(Shame, shame shame on everyone who thought I was done, that would have been a horrible, cruel place to end. Don't you want to see if they ever live happily ever after, don't you want to know who wins the bet I mentioned a billion chapters ago, don't you want to keep reading? Well you don't have to, there is only one chapter left after this, and I'm going to write it like a wild thing because I had a sudden inspiration (which I blame on Treble) and the ending is going to be perfect. So if you don't like the only part that I came up with on the spur of the moment, blame Treble too. Humph! Calling my work predictable!)



Marble and Frick were standing on the train platform waiting for the arrivals from New Jersey. It was a cold mid-December afternoon, but the winter had been mild so it wasn't that bad. They easily endured the chill of the open platform, instead of going into the heated station.

Marble wasn't supposed to be exerting herself after her injuries by selling, but there was no way she was going to stay cooped up when she didn't have to. Frick claimed to be avoiding her brother again, but in truth Spot had told her to watch his girlfriend and make sure she followed the doctor's orders until he got there.

They were silently watching the large station clock ticking along, occasionally bouncing on their toes or pacing a few steps to stay warm, almost stepping on Marble's sleeping cat. So far it had been the longest seventeen minutes and forty-eight seconds of unrequited boredom either of them had experienced.

Frick was sinking into a lethargic daze when she saw Spot coming. He signaled her to be quiet as he snuck up on Marble, but it was unnecessary, Frick wasn't going to say anything anyway.

Spot stood behind his girlfriend with a smirk on his face. As train whistle suddenly pierced the air and he grabbed her around the waist. She spun around and slapped him as hard as she could, considering that he was still holding her.

"Spot you asshole, you scared the crap outta me."

He smirked and kissed her deeply, "I's shoa you can find it in ya hart to forgive me."

She kissed him back passionately, "I don't think I can."

Frick rolled her eyes and turned her back on the couple as they continued to flirt and kiss. She tried to drown it out and was immensely grateful when the train came howling into the station. She turned back around and was disgusted to see they were now in a rather heavy make out session, completely oblivious to the people pouring onto the platform.

Even then her hopes of getting them out of sight were crushed because the crowd swirled and parted, leaving a large open area around the couple, the only thing anywhere near them being a very agitated kitten. It probably seemed romantic to the discreet observers, thinking they had just been reunited, while Frick was completely nauseated by their inability to keep their hands to themselves.

She turned back to the writhing mass of human life and nearly got run over by a man with a cart of luggage. She turned to yell profanities at his retreating back and went back to her searching once the crowd swallowed him. Again she was almost bowled over, but this time she couldn't have been happier, "Racetrack!"

"Heya Frick," He grinned at her, "Didn't see ya dere. What're dey doin'?"

He pointed past her to the clearing in the middle of the confusion, "Well gosh, it sure looks like two people getting it on on a train platform. What does it look like to you?"

He rolled his eyes at her sarcasm, "Can't ya stop dem? It's disgustin'."

"I could shoot them if you think it will help."

Race smiled and Pips came up behind him, "Oh man, why are they doing that here?"

"They got hungry?" Frick got two really weird looks but she shrugged them off, "Let's stop them before they're arrested for indecent exposure."

"What're dey exposin'?"

Pips gave him a 'just shut up and forget about it' look as Frick stepped out of the rush and into the mid-platform oasis.

"Guys? We can go now, they're here. Spot? Marble?.... Do you two think they might have run out of air in there?"

Race shrugged and picked up Ashes, "Let's jist go, we's tired. Dey'll notice we's gone eventually."

The girls readily agreed, wanting to get out of the cold quickly, "We can only stop at the house for a little while because the guys are going to go to Medda's tonight and call it a welcome back party. It would look really bad if they started before you got there though so they graciously agreed to wait."

"Well at least nuthin's changed in da past five days." They made their way through the last trickle of passengers going into the station

The train slowly pulled out and within minutes everything was clear and silent again, except for the ticking of the station clock. Eventually the couple broke apart and smoothed out their clothing.

Marble straightened her hair and checked the clock, "What time were dey gittin' heah again?"

(Hica Lynn I think I can safely say they're done fighting)

* * *

"Ya know da only t'ing I miss 'bout da hospital is da nurses," Kid Blink, yet again, had a crowd of boys in the bunkroom listening to one of his stories and, yet again, they were eating it up.

"Dere was dis one, most beautiful goil in da woild. Her skin was da coloah of honey an' she had dese beautiful pouty lips, an' coives dat wouldn't quit. She was me own persoinal nurse, brought me food, took me walkin' in da halls," He smirked, "gave me sponge baths. Yup da only t'ing I miss 'bout da hospital is da nurses an' da sponge baths."

Blink basked in the laughter and eager questioning of his friends. He surveyed his crowd of loyal listeners and his eye happened to fall on the doorway just as someone walked through. His jaw slowly dropped and his eye grew wide, he couldn't do anything but stare.

Pips came into the room timidly, her eyes scanning across the gathered boys. Their eyes quickly found each other and their gazes locked. They watched each other, oblivious to the others, with their hearts pounding and breaths speeding up. Neither of them understood the mutual emotion between them.

Everyone else in the room noticed right away and understood perfectly. They watched the pair like hawks, waiting for any sign from either of them that the long running bet on them getting together would finally be resolved. The shared moment was shattered when Race came in behind Pips.

Blink broke the gaze and smiled at his friend while everyone glared at his bad timing, "Heya Race, I was beginnin' ta t'ink you'd forgotten 'bout me.'

"Well it's not like I didn't try or nuthin', you's kinda like an ex-goilfriend, no mattah how hard ya try ta avoid it, it keeps showin' up."

"I's glad ta see you too." The boys shared a brief 'manly' hug and Blink grinned, "Ya missed out buddy, if ya hadn't disappeared so quick ya woulda met me harem a nurses. Dey was da most beautiful goils, no, women, dat I's evah seen."

Race smiled half heartedly and tried to be enthusiastic, but something had gone wrong and he blamed himself for coming in at a bad time. Blink and Pips should be talking, they should be spouting off professions of undying love, they should be doing something. Instead Blink was prattling on about yet another girl and completely ignored the one everyone but himself knew he wanted. And she wasn't any better.

Pips seemed to be in a daze. Her eyes continually skimmed the room, like she didn't believe what she was seeing. She made her way slowly to her bunk then sat down and ran her hands over it, confirming that, yes in fact, it was there. She smiled slightly, she was home, home. The word kept repeating in her mind. She could hardly believe she was finally back in the one place she had ever considered home. A huge grin spread across her face, everything was going to be fine, well, almost.

She looked across the room at Kid. It seemed like nothing had changed for him. He was the same loud, obnoxious, overbearing prick she knew and hated, but she had seen a better side of him. He had risked his life for her and she wasn't going to let the person who did that sink back into the shell of selfish chauvinism with out saying anything.

Pips sighed and stood up. It was a lot harder than she thought it would be to cross the room and confront him. She almost stopped a few times, but she refused to let herself and she quickly found herself at his side.

"Blink?" He didn't even acknowledge her, "Kid, can I talk to you?"

He turned his head, looked down at her, then looked away and shrugged, "Go ahead, talk."

"Can we go somewhere else?"

"What's wrong wit heah?"

Pips clenched her jaw and decided not to argue with him, "I wanted to talk to you about, you know, last week."

"Yea? What happened last week?"

Her jaw dropped and she gave him an offended stare of shock, outrage, and utter distaste, "How the hell can you be such an asshole?"

"Why the hell shouldn't I be? Yea, so I saved ya life, risked mine ta save yours. I's shoa yous grateful an' all, an' ya damned well bettah be, but what did it git me, huh? A big ass bruise, bills ta last me da rest a me life, an' a week in da hospital wit not so much as a t'ank you, plus I gotta live wit knowin' dat it's me fault a man is dead an' a pain in da ass like you isn't. Of course I didn't expect any t'anks from someone like you, but I's curious, exactly how much didja go back ta collect? Hundreds? T'ousands? Stop me when I git close. An' I bet ya daddy alroidy has anuddah poor suckah picked out for ya ta leech offa. Ya know I usta t'ink you was a decent person, a bitch, but decent. Now I know bettah. Why'dja even bothah ta come back Pips?"

Her eyes were shining as she spoke and her voice trembled, "I don't know anymore." She burst into tears and ran out of the room.

There were a few moments of stunned silence then everyone turned away from the angry boy who still stared at the open door. He looked at Race but his friend shook his head and walked away.

Mush came up and put his hand on Blink's shoulder, "Ya wrong man."

"What?"

"Ya wrong 'bout 'er. She didn't go ta collect, she went back 'cause her father died an' she had ta settle t'ings. I hoid dat neider of dem left any money, just debts. She came back 'cause she ain't go nuthin' or nobody 'cept for da newsies."

A look of 'Oh my God, I'm such an asshole' came across his face, "Oh my God, I'm such an asshole. I hafta go aftah 'er an' apologize." He rushed out of the door, hoping to get a third and final chance at friendship.



(*sigh* Ok people since you haven't caught my very special detail about a rather significant character, I have a new offer for you. I will give the entire attractive, male cast of newsies to you butt naked, dripping with chocolate and honey, covered in whipped cream and driving limos full of cash if you can tell me what I named Pips' husband. As that sinks in I'm going to go get a snack because I just made myself very hungry.)