Disclaimer: Whoo! Chapter seventeen! MREH! How glorious. Okay, we all know I own nothing, so why bother with the disclaimers? I don't know…there it was….

Chapter Seventeen

May 16, 1900

Dear Diary,

Kissing! Kissing! There was kissing between Jack and I. Jack! Kissing! If anyone has an answer about that, I'd be more than happy to hear about it. Unfortunately, I actually enjoyed it. I'd never been kissed like that before. Of course, I don't have a very prestigious kissing career. Lord, if Mother knew about this- she would have my head on a platter for dinner. My apologies, that was rather vulgar.

David doesn't know about this. No one does. That is, of course, unless Jack opened his overly large mouth and told everyone in the LH. That would not surprise me. What surprises me is that I'm actually worried about whether David knows about it or not. I see no logical reason why I should care. We're not involved romantically in anyway. Of course, there was that comment Les made-about David liking me. I'm not certain how to feel about that. Gracious! I'm not certain how I feel about anything! Things were so much simpler when Sarah was here!

-Moira

Delaney glanced up from the diary at her computer screen, where an 'urgent' e-mail from Jeff was open, telling her about the orange chicken with lo mein they had at a Chinese restaurant down the street. Chinese food was one of Delaney's more powerful weaknesses. She rolled her eyes and turned them back to the diary. It was one of those instances where Moira's life took priority over hers. Chicken could wait. But Moira had kissed Jack! How exciting!

However, this whole thing was turning into a sorted love-triangle. Well, kind of. David liked her, but she was starting to like Jack. The only way this would be a little bit more interesting would be if Jack started to like David. Delaney quickly shook the thought from her brain.

Sarah's departure had rather shocked her, but she'd gotten over it after realizing that a) there was no point in worrying about someone who was more than likely dead, and b) Sarah had to leave in order for Jack to fall in love with Moira, free of guilt.

"Are you reading that again?" Jeff's voice asked, dripping with disdain, from behind her. Del spun in her chair and eyed him.

"You're obviously not working either. I have the proof, right here." She pointed to the screen. He did an eye squinchy,

"I was simply letting you know a good place to go if you want some really tasty food. You are eating, still, aren't you?"

"Funny. You sound like Keaton."

"How so?" Jeff grabbed a chair from a nearby cubicle and wheeled himself into Delaney's cube.

"Oh, you know him."

"Over-protective?"

"Impossibly so. He keeps saying that I'm obsessing over this whole Moira diary thing. It's just…preposterous."

"Preposterous?" Jeff raised an eyebrow, "A week ago you would have said 'crazy.' You're starting to talk like her."

"Whom?"

"Moira."

"Don't be stupid. It's just intriguing."

"Well, I know how much you love a good intrigue."

"At least you understand me." They smiled at one another, best friends since high school.

"So, what have I missed?" He asked, jumping right back into Moira's life.

"Sarah's gone." He gasped, Delaney continued. "She went to be a nanny for a widower in Illinois."

"But what about Jack?"

"He didn't go with her. Anyway, that's not even the most exciting part. Jack kissed Moira!" She exclaimed as Jeff's eyebrows furrowed.

"Intriguing."

"I know! Isn't it?"

"But wait- what about David?"

"I'm not really sure. She said they don't see one another as much. One of those schedule things, I guess." She shrugged. "Here, read what you've missed. Don't go past May sixteenth." Jeff took the little black diary, thanked Delaney, and wheeled out on the office chair, back to his own cube.

As soon as the diary was gone, Delaney missed it. She had grown rather attached to Moira and Jack, Racetrack, David and Les. It was fun to flip back through the entries she'd already read, seeing how everyone had grown and changed. Feeling stupid for missing a book, Delaney turned back to her computer and started working again.

***

"Heavens to Betsy! It's hot in here!" Moira exclaimed, fanning herself with a piece of paper. She went around the bottom floor, pulling open all the windows. As she got around to the office windows, she realized that the only place it would be the least bit cool would be outside. A week after the 'incident' (as she was now calling her kiss with Jack) New York had been hit with a minor heat wave. Not nearly as bad as the one that had the city sweltering when she'd moved there, but enough to make things uncomfortable when one was stuck inside all day. She pinned her hair to the top of her head and rolled up the sleeves of her white shirt- the jacket had been discarded around ten that morning.

It looked lovely outside, though. The sun was shining; children were playing and laughing in the streets, birds chirping after returning from their yearly flight south. The few flowers that she could see from the LH were in full bloom, tilting their petals to soak up the sun. Moira, more than anything, wanted to out there, like the flowers, feeling the sun on her face, breathing in the scent of spring. Even in New York, you could still smell springtime, and feel that wonderful feeling of how marvelous it is to be alive.

Of course, when one was stuck inside a place like the dingy-walled, dirty windowed lodging house, it was rather hard to feel that way. Moira took her seat behind the desk again, and grabbed Shakespeare, deciding to read As You Like It for the hundredth time. Opening up to Act One, she was interrupted by the sound of the bell above the door jingling and someone stepping into the foyer.

"Hey there." A friendly, familiar voice greeted. Moira smiled and looked up,

"Hello David. How are you today?"

"Better than you, I have a feeling. It must be hard, being inside on a day like today." He sympathized, while Moira marveled at his ability to read her mind.

"It's dreadful!" She sighed, dramatically.

"Are you hungry?"

"Quite. I forgot to eat breakfast this morning."

"Perfect." David told her, as she raised a puzzled eyebrow. "I have just the thing for you." He placed a basket on the counter. She smiled,

"What is this?"

"Lunch. C'mon, it's not healthy to be cooped up inside on a day like this. We're going to the park."

"Don't you have to work, though?" Moira asked, in spite of herself. David rolled his eyes.

"Do you want to go on this picnic, or would you rather stay here while I work?"

"No, I want to go."

"Then let's go." He offered her his arm, and off they went, to enjoy their afternoon in the park.

"But really," Moira began, after they sat down under a shady oak tree in Central Park, "don't you have to work?"

"Not as much, since Sarah has been sending home some of her pay check every month, we've getting by without Les and I working so hard." He handed her a sandwich, which she gratefully took a bite of.

"Do you miss her?" She asked, once she'd swallowed.

"Of course, she's my sister. But she says the man she's working for is very nice. And she likes the kids, so I'm not very worried." Moira smiled lazily and leaned back against the tree,

"This is very nice. Thank you for doing this."

"You looked like you needed a break."

"I did." She inhaled deeply, breathing in the scent of flowers and sweet smelling grass, the food in front of her, and-if she concentrated hard enough- she was almost certain she could smell the sunshine.

After a very enjoyable afternoon, the two packed up their picnic and began the trek back to the LH. On the way out of the park, Moira stopped for a second and plucked a daisy from the ground. She smiled, the flower seemed so happy; she almost wanted to talk to it.

"Don't you love daisies?" She asked, pushing her hair out of her eyes. David only smiled again, took the flower from her hands and tucked it behind her right ear.

"Perfect." They laughed, shared the weight of the basket between them, and continued on home.

From where he stood, Jack could see David take Moira's flower and put it in her hair. He watched, chewing on his tongue, as she laughed at something he said and then ruffled his curls with her hand. More laughter. As he watched them turn a corner and meander on their way, Jack felt an unpleasant feeling in the pit of his stomach. He felt angry, but he wasn't really sure why. In any case, he didn't like it. He didn't like it almost as much as he hadn't liked stumbling upon such a touching moment between David and Moira.

***

Later that evening, after dinner, when Kathryn headed out to see Theresa Beckman, Moira took a stroll across the street. Inside the lodging house, the boys were scattered all over the place, talking and laughing, drinking, smoking, playing cards. As if she would know them any other way.

"Moira!" Race exclaimed, looking up from his cards. "Want me ta deal ya in?" He asked, pointing to the game. She smiled and shook her head.

"I'm not playing with you until I have something to bet with."

"Suit yaself." He shrugged good-naturedly.

"Actually, I'm looking for Jack. Have you seen him?"

"Cowboy? Yeah, he's up on da roof. But I wouldn't go up dere if I was yous." Racetrack warned, shaking his head. "He's in a lousy mood. Wouldn't even talk ta nobody since he gots in. He just takes his cigs and up he goes, to da roof." Moira's eyebrows furrowed.

"Hmm. Well, I'm just going to say hello. I haven't seen him all day."

"Yeah, maybe you can cheer him up. It's woith a try, at least." She nodded, took off with a wave and bounded up the steps to the roof.

She had expected to see Jack sitting on the edge, where he usually was. But he wasn't, he was pacing in circles. He looked rather strange, because he'd stop for a second, and go to sit, but then get up and pace again. As she opened the door, it squeaked, and he stopped and looked up.

"Oh." His face revealed no expression.

"Hello Jack." She greeted, uncertainly. Silence. "How was your day?"

"Great." The statement was dripping with sarcasm.

"Is something wrong?" She ventured, very confused.

"What's going on with you and David?" He asked, suddenly.

"I don't know why you would care."

"You two seemed pretty cozy at da park taday."

"Jack, this isn't any of your business. If I want to talk to you about it, that's my choice, not yours." She told him, firmly, though very confused as to why he was acting this way.

"Are you seein' him now?"

"What on Earth are you talking about? I see him all the time. Everyday. I see you too, and Race, and Mush…Jack, what is the point?!" Moira exclaimed, exasperated.

"I just wanna know where I stands wid you."

"Where you stand? What in the world! I don't understand what you mean by any of this standing and seeing nonsense, but I think you're over-reacting over nothing."

"Is dat whad you t'ink?"

"Yes, that's what I think."

"Well fine, den."

"FINE!" She shouted, standing on her tiptoes.

"FINE!" He yelled back.

"Fine!" Moira shook her head and started toward the door.

"Fine!"

"Fine!" She shouted one more time before slamming the door and bolting downstairs and shaking the house as she slammed the front door as well. All noise in the house ceased.

"I guess dat didn't go all dat well. Huh?" Racetrack wondered aloud. Several nearby newsies nodded in agreement.

______________________________________________________________________________________

Eeep, things are getting a little tense around the LH. What's that about? Jack's jealous, David's oblivious, and Racetrack just keeps playing poker. I like that about Race. Mountains may crumble, clouds fall out of the sky, but Race will always be ready to play poker. Something you can count on. Anyway, review your hearts out while I figure out how to word Chapter 18. (Oh, and by the way, thanks again to my best buddy Jeffy, for his permission to have another cameo appearance.)