The sound of skin colliding on skin and the smell of sweaty boys assaulted Alex's senses. Light barely flooded in from the street lamps and the setting Brooklyn sun through the dirty warehouse windows. The air was thick with tension and competition. She looked out over the usually-empty building, now filled with Newsies. Alex saw the dejected kids from West Side and the Bronx, nearly crying after being defeated in the first round. She looked over at the kids from Harlem and Manhattan, cheering even after their losses. They all surrounded a small ring set up in the middle of the warehouse, excitedly watching the final two boys go at it: Brooklyn and Queens. Spot Conlon fell to the floor after a punch from West Hartell, leader of Queens. Queens' Newsies erupted in cheers and Alex daintily smiled. The whole tournament she fought to keep her cool composure, but the gravity of her situation hit her when she saw the rough looking Brooklyn boys. Her life was on the line.

Next to her, West's second in command, Bear, whooped and hollered. Clapping, he turned to Alex and said,

"Spot looks about done. Looks like youse not going to go to Brooklyn after all!"

Alex smiled.

"I never would have agreed to this if I thought West wouldn't come through for me."

As West moved across the make-shift boxing ring toward where Spot was laid out, Alex remembered him coming to her a few days ago.

"So, Alex, I gots a question for ya."

She smiled at him and continued to stir the large pot of stew she was preparing for the Newsies' dinner. It was almost the three month anniversary of her moving into the Queens Newsboy Lodging House to run the joint, and already she was at home. After taking a sip from the broth to taste, she said,

"I already told ya a hundred times I am not going to go out with you, West Hartell!"

Her light-hearted jab earned a nervous smile from him. He pulled his cap off and ran a hand through his hair, a nervous habit of his.

"Now, keep in mind I wouldn't be asking ya this unless it was absolutely necessary. And if I wasn't absolutely sure there was no danger for ya."

Alex turned from the boiling pot to look at him.

"What do ya mean?"

A pause hung in the air between them.

"Well, ya rememba last week when the newsie leaders got togeda to discuss somethings?"

The girl nodded, impatient for the whole story.

"We came to the conclusion that it was a good idea to get the newsies back togeda. All of 'em. To- eh- what's the word that 'Hattan used…?" He thought for a moment.

"Unify the newsies! And to show 'em that we are still in control, all of use leaders. There's been some-"

Alex cut him off.

"Uprisings in Harlem and the Bronx. I'm not stupid."

"So, we guys were thinking that maybe we could do a kind of entertainment thing, like we did during the strike. But we wanted to do a kind of boxing match-"

"A kind of boxing match?" Alex clarified.

"We want to do a boxing tournament, Leader against Leader until the last man standing. You knows what I'm saying?"

"Yeah. But what are you fighting for? What does the winner get?"

"Oh… You know," he nervously rubbed the back of his neck and refused to look her in the eye.

"Prime selling spots outta territory like at the boat launchings and whatnots, money, other things…." he trailed off to a near whisper.

A beat passed between them.

"What kind of things?"

"Well, that's what I gotta talk to you about…. You see the fells had expressed interest in acquiring the services of a certain young lady to help around their lodging houses like you help us out and-"

"No. I refuse. You wanna get rid of me? Are you-"

West gently placed his hand over her mouth.

"Alex, there's no way I'm eva gonna lose this tournament. Have you seen me? I'm built like an ox."

It was true. Alex looked at him. He was almost two heads taller than her and every inch of him was packed with muscle.

"I just gotta up my hand, you know? Show 'em I'm serious about this whole thing."

Thinking it over, it made sense. West had only been leader of Queens four months. No one took him seriously as a leader yet. He dropped his hands from her face and took her dainty hands in his.

"Please, Alex."

She sighed and looked deep into his eyes.

"Fine."

He leapt up and began to celebrate.

"But I swear to God if you lose to Brooklyn, I will never speak to you again."

"I never lose."

"And if you do?" she asked.

"You will be witness to the single most unlikely event in the history of the universe and you will be thanking me."

Smiling at the memory, Alex looked back down at the boxing ring where Spot was slowing dragging himself to his feet. West looked winded and hurting from the earlier hits that Brooklyn managed to get in on him. She silently cheered her boy on, and watched him get back into his fighting stance. The air was thick with silence until a voice called out over the crowd,

"Heya Spot!"

West turned his head in the direction of the voice. First mistake. Spot used the distraction to deck him. Taken off guard, West fell to the ground. His newsies all shouted their discontentment. On his knees, West put a hand to his jaw in pain. Second mistake. Scot whistled without taking his eyes off West, and suddenly his signature cane came flying into the ring. The entire crowd, minus Brooklyn, gasped in shock. Alex's heart nearly stopped as Spot lithely snatched it out of the air. West looked up at Spot, and hopelessness flooded his face. Alex watched him sit up and swallow his pride. He gave up. Last mistake. Spot weighed the heavy top of his cane in his hand before grasping the bottom, reeling back, and slamming the gold into West's body. It wasn't hard enough to kill him, or even hurt him badly. But it was enough to make the breath in Alex's lungs catch. She watched him crumble, and suddenly felt a cold hand snake it's way around her wrist. Cheers erupted from the Brooklyn newsies and disgruntled noises from everyone else drowned out Alex's shriek.

Spinning around, she locked eyes with a menacing figure. Protectively, Bear stepped next to her.

"You know the rules, Bear. She's ours now."

Bear looked at Alex, apologizing with his eyes. He wordlessly handed her carpet bag back to her and leapt down from the crate.

"M'lady, my name is Bubba," he said, his eyes and his manner taunting her maliciously. He leaned down to kiss her hand, but she ripped herself away. She hopped down from the crate and rushed to the ring.

The crowds from the other boroughs were clearing, leaving a few from Queens, a few from Manhattan, and the whole Brooklyn crew. Alex shoved through them, and saw three of the boys carrying West out. Dropping her bag, she started running after them. Bear intercepted her, grabbing her.

"Let me go! I have to see him!"

People often underestimated her love for West. He was the only family she'd ever known, and the only one who had ever wanted her to be apart of their life. West took her in when she had no where else to go, and she would go to Timbuktu and back for him. Seeing him hurt nearly killed her. And that she could do nothing for him broke her heart even more.

"Alex! He's fine. Stop this! He's going to be okay. He's just knocked out-"

She continued to fight against him, her petite frame doing no damage to his thick stature.

"Give her here."

Struggling, she was transferred from Bear's boulder sized arms to much leaner ones. Held at arm's length, a rough up boy with silver eyes and a harsh expression shook her once sharply.

"Stop. He will be fine."

Alex looked at Bear, and then to the other newsies, then back at the boy. They never saw her express much emotion, she was remarkable at blocking out emotion. Their faces were covered in shock, and all were silent. Composing herself, she pulled away from Brooklyn's arms and faced the boys from Queens. Straightening herself, Alex took her bag from Rabbit- a young newsie who had picked it up.

"We'll miss you, Alex."

She smiled at the boy and tousled his hair. Spot picked up his cap that he lost during Alex's struggle, and picked up his cane. He walked toward Alex, reaching out to take her bag for her. Fluidly, she swung it out of his grasp and held it in her hand over her shoulder. The girl, dropping her smile for a serious expression, began her walk to the Brooklyn Lodging House, resigned to her fate. Smiling, Spot Conlon snapped his fingers, let his men get in order, and followed the girl home.

Thank you for reading chapter one!!! I'm really excited about my first newsies story! I love Spot/OC stories. Anyone got any recommendations for stories? Please review! It means the world to me!!!