A/N: a lot of paragraphs and explainy stuff. Sorry I was kinda in a rambling mood.

Chapter 9

Dag quickly found out that Spot had nothing to be protective of and that Mark had had a reason to be visiting. He as Angel had said 'fancied' Miracle. Dag quickly asked if Angel if she was English and when she said no sent Dag into a small laughing fit. Angel didn't get why Dag was laughing.

Miracle didn't seem interested in the ever present quite attractive young man and Dag couldn't see why. First the girl was quiet around her and now she didn't like a perfectly respectable boy who liked her. Matter of fact Miracle didn't even really seem to notice him. Dag decided that Miracle just hadn't noticed him yet.

Emily still hadn't come back and Dag honestly wondered if the girl had gotten herself killed or something. It wouldn't surprise Dag at all if she had. Emily was just asking for trouble every time she opened her mouth. Matter of fact if she had gotten herself killed it would frustrate Dag that she wasn't involved.

Another thought on her mind was the ever present Jamie. The boy didn't seem to go away. He couldn't take a hint either. Jamie was like a lost puppy. He hadn't tried anything which made Dag think that something was up. Then again he didn't have much a chance, Spot had taken to selling with Dag and Why.

"Dag, is you listening?" asked Flame chucking a shooter at her.

"Huh," Dag replied now very attentive. "What was dat for?"

"Cowboy says dat……….." There was more but Dag stopped listening.

She was sitting with Flame and Spot up on Spot's floor discussing something Jacky-boy had apparently said. The newsies, Mark and the girls were down stairs asleep. Mark had been given a corner on the floor with a few blankets but he didn't complain because apparently he didn't have much more back in Maine.

The biggest thing on Dag's mind was her father. If Jamie knew that she was in Brooklyn so did he most likely. It wasn't like Jamie to keep something like that from someone as powerful as her father. She had had no word from him though. No attempted arrests no plots of black mail. Nothing,  not even a show up 'I know you're here' kinda thing. It really made Dag think about what he was planning.

Dag's thought continued to wander and she ended up thinking about the past. This wasn't much like Dag she didn't like to dwell on past. She was a 'okay it's over lets move on' kind of person. She thought about why she had decided to run away what had happened when she had and her thoughts would always end up with Spot. Dag blushed.

"Dag would ya stop tunin' us out?" Flame barked.

"What? I mean I is been listening de entire time,"

"What did Spot just say?" asked Flame.

"Spot said someding?"

"See, she was tunin' us out Spot." Flame said holding out his hand. Spot handed him in a nickel.

"Youse was bettin' on me," Dag said glaring at Spot.

"Flames idea," Spot replied pointing to Flame.

Dag smacked both boys upside the head.

"I'm going to go fer a walk," Dag said getting up they really didn't need her here.

"It's dark, youse ain't gonna walk alone in Brooklyn at night." Spot said with out even getting up.

"I ain't huh?"

"No ya ain't,"

"Watch me," Dag headed towards the stairs.

"I'm comin' to den," Spot said getting up.

"Sit boy," she said like she was ordering a dog.

"What was dat?" Spot asked "I ain't yeh dawg."

"Dat's right you ain't, so ya don't need to follow me 'round like ya are." Dag shot back getting defensive. She hated it when people were constantly stocking her. She loved Spot and all but this was what she considered stocking.

"I is just trying to protect youse," he replied starting to get defensive.

"Spot I can protect meself, I wouldn't have made it this long in Brooklyn if I couldn't." Dag hissed starting to get angry.

"Ya think dat youse is so tough, yeh a goil. Sometimes goil's need boys to protect dem." Spot said knowing very well he was hitting a pressure point.

Dag didn't even come up with a clever response before storming out. She was out of there before Spot could even think about taking his words back. He knew that she would go to Manhattan, but she decided to go anyway.

The walk was long and helped Dag think about what had just happened. This was her and Spot's first fight as a couple. She was so confused there was way too much on her mind now that she and Spot were in a fight.

Getting to the lodging house she handed Kloppman a nickel before heading up to bed. The Manhattan boys were already asleep which was good; Dag didn't want to explain it till she figured it out herself.