I do not own Newsies. Disney owns Newsies. Disney owns almost everything.

I do not own the character Saiorse "Irish" Callan. She is owned by her creator Lady of Tir Na Nog, who has graciously offered the use of "Irish" as a character in this story.

I am making no money from this story, so my chances of purchasing any of the above are slim to none.

Rated M for Slash, Sexual Situations, and Adult Language.
Beta credit for this chapter goes to the amazingly talented (and part time super hero) pennylayne. In addition to fighting injustice, she uses her Wonder Twins powers to battle the evil forces of grammar and banish them from my stories. You can read her stories here at Fan Fiction and at The Refuge. You can also view her work with Frisky Wallabee at the Wonder Twins LJ.
Chapter 23 – E-mail v/s The World

Irish straightened her appearance as Skittery blasted Spot for barging in on them.

"Whatever's going on out there had better be worth risking your life," Skittery growled.

"It's E-mail, Skittery. He's high."

"So what else is new?"

"This time it's different, Skitts. He's good and high. You need to get out here now!"

Skittery knew that Spot didn't exaggerate. He also knew that given Spot's experience with addicts, he couldn't just ignore this. He'd at
least better go out to take a look.

"Okay, I'll be out in a minute," Skittery said, nodding for Spot to leave the room.

"Sorry Irish," Spot said, glancing in her direction and then slipping out the door.

Irish looked mortified when Skittery turned back to her. He almost wished that he hadn't put her in such an embarrassing situation. Almost. He'd never felt such an attraction to anyone. "I'm sorry that happened," Skittery said, putting his hands on either side of her face and kissing her forehead.

"Don't worry about it," Irish smiled, trying to look as though being caught with her dress hiked up was not the most embarrassing thing
that had ever happened.

"I'll be back in a couple of minutes," Skittery smiled. He started to leave, but noticed Irish glance quickly below his waist then away again.

When he looked down, Skittery saw the unmistakable bulge in his jeans. He was fully aware that his jeans had become pleasantly uncomfortable, but he didn't realize it was that noticeable. "Is it obvious?" he asked, hoping that it only looked that way from his angle.

Irish couldn't answer. Her face was crimson, and she was now more embarrassed that she'd ever thought possible.

"I'll take that as a yes," Skittery said, rushing to the clothes dryer. He opened the machine's door and rummaged through the mass of clothing until he found an old football jersey. He pulled it on over his shirt and stretched it down as far as it would go. "Camouflage." Skittery grinned widely, wiggling his eyebrows. "Don't go away," he said, giving her a quick kiss on the cheek. "We haven't finished our discussion yet."

When Skittery went out the door, Irish slumped against the workbench. If it were possible to actually die from embarrassment, she would have keeled over right there. She knew it was only her imagination, but somehow in the back of her mind, Irish was convinced that this was all a plot made up by Sister Mary to punish her for walking head-on into temptation.

Everything seemed normal as Skittery glanced around the room. Itey and Reggie were enjoying a slow dance in the corner. David and Sarah were sitting quietly and trying to look interested as Jack and Pie talked about sports. Tony was making out with Chris while watching Itey and Reggie over Chris's shoulder. And Mush was sitting in the corner sulking. Everything appeared normal.

Skittery kept his eyes on E-mail as he made his way over to Spot. "Nice shirt," Spot said without expression as looked down at the bulge that was still slightly visible in Skittery's pants.

"Very funny. So what's the problem? He looks okay to me."

"Watch him." Spot said, looking back at Skittery's brother. "Somethin' ain't right."

E-mail was standing alone against the wall, drinking a soda. He was moving to the music and bouncing his head, but he looked as if he were listening to heavy metal and not the soft slow music that was playing. Every couple of seconds, he'd mumble to himself and then burst onto quick fits of laughter. After a few minutes, E-mail strutted over to Mush and kicked his chair. "How's it goin', asshole?" E-mail laughed.

Spots fingernails dug into his palms as he clenched his fists. It took all of his willpower not to knock E-mail senseless.

"It's a freakin' party, Mushy-boy! Why are you sitting here playing with yourself when you could be out there getting some tail?"

"Fuck off," Mush replied with little emotion.

Spot and Skittery watched as E-mail made his way around the room. He was insulting and abrasive and making a general ass out of himself.

"That little prick!" Skittery growled. But before he or Spot could make a move, E-mail turned and grabbed Reggie's arm, pulling her away from Itey.

"C'mon! Dance with me!" E-mail demanded.

"This ain't good," Spot said under his breath.

Itey pushed his brother away from Reggie and stepped between them. "What the hell is wrong with you?!" Itey shouted.

"Oh, come on, brother, I'm just trying to have some fun. This party bites!"

"Reggie, go sit by Race," Itey said, still keeping between her and his brother. "I'll be over in a minute."

Before she took a step, Tony was at her side and moving her back against the wall. Chris pulled himself up with his crutches and stood alongside of Tony. Chris knew that he wouldn't be much help in a fight, but at least he could stand between Reggie and any trouble.

"Lighten-up, brother," E-mail snorted, shoving Itey's shoulder. "It's your birthday, for shit's sake. I only wanted to dance with the little
princess."

"Well, Reggie doesn't want to dance with you!"

"Okay then. If I can't dance with your girlfriend then I'll just have to dance with you!" E-mail grabbed Itey by the arm and pulled him forward and then roughly shoved him back again.

"Get the fuck off of me!" Itey spat, tearing away from his brother.

Skittery and Spot moved closer when E-mail jumped on the coffee table and started to dance. He was stepping on plates of food and kicking cups of soda across the room.

"Get down from there, you ass!" Skittery ordered.

Spot grabbed Skittery's arm and held him back. "I'm tellin' ya, this ain't good," he whispered. "I've seen this before. You've gotta keep him calm, and don't aggravate him."

E-mail suddenly stopped dancing and looked around the room. "What the hell are you losers lookin' at?!" he shouted.

"Come on, Emilio. Please get down," Skittery said in a more soothing tone.

"Don't tell me what to do!" E-mail shouted, jumping off the table. "And don't call me Emilio! My name is E-mail!" he hissed, shoving Skittery in the chest and knocking him to the floor.

Snoddy gave Skittery a hand up and they, along with Pie, moved closer.

"Take it easy, E-mail," Itey said reassuringly.

"You stay away from me, you mama's boy!"

Itey's fists were clenching and unclenching as he fought to keep his temper under control. He wanted to get his brother away from the party before there was any real trouble. "Why don't you and me go up to our room and I'll show you what Reggie gave me for my birthday."

"Fuck-off, wimp. I know what she didn't give you for your birthday. When are you gonna grow some rocks and start acting like a man. Maybe then she'll be willing to put out."

"I've had enough of your shit!" Itey shouted. "Everyone has! Let's take this outside right now. Just you and me!"

"Why go outside, little Itey? Let's mix it up in here so you can fool your little girlfriend into thinking that you've got a set."

"Hey E-mail! How'ya been, buddy?" Spot asked, moving quickly between the brothers. He was smiling as he reached out and shook E-mail's hand. "I ain't seen you for a while. What've you been doin' with yourself?"

E-mail was completely disarmed. "Not much, Spot," he said, shaking Spot's hand.

"Listen, E-mail," Spot said in a half whisper. "I've been lookin' to score and my source has dried up. Can you hook me up?"

Spot remained smiling as E-mail searched his face. "Sure - - Sure, Spot. No problem. Dutchy and I scored some sweet blow a couple of hours ago. If you've got the cash, I'll take you there now. This party sucks anyway."

When E-mail turned to leave, he saw Skittery, Snoddy, and Pie standing behind him, and Jack and David moving closer. His heart was pounding so loud that he thought everyone in the room could hear it. His face was covered with sweat, and he was struggling to breathe. When E-mail looked back at Spot, he realized what he was doing, and flew into a rage. "Get away from me, you fucking faggot!" he shouted, swinging his fist. Spot easily stepped aside and E-mail fell against the television set, sending it off the stand and smashing against the wall. E-mail's body was now shaking and he was swinging his fists blindly.

Skittery shouted up the stairs for his father, then he and Itey tried to wrestle E-mail to the floor. As E-mail struggled to get free, he slipped
from Skittery's grip and fell backwards, pushing Itey through the sliding glass door and onto the patio.

"Somebody call an ambulance!" Spot shouted, as he blindsided E-mail. He and Snoddy helped Skittery to hold E-mail, while the others went to help Itey.

When the ambulance arrived, they immediately called for a second. It took two police officers and a paramedic to get E-mail restrained while the second paramedic tended to Itey. Somehow, Itey managed to escape with a few small cuts and what appeared to be a dislocated shoulder. The paramedic stabilized the shoulder, and with the help of Snoddy, got Itey situated comfortably on a patio lounge chair.

"Your older son is starting to come down," the paramedic told Mr. Callo. "He's very lucky. We'll be transporting him in a few minutes."

"What about my other son?"

"He's going to be fine. I can't believe he got off so easy. That kid must lead a charmed life. I'm sorry, but it might be a while before the
other unit or we can make it back. It must be a full moon or something because we haven't stopped running all night."

"Should I drive him to the hospital myself?

"No sir. It would be better if he stays where he is until we can take him. It will be less painful for the boy if he's transported properly. Just make sure that you keep him warm until we get back."

Mrs. Callo disappeared into the house and returned with an armful of blankets. She gently covered her son and tucked him in as though he were five years old again.

"Enough with the blankets, Mom. I'm okay," Itey groaned, trying to pull free. "You're gonna smother me."

Mr. Callo heard Itey's protests and came to his rescue. "Go and get your purse, dear," he said, giving her an affectionate squeeze on the shoulder. "Make sure that you have the insurance cards in your wallet. We'll need them at the hospital."

"Thanks," Itey said to his father as he freed his good arm from the blankets.

"Your mama is just worried about you and your brother."

"I know she is. How's E-mail?"

"He's going to be alright for now, but your brother won't be coming home for a while. We'll need to send him away someplace if he's ever going to get better."

Mr. Callo looked at his son's large, dark eyes and remembered the little boy that waited at the door every evening for him to return home for work. He swallowed hard trying to choke back the wave of guilt and nausea in his throat. He wished that he could turn back time. Maybe if he hadn't been at work so much, he would have seen the change in Emilio sooner. Maybe if he'd been a better father, he could have kept his sons from getting hurt.

"I'm sorry that this happened to you, Giuseppe. I know that I should have done something about Emilio before now, but your mama and I really did think that keeping him home with us was the right thing to do."

"I know what you're thinking, Dad, and none of this is your fault. E-mail did this to himself. You and Mom do a great job taking care of us kids. I should have listened to Skittery when he said that I was being too soft on E-mail. We should have kicked the shit out of him and gotten him into a program when we had the chance."

"Well, you're going to be okay, and he is going into a program, so--"

"We're ready to go," Mrs. Callo interrupted. "Serafina is going to drive me to the hospital to be with your brother, and your father is going to stay with you. Make sure that you stay covered up." Her voice cracked as she nervously tucked him in again.

"I'll take good care of him," Mr. Callo assured his wife. "I'm going to follow behind the ambulance as soon as they're ready to take him.

"Hey, Dad?" Itey asked. "Will you bring Reggie to the hospital with you? I want her to see that I'm okay. I don't want her sitting home thinking that I died or something."

"She's still here," Mr. Callo said, pointing across the lawn. "Anthony tried to take her home, but she hit him and refused to leave."

Itey turned his head and saw Tony and Reggie standing by the fence. She was curled under his arm and watching every move Itey made.

"Bring her over so she can see that I'm alright, okay?"

"Okay, son," Mr. Callo said, giving his son a kiss on the head. "I love you, Giuseppe."

"I love you too, Dad."

As Mr. Callo crossed the lawn, he studied Tony and Reggie. Only a month before, they had lost their father and he'd lost his best friend. Tonight, he came very close to losing his sons. He remembered one of the last conversations he had with Mike Higgins. They were talking about Itey and Reggie, and how they were made for each other. Mike Higgins laughed and said that the two of them would someday dance at their children's wedding. Mr. Callo had to shake his head and roll his shoulders to rid himself of the sudden chill that prickled the back of his neck.

"He's fine, Reggie, and he wants to see you," Mr. Callo said with a reassuring smile.

Reggie pushed from her brother's grasp and rushed across the lawn. Tony went to follow, but was stopped by Mr. Callo's hand on his shoulder. "He wants to see her, Tony. Give them a little space, okay?"

Tony cocked his jaw to the side and knit his eyebrows together. "Okay," he grumbled, leaning back against the fence.

"How ya doin', Reg?" Itey asked with a large relaxed smile.

Reggie knelt on the ground next to him holding his hand and trying desperately not to cry.

"Get up off that cold ground and sit with me."

"I don't want to hurt you," she sniffled. "I'm fine like this."

"You're not going to hurt me," Itey said, pulling her with his good arm. "I'm okay, Reg, please don't cry. All they have to do is pop my shoulder back in place. You know, like Mel Gibson's shoulder in Lethal Weapon. Hey! Maybe I can do it myself like Mel did in the movie!"

"Itey Callo. Don't you dare try something like that!" Reggie cried.

"I'm only kidding, Reg." Itey smiled, squeezing her hand

"Well, it's wasn't funny," Reggie sniffed.

Itey straightened himself as much as he could, and with his good arm, he pulled one of the blankets from his body.

"What are you doing?" Reggie asked trying to put the blanket back over him. "They said that you have to stay warm until they can take you to the hospital."

"I'm roasting under all this stuff," Itey said, struggling to cover Reggie's shoulders with the blanket.

"Don't argue with me, Itey Callo," Reggie snapped as she tried to shed the blanket.

"No!" Itey barked, pulling her hand away from the blanket. "Don't you argue with me!"

Reggie straightened her posture and stared at Itey. He had never spoken to her like that before. Her mouth hung slightly open and she was blinking her eyes trying to force back a new wave of tears.

"You can't argue with me tonight," Itey said in a much softer and comforting tone. "It's my birthday, remember?"

"Technically this isn't your birthday," Reggie said, raising her chin like a petulant child.

"As far as you and I are concerned it is. I haven't had a birthday without you since I was seven years old, and I'm not about to start now."

"I'm glad you waited." Reggie smiled, squeezing his hand.

"You should be. If I'd had this party on my real birthday, you would have missed all this excitement." Itey turned to look over his shoulder and winced from the pain.

"Are you okay?" Reggie asked, squeezing his hand tighter. "Can I get you something?"

"I'm good," Itey smiled. "I just wanted to see if anyone was around. I want to tell you something, but I don't want anyone else to hear."

"What is it?" Reggie whispered moving closer. Itey leaned forward as if to whisper in her ear, but instead, he turned his head and kissed her.

Jack and David stood on one side of Tony while Spot stood on the other. They were all staring at him, and waiting for him to lunge at Itey.

"What?" Tony asked, searching their faces.

"Far be it for me to cause trouble," Spot said. "Lord knows that the poor guy could use a crumb thrown at him every once in a while, but why aren't you trying to put Itey out of his misery for kissing your sister?"

"Look at him," Tony smirked. "He's only got one arm. Reg couldn't be any safer. He can't do anything now."

"Yeah," Jack grinned. "Like you and Blink couldn't do anything earlier tonight cause he's only got one leg."

The smirk quickly fell from Tony's face and his eyebrows furrowed as he watched Reggie gently stroke Itey's cheek. He felt like he was fighting a losing battle when Reggie leaned forward and kissed him again.

"Where is Blink, anyway?" David asked.

"I don't know," Tony said, looking around at the crowd. "I haven't seen him in a while."

"There he is," Spot said, pointing to the wall next to the remnants of the glass door. "What the hell is he doing?"

Chris was standing motionless on the patio. His full weight was on his broken leg, and his crutches were nowhere in sight.

"Where are your crutches?" Tony grumbled. "You know that you're not supposed to be standing on that leg."

When Chris didn't answer, Tony gave him a shove in the shoulder. "What the hell is your problem?" Chris still didn't respond. It was like he didn't even hear Tony. "Hey, Blink, are you alright?

Tony stepped in front of Chris to get his attention, but Chris wouldn't look at him. Tony followed his gaze and a chill ran down his spine. "Oh, Jesus!" Tony breathed as he felt the adrenaline spread through his limbs. "Mama! . . . . Mama!" he shouted trying not to panic.

"Stop screaming, Anthony," Mrs. Higgins scolded. "There's no reason to shout, I'm right here."

"There's something wrong with Blink, Mama! . . . It's the glass."

Mrs. Higgins waved to get Kate Meyers' attention and call her over.

"What's wrong?" Mrs. Meyers asked.

"I think Chris having a panic attack," Mrs. Higgins whispered. "He lost his eye by falling through a glass door like Itey."

"Christopher? Are you alright?" Mrs. Meyers asked softly.

"Get me outta here, Race," Chris whispered, still not looking away from the shattered glass. "Get me out here before somebody sees me like this."

"Sure, Blink. Sure. Where are your crutches?" When Chris didn't answer, Tony ran back inside to look but they were nowhere in sight.

"I can't find them."

"Get me outta here, Race, please."

"I'm trying, but I can't carry you. You have to tell me where you left them."

Before Tony knew what was happening, Mush stepped forward and lifted Chris over his shoulder. "He better not hurl on me," Mush growled. They went through the garage and came out on the side of Tony's house. Mush carried Chris across the lawn like he weighed almost nothing.

"Set him down on the couch," Mrs. Meyers instructed.

Mush slid Chris off his shoulder, then stepped away and slipped his hands into his pockets. "Is he gonna be okay?" Mush asked flatly.

"Yes, Mickey," Mrs. Meyers assured him. "He's going to be fine. What he needs right now is a little privacy. Why don't you come into the kitchen and wait with me while I make a phone call."

"I'll wait for you outside," Mush said, moving quickly toward the door.

"Hey, Mush. Thanks, man." Tony said, giving Mush a pat on the back. Mush flinched away from Tony's touch and walked out the door without another word.

"Are you okay, Blink?" Tony asked, sitting next to him on the couch.

"Is Itey alright?" Chris asked through struggled gasps.

"He's fine," Tony assured him.

"Really, Race. Was he hurt bad?"

"He's fine, Blink. I wouldn't lie to you. All he's got is a dislocated shoulder and a few scratches."

Chris looked up at Mrs. Higgins for reassurance. "He's fine, Christopher. He really is. He probably won't even have to stay the night
in the hospital."

"God, this is embarrassing," Blink shuddered as he drew in a deep, calming breath. He pressed the heel of his hand against his eye trying
to keep the impending tears from escaping. "Nobody saw me like this, did they?"

"No. Nobody saw you," Tony said, rubbing Chris's back. "Well, nobody but us and Mush."

Mrs. Meyers hung up the telephone and came back into the living room. "I spoke to Dr. Avery. He wants to see you in his office the first thing tomorrow."

"I'm okay," Chris said, wiping his eye. "I don't need to see the shrink!"

"I know. But you had a shock tonight, and I would feel better if you talked about this with him, okay?"

Chris looked at Tony and then back at Mr. Meyers. "Yeah. . . . Okay."

The front door opened and Mush came in carrying the crutches. He leaned them against the side of the couch and left without making eye contact with anyone.

"I'd better go now," Mrs. Meyers said to Tony's mother. "I don't know what I'm going to do about him," she whispered staring after her son. Call me if you need anything."

"Mrs. Meyers?" Chris called after her. "Do me a favor and tell Mush I said thanks, okay?"

"I will. Now get some rest."

Mrs. Higgins stood off to the side and watched the boys. Tony was only seventeen, yet there were times when he seemed more like forty. He wiped the sweat from Chris's face with his sleeve, then Chris whispered something that made both of the boys laugh. They were good for each other, she thought. Tony was strong-willed and had no problem taking over when the occasion arose. Chris, on the other hand, was patient and gentle and kept Tony from becoming too serious. The boys whispered and snickered and shoved each other affectionately. Finally, Chris whispered something and Tony took on a look that she'd never seen on her son's face. She couldn't quite place it, but it was like he was in awe of Chris. They kissed gently, and then Chris looked up and chuckled, "Moron." Tony gave him a shove and laughed, "Jackass." Then Tony leaned back against the arm of the couch and pulled Chris to lie against him.

"Are you sure you're alright?" Mrs. Higgins asked.

"Yeah, I'm good. Thanks Ma," Chris said closing his eye and huddling under Tony's arm. Mrs. Higgins looked at Tony and raised her eyebrow. Tony blushed and shrugged.

When Mrs. Higgins left the room, Tony gave Chris a nudge and whispered in his ear, "Do you know that you just called my mother Ma?"

"Yeah, I know," Blink sighed without opening his eyes.

"Since when do you call my mother Ma?"

"Since you said that we were going to stay together forever. You said that my mom would be your mother-in-law. That would make your mom my mother-in-law right?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

"You guess so?" Chris snorted, straightening himself on the couch. "What do you mean, you guess so? Two hours ago, you said that you wanted us to be together and now you only guess so?"

"Jeez, Blink, will you relax?! You're gonna get yourself all worked up again. I meant what I said. We are gonna be together no matter what."

"So, then, what's the problem?"

"Well, don't you think that we should tell my mother what our plans are before you start referring to her Ma?"

"I think that she already knows," Chris said, curling back against Tony.

"She does already know," Mrs. Higgins said as she came from the hall. She tossed two pillows onto the couch and covered Blink with a blanket. "Chris can call me Ma if he wants. I like it," she said placing a kiss on Blink's head and then one on Tony's. "Now, both of you be quiet and let Chris get some sleep."

"Yeah - - Okay, Mama," Tony stammered wondering how his mother always seemed to know everything.

"Night, Ma," Chris sighed.

"Goodnight, boys."

"Damn, Spot. You saw Skittery with a boner?" Jack laughed.

"Jeez, Jack. Out of that entire story that's what you remember?" Tony balked.

"Well, it was impressive," Spot smirked, slapping Skittery on the back.

"And I wasn't even trying." Skittery grinned. "That was only the preliminaries. You should see how impressive I am in the main event."

"Is that an invitation?" Spot asked.

"Definitely not!"

"Will you listen to that?" Specs said to Dutchy. "He's my best friend and I've never even seen it. How come Spot gets to see it and I don't?"

"Okay, now, this is getting creepy," Skittery cringed.

"But it's not fair!" Specs taunted.

"That's it," Skittery said, taking the bottle from Specs's hand. "You've had enough to drink tonight."

"Well, if you ask him nicely, maybe he'll show it to you," Dutchy snickered.

"You've had enough, too," Skittery said, taking Dutchy's bottle. "I'd forgotten how disgusting the two of you can be when you're working together."

"Together is the thing we do best," Specs said, leaning back against Dutchy.

"Well, you have been together since birth," David added. "I guess that you're the only ones here that can say you've only been with each other."

"Chris has never been with anyone but me," Tony corrected.

"We have been luckier than most," Specs agreed. "We both just always knew that we'd be together. Even when we were little kids we knew. We never thought about it much. We just knew. We are pretty damned lucky."

"No," Dutchy said, leaning his chin on Specs' shoulder. "I'm the one who's lucky."

End Chapter 23

A/N:

Thanks for taking the time to read this story. Your reviews will be greatly appreciated