A/N - Sorry about the filler, I'm working in the trouble with Spot and Riot more than I should be, but it's do darn fun! Plus I mean, there always has to be more trouble in my stories than the characters can deal with. I'm a mean writer I am. But this is a mystery as well as romance so if there isn't a lot going on it's too easy to figure out right? Well, I hope people are reading this, reviews make my day thanks! - A/N

PS - I don't own Wraps or Spitfire they are owned by Just da Girl. Kate and the other Bishops are owned by Elyse. Any other characters not from the movie Newsies owned by Disney are owned by me.

"Declan, what the HELL are you doing here?" I stared at the young man who was currently smirking at me. He was actually cleaner, and not wearing his bowler hat. He had bronze colored hair cut rather short. In the light of the pub his eyes were a dark blue, almost cobalt. They were darker than Spot's but no less striking. He wore a white shirt with the sleeves rolled up a little past his elbows with a faded blue, long-sleeved shirt underneath. His pants were black and he had black suspenders on.

"I'm not allowed to go to other parts of the City? Tsk, tsk, girl."

"My name's Riot." Declan frowned at me and crossed his arms over his chest. I mirrored his stance, my eyes narrowed.

"That's not your real name, what's your real name?"

"That's good enough." Declan twisted his mouth and raised his eyebrows in a 'Oh really?' look.

Out of the corner of my eye I noticed that Wraps and Spitfire had stopped arguing and were watching me closely. Flushing in anger and frustration, I grabbed Declan's sleeve and pulled him back to the table where I was sitting with Kate and Ian. To my delight, Kate was freely conversing with Ian now, although she kept nervously tucking a strand of her brown hair behind an ear.

I briefly introduced Declan to them and then stared across the pitted and scarred table at Declan. He just gave me an innocent look back that I didn't trust.

"What are the odds of you showing up in the same borough, same neighborhood, same bar on the same night that I do?"

"Pretty good apparently," Declan said as he signaled a waitress to bring him a drink. Then he leaned forward in his chair, resting his forearms on the table, clasping his hands together loosely. I saw a tattoo on his left arm as the sleeve of his under-shirt rode up. It was a dagger, with a shamrock on the hilt. Underneath it were the words 'Saor Éire Deo'. I assumed it was Gaelic and the only word I knew was 'Éire' which meant 'Ireland'.

"What does your tattoo mean?" I asked as I tapped it idly with a finger. The muscles in his arm bunched as he brought his other hand up and drew his sleeve over it to cover the inked skin.

"Nothing, don't worry about it. So out on the town tonight then?" I frowned at him once more. A waitress came and deposited a glass of ale before him and he caught it up and drank deeply. I drank some of my own, and caught the woman's sleeve as she brushed by to ask for another. Declan gave me an amused look as I turned back to him once more.

"What?" I snapped irritably at him. Smirking, he brought up his hand and brushed his thumb across my upper lip. I pulled away from him, my face flushing. I was angry at the response my body showed, face turning red and butterflies suddenly erupting in my stomach.

Declan showed me the tip of his thumb, which was white with foam from the ale. Hastily I wiped my sleeve over my mouth and scowled at him.

"That doesn't answer my question. Why the Hell are you here? Don't be cute, Declan. This is ridiculous." Finally Declan began to show some temper as he raked a hand through his coppery hair and crossed his arms over his large chest. Really, it was strange for someone as short as him to be so heavily built. It wasn't fat either, it was muscle from what I could tell. He looked like a blacksmith.

"Maybe I wanted to see you again?" He said with a quirky smile, his dark blue eyes boring into mine. I snorted and took the last sip of my ale, pulling a face as I reached the dregs of the glass.

"Try again boyo."

"Is that so hard to believe?"

"I knew you for a day and a half. You stole my shillelagh and then we ran away from a deranged killer. That doesn't inspire me to want you to seek me out again. Besides, I'm seeing someone."

"Oh?" One of Declan's eyebrows rose in a questioning gesture. I nodded and smiled briefly at the waitress who gave me another drink. Hiding most of my face in the glass, I busied myself with sucking some of it down.

"Who is this man then?"

"Spot Conlon. Ever heard of him?" It could have been a trick of the light, but I swear that I saw Declan's lips thin and the knuckles on the hand grasping his glass of ale whiten as he tightened his fist.

"No can't say that I have."

"He's the leader of the Brooklyn newsies."

"Ahh so he's young then."

"He's my age or a year older. We're not young."

"You're under twenty."

"So what, how old are you?"

"Twenty-six." Okay so I had been off by a year when I was guessing his age before. We sat in silence for a few moments, letting the boisterous noises of the crowd in the pub wash over us. Kate and Ian stood up, and she told me they were going for a walk. I eyed Ian and shot Kate a 'be careful' look to which she slid the top of the switchblade she carried in her pocket out and winked at me.

Casting my eyes about, I noticed that Wraps and Spitfire were gone. That worried me a bit, I had sort of been counting on them sticking around to spy a little more so I could walk home with them.

"How did you find me?" Declan's gaze sharpened and he took a sip of his drink slowly. I couldn't really tell if he was here because he 'liked' me or something else. I was confused, and I didn't like the way I responded to his touch. Fixing my mind on Spot, I waited for his answer.

"I watched you go into the Manhattan lodging house. Then you came out and left with that boy, who I'm assuming was Spot, and it only took a few questions to find out who HE was. I figured those kids would have clammed right up if I asked directly about you." I bristled at the 'boy' and 'kids' but tensed up at the rest of his statement.

"WHY though?" Declan just looked at me, his brows slightly furrowed, a glower on his face. Then he raised his hands in the air and let them fall onto the surface of the table.

"I don't KNOW alright? I was worried about you. I didn't like the idea of a girl who had just seen someone brutally killed wandering about on her own. Besides...I just..I don't know. I'm not really sure why either. It was just something I felt like I had to do." I didn't like this. ANY of this. Standing up, I grabbed my ale and finished it in a few swallows. Dropping some money onto the table, I shot Declan a baleful look.

"Don't follow me anymore. I don't know what your deal is, but you're here for a different reason. I can just tell."

"Riot, wait! You shouldn't be walking home by yourself." I waved a hand dismissively at him and picked my way through the rowdy crowd. The smells of cigarette smoke, unwashed people, ale, and other liquor suddenly pierced my senses and made me feel a little ill. I suppose it could also have been the sharply uneasy feeling that was worming it's way into my stomach.

Once outside, I breathed deeply although I got a lungful of river stench, there was some clean air that managed to get in as well. It cleared my head and I glanced up and down the street. It was dark. The inky blackness seemed to envelop me in a suffocating manner. There weren't many street lamps in this area of the neighborhood. It had started to rain but thankfully it wasn't cold. I took my cap off and let the water rush over me. I didn't take baths as often as I had in modern times. It was too much of a pain since we didn't have a real tub, to gather the water and heat it up.

Rain dripped off of everything and I was so concentrated on that, that I almost missed the footsteps behind me until a hand grasped my shoulder. Gasping, I was whirled around to face Declan. He was pissed, his face was menacing and his lips were drawn back over his teeth in a faint snarl.

"Some poor girl was killed not too far from here and you are NOT walking back alone. I'll pick you up and throw you over my bloody shoulder if you give me any trouble." Declan had an Irish accent. It was recognizable, but faint as if he had worked hard to banish it away.

"Alright, you don't have to get grabby," I said calmly. Declan blinked, water dripping off of the brim of his bowler hat. He must have had it somewhere else in the pub.

"Too much goddamned trouble," I heard him growl softly under his breath.

We walked along in silence, our feet making wet slapping sounds against the sidewalks. I lit a cigarette in the protective shadow of my cupped hand and watched as Declan lit a cigar. A horse and cart came by, the driver hunched over and bundled against the rain.

"So I guess I should thank you for making sure I don't get gutted. I just hope that you aren't the Ripper." A weird look passed over Declan's face so fast that I thought I had been mistaken. Then he gave an awkward cough, and puffed on his cigar, head down.

My hand shot out and yanked on his sleeve, pulling him to a stop. Declan wouldn't meet my eyes, but looked over my head as if he could penetrate the darkness behind me.

"You know who the Ripper is, don't you? I know it's not you because you were with me that time in the Points. You know who's doing this though, don't you?" Declan shook his head and began walking once more. I didn't want to follow him, but the alternative was walking alone. The rain began to let up, and I slicked my hair back with a hand in an impatient gesture as I caught up to Declan. Street lamps began to appear, for which I was glad.

"Declan if you know who is doing this, you have to tell the police. He killed one of my friends." Declan gave me an impenetrable look and stopped. The tip of his cigar glowed reddish-orange in the night, and he let a huge wave of smoke spew out of his mouth like a dragon. The slightly noxious, slightly sweet smell made me heady and I shook my head a few times.

"This goes way over your head girlie. Even if I did know who's doing this I couldn't..." He stopped and gave me a powerless, entreating look. I glared daggers at him, and felt a sinking sensation in my stomach.

"Riot," Declan murmured, sliding a hand to cup the nape of my neck, his thumb caressing my lower lip and the side of my cheek as it passed by. I shivered and blamed it on the rain which had stopped.

"Forget about what you've seen and go back to your life. This will only cause you trouble and I don't want to see you get hurt." I blinked at him as he bent forward and pressed his lips to mine. I didn't encourage him, nor did I pull away. But when he slid another arm around my waist and I felt his tongue against my closed lips trying to gain entrance, I let myself go with it and opened my mouth.

A wave of guilt swept through me as he deepened the kiss, a growl of satisfaction making a noise in the back of his throat that I could feel and hear. Then I pulled away roughly, wiping a hand over my mouth. Neither of us moved, but I could feel myself shaking.

"You..you have to stop Declan. I'm not going to leave Spot." I felt a hand grasp my upper arm in a firm, yet gentle grip.

"Let me get you home." Tears stung the corners of my eyes as I let him guide me down the street. God what a SLUT I was. This guy had basically just admitted that he knew who the Ripper was but he wasn't going to do anything about it, couldn't do anything about it, and I let him French kiss me. Christ.

Miserably, I sniffed quietly and wiped the tears away. I finally recognized the neighborhood we were in. The lodging house was down the street. Declan released my arm and I looked up at him.

"How'd you know where I live?" Declan pursed his lips and closed his eyes briefly before opening then and staring down at me.

"I figured it out. I know you're thinking bad things about me right now Riot, and I know I haven't done anything to STOP you from doing that. Just know that I'm not going to hurt you." When he began to lower his face to mine, I stiffly held my head away at a sharp angle and looked distrustfully up at him.

"This is insane," I grated out as I extricated myself from his arms. Declan let out an annoyed sigh and crossing his arms, looked down at the wet ground. Awkwardly, I rubbed my palms on my pants and looked away.

"Thanks for making sure I got back okay," I said. Declan speared me with another one of his looks and just nodded. Jesus, for just meeting the guy not too long ago, he was awful intense. Smiling wanly I walked away from him, trying not to make my gait appear as if I was hurrying. There was just too much going on with his whole situation, I could feel it. I glanced over my shoulder once, and saw that he still stood there, his head turned in my direction. I couldn't see his face, only his silhouette, backlit by the street lamp that was just behind him.

Shaking my head, I felt relief pierce my chest as I saw the front stoop of the lodging house. I sat down, not caring about the wet surface of the steps. Looking over one more time, I saw that Declan was gone. Exhaling loudly, I put a hand to my forehead and shook my head.

"God, what the Hell is going on?" I muttered forcefully. Then I yelped in shock as a person peeled away from the side of the lodging house and approached me.

"That's what I'd like to know Riot," Spot said. I felt my stomach drop out and wanted to cry. This night was going to Hell in a hand-basket.

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A/N - This probably seemed like a filler chapter but I introduced a few things that will pertain to the rest of the story. I actually know where this is going now! Yay for me, I get a cookie. So be patient, things are going to move along now. Hello to all you lurkers! *waves* Leave me a note, reviews make me happy.

Ugh I need to make my chapter's longer. Next one will be longer, I promise.

- A/N

SHOUT OUTS

xxWickedWench - I know fillers are annoying but they can be necessary. I promise. Glad you still liked it and that you checked back on the other chapter! Riot does love Spot, she's just easily confused, and definitely pigheaded. Yep Declan's back. He has a larger part to this story than I originally intended but I like his character. Thanks for the review, keep reading!

Elyse - I'm SO glad you liked what I did with Kate. I was worried that I took too many liberties with fleshing out her character but I'm glad you liked it, I really am. Declan is synonymous with trouble as you will soon see more of. He is going to be around for awhile I think. I like him too. :X

elleestJenn - Thanks for pointing that bit about the chapter out, I appreciated it!