Meanwhile, while Althea is dealing with the pig farmers from downstairs, one of the farmer that Viktor was chasing was about to escape with a gun in his hand when Ivy came at the wrong time and noticed the damage and him. The two stare at each other until Viktor comes in view in a shadow. The farmer was about to shoot him when Ivy stopped him.

"HEY!"

She grabbed the gun and held up to prevent him from shooting Viktor.

"What are you doin'?!"

"Don't you point that at him!" Ivy shouted.

"GIT OFF!!"

She kicks him in the leg three times, hitting his pressure point.

"AUGH!"

He then pulls the trigger, hitting the door right beside her head.

"EEE!" she shrieked, nearly getting shot.

Viktor punches him as Ivy backs herself against the door. He then grabs him and throws him against the metal door. Viktor grabs him by the face and slams him against the door again. Ivy approaches him.

"I'm sorry to interrupt your pummeling, Viktor, but am I the only one who missed the trolley? Just what is going on around here tonight?"

"Don't know." Viktor replied in anger.

"What's wrong with your voice? Did something happen?" she asked with concern.

He glances away.

"It's Althea." he said grimly.

Ivy gasps and gets worried.

"What happened to her? Is she alright? Where is she?"

"She's been shot... but she's not dead yet."

"She needs a doctor. Is it bad?"

Viktor thinks for a second and sighs.

"I'm not sure..."

"Don't you go anywhere. I'll be right back."

Ivy then runs off, determined to save Althea.

"WAIT, WAIT!" the farmer shouted, but she already left without a trace.

Viktor glares and puts him in a chokehold.

"AAUGH! NO— GAK-K, PLEASE!!" he choked out. "Now, now, just... Hold on now. I didn't want no trouble. I was just tryin' to git back to my truck. So if you'll just, uh, I'll just..."

Viktor doesn't listen to him as he watches Ivy's departure. Making sure she's gone for sure, he glares at the pig farmer.

"My truck naow. And you'll pay for hurting Althea."

With those words, that pig farmer is instantly finished.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ivy runs through the streets and towards the cafe where the cat men in fancy suits and hats are heading to their cars.

"Did you hear that? It sounded like gunfire coming from the next street over." the cat gentleman said, looking over to the side.

"Just someone's car backfiring, I'm sure." another cat gentleman said.

"Your good judgment about night spots remains dubious nevertheless. Are you coming?"

"No, I've had quite enough of your vitriol and not enough to drink to tolerate more, my friend. My own driver should be along shortly. Good night, Church."

"I don't think I could stomach anymore chivalry anyway. Good night to you, Wick." Church said, heading inside his car.

Ivy ignores them and goes inside the cafe and grabs a telephone, dialing a number before holding it up to her ear.

"Operator, I need you to connect me to a Leo Quackenbush. Yes, St. Louis County." Ivy said.

She waited and heard his voice and got worried, knowing Althea's life was at stake.

"Dr. Quackenbush! We have an injured party and— Oh, sorry. I didn't mean to yell. Yes, I know what time it is. It's urgent. Ivy. Pepper. Atlas's goddaughter. Yes, I know it's late, but I need to call in that favor..."

Ivy then heard some words that made her worried.

"Oh. You don't? Are you sure? Because I thought— You know, you're awfully uppity for a horse doctor parading as a— So... we owe you?" she asked, biting her lip. "Well, I'm certain it was just an oversight. Um... how about cash, then? Right. In full. Of course. I have it."

She then hangs up and runs up to the door where a cat man named Sable.

"HEY!" she shouted.

Sable turns to her in surprise as she opens the door and points at him.

"You have money!"

"Umm..." Sable looks at his car and back at Ivy. "... Thanks?"

"No, I mean, I need some of it. For a good cause." Ivy said, looking desperate.

"Heh. Did you take up with the sisters of mercy since I was here last, uh, Miss Pepper? What are you collecting for exactly?" he asked.

"It's my friend. A beautiful brown wavy haired woman with amber eyes."

"...That's a new one." he commented.

"I mean, Althea. Althea Spade. There was a little... accident... of sorts. The horse doctor's on his way, but—"

"Horse doctor? Uh, wouldn't the customary thing be to take her to a hospital? We could drive her to the nearest—"

"N-No! They ask a lot of questions at hospital... And my friend is not... normal and..."

Sable raises his eyebrow in confusion and suspicion of what she means by that.

"Not normal? This all seems rather unorthodox. Are you sure—"

"It'd all seem rather unchivalrous if Miss M found her goddaughter had been left for dead because you were too dumbfounded to make yourself useful. My friend needs that treatment." Ivy glared.

"Oh... You heard all that, huh? Well, I suppose I dug my own grave, then, didn't I?" Sable said sheepishly.

Ivy smiled that she finally convinced him. Sable turns to his driver.

"It looks like I'm going to be a little later than expected, Bix. Why don't you just go on home? I'll just catch a cab."

Bix nodded and left as Ivy leads Sable inside the cafe.

"...So you wait here and when the doctor shows up, just hand him a fistful of cash and send him over to the garage." she said.

"Uh, right... What's going on here anyway? It's been a strange evening." he asked.

"Hell if I know."

After that, Ivy runs right back to the garage and finds Viktor sitting in front of the cellar door.

"Viktor. Where do you think you're going? I told you to stay here. Don't pretend you can't hear me." she scolded. "Leo's coming to see her, so behave yourself."

She sits down next to him and looks down.

"Can't get down the stairs, huh?"

Viktor said nothing and just stared. She glares and pokes his arm.

"See? This is why you're supposed to be tending the bar now. I don't know what you're doing up here anyway."

She looks around and frowns.

"Hey, where's Althea?"

"...She vent down to help them... So reckless." Viktor said, sighing.

Ivy could tell that he's clearly worried for her. She wraps her arms around his big right arm and looks around again.

"Hey, what became of that scruffy character waving the gun around?" she asked.

Viktor glances to the side.

"Uhhh... I let him go." he lied.

She looks at him in confusion.

"Let him go? Just like that?"

"I pat him on his head first. Bye-bye. Thank you for visit." Viktor said, doing a hand gesture for pat.

"No, you didn't." Ivy frowned.

"Ve haff lunch sometime." he added.

"...Really? Well, where is he then?"

"I don't know. Vanished like, ehh - vhat's his name? Who alvays does those tricks."

"Houdini?" she guessed.

"Ya. Houdini."

Ivy stares at him for a moment, looking unconvinced.

"Viktor... someone needs to teach you how to tell a decent lie." she said, knowing full well that farmer is dead.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Back to the underground lounge, Zib and Mitzi are carrying Althea up to the stairs while Rocky runs off to chase after his cousin.

"What happened to her?" Zib asked, looking down at Althea with worry.

"She must've passed out from blood loss. I knew her wound on her shoulder was bad." Mitzi said.

They eventually got out of the cellar door where they saw Zib, Ivy, and a cat doctor named Leo.

"Althea!!" Ivy gasped, checking up on her.

"Is that the patient?" Leo asked, looking surprised to see a human.

"Yes. Please help her." Mitzi said.

"Place her down." Leo said.

Viktor takes off his shirt and places it on the ground for her to lay down on as they place her there. Leo moves the strap of her dress down a little to see a wound and begins his surgery. He pulls out a plucker tool and digs into her wound. She's lucky that she's unconscious. Otherwise, she would be in pain. Ivy covers her eyes while Viktor, Mitzi, and Zib watch with their breathes hitched. Eventually, Leo pulls out a small ball of bullet and holds it up to Ivy's face.

"See that? Double-ought. I told you." he pointed out with a stern look.

"Okay, okay. You win." Ivy said, uncovering her eyes.

"Will she be alright?" Mitzi asked, sighing in relief.

"She will be. That girl's tough as far as Viktor told me." Leo said, wrapping a bandage around her shoulder after dapping some alcohol to clean her wound. "Though it is rather rare and surprising to see a human in this world."

"You won't tell anyone, would you?" Ivy asked, worrying for Althea's safety.

"Don't worry. Your secret is safe with me." Leo said.

Mitzi kneels down and gently strokes Althea's head.

"I'm sorry, Althea. You weren't supposed to be in a crossfire like that. I promise it won't happen again." she vowed, frowning.

"All she needs is some rest. She won't be doing anything for a while until she's healed." Leo said.

"If only I vas fast enough, she wouldn't..." Viktor said with guilt.

"Don't beat yourself up. She protected us." Zib said. "She's a brave kid."

"Oh, Althea..." Ivy frowned, holding her hand.

"As long as we're being frank with each other... I can't afford to pay you right now, Leo." Mitzi said, looking at him.

"You already did, but if you'd like to do it again - by all means." Leo said, placing a bullet in a handkerchief.

"I did?" she questioned.

"Well, the confused-looking gentleman in the cafe did."

"Oh." she said, knowing who it is.

She looks at Ivy, who smiles. Mitzi looks down at Althea for a moment, then at Viktor.

"Viktor, please take care of her. I'll be right back."

He nodded and sat down next to an unconscious Althea as Mitzi walked out of the garage along with Leo. Viktor stares at her and gently strokes her cheek.

"Althea... You really had me worried. You stupid girl." he sighed.

Ivy was surprised at his gentleness and then smiled, seeing how well he and Althea were getting along together.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

After that incident, Mitzi, with the help of Viktor, carries her back to Mitzi's place to her bedroom. Althea, not too long, wakes up and lies there on her bed, sighing. She never expects this to turn from a soft to a rough night. She looks at her bandaged shoulder for a moment. Althea slowly gets up and opens the window and sits on the windowsill, looking out the moon. Her phone vibrates. Somehow, her phone was still working and got a good signal, much to her surprise. She turns it on to find two texts from her parents: "How was your day? ❤, My Fam!" and "We miss you Althea 🤗".

"Hmm." Althea hummed, thinking.

She types a cat emoji. Looking into her room, she changes her mind and types out, "Miss you too, guys." She sends it, then continues typing.

"I won't lie. Today was kinda hard."

Mitzi is looking at the portrait of her deceased husband, sitting in the office. Rocky walking through the streets.

"And I don't always feel like I'm supposed to be here."

Viktor is sitting in his window, looking out of it. He opens a memory box he has in his lap and holds out a picture, staring at it.

"But when things get tough, my friends help me out."

Viktor sighs and puts the picture back in the box, and closes it. He closes his eyes and leans against the window frame. Fade to the bedroom as Freckle covers himself in a blanket and falls asleep. Ivy lay against the bed, staring at the ceiling. She opens her drawer and pulls out a picture to see a sketch of herself and Althea smiling with their arms around each other. It was drawn by Althea after taking a picture with her phone and making a copy of it for Ivy to keep. She smiles and holds the paper close to her chest, closing her eyes.

"I think you'd like them."

Mordecai was polishing his gun when he glanced at the picture of himself and Althea dancing. Somehow, someone took a picture of them without them noticing. He smiles softly and looks at the window.

Back to Althea sitting in her windowsill as she keeps on typing.

"I miss you too, mom, dad, and sissy. One day, I'll tell you all about this."

The wind howls, blowing clouds away from the moon. Althea looks out on the city and smiles. She receives another text from her mom. It reads: "Can't wait! Love ya!👍"

She puts her phone down and looks out at the moon again.