Infamous

By: Joker is Poker with a J

Summary: Da names Infamous. Ya probably nevah hoid of me, but Ise's the leadah of da Brooklyn Sewsies. Dat's right, da Sewsies. Not Newsies, and not street rats. Sewsies, Sewage Rats...

Was it strange dat Ise was noivous? Ise don't often get noivous, but foah some reason Spot seeing my home, my territory, really made me noivous.

Yes, it was a very strange t'ing. Da t'ought of Spot inspecting da lives of da Sewsies, a life dat was secret except only ta us and Renegade, scared da crap outta me. Ise t'ink it was because dis was my domain. No othah leadah, wit da exception of Con, had seen da Sewsies home. And now, Spot Conlon King of Brooklyn himself was coming down ta da very depths of ouah lively hood.

Dis place was my home, my very soul. It was da place dat Ise relaxed and had fun wit da people dat were my family. And now Ise had intruders runnin' amok and a powerful man, albeit a newsie, coming down into it.

It was even stranger because of da strange connection dat Spot and Ise had. Ise couldn't exactly place my fingah on what da connection was, but it was strong. Dere was an unmistakable thing between Spot and Ise.

But all of dis was gone from my head as soon as Spot and Ise stepped inta da main room. Scotty, Take, Lanky, Boyor, Hollow, Bob, and Snap were in chaos. Dey were runnin' around all ovah da place, and Ise felt my anger boil. "Boys." Ise said, calmly at foist, waitin' foah dem ta see Ise was hereh. When dey continued ta run around like chickens wit deir heads cut off, Ise repeated, "Boys."

All motion stopped. Ise hadn't screamed it, or yelled it. Ise stated it simply, but wit as much conviction Ise could manage behind it. Dey all toined ta look at me, and dats when Ise registered da look on each of deir faces. Dey all looked ashamed and guilty.

"Infamous." Boyor said, taking a step towards me, his voice cracked slightly wit anger, shame, and agony, "We'se weren't t'inkin'! We'se jus' stepped out foah a second, Ise swear."

Ise could feel Spot shift beside me, leanin' closer ta me, and ta da conversation.

"What happen?" Ise asked, calm as could be. Inside, dough, my imagination was runnin' away wit me. What could have happened ta upset me boys like dis? Dis question stopped me. Ise took a quick count of da boys standing in front of me. Dey were fidgetin', and shiftin' around noivously.

Before any of dem could ansah, Ise asked da question Ise could see dey were all dreading, "Where's Pass?"

Silence.

"Where's. Pass." Ise repeated. Anger and fury beginning ta roar t'rough my veins.

Scotty, my strong, brave friend, the sensible one who Ise always felt like Ise could count on, stepped forward ta stand beside Boyor. "In, ya know people makes mistakes." He gave me a distraught look, "We'se left da Queen's newsie foah a second wit Pass...and he musta gotten outta his ties and he was a big newsie! It took Boyor and Match to take him down, and Ise guess he...he took Pass wit him..."

My stomach churned and Ise shut my eyes, wishing what had just been said had not happened. Pass was my family. We'se had grown up tagethah. Me and him were like sistah and bruddah. He was always on my side, no mattah how wrong Ise was. My heart was aching.

Da t'ought of my Pass, one of my best friends, a keeper of my secrets, was in da hands of da enemies shook me ta da core.

Suddenly, Ise felt a cold, hard resolve form in my heart and it blocked da achin'. Ise would be strong, be da leadah Ise was taught ta be. Ise would destroy da Queens boys wit or wit out da help of Brooklyn.

My eyes opened, and Ise hoid one of my boys suck in a breath, "Infamous?" Bob asked, lookin' at me strangely, "Youse alright?"

"I'm fine." Ise said, but Ise could hear the hardness in my own voice, "We'se gonna get Pass back, don't youse boys worry. I'll tear Queens apaht lookin' foah him."

Spot tapped his cane, "Brooklyn's beside ya, Infamous. We'se should get a plan. We'se can't just go storm da place." He knew that was what Ise felt like doing, but Ise knew he was right. Ise had ta be cool. His eyes had toined a deep blue, and dey met mine. Surprise filled his eyes foah a moment, den he nodded, sealing the deal.

Ise nodded my assent, and he put his hand on da small of my back and lead me back da way we'se had come, "Come on. No use stayin' hereh like sitting ducks. Youse will all be undah my protection."

"We don't need ya protection, Conlon. We'll get Pass back ourselves." Hollow spoke it in a low voice, and Ise could hear da under current of angah.

"Hollow..." Ise said, turning ta look at him, "Don't fight. We'se gotta get Pass back. Just listen ta Spot."

Hollows' eyes got, if possible, even darker, "So youse want me ta just set aside ouah differences and woik wit Conlon?"

"Yes."

He looked ruffled, and moved back away from Spot and Ise, "No. No, Infamous. Ise can't do it. Ise won't trust him! He's a murderer!"

"Hollow." Ise snapped it at him, and he flinched as if it were a slap. "Shut up. Just...Shut up. We'se got biggah problems den youse silly differences wit da King of Brooklyn."

Emotion left Hollow's face, and he only replied wit a nod. Da othah boys shifted around, and Ise met each of deir eyes, "Now, anymoah youse got any problems? Are ya gonna help get Pass back or are ya gonna fight wit me?"

Loyalty and Ise suppose guilty made them all follow Spot and Ise out of ouah home. Dey followed me all da way ta da lodgin' house, and inside whereh Spot and Ise went inta his office ta discuss tactics on ouah enemy.

Spot sent out a few of his boidies ta gathah Manhattan and Staten Island, who had also agreed ta back us. Ise found myself pacing his office while he stepped out. Ise felt restless, impatient, and above all...noivous. Dis feeling was stahting ta really bug me, and Ise hated feeling like dis.

Night had fallen on da city while we'se had been at da lodging house. Ise stopped at da window and looked up into da night sky. As much as Ise loved da Sewers, my home for ten years, Ise still loved and missed da night sky. Ise was pleasantly surprised ta see da silver full moon staring back at me.

Ise found myself faced wit my reflection in the window. My dark hair was a mess, my eyes were wild and Ise sill couldn't stop fidgeting. My shirt was wrinkled and Ise just all around looked like crap. Heavin' a sigh, Ise t'rew myself inta da chair across from Spot's little desk.

Laying my head back, Ise breathed in deeply, tryin' ta find my peaceful centah. It would hopefully calm me down a bit...

"Evie! EVIE! You little bitch! Quit hiding and get your ass down here!"

Dis wasn't my peaceful place, dis was my past. Da least peaceful place ta be. "Don't call me Evie." Ise remembah whispahing. Ise loved my name, really, but da way she said it made it sound doity.

"Evie Faye LLEWELLYN!" She nevah quit. Ise was constantly bein' screamed at, berated, and pushed around. Dere was no one Ise hated more, and no sound Ise hated den da voice of my mothah.

Pulling myself tagethah, Ise crawled outta my hiding place, sick of always hiding, and toined ta face my mothah as she stumbled tawards me. "Where ya been, ya little tart?" She asked, her woids slightly slurring from all da alcohol she'd consumed.

"Don't call me dat." Ise told her, tired of being pushed around.

"Ise'll call ya what Ise wanna call ya, ya no good, disrespectful child!" She screamed, picking up the closest thing, an empty whiskey bottle, and hurling it at me.

Ise wasn't quick enough, and it hit me right in da left shoulder and fell ta da floor ta shatter inta a million pieces.

Ise could feel da pulse of my blood behind da now formin' bruise. Foah all da times she had slapped me, kicked me, hit me, and insulted me she had nevah thrown something at me.

My mothah stared at da shattered pieces of glass dat were strewn across da wooden floors. Just stared at dem.

Shoah, Ise nevah felt a true love foah da woman in front of me, but Ise couldn't help but wonder what was goin' t'rough her head. Da memories, regrets. Ise t'ink Ise was da biggest regret. She woulda been happy if Ise hadn't come along, Ise was shoah of it.

Ise was only seven years old, but even a seven year old can undahstand t'ings when ya grow up too fast. Ise could see something happenin' behind her eyes. Dey were da same grey color as my own, da only trait we'se shared. Whereas her hair was golden wheat, mine was dat of da dark chestnut of my fathahs, dough he left us a long time ago. Still, Ise recognized da look dat entered her gaze as it shifted from da glass ta me. She was satisfied. Hoitin' me like dat had made her feel power. Made her feel she was in control. Would Ise feel pain? She would decide dat.

"Come here, Evie, darling." She murmured, a crazed look in her eyes dat Ise prayed would nevah, evah enter my own gaze...

"Don't call me Evie." Ise whispahed. Dat was da last sound dat left my lips foah six months. Dose six months still haunt me. When Ise finally did speak, it was my scream dat left my mouth, and it was dat scream dat led Con ta me, and ta da saving of my soul...

"Infamous, dat's ya name, now. You'll be infamously know, an infamous troublemaker when Ise done wit ya." Con had whispered ta me, before he intraduced me ta da underworld of da sewers.

"Infamous." Ise whispahed, it was a name my mothah could nevah make ta sound doity.

"Infamous?" Spot gently shook my shouldah, "Infamous? Wake up."

Ise pulled myself from doe's horrid memories, and found my gaze reflected in Spot's blue eyes. "Sorry." Ise murmured, sitting up and wiping da sleep outta my eyes.

"Dat's no problem. Maybe ya should go an' lay down on a bed. Get some rest. We'se' will probably attack Queens tamarrah evenin' and Ise want ya well rested." His blue eyes nevah looked more concerned.

My gaze fell from his eyes to his lips as Ise stood up, and Ise found us very clos tagetha. "Alright." Ise whispahed, gaze still on his perfect lips. Ise don't know why, but dey just seemed perfectly shaped.

Forcing my eye ta look anywhere else, Ise found myself looking back inta his eyes. Spot's eyes, dough, were preoccupied and by da look of it it was wit my own lips.

Da force, da connection, dat made us alike, like magnets, seemed ta grab us both at dat instant. And Ise knew Ise wanted nothin' moah den ta kiss him. Ise was shoah he wanted da same t'ing.

Spot Conlon, my once sworn enemy, now my ally, moved his head slightly ta da left at da same instance Ise coived mine ta da right. My eyes fluttered shut, and Ise could feel his breath whispah against my lips and Ise was surprised when Ise hoid what he said.

"Evie."

My name, dat name, had been said in a variety of different tones. Scorn, contempt, anger, jealousy, reprimand, and sadness. Nevah once had Ise hoid it said da way he said it. Ise found Ise liked it very much...

A/N: Whew, sorry it took me so long ta update! I was busy wit a load a crap and I couldn't find the time to just sit and write, ya know? So, I've made this chapter a bit longer, so I hope you all liked and please please please REVIEW!!!

Truly,

Joker is Poker with a J~