Literally sobbing as I wrote the last chapter. Guess what! I got a twitter! I've also learned that I'm more technically challenged than I thought (What are you doing E.G? I'm twitting on Tweeter! *sighs*). Anywho, I'm also going to see Newsies again! AHH! Well, after I review this, I'm having ice cream, you're so jealous :) Here it is, the next installment of A Time To Choose!

Dedicated to Ryan Steele, the second cutest newsie after my husband. Your smile could be sold as a cure all :)

Gathering her wits about her, Skeeter opened the door to the Lodging House.

"Boys?" she called out.

She didn't have time to wait for a reaction though, as she was viciously attacked by an angry bear!

Just kidding, she was tackled and hugged by roughly fifteen large newsies, kind of the same experience though, you know? Cause we've all been through this...

"Skeeter youse back!"

"Skeets!"

"Youse escaped!"

"That's our goil!"

"We'se missed youse!"

Shouts and cheers of happiness and threats of revenge against Spot were echoing up and down the halls of the Manhattan Newsboys Lodging House until one call rang out,

"Mama!"

Skeeter tore herself away from Blink who was sobbing and hugging her like a mother reunited with a long lost child (he can get kind of emotional) and ran over to Tumbler and Tinker,

"Are you two alright!" She hugged them before they could answer, squeezing them so hard they couldn't breathe.

"They're fine Skeeter, I took care of dem"

Skeeter looked up at the speaker and into the dark brown eyes of Race, she stared at him, drinking him in. His eyes were brimming with tears and his mouth was stretched into a broad, jocund smile,

"Skeeter, I-"

"Race!" She jumped up and hugged him, knocking the words right out of his mouth,

"I missed you so much" she sobbed,

"Me too" he whispered into her ear.

"Skeeter" a large hand was placed on her shoulder and she turned around and faced Jack with a stupid grin on his face.

"Welcome back, kid"

Skeeter grinned up at him,

"I missed youse Cowboy. Though I didn't have to hear anyone talk about Santa Fe nonstop. But Conlon was even more annoying than youse was, and that's hard to beat" she trailed off happily, unaware of her mistake.

At the mention of the name Conlon, the festive mood suddenly sombered and was replaced by anger and thoughts of revenge.

Jack frowned and Race tightened his grip on Skeeter's hand, which she hadn't even realized he was holding.

"Wese goin to make him pay, Skeeter. I promise, he'll wish he's nevah been born!"

Now that Skeeter was back, the boys had lost all cautiousness they had felt earlier. They would unite the other boroughs and start a full fledged war and wipe Brooklyn off the map of their fair city!

Skeeter looked up into their hate filled determined eyes.

Something was wrong.

While she had first felt joy, there was a black pit in her stomach. Then it hit her with the force of a train, she didn't want Spot to get hurt.

Skeeter, he kidnapped youse! He took youse away from everything!

But he let me go. And I forgive him. At least, I think I do...

"Jack, I- Jack!" she shouted, trying to get his attention.

He looked at her,

"Jack, I don't wants to do dat"

"What? But why?" he asked, confused,

"Skeeter, he took you away from us!" Race told her,

"And he took me, but I wasn't scared, I was just like Cowboy!" yelled Tumbler from the back of the room, quickly shushed by Tinker.

"Youse just tired, Skeeter. C'mon, youse go to sleep and tink tings ovah, ok?"

"Yeah, sure" Skeeter nodded.

"Youse won't do anytink witout tellin' me?" she asked him

He shook his head but his eyes said different.

It was too much, it was all too much.

With those final thoughts, she slipped into darkness and back into Race's arms.

In her unconscious state, Skeeter's mind replayed how she had left Brooklyn.

She had spent the rest of the night after Spot left staring up at the stars, wondering if what he had said was true.

When the first rays of a new day had peeked over the horizon, Skeeter had made her decision. She had silently slipped back into the Lodging House and was making her way out the front door when something stopped her.

Bacon.

The crisp, sweet smell of bacon.

She inched her way close to the kitchen door, her haven the past couple days, and peeked inside.

There, before her, was the infamous Spot Conlon, cooking bacon.

It was in that moment something changed.

Skeeter didn't know what, but something did. Just seeing him there, cooking bacon for his newsies to eat, sparked something inside of Skeeter.

And like a wildfire it spread through her body, from her toes, up to her legs, her whole body was on fire.

All because of bacon.

Before her heart could tell her no, Skeeter ran out of the door and away from Spot cooking that blasted bacon.

How dare he do this to her! It had to have been his idea, make her fall in love with her so she would stay! The jerk! The scab!

Wait, bacon? How could he have thought up something like that? How would he know that just by doing something as stupid as cooking bacon that I would fall in love with him?

Fall in love with him?

Those five words haunted her all the way back to Manhattan.

And now, in her slumber, Skeeter could still smell the bacon.

Ooohhh! Love triangle! Who should Skeeter choose, what should happen? You review, you/I decide!