A/N: Some of the scenes in this story may not be in exact chronological
order, although I'll try to keep them from jumping around too much. Cut
scenes (i.e.: scene 1, scene 2, back to scene 1) are not necessarily
happening at the same time. If you are one of those people who like to
figure things out ahead of time, those points are rather important. K? Oh,
yeah, one more thing, unless I state a time change, (**1 week later** etc.)
the scenes are all on the same day. Get it? Got it? Good.
~~~
"Kira, you must realize this is an urgent matter! No time can be wasted. We need the sweatshops up and running as usual, before all that blasted strike business happened! I'm losing money every minute!"
Kira looked into the man's dark brown eyes with a brazen defiance. "Patience, Dmitri, is a virtue. Matters of the heart take time."
Dmitri glared at Kira, "This is not a matter of the heart. 'Tis a matter of business." he stated in a thick Russian accent.
Kira crossed her arms and looked at the ground. "If you want to make money again, you will have to wait." she replied in the faint Italian accent she had picked up from her deceased mother. She turned around and slipped towards the door. Before she could make her exit, Dmitri slid in front of her, blocking the way with his burly frame.
"You will obey me, Kira, or there will be a price to pay."
~~~
**1 week later**
Jack slipped his arm around Mooch as they watched the sunrise. They had spent most of the night sitting on the roof of the lodging house, talking. There was some kissing, too. Okay, a lot of kissing. But mostly just talking.
Jack brushed his lips against Mooch's ear as he whispered. "You are amazing."
Mooch smiled softly. She turned towards him. "Hey Jack, what ever happened to your parents?"
Jack frowned. "Well me muddah's dead, ya see. An' me faddah, he's in da state pen."
"Oh, sorry." Mooch looked at Jack sympathetically.
"S'ok, really. So what about your folks?"
"Well, my mother is dead, too. And my father, he's. around. But he doesn't even seem like he's my father most times. It's more like he's my employer or something."
"Wow." Jack said.
"Why don't we change the subject?" Mooch asked gently.
Jack gave her a cheeky grin. "What do ya suppose we should change it to?" he asked as their faces grew closer and closer.
"I could think of a few things." Mooch said slyly as she trailed off. She was soon enveloped in an overflow of passionate kisses from Jack. She returned them with a few of her own as the sun peeked over the horizon and lit up the sky with an array of purples, pinks, and golds.
~~~
On the other side of town, Bean slowly rolled out of her bed. She had been up late the night before, setting the type for the morning paper. One of the other typesetters had not shown up, so Ben had twice as much to do. She plodded into the hallway in her nightgown, and slowly drifted down the stairway and into the kitchen.
Tom was already up making breakfast for the two of them. "Mornin' Anna, he said cheerfully.
"Mrnmn Ddmf," she mumbled as she plunked into a hardwood chair sitting at the kitchen table.
Tom set a plate of eggs and sausage in front of his sleeping beauty's head. The sweet aroma of Tom's excellent cooking was enough to arouse Bean slightly.
"Wow, this is really good, Daa." she trailed off into a yawn.
Tom smiled. "Glad ya like it, Beanie."
An hour later, Bean emerged from the house. She was wearing a long, tan, chiffon skirt, a green velvet blouse, gold hoop earrings, and brown leather cowboy boots that Jack had outgrown. She had her golden hair pulled up into a loose bun, with a few stray strands framing her round face. She looked gentle and ladylike, yet she maintained the impish gleam in her eyes.
As she neared the gate of the distribution office, she caught sight of a large throng developing around the statue of Horace Greeley. Her curiosity overthrew her desire to be at the front of the newspaper line, so she made her way through the crowd to see what on earth was going on.
"Fight! Fight! Fight!" a few newsies were chanting. Bean caught a glimpse of the center of the circle and realized that Spot was in the middle of it. She hoped with all her heart that he and Jack were not fighting over Mooch. Her fears were dissipated when she heard Oskar's voice.
"Ya bettah move outta my way, Spotty, before I have tah soak ya."
Spot glared at Oskar. "You ain't goin' nowheres unless you swear you'll nevah touch 'er again!"
"I ain't swearin tah nuttin, ya bum, so move it!"
Spot stuck his cane in Oskar's face. "I hope ya know what yer gettin' yerself into, heah."
Oskar tried to walk past Spot. Before he could get anywhere, Spot grabbed him by the throat and pinned him up against the statue. Oskar grabbed at Spot's wrist and tore from him. He swung at Spot, but Spot ducked before he could hit him. Oskar charged at him, but Spot jumped out of the way. When Oskar turned around, Spot smacked with a mean uppercut to the jaw. Oskar's hand flew up to his face. Spot wasted no time in grabbing Oskar by both shoulders and kneeing him in the stomach as hard as he possible could. Oskar fell to the ground.
Spot wiped the dust off of his hands as he looked down at Oskar. "If evah heah 'a you touchin' Sarah or any uddah goil, I'll make shor dat you can nevah repraduce. Not that you should be allowed to, anyways." He spit in Oskar's face and walked off as the newsies cheered.
Bean quickly caught up to Spot. "What was dat about?" she asked curiously.
Spot shook his head. "You know dem DeLancey bruddahs. Dey's always sleazin' on sum goil."
Bean nodded knowingly. "Dey nevah give up, do dey?"
Spot shook his head sadly. "Well, I bettah get back tah Brooklyn befoar Jack gets heah."
Bean looked at Spot questioningly. "Why? Don't ya wanna see 'im? He is yer best friend, aftah all."
Spot glared at the cobblestone he was walking on. "He was my best friend. Den he took off wit me goil."
Bean took Spot by the hands and forced him to look at her. "Spot, babe, I know Jack bettah dan he knows himself, and I know dat dere's no way dat he meant tah hurt ya. He's jus' so caught up in Mooch dat he ain't t'inkin strait. She's da foist goil dat he's evah really loved. Be happy fer him, huh?"
Spot didn't say anything.
Bean pinched Spot's cheek lightly. "Spot, ya gotta get ovah dis goil. You ain't da Spot I'ze used tah. What happened tah da slingshotin' cane wavin' toughest newsie in all a New Yawk? I miss 'im."
Spot sighed. "Mooch chewed 'im up an' spat him out. I'ze what's left of 'im." He paused for a moment. "Bean, I always swore I'd nevah let a goil get tah me. I'd always be in control. Then Mooch walked intah mah life, an' everyt'in got all flipped around."
Bean realized that Spot was not in the mood to talk, and she saw Race waving frantically at her out of the corner of her eye. "Well, I guess I'll let ya get back tah Brooklyn, Spot."
Spot nodded and began to head towards the Brooklyn bridge.
"Beanie, baby!" Race called.
Bean smiled as she strolled towards her boyfriend. "Heya, cutie," she greeted him as she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a soft kiss.
"Will ya two quit pouncin' on each uddah in public? It's repulsive!"
Bean spun around. "Ooh, Jacky-boy used a big woid! Stop da presses!"
Jack smiled. "Shut yer yap, B!"
"So where's da goil?" Bean asked.
"Uh, she said she had sumthin' she needed tah take care of."
"Oh," Bean replied
"Say, Bean," Race interjected, "Ya wanna do sumthin' tahnight?
Bean looked at Race sympathetically. "I gotz tah woik."
Race suddenly looked very dejected. He studied his feet carefully and kicked at the dust.
Bean lifted up his chin. "Lemme go by da Sun an' I'll see if dey really need me tahnight. Kay?"
Race nodded sadly.
~~~
Bean hugged her papers to her chest as she headed towards the Sun offices. She wiped her blonde hair out of her face as she tried to analyze the situation with Jack and Spot. She was ripped from her thoughts when she noticed a thin, sooty-haired figure slip into an alleyway. She decided to follow her out of curiosity.
Bean peeked into the alley carefully, so as not to let on that she was following the girl. She ducked into the passageway and quickly hid behind a crate. The girl stopped momentarily, as if she sensed she was being followed. She picked up speed, weaving in and out of the boxes and crates packed in the alley. Bean tried to keep up without being seen. The girl rounded a corner. Bean ran to catch up, but when she looked, the girl was gone.
Bean turned around and decided to just go to the Sun offices.
~~~
Kira clung on to the fire escape she was hanging off of. "That was a close one," she sighed.
~~~
"Kira, you must realize this is an urgent matter! No time can be wasted. We need the sweatshops up and running as usual, before all that blasted strike business happened! I'm losing money every minute!"
Kira looked into the man's dark brown eyes with a brazen defiance. "Patience, Dmitri, is a virtue. Matters of the heart take time."
Dmitri glared at Kira, "This is not a matter of the heart. 'Tis a matter of business." he stated in a thick Russian accent.
Kira crossed her arms and looked at the ground. "If you want to make money again, you will have to wait." she replied in the faint Italian accent she had picked up from her deceased mother. She turned around and slipped towards the door. Before she could make her exit, Dmitri slid in front of her, blocking the way with his burly frame.
"You will obey me, Kira, or there will be a price to pay."
~~~
**1 week later**
Jack slipped his arm around Mooch as they watched the sunrise. They had spent most of the night sitting on the roof of the lodging house, talking. There was some kissing, too. Okay, a lot of kissing. But mostly just talking.
Jack brushed his lips against Mooch's ear as he whispered. "You are amazing."
Mooch smiled softly. She turned towards him. "Hey Jack, what ever happened to your parents?"
Jack frowned. "Well me muddah's dead, ya see. An' me faddah, he's in da state pen."
"Oh, sorry." Mooch looked at Jack sympathetically.
"S'ok, really. So what about your folks?"
"Well, my mother is dead, too. And my father, he's. around. But he doesn't even seem like he's my father most times. It's more like he's my employer or something."
"Wow." Jack said.
"Why don't we change the subject?" Mooch asked gently.
Jack gave her a cheeky grin. "What do ya suppose we should change it to?" he asked as their faces grew closer and closer.
"I could think of a few things." Mooch said slyly as she trailed off. She was soon enveloped in an overflow of passionate kisses from Jack. She returned them with a few of her own as the sun peeked over the horizon and lit up the sky with an array of purples, pinks, and golds.
~~~
On the other side of town, Bean slowly rolled out of her bed. She had been up late the night before, setting the type for the morning paper. One of the other typesetters had not shown up, so Ben had twice as much to do. She plodded into the hallway in her nightgown, and slowly drifted down the stairway and into the kitchen.
Tom was already up making breakfast for the two of them. "Mornin' Anna, he said cheerfully.
"Mrnmn Ddmf," she mumbled as she plunked into a hardwood chair sitting at the kitchen table.
Tom set a plate of eggs and sausage in front of his sleeping beauty's head. The sweet aroma of Tom's excellent cooking was enough to arouse Bean slightly.
"Wow, this is really good, Daa." she trailed off into a yawn.
Tom smiled. "Glad ya like it, Beanie."
An hour later, Bean emerged from the house. She was wearing a long, tan, chiffon skirt, a green velvet blouse, gold hoop earrings, and brown leather cowboy boots that Jack had outgrown. She had her golden hair pulled up into a loose bun, with a few stray strands framing her round face. She looked gentle and ladylike, yet she maintained the impish gleam in her eyes.
As she neared the gate of the distribution office, she caught sight of a large throng developing around the statue of Horace Greeley. Her curiosity overthrew her desire to be at the front of the newspaper line, so she made her way through the crowd to see what on earth was going on.
"Fight! Fight! Fight!" a few newsies were chanting. Bean caught a glimpse of the center of the circle and realized that Spot was in the middle of it. She hoped with all her heart that he and Jack were not fighting over Mooch. Her fears were dissipated when she heard Oskar's voice.
"Ya bettah move outta my way, Spotty, before I have tah soak ya."
Spot glared at Oskar. "You ain't goin' nowheres unless you swear you'll nevah touch 'er again!"
"I ain't swearin tah nuttin, ya bum, so move it!"
Spot stuck his cane in Oskar's face. "I hope ya know what yer gettin' yerself into, heah."
Oskar tried to walk past Spot. Before he could get anywhere, Spot grabbed him by the throat and pinned him up against the statue. Oskar grabbed at Spot's wrist and tore from him. He swung at Spot, but Spot ducked before he could hit him. Oskar charged at him, but Spot jumped out of the way. When Oskar turned around, Spot smacked with a mean uppercut to the jaw. Oskar's hand flew up to his face. Spot wasted no time in grabbing Oskar by both shoulders and kneeing him in the stomach as hard as he possible could. Oskar fell to the ground.
Spot wiped the dust off of his hands as he looked down at Oskar. "If evah heah 'a you touchin' Sarah or any uddah goil, I'll make shor dat you can nevah repraduce. Not that you should be allowed to, anyways." He spit in Oskar's face and walked off as the newsies cheered.
Bean quickly caught up to Spot. "What was dat about?" she asked curiously.
Spot shook his head. "You know dem DeLancey bruddahs. Dey's always sleazin' on sum goil."
Bean nodded knowingly. "Dey nevah give up, do dey?"
Spot shook his head sadly. "Well, I bettah get back tah Brooklyn befoar Jack gets heah."
Bean looked at Spot questioningly. "Why? Don't ya wanna see 'im? He is yer best friend, aftah all."
Spot glared at the cobblestone he was walking on. "He was my best friend. Den he took off wit me goil."
Bean took Spot by the hands and forced him to look at her. "Spot, babe, I know Jack bettah dan he knows himself, and I know dat dere's no way dat he meant tah hurt ya. He's jus' so caught up in Mooch dat he ain't t'inkin strait. She's da foist goil dat he's evah really loved. Be happy fer him, huh?"
Spot didn't say anything.
Bean pinched Spot's cheek lightly. "Spot, ya gotta get ovah dis goil. You ain't da Spot I'ze used tah. What happened tah da slingshotin' cane wavin' toughest newsie in all a New Yawk? I miss 'im."
Spot sighed. "Mooch chewed 'im up an' spat him out. I'ze what's left of 'im." He paused for a moment. "Bean, I always swore I'd nevah let a goil get tah me. I'd always be in control. Then Mooch walked intah mah life, an' everyt'in got all flipped around."
Bean realized that Spot was not in the mood to talk, and she saw Race waving frantically at her out of the corner of her eye. "Well, I guess I'll let ya get back tah Brooklyn, Spot."
Spot nodded and began to head towards the Brooklyn bridge.
"Beanie, baby!" Race called.
Bean smiled as she strolled towards her boyfriend. "Heya, cutie," she greeted him as she threw her arms around his neck and pulled him into a soft kiss.
"Will ya two quit pouncin' on each uddah in public? It's repulsive!"
Bean spun around. "Ooh, Jacky-boy used a big woid! Stop da presses!"
Jack smiled. "Shut yer yap, B!"
"So where's da goil?" Bean asked.
"Uh, she said she had sumthin' she needed tah take care of."
"Oh," Bean replied
"Say, Bean," Race interjected, "Ya wanna do sumthin' tahnight?
Bean looked at Race sympathetically. "I gotz tah woik."
Race suddenly looked very dejected. He studied his feet carefully and kicked at the dust.
Bean lifted up his chin. "Lemme go by da Sun an' I'll see if dey really need me tahnight. Kay?"
Race nodded sadly.
~~~
Bean hugged her papers to her chest as she headed towards the Sun offices. She wiped her blonde hair out of her face as she tried to analyze the situation with Jack and Spot. She was ripped from her thoughts when she noticed a thin, sooty-haired figure slip into an alleyway. She decided to follow her out of curiosity.
Bean peeked into the alley carefully, so as not to let on that she was following the girl. She ducked into the passageway and quickly hid behind a crate. The girl stopped momentarily, as if she sensed she was being followed. She picked up speed, weaving in and out of the boxes and crates packed in the alley. Bean tried to keep up without being seen. The girl rounded a corner. Bean ran to catch up, but when she looked, the girl was gone.
Bean turned around and decided to just go to the Sun offices.
~~~
Kira clung on to the fire escape she was hanging off of. "That was a close one," she sighed.