Disclaimer: Same as usual, I own the plot, Sprite, Nora, and the DISCLAIMER!!!! I do not own Angel, she owns herself and was very kind to loan herself out to me, and I don't own the newsies (darn!), as of this moment in time, but give it a week. The quote that is used at the end of the story and is the title, is not completely mine. In all honesty I saw it somewhere (can't remember where) and changed the words around just a tad. So please don't sue or get upset. If you made up the quote and tell me, I'll be very glad to credit it to you. Anyway, I hope you enjoy this story even though it's sad. Please review :)
Smile,
~Sprite~
Quick AN: Chapter 2 has sex in it. If you are uncomfortable reading that, please just skip it and go on to Chapter 3, believe me you won't miss any real part of the story. Thanks!! Now onto the fic!
Nothing Loved is Ever Lost
"Mama?" A little girl with dark cinnamon hair and cafe au lait skin asks, turning to her mother. The woman in question looks up from the laundry she is busy folding. The blonde woman appears to only be in her mid twenties; yet upon closer inspection of her eyes, one can tell that she had seen more than her share of sadness in her lifetime.
"Yes, Sweetie, what is it?" The little girl twirls one of her large brown curls around her finger as she speaks.
"Mama, tell me 'bout Daddy." The statement is so pure and heartfelt, the women nearly tears up. It's hard for her to think about the man who helped create her daughter, but she knows her child needs to hear about the father she will never know. The father who performed the ultimate sacrifice for his daughter and for the woman that would have been wife.
Liz "Sprite" Meyers sets down the basket of clothes she has been folding, and picks up her daughter; cradling the child to her. Sprite kisses the small brown head before setting the little girl atop her lap.
"Nora, yoah fatha was a great man, one o' the best I've evah known. You would have adoahed (adored) him. You have some o' his traits in you, the great ones I get to see every day. You have his smile, and his laugh; his love for his friends, and othas. You find the goodness in a situation, and no mattah how bad things get, you stay positive," Sprite stops speaking to grab her cotton handkerchief. "He would have woishipped you," the blonde mother hugs her daughter tightly, "I know that wheahevah he is in Heaven right now, he's looking down on us, and he's smiling." Nora looks up at her mother, a smile present on her angelic face.
"You miss him," It isn't a question, Nora can sense how her mother is feeling, "tell me about him, it'll help you, and me. Besides, we wanna keep him alive in our hearts, and the only way ta do that, is ta talk about him." Liz shakes her head in wonder. Her little girl is getting so smart, she only wishes Mush were there to keep watch with her.
"You're right Baby, 's the only way to keep him alive. Well, what do ya want ta know about him?" The nine year old ponders the question for only a moment before asking,
"Everything. Tell me 'bout how ya met, and what happened to him." Liz nods once more, eager to please her child.
"Well, how did we meet? I met Mush, yoah fatha," Liz explains when she sees Nora's confused look, "when I was foahteen. I had just been dismissed by a factory ownah ovah a misplaced piece of cloth. I was felling upset and downtrodden, when out a nowheah..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Liz is seen walking disheartened down the sidewalk~
*I don't understand, I didn't take the cloth, Ellie did. Why didn't Mr. O'Reily see that?* Liz thought to herself unaware that she was about to bump into the man who would change her life.
~Smack~
Liz suddenly found herself lying on the ground, papers surrounding her.
"Oi, Miss is you aight?" The blonde haired girl looked up to see the person she walked into. The man she saw literally took her breath away. His hair was the color of the earth after a sudden rain, and curly like miniature corkscrews. She wanted to reach out and touch the hair just to feel it's texture; soft like wet sand or bristly like a hard cloth. His eyes were dark and radiant like two smooth buttons to be sewn on a coat. Finally, she glanced at his skin. Brown sugar and carmel didn't begin to describe the color of his beautiful complexion. His light sandy skin was just begging to be touched and caressed by her. Liz shook herself out of her dream world when she realized she was staring.
"'scuse me, I'se fine. You?" The boy nodded to show that he was unharmed. The young man's muscles rippled through his dirty white shirt and he reached down to pull Liz up. Liz brushed herself off, and began walking again. What she didn't know, was that she was being watched as she departed from the scene. The tan boy laughed and shook his head, wishing in his heart to see the adorable girl again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Nora has moved from Sprite's lap to the floor as she listens~
"So that was the first time ya met him?" Nora asks. Liz smiles at the fond memory.
"Yeah, that was da foist time I laid eyes on 'im. Even then, I knew dat was it; he was da only one foah me." Sprite replies slipping back into her older and heavier accent, "'coise I din' really get introduced to 'im 'til later."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Several weeks later~
Liz was forced to find a new job after the death of her parents by Scarlet Fever. By chance, she happened upon an old friend from the factory, Angel, who after hearing about the unfortunate events in Liz's life, offered to get her a job where she was working.
The tall blonde looked up at the building labeled "Newsboys Lodging House" in chagrin.
"Dis wheah ya woik?" Liz asked. Angel laughed aloud, her short brown hair moving about crazily.
"Naw, dis is wheah da boys live. I woik all ovah da city." Angel led the way up the stairs into the boys' bunk room where various newsies were scattered about. "Trus' me sweetie, you'll love it." As soon as Angel entered the room, a boy with a red bandana around his neck called out to her.
"Heya Ang! Ya know you'se da cat's meow." Angel laughed at the phrase.
"Ya know Jack Kelly you tell me dat eveytime ya see me. I'se stahtin' ta think it should be me nickname. What'd ya think?" Jack nodded, pleased with the fact he could be so creative.
"We'll jus' call ya Meow fa shoit." Jack proclaimed loudly.
"Sounds good," Angel, now called Meow agreed before going to play play poker with some of the boys; eager to practice her skills at flirting, and leaving Liz alone. Liz stood uncomfortably in the entry not knowing anyone, or what to do. It was then,
"Hey, I know yous. You'se dat goil from a few weeks ago who ran inta me!" Liz turned to find the speaker and instantly locked eyes with the handsome boy she had met weeks earlier. Again, he took her breath away, but she was forced to breathe when he spoke.
"I guess dis is a sign. Well, me name's Mush," the boy said extending his hand, "whas' yoahs?"
"Sprite," Liz said after a moment. Her mother used to tell her stories about fairies and sprites and Liz loved to hear about them. Her name change was one way to stay connected to her deceased family.
"Sprite," Mush said trying out the name, "'s poidy, like yous sweetheaht. Ya wanna go out some time?" Sprite's deep forest eyes widened.
"Shoah." Sprite smiled at the same time as Mush and realized they would become great friends in the time to come.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Nora is watching her mother and listening to her reminisce~
"Mama, did ya go out with him?" Liz laughs.
"Yes I did. We went out a week latah and had a great time. Da whole time we were on the date, it felt like I'd known Mush my whole life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Nearly a year has passed since Mush met Sprite~
Mush took Sprite out to a nice dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant, before leading her to a romantic spot in the park. Mush lay out a blanket and motioned for Sprite to lie with him on it. Sprite lay her head on Mush's chest, and he played gently with her hair as they gazed at the stars. Finally, Mush's voice rang out against the quiet night.
"Sprite?" Mush asked quietly.
"Yeah?" she answered.
"Ya know I'se love ya right?" Sprite rolled over and hugged her boyfriend.
"Yeah Mushy, I know. I'se love you too." Sprite replied. Mush smiled and continued stroking Sprite's soft blonde locks before sitting up to kiss her forehead. He hugged her close to him, and held her tightly as she drifted off into a sweet sleep.
~A few months after Mush's admission in the park~
The fall was upon New York City and everywhere, beautiful ruby red, glistening orange, and sun ripened yellow leaves were in sight. Mush and Sprite walked hand in hand down the sidewalk, not speaking, merely reveling in each other's presence. Mush came to a stop underneath a tall oak tree, partially hidden from the rest of the world. Sprite looked at him confused. What the young man did next surprised Sprite nearly more than what he was about to say. He got down on one knee and reached for her hand.
"Elizabeth 'Sprite' Williams, ya know dat I'se love you. You'se da bright spot in me life. We've been trough so much is' hahd ta name it all. When you ran inta me dat one day more dan a yeah ago, I wished wid all me heaht I'd see ya again. 'magine me surprise when you'se came back inta me life weeks latah. Den we went on dat date, an' I knew we was meant ta be. Lizzie, I love ya, will you'se please do me da honah o' bein' me wife?" After saying his speech, Mush pulled out a modest jewelry box and presented it to Sprite. She cautiously opened the box. Her mouth formed an "o" and her eyes widened into saucers. Inside the box was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. It was a thin gold band with a small diamond in the center. Sprite then started to cry. She couldn't help it, she was so overcome with emotion.
"Oh Mush, I love it! O'coise I'll marry you!" Mush's face lit up and Sprite jumped up into his arms. Mush swung her around before grasping her in a tight hug and then pulled her up for a soft kiss.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Smile,
~Sprite~
Quick AN: Chapter 2 has sex in it. If you are uncomfortable reading that, please just skip it and go on to Chapter 3, believe me you won't miss any real part of the story. Thanks!! Now onto the fic!
Nothing Loved is Ever Lost
"Mama?" A little girl with dark cinnamon hair and cafe au lait skin asks, turning to her mother. The woman in question looks up from the laundry she is busy folding. The blonde woman appears to only be in her mid twenties; yet upon closer inspection of her eyes, one can tell that she had seen more than her share of sadness in her lifetime.
"Yes, Sweetie, what is it?" The little girl twirls one of her large brown curls around her finger as she speaks.
"Mama, tell me 'bout Daddy." The statement is so pure and heartfelt, the women nearly tears up. It's hard for her to think about the man who helped create her daughter, but she knows her child needs to hear about the father she will never know. The father who performed the ultimate sacrifice for his daughter and for the woman that would have been wife.
Liz "Sprite" Meyers sets down the basket of clothes she has been folding, and picks up her daughter; cradling the child to her. Sprite kisses the small brown head before setting the little girl atop her lap.
"Nora, yoah fatha was a great man, one o' the best I've evah known. You would have adoahed (adored) him. You have some o' his traits in you, the great ones I get to see every day. You have his smile, and his laugh; his love for his friends, and othas. You find the goodness in a situation, and no mattah how bad things get, you stay positive," Sprite stops speaking to grab her cotton handkerchief. "He would have woishipped you," the blonde mother hugs her daughter tightly, "I know that wheahevah he is in Heaven right now, he's looking down on us, and he's smiling." Nora looks up at her mother, a smile present on her angelic face.
"You miss him," It isn't a question, Nora can sense how her mother is feeling, "tell me about him, it'll help you, and me. Besides, we wanna keep him alive in our hearts, and the only way ta do that, is ta talk about him." Liz shakes her head in wonder. Her little girl is getting so smart, she only wishes Mush were there to keep watch with her.
"You're right Baby, 's the only way to keep him alive. Well, what do ya want ta know about him?" The nine year old ponders the question for only a moment before asking,
"Everything. Tell me 'bout how ya met, and what happened to him." Liz nods once more, eager to please her child.
"Well, how did we meet? I met Mush, yoah fatha," Liz explains when she sees Nora's confused look, "when I was foahteen. I had just been dismissed by a factory ownah ovah a misplaced piece of cloth. I was felling upset and downtrodden, when out a nowheah..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Liz is seen walking disheartened down the sidewalk~
*I don't understand, I didn't take the cloth, Ellie did. Why didn't Mr. O'Reily see that?* Liz thought to herself unaware that she was about to bump into the man who would change her life.
~Smack~
Liz suddenly found herself lying on the ground, papers surrounding her.
"Oi, Miss is you aight?" The blonde haired girl looked up to see the person she walked into. The man she saw literally took her breath away. His hair was the color of the earth after a sudden rain, and curly like miniature corkscrews. She wanted to reach out and touch the hair just to feel it's texture; soft like wet sand or bristly like a hard cloth. His eyes were dark and radiant like two smooth buttons to be sewn on a coat. Finally, she glanced at his skin. Brown sugar and carmel didn't begin to describe the color of his beautiful complexion. His light sandy skin was just begging to be touched and caressed by her. Liz shook herself out of her dream world when she realized she was staring.
"'scuse me, I'se fine. You?" The boy nodded to show that he was unharmed. The young man's muscles rippled through his dirty white shirt and he reached down to pull Liz up. Liz brushed herself off, and began walking again. What she didn't know, was that she was being watched as she departed from the scene. The tan boy laughed and shook his head, wishing in his heart to see the adorable girl again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Nora has moved from Sprite's lap to the floor as she listens~
"So that was the first time ya met him?" Nora asks. Liz smiles at the fond memory.
"Yeah, that was da foist time I laid eyes on 'im. Even then, I knew dat was it; he was da only one foah me." Sprite replies slipping back into her older and heavier accent, "'coise I din' really get introduced to 'im 'til later."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Several weeks later~
Liz was forced to find a new job after the death of her parents by Scarlet Fever. By chance, she happened upon an old friend from the factory, Angel, who after hearing about the unfortunate events in Liz's life, offered to get her a job where she was working.
The tall blonde looked up at the building labeled "Newsboys Lodging House" in chagrin.
"Dis wheah ya woik?" Liz asked. Angel laughed aloud, her short brown hair moving about crazily.
"Naw, dis is wheah da boys live. I woik all ovah da city." Angel led the way up the stairs into the boys' bunk room where various newsies were scattered about. "Trus' me sweetie, you'll love it." As soon as Angel entered the room, a boy with a red bandana around his neck called out to her.
"Heya Ang! Ya know you'se da cat's meow." Angel laughed at the phrase.
"Ya know Jack Kelly you tell me dat eveytime ya see me. I'se stahtin' ta think it should be me nickname. What'd ya think?" Jack nodded, pleased with the fact he could be so creative.
"We'll jus' call ya Meow fa shoit." Jack proclaimed loudly.
"Sounds good," Angel, now called Meow agreed before going to play play poker with some of the boys; eager to practice her skills at flirting, and leaving Liz alone. Liz stood uncomfortably in the entry not knowing anyone, or what to do. It was then,
"Hey, I know yous. You'se dat goil from a few weeks ago who ran inta me!" Liz turned to find the speaker and instantly locked eyes with the handsome boy she had met weeks earlier. Again, he took her breath away, but she was forced to breathe when he spoke.
"I guess dis is a sign. Well, me name's Mush," the boy said extending his hand, "whas' yoahs?"
"Sprite," Liz said after a moment. Her mother used to tell her stories about fairies and sprites and Liz loved to hear about them. Her name change was one way to stay connected to her deceased family.
"Sprite," Mush said trying out the name, "'s poidy, like yous sweetheaht. Ya wanna go out some time?" Sprite's deep forest eyes widened.
"Shoah." Sprite smiled at the same time as Mush and realized they would become great friends in the time to come.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Nora is watching her mother and listening to her reminisce~
"Mama, did ya go out with him?" Liz laughs.
"Yes I did. We went out a week latah and had a great time. Da whole time we were on the date, it felt like I'd known Mush my whole life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
~Nearly a year has passed since Mush met Sprite~
Mush took Sprite out to a nice dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant, before leading her to a romantic spot in the park. Mush lay out a blanket and motioned for Sprite to lie with him on it. Sprite lay her head on Mush's chest, and he played gently with her hair as they gazed at the stars. Finally, Mush's voice rang out against the quiet night.
"Sprite?" Mush asked quietly.
"Yeah?" she answered.
"Ya know I'se love ya right?" Sprite rolled over and hugged her boyfriend.
"Yeah Mushy, I know. I'se love you too." Sprite replied. Mush smiled and continued stroking Sprite's soft blonde locks before sitting up to kiss her forehead. He hugged her close to him, and held her tightly as she drifted off into a sweet sleep.
~A few months after Mush's admission in the park~
The fall was upon New York City and everywhere, beautiful ruby red, glistening orange, and sun ripened yellow leaves were in sight. Mush and Sprite walked hand in hand down the sidewalk, not speaking, merely reveling in each other's presence. Mush came to a stop underneath a tall oak tree, partially hidden from the rest of the world. Sprite looked at him confused. What the young man did next surprised Sprite nearly more than what he was about to say. He got down on one knee and reached for her hand.
"Elizabeth 'Sprite' Williams, ya know dat I'se love you. You'se da bright spot in me life. We've been trough so much is' hahd ta name it all. When you ran inta me dat one day more dan a yeah ago, I wished wid all me heaht I'd see ya again. 'magine me surprise when you'se came back inta me life weeks latah. Den we went on dat date, an' I knew we was meant ta be. Lizzie, I love ya, will you'se please do me da honah o' bein' me wife?" After saying his speech, Mush pulled out a modest jewelry box and presented it to Sprite. She cautiously opened the box. Her mouth formed an "o" and her eyes widened into saucers. Inside the box was the most beautiful ring she had ever seen. It was a thin gold band with a small diamond in the center. Sprite then started to cry. She couldn't help it, she was so overcome with emotion.
"Oh Mush, I love it! O'coise I'll marry you!" Mush's face lit up and Sprite jumped up into his arms. Mush swung her around before grasping her in a tight hug and then pulled her up for a soft kiss.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~