AN: Finally a non-Spot story…(I know I am just as shocked as you are!) I hope you all enjoy this. I am begging…please…please…please…review this story! I have written very few non-Spot stories (none of them are on this site) and this is my first Skittery story and I want to know what you all think…I also would love suggestions on how to write Skittery. I want to keep him as true to his character as possible. SO PLEASE REVIEW! Thanks - Emily

The Pessimist's Tree

"The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit"

- Nelson Henderson 1860

Skittery leaned up against a tree weakly. He breathed in deeply to make sure he was still alive. He winced as a sudden pain shot through his ribs. Breathing…he would have to remember not to do that…he thought bitterly. He was sure he had sustained a few broken ribs. He knew he would have a bad shiner forming around his right eye soon. The blood that was soaking his shirt was from his nose which still hadn't stopped bleeding.

He turned around. He was deep in central park. He was surprised when he realized there were very few people around. It didn't bother him though. He would rather suffer in agony without an audience. He wasn't much of a people person anyway. He sighed again…wincing as pain shot through his body. He didn't know how he would make it home. He hurt like he had never before in his entire life. He decided to wait for a little while before trying to make it back to the lodging house.

Time seemed to pass slowly. He waited for what seemed like hours before he decided to attempt to move. He pushed him self against the tree and pulled him self up with his shaky legs. He tried to anchor himself against the tree but he collapsed face forward falling to the ground. He let out a scream as he felt all of his weight fall on to his side. He rolled slowly and grabbed his side where he was now certain his rib was broken. Silent tears formed in his eyes. He tried to blink them away but he couldn't. The pain was agonizing. Ever the optimist he resigned himself to the fact that he would die alone in Central Park and no one would ever know or care. His dark thoughts were interrupted by a voice.

"That looked like it hurt."

Skittery turned his head to try and find the source of the voice. He looked to his left and saw a young girl staring at him with a smile. Her smile made him automatically distrust her. She walked towards him and he instinctively moved into the fetal position and covered his head. He expected the blows to come any minute. He was an easy target for a mugging. He was injured and unable to defend himself. To bad this girl would be disappointed. He had already been mugged today. That was why he was in the position he was in at this very moment.

"I can't really help you when you are like that." The girl said quietly as she kneeled next to him.

Skittery wasn't falling for the girl's act. He didn't move. He didn't open his eyes and he refused to uncover his head. He hoped the girl would just turn and leave but he knew that wishful thinking was a stupid waste of time. He shuddered when he felt a hand gently but strongly pull his arm away from his head. He opened his eye and stared at the girl. She traced her finger across the bruise that was forming around his eye.

"You need some ice on that…and you should tilt your head back to get your nose to stop bleeding." She said quietly but in a comforting tone.

The alarm bells in Skittery's head were going off. Every fiber of his being told him not to trust this girl… then again his instincts always told him to mistrust everyone. He silently weighed his options - it was getting cold and he knew that the fall evenings were enough to freeze a person to death. His options became clear - freeze to death or let the girl help and possibly die. He didn't like his odds but decided to go with the latter. He relaxed his tense muscles as the girl sat waiting for a reply.

"Could you help me up?" He finally spoke. His words were clear and crisp but a certain doubt was laced behind them.

The girl smiled again and nodded. She looked around for a moment. Skittery's eyes went wide as he watched her move to pick up a large branch that had fallen off a tree. He went back quickly into the fetal position. He waited for the blow but nothing seemed to come. He slowly moved his hands from his head. The girl stood over him waiting patiently. The large branch lay next to him.

"You can use that as a crutch for one side and I will help you on the other side." She said it without a trace of sarcasm and Skittery appreciated it greatly. He knew if the shoe had been on the other foot he would have been making fun of the fool who feared a girl and went straight to the fetal position to protect himself. He grabbed the branch and began to painfully pull himself up. She, as she said she would be, was on his other side. He allowed himself, quite hesitantly, to put his weight on her. As he steadied himself they began to take slow steps. She instructed him to hold his head back as well as he could to help with his bleeding nose. They walked slowly and after about fifteen minutes they came to a bench.

"Do you need to rest?" She asked him full of concern.

"No I am…ah…good." He tried to talk but the pain coming from his side was excruciating. He let her slowly guide him to the bench.

"I can take it from here. Thanks for the help." He didn't want to have to rely upon her anymore. He instinctively didn't trust people…it had to be extraordinary circumstances for him to take help from another person. Today was one of those extraordinary circumstances.

"I don't think you are well enough to make it from here." She said uncertain.

"Look I appreciate the help. If you are looking for money or something I can't help you but, I really can take it from here." Skittery said frustrated that the girl had yet to leave his side. He thought he recognized a brief look of hurt but the girl quickly hid it. Her face brightened with a smile.

"No I am not looking for money. Well…I hope you recover quickly. Goodbye." She stood and sent him one more smile before heading off back in the direction they had come from.

Skittery watched in amazement as the girl trotted off. He had expected the worse but by some miracle was still alive. The girl hadn't even wanted anything for helping him. She was an odd one he thought to himself.

He turned his attention back to the situation he was now in. He knew he really couldn't make it back to the lodging house on his own. Maybe he had been foolish to send the girl away but he hadn't wanted to rely on her anymore. Besides she clearly wasn't going in the same direction. He sat for awhile unsure what his next move would be. It was starting to get dark and the temperature was rapidly dropping.

Skittery sat intense. He was trying to talk away his pain and tell himself that he could make it to the lodging house. He started to pull himself up but he stopped as he heard a low pitched whistle. He strained his neck to see who was coming up behind him. He clung tightly to the branch in his hand ready to use the make shift crutch as a weapon.

"Heya Skittery...what the hell happened to you?" Mush asked shocked at his friend's state.

"Yeah you look like crap!" Race added to which he received a smack on the back of the head from Mush.

Skittery felt a great sense of relief wash over him as his grip loosened on the branch.

"Will you two just stop staring and help me home?!" He said it bitterly but he could have shouted for joy at sight of his two friends.

The walk home had been long and painful. As Skittery had expected all of the Manhattan Newsies had jumped up to help him the minute they saw him. They kept hurling questions at him about what had happened and if he was okay. He supposed he should be thankful to have friends who cared so much but he didn't like people to be concerned. He reluctantly let Kloppman give him first aid and soon retired to his usual bunk. He was still in pain and the bandage that was wrapped around his torso seemed to keep him in a constant state of agony but he was happy to be in bed because it meant no more questions of concern from his friends. He tried to close his eyes but the incessant ache he felt through his body seemed to be fighting his will to sleep. He lay there in thought before he finally began to drift away.

He dreamed intense dreams that seemed so real. He imagined he was back in the wooded part of Central Park where he was mugged by a band of scabbers. He suddenly was alone and everything around him went black. He saw something in the distance. It was a white light - as it got closer the light seemed to encompass a figure. As Skittery looked on he could see her. It was the girl who had helped him earlier. She wore a beautiful white gown with simple lace all around it. Her auburn locks glowed as the light from behind her illuminated the long waves the circled her face and went all the way down her back. Her porcelain white skin was accented by her beautiful rose colored cheeks that were laced with freckles. Skittery thought she was, quite possibly, the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. He watched her closely as she came to him and helped him up. He suddenly leaned in and passionately kissed the beauty that stood before him. She did not resist but intensified the kiss.

Skittery suddenly shot up. He yelped in pain. His ribs were the reminder he was back in the real world and no longer in fantasy land. He rubbed his side and began to wonder what that dream had been all about. He hadn't noticed anything out of the ordinary about the girl in the park. She hadn't really seemed like she was an extraordinary beauty…so why had he dreamed her to be? He thought for a moment trying to remember her face. He couldn't get a clear image. He had been in a lot of pain. His focus had been else where…he really hadn't taken the time to look at her. It didn't matter. He slowly lay down trying to push thoughts of his mystery helper aside. He had made the choice to be a lifelong bachelor. He didn't want to be tied down to anyone. He didn't want to ever need anyone or ever be needed anyone.

"That means you can stop thinking about her." He whispered quietly to himself.

He drifted back to sleep only to be awoken by the same reoccurring dream.

"This is gonna be a long night." He said to no one in particular as he sighed and felt the pain intensify in his side. Breathing…yeah he would have to stop doing that.

AN: Yay the first chapter is through. I am excited about where this is going. I have had the idea for it for a while but never wrote it down…and now here it is. The quote at the beginning of the chapter has really leant itself to this story (you will see why in later chapters) anyway it is also the inspiration for the title. I hope you all enjoyed this first chapter. I am again begging for reviews! Please click that little arrow in the bottom left hand side of this window! It will make someone (me) really happy. I really do want to know what you thought of my portrayal of Skittery and how you liked the first chapter of this story overall…Thanks - Emily