A/N: Okay.. so its way AFTER West TX. * cowers in shame * Please don't hurt me! I had to pack!! And write my Torah speech. And now the homework comes. Bah.

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Mush reached his hand up to Shannyn's face and dried the tears off her face with the sleeve of his shirt. "Can you go in?" he asked her, pausing just off the Brooklyn lodging house steps.

"I don't really have a choice, do I?" she asked. Mush was about to speak again when she cut in, "Don't bother, Chris. I'll go. I need to do this."

A slight smile crossed his face. "If ya don' mind, I don' really like da name Chris," he said loftily before sliding his arm protectively over her shoulder and steering her through the open door.

"Mush! Shannyn! Ya made it!" Shannyn heard Spot shout from his perch on the stairs. He stood up, swaggering slightly.

"Is he drunk?" Shannyn asked, slightly surprised as it was only seven o'clock.

Spot stumbled to her. "Of coise I'se not drunk!" he slurred before sliding into a chair.

A girl walked into the room from the other doorway and walked over to Spot. "Is dis hooligan heah botherin' ya?" she said to Shannyn, her tone jesting.

"Not really, no," she answered truthfully, looking at the intoxicated boy and trying to hold back laughter. "He yours or something?" she asked of the girl she'd not seen before.

A large smile appeared across the girls face. "Dis bum? Oh, no, he ain' me boy. At least, not romantically." She broke out into loud chuckles. "Dat's me bruddah, Spot Conlon. Da name's Sweets," the girl said, spitting in her hand and sticking it out for a shake.

Shannyn, figuring this was the socially acceptable way to operate did the same, but after she brought her hand back she wiped it on her skirt. This antic brought a small smile to Mush's face as he could remember nearly every other girl feeling the same way when she first met the gang.

"I'se Sweets' boy," Blink said, walking over to her and sliding his hand into hers.

"Hiya Blinky-boy," Sweets said flirtatiously before turning her attention back to Shannyn. "If ya wanna meet me bruddah's goil ya gonna have ta go up dere." She turned to Mush. "Ya might as well show 'er up ta Slider. I'se gotta take care of me drunken bruddah heah."

"Slider?" Shannyn asked. She still wasn't quite used to the odd nicknames that the newsies gave themselves.

Spot brought his head up from its resting place on the table and looked towards Shannyn. "Slidah's me goil," he said before landing his head back in its position with a loud clunk.

Just then a girl with light brown hair slid (a/n: pun intended) into the room and sat down beside Sweets. "Hey, whore. You let 'im pass out again? I leave 'im wit' ya for two minutes an' he's out like a light. You'se was busy wit' Blink, woin't ya?" After she finished 'greeting' Sweets, she noticed the new girl. "Dis da new goil Spot was tellin' me 'bout?" she asked Mush.

"Yeah, that's me," Shannyn answered. She hated when people talked about her like she wasn't in the room. "Name's Shannyn. And you're Slider, right?"

"So you've hoid of me, eh?" she said, grinning. She twisted around in her chair to face Mush. "Da goil got a name yet?"

Confused, Shannyn asked, "Shannyn isn't a good enough name for you?"

"No, no, dat's not what she's sayin'," another girl interrupted. "We'se all got nicknames an' Sli was wonderin' if Mush had given ya one yet."

"She doesn't have one, Spark," Mush told the girl who had approached.

Shannyn looked at the newcomer, slightly startled. She had short brown hair that looked somewhat boyish, but had a feminine quality to it. Her dark brown eyes looked as if they could penetrate a wall with her stare. The girl didn't look to be over eighteen and yet on either hip hung a child: a dark, curly haired boy who looked suspiciously familiar and a girl who had may qualities of her mother.

Her thoughts were broken when Racetrack rushed up to the girl. "Spark!" he exclaimed happily.

"Hey honey," she said as he pulled her into his arms. "One second, lemme set Ari and Shai down," she told him before detaching the children from her waist and sitting them down on the ground near Spot who watched them protectively. "That's better," she said.

"Good," was all Racetrack said before sweeping her into a deep romantic kiss.

Shannyn felt tears filling her eyes as she watched the happy couple. They were so full of the love that only fiancées and newlyweds could feel. At one point, she couldn't help but think, she had all that.

In her ear she heard Mush whispering. "Dat's Race's goil, Spark, obviously. Dey ain't seen each othah in a few days 'cause Race has been out lookin' for a place for dem ta live wit' da babies aftah deir stint as newsies is ovah. Da kids are dere's too, Shai Dominicio an' Arianna Chaya."

"Are they married?" Shannyn questioned.

Mush shook his head. "Give 'em two months, dat's when dey's plannin' on it. But ya, look at 'er fingah."

On Spark's left ring finger sat a gorgeous, small crystal set in a silver band. It wasn't the most extravagant ring, but it was obviously more than a boy on a newsies salary could afford. "How'd he get it?"

"Grandma," came the answer. Shannyn turned to see the tall cocky boy she'd met her first night working. "His family used ta be one of da wealthiest in da all of New Yawk. Den 'is drunken faddah went an' blew it all, embarrassed da family an' got 'em run outta town. Dat's why Race don' like da hoity-toity gents at all, he won' even tolerate 'em 'cause 'e's supposed ta be one," Jack explained.

She nodded, understanding perfectly how he felt. You read about that often in the papers, men with gambling debts ruining their family's lives.

"Can I get ya a drink?" Mush offered, noticing the awkward lull in the conversation.

She nodded. "I'll come with you."

This is what Mush had been hoping would happen. Amidst the boys winking and flashing good luck signs to Mush thinking he was about to score, the two made their way to the table where an assortment of drinks lay scattered about. It looked to be whatever the boys (and girls) had gotten there hands on recently. "Wine?" Mush questioned before pouring two glasses of the burgundy liquid from the dusty green bottle. "Cheers!" he said jovially and clinked his glass with Shannyn's.

"Cheers," she answered before downing the glass in an impressive amount of time.

Mush looked on in disbelief. "How'd ya get it down dat fast?" he said, mesmerized.

Shannyn smirked. "I could tell you, but then I'd have to kill you," she teased.

"Oh, no you don't!" Mush shouted with more than a hint of amusement in his voice. With the happiness and energy of a young boy he grabbed at Shannyn's waist and tickled her ribs mercilessly until the two fell back onto the couch. Shannyn was pinned underneath Mush on the dilapidated old sofa in the lodging house, her wine laying forgotten on the table she'd set it down on the moment before impact. Giggling, she squirmed to free herself from his grasp as the rest of the crowd looked on, laughing like crazy. "Say uncle!" Mush demanded playfully.

"Ne.. v.. er!" she managed to belt out between chuckles.

The steady stream of laughs followed for nearly five minutes after while Shannyn gasped for her breath. When the observers finally went back to whatever they had been doing before, Mush still wouldn't move from his post on top of her. "You ever gonna get off?" she asked him when her giggles ceased.

"I don't know, I really like this position," he said, glancing down at his hands, which caressed her hips. He licked his lips in a lustful manner, mainly teasing, but not completely.

Shannyn looked up at him with feigned puppy dog eyes. "What do I have to do to get you to get off me?" she begged. "Oh Almighty Mush," she added for good measure.

"Well.." he said suggestively, looking her up and down and rotating his hands off her sides and towards her back.

"Oh, no you don't!" she squealed, though she wasn't truly sure whether she was serious or just playing her role.

Without another word Mush pressed his lips against hers. The two kissed long and hard as they lay there. Passionately the couple kept at it for quite a while before they awoke from their dream world and noticed the applause coming from the real world.

"So I see Mushy's found some love," Spark teased, once again holding the little girl while Racetrack held the boy that so closely resembled him.

Mush removed his hand and turned it towards Spark before lifting a very significant finger. After merely a few seconds he turned back to Shannyn and began to kiss her once more.

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A/N: She got to make out with Mush. Lucky little bitch! I so wasn't planning on putting that in there! I hate her.

SOs:

Fire- I didn't want to make the same mistake as my first fic and add everyone to the story in one scene, but expect yourself to come in later. I know what you look like (since I see you every day!), but you want Pie, right? Was that who you got? Can't remember. Lemme know. BTW: Our science group is so much smarter than theres! :-P

Kellyanne: Yay! I'm specialful. Yes, it is sad, isn't it? I don't know why I love torturing my characters so, but yeah, Mush would make a good pillow, wouldn't he. I knew a guy like that once, his name was Brandon. I loved him. Well, I still love him. I know you so don't care about him though. So anyway, glad you like my story. Keep reading, and reviewing!