Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies or any of its characters, Disney does. I own Lillian "Lily" Snyder. I also own Grace and Pretty.
(A/N: This is the first time I've ever written from a Victorian Lady's point of view. She's stuck up in this chapter, but it's only a type of "mask" to hide who she really is. :) I promise. Also, look for twists in future chapters. There's also a video I made on Youtube, that's almost a trailer for this story, but it's for all Jack fans :). )
Two Months Before the Newsboy Strike...
17 year old Lillian Snyder sat on the bench in front of the duck pond in Central Park. She had just left the refuge after having lunch with her father, the warden. Her schooling had ended last year and she wished to look for a job; only to find out at lunch her father was looking for a rich man for her to marry. It wasn't a disaster nor a calamity, the idea of looking for a husband was rather....Nerve wracking. Men seemed so odd and she always worried about finding a good man.
Her older sister, who had been married 3 years ago, assured her each time she visited she would find a good man one day. During her last visit on Easter with her father, her sister, Grace, had pulled her to the side and whispered to her, "Give your heart to the man you want to. Money matters not, together you two will make money and a life together. Do not let father make you wed someone you do not love."
"Extry! Extry! Man boined in sudden fire on Ellis Island! Extry!"
Lily jumped before throwing a hand over her heart, there were times the park was so quiet that she forgot the newsies even existed. She stood and brushed the wrinkles from her white blouse and ankle length black skirt; her hair had been into a twisted bun by Madeline, her personal maid, that morning. Atop her head she wore her mother's old straw hat, which her father never approved of her or her sister wearing. She had disguised it today by tying a long silk ribbon around the crown and tucking flowers' stems under the ribbon.
"Would youse like to buy a pape, miss?" The newsie questioned as he walked over to her.
Lily turned to face him and froze, her mouth fell open slightly and a blush crept over her cheeks. A newsboy who dressed quite like a cowboy stood before her in gray pants; a light blue long sleeved button down shirt; a black and white pin striped vest; and a red bandana. A rope was tied around his waist and a cowboy hat hung behind his shoulders. His face was extremely handsome, his dark blue eyes sparkled, and the smile across his face had her heart beating wildly.
"Yes...I would like to purchase a paper," she smiled and pulled the draw string of her purse of her wrist. She pulled open the small white bag and handed the newsboy two pennies.
"Youse want to buy two papes?"
"Just one," she smiled, "You look rather hungry and the man over there is selling large pretzels for a penny each today."
"Well, t'ank youse miss," the cowboy smiled to her and handed her a newspaper. He began to walk off.
"Wait..."
"Yes?" He turned, an eyebrow raised.
"Could...Could I ask....What is your name?"
"Me name?"
"Yes."
"Jack Kelly, miss," he smiled.
"Jack Kelly," she smiled, "Mine is..." She trailed off at seeing the newsboy had already walked off. She frowned and muttered, "Lillian Snyder."
July...
"It was pleasant to meet you, Mr. Busby," Lily gave a fake smile at the tall heir of the Busby Times Newspaper.
The tall man gave a smirk, "It was nice to meet you as well, Miss Snyder," he replied as he took her hand a placed a long and gentle kiss on the top of it. "I would very much like to take you to the opera this weekend, would you do me the honor of joining me?"
Lily looked up at Alexander Busby and from the corner of her eye caught her father's quick frown. Warden Snyder cleared his throat and Lily jumped a little.
"I would be delighted, sir," she smiled and gave a curtsey.
He gave a bow, "Than I shall see you on Saturday evening, Miss Snyder. I look forward to it." He smiled and took his top hat from the hat rack and placed it atop his head, then grabbed hold of his cane and left. James, her father's butler and carriage driver, shut the door after him.
Lily bit back a sigh of relief and took her tea hat off and placed it on the rack.
"I want to hear all about it," her father grinned, "This is the third courting night you have had in a row with this young man. How are you two getting along? He seems rather taken with you, Lillian."
"He is a perfect gentleman," Lily replied, "He's kind and well mannered. I feel we are getting along rather well." She didn't reply to the last comment. She wanted to please her father, she knew his job was not rewarding and the children were always treating him poorly and calling him names. Also, one boy named Francis Sullivan, kept running from her father. One of these days that boy would be her father's death!
For nearly twenty minutes she recounted her night with Alexander until her father patted her hand, kissed her on the forehead, and stood.
"I need to get back to the refuge now, I'll be home at the usual time."
An hour after he left Lily began to bake cookies, she needed an excuse to be at the distribution center the next morning. She wanted to see Jack again, to see if her heart gave the same reaction to him as it did before. She needed to prove to herself she could fall in love with anyone....Anyone other than the skanky cat like man, Alexander Busby.
It was nearly ten at night when she went to bed, and fell asleep half an hour later with a smile on her face a heart filled with hope.
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The next morning Lily dressed in a modest navy blue gown. It's sleeves hugged her arms down to her wrists, where they ended in white lacy cuffs. The collar started at the base of her neck, from there the top of the dress was decorated with two lacy strips on both sides, down the middle was a long row of twelve buttons. The dress had its own built in fabric v shaped belt, from there the skirt draped down to her ankles. From there the tops of her dark leather brown boots could be seen.
"Miss, would you like me to comb your hair?"
"No, It's alright, I'll do it," she replied, "Thank you anyway, Madeline."
"Do you plan to go out today, miss?"
"Yes, why?"
"Your father wants you to visit him at the refuge at lunch time. Mr. Busby will be there as well."
Lily paused at hearing that and took a long moment to answer, "Alright, I shall be there." She swallowed and hoped the meeting was not about an engagement. Then she pushed the thought aside and pulled her hair into a chignon (pronounced sheen-yon) and put her straw hat atop her head.
Half an hour later she was nearly to the World Distribution Center, her stomach twisted in fear. Would the newsies think she was a stuck up girl trying to trick them into something? She hoped not. Hopefully they'd except the sugar cookies for what they were, a gift. Would Jack even recognize her?
She shook her head, unsure of why she cared if he recognized her or not. But for some reason she cared....She cared too much. She had never felt this way about any boy her age before. She would have to send her sister a wire and ask if she felt the same when she met Oscar Delancey for the first time. Grace had fallen hard for the younger Delancey brother, and in turn he for her. Then they were separated when Nathan Snyder forced his daughter to marry a wealthy industrialist from New Jersey.
Lily passed the Horace Greenly statue and clutched tighter to the draw string of the cookie bag when she saw the newsies all gathering in front of the gates. They were laughing and joking, while the younger ones were sword fighting or being picked up and twirled by the older ones. She noticed there were a handful of newsgirls as well. Before she could get to the large group Oscar and Morris pushed their way through the crowd.
"Deah me, what is dat unpleasant aroma? I fear da sewer may have backed up durin' da night," exclaimed an Italian boy as he waved his hat in front of his face.
"Nah, too rotten!" Exclaimed a few other boys.
"Must be..."
"Da Delancey Bruddas!" Exclaimed a tall boy leaning on a crutch.
Lily decided to keep a few feet away, like her mother she had feelings right before something was about to happen. If it was good, she'd feel extremely happy for no reason; if bad she'd tense; or if it was just a feeling and one she couldn't quite understand she'd do what she was doing: staying back.
Her feeling proved her right a moment later the Delanceys were chasing Jack around, the chase went on for a good five or six minutes before the gates creaked open. Lily followed the newsies into the Distribution center.
"Ain't youse a bit pretty ta be in heah?" Questioned a short newsgirl with long blonde hair and a sour attitude.
"I just came to give you all a morning treat," she smiled and reached into the bag to give the girl a cookie.
"We'se don't want youse back of 'treats' get lost." The newsgirl snarled.
"Pretty! Quit it!" Snapped a boy with an eye patch over his right eye, "I'se sorry miss, Pretty can be...Pretty stupid at times."
"Yeah, shoah, say dat now. But when I'se get youse butt outta trouble youse gonna be sayin' da exact opposite and beggin' me forgivness. Now if ya excuse me, I'se need ta get away from da poster girl," she stalked past and seemed to make it a point to brush by Lily's shoulder.
"Sorry, she's..."
"Stubborn?" Lily questioned with a smile, "I know someone whose a lot like that."
The boy chuckled, "Yeah, it's what happens when an Italian guy and a half Irish woman decide ta have a kid."
Lily laughed and handed him a cookie by the time the bag was almost empty she found Jack. He was talking to a boy around her age with curly brown hair and blue eyes. She recognized the boy instantly.
"David Jacobs!"
He turned and his eyes widened, as did his smile, "Lillian! What are you doing here?"
"I was bringing cookies for the newsies," she smiled as she handed one to Les.
"We'se newsies too!" Les smiled up at her.
"We are newsies too," David corrected.
"Yeah, what he said," the ten year old beamed.
Lily laughed, "So I see. I'm looking for a job too," Any job that will provide a good escape from Alexander Busby she thought to herself.
Lily looked over at Jack, "Hi Jack," she smiled and handed him two cookies.
"Uh...T'anks, have we'se met?" He questioned, his eyebrows arched.
Lily felt her heart sink, "You....Don't remember me?"
"Uh...I'se meet a lotta people," he replied as he scratched the back of his neck, "What's youse name?"
"You didn't stick around long enough for me to give it to you," she replied.
"Oh, well I'se heah now," he smiled as he bit into the cookie, his eyes widened, "Dis is good! He exclaimed as he chewed, "Really good."
"I'm glad you like it, my names Lillian Snyder."
Jack froze and coughed, spitting some of the cookie out in the process. Lily blinked, had she said something wrong?
"Whose...Daughter?"
"Warden Snyder's....I'm not a police officer, I don't care if you or anyone else here escaped from the refuge, I won't tell him."
"How do we'se know?" Questioned a tall boy behind her.
"He's trying to marry me off to a man I hate," she replied, "I would never wish for anyone to be trapped like that."
"I'se sorry ta heah dat," Jack replied, he glared at her with a look she recognized instantly as mistrust.
"Jack," Davey intervened, "It's alright, I know her and her sister. The Warden's their father. But they don't go around worshipping the ground he walks on. When we went to school together Lily used to come over to my apartment to stay away from her father as long as possible."
"He mean to youse awll too?"
"He's not mean....Just....Bossy," she replied, "And very strict...As well as intimidating when he wishes to be," she replied.
The newsie calmed, though he still looked a little concerned, "So, I'se heah youse been lookin' for me?"
She blushed, she had been asking every newsie she bought a pape from about Jack.
"You heard?"
"Yeah," he replied, "Deys call youse da pretty goil wid the crazy hair."
Lily blinked, "Crazy hair?"
"Because it's curly," David quickly interrupted, "Would you like us to walk you to your place?"
"Oh no, it's alright."
"Could she walk wid us?" Les questioned.
"Les," David sighed.
"Dat won't be such a good idea, kid," Jack smiled, "Well, I'se guess I'se will see you around," he smiled to her before turning to talk to David and Les again.
David glanced at her and muttered an apology before turning back to Jack. Lily heard something about 60 and 40.
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Lily had to admit her hopes had been shattered and she was taken aback at Jack's rudeness; she wasn't sure what she had done to deserve being shunned. She paused in front of the bakery and looked at her reflection: a freckled face girl of seventeen, her eyes shining with mixed emotions, her cheeks still a light pinkish color - evidence of the remnants of her first real attraction to a boy or man.
Oh well, at least she knew she had emotions. Besides, there were plenty of boys in the world....She paused, but for how long was she going to be able to be attracted to them? She pushed the thought out of her mind and told herself to grow up.
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"Why did you do that?" David asked later that day.
"Do what?"
"Shun Lillian? She did nothing to you."
"She's a hoity toity."
"Far from it," David replied, "She's shy and the fact she worked up the courage to come all the way to a place crowded with people says a lot. She's nice, Jack, and if she talks to you again, you should take notice."
"Nah," Jack replied as he watched Les sell a paper to a couple sitting on a nearby doorstep. "Remembah dat guy who was chasin' us earlier?"
"Yes."
"That was heh fadda," Jack replied, "Youse may know heh, but youse don't know heh old man. Knowin' him he probably has people out watchin' dat goil and I'se don't want any part of it. 'Sides it's awll over da papes."
"What's all over the papers?" David asked in confusion.
Jack opened the paper to the announcements section, "Dis," he replied.
David's mouth fell open at the main headline: Alexander Busby Announces Engagement to Ms. Lillian Snyder.
"Yeah, she ain't starved for attention, Davey. She's marryin' a rich man."
"One she hates," David snorted, "Didn't you hear her talking about him? She obviously has no idea."
"She never mentioned his name," Jack replied, "C'mon, lets get youse and youse brudda home."
