A/N: Hiya, fellas! Here's a little something I wrote with Swimming-Poole! (Don't forget to check out his profile!) It's the first time I'm writing a Newsies fanfic, so be easy on me! HOWEVER, it's NOT the first time I posted a fanfic to the internet. I might revise this later, but until then, here's something to enjoy for the holiday season!
Note that this is an AU fanfic, not really a lot of drastic changes though. The majority of this universe is based on the movie, with elements of the stage version thrown in. Sarah doesn't exist in this universe, and I instead decided to throw Katherine in there! :)
Alright, enough talk. Enjoy!
December 1899.
Just a little past midnight, the first snow of the year began to fall in Manhattan. Lightly, at first, but as the hours passed, it started to fall heavier.
In a deserted alleyway sat a young girl of 11 years. Far away from where she lived, or rather, once lived, huddled in a corner, wrapped in a blanket, with only the glow of the blazing fire to keep her company, she pulled out what little food she had left in her bag and began to eat. She was on the run from what was supposed to be her home, and didn't want to go back to what she was facing there for the past six months. For the past week and a half, she was traveling all throughout the boroughs of New York, trying to keep hidden from the horrible people she had to stay with. All she had with her were a pack of matches and a dollar and some cents she snatched from them the night she ran away, the blanket that had stayed with her since she was a baby, and some clothes for boys that she found to mask her true identity.
By daybreak, it was still snowing, and Manhattan was covered in snow all over. People were struggling to keep the snow shoveled and under control, and kids were playing around all over town.
Meanwhile, in a certain lodging house in Downtown Manhattan, a bunch of teenage boys were asleep in their bunks, most of them with extra blankets due to the now cold weather. All their dreams were suddenly interrupted by the calling of a voice that called, "Wake up! Get up, boys! Time to hawk the headlines! Carry the banner!" All the Newsies groaned as they were bombarded with Kloppmann's calls. However, this morning, his calls had an addition, "Make sure you bundle up tight today! Looks like Jack Frost is paying us a visit!"
Upon hearing these calls, Crutchy bolted up from his bed, grabbed his crutch, and hobbled over to a nearby window. His eyes widened with childish excitement at the sight of all the snow outside, and he was soon joined by a swarm of other boys. "Jack!" He cried over to the bunk above his. "Kloppmann ain't kiddin'! It's all white outside, and it's still fallin'!"
Nearby, Jack "Cowboy" Kelly, leader of the newsies, was still asleep in his bunk, just like a few other Newsies that despised mornings. Half asleep, he turned his head to look at the winter wonderland outside, "Huh? Oh, yeah, it's snowin'." He fell back onto the pillow, eyes shut, then they suddenly bolted open again as he realized what was going on. "IT'S SNOWIN'!?" He jumped up and out of bed as he rushed to the windows to have a peek at the icy sights outside himself. "You're right, Crutchy! No kiddin'!"
"Yeah! Foist snow o' da year!" Racetrack exclaimed in delight.
"Bet they don't got none of this in Santa Fe, huh, Jack?" Mush laughed over to Jack.
Behind them, Kloppmann called to them, "Yeah, well, if you want some of that winter wonderland, you'd better go out and hawk those headlines!"
The Newsies rushed away from the windows and towards the washroom and begun to get ready to sell on their first snow day of the year. As they were discussing where they should sell, Snitch pulled Itey aside. "Ite! Word!" he called to his bunkmate.
"What is it?" Itey asked.
"Okay, I have an idea for this year." Snitch said with a smile on his face.
"Alright, tell me," Itey replied curiously.
Snitch leaned in closer so that the others wouldn't hear. "Okay, now, know how every year we make a Christmas tree out of lumber scraps that Crutchy finds?"
"Yeah? What of it?" Itey questioned.
Snitch smiled. "I've been thinkin' and plannin' this since the middle of November."
"And 'this' refers to…?" Itey asked with a bit of confusion in his voice.
A big grin spread across Snich's face as he said with delight, "This year, we's gonna have a real Christmas tree!"
"Oh, great!...How are we gonna get one?" Itey asked with more confusion.
"Simple." Snitch told him.
As he begun to whisper his plan in Itey's ear, Kid Blink observed them nearby with a bit of suspicion and confusion. He murmured over to Jack, "Better keep an eye on those two. They look like they's up to somethin'."
"No kiddin'," Jack replied as he was buttoning his shirt. "I'll be sure to keep a close eye on dem." Pretty soon, all the Newsies were finished getting ready and rushed outside, ready to hawk the headlines in a winter wonderland for the first time this year.
Outside, the boys, bundled up in their overcoats, scarves, gloves and mittens, and more warm wear, (and of course, Jack in his cowboy hat with a warm scarf over his bandana) were all filled with childish excitement as they jumped and frolicked in the snow together. Bumlets and Swifty purposely fell down and started making snow angels, while Kid Blink and Mush got into a snowball fight together.
Crutchy piped up, "Try to catch snowflakes on your tongue! It's fun!" Soon, all the Newsies were walking around with their tongues sticking out.
"Needs a little sugar," Racetrack stated as he caught one.
"Cold on my tongue!" Pie Eater cried out.
As they continued to catch snowflakes on their tongues, they suddenly caught sight of two familiar faces. An excited Les was rushing up to them, pulling a sled behind him, while David was struggling to catch up, constantly falling in the snow. "Fellas, fellas! Look what I got!" Les shouted as he showed off his brand new sled.
"Les, slow down, you know I don't walk very well in the snow!" David shouted behind him. The Newsies looked on in surprise as they saw the brand new sled Les had with him, and it wasn't even Christmas yet!
"Wow, Les!" Mush exclaimed at the sight of Les' sled. "You get Christmas presents early?"
"Uh, no, actually." David said. "It's not really a Christmas present. We…actually celebrate the holiday season a little differently."
"Really?" Jack asked. "How so?"
"Well, for starters, we don't really have a Christmas tree. Instead, we have something called a Menorah. And we don't eat Christmas ham either." David said.
"Hold it," Jack said. "Are you saying you's is…Jewish?"
"Yep," David said. "We celebrate Hanukkah."
"Harmonica?" Racetrack asked.
"No, Hanukkah. It's a Jewish holiday. Maybe I can explain it a little more to you." David told them as they all nodded.
"Hanukkah's great," Les said excitedly. "We get presents for EIGHT DAYS!"
The Newsies piped up in conversation upon hearing Les's words. They were so engrossed in conversation about the holiday, that before they knew it, they were finally at the gates.
As the boys approached the gates, they begun to talk about where they were planning to sell and what they wanted to do for the holiday season, and Racetrack (of course) started to think about which horse he would bet on. Suddenly, a mysterious new boy with unusual, delicate, detailed features on his face whom no one had ever seen before shyly made his way over to the gate as he waited for them to open. He was adjusting and holding onto his cap a lot, which made him look a little suspicious, and he seemed to want to be hidden out of sight.
"Hey, Jack! Who's da new kid?" Racetrack asked upon spotting him.
"I don't know. Haven't seen him around before." Jack replied. He approached the boy and asked him, "Hey, what's wrong with you, kid?" he asked.
"What's it to ya?" The boy snapped at him in an unusually gruff voice.
Jack backed away, holding his hand up, "Woah, woah, woah, easy on da attitude, kid. You just seemed a little uneasy and I just wanted to know if youse was alright."
Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew his cap right off his head, which revealed his long, wiry, brown hair, and, apparently, a secret he was hiding.
He was actually a SHE!
Well, what do you think guys? Good? Bad? Neutral? Let me know in a review!