AN: Hope you guys like the story! Please review so that way I know what I'm doing right or wrong. Feel free to tell me it sucks but I would like if you tell me why it sucks. I own nothing of Newsies. Warning: There is gunna be some language. Don't be shocked or anything.

Skittery dreamed he was back on the boat. He was hiding away with Ana telling her the stories his father had told him of America. She was scared of what would be there. Somehow the stories kept her happy. She thought she knew what was coming. At least that's what Skittery thought. They would sneak onto the deck and hide in a life boat to watch the stars. Ana claimed they were the spirits of people who had died. The brighter the star the better the person was.

"Mine won't be bright." She whispered to him one night.

"Why do you say that?" He asked looking at her eyes.

"I just don't think I can help people. Not enough to make a bright star anyway." She replied curling up next to him as the chilly night air swooped into their hideout.

"It doesn't matter." He replied wrapping his arm around her.

"Yours will be. You're too nice." She whispered as footsteps paced their way.

"If mine is so is yours." He reassured her.

"It doesn't matter. As long as I'm a star." She said before Boots shattered his dream with a whack on the head.

"OI! What was that for?" Skittery screamed as everybody got ready.

"Sorry!" Boots screamed as he ran to get ready.

Skittery scratched his head wondering over to his bunk to get his clothes. He took his pants off the bed post when he remembered why he was on the floor by Boots. Ana was still asleep. He pulled his clothes on and tried to wake her up. He gave her a little push and she swatted him away mumbling something that he couldn't hear. The other boys were making their way down the stairs. They had to leave now. He grabbed her and put her over his shoulder and started to carry her down the stairs.

"Skittery! God Damn you! Put me down!" She screamed kicking and punching at him.

"Ya want me ta drop ya on ya head?" He asked feeling her give in.

"Skittery, you ever do this again…" She started.

"I won' alrigh'. Jus' wake up on time from now on." He told her as she tapped her fingers on his back waiting for him to put her down.

Some of the other boys saw and started yelling at Skittery in a playful way but when he put Ana down she could have killed someone with her stare. The boys went quiet as she stormed out of the Lodge. As he walked by some of them patted him on the back. When he caught up to Ana she looked strange. To Skittery at least.

"Ya alright?" He asked realizing she didn't know he was standing next to her.

She swiped the back of her hand against her eyes and quickly said, "Fine."

"No ya ain'." Skittery said stopping her.

"You're right. You making me look stupid back there wasn't good for me." He could see the tears hiding in her eyes.

"I'm-I'm sorry." He said shocked at her face.

"Let's just go sell papers, alright?" She asked heading for the platform.

They got their papers and Skittery lead her to his selling spot. She didn't talk to him if she didn't have to. By the afternoon, Skittery had sold all his papers and Ana still had ten left.

"Let me help." Skittery said grabbing half of her remaining papers.

"I got it." She said snatching back the papers.

"No ya don'. Jus' let me help." He said hiding the papers from her.

"Skittery! Stop it!" She yelled but when she looked over his shoulder she went quiet and her face drained of any color. "We need to go." She said pulling him away from what was behind him.

"What?" Skittery said looking back to see someone running towards them.

"Run!" She yelled breaking into a sprint.

Skittery ran and was in front of her before he knew it. He slowed his pace to grab her hand. She kept looking back at the person chasing them. She seemed sad and scared.

"Stash! You can't hide!" Their pursuer yelled at them.

They slowed when their chaser gave up. Skittery led Ana into an abandoned house that had several windows missing and chunks of the roof was gone. He pushed her in and slowly shut the door. When he turned back around, Ana was in the corner farthest away from the door.

"Who was he?" Skittery asked after he sat next to her and there was a long silence.

"That…that was Paul. He works for Tony. Like I did. We…we used to…work together." She said rubbing her face tiredly.

"None a does people is eva gunna get ya. I promise." Skittery said wrapping his arm around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry I was rude. I shouldn't have-have been so…" She said looking sorry but not sure what to say.

"It's fine. I wasn' thinkin'. Let's head back ta da lodge." Skittery said helping her up. Skittery noticed she was shaking little and she had a distant look in her eyes. He pulled her into a hug and whispered, "Everythin' is gunna be fine. Trust me."

"I want to. I really do, but they won't let me go. Not without a fight anyways." she whispered her voice cracking a little. He looked down at her and saw a few tears had escaped her eyes. "Let's go home, alrigh'?" Skittery said leading her towards the door.

They walked in silence for most of the trip. Ana was the one who broke through the veil it created.

"Do you ever think about the boat?" She asked not realizing the grip she had on his hand.

"All da time." He whispered.

"I think about all the bad things about it. When I try to think of the good things there was only you. You really are going to be a bright star." She laughed quietly.

"Nah. Who wants ta be a star when dey have you?" Skittery said thinking about his dream.

"See. You're still being nice. I'm just…I'm space. All the darkness that shows off the stars." She said watching her feet.

"Why ya gotta be so harsh? You're da brightest star in the sky. Dose pick pocket friends a yous is da space." Skittery said stopping her in her tracks.

"That's what I love about you. You make everyone feel better and don't really care about yourself." She said looking him in the eyes for the first time.

"How can I care 'bout anybody when I'm ta busy worrying about you?" He asked with a scoff but his face was serious.

"I don't know. You have to forget about me, I guess." She said staring at her feet.

"Why would I forget about da goil I fell in love with?" Skittery said but when Ana looked back up at him shocked he scrambled for words. "I-I didn' mean ta say dat. I's just toilkin'-"

"Mischa…" She said smiling at him. "In the orphanage they spent two years trying to get me to stop speaking Russian. The other girls in my room didn't know any of their language. I clung to it thinking that…it somehow kept me on that boat. I still remember most of it. Everyone laughed at me when I woke up screaming and they didn't understand what I was yelling." Skittery's face showed sadness. "Let's go home."

They walked the rest of the way thinking about what Ana had said. Neither of them could believe what the other had said. When they entered the lodge their hands where ripped apart as Dutchy and Specs dragged Skittery over to play poker and Jack pushed Ana up the stairs.

"Ya need ta apologize." Jack said as he blocked the stairs.

"Hiya doll face." Spot said with a smile.

"Can't say it's good to see you." Ana said coldly.

"Don' matta. I hears ya got sumtin' ta tell me." Spot said moving closer.

"Nothing comes to mind. Maybe you need to tell me something." She said harshly going farther into the room trying to get away from Spot.

"Nuthin' I has ta tell ya besides ya lookin' lovely." He said almost in her face. She felt his hand on her side.

"I remember now." She said in his ear as he leaned into her. She brought her knee up and waited for him to fall to the ground before she spoke again. "Never trust a girl who can bring you to your knees." She said taking a step over him.

He grabbed her ankle and caused her to fall into the floor. Her shoulder made a popping noise that she didn't like and when she tried to move it, it groaned in pain.

"Shouldn' a done dat sweetheart." Spot said getting up slowly and moving towards her.

He squatted down next to her putting one hand on her shoulder and the other on her cheek. He jabbed his thumb into the sore part of her shoulder causing her to scream. Spot used his hand stifle the scream. Her eyes started to water. She tried to kick away from him but his grip was like stone and refused to let her move. Dark spots started to consume her vision when the pressure on her shoulder left with a snap causing her to fall the rest of the way to the floor. She felt her head lift up and heard the distant calls of her name.

"Ana? Can ya hear me?" The voice finally broke through. Her eyes flew open Skittery was sitting next to her. She looked around to see Spot was unconscious against the far wall. "Ya alright?" He asked helping her sit up.

"My shoulder…something…happened. It hurts." She said through her teeth.

"Boots went ta get the Doc. Be here anytime." Skittery said still looking worried.

"I'm fine. I promise." Ana said trying to find a way to sit that wouldn't hurt too much.

"Ya wanna get on a bunk? Boots won' mind if ya take his." Skittery said already moving to pick her up and take her to the bed.

"Yeah…Thanks Skittery." She said quietly closing her eyes preparing for the shot of pain that was bond to come.

It wasn't long before it radiate through her arm as he walked over to the bunk. When her head it the pillow she gave a tired sigh keeping her eyes closed to hold the tears that were starting to come.

"Yous is fine. I promise." Skittery said as footsteps raced up the stairs.

The doctor came and went quickly. Pushed on her shoulder a bit and claimed that it was only bruised and that it would be best to ice it. He looked at Spot quickly before he left but said nothing. Jack handed the doctor all the coins he had in his pocket. The doctor took a quarter and gave the rest back. As everybody started to come up the stairs to go to sleep Spot woke up looking like an angry bull. As he passed the bunk that held Ana he mumbled under his breath and headed for his home.

As the night went on, Ana curled up on the bunk leaving a large chunk unused. Skittery had let Boots use his bunk and decided to use the extra bed for himself. Sleep came and went many times. He refused to let it sink in. His head lulled to the side several times then he shook himself awake. Finally he accepted sleep after what seemed like ages.