- Chapter 49 - What If Spot Never Showed Up? -
Warnings: Soaking, blood, tears, the Refuge, abuse, insults, betrayal, fear
Canon Era
Third Person POV

A/N, I had a horrible idea and for days I've been trying to forget it and convince myself not to write it. Well, I failed.
We all know (movie version) that Spot and his crew showed up and helped them win the second fight. (I picture livesies.)
Anyway, I had an idea; what if he never showed up? And there will be other parts of this series.
I would say 'enjoy', but uh...

Jack stood in front of Weasel, the Delanceys, and the scabs.

Race stood just slightly behind and next to him, and Blink was on the other side of him, just slightly behind Race.

All the other boys were behind them, since they were their leader, second, and third.

Jack was nervous, but he couldn't let it show.

Race and Blink were less good at not showing their nerves.

The boys stood behind them.

Davey and Specs stood protecting Les and Lucky.

"Give up, yet?" Weasel asks, making sure the bat in his hand was obvious as he smacked it against his palm.

"This is for Crutchie." Jack almost growls, glaring at Weasel.

Race and Blink nod.

If looks could kill, Weasel would be dead and on Pluto, but thankfully (for him) they didn't.

Weasel smirks.

"We were looking for some new kids in the Refuge." Morris sneers, a smirk on his face.

Race scowls at him, his arms crossed. "Your face would look better blue and purple than it does with a smirk." He quips.

Morris scowls at him. (Sorry morrisnotdelancey )

Jack looks to Race, nodding at him.

Race nods, turning to walk away for a moment.

"Where are you going, Racer?" Oscar asks. "Too scared to fight like a real man?" He taunts, smirking.

Race clenches his fists, but controls himself as he walks over to Davey.

Davey looks at Race. "Race-" he starts.

"No." Race puts his hand up to stop him. "You need to leave." He states, stealing a look at Weasel. "Take Les and Lucky and leave." He tells him.

Davey's eyes widen. "I can't leave you." He responds.

"This is not a question." Race responds sternly. "This is an order from your leader and second." He tells him.

Davey bites his lip.

Specs puts his hand on Davey's shoulder. "I would just go." He tells him softly.

Davey gives in. "Okay, okay." He looks at Race. "Stay safe, please."

Race looks up at him, seeing the tears that found their way into his eyes.

He sighs. "We'll try, Dave." He responds quietly, not meeting the older boy's eyes.

He was scared that they'd all end up the Refuge if Spot didn't show up.

Race and Specs heard a whistle blow.

"Go!" Race shouts, pushing Davey and the littles out of the Distribution center.

Lucky clings to Race's leg, sobbing, causing tears to form in Race's eyes.

Race hands Lucky to Davey. "I love you, Luck." He whispers, wiping a tear off of Lucky's face.

Lucky silently sobs into Davey's shoulder as Davey quickly leaves with him and Les.

Race turns back to where a fight had started.

He takes out his blade and looks to Specs, who was also pulling out his blade.

Race nods.

Specs nods back.

One hug and they separate, each going off to fight in different directions.

Finch kicks the scab who was about to kick Tommy boy, sending the scab flying to the ground.

Tommy boy clings to him.

He hated fighting and wasn't a horribly wonderful fighter either.

Henry slides under a scab, coming back up on the other side of him and kicking him down.

The Manhattan Newsies only used their blades if they really needed to.

And others had bats and stuff.

"Duck!" Specs yells.

Romeo ducks down, narrowly missing Specs' foot that kicked a scab, in the face, who had been trying to sneak up on Romeo.

"Thanks." Romeo breathes, standing up again.

Specs nods.

JoJo and Race were back to back, their weapons in their hands.

"You know," JoJo starts. "Not how I expected my first fight with you to be." He comments.

Race chuckles the softest bit. "I figured it'd be against you, as a joke, not with our backs together and four scabs surrounding us." He responds.

JoJo nods.

"Too bad you won't win your first fight together." One of the scab mocks sadness, causing the other three scabs to snigger.

JoJo and Race roll their eyes, sharing a nod.

Race kicks one of the scabs in the stomach, his back coming off of JoJo's so he could block the other scab's arms.

JoJo pushes off of Race, ramming into one of the scabs and using him to kick off of so he could knock the other scab down.

The scabs let out cries and grunts of pain.

Race and JoJo grab hands, jumping on two of the scabs' stomachs and running to fight someone else.

Jack was fighting two scabs.

He punched one of them in the eye, immediately grabbing the other's arm that had tried to come up behind him and flipping the scab over himself and onto the ground.

The scab shouts in pain as he hits the ground, immediately falling unconscious.

Elmer kicks one of the scabs in the stomach. "I'm sorry." He whispers.

The scab scowls at him from the ground, pulling Elmer's legs out from under him.

Elmer cries out when he hits the ground, the blade in his hand accidentally hitting the scab in his thigh.

The scab shouts in pain, clutching his thigh as it starts bleeding.

Elmer holds his head, crying softly. "I'm sorry." He whispers.

Blink and Mush help him up, Mush making sure he was okay and comforting him while Blink fought off some more scabs.

Mike and Ike's backs were against the wall of the distribution center and they were next to each other.

Ike kicked a scab in the stomach, as they had been coming for Mike.

Mike punches a scab that had been coming for Ike in the face.

This was their strategy.

And they didn't leave each other's side.

Albert found himself with Race and JoJo, the three of them in a triangle, surrounded by scabs.

"Follow our lead, Al." JoJo whispers to him.

Albert nods.

JoJo puts his hands up, Race grabbing them and flinging JoJo over him to kick two scabs.

Albert honestly didn't know that Race and JoJo were such a good team and that they fought so well.

Race looks to Albert, who nods.

They spin, switching places with each other and each kicking a scab who had been coming for the other.

The two scabs clutch their stomachs, crying in pain.

Buttons was getting overwhelmed as he was backed into a corner.

The fighting, chaos, screams, and cries were overwhelming him to the point where he was having a hard time breathing.

"Race, Henry, JoJo," Buttons whispers, tears streaming down his face.

The scab cornering him smirks.

"Aiutami per favore!" Buttons shouts, before switching from Italian to Spanish. "Ayudame por favor!"

(Italian: 'Help me please.' Spanish was the same.)

The scab looked a bit shocked that he was speaking another language.

Race looks at Albert and JoJo.

Albert didn't know what Buttons had said, but he knew it was bad from the tone of his voice and JoJo knew the Spanish version.

The two boys nod at Race, who does a backflip off of their platform, landing on a scab, who crumbled to the ground at the sudden force.

He runs over to Buttons, punching any scab that got in his way.

Of course, this earned him some injuries as well, but he was more focused on getting to Buttons than caring.

Henry leaves Elmer, Blink, and Mush, heading over to find Buttons.

Race and Henry found him at the same time.

He was on the ground, curled in a little ball, the scab about to cut him with the knife he held.

"Hey!" Race shouts, turning the scab's attention to himself. "Pick on someone your own size!"

The scab looks him up and down. "You?" He asks with a snicker.

Race just smirks.

The distraction gave Henry time to get to Buttons and Elmer and Tommy boy time to smack the scab upside the head with a pole they found.

"Sorry." Elmer whispers as the scab falls to the ground.

Tommy boy looked frightened out of his mind.

"Stay by Henry." Race tells the three boys softly, hugging Elmer and Tommy boy once, before running off.

Henry really didn't want Race running off, but he was gone before he could stop him.

Henry sighs, looking at Elmer, who held Tommy boy.

Buttons cried into Henry's shoulder.

Race was immediately found by Oscar after running off.

Oscar smirks at him, his brass knuckles covered in blood.

Race notices Jack fighting Morris next to him.

Race pulls out his blade, flipping it open.

"Love the blade," the younger Delancey brother snickers a bit. "I wonder if the cards on it help you win fights." He comments.

Race scowls at him.

"I don't know, Oscar," Morris responds with a smirk. "I think it's just there so he feels good about himself." He snickers.

Oscar smirks.

"At least I actually win fights." Race snaps, glaring at Oscar.

Oscar scowls at him, running towards him.

Race goes to kick him, but Oscar pushed him to the ground before he could.

Race fell onto the ground with a grunt from him, Oscar falling on top of him.

"You know," Oscar starts, his hands wrapping around Race's throat. "If you weren't my enemy, you'd be kinda cute." He smirks.

"Can't say the same about you." Race responds, trying to push Oscar off of him.

Oscar smacks him across the face, the grip his left hand had on Race's throat tightening.

"The only problem is your mouth," Oscar sneers. "It doesn't seem to close and someone needs to teach it when to." He growls.

Race continues to try to push Oscar off of him, but Oscar used one of his hands to pin Race's left hand to the ground.

Race remembered that his blade was next to him.

He struggled to try to pick it up as he gasped for breath, trying to get any air he could.

Oscar notices, grabbing the blade and throwing it across the Distribution Center.

He smirks when he hears Elmer shout in pain. "Looks like I have good aim," he comments.

Race was quickly losing air, his vision starting to blur.

His struggles to get Oscar off of him got weaker and weaker.

Jack kicks Morris to the ground, stepping on him to stop him from moving.

The older Delancey brother tries to get Jack's foot off of his chest, but to no avail.

Jack notices Oscar and Race on the ground. His eyes widen.

Finch takes over keeping Morris pinned to the ground, while Jack pushes Oscar off of Race.

Albert and JoJo pin Oscar to the ground, before other scabs attacked them.

Albert drags Race to the side, Race gasping for breath.

Race's vision came back slowly, the black spots covering it disappearing one at a time.

Jack looks around. Where did Weasel go?

Albert runs off to help Romeo.

Blink and Mush were back to back.

Race forces himself to get up, using the wall to stabilize himself.

His head was pounding and his world was spinning.

Jack heard a whistle blow again.

He sees the gates close and Weasel in front of them.

That's where he went...

Then, realization dawned on him.

"It's a trap!" He heard Blink and Mush shout together.

Race looks up, immediately seeing the bulls.

Henry looks up when he hears Tommy boy shout in protest and pain.

A bull held him by the hair.

Tears streamed down Tommy boy's face as he tried to get the bull to let go.

Henry shot up, Buttons still in his arms.

Elmer was grabbed by another police officer.

Then, Buttons.

And the next thing Henry knew, he had thrown a punch to try to free Buttons, when his world went black.

Elmer and Buttons shout Henry's name.

The bulls start dragging them away.

Finch noticed them, but before he could do anything, Morris twisted his leg when he lost his guard slightly.

Finch shouts in pain, falling to the ground.

His head hit the ground.

He felt Morris kick his jaw as he struggled to get up, but after that, he lost all sense of awareness.

He just laid on the ground.

Jack looks around at all of his friends getting taken.

Mike and Ike were dragged away from each other, both of them screaming and trying to get the other.

Mush screams as Blink was knocked out, the bulls holding him throwing him over their shoulders like he was nothing.

Morris grips Mush by his chin. "You poor thing." He coos mockingly.

Mush goes to throw a punch, but Morris' knife was out and had sliced a cut on his arm before he could.

Mush cries out in pain, holding his arm.

Morris kicks him to the ground, before turning to face a cop. "Take him away." He tells them.

They nod, taking Mush by his arms and dragging him away.

Mush was still kicking and screaming.

Boots was backed into a corner with Romeo, their backs against the wall.

Two bulls stood in front of them, bats in their hands.

Romeo and Boots share a look.

They knew they weren't getting out of this.

Romeo's attention was pulled away when he heard Specs' screams.

His eyes immediately caught his boyfriend as he was hit over the head with a pole.

Romeo reaches out for him. "Specs!" He shouts, tears finally making their way down his face.

Boots puts his hands up in a surrendering gesture.

The cop turns to take handcuffs out, when Boots kicks him in the face.

He shouts in pain, holding his nose as blood spilled out of it.

Boots cringes a bit. That has to hurt.

The other cop whips around to face at Boots, giving Romeo a chance to slip away.

He didn't get very far when another cop caught him and handcuffed him.

JoJo and Albert were surrounded by cops.

JoJo clung to Albert, his arm holding onto Albert like it was his last day alive.

And honestly, it helped comfort Albert.

Until they were ripped apart.

Albert lost awareness of his surroundings and couldn't see anything, but he could hear JoJo, vaguely.

"Al!" JoJo shouts. "Please! Don't hurt him!" He was sobbing. "Please! Albert! Por favor! No le hagas daño!"

Albert's heart crumbled when JoJo switched to Spanish.

(Translation: "Please! Don't hurt him!" I don't know Spanish, so if Google translate is wrong, please tell me lol.)

Race turns to run, immediately running into Weasel and Snyder.

Race whimpers slightly, backing up slowly.

Snyder smirks at him. "If it isn't the broken Higgins kid." He states.

Race glares at him. "If it ain't the evil tarantula of hope crushing and everything bad." He snarls, still backing up. "Wait- that's offensive to tarantulas." He states.

Snyder just chuckles. "I've been waiting to have you back in the Refuge." His evil smirk grows.

That smirk was one of two that haunted Race's dreams and nightmares.

One of the two people he feared the most in the world.

"Why?" Race questions. "Because you want your butt kicked again?" He responds.

Snyder wasn't fazed. "You act tough, but we both know you aren't." He comments. "It'll be fun to break you."

Race's eyes widen.

He was kicked to the ground by Snyder.

Race's head hit the ground, his world going blurry.

He was mentally kicking himself for being so weak.

Snyder took his bat and beat Race with it, hitting his stomach/rib area over ten times.

Weasel took over after a bit, and by then, Race was screaming in pain, tears streaming down his face.

Snyder went to find Jack.

Davey runs to the Distribution Center.

He had dropped Les and Lucky at his house, calmed them down, got them to sleep, and got Sarah to watch them.

He knew he had to get to the boys.

He had a horrible feeling that something bad had happened and he would never forgive himself if something had and he didn't help.

When Davey finally got to the Distribution Center, the only people there were Jack, Weasel, the Delanceys, Race, and Snyder.

Davey's eyes widen when he saw Weasel hit Race's stomach one last time with a bat.

Race was unconscious.

Jack was also unconscious, getting dragged along by Snyder.

Davey watched Snyder, Weasel, and the Delanceys take them away, going out the back of the distribution center.

Davey was frozen in fear, shock, concern, and a million other emotions.

Spot never came...

The boys are off to the Refuge...

Snyder has Jack again...

Snyder had Race again...

They looked horrible...

Davey slams the bars on the gate to the Distribution center, sliding down it until he was on the floor, sobbing.

About ten minutes later

Kloppman stares at the breathless boy in front of him.

"Please!" Davey exclaims, helpless and sobbing. "We have to help them!" He tells him.

Kloppman had no idea this had happened to the boys.

The boys he had watched grow up.

Kloppman ushers Davey to come inside, immediately heading over to his desk to see how much money he had.

There were seventeen Manhattan Newsies in the Refuge and he only had enough to save ten of them.

That was fifty dollars.

Kloppman turns back to face the Jacobs' son, his eyes soft and sad. "I only have enough to get ten out..." he tells him softly.

Davey hated that. "I- I-" he starts. "Any is better than none?" He offers.

Kloppman nods.

"But which do we get out?" Davey asks.

Kloppman stays silent for a moment. "Specs can treat injuries." He points out.

Davey nods, writing it down.

1. Specs

"Which boys can last longer in there till we get more money?" Davey asks, his voice quiet.

"Jack can." Kloppman answers.

That stung Davey's heart.

"And as much as I hate to say this," Kloppman starts, sighing softly. "Race can as well." He states.

Davey's eyes almost bulged out of his head.

Kloppman looks at him. "Look, Jack can take care of him," he reminds Davey. "And Race has been through this twice before."

"Which is all the more reason to get him out of there!" Davey exclaims. "I watched them beat him senseless, worse than they did to most of the other boys." He tells him.

"I hate it too," Kloppman starts. "But you and I both know he can take it." He responds.

Davey sighs. "Okay," he gives in.

"Let's get Elmer, Tommy boy, and Buttons out of there." Kloppman tells Davey. "I don't think I have to explain that." He comments.

Davey nods, writing it down.

2. Tommy boy
3. Buttons
4. Elmer

"Crutchie." Davey and Kloppman decide in unison.

5. Crutchie

"Mike, Ike, Boots?" Davey suggests.

Kloppman nods.

6. Mike
7. Ike
8. Boots

"Henry, Ro?" Davey suggests.

Kloppman nods.

9. Romeo
10. Henry

"I'll go get them out," the older man tells Davey, taking the list. "You go see if Katherine has medicine."

Davey nods.

In the Refuge

The boys were split among three rooms.

Albert, Blink, Mush, Romeo, Boots, Buttons, and Henry were in the first room.

Jack, Crutchie, JoJo, Mike, Ike, Tommy boy, and Elmer were in the second room, the middle of both.

Race, Specs, and Finch were in the third room.

In the first room, Mush was laying in Blink's arms.

Boots had asked for Romeo to hold him, so they were laying together, not caring if they were bloody and beaten.

Albert was helping Henry take care of Buttons, by treating Buttons' injuries (to the best of his abilies with what he had and what he knew) while Henry held the younger boy.

Sketch, the oldest kid in that room who wasn't a Newsie, was communicating with Scraps through Morse code.

Scraps was communicating to Sketch and Scrapes through the walls, mainly because they were triplets, but also because Jack needed to know how his boys were doing and the triplets were good friends with him.

Jack laid, leaning against a wall in the second room, holding Crutchie, who laid in his arms, half asleep.

He never wanted to ever let go of Crutchie again, and thankfully, Crutchie felt the same way.

Mike, Ike, and JoJo clung together, Ike in the middle of the couple.

Elmer and Tommy boy were sat on one of the few beds in the room, talking quietly with each other.

They were trying to calm each other down and take their minds off of their injuries.

They were quietly joking about rats, but it wasn't helping much.

"I think that rat looks nicer than Snyder." Elmer whispers, a small smile on his face.

Tommy boy looks at him. "Don't say that." He responds. "It's offensive to the rat."

The two boys giggle quietly.

In the third room, Finch held Race, who was just barely conscious, while Specs treated his injuries.

They didn't have many supplies, but Specs managed to use parts of Race's almost destroyed flannel to wrap his stomach/rib area to try to stabilize it.

"It's alright, Racer." Specs tells him softly.

Scrapes just stood behind them, watching, his gaze soft.

There weren't as many kids in this room, maybe two, plus the four of them.

Tears stream down Race's face.

He winces and whimpers in pain again as Specs tries to clean another cut.

Finch's arms tightened slightly around Race, careful not to hurt him as he held him in a secure embrace.

"It's okay," he whispers into the younger boy's ear. "I got you, Racer. We're just helping." He whispers.

They hadn't even been there for two hours, when the Delanceys came up to their room.

They opened the door, drawing the boys' attention to them.

Oscar and Morris looked really annoyed, and there were nine other boys behind them.

Crutchie.

Henry.

Elmer.

Tommy boy.

Mike.

Ike.

Boots.

Romeo.

And Buttons.

Race went over their names in his mind, scared that if he stopped, he'd forget everything and his world would go black.

"Let's go, Spencer." Specs cringes at his real name. "You're free to go."

Finch and Specs share confused looks.

Specs gets up, squeezing Race's hand and giving Finch a hug. "I'm sorry." He whispers.

"Don't be." Finch whispers in response. "I'm glad you're getting out of here."

Specs shoots him a small smile, before leaving.

Finch saw the boys' pitiful, shocked, and sad gazes on Race as the door closed.

He heard them walk away, his mind abuzz.

That was only ten of us...

Finch looks back down at Race.

The smaller boy had zoned out again.

Finch sighs, hugging him slightly closer.

Specs shares a confused look with Henry.

Oscar and Morris slam the Refuge door closed.

They look and find Mr. Kloppman.

"Klopp!" Elmer and Romeo exclaim in unison, their voices weak even though they were loud.

Kloppman sends them soft smiles.

"This is only ten of us..." Henry starts quietly.

"We didn't have enough for all of you," the older man informs him softly. "But we're working on it."

Henry nods.

"Come on," Kloppman says. "We have to get you all cleaned up and in bed."

Later

After finally finishing treating Buttons injuries and laying him with Elmer, the boys were done.

The good news was that all of them were going to be okay.

The bad news was that Tommy boy and Crutchie were going to have nightmares for a while.

The other boys were probably going to have some, but they had only been at the Refuge for less than two hours.

Crutchie was there for three days and Tommy boy had been there at the age of 8 to almost age 10.

Specs, Henry, Davey, Kloppman, and Katherine, who had come and brought medicine and stuff, sat in the living room.

"What do we do?" Henry asks softly, playing with his fingers as he thought of the boys who were still in the Refuge.

Katherine gently places her hand on top of his to stop him from hurting himself.

"I don't know." Davey starts, his head in his hands. "Seven of us are still in the Refuge, we're still on strike, and we have no money." He mumbles.

"I wish I could give you some," Katherine starts. "But my father forbid it. I mean, you are striking against him." She points out.

Some of the boys sigh.

They heard a knock on the door.

They share looks as Kloppman gets up to check.

It was Ace, Smokes, Red, and Hotshot.

Specs and Henry immediately glare at them.

"We heard what happened," Ace starts softly. "How can we help?" He asks.

Davey immediately realized who these boys were.

Anger ran through his body.

He could feel it in his veins.

He stands up. "You could've helped by coming when we needed you." He snaps.

Specs and Henry share look. Go, Davey!

The Brooklyn boys share wide-eyed looks.

Specs stands up next to Davey. "Go back to your cowardly leader." He snarls.

"Hey!" Hotshot exclaims. "Don't talk about him like that." He tells them.

Specs' glare intensified. "And why not?" He asks, his voice deadly calm.

Hotshot stays silent.

"Do you want to know what happened?" Specs asks them.

They share looks, before nodding hesitantly.

"Alright," Specs' glare stayed staring at them. "We went and striked. We fought scabs for what was probably an hour and they locked us in there."

The Brooklyn boys' eyes widen more.

"Bulls stormed the Distribution center. Snyder," Specs growls out. "He was there. They brought us all to the Refuge. And guess what," he laughs bitterly. "Race, Jack, Blink, Albert, JoJo, Finch, and Mush are still there."

"Oh my God..." Smokes mutters, his hands covering his mouth in shock.

"Yeah," Specs almost growls. "Oh my God."

They heard someone in the doorway of the stairwell.

They turn back to see Ike, his eyes wide, his hair in his eyes, his face bruised, and only wearing an undershirt (that was way to big on him) and pants.

"Ike..." Hotshot starts softly, trying to go see him.

Henry and Specs stop him.

"Let me see him." Hotshot snaps, trying to push them away.

"No..." the older Guzman whispers, stopping Hotshot in his tracks. "I don't want to see anyone from your cowardly Borough." His voice got slightly louder.

Hotshot stares at him in shock.

At the Refuge

Race faced away from the window, his back against the wall that the window was on, and his knees pulled to his chest.

His chin rested on his knees, his arms wrapped around his legs, pulling them close to him.

"Please just listen to me..." they whisper, growing helpless.

Race doesn't turn to face them. "You hear that?" He asks quietly.

They nod softly, nervous about what he was going to say.

"That's Jack, screaming." Race's grip on himself tightens. "The famous Jack Kelly, screaming. It's your fault." He accuses.

"I'm sorry." The other breathes out, choking back tears. "I didn't know this would happen."

"Yeah, well it did." Race scoffs a bit. "You consider me your brother, but brothers don't ignore the other because they're scared and don't believe the other's Borough." His voice got softer and softer. "My brothers didn't."

He stops for a moment. "Some brother and King you are." He states.

Spot was full on sobbing by this point. "I'm sorry..." he chokes out. "I failed you- I know. I'm going to get you out of here, Race- I promise." He whispers. "I'll get you and the other boys out of here."

Race finally looks at him. "If you help us," he whispers, tears finally making their way down his face. "And we win the strike, I'll forgive you."

Spot looked like he wanted to cry harder at that. "I promise. I swear I will." He whispers.

Race nods.

Spot didn't want to leave, but he knew he had to.

"I'll be back." He whispers, before jumping down from the fire escape near Race's window.

Race nods softly, biting his lip as tears flowed freely down his face again.

Later that day
Still with Race

Race stumbled into the room, falling on the floor.

He looks up.

It's as just him and Oscar.

Oscar smirks at him. "Snyder will be here soon, but he gave me permission to start your punishment." He informs Race.

Race gets up slowly, cringing in pain. "What- what punishment?" He asks. "A punishment for not being something you can just use to beat when you're angry or want to?" He snarls.

Oscar pulls out a blade.

A very familiar blade.

Oscar smirks as he opens it. "Know what this is?" He asks, taunting a bit.

Race scowls at him. "That's mine."

Oscar's smirk grows. "And you'll get it back after I'm done." He states. "Whenever that will be."

Race was not looking forward to this.

He just closed his eyes and prayed while he listened to Oscar as he walks towards him.

At the Lodge

"I know you don't trust me, but please!" Spot exclaims. "We need to go to Medda's and after- I- I can see how much money I can give you!" He tells them.

Henry, Davey, and Specs share looks.

"I literally just asked for a hug," the older Guzman twin mutters. "Not for him to fall asleep on me."

Hotshot was asleep on top Ike.

"That's his way of keeping you close to him, even if you're mad at him." Ace informs him, his voice quiet, but a bit happy.

Ike rolls his eyes. "I know."

"Please." Spot almost begs. "I know Race is your brother, and he's mine too."

The boys sigh.

"Fine." Davey agrees.

Spot's eyes lit up in relief.

"But," Davey starts. "This doesn't mean we trust you."

Spot nods.

He turns and runs towards Brooklyn.

He was going to meet them at Medda's, but first, he was off to Brooklyn.

At Medda's

Medda sighs. "I'm sorry, boys." She tells them softly. "But the Theater is going through a rough time, I can't give you much."

"That's okay!" Davey exclaims, getting helpless. "We just need a bit!" He tells her.

Medda nods. "I can pay for four of them." She offers.

The boys nod.

She hands them twenty dollars.

After thanking Medda, they left.

They stood outside of the Theater, counting the money.

"Twenty eight dollars." Davey sighs. "We need two more."

"We can probably find some in the Lodge." Specs suggests, sharing a look with Henry.

Henry nods.

"Should you two really be running around a lot?" Davey asks, shooting them wary looks.

"We'll stop when we get the others out of that horrible place." Henry tells him, brushing the pain off.

Davey sighs. "No, you won't." He accuses.

"Probably true." Henry shrugs.

The four boys laugh softly, grateful for a bit of light in the darkness they were going through.

The Refuge

Race laid on Finch, barely conscious.

Tears ran down his face, neither boy bothering to stop them.

They just laid together.

Race was sweating, a lot.

It was hot and Finch was almost positive Race was sick.

Finch heard the door open.

Oscar and Morris stood there, Jack, Albert, JoJo, Blink, and Mush behind them.

Their eyes widened when they saw Race and Finch.

"You're free to go." Oscar grumbles, seemly annoyed and angry at this.

Finch picks Race up, almost crumbling when he tried to walk.

He managed to make it to the door.

Albert held Race, Blink and Mush helping Finch.

When they finally got outside, they saw Spot, Davey, and Kloppman.

Oscar and Morris slammed the Refuge door shut.

Spot started crying again when he saw Race.

Davey was almost crying.

All of the boys wanted to cry.

"A trip to Medda's, shining ten pairs of shoes each, and searching around the Lodges and we finally got you out." Davey whispers, tears finally making their way down his face.

"We need to get you home." Spot whispers, his eyes fixated on Race.

Home...

Race smiles softly.

I missed my home.

5432 Words
Sorry, parts of this was bad.
Here's something to cheer you up. (My sister, mother, and I found this really funny.)