A little bell jingled as the door opened, and the man at the counter looked up. "Jacob," Jude Rosenberg said with a smile. "I didn't think you were coming."

"Sorry, Pop," Crutchy said with a sheepish smile. "We, uh... had a few things come up the past couple'a days. Had some stuff to take care of."

"Ah. Well, in any case, I'm glad you're here. Are you hungry?"

"No, thanks, Pop." He headed over to a table and sat down, rubbing at his right leg absently. The walk from Manhattan had been a long one, and with the winter coming on full-force, he found himself fully exhausted and aching a little bit.

"Well, how about a little coffee, then." Jude grabbed two cups, filled them, and came and sat down. "Your mother's coming in late today. She wanted to see Michael off to school."

"Oh. Um, okay." Crutchy sipped at his coffee. He was grateful for something hot to warm his hands.

"Michael's learning his Hebrew... do you remember Hebrew lessons at all, Jacob?"

"Well, yeah. Now an' then I catch a couple words on the street an' find myself talkin' back to 'em in Hebrew. Not so anybody can hear me though, 'cuz they'd prob'ly think I was crazy or somethin'."

Jude laughed, strong and hearty, the way Crutchy remembered so well. He missed his father, though if anyone suggested that, he'd probably beat them silly with his crutch. "So, Jacob, what is it you've been doing all this time?"

Crutchy shrugged. "Just... just bein' a newsie. Sellin' papes, an' I been livin' in Manhattan, at this lodging house."

"So you've got yourself a steady job."

"Steady enough." He drank more of his coffee.

"And how did you meet that friend of yours, Elise, was it?"

"Yeah." Crutchy sighed. "It's a long story, Pop, an' it ain't a happy one. I'd rather not get into it."

"Alright. But you stayed friends with her, courted her, though she's an unwed mother."

"Well, we newsies, we don't judge people. Not our place. 'Sides, it ain't like she got put in a family way by choice, if you know what I'm sayin'. An' I ain't courtin' her... I don't think, anyway."

Jude shook his head. "I'm sorry, Jacob." He took a sip of his coffee, watching his son over the rim of the cup. "Now, I'm wondering. Were you a part of that strike last summer?"

Crutchy sighed. "Pop, did you call me all the way out here to shoot the breeze, or did you actually have somethin' you needed to talk to me about?"

His father's face froze, staring at him for a moment. "I... well, your mother and I had a long talk after you came into the shop that day. We've been discussing it since, and we've finally come to a conclusion."

"Uh-huh." Crutchy finished his coffee, then sat and fiddled with the cup, anything to avoid making eye contact with his father.

"You see, Jacob, about a year after you left, your mother and I gave up hope that you were even alive, let alone that we'd see you again. But we never forgot about you, we never stopped loving you. We thought about you every day, missed you, every day. You left a big hole in our lives when you took off." Jude stopped and cleared his throat, took a drink; he was not a man to cry. "And then you walk into our shop one day, out of the blue, and you're alive and well, and..." He sighed. "Jacob, we want you to come home."

"Gee, Pop," Crutchy said, still staring into his empty cup. "I... I don't know. I kinda like my life, as it is." He looked up at his father. "I like bein' a newsie."

"Well, you can still sell newspapers... I was going to have you work here, in the shop, with me, but if that's what you'd rather... We're willing to make some adjustments. We just want our son back."

"I guess I can think about the whole job deal." He shrugged. "Look, Pop, I miss you guys. An' I want to come home, I guess. But I got a whole other life in Manhattan. Kind of a family. An' I got somebody that I... well, somebody that I don't wanna leave behind."

"Elise."

"What is it with you an' bringin' her up?"

"I can see it in your face." Jude sat back with a smile. "You're in love. And you're trying to hide it, but it's not working. Those of us who've been through it can see through you like a window."

Crutchy blushed. "Anyway, do you see what I'm sayin'? This is kinda turnin' my whole world upside down."

"I appreciate that," Jude said. "But you've done the same to us."

"Alright, well, look. Like I said, I wanna come home. But... I ain't comin' home unless you agree to a couple'a conditions."

Jude leaned forward, looking into his son's eyes. "I'm listening."

Walking from the Bronx straight to Brooklyn was not a good decision on Crutchy's part. He was so worn out by the time he got there that he had to stop and rest on the front stoop of the lodging house for a few minutes before going inside. He nodded at the caretaker, then headed up the stairs.

He knocked on Elise's door, wincing a little at the dull ache in his leg. This happened a lot, especially during the winter, and he knew it would go away soon, but it was still bothersome.

Elise opened the door with a smile, which faded when she saw Crutchy's face. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Crutchy walked into the room, sat down. "Oh, yeah. Just tired, I walked here from the Bronx without stoppin'."

"You saw your father."

"Well, I told you I would, didn't I?"

Elise smiled. "That you did."

"So how's Killian this afternoon?"

"Quiet. I just fed him, and I was putting him down for a nap. So he won't be much fun for a little while. Sorry."

"Oh, that's okay. I got somethin' I was wantin' to talk to you about, anyway."

"Alright." Elise tucked Killian into his little makeshift crib, then sat down on her bed, facing Crutchy. "It has to do with your talk with your father today, doesn't it?"

"Yeah. I talked to 'im for a long while today, an' it turns out, he and my ma do want me to come home."

"Oh, Crutchy." She smiled. "That's wonderful."

"I guess. I was thinkin'... maybe... maybe I'd do it."

"Really?"

"Yeah. That's what I tol' my pop, anyway. But I told 'im I would only move back home if we made a few... adjustments."

"Adjustments?"

"Well... you know how you was sayin', a few days ago, that you might love me?"

"Yes."

"An'... an' how yesterday, you said that you wanted Killian to have someone like me as a father?"

"Of course." Elise blushed a little bit, remembering everything.

"Well, what if he did? Have someone like me as a father... I mean, have me as a father." He sighed, looking into her eyes. "Do you think that'd be okay?"

"I... well... Crutchy, I'm not sure I follow where you're going with this."

"See, I... I told my pop that I'd only move back home if you an' Killian could come with me. He wants me to work in the shop with 'im, an' if I do that, it's half-mine someday. You an' me an' the baby, we could stay with my folks until we got on our feet. And I was thinkin', maybe someday, you and me could get married, and we'll run the deli and make a pretty good livin'... what do you think?"

Elise was staring, her jaw nearly on the floor. "Crutchy... I don't know what to say. Wow."

"I figure with Frankie and Kenny gone, you're safe here now. But I'll still protect you, and provide for ya, y'know, like a man should. And you'll have a place to live that you won't have ta pay for... I mean, you could still work if you wanted to, for Miz Green, but you could also have a job in my pop's deli... unless you just wanted to stay home and raise the baby. And I'll help you with that, too... Raisin' Killian, I mean."

"What... what about Penny?"

"You'll still see her, I mean, she's family an' all... we'll still see everybody. It's just that... well, you don't have to worry 'bout Penny. Skittery was tellin' me last night how he's got a plan for her. She'll be taken care of, just like you."

She stayed silent, just looking at Crutchy. She could tell he was being entirely honest. And what she'd said before, she'd meant: she did love him, and she did want him to be Killian's father. It was all just so much to stomach at once.

"So whattaya say?"

Elise was quiet for a few moments more, considering. After a pregnant pause, she nodded. "I say yes."