Disclaimer: I do not, I repeat DO NOT own Newsies. Disney owns Newsies, I do not own Disney either. I do not own Bumlets, he is owned by Disney, Dominic Lucero and Dom's family. I do not own Snitch, he is owned by Disney and Dee Caspary. I do not own Blink, Mush, Racetrack, etc. The only person I do own would be Liz/Ace, she is owned by me (as I already said). So, yeah, Liz belongs to SnitchsLins/Trigger/Lindsey, what have you.

SO's:

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Without further adu.here it is. Chapter 2: Unexpected Surprises.

Chapter 2: Unexpected Surprises

Liz saw Snitch off as he went to Tibby's before she went her separate ways. She decided to skip Tibby's today and head straight for the church. She usually didn't go to the church that often, but she went every once in a while to think things through and to pray for the rest of the Newsies. She didn't want anyone to follow her path or know where she decided to go.

She walked past the dark alleyways of her beloved home, Manhattan. She kept walking, never looking back to see what was behind her. She knew that somewhere in the shadows of the vast winding alleyways someone was there. He was waiting, watching. Just waiting for her to take the wrong step or turn the wrong corner. She didn't know who he was or where he was, but she knew he was there. She felt him when he wasn't there, she could hear him whispering her name in the night. It was a frightening feeling, but one that she was used to. He never yet bothered her, but it was just a matter of time before he would.
She kept walking, with every stride she sped up, faster and faster every time. As she started to walk faster, her heart started to beat faster. Her breaths were quick and more frequent. Her hands started to get sweaty and she started to shiver with fear. *He's here* She thought. *He's watching me. But where is he?* She only had a few more blocks to go before she got to St. Rose's Church. *Just one more block. You're fine, just don't look back*. She rounded the last corner, praying that he wasn't behind it to get her. She saw the doors of the church and started to run to them. She opened them and walked inside. *Whew. That was close* She thought to herself as she turned around and looked into the huge sanctuary. She saw rows and rows of pews to the side, wide aisle's, tinted glass on the windows and the ceiling, golden chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. But at the front of the church was not only a huge pulpit, but a gigantic cross with Jesus nailed to it. She stared at it for a while before her attention was drawn to a shadow kneeling down at an alter in the front of the church. *Who is that?* She wondered.
She took about ten steps to see if she could get a better look. The figure was wearing a black coat and black pants. The figure had black hair and broad shoulders. *Bumlets?* She thought. She walked a bit closer. She noticed that he was sniffing a bit because he had been crying. *Should I go up to him? Or should I leave him alone?* She slowly and quietly walked up behind him. He was so concentrated on his prayer that he didn't hear her behind him.

"Bumlets?" She said softly. He turned his head stiffly around and had a surprised look on his face. He was startled a bit to see her there with him. He was also a little embarrassed that he had been crying. "Bum, are you alright?" She asked, knowing the exact answer to that question, no.

Bumlets sniffed and wiped his nose on his sleeve. "Yeah. I'm alright." He said as he turned around, hoping that she didn't see his teary eyes and wet face.

"Ya don' look alright. What's wrong?" Liz asked as she walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder.

He turned his head around and looked at her hand before looking away again. "Nuttin's wrong, Ace. Jis' don' woiry 'bout it." He said as he wiped his nose again.

Liz kneeled down beside him. "Tell me, Bum."

He paused for about a minute. Thinking of what he was going to say and how he was going to say it. "She's gone, Liz." Bumlets said as a tear dropped down his cheek.

Liz looked at him, mouth wide open in confusion and awe. "Who's gone?"

"My muddah! She's dead, Liz!" He yelled as he started to sob. Liz pulled him close and put her arms around him trying to comfort him.

"Oh my God!" She said softly as she closed her eyes, listening to him sobbing.

"He killed her, Liz! He killed her!" He said as he began to cry again.

"Who killed her, Bummy?"

"My father! I can't believe that bastard killed her!" He said in between sobbing. "I knew he was gettin' drunk every night an' beatin' her, but I never thought dat he'd kill 'er!" Bumlets said still sobbing.

Liz stroked his hair as she held him tightly. "Shhh, it's okay, Bum. It's going to be okay."

"It is not okay!" Bumlets screamed as he pushed Liz away. She fell off of the altar and on to the floor. Bumlets stood up quickly and crossed his arms. He sniffed and wiped his nose again as another tear dropped down his cheek. "It's not okay! Why did she have to die? Why couldn't have been him?" He said as he kicked the altar. Liz sat there looking up at him with awe. She never saw him get so upset before. But she understood his anger. "She was all I had and she's gone! Because of me!" He paused. "Because of my stupid damn self!"

"Bumlets stop!" Liz screamed back. She jumped up to her feet. She stood on her tip toes and put her hands on his shoulders. She looked into his big brown eyes which were filled with tears. "It ain't your fault. You didn't know."

"But I did know, Liz!" He screamed back. "I did know!" He started to cry again. "I knew that he was beatin' her and dat's why I left! All I could think 'bout is myself! I should have taken her with me. I should have taken."

"But you didn't! You didn't take her with you, Bum. It's over now. It ain't your fault." Liz screamed back.

"But it is! It's my fuckin' fault! If I hadn't thought of myself and jist for a minute gotten her outta dere she might still be alive! It's my fault that she's dead! God, what have I done?" Bumlets put his hands over his face and cried in them.

Liz put her arm around him and rubbed his back. "I'm sorry, Bummy." She said. "I am so sorry." She pulled him into a hug and stroked his hair again. "But, everythin's gonna be alright." She tried to think of something else to say, but nothing came. "When's her funeral?"

Bumlets pulled away from her again. He walked a few steps and turned around and faced her. "Dere ain't no fuckin' funeral, Liz!" He said. His once hushed voice was now raging and angry.

"What? Why not?"

"Because, he ain't gonna pay for it. I sure as hell can't pay for it. No one is gonna pay for it! There ain't gonna be a funeral." He said.

"Dere has to be a funeral. You can't not have a.."

"I told you Liz! No funeral. No money, means no funeral. She ain't even gonna have a decent burial, cause I ain't got money tah spend on it! I ain't even got enough money to eat tahnight, how am I supposed tah buy a burial spot? Eh?"

"We can get help from da uddah Newsies.." Liz suggested.

"No! Dey don't need tah know. No one needs tah know 'bout dis. Alright Liz?" He said, as he gave her an awkward stare.

She paused and sighed. "Bum..I"

"Please?"

Liz put her head down and looked to the floor. She sighed again and said in a hushed voice "yeah Bum. I won't tell nobody 'bout dis."

Bumlets walked over and hugged Liz. "Thanks, Liz. Thanks so much." He said before he turned around and walked slowly towards the door. His head hung low and his feet dragged when he walked. He was still hurting, even when he didn't show it. He walked to the door and put his hand on the handle.

"Bumlets." Liz said.

He turned slowly and faced Liz.

"I'm sorry about your muddah." She said sympathetically.

He stood there in silence for a while. He stared directly at her, with no expression what so ever on his face. He took a deep breath and said softly "If someone really means a lot tah ya, don' leave em. Don' make da mistake I did. You'll nevah know how much dey mean tah ya. Until dere gone. I jis' so happened tah find out da hard way." With those final words, he walked through the door into the darkness.

Liz stood in her place for a long time, taking in the words that Bumlets had said to her. Wondering, wishing that it wasn't him who had said them. She wished that this had never happened. She wished that this happened to someone else. *How could that happen to Bum? He's so sweet and nice. He doesn't deserve something like this.* She thought. *He didn't deserve it.* She closed her eyes, trying to block out the memory of what happened. She didn't understand him. She didn't understand his pain. She could only imagine what he was feeling and what he was going through.

She sniffed one last time before heading out of the church. She opened the big wooden doors. She never looked back and walked straight out of the church. She walked down the cold filthy streets, forgetting all about the two eyes that were once watching her. She walked down 3rd street. She stopped dead in her tracks. A shiver went up her spine as she heard someone huffing and coughing. *What is that? Who is that?* She walked a little further and peaked down the street. She saw someone hunched over a street corner coughing loudly. *Walk away, walk away* She said to herself. She went to walk around the guy hurling on the street. She walked right past him, before turning around once more. *God! Did I have to turn around?* She thought. She poked her head outwards to get a better look.

"What the?" She said as she ran over to the familiar figure hurling his guts out on the street. "Oh my God!" She said trying not to laugh at Snitch.

He paused to take a breath and said "shut up."

Liz laughed out loud this time. "I'm sorry, Snitch. Let me help ya." She said. She made a tried to hide her disgusted face, but failed. "Eww." She said quietly. The smell was horrid. "God Snitch! What did you eat?" She said jokingly.

He took a few breaths and said quietly, "just go. Please leave me alone."

"No, Snitch. I'm sorry, I wanna help ya." She took his hat off and pulled his brown hair back out of his face. She kneeled down beside him, trying not to look at the puke in front of her. Her one hand was holding his hair out of his face, while her other hand was resting on his back. "God Snitch, are you done yet?"

He coughed one more time, before laughing a little. "I think I'm done." He said weakly.

"Are you sure?"

Snitch nodded as he took deep breaths.

Liz laughed. "Alright." She gave Snitch his hat back and put both her hands around his arms and pulled him up with all her might. "Snitch you gotta help me heah. I can't carry ya by myself." Snitch helped Liz pull him up from the ground. He was red with embarrassment.

"Sorry Liz." He said as he looked away from her. He looked down and felt his right pocked. "Liz. Get in my pocket and get what's in it. Cause my hands are all doity, ya know."

"Yeah, sure." She said. She reached in his pocket and pulled a napkin with a half eaten hot dog out of it. She handed it to him.

"I saved dat for ya." He said as he pushed her hand away.

"Why didja do dat, Snitch?" She asked surprised at his generosity.

"Because you ain't had nothin' tah eat. I jis' thought dat you was hungry, so I saved it for ya." He explained, as he stumbled over his feet.

She caught him. "Aww. You didn't have tah do dat, Snitch."

"I wanted tah." He said as he smiled weakly.

"Thank you. Thank you so much, Snitch. That was real kind of ya." She said as she smiled. He smiled back again and almost fell to the ground. She pulled him up again. "Lets get you home."

She grabbed his arm and guided him away from the stained street corner. "What happened Snitch? What did you do?" She let go of his arm and he could barely stand. He began to stumble over himself before she caught him. She pushed him back up straight. Her hand was on his arm and her other hand was keeping his back in balance. "You're dead drunk!"

He rubbed his eyes as he yawned. "No I'm not." He said slowly and it slurred together a bit.

"Yes you are you liar!" She laughed a little. Snitch also laughed, but before he could laugh again he coughed up once more. Liz jumped back quickly. "Oh my God, Snitch." She laughed again. "You poor thing, you're alright. You're alright." She said. She pulled his hair out of his face again, while trying to keep him from falling over again.

When he was done he stood up straight again and wiped his mouth on his sleeve. Liz looked at him and shook her head. He looked at her, still red with embarrassment. "I'm sorry." He mumbled. "God I'm such a dumb ass." He said as he smiled.

"Yes you are!" Liz joked.

"Hey!" Snitch said while laughing.

"Okay, come on Pukey Boy!" Liz said as she took his arm once again and led him down the street.

She guided him slowly as she stumbled over his own feet for about ten or twenty blocks. He stopped suddenly and quickly; unknowing that he was going to stop. She took another step and pulled him towards her. He fell forward as he yelled "Uhh". Liz turned around quickly as she positioned her hands in front of her. His shoulders hit her hands with a huge 'thud'. She took a step backwards to keep her balance. He fell against her with his full weight, all 140 pounds. She pushed as hard as she could to get him back on his feet. Her 4'3" body was no match for someone as big as he was. She gritted her teeth and pushed harder, until finally he got to his feet.

"Liz." He said as he scratched his head. His eyes were closed and he scrunched up his forehead a little. "I don't feel so good."

"Oh God! Please don't tell me you're gonna throw up again." Liz said with a serious look on her face.

"No. I'm just really tired." He grumbled as he bent over and put his head on her shoulder. She stood there for about thirty seconds before she started to hear snoring.

She turned her head in disbelief that he was sleeping. When she noticed that he wasn't faking it she screamed, "Snitch! Snitch wake up!" She yelled as she slowly but cautiously pushed him off her shoulder. "Come on, we're almost there." She pulled him again. He groaned as they walked down the dark street. "Come on, big boy, we're almost there. Hang in there." She said as she guided him along the street.

He walked weakly and said "I saw you wid Mush tahday. What was you'se two doin'?"

"What? What are you talking about?" Liz asked, now dragging him down the street.

"What? Did you say somethin'?" Snitch asked sounding very confused.

"Ahh forget it. You're drunk."

"I ain't drunk I am poifeclty fi.n.eh? Wha.wha.what was I sayin'?"

"Just stop talkin'. We're almost dere, hang on." She said as she put his arm around her shoulder to keep him from falling again. "Come on Snitch, right left right left right left."

"Who's right?"

"WALK!" Liz yelled impatiently. They walked about three more blocks before she had the LH in sight. "Look there's the LH, we're almost dere. Come on."

"Wait, Liz." Snitch said as he stopped.

"What?" She said as she turned and looked towards Snitch. He was taking deep breaths one after another. He looked like he was in a trance.

"Eh?" He groaned.

"NOOOOOOOO!" Liz yelled as Snitch threw up again, this time on her foot. She moved her foot away as quickly as she could, but still, he had perfect aim and he aimed well. "GOD! AHHH!" She screamed as she jumped around disgusted. When she got done screaming she shook her foot off. "Good job, Snitch. Ya got it RIGHT ON DA MONEY! Great aim. Thank you very much! I really enjoyed fresh puke on me BARE FOOT!" He had been done ever since she had started screaming. He just stood there, mouth wide open, staring at her. She shook her head and said "I thought you were done."

"Eh?"

She closed her eyes and said "God please don't let him throw up on me again." She looked at him once more, a little upset, but still very sympathetic. "Are ya done dis time?"

"Eh?"

"I'll take dat as a yes." She grabbed his arm and dragged him into the LH. He started to fall asleep as he was walking. She opened the door and dragged him into the lobby. Racetrack, Mush and Kid Blink were playing poker on the floor when she came in.

"What da hell?" Racetrack said as he dropped his cards.

"OH! A four and an eight! I win!" Mush screamed loudly dropping all of his cards. A huge smile was spread across his face. Liz, Blink and Race looked at him and said "You're an idiot."

"What da hell happened tah him?" Blink asked as he got up.

"Maybe I should ask you guys da same question." Liz said looking very ticked off. "We didn't do nothin'." Racetrack said. "We didn't."

"Honestly Ace. We had nothing tah do wid dis. It was all Jack and Skitt's idea." Blink said.

"Alright, well, will you guys help me get him up the stairs?" Liz said as Blink came over and took Snitch's arm and put it around his shoulder. Mush came over and did the same. They both walked up the stairs. "Put him in his bunk, ovah dere." Liz said as they dragged him over to his bed.

"Oh great, now's a great time tah be sleepin' on dah top bunk." Mush said.

"How da hell are we supposed tah get him up dere?" Blink asked.

The four paused for a second to think about it. Racetrack scratched his head, while Blink made a weird face. Mush licked his lips while Liz looked around at everyone.

"Let me do it!" She said as she took one of Snitch's arms. "Okay, Blink, you get up dere.." She said as she pointed to Snitch's bunk. "Race and Mush will help me lift him up tah you and you can lift him up tah dere. Got it?"

"Uhh, yeah." They all said. Blink climbed up to Snitch's bunk and Mush, Racetrack and Liz dragged Snitch over to Blink.

"On the count of three you guys are gonna lift him up. Blink, you know what tah do. One. Two. Three." The three kids pushed with all their might as Blink grabbed Snitch under his arms. He pulled half of Snitch on the bed. Blink let go of Snitch.

"What are ya doin'?" Liz screamed. "Grab his legs!"

"I ain't grabbin' his anythin'! I ain't grabbin' his legs." Blink yelled back, still refusing to help.

"Shut up! Jis' do it!" Mush yelled.

Blink made a disgusted face and closes his eyes as he grabbed Snitch's thigh and pulled it on the bed. "Dis looks incredibly GAY!" He screamed as he pulled Snitch's other leg on the bed. Blink got Snitch up in his bunk. "Now, any a you'se tell anybody 'bout dis. You'se all gonna be dead. Ya got it?" Blink jumped off of Snitch's bunk and ran back downstairs to finish their game.

"Blink fancies drunk BOYS!" Mush laughed. Racetrack started laughing too.

"Wait till' da guys heah 'bout dis. It's gonna be coiculatin' all 'round da races by da time I get done wid it." Racetrack joked as he and Mush started cracking up. Mush and Racetrack followed.

Suddenly, Kid Blink came running up the stairs. "Alright who gets it foist?" He yelled as he made a fist. Mush and Racetrack continued to laugh. Kid Blink grabbed Mush by the shirt and put his fist up to his face. "How 'bout you, Mush?" He said seriously.

"Hey come on, Blink. Dey's was jis' jokin'." Liz said as she glared at Racetrack and Mush, who were still laughing. They saw her and looked at her. "Jis' stop." She said to them.

"Yeah, Blink. We's jis' jokin', but are you?" Mush said still laughing.

"Fuck you guys!" Blink said as he stormed out of the bunkroom and ran down the stairs.

"Hope you're proud of yourselves." Liz said not amused.

"Hey, come on Liz! It was pretty damn funny." Racetrack said as he shook his head.

"Yeah, real funny. Real funny. When Snitch wakes up I don' think he's gonna think it's real funny."

"We ain't got nothin' tah do wid dat. I told ya, Ace." Racetrack said as he hit Mush in the face. "Lets finish our game." Mush nodded and waved to Liz as they both raced each other down the stairs.

It was only Liz and sleeping Snitch in the upstairs room. She climbed up on his bunk and sat down. She stared at him for a while, feeling sorry for him. She untied his shoes and threw them on the floor. She grabbed her favorite mulberry colored blanket, the one that she always slept with, and covered him with it. She stared at him again. She smiled as she noticed one thing that was odd, he wasn't sucking his thumb. For old time sake, she grabbed his hand and made it into a fist and pulling his thumb out from the rest of his fingers. She used his hand to poke at his mouth until he finally opened it. She stuck his thumb in his mouth and laughed quietly. She sat back again, glad that everything was over. Snitch was fast asleep in his bed, no more throwing up, for now at least. She watched him sleep for a long time, just thinking and wondering why he would do such a stupid thing. *You gotta love him* She jumped down off of his bunk, trying not to fall flat on her face. She then walked up the stairs to the rooftop.