I do not own Newsies or any of the Newsies characters. To the best of my knowledge they are owned by Disney.

I am making no money from this story.

SLASH Jack/David Jack/Oscar.

A/N: This story was written for Lady of Tir Na Nog in honor of her birthday. I hope that I did justice to her character choices.

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Chapter Two - Curiosity Killed the Cat

Jack wondered how long he'd been trapped in the basement of the printing office. It seemed like days, but it couldn't have been more than two hours. This was one of the few times he regretted not having a watch. After a long and unsatisfying yawn, he sneaked behind a stack of empty crates and peeked over the top to see what Oscar was up to.

He watched as Oscar went through the contents of the cigar box. Piled neatly at his side were a stack of dollar bills, a few silver dollars, and some loose change. Oscar took a piece of jewelry from the box and held it up to the light.

Jack climbed onto an empty barrel to get a better view. He craned his neck, and stretched out as far as he could, and then the crates and Jack tumbled to the floor.

Oscar quickly scooped up the treasures and shoved them back into the box. "Curiosity killed the cat, Cowboy, and you could be next," he hissed.

"I knew you were up to no-good!" Jack shouted self-righteously. "What've you been doin'? Robbin' people's houses or somethin'?"

"I never stole anything in my life!"

"I thought I knew you better than that, Oscar. You're nothin' but a liar and a chiseler!"

"You don't know shit! You're the one who's a liar and a chiseler. I wonder what Davey-boy would think if he knew about the real Jack Kelly."

"I told you to keep your mouth shut about Dave. He knows me better than anybody. And he'd never do somethin' rotten like break into someone's house and steal their stuff. You're a no-good bum, Oscar! You're just like your old man!"

Jack never saw the punch coming. The smaller boy stood over him as though he were a giant. "I ain't nothing like my old man! And if you ever say that again so help me, Cowboy, I'll kill you!"

Jack's head was spinning as he pulled himself from the floor. He had to grab hold of the wall to keep his balance. He'd forgotten how hard Oscar could punch when provoked.

"Well, if you didn't steel that stuff then why are you hidin' it down here? I saw that earring, pal. Don't try to tell me it belongs to you."

"It does belong to me!" Oscar spat. "It was my ma's. Morris and the old man sold everything else she had. She must've hid that earring real good because I didn't come across it until two months after she was gone."

Jack looked down at the floor and began shuffling his feet. "I was real sorry to hear about your ma."

"Save it, Kelly. It's a little late for that now, don't you think?"

A slight pain gripped Jack's chest. He knew that Oscar was right. It was too late.

"Well, what about the money, Oscar? Don't tell me that belonged to your ma, and your saving it for sentimental reasons."

"This is my money, Kelly! I earned it, I saved it, and I hide it down here so Morris can't get his hands on it."

"Bullshit! You coulda hid that money and one tiny little earring at your place without Morris findin' out. There's somethin' else in that box that you ain't tellin' me about!"

Jack planted his feet firmly and pulled his fingers into tight fists. "You're either gonna tell me what's in that box, or I'm gonna make you tell me. It's your choice!"

Oscar leaned his face so close to Jack's that the hair on Jack's neck began to prickle.

"Do you wanna know what's in this box, Kelly? . . . Seriously. . . . Do you really want to know? . . . Well, it's me, you stupid bastard! I'm in this box!"

"What the hell are you talkin' about?" Jack grumbled as he slowly changed his stance to put some distance between Oscar and himself.

"Everything I own is in this box. I got my ma's picture and that one gold earring of hers. I've got my gramp's broken eyeglasses and a pile of useless crap that isn't worth shit, but it means everything to me. I keep it down here because Morris would sell off anything he could get a dime for, and then he'd kick the crap out me for wanting to keep this stuff."

"You mean that's a memory box?" Jack smirked. "Davey's sister Sarah's got one. She keeps junk in it like the ribbon she won in sewing class and a rotten old corsage that Snoddy gave her on her birthday."

"This ain't that kind of stuff, Cowboy!"

"Damn, Oscar," Jack laughed. "You're such a girl."

"You don't get it, do you Jack? This is all I have left to remind me of what it used to be like. Do you remember, Jack? . . . Do you remember them at all? They were like your family too. But that was before you found a new family. . . A better family with a sister, and a little brother, and a father that doesn't get drunk and beat the crap outa Davey-boy every chance he gets!"

"That ain't fair, Oscar. You know that I wasn't friends with you because of your family."

"Friends? That's what you call what we were? Friends?"

Jack didn't answer. He couldn't answer. He turned away from Oscar and went to the other side of the room and curled up in the corner. He tried to sleep but Oscar's words kept repeating in his mind.

He did remember.

End Chapter 2

Thanks for reading. Your reviews will be greatly appreciated.

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A/N: When I was copying chapter one for posting, I deleted the rest of the story. That's right folks. I deleted everything. I've spent the last four days (and counting) trying to recreate this story. . . . . Just thought I'd share that with you.