Happy new year! How was your holiday? Okay, we've had 252 Hits and 103 visitors and 12 reviews not bad but we'd like more, yeah we're selfish like that ; ) (Nori): "Due to a strange turn of events, involving a jar of pickle juice, three demented banjo players and an inflatable turkey, I am free and Katrinka is being held captive. You know the drill, review and nobody gets hurt."
(A/N): in case you haven't noticed, we are ignoring David, Les, Sarah and the dancing waiter from Tibby's, partially because they wouldn't help the story but mostly because we're just lazy ;)
Jack walked through the streets of Manhattan with a pained look on his face. He tried to keep himself busy, selling papes, hanging out with his friends but nothing helped. When he sold he always found that he ended up near Tibby's, when he was with his friends they would talk about her. He knew that he liked her, really really, liked her. But if he ever told her that or any one else for that matter, he'd never live it down. He figured that if he tried hard enough he'd get over it but after four days it hadn't gone away. He hadn't gone to Tibby's in those four days, claiming that he was a little short on cash. The others had told him that old man Tibby had been in a bad way recently so he decided that to day he would face whatever he was afraid of and go see how they were doin'.
The bell above the door dinged to signal Jack's entrance. Tessa looked at him.
"How's it goin' Greenhorn?" She asked with a brief smile.
"Not too bad, I heard that your Uncle was sick."
A flash of fear shot through Tessa's eyes.
"He's a little under the weather but he'll be alright," she said, trying to sound confident and failing miserably. "You hungry?" She asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah…yeah that'd be good." He said, slightly thrown by her strange moods.
After Jack finished eating his roast beef sandwich (They're like fifteen cents!) Tumbler, Pie Eater and Skittery walked in. Skittery and Pie Eater were joking around but Tumbler wasn't looking so good. Tessa, of course noticed right away.
"You okay, kiddo?" She asked as she cleared away Jack's plate.
"I'm fine," he said, not looking that way at all. "Just a little tiered."
"Come here," she instructed firmly.
"What's goin' on?" Jack asked, curious as to why Tessa was looking so worried.
"I think Tumbler is sick," she said, touching Tumbler forehead to her cheek (to check to see if he had a temperature). "Has he been acting strangely?"
"Now that you mention it, he did have a little trouble gettin' out of bed this morning…" Jack trailed off thinking.
"That settles it," she said putting her foot down. "You're going to stay with me."
"Whoa, hold it right there," Jack said, taking hold of his youngest newsie. "He'll stay at the lodging house with Kloppman; he'll be more comfortable there."
"I'm not sick guys, just tired that's all," Tumbler butted in.
"You're sick," Jack and Tessa said at the same time then went back to arguing.
Jack: "We know how to take care of our own."
Tessa: "He's staying here, what if he got the rest of you sick?"
Right about then Pie Eater foolishly threw in his two bits (not literally): "Why are Cowboy and Names fightin'?"
Tessa turned to Pie Eater with a raised eyebrow.
"What did you just call me?"
"Jack gave you a newsie name," Tumbler answered for Pie Eater.
"And why did he do that?" Tessa asked, addressing Tumbler but looking at Jack.
"'Cause you gave him one," Tumbler said matter-o'-factly.
"When?" she asked with a tilt of the head.
"You call him Greenhorn."
"Ha, that's not a newsie name, that's an insult."
"What does it mean?" Tumbler asked, wondering why someone would insult the Great Jack Kelly.
"It's kinda like a cross between a scabber and a newb (please forgive our modern terminology)."
"A scabber? A SCABBER! You are calling me, Jack "Leader of the newsie strike" Kelly a scabber!?!"
"Yep," Tessa said with a smirk. "And you know what else; Tumbler's staying here until he's better and that's all there is to it."
"Fine," Jack grumbled, knowing that he probably would be better off here. "But I need to check on him every morning and night to make sure he's okay."
"Deal," Tessa said, spit shaking with Jack.
After that Jack carried a protesting Tumbler upstairs to Tessa's room and Tessa went to check on her uncle and grab some medicine for the boy, leaving the rest of the newsies confused.
"You know," Mush said to Blink (both of whom just popped out of nowhere). "They are either going to kill each other or get married."
"One to five says they get together," Race said to the group before him, not getting any bets out of it.
"You gonna be okay kid?" Jack asked Tumbler as he got ready to leave the room above the restaurant.
"Yeah," Tumbler said, eating some soup Edna had sent up for him. "Tessa will take good care of me."
"I'm sure she will," with that Jack walked back to the main room of the apartment where Tessa was sorting some fresh linens.
"Why did you name me Names?" She asked when she noticed Jack walking towards her.
" Because you have four names, instead of just three like a normal person."
"Oh, you give nicknames to people for a little thing like that?"
"Sure, Snoddy got his name for wipin' his nose a lot."
"You are a strange one, Jack," she said shaking her head.
"See you in the morning, Tessa."
"See you then Jack."
That's all I'm doing for tonight, sorry it's so short but I'm sick and Katrinka is asleep so you'll just have to deal.
Bravo Yankee Echo, Katrinka and Nori.