Disclaimer: This is a non-commercial work of fanfiction. Anything recognizable from Newsies belongs to Disney and not to me.


Chapter 105: Good News

A loose plank creaked loudly beneath Davey's feet as he made his way up the stairs to the third floor, and he mentally filed away the location of it to mention to Philip Becker the next time he happened to see the landlord. The cold weather had been causing all kinds of shifting and fissuring around the tenement, and they had been slowly working on shoring up as many of the cracks as they could before the coldest days of the winter set in, but somehow more gaps always seemed to show up.

Ascending the last few stairs, Davey slowed his pace, his mind quickly turning from tenement improvements to the immediate - and more anxiety-provoking - situation that awaited him.

Relax, he told himself. It's just a tutoring session, nothing to be worried about. You've done this countless times before. Nothing's changed, so there's no need to be nervous. Absolutely no need.

It was the first time he would be seeing Sadie alone (well, except for Abby) since the incident that had transpired on the rooftop, and though they'd spoken to each other briefly in passing at school and around the tenement, a sense of trepidation had settled upon him as he'd anticipated this meeting, though he wasn't sure what he had to be so wound up about.

His short exchange with Race that morning at the circulation gate had done nothing to ease the nervous feeling in his stomach or to give him relief from the thoughts that had been hounding him for the last several days. He'd hoped that returning to selling would be at least a temporary respite, but even the distraction of hawking headlines hadn't been enough to free his mind from its bewilderment. Instead, he'd found himself completely preoccupied while selling, his thoughts a mixture of frustration over Race's teasing (and his own inability to refute the other newsie's irritating claims), concern over the sick newsies back at the lodging house, and nervousness about the impending meeting with Sadie. It was a wonder, in fact, that he'd managed to sell any papers at all.

Arriving at the door of the landlord's office, Davey took a deep breath. Shoulders down, he reminded himself. Don't be awkward. Breathe. He raised his fist to knock, but instead found himself nervously running his hand through his hair, a move he immediately regretted, as he knew that it had probably made his cowlick stand on end.

Muttering to himself, he made his way down to the washroom at the other end of the hall. A brief glance in the mirror confirmed his suspicions, and he spent the next minute or so trying to comb the stubborn tuft of hair back into place with his fingers. The results were lackluster, but he knew that he couldn't linger any longer; it would be rude to keep Sadie waiting, and he was late already.

Forcing himself to head down the hall, Davey returned to the landlord's office and again raised his fist to knock on the door, hesitating only briefly before rapping on the wooden surface.

The knock sounded louder than usual to his ears, and he immediately dropped his hand, shoving it into his pocket as his other hand gripped his slate and schoolbook.

Calm down. You're getting tense again. Just be casual. Be casual, Davey.

The door opened, revealing Sadie.

"Hi!" Davey greeted her, wincing inwardly at how over-eager he sounded. "Sorry I'm late - I had to take care of something, but it's all taken care of now, so I'm here."

He could tell that his nervous chatter puzzled her a bit, but as usual, she tactfully overlooked his awkwardness and invited him in as graciously as she always did.

"I've been waiting impatiently to see you all day," she confessed as he took his seat.

"You have?" He couldn't stop himself from grinning like a fool, despite the fact that just moments ago he'd been terribly anxious.

(It was probably high time he faced the fact that being casual was not a skill in his repertoire).

Sadie nodded. "I have good news, and I suppose your brother could have delivered it himself, but I selfishly asked if he'd let me be the one to tell you…" She paused, giving him a smile before she announced, "You passed your competency exams, Davey. Passed with flying colors. You're going to finish with the rest of our class!"

Relief flooded through him at the sudden disclosure, and he let out a surprised laugh, his tension momentarily draining away as he absorbed this welcome news, the first good news he'd heard that day.

Sadie beamed at his response, clapping her hands together like an eager child. "Are you pleased?" she asked. "Doesn't this lift a weight from your shoulders, now that you know all of your hard work has paid off?"

"It does," he agreed. "It really, really does."

"I'm glad." Her voice softened as she added, "I'm so proud of you, Davey."

"I would have never been able to do it without your tutoring, so this is your success, too, Chare. It's our success."

To his surprise, she didn't brush off his words to downplay her part as he expected; she only smiled, tacitly receiving his affirmation, and the look of unconcealed pleasure on her face made him feel warm all over, as though he'd suddenly drawn near a fire blazing in the hearth after coming in out of the cold.

"I bought a little something to celebrate," Sadie announced, reaching over to the side of the desk to produce a small basket. "I know you mentioned that you liked Mama's apple pie, so I stopped by the bakery and picked up some turnovers on my way home from work this evening. They're not as toothsome as what my mother makes, but they're reliably good, and I got three different kinds of filling if you'd like to try something new." She unpacked the basket and set a stack of plates and the package of turnovers down on the table.

"There's cherry, quince with raisins, and apple, of course," she said, indicating each flavor in turn as she set the pastries on individual plates. "Abby and I will eat anything, so feel free to choose whatever strikes your fancy."

"They all sound good," Davey hedged, still trying to get over his surprise and slight dismay that she'd gone through all this trouble on his account.

"Pick whichever sounds best, then," the landlord's daughter smiled reassuringly, taking her seat. "There's no incorrect choice."

Davey considered the options for another moment. "I'll try the quince, then," he finally decided.

Sadie passed him the plate, an amused look on her face. "I'm shocked, Davey," she declared. "I told Abby I was sure that you would choose the apple, since - by your own admission - you're 'not adventurous', but here you are proving me wrong and picking the most unusual choice of the lot!"

"It must be due to your influence," he asserted, receiving the plate with a word of thanks. "You have managed to make me a little more daring."

"Truly?" Sadie sounded both pleased and incredulous.

He nodded. "In fact, I didn't tell you this, but when I visited the Bronx last month, I actually climbed a tree. Voluntarily. And you know what?" He gave her a half-smile. "It was fun. A little dangerous, but fun."

Sadie laughed. "You are a conundrum, Davey Jacobs!" she exclaimed. "Just when I start to think that I'm beginning to get a handle on who you are, you go and do something unexpected and surprising!"

"Oh yes, that's me," he joked. "Mysterious and full of surprises." His exaggerated attempt at an enigmatic expression was rewarded with a giggle, and he couldn't help but grin in return.

"Thank you, Chare," he said, gesturing to the turnovers. "You really didn't have to do this."

"I would never pass up an opportunity to celebrate!" she declared. "And today's news is a worthy cause for celebration." Abby joined them at the table, and, at Sadie's bidding, the three of them began to tuck into the pastries.

"How's the quince, David?" Abby asked, giving Davey's plate a curious look. "I'm glad you chose that one, as I don't particularly like raisins, but Sadie's tried that flavor before and says it's tasty."

"It's tart, but good," he answered. "Do you want to try a bite? There's a whole corner here that I haven't touched."

Abby shook her head. "No thanks; my sister might want some, though."

The thought made Davey suddenly nervous, though he wasn't sure why - rationally speaking, there was no difference between sharing food with Abby and sharing food with Sadie, after all. But while the former felt easy and natural, like something he'd do with his own younger sibling, the latter seemed...overly-familiar somehow. They'd shared food once before - at the drugstore, when Sadie had ordered a large cold custard and had split it into two portions so that he could try it - but that had been different. Sharing had clearly been the plan from the beginning, and Sadie had divided the dessert into separate dishes before taking a bite herself, so it had felt...more proper? Less intimate? Not as uncouth as it seemed to invite her to nibble on his already half-eaten pastry?

He was being absurd, and he knew it, and there was no way he could not offer Sadie a bite after Abby's innocent remark, so he pushed aside his uneasiness and forced a lighthearted note into his voice.

"Chare, would you like some?" he asked, offering the plate to her. "This is more than enough for me, so if you want to try it…"

"Thank you, but if you're enjoying it, I'd rather you ate it all," she said with a smile. "And if it's too much, you can take it home to share with Les."

"He'd probably like that," Davey agreed, inwardly grateful that, true to character, Sadie had managed to smooth over the situation with a lighthearted, easy answer, sparing him any further awkwardness. "He's usually excited for any kind of dessert, and this is really good. I'm sure it's going to be demolished tomorrow morning before we go out to sell."

"How did the papers move today?" Sadie asked, taking a bite of her own pastry.

"More quickly than I expected," Davey answered, "though that might have been because there weren't as many of us selling." Briefly, he filled her in on the situation at the lodging house involving the flu, realizing as he did so that the newsies' plight was weighing as heavily on him now as it had when Race had first broached the subject.

Davey had made a little extra money that day, thanks to some generous patrons (including the always-munificent Lorina), and he'd given that money to Tucker at the end of their reading group, asking the younger boy to give the coins to Race to be used towards whatever expenses came up at the lodging house, but it had felt like such an insignificant gesture next to the looming possibility of a flu outbreak at Number Nine Duane Street. Race had said that things were fine for now, but with more of the newsies falling ill, it was likely that the money in the Newsie Fund would run short soon with so much of it being used to cover the cost of lodging house fees for the boys who couldn't work. Feeding both the sick and the well was another challenge that Race had alluded to, for the newsies still selling needed nourishment, especially with the additional burden of trying to make extra money for their brothers who were out of commission, but those battling the flu were also in need of sustenance to aid their recovery. And hearty, filling meals were hard to come by, especially when money was already so tight.

As Davey continued to explain the situation, he found himself feeling a little guilty for enjoying the luxury of the dessert-like pastry in front of him when his friends were making do with far more meagre fare, but he soberly reminded himself that it didn't make any sense not to eat; depriving himself of the food allotted to him wouldn't do anything to help the newsies. If anything, he needed to keep up his strength as much as possible so that he could try to make a surplus of money again the next day to have more to give to the newsies who needed it. It was far from what he would have liked to contribute, but even if it covered a meal or two for one of the boys, that was something.

Realizing that he'd talked for a bit too long about a rather depressing subject, he concluded his explanation. "Anyway, I'm sure the newsies will pull through; they've got a plan in place, and good leadership at the lodging house, so it's going to be all right. I just want to try to help them however I can - but that's something for me to think about at another time." He gave the Becker sisters an apologetic look. "Sorry for going off on that tangent - that was probably more than you needed to know."

Abby had a sober expression on her face, and Sadie looked troubled, but they both quickly assured him that they didn't mind. He appreciated their graciousness (and it had felt relieving to share the burden, even if only for a moment), but quickly changed the subject in an attempt not to weigh down the conversation any further.

"While we're on the topic of the newsies," he began, "I need to pass on a few messages to you from my reading group." He smiled at the younger Becker sister. "We're almost done with The Jungle Book, Abby, and the boys were sad to hear that it was coming to a close, but when I told them that you'd bought the sequel and loaned it to me, you should have seen the looks on their faces. They're so excited to find out what happens, and they said to tell you 'thank you' for your generosity."

Abby grinned. "I hope they like it," she said simply. "I still prefer the first book, but you'll have to tell me what the newsies think."

"I will," Davey promised. "And Sadie," he added, "Jojo wanted me to personally thank you for him. He said he's been learning a lot from our tutoring lessons, and I told him that I wouldn't be nearly as good of a teacher if it wasn't for your example, so he wanted to pass along his gratitude. He's picking up on things really quickly, and I think it's going to help him a lot in the future." Davey paused, then added, "I know you like to say that your tutoring isn't much, Sadie, but hopefully this is enough to convince you that it is. It's not just helping me or my family now. It's helping someone else, too. And who knows what kind of opportunities that might open up for him?"

"Speaking of tutoring," Abby interjected, "will you stop coming over to see us now, since you've already passed your exams?"

The question hit Davey like a bucket of cold water. "I hadn't really thought about that." He fell silent, struggling to come up with an answer, his desire to express what he actually wanted at odds with what he knew was the proper and correct response. "I mean, I suppose there's no reason to. I wouldn't want to inconvenience your family any longer, and it's only a few more months before the term ends."

"Mr. Crowell plans to cover practical skills in class - things that will help us in our transition to the workforce," Sadie said neutrally. "It's information like basic bookkeeping, budgets, and business correspondence, things you might be already familiar with and would have no use for revisiting, but if you're interested in covering the material together, we certainly don't have to stop our lessons now unless you want to."

"It hardly seems fair to expect that of you," Davey hedged. "You've already done more for me than I could ever hope to repay you for."

"Repayment has never been a condition of my services," Sadie reminded him, brushing a few stray crumbs off of the table and onto her plate. "But if you're going to insist on talking like that, what if I propose an equal exchange?" She looked up at him and smiled. "Tutoring in return for a bit of entertainment. If you agree to read to me for a quarter of an hour after our lesson is complete, until either the school term ends or until we finish the book that we started, I'll happily continue to pay attention in class and impart to you any knowledge I receive. That sounds like a reasonable compromise, doesn't it?"

It was completely unfair, he thought to himself, that a girl with such a disarming smile could also possess this kind of charm. It was all kinds of unfair.

"You're just saying that to make me feel better," he said aloud, the slight accusation sounding somehow both defensive and vulnerable. "It's hardly an equal exchange."

Sadie shrugged. "Equal or not, those are my terms, Mr. Jacobs. Take them or leave them as you see fit."

And there was her smile again.

He was far too weak for that smile.

Sadie rose and began to clear the empty plates away, setting them back into the basket, and Abby returned to her armchair and picked up her book while Davey remained wrapped up in his thoughts, unsure of what to say in response to Sadie's generous offer. It must have been patently obvious that he didn't want to give up their meetings, so she'd taken it upon herself to facilitate a way for that to happen without hurting his pride, but really, she shouldn't have to be bothered with such a responsibility when she had already given him so much…

This doesn't have to be complicated, came the sudden thought in his head. She's willingly offering you something, and you want what she has to offer. It's okay to say 'yes.'

The thought of a quick surrender was appealing. But anxiousness countered the idea almost immediately.

How could you even think of taking advantage of her kindness like that?

But it's not taking advantage when she's initiating the offer...right?

She's only offering because she's kind-hearted.

But maybe she actually does enjoy it when you read to her. You can't just assume that she doesn't mean what she says. And besides, you want to see her again, don't you? When's the last time you let yourself have something that you wanted without overthinking it?

Standing beside him, Sadie had nearly finished re-situating the contents of the hamper, and Davey rubbed the back of his neck, weary of the persistent internal dialogue and knowing that he ought to give her an answer.

"I accept your terms, Miss Becker," he said aloud, surprising himself with the decision. "I accept your terms, and…" he looked up at her and continued a bit more softly, "...and thank you for allowing me to have the pleasure of your company for just a while longer."

He didn't know what had possessed him to be so forthright, and a part of him was already second-guessing the impulsive decision, but as he gave the landlord's daughter a shy smile, he realized that his heart was lighter and that it had felt freeing to speak his mind for once without letting his anxieties keep him silent.

"I might not have made this clear enough before," he added, feeling a bit bolder at the thought, "but these tutoring sessions mean a lot to me - not just because they've helped me keep up with school, but because they've been something to look forward to at the end of a long day. I'm going to miss our conversations when all of this is over...but I'm glad to know that it won't have to be right away."

Sadie laughed. "Davey, I'm not going to suddenly stop talking to you whenever you're no longer coming over for tutoring!"

"I guess we'll still run into each other around the tenement," he agreed, "so it's true, there is that."

"But I wasn't speaking of those kinds of chance meetings alone," she clarified. He looked at her in confusion, and she gave him a mildly-amused smile, but when he failed to say anything in his astonishment, she assumed an air of exaggerated haughtiness and said pompously, "Mr. Jacobs, do you honestly think that I'd let you disappear like that, relegating our friendship to the level of mere casual acquaintance? I have means for recourse at my disposal, sir, and if you insist upon attempting to extract yourself from my life, you'll find that escape won't be nearly so easy as you suppose." She gave him a facetiously severe look. "I'd rather not stoop to using force, but I will, if necessary."

To his surprise, he found himself responding to her humor in kind. "Miss Becker," he replied with equal superciliousness, "I would tremble at the implications of your threat, but find it difficult to entertain the thought when your rather unimposing stature does not inspire confidence that you'll be able to carry out your intention."

"Insolence!" Sadie exclaimed.

"Honesty," Davey countered, finding himself playfully ruthless. He got to his feet, taking full advantage of his height to look down on her. "Face it, Chare," he teased. "You're tiny."

He thought he saw her falter for just a moment, but almost immediately she regained her composure. "Underestimating your opponent is the first step towards giving her the advantage," she warned, raising her chin in defiance. "And brute force isn't the only way I have of beating you."

Given the fact that, as of late, even her smile could make him lightheaded, that statement was uncomfortably true...but he was going to assume that she didn't know that.

"Point taken," he conceded, holding his hands up in surrender. "You win." He resumed his seat. "No disappearing on you. I know better now."

"As you should," she agreed loftily. "You'll find that I am not a girl to be trifled with." A smile spread across her face, and she soon dropped the act, adding cheerfully in her normal tone of voice, "There you go, surprising me again, Davey - only this time you've shocked me with your impudence!" She gave him a thoughtful look as she took her seat beside him. "What other untapped aspects of your personality have I missed, I wonder?"

"I didn't mean to insult you," he said quickly. "About your height, I mean. I know it's a sore spot, and I really wasn't trying to rub it in."

"No insult taken," she assured him. "Though it was a bit unsportsmanlike of you, and you ought to make it up to me for resorting to such a low blow."

"Name your recompense, and I'll gladly pay it," he agreed, "even if it involves doing something ridiculous."

Sadie laughed. "Spoken like a boy who has no idea of what he's getting himself into!"

"Spoken like a boy who has absolute trust in the benevolence of his creditor," he corrected her with a smile. "You've always been generous with me, Chare. I'm not worried."

"Well, if you don't mind, perhaps I'll subject you to my baking a second time," she mused. "My first offering was deplorable, and since then I've been eager to redeem myself. In fact, my parents have been talking of inviting you over for dinner one of these nights as a way of thanking you for all of your help around the tenement. That might be the perfect opportunity."

"Your parents don't have to do that," Davey protested. "Your father already pays me for my work and has been generous with my family's rent. No further thanks are necessary."

"But we'd all love to have you join us," she insisted. "If you must know, it was actually Lilly who sparked the idea; she asked recently if you were coming over again, and Mama took notice, because it's not often that my sister asks after anyone."

"I'm glad I didn't put her off too much with my rambling," Davey joked, though inwardly he was pleased.

"No indeed. I think she appreciated it, even if she didn't tell you so."

"Well…" he conceded, "...if it would make your family happy, and if it wouldn't inconvenience anyone, then I'd love to come."

Sadie nodded. "I'll speak to my parents about it. Perhaps it will be an opportunity for you to meet the rest of my family from Boston as well."

They chatted for a few moments more, and Davey found himself surprisingly lighthearted, his earlier trepidation having dissipated to the point where it felt like only a quiet hum in the back of his mind. He was sure that a part of his relief had to do with knowing that he'd passed his exams and would be able to finish school with the rest of his class...but if he was being honest with himself, he had to admit that of almost equal importance was the reassurance that things were fine between him and Sadie. They'd managed to get through another sticky situation with their friendship still intact, and if they could talk and banter like usual, then maybe the disorienting feelings that had beset him over the last several days weren't anything to be concerned about. Perhaps he didn't need to make things so complicated or so difficult. Even if something had changed since that day on the rooftop, it didn't follow that he needed to be afraid of whatever the change might mean, or that he had to have a handle on exactly what was going on in his head.

And what he'd said to Sadie earlier was true: he did trust her, not just in their facetious exchanges, but with the deeper, more personal aspects of their friendship as well, because time and experience had proven that, even with her faults, Sadie was charitable and gracious and, moreover, kind. She made him feel like he wasn't defined by the things that made him different - his anxiety, his awkwardness, his status as the perpetual newcomer still trying to get his feet under him. She made him feel like he was normal. Like he could be himself. And something about that made his heart settle in a way that it hadn't been able to for a very long time. It was a rare gift, this kind of assurance...so perhaps instead of fighting it or trying to figure it out, he ought to just rest in it and let it be. Prying minds like Race or Les might want to label his emotions, to put a name to the feelings that he still couldn't quite identify himself, but that was their business. He didn't need to classify his friendship with Sadie at the moment. Knowing that he enjoyed her company and that he felt at ease in her presence was enough.

As it turned out, there was very little in the way of formal instruction that evening, as the material to cover was minimal and both of them were in too celebratory of a mood to focus much on the lesson. Eventually, it grew late, and Davey reluctantly bid the Becker sisters goodnight and took his leave, slate, schoolbook, and remaining half pastry in hand. His own family's apartment was quiet by the time he returned, his parents having retired for the evening and his brother already asleep, so he stole into the dim room as silently as he could, careful not to wake Les as he put his things away and got ready for bed.

Predictably, Les had taken all of the blanket for himself and was sprawled out, occupying more than his fair share of the mattress, but as Davey settled down, easing himself into the small space that had been left over, he found himself not minding the disparity or the cold as much as he normally did.

Within minutes, he was drifting off into an easy, contented sleep.


A/N: "Write a romance," the plot bunnies said. "It will make you a more versatile writer," they said. Gracious readers, I thank you for your forbearance; as you may know, I tend to stick with the family/friendship/humor genres, so this is a new venture for me. :P Thank you for allowing me to grow as a writer by bearing with this subplot and with hopelesslysmitten!Davey. :P

If you have any reactions or remarks regarding this latest installment, I'd be absolutely thrilled to hear them!