Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Geoff wasn’t expecting much from this deal, if he could even call it that. Jeremy had briefed them all on the plan, as this was his idea, but the whole thing still seemed half-baked at best. If they weren’t trying to pull the façade that this was a real deal, Jeremy would be the one here instead of him, leading the charge to get his friend back.

Jeremy had regaled them only too often with stories of his and Matt’s adventures before he joined the crew. Once or twice, he’d mentioned another guy, when they called themselves The Stream Team, but mostly it was just the two of them. When Jeremy saw a news clip of some small crew doing a job, he’d jumped out of his chair with several undecipherable shouts. Michael had needed to tackle the shorter lad as he attempted to leave just to get him to explain the whole situation.

After a series of rough jobs, Matt and Jeremy had gotten separated. The two had never quite managed to find each other again, and then the crew had picked up Jeremy. Once or twice, Gavin had tried to find Matt, but with no success, mostly liked due to Jeremy’s warnings that Matt was also a bit of hacker. Gavin wasn’t too happy about that, and tripled his effort. Somehow, they still had never found him.

Until they saw that news clip.

Jeremy insisted they bust Matt out of that crew. Together, they’d all cooked up a plan to get Jeremy’s friend back, but they’d had to work fast, since they knew nothing about this new crew. Geoff wasn’t too happy that he had to do most of the talking, but he would do anything for Lil’ J. Plus, if he didn’t, he’d never hear the end of it.

They arrived at the warehouse first, which wasn’t exactly to Geoff’s liking. He wasn’t too fond of walking into empty places, but it beat walking into a setup. At least they had picked the place.

Gavin gave him and Jack a salute before running off to his post, sniper slung over his shoulder. Jack offered Geoff a fist bump, which he returned, before pulling a pair of Lindsay’s sunglasses down over her eyes. On one of their last missions, a rival crew had threatened Jack a bit more than the Fakes were comfortable with. Geoff had wanted her to lay low, but she insisted she could handle herself. The only agreement they’d managed to come to was that she disguise herself to look like Lindsay, so that from a distance, everyone would think it was their crew’s favorite chaos creator. It was very odd to see Jack in Lindsay’s clothes, even complete with an electric blue wig to match Lindsay’s current favorite look.

The two of them walked in. The table and chairs were set up just like Gavin had said they were over the comms. Geoff took his spot at the setup, Jack stationing herself behind his left shoulder assuming her position as his bodyguard. Another aspect of this plan Geoff wasn’t a fan of, since he liked having his right-hand on equal footing with him, but they didn’t want to intimidate this smaller crew too much. Only as much as necessary. It was hard to gauge with newer crews. The two had immediately gone into business mode, knowing any second the other crew could walk in.

Sure enough, it hadn’t been a full minute before the other side walked in. There were three of them, like they’d suspected. The boss was there, of course, so Geoff could make the deal. Matt fell in step behind him, with another guy he couldn’t quite see yet bringing up the rear. Jack adjusted herself to stand taller, and Geoff just smirked. These guys didn’t know what they were signing themselves up for.

“Deaton,” Geoff started. The boss nodded, muttered out a “Ramsey,” and approached the chair. As he sat down, the two guards flanked him. He kept his eye on Matt, who looked like he didn’t really want to be here. He didn’t blame the kid. The Fakes had quite a reputation. The kid was wearing an old red hoodie and had headphones around his neck. His hear was streaked a vibrant light blue, and overall, he looked like any other teenager, except he was holding a rather impressive firearm.

As he was pondering this, Jack tensed behind him. It was slight, not enough for anyone other than people who knew her well to notice, and even then, Geoff had only caught it in his peripherals. Geoff stopped himself from turning around, but he took mental note to ask her about it later. Jack readjusted behind him as he began his spiel.

“Look. I’ll get right to it. We don’t want weapons, or money, or anything like that,” Geoff began, and the man across from him sat up.

“What do you mean? That was our deal!”

Geoff shrugged. “Changed my mind. But I do still want something.”

Deaton’s tone shifted dangerously as he shot back, “Oh?” Jack must have shifted behind him, because Deaton’s eyes flicked to her. Luckily, judging by how nervous Deaton looked as he looked back at Geoff, she seemed to still be just as intimidating as they wanted.

Perfect.

Geoff pointed one finger at Matt, who was trying his best to look anywhere but Geoff.

“Axial?” Deaton growled. “Not happening.”

“Well that’s too bad, because I intend to leave here with him.” Jack shifted behind Geoff again, and Geoff had to keep his gaze straight ahead. Jack wasn’t normally this fidgety, especially not during a deal.

Deaton slammed his hands on the table, glaring at Geoff. “The only way I see that happening is by him carrying your body.”

Geoff actually laughed genuinely. “Are you threatening me?”

Deaton immediately recognized his mistake. “Uhm, no, not at all, Ramsey.”

“Weird, because it sounded like you were. So, you’re going to let us have him now, right?”

Deaton looked back at Matt for the first time, who in turn looked at the other bodyguard. Geoff’s gaze finally travelled to the third man. He was taller than Matt, and skinny as a twig. He was wearing a dark pinstripe vest over a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up. His fingerless gloves were partially hiding bruised knuckles, and he had shades pushed up on his head. Another guy who simply looked like a teenager with a weapon.

When Matt looked over, Jack fidgeted once again, bigger this time, but still hardly noticeable. Something was up with Jack, and Geoff had a sneaking suspicion it had to do with this other guy. Nothing else about this deal was going any differently than they’d predicted, except the presence of this other kid.

Interesting.

“Yeah, yeah, sure. Axial’s all yours,” Deaton was rushing to fix his error, but Geoff butted in again.

“You know what? My offer just changed.”

“What?” Deaton was panicking now. Matt looked like he was about to explode, and the mystery guy just looked confused.

Geoff relished in pointing a single finger at the third guy. “I want him too.”

Jack froze behind him, and Geoff had to imagine that her expression matched the confused ones across the table. Geoff enjoyed the utter chaos the deal was devolving into.

“I can’t. Not Zed, too.” His voiced was laced with desperation, and he was standing now as if he could run away from this whole mess.

Geoff shrugged. “Do you want our Golden Boy to convince you?” He could hear Gavin give a quick laugh over the comms as Deaton got even more flustered, searching the room.

“No. He’s not . . . I can’t give them both . . .”

Geoff made the choice for the poor man. “Yeah, you can. Do it, Golden Boy.”

A single shot, straight through the skull. Matt and the other guy, Zed, both jumped back at the shot. Deaton dropped. Geoff let out a huge sigh upon standing, as if this whole mess was much more hassle than it actually was. Deaton was more annoying than he’d predicted, so he didn’t feel too bad about using their worst-case scenario setup. If he’d let the other man go free, even though he could tell that the other crew’s future was doomed, there was the chance that he’d spread slander about the Fakes. “Alright. Let’s get you two home.”

As he turned, he shot a look at Jack. He wasn’t used to not seeing Jack’s eyes, hidden behind the pair of shades, but she was frowning. There was some emotion there that he couldn’t quite place, but for once, he couldn’t get any other clues from the rest of Jack’s expression. Either way, it was gone in a flash as Jack went to herd the other two, still having to be Lindsay until they got back to the penthouse.

Gavin met them outside and they all piled into the jeep. They just barely managed to fit, Gavin squeezed in between the two new recruits but he didn’t seem to care. He just kept talking the ears off the two, who had matching looks of confusion and dread. Jack was stiff beside him, sunglasses off but gaze locked out the window. Geoff kept his attention on the road, but there was definitely something up with Jack.

-------

Jeremy basically tackled Matt the second he got in the penthouse. Geoff had texted Jeremy that they were arriving, as if Jeremy hadn’t been looking out the window waiting for the past half hour. Michael constant shouts to “calm down or I’m locking you in your room” were the only thing keeping him from waiting on the sidewalk in front of the building.

Matt was the first in, and also the one to get tackle-hugged. Jeremy could hear the other three pass them by and head to the living room, but he cared about no one other than Matt right now.

“Matt!” Jeremy cried, face very much buried in the other’s shoulder.

“Wha- Jeremy?” Matt exclaimed, and Jeremy could feel him tentatively wrap his arms around him. He squeezed harder until he heard the other guy squeak. “Hey, man, you’re gonna break me!”

“I’m so happy we found you!” Jeremy gushed, pulling himself back to examine Matt from an arm’s length away. Matt was wearing something similar to what he always used to: A ratty red hoodie covered a worn-out graphic tee, headphones around his neck. He couldn’t wait to take his friend shopping for a cool new wardrobe, one befitting a Fake. The blue streaks in his hair were new, though, still bright as if they’d only been there a few days. Jeremy wished he still had colorful hair, but he’d decided that a shaved head was the way to go. “We tried so hard to find you!”

Matt seemed taken aback. “So, wait, what? The point of that deal, or whatever it was, was actually me? That went according to plan?”

Jeremy nodded enthusiastically. “All for you.”

“But then . . . what about Trevor?”

Jeremy froze and blinked up at his friend. “Trevor? As in, that Trevor? Our Trevor? What about him?” Matt was the only one he’d recognized in the news clip, and similar to the situation with Matt, Gavin hadn’t been able to find anything about Trevor when he’d asked before.

Matt nodded. “Our Trevor. He was in the crew with me. He was Deaton’s other bodyguard for the deal and Geoff just brought him along. Did you plan for that?”

Jeremy dropped his grip on Matt’s arms, which had tightened when he’d heard Trevor’s name. “No, we didn’t know. We had hardly any information on your crew. Wonder why Geoff brought him along, I don’t think there’s any way he could have known.”

Matt shrugged. “Did he know about The Stream Team?”

“Yeah, I’d mentioned it a few times, but mostly about you. I doubt he remembered Trevor’s name, let alone knew who he was at the deal.”

“Weird,” Matt agreed. The door chose that moment to open, causing both guys to shift their attention. Jack slammed the door behind herself and let out a long sigh before noticing the two. She froze, hand poised over her head to pull her blue wig off, but it slowly dropped back to her side.

“Hey,” she rasped, and her voice was harder than usual, “Did we get the right guy?”

Instantly, Jeremy could tell something was up. Jack’s smile was a little too forced, and he thought her eyes might be a bit too red, but there was also a flicker of something else. Even though she seemed out of sorts, she didn’t seem sad, and he recognized the lightness she was trying to keep in her tone.

So, instead of pushing it, Jeremy just chuckled and let himself enjoy his moment. “No, this is some random guy. Never seen him before in my life,” he joked and threw an arm around Matt, who immediately pushed it off. Jack laughed, albeit weaker than Jeremy was used to, but nodded as she pushed off of the door.

“Glad to hear it,” she said, patting Jeremy on the shoulder as she passed. “Tell the others I’ll be in in a moment. I’m gonna change.”

Jeremy studied her back as she disappeared down the hall. It was true that Jack was normally hesitant about new people, choosing to be wary in a calm, collected manner, but this seemed like a bit much. He’d gushed about Matt so much, and even Trevor, so there was no reason Jack needed to be defensive. Still, he knew Jack. He knew she’d talk when she was ready, and it was obvious that she didn’t want to worry Jeremy.

“Was that Wildcard?” Matt asked, snapping Jeremy back to reality. “They seemed . . . different than how I expected them to be.”

While he got some of the details wrong, Jeremey wanted to agree. “Nah, that’s Jack. Long story, but it’ll make sense in a minute. You’ll see.”

Matt still seemed confused, but he allowed Jeremy to drag him off toward the living room. He had a crew for Jeremy to introduce him to, and apparently, Jeremy had a Trevor to hug.

-------

Ramsey had told Trevor to sit on the couch, so that’s what he did. Someone who had the same bright blue hair as Ramsey’s guard from before, but had a much cheerier personality, draped a blanket over his shoulders, which Trevor took hesitantly. He honestly no clue what had happened in the last hour, but he figured he just had to roll with it. One minute he’s randomly assigned to guard the boss on a deal, the next he’s being welcomed into the penthouse of the Fake AH Crew. He felt nervous, the guns he’d been given to bodyguard with stowed in the back of the Fake’s car. So, he just chose to sit.

The Golden Boy flopped down on the other couch and immediately pulled out his phone, not caring at all about Trevor. The woman, who Trevor now recognized as Wildcard, but somehow not the same person as before, who had a totally different demeanor, had turned on the TV, which was showing a photo from earlier on the news. The deal hadn’t been that big, nothing to draw attention, but apparently any sighting of the Fakes made the news. Trevor didn’t understand how they got a shot of their group, but there it was in front of him.

Ramsey was the closest to the car, calling at the Golden Boy, who had just appeared from whatever sniping point he’d had. The person who was not Wildcard was further back, a hand each on Matt and his’ shoulders. Trevor was looking away at the ground, while Matt was watching the two in front. Trevor remembered exactly what moment the photo had been taken at. He’d been trying to figure out what had happened, and, to be fair, he still didn’t quite know. Whatever it was, he was glad Matt was here, and apparently Jeremy, too. He’d seen his old friend hugging Matt as they came in, but didn’t want to ruin their reunion.

What he hadn’t noticed in the moment, but could clearly see now in the photo, was Wildcard. They were still wearing their sunglasses, but they weren’t facing forward like he would have guessed.

Instead, they were watching Trevor.

Trevor had heard about Wildcard, and the stories about their energetic personality were already falling into place with the blue-haired individual leaning over the back of the other couch and into the Golden’s Boy’s personal bubble. They didn’t slot in neatly with the person who’d been at the deal, the one who’d seemed like they were all business until Trevor saw this photo. Still, none of the other Fakes seemed to blink at the fact that there were two blue-haired people accounted for, so it had to be one of them.

He was suddenly very glad he hadn’t turned around on his way to the car. But he did wonder why this mystery person had been looking at him.

“Who’s this?” A voice behind him asked, and Trevor turned to see Mogar approaching from the kitchen. Ramsey shrugged, grabbing a soda can out of Mogar’s hand and popping it open.

“Deaton’s other guard. Brought him along. Deaton didn’t need him anymore.”

“But why bring him here? We know nothing about him.” Trevor wanted to say something to defend himself, tell them he knew Matt and Jeremy, but Ramsey suddenly met his eyes.

“I had a feeling we might want him. Call it a hunch.” Trevor didn’t break the eye contact, trying to figure out what that meant, until Ramsey looked back at Mogar. “Plus, you can’t just leave him. He might get revenge ideas.”

Mogar shrugged and came over to the other couch. He sat directly on the Golden Boy’s legs, which got a squawk out of the other man and a big laugh from Wildcard. He half-nodded at Trevor from his weird perch. “Sup.” Trevor gave him a half-smile in return before looking away.

What the heck was happening?

His salvation from awkwardness came in the form of Jeremy escorting Matt into the living room. “So, this is the living room. Make yourself at home.” Trevor turned, and he watched Jeremy’s eyes light up. “Trevor! It is you!”

Jeremy rushed over to give him a hug over the back of the couch while Matt barked out an, “I told you so!”

Jeremy didn’t seem to care, already draping his arms over Trevor. “Man, I didn’t know you were with Matt! This is great!”

“It sure is something,” Trevor laughed. Jeremy hopped the couch to sit next to Trevor, and Matt sat down on Jeremy’s other side. Jeremy pulled them both in by the shoulders.

“Stream Team, back together!” he called happily. Trevor couldn’t help but laugh, still a little in shock but feeling better that Jeremy was here. Even if he was in the middle of the Fake’s headquarters, Jeremy and Matt were here. He’d heard tales of a purple and orange clad member of the Fakes, but he hadn’t put two and two together to realize it was Jeremy.

The little stability he’d just found was shattered as one word came from behind him.

“Trevor?”

Trevor froze, completely tense in an instant, and stared straight ahead. He recognized that voice, but it couldn’t be. It sounded different, almost a whole different register than what he remembered, but there was something unmistakable in there. He ignored the fact that he could almost hear tears in the voice, trying to focus on the aspects he did recognize. But there was no way. Trevor hadn’t heard that voice in years, there was no way they could be here.

Could it really-?

Jeremy let Trevor go and he turned, as slow as he could. He was scared to see, scared to know the truth. He didn’t know what he’d do if it wasn’t who he thought it could be. He didn’t know what he’d do if it was.

Trevor slowly lifted his gaze. First, a pair of tropical patterned slippers. A pair of loose, stiped shorts. The checkered sweater of Wildcard, but he knew the real Wildcard was behind him. He didn’t want to look up the last few inches, but he had to. He could see their chest rising and falling visibly, as if they were terrified too. He had to do it. He had to look.

It was their eyes that finally got through to him. It may have been years later, and from the looks of it, they may have finished transitioning like they– no, she’d always talked about, a question he was sure to ask later to make sure, but her eyes hadn’t changed.

She let out an almost painful sigh as her tense expression melted into a small smile. “It is you. Trevor.”

Trevor opened his mouth, but nothing came out. He’d been waiting for this moment for years, to the point where it had become more of a fantasy than a hope.

It was Jack.

Trevor stood up, letting the blanket fall off his shoulders. He didn’t break eye contact with Jack as the two ran to each other and embraced. The whole crew was probably staring at them, but Trevor didn’t care. He had his big sibling, his sister, back. After so many years, several foster homes, and who knew how many crews, somehow Trevor had managed to find Jack again. Or, rather, Jack had found him. He’d been watching her from afar, seeing Pattillo on the news for years, without even realizing it. But now, his sister was in his arms again.

“I’m so sorry it took me so long. I couldn’t find you again.” Jack was crying, Trevor could hear it, and he realized he was as well.

“That’s okay. I’m here now,” Trevor mumbled into his sister’s shoulder.

“I don’t know how this worked out, but I’m so glad it did,” Jack told him, and Trevor just nodded.

“Does anyone else know what’s going on?” a British voice asked from behind Trevor, and Trevor barked out a laugh through his tears. Honestly, he still didn’t know, but one thing was for sure. Somehow, by some miracle, he had his sister back.

Jack pulled back, ruffling Trevor’s hair like she had when they were kids. Trevor laughed and leaned against Jack as the two of them faced the crew.

“Guys,” Jack started, voice still a little emotional, “this is my half-brother, Trevor.”

Jack pulled him in closer as Trevor corrected her, “Nothing half about it but blood.”

Chapter Text

Sometimes, just going to deals to stand there and be intimidating was boring, but, unfortunately, it was very often necessary. Jack was very deep in that mindset that night, but thanks to their rotating system, it was her turn. It didn’t matter that Jack was a little more wanted than the rest at the moment. It only meant that she had to don Lindsay’s apparel to do her part.

Normally, she’d be all for it. It felt powerful to be feared, but today just felt wrong. She knew this meant a lot to Jeremy, finally having found one of his old best friends, but Jack’s mind was elsewhere. This whole situation reminded her too closely of something she didn’t particularly want to think about.

She couldn’t help herself though. Trevor flashed into her mind yet again, and Jack had to shake it away once more. She’d done everything she could to try to find her little brother, but to no avail. Even Gavin hadn’t been able to find him, and that was saying something. Then again, Gavin couldn’t really find Matt, but here they were.

Why couldn’t she have Jeremy’s luck?

Geoff pulled up in front of the meeting spot and they all hopped out. Gavin saluted the two of them, which made Jack smirk, before he ran off. Most people didn’t expect the Golden Boy to be competent with anything but his words and looks, but the crew knew he was much more than that. He’d shocked them more than once with his surprising sniping skills. He probably wouldn’t be needed here, but it was their backup plan to have Gavin shoot the opposing boss if things went south.

With a fist bump to Geoff, her best friend for many years, Jack slid Lindsay’s shades down over her eyes. She took a deep breath, hoping that the act of fully “becoming” the Wildcard would let her forget her own troubles. There was always something about getting into criminal mode that hardened every member of the crew. Today, though, her personal thoughts didn’t seem to go away, and she still felt that nagging reminder that she had failed to find Trevor, unlike Matt and Jeremy.

Jack followed Geoff into the building, surveying her surroundings. It seemed relatively safe, and they were the first ones there. No traps, which was good. Jack was not a fan of traps unless they were the ones to set them. Geoff took the closest open seat and Jack took her place behind him. Hands behind her back, shotgun hidden but a moment’s reach away, shaded eyes straight ahead; nothing out of the ordinary, just in a different outfit than normal.

No sooner than the two of them were in place, the opposing crew walked in the other door. Jack straightened, doing her best to stand just a bit taller, watching them all from behind Lindsay’s shades, which was, admittedly, a little hard. The boss was first, of course. Deaton, Jack remembered from their briefings. The guy fitting the description Jeremy had given them for Matt followed close behind, hefting a fairly large gun that he seemed pretty comfortable holding.

The third person to walk in made Jack’s blood run cold.

It had been somewhere near twenty years since Jack had left. She’d left before turning 18, hadn’t been able to take legal custody of the boy she’d basically adopted as her little brother, but she’d promised she’d come back. She’d promised.

And she tried to keep that promise, she really did. The day she turned 18, she went back, but her brother was nowhere to be found. Her little brother, who had only turned 8 the month prior, was pretty much gone. Jack feared the worst, hoped for the best, and found nothing.

But she’d never stopped trying.

And here, on the day where her thoughts kept being drawn back, she found him.

He was on the other side of the deal table.

No, it couldn’t be…

Could it?

As much as Jack wanted to break character, she had to keep herself in check. Not only did the Wildcard not have any sibling to her knowledge, but this was also not the place to show any emotion. She did her best to not physically react in any way that the other crew could pick up on, but her gaze was locked on Trevor behind her sunglasses.

“Look,” Geoff started, dragging Jack back to the deal. She thought she might have missed something, but she was tuned in now. “I’ll get right to it. We don’t want weapons, or money, or anything like that.”

Deaton sat up straighter, looking just as surprised as they’d predicted. “What do you mean? That was our deal!”

Ever the performer, Geoff just shrugged. “Changed my mind. But I do still want something.”

“Oh?” Deaton asked, and Jack leveled her gaze on him. Her job here was to intimidate, and it was her time to do that. Deaton’s eyes shifted to Jack, taking in the look, before going back to Geoff.

Despite not being able to see his whole face, Jack could tell Geoff was smiling. As much as Geoff could complain, he loved this sort of thing. He pointed a single finger at Matt, who looked absolutely terrified at being singled out.

Deaton did not like that. “Axial? Not happening.”

Still sticking to the plan, Geoff sing-songed, “Well that’s too bad, because I intend to leave here with him.”

That’s right. That was the plan. Take Matt, gain a new member. Jack’s gaze flicked to Trevor again, who was watching Matt. If they could take one . . .

Deaton put his hands on the table, making a loud noise, and Jack realized she’d relaxed, quickly resuming her pose. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Geoff watching Deaton intently. “The only way I see that happening is by him carrying your body,” Deaton said, obviously trying hard to sound tough.

Geoff let out a loud laugh, one that meant he was having a good time messing with people. Jack very much liked that laugh. “Are you threatening me?”

Deaton’s entire attitude shifted, and Jack couldn’t help but smile. This was the truly fun part. She couldn’t really participate unless Geoff told her to, and that wasn’t the plan, but it was still fun to watch. It was always nice to see proof of how much their reputation preceded them. “Uhm, no, not at all Ramsey.”

Geoff leaned forward, putting his elbows on the table and really getting into it. It almost made Jack want to roll her eyes. “Weird, because it sounded like you were. So, you’re going to let us have him now, right?”

Deaton sat back and looked at Matt, who in turn looked at the last, yet simultaneously first, place Jack wanted to look. As everyone’s view shifted to Trevor, Jack fought to keep her composure. She didn’t want to intimidate Trevor. She wanted to hug him. She wanted to envelop Trevor and never let him go.

Trevor, on the other hand, looked absolutely terrified.

Deaton, and in turn, Jack, looked back to Geoff, who made a show of looking like he was in deep contemplation over something. As far as he was concerned, everything was going to plan. Jack wondered what he could possibly be thinking about.

“Yeah, yeah, sure. Axial’s all yours,” Deaton started but Geoff cut him off.

“You know what? My offer just changed.”

Jack physically turned her head to look at Geoff, who was staring right at Deaton. “What?” Deaton asked breathlessly, and Geoff just smiled again. Jack should appreciate that particularly menacing smile, but her mind went blank as a lone finger pointed directly at Trevor.

Geoff said four words then that made Jack’s blood run cold. “I want him too.”

Jack’s eyes immediately found Trevor, who thankfully wasn’t looking at her. Not that he would be able to tell who she was, especially not right now. Now, he was the Wildcard, but the Jack that was standing across the table from Trevor wasn’t the one who’d left him behind. She changed, for the better, finally able to transition, and she’d made a name for herself. Granted, it was as Pilot and not Jack, but still.

Could she actually get her reunion with Trevor?

Deaton’s panicking brought Jack back to earth. “I can’t. Not Zed, too.”

Zed. That was Trevor now? Jack didn’t even know what that meant, but she should. She should have been the one figuring names out with Trevor, not anyone else. A bit of doubt slipped into her thoughts. This guy sure looked like Trevor, but was it him? There was nothing to say otherwise, but also nothing to say it was actually him. Just Jack’s brotherly instincts, which were very much telling her that her brother was in front of her.

“Do you want our Golden Boy to convince you?” Geoff teased, and Jack’s heart actually leapt. If they used Plan B, then she could just take Trevor, deal or no deal, no matter if it really was Trevor or not.

Deaton scanned the room, only finding Geoff and Jack. “No. He’s not … I can’t give them both . . .”

“Yeah, you can. Do it, Golden Boy.”

In a flash, Deaton was on the ground. Matt and Trevor startled, and Jack wanted nothing more than to drop the act and go to Trevor. But she couldn’t. She had to be the Wilcard as long as she could, and not just for appearances. She had to get her thoughts in order.

She still didn’t even know if that was Trevor! Twenty years could change a lot, obviously, and she was only running on suspicion right now. Man, did he look so much like her Trevor, though.

Geoff sighed deeply as he stood. “Alright. Let’s get you two home.”

Two?

Geoff turned and found Jack’s gaze. At this point, she didn’t know what expression she had on her face, but Geoff apparently found it interesting, as he immediately raised an eyebrow.

Jack took that as a cue to quickly busy herself herding the other two.

Walking around behind them, Jack gently put a hand on each of their shoulders. She couldn’t help tightening her grip on Trevor’s. It was thin, which suited him, but was it too thin? She pushed the thought from her mind and guided the two out.

Gavin called out to them as they left the building. “How was my shot?”

Geoff shouted back, “Nice and clean, Gav. Good job.”

As Gavin jogged closer, he finally noticed Trevor. “Who’s this?”

“Zed,” Geoff answered immediately. “We’re bringing him in, too.”

Gavin’s eyes found Jack with a similar look of interest to Geoff, but Jack just ducked her head as she got in the passenger seat. She needed time to think, and she wasn’t going to get that in the crowded car. They hadn’t planned for Trevor, so the three younger guys were squished in the backseat. Gavin didn’t mind, of course, talking about who knows what to two sets of probably deaf ears. Jack blocked them out, keeping her gaze solidly out the window as Los Santos flew by. She’d taken the sunglasses off, but made sure to keep Trevor, secure in the seat behind Geoff, out of visual range.

When they pulled up to the apartment garage, she could barely see Geoff look over at her. Jack motioned him to go on, which earned him a random pat on the shoulder as Geoff got out. The others followed Geoff up, leaving Jack alone in the car.

She took her time getting out. She knew Jeremy would mostly likely be preoccupied with Matt the second they got in the apartment, and she didn’t want to interrupt that. She just needed to get in and . . . go where? Trevor would probably be right there, and she wasn’t ready.

She wasn’t ready to let her heart be broken. She wasn’t quite sure by what. There were too many things that could go wrong.

She had to make sure. She had to make sure it was Trevor before she did anything.

But Trevor didn’t know the Pilot. He didn’t know the Wildcard, who Jack was currently dressed as. Trevor didn’t know that Jack had transitioned. Would Trevor even recognize Jack? Surely he would. Jack had recognized Trevor. On the other hand, who knew how good a memory Trevor had had at six?

Jack found herself slumped back in the seat. How did she get into this mess? Of all the ways to find Trevor, it was while she was on a job and pretending to be her crewmate.

Wait a second, Trevor didn’t know the Wildcard or the Pilot.

The Wildcard could make sure it was Trevor.

Jack shoved the door open. It wasn’t her best plan, but it was a plan. Just get in, switch back to her normal clothes, but keep Lindsay’s shades and wig on. Perfect.

One hand on the garage door, she stopped.

What if it wasn’t Trevor? The doubt was sinking in again, and she pushed it back once more. She had to hope. There was a tiny sliver of hope, and she clung to it like the lifeline it practically was.

A thought occurred to her. If it was Trevor, what would happen? Would Trevor be glad to see her? Angry that she’d abandoned him? Jack took the steps slowly, each step bringing a new possibility and scenario to the forefront of her mind. Well, she’d just have to find out for herself.

Jack finally reached the penthouse. Eyes down, she let herself in, turning to lean up against the door with a sigh. Suddenly, a wave of nerves rushed over her. Did they always keep the penthouse this warm? She reached up, ready to toss the wig off before she remembered the many bobby pins Lindsay had shoved into it. Instead, she finally looked up and noticed Jeremy and Matt staring at her. She hadn’t avoided their reunion after all.

“Hey,” she started, her voice oddly rougher than normal. She swallowed and continued, trying to keep the mood, and her own sprits, lighthearted. “Did we get the right guy?”

Jeremy smiled and laughed, while Matt still looked like Jack was about to attack him. He jumped when Jeremy put an arm around him. “No, this is some random guy. Never seen him before in my life.” Matt shrugged off Jeremy’s arm, and Jack smiled, nodding as she pushed herself off the door.

“Glad to hear it,” she said, trying to keep her voice level this time. She gave Jeremy a pat on the shoulder as she passed. “Tell the others I’ll be in in a moment. I’m gonna change.”

Jack could feel the two of them watching as she made her way further into the penthouse. She darted through past the entrance to the living room, trying not to make herself seen before she had another moment to prepare herself. She had to wait. If it was Trevor, she had to be presentable.

How did she want to present herself?

She let herself into her room and locked the door behind her. Knowing Geoff, there was a strong chance he would come check on her, but she just needed a moment. She wasn’t ready for any questions, not until she knew.

The first thing she did was wander over to her dresser. Even without Lindsay’s sunglasses, with the bright blue wig, she looked like a completely different person. After all the fighting she did over whether she needed to disguise herself or not, she was kind of glad that she had. It had given her a little bit of a shield from the unexpected turn of the evening. The makeup Lindsay had insisted on putting on them probably wasn’t necessary, but it mostly served to make Jack look even further from what she did twenty years ago.

She debated wandering to the bathroom to wash it off, but it probably wasn’t worth it. Instead, Jack began the long process of finding all the pins keeping the shock of blue attached to her head. As nice as the idea she’d had of letting the Wildcard meet Trevor first had been, she wanted Trevor to see her for herself as soon as possible. When she looked back on this moment, she wanted to remember it as herself.

It took a couple of minutes to find far more bobby pins than she remembered, but finally the wig came off, taking the wig cap with it, and her red curls immediately appeared in her peripherals. When she looked in the mirror, she could see the Jack she was expecting. Even with a different style of makeup, Jack Pattillo was back.

The doubt passed through her mind once again that, even if it was Trevor, she might not remember her. There were so many things that could go wrong the moment she went into the living room, but there was also that slim chance that it could all go right. Jack had to grab that sliver and never let it go. She wouldn’t, not this time.

If this worked . . .

If this worked, she’d have her little brother back.

For the first time in nearly twenty years, she and Trevor would be back together again.

She felt her breath hitch as a sob emerged. She couldn’t help it, and she wasn’t able to tell whether it was a happy cry or a sad one. Her future rested on the next few minutes.

Jack gave himself a small, hesitant smile in the mirror. There. You couldn’t tell she was on the verge of losing it. She looked fine, if you ignored how her eyes were starting to turn red and watery.

Just a few more minutes. She could hold it together for a few more minutes. Jeremy had held strong and had gotten Matt back, so why was Jack having a hard time?

It was Trevor. She’d always had a soft spot for her little brother. And he was waiting, probably very confused, only a few rooms away.

Jack started for the door, but then remember how uncomfortable Lindsay’s jeans were. They didn’t quite fit, just a bit too short for her, and she’d completely forgotten about her discomfort in her turmoil. She quickly slipped out of Lindsay’s shoes and wrestled the pants off, switching instead to her usual trademark shorts and a pair of slippers that matched her normal shirt that Gavin had gotten her as a gift. She debated switching out of the sweater, but now she was getting antsy.

Her fear and nerves were starting to give way to impatience. It was time to make herself known.

She poked her head out the door, but she couldn’t see any other members of the crew, nor the other two she’d passed in the entryway. Good, no one to ask her question. Then again, that also meant there was a good chance everyone was in the living room. They’d all see her and Trevor’s reunion.

Sure enough, everyone was there. Most were gathered around the couch, but Geoff was standing closer to the hall entrance, a soda in hand. As she approached, Geoff turned to look at him, eyebrow raised just like it had been back at the meeting site. She froze, not sure what to say. He’d see soon enough, she just had to get past him and do it.

As she was trying to find the words, Geoff instead break into the smuggest smirk she’d ever seen and stepped aside.

So he’d figured out that something was up with Jack. She’d hoped she’d covered her reactions well during the deal, but of course Geoff had caught on. It was Geoff. But did that mean he knew, at least a little bit, how much bringing in Trevor meant to her? The pieces started to slide into place, and Jack just glared him down as she passed. Geoff looked innocently away, but the smile never left his face.

Gavin was flopped down on the couch looking at his phone, Michael on his legs watching the three on the other couch. Jack could only see the back of their heads, but Jeremy had an arm around Matt and Trevor’s shoulders in some sort of a hug. Even from the back, Jack’s heart startled to melt at the thought that this could be it. That could be Trevor. She’d built this up in her head so much, she didn’t know what she’d do if that wasn’t him, but at least Jeremy seemed to be welcoming him.

She had to do it. Just do it quick, like ripping off a bandage.

Before she could overthink it any more, she said the one word she was scared to.

“Trevor?”

Jack watched the head freeze and tense up. It didn’t turn, so did that mean . . ?

They recognized the name. The person sitting on their couch recognized the name she’d just said. If that wasn’t a good sign, Jack didn’t know what was.

Jeremy removed his arm as he and Matt turned to look at Jack. Every set of eyes must have been on her at this point, but Jack was focused on the one pair that wasn’t looking yet. The head slowly turned, looking down and not at her. She watched as the person, agonizingly slow, looked her up. She watched as they saw the slippers, saw the shorts and Lindsay’s sweater. She realized she was breathing heavily, which was weird because she felt like her breath had simultaneously been taken away from her.

The gaze met hers.

Looking at him head on, meeting his eyes without any sunglasses or disguises in the way, Jack knew.

He could never forget those eyes.

Jack sighed, every worry leaving her body in a rush as emotions poured over her.

“It is you. Trevor.”

Something was there in Trevor’s expression. It was wary of course, but she could see a hint of recognition.

And then she watched it grow the longer they watched each other.

Trevor bolted up, a blanket Lindsay had probably given him falling abandoned to the ground. Jack stepped forward, then Trevor worked his way around the couch, and then they were running into each other’s arms.

It felt so good to hold Trevor in her arms again. Despite the age gap, the harsh difference in height was gone. Trevor was even taller than her now. As Jack wrapped her arms around him, she realized just how thin the man was. He was in shape, but he was still on the lean side. She’d have to fix that, with a little help from Lindsay’s passion for baking.

She held back a sob as she realized just how much of Trevor’s life she’d missed. She wasn’t able to watch him grow up, didn’t know how he got here, how he got tangled up in crew life. After this, there would be nothing stopping Jack and Trevor from having a long talk. She had so much to catch up on.

Unable to hold it back anymore, Jack started to cry into Trevor’s shoulder, every emotion she’d pushed away brought back all at once. “I’m so sorry it took me so long. I couldn’t find you again,” she told Trevor, fighting through her own shaking voice.

She could barely hear Trevor’s quiet, “That’s okay. I’m here now,” into her shoulder. She just hugged tighter.

“I don’t know how this worked out, but I’m so glad it did.” And she really was. Somehow, by some twisted miracle, Trevor had also gotten himself caught up in gang warfare. If it wasn’t for that, who knew if Jack would have been able to find him. It might have been easier, but it could have been harder. She might not have been hugging her brother right now. So, in a small way she was thankful. Thankful for the Pilot, for whatever Trevor had called himself, for Jeremy and Matt and the rest of the crew, even for Deaton. She had her brother back, and that was all she cared about.

Trevor nodded into her shoulder, and Jack was about to start gushing every thought she’d had that evening when Gavin piped up with, “Does anyone else know what’s going on?” Trevor laughed, and despite how strained it sounded, Jack loved the sound. She wanted to hear it more, vowing she’d make sure it happened, so she did something that had always worked when they were kids.

She let go of Trevor with one arm so she could face his crew, their crew now, and ruffled Trevor’s hair. Trevor laughed and leaned into Jack’s side, which only made her even more emotional.

“Guys,” Jack announced, trying to keep her voice in check, “this is my half-brother, Trevor.”

Fireworks went off in her heart, pulling Trevor in closer, as her brother decreed, “Nothing half about it but blood.”