Sorry about the delay life got away from me. So should I continue with this story? Or is it a turnoff because I'm not paring Katherine with Jack? My goal is to explore Katherine more as a character. I hope you are enjoying it.

In this chapter really wanted to explore Katherine's relationship with her Mother. I was inspired a little by watching Cora and her daughters (mostly Sybil) In Downton Abbey. I hope you enjoy!

From behind her she heard the hinges of her bedroom door squeak.

"Katherine Ethel Pulitzer!" She cringed and slowly turned around ready to face her fate.

"Where have you been? I came up to check on you and you wer-"

Katherine turned and saw her Mother standing in the doorway. Kate's voice stopped in her throat when she saw the state her daughter was in. Katherine's hair was wild and had spots of dirt in it. Her face was cut on the left side, she was wearing a man's coat, her skirt had rips, and tears up her legs, and grass stains all over it.

Kate sat down on the bed and open her arms gesturing for her daughter to come to her.

"Kitty? What happened?"

"Mama...I...snuck-...There were boys-...They-"

Katherine tried to explain about her state but when she reached her mother she fell sobbing into her arms. She told her mother what had happened. Kate couldn't speak she was in shock but she her close and rocked her girl. Kate she had heard from Joe how awful the streets of New York were getting, but she never thought it would hit so close to home.

"There was nothing I could do, I felt so weak, scared, and alone. If those boys hadn't come along and helped..."

Kate felt a pang of anger mixed with sadness. She never wanted her daughter to feel that way. To think those ruffians tried to force themselves on her. She doubted Katherine had put forth any advances to them. She wanted to find those boys who did this to her daughter and kill them. Despite how terrible the situation was she knew Katherine learned a valuable lesson today. She let her cry it out. When Katherine was finished she looked up at her mother.

"I'm so sorry Mama."

"Kitty, don't think for a moment that you are at fault for what those boys did."

Kate smiled down at her daughter. Her strong, beautiful, passionate girl. She felt things so deeply, and cared so much. The world needed people like her, and she didn't want this to diminish her spark.

"Words cannot describe how thankful I am that you are safe and at home. While I'd like to keep you locked up here, I know I can't. Your Father and I cannot protect you from the world anymore. You learned a very valuable lesson today. The world is not like it was. There are people out there who will want to hurt and break you."

Katherine started up at her Mother. Kate had never talked to her this way. For the first time in her life, she was scared to go out into the world alone. How could she try to fight a world like this? Tears filled her eyes again. She sat up and turned away from her mother. Not wanting her to see her cry again.

"Kitty..."

Kate forced her daughter to look at her.

"The world does have terrible people in it. But just as much as there are people who will hurt you, there are people out there who will help you. It sounds like these young men that helped you are some of the good people out there.

Katherine nodded. Her mother was right. These boys could have just walked away, and let Morris and Oscar continue what they were doing, but they didn't, they stood up for her, helped her. Maybe the world needed a bit more of that? Katherine wiped her tears and looked back up at her mother.

"Please don't tell Papa." Katherine whispered.

Kate felt her gut learch. She should tell Joe, he had a right to know what had happened to their daughter. But she knew Joe would be irrational about the ordeal. He would lock her up,to protect her... Katherine would never be able to live a life.

"Kitty, Papa should know what happened…"

Katherine looked up at her mother, begging her to keep this between them.

"But I think we can keep this from him at least for the moment."

Katherine smiled and hugged her mother.

"Thank you Mama!"

"Now let's get you cleaned up and out of these clothes before he comes looking for us."

Kate went to Katherine's adjacent bathroom to draw her a bath.

Katherine sighed as she began to take off her clothes. She wasn't quite sure if she should hang on to the jacket or not, She had no idea where Bryan, or Shooter lived. She didn't even his last name. She could take it to the Newsies' boarding house and give it to one of the boys, but she feared running into Morris and Oscar. Katherine carefully folded it, and tucked it away in the back of her closet. I might run into him again...someday.

Once Kate had ran the bath she came out seeing Katherine in her undergarments, stockings and corset.

"Should I ring for Edith?"

"No, come here I'll help you get out of that."

Normally Edith would come in and help Katherine out of her corset, but circumstances being what they were Kate decided it was best she did it. As she started unlacing she laughed.

"It must have been a man who invented this wretched contraption. No woman would have created undergarments this uncomfortable."

Katherine laughed, the statement couldn't be more true. From the day she started wearing one she hated it. Longing for the times she was free to move and run around without being restricted by this horrid article of clothing. But on the flip side it did protect her modesty and saved her from having Morris or Oscar seeing more than she'd want them to see, or completing the task they set out to do. Wearing all these layers was tedious at times, but today she was had to be thankful for them.

She breathed a sigh of relief when her mother had finally finished. As it was removed Kate saw the bruises made by Katherine's corset. Other than her cut this was the first time she saw how rough she had been handled by the young men. Katherine winced in pain as her mother touched one of the bruises.

"Sorry baby."

A surge of anger swept through Kate again. These boys had bruised, cut, and hurt her precious daughter. And sadly they would get away with it. Kate picked up Katherine's ruined clothing trying to find what she could salvage. Nothing looked like it could be saved without some explanation to Edith or Joe.

Katherine finished undressing the rest of the way and headed into the bathroom.

She sunk into the warm water her muscles finally relaxing. After the ordeal and all the crying she was exhausted. She closed her eyes and thought back to those boys who had saved her. She was a little embarrassed to have need their help. She always solved problems and fought her own fights. Outside of her father, she has never needed a man to come to her aid, or anyone really. Being an only child she figured out how to be independent and how to work alone. She shivered to think how defenceless she was. She had never felt that helpless before.

She calmed herself by thinking back to memories of her Mother putting her to bed. Kate always insisted on putting Katerine to bed long after she was too old for it. Katherine loved this time because it was a time she was able to really talk with her mother. When she was younger Kate would read Katherine stories. They both agree that the princesses seemed far too boring, so they often made their own versions of the stories.

"Kitty? Are you doing ok?"

Katherine was pulled out of her thoughts.

"Yes, Mama."

She must have been in her head a while as the water was getting cold. She carefully stepped out of the bath and wrapped a towel around her.

Kate came in with a cloth and antiseptic to treat the cut on her face.

"Now let take a look at this cut."

Katherine sat down while her mother brought a cloth to her face.

"Sorry baby, this is going to sting."

Katherine winced as her mother pressed the cloth to her face. But it had to be cleaned.

"Well I think this will be ok. It's a light cut, just looked much worse. We will just put some gauze on it tonight and see how it looks in the morning."

"What will we tell Papa?"

Kate was stumped on that one. Her her husband would notice this cut across their daughter's' beautiful face.

"We will think of something." She said finishing and putting the gauze on her face.

She helped Katherine into her night dress with difficulty. Katherine was having trouble with her aching muscles and bruises.

Kate gently tucked her into bed and kissed her on her forehead. She smiled remembering the the same memory Katherine remembered earlier.

"Good night Kitty. I'm so happy you are safe."

She started to exit but Kathrine sat up.

"Wait! Mama….would you….Stay with me tonight?"

She felt so childish saying that at 18 years-old. But she just couldn't face the night alone.

Kate turned, she didn't blame her for not wanting to be alone tonight. She sat down on Katherine's bed leaning her back on the headboard. She took Katherine in her arms setting her head in her lap. Katherine sighed feeling safe and comfortable in her mother's arms.

Kate sighed as well feeling thankful her daughter was here and safe.

"Mama?"

Katherine whispered nearly asleep.

Could you...tell me one of our stories?"

Kate smiled and started stroking her hair. She started retelling Katherine's favorite story. Katherine fell asleep listening her mother's voice.