Sorry if this is kind of rushed, but I just had to get something up! Standard disclaimers apply.

As soon as Jack looked away, I slipped into an alley. The others weren't paying attention to me, but I stayed hidden until I knew they were far away. As I ran off in the opposite direction, I thought I heard my name. "Oliver!" But by that time, I was too far away to care.

I was going to save Violet. I decided that immediately. It wasn't really for her sake so much as for Crutchie. I knew that he must miss her. I wanted him to be happy. Therefore, I ran towards the jail where I knew she was being kept, orders of my father.

New York is a big city.

I ran out of breath pretty quickly. Luckily the jail wasn't too far from where I'd given Jack the slip. After resting a moment, I hurried on.

I'd never actually seen the jail before. It was a real jail, not like the Refuge. The Refuge is a kids' jail. I expected it to have barred windows and stuff, and it did, but it wasn't as obvious as you'd think. There were windows. And if you looked a little closer, you could see the bars. And then you realized that behind those bars were thieves and drunks and murderers…and Violet…

And then I realized that my father had been in that jail.

But he wasn't. It was Violet I needed to save.

I realized there were guards around the jail, and suddenly I was scared. How was I going to break Violet out?

So…well…I decided not to.

I spun around and headed back to the only place that I knew someone I trusted was. The Refuge.

The Refuge was being guarded too. The guards weren't standing outside the gates, though, like at the adult jail. They were sitting in carriages, casually keeping an eye on the place. I only managed to get in because of a lucky turn of events involving a big, hungry dog and a drunk, which captured their attention long enough for me to climb the gate and sneak through the door.

I saw Crutchie right away. He was alone, sitting on the stairs, with his head in his hands. I thought he was asleep at first, but then his head snapped up. He locked eyes with me, and his eyes widened. "Oliver?" he whispered hoarsely, jumping to his feet and limping quickly over to me. "What are you doing here?"

"I broke out!" I told him. "My dad was keeping me in an old cellar and I broke out, right under the Delancey brothers' noses!"

Crutchie looked surprised. "Really? How about Jack? Did he escape too?"

"Yup!" I said proudly. "I snuck us right out of there before they woke up!"

"Woke up? Were they asleep?"

"No, they were just knocked out." Crutchie raised an eyebrow. I sighed. "Well…I guess some of Jack's friends kind of helped…a little…they took care of the Delanceys and then we made a run for it." My story sounded less heroic with the other guys playing a part.

Crutchie embraced me in an enormous hug, but pulled away quickly, looking worried. "Oliver, Snyder—your dad, I mean—said he's coming back tomorrow night. But if he finds out you and Jack escaped…the first place he'll check is here."

"So I gotta leave?" I said, crestfallen. I was hoping Crutchie would be able to hide me.

"No," he said firmly, and I sighed in relief. "But we'se gonna have to hide you."

I was suddenly feeling a hot wave of panic. "Where? He's gonna find me—he's gonna kill me—"

"Oliver, it's okay, we'll find a way…"

"No!" I exclaimed. The stress of being stuck in my father's prison for such a long time was suddenly overwhelming me. "It doesn't matter! He's gonna kill me no matter what! Oh, no…oh, no…" I started hopping up and down on my toes, seeing absolutely no way out of the frightening situation. Dad was coming. I knew it.

As if to confirm my thoughts, someone pounded hard on the door. With a squeak I hid behind Crutchie. The door slammed open, and a bunch of cops entered the room. Crutchie seemed frozen, unable to speak or move.

The biggest of the cops shut the door behind him and crossed his arms. "Where's your boss?" he rumbled.

"Ain't got one," murmured Crutchie.

"Better get one, kid, because if you ain't got a boss in the next six hours—and I don't mean one of you kids that think you're having a laugh trying to run a jail, I mean a real boss—then we're gonna get one for you, and a permanent one."

Crutchie seemed almost afraid to ask. "And who would that be, mister?"

"Mr. Snyder," the cop said with a cruel laugh. "Know him?"

Jack had been running for nearly an hour. He'd checked all the alleyways, searched the shadows of empty streets—to no avail. Oliver was gone…unless…

There was one big 'unless'. It seemed foolish to hope it, but it was Jack's last hope.

…unless Oliver had returned to the Refuge.

It would have been a dumb thing to do—the kid was bound to be caught all over again—but Jack knew he wouldn't rest until he'd checked. So, panting, he set off to the place of childhood torture.

He was passing his apartment when he heard a scream. "Jack!" It came from the entrance. He tried to keep running but suddenly he was tackled to the ground.

"What are you playing at, running off after all we went through to save you?" Race asked angrily, settling himself comfortably on top of Jack.

"Trying to save Oliver," Jack muttered through clenched teeth, trying to push Race off. He braced himself for a sarcastic retort, about how he didn't always have to be the hero, but none came. Instead, Race gave a short laugh.

"Well why didn't you invite us along?" and the rest of the newsies were upon him with a whoop.

"Let's go!"

"Jack, no! You can't get yourself in trouble again!" It was Katherine, yelling at him from the doorway.

He was helped to his feet by the eager newsies, and turned to face her.

"I've got to, Ace." He was nearly pleading with her. "Oliver needs help. I'm serious. I need to get to him before Snyder does."

"Then I'll come with you!" she said with a slightly hysterical squeak, stepping out of the shadows.

"No, Katherine." Suddenly Davey was taking charge. "Go to the prison. See what you can do about Violet. If they won't let her out, stay there until we can get Roosevelt or someone over."

"Who's gonna watch Bella?" Jack asked.

"I'll go ask one of the neighbors," Katherine said, looking pale but determined as she dashed off into the apartment.

"Jack? Where to?" Davey asked.

Jack set his jaw. "The Refuge."

Violet sat against the barred door, as she always did. She was barely aware of any passing of time. The faces of the Refuge's children flashed through her mind constantly, and another among them—Crutchie's face—stood out particularly clear. She just wanted to go back and help. She wanted to tell Crutchie how much he meant to her and how close they'd become in the last few months. She wanted to get herself out of this mess, but she didn't know how.

A harsh clanking startled her out of a doze. Her mind cleared. The door was shaking and she heard it being unlocked. It was too late for a meal…what did the wretched guards want?

A soft woman's voice surprised her. "Violet? Come on, we're getting you out of here."

The next thing she knew, the woman—who had introduced herself as Katherine—was supporting her as they walked slowly down the darkened streets. Tears of relief dripped off her chin as Katherine explained some things. Violet couldn't really concentrate. She only heard certain words. "…Refuge…Crutchie…governor…safe…"

And then they were back at the Refuge. Katherine had to let go of her for a moment to force the door open, and Violet nearly collapsed from weakness.

A few more blurred moments, and they were inside. "Join the party," said a burly policeman. "Unless either of you is the boss of this place?"

"They're both too young," said another cop, "And they're women."

Neither retorted. Violet looked around at the other figures in the dark as the first cop said, "You better hope your leader shows up within…what are we down to, two hours? Or you'll be sleepin' in prison cells tonight."

"Violet?"

"Crutchie."

It was him. Violet exhaled and another torrent of tears escaped her eyes. He was okay. Their hands found each other, and they wove together tightly. Together, in the darkness, they waited for a leader whose identity they knew not and wondered if such a person would ever show up.

So I just wanted to let everyone know that this is drawing to a close. There will probably only be one or two more chapters. I'm sad to see it ending, but I'm excited to start a new multi-chapter! Do you have any ideas or suggestions? Please, please, let me know if you do. Even small ideas can spiral into huge plots in my mind. I would really appreciate some ideas about what kind of story to write next, because though I've got a few plot bunnies bouncing around in my head, nothing is solid, and I would like some outside input. ANYTHING helps. Oh, and don't forget to review! They really make my day!

Thank you, everyone, for all the support!

-Sis21K