[A/N] Hello! This is a joint Newsies Fanfic written by squeakygirl and YouMustUseTheForce. Sadly we do not own the magical world of Newsies or their characters. We do own the plot and OC's, if you'd like to check out pictures of the cast, Click Here - .com/ -! Please R&R, we would love to hear what you think! *gives you a cookie* Happy Reading!

PS: Italics means flashback

Is Friendship Thicker than Blood?

Ch.1

Jack stood, arms crossed, staring at the bustling train station. His face, although intense, showed his inner anxiousness at seeing her for the first time in twelve years. Mush silently stood by his side, bouncing up and down on his heels. "How long has it been?" He asked, sticking his hands in his pockets.

"Twelve years Mush." Jack sighed. He had been waiting for this moment for most of his life. "Twelve long years…" He forced a smile.

"That's a long time…" Mush looked up at Jack, seeing an uneasy mix of excitement and nervousness in the usually composed leader of the Manhattan newsies.

Jack pulled Mush and Cookie, the only female newsie of Manhattan, aside from the large group of boys pouring into the lodging house after a long day of pedaling the papes. "Listen…" He ran his hand through his hair, looking at the floor.

"Just spill it already Jack." Cookie leaned on Kloppmen's desk.

Jack continued giving the ground a good hard stare "It's a long story." He sighed and looked up at two of his most trusted newsies. "I have a sister. She…when she was little I gave her to some nuns. I couldn't take care of her. She deserved better than…this."

"Jack…" Sadly, Mush whispered.

"I've…kept in touch with her with letters." A sheepish smile spread across Jack's face. "They put her in some school, real hoity-toity stuff." He stopped and looked back at the ground.

"What…?" Cookie huffed, wishing that she could be anywhere else. These were her precious minutes. No papers to sell or poker games. "Is this really…"

"You just…gave her over?" Mush asked, his mouth hanging open slightly.

"She didn't belong in this life Mush. Anyways…um…she's coming here. For the last three years she's been in England." Jack looked up at them looking for a reaction.

"First off, where are we gunna put her? Secondly, how long we talkin?" Cookie seriously asked.

"Well she can stay here right Jack? As long as she wants." Mush asked excitedly.

"Of course Mush." Jack laughed.

"Okay, so she is staying in the lodging house but…where?" Cookie nervously asked.

"Well…." Jack looked back at the floor and ran his hand through his hair. "I was thinking she could stay in your room…..with you." Jack looked back up at Cookie, trying to judge his second in command's reaction.

Cookie started laughing. "You're really funny Jack." She looked at him and saw the seriousness of his face. "You aren't kidding!"

"Oh come on, it'll be great! Another girl in the lodging house and Jack Kelly's sister! Why has she been in England Jack?" Mush smiled and playfully hit Jack in the arm.

Cookie threw up her hands and turned, moving to sit on the steps. Jack rubbed the back of his neck "The nuns sent her over there for some high class music school, trying to make her a real lady or something. I need to tell the rest of the guys but…I wanted to tell you two first. Mush, would you come with me to get her?"

"Yah Jack! No problem!" Mush nodded and started up the stairs, jumping around Cookie.

Jack followed Mush up the stairs and looked back at Cookie. "You coming?"

"Yah, yah I'm coming." Cookie huffed and followed the other two boys up the stairs. By the time Cookie got to the bunk room, Mush had already gathered the boys, telling them that Jack had some big news. Cookie went and stood next to her best friend, Kid Blink.

"Hey listen up!" Jack called over the crowed of guys…and Cookie. "We are getting a new addition to our little family here!"

"Who'd ya find now Jack?" Racetrack called from one of the bunks.

"I didn't find her Race. It's my sister."

There was a murmur among the boys. Jack looked to see some people like Skittery, Cookie's older brother and Racetrack smiling and other people were not so happy.

"Jack, she's not another Cookie is she?" Kid Blink tried to whisper to Jack. He was partially kidding and then again, he was serious. Sadly, Cookie heard what Blink had said.

"Stuff it" Cookie yelled and punched Blink in the arm.

Blink laughed and rubbed his arm looking at one of his best friends laughing. "There ain't anybody out there like you Cookie."

Jack laughed "She's been at school for a bit. But she's coming home now, a real lady. Tomorrow me and Mush is picking her up at Grand Central. Make her feel welcome!"

"Don't worry Jack…we'll take good care of her!" He winked and elbowed Crutchy. While this got quite a laugh out of the newsies, Jack was not amused.

"Race…" Jack glared

Mush stood next to Jack "Hey, don't worry 'bout it. We'll treat her like our own sister, aint that right boys?" Mush looked at the newsies and saw heads nodding in agreement. The only person not in agreement was Cookie. She looked him back in the eye and stomped off to her room and slammed the door.

"Don't worry Jack, give her time, she will calm down. You know that temper of hers could almost rival that of Spot Conlon." Skittery told Jack while patting him on the back.

"Thanks Skittery. You're right." Jack undid his bandana and made his way to his bunk.

"She looking forward to meeting the boys?" Mush tried making small talk to break the awkward silence that fell on the boys as they waited for the train.

"To be honest, she's a little nervous. In her latest letter she mentioned something about…the boys not liking her." Jack took a few steps forward and looked around.

Mush laughed "She doesn't have to be scared of us! She's practically family. So what's her name Jack?"

"Notes…Kelly."

"That her real name?" Mush laughed at Jack.

Jack sighed "Avery…" He hadn't used that name in a long time. Not since he last saw the tearful little girl, her large green eyes staring back at him as he left the church where entrusted her to the nuns. Her unruly brown curls tucked behind her ears, keeping them out of her face. In the distance a train whistle blew snapping Jack out of his memory.

"I guess that's her Jack?" Mush looked at his friend.

"Yah, I guess so." Jack watched as the train pulled up and a flood of passengers stepped out onto the platform.

"Jack, how we gonna know it's her?" Mush asked.

"I don't know? Maybe she'll find you?" A young women's voice said from behind them, a slight British accent could be detected. Jack turned and looked at the young women who stood before him. A very different sight from the little girl he had left so many years ago. Her wild curls had been tamed, the light ringlets falling gently on her shoulders. In her hand was the tattered newspaper clipping of the Newsboy's strike that happened a little over a year ago.

"Avery…" Jack said breathlessly, looking into those same green eyes. She flung herself into his arms.

"I have missed you so much" Avery whispered into her brother's ear as he hugged her tightly.

Jack let her down and took a better look at her. "Well…look at my sister…a proper lady."

"I guess you could say that." She laughed, looking up at her brother. For years she had written to him, hearing about his life as a newsboy. He had changed a lot, and turned into a very handsome young man. "Who is this?" She looked at the boy standing next to Jack.

Jack smiled, trying to adjust to the British inflection "Mush, this is my sister, Notes Kelly." He said proudly.

"Mush Meyers, nice to meet you Notes." Mush smiled and gave her a huge.

Notes laughed and hugged Mush back "Wonderful to meet you Mush."

"We should probably get back to the lodging house it's going to be getting dark soon." Mush grabbed her suitcase and Jack grabbed her bag as the left Grand Central Station.

While they were walking to the lodging house Notes had entertained the two boys with stories from England. She had, indeed, grown up very differently than Jack.

Race, Jack, Mush, and Blink sat on the fire escape as night fell on the Manhattan lodging house. Jack looked thoughtfully up at the sky. "Should we do something special? Dress the place up a bit?"

"Cookie won't like that." Race laughed and stuck his cigar back in his mouth.

Blink gazed at the window "We could get curtains. Girls like curtains don't they?"

"Hey Cookie!" Jack yelled back into the window "Do girls like curtains?"

"How am I sposta know?" Cookie yelled back, followed by the slamming of a door. The boys laughed and continued their discussion.

They had just walked in sight of the lodging when Jack stopped and faced his sister.

"I should warn you sis."

"Warn me about what?" Notes asked looking from Jack, to a hysterical Mush.

"Well Notes, you will be sharing a room with Cookie. She is the only female newsie in Manhattan but she…..um…." Jack looked to Mush for some help and Mush sighed.

"She has a bit of a temper and she is very feisty. She may not take to you right away and whatever you do, don't let her scare you." Mush started laughing again.

Notes looked nervously at Mush and he laughed harder. "Really Notes, don't worry about her. She is just as nervous at meeting you as you are at meeting her."

"You sure Mush?" Notes asked feeling slightly relieved.

"Just give her time." Mush said and took the first steps towards the lodging house.

Notes was standing in the middle of the bunk room. Jack tried getting her straight to the room she would be sharing with Cookie but all of the guys had surrounded her asking her questions. Jack had introduced the newsies but there was so many of them that she knew she was going to have a hard time remembering all of them. She did remember a few like Crutchy was the kid with a Crutch, Blink had an eye patch and Bumlets had really nice hair.

"Alright boys, Notes has had a long trip and she need some rest." Jack scanned the crowd of boys and found Cookie leaning up against the wall, her brown hair tucked behind her ears. He looked at her and she nodded back.

"Well Mush, again it was nice meeting you." Notes smiled at him and hugged him.

Across the room, Cookie saw Notes hug Mush and she suppressed a growl of anger.

"Well sis, ready to see where you will be staying?" Jack asked taking his sister's hand.

"As ready as I will ever be." Notes looked around at the people and it was easy for her to find Cookie. Cookie, being the only girl, was easy to spot out and they had been slightly introduced but the real test was going to be when they got into the room.

"Well here ya go. That bunk over there is Cookie's and this is yours." Jack said as he put her stuff down on her bunk.

"Cookie coming in here?" Notes asked as she surveyed the room. She tried to hide a giggle from her brother as she looked and saw the attempt the newsies made to brighten up the place. There were flowers in a tin cup sitting on the one dresser, and they had put some white fabric up over the window to make curtains. She had to admit that it was sweet of them and it was the thought that counts.

"Yeah she will be joining you soon. I told her to be on her best behavior."

"You don't have to do that. I would rather know the person I am going to be living with and not some act put on because of fear of my brother." Notes sat on her bed. It was softer then she thought it would be. She smiled and patted the spot next to her.

Jack sat down and looked at his little sister "So…" He smiled awkwardly "Do you still sing? How you got your name after all."

"Sing, and play piano. I'm toying around with writing my own music now." Notes laughed and put her head on Jack's shoulder. "I missed you, a lot. I wish you could have seen England."

Jack sighed "Hearing your stories will be just as good." There was a long pause then Jack took a deep breath "Do you have anyone…special? You know…a…boyfriend. Meet anyone in England?" All this was said very fast.

"Jack!" Notes jumped up from her brother's shoulder and looked at him, wide eyed.

"What? I'm just looking out for you."

"For you information Jack Kelly, I do not have a boyfriend." She laughed and stood up "And you don't have to watch out for me. I can handle myself thank you."

Jack just laughed. "Like I said, I'm looking out for you. Goodnight." He got up and kissed the top of her head and walked out of the room shutting the door behind him. He sighed, okay next problem. He was walking down towards the bunk room and saw the one person he had to talk to. "Cookie."

Cookie looked up at him and saw him motion to come with him. She nodded and followed him outside to the front steps.

"We need to have a talk." He said sitting down on the steps.

"Look if this is about Notes, I already gave you my word…"

"It's not about that." Jack looked up at her. Instantly she saw worry in his face.

"Jack, what's going on?" Cookie asked seriously sitting beside him.

"I got a visit from Maitiu the other day." Cookie looked at Jack in shock. They both knew that they only reason that Spot would send Maitiu, his right hand man, would be if there was something very serious going on.

"How bad?" Cookie asked staring blankly across the street

"According to Maitiu, Queens is starting trouble." Jack sighed, standing and facing Cookie.

"And….?"

"Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx and Staten Island are getting together for some sort of um…conference thing. Spot wants us to be there." He lit a cigarette, throwing the dead match into the street.

"The mighty king of Brooklyn needs our help?" Cookie said, laughing, but stopped when Jack faced her again.

"This ain't a joke Cookie. Spot's nervous. I didn't make you second in command to go around joking about everything that happens." Jack looked up at the lodging house and sighed. "He never gets nervous. If Queens is starting trouble, they couldn't have picked a worse time. " Jack was lost in his thoughts. There was word of some of the younger newsies on the outskirts of Manhattan were getting sick….and Notes.

"I'm sorry Jack. When is the conference happening?"

"Two days from now in the Bronx." Jack threw his cigarette away and patted Cookie on the shoulder. Without another word he walked back into the Lodging house. From the stairs he looked around at his news boys. If whatever was happening with Queens was worrying Brooklyn, then Manhattan needed to worry about it too.