Quote the author feels very clever for coming up with: "Every Newsie wants more papes and every author wants more reviews"

A/N: Beem a while to keep this one up. Difficult chapter to write and Dag's house in on Manhattan which is why she started out there. Just so you know.

Chapter 15

Daggers and Spot had taken to selling together. Wandering around Manhattan together and Daggers had realized that Spot liked her and she him. Although it had been hard to come to terms with, she being Daggers and all. The Manhattan boys having a thing with abbreviations (they're American you know what I mean) had started to call her Dag instead of Daggers and Spot had picked up the one syllable nickname also but always added an 's' on the end. It also helped keep her hidden seeing as the cops were looking for her again under the nickname Daggers, although they hadn't started looking in Manhattan yet. Dag and Spot had managed to remain free for a whole week.

"Spot do ya dink dat Flame, Hour, and Stev are okay?" She whispered one night before they fell asleep.

"Dey is fine," Spot replied hoping that Dag would leave him to sleep.

"Yeh sure?"

"Dags ya worry too much. Go to sleep," Spot muttered wrapping his arm around her.

She rolled her eyes. Spot was one of those people who could fall asleep anywhere if he wanted too; Dag on the other hand couldn't fall asleep anywhere. They did share the fact that they didn't like to get up but had trained their bodies to get them up because they didn't have someone to wake them up in Brooklyn.

Spot missed Brooklyn, Daggers could tell. It was clearly odd for him not to be the leader even though the Manhattan boys respected him. She wished that Jamie had never gotten involved, except the fact that his existence pushed Spot to make his move earlier than he intended.

The morning went as usual Dag and Spot woke up about five minutes before Kloppman came in to get everyone up. By the time he got over to Dag and Spot's bunk they had separated and gotten up, he still didn't know that Dag was a girl and most likely wouldn't approve. Spot and Dag went about selling their papers, when they ran into someone they didn't expect.

"Excuse me newsies I'd like to buy a paper." To Dag's horror her father stood right in front of them. Dag pulled her hat over her eyes and tried to slip away while Spot sold him a paper. She backed up into someone and looked up to see one of her father's employee's who recognized her right away.

"Kathryn?" This caught her fathers attention and he looked over at them.

Dag started to make a run for it but the employee grabbed her shoulder firmly preventing a quick get away. Dag responded by pulling out a knife and placing it to the employee's neck. He kept a firm grip despite her unspoken threat. Then she realized why; a cop had showed up and had Spot by the collar. Her father stood beaming, as Spot struggled to loosen the officers grip.

Dag knew that she had been defeated by the look in her father's eyes. She wasn't sure how but he knew Spot was her weak spot(no pun intended). Keeping the knife to the employee's neck Dag decided to try for negotiations.

"Let Spot, go I like him go," She growled pretending she still had some control.

"Kathryn, give up." Her father replied in his business voice not wanting to make a scene.

"Why?"

"I said so. That's why?"

"Not gonna to happen,"

"I'll make a deal with you,"

"What kinda deal?" Dag asked not interested she was in a lose, lose situation.

"You come home, he goes free and I call off the search for the others."

Dag stood unsure of what to do. Her heart was weighted between Spot and her hate of her home. Spot's freedom not to mention Stev's, Flame's and Hour's, against her own. Dag slowly lowered her knife from the employee's neck in surrender.

"Good girl," Her father said as if he were speaking to a dog.

Dag looked over at Spot. He looked betrayed though she wasn't sure why. She was giving up her freedom not his. Why should he feel betrayed? Dag didn't understand Spot.

"Daggah's don't," Spot yelled struggling harder than before.

"Disarm yourself or we'll do it for you," her father ordered as the officer dropped Spot. Dag pulled out all of her knifes and looked them over once before giving them to Spot, who took them reluctantly.

"Slingshot too,"

Dag pulled the slingshot from off her belt and ran her finger over the SC engraved into the handle before giving it to Spot too. He couldn't meet her eyes though she wanted him to more than anything. She kissed his cheek lightly before her father dragged her away.

The next few weeks were a blur to Dag. She got up did a bunch or stuff then went back to sleep, or she'd get up do absolutely nothing then go back to sleep. When she was forced to leave her room to show herself at one of the parties her father was hosting she felt very out of place with the other girls. Eventually she would bore of them and venture to a window over looking the street. One day however her father interrupted the blur during dinner.

"Kathryn, tomorrow you're to board a train to Maine where you will attend a boarding school for girls."

Dag merely nodded and continued to look out the window where she saw Jack pass right past. Her heart dropped to be so close to the streets and freedom and so faraway. Then it hit her what her father had said.

"Tomorrow!?! School?!?"

"Yes I've decided it's best."

Dag glared at him.

"Go and pack we leave first thing in the morning."

Dag mumbled while walkin upstairs to pack. Entering her room, she found a very familiar face climbing through her window.