So I do not own the Newsies. And other character is one that I added. This should be a little longer than some of the other chapters. If you find any mistakes in this please let me know so that I can fix them.
All three of them stood frozen, not really processing what could be happening right now.
Laces was the first to recover. "Frankie, is that really you?"
Slowly Jack nodded his head, "Yeah." At which point Laces threw her self at him. "It's me, Mary. Gosh I'se missed ya," holding her as tightly as he could without hurting her.
Spot stood there watching the happy reunion. He couldn't believe that her brother was his very good friend and this could have happened months ago.
Jack pushed Laces back, with his hands still on her shoulders, so he could look into her face. "Why'se ya here?"
Laces's face paled some at his question and her back became rigid. At seeing this Spot stepped closer to the siblings, knowing he might have to have Laces. "I ran."
"Why?"
At this question Laces paled even more, causing Spot to step even closer to her side.
"Uncle David was beating me, starving me, and…and," in a very quiet voice, "he…he trying to sell my body." Now Laces was close to tears and starting to shake.
Jack immediately pulled Laces close again, looking at Spot. Spot was just as shocked at that last comment. Even though they may have been best friends, Laces just couldn't tell him that last bit of information from her past. But looking back it did explain why she claimed more than once in the beginning that she was not a lady of the night.
While trying to comfort Laces, Jack knew what he needed to do. "Why don't ya come to Manhattan with me Mary?"
This surprised Spot. He didn't think that Jack would take her to Manhattan to stay. Laces pushed her self back some from Jack, so he once again had his hands on her shoulders. First she looked to Spot, then Jack, and then back to Spot again. She wanted to stay with her brother. But she didn't want to leave Spot as well. She had begun to think of Brooklyn as her home. Seeing the look in her eyes and realizing that she was torn between her brother and what was coming to be her knew home, Spot made a decision that would help Laces till she decided where she wanted to stay.
"Why'se don't we go to Manhattan for a few days Laces. The boys there are real nice."
"Yeah?"
"Yeah, I'se misses my friends there. That and you'se get to see your brother." Seeing her smile and Jack's confused face Spot continued. "Why'se don't ya go to the lodge house and pack our extra clothes. If you'se ask Thomas, he be able to give you'se some bags for the clothes."
"Should I take Tiger back to the lodge house, or someone else?" Laces knew that Spot didn't want her wondering around by herself. And for that matter she didn't like being by herself unless she was at the dock a little ways from the boys or at the lodge in the room by herself.
"Take Tiger back with you'se. Tell him what we'se doing."
Giving a large smile, Laces nodded her head at Spot and then walked from the two leaders to go find Tiger.
Laces found Tiger talking to Light and Dark, but looked up when she approached him. He could tell something was wrong but not sure what. "Did Spot send ya over here to gloat about your good day?"
"No, he sent me to get ya to take me back to the lodge house to get some stuff."
Giving Laces a confused looked, "Alright." Tiger nodded to Light and Dark and then stood up. Both Laces and Tiger turned down the dock and started the walk back to the lodge house.
As soon they turned away from the docks, Laces and Tiger found them out of the earshot of any newsies. "Okay Laces what is going on?"
"Umm, I'se found my brother."
"Really?"
"Yep. Spot and I are gonna spend a few days in Manhattan with him. So Spot said you'se was in charge till then."
By this point Tiger and Laces had reached the lodge house. Walking into the front room they found Thomas going over the recorders of who had been staying at the lodge house the past month. Upon hearing the door open though he looked up with a smile on his face.
"What are you two doing back here so early?"
Tiger looked at Laces, telling her she needed to be the one to answer. "Umm, Spot and I'se are going to Manhattan for a couple of days. He'se asked if I'se would pack our clothes. And ask ya if you'se had some bags for our stuff."
"Do you know how long you and Spot are going to be?" Thomas asked while he had turned to the closet that was underneath the steps to retrieve two bags. Turning around he handed them to Laces.
"Spot said a few days."
"Alright, go and back it is a long trip from Brooklyn to Manhattan."
Taking the bags from Thomas, Laces walking up the steps into her and Spots room. Tiger followed her up so that Thomas could get back to what he was doing. Laces packed an extra pair of clothes for her and Spot. Once that was finished, Tiger and her made their way back to the docks.
As soon as Laces left Jack turned to Spot, wanting to ask some many questions about his sister. "Laces, huh, cause of her shoe thing?"
"Yeah, takes the girl five minutes to put each of her shoes on. I'se not sure the little one will learn to tie their own shoes. They all come to her to tie them. At least she doesn't take that long with anyone else's shoes."
Both boys gave a little laugh. Each picturing Mary in Jack's mind and Laces in Spot's mind tying and retying her shoes till they felt right. This allowed the awkward tension between them to disappear.
"I'se found her trying to sleep in a doorway with at least a foot of snow on the ground. She didn't want to come with me when I asked her if she'se had a place to stay. Said she wasn't that type of girl. But then she passed out when trying to walk away."
Jack got this worried looked on his face at the mention that his sister had passed out. "What?!?"
"So I'se picked her up and took her back to the lodge house. Thomas said she had a fever and a cold. Probably from sleeping out in the streets. Laces also was a lot thinner because she hadn't eaten in a while. Other than that though she looked fine. We'se nursed her back to health and then taught her how to be a newsies."
Jack knew that if Spot hadn't picked up Mary, his sister would be dead right now. Knowing he owned her life to Spot, he gave a small smile and said, "Thanks for saving my sisters life."
Waving his hand like it was nothing, Spot replied, "Yeah, yeah, I'se got it. Sides we'se best friends now." Then in a quieter voice, "Though I'se know more about her past then she does mine."
Jack wasn't able to question Spot this because at that moment Tiger and Laces walked up to the pair. She held out on bag to Spot, who took it from her. Then with a nod to Tiger the three walked down the docks on the way to the lodge house in Manhattan.
"I'se go by Jack Kelly now Mary, not Frankie. Though some call me Cowboy cause of me wanting to"
"Go out west." Laces looked other to her brother with a smile on her face. "Well if you'se Jack Kelly, then I'se Laces Kelly."
Spot looked at the siblings and laughed. He was looking forward to seeing a new side to each of his friends.