"It's not gonna change," Sparkle agreed. Clung on a little bit harder. "I'm gonna still be Sparkle on the other end, I might just be... I dunno. A little more fucked-up. This is gonna fuck me up, Jack, no matter what happens. It's gonna fuck me up and I'm gonna hate it."

A short pause.

A deep breath.

"But at least it'll be over."

And even if they lost, even if they fought and fought and fought and Sparkle wound up with a prison sentence instead of community service, even if somehow, Lew managed to get an 'innocent' even in spite of standing up in front of the whole damn city and announcing their fucked up... thing...

Even if?

There were options. Not the options he wanted, not even necessarily the options that would let him sleep at night, but options.

"It's gonna suck, but at least it'll be over."