Hugs and kisses from your favorite newsies for those of you who gave me FB!! I love you all!!
Moon Star ~ Chocolate covered newsies are good….. :-)
Blinks Tiger ~ Of course you can have some cake *Blink comes out with a big cake just for Tiger*
Drama Queen ~ Thanks hun!
Irish Fury ~ He should march over to the train station shouldn't he? I kept on asking Jesse why he wouldn't go to the train station but he wouldn't tell me….
Queen ~ You're right, they are 15 and 18. Thanks for the review!
Serina ~ Sorry bout the cliffhanger….but everyone always does it to me and I wanted to try it on other people ;-) I know that was mean of me……but here's more!
Stress ~ Thank you for the plug! And I tried to hurry! Keep that evil whip hidden! Now everyone should go read Stress' story Cowboys and Kisses (actually you should go read ALL of her stories)
Aki ~ Jesse sends the message that his bum is sore from your butt kicking. But I'm thinking that maybe it knocked some sense into him……
Bottle Cap ~ Thanks for the reviews and for bugging me to get this out!! Once again, this is dedicated to you :-)
Morning Dew ~ See, I tried to convince Jesse to go to the station earlier, but he said it wasn't time yet. *shakes her head*
Sparks ~ And you shall know! Thanks for the review! And thanks again to Queen for recommending it to you.
Amber ~ Thank you muchly!
Sparx ~ Here's the next chapter!
Moneybags ~ Yup it IS better with the newsies. And Jesse……I swear he has a mind of his own!!
Raider ~ Thank you!! Here's more!!
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Author's note: I was half way into this scene when I had to post it due to a promise to someone, so….the scene's not over, just so that you know. WAIT!! I would like to say a major thank you to STRESS and BLAZE for telling me how to get italics and bold to work for me cause I didn't know how :-) So thank you very, very much girls!
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Jenny's eyes flicked over to Jack Kelly who was walking towards her. He had recently asked her to be his girl. Again.
She looked at him, his brown hair greased back and a light smile playing across his lips. He was the leader of the Manhattan newsies and quite handsome as well. Jenny knew that he would give her all that he could and treat her with great respect. She was beginning to think that she should say yes to Jack's repeated question.
Closing her eyes, Jack's features slowly started to change. Long black hair replaced Jack's, and his light brown eyes suddenly became dark and mysterious. His smile disappeared and his face was nearly expressionless.
Jesse's face took over her daydream as it usually did. All thoughts were directed on him and she wondered why she had been thinking of Jack in the first place. Lost in a daydream, Jenny envisioned what it would be like if, or rather WHEN Jesse came back to her. She could see the joy on her face and she could see his face, his emotions hidden, though she knew he was happy to see her again too.
"Station?"
Jenny opened her eyes and saw Jack staring down at her. A broad smile came across her face when she saw the odd look he was giving her. "Yeah Jack?"
"Are ya awlright?" He asked. He had been trying to talk to her for the past minute with no response at all.
"I'se fine. Just thinkin 's all."
"Well, were ya thinkin' bout my question?" He asked, trying to sound like he wasn't eager, or too curious.
Nodding she took both of his hands in hers and looked down at the ground. She didn't know what to say, but she didn't want to hurt him. He was a good friend and she wanted him to stay that way.
"Jack! Jack! Jack!" The shouts echoed through the empty train station.
Jenny looked up and saw a girl running towards them, her long auburn hair flying wildly behind her. "What's wrong Bottle Cap?" Jenny asked, dropping Jack's hands and stood up from the bench she had been sitting on all evening.
"Spot……problems……Stress said……" Bottle Cap stumbled, a bit out of breath. She was tired from her long run from the lodging house.
"Whoa. Slow down." Race said joining them with Moneybags at his side. Moneybags was looking worriedly from Bottle Cap to Jack and then back again.
Bottle Cap took a deep breath and started to talk quickly. "Spot came stormin' into da lodgin' house saying dat Brooklyn had been hit by dis gang. You know, dat one dat's been causin' problems for everyone."
"Da Shadow Stalkers." Moneybags said. Everyone had heard of them. They caused problems for everyone, whether they were rich or poor. It still amazed people that no one had caught them.
"Yeah dem. Anyways, 'e wants you an' some a da guys ta help 'im catch dis gang." Bottle Cap continued.
"Now?" Jack asked his voice rising with the question.
"Dat's what Holiday was thinkin'. 'It's Christmas Eve Spot, an' tomorrow's Christmas. Do ya have ta go now?' she said. Spot glared at her an' Bumlets had ta grab 'er to keep 'er from doin' somethin' stupid."
"Holiday's gotta woik on dat weird tempah a hers." Moneybags said with a smirk.
Jenny let out a short laugh. Holiday got mad at the oddest things sometimes.
"Why does he need Manhattan?" Jack asked.
"How should I know? 'e said ta come get you an' I'm heah."
"So then it has to be now?"
Bottle Cap nodded. "Somethin' bout da tracks bein' fresh."
"Wait, you said somethin' about Stress, what did she say?" Moneybags asked.
"She's gonna go wit' Spot ta get da gang."
"What?! No she ain't!" Jack stated vehemently. Stress was Jack's best friend, making Jack a bit overprotective when it came to her. He was the same when it came to Jenny.
"Don't tell me." Bottle Cap said.
"But Stress doesn't like Spot." Jenny said softly, not really wanting to get into the conversation.
"She doesn't like dat gang even moah." Bottle Cap said. "Come on we gotta go. Race, I think 'e wanted you'se to go too."
"Yeah, okay." Race took Moneybags' hand and gave it a squeeze.
"Come on Station." Jack said following them out of the train station.
"Cowboy, I think I'se gonna stay here a bit longah. I need ta think some moah." She said sitting back down on the hard bench.
"Station, ya can't stay heah by yerself." Jack told her.
"Shoah I can. I did the foist couple years I was wit' da newsies." Jenny said, the look in her blue eyes telling him that he she was determined.
"Promise dat you'll be careful." Jack relented, "An' don' stay moah den half an hour, 'kay?"
The soft smile that graced her face comforted him before he turned to leave. "Jack you bettah be careful!" She called out as an after thought.
Watching the retreating figures of her friends, Jenny sighed in relief. She had never really wanted them to come along, this was something she wanted to keep to herself, but she was never allowed to come alone. Her thoughts wandered back to Jesse and all thoughts of the newsies left her head for awhile.
After using up her half hour, Jenny reluctantly left the train station. Disappointment filled her body, and she chided herself for thinking he would show up this year, when he hadn't every year before.
"He's not going to come is he?" she said to the streetlamp in front of her.
Nothing could have surprised her more when the streetlamp spoke back. "Jenny." Her name floated gently in the wind.
"Um……" she mumbled thinking she was going crazy. Her eyes inspected the offending streetlamp carefully before she decided she must have been hearing things.
"Jenny." The whisper again. This time though it sounded as though her name was being called from the alley behind the street lamp.
Curious, she slowly made her way into the alley. Her eyes darted around, alert and ready if someone attacked her. She would undoubtedly lose if someone actually jumped out at her, but at least she wouldn't be surprised. Her body shook with fear, but curiosity told her she had to know who knew her name.
"Is anyone deah?" Jenny called into the darkness.
No answer.
She took a few more steps before she saw the dark figure slouched against the wall. From where she was standing she couldn't make out the figure's face, but she could see a white shirt that was stained with a growing dark red color.
"Geez, 'e's hoit." She whispered dropping to his side.
From her new position she had a clear view of his face and the curious look on her face turned to one of recognition.
"Oh my…..Jesse." She cried.
His eyes were closed and his face seemed to be much paler than it should be. His shirt was soaked in blood and all Jenny could do was sit there in shock.
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He had to be dead already, for there was no way he would ever go to Jenny if he was alive. He struggled to sit up, but only caused more pain in his side. Why in hell does it hurt so much to be dead? He wanted to wring the neck of whoever said that being dead would be painless.
"Jesse." The soft voice again. It sounded so much like Jenny.
As he tried to clear his mind, he slowly remembered crawling into the back of a wagon shortly after being shot. He couldn't really remember leaving the wagon, but he now remembered seeing Jenny inside holding hands with that guy. Idiot! I did come see her!
"Jesse, wake up!" Jenny urged her small hands gently shaking his shoulders.
The pain shooting through his gut brought him out of his half dream and slammed him down hard in reality. His low moan made Jenny stop shaking him as he slowly opened his eyes.
Jenny's crystal blue eyes were the first things that greeted him. Her face, instead of smiling like he usually remembered, was pulled into a worried frown. Her long dark brown hair was tied back in a messy braid. She was beautiful.
"You're hoit." She blurted, informing both of them of the obvious. "We 'ave ta get you to a doctor."
"No!" He sat up quickly, nearly blacking out again from the pain. When the world stopped turning such fast circles, Jesse gradually opened his eyes again.
"Well, I could go an' get da doctor but it'll take longah." Jenny said putting her hands to his shirt.
She wanted to see exactly what the damage was, and she didn't mind getting a little blood on her hands. She inched his shirt out of his waistband and brought it up carefully, not wanting to hurt him any more. When she looked at the wound she couldn't tell at all how big or small it was since his whole side was covered with his blood.
"Stop." Jesse growled. He took her hands in his, causing her to drop his shirt. He saw that they were covered in blood and he tried desperately to wipe them off on his pants and coat. He didn't want her to be contaminated with his bad blood.
"Jesse you stop. I ain' afraid of a little blood." She scolded lightly. "Now you've gotta see a doctor but–"
Jesse tried to shake his head. "No doctor. This….is a gunshot wound Jenny. There would be too many questions."
Her eyes widened . "Someone shot you? Who? Why?"
"I don't know who. Or why." It wasn't an all out lie. He really didn't know who had shot him, but he had an idea why.
His gang had been in a fight that night and they had been winning. When a few of the stupid kids they were fighting pulled out guns, the tables had turned and they had, had to run for their lives. He wasn't so sure how many actually got out with their lives if any.
Jesse now remembered that he had wanted to see the most important person in his life again before he crawled off to die in the back of an alley.
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What did ya think? Sorry 'bout the scene cutoff! Hopefully there will be more really soon! Now, of you just go press da little button down there then I'll love ya forever! And maybe I'll write more faster! :o)