Hey everyone!!! Here is chapter twenty-two. I am warning you this was very sad for me to write. You will find out why at the end of the chapter. Please don't hate me, its part of the story. I had to. Well thank you so much for all of your reviews. I really appreciate it. I know its not as good as the last chapter, but I still think I did an ok job. Thanks again.

Disclaimer: I do not own anyone or anything from the Newsies movie. I wish I did, but I sadly don't. So I will just have to stick with my character, Hanna. Who belongs entirely to me.

Chapter Twenty-Two

I woke up early the next day as the sun shone brightly in my eyes. I groaned and rolled over, smiled at Spot as he slept quietly beside me. For a few minutes I just laid there, watching as his chest moved up and down when he breathed and the funny way his hair fell into his face because the front pieces were to long. I reached out and brushed it back as I let my hand linger on his cheek for a moment. I sighed when I rolled over in bed and pulled the covers off of me. I got to my feet and stretched out my arms. I yawned loudly as I walked over to the dresser and pulled out a white skirt and a deep blue blouse. When I looked in the mirror I was shocked at the shimmer in my eyes and the bright smile that graced my face.

I finished fixing my hair and turned around quickly when I heard movement from the bed behind me. Spot was no longer asleep and sat smirking at me with his back pressed up against the wall. I felt myself blush as I pushed a stray strand of hair behind my right ear. I felt an awkward feeling rising inside my stomach as we stared at each other. What had I done…

I knew that there was not a single ounce of regret inside me about what had happened the night before. But if so then why did I feel so guilty? I don't think either of us meant for anything like that to happen. We were both just intensely emotional last night and one thing lead to another.

I knew that Spot could tell that I was upset about something when I broke eye contact with him and went to look for a pair of earrings. I could hear him get up off the bed and pull on his trousers. When I turned back around he was almost fully dressed except for his shirt. He walked over and wrapped his arms around my waist. In return I rested my head on his shoulders and hugged him tightly. We stood there in each others arms for what seemed like hours before we finally pulled apart.

Spot pushed my hair back and then cradled my face in his hands. "What's wrong?" he asked.

I smiled weakly and shrugged my shoulders. "Nothings wrong…" I replied but Spot raised his eyebrows as if telling me not to lie. I pulled my face away from his and turned around. I began pacing the room for a few minutes before I looked back at him. "I don't know…I…I just have this strange feeling of guilt. Like I let somebody down, like I let myself down."

Spot smiled at me understandingly before holding my hands in his own. His intensely blue eyes bore holes into me as we made eye contact once more. Yet somehow I saw something different shining in his eyes today. They didn't look so cold anymore or so harsh, they were warm and there was a fire burning inside them. "It's alright," he said sincerely.

Just having him say that seemed to make every bad feeling that I had, wash away. Spot was right, everything would be ok. I just had to relax because there was nothing I could do to change the past. Things happen that you don't plan for but all you can do is except them and move on.

I kissed him softly on the lips. "I know," I said as he pulled on his shirt and we opened the bedroom door. I walked out onto the stairs but then stopped when I looked over the railing into the congregation room. Jack was standing there staring up at us, but beside him stood Racetrack. He looked at me strangely for a few moments before I turned away quickly. Spot knew what had happened between us and squeezed my hand reassuringly. It had been ten days since I had last saw Race and I wouldn't admit it, but I had missed him dearly. He was the closest friend that I ever had, except for Spot. Yet what I felt for the both of them was two completely different feelings.

I was about to turn around and walk back in the bedroom but Spot wouldn't let me. He took my hand and pulled me down the stairs behind him. When we reached the bottom he ushered me over and stood in front of the two Manhattan Newsies. Even though I was scared to face Racetrack, there was still an unusual glow radiating around me that day. Only two of us knew what it was from, but the rest were clueless to my abnormally cheerful misdemeanor.

Spot and Jack spit shook in greeting and I reminded myself how nasty of a ritual that was. Especially if I was the one holding Spots hand most of the time. Jack turned and to my surprise he pulled me into a hug. I patted him on the back awkwardly, wondering why he was in such a good mood. "Hey Doll," he said.

"Hi Jack," I replied more enthusiastically than I had expected.

"Well don't you look happy taday," He said. I blushed when I realized that I had been smiling brightly the entire time. Well that is, after I had gotten over the shock of seeing Racetrack.

"That's because I am," I replied enthusiastically, trying not to look at Race. Because he always seemed to have the same skill as Spot, to tell what I was thinking.

"And why exactly are ya so happy?" Jack asked with a smirk on his face.

I just shrugged my shoulder, "No reason."
He raised an eyebrow questioningly at me and I just smiled. Eventually he gave up because he knew he wasn't going to get the real answer out of me any time soon. Then Jack turned to Spot, "Well we got's business ta take care of. Would ya two be alright alone togetha?" He asked turning to Racetrack and I. We looked at each other for a few moments and then nodded our heads.

I grinded my teeth together vigorously as I watched Jack depart. Knowing that he had probably planned it this way. I began to grow nervous as I saw Spot walk into his room and shut the door behind him. I wished he wouldn't have left my side. It would have been a lot easier for me to face Racetrack if I wasn't alone.

Finally I got up my strength and turned around to see my old friend staring at me. He didn't seem angry but he didn't seem pleased to be there either. After glaring at each other for a few moments his face finally softened when he saw how nervous I was. "Do ya actually wanna talk or do ya wan't me ta just leave ya alone?" Race asked.

I looked up at him a little surprised and then finally spoke. "Of course I don't want you to just leave," I said softly.

He nodded and then we walked over and sat down at a table against the far right wall. All of the Brooklyn boys had already left, long before Spot and I had even awoken that morning. So we would have some time to talk alone before anyone started returning. There was a few moments of uncomfortable silence before Racetrack finally spoke. "So you and Spot are…" He didn't even need to finish.

"Yes…" I replied softly.

Race just sighed and nodded his head. I knew that he probably didn't agree but he knew that there was nothing he could do to change it. "How long?"

"The day before you and I got into that fight," I replied cautiously, not wanting to bring up any unwanted memories.

Then Racetrack turned to look at me. "Why didn't ya just tell me in da first place?"

"I was going to but I never got the chance," Race's face changed when he remembered how he had acted back at the Lodging House.

"I never meant ta yell at you like dat," He said sincerely, "It's just dat ya never came home and we were all real worried dat something had happened to ya. Den when ya wouldn't tell me where ya had been."

"I couldn't Racetrack, not when you were so angry like that." I replied quickly defending myself.

He just nodded his head, "I know." Race took my hands. "Ya do realize dat we didn't actually want ya ta leave."

I smiled at him, just thankful that we were not fighting anymore. "Yes, I know. But I think that leaving was the best thing for me."

Race looked at me confused. "Why would leaving be what was best."

I looked down at my hands which were now sitting folded in my lap. "Because one bad thing after another just kept piling on top of me. I had to get away. I was destroying myself."

"And ya think dat da best thing for ya ta do was ta run away wit Spot Conlon?" Race asked his voice raising in volume.

This made me angry and I stood up quickly in my chair and glared at him. "Spot Conlon is the best thing that ever happened to me!"

Race looked at me disbelievingly as he got to his feet at well. "Ha! I don't tink were talkin about da same kid here!"

"Yes we are!" I yelled at him but then calmed down. "Can't you see Race? He makes me a better person and for the first time in my life I feel like there is actually something worth living for. I'm really happy with him Race…and I just wish that you would be happy for me." This seemed to get through to him or maybe it was the tears that were gleaming on my cheeks. But Race walked over and put his hand on my shoulder.

"I am happy for you," I could tell he was lying but it made me feel better just to hear him say it.

Race was like a brother to me. He had helped me through so many problems in my life and took me in when I had nowhere else to go. I looked up to him and respected him as a person. So his opinion meant the world to me. I missed having him around, keeping me sane and lecturing me when I did something stupid. I knew that he had good reasons to object to my relationship with Spot. He had saw how Spot treated his ex-girlfriends and he didn't want that to happen to me. But I also trusted my own judgment and I knew that Spot had changed for the better

"Ya really are happy aren't you?" Race asked as he looked at my face. I smiled weakly and nodded my head. " Then let's stop fighting then alright?"

"Alright," I said as I pulled him into a hug. I heard the upstairs door open and I looked up. Jack and Spot were standing there smirking.

"Well I'm glad ta see dat dis whole thing is over wit." Jack said laughing.

Race and I laughed also as we pulled apart. Jack and Spot came down the stairs and stood beside us. My face seemed to glow as Spot and I stared at each other. He reached over and wrapped his arm around my waist, pulling me closer to his side. Race gave him a stern glare and he laughed. "Don't worry Race. Jack already gave me da big brotha speech. I know…If I hurt er' you'll kill me." This made me turn and glare at Jack.

He just shrugged his shoulders and smirked. "Well its da truth."

We all walked over and sat down at a round table by the window. "So Doll, der's something dat we need ta discuss wit you." Jack said. I looked around at them curiously.

"What?"

Spot fidgeted in his seat and then turned t o me. "Ya know how dis whole thing wit Queens is goin on right? After da fight we got into yesterday, it got me thinkin."

I furrowed my brow and looked at him intently. "What are you talking about Spot?" The way he was avoiding eye contact made me realize that it was something important.

"It's becoming dangerous for you ta be here and we think it would be best if ya went back ta Manhattan for a little bit. Just until dis whole thing gets worked out. I can't have ya gettin hurt." Spot said and for the first time he looked up from the table.

"I'm not going," I said flatly.

"It's not under debate Doll, ya gotta go." He said as frustration flashed in his icy gaze. I shook my head vigorously.

"No," was all I said.

"Don't ya understand. Dey can use ya ta get ta me. They won't hesitate ta hurt you. Dey made it pretty clear of that yesterday." Spot said angrily. I knew his hostility wasn't aimed towards me but fighting with him wasn't helping.

I got to my feet promptly and scowled down at him. "Well if I'm willing ta take that sort of risk, then so should you. I'm not leaving, ya need me here whether ya wanna admit it or not."

"But Doll…" Jack went to speak but I put up a hand to stop him.

"I made my decision."

Spot threw his hands in the air and then sighed. "Fine, but your not to go wondering around alone anymore." I smiled and nodded my head as I flopped back down in my seat. He looked over at me, "Your infuriating do ya know dat?"

"Of course," I replied happily as I pulled out a deck of cards. "Now who wants ta lend me some money."

The boys and I played two rounds of poker before they finally had to leave in order to make it back to Manhattan before the sun set. The Brooklyn boys returned not long after and the congregation room was filled to capacity. I decided to sneak into a corner against the far wall and read 'A Tale of Two Cities,' which my mother had given to me on my 11th birthday.

Soon it was time to go sell the evening addition and the Lodging House was once again silent. Spot informed me that he would be gone for a little bit and not to worry.

"Your leaving?" I asked concerned.

"Don't worry, Booker didn't go selling tonight so ya won't be alone." Spot replied kissing me on the cheek. I smiled and kissed him on the lips one more time before he left.

I was on chapter eleven when Booker came into the room. I wasn't paying attention until he walked over and sat down beside me. I looked up into his hazel eyes and smiled. "Hi," I said happily.

"Hi," he replied smiling down at me. It was the same smile that he gave me every time we spoke. But today there was a different look in his eyes and a strange tone to his voice. Which gave me the feeling that he wanted to tell me something.

I brought my feet down which had been propped up onto a chair and sat my book down on the table. When I turned back to look at Booker he was still staring at me with an admiring look on his face. "What?" I asked becoming slightly bashful under his intense gaze.

"There is something I need to tell ya," Booker said hesitantly. I could hear a tiny bit of urgency in his voice. He seemed to be slightly closer to me than was comfortable, as our knees were touching and I could feel the heat radiating off of his body. I wanted to move away, to give us space but something in his voice made me stop.

"What is it," I said quietly as his stare started to make me nervous and I looked at the ground.

"I'm in love with you," Booker replied. I didn't realize what he said at first and before I could tell what was happening his lips were pressed up against my own.

My eyes were wide with shock as I put my hands up to his chest to get ready to push him away. But no more than seconds later I heard the familiar bang of the Lodging House door and without looking up I knew who it had been. But that didn't stop the shock when I pushed Booker away and looked at him standing in the doorway.

"I…I can't believe dis!" Spot yelled, with an expression of hurt and shock on his face.

I stood up quickly and my chair went crashing to the floor. "SPOT," I said reaching out for him but he shoved passed me. I stumbled backwards a little before I went chasing after him. But he was quicker and made it up the stairs and into his room, slamming the door hard in my face. I quickly turned the door knob before he had a chance to lock it and pushed my way inside.

Spot was standing across the room looking out the window, with his back turned in my direction. I watched as he clenched his fists together and I just stood there waiting for him to speak. "Spot…" I whispered quietly, afraid that any movement would cause everything to come crashing down around me.

It took a few minutes before he finally began to speak. "How could ya do this?" he asked. His voice cracked slightly and I could almost feel the pain that came from those words.

"I didn't…" I stuttered. It was all that I could say. I didn't know the words to use to show him that it wasn't my fault. I had no idea how Booker felt or at least how serious he was about the things that he said. I didn't ask him to love me or to kiss me like he had. All I wanted was his friendship and he wanted something more.

"Did last night mean nothing to you?" Spot asked as he turned around and stared at me. I didn't know what to say, I just stared at him speechless with tears running down my face. "DID IT MEAN NOTHING TO YOU!" He screamed and I cringed as he knocked a few things off his desk in aggravation.

"It meant everything to me," I whispered between sobs. But he was to infuriated to hear me.

"How could ya do this?" He asked again, shaking his head. I had never seen Spot so broken in my life. The pain and anger that I saw in his eyes shattered my heart into a thousand pieces. But it also frightened me very deeply. I loved him so much and it had taken me so long to make him love me in return. Now everything was ruined because of Booker.

"I love you," I said reaching for him but he shoved me away forcefully.

"I bet ya say dat ta every guy ya kiss, right?" The venom in his voice made me cry even harder.

"It wasn't my fault," I said defensively.

"Of course it wasn't," He yelled as he began pacing around the room.

"Would you just listen to me," I begged helplessly watching as our relationship fell apart before my eyes. If he would just stop and listen he would understand that it wasn't my fault.

"I'm tired of listenin to ya!" He yelled. "Ya know what, I don't even know what I saw in you in da foist place."

"Please…" I grabbed his hand but he shoved me back again and I fell to the floor. "You don't mean this." I sobbed.

"Yes I do! Your nothin but a pathetic, manipulative, whore and I don't want to ever see ya face aroun' here again!" Spot yelled as he threw my clothes at me.

I could never explain to you the pain that I felt at that moment. It was like a thousand daggers stabbing me in the chest. I knew that even if it wasn't my fault, I had lost Spots trust and that was something that you could never get back again.

I was blinded by my tears as I got to my feet and turned around. I didn't care about my belongings or anything else. I just opened the door and stumbled outside onto the stairs. I walked down them slowly and when I looked up, Booker was standing there staring at me. I couldn't bare to look at him and I turned around and walked down the hallway. At the far end of the hallway there was an empty room, much like a closet where most of the cleaning things were stored. It was the only other room besides Spot's that had a lock on it. Booker came after me but I slammed the door hard in his face as I collapsed onto the floor crying.

I think I was in more pain at that moment than I had been even when my parents died. I didn't feel like I knew my parents all that well so when they died it wasn't like I lost something really important to me. But when you lose someone you truly love…that's a pain so intense that I would have rather died than had to go through it again.

I don't remember when I fell asleep that night but I woke up really early the next morning. I had overheard Jack telling Spot the other day, that he would stop by in the morning. I knew he was someone who always kept his word and I caught Jack before he left to go back to Manhattan.

"Doll, what happened?" He asked surprised at my rugged and pathetic appearance.

"Please take me back to Manhattan." I begged him while trying to avoid the question.

"Why? Did Spot do something to you?" Jack asked angrily. I shook my head and looked down at the floor, then back up into his eyes.

"Something happened last night and we had a fight," Jack looked at me understandingly. He knew how bad Spot's temper could get. "I will tell you about it on the way." I said hopefully.

Jack stared at me for a few moments, deciding on whether or not it was a good idea and then sighed heavily. "Oh alright, lets go. I wanna get back before the circulation bell rings." He put his hand on my back and lead me out the door.

Before I stepped off the dock I looked back at the old Lodging House. I felt like the hole in my heart was just growing larger as I realized I wasn't just loosing someone I loved but I was losing my home. Because I not only cared about Spot, I cared about every single boy in that building, like they were my family. Sometimes they drove me insane and it took awhile to get them to trust me. But I had watched how they had changed over the past week and grown to accept me. It was the hardest thing I had ever done as I turned my back on the things I loved so dearly but I didn't have the strength to fight Spot anymore. He would be happier without me there to cause him pain. So I walked away with a heavy heart and never looked back again. Maybe I was giving up but hanging on was hurting me even more.

Thank you:

C.M. Higgins- Wow, I made you speechless with the last chapter. Thank you so much for all your encouragement and nice comments. That really makes me want to keep writing. I am so sorry that I haven't worked on our story for awhile. I will make sure to get that chapter done today if I can, so that its finished before I leave and you can work on it while I'm gone.

Iaintgotaname-Thank you so much for you review. You really made my day. I am so happy that you liked the last chapter. It was so much fun to write. I know this chapter was upsetting at the end. I hated writing it, but I had to. I hope you still like it and let me know what you think.

Spunkz- Hey, thanks so much. Yeah I always love making Spot have like two different characteristics. He is nice and then a second later he can be evil. Its so much fun! But sorry for the depressing ending to this chapter. I hope you still enjoyed it even though its sad. I know it will probably upset most of my reviewers. Oh and I am glad you are alright and the hurricane didn't hit you. Well I hope to hear from you again.

Splashey- Wow you're the second person I left speechless with the last chapter. I know you probably didn't like this chapter as much because it wasn't very happy. But its part of the story. I am really glad that you liked the last chapter, it was my favorite one to write. I am so happy that you are still reading my story after all this time. Thanks so much!

Dimonah Tralon- Thanks, I am glad you liked the last chapter, I really loved writing it. I know this chapter wasn't as good but I hoped you liked it, even though it was kinda depressing at the end. I didn't want to write it, but its part of the story.

Swimade333-That comment you made in your last review, about me putting so much love and passion into my story, was the nicest comment I ever got. I was so happy after I read that. Because I try to when I write, some people never notice that. I know this chapter was depressing. Please don't hate me for it. I hope to hear from you again.

Clover- Thanks so much! I am really happy that you liked the last chapter. I was happy because I got to bring Race back in this chapter. Although it was really hard for me to write the ending. But I had to. You will see a lot more of Race in the next few chapters. I hope you are not to upset with how I ended this. Well let me know what you think.

NadaZimri- Hey, yeah I really loved writing the last chapter. I didn't enjoy writing this one as much because of the ending. But its part of the plot. I hope you liked it and I always love getting your reviews they make my day. Thanks again.

Joker is Poker with a J- Hey, yeah I hate when the computer does that and it wont let you review. It always happens to me. Thank you so much, I am really glad that you liked the last chapters. I hope you liked this one, I know it wasn't as good as the last one.

Koodles4You- I know you probably hate me for this chapter…but I had to write it. I didn't want to I swear. Well your review was the nicest one I have got in a long time. You are always so nice. I really appreciate it a lot. You really make me love writing. I hope you enjoyed this chapter, even though you probably hate me for the end. I hope that you will still review.

The Good Girl- Thank you so much! I always love when I get reviews like yours. They make me want to continue writing. I am really happy that you loved the last chapter, I did too. Umm, to answer your question. Spot and Doll have only been going out for ten days. But they have known each other for exactly a month. I know it's a short time, but I figured it was ok. Lol I mean its just a story. Now I know this chapter probably upset you at the end. But like I told everyone else, It is part of the story line I had to write it. Well let me know what you think. Thanks for you review, again!

Luv ya all,

BlackWiltedRose