Seasons come and go and I finally had the courage to put myself back in my place with the newsies. Before Kloppman passed away he lent me the keys to the lodging house. He told me I'm the new caretaker. I never knew something like this would happen to me. I mean I loved to help around with the lodging house but I never thought I could be running it. Then I realized that in my past readings Eliza Schuyler established the first private orphanage of New York City. I realized I've been following the same footsteps of Eliza Schuyler. I've been following in the footsteps of the great human rights activists before me. With the keys in my hand I decided to make the lodging house a private lodging house. I would uphold to my honor of protecting every children in New York.

Weeks passed and I did some renovations around the lodging house. I fixed up a lot of the rooms and made some new rooms. I expanded the lodging house so I can keep taking care of the newsies and more children. But with renovations like this I needed some money that was where Scarlet comes in or Juliet if I should say. The newsies came up with some nicknames for us. The newsies call me phoenix. They say a phoenix rises from the ashes and that's what I am. A phoenix rising from the troublesome ashes. I have faced obstacles but that only just made me stronger hence why that name was bestowed upon me. Scarlet's nickname is Juliet. It's pretty obvious why. She's Romeo's girlfriend now and it's about time Romeo finds his Juliet.

But anyway Scarlet left her job at the deli and started working as a seamstress. She gets paid good money for the dresses she makes. She even makes my dresses. She helps me patch up any holes in the newsies clothing or blankets. We make more clothing for the newsies and for any children that needs warm clothes. I started working over at the library where the staff kindly appreciates my help. Jack started getting more jobs than just being a newsie. He took Pulitzer's cartooning job and he took a job with Medda to create backdrops for her. I also got him to put his artwork to good use. The walls of the lodging house is covered with Jack's artwork. Everywhere is covered with beautiful artwork to green misty forests to the sunsets of Santa Fe.

He even painted a big phoenix in my room and a scene from Romeo and Juliet in Scarlet's. The Delancey's still continue to soak the newsies but I'm always there to save them. But I still feel like it wasn't enough. What I'm doing isn't enough. Until I realized that the strike may be over but that doesn't mean we can't keep telling Jack's story. I created a scrapbook with memories from the strike. I interviewed every newsie that fought by his side.I started writing my own autobiography about my own experiences with the strike. I took that autobiography and my memories to D.C. to speak out against child labor. I raised funds to speak out for the children that's still going through the cruel labor from ignorant masters. Scarlet helps me speak out and tell our story. Davey and Les eventually went back to school but they still help me take care of the lodging house and to visit the boys. I believe Davey has transformed then when I first saw him. He started out as the bookish, timid boy and now he turns into this loud and strong warrior. It seems I'm not the only phoenix around here.

Jack eventually got his dream to go to Santa Fe. He even got to bring Katherine with him. It was sad seeing him go away. All the newsies were heartbroken. But I knew that wasn't goodbye to me. I thought that was his perfect beginning. They both settled down in Santa Fe and the happy news came when I received a postcard saying that Jack and Katherine had their first baby. Jack constantly worries how I am handling the lodging house but my answer is always the same. I love my job. I love watching the children grow. I love seeing the newsies joke around and have fun. Years passed and we got older. Most of the newsies like Finch, Race, Specs, Elmer, and Albert have all left and to make something more of their life. The ones who stayed were me, Crutchie, Scarlet, and Romeo. Crutchie and I planned to raise our family in the lodging house. We planned to raise our family here in New York where we're most comfortable settling in.

Crutchie and I eventually got married and started a family of two. We had two daughters of our own and we loved to watch them grow and interact with the other children. Jacqueline, my eldest daughter, and Marie, my youngest. But following in the footsteps of Eliza Schuyler and all the great human rights activists means I would have to go through tragedy. World War I came and Jack was deployed to go. Five months after he went Katherine received a telegram from the military saying that he didn't make it. Katherine changed after that. She grew very depressed. She was even unable to take care of her son. So I stepped up to take care of her son. Then next thing I knew I've received news that Katherine threw herself off the Brooklyn bridge and drowned to her death.

I wake up everyday as a mother of two now the next thing you know I'm the mother of three. It's hard for Adam, Jack and Katherine's son, to cope through life realizing that his mother and father are gone. It's hard for me as well because now my brother and one of my really good friends are gone. I tell myself that they're in a better place now but things got more quieter around New York when they left. But I still kept going on because I knew that was what Jack would want and everyday when I look up at phoenix he painted me in my room I cry every night. I mean I made up all the years I ignored him but I wanted more time with him. I didn't want him to go.

More tragedy struck when Scarlet was brutally murdered by her own brothers. Her own brothers. Can you believe it? Oscar and Morris attacked her when she was walking home. Her body was found in the corner of an alleyway. She was found beaten and battered up with a slit throat. Romeo couldn't take living without Scarlet and he took his life by putting a gun to his head as soon as he heard the news. Now it seems like it was only me and Crutchie. I only had my family and I didn't want to lose anymore family members.

But tragedy struck for the final time. The polio that took Crutchie's leg came again at him after all these years of remaining dormant. The polio took Crutchie from me and stayed in the room with him until his heart stopped beating.

"It's better this way. You need… to go on without me."

"Don't talk like that. You promised you wouldn't leave me. You promised that we would be together." I cried.

"Don't you see… My time is already up but yours is not. The children need you… They need their mother. You know what the best part of my life is… I got to fall in love with you… Because of you we got to start a family… You can do more in your life… There is no where on earth that I won't be with you." He said the same words I said to Jack the day we won the strike.

We put our heads together and shared our last kiss. I felt his last breath on my face and felt his heart stopped. I was alone in this huge world. I had my children but all of my good friends are gone. Now I know how Eliza Schuyler felt like when she lost everyone. But I kept going on. I grew old to be in my 50s and I still speak out for the ones who don't have a voice. I finally became the human rights activist I dreamed of becoming. I work with the finest and the professionals and we work together to make strong the weak and to mend the broken. I eventually turned the lodging house into an orphanage and everytime I look into a child's eyes I see Crutchie or even Jack. It makes me think of the hard lives they had to face.

But as more years passed I grew older. My children grew older with me too and now Jacqueline and Marie run the orphanage. Adam got married and moved out of New York. I was on the brink of death. I lie on my bed as an old lady and while my children tend to me I could see out of the corner of my eye. Crutchie walk in my room. He was walking without a crutch and he came to me. He was there in front of my eyes young and happy. "It's time to go." I knew it was my time to leave. I had no energy to speak. I felt the warmth of his hand touch my forehead. This is the day I've been waiting for. The day where I get to be with Crutchie again. I couldn't wait to see him again.

But as I die I think to myself. Will my children pass on my legacy? Will they tell the legacy I left behind? I look at myself in spirit form and see my daughters cry over my old dead body. I look around and see all the ones I love. I saw Romeo and Scarlet, Jack and Katherine, and all my newsies. I guess they were waiting for me. I look back on the lodging house/orphanage as one of my proudest accomplishment. Now that my time is up I wonder who will tell on my story. I wonder if my daughters will tell on my story. I know Jacqueline wanted to follow my footsteps and I allowed her to do it. I just hope I gave her the right tools to do it.

So again with that thing about life hating me I realize I had an amazing life because I got to share it with the people I love.

*Thank you for the people who commented, favorited, and followed. Without the support and love of the readers I wouldn't have finished this fanfiction. May all your lives be happy and don't forget to keep carrying the banner for all my fansies out there!