(Since this is the long awaited chapter, satisfying everyone's lust for action I want to ask a favor before I begin. Go straight to the bottom and open a review box then comment as you read, I know it is weird and kind of inconvenient, but there is a lot happening in this chapter and I want to know what you think of all of it, not just the last bits. Personally I think the first section is one of the best things I've written, it's all descriptive and has a really cool ambiance and don't want it to go completely unnoticed because of the other stuff, I'm really proud of it. If anyone finds the major detail I've left out you get a prize, I'm not sure what yet but it's still a prize, and if you don't, well, I guess I'll just have to tell you.)

In Queens there was an old rundown warehouse. It was alone on an abandoned block. One wall was missing and two others might as well have been. The open floor was cold hard concrete stained with blood and scored by knives. It was getting more use closed then it ever had open. The one solid wall faced a bitterly windy harbor and the other three, an entirely immigrant neighborhood, guaranteeing no police interference.

A common site for brawls and gang fights, the bloody reputation of the place was given the solemn respect it deserved for once. The turnout that night was greater than any feud or territory war had ever achieved before. The group milled about anxiously, a gentle fall of snow muffling the already hushed conversation. The different boroughs intertwined and mingled, no one chose or kept sides, they were united no matter what the outcome. If Skylar won, New York was his for the taking and no resistance would last long, but if he lost the leaders would regain control and the boroughs would remain separate. This was the deciding moment and they were silently holding their breaths for it.

* * *

Marble stepped out of the wind with Ashes riding high on her shoulder. Everyone was already there waiting. She made her way through the anxious crowd until she found her friends. Jack was there with Spot talking quietly and Race was there, between Kid Blink and Pips, who, for once, weren't fighting.

The hushed chatter stopped when she approached the group, "Hiya guys."

"Marble don't do dis, lemme take 'im down."

"If you can stand on your own for five minutes Spot den I'll gladly letcha." He didn't say anything, just looked at her, his face lined with worry.

She smiled sadly and took Ashes off of her shoulder, "Jack will you watch him for me, I don't want him gettin' hoit."

"Shoa." He took the cat, not knowing if she meant her pet or her boyfriend.

Marble suddenly grinned at Pips, "Aw, you ditched da kids just to see me git killed. If dat ain't a true friend I don't know what is."

"Mush offered to watch them and after you kept going on about how Skylar looked I had to see him before you messed him up."

"Either way, thanks for showing up." Pips smiled encouragingly and Marble turned to the ring.

Skylar was on the other side with his brother and a few of his closest friends. They locked eyes for an instant then he stepped into the open circle and pulled his shirt over his head. Marble swallowed hard and took a few deep breaths, "Harper?"

She turned to her friend, who had appeared at her side, with a tremor in her voice. The girl almost laughed out loud at the look on Marble's, and every other girl there for that matter, face, "Don't git all goily on me, da boy ain't dat poitty." Marble let out a whimpery sigh then chuckled and turned back to the ring. She quickly discarded her coat, then shirt, leaving all of the boys to curse the existence of long johns.

Both fighters made their ways to the center of the circle, sizing each other up as they went. As the middle they both knelt and picked up six inch blades, designed specifically for fighting. They instantly sprang out of reach of each other and started circling, knives held point down, parallel to wrists.

The hushed air shattered and the newsies started screaming and cheering them on. Marble couldn't hear any of it over the blood pounding in her ears. Adrenaline rushed through her body as she watched Skylar. He faked a lunge and she stood her ground, waiting for a real attack. He grinned viciously and, whether it was hormones, the adrenaline rush or the prospect of being killed, she couldn't help smiling back.

A look of confusion flashed across his face and in that instant she was on him. There was a flurry of blows, grunts of pain and a spray of blood, then they were apart. Skylar had a shallow gash across his chest and Marble's left arm was bleeding. They were now wary of each other and neither of them was even blinking anymore. They slowly worked their ways to each other three more times and after a rain of blows and jabs they sprang apart. There were both wearing down. Skylar was panting heavily and Marble was starting to feel cuts she didn't even remember getting, it was time to finish it.

With no warning she lunged at Skylar, leaving him no time to react. In the last instant her gaze flickered over his shoulder. Spot was being held up completely by Jack and his body was visibly quivering, even from where she was. She stumbled and Skylar side stepped her. As her momentum carried her past him he spun, swung his blade and gouged her back open, diagonally from shoulder to hip. She fell with a sharp smack of flesh against concrete and the crowd grew silent.

Marble rolled to her back with a moan and tried to take her weight off of the cut, but her hand slipped in a pool of blood and she fell back. She lay still for a minute blinking sweat out of her eyes and trying to catch her breath.

Skylar stepped into her field of vision wiping his forehead and smirking, "You gave me a good work out there, but you didn't actually expect to win, did you little girl?"

His gloating was cut short by a collective wince of 'Oh shit' from all of the newsies. Marble sat up slowly, "You did not jist call me dat. Ya see a minute ago I was gonna play along, do da little 'pretend ta be hoit, let'cha think ya won den kick your ass' thing. But now I's jist gonna kill you." On the last word she flew into a body slam, carrying them both down.

The fall seemed to be in slow motion. His knife's tip gouged into her side as it left his hand and her knee went into his crotch. In one smooth motion she brought her blade around, narrowly missing hie eye and tearing through his left cheek then bringing the edge down on the opposite side of his neck, so his throat was clamped between her wrist and the knife.

She straddled his chest as they both struggled for their breath, "Did you really think it would be dat easy? Jist show up and da city falls into your pocket? I aught to kill you jist for thinkin' we'd let you." A drop of blood welled out of his neck and rolled down the knife blade, "But I won't. You's gonna loin how stuff works in dis city but you ain't gonna die jist yet."

Everyone stood silently, straining to hear and waiting anxiously to see what would happen next. A shrill whistle suddenly pierced the silence and shattered the taboo. It was instant chaos. Cops came running in from all directions and newsies scattered everywhere.

Marble sprang to her feet and nearly went right back down. She was light headed from blood loss and it felt like the ground was spinning. There was no way she would get very far in the confusion.

Racetrack suddenly appeared at her side with Blink and Pips right behind him, "Come on let's go." He pulled her arm over his shoulder and the four of them disappeared in a swirl of people.

Skylar tried to sit up, but his body wasn't responding and his muscles screamed in protest at every movement. He was too dazed to realize he was in danger of being trampled and to tired to do anything even if he had. He felt someone pulling at him and tried to brush them away. They were persistent and he was pulled into a sitting position.

Gavin's face radiated fear and urgency, "Get up. We have to go and I can't carry you."

Skylar looked at him uncomprehending then closed hie eyes, "I'm too tired, just leave me alone, so tired."

His muscles went slack and he was on the verge of passing out, Gavin wanted to hit him in frustration. He pulled his brother's arm over his shoulder and tried to get him to his feet. He was starting to panic. They needed to get out of there and get to a hospital right away. Suddenly someone grabbed Sky's other arm and he looked up into Harper's scared face.

She was grinning like a manic and laughing, "Wha'cha standin' 'round heah for boy? Don'cha know da bulls is aftah us?" She reached down and brushed the blood away from the gash on Skylar's cheek, "Now he's poitty." Another whistle called and they were gone.

* * *

A few blocks away the streets were empty except for four newsies. Race had long ago resorted to carrying Marble, she had been slowing them down too much trying to run. They could hear the whistles and yelling echoing down the street as the police unsuccessfully tried to round up the newsies. Most of them had scattered and it would be a long time before the officers were satisfied.

They passed under a street lamp and saw evidence of the mad rush before them in the snow. They were almost back into the relative safety of the darkness when they heard a shout behind them, "You, stop right there!"

Normally they would have ignored it and just run faster, but they all skidded to a halt when they heard a gun cocking behind them. The group slowly turned, but instead of an officer there was a wealthy looking man in a dark suit pointing a gun at them. Pips screamed.

"Did you really think you could get away? You must have known running would only make it worse in the end." The girl drew back in terror and the newsies had their first look at Pips' husband.

He was a tall man with coal black hair and even darker eyes. Arrogance and cruelty radiated from every aspect of his being and none of them doubted for a second that he would fire the gun at the smallest hint of movement, "Now here's what's going to happen. You're going to come nice and quietly with me Sophie and were getting on a train tomorrow and going home. You're going to play the dutiful wife until your daddy kicks the bucket and I collect. After that, well, I'll let you know. If you don't cooperate I'll have to kill all of your little friends and then you're still coming with me."

"You can't have her." Marble was back on her feet with a fire in her eyes even though she was still being supported.

He shifted his eyes, and gun, to her face, "Don't make me shoot you."

She was taken aback by the complete lack of feeling in the statement, he really didn't care either way. Marble finally understood why Pips was so completely afraid of him. She took a step back, bumping into Race, and felt something warm running down her back. The cut had reopened and the slow ooze of blood had become a painful rush. He caught her as she lost her footing and slowly lowered her to the ground.

She felt herself losing conscienceness as Pips' husband turned back to his wife, "What's it going to be Sophie? Or do I have to kill your boyfriend to make you choose?" He leveled the gun on Kid's chest and the two newsies shared a look of panic, to hell with past arguments, Pips didn't want to see him get shot.

The next few seconds happened in a blur. Pips stepped forward to give herself up, Kid tried to stop her, Marble screamed in pain as she passed out, a whistle shrilled and a police officer yelled, "Sir put down the gun!"

In that split second of confusion Blink lunged and made a grab for the gun. He caught the other man off guard and got one hand around the weapon and used the other to try and pry him off. For a few terrifying seconds it swung wildly through the air, then Blink's element of surprise was gone and the other man's size and strength took over. He easily bowled the boy over and they where struggling on the ground, the gun between their bodies. They rolled through the snow, grunting and fighting for their lives.

The world exploded in a brilliant flash of light and sound, followed by a deafening silence. The gun had gone off between them. A spray of blood fanned out across the snow and more was seeping out from between the bodies. Neither of them was moving.

Pips screamed until her throat was raw then collapsed to her knees sobbing wildly. Race ran to the bodies but with the blood everywhere he couldn't tell where the gun had been pointed when it went off.









(And I'm off to England for a week with absolutely no access to a computer, trust me, you're much more upset about it than I am.)