Disclaimer: This is a non-commercial work of fanfiction. Anything recognizable from Newsies belongs to Disney and not to me.


Chapter 120: Abundance Enough

The chime of the circulation bell sounded, and Les quickly gobbled down the last of the pastry that he'd been holding, brushing the flaky crumbs from his coat as he joined the queue of newsies lining up to purchase the day's papers.

It was bright and early on a Monday morning, and normally he'd be sitting at his desk in class, already bored senseless, but his parents, in an unexpected show of benevolence, had allowed him to take the day off to sell papers as a special treat for helping with the Becker tenement party. Les had been keeping up with his studies as well, and, though his marks hadn't risen above average, he'd been duly praised for his efforts before being given leave to return to the life of a newsboy for the day (with the understanding that he was not to put up a protest when it was time to go back to school the following morning).

Accordingly, Les had accompanied his older brother to the circulation gate, the latter bearing a bag full of pastries that had been left over from the party the day before. Sadie had insisted that they be taken to share with the rest of the boys, and the sight of the free food had incited a clamor of appreciative remarks which had only increased once David had begun passing out the baked goods and the newsies had sunk their teeth into them. Typical morning fare wasn't quite as appetizing as these unexpected delicacies, and David had looked like a satisfied mother hen as he'd made his way through the crowd of newsies meting out the donated confections.

After only a moment or two, however, Les was sure that his brother was starting to regret his role as the distributor of Sadie's well-intentioned altruism. The first few handouts were straightforward enough, but trouble began once the Newsies got wind of the fact that the girl who had dropped off soup at the lodging house in December was the same one who was responsible for the treats that morning.

"Geez, Davey, you got her regularly cookin' for you already? When's the wedding, huh?"

"Ooh! Can I come? Can I come? You's gonna invite all of us, right?"

"Hah, I don't think we'd better count on it, Romeo - just look at that sour face he's makin'!"

"I thought that was his normal face."

"Ah, true, you's right about that! But don't worry - I bet'cha married life unsours him real quick."

At first, David snarked back, futilely attempting to set the record straight and nip the teasing in the bud, but eventually he fell silent and simply finished his task, unable to defend himself against the relentless baiting. By the time he'd reached the end of the queue, his bag was empty, but his expression was thoroughly disgruntled.

Les didn't even bother trying to hide his amusement.

"You need to learn how to pick and choose your battles, David," he remarked as his brother got into line behind him. "You'd make things so much easier on yourself if you'd just admit to your little infatuation with Sadie already."

"Les, lower your voice!" David hissed, looking over his shoulder to make sure that no one was listening.

"What's so hard about it?" Les demanded, ignoring the frantic order. "It's not like you're confessing to a murder."

"We are not having this discussion here," David answered tersely. "We're supposed to be selling newspapers, not fooling around."

"No one's buying the story you're selling." Les turned away as the line of newsies began to inch forward. He didn't understand his brother's persistent stubbornness when it came to denying the truth, for in Les' mind, there was no reason to be uptight about something as normal as fancying a girl, but he supposed that David never liked to do things the easy way, so falling in love was probably no exception.

Turning his attention to far more interesting matters, Les perused the headline written on the chalkboard above the circulation gate.

Man Fleeing Arrest Makes Daring Leap from Brooklyn Bridge and Survives.

That didn't sound too hard to sell.

When it came time to pay for his papers, Les purchased his usual forty copies, tucking them into his bag and then waiting until his brother had procured his own allotment before looking over at David in question. They normally sold together if some alternate arrangement hadn't been made, but Les could tell that the older boy was not in the mood to have a partner that morning (and truth be told, Les would rather sell with someone else anyway), so he took matters into his own hands.

"Hey, Jack!" he called out, catching sight of the newsie leader leaning against the wall as he casually studied the headlines in the morning's paper. "Mind if I sell with you today?" Jack had missed the jocular teasing that had taken place earlier, as he'd been preoccupied with hounding Weasel about something.

Jack's face split into a grin, and he nodded affably. "Yeah, sure kid." He beckoned Les over. "I was thinkin' of headin' uptown this mornin', but if you can keep up, I'm happy to have ya." He shot a glance at Davey. "That all right with you, Dave?"

David nodded. "If you're sure, Jack." He took a step towards the street, seemingly eager to be on his way as he added a little stiffly, "Good luck selling. I'll see you both later." Then, sticking his hands in his pockets, he turned and walked away without another word.

"He's sure a chipper one this mornin'," Jack joked as he and Les started off in the opposite direction. "What's got him all flustered up?"

"The rest of the newsies were giving him a hard time about Sadie earlier, and he doesn't do well with teasing," Les remarked, unable to keep the note of condescension out of his voice.

Jack seemed to perk up at the name. "Sadie?" he echoed. "She this girl I've been hearin' about from Racer?"

"She's our landlord's daughter," Les disclosed. "Sadie Becker. David's been sweet on her for forever."

"Oh, is that so?" Jack's grin widened.

Les nodded. "Yup. He's always hanging around her and talking about how bright she is to anyone who'll listen."

"She a nice gal?"

"Uh huh. Real nice."

"Pretty too?"

"David thinks so. He likes her smile."

Jack chuckled. "I bet he does." He scratched his head, as though pondering something, and Les was about to change the subject, when Jack said casually, "so, you think he's gonna ask her to be his girl soon?"

Les considered the question for a moment, then shook his head. "I doubt it. He's hopeless when it comes to girls."

"So he's never tried to flirt with her or nothin'?"

Les snorted. "David? Flirt? You might as well ask him to fly!"

The candid remark earned a guffaw of laughter from the newsie leader.

"Like I said," Les continued, more than willing to entertain the topic if it amused Jack so much, "he's hopeless."

Jack shrugged. "Some gals ain't bothered by that kinda thing. There's plenty that're fine makin' the first move."

Les nodded knowingly. "Sally was like that - she told me straight up that she fancied me and wanted to be my girl. And several others in my class said the same."

"Oh yeah?" Jack clapped him on the back, smiling broadly. "You's a regular ladies' man! Maybe that kind of appeal runs in the family, and your brother'll get lucky too without havin' to say anything to this gal."

Les shook his head. "I doubt it," he opined. "I don't think she likes him that way at all."

"Aw, you's just sayin' that 'cause you's his little brother."

Les didn't contradict the brush off, but inwardly he stood by his assertion. It was highly unlikely that a girl as cheerful and fun as Sadie would want to be stuck with someone as boring and serious as David.

Jack must have seen the skepticism on Les' face, for he added, a bit more thoughtfully, "I s'pose it couldn't hurt to help that bummer out a little, though, 'specially if he don't have the nerve to put the words across himself. He ain't a bad guy, just a tad short on confidence."

Grinning, the newsie leader clapped Les on the back again. "Thanks for the information, kid! I'm gonna try and talk to Davey to see if I can help him out some."

"He needs all the help he can get," Les declared.

"Well, he gave me some good advice about Katherine a while back," Jack disclosed. "I'd just be returnin' the favor." Pulling a paper from his newsboy bag, he snapped open the morning edition. "But enough about that for now; we got a job to do, and these papes ain't gonna sell themselves!"


It had been a while since Jack had sold with Les for an entire day, and by the time the sun was beginning to set and they'd both moved the last of their papers, he was more than ready to hand the kid back over to Davey. Les had been on his best behavior, and Jack hadn't minded his company, but the near-constant attentiveness required to keep the younger boy on task and out of trouble was draining, and Jack had found his forbearance wearing thin as they'd trudged towards the circulation gate.

Thankfully, selling had been easy that day between a sensational headline and Les' boyish charm, so it wasn't a total loss. Jack hadn't admitted it to anyone yet, but he'd begun to have some trouble moving his papers - nothing too serious, but enough to bring to the forefront the sobering reality that his days as a newsboy were numbered. He hadn't chosen to dwell on it, but the thought had lingered in the back of his mind, and selling with Les had only been a reminder of the oft-quoted newsie adage and its implication: that younger sold more papes, and that Jack himself wasn't getting any younger.

The distribution center came into view, and Jack caught sight of Davey's familiar figure leaning against the wall outside of the circulation gate, his hands in his pockets. Noticing their approach, the taller boy walked over, looking significantly more composed than he had that morning.

"Thanks for selling with Les today, Jack," he greeted them.

"Yeah, no problem, Dave." Jack gave his friend a smile, inwardly relieved to be passing the baton of responsibility. "It weren't any trouble."

They chatted as they walked down the street, exchanging stories about their days, the customers that they'd run across, and the things that they'd seen. Les did most of the talking, but now that Davey was present, Jack could afford to let his mind wander, knowing that there was someone else to field the younger boy's comments and questions.

When they reached the Jacobs brothers' tenement, Jack said goodbye, then continued north a block or so to Hester Street. He was due to dine with Katherine that evening and would be heading to her apartment next, but first he wanted to make a stop at some of the food carts in the vicinity, first.

He'd learned only a few months into their whirlwind romance that his sweetheart had a weakness for fried oysters and that there was one particular vendor whom she insisted served them just right. Jack located the cart and purchased a bag of the crispy shellfish, then made several more stops, adding some sandwiches, dill pickles, and an assortment of small cakes to the potpourri. A single magenta-hued flower (whose name he could only guess at) from the florist's cart completed his acquisitions, and he set off in the direction of Katherine's apartment, his pockets lighter after his spending spree but his arms full with the makings of what he hoped would be a romantic - if simple - dinner for two.

The apartment was empty when he let himself inside, and he set the bags of food down on the table, walking over to the cupboards in the kitchenette area first to locate the crystal bud vase that Katherine kept stored behind her dishes. Placing the flower in the vase, Jack set it on the table, then went to work unpacking and arranging the food.

The time that he and Crutchie had spent at Katherine's apartment had made him familiar with the spacious, well-furnished abode, full of little odds and ends that he'd never seen prior to his stay, things that would be considered necessities to someone of Katherine's standing but seemed like fantastic luxuries to a boy who had spent a good part of his life in tenements and lodging houses with little more than the clothes on his back to his name. It made Jack wonder how much a place like the apartment cost, and if Katherine would be able to continue living there once her father cut off his financial support.

A bit of guilt slithered its way in. A heiress like Katherine shouldn't have to exchange her life of comfort and security for a far meaner kind of existence, and if Jack hadn't been a part of the picture, she likely would never have had to face that grim and unhappy reality…

But the fact was that she'd chosen him over a life of luxury. Chosen him time and time again, even as the stakes had gotten higher. And if there was one thing that Jack knew, it was that Katherine wasn't the type to change her mind or second-guess her decisions. She kept moving forward, fiery and determined, taking the hurdles and occasional stumbles in stride.

And the best - and only - thing he could do was simply hang on for the ride.

At least, that's what he'd been doing for the last several months since the strike. He'd followed Katherine's lead, content to let her move them forward, simply agreeing (albeit reluctantly at times) to her directions, but never taking the reins himself or even accepting an equal share of accountability regarding where their relationship was going. She'd only challenged him on it once, on their second date shortly after the strike where she'd asked him about the future and he'd balked at the thought of committing so soon, because his freedom - and the option of backing out of a situation if things got too hard - was too important at the time.

She hadn't brought up the subject again, and their quick-flaring romance had continued to grow, Katherine's dedication seemingly unquelled by Jack's unwillingness to match it, and Jack himself more than happy to enjoy her affections without concerning himself over the daunting prospect of the future…

But as the months had passed, that had slowly changed. And maybe it was because Katherine had been so selflessly sure about things, or because she'd given him the freedom to leave if he wanted, but Jack had found himself slowly more willing to lend a permanence to his words and to take the risk of committing to something that previously would have only incited feelings of suffocation and fear.

He didn't want to lose her. And he knew that if he didn't take steps to secure their relationship, eventually he might. She was giving up a life of comfort and security just to be with him, and he had to be willing to do the same for her, even if the comforts that he was relinquishing weren't the luxuries of a well-furnished apartment or a well-stocked bank account. His freedom, his right to answer to nothing and no-one, his dreams of living an untethered and unobligated life, none of that was as important to him anymore as Katherine.

And, he realized, he was now finally ready to give them up so that he could be with her, not just for a day, or a year, or a fleeting season of time...but forever. For as long as life gave them.

Setting out the last of the food, Jack took a seat at the table, propping his elbows up in front of him and resting his chin in his hands as he continued to think. Practically speaking, it would make sense to explore the possibility of combining their living situations soon; only paying one housing fee instead of two would cut down significantly on costs, and it would make things easier in other ways as well. He knew that Katherine had some savings that they could live off of for a time while he looked for a more stable job, so that would buy some time, but he would need to figure out a way to supplement the rather modest salary that she brought in from her job at The Sun.

The prospect of leaving behind the lodging house was poignant...but it was also inevitable. He couldn't stay a newsboy forever. And, ironically, now was probably a good time to think about transitioning out, for the boys had become used to his frequent absences due to his former job at The World, and Race and Crutchie were more than capable of continuing to lead them.

Race and Crutchie.

The thought of the two newsies made Jack grimace a little. The news of his impending departure would be difficult enough to break to the rest of the boys, but Race and Crutchie would be the two most strongly affected, and Jack was already dreading the conversations he knew he'd have to have with the both of them. Race had always made it clear that he didn't want to lead the newsies and that if Jack were to saddle him with that unwanted responsibility, there would be hell to pay. It was what had caused so much tension in their friendship after the strike, and while Race seemed to be significantly less hostile to the prospect now (for he'd never been able to fully return the role to Jack, anyway), there was no telling how he'd react once he knew that his formerly de facto position was likely going to be permanent.

Crutchie would be in another situation altogether, outwardly supportive but inwardly grieving, and Jack hated the thought of putting his friend through any more distress when he'd already been through so much. Of course, it wasn't as though they'd never see each other again, but it would be different when they weren't constantly in each other's lives, joking and jostling in the circulation line, occasionally selling together or passing each other on the streets, and always ending the day together on the rooftop where they'd converse or count the stars until they drifted off to sleep.

That change was coming, though, whether they liked it or not. Everyone at the lodging house knew that it was a cycle as predictable as the phases of the moon: newsies came and newsies went, some staying for years and others only for a few months. That was just the life they lived, transitory, seasonal, and impermanent, and most of them had learned this reality long before they'd come to live under the roof of Number Nine Duane Street. Jack wasn't the first leader who had aged out of the lodging house, and he would by no means be the last.

He was going to try to make the transition as painless as possible for his boys, though. And if all went according to plan, he and Katherine would still remain close by where they could drop in on the newsies from time to time to make sure they were doing all right. Maybe they could even host some gatherings at their place, birthdays and holidays and days just because, all of the newsies crammed into a tiny apartment, joking and laughing and eating together just like always, because that was what it meant to be a family.

Of course, there was still the minor detail of Katherine agreeing to the arrangement that Jack had in mind. And he knew that he needed to seek out some advice in that area, for as confident as he was in his ability to attract and woo a woman, he wasn't quite as sure about the formalities that came to asking said woman if she'd want to make things significantly more permanent.

Resolving to speak with Miss Medda the next time he was at the theater, Jack set the thought aside. He didn't have many people he could ask about these things (and a part of him was skeptical that the theater owner, for all of her past romantic dalliances, would actually have any particularly sound advice to offer), but he would make the most of the connections that he did have. And it was probably best to defer to a woman's advice in this particular case.

No sooner had he decided upon this, when the scrape of a key sounded at the door, and Katherine let herself in.

"Sorry I'm late, Jack," she apologized, sounding tired. "I had to stop by Lena's apartment on my way home, and it took longer than I was expecting." Catching sight of the dinner on the table, her face broke into a surprised smile.

"Jack, did you do all this?"

He grinned, pleased at her delighted expression. "I stopped by that food cart you liked and picked up a couple of other things while I was at it. Thought we could have a little romantic dinner even if we's tryin' to save money by not goin' out to eat so much."

Katherine leaned over to smell the flower in the bud vase, inhaling its scent appreciatively before she stepped around the table to kiss Jack on the cheek.

"You're wonderful," she murmured. "This is exactly what I needed after a completely demoralizing day."

"And I wanna hear all the details once we sit down to dinner," Jack promised. He knew that she liked to have a few minutes to wind down when she got home, and good-naturedly shooed her away so that she could take off her coat and settle in.

Katherine did as he suggested, moving about the apartment as she shed the accouterments of her day, and it was such a homey, domestic thing that Jack found his earlier thoughts resurfacing and his resolve to follow through on them only growing stronger. He wanted this to be his daily reality, these simple routines of life with this woman he loved. They wouldn't have everything (and maybe there would be seasons where they'd have almost nothing) but if they could be together and could have each other to come home to at the end of each day, that would be abundance enough.

Eventually, Katherine joined him at the table, and Jack set aside his thoughts once again as he tucked into dinner, happy to see that Katherine was pleased by the assortment of food.

"So, what was the most rotten thing 'bout today?" he asked as he crunched into a pickle. "You said you had to stop by Lena's - was that somethin' you was plannin' on doin'?"

Katherine shook her head. "No. I only took a detour there because I found out from Thom this afternoon that Lena is leaving New York. She's going to live with her family out west. They've been wanting her to join them there for years, and the only thing holding her in Manhattan was her job at The Sun, so now that that's gone, it's as good a time as any to relocate."

The explanation was given in a matter-of-fact tone, but there was an unhappiness underlying Katherine's voice as she added, "It's probably a wise move for her. She's going to have a hard time finding another job in the newspaper industry here with my father's meddling intrusion. At least in a new town she'll be able to start fresh."

"You gonna miss her?"

Katherine nodded. "So much," she admitted. "Lena helped me find my footing at The Sun when I got my position as a reporter. She was one of the few there who understood the frustrations of being a woman working in a man's world, and she taught me how to keep my head up without losing my temper. If it wasn't for her and Thom, I probably would have given someone a swollen eye by now."

Jack chuckled at the picture those words evoked, and Katherine smiled, not at all abashed, for if there was one thing that they shared, it was a passionate and occasionally quick-flaring temper that they both, at times, just barely kept under control.

"I know I'll adjust eventually," Katherine continued as her voice turned sober again, "but The Sun won't ever be the same without Lena. And it's sad to think I'll probably never see her again."

"This whole 'standin' up for what you believe in thing ain't been a walk in the park," Jack sighed. "And you's given up a lot more than you was probably plannin' to when you wrote that story for us about the strike."

"I wrote that story for myself, Jack," Katherine reminded him. "For myself, and for everyone else in New York who needed to hear it. And I'd do it again in a heartbeat."

"I know ya would," he answered fondly. "I just feel bad sometimes - you's havin' to give up everythin': your reporter job, your comfortable life and standin' in society, and now your friend...it ain't right, not when you's just tryin' to make things better."

"Well, like Lena said, we have to just keep moving forward," Katherine declared. She took a bite of her sandwich, and Jack helped himself to another fried oyster, and they ate in silence for a moment.

"You never told me about your day," Katherine spoke up. "How were the headlines?"

"Better than usual," Jack replied. "Sold with Les all day."

Katherine smiled. "I'm sure that kept things interesting."

Jack let out a laugh. "Yeah, you could say that! He's a good kid, but I dunno how Davey puts up with him day in and day out. A fella's gotta have the patience of a saint to not want to cuff that kid upside the head sometimes when he's gettin' real sassy."

"That's probably part of the reason why Davey looks so harried most of the time," Katherine observed.

"Yeah, you's probably right." Jack paused, thinking about the subject of his exchange with Les at the circulation gate earlier that morning and the words Race had spoken the week before during their conversation at Jacobi's. It was true that Davey often did look anxious and preoccupied, and given his family's situation and the burdens resting on his shoulders, that was to be expected, but if Race was right and Davey had recently found something to be happy about (the source of which seemed to be corroborated by Les' disclosures), Jack was willing to do his part to try to assist his friend in retaining that source of happiness. Davey had helped him out multiple times before, and it was only right to try to return the favor.

I gotta have a talk with that bummer.

"What are you looking so pensive about?" Katherine inquired curiously.

"Ah, nothin'," Jack grinned. "Guess you could say I'm doin' my own kind of investigatin', even if it ain't the reportin' kind."

"Well, maybe you should ask a former reporter about it," she suggested jokingly. "I might be able to help you get a lead."

Jack shook his head. "Nah, it's nothin' big, just some newsie business." With everything she had going on right now, she didn't need to be sidetracked by his tangential research, and in any case, there was no way she'd be able to tell him anything that he didn't already know about Davey or the mysterious Sadie Becker.

"Well, if you change your mind, let me know," Katherine offered. "I miss the thrill of sussing out stories."

"And you's gonna get your chance to get back to doin' just that," Jack reassured her. "Don't know when or how, but there ain't no way a girl as good with her pen as you is gonna be stuck sortin' mail and runnin' errands the rest of her life. You's meant to be a writer, and a writer is what you's gonna be. Your father ain't gonna be able to stop you forever."

Katherine's eyes shone at his exhortation, and he reached over to give her hand a squeeze. He knew that the words he'd spoken were far from a certain reality, but he wanted her to know that he believed in her, for she was the one who had given him something to believe those many months ago when she'd looked past the tarnished trappings of a scruffy street kid and had seen something more.

"I'm glad you thought of doing this, Jack," Katherine said softly, squeezing his hand in return. "I know we've gotten used to going out to eat, but it's nice to have a quiet evening at home, just the two of us. I was feeling discontent on my walk back just thinking about all of the things that we can't do now with our limited financial situation, but this - " she indicated the dinner, " - reminded me that as long as I have you, those things don't really matter. We'll figure out a way to make it work."

Smiling, she added, "I'd actually thought about asking you if you wanted to go see a show tonight just to get our mind off of things before remembering that we have to save our money, but now that I think about it, I'm pretty sure we can find plenty of other things to do together here that don't require spending a single dime."

The fond contentment in her voice made a happiness well up in Jack, and he grinned at her in return, pulling her hand closer and lacing his fingers through hers.

"I think I like the sound of that, Plummer."


A/N: Our two lovebirds have come quite a ways from "one day may be forever, but that's okay," haven't they? Thank you for continuing to follow along with their story and for reading this chapter. If you have a moment to leave a review with your reactions/remarks, I'd be very grateful to you.