So this idea has been swimming in my head for a very long time, and it might contradict the short stories a tiny bit. I miss Celia bunches, and I am very happy to get back to her. This takes place directly after the last chapter before the epilogue.

Jack let me down gently, and I shifted my weight awkwardly, not used to using two legs at once. The Square was still celebrating the victory with screams and shouts, but in our little family of newsboys it was quiet.

"Um, I thought that leg didn't work," Romeo commented abruptly, and everyone laughed.

I looked at Andrew, who had come up beside me, and took his hand. "It's kinda a long story."

"I got lots a time," Jack grumbled. He had crossed his arms and was staring at mine and Andrew's hand pointedly. OH NO, BIG BROTHER SYNDROME, I thought. Thankfully, I was saved by the distribution bell ringing.

"Well, there is the work bell. Shouldn't we be going in?" I said quickly, pulling Andrew with me towards the gate. The crowd was thinning as everyone began to return back to their own workplaces. I heard the newsboys tease Jack behind me as we walked away. Andrew and I had made it inside the gates when suddenly my legs gave out. He caught me, and Jack yelled my name.

"Celia, are you okay?" Andrew asked as he helped me sit on a nearby bench.

Jack ran up to us. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" I exclaimed, "I guess I'm just not used to walking yet. That's all."

The bell rang again as I saw Jack glance at someone standing behind me.

I rolled my eyes and got back to my feet. "Really, I'm fine. Let's go."

The boys all frowned at me, but they drifted off in pairs towards the distribution window. I grabbed Andrew's hand, looking directly at Jack, and stepped forward.

"Celia, wait!" Katherine said behind me. I turned around to face her, letting go of Andrew.

Even though I had only met her once, I noticed that she had changed drastically from the first meeting. Her appearance was different. She had let her hair down and was dressed in simple clothes, not the fancy suits she had once wore. I barely knew her, but I could see that the changes went deeper than the surface.

"Can I talk to you for a moment?" Katherine asked. I nodded, and Andrew wandered over towards the boys. Jack stayed behind, resting a hand against my back in case I fell.

"Why don't you come with me for the day?" Katherine mentioned with kindness in her eyes, "You can get cleaned up a little and rest. I think the boys can handle a day's of work by themselves, though I understand if you would be worried." I reluctantly laughed and nodded.

"A bath does seem nice."

Jack kissed my cheek. "You need one."

I swung at him playfully, but he ducked before running over to Katherine's side. I searched around for Andrew and found him happily chatting with Davey. "Hey, Jack?" I said quietly. He looked at me. "Do you mind if Andrew tags along with you guys? I'll pay you back for his papes and the ex-"

"Sure, and don't worry about the cost. I can cover it," Jack told me with a smirk.

"Jack, y-"

"You weren't the only one to get a job today. Pulitzer asked me to work for the paper drawing comics."

I hugged Jack. "That's wonderful!"

The bell rang again, and Jack reluctantly said goodbye. Katherine linked her arm with mine, and we walked back out into the square.

"Mom, are you here?" Katherine called as she opened the front door. She stepped back and gestured for me to come in.

I shook my head. "It's so clean. I don't wanna ruin it."

Katherine laughed before pulling me inside. "Don't worry. It's all a facade. Us Pulitzers are actually really quite messy." She lead me down a short hallway that opened up in a large space that made me gasp. There was no way that a house could be this big in the middle of Manhattan, but somehow it was. The place was spotless white with gorgeous wooden floors and matching tan furniture. A grand staircase was at the far end of the room that lead to a second floor that had to have be as beautiful as this floor. A room opened up on our left, but I was too far back to see what it was. There were hallways that lead out of the room, which gave me the want to explore.

"Katherine, is that you?" A woman's voice asked from another room.

"Yes, and I brought a friend," Katherine answered with a blink.

"Is it that cute Jack boy you are always talking about?"

I stifled a laugh as Katherine blushed. She grabbed my hand and pulled me towards the room on our left. We walked into a kitchen where a woman in her late fifties was pulling out plates from a cupboard.

The woman was obviously Katherine's mother as she had the same auburn hair and mischievous glint in her eye. She smiled warmly when we entered the room. "Well, hello! I'm Kate!" She exclaimed, walking over and shaking my hand.

"Hi, I'm Celia."

"Celia is Jack's sister, and she was looking for a place to clean up and rest a little," Katherine explained quickly, and her mother looked confused.

Realizing that Katherine can't leave it at that, I spoke up. "I have been living in the Refuge for the past few weeks. They don't really believe in cleanliness or sleep there."

Suddenly, Mrs. Pulitzer hugged me. "You poor girl," she whispered quietly. I could feel myself starting to cry, but I didn't hold back.

Looking back at it, it was odd for me to sob into the arms of a woman I had just met, but everyone needs a good cry now and again. After all I had been through, I definitely deserved it.

Eventually I pulled away and apologized, but Mrs. Pulitzer waved her hand. "It's all right, sweetheart. Katherine, why don't you show Celia to the wash room? I'll have breakfast ready when you are all done."

I thanked Mrs. Pulitzer and followed Katherine upstairs. She opened the door to a bathroom that was three times the size of the bathroom at the lodge house.

"All of the shampoos and lotions are by the tub, and the towels are here in this closet. You can wear my bathrobe down to breakfast. It's hanging by the mirror, and we'll figure out clothes afterwards." Katherine turned on the water for the tub, and I giggled. "What?"

"I might drown in that thing!"

Katherine laughed before she started to leave. I grabbed her hand.

"Thank you, Katherine, " I said, trying to put all the gratitude I was feeling into those words.

Katherine smiled and squeezed my hand. "It is the least I could do."

I honestly felt like I could drown in that tub, but it was truly wonderful to submerge in warm water and not have to worry about conserving it for twenty other boys. The Pulitzers had a large array of soaps, and I picked something that smelled like flowers. Taking a cloth I began to wash away the weeks of dirt from the Refuge. Most of the bruises were healing, but my body was still spotted with blue and purple. Next, I grabbed a shampoo that smelled of peppermint, one of my favorite smells. My hair was a knotted mess, but a good scrub with the shampoo made it smoother than it had ever been.

Eventually the water turned colder, and I groaned at the idea of getting out, but did it anyway. I toweled off and stepped forward towards the mirror to grab Katherine's robe. That's when I noticed my reflection. The bruises were worse than I had imagined, and that flu I had gotten some weeks previous had dropped my weight considerably. There were things that outweighed all that was wrong. I had two feet solidly on the ground, and I was alive.

I wrapped the robe around me and yanked a comb through my hair quickly as the smell of bacon drifted upstairs. The Pulitzer house was confusing, but I somehow made it back down to the kitchen.

Mrs. Pulitzer smiled when I entered. "I just finished setting the table. The dining room is right through there," she said pointing to a door at the end of the room. I nodded and went in.

Katherine was already sitting at a spot reading a newspaper. She looked up when I sat beside her. "Almost thought you did drown. I was just about to come check on you!"

"It was wonderful. Thank you."

Katherine's mom walked in carrying a tray of breakfast food. "Shall we eat?"

The Pulitzers let me rest for a few hours in one of their guest bedrooms, and I do not think I have ever slept that good.

When I woke up Katherine was waiting for me, and she pulled me into her room. She had laid out several outfits for me to try, but all of them were more fancy than I wanted.

"Um, Katherine? Do you have anything simpler?" I asked, and Katherine frowned.

"I might have something. I'll be right back." Katherine disappeared for a few minutes, and I did not dare to move since Katherine's room was spotless and neat. When she came back she was holding a simple white shirt and pink skirt. "What do you think about this?"

I grinned and took it from her. "It's perfect!" I had not worn a skirt in a very long time, but luckily Katherine was there to help. Once I was dressed I stood in front of the mirror in awe. I actually looked like a girl. Spinning around to thank Katherine again, I noticed a tear falling down her cheek. "Katherine, what's wrong?"

She waved her hand. "Nothing, you just remind me of my sister Lucy. Those are her clothes."

"You have a sister?"

Katherine sighed. "I did. She died two years ago."

"I'm so sorry."

"It's okay. It is nice that some of her things are not going to be collecting dust any longer."

I gave Katherine a hug, and she gave me a cheeky smile. "Now for your hair," she squealed. I was plopped down before a vanity, and Katherine began twisting and pinning to her heart's delight. When she was done I could not believe that my hair could look that decent. I normally braided it since that was pretty much the only thing I knew what to do with hair. Katherine had styled it in a updo that somehow brightened the natural highlights in my hair.

"Should we go meet the boys?" Katherine suggested, and I nodded eagerly. I could not wait to show them what I looked like.

Katherine and I reached the lodge house with two boxes in hand, both filled with clothes given by Katherine and her mother. The newsboys were partying. I do not know what they were partying with since they had not worked for a good period of time and had no money. The party was definitely loud and rambunctious, but I would not have had it any other way. Katherine and I fought our way through the crowd of not only newsboys but also student workers that had come out for the strike. I kept my eyes open for Andrew, hoping that he was here and not out getting into trouble.

"Hey, Kat! Who's your friend?" Jack yelled from behind us. We turned around, and Jack froze. "Oh my god, Celia?" He laughed and ran over to hug me. "You look wonderful!"

"Thanks, Jack," I replied sarcastically, "have you seen Andrew?"

"The penthouse," Jack answered with a tone that I couldn't decipher. I shook my head at him and went upstairs. The air was cool, but the moon was beautiful. I found Andrew right where Jack told me.

"Hey stranger," I called, and Andrew hopped down onto the roof. He ran over and swung me around.

"You look beautiful!" he yelled. I laughed and told him to put me down.

That's when he kissed me for the second time, and it left me just as breathless as the first.

Hopefully, Andrew would be staying by my side for a long time.