Wow I am honestly surprised no fansies have come knocking at my door or spamming my PM after my last chapter. I am SO SORRY this took so long, school has to come first, but enjoy!

DISCLAIMER: I don't Newsies and more than likely I never will, but be assured it's not my Christmas list ;p

She is desperately hoping that for once his life Jack Kelly will break his promise. Her screams are muffled by her attacker's hand and abruptly cut off by a swift knee in her gut that knocks the wind out of her. She is struggling, fighting back, she won't stop, but in her heart she knows that she's done. He's too strong for her and thanks to her own stubbornness no one will even know she is gone. Instinct is the only thing that makes her struggle to resist the cold iron being snapped onto her wrists. Once her fists are secure, she is pinned against the alley wall. Even in the darkness she knows what is being removed from her attacker's pocket, in one form or another he's going to silence her. This is her last window of opportunity, if she can't make herself heard soon, no one will know she's gone until it's too late.

Whoever this man is he is no longer holding her with both arms, one hand is covering her mouth his shoulder pinning her to the bricks while the other is groping for a gag. It's now or never. Without another moment's hesitation she throws her weight backwards against his arm and bites down hard on his hand.

"Damn you!"

A curse escapes his lips, and for an instant her mouth is free.

Her cries are hoarse, high pitched, and dripping with desperation, "HELP, JACK! ANYBODY HELP PLEASE! PLEASE!"

That instant was all she had. before she knew it her body was being slammed into the wall. Unwillingly she crumples to the ground, head spinning. The darkness surrounding her threatens to steal her consciousness, and she can feel something wet and sticky making a trail down her face, in her foggy, half-conscious state it doesn't occur to her that she is bleeding. Her struggle is now solely with herself and not the man standing over her; she is frantically fighting against her body's desire to descend into numbness.

"Eyes stay open, please, just wait, breathe in, breathe out, don't fall asleep, you have to stay awake, you have to…"

/

"Jack, go to sleep. Worrying doesn't help anybody."

He doesn't answer and he doesn't budge from his post at the edge of the mattress. In the darkness Katherine can see his silhouette hunched over, keeping watch faithfully.

"Sweetheart just relax."

He stands up and starts pacing in almost exact opposition to Katherine's plea.

"I can't Ace! I jes got dis feelin, dat somethin ain't right."

Katherine sighs deeply and sits up in the makeshift bed.

"Not that I doubt your instincts Jack, but I really think everything is just fine. Are you worried about the boys?"

He shakes his head slowly, "Nah Race and Davey are takin care of dem they ain't in any danger, jes Beth."

Katherine is determined to reassure him, "Jack please calm down, she is a few feet away from us, and it's only been, what ten minutes since we last saw her? What could possibly happen in such a short amount of time?"

He leans over an old vanity table and pounds the mirror in frustration, it cracks but he doesn't notice.

"Ace you don't get it do you? Snyder had Crutchie locked up in the Refuge in less time than dat, abd it too only an instant to begin and end the strike."

He pauses for breath and turns toward her, "Everything could happen in such a short amount of time."

Katherine moves as though to get up, but the sound of a muffled shriek stops her dead in her tracks. Jack holds his hand up signaling for silence, but the room has already gone quiet. They both stand stock still listening, straining in the darkness. A minute passes, they start to relax, Katherine crawls back under the covers and Jack is getting ready to join her when they were the unmistakable sound of Beth screaming. His face contorts with horror, and he hears her shouting his name. Immediately Katherine grabs her robe, but Jack doesn't even take a moment to put a shirt on. Within seconds they are both running towards the screams. Suddenly the pleas fro help are abruptly cut off, Katherine's heart skips a beat and she whispers under her breath, "Please, no."

Jack points noiselessly towards the back door, that's where the sound was coming from. He makes Katherine stand behind them. Bravely he flings open the door leading to the alley and all he sees is a living nightmare.

"Snyder, get yer dirty hands off her!"

The man in the alley standing over Beth finishes tying the gag around her mouth and then stands to face Jack.

"Jack Kelly, have you come to join the party who knows you might get a kick" he pause to kick the young girl's crumpled form, "out of it".

Jack's fists are clenched and he is using himself to shield Katherine, "I mean it Snyder, get away from her."

Snyder smiles, and kicks her again harder. He grabs her roughly by the shoulder and drags her to her feet.

"She's mine Kelly, I'm being well compensated for this whole stunt, and now that you're here…well this is just the icing on the cake."

That does it Jack loses it, he pushes Katherine back through the doorway and then rushes at Snyder. He yanks him away from Beth, with a strength the old man wasn't expecting. Jack looks up into Beth's frightened eyes and mouths run. She nods and half runs, half stumbles down the alleyway, intent on reaching the lodging house. Snyder is stunned by Jack's show of strength but only for an instant. As soon as he recovers his fist comes flying at Jack's jaw, making him stumble backwards.

"That was stupid Kelly, everything you've ever done is stupid!"

Jack wipes his bleeding mouth and spits back, "Well I'd rather be stupid den twisted like youse."

"You haven't changed at all; all the better that will make everything easier for me."

They are both breathing hard and Jack is struggling not to give into the feeling of horror that his old torturer has aroused.

"Ise am going to turn you in and afta dis stunt dey ain't ever letting youse out. Dey will close down da Refuge without a second thought and you won't have nuthin to hold over my head no more."

Snyder laughs and Jack shivers involuntarily.

"Au contraire, I have that little girl."

Jack laughs, "Are you blind she's gone, she's safe, it's over Snyder."

"Actually boy it's just begun see, I never work without backup, so I had a couple of your old friend's wait at the entrance of the alley in case the great Jack Kelly tried anything heroic."

Even in the moonlight Snyder sees Jack turn pale and realization is written across his face. The Delancey brothers have her.

Snyder nonchalantly, "Of course I wasn't sure how much this runt really meant to you anyway so I brought this along as well in case her safety wasn't enough to control you."

Jack tenses when he hears the sound of a gun being cocked and sees the cold metal shining in the moonlight. But that's not what causes the sickening feeling his stomach. No, it's not the gun that scares him it's where it is being pointed. He can see the gun clearly and it's not pointed at him it's pointed over his shoulder. He fears to find out who is on the receiving end of the barrel, but a soft frightened whisper of, "Jack" confirms his worst fear.

"If either of you move I swear I'll shoot."

Jack resists the urge to steal a glance at Katherine, to try and comfort her.

Snyder takes a menacing step forward, but Jack doesn't move. "Kelly you better listen closely I've got nothing to lose and everything to gain, but you on the other hand have everything to lose."

They both stand still, Katherine is absolutely frozen with fear, but she is secretly grateful that the gun is point at herself and not Jack.

"It's really very simple what I want, and I have already acquired one object of my desire now there is only one thing left I need to satisfy me."

Katherine swallows hard and queries in what she hopes is a strong voice, "And what would that be?"

Snyder looks first at the gun in his hand, then at the man and woman who put him behind bars and nearly shut down his business. The man who was once the boy in the Refuge, the resilient boy who was more trouble than he was ever worth, who would never beg him for mercy. And the woman who gave that boy a voice, a chance to be heard above all the other voices vying for the spotlight. All of these thoughts are filing through Snyder's twisted mind, but Jack interrupts his musing by repeating Katherine's question in a gruff voice.

"What would dat be?"

A poisonous smile creeps across Snyder's face as he strokes the trigger and hisses, "Revenge."

I will update Sunday, and uh just don't kill me...

Keep reading and reviewing and I'll keep writing (don't stop or I might end the story here *gasp* ;)

K. Kelly