PART 1:

"The Arrival Miss Priss"

Ch. 1

"She mus' be an idiot! A rich, prissy, good for nothin' little idiot!" Those were his first thoughts when he saw her. She was wearing a violet dress, it was silly looking to him, covered in white lace with a long, fancy skirt. She had white gloves on her hands. There was a ridiculous looking hat, with a thick violet feather sticking out of it staying miraculously on top of her head. "I wonder how dat stupid hat stays on top of 'er head..." Was his second thought well, that and the fact that, stupid hat and all, she probably the most breathtakingly beautiful girl he'd ever seen. She had blond hair, pulled up into intricate curls atop her head, mostly hidden by the stupid hat (which was a shame really, because he was sure that if it weren't for that hat, her hair would be flowing beautifully about her shoulders at that very moment). She had blue-violet eyes, he could tell that even from a distance, for they were such a vivid shade of azure mixed with amethyst. She wasn't tall, in fact, he was at least seven inches taller than her. Everything about her looked tiny and delicate. She had perfect features, peach colored skin, with a slight rosy blush tinting her cheeks. Her nose was pert and small, her lips lush and pink and predominant in her face, with the exception of her eyes. Those eyes could swallow the world. In fact, he stood admiring them for a few good minutes before he came to his senses and realized what it was he had to do.

It seemed that this rich, foolish girl, with the silly hat and the startlingly lovely eyes, was in the middle of his territory, in the middle of a group of rough and tough Brooklyn Newsies. What she was doing there, he had no clue, but what he did know was that if he didn't get her out of there soon, he'd have a whole other problem on his hands when his boys started fighting over her.

As he neared her he heard her voice, it was soft, light, delicate and cultured, "Take your hands off of me at once, Sir! If you all would please just disperse and leave me alone I'll be on my way!" Her voice was angry, her eyes flashing fire.

"Oooh-hoo-hoo, the rich liddle missy is gettin' all hoity-toity wid us boys!" One boy said loudly, causing the rest of the boys to hoot and holler, calling out rude shouts. One particularly brave boy, who towered over her and had flame red hair, reached for her hand, "How's about a kiss, Doll Face?"

The girl smacked his hand away angrily, "I said don't touch me! Or else!"

"Or else what?!" The boy challenged.

"Or else I'll...I'll..." she was silent for a moment.

"You'll what?"

"It wouldn't be lady-like of me to say so!" She shouted.

That caused a round of laughter throughout the crowed and she blushed furiously.

By this time Spot Conlon had had just about enough of the whole thing, he didn't take kindly to men trying to take advantage of women, it just wasn't the way his brother had brought him up, "Alright boys, dat's enough, move aside, move aside."

The boys moved like the Red Sea parting for Moses, and a hush fell about all of them. Though they continued ribbing each other with their elbows and making lewd faces.

"Whadda we got heah?" Spot said, glancing down at the girl.

She stared at him fearfully at first, then with a touch of recognition. He looks like the boy from the newspaper Mikey sent me about the strike, she thought momentarily distracted. She straightened with a certain pride which lit her eyes dark purple, "Listen, I don't know who you are, but you seem to have some control over these...these...boys." She said the word as if it were distasteful...as if she'd rather say something else, "So, if you'd just tell them to leave me alone so I can be on my way..." She said softly, staring at him proudly, her jaws clenching with a stubborn determination.

Spot smiled at the sight she made, all pride and powder-puff, "My name is Spot Conlon, and I'm da leadah of Brooklyn. You, goily, are in my territory."

"What kind of a name is Spot?" She said softly.

Spot's eyebrows shot up and a ring of laughter went through the crowd of Brooklyn Newsies behind him, "Don'tchu boys have somthin' bedda ta do?" Spot asked angrily.

The boys looked at each other and decided it wasn't worth the fight and left Spot and the girl to themselves, "Now, what's ya name goil?"

She watched in amazement as the boys just left. She wondered why they were all so ready to listen to this boy. He was half the size of most of them. He didn't look big and tough like a lot of them, except for his eyes; the blue gray orbs were as cold as ice.

"I said, what's ya name goil?"

She frowned softly, angry at herself for being distracted by this boy's looks, even if it were for just a moment, "Glorianna." She said softly.

"Well, Glorianna, if ya didn't notice, yer a bit outta place heah in Brooklyn."

"Well, Spot..." She started in a huffy voice, "No kidding."

He smirked at her, "Follow me." He said, and started walking away.

She gasped in amazed disbelief, the nerve! He expected her to just follow him! Well, she wouldn't move an inch to follow this conceited boy's orders. Spot continued walking forward, unconcerned. Her eyes narrowed a little more and she glanced behind her. The boys that had been bothering her earlier began moving forward. That was more than enough motivation for her, with the thought that she wasn't following orders, just making an act of self preservation, she ran forward after him, "Uh! Mr. Conlon! Wait up!" She called.

Spot made a face at being called "Mr.", one she didn't miss as he turned around, "Mr?" He said softly.

She shrugged and began walking very close to him, glancing occasionally over her shoulder at the group of boys that still watched them with rude leers on their faces. After awhile of walking in silence, both their thoughts on something else, she finally broke the silence, "E-excuse me, um...Mr. Conlon?"

"Spot," He grumped, "Call me Spot."

"Oh...uh, Mr. Spot...where exactly are we going?" She said, with a tint of humor in her voice, purposely misunderstanding what he had said and calling him 'Mr'.

Spot made a face at the name, "Just Spot. Now, we's goin' ovah ta visit a friend of mine. We don't exactly get many ladies heah in my part a Brooklyn. But uh, he's gotta propah goil, so I figures she'll know what ta do with ya. "

"What do you mean, do with me? I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself thank you very much!"

"Oh yeah...I could tell. You was really handlin' them boys back dere just fine."

"I could take each and every one of them on and don't you think that I couldn't! Why I've been fighting boys twice their size all my life!" She growled passionately, her voice losing it's soft, cultured cadence.

Spot looked at her strangely, "You?"

She looked away, "Never mind."

"Naw, ya don't get off dat easy, what did ya mean by it? And what exactly are ya doin' in da middle a Brooklyn anyways?"

"I was looking for my brother, if you must know."

"I take it ya didn't find him."

"Well, obviously..." Spot glanced at her sharply, he didn't like being talked to like that by anyone, especially not some crazy girl with a stupid hat.

"Ya know, you ain't bein' very nice to me, conciderin' I'm da boy dat just saved ya from a fate mixed wit' one a dose boys...well, maybe one of dem...maybe more."

Her eyes widened, her face paled, "If you're trying to scare me it's not going to work."

Spot sighed, "Naw...I'm just hopin' you'll be more careful from now on...dat's all."

She glanced at him, her face contrite, "Sorry...I know I can be a bit difficult." She said softly, looking like she hated apologizing the whole time, "My brother and I were very close growing up, he taught me to fight and everything! Father was real cruel to us after Mother died. He kept telling us it was our fault. He'd get real drunk and go to bars and gamble and then come home and beat us. It was our fault he lost in gambling, it was our fault our mother died, everything was our fault," She said bitterly, "We were going to run away together, but Mikey, my brother, he left without me. Without him to protect me from Dad, everything got worse for me, then, he decided he'd get better use out of me if I was sent to a girls school. Dad wanted me to learn how to be a real lady, he told me it would benefit him. I didn't see how. When Mikey was around he would defend me, he never would of let Dad send me away... So, my father sent me away to Miss Penfields School For Ladies," She said this with a disgusted face, "About a week before graduation, Papa came to visit me with our neighbor...he wanted me to...to...well, it's not important now. I just had to get away though. I have to find Mikey." She finished her story in that soft tone of hers, wondering why she was confiding so much to this hatefully arrogant boy, with the constant smirk on his face.

Spot was silent for awhile, and she took the time to study him. He had thin, distinct features. His eyes were a mixture of blue and a touch of gray, like the sky on a stormy day, right now they were more blue then anything else. He had thick hair and it fell down his face, touching his chin. He was unbelievably handsome, that much was obvious.

"We're heah." He said suddenly, not making a comment on her story.

She looked up, and realized they had ended up in front of a small restaurant with the name Tibby's on the front.

Spot opened the door and walked in. She followed him, putting on a brave front even though she was scared. What if these boys were just like the ones in Brooklyn? Spot certainly wouldn't have any control over them, would he?

"Hey, would ya looky heah! It's Spot Conlon!" Came an excited call from the diner of the little establishment.

"Heya Race." Spot said, a smile lighting his features and turning them boyish and cute for a moment. Glorianna felt something inside her flutter when he smiled like that, but pushed the feelings away quickly. They would do her no good.

The two boys spit shook and then Race turned to the girl behind him, "Dear me, who is dis vision ya gots with ya Spot. And wherevah did ya find 'er?" Race asked, turning up the charm.

Glorianna blushed at the compliment, "I'm Glorianna." She answered softly, offering him a white gloved hand.

Race glanced at the offered hand, "I don't want ta get yer gloves all doity Miss." He said softly.

She glanced down at her hands, "Oh..." She said soflty, "Here." She removed the gloves quickly, then spit in her hand, "Is that right?" She asked, glancing up at Spot for approval from beneath her silly hat.

Spot's face showed his surprise at the action (and the reaction her eyes had on him) as he nodded, "Yeah, dat's exactly right." He'd never seen something like that before. Race was quick to recover however, and quickly spit in his palm, shaking her hand, "Now I'm real curious, Spot, where'd ya find 'er?"

"I found 'er in dat exact get up, wit' dat exact silly hat, standing in da middle a Brooklyn, in the middle of a group of me boys, all of 'em itchin' ta get dere hands on 'er."

"What is wrong with my hat?" She demanded angrily.

Spot looked at her hat with an amused look on his face, "It's a stupid hat, Glory." He said, then turned back to Race, knowing full and well the angry face she was making behind his back, "So I's had to break t'rough dere big crowd and tell 'em to be on dere way." Suddenly his hat was lifted from his head, and a the silly, poofy, piece of purple fluff was put in it's place, "Fine, I'll just wear yours." He heard from behind him.

Race burst into laughter just as Jack, Mush, David, Blink, and Boots walked through the doors, "Heya Spot! Nice hat!" Blink called.

Spot narrowed his eyes at them, then turned slowly towards Glorianna, "So...you think you're funny, hmm?" He said slowly, trying not to noticed how incredibly adorable she looked with all her blond hair tumbling about her shoulders and back, his hat perched on top of her head, as she tried keep from laughing at him. The rest of the Newsies looked at Spot amazed. She had made him look like a complete fool, and nobody who wanted to live did that to Spot Conlon, yet he didn't even seem angry at her.

She shook her head, "Of course not, Mr. Conlon."

"Good." He said, then turned back to Jack, "Jacky Boy, lemme intraduce ya to Glorianna, Glory, dis heah is Da Cowboy, Jack Kelly, leadah of da Manhatten Newsboys, behind 'im is Davey-The Walkin Mouth, Mush, Boots and Kid Blink."

"Da pleasure's all mine Princess..." Blink said slowly, taking her hand cautiously, as he got a better look at her face. He only knew two people on the face of this earth who had a name like that and one of them was long since dead. She lifted her eyes to meet his and suddenly froze. In fact both of them froze. Spot took the purple hat from off the top of his head and looked at the two of them worriedly, "Wha's dis?"

Tears welled up in Glory's eyes, and suddenly she screamed, "MIKEY!!!!" Then threw her arms around Blink. He began twirling her around happily, "Well if in ain't me kid sistah! What are ya doin' heah Glory?! And wit' Spot Conlon no less?"

She smiled down at him as he slowly put her on her feet, "Why, lookin' for you of course, ya big idiot!" The rest of the boys chuckled around them and Spot gave a little sigh of relief. He didn't know why the thought of this girl being anything other than Blink's sister upset him so much, and frankly he didn't want to analyze it.

"Heya, da name's Mush, but you can call me whatevah ya want to, Doll Face." Mush said, kissing her hand and then blushing a bit at his own boldness. Glorianna smiled at him shyly and shook her head.

"Why didn't ya tell us yer sistah was such a looker?" Race asked grinning.

"'Ey now, Race, I wouldn't be doin' dat to Glori," Blink said with a smile, one arm around his sister, "She could prob'ly soak ya's wid one hand behind 'er back."

Gloriana smiled up at her brother, "No, no...I'm a lady now...no thanks to you!" She said with a grin, then hit him hard in the shoulder.

Blink rubbed his shoulder absently, "See what I mean?"

"So, how'd ya end up wid our pal Spot, heah?" Jack asked, his customary, charmingly wide grin lighting up his face.

"Mr. Conlon excorted me here from Brooklyn. I was in the midst of a crowd of ruffians and he saved me from them." She said, there was a slight hint of sarcasm in her voice.

"Dat was nice of ya, Spot." Blink said smiling, though he seemed a little bit stiff, the look on his face clearly saying 'if it's anything more then you're dead...and I don't care who you are.'

"Well...she looked pretty outta place in da middle of Brooklyn wearin' dat get-up. I was thnkin' dat we'd take 'er ovah to Davey's parents and Sarah, she's a bit to fragile lookin' to be out in da streets."

Gloriana's eyes narrowed, "How dare you presume that I couldn't take care of myself, Mr. Conlon. As I told you before, I'm quite capable."

"Sure ya are...and would ya stop callin' me 'Mr. Conlan'? It's Spot. And gimme back me hat." Spot grumped, taking his hat from off of her head and dropping her hat onto the floor.

"I am, Mr. Conlon. I could do just what you do! I can take care of myself! Besides, I just found my brother, I'm not going to go stay with a bunch of strangers, no offense, David." Glorianna stated angrily as she picked her hat back up from the floor and held it in front of her.

"Oh...you thnk dat just because you played a bit wid some boys when you were liddle, dat dat means dat you could be a Newsie? I don't thnk so Miss Priss." They were in each other's faces now, staring each other down.

Blink chose to intercede, "Whoa, whoa...quid it you two. Glory, I'm sure you could take care of ya'self, but I don't t'ink I like da t'ought of you runnin' around da city, playin' at bein' a Newsie."

"I wouldn't be playing, Mikey. I've got to support myself someway...there's no way I'm going back to father." She ended the sentence in a voice so soft it was almost a whisper.

Blink put a hand on her shoulder, "Why, Sis? What happened ta make ya come lookin' for me?"

She looked around at the gathered boys, "I don't really want to talk about it right now, Mikey."

"It's okay, Glori, dere all friends, family practic'ly."

She looked pointedly at Spot when he said this, her eyebrows raised.

"Yeah, he's a friend too."

Spot let loose an exasperated sigh, glaring at her.

"Well, after you and dad had that big fight, and he did that to you," She started, gesturing to his patched eye, "With you gone, there was nothing to stop him, no one to protest him, no one he was afraid of, so he sent me to finishing school in Boston to learn how to be a real lady. Last week he came to visit me and he brought our neighbor, Mr. Walker, with him. He told me that as soon as I graduated that I would marry Mr. Walker. He told me Mr. Walker was going to forget about his gambling debts if he did so."

"Mr. Walker?! But he's over fifty!" Blink raged.

"I know that! That's why I ran away! I couldn't marry him, he's too old, and besides, I don't love him. I wasn't about to let Dad sell me away to pay for his mistakes. I sneaked out in the night, jumped on the train, you know, like we used to when we were younger, and came here to New York to find you. I remember in a letter once you said you were in Manhattan or near Manhattan, plus you sent me that Newspaper clipping of all of you guys, and it mentioned Manhattan and Brooklyn, so I tried to find my way there. I ended up in Brooklyn, and well, you know the rest."

Blink sighed, "I'm glad dat you got away, Glory, and I'm glad ya heah, but da streets is no place for ya."

"You mean no place for a girl." She said angrily.

"I mean no place for a lady!"

"I can take care of myself! Beneath this lady lies a born and bred tomboy! The one that YOU raised!"

Blink looked to Jack for guidence.

Jack smiled at her, "I thnk dat yous could make a good Newsie, Glory, but ya cain't stay at da Boardin' house wid us. There's no room and it just ain't propah. So, why don't'cha go home wid Davey heah, stay wid him, and den he can bring ya to us in da mornin'."

"Well...I wouldn't want to put David and his family out."

David shook his head, "No, no, it's fine. Sarah would like the company, I'm sure, and Mama wouldn't mind."

"Well, I guess dat would woik, but I don't like da thought of 'er runnin' around in da streets wid us. It ain't safe Jack." Kid Blink said, full of brotherly concern.

"I can take care of myself Blink, besides, I'll have you to protect me!" She said, grinning.

Blink couldn't help but smile at her, "Well…when ya put it dat way!" Then he pulled her in to his arms and twirled her around, "Jeez, I've missed ya, Sis!"

She laughed gaily in his arms, "Put me down, Mikey. I've miss you too!" She said, pushing at his shoulders.

He placed her on the ground, "Look at'chu. Ya look so different. All lady like and grown up. Just like Ma."

They both looked sad for a moment and Mush patted Blink on the back..

"Well, the foist thing ya gotta do, if you guys'es t'inkin' about makin' Miss Priss a Newsie, is to get 'er a pair of boy clothes, more fittin' for da job." Spot broke in, a condescending smile on his face.

Glorianna looked him annoyed. Clearly he didn't think she had what it took to be a Newsie, "Fine then. I can dress like a boy. Just get me some clothes." They were staring each other down again, matching glare for glare. Then Spot broke out in a smirk, "I think I'll stay da night heah, see how our newest Newsboy does tomorra."

"You just do that, Mr. Conlon." She said, then turned away from him, ignoring his hateful presence.