"I'm looking for a chap by the name of Francis Sullivan. Do you know if he lives here?"

Jack and David looked at each other. No one had asked for "Francis Sullivan" before. Especially snooty looking Britts like this guy, Jack thought. Jack and David were sitting on the lodging house steps when this man, with white hair and blue eyes, fancy clothes and a British accent approached them. Jack just stared at the man for a minute, until David nudged him.

"Uh, that would be me, sir-"

"Mr. Cutter."

"Mr. Cutter," Jack added politely, but still confused. "but I prefer to go by the name, Jack Kelly."

Mr. Cutter laughed. "Just like your father."

"My father? I thought he was dead." Jack hadn't heard from his father since he was 9 years old, when his father was arrested.

"Not everything is as it seems." Mr. Cutter said, looking into the distance.

David and Jack shared a baffled glance. Neither of them quite knew what he meant by that.

"Pardon me, Just remembering old times." Cutter fiddled with his cane. "Back to business, I have something for you, boy. Something from your father."

Jack sat there stunned. He wasn't sure what he should be feeling. He loved his father at one point, but his father had been the one who had gotten himself arrested and taken away from Jack and his mother. But as hard as Jack tried, he could not hate his father.

Cutter handed Jack a small package, covered in brown paper and tied with string. "Be careful who you share that with, lad. I'm sure your father wouldn't mind. But keep an eye out. Secrets are important, but dangerous, you know." Cutter said cryptically.

"Um, thanks-" Jack looked up but Mr. Cutter was gone. "Did you see that?" Jack asked David. He thought he was going crazy.

"No," David said, a little shaken. "It was like he just vanished."

The boys didn't have time to think about what had just happened because someone else spoke.

"Hello, boys." It was Chase, Mush's adopted sister and Spot Conlon, who had his arm around her. The king and queen of Brooklyn themselves. There was something different about Chase today.

"You got that brace taken off." Jack said, Chase was beaming.

It had been nearly five months since the rally. Chase had taken a pretty bad fall off the theatre's roof that night, breaking her left leg. Medda and her husband, Mark Gallagher (the famous New York Giants baseball player) had paid for Chase's medical bills. Chase had spent the last five months walking around with a crutch, her entire leg kept straight with an uncomfortable brace. She hated it, especially because she was a dancer. She'd gotten pretty antsy not being able to dance all that time. She and Spot figured out how to get around the brace, basically Spot would swing her around the dance floor, but it wasn't the same.

"Yeah, isn't it w- ahhh!" Chase, going in for a hug, fell on Jack. Spot rushed to help her back up. He had been supporting her the whole way from Brooklyn. "I haven't quite gotten used to walking again." she smiled, embarrassed. Spot helped her sit down.

"I'm gonna go in for a quick game a' poker with the guys," Spot said to her. "you ok out here?"

"Yeah, but don't be too late. I need to be at the theatre by 5:00."

"Yeah, yeah," Spot kissed her on the head and went in the lodging house. Chase watched him, smiling, the whole time.

It was still strange for David and Jack to see Spot like this. He hadn't softened up one bit, but around Chase he was different.

"What's that you got there, Jack." Chase asked, looking at the package in his lap.

"It's from his father." David said.

"He just came here and gave it to you?" Chase hadn't heard much about Jack's past, but from living with newsies for 3 years, she figured there was a reason he didn't ever talk about it.

"No, some hoity-toity mug gave it to me." Jack stared into his lap. Seize the day, he thought, and he began pulling at the string.

"Is it a book?" David asked, he looked a little excited. David loved books. "That reminds me, where's Story?"

"She and Nick got distracted on the way here talking to Denton and some girl."

"Mush talking to another girl? I thought he and Spark were together."

"They're still an item. I think the girl is somehow related to Denton."

Jack was still staring at the contents of the package. David was right, it was a book. It looked a little worn, two inches thick bound in cracked brown leather. But it had no title on the cover. Jack picked up the book. A folded piece of paper fell out.

"What's that?" said Chase.

"Only one way to find out." said Jack.

It was a letter. A letter written in block handwriting, familiar to Jack because it was his father's handwriting.

Dear Son,

There's not a day that goes by that I don't think about you and your mother. I owe both of you answers. I know I'm too late to tell your mother and I wish there was a way to bring her back. Just the same, I can tell you. I wasn't always there for you and I hope you don't hate me. I made mistakes in my life that I would take back if I could. Let me start out by asking your forgiveness, if you'll take my apology. I know if you're anything like me, this will be extremely difficult. If you don't forgive me, and I understand if you don't, get rid of this book immediately. It will only give you unwanted trouble. Be aware that your decision to read this will put you in grave danger. Do not share it with anyone you don't trust. I know you'll make the choice your mother would be proud of. Don't ever think that I didn't love you two.

Francis Jack Sullivan

Chase and David shared a glance as they read over Jack's shoulder.

"You think it's a diary?" David asked.

Jack ignored him and opened the book. The first line read:

YVOOZ TZCV YRFDS DK KBF EKL DKWZA

Jack stared at the page for a long time, trying to make sense of the words.

"My crazy old man." Jack gave a bitter laugh, slamming the cover of the diary shut.

"Can I see that?" Chase asked. Jack looked like he was ready to throw the book in the river.

"Sure,"

Chase leafed through the pages of the diary, her brow furrowed in concentration. Jack and David watched her.

"Do you know what this is? This is a cipher."

"A what?" Jack asked, confused.

"It's all written in code."

"So it's not necessarily a bunch of gibberish." David said. "But why would he do that?"

"He said the book would get me in trouble." Jack realized.

"Whatever's written there is important, Jack." said Chase.

"If this is in code, how am I supposed to read it?" Jack was frustrated, this was exactly the he remembered his father.

Chase thought for a moment. "Jack, do you trust me?"

"Yeah," A strange question.

"How much?"

"Chase, I'd trust you with my life. Especially now that you don't need that crutch no more." Jack smiled, but he had no idea who's this had anything to do with his father's diary.

"I can translate the diary for you." she said.

"What?"

"When I was at that boarding school," Chase took a moment to shudder, "Katherine and I used ciphers all the time. The headmistress was always prying into our business. We had this book that we would use to write messages to each other. What I'm trying to say is, I can figure out the cipher and translate it for you."

"Wait, Chase," David put his hand on her shoulder. "It clearly says in that letter that the contents of this diary are dangerous. What if something happens?"

"Like what?"

"I don't know, like-"

The lodging house door opened.

"Guess what guys, I won again!" said an excited Spark.

"That's only 'cause we let ya win." Racetrack said casually.

"And when was the last time you let someone win your own game, Racetrack?" said Chase.

"Hey, the brace is gone." he said, ignoring her as he sat down next to her and lit a cigar.

"Oh, Chase. I'm so happy for you!" Spark said, picking up her friend and spinning her around.

"Be careful with her," Spot said seriously.

"I'm not a china doll, Spot."


Chase was excited to get on stage without her brace. After the strike, Medda offered her a job at her theatre. Chase would sing on the weekends after selling her papes. Story and Spark got jobs too, they danced and sung backup. She was secretly jealous of them.

Thankfully, she'd be dancing on her own in a few weeks. Once she got used to walking without the crutch. Tonight she would sit on the piano like she always did, while David played for her. Medda discovered David's talent when she caught Story and David alone together in her theatre. David was playing her a love song he heard only once. He had a great ear.

Tonight the whole audience would be newsies. Since the end of the strike, Mr. Pulitzer paid for the newsies to see vaudeville shows on the weekends. Most of them liked Medda's the best because the boys liked Chase. Spot never missed a show; partially because he loved to hear Chase sing, and partially to keep other boys' hands off her. He even made the trip to Manhattan when he had a terrible case of the flu. Chase wasn't happy about that. It could have become pneumonia.

When Chase stepped onstage (escorted by Spot Conlon himself, he wouldn't let anyone else do it) the applause was the loudest because she didn't have that brace. She had to stop herself from giggling, it was too much for her.

Skittery couldn't help himself from taking glances at the girl sitting next to him. He was sitting in the balcony to the left of the stage with his friends when Denton and his niece showed up. The only available seat was next to Skittery. She was beautiful, and Skittery used that word in particular to describe only a few girls he'd ever met.

The girl looked back at him. Skittery turned back to the stage, blushing the whole time.

"...And this is the star of the show herself, Miss Chase Meyers."Denton said to his niece.

"Pleased to meet you," said Helena, extending her hand. "You were great."

"Thank you," said Chase, sparkling. She had to restrain herself from spitting before she shook Helena's hand. Force of habit.

"Helena's going to be here for a while. She's attending a boarding school in Brooklyn for the year." Denton told them. Spot and Chase looked at each other. They both knew what school Helena would be going to, the one Chase had to run away from when she was 13. But things would probably be different there now. Especially because Mr. Snyder was behind bars.

"Where are you from?" Spot asked.

"Philadelphia. My parents didn't like the schools there so they decided to send me here where my dear Uncle Denty could keep an eye on me while I become a proper lady." Helena grimaced at the last part.

"Now you get to do what you really want to do," Denton said, "Helena wants to be a reporter. She'll be my assistant while she's here."

Finally a girl with substance. Skittery was tired of hanging around Chase and Spark, in particular. The other guys loved them (probably because they were the only girls that would pay them any mind) but Skittery got annoyed with their excessive giggling quickly. The only girl he had anything in common with was Story, but unfortunately, she was happily taken by Skittery's least favorite newsie: David Jacobs.

But wow, there was something about Helena that Skittery really liked.

Helena was very pretty. With her long, dark, wavy hair, pale skin with freckles sprinkling her nose. And her eyes, they were so blue! The powder blue dress she was wearing made them stand out even more. And she was taller than Spark and Chase. Skittery didn't like looking down at girls and he didn't like when girls had to look up at him. Chase and Spark only came up to the middle of his chest. Helena and Story were both a little less than a head shorter than him.

Helena looked like a princess, or at least, what Skittery thought a princess should look like. Story sometimes made him sit with her when Davey was gone while she read the little ones fairy tales. He wouldn't do it if it wasn't for her.

"Good job up there Chase," Skittery said, standing next to Helena. "Although, I seem to remember you going flat in that second chorus."

Spot stepped forward but Chase grabbed his wrist. The two of them glared at Skittery.

"I am never flat, Skittery." she said.

"If anyone made a mistake, it was me." said Story, sighing. "I tripped at least 4 times in our new song."

"I didn't notice anything." Helena piped up.

"Yeah, you were practically perfect." Skittery said. He took a shot at flirtation and put his hat on Story's head. She laughed, releasing a hundred butterflies in Skittery's stomach.

Jack was still bothered by what had happened with Mr. Cutter earlier. Something wasn't right about it. But he had to know. He had to know more about his father. He had to know whether his father really loved him and his mother.

Jack remembered the way he was. Always changing. One minute he was telling Jack and his mother how much he loved them and the next he was screaming at them for disrupting his work. Jack couldn't even remember what his father did for a living. He only remembered the constant mood swings. Maybe this diary would tell him how his father really felt.

"Chase, you gonna be here tomorrow?" he asked.

"Yes, me and the girls are staying at Medda's for the weekend." she smiled suspiciously. "Did you make your decision?"

"Yeah, I'll bring the diary over tomorrow."


"If anything strange happens. Anything. I want ya to give me back the diary and stop translatin'." Jack said, handing Chase the book at the lodging house the next morning.

"I'll be fine." Chase reassured him.

"I mean it. I don't wanna be responsible for puttin' you in danger."

"What about Chase bein' in danger?" Spot put his arm around her protectively, reaching for his cane.

"I'm not in any danger." she said, shrugging Spot's arm off her. If she felt like a caged butterfly before she and Spot got together, it was nothing compared to the way he treated her now.

"The princess is in danger?" Skittery said sarcastically, coming out the door. "Alert the troops. She needs protection." Story, who was sitting on the step next to David, smacked him in the leg. Skittery smirked playfully at her.

"I'm the queen actually." Chase said, crossing her arms and stepping in front of Spot, who tensed, ready to strike. Chase and Skittery's relationship was like this. They always had sarcastic words for each other. Spot went out of his mind trying to keep himself from soaking Skittery for all of the backhanded comments he said to Chase, but Chase never let him. She had a pretty sharp tongue too.

"Who said something about danger?" Mush said, pulling Chase in close for a hug. He just got his sister back. And he wasn't about to lose her again.

"You guys are paranoid." said Chase. Half of the boys probably had no idea what paranoid meant but they didn't have time to think because the circulation bell rang.

"Come on, Mush." Spark said linking arms with him. She could tell Chase was getting irritated.

Spot put his arm around Chase again, to help her get to the circulation gates.

"I can do it myself," she said.

"But what if you fall?" Spot didn't want to see his girl hurt again.

"I'll pick myself up and keep going."

Spot sighed. She was just as stubborn as he was. "You want the cane?"

"No, I don't want your cane." Just as she said that, she tripped over the curb.

"Come on, please let me help you." They locked eyes for a moment, smiling at each other. Chase couldn't say no, he truly cared about her.

"Fine."


"So what's this you're doing for Jack?" Story asked. She wasn't there last night to see the mysterious journal of Francis Sullivan Sr.

"He got a book from his father and I need to translate it."

"Is it in French?" Spark asked. She knew Chase was fluent in French, from her days at the boarding school.

"Actually, it's in code- Thank you, sir." Said Chase, handing the man a paper.

Feeling arms wrap around her, Chase let out a little scream, blushing when she saw it was Spot. Again. The other girls smiled.

"A little jumpy today, are ya?" Spot said raising his eyebrow. "Wasn't that the same guy that bought a paper from you on Lexington?"

"Have you been stalking us?"

Spot blushed a little. "I missed ya, since you're all independent now."

"Get used to it." she said, but she linked arms with Spot. Her leg was getting tired of all this walking.

"But seriously," Spot said. "I think you sold that man a paper earlier. Why would he buy another one?"

"Maybe he lost the first one." said Story.

"Yeah, it's really windy today." Spark added, buttoning up her coat. It was mid December. The newsies were waiting for the first snow to happen. They would enjoy it for about five minutes and then they would trudge along for the rest of the excruciatingly cold winter.

"I guess that's possible." Spot said pensively.


A/N: You'll notice that certain parts of scenes here made it into "Underworld" almost verbatim. It's interesting that veering off just a little bit makes two completely different possibilities in the end.