"Heya Marble." Frick spoke softly to wake her up, "Marble we took care a da Delancy scum fa ya an' Beck an' his friends skipped town last nite."

Marble's eyes slowly opened. She smiled but didn't say anything.

"Hey, hows ya feelin'?"

Marble just shrugged, "Don't feel like talkin' huh? I's understand. Ya know dat Spot's real worried 'bout yous. Half da time 'es all scared an' worried, da oddah half 'es snappin' at everyone."

Frick sighed exasperatedly, "You have no idea how hard it is to keep up this stupid accent all of the time."

Marble almost laughed when Frick used her real voice. Her and Frack were from England and they faked New York accents to fit in, "Oh, well at least I can talk like a normal human being around you. I can't stand sounding like a moron just to be understood, it's irritating. I have to get out of here before I go insane."

Marble laughed and patted her hand, "Poor baby." Her voice was just above a whisper.

The door banged open when she laughed and Spot rushed in and was at her side in an instant, "Marble yous alroight? I was so worried, I thought yous might be hoit. We almost killed da Delancys but Beck skipped town an' I's don't t'ink 'es gonna come back. I'll kill 'im if 'e does."

Spot sat down on the bed and Frick slipped out of the room, "Frick tol' us what happened when yous was liddle an'," an anguished look crossed his face, "An' I'm so sorry dat I wasn't dere ta protect ya."

Marble smiled gently at him and took his hand, "It was five years ago and in Chicago, there was nothin' you coulda done. It's in the past and neither of us can change that. Last night I just panicked when they grabbed me, bad memories."

She kissed him softly to calm him down. Spot was more upset about it then she was because she had had time to get over it but he had just found out.

"Is dis why ya got mad an' didn't wanna say nothin' last nite?" She nodded.

The door banged open again and a herd of newsboys crammed into the room, "Ya awake!" "How ya feelin'?" "Yous alroight?" "Didja heah 'bout da Delancys?" "I's hungry." Everyone in the room got quiet and stared at Specs, "Well I am."

A barrage of hats hit him in the face and the nervous tension in the room evaporated into laughter.

"Alroight boys, me liddle room's gittin' kinda crowded, outside, now!"

Marble swung her feet off of the bed and he was suddenly by her side, "Yous don't hafta git up ya know."

"Yea, but I wanna go outside for a while."

"Alroight," Spot slid his arm around her waist to help her up.

Marble looked at him when he left it there, "I'm not hurt, I can walk by myself."

"I know but I's kinda like walkin' like dis." Marble laughed and kissed him because he was too shy to do it without encouragement.

Outside there were boys from Manhattan and Brooklyn jumping off of the dock into the river. It was around noon so there weren't very many, but every boy who could afford to take the day off had.

When they saw Marble they all crowded around again to make sure she was alright, "Hey hey hey, shuddup da goil came out ta git some fresh air, not ta be suffocated by all a yous. Back off."

The boys quieted down and backed up a little bit, "Dats bettah," Marble said something that only Spot could hear then he started answering all of the questions that had been asked, "Marble's foine, jist shaken' up. She came out heah ta git some air. No she ain't movin' back heah. Yes, she's gonna be sellin' again. An' yea she's me goil now so's none a you git any ideas. Is dat all?" Marble said something else to him, "Oh, roight, Specs deres an apple on da thoid step up ta da bunkroom dat ain't goin' no wheres."

"Thanks." Specs ran inside and most of the boys went back to playing, their questions answered. Some went to see if they could get their hands on some papers before it was too late to sell but most of them went back to enjoying their day off.

A group of smaller boys was off to one side practicing with their slingshots. After one boy missed for the sixth time Spot cringed and went over to help him.

"Heah, lemme show ya how ta do it." As Spot took the slingshot Marble joined him. When he was about to release the stone Marble blew in his ear. The rock went flying off to the side and hit the shutter to Spot's window. A large chunk of wood came flying off and clattered to the ground. Spot slowly turned towards Marble as she backed away, trying not to laugh. When she turned to run Spot lunged and caught her by the arm.

She tried to jerk free but he picked her up and slung her over his shoulder, "Spot, Spot it was just a joke, put me down. Come on, this isn't funny." Marble was, of course, laughing so hard that she could barely talk, "Let me go, please just put me down."

Spot was at the edge of the dock now so he decided to obey her. Marble hit the water with a huge splash and came up yelling.

"Spot I'm gonna pound you inta the ground you stupid jerk." It was the first thing that she had said above a whisper since she woke up so Spot was very satisfied with himself, until he felt hands on his back.

Suddenly he was in the water with Marble, "Never mind, I feel better now."

Spot spun around and glared at Frick and Racetrack, who were trying to look innocent. Once they met his eyes they both broke down laughing. Frick stopped first and decided that it would be funnier with more people wet so she shoved Race. As he was falling he reached out and grabbed Frick's wrist dragging her in after him. The four of them started splashing each other and dunking everyone who jumped in by themselves. Eventually they all got cold an climbed out.

Marble was muttering to herself all the way up the ladder, "I'm wet in Brooklyn. I'm always wet in Brooklyn. Why am I always wet in Brooklyn?"

"I t'ink dats cause I's keep t'rowin' ya in da river."

Marble pulled herself onto the dock and glared at Spot, "I've noticed. Is there any reason for that?"

Spot grinned, "Cause whenevah yous wet ya change in me room an', I dunno, I guess dat I jist like havin' ya nekked in dere."

She gave him a flat stare then shoved him back into the water and started muttering again, "Stupid horny boys always getting me wet in Brooklyn."

* * *

All of the boys had gone out to find dinner but Marble and Spot had decided to stay and eat some of the food at the house. It wasn't the best but it was quick and cheap and, as Spot said 'if it don't kill ya, well ya ain't eaten enough yet'. Marble had tried feeding Ashes but he had sniffed the food once and run out of the room hissing.

Now they were sitting on Spot's bed talking, "Spot you and I both know that it would never work. First off, how would we get the mayor here to eat that stuff and wouldn't he notice that it was poisonous after one bite? And why would they turn over the city to you after he was dead anyway?"

"I's famous and loved by everyun' so dey'd jist give it ta me as a gift."

"Wouldn't they have given it to you by now if they liked you that much?"

Spot sighed, "I guess ya roight, but it'd be fun ta try sometime."

Marble just laughed and shook her head, "Maybe someday we will." She flopped back onto the bed, "So do you want your room back tonight?"

"Um, well I's was kinda t'inkin' a jist sharin'." When Marble raised an eyebrow he hurried to explain, "Wit our clothes on an' all, jist in da same bed, like when we was liddle."

Spot got uncomfortable and started blushing when she didn't say anything. Suddenly Marble laughed and kissed him.

"You're cute when you blush, you should do it more often. It makes you look like a sweet innocent little virgin, Oh wait! You are."

Spot glared and smacked her in the arm when she wouldn't stop laughing at him, "Shuddup, it ain't funny."

"Yea, it is."

"No, it ain't."

"It is."

"It ain't."

"Is."

"Ain't."

"Is."

"Ain't."

"Is, end of conversation, I win."

Spot stared at Marble for a second then flopped back next to her, "Yous real weird, ya know dat."

"Yup."

Spot kicked off his shoes and got comfortable while Marble stole his pillow. He just sighed and let her have it. After a minute it smacked him in the face.

"It's no fun if you don't fight for it."

"Sorry," Spot turned onto his side to look at Marble, "Maggie?"

She looked at him when he used her name. He only did that if something was really important, "Yea?"

"Nevah scare me like dat again, I don't wanna lose ya, evah. Yous me only family an' I ain't nothin' witout ya wit me."

Marble smiled and hugged him tightly, "It's about time you figured that out."

Spot stared at her when he realized that that was what she had been waiting to hear for three years, "Yea, 'bout time." He laid his head back on his pillow and Marble rested hers on his chest. Marble started humming but before he could even tell what song it was Spot interrupted her with kisses.

By the time the first boys got back from dinner they were asleep in each other's arms.

* * *

Spot woke up with the feeling that something was missing but when he felt the warm spot on the bed beside him he knew that Marble was still there. He still had a good half hour before he had to get up so he just lay there contently. After a while the feeling of something wrong came back and he turned to ask Marble if she noticed it too. There was nothing there except for a sunbeam shining through the whole in his shutter. Spot shot out of bed and started looking for his clothes (Yes, they did).

He was almost dressed when the door banged open, "Where are dey?"

Frack was standing in the door way looking out of his mind. His fiery red hair was sticking out all over the place and his green eyes were shining with worry.

"Dey? Who else ain't heah?"

"Frick, I woke up and she wasn't dere. I know dat she's wit Marble 'cause all a da guys are still heah and she ain't nevah gone nowhere by 'erself witout tellin' me foist."

Spot ran his fingers through his hair, "Well I's guess dey's gonna be back den."

"Dat ain't good enough Conlon, she's me sistah an' she's gone. When dey gonna be back?"

"I dunno," Spot was losing his temper and he would have hit Frack if something hadn't occurred to him, "Dey had ta go ta Manhattan ta git Marble's stuff if dere gonna be gone long, dey might still be dere."

* * *

The two newsies got to the Manhattan Lodging House just as Dutchy was walking out the door, "Hey, 'ave yous seen Marble an' Frick?"

He looked up in surprise at the two boys running towards him, "Naw but Skittery did."

"Thanks." The Brooklyn boys ran right past him and pounded up the stairs to the bunkroom.

The noise woke a couple of boys up but they didn't care. Skittery was still asleep but he woke quickly when two bodies slammed into his bed.

"Goddamn it, will you just let me sleep! Oh, what're you doin' here?"

"We hoid dat yous seen Marble, where is she?"

"I dunno."

"But yous seen 'er, roight."

"Yea, her and that redhead, whats 'er name?"

"Frick."

"Yea her. Dey got Marble's stuff an' left, but dat was almost a hour ago."

Kloppman walked into the room just then, "What're yous two doin' heah?"

"We's lookin' fa Marble."

"An' Frick."

"Marble an' Frick? Dose two left early dis mornin'. Marble paid extre rent an' tol' me ta save 'er bunk so's I guess dey gonna be back soonah or latah." The two boys collapsed onto Marble's bed, out of breath, as Kloppman went to wake everyone.

The bunk shook so hard that Skittery fell off, "Foine I's gittin' up, I's gittin' up, jeez."