Sam was singing again. Vin sat back in his chair with his arms folded across his chest watching her, only half listening to what Soap and Spot were saying.
"Vito has been talking to Scraps and some a tha rest a tha boys dat sell at the tracks. Apparently dey're havin' some trouble wit' Queens Newsies dere and he thinks dey could be convinced to join us."
"Scraps is a good fighta. He'd be good ta have on our side. He ain't gonna do nothin' though, 'til he talks ta all a his boys. He only does something if they all agree and dere's a good twenty of dem."
"Yea and right now, dey jus' think Queens is tha problem, not Finch. Vito says they'll come around ta understand though. He says dey're better fighters than thinkers."
"Hey, youse even listenin'?"
"Yea, dat's good." Vin said shaking his head to clear it.
Soap glanced up at Sam, over at Spot and then back to Vin.
"Ya know, dat's my sista you're ogglin'."
In that fraction of a second a few things became clear to Vin. His face must have registered his surprise because both Soap and Spot chuckled at him. Vin cleared his throat and planted his eyes firmly on Soap's face.
"Sorry."
Soap closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. His face held a knowing smile.
"Ain't like I neva seen dat look before." He said and Vin sighed in relief. "I begged her not ta do it. I hate seein' guys stare at her. But she loves it."
"She loves singing more." Spot added.
"Yea, and it ain't like I could eva control her."
"Bad idea anyways, kind a goirl she is." Spot remarked.
"Oh, she's stubborn as hell alrigh'." Soap said, half resigned and half amused.
Soap was watching her now with something a little like pride in his eyes. Vin saw Sam catch her brother's eye and she blew him a kiss across the bar, making him smile and shake his head. Then Sam's eyes met his and a slow smile spread across her face. Her eyelids lowered fractionally, and she flipped her hair off her shoulders with a toss of her head.
"Still, what I ain't seen is tha way she looks at youse." Soap said slowly and Spot nodded his agreement.
Vin knit his eyebrows.
"I dunno what'cha talkin' 'bout." Vin said, hoping he sounded more casual then he felt.
"Alrigh', play dumb." Soap sighed. "Ain't like I got a say in it."
Vin glanced at Soap out of the corner of his eye as he leaned forward on the table and stared at him.
"Jus' know: I consider youse a friend." Soap's eyes were serious. "But she's family."
Vin frowned and stared at Sam, avoiding Soap's eye. He knew his friend was giving him the go-ahead with his sister. Still, Soap's blessings made him feel worse, not better. He did not intend to hurt Sam, but what if he did? Would his friendship with Soap survive it?
"I dunno, Soap." He sighed lighting a cigarette. "Ya sista's pretty fine. But we got more important things ta think 'bout right now."
Soap raised an eyebrow and leaned back in his chair giving Vin an appraising look and a satisfied smirk. Spot's face looked much the same and for some reason it made Vin slightly warm around the collar.
"So what 'bout 'Hattan?" He asked.
"Mitts went ova dere actually. Said dere won't be much in tha way a support. Dey're sorta leaderless. Jus' a bunch a kids. Not really organized or nothin'. Dey're smart though, Mitts said. Maybe too smart ta get in the middle a all dis." Spot answered him, his tone business-like again.
"Bronx?"
"Dey're on our side. Thing is, dey're so far away, dey ain't gonna be much use ta us. Said they'd keep an eye and ear on Queens for us though. Send word if something big happens ova dere."
Vin nodded.
"So what 'bout inside Brooklyn?" He asked Soap.
"Well, I already told youse 'bout Scraps. Or youse need me ta repeat it? I guess youse mighta been distracted." Soap said with a grin and a meaningful glance at Sam.
"Nah I heard youse." Vin said with an airy wave of his hand and a grin.
"Well, apart from Finch's boys, Scraps and his boys and us dere's only Blue and his boys. Dey used ta sell on tha north side, up by Queens, but dey been pushed completely outta dere. Dey been soaked so bad, I ain't sure if dey're up for a fight. I talked ta Blue myself."
"What'd he say?"
"Nothin' really. I mean, dey're tha ones dat are really gettin' it bad. Youse shoulda seen dem. Every single one of em got a black eye or worse. I mean, dey wanna help. Dey're prolly tha ones dat want things ta change tha most, but dey're hurtin', ya know?"
Vin nodded seriously, but Soap's face broke into a wide grin.
"Ya know, I gotta say, I'm amazed at how easy dis has been so far and how much support we got."
Vin opened his mouth to warn Soap, but he cut him off.
"I mean, I know it ain't gonna stay dis easy. But a coupla days ago, if you'd a asked me if we had a shot I'da said: no way in hell."
"But now youse think we do?"
Soap nodded slowly.
"I think so. Queens is gonna be a problem, but if we can get ridda Finch, dat'll be tha first step, right? I mean, Queens don't stand a chance if Brooklyn stands together."
Soap looked at the pair of them for confirmation. Spot grinned and Vin nodded.
Ya know, for tha first time in my life I feel like I'm doin' somethin' right. Somethin' bigger than me. Somethin' good. And I really believe we can make a difference." Soap mused.
"Dat's what makes youse a good leader." Spot shrugged.
Soap chuckled.
"Ya know, I still think dat's funny. Me. A leader. I mean, dis was all ya idea." He said backhanding Vin across the shoulder. "And if I didn't have Spot hea, I'd a said we wouldn't last a second in a fight. And Vito and Mitts, spreadin' tha word but keepin' it quiet. I dunno how dey're doin' it."
"Don't sell yaself short." Vin said, knitting his eyebrows. "All of us is backin' youse. We believe what'cha got ta say. If no one stands up and says it, nothin' changes. Dat's why youse is tha most important of all a us."
Spot nodded his agreement and Soap grinned at the pair of them. A second later his eyebrows knit and he glanced up. The music was still playing, but Sam had stopped singing. Spot and Vin looked up too. A drunken bar patron had her by the wrist and she was smiling sweetly, but trying to wrench her wrist back all the same.
"C'mere doll face." The drunk man was saying, egged on by his two equally drunk friends.
"Hey!" Soap called. "Let go a her and let her sing!"
The drunk man ignored his call and a second later had pulled her off the stage and into his lap. Soap was on his feet so fast that he overturned his chair. He crossed the bar in a few long strides and grabbed the man by his collar. Vin had followed closely, and pulled Sam away when the drunk man had let go of her in surprise.
The drunk man balled up a fist an sent a sloppy punch to Soap's cheek. For a moment Soap stared down at him, partially surprised, partially angry. Then, he sunk his own fists, one after the other into the man's gut. His two friends got to their feet, swaying drunkenly too. One of them made an angry movement towards Soap, but Spot stuck out a foot, rather casually, catching him by the ankle. He sprawled face down on the floor where Spot attempted not to laugh at him. The third man bolted for the door.
There was an angry flash in Soap's eye to rival Spot's when he was angry and he sunk one more punch into the drunken man's nose before straightening up.
"Youse havin' a good time now?" He spat.
Spot grabbed Soap by the elbow.
"Third guy prolly went for tha bulls." He said hastily. "Can't afford ta have youse in jail."
Soap rubbed at his forehead with the back of his hand and nodded.
"Better get outta hea." Johnny grunted from the bar, not bothering to look at them.
Soap glanced at Sam and with a small smile, made for the door with Spot on his heels. Vin had not completely expected to be left alone with Sam. He turned to her, scratching the back of his head.
"Well, dat was excitin'. C'mon I'll walk youse home."
She opened her mouth, but when he turned and walked away towards the door she simply followed him out of the bar.
"Can youse believe dat guy?" He asked her huffily as the door of the bar swung shut behind them.
"It happens more often than you'd think." She replied demurely.
He frowned a little.
"So why do ya do it den?"
"What? Sing?"
"Yea."
"Because I love it. I'm getting paid to do something I'd do anyways. Why wouldn't I?"
She smiled up at him and, caught in her bewitching gaze, he couldn't find it in himself to berate her. Instead he returned a small smile and reached down to take her hand as they walked on through the darkening streets.
"I can take care of myself, you know." She said lightly.
"I neva said youse couldn't. What makes youse say dat?"
"Nate and all of his friends are the same. They all want to protect me."
"Now, first off, I ain't tha same as all a Soap's friends."
"Oh really?"
"Yea. And second, who says I'm tryin' ta protect youse?"
"You're holding my hand."
Vin raised an eyebrow and glanced down at their intertwined fingers.
"Oh, dat, well dat's jus' in case youse slip on some ice or somethin'."
"Vin?"
"Hrm?"
"It's June."
"Right, I know."
She laughed at him. Her blue eyes sparkled and he was momentarily distracted, thinking of how different they were from Soap's serious brown ones.
"Soap says youse his sista."
"True enough."
"Youse don't look anythin' like him."
"Well, I'm his half-sister. We both had the same mother. I guess we take after our fathers."
"Makes sense."
"His father ran out on them. Mine died, and our mother went when I was ten. Since then it's just been me and Nate. He's always kept an eye on me. He's a good brother."
They were silent for a time, contented with walking beside each other.
"So what about yours?"
"Eh, youse don't wanna know."
"See, you are trying to protect me. I'm not as delicate as everyone seems to think, ya know."
Vin smirked very slightly.
"Alrigh'. My fadda was a mean drunk and he used ta smack me Mum around. She was a tough ol' bird though, and she'd take it. Sometimes she'd give him a few back." Vin frowned and stared up at the night sky above him. "But den one night they got ta arguin' and he hit her ova tha back a tha head wit' a fryin' pan while I was sittin' at the kitchen table, watchin'. She didn't get up and I wasn't gonna stick around and be tha next one he killed."
"I- I'm sorry." She managed, staring at him open-mouthed.
"S'alrigh'." He chuckled at the look on her face. "But ya know, sometimes when people don't tell youse shit, it ain't cause dey don't think ya strong enough ta take it."
She held his steady gaze, a little abashed but mostly intrigued.
"Soap cares 'bout youse. I can tell, and dere's a chance he could end up lookin' like Mitts, ya know? What we're doin' is a little dangerous, I ain't gonna lie. But it's important. And havin' youse worryin' ain't gonna make it any easier on him."
"I guess that makes sense." She sighed and frowned.
"See, don't do dat."
"Sorry." She said with a grin.
"Ya prettier when youse smile anyways."
A faint blush tinged her cheeks and she changed the subject abruptly.
"So what's 'Vin' short for?"
He grinned at her.
"Guess."
"Vincent?"
"Nope."
"Uh- Vinny? Vince? Vinchenzo?"
"Dat's all tha same name."
"I know, but I can't think of anything else that starts with 'Vin'!"
"You're neva gonna guess."
"Then tell me!"
"Nuh uh."
"Why not?"
" 'Cause den I'll lose my air of mystery!"
She rolled her eyes at him, but smiled. The look on her face brought a grin to his lips and sent a shiver down his back.
"So, uh- by tha way, where do youse live?"
She met his eyes with a mischievous grin.
"Above the bar."
He stopped walking, pulling her to a stop with him.
"Den why did we jus' leave?"
"You said you wanted to walk with me."
"Yea, but-"
"I wanted to walk with you too."
