The 'Living Room.'

[Administrator]

There's a couple chairs and a sofa in here, along with a table and small fire place.

[Babydoll]

Babydoll laid across the sofa in the living room, her eyes drooping and her thumb in her mouth from an earlier dozing-off. She was waiting up for Jack, something she had taken a habit to, even before the war or her kidnapping, she would stand by the front door and wait until she saw Jack's figure coming toward the lodging house, at which point she would scramble up to her bunk and pretend to sleep.

It wasn't beacause she felt responsible or anything, no way. She was younger than him, so she had no business in feeling so. No, she just liked it, however strange that sounded. Maybe she was a little worried that one night he wouldn't come back. A foolish thought, but nevertheless a fear that was tucked in the very back of her mind.

She didn't really get concerned until after midnight, which she couldn't recall happening in her recent memories, but then again she didn't check the clock very often when she was waiting. But since her kidnapping and after her escape, she'd been more careful, even though she didn't say it openly. Heck, she'd even been more worried about things. But she would never ever admit it. Babydoll had an image to maintain: the tomboy, one of the tougher Manhattan girls. And this girl wasn't supposed to cry or worry too much.

She had never told anyone of the peculiar habit, and didn't plan to. It was a secret with herself. Babydoll yawned and sat up, glancing at the window. "Cowboy, where are you?" she murmured, lounging across the sofa once again with her face buried in a cushion.

[Jack Kelly]

And I'm free, Like the wind, Like Im gonna live forever.

Jack walked down the never ending streets of Manhattan towards the lodging house, the old building that had been his home for the past 13 years of his life. It was another one of those nights where he took the long way home, so he could have some time to think, to dream, to sort out his thoughts. He paused to gaze at the outlaw posters down by the leaky tunnel, he caught a ride on a wayward carriage going by.

Jack knew he was at fault. He put up a face for his newsies, every single day. He had become so gifted at hiding his own problems and feelings from them. He was their leader, he was supposed to listen to their troubles and help them out, not dump extra burdens on their shoulders. So he was tired of selling newspapers, tired of city life? So what? His newsies made it all worth it. But he still couldn't help but feel like just taking his savings and flying free, leaving the old grey city behind and laughing in its face as he waved goodbye. Somehow, Jack Kelly would never, ever be able to do that. Not now anyways.

He was just a fool with dreams that were tall tales. His daydreams so much more wonderful than the real thing would ever be. But Jack Kelly had to dream. He had to tell himself that someday, things would be better.

He sighed tiredly as he made his way up the walk, pausing to light a cigarette and lean against the lamp post outside the lodging house. He was just a figure in the shadows. That's when he noticed it, the figure peering sleepily and nervously out of the window. He recognized which of his little hooligans it was immediately. Jack's tired face softened and he took one last thoughtful drag. He put out the cigarette and started for the door, a smile tugging at his lips.

[Babydoll]

Babydoll had sat up on the sofa again, looking at her knees and rubbing her shoulders as a small chill wafted over her. Forgetting the cold for a brief moment, she stood up–arms folded over her chest–and gazed out the window for the last time, her forehead creased with worry but her eyes drooping with sleep. She spotted a figure in the shadows on this look. The teen blinked a few times, rubbed her eyes and looked again.

The tired face lit up and a relieved exhale left her chest in the form of a whisper of "Jack." She didn't however, scramble for the stairs when he started for the door. Instead she yawned and mussed up her hair with one hand, trying to look like she had just stumbled out of bed and was wandering because she couldn't get back to sleep or something of that matter. Babydoll then began to walk over to the door herself, a small smirk spreading across her lips.

She pondered for a brief second what she would say once he opened the door or she did. Maybe she would lie and say she couldn't sleep, or that she'd had a nightmare. Possibly even say she had been up for a drink of water. Any excuse would work except for 'I've been waiting for ya to come back before I went to sleep', a phrase that would let the cat out of the bag on her little secret ritual.

Babydoll took a deep breath and yawned again. Man, she needed some sleep. Staying up late shouldn't be good for a growing girl, it couldn't. Getting up the next morning was going to be torture, for sure. The brunette fourteen-year-old reached for the doorknob cautiously, starting to smile a bit.

[Jack Kelly]

Jack watched the figure of his newsie's head disappear from behind the window, and he couldn't help but raise his eyebrows in curiosity. He wasn't angry so much, and didn't have it in mind to reprimand the girl for staying up late. Cowboy never made rules just to turn around and go off breaking it just because he was the leader. It wasn't the way he worked. He could only try to wonder what Babydoll was doing.

He ran a hand through his hair that wasn't getting any shorter, and smiled with a small sigh as he shook his head. He supposed he would find out if he just went inside. He took in one more deep breath of the night air, closing his eyes and then let it out, coughing a bit, and then reached for the doorknob.

He thrust it open gently, surprised to see Babydoll standing in the doorway, smiling sleepily up at him. He tried to suppress his smile so he could keep a straight face, but he couldn't stop it. Trying to show just a bit of sternness, that wasn't really working, he took a step in and closed the door behind him to stop the cool night air from leaking into the building.

"Alright Babydoll, what's keepin' ya up this night?" He asked her, his hazel brown eyes gentle, curious, and leaderly all at the same time. Maybe that came from experience.

[Babydoll]

Babydoll quickly drew her hand back and hid both behind her back innocently as the door began to open, causing her small smile to widen to one of her normal–albeit sleepy–ones as she looked up at him. She took a step back while he stepped inside, letting her hands drop to her sides lazily.

"Alright Babydoll, what's keepin' ya up this night?"

The younger newsie shrugged and held back a yawn, not wanting to seem as tired as she actually was. "Well, I couldn't fall sleep up in my bunk for some reason, so I tried sleepin' on the couch…and it worked. But I had a nightmare," she lied, now folding her hands in front of her. "and I couldn't keep my eyes shut since."

[Jack Kelly]

Babydoll was really playing the adorable card tonight, with her slightly tousled brown hair and sleepy smile, it was hard to keep focused on getting her to bed as stately as possible so she wouldn't fall asleep over her newspapers in the morning.

"Well, I couldn't fall sleep up in my bunk for some reason, so I tried sleepin' on the couch…and it worked. But I had a nightmare, and I couldn't keep my eyes shut since."

"Mhm," Jack murmured, watching her eyes droop with a raised eyebrow. He didn't know if Babydoll was telling the truth or not, but if she was, he couldn't take nightmares lightly. Sighing, he placed hands on her shoulder, steering her gently towards the stairs. "I'm sure this time you'll fall asleep with no problem. It's all in your head that's all."

[Babydoll]

Jack seemed to be buying her excuse. Thank God she appeared tired enough to look like she had been asleep for at least a little bit. She couldn't suppress the yawn that escaped her as he guided her to the stairs, his hands on her shoulders. After the yawn, Babydoll chuckled to herself.

"Yeah, all in my head…" she smiled sleepily, making sure to keep that in mind should she actually have a nightmare. And she had suffered quite a few as of late, though she never told anyone. They were mainly intensified versions of her kidnapping or falling off the Brooklyn bridge and hurdling toward her demise once or twice. Nothing she couldn't handle, but none the less just all in her head as Jack said. Babydoll trudged up a few steps before pausing and turning around, guilt biting at her now. "Wait."

She couldn't lie to her leader. She'd never done so before. Babydoll was usually frank and honest with her problems with Jack, and this, well, though there is a first time for everything, this wasn't what she wanted to lie to him about. Around leaders of the newsie world, guilt came easier to her for wrong-doing. But usually she had enough sense to ignore it if it was something small like paying someone back a tiny bit late.

Babydoll bit her lower lip, trying to figure out how to phrase the truth in the manner of least oddity. She sighed and pushed the emotion to the back of her mind, then turned around. "Uh…nevermind," muttered the brunette in embarrassment, staring to climb the stairs again and feeling like an idiot for even thinking of bringing it up.

[Jack Kelly]

"Yeah, all in my head…"

They reached the stairs, and Jack smiled warmly at Babydoll, saying all he needed to say in one small smile. He wasn't going anywhere, he'd just be in the boys bunks, trying to get some shut eye himself. He really could use the rest, though he'd never complain. Never. He wouldn't tell himself he was working too hard either. It was tax season and they needed the extra funds. He watched Babydoll climb the stairs slowly and turned away to make his rounds of the place, to make sure everything was in order, when the younger girl's voice stopped him.

"Wait."


"Yeah?" Jack asked as he turned, gazing expectantly at Babydoll. She seemed to be struggling with a decision, biting her lip, trying to grab words out of the air. He was curious, and a little concerned about what she would say, but then she just shook her head, dismissing it.

"Uh…nevermind,"

She looked upset as she started to climb the stairs again, Jack blinked and ran a hand through his hair, saying softly. "Babydoll, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but just know that you can tell me anything, alright?"

He wanted her to know that. It was important that she did.

[Babydoll]

"Babydoll, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but just know that you can tell me anything, alright?"

She paused, looked over her shoulder at him, and gave a tiny smile and a nod before turning her gaze back to her feet, "Alright."

Her hand tightened around the stair railing and a thought popped into her head. If I don't say it tonight I never will. Her biggest secret, the one thing she'd never confess to anyone on any regular day. Maybe it wouldn't matter if Jack never knew about it. And if it would matter, then that might just be too bad. Would he think she was weird for staying up every night to make sure he came back? Crazy, maybe?

Babydoll finally got her lips to work again, letting out a cautious, "N-n-night, Jack."

Had she really just stuttered? She pulled her hand off the railing and tucked some of her hair behind her ear and dashed up the stairs, trying to hide her blushing face. Why had she even gone to the door? Why hadn't she just gone upstairs when she'd seen him coming like before? She shouldn't have lied, shouldn't have brought it up in the first place! Her cheeks burned at her stupidity. Don't look back, Babydoll, don't you dare look back. she warned herself, hand reaching for the rail in case she stumbled or tried to turn around.

[Jack Kelly]

"Alright."

Jack was assured by her smile, and nodded kindly, repeating, "Alright."

He frowned again slightly when she hesitated once again, wondering what on earth could be bugging her that she couldn't bother to tell him? But he hated to push her, he was just becoming very curious. He shook his head, focusing his attention on fixing the knob on the banister so it faced just right, trying to remind himself to have patience. Still, he was more concerned than curious.

"N-n-night, Jack."

The uncertainty in her voice, the innocence, and anxiety, it struck a chord in the young man's chest. He watched her advance up the rickety stairway, feeling the need to do something, anything, to make her feel better. He reached up, untying his red bandanna, bringing it down slowly, fingering it.

"Babydoll, wait a second, it sounds silly an all I guess, but if you want to sleep with my red bandanna, you can. It's old and faded and a little ripped, but it might help you fall asleep..." He offered, giving her a small smile and gazing up at her expectantly, holding it out for her.

[Babydoll]

Babydoll felt that she had actually gotten away with it as Jack repeated her "Alright," though the embarrassment didn't vanish. She had nearly reached the top of the stairs, feeling almost sure she would have a fitful sleep that night, when he spoke again.

"Babydoll, wait a second, it sounds silly an all I guess, but if you want to sleep with my red bandanna, you can. It's old and faded and a little ripped, but it might help you fall asleep..."

She stopped and went against her own warning by looking back, barely managing to rearrange her face into a mask of placidity, "Jack, I swear I'm fine…" she started before she noticed he actually had taken his bandana off to give to her. Her mask crumbled, "I was lying about the nightmare. I was really waiting up for ya. Makin' sure ya came home before I went to bed."

As soon as the words came out Babydoll snapped her gaze downward and sat on the stair. Her eyes were wide in shock at her confession, a clear manifestation that she hadn't meant to let that particular part slip out. All she had really meant to say was she was lying about the nightmare and that she just couldn't sleep. She folded her arms over her knees and ducked her head.

"God you weren't supposed to hear that," she moaned, dragging one hand down her face.

[Jack Kelly]

"Jack, I swear I'm fine… I was lying about the nightmare. I was really waiting up for ya. Makin' sure ya came home before I went to bed."

Jack's eyes widened briefly in surprise before returning to normal as he looked down at his bandanna, a little baffled, although it certainly made him happy to know his newsies would care that much about him to wait up until he was home. He didn't know why he was surprised, he should have known all along.

"God you weren't supposed to hear that,"

He watched her sink to the stairs, embarrassed, and shook his head, just staring at her with so many emotions showing through his expression, he was amused, touched, surprised, and understanding of what she must be thinking. He walked up the stairs and sat down beside her, careful to be sensitive about this, so as to not hurt her feelings.

"Babydoll, you don't have to be embarrassed. I didn't mean to make you worry bout' me, staying out late and all. I just need to sort out my thoughts sometimes, you know? And it ain't silly what you've been doing, it really ain't. I used to wait up for my Father nights, I could never fall asleep until I heard his snoring..."

He smirked sadly at the memory and then placed a hand on the girl's shoulder, repeating his assurance. "It's alright."

[Babydoll]

"Babydoll, you don't have to be embarrassed. I didn't mean to make you worry bout' me, staying out late and all. I just need to sort out my thoughts sometimes, you know? And it ain't silly what you've been doing, it really ain't. I used to wait up for my Father nights, I could never fall asleep until I heard his snoring..."

Babydoll managed a very weak smile. "Really? Ya did this too?" she said softly, embarrassment receding a little. She exhaled and felt her shoulders loosen a little before she felt his hand on her shoulder.

"It's alright."

"I guess it's good to get it off my chest," Babydoll smiled weakly, "feels good that I'm not weird because of this. But I haven't gotten worried about ya before…I always know you'll come back eventually each night."