I am working so hard on this, I hope it shows! Let me have feedback, because I really do love feedback! I never thought I would reach twenty chapters. Or 60 reviews! Seriously if I could get 100 reviews by the end of this story I might have a heart attack! Thank you all so much!

I do not own Newsies

Chapter 20

It didn't take long to reach the refuge. Mattie could feel her heart beating against her ribs. She was so nervous, but she had to get over it. Jack needed her, and she would be there for him. The small group followed a carriage through an open gate and into an alley right in front of the refuge. Looking into a window they caught sight of someone moving. Mattie could feel the severity of this situation sinking in. She was anxious to get away from this place. Ever since she helped Jack escape the first time, she had steered clear of this building. She fixed her cap on her head, making sure that it wasn't going to fall off.

"That's where we saw Crutchy." David said pointing to the window. Then suddenly they heard a whistle and they all ducked down out of sight. Mattie tried to quiet her breathing, just in case someone walked by. Peeking out of their hiding place they saw Jack coming out of the building. He was no longer in handcuffs. Snyder and two other men were surrounding him.

"It's Jack!" Les said moving to go forward. David shushed him grabbing ahold of him. The carriage that they had followed in was parked right in front of the building. As Jack and the guards around him began to get in, Mattie felt her heart clench. Their whole plan was being thrown out the window.

"Where they takin' him Dave?" Mush asked almost as worried as Mattie was.

"There's only one way to find out." Mattie said standing. She took a step forward, but David caught her arm. She whipped around anger on her face. "Let me go."

"You're not going alone." David said. Mattie huffed crossing her arms, but said nothing. She didn't have the time or energy to argue with him. "We'll meet you guys at the square."

The boys watched the two go, Mattie running with David trailing her. The two followed close enough to not be seen, but not too far away that they would lose sight of the carriage. When Mattie saw the chance she grabbed hold of the back of the carriage. She held on for dear life, only letting one hand go, once to reach for David. They crouched down on the foot step so they would be hidden. They had the darkness on their side. Most likely no one would be able to see them if they stayed low. Neither of them spoke, for fear of being caught.

David tried not to let the fact that she was very close to him invade his thoughts. He had a mission to do, and thinking about Mattie being right next to him, so close that he could feel every curve of her body against his was going to be his down fall. He took a deep breath trying to calm himself down, but it didn't do much. Mattie sensing his nervousness, placed a hand on his shoulder, attempting to soothe his nerves. That only made David even more anxious.

Their journey wasn't a long one; it lasted about ten minutes, ten minutes of agonizing longing on David's part. And ten minutes of agony for Mattie because she was so close to Jack, and yet she couldn't speak or even see him. She wanted to just wrench the carriage door open and pull Jack out and run. She wanted to run with him anywhere, she would go anywhere to make sure he was safe.

Mattie looked at the grand building they were headed towards. It had to have been someone important, because the place was huge. Mattie had only dreamed about homes that big. She never in her life thought she would see something so beautiful in real life. However, she didn't get long to admire, because as soon as the carriage stopped, David yanked her off of their perch and hid underneath the carriage. They watched as Snyder began to lead Jack inside the palace and Mattie felt her heart sink. They only had a limited about of time to get this done. David nodded for her to crawl forward, while he followed. He took the nail from the carriage, holding the horse to it. If his prediction was right, that one little movement might save them.

By that time Mattie and David were out from under the carriage , Jack and the other men were already inside. Mattie huffed before running to hide on the side of the stairs. David followed suit, and the two crouched down. They stayed silent, listening for any movement. They would have to wait for Jack to return before they could make their escape.

Inside, Jack was taken through the huge house. He looked around, admiring the room. It was full of expensive things, things that he was even fit to touch. He wished he could own a place like this. A place like this out in Santa Fe would be nice. Somewhere where he could roll in tons of money all alone. Well, maybe not alone. Jack had never imagined that he would grow up and get married, let alone have a family. But lately, with everything that had been happening, he didn't know if he wanted to be alone. He knew he would get lonely at some point; it just wasn't in his nature to be alone. Maybe he could take someone with him to Santa Fe.

In his dream world, he would take Mattie with him. Besides all the confusion surrounding them and what he was feeling, she had always been there. If she wasn't around, he didn't know what he would do. She had been his rock, his best friend, his shoulder to lean on. She was so important to him. When he originally thought of Santa Fe, he never really thought about taking her with him. He never really thought about having feelings for her either, but things change. If he could convince her to go with him, he would probably leap for joy.

Then again, he had decided that he wasn't good for her. He would be selfish to take her with him, to uproot her from everything she had ever known. He couldn't be selfish with her, even though he wished he could. He cared about her too much to make her come with him. Who even said she would agree? She might tell him he's crazy and to get out of her life. Then again, if he didn't ask he would never know. He growled to himself. Why do girls have to be so confusing?

Suddenly he heard footsteps. Standing up straight, he saw the one and only Joseph Pulitzer coming down a grand staircase. He was dressed in a nice suit, looking clean and dapper all the way down to his shoes. His facial hair was cut neatly, and his glasses sat straight on his nose. Jack swallowed; he had never been in the presence of such a big socialite. Pulitzer ran this city; he owned everyone and everything here. He was intimidating to say the least, but Jack couldn't let him know that.

"Sit." Pulitzer ordered. Jack hesitated, but did as he was told, sitting in one of the lush chairs. He felt so out of place here. He felt like he was offending even though he had been brought here against his will.

"Know what I was doing when I was your age boy?" Pulitzer asked. "I was in a war. The Civil war."

"Yeah, I heard of it. So… did you win?" Jack asked boldly. He couldn't let Pulitzer get him down. He was already at a low point, he couldn't be brought down much lower.

"People think that wars are about right or wrong. They're not. They're about power." Pulitzer said. Jack vaguely remembered seeing a similar sentence written in one of his papers.

"Yeah, I heard of that too. I don't just sell your papers, Joe, sometimes I read 'em." Jack told the elderly man. Pulitzer stared at Jack for a second before speaking again.

"Power of the press is the greatest power of them all. I tell the city how to think. I tell this city how to vote. I shape its future." Pulitzer said with a wild gesture of his hand.

"Yeah? Well, right now… I'm just thinking about one future and that's mine." Jack admitted. This was true, but he was also thinking about his friends, and Mattie's. Could he and Mattie have a future together? He didn't know, but all he knew was that he needed to figure out a way to get out of here and get on a train to Santa Fe.

"So am I, boy. I have the power to see that you stay locked in the refuge." Pulitzer threatened.

"And I have the power to break out again." Jack replied. He would find a way to get out with or without Teddy Roosevelt. He had to get out or he may not have a future to worry about.

"Or… I could see you released tomorrow free and clear… with more money in your pockets than you could earn in… three lifetimes." Pulitzer offered. Jack swallowed. That was a lot of money, but there had to be a catch.

"Are you bribin' me, Joe?" Jack asked.

"Mmmm. Well, no-no-no-no-no." Pulitzer insisted.

"Well, it's been nice chattin' with ya' Joe, but I gotta' be going now." Jack said standing from the chair. Jack wasn't a sellout. He wouldn't take this offer if it meant hurting the ones he cared about.

"You listen to me, boy. Just shut your mouth and listen to me. You shut up and listen to me for once." Pulitzer said growing louder and louder. Jack stayed silent, knowing he hit a nerve by not listening to Pulitzer. Pulitzer roughly grabbed Jack's arm and made him look at him.

"It's no game I'm playing. You work for me until the strike is over. And it will end, boy, make no mistake, without you. Then you go wherever you want to buy a ticket for. Away from the refuge, these foul streets. Free! With money to spend and nobody chasing you." Pulitzer said poking Jack's chest. It sounded like a good deal, the only downside would be that he would be a sellout. He would be a scab, like the kids he beat up. He wouldn't be fighting for what he believes in. He would disappoint, his friends, allies, but more importantly himself. Then he wondered, why would Pulitzer offer him such a generous way out?

"I must have you scared pretty bad, old man." Jack said a smirk on his face. Pulitzer was scared of the newsies, and he knew that without Jack, the strike would be over sooner than later.

"I offer you freedom and money just to work for me again. To your friends, I won't be so kind!" Pulitzer said, getting more and more irritated. "Now your partner, what's his name, David? I understand he had a family. What do you think the refuge will do to him?"

Jack didn't speak. He couldn't imagine David in the refuge while his family struggled to stay alive. Without the extra cash he knew that David's family wouldn't do too well. He couldn't do that to the family that was so kind to him.

"And that girl. Can you imagine what would happen to her?" Pulitzer asked. Jack tensed, which caused Pulitzer to chuckle.

"Leave her out of this." Jack growled. Threatening David and his family was wrong, and it hurt, but when someone threatened Mattie, it gets personal.

"Ah, Snyder said that would be a soft spot. I don't just have the power to set you free, I also have the power to keep her away from you. I can send her to any girl's home in the city, in the state, in the country! All it takes is a snap of my fingers and she is gone." Pulitzer said, snapping his fingers for dramatic effect. Jack clenched his fists as he glared at the old man.

"And it will be you, who sent her there, put David in the refuge. And all the others. After all, you're their leader." Pulitzer finished. "Go back to the refuge tonight. Think about it. Give me your answer in the morning."

"What's taking so long?" Mattie whispered feeling more nervous than before. They had been waiting for longer than twenty minutes. She almost went in there to get Jack herself, but David told her that was suicide. David had done his best to calm her down, but he came to the conclusion that she wouldn't calm down until Jack was safe. Suddenly the doors burst opened. Mattie braced herself for the run of her life. She could see Jack, he was being held by Snyder and was taking careful steps. She swallowed before coming out of hiding, David right behind her.

"Jack! Come on!" David yelled. Jack turned to his left to see both David and Mattie standing there waving for him to run. He took his chance. He slid down the arm rail, out of Snyder's reach and jumped off. Once he was on his feet he took off grabbing Mattie's outstretched hand as he ran. They ran quickly through the gates, David close behind. They continued running faster than they ever had until they were in a darkened alley. Suddenly, Jack stopped, dropping her hand. Mattie tugged on his arm trying to get him to move.

"Come on, keep running!" She commanded, but Jack wasn't moving.

"You shouldn't have done this." Jack sighed. Mattie stared at him with wide eyes.

"What?" Mattie asked, louder than she meant to.

"They could put you in a girls home. They could send David to jail." Jack reasoned.

"I don't care." David said butting in. Jack wiggled his arm from Mattie's iron grasp and grabbed hold of David. He pushed him against the brick wall keeping him there with his hands.

"What about your family? What happens to them if you go to jail? You don't know nothin' about jail." Jack said. "Thanks for what you've done, but you get outta' here."

"I don't understand." David said. He thought that he would be doing a good thing, springing Jack from the refuge.

"I don't understand either, but just get outta' here!" Jack shouted, pushing David. Mattie caught David before he fell and kept him steady. Once he was flat on his feet Mattie turned to Jack. She took quick long steps up until she was right in front of him.

"What the hell are you doing?" She asked. "They brain wash you or somethin'?"

"Maybe. Or maybe I'm just looking out for ya'." He told her.

"How many times have I told you I don't need you looking out for me?" She asked getting angrier by the second. Both David and herself put their selves on the line to help him escape, and now he wanted them to leave him behind without even batting an eyelash. No, Mattie wasn't about to let him go without a fight.

"Just go Mattie." Jack ordered. She stood firm looking up into his eyes.

"No!" She yelled to him. He ran an angry, anxious hand through his hair before he shouted back at her.

"I said go!" He yelled. She winced at his tone but let out an angry breath so she wouldn't hit him or something.

"Estás loco si crees que voy a dejarte aquí. Hemos llegado demasiado lejos para que usted acaba de tirar la toalla!" She screamed at him. He scoffed to himself. (Translation: You're crazy if you think I'm going to leave you here. We have come too far now for you to just throw in the towel!)

"I don't understand what you just said, but I want you to go, right now! Their gonna' catch up any minute." Jack said looking over his shoulder anxiously.

"I told you I'm not leaving here without you. Not again." She said. "David and I put our necks on the line-"

"Did I ask for that? No! Now just get outta' here." He ordered again. He needed her to leave right now before Snyder caught up with them. He couldn't be selfish anymore. He had to get them out of here before anyone got into any more trouble.

"Jack just come with us please!" She begged. She knew that Snyder was probably just around the corner. She had to get Jack out of here, and quick. Why wasn't he leaving with them?

"I don't want to! Okay? Now, get the hell away from me!" Jack shouted. Mattie closed her mouth, taking an angry breath through her nose. She was holding back tears, and holding back her urge to beat the shit out of him. She set her jaw before turning on her heel. She wordlessly grabbed David's arm and pulled the stunned boy away from Jack. David looked over his shoulder once and gave Jack a saddened look. Mattie didn't look back. If Jack didn't want to go, more power to him. However, she couldn't stop her heart from shattering as she walked further and further away from him.

Jack watched them leave, and felt himself dying inside. He was doing what was best for them, he knew that, but that couldn't soften the blow. He knew that the only way to make them leave was to act that way. Mattie would have never left if he had been kind to her. She probably would have dressed up as him and went in his place if he would have let her. She cared too much about him. He had to protect her, even if that meant his heart would break because of it.

He went back to Pulitzer's, his head hanging low. They hadn't chased him, because they knew he would come back. Snyder made sure that he kept his eye on his until they returned to the refuge. Snyder put him in a tiny cell, alone. Nothing to accompany him but the moonlight and a fold up bed. When the door was roughly locked behind him, he made his way to the wall on the opposite side. He slid down it, sadly. He stared at the wall, imagining that Mattie was there with him. Her brown hair falling down her small shoulders, her brown eyes twinkling with laughter, and her lips would be pulled up into the smile he loved. He had hated hurting her, but it had to be done. Maybe this way, she could find someone better than him, someone who deserved her. Someone who could love her the way she should be loved.

"Santa Fe

My old friend

I can't spend my whole life hidin'

You're the only light that's guidin' me today" He sang this so quietly, and with so much sadness, he felt his heart break into pieces. Maybe he should take Pulitzer's offer. That way he could get out of here, and stop hurting the one's he truly loves.

"Psst, Jack." A familiar voice said. Crutchy opened the little slot in the door, his bright smiling face showing through the hole. "Look. I snatched it off of Snyder's plate when I was serving him."

Jack stood up going toward the door. In Crutchy's hand was a big round potato. It made Jack's mouth water and stomach growl just looking at it.

"It's the biggest one. Oh, Mr. Snyder was eating good tonight. You know, the stuff that we don't never get. He got, potatoes, olives, even bacob, sauerkraut. And guess what I done to his sauerkraut." Crutchy blabbed. Jack smiled weakly at his old friend, not even Crutchy could bring his spirits up. But the kid would die trying.

"So what's it get ya?" Jack asked.

"Another three months." Crutchy said, not really caring that he would be there for an extended amount of time. " But you can't let him beat ya', right, Jack? That's what you always say."

Jack slowly made his way back across the room. He sat sadly on the bed, putting the potato on the bed side table. He didn't have the heart to tell Crutchy that he was considering taking an offer from Pulitzer. An offer that could make the others turn against him. An offer that would turn him into a scab. An offer that would seal the deal that he and Mattie could never have a future together. He, himself, couldn't even believe that he was considering it. However, he had to. It was for the best. He would be protecting the one's he truly cared about, even if that meant they would hate him for it. He was willing to take that chance.

"We was beat when we was born." Jack mumbled. Crutchy reluctantly closed the panel on the door, realizing that Jack wanted to be alone. He knew something was wrong, but all the potatoes in the world couldn't help him. Jack crossed his arms and after Crutchy was gone, he let one tear run down his face.

Will you keep a candle burnin'?

Will you help me find my way?

You're my chance to break free

And who knows when my next one will be?

Santa Fe

Wait for me

Jack headed to his window, looking out of the bars. No one was on the streets, and the street lamps weren't lit. He souley wished that Mattie would be out there, forcing him to escape. But she wasn't. Most likely she had given up, which is what Jack needed. He needed her to give up on him. He needed her to hate him. He wanted her to believe in him. He wanted her to love him. He swallowed.

Did he love her?

He didn't know for sure. He had never been in love. He had come to terms that he was growing feelings toward her. But love? He didn't know he was capable of it. However, at the thought of Mattie his heart skipped a beat. Then as he thought of Mattie hating him, his heart snapped. Maybe he did love her, but he couldn't pull her into a future of pain. He had gotten out of her life just in time. He should have been happy that she had a bright future, but then why did he feel so heartbroken?