(Author's Note: Well, I've finally gone and done it. I've written a Newsies fanfiction. This first one flips between Jack and Katherine's POV, but the rest will be one or the other, I promise! Enjoy!

Standard disclaimers apply. I own nothing except my own imagination. Especially the dialouge in this first chapter-that's not mine at all.)

Chapter 1

"And if I were a boy, you'd be looking at me through one black eye!" Katherine shouted, balling her hand into a fist and raising it to his chin. She couldn't believe how impertinent he was being.

"Go ahead. Don't let that stop you. Gimme your worst," Jack retorted angrily. He took a step forward, his eyes burning into her.

A thought pushed its way violently into Katherine's mind. It was irrational and selfish and stupid, but for some insane reason, she was considering it anyway. What was wrong with her? She was confident that acting on that thought would get her into trouble of some kind or another, but she also knew it would get his attention. It would get him to trust her again. She needed him to trust her.

So she kissed him.

Jack was genuinely stunned when Katherine's mouth collided with his. He tensed up; he knew very well that this was not supposed to happen, but-after the initial shock wore off-he didn't care. It was selfish of him to want it and, well, it wasn't right, but he wanted it anyway.

He moved to kiss her back, but as soon as he did, Katherine pulled away from him sharply.

"Wait." She looked down, blushing a dark red, her eyes wide.

"Huh?" He squeaked. He would never understand her. She'd kissed him, but it was as if she was afraid to let him kiss her back. It didn't make any sense.

"I need to know that you cave for the money," she said calmly, looking at him with a sad intensity in her eyes. He sighed. That's what this was about.

"I spoke the truth. When you win a fight, when you got the other fella down, eating pavement…" He broke off there, not sure where he wanted to go with it, and tried again. "You heard your father; he ain't never givin' up… I don't know what else we can do."

"Ah, but I do." Jack scoffed under his breath, and Katherine let out a huff, clearly annoyed by his unintentional arrogance. "Really Jack? Really? Only you can have a good idea?" She paused. "Or is it because I'm a girl?"

"I didn't say-"

"This would be a good time to shut up." And he did. She continued, "Being boss doesn't mean you have all the answers, just the brains to recognize the right one when you hear it."

So he stayed quiet and let her tell him about her solution. The Children's Crusade. It was a good plan, he had to admit. It just might work. Katherine began bounding down the ladder from the roof, but he wasn't quite done yet.

"Hey, hey! Wait, stop. What's this about, for you?" He spat as she began to climb down from the rooftop, "And I don't mean the Children's Crusade. What is this about?" He gestured at the two of them, and Katherine knew exactly what he was referring to. "Am I kidding myself, or… I mean, is there something…" He trailed off, leaving the sentence unfinished, hanging in the air awkwardly. She started back up the ladder and said nonchalantly,

"Well of course there is." She didn't want to have to have this conversation. She had hoped they wouldn't have to talk about this, but the hurt expression that immediately darkened his face told her otherwise.

"Well don't just say it like it happens every day." He shoved his hands in his pockets.

"Jack, I didn't mean-" She tried to amend, but he cut her off.

"I ain't stupid-" he paused "-I know guys like me don't end up with girls like you. And I don't want you promising nothing you're just gonna take back later. But standing here, tonight, looking at you, I'm scared tomorrow's gonna come and change everything." He looked different than Katherine had ever seen him before. He was vulnerable. "If there was a way, I'd grab ahold of somethin' and make time stop, so I could keep on lookin' at you."

She felt her face getting warm again.

"You snuck up on me Jack Kelly.I never even saw it coming." She laughed, and Jack finally cracked a smile.

"For sure?" He laughed.

"For sure."

They talked-fairly awkwardly-for a few minutes, but suddenly their hands were twined together and she was kissing him again. It was slower this time, and she was more aware of it happening. Her heart fluttered restlessly in her chest. She wondered if he was as nervous as she was.

He wondered if she was as nervous as he was. He had butterflies in his stomach, and he was kissing her-for real-for the first time. And it occurred to him again that this wasn't supposed to happen. He was just a poor kid. These things weren't supposed to happen to him. It wasn't right.

He pushed himself away from her, and a small noise of protest escaped her lips before he uttered,

"If things were different."

"If you weren't going to Santa Fe?" She guessed, a wounded expression flashing across her face. He wanted to deny it, but it was partly true, so he just added,

"And if you weren't an heiress. If yer father wasn't after my head." She only laughed, shaking her head and saying,

"You aren't really scared of my father."

"No," he spun around to face her, "but I am pretty scared of you," he said sheepishly.

"Don't be," she breathed kindly, and he swore to himself then and there that he wouldn't.

(There you have it! Please feel free to let me know if you spot any mistakes and I will fix them as soon as I can. Like I said, this is (basically) a collection of one-shots, so if you have any prompts or ideas, let me know! Any reviews at all would be lovely!

Much Love,
PrettyLittleMonster Xxx)