~Prologue~
Friendships are an odd thing really.
Some start at childhood with the innocent play of the young.
Some are born of sunshine and happiness.
And others are born of other things,
Stronger things.
Friendships born of flames, cuts, bruises, strife and steel.
I'm gonna tell you a story of a friendship like this.
See those girls right there? The ones sneaking into the train car?
This is their story.
"I tink she's hungry," whispered Requiem Alvarado.
"How can she be hungry?" asked Q Andrews as she leaned against a box "We just ate,"
Requiem took the crying baby from Fib Walker's arms and sighed.
"I'll stay wit her." She said, "You guys betta git some rest."
"Your sure?" asked Sapphire Collins "I can stay up too if ya like."
"No," replied Requiem "You all look like you're about ta drop."
She sat down in front of the open door and sighed heavily.Oh Lily, she thought, you look so much like your mother.
Little Lily had been blessed with the sparkling green eyes and the quicksilver grin of her deceased mother, her raven hair and olive complexion were gifts from her father.
"Oh, don't cry!" she whispered "What was that song ya mudda used ta sing?"
Baby mine, don't you cry
Baby mine, dry your eyes
Rest your head close to my heart
Sapphire wiped a tear from her eyes and bit her lip.
She was tempted to get them off this train and jump-one headed as far from New York City as possible. She knew though that the way they lived was not the kind of life a baby should have to live, besides they had unfinished business in the city.
"Hey Q?" asked Countess Miller.
"Yeah?" whispered Q.
"What do ya tink he's like?"
"Who?"
"Lily's pop."
"Real nice."
"I hope so."
Little one when you play
Don't you mind what they say
Let those eyes sparkle and shine
Countess sighed heavily at the sadness in Requiem's beautiful voice. Lily's mother had been one of Requiem's best friends and her death had nearly destroyed the headstrong Spanish Beauty. Countess knew that this journey to reunite Lily with her dad and to seek vengeance for her mother's death was just as much for Requiem as it was for Lily.
Never a tear, baby of mine
If they knew sweet little you
They'd end up loving you too
All those same people who scold you
What they'd give just for
The right to hold you
Requiem smiled when the baby finally closed her eyes.
From your head to your toes
You're not much, goodness knows
But you're so precious to me
Cute as can be, baby of mine
"Atta goil," she whispered pressing a kiss to Lily's temple.
THE NEXT DAY…..
Fib smiled as the sunlight-streamed acrossed her face.
"Mornin' sunshine," laughed Sapphire.
"Mornin Boss," replied Fib, tying her white gold hair into her standard braid.
"We almost dere?" asked Countess.
"I tink so." Replied Requiem.
Sapphire lifted Lily off the blanket and held her to the window.
"See that, Baby girl? Your poppa lives there," she whispered.
Requiem handed out apples that she had "borrowed" from the dining car.
"Hey!" yelled Q "I tink we're dere!"
"Shit! Already?" yelled Sapphire "Git the stuff, we're gonna hafta run. Ya got da kid?"
Requiem nodded and held on to Lily a little tighter. Sapphire smiled when the train stopped.
"Ready?" she asked "Go!"
Spot Conlon smiled sweetly at a group of highclass women who had just bought papers from him.
"Ooff!" he yelled when he was knocked over by someone running very fast.
"Sorry!" said the girl who had blindsided him.
She was a very tiny girl with a head full of chestnut curls and eyes that were almost silver. She grinned at him and hauled him back onto his feet.
"Countess!" yelled Sapphire "He's right behind you!"
Countess looked back to see the overweight guard slowly closing in. She slid her hand down to her gun then saw that there were too many people around.
"Sorry!" she yelled as she ran away.
The girls finally stopped to rest when they had reached a large park.
"Well goils," said Requiem "Dis here is Central Park. Welcome ta New York City."
She smiled as the others took in the city she had grown up in.
"Wow!" whispered Sapphire.
She had to admit it was bigger than she had imagined.
"Well? What do we do foist?" asked Fib as she sat down under a tree.
"We probably should start by finding Lily's dad." Said Sapphire.
"We're just gonna give her to him?" asked Q, her voice filled with suspicion "What if he's some horrible person?"
"We aint just gonna give her to him," said Sapphire smacking Q lightly "Foist, we're gonna see what he's like."
"How do we go about finding him?" asked Countess.
"Jus so happens, I know where he lives." Said Sapphire.
"Where?" asked Q.
"The Manhattan Newsboy's Lodging House." Replied Sapphire reading off of a small sheet of paper…..
Author's note: This is a rewrite of The Bonds Of Friendship. Don't own newsies, only own the girls.
~Revolution!~