Author's Note
.｡｡*ﾟi hope you're staying safe and being kind to yourself! .｡｡*ﾟ
Warning: Mentions of alcohol/drinking
Love youuu 💗
𝒉𝒐𝒑𝒆 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒆𝒏𝒋𝒐𝒚 ️
NEW YORK CITY, 1899
Around midnight, Sophie was furiously banging her fists on the door of a Bowery tenement. The flat was on the third floor, tucked down a long hall, shrouded in darkness.
When Sophie knocked a fifth or sixth time, a tiny, emaciated young woman – not much older than Sophie, it seemed – with deep-set eyes answered the door, speaking a French-Canadian dialect. Sophie didn't know any French, let alone a specific dialect, so she found it quite difficult to understand what the young woman had said.
She cradled a crying baby on her hip, and she seemed startled to see Sophie, almost intimidated. "Qui êtes-vous?" She asked nervously, rocking the wailing baby, hold her close to her chest as if Sophie would snatch the child away.
"Sophie, I know we've never met but," Sophie tried, pointing to herself. "I know your husband. He's a friend of my brother's. I need to speak with him. It's important," she said, trying to enunciate each word, as if that helped.
The poor young woman only looked more confused and alarmed, backing up. She shook her head. "Je comprends pas," she murmured, almost apologetically, craning her neck into the darkness of the tenement and shouting, "Charles! Charles!"
Sophie tried to look over the woman's shoulder. She was sure she had the right flat. But now, that confidence was knocked down to a 92% sure.
"Quoi? Ça va, mon amour?"
Sophie recognized the voice, and her worries about the wrong address subsided.
A tall, wavy-haired young man appeared in the doorway. His green eyes were full of concern. But all of that went away when he saw Sophie – a slow smile breaking the tension. "Sophie? What are you doing here?"
Sophie struggled to catch her breath. "Marquette, I need your help," she managed. "Please."
Marquette's smile faded, seeing how terribly exhausted she looked. "You want to come in?" He asked, ushering for her to follow him inside. "T'inquiète pas, Camille," he said, taking the young woman's face in his hands affectionately. Camille relaxed a bit, giving Sophie a small smile, and nodding to her. She kissed the baby's forehead, seemingly hiding behind her.
"Amelie?" Sophie guessed, looking at the baby in Camille's arms. Marquette's dimpled smile widened and he held out his hands to take the little one, which Camille gratefully accepted. "She's so cute, Marquette. Holy shit." Sophie's eyes widened and she clamped a hand over her own mouth. "I'm sorry."
"I don't think she'll remember," Marquette laughed, steadily positioning his hands under and around Amelie so Sophie could see her. Amelie stopped fussing as soon as her father held her, staring back at Sophie with wide, brown eyes.
It was something else to watch Marquette dote over that little creature.
As Sophie stepped into the flat, she was struck with how comfortable she had it at Medda's. Marquette and Camille's home comprised of two rooms, no windows, nothing hanging on the peeling walls. An old, stained mattress and a blanket in the corner appeared to the bed for the three of them. And a small table and wooden stove in the tiny kitchen that was surely a fire hazard.
"I can't stay. I need your help," Sophie went on, letting Amelie grab onto one of her fingers with a little fist. Amelie went to put the finger in her mouth, and Marquette had to pry the hand open and release Sophie.
"La, la, la," Amelie babbled, wearing a distraught expression. She pouted and looked from Sophie to her father. "La!"
"Sorry," Marquette said with a laugh.
"It's okay," Sophie smiled, but then she redirected her focus back to the emergency. "Listen. Jack's been arrested. We had a rally at Medda's and the cops and Snyder showed up, taking newsies in, and Jack was one of them," Sophie rambled with wide eyes. "You know what happens to kids who already have a record. And Snyder's been trying to take him back to the Refuge ever since he escaped."
Marquette's brow had furrowed while he listened, holding Amelie tighter when Sophie mentioned Snyder. "Mon Dieu," he mumbled. "Well, where is he now?"
"They're holding him and the others at the precinct. The trial's this morning. And if he's found guilty, he'll be back in the Refuge. You have to help me!"
Camille did not appear to be following, but she could tell Sophie was distressed about whatever it was. She could also see the look of worry in her husband's eyes. She walked over with a cup of tea she'd prepared for Sophie, handing it to the younger girl with a soft smile.
"Thank you," Sophie whimpered, taking the cup, and inhaling the cinnamon smell.
"Sophie, I want to help, but I don't know what I can do," Marquette sighed, bouncing Amelie as she began to fuss. "Do you have a plan?"
Sophie gulped down the lukewarm tea, trying to keep herself from crying. It was all too much on her shoulders. If Jack went back to the Refuge, it would break him. It just would.
"I know it's a lot of ask," Sophie said quietly, "but if you could come to the trial and help bail him out, I would be forever grateful. And you're not the only one. I'm asking all of you. Well, the ones who can, anyway."
"All of us?"
Sophie nodded tearfully. "You, Cards, Crazy, Fleet, Z, Lion, Atlas, Rails, Shakespeare, River, Doc," she listed the names off the top of her head, and it all began to sink in the long night and morning she had ahead of her. "Alexei…Muggs…" She said the last two names under her breath.
"You're going to ask all of them?" Marquette looked at her in shock. "Sophie, you know I'd do anything for your brother, but—"
"Please, Marquette," Sophie begged him. "I can't do it by myself. Even with our money combined, my friends and I can't afford it."
"I can't afford it, either…" Marquette sighed, looking at Camille and then back to Sophie. "I barely have enough to feed my girls, let alone myself."
Sophie felt her heart sink, tears rolling down her cheeks. She clamped her mouth shut, nodding in understanding. It was a stupid idea, anyway. "I just…I don't want him to leave again," she whispered. "I feel like he finally got back to normal. He's been so happy this year, and…"
Sophie stiffened as a pair of frail arms wrapped around her, surprising her for a moment. Slowly, Sophie melted into Camille's gentle embrace. She shot her husband a cross look. "Tabarnak, Charles! Pourquoi pleure-t-elle comme ça?" She clicked her tongue, and then hugged Sophie again.
Sophie leaned into her, so Camille was holding her up more than she was hugging her. She stroked the younger girl's hair, whispering comforting words to her in French.
"Son frère, c'est Jack Kelly. Il a été arrêté, et elle a besoin d'argent pour payer sa caution," Marquette explained, sitting at the kitchen table with Amelie on his lap. "Nous pouvons pas—"
"Esti! Pauvre fille, mais bien sûr qu'on va l'aider," she said pointedly, hurrying over to the small cubbard. She pulled out a small tin and scrounged up a few crinkled dollars.
"Camille—"
Camille hushed Marquette with one look. She handed the money to Sophie with a determined smile, ruffling her hair back. "Ton frère est la raison pour laquelle mon Charles est sorti de cet horrible endroit. Nous sommes heureux de faire ce que nous pouvons," she said, and turned to Marquette to translate.
Marquette sighed, giving Camille a sweet smile. "She says your brother is why I'm out of that horrible place. And we'll be happy to do what we can." He shrugged. "And she's right."
Camille looked back at Sophie with a nod.
"Thank you. Thank you so much," Sophie said tearfully, tucking the money into her dress.
"What time is the trial?" Marquette asked, following her to the door.
"One o'clock," Sophie replied, her eyes a little more hopeful.
"I'll be there," Marquette assured her. "Though I can't say I'm looking forward to seeing Snyder again."
"Thank you, Marquette," Sophie hugged him quickly, trying not to let Amelie grab her hair. "I owe you one. Seriously."
Marquette shook his head. "Just bring him home."
Sophie raced down the stairs of the tenement, starting the hour walk for O'Halloran's pub in Midtown to track down a few of the others. It was a popular haunt for Midtown newsies, and the occasional visitor. Jack had taken her there a few times when he'd get drinks with Cards, Marquette, Lion, and Shakespeare. But that was a year ago – 1898. A lot had changed after Jack became leader. Suddenly he had a lot less time on his hands.
A loud chorus of "Lanigan's Ball" was echoing from outside the bar as Sophie approached it. The sound of glass shattering, dogs barking, and shouts from those betting on rat fights made Sophie's stomach flip. Was this worth it?
She shook away the doubt and squared her shoulders, stepping into the dim bar. Almost immediately she saw Lion, kissing a much older woman on his lap, his hand raking its way through her raven hair. At the bar itself, she noticed Shakespeare taking shots with Crazy and Fleet, the three of them looking well on their way to blacking out.
"You lost?" Cards' teasing voice came from behind her. He walked around to face her, smiling, clearly not far behind his friends in intoxication. "Bit north for you, ain't it, baby sis?"
"Jack's been arrested," Sophie blurted out, not wasting any time. "Snyder will take him back to the Refuge if I don't make his bail. And I need your help. All of you. I just came back from Marquette's—"
"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Cards laughed, shaking his head, rubbing his temple. "Slow down. Give me a second."
Sophie crossed her arms. She didn't have time for this. She should've known four alcoholics were most likely to be drunk at this hour. "I don't have a second! You need to sober up and get your asses to his trial this afternoon!"
"Sophie!" Shakespeare stumbled over with Fleet – a Brooklyn boy. Shakespeare hugged the tiny girl and twirled her around a bit clumsily. "Where's your brother? Is he here?"
"No, he's getting sent back to the Refuge!" Sophie yelled, making a few drunk patrons look over at her in curiosity.
Shakespeare's smile dropped. "Oh shit."
Crazy, a native of Queens who Sophie didn't know all too well, threw back another shot and slammed the empty glass down on the bar. "Snyder found him. How?"
"The newsie rally," Sophie went on, sitting down in the chair Cards pulled out for her. "It got raided by the cops, and they…they got Jack."
"Can't Medda bail him out?" Crazy asked with a scoff, clearly feeling nothing but contempt for the woman. "Don't she make enough whoring you girls out?"
"And Marquette pitched in?" Cards asked in disbelief. "He's making the rest of us look bad."
"I don't know how much it'll be, but we have to try, no matter the price," Sophie urged, holding her head in her hands. "He can't go back to the Refuge. It'll kill him. Especially in the middle of the strike. He's worked too hard."
Exchanging resigned looks, the four drunk young men dug their hands into their pockets, fishing out loose change and dollars, pooling it together. "We've only got fifteen bucks between us," Cards said, handing it to Sophie. "That's everything."
Fleet eyed Lion, still kissing the neck of the woman as she ground her hips into his. "Hold on," he said, walking over to the two. Swiftly, he picked Lion's pocket without his friend even realizing, and brought the money back to Sophie. "Now you have thirty."
"Thank you!" Sophie squeaked, clutching the money tightly. "Hopefully, the judge will be lenient. If it's not Judge Monaghan, I think we'll be okay. He's the one who sent Jack to the Refuge in the first place."
"Don't worry about Monaghan," Shakespeare said to Sophie, taking a sip from his pint.
"If he tries any bullshit, I'll crack his mick skull," Crazy threw in with a reassuring nod.
Shakespeare and Fleet laughed, and Cards gave the Queens native a sideways glare.
Sophie smiled as Crazy winked at her. She wiped her tears quickly, standing up and embracing them all in a warm group hug. "I don't know what I'd do without you," she mumbled.
"Jack's family," Cards said, patting her back. "Snyder messes with him, he messes with all of us."
"Here, here," Shakespeare smiled, clinking his pint with Fleet's.
"Where you headed next?" Crazy asked.
Sophie sighed, collecting herself, smoothing her dress. "Staten Island boys: Atlas, River, and Z. I'm dreading that trip."
"Don't worry about it. I'll go," Fleet said, waving his hand. "I'll tell them to come to the trial. Bring any cash they have."
Sophie looked up at him in exhaustion. "Really?"
"Of course," Fleet said, leaning against the table, the alcohol making him sway. "Have you tried Brooklyn?"
"Spot got taken in, along with most of his boys," Sophie shrugged.
"No, I mean, the Brooklyn boys from the Refuge. Calico, and Tide, and—" Fleet laughed, and then his smile faded as he realized. "Fuck."
Shakespeare and Cards hung their heads, and Crazy downed another shot.
"I'm going to head back home. Thank you all so much, again," Sophie nodded slowly. "I'll see if Doc can help on the way."
"You know he will," Cards replied with a small smile. "You know where to find him right?"
Sophie tucked the money into her brassiere. "Yes, I think so."
"In the Tenderloin. That dive with the caved-in roof, in the basement," he reminded her as the four escorted her out. "Are you sure you don't want us to come with you?"
"I'll be safe, I promise," Sophie said with a small smile. "Trial's at one o'clock, don't forget."
"We'll be corpses, but we'll be there," Fleet said, making the others laugh.
"That still leaves two you ain't asking," Shakespeare noted quietly, giving Sophie a serious look. "Maybe that's for the best."
The other three stared at him in confusion and then seemed to realize. "Morozov and Tracey," Crazy nodded. "Forget it."
Sophie shrugged, a bleak expression on her face. "We need everyone we can on board."
"Sophie—" Cards began, his eyes wide with concern. "We'll come with you."
"You know Muggs won't like that," Shakespeare mumbled.
"I'll go alone, it'll be easier," Sophie said, her voice breaking. "I have to try. Jack needs their help."
Fleet sighed, shaking his head. "I don't know."
"I'll talk to Alexei," she reassured him. "He's fond of me. He won't let anything happen."
Cards rubbed his eyes tiredly. "Why don't you ask Colleen to go with you? She might be able to—"
Sophie exhaled sharply, rolling her eyes. "She's not speaking to her brother these days. Doesn't want to see him again."
"Here," Crazy reached into his boot and resurrected a small switchblade. He handed it to her, meeting her gaze. "If anything happens, jab right to the throat."
Sophie took the blade carefully, inspecting it. With a reluctant nod, she tucked it into her pocket. "Thank you," she said, stealing herself before walking out of the bar.
"Sophie!" Cards called after her, leaning in the doorway, lighting a cigarette.
Sophie paused.
"Be careful. Go straight to Alexei, do you hear me?" he said, taking a drag, giving her an anxious look. "Muggs is no one to cross."
The girl nodded hesitantly, turning on her heels, and heading off into the darkness.