(Author's Note: Well, this is pretty much a bunch of fluff, but I saw Newsies today with my family, and so I just needed to write this. I am never taking off my Newsies shirt.

Standard disclaimers apply. I own nothing but my own imagination.)

It was late, it was snowing, and Jack Kelly was on her fire escape. Katherine stepped away from her typewriter, and cocked her head slightly, both a bit alarmed, and perplexed. He gave her a crooked smile, as if asking to be let it, and of course, she relented, lifting the window. Jack climbed through, shook a few flakes of snow from his hair, and stood awkwardly in the middle of the room.

"Jack Kelly," she sighed, "what the hell were you doing on my fire escape, at 11 o'clock at night?" She wasn't angry, in fact, she was rather pleased to see him there-probably more than she should be-but she was curious.

"I'm sorry Ace, I just, well I-" he ran his hands through his hair and let out a deep breath "-I just needed to not be in charge for once, you know? I love my boys; I do, but tonight... I needed to not have to play big brother to everyone, just for a little bit, and uh, I thought of you." Katherine blushed ever so slightly; she liked that his first reaction was to come to her, more than she wanted to admit.

"Well, don't be sorry. You're always welcome here," she cooed, and instead of the mumbled and slightly sheepish 'thank you' she was expecting, he pressed his lips firmly against hers. She uttered a soft, surprised, "oh" before reciprocating, working her fingers gently through his messy hair, his newsboy cap falling to the floor. He pulled her closer so she was flat against him, the heat from his hands on her waist sinking through her blouse. Her back was against the wall, keeping her pinned to that spot until, as quickly as he had flown at her, Jack backed away, amending rapidly,

"I-I'm sorry, I just, well I did need to get away from the lodging house, but I also just needed you right now." Katherine walked with him; not letting him put too much distance between them.

"Jack, it's okay, stop apologizing. I understand. Really, I do." She smirked, and added, "Besides, I don't think I'll ever complain if you're kissing me." This statement put a smile back on Jack's face. She loved his smile-his real smile. It wasn't the self-assured grin he wore when he was flirting with her, or teasing one of the boys, it was the look he got when he was truly happy. She threw her arms around his neck and hugged him tightly, letting him lift her off the ground a fraction of an inch.

When she was back on the ground again, she remembered the article she had abandoned at her desk. "Jack, I-" she started, planning to tell him that she needed to get some work done, but he was welcome to stay. Then she saw the look in his eyes. It was a look that said, "I need you." Somehow seeing it on his face was different than hearing him say it, although she didn't know why. So for once, she left her work untouched.

"I... I'm really glad you came here," she finished, running her fingertips up his arms and quickly kissing the corner of his mouth. "Now, what's going on with the boys?" This had obviously been the right thing to ask, because the words began to tumble from Jack's mouth without a moment of hesitation. She sat on her little couch and listened intently as he went on about Les and Davey going back to school, and Specs's newfound anxiety about the future, and some girl that Race was pestering, and Crutchie's leg getting worse in the wintertime; he talked for over an hour, sometimes sitting next to her, so close that she hardly had room to breathe, other times leaping up and pacing around the room like a madman.

Katherine realized just how much this must have been weighing on him. He carried the weight of each and every one of those boy's troubles on his shoulders, and he never complained, never asked for help. When he was finished, he curled up tightly against her, his fingers pressing into her ribs, and the sound of his heavy breathing filling the apartment.

Katherine didn't know what to say, what could she say? She wanted to fix everything, to think of just the right thing to make him feel better. She was so good with words on paper, why was it so hard to find the right words then? So finally, she just gave up, knowing that he would understand what she was trying to say, even if she couldn't say it. Jack was good at that. He had his face buried in her neck, kissing her gently and she just sat and stroked his tangled mess of hair.

So maybe she couldn't make everything better. Maybe she couldn't fix it all for him, but she could stay here with him. She could be his support when he needed her. She could love him.

And maybe that would be enough.

(So what did you think? Was it okay? I wasn't too sure about this one, so I hope you all liked it. Please please PLEASE review! I would love any ideas or prompts you guys can think of, and if there's anything I need to fix, let me know. Thanks!

Much love,
PrettyLittleMonster Xxx)