Hear the Bells in Brooklyn

Chapter Ten;; Hanging by a Moment

Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies. I do own Brooklyn/Rookie, I created her and she's ALIVE!! BWHAHAHA!

Ehem…sorry about that. Yeah, anyway, Disney owns Newsies.

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By four o'clock that afternoon, the newsie were heading back to the lodging house; most had arms full of beer bottles. All but one. Rookie only held four soda bottles, she didn't care for beer. In her opinion, it was as bad as rum. When abused, it turned even the most respectable, high-classed men into complete dogs, and she wanted no part of it.

Of course all of the guys had given her neck about it, but she had flat out refused their offers. "Bad tasting, cheap liquor does not tempt my taste," she had replied when Racetrack had waved a bottle under her nose, trying to coax her into buying one.

"Den what does tempt yer taste?" Skittery had asked in mock-flirtation, sidling up to her and slipping an arm around her waist. Spot had turned his head at this, and out of the corner of her eye, Rookie saw his eyes flash. But since he had been ignoring her, she decided to play around with Skittery.

"I don't know, Skitts," she had said, batting her eyelashes over-zealously to let the guys know she was just joking around. "Someone tall, dark, and handsome." She had run her hand over his curly, light brown hair and grinned. Spot had slowed down so he walked about five feet from Skittery's side. Rookie was almost positive that he was trying to catch her eyes. "But I guess two out of three isn't bad." And with that, she had slipped out of his grip, leaving him with his mouth open.

"Which two?" he had asked quickly, while the guys laughed at the confused Skittery. Just to annoy him even more, she shrugged innocently and walked over to Racetrack, changing the subject of conversation. Racetrack couldn't stop laughing for at least a minute, which kind of ruined the "air of mystery" that she had been going for.

When they reached the Lodging House, a few of the guys were still giving Skittery a hard time about what Rookie had said to him. She just smiled triumphantly at him when he play-punched her in the arm as "payback".

As soon as they got into the bunk room, everyone went to their bunks to stow their beer where they could watch it. Around the lodging house, no one trusted anyone with their own beer. Rookie put her soda on her bunk under each corner of the mattress. She memorized how she had placed them, just in case one of the guys decided to try and switch her soda to beer to get her drunk.

The scraping of wood-on-wood caught Rookie's attention and she turned around to see the guys moving all their bunks out of the way. She guessed that it was so they had more room to move around and less of a chance to run into hard inanimate objects when their veins were filled with alcohol.

Rookie immediately jumped into help, walking over to help Swifty, Boots and Snipeshooter move a bunk. They gave her a "what-the-heck-do-you-think-you're-doing" look, and she simply responded with "I'm helping, deal with it." They seemed satisfied with that answer and seemed to enjoy the help also. It was one of the hardest things that Rookie had ever done, even with help, but she felt very proud of herself when the bunk hit the wall.

She moved on to help Jack, Racetrack and Spot move one. "What do chyou tink yer doin', Rook?" Racetrack asked as she sidled up to him. "Dis ain't goils' woik." Figuring that she would be asked this with everyone she tried to help, she replied with the same answer.

"I'm helping you guys out," she said, giving a cough as they pushed the bunk across the room to the wall. "Deal with it." Racetrack mumbled something that she couldn't hear, but Jack patted her on the back.

"Loinin' ta stand on yer own feet," he said as they reached the wall. "I'm prouda ya, Rookie." Rookie beamed a grin and then went to go help elsewhere.

David and Sarah arrived around five o'clock, when all of the beds were moved back. "Just like ya ta come when all of da woik is done," Crutchy commented with a smile as he hobbled passed. Even he had done his part, pushing against the bedposts as hard as he could despite his bum leg and crutch. David gave a short laugh and went up to Jack to talk about something or other.

Sarah was holding a crate of something, but she looked to be struggling with it slightly. Rookie went over and helped her haul it to an empty bed. Uncovering it, she found it to be three loaves of bread, a large pot of soup and about apples. "Where'd you get all of this?" Rookie asked as they moved a small table over to the bed and began to put the food on it.

"My mother and I baked the bread and made the soup," Sarah explained as they carefully placed the soup on the rickety table. "And then David bought the apples. I think they're kind of unnecessary, though. I mean, how are all of you guys going to split those between you? But David said he wanted to help out, so I didn't protest."

"Thank you, and thank your mother for us newsies," Rookie said with a smile that Sarah returned. "It was really great that you guys made this for us."

"It was no problem, Rookie," Sarah replied. "We had a lot of extras left over from the meal Mother and Father are going to have with Les. Not to mention I wanted to help you guys out too."

"Oh stop lying," Rookie said jokingly. "Everyone knows that you just wanted to make your Jacky-boy happy." Sarah laughed and nodded, not denying a word of it.

Rookie marveled at how she and Sarah got along so well. They hardly saw each other over the small time span that Rookie had joined the Manhattan Newsies, and yet they acted as if they were old friends that had grown up together.

I guess it's just a girl thing, she thought to herself as she and Sarah discussed this and that while the boys made more changes to the room, like hauling up another small table and chairs from downstairs so that they could play cards. She could never imagine any of the guys talking to any other guy like she was with Sarah after knowing them for only a short amount of time.

"Sos, when does da party start?" Snipeshooter asked impatiently. His question triggered the other guys to direct similar questions towards Jack and Spot.

"Relax, boys," Jack said. "We's just waitin' for a couple o' Spot's newsies ta come down. Dey should be heah soon, yeah Spot?" Spot nodded and walked over to one of the windows, twirling his cane.

"Dey're at da door now," he stated. "Dey'll be up in a minute or so." The room went quiet for a few minutes until the sound of several pairs of footsteps filled the room as they trumped up the stairs.

The door flew open and five newsies walked in. Three of them were boys and the two others were girls. Rookie took particular notice of these girls, as she hardly ever saw girl newsies and had never talked to one before. One was her height and had light auburn hair with dark red streaks highlighting the locks. Her light blue eyes were soft, yet Rookie could tell they were guarded. She was very pretty despite her roughed, wrinkled clothing, slightly messy hair and faint dirtiness to her. She must have been working hard that day.

The other was much taller, at least five-feet seven inches tall. She had black curly hair and steel-gray eyes. Her face held no expression, no emotion. She just looked around the room, examining everything and everyone. When her eyes fell upon Rookie, she raised her eyebrows. Rookie stared back, not knowing if she was to stand down and back off or not.

The girl cracked a smirk and walked up to Rookie. She walked in a circle around her, and Rookie stiffened slightly, just in case she had to be on her guard.

"Is dis da goil ya told us about, Spot?" she asked her leader as if Rookie wasn't standing right in front of her.

"Yeah," Spot replied, his tone nonchalant. "Yeah, dat's Rookie."

"I thought chyou said dat her name was Brooklyn," the she-newsie replied with a skeptical raise of her eyebrows.

"It was," he replied. "Befoe dees Manhattaners made her inta a newise."

"She's supposedta be a newsie?" the shorter one asked incredulously. "She's supposedta be a Brooklynite?" Rookie bit back her lip, not knowing what to say, or if she should even speak.

"C'mon Jack," the taller one said, looking to the Manhattan leader. "Chyou signed up ta help some richie?" Jack put his hands up defensively.

"Dazzle, leave me outta dis," he said. His tone was edged, and turned sharp as he broke into his next sentence. "Are chyou doubtin' me? Do ya tink I would even consida Rookie if I didn't tink dat she would make a good newsie? What about Spot? Are chyou doubtin' him too?" His tone challenged her talk back, to challenge his superior judgment.

"Seems real quiet," the shorter one said. "Is she a mute or sumethin?"

"What would you like me to say?" Rookie snapped, her tolerance for the verbal abuse finally breaking. "How did you gain any right to judge me? Why should I reply to verbal attacks? Does it make you feel good about yourself to rant on someone that has only been a newsie for five days?" She coughed. "And I thought that the Brooklynites were supposed to be the toughest in all of New York." She narrowed her eyes at the girl in front of her, her own jade eyes flashing.

"Are you callin' us weak?" the girl asked vehemently, approaching Rookie threateningly. Rookie pretended to be shocked.

"Wow, you've got yourself a brain up there too!" she said in faux-amazement. "You sure could have fooled me." The girl clenched her fists and Rookie could see Dazzle out of the corner of her eye, bristling at the comment. The guys -Manhattan and Brooklyn- stood still, watching the scene unfold on edge.

"Why you little," the Brooklynite took two fast steps towards Rookie, winding up her fist. Rookie went ridged, readying herself to dodge.

"Echo." Before the other girl could reach Rookie, Spot's voice stopped her in her tracks. His voice was quiet, but so commanding that it was like a collar that pulled Echo back to where she had first stood. The tone of his voice had been so cold, it sent shivers up Rookie's spine. She coughed quickly, but kept her eyes locked with Echo's.

"Rookie," it was Jack's voice this time. It was more terse than cold, and it didn't send shivers up her spine like Spot's command to Echo had. Rookie took a step back, but didn't take her eyes of the other girl.

Echo took a step towards her, and Rookie didn't move. She returned the step after she saw Echo's fists relax at her side. She ignored Jack's don't-you-dare-make-another-move "clearing of his throat". Echo spit on her hand and held it out towards Rookie. Rookie hesitated before copying the motion and shaking Echo's hand firmly.

This is disgusting, she thought to herself. But she kept her face straight, not letting her true emotions seep through. She cracked a smirk and Echo followed her example.

"Nice ta meetcha, Rookie," Echo said as they withdrew their hands. "Good ta know dat chyou ain't no stuck-up, no-nothin, soft-type richie."

"Same to you, Echo," Rookie replied. The whole room seemed to take a breath as the two smiled at each other, but then eyes turned to Dazzle.

"Ya ain't so bad, kid," Dazzle said, approaching Rookie. She held out her hand and the two spit-shook and the mood in the room became light again. When no one was looking though, Rookie wiped her hand on her pants and shuddered with a cough.

Rookie was introduced to the three Brooklyn guy newsies that had come. There was Axel, Falcon and Viper. Axel wasn't that tall, but he was muscled and broad. He had dark brown hair that was cut very short, hidden by his hat when it was placed on his head. His eyes were a dark blue, as if they were little pieces of the midnight sky cut into his eyes. Rookie also felt his strength, for when he shook her hand, she swore he almost broke it.

Falcon was only an inch or so taller than Axel, but his looks were completely different. Everything about him was defined; the shape of his jaw, the slope of his nose, his quick hands and his sharp eyes. His hair was a golden blonde, a shade darker than Rookie's. His eyes were a very light shade of green, they were almost yellow. He was very cordial, asking how she was doing as they spit-shook.

Viper was either Italian or Spanish, tanned skin to match dark hair. He didn't sound either, though, spoke with a perfect Brooklyn accent (if there is such a thing). His eyes were so dark brown they were practically black, matching his hair. His hair was combed neatly back, and everything about him -his straight posture, his dark clothing, his hair, his eyes- said one thing; slick. He was handsome, Rookie had to admit, but felt no attraction as her heart only belonged to one particular newsie King.

When all the introductions were over, the party began. Everyone started talking to everyone, a card game started and the beer came out. Rookie sighed and sat by herself on a bunk. She didn't want to play cards, she didn't care for beer and she didn't feel like associating with Viper. Viper was standing by himself, staring at the card game. He didn't seem to actually watching, only staring off into a world of his own. And apparently, he was also lost in this world because Rookie watched him not move a muscle when Kid Blink tossed a "'ey Vipa," as he walked by.

Two hours went by of Rookie walking around the room, sipping one of her sodas, having a spoonful of soup and a piece of bread, and entering some random conversations. It was all extremely boring, and even the newsies seemed not to be enjoying themselves as they usually did when they got together.

"Hey, Itey!" Rookie said, walking over to him as his conversation ended with Falcon and he walked away. He turned around and smiled at her in his usual pleasant disposition.

"What's up, Rook?" he asked her as she coughed in her fist.

"Nothing," Rookie replied, clearing her throat. "And that nothing is going to drive me crazy. This is your idea of a party, drinking, card games and standing around and talking?"

"Well, no," Itey replied. "We usually have parties hosted by Medda, but she had too many shows tahnight ta help us out. We's kinda just wingin' it tahnight."

"But what about dancing?" Rookie asked. "What about having fun. This isn't a party, this is a gathering of newsies." Itey seemed to consider the thought before nodding.

"What doya tink could liven tings up?" he asked. Rookie shrugged.

"Can you dance?" she asked him.

"Yeah, I rememba a few steps dat someone taught me a while ago," he replied. "But it's not dat sissy waltz dat chyou richies do."

"Good," Rookie replied with a smile. "Can you teach me?"

"Uh, Rookie, dere's no music," Itey replied slowly, running his fingers through his jet-black hair. Rookie thought this over quickly, before looking around the room.

"Boots, Snipeshooter!" she called across the room. The two broke their conversation with Skittery and Specs and walked over to Rookie and Itey.

"What's up?" Boots asked as they reached them.

"Can you drum up a beat?" Rookie asked them. Both of them looked to each other and then nodded. "Great. Itey, describe the kind of beat you want and I'll go down and ask Kloppman if he has pots and pans down there that you can use."

"He should," Boots said thoughtfully.

"What for?" Snipeshooter asked.

"You'll see," Rookie replied. She looked to Itey, who nodded. She slipped out of the room and went downstairs to go look for the pots and pans and boxes that they would need for Snipshooter and Boots to be able to drum out.

When she returned with a box filled with old pots and pans, she received a few odd side glances as she walked over to where Itey was talking animatedly to the two younger newsies. When they were set up, they began tap out the beat. It was one Rookie had never heard before, light and happy and alive. The first few bars were filled with staccatos and fortes, and she immediately found her self taken away.

Itey took her right hand in his left and placed his right on her left hip. She lay her left hand and laid it on his right shoulder. "Folla my lead," Itey instructed. He pulled her into the part of the room where there was the most room and they began to dance. He brought her around the floor in a flurry of perfectly choreographed moved, as if he had many a practices of the dance.

They attracted a lot of attention, every newsie in the room (plus Sarah) turned to watch them dance. They seemed to look mildly interested, and even Dazzle looked towards the two with some sort of envy. Even when Rookie tripped, Itey was able to lift her off the ground to make it look natural.

"You remembered just a few steps?" Rookie asked her dance partner with a smile.

"It's just da same few steps ova and ova again," Itey replied. "Now I'm gonna spin ya out. Don't let go of my hand an' I'll spin ya back in." Rookie nodded and spun out, but lost grip of Itey's hand. But instead of just falling over herself, she kept spinning. When she stopped, it wasn't gracefully and she was very dizzy, but she still got a few cheers.

She walked over to Itey and he smiled at her. "Good job," he said. She thanked him in between her coughing and laughed when she finished.

"That was so much fun," she said with a broad smile.

"Looks like da udda's thought so too," Itey said, acknowledging behind her. She turned around and saw that Kid Blink had asked Dazzle to dance, and she accepted.

Mush walked over to Rookie and Itey. "'ey Itey," he said. "Doya mind if I steal dis goil from ya? It's beena long time since I've danced." Itey nodded and Rookie tooke Mush's hand. He led her out and led her into a dance. They swept around, rounding about the area with Dazzle and Blink.

Rookie saw Spot ask Echo to dance, and soon they were on the floor together. They kept their eyes locked, and they seemed to be having a rather intense conversation. She also took notice that Spot was no longer wearing the fleece she had bought him, but the blue shirt that he had replaced for it in the carriage. Suddenly, Rookie had a very bad stomach ache and had to slip off of the floor. Mush asked her if she was alright and she just nodded, claiming she needed a bit of fresh air.

She took a new soda bottle and walked out into the hallway. She opened the window and walked out onto the fire escape. Climbing up the escape, she reached the roof and walked over to the edge that faced toward the Brooklyn Bridge and stared out onto it. She coughed a few times, which caused her to wonder when she would be well again. If she had been home, two days of bed rest and cough syrup and she would have been perfectly fine.

Wait a second. Why was she think of home?

But it isn't home any longer, she told herself sternly. I'm free of that damned cage now, I don't have to have a home.

You don't have to have a home, another part of her mind told her. But you want one.

I know.

She let out a deep sigh, taking off her hat and running her fingers through her hair. Sitting down on the cold stone, she brought her knees to her chest and wrapped her arms around her legs tightly. She rested her head onto her knees and closed her eyes, allowing herself to wander off into thoughts of her own life.

At this moment, if she was still Brooklyn, she would be at some fancy gala for one government charity or another. She would be dressed in a beautiful gown with jewels around her neck, on her wrists and fingers, even in her hair. She would be dancing with Cal -she shuddered- and eating the finest food that money could buy. She certainly wouldn't be sitting out in the freezing cold, practically coughing her lungs up every few minutes.

She lay flat on her back and stared up into the cloudy sky, presuming that it was to start snowing in a matter of minutes. She sure hoped that it would, as she really did enjoy it. She laughed to herself as she fell into a memory of a trip upstate to visit her Aunt Muriel and Uncle Frederick.

The visit was for Christmas, and it had snowed so hard that they couldn't leave the house for two days straight. In those two days, Brooklyn talked with her father about everything under the sun, almost nothing was out-of-bounds in their conversations, not even how ridiculously red Antoinette's face got when she was very angry.

-Flashback-

"That comes from your mother," Harold said with a small smile as he looked over at Brooklyn. "But you, you're more like me. When I get angry, people say that I get fierce and rather single-minded, I don't turn into a tomato. No, you're more like me than your mother, luckily for me. I don't think I would be able to handle three Mary-Ann Parkers."

-End flashback-

Rookie laughed as she mulled upon the memories. How she missed her father so. A warm tear rolled down her cheek and she shivered as she wiped it away. She hated to admit it, even to herself, but she did feel a pang of homesickness. After all, Antoinette had her moments when she wasn't a complete witch and Rupert always proved for nice carriage conversations once and a while. She missed her goose-downed bed and thermal comforter, along with hot baths in her porcelain bathtub. But most of all, she missed her little terrier, Rose.

Even Rookie wondered why she missed her dog the most. She figured that she missed the dog for a few different reasons that she could count off in her head.

One of the biggest reasons had to be that Rose was a present from her father, and her father only. Not only was Mary Ann infuriated that Harold had not told her about the gift, but she was ultimately upset that he had not also bought a puppy for Antoinette. Rookie remembered feeling proud that her father had gotten a special present just for her.

Another reason, she guessed, was that dogs couldn't gossip. After her father died, she didn't have anyone to talk to. Antoinette and her mother couldn't keep their mouths closed, even about private family matters. If Brooklyn had needed to talk, she would sit in her room and talk to Rose while she did her needlework or before she went to sleep. Dogs were incapable of telling one's secret, and they always were good listeners.

Her other reason, Rookie supposed, was that Rose was a source of unconditional love. No matter what, Rose had always loved Brooklyn. She was never angry with Brooklyn, and held no high expectations -or any expectations, for the matter- for her. Rose always seemed happy to be with her, no matter what she did or how she acted. No one she had ever met had ever treated her with such acceptance.

Rookie forced herself to cough to stifle a choke, another tear rolling down her cheeks. She missed having that unconditional love an acceptance she had found with Rose. The newsies were great, really great, but in a completely different way. They were like her brothers, her friends, but Rose had been her companion. Rookie knew that she couldn't have Rose back, but she really wanted another dog for a taste of that companionship once again. Maybe when she earned enough money she could by herself one. Maybe.

Something cold and wet touched her nose, causing a series of shivers to run through her body. "Brrr," she mumbled. She opened her eyes and set them to the sky straight above her and saw a few snowflakes beginning to float lightly to the earth below. She smiled, even though the frigid air had her so cold that her teeth were clattering together and she was rubbing her arms to keep them warm.

She closed her eyes again and pulled her large shirt collar over her chin. Yawning to herself, she started to slowly drift and doze away from where she lay. She was so cold, but suddenly a wave of exhaustion took over her and all she wanted to do was curl up and go to sleep. She was so close to sleep, so very close to drifting off into Nod. She could practically see her dream beginning, she was almost there.

Someone cleared their throat behind her, causing Rookie to jolt upward into a normal sitting position. She coughed and dusted some snow off of her clothing as she turned and looked behind her. There was Spot, twirling his can and staring at her with his eyebrows raised.

"What are ya doin' out heah?" he asked her in a drawl. His words weren't slurred, but she knew that he had been drinking downstairs during a card game. So she stood up and walked towards him, away from the edge of the building.

"Leaving," she replied shortly. If he wanted to be cold to her, she would be cold to him. She went to walk past him, but he stepped in front of her, blocking her way. She huffed and went to go the other way, but he cut in front of her once more with ease.

"What are you doing?" she snapped in frustration. "Get out of my way or leave." She closed her mouth quickly, knowing she had taken it a bit too far with her rudeness. But Spot didn't bat an eyelash, only looked mildly surprised.

"Make me," he said easily. There was a trace of command in his nonchalant tone.

"What?" Rookie asked in disbelief. A highly intelligent reply -hah-, but she couldn't believe what he had told her.

"Ya hoid me, 'Rookie'," he replied with a cocky smirk. "I's gonna stand heah 'til ya make me move." Rookie narrowed her eyes at him and turned around, walking back to her original spot, now covered with a thin layer of snow.

"Just call Echo up here and that'll make you move," she hissed under her breath.

"What'd chyou say?" Spot asked quickly.

"Nothing," Rookie replied, her eyes searching for the Bridge through the darkness and the snow. She could just see the silhouette of it's towering structure and the cords that held it up. Coughing, she scuffed her shoe on the cement, determined not to say a word more to Spot.

Let's see how he likes being ignored, she thought to herself bitterly.

"Chyou should come inside," Spot said suddenly. "Ya don't need ta get sicka den ya are."

"I'm not sick," she replied primly. "I've just got a-" she coughed "-little bit of a cough. What do you care anyway?" She coughed again into the crook of her elbow, her eyes tearing with the force of her hacks.

"Ya sound poifect," Spot said sarcastically. "Jack and me don't need no newsies getting' sick. Chyou've been out heah foah two hours. Come in."

"I don't want to," Rookie replied flatly. "I'd rather not be surrounded by a bunch of drunk guys, thanks-you-very-much." She had no tolerance for him at the moment. The warning Jack had given her about Spot was running through her mind, reminding her that it had been one of the biggest mistakes of her life to kiss him and let herself fall fast and hard for him.

"Dere's Echo and Dazzle, ya gotta get used ta dem." Rookie gave a short, harsh, bark of a laugh and shook her head.

"You've yet to answer-" she coughed "-my question, Spot," she snapped. "Why do you care-" she coughed "-all of a sudden, Spot? I am still not going back to Brooklyn, not yet."

There was a silence. Spot didn't say a word and Rookie didn't dare make a move. She just moved her eyes back to the snow, watching them twist and turn as they fell onto the street, on the roof, on her sleeve. The only sound was of her coughing. This felt too awkward, too much like this morning. Rookie wanted to get out of the situation as fast as she could. She turned around abruptly, but ran straight in to Spot who had been walking up behind her. He grabbed her upper arms to steady her from falling backward, yet when she steadied herself, he still didn't let go.

"Why?" he asked her intensely, his eyes boring holes into hers. Though her skin flared where he touched her, Jack's warning ran through her head over and over.

"You wouldn't understand," she replied through her teeth. "Please, let go of me and leave me alone. Please, just leave me alone. After this morning, it shouldn't be that hard." His face turned to stone and he let go of her.

"Ya don't trust me no more," he said coldly. She stood still and just stared at him. She didn't know if she trusted him anymore. At least not like she did a few nights ago. Did she trust him to protect her or stand up for her? Absolutely. Did she trust him to, if she was to go with him to Brooklyn, to make sure that she fit in, worked well and wasn't recognized? Without a doubt. But did she trust him with any part of her heart? Well she wasn't sure anymore, she would really have to think it over.

"Don't freeze," Spot snapped coldly, turning away. Rookie choked, stifling tears and trying not to cough. Spot stomped down the fire escape and she heard the window open below her. She coughed hard, rubbing her throat which was starting to hurt. She turned back to face out over the city and to the river, sitting down and pulling her knees to her chest. It was getting cold out, really cold, but she didn't want to go back into the lodging house.

She let her hair out of her braid and her locks fall over her ears and put her head down on her knees and coughed. She brought her arms crossed in between her legs and her stomach in hopes of keeping them warm. Closing her eyes, she hoped for sleep. She wished for sleep. She fell asleep.

--

"Rookie!" Rookie woke with a start as she heard her name called. She was freezing, snow was practically blanketing her. She stood up shakily, stumbling slightly. She could barely feel her feet, and her hands were numb. Her ears hurt they were so frozen and she couldn't feel her nose. She turned to see who had called her name, but in the snow only saw their outline.

"What da hell are ya still doin' out heah?" it was Spot. She walked over to the silhouette, dusting herself off. She was shivering uncontrollably, and only wanted to be warm. She flew into his arms, burying her head in his chest. She would have done the same thing to anyone who had found her, be it Spot or Mush or Itey or Jack or even Viper.

"Christ, Brooklyn!" he said, calling her by her original name. "Yer like a freakin' ice block or sumthin!" She felt him wrap something around her and then pulled her close. She coughed into his chest, but he didn't do anything to show that he protested. He just held her there, rubbing her arms in an attempt to warm them.

"We gotta getcha in dere," he said under his breath. She nodded and he led her over the steps and led her carefully down the fire escape. When they got to the window, he helped her over and led her down the hallway. But instead of leading her into the bunkroom, he led her into the sick room. He brought her over to the bed and placed her gently on it. She thanked him through clattering teeth and he didn't respond. He placed another blanket on her and paced around the room.

"What da hell were ya doin' up dere on da roof for so long? It's almost midnight!" he snapped at her. She followed him with her eyes, snuggling under the thin blanket and the fleece he had - the fleece! He had took his fleece and wrapped it around her. It was warming her quickly, but she was still shivering in her damp clothing.

"I don't know Spot, I was trying to get away from all of the guys," she replied, coughing slightly. "And then you just got me so upset that-"

"I got chyou upset?" Spot asked incredulously. "Are ya kiddin' me Brookl-Rookie?" He quickly corrected himself, remembering her new name. "I tell ya ta get inside sos ya don't freeze ta death, and chyou get all nasty wit me an' suddenly ya don't trust me no more?"

"Well you didn't give me a very good reason to today!" Rookie replied in an exasperated exclamation. She coughed before continuing; "I tell you that I'm enjoying it here and that I wasn't ready to go back to Brooklyn, and you completely ignore me, all of today. And then you expect me to tell you why I don't want to go back there yet? You've shown me today that you wouldn't be rational enough to understand."

Spot paced in front of the bed, glancing to and from her to the floor. He walked over to the bed and sat down by her feet. "Tell me," he commanded. "And if I don't get it, well den chyou can stay heah. But if I do, well den ya owe me sumethin."

"What?" Rookie asked, coughing once.

"Trust me," Spot said with the most serious tone she had ever heard him use in her short time of knowing him. Biting her lip, she nodded.

"All right then," she said with a nod. "I remember telling you that Brooklyn, my house, my family, was like one tiny little cage. Do you remember?" Spot nodded. "Well it was a cage, and to tell you the truth, I'm a little afraid of re-entering that cage. If I get caught, that door gets shut and I'm right back to where I started, perhaps in a worse state."

"Dat won't happen," Spot replied assuredly. "Chyou won't get caught. I'll make shoah of it myself." Rookie shook her head slightly, looking at the wall opposite her.

"You can't promise that, Spot," she replied. "You can't promise that my good friend Amelia won't be walking down the street and decide to buy a pape. Well what if she recognizes me? It's not even been a week, she hasn't forgotten my face. And what about my sister? We grew up together, side-by-side. I admit, I'm not too fond of her, but we know each other. And she can't forget my face. Slap some blonde hair and freckles on her and there's Brooklyn. And my mother, she may be oblivious, but she'll know her own daughter."

"But we can keep ya away from all of dem," he told her. She shook her head again.

"What if Antoinette is walking Rose -my terrier, remember?- down the street? What if by some miracle Antoinette doesn't recognize me? Rose will. My little dog is a smart thing. She'll recognize my smell, she'll know it's me. She'll have a fit and Antoinette or whoever is walking her will have to stop, and that will give them enough time to look at me and notice that I'm Brooklyn. Spot, we need to wait a little while before I can go back there." She turned her head and did the best that she could to cough into her shoulder. When she finished, she turned back to Spot. "I'm sorry, but not only can I not go back there for precautionary reasons, but I don't think that I'm mentally ready for it."

Spot stared at her , and nodded. "Okay," he said. "I'll make da arrangements wit Jack-y boy. I'll be right back." And with that, he stood up and walked out of the room, leaving Rookie sitting there with her mouth hanging partially open. He had understood, he actually understood. In all truth, she had expected him to get angry or frustrated with her. But he understood, he actually understood.

Now what did she owe him?

He came back into the room a few minutes later, and just as he did, some bells in a church far off began to chime.

One chime, two chime, three chime.

Spot walked slowly over to her bedside and looked down at her. "Cowboy says dat it ain't no problem for you ta stay heah a while longa." Rookie smiled and nodded.

Seven chime, eight chime, nine chime.

Spot bent down slightly, moving more towards Rookie. "Remembah I said dat chyou would owe me sumthin?" he asked her. She nodded slowly, and watched him move closer to her. He stared at her lips briefly, before moving his stormy blue eyes back to meet her jade. "Well ya gotta promise me sumethin'." Rookie nodded again, letting out another small cough.

Ten chime, eleven chime, twelve chime.

Rookie hardly had time to think about how they just entered the new millennia, as Spot was holding her gaze. "Chyou owe me yer trust. Ya gotta trust me, Rookie." She nodded.

"What about Echo?" she mumbled quietly. He raised his eyebrows and smirked.

"Echo?" he said, his eyes laughing at her. She was trying to ignore the fact that they were hardly inches away from each other. "Echo is one of da best goil newsies I've got. She's also a real good boidie. She goes around ta all da boroughs and checks out da goings on, and den reports back ta me. When we was dancin' she was tellin' me bout some fight dat broke out in Harlem consoinin' my name." He paused and he searched her face for an explanation.

"Were chyou, jealous of her?" he asked her, a superior smile growing on his face. "Why, Miss. Rookie, dat would mean dat chyou got sumthin ta tell me, wouldn't it?" She couldn't help but laugh and nod.

"But you have to come closer, it's a secret," she whispered harshly. He smirked and leaned closer. She leaned up and angled her face towards his ear. "I trust you," she whispered, giving a little cough. When she looked back to him, their noses were millimeters away from each other.

"You betta," he replied in a whisper, a smirk playing his lips. "Happy New Yeah, Brookie baby." And with that he moved his head slightly and captured her lips with his. Her whole body felt numb and she kissed him back willingly.

"Happy New Year, Spot," she replied as she drew back to take a breath. She raised her lips back to his and brought them into another kiss. He placed his hands on her side and brought her slowly up to a sitting position. She took her arms from underneath the blanket and fleece and wrapped them gently around his waist, leaving them there. And for how long, she didn't know, they were locked in that moment, in the first minute of the year nineteen hundred, warnings and cares and doubts forgotten.

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Author's Note: -smiles- Did you just love it? I had fun writing this chapter, as it took a few unexpected turns that I really didn't expect. This story is heading in a different direction then I had originally expected, but I hope you stick with me because it might take a little longer to produce chapters now because of this unexpected change.

Hope you guys enjoyed it, and I wish I could tell you approximately when chapter eleven will be out but I can't, I'm sorry. I have a good grasp on what's going to happen in twelve, but I kind of need a filler chapter, so I've gotta take a day or two to break and relax and bring something up that will keep this fic going.

Please, review if you liked it, critique if you didn't!

xEques

P.S Thanks to Seren McGowan and chacotan for your great reviews on chapter nine!