Jack speed-walked all the way back to the lodging house. What had he just seen? Obviously he had witnessed an intimate moment between two people who loved each other, but it was weird. He shouldn't have gone there. Why didn't he just stay at the lodging house? Jack felt dirty. Like, not physically dirty, but mentally dirty. He needed to wash away all the dirt. He decided to pay a visit to Sarah. If anything, Sarah s innocence could wash away his sin.

"Knock, knock!" Jack trilled as he pried open the Jacobs front door.

"Jack! What a nice surprise!" Sarah looked up from her needlework and smiled at him. Jack closed the door and joined her on the couch. "And to what do I owe this lovely visit?" She set down her project and folded her hands on her lap.

"Sewing? Shouldn't you be planning a wedding?" Jack grinned at her playfully.

"My mother said that I needed something to take my mind off the wedding. She says it can get really stressful, and that I should do something to take my mind off of it."

"And you chose sewing?"

"Hey! We all have our vices. Mine just happens to be sewing."

"I m just teasing you." Jack's eyes suddenly grew dark and he looked around to make sure they were alone.

"Can you keep a secret?" He whispered. Startled at his sudden soberness, Sarah leaned in.

"Of course."

"Good. What I m about to tell you cannot leave this room. You have to promise not to tell anyone."

"I promise," Sarah breathed.

"Well, here goes; I think I m in love. With a married woman." Jack sat back in his seat and anxiously watched Sarah's face for a reaction.

"Um...wow?" Sarah did not know what to say. When Jack had told her he had a secret, a hundred different things popped into her mind. He had gotten a girl pregnant. He had killed someone. He robbed a bank. He was gay. Nothing could have prepared her for this though.

"Wow? I tell you the biggest secret of my life and all you say is wow?"

"Sorry. I m just a little surprised, is all. Does she love you back?" Jack sighed.

"It's kind of a long story. Well, not long, but, weird, you know?" Sarah did not know.

"Um-"

"Never mind, I ll just start from the beginning." Jack told her about his trial. Meeting the Whitfields. Working for them. James. Jane. His encounter with the Judge. The sparks. He even told her about seeing James and Jane go at it, though he left out a few parts, lest she be slightly disgusted. "So? What should I do? Jack pleaded.

"Well, first of all, I m happy for you. I m glad you found someone you care so much about. But on the other hand, she's married. That makes things a little bit more difficult." Sarah bit her lip. "Can I be honest with you, Jack?"

"Yeah,"

"Forget about her."

"What?" her blunt response startled him.

"In all honesty, it would be a bad idea for you to pursue her. You told me you respect James. If you truly respect him, and Jane, then you will forget about her. Finish your community service, keep your head down, your eyes low and your tail between your legs. This can only end in heartbreak."

"Alright." He agreed with her. It was a bad idea to pursue Jane. But why did it feel so good?

"I have to get started on dinner. Would you like to stay and eat with us?" Sarah changed the subject.

"Thanks, but no. I gotta get back to my boys." Jack declined, standing up.

"Oh! Before I forget, please, take this!" Sarah leapt from her spot on the couch and grabbed something from the kitchen drawer.

"What's this?" Taking it from her outstretched hand, Jack studied it.

"An invitation." It was a smooth white envelope. Written on the back in loopy gold ink was 'Jack Kelly'. "I want you to be the first one. Open it!" Sarah insisted. Jack did as he was told. Inside was a card, with more loopy writing in it.

"You are formally invited to the wedding of Miss Sarah Emily Jacobs and Master William Abraham Jones Lockton the Third, on the fourth of November 1901, on Amsterdam Avenue, Morningside Heights. Formal attire only." Jack read aloud. "Sarah. Thank you." He hugged her.

"You can go right?" Sarah turned her big doe-eyes on Jack. "I ll even let you invite someone."

"Of course I'll go! Wouldn't miss it for the world."

"Do you mind inviting all the Manhattan boys too? I couldn't make invitations for all of them, so I need you to tell them yourself."

"Course I ll invite them! They love a good party." But the Manhattan boys weren t the only ones Jack was planning on inviting.

Jack couldn't look James in the eye on Monday. It was weird, to have seen someone he respected so much in such a... well, compromising situation.

"...and for a smooth finish, I just moisten a wet cloth and run it over the wood. That gets rid of all the little dust pieces we sanded off." James said, while rubbing a cloth over the wood. James looked up at Jack and sighed. "Alright, Jack." Setting down the cloth, his face turned serious. "What s on your mind?"

"Huh?"

"I m not an idiot, Jack. Anyone with half a brain can see you re very distracted right now." James said with a soft grin.

"Yeah. Well, it's stupid."

"No it s not. You can tell me."

"Well, I was wondering if, maybe, you would-well not just you, Jane too- would maybe like to accompany me-as friends, obviously- to a wedding?" Jack squeaked out. Why was he so embarrassed?

"Oh. Whose is it?"

"My friend's. Her name is Sarah." James face split into a smile.

"Of course, Jack. We re friends aren t we? When is it?"

"When's what?" Jane had flitted into the woodshop and was carrying a tray with a jug of water and two glass cups.

"Jack's invited us to a wedding."

"How lovely! Who's?" Jane set the tray down and began filling the cups with water.

"My friend's. She said I could invite you guys. She'd love to meet you." Jack stood up from his seat on the floor, followed by James.

"Well, make sure you thank her for us. When's the date?" Jane asked handing Jack and James their drinks.

"November fourth." Jack gladly accepted the drink and downed the crisp, cool water.

"Shoot. November fourth? That s three days before I leave." James set down his cup.

"Leave?" questioned Jack, also setting down his cup.

"On November first I m heading up to Port Chester to receive my shipment of Brazilian Cherry wood. I have to leave early so I can be there when the shipment arrives. It s a very expensive wood and I need it for a special order I got from a British duke.

"The Duke of Warrow? The one that came in two weeks ago?" Jane asked.

"Yes. He s a very powerful fellow, see, and if I can fulfill his order and build him a bureau for his office in Warrow, he can set me up with some very rich friends of his."

"Can t you just get the shipment after the wedding? Leave the next day?"

"I'm afraid not, Jack. The captain of the shipment boat said that they would only arrive on the fourth. It takes me three days to get to Port Chester, one day to receive the shipment, and another three days back, in total, seven days. The Duke said he was leaving on the twelfth, so that leaves me four days to build his desk for him. I'm just too busy."

"Bummer," Jack was honestly disappointed James couldn t go.

"Well. It would be my pleasure, Jack, if you could accompany me to wedding." Jane jokingly stuck out her elbow for Jack. Smiling, jack looped his elbow around hers.

"Why, certainly madam." Jack felt giddy at the thought. It was almost like a date.

"Perfect! Jane can go to the wedding with you. That s settled then." James sais with a final clap of his hands.

Jack felt like he flying as he walked home that night. A whole week alone with Jane. What s the worst that could happen?

A/N Hey guys. Sorry I left for soooo long and didn't update. now before you start throwing things at me, let me explain. My computer had just gotten it's second virus in five months, and anyone's who's had a virus before knows that they take forever to fix, and you lose all your stuff. So with this chapter I had to basically start from scratch because all my chapters got deleted. Also, I started my second semester in high school, and this time i actually had to work hard because I had math, french, and geography, the the Terrible Trio. So I was very busy studying for my exams, which were last week. Another reason was that I kind of lost my inspiration for this story. When I started it I was so excited, but then a few weeks passed and my muse turned to other things. I have a very short attention span when it comes to stories, and before I even finished this one, I had already come up with four other fics. But now that it's summer vacation, i will try my hardest to finish this story so I can start writing my other ones!

Thanks for sticking with me!