Why?

Jack's fists shook by his sides, staring at the woman's face on the computer screen.

Why is this happening?

Why is this happening again?

He breathed hot and heavy through his nose, like he'd been running, and a cold sweat broke out on his palms. He liked his dry lips.

Was someone fucking with them?

"They said Jack killed Rock's wife in their home," Specs said from somewhere in the room. "But she was found at the docks…tha same night-"

"Ira disappeared," Bumlets finished quietly.

Jack closed his eyes, an old wound opening from a pit deep inside him.

No, no... remember tonight… remember...he tried to focus on his friends' voices around them. But there it was, a fear he didn't see coming, creeping up in front of him and nothing any of them could do about it...

"But…," Bumlets continued, examining the photo over and over. "Why was she there? At the docks? Why was Ira never found…"

"We looked everywhere," Specs murmured sadly, remembering too…

"Rockfellah was pinned for the sex trafficking an' the drugs, all the scanals," Spot said adamantly. "That fuck'ah was tradin' people - an' his family's money had to stretch to cover it once the media got it. Almost ruined their rep, you remember the headlines," Spot said with angry disgust. "But Ira was at the center of all of it, the spark that started a wildfire. I'm surprised we didn't see it before now: the family disowned him in disgrace, wifey here gets the boot too, got pissed that a streetrat whore ruined her life -"

"No-" Boots murmured.

"She killed her," Mush finished, glaring at the computer. He looked up to Spot's furious expression, Racetrack's pale complexion. "She killed Ira."

They looked up and stared at each other...how did they not see it before, when they had read the papers Medda had found?

"Fuck!" Racetrack yelled, frustration with nowhere to go.

"An' she's her best friend," Mush added. He looked back to Jack.

Jack's brain couldn't keep up...he didn't know what to feel first.

"Jack…"

David...David's voice was so far away...Jack opened his eyes, forgetting the anger he'd had a moment ago...he was remembering a time far away...the time he'd been stabbed with a bottle in any alley, unable to move, David calling his name...they'd taken him to Talia's-

"Jack," David said again, inches from his friend's face.

Jack jolted, trying to focus his eyes. The colors of the room, the color of his brothers' faces. He was glad he couldn't see their eyes...All his life they'd been watching him, and he them...like extensions of the same body. Their eyes served as their mirrors.

David took him by the arms, but his hands barely spanned the width of Jack's muscles.

"Jack, you're exhausted."

"The fuck I'm exhausted," Jack agreed with a dark smirk, his eyes returning to David's. His eyes felt strange, glassy.

David dropped his hands, empathy in his blue eyes as he really looked at the young man standing in front of him: such a strong presence, a commanding young face...the slight curve of boyhood had melted away in the time they'd known each other in this life, it happened for all of them...but Jack's face changed the most in subtle ways. A strong narrow jaw was revealed, and a man's chin to fit the smooth symmetrical planes of his face. His eyes were even harder and more penetrating in their dark depths below his dark brows, like a hunter's gaze on prey. His dark and damp chestnut hair fell about his face, almost to his jaw...strands fell in front of his eyes. It framed his face like the male models in magazines.

He may be a sentimental drunk- and he would never say it to his face-but David thought Jack was beautiful. In his silence he was stoic and intense, it often took strangers by slight surprise when passing on the sidewalk. Smiling and playful, he was a light that others wanted. He had seen the way others looked at Jack enough to know he wasn't the only one who thought so.

But Jack wasn't even aware. David always liked that about him, never knowing how others desired him. He was too wild for any of them to catch. A fire within him that never ran out of fuel…

Until here, 2016, a completely different world with the same ghosts. The transition had been a bitch on all of them emotionally, mentally, physically...

David saw it there, in his eyes. A man without an age, tired and unsure of his place here. Exhausted, caught between two eras of emotions, thinking, beliefs...

"I never asked for any of this," Jack said, as if answering David's train of thought. "None of us did." He looked at the others, seeing their tired faces come in to focus. "I don't know why we're trapped on a hamster wheel from Hell."

They chuckled, but Jack was serious. "I don't know why we're all here, or what's gonna happen...but I'm glad we're at least together."

The guys were silent, staring at Jack. Mush smiled a little at him, proud.

"I jus' want us ta try an' create a life here, in this time. An' Jazzi an' all a this - Jazzi may not even know who she is. Or maybe she does."

"We'll find out," Spot vowed from behind David.

Jack sighed. Nothing they could do about it now. He was looking at guys who could barely stand.

"Get some rest fellas," Jack said huskily.

They shuffled about the room, patting Jack on the back before departing to their own apartments, calling soft 'goodnight's' to each other.

David followed Jack to their room after sharing a glance with Mush and Race... then he closed the door behind him.

"Jack -"

"David."

David stopped at the sound of his friend's voice, too tired to fight reality.

The city lights were soft on Jack as he stood in front of the open window; the room was filled with the chilly night air, the sound of distant horns and laughter, the beautiful lights.

David didn't even know what he was going to say, he just wanted to see the gleam come back to Jack's eyes, the one he'd seen tonight at the party, when he was with her…

She'd brought the spark back, the wildness inside him...Jack always kept a lid on his emotions (except anger) and he was so hard to read, so guarded to everyone except those who knew him well...but there had been a current between them tonight, like an electrical current that had been broken and found again...her fire fed his, and his hers, almost unafraid of the consequences of being consumed...David had never seen that before.

"You're a good friend, Dave. I appreciate ya always tryin' to make me feel better," Jack turned and looked at him, and he smirked. "'s not always roses, we know that better than anybody."

David smiled a little at him, concern still in his eyes. "I just want to see you happy, Jack. And you looked it tonight, with her."

Jack fell back on to his bed, his body bouncing up and down as his legs hung off the end.

"'spected my alarm to go off hours ago," he said with a huff.

David laughed and turned off the lights. Jack pulled himself up onto his bed and laid on his back so he could watch the city lights fade into the colors of morning...

David brushed his teeth before crawling into his bed. "Honey asked for your number before we left. I figured you wouldn't mind -"

He stopped, hearing soft snores, and smiled a little. "You'll find out. 'night, Jack."

Sunday passed them by lazily; they slept the day away and didn't greet each other til almost 3 o'clock. Jack woke to his phone vibrating on his nightstand.

"Where are you?"

Jack pulled the phone away from his ear, his head ringing. "G'mornin', Kat."

"Good morning my arse, I've been waiting to hear from you guys!"

"Ouch - sorry Kat," Jack winced as he sat up. "I mean' ta text ya...we jus' woke up -" He glanced up at David; he was facedown in his pillow, brown curls poking out all over the place. David's hand slowly rose, giving Jack a thumbs up.

"Tell us where to meet ya. Is Medda there?"

"Yeah, she says to come over for dinner tonight."

"'s great, see ya then." Jack smiled at Kat's "ugh!" as she hung up, and he flopped back onto the bed, dragging his hands over his face, staring at the ceiling…

He dreamt about her all night, but never actually dreamed of her face - he was frustrated that he couldn't see her face, her eyes, but he could feel her, and knew it was her with him. He was glad to dream of anything else than the normal nightmares he woke from in the middle of the night. He'd rather be frustrated at chasing a dream than dreading sleep.

Jack turned his head, seeing David stretch as he got up.

"Dinner tonight at Medda's. How'd ya sleep?"

"Like a rock," David smiled sleepily at him, sitting on the edge of his bed. "How 'bout you?"

"Disappinted to wake up."

David chuckled, "let's go start lunch, that'll wake the others."

"Yeah, 'cept I'm feelin' breakfast."

"You got it, Cowboy."

The Newsies shuffled in slowly, yawning and 'mmm-ing' at the smell of bacon sizzling on the stove. David burnt the first two eggs, which woke Mush - he came in shooing David from the kitchen.

"Nice try, Dave, lemme do that for you." He looked up at Jack and nudged him with a playful grin as he cracked an egg over the skillet with bacon. "Someone slept well, eh Jack?"

He laughed and Jack smirked in response. "Yeah, I did, actually."

"So dinner at Medda's, ya wanna get some roof time in after?"

"Sounds good."

Spot's face appeared between the two of them, "What good housewives you fellas make - I feel so special." He swooped in and swiped a piece of bacon. "Shit! 's hot."

"No fuckin' kiddin'!"

Jack and Mush swatted at Spot with their spatulas. The guys came to life after eating their breakfast feast; they wasted time relaxing, playing video games, lounging on the couch searching their phones for random things, watching funny videos. Their voices increased in volume as the hangovers and drowsiness disappeared.

"No way, ya fuck, there's no way I'm handing over my keys to you," Spot shouted at Mush from the kitchen; he had a joint between his lips while washing the dishes in the sink. "Ya can' even steer a shopping cart."

The guys howled with laughter, Mush glared at them from the kitchen table against the wall next to the front door - he was watching dance videos on YouTube while rolling joints.

"Get a lift from Boots, like the rest a these wise-asses," Spot motioned to the group in front of the TV, and they responded with groans.

"C'mon man, she's probably used to limos an' shit, I jus' wanna give us some privacy…"

"DEFINITELY not," Spot said with a hard laugh. "The only action my baby will see is me an' Jade."

Racetrack almost choked on his soda. "Gah I did not need to hear that."

Jack laughed at them over his coffee, enjoying the moment. He was leaning against the wall behind Spot, next to Mush. He glanced at his phone.

"'ey, let's get movin', Kat said ta get there at 6, an' I don't wanna piss 'er off anymore than I hafta."

The guys laughed and picked up the place, cleaned up and dressed nice but casual for Medda's. Kat was at the elevator door waiting for them, wearing an oversized pumpkin sweater and dark wash bell bottoms.

She held Jack's eyes instantly, intensely. "How was it? Did they like the costumes?"

"'s good," Jack answered casually.

"It was great," Spot said in reassurance from behind him.

"We had the best costumes there -" Race stepped in and saw Medda standing behind the fridge door. He snuck around, kissed her cheek and held up two bottles of red wine.

The fridge door closed and they saw Medda laughing and hugging Race's neck.

"Shoulda seen the way she looked at him," Mush crooned as he dodged Jack's punch.

Kat's bright hazel eyes widened in pleasant surprise. "Mission accomplished."

Jack put his left arm around her shoulders and pulled her to his chest quickly, conveying his thanks.

Medda greeted each of them with a hug and a kiss on the cheek. "Beer in the fridge! Whiskey on the bar in the dining room, under the stairs over there, Spot...C'mon come in, come in! Get comfortable. We're having Italian. Put some music on over there, fellas - don't worry, neighbors won't hear a peep!"

She flashed David a smile, "'s nice to get what I pay for."

They laughed - Medda was cooler than all of them, silk kimono over her yoga pants, her curly hair wrapped with a scarf in a big messy bun on her head.

"Mush, help me cook."

"Aye, Medda."

Snoddy and Specs went to the entertainment system between the fireplace and the window, connected their phones to her bluetooth speakers, and chose Beastie Boys to start with. They stayed hovered over Medda's record collection.

Jack, Race, David, Bumlets, and Boots lounged on the plush couches with Kat. Spot brought over a bottle of wine and 3 glasses.

"An' what did you ladies do last night?" Racetrack asked as he lit a joint and passed it to Kat.

"We watched classic Hollywood Monster films: Dracula, Creature from the Black Lagoon, Bride of Frankenstein-"

Spot handed her a wine glass with a healthy pour of red, trying to hide his laughing lips.

"An' what's so funny, Spot Colon?"

"Jus' glad ya didn't forget that adorable English accent of yours," Spot said with a grin.

The guys laughed, so did Kat.

"It's funny how I switched accents so easily - when I woke up."

"He never shut up about it, he loved it so much," Spot said truthfully and offhandedly, tilting his wine glass up to drain it.

The guys fell quiet. Jack's eyes stayed on Kat's taken aback face.

But she actually smiled a little in response, "Really?"

Spot looked up at her, his cap casting a shadow over his icy eyes. But they glinted at her. "Yeah."

She bit her lip and tried to make a serious face, "alright... good to know."

The guys couldn't help but laugh a little, relaxing and lifting the mood again. Kat gave Spot a special small smirk, thanking him.

Jack got up and strolled over to Medda and Mush in the kitchen - they were cooking at least three Italian dishes. Not including salad and bread.

"This is real grand of ya, Medda." Jack said as he leaned against the fridge next to her beautiful electric flat top stove, the kitchen done in varying tones of gray to match the sleek appliances. Medda liked dim lighting, lighting that cast a mood, like stage lights. She had candles lit throughout the place, casting flickering shadows.

"You can tell I don't cook much," she mumbled to him as she stirred marinara, her eyes cutting at him in that way she did so well. "But I go big for company."

She held up a taste of sauce on her finger, and Jack moved his lips over it quickly, tasted, and nodded. She giggled with delight, "Success! Thank you, Wario!"

"From 'Slice 'a Two Cities'?" Snoddy called from the floor in the middle of the couches. "'e's the best! One of the biggest Mario fans I ev'ah met."

"Mush is a wizard in the kitchen," Medda added to Jack, then winked at Mush, who blushed in response.

Jack stole a piece of garlic bread off the baking sheet Mush was putting into the oven.

"Just don't puke later," Mush scorned. Medda laughed.

"I don't want to know," she passed the marinara over to Mush to brush onto the lasagna.

"What I do want to know," She brought her wine glass closer to Jack along with a new glass and poured two reds. "Is what she's like?"

Jack looked up and laughed, an easy smile spreading on his face. He tried to hide it - feeling silly. He ducked his head and pushed his hair back. "I dunno, I know that I don' know 'er at all. But I want to. She's... somethin'."

"And she's a big something," Medda stated with a sureness as she read his face. "It's there in your eyes..." She handed him his glass and they cheers-ed before taking sips. One of the smoothest wines Jack had ever had in any life.

"She's always done somethin' to me, 's nothin' new, Medda."

Medda smirked over her glass, and he felt like he was missing something. The music changed - Kat put on Ed Sheeran.

"Oh she did a number on you before…," Medda continued slowly. "But this... this is different." She read his face for a moment, smiling to herself. "And you feel it too...not as hard this go round, eh?"

Jack studied her for a long moment, loving her face with his eyes. Medda had always been beautiful, inside and out, and he'd always loved her spirit. It was as vibrant as ever in those big and bright blue eyes. And she'd always been able to see right through him.

His face fell a little, knowing what she meant... his voice dropped with it. "I guess you'd know better than anybody."

"She wasn't open to true love, my love," Medda shook her head, sad to see the upset and avoidance dancing in his eyes as her words drove a dagger into his belly, twisted the blade. "She couldn't be. You saw that. How she treated herself...she tried to do better. To love herself. But she couldn't do that in our time...an' I've been thinking: maybe that's her lesson. Hell if I know what any of our lessons are," she motioned to herself and the guys.

Mush had finished the lasagna and put it in the oven, listening all the while. He met Jack's glance over Medda's shoulder.

"But," Medda ducked her head to catch Jack's crest-fallen eyes, a lovely smile on her lips. She lowered her voice "You're not feeling the agony you felt before. Neither is she. An' that's a blessing, Cowboy."

Jack met her eyes evenly. "She's happy, happy as she can be. We were goin' pretty hard on drinkin' an' smokin' last night, an' she scared tha shit out of me when she passed out."

Jack told her about what happened when she came to, the way she'd looked at him... and Medda's eyes became glassy. She sniffed and took a sip of wine.

"Oh wow, Cowboy," she breathed

"Yeah, 's what I'm sayin'. She doesn't know, I can tell. But she's…"

Medda smiled at the look on his face.

Jack hesitated, "There is somethin' else."

He told Medda about Jazzi, and saw the worry appear in her eyes.

"Oh my god," she breathed. "It makes sense now...Does she - know?"

Jack shrugged, "None of us really know what ta do with that one yet...but I'm gonna find out."

Medda touched his cheek. "I know you will. You just let me know what I can do to help."

"Thanks, Medda."

"'ey Cowboy," Mush had his phone up, smiling big at something. "Look what Honey jus' sent me."

He turned it to Jack, Medda peeking over his shoulder.

It was a video, clear and colorful - a young woman on a beach at sunset, brilliant colors reflecting on the ocean. She was doing twirls on the sand, her toes drawing crescents after the waves' retreat. She was in a bikini with a short lace dress over top, her muscular legs glowing in the sun's rays. She turned, seeing her friend filming, and laughed. Her smile was bright, and Jack smirked when he saw her.

Medda beamed next to him, squeezing his arm. "Aw Jack...I've seen her videos, she's amazing. Kat and I found her page last night - wait, WAIT! Kat! Pull up Tiffany's Instagram!"

"OH MY GOD!" Kat exclaimed in the middle of the guys' voices - she dove for her purse at the base of the fireplace, all of them watching her as her fingers moved over her phone, talking all the while.

"Oh my god, guys, oh my god, JACK - Oh my god just wait - she's fucking incredible - she doesn't post much on her personal page, but her friend Honey posts videos of her dancing all the time - Medda which one should I show first?"

Medda grabbed Jack's hand and pushed Mush in front of her, leading them to the couches - Jack and Mush sprawled on the floor with big comfy pillows.

"What's an Instagram?" Mush asked curiously. "Honey has one of these grams?"

"It's something you should've known about months ago," Kat said to herself as she typed on her phone. "Just wait, you're going to freak - Medda what about the one from the summer? When she was in the park?"

"Or her Sophomore Spring recital," Medda called as she came back with the bottle of wine. "I loved her leaps in that one."

"Ooo last year's Winter Showcase was flawless…"

"Show as many as the guys want to see," Medda came to sit between Race and Spot on the couch facing the TV, the other to their right where David sat with Boots, Snoddy, Specs, and Bumlets. Mush and Jack lounged on the floor at Medda's feet, Kat kneeling at theirs. The guys were sprawled comfortably in all kinds of sitting positions with their shoes discarded in piles at the elevator. Medda loved it.

Kat connected her phone to Medda's TV.

"'ey, how'd you do that," Spot demanded as he pointed at the TV.

"Yeah yeah, I'll show you, but look at this -" She pulled up a website they hadn't seen before.

"So it's a bunch 'a pictures?" Racetrack scoffed.

"These 'bunch a pictures' are extremely resourceful," Kat purred as a photo appeared on the TV.

Jack's body reacted instantly like a live wire at the sight - a professional photo of Tiffany in a dance studio wearing plum purple dancer bottoms and matching twisted dancer's top, her dark hair wet on her shoulders and arms, her skin bright with a sheen of sweat. The perfect hourglass figure, curvy and toned, a strong presence even in a photo.

"Gah damn," Race muttered. "She's ripped."

"She's beautiful," Medda murmured gently.

"She's other worldly," Kat laughed, showing a video clip. "They're all really great dancers, but Tiffany's just…"

Jack observed quietly, but he could hear the change in his breath, getting to see her -

The woman's body on the screen was wearing a sheer long sleeve white bodysuit, her tan long legs poised in position...she was in a big area, maybe a gymnasium, and a popular pop love song by Maroon 5 played. She began small - quick controlled movements, spinning fast then slow, kicking her leg to twist that way, her shoulders moving with her hips while her feet did that, her arms were liquid wings and nothing, not even her feet, slowed her down..Jack didn't know anyone could move like that.

And she was in love - she touched her body like she was all she needed, didn't care if anyone saw or not. But there were cheers for every move combination landed, every sensual moment she shared with them. Then she did leaps and jumps, kicks and fluid motions, rolls and flips. Kat showed one video after another, and they exclaimed in surprise at the different moves she accomplished...

"Holy shit," Mush exclaimed in awe. "How does she-?"

"I know," Kat said in admiration. "She's brilliant. Look how many likes and followers she has - all the best dance accounts and companies have seen her stuff. You can bet they've got eyes on her when she graduates."

"I would love to have her in my shows," Medda said with a sigh. "She's trained in ballet, classic and contemporary - here's her Sophomore Autumn Recital…"

Jack was mesmerized, but he couldn't help but notice a few differences in her face between her freshman and sophomore performances.

"Oh my gosh this one is just heartbreaking and amazing…" Kat looked up at Medda with sad eyes.

The energy in the room changed as Medda squeezed Jack's shoulder from behind. He looked up and saw the still seriousness in her eyes.

"I don't know if she's told you - she lost her mother last year to brain cancer."

"Oh damn," Bumlets said; he'd lost his grandmother to cancer before he'd found the Newsies. He looked up to Jack, "That sucks..."

Jack's brows stayed furrowed as he watched the video - she danced to Landslide by Fleetwood Mac, in a stormy gray dress, tattered and torn on her body. Her eyes were tired and hurt.

Medda choked up, "We sat here all night last night watching these videos, crying our eyes out. I tried to find her mother but there's nothing… but you can see it on her face, how heartbroken she was."

And Jack could see it, the pain in her eyes as she could barely lift her head in some moves. But her performance was stirring and beautiful, using her pain to push her forward. Her face broke to reveal the agony inside her, and at the end she quickly turned to go off stage, her shoulders falling. Waiting in the wing to hold her collapsing body was Jazzi.

"She said she learned everything from her mother," Kat said as she dried her eyes. "They must've been really close."

Jack remembered her face when she mentioned California.

"'splains why she wasn't too excited to go home this week," he said gruffly. He didn't like seeing her like that, a stolen glance into her personal life.

Medda flicked away her tears and pinched her cheeks, "whew, show Jack the one she posted recently on her personal account...she posts mostly photos of the city, hardly posts at all really...but this was neat." She ruffled Jack's hair. "Your hair is so long, Jack Kelly...I like it."

Kat brought up a photo Tiffany had taken of herself in an airplane, posted early this morning. Warm sunshine on her face, she wore a NYU sweatshirt and had a dreamy expression, smiling like she had a secret, her eyes bright. No make-up.

"She's beautiful," Kat murmured, saying what they were all thinking.

The caption read:

Flying to Cali, but on Cloud 9

"Yeah, she posted this this morning, the first thing she's posted in months." Kat gave Jack a big smile.

The guys made appreciative noises, pushing their friend playfully.

Jack felt an odd sensation coming from his back pocket - his phone was ringing. He pulled it out - an unknown number. He didn't know why his heart started beating in a crazy uneven rhythm.

"Answer it!" Kat hissed as they all stared at him.

Jack, realizing they were watching him, rose quickly from the floor and walked to the dining room under the spiral stairs in the back of the condo...he stopped at the corner of the windows, his phone screen glowing against the glass, his dark jean and black waffle knit shirt cladded figure reflecting back to him.

He hit the green button, and brought it up to his ear, hoping he wasn't breathing heavy…

"Hello?"

"Greetings from the Golden Coast," a woman's voice purred.

He grinned - her voice sounded tired but he could hear her smile...he could hear waves in the background. Strange while he was looking at the city on a chilly night.

"Evenin'," he said in a low voice. "How's tha beach?"

"Like a dream," she said with a sigh. "Honey likes to film me."

"An' I'm grateful to her," he said in a low voice.

She laughed and his grin grew. He could hear someone else giggling in the background...she squealed and laughed with her friends.

"It's the beach behind my mother's house...not crowded like the others. We're watching the tide come in."

"Sounds beautiful. I've nev'ah seen the Pacific."

"I'd like to remedy that…"

Jack glanced over his shoulder to his friends, who were trying to be occupied with Netflix on the TV, scrolling down the documentary section...they were, without a doubt in his mind, listening to every word.

He laughed to himself and dropped his voice, "You gonna be up later?"

"Yes," she said. "Let's ditch these eavesdroppers."

He laughed, "sounds good...I'll call ya later."

"Can't wait."

He hung up and turned around, seeing the goons smiling at him, Kat and Medda laughing lightly.

"An' jus' what are you lot starin' at?" Jack asked with his grin still on his face and in his eyes.

They laughed and pulled him into a whirlwind of punches and hugs. He rolled his eyes and smiled in response - Medda laughing.