!! Snow, in some cultures, is believed to be a pure substance. It can be used for many things, from building to eating. Snow is also said to bring happiness, even in the saddest of times.

But, somehow, no matter how much of the beautiful stuff fell, no happiness could be brought to those around the small gravesite.

Those who braved the cold tried to offer some consolation to the others, but it seemed all were inconsolable at the moment. Many held a single white rose, and some of them held on to it for dear life. Nobody said a word for the longest time.

Hannah had asked Marty to stay home and wait for them, but knowing Marty, knew that her efforts were in vain. No matter what sickness might befall him, Marty would be there for his friend and the only father that he ever knew. The only father that many of them had taken to be their own.

It's my fault. They said simultaneously in silence. Hannah closed her eyes as she accepted the blame.

If I hadn't have prayed so hard for Marty, and made a promise I never meant to keep, this never would have happened. I said I would sacrifice anything. I never meant for it to mean anyone.

Marty believed that he was to blame. I should've known. I saw the signs. He even told me he wasn't feeling too well. But then again he said he was going to go to the doctor, too. I should've made him go sooner. I'm such a fool. The tears he fought hard to suppress fell slowly down his cheeks.

There was no formal eulogy. Kloppman would've never wanted a formal laying-to-rest. Kloppman wasn't that type of guy. So, anyone with anything to say spoke up, with a story of how Kloppman managed to change their life, or perhaps a funny thing that happened. No secrets were kept.

"It's too cold to stay much longer." Hannah murmured to Marty. "You've been out here for nearly an hour already. We can come back later."

Marty glanced down at her, and then looked back at the gravesite. "I-…"

"I know, Marty. I do." Hannah said softly, laying a gentle hand on his cheek. "It seems that if you leave him here now, that he's gone forever. But he's not. You know that."

Marty's gaze was riveted on the small stone. Then he slowly nodded. "Alright. I'll come back later." Going up to the stone, he crouched long enough to place his rose on the newly formed mound. He stood a moment, gathering his thoughts.

"See you around, Mr. Kloppman." Marty said softly, turning back to Hannah and walking back to the lodging house with her.

No matter how short of time that he had with him, Alex silently mourned. What a rare person, he thought. To have taken in all of these people, without a lot of monetary gain. To not only give them shelter, but care for them as a father or family member might.

Whatever way Alex looked at it, the world had just lost an amazing man. Rubbing Cassandra's arms, he murmured soft words to her to ease her pain. But no matter how warm he was, or where she stood, Cassandra felt frozen.

With a nod at his suggestion, Cassandra turned the rose around in her fingers once, before gingerly laying it beside the others. "We should get back to the children. I doubt they understand what's going on. Jenn and Dom need a chance to come down here, anyway. They've watched them for long enough." She said stiffly, walking back to the lodging house with purpose.

A heart attack. The old man that survived almost anything else thrown at him died from a stupid heart attack. Ray couldn't believe it. I should've never left all those years ago. If I hadn't, I wouldn't feel so robbed right now. I miss you already, you stubborn old bat.

Brendon's eyes were dry. Perhaps he was just in shock. He didn't know, but at the moment he felt like a heartless bastard. He couldn't find his voice, so he hadn't been able to say what he wanted to say. He couldn't find his thoughts, so no tears would come. He felt as if he had let Kloppman down. He glanced up from the gravesite and across it at Ray, and he thought perhaps that if he could help someone through it, maybe he wouldn't be such a failure, after all.

Beautiful no matter what, he thought as he made his way over to her. Even in grief. She looked like she was trying so hard to keep her composure. Who was it helping or hurting if she refused to let it out? Brendon laid a hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes. And he saw another shield drop as her eyes welled.

"Come on." He said softly. "If we leave, you won't have to let anyone see you." He gently put his arm around her shoulder and led her away slowly.

Now blanketed with a thin layer of snow, the abandoned gravesite covered with white roses showed how much this man was loved. Just like the man inside, it would wait for its next visitor. !!

!! Losko hurried towards the lodging house. Was it true? Was he really gone? If it hadn't been for the sight of all of the ex-newsies (and current newsies) leaving the cemetery, he would never have known that Kloppman had died.

For the past three years, Losko had been acquainted with the old man. They had both needed some sort of support, and had both helped the other in some way.

And now he was gone. What a terrible shame, Losko thought. Removing his hat, he knocked on the lodging house door, wary of what he might find on the other side. When the door opened, he came face to face with an attractive woman with blue eyes and…was that dark blue hair?

"Can I help you?" She asked, her voice hitching slightly, but her composure fairly strong. Losko could see that she was barely suppressing grief. He couldn't blame her.

"I'm Losko…Losko Orlov." He introduced. "I was acquainted with Mr. Kloppman, and I wanted to stop by to tell everyone how terribly sorry I am. If there is ever anything I can do…"

Ray leaned against the doorframe. Her eyes held bitter cynicism. "If you can't bring him back, I doubt there's anything else you could do." She said softly, but finding empathy in his eyes and not sympathy, she gestured for him to enter.

After closing the door she studied him. Not bad, she thought. "So you're Losko, huh?" She asked. "I'm willing to bet that there's someone who'd be glad to see you right about now."

Leading him to a room, she gestured towards the fireplace, which was the only light in the room. There, on the floor in front of an armchair with a bottle in her hand and her dog at her feet, sat Andrianne.

Losko barely heard the door behind him close as he took of his coat and set it down. He stepped towards her, and Max's ears twitching were the only indication that they knew he was in the room.

She was trembling slightly, he saw. And she was glaring at the fireplace as if it were her enemy. Kneeling down beside her, he gingerly took hold of the bottle and just as gingerly, took it from her hand. He was glad she didn't fight him for it.

'So, tell me." Andrianne started, her voice shaky and bitter. "If this so-called 'fate' has everything in control, then what possible reason does it have for taking Kloppman away? It doesn't do anyone any good."

Losko shook his head lightly. He knew there was no answer to her question, and he knew she probably didn't want one. He set the bottle down, and after gently turning her face to him, he pulled her into his arms. There wasn't any point in saying anything, so he hoped this would be enough.

Andrianne's eyes widened slightly at this sudden show of comfort. Immediately her guard was let down, and she clung to him, letting out all her grief. !!

!! Ray sat back down in the sitting room, leaning forward in her chair, folding her fingers and tapping them against her mouth. She glanced about the room, looking at everyone's faces. They all seemed so lost now.

For some reason, everyone didn't realize that Kloppman was really the center of everything. Now that he was gone, nobody knew what to do. What would happen to the lodging house? Who would run it? Would it just be abandoned? What about all the current occupants? Where would they go now?

The Refuge most likely. She shuddered at that thought. Even though Snyder no longer ran the place, she heard that it was ten times as bad. How the hell did they hide all of the bad things from the weekly inspections? Sneaky jerks, she thought.

Thinking now of the Refuge, she smiled slowly. Seeing the sudden change of mood, Mike furrowed his brow. "What are you smiling about?" he grumbled.

Ray shrugged. "I was just thinking about that time when Kloppman told Snyder off. That's all…"

"Whoa…wait. Kloppman told Snyder off? When did this happen?" Jack asked. "I don't remember that."

"That's because you were in the Refuge. Remember, you decided it would be fun to skirt out of the strike and live the high life?" Trey pointed out meaningfully. Jack visibly flushed.

"Oh."

Ray rolled her eyes. "Snyder came around looking for random newsies involved in the strike to lock up. Kloppman pretty much told him that he was a horse's rear and that unless he had a warrant or legal cause, he had better get out of the lodging house before he'd sic us on him."

"Go Kloppy." Mike muttered with a small smile.

Trey leaned back. "This reminds me. Remember that time when we were younger when we asked Kloppman how birds flew? And then we decided to try it and we leaped off the roof flapping away?"

A few people laughed at the memory. Trey shook his head. "We all broke something, and he made up a story about some stupid kids that decided to break their necks. He made us all cry."

"As long as we're in the 'Story-telling' category, anyone remember when we asked him to tell us a story when we were younger? And he started making fun of everyone in the bunkroom?" Jake asked. "Trey thought he was a pirate for weeks."

"I am a pirate." Trey said with a grin. They laughed at him.

David raised his glass. "To our Kloppman. May he keep badgering people for all eternity." Getting a few laughs, everyone else raised their glass as well.

"To our Kloppman." !!

!! Brendon could always lose himself in a good book. There was just something about imagining the different places, and transforming yourself into the person to feel as they felt. He'd never admit it to everyone, but this happened to be one of his favorite forms of getting away.

Which is why he hurriedly hid the book under his pillow when someone entered his room without knocking. When he saw who it was, his heart sped up familiarly.

"You know, I could've been naked in here." He said lightly as he sat up. Ray merely smiled softly.

"I know. But I'm sure it's nothing too extraordinary." She took a seat on the foot of the bed.

Brendon pretended to be hurt as he patted at his heart. "You just go right for the jugular, don't you?" He teased. After a moment of silence, he regarded her warily. "Are you alright?"

Ray shrugged slightly. "As good as I can be, I guess. As good as any one of us can be." She looked up at him, and then got up to nose through his make-shift room. "Listen…I just…uh…" She sighed, trying to find her words. "I wanted to say thanks…for earlier. You didn't have to take me back to the lodging house, and you most certainly didn't have to stay with me."

Brendon watched her. "You're ignorant if you thought I wouldn't." He stated simply. When she looked back at him, he gave her a small smile. She relaxed a little, and continued to peruse.

"Why did you?" She asked suddenly.

Brendon's brow furrowed. "Why did I what?'

"Why did you do that for me? Strike that, why have you always done that for me?" Ray asked. "Just because we're friends?" She asked.

Brendon tried to think about what he should say next. If she didn't get it now, he doubted she ever would. Then again, he'd never been very clear with anything. Brendon knew that Ray simply thought of him as a brother, nothing more, and nothing less. But as for her, he'd always been in love with her, and he had a feeling he always would be. If he told her how he really felt straight out, she could reject him, and he admitted that it would hurt. So what could he do?

"I did it because I care about you." He answered finally. It didn't give away anything, and it was true enough.

Ray didn't seem to be mollified by this response. "Because you care about me…?"

Brendon nodded slowly. "What else would it be?"

Ray shook her head. "I don't know…" Why do I care all of a sudden? She asked herself. Maybe my emotions are just going haywire right now…

And you're stupid if you believe that. It's not just right now, you've been thinking about this for years.

She jumped slightly when she felt his hand on her shoulder. When she faced him, her heart sped up. What's wrong with me?

"Were you thinking something like this?" Brendon asked, catching her face in his hands and kissing her.

Ray's eyes were wide as her hands fisted into his shirtsleeves. Why did this suddenly feel right? When Brendon pulled back, she couldn't find her voice.

"It would probably help if you said something…" Brendon said softly, his hand warm on her cheek. Ray resisted the urge to lean into it and lean into him. This couldn't be. It couldn't happen anyway.

"I don't know what you want me to say…" Her voice shook.

Brendon sighed. "Say that you want to be with me. Say that you'll at least try to love me."

Ray shook her head slowly. She couldn't possibly. He was such a good guy, and he deserved more than she could ever give him. "I can't." She said finally. No matter how much she wanted to, it would just hurt them both more when he realized that she wouldn't be able to go through the long term with him.

"You can't…?" He asked tentatively. "Or you won't?"

Ray swallowed. "Both. I'm so sorry…" She shook her head and walked back out the door without another word.

Brendon stood where he was for a moment before running his hands through his hair and collapsing on the bed.

"Well, that could've gone better." He mumbled into the pillow. !!

!! "I don't see why you just won't let it go for now." Arielle said rubbing her temples.

"Because YOU refuse to." Jack argued. "If it's such a big deal that we can't wait until we get home to discuss it, then we might as well figure it out right now."

"We've been discussing it even before we got engaged! It should have been resolved by now!" Arielle said. "Why can't we seem to compromise on this little issue?"

"I hate to think that us deciding where we're going to spend the rest of our lives is a little issue." Jack snarled.

Arielle sighed heavily. "Jack, really, do we have to go over this again right this instant?!"

'It seems to me that putting it off will only make it worse."

"No, bringing it up over and over again in any type of conversation is making it worse." Arielle retorted. "If you weren't so stubborn and pig-headed we could-…"

"I'm the stubborn one?! I'm pig-headed?!"

"Yes, you're stubborn and pig-headed. And evidently you're deaf, too!"

"Insulting me isn't exactly the way to make me see your side of the deal, Arielle." Jack warned.

Arielle wearily shook her head. "You know something, Jack, if we're having this much trouble over something as trivial as which side of the country we're going to live on, then maybe we shouldn't get married at all." Once it was said, she realized she couldn't take it back. They both stared at each other, letting it sink in.

"Maybe not." Jack agreed softly.

"Fine. I'm calling the whole thing off." Arielle said, pulling the ring of her finger and placing it in his hand, and then walking out.

Jack stared after her a moment, before staring down at the ring. He felt numb suddenly. Putting the ring in his pocket, he walked out the opposite direction. !!

!! Emilie leaned back against her husband. What a day, she thought, and then corrected herself. What a month. So many things happening so soon, it was a wonder that nothing else was going on at this moment.

"You feeling alright?" David asked.

Emilie nodded. "It's my back again. I've been getting spasms the past couple of days…"

"And you didn't say anything about them because…?" David raised a brow at her.

Emilie merely stuck her tongue out at him. "You're worse than my mother. I'll be fine. I know about this kind of thing, remember? That was me that had the other three children."

David rolled his eyes. "I'm just looking out for you, that's all. No need to be snide." He kissed the top of her head.

"Sorry. It's just beginning to bug the heck out of me. I love kids and I love the process of getting them. I just hate the waiting period and the whole…birth…thing." She nearly cried. "I want to see my toes again."

David smiled at her. "You don't have to wait too much longer, love. I promise. If those back spasms are any indication, it may be sooner than we think."

"I hope so." Emilie sighed. "It's a shame that Kloppman won't be around to see the baby. I really wanted him to."

"So did I." David admitted. "Maybe we should think of Kloppman as a guardian angel now." They looked at each other and almost immediately laughed at that comment. "Well it sounded like a good idea."

Emilie sighed at herself. "If you'll excuse me, I have to go to the ladies' room." She slowly got up.

"Need any help?"

Emilie snorted. "No, I'm pretty sure this is one thing I can handle alone. Thanks."

David flushed slightly. "Sorry."

"Right. Don't worry. I'll be gone a while, so be expecting a postcard or something."

David smiled and shook his head after her. !!

!! Jake propped Cindie's feet up on his lap after she had adjusted the pillow behind her head to her liking. She gasped at the sudden back spasm.

"You alright?" Jake asked, concerned.

"I think so…either the kid just kicked its way through my body or my back decided to secede from the rest of my torso." Cindie said shifting a little.

Jake grinned at her. "Maybe it'll be a dancer when he or she grows up."

"If so this kid's gonna be one hell of a can-can dancer."

"Just try to relax, I'm sure it'll go away soon." Jake reasoned.

Cindie nodded and took a deep breath. It hitched however when a sharp pain in her back ripped along her nerves. "Holy crap…"

"Maybe you should sit up…" Jake suggested, helping his fiancée to do so. "Has this been happening a lot?"

"Kind of…I mean, only for a few days…"

"A few days?!"

'I didn't think anything of it. They didn't happen like this. Ouch…" Cindie took another deep breath. "I don't think this kid likes me very much."

Jake shook his head. "You're just stressed from today…maybe the baby felt it. Supposedly stress is bad for a baby."

"And you would know because you had one, right?" Cindie muttered.

Jake disregarded her last statement. "Uh oh…"

"What uh-oh? Uh-oh's aren't good…" Cindie looked down. "Oh…uh oh…"

Jake looked up at her. "Is it…?"

"Holy crap…!" Cindie cried out as another sharp pain wracked her system. "They aren't back spasms…I think I'm going into labor!" !!

!! Ray walked into the lodging house, weary from the day. Rubbing the back of her neck, she wondered what else could possibly happen.

That's when she saw the chaos unfold.

"What the hell's going on?" she asked, watching everyone rush around.

"Cindie's going into labor!" Jenn said hurriedly. "Half of us have no idea what to do, so we're just joining in and running around." She shrugged and ran back out to make sure the walk was clear. "Oh. Great! It's snowing really bad out here. You can't really see the road!" She shouted from outside.

Cassandra was in the room with Cindie, coaching her through the pains and contractions.

"You're sure we shouldn't rush her to the hospital now?" Jake asked, jittery now.

"I'm pretty sure. I've been through this a few times myself." Cassandra said gently. "That's a girl, just breathe, it'll be over soon."

Alex grabbed a hold of Jake's shoulder. "You can come help me. It'll get your mind off it." He tugged Jake along with him outside.

Andrianne and Losko looked around the lodging house as they exited the room.

"It hasn't been this busy since the strike." Andrianne mumbled. "I mean, when Cassandra first got pregnant."

Losko stopped the first person that rushed by. "Where's the fire?"

"Cindie's going into labor. All the snow coming down means that she may have to deliver here." With that they rushed away into the kitchen.

Andrianne shook her head. "Here, of all places. I bet she's wishing she's back at home."

Another cry of pain from upstairs made them all jump.

David rushed down into the sitting room, breathless.

"Oh, not you, too." Gabe whined. "We'll never get any sleep."

"Her water just broke." David rushed. "We gotta get her out of here."

"No can do, bub." Sarah said walking past him to go upstairs. "Nobody can go anywhere. We've got a mini blizzard outside. They're going to have to give birth here."

David looked around. "Here?" He ran upstairs after her.

"Now are we sure that it's actual labor…?" Ray asked. "I mean I've heard that sometimes it's just a false alarm."

Both women cried out simultaneously. Ray made a face.

"But I've been wrong before."

"Can you two come with me to help Emilie? I'll show you what to do…" Cassandra swept past them without waiting for a response.

Andrianne and Ray looked at each other, then started upstairs.

"Sorry, chum." Andrianne said to Losko, feeling slightly sick to her stomach. "You're going to have to deal with the men folk."

"This is why I'm never having kids." Ray muttered.

"You're Losko?" Jack asked. Shaking his hand, he led Losko into the kitchen. "Looks like you've been recruited. Welcome to the High Life, brother." !!

!! Ta-da! Maybe what Losko said has some truth, after all, eh? –Does a happy dance- I'm glad how this is turning out. I was a little worried there for a second. If you liked it too, please review! Hey, look, I rhymed! Whoot whoot. !!