Summer was now in full bloom- and so were the Newsies. Both love And spite floated through the air. At the moment, Vixen was furious at Sunshine for moving to New York. Skunk had paired off with some girl from Brooklyn and was rarely seen in Manhattan anymore, while both Ryan and Mouth had their eye on Sunshine. On this particular evening Ryan and Linda had gone to a flicker and were discussing on the way back to the lodging house.

"I love to see movies. Especially westerns. My fadda always talks about Santa Fe, and how much he wants to go there someday. I guess it kinda stuck," he smiled a little sheepishly. She grinned back at him. They had arrived at the lodging house and sat on the front step.

"I like westerns, too. It just seems so different from the city. I'd like to actually ride a horse one day, it seems like a lot of fun." Ryan was silent for a few minutes, looking at the storm clouds approaching that promised a downpour.

"Ya know, I like you a lot. You're a lot different from the girls around here. You're smart, fun to be with, and really care about people. Most people are so absorbed in themselves that they don't notice the people around them." She didn't know exactly what to say, so she just took his hand and laced her fingers with his. She rested her head on his shoulder and let the guilt she was feeling wash over her. How could he like her if he didn't even know her real name? She had lied to all of tem from the very beginning. She was tired of being scared and of being careful. She wanted a normal life and she would never have one until this whole mess was over.

"Ryan, I like you, too. There's just some stuff that you gotta know about me, first."

"Tell me what you want me to know. I'm all ears." She proceeded to tell her story- from her mother's murder to her name to coming to New York. He was quiet through her whole speech and didn't talk after she finished. After a few minutes of silence she began to get nervous. What if he told everyone? What if he doesn't' like me anymore? These thoughts and more ran through her mind.

"I'm real sorry about your mom. Me mother's dead, too. I don't know how she died- my father never talks about it. I just wanna know that if this ring is so valuable, why don't you sell it to a museum. They'd take care of it, and they'd pay you for it." The simplicity of it scared her, but she knew it made perfect sense.

"You really are smart, ya know that?" He just grinned at her.

"I know."

"And so modest, too." At this they started to laugh. Before long the night air began to descend and a coolness settled on the street. Sunshine unconsciously shivered. Ryan noticed and put his coat around her.

"Well, aren't you the gentleman?" she teased, then added seriously, "Thanks." He put his arm around her and she leaned into him. A few more minutes of talking led Ryan to ask the question he'd been dying to ask all night.

"Sunshine?" she looked up at him from her position against his chest.

"Hmm?"

"Will you…."

"Will I what?"

"Be my girl?" She was silent for a moment, despite the fact that she was jumping for joy on the inside. She looked up at him and did something that took his totally by surprise: She kissed him. A second after the shock had worn off he wrapped his arms around her waist as she wrapped her arms around his neck. They stopped kissing and she put her head on his shoulder again- the pair still holding on to each other.

"Does that answer you question?"

"Actually, I'm a little unclear. Will you give me your answer again?" he smiled a mischievous grin and she faced him again. They leaned forward and went in to another round of kissing. A few minutes later their love fest was broken by a loud whoop from somewhere above them. They looked up to see most of the newsies hanging out the windows. Most of the boys were cheering, and so was Vixen. They both turned crimson and yelled playfully at their friends to mind their own business. He took her hand and they went inside to face their friends. Unbeknownst to them, Spot and Jack had seen the whole thing.

The newsies were all in a very good mood the next Monday when when they read the headline that morning:

Largest Bank In New York City Robbed!

Last night the Weldon Street Bank- serving some 300 people- was robbed. What makes this robbery unique is that nothing was stolen. The thieves searched every lock box in the bank and left without taking a thing. The police have no leads as of yet, but will have some when they thoroughly search the scene.

The article continued on, but Sunshine didn't read it. Something bothered her: why successfully hold up a band and not take anything? To have gotten away these guys must have been good. The Weldon Street Bank was the most heavily guarded bank in New York City. Ryan walked up behind her and slipped his arms around his waist. This earned a few catcalls from the newsies, but the pair ignored them. Ryan read the article over her shoulder.

"Don't you think that its' kinda weird? I mean, if you take the rise of robbing the largest bank in New York City why not take anything?" Ryan considered the question for a minute.

"Maybe they're part of one of the crime families and had to prove themselves, or somethin'. Who knows?"

"Does this kinda thing happen often?"

"Not really. When a bank is robbed 'dey usually take the money." She wasn't going to sell today- she had to talk to her dad about Ryan's idea. She walked back to the Lodging House after saying goodbye to Ryan and found her dad on the telephone. She sat on the small bench in the lobby of the Lodging Hiuse and waited.

"Yup. That's right. Talk to you later, bye" Spot said into the mouth piece. He hung up the phone.

"I need to talk to you for a second, Dad."

"What it is, Sweetheart?"

"Well, Ryan and I came up with this really good idea. Why don't we sell the ring to a museum? I mean, we'll never use it and we'll always have to worry about it. It'd take a lot of pressure of us".

"Maybe. I'll check it out. It might be a solution." They talked for a little while and Sunshine decided to go looking around the city.

The sun was shining brightly overhead and warmed the pavement. Sunshine felt like a tourist- she gaped and gawked at the sheer size of some of the buildings. Linda walked over to Central Park and bought a hot dog from a vender. She sat on a bench to eat it while she enjoyed the people watching. She had finished her hot dog and had thrown away the wrapper when she heard a familiar voice behind her.

"You won't get away so easily this time" Jacks voice sounded from behind her. She pretended not to notice and walked away. She knew the boys were behind her because hose could hear their footsteps getting closer and closer. Finally they pounced. Jake grabbed her arms behind her back and Jack came around to face her. He rammed his ham sided fist into her stomach. She got the wind knocked out of her and couldn't think straight for a second. Jake whispered something in her ear.

"Ya know, Doll Face, you shouldn't take things that don't belong to ya'. Especially expensive things. People might get mad, and that could mean your pretty little face gets messed up." The sickening realization that came over her made her more desperate to get away. She slammed her head into his face. This made him let go of her hands. She grabbed his bowed head and rammer her knew with all her force into his nose. Jack tried to grab her again but with a "No you don't" she slammed her foot into his crotch. With both of them doubled over in pain she ran. It took her a long time to get to the Lodging House. It was dark out and when she made it to the bunkroom, bleeding and sore, she collapsed into her father's arms. He caught her effortlessly and put her into a bunk. She rubbed her face and began to tell them what had happened. Only a few people understood the importance of the story, but the ones who did were boviou8sly distressed.

"Jack, Lenora, and Ryan- I need to talk to you downstairs, now. The rest of you, stay up here" With that command the aforementioned group walked downstairs. They went into the small secret room that only Jack and Spot knew about. Soon the little group was settled in chairs around a small circular table.

"Well, now that we know Gabrielli knows where we are, we have to move fast. The ring can't stay with one person for too long and it can't be switched in private. We need some of the best pickpockets and sleight of hand artist we've got. Jack, I need you to get Blink, Race, Mush, and add the rest. Tell them to be here tonight."