Jack ducked out through the doorway of the Lodging House, his head brushing the sign the other newsies had made. Katherine had given them the pink paper (where she found it, he had no idea) to make decorations which were now strewn all about the house. It had been originally Les's idea, and the rest of them had wholeheartedly agreed to do something for Valentine's Day. Jack still didn't know why, but he had left them to it.
"Surprise!" He turned to see Katherine dressed in pink walking down the street, a box in hand. Jack stepped out onto the dirt road with a smile that turned out to be a grimace.
"What's wrong?" Katherine asked teasingly. "I see the boys have decorated."
"We did a good job, too!" a voice that sounded like Race's whispered from behind the duo. Jack whipped around, but he saw no one. He shrugged, and took Katherine's hand in his, leading her down the street to an area where they could be more private.
"They did okay," Jack relented. "I dunno what's gotten into them all of a sudden." They sat down on a bench shaded by a few trees. Katherine shook her head, smiling.
"Jack, don't you see? They wanted to do something for us. It's been almost a year since…the strike."
Jack looked around, uncomfortable. "Yeah?"
A moment passed, and Jack looked back at Katherine. She started like she remembered something, and gave the brown box to Jack. He looked at it curiously, a half smile growing.
"This for me?" he asked with a side-long glance at Katherine.
"'Course it's for you!" a voice yelled from behind. Jack whirled around again, trying to spot the culprits. The newsies ducked down behind the bushes they were hiding in, but there was no fooling Jack. Crutchie's crutch was sticking up like a post, no matter how hard they tried to conceal it with leaves and whatnot. Jack turned back to Katherine, deciding it was best to ignore them. He tore open the package while Katherine looked on eagerly.
Inside was a new jacket with black buttons that glinted in the sun. For once, the newsies behind him were quiet. Katherine nodded encouragingly, and Jack slipped on the brown coat. One of the newsies behind them (Specs, maybe?) whistled approvingly. This time both Jack and Katherine turned to glare at the boys.
"Thanks," Jack said after a moment. "This is the best I've had in…in a long time."
Katherine smiled a real smile that enjoyed Jack's slight astonishment. "I'm glad you like it."
They stared into each other's dark eyes, both thinking about how lucky they were to have each other. And not because of the jacket, but because they knew they could do anything together. Jack moved in closer for a kiss, but was interrupted by the voices behind them. Katherine stood up.
"Alright, that's it!" She marched over to the newsies while Jack shook his head. "You asked for it!"
The newsies scattered as Katherine chased them around.
"I've not having you ruin one more date between us! Shoo!"
