Author's Note: So much drama going on in my life right now, it's a bit ridiculous. It's times like these when I'm glad that I read and write so much. In writing especially, I have a world I can control where nothing unexpected happens and people I care about don't disappoint me. Sorry, I guess I'm being melodramatic, but it's true. There's something wonderful about getting to create a story and world of my own and it cheers me up every time. There's nothing quite like it. :)
A bajillion thanks to JacobsConlonBrooklynNewsie, natalieblack2, autumnamberleaves, Ealasaid Una, and The Broadway newsie, whose reviews have made this week a little bit brighter and put a smile on my face even when it got a little rough. Keep it up, y'all. Your input means a lot to me!

Chapter 3- Trust

Won't you take me by the hand
Take me somewhere new
I don't know who you are, but I
I'm with you
Why is everything so confusing?
Maybe I'm just out of my mind
~I'm With You: Avril Lavigne~

With a sigh, Jenna followed the two boys who had saved her from the gang of Brooklyn newsboys. She wasn't sure if the two were gang members or newsboys or something, but she was definitely wary. In her experience, people usually did nice things for the purpose of getting something back and she didn't mind paying back a favor, but that didn't mean she was game for just anything. She didn't know these boys and they may have just 'saved' her so they could use her for their own gain.

Trust no one.

It was a lesson she had learned at an early age - and it wasn't one she was likely to forget any time soon.

She studied the boys in front of her as she walked. They looked about the same age, though the one on the left was taller. His hair was a blonde-brown with a little bit of curl in it and he kept glancing back at her with curiosity. He seemed to be the more outspoken one, persistent in trying to engage her in conversation, while the other had an air of quiet confidence about him. He seemed the leader type from the beginning and she wasn't surprised when his friend let it slip that he was leader of the Manhattan newsies a few minutes later. It certainly made his former statement about territory make a hell of a lot more sense.

The trio turned another corner before stopping in front of an apartment building.

"Al lives on the fourth level," the one who had introduced himself as Les explained. "I'll run up and get 'er to come down an' meet ya first."

"Al?" Jenna asked, taking a step back. "You said this was a woman."

"Her name's Alison," Runner amended without batting a lash. He didn't seem to be lying. She nodded and moved back to where she had been.

Les seemed to wait a moment, as if unsure whether she was going to run off, then headed inside and presumably up the stairs.

In the meantime, Runner and Jenna stood together, waiting in silence. Jenna shuffled her feet, feeling awkward, and still somewhat concerned that she was being conned here. This kid looked honest enough, but she had learned the hard way that the bad guys don't always look so bad.

"You got a real name?" she asked and nearly winced at the abrasiveness she realized was in her tone. She tried to soften it. "I mean, othah than 'Runner'."

"Not that I remembah," Runner shrugged. "Been called Runner since I was a kid and the newsies found me wanderin' the streets." He paused, picking at the dirt under his nails, before looking back toward her. "Al was actually the one who found me. She'n her brothah. We've always been pretty close."

Jenna nodded, filing away this information for the future. The obvious next question was to ask what had put him on the street in the first place, but something told Jenna that he wasn't going to tell her any more personal information. She couldn't blame him, of course. Both he and Les had refrained from asking what put her on the street, though she could tell they likely were wondering exactly that. It certainly wasn't information that she was about to offer up to just anyone.

The two stood in comfortable silence until Les came down.

He stepped out of the building, holding the door open for the woman behind him and announced, "Freckles: Al. Al, this is Freckles."

The first thing that registered with Jenna about this woman was that she was heavily pregnant. The second was that she looked almost nothing like Les. She supposed she should have realized that they were only related by marriage and therefore wouldn't have a resemblance to one another, but it still surprised her. This woman was much shorter than both the boys and stood about the same height as Jenna herself. She had dark brown hair, almost black, that was pulled back into a braid that reached the middle of her back and her eyes were a clear green. She had a light scar, hardly noticeable, that ran from her left ear all the way down to her chin. In fact, Jenna wouldn't have even noticed it if she hadn't been looking for distinguishing features, as she often did when meeting strangers. She guessed that the woman couldn't be more than ten years her senior.

She wore a green apron that had some sort of red sauce spilled across it over a blue dress.

Al moved forward and held out a hand. "Alison Jacobs. Call me Al."

"Jenna."

"So she does have a name!" Les received an elbow to the gut from his friend and an eye roll from his sister-in-law.

"Les tells me you're in need of a good meal?"

Jenna merely nodded.

"Dinner's almost ready an' my husband'll be home any minute now. You're welcome to join us." She turned to Runner. "You staying? We've got plenty."

He seemed to deliberate for the moment and Jenna found herself holding her breath in hopes that he would acquiesce. She really didn't know him much better than this Al woman or her husband, but for some reason she felt that she would be more comfortable with him there.

"Sure," he finally shrugged."I s'pose the boys can do without me for a couple hours.


Al turned to go inside, beckoning for the two teens to follow her into the house. She was glad that the boys had brought the girl to her. She seemed like she needed some help and Al was always glad to offer some. It was one of those moments where she really felt grown up. She really wasn't much older than the two, but the fact that they were looking up to her made her feel more like an adult than usual. And that was a nice feeling, especially when so many of David's coworkers and their wives made her feel like a child.

Being pregnant also helped, though. There was nothing like carrying a baby in her belly to remind her that things certainly had changed in the past five years.

She made her way up the stairs as quickly as her enlarged stomach would allow her to move and led the way through her front door, immediately hurrying to the kitchen to check on the spaghetti sauce she had left on the stove.

"Make yourself at home, Jenna!" Al called over her shoulder. "Runner would ya set the table for me?"

"Sure thing," he responded, not far behind her.

She took the pan off the stove and mixed the sauce with the noodles, silently thanking Racetrack once again for teaching her how to make the dish.

As if reading her mind, Runner spoke up, "When does Racetrack's ship get back?"

"Not sure," Al answered as she stirred. "Should be in the next few days, though."

Runner nodded. "Feels like he's been gone forever."

"Just a couple o' weeks," Al answered, though she had to admit that it felt the same to her. She took the bowls Runner offered her and was about to start serving up the spaghetti when she caught sight of the gashes in his hand, still bleeding. "My God, Runner. What happened?" she set the bowls down and grabbed his hand. Jenna peeked around the corner from the living room where she had been seated.

Runner rolled his eyes, "I got scratched. It ain't a big deal."

Al huffed and dragged him over to the sink. "It could become a big deal if ya don't wash it out and wrap it," she reprimanded. "Go on. Wash it. I'll wrap it when you're done." She went back to the sink, muttering about stupid boys and their inability to think properly.

It was at that point that the front door opened and Jenna jumped about three feet in the air in reaction. Al called out, "Come on, hon. You're just in time. Runner's here an' 'e brought a guest."

David stepped in behind Jenna and shook her hand when she turned toward him. "Runner, I didn't know you had a lady friend," he winked at the younger boy.

Runner's face urned a deep shade of red and Al burst out laughing. She wiped her hands on her apron, just in case, and moved toward her husband. "They saved 'er from Brooklyn today. Apparently, Jett's boys're gettin' rowdier than we thought." She stood up on her toes to kiss him; he bent down and met her halfway.

Then Al turned to Jenna. "Speakin' of washin' up, you needa do the same. That scrape on your chin ain't gonna clean itself." She jerked her head toward Runner and the girl did as she was told.

David sighed and tugged at his ear. The old habit hadn't died with time and Al smiled as she recognized it. It took her back to when they first met, when they had no idea what was in store for them. Now David was her husband and the father of her unborn child. He was strong, handsome, and loving. He had come a long way in the last five years - becoming the man he had always longed to be, and exactly the man Al had always known he could become.

"That's not good," he finally answered in response to her statement about Brooklyn.

"No kiddin'. Anyway, she's joinin' us for dinnah. An' I think she'll need a place to stay the night, though she hasn't come out an' said it yet."

"You know that's fine with me," David answered, pulling her into a hug and dropping a kiss on her forehead. "By the way, Denton says 'Hi'."

Al grinned and turned, moving back toward the food. "Alright, enough chitchat," she called out to the three of them. "I'm starved. Let's eat."

Dinner was delicious and exactly what Al had hoped. The girl Runner had saved was almost completely silent while they ate, but was clearly listening intently to every word that was spoken. Most of it was about Brooklyn and their growing nuisance. David and Al want to hear all about the way the newsboys were planning on dealing with them and were eager to offer their own advice to their younger friend.

When dinner was finished and the dishes put up, Al offered Jenna the guest bedroom. At first, she declined. Al could see in the girl's eyes that she didn't trust them and Al honestly couldn't blame her. It wasn't until Al brought up the fact that the door had a lock that she perked up. It didn't take much after that and now David was walking Runner back to the Lodge while Al helped set the girl up in her room for the night.

Al brought in an extra blanket. "It's been pretty cold at night, so you might need a second one," she explained setting it down on the bed. Jenna was clad in one of the nightgowns Al had offered her after having taken a bath. It was clear that the girl hadn't been clean in ages and Al was glad to be of service in that manner. Now the girl sat on the bed, brushing out her lengthy dark hair that had long grown accustomed to being tangled.

"I'll wash your clothes in the morning. In the meantime, here are some of mine from before I got pregnant." Al yawned as she stood in the doorway. "You're welcome here as long as you need. Let me know if you need anything else, okay?"

She started to step away from the door when Jenna's voice stopped her. "You aren't worried I'm gonna steal somethin'?"

"There ain't much here to steal," Al answered as site turned back to the girl. "I'm not worried."

"People don't just let random street kids into their houses for the night," Jenna told her, her eyes blazing with an emotion that Al couldn't quite place.

Al shrugged, "Well I do."

When Al woke the next morning, she was exhausted. She was getting to the point in her pregnancy where it was hard to find any way to lay comfortably and that fact kept her up most of the night. She had always been a notoriously light sleeper and discomfort helped little. David slept on beside her. He, in contrast, slept like a rock for the most part. Unless someone was crying, screaming, or hitting him, he wasn't likely to wake until his body was good and ready to do so.

Al slid out of bed and made her way to the kitchen, hoping she could get a little food in her stomach before their young tenant awoke. She was well aware of her own moodiness in the morning, especially when lack of sleep was factored in, and didn't want to scare off the girl. She scrambled enough eggs to feed all three of them and spooned out the proportions on each plate, then placed the ones for Jenna and David in the oven. She noticed that one of the wooden chairs was missing from its usual place at the table and wondered at its absence before she moved toward the stack of envelopes on the counter.

Al grabbed the mail and sat at the table as she went through it. As much as she enjoyed receiving mail, it often took her a few days to actually go through it. Now seems like the perfect time. She poured over it and found the two she had hoped would come this week. She smiled broadly, squealing inwardly as she shoveled in another bite of egg.

She opened the one that had been postmarked first with eager fingers.

Hey Al,

As usual, Blink, hannah, Ron, and Rachel say hi. I hope things are still going good with the pregnancy. I know you said your irritated about the guys treating you like your gonna break, but it'll be over soon enough anyway. Got any ideas for names? I'm thinking james if it's a boy and Jamie if it's a girl. You know, that way they're named after me either way.

Good news! Blink's taking a girl out tomorrow night. Hannah and I been soon worried that he would never get over what he did. You know, he's glad he did it too. Glad he kept you safe. But he still feels guilty bout it. Guess he thinks he's too bad to look for a girl. Ya know? It's good to see him trying again. I know he doesn't right back much, but he still loves getting letters from you. He hangs them up in his apartment every time he gets one and rereads it a bunch of times until the next one comes. Then he saves them in a drawer in his room. Hannah says she rarely sees him as happy as when he spots your letter in the mail. Says his eyes light up.

The twins are doing great. There third birthday is coming up and there really excited about it. Rachel keeps telling everyone it's her birthday. Every morning she wakes up and yells happy birthday! It's real funny. She and ron look just alike. Got their mom's waves and my color. Got her eyes too, though she and blink say they look more like me. I dunno if that's true or not.

I wish you could see them and meet hannah. I hope we'll get to come visit New York one day or you and David get to come out here. I'm gonna try to send you a pitcher of us all soon, if I can. Moneys tight around here. Ain't it always, though? I'll even try to get Blink to pose for it too. Where's Denton when you need him?

Well, I know this letter is kinda short, but I don't got much time to right lately. The water is leaking in our apartment and Blink just got here to help me come fix it. I gotta rescue him from Ron and rachel or I'll never get any help from him. There crazy about uncle Blink.

Hope everything's good. Tell everyone we love them.

- Mush

Al grinned at the piece of paper in her hand as she folded it up and placed it back in the envelope, setting it aside for her husband to read. She would have to write back later in the day when she got the chance. Glancing down at the second letter, it was all she could do to calmly pick it up and open it instead of tearing into it. It was ridiculous how much she missed her brother.

Hey sis,

I think your wrong. Clearly you can understand me fine. I don't have to change the way I write if I don't want too. All those rules get on my nerves. If you wanna have Davy teach you how to write like a hoity-toity reporter, then you do that. But I'm gonna write the way I want.

I just reread that and I sound like a jerk. I mean it nice, ya know.

Anyway, things are going great down here. The horse ranch is doing good and half our mares is pregnant. A couple have already given birth and there's plenty more of that to keep us busy for a while. Lemme tell you, Al. Horse births are pretty nasty when you gotta get involved, but it's worth it to see them colts. Colts are about the cutest babies in the world. Much better than real babies, since they don't barf on you or scream and they can walk soon as they're born. There a whole lotta fun.

Anyway, I got something to tell you.

I'm coming back to Manhattan.

Don't freak out on me or nothing. Ain't no trouble or anything down here. Jim and his wife are gonna take over and watch the ranch for me while I'm gone. I don't know how long I'll stay, but I figured it was about time I com see my baby sister and my future niece or nefew. I haven't got the tickets yet, but I should be up there by the end of March. Depends on how it all works out. Just wanted to give you a heads up. Oh, and I'm bringing a surprise.

And don't worry, I can stay in the Lodge if there isn't any room for me or call up a favor from someone else.

I was gonna ask some questions about the boys and Davy, but I guess I won't get the letter back in time. I guess I can ask you when I get back.

I love you, Ali. Tell Davy I say hi and tell Skittery not to be so sad. I know the anniversery of Maggie's death is coming up.

-Jack

Disclaimer: Like I said before, Jenna (aka. Freckles) is my property. Hannah, Ron, Rachel, and Jim are too. Oh, and the grammar/spelling in the letters are entirely intentional, in case you were a tad concerned. Jack and Mush have grown up doing quite a lot of reading via the papers, but it's highly unlikely anyone has ever taught them the finer points of grammar.