Disclaimer: This is a non-commercial work of fanfiction. Anything recognizable from Newsies belongs to Disney and not to me.
Chapter 28: Unexpected Surprises
Katherine blew lightly on the freshly-addressed envelope, drying the ink of her neat, flowing script before adding the paper wrapper to the pile sitting on top of her desk. She must have superscribed at least fifty envelopes already, but she needed to pick up the pace if she wanted to make it to the post office before it closed that afternoon.
Her supervisors at The Sun had reluctantly given her a list of menial office jobs to complete at Katherine's instance that she would rather be making herself useful than twiddling her thumbs in front of a typewriter that she was banned from touching. They had already done her a kindness by not firing her outright when her father's edict had come through, prohibiting any newspaper in town from employing her as a reporter, and Katherine was thankful for that. In quietly allowing her to remain on the payroll and to keep her desk on the third floor while simultaneously telling her that she would not be covering any more stories until further notice, The Sun had upheld Joseph Pulitzer's command while silently neglecting to carry out its full implications. Katherine wasn't sure why they had done her that courtesy. Perhaps she wasn't the only one who held on to a lingering hope that her father would change his mind once the strike resolved - after all, there was no telling what he might do. But in the meantime, she would show her gratitude to those who had shown her mercy by demonstrating that she wasn't above doing something for them in return, even if it was the kind of work normally done by the lowliest of clerks and not a reporter, even one who had fallen from grace.
So Katherine set about her work with the best of intentions...but to say that she was bored out of her mind would have been an understatement. Addressing the mail was, sadly enough, one of the more interesting tasks that she'd undertaken since her unofficial demotion, and she longed to be outdoors, observing the world, asking questions, and chasing down stories.
She hadn't heard anything more from the newsies about their plans for the rally, but true to her word, she'd tried to keep her eyes and ears open to see if there was anything being whispered about what the newspaper owners planned to do in opposition to the continuing strike. So far, she'd come across nothing particularly useful, but it had only been one day - she would keep watching.
Hurriedly, Katherine finished addressing the rest of the envelopes, then carefully put them into a bag before gathering up her things. Bidding her coworkers farewell, she made her way down the stairs, across the lobby, and out onto the street, squinting a bit as the intensity of the bright afternoon sun hit her face and adjusting the bag of envelopes on her shoulder as she checked to make sure that the letters hadn't been jostled too much from her brief jaunt down the stairs.
She was so engrossed in her task and was walking so quickly that she nearly ran into Davey Jacobs, who called out her name just in time to prevent Katherine from bowling him over.
"Well, that was a close shave!" Katherine exclaimed as she stopped short, laughing a little in surprise. "What are you doing here, Davey? Is anything wrong?" He looked slightly concerned, but that could have been because he had just narrowly escaped being run over by a preoccupied ex-reporter.
"No, nothing's wrong," he said quickly. "Sorry, I just - I wanted to let you know that we have a day and a location for the rally now - Saturday night at Irving Hall. You're not obligated to attend, of course, but if you'd like to be there, I know all of us - Jack especially - would be happy if you came." He said the last part with a hint of a smirk, and if Katherine had known him better, she would have called him out for teasing right then and there. But the brief display of humor disappeared as quickly as it had come.
"Speaking of Jack, I have a note for you," Davey said, all seriousness again. He pulled a piece of paper from his pocket and held it out to Katherine. "He would have delivered it himself, but he got caught up in a project at the theater."
"Thank you," Katherine said, feeling a little surge of excitement as she took the paper and tucked it carefully away. It was probably just the details of where she and Jack would be meeting for their upcoming date, but she secretly hoped that he'd included a personal note as well, though maybe that was too much to hope for.
"You look like you're on your way somewhere," Davey observed, eyeing the large bag of envelopes.
"To the post office," Katherine answered. "Though I have to stop at the tailor's on my way there."
"Would you like some help?" Davey asked politely. "I'm headed in the same direction." He held out his hands for the bag, which Katherine gratefully relinquished. It wasn't all that heavy, but once she picked up her clothes at the tailor's, her hands would be full, so she was grateful for the unexpected assistance.
They started down the street, Katherine cordially trying to engage in a bit of small talk and Davey rising to the occasion, though it was clear after several moments that he wasn't predisposed to chitchat. His answers to her casual questions were obliging, but she sensed that there were a million other thoughts running through his head, and she could easily see why Jack considered Davey the brains of the strike. He seemed to be so analytical and focused, and Katherine privately wondered if there was anything that could draw him out of his inner concentration.
He and the charismatic, spirited Jack certainly made for an unexpected team...but there was probably some good in the fact that they were so different from each other.
Despite the slight conversational imbalance, the walk to the tailor's passed by pleasantly enough. Katherine, by mere chance, happened to ask about Davey's life before he became a newsboy, and, after he'd given her a brief synopsis of the circumstances that had landed him in the headline hawking profession, a rather lively discussion had ensued on the subject of books, as Davey had made an offhand comment about missing his reading time now that he was no longer in school, and Katherine, being a rather avid reader herself, had eagerly seized upon the one topic that seemed to have sparked his interest. It turned out that they enjoyed many of the same authors (Davey, she noted, was surprisingly well-read given his family's social status), and while the conversation was still rather cerebral in nature, at least she'd managed to get him to open up just a little.
They arrived at the tailor's, and Katherine, quickly checking her watch, noted with satisfaction that they still had plenty of time to make it to the post office before it closed. She pushed the door of the shop open, and Davey followed her in as the merry tinkling of a bell overhead signaled their arrival. At the sound, a pretty brunette with a warm smile came out from behind the curtain of the shop's back room to greet them.
"Good afternoon, Sadie!" Katherine said cheerfully, walking up to the counter. She glanced over her shoulder and saw, to her surprise, that Davey had stopped in his tracks and was staring at the tailor's assistant with an astonished look on his face.
"You work here?" he asked, sounding incredulous.
"You know each other?" Katherine added, her eyes darting between them.
Sadie laughed. "This is an afternoon for unexpected meetings! What a pleasure to have a visit from you both." She smiled at Katherine. "You probably wouldn't expect this, but Davey and I are actually classmates and neighbors as well. In fact, when we first met, he quite heroically saved me from a terrible fall, and I promptly showed my gratitude by dousing his favorite shirt in a can of paint!" She gave the aforementioned boy a wink. "But despite all that, he manages to tolerate me somehow, though I truly can't imagine why."
Katherine peered curiously at Davey and saw, to her surprise, that he looked a bit embarrassed.
"Chivalry is not a quality I would have pinned on you," she remarked drolly. He seemed so pragmatic and focused, and it amused her to think that perhaps he had another side of him that wasn't quite so business-like. "But now that I think about it," Katherine added musingly, "I suppose I could see it fitting."
His embarrassment noticeably deepened. "That's - I'm not - I mean, that's not what really…" he trailed off, glancing at Sadie.
"I think he may be just a bit too chivalrous to contradict my version of the story," the girl observed to Katherine.
"Yes, I think you're right," Katherine played along. "It proves my point, doesn't it?"
"Indeed," Sadie nodded.
The two of them shared a conspiratorial smile, and Katherine stole another glance at the outnumbered Davey who had fallen silent after his failed attempt to clarify the situation and now appeared to be rather flustered.
So it was possible to pull him out of his head every once in a while! Katherine wasn't sure if it was the absurdity of Sadie's story, the unexpected (if slightly joking) compliment, or the saucy wink that had thrown him off balance, but whatever it was had been considerably effective, and Katherine was willing to bet that this wasn't the first time Sadie had rendered her neighbor a bit tongue-tied.
"Well," the tailor's assistant broke in brightly, "since the subject of Davey's valiant nature has been agreed upon, I suppose we should attend to business." She placed a paper-wrapped package on the counter. "Here's your shirtwaist," she said to Katherine. "We hemmed the sleeves like you asked and replaced the button that was missing."
"Excellent," Katherine said, receiving the package. "I'll be back next week for the rest and will pay for everything then."
Sadie nodded. "Of course. We'll have it all ready for you." She smiled, adding warmly, "Thank you, Miss Pulitzer. We're always so grateful for your patronage."
Katherine froze, and almost simultaneously she saw Davey glance at her sharply. Silently, the former reporter berated herself for not having the foresight to anticipate that bringing one of the newsboys along on a personal errand could lead to trouble.
She certainly was going to be in a lot of it soon.
"Is something wrong?" Sadie asked hesitantly, clearly confused but astute enough to realize that there had been a perceptible shift in the room.
"No," Katherine answered, forcing a smile. "Not at all." She nodded to the girl. "Until next week, then."
"I'll see you around, Sadie," Davey added, noticeably disconcerted though his tone was light.
The girl bid them good afternoon, and without another word, they exited the shop.
As soon as the door closed behind them and they began making their way down the street, Davey shot a glance at Katherine.
"Pulitzer?" he asked quietly. "That's not the name that ran in the article for the Sun." His voice was calm and controlled, but there was a frigidness in it that Katherine had never heard before.
"Plumber is my byline," she admitted. There was no reason to beat around the bush; the truth was out.
"So you were misleading us?" Davey questioned. "All this time?" When Katherine didn't answer, he shook his head in disbelief. "I don't get it. What's your angle, Katherine?"
"There is no angle, Davey!" she exclaimed, stopping to look at him intently. "Yes, I'm Joseph Pulitzer's daughter! Yes, I'm a heiress, and yes my father's connections in the newspaper world have followed me throughout my entire career. But I don't work for my father, and I certainly haven't been championing anything other than the newsboys' cause!"
Davey rubbed the back of his neck, clearly uncomfortable. "I just - I don't understand," he said. "Why didn't you tell us? Especially knowing who we were going up against?"
"Would you have given me a chance to run with your story if I had?" Katherine shot back. "You were all ready to write me off as it was! If you had known I was Pulitzer's daughter, wouldn't that have made you even more quick to dismiss me?"
Davey didn't answer.
"Look," Katherine began, attempting to sound a bit less defensive, "I understand if this is a shock, and even if you feel like I've betrayed you somehow. But I promise you, I have no loyalty to my father when it comes to the newsboy strike. I'm with you one hundred percent. You have my article to prove it - I wouldn't have written it if I didn't believe in the cause."
Davey nodded, tacitly acknowledging the truth in her statement but still looking conflicted.
"If that's not enough to convince you," Katherine continued, softening her voice even further, "think of everything I've lost. My connection with my father is precisely what has made this situation so risky for me. He's blacklisted me from every newspaper in town, Davey! They've kept me on at The Sun, but all I'm allowed to do is receive manuscripts and address the mail." She motioned to the bag of envelopes slung over his shoulder. "Do you think I'd be out running errands like this if I was still a reporter with a story to chase?"
Davey sighed. "No," he answered, finally finding his voice. "You wouldn't." He pinched the bridge of his nose. "Sorry, I -" Katherine waited as he struggled to gather his thoughts. "It's just a lot to take in." He gave her a searching look, a multitude of questions clearly on his mind, but only one of them coming to the forefront.
"Does Jack know?"
Katherine shook her head. "He doesn't."
"You should tell him," Davey immediately replied. "He deserves to know."
The thought of having to reveal her identity to the newsie leader was daunting, but she knew that Davey was right.
"I'll tell him soon," she promised, trying to sound as agreeable as possible. She had no intention of breaking the news to Jack until after the rally - he had enough on his mind already and knowing about her connection to Pulitzer would only complicate things - but Davey didn't need to know that.
As if sensing her evasiveness, the newsie in question held her gaze for just a moment longer, but thankfully he didn't press her any further. "I think telling him soon is a good idea," was all he said before looking away. "He needs to hear it from you."
"And he will," Katherine assured him, secretly relieved that Davey seemed to have no inclination to run off and share the startling revelation with Jack himself. She was still in a tenuous position, but it certainly wasn't as bad as it could be. If she could count on Davey's silence, she would have a bit more time to figure out how exactly she was going to broach the subject with Jack.
Suddenly remembering that she had an errand to complete, Katherine began walking again, and after a brief moment of hesitation, Davey followed her.
"So," Katherine said shrewdly, "I'd imagine we both wouldn't mind a change of subject." She gave him a curious look. "Care to tell me what really happened with regards to Sadie and the paint?"
To her satisfaction, the sudden shift in conversation had its desired effect.
"Oh...well, I guess it really wasn't all that different from how it sounded," Davey admitted. "Except for the heroic part. I didn't really save Sadie. I mostly lectured her about being unsafe."
Katherine hid a smile. That sounded about right. "But she did spill paint on your favorite shirt?"
"She did," Davey confirmed, "but she neglected to add that she replaced the shirt and that the entire thing was an accident. If anything, it was my fault for startling her."
"Well, it didn't sound like she blamed you at all," Katherine observed. "She's always struck me as a kind-hearted girl."
"She is a kind-hearted girl," Davey agreed in a tone slightly more fervent than mere concurrence called for. He paused for a moment before adding, "I really don't understand her sometimes."
Katherine was intrigued by his disclosure. "What do you mean?"
Davey hesitated. "Sorry," he said abruptly, shaking his head. "I actually don't know what I meant by that." He gave Katherine a forced smile. "Sadie just surprises me a lot. That's all."
It was a clear signal that he was unwilling to discuss the subject further. If they had been better friends, Katherine probably would have taken the liberty to pry (she'd made her living, until most recently, by sniffing out stories, so she knew how to get even the most reluctant subject to divulge more than they intended to), but she didn't want to undo what little progress she'd made in gaining Davey's trust, and she certainly needed his goodwill at this point since she was counting on him to keep her secret.
There was, however, more than one way to skin a cat.
"Are you acquainted at all with Sadie's family?" Katherine asked, abandoning the direct approach in favor of a more circuitous route.
"A little," Davey answered, seeming to relax at the neutral question. "I've met her youngest sister, and her father - he's the landlord of the tenement where we live."
In spite of his reticence, he began to cautiously elaborate, and Katherine gradually prompted him to continue, slipping in a well-placed question whenever he seemed to hesitate or withdraw. By the time they arrived at the post office, Katherine knew about Sadie's other sisters, her penchant for climbing trees and burning baked goods, and her offer to tutor Davey while he was out of school due to his family's predicament. (She also thought that she had a fairly good idea of what it could be about Sadie that mystified Davey so much, but this was only conjecture on her part).
And so it was that Katherine Pulitzer found herself not entirely displeased with the afternoon's events as she bid farewell to Davey after they'd delivered the letters and parted ways. She had Jack's note in her handbag to read when she got home and their date on Saturday to look forward to. Her identity had been unexpectedly revealed, but there was no immediate danger of anyone else finding out, so things would blow over soon enough. She had been tiring of the menial tasks that she'd volunteered to undertake now that she was no longer a reporter, but at least she knew that she hadn't lost her touch for drawing people out...
...and if nothing else, she'd indubitably proved that books weren't the only subject that could get Davey Jacobs talking.
A/N: Katherine's secret identity is never really addressed in the musical outside of her confrontation with Jack, but I figure that the rest of the newsies must have found out about it at some point (because by the time we get to "Once and For All," no one's batting an eye at Katherine having the keys to Pulitzer's basement). You'll get to see the other newsies' reactions in an upcoming chapter, but I thought it would be interesting to have Davey be the one to get hit with the news first. Perhaps this is a bit of canon-bending, but it's not technically canon-contradicting, so… :)
