Disclaimer: I own Jamie, Spencer and Chris, but that's it.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: This takes place in Season 5 of Angel. Fred and Wesley are an item when Season 5 begins though instead of taking their good, sweet time. With that off my chest, I say enjoy!

Seven-year-old Spencer sat up and ran a hand through his dark, chocolate brown hair. It was shaggy and long enough to cover his ears and curl out at the ends. At the moment it was a little messy from him tossing and turning all throughout the night. The boy didn't care though. It wasn't like there were any adults around to tell him to comb it or to even make sure he was clean, which he wasn't.

There were a few small patches of dirt on the short sleeve green shirt he wore and his jeans were ripped at the knees. His right sock had a large hole that his big toe could stick out of and he rarely bothered to wear his sneakers unless he was going out to work.

He noticed the sun was at it's peak in the sky, which mean it was somewhere around noon. He was up early today. He pondered going back to bed for a moment but decided against it since he was hungry. He needed some cash to buy groceries though.

Spencer went over to the sleeping bag in the corner of the room and shook the lump in it. The zipper came undone and a girl with sandy blonde hair stuck her head out a moment later, still looking tired.

"Whatya want, Spence?"

"How much money do we have?"

"I dunno."

"Well, where's the jar?"

"Chris has it."

Spencer smiled and looked at the boy asleep in the sleeping bag next to his. He crouched down low and then pounced on the still sleeping boy.

"SPENCER!"

Spencer sat down beside him and laughed. A boy with light brown hair quickly climbed out of his sleeping bag and thumped Spencer on the back. Jamie watched in amusement as the two boys rolled around on the restaurant floor punching and kicking one another. A moment later she had joined the fight and pinned both of them to the floor.

"Mercy, mercy."

"Alright, you sissies."

Jamie climbed off her companions and let them stand up. Spencer rubbed his arm where Chris had hit him, there was already a little purple on the skin but he was used to it, they always rough housed. Chris stuffed a shred of napkin in his nose where Spencer had punched him and given him a bloody nose and then flopped down in an old booth.

"What did you want?"

"Where's the money jar?"

"Oh, it's in my sleeping bag."

Chris reached inside his old ragged blankets and emerged with an empty glass jar.

"We spent the last of the money! When?"

"Well, how much was the grocery bill last time?"

"I dunno, I only got a few bags of chips and some sodas."

Jamie sat down opposite Chris and put her elbow on the table, supporting her head. She sighed deeply and then listened to the rumbling in her stomach.

"I'm sick of chips and soda. Can't we have some sandwiches or something?"

"We need money first."

Spencer said this as he put on his shoes. He was going to have to go to work today. He knew he wasn't going to be able to be lazy today. He hadn't worked in the last four days and somehow the money supply had run out.

"I'll go out. I should be back by five with dinner. Okay?"

"Sure."

"Anything you guys want besides sandwiches?"

"Juice! Little juice boxes. Get the cherry stuff, Spence."

"Okay. I'll be back."

Spencer looked outside to make sure the coast was clear. It wouldn't do to have someone seeing a little boy coming out of a restaurant that had been abandoned for years and call the cops. Spencer really didn't want to be hauled off to kiddie jail. Greg had told him things that happened to kids if they were caught stealing, bad things.

He quickly rushed outside when he was sure no one would see him and blended in with the crowd moving up the street. He watched the people, carefully. Greg had taught him how to pick his victims. They should be in their own little world, not paying attention to their surroundings. That way no one could associate him with the crime.

He spotted a tall, skinny man with brown hair that was waiting for the cross walk signal to change so he could cross the street. He had on khaki pants and a dress shirt with nice leather shoes. He was carrying a briefcase and he kept checking his silver wrist watch. Perfect, Spencer thought. He was late for work and he wouldn't notice anything.

He followed the man across the street, making sure he kept a good distance behind until it was necessary to get close. Always be cautious, if they look at you, don't steal from them, they'll easily remember you and blame you and then you'll be taken away. Spencer recalled everything Greg had taught him as he followed the man.

Three blocks later he decided to go for the kill. He quickened his pace until he was right behind the man and then held out his hand and reached into the man's pocket. His hand connected with something medium sized and smooth, like leather. He decided to take that, it had to be this guy's wallet.

Just as Spencer was withdrawing his hand with the wallet clutched in his grasp the man went to put his hand in his pocket. The man's hand touched his briefly as Spencer pulled his hand away. The man turned and faced him.

Wesley looked at the little boy. His blue eyes boring into the child's brownish, greenish ones. Spencer's mouth hung open. He had never ever been caught. What was he supposed to do? Greg had never told him what to do if he was caught and caught he was. The black wallet was held out in front of him, it was quite obvious he was the thief.

'Run!' the little boy's brain screamed and a moment later Spencer was hightailing it down the sidewalk, pushing through people with the man chasing after him. How was he going to escape? He could feel the tears of panic welling up. He didn't want to go to kiddie jail. Just as Spencer thought this a hotdog stand cart pulled out in front of him.

He decided it was his last chance as he ducked behind it. The man had fallen a few steps behind since he wasn't willing to push people aside and had lost sight of the small boy in the crowd but he knew he had to be in front of him so he kept running. Spencer watched as the man went running by and breathed a sigh of relief. He still had the wallet too and he would be able to eat today.

He stood and made sure the man was gone and then walked to the corner store. He got his groceries, six sandwiches and a box of juices, and then walked back to the restaurant looking over his shoulder the whole time.

When he got back he told his friends of his whole ordeal and they listened in awe. Spencer might have been a year younger than them but he was the craftiest and smartest of the three, if his large second hand book collection was any indication, and he had never been caught.

"What was his name?"

Spencer took the man's ID from his wallet.

"Wesley Wyndham-Pryce."

"That's a long name. Kinda dorky."

Spencer took out another card, an ID for Wolfram and Hart employees.

"Guys, I'm in serious trouble."

"What?"

"He works for a law firm. I'm going to kiddie jail."

Jamie looked the ID over. They were in serious trouble, Spencer was right. What would happen to her? The restaurant had been her home for over two years and the guys were her family. She would end up with her aunt and uncle again. No, she couldn't. They would make her dress up and go to tea parties. Jamie was tomboy and to her, that was the absolute worst.

"What are we going to do?"

Spencer yawned.

"I don't know. I'll think of something though. I mean, we don't have to worry yet. It'll take them weeks to figure out where we are...if they ever do."

Spencer added this when he saw the other children's eyes widen. Spencer always said what people wanted to hear. He had a talent for it. It wasn't that he liked lying, it was just the other two kids weren't really from the streets like he was. They weren't street savvy at all. Spencer was though. He had been raised on the streets and taught everything he knew about stealing from a professional.

Jamie had, had parents until she was five and they died in a car wreck then she lived with an aunt and uncle. She didn't like them though and that's why she lived in the restaurant. Chris had also had parents. They, like Jamie's, had also died, only of cancer and not a car accident. Chris had run away from the foster home they put him in. He was more into freedom and when he met Spencer that's what he had gotten.

Spencer, unlike the other two, had one parent dead and one in jail, well, who he thought was his father was in jail. He didn't like to think about that, much less talk about it, with anyone else though.

"Well, I'm going to sleep now."

"Yeah, me too. Night, Spence."

"Goodnight."

Jamie zipped her sleeping bag so she was burrowed inside with a small air hole and Chris rolled over in his so he was facing the wall. Spencer watched the other two fall asleep and then laid down on his own sleeping bag. He looked the wallet over and took out all the cards, one by one. There were credit cards and a few business cards but they weren't of any use to him.

Then, his hand pulled a thin slip of plastic out of a small compartment. He turned it over to find a picture of a woman smiling. She was very pretty, with dark brown hair and dark brown eyes and for a moment Spencer caught himself thinking of his mother.

This is what she had looked like. He may not remember much about her since he was so young when she was murdered but she had been beautiful, just like this woman. He decided that he would keep this for himself. After all, he was the one who had stolen the wallet, why should it not be his? He fell asleep clutching the beautiful woman's picture to his chest and that night he dreamed of the woman he had watched his 'father' murder so long ago. Not a bad dream though, for once, but a good dream, a sweet dream.