Jack Kelly was tall. Well, he was tall enough. Older than most of the other boys in his selling district, he tended to be regarded as tall, especially against the kids. So, when a mess of black curly hair with blue eyes and a tiny kid in tow showed up and claimed the rank of "tallest", Jack was intrigued, and a little annoyed. Jack wasn't one to pry on new kids too much, but he was too intrigued to let it slide. Not to mention the fact that the new kid had a little brother with him, and a little brother could likely sell papes faster than Crutchie could. Still, he would wait for an open opportunity to approach the "tallest" of the Newsies.

And it didn't matter if newbie was tall, because Jack was the leader here. Well, he didn't think of himself as a leader as much as the big brother of all of the boys. And as the oldest, though now certainly not the wisest, it went uncontested and unsaid. But any newsie could ask Jack for help, and Jack would do his best. Then, breaking Jack's concentration, the new boy spoke.

"I'll take 20 papers," The kid said, and without a dime on the box. Jeez, Jack had a lot to teach this newbie. Like, 'don't piss off the Delancey Brothers on your first day'.

"You only gave me 19," The boy accused. And Jack stiffened. He could see exactly what was about to happen. A fist was gonna punch the extremely blue eye of the tall one, and the kid with him was gonna have to run. But a newsie was a newsie, no matter their background or when they joined. This newbie was no different, so Jack knew he had to step in. He couldn't let this new kid get the heat on his first day. So Jack stepped over and took the papers from the boy with the blue eyes. He counted them and interrupted Wiesel's spill.

"Ay, new kid's right. I'm sure it's an honest mistake on the count of Oscar can't count to twenty with his shoes on," Jack joked and handed the papers back to the new kid. Maybe he spent too long looking at the kid after, because he missed it when Oscar nearly popped a vein. Nothing he hadn't seen, or for that matter caused, before though. Jack finally pulled his attention away from the new kid long enough to turn back to Wiesel. He stepped to the box and set a coin on it. "Give the new kid fifty more papes."

But the kid didn't want more papes. What newsie didn't want more? Maybe one who didn't want to be a newsie. Jack was no longer annoyed now, more confused. Confused why this blue eyed, black haired, tall, nicely dressed boy was here at all, and why he cared enough to buy the kid and his brother more papes. If you asked him, he'd say it was because he was just doing it because that's what he'd do for the other newsies. Because the young one would sell more papes. Because he was new. He would never admit he felt something, even if he didn't know what that something was.

Jack was unsure about what he should do, or rather, how to approach the situation. And he didn't know how to feel about the fact that the young one knew him, but the blue eyed boy didn't. Did it bother him? Not necessarily. It just confused him more. So Jack offered to sell with them, split the pay, like he would with any other new newsie around.

After all, like Race said, it rubbed right off. And as the sun set, they had a single paper left. Snatched up by the youngest he now knew to be Les, it was sold within a minute.

"Hey Davey your brutha's a natural." A ghost of a smile hinted at David's mouth.

"Maybe he is. We better get home. The folks are waiting." With that, Davey pulled Les along, leaving Jack alone on an unforgiving street.

Jack watched the two walk away, and that only made him wonder why they were here. Lucky boys, they had folks. But...if they had a family and they were that well dressed, what were they doin' out on the streets? Why were they selling papes?

With a sigh, he headed up to his "penthouse" in the sky.

It was a calm peaceful night if Jack had ever known one. At least until he heard the patter of foot steps, and heavy breathing. "Jack you forgot your two bits," Davey breathed out. Les followed soon after. Luckily Jack was only half way up the first story when they came back. Unluckily, Snyder had seen Jack.

"YOU," Jack heard. He didn't need to see to know who it was. Snyder.

"RUN!" Jack jumped down, grabbed Les and swung him on his back, taking David's hand and sprinting through the alleys of Manhattan. This was the opposite of good, because Jack was not about to allow these two boys to slip into the grasp of Snyder the Spider. And so he headed for the only place in all of the world that he trusted enough to dive into.

The theatre.

He swung open the door and sprinted inside, dragging the two along with him.

"Remind me again why I'M running?" Davey asked through long breaths.

"Because you don't want to end up where he would take you." And with that, Jack stopped talking. He just breathed. Breathed in the ink and smoke smell from himself. Breathed in the strangely pleasant, soapy, sweetness of Davey. Not yet covered with grime from the street, or the ink from the press. Blue eyed innocence was an oddity in his business. And he wanted to keep those eyes blue and bright.

"No children in the theater!" And out slipped the moment. And in slipped reality, along with the realization of how CLOSE they were. And how hot it was.

"Not even me, Miss Medda?" Jack asked with a grin. He recognized the voice immediately of course, and leaned over the bannister to look down at her.

"Jack Kelly, is that you? Man of mischief! Get yourself down here and give me a hug!" The talented woman replied with a smile of his own.

Jack was always welcome by Miss Medda. In truth, he considered her a mother. As close to a mother as Jack was going to have. He moved down the stairs and ran across the stage to engulf her in a hug. He hoped Davey and his brother would follow.

Miss Medda, what a woman she was. Jack often slept in her theater when it rained or snowed, or when cruchie slept indoors. But time together was short, she was a star after all, and as Medda was swept on stage and Les disappeared into the crowd, Jack pulled Davey into an empty box to watch the show. He noticed that Davey actually could smile. A brilliant blinding one too. Jack never could have planned anything like this.

(Still in progress can I get some feed back?)