Title: Fighting the Hardest Battle

Author: Daveydearest14

Disclaimer: I don't own the Newsies, I wish I did, they belong to Disney. I own Emma though. Amy has made it clear that I DO NOT own her and that she'll sue so I guess I don't own her either!! (hehe…jk!) And I own James and Caroline…they are my creations. The books and their titles belong to their respective authors, whom I think I've listed, Charlotte Bronte (Jane Eyre), William Morris (The Well at the World's End & The Roots of Mountains), Jane Austen (Pride and Prejudice) and Louisa May Alcott (Little Women).

A/N: Hello all! No school today à snow. So I decided to update a little sooner than originally planned…thank you to my readers & reviewers! This chapter has less Emma/David action, less David at least and more Amy/Jack. But next chapter will be more Emma/David. Please review if you can, I'd really appreciate it! Thanks for reading!

A small shout-out to the reviewers for chap. 2!

Madeleine451 à hey! Thanks for the review! I appreciate it! Yeah I figured you'd love the Jack/Amy action! Thanks for the praise, you flatter me so! PS: You might find this chapter…enjoyable…

Racesgurl52787 à Goodwells! Yup! It's quality FERTIZER! Hehe, yes, there might be some Race action soon…say with a certain goil…hmm…oh the possibilities!

KatFightOnSkis à Yup! Thank you so much! Loyal Reviewer! Yup...possibly more than friendship between David & Emma…*wink* Thanks for reading and reviewing!

Poodleluver17 à Hey!! Glad to see you've joined us over here at ff.net! I loved you story! More chapters! Thanks for the review!

~*~*~*~Chapter 3~*~*~*~

Emma smiled. She waved to David one last time and pushed open the small door. She stepped inside and locked the door back up. She carefully took off her red worn jacket and hung it up in the closet. She sighed, pulling her hair back and slipping off her shoes.

"James! Caroline! Anyone home? I'm back!" Emma called through the tiny apartment. She peeked into the kitchen and saw no one. A tiny shout rang through the air a moment later, coming from the bedroom.

Emma raced towards the small room in the back of the apartment and pushed open the door. Caroline was sitting on their flat bed, while James sat in a chair next to it. Their hands were intertwined, fingers laced. Caroline's long blonde hair was swept up and piled on the top of her head. Her slightly chunky build was covered with a blue dress, loosely hanging. Her blue eyes shone with tears. James's powerful gray eyes were moist as well, but no tears had fallen yet. His messy black hair was sticking up in all parts, and his chin and cheeks revealed a slight stubble, as if he hadn't shaved recently.

"Emma!" James shouted. He ran over to her and gave her an enormous hug, sweeping her off her feet, her toes skimming the floor lightly, "where have you been?" Emma sighed and with a wave of her hand, dismissed the story. She would tell him later, "I…went to a friend's house…how are things here? What's wrong?"

James and Caroline shared a private glance before turning towards Emma again. James backed up and slung a casual arm around Caroline's shoulders as she rose from the bed. James spoke first and Emma was surprised to hear a slight crack in his voice, "Um, Emma, I…we have something to tell you…"

****

Amy smiled as Jack introduced himself and the two shook hands. "Well, Jack Kelley, what kind of book would you like?"

Jack thought for a moment, "A good book, one that, ya know, ya read." Amy had to laugh at that. Jack smiled, "Hey! Don' laugh at me, I jus' don't have much limitations."

"I see," Amy replied. "Hmmm, you're a tough one, Mister Kelley. Is this book for you or for a gift?"

"For me, I'se the one who's readin' it." Amy laughed once more, "Well, I can recommend some books that I've read and enjoyed. I'm not too sure what your preference is, but I can try."

"That would be poifect." The two smiled at each other. Amy turned away, blushing, and busied herself among the shelves, "Well here's one that I loved." Amy picked up an old copy of Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte. Jack looked over it and almost immediately; Amy shoved another book into his hands. This time it was Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen.

Amy's eyes were beginning to light up, "That one has to be one of my favorites! Oh! Look at this one!" She handed him a copy of Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. She giggled softly, "I think I'm in love with Laurie." She blushed and Jack smiled faintly at her antics.

"Of course, if you don't like that general genre, you might not enjoy it. Do you prefer, say fantasy?" Amy moved to another section of the bookstore, "I love these old legends of mythical lands." She picked up a scroll, "Lands with odd creatures, there's these tales emerging with elves and others! I'd love, one day, to write a novel and create a whole new land! A whole new world…" Amy spoke excitedly and then abruptly broke off.

She quickly averted her eyes to the floor and blushed, "I'm sorry, I usually don't get so excited. I'm terribly sorry! What else were you looking for?" Jack laughed loudly. "I don' mind Amy…what's this?" He pointed to an old, battered copy of a book on the table. He picked it up and read the title, "Da Roots of Mountains, William Morris, what kind of book is dat?" Amy looked briefly at it before answering, "it's a fantasy book, kind of like the ones I was mentioning. I'm reading it now, but I loved Morris's other book, The Well at the World's End more. So far, that is."

Jack smiled. "Ok, well how's 'bout dis. Gimme Little Women, I wanna see who dis Laurie character is..." he gave a roguish wink, "and Da Well at Da World's End, if you likes it so much, it must be good." Amy smiled. She reached behind her and picked up Little Women and The Well at The World's End.

"How much do I owe ya for it?" Jack inquired, reaching into his pocket. Amy reached out stopped his movement, "It's free of charge, I just hope you like it." Jack smiled, "Well, that ain't too fair…you'se given me a present, why can't I do something' for you?" Amy blushed, "Don't worry about it, really."

Jack shook his head emphatically, "I won' heah it! C'mon, I wanna show you'se somethin', can you'se get off woik?" Amy nodded her head eagerly, "Sure…but where are we going?" Jack brought a finger to her lips, "Can't tell ya…c'mon!" Amy closed up the shop and turned off the lights. The two exited the tiny bookstore and ran, laughing, down the street.

****

Emma stared at James, worried, "What's wrong? Is everything okay? Are you two okay? Is it mom and dad? What about…" James cut Emma off with a single sentence, "We're having a baby…"

****

"Jack! Where are you going?" Amy called out, laughing. The two were running off down the street, Jack jumping every few feet and shouting. "C'mon Amy!" he shouted out. Finally she caught up with him, breathing hard. "Jack Kelley! I'm in a skirt! I cannot speed as fast as you!" she scolded in mock-anger.

Jack bowed deeply, "so sorry, m'lady!" He swept up and picked her up in his arms. "Jack Kelley! Put me down this instant!" Amy cried, clasping her arms around Jack's neck, looking down at the sidewalk frightfully. Jack laughed, "As you wish!" He spun her around fast, her brown hair whipping around in the air. She shouted out while Jack laughed, spinning still faster.

"Jack Kelley!" Jack stopped spinning, laughing madly. He let her down gently. Her face revealed a slight pink tinge in her cheeks and she had a look of utter fright. She tried to look mad when she looked at Jack, but her twinkling eyes gave her away.

She leaned onto a cobblestone building to steady herself. She closed her eyes, her mouth open slightly in a silent laugh. Jack smiled at this gesture. A mental picture of Sarah popped into his head and his smile faded quickly. Well I'se ain't doin' nothin' He thought, Jus' takin' here tah show her da roof. Besides, he thought bitterly, It's not like Sarah has much interest in me, lately, anyways. An' it's not like I do dis often.

Jack thought about this last remark. It's true, he was a gigantic flirt, but it wasn't like him to seek out a girl and actually take her someplace. Especially not when he was actually scared that she would reject him. Most girls fell at his feet. Amy was different, somehow. Jack looked over at her, puzzled. She had finally begun to breathe normally.

"So, mister Kelley, where is this mystery place you keep talking about?" Her green eyes were twinkling again, matching her deep green sweater perfectly. (A/N: sorry Amy, I just HAD to put that in there someplace!) Jack let go of his inhibitions, Forget about it! He scolded himself.

"Come heah!" He grabbed her hand and pulled her over to a metal ladder on the side of the building. She tried to climb onto the bottom rung, but found she to be too short to reach it properly. "Uh…Jack…?" Jack went behind her and placed his hands on the small of her back and lifted her up onto the rung. She looked over her shoulder and almost whispered, "Thanks." Jack smiled slightly and nodded. The two climbed up the ladder in silence, finally reaching the top.

"Where are we?" Amy inquired, looking around. "Sshh, come heah." He led her to a small part of the roof, opposite the ladder. "Look," Jack whispered. Amy gasped. "It's beautiful…" she trailed off, gaping at the scene before her. The lights of New York City were twinkling before her, as well as the faint sounds, like faded whispers, that came from the city.

Jack looked at Amy. She was staring at the city lights, the stars reflected in her eyes. He unconsciously moved a few inches toward her, and looked at her. She tore her eyes from the sight in front of her and looked to Amy. Amy blushed and looked away, trying to change the subject, "You know one time, my friend, Mary Sue, and me went up to the…" she trailed off, seeing the look on Jack's face.

 "Jack…I better get going," Amy backed up, quickly going towards the ladder. "Yeah, uh Amy, why don't you let me walk you home." Amy shook her head, "no thank you, I'll be ok, enjoy your books. Thank you so much for bringing me up here, it really is beautiful." And with that, her face disappeared from the top of the ladder.

Jack sighed, putting his hands in the pocket of his gray slacks. He looked out over the city, staring at the lights that the houses made. He wondered vaguely which light was Sarah's apartment. Then, within a second, he began to wonder which light was Amy's house. He sighed yet again and then backed up. He tripped slightly and fell softly to the ground. He looked at the ground to see what he had tripped over. It was…a book.

The Roots of Mountains by William Morris. Amy's book, the one she was reading. She must have dropped it when she was leaving. Jack quickly picked it up and rose, brushing the dirt off his shirt. He pocketed the book and began to walk off, towards the ladder. He began to whistle softly, singing, "for a dreamer, night's da only time of day…" He reached behind his head and felt his old cowboy hat. He pulled it on his head and descended down the ladder and out of sight.

****

James was Emma's older brother. He was 10 years her senior, making him 25 at present time. When her parents had left, she moved in with him and his wife, Caroline. They had married young, to the small disapproval of their parents. Caroline and Emma were on good terms, not necessarily close, not best friends, but they respected each other. He had gotten together with Caroline when Emma was nearly 9, and then Emma had been immensely jealous.

Caroline was an intruder, as far as Emma had been concerned. She had waltzed into her perfect life and torn everything up. Her parents had been anxious about James and Caroline, thinking they were too young to be so involved. Caroline herself, was a year younger than James, making her barely 18 when they begun to get serious. However, by the time they were married at age 23, her parents were more accepting, yet still a bit wary. Emma was almost 14, and had grown more accepting as well. And now, a little more than two years later, Emma and Caroline could almost be described as friends.

But a baby? An actual baby? Another little life? James was going to be a father? James was just her big brother, the one who used to put her on top of the cabinets when she was misbehaving. James looked at her curiously, "Emma? Emmes? What do you think?" Emma looked around at her big brother. James looked at her tensely, anxious for her response. After a moment of hesitation, Emma's mouth broke into a huge smile, "Congratulations James! Caroline!" She rushed over to her pregnant sister-in-law, "Caroline! How are you feeling? Can I do anything to help? I'm so…" Caroline cut her off with an enormous hug, "Oh Emma…" Emma looked up, startled.

"There's something else, isn't there?" Emma glanced between the two of them. Caroline and James shared another quick glance. "Nothing else, Emmes, nothing else." Emma frowned. She got the impression that they were keeping something from her, but now was not the time to investigate it further. She smiled again, "Well I'll leave you two future-parents alone. James? Tomorrow can I go out in the morning with some friends?"

"Sure Emmes, sure. Just let me know before you go." Emma nodded and skipped from the room. James looked at Caroline briefly, "She doesn't realize what this is going to mean." Caroline shook her head sadly, "No…I think she forget what we said." James pulled out a brochure from his back pocket, "we always said that when we had our first child, we would move out west…" James brought the brochure closer to his eyes so he could look at it more clearly, Santa Fe, it said, Where all your dreams come true…

****

Sunlight peeked through the window and gently warmed Emma's cheeks. She closed her eyes more tightly, Sleep! She thought, Want. More. Sleep! After about 5 more minutes of denial and yelling at the sun to set again, Emma groaned and pulled off her light purple comforter. She stepped on the floor, rubbing her eyes in the process. Yawning, she crossed her room to the mirror and peered inside. Yikes! She thought. She reached for her hair brush and ran it through her dark brown curly hair. After about five minutes of primping, she opened her closet and pulled out a long, red skirt and a white shirt. She pulled her hair back into a low ponytail and  slipped on a pair of shoes.

Striding quietly, as not to awake James and Caroline, she entered the small kitchen and reached for an apple. Biting it slowly, she walked through the kitchen, straightening things as she went.

Knock. Knock. Knock.

Emma jumped, startled, and her apple fell to the ground. Bending quickly to pick it up, she deposited it into the trashcan and then hurried to the door. She opened the door and there stood David, waiting on the other side. "Hi David!" she exclaimed excitedly. David grinned, "Hey Emma, ready to go?" Emma nodded, "Just a moment. Come on in." Emma shut the door and David cautiously stepped in. "Do you want anything to eat? Drink?" Emma inquired, gesturing towards the kitchen.

"No thanks, I'm fine." Emma nodded and indicated that she would be back in a moment. Emma went into the back of the apartment and peered into the bedroom, "James! I'm leaving, I'll be back later!" James grunted faintly to show his understanding and Emma smiled. He and Caroline were cuddled up together on their small bed. She exited quietly and shut the door.

Emma reached David again and smiled, "ready!" She opened the closet door and retrieved a small black coat. "Let's go!" David smiled at her enthusiasm. He remembered when he was like her, excited and ready to take on the streets with the rest of the newsies. They left the small apartment and Emma locked the door. The two set out down the path and onto the pavement.

"So David, where are we meeting the others?" David pointed down the street. "There's a distribution place down there, it's where us newsies get our papes every morning." Emma unconsciously sped up and David laughed softly. Emma looked back, "hey! Don't laugh at me!" David laughed even more loudly. "So Emma, you ready to sell papes?" Emma nodded eagerly, "Yes! Who else is coming?" David thought for a moment, "well, Mush'll be there, Skittery, Pie-Eater, Racetrack, Blink, Specs, oh…Jack, he's the leader of us Manhattan newsies. Oh! And you can meet my little brother Les! All the girls love him!" Emma laughed. "How old is this little ladies' man?"

"Almost eleven. He's Jack's main selling perk! Little, cute kid sells more papes!" Emma chuckled. They reached the Distribution house and David spotted his fellow Manhattan newsies. "Hey fellas! Emma's here!" The young men jumped up and greeted the two, a chorus of "hey guys!" ringing out. Weasel looked out from behind the counter, and spit bitterly onto the ground, Oh how he hated those newsies…

"Well, fellahs! How's da headline today?" The Newsies turned, almost as a single entity, and searched for the source of the voice.

"Hey Cowboy!" a chorus of boys rang out. The infamous, popular Manhattan leader was striding towards the distribution center. Jack greeted most of the newsies and made his way towards David. "Hey David, who's dis?" "Emma, we met her yesterday at Tibby's."

Jack smirked, "Pleased tah meet yah, Miss." Emma smiled at him, "Ditto." Jack turned to face the rest of the newsies, "Ya fellahs…'scuse me, fellahs and goils, ya ready ta sell them papes?" The group of young men…and Emma, raced towards the gates. A line quickly formed and each newsie purchased their papes. It was a rather mundane process, but Emma lapped it up, gazing, open-mouthed at the papes.

"Thanks WEASEL!" Jack shouted as they left. They slammed the gate just as they heard him protesting. Emma looked around at the rag-tag group and faintly wondered what came next. She was startled to hear shouts ring through the air, "Conspiracy among train woikers!" "Alien Abduction!" She had to laugh, amused to hear such a diverse blend of voices ringing through.

Emma helped to sell the papes with the newsies 'till about midday. She laughed along with the boys, blushed at every compliment and poked fun at the dirty scabbers. "Well, hello Miss Emma!" The trio turned and faced Mush. "Mush!" Emma exclaimed, "How are you?" Mush grinned, "jus' fine, and you m'lady?" "Just great!"

Emma and Mush continued to talk, and Jack leaned over to talk to David, "Did ya eva find that goil that helped Les?" David's eyes widened, he had nearly forgotten about that. "No, not as of yet, but I will." Jack nodded, "I'se been talkin' tah Spot, he mentioned 'bout some goil in the Refuge. Chances are, they'se the same goil, right?" David nodded, "Yeah, probably. Thanks a lot." Jack smirked a bit, "So who's dis goil heah?" David shook his head briefly, with a warning in his eyes. He nodded toward Emma, who was walking toward the two boys again.

"So what now?" she inquired, her eyes shining. She waved good-bye to Mush who was walking back down the street. David spoke first, "Well I was thinking…" He, however, was cut off by a shout, "Davey!" Jack, David and Emma turned to face the shouter.

Les was running toward the three, "Davey! I sold three papes! And I didn't even have to cough or nothin'!" David laughed and jokingly messed up his little brothers' hair. Jack just beamed with proud, "that's my boy! I've trained  ya well!" Les grinned revealing several missing teeth. David pulled Les toward him and turned to Emma, "Emms, this is my little brother, Les. Les this is a friend of mine, Emma Lahren."

But Emma was looking at Les strangely. Les, however, was smiling brightly, "It's you!" Emma's eyes widened, "I…I should go…thank you so much for today, I had a great time." And with that, she was walking swiftly off. David, far too used to this behavior, called out, "Emma! Emms! What's going on?" He took off after her. Jack looked to Les, "What's goin' on?" a puzzled expression playing on his face. Les looked after the girl briefly before answering, "That's the girl who saved me a coupla nights before!"

****

"Emma! Where are you going?" Emma didn't even look back. But David was too fast for her. He caught up with her quickly and grabbed her arm. "What is going on?" he asked, somewhat impatiently, "Why do you keep running from me?" Emma turned to him slowly, "that's your brother?" David nodded, completely bewildered, "what's that got to do with anything? Why do you keep running? Tell me!" Emma sighed and looked down again.

David's tone softened, "Emma, you can tell me." Emma looked up slightly, "He's okay?" David nodded, "Yeah…he's fine…Emma?" Emma looked up, "I didn't know he was…yours" David's eyebrows knitted, "wha..at?" Suddenly it dawned on him, "you…"

It all made sense now. It was her. She was the girl who had fought the Delancey brothers and had saved Les. It all fit. She was running down the streets right across from the Refuge. Her temple was bleeding, her cheek bruised. She was scared, helpless, and weak. The girl Les described had long brown hair. It all fit, David peered at her. They both stood there, for a moment, speechless.

Suddenly, two shouts came from behind them:

"Davey! Wait a minute!"


"DAVE! C'mere!"

They turned around to see Les and Jack fighting their way toward them. Les was huffing, his hand clutching a stitch in his side, "It's her…she…her." Jack was a little bit more comprehensible, "Dave, she…she fought them, saved Les." David nodded, facing a cowering Emma, "I know, Jack. I know."

*****************

A/N: Thanks for reading! Please review! I'd really appreciate it! Next chapter will be BIG stuff…will be longer. Please, please, please leave feedback! Thank you so much for reading!

-daveydearest