Brooklyn boys had been showing up all day and by that night every bunk was taken, along with most of the floor space. As first they had given vague reasons for showing up, like wanting to see some nameless friend or needing a little change of scene.

There real reason became clear when the twins showed up, "That is about the loudest longest sex I have ever heard!"

"A little tact there Frack?"

"Tact?"

"That's what I thought."

"Wait a minute, who are ya talkin' 'bout?"

"Oh hi Jack, Marble came back with Spot last night and they haven't come out of his room since."

"Yea, they've been going at it the whole time."

"Frack! Would you...God!! Guys are such pigs." He nodded sincerely and she left before she tried to kill him.

It wasn't hard for Frick to find her friends. Racetrack was taking bets on something, Mush was trying to tell Blink about a new girl who he was meant to be with while Blink tried not to see a little girl across the room. Whenever his shifty gaze went to her she would bat her eyelashes and he would jump. Pips would periodically crack up from where she was sitting on her bunk. A small boy was with her holding a paper as she unsuccessfully tried to teach him to read.

Frick went to the last two and leaned against the bedpost, "How are you feeling Pips?"

"Better, I had a good cry then got stuck babysitting." She smiled at the boy, "But it's not that bad, he's a sweetheart."

He smiled back and went back to staring at the pictures on the paper, "His name is Dorry and that girl over there is his sister, Elizabeth. She's kinda got a thing for Kid, God only knows why."

Both girls laughed at the look on his face when Elizabeth blew him a kiss, "Don't just tease the girl Blink, go sweep her off her feet."

He looked at Frick, shocked, "Hey, it's payback time."

Across the rom a fight broke out between Pie Eater and a boy from Brooklyn. Pie quickly got the other boy to the ground and Race called out, "Dat's roight boys, pay up!"

There were loud groans but everyone paid him.

* * *

Pips had been sitting on the roof for ten minutes when she heard someone coming up the fire escape. She turned, expecting Frick or Race to be looking for her, but she saw another welcome face.

Luke hoisted himself over the edge of the roof with a grin, "Thought you could hide from me up here, well think again. I told you I'd see you again."

She laughed, "I didn't know you were here."

"I just got here, the party in Brooklyn finally go a bit too rowdy for me."

"Party?"

"Yeah, apparently only two people are invited. Guess who?"

"Oh."

He sat down next to her, "So," he paused and looked over at her, "Are you seeing anyone?"

"What?"

"I'm sorry, that was kinda blunt, never mind."

Pips smiled at him, "It's alright." For the first time she noticed that he had a slight southern accent, "Where are you from?"

"North Carolina. I worked for a rich family down there for a while, but some weird disease went through the area. By the time it reached our house thirty people had died. When my boss got sick he gave me enough money for a train ticket out of there and told me to leave. He said when he got better he would try to find me. That was two years ago, he must have died." Luke stared down at his feet for a few minutes then frowned, he seemed to be considering something, "I lied a little, it wasn't my boss, it was my dad."

He sighed and looked up at Pips, "I shouldn't have said anything." He started to stand.

"I'm from New Jersey." He stopped, "I'm an only child and my mother died when I was two. My father went insane after that, but he was rich so noone did anything about it. The money was inherited and he didn't work so it was running out. I was fifteen when he arranged for me to get married to another rich man. The man was a drunk and he got into the habit of hitting me about the second time we met. I tried refusing but my father, well let's say, put me aside until I agreed. We were engaged for about as long as it takes to plan a high society wedding. There were six weeks of pure hell before I ran. I actually like being poor with my friends than being rich and beaten as a price."

She was choaking up and Luke put an arm around her shoulders, "Hush, it's alright now. It's over and you have all of the newsies to protect you, especially me."

* * *

Jack and Dave came into the bunkroom followed closely by Les. Some of the boys had been worrying about not seeing Davey anymore now that Jack and Sarah had broken up so they were greeted enthusiastically.

"How come every time I come back heah Brooklyn's crowdin' up my house?"

A random voice called (I always wanted to write that), "Marble's in Brooklyn."

"Oh. Well den, in dat case stay as long as ya need to, I wouldn't wish dat kinda noise on nobody."

Pips chose that moment to come in through the window and Jack waved her over, "Hey Pips, I don't t'ink you an' Davey's evah been properly intraduced. Dave dis is Pips, Pips meet da Walkin' Mouth."

"Hiya."

"Nice ta meetcha."

Dorry walked up to Pips and help up his arms while giving the other boys a shy stare. She picked him up and smiled, "This is Dorry, I found him and his sister in the Park this morning. They're orphans and they have no other place to go."

"Den dis is da poifect place for dem. We jist need ta git dere names down in da book an' me an' Dave can git dem started in da mornin'. Wheah's his sistah?"

Pips put Dorry down and laughed, "Over there with her new boyfriend." She pointed to where Frick was making sure Blink didn't bolt by talking to him while Elizabeth slowly edged closer to him on the bedside.

Jack grinned and made his way over to the bunk, "Heya Blink, wha'cha doin' keepin' alla dese goils to ya self."

"Take one, Please!"

Dorry pulled on Jack's pant leg, "Dat's Lizbit."

"No kiddin'. Heya Bit, I's Jack. Couldja let me friend go for jist a minute so Kloppman can git ya signed in, den yous can stay as long as ya like."

"Um... well, ok." She was only unsure until Blink smiled encouragingly at her. She skipped off happily and Blink mouthed 'thank you' to Jack as he left.

Frick and Pips both cracked up and even Dave had to smile, "Blink you're a bit too old for her. You shouldn't lead girls on like that."

"Shuddup Dave. You ain't supposed ta side wit da goils."

"Sorry, but it was too easy."

Les and Dorry were staring at each other strangely, "What kinda name is Dorry?"

"It's better than your name."

"Oh yea?"

"Yeah."

"You don't even know my name."

"So? Mine's better."

Dave covered Les' mouth to cut off a retort, "Sorry. We should go now, it's a bit too crowded for me. We'll be back when things calm down a little. Let's go Les, bye guys."

Dorry waved happily as they left and Les called back, "Bye Dorry." In a way only possible for little kids they were friends after that.

As Dave and Les went out the door Luke finally came in from the roof, "Oh, wouldja look at dat! Somebody was up on da roof keepin' liddle ol' Pips warm, ain't dat sweet."

She tried taking a swing at Blink but Racetrack was suddenly there holding her back, "Hold on dere goil, don't start sumpthin' ya can't finish. Wait a minute!" Race dropped her arms, "Ain't dat da guy dat was hittin' on ya in Brooklyn?"

Pips flushed crimson, "Ye...um, mayb......I uh, I'm going to bed." She ducked her head so she wouldn't have to meet his eyes then fled.

Blink and Frick laughed helplessly as Race frowned at Luke across the room, "I's gonna hafta have a talk wit dat guy."

* * *

The next two days went by in a blissful blur for Pips. Apparently Race's little talk with Luke didn't have much of an effect because he stayed by her side the whole time he was there. He even took her on a date at Medda's where they spent the whole night talking about their lives before they became newsies.

On the third day after they came back from selling they sat down on the floor just inside the door. They wanted to stay out of the rain and still be able to see the street. Their conversation broke off when they heard a loud voice echoing down the street.

"I'm singin' in the rain, just singin' in the rain, what a glorious feeling I'm happy again." It was getting louder and closer, "I'm laughing at clouds so dark up above, I've sunshine in my heart and I'm ready for love."

Marble rounded the corner and swung herself up onto a lamppost to make the next line more dramatic, "Let stormy clouds chase ev'ryone from this place, come on with the rain, I've a smile on my face."

She came up the street dancing on and off of the curb and stopped in front of the lodging house, "I'll walk down the lane with a happy refrain because I'm singin, just singin' in the...snow?"

On the last note her voice cracked and she started laughing up at the sky, then yelled, "Hey guys it's snowing, come out here!" A few windows cracked but nobody was willing to brave the clumps of slush falling from the sky to join her, even Ashes abandoned her out in the cold, preferring the comfort of a home.

Marble ran up to the door and leaned way in to bellow up the stairs, "You can all come out now. I'm back and Brooklyn is safe once again."

In under two minutes the house was almost completely cleared of irritated guests. They didn't care about the weather, they just wanted to go home.

Marble grinned at the two newsies that had been forced out of the doorway by the stampede, "Isn't it amazing the effect I have on people?"

Frick came down the stairs, "First you chase us out of Brooklyn, now Manhattan, what's next? The whole city?"

"Naw, I'll let ya go to Midtown next, and trust me, nothing I could ever do would chase you outta dere."

"What are you talking about?"

"I stopped up there to have a look around last night and I saw God! Skylar is....Oh Lord! That boy! It was all I could do to keep myself from jumping his bones right there in the street. He's perfect! Golden tan, muscular, absolutely perfect features, a smile to kill for. I would have, I really would've just for that smile. And his brother, Gavin. Oh! If Skylar is God then Gavin is all the choirs of angels. All Of Them!! He's like this devilishly wicked little cherub. Fiery blue eyes just burning with mischief and a perfect, lithe body with absolutely cat-like grace! Ugh! I WANT!" Marble slowly sank down against the wall, hand over her heart, overcome by passion.

Frick looked down on her, very amused, "So I take it Spot wasn't with you?"

Marble shook her self out of her little fantasy world, "Who?"

Frick just laughed, "Listen, Frack's going to come down in a minute and I'm trying to ditch him so tell him I went back to Brooklyn, ok? I'm going to be out on the fire escape, come tell me when he's gone."

"Sure, I was goin' upstairs anyway." Frick helped Marble to her feet and the both left, one up the stairs, one outside.

Pips and Luke glanced at each other and laughed, "Pips, I'm going to get going."

"Now?"

"Yeah, but I have to ask you a question before I go. How do you feel about Racetrack?"

Pips had been wondering about that herself and finally took the time to actually think about it, "I dunno, he's kind of like an' older brother to me. Why? Did he say something?"

Luke grinned, "Yes, he did. That very first night he cornered me down here. He said he wasn't going to try to stop you from doing anything but if I hurt you in any way he'd kill me,"

Pips winced in embarrassment but Luke just smiled, "He also said that after thinking of you as a boy for two weeks the closest you'd ever get was a big brother, little sister relationship, but he was going to be one damned over protective big brother. He's a great guy, Racetrack, they don't come much better than him."

Pips looked at him, overjoyed at finally knowing how things stood between her and Race. Luke just smiled at the look on her face, "Walk me outside?" She smiled back and took his offered arm.

They got out to the middle of the street and he kissed her softly on the cheek, "I'll see you around Pips." He walked away without looking back.

She stood staring after him dreamily until someone bumped into her back. She spun around and the mood shattered, "Dammit Kid would you watch where you're going?"

"Mebbe if ya didn't take up da whole street I wouldn't hafta."

She glared up into his good eye and he returned the stare with one just as fierce, "Isn't your 'girlfriend' looking for you, or did you abandon her out in the city?"

"Go ta hell!"

"Make me."

"All I's gotta do is kill ya, and dat ain't a problem."

"Well when I get there I'll make sure to keep a spot nice and hot for ya!"

"Bitch!"

"Asshole!" They glared silently for another second then he turned and went back down the street and she stormed back into the building.

From the fire escape Marble and Frick had seen the whole thing, "Wow! Those two are getting vicious."

"Yea." Marble shook her head, "Dey want each other, BAD!"

"I know..... so when do we start taking bets on who realizes it first?"

"Um, I say tomorrow, noonish. You know, so everyone else had a chance to figure it out for themselves." Frick nodded solemnly as they continued to stare out at the empty street.

(Ok nobody expected that! And if you say you did you're a damn liar! Woo Hoo! I surprised people. Yup yup yup! It made me all happy and giggly and if you don't like it just keep you trap shut. You were surprised and that's all there is to it. I hope you think it was worth the extra wait. I think it was ^_^)