Here it is! The next chapter of A Time To Choose. Thank you to everyone who reads this, for I would not be motivated to write if it wasn't for you! Thanks to Jeremy Jordan, my wonderful fictional husband for hypothetically supporting me in my writing, and to all the fansies out there! Quick warning, I'm on four softball teams right now so my updates might come out later, luckily for you, I'm in a great mood so I wrote 2 whole chapters! Go me!

Challenge: Some words are part of a Newsie song (Broadway version) whoever guesses (tell me by reviewing) first gets... something. I dunno, a character, a chapter, something. They can choose.

Dedicated to anyone who reviews, messages me for advice, beta reading, or just wants to say hi! (hint hint)

Skeeter reluctantly followed Spot, it wasn't like she had a choice or anything. Choices, hah, that's just silly.

Spot led her to a window and ordered her to climb up onto the roof, she did it blindly, she was still concerned about Tumbler and Tinker. What had Spot done with them?

The sky was dark, the sun had set already and the stars were just starting to come out and starting to paint the sky with their beauty.

"Spot?" she started to ask, confused at why he had brought her here.

"Shhh" he said. He led her over to the middle of the roof and he sat down and stared up at the sky.

Looking around for a bit, Skeeter sighed and reluctantly sat down next to him.

She looked up at the sky and reflected about life.

The sky was so mysterious, the stars up there looked down upon her and saw her past, her future, and most important, her present. Never had Skeeter felt such a realization, that in this great wide world, she was so small and insignificant.

She stared up at the sky and wondered, how was it that in Manhattan, which felt like a lifetime away, her friends could be looking at the same sky? The same stars, with the same thoughts. Wondering where she was, and whether she was alright.

Little did she know, Race was on the Manhattan roof too, looking up at the stars and thinking those very things.

Both were looking at the same stars, the same sky, but they were millions of miles away from each other.

"Them streets down there," Spot mused softly, rousing Skeeter from her thoughts,

"They suck the life outta youse. They did it to me old man, but they ain't doin it to me" his voice was soft and had lost the usual huskiness and fierceness that he usually used.

Skeeter nodded, she understood what he meant. She had seen too many men, too many women, and far too many children, fall victim to the souless streets.

"But up on this roof here, I can sees forevah. The streets, the ocean, heck, I can probably see Pulitzer's living room! The stars up there, they help me understand. Up heah I can be myself"

The stars twinkled, winking at the confused world below them.

He looked at her, his blue eyes staring into her soul, searching her as the stars searched him.

Skeeter looked away, intimidated by the intimacy that was going on between them.

"What do ya want, Conlon? Youse already took everytink from me. My home, my friends, heck, you even took Tinker and Tumbler."

"Youse don't understand, Skeeter." He whispered softly.

Skeeter lept up onto her feet. She glared at him, looking up into those stupid stars. She pointed a shaking finger at her heartless captor,

"Youse right!" she screamed, days of built up anger finally released in a hailstorm of fury, "I don't understand! Youse wants me to stay heah forevah! Why! And don't give me that stupid housemaid crap! I want to go home, Conlon, home! To Jack, to Mush, to Kloppman, to Blink-"

"To Race" he murmured softly.

Skeeter shook her head, pretending she hadn't heard him,

"I want to go home!" She sat down and buried her face in her hands, silent tears running their course down her cheeks.

"Then go home, Skeeter" Spot said.

Skeeter looked up, thinking she had misheard him, after all this, he was just letting her go?

"I already told Smalls to take the two kids, Tumbler and Tinker?, back to Manhattan. Go home, Skeeter, if it makes you happy."

He walked over to the fire escape and climbed down slowly,

"I want you to be happy Skeeter, I love youse" the wind carried his voice away and Skeeter never heard him.

A million miles away an Italian boy smoked a cigar and thought about a girl, wondering if she was truly gone forever.

And the stars looked down on them all.