Disclaimer: Okay, we all know what I'm going to say. I own nothing, and I love you guys.

Chapter Twenty-One

The October sunlight filtered through the dingy windows of the Lodging House bunkroom. There were five loud knocks on the door- the new wake-up warning. The man who had was now in charge of the LH, an old friend of Klopp's had taken to waking them up in a most impersonal way. One by one, the groggy boys stumbled to their feet and into the bathroom, getting ready with their usual joking and fooling around.

Just as everyone was finishing up, there was another knock at the door. Wondering how little patience their new "chaperone" had, Pie Eater pulled open the door, only to feel his jaw drop at who was standing in front of him.

"Well hello, gentlemen. Did you miss me?" Moira asked, biting her lower lip. Within seconds, she was swarmed by all forty-seven newsies, laughing and talking excitedly.

"Whaddya doin' here, Moira?" Mush asked, once the excitement had calmed down. "Ya gettin' your old job back?" Moira smiled,

"No, actually. I'm going to be a teacher at Sutherton."

"Ain't dat all da way 'cross town?" Race wondered, scratching his head.

"Well, yes."

"Why ya gotta go all da way ova dere? Ya still gonna live 'cross da street?"

"No, I have to live at the school." Shoulders slumped. "Oh, for heaven's sake! Perk up a bit! I'm still going to see you! I'll just be living somewhere else now." Moira thought for a minute, trying to cheer them up. "Why don't I come for a visit one night a week."

"Three." Blink haggled. She laughed,

"Two."

"Deal." They shook hands, making everyone smile.

"So, you'se gonna be a teachah now, huh?" Race asked, after the newsies began making their way downstairs.

"Yes, I am."

"Didn't like Maine?"

"No, it wasn't what I had hoped for." Race was quiet for a few minutes, as they started downstairs as well.

"It's strange."

"What is?"

"Ev'yone's gettin' new jobs."

"What do you mean?" Moira asked, eyebrows furrowing,

"You'se gonna be a teachah, Jack's a reportah now…"

"What?"

"Ya mean ya didn't know Jack was back?" Racetrack asked, incredulously.

"No."

"He's been back for more den a month now. Ya really didn't know?"

"No, Race, I really didn't know."

"Gawd! Well, he came back from Santa Fe- bout a month ago- an' Denton gave 'im a job as a reportah for da Sun." Race smiled. "He's pretty good, too." The young Italian looked at the clock on the wall and swore. "I gots ta go! It was great seein' ya though!" He hugged her quickly and took off for the distribution office.

Moira, though mind racing with what he'd just told her, leaned against the wall and smiled. The man behind the desk looked at her quizzically,

"Those are my boys, sir." She told him, never feeling happier that she'd come home.

***

Hunched over about a thousand sheets of papers, Jack kept crossing things out and re-writing them, hoping he was spelling things correctly. Being a writer wasn't as hard as he thought it was going to be.

When he'd gotten back from Santa Fe, with his fortune of ten dollars in his pocket, Jack knew immediately that he couldn't continue to be a newsie- not when he was almost twenty years old. He didn't know who else to go to- so he had gone to see Denton, desperate for a job. Of course Brian gave him a job, he'd given him a story to work on that very day.

Jack had only done two stories, but the feeling of pride he got when he saw his name in byline was something he hadn't experienced when he'd only been selling newspapers.

His office was cold that morning. Well, if you wanted to call it an office- it was more of a closet with a desk and coat rack. Still, it was better than nothing.

"Dat doesn't sound right…" He took his pen and began crossing out sentences again. There was a knock at the door. Jack only glanced up enough to see a woman in a pink dress and a white sweater over her shoulders. He sighed; he didn't want to deal with women today. "If ya wanna place a personal add, ya gotta go and see Diana, she's down da hall to da right." He motioned with his hand, but didn't look up.

"Well, it's a personal matter…but I don't think it belongs in the newspaper." The woman came forward as Jack's head shot up at the sound of her voice.

"Moira?" He couldn't believe his eyes. But there she was, standing in front of his desk in a pink dress with a white sweater. She smiled,

"I heard you were a big newspaper man now, had to see for myself." Jack stood up, unable to say anything. He couldn't believe how much he'd missed her, and how much more beautiful she'd gotten since he'd seen her last.

"Believe it." He said, softly, holding his arms out to her. With tears in her eyes, Moira rushed into them, hugging him tightly.

"I missed you so much." She whispered, against his shoulder.

"Oh, me too, Moira-girl. Me too." He kissed the top of her head, then tilted her face up to his, kissed her cheeks, her nose, her eyes, and finally, her lips, pulling her closer to him. "I love you, Moira Bailey." Jack whispered, once they'd parted.

"I love you too." She smiled, tears running down her cheeks.

"Why ya cryin'?" He asked, completely confused. Moira laughed,

"I'm so happy." She exclaimed, kissing him again. Wrapping her arms tightly around his middle, Moira rested her head on his chest, breathing in his warm, soapy smell. "Could we just stay like this for the rest of our lives?" She asked, tears drying up.

Jack hugged her back and rested his chin on top of her head.

"That was the plan."

And that's exactly what they did…

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Okay- that's NOT ENTIRELY IT! Okay? But the next chapter is going to be my last. *SOBS* Thank you all, you've been wonderful. But right now, I have to go get a shower, and then I'm goin' to Kennywood! (amusement park) Much love!