Author's Note: I don't own Fastdancr- she owns herself… Lashes, Inky,
Fidget, Trolley, and all the other newsies you don't recognize from the
movie are mine too. And I have no idea why Creamer is called Creamer… I'm
drinking too much coffee for someone my age.
Chapter Fourteen
While all the dramatics were happening at the Manhattan Lodging House, the two newsies sent from the different districts to summon people had met on the Bridge- Trolley had been sent from Manhattan, Creamer from Brooklyn. After shaking, Creamer told Trolley what was happening that night, and all that had transpired in his absence. Hearing Fastdancr's name, he said, "Where was she from?"
"Ummm, I think from Philly. Why?"
"Creamer, that's my sister! How old? Around 18? Short?"
"Yeah, that's her."
"Jesus, I thought I'd never see her again. Look, you gotta go tell Jack what's going on- Singah's losing the baby, so she's not to know…Alright?"
"Got it- be careful though- don't let Spot know about the baby till after the fight! Otherwise he won't go through with it and we need to end this."
"Aight. See ya." The two newsies went their separate ways.
***
Fastdancr, known to her friends as Fast and her enemies as "that bitch," not that she had many enemies, was pacing. She knew it wasn't safe to go out, with all the Harlem goons out. It wasn't that safe for the boys, but as a female Brooklyn newsie, the risk kinda doubled. "Dammit!" She wanted to go find her brother, but she didn't even know what he was calling himself. It wasn't safe for anyone to go out on the streets with their real name. Fastdancr wasn't her real name, that was Jen.
Finally, after pacing herself into a rage, she picked up her walking stick and knife. She was going out, Harlem be damned. She was barely out of the Lodging house when she ran straight into a newsie. Stepping back into a fighting stance and shifting her grip on her stick, she looked up at the boy. Shocked, she straightened. It was Kevin- her brother! "Kevin?"
"Jen?"
"Oh my god, it is you!"
"I could say the same thing about you! How ya been?" He swept her up into a bone-crushing hug. She laughed and hugged him back.
"Fine, except for the lack of air…" She gasped out, laughing as he released her. "How you been? And why'd ya leave?"
"I've been good. And I left because Dad was gonna make me marry some girl I'd never met. So I ran. Caught the first train to New York, and I've been here since."
"Sounds like the reason I left- ya know, thanks fer leaving that note saying where you went- I'd never have been able to find you otherwise." She stepped back. "Ya know, I think you grew."
"And I think you shrunk. Were you this short in Philly?"
"Ah shuddup. And what the hell is going on around here? Are they always like this here? The newsies weren't this bad back home. What da hell is wrong with that Speck, can't he even control his own territory?"
"I heard that. How many times do I gotta tell you, the name is Spot- not Speck, Spot. And I can control my territory- why do you think they all still listen to me after being gone for two days? Bacon's just an asshole, and tonight, he's gonna pay for all this."
"Sure, what ever you say, Dot." Spot rolled his eyes. Yeah. Jack would love her. And the sooner he could get her out of Brooklyn, the better.
"And what's this I hear? You guys is brother and sister?" Trolley nodded. "Good. You found him. Now will you go? I don't want mouthy girls for newsies."
"Aaah, Spot, let her stay. She was like this in Philly until she got used to it."
"Yeah, Dot, I'll get better, I promise!" Fast made a pleading face, trying ever so hard not to laugh at the Brooklyn leader. Damn, she was good at this.
"Fine! I give up! Just stop calling me Speck or Dot or whatever other idiotic nicknames you come up with! My. Name. Is. Spot. Now, go away and let me get ready!"
"I got a message for you Spot- from Jack."
"Oh yeah? What is it?"
"Singah's sick. But he wants you to fight- just be careful!"
"I'm always careful. And how did Singah get sick?" Spot was suddenly worried out of his mind. The fight didn't scare him, cause Bacon was a lousy fighter and he could trust his newsies to stop any interference, but Singah being sick scared him. "It ain't the baby, is it?"
"Yeah- it is. She's losing the baby, Spot. Cause of the beating Blink gave her."
"That bastard! That FUCK! I'm gonna kill him!" Spot began pacing and balling his hands into fists. Suddenly, he got calm. Dangerously, angrily calm. "When Blink gets here for the fight, I want him caught and taken here. No one hurts him, understand? He's mine." Trolley nodded. "Now go." Trolley and Fast started to leave.
"Hey, Spot! About the baby- I've kinda got medical training- I can help Singah."
"Good- Trolley, take her over there. And be sure to introduce her to Jack. I think he's gonna like her. Now go, for the last time!" They exited, leaving Spot to his planning.
***
Creamer reached Manhattan just as the sun was starting to paint the sky with color. Entering the Lodging House, he ignored all the newsies' greetings and ran straight up the stairs to the bunkrooms. He stopped Racetrack and asked him where Jack was. Race pointed and Creamer burst through the door.
"Jack! I need to talk to you!"
"Jesus, keep it down- Singah's sleeping! Come on- outside!" They went out on the fire escape.
"Look, Jack, Spot… He can't come for Singah yet. He's gonna fight Bacon and get this all over with."
"Shit. Has he ever fought Bacon? He's huge! But… he's a crappy fighter, can't land a punch worth beans… And I assume Spot is gonna beat the shit of him, then go kill Blink?"
"I guess… are you gonna tell Singah he's fighting? I mean with her losing the baby?"
"Nah. When he's back he can tell her. For now, you're gonna stay here. It's too late for you to go back now."
"But Cowboy…"
"No. You're staying. You can tell us all what's goin' on over in Brooklyn."
"Fine." Creamer gave in- outwardly. Inside, he promised himself, -I'm leaving as soon as Jack ain't lookin'.-
Suddenly, Lashes came bursting through the window. "Jack! Trolley's back, and he brought a girl!"
"Aight, where are they. And what's the big deal about a girl? You're a girl."
"But he says Spot wants you to meet her!"
"Whatever. Creamer, you comin' in?" He nodded and followed Jack inside.
"Trolley! Surprise- I thought I sent you back to Brooklyn."
"Ya did, Jack. Spot sent me back. He sent me over here with Fastdancr- she's a new newsie- and my sister."
"Really? I'm Jack- pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Fastdancr."
"That's great- meanwhile, where's this Singah? I'm supposed to help her- I've got medical training. That's why Spot sent me."
"Good. She's over here." Jack led her over to the bed where Singah was sleeping. "She got beaten pretty badly by her ex a couple of days ago, and now she lost her baby. Is there anything you can do about it?"
"No, not really. I can make sure she doesn't get sick, but that's about it. And I think Spot is gonna take care of whoever did this to her. Now go away so I can talk to her." The boys complied. She turned to the sleeping figure on the bed beside her, forcing thoughts of the charming Jack out of her head. "Singah? Wake up, sweetie, you gotta wake up." Singah stirred. "Come on, Singah, you need to wake up." Singah's eyes fluttered.
"Spot?"
"No, Singah, I'm not Spot. He can't be here yet. I'm Fastdancr. I'm gonna help you."
"Go away. I don't want help. I want Spot." Singah stubbornly closed her eyes again.
"Look, Singah. If you don't cooperate, I'm gonna get Jack in here to make you. And if you don't let me look at you soon, you might not be able to have babies. Ever." Actually, that was a lie, but t had worked before in Philly.
"Aight. What do you want?"
"Not much. I just wanna know what happened."
"Blink kicked me two days ago. Right here." She pointed at the place on her stomach where bruises showed the location of Blink's brutal treatment. "And today I was going to find Jack and my stomach started to cramp really bad. Then I lost the baby." She started to cry.
"Shhh… Singah, it ain't yer fault. And Jack is gonna beat the living shit out of Blink if Spot doesn't get to him first. So stop crying. 'Sides, you'll see Spot soon." Singah's tears lessened. "Now, I don't think you're gonna get sick or anything from this, but lay off anything rowdy fer a while, aight? You'll be better in no time! And trust me- you'll be able to have as many kids as you want!"
"When's Spot coming?" Spot was all Singah could think of.
"He's not gonna be here for a while, but he's comin', I promise. He wants to be here, he just got held up."
"He needs to hurry." And with that, Singah fell back to sleep. Fast stood up.
"Take me to Jack. He's gonna want to know how she's doin'." The nearest girl led Fast to where Jack sat, right outside the door. "Jack? She's gonna be fine. She's just really shaken up. And Spot needs to hurry. She's not gonna feel better till he's here."
"I know. What time is he fighting?"
"Keep yer voice down. She could still wake up, and she doesn't need to know he's gonna fight Bacon. Their starting at 8." She looked at the watch on a chain in her pocket. "In five minutes."
"Good. Then he'll be back soon. Bacon's big, but he's stupid. Spot'll finish him off soon." He hoped that would be the case, for all their sakes. If Brooklyn fell, the rest of the city didn't stand much chance.
***
Spot was ready to face Bacon. He paced impatiently back and forth on the Bridge. Where were they? His newsies were in place, some ready to catch Blink, and the others to make sure nobody pulled anything funny. He wanted to be back with Singah as soon as possible. He just had to beat Bacon and kick the living shit out of Blink first.
Suddenly he heard the sound of Bacon's group. They couldn't be sneaky if they tried- they were all to heavy footed and loud. He looked up. Not far off was the leader of Harlem. Bacon. Spot looked over his adversary. Bacon was maybe three inches taller and a good hundred pounds heavier. But he was clumsy… to heavy to have any grace, and he looked like he relied on his weight to intimidate his opponents. –You ain't gonna scare me!- Spot thought. –I'm better than you and I got something worth fighting for. My district and my wife.- He was already calling Singah his wife in his head.
The two leaders met. "Let's get this over with," Bacon grunted.
"Fine. The rules: no one but us is fighting. Any body interferes, the fight is over. We stop. Period. Next: no tricks- fist only- no knives, sticks, knuckles, nothing. Agreed?"
"Fine. But I pick the place."
"No. We fight here. My boys is already around. They's watching. Any of yer boys try anything, they're gonna stop it. But they ain't gonna pull anything." As he was speaking, Spot noticed Blink, edging into his field of vision. Spot nodded slightly, and his newsies, recognizing what he meant, quietly went and grabbed Blink, stifling his yelps with a rag saturated in chloroform. –Serves ya right, ya bastard.- No one who wasn't supposed to see it happen saw. Spot was proud of his boys. They pulled it off perfectly.
"Right. Let's go then." Bacon was impatient, cracking the knuckles on his huge, meaty hands. The newsies formed a circle, surrounding the leaders. One of the Brooklyn newsies hit a can in place of a bell, and the fight began. Spot lightly bounced on the balls of his feet, waiting for Bacon to come at him. The heavy Harlem newsie lumbered at Spot, swinging gorilla like arms. Spot ducked out of the way, and hit Bacon squarely in the back. Bacon's momentum carried him to the edge of the ring, while Spot calmly waited in the middle, smiling patronizingly. Once again, Bacon came at him. This time, he tried to hit Spot lower than he had before, but Spot dodged, and landed a punch squarely in Bacon's face. Laughingly, he thought –I almost wish Racetrack was here. He'd be taking outrageous odds on this, on how long before I beat him!- But soon he shoved all thought out of his head and began concentrating on the fight. He began attacking Bacon instead of waiting for him. He landed punches on his face, back, and stomach, but never got touched. Finally, Spot dealt the final blow- a crushing punch to the back of Bacon's head. Bacon crumpled, unconscious.
"See that?" He yelled. "This is what happens when you try to tear down Brooklyn! If I ever see any of you on my side of the Bridge again, this is gonna happen to you! Or my name ain't Spot Kieran Conlon!" The Brooklyn newsies cheered as Harlem picked up their fallen leader, and began to carry him all the way back to their own borough.
Meanwhile, Spot was smiling. He had defeated his opponent, almost too easily. The fight was over in less than 5 minutes. Now it was time to see to Blink. His smile changed to a maniac grin. This was going to be worth it.
Normally, Spot wasn't a vengeful person. But he was making an exception. He left the celebrating crowd behind him and headed towards the building they had agreed to hold Blink. He entered, and made his way over to Blink. "Hiya, Blink. Ya know, it wasn't smart to kick Singah like that. Ya see, she lost that baby. And now, yer gonna pay." He began to kick Blink where he had been kicking Singah. He kicked until he realized Blink was unconscious. "Hey fellas- keep him here. Jack is gonna want to have some fun with him, too." He snickered. "Bye Blink. Hope you feel better in the morning." He gave him one last kick to the belly, turned, and made his way towards Manhattan and Singah. It was all over. He could ask her to marry him, and they could go home.
Chapter Fourteen
While all the dramatics were happening at the Manhattan Lodging House, the two newsies sent from the different districts to summon people had met on the Bridge- Trolley had been sent from Manhattan, Creamer from Brooklyn. After shaking, Creamer told Trolley what was happening that night, and all that had transpired in his absence. Hearing Fastdancr's name, he said, "Where was she from?"
"Ummm, I think from Philly. Why?"
"Creamer, that's my sister! How old? Around 18? Short?"
"Yeah, that's her."
"Jesus, I thought I'd never see her again. Look, you gotta go tell Jack what's going on- Singah's losing the baby, so she's not to know…Alright?"
"Got it- be careful though- don't let Spot know about the baby till after the fight! Otherwise he won't go through with it and we need to end this."
"Aight. See ya." The two newsies went their separate ways.
***
Fastdancr, known to her friends as Fast and her enemies as "that bitch," not that she had many enemies, was pacing. She knew it wasn't safe to go out, with all the Harlem goons out. It wasn't that safe for the boys, but as a female Brooklyn newsie, the risk kinda doubled. "Dammit!" She wanted to go find her brother, but she didn't even know what he was calling himself. It wasn't safe for anyone to go out on the streets with their real name. Fastdancr wasn't her real name, that was Jen.
Finally, after pacing herself into a rage, she picked up her walking stick and knife. She was going out, Harlem be damned. She was barely out of the Lodging house when she ran straight into a newsie. Stepping back into a fighting stance and shifting her grip on her stick, she looked up at the boy. Shocked, she straightened. It was Kevin- her brother! "Kevin?"
"Jen?"
"Oh my god, it is you!"
"I could say the same thing about you! How ya been?" He swept her up into a bone-crushing hug. She laughed and hugged him back.
"Fine, except for the lack of air…" She gasped out, laughing as he released her. "How you been? And why'd ya leave?"
"I've been good. And I left because Dad was gonna make me marry some girl I'd never met. So I ran. Caught the first train to New York, and I've been here since."
"Sounds like the reason I left- ya know, thanks fer leaving that note saying where you went- I'd never have been able to find you otherwise." She stepped back. "Ya know, I think you grew."
"And I think you shrunk. Were you this short in Philly?"
"Ah shuddup. And what the hell is going on around here? Are they always like this here? The newsies weren't this bad back home. What da hell is wrong with that Speck, can't he even control his own territory?"
"I heard that. How many times do I gotta tell you, the name is Spot- not Speck, Spot. And I can control my territory- why do you think they all still listen to me after being gone for two days? Bacon's just an asshole, and tonight, he's gonna pay for all this."
"Sure, what ever you say, Dot." Spot rolled his eyes. Yeah. Jack would love her. And the sooner he could get her out of Brooklyn, the better.
"And what's this I hear? You guys is brother and sister?" Trolley nodded. "Good. You found him. Now will you go? I don't want mouthy girls for newsies."
"Aaah, Spot, let her stay. She was like this in Philly until she got used to it."
"Yeah, Dot, I'll get better, I promise!" Fast made a pleading face, trying ever so hard not to laugh at the Brooklyn leader. Damn, she was good at this.
"Fine! I give up! Just stop calling me Speck or Dot or whatever other idiotic nicknames you come up with! My. Name. Is. Spot. Now, go away and let me get ready!"
"I got a message for you Spot- from Jack."
"Oh yeah? What is it?"
"Singah's sick. But he wants you to fight- just be careful!"
"I'm always careful. And how did Singah get sick?" Spot was suddenly worried out of his mind. The fight didn't scare him, cause Bacon was a lousy fighter and he could trust his newsies to stop any interference, but Singah being sick scared him. "It ain't the baby, is it?"
"Yeah- it is. She's losing the baby, Spot. Cause of the beating Blink gave her."
"That bastard! That FUCK! I'm gonna kill him!" Spot began pacing and balling his hands into fists. Suddenly, he got calm. Dangerously, angrily calm. "When Blink gets here for the fight, I want him caught and taken here. No one hurts him, understand? He's mine." Trolley nodded. "Now go." Trolley and Fast started to leave.
"Hey, Spot! About the baby- I've kinda got medical training- I can help Singah."
"Good- Trolley, take her over there. And be sure to introduce her to Jack. I think he's gonna like her. Now go, for the last time!" They exited, leaving Spot to his planning.
***
Creamer reached Manhattan just as the sun was starting to paint the sky with color. Entering the Lodging House, he ignored all the newsies' greetings and ran straight up the stairs to the bunkrooms. He stopped Racetrack and asked him where Jack was. Race pointed and Creamer burst through the door.
"Jack! I need to talk to you!"
"Jesus, keep it down- Singah's sleeping! Come on- outside!" They went out on the fire escape.
"Look, Jack, Spot… He can't come for Singah yet. He's gonna fight Bacon and get this all over with."
"Shit. Has he ever fought Bacon? He's huge! But… he's a crappy fighter, can't land a punch worth beans… And I assume Spot is gonna beat the shit of him, then go kill Blink?"
"I guess… are you gonna tell Singah he's fighting? I mean with her losing the baby?"
"Nah. When he's back he can tell her. For now, you're gonna stay here. It's too late for you to go back now."
"But Cowboy…"
"No. You're staying. You can tell us all what's goin' on over in Brooklyn."
"Fine." Creamer gave in- outwardly. Inside, he promised himself, -I'm leaving as soon as Jack ain't lookin'.-
Suddenly, Lashes came bursting through the window. "Jack! Trolley's back, and he brought a girl!"
"Aight, where are they. And what's the big deal about a girl? You're a girl."
"But he says Spot wants you to meet her!"
"Whatever. Creamer, you comin' in?" He nodded and followed Jack inside.
"Trolley! Surprise- I thought I sent you back to Brooklyn."
"Ya did, Jack. Spot sent me back. He sent me over here with Fastdancr- she's a new newsie- and my sister."
"Really? I'm Jack- pleasure to make your acquaintance, Miss Fastdancr."
"That's great- meanwhile, where's this Singah? I'm supposed to help her- I've got medical training. That's why Spot sent me."
"Good. She's over here." Jack led her over to the bed where Singah was sleeping. "She got beaten pretty badly by her ex a couple of days ago, and now she lost her baby. Is there anything you can do about it?"
"No, not really. I can make sure she doesn't get sick, but that's about it. And I think Spot is gonna take care of whoever did this to her. Now go away so I can talk to her." The boys complied. She turned to the sleeping figure on the bed beside her, forcing thoughts of the charming Jack out of her head. "Singah? Wake up, sweetie, you gotta wake up." Singah stirred. "Come on, Singah, you need to wake up." Singah's eyes fluttered.
"Spot?"
"No, Singah, I'm not Spot. He can't be here yet. I'm Fastdancr. I'm gonna help you."
"Go away. I don't want help. I want Spot." Singah stubbornly closed her eyes again.
"Look, Singah. If you don't cooperate, I'm gonna get Jack in here to make you. And if you don't let me look at you soon, you might not be able to have babies. Ever." Actually, that was a lie, but t had worked before in Philly.
"Aight. What do you want?"
"Not much. I just wanna know what happened."
"Blink kicked me two days ago. Right here." She pointed at the place on her stomach where bruises showed the location of Blink's brutal treatment. "And today I was going to find Jack and my stomach started to cramp really bad. Then I lost the baby." She started to cry.
"Shhh… Singah, it ain't yer fault. And Jack is gonna beat the living shit out of Blink if Spot doesn't get to him first. So stop crying. 'Sides, you'll see Spot soon." Singah's tears lessened. "Now, I don't think you're gonna get sick or anything from this, but lay off anything rowdy fer a while, aight? You'll be better in no time! And trust me- you'll be able to have as many kids as you want!"
"When's Spot coming?" Spot was all Singah could think of.
"He's not gonna be here for a while, but he's comin', I promise. He wants to be here, he just got held up."
"He needs to hurry." And with that, Singah fell back to sleep. Fast stood up.
"Take me to Jack. He's gonna want to know how she's doin'." The nearest girl led Fast to where Jack sat, right outside the door. "Jack? She's gonna be fine. She's just really shaken up. And Spot needs to hurry. She's not gonna feel better till he's here."
"I know. What time is he fighting?"
"Keep yer voice down. She could still wake up, and she doesn't need to know he's gonna fight Bacon. Their starting at 8." She looked at the watch on a chain in her pocket. "In five minutes."
"Good. Then he'll be back soon. Bacon's big, but he's stupid. Spot'll finish him off soon." He hoped that would be the case, for all their sakes. If Brooklyn fell, the rest of the city didn't stand much chance.
***
Spot was ready to face Bacon. He paced impatiently back and forth on the Bridge. Where were they? His newsies were in place, some ready to catch Blink, and the others to make sure nobody pulled anything funny. He wanted to be back with Singah as soon as possible. He just had to beat Bacon and kick the living shit out of Blink first.
Suddenly he heard the sound of Bacon's group. They couldn't be sneaky if they tried- they were all to heavy footed and loud. He looked up. Not far off was the leader of Harlem. Bacon. Spot looked over his adversary. Bacon was maybe three inches taller and a good hundred pounds heavier. But he was clumsy… to heavy to have any grace, and he looked like he relied on his weight to intimidate his opponents. –You ain't gonna scare me!- Spot thought. –I'm better than you and I got something worth fighting for. My district and my wife.- He was already calling Singah his wife in his head.
The two leaders met. "Let's get this over with," Bacon grunted.
"Fine. The rules: no one but us is fighting. Any body interferes, the fight is over. We stop. Period. Next: no tricks- fist only- no knives, sticks, knuckles, nothing. Agreed?"
"Fine. But I pick the place."
"No. We fight here. My boys is already around. They's watching. Any of yer boys try anything, they're gonna stop it. But they ain't gonna pull anything." As he was speaking, Spot noticed Blink, edging into his field of vision. Spot nodded slightly, and his newsies, recognizing what he meant, quietly went and grabbed Blink, stifling his yelps with a rag saturated in chloroform. –Serves ya right, ya bastard.- No one who wasn't supposed to see it happen saw. Spot was proud of his boys. They pulled it off perfectly.
"Right. Let's go then." Bacon was impatient, cracking the knuckles on his huge, meaty hands. The newsies formed a circle, surrounding the leaders. One of the Brooklyn newsies hit a can in place of a bell, and the fight began. Spot lightly bounced on the balls of his feet, waiting for Bacon to come at him. The heavy Harlem newsie lumbered at Spot, swinging gorilla like arms. Spot ducked out of the way, and hit Bacon squarely in the back. Bacon's momentum carried him to the edge of the ring, while Spot calmly waited in the middle, smiling patronizingly. Once again, Bacon came at him. This time, he tried to hit Spot lower than he had before, but Spot dodged, and landed a punch squarely in Bacon's face. Laughingly, he thought –I almost wish Racetrack was here. He'd be taking outrageous odds on this, on how long before I beat him!- But soon he shoved all thought out of his head and began concentrating on the fight. He began attacking Bacon instead of waiting for him. He landed punches on his face, back, and stomach, but never got touched. Finally, Spot dealt the final blow- a crushing punch to the back of Bacon's head. Bacon crumpled, unconscious.
"See that?" He yelled. "This is what happens when you try to tear down Brooklyn! If I ever see any of you on my side of the Bridge again, this is gonna happen to you! Or my name ain't Spot Kieran Conlon!" The Brooklyn newsies cheered as Harlem picked up their fallen leader, and began to carry him all the way back to their own borough.
Meanwhile, Spot was smiling. He had defeated his opponent, almost too easily. The fight was over in less than 5 minutes. Now it was time to see to Blink. His smile changed to a maniac grin. This was going to be worth it.
Normally, Spot wasn't a vengeful person. But he was making an exception. He left the celebrating crowd behind him and headed towards the building they had agreed to hold Blink. He entered, and made his way over to Blink. "Hiya, Blink. Ya know, it wasn't smart to kick Singah like that. Ya see, she lost that baby. And now, yer gonna pay." He began to kick Blink where he had been kicking Singah. He kicked until he realized Blink was unconscious. "Hey fellas- keep him here. Jack is gonna want to have some fun with him, too." He snickered. "Bye Blink. Hope you feel better in the morning." He gave him one last kick to the belly, turned, and made his way towards Manhattan and Singah. It was all over. He could ask her to marry him, and they could go home.