A/N: Hello, all! I'm sorry I took so long with this, you guys…I got kinda caught up in stuff. I was finishing a musical, and then trying to find a job (which I still haven't found yet), and then my dad got in a car accident, so…yeah, it's been an interesting two months. Anyways, I've been working on this for a bit, so…I hope it's good! I'll have (of course) my "Thank You" chapter published in a little while (once I publish this one, of course), and then I'll be done! Wow…this story has been a joy to write-it's really surprising that it's almost done! Hopefully y'all are still enjoying it! I am honestly sorry that this took so long…I've had a crap-ton of stuff to do, and it's been hard to find time to write. I've also been struggling with motivation for this chapter, especially since pretty much all of this story was complete and utter word vomit. That being said, I hope that this is a fitting end to this story!
Responses to reviews:
Biankies: Yeah, I love writing Romeo big brother stuff…it's always super cute when I get to write him, since I know their dynamic really well now. ;) Yeah, I'm glad too…I didn't realize until when I re-read the chapters that I had created this whole plan for them to get him out…and that I forgot that I had written that and just made it up as I went along…haha… ;) Yeah, my workload has been kinda crazy lately…sorry I haven't written in a while-my life's just gone a bit nuts lately, and it's taken a while to get back on track. Yeah, that sucks…maybe you should look for parts of the show on YouTube or something! (cause I've found clips of it on there…) I hope you enjoy this chapter!
FansieFace: Hey! I miss you a ton…I hope you're doing well, and that you enjoy this chapter! (I might have a new TLC chapter soon…hopefully… ;) )
S. Castro: Hey! I miss you…I hope you're doing well, and review soon!
TheUndrownedChild: Thank you so much! I'm glad you've been enjoying them-that's the whole reason I write, after all! ;) Plus I'm always glad to hear that someone likes my stories. Thanks! I'm hoping the whole courthouse part isn't getting too old (since I use it in pretty much every multi-chapter), but I'm glad you like them! And I love them too-that's one of my favorite bits to write, and there's some in this chapter too! ALL THE ROMEO AND JULIET FLUFF! Haha… ;) Yeah, I don't think that'll happen…but that's so cool that you live in New Zealand! That's one place I've always wanted to go (b/c it's kind of where all of "Lord of the Rings" was filmed and all…and it's where Power Rangers is filmed (yes, I'm a nerd) ), and I hope I can visit at some point! Don't worry-I will! Maybe not in this fandom right away, but I'll try to publish a new one shot as soon as I can!
Musicalphan: Hey! Oof, yeah, finals are evil…I hope they went okay for you! My finals were…okay…I did better last semester, but my classes were a lot harder. That's super cool! My older brother's actually going to college in Nashville-Belmont University, if you've ever heard about it? I've only been in Tennessee once, but I had a lot of fun! That's awesome! I usually just get super impulsive and read something immediately… ;) but that's awesome! Awh, thank you! I hope you enjoyed writing this chapter-I had a lot of fun writing it! (Wait…are you and Alexiz (the "guest") the same person? Just curious…cause you signed your first review as them, and then they left a separate review…just curious! ) Thanks again-I really appreciate everything you've said!
Shout out to a guest reviewer, "Alexiz", who left me a review that basically kicked my butt into action to write this chapter!
DISCLAIMER I DON'T OWN NEWSIES AND NEVER WILL I JUST LOVE WRITING WAY TOO MANY STORIES ABOUT THEM!
I hope you enjoy "When Jack Cried" Chapter 13!
"Sleep. I's always watchin' over ya. Always."
Crutchie had been sitting by Jack's side for a while now…almost five hours. The others had come in and tried to tell him to get some rest, but the younger boy always refused, never moving from his seat. He was going to be there for Jack when he woke up, just like Jack was for him. Race and Davey seemed to understand that, however, and simply sat by him, letting him stay with Jack while also not being left alone. Suddenly, Crutchie sucked in a breath. "Jack?"
"Wat is it, Crutch?" Race queried, standing up and walking over. Crutchie didn't respond, simply staring at his best friend for a second. Then, he gasped again. "Look-Jack's wakin' up!" Davey joined his brothers quickly after that, everyone looking down at the older boy. It took a few minutes, but Jack finally opened his eyes, immediately wincing in pain. "Owh…did Race punch me or something?" The others-including both Specs and Romeo-chuckled as Race began to mock-protest. "Oh, come on, Jack-I ain't dat bad! An' anyways, I wouldn' punch ya right now!" Jack grinned up at him softly, before wincing again. Specs rested a hand on his shoulder, squeezing gently. "How ya feelin', Jack?"
"Well, I ain't feeling da best in da world…but at least I'm back home." Jack murmured. "I's in a lotta pain, dough." That was one of the nice things about Jack being injured-he was one of the only newsie who would actually say accurately how they felt when they were in pain. Specs grinned. "Dat's alright-we's got ways a fixin' dat." He helped pull Jack up until he was in a sitting position, while Romeo moved a few more pillows behind him. As he reclined back, the older boy looked over at the others. "How're da othars doin'?"
"All of them are all right. Romeo, Juliet, and Katherine got proof to the judge that the Terrible Five did run out of Manhattan, and got them arrested. Spot and the rest of the Brooklyn newsies dragged him off to jail, and Smalls is still here, hanging out with Juliet and keeping her from coming down here." Davey explained. Jack nodded, thinking through everything that the advisor had said. Suddenly, he sighed. "She had a panic attack again?" The others nodded, and Jack sighed again. Of course his sister would have a panic attack. Of course. "She's doin' all right, Jack. I went up an' talked her down from it a few hours ago. She's either still asleep or talkin' ta Smalls, since she's not allowed ta come down here for a while." Crutchie reassured. "It's ya we's worried 'bout right now." Jack grinned, wincing in pain as Specs wrapped a bandage around his arm. "Sorry…it's gotta be tight, Jack." His younger brother murmured. He then nodded at Romeo, who brought a glass of water over. Jack looked up to see it and groaned. "Ya's kiddin' me." he groaned, which caused the others to laugh. Romeo shook his head, smiling brightly. "Naw, Jack-we ain't kiddin'. Ya's made us drink it a buncha times before, an' ya's gotta drink it now. Ya know ya need it." Jack rolled his eyes before eventually nodding. "Don' worry, Jack-ya ain't da only one we's gonna use it on." Specs responded, smirking down at the older boy, before grinning over at Crutchie. His brother began to protest, but both of the medics stared him down. "Ya's been sittin' here for seven hours, Crutch. Of course we's gonna make ya go ta sleep."
"An' don' think I wouldn' sit on ya ta keep ya from gettin' up." Race continued. The limbic sighed, before getting up and moving over to a bed next to Jack's. He then glared at the others, before finally taking the water that Romeo offered him. Within two minutes, the younger boy was asleep. Race and Davey then turned towards Jack, who was already taking the cup from Specs. "Don' worry, Jack-ya's gonna be alright real soon. Jus' go ta sleep-we's got your back." Within a few moments, the older boy went straight to sleep, and the others sighed in relief. Specs then turned towards his younger brother. "Romes, go an' git some sleep. Ya's bin sittin' here for a while too." Romeo scowled at his older brother, faintly growling at him at the use of his nickname-the one he knew that his brothers knew that he hated. He then exited the room, ignoring the snorts of laughter behind him as he did so.
Dang it-why cain't I jus' punch dem in da face? Yeah, I know, but…I really wanna punch dem in da face.
The next morning, Juliet woke up to see Smalls sitting next to her bed. The older girl was-ironically-reading a newspaper. She could tell by the look in her friend's eyes, however, that she was just zoning out. "Ya know, da headlines are more interesting when we make them up." Smalls jumped, the newspaper flying out of her hands. "Geez, Jules-warn a girl wen you's gonna do dat!" Juliet grinned at her friend, chuckling at her reaction while raising herself into a sitting position. "If I was gonna do dat, why would I wanna warn ya?" Smalls scowled briefly at the younger girl, but let out a quiet chuckle after a while. She then cleared her throat. "How're ya feelin'? Romeo wanted me ta check in on ya an' see how ya was feelin'." Juliet looked down for a moment, before letting out a quiet breath. "I's feelin' a lot better…jus' a bit tired. Is I able ta go down an' see da boys? I know dey ain't gonna let me in ta see Jack, but-"
"Yeah, Romeo said you's able ta go downstairs. Da boys know not ta bug ya, but ya's free ta go down dere." Smalls replied, helping her to her feet. The two girls slowly made their way down the stairs, quietly joking amongst themselves. They finally made it into the Living Room, where their brothers were hanging out. They looked up as the two girls walked in, waving at them. "'Ey, Juliet…how ya feelin'?" Buttons questioned. Juliet quietly smiled at her brothers, before shrugging her shoulders. "Better den yesterday, but still tired…but I wanted ta hang out with y'all, so…" She suddenly let out a surprised grunt as her brother ran up and threw his arms around her. "I'm glad you're okay!" he whispered, obviously only wanting his older sister to hear. Juliet chuckled and ruffled his hair. "Thanks, James-I'm glad too." she murmured in his ear.
The boys then caught Smalls's look, and began to slowly go back to what they were doing before, which was pretty much a giant poker game. Smalls immediately moved over to join, while Juliet moved to lean against Crutchie, who was sitting in a chair nearby. Her older brother smiled, gently reaching his arm over her shoulders, pulling her head to rest on his right shoulder. He seemed to realize that she didn't really want to talk, because he simply brushed a kiss against her forehead before turning to watch their brothers gradually growing louder as the poker game grew more intense. A few minutes later, Romeo came over to join them, having lost fairly quickly. He didn't say anything either, simply leaning against her legs. Since Juliet was so tactile, her brothers' touches helped reassure and relax her, and almost caused her to fall asleep again. Romeo grinned as he saw her eyes flickering closed. "Somebody's tired…" he teased, gently nudging her. Juliet groaned, lightly kicking his back. "Oh, shut up." she murmured. Both of her brothers chuckled. "Jack's all right, right?" she queried a few moments later. Crutchie nodded, gently smoothing the hair from her forehead. "Yeah, he's alright…he's a bit sore still, but he's gonna be fine."
"I cain't come in ta see him yet, right?" she asked. Romeo shook his head, his hand finding hers and his thumb rubbing circles across the back of her hand. "Not yet, no. Not till Jack's doin' better. It'll be soon, dough…maybe next week or so. He asked 'bout ya, dough."
"He asked 'bout me?" Juliet questioned, surprise clearly visible across her face. Romeo nodded. "Yeah-he wanted ta make sure dat ya was alright when he heard dat ya had another panic attack." Juliet grinned tiredly, surprised that Jack would be concerned with her welfare when he had been beaten up for a few days, but that was just like Jack. Her eyes closed again, and so she missed the conspiring look between Crutchie and Romeo. The younger boy began to move from resting against her legs to sitting against her right side. Crutchie began to rub his hand over her shoulder, while Romeo softly rubbed her back. Juliet momentarily had enough coherence to give both of her brothers a weak glare. They ignored it, however, simply continuing to soothe her until her breathing evened out and she slumped even more against her older brothers. The two grinned at each other, content to sit and watch their other brothers while watching over their younger sister.
Their life wasn't perfect, but they had Jack back-and that was all that mattered.
The next few days, things began to slowly go back to normal. Katherine was right-Judge Bolger didn't even need a trial to convict the Terrible Five, throwing them in jail for murder with intent. They still protested that they were innocent, but with the evidence that the newsies gave him, it was crystal clear that they were behind Abram's death. They didn't get life in jail, but they did get a very long sentence. Spot, Smalls, and the Brooklyn newsies eventually went back to their boroughs, bringing the thanks of the entire Manhattan borough with them. They also thanked Officers Calhoun and Gattelli, who were the officers arresting the Terrible Five.
Dr. Menken had come by a few days later, and had praised Specs and Romeo on the work they had done on helping Jack. The older boy was slowly recovering, but he was getting a lot better. He had even been able to get up and move around for a while, checking in with all of his siblings as he did so. Seeing their leader up and mobile had really revived the newsies, and they were able to sell a lot more newspapers than normal. They made sure to save some money for Jack for when he was able to sell again. He wasn't there yet, but he was slowly getting close. Katherine stayed with him while the others were selling, simply to make sure he didn't try to do something he wasn't ready for yet.
Again.
About three months after Jack was rescued, the older boy was pretty much back to normal. Pulitzer had given them a day off, and the "Core Four" was sitting up on the roof, enjoying the bright sunshine. As they relaxed, Jack let off a sigh of relief, subtly leaning against Davey's side.
Everyone was back to normal-for the most part-and they were finally able to relax.
And that was just how Jack liked it.
A/N: Well, I'm really happy with how this chapter ended! I can't believe this story is over…but it's been a great ride! I hope you all enjoyed the ride, and I hope you stick around for a while! I don't plan to write another multi-chapter for a while (because I've got so many that I need to finish), but I am planning some "survival stories" starring Juliet, where she teaches her brothers how she survived under a bridge for six years, since I figured she'd have to learn how to survive on the streets in the 1800's when pretty much everything was as unclean as heck. Keep an eye out for that, but I don't know exactly when it's going to get published, since I need to finish a LOT of other multi-chapters. Like, all of them. If you're new to my stories (i.e. this is the first story of mine that you've read), please take a look at some of my other stories-basically everything after and including "Trouble on the Ponderosa". If you've been here for a while, thank you so much for your support! I should be publishing new chapters to some of my current multi-chapters soon, so keep an eye out for those!
Thank you guys so much for taking the time to read this story, and for all the support and love y'all have given me over the course of it all! I hope you all enjoyed it!
I hope you enjoyed the chapter (and story), and I'll see you all soon!
God bless,
1monster2