Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies or any of its characters, Disney does. I own Maria and Elizabeth Rainy/Pirate Ann MacTanner Delancey, and Emily "Floaty" McGongle.

A/N: Im almost finished with the last chapter of the Vampires' War by ChocolateCoveredJockey and myself. I hope ya'll like this story too. At first Elizabeth "Pirate" seems a little...too normal? But when the chapters go on you're gonna see she's anything but normal.

I hope they're gone, she thought to herself as she peeked around the corner of the alley way she had been hiding in. Her sandy brown hair looked darker in the shadows, her emerald green eyes always seemed bright and happy. She glanced from left to right, I don't see them anymore...Maybe they are gone? Still I'd better wait just a minute more to make sure...one thousand one, one thousand two, aw heck, I'm just gonna book it! After that last thought she ran back towards her mother's apartment, her heart pounding. When she finally reached the front door of her apartment she froze and straightened her long sleeve white blouse, her dark brown skirt, and made sure to knock the mud off her boots. She stood straight and made sure her hair was still in a bun.

When she opened the door her mother's voice called out, "Elizabeth Ann Delancey! March in here right now, young lady."

"Dang it," Elizabeth whispered as she closed the door behind her, she walked into the kitchen, "yes mother?"

"Where were you?" Her mother, a tall woman in her late thirties, asked.

"I...I..." Elizabeth stammered then glanced over to see her two cousins, Oscar and Morris Delancey, leaning against the wall smirks on both their faces.

"You were with those street rats again," her mother commented, her blonde hair that was in a tight bun rarely ever seemed to move when she walked or did anything. As she turned towards Elizabeth her light blue eyes flashed the color of ice in anger. Her face was narrow, her face tight with anger; she had a white apron on over her dark blue dress with flower print on it; her feet were also in brown leather boots. "Elizabeth, how do you expect to marry a decent man with money if you continue to stay friends with those street rats? Just being in their prescence takes you down to their level. You are far higher up then they are, in looks, education, the way you act and present yourself."

"Mother, my frien-"

"No, young lady, they are not your friends," Elizbeth's eyes narrowed, "now march to your room and change. You're very lucky for your cousins they have found a man who is in search of a good wife. He's Mr. Pulitzer's nephew, and if you don't put your make up on right I'll put it on for you."

Elizabeth stared at her mother, her eyes shining with anger before, turning and glaring at her cousins.

"Don't look at me, sweet face," Oscar smirked, "I'se jist watchin' out for ya."

Elizabeth sneered at him before stomping off. Her nickname was Rainy, she and her father had come here to America from Scotland when she was six. When she was thirteen he had married the wicked witch of the west, then three years ago he had died and left her with the evil step mother and her winged monkey nephews.

"Come on tootsie, go get dressed, he ain't gonna wait all day for ya," Morris's voice scowled, though on his lips was a smile bigger than Manhattan.

Elizabeth marched to her room and slammed the door shut, she paused and jammed her desk hair under the door handle. She had promised her father three years ago on his death bed she'd live under Maria's roof, do what she said, but she was seventeen now! She was so sick of being trapped under that woman's finger, do this, do that, oh you can't be around those chimney sweepers! Those chimney sweepers were her best friends! She had been a Chimney Sweep Girl before her father had married a lower middle class woman, Maria! The chimney sweepers had made it known, though, that they didn't want her to come back; she had run off and stayed with them and cleaned chimneys for about a week last year, then her so called 'cousins' found her and brought her straight back to Maria.

Hate and anger twisted at her heart, her eyes welled with tears; she wiped them away and glanced at herself in her dresser mirror. Her hair had fallen from its bun part way, her eyes showed all too clearly how she was feeling, her face was slightly cherubic like her father's.

"No crying, Elizabeth," she whispered to herself, "no more pitying yourself, it's time to do something about it." She glanced to make sure noone was missing her yet, then closed her curtains over her windows incase Oscar and Morris figured out they couldnt get in through her room door and tried the fire escape. She could say she was changing and doing her make up, that beauty using make up didn't happen in just a mere minute, it was artwork, it took a while. That's what her real mother, who had died before she and her father had come to America, said when she was putting on her make up.

Elizabeth grabbed the sides of a loose floor board and tugged up and reached into her hiding place, she took out her father's clothes, boots, and cap. She also took out the last thing she had of her mother's, a St. Benedict medal. Her father had given it to her a week before he died, saying since it was her mother's, it should go to her. Maria wanted it, but Elizabeth had quickly put it away so she couldn't find it. She changed out of her skirt, blouse and boots into an old stained grey short sleeved button down shirt; brown courteroy trousers; green suspenders; a light brown vest; and brown boots; and put the St. Benedict medal on around her neck and hid it under her shirt. She tucked her hair under her cap and pulled the brim down so a shadow covered half of her upper face.

She looked in the mirror at herself and couldn't help but smiling, this was how she used to dress when her father was alive...His little tomboy he always called her. She opened her curtains and climbed out the fire escape and ran, where could she go though? She knew how hard it was to find a place to stay overnight, most factories had boarding houses. Factories, however, were the places to work if you had a death wish.

"Hey woa dere, fella! Watch wheah yas goin!" Snapped a new voice.

"I'm sorry," Elizabeth exclaimed before looking up to meet the bluest eyes she had ever seen in her entire life. The blue eyes belonged to a short irish boy with red suspenders, a blue shirt, brown pants, dark brown boots, and a cane threaded through his belt loop. A grey and white newsboy cap sat on top of his head, under his left arm was a large stack of papers. A newsie, Elizabeth thought to herself, of course! The newsies lodging house! They're letting girls stay there now too!

"Well, fella wid da high voice, can ya speak or jist stare?" The kid asked.

"S-Sorry," Elizabeth exclaimed trying to lower her voice to make it sound like a boy's, "I'm - I'se just in a hurry dat's awll." It took her minute to recall her street accent; any time she had used it in the last few years Maria washed her mouth out with soap.

The kid stared at her, "wait a second, youse ain't no guy-"

"Look da Delanceys!" She pointed behind him at an empty street, she knew every kid in New York knew the Delancey Brothers. They wrecked havoc everywhere, however they were most fond of harassing the newsies...Until one newsboy, a kid named Cowboy Jack Kelly, stood up to them and harassed them back.

"Huh?" The kid asked, whipping around, Elizabeth ran as fast as she could, and quickly mixed in with a crowd of factory workers on their way back from lunch. The kid looked for her before shaking his head and muttering something, then walking off. Elizabeth made her way out of the crowd and tried to remember where she had seen that lodging house. Delancey Street. She had been on Delancey Street (why was it no matter where she went a reminder of her cousins always seemed to follow her?)

She walked towards Delancey street, she paused and made sure she still had the last of chimney sweep money from three years ago. She heard her pocket jingling as she shook it, she reached in and pulled out five pennies, a nickel, and two quarters. I hope this will be enough...It's all I have..Maybe that distrubution office is op--awww crud! Oscar and Morris work there now! So does Maria's brother! She groaned when she finally reached the newsie lodging house and sat down on the side walk, she didn't have a choice, she was going to either jump on a train that was heading to New Jersey or somewhere else, or work in a factory. She heard Mr. Snyder was looking for someone to help clean the refuge, feed the kids there and all. She frowned and realized he couldn't do that last choice either, Oscar and Morris gladly worked part time for Snyder and brought in homeless children to the Refuge who did nothing wrong. It was just because the state paid him money for the kids, he pocketed most of the money for himself and barely the fed the kids or clothed the kids.

Oscar and Morris were all too happy to supply Snyder with all the children he needed. That idea was out of the picture. Either a factory or it was time to try to catch a train, no way was she going back to Maria.

"Hey!"

She looked up to see that kid with the cane walking towards the lodging house, only now his papers were gone. She paled and prepared to take off.

"Oh no youse don't!" He exclaimed grabbing the back of her suspenders.

Elizabeth looked up at him, "I-I-"

"I'se know youse.." he paused then took off her hat before she could stop him, her brown hair tumbled down around her. "Put da hair up, hey youse da Delanceys' cousin!" His eyes flashed with anger.

"I'm not here for them!" She exclaimed, "I needed to get away from them and their Aunt, whose my adopted step mother."

"Youse step mudda is Maria? Jeesh, I'se would run off too, no wondah ya didn't want me catchin' youse," the kid replied before letting her suspenders go, "I'se Spot Conlon, King Of Brooklyn."

Since when does Brooklyn have a king? Elizabeth wondered to herself.

"So ya gonna be a newsie?" Spot asked.

"I don't think I can," she replied, "my Uncle Wiesel works at the Distrubution center, so does Oscar and Morris."

"Well, I'se got news," Spot exclaimed, an eyebrow raised, "dey won't rat ya out. Deys hate Maria."

"They sure seem fond of her when it comes to bringing me back to her," Elizabeth replied.

"Only 'cause it saves dem from bein' yelled at. Me guess is dat woman won't even lift a fingah ta find ya, she's probably out right now lookin' ta marry some odda guy."

Elizabeth shrugged, she knew he was right though. Maria had already told Elizabeth after her first escape that next time she ran off, she wouldn't bother trying to find her. She'd just move on and marry another man, that if Elizabeth didn't want the high life that was her own silly fault. Elizabeth knew all too much about the rich thanks to Maria always pretending to be rich. She liked being herself and dressing the way she wanted too, act the way she wanted too, be friends with who she wanted to be friends with.

"So ya wanna stay heah or in Brooklyn?"

"Yer offering me a place to stay?" Elizabeth asked, letting the accent of 'an educated girl' drop.

"Yeah," Spot replied, "but tanight I'se stayin' heah need ta talk ta Jacky-Boy 'bout some t'ings."

"If I don' like it heah, can I come ta Brooklyn?"

"Yeah," Spot replied, "no problem, can ya hit good?"

"Yea...Why?"

"Jist askin' cause I'se saw Morris's face da odda day wid a huge shinah," Spot replied with a smirk.

"He called me sweet face and pinched me bum," Elizabeth replied in anger, "and he's Maria's cousin and that makes him-"

"Yeah," replied Spot, "but not by blood, jist by name, so it don't matter."

Elizabeth nodded.

"So we'se gonna stand out heah awll evenin' chattin' or do youse wanna go in?"

"In," replied Elizabeth, she eyed Spot couldn't help but think he was very nice looking.

"Good cause I ain't only heah ta see Jacky-Boy, I'se heah ta see me goilfriend too."

"G-Girlriend?" Elizabeth found herself asking, I shouldnt be thinking of a romantic interest right now anyway! I need to be more concerned with making enough money to survive and keeping a roof over my head!

"Yeah," Spot smirked, "don't worry all da girls hate da fact I'se datin' her. She don't know it yet, but she's gonna be da Queen of Brooklyn."

"You're asking her to marry you?"

"No," Spot replied, wrinkling his nose, "I'se askin' her ta move ta Brooklyn wid me! She can be leadah of da newsgoils dere."

For a long moment Elizabeth thought he was being sarcastic, then realized he was telling the truth. The Chimney Sweepers and the Newsies were definatley worlds apart.

She walked into the lodging house with Spot and looked around, the lobby was large and seemed pretty empty at the moment, except for an older man sitting behind a desk smiling up at the two. Then, sitting down on the bottom stair of the starwell was a newsgirl with firey red hair, she was reading a book. Elizabeth glanced at Spot and saw how his face glowed the moment he saw her.

So that's his girlfriend...She is pretty... Elizabeth said to herself before walking up to the front desk, unsure of what to do or say.

"Hello, you're looking for a place to stay," he smiled.

Elizabeth couldn't help but to smile, the older man seemed so nice, and his voice sounded a lot like her grandfather's, "yeah sir, I am."

"First night is free," he smiled, "den youse pay a penny per night, or seven cents if ya gonna stay awll week. I'se Mr. Kloppman."

"Elizabeth De-" She froze, she hated the fact her father had insisted he take her step mother's last name.

"Delancey," replied Spot for her, "her step mudda is Maria Delancey."

Mr. Kloppman nodded and shook her hand, "it's nice to meet you, Elizabeth. From the looks of you, I'd say youse wanted ta stay around dat woman as much as a rat would wanna be in a mouse trap."

Elizabeth laughed, "I hated living there with her, thank you for lettin' me stay heah Mr. Kloppman."

"No problem, an' jist cawll me Kloppman," he smiled, "newsboys bunkroom is on the left side of da hallway upstaihs, newsgirls bunk room is in the room on da right side of da hallway."

"Thanks," Elizabeth smiled before following Spot.

"Heya Floats," Spot smiled, Elizabeth watched the woman stand up and hug Spot close.

"Heya, Spot," she smiled brightly, "I think you look like Robin Hood."

"Ah, no not him again," Spot replied, his voice edged with jealousy, "he made be jist a story, but ya like him moah dan youse do me!"

"That's not true," Floats replied with a smirk, crossing her arms; she looked over at Elizabeth, "hey."

"Um...Hi," Elizabeth smiled.

"Hi, I'm Floaty," Floaty smiled to her.

"Elizabeth," Elizabeth replied with a smile as she shook the newsgirl's hand.

"D'ya have a nickname yet?" Floaty questioned, Elizabeth heard the thick irish accent in the woman's voice.

"Yeah, before...me dad remarried I worked as a Chimney Sweep girl, dey nicknamed me Rainy."

"Dat's a pretty nickname," Floaty smiled.

"Eh, youse dont seem like a Rainy," Spot replied.

"Spot," Floaty exclaimed.

"No, no, Floats," Spot replied, Elizabeth paused as Spot circled her.

Elizabeth tensed a little, feeling like she was being looked over like a butcher would look at a piece of meat before cutting it. She knew it was silly to feel that way, but she called it as she saw it.

"Ya look moah like a..." Spot paused, he looked over her, his eyebrows coming together as he thought.

"A?" Elizabeth asked.

"Ya look like dat lady pirate dats in Floatys books, what was her name?"

"Which one? Mary Reed or Anne Bonny?" Floaty asked.

"Eh," Spot paused, "I'se know! Pirate! Youse look like a pirate!"

"I DO NOT!" Elizabeth replied looking over herself, "I look like a kid wid no money."

Floaty burst out laughing, "which is pretty much what we all are," she smiled, "Pirate...it does suit you more dan Rainy does."

"What's wrong wid Rainy?" Elizabeth asked.

"Youse ain't a sad person, yer eyes look too happy," Spot shrugged, "Pirate."

Elizabeth rolled her eyes, "fine," she sighed, "Pirate it is." Followed the two upstairs into the newsboys bunkroom, her eyes went huge. The room was filled with newsies! Boys, girls, men, women, one newsboy looked like he was in his mid-twenties.

"Nevah feah, Brooklyn is heah!" Spot shouted.

Some newsies responded with heys, others with 'whose da newbie,' and some just groaned.

Floaty laughed and whispered to Elizabeth, "he gets that a lot."

"Heya fellas listen up, dis heahs da new newsie, Pirate Delancey! Befoah ya go kickin' her out ta da curb her step mudda is Maria Delancey. Pirate's fadda married da woman, he musta been drunk as a skunk!" Spot exclaimed.

"I'm nothin' like Maria, and if it helps Osca' and Morris are on da top of my 'most hated' list."

The newsies laughed.

"I think dey like youse," Spot smirked.

"Heya Brooklyn," a tall blonde haired kid exclaimed as he walked over, he was dressed like a cowboy. Elizabeth - Pirate now - knew he who was, the one who always got on Oscar and Morris's nerves to no end; Jack 'Cowboy' Kelly. She liked him already.

"So whose dis again?"

"Pirate," Pirate replied.

"Well, Pirate, yas earn a badge havin' lived wid a Delancey an' takin' 'er last name," Jack smirked, "I'se Cowboy Jack Kelly. Whats yer real name?"

"Elizabeth Ann MacTanner Delancey," Pirate replied.

"MacTannah, MacTannah, name sounds familiar," Jack muttered, "Oh yeah, he was in da papes a few yeahs ago 'e nearly burned down his factory a few yeahs ago. Speakin' of him, wheah is he?"

Pirate paused, "he died...Three years ago."

"Oh geez, I'se sorry," Jack replied, sympathy in his eyes.

"It's alright, you didn't know," Pirate replied with a smile.

"Hey! Race!" Jack shouted, "come meet Pirate, show her around da lodgin house!"

Pirate watched as a short itilian boy made his way over to her, he had a cigar stump stuck in his mouth, she couldn't help but to stare. He put Spot's looks to shame. Holy wow-wow was ever handsome.

"Racetrack Higgins, meet Pirate Delancey," Jack smiled.

"Heya," Race smiled, shaking her hand, "ya like ta play pokah?"

"Uh...Don't know how ta play it, I'd like ta learn dough," Pirate replied with a smile and a shrug, her face was on fire.

"A goil whose willin' ta learn, dat I'se like!" Racetrack smiled, he paused, "youse ok? Yer face is awll red."

Floaty chuckled from next to Pirate, "she's fine, Race."

"Ya shoah? Her face is awll red," Race replied, concern in his dark brown eyes, "youse got dem...uh..whatchamacallits...Ali-geys?"

"Allergies, Race," Jack replied with a laugh.

"No," Pirate replied.

"Open ya eyes Race!" A kid with an eyepatch exclaimed from the table where a poker game was in full play, "she likes ya!"

Pirate blushed harder and wished the kid could learn to keep his mouth shut.

"Oh," Race beamed, "well den, let meh show ya around. Foist of awll, let me intraduce ya everyone."

By the time the introductions were all finished Pirate could only remember the name of a handful of newsies: Blink (the big mouth), Mush, Skittery (he seemed to be in a bad mood), Davey (also known to Spot as the Walking Mouth), Les (he and David were brothers they only visited the lodging house they didn't live there), Specs, Jake, Pie Eater, Snoddy, Tumbler, Boots, and Snipe Shooter, and she already knew Spot and Floaty.

"So now on ta da rooms," Race smiled before leading her out of the bunkroom.

Pirate couldn't help but to smile as she followed him, she was starting to feel at home now.