Then Came the Fire

By: Laney S.

Author's Note: Hmm. Sorry for the lack of updates! I'm trying!

Water vs Fire - Thanks again for the review! Just keep reading. I wanna make Spot kind of the no non-sense sort but he's not going to be purely a hard-ass ;0)

Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies or any aspect of the film, those rights belong to Disney. I am merely borrowing the characters for entertainment purposes only and for no financial gain. I do, however, own my own characters and no one is to use them without my permission.

Chapter Three

Renewed Determination

Reina slipped on her ratty shoes which, as bad as they looked, were still pretty comfy to wear. Her head was still tender and her vision was fuzzy but she would manage somehow.

She forced her body to stand up and she immediately felt the stiffness course through her body. She wanted to stretch but was afraid of making even the slightest noise.

She tried vainly to smooth out her tousled hair but spent very little time on it.

She then began to quietly move towards the door, being careful to only walk softly on the balls of her feet. She approached the door and listened quietly. There was silence and certainly nothing to suggest that anyone was awake at this hour.

She then drew in a deep breath and opened the door so very slowly. She was soon irritated to discover that the door still produced a rather noisy groan and she gave the door a good solid glare. "I hate you door," she muttered quietly under her breath.

She then poked her head out into the hall and looked both ways, scanning for signs of anyone who might be awake and roaming the halls. There was no one.

She quickly slipped outside but as soon as she did, she felt herself nearly trip over something. Luckily, she managed to steady herself before she made too much noise. She glared down at the object that had obstructed her path and was pleasantly surprised.

The glare melted from her face as she looked down to see Kid sleeping at a slanted angle against the wall. His long legs remained spread out on the floor in the middle of the doorway. Reina bit her lip and waved a quiet hand in front of his face. When he did not react she deduced that he was out cold. She took one last glance at him and couldn't help but feel a little warm inside. It was hard not to be moved by the graciousness that this stranger had treated her to. After all, what did he know of her?

Reina gave a little smile, even though she still felt like two pounds of crap in a one pound bag.

It didn't take Reina long to find the exit and she had concluded that the place she'd been staying was some sort of lodging house for children. It had a small dining area with a kitchen a line where kids could come and get served their meals. It also had a room that housed many small desks and Reina was certain it was probably used as a classroom.

She was quite taken aback to find the door locked and that without a key, it would not be budging. She pressed her lips together in a thin line of frustration and gently leaned her back against the door. The fever was beginning to catch up with her and she had to fight to not lose consciousness.

"Where do you have to be that you gotta be leaving tonight?" someone asked her and the suddenly voice made Reina twitch slightly in surprise.

Reina was about to ask who the mystery was before she saw the familiar face of Kid step forward out of the shadows. She glared softly but found that it was hard to be irritated with the person who'd saved her from an unknown fate.

"I just," she struggled with her words and felt herself glance at the floor. Looking into his eyes was not helping her to get her thoughts in line. "I know that you want me here but does anyone else? Are you going to get in trouble?" she asked quickly.

"First of all, does it matter who else wants you here? Second, the answer is no, I will not be in trouble. Nothing I can't be talkin' my way out of anyway," he added with a devilish grin.

Reina took note that he spoke with an Irish accent which she found quite irresistibly charming. "This is not the time to be feeling love struck," she mentally chided herself and tried hard to push away any further feelings.

"So, answer my question please," Kid said kindly and waited for her answer.

She hesitated and sheepishly responded. "I just don't know that I should be here and I thought it'd be best if I was just on my way," she explained.

"You think it would be a good idea to spend a night on the cold streets with a fever like yours?" Kid asked and stepped forward, putting a hand gently against her forehead. Reina felt a blush flood her cheeks but she was almost certain that it would probably look like the fever. She gently pushed his hand away and fixed him with her best steely look.

"No, obviously not, but I," she hesitated again and saw that Kid was looking at her with a look you'd give a child who was being silly. "Don't look at me like that," Reina said and looked away from him with unease. "I'm not stupid okay? I'm just not use to having someone be so cordial."

"Cordial?" Kid asked.

"I mean, welcoming, nice, accommodating, you know!" Reina fumbled and felt her nerves jumble up. Kid just chuckled slightly and he tilted his head and gave her that irritating smile that made her lose herself to his charms.

"I'd appreciate if you returned that kindness by staying," he said softly and added, "For me."

For a moment Reina watched him, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion. She had to ask, "Why are you so insistent upon being so nice to me and me staying here?"

Kid straightened up and didn't sugar coat the truth. "Honestly? Don't take this wrong way because I know girls don't like to hear this but you look like hell. I can tell when someone needs help and I think you were needin' it pretty badly, even now."

Reina considered his words and was not at all miffed. Kid had spoken the truth whether or not she had cared to admit it first. Reina felt herself begin to cave and she turned a nervous eye to Kid. "That bad, huh?" she asked timidly and Kid gave her a sore and sorry nod.

She didn't feel entirely convinced but it was hard to just ignore Kid's request after he had put it that way. She felt herself hang her head in defeat. "Okay."

Kid laughed and leaned in towards her, touching her arm lightly. Normally, she was very suspicious and put off by any physical contact but she felt differently with Kid.

"Don't act like I just killed your friend, okay? It's not that bad is it?" Kid asked playfully. Reina shook her head to show that she felt it wasn't but inside she felt guilty for thinking so.

"I completely forgot!" Kid said and removed his hand from her shoulder and held it out before him. Reina glanced at it and raised a single eyebrow in question. "My name is Aedan Henessey but please call me Kid," he said and winced as he formally introduced himself. "Actually," he added, "Forget that I even mentioned that name, just Kid will work wonderfully," he joked and Reina found that she genuinely smiled in return. It was briefly lived as she remembered that it had been quite some time since she felt like smiling. She had missed how good it felt and found that it made her sad to think she'd nearly forgotten.

She began to think back about her situation when she was alone in the rain, homeless, hungry and on the brink of giving up. Would life be so bad here with Kid, even if it was only temporary? Could she possibly be allowed to enjoy herself if even only for the briefest time?

She recalled when she had felt like giving up and immediately felt ashamed. She had never been that person, never. When a problem presented itself, Reina had always invented a solution or found a way to resolve it and she'd always been proud of herself for it. Even as a small child, she had pushed chairs to get up on counters and get food for herself when her parents had been preoccupied.

She glanced to Kid who was still waiting for her to introduce herself.

"Reina Townshend," she said with another honest smile and shook his hand firmly. Kid chuckled and gestured with his hand to the stairs that led back to his room. "May I escort ye Miss. Townshend?" he asked quite playfully. "Your dirty mattress and hand me down blanket await."

Reina snorted slightly in humor and followed Kid, still aware to keep her voice quiet.

"I don't care what happens from here on out but that's enough of that," she thought, recalling her wishes to give up. She would never go back to being that person again, no matter how bad things got. Even if there was no real reason for her to exist, the fact remained that she did. Even when she had been on the verge, she had not died. She had been handed a second chance and that was how she saw it.

"I'll make my way," she thought with renewed determination and quickly tugged on Kid's shirt.

"Kid?" she asked softly and Kid glanced over his shoulder to address her.

"Thank you," she said rather timidly but sincerely.

"Pleasure was mine," Kid said and led her back upstairs.