We followed John, Henry, and Robert through the winding streets, up and down hills, until we found ourselves back on the dilapidated street that Thomas and I had left the day before. The three carried Thomas up the stairs, rough housing him a bit as they went, but still careful not to injure their friend any further. Once back at the apartment door, John burst through the door and called out laughingly "Mama I'm home!" and Henry's laugh boomed through the air as a young woman of about 30 years stepped around the door looking amused, but held together. "Joan, Alice; Alice, Joan," John introduced. "Pleasure," she said, her eyes dancing with curiosity as she extended a hand for me to shake.

She then turned to John, "where have you been boys, and what did you do to poor Tom here?" she inquired, a smirk on her lips, worry in her eyes. "Well see, our friend Joan here, got Tom out of some very serious trouble with Mr. Louis himself," Henry supplied. "Ah, Tom, been a bad boy again. You've got to let it go, Thomas," she chided gently. Thomas looked down at the floor and mumbled an apology. Within the span of a second, Alice's hand had grabbed Thomas' chin and had him looking eye to eye with her, "I don't want to hear any more about Louis or George or any of them ever again, got it?" Thomas hesitated, his eyes watering, "got it, Alice," he said, and she released his chin with a flourish. "Now boys, we've got work to do tonight, and I think Thomas' new friend here will be an immense help to us," Alice began.

The three men folded up the cots and leaned them against the wall, pulled out some buckets and foot stools and brought out an ancient map of the city. The printing on the map was so worn and faded; I had no clue how they knew up from down on it. Alice sat at the head of our group, and we all leaned in, ready to conspire.

"We're heading out to the wharf tonight, there is a high profile event taking place where many of our cities finest will be decked out in some of our favorite 'collector's items,'" Alice said, pointing to a spot on the map towards the very edge of the faded lines. "But there is something in particular that I want," she continued, "and it will be a challenge to receive such a generous 'gift' from the patrons of the party." John and Henry smiled with hunger in their eyes, Robert looked on focused, and Thomas looked back at me shiftily.

"This is where Joan comes in, the jeweler who designed our fabulous prize for tonight has decided to bestow a million dollar sapphire necklace on the neck of the loveliest woman at the party for the remainder of the evening. Joan and I will go looking absolutely as lovely as possible in the hopes that we will be chosen, if not, you boys better seduce whoever does get it, and get that necklace before the party ends at midnight."

The boys nodded their agreement to the plan, but I still had my doubts. "Alice, how are we ever going to compare to the height of society dressed as we are?" I asked, and Alice, John, and Henry bust up laughing, "Oh Joan, the world is our oyster for the night!" John crowed. This outburst didn't answer my question at the time, but after John, Henry, and Robert disappeared for a few hours, my questions were answered.

While they were gone, Alice tended to Thomas' wounds with assistance from me. "So Thomas, where did you pick this one up?" Alice inquired, her words laced with restrained curiosity. "At court," he said softly, wincing as Alice wrapped his arm tightly in a bandage. "Court?" she asked, her eyes narrowed and looked at me.

"It's a long story," I supplied tentatively, unsure of how much she would understand about time travel and whatnot. "It's where I've been for the past month," Thomas continued, "I got caught up one day by a copper who didn't like my hanging around near Louis' and Joan here was at my trial." Alice looked skeptical, and turned back to me, "you like the bad boys then?" she asked with more malice than teasing in her voice. "I uh, I thought the charges were too harsh and offered to help him out.." I said rather unconvincingly. Alice nodded slowly, turned to Thomas and whispered: "you better tell me the real story later, Tom." Thomas swallowed, looked at me, and then quickly away again.

John, Henry, and Robert returned about ten minutes later, their arms laden with paper packages and faces beaming with the rush of getting away with something they shouldn't have. John took three big packages over to Alice, and Henry brought me another four smaller ones. Alice pulled out a black silk gown laden with pearls stitched into beautiful Art Nouveau designs around the gown from the top left shoulder down to the bottom right corner of its skirt. Next, she pulled out a long black feather hairclip, new black stockings, and beautiful satin heels. "Thank you, darling," she cooed softly to John, patting him on his head like a small boy.

"Your turn," Henry said through a smile. "I thought you'd like the color I chose for you," he continued. "Thank you," I replied as I pulled back the paper on the box to find a gorgeous midnight blue satin gown filling the box as if the ocean had been poured into the box itself. I gasped as I pulled the gown out and the fabric spilled out towards the floor. Silver beads had been stitched into the fabric so that it looked as if I would be wearing the sky itself that night. "I love it," I breathed to Henry, and he looked back to John with a goofy smile and a mouthed 'I told you so.' In the other packages were a silver hairpiece, black stockings, and beautiful midnight blue heels with the same silver bead design freckled across the toes.

"Let's get ready boys," Alice prompted, and the four of them pulled white tie ready outfits out of the remaining boxes that Robert held. Within a half hour, the six of us were dressed to the nines, and ready to go steal some precious jewels. We headed back down the many flights of rickety stairs and out onto the street. After walking for a few blocks, our upper crust party found ourselves on one of the main drags of the city.

People hustled and bustled in their evening wear, horse-drawn carriages rattled up and down the road, and bells clanged over the rumble of the city. As the people cleared, I found myself looking up at a beautiful cable care with polished wood and golden rails, gleaming in the city lights. "All aboard," John joked as he hopped on and extended his arm back to assist Alice and myself onto the cable car. "Next stop, Fisherman's Wharf!" cried the cable car operator, and we began a fast and windy trip down the hills of San Francisco.