Tap dancing into my heart

I do not own Newsies in any way.


Taps snuck into the bunkroom. She pounced on Racetrack. "Tony Higgins!" she yelled, doing to best impression of her mother.

Racetrack yelled and rolled off his bed, taking her with him. He stood up and looked at the girl lying on the floor. "Che cosa l'inferno Isabella? Io È stato letto! (What the hell Isabella? I was sleeping!)" Racetrack yelled.

"Dio Tony. Non devi reagire così? (God Tony. Did you have to react like that?)" Taps asked.

"Lei si avventa su di me! (You pounced on me!)" Race yelled.

"Stop me urlare a tony! O le cose stanno andando ottenere fisico! (Stop yelling at me Tony! Or things are going to get physical!)" Taps yelled at him.

Race's face turned red and he shoved Taps.

"Lei ha chiesto per questo! (You asked for it!)" Taps yelled shoving Race back.

The shoving went back and forth and arguing in Italian.

Taps bumped into Jack's bunk and all the guys were starting to wake up now.

Jack jumped down and yelled, "Would you two shuddup!" He pulled the two siblings apart.

Race calmed down as soon as his younger sister was out of his face, but Taps struggled against Jack's grip on her collar, all the while cursing and muttering in Italian.

"Ise said shuddup!" Jack growled.

"Youse don' scare me Jackie-boi", she said.

Jack let go of her collar and cocked his head to the side.

"What?" she asked, "Everyone knows who youse are Jack. Big strike leadah'n all. Anyway, youse can' scare me. Ise been livin' in Brooklyn foa da past few months".

"Brooklyn? How come Ise ain' nevah seen youse?" Race asked.

"Cause Ise used ta be a boid. Mostly for Queens, Harlem, and the Bronx", Taps told them.

"And youse are?" Jack asked.

Race shook his head.

"Gimme some room and I'll show youse", Taps said.

The boys back away.

First, she lightly tapped the wood with her boot.

"Okay", she said. Taps started to well…tap dance.

Race loved to watch his sister dance, ever since they were children.

Sometimes, he would even join in with her.

Her blue eyes sparkled as she danced. She stopped and said, "Me name's Taps Higgins".

"Higgins?" Kid Blink asked.

Racetrack put an arm around her shoulder and said, "Yep. Dis here is me liddle sister".


After all the boys got ready, they headed down to the D.O.

"Heya…Jack", David said walking up. His eyes fell to Taps. "You must've acquired this one over night", he said, "I'm David Jacobs".

"Ise know who youse are", she said walking past him, "Walkin' Mouth".

David smiled and followed her. "What's your name?" he asked.

"Taps Higgins", she said.

"Wait. That means…" he said.

"Yep. Racetrack's my older brother", she said.

David noticed that her fingers were tapping out a rhythm on the statue behind them. "What are you doing?" he asked.

She blushed and said, "Nothing".

"I'm pretty sure it's something", David said.

She stepped away and tapped the ground with her boot. "Perfect", she said. She started to tap dance.

David noticed how carefree she looked and happy. "I've never seen anyone dance like that", he said.


A few weeks later, was Taps' birthday.

"Happy birthday Taps", David said handing her a box.

She opened it and there sat a black, shiny, new pair of tap shoes. She dropped the box and kissed him in front of all the newsies.

"I take it you like them?" David asked.

"Of course Ise do. Dey're da best present Ise ever gotten", Taps told him.

"I have something to tell you", he said, "Taps, I've liked you ever since I saw you tap dancing in newsie square. You tap danced into my heart".

Taps smiled and kissed David again.