This story was inspired by the short comment in the first episode about how Allan had Will helping him on the Underground Railroad when he was just thirteen. Hope you enjoy! As always, check out the bottom of the page for historical notes and references used.

Category: Gen
Setting: 1855 Dundee, Illinois
Characters/Pairings: Will Pinkerton, Allan Pinkerton
Rating/Warnings: K+
Summary: On the eve of his thirteenth birthday, Will stumbles on a secret room and learns something about his father that will change his life.

Disclaimer: If you recognize it, I don't own it.

The Secret Room

April 6, 1855.

At almost thirteen years old, William Allan Pinkerton knew many things he was not supposed to know. He knew, for example, that his older sister Isabella was off seeing a boy named David instead of at Rebecca's house like she had told Mama. He also knew that his father had a bottle of Tennessee whiskey hidden away that Mama didn't know about. And he knew about the secret room behind the fireplace in the nursery.

Will wasn't sure if the room had always been there or if his father had had it put in. He also wasn't sure how often the room was used or if it had ever been used. If the truth be told, he wasn't one hundred percent sure that there was a secret room, but he believed there was. All that mattered was that he knew about the possibility of the secret room and Isabella and Robert didn't and if he could prove that there was a secret room then he would finally have the upper hand on his siblings. At fifteen, Bella thought that she knew so much more than her baby brother. Despite being only a few minutes older, Rob held much the same belief except he loved to throw that in his twin's face. Will just could not win against them, no matter how hard he tried.

But the discovery of a secret room that was right under his siblings' noses would give him an edge. He had found the room, not Bella and not Rob. Now all he had to do was prove it. He believed the room existed, but he hadn't quite figured out how to open the door, and he was not about to ask for help, not from Bella and Rob. He had briefly considered asking his mother, but she was still grieving after the death of Joan and he didn't want to bother her with something as trivial as this. And his father would just brush him off like he always did. No, the only way to prove that he was just as good as siblings was to figure it out himself.

That was what brought Will to the nursery fireplace at one in the morning on his thirteenth birthday. He had brought a small candle with him, but he laid it to the side as the moonlight through the thin white curtains provided enough light to see by. That light allowed him to see the thin line of blank space between the fireplace and the wall. The first time he had noticed it, he had brushed it off as simply a bad construction job, but the more he studied it the more convinced he became that that thin space was hiding the entrance to a secret room. The problem was that he couldn't fit his fingers in the space, so there must be a secret lever or a handle or something.

His first thought had been to check the bookshelf like in the stories his Mama used to read to them. The problem with that was that the bookshelf mostly held Joan's old toys and very few books to hide a lever in. Disappointed, Will quickly moved on. There were no intricate designs around the fireplace that might hide secret buttons, and none of the bricks were hiding anything either. Will spent nearly fifteen minutes pressing around the wall in search of any secret compartment before he happened to notice the candleholder just to the left of the mantle.

Backing away from the fireplace, Will tried to remember if he had ever seen the holder actually used. He had a good memory, but no matter how hard he thought he couldn't remember a candle ever being placed there. Grinning, Will reached for the candleholder, only for the grin to fade when his fingers could barely brush the bottom of the holder even on his toes. It was higher than a normal candleholder and Will had always been small for his age. The only way to know if his theory was right was to jump. But if his theory was wrong and he broke the candleholder, then he was as good as dead. Then again, if he didn't prove that there was a secret room, then Bella and Rob would never let him live it down.

With that thought in mind, Will jumped. His hand wrapped around the candleholder and he felt it give way, the front piece falling forward as Will let go and stumbled backwards. For a moment, Will thought he was wrong and his heart skipped a beat as he worried he had broken the candleholder. He was already figuring out how to blame it on Rob when he noticed that the space between the wall and fireplace had sprung forward slightly. Will barely managed to contain his shout of triumph. He told Bella and Rob that there was a secret room! He told them! And he was right! Moving with renewed vigor, Will reached forward and pulled at the fireplace. It was heavier than a normal door, but after a few seconds of tugging, the door swung open. Picking up his candle, Will peered into the newly revealed room.

He gasped and nearly dropped the candle as he realized the room was not empty. With the moonlight helping his small flame, Will could make out five people who were staring at him with mixed expressions of fear and fight. An older woman about his mother's age sat near the back, a little girl about six years old pushed behind her against the wall, while a girl only a few years older than him sat beside her glaring at him as if ready to fight that moment. An older man stood near the open door, his bandaged hands clenched into fists. In the very back, a boy no older than two or three cocked his head curiously. Their clothes were torn and covered in dirt and filth, but the bandages on the man's hands were fresh and still relatively clean. Will might be young, but he wasn't stupid and he didn't need to be told that he was looking at five runaway slaves hidden away in his old nursery.

"Satisfied, William?"

Will jumped backwards, barely keeping hold of his candle. His father stood fully dressed at the nursery door, his eyes scanning between his youngest son and the open fireplace. Will opened his mouth, but only unintelligible stammering escaped. Allan Pinkerton sighed and moved to stand beside his son. At the sight of the elder Pinkerton, the runaways relaxed slightly, though the man still kept a wary eye on Will.

"H-how long have you been standing there?" Will finally managed to ask.

"Long enough." Patting Will's shoulder slowly, Allan turned to address the people in the secret room. "Mr. Johnston, allow me to introduce my son, William. William, this is Mr.
Peter Johnston, his wife Allie, and their children Sarah, Lizzie, and Matthew."

"Hello." Will greeted hesitantly, not missing how the fear in Mrs. Johnston's eyes hadn't left despite the introduction. Realizing he must have startled them awake, he softly added,

"I'm sorry if I scared you. I didn't know."

For a moment, neither Mr. or Mrs. Johnston reacted. Then Mrs. Johnston gave him a soft smile and nodded her acceptance of the apology. Mr. Johnston nodded as well, and let his hands straighten out with a noticeable wince.

"Is it time, Mr. Allan?" he asked, turning his attention to the elder Pinkerton once again.

"Aye, that it is, Mr. Johnston." Allan took a step back to give them room, gently pulling Will back with him.

Mr. Johnston nodded and quietly ushered his family forward out of the small room. The older daughter exited first and Will couldn't help but notice the thin scar that marked her right cheek and how she favored her left arm. The little boy came next, yawning but looking up at Will with innocent curiosity. Mrs. Johnston followed quickly after, limping slightly but trying to hide it as she let go of the little girl's hand and move out of the war for her husband to follow. As Mr. Johnston passed by, his ragged shirt rolled up and Will saw the scarred over lines covering his back. Will gasped, eyes widening as stared at the scars. He had seen pictures of punished slaves before and he knew that the only thing that left scars like that was a whip.

"Mr. Johnston came from Mississippi," Allan said quietly, not missing what had captured his son's attention. "They are on their way to Canada for a new life away from the tyranny of the whip."

Will bit his lip as Mr. Johnston tugged at his tattered shirt down as much as he could to cover the scars. With the last of the family out of the room, Allan grasped the fireplace door and closed it behind them, the lever in the candleholder clicking back into position.

"Best head back to bed, William. We'll talk in the morning."

Allan turned to walk away, but Will reached out and grabbed at his jacket sleeve.

"Can I come with you?" he asked quickly. At his father's raised eyebrow, he corrected himself. "May. May I come with you?"

"And why do you want to come?" Allan questioned, turning to study his son as if caught by surprise.

Will didn't reply. Looking past his father, he met the eyes of the little boy who gave him a small wave and yawned. Will looked from the boy to his mother and his sisters before landing on Mr. Johnston. The man lowered his gaze for a moment, as if fearful of being punished for meeting a white man's eyes. After a moment, however, the man raised his eyes once more and evenly met Will's. The man's face was gaunt, his eyes haunted by things Will could only imagine. Beyond that, though, Will could see the determination the man had to start a new life, to make sure that little boy never had to go through what he did. Looking back to his father, he could think of nothing to say that would explain why he wanted to go with them.

"Please?"

Allan had watched his son carefully after the question, and he could count on his hands the number of times the boy had said please. Satisfied, he peeled out of his jacket and held it out to the confused boy who took it hesitantly.

"Best put this on," he said by way of explanation. "Your mother will kill me if I let you go out in that without any covering."

Will blushed, realizing for the first time that he was dressed only in a nightshirt that hung just below his knees. He blew out the candle and laid it on the ground before shrugging into the far too-large jacket. The little girl giggled at the sight of him rolling up the large sleeves, and Will felt his blush deepen. He knew he looked ridiculous, but that didn't stop him from following his father and the Johnston's out of the nursery and through the house to the connected cooperage. Allan went first to lead the way, followed by Mr. and Mrs. Johnston who held the little girl's hand tightly. The older girl, Sarah, came next with the little boy tottering at her side. Will brought up the rear after pausing to pull his boots on over his bare feet.

The Pinkerton home was at the very edge of the town, and the cooperage hid the small group from any late-night eyes along the main street. Will was behind, but it didn't take long for him to catch up to Sarah who was struggling to keep up with the little boy who kept dragging his feet and yawning every few yards. From the way she held her left arm close to her chest, he could tell it was bothering her, but she made no move to complain. Will studied the good ten feet between the girl and the others, then looked back to study and see if anyone was watching. Much of the Pinkerton place was lightly wooded, but there was a good hundred yards left of open ground that they needed to cross quickly if they wanted to get out of the sight of any prying eyes.

"We'd be able to make better time and keep up if he was carried." He commented quietly.

Sarah glanced at him suspiciously. She glanced at the widening gap between her and her parents, before hesitantly replying.

"I can't carry him with my arm."

"I could carry him for you." Will offered. At her fearful look, he quickly added, "I'll stay right here beside you, I promise. And I'll put him down at any time you say."

Sarah glanced from Will down to her little brother, before nodding slowly. Pausing swiftly, she bent down to meet her brother's eyes.

"This man is going to carry you, all right, Mattie? You'll be good for him won't you?"

Matthew nodded and turned towards Will, arms extended expectantly. Will smiled and hefted the boy into his arms and onto his hip. The boy barely weighed a thing, and certainly less than a boy his age should. With Matthew happily settled onto Will's hip with his arms wrapped around his neck, Will and Sarah started walking. With the boy being carried, the two were able to catch up to the adults fairly quickly. Allan only took a quick glance back at his son before going back to leading the group into the wooded portion of the land. Will could have sworn he saw his father give a proper smile, but he shrugged it off as a trick of the light. Allan Pinkerton never smiled, especially not because of his son.

The group was silent as they walked, the elder Johnston's heads rotating on a swivel as they watched the surrounding area as if worried someone might see them. It was only then that the full weight of the situation he found himself in really hit him, and Will felt his heart start to pound. He was helping these runaway slaves escape, a crime punishable by jail time and illegal in both the state and the nation as a whole. Fear suddenly overtaking him, Will licked his lips and tried to peer around him, praying no law enforcement was lying in wait. He could feel his breathing starting to hitch when Matthew yawned and nestled his head against Will's neck, asleep almost before his eyes closed. Will smiled softly, his breathing evening out as he listened to the boy sleep.

Will quickly lost track of how long they had been walking once they entered the thickest portion of the woods. He was fairly certain they were no longer on his family's property, though he couldn't be sure. His arms were starting to ache from remaining in the same position holding the sleeping boy, and he was sure he was going to have a bruise on his hip the next morning, when Allan finally raised his hand and the group came to a stop. Will took the opportunity to re-position the boy slightly and to look around, wondering why they had stopped in the middle of nowhere. He didn't have to wonder long before a white man and a black woman appeared from the shadows. Allan tipped his hat to them and turned back to his group.

"This is Aaron and Eliza, Mr. Johnston. They'll be helping you on the next leg of your journey."

Allan took a step forward and extended his hand. Mr. Johnston blinked once, before slowly taking the offered hand and shaking it.

"Good luck, Mr. Johnston."

"Thank you, sir."

Mr. Johnston released Allan's hand and turned to Will. He held out his arms and Will carefully passed the sleeping boy over to his father. Matthew wiggled a bit, before settling into his father's arm and going back to sleep. Backing up to stand beside his own father, Will bit his lip, uncertain of whether or not he should say something. Mr. Johnston nodded once and turned to walk over to stand by Aaron and Eliza. Mrs. Johnston smiled at the two Pinkertons and held her youngest daughter against her chest. Sarah moved to go stand by her family, but paused as she passed by will. Hesitantly, she met his eyes and gave him a small smile.

"Thank you, William."

Will smiled and nodded, not trusting his voice to speak. Sarah moved to join her parents and the family turned their backs to continue their journey. Will laughed as little Lizzie spun in her mother's arms to peer over her shoulder and waved wildly with a big smile. Will waved back as Allan laid his hand on his son's shoulder. Will glanced up at his father in confusion before looking back to the shadows to watch the family disappear in to the dark. The two Pinkertons stood like that for several minutes before Allan broke the silence.

"Now, I believe it is time we head back home before your mother notices that you are out of bed."

Following his father's lead, Will glanced back over his shoulder into the shadows and pulled his father's jacket tighter around him. He hadn't noticed the cold before, but now he felt it like a second skin. But even as he began to shiver, he couldn't help but think of the family he had just watched run away into the dark and how they wore even less then him.

"I want to help you." He said quietly. "To help them and others like them."

Allan stopped walking and looked down, studying his son silently. Will bit his lip and tried to hide his shivering.

"This is not a pleasant task, William." Allan warned. "Nor is it a safe one. Helping these people is a dangerous risk. You will see things you cannot unsee, hear stories that will haunt your dreams."

"I understand." Will said slowly. "But no one deserves to go through what that family went through. If I'm in a position to help people and I don't, then what does that say about me? I can't just turn my back on what happened tonight."

Allan clasped his hand on his son's shoulder, and for the first time that Will could remember, he gave his son a genuine smile. A proud smile.

"My thoughts, exactly, son."

Will gave a small smile, unused to his father being proud of him. The smile faded at his father's next words.

"But you know that you cannot tell anyone of the secret room. Not even Isabella or Robert."

Will's shoulders fell, thinking of the teasing that he would never be able to live down if he didn't tell his siblings about the secret room. This was his one chance of proving to them that he was just as good as them!

"Only your mother and I know of the room, William." Allan explained, making sure that his son was looking him in the eyes. "Isabella and Robert would not understand why we endanger our family for the sake of escaped slaves. They might not be able to keep quiet and should the wrong person catch wind of our secret, people like the Johnstons will suffer."

Will took a deep breath, but he knew that being teased by his siblings was a small price to pay for the lives of who knows how many people.

"I understand."

Allan smiled and clasped his hand on his son's shoulder, pulling him close as the two turned to walk back toward their home. Will beamed under the silent praise and stifled a yawn. Allan chuckled and pulled his son close as the home came into view.

"Happy birthday, William."

Historical Notes

Unfortunately this website will not let me provide a direct link to my sources no matter how much I separate the link out. If you would like to have a direct link to the sources, check out this story over on my Ao3 account (under the name MerlinWinchestr as well), or simply Google Search the titles I provide below. Sorry for the inconvenience.

•Allan Pinkerton and his wife Joan Carfrae had six children. Isabella (1843-1863), William (1846-1923), Robert (1848-1907), Joan (1848-1855), Mary (1850-1854), and Joan (1855-1940).
Source: William Pinkerton find a grave entry and Allan Pinkerton geni entry.

•The first Joan died March 4, 1855, a month before my story is set. At the time of my story, Mrs. Pinkerton would have been about five months pregnant. William Pinkerton's birthday is listed as April 7, 1846 (1842 in my story, as explained below).

•For the sake of continuity between the show and actual history, I altered several of the ages. The most important ones are, of course, Will and Robert. In 1865 when the show is set, the real William would have been 19 years old. Jacob Blair, the actor who plays Will, was 30 at the time of the show filming. So I did a bit of fudging to make Will 23 in 1865 because there was no way he was only 19 in the show. The dates I changed are as follows:
-Isabella's birth year to 1840 instead of 1843 in order to keep the three-year age difference between her and Will.
-Similarly, Robert and Will are twins in the show, so I changed both Robert and Will's birth year to 1842. And I made Will the younger twin despite the historical William being two years older because I can.

•The Pinkertons lived in Dundee, Illinois, fifty miles outside of Chicago. I have no idea what the town was like during the 1850s, and I didn't have the time to do in depth research to figure out what the town and the Pinkerton home was like in the 1850s. So I basically just made everything about the town and the home up. I apologize for that, but hope you can understand.
Source: See the above.

•I'm not an architect and have no idea how secret rooms actually work. So I hope you'll give me a little leniency in going with the stereotypical secret room.

•The real Allan Pinkerton actually did assist with the Underground Railroad. While I could not find the exact way in which he assisted, I found a couple of sources that respectively say his house or his cooper shop served as the stop. With this little bit of information, I created the secret room and the rest of the stops, as well as the layout of the Pinkerton house.
Source: America's Library, Detective Allan Pinkerton entry. (Basically the Library of Congress for kids by the look of the site.)

•The picture I am alluding to actually did not come around until 1863. Perhaps one of the most famous pictures of the entire Civil War era, the image shows the scourged and scarred back of a runaway slave and Union soldier named Gordon.
Source: America's Black Holocaust Museum website. "The Scourged Back: How Runaway Slave Soldier Private Gordon Changed History" by Frank H. Goodyear III.

•For more information on the Fugitive Slave Acts, see the following: History Channel website, Fugitive Slave Acts topic.

•For more information on the Underground Railroad, see the following: History Channel website, Underground Railroad topic. and PBS website, "Who Really Ran the Underground Railroad?" by Henry Louis Gates Jr.