Hey-lo all!
Sorry it has taken me so long to get this chapter to you, but I
have had a REALLY busy few days. Prom and whatnot is a pain in the
ass to get ready for! Well, Im back and here is the 20th chapter.
Thats right, after this one there will only be 2 more to go!!!

Gretch: THANKS FOR ALL THE REVIEWS!! HERE IS THE CHAPTER YOU HAVE BEEN WAITING FOREVER FOR!

Southern Spell: Aww, NEVER STOP SINGING. YOU MUST FOLLOW YOUR DREEEEAAAAM!!!

Celtic Lass: Tumbler is the little kid who skids across the floor when everyone is leaving the lodging house in CTB.

Jo: I never know quite what to say about your reviews, and that is a good thing. Its things like this that allow me to keep writing. I hope this chapter doesn't disappoint! Thanks again, I truly appreciate it!

Sqky0o7: Aww, you missed chapter 18. That's alright. Tumbler is the little kid that pulls up his suspenders in CTB, the one that slides across the floor. Not many people remember who he is. He still deserves love, though.

Spatz: Yeah, poor Tumbler…he needs a hug.

Klover: :::hangs head in shame::: I guess I don't know my own strength. Your muse needs to stay awake…the lazy git! What are you going to do in math class now? You can read my new X2 fic!…If you want.

Pyromaniacal Llama: WOO HOO FOR THE NEW NAME!!! I LOVE IT!! Pyro does rock hard core, but I think I am an official Nightcrawler girl. So, you don't know who Tumbler is, huh? Think little kid who slides across the lodging house floor in CTB. There, have it now? Good. X2 FREAK? ME??? OF COURSE!!!!!!! :::tackles Nightcrawler…and Alan Cumming while I am at it:::

Sureshot Higgins: I wish I could have made you happy by updating faster but I was SOOOO busy! I didn't know I had a life until it slapped me in the face! Oh well. Two more chapters left…it's going to be rather different not writing this anymore. It will be my first finished fan fic. How odd…

Tree: X2 IS WONDERFUL!!! I ADORE NIGHTCRAWLER!!!!

And to everyone else who read it, THANKS!!! I really appreciate your reading my silly fic!!! Here is the next chapter that is LONG overdue!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
David always had something to say. Whether it was something of
importance or not, he had a point to get across. This was quite a
change, considering the only point any of the other boys would try
to get across would be how many punches they could land without
getting hit themselves. David was the mouth of the group, though
sometimes too shy to pass the words on himself. He grew out of it
however, and was soon able to say whatever he wanted to whomever he
wanted whenever he wanted. His opinions occasionally got him into
trouble, and he would sometimes end up with a black eye. He learned
to deal, however. His heart soon hardened slightly and he began to
adapt to the harsh life on the streets. That's what being a newsie
does to you.

His life began uneventful enough. Typical parents with a typical
working class childhood. He would go to school when he could and
stayed home when needed. Like the other children in the same social
position as him, he would play in the streets in the afternoons and
on the weekends, and study in the evenings before another day of
school. His father worked, his mother took care of the house, and he
had an older sister to help watch over him and a younger brother to
teach and look after. For a child of blue collar Manhattan, that was
the perfect life.

Perfection often proves to have flaws eventually, blotches on the
silver lining, and his wonderful life came to a haul as true reality
took shape. His father was injured on the job, a metal beam falling
on his arm, crushing the bone severely. Thus, David was forced to
assume the roll of the working man of the house and joined the ranks
of the newsboys.

He stayed at the lodging house occasionally, mostly just for company
instead of necessity. I got to know him quite a bit through the
years, and he proved himself as intelligent as well as open-minded.
The streets of New York were in desperate need of his personality as
well as his words of wisdom. He knew far more than anyone else his
age I had ever encountered, and he inspired the newsboys, as well as
many others, to rise above their social ranking and take a stand.

It seemed only fitting for him to go on to better things. He had
risen above the big shots who owned New York, and now he was one of
them. Standing in front of his high vaulted window, he watched the
newsboys working feverishly selling the papers he had worked so hard
to create. Life was now easier, his employees could do all the work
for him as he stood back and watched with sheer satisfaction. David
still liked to associate with those socially "below" him,
understanding what they were going through and never refusing them a
bonus or two throughout the year. His most loyal employee could
vouch for that, a young man I am also acquainted with by the name of
Daniel, or Snitch. He still has his ideas, at least this time he can
pass them on to the world, provided you pay a penny a pape for them.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

There you go! Only 2 more chapters left and then it is all
finished! ::goes back to where you already know where she is going
with the two people you know she is going to be in there with:::

Stretch