A/N: ok, so chapter two is done! Many many thanks to Jasmine Sparrow. She owns all rights to Rachel. Everyone check out her fanfic, An Unforgiven Past. It's very good! Disney owns Newsies, DUH... I own Catherine! Enjoy and PLEASE PLEASE review.

Chapter Two: Silver Crosses

Catherine felt warm fingers massaging her arm. Her eyes flickered and opened. She turned her head and faced the owner of the warm fingers. It was the boy they called Blink, she realized now the source of the name. He had brown patch over his left eye. The boy pulled his hand away quickly from her arm.

"I'm... a... sorry, you just were... and uhh, I was..." He tried to explain. Catherine smiled at him and he stopped trying.

"Its alright, it was very nice." Her accent was different then what he normally heard in Manhatten. It was like the deep twanging accent found down in Brooklyn, by the docks. Spot Conlon in fact had an accent much the same as Catherines. "Where am I?" She asked glancing around the bland yellow walls and lines of messy bunk beds on the opposite side of the room.

"You'se in the Manhatten Boys Lodging House." said the boy, throwing his hands up and smiling. "And I am Tommy Simpson, or as I prefer, Kid Blink."

He looked down on Catherine, and took in her sweet pink lips, that curled up at the ends. Her frizzy dirty blonde hair curled in ringlets around her shoulders. Her right eye was purple-blue from being mugged last night, and cheek was puffy and bruised. But even though she had slight imperfections she looked beautiful to hm. She wasn't too tall. But her body was tiny.

She could feel him staring at her. "Don'tcha wanna know me name?" She asked.

"O'course I do!" He replied, blushing only slightly at his rudeness. She laughed and was happy to discover the pain in her ribs had subsided greatly.

"Well... I'm Catherine."

"Where ya from?" He asked, replaying the name in his head. Catherine, it was a melodious name.

"Cavan, Ireland" She replied the smile sliding from her face. Kid Blink didn't notice.

"You'se in the wrong part of town! Brooklyn is the Irish part. We got Spot Conlon and the Brooklyn Newises over tonight, big poker game. You'se should come down and meets him!" He said excitedly.

"Spot who?" She asked, a ripple of panic going up through her spine.

"Conlon. Spot Conlon. He's a great fighter and a great Newsie. He's a good friend of mine. He saved us Newsies from a bit of trouble last year, during the strike."

"The what?" Catherine asked, pushing the name to the back of her mind. It couldn't be him... and she didn't want to think about the real "him" anyways.

"Thats a long story, and one we haven't time for now." He replied bending closer to her.

"You'se said there was a big poka' game downstairs. Why aren'tchu playin?" She asked him.

"Wells... I didnt think that chu'd wanna wake up alls by yourself." He admitted sheepishly. "If your feeling any better we can go downstairs and i'll introduce you to the gang."

"I'm feeling much better thankyou." She slid her legs of the side of the bed. Her skirt rose and revealed strong white legs. She didn't notice Kid Blink staring longingly at them. She winced a little as she put pressure on her hurt ankle.

"You alright d'ere?" Kid Blink asked her, jumping up and offering an arm. She smiled at him and nodded. Blink led her over to the wash basin and helped her wash her face in the cool water. She pulled her matted curls back into a sloppy bun and tied a robbins egg blue ribbon around it. She took a big breath.

"I'm ready!" She hobbled over to where he stuck his arm out and together they made their way downstairs. As soon as she stepped off the last step she could see that the rules of the lodging house were fairly lax. Smoke filled every corner of the two rooms that dozens of newsies were now occupying. She also smelled a strong odor of alcohol, although she couldn't tell from where it was coming.

"Now, jist stay on me arm and you'll be alright." She looked up at him grinning. Parties were something Catherine could always do right. Not at the end, when her parents weren't well. But she could dance up a storm, sing light a nightengale and play a mean fiddle. The Irish whiskey that was kept down in the basement seemed to make the festivities warm and more exciting, and when she got the chance she would sneak out to have a puff of her Da's cigar. She loved the atmosphere of a party, people were happy and only good things could happen. She still, however, squeezed Kid Blinks arm and held tightly on to it.

"Dis here is Dutchy, Bumlets, and Specs" Kid Blink shouted over the noise, pointing to a group of boys sitting near the stairs. They were laughing loudly and started when they heard their names. Dutchy was the first to stand up. He had strawberry blonde hair and a slightly crooked nose. He grinned and nodded. He kicked Bumlets, who elbowed specs and they too stood up. Bumlets was tanner and had a fine head of black hair, Specs had curly black hair, and a pair of small glasses sitting at the end of his nose. "And dis fellas, is Catherine. She's the girl we'se found on the street. Chu remember dat Specs?" He laughed as he recalled Specs had been wasted and Catherine watched as Specs flushed a deep scarlet.

"Oh'se yeah, I do remember that, actually." He glared at Kid Blink. " How'se ya feelin?" He asked her cocking his head to one side.

"Much better now, tank ya"
"You'se Irish?" asked Bumlets. Catherine nodded her head. "You'se gotta go meet Spot den!"
"I'm jist about to go take her in dere. It ain't gettin rowdy or nuffin?" He asked them, when they shook their heads he began ushering Catherine into the hallway leading to the other room.
Catherine smiled to herself when she thought of how protective Kid Blink was being. She had barely known him a whole day, and yet he was acting... well, differently than any man in her life ever had. She allowed him to protect her from the jostling crowd, although she knew she was more than capable of elbowing them out of her way. Her brother had taught her how to fight, and by the time she was six and her brother left she had almost beaten him.

"Alrightie fellas! Listens up good! Dis heah is Catherine. She's da girl we'se found on da streets." The loud shouting ceased and now a faint murmer was present. Catherine looked around at the room. It was plain, a shabby looking couch was situated underneath grubby unclean windows. In the center of the room was a very old looking table with a group of guys sitting around it holding cards to their faces.

The Newsies were all smiling, clearly having a wonderful night. The were two other females in the room. Both were sitting on different boys laps. The girl sitting on the boy with the low slung cap and black and gold stick stood up clearly wanting to make the other girl comfortable.

"Hiya! My names Rachel." She said extending a hand " welcome!" She laughed. Catherine liked her. She was friendly and pretty. She watched as Rachel elbowed the boy she was sitting next to the boy she had been sitting on.

"Oh... s'cuse me. I'm Racetrack." said the boy, tipping his hat. They went around the table making introductions. Mush was sitting on Racetracks right and to his right was a boy named David. To Davids right was the obvious leader.

"The names Jack Kelley and its' a pleasure to meet you." He shook her hand. "Dis here is me goil, Sarah Jacobs, she's Davids brudder." Sarah stood and smiled at her and shook her hand warmly. She seemed to be the motherly figure to the Newsies. She was warm and friendly and very loving, Catherine could sense this immediatly.

The only remaining boy, the one whoRachel was obviously with wasat the table sat covered in shadow. His head was bent looking at the cards in his hand. Jack spoke again. "Dis here, is Spot Conlon, leader of da Brooklyn Newsies." Spot lifted his head and Catherine let out an audible gasp.

A/N: so we ALL know where this is going. PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE review. I'LL LOVE YOU FOREVER!