SPOT

It had been two months since Brooklyn had rescued Kat Kelly on the docks and three weeks since the dreams had begun. I was dreaming about her every night and the worst part was when I woke up I wished I was still dreaming about her. I spent entire days beating myself up over it. Why the hell couldn't I get Jacks little sister out of my mind, was I some kind of pervert dreaming about little girls? Granted she was only two years younger then I was but she was still just a kid and Jack, god Jack would kill me if he knew I was having the same damn dream about Kat every night. And it was the exact same dream, every night I rescued her from those scumbags and she whispered words of love, pulling me close, so close to her lips but we never kissed I woke up sweating and unfulfilled to hear Matches taunting about my nightmares. I swear to god I am going to kick his ass if I hear one more time how poor wittle Spotty was having nightmares. If it had been anyone other then Match, except for maybe Jack, they would have been beaten unrecognizable the minute they had opened their mouth. Match and Jack were loyal and reliable, they were pretty much the only people I would call friends. The other newsies that hung around and my Brooklyn boys either feared me or plotted against me and those are not the kind of people I would call friends. Even the girls were only aiming to use me for status I'm not complaining though, I had no problem with getting laid regularly. Kat is the only girl who never wanted anything from me. She's the girl who punched her own brother in the nose for calling me a midget when she was six. The eleven year old girl who had given me a bunch of flowers for knocking out Oscar Delancy. The girl who had stayed up three nights in a row singing softly to me when I had been near delirious with a fever. Shit I would never tell anyone how much that stupid girly stuff had meant to me but then it had meant the world and it still did now. I shook my head trying to force these pussy thoughts from my mind. I must be losing it, what happened to tough cold emotionless Spot? This is getting ridiculous I haven't seen or heard from Kat since that night two months ago and there has barely been a peep from Manhattan and I still can't get her out of my head. Which in itself is just weird because she had never occupied a major part of my thoughts, she was just Jacks sister. Jack had sent his newsie Snitch by with a thank you for the rescue of his little sister but other than that there had been no word. Which, wasn't unusual, most other boroughs avoided Brooklyn even Jacks, we weren't exactly known for our hospitality. I had sent Sneak, one of my birds or spies whatever, to go see how Kat was doing. Sneak is a tiny blond eleven year old girl who can keep her mouth shut and move in and out of shadows in the middle of the damn day without anyone ever seeing her. It's really quite fucking amazing to watch or not watch because I guarantee you won't see her until she's standing right next to you. Anyway, when Sneak got back from Manhattan, she told me Kat was pretty much confined to the lodging house as punishment for sneaking out that night, she wasn't even allowed to sell papes. Jack hadn't beaten her for her disobedience and Racetrack and Kid Blink had been spending a lot of time trying to cheer her up. The last part bugged me quite a bit I had no idea why though, Race and Blink seemed to be pretty good guys.

"Spot heya Spot some a da boys from da Bronx beat up Dino bad, he wandered a lil to far into dere territory sellin dis morning," shouted Slouch pulling me from my thoughts.

"I'se comin, I'se comin," I jumped down from my perch above the docks and headed towards Slouch.

Thank god something had finally come along to drag all thoughts of Kat from my head the kid was driving me crazy.

KAT

I am losing my mind I have been locked in this damn lodging house for almost two months, I can't take it anymore. I swear one more hour and I am going to kill my own brother just to get the hell out of here. Three miserable weeks surrounded by the same walls and the same boys and the same dreams of Spot were making me crazy. It was hard enough dreaming of almost kissing the boy I had loved most of my life and then hating the same boy all day long without being stuck in the same room the entire time.

"Jack, Jack please, please, pretty please let me sell taday," I begged hanging off of my brother's forearm as he strolled across the bunkroom.

"Alright Kat I'll let ya sell but ya sell wit me taday, ya get no fadder den a foot from me side," Jack relented staring down at me with a grin that reached his brown eyes.

"I'se promise Jack, thanks," I replied with a grin to match his.

You can hardly tell me and Jack are related, at least by looks alone. My brother is tall and handsome with dark brown hair and equally dark brown eyes, broad shoulders and sculpted cheekbones. His reputation with the girls rivaled Spots I swear they probably give each other pointers. I on the other hand have always been on the short side barely five feet tall with green eyes, wavy auburn hair that reached my back and a rather ordinary face and figure. I might as well have been one of the boys for as much as anyone ever noticed I was a girl.

I followed my brother and the other newsies out the front door and down the street to the distribution center pulling my newsboy cap low on my head and savoring the freedom of finally being outside. The boys were shoving each other and laughing at their own jokes while we waited for the gates to open so we could buy our papers. When suddenly the normally jovial crowd grew quiet, I turned to see Oscar and Morris Delancy pushing their way through the crowd stopping in front of the group my brother had been entertaining with a sordid story about one of Medda's girls.

"Well, well, well dey finally let da cat outta da house," Morris said leering at me.

"Ya know Morris we was all surprised ta find out youse muddar eva let ya outta da cellar," my brother said slowly, shoving me behind him as he spoke.

Race and Blink quickly crowded into my sides grinning at the brothers standing before us, ready for the action that would surely take place.

"Wats da matta Kelly afraid Kat might wanna see what da Delancy broddas ave ta offer," Oscar said leaning to the left to see me.

Jack's fist clenched at his side and he opened his mouth to reply when I squeezed up next to him interrupting.

"No worries Cowboy I'se know sewage when I'se sees it," I said with a grin.

My brother and the rest of the newsies burst out laughing but Morris angrily looked toward his brother before reaching out for me close enough that I could see the whiskers on his chin when Jack shoved him hard enough that he went flying back against his brother.

"I'se wouldn't do dat if I'se was you," Race said shoving his cigar into his mouth.

Oscar pushed Morris off of him and took a swing at Jack who danced out of the way of the punch and took off running. Oscar and Morris were quickly in pursuit but were hindered by the other newsies who refused to move out of their way. I watched Jack slam into a curly haired boy I had never seen before and heard him angrily say to my brother, "What do you think your doing?"

"Runnin," Jack said flashing his trademark grin before taking off again.

I edged forward to try and get a better look at the merry chase my brother was taking the Delancy's on but Mush grabbed my arm pulling me back to his side. Apparently I was under not only my brother's watch but his three main cohorts were also making sure I didn't wander away. I was going to try my hardest to stay out of trouble. Jack had been really upset that I disobeyed him and he was pissed that he was indebted to Spot for saving my ass. So needless to say I had to be on my best behavior if I didn't want to end up locked in the lodging house for the rest of my life and if staying next to Mush was going to keep that from happening I was fine with that…….for now. The clanging of the distribution bell brought me from my reverie and I shuffled into line behind Race. I got my 50 papers and headed towards my brother who was once again in an argument with the curly haired boy. As I neared I could hear the conversation and for the first time noticed a little boy with the curly haired kid.

"Cowboy, they call 'im cowboy," the little kid said excitedly.

"Yeah they call me that and a lot of other things including, Jack Kelly, which is what me mudder called me," Jack said with his usual dramatic flare. I just rolled my eyes and positioned myself so that I was next to Jack.

"I'm Les and dis is my brodda David. He's older." Les said causing us all to grin in amusement.

"No kidding. How old are you Les?" Jack questioned continuing to converse with the kid.

"Me? Near 10."

"Near 10. Well, that's no good. If anyone asks, you're 7. You see, younger sells more papes and if we're gonna be partners, we wanna be the best."

"Wait. Who said anything about being partners?" David broke in looking pissed off

"Well, you owe me 2 bits right? Well, I'll consider that an investment. We sell together, we split 70-30, plus you get the benefit of observing me, no charge."

"Ah-ha."

"Ah-ha." Jack mimicked him. I was slightly impressed that this David kid was blowing my brother off it was an unusual occurance.

"You're getting the chance of a lifetime here, Davey. You learn from Jack, you learn from the best." Crutchy a newsies with a bum leg stated matter of factly.

"Well, if he's the best, then how come he needs me?"

"Listen, I don't need you, pal, but I ain't got a cute little brudder like Les here to front for me. With this kid's puss and my God-given talent, we could move a thousand papes a week. So what do you say Les? You wanna sell papes with me?"

"What da hell Jack," I said pissed and turned to look at him.

"Betta watch out Jack, Kat's got her claws out now," Mush said.

"Awww Kat you can sell papes wit me, be my cute little sista," Race said laughing.

"Kat come on, youse cute but ya just don't move papes like ya did when ya was seven and was all big green eyes," Jack said seriously, slinging his arm over my shoulder he continued. "Youse still sellin papes wit me from now on but ya ain't winnin da rich folks over like ya used to."

"Maybe if ya hadn't locked me in da lodging house for two months, ya wasted all of my cuteness," I said spitefully. "I ain't playin second fiddle to some ten year old kid, Jack."

"Kitty come on, look at dat puss, think a da scams ya can pull wit him at youse side."

I jerked myself out from under Jacks arm the minute he said Kitty.

"Fine, jist don't eva call me dat again," I muttered striding quickly out of the distribution center.

Kitty, kitty, kitty. It kept rolling through my mind as I walked out the gates. No one ever calls me by that, except for him. Spot Conlon's little nickname for me since I was five. Two months ago I had loved to hear it roll off his tongue, two months ago I had loved the little smirk that followed his use of the pet name but that was two months ago. Now the only image it invokes is of the last time I had seen Spot, when he was simultaneously my hero and my tormentor. I can feel tears pushing against my lower lashes, threatening to spill. I slumped against the brick wall outside the distribution center as I try to collect myself before my brother sees me and I remember.

"Come on Kitty, me first, I'se am da king a Brooklyn." Spot strutted toward me, his cane swinging loosely in his hand and anger burning is his slate blue eyes.

"That's the first thing you gotta learn. Headlines don't sell papes, newsies sell papes. You know, we're what holds this town together. Without newsies, nobody knows nothin'."

My brothers booming voice shook me from my thoughts. I wiped the lingering tears from my eye lashes and pushed myself away from the wall. Jack and that David kid had obviously struck some kind of deal seeing as they were walking together. Screw Spot Conlon and screw Brooklyn too. I was going to stay as far away from both of them as I could.