Echo: The Newsies belong to Disney, everyone else belongs to me, with the exception of Brooklyn who belongs to Brooklyn.

On the Side of Angels
By: Echo

October 15, 1905

I smiled as Jack walked up. "What are you doing here?"

He shrugged. "I was wonderin' if ya heard da news?"

I gave him a strange look. "What news?"

"Medda's lettin' us use Irvin' Hall for a costume party, it bein' Halloween an' all."

I smiled. "That's great! So when is it?"

He laughed and ruffled my hair. "It's a Halloween party, when do ya think it is?"

I rolled my eyes. "I'm sorry you don't aprove of my question Mr. Kelly, but not all Halloween parties are on Halloween."

He laughed a little and looked at the sky. "It's about ta rain, ya sold all a yer papes?"

I held up the ten papes I had left. "Slow day."

He nodded. "Ya need some help sellin' 'em?"

I glared at him indignantly. "I think I can manage to sell ten papes."

He shrugged. "It'd be rude not ta offer."

I laughed. "Yeah, and when have you ever worried about being rude?"

He frowned. "Hey! Ya know, yer not nice."

I laughed and yelled out a headline. A few minutes later I had sold the rest of my papes. Jack looked at the sky again and frowned. "If we don't hurry back ta da Lodgin' House, we'll 'ave ta walk back in da rain." Just as he finished his sentence it started pouring. He muttered a few complaints and took off running. He stopped and turned around as he heard me laugh. "Are ya just gonna stand dere?!"

I shrugged. "Why not? It's not so bad!" I walked up to him and smiled as I heard music coming from a nearby building. "May I have this dance?"

He gave me a strange look. "Echo, I'd love ta, really. But dere's one small problem... it's rainin'!"

I shrugged. "So?"

He motioned at the people running by with newspapers and umbrellas and coats held over their heads. "It's cold an' it's wet..."

I nodded. "Oh, and all of the normal people are trying to get out of the rain?"

"Yeah, dat's da idea."

I shrugged. "Do you seriously want to be like them? That's boring. I'm sure the cowboys out west aren't afraid of a little rain."

He laughed and kissed me. "Dis is crazy."

I smiled as we started to dance. "Well yeah, that's the idea."



A few people stopped for a few seconds and stared as Jack spun me around, but started hurrying home when they remembered the rain. After a while Jack grabbed my hand and we started running back to the Lodging House... after splashing each other by jumping in a few puddles.

All of the guy looked up as Jack and I walked in. Blink smiled. "Where 'ave you two been?"

I stiffled a laughed and elbowed Jack in the stomach as he wrung out his bandanna in my hair. He laughed and replied. "Just got caught in da rain."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~

Two weeks later

Ice, Shadow, Lily, Psycho, Kit, Brooklyn and I were talking to Medda about the costume party. Ice looked around. "Where're we gonna get costumes?"

Medda smiled. "There are some in a room in back, you can use them if you want to."

Psycho smiled. "Sounds good to me!"

"Follow me." Medda said as she lead us to a room and pulled out a trunk full of costumes. "You girls go ahead and look through them, I've got to rehearse."

She walked out and Ice started pulling out costumes. Kit looked over at Lily as she pulled out an angel costume. "Lily, ya should be da angel!"

Lily gave her a strange look. "Da day pigs fly."

I smiled. "It's just a costume party, you don't have to act the part, just look it."

She glared at me but laughed. "I guess I could go as an angel... it'd be the first time."

Psycho tossed me a cowboy hat. "Hey Echo! You could be a cowgirl and Jack could be a cowboy!"

I rolled my eyes. "He's a cowboy everyday!" I smiled as Shadow pulled out another costume. "Hey! A pirate! One of us could be a pirate!"

Brooklyn gave me a strange look. "A girl pirate?"

Kit glared at her playfully. "Hey, who says goils can't be pirates?! I'll do it."

Ice smiled. "I'm gonna be a... "

Shadow pulled out another costume. "Princess?"

Ice stared at it for a while and shook her head. "You could be da princess Shadow!"

I looked up. "Oh yeah? And what will you be?"

She thought for a second before pulling out a costume and put on her most dignified look. "A ballarina, of course."

Kit stiffled a laugh and looked around. "So that leaves da Manhattan goils, Brooklyn, Echo, an' Psycho. What're ya gonna be?"

I shrugged. "What's left?"

Kit smiled evily and stared at me. "You could be a cowgirl."

I rolled my eyes as I looked into the trunk. "No way, there are other costumes."

Brooklyn picked one up and smiled. "I can be a witch."

Ice laughed softly. "What was Echo sayin' bout Jack dressin' as a cowboy not bein' a costume 'cause he already was a cowboy... wouldn't that apply to Brooklyn too?"

Brooklyn glared at her for a while then started laughing with the rest of us after a few seconds, but stuck with the costume.

Kit pulled out a clown nose and put it on, staring at it through crossed eyes. "Hey Echo! You could be a clown!"

I smiled in amusement. "That kind of goes along with the cowboy and witch thing."

Psycho pulled out a red and yellow costume with a lion on it, and a sword. "I shall be a mideivil knight." She said in a fake British accent.

I tried not to laugh. "Kit's a pirate, Psycho's a knight... hey, is Frick going to be the damsel in distress?"

The girls laughed as Psycho threw a book at me and I ducked. They looked through the costumes for a minute and pulled out a blue skirt. "Hey, what's this?"

I looked in the trunk and pulled out a little wand with a moon on one end, and star on the other. Shadow thought for a minute. "The good witch?"

I looked at it again and shook my head. "It has wings."

She shrugged. "The toothfairy?"

I thought for a few seconds. "Got it half right."

Kit scrunched up her nose. "That isn't a tooth."

Ice hit her on the back of the head, causing her hair to fly in her face. "It's a fairy, moron."

Shadow thought for a second. "What kind of fairy?"

I thought for a few seconds and examined the costume. It had a solid blue-green skirt, and had a kind of blue see-through material layered on top of it with little blue and green sparkly things sewn onto it. The bodice was a shinier blue-green material, with little white pearl-like beads around the neck line, and the same see-through material on the short sleeves, plus clear blue, green, and purple tinted wings in the back. I smiled as a thought came to me. "It's blue, with little pearl-like things, so it's the costume of the fairy that protects water dwelling things; like dolphins, mermaids, starfish, and uh... I don't know, the Brooklyn newsies."

Kit laughed. "I wouldn't mind having that job."

Ice smiled as she thought of something to ruin my theory. "Oh yeah? Well then why does Water's Girl's wand have stars and a moon instead of a dolphin or mermaid on it?"

I rolled my eyes. "Sailors have always used the stars to guide them, that's why. And the fairies name is Marina."

She sighed. "So what country is Shadow the princess of? And who am I supposed to be?"

I thought for a minute, trying to make up stories for the two costumes she had named. "Well, uh.. Shadow is the princess of... what was the name of that place?"

Kit rolled her eyes. "You're making this stuff up."

I frowned. "Am not, it's all true, I swear it is." They laughed a little as I went on. "The princess of the faraway kingdom of Atlantis. She ruled over not only the people, but also the dragons and unicorns."

Shadow smiled. "All true? Aren't you leaving out the leprechauns and sphinxes?"

I nodded. "Yes, it's true, and no I'm not, leprechauns and sphinxes didn't live in Atlantis, they lived in Ireland and Egypt. Now shut up so I can tell the story. Anyway, she uh... was having some trouble with creeps that were coming from other countries to kill dragons, unicorns, and steal jewels and riches from Atlantis and so she allied with a witch-" I said, motioning to Brooklyn."-who she was friends with, and some wizards and other people, and made an illusion to convince the entire world that Atlantis was nothing more than a legend, when in all truth, it is still exsistant today and her uh... ancestors... no, that's the wrong word... her posterity is still ruling it to this day."

Ice laughed a little. "Very nice true story ya got dere Echo... so what about da pirate?"

I frowned and concentraited for a few seconds. "The pirate is Alexis Morgan, the daughter of... Steve oh, what's-his-name?"

Shadow shrugged. "How should we know, with your true stories ya never can tell. The daughter of Merlin maybe?"

I glared at her. "No, he was one of Blackbeards crew. Steve B-b... well, whatever his name is, he had a pretty big treasure. Anyway, she was the only girl pirate and captured the biggest treasure ever. She saved the captain of the ship she got it from, from certain death and they fell in love. But a year later when they were searching for this buried treasure the crew did a mutany type thing and they were marooned on a deserted island where they found the treasure and were rescued and lived very well in... Jamaica. That one's true too... hmm... maybe her father's name was Busche... Bonet? I used to know that."

Kit laughed and rolled her eyes. "You are so full of it Echo."

I smiled and nodded. "Yeah, but I'm good at it."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~

October 31

I smoothed out the dress impatiently as Psycho messed with my hair. "Aren't you almost done?"

She was silent for a few more seconds and finally said, "There, got it!"

I stood up and looked in a mirror. I had on the costume, and Psycho had helped me put up my hair. I looked at her nervously. "Please tell me I look at least half as good as the rest of you."

Brooklyn rolled her eyes as she turned around. "Just wait till ya see Jack, an' see what he has to say."

I frowned. "I want an opinion before he sees me."

Sketch laughed from the door. "You look wonderful."

I sighed. "You don't count, your like a brother."

He rolled his eyes and walked away mumbling something about how he would never understand girls. I looked at Psycho. "What was that all about?"

She shrugged. "Who knows what he meant... it's a guy thing."

I took a deep breath and one last look in the mirror, then finally walked towards the stairs. Jack came walking out of the guys bunkroom, I laughed as I realized he was dressed as a cowboy. "A cowboy? I never would have guessed."

He smiled and shrugged. "Force a habit. You look beautiful! ... Fairy?"

I nodded and shook the wand threateningly at him. "Yeah, and watch it or I'll turn you into a uh... eel."

He smiled and pulled me towards him. "Oh really?"

I laughed. "Yeah, I'm very dangerous you know."

He kissed me gently and offered an arm. "May I escort da lady downstairs."

I frowned. "I ain't a lady, I'se-"

"-A newsie." He finished.

I blushed and smiled a little. "Actually, I was going to say Marina, guardian of dolphins, mermaids, star fish, and the Brooklyn newsies, but a newsie is good too."

He gave me a funny look when I mentioned the Brooklyn newsies but shrugged it off and led me downstairs. Spot raised an eyebrow at me teasingly. "Wings? Let me guess... nymph... kind of like a liar?" (Note from author: Inside joke, not even going to try and explain this one. *Echo blushes furiously* I wonder if Psycho or Brooklyn will get that? *blushes a little more* Not my fault I'm bad with words.)

I blushed and glared at Brooklyn and Psycho as they came down the stairs. "All right, who told Spot the story about calling Brooklyn a... liar?"

Brooklyn sent Psycho a suspicious look, and they both cracked up. I rolled my eyes. "Some friends you guys are."

Jack smiled. "They're not the ones callin' each other... liars."

I glared at Brooklyn and Psycho. But Spot laughed and shrugged. "You know... tell a friend."

I glared at him. "Gee, thanks Rover."

He smirked. "No problem Pony."

Jack took my arm and we started walking to Irving Hall. When we got there, music was already playing, so Jack led me onto the dance floor and we spun around to the songs. I don't know how long we stayed out there before taking a break, but when we finally sat at a table, it was with Sketch and Lily. Jack smiled and wrapped an arm around me.

I looked around and laughed. "What's so funny?" Lily asked.

I smiled. "Well, Spot's a prince and Brooklyn's a witch. Shadow's a princess and Dragon's a wizard. Aren't those some strange couples?"

She laughed a little. "Yeah, ya got a point. Blink's a pirate and Ice is a ballarina. I'm an angel and Sketch is a train robber... but then again, you're a fairy an' Jack's a cowboy."



After a few more hours of dancing and talking, Jack leaned down to whisper in my ear. "Can I talk ta ya alone?"

I nodded as he took my hand in his and led me backstage. He took a deep breath and looked me in the eyes. "Echo, I love ya. An' I know I ain't got much since I'se a newsie an' all, but we can't be newsies forever, ya know? An' I don't wanna.. well, I mean dat I-"

"Jack, just spit it out." I said softly.

He nodded and kneeled, pulling a little silver ring out of his pocket. "Will ya marry me?"

I smiled, and tried not to cry tears of joy. "Jack Kelly, I refuse to dignify that question with an answer."

He frowned and stood up. "Is dat a no?"

"Let me give you a clue." I said as I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him.

He smiled. "So, ya will?"

I nodded. "I'd never forgive myself if I said no."

I spun around as I heard Sketch start yelling something from the stage. "Hey guys! Cowboy an' Echo's engaged!"

I blushed and glared at him as we started hearing a lot of whistling and cheering, but couldn't help but start laughing. Jack wrapped his arms around me and slid the ring on my finger. "I guess we weren't completely alone."

I smiled. "Did the guys know about this?" He shook his head and I looked at the ring. "How'd you buy this?"

He shrugged. "I had some money saved." He laughed as I hugged him again. "Come on, da parties almost ova'."

I walked out with him as the newsies started leaving. After a while some of us helped clean up, then I walked back to the Lodging House with Psycho, Frick, and Brooklyn. Frick smiled a little as we walked in the door. "I was wonderin' if Cowboy was eva' gonna ask."

Before I could say anything Kloppman held up an envelope. "Echo, yer cousin sent ya a letter. What's that on your hand?"

"Jack finally asked her to marry him." Psycho said, ignoring the fact that I was turning a dark shade of red.

"He certainly took his time." Kloppman said as he handed me the letter and the other three walked upstairs. I opened it slowly and frowned as I started to read it:

Echo,
I realize it's been a while since my last letter, and I apologize. I also apologize for the reason I write this letter. Grandmother is dying. She has a nurse to care for her, but wants to spend her last days with family. Hope is married now (as I'm sure you know) and she uses it as an excuse not to help. She has no interest in pleasing the old woman as long as her name has a place in the will. Aunt Victoria is in Europe, and claims that she can't make it back. I must not be any better than the rest, because I could go if I wanted, but I put up with that woman for too long, and I can't stand it any longer. So Harvard is my excuse. That leaves you. I know how you feel about grandmother, and so I hate asking you. I do this only because she asked me to write you. So I am writing you, telling you it is her wish for you to come back to Boston and stay with her. But I can't, in good conscience, ask this favor for her, without also telling you what I think. I know you too well, and I don't want the fact that she's dying make you feel sorry for her. I don't think you should pay any attention to this letter, but shread it up instead. I hope all is well with you, but please remember why you left Boston, and that she is dying in luxury. She hasn't had any need for her family before, don't think she needs it now.
Sincerely,
Aaron

I stared at it for a few seconds and sighed. "Bad news?" Kloppman asked gently.

"Nothing to worry about. Goodnight Kloppman." I said and walked upstairs. I waited for Jack to come back and walked up to him slowly. "Jack..."

He smiled and kissed me as the rest of the guys walked into the bunkroom. "Hey doll. Great party, right?"

I looked down at the floor and bit my lip nervously. "Jack, I'm going back to Boston."

He frowned and stepped back. "Boston? Why would ya go back? Ya hated it dere! An' dat old lady..."

"She's dying." I said quietly.

He ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. "Oh, why do ya care? It ain't like she'd do da same for ya."

I frowned. "I never liked her, I admit it. But she's just a lonely old woman. Anyway, she's my grandmother. She's dying and she's probably scared and wants to be around family, not just some nurse. Her own daughter won't even go there. It has to be horrible in that big house all by herself."

"I thought ya said ya'd neva' go back dere."

I sighed. "Not against my will."

He stared at me for a few seconds. "Den I'm goin' wit ya."

I shook my head. "No, you can't. But I'll come back, I promise."

He nodded and held me close. "Don't stay gone too long. I miss ya already."

I kissed him. "I'll come back as soon as I can."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~~~~~

A week later

I held my breath as I knocked on my granmother's door. A plump woman in a white uniform answered the door with a look of disaproval on her face. "Yes?"

I cleared my throat. "I'm here to stay with my grandmother."

She smiled. "Miss Collin? She's been expecting you. Come in."

I followed her into a large room upstairs. I stopped in the doorway, and after a few seconds saw my grandmother in a wheelchair by the window. She wheeled around and looked me over skeptically. "Don't slouch child. Stand up strait." Those were her first words, not even a hello. I sighed and straitened my shoulders a little. She raised an eyebrow. "What on earth would possess you to wear those... rags."

I looked down at my usual newsies clothes, not really surprised at her disgust. I had left all of the dresses at my aunt's house the night I left, and hated them so much, I didn't have one back in New York. "This is what I wear when I-"

She waved her hand to silence me, probably not wanting to hear me mention selling papers. "I'll send one of the maids into town with you, and you can buy some suitable clothes. No relative of mine will be seen wearing such filth."

I tried my hardest not to roll my eyes and nodded when she finished. "Yes grandmother."

She sighed and turned away. "I'm tired now, you can use your old room."

I turned around and walked into the room I had used the last time I had been here, and realized it hadn't changed at all. I flopped onto the bed and sighed. The room wasn't the only thing that hadn't changed, and I had a feeling I wasn't going to be any happier now than before, even if I was here out of my own free will.

Sequel to follow...

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