Author: Brooklyn Oracle

Genre: Romance/Drama and Fiction

Setting: 1900's in New York

Summary: Spot and West get into a HUGE fight. West leaves for Manhattan and tries to take her friend, Kennedy, with her. Kennedy refuses and stays in Brooklyn. West starts to date Jack even though she knows that she'll ALWAYS love Spot. Spot gets jealous of her dating HIS best friend, so HE starts dating HER best friend. AND! - In the middle of all this chaos a mysterious person from the "Joel's" past arrives!

A/N: These characters belong to Disney© Incorporate. (I wish I owned Spot! ) Please do not plagiarize! I do not own any of the characters except for West/Kate Turner, Blue/Aaron Turner, Crest, Snaps/Chris Turner, Trey Turner, Helena Turner, Heath Conlon, Joel Conlon, Tina Conlon, Joel/Spot's mother, Kinks, Leg, Morey, Paw, Spinner, South, Ready, Quickie, and Tinge, Mel's Diner, and Kennedy Shefford/Stripes, Sage D'Ancanto/Demure.

Thank you: Thanks to Mister B. who made us watch this movie in music class. Thanks to my family, friends, and many others for supporting me. Thanks to Gabriel Damon for being so darn good looking and for inspiring me to write about this character. Thanks to everyone. Please give me feedback! Also thanks to "Stripes" and "Demure" for letting me use them in my story!

Chapter 2

"She's hardly even breathing…" West looked sympathetically at the still form and began to warm the young girl up. She got her into warm clothes and covered her in blankets. She slowly started to defrost and breathe easier. West brushed her damp brown, shoulder length hair out of the girl's face.

"Ya poor thing. Jack, why don't ya stay heah until she wakes up?" West moved aside and let the Cowboy sit down. Her eyelids opened halfway. She coughed her voice raspy.

"Weah am I?" Jack smiled.

"Da Brooklyn Newsboys Lodgin' House. Ise Jack. Lemme git ya somethin' ta eat." He came back minutes later with soup and some cold syrup.

"Tank ya. My name is Kennedy Shefford. I'm actually from Queens. An' I was jus' about ta…" she started to say, but she drifted off to sleep.

For the next hour or so, she slept while Spot, Jack, and West decided what to do.

"She kin stay wit me," Jack innocently suggested. Spot looked at him skeptically and shook his head.

"Nah. Ya know it's safah fer her heah." West just rolled her eyes.

"Ya men-so inconsiderate! Why don't ya jus' ask her weah she wants ta stay?" The two looked at her like she was maniacal. "See? She's wakin' up now." Stripes sat up and looked around. Several people were staring at her. She recognized one to be the handsome Brooklyn leader and the other to be the charming Manhattan leader. The other, the girl, she didn't know. "I'm West, but ya kin call me Kate. Whatevah ya want, but jus' don't call me Kate around da othah guys." West had black hair and blue eyes and a big scar running down the left side of her neck. "Youse was freezin' when Jack found ya." She gestured towards the boy she met before. There was a pair of piercing cerulean eyes glaring at her. Stripes shifted uncomfortably. "An' this is me boy. Spot Conlon. Don't mind him. He's not good wit new people," she teased. Spot snorted and stood up.

"Am not." He offered his hand for a spit-shake and Stripes took it. "Well, wese was wonderin' if ya wanted ta stay heah or go ta Manhattan."

"Someone might be comin' aftah me. I know fer a fact dat Brooklyn's da safest place in all o' New Yawk ta goes if you're hidin'. Dat's why I came heah in da foist place." Spot looked pleased but quickly recovered. Jack looked a bit disappointed and nodded. She gave him an apologetic glance. "I'm from da East Side. Bumlets, Specs, and Skittery know me from when dey came fer help durin' da strike." Stripes paused and started to speak, "I dunno if I should tell ya dis, but…" West stopped her.

"Ya don't hafta tell us anythin' if ya don't wanna. But if ya wanna talk, ya can chat wit any of us." Stripes brushed her hair behind her ear and looked up at the group. She nodded.

"Thanks. I think I will." She turned and spoke more directly towards West than the other two. "An' ya don't hafta call me Stripes if ya don't wanna. Ya kin jus' call me Kennedy. Dat's what all me friends call me." West smiled.

"Git some rest kid. Tomorrow's a long day." With that the three left the sick bay and Kennedy was left to sleep.

The next morning she was awoken by the sound of yelling, water running, feet pounding, and loud pounding at her door. She rubbed her eyes. It was exactly like her daily routine in Queens, except she was in Brooklyn with the famous Spot Conlon.

"Come in," she replied groggily, her throat still sore. Kate came in and brought her soup.

"Good mornin' ta ya too. I brought some of Red's 'Cure-Everythin'-But-Broken-Hearts' soup. It really woiks. Dat fevah o' yours should go down soonah or latah." Stripes sneezed a thank you and lay back down in bed.

"Gawd, ya don't know how thankful I am fer all o' dis. I thought Spot was gonna kick me outta heah befoah Ise even reached da door. Dey told me he changed 'cause o' his goil, but Ise nevah though dis much!" Stripes coughed as she reached the end of her vocal limits.

"Kennedy, is it okay if I call you Kennedy?" the girl nodded and continued, "I guess I might as well tell you a bit about my past. I wanted to become an actress when I grew up. As you can probably tell, my accent is a fake one. My family was always poor so I acted and received checks for behaving like a rich snob. I supported my folks and they took great pride in me. Then my father started drinking and fighting with my mother. He'd never hit my mother, but he'd take his anger out on my brother and I. After we ran away Spot helped my younger brother, Aaron, and my mother. I also found my older brother, Chris, but he's known as Snaps. Then he found me and we started seeing each other. We still love each other so much." Kennedy looked at her, awed by the older girl standing in front of her. "And that's basically the summary of my life." Kennedy nodded.

"Yeah, my mother gave me up ta da orphanage when she was 19. I was raised by da nuns dere an' I ran away. I jus' couldn't stay cooped up dere ferevah, ya know? So Ise run ta Queens where Jimmy took me in. I became his goil an' his right hand. I hoid through da grapevine dat he was seein' some other goil from East Side, so Ise started to be seen wit his best friend. Now he's aftah me." Kate agreed that it was a smart choice to come to Brooklyn for aid. Kate left to go sell her papers with Spot and Kennedy was left to tend to herself. She slept a little more and then went to walk around the Lodging House. Kennedy met Red and thanked him for his stew. She led herself back up the stairs and found herself in a room away from the bunkroom. It appeared to be Spot and Kate's room. It had a bunk bed, one dresser, a chair and a lamp. She perused the room. She found a small black and white photo of a smiling Spot and a giggling Kate. She silently sneaked it into her shirt pocket and closed the drawer where the snapshot came from. The room itself was neat and orderly. Probably Kate's woik. She thought when she saw the other boys' messy bunkroom. Kennedy found a broom, hand brush, and a bucket, and she got down on her hands and knees to start scrubbing. Red soon came up to give Kennedy her cold syrup and saw her coughing while washing the sinks.

"Deah Lord, kid. Whad'ya think you're doin'?" Kennedy looked up with her crimson face and simply replied,

"Ise cleanin' of coise. Whad'ya think I was doin'?" Red saw the laughter tugging at the corners of her mouth and started to chuckle as well. The kind old man helped her finish up and put the supplies away in time before the Brooklyn Newsies came back.

Red was at his desk when Spot came in laughing with his arm around West's waist. He placed a dime on the counter for the lodging fee for both himself and his girlfriend.

"Heya, Red. How's our lil' patient upstairs doin'?" Red smirked.

"Why don't ya look fer yerself?" Spot, West, and the rest of the boys climbed the stairs. They reached the main bunkroom. All their extra sets of clothes were washed and folded on their precisely made bunks, the floors were no longer covered with grime, and the walls no longer had hideous markings on them. They all stood still, awed by the work done, taking it all in.

"How do ya like it?" said a voice from behind. They didn't even have to look to see who it was.

"Wow," was all Snaps said. "Ya did all o' dis?" She nodded and beamed, her brown short ponytail bouncing.

"Yep! Jus' me an' good ol' Red!"

"Hey! I hoid dat!" came a voice from below. She laughed hoarsely, her throat still sore and nose still a bit runny.

Spot came forward and held out his hand. Kennedy shook it proudly. As if the fast forward button was pressed on the remote control of life, the room started bustling and tables were arranged for poker games.

"C'mon, sit down Stripes!" Spinner requested, pleading with his hazel eyes to the seat next to him. The curly haired blonde smiled an inducing smile. Kennedy saw the venomous look Kate endowed him with and bit her lip.

"What's da game?" She asked, even though she was told what it was already. Stripes could beat any of the regular newsies and she knew it.

"Pokah. What else would it be? Unless you kin think up a bettah game…" he replied cocking one of his fair eyebrows. She gave him a look of disgust.

"And why in da woild would I sit next ta you wit a shot of whiskey in your hand?" Stripes asked him before slapping him a good one across the face. The looks on the younger boys' faces were shocking. The older boys just snickered.

"It's about time, " said Tinge, lighting the cigarette he pulled out of his matted down crimson hair. Kate smiled and dragged the fifteen-year-old into her bedroom.

"Absolutely fantastic!" Kate exclaimed, letting down her leader façade. That's when Kennedy let out all her emotions like a balloon popped with a pin.

"What gives 'im d right ta do dat? I swear, if I kin name all o' da guys out dere who would do da exact same thing, da list would go on! I mean it! An' Jimmy! Don't even make me start on Jimmy! He wasn't even a decent boyfrien'! Took me long enough to leave him. That goil he was datin' from East Side wasn't even a Newsie! She was some rich broad dat he picked up at some party. An' now Spinnah's got da noive ta rile me up like dis! Jeez, what has da woild o' men come ta, ya know?" Kennedy took a deep breath after her long feminist rambling and babbling. Kate raised her slender eyebrows.

"You done yet?" They both laughed.

"Ya, I'm done now, sawry." Kate nodded.

"I get it, don't worry. He did that to me once and I was so mad at him. Actually I wouldn't have been as mad at him if Spot and I weren't fighting, but, oh well." Kennedy grinned at her newest best friend.

"That's quite a catch ya got yerself, Kate." Kate stopped and looked at her seriously.

"Back off, he's mine," she said, the venom in her voice was dripping like water from a leaky faucet. Kennedy recoiled from this reaction.

"Jiminy, sawry. Ise is jus' playin'." Kate grinned again.

"I know, so am I. I always wanted to be an actress." Kennedy exhaled a sigh of relief.

"Thank God, youse was. If you weren't, I wouldn't have any friends!" Just as she said that the door to the room opened violently and slammed shut with a bang and rusty hinges squeaking. Kate gave her a look and rolled her eyes.

"Spot, honey, did ya loose da game?" Spot crossed his arms over his chest like a child. He huffed.

"No. I did not loose da game. I jus' lost some money, dat's all." All of a sudden he noticed Kennedy there. He smiled, almost sheepishly. "Ah… sawry fer dat. Ise got a bit o' a tempah problem."

"I know." Spot looked at her.

"Really, now?" She looked at her feet.

"Ya. An' I also know your real name's Joel Conlon. The silver key dat was always 'round your neck was from your house, and yesterday was your birthday." The couple looked at her astonished. "Oh yeah, Happy Belated Boithday, Spot." Kennedy stated as if she had not just seen their faces. Spot turned to Kate.

"Did ya know she knew this?" Kate shook her head, speechless. Abruptly, emotions and thoughts flooded through Kate's head.

She knows him! She knows things it took me forever to find out! What if they used to be together and Spot just can't remember? I mean, he's been with a lot of girls before me, so why not Stripes? She's pretty isn't she? Gosh, does he think she's prettier than I am? What if he does? I should know him better than she does! This is an invasion! This is war! Kate fumed silently while lying next to Spot, who was already lightly snoring. She felt an urge to wake him up just to talk to him. She jarred him with her elbow. He moaned and turned over.

"Yeah, doll?" he grunted. Kate bit her bottom lip as Spot looked at her through half closed eyes. She exhaled and kissed him on the forehead.

"Nothin'. Youse was snorin' an' I couldn't git ta sleep." Spot looked at her with confused sapphire eyes and turned back over.

"Sawry," he mumbled, and was soon back to softly breathing. She lay back on the bed and wrapped herself up in the tattered covers. A silent storm raged in her mind, soul, and heart, as jealousy clouded her vision and she began to see green. Sleep wouldn't take her until the next hour.