So, here we are. The next chapter. I have nothing witty to say, so I guess I'll just leave it at this. :)

Crutchie blinked blearily as he woke up, stretching his arms above his head. Everything was so soft and warm and Crutchie was sorely tempted to just snuggle back in the blankets and slip back into sleep. But, he couldn't do that. There were papes to sell and if he didn't get up before the bell, the boys might notice—

Wait. Crutchie sat up with a start, realizing that he wasn't on Jack's rooftop. He was in some strange room with blankets piled around him like a cocoon of comfort. Crutchie examined the room, noticing shelves of books and the piano, before catching sight of Jack, who was snoring to Crutchie's left. Okay. If Jack was here then that meant… Crutchie shrugged. He had no idea what that meant or where they were.

"Oh, so you are early risers."

The words pulled Crutchie out of his musing and he glanced up at an older man with dark brown hair and soft green eyes. Then, it all came back. Katherine and Santa Fe and the train and the newspaper and Claude Holloway and the dinner. "Good morning, Mr. Holloway," Crutchie said.

The familiar sound of Crutchie's voice pulled Jack out of his sleep and Jack blinked in Claude Holloway's direction, before he too remembered what had happened the day before. "Ah, good morning, Mr. Holloway. Thank you again for letting us sleep here."

"Oh, yeah," Crutchie said sheepishly. He should have thanked him. "Thank you."

"It is shortly after dawn. If you'd like, Sue has fixed everyone some breakfast."

"Thank you, Mr. Holloway," Crutchie said, using his crutch to help maneuver himself to his feet. In the morning, his right leg was often stiff from sleep and lack of use. Today, it was even more stiff than usual and Jack had to catch Crutchie when the younger boy lost his balance. Jack pushed Crutchie to his feet and Crutchie gingerly tested his weight on his gimp leg, trying to ignore the pain that shot up and down it. Crap. He'd have to hide that from Jack.

Mr. Holloway watched the near-fall and how Jack had caught the younger boy without a second thought. It was a morning routine, he realized. As he examined Crutchie, he noticed the tenseness in the boy's face as he pressed his foot into the ground. Mr. Holloway was unsure whether Crutchie's leg bothered him each morning or if today was extra bad, but he could tell that the boy was trying to hide the flash of pain from Jack. Bringing the boys' attention back to himself, Mr. Holloway instructed, "Call me Claude."

"What?" Crutchie asked.

"Claude. I've got a name, too, you know." Claude Holloway grinned as he responded.

"Well, I figured that," Crutchie muttered petulantly. He brightened considerably, grinning at Claude. "In that case, thank you, Claude."

Claude grinned at the pair. "Come along, you two. If we don't hurry, JT will have eaten everything in sight."

Crutchie figured they'd be offered a breakfast of freshly brewed coffee—which Crutchie was undoubtedly excited for—and a piece of toast or two. Nothing too fancy, but something much more substantial than he and Jack were accustomed to on the streets of New York. This was not to be the case.

When the three men walked into the dining room, Crutchie and Jack were astonished to see that, if possible, even more food was piled onto the table. Two platters were piled high with lightly browned biscuits. There was a large dish filled to the brim with an insane amount of gravy. Small chunks of spiced sausage dotted the gravy, adding a new taste and texture. Fresh fruit was set about the table and a tall, clear pitcher of orange juice stood in the center of the table. Bread from the night before was at the edge of the table, along with the sliced beef, now chilled.

Everyone in the Holloway family had taken the same seats as the night before, so Jack and Crutchie quickly found their previous seats. Crutchie was no longer worried about sitting next to Mr. Holl—Claude. He felt unbelievably comfortable around the middle-aged man. With a quite painful jerk of his stomach, Crutchie wondered if this was how Davey and Les felt around their father. Crutchie instantly banished that thought. Claude wasn't his father and he and Jack had no need of a father. They had gotten along just fine so far.

This time, Claude offered a short prayer, before everyone began reaching for the food. Jack and Crutchie, however, were prepared for the chaos that they knew would ensue and even found themselves reaching across the table for the food they desired. After the table had quieted and the calls of "pass the butter, JT" and "don't hog the gravy, Syd" had stopped, Claude cleared his throat loudly. Jack and Crutchie quickly turned toward the middle-aged man, but none of his children did, still focused on their food. "Well, I think it was about time we decided what we're going to do about Jack and Crutchie," Claude announced, drawing the eyes of all his children on him. Crutchie swallowed nervously, the bite of biscuit he had been enjoying growing large and uncomfortable in his throat.

"Aw, pa, you aren't gonna kick them out, are you?" JT asked. "They're funny."

"It is two extra mouths to feed," Jessie observed, staring pointedly at the half-empty plates in front of Jack and Crutchie.

Syd nodded. "That's a fair point, but if they're able to earn their keep—"

"How are they going to do that?" Jessie interrupted. "They're two kids from New York. They don't know the first thing about ranches."

"Maybe if we taught them?" JT suggested.

Crutchie felt as if he was going to throw up. He couldn't bear listening to the three Holloway children bicker about whether or not it was worth it to keep Jack and Crutchie around. As much as he hated it, Crutchie found himself siding with Jessie. They weren't going to be much help, merely a hindrance on the Holloway's food supply. Crutchie glanced at Jack and noticed the older boy was a shade paler than normal. We won't have anywhere to go. We don't have a plan. We're going to starve to death and Jack realizes it. Crutchie felt as if he were going to cry. It was bad enough that he knew what would happen when they were tossed out of the Holloway home, but if Jack knew what would happen? Crutchie had been depending on Jack's optimistic hope to keep them afloat, keep them searching for employment and shelter, but if Jack understood the severity of their situation, all hope was lost.

"Look," Claude interrupted his children, "Sue and I already discussed all of this last night."

Crutchie felt even sicker, if that was possible. He had been so happy, so warm last night, and the Holloways had been passing judgement on whether he and Jack were worth the effort to keep them around. And Crutchie knew that if he vomited here in front of the Holloways, that would certainly seal the deal and he and Jack would find themselves out on the street just as soon as Crutchie had cleaned up his mess.

"We were thinking," Claude continued, oblivious to the distress Crutchie was in, "that with Clark having gotten married and moved out we could use another pair of hands out on the ranch with us."

Oh, god. Crutchie felt his hopes shatter. They only needed one person and with his gimp leg Crutchie knew exactly who they were going to pick. He shot Jack what he hoped was a supportive smile, but feared it was more of a grimace. This was good, Crutchie tried to convince himself. It meant that Jack would be cared for, would be fine. It meant that Jack could make his way in Santa Fe just as he had always dreamed of. It means that I'm going to starve and die out here, a small voice reminded Crutchie.

Jack seemed to realize the implication of Claude's words just as Crutchie attempted a smile at him. "Now wait a second," Jack said, standing up angrily. "I ain't staying here unless Crutchie's here with me."

"No," Crutchie hissed, pulling Jack back to his seat. "Don't give this up for me. Who's to say if you get another opportunity like this?" Crutchie wouldn't let Jack give up his chance for a good life just because he had happened to make friends with a kid sporting a useless leg. "I'll be fine," Crutchie tried to reassure Jack, but he knew that he wouldn't be. Not out here where survival called for four working limbs. Crutchie recalled the way that Claude had watched him get up in the morning, his leg still stiff, and knew that he had probably reconfirmed the decision the Holloways had come to the night before.

"I dragged you here and I ain't leaving you," Jack hissed back.

Crutchie noticed the eyes of every member of the Holloway family watching the two of them. "He'll take the job," Crutchie informed them, hating how his voice cracked slightly. He wasn't going to cry. Not here. Not ever.

"If Crutchie ain't welcome here, then I'm not either," Jack said, standing up once again and stepping away from the table. "Come on, Crutch. We can find our way some other place."

Crutchie remained seating, but he gestured for Jack to return to the bench. "Please," he nearly pleaded. "Don't give this up because of my stupid leg."

Claude cleared his throat once more and Jack and Crutchie guiltily turned to him. Crutchie hated that he and Jack had made a scene in front of the family. If only Jack wasn't so stubborn and would just take what could, very possibly, be his only chance for life out here. "I didn't say who we wanted."

"Well, Mr. Holloway, I think it's pretty clear—" Crutchie began, gesturing at his leg, but he was interrupted by the older man.

"It's Claude and I would appreciate it if you both sat back down and finished your breakfast. If you're eating, you'll be quiet and I can finish talking." Mr. Holloway's eyes were hard and Crutchie obediently picked up his fork and tried to swallow a large chunk of biscuit slathered in gravy. The food lodged uncomfortably in his throat and Crutchie had to finish off his entire glass of orange juice to avoid choking on the biscuit. Beside him, Jack glared at his plate, but made no move to eat anything. Don't ruin this, Crutchie silently pleaded to his best friend. Please don't ruin this on account of me.

"As I was saying earlier," Claude continued, "Sue and I were thinking about how Clark had left us and we were short a man, so we were thinking about taking Jack on as an extra rancher." Jack's eyes shot up angrily and he opened his mouth to make some retort that Crutchie just knew would obliterate his chance of happiness, but Claude cut him off. "I'm not finished, Jack, so if you could please hold your tongue, I'd appreciate it. After last night—and especially after this little incident at the breakfast table—Sue and I recognized that we couldn't possibly separate the pair of you."

The ire in Jack's eyes seemed to melt away into hopeful confusion at the final sentence. "So, you're saying…?" Jack trailed off, hoping Claude would fulfil his hope.

"Maybe I should've started with this, but, yes, Jack, we plan to take both of you in." Claude grinned at the two boys, proud to be the deliverer of good news.

And it was good news, Crutchie had to admit, but he couldn't help the way his stomach plummeted uncomfortably. Although Claude hadn't specifically spelled it out, Crutchie recognized that only Jack would be able to earn his keep. Crutchie would be a freeloader, a heavyweight. Only there for meals and shelter. Once again, Crutchie felt as if he would vomit. He didn't want to be so dang useless.

"They're staying?" JT asked excitedly. Claude nodded at his youngest son and JT pumped his fist happily. "Yes! Can Crutchie share my room?"

At the same time, Jessie asked, "They're staying?" Unlike JT, however, her voice held obvious disdain. "Pa, we can't possibly take these kids in. It's impractical."

"Kids?" Jack shot back. "I'm seventeen and Crutchie here is fifteen. Hardly kids."

"Fifteen?" JT cried out excitedly. "So am I!"

Claude gave Jessie a pointed look. "Now, Jessie, you may be eighteen already—and just by a month, may I remind you—but I guarantee that these 'kids,' as you call them, have experienced much more of the horrors of life than you could even dream of. If anyone deserves to be called adults, it would be these two. Jessie, you've lived a sheltered life in a family who loves and cares for you and provides food and housing for you. Jack and Crutchie haven't had that, were forced to grow up on the streets of New York. They were lucky, in fact, to even have each other out there. So, I would watch who you call kids."

Jessie had the good sense to glance down at her plate sheepishly. "Well, I didn't realize…" she trailed off, taking a drink of orange juice.

"So, if the pair of you have finished—" Claude said, glancing at Jack and Crutchie's now empty plates. Jack, after realizing that Crutchie would be staying with him and finished wolfing down the biscuits and gravy and Crutchie had forced the rest of it down, not wanting to waste food and knowing that he would probably get hungry later. "—you can make a sandwich from last night's dinner for lunch, later today. Jack, you'll be out on the ranch with Syd, Jessie, and I. We'll show you the ropes of ranch work. Crutchie, Sue will help you get situated. Most likely, you'll be going to school with JT."

"All right!" JT shouted, reaching across the table to high five Crutchie. "I'll introduce you to Phillip and the boys."

Claude grinned at JT, before gesturing to Syd, Jessie, and Jack. "Come on, let's get a move on. We're running late and we've still got to teach this boy how to ride a horse."

"It can't be too hard," Jack protested.

Syd laughed. "We'll see what you think tonight when you feel as if your legs are about to fall off. Come on, I'll show you how to saddle Blackie. She's gentle and will probably be the best for you to learn on. Grab some food; we won't be back until sundown."

Jack excitedly made a sandwich for later that day, wrapping it in the bandana Sue handed him. He turned to Crutchie, who was watching him. Jack's smile faltered a bit as he noticed the blank look on Crutchie's face. The younger boy wasn't showing any emotion: happy or sad. "You okay, Crutch?" Jack asked.

It was if Jack had flipped a switch. Crutchie beamed at Jack. "Yeah, imagine going to school! And JT said he was going to introduce me to his friends. That'll be cool."

Jack stared at Crutchie. He sounded excited, but it still seemed slightly… off. But, Jack knew that Crutchie wouldn't want him to pry in front of the Holloways, so he mentally made a note to ask Crutchie what was going on later that night. Smiling back at his best friend, Jack upheld Crutchie's façade, "Yeah, you'll have to tell me all about it when you get back. But don't let all that fancy book-learning make you think you're smarter than me."

Crutchie rolled his eyes. "Whatever, Jack. You have fun out there. And save a palomino for me."

"Of course," Jack said, before growing serious and lowering his voice, "You be careful out there, Crutchie. Your leg still bothering you?"

"It ain't—"

"I saw you this morning."

"That was this morning," Crutchie muttered. "It was stiff. You know it does that sometimes. I'm fine."

Jack watched Crutchie warily, trying to determine if the younger boy was telling the truth. "Okay, but you know you can tell me if it's hurting you or anything. I don't think less of you for that. You know that, Crutch."

Crutchie nodded. "I know, which is why I didn't tell you anything. It's not hurting that bad. I'm fine. Now go ride a horse and, uh, do whatever it is that ranchers do."

"And you go learn something smart."

Crutchie grinned, watching Jack follow Syd out the back door, laughing at something the older man was saying. He should be happy. They had a place to live—a home, not that he would say it out loud; that might break the magic spell—and wouldn't have to worry about where their next meal came from. Jack was going to get to ride horses around and carve his living out of the dust, just like he wanted. All their dreams about Santa Fe were coming true. And yet… Crutchie was worried that he was only being taken in so that Jack would stay on as a rancher. There really wasn't anything Crutchie could do to contribute and he recognized this and he was pretty sure Claude and Sue recognized this also. And now they were going to pay for his education.

"Whatcha thinking about?" JT asked, interrupting Crutchie's train of thought.

"Nothing."

"You don't have to tell me," JT said, gathering a few books and putting them in a leather saddle bag that he strung over his chest. "You think a lot, though. I noticed. You just get sorta quiet and that's how I know you're thinking."

"I didn't realize it was so obvious."

JT shrugged. "It doesn't matter. I don't care, anyhow. But, we do need to get a move on if we're going to get to school on time. It's two miles away and we've got to walk. You can walk that far, right? Of course you can. You were a newsie. Grab some food and ma will get you a bag to take to school. Oh, man, I can't wait to tell Phillip about you and Jack. How you two just showed up and now you get to live here. Does that make you my brother? I've always wanted a little brother. But are you younger than me or am I the younger one? My birthday is in February. The 17th, actually. I hope ma and pa let you stay in my room. I'll show you all around town. There's this one place—"

Crutchie smiled at JT's incessant jabber. He could do this. And, who knows? Maybe school would be fun and Crutchie would find a place to fit in and contribute. Jack was right, Crutchie decided as he watched the sun rise higher into the sky as the two boys set out to the schoolhouse. This was the start of something new and everything would work out. Crutchie felt buoyed up by his new hope. He would prove himself useful, even if that was just by getting good marks. The Holloways would not regret taking him in.

I've come to the conclusion that Jack is an optimist and Crutchie is a realist disguised as an optimist. Opinions?

Also, the other day I was talking to my roommate (my job has employee housing) who is about three times my age and we were discussing our music tastes and she mentioned that she really like Oldies and it took all my self-restraint not to respond with, "I'm more of a Newsies person." She wouldn't have understood... :( Ah, well, questions, comments, and concerns are always welcome! Have a fantabulous Wednesday!