Free Like Moonlight

Changes

It had been two months since Tommy joined the Newsies when something big changed. One day, Albert didn't come home.

Tommy didn't remember anything different about that day. Tommy had taken to waking up before the others to watch the sunrise, and he hadn't seen Albert leave then.

On the walk to the church for coffee and two day old biscuits, Albert was there. He was maybe a little more nervous then he had been most other days, but when Tommy asked he said it was nothing.

So he let it be.

He wished he hadn't.

Tommy, Finch and Albert sold separately. Now they sold along the same street, within view of each other for safety. Finch at one end, Albert in the middle, and Tommy on the other. Albert had recently taken very much to being in the middle of Tommy and Finch, which was both adorable and funny. Two tall, strong teenagers and a small tuft of red hair between them.

Tommy's time in the real world had developed his personality. He was definitely more gullible than most of the others, but he threw a mean punch and wasn't afraid to use it. His friends had special places in his heart though, very soft places. The softest were his two absolute best friends Albert and Finch. He was really proud to call them his friends. Even if he did feel left out when they kissed sometimes. No one had really explained why people kissed yet.

He'd accidentally punched the leader of the East Side, and instead of a war, he laughed. He was almost 18 in comparison to 15 year old Tommy. He thought this tiny kid's courage was hilarious. Ever since he'd been on strangely good terms. Jacks, one of the East Side boys, said it was because their leader took a liking to him.

Tommy also turned out to be a excellent lookout. He was almost always on high alert outside of the lodging house and it could be useful. Usually no one got past his sight line before being stopped. He and Mush, the self proclaimed 'muscle' who was almost shorter then Spot according to Race, were the usual lookouts.

Jack said it was because Tommy could see and Mush could fight. Mush said it was so someone could hold him back from beating someone up too badly.

That was part of the reason Tommy felt so guilty when he and Finch left Albert to go to Jacobi's. And even more guilty when Albert continued to not show up for hours.

Jack, who for some reason never rubbed Tommy the right way, called for a search party? He got twice as worried and was the second person out the door. The first, of course, was Finch.

And after five hours. Five hours of searching every knook and cranny of New York, even sending Race and Jojo to Brooklyn and Harlem respectively, there was no trace. He was just gone.

And only a few of the older Newsies seemed to know. And none would tell as Specs left into the night.

Finch, understandably, was a mess. Tommy tried to be strong, and let Finch cry on his shoulder. He was determined to be what he needed.

After a hour, now late into the night, with still no word, Finch voiced a quiet, unusual request. "Tell me it's gonna be okay, please." His voice was almost lost to the silence.

Tommy obliged, of course. "It's gonna be okay. He'll come home, and everything will go back to normal." Above all Tommy wanted to go back to normal. Normal ment Albert and happy Finch and a light banter he'd started with Jojo and the two newbies, Mike and Ike's. He wanted to go back to normal.

Tommy felt something bubble inside him, like the soda bottles he'd seen Sniper shake to make Henry mad. He wanted to be alone when he burst, but he couldn't leave Finch.

He spent enough time not being sure, that the lid he had forced so hard down on it after the first few times was leaking and he was crying. He hated it, no one else but him cried so much. He managed to get so close to normal and then this happened.

Before he knew it he was sniffling. Then he was crying. And then Finch was hugging him. Usually Albert would hug him when one of these happened, but Tommy couldn't bring himself to care.

After a few minutes Tommy heard Finch start to cry to. Tommy tried to put himself on hold, but his emotions refused and he didn't really know how to rein them in. So then they were both crying. Crying into each other's shoulders and hoping that Albert will walk back through that door.

Only Specs did, and he only came back with bad news.

Tommy and Finch both sat up and tried to wipe away their tears when the door opened. They both slouched back into the couch when there was still no sign of Albert. Specs sat next to them, defeated and worried about their reactions.

Eventually he had no other choice then to speak.

"I found him. In the Refuge."

Tommy didn't understand. If he was there, why wasn't he home? Why couldn't he come? He looked at Finch for answers, but Finch was in tears.

Tommy hugged him tightly. If Finch was crying again, this 'Refuge' must be bad. He hoped they'd let Albert go quickly, he wanted Finch to stop being so sad. Albert would make it all better.