First of all, thank you all for all of the requests you've sent in already! I'll get those started, but right now I'm finishing up a few one shots that I've already started, so those'll be out first.

This one for example. It wasn't requested, but I wrote it way back when I first wrote the scene in my book where Mike tells Romeo about the monster. In this story Mike and Ike are about 9 and our special guest at the end is 11.
I hope that you enjoy!

***

"This is the bunk room. We sleeps in here," a tall blond boy said as he opened the door.

A few boys looked up and waved as Sketch, the leader of the Manhattan newsies, led the two young boys into the room.

"Boys, these are our new charges, Mike and Ike Nelson. I trust you guys will show 'em around while I go take care of business in Queens."

"'Course we will!" A boy piped up, a smirk curving his lips.

"Play nice," Sketch grinned as he left and closed the door behind him.

Mike and Ike stood shoulder to shoulder, glancing nervously about the older boys who were crowding around them.

"Look! Theyse got the same face!"

One of the boys began pinching and poking at their faces and the twins backed away from them as quickly as they could.

"Youse right! Their faces are exactly the same!" Exclaimed the boy who'd been poking them.

The boys crowded closer, all trying to get a look. Mike let out a squeak as his back hit the wall, sending the older boys into fits of laughter. Mike's face burned as the boys teased him. Maybe coming here hadn't been such a great idea.

"Leave 'em alone!" A small blond exclaimed angrily.

One of the older boys rolled his eyes at the boy, who appeared to be the twins' age, and pushed him out of the way.

The boy glared up at the older kid as he stood up from the floor. "Stronzo!" He spat.

"Woah!" A tall, dark skinned boy exclaimed. "Watch the language Racer! Kids can't say things like that!"

Mike and Ike watched the scene in fear. All of these people were crazy!

"Hey! All of you, get outta here! Youse scarin' 'em you morons!" Another boy spoke up.

Ike sighed. A sane person had finally come to help them out! He hoped that this kid would make all of the scary people go away.

The boys all groaned, but did as they were told. They scattered about the room, similar to where they'd been when Sketch had first introduced the twins.

"Don't you worry 'bout them. They got no manners. They don't know how to act around normal people anymore. I'm Griff, nice to meet you!"

"I'm Ike and that's Mike, he's my brother."

"Is he really?" Griff smirked.

"Yeah! Can't you tell?" Mike asked worriedly. His hands flew up and began touching his face, feeling around as if to make sure everything was still there. "My face ain't changed, has it?"

"I was kiddin, buddy. Don't worry 'bout it, youse still look the same."

Mike relaxed and gave a sigh. "Good."

"You two look tired, want me to show you to your bunk?"

Ike looked to Mike, who gave a small shrug.

"Yes please."

Griff smiled and led them to a bunk at the other end of the room. "You two can have this one," he said.

"We each get our own bed?" Mike asked, eyes lighting up as he stared at the bunk bed.

"Unless you want to share."

Mike shook his head, eyes wide. "That's okay, we don't need to."

Griff laughed again, ruffling the boy's hair. "This one's all for you."

"We don't have to get split up?" Mike asked hopefully.

"Nope," Griff responded. "Lucky for you it's been recently emptied."

"It has? Why?" Mike asked, brown eyes wide with curiosity.

A smirk grew on Griff's face and his eyes lit up as though he'd gotten a brilliant idea.

"It's a secret story, but I think I can trust you. Can't I?"

Mike and Ike nodded eagerly.

Griff leaned toward the twins and then motioned for them to lean closer. He lowered his voice to a low whisper, so quiet that the twins could barely hear him.

"He got eaten."

Mike and Ike jumped back in surprise.

"He what?" Ike gasped.

"He got eaten," Griff repeated, shrugging nonchalantly.

"By what?"

"By the Lodgin' House Monster of course!"

Mike and Ike glanced at each other out of the corner of their eyes.

"What's that?" Mike asked, voice shaking.

"Exactly what it sounds like. It's the monster that lives here and eats the boys that live here too. Real nasty thing, I hope you guys never have to see 'im. He's real ugly."

"What's he look like?" Ike asked. His voice was soft and fearful, but he rested a hand on Mike's shoulder as he tried to be brave for his brother.

"He's slimy and brown and slithers on the floor like a snake, 'cept he's got eight legs too. His tail has got all these spikes on it, just drippin' with poison."

"What about his head?" Ike questioned.

"Oh, don't even get me started on the head!" Griff groaned. "That's the worst part! He's got two of 'em, each with the biggest, roundest nose you ever saw. He's got a humungous mouth on each head, each has got four rows of razor sharp teeth, that makes it easier for him to eat people. But don't worry about the teeth, worry about the eyes."

Mike was scared to ask, but he did anyway. "What's the matter with his eyes?"

"They blind ya and freeze ya."

Mike gulped, trying to look around the room and under the beds. "I don't see him."

"That's 'cause no one's asleep!" Griff stated. "He only comes out when everyone's sleepin'. That way he can get an easy pick of whoever he wants!"

"I don't wanna die!" Mike cried.

"Hey, don't worry," Griff assured, patting the boys' soldiers. "It'll only get you if youse in the bottom bunk or the person beneath you left. He don't like workin' hard for his meals. That's why he likes the littlest kids best."

Mike and Ike stared at each other in horror. Griff grinned as he headed back to his friends. "Sleep tight, boys! Don't let the monster get ya!"

Mike huddled closer to his brother, lips trembling. "I don't wanna stay here Ike," he muttered.

"It's okay Mike. I'll sleep on the bottom. If the monster tries to get you, I'm punch him!"

"Really?"

"Really," Ike nodded.

"Ain't you scared of it?"

Ike shrugged. "A little bit, but I don't want him to get you."

A shadow fell over the and they both grabbed at each other's arms as their eyes flew to whatever was standing over them. Mike was shaking as he glanced up. What if Griff was wrong and the monster had shown up to get them already?

"Hey there!" A dark haired boy said grinning at them. "I'm Jack Kelly!"

"I'm Ike and-"

"I know. I heard Sketch say it earlier." Jack sat down on the bottom bunk and motioned for them to do the same. The twins looked at each other and neither moved.

"Go on, sit down!"

Mike shook his head fearfully and Jack shot him a look of confusion. "Well why not?"

"The monster!" Ike explained in a hushed voice.

"The monster?" Jack's eyebrows knitted together as he looked up at them.

"Yeah, the one under the bed that eats little kids!"

Jack's confusion melted away and a small smile crossed his face. "Oh! That monster! Yeah, he's a nasty thing, ain't he?"

"So he's real?"

"Course he is!" Jack said. "But I wouldn't worry about him."

"Why not?"

"If you leave him his favorite food, he'll eat that instead."

Mike looked excitedly at Ike. "What's his favorite! We'll get it!"

"Blueberry muffins!" Jack said immediately.

Ike's shoulders slumped and his face dropped into a frown. "How are we s'posed to afford one of those every night?"

"Well, I guess he also likes dinner rolls, but he'd have to get two of those to make up for it."

"Dinner rolls?" Mike asked.

"Yeah," Jack said. "Dinner rolls. We get 'em each night with supper. Those'll keep him away."

And so it was settled. That night at supper Mike and Ike ate dinner with the rest of the boys. Jack sat at the other end of the table next to a tiny boy with strawberry-blond hair and a huge smile. Jack discreetly motioned to the roll on his plate.

Ike immediately picked his up and reluctantly stuffed it into his pocket, Mike quickly copying him. Rolls were also their favorite, but if this kept the monster away, they would do it.

That night before they went to sleep they both slipped the rolls underneath the bed.

"You really think it will work?" Mike whispered.

"Jack's been here for two years, he knows what he's talkin' about," Ike replied.

***

It was very obvious that being a newsie for two years had taught Jack quite a bit. That night as all the boys slept, Jack crept over to the new kids' bunk and retrieved the rolls from where they'd been stashed under the bed.

The next morning when everyone was up and getting ready for selling, Mike and Ike had excitedly hugged each other when they realized that the trick had worked. The monster had taken the rolls and left them alone!

As for Jack, he and Crutchie, who was completely unaware of the trick, were eating rolls from the night before along with their oatmeal.