Pure Sinners

“Lily wait!” James called as he spotted the girl barreling into the ally alongside their building. She didn’t stop or even acknowledge that she’d heard him, simply quickened her pace. James followed her into the alley - immediately losing his footing as someone pushed him into the grimy wall behind him. 

James’s head hit the wall. 

Hard.  

A cool blade was placed under his chin and he tilted his head to the sky in order to keep the sharp edge from slashing his skin. Fuck. Who had he pissed off now? Had someone from the gang realised he was a rat? Was Lily all right? She had just turned down here, did they get her too? James was just devising the best plan of attack to find the birthday girl when his captor spoke.

“Why the fuck are you following me?” Lily asked as she pressed the knife harder into his throat. James lowered his head slightly to face her. 

 “Wha..” He began but the knife pressing down on him quickly stopped him in his tracks. “Why the fuck are you following me? You think just because Riddle assigns you to my team that you can come after me? We are not friends brown. Now why don’t you go back to the flat, before I do something you’ll regret.” She spoke confidently and James couldn’t help but stare in awe. 

He coughed lightly as the knife was removed from his neck.

 “No” he said even as his brain was picking a nice coffee shop to visit on the way back. 

Lily's eyebrows rose and she looked as shocked by his words as James felt.

 “No?” She repeated as she flipped the knife around her fingers. The move looked so effortless that James was half convinced she didn’t know she was doing it.

 “No.” He repeated and when she only looked at him he continued “I will not go back to the flat.” His voice was confident and James was grateful for it’s steadiness. 

Lily looked a little stunned and James understood why. She was high up in the DE, she was obviously the leader of their little group and she was downright terrifying in the ring. He doubted people said no to her often. She was intimidating; James would give her that but it would take more than grand larceny to scare him.

Lily moved quickly - her blade against his heart before James could blink. He looked into her eyes, unflinchingly returning her gaze. Her green orbs were guarded as she looked at him - they were lined in coal, which was likely a few days old by now and made her eyes look bigger than they were. Dark circles coloured the skin under her lashes. The corner of her eyes creased as she pressed the blade further into his skin. 

Even as his head pounded and his brain screamed at him to move, James could do nothing but look into her eyes. James thought she had very pretty eyes, they looked like emeralds and refracted the light like diamonds. She looked away first and James was both relieved and disappointed. 

Lily stepped closer. “Seriously, I'm holding a knife against your chest. I could kill you in seconds and you're saying you don’t want to go home?” She asked curiously, tilting her head to the side. The action reminding James of a dog when faced with something they didn’t recognise.  

“You’re not going to kill me,” James said. 

“You sound sure,” Lily said as her gaze flicked up to his.

 “I am” James said unsure of where this notion had come from but sure of it all the same.

At worst James reckoned he might get a right hook to the nose or a rather nasty kick between the legs.

James watched closely as Lily's whole body stuttered. 

“W-what?” She whispered as though she hadn’t meant to say it. The gentle sound of her voice caused James to smile indulgently as he looked at her wrinkled forehead.

 “From this angle, I could have you’re still beating heart in my hands in under a minute and you’re smiling at me?” it wasn’t a question, although se phrased it as one.

“You might kick me in the balls, but I don’t think you’d kill me….At least not for this” James said with a small smile for the girl ready to carve out his heart. Lily laughed, her eyes wide with surprise as the sound spilt from her lips. 

Her laughter stopped abruptly, and James wished nothing more than for her to laugh forever. “You’re trying to trick me…” she spoke as though trying to convince him of his own plan “..so I lower my knife” she finished and James shook his head. He slowly raised his hand wrapping it around hers, holding the knife to his chest. 

She looked uneasy as James gently guided the knife further into his skin. A small drop of blood stained his white shirt and a small trace of panic lit in Lil's eyes. 

“Well, before you kill me…won’t you let me tell you why I was following you” he kept the wince out of his voice successfully as Lily lightened the pressure on the sharp edge of the golden weapon. She nodded silently as she stared at the wine stain above his heart. 

James took a deep breath before speaking clearly and slowly. “I was following you because I was worried. You seemed upset when you left the flat and I wanted to make sure you were okay..” Her eyes flicked up to his and he continued ignoring the shiver that passed through him. “..plus it’s your birthday. No one should be alone on their birthday” he felt the pressure leave his chest and watched Lily slide the golden dagger into her black boot. 

“You..came after me because you were worried?” She asked him as though she hadn’t considered the possibility at all. 

James nodded and moved slightly away from the wall. “Yes” he said and Lily studied his face for a hint of untruth. James knew she wouldn’t find any.

She frowned again and stepped back from him quickly. “I'm not going to sleep with you just because you were kind to me,” she said her voice acidic. 

James frowned, taken back by her words. James realised he’d been silent for too long when Lily's open face began to close - turning to stone before his eyes.

 “I am at your mercy,” he said quickly as he grasped her wrist, placing her palm over the bloodstain on his cotton t-shirt.

Lily blinked quickly and James allowed himself a moment to stare into her eyes. He imagined a whole biome behind them - with forest green trees and citron grass. He pictured woodland animals running through the lush wilderness. 

“What if I don’t have any mercy?” Lily asked, voice curious once again. James smiled and he felt it carve his face in two.

 “Then I’ll die a foolish man, Love,” he said and Lily flushed slightly. It was the first true blush James had ever seen from her and he found it strange it had come after imagery of him dying. 

“Fine. We can celebrate my birthday” Lily said as she pulled her hand from his chest - she made no move to remove the blood staining her pale skin. 

“What do you want to do?” James asked as he followed her out of the alley and back onto the streets of London. 

“I don’t know,” Lily said as she guided him down the pavement, James found no one looked twice at his bloodstained shirt - Thank god, anything goes in London. 

“What do you do for fun?” James asked and Lily froze. Her whole body was still in the middle of the pavement. People tutted as they swerved around her. It was a few seconds before she reanimated and James realised that wasn’t the first time she had frozen like that. 

“For fun?” Lily asked as though no one had ever questioned her hobbies before. 

“Yeh, like what makes you happy?” He added unnecessarily. 

“Sirius and Remus,” she said bluntly and James rolled his eyes. 

“Okay well what about when you were younger?” He asked. Lily didn’t freeze this time. She kept walking with only a slight hitch in her footing - anyone not looking at her intently would have missed it. James had been wondering about her childhood ever since he hit a wall in his research. He’d even tried to ask Sirius, who told him to stop asking “if he wanted to keep his teeth”.   

“I was a sickly child, didn’t get out much,” She said, a lightness in her voice. James was impressed by her lying. If he hadn’t seen her lack of medical records with his own eyes he would have believed her. 

He snuffed out the small part of him that was disappointed in her dishonesty. Why should he expect her to be honest - she was a criminal. Of course she would lie - it was all criminals did. 

The words were hollow in James's head.

The more he learnt of Lily, Sirius and Remus the harder it was to see them as ‘the bad guys’. They were just kids in a shitty situation. James’s heart hurt at the idea of putting them behind bars - he would have to get them some deals for lighter sentences.

“What do you do for fun?” Lily asked and James realised she was looking at him. 

“I-i umm. Laser tag” James blurted out the first thing that came to his mind.

 It wasn’t a lie - he did enjoy laser tag. 

Marlene had taken him and a few of her friends for his birthday last year - he had loved it. “Laser tag? What’s that?” Lily asked. And James became convinced she’d sent the last 20 years under a rock.  James smiled, real and wild. “You’ll love it” he said as he led her down Main Street towards a Laser tag arena he had been planning to take Marlene to for Christmas. From the way his mission was currently going James supposed that would have to wait until the new year.        

James was bad at laser tag. Very bad. Some may even say awful. 

 “James you’re awful at this” Lily said, voicing the thoughts of a nation as she hit two of the opposing team in quick succession. James sighed as he missed his target again.

James felt as though he was reliving his time in special forces all over again - he had been a star pupil. His hand-to-hand combat was off the charts. His strategy and improvisation was the best the team had seen in years. He was however the worst at shooting. He knew his superiors blamed this on his poor eyesight but the issue wasn’t his eyes - it was his heart. 

James could simply not bring himself to shoot anything. Not cutouts, target boards, not animals and definitely not people. Lily didn’t appear to have this issue. James was astounded at just how many points she was racking up. She hadn’t missed a single shot. James had no idea how she was doing this. She hadn’t been hit once and she kept covering for him. 

James concluded that if they were in a real fight he would owe her upwards of 17 life debts.

 He also concluded he would be dead. 

“Get up!” Lily ordered as she dragged him behind another barrel before firing a series of shots over his head. A muffled “Bitch” behind him told James that her shots had met their targets. “You’re really good at this” James said in response to her previous statement, he was unable to keep the jealousy out of his voice. 

Lily laughed heartily before swatting him on the arm and peaking her head over the blue barrel. The object was pained with shoddy symbols to indicate that it was filled with ‘toxic wastes’ - James mentally facepalmed at the idiocy of the staff members. 

“Give up. We’ve got you surrounded” came an authoritative voice, which was undermined by a pubescent pitch change. James moved to stand until his upper arm was gripped forcefully. 

“What the fuck do you think you’re doing?” She asked her voice intimidating.

 “Umm giving up?” James asked, confusion evident.

 Lily shook her head vehemently “We..” She said pointing between them as though James was unaware of who they were. “..are not giving up. Cover me!” she commanded as she lept over the barrel separating them from their attackers. James heard lots of yelling as he raised his eyes slightly over the lip of the barrel. 

Lily was standing in the centre of the room surrounded by angry teens and one crying 9-year-old.   

“What part of cover me don’t you understand?” Lily asked raising her gun in his direction. 

James was..James didn’t know what he was. 

He most definitely didn’t think Lily should have shown a bunch of children up at a pretend game. 

He was however very proud of her for showing said children up at a pretend game. 

He was also struggling to pretend Lily pointing a gun towards him wasn’t the hottest thing he’d ever seen. 

Yep, there was definitely something wrong with him.  

“You’re a bitch” came the small voice of the nine-year-old as her mother came rushing over. James winced and decided it was time they left. As he dragged a pouting Lily towards the front desk to return her laser gun he sent an apologetic look towards the angry woman. Hoping she realised he had no part in the chaos his friend caused. 

Friend?

Were they friends? He was a cop and she was a criminal - of course, they couldn’t be friends. Yes that was why they weren’t friends. Definitely not because despite being a cop James was still a man and the woman currently dragging him down the back alley towards their apartment was un-reasonably attractive. 

Lily turned another corner before pinning him against a wall for the second time that day. James rolled his eyes at the smiling girl. Her teeth were white, and her sharpened canines gave her a vampiric appearance. 

“This a kink of yours?..” James questioned, “..pushing me into walls?” Lily's eyes crinkled and she smirked as though she had caught a prize bird. “Maybe..” She said drawing out the vowels. 

“What do we do next?” She asked, a bundle of energy begging to be released. “Ummmm, we go home?” James tried for the right answer. Lily frowned and James cursed his stupid mouth. “…Or we can not?” He added eloquently at Lily's sullen face. She shook her head leaning closer to him. 

James’s head hit the wall and he wondered how many times he would have to wash his hair to get the grime out. “No, no. we should..” She said clearly trying to convince herself “..but first I have something I need to do”. James waited patiently for the women to let him go so they could complete her errand. 

She didn’t let him go. 

In fact she moved closer - so close that James could smell the spearmint gum she was chewing. 

He blinked dumbly as Lily pressed her lips against his. Once he realised this was in fact happening and not just a very vivid daydream; James began to kiss her back. He had just moved his hands which had been dead weight by his sides towards her when she pulled back.

“W-wa..?” James stuttered as he registered the satisfied expression on Lily's face. “I..I thought you said you weren’t going to sleep with me?” He winced at the careless words as they left his mouth but he awaited her answer all the same. 

“I'm not sleeping with you,” she said waving her arm towards the alleyway they were in. James wondered if it was the same one as earlier but he couldn’t bring himself to look away from Lily's reddened lips. “B-but you..” James uttered as he wondered if he would ever gain function of his brain again. 

“It was just a kiss James” she said confidently, pulling away as James’s nerves mourned her lost touch. He nodded but made no move to follow Lily as she began walking further down the alley. 

“James!” she called and he ran after her like a beloved pet. 

“If it was just a kiss..” James said as he moved his fresh tongue around his mouth “..can I have another”. Lily laughed before coughing dramatically. 

“No. That was a thank you kiss…for following me” she added at James’s unintelligent look. He nodded dramatically as though this made a lick of sense. 

“I also took you to laser tag..” James said, a smirk playing at his lips. Lily stopped instantly in the middle of the dirty alley. James was sure he saw a rat scurry behind her as she turned towards him. She rolled her eyes “I guess you’re right. I owe you another kiss” she spoke softly as she stepped into James’s space. She lent towards him - her closed eyes opening abruptly at his words.

 “Yes you do.” He said as he stepped back from the raging girl in front of him. 

He stepped around her quickly, walking towards the mouth of the alleyway. “Where are you going? I thought you wanted a kiss?” Lily called as she walked after him. 

‘Well after him was a strong claim - they were both walking back towards the flat’ James thought as he shook his heavy head.   

“I do…” James said as he kept walking. “So why did you walk away?” Lily asked her tone, cold and businesslike. James shrugged off the hurt her tone caused him and reminded himself of his original goal. 

He needed her trust. He needed her to like him. That was why he was doing all of this - wasn’t it?

He turned quickly, bumping into Lily as she stopped. “I want to save it..” He said with his hand on her waist “so I can kiss you next time I want to”. His thumb moved over the cotton material of her shirt, the motion was automatic but James saw the way her cheeks flushed. He loved her blush - she looked so…. Innocent wasn’t the word - Lily never looked innocent. 

But when she blushed she looked as though she had been once.

She looked as though she had been young, with pale pink dresses and satin skirts. With playground crushes, lingering hugs and pecks on the cheek. 

She looked real. 

She looked as though she was breathing. 

It showed that blood was flowing through her veins. 

Her heart was beating - her reddening cheeks proof she had one and James loved it.   

He decided in that moment; trapped between two faded brick buildings, with London smog heavy overhead that he would do whatever he could to make her blush again. 

“Fine,” Lily said in a biteless tone as she manoeuvred around him.

The rest of the walk passed without note. The pair exchanged light conversation as James told Lily of the gifts Sirius had gotten her. “He made me swear on pain of death”

Lily laughed again but James was unsure why until she eventually calmed herself enough to speak. 

“Sirius wouldn’t kill you.” She said and the conviction in her voice seemed strange to James. “Have you seen that guy?!..” He asked attempting to make the girl laugh again “..he’s huge!!”. Lily laughed lightly and James thought of bells. 

“Sirius wouldn’t hurt a fly.” Her voice was light and she continued before James could speak “..anyway I’m much worse than him and you told me you weren’t scared earlier.“. James laughed loudly and spoke only at Lily's raised eyebrow. 

“I was terrified” he confessed as they approached the front door to the flat. Lily looked shocked “Really? But you were so calm..” She asked and James laughed again. “I thought you were going to have my bollocks. Or at least give me a shiner for refusing to leave”. Lily was gaping now. Truly bewildered by James’s words - he smirked, pausing by their doorframe in order to look her in the eyes as he spoke. 

“I’ve got a good poker face and it helps when the person threatening to kill you is a pretty girl.” He said with a wink as he opened the front door for the girl in question.

“Surprise!” Came a startling cry from the kitchen. As Sirius and Remus’s faces came into view. 

Sirius was wearing a blue party hat and holding a partially deflated balloon. He looked overjoyed that Lily had returned and he shot James a look of gratitude at her happy state. Remus did not wear a party hat, although James could see some spare sitting on the table. He was, however, holding a balloon covered in Sharpie. As he presented the balloon to Lily, on one knee which James found the customary position for most minor apologies within the group. James could read the disjointed writing - ‘Sorry I’m a major cunt’. James snorted loudly as did Lily. She waved her hand - dismissing the balloon and apologising as she tugged on Remus’s arm. 

“I was told there were gifts” she said her pitch rising in excitement. Sirius clutched his chest dramatically looking to James as he cried out. “James! How could you it was a surprise” his eyes were glazed and James was half convinced he was going to start sobbing. Remus laughed loudly at Sirius, before throwing Lily over his shoulder. 

She squealed as he walked toward the sofa. James followed behind, smiling softly as he closed the front door. Remus threw her down to the sofa before calming the space next to her with his giant frame. 

“Now..” Sirius began the false expression of guilt plastered on his face disappearing as Lily interrupted him. “I know, I know. They accidentally fell into you’re hands as you passed the store…” she rolled her eyes before smiling brightly “Gimme!”. Her demand was met swiftly by both Sirius and Remus.

She tore into the wrapping like an animal with a carcass. The first present was a large black T-shirt. It looked worn and had a series of loose threats hanging from the hems. Lily smiled as though Sirius had given her a Dimond. “Your Lemonheads shirt? Are you sure?” She asked even as she clutched the top to her chest - daring him to try and take it back. Sirius nodded and Remus pushed another present into her lap. 

The second present was a bracelet - it was small and didn’t appear to be worth anything but Lily smiled once again, sliding the chain up her wrist before kissing Remus on the cheek. “I bought it you know” Sirius said and James snorted. Sirius had defiantly not bought the bracelet; James had distracted the shopkeeper whilst he ‘liberated’ it. Lily shook her head indulgently before kissing his cheek too. 

The final present was a pair of shoes. They were tall and James was unsure how Lily would walk in them. She squealed, high-pitched and giddy as she quickly pulled the pair on - James didn’t understand her excitement. The shoes looked exactly like the black ones he’d seen lying on her bedroom floor. He looked subtly to Remus who simply shrugged half-heartedly before looking back to the birthday girl. After Lily had modelled the shoes and then Sirius had squeezed his feet into them to show her how a catwalk should be done, the four decided they should have a drink in celebration. Remus poured them all a glass of three-pound Voka as they toasted Lily. 

“To the only woman I’ve ever loved” toasted Sirius 

“The only woman who has ever put up with you” Remus added, bumping shoulders with Sirius. 

 “To surviving another year” Remus offered as Sirius booed loudly. 

The pair looked to him expectantly and James wracked his brain for something to say.  

“To..umm..to..Laser tag?” He questioned as he raised his glass to meet the others. Remus and Sirius looked to him as though he had spoken in tongues.

He looked to the birthday girl. 

Lily smiled and shrugged “to Laser Tag!” She said and they all poured the paint thinner down their throats. 

“You did not!” Sirius cried as James nodded. His movements were jerky and uncoordinated but so were everyone else’s. “I did, told her she was a cow. My mum set me right good after that” he laughed, and it took James a minute to realise no one was laughing with him. 

“What?” He asked looking between the ashen faces of his friends. Yes, his friends - they must be, at least for now. 

“She hit you?” Sirius asked in a voice too tender for his face. James’s eyes went wide “W-what? No!” his voice was loud and he winced at the sound. “It’s alright…” Sirius said continuing before James could stop him. “Mine did too…and Lil's” he added when James didn’t speak. His gaze flicked to the girl in question who was avoiding his eyes once again. 

“I-i umm” he looked towards Remus who was merely staring in his direction. His jaw was tense and he was flexing his fingers against his glass.

“My parents never hit me. They’d never do that, they loved me”  he heard the mistake in his words quickly and moved to apologise to the black-haired man. 

Sirius held up a hand “Don’t apologise. It’s true after all..” He sounded tired. He shook his head “..Just kinda wondered why you were here. Thought it might have been like me” his voice was brighter this time but the undertone cut James further than he expected. 

His Father had always told him he had too soft a heart for the force, and then James would pout and his Mother would tell him a soft heart was exactly what Scotland Yard needed. James remembered smiling at his mother whenever she said that - it never failed to brighten him up. 

“N-no I..well..I’m..I am here because” he tried to come up with an excuse - he tried to force out the backstory Dumbledore had given him but he couldn’t. He formed the words in his brain, sending them to his throat and into his mouth - where they died on his tongue. 

“It’s alright..” Lily spoke over him “..you don’t have to tell us” she offered and James was amazed at the kindness in her eyes. Remus jumped in quickly, fingers still flexing as he filled the silence with carefully curated words. “Yeah, we never told you. So you needn’t tell us” he said with narrowed eyes pointing at James. 

Sirius coughed loudly breaking the tension “I once called my mother a cow, although I think I had better reason than excess homework”. He said it so strongly that James couldn’t help but laugh - and just like that the group was at peace again. 

The next few hours were filled with light conversation. The sky outside dimmed, and the flats above and below them went silent. James taught them how to play ‘blackjack’ and Remus schooled him in ‘bullshit’. James told them how he wished they were camping, and Sirius told tall tales of his childhood home - with stone fireplaces and iron railings on verandas.

 Remus told him of the prank he had pulled on Sirius for April Fools and Sirius insisted he hadn’t been fooled at all. “I was merely pretending so Remus didn’t get embarrassed” he had said oblivious to Lily's shaking head behind him. 

The night was long and James found himself wishing it would never end. It had been years since he had felt so content, so happy with his own friends - had he ever? 

The more he thought of it the clearer the answer became - No. 

He had never been as happy as he was that night; in a frigid flat, with mouldy walls surrounded by criminals. 

He thought of Samuels and how he’d been the only one to check in with him after his father's death - how he and his wife had been the only ones to call, or send flowers. What kind of a world was it when Samuels was his closest friend.

Would they pity him? Would they judge? James thought they’d understand. They knew that kind of pain, they would understand he wasn’t the same as he had been.

 He was reckless more than he ever had been in his boyhood, and he was angry. He thought they’d understand that best. They seemed angry - not as though they were looking for a fight or they wished to scream, but under it all there seemed to be anger behind everything they did. 

They wouldn’t judge him if he got into a bar fight, or if he punched a scumbag - they would help him. Sirius would likely jump at the chance to pummel a paedophile, Remus would ensure there was no trace of the crime and Lily would patch up his hands as she yelled at him. 

James shook his head as he walked towards bed. He shouldn’t be thinking of them like this. They weren’t his friends - they couldn’t be. He had to remain professional. They were his targets - he was going to get information on Riddle and then he would turn them in. He would go home to…to what? His mother? Marlene? His empty flat and dead-end job? He would be alone and his newfound friends would be behind bars for robbery and assault.

Okay well not assault - he couldn’t turn them in without admitting he had also beaten Dursley. Dumbledore could classify it as necessary to retain his cover but James felt he couldn’t lie like that. 

He had not needed to hurt Dursley. 

Lily had already gathered all the information he had and James knew that. He knew but he had wanted to hit him. 

He had wanted to hit the scumbag who had evaded the police, who had sold guns that killed hundreds. 

He wanted to punch the guy who had killed 34 children, and so he did. 

James had swung his fist back and punched Dursley straight in his crooked nose. The man had cried out around the gag Lily had replaced after her questioning. His blood had been thick and dark - as though evil ran through his veins. Lily and Sirius had stared at him from their place by the door. They had been leaving but James couldn’t - Dursley was still breathing. His skin was bloody yes, but not enough. 

It wasn’t enough.  

James hit him again. 

And again.  

And again. 

He lost himself to it - the dark void inside of him taking over. He wasn’t even questioning the man just beating him bloody. Lily stopped him eventually. Her hand caught his fist as it flew towards the unconscious body before him. She said they had to leave, they had stayed too long. 

James wondered how long it would have taken for him to stop on his own.

 Last time it had taken three men to pull him off. 

James still thought Snape deserved it. He was a scumbag - a stalker, a pervert. He deserved much worse than a beating. Dumbledore hadn’t agreed and James had been suspended for a week. No one at the precinct knew of the incident. 

Dumbledore transferred the officers who had stopped the assault and his record had been kept clean. Dumbledore said it was understandable given this father's sickness and that he shouldn’t be punished for a mistake like that. 

What Dumbledore didn’t understand was that it wasn’t a mistake. 

James didn’t regret his actions - if anything he regretted not hitting the git hard enough, that his brain fell out the other side of his skull. Severus Snape had broken the law and the Department wanted to set him free. He wouldn’t even of had to do community service - James had to do something. It wasn’t right - he had broken the law, and he should be punished. 

So what if he fudged the arrest report - no one would find out. Even Dumbledore would believe James. Because James Potter was good. He was the kind of man who helped old women cross the road, he gave children ice lollies when they came in to give statements - he wouldn’t lie, he wouldn’t assault anyone; much less a defenceless man. 

James was half convinced he could get away with murder under Dumbledore’s watchful eye and the man wouldn’t tell a soul.

Lily shifted in her sleep. Her head coming to rest on his chest, she murmured something against his shirt and James carded his fingers through her hair in a poor attempt at comfort. Sirius was snoring peacefully beside Lily, his head tucked under Remus’s chin as he slept. 

What made James different from Riddle? 

He made these choices because he had to. 

He didn’t have a choice - he had to make sure justice was served. 

If he didn't punish those deserving - who would?

Lily's hand flexed where it rested above his heart. 

As he closed his eyes James wondered what kind of justice his bedmates deserved, and how he would make sure they got it.