Hello all! First off I'd like to thank you for clicking onto my story, I've been working on it for a while now, and I hope you enjoy it. This is a Jack/OC story, meaning Sarah will not be present as much as she is in the movie. However, this is not a Sarah bashing story because why bash the poor girl? Sorry in advance for any spelling or grammatical errors and if you see any please let me know.

Disclaimer: I obviously do not own the idea of the Newsies that belongs to Disney and anyone else associated. I own Mattie and her little twists on things but that is all.

Chapter 1

Manhattan, New York 1899

*Thud* *Clang* *Snap*

That was what the mornings sounded like in Manhattan. The banging of doors, the clicking of locks as stores opened, and the occasional crack of someone's knuckles or spine. To everyone who resided in the city it was normal. A citizen of the city could never escape from the constant hum of noise that radiated off the place. It was a city that never slept. To some it could be an annoyance, but to others it was perfect.

Sitting on a fire escape sat a young woman. Not even reached the age of seventeen this girl had been awake more than an hour before she was supposed to have even stirred. This wasn't really a shock, however, this girl had made a habit of waking up early for years now. It was like a tradition of hers. She would wake up at the crack of dawn, walk her way to the washroom, do everything she had to, and would use the rest of her time to sit on the fire escape and think. In fact, she had done this since the ripe age of thirteen. She deemed it necessary because of the burden that she lived with over a dozen young men who would die at the chance to see her get ready for a bath. When she had been eleven it wasn't as much of an ordeal, but now that she was a young woman and her bunk mates were hormonal young men, she took it upon herself to steer from giving them any temptation she may impose on their immature minds.

She took a deep breath, closing her eyes as the sun began to rise. She relished in anytime she may find herself alone. Not that she didn't love the boys, if anything she loved them more than their own parents or former guardians did. They were the closest thing that she had to a family. However, the way she same it 'even your family can push you to your limits.' She used this time to think, to clear her head. She would think about how she was going to sell her newspapers that day. She thought about how she may be able to con her buddy Racetrack into playing poker with her and she could get some of his cash. She even thought of her deceased mother and absent father. But most of all she thought about Jack. Jack Kelly.

She was close with all of 'her' boys. She trusted them with her life, and would do anything she could to make sure they were healthy and safe. It was as if she had a room full of brothers who she could rely on for anything and they would depend on her as well. However, Jack Kelly was a different story. This boy was the one who literally saved her from death itself. He had pulled her up when she was at her lowest. He had saved her both physically and emotionally. She in turned saved him from a life of captivity. They had a bond that no one else could ever think to understand. It was a connection of two halves meeting and making a whole. In simpler words, soul mates. Their love for one another was rare and true. Not very often could you find two that fit so well together, but these two did.

She smiled to herself as she thought about him. She always smiled when she thought of Jack, she couldn't help it. However, not everything was as it seemed. She had a secret. A secret that she wouldn't dare share with any other soul but herself and her dead mother who she spoke to from time to time. She was in love, in love with her best friend. She was in love with Jack Kelly. It was forbidden at least in her mind. She felt disgusted with the ever growing feelings she had boiling inside her for him. She figured that she had always been in love with him. Ever since she met him, she felt this burning need to be with him. Then when he was sent to the refuge, a juvenile detention center, she felt her heart shatter at the thought of never seeing him again. She broke the law for him. She helped him escape the refuge just so they could be reunited. He was her world, but he didn't know that. Jack Kelly had no idea that his best friend was in love with him. He didn't even have the smallest inkling that she cared for him so much. That's what killed her the most. It killed her that he would never know, or never return those feelings. She would grow old, alone, and un happy because of her undying love for him.

"Mornin' Mattie." A low voice said. This startled her. As she whipped her head around to see who was behind her she clutched at her fast beating heart. She breathed in a sigh of relief when she realizing that it was only Mr. Kloppman, the caretaker of the Manhattan newsboy lodging house.

"Good Lord Klopp! You scared me to death!" She told the grey haired man before her. He let out a small chuckle that he could actually surprise one of these young kids. Kloppman loved having her around. He never had any children of his own, so having all these boys and Mattie around made him feel as though he was finally a father.

"Sorry little lady, just thought I'd ask if you wanted to help me wake the boys up." He offered. She nodded eagerly a large grin on her face. Kloppman let out a sharp laugh before he held out his hand out to her. She took his wrinkled had and climbed through the open window into the bunk room.

Sleeping soundly in their beds were all the Manhattan newsboys. Some were snoring, others were drooling, but all were dreaming. Dreaming of ways to leave the God forsaken place and start somewhere new. Most of the boys were runaways or orphans and this was their only way of income. Sure it wasn't much but the boys would rather be there than on the street. No one wanted to sell papers for their whole lives, it was just a way to survive until something better came along. As Kloppman and Mattie entered the room, the old man shook his head.

"What bums." He mumbled. Mattie giggled to herself as she watched him walk up to the bunk containing Boots.

"Boots!" Kloppman shouted. The small boy's head shot up in surprise, as did some of the other boys. The young dark-skinned boy grunted beating his pillow. Mattie rolled her eyes as the newly awakened boys began complaining and groaning.

"Skits! Skittery!" Kloppman said slapping one of the boy's foot that dangled off the side of his bunk.

"I didn't do it!" Skittery said groggily, which earned him a small slap on the cheek by Kloppman. Mattie let out a musical laugh before she headed over to the bunks that still held sleeping newsies.

"Mush!" She shouted into the ear of her smiling friend. He popped one eye open, realized who it was, and smacked her in the face with his pillow. She smacked the pillow to the floor and began poking at the light-skinned boy's bare chest.

"Do you ever wear a shirt?" She questioned, earning herself a contagious laugh from Mush. His eyes opened and he began to sit up.

"I gotta' show off what God gave me." He answered her. The covered fell off his chest revealing his toned stomach as well. Mattie rolled her eyes.

"Maybe more of us should." Kid Blink said nudging Mattie in the side with his pointy elbow. Mattie narrowed her eyes at the tall lanky boy who was always trying to get her to show off more skin.

"Blink you're such a pig." She told him smacking his arm playfully. He shrugged but shot her a smile.

"Alright carry the banner! Sell the papers! Sell the papers!" Kloppman's voice could be heard over the mumbling and grunting boys. Mattie began heading to the washroom, when she heard two raised voices.

"That's my cigar!" Racetrack's voice echoed.

"You'll steal a nudda!" Snipeshooter, one of the younger boys, retorted. Race reached for the younger boy smacking him lightly on the face, but Mattie slipped her way between the two.

"Hey bummas' we got work to do!" She told the two, hoping to defuse the situation. She pulled Racetrack up once he had his precious cigar back. She was about to give him a stern talking to about starting fights with younger kids when she was interrupted.

"Since when did you become me mudda?" Specs asked her, breathing his morning breath into her face. She gave him a disgusted glare and was about to slap her fist into his jaw when Crutchy came up behind her slipping his free around her shoulders pulling her away from the boy with glasses.

"Aw stop your bawlin'!" Crutchy told the guys.

"Who asked you?" They shouted back to him. He sighed releasing his hold on Mattie's shoulders.

"Thanks Crutch." She said to her friend who was leaning on his crutch. A large goofy grin spread across his face, which made her smile even though she had just almost been in a fight.

"Not a problem Dimples." He said, using her rarely used nickname. When she had become a newsgirl the boys deemed in necessary that she had a nickname, even though she already had one. Her full name is Matilda Rose Conrad, and she typically goes by Mattie, but now and then the boys will call her Dimples, the nickname she got because of the huge craters in her face that surfaced when she smiled. Mattie made her way to the washroom where most of her friends weren't decently dressed. She didn't exactly mind, it's not like she was looking or hadn't seen it before.

"Changing here!" Skittery's voice yelled in her ear as she passed the boy.

"Calm down Skit's I aint' looking at ya'!" She told the typically nervous newsie. She walked up to one of the mirrors and looked at her appearance. Her dark brown hair fell in loose waves past her shoulders. Her skin was tanned, from years of being in the sun and her Spanish heritage. She was thin, not a unusual feature of newsies, and sometimes she would give her meals to a smaller child who didn't have enough money for dinner that night. Her eyes were arguably her best feature. They were big and dark brown. In simpler terms the girl was beautiful, even though she never saw herself as more than simple. She was humble about herself, never seeing the true beauty that was inside and out. She was modest wearing large button up shirts, and trousers that were actually made for small boys. She never felt feminine, only owning one dress that was old and faded. She sometimes thought about owning a nice dress, shoes, and maybe jewelry, but then she realized she was a poor orphan whose only chance at obtaining these things would be to marry a rich bachelor. Someone she didn't love, because they would not be Jack.

"Morning." A voice said jolting Mattie from her thoughts. Her eyes travelled from her from herself and up to see Jack smiling at her in the mirror. She sent him a side smirk before turning to face him so that her back was pointed at the mirror and the sink. Her eyes scanned him quickly before meeting his eyes again. He was in his usual attire, his hair tousled from sleep and his muddy brown eyes were sparking with adventure.

"Morning." She responded praying her voice didn't come out shaky.

Jack was at least a head taller than Mattie and always had to look down when he spoke to her, but it was always worth it. Jack had always thought Mattie was pretty, but over the last couple of years he finally saw how beautiful she really was. She was no longer the fragile little eleven year old her found starving in the streets. She wasn't even the thirteen year old that helped him escape the refuge. She was a beautiful young woman that he cared for more than his own family.

"Wanna' help me shave?" Jack asked. She simply nodded grabbing the cup with the shaving soap in it. She took the small brush and began painting his face with the foaming soap.

"How did you sleep?" He asked her. She smiled as she took the razor blade and began shaving his already almost hairless face. She loved that he trusted her so much with a blade near his neck. Most of the boys would have said no to her help. As Blink would say 'No girl can shave a man's mug right,' but not Jack. He had the utmost confidence in her skills.

"Just fine. How about you?" She asked him meeting his eyes once before focusing on her work. He smirked at her.

"Just fine." He repeated her response, causing her to smile. They were silent after that, letting her finish. He studied her face, noticing that a small wrinkle formed between her eyes when she squinted and the way her tongue stuck out slightly as she focused. She felt his eyes on her, but she didn't think much of it. She couldn't let herself be hopeful for something to happen between them. If she did, it would only cause heart ache.

"How's that?" She asked once she had finished. He took a towel off the nearby sink and wiped the excess soap of his face. He then surprised her by leaning in, placing both hands on either sides of her on the sink. He leaned in over her shoulder looking in the mirror her back was facing. She felt her heart speed up at the closeness of their bodies. He was so close that she would bet he could hear her fluttering heart. She took a small breath breathing in his scent. Tobacco and ink, a surprisingly comforting scent. However the moment was short-lived because he pulled back, way too soon for her liking. He looked down at her sending her a dazzling smile that almost made her legs buckle.

"Perfect as usual." He told her. She simply nodded not trusting herself enough to speak without stuttering. He was about to say something else but was interrupted when Racetrack came up putting his arm around Jack.

"C'mon Cowboy! We got papes to sell!" Race said excitedly. The two boys walked out of the washroom leaving a dazed Mattie. She took a deep breath attempting to calm down her heart. She was grateful for Racetracks interruption. Anymore of that and she would have been as red as a beet. That was the first time Jack had really been that close to her besides short friendly hugs or innocently placing his arm around her shoulders. The way he looked at her, made her heart melt. She had kind of asked for it though. She had asked if she had done a decent job and she was in his way. It was times like this that she wished she wasn't in love with him. It only made things harder for her.

"I saw that." A voice said. She looked up to see a very amused Mush staring at her from the doorway of the washroom. It had just occurred to her that all the boys had left, and she was alone in the washroom except for Mush. He stood there sending her an all-knowing glance.

"Thank God you finally put on a shirt." Mattie said as she headed toward the door. She didn't want to explain what just happened. She was getting too worked up over nothing. Mush chuckled but let it go that she ignored his comment. The two rushed down the stairs and were almost out the door when Kloppman called her name. She spun around to find her light brown cap dangling on the tip of Kloppman's index finger. She ran up to him and took it, placing it on her head.

"Thanks Klopp. I'm always losing that thing." She commented.

"Yes we know. Let's go before the others get too far ahead." Mush said tugging on Mattie's elbow. She called a rushed goodbye to Kloppman before she let Mush drag her from the lodging house to the nun's cart. They divvied out drinks and bread to the 'blessed children.' One of the nuns eyed Mattie up and down, obviously appalled by the fact that this girl was wearing men's clothing. The nun shook her head but sent her a loving smile. She figured that Mattie had no other choice. A dress would not be a suitable uniform for the line of work Mattie was in.

Once the newsie's bellies were full they took off doing flips, cartwheels, anything that they could get off their excess energy with. Mattie rolled her eyes at the fun-loving boys that she loved so dearly. At some point she had found herself riding on Blink's back. He carried her all the way to the World distribution center, loving that he was holding her thighs to keep her up on his back. Once they arrived she slid off his back and joined with the other newsboys outside of the gates. She slipped into her spot next to Jack. He grinned down at her and leaned his arm on her shoulder.

"Bout' time you showed up. I was beginning to think you and Blink eloped or something." Jack said with a chuckle.

"Ewww." Mattie groaned, childlike.

"Hey!" Blink protested, earning a burst of laughter from the boys. Suddenly the boys became silent, which worried Mattie. They were never quiet, unless… She looked up to see two boys about her age maybe older approaching. The Delancey brothers as they were popularly called. They were the two beloved nephews of The World's newspaper distributer Mr. Wiesel, aka Weasel. The brothers, Oscar and Morris, were known for causing trouble, especially with the newsies. Mattie especially hated them, and had slapped Oscar at least a couple of times because of his foul sexual references.

"Dear me! What is that unpleasant aroma?" Racetrack said wafting his hat in front of his nose. "I fear the sewers may have backed up during the night?"

"Nah it's too rotten to be the sewers." Boots called out. The boys began laughing at the irritated faces of the Delancey's.

"Yeah, it must be… the Delancey brothers!" Crutchy added followed by a howl of laughter. Oscar sent a glare to Crutchy, and grabbed a younger boy by the shoulder.

"In the back you lousy little shrimp." Oscar demanded tossing the kid to the ground. Anger coursed through Mattie's veins. She immediately bent down and gently pulled the boy to his feet. She pulled him to her side and sent a bone chilling glare Oscar's way. Of course, he smirked believing her hatred for him was an act to play hard to get.

"You shouldn't be calling people lousy little shrimps Oscar." Jack began. " Unless you are referring to the family resemblance to your brother here."

The boys laughed again, and Mattie's glare was replaced by an amused smile. Morris stood there fuming, but seemed confused by the insult. Racetrack stepped forward his hands out.

"Five to one Cowboy soaks 'em. Who's betting?" Race suggested earning different answers from the boys.

"Race." Mattie scolded grabbing her friend's arm. " Don't get him started."

Race brushed her off. Mattie hated when the boys got into fights. She know they could take care of themselves, especially Jack, but she always had to clean up the mess. Then there was the fact that she always worried about them, no matter what they were doing. Not that Mattie would back down from a fight when it came to someone she cared about, but she didn't want her boys getting into trouble. One wrong move and they could be in the refuge, and she didn't want any attention on the newsies because they could find Jack.

"That's right, that's an insult." Jack said leaning into Morris' face. "And so it this."

Jack swiftly knocked Morris' hat off and then ran away. The Delancey's followed suit, pushing past the boys to chase after Jack.

"Jack!" Mattie yelled worry laced in her tone. Her voice wasn't heard though, over the cheers of the newsies.

"You're going to get yourself hurt!" Mattie tried again, but Jack was long gone. She leaned against the gate watching in semi horror semi adoration at her best friend. He hadn't gone far and she could still see the outline of him from her place. She watched as Jack crouched under a carriage and up under an awning of a storefront. He then swung down kicking the brothers square in the chest. She winced slightly at the impact, knowing it probably knocked the wind out of them. As Jack began running away again she saw him run into a boy who looked about their age and a younger boy beside him. They shared a few words before Jack was off again. He came back over to his friends, Mattie meeting him halfway.

"You're an idiot." She mumbled. He shook his head, that wasn't the first time she had said that.

"I'm fine Dimples." He told her tossing his arm around her shoulders. Her heart seemed to skip a beat at his touch. "You worry too much."

"I have to worry for the both of us." She stated. He opened his mouth to retort but soon the two plummeted to the ground. Mattie fell with a 'oomph' Jack practically on top of her. She blushed at the contact, but he didn't seem to notice because he was off her in a second and kicking at the Delancey's who had now brought Mattie into their little scuffle. Mattie scrambled to her feet and was about to land a punch of one of the brothers when Racetrack grabbed her around the waist and pulled her to the sidelines. She of course grumbled but he knew that Jack would want her out of the fight. Jack dodged a punch from Oscar grabbing him and waited for Morris to make his move. Morris ended up punching Oscar in the face instead of Jack, which the newsie had expected. He dropped Oscar and went over to check on Mattie.

"You okay?" He asked her looking her over for any bumps or bruises. She looked fine, but he had to be sure. He always picked on her for being a worry wart, but he was just as bad when it came to her. He knew she could handle herself, but he felt the need to protect her.

"I'm fine Cowboy." She said, repeating his earlier statement. "You worry too much."

"Cute." He said pulling her into a quick hug before daringly climbing the gate of the distribution center. Mattie rolled her eyes but smiled any way. He was insane, probably one of the most idiotic people she knew, and she was hopelessly in love with him.

So there it is the first chapter. Please review, no flames please, but if you have any comments/questions/concerns please review or feel free to message me.