Partner in Crime || Newsies Fanfiction

Chapter 5 - Talking to Spot

Stage: Me - Cards: ac110807
- Chapter 5 -  Brooklyn, Again -
No Warnings
Third Person POV

"Are you less scared of Brooklyn now?" Cards questions. Stage shakes her head, and Cards groans.

"I've never been to Brooklyn, have you?" Davey asks. Cards, Jack, and Stage nod.

"I spent a month there on night" Boots states. Stage looks at him, confused. She was about to speak up, when Cards made a motion for her to just go with it.

When they get to the Bridge, Jack, Boots, and Cards yell over the side of it.

"You guys try" Cards tells Stage and Davey, who politely decline.

It's silent for a few more minutes, before Davey speaks up again, not liking the silence.
"So, is this Spot Conlon really dangerous?"

Jack, Boots, and Cards burst out laughing, and Stage shudders. Davey decides not to ask anymore questions, and just stays silent, getting more nervous by the minute.

When they get to the Brooklyn Newsies' turf, basically their dock, they catch the attention of most of the Brooklyn Newsies.

"Going somewhere, Kelly?" A Brooklyn Newsie, who Stage didn't know, questions Jack.

"Leave us be, Switch" Cards tells him, pushing him out of the way, as they keep walking.

"I'm back! And I brought guests!" Cards exclaims. Some of the Brooklyn Newsies laugh.

"Oh golly gee, how lucky we are! You're back for the second time in three days!" Ace exclaims, faking enthusiasm in his voice. Cards smirks to herself.

"Love you too, Jack!" Cards exclaims, making sure Jack knows she doesn't mean him.

"My name is Ace!" Ace exclaims, as all of the boys laugh.

"Well, if it ain't Jack be nimble, Jack be quick" Spot states, jumping down from his perch.

"I see you moved up in the world, Spot. Got a river view and everything" Jack responds, as the two boys spit-shake.

"Heya Boots. How's it rollin'?" Spot asks Boots, turning to face him. Boots grins.

"I got a couple of real good shooters" Boots tells Spot, taking out a few pebbles and marbles, and putting them out for Spot to take.

Spot takes out his slingshot, taking one of the shooters. "Morning Cards, and welcome back Stage."

"Morning Spot. Stage still won't call you by your name" Cards tells Spot, who chuckles.

"What does she call me then? I hope it ain't anything bad" Spot responds. Stage shakes her head.

"She calls you 'the King of Brooklyn' which I guess you are, but she says stuff like the 'King of Brooklyn' and then continues her sentence" Cards informs Spot, who nods, smirking.

"Yeah. So, Jacky-boy. I've been hearing things from little birds. Things from Harlem, Queens, all over. They been chirpin' in my ear. Jacky-boy's newsies is playing like they're going on strike, and they got my little sister to join" Spot starts, loading his slingshot, and shooting a bottle, shattering it on impact. Davey and Stage both jump, and Stage covers her ears.

"Well yeah, we are" Cards mumbles. Spot throws her a look.

"We're not playing. We are going on strike" Davey tells Spot, stepping forward. Spot turns his glare to Davey, and Davey looses all of the confidence he had.

"You really chose him to do this?" Cards whispers to Jack, who shrugs.

"He's smart" Jack answers. Cards facepalms.

"So is Stage, but I don't take her to Brooklyn to convince Spot to do something. He's clearly scared, and Spot feeds off of the fear and uses it against people" Cards whispers back. Jack shrugs, but he knew she was right.

"Oh yeah? Yeah? What is this, Jacky-boy? Some kind of walking mouth?" Spot questions, turning back to Jack.

"Yeah, it's a mouth. A mouth with a brain, and
if you got half a one, you'll listen to what he's got to say" Jack retaliates. Spot nods, sitting down on a crate, as Jack, Cards, Stage, and Boots do the same. Jack makes a motion for Davey to go on.

"Well, we started the strike, but we can't do
it alone. So, we're talking to newsies all around the city" Davey starts. You could tell he was really nervous.

"Yeah, so they told me. But what'd they tell you?" Spot cuts him off. Cards sends a glare his way.

"They're waiting to see what Spot Conlon is doing, you're the key. That Spot Conlon is the most respected and famous newsie in all of New York, and probably everywhere else." Davey was mentally kicking himself for what he was saying, but it looked to be working. He could only hope. "And if Spot Conlon joins the strike, then they join and we'll be unstoppable. So you gotta join, I mean... well, you gotta!"

Cards facepalms. She hated Spot's ego being built more than it already was, but she could see where Davey was going. He was doing so well, until that last sentence.

"You're right Jacky-boy, brains. But I got brains too, and more than just half a one. How do I know you punks won't run the first time some goon comes at ya with a club? How do I know you got what it takes to win?" Spot questions. Darn it, we were so close.

"Because we're telling you, Spot" Cards responds. Spot shakes his head.

"I'm afraid that ain't good enough, Cards. You gotta show me" Spot responds. Cards and Stage frown.

"We're gonna head out now" Jack decides. The boys nod.

The group starts walking away, when Spot stops Cards. Stage stops, waiting for Cards.

"This is dangerous, and it's not worth it. You're gonna get hurt" Spot reminds Cards, worried for her.

"Then I'll get hurt. Stage isn't gonna back down, and I have to look after her. Heck, I'm not going to back down either. We're gonna go through this with the Manhattan Newsies, even if we have to go down with them. By not joining, you're risking Race, Stage, Boots, Ike, and I getting more hurt than if you did join. It's your choice, but we're staying true to our word" Cards tells Spot, who sighs, letting her go.

Cards and Stage start walking away, when Stage turns around and mouths 'Please think about it, King' to Spot, before Cards tells her that they have to go.

"You know you don't have to do this with us, without Brooklyn, we can't win" Jack tells Cards and Stage, when they finally make it back to them.

"No Jack, we're sticking with you. Spot can be a coward at times, but I understand his reasoning. We're sticking through this with you, and we just have to show him that we have what it takes, because I know we do" Cards tells Jack, who nods, smiling gratefully at her.

"So, are you actually related to Spot?" Davey asks Cards, who bursts out laughing with Jack and Boots.

"That's complicated Davey" Stage tells him, patting his back.

Davey nods, deciding not to ask anything else on the walk back home.

1168 Words