You can play the song from the beginning!! I timed it. There's a second song at the end with another video.

"Ana-"

"Katherine just stop!" Anastasia stopped, not showing the clear anger radiating off of her.

"We have to continue the strike!" Katherine argued. "Or it's all for nothing!"

"That's rich coming from you Pulitzer!" Anastasia snapped.

"Be mad at me all you want- but I want no harm." Katherine kept her gaze unwavering. "Jack on the other hand.."

"You don't understand!" Anastasia cried, turning around with tears streaming down her face. "I looked up to him! I looked up to that b*stard! He was my hero for almost as long as I could remember, and he's just a traitor?! A scab!?"

"You don't need him!" Katherine gripped her hair. "Anastasia! He's just an incompetent boy! You need to get over it so we can move on!"

"You don't get it Katherine!" Anastasia stepped back. "I'm a newsie! I have nothing! All we have is each other! This strike is more than just a fun hobby! Oh, I guess you're so bored up in your penthouse so you decide to help us in something that's so useless!"

"That is- that is not why I did this!" For a writer, no words came to her brain to string a sentence together."

"I'm not stupid!" Anastasia snapped. "You think I'd believe a woman can just get into the publishing industry without any connections? With the life we live? Your reaction just says it all!"

"You think that's why I helped the strike!?" Katherine shook her head. "At least I'm not- I'm not some little girl who looks up to a traitor with no family!"

Katherine's eyes widened at her harsh words.

"Wait- that came out wrong-"

"Yeah." Anastasia backed away. "It did."

"Anastasia I'm so-"

"Sorry?" Anastasia raised an eyebrow. "I am too. But I've heard too much of that word today."

"So- so you're gonna quit?" Katherine questioned.

"I don't know Katherine." Anastasia began walking away. "It's h*ll enough just to get by already."

<<<<<<|>>>>>>

Katherine lit newly bought candles, sitting down on a pillow.

She didn't know how any of this worked, but it felt right just too talk.

"I.. don't know if you can hear me... or if you're even there." Katherine peeped open one eye. "I don't know if you would listen, to my people's prayer." She opened the other eye, feeling ridiculous. "Yes I know I'm just an outcast. I shouldn't speak to you. Still I see your face and wonder... if you were once an outcast too..."

<<<<<<|>>>>>>

Katherine opened the window the next morning, the smell of stale bread in the air.

Race grabbed bread from the nun cart, handing the bread out to everyone then making the sign of the cross, closing his eyes briefly.

"God help the outcasts. Hungry from birth."

A cop came walking down the street, his head up defiantly.

Albert hugged some younger newsies close, protecting them from the world.

Katherine watched as Race's bloodshot eyes hardened, ready to hold off the cop if need be.

"Show them the mercy, they don't find on Earth."

"Hey!" Blink tried to grab Romeo as the little boy ran off, Boots and Sniper in pursuit.

"Where are you going!?" Finch questioned, but the boys ran straight to the steps of the church kneeling and making the sign of the cross and closing their eyes.

"God help the people, we look to you still."

"Please help us." Romeo whispered, pressing his hands together in front of him. "Please make the strike successful."

"And please make sure the older newsies don't get too stressed." Boots added.

"And please, God, make sure we have food in the table every night." Sniper mumbled.

"God help the outcasts." Katherine looked out onto the streets again before closing the window. "..or nobody will."

<<<<<<|>>>>>>

"Davey." Katherine found the taller teen.

"David." David corrected, pinching the bridge of his nose. "I've had to correct everyone! Has no one even realized that's not my real name!?"

"O...kay?" Katherine winced, knowing it sounded more like a question.

"Race nearly bursted into tears when I told him to just call me David." David let out a sigh. "You have no idea how hard everyone's taking this."

"I know." Katherine put a hand to her forehead, as if the troubles of the world scarred her. "I um... I'm sorry for not telling you the truth it was wrong I-"

"It's okay." David huffed, running his hand through his hair. "I get it."

"I should head to Queens, check how Anastasia's doing. We got into a pretty big fight-"

"Yeah- yeah go." David nodded.

<<<<<<|>>>>>>

"...hey." Katherine frowned.

"Hi." Anastasia waved meekly. "I'm sorry about yesterday. It was wrong of me to judge you on your last name I-"

"I'm sorry too." Katherine smiled shyly.

"Dontcha think it'd me nice to get something we wanted for once? I wanna go to school!" Snapper grinned.

"I want candy!!!" Sparkles beamed.

"I would ask for... for a hug." Ace smiled sweetly.

"Lame!" Snapper waved off the younger boy.

"Hey!" Ace whined.

"I wish for you guys to listen to Books." Anastasia gave her newsies a stern look.

"I just came to check on you guys." Katherine chuckled softly.

"We're getting buy." Anastasia kept a small smile on her face. "Thanks for thinking of us though."

"No problem." Katherine smiled.

"I WANT SILENCE!" Hyper screamed at the newsies.

"See you around." Katherine waved, before walking away.

"I ask for nothing!" Katherine held her hands to herself as she walked through the streets. "I can get by..." She turned back to the Queens newsies, a concerned look on her face. "But I know so many, less lucky than I."

"Oi! Get in line." Anastasia ordered. "We have to make it to the nun cart or no food for the day!"

"Yes Slip." Many responded back.

"Please help my people. The poor and downtrod." Katherine crossed the bridge, meeting the eyes of many Brooklyn newsies. "I thought we all were... the children of God?"

A frown made it's way to her face when she saw Race screaming at the Delancey's.

"God help the outcasts... children of God."

"Why do you have to be such jerks!" Race yelled. "We deserve the right to live just as much as you do!"

Katherine sighed before running over.

"Hey!"

>>>>>•<<<<<

"So what's this plan that you ha-" Anastasia's voice dropped. "...of course."

"What's he doing here!?"

"Hey! That's Jack-"

The newsies erupted into a disapproving roar.

"ALRIGHT ALRIGHT! CALM YOURSELVES!" David yelled amongst the crowd.

"He's a traitor!" Blink yelled, making Jack's heart freeze.

"YEAH!" The newsies echoed back.

"WE NEED TO STICK TOGETHER!" David tried again.

"That's what he said." Race spoke softly. "And look how he turned out."

"Race-" David began when the fiery redhead cut him off.

"He's right." Albert scoffed. "We don't need 'im."

"Yeah!"

"Please-" David began but his voice was drowned out in the crowd.

There was only one person who could make the crowd go silent.

One person who could talk and talk and no one could get bored.

One person could tame the raging flames he left in his wake.

"ALRIGHT!"

One person.

The silence that followed after was eary. No one daring to move.

"Look, I know you're all pissed at me- you have every right to be."

"Yeah we f*cking do." Someone snarked from the crowd.

Jack's gut clenched, twisting and turning. Anxiety piling up building and building and building till-

"I'm here to fix that, a'right? I- I need to fix it."

Nothing.

No one moved, no one spoke.

"So what's the plan boss?" Mush looked up from under his newsboy cap.

"Or there isn't any." Blink added.

"You guys are gonna like this." David smiled. "But we'll need to talk to Medda for a favor. And Jack, we'll need your art."

Jack felt himself relax. The weight of the world lifting from his shoulders.

"Are we gonna like it as much as seeing him?" Albert scoffed.

And then the tension was there again.

Right- not forgiven.

>>>><<<<

"We really doing this?" Jack turned to Anastasia.

"Yeah, I guess so." Anastasia shrugged.

"Hey I-"

The brown-haired-girl was gone- Jack's heart sank.

He needed to fix things.

>>>><<<<

"If I believed in wishes." Jack raced down the steps to the basement.

"As silly as it seems." David slammed the door shut to his and Les's room.

"I'd find that Santa Fe, turn back the sands of time...and save you." Jack emptied the contents of his bag on the printing press.

"If I believed in dreams." David closed his eyes.

"If I believed in magic." Jack grabbed the pape, grabbing a photo hidden in it. "If I believed in good. I'd be the best leader,"

"I'd make our troubles disappear." David grabbed a book, searching for answers.

"If I believed I could." Both slid down into their seats.

"But wishes are dreams." Jack gripped his brown locks, squeezing his eyes shut. "And dreams are pretend."

"So science and reason win out in the end!" David slammed his book shut.

"Science says you're dead and gone forever," Jack wiped his eyes, looking up to the sky. "Reason says I'm talking to the air," a sob escaped his mouth. "But something in my heart... Some secret hidden part, illogically insists that you are there."

"Somewhere." David looked longingly out the window. "If I believed in wishes... if I can find a key."

"Perhaps it's not too late," Jack clenched his fists. "To change the course of fate... cause after all this could be pretty great." Jack stared at his photo with Michael. "If you believed in me..."

[There should be a GIF or video here. Update the app now to see it.]

Check out the playlist in the first chap for the songs!!!!! I don't own them <333

Fun fact! This was originally titled "this is why we have lawyers you guys! THIS IS WHY" but then I remembered I cut out Anastasia's entire backstory for the sequel lOlz! So uh.... yEaH

Can you guys believe it!!!!??? Next week is the last chap! I love you guys so much!

I hope you've all had a good week! See you next time!

This is Izzy,
Over and out