Disclaimer: I don't own the Newsies characters

The next week and a half went too quickly for everyone as Issy and Spot became inseparable and the others all got closer. Before they knew it they only had three days before Aria's parents came home and without her house the newsies had nowhere to stay. None of the other girls could have them at their homes, and with no source of income there was no way for the guys to rent a place. With no other prospects everyone reluctantly agreed to see if there was any way to send them home.

Tense hours were spent in the library and on the internet searching through book after book, page after page. Since they weren't exactly after any kind of conventional method it was slow going. As they searched they all prayed that they wouldn't find anything, but said nothing. Sometime well into the fifth hour of their quest all of their worst fears were realized. Les halfheartedly admitted that he'd found something, and so their fate was decided.

That night everyone left the library disheartened.

"What do we do now?" Les asked in earnest.

Jack rubbed a hand over his face and frowned. "We don't have a choice. There's nothing for us here," he said with a shrug, not noticing the pain that flashed on Harmony's face when he did. "So we go back."

"I wish there was another way," Mush said quietly.

"Well there isn't," Jack told him. We leave on Monday." With that as the last word everyone piled into respective cars and went home.

Issy dropped Harmony off at home and then let Spot and Racetrack out at Aria's. Before he went inside Spot bent down and kissed her softly. "Everything's gonna be ok."

All Issy could manage was a nod. She waited until everyone was inside before she left. Her eyes clouded with tears as she drove and she was grateful to pull off of the road and into her driveway. She went inside and bounded up the steps, ignoring the worried questions of her family. She locked her door and sank down on her bed, her breath heaving. Somewhere in the back of her mind she heard the knocking on the door and shouts of her brothers, but she didn't care. She wrapped herself around her pillow and wept.

The next day a dark cloud hung above everybody at Aria's as they gathered to discuss when they would leave. It was finally decided that they would leave on Monday, the day the girls had to start school.

"It'll be easier for everyone that way," Davie announced.

Issy's eyes filled with tears and she shook her head. "Nothing will make it easier." She stood and walked quickly away before she lost control. Aria stood to go after her.

Spot shook his head. "No, I'll go."

He found her in the flower garden in the backyard, her back to him and her arms wrapped tightly around her body. "Nothing can fix this," she said quietly as she heard him approach.

He stood close but didn't touch her. "I know that."

She whirled to face him. "Do you? I don't think you understand what I'm feeling, I don't think anyone does. There's never been anyone like you in my life Spot." She turned away from him. "There never will be again."

Spot's heart ached for her as he moved to stand in front of her. He wanted to look in her eyes. "Issy, I understand, more than you know, but what am I supposed to do?" His blue eyes pleaded with her. "There's nothing else to do, we've looked at everything. This is the only way."

"I know. I just wish there was another way." The tears she'd so desperately held in check began to fall freely. "Any other way."

He gathered her in his arms and felt her hold fast to him. He held her as close as he could. "I wish there was too. This place has changed me, you've changed me. I'm not sure what'll happen when I go back."

"It just doesn't seem fair. We've all gotten so close in the last month; we've become such good friends, and more. It just isn't fair that we all have to be separated so soon."

"I know." He stepped back and pulled something from around his neck. He took Issy's hand and closed it around the item. "I want ya to keep this. If I can't be here I want ya to have a piece of me. It means a lot to me."

She opened her hand to look at the little silver key he always wore around his neck. "You have no idea what this means to me," she said with tears shining fresh in her eyes. He helped her tie it around her neck and she rose up on to her toes to kiss him desperately.

Aria watched them from the back door as tears slipped silently from her eyes.

"They'll be okay," Cordy said softly.

Aria turned quickly around. "Will they? Will she?" The fierce look in her eyes had Cordy taking a step back. "She's always been fragile; we all know how easily she breaks. I'm not sure if we'll be able to put her back together this time." She walked out and left everyone in the room speechless.

Later that night Aria sat alone in her bedroom watching the newsies talk in the front yard. Judging by the serious looks on their faces the conversation was far from light. As she looked down at the men she'd come to think of as family in the past month of sharing her home she barely noticed the tears start. She focused in on Mush and almost felt the crack in her heart grow. Preoccupied, she didn't notice the others enter the room until Harmony put her arms around her. Cassia, Cordy and Issy followed soon after until they all held each other in a group hug. Banded together they all looked out the window and cried, sharing the pain they all felt.

Monday dawned sunny and bright, a day that contradicted everything that they were feeling. Early that morning everyone gathered for their final goodbyes. Tears flowed, hugs abounded and kisses were shared right up until the last minute before the girls had to leave for school. Aria kept her eyes on her mirror and the others gazed out the back window until her house completely disappeared in the distance.

The day dragged on endlessly and every moment was a battle not to break down. They huddled together as much as they could, seeking the comfort of someone who understood. They were coming back from lunch when everything fell apart.

"Well, well, well if it isn't the slummers," Candy said in a sickly sweet voice as she and her chronies blocked their path down the hall.

"Candy you've got about five seconds to get the hell away from us before I lay you flat out on the floor," Cordy growled.

The blonde stood with her hands on her hips and smiled cruelly. "You wouldn't dare, not at school. I see your great protectors finally got a clue about the likes of you," she said, eyes narrow, daring them for a response.

Aria shook her head. "We're not going to fight with you Candy, just get out of the way."

She ignored Aria and went straight in for the kill. "Nice necklace Mouse, so very shabby chic. Did you get that from your trashy boyfriend?"

Issy's eyes darkened to a hurricane and flashed dangerously. "You never talk about Spot Candy, got it?"

Candy looked momentarily surprised but quickly covered it up and stepped closer to Issy. "Well now, when did the mouse grow a backbone? Your little street urchin teach you that?"

Issy met her gaze unwaveringly. "That and more, let me show you." Before Candy even had a chance to move Issy caught her with a hard punch in the nose. "He taught me that too."

Candy looked down at her, holding her throbbing nose. "You're going to regret that."

Then all hell broke loose. Candy lunged at Issy and it wasn't long before everyone else joined in. Candy's minions and Issy's friends jumped into the fray save Harmony.

Harmony looked down at the flurry of limbs in the hall and looked skyward. "This will not be good for my karma." Still she rolled up her proverbial sleeves and dove in.

An hour later the five of them sat in the principal's office. Candy and her friends had already been sent home, suspended for a week.

Their slightly pudgy principal scratched the skin beneath his bad toupee and sighed before he turned back to them. "I think this is the first time I've ever suspended eight students on the first day. It's certainly the first time I've ever suspended a group barely halfway through the day. I would have expected more from you girls your senior year. One week's suspension and we will see you next Monday." He shook his head as some of his best students walked out of office.

Once they collected their stuff they headed to Aria's since her parents wouldn't be home until late that night and the others weren't ready to face their parents with their suspension. On the way there they cataloged injuries and blissfully recounted the look on Candy's face when Issy had hit her. They all piled out of the car and trouped slowly towards the door. Aria reached for the knob and found it unlocked.

"That's strange, I guess my parent's were here," she told the others. They went inside and headed immediately for the kitchen to get ice. As Aria rummaged in the freezer Cassia turned to look out the window. Her violet eyes got so wide that they dominated her entire face.

"Tell me I'm not crazy," she whispered.

Issy turned to look out as well. "You're not…crazy."

At her sudden silence the others turned to look and stopped in their tracks. Four newsies stood in the backyard, eyes wide as they took in the mess that had been made of the girls in the fight. For a moment they all remained frozen there staring at each other. However it wasn't long before Issy broke everyone out of there reverie as she let out an uncharacteristic scream and went running into the backyard.

Spot barely had time to brace himself before Issy launched herself into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist and kissed him long and hard. When they broke apart there were tears coursing down her cheeks.

"You came back."

He shook his head. "I never left. The more I thought about it I realized that there was nothin for me to go back to. My life in New York was hard, and it made me hard; I didn't used to be that way. It took a while but I realized that this is home now, and with you is where I wanna be."

She positively beamed up at him. "But I thought that going back was the only way."

"I don't care, I'll find a way to make it work. I'll get a job, I'll stay in a shelter until I get a job if I have to. I'll make it work."

She slid down to the ground and looked up at him. "I'm glad you came back."

He kissed her softly. "So am I. Who'd ya beat up?"

She blushed prettily. "Candy. She insulted you and the boys and I punched her. There was a huge fight and we got suspended from school for a week."

"That's my girl!"

When Issy ran out Racetrack had turned his attention momentarily to her and Spot. When he turned back Cassia was gone and he frowned. As he turned to look for her she flew at him full force and they tumbled to the ground. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her head in his shoulder, laughing.

"You're here."

He laughed with her. "I'm here." Race shifted so he could see her clearly. "I decided I'd better keep my homely ass here and give this a try."

"I don't think your ass is homely, but I like it right where it is."

Harmony tried to keep calm as she walked towards Jack. "Hi," she said quietly, hesitantly meeting his eyes.

Jack saw the tears shining there and frowned. "I'm sorry. I never meant ta hurt ya."

"I thought you didn't want me. When you said there was nothing for you here I was convinced you just wanted to get away from me and from this place."

His eyes widened. "That's not what I meant Harmony. I shoulda chosen my words better. The last thing I wanted was to get away from you."

"Really?"

He nodded before bending to sweep a kiss across her mouth. "I'm where I want to be."

She laughed and he picked her up and swung her in a quick circle before kissing her once more. "Right here."

Aria stayed standing at the kitchen door as Mush approached. He tried to catch her eye but she kept her head down. When she finally looked at him her emerald eyes were shining with tears.

"It's not like I planned any of this. I wasn't supposed to fall for some guy from the past. You know, I've gotten really used to people leaving me behind. My parents are gone for months like this all the time. I hardly ever see them. My Dad isn't even my real Dad. My real father left us when I was ten for his Dental Assistant. I get a nice card on my birthday and Christmas. So it's just become commonplace in my life. Then you came along and I knew I should have kept my guard up, but I fell for you. Then you were leaving like everyone else and I figured I'd just pick up the pieces like I always do and keep going. But you're here, and I don't know what to do with myself." She trailed off.

"Aria, I never knew. If I had known I would've done so many things differently. I'm sorry to put you through all this, but I'm here. I will be here for a long time."

She managed a watery smile. "Then I'm happy, really happy."

It took everybody a while to remember the absence among them. Jack found Cordy in the living room.

"I'm sorry Cordy, Davie and Les had to go home. They've got a family ta take care of."

She nodded. "Sure, not a problem." She stared straight ahead as unwanted tears slipped from her eyes. She furiously brushed them away, shaking her head.

Jack took her tense form in his arms and held her as she cried and the others watched helplessly. "I'm sorry"

So the story didn't have an entirely happy ending, but time moved forward and old wounds began to heal. The girls had their newsies, and they slowly adapted to their lives in the future.