Disclaimer: I own all of the characters in this story except Bittah, who is owned by Bittersweet Harmony. The movie Newsies, which inspired this fic, is owned by Disney.
April 23rd
It had been a rough week for the Brooklyn newsies. They were all still in shock over Doc's death when Hawk announced that he would get revenge.
"Hawk, you need to take somebody with you in case Squall pulls any tricks," a girl named Britain said as she tucked her sandy blonde hair behind her ear.
"No, just me. I want that jerk to know that nobody messes with Brooklyn without paying for it," was Hawk's reply.
"Hawk, can I talk to you?" Dagger questioned, motioning toward the bunkroom. He followed her in, knowing she wanted to go with him to fight. "I'm coming. Squall will try something."
"You don't think I can beat him, do you?"
"No, I know you can, but not if he cheats. Let me come and I'll just hide somewhere," Dagger replied calmly although she knew he was just as stubborn as her and wouldn't move from his position without more of a fight.
"You aren't coming. I don't want you getting hurt."
"I can take care of myself!" Dagger yelled, furious that he thought she couldn't hold her own. "Haven't I proved that before?"
"You have, but if he pulls something, I don't want you there, just in case."
"I don't want you by yourself if he pulls something."
"You don't think I can handle whatever he throws out?" Hawk stated, rather than asked.
"No, I do, but..."
"But what Kate?"
"You're the only person that hasn't given me a dirty look since Doc died. I know I'm the reason he died, but you never made me feel worse about it. If something happened to you...this is my fight anyways."
"Nothing will happen to me. And I would never blame you for Doc's death. Squall was the one that pulled the trigger. He's the one responsible." Hawk said with a mixture of emotions before pulling Dagger into a tight hug.
"But Brooklyn would have never been involved with the Shadows if it weren't for me," Dagger said quietly.
"Hush," Hawk said right before he kissed her.
April 24th
"Dagger, about the kiss last night, it meant..."
"Nothing right?" Dagger cut him off, knowing all too well how men can behave when a relationship comes up. She had learned about that when she had dated Rage, Squall's second in command. One day it was love, the next it meant nothing.
"No, it meant a lot to me, but what did it mean to you?" Hawk replied, hurt that she thought it meant nothing.
"Everything," she answered smiling.
"That's a good thing," Hawk said breathing out a sigh of relief. "Now, about the fight with Squall, I'm going alone. I'm not telling you when I'm going either."
"Fine, you can go by yourself, but tell us when you leave. If you don't come back after awhile, me and Twilight'll go check it out," Dagger said in a way that he knew that arguing would be pointless.
"Ok, that's fine," Hawk replied just as stubbornly as his friend.
"Hey Hawk, when I asked Doc why he came, he told me I had a better chance to live. What did he mean?"
"Doc was smart, but he couldn't fight. I tried to teach him how to defend himself once, at his request, but he just couldn't pick up the flow. You need to be able to flow to fight well. You have a better chance at living because you're smart and you can flow. You're gonna make it out of it; off these streets. Doc wouldn't have and he would have been miserable," Hawk said somberly.
Dagger just nodded and the two stood in silence, as if giving a quiet tribute to their fallen friend.
April 25th
"I'm going today Dags," Hawk said on his way out. "Give me three hours. If I'm not back by then, come check on me."
"Ok," Dagger replied, still sure that him going by himself wasn't a smart move. She went back to her normal routine, but kept a close eye on the time, and when a little over two hours had passed, she headed to Queens.
In Queens
Dagger walked around in a daze of familiarity as she passed by her old hangouts. She headed to the old Shadow hideout, hoping it hadn't moved and was relieved when she saw signs of life from inside. She walked in, stopping all activity and conversations that were going on.
"Where the hell is Squall?" she demanded when she couldn't see him in the room.
"I'm over here Kate. What do you want?" Squall's cold voice came from a corner as he moved into the light so she could see him.
"Where's Hawk?"
"I haven't seen him."
"Bull! Where is he?"
"I don't know Kate," Squall insisted as one of the newest Shadows, Burgundy, ran in from the outside.
"Hey Squall, there's some guy in the alley by Pete's Bar. He said to come get you and somebody named Dagger. He figured she'd be here," she said, her voice full of worry.
"Oh she's here alright," Dagger said bitterly and fearfully at the same time. She grabbed Squall's arm and demanded she take him to where Hawk was, since she hadn't heard of Pete's Bar before.
~*~
"Hawk!" Dagger screamed as she ran over to his body. 'I'm too late' she silently lamented as Squall stood back, a stoic expression on his face.
"The Spades did this," Squall said, his voice giving even less emotion than his face.
"Who?"
"This other gang that's moved in since you left. They used to be in Harlem but decided they liked Queens better. You see that shape on his arm?" Squall asked pointing to a small spade shape carved into Hawk's arm. "That's their symbol. My guess is your boy had some debt with them."
"But he never told me anything about them."
"Think about it. They killed him. He didn't want you getting mixed up with them."
"How do you know all of this?" Dagger asked suspiciously.
"I have my sources."
"I bet you do. You have something to do with this, I know you do," Dagger said before walking away with a look of determination and with Hawk's body over her shoulder.
~*~
When Dagger got back, everyone knew it was not good news that they were going to receive. They knew what the tears rolling down her cheeks meant. They knew their leader was gone; their friend was gone.
"Squall didn't do it," she said still sure he was connected somehow.
"What do you mean?" Britain asked, her green eyes full of tears.
"She means he's too much of a pansy to kill the man you love. Doc was close to you, but in a different way. Basically he hired a hit man," a stocky, yet curvy girl said, while tucking her blonde hair up under her cap. "I'm Bittah by the way. I grew up with Hawk, and just found out he was here."
"Bittah? Like from the Shadows way back when?" Dagger asked amazed.
"Glad to see somebody still remembers me," Bittah said with a laugh. "You been in Brooklyn all this time kid?"
"For a little while. I just got out of the Shadows and I came right here," Dagger replied.
"Sorry to break up old home week gals, but we need to pick a new leader. I don't want to dishonor Hawk by picking someone new, but it has to be done," Dove commented, and everyone knew she was right.
"I think Twilight should be the leader. She's been here the longest," Dagger spoke up and the other newsies gave their approval. "What do you think about that Twilight?"
"Why not?" Twilight answered, a grin playing on her lips but the smile didn't reach her eyes, which were so similar to Dagger's.
April 26th
"Hawk was a great guy..." Britain was speaking at his funeral, but Dagger didn't hear her words. Her mind kept viciously throwing images of her and Hawk at her. Images of when the first met, how he taught her how to sell papes, how he came as her backup when she fought Squall, how a fight between the two had led to their first and only kiss, and how she had carried his body home.
The night before these same images had haunted her dreams along with the many 'what if' scenes that played through her head. What if she had tried harder to stop Hawk? What if she had followed him? What if she had killed Squall when she had the chance?
She had woken from her nightmare before the sun had risen and she had slowly crept up to the roof, where she cried, a mix of anger, regret, and sadness filling her.
"Dagger? C'mon. It's over, let's go," Bittah said as she gently pulled Dagger away from her friend's casket but not away from the lingering images inside her mind.
~*~
When everyone was back at the lodging house, Dagger decided to talk to the others.
"I've decided to stop Squall no matter what," was all she said, her green eyes no longer a warm green color, but an icy color that can only be brought out by anger.
"I'm coming with you. Hawk was my friend too, plus I need to settle something with Rage when we're there," Bittah said, a devious smile on her face.
"Yea, I'll come along too. Nobody messes with my friends without messing with me," Britain added.
Dagger nodded a silent thanks to the girls and the trio headed to Queens.
April 23rd
It had been a rough week for the Brooklyn newsies. They were all still in shock over Doc's death when Hawk announced that he would get revenge.
"Hawk, you need to take somebody with you in case Squall pulls any tricks," a girl named Britain said as she tucked her sandy blonde hair behind her ear.
"No, just me. I want that jerk to know that nobody messes with Brooklyn without paying for it," was Hawk's reply.
"Hawk, can I talk to you?" Dagger questioned, motioning toward the bunkroom. He followed her in, knowing she wanted to go with him to fight. "I'm coming. Squall will try something."
"You don't think I can beat him, do you?"
"No, I know you can, but not if he cheats. Let me come and I'll just hide somewhere," Dagger replied calmly although she knew he was just as stubborn as her and wouldn't move from his position without more of a fight.
"You aren't coming. I don't want you getting hurt."
"I can take care of myself!" Dagger yelled, furious that he thought she couldn't hold her own. "Haven't I proved that before?"
"You have, but if he pulls something, I don't want you there, just in case."
"I don't want you by yourself if he pulls something."
"You don't think I can handle whatever he throws out?" Hawk stated, rather than asked.
"No, I do, but..."
"But what Kate?"
"You're the only person that hasn't given me a dirty look since Doc died. I know I'm the reason he died, but you never made me feel worse about it. If something happened to you...this is my fight anyways."
"Nothing will happen to me. And I would never blame you for Doc's death. Squall was the one that pulled the trigger. He's the one responsible." Hawk said with a mixture of emotions before pulling Dagger into a tight hug.
"But Brooklyn would have never been involved with the Shadows if it weren't for me," Dagger said quietly.
"Hush," Hawk said right before he kissed her.
April 24th
"Dagger, about the kiss last night, it meant..."
"Nothing right?" Dagger cut him off, knowing all too well how men can behave when a relationship comes up. She had learned about that when she had dated Rage, Squall's second in command. One day it was love, the next it meant nothing.
"No, it meant a lot to me, but what did it mean to you?" Hawk replied, hurt that she thought it meant nothing.
"Everything," she answered smiling.
"That's a good thing," Hawk said breathing out a sigh of relief. "Now, about the fight with Squall, I'm going alone. I'm not telling you when I'm going either."
"Fine, you can go by yourself, but tell us when you leave. If you don't come back after awhile, me and Twilight'll go check it out," Dagger said in a way that he knew that arguing would be pointless.
"Ok, that's fine," Hawk replied just as stubbornly as his friend.
"Hey Hawk, when I asked Doc why he came, he told me I had a better chance to live. What did he mean?"
"Doc was smart, but he couldn't fight. I tried to teach him how to defend himself once, at his request, but he just couldn't pick up the flow. You need to be able to flow to fight well. You have a better chance at living because you're smart and you can flow. You're gonna make it out of it; off these streets. Doc wouldn't have and he would have been miserable," Hawk said somberly.
Dagger just nodded and the two stood in silence, as if giving a quiet tribute to their fallen friend.
April 25th
"I'm going today Dags," Hawk said on his way out. "Give me three hours. If I'm not back by then, come check on me."
"Ok," Dagger replied, still sure that him going by himself wasn't a smart move. She went back to her normal routine, but kept a close eye on the time, and when a little over two hours had passed, she headed to Queens.
In Queens
Dagger walked around in a daze of familiarity as she passed by her old hangouts. She headed to the old Shadow hideout, hoping it hadn't moved and was relieved when she saw signs of life from inside. She walked in, stopping all activity and conversations that were going on.
"Where the hell is Squall?" she demanded when she couldn't see him in the room.
"I'm over here Kate. What do you want?" Squall's cold voice came from a corner as he moved into the light so she could see him.
"Where's Hawk?"
"I haven't seen him."
"Bull! Where is he?"
"I don't know Kate," Squall insisted as one of the newest Shadows, Burgundy, ran in from the outside.
"Hey Squall, there's some guy in the alley by Pete's Bar. He said to come get you and somebody named Dagger. He figured she'd be here," she said, her voice full of worry.
"Oh she's here alright," Dagger said bitterly and fearfully at the same time. She grabbed Squall's arm and demanded she take him to where Hawk was, since she hadn't heard of Pete's Bar before.
~*~
"Hawk!" Dagger screamed as she ran over to his body. 'I'm too late' she silently lamented as Squall stood back, a stoic expression on his face.
"The Spades did this," Squall said, his voice giving even less emotion than his face.
"Who?"
"This other gang that's moved in since you left. They used to be in Harlem but decided they liked Queens better. You see that shape on his arm?" Squall asked pointing to a small spade shape carved into Hawk's arm. "That's their symbol. My guess is your boy had some debt with them."
"But he never told me anything about them."
"Think about it. They killed him. He didn't want you getting mixed up with them."
"How do you know all of this?" Dagger asked suspiciously.
"I have my sources."
"I bet you do. You have something to do with this, I know you do," Dagger said before walking away with a look of determination and with Hawk's body over her shoulder.
~*~
When Dagger got back, everyone knew it was not good news that they were going to receive. They knew what the tears rolling down her cheeks meant. They knew their leader was gone; their friend was gone.
"Squall didn't do it," she said still sure he was connected somehow.
"What do you mean?" Britain asked, her green eyes full of tears.
"She means he's too much of a pansy to kill the man you love. Doc was close to you, but in a different way. Basically he hired a hit man," a stocky, yet curvy girl said, while tucking her blonde hair up under her cap. "I'm Bittah by the way. I grew up with Hawk, and just found out he was here."
"Bittah? Like from the Shadows way back when?" Dagger asked amazed.
"Glad to see somebody still remembers me," Bittah said with a laugh. "You been in Brooklyn all this time kid?"
"For a little while. I just got out of the Shadows and I came right here," Dagger replied.
"Sorry to break up old home week gals, but we need to pick a new leader. I don't want to dishonor Hawk by picking someone new, but it has to be done," Dove commented, and everyone knew she was right.
"I think Twilight should be the leader. She's been here the longest," Dagger spoke up and the other newsies gave their approval. "What do you think about that Twilight?"
"Why not?" Twilight answered, a grin playing on her lips but the smile didn't reach her eyes, which were so similar to Dagger's.
April 26th
"Hawk was a great guy..." Britain was speaking at his funeral, but Dagger didn't hear her words. Her mind kept viciously throwing images of her and Hawk at her. Images of when the first met, how he taught her how to sell papes, how he came as her backup when she fought Squall, how a fight between the two had led to their first and only kiss, and how she had carried his body home.
The night before these same images had haunted her dreams along with the many 'what if' scenes that played through her head. What if she had tried harder to stop Hawk? What if she had followed him? What if she had killed Squall when she had the chance?
She had woken from her nightmare before the sun had risen and she had slowly crept up to the roof, where she cried, a mix of anger, regret, and sadness filling her.
"Dagger? C'mon. It's over, let's go," Bittah said as she gently pulled Dagger away from her friend's casket but not away from the lingering images inside her mind.
~*~
When everyone was back at the lodging house, Dagger decided to talk to the others.
"I've decided to stop Squall no matter what," was all she said, her green eyes no longer a warm green color, but an icy color that can only be brought out by anger.
"I'm coming with you. Hawk was my friend too, plus I need to settle something with Rage when we're there," Bittah said, a devious smile on her face.
"Yea, I'll come along too. Nobody messes with my friends without messing with me," Britain added.
Dagger nodded a silent thanks to the girls and the trio headed to Queens.