Neil Route

Neil's route summary page from Speakeasy Tonight.

## Prologue

Chicago, USA - 1927

MC arrives at the Chicago train station. She’s been sent by her parents to live with her prohibition-loving uncle Charlie in the hopes of redeeming her immoral ways. She’s waiting for a man named Vince to pick her up.

MC goes outside, and instantly marvels at the hustle and bustle of the city. She notices a sharp-dressed man leaning against a fancy car. He whistles at her, then MC notices a sign with her name on the car. It’s Vince Moretti, who calls himself an “associate” of her uncle Charlie. They banter back and forth, Vince saying MC doesn’t look much like a good girl, and she doesn’t protest.

Vince and MC drive off, and she continues to gawk at the sheer enormity of the city and its buildings. She asks him about her uncle, who she hasn’t seen since she was twelve. Vince tells her that Charlie is part of a lot of organizations, mostly church or anti-alcohol based. MC tells him that she got shipped off after attending a party and got caught sneaking back into her house. She guesses that her uncle is going to put her to work in his appliance store.

They arrive at Charlie’s house and he greets her, though is adamant that she won’t become a gin-loving floozy if he has anything to say about it. He goes on to tell her about the temperance movement and MC feels trapped. She decides to get out of the house, so she changes into modern clothes and heads to the nearest movie theater.

Later, she’s just finished watching a film with Elliot Graham, a famous movie star, when someone bumps into her. The man compliments her, then gives her a card, saying to go to the address for a good time. He introduces himself as Elliot.

In the evening, MC gets dressed and heads to the address Elliot gave her, but her cab brings her to her uncle’s appliance store instead. She follows a couple into an alleyway and discovers a hidden door. She shows Elliot’s card to the doorman, and he opens the door to reveal a speakeasy. She’s utterly confused, wondering how Charlie can’t know this is going on underneath his store.

She then notices two men sitting at the bar. They introduce themselves as Neil Dresner, a doctor, and Donovan Gallagher, an Irishman. Donovan offers to buy MC a drink, and hails Cliff Conway over, the bartender. MC moons over Cliff’s broad shoulders and notices he’s working on inventory paperwork. MC grabs the paperwork and instantly fixes several mistakes. When the men shake off their amazement, MC tells them that she was invited by a man who looked just like Elliot Graham, and they all confirm that it was the movie star himself, who does recruiting for the speakeasy when he’s not filming.

Then the band begins to play, MC noticing the talented piano player and a knockout songbird performing. Donovan tells MC that they’re Julius Harper and Sofia Martinez. MC asks him to dance, when suddenly Elliot Graham arrives. He’s come in with a group of attractive women, and they’re followed by Vince Moretti.

MC is distracted by Elliot, however, who comes over and compliments her and pulls her onto the dance floor. She notices Vince again, and wonders if he’s the owner of the speakeasy. Vince comes over then, revealing to everyone that MC is Charlie’s niece. They’re all shocked, but MC tries to ignore them.

She wanders over to Julius, who’s reading a book, and compliments his playing. MC muses to herself about how handsome he is. He reads her some poetry from his book, which he reveals was written by Langston Hughes, one of his favorite poets. She gives him a song request and a kiss on the cheek.

MC goes back to the bar where Sofia and Cleo, another singer, are chatting. Cleo goes off to sing, and MC introduces herself to Sofia, offering to buy her a drink. They chat, and Sofia tells MC that she has “it,” and gives her a flirtatious look. Sofia mentions that she needs a gal to help her “explore.” MC is a little confused but blushes anyway, thinking that she’s already learning so many new things in the big city.

Vince comes over and asks MC to dance. He asks if Charlie would approve, but MC just says that whatever Charlie doesn’t know won’t hurt him. When their dance is over, they both recognize some kind of attraction between them.

MC wanders back over to the bar and chats with Cliff. She mentions that she learned to dance from the movies. He treats her like a gentleman. She goes to chat with Neil, asking him why he’s there if he doesn’t even enjoy the music. He tells her to get lost so she drops it and goes to dance with Elliot again.

After, Elliot brings her over to a poker table where a red-headed man with a rakish smile is about to win the pot. Elliot introduces him as Gerald O’Fallon, the owner of another speakeasy across town. Gerald is charming and flirtatious, complimenting MC’s wit. Vince comes over, seething at the sight of Gerald, and Gerald is icy right back at him, but ultimately leaves the bar.

At the end of the night, Vince offers to drive MC home, though reminds her not to tell her uncle about the evening. Then the phone rings, and Cliff announces that Charlie has been shot. Even in her panic, MC wonders why the speakeasy would be called with the news.

Vince drives MC to the hospital, where MC is surprised to see Elliot, Julius and Sofia. They’re talking to a police officer, who turns out to be Donovan. Neil comes in then, announcing that Charlie will be okay. They go into the hospital room, where Charlie insists that it must have been a case of mistaken identity.

He asks MC to leave so he can speak to his associates, and she asks if it has something to do with the speakeasy underneath his appliance store. Charlie is furious, but when MC explains how she figured it out, he calls her smart. They all begin to discuss how to handle the business, because according to Neil, Charlie will be out of commission for a few months.

Charlie hems and haws over who should take over the Icebox (the speakeasy), when MC announces that it should be her. She went to business college, has already worked in an office, and she’s good with numbers and people. She tells him he needs to trust family.

After some hesitation, Charlie agrees. He warns that it’s a dangerous business, however, so she needs to pick someone to help back her up. She agrees instantly, too excited to argue. Then Charlie asks who she's going to choose to help her run the speakeasy.

[Written by reddit user directormmn]

## Season 1

### Episode 1

Everyone is surprised when MC picks Neil, Charlie even says she shouldn’t joke when he’s in pain, but she insists she’s serious. Neil protests, but she says he’s got decent manners and his veteran status means he can handle himself. Charlie agrees, saying it’s a great idea. Neil still declines, insulting MC’s youth and inexperience and telling Charlie she’s not ready for the responsibility. Charlie ignores his protestations, saying the matter is closed and Neil needs to do as he’s told.

Neil drives MC home, but makes a point of being impolite about it.

***Heart response option - “You could be nicer.”***

*Neil doesn’t respond, and MC quips that he must be trying to prove her wrong about him having good manners. She then guesses he’s from Boston, based on his accent. Neil still doesn’t say anything. Trying to get something out of him, MC moves closer to him in the car, sticking her hand in his jacket, running her fingers across his shirt. She asks if he carries a gun, and he slaps her hand away, scolding her.*

They arrive at her house, and MC asks him if he has manners at all. Neil replies that manners are only used to get something, and he doesn’t want anything from her. She’s still furious as he drives off.

MC arrives at the Ice Box hours before opening the next day to get acquainted with the place. Cliff and Neil are already there, surprisingly. Neil is drinking bourbon, and he dismisses her out of hand when she asks about how the business is run. MC fumes until Cliff jumps in, offering to show her the ropes.

In the back room, MC asks about a cot that’s set up. Cliff says it’s usually used when Neil has to patch up Vince after a job gone wrong. She then notices a case of bourbon marked private, and Cliff says it’s Neil’s special reserve - it’s the only thing he drinks. She tries to get more intel on Neil, but Cliff tells her to ask him herself.

Back in the bar, Vince has arrived, but MC and Neil immediately get caught up in bickering with each other. She eventually gets down to learning the business with Vince and Cliff. She comes up with a clever way to make selling beer profitable, and they seem impressed with her savvy. Neil quips that she’s already making changes and that they’re all screwed. MC asks Vince if Neil is always like this, and Vince admits he never put in the effort to figure him out. As they continue setting up, MC notices Neil watching her.

The club opens, and MC dances with Vince, and she’s impressed when he says he learned to dance from Valentino himself. She gets hailed by a customer who calls her the Ice Box Flapper, then complains about his drink being watered down. She goes to speak with Cliff and comes back, accusing the customer of trying to take advantage of her. After she kicks him out, she notices Neil smiling at her.

She goes over to him to gloat, and he says they might not be as completely screwed as he originally thought. Vince comes over, offering to take MC home. Neil interjects, saying it wouldn’t be appropriate, so he’ll drive her. She calls him hypocritical since he didn’t want anything to do with her the night before, but he ignores her.

### Episode 2

MC arrives at the Ice Box early again to find Julius working on a new song. While they chat, she asks him not to call her “ma’am” and he admits he’s surprised to hear a white woman say that. Then he mentions that some people have been getting sick at another speakeasy where he plays occasionally, and he’s suspicious that it’s bad booze. MC promises to keep a lookout for it.

The conversation then turns to Neil, and MC admits she’s had a hard time with him. Julius says that Neil was cold to him too until he saw him reading a book of poetry and suggests she talk to Neil about books.

MC goes to visit Charlie in the hospital and finds Neil already there, playing chess with her uncle. She notices that he looks like he’s actually enjoying himself for once, and how she never noticed before how handsome he is. She enters the room, and she and Neil start bickering almost immediately. Charlie asks MC to stay to talk to her, and Neil says he’ll stay to give her a ride when they’re done. MC glowers as he leaves and Charlie tells her that’s just how he is, and she shouldn’t take offense.

Charlie then goes on to discuss his role in the Temperance League. He tells her there’s a famous doctor named John Bailey who is supposed to come give a lecture to their group. Since he’s in the hospital, he asks MC to go in his stead and play hostess. MC isn’t enthusiastic but agrees anyway, knowing that it’s smart to keep up appearances. Charlie says that he knows she’d rather spend time with a certain *other* doctor, and MC gets flustered and indignant.

As Neil drives her home, MC complains about having to host the meeting. Neil bitterly says that she’s perfectly middle class and won't even notice when the upper crust stick their noses up at her, then admits that he grew up in high society. MC asks why he treats her so poorly if he’s supposedly upper class, and he says that he’s put off by her youth, saying she’s not grown up yet. She fumes, says that she must be too middle class to live up to his standards, and slams the door as she leaves.

As she gets ready for the evening, she wonders if anything she did would make Neil happy. ***[Heart-locked outfit choice]*** At the Ice Box, MC thinks that showing off her dance moves with Vince will prove to Neil that she’s not a little girl. After they dance, Vince tells her a story at the bar. MC then notices that there are several patrons who look sick - they were all drinking bourbon. MC quickly orders to take back all the bourbon from the customers, then realizes that Neil also drinks bourbon and whirls around to knock the glass out of his hand.

### Episode 3

Neil is angry until MC points out the sick people, and he grabs his medical bag immediately. MC flies into action, directing her staff to different tasks and clears all of the other patrons out the bar. Once the situation is a bit more controlled, MC realizes that Neil wouldn’t have drank tainted liquor because no one else drinks his bourbon, and she’s instantly relieved. Neil makes all the sick patrons vomit up whatever they had, then decides that the worst is over.

MC thanks him profusely, but Neil points out that she’s the one who caught it in time and managed the crisis. Neil says that it was almost certainly poison, but no one has any idea where it originated. Vince says he’ll investigate his Canadian supplier, and Julius promises to look into the incidents at the other clubs. MC and Neil agree that they’re probably the first ones to figure out the pattern.

Everyone heads out, and MC and Neil walk to his car. She mentions that he puts on the best misanthrope act she’s ever seen, but he doesn’t respond. MC mentions how antsy she is with the Temperance League meeting the next day, and Neil admits that he doesn’t sleep much, and invites her to stay up at his place… to drink, and nothing else. She suggests they play a game of chess.

Back at his place, Neil asks if she’s played before, and she admits that she’s still a novice. He tells her to prepare to lose. As they play, she watches him, thinking how much softer his features are at that moment. [CG] He catches her staring, then puts her in check. She surrenders, but cheekily demands a rematch.

[No heart options available]

### Episode 4

MC gets ready for the Temperance League meeting. ***[Heart-locked outfit choice]*** She heads to a hotel to retrieve Dr. John Bailey and she observes that he’s a little stiff but otherwise seems normal. She drives him to the house of a League member, and she’s immediately reminded of her mother’s meetings with stuffy old ladies back home. Her mind wanders back to Neil, and thinks that maybe she should take his veteran status into more account - he’d looked like his battlefield training had kicked in the night before.

Then John Bailey begins to speak about the evils of alcohol and their triumph of the 18th amendment (the establishment of prohibition of alcohol in the US). His audience is enraptured and MC fights the urge to roll her eyes. Bailey then mentions Charlie and his tragedy, suddenly pulling MC up in front of everyone. He uses her like a prop, extolling the virtues of sobriety and rallying the audience to fight harder for temperance and decency.

After, MC muses to herself that someone should spike the lemonade, then she compliments the hors d’oeuvres. A woman comes over, taking responsibility for the refreshments, and introduces herself as Vera Peters, the wife of a prominent community member. A young man comes by, asking for an introduction. He’s Louis Tibbs, a ward of Bailey. He’s overenthusiastic, excited that MC is there to bring more young people to the temperance movement. As they chat, MC gets the feeling that Vera is trying to set her up with Louis, so she tries to deflect. Vera dismisses it, and she and Louis talk to her about redoubling their efforts to keep Prohibition alive with the help of the youth. MC, unable to see a way out of the conversation without looking suspicious, agrees to help them.

Back at the Ice Box, business is slow. Everyone is arguing about the effects of this when Neil interjects, saying he’s employed a chemist to try to find out exactly what kind of poison is being used in the tainted liquor. MC thanks him, then there’s a commotion at the door. Gerald O’Fallon has arrived, accusing Vince of selling him bad hooch. They start arguing, and when Neil reminds her of the bad blood between them, she steps in.

After they’ve calmed down, MC tells Gerald about their plan with the chemist. Neil points out that it would be helpful to use some of Gerald’s adulterated liquor to test against. Gerald eventually agrees.

Elliot then enters, and MC says she needs his help. She wants lessons in how to make her Temperance League speech believable. He enthusiastically agrees and they get to work immediately. MC overhears Neil telling Cliff that he’s annoyed with Elliot’s flirting, and that MC thinks she’s really something. Cliff suggests he might need some “sunshine” in his life.

### Episode 5

MC is practicing with Elliot again, Neil and Cliff playing her audience. While Elliot is giving her pointers, Neil scoffs at it all, throwing some choice witticisms at her about being (or not being) a good girl. He even starts singing a lewd song from his army days, and MC wonders what’s gotten into him, noticing that he seems to be starved for attention. They ignore him, and Elliot goes back to teaching MC. He urges her to remember that she’s playing a character and won’t really be herself when she’s giving the speech.

After Elliot leaves, Neil condescends to MC, telling her she’ll be the envy of everyone to get private acting lessons from the Great Lover himself. MC is about to go off on him when Cliff interrupts, reminding her that they still need to figure out how to drum up business. She asks if there are any new leads yet, but neither of them have updates.

The day of the speech arrives, and MC puts in all her effort to bring it to life the way Elliot taught her. Louis comes by when she’s done to congratulate her, and that they’ve already recruited new members. Louis then refers to himself as awkward, and when MC tells him that some girls find that endearing, he perks up. MC instantly realizes she gave him the wrong idea.

She tries to backpedal, so she asks if he’s heard about the speakeasy poisonings. Louis’s face turns pale, and he wonders how MC heard about it. She makes something up quickly and the conversation moves on to local politics. It’s when Louis mentions voting and competition that she has a revelation about how to get patrons back in the Ice Box: host a dance contest.

The day of the contest, Cleo mentions that MC looks tired, and MC admits that she’s been doing more temperance speeches on top of planning the contest and running the Ice Box. Cleo offers to take her shopping. MC tells Cleo about the contest as they shop: she’s going to be dancing with Vince and they have a bet against Elliot and his partner.

MC then notices a beautiful pajama ensemble on a mannequin. Cleo wonders who she’s planning on wearing it for, and finally figures out that Neil would be the best pick for her. MC protests, saying Neil is always rude to her, and has piercing eyes… Cleo doesn’t believe her for a second.

Suddenly MC feels faint, then she collapses. When she comes to, Cleo says she’s exhausted and shouldn’t dance in the contest. MC argues with her, wanting to be there to help bring business back to the Ice Box. She promises to drink a lot of coffee and sleep the entire next day, but Cleo’s still worried.

[No heart options available]

### Episode 6

The Ice Box is a madhouse that night, and MC is thrilled. Neil urges her to go dance. She hits the floor with Vince, and they dance while Elliot dances with his partner, a firecracker young flapper named June. MC and June share some good-natured trash-talk, then the contest is off. The two couples seem to be evenly matched through each round, though MC is excited to show off the secret move she and Vince practiced together for the end. Vince dips her low, and she starts to feel dizzy again but she breathes through it. They let Elliot and June do their dance before launching into their final number. They’re amazingly synchronized, the crowd is going wild, when suddenly MC spins and she suddenly collapses. The last thing she sees before blacking out is Neil running over to her.

MC awakens later in an unfamiliar room, still slightly groggy. It turns out to be Neil’s room, and he enters with a small smile. He brings her broth to help recover her strength, and explains that when she collapsed he brought her to his place because it was closer than hers. It’s clear she’s suffering from exhaustion, he says. She gets dizzy again when trying to argue with him, and he helps her settle back in the bed. He tells her that she’s his responsibility, so she’s under his care until further notice. MC doesn’t argue, then passes out again.

She wakes up again in the middle of the night to find Neil reading next to the bed. She wants to get up and go to work, but he insists that everyone knows why she’s not there and would rather her not tire herself out more. She asks him to talk to her instead and asks what book he’s reading. He tells her it’s Plato and she won’t find it interesting, but she asks him to talk about it anyway. He acquiesces, and she drifts off again as he talks.

In the morning MC wakes again and decides she needs an outfit change, noticing that someone has dropped off her shopping bags from a few days ago. She notices that the fancy pajamas are amongst the items, and realizes that Cleo must have bought them for her. She hears Neil moving around in the living room and wonders what Neil would think of the PJs. ***[Heart-locked outfit choice]*** She freshens up a little bit, then goes to see if she can rattle the “impenetrable” Neil Dresner.

MC strikes a pose in the kitchen where Neil is making breakfast, and he admires her outfit silently. She catches him looking, and he immediately says the outfit is ridiculous. She thinks to herself that he might not be so impenetrable after all, and thinks he might be hers for the taking, if she wants him. She’s surprised by her own thoughts, and immediately stops trying to think about his jawline or his broad shoulders or his voice…

She shakes herself out of it when he serves her breakfast. She notices that she has a full plate, but he only has an apple in front of him. MC tries to be witty with him but it ends up coming out clunky. She realizes she started getting butterflies when he looked at her, and thinks that she might have a big problem.

### Episode 7

Neil asks if MC is putting the moves on him and she protests, saying he’s too old for her. Neil muses that it must be psychological and MC sputters, changing the subject to his breakfast of a single apple.

He begins meticulously peeling the apple with a pocket knife and tells her the story of why he eats it like that. During the war in France, fruit was hard to come by, and fresh apples were a precious commodity. MC notices his steady hands as he eats the apple, wondering what else his hands can do.

She goes on to talk with him in depth about the Plato book he was reading to her last night, and Neil is impressed that she was paying attention and even more impressed when she debates him about the ideas in the book. Neil eventually susses out that she’s trying to justify her own behavior of speaking at temperance meetings while not believing anything she’s actually saying. She acknowledges that it’s a gray area and doesn’t necessarily think what she’s doing is inherently bad. Neil agrees, claiming himself to be a pragmatist.

MC realizes they’ve had an actual conversation that didn’t end up with them bickering, and she’s secretly thrilled that he finally talked to her like an adult. When they get up from the table, MC trips and Neil catches her. His touch lingers before he lets her go, and they both seem to have gotten caught up in one another for a moment.

Later, MC and Neil are walking along the city streets, arm in arm. He mentions his sister and MC realizes she still doesn’t know much about him. She asks him all kinds of questions about his favorite things and he asks if she thinks he’s sentimental.

***Heart response option - “Everybody’s got a sentimental side.”***

*Neil tells her to prove it, so she asks what his earliest memory is. He says he remembers when a neighbor kid got run over by a milk truck. MC doesn’t believe him, but continues to question him, asking about his best birthday ever. He replies that it was when his sister’s dress caught on fire. MC gives him a look but doesn’t comment. She asks what made him cry last, and his face suddenly falls, saying that it was Elliot’s last movie because it was so bad. MC insists he must be sentimental about something, but he just says that he’s not nostalgic for things that are no longer part of his life. MC realizes she’s not going to get anything out of him today, so she lets it drop.*

Then, out of nowhere, Neil admits to liking the White Sox baseball team (and hating the Yankees). MC thinks to herself that it’s not much, but the White Sox are a notoriously terrible team so he must at least like to root for the underdogs. She wonders when she went from thinking so poorly of him to thinking about how good they look together. Neil then makes another admission: he prefers cats to dogs. He tells her about the Russian Blue cat he had as a kid named Groucho.

Suddenly Neil pauses when his gaze locks on someone down the street. When MC looks, she seems someone who looks vaguely familiar getting into a cab, but doesn’t get a good look at him. Neil’s staring after the cab and MC shakes him out of his reverie, saying he looks like he’s seen a ghost. Neil says the person he thought it was has been dead for years, then offers to take MC to lunch.

They have a pleasant lunch talking about all kinds of things, and while on their way to the Ice Box, they run into Donovan. After asking after her health, Donovan says he got a call from Cliff. MC is confused until Neil tells her that there’s new information about the poisonings. They waste no time, and make their way to the speakeasy.

### Episode 8

MC, Neil and Donovan join Cliff and Julius at the Ice Box - Vince is out organizing a shipment and trying to learn information. Cliff says Neil’s chemist dropped off some test results and after looking it over Neil announces that the poison is arsenic. They all tell her they’ve been following up on leads and obtaining information from other speakeasies. At first MC thinks they were all going behind her back, but quickly realizes that they were taking her seriously and backing her up as the boss.

Neil reminds her she has a decision to make, because based on all the information they have, it looks like the booze is being tainted in Chicago, rather than at the source. Neil also believes that it’s more than one person responsible. Nearly all of the speakeasies in town have been affected, but they can’t conclude anything for sure yet.

MC notices them all looking at her, waiting for her to make a decision about what to do next, when suddenly Elliot enters, looking harried. He tells them that his friend June got sick at another speakeasy the previous night and needs help. MC sends Neil with Elliot immediately, but before he leaves, Neil whispers to her that she will make the right decision and everything will work out in the end. She immediately directs the rest of her staff to close down the Ice Box until further notice. None of them are surprised - they even seem to be relieved. After everyone has their assigned tasks, MC leaves to go visit Charlie.

Charlie is ecstatic to see MC, but the mood turns darker when she tells him about closing the Ice Box. He says that Neil’s been keeping him updated and thinks MC made the right call. He then goes on to tell her that he opened the Ice Box because America is a free country and a man should have the right to have a drink after work if he wants. He reveals that he sometimes uses profits from the Ice Box for the community, especially people who are actually negatively affected by alcohol.

MC asks why he’s telling her this, and he says it’s so she knows he’s not a hypocrite, but also because he wants her to continue the practice. MC doesn’t even hesitate, saying that people should start coming to her for help now. Charlie mentions that Neil even thought she’d be up to it. MC jumps on the subject of Neil, and asks Charlie to give her advice on how to beat him in chess. Charlie agrees instantly and they practice chess together for the next few hours. Feeling satisfied with her chess ability, MC wonders if she should change into something fancy so she can really put the move on Neil when she sees him. ***[Heart-locked outfit choice]***

MC arrives at the Ice Box and finds Neil already there. She asks about June and Neil says he finally convinced her to go to the hospital. Cliff enters, bringing Neil a case of his special reserve to take home. Cliff then mentions that Vince should be arriving in the next few hours and has had some trouble with the state police. Neil says he’ll stay in case Vince needs patching up, and sensing her opportunity, MC says she’ll stay too.

Once they’re alone, MC pulls out a chess set and asks him to play. She suggests a wager to make it interesting: if she wins, he has to kiss her like in the movies. Neil asks if she’ll leave him alone if he wins. MC insists that that’s no fun, and he says he doesn’t need fun, though he smiles. They begin playing, and Neil immediately notices that she’s gotten better. They’re almost evenly matched until the end, where MC deploys one of the moves Charlie showed her, and checkmates him.

MC demands her winnings, but Neil is still distracted by the board so Neil only pecks her quickly on the lips. MC reminds him that it’s supposed to be like the movies. Neil asks if she’s sure that’s what she wants, then suddenly they’re kissing passionately. [CG] MC is thrilled, and quickly notices that Neil *definitely* knows what he’s doing, and she’s never been kissed like the way Neil kisses her.

### Episode 9

They both pull away from each other, slightly out of breath when there’s banging on the speakeasy door. Vince has returned, thankfully unharmed but did nearly get caught by state police on his run. He regales them with the story, but MC and Neil’s attention is only on each other. They finally pay attention and Vince confirms their theory that liquor isn’t being tainted at the source. He says it is getting more dangerous, however, and offers to teach MC how to shoot a gun. She agrees enthusiastically.

Later, Vince takes MC to a shooting range. He tells her he has the perfect gun for her, and hands her a small six-shooter. He stands behind her, holding her arm and waist in the correct position, and MC guesses he’s trying to flirt. She finds Vince attractive, but after kissing Neil she’s barely thinking of anything else.

She continues to practice shooting, and finds that she’s not terrible at it. Vince reminds her that target practice isn’t the same as shooting a real person, and MC immediately asks him if he thinks Neil ever killed anyone in the war. Vince doesn’t know, but tells her about the first person he shot. Then he tells her he wants to teach her how to clean the gun, and invites her back to his place. She refuses and he asks why, and she tells him she’s trying for someone else. Vince figures she’s talking about Neil, and then bursts into raucous laughter.

Vince drops MC off back at the Ice Box, still laughing. Neil is there, and she notices he looks a little upset. He asks her if Vince actually taught her to shoot or if they got up to something else. She explains how Vince tried but she refused, and walks over to kiss him. Neil pulls away, telling her he’s not right for her, but she tells him that only she gets to decide that. He pulls her close and asks her what she really wants. She replies that she wants him to treat her like a woman, and that she gets to make her own decisions.

Neil has his doubts, but declares that he’s deciding to take her at her word, then pushes her up against the bar to kiss her ferociously. Their hands begin to wander over one another and the kiss deepens. When they pull away, they both know they want more, so Neil invites her to his place.

As he drives them home, Neil gives her one more chance to back out, telling her she has no idea what she’s getting into, that once he starts, he won’t stop. She insists that she wants this, and they head straight into the bedroom. He tells her he’s going to take care of her, and she’s glad of it. MC is unsure of herself when he begins undressing, so he kisses her and undresses her slowly.

Once they’re both undressed, he carries her to the bed. She’s nervous but excited, and Neil urges her to ride out any initial pain, saying it’ll get better. Once she gets into the rhythm of their lovemaking she begins returning the pleasure by kissing and biting him back. He’s not very gentle, but she likes it anyway. Neil tells her to let go, and she does, coming undone while he groans against her neck.

Neil compliments her, despite this being her first time, and MC raves about the experience, saying it was better than she imagined. She thanks him for not treating her like a child, and they cuddle together in their afterglow.

[No heart options available]

### Episode 10

MC goes home to change and freshen up - Neil is going to take her out to eat. She thinks about wearing something to really impress him. ***[Heart-locked outfit choice]*** Neil arrives to pick her up in his own fancy suit, and they take a moment to admire each other. They arrive at a classy steakhouse, and MC soon discovers that even the restaurants have their own way of serving alcohol. With the way everything has to be hidden, though, MC can only think about how easy it would be to poison a drink.

She tries to forget about it, and goes back to bantering with Neil - though it’s good-natured this time instead of their usual verbal sparring. When he tells her about how wine is revered by the upper classes she teases him about being upper class and knowing about wine. He teases her right back, but she says she might not let him back into bed with her if he keeps it up. They enjoy the rest of their dinner, and MC tells Neil that she wants him as dessert. They leave immediately.

While in the car, MC realizes she left her gun at the Ice Box. They drive over to pick it up, and in the alley leading to the secret entrance is someone in the shadows. It’s Gerald O’Fallon, and MC asks why he’s there while Neil pats him down. Gerald came to see if the Ice Box was truly closed and to ask more about the poisonings.

They go inside, and after a drink Gerald explains that he knows they’re investigating the poisonings and he wants their help - one of his customers died and he had to shut his bar down too. He’s worried about how long he’ll be able to keep the business. Neil explains what they’ve been working on with the chemist: there’s a partial antidote, but Neil explains that it would have to be administered immediately after poisoning to be effective.

Gerald then asks if he can send any potential sick customers to Neil’s infirmary, and he hesitantly agrees but on the condition that Gerald let his chemist test all of his alcohol before reopening, and he’ll have to pay for any customers who can’t afford the treatment. They both agree to the terms.

MC then rounds on Neil, asking him when he was going to tell her about the treatment and the existence of an infirmary. He says he knew since that morning, but they’d been otherwise occupied to discuss it. Gerald realizes they’re in the middle of a personal discussion so he excuses himself, promising to keep them informed of any new developments. After he leaves, MC is still furious, but Neil points out that she can’t act like a midwestern kid anymore, and she agrees. She tells him he’s not for the faint of heart, and he smiles, wide and warmly, at her. He says she’s bad for his facade of detached cynicism.

Their conversation turns back to the poisonings, and Neil says the death might be deliberate, that whoever is behind it is hoping for a more dramatic result. They’re convinced it’s not one of their competitors, and MC suggests that it’s someone trying to scare people away from alcohol and is quite possibly someone involved in the temperance movement. He agrees, and trying to shake their thoughts away from potential mass murder, Neil invites her home with him.

MC is locking up the door to the Ice Box when suddenly a groan from down the alley catches their attention. They look to see a man sliding down the wall in pain until he collapses on the ground.

### Episode 11

MC recognizes the man instantly: it’s Louis Tibbs, from the temperance meetings. Louis tells them he’s ingested arsenic, and Neil and MC immediately get him to the car. While on the way to the infirmary, Neil questions Louis, who knows the exact dosage of arsenic he ingested.

They arrive at the infirmary, Neil quickly ordering MC to gather supplies. They force Louis to vomit, then tells MC to administer a laxative. Once the worst has passed, Neil gives Louis a shot of ether to knock him out. Once Louis is asleep, Neil and MC agree that they both look a mess and go to clean up. Neil appreciates the sight of her in her underwear but neither are in the mood for much romance. Neil says he has to stay to watch over Louis, and MC decides to stay. They lie together in a makeshift bed on the floor, and MC can still feel the pull between them.

***Heart response option - “You were pretty amazing.”***

*Neil thanks her, but says it’s old instincts from the war. She asks him about the timeline, and he tells her that he worked in a hospital before joining up, but he saw the worst things overseas. He was only a medic, but was still in the trenches. MC tries to ask him more questions, but he gets a faraway look for a while before asking to talk about something else.*

They both agree that this is not how they wanted their evening to go, and Neil gives her another warm smile when she tells him that her original plan for showing off her underwear was supposed to be a lot more fun. They agree that tonight’s not the night for that.

He then asks her about Louis and she reminds him about John Bailey. MC admits that Louis probably has a crush on her, and couldn’t be the only one responsible for the poisonings. Neil agrees that he doesn't seem terribly threatening. MC wants to make a plan of action, but Neil reminds her that she needs to sleep, and urges her to rest against him. She says she’s too wired to sleep, so he tells her how impressed he was with how she handled herself.

She asks why he’s working for Charlie and not at a hospital, and he explains that he lost his license, so he’s unable to practice legally. She wants to know more but he promises to tell the whole story another time. She eventually falls asleep.

MC wakes the next morning to find Neil tending to Louis, who’s looking better but is still asleep. He plans to go out to get a few things (including a change of clothes for her), and is hoping that Louis will wake up while he’s gone, assuming he’ll open up to MC. He also reveals a gun hidden in a book, in case she needs it.

Louis rouses when he smells MC making oatmeal, and she begins to feed some to him while gently asking him some questions. He’s been looking for her at the store when she and Neil found him. He says that he was doing an experiment for Dr. Bailey, but MC urges him to tell the truth, saying she knows it couldn’t have been an accident if he knew the exact dosage.

Louis goes on to tell her that he’d hinted at something at one of their meetings, where he’d said that ordinary citizens should band together to take vigorous action. He asks how far MC would go for the cause, and she suddenly realizes she’s going to have to lie through her teeth. He wants her to be part of their organization.

### Episode 12

MC tells Louis she’ll go as far as necessary for the cause, knowing that she needs him to keep thinking she’s one of them in order to get to whoever is really in charge. He says he’s been wanting to tell her about a group of people he’s part of who don’t believe that Prohibition isn’t being enforced well enough. He proudly admits to poisoning several shipments of alcohol. MC tells him it’s a brilliant plan, and Louis says he’ll tell her everything after he introduces her to his leader. MC lays it on thick, feigning excitement to help. Louis is still too sick to move, but he pleads MC to go see his leader in his stead. He makes her swear not to tell a soul about all this, and she’s very uncomfortable with making a promise she has no intention of keeping, but decides that it’s best in the long run. Louis then tells her that the leader of his group is Dr. John Bailey.

Louis then goes on to say how much he’s grown to care for MC. She stops him before he admits his love for her, saying they shouldn’t act on any feelings until they’ve turned the tide of their cause. Louis reluctantly agrees, and MC silently thanks Elliot for his acting lessons.

Louis is about to tell her where Dr. Bailey’s laboratory is, when Neil comes back. Louis immediately stops talking as Neil looks him over. Neil asks if MC would make them lunch, but only if it’s not too domesticating for her. She doesn’t mind, and by the time Neil has put Louis to sleep, they’re both finally ready for food and a chat. MC tells him everything she learned from Louis (including the fact that he has a crush on her).

She tells him the next part of the plan is for her to infiltrate their group to meet Bailey and gather evidence. Neil immediately rejects the idea, claiming it’s crazy. She asks if he has a better one, and surprisingly he doesn’t. She says she wants to do it like a chess move: the poison pawn trap. Despite his dislike of the plan, he listens to her tell him how she wants to play it. She’s sending herself onto the enemy’s side of the board to open it up for the rest of her guys to play an endgame. Neil is very reluctant, but ultimately concedes that it’s a good plan.

With that settled and Louis still sound asleep, they decide to go back to Neil’s place for a bath, change of clothes, and the possibility of other activities (while Cliff plays babysitter). After MC takes a bath, she sees that Cleo had some very fancy lingerie with a silk damask sent over, and she contemplates wearing it for Neil. ***[Heart-locked outfit choice]***

MC finds Neil reading a chess strategy book when she enters the living room, and he reiterates how much he doesn’t like her plan, but she insists that she has no intention of being captured like a pawn. She moves to sit in his lap then kisses him. Things start to get heated when he suddenly tries to pull away, saying that Louis will wake soon. MC’s having none of that and pulls him back into her embrace. They kiss each other ferociously, and MC thinks to herself that she’s never enjoyed kissing someone as much as Neil. [CG]

He takes her to bed, and this time there is no pain, but only pleasure. It’s sensation like she’s never felt before, and Neil takes her to dizzying heights over and over again. Now feeling confident, she takes charge, exploring him and everything that brings him pleasure. At one point she gets frustrated because something she’s doing isn’t quite working, but he tells her he’ll just have to teach her, and they won’t get everything right all at once. MC realizes he’s thought about her in the long-term, and she tells him it’s sweet to know how much he really cares about her.

After showing her some new techniques, they lay in bed together, happily bantering.  He tells her he wouldn’t mistake her for a small-town girl anymore. She responds with a cheesy line from one of Elliot’s movies, and Neil exasperatedly says that he needs to introduce her to some real culture.

### Episode 13

While they’re lounging in the bedroom, Neil tells MC he’s ready to tell her his story, which is really the story of when his best friend died. His name was Alton Hastings and he was a childhood friend. He describes Alton as a spontaneous daredevil where Neil was more calculated. They went to medical school together and even became medics in the same unit in the Army. A few months in, a battle broke out and Alton went to fight even though it wasn’t his job. He was wounded so badly that Neil couldn’t save him. Neil continued for a few more months before being wounded himself (shrapnel in the leg from a shell).

***Heart response option - “That must have hurt so much.”***

*Neil says that shock took care of most of the initial pain from the shell blast, but after the surgery to have the shrapnel removed, he began to suffer real pain. When MC asks how he coped, he told her that he started using morphine.*

At the time he had another doctor from his unit, Hal Drummond, who offered Neil a position at a Chicago hospital where his father was director. Neil didn’t accept at first, but then Hal died in action but his father still offered Neil an internship anyway. Neil mentions that he’d had things to take care of in Boston first, but after settling everything he took the position.

While under the normal pressure of being a medical intern, Neil also began experiencing nightmares. He began to supplement his prescribed dose of morphine with his hospital’s stock. He realizes in hindsight that he was experiencing shellshock and began self-medicating. When MC asks, he confirms that he hasn’t used morphine in several years, but withdrawal gave him a permanent loss in appetite. He says he’s lucky he didn’t kill any patients while he was using it, but he was caught stealing it which is why he lost his license and the respect of Hal Drummond’s father.

After losing his license, he took up drinking. He was in the Ice Box one day when Vince was brought in with a gunshot wound. Neil’s battlefield training kicked in and after he’d patched Vince up, Charlie offered him a position and the infirmary to treat neighborhood patients. MC asks how he kicked the morphine and Neil tells her how Charlie noticed something was off, and offered to pay for him to go to a sanatorium, and how it worked eventually. He tells her that now only she and his therapist know about the morphine.

MC asks what she can do for him, and he tells her she’s already doing it: she’s listening. She holds him close, but when he quips that this is the longest she’s gone without making a snappy remark, they’re back to their playful bickering. Just when they begin to kiss again, Cliff calls to let them know that Louis is awake.

At the infirmary, Neil checks Louis over, who has greatly recovered but is still weak. Neil feigns needing some milk for some kind of remedy, then excuses himself so MC and Louis can talk alone. Louis is excited to talk to her about his group again, asking if she’s still interested in joining. She says yes and asks where she can find them. Louis gives her the instructions of how to get there and says that he’s already told them about her, so she should be welcomed. When he tries to hold her hand, MC says she should tell the group that they’re courting so they’ll be more likely to accept her, and he instantly agrees.

When she presses him for a reason to give the group about why Louis has been gone, he says he has something else to admit to her. He tells her that he’d been dissatisfied with the results of the initial poisonings, so he began experimenting with higher doses and more toxic ingredients. When Dr. Bailey found out after someone died, he accused Louis of committing murder. Louis wanted to prove that it wasn’t him, so he gave himself the same dose he’d put in the last batch. MC thinks Bailey is a monster for letting him do that, but Louis claims full responsibility.

MC tells him that they’ll tell the group that he’s been working on finding the real culprit all this time and she’ll step in on Louis’s behalf while he recovers. He enthusiastically agrees, and MC nervously considers the danger she’s about to put herself in.

### Episode 14

Neil drops MC off at the building where Bailey is housing his laboratory. Bailey is suspicious of her presence, but she gives him a note Louis wrote and the whole spiel about replacing Louis as a new group member. She uses all the acting tricks Elliot put in her arsenal and tells Bailey she believes in what he’s doing.

When it’s starting to look like Bailey is coming around, MC drops a bombshell, telling him her uncle owns and operates a speakeasy. Bailey is finally convinced of her “righteousness” and is pleased to let her stay. Bailey admits that his plan is to start moving into other cities to poison the alcohol once all the speakeasies in Chicago have shut down. He introduces MC to the two other young people in the group and tells her of a third who’s currently doing business in Canada.

They begin discussing their next moves - Bailey admits that they’ve had issues with getting access to liquor in greater quantities. MC says she knows where Vince stores all the alcohol for the Ice Box and that the speakeasy and the appliance store about it are a kind of distribution center. Bailey is thrilled with the information, and MC convinces him to go to the Ice Box with her to contaminate Vince’s recent shipment.

Bailey takes MC outside to speak privately, and she notices Neil keeping an eye on them from the shadows, instantly feeling better. Bailey says he was wrong to suspect Louis of being the killer, and vows to find who was really behind it, hypothesizing that whoever killed that speakeasy patron may have been the one who shot Charlie, too.

MC leaves and Neil meets up with her. MC notices that he looks more pale than usual after seeing Bailey in person, but when she asks what’s wrong he waves her off. MC tells her the plan is working, but Neil seems distracted, saying they need to check in on Louis.

***Heart response option - “I was glad to see you when I came out.”***

*Neil quips that he wouldn’t exactly be doing laundry right now, and MC clarifies that after being with “Count Dracula and his children of the night,” she’s glad to see his face. He smiles warmly, telling her he’s glad to see her too. She grins and leans against him.*

MC wonders aloud what will happen to Louis after all this is over and Neil reminds her what Louis has been up to. MC seems a little troubled, saying that everything they’re involved in is illegal too. Neil just says that criminality is just a big gray area. Neil then reveals why he was so distracted earlier: the man he saw isn’t John Bailey, but a man named John Hirsh, and he was the doctor in command of Neil’s Army unit.

### Episode 15

MC instantly notices how upset Neil looks, and she grabs his hand. She tells him he looks like he needs it, and he agrees, albeit reluctantly. They arrive at Neil’s infirmary where they relieve Cliff of babysitting duty. MC tells him to round the crew up and meet at the Ice Box later that night.

Neil checks Louis over while MC calls Gerald to give him the update. Neil doesn’t like keeping Louis sedated all the time, but they know that one way or another, this will all be over soon. Neil expresses much less sympathy for the position Louis is in than MC does, saying that he made mistakes in his youth, too, and now he’s paying for them.

MC changes the subject, asking how they should get Bailey’s whole crew to the Ice Box. Neil immediately goes into strategizing mode, sketching out a floor plan and creating contingencies. MC points out that he’s acting like when he plays chess, and he tells her that this is much more complicated than chess because you can’t predict how people are going to act.

MC jokes that he certainly didn’t predict her coming into his life, and instead of biting back with a witty response, he just agrees, saying she was unexpected and that he can’t figure her out. She says that he just can’t figure out his own mind. They banter flirtatiously back and forth for a while, and she says he should know by now that she’s tough as nails. He says he doesn’t want to put it to the test, now that he knows he’s in love with her.

MC starts, making him repeat himself. MC’s heart does somersaults in her chest and she can’t stop smiling. Then Neil gets a phone call from Vince, requesting their presence at the Ice Box, saying it’s urgent. Neil wants to tie Louis to the bed in case he wakes up and realizes what’s going on, but MC says they might need him later so they agree to leave him to sleep in the infirmary.

Everyone (minus Elliot and Sofia) are gathered at the Ice Box. Vince takes MC to the back room where he’s storing his latest Canadian shipment. He flips the lid on a massive barrel, and inside, tied up, is Trent, one of Bailey’s wards. He was packed in by Vince’s supplier, who caught Trent trying to poison the barrels. MC tells Vince to send Donovan up, and when they’re all staring Trent down, she can tell he’s terrified and thinks that might work to their advantage.

***Heart option - Play good cop.***

*MC talks to Trent sweetly, telling him softly that they need information. Trent starts spilling his guts immediately, but says that there was never a plan to kill anyone. She asks when he went to Canada and who sent him. He almost refuses to answer before looking at the men who are still watching him.*

Trent says he was sent by Bailey three days ago - before Louis’s poisoning incident - from a note Bailey had supposedly written. MC is skeptical, knowing that Louis was the only one with the deadly poison, which is what he’d given to Trent and said it was on Bailey’s instructions. MC tells Donovan to keep Trent cuffed, then instructs Vince to meet Gerald at his warehouse to head off the other two kids from Bailey’s operation.

Once alone back in the Ice Box, Neil tells MC he wishes he had a drink. She pulls a flask out from a holster on her thigh and hands it to him. He’s indignant when he realizes it’s his own bourbon, but he’s distracted by both his favorite drink and her leg still on display. He kisses her, hands wandering under her skirt. He tells her she’s got the goods. She agrees and tells him she’ll share, but only after they’ve taken down Bailey and his operation.

### Episode 16

MC wakes early, debating what she should wear for their big plan. ***[Heart-locked outfit choice]*** She meets up with Neil and Julius at the Ice Box. As they get into position, Neil urges her to be careful, to run if things seem even a little bit off. She tells them not to get shot.

When Bailey arrives, MC lets him in, with Neil and Julius hiding behind a barricade of barrels. As he talks, she leads him into the center of the room and he suddenly realizes that they’re not alone. Everyone (including Andrew) reveal themselves then, all pointing their weapons at Bailey. Bailey notices Neil, and he smiles, telling him he should have known he was behind this (fun fact: he also calls Neil “Cornelius” at this point). Neil points out that most of the credit should go to MC.

After they verify that Bailey is unarmed, Neil says he thought Bailey was dead. Bailey says that he made too many enemies in New York trying to get law enforcement to enforce the Volstead Act, and had to disappear. He grows more agitated as he tells the story, saying he was set up by the very authorities he knew to be corrupt. Neil scoffs at him, saying he couldn’t believe Bailey would turn to murder. Bailey denies dosing any alcohol with a lethal amount of poison. MC tells him about Louis’s plan, but Neil doesn’t give him any leeway, berating him for failing to uphold the hippocratic oath and failing as a role model.

Bailey says he had a difficult time after the Army too, that he had a crisis of faith. He’d heard where Neil was interning and thought he could find solace in his old friend, but when he arrived he found out about Neil’s fall from grace. He tried to commit suicide but when he failed he decided to dedicate his life to campaigning for temperance.

MC doesn’t buy his sob story, and accuses Bailey of ordering Louis to increase the dosage of arsenic. Bailey still denies it, and accuses MC of being corrupted by her uncle. Bailey insists that it couldn’t have been Louis either, because he saw Louis drink his dosage. MC explains how Neil had to save Louis’s life.

Suddenly Louis appears with a gun to Cliff’s head, saying that he’d wanted to make sure his plan worked before trying to convince everyone else to follow him. After Louis orders everyone to drop their weapons, Bailey begs him to talk to him. Louis flies into a rage, accusing Bailey of only talking and not doing more for their cause. Then he asks if he ever told MC about his father. Sensing this as an opportunity to keep him talking so the others can find an opening to take him down, MC urges him to tell the story.

Louis’s father was a drunk and an abuser. He, his mother and his sister were terrified of the man. One night after passing out from drinking whisky, the father’s lit cigarette started a fire that killed himself and Louis’s mother, and his sister later died of smoke inhalation. That’s when Bailey found him, and soon discovered that Bailey was “unwilling to do what must be done.” Louis and Bailey begin to argue about the morality of their actions, and in the heat of the moment Louis reveals that he was the one who shot Charlie.

He then reels on MC, saying she was the biggest disappointment of all and calling her a jezebel and seducer. MC pulls her own gun out of her leg holster, knowing that Louis’s erratic behavior will make him a lousy shot. [CG] Neil takes the opportunity to lob a crate at Louis, and while he’s distracted Cliff and Andrew tackle him.

While they wait for Donovan to arrive, Neil surprises MC by leading Bailey to the back exit, letting him go before he can be arrested. Bailey is stunned, asking why Neil would give him a second chance. Neil says he got his second chance and that it has to start somewhere. He and MC smile at each other knowingly.

The next morning, MC and Neil are enjoying breakfast together at his place when they each receive a telegram from Bailey. In Neil’s it says he’s going to open a new clinic for those affected by alcohol, but won’t tell him where or what name he’ll be using. He also mentions that Neil was the fine man he always believed he was. MC’s telegram says that Neil’s a better man than he thinks and she needs to remind him of that. MC smiles and tells Neil she won’t tell him what was in her note. He huffs, commenting on how frustrating she is, but MC reminds him how much better his life is with her in it.

Neil then mentions that Charlie will be getting out of the hospital soon so she won’t be able to come over to his place anymore. She sarcastically says what a sweet talker he is, but he counters, saying that if she wanted a sweet talker then she wouldn’t be with him, and that there are better things to do with a tongue. She calls him a dirty old man as he picks her up, kissing and heading to the bedroom.

They furiously undress each other, and MC brings up what he said to her in the infirmary. Without hesitation, Neil repeats that he loves her. She says she never got to say it back, then says she loves him too. He kisses her deeply and says that he’s still not the right guy for her, but they continue to make love over and over.

Afterward, Neil reminds her that while he’s given her his heart, it’s a shriveled and damaged heart that she won’t know what to do with. But when he’s with her, he sees the world as “slightly less bleak.” It’s certainly not the most romantic thing she’s ever heard, but she knows how much it means coming from him. She’s so overwhelmed that all she can do is kiss him.

[written by reddit user directormmn]

## Season 1 - Epilogue

### Episode 1

It’s a week after the events with Bailey and Louis at the Ice Box, and everyone from Bailey’s operation has been sent packing. Neil and MC are having breakfast in his kitchen, playfully flirting with one another. MC talks about a letter she got from her younger sister Hazel. Apparently Hazel has been getting into trouble just like MC used to. Their oldest sister Edith used to be cool too, but has become a proper lady since getting married. Neil says he doesn’t particularly care about her family drama.

MC retorts that she’s just missing her little sister but has no plans to go back home: she’s a true Chicago girl now. She tries to bring up Neil’s family, but he dodges her questions and challenges her to a game of chess. MC wants to change the rules so they remove an article of clothing every time they lose a piece. He tries to protest, saying he takes chess seriously, but she’s running her foot up the length of his leg. She finally relents when he tells her he has patients coming to the infirmary soon.

Neil then asks where Charlie thinks MC is at that moment, and she says she told him she’s out shopping with Cleo. Neil then announces that she doesn't have to lie anymore because he already told Charlie about them.

***Heart response option - “I’m glad you told him.”***

*MC is glad he already got that out of the way - she says she wanted to tell Charlie herself but was enjoying the secret too much. But she does admit that almost everyone at the Ice Box already knows about them, so it’d only be a matter of time before Charlie found out.*

MC asks how Charlie took the news, and Neil says that Charlie was the one who brought it up: he’d been noticing how much time they spent together, then MC had asked Charlie for chess tips and they’d collaborated on the poisoning investigation, so Neil fessed up. Charlie apparently said that they were good for each other and he approves...for now. MC then notices she’s late to meet Charlie at the Ice Box. Neil offers to drive her and she accepts, kissing his cheek.

The Ice Box is in the middle of a campaign party for Mayor Rogers. MC notices that there are a lot of high-profile Chicagoans there, and Neil points out that a lot of those people have no problem pretending to support Prohibition in order to keep their positions of power. Apparently some of the other gangs in town have been causing problems and the mayor will only continue to silently protect the speakeasies if things are quiet.

Before they can talk more about it, though, Charlie comes over to greet her. He’s moving a little slowly but is looking a lot better and compliments MC for putting on such a great party. Charlie takes her around the room, introducing her to some of the powerful people of Chicago. Her reputation has preceded her, and everyone is excited to meet the Ice Box Flapper. They all talk politics and the effectiveness of Prohibition for a while when someone mentions that Mayor Rogers’ latest competition just resigned for the race. Someone named Peters is the new opposition frontrunner and Charlie has some very strong things to say about this person.

Then Vince comes over to weigh in with his opinion - apparently if Peters gets elected the speakeasies will have a lot fewer legal protections, and his wife is very involved in the Temperance League. Neil doesn’t seem terribly concerned, saying that anyone who’s elected will eventually succumb to the “Chicago Way” and leave the speakeasies alone. MC remembers Peters’ wife, Vera, from the meetings, but no one seems threatened by a woman who’s most known for her baking abilities.

Charlie then announces no more shop talk, and gathers everyone to toast MC. He says she’s become incredibly resourceful and even took on Neil as a project. The crowd laughs and cheers, and MC thinks to herself how much the Ice Box feels like home now.

### Episode 2

MC is at her first Temperance League meeting since the Bailey incident, and it’s all anyone wants to talk about. No one has the story quite right, and MC refuses to talk about it when asked, telling the rest of the group that they shouldn’t gossip. Vera Peters enters, breaking up the group and pulling MC aside to talk to her.

MC has a feeling that Vera is a much more formidable woman than most people believe, but she quickly realizes that Vera doesn’t know the whole story about Bailey and Louis either. Vera doesn’t believe that Bailey could have done anything illegal, then slips that she thinks Ferlinghetti, another mob boss in Chicago, is behind it. MC feigns ignorance but Vera calls her a very clever girl. She then invites MC over to her house for tea later that week, and MC can’t think of a better opportunity to probe her for information that might be useful to her and Charlie.

After the meeting, Vera offers MC a ride home as it’s pouring outside. She’s about to accept when Neil appears in his own car. Vera waves MC goodbye as MC and Neil make their way to his apartment. She thanks him for sparing her a long ride full of small talk, then they begin to banter flirtatiously. MC reminds him that she can’t stay over anymore now that Charlie’s home, but she goes to take a shower anyway.

After her shower, Neil asks her to wear her new pajamas for him. ***[Heart-locked outfit choice]*** He comes to see her when he thinks she’s taking too long, and his gaze rakes slowly over her form when he sees her in the pajamas. He’s on her instantly, kissing her passionately.

He begins to undress, but asks that she keep the pajamas on a little longer. [CG] He says they’re even better than the first pair, and MC takes a moment of victory when she realizes how crazy she must have driven him back then. He acknowledges that that was likely her plan the whole time and she doesn’t deny it. They make love, content with how much they’ve learned about each other.

The phone rings afterward - it’s Cliff, saying that Vince got hurt and needs medical attention. Neil doesn’t think it sounds particularly serious, and tells MC to stay in bed until he’s done and they can meet Charlie for dinner. MC doesn’t argue, falling asleep as soon as Neil is out the door.

### Episode 3

MC wakes up later to get ready for dinner. She’s laying out clothes for Neil to wear when he gets home when she finds a stack of letters in a dresser drawer. They’re from Lucille Dresner, and as MC reads she realizes that Lucille must be Neil’s sister. MC wasn’t planning on snooping, but Neil never tells her anything about his family so she can’t help herself. She discovers that not only has Neil never written his sister back, but he didn’t attend her wedding, either. MC eventually puts the letters away when she feels she’s read too much.

Neil comes back home, and they both finish getting ready for dinner. Before she can stop herself, MC asks him why he didn’t go to his sister’s wedding. Neil figures out how she knows, and MC apologizes for invading his privacy, but she still wants to know the answer. Neil says he was going to tell her everything anyway, so he’s not mad. MC asks why he never wrote Lucille back. He says that he’s not the same brother she remembers, and doesn’t want her to think of him poorly. MC wants to know more, but Neil promises to tell her another time. She reluctantly agrees and they go to leave for dinner.

***Heart response option - Stop him for a kiss.***

*MC stops Neil before he walks out the door, grabbing him by the arm and pulling him in for a kiss. He responds in kind, and she knows that they’re okay. They look into each other’s eyes for a moment, then Neil says he knows. When she asks what he knows, he says he knows she’s sorry for reading the letters, and he wants her to know he’s not mad. MC then wonders if they couldn’t stand to be a little late for dinner, but Neil doesn’t want to get on Charlie’s bad side. He reminds her that Charlie only approves of the two of them for now because he doesn’t know how far they’ve gone together. MC says she only wanted a kiss, and promises not to bring up the letters until Neil’s ready. He squeezes her hand as they head for the car.*

At Charlie’s house, the three of them chat over dinner - mostly about how the housekeeper knows about the speakeasy but won’t allow Charlie to have liquor in his own house. He says if he wants a drink he knows where to get one. They chat more about how MC has improved at chess, and Neil says he knows that she and Charlie conspired against him to teach her tricks to beat him.

MC brings up the letter her sister Hazel wrote, and expresses concern that her parents are going to try to recall her back to Columbus soon. Charlie tells her not to worry about it and that he’ll give them an acceptable reason to keep her in Chicago. He’s been thinking about keeping her around anyway to help run things. MC is incredulous, and Charlie jokes that Neil has to help him work on her confidence. Neil says she’s already plenty confident.

Charlie leaves to take a phone call, and MC thanks Neil for saying something so nice about her, but he just replies that he meant every word. He tells her how brave she was to go face-to-face with Louis. She blushes, but they’re interrupted when Charlie rushes back into the room. He says that Neil needs to get to the Ice Box immediately, because Cliff has been shot. Despite Charlie’s protests, MC insists on going with Neil. Charlie reluctantly agrees, making them promise to call him with an update as soon as they can.

At the Ice Box, Cliff has been laid across a table and Vince is pacing the floor. Neil immediately gets to work, ordering Vince and MC to different tasks. After an assessment, Neil pronounces that Cliff should recover. He asks Vince what happened, who says it was a drive-by while meeting some contacts, but he couldn’t see who the shooter was. Apparently Charlie was supposed to go with Cliff to meet the contacts, but Cliff convinced him to stay behind at the last minute. Neil and MC realize at the same that the real target was supposed to have been Charlie.

[written by reddit user directormmn]