"'Ey, Poke up, doll." Rumbled a deep masculine voice as Kat slept on the verge of consciousness. She could only just hear the sound as it persisted beside her; she wanted to wake up, if only to tell the voice to shut it. Wasn't it obvious how tired she was? Didn't anyone know what she'd been through in the past few hours?

When her eyes finally opened, she felt as though she had just closed them. Surely Spot Conlon had just lent her his spare set of clothes and left the room, smirking, while she changed. Surely he'd left her in the bottom bunk of his bed to flick out the light only moments ago.

Now Kat stared, relatively startled, into a foreign face that blinked brown eyes at her. Although she was surprised to see him, she reacted calmly from the outside. She had confidence in Spot's words, and he had assured her that she would not be bothered by his boys. So she lay on her back, with her head turned to gawk stupidly at the boy who was still crouched by the bed gawking stupidly at her.

"Whaddaya' say, I'm Cozen." He offered at last in the same gravelly voice, holding out a hand to her. She smiled guardedly, turning on her side and propping up on one arm to shake his presented hand.

"I'm Kat." She replied, and he moved away from the bed so that she could stand up. This proved to be quite a feat. Still sore from the night before, a hand to her tender head proved that her hair was still wet and therefore she must not have gotten to sleep very long.

"Spot tol' me ta' come gettcha'. Papes 'ill be rollin' soon." Cozen said, glancing around the room to avoid looking at the new girl. A girl. In Brooklyn. Most of the boys thought Spot was crazy and he was one of them- she wouldn't last a week. Kat could tell that he didn't want to be there with her, and she knew that she'd be moving slowly that morning.

"You can leave," She said, "and tell Spot that I'm up."

He looked at her- studied her briefly with a flick of his eyes- before telling her to hurry and stepping out the door. She lowered herself back onto the bed to hold her head in her hands. Newsie life bummed. Only when she looked down did she realize that she was still wearing Spot's pants. And that she felt like a clown. His shirt fit fine- a little big but not falling off of her as the pants were. Not really caring whether or not it bothered him at this point, the shirt stayed on and Kat changed back into her still- wet pants. There were water spots on the shirt too, from where her camisole had dripped onto it. All in all, the day was already looking pretty crummy. And damp.

When she inched tentatively from the side door she'd watched Cozen exit through, she was startled and a little embarrassed to find herself in the bunkroom full of newsboys in various stages of dress. She would've ducked back into Spot's room, but a few of the boys had already seen her. An imposing blond directly in front of her straightened from tying his shoes and surveyed her with no attempt to conceal his disapproval. Although he glowered at her with pale blue eyes, they did little to rattle her after the impact of Spot's unnerving gaze. He approached her slowly, his angular jaw clenched, and stopped a few feet away. He was massive up close. Well over six feet, she decided as she craned her neck to look at his face. The room began to quiet as those around them noticed the confrontation. Kat saw Cozen rising from where he'd been waiting on a nearby bunk and begin to approach them. The guy in front of her pulled a hand back and for a split second she honestly thought that he was going to hit her. She winced ever so slightly as he spit in his hand and held it out to her. Oh. Spit-shake. The room seemed dead-quiet now; Kat knew the importance of the gesture. She spit in her own palm and clapped her hand to his. His eyes lightened as he shook with her. Then he pulled his hand away and stepped back, re-evaluating her.

"I'm Kat." She said softly. She looked up at him expectantly but he scoffed and walked away. He joined a group of his buddies, who were also scoffing, and they seemed to snicker about her for a moment, all still scoffing. That was nothing less than infuriating.

"Who was that?" she asked Cozen when he reached her side.

"Vir." He said. "That's his brother, Bane over there with him." She looked up to see the indicated brother staring at her with an expression similar to what his brother's had been. Very similar.

"Are they twins?" she asked, looking back to Cozen who nodded.

"C'mon. Spot's waiting." He ordered.

"Spot's waiting?" she squeaked. But he didn't answer, instead giving her a little nudge towards the stairs on the other end of the room. After stumbling from his shove and her own compromised balance, she began the walk through the hostile bunkroom. Every face she saw mimicked Vir's, so that in the end she stared intently at her feet as she made her way along. Because of this, she noticed right away when a pair of shoes entered her line of vision and blocked her course. She glanced up quickly at curly hair that was more brown than blonde but still light, and hazel eyes. Their owner was light-skinned and regarding her with suspicion rather than hatred. It seemed as though he wanted to say something but wasn't sure how to put it considering the company they were in.

"Whaddaya' want?" Cozen demanded, tired of being prevented from completing his task.

"Jis' ta' meet da' new goil." was the reply. "I'm Peter." He added, not bothering with a handshake of any sort. Still trembling slightly from her encounter with Brooklyn thus far, Kat nodded to him but said nothing.

"Yer name's Kat, yeah?" He prodded.

"Yeah, Pete, her name's Kat. Now bug off. Spot wants ta' see 'er."

Peter smiled faintly and stepped aside without shifting his gaze. Kat however, averted her eyes to the floor again and made it to the door without further incident. She sighed hugely once they were in the hall and it sounded as though Cozen did the same. They were at the top of a narrow stair case that dropped into the main room at the bottom; the two of them made their way down, Cozen taking the lead. The room was now mostly full of boys, Kat and Cozen having been followed out of the bunkroom. Spot was there in the midst of it all, somehow managing to tower over all of the giants surrounding him, he himself being just barely at six feet. He seemed to sense immediately that Kat was in the room and that she was looking at him, because he made eye contact with her instantly and winked. Despite the fact that she saw nothing funny, she flashed him a smile in return, coupled with reddened checks, enjoying his reaction. He didn't look surprised- that was below him. But he smirked and his eyes widened slightly as though challenging her cheer. Cozen noticed him just then and nodded him over. Smacking the shoulder of the brute he'd been talking to, Spot excused himself from the conversation. Kat tore her eyes away from his approaching figure and tried to ready herself for the onslaught of his charm. Cozen was dismissed from them, leaving promptly for company he deemed more desirable.

"Mornin', Sweets. Sleep well?" Spot asked when he was gone, leaning casually to one side and admiring her in his shirt and her own sopping pants. She tried to sound nonchalant in her reply.

"Mhmm."

He put a finger under her chin and lifted it so that he could see her face- Spot Conlon didn't stoop for anyone- and all she could manage was a flustered smile.

"Why don' ya' come wid me." He said softly, so that she could just hear him over the din in the room, and proffered his arm to her.

"Le's go somewhere… quieter, huh? Jus' you 'n me; so we kin tawk." He hinted. Kat had intended to politely decline his offer, but the way he was looking at her there was no way to refuse. Her heart stuttered through a few irregular beats when she met his eyes and all she could do was allow her arm to be pulled through his as he led her out of the lodging house.

"Don't we have to, you know, sell?" she stammered when they reached the street and turned towards the docks. Spot didn't respond in any way, even to indicate that he had heard her inquiry. Instead, he pulled her up to a small fishing shack in front of which he released her. She blinked at it without any understanding whatsoever until he laughed quietly and pulled the door open for her with a sweeping gesture.

"Aftah you, Princess." He drawled.

The first thing she noticed when she stepped inside was how stifling it was. It was warm outside anyway, but with the moisture and cramped conditions of the shack the heat was amplified. Kat sucked in a few mouthfuls of air to assure herself that she was still able to breathe is spite of the humidity. Her damp clothes stuck to her uncomfortably.

Aside from her and Spot, the hut held various dock-related things such as fishing hooks and nets. There was a cot in the corner, looking pitifully misplaced, that didn't appear to be serving much purpose.

Feeling him behind her and rather uncomfortable with him being there, Kat turned back to Spot. He was slouched against a wooden chest, the door cracked behind him to let in what salty breeze it could. They were quiet for a moment, Kat listening to the seagulls outside and imagining how nice the breeze must feel.

"So ya' met my boys dis moinin'." Spot began. "An' dey were less den hospitable, I imagine." He waited for her to state the affirmative before continuing.

"I t'ought I'd get a few t'ings straight. I like fer us ta' be on da' same page."

Kat stepped back as far as she could, which in the confines of the shack wasn't far, to avoid being so close to him. The knowledge that she was in the presence of one of the greatest womanizers in New York made her uneasy. Even without intention he troubled her. And it was certainly with intention that he shifted towards her now as he spoke again.

"Yer in Brooklyn an' Brooklyn ain't widout reputation." He swallowed and looked at her purposefully, seeming to hint at something other than what he was saying; perhaps insinuating that he was Brooklyn and referring to his personal reputation. Kat blushed deeply; she felt the cot dig into the back of her legs as she stepped back again. "If ya' can't handle it 'ere, ya' kin leave. I'll be da' one ta' let ya' know if dat needs ta' happen. An' don' t'ink dat it's gonna be easier on ya' cos youse a goil. It ain't gonna be." He finished.

"Oh. Well, I don't think you need to worry about me- thanks for the concern though, it's touching." Although somewhat at a loss for words, she was never at a loss for sarcasm. The words came out in a nervous rush. Spot raised both eyebrows to her unexpected response and she knew that it had been out of line. So she muttered an apology and kicked at the dirt floor with her boot to give her something else to direct her attention to.

"I don' wanna' 'ave ta' worry 'bout ya'. Hope ya' kin take care a' yerself." His demeanor seemed different- not suggestive like it had been but solemn now. He was carrying out his leader-ly duties. Trying to avoid looking at him any more than necessary was the decided key as her reply was made.

"Is that all you wanted?" urgent lightening of tone upon seeing his face. "I mean, should I go now? Get a start selling?" her voice was quiet.

The corner of his mouth pulled up as he switched moods again.

"Sure, Love, I adn't realized ya' was so eager ta' get ta' woik. Allow me."

He stepped to the side so that she had to brush past him to leave and smiled appreciatively when she did so. Kat walked purposefully out into the morning and was halfway down the dock when she realized that she had no idea where she was going. She stopped and waited for Spot to reach her before strolling along beside him towards her first day as a Brooklyn newsie.

A/N: Hey guys, as always, hope you enjoyed! And, as always, drop me a line to let me know what you think! I love to hear your input!

By the way: Is it just me, or does the band Journey remind anyone of Spot? I dunno, but everytime I listen to them, which is quite often I might add, I have this picture montage of Spot playing in my head. hahaha maybe I'm just crazy...