a striking pair | f.c

Chapter Four

Two hits from the baseball bat the
man was holding onto the metal railing was all it took for the newsies to unfreeze and scatter around in a blind panic, meanwhile Lane swiftly came out from her hiding spot to join the others.

"It's time these kids learned a lesson," the man mused, just as Finch spotted her and tossed her a sack of papers to defend herself with.

"No, we're not-!"

"Hey." Jack stopped the boy from trying to save their butts, pushing him back, and facing the man confidently. "Newsies... Get 'em!"

All the newsies simultaneously threw their stack of papers towards the men and the brothers, so Lane, without missing a beat, followed suit.

After having freed both her hands, she went and threw herself after someone who had been approaching Cigar Boy unsuspectingly, and the boy, surprised and confused, turned back to look at her gratefully. "... Thanks."

"Sure." Lane waved at him slightly, before running off to continue fighting.

She was oddly glad for the old and worn clothing the newsies wore, as it was easier for her to tell who was who, without accidentally hurting anyone she didn't mean to.

Just focus on gettin' Finch outta here alive, she told herself, prioritizing his safety above her own. It seemed like a great plan, until she felt someone forcefully grab her by her hair, causing her to wince and stumble back a few steps, tensing up. Actually... hold that thought.

"A goil newsie," the man pointed out, tugging her head back further with every passing moment, pressing his baseball bat alarmingly tight against her throat, cutting off her airways. "Now, that ain't somethin' ya see every day."

"Yeah, well, this ain't no ordinary day," Lane bit out, kicking her foot back to a place no man wanted to be kicked, causing him to curse out in pain. "Have a nice one, sir."

She didn't waste another second busying herself with him, heading back out. She squinted when she saw Jack lifting a barrel, before her eyes widened when she understood that he was going to throw it, and quickly yelled, "Barrel!"

She was glad when her call caused a few people to newsies to duck out the way, feeling accomplished as she then caught Finch's eye. He motioned for her to join him in a place where they'd keep a low profile, and she quickly complied. "What's goin' on?"

He shook his head. "Jus reevaluatin' our situation. Some 'a tha newsies have already taken off, 'n I think I hoid some cops headin' dis way."

She rolled her eyes, rubbing her already throbbing throat. "Course ya could hear dat."

"Wha happened?" Finch asked, noting the way she winced once her hand made contact with it.

She shook her head. "Nothin'. Tha man wit tha baseball bat jus got a little too close ta me neck, but Ise fine."

He stared at what she assumed was the mark of it, clearly not convinced that she was. "It looks bad."

She rolled her eyes again, looking out at all the newsies who had still been fighting. "Thanks, Finch."

At that moment, surely enough, the bulls finally showed up to the scene. Finch and Lane both looked up when a loud whistle was heard.

"It's about time ya showed up!" A short, perhaps Asian newsie cried out in relief, walking towards him, causing Lane to quickly jerk up in anticipation for what she knew was going to happen. "They're slaughterin' us!"

Lane pressed a hand over her mouth when the cop struck him as she had predicted, causing the newsie to fly back, falling onto the ground.

"Cheese it, it's the bulls!"