(Heeheehee, the last chapter was all about drinking and it was chapter twenty-one, get it, you can drink when you are twenty-one and most of the drinking happened in chapter twenty-one, heeheehee Hahahahe heh heh.......yea, well I guess it's not actually funny but it still is an interesting coincidence. Well for your information the next chapter is the big one that I've been planning since the beginning so it's either going to suddenly appear tomorrow it a flourish of creativity or it's going to take all week because I'm being all anal about getting it perfect, either way it should be good.)

"Gavin, have you seen Marble, she said she would be back this morning."

It was almost noon and Skylar was pacing the bunkroom alone. Gavin had come back briefly to take a break and found his brother still there, "Maybe she got held up."

"No, I sent someone to check earlier and she wasn't there. Medda said she hadn't been there for a while. She should be back by now."

"I don't know Sky." He hesitated for a moment, "Maybe she was never there."

"What?" He stopped pacing.

"Well think about it, she's never there when you want to find her and she always 'works' the days you're planning something to get past Harper and she's been friends with the newsies long before we came here. I'm not saying anything but maybe you don't know her as well as you think you do."

In a second Skylar had his brother pinned roughly against the wall, "You sure as hell are saying something and you'd better be prepared to back it up with more than that really quick, unless you want me to make myself an only child."

"Isn't it strange how she just 'happened' to break up with Spot right after we showed up, you saw how surprised everyone was. If there was anything wrong between them their friends would at least have had a clue. And when she came in all bruised up, he had no idea what was going on, there's no way he did it. She's up to something Sky, whether you believe me or not, you should watch her."

Skylar let his brother go, "If you're so sure, where is she now?"

"My bet is Brooklyn."

* * *

Spot woke up slowly. The sun was shining too loud and his head was throbbing. He cracked an eye then moaned and covered his face with a hand. This hangover was a week in the making and it was everything he had hoped it wouldn't be.

A cold cloth touched his forehead and the excess water rolled refreshingly down his face and neck. He reopened his eye and looked up at Marble, she seemed tired. Spot opened his mouth to say something, but his throat was too dry and it hurt to breathe. She hushed him and put a glass of water into his hand. It took everything Spot had to sit partially up and even more to get the glass to his mouth, but he still only managed to get half of it into his body. The other half went down his chest.

He let the glass drop with a moan and fell back onto his pillow, this wasn't any ordinary hangover, "Why's everythin' so hard?"

"Because you're sick Spot. Now lie still and be quiet."

He tried to watch her moving around the room but his eyes wouldn't stay focused and the light was making his head throb. He finally gave up and closed his eyes. Spot drifted in and out of conscienceness. He was alone and the whole house seemed quiet. Marble was sitting next to his bed looking worriedly at him. Twitch was in the room whispering frantically to her and the look of worry on her face increased. He was alone again, except for Ashes. Dublin was there putting more blankets on him. Marble was back, there was a commotion coming from the bunkroom, but she just stood there grimly watching the door, waiting.

* * *

Lucy sat in front of the fireplace in the suites's parlor, mending. All she had to do all day was laundry and gossip with the other maids. She may have been the youngest, but she had by far the juiciest story. No one could top being in the city because their master was looking for a wife who had run away to become a newsie.

She was humming happily to herself when the door slammed open. He came bearing down on her like a lightning strike, "You know exactly where she is and you're going to tell me right now." He didn't even wait for an answer before he swung his fist.

* * *

Marble sighed, Skylar was finally on to her and she was waiting for him to get past the others. It really was about time. She had decided a while ago not to make anything up, she was just going to let him think whatever he thought and run with it from there.

The door burst open and Skylar stormed in with Gavin, as usual, on his heels, "What's going on here? What are you doing with Him?"

"Oh God Skylar, you are such an ass. Why don't you ask ya bruddah, at least he has some idea of what's goin' on." He looked to Gavin, but the boy just shrugged and gave him an 'I told you so' look.

He turned back to her with a growl, "So you've been screwing with me this entire time?"

"Pretty much."

He took an angry step towards her, ignoring Gavin's snicker, and Spot was suddenly on his feet between them, "Don'cha touch 'er!"

Skylar looked him up and down with a sneer, "Fine, keep you bitch." Marble grabbed Spot's arm to keep him back, then continued to hold it to keep him up. He was putting almost all of his weight on her and she could feel his body shaking, but the others couldn't see his weakness, "Tonight, you and me Conlon, we'll settle all of this."

Marble stepped forward, "This is between you and me Sky."

He scoffed (heh heh, I used the word scoffed), "What's this Spot? You're letting a girl fight your battles for you?"

Marble smacked him hard enough to make his head rock back then got right in his face, "No, I'm just not letting a man fight mine. Now get out, unless you want to start this right now."

Gavin heard the distinct sound of knuckles cracking behind them and turned to see Dublin and Dimitry looming in the doorway with their heads almost touching the ceiling and the rest of Brooklyn crowded behind them.

Skylar didn't even flinch even though he had a pretty good idea of what was behind him, "This isn't over. We're settling this tonight." He brushed past the two boys in the doorway and Gavin started to follow. He hesitated for a second and looked like he was going to say something, but decided against it and dutifully followed his brother.

Marble waited until they were out of sight then pushed Spot gently back onto his bed, "Marble, I don't want ya ta do dis."

"Don't worry about it Spot, jist git bettah, alright."



(Yes, I know this chapter isn't very good, and it's way too short, but it wasn't planned or anything. I just needed to get from point A to point B in the story and this just kinda happened. None of this stuff fit into the last chapter and it would totally ruin the effect of the next one, which I must shamelessly say is really good. Well off I go to get it up under the threat of gratuitous lynching because I can't seem to stop with the obnoxious unneeded suspense.)