Here it is! I'm trying to get back into the swing of updating weekly, which is going to be good. Have fun reading it. Reviews reviews reviews please:)

x layla

"This is getting stupid." Katherine muttered in bed, reading through her father's newly sent letter.

Jack, who was still half asleep on his pillow groaned. "What is it? Ya father?"

"Yeah, he replied to our wedding invite. It's a no from him."

"A no? He gave us his blessing!" Jack in all honesty did care and felt bad that Katherine was frustrated with her father, but it was six in the morning, he was barely awake and Katherine hadn't even tempted him with coffee yet. "Ace, sweets, let's worry about this maybe later huh? Let's just go back to sleep." Jack reached for her waist and pulled her back down under the duvet, where she protested as he locked his arms around her middle.

"Jack, no!" She giggled. He grinned sleepily, holding her tight and kissing her bare shoulder blades. She broke free finally and flipped their tangled bodies over, so she sat on his hips. Defeated, Jack lay still and kept his eyes on her. Katherine curled her lips and raised a brow. "How about some coffee?"

The coffee Katherine made was always straight and black. Jack liked it that way. She had bothered once when he had started to say in the nights with cream and foam, but he had told her that it was all useless to him. He worked long hours doing heavy labor and he needed the full strength that the caffeine gave. Katherine had told him then that he yelled and carried a hundred papers or so a day, and not in a child labour factory.

As she poured the hot dark liquid into a mug she heard Jack's heavy footsteps as he came into the room. He was dressed but his hair was still the same ruffled dark mess that she had woken up to.

"He's up." She murmured smiling to herself.

"Not yet Ace." He grumbled back. "I ain't got my coffee."

She pursed her lips and placed the mug in his fingers. "There. Drink up, I've got to go to work. And so do you. "

"Aw, c'mon," he grinned huskily moving towards her to grab her hip with his free hand. "Can't we take a day off? Work from home? Do some extra curricular study, eh?"

"Watch it Kelly." Growled Katherine as Jack kissed her jawline, still smiling. "I've got to go see my father, we can't stay in bed all day."

Jack rolled his eyes. "I'll come with you then."

"Jack, no. He'll be better if I'm just there. But you can stay home if you want, I'll be back for lunch." She broke into a soft smile and knocked her hip against his. "Then I'm yours for the afternoon."

"Why aren't you coming to my wedding father?" Katherine said blankly as she stormed pass Hannah into her father's office.

Hannah raised her hands in defence when Pulitzer raised his gaze. "I tried to stop her Mr. Pulitzer, but she insisted it was important." She explained desperately.

Pulitzer took off his glass and squinted his eyes at Katherine as she sat down on one of the arm chairs. "Katherine."

"Yes, now answer me."

"My dear, I don't need to explain-"

Katherine cut him off. "Yes, you do father. You've given Jack and I your blessing, you threw an engagement party for us for heavens sake. Why not?"

He shifted in his seat and lit a cigar, bringing it forth to his lips. "Katherine, no matter how much I show it, it's not that I don't support you in marrying the boy. He's proved his worth over the last few months immensely."

"Then what is it?" Katherine was genuinely confused. If Jack had been taken out of the picture she didn't know what else his reason could be.

There was a pain in Pulitzer's eyes, she noticed it when she entered the room. A real sadness she hadn't seen before in her eighteen years of knowing him.

"It seems that I've acquired an illness Katherine."

Katherine's expression dropped. "What is it? Surely it's curable."

He shook his head. "Cardiovascular disease. There isn't much doctors can do but give me narcotics."

Katherine felt hot, like her cheeks were glowing, burning embers. She wanted to say something, react even, but she only felt tears pricking her eyes. Blinking, tears rolled down her cheeks and she looked to her father with horror. "Why didn't you tell me?" She whispered finally.

Pulitzer took a drag from his cigar. "I would have sooner or later. I'm not making appearances anymore, it's not possible that I'm there for your wedding and I'm sorry."

"How long have you known, does mama know?"

"A month or so. And yes, she's aware." A he took a breath to pause before extending his arm out to take his daughters hand. His aged hands felt so delicate against hers. She had forgotten what it had felt like due to their distance over the last year.

Katherine frowned. "You shouldn't be smoking a cigar if you have heart disease daddy." She pulled it out of his mouth boldly and put it out in the cup of tea he had on his desk. It was a way of coping and trying not to cry, to bring out her usual attitude. Katherine however felt violent sobs seize her and she collapsed onto the desk, her cheek pressed against their clasped hands.

That afternoon, Katherine trudged her way back to her apartment, eyes red and limbs heavy with exhaustion. She had spent an hour or so at her father's office earlier and almost forgot that she had left Jack waiting at home. He was probably worried sick by now. When she heaved open the door, she hung up her bag on the hook and began to roll her stockings off down her legs as she walked into the living room. It was summer in New York and she didn't have the patience to wear them when she was seeing no one but Jack. She found him sitting with his legs up in the corner of the leather couch focused on the sketch pad in his lap.

"You're back." He smirked, not looking up. "What took ya so long?"

Katherine clenched the flesh coloured stockings in her fist. Jack essentially just brought back all of the hurt that she had managed to control before she came home. Her knees buckled and she fell to the floor, short sobs seizing her as she cried once again.

Jack, hearing her cry, cursed and dropped his sketch pad, rushing to the floor to take Katherine in his arms.

"Hey," he cooed softly. "What'sa matta with you, huh? Why you cryin' sweetheart?"

Katherine buried her head into his shirt and continued to cry. She did so for what felt like eternity, before Jack's gentle rhythmic motion of raking his fingers in her curls comforted her enough that she brought her head level with his. " My father has heart disease Jack." She whispered, rubbing her eyes. "He's not well enough to make appearances anymore. That's why he's not coming to our wedding."

"Ah, Katherine." Jack murmured. He cupped her cheek with his other and and used his thumb to wipe her tears away. "Honey, I'm sorry."

"I know you didn't get along, but I appreciate it Jack." She managed. "He said he was thankful that I had you. That you've proved yourself since we got engaged." She leaned forward to press her lips against Jack's.

Jack pulled away after a moment and offered her a grin. "Hey, he's gonna be ok. Ya old man ain't going no where."

Katherine sniffled and wiped her eye, before letting go of Jack's chest. "I'm gonna go run a bath." She left without anymore words and headed to the bathroom.

Jack, feeling useless to Katherine, went to see if she was ok an hour later. He had heard nothing but the slow trickle of water escaping the tap, which worried him a little. When he wedged the door open silently, he saw that she was still there. In the porcelain bathtub, Katherine had submerged herself in the steaming water, her toes pressed against the tap. Her face was transfixed upon them, squeezing the little digits against the cool brass.

"Hey." She said, her mouth barely moving. He didn't know that she had seen him, and it caught him by surprise.

"Sorry Ace, I just wanted to make sure if you were ok-"

She tossed her head to his direction and stopped him. "I'm fine. Thank you though." She bit her bottom lip and placed her hand at the bottom of the quick up do she had twisted her hair into. "Jack can you hold me?"

Without question, he came to her beside the tub and began to unbutton his shirt. It was off before he worked off the rest of his clothing and slipped into the space behind her.

"Christ," he hissed, as the water came up to his chest. "How's ya skin not blisterin' at this temperature?"

She shrugged and curled up against him, her cheek pressed against his skin. "I like it."

He sighed and smiled down at her, kissing her auburn hair, damp from the steam. Although bare and pressed up against his own skin, he put aside the intruding thoughts that hit like bricks against his mind and only focused on being a stable object for her to cling to in her distress. As the waves around them splashed in a steady rhythm, he felt her tight grip loosen and her breathing become calmer. She fell asleep quickly in the safety of Jack's arms and before he knew it he felt his eyes become heavy too.

Katherine woke up later in in the silks of her duvet and several oversized pillows. Her eyelids fluttered and she found herself to be back in her bedroom, clothed in only her short satin dressing gown. Her skin felt clean and her hair felt slightly damp. It suddenly came to her that she had fallen asleep in the tub with Jack. Speaking of whom, she spied him on her chaise near the window, where he sat cross legged and scratching with his pencil at his sketch book.

Jack shot his head up, catching her gaze. "She's up."

"Did you put me to bed?" She yawned in reply.

Jack nodded. "Ya slept through the afternoon."

"What time is it?"

"Eight."

"Are you going to go home?"

"No." He put down his sketchbook and sauntered over to climb in bed with her. He pulled the covers over the two of them and placed a large hand on her thigh. "Because you need me."

Katherine took his jaw and turned it to kiss his cheek. "I do. Thank you."