A/N - ***DISCLAIMER - - I do not own Newsies, or any of it's characters.
The only character's I own are the ones I come up with. Don't sue me, you
won't get much. Maybe a cigarette or a piece of gum. Thank you.--******
The slate colored water looked frigid as Sadie watched it lap up against the pillars of the dock. Pulling a jacket one of the older boys had given her closer around herself, she settled on a crate to wait for them. It had been a month since the late night brawl with Manhattan. Sadie had found herself quickly settling into the routine of getting up with the newsboys of Brooklyn, working at the orphanage, and then heading to the docks to meet up with them around lunchtime. The schedule never wavered, even when Spot grumbled about not having enough alone time with her. Secretly he was glad that he had a girl who liked his newsies. Diamond had liked his newsies as well, but she had constantly complained about all the time that he had to put in with them. Being a leader was a full-time job. And Spot took it more seriously than some.
A smile showed on her face as she felt and heard the first vibrating slap of feet on the dock. Some of the newsboys didn't have shoes yet, and with the beginning of November already past, Sadie was trying to remedy that. She grinned as Spider, Lefty and Frog zeroed in on her. Frog leapt into her lap, excitedly chattering about how he had actually sold all his papers, while Spider and Lefty flanked her, hands on her shoulders trying to interject bits and pieces of how their morning had gone as well. Whiskey winked at her as he and Mumbles passed by, and Pirate stopped to ask her news of Manhattan since she had spent the night there last night.
"Ink was asking for you," she said with a smirk, as Pirate's face grew rosy from more than the cold air. He and Ink had begun to spend time together, a fact which didn't escape teasing from both newsie camps. Glowering at her with his snappy green eyes, he haughtily hefted his shillelagh up to one of his shoulders and continued on down the dock.
The sudden tapping of a cane on the wooden planks of the dock made her heart skip. She was as crazy for Spot as she had been a month ago. When the Brooklyn leader appeared, she felt Spider and Lefty draw away, although Frog stubbornly clung to her. He was too young to understand her and Spot's relationship. All he knew was that when he wanted to spend time with Sadie, it seemed like Spot was always right there. Burying his face in her shoulder, Sadie smiled as she felt Frog grasp her sleeve tightly.
Spot's icy blue eyes met her gray ones and his face softened when he saw Frog. Coughing and spitting onto the dock, he walked up to Sadie and looked down.
" 'Ey there Froggie, what d'you say you let me sit in her lap for a change?" Frog's incredulous face turned towards Spot.
"You're too big! I'm just the right size." Spot burst into laughter and slapped the side of Frog's face lightly before picking him up and hauling him off of Sadie.
"Scoot ya little hooligan," he muttered affectionately, swatting at Frog's backside. Frog stuck his tongue out at Spot and scampered away to join Spider and Lefty who were sniggering behind dirty hands. Spot dropped onto the crate next to Sadie, and catching her hand up in his own, kissed it swiftly.
"How are the Manhattan chumps, beautiful?" Sadie rolled her eyes.
"Oh shut up Spot, you've started going down there again yourself so don't give me grief." Spot raised an eyebrow before snickering at her mock anger. Nudging him playfully she shuddered as his eyes darted towards the East River.
"Don't even think about it Spot, I'll get pneumonia and die."
"Oh well, we wouldn't want that then," he said his own eyes rolling this time. Gasping, she slapped his shoulder and he laughingly yelled out for someone to help defend him against her. She instantly felt hands clap on to her and begin to tickle her unmercifully. Twisting away, she batted at Whiskey, Pirate and Mumbles.
"Don't make me tell Ink," she said pointing at Pirate warningly. His face paled almost imperceptibly which was enough to make Whiskey and Mumbles fall all over each other in laughter. Clapping Sadie on the shoulder, Whiskey wiped at his eyes.
"Oh shit Trouble, you're something else."
"Ahh, you're muddah," Pirate said jabbing at Whiskey with his shillelagh. Some of the boys had been getting attacked for their change and it was up to the older boys to sell as quickly as possible and patrol the younger boys' selling spots. Therefore Pirate was constantly trooping around with his weathered Irish club. Sadie jokingly sometimes called him Leprechaun, which he abhorred. But when Sadie made fun of all of them, it was a sign that she liked them, so he always took her ribbing with ease.
" 'Ey Sadie, I saw your brother down around here today. He told me to let ya know that he needed to talk to ya." Sighing in annoyance, she thanked Crybaby who went back to playing craps with Whispers, Snot, and Rooster. She didn't know why her brother hadn't found her yesterday when she was in Manhattan. Hearing a holler that was definitely feminine, the boys looked up the dock to see Silent Striker and her troop of newsgirls. A somewhat new addition to Brooklyn, Silent Striker, or Striker as most called her had marched up to Spot one day and demanded a chance to run her own crew of newsies, all girls who Spot had denied the right to sell in Brooklyn. Along with some influencing from Sadie, he had finally agreed, after pitting most of the girls in a fight against carefully selected boys of his own. When the girls had stood their ground, he had grudgingly allowed them to stay, giving them the old warehouse down by the docks where the boys had first resided.
Striker looked like she could have been Pirate's sister with her ebony hair and piercing green eyes. Her skin was the dark color of someone who spent most of his or her time outdoors, rain or shine. She was attired in her usual getup of brown pants, boots, a black tank top and a white button-down shirt thrown over that. She was wearing a cap that Sadie knew belonged to Whiskey. The girl was notorious for swiping unwary newsie's caps and taking them as her own until the owner demanded it back.
"How's it hangin'?" She spit-shook with Spot and grinned at Sadie. The girl unfortunately had a temper to match Conlon's and she was quick to lash out when provoked. But generally, if you didn't make her mad she was a fun girl to be around. Most of the boys contrary to Spot's idea's of the girl's messing things up had adopted the newsgirls as younger siblings and watched out for them on the streets. Only a couple had chosen to get involved with some of them, and Sadie smiled inwardly as she saw Whiskey join the side of a short newsgirl named Mischief. The two were constantly coming home reeking of booze and laughing hysterically. More than once they had been locked out of the lodging house and instead had to go to the warehouse. Sam adamantly had said he didn't want any of the newsgirls spending the night, a fact which prompted any of the boys who desired that sort of contact to stay at the warehouse when they felt like it. Sadie knew of only a few of the boys who did that, Whiskey and Mumbles among them.
Striker was almost immediately charged by the youngest newsies who loved her attention as much as Sadie's. Striker was constantly giving them sweets and little trinkets. She had told Sadie one time that she loved children and her proof was in the undying affection she gave to them. Sadie had brought her to the orphanage, and Striker had gotten a job there a few days a week helping with the children. There was only six other Brooklyn newsgirls. Mischief O'Halloran was one of them. Then came Justice O'Brien, Harlot McDermott, Tangle Riordan, Ronnie Chase, Trips O'Keefe and the littlest one of all, an eight-year-old they called Speckle for the vast amounts of freckles adorning her elfin face.
"Justice got roughed up for her pocket money today," Striker said unconsciously curling her hands into fists. Glancing over at the slight girl, Sadie felt anger course through her. Justice was a blonde haired, blue-eyed girl who weighed ninety pounds soaking wet. Taking anything from her wouldn't be a challenge. Spot lit a cigarette and eyeing the skinny girl for a second, looked back to Striker.
"Somebody's going to be hurtin' once we find out who it is. Don't worry Striker, I'm about as fed up with it as you are." Striker nodded with a satisfied look on her face. Once Spot Conlon decided something was going to be dealt with, it was. She had no doubt in her mind that they would sort out whoever it was who was messing with the wrong borough and it's newsie's.
The slate colored water looked frigid as Sadie watched it lap up against the pillars of the dock. Pulling a jacket one of the older boys had given her closer around herself, she settled on a crate to wait for them. It had been a month since the late night brawl with Manhattan. Sadie had found herself quickly settling into the routine of getting up with the newsboys of Brooklyn, working at the orphanage, and then heading to the docks to meet up with them around lunchtime. The schedule never wavered, even when Spot grumbled about not having enough alone time with her. Secretly he was glad that he had a girl who liked his newsies. Diamond had liked his newsies as well, but she had constantly complained about all the time that he had to put in with them. Being a leader was a full-time job. And Spot took it more seriously than some.
A smile showed on her face as she felt and heard the first vibrating slap of feet on the dock. Some of the newsboys didn't have shoes yet, and with the beginning of November already past, Sadie was trying to remedy that. She grinned as Spider, Lefty and Frog zeroed in on her. Frog leapt into her lap, excitedly chattering about how he had actually sold all his papers, while Spider and Lefty flanked her, hands on her shoulders trying to interject bits and pieces of how their morning had gone as well. Whiskey winked at her as he and Mumbles passed by, and Pirate stopped to ask her news of Manhattan since she had spent the night there last night.
"Ink was asking for you," she said with a smirk, as Pirate's face grew rosy from more than the cold air. He and Ink had begun to spend time together, a fact which didn't escape teasing from both newsie camps. Glowering at her with his snappy green eyes, he haughtily hefted his shillelagh up to one of his shoulders and continued on down the dock.
The sudden tapping of a cane on the wooden planks of the dock made her heart skip. She was as crazy for Spot as she had been a month ago. When the Brooklyn leader appeared, she felt Spider and Lefty draw away, although Frog stubbornly clung to her. He was too young to understand her and Spot's relationship. All he knew was that when he wanted to spend time with Sadie, it seemed like Spot was always right there. Burying his face in her shoulder, Sadie smiled as she felt Frog grasp her sleeve tightly.
Spot's icy blue eyes met her gray ones and his face softened when he saw Frog. Coughing and spitting onto the dock, he walked up to Sadie and looked down.
" 'Ey there Froggie, what d'you say you let me sit in her lap for a change?" Frog's incredulous face turned towards Spot.
"You're too big! I'm just the right size." Spot burst into laughter and slapped the side of Frog's face lightly before picking him up and hauling him off of Sadie.
"Scoot ya little hooligan," he muttered affectionately, swatting at Frog's backside. Frog stuck his tongue out at Spot and scampered away to join Spider and Lefty who were sniggering behind dirty hands. Spot dropped onto the crate next to Sadie, and catching her hand up in his own, kissed it swiftly.
"How are the Manhattan chumps, beautiful?" Sadie rolled her eyes.
"Oh shut up Spot, you've started going down there again yourself so don't give me grief." Spot raised an eyebrow before snickering at her mock anger. Nudging him playfully she shuddered as his eyes darted towards the East River.
"Don't even think about it Spot, I'll get pneumonia and die."
"Oh well, we wouldn't want that then," he said his own eyes rolling this time. Gasping, she slapped his shoulder and he laughingly yelled out for someone to help defend him against her. She instantly felt hands clap on to her and begin to tickle her unmercifully. Twisting away, she batted at Whiskey, Pirate and Mumbles.
"Don't make me tell Ink," she said pointing at Pirate warningly. His face paled almost imperceptibly which was enough to make Whiskey and Mumbles fall all over each other in laughter. Clapping Sadie on the shoulder, Whiskey wiped at his eyes.
"Oh shit Trouble, you're something else."
"Ahh, you're muddah," Pirate said jabbing at Whiskey with his shillelagh. Some of the boys had been getting attacked for their change and it was up to the older boys to sell as quickly as possible and patrol the younger boys' selling spots. Therefore Pirate was constantly trooping around with his weathered Irish club. Sadie jokingly sometimes called him Leprechaun, which he abhorred. But when Sadie made fun of all of them, it was a sign that she liked them, so he always took her ribbing with ease.
" 'Ey Sadie, I saw your brother down around here today. He told me to let ya know that he needed to talk to ya." Sighing in annoyance, she thanked Crybaby who went back to playing craps with Whispers, Snot, and Rooster. She didn't know why her brother hadn't found her yesterday when she was in Manhattan. Hearing a holler that was definitely feminine, the boys looked up the dock to see Silent Striker and her troop of newsgirls. A somewhat new addition to Brooklyn, Silent Striker, or Striker as most called her had marched up to Spot one day and demanded a chance to run her own crew of newsies, all girls who Spot had denied the right to sell in Brooklyn. Along with some influencing from Sadie, he had finally agreed, after pitting most of the girls in a fight against carefully selected boys of his own. When the girls had stood their ground, he had grudgingly allowed them to stay, giving them the old warehouse down by the docks where the boys had first resided.
Striker looked like she could have been Pirate's sister with her ebony hair and piercing green eyes. Her skin was the dark color of someone who spent most of his or her time outdoors, rain or shine. She was attired in her usual getup of brown pants, boots, a black tank top and a white button-down shirt thrown over that. She was wearing a cap that Sadie knew belonged to Whiskey. The girl was notorious for swiping unwary newsie's caps and taking them as her own until the owner demanded it back.
"How's it hangin'?" She spit-shook with Spot and grinned at Sadie. The girl unfortunately had a temper to match Conlon's and she was quick to lash out when provoked. But generally, if you didn't make her mad she was a fun girl to be around. Most of the boys contrary to Spot's idea's of the girl's messing things up had adopted the newsgirls as younger siblings and watched out for them on the streets. Only a couple had chosen to get involved with some of them, and Sadie smiled inwardly as she saw Whiskey join the side of a short newsgirl named Mischief. The two were constantly coming home reeking of booze and laughing hysterically. More than once they had been locked out of the lodging house and instead had to go to the warehouse. Sam adamantly had said he didn't want any of the newsgirls spending the night, a fact which prompted any of the boys who desired that sort of contact to stay at the warehouse when they felt like it. Sadie knew of only a few of the boys who did that, Whiskey and Mumbles among them.
Striker was almost immediately charged by the youngest newsies who loved her attention as much as Sadie's. Striker was constantly giving them sweets and little trinkets. She had told Sadie one time that she loved children and her proof was in the undying affection she gave to them. Sadie had brought her to the orphanage, and Striker had gotten a job there a few days a week helping with the children. There was only six other Brooklyn newsgirls. Mischief O'Halloran was one of them. Then came Justice O'Brien, Harlot McDermott, Tangle Riordan, Ronnie Chase, Trips O'Keefe and the littlest one of all, an eight-year-old they called Speckle for the vast amounts of freckles adorning her elfin face.
"Justice got roughed up for her pocket money today," Striker said unconsciously curling her hands into fists. Glancing over at the slight girl, Sadie felt anger course through her. Justice was a blonde haired, blue-eyed girl who weighed ninety pounds soaking wet. Taking anything from her wouldn't be a challenge. Spot lit a cigarette and eyeing the skinny girl for a second, looked back to Striker.
"Somebody's going to be hurtin' once we find out who it is. Don't worry Striker, I'm about as fed up with it as you are." Striker nodded with a satisfied look on her face. Once Spot Conlon decided something was going to be dealt with, it was. She had no doubt in her mind that they would sort out whoever it was who was messing with the wrong borough and it's newsie's.