Two groups of newsies came across each other in a back alley way near ten o'clock. Both leaders smirked triumphantly, as though they both thought they would come out the victor. For a tense moment, both groups walked in complete silence toward each other.

"So, West, youse just gonna go 'head and surrender?" Rusty said once they were finally toe-to-toe.

The true leader of Queens shook his head, his smirk growing larger.

"No, but I sure think youse should."

And with that, he threw the first punch, and the fighting began.

When the door closed behind Spot, Queenie stood, staring at it for a long moment. He left. He didn't care that she begged him to stay. Settling a score was more important to him than she was.

"Fine," she muttered to herself, the self pity being replaced with anger once more.

Flying up the stairs to her bedroom, Queenie put attempted to put a cap on her feelings. Nearly blinded by her tears, the girl threw her belongings into a bag. Once it was full, she threw on her shawl and made up the bed. Then, looking around the room, she realized that she had no where to go. Collapsing onto the floor, she threw her head into her hands and let her tears flow.

"You should have known better," she thought to herself, shaking her head pathetically.

She rose to her feet, moving to unpack her bag. But, a memory from her visit with Spot to Manhattan floated back to her mind.

"Let's get rollin', Queenie," he called to her, already leaving her behind as she said her goodbyes to the Manhattan Newsies.

"It's only a few more weeks," he whispered in her ear.

Nodding against his chest, she fought back tears. She quickly pulled away from him and gave a quick hug to Skittery, who muttered so only she could hear,

"Youse ever need anything, you come find me."

Queenie quickly wiped the tears from her eyes and pulled some things out of her bag. Laying them across the bed and jotting a quick note, she shouldered her bag with a smile. And without a second glance behind her, the girl stepped from the lodging house and into the cold Brooklyn night.

Spot made his entrance known the second he saw the newsies brawling. Picking a stone from the ground, he picked off the two boys fighting Cutter in one fell swoop.

"Eh! Spot! Brooklyn! Dat's what I call killin' two birds wit' one stone! Am I right?" Cutter shouted with a smile.

West, who just seconds before knocked Rusty to the ground, sighed and closed his eyes.

"Shit," he whispered to himself, angrily.

"Your timin' is impeccable, Spot!" Rusty called from the pavement.

The Brooklyn leader nodded in recognition as his boys flooded the alleyway. He handed his slingshot off to Bubba and headed for West. A cold, chilling rain began to fall, distorting everything. Spot grabbed West , who had been pummeling Rusty on the ground, by the shoulder and spun him around. Landing a punch squarely on the other boy's jaw, Spot smirked as he watched him fall. A scream fell from West's lips when his head hit the concrete, and every newsie's head snapped to see the leaders face off.

Spot looked down at the other boy with cold silver eyes. A smirk slid over his lips as he reached to his belt loop. Sliding out the cane from his belt loop, he savored the sound of the gasps he heard over the rain and thunder. The boy weighed the heavy metal top in his hands, calculating the weight of what he was about to do. A look of defeat washed over West, as it had the first time they met in a fight, and Spot knew the other boy was ready. Rearing his arm back, Spot prepared to strike the final blow. But Queenie, grasping him for dear life just hours before, flashed across his memory.

"I chose you. Not him. Please don't do this," he remembered her saying.

The newsie's grip on his cane loosened. Lowering it to land softly on West's chest, pinning him to the ground, Spot spoke through gritted teeth.

"Youse are gonna leave Queens. Youse aren't welcome in Brooklyn. Youse aren't allowed to be leader of any odda borough in dis city. If youse agree, youse get five minutes to be outta da borough before I let dese boys chase after youse. If youse don't agree, youse are gonna get your head pounded into da pavement and I'll leave youse here to bleed out."

He ground his cane a little harder into the other boy's chest for emphasis.

"Youse agree?"

West furiously nodded.

"Good."

He lifted the cane from West's body. Without hesitation, the former leader leapt from the ground and began running.

"One more thing, West," Spot called out to him over the rain.

Turning, West sighed and prepared for the worst.

"Don't youse ever come near Queenie again."

After a terse nod, West took off running. A few moments passed before anyone moved.

"Well, boys, my work here is done. Ise always swoopin' in and savin' everyone's asses. Ise should start getting' paid for all dis."

Taking his cap out of his pocket and putting it on his head, Spot turned toward the mouth of the alley.

"Brooklyn! Let's go. Now."

Spot lead his newsies away from Queens as the storm worsened.

Queenie stopped running when she saw the statue. Sighing, she almost cried in relief; She walked over to the lodging house. Trying the door, the girl groaned and threw her head against the door when she found it to be locked.

"Of course," she muttered to herself. Nothing could be simple, could it?

Walking around the building, Queenie resigned herself to sleeping in the street for a night. She nearly threw herself at a brick wall, sliding down it into a sitting position. Dropping her bag next to her, Queenie looked at the back of the lodging house in defeat. She came so close. But ended up being so far. Until her eyes met a beautiful sight.

"Fire escape," the girl whispered as though it was a prayer.

Pulling herself to her feet, she grabbed up her pack and walked over to the wall. Shouldering her belongings and gathering her strength, Queenie leapt, reaching up to catch the ladder and pull it down. Cheering herself mentally when she succeeded, she scrambled toward the first window she saw.

Inside the building, little light shone. Every boy she saw slept peacefully, save the one sleeping in a bed by the window. He tossed and turned in his faded pink long-johns, restless even in his dreams. Tentatively, Queenie knocked her knuckles one the thin window pane.

Skittery jumped awake, startled by the noise. Turning his head toward the source of the disturbance, he saw a familiar face peering into the bunk room. Jumping down from his bed, he scrambled toward the soaked girl. Opening the window, he watched the girl's wide eyes fill with tears.

"Skitts. I'm in a bit of trouble."

Spot and his newsies burst into the lodging house with the force of an army returning from a long war. The sound of cheering and singing resounding through the empty building, but one voice sounded above all the others.

"Queenie! Eh, Queenie! Come 'ere!" Spot shouted, looking around for her.

His boys began to party around him. Some went to raid the kitchen and others started card games and even more began singing Irish reels. But he ignored them. Walking coolly up the stairs, Spot paid no mind that she didn't respond. The clock just struck midnight; he assumed she was sleeping. Swinging her door open, Spot began with a smirk,

"Youse got any-"

But the sight of an empty room stopped the words dead in their tracks.

"Queenie?" he asked the completely desolate bedroom.

He walked over and checked the drawers of the bureau frantically. Empty. He looked at the bed. Neatly made. But as he approached the bed, he saw things he had not seen before. A pack of clean bandages and salve sat on top of the sheets, along with a note written in the girl's finest handwriting.

You requested bandages and salve to be waiting for you upon your return.

Here they are.

However, you never requested I be waiting for you when you return.

I'm sure, then, you won't mind that I am not here.

You have your freshly won victory to keep you company.

Warmest regards,

Alexandria Jayne "Queenie" Eariue Greir Mahony.

SO? Final thoughts? I don't have plans for a sequel as of yet, but if you guys think I should, I will. Please review! Thank you all so, so, so much for all of your support through this whole story. It has meant the world to me. And truly, truly, truly, you all are the reason that I have continued this story and worked to make it the best I possibly could. Please let me know how you liked the ending! And if you want a sequel!