The air was thick, much thicker than it had ever been. Smoke from the fire stung her eyes, filled her lungs. Heat swallowed her whole; the fire was raging out of control and was crawling steadily nearer. Most of the workers had attempted to cram into the space near the still-locked doors, making breathing an even more difficult task. Mairead tried to keep her eyes averted from the bodies of those lost, but she repeatedly found her eyes resting on them, and each time would close her eyes with a gasp. Although she closed her eyes, their images remained, clear as day.

Emma sat beside her, hugging herself and sobbing silently. Jacob, who was a few feet from her, slowly inched his way toward Emma and put a comforting arm around her, stroking her face with his other hand. She looked up toward him and allowed a small, hopeless smile to reach her face. Mairead watched as Jacob leaned down and kissed Emma's forehead, and then her lips. Tears welled up in her eyes again; how she wished Blink were there to rescue her!

Mairead attempted to draw a breath, but drew in nothing but thick, black smoke. She coughed violently, and when she tried to catch her breath she coughed more still. Her lungs burned. She couldn't breathe. Her chest tightened and she doubled over as she lay on her side, if such is possible. Desperately, she ripped a strip of cloth off her skirt and held it to her nose, hoping to draw oxygen in in that way. It worked a little, but she didn't cease to cough.

The blaze crept ever closer. Mairead trembled with fear. All she wanted was to see Blink again.

Blink's sides ached and his lungs burned as he ran toward the mill. He could see the black smoke rising from the building, and as he drew nearer he could hear the frantic screams of the people inside. Mairead...

He pushed himself harder. He had to reach her.

She can't die. I can't live without her.

Just as he reached the grounds of the mill, he spotted several burly men racing toward the doors with keys in their hands.

Keys!

They hastily unlocked the doors and pulled them open, several of the workers who had been leaning against them stumbling out into the fresh air and dropping to their knees, gasping for breath. Of those whom Blink saw coming out, he didn't see Mairead. His stomach lurched.

Blink pushed his way violently through the crowd and past the protesting overseers. He raced through the doors, looking around frantically for Mairead. His heart stopped when he spotted her lifeless form crumpled on the ground.

"Mair!" he cried, rushing toward her.

The smoke stung his eyes and he coughed. He took Mairead in his arms and lifted her off the ground, carrying her outside as quickly as he could.

Mairead looked into Blink's face through blurred vision. "Blink..." she heard herself whisper, resting her head against his comfortable shoulder.

"I'm here," he whispered gently, lowering her to the ground and holding her in his arms.

Mairead's face was stained with soot, and she had burns on her left arm and leg. She coughed violently; she couldn't seem to catch her breath.

Mairead reached up and touched Blink's face. "I can't believe you came," she said softly.

Blink took her hand in his and kissed the palm gently, placing it over his cheek. He allowed her to continue.

"All I wanted was to see you again," she whispered, gazing up into his face.

Blink felt his eyes well with tears as he pulled her close to him and kissed her softly. He held her tight, rocking her back and forth. Feeling her slowly begin to relax, Blink stared frantically into her face. "You can't leave me," he whispered, tears dropping from his cheeks into her hair. "I wish you'd never run away from home."

Mairead struggled to find breath. "I'm glad I came to New York," she whispered. "If I hadn't, I would have never met you."

Blink completely lost it. His body was wracked with sobs as he held Mairead. She didn't cry, but was calm, her pale face looking up into his, concerned and loving and peaceful all at once. She stroked his face with her hand. "Would you kiss me again, Kid Blink?" she whispered.

Blink didn't need to be asked twice. He kissed her with all his might, with all the emotion that he posessed. After a long moment, he pulled away from her. "I love you, Blink," she said softly, closing her eyes.

"Mairead - "

He stopped for a moment, gazing at her face. She was paling more.

"I love you. Don't go! Mairead, d - "

Suddenly, he knew as he looked into her face. She was gone.

Blink sobbed as he held her close. He didn't want to let go.

It wasn't long until they came and took Mairead away from Blink. He remained seated on the ground, his tearstained face staring into oblivion. There was still a commotion about the place; there were newspaper reporters interviewing Mr. Tanner and the overseers, and Teddy Roosevelt himself had been over to survey the damage and shake a disapproving fist at Mr. Tanner. None of this comforted Blink.

A reporter who had been trying his hardest to get an interview but as yet had failed, spotted Blink. Seeing an opportunity, he raced over to the newsy.

"Excuse me, sir. Can you give me your account of what happened today?"

The young man's forlorn face turned to the man. "She's dead."

The reporter scribbled something on his pad of paper. "Lives lost in Watson fire, many left to mourn," he muttered to himself. He looked at Blink. "And the girl you loved, is she dead?"

"Leave me out of this," Blink muttered, drawing a hand across his eyes to prevent his tears from spilling over his cheeks.

"Can I ask - "

Blink raised his voice. "I said, leave me out!"

The reporter looked shocked. Blink continued. "You've got a nice place, a roof over your head all the time. You can eat whenever you want. You don't have to worry about the people you love working and dying in a mill fire." He drew a shuddering gasp. "Don't you even try to make money off my words, because you were never in our place! You never will be," he said bitterly.

All this time, the reporter had been frantically scribbling down Blink's words. He stood, fished in his pocket, and dropped several coins onto the ground beside Blink. "Such is the plight of the unfortunate," he said as he checked his gold pocketwatch, tipped his hat to Blink, and walked away.