A/N: This is my first fic in a VERY long time. It was writing for the Battery Park Lodging House fic contest. I do not own newsies. I do own Scotch and SS , and I have permission to use Star (hope I did her well). My apologizes if this fic falls short of expectations or contest requirements.
It was a bitterly cold day in New York. Scotch stood under the awning of the pub he just left. His coat pulled tightly around him. His cap pulled down as far as it would go. He frowned watching as a light snow started falling. That was just great. He had at least two blocks back to his place. May be more. He was staying at the Battery Park Lodging house. He hadn't been there. He wouldn't have ended up there, if he hadn't of ran out of other options. He couldn't complain too much. It wasn't so bad. The lack of privacy wasn't ideal, but it wasn't like he had much he wanted to hide, and if it was just a matter of not wanting to be around other people, there was always the option of leaving until curfew and then just going back in time for bed. This is what he had been intending to do today until the weather took a turn for the worse. Well it wasn't going to get any better just standing here. It was either go now or stand outside all night. And he certainly had no intentions of doing that. He rolled his eyes, kind of laughing at himself for acting like such a sissy. It was a little snow, not like it was going to kill him. So, stuffing his hands into his pockets he stepped out onto the side walk and headed back towards the Battery.
He had gotten may be made it a block when he saw a young girl standing at the door of one of the tenements. Banging on the door with all her might. She was yelling at someone to let her inside. Scotch stopped a moment. Something about the situation felt off to him. The girl was hardly dressed for this kind of weather. She wore a thin little dress with no coat, nothing covering her head.
SS shivered and rubbed her upper arms as she banged on the door once more. Her and her father had just recently moved into this place after leaving Manhattan. This time she thought things might turn out differently. That may be he would stop the yelling, that he would keep a job, and they could finally be a family again. But things only seemed to have gotten worse. He was drinking now, heavily and took whatever money he brought in, and when he found it, it took every dime she managed to save. "Papa, open the door. Please!" she pleaded as she hit the door again with both fist. "It's startin' ta snow, papa!" she frowned and leaned her head against the door. Finally, it opened and her father stood there over her. Glaring down at her. He pushed her back from the door. "I told ya to get out. I can' afford ta keep ya up any longer." SS stared at him. What? "Papa? I've been workin' bringing home money fer both of us." She sighed and took a step back though. There was no use. Not when he was like this. When she stepped back there door slammed with a thud and locked with a clink. SS sat down on the steps. What was she going to do now? She had no where to go. Not tonight anyway. Tears filled her eyes and she sat there, arms wrapped around her.
Scotch couldn't believe what he had just witnessed. No, actually he could believe it. That was what made it worse. Scotch could be a jerk at times, but he would never mistreat a lady. He did not like to see others treating girls badly or raising a hand to them. That was just he found inexcusable. This poor girl looked as if this was not the first time an incident like this had occurred. She looked as if she had no one to turn to. He could not stand there and do nothing. Most people would. They would just walk on as if nothing happened. They would not want to get involved. He however, could not do that.
He walked over and stepped up onto the steps. He looked down at SS. The poor girl was freezing. She looked like she could really use a friend. He took his coat off and wrapped it around her shoulders. "Ya looked like ya could use that." He gave her a little smile. SS looked up, blinking back tears. She bit her lip and stared up at Scotch. "Thanks. but I can'..." Scotch shook his head. "No, I insist'." He sat down next to her. "I know it ain'my business, but I couldn't help but see wha'just happened. Do ya have someplace ya can go?" he asked. SS shifted a bit away from him, when he sat down she could smell the alcohol on him. He smelled like her father. But he wasn't acting like him. He was actually being nice to her, and seemed almost genuinely concerned about her. Still biting her lip she looked at him a bit cautiously and a bit nervously. "I could go back to Manhattan. Mush would help me…he would let me stay at the lodging house, but it's too late and the weather's to bad ta get there tonight."
He listened and nodded. Manhattan? He had stayed there before. For a night or two. They weren't bad people. He liked them better than the did the people in Brooklyn. He had no use for those boys, but he let them be if they let him be. "Manhattan huh? Mush? A newsie I take it? He yer boyfriend?" he teased a bit, trying to make her feel a bit more at ease. SS blushed and looked down at her hands. "He's..my friend, and he is a boy. So, I guess he could be my boyfriend." Scotch laughed a little. "I see. Well, you can' stay out here all night. You'd catch yer death of cold or somethin'worse." He stood up and took her hand, pulling her to her feet. "C'mon. Come back wid me. I'm sure the girls at the Battery would let ya stay for the night, and tomorrow I'll personally take ya back to Manhattan."
SS looked up at him a bit unsure when he took her hand. She started to pull it back, but she didn't. She was cold and tired and she just wanted to get warm and get out of here. Back to the place and the people that made her feel safe and wanted. "The Battery? Tha's not far, right? Just down the block?" Surely she could trust him that far? Right? Scotch nodded. "Tha's the place. A good group of people there."
SS sighed and nodded and kept her gaze down. "All righ'. I guess I don'ave much of a choice huh.." She brushed away a stray tear. So, bundled up in Scotch's coat the pair headed back down the snow covered streets. Their destination the Battery Park Lodging house. The walk was in mostly silence. Scotch would talk a bit, asking SS a few questions. Trying to get her to talk, but he didn't push her. When she said what she had to say if silence feel between them again. He let it stay. It wasn't really an awkward silence. So, he didn't mind. Despite the slippery streets they made good time in reaching the lodging house.
Scotch opened the door to the lodging house and let SS inside. He followed behind her. He looked around for anyone. He finally spotted someone. Well he spotted the top of a blonde head poking above the top of her journal. He grinned. "Star? Tha' you, or has your journal finally eattin'ya?" he teased walking over to her. Star looked up from her journal, rolling her eyes at Scotch. She opened her to mouth to make a remark back to him, but something caught her attention. "Scotch, we can' let you go anywhere. You always come back with a new person." She stood up sitting her journal down and walking over to SS. "Now before ya go judging me character. This here is SS. I found her sitting on the street. She needs a place ta stay for the night."
SS eyed Star and Scotch. Was there something between them? The way they bantered back and forth it seemed almost like there was. She looked away as they both approached and started talking. She looked up nervously. "He told me that it woul'be ok. I can go if there..if it's too much trouble."
The poor girl looked half frozen and scared to death. Star shook her head. "No, trouble at all. I think we'ave an open bunk tonight. But tha's no matter. If ya need a place to stay, it ain'fit for no one out there tonight." She put a hand on SS's shoulder. "C'mon now, let's get you settled." SS nodded. "All righ'if yer sure it ain't no trouble."
Star lead SS to the girls bunkroom. She showed the empty bunk. Not much was said between the girls. Star could sense SS was a bit uncomfortable and she did not want to make it worse by talking too much. "Ya can stay heah, and I'll go see if I can'find ya some warm dry clothes." She gave SS a little smile as she walked off. SS sat down on the bunk pulling Scotch's coat around her tighter. She was still so cold. She looked around the room. It was nice. Nicer than some places she had stayed. It had a warmth about it. May be it was something to do with the people. It had this warm inviting feel. That helped put her more at ease. She looked up as Star returned handing her some clothes. "Thanks, " she whispered softly as she went to change. Star nodded. "All righ'. I let ya have some privacy. When yer done. Come downstairs. I'll get ya somethin'ta eat." She gave a smile then headed out.
Star got the story from Scotch when she got downstairs about what he had seen and why he had brought her back to the Battery. Star gave Scotch credit. He could be a real good guy when he wanted.
A little while later SS came back stairs. To the smell of something wonderful. She found Star who had sat a bowl of hot stew on a table. "Heah ya go. This ought ta warm ya right up." She smiled. SS sat down and took in the aroma of the sfew and let the steam warm her face. "Thank you, ya didn'ave to go to so much trouble." She said meekly. "It was no trouble at all. I enjoy cookin'." She smiled. Star sat down with SS as she ate. The two began to talk. SS told Star all about how she had ended up in New York, all about her father. She just opened to her like she had done with no one else. With the exception of Mush. That got a whole new conversation going. Boys. The girls laughed and talked way up into the night. It was nice. Star had this way of making SS's feel at ease. It was almost like they had known each other, and were just old friends catching up after a long absence. Eventually, the girls ended their late night chat and headed to bed. It had been a long day.
SS was up bright and early the next morning. She had made her bed and changed back into her own clothes. She folded the ones Star had loaned her and laid them on the bunk. She crept downstairs. The sun was shining. Hopefully, the day would be a bit warmer than the previous and may be some of the snow would melt. She stood staring out the window. Watching the world outside begin a new day. "Yer up early. Anxioius ta leave are ya?" she heard a gruff voice say, and she turned to see Scotch. Who looked half asleep. He rubbed his face and stretched. She smiled a little. "I couldn'sleep and may be I am anxious." She shrugged. She wanted to go to Manhattan, she wanted to see Mush, but now. She hated to leave here. She had actually made a new friend here. Star, and may be even Scotch. "Right'then. We'll be on our way in a few moments." SS's nodded. She kind of hated to leave without saying good bye, but she wasn't going to wake anyone. She found a piece of paper and scribbed. "Star, thanks for everything. You and Scotch came right along when I really needed a friend. I can'thank ya enough for your acts of kindness towards me. I consider ya me friends now. I hope ta see ya again. SS
She ran back upstairs and laid the note out for Star to find and then she ran back downstairs to met Scotch. "I'm ready now." She smiled. He nodded and held the door open for her. The two stepped out into the early morning light. Manhattan bound.