A/N: It didn't take me THAT long to update -;; only about four months. And I must thank all you reviewers for helping my reviews reach the magic number- 69. =D Now, before we start, I'd just like to say...enjoy the madness which has been growing in my brain ever since I started this fic. ::laughs crazedly::

Dedication: For Stage, because she was my 50th reviewer, and reviewed all 10 chappies in one go. =D

------------------------------------------------------

Chapter 11: Revelations

The Manhattan newsies were in a lazy mood. They had to stop selling earlier than usual, due to a sudden storm. First they thought they'd be able to sell through it, but whatever hopes they had melted along with the newspapers when the thunder started. They all retired to the lodging house, where they amused themselves with their usual "rainy day" pastime.

"YEAH BABY!" Racetrack beamed as he won another hand. Race's "poker muse" had returned, much to everyone's disappointment. Several boys dropped out of the game a while ago, claiming Race cleaned them out.

Everything was going right for Racetrack. Despite the fact that, a few weeks earlier, Spot had come to him and told him she couldn't come to Manhattan for a while, Race felt his luck had completely turned around from earlier on. His poker game had improved, the rate at which he sold papers was better, even losing at the tracks wasn't as upsetting since Spot. Best of all, what had been the object of his affections for almost two years was finally his. Sure, they hadn't spent real time together in a long time, and last time he'd seen her she acted very cold toward him, but, in Racetrack's opinion, nothing could go wrong.

Spot came storming into the Manhattan lodging house. "Where is he? Where is that little shit? I'll moida him! I'll moida ya!"

She was standing in the doorway, dripping wet with a crazed look in her eye.

Jack stood up quickly. "Spot, calm down!"

Spot pulled her cane out. "Calm down? Yous want me to calm fuckin' DOWN?" Thunder boomed behind her. "How da HELL do you expect me ta calm down afta what happened?"

"And, what exactly happened?" Blink asked.

Stupid Blink.

Spot advanced on Kid Blink. Anger was radiating off her body. Blink cowered as she stood over him, cane held high. "None a ya fuckin' BUSINESS, that's what!"

"Spot," Jack said, grabbing her cane before she could strike Blink. "Stop and tink a moment!"

Furious, Spot let go of her cane and lunged at Jack. "Don' fucking tell ME to stop and tink!" she said, slamming his back against the wall. "Just tell me WHERE da FUCK he IS!!"

Jack pulled Spot off of him and held her by the collar. ""Who da fuck are you fucking looking for?!" he screamed, getting very pissed off at Spot.

Spot yanked her shirt out of his hands. She spotted Racetrack, who was frozen with his hand on the stack of money since Spot entered. She stormed over to him, grabbing him by the back of his neck and pulling him up the stairs into the bunkroom, throwing him in and slamming the door impressively.

Stunned silence filled the room. Jack still stood by the wall, mouth open and eyes bugging. Then, as a single unit, the boys rushed up the staircase, pushing each other to get to the door first.

"Hey, watch it!"

"Ow, that's my foot!"

"No, it's my foot!"

"Well dat's me arm!"

"QUIET!"

The tangle of bodies parted to let Jack through. He crouched in front of the door, an ear pressed against it. Laying a finger to his lips, he beckoned to the others. They crowded around him. Dutchy lay flat on his stomach, peering through the crack between the door and the floor to watch, while Specs straddled over him and laid an ear to the door. Everyone arranged themselves so a part of them was able to hear/see what was going on inside.

---------------------------------------

Spot grabbed Racetrack by his collar and shook him the way a tiger might shake its prey.

"You stupid bastard. You little piece of shit!" She threw him to the floor. "Do you have any fuckin' idea wat the fuck you've done?" She threw her cane across the room, where it hit a wall and landed on the floor.

Racetrack got to his feet. "Obviously not, since you haven't told me!" he yelled back.

Spot snarled. She swung a punch, but missed when he ducked, her fist connecting solidly with a bunk bed. She threw it onto the floor, turning around to stare Race down. He calmly returned her stare. She swung at him again, this time catching the side of his face. He fell again, and lay there staring up at her.

"Don' fuckin' talk ta me like that," she growled. Race cringed slightly. "Get up, you worthless piece a shit," she said, kicking him. As he rose, Spot took his shirt in her hands and slammed him into a wall, screaming insults in his face. Racetrack composed himself as well as he could, then slapped Spot across the face.

"Get a hold a yaself," he said, while she stared at him, shocked. Tears welled up in her eyes, and she slumped against the wall.

"I hate you," she mumbled, angrily wiping the streams from her eyes. Thunder rumbled in the background.

"A course you do. Can I please know why?"

Spot started to laugh, which came out more like a bark. "You wanna know why," she said, a strange look on her face. "D'ya hea that? He wants ta know why." She stood up calmly, pulling him to her until his face was less than an inch from hers. "Well, Racetrack," she started quietly, "it's because I'm FUCKIN' PREGNANT!" She shoved him away from her, screaming, "You got me PREGNANT, you stupid bastard!"

"What?" Race whispered, a horrified look upon his face.

"Are you DEAF?! YOU. Got me. PREGNANT!" Spot felt at her waist for her cane, then realized she had thrown it across the room. She tried to punch him, but he caught her hand.

Holding her hands in his, Race began to say, "Look, Colleen-"

She kneed him in the groin, pulling her hands free. "Don't call me that!" she roared, overturning another bunk and kicking it for good measure. "The name's Spot Conlon, nothin' else." She tried to look intimidating but started shaking, so Race caught her and helped her sit on the edge of a bed.

He let go of her, kneeling in front of her and saying, "Are you positive yous is pregnant?"

She nodded, rolling her shirt up to expose her stomach. Sure enough, there was a slight bulge that had never been there before.

Race swallowed nervously. "So how...how long've you been...been...like dat?"

"Yous mean how long've I known?" Race nodded. "About two months dat I'm shoa of."

Racetrack was forcing himself to remain calm, though he had the sudden urge to start screaming and punching things himself. He tried saying lightly, "Would it help if I said I'm sorry?"

Spot jumped up. "Oh, right, this is a great time t'be makin' jokes, Higgins," she said, her Brooklyn accent slipping into an Irish one. "Good Lord, what have ye gotten me into?"

"Wat have I gotten you inta?" Race stood, facing her. "I don' know if ya knew dis, but it takes TWO people ta make a baby. So don' blame me."

"I can blame whoe'er the hell I wanna blame," Spot shouted. "Ye aren't th' one who needs t' carry around a baby with ye for seven more months. YE aren't th' one who's been passin' herself off as a boy to get th' respect she deserves. An' ye certainly have no right t' be tellin' me tha' I can' blame ye for wha' I have t' deal with."

Racetrack stood there, speechless. She smiled a meaningless smile, walked to get her cane, then stopped in front of him again. "Fallin' in love with ye was th' stupidest mistake I've ever made," she said quietly. "I'll see ye later." And with that, she made her way to the door.

---------------------------------------------------

"Wat's goin' on?"

"Shut up, I can't hea!"

"Move ova, yous is on me foot!"

"Nope, still my foot."

Jack rolled his eyes, shifting so that maybe he'd be able to hear something through the thick door.

"How's the view from down thea?" Specs asked from his comfortable position on top of Dutchy.

"Not all dat great. All I can see is feet an' bunk beds bein' pushed ova. And sometimes Racetrack."

A hush fell over the boys as Spot's angry voice was heard by all. Then the whispers started again.

"Pregnant? Who's pregnant?"

"SPOT'S pregnant?"

"You moron, how could Spot be pregnant?"

"I tink I gotta pee..."

Silence fell once more when Spot began yelling again. Before anyone could say anything, Jack put a finger to his lips. "If yous'd listen ta me," he said in a slow, deliberate voice, "I could tell yous wat's goin' on." Excited whispers began, but died down quickly, replaced by anxious curiosity. Jack smiled to himself, pleased by the authority he had over the rest, as he continued, "Spot didn' come hea because he's pregnant, since it'd be impossible foa him ta get pregnant. But, Racetrack got Spot's cousin, what's-her-face-"

"Patricia," Mush supplied.

"Right. He got Patricia pregnant."

There was a crash. "Spot's pushed ova anudda bunk," Dutchy chirped from the floor.

"Now Spot's mad 'cause Race called him 'Conlon'," said Jack. "He says his cousin's been pregnant foa about two months now." Jack pressed his ear closer to the door. "I can't really undastand him now. He's got dis real thick accent, an' he's talkin' real fast."

"Well, he's from Brooklyn, ain't he?" Boots piped up.

"Da kid makes sense," Skittery said. "Brooklyners do weird tings when dey're pissed."

Jack scrunched his face up. "I can't hear 'em now," he murmured.

Specs felt Dutchy go tense. "Oh shit. Shit, shit, shitshitshit, SPECS MOVE YA ASS!"

It was too late. The door swung open, and any newsboy who had been leaning against it found himself right in front of a furious looking Spot. She stared at them for a moment, confused, and they stared back, frightened.

"Fuckin' cheese it!!" Her roar was punctuated with a roll of thunder as cold fury pumped through her veins. She pulled out her cane, knocking boys in various body parts to release her frustrations.

The boys fell over one another as they scrambled to clear the way, each getting mauled by the cane several times. Finally, without any regard toward whatever or whomever she may be walking on, Spot stomped down the staircase. She flipped Jack off as he tried to stop her, and slammed the front door behind her so hard that a piece of wood flew off.

The boys sat around, unsure of what to do. Then Jack said smoothly, "Mush, go in the bedroom."

"What?!" Mush squeaked.

"Go in there and see how Racetrack's doin'."

"Why me? I answered the door las' time. Someone else should go."

"Mush, just go in dere an' talk ta him!"

Mush glared. "Fine," he said coldly, and stood up to go upstairs. Blink joined him once he realized Mush was rather pissed off and probably would end up making Race mad rather than helping.

Blink walked in before Mush, calling softly, "Racetrack?" No one answered, so he walked along the rows of bunk beds, looking for the short Italian boy. He found him, lying in his bed, cigar in mouth. Blink crouched down on the floor next to Race's bed, and took the cigar from his mouth.

Race stared at him, a dead look in his eyes. "What have I done?" he moaned softly. Mush sat across from Blink.

Kid Blink whispered, "You got her pregnant."

He nodded. Mush looked at Blink, then said, "We know. You got Spot pregnant."

Race looked horrified. "Whoa, wait, you hoid her? Shit, she's gonna kill me..."

Blink shook his head. "Yous don' gotta worry. We all hoid her, but Jack convinced everyone else you got 'Patricia' pregnant. Not Spot. Dey all tink she's still a he."

Now Race looked confused. "But...you know." Blink nodded. "And..." Race pointed to Mush, "he knows." Mush nodded. "How?"

"'Cause we's the only ones smart enough to figure out 'Spot' an' 'Patricia' are the same person," Mush said. "Now come downstairs, and prove Spot didn' kill yous."

"I don' wanna," said Race, burying his face in his hands.

"Why not?" Blink asked.

"I can't face anybody now. Not afta what I done. She's pregnant, and dat means afta a couple a months, she won' be able ta hide it anymore, an' she'll get found out. And yous know whose fault it's gonna be? Mine." Racetrack got up. "It's all my fault, an' none of it shoulda eva happened. Now if yous'll excuse me," he said, walking over to the window, "I'm gonna go now." He began lowering himself down, but felt a hand on his shoulder. He looked up into Mush's doe-y brown eyes, usually so gentle, now furious and a little worried.

"I'll let yous go," he said, tightening his grip on Racetrack, "but yous gotta promise you won't do anyting stupid. Don' kill yaself ova this."

Racetrack looked surprised a moment, but then sighed. "Fine, I promise I won' kill meself. I jus' need a little time ta think. Alone." Mush looked searchingly into his eyes, but then nodded and let him go. He watched Race disappear around a corner, before speaking. "Blink, go tell Jack Race's gone," he said, straightening an overturned bed.

Jack was angry that they had let Race get away, but Mush told him coldly that Racetrack needed time to himself. Without any further comments, Mush got into his bed. Jack looked at Blink, who shrugged and climbed in after Mush.

-------------------------------------------------------------

Spot's livid speed slowed down a little. She knew she had hurt Racetrack, which made her feel terrible, but she couldn't deal with all of this pressure put on her. She kicked a rock, listening to it clatter down the street. With a heavy sigh, she slumped against the side of a building, the rain mixing with tears on her face.

-----------------------------------------------------------

He followed in the shadows, making sure to keep enough distance between them that he could duck out of sight if she turned around, but didn't lose her. The knife felt cold in his hand, the rain making his hold slippery. He watched as she leaned against the building. He watched as she crossed the bridge.

He had heard her shouting from inside the lodging house, and began stalking her when she left. Pure rage was pumping through his veins as he trailed her, his eyes narrowing with fury. She stopped and, without turning around, said coolly, "I know you're here."

-------------------------------------------------------

A/N: =D this is by far my favorite chappie...you've NO idea how much fun it was to write. And my Spot!Muse would say something, but he's off trying to bury himself.

R!Muse: Ain't it cute how easily he's embarrassed?

LK: Yeah. Downright adorable.

SHOUT-OUTS:

COTTON BLOSSOM: ::uber glomp:: I'm happy you liked it YAY! And an extra YAY to my little Hector/Paris flamer. STOP THE INCEST! =D

SPOTLOVER421: Or whatever you go by nowadays- ::glomps:: Ehh, sorry it took me such a long time updating ;; but I hope you enjoyed the chapter!!

STAGE: You know, when I got all of your reviews, I thought was being screwy and decided to send me the same review fifty times, but then I started doing a happy dance when I found out they were actual reviews...DUDE I loveth you ::hugs:: And, so far, one of your guesses was correct...and maybe the other two are...but maybe they're not. ::Mush!Muse gives you a llama:: Since you were grand old reviewer number fifty. =D

SATURDAY: DUDE! ::does "the story's on your fav list" happy dance:: Hehe, my life is complete now that I know I made you almost wet yourself. (Spot!Muse: ::twitches:: I am not femmie...::twitches::) Ahh I love you too! ::tackle glomps::

AIR: YAYness! Thank you so much! ::hugs::

KLINOA: Seems your theory on Spot being pregnant wasn't all that far-fetched after all...=D Thank you for reading it since the beginning, that news makes me happy indeed. ::hugs::

LILY: ::uber flying-tackle glompage-ness:: Aah, I updated but you're in camp, NOOOOooo!!! And, reviewing fivemillionhundredthousand times under different names doesn't trick us, silly fae-person! But lookie look, it is an update WOO partay on down!! =D All them compliments make me blush (Spot!Muse: ::twitches::) Oh, don't mind him one lick, he's just PMS-ing LOVE LOVE LOVE you.

FOURLEAFCLOVER12: Thankies for liking it! Heh, heh, sorry for taking such a long time to update...Anyhoos, I hope the suspense didn't kill you dead, cause that'd be a bad thing, yessir. ::hugs::

TWO-BITS: Nope, that wasn't it, I'm just a lazy author. But I appreciate your review very much!!! And your lame joke amused ME...but grass amuses me...THANK YOU FOR REVIEWING!!!!

And now, if all of you who made it this far would be so kind, please review my story. Since its summer, I can promise to have the next chappie up within a week...but only if you review...

Love and pregnant newsies,

Liams Kitten