Yay! I have finally finished the last chapter! Perch, darlin', I hope you have enjoyed this story as much as I have had writing it for you! This is the last chapter in your love story with Spot. I hope that I have done him and you justice. Now, to thank those who have been faithfully waiting for this chapter. Tanks to: Gryffindor's Newsie, madmbutterfly713, hobbit1400, LongCleeve, Tears in a Bottle, elleestJenn, TheRealDramaQueen817, and mistymixwolf aka Perch. Love you all! Three tons of chocolate covered newsies for you all! Enjoy my last chappy!

Chapter Five

Spot sat on the fire escape watching his frosty breath disappear into the bone chilling air. Two weeks before Christmas, and it was getting colder with every passing day. He blew out another smoky puff and pulled his jacket close round his body. He could hear loud laughter and happy chatter through the closed window at his back. The boys were busy playing poker, and for some odd reason, he didn't feel like beating their socks off. Which explained, or really didn't, why he was sitting out in the freezing cold with a melancholy look on his face when he could be winning a good amount of cash in the warm, inviting room.

Perch walked past the table set up for the poker game and couldn't help laughing when Jockey jumped up and proclaimed herself winner of the hand. She caught Jockey's eye and grinned as the boys threw down their cards in defeat. When Spot wasn't playing, Jockey was queen of the game, and it annoyed the boys to no end.

Perch shook her head at the fuss Pins was making over Jockey's straight of diamonds and walked toward her bunk. As she passed the window, a slight movement on the escape brought her eyes up to see a rosy cheek Spot sitting dejectedly outside. She turned back and opened the window.

"Spot, youse okay?"

Spot started and spun to stare at Perch with wide eyes. "Huh? Oh, yeah, I's fine."

A teasing grin curled her lips upward as she climbed through the window and sat down beside him trying to see what he was staring at.

"Did I scare ya, Conlon?" She turned to face with an eyebrow raised in teasing question.

Spot heard the laughter in her voice and saw it on her face. She had startled him from his deep thoughts, but he wasn't going to admit that to her. He wasn't supposed to be scared of anything. He was Spot Conlon after all!

"Nah, ya didn't scare me." He masked his face trying tot push his earlier thoughts to the back of his mind before Perch could figure out what they were.

Perch shivered and rubbed her hands over her arms in an attempt to warm them in the freezing night air. "It's cold out heah! Why don't youse come inside where it's warm?" She stood and offered him a hand to help him stand.

He glanced in what seemed like confusion from her outstretched hand to her face and back to her hand. "No thanks. I tink I'll jist stay out heah for a while."

Here eyes clouded over with genuine concern, "Ya soah?"

Spot smiled at her and stood to place a soft kiss on her cheek, "Yay, I's soah. Thanks for carin'."

A surprised hand rose to touch her flaming cheek as she smiled shyly at her feet. "Well, youse cared bout me, so why shouldn't care bout youse?" She grinned at him and crawled back through the window. A few moments later, she returned carrying a heavy quilt. She draped it over Spot's shoulders and sat down beside him again.

"What's dis fer?" Spot looked at the blanket in surprise.

"We don't need ya gettin' sick from sittin' out heah now do we? Iffen youse gits cold, do me a favor an' come inside, kay?" She smiled and gave his shoulder a softly pat as she stood to head back inside.

"Hey Perch?" He twisted around to look at her.

"Hm?" A questioning look was in her eyes as she turned back to face him.

Spot glanced at his hands that picked nervously at the blanket covering his shoulders. "Ya wanna join me?"

Startled by his request, Perch's cheeks turned a rosy pink. "O-okay." She nervously returned to his side and settled down between his legs. A small smile turned up the corners of her mouth as his arms wrapped around her with the blanket.

"Feel bettah?" His voice was slightly muffled from his face being buried in her hair.

Another shiver ran down her spine at the chilly air and at the feel of his warm breath against her neck. "Yeah, much bettah."

Spot frowned at her shiver and moved up against her. "Do you like it heah Perch?"

His question surprised Perch so much that for a moment she had to search for the words to answer him. "Yeah, it's nice heah at da lodging house."

A grin spread across Spot's face. "I's glad bout dat!" The grin slipped from his face as another thought entered his mind. "You ain't evah gonna leave, are ya?"

A small giggle escaped her lips, "No, I's nevah gonna leave." A contented smile filled her lips as she snuggled closer against him. Her eyes watched as his ink-stained hand lifted her small one to his lips, ducking her violently blushing head as he rained soft kisses on each finger in turn. A happy sigh escaped her lips as her head came to rest on his shoulder.

"What is it? What's wrong?" His words fluttered against her fingers where his lips still placed feathery kisses upon them.

"Nothin'", a smile broke across her face as she looked up into his face. "For once in me life, nothin's wrong!"

The hand holding hers dropped her hand and moved to softly caress her cheek. "Dat's a good ting right?" His blue eyes gazed deep into hers as if trying to send her an unspoken message.

Perch have a slight laugh and nodded. "Yeah Spot, dat's a very good ting." She lifted a trembling hand up to brush his blonde hair out of his face.

"Perch…" A new emotion filled his face as his other hand went up to hold hers on his cheek. His eyes glanced nervously between her eyes and lips quickly before returning to her eyes.

"Yes Spot?" Her voice was only a breathy whisper. She knew what he wanted to tell her, to ask her, and she wanted to hear it. She wanted to have him hold her close and never let her go. Her tongue slid nervously over her lips as he leaned closer.

"Perch, can-can…? Would you…?" Spot let out a frustrated growl and ran an agitated hand through his hair. Suddenly, he gathered her into his arms and leaned his lips down to meet hers in a soft kiss.

Perch gave a surprised squeak against his lips before letting herself get swept away by the emotions she felt in his lips.

When Spot pulled back, he looked into her eyes and pleaded silently with her. "Perch, would you make me Christmas da best evah an' be me goil?"

Perch felt delight course through her veins as her heart exploded in a mixture of emotion. Tears of happiness filled her eyes as her head nodded, and she moved closer to him. "Spot, nothin' would make me happier dis Christmas!"

The grin on Spot's face spoke a million words as he bent down and once again captured her lips with his. Soft and silent, the gray clouds delivered fluffy snowflakes down upon the quiet city, blanketing it in a thick quilt of cold white.