(Due to the requests and whining of Jinx and Swed I'm going to tell you now, this chapter is all about Spot, REALLY REALLY DRUNK! You know you want it and you know it's funny, so I did it, huzzah for me. The song Tell me Now by Mazzy Star sounds so like something a half drunk really depressed person would be singing in a bar that I had to add it, if you can download music I suggest getting it because it really helps the effect of that scene. There's also going to be something super cool and crazy irritating that I need to tell everyone but I'm going to wait until the end for no particular reason, so HA.)

Frick stormed into the Manhattan lodging house, went straight to the bunkroom and dragged Marble out of her bed, "What the bloody hell is the matter with you? Every time I come here I hear about you crawling in with your tail between your legs and curling up to sulk for a few hours then leaving, moaning self-righteously about how horrible you feel. Quit the pity party and go talk to him!"

Marble's mouth moved soundlessly for a minute, she was too startled to speak. Finally she croaked something out, "But I..., It's not that easy."

"Do you love him?"

"Of course."

"And are you miserable without him?"

"Yes."

"Well I have it on the very best authority that he's a helluva lot worse off than you. Now get off your whiny ass and to talk to him."

"But I....I can't."

"Oh yes you bloody can! Listen, he's sorry, you're sorry, if you go out to the pier right now Dublin will show you exactly where he is. Just go!"

"I...,I..."

"Here, I'll make it easy on you," She grabbed Marble's arm and pulled her coat off of the bedpost, then dragged her to the door and shoved her out so hard that she almost tumbled down the stairs, "Here's your coat," Frick threw it in her face and pointed down the steps, "There's the door, now get the hell out!"

The door slammed in her face. Marble stared blankly at it for a minute then turned and ran down the stairs, pulling on her coat on the way and almost knocking Pips and Blink over at the door.

* * *

Marble stood with Dublin under a guttering street lamp. He pointed to a building across the street then left her alone. Yellow light from the windows cast eerie shadows and music was drifting through the cold air.

"Tell me now, three days of spirits, tell me now. I'm here like a spur that's been buried in me to try."

Marble walked across the street and pushed the doors open, stepping into a dimly lit bar. The melancholy music wafted through the world of smog and indistinct forms hunched over mugs, mulling on wasted lives.

"Tell me now that there are three days in a week. Tell me now, did it make it so, make it so I can't speak, make it so I can't speak. Well, I'm here like a spur that's been buried in me to try."

The men at the bar peered her with bleary yellowed eyes, too drunk to care and too dazed to look away. She saw Spot across the room.

"Eyes of blue, sea of red, take me to where I've never been dead, where I've never been, dead."

He was sitting on the back of the piano with a mug clasped in both hands, watching the girl play. He didn't seem aware of anything other than her fingers dancing across the keys.

"'Cause between myself and me it's a very lonely, day. Between myself it's a lonely."

Marble crossed the room to him and he looked up with the barest recognition on his face and put down his half empty mug.

"Between myself it's a lonely, day."

She pulled him off of the piano and gave him a shove to get him staggering towards the door, "Thanks for watching him Ace."

The girl at the piano nodded and continued to play as they walked out the door.

"Crimson red yourself back up to me."

* * *

Out in the street away for the smoke and the music and the fumes the stars were shining brightly in the clear sky. Marble shoved Spot against the wall, knocking the wind out of him in a silvery mist.

He groaned and would have slid down the wall if her hand hadn't been against his chest holding him up, "I can't believe you Spot. I finally forgive you for being drunken asshole and when I come to tell you, you're drunk you asshole."

"I's sorry."

"Don't say dat, I'm not mad at you! You know I should kick ya ass for makin' me come all the way out here to drag you out of a bar."

"I's sorry."

"You should be! You are the most insensitive jerk in the world. Do you have any idea how worried I was when they told me how much you were drinking? And now you're sick and still out here drinking!"

"I's sorry."

"Quit saying that, I've alroidy forgiven you."

"But I's sorry."

"For what? Huh? What are you whimpering about?"

"I's sorry 'cause I slept with Katie."

"What?" Marble's voice went cold and she felt like she was going to vomit. She took her hand off of his chest to keep from strangling him and he slid to the ground, "When?"

"I don't remembah, she said it was a week ago. I........I think I got her pregnant."

"Pregnant," She said the word carefully, everything was spinning and she felt like the world was crumbling around her, "How do you know."

"She told me, and, and I saw the baby."

"Wait a minute, you saw the what!?" The fog that was threatening to envelop her suddenly disappeared and she smacked her forehead, "My God. How drunk are you?"

"I'm sorry."

"Shut up you moron, get up." Marble dragged him to his feet by his shirt front and started walking.

She was completely enraged with him at the moment, but deep down on the inside she was laughing herself sick. He was so stupid and pathetic and cute, looking all raggity and contrite. She wanted to hug him for being pitiful, smack him for being an idiot and kill him for making her worry. She didn't know if anything Katie (yea, I mentioned her once in chapter four) had said was true and she wanted to find out before she decided whether or not to murder Spot.

There was a rundown tenement building a block from the distribution center where the newsie lived. She had moved out of the lodging house ten months earlier. She and Marble knew each other by sight and reputation only, but that didn't stop her from dragging Spot up to the girl's door and banging on it until she heard someone coming.

The door was pulled open angrily, "What!? Oh my God, Marble?"

Marble pushed past her into the little apartment and dumped Spot onto a chair, "Is a single thing you told him true?"

Katie stood there looking horrified, she had never expected this to happen. She opened her mouth to answer, but there was a shrill cry from the other room. Without thinking she ran to her baby. Marble followed her slowly. She saw Katie lift the crying bundle out of the crib and she had her answer. His skin was a beautiful shade of ebony and he had curly dark hair. He stopped screaming almost as soon as he was in his mother's arms.

Marble sighed with relief, "Why did you lie to Spot?"

The young mother jumped and turned around holding the baby to her chest, "His father works for a trader's ship and they left for England about three months ago. Taking care of him costed more than I thought it would and I needed money. When I saw Spot out on the street earlier today he was too drunk to know the difference so I told him the baby was his and he needed to help pay for it. I figured I could get enough to last the rest of the week and he would forget about it in a couple of bottles."

"How much did he give you?"

"Thirty cents, but I can't give it back I already spent it on food. There's nothing left." The girl was clutching her son protectively, she was almost in tears from desperation.

Marble reached out and gently loosened her grip on the baby, "Don't worry , I don't want it back and when he sobers up I don't think Spot will either. In fact," Marble reached into her pocket and took out at least two dollars in change.

"Oh no, no, I couldn't."

"You can steal money from my boyfriend, but you can't take it when I offer? Don't worry about it, there's plenty more where that came from. I have 'alternate means' of getting money. Just take it."

She slipped the money into the blanket with the baby and there was no convenient way Katie could give it back, "What's his name?"

"Jordan." Her voice shone with pride and Marble grinned.

She stroked one of his soft little cheeks and he cooed, "Bye-bye little Jordan." She turned and walked out of the room.

Spot was still in the chair where she left him with his head in his hands, moaning. She mercilessly pulled him to his feet then turned to where Katie was standing in the doorway and pointed to a basin of water in the bathroom, "May I?"

The girl nodded and she dragged Spot to it, "Spot I have something to show you."

"Sumpthin'? Wheah?"

"Here look." He leaned over the water, "I don't see nuthin'."

"Look closer."

He leaned closer, "I's still don't," Marble shoved his head under.

A minute later she let him up spluttering and coughing, "What da hell! Lemme go roight," She pushed him back under.

He thrashed and fought he but he didn't come up until she let him, "You'se insane. Ya tryin' ta kill m," She dunked him again and when he came up all he could do was cough and gasp.

Once more and he managed to speak again, "Stop! Please."

Marble disentangled her fingers from his hair and he sat there breathing heavily for a minute. His body suddenly jerked funnily and his hand clamped over his mouth. If Katie had lived any higher than the first floor he never would have gotten outside in time. Fortunately he got into the street before throwing up.

He stood there, bent over, retching for what seemed like forever before he felt Marble's hand on his back. It was a few minute before the flow of bile stopped with a few choking gasps. Marble carefully helped him straighten up.

Spot's whole body was shaking with fatigue and cold. She handed him a rag from the house and while he was wiping his mouth she took off her coat and wrapped it around his shoulders. Spot leaned heavily on he as she wrapped an arm around his waist and started leading him home.

He let his head lull against her shoulder, "Marble I's so sorry."

"Don't worry about it. Like I said, I've already forgiven you."

(Ok, this was a reasonable amount of time too, now I'm scared of me. Ah well CHAPTER 21 WOOHOO you no longer have an excuse for not reviewing, I expect a shit load, or else. I really like this one because now the story's going to really pick up, that's right, everything comes together soon in a big climax where two characters die. Oops maybe I shouldn't have said that, but it's true, I'm going to kill two of them off and shock my troupe of loyal fans, and not so loyal ones. Heehee sucks to be you because I'm not telling who they are. Hell I'm not even sure, I guess whoever I get tired of dies. Bribery, begging and threats won't make me tell but they can't hurt anything.)