A/N: Okay. I was trying to get this up last night, but you know, things happen, and, well, I didn't manage to, so, here it is! lol I'm going to try to get another chapter up tonight if I can, but I'm not making any promises. (My grandmother's staying the night with us on rather short notice, and I think she's gonna be getting in within the next hour, so, I dunno if I'll be able to write.)

Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies, nor any of their characters, Disney does. Also, Bittah belongs to Bittah, Spunk to Spunk, Jittery to Jittery, and Marsh to Myya Conlon. (Wow! That was all from memory too!)

Chapter Twenty-One: Glint

Tears stilling stinging her dark brown eyes, and her light brown wavy hair pulled back in a black ribbon, Jittery stepped a black-booted foot into Brooklyn territory. None of the Manhattan newsies knew where she was going, which could have been a mistake on her part, but she didn't care. The only thought on her mind was avenging Blink's death, and she planned to do it even at the risk of her own life.

Jitts wasn't usually violent, or even overly rash for that matter. Usually she had a laid-back, comedic view on the world, but the death of one of her best friends had left her quite different from her usual self, and even if Cowboy wouldn't take Manhattan into the war, she would still fight.

She had always been close to the Manhattan boys, ever since her parents had died, leaving her as an orphan on the streets at the age of five. In fact, she was known to have a dislike for other girls who could become competition.

Spying one of Trigger's girls right away, Jittery set to work. Sneaking up behind the shorter girl, she jumped on her back, bringing the shorter newsie to the ground. Seeing a bandage on the girl's wrist, she felt a pang of guilt, but continued on with her attack anyway. Driving a fist solidly into the girl's stomach, she felt the first of the girl's blows hit her cheek, knocking her back slightly.

"Spunk!" a gruff female voice yelled from a ways down the Brooklyn Bridge, and the other girl turned to look as Jittery rammed her fist into the girl's nose, causing blood to spill forth. As she raised her fist again, a hand wrenched her arm back, and someone else's fist was jammed into her face.

Jitts eyes blurred slightly as she looked up to see her new attacker. The girl was probably three inches shorter than her own height of 5 feet 8, and had shoulder-length blonde hair that stuck out from under a gray cabby hat that was pulled down over her eyes.

As the fist hit her hard in the face again, Jittery realized with a flash of horror that this was the girl named Bittah that she'd heard about. Bittersweerharmony was supposed to be as good a fighter as the Conlons, with just as bad a temper. She'd been a former Chicago gangmember, who'd come to New York, and been in Brooklyn not quite a week before she'd been forced to choose between being a loyal Brooklyn kid and not giving into Trigger, or being one of Trigger's "subjects". In Jitts mind, she'd chosen the wrong side.

As Jittery hit the ground hard, she heard Bittah telling the other girl –whom she called Spunk- to get back to the lodging house, and that she'd be along shortly, just as soon as she finished with their "current little problem". Meaning Jitts.

Standing slowly again, she saw the back of the retreating Spunk, and ducked just in time as Bittah's fist came at her again.

"What da hell's ya doin' heah!" a voice, Marsh's, came from over her shoulder. Not even taking the time to turn, Jittery threw a punch at Bittah, which missed by a foot as the Queens-loyal girl dodged.

"Avengin' Blink," Jitts muttered as she dodged another of Bittah's fists. The green-eyed jumped in front of the bleeding Jitts, and, cursing under her breathe, waited for Bittah to take a swipe at her.

When Bittah did, Marsh rushed forward and jabbed her shoulder hard into Bittah's stomach, causing both girls to tumble to the ground in a tangle. Bittah, who had landed on the bottom, cursed as her had fell back off her head. Shoving Marsh off, she kneed the slightly shorter girl in the stomach, and stood just in time to be tackled by Jittery, whose fists hit anything they could of Bittah.

For the second time in the fight, Bittah lay on the bottom. Shoving her fist hard into Jitts's left cheekbone, she shoved her off and rolled to her feet once more. She was more than ready as Marsh's fist flew her way. Grabbing hold of the other girl's wrist, she wrenched it back, causing Marsh to yelp in pain as something in it cracked. She realized that she'd done the same move the girl named Criss-Cross had done in the fight where Spunk had gotten injured. Kicking Marsh hard, she sent her flying back as Jittery slowly came to her feet.

Bittah rolled her currently bright green eyes as Jitts took a swipe at her. Dodging easily, Bittah grabbed the other girl's shoulders and sent her flying towards the hard ground once more. Sighing, she thought, When'm I gonna get a woithy adversary?

Pulling her dagger easily from its sheath that was strapped to her right thigh, Bittah turned to face Marsh who was back on her feet. Seeing the glint of the blade from her place on the ground, Jitts screamed to Marsh to run, but Marsh heard the warning too late.

She had barely moved an inch before the dagger ripped through the flesh on her stomach. A scream ripped out of her throat as Bittah tore the knife back out. Clapping her injured hand over her stomach, Marsh managed to back-hand Bittah hard across the face before staggering backwards into a set of barrels.

Jittery was up on her feet in an instant, and spinning Bittah around, she head-butted the shorter girl and shoved her to the ground, wrenching the knife from Bittah's grasp. She threw it several feet away, and ran to help Marsh to her feet. Practically carrying her friend away from the fight, she began to run, fresh tears streaming down her face as her bewildered thoughts blamed Marsh's injury on herself. Please don' let Marsh die too… she thought, silently screaming at herself and the two crossed the Brooklyn Bridge, headed back to Manhattan, and to safety.

Back at the Duane Street Lodging House in Manhattan, Jack Kelly was just sitting down to talk to a very flustered-seeming Wicked.

"Jack, you'se gotta bring Manhattan inta da war now," Wicked insisted before Kelly had even gotten comfortable. "Do yas really want anuddah one like Blink ta die? Befoah ya know it, dey'll be pickin' us off one by one. We gotta make a stand foah it! Jus' listen ta me. Let down yer fkin' pride, an' make a stand foah it! What's da woist dat could happen! We loose Manhattan ta Triggah! But ain't dat bettah an' moah proud dan sittin' around waitin' foah 'im ta kill us all off!"

Sighing, Kelly put his head in his hands, rubbing his eyes as he thought it over. "I'se dunno Wicked. Yas really wanna put everyone in dangah by fightin'? I'se mean, what about yer girl? Yas really want her ta possibly die?"

Wicked chewed his lip for a moment as he thought it over. He didn't want Alleyway to die, but he also didn't want to see her picked off by some gang sent to butcher them all. Finally, after moments of a silence so intense it could've killed, he said, "Cowboy, yer righ'. I'se don' want Alley ta die. But I'se also don' want her ta be killed off in some five-on-one fight. In my opinion, it's bettah dat she stand wit' da whole a Manhattan, dan on her own. An' even if yas don't take Manhattan inta battle, Central Pawk's goin'. An' dere's nothin' ya can say dat'll change me mind on dat."

Kelly just sighed and looked out the window, wishing for some easier way out of all of this chaos. So'se… he thought, It's eiddah fight an' die, a wait around foah dem ta kill us off…Now we's jus' gotta pick ouah choice. Eiddah way, we's gonna die.

Finally, after what seem liked ages to Wicked, Jack Kelly nodded his head in consent. "On one condition d'ough," he said. "Dat da kids a Manhattan get ta chose what dey's wanna do."

"So'se we'll vote den?" Wicked asked, and Kelly just nodded. The two sat in silence for a few moments as they both came to grips with their utter exhaustion.

After a while, Wicked finally spoke up on a lighter note. "So, was dat goil really Spot Conlon's lil sistah Criss-Cross, a were Air an' Whispah jus' pullin' me tail?"

Jack laughed for the first time in what felt like weeks, and nodded, responding, "It shoah as hell was. An' I'se almost got da bruise ta prove it. She's jus' like her bruddah, dat's foah shoah."

Wicked nodded, thinking about the short conversation he'd had with her in which she'd completely taken away his power. And the glint he'd seen in her serene blue-gray-green eyes. It definitely brought back to him memories of the dead Spot, just in a live form. "Dat she is, Jack…Dat she is…"

A/N: Taadaa! What did you think! lol I'm terribly sorry to Spunk if you're reading this, I've kind of been using Spunk as a punching bag, but it'll stop soon enough. Anyway, this chapter was WAY more violent, lol, but oh well! Violence fits in nicely with the sappy stuff, and now, without further ado, the shout outs!

Shout Outs:

Skater: lol Glad it was quick enough. Was this one? lol And yeah, I like updating everyday. I think it keeps the readers a little more interested, because then they can read the story more often and keep grips on the plot. lol Anyway, I'm gonna try to update again tonight, but no promises!

Gip: Yay! Glad you like it. lol Makes me a happy Criss-Cross to know that my fans like my story! lol And yeah, I pitty little Criss-Cross. Tons happened to her at a young age, and in my opinion, the next memory I'll write (and probably the last one) will be the worst.

Angelfish: Believe it or not, I actually didn't originally plan it that way, one sad chapter after another. But it just happened, which I think kind of doubles the emotion. And I made myself teary too! lol And I'm glad you love the flashbacks. They're always fun for me to write, because they create more depth to Criss-Cross, and they give you reasons as to why she is the way she is, and let you get a good look at the sadness of her past. lol And more about Criss-Cross and her past is on the way! lol And you just got your fight too! Are ya a happy Angelfish?

Bittah: lol Yes, it was sad. But this chapter was action at least! lol I hope you're okay with me making Bittah stab Marsh. But, well, it had to be done. (More mysterious plot stuff that only I get…) And was this chapter actiony enough for you? And I'm sorry I didn't get this up last night! Wish I had, but my dad told me to "go to bed". Though, 200 pages in the book I'm reading and 4 times through of playing the Newsies soundtrack and I still wasn't tired. But whatever… lol And I'm glad you think it's well-balanced and good! lol Makes me happy! And I'll try to get you more tonight!

Air: pouts, then grins Aw, I was gonna act pouty towards you over not reviewing, but I can't seem to. I'm glad you've been faithfully reading at least. It gives me hope that there are others like you reading, but just not reviewing. lol I'm glad you like my story! grins bigger And, well, I'll try to update again fast! For all those of you faithfully both reading and reviewing!

Spot: Can ya jus' get woikin' on da next chaptah already? I'se wantin' ya ta jus' get tad a next memory! I'se wanna be in da story again! Even d'ough I'se dead!

Would you chill Spot! Anyway, please review everybody! Criss-Cross