I know it's been a little while since I last updated but I will try to make up for it. Certain things have been brought to my attention such as clothing, et cetera, that have bothered a couple of people. If that was you also, I apologize. I didn't realize it was affecting ya'll that much. I will try to do better and be more consistent with the times from now on. Well, hope ya'll enjoy!! R&R

Chapter 10: The Interview

"Jack?" I looked directly into his face as the wind blew his dirty blonde hair perfectly in front of his intense, hazel eyes.

"Yeah Liz?" His face was so sincere; his expression so honest in the moonlight.

"I know you've got a thousand questions for me. And I don't want to make you wait too long. I think I'm ready to talk about it with you."

"Are you sure? You don't have to tell me. Ya know dat don't ya?"

"Just ask me what you've been wanting to ask me. But do it quick and painless." I gave a slight smile at his caring and concerned look, and urged him to continue.

"Where's Michael?"

"Dead."

He paused for a moment in shock but then remembered quick and painless and continued. "Who gave you those bruises?"

"Nicholas and my father."

"Did Nicholas try anything with you?"

"Yes."

"Does Michael know dat he did things ta you at an earliah time in ya life?" His expression was the most serious I'd ever seen.

I was stunned. He knew what happened. I assumed he'd picked up that Nicholas made me uncomfortable but I didn't think he'd understand why. "How do you know what happened?"

"He told me you guys used to have wild days. He's biggah and oldah than you and had the perfect oppatunities while spending the night with ya brudda. And I felt the same feah and tenseness in ya as ya had after that boy tried ta hoit you dat night. Ya expressions mirrored each odda perfectly. You were jumpy when ya didn't know it was me and he was still around. Everything speaks fa itself."

My head fell from its previously high held position. Shame overwhelmed my entire being.

Jack placed his hand beneath my chin and lifted it so that I would face him. "It is not you'ah fault that Nicholas was a poiv. I know you. There's no way you sent out signals tellin' him what he was doin' was ok. It's his fault. He's a bad guy. Please believe me Liz. It wasn't you'ah fault." His eyes were glazed and his mouth in a frown.

"What's your next question?" I asked, hoping to continue the interview before I lost will to share.

"How many times?"

"How many times what?" I became confused. There were too many things he could be referring.

Jack hung his head and sighed, obviously saddened by everything he'd heard so far, but then continued. "How many times did Nick do dis to ya?"

"Every night he was over. So about.. two, sometimes three in the summer, times a week … for about one to two years."

Jack's face was then shown to have a look of amazement, anger, jealousy, sadness, and pretty much every other feeling combined. "Liz, did you ever think to tell anyone he was doing dis to ya?"

"He was my brother's best friend. I couldn't stand to see him hurt like that. So I just took it. I'd put myself behind a brick wall in my mind, so that I wasn't mentally there, just physically." I paused as memory flashes, of the times before I'd learned and taught myself to block out sounds and feelings, came rushing into my mind all at one time. "Short and sweet, Jack. Remember?"

He nodded and then continued. "Who killed Michael?"

"My father."

"Where is he now?"

"Which one?"

"Both."

"I don't know where my father is. He took off after the whole incident. Michael's in Alabama. His funeral is next week. The police told me it wouldn't be wise to come back for a while, but I won't miss my own brother's funeral. It's just not happening."

"Can or do you want me ta go wid ya?"

"Yes."

"I'll.." Jack stopped when he heard commotion downstairs. He opened the window of the fire escape to ask what was going on.

"I dunno. There's some guy downstairs yellin' an' screamin' about where Liz is. But don't worry. We'ah on it."

"It's him. He found me. How did he find me?" I said to myself, beginning to panic.

"Is it you'ah fadda?"

I simply nodded. "He'll kill me Jack. He will."

Jack calmly walked into the room and told me to stay outside with the window closed that way if something happened I could leave.

I stayed, as he'd instructed, but left the window cracked so that I could hear.

Jack walked into the room with power radiating from him. "Open the door."

Sure enough, my father stumbled into the room, enraged and ready to swing. "Where the hell is she?! I know she's here. This place she loves so much. What a dump." He spit on the floor and then looked Jack square in the face. "I imagine you're the leader. Which means you're either her boyfriend or just someone for her to screw, because she likes men of power and wealth. I guess she had to choose one or the other with you. What a waste," my father said, a look of disgust across his face and wickedness in his snarl.

"You have no idea what you'ah talkin' about you basta'd. You've mistreated 'er for the last damn time. You won't touch 'er again."

My father came extremely close to Jack. "You gonna stop me boy?"

"Sure am."

With that gesture of defiance, my father flung his fist into what he thought was Jack's face, only to find that the hard thing he was hitting was not the eye of Jack but the solid wood column behind him as Jack ducked the shot. He slammed his entire body into my father's stomach pushing him backwards and hard into the wall causing my father to fall to the ground from lack of air. Jack raised his fist as he grabbed my father's collar, bringing his face closer. He then released him and said, "You're not worth it. But if you ever come near her again, I swear I, and every newsie in New York that cares about her and more will be on your ass as quick as it takes for you to blink." With that Jack stood and walked away. "Get him outta heah and make suah he nevah comes back," Jack said to Race and Spot as he walked back towards me on the fire-escape.

"Thank you." I whispered. I was shaking as he took me in his arms and kissed the top of my head. "But he could've killed you had he was drunk."

"Well, that's a risk I'll take any day for you. Because you're worth the loss of life, and much more." He leaned down and kissed me passionately.

I returned the kiss, happy he'd shown my father out. As he pulled away, he whispered into the slight space between our lips, "Drunk or not, I could knock his block off."

There was the Jack I knew, standing with his arms around me as rain began to fall. Proud and cocky. Confident as ever and handsome because of his heroism that exuded from him. "Sure cowboy." I smirked and simply continued to kiss the boy, no, the man I loved. We knew everything was at peace for the moment and that's all that mattered. All that mattered was kisses in the rain.

Fin