Standing Alone Chapter 12: Rock and a Hard Place, a newsies fanfic

The stories had his eyes gleam as black as the devil's hooves. He was seven feet tall and spoke in strange tongues before making any deals. He could control a man just by talking and kill him with a look. They said he would drink fire before a fight to burn his opponent with the mere touch of his fists.

The police didn't touch him, the papers didn't touch him. Nobody with half a brain touched him.

Stories, Blink told himself. They were just stories meant to frighten, meant to explain what nobody understood: How one boy could organize and control what grown men had failed to.

The stories were started by those who had never seen Greene. Those that followed Greene were often left out, but it was only through them that his arms could reach so far and his grasp could be so tight. Nothing of what he had done was inexplicable to those that cared to look close enough. But few had the opportunity to get that close.

Greene tipped his hat to Spot with a half-smile, not moving from where he had initially stopped.

Spot nodded, but favored Greene with little more than narrowed eyes.

Greene wasn't half as large as the time and distance of Blink's imagination had made him out to be. In fact, he was only a few inches taller than Spot, on the thin side with just enough muscle to make someone think twice before hassling him. Truth be told, there was nothing at all imposing or intimidating about the way he looked. He was the kid you saw on the corner selling papers or being chased by the bulls, remembered only for what he was doing rather than the way he looked. The only remarkable thing about his appearance was that it was unremarkable. Describing him would be describing ten other boys in sight on a busy street.

Brown hair. Brown eyes. Brown cap. Shirt dirty, skin dirty.

He could walk through Central Park and never be noticed. A talent for disappearing, Greene called it. Talent or not, it was something that allowed him to avoid getting caught or named. And he stood with the presence of someone who would never get caught. He had an ease about him that was almost infectious, but Blink knew better. He knew what was under that smile. He had seen what happened to those who were disarmed by a few slick words.

Blink didn't allow himself to relax, even as it became clear Greene was going to stay on his side of the alley. Blink's eyes moved quickly to the street Greene had come from, looking for the others he had certainly come with. He never went anywhere alone, though he did a good job of hiding it. The street was clear and there appeared to be no one present but the three of them.

This fact did nothing to reassure Blink. Somewhere in the darkness Greene's boys were watching and Brooklyn was waiting.

"It's been a long time, ain't it? How long you figure?" Greene asked offhandedly, as if he was more interested in catching up than settling any business. As he spoke, Greene took his hands from his pockets. He turned his empty palms toward Spot as he let them fall to his sides. It was a subtle gesture, but one that wasn't lost on Blink. He was showing Spot he didn't have a weapon.

"I don't keep track, got better things to do wit my time," Spot said curtly, lowering his cane to rest on the ground.

"Brooklyn was never that hard to run."

"Yeah, well I do it right."

Greene's smile widened, "You're gettin' quicker. Didn't see that one comin."

"You don't see much," Spot returned flatly.

Blink winced inwardly.

Spot was pushing it. There was only so much someone could take before they would be compelled out of honor's sake to match insults. Greene seemed to pick up on Spot's game rather quickly, but wasn't inclined to play.

"You challengin' me?" Greene asked with a rehearsed ease that no doubt came from saying those words a great many times before. He was forcing Spot to put his money where his mouth was. If Spot wanted to play, Greene was telling him how high he was willing to go.

"No," Spot said carefully, as if he had calculated every possible meaning of the word in the time it took him to say it.

"I always knew you had brains," Greene said, almost waiting for the quick answer that was sitting on the edge of Spot's tongue. Spot didn't respond.

Blink kept the disbelief from his face. Spot backing down wasn't something he had expected to see in his lifetime. Not that he would want to be in the middle of a fight between Spot Conlon and Box Greene, but it would have taken care of at least two of his problems in one go.

There might as well have been no one else there but the two of them. They were studying each other, though putting a fair amount of effort into not showing it. It was almost as if seeing the other was something that wouldn't happen again and wasn't expected to begin with.

They were trying to discern which one was stronger simply by eye contact and physical presence. It was the same sort of encounter that Blink had seen on the streets a dozen times over selling spots or a stolen penny. But whatever had happened between them went far beyond a penny, that much was clear.

They were walking circles around each other without moving a foot, searching for an advantage.

"They still call you Conlon?" Greene began again, as if they were old friends. It was a mask he wore well, so well Blink would have believed it if he hadn't seen how rigidly Spot was standing.

"Spot."

"Spot Conlon," Greene repeated, with an approving nod, "Got a ring to it, don't it?"

"Yeah, it do. You want somethin' Box?"

"Just out for a walk, that's all. Makin' some new friends," Greene said easily, not returning the blatant coldness in Spot's voice. He paused long enough to nod at Blink, with a glimmer of displeasure in his eyes, "Lookin' for old ones."

"It's late for a walk. There's all sorts of people out here at night. Wouldn't want nothin' bad to happen," Spot said, punctuating the subtle warning by readjusting the grip on his cane.

Greene caught the threat with amusement, "I s'pose you're right. But it must not be that bad, I don't see none of your boys lookin' out for you."

"One word from me and this alley becomes the next best thing to Brooklyn."

"Two won't cut it, Conlon," Greene laughed. He took out a cigarette from his back pocket and lit it, something he knew Spot would understand for the dismissive gesture it was. It meant he wasn't going on guard, that he didn't take Spot as a serious threat.

"Find out," Spot said evenly, not allowing a trace of rising anger to enter his voice.

"That's all you got. One to watch your back and one to watch the street when you take your eyes off of it. Ain't that right?" Greene said with the satisfaction of calling a bluff, "What makes you think they're still out there anyways? "

"Make your point. You want me dead, challenge me. You want him dead," Spot nodded to Blink, "Do it already, I ain't gonna stand in your way."

Blink shot Spot a look of disdain. True, they shared no bonds of loyalty, but the easiness in which Spot handed Greene his life was something Blink wouldn't have expected from even Spot.

Blink willed himself to sink back into the brick that trapped him. He tried not to look at Greene, hoping he would forget about him if he kept his mouth shut. If he had been looking however, he would have seen the smile fall slightly from Greene's face.

"What's the matter, you don't trust me?' Spot said with a hint of sarcasm, "Go ahead, take'im. He's one of yours ain't he?"

There was tangible pause. Greene had done something Blink had never seen him do. He had hesitated.

For a brief moment, Greene narrowed his eyes and glanced between Blink and Spot. "You're gonna give him to me just like that?"

It was obviously something Greene hadn't expected to hear.

Spot caught this uncharacteristic uncertainty with a tilt of his head, the only outward sign that his mind was rapidly rethinking the situation.

Greene's expression broke a second later, his familiar confidence curling his mouth into a smile, "He belongs to Kelly and you know that."

"Is that right?"

"I've been keeping my ears open, Conlon. No one's willing to join you. Kelly's your last chance. If I take Kid here, then your givin' Kelly a reason to join you against me. You probably set this whole thing up," his eyes swept the alley as he spoke, reevaluating it for the threat he now saw. He dropped the cigarette to smolder on the ground and took a short step back, allowing the shadows to cover him more fully.

Spot raised an eyebrow before his expression quickly dissolved into a smirk. This only confirmed for Greene what he already believed, and what Spot was all too willing to let him believe.

"It don't make no difference. Sooner or later he ain't gonna have someone watchin' his back," Greene said in warning to Blink without turning from Spot, "I don't forgive disloyalty."

"Is that all he's done?" Spot said, "I like him better already."

"You would. You know all about disloyalty, don't you, Conlon?" Greene's façade had lost all pretense of charm.

"Look where it got me."

"Enjoy it, it ain't gonna last."

"And you know all about not lasting, don't you, Box?"

Greene caught himself as he took a step toward Spot, his fists clenched. He quickly regained his composure and deprived Spot of seeing his anger at that remark. If Spot had wanted to get under Greene's skin, he'd finally succeeded. And by the self-satisfied smile that played at the corner of Spot's mouth, he knew it.

"Be careful walkin' home, Conlon. Wouldn't want nothin' bad to happen," Greene said with a flicker of a smile. In that same breath and with that same smile he looked to Blink, "You're dead, Kid."

Without another word, he turned back into the shadows toward the street. His footsteps were joined by several more pairs as the darkness of the alley finally gave up what it had been hiding.

Greene's boys drifted by Blink and Spot one and two at a time, their attention only lingering long enough to remember faces for later.

Eight, nine. eleven, Blink counted. Eleven to two. Well, four if he counted Spot's boys who had yet to show themselves. Maybe Greene had found them, as he had hinted, and they were lying in pools of their own blood just out of sight. Blink would have never admitted it before than moment, but he hoped to God that Brooklyn was still alive.

Spot didn't seem at all uneasy, though. And if he felt threatened by the odds, he didn't show it. He simply watched them as they passed by.

Suddenly, it dawned on Blink.

Spot knew what the odds were. He knew they were there. He hadn't backed down, he'd prevented Greene from pounding them into pulp. And for all Spot's professed indifference to Blink's life, or lack of it, Blink just now noticed that Spot still stood between him and Greene's boys. In fact, he hadn't moved since the encounter began, putting himself between Blink and Greene and effectively keeping Blink out of the equation. Maybe there was a chance that Spot wasn't in it for himself, that he actually cared about other people's welfare.

Right. A snowball's chance in Hell.

Jack sat on the bottom step of the stairs, resting his head against the railing as he stared out into the street.

He had told Race he would take care of it. He had told him not to worry. He might have said a few more things, but he couldn't trouble himself to remember. There was only one thing on his mind now.

He had a responsibility to Manhattan and tonight that meant doing something he never would have imagined doing. He had to keep Manhattan safe. There was no room for regret. There would be time for regret when it was over.

There was an unfamiliar tightness in his throat. He wouldn't let himself call it fear. Jack Kelly wasn't afraid of anything.

He closed his eyes.

It was fear.

Not a coward's fear. It was something different. It was the fear that, when it came down to it, he wouldn't be able to do what was needed of him. Jack put the thought away as quickly as it had come. He would keep Manhattan safe, it was his responsibility and he would not cast it off.

He rubbed the back of his neck absently as he went through the most likely places Blink would go. The Park, the roof across from Cole's Tailor, the foundry. . . the foundry. Jack reflexively smiled as he remembered that was where he and Blink had been caught by the bulls last year.

He didn't end up in the Refuge that time. Blink had put up enough of a fight to take the attention of both of the bulls, leaving Jack enough time to get away. Blink yelled for him to run. They both knew he was looking at a year if he was caught again so soon. So he ran. He looked back just in time to see three more bulls come around the corner with their clubs out.

Blink was in for six months, they wouldn't let him out until he could walk right again. Jack owed him for that. Blink never mentioned it, never once made him feel guilty for it. He still hadn't managed to pay Blink back yet.

Jack's smile faded quickly.

He couldn't do it. He wouldn't.

He put his head in his hands and let out a long breath.

He had to. Blink was a danger to them all.

Jack looked up as Snitch came in laughing, followed by a not-so-happy Snoddy. His clothes were soaking wet and he was cursing Snitch's mother under his breath along with threats of getting even. Normally the scene would have prompted a laugh, a joke, a smile, anything. But tonight he didn't see the humor; he didn't see anything but the means to an end.

"Snitch, come here a sec," Jack called him over.

"Yeah, Jack," Snitch stopped laughing long enough to give Jack his attention.

"You, ah…," Jack ran a quick hand through his hair, trying to make his question sound as casual as possible, "You still got that knife of yours?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Can I borrow it, I'll get it back to you tomorrow."

"Sure thing, Jack. Just don't lose it," Snitch said as he lifted the back of his shirt and pulled the blade from where it was hidden. "Everything okay?" he asked as he handed it to Jack.

"Yeah, I just gotta head downtown tonight. Don't want no trouble, that's all," Jack said. He took the knife and quickly tucked it out of sight.

It was a rare thing to feel threatened within the familiar streets they called their own. If you were smart about where you went, you wouldn't find much trouble you weren't looking for. But that didn't stop of few of the boys from keeping the odd knife, 'just in case.' Jack never had, he could usually talk his way out of anything and, if all else failed, he'd rather use his fists than a knife or a club. Tonight wouldn't be usual, though.

"You want me to go with you?" Snitch said, finally seeing a trace of the uneasiness Jack was hiding.

"Nah, I'll be fine. Thanks."

Snitch broke into a wide grin at the quick refusal. Jack was going out to see a girl. Probably headed toward the river. They had the cheapest ones, but there were more pickpockets in that small area than in all of Manhattan. No wonder he wanted a knife.

"Say, you want a drink before you head out? Specs has got a bottle of somethin' he's sharing," Snitch nodded over his shoulder toward the back table.

"Yeah, I think so," Jack said with a forced smile, "Something to keep me awake."

Something to stop the doubt.

"How do you know him?" Blink asked. The fact he had just survived the last encounter and hadn't been beaten within an inch of his life, had given him a new found confidence that somebody up there liked him. He figured he'd better take advantage of what little luck life had finally decided to throw his way.

To Blink's surprise, Spot answered.

"We got a history," Spot said vaguely as he watched the last of the boys leave the alley and disappear across the street.

He asked the obvious, so he got the obvious. Blink couldn't say he was expecting anything else and he probably didn't really want to know. So, he left it alone. Besides he had more pressing concerns, like whether or not Spot still had a mind to kill him.

"Beat it," Spot said as tucked his cane back in his belt loop. Blink hadn't even opened his mouth. Perhaps his subtle attempt to slide further away along the wall had been less than subtle.

"We're square?"

"Yeah, we're square," Spot nodded, "I figure if Box has it in for you, then you ain't so bad after all."

Spot turned his back on the street, apparently no longer threatened by it. Blink felt his eyes on him once again, though there wasn't the same suffocating level of hostility that seemed to ooze out his ears only minutes ago. Spot responded to the wary look on Blink's face with a short laugh, "Besides, he'll get you sooner or later."

"Thanks," Blink muttered, not knowing if that was Spot's idea of a joke or if he was truly entertained with the thought.

"You musta done somethin' real big," Spot shook his head with a half-smile.

"Nothin' that big."

"Box don't come out to play much. He don't like to get his hands dirty. The fact he showed his self is something I'd write home about."

"Like I said, it ain't nothin'." Blink said.

"Sure, it ain't. " Spot humored him, "Where ya headed?"

"I'm leavin'," Blink said simply. He didn't want Spot to know where he was going and couldn't help but believe that Spot's interest could only be bad news. He figured he would try and get on a train to Boston or where ever else trains went. The farther the better.

"That ain't such a good idea."

"What's it to you?" Blink said, becoming more than a little suspicious of why Spot would care what he did, let alone being concerned enough to give him advice.

"It'll take you a couple of days to get out of the city. Greene ain't gonna sit and watch you go. The minute you step outta here, you're as good as dead," Spot said impatiently with a matter-of-factness that made Blink feel like an idiot for not thinking of it himself.

"Better sooner than later," Blink said, trying to sound at least somewhat confident. Being brash and stupid was better than being just plain stupid.

"Maybe you didn't hear me." Spot's impatience quickly turned to annoyance.

"Yeah, I heard ya."

"Then play it smart. Go back to your house. You need all the protection you can get."

"I can't," Blink said quickly. The images of Race's anger that came to mind were enough to deter him from even thinking about it.

"Tell you what," Spot said, reading into Blink's response almost as quickly as Blink was sorting it out in his own mind, "I'll talk wit your boy, let him know what's going on. He'll smooth things over with Higgins."

"What's in it for you?" Blink asked.

Spot didn't bristle at the flatness of Blink's tone. Business wasn't polite.

Without missing a beat, Spot told him exactly what he expected in return:

"You're gonna tell me everything you know about Greene."

Next up: Blink returns, Jack's slightly drunk and Spot doesn't like admitting he's wrong.

Thank you very much for reading, I hope you enjoyed :0)

Ler Shoutouts

BThank you! You rock in so many ways that the list I have complied is now five pages long :0) Jack is quite a tricksy fellow, but all for the greater good :0) Poor Race, but he will be redeeming himself in the near future wink

Pickles I bet he would if they were invented back then..maybe he invented them. Box's patented cutter, motto: "I'll cut you good." Hehe (disclaimer: I am not violent, the preceding has be the voice of an inside joke ;0) )

Jenn C Ack! Don't faint, hehe :0)I hope this wasn't too long of a wait and that you enjoyed. Race is definitely a star and needs his own trailer ;0) Thank you for your review and for reading!

Gothic Author Getting done, heheh. Slowly but surely. It will be finished and it's all finished in my mind, it's just that pesty writing thing. :0) Thank you so very much for your review, it made me positively gleeful :0)

Owl Haha, darn review monsters ;0) Thank you so much! I hope you continue to enjoy and let me know what you think about this chap :0) Thanks again!

Txmedic I loved your story, are you working on any more? Thank you for your review! I was actually deliberating over that chapter for months (no joke ;0) ) I am gleeful that you enjoyed it.

CaptKid Thank you! Here is a lovely update, gift wrapped for your reading pleasure, I hope you enjoyed!

Raeghann Hey there! Yes an update, and Spot is quite the drool boy ain't he? Hehe Thanks for reading I hope you continue to enjoy ;0)

Thistle Thank you so much! I definitely have a particular image of Spot in my mind temporarily distracted by image and am happy to hear that someone else shares that (great minds think alike, wink wink) Thank you again and I hope Spot continued to be Spot-eriffic in this chap ;0)

Just Groovy Wow! Thank you so much for all of your reviews! That really blew me away and was so encouraging. I really can't tell you how much all of your feedback meant to me and I'm so happy that you enjoyed it :0) I have eagerly been enjoying your story btw, and can't wait to see how it will all turn out. I hope you enjoyed this chap and thank you thank you thank you :0)

JP hug! I mean, cue music :0) Oh, a crown! Yes! Finally all my stealth posting as paid off! Mwahahahhah! It always puts a smile on my face when I get a review from you! hug

As always, thank you for reading!

If you have a moment or two to spare, please let me know what you think. ( It makes my day :0) )