Author's note: Hey! I hope everyone's enjoying this so far! This is definitely one of the longer chapters, but there's still much more! I'll probably end up posting once a week. Thanks for reading!

-Hayley

Jack laid on the floor, his body more beaten than the previous looks of him. The bruises that were already there before were immediately covered with ripe new bruises. His eye was swollen shut and he was weak. So weak the only movement that was visible was a small jump from his body as Katherine entered. He looked terrified. The shadow across his face casted out an even darker side than she had ever seen before in her life. He looked so close, yet so far. This wasn't the jack she knew and she was sure as hell going to kill Snyder for hurting him this bad.

The hopeful look in her eyes was filled with absolute desperation at this point. Desperate for him to keep his eyes open. Desperate that no matter what, he wouldn't go near the light. "Jack," was all the mustered out of her breathless throat as she walked towards him, a tear forming out of the side of her eye as she sat on her knees next to him, putting down the candle. "Focus on me, okay?"

Asking that simple question got Jack to move even closer against the wall. "P-Plumbs," was all he was capable of saying as he weakly reached for her hand. "Out," he murmured quietly as his head flopped to the other side of the floor, that being all the strength he had. The odd thing about Jack was that he was willing to put everything ahead of him. Even if he knew what could kill him, he would follow a different path to make sure that everyone else was alright.

Knowing she had to stay strong for Jack's sake, she shook her head as she grabbed his hand, rubbing the back of it softly with her thumb. "I'm not leaving. Not when I don't know what's going to happen to you. It's not happening." Having the feeling he felt calmer around her, she realized she was still clutching the cloth from the lodge as she warned Jack that it might hurt before using whatever was available to clean him up.

If the cloth hurt him, Jack showed absolutely no sign of pain as he used Katherine arms to sit himself up against the corner, gazing softly in her eyes.

She gently pushed a strand of hair out of Jack's face as her main focus was to make sure nothing got infected. Using the cloth to clean up a bit of blood off of his forehead, she noticed the gaze and couldn't help but smile. "What's that for?" she asked quietly as she continued cleaning him up, not used to genuine affection.

"Your eyes," he mumbled softly as his head tilted ever so slightly. "I's seen them in the light. They melt inta golden rays, almost as bright as the sun."

"Oh, well, thanks, I guess," she responded quietly as she looked back into his. Thinking it was just a flirting technique and not an actual compliment, she wasn't sure how to respond. The problem was, it took nothing but force to pull away from his soft gaze. "The Newsies miss you," she affirmed as Jack looked at her confused.

"Who?" he questioned before wincing in pain when she had hit a tender spot.

"Sorry," she responded quickly. "And the Newsies?" She whispered before pausing. "What? A few too many knocks to the head?" she joked, that being how she dealt with serious situations. After realizing how that sounded, she apologized again before putting a gentle hand to his forehead, noticing how unnaturally pale he appeared. "When's the last time you've eaten?"

"I's...don't rememba," he murmured, scratching his head. "All i's know is that your name is Plumba," he spoke before pausing as he tried to stand up. "And Crutchie's 'ere. I's gotta go save 'im."

"No, you don't," she responded quickly as she carefully sat him back down. He lost his memory. Everything that he thought he knew, she'd have to explain again. But what if she left out something important? "Crutchie's a Newsie," she started, "And so is everyone you work with. Hopefully this is a short term thing, but basically, the strike failed. When you escaped, someone must've taken and caught you, therefore how you ended up here," she started before going on a rant on the biggest points that Jack needed to remember.

Listening, about halfway through he stopped and took notice of Katherine's locket. "Who gave ya that?"

"Oh," she acknowledged, looking down at her locket. "My mother, actually," she whispered, not being able to help but smile. "She died when i was young," she continued as she gave him a small glance. "But it doesn't matter."

"Sure it does," he mumbled as he moved closer to her carefully, putting a hand under his chin to show he was listening. "Tell me 'bout 'er."

"There's not much to tell," she admitted, although not being able to help but let out a small laugh as she noticed Jack's grin. As much as she hated to admit it, something felt...different when she was around him. "Alright, she used to review shows for the New York Sun like I do. She always wanted to be a reporter, but knew she would get hurt if she stood up for what she believed in, only because she was a girl. She always saw the best in people, though. Always believed that you have to stand up for what's right. She wrote me a note, actually. Since I was a child, my father kept it safe. I didn't know it existed until a couple of weeks ago. 'Being boss doesn't mean you have all the answers," she quoted, "just the brains to recognize the right one when you hear it.'" As she paused to let a drop of water fall down her face, Jack moved directly in front of her as he put a gentle hand on her cheek, gently wiping away the tear off of her face as he looked at her genuinely. Noticing her look down, he put a soft finger under her chin as he tilted her chin up enough to where they were making direct eye contact.

"Your motha is just as amazing and talented as yous," he said softly with a small nod. "But let me tell ya somethin' ya don't know. Ya know why i's get lost in your eyes? It's 'cause i's ain't neva thought I'd see such passion and spirit in a woman like yourself. Ya deserve the woild, Plumba. And ya ain't eva gonna stop 'till ya get it."

She bit her lip, unsure of what to say. All of her life she's been told she wasn't good enough. That whatever she did would never matter. Yet, Jack saw her differently. Unsure of what to believe, she was about to say something before flinching when she heard the door and getting in front of Jack protectively. Jack thought differently as he grabbed Katherine's arm out of pure instinct.

Morris gave them both a glare. Katherine gulped but tried her hardest to stay strong as she remained sitting in front of Jack. "What do you want?" she muttered, slight shakiness behind her voice as she tried her hardest to remain confident.

"Yous," he muttered darkly as he pulled Katherine up and pinned her to the wall. Desperately needing comfort, he kissed Katherine passionately as she used all of her strength in attempt to escape but failed miserably. "Kiss me back or you'll regret it," he whispered in her ear, trying to get in her head. "Ya ain't nothin' but a mistake. Someone like ya don't deserve what they got." He looked at Jack, an evil glint in his eyes. "And if ya try ta stop me, I'll make it even woise for both of ya."

As the words hit her hard, she slowly began to kiss him back. Not at all used to it but something she'd have to deal with for the rest of her life, she felt herself give in as he pulled her close to himself, making her tense up in pain. "This is wrong. We both know it. You along with everyone else believe that girls are just objects. That we don't need a workplace," she responded bitterly as she groaned with frustration. "And, God, I'd rather be with someone who actually cares-" Stopping immediately as she had noticed his ice cold stare, weakness took over her as she gave him a hesitating nod. "I'll do what you want."

"That a girl," he whispered before shoving her towards Jack. "Ya got a half hour," he muttered with a small chuckle as he went out of the room, slamming the door hard as the sound of the lock made both Jack and Katherine flinch.

Katherine shook her head, her entire self shaking as she hugged her knees tightly. This was what she was used to. This relationship was going to be the one to kill her. "J-Jack, I'm s-sorry," she stuttered, feeling like the world was being weighed down on her shoulders.

"C'mere," he whispered as he wrapped his arms around her protectively. He put his head on her shoulder as he kept a comforting grip around her stomach. "I's wont let anythin' 'appen ta ya," he murmured softly as he grabbed her hand and eyed the ring. "I'll 'elp ya outa this, but i's need ta know why ya's in this situation in the first place. I'm not upset with ya, just worried," he reassured as he rubbed his thumb on the back of her hand, just like she did to him.

Feeling more relaxed in his grip than she had been in forever, she leaned her body gently against his as she felt her eyes start to close. "I'm...engaged. Getting married as soon as my father wants me to," she whispered. "It's not my choice, but this...this is how my life turned out to be. Morris hurts me, Jack. And I'm terrified. Terrified I won't live to see the next day."

As her shaking began to slow, Jack held her closer and tighter to himself as his fingers barely grazed the bruises on her arms. "That's 'ow 'e 'urt ya so bad durin' the strike," he responded almost inaudible as he felt his memory begin to come back. "Morris knew your weaknesses."

She gave him a small, weak nod. "He's threatened to kill everyone I care about because he knows it would hurt me more than anything."

The room fell silent. Jack had always felt the same way. He was willing to do whatever he could to make sure those newsies were all right.

"Do you love him?" Jack asked drawling out his words as he spoke, figuring he already knew the answer. Unfortunately, the answer hurt him more than most of the things he had heard in his life.

"I don't know," she responded. "If I don't know what love is, how am I supposed to know if I love him?"

Jack felt his heart shatter from sympathy. Off of first instinct with her, he thought of her as just another pretty face. But the more he found out, the more he started to gain feelings for the girl he called Plumber.

As the room fell silent once more, the shiver of sudden coldness went through Jack's spine before Katherine moved closer to him, mainly to keep him warm. "Don't feel bad," she mumbled. "God, please don't feel bad. You're the first person I've told and I'm praying you'll be the last."

The warmness of Katherine began to take over him as he gently kissed her head. "We'll get ya outa this, okay? I's promise," he murmured quietly as his eyes started to close.

"Jack?" she whispered, automatically taking a turn for the worst.

"Just tired," he responded softly as he kept Katherine's hand in his. "No matta what 'appens, promise you'll neva leave me."

The serious tone in his voice was obvious, although Katherine slid in a small, quiet laugh. "I promise. As long as you promise me the same thing."

He chuckled lightly, hugging her before the pain began to sink in once again. As he let out a small groan, Katherine slowly took his arms off from around her as she faced him concerned.

"What hurts? Let me see if I can help."

"I's ain't 'urtin'. I's fine," he responded stubbornly.

Knowing he was hiding something, she made complete eye contact with him. "Tell me."

As he was trapped in her gaze, he hovered a hand right over his stomach.

She pulled up his shirt cautiously and looked at his stomach wide-eyed. "Jack...you didn't tell me."

"And i's wasn't plannin' ta," he murmured.

Scratches, bruises, and burns were pasted all around his stomach. Whatever Snyder had done, it had caused him more pain than he had been in in his entire life, and that was saying a lot. Hearing the soft drip of water coming from a leaking pipe in the ceiling, she attempted to get the cloth as wet as possible as she held it gently to his stomach. "Jack, I don't understand. Why didn't you tell me about this before?"

Just as the cloth was being put on him, he winced in pain, grabbing Katherine's arm tightly as he shook his head. "Ain't wantin' ya ta worry."

"Yeah, well, you're worrying me right now," she muttered more bitterly than intended before biting her lip. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean it that way."

Not affected by the tone, he began to sweat at the amount of pain, his hands were shaky as he leaned his head against the wall. "We need ta get ya outa 'ere 'fore Snyda lays a 'and on yous."

"This isn't about me, Jack," she whispered seriously. "I know why you're saying this, because I'm the same way. But I've never seen you like this. You need a hospital."

"Jack Kelly ain't needin' no 'ospital," he said with a scoff, only causing him more pain as he looked at Katherine desperately.

"Jack Kelly doesn't know the difference between fantasy and reality," she murmured. Sitting across from him, she gazed into his eyes. "Just focus on me," she said a bit softer as she knew he needed it.

Relaxing ever so slowly, he focused on Katherine, somehow feeling the pain begin to melt away. As Katherine sat up slightly, she began to move the cloth away as she gave him a genuine smile. "See? Not so-"

Before she had a chance to finish speaking, Jack forced himself to regain his usual posture as he wrapped a gentle arm around Katherine's waist and gave her a soft, meaningful kiss.

Katherine jumped, as she was not expecting it. Whatever this feeling was inside of her, she never wanted it to end as she placed a light hand on his cheek and smiled as she began to kiss him back. She immediately went wide eyed as she realized what she was doing and pulled away, shaking her head. "Morris-"

"Ain't here," Jack replied in complete shock as he touched his lips. "Damn, Plumba," he said with a small chuckle. "No wonda Morris wants ya all ta 'imself."

"He's going to kill me," she said quickly as she looked at Jack. "Or worse, he'll kill you."

"'ey, ey," he whispered, her tone genuinely worrying him. "Nothin's gonna 'appen ta us. And if somethin' does, ya's smart. You'll find a way outta-"

"And what about you?" she interrupted quickly. "I'm not leaving you."

Letting the silence pass, he placed a gentle hand on her cheek as he caressed her face with his thumb. "I's always find a way out. As long as we's got each other's back, we's gonna be fine," Jack responded quietly with a confident smile.

Seeing his confidence opened Katherine's eyes to what was possible. He was someone who seemed to believe in her without a doubt in his mind. Someone who had been abused by someone else who thought had more powers because he was richer than Jack ever could be. But most importantly, he showed her what it meant to care. To feel...loved. As her mind wandered across the different possibilities on what could happen, it always ended back to Jack. Jack... The one who showed her true power didn't come from money, but rather from the protection of one's heart. She had soon found herself being wrapped in Jack's arms. The arms that kept her safe. The ones that were so badly bruised and beaten, she couldn't help but quickly rub her watery eyes with the back of her hands as she looked up at Jack. "You don't deserve this. No one does. Jack, I know how to win this. We just have to-"

And with that, she was immediately stopped. The room was silenced as they stared up at Snyder. Jack subconsciously moved in front of Katherine. It was obvious from the pounding of Jack's heart that he was worried. Really worried. But not for his own sake.

As Jack felt the pressure of pain blowing through his stomach when he was pushed brutally from Katherine, his defense grew as he attempted to give Snyder a hard blow to the face. But before he knew it...she was gone. There was a pang of guilt and hurt, and he would never forgive himself for not trying harder. Not trying faster. Not doing everything he possibly could to the absolute extent of dying in the process. Standing up, he clutched his stomach as he limped to the door, his eyes filled with tears for the one he loved. He was going to do whatever he could to get out of here, maybe even out of New York. The pain increased as he was soon found leaning against the wall. All that was surrounding him was blackness. Katherine was his light in his dark little world, and he refused to admit it. He refused to admit that he needed someone like her in his life. Someone who believed in him and was willing to do absolutely everything she could to comfort him. His eyes no longer grew from fright of Snyder's existence...but rather from anger. As his feet gave away beneath him, he fell to the floor, his hands grasping the ground as he was immediately cut by a gold object. Putting his thumb over his palm to stop the bleeding, he soon found himself grinning as he picked the small piece up, the light from the candle casting a gleam over the gold. A key.

Too anger-fueled to think about the consequences, he wrestled with the lock before hearing the click, the one that had terrified him hours ago. The bright light was gleaming luringly towards the boy who never though he'd see the light of day again. As his breathing increased, he clung onto anything that was near him for balance. The effort he used to keep himself up was all because of those two kids. The two people he couldn't afford to lose in his life. Making sure to stay as quiet as possible, he slowly made his way through the obscure hallway, his eyes filled with worry for the poor kids that were forced to suffer the same fate he did.

When Jack had his mind set on something, he never let it go. It was as if nothing could distract him from the reason he was here. Each step he took was like nails poking him from every inch of his body, but that didn't matter to him. His goal: Find Katherine and Crutchie and do everything it takes to get them out of there.