Fellow fansies I am a liar and a failure, I have severe writers block for FAH, but I swear I'll get another chapter to you before next weekend :( I'm so sorry, until then here is a oneshot to tide you over... Enjoy!
DISCLAIMER: I own nothing
"Jack we have to stop!"
"Ace if we get off the train now we ain't gonna get to Santa Fe 'till afta dark."
"Jack Kelly it's not my fault, your child is the one using my bladder as a trampoline".
"Our child, and sheesh Ace do ya gotta say dat out loud?"
She turns to glare at him without the slightest spark of playfulness in her eyes, "If we do not get off this train right now, so help me Kelly I will get off with or without you."
Jack snorts in disbelief, "Youse ain't serious?"
A very pregnant Katherine stands up and makes her way towards the exit, "Watch me."
Jack looks around apologetically as he makes his way after her, "Ace wait, can we'se talk 'bout dis?"
"Walk and talk Kelly, I'm listening."
He grabs her hand, "We'll stay the night in this town and get a ride to Santa Fe first thing in the morning."
She smiles back at him, "That sounds perfect, I'm sorry that I'm being so difficult, I don't mean to, honest."
"You difficult?"
She pushes his shoulder playfully, "Watch it Kelly."
"I knowse you can't help it, dat littul one is making you all moody." He kneels down until he is eye level with her stomach and murmurs affectionately, "Do youse have any idea what yer making your momma put yer daddy through?"
His sweet affectionate words cement her belief that Jack will be a great father, "As adorable as you are, I really need to get off this train…like right now."
"No problem sweetheart, I'd even carry you off bridal style if...uh" his eyes rest on her protruding stomach.
"Jack…" Her voice contained a warning edge.
"Ise didn't say nuthin!"
"Good, keep it that way."
...
They enter a small store on the edge of the little town, Katherine is satisfied but certainly not pleased, "Now why don't you buy some supplies for our impromptu…"
"Improm-what now?"
"Unexpected stop."
"Like what food and stuff?"
"That's the idea."
He groans aloud, "Aw Ace I'm no good at picking what you like, especially with all of youse weir-onderful cravings lately. I'd better just wait for you."
Katherine glances at the long line of women waiting at the back of the store, "I wouldn't wait I could be awhile."
...
Bonnie frowns at Clyde's most recent hold-up plan, "Baby really? This is such a small store there can't be anythin of value there. Let's move on 'till we find a better target."
"Look sugar we are outta food, we've gotta stop for supplies now."
"Why now? This place looks like a ghost town, and I'm sure the food is terrible Baby."
He grits his teeth trying to be patient.
"Because Sugar, this is one of the only place the police aren't on the lookout for us."
"Don't that make it all the more exciting?"
He ignores her comment, "Like it or not Sugar cube we're stopping here to steal some supplies, and then it's back to the open road." He grins satisfactorily, "We'll be long gone 'fore the cops even catch a whiff our trail."
She crosses her thin shapely arms, and sticks her lower lip out, pouting adorably, "Fine."
He hates to disappoint her, "Hey Sugar you wanna come in for this one, the police don't have a clue so we don't really need someone to keep the car running."
"Alright I'll come in, but I wanna hold the bag this time."
He chuckles to himself, she's so cute when she's being demanding, "Whatever you say Sugar."
...
Poor Jack is pacing the aisles and muttering to himself, "How the heck does she expect me to know what to buy? Last week she was jes dyin for fresh fruit, and God knows how hard that is to get in New York. This week she's been craving every kind of bread under the sun, and I haven't the slightest idea what she'll want to eat tonight."
He pulls some canned goods off a lower shelf and heads toward the cash register. He figures he can't really go wrong with soup. He'll find them a nice little motel with a kitchenette or something to heat up the soup and they'll be off to Santa Fe in the morning. He sets his purchases down on the counter and lets the grocer ring them up.
"That will be $3.50, will there be anything…"
Before he can finish or Jack can respond the door flies open and a loud voice rings through the store, "Alright nobody move, stand against the wall, and put your hands where I can see 'em". The grocer starts to obey, but the gun is suddenly trained on him as Clyde smiles and says, "Not you. Now my partner here is gonna hand you a bag. And I'd thank you kindly if you'd fill that there bag with all the money in the register and safe."
The poor grocer is near faint and shaking, but he manages to squeak out, "We don't got a safe."
Clyde's smile widens he knows that, "Then we'll just be takin some your goods then."
Jack can feel his heart beating out of his chest and across the room he sees Katherine sitting against the wall both arms raised above her head. She is deathly pale, and he knows that she is absolutely terrified not herself, but for the baby. He too is up against the wall, but he is out of the gunman's line of sight. Maybe if he moves real slow he can make his way over to Katherine without being seen.
...
Clyde hears a slight rustling behind him and whips around with his gun raised and aimed at a young man, inching his way along the store's perimeter with his hands above his head. While Bonnie is collecting the money he walks over and barks in his face with the gun pressed against his chest, "I thought I said nobody move, now get on the ground before I shoot."
Surprisingly the boy doesn't obey, instead he grits his teeth and responds, "That dere is my wife", he motions to Katherine "she is seven months pregnant and yer stupid holdup is jes 'bout to give her a heart attack. I jes wanna be wid her."
He's unduly impressed by his loyalty and audacity, "What's yer name?"
"Jack Kelly."
"Well Jack Kelly I'm gonna be real generous and give ya thirty seconds to get back over to the wall before I shoot, and this time there won't be no warning."
For Katherine's sake Jack obeys, but that doesn't stop him from talks, "So what are big criminals like Bonnie and Clyde doin in a poor, littul place like dis?"
The conversation caught Bonnie's attention, she was sitting up on the counter with her hand gun trained on the grocer, but she was free enough to add her two cents, "My thoughts exactly."
Clyde growled and prodded Jack with his gun, "Hush Sugar. And you hurry up and get to the wall, you are mighty lucky that I am feeling generous today, or you'd already be dead."
Katherine gasps, but Jack continues unfazed, "Or maybe youse are thinkin about what I'm sayin."
He turns, fearlessly to face Clyde Barrow with his back pressed against the wall. At that moment Jack looks him dead in the eye and sees past his bravado and coldness. He sees a young man, his age, hardly more than a boy, who had been dealt a hard lot in life and chose to fight back with guns and holdups rather than words.
"Don't think I don't know who you are, I know youse got it hard but you ain't da only one, my life ain't exactly been peachy."
Clyde shoved him hard against the wall, he was rapidly losing patience, "Shut up, you can't possibly know what I've been through, you didn't spend your childhood living in a tent under a viaduct."
Jack resisted the urge to return the gesture, "Heck no, I spent mine sleepin in alleys and livin in a room with more boys den beds and more rats den floor."
For once Clyde is struck speechless, but Jack is far from it.
"Don't tell me I don't understand, I was in the same boat as you, but mebbe even worse 'cause I didn't have any folks."
"How do you know so much about me?"
Jack smiles, "My wife is a reporter she's covered some of your hold-up stories."
He pauses waiting for a response before continuing, "We both made the headlines you know? The only difference is I landed on the front page of the New York Sun fighting for justice and youse mug got splattered on the papes for fightin against it."
Clyde puts his gun in the holster and grabs Jack by the collar threateningly, "You don't know anything real about me, just what your good-for-nothing wife had told you. I've spent more months inside a cell than out of one."
Jack matches his gaze and levels his tone, " First, no one not even the famed Clyde Barrow is gonna insult my wife. And second, two years, I spent two years in a juvenile detention."
Unexpectedly the grip on his collar loosens, but Clyde's voice drops a level and turns icy, "You don't wanna hear what kind of sick things they did to me in that prison? What'd they do to you, forget your dinner? Give you stale water?"
Jack doesn't miss a beat, "You wouldn't want to hear how the older boys used to rob me of every shred of my dignity and beat me within an inch of my life."
Suddenly he lets Jack go, shaking his head in confusion.
Without a word Jack brings her arms down and a collective gasp goes around the room, but Clyde doesn't even lay a finger on his gun.
"You see the only difference between you and me Barrow was that Igot locked up for stealing bread to feed the boys in dat hellhole and youse got hauled off for holdin up banks and stores full of folks who are down on their luck jes as much as you."
This bold statement elicits a gasp from Bonnie and makes Katherine wonder if she'll be shot for leaning over to get sick.
Clyde backs away, Bonnie notices his gun hand shaking. "You have some nerve you know that? Bonnie drop the bag, we're leavin."
Bonnie turn toward him with a puzzled expression as she hops off the counter, "But, Baby you said…"
"I know what I said, but now I'm sayin drop the darn bag, and let's get out of here."
She knows better than to argue when he uses that tone. "Alright Baby I'm comin."
Clyde heads toward the door and Bonnie starts to follow, but she pauses as she walks by Katherine. Unexpectedly, she faces the pale-faced pregnant woman whispering, "He was willing to die for you…he really loves you."
Katherine smiles weakly and answers, "I know."
Bonnie's hands are planted on her hips as her eyes follow Clyde out the door and she mutters half to herself and half to Katherine, "I hope my man loves me half as much as yours loves you." Before he exits Clyde turns to tip his hat toward Jack and his wife. Clyde Barrow has finally met his match, he can only hope that Kelly remains upright because if he takes to bank robbing, he is going to have some serious competition.
"Come on Sugar, don't keep me waiting".
Without another word the famed criminals depart the way they came, allowing the people in the store to breathe a collective sigh of relief. The instant the door slams behind them, Jack runs to Katherine and wraps her protectively in his arms kissing her without a thought of restrain. When they pause for breath Katherine lets out a relieved laugh, "Well Jack way to be a hero like always!"
He smirks and helps her to her feet, but no before whispering through the cheers, "Jes between the two of us Mrs. Kelly, I wouldn't do dat again for a mountain of gold or unlimited trips to Santa Fe."
Tears of relief follow her laughter as she basks in his embrace and murmurs into his neck, "Don't worry Mr. Kelly your secret is safe with me."
...
"Clyde Baby, why'd we leave so sudden like?"
He doesn't respond his eyes are glued to the road, but they have a far-off look like he hasn't even heard her.
"Baby, are you listenin to me?"
"We'll be in Utah before morning, we'll get supplies there."
She lies her head down in his lap and places a dangerous hand on his chest, "Be honest, would you die for me Baby?"
Again he doesn't answer her question, his eyes remain fixed on the road, "We'll be there soon Sugar, we'll be there soon…"
So yeah that was my first cross-over and I hope you enjoyed it! Shoutout to the first person who can tell me what actor played Jack and Clyde on Broadway?
Keep reading and reviewing and I'll keep writing!
K. Kelly