Hi everyone! I wrote this story because of a request I got from a lovely reviewer of my other stories. I'm not exactly used to writing romance stories but I thought I'd give it a shot.
Also, a few months ago I started to write a Newsies/Annie crossover. Let me know if you guys would like to see that and maybe when I finish some of my other stories I'll post it if I get enough people telling me they want to see it.
I hope you guys like this little oneshot!
Katherine didn't understand. Yesterday it was, "This world means nothing without you", in a too charming voice that she couldn't get out of her head. But today it was "Oh hey, I'll be there at six, but just kidding because it's ten now and I'm no where to be found". The woman sighed. She sat on her couch, in a pearl white dress that she'd been waiting to wear for months. She just wanted tonight to be perfect.
Had she done something wrong? Was he mad at her? Should she stomp up to the lodging house and demand to speak with him? She groaned as she tried to wrack her brain with an idea that would be the right one. She ignored her father, telling her that he'd known this would happen all along and that he would fire that boy the next time he saw him, leaving the nineteen year old with no money and no way to support himself.
Katherine shook her head. This had never happened before. He'd never missed a date. In the two years she had known him he would always tell her ahead of time if he couldn't make it, or if one of the boy's was sick and he had to stay with them. He'd never blown her off like this. And the stupid thing was, she thought tonight would be the night. The night he'd get down on one knee. But she let the tears fall as she realized; He wasn't coming. And she wasn't sure she'd be okay with him after that.
Jack cursed at himself. He was pacing. And Jack Kelly wasn't one to really get nervous. He rung his cap in his hands over and over, trying to come up with the right words. But how could he possibly break this news to her? How could he be okay with this after what had happened. He didn't blame anybody. It was no ones fault but the people who'd done it. And he'd stopped it before it had gotten too far. Right?
He groaned in frustration, pounding his fist against the brick wall of his girlfriend's house. He shouldn't have been there. None of them should've even been there. But he was. They were in the wrong place at the wrong time and there's nothing they could've done to stop it. And it was that fact that made Jack want to scream inside.
Finally, he gave up and knocked on the door. As he waited, he turned to the morning sunlight, trying to breathe and figure out what to say. And when the door opened and he turned around, he found himself speechless, mesmerized by the girl he'd grown to love so much.
Her long brown hair framed her feature perfectly. Her lips were almost too much to resist in that moment as they scowled at him and he couldn't help but get lost in her perfect eyes. For a moment he just stood there, looking at her, afraid to speak. Afraid he'd never be able to stand there like that and just look at her ever again. Then she cleared her throat in irritation, forcing him to stutter for words.
"Look Ace-" He started but she looked to the ground and cut him off.
"Don't call me that." She demanded. She placed her hands on her hips and prompted him to continue.
"A- Katherine," He corrected himself. "Last night... I don't think I can explain to you how sorry I am. I missed our date and I will never forgive myself for it-"
"Are you going to tell me the truth, Jack?" Katherine asked, angry tears building up in her eyes. "Are you going to tell me what really happened or do I have to remind you that my father has eyes on every block of this city and that he's not the only one that they deliver news to?" She set her jaw and glared at the boy she thought would always be there for her.
Jack couldn't look at her. He didn't deserve to look at her. "Kath... I'm so sorry... I didn't mean to-" He tried. But Katherine didn't want to hear it.
"You didn't mean to cheat on me, Jack?" She demanded, her stance stayed the same. She didn't think she'd ever been this angry in her life. "You didn't mean to go out to a bar and kiss another woman? Am I not good enough for you anymore?" The reporter pointed at herself and then the tears started falling. That must've been it, she decided. No one was enough for Jack Kelly.
"No!" Jack defended, trying to move closer to his love, but she held up her hand and stepped back.
"I don't want to see you." She decided. "Not now... not ever." And then the door was slammed. And Jack was left on the sidewalk with nothing but the tears streaming down his face.
Race lay on his bed, almost in a well deserved sleep before the door of the lodging house bedroom was thrown open and Jack marched inside. He didn't say a word. And in the thirteen years that the gambler had known Jack, he always had something to say. So Race, painfully, pushed himself off the bed and followed his friend outside to the fire escape. He limped his way over, refusing Crutchie's help when he offered, slipping the window open again allowing himself and the other gimp boy to slip out onto the fire escape.
"Race," Jack sighed, his voice a higher pitch than normal and his two brothers could definitely see the tears running down his face. "You should really be lyin' down. You too Crutch." He wiped at his eyes only for more water to fall down his cheeks.
"Jack..." Race tried. He didn't quite know what to say. He knew what must've happened. "This is my fault."
"It ain't your fault, Race." Jack assured. "You didn't kidnap yourself." He scoffed and then looked at Crutchie. "And ya didn't get Crutchie hurt neither. It was those damn bastards fault. And now I lost her." Jack sighed. "She won't talk ta me."
Race sighed and looked to Crutchie, who nodded back at him. Then they left Jack outside to mourn the loss of his first and only love, only to create a plan to get it back to him.
Katherine didn't know what she was expecting when she opened the door to her home the next morning. Her father was working and she was home alone. The last thing she was expecting was for a group of boys to be at her house, newspapers in hand and everything.
Race was leaning on Crutchie a bit more than just to put an arm around the boy and the younger kid winced every few moments. "Hey Plumber." Race greeted, trying to imitate his normal, carefree, charming ways. But something about it wasn't quite right.
"Are you alright?" Katherine asked in a hurry, stepped out to the side walk and helping Race and Crutchie inside. Then she indicated for all the other boy's to follow, leaving the door wide open for them. "What are you all doing here?" She asked and then stopped herself as she thought about the only reason these boys would be here. Unbelievable. "Did Jack put you all up to this?" She scoffed and stood, glaring at the two boys she let sit on the couch, standing directly in front of them, her arms crossed over her chest. "If that's why you're here... I need you all to leave."
"No, Katherine." Specs spoke up. He looked over to Race and nodded at the boy who was having trouble removing his gaze from the floor. "We're here because Race has got somethin' ta tell you." The blond boy glared up at the other, but didn't move to soak him, as he felt like doing so badly, as his crippled friend put a hand on his shoulder.
"Race?" Katherine asked, prompting him to explain what the hell was going on.
The Italian sighed and started speaking, trying his best to not make it sound as bad as it was. "It was my fault, Ace." He explained, using the nickname that all the newsies had adopted for her when Jack had started calling her that. "I'm the one that forced Jack ta do that. Ta kiss another woman." He sighed, clearly angry with himself for what had happened.
"Well that's not true." Crutchie countered, shaking his head as Katherine glared at the Italian gambler. If looks could kill. "Look, Katherine, Race got into something with some people he shouldn't have."
"Try the worst people in New York ta gamble with." Albert joked. He put his hands up in defense when his friend stared daggers at him. "I'm just sayin'." He told the second in command, carefully.
"Look Kathy," Crutchie continued, glaring at all of his brothers, telling them silently to be quiet. "Race made a mistake that got him into some trouble." He explained. "A few days ago he went missin'."
Katherine saw how Crutchie scooted closer to the boy when he said this. All the others got increasingly quiet too. "We all, uh, thought the worst..." Crutchie sighed and Race wrapped an arm around the boy's shoulders, telling him silently that everything was alright. "It ain't the first time that Race hasn't come back right away. So Jack told us ta wait." Crutchie continued. "When Race still didn't come back the next day, we all got really worried and so we was all askin' Jack what we should do. And we thought... after what happened ta some of the Brooklyn boys..." Crutchie couldn't continue as he sniffled and Race had to comfort him, making sure he knew that he was still there.
"The Brooklyn boys have been havin' problems with some gangs. Three of 'em have been found so far... none of 'em were still breathin'..." JoJo finished for him. Taking a breath and reassuring himself that their friend, their second in command, their older brother was still there.
"Jack refused to believe it." Finch continued, "He said that Race was still out there and we needed ta find him. So we went out to look for him."
"How does this have ta do with him cheating on me?" Katherine asked, beginning to get very worried.
"They kidnapped me, Ace." Race took over again. "Jack and Crutchie found me in a shack somewhere close ta Brooklyn. I could hardly move and Jack said he wasn't gonna leave me there and he got caught tryin' ta get me out." It was clear to everyone that Race thought it was his fault. His voice grew louder and he shook his head at himself. "They told him that I owed them money for 'cheatin' them outta theirs in a game of cards. When Jack tried ta argue with 'em, they hurt Crutchie. Started kickin' him and punchin' him until Jack said he'd get them their money."
Katherine had seen Race angry. She'd seen him frustrated, she'd seen him so worked up that Jack had been the only one able to calm him down, but she didn't know if she'd ever seen Race like this. Scared. "They we're gonna kill you both..." She breathed and Race nodded, knowing full well he couldn't stop the tears from streaming down his face. All of his brothers were shocked and most of them moved in, grabbing his shoulder squatting in front of him, telling him it was ok to be scared.
"They had a gun ta my head. So Jack went out and kissed a woman. He stole her necklace for payment." He finished. "We barely made it outta there. And it's my fault, Katherine."
The woman squatted down in front of him, her hands on the eighteen year old's knees. "No no no Race, this was not your fault." She reached up and wiped away his tears with her thumb and smiled at Crutchie who was leaning onto Race, telling him it was ok. Now she felt awful. She should've known that this was about the boys. This was about the only people in the world besides herself that could make Jack do anything to keep them safe. This was about his family. Her family, now that she thought about it.
"Ya need ta go see, Jack." Race prompted, wiping away his tears and standing up, swatting away the hands that tried to help him when he swayed on his feet. "He needs you."
Katherine nodded and practically sprinted to her love, twenty boys behind her.
Jack sniffled as he placed what little possessions he had in his old newspaper carrier. Yes, he'd been fired. Pulitzer made up an excuse but Jack knew the real reason. He'd let the only girl in the world that he loved down. And he didn't think that he could ever forgive himself for how it had happened and how he would never be able to explain it to her.
Just as he was about to open the door and leave, the door to his office was pushed open and Jack rolled his eyes as his brothers all came running into the small room. "What are you guys doin'?" He asked, and then caught sight of Race and Crutchie and sighed. "I thought I made it clear you two weren't sellin' today. You're still hurt." He scolded. But that didn't keep the grins off of the kid's faces.
"We didn't come alone Jack." Crutchie smiled and then nodded to the door. Jack froze in his spot. He saw the most beautiful angel he'd ever seen in his life. But she had tears in her eyes as she looked at him.
"Ace!" He cried out in relief and ran over to her, scooping her up off her feet in a hug. She squealed and laughed as she wiped away her tears before she placed her hands on his her love's shoulders and pressed her lips to his. "I'm so sorry." He mumbled in between kisses.
"I'm sorry, Jack. I should've let you explain." Katherine responded as her boyfriend set her back on her feet. "But the boys came by and told me everything..." She smiled, looking around at the boys that she'd come to love so much.
"It wasn't their fault, Katherine." Jack quickly explained. But she laughed.
"I know. You did what you had to do to keep them safe. And I forgive you." She smiled holding onto the boy's hands with her own. "But next time one of our boys are in any danger, you tell me before your only option is to charm your way out." She ordered, her teary eyes smiling at him. He realized that he couldn't of looked any different.
The terror of losing the only woman he'd ever loved had taken a toll on him. He felt hot tears making their way down his cheeks as he gazed on the little lady he'd fallen in love with the moment they'd crossed paths. He looked around at his boys, his eyes lingering on Crutchie and Race for a moment. When they both nodded, he let go of one of Katherine's hands.
Before Katherine could even process what was happening, the man she loved was down on one knee in front of her. All the boys where getting louder in volume as their excitement for the two increased. Katherine put a hand over her mouth, trying to contain her surprise.
"Katherine Pulitzer," Jack started and just as he said this, she was nodding her head. His grin widened and he continued anyways. "Two years ago, you pulled me out of a dream and into a life that's worth living. The first time I saw you, I knew I loved ya. And I knew I wanted ta spend everyday of my life provin' it to ya. And I won't lie to ya and make ya think that times like these won't happen." He said, laughing a bit and wiping away his own tears. "And I won't tell ya that we won't have times when we're angry and irritated, but I will tell ya this." Jack saw Katherine wiping away her tears as he continued. "I want to be there for you every night ta hold ya as we fall asleep. And I want to kiss you every morning when you wake up. And Ace I want to spend the rest of my life with ya." Everything seemed to go silent as Jack spoke the next four words. "Will you marry me?"
Katherine looked down at the ring in her love's hand. It was beautiful and it wasn't cheap. She looked around at all the boys and her tears wouldn't stop. They'd all saved up so that Jack could have a ring to give her. She'd never been happier to say, "Yes." She breathed the word out and dropped to her knees so she could embrace her boyfriend... her fiancé.
The boys all cheered but Jack just held his girl tightly as she cried onto his shoulder with tears of excitement. "This isn't how I wanted to look wen you asked me." She laughed pulling away so they were face to face.
"Ace," Jack smiled, taking her face him his hands and wiping away her tears. "You've never looked more beautiful."
Katherine laughed and allowed some of the boys to help her to her feet. "Now Jack Kelly, put your stuff back and get to work."
Jack looked at her, confused at her words. "I was fired this mornin', Kathy." He explained. "I don't know if-"
"Jack," Katherine but him off with a smile. "I don't know if you know this, but I have high connections." She laughed. "I think your boss will listen to me." She laughed.
Jack smiled and stood, taking the woman into his arms again and looking around at all of his brothers. "I love ya all." He said, and then whispered in Katherine's ear. "I love ya Ace."
Katherine smiled and kissed him on the cheek. "I love them too." She told him. "And I love you Jack." She whispered. "I'll love you to the ends of the earth."
"Look at us." Jack smiled, taking in the scene again before pressing his forehead to Katherine's. "a couple of lucky suckers who fell in love."
"A couple of lucky suckers." She agreed.
Alright! Make sure to check out my other stories! There's a lot of Race and Crutchie in those as well. Thank you for the request, I hope that this was as good as you hoped it would be Fanz4life! Thank you so much for reviewing and if anyone has any other requests I will definitely take them into consideration!
As always, thanks for reading! Make sure to tell me what you liked, what you didn't, what you'd change and what you'd improve by leaving me a review! Bye lovelies!