Disclaimer: I don't own the Newsies. I never have and I never will. I can wish, but it's never going to happen. If I use any Newsie names you have written in your stories, I apologize in advance. I'm trying to be creative, but sometimes I think I am, and I really end up using a name from somebody else's fic. I only own Pup, Matthew (who would want to?), Knack, Tops, Squirt, Butterfly, Gambler and Domino so far. Raven owns herself (I'm just borrowing her) and Hunter (don't know where he came from, I just made up his personality, she gave the name).

Shout Outs: Kat, Cynic, Ivy, Elenya, Raven, FatBottomGirl, Deanie, thanks for reviewing!!! You guys are awesome, and the reason I keep writing! That, and I need something to do during Final Reviews, cuz I don't want to pay attention…

Author's Note: Sorry it's taken me so long to update. I still have 3 days of school left (and I'm dying!!!). But after I'm out I should be able to write more. So bear with me for the next 3 days. And keep reviewing! And I need guy characters, and I still need a few girl characters. So please, send me any profiles you can! Thanks!

A Dream Come True

Chapter Three

"Pup?!" She heard a very recognizable Brooklyn leader's voice say from behind her.

Pup whirled around, to see Spot standing there with a look of shock on his face.

"Yeah?" She asked, casually slipping into the voice she had used when she had last been here.

"What are you doing here?" He asked outraged. He couldn't believe the kid had the nerve to show up after all this time.

"I don't know. I was in the neighborhood and decided to earn a little quick money." She said.

"Yeah, whatever. Where you been all this time?" Spot asked.

"Here and there. Nowhere in particular." She said, shrugging her shoulders.

Spot didn't know how 'he' could be so nonchalant about this. 'He' had shown up after being gone for a year and a half, and thought 'he' was just be accepted back into the newsie circle that easy? Well 'he' had another thing coming to 'him'.

"Look Pup, if you think you can just come back here after all this time and be accepted with open arms, you can think again." He said, standing there glaring at her.

Pup was stunned. She knew Spot would probably be mad at her, but she didn't realize he would hold it against her for so long. She had had a reason for leaving. And it was a reason she planned to keep from Spot.

"Look Spot," she started, using the same tone he had used with her, "I had my reasons for leaving. Reasons that are none of your business. So you know what? Lay off!" By the time she finished, she was yelling at him.

Unfortunately, she had forgotten how bad his temper was, and the last thing she saw was his fist coming at her face.

***

When Pup woke up, she was extremely disoriented, and quickly tried to get up. She also quickly realized that that hadn't been a smart idea. She realized she was still lying in the alley she had met Spot in.

"Great, I gotta get back to the lodging house." She said to herself. She stood up slowly, having learned her lesson last time. She took her hat off, and tried to smooth her hair down as best she could. She then began making her way back to the lodging house.

When she walked in, she heard a large gasp, and saw Knack coming toward her. She easily dodged him and headed over to her bed, Raven's words echoing through her mind.

"Pup, what happened?" Knack asked, when he finally got to her bed, after making his way through the crowded bunkroom. It was full of boys sitting around drinking, smoking, and playing poker. Just the typical poker night, Pup recognized several of the Manhattan newsies positioned around the room.

"Nothing Knack, I'm fine, don't worry." She said. She was upset that she had made him worry about her, and even more upset that he had. She wasn't used to anyone caring. The last person who cared what happened to her had been Gambler.

Pup was so wrapped up in her thoughts, she didn't realize Knack had left. When he came back, he handed her an ice pack. Only then did Pup realize how bad she must look. She stood up, and made her way to the washroom. When she looked in the mirror, she grimaced. She was going to have one heck of a shiner. *Spot, I swear, someone needs to teach you to control your temper* she thought. The thought of Spot learning to control his temper appeared funny to her, and she laughed softly.

"Are you okay?" Knack asked from the doorway with a worried look on his face.

"Knack, I'm not made of glass. One black eye is not going to shatter me." She said with a smile.

"I know." He said, and moved to leave, a blush creeping onto his face that he was trying to hide.

"Knack?"

"Yeah?" He stopped, and turned to look at her.

"I don't want to sound mean or anything, but I can't be friends with you." She said. She didn't want to give up the friendship, and she normally wasn't one to go down without a fight, but she didn't need all of the Bronx on her back either.

A flash of hurt crossed his face, but quickly disappeared. He knew exactly what was going on, and slowly nodded his head. He was going to have to have a talk with his dear sister tomorrow.

Pup pushed her way out of the washroom, tears filling her eyes. She ran to the stairs, and practically flew down them. It wasn't like her to show this much emotion. That was one thing all Brooklyn newsies knew, never show emotion. But it also wasn't like her to be this cold-hearted, and it hurt. She needed a friend, and knew Knack could be that friend, but she also knew that Raven would never allow it.

"I hate you Raven." She choked out.

"Oh really? I'm sorry to hear that. Here I thought we could become great friends." Raven said, as she stepped out of the shadows.

Pup jumped in surprise. However, she quickly recovered, and glared at Raven. She knew if she stayed she was going to fight raven, and she didn't want that to happen. She began to walk away from her, towards the bridge.

"I'm not done talking to you!" Raven yelled after her, "I thought I told you to stay away from Knack!"

Pup stopped walking, and turned around. "I am. Don't worry, you don't have to worry about your brother." She said, and kept walking.

The next thing she knew, she was on the ground, Raven punching her. It took Pup a few moments to recover, and begin fighting back. For several minutes, the only sound heard was the sound of flesh hitting flesh. The girls were fairly evenly matched until Raven gained an advantage. She gained her brother's help. Hunter, from the Bronx, had shown up. Raven had sent a message telling him about this girl who had been messing with Knack. She conveniently had forgotten to mention that this girl was only 'friends' with him, and that Knack was returning the friendship.

The last thing Pup saw before she passed out was Spot, with Knack close behind, running towards them.

"What do you think you're doing here Hunter?" Spot asked.

"I'm helping out family." He said, gesturing towards Knack, who was kneeling on the ground next to Pup. Raven stood off to the side, letting Hunter handle the situation.

"What are you talking about Hunter?" Knack asked.

"Raven sent me a note saying this girl," he motioned towards Pup, "was messing with ya. I decided to teach her a lesson." He said with apology in his tone of voice.

"Messing with me? Raven, where on earth would you get an idea like that?" Knack asked outraged.

"I'm just looking out for ya. I don't trust this girl. There's something she's not telling us." Raven said, defending herself.

"Well, she doesn't have to tell you anything. Especially not after a beating like that. And you know what? You're not the leader, so she really doesn't have to tell you anything. Besides, what business is it of yours who my friends are?" Knack asked Raven. He didn't understand why his sister always had to screw up everything. After this, Pup would probably never speak to him again. Not to mention the fact that Raven always had to drag Hunter into the mix. She knew that he and Spot didn't get along, and the fact that Knack was Spot's second-in-command didn't put Knack and Hunter on the best of terms.

"Well, fine then. But don't come crying to me when she hurts ya. Come on Hunter. Let's get out of here. I can see clearly that we're not wanted." Raven said, and started walking. She knew she wouldn't go back to the Bronx, but she could probably head to Midtown, or Queens. All she knew was that she wasn't staying in Brooklyn for the night. Hunter glared at his brother before speaking.

"Nice job Knack. Trust me, she won't forget this one so easy." Hunter said, before taking off after Raven.

Pup slowly came to. When she woke up she saw Knack and Spot standing above her. She debated whether to play dumb, and act like she didn't remember what happened, or to let on that she knew what had happened. Judging from the look on Spot's face, she decided playing dumb was the safer option.

"What happened?" She was amazed at how weak her own voice sounded, she never showed her weakness, or at least, she tried not to. From the look Spot and Knack exchanged, they were amazed too. Or worried. Spot slowly picked her up, and without saying a word began the walk back to the lodging house.

Pup enjoyed the feeling of being in Spot's arms. She felt herself becoming drowsy, and slowly drifted off to sleep, dreaming of the cute Brooklyn leader who didn't seem quite so annoying anymore.