March 18th, 1899

Dearest daughter,

I reminisced this morning of the first time I took you to the ballet when you were only eight years old. If I remember correctly, it was in March…Spring is slow to come to the estate, but I've always loved winter, so a little more time spent with the pristine snow is fine by me.

Listen to me talk of weather as though we are strangers. But, after three months of your absence, I fear that may be how we'll always be. I miss your laughter, your smile. Your blue eyes…I suppose the secret will begin to spill from me as I get weaker and am forced to stay in bed more. Already, I find stairs troublesome. I've taken to living in the upper level so I'm never too far from the bed if I get tired.

Enough melancholy. Your father purchased a horse a week ago. He's outside now, in the snow, attempting to break it. It was maltreated before he saved it. Such a kind man, one cannot help to love him. Sometimes, I believe I am not worthy to hold his heart. I cherish it, anyway.

I will write you again, soon. If your silence helps you get over your anger with me, I understand. I will write you, anyway.

I love you always,

Mama


"I can't believe my luck." Blink's voice brought David out of the paperwork he'd been working on and he looked up from his desk to see the blonde man lean heavily against the doorframe to his office. David just stared, waiting for Blink to continue his whining. Blink sighed, tossing his hands up at David's lack of a reaction, "Just as I find the woman of my dreams, we get the mothahload of foreign Ballerinas. Ballerinas, David."

David grunted, before looking to his right at the picture that hung on the wall, "Cheaters never win, Blink."

Blink followed his gaze to the picture of the newsboys from the strike of 1899. Jack's face was circled so he stood out. On one of Race's night shifts after he'd gone to Chicago, he'd come in here and added a bit of scruff to the face and a line for his scar to, as Race had put it, 'update' Jack's mugshot. Below the newspaper clipping were the words, big and bold, 'NOT ALLOWED ON HOTEL GROUNDS'.

"Well, I nevah said I would cheat on Katy. I'm just sayin' it's really bad luck foah me that the Russian Ballet didn't come inta town befoah I fought a gang for her." Blink sniffed as if David had offended him, and he left.

For a split second, then he popped his head back in, "Oh, and the Ballerina's are startin' to arrive."

David scowled, "You couldn't have led with that?" He asked him, surly, standing and getting his papers in order. He had been preparing for this for two months now and he needed everything to go down by the numbers.

Blink just laughed and headed back to the front desk. David glared after him, grabbing his coat from around his chair and buttoning it up hurriedly. They had to check in close to fifty people so they had to begin as soon as they started walking through that front door. Blink's moment to complain had already eaten up time better spent on the hotel.

Sighing, David walked down the hall to the new front desk. It had once been a tall, oak desk with no more room behind it then for one person to run it. With the expansions he'd been making, and the deal with the Imperial Russian Ballet, he had gotten it in his head to have a bigger desk built. Now, it stretched almost the entire length of the lobby, with five stations so that at the busiest time of the year they could check in numerous guest.

The holidays were always the busiest, and with the Ballet being in town, it was sure to be even busier. The original deal had been for them to stay just two months, but with the holidays and the many people in New York for it, they had extended the trip to go until after the New Year.

It didn't affect his timetables for the expansion, for that he was grateful. Come the first sign of Spring, the demolition of the block of buildings to the right of the Ben were already scheduled to be made rubble. The drawings from the architecture were approved, the men hired for the job, and the designs of the interior of each room was done. All David had to do was wait.

Which was harder than he expected. With everything set up, he had nothing to work on, no puzzles to solve, and the daily running of the hotel could be left up to his managers and staff. It was much too tedious for him, anyway.

And so was this, he thought acidly, taking his spot at the front desk and stifling a glower at the mass of people in his lobby, standing around and ignoring the velvet roped off line for check ins. He almost blanched as a girl stepped right up, ignoring the line completely that she had just cut, "Do we check in here?" She asked, Russian accent heavy, her grey eyes looking up at him imploringly as she swept away a strand of blonde hair.

"The line for check in is there, m'am." He told her, not quite politely, as he waved at the queue of people.

She giggled, "Oh, apologize! Thank you." She smiled at him sweetly, and swept away back to her friend.

David shook his head ever so slightly, hoping that any of the other guys working the front desk got to check her in. He couldn't abide women who played stupid.

Once he got in the swing of checking people in, though, things began to move smoothly. The lines diminishing faster than he had hoped until, with great dread, he noticed the girl and her friend up next. Mush, Blink, and Greg were all still waiting on guests so he found himself calling out, with great reluctance, "Next."

The blonde, bubbly and all smiles, came forward. Her friend, an attractive brunette with a bored expression and a good six to seven inches taller than the short blonde following just behind. Her gaze, however, was caught on someone who came in through the front door. David found himself following it to see Racetrack, who'd just entered the hotel.

"Name?" David asked, his tone less than enthusiastic.

The blonde was eyeing up Blink, who was next to David, joking with a man as he handed him the keys to his room. "Natalia Malakhov."

"Heya, Race!" Blink called over her head as his guest left and David realized there was no one left in the lobby but the two women he was checking in. "How'd carriage duty go?"

One of the Benjamin hotel workers came in right after Racetrack, a new guy by the name of Jake Miller that David had just hired. David was pleased with it because Jake was known for his loyalty and eagerness to be of use to the hotel.

"Haven't been around so much horse manure since I stopped goin' to the track." Race told Blink, coming around the front desk and nudging Blink's shoulder.

"Whew. Haven't smelled like it in a while, either." Blink replied, laughing.

David tried to ignore their unprofessionalism as he focused on the brunette, "Name?"

"Nina Teleshova." She answered him, her voice deeper than the blonde's and just a tad sultry.

He tried not to look surprised and intrigued as he scrawled her name in the guest check in sheet. The contents of her file coming to mind immediately, 'Born February 12th, 1883. Prima Ballerina, both parents deceased, only living relative an Uncle on her father's side. Has a history of lunatic fans following her and/or sending her mail. Has a great love for the ballet and has worked harder than any other ballerina to get where she is. Fluent in Russian, French, and English.' It had gone on into great depth about her history with the Imperial Russian Ballet Company. For some inexplicable reason, David had found himself drawn to her file more than any of the others.

The file did not contain what kind of person she was. Or that she was incredibly beautiful and taller than the other ballerinas. He found himself stealing a few more quick glances of her as he went to the wall of keys and selected their room.

"Mr. Jacobs, can I talk to you?" Jake asked, casting a glance towards Race, who all but glowered at the newer employee.

"Meet me in my office in a minute." David told him, offhandedly.

"How about I tawk ta Davey?" Race asked Jake, "And you mind ya own business?"

David hid his surprise at the hostility and cast a look at the women. Natalia was flirting with Blink as Nina flipped through a brochure that had been on the counter but he got the impression she was listening intently to their conversation. "Both of you meet me in the office." He told them, sternly, slightly annoyed as he added rather bitingly, "Do not make a scene in front of our guests."

Jake looked contrite as he left the front desk and Race followed looking less than happy.

Nina met David's eyes as he held out her room key, "I know it's none of my business, sir…" She began.

Something about her, something he couldn't yet pinpoint, made him rude and aggressive, "You're right, ma'am. It's none of your business." That was not how he usually handled people, he was in the hospitality business after all. But, her deep, blue eyes were too perceptive, too lively. Too everything he didn't need to be confronted with at this moment.

Surprise flitted across her face followed swiftly by fury, "You're right. But, if it wasn't for Jack, I'd have lost all of my personal effects. Deeply personal items that cannot be replaced."

At the name of his former best friend, David felt his jaw clench and he couldn't contain the thunderous look that he knew was on his face, "Enjoy your stay here at the Benjamin." He somehow clipped out, before turning on his heel and heading back to the office as Race and Jake's behavior clicked into place in his mind.

He closed the door behind him, Race and Jake's whispered argument halting at the ominous sound. Both looked at David, who tried to contain the rage that had flooded through him.

"Dave-" Race began, standing up.

David shook his head, "No, Race."

"But, Dave-"

"No." David said again, this time glaring at the former newsie as he crossed the room and went around them to stand at his desk, "I don't want to hear your excuses."

"Mr. Jacobs, may I just say one thing?" Jake asked, looking nervous after the way David had shut down Race.

"Go ahead, Jake."

Race looked insulted that David allowed the new guy to say something, but David ignored him and turned his attention to Jake as he started to speak, "I know, sir, that there's some bad history between you and this…this Jack. But, uh, if Race hadn't brought him today, we would have been short staffed and he did reclaim a trunk that would have been stolen as well as saved me from almost getting crushed by a carriage. You see, I overloaded it and it would have toppled over onto me but he managed to pull a piece of luggage off and stabilize it before…uh, before that happened."

"Thank you, Jake. For your honesty and assessment of the situation. You may leave." David told the younger man, his tone just a bit icy, but he found most of his anger diminished from the man's story.

Jake nodded and left, Race watching him with an inscrutable look.

"You'll have to apologize to him later." David said, his perceptive gaze on Race.

Race ran a hand over his mouth and sat down in the chair across from David's desk, "Yeah. I thought he was just some brown noser…but that one's got potential."

David felt the corner of his mouth quirk up with just the touch of a smile, "I only hire people with potential."

The Italian's snort brought the rest of the smile out, especially as he followed it with, "But, what about Blink?"

They both laughed lightly. When the laughter stopped, David found himself sighing, "I don't like at all what you did, Race. If you thought we needed more staff there, you should have told me and I'd have sent more." He didn't like the thought of Jack working in one of his uniforms, in helping his guests, and he especially didn't like that fact that he was now indebted to a man he despised. He ignored the part of him that got riled up at the thought of Jack conversing with the pretty Prima Ballerina he had only just met, either.

Race sighed, bringing David from his thoughts as he said, "I was only tryin' ta help."

David knew Race's heart was in the right place, that they had been understaffed lately. Mrs. Barnes, the head housekeeper was off on what they referred to as maternity leave after giving birth to her second child. Gareth, one of the main hotel managers who took complaints and repair requests, had to leave on short notice to take care of his sick mother who lived in New Jersey. Those two pillars of the hotel being gone during the week the Russian Ballet came to town was bad luck that David hadn't foreseen. "I know, Race. Go on home, I'll see you later."

The former gambler nodded, giving David a half smile as he got up, leaving the young hotelier to decide on how to best deal with the Jack problem.

A/N: Happy belated Labor day to my US readers! It always makes me think of Newsies! :) I tried to get this finished yesterday and it wouldn't end right so I slept on it. Thank yous as always to my lovely reviewer Pixielou and my Guest reviewer!

Please review and tell me how you liked David and Nina's first meeting!

Truly,

Joker is Poker with a J~