AN: Caught the old writing bug. I know I have other stories (namely Jillaroo) that others would probably rather have me finish first, but this one has been in my head for awhile so I'm going with it!

The Pessimist's Tree - Chapter 4

"The true meaning of life is to plant trees under whose shade you do not expect to sit"

- Nelson Henderson 1860

"I thought I would find you here." Skittery's thoughts were interrupted by a voice he immediately recognized.

He looked up from his seat on the bench wear he had been savoring the leftover half of yesterday's roast beef sandwich.

"Hey Charlotte…" He said unsure of why the girl would be looking for him.

"I just wanted to thank you. You know for, bringing Davey back the other day. You left in such a hurry…" She stopped sensing his unease.

"Uh, yeah, no problem…How is the little guy anyways?" Skittery didn't really care but he didn't really feel like delving into a deep conversation about his why he couldn't stand to be inside of, let alone, anywhere near Saint Lucy's.

"Oh he is gonna recover. He had a few bruised ribs. Davey…he is different. He has a vivid imagination and he keeps to himself so often. The other boys they are unmerciful towards him. I don't know what to do. The Sisters have tried to punish them, but truth be told I don't think they really care one way or the other. They aren't particularly fond of Davey anyway."

Skittery snorted. "The sisters not caring…what a shock," he thought to himself.

He glanced up at Charlotte who was giving him an inquisitive look.

"What was that noise for?" She questioned…slightly irritated by it.

"Ah, it was nothing. Just thinking," He said. He was ready to move on. He didn't want to continue this conversation. "Hey look, I gotta go. I've got papes to sell and whatnot…"

"Sure I understand. I guess I will see you around." She said it with a straight face, but Skittery thought he sensed an undertone of disappointment in the statement.

He gave a quick wave goodbye before taking off. He began calling out headlines but turned his head slightly. Charlotte didn't move she just looked straight forward from the bench they had been sitting on together. Her hands rested together in her lap. She didn't have a smile on her face and she didn't seem to be as happy and carefree as she was the last few times he had been with her.

He shook his head and handed a women a paper before walking off.

Skittery walked slowly next to Mush. The evening air was cold. Snow was tightly impacted into the ground. It was hard and slick, no longer soft and moldable like it was when it had first fell. He didn't know why on earth the newsies insisted on keeping up the monthly poker games during the winter months.

He thought himself slightly crazy for agreeing to come tonight. The game was in the Bronx. The Manhattan lodging house was closer to Brooklyn, a trek across Manhattan and well into the Bronx had meant that all the newsies had to quit selling their papers fairly early in the day. He couldn't figure out how the Staten Island Newsies would make it. He imagined they didn't even bother selling their papers that day.

Mush pushed a little closer to him as the wind blew. It was cold - really cold. They all were wearing their winter clothes - which consisted of wearing every piece of clothing they could get their hands on.

"We shouldn't have come tonight. We are all gonna catch pneumonia and die." Skittery said bitterly.

Race who seemed untouched by the blistering cold came up behind him. "And miss the poker game? I think not. I've been on a roll these last few times. But hey if you do die…I promise I'll bring flowers to your grave every day."

Skittery shot Race a looking letting him know he wasn't amused. Race raised his hands in defeat before running up ahead to catch up with Jack and Blink.

"It ain't so bad." Mush said finally entering into the conversation.

"Yeah right." Skittery said sardonically.

"Look there are still other people out…we ain't that crazy." Mush said as he motioned to a figure walking up the streets.

Skittery glanced over trying to decide what kind of person would still be out in the cold of the evening as darkness set upon the city. He was surprised when he immediately recognized Charlotte. A sickness set in his stomach. What was she doing over here? Was something the matter? Why hadn't he talked to her more the other day?

He couldn't stop the flood of concern as he watched her slowly move up the street. He was fighting back the concern when he suddenly couldn't stand it anymore. He broke away from Mush and turned around.

"Charlotte, Charlotte…wait." He called out to her…ignoring all the stunned newsies. They watched with dropped mouths as Skittery ran to the pretty girl across the street. Jack was the first to contain his shock and slowly got the newsies to continue on their journey. He figured Skittery had other plans and wouldn't be joining them tonight.

Charlotte turned when she heard her name called. She was surprised to see Skittery coming towards from a group of scraggly looking boys.

"Hey Skittery. How are you?"

"I'm okay…cold." He said unsure of what he was actually doing.

"Yeah…" She replied with a smile, "It is cold…"

"So um, yeah, what are you doing way out in the Bronx? Is everything okay?" He said trying not to sound too concerned.

"Oh yeah…I was just…had some visiting to do over here today." She said it with a smile, but Skittery sensed there was more to it than that.

"Are you on your way home?" Skittery asked, ignoring her secrecy and feeling a sudden protectiveness towards her. He didn't like the thought of her walking home alone.

"Yeah…well um, are you going somewhere special?" She asked suddenly.

"Nah, just a stupid poker game, I don't play…just something to do." He replied.

"Would you like to come with me?" she said it without hesitation and a level of excitement that drew him in. Skittery didn't even ask where they were going but just nodded.

The two began to walk in silence. She quickened her pace. He didn't know how she managed to keep her balance and stay so steady on the slick sidewalks. He struggled to keep up with her. She almost seemed to glide across the snow. She was quick and light footed.

He stopped as they rounded the corner coming towards a huge plot of gated land.

"Where are we?"

"St. John's College, this campus is called Rose Hill." She said with enthusiasm. She kept walking on down the street.

"Where are we going?" Skittery was confused now. It had been just a few minutes since they had past the college campus but they were still outside the gates of somewhere else.

She stopped suddenly. She produced from under her sleeves a key. She pushed aside some mangled leaves and revealed a locked gate. She grabbed his hands and pulled him through the small door before closing it.

He stood inside a large area. Trees lined walkways. Benches were covered in snow. What is this place?

"This is the New York Botanical Gardens." She grabbed his hand and pulled him along. Her urgency signaled to him not to ask questions but just to follow.

When she finally stopped she turned to him. "This is the green house." She produced another key and opened the door. Skittery was immediately hit with warmth and humidity. It felt so good that he eagerly pulled himself in. He stopped once through the doors. Suddenly sparks came flying from up ahead as overhead lights turned on illuminating the space. He had never seen anything like it. The glass building was filled with all sorts of odd plants and trees. It was beautiful. He turned to Charlotte who was watching him with a smile on her face.

"It's incredible isn't it?"

"Yeah it is. What is this place…I mean how are we here…aren't we going to get in trouble?" He asked confused and amazed at the same time. He watched her she smiled and him and began to walk down the aisle.

"You can relax. , the groundskeeper knows me. He lets me come and help him out whenever I want. He has been teaching me." She smiled as she gingerly touched a red blossom of a small tree.

He watched her eyes light up. "Teach you?"

"Mr. Lee, he knows plants. He isn't a botanist or a horticulturist or anything he just knows. It is in his blood. He has been teaching me everything he knows."

"Bot…ah what were those things you said?" Skittery was confused but he could tell she was excited. He enjoyed watching her face and she took in each plant. The freckles in her face creased ever so slightly and her eyes were bright with passion. He felt his heart pounding thinking about how beautiful she was again.

"Botany is the study of plants and plant life. A horticulturalist cultivates plants. It is fascinating…at least to me." She paused for a moment sending him an embarrassed smile. "Sorrry I'm rambling."

"No, no – this is really something." He said as he looked around. He wasn't lying. The incredible building was packed full of a huge variety of plants. He had never seen anything like it.

"These are my favorites." She pointed to a shelf with what looked like small trees. Some of the trees had flowers on them. They were all different colors. "Camellias – they come in all sorts of variations. When the snow dies off they will start to bloom again outside. These all came from China. Isn't that incredible? We are looking at these amazing plants that are from Asia?"

Skittery didn't know exactly where China or Asia was but he knew it was far from New York. He admired the sense of wonder with which she saw everything. He felt it too, here in the Greenhouse with her. It was the first time in a long time he had ever been excited and comfortable about something that was completely out of his control.

"I could stay here all night." She said with a sigh. She motioned for him to come sit on a wooden bench that was sitting underneath a giant palm tree. He obeyed without hesitation. They sat in silence, watching the trees blowing in the harsh weather outside the warm glass building.

"Charlotte?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for showing me this." He said with a smile.

"I knew you had a smile in there somewhere in there." She said jokingly.

He stopped and realized that indeed he was smiling. He didn't care either. For the first time in a long he was happy – really happy.

The two sat and starred at each for a moment before he placed his warm hands on her cheeks. He cradled her head gently before leaning down and kissing her softly.

She didn't reject him but slightly repositioned herself and deepened the kiss before finally pulling away.

He laughed slightly... "I can't think straight when I'm with you."

AN: Hope you enjoyed the new chapter…I tried to keep it true to life. Of course St. John's college is really now Fordham University. The Botanical Gardens are really down the street from the Rosehill campus. I do not know if any of the Greenhouses were actually built there by then…but I'm going with it! Thanks for any reviews! :)