A/N: Repeats: We are SO sorry this took so long!
Scout: It was all her fault. *jerks thumb at Reps*
Reps: Yea, that was my bad. BUT this finally gets to the rumble.
Scout: Yea, but still...
Reps: SHHH! Don't spoil it!
Shoutouts: Its been so long, I don't remember wat everyone wrote. Thx for all who reviewed and keep it up!
"Ya ready to go Mush?" Pie-Eater asked as he pulled up his suspenders and tucked a sling shot into the back pocket. Mush took one more longing glance out of the window overlooking the street and turned back to Pie.
"Yeah, I was just hopin' to see 'er again ya know? Just in case...I don't make it or somethin'" Pie-Eater looked down at his hands as he thought of something to say. He wanted to be supportive and optimistic, but he also didn't want to lie to his friend. Everyone knew that they might not make it through this alive when they agreed to it.
"You'll see 'er again soon Mush" Pie said quietly as he pat his friend on the back and walked out of the bunkroom. Mush looked down and carefully picked up the slightly shriveled and wrinkled flower he had saved from that morning. He fingered it for a minute before her placed it in his vest pocket and walked down the stairs to meet the others.
: ~*~
Jess walked aimlessly down the streets of Brooklyn. What was she going to do? She couldn't do anything to stop the fight, but she knew she couldn't take part in it either. Finally she decided to try her best to prevent it, even if that meant letting her brothers know that she wasn't the newsie hater they thought she was.
She had just made her resolution when she heard the voice.
No way. He couldn't be here. He couldn't.
"Okay boys, now I know dat dis isn't really our fight, but Brooklyn helped us out durin' da strike, so now its our turn to help dem. And I know dat dis is dangerous, but I'm pretty shoah dat its less dangerous den bein' ambushed and killed witout anyone to back ya up. But out dere, tonight, you ain't alone. You got ya friends 'ere fightin' right along next to ya. So you ready? All we're waitin' for is Spot and the rest of Brooklyn." Jack's voice was loud enough for Jess to hear it from where she was across the street. She turned around and looked. Oh no. There they were.
"Okay Jack. We'll be dere for ya" Blink answered for all of them.
"Thanks Blink, I'll be dere for you too" the boys looked around solemnly at each other.
Jess started breathing quickly. What was she going to do? It was one thing to let her brothers know that she didn't like newsies. She could deal with them hating her, but Mush and the others? They would never forgive her. Never. Jess couldn't deal with this. None of the newsies had seen her yet. She could still leave. She turned to run away when she heard it.
"Hey! Jess! Whatta ya' doin' heah?"
Shit.
Mush's POV
"Hey! Jess! Whatta ya' doin' heah?" Mush waved frantically across the street at Jess. She slowly turned back around to face him. Was it just him, or did she look unhappy to see him? He quickly wrote it off as the argument last night. That didn't matter though. He had to tell her that he was sorry before the fight began. Jess walked across the street.
"Mush, why are ya' heah?" She asked angrily. Mush frowned. He knew they weren't on the best terms, but she shouldn't be this mad at him.
"Why am I heah? Why are you heah?"
"Ya' gotta leave. Now."
"What are ya' talkin' about?" Mush asked. "Listen Jess, you are da one dats gotta leave. Dere's gonna be a big fight here and-"
"I know." She interrupted. Without waiting for Mush to ask how she knew, she spun around to face Jack. "Jack."
Jack looked up from talking with Race. "Jess! What are ya' doin heah? You gotta-"
"I know, I know, and its youse who's gotta. Listen Jack, tell them to leave. All of them." She waved her hand at the Manhattan newsies gathered in the square.
"Leave? Why?" Jack demanded. Mush looked back and forth between Jess and Jack, still as confused as ever.
"Jess, I know you don't want us to get hurt, but-"he began.
"No! That's not it." Jess sighed. "It's because-"but she was interrupted before she could finish.
"Heya Jacky-Boy. Glad ya' could make it."
"Shit." Jess muttered.
Spot's POV
"Heya Jacky-Boy. Glad ya' could make it." Spot said at the head of twenty Brooklyn newsies. He looked at the turnout. There were fifteen Manhattan boys in all. That made thirty-five total. It was better than he had expected, but he still knew that this would be a close fight.
"Heya Spot. We wouldn't miss it for da world." Jack said as he spit in his hand and stuck it out. Spot laughed grimly and did the same. "So Spot, when do ya think the Crypts are gonna get heah?"
"They should be heah any minute." Spot answered, still looking around the Manhattan crowd. He saw a flash of long brown hair in the back of the crowd. "Why'd ya bring a goil wid ya Jack-Boy? When I said we needed help I didn't mean we needed that much help."
Mush stepped forward. "We didn't bring her, she was just... heah." Mush looked confused for a minute, as if his explanation didn't satisfy himself either. "This is Jess, that goil I was tellin' ya about." He reached back into the crowd and pulled the girl's arm forward. The girl hesitated for a moment, resisting the pull. When she came to the front of the crowd, Spot knew why.
Her.
It was her. The girl from the Crypts, the one who was there when they beat him up. Spot stepped forward angrily. "Is dis some kinda joke?" he demanded.
"Joke? What...?" Mush asked.
Spot grabbed Jess's arm and pulled her to the head of the crowd. "Are you tellin' me ya don't know who this is?" he was almost yelling now. All the newsies quieted and looked at what the shouting was about.
Mush looked at Jess questioningly. "Jess, what's he talkin' about?"
Spot looked at the girl. She stared down at the ground, silent. "I'll tell ya who she is. She's-"
"Well, well, well. If it ain't a bunch of little newsies come out to play."
The Crypts were here. Shit.
Oscar's POV
"Well, well, well. If it ain't a bunch of little newsies come out to play." Bull taunted. Oscar snickered from beside him. Behind him, forty Crypts glared menacingly with chains, clubs, sticks, and any other weapon they could get their hands on. Oscar looked over the crowd of newsies in the square. He was sizing them up when he saw it.
That bastard. He had his hands on Jess. She was looking down at the ground, clearly terrified, and that little bastard gripped her arm.
Morris saw it too. The two brothers quickly stepped forward. Morris shoved the newsie who had a hold of Jess. "Hands off, Conlon." He growled.
Oscar ran up to Jess and grabbed her shoulders, making sure she was okay. He looked into her eyes. "Are you alright?" he asked.
Before she could answer, Oscar felt someone grab him from behind. He spun around to see another newsie standing there. "Keep away from her, Oscar." He ordered.
The entire crowd focused on the two of them.
Oscar looked him up and down. "Oh yeah? And who do you think you are?"
The newsie straightened. "I'm her boyfriend."
Repeats: Aren't we evil?
Scout: We are.
Reps: Cuz we're just gonna end it there.
Scout: Just like that.
Reps: Don't like it?
Scout: Oh well.
Scout: It was all her fault. *jerks thumb at Reps*
Reps: Yea, that was my bad. BUT this finally gets to the rumble.
Scout: Yea, but still...
Reps: SHHH! Don't spoil it!
Shoutouts: Its been so long, I don't remember wat everyone wrote. Thx for all who reviewed and keep it up!
"Ya ready to go Mush?" Pie-Eater asked as he pulled up his suspenders and tucked a sling shot into the back pocket. Mush took one more longing glance out of the window overlooking the street and turned back to Pie.
"Yeah, I was just hopin' to see 'er again ya know? Just in case...I don't make it or somethin'" Pie-Eater looked down at his hands as he thought of something to say. He wanted to be supportive and optimistic, but he also didn't want to lie to his friend. Everyone knew that they might not make it through this alive when they agreed to it.
"You'll see 'er again soon Mush" Pie said quietly as he pat his friend on the back and walked out of the bunkroom. Mush looked down and carefully picked up the slightly shriveled and wrinkled flower he had saved from that morning. He fingered it for a minute before her placed it in his vest pocket and walked down the stairs to meet the others.
: ~*~
Jess walked aimlessly down the streets of Brooklyn. What was she going to do? She couldn't do anything to stop the fight, but she knew she couldn't take part in it either. Finally she decided to try her best to prevent it, even if that meant letting her brothers know that she wasn't the newsie hater they thought she was.
She had just made her resolution when she heard the voice.
No way. He couldn't be here. He couldn't.
"Okay boys, now I know dat dis isn't really our fight, but Brooklyn helped us out durin' da strike, so now its our turn to help dem. And I know dat dis is dangerous, but I'm pretty shoah dat its less dangerous den bein' ambushed and killed witout anyone to back ya up. But out dere, tonight, you ain't alone. You got ya friends 'ere fightin' right along next to ya. So you ready? All we're waitin' for is Spot and the rest of Brooklyn." Jack's voice was loud enough for Jess to hear it from where she was across the street. She turned around and looked. Oh no. There they were.
"Okay Jack. We'll be dere for ya" Blink answered for all of them.
"Thanks Blink, I'll be dere for you too" the boys looked around solemnly at each other.
Jess started breathing quickly. What was she going to do? It was one thing to let her brothers know that she didn't like newsies. She could deal with them hating her, but Mush and the others? They would never forgive her. Never. Jess couldn't deal with this. None of the newsies had seen her yet. She could still leave. She turned to run away when she heard it.
"Hey! Jess! Whatta ya' doin' heah?"
Shit.
Mush's POV
"Hey! Jess! Whatta ya' doin' heah?" Mush waved frantically across the street at Jess. She slowly turned back around to face him. Was it just him, or did she look unhappy to see him? He quickly wrote it off as the argument last night. That didn't matter though. He had to tell her that he was sorry before the fight began. Jess walked across the street.
"Mush, why are ya' heah?" She asked angrily. Mush frowned. He knew they weren't on the best terms, but she shouldn't be this mad at him.
"Why am I heah? Why are you heah?"
"Ya' gotta leave. Now."
"What are ya' talkin' about?" Mush asked. "Listen Jess, you are da one dats gotta leave. Dere's gonna be a big fight here and-"
"I know." She interrupted. Without waiting for Mush to ask how she knew, she spun around to face Jack. "Jack."
Jack looked up from talking with Race. "Jess! What are ya' doin heah? You gotta-"
"I know, I know, and its youse who's gotta. Listen Jack, tell them to leave. All of them." She waved her hand at the Manhattan newsies gathered in the square.
"Leave? Why?" Jack demanded. Mush looked back and forth between Jess and Jack, still as confused as ever.
"Jess, I know you don't want us to get hurt, but-"he began.
"No! That's not it." Jess sighed. "It's because-"but she was interrupted before she could finish.
"Heya Jacky-Boy. Glad ya' could make it."
"Shit." Jess muttered.
Spot's POV
"Heya Jacky-Boy. Glad ya' could make it." Spot said at the head of twenty Brooklyn newsies. He looked at the turnout. There were fifteen Manhattan boys in all. That made thirty-five total. It was better than he had expected, but he still knew that this would be a close fight.
"Heya Spot. We wouldn't miss it for da world." Jack said as he spit in his hand and stuck it out. Spot laughed grimly and did the same. "So Spot, when do ya think the Crypts are gonna get heah?"
"They should be heah any minute." Spot answered, still looking around the Manhattan crowd. He saw a flash of long brown hair in the back of the crowd. "Why'd ya bring a goil wid ya Jack-Boy? When I said we needed help I didn't mean we needed that much help."
Mush stepped forward. "We didn't bring her, she was just... heah." Mush looked confused for a minute, as if his explanation didn't satisfy himself either. "This is Jess, that goil I was tellin' ya about." He reached back into the crowd and pulled the girl's arm forward. The girl hesitated for a moment, resisting the pull. When she came to the front of the crowd, Spot knew why.
Her.
It was her. The girl from the Crypts, the one who was there when they beat him up. Spot stepped forward angrily. "Is dis some kinda joke?" he demanded.
"Joke? What...?" Mush asked.
Spot grabbed Jess's arm and pulled her to the head of the crowd. "Are you tellin' me ya don't know who this is?" he was almost yelling now. All the newsies quieted and looked at what the shouting was about.
Mush looked at Jess questioningly. "Jess, what's he talkin' about?"
Spot looked at the girl. She stared down at the ground, silent. "I'll tell ya who she is. She's-"
"Well, well, well. If it ain't a bunch of little newsies come out to play."
The Crypts were here. Shit.
Oscar's POV
"Well, well, well. If it ain't a bunch of little newsies come out to play." Bull taunted. Oscar snickered from beside him. Behind him, forty Crypts glared menacingly with chains, clubs, sticks, and any other weapon they could get their hands on. Oscar looked over the crowd of newsies in the square. He was sizing them up when he saw it.
That bastard. He had his hands on Jess. She was looking down at the ground, clearly terrified, and that little bastard gripped her arm.
Morris saw it too. The two brothers quickly stepped forward. Morris shoved the newsie who had a hold of Jess. "Hands off, Conlon." He growled.
Oscar ran up to Jess and grabbed her shoulders, making sure she was okay. He looked into her eyes. "Are you alright?" he asked.
Before she could answer, Oscar felt someone grab him from behind. He spun around to see another newsie standing there. "Keep away from her, Oscar." He ordered.
The entire crowd focused on the two of them.
Oscar looked him up and down. "Oh yeah? And who do you think you are?"
The newsie straightened. "I'm her boyfriend."
Repeats: Aren't we evil?
Scout: We are.
Reps: Cuz we're just gonna end it there.
Scout: Just like that.
Reps: Don't like it?
Scout: Oh well.