Spot gently placed Silk on the couch and sat next to her. He reached out and brushed a stray lock of hair behind her ear. She looked up at him, eyes wide, wondering if he was going to kiss her again. He gently caressed her cheek, running his fingers along her jaw line.

Reaching across her, he braced himself as he leaned down and placed a gentle kiss on her forehead. When he sat back up, he thought he saw a look of disappointment in her eyes. He started to stand, but stopped when she sighed deeply.

Slipping one hand behind her neck and another behind her back, he lifted her slightly as he bent down to kiss her. She hesitated a moment before responding. She shyly slipped her arms around his neck. He held her closer, deepening the kiss.

She reluctantly pulled away. "You'll be late for work," she whispered breathlessly.

He sighed in disappoint and nodded. "Tonight?" he asked, gently leaning her back against her pillows. She refused to meet his eyes. He kissed her forehead again and left the room.

----------

She looked up at the building before her. "So this is where he lives…" she mused. Carefully, picking her way across the muddy street she remembered the directions the newsie at the docks had given her. Once in the tenement building she made her way down the dark hallway, smiling at a young girl, not more than two years old, playing on the floor with a kitten. Stopping at the correct door, she noticed that it was open slightly. She knocked.

"Come in," a soft voice called.

Shrugging, she pushed the door open and walked in, finding a young woman about her age laying on the couch. "I…I'm looking for Spot Conlon…" she said.

"He's at work right now," the young woman replied, using her arms to push herself into a sitting position. "Can I help you with something?"

She folded her arms. "Who are you?"

"I'm Lessa…Conlon…Spot's wife."

"Wife?!" she shrieked.

Silk sent her a confused look. "Who are you?"

"Katie Conlon. His sister."

"He's never mentioned you."

Katie snorted. "He never mentioned that he left his kid sister at the orphanage when our parents died rather than taking me with him?"

Silk shook her head.

"Why does that not surprise me…"

Silk bit her lip. "You're welcome to stay here until he returns."

"Thank you," Katie replied, dropping into the chair. "So how did you two meet?"

"Umm…we've known each other for a long time…"

"How long have you been married?"

Silk bit her lip as she thought. "About eight months."

"Why'd you get married?"

Silk opened and closed her mouth a few times trying to come up with a good answer.

The door opened and Spot walked in, not seeing Katie sitting in the chair. He walked over to Silk and kissed her forehead. "Hey, sweetheart. Mrs. B said dinner is gonna be a little late…" he trailed off when he saw their visitor. "Katie?"

"Hello Liam," Katie whispered shyly.

"I went back to look for you, but you weren't there…" Spot said, moving closer to her.

"You came back?" she asked, the hard look on her face softening.

"About two years after I left you there…Where were you?"

"I was adopted," she answered curtly.

He smiled suddenly. "It's good to see you again, Capsy," he said, using his pet name for her when they were little.

She flew at him, hugging him. "I missed you, Spot," she replied.

"Come on," he said, wrapping his arm around her shoulder. "Help me set the table for dinner."

'Table?' Silk thought. They never used the table! Usually he just fixed their plates and he sat in the chair next to her couch.

"Why did you get married?" Katie asked, whispering, although her voice was not so soft that Silk didn't hear it.

Spot remained silent for a moment before answering. "We got married so that I wouldn't be deported," he answered simply.

"Deported?! That's got to be the craziest thing I've ever heard. They can't do that to you. You were born here in New York."

Spot sighed. "No, I wasn't, Katie. They can deport me."

"What are you talking about?"

"I was born on the trip over from Ireland, but I was real colicky. Ma and Da knew that there was no way that they'd be allowed to enter the country with a sick baby…so they talked to a doctor friend of theirs who gave them some medicine to make me sleep. They hid me in one of their carpetbags."

"So you married her to keep from being deported?"

He sighed. "Yes."

Hours later Silk shifted uncomfortably. Her back was hurting. She had been sitting on the couch since early that morning and needed to change positions. Besides that it was very late and she was getting tired. "Spot…" she said softly, speaking for the first time since Spot had walked into the flat nearly six hours earlier. When he kept talking, she repeated his name again.

"I forgot you were there Silk," he replied.

She gave a tiny sigh. "It's getting late…and I'm tired…"

"Oh…sorry. You're welcome to stay, Katie, but all we've got is the couch…."

Katie looked at the couch where her brother's wife had lain ever since she walked through the door. "It's fine…" She watched as her brother stood and bent over his wife. Silk lifted her arms and wrapped them around Spot's neck as he lifted her into his arms, resting her head on his shoulder It was then that Katie realized that Silk couldn't walk. "Good night," she said softly.

"Good night, Katie," Spot said as he carried Silk from the room.

Once in bed, Silk leaned back and rolled onto her side, listening silently as Spot talked about his long lost sister.

"I went back to that orphanage a few years later to find her, only to find that she was gone. Not that they would have let me take her. I had actually given up hope of ever seeing her again…" Spot said as he pulled off his shoes. He stretched out on his back, tucking his hands behind his head. "She's not telling me something. I realize that we haven't seen each other in years, but we used to be really close…"

Silk listened to him as she stared out the window, a single tear making its way down her cheek. Ever since the siblings had been reunited earlier that evening, Spot had forgotten about her completely. He had been so kind to her during the last few weeks, that this sudden rejection stung. She closed her eyes and silently cried herself to sleep.

A few minutes later Spot stopped talking and looked over at her back. "Silk?" When she didn't answer he rolled onto his side. "Silk?" He moved over closer to her and gazed down at her sleeping face. "Oh Lessa," he sighed, when he saw the tears on her cheeks.

He gently took her in his arms, careful not to wake her. He kissed away the tears and held her as she slept.