"Get The World here! Latest news on Governor Roosevelt's campaign for Vice President!"

Davey's voice grated painfully. How the hell did Jack do this all day and still have the breath to keep the other Newsies in line? He kept shouting. Selling his last paper would be much easier than contending with the Delancey brothers at the circulation floor that evening.

A man in a business suit stopped next to him. "I don't think I've ever heard a Newsie talk as much about the actual news as you do." He kept his hands in his pockets and looked Davey over. Davey would bet a dime that this man had been burned by one of Jack's ridiculous headlines.

"I read it every day, sir. I like to know what it is that I'm selling."

"Really? What do you think of this whole election business?"

Davey weighed his options for a brief moment. If he shared his honest opinion, he might lose a sale. There was still an hour or so before sundown, and he decided he could risk it.

"I think Governor Roosevelt is a great politician, and not just because of what he's done for us Newsies recently. Bryan is giving them a run for their money now, but I think they'll pull through. He's done fantastically as governor by busting up the machines and different monopolies. It doesn't hurt the trust's profits too much, and everyone makes a better wage with the smaller businesses being able to compete – and who doesn't want that? They'd have my vote, were I old enough."

"And how old are you boy?"

"I'm seventeen, sir."

"Hmmm." The man fished in his pocket and pulled out a nickel. Davey raised his eyebrows at it, but took it nonetheless. "Well spoken. A kid like you ought to be in school."

"Maybe one day," Davey handed him his paper with a smile and fished in his pocket for the change.

"Keep it."

"Thank you, sir!" The man walked off, paper under his arm, and David headed in the other direction. Despite the nice day, mild and warm for early March, a cloud of sadness followed him after the mention of school.

He missed it, honestly. He remembered the thrill of triumph that came with solving a difficult math problem, chatting with his favorite teachers, drinking tea while reading a book on lunch break.

Books. Right. He still had those, a small stash he had saved up before his dad's accident, and his own project. At this, he brightened. He had it alright now. The Newsies were great friends he never had back at school. For being such an awkward outsider, they had accepted him more than any of the other boys, big brains and big mouth, and big ideas, and all. And the job itself wasn't bad. He got fresh air, he played with Les more often too. All the other Newsies were so good with him, and it was nice to not have to babysit all the time.

Life wasn't so hard, but Davey supposed he'd always be stuck between his two worlds. He shook the though away. He had something to look forward to at home, so he quickened his pace and soon rounded the corner into Newsies Square.

Les waved his older brother down as soon as he saw him, and Jack followed close behind.

"Hullo Davey! Jack shouted. "Ya finished for the day?"

Les ran up to show Davey his pockets heavy with coins.

"Yep. I see you've made out like a bandit! That's not Jack's, isn't it?" Davey asked. He suspected that the older Newsie was slipping extra change to Les whenever they sold together. Or maybe that was the just the charm of the famous Jack Kelly that could supposedly sell a 50 papes a day.

"Naw, Dave, how could you accuse me of such a thing?" Jack feigned offense but his smile gave away the joke. "Your brother is quite a natural."

"Thanks for selling with him today."

"It's my professional pleasure."

Davey grinned and fished the coins out of his pocket, carefully counting and splitting the difference to share with Jack, before turning to his brother. "Les!" Let's get going. Mom and dad want us home for dinner!"

At the mention of their parents, Davey noticed a flash of sadness come over Jack's face. It was instantaneous, but unmistakable. "Have a nice night then!" He said, turning to go and plastering a smile on his face.

"Have a nice night," Davey said. He started away, before turning back suddenly. "You know my offer still stands, right?"

"What?"

"When we first met, and you found out that we had folks, I invited you over for dinner. Or any of the Newsies for that matter. My parents would love to meet you all, and my sisters make enough food to feed an army. Besides, everyone's dyin to meet the famous Jack Kelly who's done so much for us the past few weeks. The little kids live for Les's stories about you."

"Thanks, really, but I've got plans with Katherine tomorrow," Jack said. "And we wouldn't want to intrude."

"Nah, that was all you. I wouldn't want to be a bother."

"They love you already. Ma used to be an artist, and she loves seeing your cartoons in the paper. You have to come."

Jack hesitated for a second at the mention of his art. He was still self-conscious about it, and Davey couldn't blame him. "I'd love to Dave, but I've got plans with Katherine tomorrow at Jacobi's. And I wouldn't want to eat up your food."

"Bring her along! Ma makes enough to feed an army."

"Alright! Alright! I'll ask her."

I smile. "I'll let Ma know you're both coming. See you tomorrow!"

Getting home took nearly half an hour because Les kept getting distracted, but Davey finally succeeded in herding his younger brother back to their small apartment in uptown Manhattan. The house was a bit chaotic, as usual, and the boys quickly set to work helping Sarah and their mom with dinner. Davey ate quickly, and as soon as the dishes had been cleared from the table, he went to the bed that he and Les shared and pulled a small box from underneath it. Inside were a pile of old school notebooks, the newspaper from the strike with Katherine's article and their front-page picture – above the fold - and more recently added, the blank sheets of that bound pape stacks each morning. Each was covered in rows of neat, cramped writing and folded neatly to prevent tearing. Davey fished out a blank page and pencil, and sat back down at the table to write.

He had been working on the story for years, in between classes at school and late at night after his homework or paper selling had been finished. Tonight, he'd finally reached the climax, and the scenes he drafted mentally while shouting on the street corner were itching to escape the pen. Soon he was lost in his own world as the shouting of his younger siblings faded into the background.

Tomas whacked the boiler with his wrench once before turning to the others. "I think it'll hold for a little while."

"Long enough to get into harbor?"

"If it doesn't, we're captured. If it works too well, we're blown to bits. We don't got much of a choice here. Fire her up!"

The engine roars to life and the ship starts to inch forward. The captain clapped Tomas on the back and they went up to the deck. The fresh smell of sea air and wind met their tired faces. "You've done it again, laddie."

Someone touched Davey's shoulder and he shot up, pen scratching across the page. He frowned and tired to wipe it away before looking up to see his mother standing over him with a lamp.

"It's near dark out. Go to bed."

"Just a minute more?"

"Bed."

Davey sighed and carefully folded the pages to keep them safe before putting them back in the box and smiling. There were three more finished pages now, and he was thankful that his siblings had left him alone for as long as they did tonight; he didn't normally get that much uninterrupted time. Or maybe he was just being oblivious. He held the box to his side and kissed his mother, father, and sisters goodnight before moving to his bed and tucked the stories away.

He swore he could smell sea salt as he slipped into sleep.

The next night after work, Les and Davey met Jack and Katherine in Newsies Square. She was wearing a smart business dress, since she came right from work at the Sun, and she was trying, vainly, to get the last of the dirt off of Jack's face. Soon enough, they were climbing the rickety stairs to the Jacob's apartment, trying to keep pace with Les who wouldn't stop babbling about something or other.

With each step, Davey's nerves wore. Why did he think this was a good idea? Katherine's an heiress. She's probably got a full staff of chefs to wait on her if she pleases. And Jack? He'll be grateful for a free meal, but his manners aren't the most… refined. Davey just prayed he wouldn't rub Ma the wrong way. He didn't have much more time to overthink as Les threw open their front door.

"Ma! We're home! Gee, that smells great!" He shouted. Ma gave him a hug and then straightened up to greet her guests. The younger kids were busy cleaning and setting the table. Davey's eyes widened. He had never seen them all working at the same time before, and not bickering. Ma must have worked a miracle to make that happen.

"Mr. Kelly! Ms. Puli- Plumber! I'm so proud to make your acquaintance! Welcome!" Ms. Jacobs eagerly shook Katherine's hand, then Jack's. He wiped his hand off on his pants first. Davey resisted the urge to groan, before noticing his dad. He struggled to stand from his chair in the corner, and began to hobble his way across the small room to meet their guests. Davey rushed to him and grabbed his arm, then guided him to the table.

Soon the younger siblings lost interest in their jobs and started crowding around to introduce themselves. Davey quickly quieted them down.

"Hey! Settle. Jack, Katherine, these are the rest of my siblings. Sarah's 16, and the second mom really-" a cute girl with dark curly hair gave a shy wave from where she stood by the stove – "Then there's Rebecca and Anna – they'd be the two chatterboxes. You know Les. Marie is around here somewhere, she's 5, and then there's the baby twins. Where are they?" Davey pointed to the other siblings as he called out their names and looked around for the missing little ones.

"The young'uns are sleeping. I fed them before you got home," Ma explained. "Dinner should be ready soon, right?" She gave her middle children a good long stare and they jumped back to their jobs.

Jack's head spun as he tried to take in the chaos of the small room. "Man, Dave! I dunno how you keep 'em all straight in your head."

"Neither do I. Though you manage to keep track of all the Newsies, that should count for something."

The Jacobs didn't waste much time on the niceties, in part due to Les urging them all to supper. Soon they took their seats at the table and dug into Ma's pierogis and golampkis – foods from their old home in Poland, and from the way Jack was squinting at his plate, Davey could tell he had never tried them. He ate his serving eagerly, and Ma piled on more food before he could ask for seconds.

"Ms. Jacobs, this must be the best food this side of Manhattan," he declares.

"That's why I married her," Their father said. Katherine and Jack exchanged a look and started laughing.

Eventually, once everyone's appetites had been satisfied and Ma's sixth offer for more food had been turned down, Davey's nerves were a little less on edge. Jack was great with the younger kids, and they had all gone to play cards with Pa. Sarah was chattering off Katherine's ear with questions about work and the business world, and Kath seemed pleased to have another girl find interest in her writing. Ma listened for a moment before interrupting.

"You're such a wonderful writer, Katherine! We've seen a few of the papers that the boys bring home. Has David every shown you his work?"

"Ma!" Davey hissed, but it was too late. Katherine looked at him expectantly, and he felt his ears go red with embarrassment.

"You write? You never told me!" Katherine grinned, and Sarah tried to stifle a laugh.

"Not really," Davey rubbed the back of his head awkwardly. "Not like you do, as a journalist, obviously."

"You write great stories though," Sarah volunteered. "He reads 'em to us sometimes as bedtime stories. The littles love'em!" Davey glared at his sister, who just gave his mother a conspiratorial wink.

"You're an author!" Katherine exclaimed. Davey stared at the table where suddenly the silverware was the most interesting thing in the room. "David, that's amazing! Would you let me read them? Once you're done of course?"

Davey gave his Ma and sister a 'don't you dare' look. They shrugged and got up to chat with Jack about his art in between rounds of their card game, leaving Davey and Katherine alone for the moment. Jack's cartoons were published occasionally in the Sun right next to Katherine's articles, and it was doing wonders for circulation.

Davey turned back to her now, weighing his options. He didn't want to disappoint her if he didn't let her read it, and he didn't think it was really that great. Katherine was published, and Davey respected her for all she'd accomplished.

"I've got one finished, but it's not great. They're…" he hesitated. "They're kind of silly. Science fiction adventure sort of things, really."

"Ooh, the next Jules Verne," she jokes. "Fascinating stuff, especially now at the turn of the century!"

Davey laughed. "If I'm going to trust anyone with my writing, I'd like it to be you," he admitted, and quickly got up to retrieve his manuscript. Katherine smiled and took it eagerly when he got back, eyes skimming quickly over the close lines of Davey's cramped, neat, handwriting. He left the table to distract himself with the card game. Les beat him twice before he started to actually pay attention, but he kept sneaking glances back at Katherine over his shoulder. She was smiling down at the page.

A lot had changed in the past few days.

Eventually, Davey got his mind off of his story and started to beat Les again. Jack rejoined the game, and soon they were shouting at each other and banging on the table with each good play. Rebecca and Anna shrieked and threw dice at each other as Ma smiled at their antics.

Davey realized that this he hadn't really played in ages. Mom always told him he grew up too fast. Sarah too. Maybe she's right, but all he knew was that for the first time in a long time, he didn't feel anxious.

It felt really good.

Davey tried to hide a grin as Les played his next hand. If he played this right, he could stick Jack with the queen of spades and win the whole game. Suddenly a cry from Katherine shook him out of the game.

"I finished!" A wild grin spread over her face as she finished skimming the last paragraph. Davey dropped his cards, unsure of how to take this.

"Was it alright? I mean, it's not terribly sophisticated stuff, and I'm not very good at this yet," he started to say before Katherine cut him off.

"This is incredible! You have to publish this!"

Davey didn't know what he was expecting out of her, but that wasn't it. "Publish?" he laughed. "I can't publish this! It's…" he searched for the right word. "Elementary."

"No, it's wonderful. The plot is well executed – I never saw the twist coming – and I love all the characters. You're a fantastic author, David." The look on Katherine's face was so earnest, he almost couldn't believe it.

"Maybe it's alright for a first piece, but really, Kath? Me? Publish?"

"I know a few writers who have their stories published chapter by chapter in the paper. I'm sure if you sent in an excerpt and a query, you'd be given a place. I can help you!"

"That's not a bad offer to pass up, Davey," Jack said. "Besides, when she gets her mind on something, there's not a lot we can do to stop her."

"I can't put my writing in the pape, then go hawking it on the street corners the next day!"

"You wouldn't have to sell them. You'd earn a penny for every two words."

Davey tried to protest but the words refused to form on his tongue. That's… a lot of money. Enough to get Pa medicine. Enough to send Les and the girls back to school He might even be able to go back to school.

But that would mean losing the Newsies.

"I'm sorry, I can't." Davey pushed himself back from the table. "I write for myself, really, not the masses." He quickly collected the pages from Katherine and shoved them back in the box as he gave her a fake smile to hide how shaken he really felt. "Besides. I'm more than happy being a newsboy."

"If you say so. Still, consider it." Katherine realized she had said something to upset her quiet friend, so she relented. Davey breathed a silent sigh of relief as she continued to speak, "Now deal me in. I'm about to show you how to really win Hearts."

"You've already won mine," Jack flirts, sliding the ace in her direction. Ma and Pa cooed at the lovebirds as the girls laughed and Les made a gagging sound. Katherine takes the card and slides it into her hand with a coy smile.

"You're going down, Kelly."

Davey couldn't focus on the game and the rest of the evening passed in a blur. Before he knew what had happened, he'd already shown Jack and Katherine home and he was back in his own bed with Les snoring beside him.

Ma tried to talk to her son a few times throughout the night, but it was obvious that he was upset, and soon she left him alone to think. Overthink really, but that seemed to be the norm nowadays. Davey stared at the ceiling. He really should be thrilled that Katherine like the story. He worked so hard on it, spent hours bent over his desk, meticulously setting down words despite his cramping hand. She really was a fantastic writer in her own right – something made clear multiple times over his few weeks with the Newsies – and her high praise meant a lot. And if she liked it, how many other people would too?

Davey always dreamed of people loving his work. He'd always wanted to entertain people, the same way he stayed up late at night, squinting over the pages of 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. It would be a dream come true to be published. Imagine someone finishing a chapter in the paper and throwing it to the ground as they realize they'd have to wait a whole week to read the next part.

And then there's the money. One book is already done – it's short, but it'd be enough to last a month or two of publications, and by that time, he'd be able to finish his current one. After Da's accident, he'd really been the head of the household, and it would make life so much easier on Ma and Sarah and the rest of them. He could get a real education at University.

But of course, school would mean leaving the Newsies, and that thought immediately banished the idea of publication. He didn't have many friends back at school, always the shy, bookish one in the back of class, and one day it was all gone. Da was laid up with a bum leg and suddenly Davey had to make sure his family didn't starve. He had no idea what he was doing when he had shown up for that first day of work, and within two days, he was leading a strike.

The rough and tumble boys he'd never given the time of day to before just up and accepted him as their brains and trusted him with their lives. He could never leave them. Not for the world. Not after all they'd gone through together.

His family was scraping by alright with the money from selling and Sarah and Mom's jobs at the factory. He could learn from books. He'd save up, one day make enough money to get his dad the medicine he needed and his sisters the education they deserved. He'd have to make things work where they were. He'd have to.

Author's Note:

Hey guys! Thank you for reading and I hope you like this story! I'm the oldest of five kids, grand-daughter to Polish immigrants, and the nerdy mom-friend in my friend-group, so I relate to Davey more than most. He's always been my favorite character in Newsies, and it annoyed me that he doesn't have as much attention in the fandom (besides shipping). He such a dynamic character with so much development over the course of the musical, and I decided to take matters into my own hands.

Since I relate to Davey so much, I apologize if this at all reads as self-insert - I promise I'm trying to keep him and all the others as in-character as possible. I'm still fairly new to fic writing, and have a lot of room for improvement. If you don't mind, please leave a review or constructive criticism so I can do a better job paying tribute to this incredible musical in the future.

Next up – Davey and Crutchie act as the mom-friends to some younger Newsies in trouble.