A/N: Hey everyone - I'm so sorry about the recent lack of updates. Have been traveling, but I'm in the same place for a few days, so I should be able to get a handful of chapters out to y'all. Thank you all for the kind reviews and feedback. The further I go into this story the more I realize I wish I had completed it in full before posting, as there are several things that I would have changed in the earlier chapters. But, it is what it is. Maybe one day... :-)


July 22, 1899

Day 2 of the strike

The next morning, Charlotte walked downtown to The World building. Newsies were all over the place - some holding signs, others forming a line to block wagons from going out and scabs from going in.

She scanned the crowd, looking for David,.

"Well, hey there, doll," said a newsie, sidling up to her.

"Hi," Charlotte smiled politely.

"What's a pretty girl like you doin' down here?" he gave her a winning smile.

Charlotte chuckled lightly, seeing that he was flirting with her. "I'm actually looking for someone. David Jacobs?"

"The new kid? He's over there talking to Jack."

"Thanks," said Charlotte. She weaved through the crowd until she got to David, who were standing talking to another newsie.

"David," she smiled.

"Charlotte!" David's face lit up. "You came!"

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

"Who's this?" Jack asked, grinning.

"Oh, sorry," said David. "Charlotte, this is Jack Kelly. He is…well, was…our selling partner. Now he's leading this strike."

Charlotte nodded and smiled at Jack. "It's nice to meet you, Jack."

"Jack, this is my best friend, Charlotte Fuller."

Charlotte turned back to David. "Just a heads up, George and his gang have been asking about you."

David sighed. "They don't know, do they?"

Charlotte shook her head. "Don't worry. They won't find out."

"They give you a hard time?" David asked.

Charlotte just shrugged. "Nothin' I can't handle."

"Who's this?" Jack asked.

"Just some bullies at school," Charlotte shrugged.

"Anyone we should soak?" asked Jack.

"What? No!" said David, though Charlotte was more hesitant in her reaction.

"It might not be the worst thing in the world for them to get what's coming to them…" said Charlotte.

"No. No one is soaking anyone," said David. "You got suspended once for trying to punch Pete. I'm not going to risk anyone getting sent to the Refuge on account of us."

"You got yourself a feisty girl, eh, David?" Jack chuckled, lightly punching David in the shoulder.

"She's not my girl," David said.

"Where's Les?" asked Charlotte.

David pointed toward the Horace Greeley statue. "Over there, playing with Snipeshooter."

Charlotte looked over and saw Les and a boy fighting with wooden swords on the base of the statue. Another boy was standing on Horace Greeley's lap, holding a "STRIKE!" sign.

David sighed. "I told him not to play on that thing…LES!"

Les turned at the sound of his name at the exact moment the other boy lunged. Les lost his balance and fell off the statue.

"LES!" David yelled and ran through the street towards his fallen brother. Charlotte and Jack were hot on his heels.

When they arrived, Les was on his back, breathing erratically.

"Les!" Snipeshooter hopped off the statue. "I'm so sorry!"

"Les!" David said, reaching his side. "Are you okay? Can you move?"

Les nodded and continued to hyperventilate, having the wind knocked out of him. He tried to sit up, tears leaking out of the side of his eyes.

"It's okay, Les," said Charlotte. "Just take it easy. Deep breaths."

"Can't….breathe…" said Les.

"When you take a breath, try to hold it in," said Charlotte, "then try to slowly blow it out."

"Is he going to be okay?" asked Snipeshooter.

"He just got the wind knocked out of him. He'll be okay. You can move your legs, right Les?"

Les nodded.

"Les, I'm so sorry…"

"You need to be careful! If I bring you home injured, Mama isn't going to let us do this, and we can't afford more doctor bills." David stood and turned to Snipeshooter. "You shouldn't be sword-fighting on the statue in the first place."

"David," said Charlotte. "It was an accident."

Les tried to get up and Charlotte put her arm around his middle and helped him up. He was breathing normally with an occasional gasp.

Snipeshooter walked over to Tumbler, who was still catching his breath, and doing everything he could not to cry. He clenched his teeth and dug the palms of his hands into his eyes.

"It's okay, buddy," Snipeshooter said, putting his arm around Tumbler.

David sighed and ran his hands through his hair.

"David, they're all okay," said Charlotte. She turned back to Les. "Why don't you take it easy for a bit? No more sword play for now."

Snipeshooter nodded. "Come on. Let's go paint a sign."

Les and Snipeshooter walked off.

"Maybe this wasn't such a great idea," David mumbled.

"Of course it was," said Charlotte.

David shook his head. "It's just us, Charlotte," he said. "No other newsies are joining us." He looked at Jack. "Any word from Brooklyn?"

Jack shook his head.

David sighed. "What are we gonna do, then?"

"We're gonna keep strikin'," said Jack. "And we got a secret weapon."

"We do?" David furrowed his brow.

Jack scanned the crowd of newsies until he saw who he was looking for.

"Aide!" he called.

Charlotte followed his gaze until she saw a girl snap her head in Jack's direction. She said something to the newsie she was standing next to and walked over.

"Hey Jack," she said. She glanced over at David and Charlotte.

Jack jerked his head, indicating her to follow. Adelaide followed Jack a few feet off to the side.

"I need you to go to Brooklyn," he said. "I need you to convince Spot to join the strike."

Adelaide rolled her eyes. "What makes you think he'll listen to what I got to say?"

"Course he will," said Jack. "You and him are close."

"Not as close as you think."

"Closer than anyone else here."

Adelaide raised an eyebrow.

"That's what the word on the street is. Spot trusts you - he takes your advice."

"I wouldn't take much of what you hear on the street at face value," said Adelaide.

"Please, Aide," said Jack. "If Brooklyn don't stand with us, no one will. And if no one stands, our strike will fail and we'll all keep getting poorer while ol' Joe keeps getting richer."

Adelaide sighed. "I'll go to Brooklyn, but I can't promise anything. Don't know how much good it will do."

"Thanks, Aide," Jack grinned.


"Who was that?" Charlotte asked when Jack rejoined her and David.

"Hopefully, that's the person who will convince Spot Conlon, and hopefully the rest of New York, to join the strike."

Charlotte watched the girl talk to a newsie and give him a quick kiss before she left the group, heading toward the Brooklyn Bridge.