"Oh yeah, sorry Maggie," Mush said. "I forgot I was supposed to be teaching you." He looked down at the papers in his hands, then back at Maggie. "I think it’d be bettah if I taught ya tomorrow. I want to sell all da papes before we get ta Brooklyn. They don’t like people sellin' in their territory, ya know."

"Oh, so you don’t think I’m good enough," she said, trying to act serious, but a smile tugged at her lips and there was a sparkle in her eye. "Is that what you’re saying?" Maggie reached over and poked Mush in the ribs.

"Stop, that tickles," Mush said, squirming as he tried to get away.

Maggie looked down at him and giggled. "It’s good to know I’m not the only ticklish one around here," she grinned.

"So you’re ticklish too," Mush asked slyly. "I might have to use that to my advantage sometime soon," he said as he moved his hands slowly toward her waist.

"No no no, you’re supposed to be selling papers!" She shook her finger at him, but she was still smiling. "Now hurry up so we can get to Brooklyn."

"Oh fine," Mush said laughing. "You won’t let me have any payback, will you."

"Not a chance," she giggled. "Now get back to work!"

Blink took a deep breath after the small crowd around him left. He sighed happily when he looked down at the dwindling stack of newspapers. It had been a good selling day so far, and he’d only been at it for an hour. He brought his head back up and looked around the block he was selling on.

All of a sudden, Mush and Maggie came into view. "Hey Mu…" he started to yell, but noticed that the two were absorbed in conversation. He saw Maggie start to poke Mush, and soon, both were laughing. They finally seemed to become serious again, and they continued walking along the sidewalk.

‘This is good,’ Blink thought. ‘Maybe there’s a chance after all…’

Mush and Maggie started to walk across the Brooklyn Bridge, but stopped halfway across. Mush leaned over the side and looked down at the sparkling water below them.

"So what are we stopping for," Maggie asked after awhile. "I mean, it’s nice just staring and everything, but um, is there a reason?"

"Well, we always yell off da side of the bridge," Mush explained rationally.

"Um… you haven’t yelled anything yet, and we’ve been standing here for a couple minutes," Maggie giggled.

"Oh yeah." He blushed, but it quickly went away. "I just got caught up in my thinking."

"That’s okay, I did too," Maggie replied. "So are we gonna yell now?"

"Shoa." Mush smiled at Maggie and they both leaned over and, with a burst of energy, yelled off the side of the Brooklyn Bridge.

"D’ya know where Spot is," Mush asked for the thirteenth time in twenty minutes. He and Maggie had gotten into Brooklyn, but they couldn’t find Spot anywhere. When the short newsie shook his head, they both sighed and continued walking.

"Hey Mush," Maggie said quietly.

"Yeah? What is it?" he asked, a little concerned that something might be wrong.

"Well, I’m kinda hungry. We didn’t have breakfast, and now it’s lunch time…"

"Shoa. You know a place we can eat? I don’t know Brooklyn that well."

"Yeah, I know a place," Maggie said, remembering the restaurant Spot had taken her to twice. "Um, I don’t have any money though."

"Oh, dat’s okay Maggie," Mush said. "I was gonna pay anyhow."

"Oh, good," she sighed. "All right, it’s this way." Maggie took Mush’s hand in hers and led him through the streets of Brooklyn.

They walked up and down streets until Mush was lost, but Maggie at least knew where they were.

"Okay, it’s down here," Maggie said, walking down the narrow alleyway.

"Back here," Mush asked doubtfully, having the same reaction Maggie had the first time.

"Yeah, I know, that’s what I thought," she giggled. "But, it’s really good, don’t worry."

"Okay," he laughed. "It’s a good thing we’re here, cause I’m starving too."

Alex walked around near her usual corner. 'At least I’m selling better than the other day,' she thought. When she finally had only four newspapers left, she picked them up and abandoned her usual selling spot, heading toward Tibby’s.

Alex sold her last paper right outside the restaurant and walked inside. After her eyes adjusted to the lack of sunlight, she searched the room for Mush and Maggie, but couldn’t fine them, so she walked over and sat down across from Blink.

"Hey Blink, how’s it rollin’," she asked.

Blink looked up and laughed at her imitation of the newsies.

"Well look," Alex said, sobering up. "I need to ask you some stuff."

"Is everything okay Alex?" Blink asked.

"Yeah, everything’s fine… but I want to talk to you about Mush."

Blink felt his heart speed up, worried that Alex had figured it out and that she was going to ask him if Mush liked her. He didn’t know what to say, not sure what to tell her. But he swallowed hid fear and said, "shoa, whadda ya wanna know?"

"Well, you know I can’t tell you about what happened to Maggie, but Spot hurt her. I think what she needs now is… well anyhow, is there any chance that Mush likes her?"

"I’m not sure Alex," Blink said, not exactly lying, but not telling the complete truth. "I mean, I kinda hope so, but I dunno. I can talk to ‘im if ya want," he suggested.

"That’d be great. Thanks so much Blink." Alex picked up the sandwich she’d ordered and stood up. "I’ll see you tonight then."

"Okay, bye Alex."

Maggie looked across the table and sighed "Man, I couldn’t eat this the first time I tried," she said, looking at the plate of food in front of Mush. "How come you can?"

"Cause I’ve done it before," he said, trying his best not to laugh. "I love Italian food."

"That’s good, then you can take me out for lunch more often," Maggie said smugly.

Mush laughed outright at this. "Dat’s expectin' quite a lot, Princess. We’re gonna hafta sell a lot of papes to eat Italian every day, cause I don’t got that kinda money right now."

"Well then, I guess you’ll have to teach me how to sell tomorrow," Maggie laughed.

"Okay shoa," he said. "We’ll start tomorrow."

"All right," she smiled.

Mush looked across the table at Maggie’s smiling face, and suddenly her eyes flicked to the door and her face fell.

"What’s wrong," Mush asked concerned.

"It’s… it’s Spot," she said disbelievingly.

Spot had walked into the restaurant with his arm around a girl Maggie had never seen. Maggie shrank down in the seat so that Spot couldn’t see her… but she could see him, and she watched as he leaned over and kissed the girl passionately. Afraid that Spot would see her, Maggie crawled under the table and sat next to Mush.

"Don’t let him see me," she whispered hurriedly.

"Okay," Mush replied, confused. He turned toward Maggie so that when Spot and the girl walked by, they could only have seen his back. It didn’t make much of a difference though, since the two were completely absorbed in each other and didn’t even glance at Mush and Maggie.

"So why’d ya hide," Mush asked after Spot and the girl had walked past them and sat down at their own table. "I thought we came here ta talk to ‘im."

"Well I, um… I got scared. He’s with another girl, and I mean… well, what if Alex and everyone was right?"

Mush put his fingers under Maggie’s chin and brought her eyes up to his. "You have to do what you believe. Don’t believe what everyone tells you all the time. If you think there’s a chance, you gotta at least try."

Maggie gazed into his brown eyes and smiled. "Thank you," she whispered. "Can we do it sometime later though? I’m not ready yet."

"Whateva you want Maggie," Mush said. He reached across the table and dragged her plate back over to her. "So we’ll finish eating an’ then go back ta Manhattan."

"Okay."

Blink sat in the booth, taking sips of his sarsaparilla, but not tasting it. The only taste he noticed was the bad taste in his mouth from lying to Alex.

‘I know Mush likes Alex, but there’s no way I could have told her that, and there’s no way I can talk to him about Maggie. Just look at what happened last time I talked to him about Maggie. Well, maybe I’ll figure out a way to ask him…’ Blink thought back to the scene he’d watched earlier that day with Mush and Maggie. ‘You never know, they may figure it out on their own.’

Katie looked across the table at Spot. "So what are we gonna do tonight," she asked, trying to flirt with him.

He smirked. "Well, I had some ideas but…"

"But what," she giggled.

"I’m not sure how fast you wanna go."

Katie was startled, and wondered if he could tell that’s what she’d been thinking about, but she quickly forgot it and said, "the faster the better."

"In that case, maybe we should just go back now," Spot answered, surprised at her response. He stood up and grabbed Katie’s hand, pulling her up next to him. "So let’s go."

Maggie finished her lunch and looked up to see Spot and the girl starting to get up. The girl’s eyes met hers and Maggie glared with pure hatred.

‘I can’t believe she’s trying to steal Spot from me,’ Maggie fumed. ‘I know he loves me, not her, so why does she think she has something?’ But Maggie saw a part of herself in the girl, though she refused to admit it to herself. "He loves me," she insisted, not realizing that she’d spoken out loud.

Neither Spot nor Katie had heard Maggie, but Mush had, and he turned to look at her. Maggie’s eyes opened wide, worried that she’d spoken loud enough for Spot to hear her, but he and the girl showed no reaction.

Still worried though, Maggie held her breath as the two walked to the front and exited the restaurant. Maggie sighed as she heard the almost inaudible click of the door.

Maggie looked at Mush. "I can’t believe I said that out loud," she said, a little embarrassed. "I was just thinking it and… but it’s true! He told me he loved me," she insisted.

Mush was torn inside. He knew that some guys just said things like that, guys like Spot, but he couldn’t tell that to Maggie. It seemed that her heart was already broken and fragile. But didn’t he have the right, the obligation to keep it from happening again? He knew he did, but it appeared that it didn’t matter what people told Maggie; she would follow her broken heart wherever it led her.

"Don’t be embarrassed, that happens to a lot of people," Mush said, trying to calm her down. "I always talk without thinking about it. So you almost ready to leave?"

"We’ll just wait a bit to make sure Spot’s gone," Maggie answered.

"Hey Spot," Katie said hesitantly. "Um, did you see that girl in the restaurant?"

Spot’s ears perked up, detecting a hint of jealousy in Katie’s voice. "No, I didn’t see her. What’s she look like?"

"Um, green eyes, long wavy black hair, pretty pale… that’s all I can remember," Katie said. "But she was glaring at me like she hated me."

‘Oh crap,’ Spot thought. ‘Please don’t let it be Maggie. I didn’t think she’d get attached that quickly.’ He sighed angrily and turned to Katie. "I’m gonna go in there real quick an’ see if she’s who I think she is."

When Katie nodded, Spot carefully opened the door and peered around the wall. He saw only a flash of her hair, but he heard a voice and knew that it was Maggie. "I thought da goil got da message," Spot whispered under his breath. ‘Well, maybe she saw me with Katie an' she’ll leave me alone,’ he hoped.

Spot turned back and opened the door again, and slipped out. He looked at Katie’s inquiring eyes. "Naw, I don’t know ‘er," he lied. "Maybe she thought you were someone else."

"Okay then," Katie said, smiling once more. "So are we gonna leave now…?"

"Of course." Spot grabbed her hand and nearly dragged her off toward the Brooklyn Lodging House.

"So if ya don’t mind me askin’, how’d ya end up with Spot?" Mush asked Maggie after a long silence.

"Well, it’s another long story, actually," Maggie answered, smiling. "I’ll tell you tonight, though, I don’t wanna talk about it where other people can hear."

"Okay then, we’ll talk again tonight," Mush said. "You ready to go yet?"

"Yeah, I guess so."

Mush dropped a handful of change on the table and pulled Maggie to her feet. They walked out of the restaurant and back down the alley.

Maggie started to lead them back to where the Brooklyn Bridge was, but as they turned a corner, Maggie looked up, and to her utter surprise, she saw her father. Afraid that he would find her and bring her back to the house, and to Eric, Maggie grabbed Mush’s hand and turned back around. She sprinted down the street, towing a confused Mush behind her.

Suddenly she stopped, and Mush plowed into her, for a small part of her dreams had come back to her. Maggie could almost hear her mother’s voice, but the only words she could remember were: "he killed a man." But that was enough, and Maggie took off running again.

Mush kept up, but he wasn’t fueled by the same fear that Maggie felt, so he soon started to tire. And though he knew Maggie was scared of someone, he didn’t know who she could be running from, save Spot.

Neither knew Brooklyn very well, so after fifteen minutes of running down streets and side streets, both were thoroughly lost. Maggie finally stopped running and walked then into an alleyway. She went all the way to the end before she fell down to her knees and threw up.

Maggie started to fall backwards, and Mush leaned down and caught her before she hit the ground. He sat down and leaned against the building wall with Maggie, exhausted, in his arms. She smiled up at him.

"I’m so tired," she whispered, her eyes starting to close.

"Okay, Princess, go to sleep," Mush said softly.

Alex finally gave up looking. ‘I’ve been walking around Manhattan for two hours and I can’t find them anywhere,’ she said to herself. ‘Wait, maybe they’re already back at the Lodging House…’ She whipped around and broke into a fast run.

Alex arrived at the Lodging House, sweaty and out of breath. She opened the door to Maggie’s room and found it empty, so she want back to the main bunkroom and opened the door.

Blink looked up from the poker game he was playing with Race and Jack, and saw Alex frame the doorway. When she walked in and Blink saw her sweaty red face, he sighed and put down his cards.

"I’ll be right back," Blink said to Race. "You just have a thing for getting attention, don’t you," Blink said when he got over to Alex. "So what is it this time?"

"Do you know where Maggie and Mush are," she asked hurriedly.

"No, they ain’t come back yet," Blink replied. "Don’t worry, they’re prolly still out sellin’. It’s only… hey Race, what time is it?"

Race took out his gold pocket watch and flicked it open. "It’s only five thirty Alex, don’t worry."

"Yeah," Blink added, "it’s Maggie’s foist day, dey’re prolly still sellin’," he said, finally convincing Alex.

"Okay," she said. She and Blink walked back over to where Race and Jack were sitting. After they finished the hand they were playing, Race dealt Alex a hand, and she was soon completely absorbed in the game.

"Do you remember now, Princess," Maggie heard, though she didn’t see the face behind the voice.

"Mommy, is that you?" Maggie asked.

"Yes, it’s me. Now do you remember what I told you before?"

"A little bit," Maggie said, embarrassed at having forgotten something so important. "Can you tell me again?"

"No, I’m sorry Maggie. You must remember on your own. But, I will leave you with one last thing. You must remember this time," she said urgently.

"Yes Mommy, I’ll remember," Maggie said.

"You will find love in my touch and my words, Princess. Remember…"

But Maggie woke up and she had forgotten.

"Are you okay," Mush asked, staring down into Maggie’s face, concern in his eyes. "What happened? Why’d you run like that?"

Maggie sighed. "I can’t tell you now. Let’s go back to…" She looked up at a dark sky. "What time is it?"

"It’s pretty late. You were sleepin’ for a long time," Mush answered. "We should prolly go back b’fore everyone gets worried."

Mush set Maggie down next to him so that he could get up, but she started trembling and all but jumped back into his arms.

"No, don’t let me go, he’s gonna find me," she said, fear radiating through her voice.

"I… okay," Mush answered, still thinking she was talking about Spot. He pushed his back against the wall so he could stand up, and when he got to his feet, he looked down at Maggie.

"Can I put you down and you can just walk right next to me? I don’t really think I can carry you all the way back to Manhattan," he said.

"Well, I think you could, but okay."

Mush put her down, but as he started to take his arms away, Maggie grabbed his hand in a death grip. "Please, I’m scared," she whispered.

Mush brought his other hand up and smoothed her hair. "Shh, it’s okay. I won’t let anything ‘appen." He felt her shoulders un-tense and she looked up at him. "Let’s go back so we can talk."

Maggie nodded, and they walked out of the alley, hoping to find their way back to Manhattan.

Alex stuck her hand back into her pocket for more change; she wasn’t doing too well at poker that evening, so when she pulled her hand back, she only had twenty cents left.

"Man, if I’m gonna sell again, I haft stop before I loose the rest of my money," she said. "See if I ever play with… you…" Alex stopped talking as she looked out the window and saw a dark sky. "Oh shoot, what time is it," she asked Race, her eyes never leaving the window.

"It’s nine o’clock, why?"

"Because Mush and Maggie aren’t back yet!" she yelled. "We hafta go find them!"

"Whoa, calm down Alex," Jack said. "We’ll go check Maggie’s room an’ then wait a little before we start goin’ out an lookin’ for ‘em." He looked over at Alex glaring face. "Don’t worry, Mush can take care of ‘imself. I’m shoa everything’s fine."

Alex jumped up and ran out of the bunkroom, heading toward where Maggie had been sleeping. When she left, Race looked up at Jack.

"I dunno Jack, I’m kinda worried," Race said.

"Well so’m I, but I didn’t want Alex ta know dat," Jack said. "It seems like she’s got a lot on ‘er mind, I didn’t want ‘er ta get worried."

After an unsuccessful endeavor to find Mush and Maggie, Alex walked angrily back to the bunkroom and plopped down on the floor. "Fine, we’ll wait twenty minutes and then we’re looking for them," she snapped.

"Okay Alex, if dat’s what you want. But I don’t think you should worry so much," Jack said. "Dere’s prolly nothin’ wrong."

"So, uh, why were ya so scared of Spot seein’ ya," Mush asked after they got off the Brooklyn Bridge and back into Manhattan.

"Well, that’s the thing," Maggie said, snuggling closer up to him, cold from the wind. "It wasn’t Spot. It… well, I’ll tell you when we get back to the Lodging House."

They walked in silence for a few minutes, but every noise Maggie heard frightened her. She put her complete trust in Mush though, so while she was scared, she knew she was safe.

Mush and Maggie finally got to the Lodging House, and they opened the door and went upstairs. As they were walking down the hall to the bunkroom, Mush stopped and frowned.

"Is dat Alex yelling," he asked confused.

"Can we please hurry up here," they heard through the door.

They both started laughing. "Yeah, that’s Alex," Maggie giggled. She finally let go of Mush’s hand, and they opened the door and walked into the bunkroom.

Alex turned around, a fire in her blue eyes, but when she saw them, her face softened and she smiled. "Thank god you’re…" Suddenly Alex was glaring again. "Where have you two been? I’ve been worried sick."

‘Wow,’ Mush thought, his heart fluttering. ‘I can’t believe she was that worried about us.’

"More like worried mad," Race said under his breath to Blink. Alex turned around and glared at them both, and Blink tried, unsuccessfully, not to laugh.

"Boys," she muttered turning back around. "So are you two gonna explain yourselves," she asked.

"Yeah," Maggie said, "but um, can the three of us talk in private?"

Alex’s heart soared, thinking that the two were finally together. "Of course," she said.