Elise and Crutchy trudged up the steps to an unfamiliar door. Between the two of them, they managed to drag Killian's carriage up as well, but it was no easy task. Breathless, Crutchy knocked.

A woman with Crutchy's face and dark brown hair opened the door. She smiled wide, her eyes a little teary. "Jacob," she sighed, dabbing at her eyes with a corner of her apron. "You came." She turned to Elise and smiled. "And you must be Elise. I'm Doris. It's good to meet you." Her eyes wandered to the baby carriage. "And who's this?"

Elise beamed with pride. "This is my son, Killian."

Crutchy's mother blinked, looked down at Elise's hand. Then she looked at Crutchy, obviously not knowing what to think.

"No, Ma. Killian ain't mine." He looked at Elise, then back at his mother. "It's... it's a long story."

Mrs. Rosenberg nodded, then opened the door to let them in. As they walked into the apartment, Crutchy looked around in disbelief. Everything was so familiar, in a distant way, but still seemed so new. His father stepped out of a bedroom, grinning.

"You're here."

Crutchy shrugged. "So I am." And his father pulled him into a strong hug, which Crutchy reluctantly returned. Elise looked on contentedly.

A small boy teetered out of the bedroom behind his father, the spitting image of Crutchy. "Papa, who's this?"

Mr. Rosenberg grinned at the child. "This is your brother, Jacob." He put a hand on the boy's head. "This is Michael."

"Michael," Crutchy repeated, barely above a whisper, staring at the little boy. He remembered him so well, but this little boy had no idea who he was. Could never quite understand. Crutchy straightened, then turned to Elise. "Pop, this is my friend Elise. Um, and that's her son, Killian."

His father blinked for a moment, then looked at Crutchy, who shook his head and rolled his eyes. Mr. Rosenberg then stepped to Elise, wrapping her in a hug. "It's good to meet you, Elise. I'm Jude." He leaned down to inspect a very curious Killian, and smiled. "That's one handsome little boy you've got."

Elise blushed. "Thank you. It's good to meet you too, sir... Jude."

Jude grinned. "That accent of yours, that's what, England?"

"Ireland. Dublin, to be exact."

"Ah. Well, I hope you like it here. Found yourself a fine Irish lass, did you, Jacob?"

Crutchy blushed.

Doris peeked into the kitchen. "Well, is everyone hungry? Dinner's ready."

"I am," Crutchy replied, offering his arm to Elise and leading her to the table.

After dinner, Elise and Crutchy stood at the door, saying their goodbyes. Elise shook hands, smiling. "That was delicious," she told Doris. "Thank you."

"Oh, anytime, sweetheart," Mrs. Rosenberg replied. "Come back whenever you feel like it, and bring that baby."

Elise smiled and nodded.

"Jacob," Mr. Rosenberg said once Doris had finished tearfully kissing and hugging Crutchy goodbye, "come by the deli sometime this week. I have something I'd like to talk to you about."

"Okay, Pop," Crutchy said with a nod. "Um... I'll see you guys later." He ruffled Michael's hair and looked at him a bit sadly, and then he, Elise, and Killian were on their way.

"You have a very nice family, Crutchy," Elise said as they walked down the street. "You come from good stock."

"Yeah." Crutchy focused on the bumpy road, as though he were worried he would fall.

"They seem to genuinely love you."

"I guess."

"Are you alright?"

"Just... confused, I s'pose. It's nothin', really."

"What are you confused about?"

"Lotsa things." Crutchy sighed. "I mean... I left my family. Just... left 'em, no lookin' back, didn't say a word to 'em. But here they are, welcomin' me back with open arms. It's weird."

"You're their son, Crutchy. They love you. Of course they'd welcome you back."

"What if they ask me to come home?"

Elise shrugged, pulling her thin jacket around herself. "What if they do?"

"I like bein' a newsie."

"Well, who says you can't still be a newsie? David lives at home with his family, and he sells newspapers."

"And say I do go home. How do I explain myself to Michael?"

"I'm afraid I can't help you with that one."

They walked in silence for several minutes, until they were almost to the lodging house in Brooklyn. "Elise, I'm confused about you, too."

"What about me is confusing?" Elise bit her lip, looking at Crutchy in the fading daylight.

"Well, about how you kissed me that one day. An' how it made me feel. Not normal... like I wanted more. Like I wanted you."

"Crutchy," Elise sighed. "I kissed you because I needed to. Because I've been dealing with these feelings for you for a very long time and I couldn't stand it anymore." She blushed, visible even in the twilight. "I'm sorry. It was forward."

"No... it was good." Crutchy stopped at the front steps of the lodging house. "But... what do you mean, 'feelings'?"

"I..." Elise looked at the ground, shuffling her feet. "Um. I... kind of, a little bit... I think I might love you."

Crutchy's face lit up as bright as the light in the window. "Wow," he said, barely able to breathe. He stood a while, unable to move. He looked up at her, finally capable of coherent speech. "Shit, Elise. I've loved you since the day I met you."

Their lips met again, soft, sweet. To an outsider's eyes, they looked quite the odd couple: a cripple and a young, unmarried mother. But between the two of them, there wasn't a care in the world.

Two pairs of eyes watched this odd couple from a across the street, but this time when they parted, the eyes did not follow. They stayed in place. And waited.