Hello all! This is my first fanfiction ever, so just keep that in mind while reading. I (obviously) love newsies, and I was so depressed when it closed, but I'm excited to see it on tour, and I hope everyone who get's to see it on tour falls in love w/ it the way I did. Anyways, here you go…

Disclaimer:I don't own Newsies. If I did it wouldn't be closed, and I'd be the happiest person on earth. Alas…

Katherine Pulitzer sat in the plush velvet swivel chair, impatiently taping her foot on the spotless hard wood floors. Being here made her feel trapped. The big, important, unwritten article, due by tomorrow consumed her thoughts. Her hands were itching to feel the cool metal typewriter keys beneath her agile fingertips. To have the words that floated endlessly in her head flow effortlessly onto the page, becoming more than just an idea. All she could think about was that she could be working on a front-page story right now, but instead she was stuck here.

Her father had told her that he had wanted to see her. He had assured her the invitation was merely a cordial one to "reconnect", but she knew better. The last time he had invited her for a "chat", he had screamed in rage at her for her article on the strike, blacklisted her from every paper in the city, and then shared her well hidden secret, that she was in fact his own daughter, with the one person who she wanted to hide it from most. That had almost ended the strike right there. And had almost severed her bond with Jack. But there was no escaping her fate. Katherine knew her father too well. He would send someone to drag her from her apartment if he had to. So here she sat.

Joseph Pulitzer hung up the phone he had been vigorously talking on for the past twenty minutes, and turned his high-backed chair to face his daughter.

" Well, that took longer than expected. Are you ready to go Katherine?" he said with a stiff formality that had become the normal between the two of them.

"Where?" Katherine's single word echoed around the room with an icy sharpness. Though her father tried to keep things more cordial, Katherine never tried to hide her bitterness.

" I thought we would take a walk in the park." he replied in a tone that told her this was not a suggestion.

Katherine didn't answer, but gathered up her skirts and made a beeline towards the door. She wanted this to be over as fast as possible.

The late summer breeze ruffled Katherine's hair. Golden sunlight bathed Central park with a warm glow. She had to admit it was a beautiful day for a walk, just not this walk.

Katherine kept her strides long and quick, determined to remain at least three steps ahead of her father at all times. She always felt this numb anger when she was around him. She hated him. Sometimes just because he was her father.

"Honestly Katherine, there's no need to walk so quickly, you don't even know where you're going." Her father's voice came from behind her.

Away from you, she thought as she sped up.

"There's no need to make a scene out of it either," he called, "Come sit down." Katherine turned around to see her father gesturing to the seat next to him on the park bench he was already seated on.

"No thanks, I'd rather keep walking." Katherine replied and continued to walk.

"Sit."

"If we're stopping I think I'd rather stand."

"Sit down."

Katherine sat.

"So," Pulitzer cleared his throat, "how is life treating you as a reporter?

"Fine." she replied curtly as she pretended to be intensely focused on the squirrel darting on the path in front of her. Silence ensued. Her father cleared his throat. Twice.

"There's something I have been meaning to talk to you about,"

Katherine didn't even look up. What had she done wrong this time?

"I've noticed you are still "frequenting" shall we say those newsies, ever though the strike is over."

Katherine looked up annoyed. "Really, you dragged me out here to tell me that! Do you not think I have better things to do with my time? I suppose you assume I spend my time waiting for you to call me and tell me to do things."

"As I was saying," her father continued ignoring her outburst, "You seem to be spending a lot of time with those newsies, especially that pathetic strike leader, Jack Kelly."

Katherine sighed, "So?"

Her father looked over at her, "In fact, someone even saw you kissing him."

"Well," she replied not ready to deny it, "I don't know what you expected, after the strike…"

Pulitzer didn't even let her finish, "Expected! I expected you wrote that article just to get back at me. I expected you saw a chance to spite me and jumped at it. I never expected…"

"News flash! I don't care what you think!"

"I don't understand why you insist on publicly humiliating yourself! Imagine what people will say, what they're already saying!"

"I. Don't. Care." She said through clenched teeth.

"Yes Katherine, but I do. Unfortunately, however much neither of us likes it, we are tied to each other. Your actions reflect on me, and although you don't care about your reputation, I care about mine."

Katherine glared at him. "Well you can…"

He held up a finger. "To make a long story short, you are forbidden to see him again."

Katherine sat there shocked. "What! Forbidden! A week ago you offered him a job, now I can't see him again!"

"Yes Katherine, I offered him a job, because the governor of New York was standing right next to me! If he hadn't been there you can rest assured that there would have been no job offer, and I would have been smiling as he hopped a train to Santa Fe, happy to be rid of that filth."

Katherine was livid. "No." she replied.

"Well, if you do, I will make sure that you don't hold your position at The Sun any longer,"

She laughed, "You think you can make me loss my job, good luck with that!"

Pulitzer raised an eyebrow. "You didn't let me finish, and if you do, I'll make sure that jack Kelly wishes he had never even met you."

"Wait, what do you mean 'wish he had never met me'?"

"You know I have a few connections and…"

Katherine gasped "You don't mean that you would hurt him!?"

"I'll leave that part to the imagination," her father replied.

"You wouldn't dare!

"I would and I will if you…"

Katherine felt angry tears I her eyes, how could he do this? "You can't hurt Jack, Take my job, whatever, but please."

Pulitzer sighed. "I won't do any thing, as long as you agree to never see him again."

Katherine let out an angry scream of frustration. She was consumed by hazy fear and burning anger. How dare he do this to her? She turned to storm away, but then thought again. She turned back to her father.

"I loathe you. With every fiber of my being. I don't care what you think. I don't care what you say. Whatever walls you put in my way, I will knock them down, mark my words." And with that she turned to sprint away.

Joseph Pulitzer sat calmly on the park bench, his face indifferent as he watched his daughter, tears in her eyes, run away from him.

Katherine had stopped running when she had gotten to the street. With five blocks to go to her apartment, she now walked with her head down replaying the argument over and over. She felt rage, hate and a bleak sort of sadness. She just couldn't get her father's words out of her head. He'd threatened to get her fired and worse, hurt Jack. The thing that scared her is that she knew he could.

Katherine Plumber wouldn't listen to this. She lived her own life. The problem was, as much as she wished it, she wasn't just Katherine Plumber, she was also Katherine Pulitzer.

Katherine pushed open the door to her apartment. She didn't feel like writing right now. She needed to clear her head.

"Hullo Ace!"

There he was, perched on the window ledge that lead out to the fire escape, his unruly hair stuffed under his cap, a playful smile across his face. Jack.

"You scared me," she said catching her breath. "How long have you been here for, and more importantly, how did you get in? That widow was locked."

"Oh I have my ways," he replied with a laugh.

"So you broke into my house, then when you realized I wasn't home decided to just stick around?" she asked with a mock-accusing look, "and stole my food." She added, noticing the piece of bread in his hand.

He shrugged. "I was hungry. Anyways, where were you?"

"I…I took a walk." She replied. She didn't want to tell Jack about the argument with her father. Not yet.

"Don't you have an article to work on? Taking a walk doesn't sound like you." Jack asked glancing up at her. " Hey is everything alright?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't it be?" she replied not meeting his eyes.

"I dunno you look kinda… spaced out...worried?

"I'm fine."

"Where were you?" Jack said again a little more serious

Katherine hesitated "I was… Oh fine! I wasn't just taking a walk. I was with my father."

"Ha, I knew you were lying!" replied Jack, "What did old Joe want this time?"

"Well we had an argument…"

"Well I ain't stupid, I didn't think you were just having a chat about the weather over a cup of tea!" Jack interrupted her. "What was the fight about, anyways?"

Katherine bit her lip. "you." she whispered to the floor.

"What! Why me! The strike's been over for more than a week now!" Jack said confused.

"Not just you," Katherine replied, meeting Jacks eyes, "us."

"Oh…" Jack wore a strange expression. It was almost if his cocky confidence was gone, if only momentarily. "What did he say?"

Katherine was silent for a few seconds hovering back and forth on whether she want to tell Jack what her father had told her or not. She sighed "He said I was forbidden to see you again, or he would get me fired and…"

'What!" Jack said angrily, "That little…If he even dares…"

"…and he would hurt you." Katherine finished quietly.

Jack looked up. Katherine look worried, genuinely worried.

"Ace, don't worry, I can hold my own out there, and I'm not scared of your father, but you losing your job!"

Katherine waved her hand "No, never mind that, I'm scared because he could hurt you and…"

"C'mon, this isn't the Katherine I know, the bold reporter who's not afraid of anything, she's fearless."

"You don't know my father, he won't hesitate to hunt you down. He doesn't like when things don't go his way."

Jack laughed "Believe me, I know that!"

Katherine sighed "It's just…"

"Katherine, trust me, I can take care of myself, I've been doing it for a long time before you got here. I'll be fine. Nothing is going to change between us."

Katherine sat down on her bed and shook her head. "I don't know why I'm so scared. It's just I don't want him to come between us, and even the thought that he could, it scares me a little." She found herself close to tears.

Jack sat down next to her and put his arm around her shoulders. "Look Ace, you are strong and smart, and I know that I don't deserve you, but I'd do anything to keep you. And I ain't gonna let anything come between us.

Katherine glanced up "Really?"

"For sure."

What did You think? Good? Bad? Terrible? Please review! Constructive criticism is welcome, and I would love to here your thoughts! I have a few more ideas for this story, but if you have any ideas, feel free to tell me! Thanks!

-Dream Unique