Enjoy…I will have more as soon as you want it. *smirks*
Bitter looked up to see the dark-haired boy in front of her, cleaning his hands off from the blood. "Spot, I gotta tell ya something," Needle said roughly, casting a short look at Bitter before looking back at Spot.
"Say it heah, she kin handle whatevah ya say," Spot said, squeezing her hand for emphasis.
Needle nodded slowly. "Well, I'se got a concoin," he said slowly. "Whoevah did dat ta Buttahcup, dey know knives an' dat makes me a lil' noivous, ain't seen dat kind of woik in a long time, an' I 'av a feelin' dat dis is gonna toin ugly real soon," he said.
Spot breathed in deeply, a look of shock on his face. He stole a glance at Bitter, who was biting her lip and staring at the ground. "Thanks Needle, dat was helpful. Now I know what ta ask Bittah about dese guys," he said. Bitter grimaced and Needle took the hint and nodded, walking away from them.
"Why don't we take a lil' walk," he said, sounding more concerned than angry. Bitter got up reluctantly and the whole room became silent as they made their way out of the lodging house.
"So, what's dis about knives?" he asked, looking at Bitter questioningly.
Bitter took a deep breath in, "Well," she started, staring at the ground, "in Chicago, de main type of fightin' is knife fights," she said, shuffling her feet as they walked through the darkening streets.
He nodded, "But . . . dat ain't exactly it, is it?" he asked.
Bitter looked up and stared him in the eyes. Her green eyes deepened colors as she flickered back to memories of the past. "Vladimir, dat's his name," she said, simply. "He wasn't always de leadah a' de gang, but everyone knew he would be when he was youngah. He's da one who introduced me ta de gang. Seemed real nice at first and all, but turned instantly cold when I was completely in the gang. Tricked me a bit. Well, he was de one to teach me how to fight wid knives. I nevah liked it, nevah. I was good, real good, I took to it fast, but I hated knives, I believed it wasn't true fightin', but he was obsessed with it you could say. He was de best in all of Chicago, even beat de leadah a' de Kings, de most dangerous gang dere. He gave me my dagger," she stated, pulling up her pants leg to reveal a dagger attached to her thigh. She pulled it out and twirled it in the light. It was handmade and beautiful, glossed and shiny. She put it away just as quickly as she pulled it out. "Haven't used it much, I ain't real fond of knives nonetheless knife fights," she said.
Spot took in all this newfound information. A lot of things began to make more sense, but most of all, it became clear to him that he had to keep Bitter safe from these guys, this gang.
Bitter sighed heavily, "We should get back," she said, anxious to see how BC was doing.
Spot nodded and walked her back to the LH, stopping at the door. She looked at him strangely. "Ain't you comin' in?" she asked.
Spot shook his head, "I'se gotta think things through. I'll probably stay de night at Manhattan, I'se suah I could use some suggestions from ol' Jacky boy, he's been around fer longah den me," he said. Bitter nodded and reluctantly went inside.
Spot waited until the door was closed and then left. He made his way to the Bridge to find one of his "boids." He needed some more information on these Chicago goons.
What he found out disturbed him. These guys weren't going away without Bitter. This worried him horribly. They knew she was in Brooklyn and they were gonna do anything to get her back. They were good fighters, which was already proven, so he couldn't chase them out of New York as easily as he would have liked. He walked slowly towards Manhattan as he thought of his options. He figured out a plan by the time he reached the steps of the Manhattan Lodging House. Before he could knock, Jack appeared at the door.
"Hey Spot, come in, what can I do fer ya?" he asked.
Spot sighed heavily as he stepped through the door. "I got a favor ta ask Jackie boy," he said.
Jack nodded seriously, "Suah, anything Spot, jist name it," he said.
* * *
"Manhattan?" Bitter's rough voice screeched, waking up the whole bunkroom. "No way Spot, I ain't gonna live wid dem, I can't. Spot, you can't do dis to me," she said.
Spot shook his head, "It's de only way ta keep ya safe," he said.
Bitter raged, "Manhattan, c'mon Spot, de goils dere are dilly and stupid, I'se gonna go insane dere!" she yelled at him.
He glared at the girls who were already gathering around them and barked at them to leave. They muttered some obscenities as they went on getting ready for the day. Bitter sat down on her bed and crossed her arms. "I ain't goin'," she said, stubbornly.
Spot shook his head. "Listen, I don't like it anymore den you do, but its fer de best," he said.
Bitter's eyes glossed over with understanding and she breathed in deeply, "Fine, but yer gonna hate every moment I'm gone an' you know it," she said.
Spot smiled and nodded, "Of cois'," he said, "but I'll visit you at least twice a week ok?"
She nodded happily, looking around the bunkroom and realizing how much she would miss it for the next few weeks, or even months. She'd miss her girls most of all though. "An' me goils?" she asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'll send one a' dem each week, but dey'se gonna be travelin' wid one a' de guys," he said. "We gotta be careful, I know dey're gonna be tryin' hard ta find ya Bittah, but trust me, we ain't gonna let 'em. We got yer back sweetie," he said, brushing his hand against her flustered cheek.
She smiled and gave him a big hug. He hugged her back and went to kiss her but she brushed it away, shaking her finger. Spot's face turned into a pout, but she just ignored it. "Lemme talk ta me goils an' maybe I'll think about spendin' me last night heah wid ya," she said with a devious smirk.
He smirked back and nodded happily, leaving the bunkroom so she could talk to them. Bitter sat down on her bunk, "Aiiright girls, fiah de questions," she said, as they gathered around her.
"What's goin' on?" Whiskey asked, concerned by all that was happening on her first day there.
"Well, looks like I gotta go ta Manhattan fer a while. I got some ol' acquaintances aftah me, an' it don't look too good," she said, trying to keep her explanations brief.
The girls muttered a few snide comments under their breaths about Manhattan. "We gonna get ta see ya?" Winter asked, her green eyes icing over with concern.
Bitter smirked and nodded, "I made a deal wid Spot, he said only one a week tho, an' BC gets priority once she's bettah, ya heah?" she said.
The girls groaned, but announced their agreement, knowing the two girls' closeness. "Now, I don't wanna be givin' a lecture, but ya goils gotta be careful, aiiright?" Bitter started, pausing to quiet down their complaints so she could continue on. "I don't wanna heah 'bout ya goils' gettin' hoit 'cause ya went out alone, ok? I don't care how tough ya are, ya ain't goin' anywheah alone from now on. Take someone wid ya, two is always bettah den one," she said, "I don't want to heah about ya goils gettin hoit while I'se gone, is dat clear?"
They all nodded in silence, the severity of the situation finally hitting them. "Now, don't fret, I ain't gonna come back a damn woes from a few weeks dere, an' ya bettah not turn into a bunch of blonde idiots while I'se gone or I'll soak ya, ok? Dis ain't gonna change nuttin', jist think of it as a break from my annoying self," Bitter siad.
"Ya ain't annoyin'," Estrella said, wrinkling her nose. "You'se jist kinda rough wid us," she retorted. All the girls laughed and threw their comments up after hers.
Bitter laughed along with them and felt like everything was going to be fine from then on. "Well, let's get ta sellin," she shouted and pushed the girls out of the room. She waited until they were all gone and then proceeded to kneel by Buttercup's bunk. "I'se gonna stay heah wid you taday," she said with a smile.
Buttercup's bruised face lit up. "I'se gonna miss ya," she said seriously.
Bitter nodded and held her hand tightly. "You're gonna come visit me a lot, right?" she asked, eyes wide with concern and despair.
BC smiled, "Definitely," she said, "I gotta make suah me Bittah doesn't go soft on me."
Bitter laughed, "I don't think dat'll evah happen," she replied, making them both elicit small giggles.
The day went by quickly and soon night was approaching, the Brooklyn girls coming back tired from a long day. Bitter said her quick goodnights and then shoved them off to bed, turning off the light as she left.
She made her way quickly to Spot's room and knocked quietly, getting only a groan for a response. Spot was already half-asleep, the covers pulled up messily around him and him barely responding to Bitter's entrance. She climbed in next to him and cuddled up to him, loving just being with him, even if he was too tired to pay much attention to her. She closed her eyes and listened to his heart beat against her chest as he held her closely, enveloped in his arms.
They were soon both asleep, arms wrapped around each other closely. What they didn't know was that they would not share another moment like that for weeks after.
* * *
