Title: Secrets Behind the Lies

Author: Stress

First written: June 27, 2002- March 19, 2004

Edited and replaced: May 16, 2006

Summary: Part II of the Soul Mates Series; After living in Manhattan for two years, Stress thought she knew everything about Jack Kelly or, should we say Francis Sullivan? Well, guess not.

--

Just Outside Tibby's

"Cupcake, what do you mean that Snyder's got Cowboy again?"

Stress stomped her foot in annoyance, startling both Boots and Crutchy who were still standing there. "We know that Jack left Tibby's a few minutes before we did, and look - he's gone now. And Boots here said that he saw a paddy wagon with Warden Snyder driving the horses. Y'know how long Jack has been hiding from Snyder, ever since the first time he snuck outta the Refuge when he was twelve."

King nodded. "I know. I was the one that found him hiding in that corner the first time he ever escaped. Snyder's been kicking himself ever since cause Jack was able to just walk outta the Refuge. I know that he was looking for him for awhile but I never thought he'd find him over here."

"It looks like he did, King. I think we better go to the Refuge and save Jack." And, without even waiting for King's answer, Stress ran from outside of Tibby's, heading straight towards the Refuge.

"Crutchy, Boots. I'll see you'se two over at the lodging house later. Right now I gotta make sure that the Cupcake don't do nothing crazy."

"See you, King." Crutchy answered as Boots nodded. King waved to them and took off to follow Stress through the crowded streets of New York. "'Excuse me sir, excuse me, outta the way, pardon me... Cupcake, wait for me!"

But Stress didn't slow her pace until she crossed the city and found herself staring at the gates of the Refuge. She paused for a second staring inside the gates, giving King the chance to rush up beside her, panting heavily. "What a run," he exclaimed.

Stress ignored his comment. "Do you think he's inside?"

"I dunno, Cupcake. But just so we don't get caught, let's wait over in this side alley until it gets dark, k?" King grabbed her gently by the elbow and steered her over the the small alley to the left of the gates. Surprisingly she gave no resistance and leaned against the wall of the alley.

King followed her in and sat down, able to think over the day's events so far. Not only did he have Jack's capture to worry about but he still had to explain everything to Gip. In the excitement of dodging through the crowds of New York to find Jack, he had plum forgot all about Suzette's letter and Gypsy's dash out of Tibby's. Thinking of his girlfriend, and the kind of greeting he would receive when he saw he after he and Stress would rescue Jack, he murmured her name aloud. "Gip..."

Stress, who had been doing some thinking of her own, looked up when she heard him speak out loud. "Did you say something, King?"

"No..."

"I reckon I heard you say the name of Gip over there."

"No..." King said again, this time a crimson blush staining his cheeks.

"Oh, yes you did. I caught you!" Stress smiled in his direction as she playfully wagged her finger in his face.

King waved Stress' finger out of his face. "So what, you caught me."

Stress opened her mouth to retort but paused and cocked her head to the side. She then took a step outside of the alley and looked around for a moment before returning. "I thought I heard a wagon coming by."

King nodded and ducked his head into his arms, obviously thinking that Stress was going to drop what they had been discussing.

He was wrong.

Stress reached up and tapped King on his shoulder. When he lifted his head from his arms, she winked. "So, you want to tell me about Gip? I mean, we have a li'l bit of time 'til we can get Jack outta the Refuge so I'm all ears if you want to chat."

King sighed. What harm could it do? I leave in three days, anway. "Well, I guess I should tell someone since I'm going to need someone to hold Gip back when I see her later on. She's probably so angry at me right now."

"What did you do to her, King?"

"Nothing really, it's just that I've been too afraid to tell her that I'm leaving New York in three days. I knew it would get her all upset and angry, so I just 'forgot' to tell her these past few days."

"So, it is true that you'se leaving then? But why would she get so angry?"

"Y'see, me and Gip, we're kinda a couple."

"What!" Stress shrieked, a large grin coming to her face. "For how long, King?"

"About six months or so now."

"And you didn't tell no one? But it really does explain a lot. No wonder Gip got so angry and ran outta Tibby's today. But why are you leaving?"

"I got a letter from me sister, Suzette. She told me that me mother over in Connecticut is dying and they need me home. I figure that I can go home and maybe get a real job. I mean, I can't be a newsie forever, eh? And then once I get a lot of money, I'm going to come back here and get Gip to marry me. But I doubt Gip is going to ever talk to me again, let alone ever want to marry me, now. Ya saw the way she reacted when she overheard you and Cowboy talking about me leaving in Tibby's earlier today." King groaned out loud and laid his head down again. "And now I'm letting her run around the city by herself. God, I'm such an idiot!"

Stress patted him arm as she tried to whisper soothingly to him. "I'm sorry, King. I can't believe I never noticed what was going on between you and Gip. Six months, damn. And you say that your an idiot. Look at me!"

"that's O.K., Cupcake. She made me swear never to tell no one. I ju--" King's sentence was cut off suddenly when Stress peeked her head outside of the alley again, just in time to see a paddy wagon entering the gates of the Refuge. "King, I think our pal just arrived," she observed quietly before sneaking out of the alley to see if she could see who was inside the wagon.

Making sure that they weren't seen, King and Stress watched as the warden and another police officer exited the front of the carriage and walked to the back to let out the newest residents of the Refuge. Once the police officer opened the back of the wagon, five young orphans exited -- four girls and one boy. The police officer began to herd them inside but as Jack passed, Snyder grabbed him by the ends of his red bandana. "So, Francis Sullivan. We meet again. How's my favorite orphan?"

Jack jerked away from Snyder. "Lay off of me, Snyder."

Snyder ignored his comment and sneered. "Oh, that's right. You need both of your parents dead before you are a real orphan. I guess you don't count since your father is still alive even if he is in the penitentiary for the crime of killing your dear whore of a mother."

Jack recoiled and moved forward quickly as if he was going to strike the warden, but the police officer that had been lurking around, waiting to lead Jack inside, rushed forward and pulled him away. "Watch it, boy. You need to treat the warden with some respect."

Warden Snyder laughed. "That's alright, Officer. Just throw him in the solitary cell that's two doors down from my office. I think young Francis here needs some alone time to cool off."

Jack shot Snyder a hateful look before being led inside the Refuge. I'll be here two days, tops, before I found a way outta this hell-hole, he promised himself.

Meanwhile, Stress and King just stared at each other after watching Snyder's and Jack's exchange. "King?" Stress whispered without any emotion as she took a step forward and leaned against the gates of the Refuge.

"Yeah, Cupcake?"

"Did you know?"

"No, Cupcake. Did you know?"

"No, King."

"What are we going to do?"

Stress shook her head and set her face into a straight line. "Once it gets dark, I'm going to go in there and I'm going to get Cowboy outta there. Then I'm going to find out exactly what Snyder was flapping his gums about." She walked back into the alley that she and King had been talking in before and plopped herself down.

King stared at her for a moment, glad that he wasn't Cowboy. He, too, knew she was mad when she referred to him using his nickname. She was one of the only people who used his real name instead of his newsies nickname . "But, then again, Jack ain't his real name, now, is it?" King muttered before sitting down next to Stress. "Jeez, first Gip, now this. In a way, I'm kinda glad that I'm leaving in three days."