A few minutes after Bean left, Sarah rushed in. "Where's Spot?" she
asked frantically. "Bean just told me that he's hurt."
Jack stood up. "Sarah, calm down, alright? He'll be fine. He jus' had himself a lil' fall."
Sarah looked at Jack, the boy, well, man, she'd loved for so long. She expected herself to be lost in his eyes and comforted, but for some reason, it just made her feel worse. "C.can I see him?" she stuttered.
Jack nodded and walked her down the hall towards his room. When they got to the door, Sarah paused, waiting for Jack to go in first. "I can't go in," he told her, "one at a time."
Sarah looked at him sadly and slowly pushed the door open. She saw Spot lying on the bed, lifeless. "S..s..Spot?" There was no answer. "Spot, come on, you have to wake up!" Sarah lightly touched the bandage on his head wound. "You have to pull through. I hate seeing you so helpless like this. Mooch did this to you. All you did was love her, and she tried to kill you." Sarah gently stroked his brown hair. "Geez, if you loved me like that, I don't know how I'd be able to just go and push you off a bridge." Sarah thought about that for a moment, and then she realized it. She loved Spot. "Spot, there's something I've got to tell you. I love you." Sarah put her hand in his palm and squeezed. She jumped nearly ten feet in the air when it squeezed back.
"Sarah, is dat you?" Spot asked drowsily as he came to.
"Yeah, it's me," she replied, smiling softly at him.
"Did ya mean what ya jus said?"
Sarah nodded.
"I love you, too."
Sarah grinned as she leaned down to kiss Spot on the cheek.
~~~
Jack leaned back in his chair, bored out of his britches. (Not literally, calm down Jack fans) Just as he was about to fall asleep, Bean came bursting in the room, with Denton and a few cops right behind her. "We got 'im, Jack, we got 'im!"
Jack was puzzled. "Got who, Bean?"
"Dmitri!" Bean moved to one side to show Dmitri being led in by the cops. "Turns out he's already got a warrant out fer his arrest fer fraud an' junk, and he confessed tah da moider conspiracy wit' you an' Spot, an' he turned Mooch in, too! Dey's comin' tah get 'er as soon as she's conscious!"
Jack smiled and gave Bean a hug.
~~~
**Three Days Later**
"Extry, extry! Young goil attacks two newsies! Possibly a link to sweatshop frauds!" Kid Blink called out as he waved his papers in the air. Immediately, four people came up to him and bought papers, delighted to find that the headline was completely true.
"I'm tellin' ya, Race, dis heah is one a da best unimproved headlines I've had in a long while! At dis rate, I'll sell out by ten!"
Race grinned. "If you were as good a seller as me, you'd be out by nine-thoity!"
Kid Blink nodded knowingly. "If I were you, I'd read one a dem papes bafore ya go an' sell out." he said as he walked away, "especially da by- lines."
Race looked at him quizzically, and sat down on a bench to read one of the papers. The byline of the top story caught his eye. Anna Willer. "Bean!" he marveled to himself.
"Dat's me name, don't wear it out!" Bean said from behind him.
Race jumped up and turned to face her. "Hey, dere, congrats on da article!"
Bean smiled shyly at him. "Uh, t'anks." she mumbled.
Race looked around nervously, not sure if he should say what he was thinking. Well, it was now or never. "Uh, Bean, can I talk tah ya fer a minute?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Bean, I am so sorry fer what I said tah ya a few weeks ago. It was way outta line."
"Race, I should be da one apologizin' heah. All da stuff I said about you not doin' nuttin impoahtant, it wasn't right. I was jus' upset."
Race grabbed Bean by the shoulders. "Listen tah me, Bean. I shoulda nevah made you choose batween me and yer job. Me an yer future. You were right. I was jus' afraid dat you were gonna be all successful, and you'd leave me behind. I don't wanna be left behind, Bean. You mean too much to me. I love you. You know dat. An' ya know what I realized dese past few weeks, Bean?"
Bean shook her head. "What?"
"Dat I can't live witout ya. My life has been a livin' hell witout you, B. I can't take it anymore. An' I know we're young, an' I don't got a ring or nuttin, but, uh, Bean."
Bean grinned wildly as Race bent down on one knee. She couldn't believe what was happening.
"Will ya marry me?"
Bean couldn't speak. She just nodded her head up and down maniacally.
Race smiled as he stood and kissed her. "I jus' wish I had some sorta ring substitute. Somethin' witty an' clever.an' dat would make a real good story some day, if someone decided tah write about us." Race dug through his pockets, and discovered a small piece of string. "I guess dis'll have tah do." he said as he tied the string around Bean's finger. He slipped his arm around her waist as they walked down the street, knowing that neither of them would ever walk away again.
~~~
Stay tuned for the epilogue leading into the sequel. Or I guess it would be a threequel, wouldn't it. Well, it's going to be a trilogy either way. I think the next one is going to go back to my original fluff again. Or it may be even more suspense-ish-full. We'll see!
Jack stood up. "Sarah, calm down, alright? He'll be fine. He jus' had himself a lil' fall."
Sarah looked at Jack, the boy, well, man, she'd loved for so long. She expected herself to be lost in his eyes and comforted, but for some reason, it just made her feel worse. "C.can I see him?" she stuttered.
Jack nodded and walked her down the hall towards his room. When they got to the door, Sarah paused, waiting for Jack to go in first. "I can't go in," he told her, "one at a time."
Sarah looked at him sadly and slowly pushed the door open. She saw Spot lying on the bed, lifeless. "S..s..Spot?" There was no answer. "Spot, come on, you have to wake up!" Sarah lightly touched the bandage on his head wound. "You have to pull through. I hate seeing you so helpless like this. Mooch did this to you. All you did was love her, and she tried to kill you." Sarah gently stroked his brown hair. "Geez, if you loved me like that, I don't know how I'd be able to just go and push you off a bridge." Sarah thought about that for a moment, and then she realized it. She loved Spot. "Spot, there's something I've got to tell you. I love you." Sarah put her hand in his palm and squeezed. She jumped nearly ten feet in the air when it squeezed back.
"Sarah, is dat you?" Spot asked drowsily as he came to.
"Yeah, it's me," she replied, smiling softly at him.
"Did ya mean what ya jus said?"
Sarah nodded.
"I love you, too."
Sarah grinned as she leaned down to kiss Spot on the cheek.
~~~
Jack leaned back in his chair, bored out of his britches. (Not literally, calm down Jack fans) Just as he was about to fall asleep, Bean came bursting in the room, with Denton and a few cops right behind her. "We got 'im, Jack, we got 'im!"
Jack was puzzled. "Got who, Bean?"
"Dmitri!" Bean moved to one side to show Dmitri being led in by the cops. "Turns out he's already got a warrant out fer his arrest fer fraud an' junk, and he confessed tah da moider conspiracy wit' you an' Spot, an' he turned Mooch in, too! Dey's comin' tah get 'er as soon as she's conscious!"
Jack smiled and gave Bean a hug.
~~~
**Three Days Later**
"Extry, extry! Young goil attacks two newsies! Possibly a link to sweatshop frauds!" Kid Blink called out as he waved his papers in the air. Immediately, four people came up to him and bought papers, delighted to find that the headline was completely true.
"I'm tellin' ya, Race, dis heah is one a da best unimproved headlines I've had in a long while! At dis rate, I'll sell out by ten!"
Race grinned. "If you were as good a seller as me, you'd be out by nine-thoity!"
Kid Blink nodded knowingly. "If I were you, I'd read one a dem papes bafore ya go an' sell out." he said as he walked away, "especially da by- lines."
Race looked at him quizzically, and sat down on a bench to read one of the papers. The byline of the top story caught his eye. Anna Willer. "Bean!" he marveled to himself.
"Dat's me name, don't wear it out!" Bean said from behind him.
Race jumped up and turned to face her. "Hey, dere, congrats on da article!"
Bean smiled shyly at him. "Uh, t'anks." she mumbled.
Race looked around nervously, not sure if he should say what he was thinking. Well, it was now or never. "Uh, Bean, can I talk tah ya fer a minute?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Bean, I am so sorry fer what I said tah ya a few weeks ago. It was way outta line."
"Race, I should be da one apologizin' heah. All da stuff I said about you not doin' nuttin impoahtant, it wasn't right. I was jus' upset."
Race grabbed Bean by the shoulders. "Listen tah me, Bean. I shoulda nevah made you choose batween me and yer job. Me an yer future. You were right. I was jus' afraid dat you were gonna be all successful, and you'd leave me behind. I don't wanna be left behind, Bean. You mean too much to me. I love you. You know dat. An' ya know what I realized dese past few weeks, Bean?"
Bean shook her head. "What?"
"Dat I can't live witout ya. My life has been a livin' hell witout you, B. I can't take it anymore. An' I know we're young, an' I don't got a ring or nuttin, but, uh, Bean."
Bean grinned wildly as Race bent down on one knee. She couldn't believe what was happening.
"Will ya marry me?"
Bean couldn't speak. She just nodded her head up and down maniacally.
Race smiled as he stood and kissed her. "I jus' wish I had some sorta ring substitute. Somethin' witty an' clever.an' dat would make a real good story some day, if someone decided tah write about us." Race dug through his pockets, and discovered a small piece of string. "I guess dis'll have tah do." he said as he tied the string around Bean's finger. He slipped his arm around her waist as they walked down the street, knowing that neither of them would ever walk away again.
~~~
Stay tuned for the epilogue leading into the sequel. Or I guess it would be a threequel, wouldn't it. Well, it's going to be a trilogy either way. I think the next one is going to go back to my original fluff again. Or it may be even more suspense-ish-full. We'll see!