(Disclaimer: -rocks back and forth in the fetal position- Newsies belong to DISNEY. That's what the men in the white coats said.)
(A/N: Sorry for the intense waiting period…school happened. That's all we have to say. So here's part deux of Full House, hope you love it!)
To our spiffingly amazing reviewers:
PyroFlameHeart- Yes…here is your chappie that you have been so avidly awaiting…love it, you better. Glad you enjoyed Spot's cane violence at Race's expense.
antiIrony- We're extremely happy you like our story so far. Hope you enjoy the continuing Ace/Race hilariousity, and thanks for the thoughtful reviews!
Kaytee- Weeeeeelllllll….guess what? The story is back and so is LJ! Glad you're loving the story.
Cinnamon Spice- Here is your muffin! (Virtual muffins have no calories, fat, or carbs! But they still have liberal amount of virtual sugar…so not to worry.) Yes, I know…poor Davey. For now he serves as LJ's form of amusement, but later you will grow to adore him…and maybe people will stop trying to endanger his life.
elleestJenn- We're thrilled that the Ace/Race stuff brings you joy, and don't worry, this was just Ink's introduction chapter. We didn't want her to dominate the chapter, because when that happens, most readers write the character off as a Mary Sue, and quickly get bored with her personality. We like to keep the mood light and funny and focus on all of the main characters in the beginning until people get used to our writing style. This chapter, you will definitely see more about Ink and more focus on small relationships and individual characters.
alliemon- The Skits part was one of the best to write and visualize, it's great that you enjoyed it as much as we did.
Quinnizzle- We don't like you. Crawl into a hole and write a story about yourself to relieve your urges. Eh-HEH! Just kidding! WE love you QUINNIZZLE! Here is the pinecone from Vermont that we promised.
Tuck- Here is the update that you have been waiting for! I'm glad you love all of the hilariousity, and I hope you like the…mellowness of this chappie.
Thanks for your reviews!
All is Fair in Love and PokerChapter 4 "Full House" prt.2
By: The.Pelvic.Thrust"So what? You'se gonna start brushin' ya hair an' wearin' skirts now, or somethin'?" Race shouted up to Ace who was chatting quietly and giggling every so often with Ink. They had their arms slung around eachother's waists and had their heads bowed low, much like childish schoolgirls.
"Shuddup, Race!" she yelled in return over her shoulder. She then proceeded to roll her eyes and resumed talking with Ink, this time in lower hushed tones, with frequent glances back at Race followed by loud, obnoxious laughter.
"W-what are ya talkin' about?"
They glanced back at him with wide smirks, looked at eachother, and then threw their heads back with shrieking giggles.
"Y-ya talkin' about…me? Huh? Are ya?" Race slowly began to grow more paranoid with each stare, much to the enjoyment of those around him.
"Shuddup Race!"
Race's eyes grew wide and he took in several deep breaths before breaking into a cocky grin. "Well, why don't ya come back heah an' make me, sweetheaht?"
Ace stopped in her tracks and slowly turned around to face a very proud Racetrack. She balled up her fists and made a motion as if she was about to charge at him.
"Hey, I'll make ya." Spot said as he placed one hand on his slingshot in his pocket and the other over the top of his cane. He raised his eyebrows and pursed his lips with a trace of the classic Conlon smirk.
"Ha…besides, Race, I think you'd look bettah in a skirt." At Jack's comment, Race's face reddened considerably, and many comments of mockery and agreement followed. Race started to stutter and glare, causing Jack to laugh even harder and slap a hand on Race's back. "I'se was just joking wit'cha, everyone knows Ace has betta legs than you." This resulted in more bursts of laughter and joking full body scans of Race.
Ace playfully hit Jack over the head, and then began to walk ahead of the group with Ink again.
---
About half an hour after the speculation over the beauty of a skirted Racetrack, the group neared the center of Manhattan and the statue of Horace Greeley came into view. With quick waves, goodbyes, and hugs, the Newsies headed toward the Distribution Center to buy the afternoon edition of "The World". In the square, only David, Ink, Jack, and Ace remained standing on the cobblestones with wide grins on their faces.
"So, Ace, is that where you work?" Ink inquired curiously, pointing at a pub with slightly cracked windows and large barrels outside.
"Nope. That one…with the harmless lookin' but real loud man on the steps…tappin' his foot…lookin' directly at me…glarin'…like I'm actually supposed ta be there or some- dammit!" Ace replied very slowly as she met Frankie's stare with a sheepish look.
"You'se got twenty seconds Conlon…" He challenged from across the street.
"Yeah, I got time," Ace said smugly, turning her back to Frankie.
"Nineteen…eighteen…seventeen…"
"Erm…shouldn't you go before he gets mad?" Ink asked cautiously.
"Ah, don'tworryaboutit!" Ace said lazily as though the many syllables were one word, her 'New Yawk' speech accentuated. "Someday he'll realize that his face will always be stuck like that if he doesn't lighten up. Dat's where I come in. I figuah that I'm his daily entertainment. Bringin' him back to his sad…and probably very short childhood."
"Eleven…ten…nine…"
"If you say so…" Ink said reluctantly. Jack rolled his eyes beside her, knowing Ace's next move, while David shoved his hands into his pockets and began to rock back and forth on his heels.
"Six…five…four…"
"Bye guys, see ya tanight!" Ace yelled over her shoulder.
She sprinted forward and threw her body onto the steps of Tibby's at Frankie's feet just as he finished saying "…one…nice job Conlon," said Frankie sarcastically. "I'm not even gonna botha tellin' ya not ta do it again, 'cause ya will…just like every day." He pushed the door of Tibby's open and shooed Ace inside just as she was waving enthusiastically to Ink.
"Does she really do that everyday?" Ink questioned as the three turned away from the restaurant.
"Well…there're different, uh, whaddya call em'…"
"Variations?"
"Yeah, thanks Davey. There are different variations of her comin' late techniques, but they're all real funny."
Ink nodded and picked up her leather suitcase that Mush had left at her feet, following Jack and Dave as they began to turn past the Lodging House and down a busy street. Children heading back to school from lunch weaved in and out of the women selling flowers from baskets on their arms, familiar newsboys peddling papers, street vendors selling a variety of colorful fruits and vegetables, cops patrolling and tipping their hats to ladies walking by, and horse-drawn carriages attempting to pass through the bustling street mere inches at a time.
Ink trotted behind Jack and David as they turned a corner and strode up an emptier street, quickly crossing the road after walking several feet.
"Well, dis is it." Jack motioned forward with a casual nod of his head as he shoved both hands languidly into his pockets.
Ink halted quickly and followed Jack's gaze to rest on the old brick apartment building. It was completed by rickety fire escapes snaking up the sides and a faded green sign that hung straight above the curved doorway reading "Park Place Building" in golden embossed letters. Though the building was old and seemed to house only twenty or so families, it showed no outward signs of being at all decrepit or abandoned. It looked almost welcoming what with the cheery curtains, vibrant window boxes, and elegant strands of ivy claiming patches of bricks as their home.
"I know it's not much, but it's the closest apartment building to the center of the city, and-"
"It's beautiful…" Ink commented, interrupting David and striding over to the doorway with a large smile present across her lips. She fiddled quickly with the bobby pins holding her hair in an intricate knot just above her neck, before pushing open the main door, leaving a shocked David and Jack behind her.
"She's from Boston?"
"Like I said, Dave. She ain't like other goils…she knows how ta appreciate everythin' for what it is," Jack said with pride apparent in his voice as he smirked and followed Ink, with David trailing after.
Ink noticed that as they climbed each flight of stairs, the curtains on the hallway windows became slightly more frayed and the gouges in the walls became deeper and in greater abundance. When they finally reached the very top landing, she walked slowly over to the large round window at the end of the hallway and stared out at the streets below. "Lovely view…" She commented, turning back to face the two boys. "There are only two doors." The statement was in more of an inquiring tone as she gestured toward the single door on either side of the hallway.
"Well," David began with a rather knowledgeable grin, "as I was trying to tell Jack here, these are storage rooms. That's why I was confused when you said that this was where your new home would be and on the top floor no less. These apartments rarely ever go on sale, because people pass them down in their families. No one has ever lived on the top floor…" he let out a small laugh before continuing, "it's just not possible."
As David was giving his small speech with Jack nodding mock-understandingly from his slouched position against one wall, Ink was carefully fitting a small sliver skeleton key from a ribbon around her wrist into the door with the number 21 carved into its surface. She carefully pushed open the door just as David let out his small laugh, and gasped audibly as she peeked slowly though the crack of light between the door and its frame.
"What is it, Ivy?" Jack questioned, walking to peer over her head. Ink bit her lip and pushed the door open all of the way, exposing a fully furnished living room. "Not possible, eh Davey?" He followed Ink as she wandered though the door and into the room. It wasn't particularly large, nor was it particularly lavish…it was just unexpected and inviting. The entire room was a mixture of deep green and dusty gold, and an oversized fireplace sat against the wall that also held the door that they had just entered from, with one sofa and two voluminous armchairs placed in front of it. There was a large picture window on the adjacent wall with a window seat and billowy gold curtains with patterns of roses sewn into them.
Ink looked utterly shocked and dazed as she delicately brushed her hand down one curtain and over the top of an armchair. "This furniture used to be in our old townhouse on Jefferson Street. My mother hid new nickels in the couch cushions for me to find when she went to the bank on Saturdays…I always thought it was magic. They were so beautiful…you could see your reflection when you held them close. She used the fabric from one of her old skirts to make these pillows…Papa said he had never seen finer pillows, not even when he went to a party at the governor's home."
As she lovingly slid her fingers over the polished ivory keys of the deep oak piano against the far wall, a flood of memories swarmed her mind.
There were her and Jack sitting side by side on the small piano bench with their five-year-old legs dangling in the air…her mother laying holly and white pillar candles over the top on Christmas Eve…her father with his hand sprawled over her own, manually pushing down her fingers to plink out the first notes of Beethoven's fifth symphony, grinning at her with his hair slicked back and his top hat tilted jauntily upon his head.
"I love it here…" she murmured finally, "can we see the rest?" Jack beamed down at her and nodded, tucking a stray curl behind her ear. "Are you staying, David?"
"Ye-wait…" he mumbled, eyes widening as he popped his pocket watch open. "No. I-I was supposed to be home ten minutes ago…my dad needed help with some painting. I'll see you guys at dinner in a bit…" he called as he jogged out the door, but quickly doubled back, gripping the doorframe with a nervous smile. "Oh and welcome…I'm glad you like it here." With that, he tore himself from the doorframe and closed the door with a quiet thud.
Throughout the next hour, Jack and Ink wandered through the apartment, taking in the various bits of mismatched furniture and odds and ends. There was a kitchen off of the living room with shining wooden countertops and a small, round table with four chairs around it. Farther down the hall was a bathroom with a large antique mirror and a footed bathtub complete with its very own water heater. The last two rooms down the hall were Ink's and Jack's. Jack's had a large picture window and the old cherrywood bedroom set that used to be in the guest bedroom of the Kelly household. Like all of the other rooms in the apartment, Ink's room was not particularly large, but she took pride in the jewel tones of the space, the billowy fabrics, the oversized bookcase, and the easel in the corner.
---
"Ready ta go, Ivy?"
"Yeah…just give me a minute…" came Ink's muffled reply from down the hall as she quickly slid a gray dress over her head. Hooking a thick red belt around her waist, she tied a ribbon of identical color around her neck, grinning as she ran down the short hall and joined Jack outside the apartment door.
"Don't you look smashing…" she muttered with a grin as she and Jack began to descend the first flight of stairs.
"You're in a good mood."
"Yeah well, now that I'm over my initial shock at being back in my hometown after six years, you're gonna have to deal with my sarcastic and cynical nature yet again."
Jack laughed and lightheartedly punched her shoulder. "As long as ya don't put me down too much in front a' the Jacobs'."
"You know you love it." Ink stated simply as they continued down the second flight of stairs and slowed to a stop in front of a door with a floral welcome mat before it. "So, is there anything you'd like to warn me about?" She grinned and fiddled with the ribbon around her neck.
"Like wha-"
"Hello Jack, dear." Mrs. Jacobs said, her motherly nature accentuated by her melodic voice and the quick kiss on the cheek that she gave Jack. "Are you eating? Are you healthy?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
"Good, good. And this must be Ivory Kelly…it's lovely to meet you."
"Thank you for having me here." Ink smiled at her and stuck out her hand, immediately regretting the gesture as she winced at her hands which had stubborn splotches of paint and her namesake, ink, dotting their surface. Luckily, Mrs. Jacobs seemed not to notice as she warmly shook it.
"Esther, why don't you bring the kids inside instead of interrogating them in the doorway." Mayer Jacobs chuckled as he looked up from the newspaper that he was holding from a seat at the kitchen table. She nodded and gestured for Jack and Ink to enter the apartment, closing the door behind them before snatching the paper from Mayer's grasp.
"It's time for dinner. We have guests, be social…" she commanded, attempting to mask her obvious amusement as she folded the newspaper. "DAVID! LES! We have guests!"
"Momma…we live in an apartment, you don't have to yell…" David entered from the pantry off in one corner, with a small sack of sugar in one hand and a ragged dishtowel hanging from his trouser pocket. He placed the sack on the counter, rolled up one of his sleeves that had fallen back down to his wrist, and ran a damp hand through his disheveled hair.
"David why don't you finished setting out the plates while everyone gets seated?"
"Sure thing, Papa." David gave Jack and Ink a quick smile then retreated to the china cabinet.
---
"And this one was taken a week before Hanukkah. David was only seven at the time and somehow gained an unpleasant rash from the sweater that he's wearin' in the picture. If you look closely, you can see patches of red there…and there." Esther gestured to the current page of the family photo album that she was showing Ink as she finished her soup.
"Aww…doesn't he just look adorable?" Ink remarked sarcastically, trying to hold back bursts of laughter. Mrs. Jacobs seemed not to catch the skillful sarcasm, and smiled appraising at her.
"That sweater was disgusting."
"C'mon Davey, it matches yer eyes…"
David glared at Jack before switching his attention back to his mother. "You know, that story just gets funnier and funnier each time you tell it, Momma…" He muttered, cheeks tingeing pink as he stabbed viciously at the baked potato in front of him.
"Aren't we bitter…" Ink mocked, smiling and eyeing the picture more closely.
"I'm. stab. Not. stab. Bitter." With the last word David gave the offending potato a particularly vindictive stab, drawing his fork back quickly and sending a large quantity of the substance flinging against the wall behind him.
Silence swept over the table, as everyone stared in shock at the white lump now trailing slowly down the wall. As it finally met the floor in a soundless mass, Les let out a small giggle from next to David. This giggle progressed to full-out laughter, which was slowly joined by the rest of the table's occupants, including a rather reluctant David.
When the chuckles and hysterics died down several moments later after David had disposed of the non-conforming potato lump in a nearby trash bin, Ink returned to the album. As she prepared to turn the page, someone unfamiliar in the picture caught her eye. "I didn't know you had a sister, Dave…where is she?" Ink questioned, glancing up from the family photograph to stare around the table.
"Yeah. She's a few years older than me. Just left for cooking school a couple 'a weeks ago." David looked from Jack to Ink, raising his eyebrows slightly. Jack choked on the sip of water that he was in the process of taking and quickly swallowed, attempting not to cough.
His cousin eyed him skeptically, taking a sip from her own glass. "Gonna make it through this one, Jack?"
"Yeah…" he stopped to cough for a moment, "Jus' swallowed down…wrong tube. Happens all 'a da time…"