Disclaimer: I do not own Newsies and therefore am penniless and skittery-less…

Chapter 13:

Snoddy entered the building cautiously, unsure of what he would find inside. Jack had told him to search it just in case.

"Hello?" he called, stepping inside. He paused for a moment, looking around nervously, hearing nothing but the beating of his own heart. The bottom floor was a single, large room, open and spacious, and empty.

Reluctantly he moved toward the stairs. He stood at the bottom, looking at the darkness at the top and then started climbing. They creaked beneath his feet as he climbed, only his anxiety keeping him moving forward.

"Is anyone up here?" He called when he reached the top. There were only two rooms in the hall; the one at the end was open and bright so that was the one Snoddy went towards.

He gasped when he stepped inside. Jacob was lying there, a knife sticking out of his chest, blood seeping from the wound and dripping onto the floor. Snoddy felt sick. He turned to leave and his eyes fell upon Skittery who was huddled just beside the open door, his knees drawn to his chest, rocking back and forth slightly. His eyes were fixed on Jacob.

Snoddy rushed to his side. "Skittery? Are you alright? What happened?"

"I killed him," Skittery said, quietly.

"Don't feel bad. He deserved to die." Snoddy grabbed Skittery by his arms and helped him to his feet. "We have to get you out of here."

"I'm just like him," Skittery said, pulling away from Snoddy.

"No, you ain't. He's a murderer. You saved a lot of people…doin' what you did."

Snoddy tried to steer him from the room again but Skittery held back. "It don't give me the right."

"Skittery, you have to get out of here. You need to go see a doctor."

"No. Just leave me." Skittery pushed him away roughly, but Snoddy recovered quickly and grabbed Skittery's arms.

"I ain't leavin' you here. Not like this." With Skittery protesting the whole way, Snoddy managed to steer him out of the door, down the stairs and into the bright sunlight, which seemed to wake Skittery up a little.

"What happened out here?" he asked.

Snoddy looked around at the sight. Most of the boys had already been escorted home, save the few who were helping to load Jacob's men into the wagons.

"There was a little fight," Snoddy replied.

"Aw. There's my little hero now," Officer Front said when Snoddy and Skittery approached. Skittery narrowed his eyes at the officer and then pushed past him.

"Skitts! Where're ya goin'?" Jack called after him.

"Home," Skittery said. "To sleep."

"He needs a doctor," Snoddy said.

"We'll get him one. The best in town. After all he's been through, he deserves it."

"What are you talkin' about?"

"Don't bother with questions, Snod. He'll just tell ya to wait and he'll explain everythin' later," Jack said. "Believe me, I tried."

When the last of the wagons were loaded up, the boys were escorted home.

…

The new front of the lodging house smelled like fresh wood. The boys admired it as they filed inside and crowded into the front room where Kloppman had ceremoniously set out the sign in book.

Officer Front and Kloppman were having a hushed conversation behind the desk, and the others, save the few who were in the hospital, were solemn as they settled into chairs and onto tables to hear what the officer had to say.

Snoddy sat down beside Itey who looked especially miserable, but was trying to keep a smile. Blink, beside him, a dark red line running down the side of his face told him a couple of jokes. Mush tried to help.

"Listen up, boys!" said Kloppman a few minutes later. It didn't take long before everyone was silent.

Officer Front stepped forward and removed his hat. "I owe you boys a huge explanation." He said.

"And it had better be a good one," said Racetrack. His comment was followed by shouts of "here, here".

Front nodded. "I deserved that and I know it. A few weeks ago, I approached your friend, Skittery and asked him if he wouldn't like a job going under cover for the New York police department. See, we've been after Loffstetter for years, we lost track of him a while back when he left the state. He offered your friend a job, and I thought it was the perfect opportunity for us to finally get someone in there, to find out where his next move would be, and what his intentions were.

"At first, Skittery was reluctant, but I talked him into it. He attended the meeting and there, Loffstetter offered him a place to stay and gave Skittery his address. You all had a fight that night, and Skittery used that to his advantage. He walked out on you guys, joined up with Loffstetter and has been feeding us information ever since."

Front left it at that. The boys sat in a stunned silence.

"So what happened to the ol' geezer then, huh?" Racetrack asked.

"Dead. Stabbed by your friend. You can assure him, Mr. Kloppman, that he has done the police force a service, and his actions will be seen as such. To reward him for the capture of Loffstetter, we are presenting him with an award of fifty dollars. Tell him that, will you?"

Kloppman nodded. Officer front tipped his hat. "I'll be on my way, gentlemen. If you need anything, please let me know."

When the officer was gone, Kloppman was bombarded with questions. Finally the old man ordered them to hush up and listen, which they did.

"Where is Skittery?" Snoddy asked.

Kloppman took his time answering the question. "He's out on the fire escape." Snoddy moved to go to him but Kloppman stopped him. "Hear me out first."

Snoddy sat back down.

"Skittery he…he just killed a man. That ain't somethin' a guy just gets over, you know. It takes time."

"But he did it for a good reason, right?" Swifty asked.

"Yeah, but that don't make killin' feel good. He's got demons now. Lots of demons that he never knew he had."

"What's that mean, Kloppman?" asked Blink.

"It means there'll be no living with him," Racetrack said. The boys laughed nervously, glad for a little relief from the tension.

"It means, he'll be moody, and he'll pick fights, and he'll sit alone in the dark for hours just thinkin'. You boys need to help him out. Leave him be when he wants it. Make sure he eats. Keep your eyes open and make sure he don't go lookin' for trouble."

Snoddy stood up. "Can I go talk to him?"

"Only if he wants it. Don't push him, got me?" Snoddy nodded and then ran up the stairs as Kloppman continued his speech.

The window was open allowing a pleasant breeze to swirl throughout the room. Snoddy crossed the wooden floor, and climbed through the window. He found Skittery in the same position he had the previous day, only this time, a cigarette was hanging loosely from one hand, and his other hand was clenched around something.

He looked over at Snoddy when he sat down beside Skittery. Skittery's eyes were red, slightly puffy.

"You awright?" Snoddy asked.

Skittery nodded. "I might run out o' cigarettes though. He motioned to the ashtray beside him where a good number of smoldering paper cigarette remains were placed.

"I'll talk to Snitch. See what I can do."

Skittery smiled, only slightly and then focused on his cigarette.

Snoddy didn't know what to say, what to ask, what to do. It was an uncomfortable feeling considering how close they were.

"I'm sorry I didn't believe you."

"I didn't give you any reason to believe me, did I?"

"No, but…I know you better than that, Skitts. You wouldn't sell us out for nothin'."

"Look, Snoddy…I…" He sighed heavily. "Jacob…he was…my grandfather…"

"What?"

Skittery unclenched his other hand and handed Snoddy a crumpled picture caked with blood. "That's my parents and my brother…and me…" his eyes were shiny with fresh tears as he said it, but none fell.

"He hated my father so he killed them. All of them. And he came back to kill me."

"Skittery that's…"

"No reason for me to kill him."

"I didn't say that! I thought it was—"

"Snoddy, don't you see?" Skittery held up his hands which were rubbed raw. "I have blood on my hands now, and it won't ever come off. Deep down, Snoddy. I'm a killer just like him."

"You're not like him."

"His blood is inside of me, Snoddy."

"Don't let it take you over then."

"What if…what if one day, I just…what if I become like him, even if I don't want to?"

"You won't."

"How do you know?"

"Because I won't let you." Snoddy positioned himself so that he was sitting in front of Skittery. "Skittery, you're the best friend I ever had. You're my family and family looks out for each other, right?"

Skittery smiled faintly. "Yeah."

"And the others…we're all here for you, got that?"

Skittery nodded.

Snoddy doubted that his speech had done any good, but he vowed he would say it everyday until the words were ground into Skittery's thick skull, until he knew for certain, that they were a family and always would be.

Snoddy rested a hand on Skittery's knee. "Are you up for a bit of supper?"

Skittery shook his head. "I ain't hungry."

"Well, that's too bad," said another voice. Snoddy and Skittery looked up to see Blink, two bowls of soup and some hot bread cradled in his arms, climbing through the window. "Kloppy made your favorite."

Mush came out next, also laden down with an armful of food. He put a bowl in front of Skittery who decided he was hungry after all, and Blink handed one to Snoddy.

"Looks like rain," observed Mush, a few minutes into their silent meal.

"Comin' to wash away the dirt and grime…" said Blink. "Clean the streets. Make everything fresh and new. Like it never was dirty before."

"You think it could do that for people too?" Skittery asked.

"Sure," said Blink.

"Fresh and new," said Skittery. "Like it never was dirty before…" he trailed off and then after a while, he grabbed Snoddy's arm, causing Snoddy to spill his soup. "I want to take a walk in the rain."

"Okay. If that will make you feel better."

It started to sprinkle then, little water droplets falling on their dirty skin, and their food. They hurried inside, all except Skittery who remained on the fire escape for a minute. They watched him intently, and then he poked his head back in.

"I'm goin' for a walk," he announced.

"I'll go with him," volunteered Snoddy. The others nodded their approval and then watched Snoddy climb back through the window.

Blink and Mush watched them down in the alley. Skittery, his arms spread out and his head back, letting the rain soak him, Snoddy standing close by getting soaked involuntarily. Mush and Blink smiled at one another as they heard Skittery's voice drift in through the open window.

"Just like I never was dirty before."

THE END.

A/N: Hoo-freaking-ray. I am finally done!! Its 4 in the morning and I have class at 8. I think I deserve a few reviews just for that…don't you?