Disclaimer: I dont own Newsies. Duh

AN: sorry its taken so long but as i mentioned in another story, My muse ran away. But i found it so all is good!

A Sibling Story part V

On the outside, Spot Conlon was unshakable. He was firm, steady he knew everyone, could get out of any scrape, could avoid any punishment and commit any crime. But on the inside, Spot doubted. Could he do this? Could he betray his friends? Did he want to? Who mattered more, the Shadows or the Manhattan Newsies?

Well, that was a stupid question. The Shadows were way more important. The Shadows held Spot's life in their hands. No matter how well he watched himself, no matter how many "Boids" he sent out to keep him safe, If Angel wanted him dead Spot Conlon would die. Angel wouldn't kill him of course; she needed him too much. What Angel would do, was take him from Brooklyn and make him a pickpocket, making barely enough to earn his keep, living in the Dark under her watchful eye. Could he risk that? Angel wouldn't kill Spot, surely not, but Spot sure wasn't about to test her.

Who then? Spot knew he had to give Angel a name. It had to be the right name, which would get the desired result. If Spot gave her the next Newsie who picked a fight with Spot, he could get himself, and a lot of other people killed. Spot was going by process of elimination at the moment, to figure out who would stay.

I cant turn over Crutchy, Picking on the crippled kid would send the Newsies into a rage, they would try to start a war. I cant turn over David, much as id like to.. He's too close to Jack. Bumlets isn't connected enough, neither is Snitch or Itey. What about Slider? Skittery? Mush? Boots? Specs? Dutchy? Snoddy? Pie Eater? Jake? Spot agonized, names and faces haunting his thoughts. Coming to no decision, he fell into an uneasy sleep, his dreams filled with the good times he had shared with the Manhattan boys.

Spot's pleasant dreams soon turned to nightmares. In his head, he could see the hurt faces of the Newsies when they realized that Spot had betrayed them. He could see his friends clearly, and the hate in their eyes terrified him. Spot screamed and woke, drenched in cold sweat.

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Spot agonized over his decision for six days, his Newsies became more and more concerned as he began locking himself in their bunkroom for hours at a time. He knew he had to make a decision but found himself unable to separate facts from his emotions. For Spot who had always been proud of his reputation as a ruthless leader, it was shameful to be so controlled by his emotions.

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Three weeks after the theft, the Newsies were almost all back on their feet, they were working harder, standing on the streets longer, well past sunset now. They were all a little short of money, but one more week of tightening the belt, and sore throats from yelling more should cure it. The Manhattan boys had let their robbery go, all except one.

Jack Kelly was still angry. He still wanted revenge on the Shadows, but first, he desired an explanation. Jack wanted to know why the Shadows suddenly hated the Newsies much more than before. Why would they kill an innocent boy? Jack didn't understand, and he wanted answers, soon. He had talked to the Conlon kid, pestered him, pressured him, everything short of outright threatening him, but Spot wasn't talking. He had started avoiding Jack and the other Newsies, staying in Brooklyn, and mysteriously disappearing every time Jack came to call.

This was odd for any Newsie, more so for a Newsie leader, but this was just plain strange for Spot Conlon. Spot was known for popping in and out of the other Boroughs, keeping tabs on people, and sticking his nose in everyone else's business. That was one of Spot's ways of keeping control of Brooklyn. Spot Conlon always had a plan. He could plan for things early because no matter what happened, he was one of the first to know. Spot's not caring about Manhattan's feud with one of the most dangerous gangs in the city, was completely out of character.

Something unusual was going on with Spot, and Jack Kelly was determined to find out what.

"Brooklyn! You've had almost three whole weeks to decide. Now give me a name or back out." Angel's brown eyes met Spot's grey ones, the steely resolve in her eyes confirmed Spot's belief that backing out was not even an option. Angel's voice was cold and hard. Spot knew this was his last chance. Either he would give up the names, or face the consequences of breaking a deal with The Shadow, consequences Spot didn't even want to consider.

Spot had made his decision. He knew which Newsies had the right balance of influence and isolation to carry out Angel's plan. Their names were written on a slip of paper that Spot could feel inside his pocket. What Spot was having trouble with, was the action of handing over the names. It was one thing to promise the names. It was agonizing to select which of his friends would die at his hands. But neither of these tasks could prepare Spot for the agonizing struggle of actually finalizing the deal.

Spot knew he had no choice. Unless…. Spot didn't know if he could really betray his friends. He finally realized he had a choice. He could give Angel the names she wanted. If he betrayed his friends, they would die and he would be at fault. Spot could also try to run, although no one ran from the shadows, It was simply impossible. So Spot had a choice to make. He could kill his friends, or he could refuse. If he refused, his life would be forfeit.

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"They've got to be stopped" Declared Skittery. "Jack wont stop them. Sure he's angry. But he's also scared. Jack runs from problems instead of facing them. If we want to stop the Shadows, we've got to do it without him."

Skittery stared into the eyes of every boy in the room. No on spoke until finally one whisper broke the silence. It was Pie, a quiet boy who never spread idle chatter. Pie was known for only speaking when he felt there was something important to say, as a result, when Pie Eater spoke, everyone listened.

"The Bulls, we call the bulls." The bulls were the Newsie's greatest enemy! All of the boys stared at Pie Eater as though he had suddenly grown three heads. "I know we hate them, but hear me out all right? The shadows rely on secrecy. They depend on the fact that no one knows where they live, or who they are. If one or two of them gets thrown in jail, all bets are off. The shadows will stop trusting each other, become paranoid about their jail bound members. They have reason to be scared, because with each passing day the chances of the shadows in jail staying quiet get slimmer and slimmer. People now will know the location of shadows. Those shadows in jail become sitting ducks for people who want revenge." He paused and said solemnly,

"Seems to me if we want to bring 'em down, that's the way to go."

"Turn Scab? Nevah!" cried Skittery, outraged at the idea. "Well hold up now, think about it!" A new voice joined the debate, Racetrack's. "It ain't really scabbin cuz dey aint Newsies. Dey'se is actual criminals not jist street rats like us. We would nevah toin in anodda Newsie who ain't done nothing wrong."

Skittery began to argue again but Jake, the look out cried out "Jack" and all discussions ceased, as Race handed out a deck of cards and began to deal. By the time Jack had climbed the stairs, he was greeted by the sounds of a late night poker game. Annoying to those trying to sleep, but nothing to be concerned about.

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Lightfingers rushed into the dark. Ignoring the groans of those trying to sleep, she screamed at the top of her lungs, "Angel ANGEL" Angel rushed out, angry at being woken from her slumber, when Lightfoot blurted out, "Brooklyn's gone." "He's what?" asked Angel, her voice as cold as ice. Anger radiated off of her still calm looking exterior. Lightfingers trembled, afraid of what Angel would do next but she did as was asked and repeated her statement. "He ran for it. Brooklyn's gone."

Angel's eyes narrowed and her voice was quiet but demanded to be obeyed. "Top Hat come with me. We'll find him. No one can outrun the shadows.

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READ AND REVIEW PLEASE (wow why do i write read at the bottom of a chapter?)