"How's dat bum doin?" Spot asked with a smirk. "He dead yet?" he joked. My face paled and I was on the verge of tears. I turned away from Spot and wiped my eyes.

"Spot," Ace said softly. "Deck….. He…. got into a fight about four days ago with Slader and he got hurt pretty bad…."

"Well he's alright now, right? Dat rat heals faster den I do. He's probably lookin for trouble right as we speak," Spot said, not seeing the look of pain cross mine and Ace's face. I just cried silently, letting Ace talk.

"I wish he were," said Ace. "But he didn't survive the night, Spot. He's … Dead."

Spot laughed and shook his head, "No really; don't play like dat, Brenda," he said. I burst into tears. Spot stepped back in disbelief, the color draining from his face.

"He's gone?" Spot asked. "Deck is…. gone?"

Ace bit her lip, and studied her shoes. Spot's face grew red in anger.

"Slader… is he still alive?" he asked through clenched teeth.

"We think so," Ace said, "but we're not sure. His body wasn't with Deck's in the room."

"Why was Deck and Slader fighting?" asked Spot, showing no emotion. Watching a couple walk past with two fighting little boy's.

"Well Slader was a terrible leader, and Deck caught him trying to rape Nine, she's the youngest in the Cards. I think she's ten now." Said Ace, looking over Sports shoulder.

"I'll kill 'em," said Spot, clenching his fists and kicking at a wall in anger. We were silent for a while, lost in our on thoughts.

"Spot,I finally broke the silence. We didn't come here to talk about Slader, though we will get back to that to a later time," I said menacingly."Tonight's Deck's funeral," I said solemnly, and started walking back toward Manhattan, leaving Ace and Spot alone.

SPOT"S P.O.V.

I watched Spade leave. Then looked at her sister who was watching me intently.

"Meet us at the Distribution Office, in an hour," she finally said, kicking a pebble into the big river and turning to leave.

"He's really dead, Decks really dead?" I asked, looking at Ace, my face showing no emotion.

"I'm very sorry Spot, but we will find Slader and when we do….." Ace said, leaving the rest to the imagination.

I watched Ace walk off in the same direction her sister and Race went in. I stood there awhile thinking what Ace just told me trying to soak it in. I started to remember things about my older brother, Jeremy "Deck" Conlon. The memories of us playing together. I can't be thinking about this stuff.

Normal P.O.V.

Mourning was the easiest part, and the hardest was finding the strength to let go. I had the most difficult time admitting that Deck wasn't coming back, and it hurt like hell.

(Audience P.O.V)

Race and Jack exited the Lodging House, the silence between the two becoming strangely awkward.

"So did ya read da headline today?" Jack asked, breaking the awkward silence.

"No, what's da story?" asked Race, settling an unlit cigar between his lips.

"Same old, same old. 'Dead body found in river – Cards to blame'," Jack said, as if it was a normal situation.

Race walked on in silence as Jack continued to talk to himself.

"I mean dey 'cause every crime in dis city," Jack said in disgust. He glanced at Race and finally asked the question lingering in his head. "So, where we headed?"

"To Deck's funeral," Race explained.

"Spades boyfriend? What happened to him?" Jack asked.

"Murdered," Race said with a frown. Chewing on his cigar and looking at Jack.

"I bet da Cards did it," said Jack, playing with the rope around his waste.

"Why would dey kill der own leadah?" Race questioned without thinking.

Jack stopped walking and furrowed his brow. "Deck was with the leadah of da Cards?"

Race laughed to hide his nervousness and spotted the church. "Oh look, der's da church….. let's go," he said, rushing to the church. Jack followed behind. Thinking about what Race just said.

Normal P.O.V.

I thought the funeral service would never end. All those newsies who knew Deck, crammed in a small room. Deck didn't want a big funeral for him, he wanted it small, and with all his loved ones. I watched everyone. They had their own way of dealing with the grief. Spot sat there without saying a word with a stone cold face. Heart and Diamond cried for a while and stopped crying when they found the other was crying, so they tried to soothe each other, but that made them cry even harder. Ace just stared straight ahead, she must be taking this hard, Deck and she were best friends, and he was like her big brother. She loved him with all her heart. Joker soothed the sobbing Five, while Jack, the Card Jack not the leader Jack, soothed her little sister Nine. Club just played with a string off his shirt, wiping his eye's a few times. Race chewed on his cigar and glanced at Jack, the leader, a couple of times. Now, King and Queen were hard to explain how they were feeling, they had this look on their faces, it was like they had something stuck in their butt. I laughed out loud when I saw them; everybody looked at me with sympathetic eyes. I bet they were thinking 'She's so overcome with grief that she's gone crazy'. Well I have gone crazy, of sitting in a cramped room, with a lot of smelly people.

I got up and left the small room and went outside to get some fresh air, carrying the sleeping Cohon in my arms. Poor Cohon I thought; he will never get to know his father. How he was the leader of the famous Card gang. Or how his father loved to help people more than helping himself. I sat outside of the church for awhile humming a song Deck taught me, to the sleeping baby.

I must of have been out there forever, because everybody started filing out of the church, coming straight to where I was sitting.

"Hey, sis. How are you doing?" Ace asked, pulling me into a big hug.

"I'm fine, I had to get a little fresh air, it got a little stuffy in there," I said handing Cohon to Spot when he came out.

"What do you want me to do with dis?" he asked, watching Cohon sleep.

"I want you to hold your one and last bond to your brother," I explained. "I want you to be a part of Cohon's life Spot," I said. Spot nodded, rocking Cohon back and forth in his arms.

"So, where do we go now?" Zig asked, pulling me in a bear hug.

"We should all go to Medda's," Jack said, walking over to us.

"This is no time for partying Jack, my brother just died," Spot said sending Jack a menacing look.

"Deck was your brother?" Jack asked. "I didn't know Spot," he said patting Spot on the back.

"I think we should go to Medda's," I said, thinking Jack's suggestion over. "Deck told me once that he didn't want anyone to be sad if he died, just be happy of all the memories you shared together. So we are going to respect his wishes, and have a party over all the good memories we had. Alright," I said looking at everybody, while they stared back in disbelief.

"Well are you guys going to stare at me all day or are we going to party and get drunk, my treat," I said, that last part about free beer waking them up.

"Yeah," the Newsies said in unison, taking off in the direction of Medda's leaving me, Spot, Ace, Five and Joker.

"I think I'll head on over then," Five said, taking Cohon from Spot.

"Yea, I'll go with ya, I don't want you walking by yourself." Joker said, he and Five heading off in the direction of Medda's.

"What about you Spot?" Ace asked. "It's what Deck wanted," She said, poking him in the shoulder.

"I guess I will, Brandi," Spot said smirking at Ace's sharp glare she gave him.

"The names Ace and don't forget it," Ace said shoving Spot.

"Hey watch who your shoving, Jane," Spot said getting ready to punch Ace.

"Hey, cut it out you too. Let's get to the party," I said pushing them both.

Again. Again. I know. Now review and be more constructive with your feedback.