Hey guys so this is the second to final chapter of my story! It's kind of bittersweet, but I am really glad to finish it. Again, if you would enjoy for me to make a One-Shot story about this story, please let me know. Also, please send me requests of what you want to see, whether it be Mattie and Jack, or how David's future goes. I have barely any limits on characters, ratings, or scenes sooooo please let me know!

I do not own Newsies

Chapter 25

The trip to Denton's apartment was a silent one. Mattie was afraid to open her mouth, in fear of what might come spewing out. Her bottled up emotions were threatening to come out. She wasn't angry at him; in fact she was more upset at herself. She let her want for him cloud her judgment. She felt pathetic and naïve. She was stupid to think that anything could ever happen. She thought she had gotten over that, but apparently she was extremely mistaken.

Jack had taken the lead, the article in his hand. His fists were clenched and his jaw was set tight. He was fighting himself inside. He was trying to think of the task at hand. He had to convince Denton to help them, in a last ditch effort to win this strike. He owed everyone that. He wanted to finish what he had started, because he knew that if he didn't no one else would. On the other hand, he was trying not to think about Mattie. However, it was hard when she was all he thought about anyway.

He wanted so bad to turn around and take Mattie into his arms, never letting her go. He wanted to kiss her until she world stopped turning. He wanted to love her like she should be loved. He sneaked a peek behind him to see her walking with her head hung low. She was probably just watching were she was walking, but he couldn't shake the feeling that he did that to her. Oh, he hated hurting her.

He shook his head, pushing those thoughts away. He had work to do. Besides he didn't want to have a serious, emotional conversation with the Jacob brothers watching. He wasn't too with emotion, especially this emotion. He wasn't even sure he was ready for that conversation. Then again, he had almost kissed her. Then he had pulled away. It was as if his body and his brain weren't connected. It was like the universe was against him.

"Are we there yet?" Les whined. Mattie cracked a smile before pulling the kid to her side. She wouldn't admit it, but she was tired too. Her head was hurting, and she really needed to sit down. However, she wasn't one to complain, especially after she made a big deal about her walking by herself. She just didn't want to be that close to Jack right then. She would have said or done something stupid.

"Almost kid." Jack replied. Mattie shivered at Jack's voice. The group made their way to a nice looking apartment building. Going through the front, they noticed people watching them or looking at them with disgust. Mattie rolled her eyes, not letting their stares get to her. She held onto the hand railing as they went up, fearing that she would fall backward. She was trying not to become dizzy, but her head was beginning to hurt once more. They reached the floor of Denton's apartment and walked up to the large black door. Jack reached up and began beating on it. Not a second later, Denton's face appeared at the door.

"Did you mean what you wrote here?" Jack asked as soon as the door opened. "About all these sweatshop kids listening to me?"

"I don't write anything I don't mean." Denton replied, slightly taken aback, but not completely shocked that they had paid him a visit. Denton looked over the group. His eyes rested on Mattie who looked exhausted. She was the only one who smiled at him out of the group.

"Well, come on in. I was just packing a few things." Denton said. The newsies shuffled in seeing several boxes cluttering the apartment. David looked at Denton with a serious look before closing the door. He wasn't exactly thrilled to be there. Then again, he wasn't exactly thrilled about Jack being back either. He was still annoyed about this Mattie situation. Why couldn't she see that he was good for her? He had never exactly noticed just how much she cared about Jack. It hit him on the way over, as he watched her stare at Jack and then look away sadly. There was something he was missing, and he was irritated that he couldn't figure it out.

"So yes, I meant it." Denton said. "The city thrives on child labor. A lot of people make money that way. They're terrified that the newsies strike will spread."

"There's not much chance of that… as long as they got the power." Jack said turning and looking at Mattie. He surprised her by grabbing her arm, and forcing her into a chair. She said nothing, but rolled her eyes. However, she didn't get back up. Mostly because she was too tired to get up, but she also knew that no matter if they were speaking or not, Jack would have her best interests at heart.

"Sometimes all it takes… it's a voice." Denton began, catching everyone's attention. " Once voice that becomes a hundred and then a thousand… unless it's silenced."

"Why can't we spread the strike?" Jack asked, watching Denton take a picture off the wall. "Have another big rally and get the word out to all the sweatshop kids? Why not?"

"What are we gonna' do? Put an ad in the paper?" David asked. Jack rolled his eyes, annoyed at David's constant bitterness and the obvious tension between the two. He knew that David was far from trusting him again, but that wasn't the only thing bothering him.

"We'll do better than that. We'll make out own paper." Jack said.

"Our own paper?" Mattie asked, finally speaking. Jack looked down at her with a nod.

"Yeah. We tell 'em they gotta' join us. Isn't that a good idea?" Jack asked no one in particular.

"Yeah, it is. But what do we know about printing a newspaper?" David asked looking directly at Denton.

"Nothing, but our man Denton-" Jack began.

"Yeah, but I think our man Denton, had something more important to do." David said circling around the middle aged man. "I mean, he's gonna be an ace war correspondent. Right Denton?"

The room was silent for a second. All eyes were on Denton. He was smirking, looking at David. He was slowly but surely being roped back in, and he really didn't mind. David cracked a smile, something he hadn't done in a while. Mattie stood giving Denton a pleading look. They couldn't do this without them.

"All right." Denton said with a chuckle. "Where do we start?"

"We gotta' move fast." Jack said, taking a seat next to Mattie. She tried not to let the fact that his arm was barely touching hers get to her. She was going to help out, and thinking about Jack and her painful feelings for him were not going to help.

"We're gonna' need to newsies to circulate." Jack said.

"We're also gonna' need a printin' press." Mattie added. The dull pain in the back of her head wasn't bothering Mattie anymore. She was all business now. Besides, she wouldn't let an injury get to her.

"Just so happens, I know a guy with a printing press." Jack said. Mattie looked over at him confused. Jack looked at her too, not being able to hold back the chuckle that escaped his lips. She looked do darn cute when she was confused.

"Pulitzer's got one in the basement I've been staying in." Jack replied, looking back to Denton. " I'm sure he wouldn't mind us using it."

"I like the way your brain works." Denton said. The group wrote out what their paper was going to say, and set up a plan. Les would go tell the newsie's and then they would hand the papers out to every child laborer they knew. They would get all the poor kids in town to join them. Then they couldn't lose. Once they had their plan, they set it in motion. Jack took them to the distribution center. Being careful not to make much noise as he took them to the basement.

"You've been living here?" Mattie asked horrified. This was no place she would want to stay. Jack gripped her hand, giving it a squeeze.

"Shhh. They're above us." Jack replied. She closed her mouth, making it go into a straight line. Jack chuckled. He led them to an object that was covered in a dusty sheet. He pulled the covering off to reveal the press he had discovered.

"All right! A platen press." Denton said, excited to see such a gem. "Looks like old man Pulitzer never threw anything away."

"Will it work?" Mattie asked.

"It better. We have a deadline." Denton said with a grin. Mattie smiled at him as well. Denton was the one to get everything set up, giving the kids all different jobs. All the while they had to be quiet. Denton did most of the work, seeing as he was around this all the time. David gradually felt himself relax, seeing that Denton was in this again. So was Jack. He may have been confused about Mattie, and then there was Mattie and Jack, but he was still proud to be doing this. He was making a difference, something he never expected himself to do.

While Denton and David worked on writing the paper out, Jack and Mattie manned the press. On opposite sides, both were trying hard to focus on their job. However, both continually caught looks at the other. Only a handful of times did their eyes actually meet, but they responded with a smile. Mattie knew that she shouldn't be looking at him, and should focus on not messing up. However, she continually felt her eyes go up to him without her permission. Jack felt the same tug every time he thought about their almost kiss. What would it have been like to actually kiss her? He could only imagine, because right now he was busy. However, that didn't mean that he couldn't sneak peeks at her.

Light beads of sweat were forming on her forehead. She wiped at it, continuing to pump the press. She couldn't imagine doing this day in and day out. She could feel her legs becoming tired, and her head was throbbing again. Her hand involuntarily went to the back of her head, where her injury was. She winced at it's tender feeling.

"You alright?" A voice asked from across her. She looked up to see Jack had stopped, and was looking at her with pure concern. She sighed.

"I'm fine." She replied. He watched her as her hand dropped from the back of her head and she continued her work. Jack started up again as well, but his eyes never left her.

"I should kill 'em." He muttered. Mattie let out a breathy laugh, shaking her head.

"You can't kill everyone Jack." She said with a smirk.

"Anyone who hurts you I could." He replied. She felt her cheeks heat up, trying not to look at him. She could feel his eyes on her, but she stayed strong and didn't look up.

"You worry too much." She said, using the line he used to tell her all the time.

"You don't worry enough." He said, using her line that she would always come back with. That was when she looked up. He was smirking at her, and his eyes were twinkling. She bit her bottom lip before shaking her head. It was inevitable that she would have fell for him. How could anyone not fall for him? She was just the lucky one who ended up being his best friend. Her smile faded, as she thought about it. She couldn't imagine that this was healthy, her obsession. Then again, he had saved her life, so maybe a little obsession was okay. She shook her head again, trying to focus.

As the papers became complete, Mattie took on the job of tying them together. She tied them into bundles of fifty or so, sometimes more. They had done a lot of work, and she was proud of it. The sun had started to rise when the newsies that she knew and loved began showing up. They said their greetings and told Jack they were glad to have him back. Mattie passed them papers, telling them to get moving.

"Pushy!" Racetrack said, in which she smacked him a good one. Once everyone had gotten enough papers, the group snuck through the window, setting off to give their own papers away. Mattie was about to go off in one direction, but Jack caught her arm.

"Where are you goin'?" He asked. Mattie gave him a confused look before jutting her thumb in the direction she was heading. "We're still partners right?"

Mattie cracked a smile, letting out a laugh before nodding. Jack smiled back, steering her in the opposite direction. He wasn't letting her out of his sight for one second. Just in case the Delancy's or some creep came along. He was going to be there. He also wanted things to go back to normal, like before this strike had happened. But not before his feelings burst. He didn't want that to go away. He liked the way she made him feel, even though it confused him to no end. He just hoped that one day he would get to tell her about them.

Jack and Mattie worked hard together, working in perfect synchronization. They gave all their papers out in less than an hour. Hundreds of kids and even adults were reading their paper, learning about their strike. They even put in a part about the refuge and how corrupt it was. Jack had a grand time ranting and raving about that one. On every corner you saw one of their papers. It was hard for Mattie to believe that she had been a part of this. She never imagined she would be part of something so amazing, so revolutionary. Denton even took one of the papers to the governor, something that sparked excitement into the newsies. If they could get the governor on their side, they would be unstoppable.

It was already light outside, the sun beaming down on them as they waited. It had been hours since they had given out the papers, and no one had shown up. They just sat around, wondering where they went wrong. Mattie was feeling even more exhausted than she was the night before. She needed sleep, but there was no way she was sleeping until she found out if the other kids were coming.

"So when's the others comin'?" Mush asked forlorn. He already knew the answer, but he didn't want to say it out loud.

"They aint' coming. Ain't gonna be nobody but us." Jack said angrily. Mattie looked up from her seat on the statue. She hated seeing him upset. In all honestly she had given up hope as well, fearing the worst. If these kids didn't show up, Jack was going straight back to the refuge. She swallowed back her tears, watching the other newsies console Jack. However, he wasn't having any of it. He walked right up to Mattie, looking up at her right in the eye.

"You think we did the right thing?" He asked. Mattie sat there, looking at him. He looked defeated, burnt out. She hated seeing him like that. He had always had such a fire inside of him. It was Pulitzer who blew it out. It was Pulitzer that she hated.

"Yeah. Yeah I do." She replied.

"You think I made a good leader?" He asked. She felt herself smile.

"You are a hell of a leader." She told him. He forced a smile before taking her hand. Their eyes locked and she found herself pulling him in. His head rested in the crook of her neck as she held onto him. His arms wrapped around her waist. He closed his eyes, breathing in her scent. He would be happy if the world just stopped. That way he could stay in her arms forever. Never having to think about anything, but her again.

"When the circulation bell starts ringin' will we hear it?" Les sang. Mattie pulled back, much to Jack's dismay and she looked over at the boy. Les had never given up, not even when everything looked hopeless. He had been the one to keep everyone's hope up when they were low.

"Nah." Racetrack said, patting Les on the back.

"What if the Delancy's come out swingin' will we hear it?" Racetrack said. Jack smiled, releasing his hold on Mattie and walking up to the boys.

"No!" Les replied. He had seen the Delancy's come out swinging, and he wasn't going to let it happen again. Not when it came to his family, biological and extended.

"Atta boy." Racetrack said patting his head. Jack and the others came up behind them, grouping together. Whether or not they won this strike, they were a family. They had fought their hardest, and they were strong. If anything came out of this, they all formed a bond that would never be broken. They would always remember when they fought for their rights. They would always remember the newsie strike.

"Look!" Blink said, pointing. Everyone turned to see a large group of kids, coming their way. Different child workers of every sort were creating a mob, singing and cheering. They had come.

"When you've got a million voices singing who could hear a lousy whistle blow?

And the world will know!"

The newsies broke out into cheers, hugging one another and throwing their hands in the air. Despite Mattie's head ache she pushed her way through the boys. That was when she found Jack. She didn't hesitate to throw her arms around him. He was shocked at first, but eventually put his arms around her as well. She pulled back a large smile on her face. Their eyes locked and both of their faces burst into grins. They stared at one another for the longest time, Mattie wondered how long they actually had been staring. However their moment was short lived when adorable little Les cut in and hugged Mattie around the waist.

"Brooklyn!" Could be heard echoing off the walls. Mattie turned to see the newsie's who had abandoned them only days ago were back, led by none other than Spot Conlon. Mattie laughed shaking her head. Spot would be one to come in at the last minute. As the group began getting larger, Mattie could feel her heart well up with joy. They had done it. They had become an unstoppable force. A force to be reckoned with.

"The world will feel the fire and finally know!" The group cheered, pointing it directly toward Pulitzer's office. Jack took Les and put him on his shoulders, pulling Mattie along with him. He cleared a path, doing his best to get to the front.

"Dear me. Look at that." Racetrack said. Coming outside was Pulitzers assistant. He looked among the crowd, catching Jack's eye. Once he saw him, he motioned for him to follow. Jack slipped Les off his shoulders and motioned for David to follow him. Mattie caught his arm, causing Jack to halt. He thought she was going to tell him that she was going too, but instead she pulled him into a tight hug.

"Be careful." She whispered. He pulled back and sent her a grin.

"Aren't I always?" He said. She rolled her eyes but laughed anyway. She released him, and watched as he and David headed inside. She sighed once they were in there. She didn't know what Pulitzer was going to say or do to them. She just hoped that he didn't have a bunch of bulls in there to arrest everyone on his command.

"Jack and Mattie sitting in a tree K-I-S-S-" Racetrack began, but Mattie elbowed him in the gut. The boys around erupted in laughter, but it didn't go unnoticed that she hadn't denied it. She was done denying everything. She was done lying to them. She was done lying to Jack. And she was done lying to herself.

Inside Jack and David were led into Pulitzers office. One of Pulitzers workers was talking in hushed tones, talking about how bad the strike was. Jack smirked, coming into the office confidently. David was trailing behind him, but both knew that they couldn't show how scared they were.

"Extry! Extry! Joe." Jack said putting the paper down on Pulitzers desk. "Read all about it."

Pulitzer looked at the paper on his desk, the paper that started this whole mess. He was thinking just how much he wanted to send this Jack Kelly back to the refuge. Or worse, send his little female friend away. That would hurt, a below the belt blow.

"I promised that if you defied me, I would break you." Pulitzer said, looking up at Jack with a threat in his eye. "I'll keep that promise boy. I gave you the chance to be free. I don't understand. Anyone who doesn't act in his own self-interest…. Is a fool."

Jack stood there his arms crossed. He didn't say a word. It was David who spoke up.

"Then what does that make you?" He asked, taking a step closer. He was tired of being quiet. He had learned that he was good at speaking, all he had to do was let it out.

"What?" Pulitzer asked, surprised that David actually spoke.

"This is my pal, David." Jack introduced as David walking up to stand next to Jack. "The walking mouth."

"You talk about self-intrest, but since the strike… your circulation has been down 70%. Every day you're losing thousands of dollars… just to beat us out of one lousy tenth of a cent. Why?" David asked.

"Well, you see it ain't about the money Dave." Jack spoke up. "If Joe gives in to nobodies like us, that means we got the power. He can't do that no matter what it costs. Am I right, Joe?"

Pulitzer smirked as he smoked on his cigar. He wouldn't let them see just how scared he was. He still had the upper hand in this. He wouldn't lose to a bunch of kids.

"I sent for the police. They must be here by now." Pulitzer said, looking directly at Jack. "And you're little friend… I have her arrangement's already made."

David's eyes set on Jack in confusion. Jack's jaw set and he sent a bone chilling glare to Pulitzer. Over his dead body would Mattie be sent anywhere. He would run away with her if he had to. Hide her somewhere. He die for her. It was then that Jack realized that he loved her. All of his feelings, they were love for her. Jack was in love with Mattie. It just took him until then to realize it.

"Send me to jail, Joe. I don't care. But If you think you're going to send her anywhere you're gonna' have to go through me." Jack said, his voice completely deadly.

"Me too." David replied, catching on to the her they were talking about. Pulitzer smirked, still believing he was winning.

"Besides, you can't win. Look out here. Right out here, is right where your power ends!" Jack said opening the window.

"Shut the windows! Close the windows!" Pulitzer yelled. The cheering entered his ears and he felt his throne crumbling. He was losing, and he knew it. "Stop that infernal noise! Go home! Go home!"

"I don't hear you Joe!" Jack yelled.

"Go home to your mothers and fathers! Go home! You listen to me!" Pulitzer shouted.

"I can't hear ya'!" Jack replied, just as loud. He wasn't giving in, not that quickly. "Maybe you should listen to me for a change!"

"No, you listen to me!" Pulitzer said, holding his hands over his ears.

"No, you should listen!" Jack said getting up into his face.

"Shut the window and shut up!" Pulitzer called. Jack wasn't having it.

"There's a lot of people out there! They ain't gonna' go away! They've got vices now, and they're gonna' be listened to." Jack said. "Putting me in jail isn't gonna' stop them. Sending her away is just gonna' make them angrier. That's the power of the press, Joe. "

Jack slammed the window shut, and Pulitzer's fingers came out of his ears. Jack walked back over to where Pulitzer sat and looked down at the defeated man. He was a coward. Nothing but a low life coward.

"Thanks for teachin' me about it." Jack said in a much calmer voice.

"Those kids put out a pretty good paper, chief." Pulitzer's assistant said, looking to his boss. Pulitzer pulled out his magnifying glass and began looking over the paper.

"I ordered a printing ban on all strike matters. Now who defied it? Whose press did you use to print this? Whose?" Pulitzer asked, still trying to win something.

"Well, we only used the best, Joe. So I just wanna' say, thanks again." Jack said. Pulitzer looked at him incredulously before swallowing his pride. A slight smile came to his face as he looked to Jack. He never imagined that he could be beat by a bunch of street rats.