~*~ Say When ~*~

"My own two hands will comfort you"

June

May soon turned into June and Spot was honestly surprised by how content life was with the Snow's. The periods of laughter far outweighed the yelling, though it wasn't perfect. Bea often times got on her older sister's nerves but it was normal. Mrs. Levy fell ill the first week so Mrs. Snow had her stay home with Naomi and Spot. He was almost positive they'd end up strangling each other before the week was out but it never happened. The saying that blood was thinker than water seemed to apply to this family and it inwardly baffled him every time.

As the month progressed, Spot noticed the air in the apartment turn from happiness to bittersweet, to sadness. On the twenty-second, after finishing dinner, he watched Mrs. Snow hug Naomi, who seemed more upset than the other two, and gave her a light kiss on the forehead. "I have off tomorrow, but I'll have to go in Sunday." Mrs. Snow said her voice soft and low.

Naomi only nodded and began to clean up the table before starting the dishes. Mrs. Snow cast him a sad smile before putting a hand on his shoulder, squeezing lightly, and then heading to bed.

He stood, moved to grab a dish towel to help dry just as a glass slipped out of Naomi's hand and shattered on the floor. Falling to her knees, she began to clean it up quickly.

"Is everything alright?" Her mother called out of the room.

"It's fine. I've got it." Naomi shouted back, but only he heard the slight quiver as he leaned down to help her pick up the shards, "Be caref-" she began to tell him but she cut herself off with a gasp as a piece slipped through her finger and a trail of bright red began to blossom from the finger. Abruptly, she dropped what was in her hand to stick her finger in her mouth

Spot quickly grabbed the broom and dustpan and swept up the remaining pieces before tossing it in the trash bin and going over to the girl. Her black hair was down as was usual, but she seemed less put together than usual because it was messy as it blocked her face from sight. Slowly, he lowered himself down beside her, "Lemme see." He murmured, holding out his hand.

With great care, she removed her finger from her mouth and set her hand in his. He marveled silently at how small and delicate they were before looking at the cut, it wasn't deep and it had already stopped bleeding. "See? Not deep. You'll be just fine." He told her, dipping his head slightly to meet her green eyes through her mass of hair.

The moment their eyes met, tears began to fall and she was suddenly wrapping her arms around his neck, her body beginning to shake in silent sobs as she buried her face into the crook of his neck. Stunned, he sat there, one arm at his side, the other in its sling pinned between their bodies. Then, gradually he brought his good arm up to rub her back in comfort which seemed only to make her shake more.

Spot looked around the kitchen, wondering if Bea or Mrs. Snow would come out and comfort her in a way he was sure he couldn't, but the door was shut and no light came out from underneath them so he knew they were asleep. He tried not to think the horribly inappropriate thoughts like how her body was pressed against his, how her head fit into the crook of his neck and how her arms felt around his neck. She was crying so he shouldn't be picturing those lips in his mind, but he was.

They sat like that so long that his leg started to go numb but he ignored it as he continued to rub her back gently. "Shhh." He murmured trying to calm her and it seemed to work because her body stopped shaking and finally she unlatched herself from around his neck and moved back from him.

Even though it was June and the summer air was sticky hot, the lack of her body against him was like a bucket of ice thrown on him and he tried to ignore what that could mean. What was he doing? When had the King of Brooklyn ever comforted a crying girl? What was happening to him?

Except when he watched her, drying her tears and looking away in embarrassment, he knew there was no way he could have pushed her away. That thought alone was enough to cause the smallest stab of fear to pierce him in the pit of his stomach. Because when you let someone in, it gave them the opening to hurt you and Spot had had that happen too many times. That in turn made him angry because hadn't he learned? After all these years, he knew that he could only count on himself, so why was being here with these women giving him all these foreign emotions? Emotions that were messy, complicated, and didn't solve his problems in the least. What had they done to him?

Pushing himself back from her with his good arm, he leaned against the counter and watched her silently. He knew she'd apologize, could already hear her in his mind, and then she'd explain. She was a terrible liar, he had realized some time ago. She'd been lying to him every couple of weeks when she went to visit her 'friend'. The mysterious person she never told him about.

"I'm sorry." Her voice was quiet and strained as she wiped her cheeks, which were red and splotchy. Crying did not look attractive on her, he thought as her blood-shot and watery eyes met his. "I-it'll be two years ago tomorrow since my father died."

It was as simple as that. "Come here." He said, motioning to the side with his good arm and she crawled the short way to sit next to him, curling up beside him as he put his arm around her.

Silly, how easily this one person had wormed her way inside him. It had been barely three months and already he couldn't imagine not seeing her everyday; which confused him because his plans to go back to Brooklyn had not changed. He could already forgive her for keeping whatever secret she had because he had plenty of secrets himself. Besides that, she was always so honest and just so good one could assume she was an angel. He couldn't imagine her secret hurting him in anyway. It was almost laughable that they sat here because girls like her did not often give boys like him the time a day. Not to mention he was sure he'd have despised her had he met her on the streets. One smart word from that pretty mouth would have had him grinding his teeth and walking away, cane tapping lightly on the ground.

Back then he'd only liked the easy ones because they couldn't get to him. He could use them and toss 'em at a single moment's notice and none could get close enough to stab him in the back. Someone like Naomi would have escaped his radar had events not forced them together in this tiny apartment.

"Sorry." She murmured again, bringing him from his unsettling thoughts.

"Foah what? Having emotions?" He asked, chuckling slightly before adding, teasingly, "Just goes ta show ya human."

She avoided his eyes as she told him, "Sometimes, I wish I wasn't. Then maybe it wouldn't hurt so much."

He jerked his head in her direction, removing his arm from around her to turn her chin to face him, eyes blazing as he told her sharply, "Never wish that. I've known plenty who weren't human. They didn't mind stabbing someone in da back. Not even their brother." The surprise in her face forced him to loosen his grip and soften his voice as he added, "Ya family are the closest ta human I've evah seen. Ya didn't deserve ta lose ya father, but sometimes losing people shows us just how strong we actually are."

Letting his grip on her go completely, he settled his arm back around her and for some time they sat there in silence, taking comfort in each other's presence. For the first time ever, Spot let himself relax.

July

Half way through July, Spot felt himself hit his breaking point. He was so restless, cooped up in the apartment all day every day with nothing but cooking, cleaning, and the occasional card game to occupy his time. He yearned to go outside; farther than the rooftop which was the only place Naomi would let him.

"Come on, Naomi, just down the block ta buy a pape." He tried to reason with her one morning.

"Yeah and if that newsboy happens to be friends with your enemies and follows you back down the street right here to this apartment, what then?" She asked, putting her hands on her hips and meeting his level gaze, "You can get into fights, but don't you bring your enemies back here, Spot Conlon."

He glared, hating how she was right and how he readily agreed with her. The last thing he wanted was to see Lily, Bea, and most especially Naomi in harm's way because of him. That would be a nice thank you. Not.

Grumbling, he shuffled off to go up the fire escape but stopped abruptly when she called out, "I have an idea."

"Go on." He replied, waiting for a terrible idea with his back still towards her.

He heard her walk towards him and around him to meet him face-to-face, "How about we go out tonight. Just after sunset. So it won't be late, but it'll be too dark for anyone to really recognize you."

It grew quiet as he thought it over. It was a good idea, they could stay out of light of the street lamps, and no one would think he was up walking around. "I think dis could work."

A bright smile broke out across her face and his heart nearly skipped a beat. They hadn't had any close contact since that night. They hadn't talked about it and things had gone almost back to normal, except he had the occasional inappropriate thought every now and then. Actually, more often than that but it wasn't something he'd readily admit to.

Once Bea and Mrs. Snow were home, they explained their plans and the two agreed an evening walk would be nice. They ate an early dinner and when the sun had nearly fallen below the horizon they locked the door behind them and headed out into the nearly empty streets. A man on horseback was moving down the street in the opposite direction, lighting the oil lamps.

"Mm, what a wonderful evening." Naomi commented, looping one arm through Bea's and the other through Spot's good arm.

Bea nodded her head vigorously in agreement and looped her free arm through her mother's. "It's nice to get out."

They passed an older couple strolling along the opposite way and they smiled and nodded to them. They all smiled back in greeting and kept walking, "How far should we go?" Mrs. Snow asked after the first block.

"Oh, I wish Central Park wasn't so far." Naomi commented, "I bet it'd be lovely tonight. I haven't been there since last summer." She informed Spot.

He gave her a rare, genuine smile, "Same goes foah me. Of course, I used ta go ta Prospect Park or Battery Park in Brooklyn."

Bea leaned forward to meet Spot's gaze, "I've never been to Brooklyn before."

His mouth fell open in shock and the three women laughed as he sputtered, "No?"

Naomi shook her head, still laughing lightly, "None of us have. Not much reason to and my father use to tell me it wasn't the safest place."

"Listen, if you come there with me ain't no one gonna give ya trouble. I'll make shoah of that." He told her seriously. She glanced away and he wondered if she knew he was going back, if maybe him leaving upset her too much to think about. The thought of her missing him lightly stroked his ego before giving him a sort of pain in the left region of his chest that he tried to ignore.

They passed a vendor closing up his stall, but hesitated as he saw them approach, "Would ya like ta buy any fresh fruit?" He asked, respectively though none of them were dressed in any sort of finery. Spot glanced over the three girls, though, and thought that although they didn't dress in the best the Snow's seemed to all hold themselves in a way that would leave no doubt in your mind they were ladies.

Bea eyed the man, "How fresh can they be if they've been here all day and you're closing up now, sir?" She was thirteen, but young and pretty enough to get away with cheeky questions.

"Beatrice that is not a nice question to ask." Mrs. Snow scolded lightly.

The man's shoulders fell and he said, rather embarrassed, "Well, she's right, m'am. I'll give you half off whatever you'd like since I'm about ta close." He looked at the four expectantly and Spot surveyed him as Naomi leaned forward to gaze at the fruit. He was in his early thirties, tall, lean with shocking orange hair and bright blue eyes. It did not go unnoticed that he kept sneaking peeks at Mrs. Snow.

"Look, Spot! These grapes are a nice purple and firm. I bet they're sweet." Naomi told him, pulling him forward as she took a closer look. He'd quickly learned that grapes were her favorite while Bea and Mrs. Snow both favored pears. They had a small discussion on what to buy and if they could stretch their money when the vendor asked how much they were willing to spend. When they gave him an answer, he agreed to give them four pears, a bunch of grapes and an apple for half the price they had told him.

"That's a steal!" Mrs. Snow told the man, "We couldn't possibly…you're being far too kind Mr.…"

He smiled at her, "Moran. Aidan Moran. And it's no problem. I've done very well today and I just take care of myself so I don't mind giving your family a break."

"No wife?" Mrs. Snow asked, "But, surely you have your own family. We couldn't accept such a low cost for all that fruit."

Spot watched the exchange in interest as Aidan waved it away, telling her he didn't mind and that he was a widower so it was the least he could do to help such a lovely woman and her children.

"Mother, don't look a gift horse in the mouth." Naomi teased lightly, leaning over Bea to pull the money from her mother's hand and giving it to the fruit vendor, "Thank you so much, Mr. Moran. Perhaps you'll see my mother, her name's Lily, on her way to work tomorrow."

Lily Snow ran a hand over her wheat blonde hair, smoothing back the loose strands and giving a soft smile to Aidan, "Yes, I've gone by you many of times but I usually leave the shopping up to my oldest here, Naomi."

Aidan returned the smile, "You have two lovely daughters, you're husband must be very proud."

Bea, noticing what was going on, looked up at Mr. Moran with large, doe eyes, "My poor papa died a couple years back, God rest his soul." She told him and Spot hid a smirk as she wiped away a fake tear.

Naomi caught his eye and winked, before taking the bag of fruit off the man, "Maybe we'll see you around. Thank you, again, for such a great deal."

A sparkle of hope had appeared in his eye and he smiled and tipped an imaginary hat at the foursome as they turned to head back towards home. The soft dusk that had hung around after the sunset was quickly turning darker and the girls weren't use to being on the streets so late.

Bea and Mrs. Snow took longer strides the last block, talking and giggling about Mr. Moran. Naomi fell back with Spot as they neared the apartment building and she gave him a smile, "Glad we did this. We might have to do it more often. Did you see how that man made eyes at my mother? It was incredibly sweet."

"Well, ya mothah is somethin' else." He informed her; silently glad when she looped her arm back through his good one.

The dark-haired girl at his side bumped her hip lightly against his, "She is. She's a Henry woman, though, so that means automatically that she's wonderful. At least, that's what my grandfather use to say."

"Henry women, aye?" He asked as they stopped in front of her building and just stood there, too content to be in the summer air to go inside the stuffy apartment. "I'll have ta keep my eyes open foah one of them."

She laughed at his teasing, "Better look fast, it's said that they fall in love very young but that it's always true love."

He raised his eyebrows at that, "Yeah?"

Naomi nodded, "My mother was sixteen. My grandmother had been fourteen. Of course, my mother had it a bit harder because she was upper class and gave it all up for my father. Not that my grandparents really gave her a hard time, they liked my father and helped out as much as possible but my mother sometimes got frustrated because she wanted to be independent. Which, I guess, we are now that all three have passed away."

Spot watched her face, "Ya sixteen, aren't ya?"

"Seventeen. I'll be eighteen at the end of summer." She didn't meet his eyes and he wondered if she had found her true love. If that was the person she went to see every few weeks and he suddenly felt silly, liking her as much as he did when her heart was not in it. But, she didn't exactly act like her heart wasn't in it so what if he was wrong?

He took a sudden step forward and she turned to meet his unwavering gaze. If she kissed him back, he decided then there was a chance. If not…well, he'd deal with it if it happened. "Can I kiss ya?" He'd never asked a girl permission before, just stealing kisses from girls he knew he could have but Naomi was different. Different from any girl he'd ever met because he didn't know he could have her and if he could, could he keep her? She was so good and he didn't have the cleanest past by any means.

"Yes." Was her simple reply, but he noticed her green eyes had darkened just a touch before he closed the distance between them, pulling her closer by putting his good arm around her waist.

The heat of her body against his, the feel of her soft lips as they met his nearly had him groan. Her arms circled around his neck and played with the hair at the nape and that caused tiny sparks from her fingers to slide down his spine. She sighed against his lips and he knew that whoever she saw couldn't mean so much to her if she was kissing him. That thought had him feeling like he was on top of the world. Slowly, he let his tongue slip out and brush across her bottom lip and he reveled in the taste of her when she opened her mouth to let him in.

When they broke apart, he felt her sag against him and tightened his arm, "You awright?" He asked, worried.

"Mhm. Just made my knees weak." She told him, laying her head on his shoulder and looking up at him shyly.

That small, genuine statement floored him. He loved her blunt honesty. Chuckling, he pulled her to the steps of the apartment building, "Bettah go in befoah ya muddah starts worrying."

"Wait." She said, stopping him at the top, "One more?"

That question made him laugh a full real laugh and he was still shaking with laughter when he closed the distance between them once more.

A/N: Oops, forgot to put one of these in here. Not much to say, hope you're all enjoying! As always, thanks to those who keep reviewing and for those reading, drop me a review! Btws, this isn't the end! Just a little bit of happiness before...well, I won't say anymore! You'll just have to wait!

Truly,

Joker is Poker with a J~

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