I don't own newsies, though my characters want to...

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Carey collapsed on the couch in the common room and pulled off her glasses to rub her aching eyes. "It's no use, it will never work!" she moaned. It was depressing; they'd been working for almost a whole month and hadn't gotten anywhere, and she could tell that the other researchers were beginning to get a little tired of it all.

Carey had been trying to focus her research based off of Stephen Hawkins's ideas, but they were having little results. So much of it was theoretical, impossible to prove. And even if you did figure out a way to prove it, it would probably take equipment that only a government already in debt could afford to pay for. And she seriously doubted any government would fun a kid's research, though she was almost to the point of considering it. Actually, she was almost to the point of pointing an add in the paper for teleporters and hoping someone would turn up that actually had the skill.

"I don't know what to do Maggy," she looked at her friend, but Maggy was asleep, her head on Tori's shoulder.

Tori gave her a weak smile, "Don't give up yet Carey. Lara was really excited about something earlier, and so was John, I'm sure we're getting somewhere."

Care frowned in frustration, fatigue forgotten for a moment as leaned forward, deep in thought. The T.V screen blinked idly at her, the carton characters distracting. It was some stupid show with plush toys running around be-bopping each other on the head like little Bunny Foo Foo. Or was that the White Rabbit? She'd never been able to remember all differences between those things. For heaven's sake, there was Foo Foo, Peter Rabbit, Peter Cottontail, the White Rabbit, the Velveteen Rabbit, Benjamin Bunny or Bunny Benjamin or something… and might as well include the Easter Bunny while you were at it. What was so great about rabbits anyways? They…

"Hey, I was watching that!" Tori said in annoyance as the screen went fuzzy.

Carey banged on the old box with a frown, "You got any tinfoil, Tori?" She'd seen her unwrap a cold pizza and microwave it earlier.

"Yeah, here." Tori held out the tinfoil, and Carey came to take it so as not to disturb the sleeping Maggy. "Since we get satellite, we can use this to pick up a batter signal, if we arrange it to connect here, contrary to popular belief that…" She paused, letting the tinfoil drop out of her hand.

"What?" Tori asked in confusion, "I don't think it will work better with the tinfoil on the floor, no matter what you say Carey."

But Carey ignored her. "Tori! I have it! I have it!" she seized the other girl's hands, and looked at her fiercely, expecting some note on congratulations.

"Umm… my hands?" Tori tried to disentangle herself from Carey's grasp, "Look, Carey, I think you need some sleep."

"No, listen!" Carey knelt in front of her friend, feeling happier than she had in weeks.

"I've got this idea…" she took a deep breath, "I know it sounds crazy, but what if we actually hooked the T.V up to our experiments, and used a metal conductor…"

"I see where you're going," Tori said thoughtfully, "But it'll take some experimenting. It may not actually work, or if it does, it could come out deformed."

Carey nodded, gulping as she thought of her beloved Newsies with twisted legs and melting bones… , "Crutchy might benefit though," she said with a laugh, "'Cause if they become deformed, why shouldn't he become reformed?"

Tori chuckled, "And what if his leg just ends up on his head?"

"Good point. We'll have to test it out with some safe movie…" Her eyes flicked to the television screen, where the show had returned while they'd been talking. "You wouldn't happen to have a copy of Alice in Wonderland, would you?" She'd love to see a deformed bunny. Just once. It'd make her feel better about all the nightmares the White Rabbit used to give her when she was little.

Tori smirked, "No, but I know someone who does."

"I can't believe we're doing this!" Maggy hissed, covering as much of the beam of light from he flashlight as she could.

"Desperate times call for desperate measures," Carey told her friend firmly.

Maggy rolled her eyes, "Carey, I feel that it is my duty as your best friend and roommate to inform you when you have gone overboard. And believe me, you have gone way past overboard. You are so overboard you've fallen off the edge of the world."

"There is no edge of the world, Maggy," Tori said placidly as they tiptoed up the stairs.

"If there was, she'd be off it," Maggy said, giving Carey an icy glare. But Carey didn't notice, for she was too focused on her goal: the fourth floor door to the boys' dormitory.

"I can't believe we're meeting your boyfriend," Maggy muttered again, under her breath.

"He's not my boyfriend," Tori said, "He's my boyfriends' friend."

"I honestly didn't even know you had a boyfriend until tonight," Carey said as they reached the fourth floor.

"Well, you know, I never thought of it as a huge deal," Tori's eyes slid over to Maggy, who glared back. It wasn't a huge deal; she just was feeling peeved at being forced to stay up late yet again.

"Racetrack better be really, and I mean really worth this."

"He will be," Carey assured her with a grin. It had taken awhile to persuade Maggy that they had to have the movie tonight; it was possible with the high concentration of electromagnetic particles in the air that tonight would be the best night for them to attempt some experiments. The particles were moving at a furious pace, causing a lot of sky lightening and intensifying the sensitivity of electric instruments. It wouldn't be this good again for another two weeks, and they had been hoping to have some results by then. And even though she was complaining now, Carey knew Maggy would be worse if she thought she'd been left behind.

"Is he here?" Carey asked anxiously, shifting from toe to toe. They'd called him earlier, and he'd told them to meet him here, but she was beginning to wonder if it was all a big prank or something. But just then the door opened, and a sleepy-looking boy stepped though. But it wasn't any sleepy-looking boy-it was a gorgeous sleepy-head. His blonde hair was tousled, and his blue eyes were warm and lazy, as if he wasn't fully awake. And what was more… he was only wearing boxers. And he definitely looked good in boxers.

She gasped as the door caught her in the side, and involuntarily stepped back. "Oh, sorry, I'm clumsy," his warm voice poured over as he gripped her elbow, steadying her. She wanted to melt and tell him he could hit her with doors all he wanted, but at least her mouth was behaving sensibly, "Oh, no, that's fine," she murmured, floating on air. She was suddenly glad she'd left her glasses in the common room.

"Good," he smiled, then looked at Tori. "Here it is," he said, holding the tape out to her with a sheepish smile. "I'm curious as to why you want it, but, you know, none of my business," he said with a shrug.

"Research," Carey managed to gasp out. "Oh, figures. Cool," he winked at her, then went back into the dormitory.

"Breathe," Tori commanded Carey, staring at her eyes, "Josh is a knock-out, but I don't think he intends to be one literally."

They started walking down the steps, and Maggy turned to Carey, smirking slightly, "Still want those newsies?" she asked.

Before Carey could respond, Tori looked at her slyly, "Umm, Carey, did I mention he's gay?"

Carey opened and closed her mouth, than looked at Maggy, "Definitely."