“ I miss you too,” Spitfire smiled looking down at the child asleep on
her, “ I miss all of you.” She looked up at the steps that led up stairs
to the bedrooms. They were falling apart…but it was home.
 “ You make an old woman proud,” Ms. Hapsah laughed slightly and the
laugh turned into a terrible cough that caused the old woman to sit up
straight as she tried to breath. Soon the cough died down and she laid
back in the chair. Spitfire almost couldn’t look at the deteriorating
old friend who had raised her after her family left her there.
**********
 “ Alright,” Chance was sweating bad now, she had maybe a dollar left to
her name, and Action stood there grinning…with all her money. They had
gone from Craps to poker now, “ best 50 outta 51.”
 “ Oh come on kid,” the bartender called out, “ you got nothin’ left.”
 “ Your wrong!” Chance called back, “ I still got one last good
hand…just have to find it in the deck.” The room laughed at her but
Action just smiled.
 “ Kid,” Action smiled, “ I don’t care who you think yer related to, you
got nothin’ left, and I got papes to sell tomorrow,” Action picked up
her money, “ Its over…you loose.” Action took the money and headed
outside. Chance stood there a moment until a rage rushed over her and
she bolted out the door. She flew into Action  at full force , knocking
Action forward a little. Action stood there silent and motionless. Than
she straightened herself up. She slowly turned to Chance.
 “ Chance, kid, who ever the hell you really are,” Action smirked, “
Don’t do this. You don’t want what I got waitin’ for ya.”
 “ Try me,” Chance yelled out, “ Everyone know’s Action Monroe ain’t
nothin’ but a lousy coward who left New York the moment everything got
to hot for her.”
 “ Oh dat is so it,” Action jumped on Chance and began beating the god
out of her. The two wrestled on the ground feverishly until a hand tried
to pry them apart.
 “ hey brake it up guys,” Spot said pulling Acton to her feet. When he
saw who it was he shook his head, “ Should have known.”
 “ Ya know what Conlon,” Action said breathing hard, “ Shut up.” With
that she punched him and those two began to fight soon the swarm of
people who had gathered around Chance and Action now broke out into
there own fights as the Brooklyn leader and Action Monroe had it out for
what ever reasons they now had. Chance sat up and watched the fighting
all around her as her nose bled and her eye swelled along with her lip.
Through the crowd she saw a familiar face trying to catch a glimpse of
what was going on. She didn’t call out to him…because at that moment he
saw her and came to help her up.
 “ Chance!” Blink said loudly over the fighting. He put one of her arms
over his shoulder and dragged her out of there.
*****
 “ Hold still,” Blink said trying to wipe the blood from her nose.
 “ I’m holdin’ I’m holdin’!” Chance responded. She looked around ….where
were they? “ Blink, what is dis place huh?”
 “ It’s the old theatre….the one where Medda Larkson used to preform. It
shut down before you hooked up with the Bronx.” Blink answered.
 “ oh,” Chance sighed, “ so what was you doin’ there huh?”
 “ Where? At Crap Game Alley?” Blink still cleaning up Chance’s face.
 “ yeah there.”
 “ I was just thinkin’ bout stuff and ended up there. I’d ask why you
were there but I know the answer to that one.”
 “ Yeah….so what was you thinkin’ about anyway?”
 “ Just stuff.”
 “ What stuff?”
 “ The kind o’ stuff a kid like you don’t need to get involved in.”
 “ what is with everyone callin’ me kid? First Action, then the
bartender, and then this one really weird lookin’ guy with a broken
nose-“
 “ Hold up,” Blink looked at her weird, “ Did you say Action? As in
Action Monroe?”
 “ The one and only.” Chance shrugged.
 “ Uhuh.”
 “ She’s the one who did this to me. Hell if Spot hadn’t jumped in and
she hadn’t decked him then I might not be alive.”
 “ Lordy, I should have known…so when did she get back?”
 “ I dunno…roomer has it that she got back just in time for the meeting
today…wasn’t you there?”
 “ Nope.”
 “ Why not? Aren’t you for this alliance thing anyway?”
 “ Nope”
 “ Why? It would cut down on the fightin’ around here.”
 “ Just cause…” Blink shrugged. He was finished now, “ Alright…you want
me to walk you back to the Bronx?”
 “ Naw” Chance looked around again at the theatre in awe, “ I think I’ll
stay here.”
 “ Alright, “ Blink smiled, “ Take care of yourself okay?”
 “ yeah yeah.” Chance rolled her eyes.
 “ Good night kid,” Blink stopped himself, “ I mean Chance.”
 “ Thanks Blink.” Chance smiled. Soon Blink was gone and Chance was left
alone with the stage. She walked around looking at as hard as she could.
It gave her this feeling…something about this place was special.
******
 “ Die,” Action said out of breath as she and Spot continued to hit each
other.
 “ You first,” Spot was just as out of breath as she was. Something must
have happened while she was gone because suddenly Monroe could fight…and
good too.
 “ Naw, I insist.” She decked him with all the power left in her…and as
he fell to the ground she fell on him. The two just sat there for a
moment, completely exhausted and unsure as to why they were fighting.
People around them were still beating each other as well. Suddenly the
sound of the Bull’s whistle was heard and the moment was over. Action
jumped up and Spot did too. They looked at each other for a moment and
then Spot did something he never thought he would ever do, he grabbed
Action by the hand and drug her with him away from the bulls.
 “ Come on,” Spot pulled her down an alley with him and the two took
off.
******
 “ Alright,” Spot said as they stopped outside the Bronx house.
 “ Alright what?” Action said rubbing her jaw.
 “ Yer home…er what ever.” Spot shrugged.
 “ Oh….” Action did a slight nod towards him.
 “ So good bye and all that jazz.” Spot turned to walk away.
 “ Yeah .” Action started to go inside.
 “ you know I really can’t stand you!” Spot yelled turning back towards
her.
 “ Well there’s not your everyday random thought.” Action smirked
turning back towards him.
 “ I just thought I’d let you know that you can’t just run away one
minute and expect everything to be the same the next.” Spot shrugged.
 “ Everything is the same Conlon,” Action said as she sat down on the
steps, “You still can’t stand me, I still play craps, Shiner still
drinks, Baby Doll Blue is still young, Skweeks is still ornery, and
Sinner’s still the smart, quiet one.”
 “ That’s not what I mean,” Spot continued, “ things have changed. I’ve
changed, Shiner don’t drink more then one a week, Baby Doll Blue ain’t
so young anymore, Skweeks is a leader and Sinner’s a liberal. People
have changed even if you don’t get it yet.”
 “ Spot shut up,” Action rolled her eyes.
 “ You’re just some over done legend little orphans try to be like.”
 “ Just shut up alright?” Action was standing now.
 “Look at yerself Action,” Spot shook his head, “ Yer hardly sober, yer
beat up and probably broke.”
 “ Only cause Chance picked my pocket when we was fighting.” Action
retorted.
 “ I guess things for you really haven’t changed huh? Still a nobody
tryin’ hard to be a somebody.” With that Spot turned and walked slowly
back to Brooklyn.
 Action pulled out a cigarette and lit it. She watched it burn for a
second then threw it to the ground. It wasn’t worth it…neither was he.
*****
 The next morning came too soon for everyone. Especially for a certain
young Irish man who was at all used to his surroundings.
 “ Hey Donavan!” Race yelled for the third time as he stood outside on
the steps waiting, “ Hurry it up already!”
 “ I’m sorry Race,” Donavan came running out with his hat in his mouth
while buttoning his shirt.
 “ That’s okay kid,” Race sighed, “ So you ready?”
 “ Sure,” Donavan put his hat on his head and smiled. He liked America.