Author's Note: I liked the basis for this so much I gave Cassandra and Stone a little moment each too.

Thanks so so much for all the reviews last chapter. They really cheered me up and got the muse singing.

Let me know how I did with Flynn this time, his over the top way of speaking is tricky to get right.

….

"How did you manage to get covered in fairy dust? You know what? I actually don't want to know," Jenkins said as he turned his back on the three junior librarians. "Do not get any dust on anything in the Annex," he shouted as he left. Eve Baird sighed at their caretaker's lack of help. Flynn was bouncing around still buzzing on adrenaline from their last trip through the backdoor. The creepy fae marionettes they had collected were sitting innocently in their box on the table. Who would have imagined the chaos the symbolic representations of fairies were capable of. Turning away from her energetic partner she glanced at the other librarians just in time.

"Jones!" the thief froze half bent over a chair. "Jenkins said not to touch anything, that includes the chairs," she ordered.

"I'm tired. We just ran from a entire shop of evil puppets and I feel terrible," he moaned. Eve raised her eyebrows in surprise. Ezekiel was not above complaining but admitting to being less than awesome was a rarity.

"Actually, I'm not feeling great either," Cassandra said leaning heavily on Stone, whose eyes were drooping.

"It's the magic of the fairy dust," Flynn said rejoining the group. "You're fighting its influence and it's tiring you out. Should we scrape it off? Wash it off? No, whatever we touch with it might...oh I know. We need to use it."

"Use it?" Baird asked. "Flynn," she said her voice full of warning at his mischievous smile.

"No, no," he dismissed. "It'll be nothing like last time. I promise." The junior librarians gave the pair a worried frown at that. "Something small and insubstantial, I mean intangible. Do I mean intangible? Oh I know. The All Seeing Eye. Mr Jenkins," he called to the back room.

"On its way Sir," floated Jenkins' voice.

"What are you doing?" Ezekiel asked suspiciously.

"Just a tiny little spell but big enough to use up the magic before you all pass out from exhaustion," Flynn said waving his hands to ward off further questions as he rummaged for and then found a book on the main table. "Right here it is, Gaelic I love that, now all we need is…"

"Here. The all seeing eye," Jenkins said as he appeared beside him a large smooth blue jewel in his hand.

"Right. Now we need something to see. Nothing too embarrassing. Something we all already know but don't know. I got it. Stand in a line in front there. Eve you stand with me. Jenkins?" Flynn rattled off as he arranged everyone in a sort of semicircle.

"No, I'll stay over here, thank you," the caretaker said from the far side of the room, although he didn't move to leave this time.

"And I thought you were a scientist. Where is your sense of intrusion?" Flynn asked.

"Intrusion?" Stone demanded stepping forward only to be waved back into position between Ezekiel and Cassandra.

"Now you lot, concentrate." Flynn raised his hands high into the air and the blue stone drifted from his palm and floated at the centre of the group. Flynn nodded encouragingly and started reciting. "We are but mortals who wish to see the past. We wish to know and understand. We wish to see the moment each of these Librarians first received their white envelope."

"What?"

"What?"

"No!"

The desperate cries were swallowed by a loud humming as the jewel exploded into a bright white light that bleached out everything in front of their eyes.

...

The light and humming faded and it took everyone several seconds to re-orientate themselves and rub the spots from their eyes. The sight wasn't that different when they did, with white walls and harsh halogen lighting. The only area of colour was a fragile looking Cassandra sitting on a hospital bed. Her red hair stood out against her surroundings and highlighted the paleness of her skin. She was opening a small stack of get well cards, placing them one by one onto her bedside cabinet after her eyes flicked over the contents. Her fingers paused as she reached for the last envelope, a bright white rectangle they all recognised.

Her hands trembled slightly as she slipped her thin fingers under the flap and pulled out the card.

"What's that?" an older woman with Cassandra's hair and eyes suddenly reached out and snatched the invitation from her hands. She scowled at the calligraphy writing on the card.

"The Metropolitan Public Library? What are they thinking sending this to you?" the woman asked without looking up at Cassandra. "We had such dreams for you Cassandra and now the best you get offered is a public service job at some library? And you can't even do that. Look at you. We have to get a second opinion, whatever that doctor is giving you is just making you sick." She didn't even pause as she tossed the card and envelope into a nearby trash can. "Don't make faces dear, what have I told you about making faces like that. You wouldn't have got the job anyway. Who wants a librarian who hallucinates? You would only shelve everything wrong…" the scene faded to white with Cassandra's mother still talking. They hadn't heard Cassandra say one word.

The next scene was much darker, a small studio style apartment with almost utilitarian essentials, apart from a beautiful roll top desk, half hidden behind a screen in one corner, that was piled high with papers and books. It must be night time as they could see car headlights skate past the blinds from the road outside.

A click sounded behind them and the room burst into light, spinning around they saw Jacob Stone stooping down to pick up the post from his door mat. His jeans and shirt were spattered with dirt and he looked bone tired. He leaned against the wall as he shuffled through the bills and spam, stopping at the bright white envelope that stuck out from the others.

Tossing the rest, he opened the invitation and read and then re-read the card. His hand came up and he ran his fingers through his hair dislodging his hat from his head and onto the ground. He didn't even notice, still gazing at the card's golden writing.

"What in the world," he mumbled to himself. Checking the envelope and seeing it only bore his name, his eyes drifted towards the group of observers and checking behind them they realised he was gazing at his desk.

The quiet was jarringly broken by a cell phone's shrill chirping. Stone hesitated for half a second before propping up the invitation card on his side table and pulling out his phone.

"Henry, this had better be good," he said into the phone. "What? I literally just left there man, how could-" They couldn't hear Henry's words but the high volume and panicked edge to his voice did make it out of the phone.

"OK, OK," Stone said, somehow looking even more tired. "Where's Dad?" Whatever Henry said it put a deep frown on Stone's face. "It's OK man, I get it. No, no you did the right thing calling me. I'll be right there." He hung up with a heavy sigh, rubbed his hand over his face and left. The door banged shut and the large white card lost its precarious balance and fell, disappearing between the table and the wall, then their view was blinded by the now familiar white light.

The next scene was daylight again. A bare room with a plain metal table and chairs and old brick walls painted white. A large warehouse style window took up one wall, silhouetted in front of which, was a man in a dark suit, his back facing the room. He looked like he was admiring the view of boats sailing on a large river outside.

A door to the side of the room jerked open and a very young looking Ezekiel Jones was shoved through wearing a set of faded jeans and a grey sweatshirt. Everyone's eyes were drawn down to the glinting metal that bound his hands together.

"Ezekiel Jones," the man said without turning. He had an overly posh English accent that had to be put on.

"Do I know you mate?" Jones asked, his eyes scanning the room and frowning at the complete lack of features.

"Not yet, but I'm sure we'll be good friends," the man in the dark suit said as he finally looked at Ezekiel.

"Sorry," the teenager scoffed, dropping insolently into one of the chairs. "It's not so bad in here that I'll stoop to that, but you know if it's ethnic you want Lucky Bai is into older men."

The man smirked a thin smile that made everyone uncomfortable and tossed the bright white envelope onto the table between them.

"This arrived for you. No address on it. It just appeared…like magic." Everyone watching flinched in surprise at his words but the Ezekiel Jones in the chair only gave him a mildly interested look.

"What is it? My pardon?" he asked.

"Sorry Ezekiel, your fence sold you out pretty solidly. There is no hope of a pardon in your future, especially after the last job you pulled. You are what the security services refer to as a high level risk."

"I am the best," the kid smirked. The magical audience all recognised it as a show covering his uneasiness. "I'll just have to remember to cut out the middleman next time." The man in the suit laughed.

"Next time. That's funny," he said. He pointed back at the envelope. "This is a very special envelope with a very special invitation inside," he explained.

"Invitation?" Jones asked. "They didn't notice where they delivered it to?"

"I don't think it cares about things like that."

"It?" Ezekiel frowned, his interest now caught, he reached out to take the envelope but the man dropped his fingers onto it and kept it just out of reach.

"This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, Ezekiel Jones," the man in the suit said, his voice dropping to just shy of threatening. "An opportunity not only for you but maybe for the entire Commonwealth."

"The Commonwealth?" Jones said incredulously, before his eyes lit up and he smirked again. He reached out and slid the envelope towards himself. "You want me to steal something for you, don't you mate? Don't you have highly trained agents who do these death defying sorts of jobs in...the Metropolitan Public Library in New York?" The teenager stared in confusion at the gold lettering and then up at the man in the suit.

"Trust me when I say this job will be the most enlightening and incredible job you or any thief has ever pulled off. If you do manage to pull it off that is," the man replied.

"I can pull off any job, but I won't be coming back here afterwards," Jones said, his voice completely serious.

"No," the man in the suit agreed. Ezekiel smiled and relaxed back in his chair.

"OK. I'll do it. What exactly is it that MI6 can't get out of a public library?"

They didn't get to hear the answer as the humming filled the air again and their sight was engulfed by the white light. This time when it cleared they were back in the Annex and the jewel fell with a thump to the ground, it's job complete. Everyone turned to stare at Ezekiel.

"Where was that?" Baird asked.

"How old were you?" Stone demanded.

Jones opened and shut his mouth a few times, but no sound came out and he stepped back from the group, his eyes flying between all their faces.

"You said you threw it out," Cassandra said quietly.

"I lied," Ezekiel replied, finally managing some words.

"The ledger said you didn't turn up," Baird reminded them.

"I came to the Library, I just didn't sign in to the interviews," he explained.

"You stole from the library?" Flynn suddenly roared. Cassandra squeaked in surprise and she and Stone were shoved out of the way as the senior Librarian flew at the thief. "No, no, impossible," he shouted. "No one breaks into the library, you have to be let in. But you! You had an invite so you tricked the library?" His face was quickly turning red and he jerked back and forth inches from Ezekiel as if physically at war with himself. "What did you take?" He demanded. "What was it? How many people have been hurt because you let some magic out into the world that should have been locked away safe in here?"

"There was an entire bloody shopping list alright? And I got it all!" the thief shouted back angrily.

"No, no, no," Flynn repeated, turning away and pacing up and down. "Why haven't we noticed? Oh these people you work for are clever huh? Not using the artefacts openly so we wouldn't notice? What's their plan? What have they been doing?"

"I don't work for them," Ezekiel replied, his voice sounding smaller. "It was mostly books and I had fakes to swap out for some things."

"Fakes? Fakes!" Flynn exclaimed laughing almost hysterically. "The Library is ginormous and there are a mind boggling number of books so maybe, maybe, we wouldn't notice but the library would. Why didn't it say anything? An alert or a clipping? Aren't these the sorts of things you're supposed to tell your librarian about?" He shouted up at the ceiling before he dropped into a chair laughing and muttering quietly to himself.

"Did they let you go?" Cassandra asked, eyeing the senior Librarian nervously.

"You knew!" Flynn suddenly shouted again, jumping out of his chair before Ezekiel could answer Cassandra's question.

"What?" he asked in confusion.

"In the museum in Cairo, you knew about the Library and magic and you still stole the jewels and unleashed the curse!" Flynn spat.

"Just because I knew magic was real didn't mean I believed every shouting crazy person who ran around telling people an evil mummy was about to come to life and attack," Ezekiel shouted back. "I didn't know you were the Librarian."

"I did not… OK, maybe I was loud," Flynn replied. "But nobody was listening to me. That doesn't change anything, get out." He shoved Ezekiel hard in the chest and the younger man stumbled backwards towards the backdoor.

"What? Flynn!" Baird shouted, starting forward towards them.

"Get out," Flynn repeated, ignoring everyone else. He roughly input a location on the dial up machine, barely checking where it was besides a land mass and grabbed the door. "Out fiend. Deceiver. Thief," he ranted and with a final push Ezekiel Jones disappeared out the door and he slammed it shut just as Eve reached it.

"Flynn!" she cried out, whirling at him in shock. He didn't hear her, only aware of his own rage.

"Mr Carsen have you completely lost your senses?" Jenkins voice was like a slap and Flynn jumped out of his haze. The older man very rarely touched anyone, small pats and unreciprocated hugs the most he allowed, so Flynn was too surprised to resist when he was bodily lifted out of the way. Jenkins threw open the back door and was met with a dark alley in what sounded and smelled like Hong Kong. Ezekiel was nowhere in sight.

"Mr Jones?" He called out. "Ezekiel?" There was no answer.

"He can't have gone far I'll go look for him," Stone said and jogged out the door and down the alley.

The remaining team members all turned to their supposed leader. Flynn had slumped into a chair and had his petulant childish face on. Eve let out a deep breath and signalled to the others that she'd handle it. She walked calmly up to the chair he was sitting in and crouched down so they were face to face.

"Did you not see what the rest of us saw?" she asked him.

"Yes! He was-" Flynn said immediately, so distracted by his anger he wasn't picking up on Eve's usual clues that there was more to think about.

"In prison," Baird cut in firmly. Flynn's mouth clicked shut. "And that was not an ordinary juvenile prison Flynn," she continued. "Who the hell was that guy? Because he knew about the invitation and the Library." She allowed herself a small smile as she saw the wheels in Flynn's head start turning. "Ezekiel couldn't be more than fourteen," she continued. "And someone came along and offered him a way out. He didn't know about the Library or the Librarian, he didn't know us. He was just a kid." Flynn pouted but met her eye with something like embarrassment.

"I've never liked him," he said. Eve rolled her eyes.

"Yes, you've made that clear, but that doesn't mean you can ignore all the good he's done since he joined us." Flynn frowned and shook his head as if shaking the idea of Ezekiel doing good from his brain. Eve cupped her hands around his face and forced him to look her in the eye.

"He's one of us now," she said emphasising that what they'd seen was over a decade in the past.

"They're coming back," Cassandra called over happily. Eve looked up and saw Stone and Ezekiel strolling back down the alley, looking suspiciously like they were eating something.

"They have char siu bao," Cassandra said her voice becoming a mix of happiness and exasperation. Eve met Flynn's eye questioningly and he shrugged noncommittally. She'd take it. Flynn was so attached to the Library, it was stronger than a family bond, he felt any attack against it keenly and personally. She'd find a way to prove to him that, for better or worse, Jones was a member of that family too. The two men reached the door and Ezekiel wavered for a moment before Jenkins gave an impatient but smiling huff.

"I won't talk about it, yet," the young thief declared as they entered the Annex. "But I'll tell you what I took and where I think they all are now." Jenkins nodded in thanks. Cassandra bounded over and threw her arms around Ezekiel, Stone diving to save the box of food he was holding.

"Did you-" she started to ask.

"I'm not talking about it," the thief repeated.

"Did you get any chilli sauce?" she asked. He pulled a small tub out of his pocket and handed it to her.

"Thanks," she said smiling sweetly at him.

"Thank you," he replied almost shyly. He shifted from foot to foot as Baird walked over his eyes flicking from her to Flynn.

"You know, I think it let me take everything," he said loudly before she reached him.

"What did?" she asked.

"The Library," he clarified. "That day, I kept getting lost in the stacks but I always ended up right in front of the next item on my list." Flynn studiously kept his face turned away but they could tell he was listening.

"Why would it do that?" Cassandra asked. Jones gave a lopsided shrug.

"Maybe it knew what was coming and it wanted me to be free, so I'd be around to help with the Brotherhood. Like how we just happened to collect all the things we needed to get the Library back?" he suggested.

"Which we couldn't have done without you," she agreed. Flynn scoffed and Cassandra threw him a dirty look but Ezekiel sighed.

"I dunno, it's just an idea," he said. There was an awkward silence, then Flynn got up and walked out. The silence continued.

"Your Mum was well scary," Ezekiel said to Cassandra and like a bubble bursting the tension disappeared.

"Oh, God. I hate that you saw that," the red head moaned.

"Yeah," Stone agreed.

"What was wrong with your one? We barely saw anything," she asked.

Eve smiled at her little team, there would be plenty of storms ahead, but they'd get through. Her eyes traced the path Flynn had disappeared down her smile falling, she looked up and caught Jenkins' gaze, his face just as troubled as hers.

…..

Author's Note: Ezekiel's time in MI6 has been mentioned a couple of times, so I'm hoping for a big reveal next season. I also have a funny feeling he's known about magic for a while before Flynn saved him in the first episode.

This'll probably be the last one for a while. I had another but I can't quite get it to work. If inspiration strikes I'll get it up.

Thank you again for all the great reviews. Please leave another and let me know what you thought of this one.