Beginning of a Tradition

A Secret Santa Story for Stress

By Laces

Quick Note from Laces: I read through Stress' Soul Mate Series and this story takes place sometime after (or maybe even during) Can't Keep Running. As Can't Keep Running is not finished, I took some liberties with what I think has happened just from what I got from the beginning. So Stress, I hope you forgive my forwardness of taking your characters and storylines and just sort of running with them but I was SUPER excited about writing this kind of historical story for you. So I hope you enjoy it! I hope all of you enjoy it, but please note this has spoilers for Stress' series and it may also end up being an AU or slightly off from whatever ending Stress does end up writing for Stress & Jack.

So Happy Holidays, Stress. From Laces.

Should All Acquaintance Be Forgot?

December 30, 1904

Scratching. The distinct sound of pencils being pushed to their limits echo in the small office of junior reporters David Jacobs and Jack Kelly. The two men were hunched over their desks furiously scratching out words, notes, thoughts or whatever it is swirling around their heads. A half burned cigarette hung from a familiar perch in Jack Kelly's loop sided grin.

In a moment of thoughtless nervous twitching, Jack scratched the back of his neck with the hand that had been steadily holding his notepaper to the desk. His quick pressing of the pencil drove the single sheet of paper away from him and onto the floor in seconds. And in a frustrated huff, Jack flung the pencil across the office. He inhaled the smoke of his cigarette in loudly and David tried to mask a chuckle in a cough as he quietly set down his own pencil.

Neither man would admit it, but they might have been feigning productivity to compete with each other. Whether by accident, or elaborate planning of events, Jack had surrendered first this particular Friday afternoon. The young, ambitious, and slightly over zealous junior reporters had finished their work for the year sometime around noon. Both men had sent their secretaries' home hours ago, two young ladies excited to begin preparing for the weekend festivities. Mr. Jacobs and Mr. Kelly had stayed working on new stories, new ideas, new scribbling that would be started in the New Year. 1905 would be the year when Jack Kelly and David Jacobs would lose the junior from their titles and become full-fledged reporters. At least that is what both men kept hoping.

"What you got over there Dave?" Jack asked casually as he kicked his chair back and settled his shoes on his desk. David rolled his eyes as the devil-may-care posture that Jack still effortlessly fell into made his friend look all of seventeen again.

"Minerva would screech at your shoes on your desk." David commented before pushing his own chair away from his desk and standing. David proceeded to fidget about, working out the stiffness of his neck and shoulders from three hours of hunching over writing.

"It's my desk and this isn't a parlor, it's a reporters office." Jack spat defensively. "Besides, Minerva isn't here."

David smiled and nodded as he noticed the neatness of the two smaller desks at the front of the office. Minerva was Jack Kelly's new secretary, a quiet but frustratingly proper young lady. She good naturally prompted good manners and organization in the tiny office and it was beginning to annoy Mr. Kelly. If the girl wasn't so efficient and well trained as a secretary, Jack might have sacked her already for cramping his working style. But David constantly pointed out Minerva was infinitely less complicated than Jack's previous secretary. The easily excitable and flirtatious Cassandra had almost ended Jack's relationship with the love of his life, Jess Rihan. Secretly, David also believed that Minerva's near obsessive organizing would do his long time friend some good.

"No, she's not. Probably a good thing too, with you smoking like a chimney stack over there." David teased. Minerva had begged Jack to stop smoking in the office and Jack, uncharacteristically, had agreed.

"Didn't have any good ideas then? Or you just acting like Minerva to see if it fits with your delicate disposition? Maybe you could be my secretary." Jack mocked. David shot a glare in Jack's direction as he walked around his desk and traveled over to the pencil his friend had thrown.

"I was still writing when you threw your little tantrum Jack, maybe you're the one that ran out of ideas." David smiled triumphantly. He scooped down to pick up the pencil just as Jack threw another at his friend.

"Stupid mouth. I should have let Spot kill you back when you let it run off with you the first time." Jack muttered darkly. David shook his head whenever Jack started referring to his walking mouth he knew his friend was feeling introspective. It was the same way whenever Jess started referring to Jack as Cowboy; everyone knew Mr. Kelly had infuriated his wife to be. Jess and Jack were really meant for each other.

"Something on your mind Jack?" David asked quietly, as he carefully placed the two thrown pencils on Jack's desk.

"1904 hasn't been a good year Dave." Jack stated. It was a fact, not a thought nor suggestion nor question.

"Well with hardly a day left, I can't say it could cause too much more grief." David tried to laugh away his friend's mood. David knew that 1904 had been one of the worse years Jack had seen in a while, a year filled with misunderstandings, violence and sadness. A year that a seventeen-year-old Jack Kelly, a boy still use to the harshness of his world would have dealt with much more ease than the twenty-five year old Jack Kelly. In the end, Jack had struggled through just like he always had. He didn't lose Jess. He protected her from the crazed Rip, once again. He held her when they mourned the baby. And he had finally convinced her that even after everything, they were meant for each other and she had agreed to marry him. A shameful blush rose to David's cheeks when he remembered the trouble he caused his friend with his own infatuation with Jess. But, it had all turned out all right.

"No, I suppose it can't…" Jack muttered mindlessly. He was starring out the window at a Newsie, shouting a headline from across the street.

"And you are going to marry Stress in 1905? So a good year is coming in." David clasped his hand onto Jack's shoulder. A bright, sincere smile crept onto Jack's face and he nodded.

"True. It's about time too, don't you think?" Jack laughed. His eyes still focused on the young boy hawking headlines outside. David followed his friend's gaze to see if maybe the newsie had captured Jack's attention because it was someone the men knew. But the small boy with dusty blonde hair and a nose covered in newsprint was far too young for either Jack or David to recognize.

The two newspaper men stood quietly watching the newsie from the window until a little girl in pig tails also carrying a bundle of papers ran straight into him. The boy fell onto the ground, caught completely off guard, while the little girl mischievously pulled out a withered sprig of something green out from in-between her newspapers. She held it above the boy's head before she planted a kiss on the boy's cheek. Jack burst out laughing.

"Tricky little thing isn't she?" He chortled.

"Kid doesn't even know what hit him." David nodded also chuckling at the sight of newsie sitting on the ground frowning up at his attacker.

"He probably thinks they are just friends." Jack nodded.

"Little did he know what she thinks." David turned away from the window. Jack watched the exchange for a few minutes longer before turning around with a sigh.

"Do you ever feel like you've lived more than one lifetime?" Jack nervously pushed back the hair that wasn't in his face. David leaned back against his desk and stared around the office. The office of two junior reporters, the same two men that once ran a citywide newsies strike. The newsies strike run by two boys, a boy running from a past that was slowly catching up to him and a boy that had never sold a newspaper before in his life. David Jacobs understood the odd reality of living several lives in one.

"All the time."

Jack nodded and was quiet again. The sound of heavy footsteps sounded from somewhere above and the men listen to others leave for the day in an eerily silence.

"I just want to start this year off right Dave." Jack finally conceded what was on his mind.

"Hasn't Jess been cleaning like a mad woman all week, to prepare your home for the New Year?" Dave smirked remembering how Jack had been complaining all week about his soon-to-be wife's incessant cleaning.

"Yeah and Rae and her have been baking those round cakes, something about prosperity." Jack shrugged.

"I think that has something to do with coming full circle…" David frowned trying to remember the tradition of the family that lived next to the Jacobs growing up.

"Right, coming full circle." Jack nodded absently looking back over his shoulder out the window but the young couple was long gone.

"Well what do you want to do to welcome in the New Year?" David asked patiently. If Jack was talking about it, he had something in mind. At least that was David's experience on the manner. That is after all how the strike started so many years ago, one idea from Jack and some carried away understanding from David.

"I don't know Dave, something new?" Jack asked expectantly. David nodded again and thought for a moment back to the scribbling of the afternoon. A note, a thought somewhere along the line had been about something to do with the New Year.

"There was something…" David mumbled as he started shuffling through the papers on his desk. Unlike Minerva, Gretchen the girl who had replaced Jack's girl Jess was anything but organized. Gretchen couldn't be a worse secretary but David was patient and hopeful that Minerva would rub off on his young, inexperienced Gretchen.

"Sure Gretchen didn't throw it away?" Jack joked. Just three days ago, Gretchen had thrown away a finished article on Willie Lewis the fighter that David had finished. By the time the article had been found, a reporter from the Sun had scooped David. There had been a lot of controlled yelling that afternoon in the tiny office.

"She stopped throwing things away without asking." David muttered as he shuffled through a few more papers. Jack popped his eyebrows and leaned back against the window crossing his arms.

"What is it you're even looking for?" Jack yawned. David ignored him until he found his notes.

"You know the Times?" David asked suddenly straightening up.

"The pape?" Jack questioned. David nodded. "What about it?"

"It's having a party for the new building, that just happens to be on New Years Eve." Dave explained.

"In Longacre Square?" Jack frowned.

"That is where the new building is." David nodded again. "There is going to be a street fair and everything, it seemed like it might be a swanky affair."

"Why do you have notes on it?'

"Thought there might be a story…" David shrugged.

"And then you remembered Mr. Jenkins doesn't let us print stories about other papers, free publicity." Jack clicked his tongue in thought. There were more shuffling above and heavy footsteps on the stairs outside. The day was coming to an end in the Chronicle building.

"It's getting dark." David nodded towards the window again.

"I need to stop at the market before getting home, Jess wants black-eyed peas." Jack cringed at the word. He hated the taste of black-eyed peas. But it was a New Year's tradition he had grown accustom to, even as a newsie he had eaten the dreadful things on New Year's Day. David laughed and started collecting his coat. The men shuffled out of their office for the last time in 1904 without even looking back.