Then Came the Fire

By: Laney S.

Author's Note: Chapter Two! I'm feeling sooo excited about this!

Anyway, I promise that Reina gets better from here on out. As I said in chapter one, she's not a Mary-Sue but I felt that if I didn't give her some sort of problematic background that it would have given her a lot less depth and room to grow. What I really want people to keep in mind as you read this is that no one is invincible. I think it's funny how some people seem to hate Mary-Sue types but love the other extreme (tough, tom boy girls who show up and can magically fit in and run with the boys, guzzle beer and wow all). I think a good character is one that has a good balance of both types. Personally, I do not hate either type, I'm just saying ;)

Water vs Fire - Thank you for the kind review!

Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies or any aspect of the film, those rights belong to Disney. I am merely borrowing the characters for entertainment purposes only and for no financial gain. I do, however, own my own characters and no one is to use them without my permission.

Chapter Two

Awakening

Reina found that it was hard to open her eyes. They felt swollen and sore from the onslaught of salty tears that she had given into earlier. She also took note that the room she was in had become much brighter than before. It was also dryer.

"Rain stopped," her mind noted weakly and then immediately jumped to the next question. "Am I dead?" she wondered, blinking slowly a few more times while wincing against the light. Somehow she had always imagined that dying would have hurt more than that.

At first her vision seemed to dance to and fro before finally coming into focus. Realization dawned upon her that this was not the place she had been previously. She was now laying tucked into a small bed.

Reina's eyebrows furrowed in confusion and it was then that she felt a white hot stab of pain in her forehead. "Ah!" she winced and weakly brought a hand to her forehead. She gingerly touched her forehead was surprised to find that it burned with fever. She groaned softly as her body began to clue her mind in on its condition.

"I'm sick," she thought miserably. She closed her eyes once more in an attempt to relax but she was all too aware now of the pounding headache that had befallen her.

"Uh-uh-uh! She's awake and now it's time for her to go!" a voice exclaimed which took her by surprise.

"She's sick," another voice insisted with mild irritation.

The voices made Reina open her eyes quickly and her head punished her for it with another jolt of pain. She winced and grumbled a little but managed to sit up just enough to glance around the room. She was indeed surprised when she felt a rather large hand gently touch her shoulder and push her back down.

Two young men, about seventeen, were staring back at her. Light seemed to surround them from all sides, almost giving them an artificial glow. For a moment Reina began to doubt her surroundings - perhaps, she had died.

She glanced to the first boy and took in his onyx hair and his piercing green eyes. His gaze was directed to her and it was gentle and concerned. It made Reina feel safe.

She glanced to the other boy whose hair was a slicked back, dirty-blonde. His eyes were equally as striking as the first boy's except they were a gray-blue color that reminded her of stone. They were set amongst features that were caught somewhere between boyish and mature. Something about his eyes seemed cold and rough. She noticed now that having him stare down at her took away the previous feeling of safety she'd briefly had before. She also noticed now that his shirt was a little dirty and worn. The red suspenders he wore burned brightly in color against the dingy white of his loosely fitted shirt.

"Ugh," she said swallowing hard. Her voice came out gravely from lack of use. "You're a bit dirty for an angel," she said to the second young man.

This had apparently caught both boys by surprise but both had a different reaction afterwards. The first grinned just slightly and the second didn't seem amused one bit.

"I ain't no angel and this place certainly ain't heaven," he said and glanced to the young man at his side. "What is she? Delusional?"

The first young man gave the second a modest look. "She's got a high fever and she's been out for nearly two days straight," he responded.

"Two days…?" Reina croaked and looked to the first for an explanation.

"Just relax," the first one reassured her. "We can talk later but ya need rest."

"There won't be a later and she's been restin' for the last two days," the second shot. Reina was beginning to clearly grasp that the second was not in favor of having her there one bit. "If she can be talkin' then she can be walkin'. We ain't got no need for girls in Brooklyn."

"I'm not talking about this being permanent!" the first shot back but then immediately softened his tone. "Spot, if I kick her out now she isn't goin' to make it," the first said, trying reason.

"I fail to see how that's my problem," the second argued.

Reina had heard all she had needed to hear. She was never one for wearing out a welcome, especially one that wasn't entirely extended to her in the first place.

She grit her teeth together, trying to ignore the furious pounding in her brain as she pushed herself into a sitting position. It was hard. After two days of bed rest her body felt stiff and foreign to her.

"I'll go," she said with the full intention of doing just that.

The first caught her by her shoulders and shook his head as he kept her firmly in place. "No, you will not," he said firmly. He then gave a look to the second young man, Spot, that was so serious and dark that it could have scared a child. "She's stayin'."

The one called Spot narrowed his eyes at the other and for a brief moment, Reina was sure that there was about to be a brawl.

"I'm not askin' that ya do it for her, I'm askin' it as a favor to me," the first said calmly now. This seemed to diffuse Spot slightly and he rolled his eyes. "I already got Mrs. Kirkby on my ass and she's startin' to sniff around."

"What about White?"

"Ah," Spot said and waved his hand, indicating that the person mentioned was not of concern. "White don't give two shits about it. He says, that the less he knows, the better. He also said that he leaves it at my discretion," Spot said, emphasizing the word "my".

"Okay, look, I'm fine, its fine. I think I'll be okay," Reina tried again. She honestly wasn't seeking to get anyone in trouble.

"You are a bad liar and you," the first guy shot a look to Spot. "You are goin' to do me this favor and let her stay for now. You owe me Spot and I ain't goin' to go into details but I think ya know what I mean here," the first said and something in his voice seemed to dictate that the conversation was over.

Spot seemed to be staring the first down but after a long moment he finally relented. "Fine," he said heatedly. "But she's your responsibility Kid and I ain't goin' to clean up your mess. You get to explain to Mrs. Kirkby when she figures it out!"

"Kid?" Reina asked softly, confirming his name, and the first young man looked back at her.

"And Spot?" Reina asked tentatively. The second gave her no immediate response, save for an icy look of disapproval. She felt her nerves heat up just slightly in annoyance. "Kid," she said, once more addressing him. "I really do appreciate your hospitality but it's clear that Spot doesn't want me here."

At that she took note that Kid shot Spot a severely heated looked from the corner of his eye but then softened it when speaking to her.

"He's okay with it, aren't ya Spot?" Kid said and there it was again, that underlying tone that said this was the final verdict.

"Don't talk down to me Kid like ya own the place. I'm okay with it for now, but once she's up and able, she's outta here," Spot said with a look upon his face that rivaled Kid's previous stink eye.

"You don't have to talk about me like I'm not here," Reina said softly but the truth was that she had become quite annoyed.

"To me sweetness, you ain't," Spot said and waved her off, dismissing her. "Put her back to bed and get downstairs. We got papes that ain't gunna sell themselves," Spot said and headed out of the room. Reina watched him forcefully slam the door shut and she heaved a sigh and let her eyes close again, thankful in truth that he had left.

"I apologize for him," Kid began with a gentle smile. "He's a little rough around the edges but once ya get to know him, he's a good guy," Kid said and Reina snorted slightly.

"I think I'll pass. Kid, right?" she began and opened her eyes again to look at him. She took brief note of the fact that he was indeed nice to look at and she resisted the urge to return the warm smile he was still giving her. "You've been extremely kind to me but as soon as I'm fully able to - I'm out. I'm not trying to piss anyone off here," she said truthfully and Kid received her words with a nod.

"Works for me," Kid said and pulled the covers back around her. Reina wanted to protest and let him know that she didn't need a watchful eye but at this point her head felt as though it was about to crack open. She found that she no longer wished to talk and that rest was now the most appealing option.

"I'll leave tonight when he's asleep," she reassured herself. Mere moments passed beyond that thought and soon sleep had claimed her once again.