ness smashed the ax into the crate and the camera went off. As the reporter was setting the camera up again, Ness pulled out something in the crate. It was an umbrella.  The camera went off again when the umbrella opened up.

Ness sighed and angerly shouted, "Get him out of here!"

"Yes, sir," said an officer, who dragged the reporter out.

Ness grunted and growled angerly as he pulled the stack of crates down.

***

Hill and Spirit were walking down a road in the night. It had been three days since the explosion that injured Athena. Thankfully, she would live, but her motor skills on her left side were permanently damaged. As they made their way across a bridge, Hill noticed a man at the railing of the sidewalk along the bridge. Hill got off Spirit and went to the railing next to the man, with Spirit following suite.

"Rough day?" he asked.

"Huh?" the man asked in confusion.

"I said rough day, yeah?"

"Yeah. Rough day. You?"

"It's been rough for the pass three days for me in my friends. I nearly lost one of my horses in the explosion that destroyed the speak-easy downtown."

Spirit sadly snorted when Hill mentioned the incident.

"Oh. I'm sorry to hear that. Where are you from?"

"California. You?"

"Treasury Department."

"Ah. A Prohibition officer, eh? No wonder you've had a hard day. William Hill."

"Eliot Ness."

Ness opened a note that read "I am very proud of you". He crumbled it up and threw it into the river below.

"Now, what do you think you're doing, hmm?" someone with an Irish accent asked.

Hill and Ness noticed a police officer standing nearby.

"You want to throw your garbage? Throw it into the trash basket."

"Don't you have more important things to do?" Ness asked.

"Yeah, but I'm not doing them right now. Do we understand each other?"

Ness reached into his jacket, but the officer placed his club in his hand against Ness's chest.

"Okay, pal," the officer said. "Why the Mohaska? Why are you packing a gun?"

"I'm a Treasury officer," Ness said.

"And you, pal?" the officer asked Hill, seeing his pistol hanging from his waist.

"I'm Sergeant William Hill of the 84th US Infantry Regiment," Hill replied. "Honorably discharged, of course."

"And the horse?"

"Spirit. He's my horse."

Spirit snorted at the officer.

"Why does he not have a saddle on?"

"Because I prefer to ride him without a saddle."

The officer nodded. "All right. Just remember what we talked about, now."

As the officer moved on, Ness scoffed. "Hey. Wait a minute. What kind of police do you have in this city, huh? What do they teach you? You just turned your back on an armed man."

The officer turned back around. "You're a Treasury officer."

"Yeah? How do you know that? I just told you I was."

"Who would claim to be that, who was not, hmm?"

"Well," Hill said. "How do you know for sure that I was a soldier or that the horse is mine? I could be lying and have stolen the gun or horse."

"I know a fellow soldier when I meet one."

"You served in the war, too?"

"82nd US Infantry Regiment, the same one that Sergeant Alvin York served in."

"What is your name and unit?" Ness asked.

"It's right here," the officer said as he pointed to his badge. "You've got a beef? What is it?"

"How did you know I had a gun?"

"What do you want? A free lesson in police work?"

"No."

"I wouldn't mind one of those," Hill interjected.

"Are you okay, pal?" the officer asked Ness.

"I had a rough day on the job," Ness replied.

"Ah. Are you going home now?"

"I was about to."

"Well, Sergeant Hill, there is the fulfillment of the first rule of law enforcement. Make sure when your shift is over, you go home alive. Here endeth the lesson."

With that, the officer moved on.

"Good lesson," Hill said, though he was confused by the officer's behavior.

Spirit snorted, confused by the officer's behavior too.

"He is one strange policeman," Ness said.

"Maybe it's just the mannerism of the Irish. Anyway, it's late. We should take the man's advice to heart, won't you agree?"

"Yeah, I guess."

"Well, good night, Mr. Ness," Hill said as he got back on Spirit.

"Good night, Sergeant Hill," Ness said in return.

***

When Hill returned to the hotel, he went to his room and told the others what happened.

"Do you think that maybe Capone could be behind the explosion that injured Athena?" Jones asked.

"It's Chicago," Hill said. "Capone basically controls the city with fear and violence."

"And you really think that Eliot Ness could help us?" Lucky asked.

"He seems to be an honest man and so does the policeman that I spoke to."

"Look, I get that we want to get Capone for what he did to Athena," Pru said. "But we are talking about Al Capone, the leader of the Italian Mafia of Chicago."

"I'm with Pru here," Abigail said. "He's a criminal. What if he tries to kill us?"

"Plus, Capone is known for having the whole city on his payroll," Pru continued. "We'll need some honest people who aren't so easily corruptible."

"If that's the case," Hill said. "I think I know where Ness should start."

Chapter Text

Ness returned to the CPD the next day to a solemn silence. He went to his office and saw the cutout of the newspaper tagline from that morning plastered on the door. It was clearly someone's idea of mockery. He looked around and noticed that everyone either wasn't looking at him or looking away when they saw him looking around. He removed the paper from the door and pinned it to the build board in his office.

"Excuse me," a woman said as she stood next to the open door. "Mr. Ness?"

"Yes?" Ness replied.

"I came here to thank you."

Ness looked confused for a moment.

"It was my little girl that was killed with that bomb."

"I'm so sorry. Please, come in."

Ness let the woman in and closed the door.

"You see," she continued. "It's... because I know you have children too. And that this is real for you, that these men cause us tragedy. And I know that you will put a stop to them. And now, you do that, now."

With that, the woman left Ness alone in his office. Or that would be the case if Hill didn't show up right then and there.

"Mr. Ness," he said. "William Hill. We met last night."

"Yes, I remember," Ness said. "Is there something I can do for you?"

Hill sat down in the guest chair as Ness sat in his.

"Actually, I was wondering if there was anything I could do for you."

"Wait, you want to help me?"

"And my friends. We know you're going after Capone. We want to help."

"Mr. Hill, you're not a police officer and I'm going to assume that your friends aren't either."

Hill leaned forward on the desk. "Ness, ask yourself: how many of these police officers have you trusted in the pass twenty-four hours? How can you tell who is in Capone's payroll or who isn't? How many people would you work along side in the most corrupted city in the nation?"

Ness wondered for a moment. He felt like Hill was making some good points with the questions he laid before him.

"But here's the big question," Hill continued. "How far are you willing to go to take down Capone?"

"By any and all means within the law," Ness replied.

"Good. Now, if I may, there is one person you should ask to join this crew you're going to set up."

"Who's that?"

"The policeman from last night."

***

Ness knocked at the door of the policeman's apartment. The door opened as the policeman recognized him.

"What do you want?" he asked.

"I need to talk to you," Ness said.

"Come in."

Ness expected the man, who revealed himself to be Jimmy Malone, to jump on board immediately, but after a few minutes, that was not the case.

"What I need is a small group of men," Ness said. "Handpicked, starting with you."

"Ness, I am just a poor beat cop," Malone said. "Now, how can I help you?"

"Just work with me."

"But why should I, though?"

"Because you're a good cop."

"How do you know that?"

"You told me."

"Well, if I'm such a good cop, how come I'm walking the beat, then, at my age?"

"Well, do you want to tell me?"

"Well, maybe I'm that man with the heart of gold. The one good cop in the bad town? Now, is that what you want to hear?"

"I didn't ask you, and I don't care! You want to stay on the beat? You do that. If you like to come with me, I need your help. I'm asking you for help."

Malone sighed. "Well, that's the thing you fear, isn't it? Mr. Ness, I wish I'd met you ten years and twenty pounds ago. But I just think it got more important to me to stay alive. And that's why I'm walking the beat. Thank you, no."

Ness nodded and left without saying another word.

***

Ness returned to the CPD and found a man with glasses in his office.

"Who are you?" he asked.

"Mr. Ness?" the man asked.

"Yes."

"Oscar Wallace. I was recommended to you by Frank Wilson, who works in finances for the IRS."

"Well, I'm glad to have you here, Mr. Wallace. Would you excuse me?"

Wallace got out of the chair and Ness sat down in it.

"We're in the dark here, but any ideas you may have would be useful."

"Well, actually, yes, sir, I do. And the one I want try first is something that Mr. Wilson brought to my attention."

Wallace flipped through the papers until he came to a very special one.

"He has not filed a return since 1926."

"A return?" Ness asked in confusion.

"An income tax return."

"Income tax. What is your profession, exactly, Mr. Wallace?"

"I'm an accountant, sir."

Ness sighed. "An accountant. Will you excuse me?"

He got up, but left only after offering his chair back to Wallace, who sat back down. He couldn't believe his luck. First, a former soldier offered his assistance, then Malone turned him down, and now he had to deal with an IRS accountant. As he thought to himself, he saw Malone standing at the end of the hall. He went to him.

"Okay, let's go," Malone said.

"Where are we going?" Ness asked.

"These walls have ears," was Malone's only answer.

As they walked out, Ness saw Hill walk toward him with another man and three women.

"Ness, these are my friends," Hill said.

"Are any of you married?" Ness asked.

"No."

"You're all hired."

Ness walked passed them.

"Wait a minute, don't you want to get to know them first?"

"Later."

"Hmm, I see why you wanted to work with him," Jones said. "I think I might enjoy the next few days."

"He's kind of cute," Pru said.

"He's a married man, Pru," Hill said.

"How could you know that?"

"I saw a ring on his left ring finger."

"Dang it."

***

When Ness and Malone return to the department, they came back with a new recruit named George Stone. After some pointless reports from an officer, the team was ready to move.

"Now, are you ready to go to work?" Malone asked as he took some shotguns from the cabinet in Ness's office.

"Where are we going?" Ness asked.

"On a liquor raid. You boys armed?"

Hill and Jones pulled out their pistols from their holsters.

"We'll need another man first," Malone said.

At that moment, Wallace walked in.

"Mr. Ness, this is very interesting," he said as he looked through a file in his hand. "I've found a financial disbursement pattern here which shows some..."

Malone pointed one of the guns in his hands at Wallace, who flinched at the sight.

"You carry a badge?" Malone asked.

"Yes," Wallace replied.

"Carry a gun."

Malone gave one of the guns to Wallace, who placed the file on Ness's desk.

"Ladies, we'll be back soon," Malone said. "It shouldn't take long."

"Okay," Lucky said.

The men walked out of the department and went across the street. Spirit, who stood near the entrance, watched them cross the road toward the post office. He tilted his head to the left, confused by this behavior.

"Well, here we are," Malone said at the entrance to the post office.

"What are we doing here?" Ness asked.

"Liquor raid."

"At the post office?" Hill asked.

"Mr. Hill, everybody knows where the booze is. The problem isn't finding it. The problem is who wants to cross Capone. Let's go."

Jones shook his head. "Seriously? The post office?"

They headed inside and went to the back section of the building. Malone checked a door, but it was locked.

"If you walk through this door now," he said. "You're walking into a world of trouble. And there's no turning back. Do you understand?"

"Yes, I do," Ness replied as he cocked his gun.

Hill, Jones, Stone, and Wallace cocked their guns as well.

"Good," Malone said. "Give me that ax?"

Ness handed Malone the emergency ax on the wall. Malone swung at the door twice before he broke a hole near the handle. He opened the door and fired a warning shot in the air.

"Federal officers!" he shouted.

"Get your hands in the air!" Ness shouted. "Nobody move!"

Hill saw the room full of crates with liquor and men working to move them raise their hands high.

"This is a raid!" Jones shouted.

"What are you doing here?" someone asked.

"All this stuff is impounded," Malone said. "You're all under arrest."

"Hey, do you have a warrant?"

Hill walked up and said, "Yeah, here's my warrant."

He whistled. The sound of glass braking was heard and Spirit trotted into the room, rearing as he neighed loudly.

"Is this warrant good enough for you?"

The man gulped at merely seeing the wild mustang snarl at him.

Chapter Text

Three days later, Lexington Hotel

Capone had gathered members of the Chicago Italian Mafia to a banquet, which was in honor of a fellow member at the table.

"Life goes one," he said as he addressed the members. "A man becomes preeminent, he's expected to have enthusiasms. Enthusiasms... enthusiasms... what are mine? What draws my admiration? What is that which gives me joy?"

"Dames!" one of the members said.

"Music!" said another member.

"Opera!" said another.

"Booze!" said another one.

Capone turned and picked up a baseball bat that one of the waiters was holding.

"Baseball!" he replied.

The members clipped and laughed with glee.

"A man," Capone continued as he walked around the table. "A man stands alone at a plate. This is the time for what? For individual achievement. There he stands alone. But in the field, what? Part of a team. Looks, throws, catches, hustles. Part of one big team. Bats himself to livelong day, Babe Ruth, Ty Cobbs, and so on. If his team don't field, what is he? You following me? No one. Sunny day, the stands are full of fans. What does he have to say? I'm going out there for myself. But I get nowhere unless the team wins."

Every member at the table agreed with Capone, though if only they could see the mind of the man called Scarface. Capone stopped and began to whack into the head of one of the members over and over, until the blood was gushing out of the man's head. After he finished the deed, there was an eerie silence in the room.

***

The next day, Wallace was going through the papers on Capone's financials when he heard a thud on the window. He saw Ness there with a paper in his hand that had the headline "Crusading Cop Unit Finally Scores", with a smaller tagline saying "Horse Crashes Post Office During Liquor Raid". Wallace couldn't resist the urge to smile.

"How are we doing?" Ness asked.

"Capone's organization is incredibly diverse," Wallace replied. "Look at this. It owns Canadian holding company associations, which owns, in turn, Green Light Laundry, Midwest Cabs, Jolly Time Playthings..."

"Jolly Time Playthings?"

"Yes. Jolly Time Playthings. Uncle Frank's Feed and Seed, Bahama Ship-to-Shore, Miss Lucy... The list is endless! And all the business is legitimate, and none of it is owned by Al Capone. But we can get him on income tax evasion if we can just show that any of the money from the organization business is going to him. Legally, he receives no income."

"He doesn't receive anything?"

"Hey, Ness," Jones said as he stood by the door. "There is someone to see you. John O'Shea, the alderman of the 43rd Ward."

Ness headed to his office to meet O'Shea.

"Alderman, good to see you," Ness said as he shook O'Shea's hand.

"Likewise, Mr. Ness," he replied.

"My team has several large operations in the works. We're rather busy, Alderman, so, what can I do for you?"

"I came up to congratulate you on a job well done. Share your good fortune on such a lovely day."

Ness noticed a yellow envelop on his desk, which he was certain wasn't there when he walked in, because it was on top of the newspaper he put down on the desk.

"What's that?" he asked.

O'Shea giggled.

"What is that?" Ness repeated the question.

"Mr. Ness, you are an educated man," O'Shea replied. "Let me pay you the compliment of being blunt. There is a large and popular business which you are causing dismay. Why don't you just cross the street and let things take their course?"

Ness walked to his door and opened it. "Would you come in here, please?"

Soon, Hill, Jones, Malone, Stone, and Wallace entered the room.

"In Roman times," Ness said. "When a fellow was convicted of trying to bribe a public official, they would cut off his nose and sew him in a bag with a wild animal, and throw that man in the river. You tell your master that we must agree to disagree!"

"You are making a mistake," O'Shea said.

"Yeah, well, I've made them before and I'm beginning to enjoy them."

"You fellows are untouchable, is that the thing? Nobody can get to you?"

Ness placed the envelope back in O'Shea's coat pocket. "You tell Capone that he prays he has better luck in the next life."

With that, Stone reopened the door and Ness shoved O'Shea out of the office.

"What was that?" Hill asked.

"Capone sent him to bribe us to look the other way," Ness said.

"So, what happens now? You think Capone will let this slide?"

"I doubt it."

***

Later that night, Hill and Spirit reached the hotel after a walk around the city.

"Hey," someone said.

Hill noticed a man in an automobile near the curb. While he was calm, Spirit felt uneasy by merely looking at the man.

"You staying in that hotel there?" the man asked.

"Yes," Hill replied. "Me and my friends."

"Nice to have friends, isn't it? Especially in times like these, with mixed-race folks."

Now, Hill was uneasy, as he felt the man was talking about Lucky. "Yes, it is."

"A man should take care, see that nothing happens to them."

Then the man drove off in the automobile before Hill could ask anything.

"Lucky!" Hill shouted as he ran into the hotel. When he entered the room, he asked, "Where's Lucky?"

"She down in the stables," Pru said.

"What's wrong?" Abigail asked.

Hill headed to the stables without answering. When he entered, he heard his Spirit neigh and ran to him. He turned to a stall and saw Lucky feeding her Spirit.

"Billy, what's wrong?" Lucky asked.

"Oh, thank God," Hill gasped as he took Lucky and held her close to him. "You're okay, you're okay."

"Of course I'm okay. What's going on?"

"There was a man talking about you. I think he might've been one of Capone's men."

"Billy!" Pru said as she stood by the stable door. "It's Ness. He wants us to meet him at his place. Uh, do you two need a moment?"

"Um, no," Hill said as he let go of Lucky.

Pru just stared for a moment as she noticed Hill and Lucky were blushing.

"Okay, then. Let's go."

***

Hill, Lucky, Pru, and Abigail rode down the street where Ness's house was. When they arrived, Jones, Malone, and Stone were already there.

"Where's your family?" Hill asked. "Are they safe?"

"Yes, they're safe," Ness replied.

"What now?" Lucky asked.

"Simple: I want to hurt the man. I want to take the battle to him. I wanna hurt Capone."

"Well, then, Merry Christmas, because we got some great news," Malone said.

"But Christmas isn't for another three months," Abigail said.

Ness and Malone looked at her.

"Don't mind her," Pru said. "So, what's the news?"

"Tell 'em," Malone said to Stone.

"There's gonna be a huge international shipment coming to him," Stone said.

"We've got the time, the place, and the whole shebang," Malone finished.

"Well, what are we doing standing here, then?" Ness asked, though it was rhetorical.

***

Ness wanted to get to the border the fastest way possible, which was by airplane. However, Hill, Jones, and the PALs took the train there, as they didn't want to leave their horses behind in Chicago. So, they all took the train. As it was still nighttime, they all tried to get some sleep, though Wallace was still obsessed with the income tax envision case against Capone. Hill was also still awake, his chin in his left hand, as he was still haunted by what Capone's man told just hours earlier. He looked to his right and noticed Lucky resting her head against his shoulder, sleeping. He noticed a line of hair was out of place on her head and gently moved it back, trying not to wake her. As he withdrew his hand, his fingers caressed her cheek. As he looked out the window, Lucky opened one eye and closed it again, as a smile appeared on her face as she fell back to sleep.

Chapter Text

The next day, US-Canadian Border

On a hill overlooking a bridge along the border between the US and Canada, the Untouchables, along with riders of the Canadian Mounties, observed the land below.

"A convoy of five to ten trucks filled with your good Canadian whiskey will be met by a high-level member of the Capone organization," Ness explained to the captain of the Canadian Mounties. "He will be bringing with him full payment for the shipment in cash. Now, the meet is to take place just over the border on the American side. Our aim will be to confiscate the liquor and the cash. Captain?"

The captain turned to his men and said, "We will await their signal. When they are on the road and have given the signal, we will engage from the Canadian side of the bridge." Turning back to Ness, he continued. "Thus taking them by surprise from the rear. And surprise, as you very well know, Mr. Ness, is half the battle."

"The surprise is half the battle. Many things are half the battle. Losing is half the battle. Let's think about what is all the battle." Ness turned to the Mounties. "Let's take the fight to them, gentlemen!" He turned back to the captain. "Thank you, captain."

The captain turned and said, "All right, move out!"

***

A couple hours passed as the Untouchables were waiting for the convoy to arrive from a cabin a few yards from the road. Malone could tell Ness was eager for the trucks to show up.

"Take it easy," he told Ness. "It'll all happen in time. This is the job. Don't wait for it to happen, don't even want it to happen. Just watch what does happen."

"Are you my tutor?" Ness asked.

"Yes, sir, that I am."

"Actually, he is a tutor to all of us," Hill said.

"Thank you, Billy," Malone said. He then noticed Stone as he was checking his Thompson. "Did you check it already?"

"Yes, I did," Stone replied.

"Then leave it alone. You're a good cop, Giuseppe. You're doing good. You're going to do just fine."

"Hey, Stone," Jones said. "Why does Malone call you Giuseppe? I thought your name was George Stone."

"It is, but it wasn't always," Stone answered. "I was born Giuseppe Petri. I changed it before I joined the force."

Malone walked to the other side of the cabin. "Wallace, are you cold?"

"Yes, I am," Wallace replied. "A little."

"Then stamp your feet. It'll keep you warm. You learn something, twenty years walking the beat. Snitches and standing, in the rain."

As the others followed Malone advise, Hill turned to the girls and handed them each a grenade.

"What are these for?" Lucky asked.

"Just in case you get into trouble," Hill said.

"Billy," Jones said. "Ness is seeing activity on the bridge."

Hill went to the window and saw a car on the US side of the bridge. Two men with guns got out and one of them waved a white cloth in his hands. A second car appeared and stopped behind the first. Soon, five trucks approached from the Canadian side of the bridge.

"You have your spare shells?" Malone asked.

"Yes, sir," Stone replied.

"If you have to fire, hold low and squeeze. And put your man down. Because he'd do the same to you. Shoot to kill. Understand?"

"Yes, sir. Shoot to kill."

"Let's go," Ness said.

The men exited the back of the cabin where the horses where.

"Now, the Canadians will not show until I flash the badge," Ness explained. So it's imperative we cross the ground between us and the bridge as quickly as possible. Malone, you and I will take the men..."

Before Ness could finish, a shot rang out. The Untouchables noticed the Mounties moving in on the shipment before the signal could be given.

"What the heck!" Malone exclaimed. "You gotta die of something."

With that, they moved toward the bridge. As they reached the bridge, the cars were going to move of it. Ness and Malone took the first car and Stone and Wallace handled the second one. However, Stone was hit and rolled down the hill, but Hill and Jones caught him. Hill noticed one of the gangsters running toward the cabin.

"Get him," Jones said.

Hill jumped on Spirit and made his way back to the cabin. The gangster entered the cabin and hid himself, his pistol in his hand. Hill went behind the cabin, where he found the PALs.

"Billy, what do we do?" Pru asked.

"Hand me a grenade," he said.

Hill took the grenade, pulled the pen, and threw it onto the roof. He saw the gangster react to the noise the grenade made when it hit the roof. He went to the door and noticed the grenade fall from the roof. He jumped to the ground before the grenade went off. Hill busted down the other door and grabbed a shotgun from the table.

"All right!" he shouted. "Drop the gun and put your hands in the air!"

The gangster got up, but didn't drop the gun.

"I said drop it!"

The gangster said something in Italian and pointed the gun, but Hill quickly fired, killing him.

"Dang nab bit, didn't you hear what I said? What are you, deaf? What is this, a game?"

Hill threw the shotgun on the ground and sat down in a chair. Spirit stood nearby, shocked by this. He had never seen Hill this angry since the events with the King Brothers, when he got injured by the ringleader. He looked and saw that the girls were okay. He then noticed Malone, Wallace, Ness, and the Mountie captain arrive with one of the gangsters.

Malone went to Hill.

"How's Stone?" Hill asked quietly.

"Well, he's going to be all right. Jones is with him. We managed to get the fellow with the satchel."

Malone noticed the dead gangster that Hill killed.

"I had to kill him," Hill told him.

"Oh, yeah. He's as dead as Julius Caesar. Would you rather it was you?"

Hill sighed. "No, I would not."

"Well, then, you've done you're duty. Go home and sleep well tonight."

With that, they went back into the cabin to interrogate the gangster that had the satchel.

"Well, alas," Malone said. "The things you see when you're without your gun. Now, you're a long way from the Southside, Georgie, huh?"

When the gangster gave no reply, Malone hit him slightly against the shoulder.

"I'm talking to you. Did you come here to open a shooting gallery?"

"I want you to write down the names of your superiors," Ness said. "I want you to write down the names of your contacts."

The gangster looked at Ness. "Why don't you kiss my-"

Hill punched the gangster in the face. "Watch your language when you are in the presence of women. Your father never teach you basic manners?"

"Perhaps you didn't hear me," Ness continued. "You fired on federal officers. You've broken the law. You can be tough in Leavenworth for thirty years."

"You're going inside for all day," Malone interjected.

"Is that what you want?" Hill asked sternly.

"Eliot!" Wallace shouted.

"What?" Ness asked.

"Look at this."

"What is it?"

Ness looked at a book that Wallace held.

"You got a lot of money changing hands in this book," he told the gangster. "What is this? Ward? And police precincts? You've got a heading here for the circuit court. What is this?"

"Nothing," the gangster said. "There's nothing you can make out of it."

"What is this?" Ness asked Wallace.

"If we can establish that any of these coded entries indicate payment to Capone, then we can put Capone away."

Hill grabbed the gangster by the coat collar. "Tell us which one of these entries is Al Capone."

"A. Costa," Wallace said. "Is that your code name for Capone?"

"You'll going to do the whole thing in the joint unless you help us," Malone said.

"I want you to translate this ledger for us," Ness said.

"In death," the gangster said.

"In death?" Malone said as he pulled the gangster to his feet. "You're mucking with a G, here, pal. You'll hang higher than Hayman unless you cooperate."

"Take it easy," Ness said.

"This man can finger Al Capone," Wallace said. "This man can put Capone behind bars."

The gangster tried to be smug again. "Why don't you guys just f-"

Malone punched him. "Language. And it not going to happen, Mr. Hard-Case! We have to have that information, one way or another. You're going to talk. You're going to be begging to talk. Because somebody going to talk."

Just then, Malone remembered the gangster that Hill killed earlier. He went out, grabbed the body, and placed it against the window outside.

"Listen here, pal," he said. "I need you to help me to translate this book!"

The others were taken off guard by this, including Spirit.

"And I'm not going to ask you a second time," Malone said as he pointed his gun at the gangster's head. "One. Two. Three!"

The shot went off, exploding the dead man's brains onto the window.

The other gangster yelled. "I'm going to talk! I'm going to tell you whatever you want. What do you want to know?"

Malone walked in with a calm mood. "And don't let him clean himself until after he talks. Now, ask him what you want to know."

As Wallace began to question the gangster, the Mountie captain approached Ness. "Mr. Ness! I do not approve of your methods."

"Yeah?" Ness said. "Well, you not from Chicago."

When Ness and Malone left, Hill walked up and said, "And you didn't serve in the Great War, like me or my horse."

Hill walked out, got on Spirit, and rode off with the PALs following behind him.

***

Back in Chicago, Capone was getting some bad news.

"What?" he said.

"They got the shipment," said one of Capone's men.

"What?"

"They got the whole shipment."

Capone got up from his chair. "I want that son of a gun dead! I want him dead and everyone that works for him dead."

"We're trying to locate-"

"What am I, alone in this world? Did I ask what you're trying to do? Did I?"

"No, Al."

"I want you to find this freak where he breathes! I want you to find this nancy boy, Eliot Ness. I want him dead! I want his family dead! I want his house burned to the ground! I wanna go there, in the middle of the night, and dance on his ashes. And everyone who is apart of these Untouchables dead. Man, woman, I don't care who they are. I want everyone of them dead!"

Chapter Text

When the Untouchables returned to Chicago a few days later, they presented the ledger to the Chicago District Attorney, George Johnson. Afterwards, Johnson presented his statement to the Press.

"Gentlemen," he said. "A subpoena was issued for Alphonse Capone by my office this morning, for the crime of evading and conspiring to evade federal income tax."

"What's the maximum Capone could get?" a reporter asked.

"If convicted on all counts, Mr. Capone could have up to twenty-eight years."

"For a murderer?"

"Excuse me, that's all for now. Thank you."

***

While Johnson spoke with the Press, Stone was giving instructions to Wallace as they took the gangster toward the service elevator.

"Okay, now, here we go," Stone said as they walked down the hall. "The car is in the alley. When you get him there, you don't answer the phone. We're going to call, going to let it ring..."

"Twice," Wallace replied.

"We'll call..."

"From the corner."

"Anybody knocks at the door..."

"Come out shooting. I got it."

"You got it?"

"I got it."

"You kind of enjoy the tactical aspects of law enforcements, is that it, Oscar?"

"Oh, yeah, it's much more diverting than accounting."

Stone rang up the service elevator.

"I've been good to you," the gangster said. "You gotta be good to me."

"We made a deal," Stone assured. "We're going to stick to it, okay?"

The gangster simple reply was a sigh.

"Hey, Stone," Jones said as he and Lucky came down the hall. "You taking him down?"

"Wallace is," Stone replied. "Why?"

"Lucky and I want to help get him down to the car, if that's okay."

"Sure, the more, the merrier."

When the elevator doors opened, they let a young lady get off first.

"Oh, yes," Wallace said with enthusiasm. "Much more diverting than accounting."

"Focus now, Oscar," Jones said.

"Okay, we sees you tonight," Stone said.

"Yeah, okay," Wallace said as he got on the elevator. "All right, all the way down and no stops."

***

Hill, Ness, and Malone reached the floor that Johnson was giving his answers to the reporters. As Johnson made his way to the elevator to go back to the ground floor, one of the reporters noticed them and went to them.

"Mr. Ness," he said. "Was it a boy or a girl your wife had?"

"Actually, we adopted," Ness said. "And it was a boy."

"Congratulations. What did you name him?"

"Robert Eliot Ness."

As they walked down the hall, Hill noticed someone.

"Mr. Burns," he said. "Have you seen Mr. Wallace?"

"Didn't you see him?" Burns asked.

"No."

"Well, he and Mr. Jones went down in the service elevator."

Hill nodded. "Okay, good."

But before he could take five more feet, there was three loud banging sounds that echoed down the hall.

"What was that?" Burns asked.

"It sounded like gunshots," Hill said.

"Did you say that Jones and Wallace were taking the service elevator?" Ness asked.

"Yeah. I think Miss Prescott went with them, too."

Malone rushed to the elevator doors and banged on them.

"Jones!" he shouted. "Wallace!"

"Where does that elevator lead to on the ground level?" Hill asked.

"The back alleyway," Burns replied.

Hill, Ness, and Malone headed down the stairs to the ground. They headed down the alley and saw a police officer dead on the ground near the car and another one dead in the driver's sit. They saw Lucky's Spirit banging his hooves against the doors of the elevator.

"Oh, no," Hill said. "Lucky! Joe!"

"Easy, now," Malone said. "Easy!"

After moving Lucky's Spirit away, Hill and Ness opened the elevator doors by hand. They looked and saw the gangster dead with a gun shot to the head. They saw Wallace, dead by a shot to the head also. In the corner, they saw the elevator officer was dead too. They noticed Jones and Lucky against the wall of the elevator, but they were fortunately alive.

"Oh, thank God," Hill said as he hugged Lucky.

Lucky silently cried as she returned the embrace.

"What happened?" Ness asked Jones.

"He tried to kill us," Jones said as he pointed to the elevator officer. "I think he was working for Capone."

"A hit."

Jones nodded. "I should've acted faster."

Ness simply walked out without saying another word. As he left, Abigail, Pru, and Stone ran up.

"You okay?" Stone asked Jones.

Jones just looked at him, unable to say anything more.

***

After losing Wallace and the gangster, DA Johnson was going to drop the case because of the lack of a witness. While Malone and Jones went to find the whereabouts of Capone's bookkeeper, Walter Payne, and Stone was keeping an eye on Lucky and Abigail, Hill and Pru went to Johnson after dropping off Ness at his place.

"Mr. Johnson," Pru said. "You're going to fight this out and we'll have a case."

"Yes?" Johnson asked. "On what basis? I'm not going to go out on a limb and make a fool-"

Hill angerly pinned Johnson to a wall and punched the wall near Johnson's ear. "Don't tell me, sir, about making a fool out of yourself. I nearly lost someone near and dear to me today, because we are willing to risk everything for more than you can possibly imagine. We have a lead and we are following it to the end. You will not drop this case, because I want Capone in jail before he goes after us again and I will die before he puts Lucky in the grave before me, because I love her and I can't bear to see her be put in harm's way again!"

Pru's eyes widened when she heard the last part. It took Hill a moment to realize what he had just said.

Johnson sighed. "Okay. But if you don't give me the bookkeeper, Walter Payne, by noon tomorrow, I will drop the case."

"Understood," Pru said as she pulled Hill away.

Before they left the building, Hill asked, "Did I say that I loved Lucky?"

"Yes, you did. You can tell her later, after we find Payne."

***

When Hill and Pru returned to the hotel, Ness and Stone drove up to the entrance.

"What is it?" Hill asked.

"Malone called," Stone said. "Said he and Jones found where Payne is. Said to meet them at Malone's."

"All right," Pru said. "Let's go."

When they arrived at Malone's, they saw a woman shouting on the street.

"Shots!" she shouted. "There were shots up there!"

Hill noticed that she was pointing toward Malone's apartment.

"All right," Stone said. "Everybody stand back until we've investigated the apartment."

"Stone, take the back," Ness said.

"Pru and I will get the front door," Hill said.

Hill and Pru reached the door, but it was locked. Hill called for Spirit, who kicked the door off its hinges.

"Joe!" Hill shouted.

"Over here!" Jones shouted from the living room.

Hill, Pru, and Spirit found Jones in the room, with blooded Malone in his lap.

"Ness! Stone!" Pru shouted. "In here!"

Ness and Stone reached the room.

"What happened?" Ness asked.

"It was Capone's men," Jones said. "They fired on us. Malone shielded me from the firing. They did get me in the shoulder, but Malone got the worst of it."

"Is he alive?"

"No, he passed away before you got here. Here."

Jones gave Ness a paper of train schedules.

"What is this?"

"Payne, Capone's bookkeeper, is going be on the 12:05 train for Miami at Union Station tonight."

"Did Malone say anything before he died?"

"Yeah. 'Now, what are you prepared to do'?"

Hill grunted his teeth and got on Spirit. "Pru, call an ambulance for Joe."

"Where are you going?" Pru asked.

"Union Station. I'm going to get Payne before he is put on that train. Ness, Stone, you coming or what?"

Ness nodded in determination. "Let's get that bookkeeper."

Chapter Text

Once at Union Station, Hill, Ness, and Stone entered the north entrance just minutes before midnight.

"Stone, cover the south entrance," Ness said. "Hill, cover the tracks up ahead."

Hill nodded and headed for the tracks. He placed his pistol in his coat's pocket on the inside so no one would see it. As he walked along, he passed a mother pulling a pram with her crying son inside, but didn't mind her much, as he didn't see her as a threat. He was mostly suspicious of any man with a overcoat on. He heard the announcer mention the 12:05 train for Miami. When he arrived at the tracks, he searched each person waiting for the train. He couldn't see Payne, so he figured that he hadn't made it to the station yet.

Suddenly, he heard gunshots back at the north entrance. He ran back and hid behind a pillar near the staircase at the entrance. He saw Payne being held at gun point by one of Capone's men. He saw several people dead on the staircase. He noticed Ness looking toward the mother he saw earlier and Stone with one hand holding the pram and another pointing a revolver at the gangster.

"My baby!" the mother shouted.

"Stay there!" Ness shouted back. "He's all right!"

"See, I'm walking out with the bookkeeper," the gangster said. "And the bookkeeper and me are driving away."

Ness shook his head in disagreement.

"Or else he dies. He dies and you ain't got nothing. I'm going to give you five seconds to make up your mind."

"I'll tell you," Payne said frantically. "I'll tell you what you want to know."

"Shut up!" the gangster exclaimed. "I'm not kidding, Ness!"

"He's crazy! You don't have to do this, cause I'll tell you what you want to know, for Pete's sake!"

"You got him?" Ness asked.

"Yeah, I got him," Stone replied.

Ness lowered his gun.

"One!" the gangster shouted when he noticed Stone hadn't lowered his.

"Will you stop this!" Payne shouted.

Hill breathed, poked his head from behind the pillar, and whistled loudly. The gangster reacted to that and fired at Hill, but he ducked back into cover.

"Two!"

Suddenly, Spirit crashed through the main door and neighed as he reared his front legs up. With gangster distracted, Payne elbowed him in the belly, loosening his grip on him. As Payne ran down the stairs, the gangster turned toward him and aimed his pistol at him.

"Take him!" Ness shouted.

Stone fired and hit the gangster right between the eyes.

"Three," he said as the gangster's body went limp and fell down on the staircase.

Payne panicked at the sight and looked at Ness in fear.

"So, what do you want to know?" he asked.

***

Thirteen months later, October 6, 1931

At the Chicago court house, in the courtroom overseeing the trail of Alphonse Gabriel Capone, with Judge James Herbert Wilkerson proceeding, Prosecutor George Johnson began his questioning to Capone's bookkeeper, Walter Payne.

"The two coded entries in this ledger represent cash disbursement to all level of city officials," Johnson said. "Members of the police and to Alphonse Capone, correct?"

"That's correct," Payne said, though it was like a whisper.

"Excuse me?"

"I said that is correct," he said louder.

"And you will decipher these coded entries for us?"

"I will," Payne said, again as a whisper.

"Please speak up when you answer a question, Mr. Payne," Wilkerson ordered.

"I will," Payne said louder.

"You were in charge of disbursements for Mr. Capone?" Johnson asked.

"Yes, I was."

"And you personally distributed monies, vast, undeclared monies to Mr. Capone?"

"Yes, I did."

"Would you tell us the amounts?"

"In a three-year period, I personally disbursed monies to Mr. Capone in excess of one and a third million dollars."

At the last answer, people in the court room began to whisper amongst themselves.

"Would you repeat that amount, please?" Johnson asked.

"One and a third million dollars," Payne answered.

"Thank you, Mr. Payne. No further questions, your honor."

Johnson went to his table, but noticed Capone at the defense side smiling. He went over to Ness, who was in the front row of the courtroom with Stone.

"I don't get it," he told Ness. "We're nailing the lid on this coffin and he's over there smiling."

Ness noticed Jones, Pru, and Abigail sit in the row behind him.

"You're late," he said. "Where's Hill and Miss Prescott?"

"Billy is under the weather today," Jones said. "Lucky stayed behind to care for him."

"Joe, look," Pru said.

Jones noticed a man in a white suit talking to Capone, seeing a pistol holstered inside the coat.

"Holy crap," he said.

"What is it?" Ness asked.

"That man over there has a gun inside the courtroom."

"Stone, get the bailiff."

As Stone went to get the bailiff, Jones turned back to Ness.

"What did we miss yesterday aside from the first day of the trial?" he asked.

"Well, the judge switched the jury," Ness said.

"Why?"

"I don't know."

The bailiff came over.

"The man in the front row wearing a white suit is carrying a gun," Jones told the bailiff. "I don't want this to turn into something here, so when you get him up, I'll lead you out."

"Yes, sir," the bailiff said.

The bailiff went to the man and got him up. Jones got up and headed out of the courtroom.

"Okay, get up against the wall," the bailiff said.

"Yeah, well, who the heck are you?" the man asked.

"You heard him," Jones said as he shoved the man against the wall. "Now, up against it!"

Jones pulled the pistol out of the man's coat.

"What is this?"

"Okay, empty all your pockets," the bailiff ordered. "On the table here, all of it."

"I've got a permit for that," the man said.

"Fine, let's see it," Jones said.

The man pulled out a piece of paper and handed it to the bailiff. Jones took it and read it to himself.

"To whom it may concern. Please extend to the bearer, Mr. Vincent Franco, all possible courtesy and consideration. William Hale Thompson, mayor of the city of Chicago."

"I'm sorry, Mr. Jones," the bailiff said. "You'll need to give it back."

"Fine," Jones said as he gave the gun to the bailiff. "But that man doesn't go back into that courtroom while he carries it on his person, understand?"

"Yes, sir."

Jones pulled out his cigar box and took a cigar. He placed it in his mouth and pulled out his match box. He lit a match, but before he touch it against the cigar, he noticed writing inside the match box. It said 1634 Racine. Jones realized that this wasn't his match box, but the one that Franco placed on the table.

"1634 Racine," he said. "I knew someone who lived there. He was gun-down by someone with a Thompson."

He heard a clicking sound. He turned to see Franco with his gun pointing at the bailiff.

"His name was Jim Malone," he finished.

As Franco backed up toward the door, the bailiff pulled his revolver out.

"No!" Jones shouted.

Franco fired and hit the bailiff. Jones checked him.

"Here," the bailiff said in pain as he handed Jones the revolver. "Take it."

Jones hurried after Franco, who was heading toward the roof.

***

Spirit, who was outside the courthouse, heard shots being fired. He charged inside and followed the shots to the roof. Once there, he saw Jones chasing a man in a white suit across the roof. He saw Jones corner the man and pin him against a wall.

"I'm going to make sure your boss and you burn for everything you've done," Jones said.

"Oh, yeah," the man said.

"Yeah. And I'm going to be there when it happens. Because you killed my colleagues, Oscar Wallace and Jim Malone, and you hurt my friend's horse when you destroyed that speakeasy last year."

Jones shoved the man toward the door.

"I bet it squealed like a pig," the man said.

"What did you say?" Jones asked.

"I said I bet your friend's horse squealed like stuck Berkshire pig. Now, you think about that when I beat the rap."

Spirit, hearing what the man had said about Athena, angerly grabbed the man's collar with his mouth, carried him across the roof, and tossed him off the roof, toward the parking spot at the bottom, crashing into an automobile. He neighed loudly and furiously.

"Was that necessary?" Jones asked.

Spirit merely snorted.

"Okay. Just be happy the court system can't charge a horse with murdering a man."

***

When Jones came back down with Spirit, Pru and Abigail went to him.

"Joe, look at this," Pru said as she handed him a piece of paper.

"What's this?" he asked.

"That's a list of the first jury that the judge changed. They were bribed by Capone. The judge must've known that and twitched them. Also, there was a list of the new jury, too. Capone is planning to bribe them. It was in Franco's coat. Where's Franco now?"

"He's in the car," Jones said and walked away.

"What does that mean?" Abigail asked.

"It means Capone isn't getting out of this one," Pru replied.

Chapter Text

Eleven days later, October 18, 1931

Today would be the final day of Capone's tax evasion trial. The PALs, Untouchables, and the rest of the courtroom waited for the jury to return from their deliberation of the evidence. It had been eight hours since they began deliberation and it was almost eleven at night. Everyone was concern that they might have to return in the morning, especially the reporters who were eager to report the jury's verdict. Thankfully, the jury returned just before midnight to give their verdict.

By the end, of the five charges of tax evasion against Al Capone, the jury found him guilty on all counts. As soon as the last verdict was given, everyone in the courtroom went crazy. Reporters headed to the phones to report the verdict, Capone punched his lawyer in the face and his men tried to hold him back, and Judge Wilkerson banged his gavel and calling for order to be restored in the courtroom.

Hill walked calmly over to Capone and said, "Never stop. Never stop fighting until the fight is done."

"What?" Capone asked.

"I said never stop fighting until the fight is done!"

"What?"

"You heard me, Capone!"

"Ah! You nothing but a stupid Kraut."

"Me? A Kraut? Here's news for you: my family is from Sweden. Here endeth the lesson."

With that, Hill left the courtroom along with his friends, putting this chapter in their lives to a close. When he went out of the courthouse, Spirit went to him.

"It's done, boy," Hill said. "Capone won't hurt us again."

When they returned to the hotel, Spirit went to Athena and nickered, telling her the verdict. They caressed their muzzles together, satisfied with the results.

***

Two months later, December 31, 1931, Miradero, California

When the PALs returned to Miradero, they learned from the newspapers that Capone was sentenced to eleven years behind bars. Unfortunately, the charges that involved the violations of the Volstead Act and the murders of Oscar Wallace and Jim Malone went nowhere.

By New Years Eve, the town was celebrating the countdown toward the new year. During the last hour, Hill and Spirit arrived and meet Pru and Abigail.

"Where's Lucky?" Hill asked.

"You know how she is every New Years Eve," Pru said. "Trying to fulfill resolutions this year before the start of the next one."

"I wondering if they're going to serve cake tonight," Abigail said. "You think there'll be cake? Ah, I can't stop thinking about cake."

"Is she okay?" Hill asked.

"I think Abigail is going through a sugar rush right now," Pru replied.

"Okay. If there is going to be cake served tonight, keep her away from it."

"That's the plan."

"Hey, PALs," Lucky said as she rode in on her Spirit.

"Ah, just in time," Pru said. "Finished your resolutions?"

"Yep, barely."

"Hey, Lucky, can we talk?" Hill asked.

"Sure."

"I- uh, Pru, I think Abigail is going for some cake over there."

"What?" Pru gasped as she saw Abigail heading away and she gave chase. "Abigail, you've enough sugar today!"

Lucky chuckled.

"What?" Hill asked.

"There is no cake, is there?" she asked in return.

"I sure hope there isn't, but now that we're alone, there's one resolution for me that needs to be taken care of before the new year."

"And what's that?"

"Before I continue, I should mention that your father knows and approves what I'm about to do, in case you wondered."

"What are you getting at?"

Hill got down on his left knee and pulled out a diamond ring from his pocket. "Fortuna Esperanza Navarro-Prescott, will you marry me?"

Lucky gasped in surprise. Both Spirits eye's widen. Pru and Abigail, seeing from a distance, had their fingers crossed, waiting for the response. Lucky looked at them and then to her Spirit, who nodded his head.

"Yes," she replied.

Hill smiled, got up, and placed the ring on Lucky's finger. As the townsfolk counted down the last seconds of the year, Hill and Lucky shared a brief kiss just as everyone said zero.

"Happy New Year, Fortuna," Hill whispered.

"Happy New Year, William," Lucky whispered in return.

Hill's Spirit figured that Hill would be staying at the celebration for a while tonight, so he decided to go to his family and wish them a happy new year too. It was a new year after all, which meant new adventures awaited him, his friends, and his family. And he could hardly wait to see what would come next.