My Angels

by Mystic83

Mystic is torn between loving her boyfriend or lusting for her best friend. But a little trip to Texas and the Jacobs’s new home solves all her problems. But they are soon replaced by even larger ones.

pMystic stepped away from the line of newsies waiting to get their afternoon papers at the Distribution Center. "My life is perfect," she thought to herself. "I've found a great boyfriend in Jack. Me and Skits are as great of friends as we ever were. I should be so happy."

pShe looked up to see Jack waving at her from the front of the line. Smiling, she walked into his waiting arms. He bought his papers and led her to the usual spot that they sat down in.

pLooking up into his eyes, she noticed that something was wrong. "What's the matter, Jack?" she asked, fearing his answer.

p"Well, you remember the Jacobs, don't you, Emily?"

p"Yeah. They moved to Texas in 1900. What? Is something wrong with one of them?"

p"David's sick. He's dying and well, I think he needs to see me. I have to give him something to remember the great days of the Strike. I don't want him dying without knowing how much all the newsies care for him."

p"Are you saying you want to go to Texas? Go ahead. I'll be fine without you."

p"I don't know about that. I might be gone for a long time. You've been in Manhattan for over three years now and no matter what you keep telling everyone, I know you're still not used to it."

p"Well, I have all the guys to help me."

p"But they don't live with you. I still don't understand why you had to move out of the lodging house."

p"Jack, there were no other girls there. The big newspapermen don't like girls boarding with their newsies in the lodging house. It didn't seem fair that I was allowed to stay but no other girl was. I still work there. It's not like the guys don't still treat me like I'm their sister."

p"I know. Oh well, we'll figure something out. For now, let's enjoy the small amount of time we have left with each other."

p"Like how small?" Mystic asked.

p"I'm leaving in two days," Jack whispered. After a moment of silence, he asked her, "You don't seem upset. I thought you would be mad that I was leaving so soon."

p"Well, I am upset. I mean, I'll miss you so much. But David doesn't have time to wait for us to say goodbye in our own time. You need to get to him as quickly as possible. I would understand if you left today to see him. He needs you a lot more than I do right now."

p"Then, you wouldn't mind if I bumped my leaving up to tomorrow morning?"

p"No, I won't,"

pJack just smiled at her and held her in his arms.

p"Hey, you two lovebirds," Race yelled. "Stop being cute and start selling."

pMystic said goodbye to Jack and the rest of the newsies, then made her way to the lodging house. She pushed the door open and called out to Kloppman. She found him in the kitchen eating his breakfast.

p"Hey, Kloppman. What needs to be cleaned today?" she asked.

p"Well, the guys left the bunkroom in a mess. I think it needs a little tiding and a floor scrubbing. But that's about it. Easy day, don't you think?"

p"Yeah. Um, there's something I wanted to talk to you about. You know the way you've been paying me?"

p"You get a cent for every paper Jack sells."

p"Well, Jack's leaving. So my income is about to go from a lot to none. I was wondering if we could switch the little agreement to a different newsie. Say... Skittery?"

p"That'd be fine, considering he's the only one you trust with your wages."

p"You're right. Thanks a bunch, Kloppman. I'm gonna go upstairs and get started on the bunkroom."

pMystic grabbed some rags and a bar of soap from underneath the kitchen counter and went upstairs. She quickly realized that Kloppman wasn't exaggerating. The bunkroom was really a mess. She started with the bunks of the boys who she considered neat. Specs. Bumlets. Snitch. Then she moved to the messy bunks which was most of them. She saw the one of the boys had overturned a mattress, spilling someone's possessions onto the floor. The boys didn't know that she knew about how they all hid their most precious things beneath their mattresses.

pShe bent down to scoop them up when her eye caught on a picture laying on the top of the stack. It was of her and Skittery way back before she started dating Jack. Mystic smiled and shoved the photo beneath the mattress. She had one identical to it, framed and laying on the table next to her bed.

pMystic picked up the rest of his belongings and lost herself in cleaning the floor of the bunkroom. She knew that hours had passed by the time the job was done. What she had realized was the over eight hours had passed and the sky was beginning to darken. It wasa surprise to her when the newsies entered the lodging house after their day of selling.

p"What time is it?" she asked, thoroughly confused about everything.

p"Near ten," Mush answered. "You're here awful late. Aren't you usually done cleaning by six?"

p"Yeah, I usually am. But today is different. I've had a lot of things on my mind all day."

p"You're thinking 'bout Jack, aren't you?" Blink asked.

p"Yeah. Speaking of Jack, where is he? And where's Skittery?"

p"They're both outside. Jack asked if he could have a word with Skittery as we all were coming in here," Boots informed her.

p"I wonder what's so important that they couldn't talk about it here in front of all of us. I guess we'll find out shortly because I hear them coming up the stairs."

pThe two newsies entered the bunkroom to find that everyone's eyes were focused directly on them. Skittery moved to his bunk and began throwing his things into a bag.

p"Where ya going?" Specs asked.

p"I'm... uhhh... moving out of the Lodging House."

p"Where d'ya plan on going?" Race asked, obviously thinking the whole thing was a joke.

pSkittery shot a quick glance at Mystic and then spat out his answer, "I'm moving in with Em."

p"What?!?" Mystic yelled, not believing in what her ears had just heard.

p"I asked him to," Jack explained. "When we were talking earlier, I told you that I didn't feel good leaving you all alone in your apartment."

p"Jack! It's not like you live with me. All you do is walk me home everyday. I can survive without having you walk me home. That still doesn't explain why Skittery's moving in."

p"I'd just feel a lot better knowing that Skittery's there to protect you."

p"Fine. Skittery, let's go. It's late and I'd like to get some rest. Goodbye Jack. I'll see you when you return from Texas." Mystic gave him a quick kiss and left the room.

pSkittery waved goodbye and ran after her. He caught up to her quickly, considering how much longer his legs were compared to hers. They walked arm in arm and in complete silence for the whole walk to her apartment. She flung the door open and plopped down on her couch.

p"Are you okay?" Skittery asked.

p"No, I'm not okay. Nothing is okay. Jack treats me like I'm a child. When I first got her, I had all you guys scared because of the way I could fight."

p"Yeah, it was like nothing we'd ever seen. What'd you call it?"

p"Ninjitsu. It's an old art of out manuevering your opponent. But don't try to get me off the subject. Now, Jack thinks I can't protect myself just because he's gone. I'm a witch!!! I mean, I've protected him more than he's protected me. I don't see where thechange happened."

p"I think Jack's just scared of losing you."

p"I don't think it's that either. If he was so terrified of losing me, he wouldn't want me eating lunch with you guys or going to Irving Hall to catch a show with Spot. He'd think I was cheating on him."

p"Well, we're not exactly the kinda guys who attract women. I mean, we're street rats. Sure we've flirted with our share of women. But I can't remember once when a girl's left their boyfriend for one of us."

p"You underestimate the newsies and yourself. You guys are what every girl in the state wants. Don't look surprised. I thought it was so obvious that all you guys would know it. Every girl has their eye on a newsie."

p"Well, I'm sure you mean every newsie but me. I just don't compare to the likes of Spot and Jack."

p"Come on now. You're just as cute as the rest of them."

p"You're just being nice 'cause if you make me mad and I leave, Jack'll get mad at you."

p"So?" Mystic said innocently.

p"I should kill you for that little comment but I don't want all the newsies coming after me. Hey, it's getting pretty late. I think it's time to hit the sack."

pMystic nodded her head in agreement and pointed Skittery in the direction of the spare room. She watched as he lugged his bag into the room and then she went to her own room. Flicking on the light, she grabbed her pajamas, changed, and hopped into bed.

p"G'night, Skits!" she shouted at the wall.

p"Night, Em!" came back through to her.

pSettling into her bed, she was happy to feel herself drift right off to sleep. The past few weeks she hadn't been sleeping well and most nights she just stayed up and gazed at the stars. Jack didn't know about her insomnia because she was afraid he would overreact.

pThe comforting sleep lasted for a few, good hours. But around three in the morning, she woke up drenched in sweat and shaking. It took her a minute but she remembered what she was dreaming about. The newsies had disowned her and Jack left her for Sarah Jacobs. During her dream, Jack returned to show her the twins that Sarah had given birth too.

pThe memory of it was too much for Mystic and she began to cry. She didn't realize how loud she was being until Skittery burst into her room. He rushed over to the bed and wrapped his arms around her as she cried.

p"Shhhh, Em. It's okay," he whispered.

pWhich only resulted in making her cry harder and making him even more confused.

p"What'd I do?" he asked.

p"He... he doesn't even call me Em anymore," Mystic whispered

p"Who?" Skitter asked as his confusion continued to grow.

p"Jack." Mystic quickly told Skittery about her dream. "And I can feel that it's going to come true."

p"It can't come true. Sarah's happily married and living in Boston. I don't think she can fly all the way to Texas just to have a fling with Jack."

p"I'm not supposed to know this. But I overheard Jack talking about it a few months ago. Her husband was killed in a factory accident and she moved back in with her family. So, she's there right now, waiting for when Jack arrives tomorrow."

p"I thought Jack and you had a perfect relationship?"

p"So did I. But lately, he's been acting so cold to me. He doesn't even call me Em anymore. Just Mystic like everyone else does."

p"So that's why you got so upset when I came into the room. I called you Em, didn't I?"

p"Yes, you did. But that's all right. I like it when you call me Em. Shows that someone still cares."

p"I'm sure Jack cares. He's probably just forgotten how to show it."

p"I guess you're right. Thanks for being here for me."

p"You're welcome."

pA few minutes went by without either one saying a word.

p"Uh... Skittery?" Mystic whispered.

p"Hmm?"

p"You can let go of me now."

p"Oh!" He hadn't realized he still had his arms around her. "Guess I just liked the feeling of having you in my arms a little too much," he said as he winked at her and got off of the bed.

pShe watched him as he left the room. His last comment had really shook her. Was he being serious about the way he liked to hold her in his arms? Or was he just teasing like usual? Something about his tone made it unclear to her.

p"Well, he had grown a lot these past few years," she thought. "I remember when he was just a skinny little newsie who got teased for wearing pink underwear."

pYears ago, Skittery had given up the long johns for a pair of boxers which were also pink. It wouldn't be Skittery's clothing if it wasn't pink.

p"And he's sure gotten some muscle," she thought remembering the way he looked when he ran into her room. All he was wearing were boxers and not matter how hard she tried, after she had calmed herself down, she could stop staring at his chest. "Yep, he's definitely changed for the better."

pHer thoughts were interrupted when Skittery entered the room again. She looked up at him and her whole face turned red.

p"What are you embarassed about? Thinking bad thoughts?" Skittery teased.

p"No," she replied a little too quickly.

p"Anyway, I thought it might be best if I spent the night in your room. I'll just lay on the floor."

p"You'll do no such thing. You're my best friends. And best friends don't let other best friends lay on the cold, hard floor. You can sleep in my bed. It's big enough for the both of us. And I trust that you won't try anything."

p"I'll only try something if you ask me, too," he replied. The look of mischief on his face spoke volumes for what he meant.

p"Go to sleep," she yelled as she flung her pillow at him.

pHe smiled and laid down beside her. "Good night... oh wait! Good morning, Em!"

p"Shut up and sleep, Skits!"

p"I love you, too," he called as he promptly fell asleep.

p***the next morning***

pMystic woke up to a knocking noise. When she tried to get up out of bed, she realized that Skittery had his arms around her. With much care, she wiggled out of his grasp and tiptoed to the front door. Standing on her front doorstep was Jack.

p"Hi," he said. "I didn't want to leave while you were angry at me."

p"I'm not angry at you. I just wish you wouldn't treat me like I was a child."

p"I'm sorry. Will you forgive me?"

p"Of course," Mystic said as Jack sweeped her into one heckuva kiss.

p"So, what have you been up to?" she asked him once he had let her go.

p"I should ask her the same thing," Jack said pointing towards her bedroom door where Skittery was leaning against the frame.

p"It's not what it looks like. I had a bad dream and Skittery thought it would help if he stayed in the room with me and I couldn't let him sleep on the floor so he stayed in the same bed with me but nothing happened so you don't have to worry..."

p"I was teasing. Jeez, you sound like something really did happen and you're trying to cover it up," Jack said. "Anyway, I'm leaving in an hour and I wanted to know if you'd like to walk with me down to the train station."

p"Sure, let me get dressed. Besides, I think it's time I got over to the Lodging House and helped old Kloppman wake the boys up."

pA few minutes later, Mystic was dressed and ready to go. Jack offered her his arm and they began the short walk to the neighborhood train station. Most of the walk was in silence for neither one could think of anything to say. Once they hit the train station gates, the words just came pouring out.

p"Jack? Do you really have to go?" Mystic asked

p"Yes, I do. David's one of my best friends. He needs me right now," Jack explained.

p"I'm sure Sarah needs you to comfort her, too," Mystic mumbled.

p"What?"

p"Nothing."

p"No, you said something about Sarah needing me."

p"Well, she does. Her brother's dying and her ex-boyfriend is convienently there to comfort her."

p"Stop being so jealous," Jack yelled.

p"We are not having this conversation right before you leave for months. Goodbye, Jack. Make sure you write me." Mystic gave him a quick kiss. Then, she turned around and walked away.

pThe reality of what had happened didn't hit her until she entered Tibby's. When she walked in, all the guys looked at her with shock in their eyes.

p"What'd I do?" she asked.

p"You were fighting with Jack about Sarah right before he left," Pie Eater said. "How could you be so mean?"

pMystic couldn't even find the voice in herself to make a witty comeback to cover up her true feelings. She just burst out crying and ran out the door.

p"Good job, you idiot!" Blink yelled as he ran out the door after her.

pHe lost her but then found her again around Newspaper Row. She saw him running toward her and sat down on a bench giving him the opportunity to catch up.

p"Why'd he say that?" she cried. "Doesn't he know that I feel bad that my last words with Jack were in anger? Doesn't he know I wish I could take it back? Doesn't he realize how worried I am about Jack living with Sarah for month after month?"

p"I'm sure he does," Blink said in a comforting voice. "He's just been in a bad mood because he only sold two papers all day."

p"But still... That gives him no right to take it out on me when I'm so emotionally unstable."

p"I know. Pie Eater never was good with the ladies."

p"I can tell," Mystic said letting out a small laugh.

p"So are you feeling better?"

p"Yeah, I am. You always cheer me up, don't you? I guess it's your contagious smile."

p"Come on. I'll take you to Central Park and we'll buy lunch from the vendors. Remember we used to do that every Tuesday."

p"Why'd we stop?"

p"Jack didn't think it was safe for you to be going to the Park every day like clockwork. But he's not here anymore. What do you say?"

p"Let's go," Mystic yelled.

pThe two ate lunch together. Then, Mystic stuck around and helped Blink sell his papers. He walked her to her apartment when they had finished.

p"So, how's everything with Skittery working out?" he asked.

p"Fine. You know we are best friends. It's not like we're going to decide that we totally hate each other."

p"I know. I just thought that maybe living in close quarters with him might change your relationship," Blink supplied.

p"I don't know. We haven't been living together long enough for anything to change. Heck, he hasn't even spent one night in his room."

p"WHAT?!?!?" Blink cried out.

p"Oops. I had a nightmare last night and he decided that it might comfort me to know he was in the same room. So he spent the night in my room. God! What did you think I was implying?"

p"Like I said, relationships can take really unexpected turns without little to no warning. I'd be careful."

p"Stop it. Well, I'll see you later. And don't forget next Tuesday..."

p"...lunch in the Park like normal," Blink said, finishing her sentence. "Oh! And don't forget about the Christmas party we're having at the Lodging House tomorrow."

p"Forget about it? Who do you thinks going to be decorating the Lodging House all day?"

p"Oh yeah, that's right," Blink said through a fit of giggles.

p"Are you giggling? You're giggling. That's so cute! Bye, Blink!" Mystic called as she walked up the stairs to the second floor. She could still hear Blink giggling downstairs as she entered the apartment.

p"Hey," she called out to Skittery who was in the kitchen cooking dinner. "You're actually making dinner? A man? Cooking? Are you sure you're a man?"

p"Wanna find out?"

p"Stop it. Just because Jack's gone doesn't mean I'm open to all males."

pSkittery laughed. "You're in a good mood today. What happened?"

p"Blink and I started our tradition of Central Park lunches again. It felt so good to be back in the old routine. Hey! Are you coming to the party tomorrow night?"

p"Isn't everyone? It's the must-attend party of the century!"

p"You're in quite a good mood yourself, mister!"

p"Well, seeing you so happy has made me happy. I've missed this. Come on. Dinner's ready. Let's eat."

pDinner was the best Mystic had eaten in a long while. That night she slept soundly and Skittery didn't even have to come to her aid once.

pThe next morning, Mystic bounced out of bed and ran into Skittery's room. She remembered the way she used to wake him up when she still lived at the Lodging House. Taking a deep breath, she jumped on top of his bed a few hundred times. Though, it was a little easier now that he didn't sleep in the top bunk of a set of bunkbeds. The reaction was still the same, though.

p"GET OFF OF ME!!!!!!"

p"Only if you get up! C'mon! It's Christmas Eve! And we have to go down to the Lodging House so I can give you guys your gifts."

pAt the mention of gifts, Skittery bolted out of bed. He turned to her and asked, "Do you mind? I'd like to get dressed now."

p"Oh! Sorry. I should get dressed too unless you guys want to see me in my pajamas."

p"That'd make this Christmas very Merry."

p"Stop it!" she yelled as she ran back to her room.

pThey were both dressed in record time. By the time they reached the Lodging House, it was time to wake up the newsies. Mystic pulled Skittery inside and began to rummage behind the desk. She quickly found what she was looking for.

p"Why do we need three umbrellas?" he asked.

p"Isn't it obvious?" she replied. "One for you. One for me. And one for Kloppman. Speaking of the old man, Kloppy! Where are you?"

p"Hold your horses! I'm almost finished," Kloppman said and a few seconds later, he came out and grabbed an umbrella from Mystic. "Let's do this."

pThe three of them walked up the stairs and into the bunkroom taking great care not to wake anyone.

p"Here. You do the honors," Kloppman said as he handed her a match and a piece of papers.

p"Lift me up, Skits. Close to the ceiling," she whispered. "Oh! Kloppman! Open our umbrellas and hold them out for us."

pAfter they all agreed they were ready, Mystic lit the paper and Skittery picked her up. Gently she held it underneath one of the many sprinklers on the ceiling of the bunk room. Suddenly, water spurted everywhere. Mystic and Skittery quickly ducked underneath their umbrellas to watch the guys' reactions.

pMystic laughed as the guys on the bottoms bunks found themselves at an impass. They could either stay in bed and keep dry or get up and hope they find cover from somewhere. Most just stayed put, hoping "the rain" would stop soon. But the guys on the top bunks weren't so lucky. All of them
jumped down and started to run for cover that wasn't there.

p"There's no where to run to," Mystic shouted.

p"YOU!!!!!!" cried Race.

p"Merry Christmas, boys!" she yelled back. "When you're done running around, could you join us downstairs?"

pThe boys watched in awe as she spun around and left them in the soaking wet room. Skittery and Kloppman shot them smiles that said "She made me do it" and followed her down.

pAfter a few minutes of nonstop swearing, they all settled down and went downstairs. They found a beautifully decorated tree and tons of presents waiting for them.

p"Where'd this come from?" Mush asked.

p"I was so excited last night. I couldn't sleep. So I came over here and told Kloppman my plan. I did a little late night shopping and decorating and here we are. All the presents underneath the tree are from Kloppman."

pThe boys instantly turned into innocent little children who just found out that someone really loves them. They raced to the tree and began to unwrap the gifts with their names on them.

p"Clothes?!?" Snitch asked.

p"Well, we figured you guys could use some dry things to wear. But that's not all," Mystic declared. "You still haven't gotten my gift."

p"What can you get us? You live on a newsies' wages just like the rest of us," Blink said.

p"I make more than you would care to know. You guys might not know it but I also have a job writing food reviews for The Sun. It pays good money and I get free food all the time. Plus, it only takes two hours out of my week."

p"Forget about how she got the money. What'd you get us?" Dutchy asked, ever eager for another presents.

p"Well, first I figured it would be great if we could spend Christmas together. All of us. And that's where Skittery came in."

p"Skittery?!?" Race exclaimed.

p"Yeah. Em asked me if I could cook for you guys. So for the next two days, you get to eat for free here at the Lodging House."

p"You? Cooking?" Snoddy said, a look of terror spreading onto his face.

p"That's what I thought at first," Mystic explained. "But I've been eating his cooking the past couple days and well... I hate to do this to Mr. Tibby but it's better than the food at Tibby's."

p"So that's what Skittery's doing for us. What's your gift?" the ever-insistent Dutchy asked.

p"I'm paying you guys for two days to do nothing for two days. No selling papers. No improvin' the truth. No stealing food. No Weasel. No Oscar and Morris. Nothing but me, your guys, Kloppman, and that tree."

pThe Lodging House echoed with the grateful cries of newsies. Race whipped out his harmonica and started playing a Christmas tune. Skittery bowed to the lady of the day and whisked Mystic into a waltz.

pAfter Race tired of playing the harmonica, they all went to Central Park to have their annual snowball fight. When they returned to the Lodging House, it suddenly dawned on them. Since they had all changed into their new clothes, they had no dry clothes to change in to. So Kloppman started up a huge fire to dry the clothes and they all sat around and played poker in their underwear.

pOnce the clothes were dry, the whole group sat down for the Christmas Eve dinner that Skittery had made while the others were playing poker. It was the best meal that a lot of the newsies had had in a long time.

pImmediately after they had all finished, Blink suggested that they get back to the dancing now that Race had caught his breath. The newsies happily did what he said. Mush grabbed Mystic's hand and began dancing with her. Soon, they stopped because they were both out of breath.

p"Hey Mush!!!" Itey cried. "Look where you're standing!"

pMush and Mystic looked around. They couldn't see anything special about where they were standing. Then, they noticed that Race had stopped playing and was now pointing up at the ceiling. Looking up, they both realized they were standing under the mistletoe.

p"Who moved the mistletoe underneath the front door?" Mystic yelled.

p"I did," Skittery said. "I thought it wasn't fair that you would remember where not to end up standing. So I moved it."

p"Oooooo, I oughta..."

p"Shall we?" Mush said.

p"Let's give 'em something to talk about," Mystic whispered.

p"Your wish is granted."

pMush wrapped her up in his arms and gave her a very lengthy kiss, though it wasn't deep like a real kiss should have been. When they had decided they'd kissed enough, Mush released her. Mystic turned to see the newsies' reactions. They were all standing there with their mouths wide open. She flashed them a smile and walked back to her seat.

pAs she passed Skittery, she whispered, "Happy?"

pHours passed and before anyone realized it, it was midnight. Mystic stood up and walked to the center of the room.

p"I'm sorry to interrupt the fun. But it's getting late and I've been up since yesterday."

pThe newsies all quickly formed a line to say their individual goodbyes. She went to each of them and gave them a hug and a kiss on the check. Halfway through the line, she got to Skittery.

pBefore she could say anything to him, Blink shouted, "Hey, Skittery. Could you come back here for a minute. Race has a question to ask you."

p"Sure. We'll talk later," Skittery said as he got out of line.

pWhen he walked over to where Race and Blink were standing, Race declared that he had forgotten what it was he had to say.

p"Oh well!" Blink said. "Guess you have to go to the end of the line."

pSkittery gave them a angered look and walked back to say goodbye to Mystic. Good thing he didn't turn around or he would have seen Blink and Race snickering.

pWhen Mystic finally got to him, it was half an hour after she started her goodbyes. Both were very intent that she got to bed soon.

p"I'll see you later, right? You stay here and have a little fun. I'll be fine walking home after all," Mystic said.

p"Goodbye," Skittery said, giving her a small kiss on the cheek.

p"That's cheating!" Race yelled.

p"What?!?" Mystic yelled back.

p"It's like a rule or something. When you're under the mistletoe, it has to be a lips on lips kiss," he explained.

pThey both noticed for the first time that they were standing in the doorway to the Lodging House.

pSkittery turned to Race and Blink and yelled, "You set us up, didn't you?"

p"Hey! You should be grateful to us. We're giving you a chance to kiss her like Mush did and not get in trouble with Jack," Blink yelled back.

pSkittery turned to Mystic, let out a sigh, and lowered his head towards her. The second his lips touched hers, they both felt like pure electricity was running through their bodies. Both quickly let go of the other when the feeling began to escalate.

p"Ummmm. I'll see you back at the apartment," Mystic called as she ran out the door.

pSuddenly all alone, Skittery muttered, "What was that?"

p****back at the apartment****

pMystic was thinking the same thing. Only she knew what it was. She had experienced that feeling before. The first time Jack kissed her. When she knew that she had fallen in love with him.

p"But why would I get the same feeling from kissing Skittery? I mean, it's not like I love him. I love Jack."

pHer thoughts were interrupted by the slamming of a door. Skittery called out that he was home and then the door to his bedroom slammed shut. She tried to forget the fact that he was probably laying in his bed not more than five yards away and go to sleep. But after hours of just staring at
the ceiling, she realized that the only way to get to sleep was to resolve all the issues that were flowing through her mind. Throwing back the cover, she tiptoed to Skittery's room and knocked on the door.

p"Come in," he shouted. "Couldn't sleep?"

p"Nope. And obviously, you couldn't either. Listen. There are some issues that have to be cleared up between us if our lives are ever to return to normal. Geez... never thought I'd be having this conversation with you. Okay. I can do this. When we... uhhhh... kissed tonight, I felt something," she explained.

p"Like electricity, right? I felt it, too."

p"Well, the last time I felt it was.... was when Jack kissed me for the first time. I don't know. But something happened."

p"You're right. Something did happen. And I bet it had something to do with all the good spirits we've been in lately. I mean, we were probably just in such a good mood that the kiss felt like something. I'm sure if I was being a downer like usual it wouldn't have happened."

p"I really want to believe but I don't think I can."

p"Well, I have an idea. Let's kiss again. We've both settled down so it shouldn't feel like anything now."

p"Okay," Mystic said.

pShe closed her eyes as Skittery leaned towards her. To her astonishment, when their lips met, that same feeling of electricity was there. But this time, neither one pulled away for a few minutes.

p"What was that?" Skittery asked for the second time that day.

p"I don't know," Mystic said as her brow wrinkled. She turned back towards Skittery. "But I liked it."

p"Me, too," Skittery admitted.

p"So what do we do now?"

p"I don't know," Skittery said.

pThe two sat there trying not to look at one another. They sat there for what seemed like forever. But eventually, Mystic moved to get up to return to her room. She tripped over her own feet and ended up laying right on top of Skittery.

p"S-sorry," she said, as she looked straight into his chest.

pWhen she looked up, she saw him lowering his mouth towards hers again. This time neither one pulled away.

p***the next morning***

pMystic woke up to the ringing of her telephone. As she sat up, she took in her surroundings. Suddenly, the events of the previous night popped up in her memory. She got dressed and went into the kitchen to answer the phone.

p"Hello?"

p"Hi, Mystic." Jack's voice was the last one she had expected to be on the other end of the phoneline.

p"What's up?" she asked as her mind raced with all the possibilities that would make Jack call her.

p"David's getting worse. Which is why I called. See, I tried to help him but he's definitely dying. Anyway, I was wondering if you could possible do something to save him."

p"Now that you mention it I might. I'll be on a train to Texas as soon as I can."

p"So, are you getting along with Skittery?"

p"You could say that. Listen. I better go pack so that I can get there before something awful happens."

p"Okay, I'll let you go. Bye."

pAs the click of him hanging up echoed in her ear, she whispered, "I love you, too."

pAfter a few seconds where she processed what had just happened, she ran into her room and started to pack. When she was done, she sat down at the kitchen table with a sheet of paper and pencil.

pDear Skits,

pI'm sorry I have to leave so abruptly. Jack called and he needs me in Texas. If it wasn't a matter of life or death for David, I would wait until you wake up before I left. But, obviously, it is. You and I both know that last night shouldn't have happened. I haveJack. All it was was me missing him and you being lonely. Nothing more, right? I'll call you when I'm done helping David

pLove, Em

pShe stood up, grabbed her luggage, and went out the door. By the end of the hour, she was on a train that was headed to Dallas.

p***a train ride later****

pMystic stepped off the train and scanned the crowd for Jack. When she realized she'd never be able to find him in this mess, she sat down on a bench and waited while people recognized each other and left. Soon all who were left was a person selling tickets, her, and an old man who looked vaguely familiar.

p"Hello. Are you Mystic?" he asked.

p"Yes. Oh my gosh! Mr. Jacobs! It's been so long."

p"Yes, it has child. Come. Let's get you back home so you can start helping my son."

p"Of course."

pA short carriage ride later, Mystic was welcomed and given a tour of the house. The last room that Ester and Mayer Jacobs showed her was David's. Looking inside, she realized just how ill he really was. David Jacobs lay in his bed, white as a ghost and shaking uncontrollably. There was a motion in the corner of the room and that's when she noticed Jack and Sarah having a very private conversation. She cleared her throat to announce her presence.

p"Mystic!" Sarah yelled. "Thank god you're here. Come on. Get to it. Cure him or whatever."

p'Um, it's not that easy. I just went through a very bumpy train ride. I need to rest before I jump right in. Besides, I have to talk to Jack. Hopefully in private."

p"Of course, of course. Will you excuse us?" he said to the Jacobs.

pHe grabbed Mystic's arm and led her into another bedroom.

p"This where you're staying?" she asked.

p"Yeah. This place is nice. The Jacobs really hit the jackpot when they invested in that small town newspaper. They're pretty much loaded now. Anyway, was is it that was important you had to tell me right now?"

p"Well, to properly give my all in saving David, I have to have a clear conscience. And to tell you the truth my conscience is pretty muddy right now. You see... I don't know how to say this. I guess I'll just have to come out with it. I slept with Skittery."

p"You what?!?!? I trusted him to care for you and he takes advantage of you. I'll soak the bum!"

p"No. He didn't rape me or anything. It all started when we got stuck under the mistletoe..."

p"Stop. I really don't want to know the details. Just answer me one question. Is you conscience clear or was there some other newsie you slept with while I was gone?"

p"I guess I deserved that. Listen. Is there a place where I can sleep? I'd like to rest up and start healing David as soon as I can."

p"Sleep here. Come get us when you're ready."

pMystic watched as he silently left the room. "I'll worry about that later," she thought.

p"Right now, David's health's my first concern."

pA few hours later, she woke up, refreshed. Quickly dressing, she ran downstairs and into the kitchen where everyone's voices seemed to be coming from.

p"I'm ready," she said as she burst right in.

p"Then, let's do this," Mayer Jacobs said.

pEveryone exited the room except Mystic and Les, but that was only because Les held her back.

p"Don't you think they're a cute couple, Em?" Les asked.

p"Your mom and your dad?" she replied with a question because she was throughly confused.

p"No. Jack and Sarah. They don't know it but I saw them kissing last night. Me, I thought you were Jack's girlfriend but you two must have broken up."

p"Actually, no, we didn't. I'll have to have a talk with Jack about this after I'm done doing what I can for your brother. Come on. Let's go."

pMystic entered the room and immediately she realized that David wasn't as sick as he looked. This time she didn't even need to steal a little piece of everyone's souls like she did when she tried to save Jack after he had been stabbed.

p"Um..." she turned to Jack. "This might sound stupid but I still can't remember the words."

p"Sing something," Jack yelled at her for she had already called upon the healing winds to help her fix David.

p"Okay. Here goes nothing." She set her hands on David and began to sing.

p"Someone is on your side.

brSomeone is not.

brWhile we're seeing our side,

brMaybe we forgot.

pThey are not alone.

brNo one is alone.

pHard to see the light now.

brJust don't let it go.

brThings will come out right now.

brWe can make it so.

pSomeone is on your side.

brNo one is alone."

pAs she was singing, her hands began to glow. The others stared in wonder as lightning flew out of them and into David's body. His skin began to gain a pinkish tone and his shaking ceased immediately. Once she was done with the song and the spell, she gave up her hold on conscioussness.

p"I got her," Jack said as he walked over to the bed and picked her up into his arms. Figuring she needed some rest, he carried her all the way to his room and set her down on his bed.

pWhen she finally woke up, it was dinner time. She walked downstairs and found Mrs. Jacobs' and Les in the kitchen doing the dishes. A quick hand signal later and Les was walking with her into the living room.

p"Hey, Les. Where are Jack and Sarah?" Mystic asked.

p"Last I heard, they were taking a walk outside. You're not upset that they're together, are you?" Les questioned.

p"I don't know. I haven't seen them together. I just might be. But it was really nice of you to tell me. If you'll excuse me..."

pMystic left the house and started her search through the woods. She began to become so involved with the trees and wildlife that was so abundant there that she almost forgot why she had come out there. But she quickly remembered when she saw the silhouette of two people standing very, very close together.

p"Hello, Jack. Hello, Sarah," she whispered.

pThe two figures jumped apart as soon as they heard her voice.

p"Les told me you two were out here. I was exactly sure if he was telling me the truth or embellishing something he thought was inevitable to happen. Guess he was right. You know, Jack, I shouldn't have felt so guilty about my fling with Skittery."

pAs soon as those words were out of her mouth, she turned and made her way back to the house. Without giving thought to where she was going until she was there, she found herself in David's room. To her surprise, he was awake.

p"Doing better?" she asked.

p"Yeah. Thanks to you. I'm glad you could find the time to come down here and help me," he replied.

p"Well, I know we didn't have much time to get to know each other before you moved down here. But you seemed nice and the way Jack held you on a pedastal, I just couldn't let you die. I think even if I didn't like you, I still would have come down. It was the right thing to do."

p"I take it you've heard about Sarah and Jack by the look on your face."

p"Yes. It hurts. In fact, it hurts a lot. But I'll get over it. To tell you the truth, I think our relationship was ending anyway. But speaking of relationships, I hear you have one with a certain girl I know."

p"Les! That kid can't keep his mouth shut about anything. Yes, I'm dating Spot's little sister, Charity."

p"I'm happy for you. What I'm not happy about is the fact that I have to end this conversation. You need to get some more rest. I'll talk to you in the morning. Um...."

p"What is it?" David asked.

p"I've been sleeping in Jack's room. Obviously, I can't stay there the night. So, is there somewhere else I can go?"

p"Actually, Jack's been living in our spare room. But, if you pardon my forwardness, you can stay with me. I mean, my bed's big enough for both of us."

p"Thanks. I'm going to go change and I'll be back."

pMystic grabbed her luggage and quickly went to the bathroom to change. When she started to make her way back to David's room, she ran into Jack again.

p"Hi," he said.

p"Hey. If you'll excuse me, I'm tired and I'd like to get some sleep."

p"Where are you planning on sleeping?"

p"With David. You were right. He was definitely worth the effort I put into saving him. We'll talk in the morning after breakfast. Meet me by the bench outside. Oh! And bring Sarah."

pShe brushed right past him and went into David's bedroom. Since he seemed to be sleeping, she just laid right next to him and tried to fall asleep.

p"Hey, Em?" the not-so-sleeping David whispered.

p"What?"

p"Merry Christmas."

pMystic would have wished him a Merry Christmas, too, but she couldn't stop laughing.

p"Why are you laughing?" David asked.

p"I just remembered. You're Jewish. I just found it funny that you'd remember today was Christmas say and I had completely forgotten."

p"It is kinda funny, now that you mention it. Good night, Em."

p"G'night."

p****the next morning****

pBreakfast was spent in silence. Half of it was because they were all still asleep. The other half was because they all knew they'd have plenty of time to discuss the issues between them after breakfast.

pSoon, it was time. Mystic, Jack, and Sarah all excused themselves and walked outside with each other in silence. They still didn't talk when they reached their destination. After a few seconds, Mystic broke the silence.

p"I want you two to know that you have my blessing. Heck, I've known about you two since the night you left me Jack."

p"But how could you have known we had gotten back together? You were all the way up in New York and no one called you from here except when Jack phoned you to come down here."

p"I wasn't sure about it. But I've been having dreams. Dreams that had me pretty shook up. They were about you and Sarah."

p"Oh. So you really believed in your dreams?" Jack asked.

p"No, I didn't. Not one hundred percent. Until I came down here and saw that they were coming true. But the good thing about these dreams was they gave me time to prepare. To build myself up to be let down."

p"I'm sorry you had to find out in such a brutal way," Sarah said.

p"But it wasn't all that brutal. Like I've been saying, I knew. I just figured out why I knew yesterday night. It's my growing powers. I think I've gained the ability to see the future."

p"Wow" was all Jack and Sarah said.

p"Anyway, back to my original point. I want to wish you guys the best. Don't think that I'm not hurt. But I'm just happy that Jack didn't leave me for just any girl. At least it was for someone he had loved. And to show that I'll get over the pain, I want to tell you guys the ending to my dream. Maybe it'll help motivate Jack to do what was always destined for him to do."

p"What is it?" Sarah asked.

p"In my dream, you guys got married and had twins. So, congratulations. See, the way I figure it. If my dream about you two being together was right, so must be the ending."

p"Thanks," Sarah and Jack said in unison.

p"Anyway, since I've come down here and done my duty. Plus the fact that I have nothing to stay for. I'm going to hop the next train back to New York and spend the rest of the Christmas season with my best friends."

pA few hours later, everyone was standing out on the front porch to say goodbye to Mystic. Mayer, Ester, and Sarah said simple goodbyes and went into the house.

p"Well, we've had some good times, haven't we?" Jack whispered.

p"Yeah. I'll never forget the water fight on the fire escape. That was the first time I used my powers on you."

p"Um, I wanted you to be the first to know. Sarah and I are engaged. We're planning on getting married this fall and moving back to Manhattan."

p"Congratulations. You be sure to write me and tell me when you're coming back."

pBoth were trying to shield their eyes from each other because neither wanted to admit that they were tearing up. But both forget about hiding it when they hugged. They just let it flow.

p"I'll always love the newsie who held me at night," Mystic whispered.

p"And I my little angel," Jack whispered back.

pWithout looking back, he walked out of her life and into the house. She turned to Les.

p"Hey, kid. Thanks for telling me what I needed to hear. You're gonna grow up to be one impressive newsie."

p"Thanks. Hey, can I come visit you if I'm ever in New York?"

p"You can come stay with me."

pLes shyly gave her a kiss on the cheek and ran away. She turned to David, who had convinced his family earlier that morning that he was okay enough to sit outside.

p"Call me," he said.

p"I will. If there wasn't Skittery, I'd think you were starting to become my best friend. You know the invite to stay with me in New York extends to you, too."

p"Thanks. When I convince everyone that I'm okay to travel, I'll be on the next train up. I really miss the guys and carryin' the banner."

p"I can tell. Heck, I've been here for thirty-six hours and I miss them."

pThey stood there in silence for a few moments.

p"Goodbye, David."

p"Bye, Em."

pAs they said their last words, a carriage pulled up to take Mystic down to the station. She grabbed her suitcases and hobbled over to it. Turning back to the house, she took a moment to look at it. She had a feeling that she was never going to see it again. Jack and Sarah waved to her from the kitchen window. She saw Les standing in his bedroom trying not to look as she left. David, on the other hand, was watching her every move trying to take her in so he'd always remember her. She shouted goodbye to all of them all at once and got into the carriage.

pBefore long, the train was pulling into Grand Central Station. As she exited the traincar, a thought occurred to her.

p"What now?" she asked herself quietly.

pNot knowing where to go, she just began to walk. It didn't really surprise her when she ended up in front of the Lodging House. This was always where she went when she didn't know where to go. Pushing the wooden door open, she tiptoed into the front room. There was no one there.

p"Guess it's a little late for them to be up," she whispered to herself again.

pSuddenly, a thought dawned on her. She remembered a movie that she used to watch all the time in her childhood and it gave her the perfect way to announce that she was back.

p"The only question is does Kloppman keep a healthy stock of chocolate syrup?"

pThe next morning, Kloppman shuffled up the stairs to go wake the guys up. He was surprised to see Mystic just leaving the room.

p"I'm back, Kloppy."

p"What did you do?" he asked, regretting the answer.

p"Take a look at it yourself."

p"Oh my god! I guess it's worth it though. You do know you'll be cleaning this up all day today."

p"I figured as much. But you're right. It was totally worth it all," she whispered. "Should I do the honors?"

p"Go right ahead."

p"BOOTS!!!! GET UP!!!! GET UP!!!!! TIME TO CARRY THE BANNER!!!!!" she yelled.

pAs usual, Boots was the first one to hop out of bed. He was surprised when his feet couldn't get a hold on the floor and he fell on his bum. Blink shot up in his bunk with a start.

p"Ewww. What's on me?" he yelled.

p"Oh nothing," Mystic answered. "Just chocolate syrup. And you're not the only lucky one."

pHe looked around and saw that every other newsie was covered, too. And the one's that escaped the syrup didn't make it past the whipped cream.

p"I'm back, boys," she yelled.

p"You little scab! Once I get my hands on you, I'm gonna soak ya," Race said. He was one of the lucky ones that got the syrup.

p"That's gonna be a hard thing to do," she informed him. "Considering it appears like none of you can stand on your own."

p"What'd you do to the floor?" Snitch asked as he slid across the floor and into the bathroom.

p"Well, I decided since you guys don't use it, I might as well make use of the soap. C'mon! Get dressed. It's time to get to work."

pAbout ten minutes later, the newsies all filed downstairs. They all had wet spots and stains all over their clothes.

p"Well, I, for one, don't mind all this so much considering it means you're back," Blink said as they began their walk to the Distribution Center.

p"Thanks. Anyway, you guys'll get back at me one of these days. You still haven't paid me back for what I did to you on Christmas Eve."

p"Oh we will," Race muttered. "Believe me. We will."

p"I'd love to stay and chat with you guys. But there's a bunkroom that I promised to clean waiting out there somewhere for me. Anyway, if any of you guys see Skits, don't tell him I'm back. I want to do that myself."

pAfter making them promise, she made her way back to the Lodging House. By the end of the day, she had the bunkroom back to the messy cleanliness it was in everyday. She decided to finally go home and get some rest.

pShe found that nothing had changed since she had left. Quickly changing clothes, she held her teddy bear, Fuzzilla, in her arms and fell asleep thinking of the past few days' events.

pWhen Skittery entered the apartment that night, he felt her presence even though he hadn't seen her yet. He just knew she was there. Taking care, he tiptoed into her bedroom and saw her sleeping. Trying not to wake her, he sat down next to her and just watched hersleep.

p"Jack was right. She really does look like an angel when she's sleeping," he whispered to himself.

pHe couldn't help but lean down and kiss her lightly on the forehead. She woke up with a start.

p"Oh, it's only you, Skittery," she said calming down but then she registered that Skittery was home. "SKITS!!!!"

pShe flung her arms around his neck and gave him an enthusiastic hug. He was so surprised by it that she overpowered him and they both ended up on the floor.

p"Well, it's good to see you, too. I missed you a lot," Skittery admitted.

p"I missed you, too. Although, David was doing a pretty good job trying to replace you. But I told him no one could replace my Skits in my heart."

p"Do you really mean that?" he asked her. Unconsciously, he began to lower his mouth towards her.

p"We... we can't do this," she whispered.

p"You're right. So how are you and Jack?" he said to change the subject.

p"Non-existent. He's engaged to Sarah. Turns out my dreams were really a new psychic power of mine. Doesn't stop the hurt, though. Damnit! I swore I wouldn't cry and look what I'm doing now. Blubbering like a fool."

p"Hey, it's okay. I'm here for you," he whispered as he put his arms around her in comfort. "I mean, where else would I be?"

p"Speaking of where else you could be," Mystic said as she sat up, "you know that you don't have to stay with me anymore. The only reason you were here was that Jack was afraid to leave me all alone in the big city. Well, now I'm not exactly his problem anymore."

p"Yeah. But now you're a pretty girl who happens to be a witch and who is also living all alone in the big city without a boyfriend. Even though you're really complex, I think I'll stick around for a little longer."

p"Tell you what. We'll cut a deal. You stay here until I get married and I'll protect you."

p"Deal!" Skittery said as he got up off the bed. "I'll see you in the morning. Good night."

p"G'night, Skits."

pThe next evening, everyone went to Irving Hall to celebrate Blink's birthday. A few minutes after Mystic entered, she realized that she didn't know many of the people there.

p"Where are the guys when you need them?" she said outloud to herself.

p"Did you say something?" a guy who standing beside her asked.

p"Nope, I was just talking to myself."

p"Oh. I'm Keys."

p"You're a newsie? I haven't seen you around before. Do you sell here?"

p"Nope. I sell in Queens. Hey, you wanna dance?"

p"Sure. I gotta admit. Some of the guys here look pretty intimidating," she said to him as he led her to the middle of the dance floor.

p"So," Keys casually asked, "do you have a boyfriend?"

p"No. I used to, but not anymore. He's engaged to another girl."

p"Oh. I'm sorry. I bet you'll feel better in a few weeks. Heck, you'll probably get a crush on Jack, the Manhattan leader, when you see him here tonight."

p"You are really out of it, aren't you? Jack was my old boyfriend and he lives in Texas now with Sarah Jacobs."

p"Oh. Sorry again. I'm getting tired. Do you want to take a walk?" Keys asked.

p"Sure. Can't hurt, can it?"

pKeys led Mystic out into the street. They walked for a few minutes. All the while, Mystic paid zero attention to him. She was too busy taking in her surroundings. Suddenly, he grabbed her waist.

p"You're not looking at me. I'm starting to get jealous."

p"Um... could you please take your hands off me?"

p"I think it's time you repaid me for getting you out of that jam back there."

pAs he ripped her blouse open, she brought her hands up and shoved him away.

p"I'll give you two seconds to get your ass out of here or else I'll have to hurt you"

p"Your little threats don't scare me."

p"Fine. Don't say I didn't warn you."

pKeys started to move towards her. He reached out to grab her and got a fist in the guts and a kick to the shoulder. Taking a few steps back, he tried to regroup. He looked up and saw her take a karate post. Shockingly, he saw her make a motion telling him to bring it on. This time, her fist connected with his face and he hit the ground. As he tried to push himself up, his hand hit a brick laying in the road. This time, when he came running at her, he dodged the punch and hit her in the head with the brick.

p"Now you're mine," he whispered in her ear, knowing full well that she couldn't hear him.

pHe didn't expect it when he felt someone tap him on the shoulder. He turned around and got a punch right in the jaw, which knocked him out cold.

pSkittery kicked Keys' body aside and knelt beside Mystic. "C'mon. Wake up," he whispered as he softly shook her. He left out a sigh of relief when he heard her groan. A few seconds later, her eyes fluttered open.

p"Skittery?" she said drowsily. "How'd you get here?"

p"I saw you walking down the street with Keys. And I knew this wasn't such a good neighborhood. I was worried. So I kinda followed you. And I'm glad I did. What happened?"

p"He got a little fresh with me. I had the situation under control until he hit me in the head with a brick. Ow, that hurt. Anyway, you should go back to the party."

p"I think you're delirious. C'mon, let's stand you up."

pMystic tried her best to stand up and finally succeeded after a few tries. But the second her body went vertical, she felt dizzy and would have fell right back down again if Skittery hadn't of caught her. Even though she was delirious, she knew that this was not a goodthing. If she was going to keep convincing herself a relationship with Skittery was a good thing, she had to stay as far away from physical contact with him as she could. She quickly pushed out of his arms and stood on her own again.

p"See? I'm fine. I was just a little dizzy at first. I'm going back to the apartment. I want you to go to the Hall and tell all the guys that I'm all right."

p"I can't leave you on your own."

p"Don't tell me you're going to start treating me like a child just like Jack used to do. You know I can take care of myself. Well....usually I can," she added when she saw Skittery glance down at the still unconscious Keys.

p"I know that. And you know I'd never treat you like you couldn't. It's just that, well, I wouldn't trust anyone who had just gotten plastered with a brick to get home safely. So it's not just about you. The fact that it is you only adds to my worry."

p"We shouldn't be having this conversation," Mystic said more to herself than to him. "I'm going home. I'll be fine. If I see anyone who looks like trouble, I won't even bother to fight with them. I'll just zap them with my evil powers."

p"Stop making fun of yourself. Go home. I'll see you later tonight."

pThe two began walking in different directions. Suddenly, Mystic turned back towards the direction Skittery was walking in and shouted, "Don't break too many hearts tonight, slugger!"

p"If we were closer, I'd hit you," Skitter yelled back.

p"I'd like to see you try."

p"GOODBYE, Em."

p"Bye... slugger."

pWhen Mystic reached the apartment, she realized that no matter how much she tried to ignore it her head injury was getting more painful by the minute. She crawled into her bed and finally let herself rest.

pA few hours later, Skittery came home and found her asleep in his bed.

p"Wow. She must have really been out of it," he whispered to himself. "Guess that means I'm going to have to sleep in her bed tonight." He changed and went to sleep in her bed.

pAbout halfway through the night, Mystic woke up. She shot up in bed when she realized she wasn't in her usual surroundings. Still half asleep, she stood up and walked down the hall to her bed. She climbed right in, completely ignoring the big lump in bed next to her.

pThe next morning, Skittery began to wake up with a weird feeling like something wasn't the way it usually was when he woke up. Closing his eyes, he realized that all it was was the fact that he was sleeping in the wrong room. Then, he suddenly felt the pressure that was on his arms.

p"Someone's laying on me," he thought. "Who the heck would be laying on me?"

pHe slowly sat up and pushed the body that was previously laying on him to the side. As it hit the mattress, the person's head rolled to face him.

p"Okay. How'd Mystic end up in... uh... her bed? And why was she laying on me?" he asked out loud.

p"I don't know. Just shut up, Skittery," Mystic mumbled. "SKITTERY! What are you doing in my bed? What the heck happened last night?"

p"When I came home, you were asleep in my bed. I figured that it wouldn't be nice to wake you up considering you were probably in a lot of pain. So I just changed and fell asleep in your room. Now, as to what happened, I have no idea. Last I knew you were sound asleep in the other room. We didn't...you know... did we?"

p"No, we didn't. I think if we did our clothes wouldn't exactly be...well...on us. So I guess I must have just sleepwalked back in here. Me being in your arms, that must have been a natural reaction to having someone else beside me."

p"So... it's getting kind of late. I've gotta get up and get to the Distribution Center."

p"Yeah, and Kloppman will be expecting me to show up at the Lodging House any minute now."

p"Yeah," he whispered

p"Yeah," she replied.

pA few minutes later, they were both still in bed together. "So...." Mystic said.

p"Oh!"

pSkittery sprang out of bed and ran to his room to get dressed. A few minutes later, she heard the front door slam shut.

p"Jesus, Skittery. If we keep this up, I might just have to start ignoring you," she yelled towards the area where she guessed the front door would be. "And that will mean I have to kick you out of here. And I don't want to do it because this place has become as much your home as it is mine. Besides the fact that I don't want to live without you. Oh what am I saying!"

pShe quickly got dressed and ran out the door. A few minutes after she left, Skittery walked out of his bedroom.

p"Wow!" he mumbled to himself. "She must have thought that door slam was me leaving. Guess she didn't hear me talking to the guy who accidently thought this was his girlfriend's apartment. I don't think she really wanted me to know her feelings about me. If she doesn't want me to know, then I guess I should respect her wish. I'll try to stay away from her until my hormones cool down. Maybe I can fall out of love as easily as I feel into it."

pDays went by. Neither one exchanged even a hello with the other. All the newsies noticed the changes and were kind of frightened by them. Mystic and Skittery were known to be so closely alike that they were pratically inseperable. Now they were never seen together. It was very unnerving.

pOne day, at Tibby's, Spot, Blink, Race, and Mush were sitting at a table in Tibby's discussing what the heck was going on between these two best friends.

p"So, guys," Spot said. "What ever happened to make these two ignore each other? Last I checked they were best friends who never went anywhere without one another."

p"We don't really know," Race responded. "They were fine before Mystic left for Texas. Then, she came back and they acted awkward with one another. That's kinda moved into full denial of the other one's presence."

p"Something must have happened while she was in Texas," Mush added.

p"Or before..." Blink whispered soft enough so that he thought only he could hear himself. He was wrong.

p"What'dya know?" Spot asked. "Spill."

p"When she was down in Texas, she phoned the Lodging House to say she got there safely. Anyway, I heard the hurt in her voice and considering I'm her next-to-best friend, she told me her problem."

p"Which would be?" Race tried to pry out of him.

p"She...um...you know, I'm sure she doesn't want you to know. But I'll tell you for her sake. Skittery and Mystic, well.... they slept together. It was the night before Jack called her and asked her to come down. She left without talking to Skittery about whathappened. Therefore, the situation remain unresolved. I'm sure they're avoiding each other because neither one trusts themselves when they're in the other's company," Blink rationalized.

p"I think they're both afraid to admit that they want to be more than friends," Spot said. "You know what that means right?"

p"We're going to have to sneak around and get them together," the other three replied in unison. They quickly huddled up and devised a plan.

pA few days later, everyone was at the Lodging House celebrating Specs birthday. Mystic and Skittery were keeping to seperate halves of the room. Spot, Blink, Race, and Mush were plotting together near the front desk. Soon, the guys split into two sets of two, Blink going with Mush and Race going with Spot, and started to make their way to Mystic and Skittery, respectively.

p"Hey, Mysty. We were wondering if you could find this picture of Specs when he was little. I think it's in the storage room," Blink asked of her.

p"Fine. I'll go get it. You boys enjoy yourselves while I'm buried in all that junk," she replied.

p"If that's supposed to make us come with you, it didn't work," Mush informed her.

pShe gave them a dirty look and made her way through the crowd and into the storage room door behind the front desk. Meanwhile, Spot and Race convinced Skittery that they needed him to find the very same picture in the storage room. The second the storage room door shut behind him, all the newsies sprang into action. Blink had previously told them they needed their help. They all grabbed piles of old newspapers they had moved out of the storage room and into Kloppman's bedroom earlier that day. Before long, the whole door was hidden by a five foot deep and nine foot high mound of papers.

pThe storage room took up over half the Lodging House. Kloppman kept a lot of junk that previous newsies had left back there just in case they ever came back. For instance, when Blink was very young, he stayed at the Lodging House. When his long-lost father came and found him, he was
shuffled out of the state in a rush. So all his most prized possessions were left there.

pWhen his father died and left him nothing but debt, he ran away from it all and returned to his life at the Manhattan Newsboy Lodging House. So Kloppman rummaged through the storage room and got his stuff back out.

pThere were rows and rows of junk back there so two people could easily roam around and not run into each other for a while. So while Mystic rummaged through the piles on the second floor of the room, Skittery was casually strolling through the downstairs aisles.

pAfter a few minutes, Mystic felt herself nodding off. The past few days she hadn't gotten much sleep because every time she nodded off she remembered that Skittery was sleeping so very close to her room. Then it took her hours to get him out of her head. So when she felt sleep coming, she let herself go.

pShe woke up to a faint noise. When she fully woke up and focused her ears, she realized that someone was singing and playing the piano. Standing up, she began to follow the sounds.

p"Life is a road to us, alone.

brBut I know that someone watches over me.

brAn angel who believes in you from the start.

brOne gold protection of your heart.

pThere is an angel who protects me from the cold.

brTakes me in her arms

brAnd gives me someone to hold.

brTo hold.

pAnd when you ever engulfed by the darkness and cold,

brShe'll shine her light that comes upon your heart.

brThis angel who lives your life with you.

brPure by your heart, never to be torn.

pThere is an angel who protects you from the cold.

brTakes you in her arms

brAnd gives you someone to hold.

brTo hold.

pShe turned to me with her smile.

brMade all the pain worth while.

brPlease always be mine.

brYou and I, our love, it will shine.

pWithout fire and oxygen, we'll die.

brBut I know it's love that keeps me alive.

brDon't ever leave the one that you love,

br'Cause of love you cannot get enough.

pSo please get your angel and protect her from the cold.

brTake her in your arms

brAnd give her someone to hold.

brTo hold."

pHalfway through the song, Mystic found where it was coming from. Skittery was sitting at an old piano and he was playing the song. When he was finished, she clapped softly.

p"That was beautiful," she whispered. "I never knew you could play."

p"I learned it when I was a little boy and still living with my mother in Rhode Island. Sometimes, I come back here to play. Kloppman encourages me. He says that I've got real talent and real talent needs to be sharply tuned."

p"He's right. You are really talented. You should really pursue a career in it. Where did you learn that song from?"

p"Actually, I wrote it myself. Just after you left for Texas. I was kinda scared about what would happen when you came back. The song...um... it's about you. You see, I was real confused, too, while you were gone. So I lived her for a while. I really couldn't sleep at night. So I'd come down
her and compose. Kloppman said he didn't mind and that it in fact put him right to sleep. I don't know if that's a compliment or not."

p"It sure is a compliment to me. I love that song. You can tell you put a lot of emotion into it. Anyway, why are you in here?"

p"Well, I was looking for a picture that I thought Kloppman might have stored back here somewhere. When I couldn't find it, I went to leave and found out the door was stuck."

p"It is? Guess we're gonna miss the end of the party. Do you think someone'll find us tonight?"

p"I think it might take until tomorrow for them to realize we're missing. I guess we're here for the night."

p"Oh well! Hey. I bet there are pillows and blankets around her somewhere," Mystic said.

pAfter a quick search, they came up with two pillows and that's it.

p"Guess no one left any blankets here. Makes sense, really. I mean, how many of us do you know who brought our own blankets?" Skittery said.

p"You know, you make a good point. Oh well!"

pMeanwhile, the party was winding down outside. A lot of newsies had drifted upstairs and fallen asleep. By the time the clock hit midnight, only Blink and Spot were still awake. They quickly decided they were tired and started to go upstairs.

p"Wait!" Blink whisper-shouted.

p"What?" Spot said back to him.

p"I just had a brilliant idea. Let's put the fire out. Kloppman usually keeps it lit for newsies who drag themselves in the middle of the night. Well, we're all here. So, it's not needed. But it'll get so cold down here that Mystic and Skittery will be forced..."

p"To spend the night in each other's arms," Spot finished Blink's thought. "You ARE brilliant."

pThey quickly put out the fire and went upstairs to get a good night sleep. In the storage room, Mystic was being to feel the cold. Skittery noticed that she began to shiver and put his arm around her.

pBoth were tense because this was exactly what both of them were trying to avoid. They knew that close contact would not help them resist the other's company.

pEven though Skittery's arm did warm her for awhile, she began to shiver again.

p"Um... I don't mean to sound forward again, but why don't we lay down? That way I can wrap both my arms around you and you can be warm again."

pShe smiled and laid down on the ground. He laid down next to her and put his arms around her. They both just laid there in silence.

p"Do you remember the last time we slept like this?" Mystic asked, referring to the night before she left for Texas.

pHe responded by leaning down and kissing her cheek. Or at least that's what he attempted to do. He didn't expect her to move her head at the last minute. So both of them were surprised when his lips connected with hers. But neither fought it that hard. It was what they had been trying to avoid
for weeks now and both were tired of trying so hard. So they let their emotions take control. And, once again, neither one tried to pull away.

p****the next morning****

pMystic woke up, feeling quite warm. This surprised her considering she knew how cold the Lodging House could get this early in the morning. Kloppman said he never started a fire because it helped to wake the newsies up. This feeling was extremely unusual. Then, she realized that only the backside of her was warm. She turned over and was face to face with Skittery.

p"Good morning," she whispered as she gently shook him awake.

p"I didn't do it," he said by routine.

p"Um... yeah, ya did."

p"Mystic? Oh my god! Mystic, I'm so sorry," he blurted out.

pMystic opened her mouth to respond but he bet her to it. "I know what you're going to say. This was another mistake."

p"I don't know about you but it sure didn't feel like a mistake to me."

p"What are you saying?" he asked.

p"I'm saying that the first time was a mistake. This time wasn't. I knew full well what I was getting into this time. This time, I wasn't lonely and missing my boyfriend. This time I was lonely from not having the guy I want for my boyfriend."

p"So you're saying that this was a mistake but only it was a different kind of mistake. That you wanted attention from that guy so badly that you accepted attention from me."

p"You know you have it all wrong. I wanted attention from that guy and that's why I accepted your attention. Don't you get it? You're the guy I want. You're the guy I've always wanted. I just never knew it."

pHe just stared at her in awe. Suddenly, they heard shuffling outside the door and in a few minutes, it swung open. Blink was standing in the doorway. It surprised everyone when Mystic leapt to her feet and lunged at his neck. As she was sitting on and choking him, she managed to spit out,

p"You don't think I knew you were locked us in here on purpose. If I guess right, you had a little help from the rest of the inner circle of newsies."

p"What are you talking out?" Blink spit out once she had loosened her grip to allow him to breathe a little.

p"You, Race, Mush, and Spot did this on purpose, didn't you?"

p"Yes, we did," Blink admitted, lowering his head in shame.

p"Well, I guess I should thank you," Mystic said as she pulled him into a hug. "Someone needed to give us a jump start and I'm glad you decided it should be you."

p"So, does that mean it worked?" Mush asked as he pushed himself to the front of the crowd of newsies.

p"Yeah, it worked," Skittery said as he emerged from the storage room. "Only you'll never know how it worked or how well it worked. Because we're not telling you anything about what happened in that room, right, Em?"

p"Right. Now, we all have work to do so I guess we should be going. Or at least you guys should, considering I'm already at work."

pThe newsies all shouted goodbye to her and Skittery gave her a rather lengthy kiss. And then it was only her and Kloppman.

p"I suppose you helped them, old man," she said to him.

p"Well, I figured if I always helped you when you needed me to pull of pranks, I can help them with their little 'prank' on you."

p"Thanks. Anyway, I'm guessing today involved cleaning up after a party which I only got to see half of."

p"Exactly."

pLater, that night, Mystic was sitting on a bunk in the bunkroom, watching Race, Blink, Snoddy, and Crutchy playing their weekly poker game. She had decided to spend the night at the lodging house with the guys just because of the fact that she missed them dearly. Halfway into the game, Skittery
finally returned from selling.

p"What took you so long?" Mystic asked as he sat down on the bunk next to her.

p"I had to make a little stop at a shop down on Fourty-Second Street. I had to get this," he said as he handed her a small box.

pWhen she opened it, she discovered a gold ring with a small diamond and a small peridot side by side. She looked up at him, confusion on her face.

p"Does this mean what I think it means?" she asked.

p"Em. We've missed so much time together because of mistakes we've both made. I don't want to let myself have the mistake of losing you. Emily, will you marry me?"

p"Uh... um.." she stumbled to find the word she was looking for. She stopped mumbling for a second and lookedup at him. "Yes, I'll marry you."

pSkittery let out a loud shout of joy and swung her around into his arms. All the newsies stopped what they were doing and watched the couple rejoice about something.

p"What happened?" Race asked.

p"We just got engaged," Mystic stated. "Guess your little scheme worked a little too well, boys."

p"Guess so," Blink mumbled.

p"Anyway, I think I've had enough excitement for the day. I'm going to go to sleep," Mystic said as she laid down in the bunk.

pAs she fell asleep, the guys began to reminise about the old days when they were on strike. For the heck of it, they began to sing Seize the Day. That's the exact point where Mystic felt herself drifting off to sleep.

pThe next morning, Mystic felt someone shaking her shoulder.

p"Go away, Skits. I don't want to get up," she mumbled.

p"I don't know who this Skits person is, miss. But someone dropped a note for you."

pSuddenly, Emily recognized the voice. "Eliza! What are you doing here?"

p"I work here, miss. Don't you remember?" Eliza, the family maid, informed her.

pMystic shot up out of bed. She looked around at her surroundings. "I'm in my bedroom," she whispered mostly to herself. "I'm back in 1999."

pEliza was very surprised when Mystic feel back in her bed and started to cry. She ran and got Mystic's father, hoping he would know what to do.

pWhen her father arrived in the room, she had settled down considerably. He asked her what was the matter and she told him about her life in Manhattan.

p"Well, that's a pretty graphic dream you had," her father responded.

p"But it wasn't a dream. It was real," Mystic replied.

p"Baby girl, you always did have very graphic dreams. You were just upset about Mike and Angie. Then you watched the video and dreamed of a perfect life with the Newsies."

p"Stop trying to analyze me. You can do that to your patients but not to your own daughter. I guess you might be right though. My life there was too good to be true. Therefore, it must have beeen false."

p"I think you need some rest, sweetie. When you wake up, there's a note waiting for you in the kitchen. I'll have Eliza bring it up and set it on your dresser."

pHer father and the maid left her in her room to sleep. She began to cry again because she remembered how strong her love for Skittery was. Now she'll never see him again. She let herself drift off into a deep sleep.

pShe woke up screaming for Skittery again. This time, she knew he wouldn't be there to answer. She tried to stand up but her legs didn't cooperate and she hit the floor hard. Laying on the floor in a heap, her eyes surveyed the room. They stopped when they hit the note sitting on her dresser.

p"I wonder who could have wrote me," Mystic said to herself.

pOpening the note, she gasped when she read what was written.

pEmily,

pAngie and I realized we weren't right for each other the second I met up with her after breaking up with you. I'm writing because Eliza says you're sleeping and I can't come up and talk to you. Anyway, what I'm trying to tell you is I'm available. So I guess we canget back together. Call me.

pMike

pMystic started to laugh at the thought of her taking him back when she had Skittery. But then she remembered that Skittery was one hundred years in the past. Then, she started to think about everything she had left behind there. She would never see her friends, or Kloppman, who she was starting to consider to be her father, the Lodging House her apartment, and most of all Skittery, her fiance.

pFeeling like she had no where else to turn to, she dialed the phone. Mike answered on the first ring.

p"Hi, Mike. It's Mys...uh...Emily. I got your note."

p"So I take it you want me back now that you know how it feels to live without me?" Mike asked.

p"No. I just thought I'd call you..."

p"And what? Tell me you found someone better. Yeah right. You probably just dreamed up some perfect guy to try and make me jealous. Well, it's not going to work."

p"You're right. The guy was from a dream. A perfect dream that I'd love to return to right now."

p"You're talking about me? Aren't you? Fine. I'll take your pathetic mound of whimpering flesh back. I gotta go. We'll talk later."

pBefore Mystic could get a word in edgewise, he hung up on her. She stared at the phone in disbelief of what had just happened. After a few minutes, she heard a loud knock on her door. When she called "Come in!" to the person behind the door, her big sister, Sarah, entered the room.

p"When'd you get home from college?" Mystic asked.

p"About an hour ago. Dad sent me up here. He's really worried about you this time. Says that your breakup with Mike has got you make up imaginary boyfriends."

p"Skittery was not imaginary. Why won't anyone believe me?"

p"Well, think about what you're telling us. A movie sent you back in time? Where you met a guy and got engaged? But not after breaking up with your first boyfriend in Texas? Emmie, you know you've never been to Texas. I don't know why you keep dreaming up these fantasies but it's got to stop. You need to get on with your life in this reality. Patch things up with Mike. He always seemed to cheer you up when you go like this."

p"Actually, Mike has decided to take my pathetic existence back. I don't know how it happened. He asked me to call him and I did. Next thing I know he says he'll take me back and hangs up."

p"That's great."

p"No, it's not. I..."

p"What is it, Emily?" Sarah pried.

p"I already have someone that I love very deeply. And it's not Mike."

p"Give up on your little dream man. Even if he was real, he's one hundred years in the past. You're never going to see him again. Forget him and live your life with Mike. That's all I have to say."

pSarah walked out of Mystic's bedroom just as quickly as she had stormed in. Mystic just sat on her bed and thought about the truth to what her sister said. There was no way she'd get back to Skittery. Her life with the newsies was gone and it was never coming back. Her thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock on the door. She got up off the bed, preparing to fling the door open and give her sister a piece of her mind. She was surprised to find Mike standing in front of her.

p"What are you doing here?" she cried.

p"I forgot to tell you something over the phone. Anyway, on the way up here, I had a little talk with your dad. He told me about your little dream. And I want to make that clear. It was a dream. It's completely obvious that it wasn't reality I mean, do you really think someone else would take you knowing what you are?"

p"And what am I?"

p"A adolescent girl who thinks that she has mystical powers."

p"I do have powers and you know it."

p"That's what I'm here to talk to you about. Your father and I agreed that it's time to stop this witchcraft nonsense. Scott and Eliza are going to come up here in a few minutes and take away all this occult crap. You're going to let them do it because if you don't, your father doesn't want you here and I, the only guy who could possibly still be interested in you, will leave. You don't have a choice. Now come on. It's almost lunch time."

pFeeling like she had nothing else to do and nowhere else to turn, she just nodded her head and let Mike lead her downstairs.

pMonths passed and Mystic finally gave up hope that Skittery was going to come and bring her back. She returned to her life with Mike and started attending college at Ohio Northern University. But she never forgot about the newsies and what they meant to her. One day, Mike pulled her aside from the stream of kids walking to their next classes.

p"Hey. How are you doing?"

p"I'm fine. Why?"

p" 'Cause I care about you. Listen. I've been talking to your father and we decided it's high time that we got married. So, what month do you want to get married in?"

p"Don't I have any say in this? I mean, it is my life."

p"Well, your father and I thought it would be best to not let the burden of planning it fall on you. You've been very... fragile since you 'came back'. Don't tell me that you can't marry me because you're already engaged. We've been through this. I'm your life now. And the newsies left you for good."

p"I know. I know. I guess, June?"

p"Good girl. I'll see you later tonight."

pMike got up and walked away, leaving her alone on a bench in the main courtyard. Mystic burst out crying as she realized what had just happened. Now there was no chance left that Skittery would come and rescue her. She was doomed to live her life with Mike. Not in the mood to attend classes right then, she returned to her dorm room to take a nap and cool down.

pAs she fell asleep, her mind slipped back to when her life was perfect and filled with happiness. Then, she started thinking about her new life with Mike. Her mind switched over to what her life might have been with Skittery. And that's when she finally let go and drifted away.

pWhen she woke up, she could feel arms around her.

p"Hmmm. Mike must have slipped in while I was sleeping," she whispered to herself.

p"Who's Mike? Don't tell me you already replaced me?" said a very familiar voice.

p"Skittery!!! What are you doing here?"

p"I don't know, Em. I just woke up and there you were. Speaking of where you were... well... where were you?"

p"You would not believe it," she whispered as she sat up. "Somehow, I managed to get sucked back to the future. I kinda got stuck here."

p"Why didn't you just zap yourself back to the Lodging House?"

p"It's kind of complicated. You see, Mike doesn't want me using my powers anymore."

p"Who's Mike?" Skittery asked.

p"I am," came a voice from the doorway. "And who the hell are you?"

p"Oh no," Mystic muttered. "Skits, meet Mike. Mike, meet Skittery."

p"Nice to meet ya," Mike said. "Now get the hell out of bed with my fiancee."

p"Your fiancee? Last time I checked, she was engaged to me. But I guess that was a while ago. What happened, Em?"

p"Mike and my father had me convinced that you were a dream. They made me give up on you and my life as a newsie. I didn't have anywhere to turn to."

p"That sounds awful," Skittery whispered as he reached for her hand.

p"Don't you dare touch her," Mike said as he pushed Skittery away. "She's not yours to touch."

p"I guess that means she's yours. Wow. I didn't know Em was your property."

p"She will be once we get married. Let's get out of her, Emily. This guy is starting to scare me."

pMike grabbed her hand but Skittery quickly grabbed her and pulled her back into the room.

p"I think the lady deserves a chance to make a choice between us," Skittery informed Mike.

p"That's easy. She choses the future and me," Mike said.

pMystic had chosen to stay quiet until then. But she decided it was finally time to stand up for herself and make her own future. "That's where you've always been wrong," she whispered. "I only want one of those two things. A future. And I've finally realized that I can't have that if I have you. So, my choice is I want to decide my own future."

p"So that means you pick neither one of us?" Mike said. "That's a load of bull."

p"No, it's not," Skittery said. "You should respect her decision. If she's not ready for either one of us, then all we have to do it wait until she is. I'm willing. How about you?"

p"No," Mystic said. "He doesn't even get a choice. He's leaving. Right now."

p"No, I'm staying until you leave with me," Mike replied.

p"Well, then, I guess that only leaves one thing to be done. Mystic?" Skittery asked.

p"You got it." She waved her hand and Mike flew out of her dorm room. He hit the wall across the hall with tremendous force. With another wave, the door slammed shut.

p"I'm back," she whispered.

p"You never really left."

p"You do know I would have picked you anyway, right?"

p"Yeah, I knew. A love like ours doesn't come everyday. So, are you ready to come back with me? There's a lot of guys waiting for you."

p"Sure. And this time, I'm not going to wait for me to be sent back."

pMystic reached down and grasped Skittery's hand with hers. As they looked at each other, their bodies turned into blazing light. After a few minutes, the light slowly faded out and they were gone.

pThey reappeared in the middle of Newspaper Row. Mystic stepped foward and looked around. Everything was like she remembered it. The newsies' voices echoed through the streets and she picked out a few that were so familiar.

p"It's good to be home," she whispered.

p"We're glad to have you back. You know, you were gone for a whole year."

p"I was? I'm surprised you guys still remembered me."

p"Well, you're the only we know whose come into our lives, saved three lives, survived loving Jack Kelly, and got engaged to another newsie. You are definitely a special kind of person."

p"So are all of you guys. Each one of you has made such a large impact on my life that it's amazing no one has realized how much you affect people. I'm sure if I had never met been thrown into the past my life would be meaningless. I wouldn't be what I am today. In my opinion, you guys are the angels. You're my angels."

pp align=center****Disclaimer****

pI borrowed the song used earlier in this story from the musical "Into the Woods." It's entitled "No One Is Alone" and was written and composed by Stephen Sondheim. The second song was borrowed from a very talented friend of mine, Jeff Tang.

pAnd I also want to thank Sassy. She basically gave me the ideas for over half the story. I'm pretty sure this story would be a little boring without those ideas. So thanks a lot, Sassy!!!!!