Disclaimer: I do not now or ever own the Newsies. They belong to a little company called Disney. I do however take credit for the wonderful creation of Joanna and all of the other original characters

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It had been a week since Jack came to Brooklyn. He was still hiding in Spot's room and frankly he was going stir-crazy. He hadn't left the room all week; he hadn't even looked out the window. And not only that, Joanna wasn't speaking to him. After what had happened with him and Spot, she had been avoiding him. Things weren't so smooth with him and Spot either. The only time they saw each other was when Spot came in to sleep. Jack knew he had to do something but he had no idea what, or how.

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Joanna was sitting on the roof with Spot in silence, just looking wistfully at the stars. The silence didn't seem uncomfortable to her but apparently Spot had a problem. "Jo, what's wrong?" he asked her.

"Hmm?" She turned to him as if she had just noticed he was there. "I'm sorry, what did ya say?"

"Jo, what's wrong wit ya? You've been kinda distant evah since Jack got here. Did I do sumptin wrong?"

"Oh, no Spot, it ain't you. It's Jack, and what he said about ya. I'se just been thinkin about it a lot." Rage began to cloud Spot's eyes.

"Are you tellin me that you believe what Jack said about me? Do ya really t'ink dat I'd hoit ya like dat?" Joanna immediately saw her mistake and took Spot's hands.

"I didn't mean dat Spot, it's just..." she trailed off, not able to describe why she had been distant to Spot. Spot pulled his hands out of Joanna's and stood up.

"I don't believe dis," he vented.

"Spot, I didn't mean--"

"No Jo. I don't wanna hear it." He walked to the door to go back inside.

"You drive me crazy Spot!" Joanna shouted at his back. He turned around and glared at her. "You and your pride. I don't even know why I try!" She threw her hands up in dismay and pushed past him.

"Jo! Where are ya goin?" he called after her.

"For a walk," she replied, not slowing down. Spot knew he should follow her but his pride wouldn't let him. 'No way will da famous Spot Colon be seen chasing after a goil,' he thought to himself.

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Jonathon had been watching the newsies for a week and hadn't seen Joanna alone at all. She was always with that Spot character he had seen in Manhattan. And Francis never came out.

It was about midnight and Jonathon was just getting ready to give up for the night when he heard someone run out of the lodging house crying.

He knew at once that it was a girl's cry, which meant that it had to be Joanna. He quickly found the figure running across the docks and climbing onto a pile of crates. Quietly, he snuck around behind the crates and climbed up behind her. He grabbed her around the waist with one arm, pinning her arms to her sides. With his other arm he covered her mouth before she had a chance to scream. He carried her down with little trouble but once they reached the ground, she began to struggle uncontrollably. So he let go of her arms and hit her over the head with a piece of wood he picked up off the ground.

She collapsed into his arms and he took her back to their house in Queens.

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Jack woke at five the next morning, as always. Even though he wasn't selling papers, he had woken up at 5 o'clock for ten years and now it was habit. Spot slept on the bunk above him and woke shortly after when he heard Jack in the shower. He got ready for the day and waited for Joanna to come get him to go sell. But she never came.

"Heya Spot, where's Jo?" Jack asked, noticing that his sister hadn't come in yet to get Spot. She always did and even though he didn't like the fact that his baby sister and Spot were together, at least he could check on her every morning.

Spot opened his mouth to say that he didn't know when the events of last night came flooding back to him, along with an unwelcome idea of where Joanna was. His face grew pale.

"Where is she Spot?" Jack asked with more force in his voice.

"We'se got in a fight last night and she said she was goin' for a walk to cool off."

"And ya let her go out alone? At night?!" Jack grabbed Spot by the collar and held him against the wall. "Dodger!!" he yelled. Dodger came running into the room in seconds.

"Yeah Jack?"

"Is Joanna in da bunkroom with da boys?" Dodger thought about it for a minute then shook his head. "Did she eveh come in last night?" Again, he shook his head. Jack slammed Spot against the wall again and then let him drop.

After he caught his breath, Spot stood up and regained control of the situation. "Dodger, go get Sparrow and bring him ta me." The boy nodded and ran out to get Sparrow. Spot avoided looking at Jack who had walked over to the window and was looking out at the river.

Spot went over the events of last night in his head and could have strangled himself for the way he had acted. Joanna was right. He always let his pride get in the way and this time it may have cost him the one thing he loved most in the world.

He was pulled out of his reverie when Dodger returned followed by Sparrow. "Sparrow, I want ya ta get a message around ta all da boids askin if anyone saw Joanna last night and ta keep a close watch for her and her step dad. Dodger, I want ya ta get all da boys downstairs and ready ta go lookin for Jo. No one's sellin today." He turned and walked over to Jack. He put his hand on the boy's shoulder. "You gonna look wit us?" Jack nodded curtly and followed Spot downstairs. Spot noticed the tears welling up in his eyes.

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