Story Title: I Walk the Line

Summary: It takes courage to love someone with all of your heart. Set ten years after Sacrifice.

AN: I know that I have walked away from all of my other stories except for the ones concerning Twilight. I am going to make up for that now. This has been a long time coming. I had the first chapter of this story typed up and then my computer died on me so now I had to write it again. I promise that I will not walk away from this without warning you first. As usual, let me know what you think.

Things had been strained in the Jacob's household for almost a month. Mayer had refused to go to the hospital for the Scarlotte fever that had taken over his body. Everyone was on edge wondering if that day would be his last. Sarah had come to stay with her mother so that she could help her take care of her father. Jack had never been left alone with their girls for longer than a few hours, so he desperately wanted her to come home. David came over once a day to see if there was anything that they needed. Les came home from college on the weekends to stay with his parents so that his brother and sister could have a break.

Esther checked on Mayer early one morning before she started her day. She noticed that his chest wasn't rising like it should as soon as she walked into the room. She crossed the room saying a silent prayer that he was just having trouble breathing. His lung partially collapsing is what had started all of his problems. He hadn't been breathing well since.

She stood over him, holding her breath. She placed a hand on his chest to feel that it wasn't moving at all. She bit back a sob as she put two fingers to the side of his neck.

"Sarah?" she called.

"Yes Momma?"

"Go and get your brother and Jack. Do it quickly before they leave for work."

"Is he gone?" Sarah asked from the doorway.

"Yes."

The sound of the door shutting a minute later was the only sound in the apartment. Esther sat on the edge of the bed taking in Mayer's features. He looked peaceful, almost like he was sleeping. She brushed her fingers over his forehead sadly as tears filled her eyes. She had been preparing for this for three weeks and yet she couldn't process it.

The front door opening five minutes later went unregistered as she cried silently. David came to stand at the door, watching her with sad eyes. He stepped away deciding that she would want to be left alone. He would start getting in touch with family members while he waited for Sarah and Jack to get there.

Sarah came in with Jack a few minutes later while he was writing a letter to Les. He would want to be there.

"Where are Anna and Susan?"

"We left them with a neighbor. What are you doing?"

"Writing a letter to Les, I need to take it to the Western Union. That would be the fastest way to make sure that he gets it."

"You're right." Jack said with a nod.

"I've got letters for Aunt June and Uncle Eli to send out too. I should be back in an hour."

"We'll handle mom." Sarah said as he pulled on his jacket.

"Does Piper know?" Jack asked.

David looked at Sarah with unsure eyes. Sarah shook her head as her features were etched with remorse.

"She's probably already on her way to school. It may be a little too late for her to find someone to fill in. But I'll try to track her down." David said as he walked towards the door.

The apartment was filled with silence once again as Sarah looked around the front room. She had spent her entire life there. She could remember her father reading aloud from the Koran after dinner every night until the day he got sick. There was a burn mark on the couch from where the wind from the open window had blown a cigarette out of Jack's fingers. Mayer had been so mad after that had happened. She could remember Mayer lecturing Jack about smoking so close to the couch.

The door opened again and they both looked up to see Piper setting her umbrella against the wall then take off her jacket.

"Where's Momma?" she asked.

"In Dad's room." Sarah said quietly.

"Has anyone told Les?"

"David is taking care of it." Jack said as she sat next to him at the table.

"Were you able to find someone to teach your class today?"

"The principal is going to do it."

Piper was a member of the family in the same way that Jack was. Neither had their parents to raise them so Mayer and Esther had adopted Piper and treated Jack like a son before Sarah married him. All of the newsies had become like family to the Jacobs.

"The Newsies need to know." Piper said.

"I was just thinking about that." Jack said with a sigh.

"I can tell Jason, and he can tell everybody else."

Jack nodded his approval and Piper walked to the door. David came in as she was pulling on her jacket.

"Where are you going?"

"To see Jason, he can tell the rest of the Newsies."

"That's a good idea." he said with a nod.

Piper was on the street walking towards Brooklyn a few minutes later. The light rain that had started to fall on her way to the Jacob's had turned into a storm. She opened her umbrella and walked as fast as she could towards the bridge.

"Going somewhere?" Someone asked from a car that had pulled up alongside her.

She smiled as she looked into the car. Mush smiled back as she climbed in.

"I'm going to see Jase." she said as she shut the door.

"I'm headed that way. Why aren't you at school?"

"I took a personal day."

"What's going on?" he asked as he turned onto the bridge.

"Mayer died in the middle of the night last night."

"I'll go by and see them after I get off work tonight."

She nodded as she watched the scenery pass by. Her days of being scared of the bridge had passed years ago. She crossed the bridge on a weekly basis and had never once had trouble crossing it.

He pulled up to Skittery's apartment building and Piper hugged him before opening her door.

"Thanks." she said with a smile.

"Don't mention it." he said with a smile of his own.

He waited until she had gone inside before pulling away. She was standing outside Skittery and Natalie's apartment less than thirty seconds later. She knocked on the door lightly knowing that Skittery was more than likely sleeping. There was movement on the other side of the door a minute later.

Jason answered the door glaring at her through bleary eyes.

"Don't give me that look. I came over for a reason." she said as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"What?" he asked, mimicking her stance.

"Mayer died last night. I don't know where all of the newsies are, you do. Mush already knows."

"You told Mush before you told me?"

"He gave me a ride over here."

"I'll let everybody know." he said as he scratched his head.

"You can get some sleep first. I'll tell Jake and John. John can tell Ethan."

"All I need to do is tell Spot. He can tell everybody else. I'll come with you."

"Where's Nat?"

"She's still asleep." he said as he let her in.

He went back to the bedroom while Piper sat on the couch. Jason and Natalie had recently gotten married after dating for ten years. He was as stubborn as ever and Natalie was the only person besides Piper who could put him in his place. Their relationship was the only stable thing he had in his life other than his relationship with Piper. He was scared of having children because his dad had done such a terrible job of raising him and his sister. He didn't want to be the kind of father that beat or ignored his children the way his father had with them.

Skittery came out of the room fully clothed and he had wet and combed his hair. He held the door downstairs open while Piper opened her umbrella. He put her arm in the crook of his as they walked back towards Manhattan. They talked during the forty minute walk about what had been going on in their lives that the other had missed out on.

They stopped at Tibby's first, knowing that John would more than likely be working. Sure enough, they saw him walking through the aisles with a carafe of coffee. Skittery opened the door for her and she set her umbrella in the barrel by the door. They sat themselves a few tables from where John was taking someone's order.

"Have you eaten?"

"If I don't I can't keep up with the kids in my class."

"I'm starving." Skittery said as he got John's attention.

John smiled as he made his way over to them.

"Well look what the rain blew in." he teased as he nudged Skittery's shoulder.

"Hey Dutch." Skittery said with a smile.

"What'll you have?"

"Pancakes and lots of them."

"What about you Pippa?"

"Coffee."

"I'll be right back." Dutchy said before walking away.

"Hey Dutch?" Skittery said getting his attention.

"Yeah?"

"Do you have a few minutes?"

"We're busy right now. If you two can wait an hour, the rush should be over."

"That's fine." Skittery said with a nod.

They were quiet while they waited for his food and her coffee. Dutchy took in their solemn appearance knowing instantly that someone was wrong.

"I know something happened. Is it Crutchy?"

"He's fine, the last I heard he was a chimney sweeper out in the Bronx."

"Is it Blink?"

"You would have heard before us." Piper said with a shake of her head.

"Tib, I need to my break." he called.

Tibby nodded his approval and Dutchy pulled a chair to sit in between them.

"What's going on?"

"Before we tell you, you need to tell Ethan." Skittery warned.

"Okay." he said with a nod.

"Mayer died last night."

"Man." Dutchy said underneath his breath.

Mayer and Esther had been the ones to give Ethan the money to go to college so that he could become a teacher. He had helped Piper get her job at the school that she had gone to as a child. Ethan was still paying them back the money that they had given them. Mayer had insisted that he didn't want it but Specs wouldn't hear it.

"I need to go back to the Jacob's."

"I'll go by later." Skittery said.

"Ethan and I will come by after work."

"Wait, has anybody told Les?"

"David sent him a telegram this morning. I'll see you later." she said hugging them both.

David's girlfriend Emmaleigh opened the door when Piper got to the Jacob's apartment. Blink and Spot sat with Jack on the fire escape while David stood on the landing above them. Emmaleigh put a hand on Piper's shoulder squeezing it lightly. Piper gave her a small smile before noticing that Esther had come out of the room. She sat by herself on the couch with her hands folded together in her lap.

Piper made her way over to Esther and sat down next to her. Esther looked up at her, giving her a feeble smile.

"Hi Momma."

"Hi Baby." she said quietly.

Piper draped an arm over her shoulders before placing her head on Esther's shoulder.

"Were you able to find your brother?"

"Yes ma'am. Michael, John, and Ethan will be here later."

"They've always been such sweet boys." she said with a smile.

Someone knocked on the door and Sarah went to answer it. It was someone from the funeral home. They were there to collect Mayer's body. Piper tapped on the window getting David's attention. He opened it and she told him what was going on. He wanted to be the one to handle the funeral arrangements.

Jack, Spot, and Blink followed David through the window. Blink pulled Piper in for a hug, picking her up off the ground. She hadn't seen him in almost a year. He pulled her away so that he could look at her with a smile.

"I've missed you." she said with a smile.

"I've missed you too kid."

"So how are things at the circus?"

"Great. I've met someone."

"It's not the bearded lady is it?" she teased.

"That's what I asked him." Jack said.

"No, it's not the bearded lady. She can swallow fire."

"Very impressive, that I have to see."

"You'd like her."

"I'm sure I would."

He put her down as someone else knocked on the door. Piper answered it and let Mush and Crutchy in. Crutchy had lived with them for a few years after Klopman died. The new boarding house director decided that Crutchy was a liability and hadn't let him come back. A lot of the newsies had left because of it. Not long after that the boarding house had been shut down.

Something didn't feel right. She looked around in confusion before realizing what it was. Les still hadn't come home. He should have already gotten the telegram that David had sent four hours ago. He was only two hours away. What if he wasn't able to get away from school to come to Mayer's funeral? He wouldn't be able to live with himself if he missed it. She would give him until the morning before going up there herself.

"Are you alright?" Sarah asked.

"I'm just worried. What if Les can't make it to Dad's funeral?"

"If I know my brother he will stop at nothing to be here. You shouldn't worry so much." she said putting a hand on her shoulder.

Crutchy came to stand next to her and nudged her with his crutch.

"Cheer up; you're acting as if someone died." he said with a teasing smile.

"Thank you." she said with a smile.

"There it is. Everything is going to be fine." he said reassuringly.

"I know. I just wish that Les were here."

"When was the last time you saw him?"

"Three months ago at Christmas."

"He's been coming in every weekend for the past month and you haven't seen him?" Mush asked.

"I haven't had time. I've been helping Jason at the bar since Blink decided to leave town last year."

"He called two hours ago. I have to pick him up from the station in half an hour. Why don't you go instead?" David said joining the conversation.

Piper quickly said goodbye to everyone before taking the stairs two at a time only to run into Spot outside.

"Where's the fire?" he asked as he gripped her shoulders to keep her from falling.

"I have to make it across town to the train station in twenty minutes. Les is coming home."

"Go." he said letting her go.

She hailed a taxi and quickly told the cabbie where she wanted to go. Fifteen minutes later she stepped out onto the curb before paying the cabbie. She looked at the arrival board and found where Les was coming in. She made it to the depot just as the train was pulling in. Les was one of the first people off. She called his name and he looked up in surprise.

He walked towards her as he shouldered his bag. She pushed through the crowd towards him. He dropped his bag at his feet as he pulled her to him.

"Did he act like something was wrong?"

"Your mom said that he didn't."

"Are you okay?"

"I'm fine now. Are you okay?"

"I'm getting better. Come on." he said draping an arm over her shoulders.

They held hands in the cab. Their friendship had matured from the teasing and temper tantrums of their childhood. They were close, so close that it was an ongoing joke that they would eventually get married. While Les saw her in that way, she didn't know that he did. The last time he had tried to express his feelings for her hadn't gone very well. He was older and more mature than the pushy nine year old from ten years ago.

He let her get out first then held the door to the apartment building open for her. When they walked into the apartment Esther pulled Les to her before he could sit his bag down. His eyes met hers over his mother's shoulder and she gave him an encouraging smile. He gave her one back before sighing. His mother wept into his chest and he rubbed her back to soothe her.

"How's he doing?" Natalie asked when she came to stand next to Piper.

"Not good. He's holding it together."

"He's always been good at that. You shouldn't worry about him so much."

"I just wish that he was going to school closer. I never get to see him anymore."

"He's only got two more years of school left. I'm sure he'll come home after college."

Piper nodded before Skittery came to stand in between them. He draped an arm over each of their shoulders before pulling them to him. Piper draped an arm over his shoulders while Natalie wrapped an arm around his waist.

"I was reading in the paper this morning about a bum who got hit by a car the other day."

"What does that have to do with what's going on right now?" Piper asked in confusion.

"They had a picture of him. I wasn't going to tell you because you hardly knew him." he said shaking his head sadly.

"Who was it?" Natalie asked.

"It was our dad."

"Is he alright?" Piper asked.

"He died. I saved the paper so that you could read it." he said reaching into his shirt pocket.

She took the paper from him and slipped it into the pocket of her dress. She hadn't heard anything about their father in five years. Skittery had pointed out where they had lived with him when she was younger and she had gone by only to find that their father had moved. She was only nine when they left him, she didn't remember anything about him. Skittery had given her a locket for her eighteenth birthday and put a picture of their mother that he had kept in his pocket watch in it. She thought that he would never get rid of it.

"We should go. You need to be at work in an hour." Natalie said getting his attention.

"Are you going to be okay?" he asked looking down at Piper.

She nodded with a smile before hugging them both goodbye. Skittery went to say goodbye to Jack and David while Natalie went to get their jackets. Piper made her way to the door to grab her jacket when someone stopped her.

"Where are you going?" Les asked.

"Home, I have to work tomorrow."

"Why not stay here?"

"It would be too cramped with all of us here."

"Let me walk you home. It's too dark for you to be walking alone." he said putting his own jacket on.

Piper stood by the door while Les went to tell David that they were leaving.

"You should stay with her."

"I can't stay here?"

"Like she said, it's going to be too cramped. Sarah, Jack and the girls are in our old room and I'm sleeping on the couch. Would you want to sleep on the floor?"

"I guess that I could sleep on her couch." he said grabbing his bag from the floor.

The five minute walk to her apartment was quiet until they got to her apartment.

"Have you eaten?" she asked.

"I ate on the train."

"Oh. I haven't eaten since this morning. I didn't realize how hungry I was until just now."

"I can make you something." he said walking into the kitchen.

"You don't have to." she said walking in after him.

"I always cook for you." he said opening and closing cabinets.

"There's some chicken and lettuce in the refrigerator. There might be some bread in the bread box."

"A chicken sandwich it is."

He pulled out what he needed and she sat at the table. She watched him as he put the sandwich together then looked for a plate. He set the food in front of her before straddling the chair across from her. He grabbed an apple from the bowl in the center of the table then polished it on his shirt before taking a bite. The silence from earlier was back and it covered them like a warm blanket. They had always been comfortable with long periods of silence. Just knowing that the other was there was enough.

Once she was done eating Piper got Les some blankets and a pillow from her closet and made the couch up for him. She mentioned that she was going to bed and he put a hand on her arm to stop her.

"Thank you for letting me stay here."

"I couldn't let you sleep on the floor in that cramped apartment."

"I could have stayed with your brother and Natalie."

"I don't mind." she said with a small smile.

He let go and watched her walk the short distance to her room. She shut the door quietly before he lay down on the couch. He stared up at the ceiling as he heard her walking around in her room.

The door creaked open and he sat up to look over the back of the couch a little while later.

"I can't sleep." she said quietly.

He pulled back the covers before throwing his legs over the side of the couch. He grabbed his pillow before crossing the room to hers. His arm brushed hers as he passed her. They hadn't done this in a while. Her restlessness hadn't started until after Sarah and David left. He would climb into bed with her and hold her until she fell asleep. She had never told him what caused her to stay up and he would never ask. He would be there for her because she needed him.

She lay on her side next to him a few seconds later. He turned on his side to face her, taking in her now relaxed features. He brushed his fingers over her forehead to push her hair back and she leaned into the touch.

"Good night." she said as she closed her eyes.

"Good night." he said with a sigh.

"If you didn't want to sleep in here you should have said so." she said in aggravation.

"It's nothing. Don't worry." he said kissing her forehead.

Her even breathing could be heard a few minutes later. He rolled over on his back with his hands behind his head and commenced staring at the ceiling. He needed to tell her how he felt. Unless she was leading him on she felt the same way he did. She had never been the type of person to do that so he made up his mind to tell her before he left.

On Friday afternoon everyone gathered at Esther's apartment. You couldn't move one step without bumping into someone. Esther, Sarah, and Piper sat on the couch with the girls while David, Jack, and Les stood behind the couch surrounding them. Anna played quietly in Sarah's lap while Susan slept in Piper's arms. One of her little hands was fisted in Piper's hair when Esther stood from the couch. She said that she had something for the kids and told David to take her seat.

"You can have my seat." Piper said as she looked up at Les.

She stood when he nodded his head. She was careful not to wake the baby as she made her way back to the bedroom to lay her down. Esther could be heard in the living room saying that Mayer had set money aside for each of the kids. She came to stand at the door as Esther handed each of the Jacob children an envelope.

"Where is Piper?" Esther asked looking around the room.

"I'm here." she called.

"Come here." Esther said with a smile.

"While you are making your way over I'll give Jack his. Now don't give me that look young man, he would have given money to Emmaleigh as well if she and David had been married." she said admonishing Jack when he pushed the envelope back into her hand.

"I'm not married to either of your boys." Piper said.

"But you are like one of our own. Do I have to hold this out to you all night young lady?" she said waving an envelope with Piper's name written on it.

Piper shook her head free of its daze before reaching for the envelope. Sarah took hold of her free hand and squeezed it tightly.

The apartment was empty of people once Natalie and Emmaleigh cleaned up after dinner. Jack and Sarah offered to walk Piper home and she pulled on her jacket while Jack talked to Esther and David. Les stood off to the side before opening the door for her. They stood in the hall waiting for Sarah and Jack.

"Can I come by tomorrow?" he asked.

"Sure." she said with a nod.

"I need to talk to you about something."

"What?"

"I'd rather not talk about it right now. I'll see you tomorrow." he said before kissing her cheek.

He opened the door and almost ran into Sarah and Jack. They each carried a sleeping child down the stairs and the walk to Piper's was quiet. She hugged them both before going up to her apartment. She immediately wished that she had asked Les to come home with her. The apartment was too quiet and too big for one person. Up until a few months ago she had never lived on her own. Even in college she had chosen to live on campus so that she would always have a roommate. When someone else was there things were easier to handle.