Ragged Army

Summary: Reports of young children going missing has swept through New York City. No clues, no leads to where they are being taken and if they're still alive. Only one girl seems to be attuned to the voices of the missing children…the problem? Everyone thinks she's insane…

A/N: Be prepared for MAJOR fluffiness. Almost gives you a tooth ache, haha. Also, this is the FINAL chapter. Enjoy!

Chapter 28

*She slept peacefully up until midday. At first she was just tossing and turning, but that turned into restless murmuring, moans and by two in the afternoon she was thrashing, crying and screaming. Luckily, the doctor had been able to come in that morning and set her arm and wrap it tight to mend or else they'd have been afraid she'd damage it more.

Spot pulled the chair closer to the bed, whispering reassurances while brushing her hair back from her forehead. "Shh, Mina." He murmured, watching her face grimace in pain. What could possibly be going through her mind?

Asylum continued shifting restlessly and thrashing. Sometimes she'd get really quiet and just lay there for an hour or so before she began to cry or scream again. He worried over her these long hours that began to turn into days. It was only partway through the second day that she started to relax and sleep peacefully. She even began to smile in her sleep until the evening when she began to grow restless once more.

Race finally forced Spot to go downstairs to sleep while he sat next to his best friend for awhile. She was once again calm and was beginning to gain her color back. "Ya gotta wake up soon, 'Sy." He murmured quietly to her. "Spot's not lookin' so hot with youse sleepin' foah so long."

She shifted impatiently and then began to scream again. Almost within a minute Spot was pounding up the stairs and he nearly tumbled into the room he was moving so fast to get to her. He stopped himself and then walked over slowly and sat carefully on the edge of her bed. Lightly, he brushed her hair back, murmuring softly to calm her down before glancing up at Race, "I can't sleep. Go ahead back down staihs."

The Italian boy was startled by the side of Spot he was seeing and he let his gaze slide to Asylum's pained expression as tears began to seep out under her eyelids. Little by little he was beginning to understand what was there, what she saw in Spot and the gentleness Spot rarely showed to anyone else.

Standing, Race pulled out a cigar and rolled it between his fingers, "Do ya honestly believe she's not crazy?"

"Yeah, I do." Spot replied without hesitating or even looking up.

He shifted slightly before braving the question, "Why?"

Still not taking his gaze from Asylum he replied, "'Cuz I just don't, Race. She's always had dreams like da ones with da kids. Dreams about da future, dreams about da strike. It's not crazy it's…it's a gift."

Race didn't know this person in front of him. Spot had a strong character and most would think he'd hate anything that was different. Most people did hate what was different or what they didn't understand. But, for some reason, Asylum had wormed her way into his heart and not even her supposed 'craziness' would keep him away from her. It floored Race, but he understood now. Spot even gained a lot of his respect for not being like every other person who'd shoot Asylum down before even giving her a chance.

Nodding silently, Race turned and headed down stairs and Spot watched him go, wondering what was going through his head. Most likely surprise, but Spot couldn't seem to muster the strength to give a damn about his own bad boy reputation anymore. He had worked so hard to maintain it but now that he had Mina, it didn't seem all that important. Vaguely, he wondered what he should do now. Keeping her meant giving up Brooklyn, but what would Brooklyn mean without her? He couldn't stay here in Jack's territory, he was a leader and so he couldn't stand aside and watch someone rule. Would she make him choose between her and Brooklyn?

Asylum's sobbing brought him back to the present. Kicking off his boots that he still wore, he climbed onto the bed, wrapped his arms around her being careful of her injured one and held her as she cried.

Slowly, Asylum opened her eyes which were blurry from the tears she'd been crying. Her eyes immediately strayed to the dirty window to see it was just beginning to lighten. For the first time in awhile she felt safe and warm and she turned her eyes to the left to see Spot laying beside her, arms wrapped tightly around her, his breathing even and his eyes moving beneath the eyelids as he slept peacefully.

She smiled softly at his face, it looked so young and boyish while he slept, but she lifted a hand to press against her temple as she felt a pounding headache. The horrors of the dreams, her life, were slowly fading to nothing but dim memories. She still felt the raw sorrow of losing Fang but she knew, deep down, that one innocent life had to be sacrificed to save all the others and if he'd survived they would have never defeated Blake and all those children would still be lost.

Reaching out a hand, she lightly brushed a lock of his light brown hair from his forehead. Had he been next to her the whole time? She wondered. Was it possible he didn't care whether she was crazy or not? "Do you want know why I didn't tell you who I was?" She asked him gently.

"Yes." He replied, startling her. Spot opened his eyes and she felt her breath catch as the vibrant blues met her gaze.

Gulping, her eyes fell as she thought about how to tell him exactly how she felt, "If I had told you…you wouldn't like me anymore. Our short time together would have been even shorter and I was too selfish to let you go just as I'd gotten you back."

Gently, he put a finger under her chin and lifted her eyes to meet his, "Why wouldn't I like ya anymore?"

"I'm broken."

He chuckled, "Nah ya not, Mina."

She narrowed her eyes, "Wouldn't I know better than anyone else if I were broken?"

Spot actually rolled his eyes at her, "Ya so far from broken it's almost unreal. In fact, ya too normal aftah goin' through what youse gone through."

Her mouth fell open and she felt a rush of indignation, "Normal? The last thing I'd call myself is normal. Do you see this?" She lifted her shirt to reveal the jagged scars that littered her body. Most were small but there was one long one that went from her hip bone diagonally across her stomach all the way up to her ribs. "My back is much worse. He whipped me countless times, that long one on my stomach is from glass. He nearly gutted me."

Staring in horror at the marks on her body, he hesitantly reached out and traced the long one.

Tears gathered in her eyes as she saw the look on his face and she hastily lowered her shirt, knocking his hand away as she did it and then she sat up, turning her back to him so he wouldn't see the tears as they fell. "Ryan, please leave."

It was silent for a moment and then she felt him move and disappointment ran through her as she realized that he was giving up so easily. That is, until he walked around the mattress and stood in front of her. "I ain't goin' anywhere, Mina." He said his voice deep with conviction. What he did next surprised her; he got on his knees and took her right hand between his, holding it as if it were the most precious thing to him before meeting her eyes, "Ya not broken. Ya the strongest person Ise know. Ya took all of that shit from James, then from Blake and then ya actually got away. Ya built a new life as a newsie and ya even were strong enough ta go back and face Blake. How many people can say they faced their biggest nightmare?"

Asylum cocked her head curiously, seeing herself for the first time how Spot must see her, how maybe Race and Jack saw her. She'd been nearly dead when they found her, the doctor hadn't had much hope she'd make it through the night but here she was. Sure, she wasn't as cocky as she had been when she was first being trained to fight but that only meant she'd matured; had only been a child then who knew that she won almost every fight. Now, she was older and knew there was so much more to life than fighting. The years of being abused had somehow washed off of her.

Had it been because of Fang, because of that dream world where he had healed her? But, she didn't feel any different. She only felt…hope. Maybe it had all been a mind game. Maybe she'd always been sane and had only cheated herself into thinking she was crazy to keep herself from truly becoming that way.

Thinking herself in circles only made the headache worse, she found. "You…really think so?" She asked him.

He scoffed, "Of course."

"What about my craziness?" She asked, even though Fang promised her she wouldn't be crazy anymore she still wondered if he wouldn't want to be with her because of it.

Rolling his eyes again, he replied, "Ya not crazy. Youse always had dreams of things. Like da strike. Ya remembah dat? And…remember the dream about da house in da country?"

She smiled, "I never forgot it." Sighing, she got a far off look, "The back yard was a field full of daisies and tulips. There was one tree almost dead center and you had tied a rope swing around the branch and you pushed the little boy…" Blushing, she realized she'd told him more than she had before.

"Yeah?" He asked, a small smirk starting.

Ducking her head, she shrugged, "It was probably just a dream."

Standing swiftly, he moved forward so he was towering over her as he once again placed his fingers under her chin and tipped her head back so she would meet his gaze, "Or maybe a look inta da future." His eyes burned into hers before he dipped his head down and brushed his lips lightly across hers, teasing slightly, before he pressed his lips against hers and deepened it.

The feeling that had been in their first kiss surfaced and warmth swelled up inside her heart as she realized it could be nothing less than love. She had known she loved him but hadn't been quite sure if he reciprocated it until this moment. It began to spread through her like wildfire and she was sure if she'd been standing her knees would have given out.

His large, calloused hand came up to graze her cheek, fingertips slid down her neck raising goose bumps until he cupped the back of her neck gently and tilted her head just so he could further ravage her mouth. She couldn't stop the small noise that she made from the back of her throat as his tongue trailed along her lower lip. Her good hand moved to grip his shirt, pulling him against her.

Just as suddenly as he had kissed her, he broke it off. He moved his head back so he could meet her eyes as he whispered, "I love you, Mina."

He smiled as her eyes lit up and a huge grin spread across her face, "And I love you, Ryan."

"Oh, finally. When's da wedding?" A voice said from behind her, causing her to turn and Spot to look up to see Race and Jack in the doorway, Race grinning from his comment.

Asylum felt a blush rise in her cheeks, "Race." She said, exasperated.

"Ya said so yaself, 'Sy, if ya sane when we get outta dis ya'd marry da bum." Race replied, smirking.

Spot lifted an eyebrow at the 'bum' comment, but he was more focused on the first part, "She did?"

Jack chuckled at how red Asylum's face was and she searched for anyway to change the subject, "How long have I been asleep?" She asked, looking between the three.

"It's been almost three days." Spot told her.

Her eyes widened at this news. Three days? "Spot, what about Brooklyn?" She asked, alarmed at the amount of time he'd been away.

A quick, dark look towards the door had Race and Jack backing up and hastily leaving the room. Satisfied, Spot turned back to Asylum as she stood up and then reached out a hand to steady her. "What about it?"

Gazing up at him, she furrowed her brows, "You've been gone so long…shouldn't you go back?"

"I haven't decided yet." He told her honestly.

She tilted her head, "What's the problem?"

He ran his other hand through his hair, "Ise can't stay in 'Hattan, Mina. But, I refuse ta go back ta Brooklyn alone. I…don't know what Ise gonna do yet."

Raising an eyebrow, she touched his cheek lightly, "You didn't think I'd make you choose between Brooklyn and me, did you?"

A chagrin smile pulled up the edges of his lips.

"You did!" She laughed lightly, liking this feeling that they were the only people in the world, "Shame, Ryan Perry, shame."

He leaned down and lightly kissed her lips before pulling back, "Ya mean it? You'll come ta Brooklyn? Cross dat bridge again?" He grinned as he poked at the vow she had broken.

"I'd cross any bridge for you." She told him honestly, right before he wrapped his arms around her waist and kissed her again.*

A/N: How's that ending for you? I'm pretty sure I didn't miss anything...if I have just let me know haha. Drop me one last review? Oh, and keep a look out for my new story called 'Say When' Not sure exactly when I'll start putting it up but if I keep up at the rate I'm going it shouldn't be long! Thank you to all who've stayed with me! I'm going to miss this story and all of you! But, as the saying goes, every ending is another beginning!

Truly,

Joker is Poker with a J~