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In this chapter: "Sorry," he said bluntly, "I'm not going back there, I'm going to do what my father told me to, I'm going to work at the Connor factory."

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Shannon, oblivious, continued smiling up to Jack, "I would love to be in a partnership with you."

Megan jumped on Shannon then, covering her mouth, "Mwhat ma mell!" she mumbled as Megan kept her hand over her mouth and dragged her out the door past Jack.

"Sorry there Jack," I said placing a hand on his shoulder, "we just remembered we really should be leaving. Bye!"

I ran past him as he followed us, baffled by our actions.

"I told you this was a bad idea!" I shouted to Megan who had begun to drag Shannon down the staircase.

"Shut up!" she yelled back to me as we walked by a baffled Kloppman.

We made our way outside and, without knowing exactly where we were going, continued to run away from Jack and drag Shannon along with us.

"Where are we going, you're going to get us all lost!" she cried as Megan tugged on her wrist. Megan continued forward as I began to catch onto where she was leading us. After snaking by a cluster of barrels, turning the corner to see a small group of singing nuns, then running past a couple of gossiping ladies, we came upon the sight of that familiar tarnished statue sitting just before the gates of the circulation desk where a crowd of boys had gathered.

I had to admit I was halfway shocked, "How did you do that?"

Megan shrugged, "I memorized the dance, remember?"

"Yeah?"

"It's the same thing, hey look!" she exclaimed as we walked closer to the gates.

"Dear me, what is that unpleasant aroma?" I heard a voice ask from the crowd of boys.

Shannon took a deep breathe after Megan finally released her, "This is what you dragged me away from Jack for? I thought you wanted to be Newsers."

"It's Newsies," Megan corrected, "and you were taking another character's scene!"

"Shhh!" I said turning to them then back to the scene before me. Something was missing, or rather, someone was missing.

"In the back, you lousy little shrimp!" my heart sank at the line, I looked back to Megan.

"Where's Jack?"

She shook her head, "I thought he was behind us."

"It's not good to do dat, not healthy," spoke up Racetrack as I watched holding my breath.

As Racetrack went to help up the kid Oscar Delancey had pushed to ground he was stopped by the elder of the Delancey brother's, Morris.

Morris pushed Racetrack back to the gate by a hand on his chest, "It ain't healthy to pick a fight with a man bigger than yous eithah."

"Oh my god, he's gonnna kill him!" I cried.

"What would Jack do?" asked Shannon.

"I don't kn-" I stopped myself mid-sentence realizing I knew exactly 'what Jack would do', I just really didn't want to. "Oh, where the hell is Jack?"

"Unpleasant aroma, eh?" asked the Delancey brother as he pinned Racetrack to the gate raising his fist.

"Stop!" I called stepping in the middle of the crowd, thanks to a push from Megan.

The pair looked to me, Morris rolled his eyes with a laugh, "Won't you look at dat, Racey here's got a goil to protect 'im!"

I stepped closer the Morris, "Hey, that's an insult!"

He looked to me dumbly, "Oh really? Well I wasn't exactly aimin' for a compliment!"

I looked to Megan who signaled to his head with her hands, "Do it already!" she urged in a low whisper.

I looked back to Morris who had gotten too close for comfort, I, suddenly very nervous blurted out; "So's this!" before snatching the hat off his head and running as fast I could.

"What are you doing?" cried Megan as I ran past her, "You're not supposed to take his hat!"

"Come on, we've got to help her," said Shannon running after me.

As I ran down the street I heard the Delancey brothers pushing through strait behind me.

I glanced to my side to see Shannon, "Here!" I shouted throwing the hat to her.

"I don't want it!" she exclaimed having no choice but to catch it, and after glancing to the two Delanceys that looked menacingly her way, she continued to run.

I laughed watching her weave around cheering Newsies, not paying attention to where I was heading, I ran into a man head on.

"Sorry, I wasn't wa-" I looked to his face to see a very amused Jack Kelly looking down to me. "Jack… now you show up!"

"Jack!" Shannon called as she ran past us throwing the hat to him, he laughed catching it.

I looked on standing behind Jack as Morris and Oscar stopped running after Shannon and turned their sights to Jack, both seeming to know where the ever so common scene was going.

"How many times do I got to tell you boys? No playing around with goils on da job," with that, he tossed Morris's hat onto a nearby roof.

"Why you…" Morris threatened stepping closer as I stepped away. There, standing before the gates, they began to fight just as I had seen it multiple times before, Jack beating them without lifting a hand as the pair clumsily threw punches missing their target and hitting each other.

"Wow," said Shannon breathlessly watching Jack fight at my side.

"You get him Cowboy!" hollered Megan from my other.

We watched as the boys finally retreated, too defeated to continue. Jack, celebrating (and showing off a bit) climbed up the gate looking down to his adoring friends.

His adoring friends… his adoring friends? What were we still doing here?

"That was fun, well, back to the shadows!" I said pulling Megan and Shannon away from the others.

"But, do we really have to?" asked Shannon pulling away from my grip.

Me and Megan looked to her without remorse, "YES!" we exclaimed in unison.

"Heya, goils!" Jack cried looking down to us from the gate before jumping down.

"Oh no, not good," Megan stated the obvious.

"Come on," I said, "just walk away really fast and don't look back!"

Suddenly an arm found its way around my shoulder, damn that boy was fast.

"At least consider it goils, I'll teach yous da ropes!"

"Hey, you're gettin the chance of a lifetime, ladies! You learn from Jack you learn from the best!" said Crutchy as he passed by us.

"No!" I cried horrified as I recognized the line, I looked to Jack noticing his confused expression, "I mean, we can't be Newsies, we have to leave!"

I pushed Jack's arms off of me and was about to walk away when-

"I want to be a Newsie!" said Shannon stepping in front of Jack.

"Well all right den, at least I'se got one taker."

"That's right, I'm all about hacking the papers!" she said with a giggle.

"No," I said having to step to Jack's side, "She is not going to be a Newsie! It's hawking papes by the way Shannon."

Shannon glanced to me sourly before beaming her smile back to Jack, "Don't listen to her, she's jealous."

"Jealous?" I gasped. "I am not- listen Jack, this cannot happen!"

"And why not? Da lady says she wants ta hawk, let 'er hawk!" he retorted.

"She can't because we said so!" said Megan trying to pull Shannon away.

"Stop grabbing me, I'm getting sick of being dragged around. Why don't you just find one of those leashes they use on kids at the mall?"

I rolled my eyes as the two went at it, that's when a boy my attention.

"I knew he gave me nineteen papers," he mumbled as he walked be me, "Come one Les, let's get to the factory before it's too late."

I held my breath as I saw the pair walk away.

"Well maybe I will get a leash! God! I'll probably two so Roser can hold onto you too!"

Shannon pushed Megan to the side and smirked to Jack who had been caught in the middle of the bickering, "We don't do this often, I swear!" she lied.

He nodded forcing a weak smile.

While she once again talked up Jack, I pulled Megan to my side.

"Look!" I cried in a whisper, "It's David and Les."

She watched on to the boys as they walked away, "Hey it is, where the hell are they going?"

I said nothing as she came to a sudden realization.

"We screwed something up already, haven't we?"

"You think?" I looked back to see Shannon still mingling with Jack, "Come on, let's go after them," I said before running after them.

"What? No! What about staying in the shadows?" she said catching up to my pace.

"Screw staying in the shadows, it's too late now. Hey, you guys!"

Dave looked around then back to us running after him, he stopped as we met him on the sidewalk, bent over in front of him trying to catch our breathe, need I mention we are out of shape?

"Can I… help you boys?"

I looked up to him and noticed his shocked response, "Er… ladies, I mean."

"We saw that Weasel gave you nineteen papes!" gasped Megan.

"Yeah, let us get you one more, we know this really nice guy back there who would love to help you out!"

"Sorry," he said bluntly, "I'm not going back there, I'm going to do what my father told me to, I'm going to work at the Connor factory."

I jumped forward "But no, you can't!"

"Yeah!" agreed Megan, "Selling papes is fun!"

"Factory work is boring anyways."

"And dangerous!" she added.

He looked to us, is mouth hanging open as Les starred on next to him. In one frustrated moment he threw the papers he was carrying to our feet.

"My father was right; selling is no way to earn decent money. It's full of loonies."

He ordered Les to stay close by his side before leaving, the boy continued to look at us as they went on their way out of our sight.

"Well he's a douchebag," Megan grumbled turning back to where we'd run form.

"What are we going to do Meg… we lost a main character."

She turned back to me, "We have to go after him, let's go tell Shannon."

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"What do you mean she ain't heah?" I asked to Racetrack us he leaned against a fence smoking his cigar while simultaneously hawking random headlines.

"I mean she ain't heah, she left."

I put a hand on my hip as Megan sighed heavily, "This is the last thing we need!"

"Wait a second cigar boy," I began holding back an urge to call him by his nickname, "Where'd she go?"

"Baby born with two heads, gotta be from Brooklyn, heh? She left with Jack to the fight, he said he'll teach 'er how to hawk dere. Ellis Island fire, come and get 'em while yous can!" he said between shouts to men that passed.

"He's gonna teach her how to hawk!" I exclaimed.

"I heard him, Rose."

"This is ridiculous, why didn't she tell us?"

"You know, you goils shouldn't be fightin' ovah Kelly, why don't yous try for a real man?" he asked blowing smoke out the side of his mouth.

I laughed dryly, "We are not fighting over Jack… and no thank you."

"Why not? I hoid what Jack was sayin, you goils are gonna be Newsies! I betchya we'll get real close, real buddy buddy if yous know what I mean."

"Well what you heard is wrong, we aren't going to be Newsies. In fact, we probably won't even talk to anyone of you after today."

"And why's dat?" he asked leaving me fumbling for an answer.

"Because… we'll be leaving."

"Ta where?" he questioned again.

"I don't know, but it will be far away from all of you."

"You wouldn't happen to know the way to the Connor factory would you?" Megan interrupted changing the subject.

He looked to her baffled, "Da Connor fact'ry?"

She nodded as I crossed my arms, "We need the directions, you see a friend of ours-"

"Ho-hold on sweethawt, yous don't want nutin' ta do with that place. Care ta catch up on da news sir, penny a pape!" he said diverting his attention to another buyer.

Megan looked to me defeated for a moment, I decided to take matters into my own hands, "Okay, look here Higgins, that is your name isn't it?"

"Call me whatevah you'd like sugah," he said while making selling another paper.

"Damnit all, will you just stop that and listen to me?" I yelled re-attracting his attention, "We have a friend at that factory, we need to get him out before it's too late and we don't have this sort of time to chit chat so please, please help us."

He, again, released a cloud of smoke from the side of his mouth, "What's yer name goil?"

"It's… Rose, and this is my sister Megan and we'd be very appreciative if you could help us get to that factory, just the directions would be fine."

He glanced between our pleading eyes with his studious brown ones.

"Yous are new ta da city?" we both nodded and he sighed, "Aright den, I'll lead da way."

"What?" asked Megan, "You don't have to come with us."

"Yeah I do, dat fact'ry is no good news, yous'll need a fellah like me in a place like dat."

"Thank you so much, now which way is it?" I asked about to walk away before he stopped me placing a hand on my shoulder.

"Now hold it, I do have one little condition."

"Anything!" I said instantly agreeing.

"A date out with me."

"… but that!"

"I'll go!" said Megan stepping in front of me.

"Aright, I'll settle for da blonde," he said just as pleased.

I rolled my eyes and pushed Megan aside, "Uh, no, she's way too young and tall for you."

"Well no goil, no deal," he said with a shrug.

I smirked to him, to this whole situation, "Are you always this accretive, Higgins?"

"When da moment calls, yeah," he answered with a shrug.

"Just say yes already," Megan pleaded in a whisper.

I looked to him with a frown knowing that valuable time was passing, that if I didn't say something soon the failure of the Newsies strike would be placed squarely and solely on my shoulders. All he could do was smirk the smuggest grin I'd ever seen, that bastard.

I stuck out my hand to him, "Well you got yourself a deal now, Higgins."

This chapter took a year to write... Anyway Please please review, I would really appreciate any sort feedback :D

~Rose