1Disclaimer from Chapter 1

I LIVE!!!!!!!

Sorry about the delay, but moving and getting settled at school has been really hard. Thanks to everyone who read and reviewed, I love hearing from you guys.

This chapter is for Juls, who has been super patient for the past few months.

Lily convinced David to put her down before they went into the apartment, which made it much easier to focus her thoughts. When they opened the door the entire family was sitting at the table waiting for them. Immediately Sarah jumped up and ran over to her.

"Lily! How did it go? Did you get the part? When do you start? What kinds of costumes . . . ."

Jack placed a hand over Sarah's mouth, "Sarah, darlin', let her get a word in." Then he nodded for Lily to go on.

"Well . . . I got the job!" Sarah squealed, broke away from Jack, and hugged her so tightly Lily thought that she might explode.

"I just new you could do it! Oh, I am so proud of you."

"Thank you Sarah." Lily felt a tug at her skirt and looked down to see Les standing there. He had put on a pathetic little face, big doe eyes, putty lower lip, the whole mine yards.

"Lily, does this mean we won't have time to play anymore?"

She hugged him to her, "Of course not Les, we will always have time to play together."

"Promise?"

"Yep!"

"Okay. I'm hungry, lets eat dinner." He grabbed her hand and dragged her off to the table.

Jack cleared his throat and everyone looked at him. "I've got to get back to da lodgin' house, but hey, I'll see yous in the morning." He gave Sarah a quick kiss before leaving.

The all settled around the table and started passing the food around. Lily answered several questions about her audition and Mr. Jacobs talked about the latest government scandal. While he was rabbling on about how the politicians were all much less corrupt when he was younger Lily looked up to see David staring at her.

She thought he would look away when she looked at him, but he held her gaze. They just sat there for god only knows how long, food long forgotten, when Lily heard someone calling to them.

They both broke the look at the same time to look over at the rest of the family, who had all stopped eating, and were now looking at them with considerable interest.

"David," Mr. Jacobs said, "I was just asking you what you thought about the new scandal in the court system."

"Oh, sorry Pop, I must have just blanked out for a little while."

"No you didn't," Sarah interrupted. "You and Lily were staring at each other, like you were talking with your eyes or something."

Mr. and Mrs. Jacobs looked concerned. Lily decided to put an end to this right now.

She let out a little snort of indignation, "Oh please Sarah, you must be just imagining things."

"Yeah," said David. "That is just silly."

"No it isn't," said Sarah, sounding a little insulted. "What is going on between the two of you?"

"Nothing," they said at the same time. They looked at each other and blushed. Lily laughed and David looked away.

After dinner was done and Les was put to bed Lily sat down by the window to read. It was nice to just sit back and unwind. She had been so worried about the audition that she hadn't been sleeping well. Just as she was really getting into her book a shadow fell across her. She looked up at Sarah and smiled. Sarah did not smile back.

All she said was, "We need to talk." Before she grabbed Lily's arm and dragged the younger girl into the bed room.

Lily got a quick glance at the boy's side of the room. Les had already fallen asleep, it must have been a busy day for him. Then Sarah pulled the sheet across the room, then pushed Lily down on the bed and sat next to her.

"Now, Lily, you have been living with us for almost half of a year, and I'd like to think we were really close, almost like sisters."

"We are Sarah."

"Ok, then will you please tell me what is going on with you and my brother?" Lily blushed and turned her face away in the hopes that Sarah wouldn't see it.

"Really Sarah, there is nothing going on."

"Then why are you blushing?"

"Oh . . . well, your embarrassing me, pretending that David and I are having some sort of affair, or something. And in front of your parents."

"Come on, everyone can see how much you two like each other, in fact, the only people who can't see it is you guys. I personally think it is great."

"Really ?" Sarah smiled in triumph, "Oh, hell and damnation! You tricked me!"

"Yep. So do you really like my brother?"

"Truthfully, I don't know. I feel like my sense of like and love are all messed up. Jack, David, and the others are the first men I have ever known who I haven't been afraid of. I think I do like David, in a more that friendly or sisterly way, like with the other boys. But I don't want to go running to him because he is the first man I have felt this way about. Does that make sense?"

Sarah put an arm around her shoulders. "Yes it makes perfect sense, you cant tell yet, which is okay."

"Besides, we are leaving out another major part of this, we don't know if he feels the same way about me."

"Are you kidding?" Lily looked puzzled and shook her head. "He is totally head over heals for you."

"Do you really think so?"

"Trust me, I'm his sister. Plus don't you notice the looks he gives you? And what about the kiss?"

"Hey! How did you know about those?"

"Those? As in more than one? I only knew about the one in the kitchen, and that was only on the cheek. Are you saying he kissed you again, and for real?"

"Yes and no. He kissed me again today after my audition, but it was on the cheek again. But I still liked it a lot." Sarah let out a little giggle, and Lily gave her a stern look. "Don't get my hopes up like that, jack kisses me on the cheek too." Sarah seemed to ponder this for a moment before she spoke again.

"Yes, but Jack also calls you 'kiddo', which David doesn't do. And Jack and I also talk about how you are like our little sister, which David has never said. And I just know this stuff, he likes you . . . . a lot. I can see it in his eyes and yours." Lily gave her another dubious look. "Hey! I know these things, I know what it is like to be in love too, you know!"

"Oh really, what is it like? And we are not in love, I don't know what it is like to love someone that deeply."

"Oh, sweetie!" Sarah gave her a huge hug. "You will know what it feels like, and you are loved very deeply, by all of us." Lily nodded a little. "And as to what it feels like to be in love, it is the most wonderful feeling in the world . . . . . ."

When David walked into the bed room later the sheet was drawn across the room and there was only one lamp lit on the other side. He could hear faint whispers, which would break into giggles every now and again. Getting ready for bed, he shook his head. It was good for Cate to laugh, she didn't do it nearly enough.

The next two weeks were a world wind of action. Lily spent hours at Irving Hall preparing for her first show, and even more time back at the apartment practicing and worrying. What if she couldn't do it? What if someone recognized her? And then her biggest fear: What if she got attacked?

Jack had arranged for the last one to be very unlikely. She had a Newsie escort to and from the theater for every rehearsal. It was normally just two of the boys walking with her, but that made her feel much better. David was almost always one of the boys who walked with her.

He hadn't kisses her again since the day of the audition, but he did touch her more frequently, in subtle little ways, a hand on her arm or at the small of her back. Each time he would give her one of these little touches she would get goose bumps all up and down her arms. It would make her feel excited and scared all at the same time. Really she didn't know what was going on between them, but she kind of liked it.

The day before her first show the guys finally convinced her to go to Tibbie's with them, to celebrate her first show. They would have gone on the actual day of the show, but she had to be at the theater almost all day.

She was also excited because some of the Brooklyn Newsies were coming to watch her show too. She hadn't met any of them yet, but Jack promised to introduce her to all of them, and said that she would really like them. While Lily had her doubts about liking anyone she had just met, she trusted Jack, and was sure that he and David would not let anyone hurt her.

The bell over the door tinkled softly as they entered. Jack held her hand and pulled her a long, while David stood next to her with his hand on her lower back. Les trailed behind them brandishing his sward at random people and objects on the street.

The little restaurant was already crowded with Newsies who all waved and called out to them as they entered.

Jack turned and smiled at her, "See, everyone came ta see ya before your big day."

She gave him a small, uncertain smile, then scanned the room. There were many familiar faces, and some new ones. She had come to know most of the Manhattan Newsies through the many visits Jack and David had set up, so she guessed that most of the ones she didn't know were from Brooklyn.

Jack and David lead her over to a booth where Race and Blink were sitting already. The two boys greeted them then scooted over so that the other three could join them.

"So, Lil, you excited about tomorrow night?" Race asked.

"Yeah, and kinda scared, and really nervous."

"Eh, you'll do fine," he replied. Lily wished she could be as confident as the boys seemed.

After they had all ordered and started eating the conversation started up. Lily was content to sit back, eat her food, and listen to the boys argue over horse races, or boxing, or what ever they liked to talk about. Just being around them all was oddly soothing. It also helped that every once in a while David's arm would brush up against her's.

She had just drifted off into a daydream of what it would be like to be on stage the next night when the bell over the door rang again. Almost immediately a huge greeting came from all the Newsies in the room. Who ever it was that had come in, Lily couldn't see him because he was already surrounded by other boys trying to say hello.

Jack turned to their table. "That'll be Spot, I gotta go say hi." He slid out of the booth and disappeared into the crowd.

"Spot?" Lily asked. "As in Spot Conlon, the leader of Brooklyn?"

"Yeah, he and Jack go way back," said Blink as he tried to crane his neck so he could see over the crowd of boys.

She turned back to David, who seemed to be the only person in the room who didn't what to jump up and run to Spot Conlon.

"He's just another Newsies. I don't see why everyone makes such a big deal out of him."

David gave her a little smile. "Because it is Spot Conlon. He's tough and brave, and always tells it like it is. Everyone wants to be his friend." Lily made a little face at the idea, and David's smile grew. "Actually, you two would probably get on really well."

Lily gave a little snort of indignation. "Sure we would. If you ask me he sounds like a pompous, arrogant, bast . . . ."

"Hey Lil," Jack yelled from the middle of the crowd of boys. "Come here, I want you ta meet a friend a mine."

Lily sighed and slid out of the booth. David smiled an evil little smile at her and she glared back at him.

"You better get going," he said, "you have a new friend to meet."

Her glare grew. "You know, if I wasn't such a nice person, I would pummel you." Then she turned on her heal and walked into the crowd, with David's laughter trailing behind her.

Once she got into the middle of the room the boys parted a little to let her through. In the middle of all the chaos that was the restaurant stood Jack with another boy, who had his back to her. He wasn't very tall, in fact Jack could look at her over the other boy's head, but he was fairly muscular. He must have only been an inch taller than her, with sandy brown hair that fell to his jaw. He was dressed in a blue and white flannel shirt with red suspenders. At his waist hung a sling shot and a gold tipped cane.

He was so familiar, like someone she had known, but forgot. She was just trying to figure out where she had seen this boy before when Jack saw her and motioned for her to come closer.

"Spot, dis is our friend Lily, who . . ."

But lily didn't hear the rest of what Jack said. The boy, who could have been none other than Spot Conlon turned around and looked her straight in the eyes. Blue met blue and Lily gasped. Those eyes, it had been so long.

"Morgan?"

Ok then. A nice cliffhanger for you guys to think on. How did you like it? Please let me know, because I do love to read your reviews.

Sorry again for taking so long! Don't hate me please.

estrellalily