It had been 4 agonizing weeks since the whole ordeal. Jack was almost entirely healed up, although that was merely his physical wounds. Emotionally, he was worse than he'd ever been.
After he regained his sense, his first thought was wondering where Katherine was. When Crutchie explained when happened, Jack, putting it simply, felt completely heartbroken.
Katherine, the love of his life, the girl he nearly died for to protect, slipped through his fingers. What was he going to do now? He couldn't just sit there and watch as his beloved was being sent overseas.
He really didn't have much of a choice in the matter; Davey, Crutchie, and all of the other boys took turns keeping an eye on Jack so that he could get better and not do something irrational and stupid.
He hated feeling this useless; they wouldn't even let him sit on a set of stairs and attempt to sell papes on his own at first. All they allowed him to do was stay at the lodge house to draw, read, or rest during the day.
Slowly his strength began returning and they let him do things on his own once more. They still wouldn't leave him by himself. The first chance he got, he would be out the door (or window), down the street, and at Katherine's house before they could bat an eye.
The same could be said for Katherine, which is why she was constantly guarded.
Her father had stationed Morris and Oscar outside her window where the fire escape was, so no chance for a get away there. He also had other men right outside their front door, ensuring her solitude from the outside world.
Her only visitors were Alice and Joey. They often came with news of the boys and how Jack was recovering. She thanked God for her unintentionally prolonged stay at home, even though it was because her aunt had been ill for a short time. Now she was on her way to health, which meant that soon Katherine would be put on a boat for England.
Ever since the day her father forced her to come home, she hasn't slept one bit. Her mind played the events over and over like a constant movie.
When she did rarely sleep, she was tormented by horrendous nightmares. Some involve her being made to marry a pompous, rich jerk and moving to Europe; others include Jack dying before her eyes or in her arms.
Either way, she's wake up screaming in a cold sweat with tears streaming down her face. And every time, like clockwork, her mother would rush into the room, robe pulled over her shoulders, and be there to comfort her daughter.
Cecilia had done everything she could to derail Joseph's plans, but nothing worked. Their options seemed bleak, he appeared to have won the game. He still went about his daily routine as if there was nothing wrong. Everything was going his way. And with less than two weeks till Katherine's departure, he decided to relax his grip...slightly.
One morning he called her downstairs to his office. When she entered, he hardly noticed her tired and worn expression, not even the bags under her eyes or the discoloration in her cheeks gave him pause. He was mostly focused on the paper in front of him.
"Ah, my dear. Good to see you this morning." He greeted, but was met with silence. "Since you are leaving soon, I've made arrangements for you and Joshua to meet with Darcy, Bill, and Alice this afternoon for lunch. Joshua should be arriving in about," Joseph stopped to look at his pocket watch. "One hour. That should give you plenty of time to freshen up." He finished without so much as glancing at her twice throughout his one-sided conversation.
Katherine's face had remained stone cold the entire time, but once she made it back to her room, she shouted for joy. She was free for the day! She can escape for at least a little while.
Composing herself, she quickly rummaged through her closet and fished out a white blouse and a red skirt that flared out at the bottom. She pulled her hair back and tied it with a red ribbon and slipped on a pair of brown boots after she put on her outfit. Moving to her vanity, she began applying a thin layer of makeup, just enough to hide the fact that she's had many a sleepless night.
Finishing with that she walked over to examine herself in her full length mirror. Perfect- or, almost. She suddenly remembered to add a finale item.
Rushing to her nightstand, she picked up the golden necklace and placed it around her neck. Her hand reached the golden heart shaped locket that hung down the middle, her thumb carefully traced over the engraved words, "My Ace."
This small trinket was her most valuable possession - aside from her typewriter - and hadn't left her side once in those long weeks. It was her only anchor to the world, a last string of thread for her to cling to. She still had hope.
Katherine's thoughts were interrupted by the doorbell ringing, snapping her back to reality. Knowing who it was, she did a last glance over herself before heading downstairs.
She was happily greeted with a friendly smile and a head bow from Joey. Taking her by the arm, they strode out of the door and didn't look back.
On their walk, they talked of many things, but the conversation kept going back to how Jack and the other Newsies were doing since the ordeal.
After what felt like hours, they arrived at the restaurant where they'd meet Katherine's friends. Stepping inside, they were immediately shown to a table with two boys and one girl already seated.
Once "Hellos" were exchanged, Alice and Joey began filling Darcy and Bill in on the details of what had been happening. Katherine mostly stayed out of the conversation, popping in here and there to correct a fact or something that was said. When they finished, the two boys looked at Katherine with shock and pity.
"Kath, I can't believe you had to go through that." Darcy spoke first.
Bill followed suit. "We're so sorry we weren't there for you, you're like a sister to me." Darcy seconded that.
"Thank you both, but there's nothing you could have done. Maybe Jack and I are just bound to be kept apart." Katherine conceded.
Alice, who sat across from her, reached a hand over the table and grabbed her friend's.
"Kat you can't say that! You have to believe that we will win!" She said while giving Katherine's hand a reassuring squeeze.
The remainder of the meal was spent talking about anything and everything other than Jack and Katherine's predicament, which was greatly appreciated by the latter.
When they finished up, they began to say their goodbyes, and Katherine and Joey started their trek back to the Pulitzer mansion.
They had about 5 blocks to go when Joey noticed someone following a little too close behind them. He discreetly whispered his discovery to Katherine and thought it best that they try to lose their tail.
Unbeknownst to them, three Newsies were selling papers on the opposite side of the street.
"Extra! Extra! Serial killer loose in Buffalo!" Romeo yelled.
A man walking passed quickly bought a newspaper before returning to his route.
"I wish there was an actual killer in Buffalo, and not just someone killing birds." He whispered to his friends.
"That would be great! Then I wouldn't have to lie for once!" Les replied almost too loudly.
Davey rolled his eyes and continued to hawk his own headlines. His eyes were scanning both sides of the street, hoping to find more customers. He glimpsed a couple walking by on the other side and quickly looked back at them to reassure his mind that it was who he thought it was. Sure enough, it was Joey and Katherine.
Davey stopped in his tracks and so did the two younger boys, who stared at him like he was crazy.
"Uh... Davey? You okay?" Romeo asked, giving his arm a poke.
"Look who it is." Was his only reply. Les and Romeo looked at each other and shrugged before following his gaze. Their jaws dropped at the sight of Katherine.
"Kath-" Les started as he tried to run across the street to her.
Thankfully Davey caught him before he could, but his cry was enough to draw attention from the girl in question. Glancing around, she was able to spot the source and almost stopped walking herself. She sent a subtle wave towards the Newsies and continued on their attempt to avoid their follower.
The Newsies watched as Katherine and Joey ducked into an alleyway while a man with tattered clothes, a dirty face, and an old hat go into the same alley.
They heard what sounded like a scream from Katherine and they immediately tried to cross the road, but they were cut off by a carriage skidding to a halt in front of them.
Some people got in using the other side door and it began to drive away. Before it got too far, they were able to see someone's face in the window, calling for help. It was Katherine.
"No..." Davey muttered, hoping he didn't just witness what he thought he did. He looked at Romeo, who seemed to be hoping the same thing. Les just appeared confused.
"What was that? What happened?" He inquired impatiently. Davey couldn't find the heart to tell him right away, so he thought it best to wait.
"I'll tell you back at the lodge house." He said quickly before the three of them dashed to lodge house.
Good thing they weren't too far, because they made it back just as other Newsies were returning from a day's work. The trio hurried inside and ignored the chatter coming from the others, going straight to where they knew Jack would be.
When they got to the bunk beds, Davey noticed an unmistakable head of blonde curls sitting on one of the beds. He walked around and was greeted with a smile from Alice.
"Hi Davey! I was just looking for you! I was wondering if-"
"I'm sorry. I'd love to talk, but right now I have to find Jack. It's about Katherine." He said urgently.
Alice saw the fear in his eyes and pointed to the window with the fire escape. He quickly thanked her and practically jumped out the window.
Climbing up the ladder faster then he ever has, he found Jack sitting against the railing with a piece of paper and a pencil in his hands.
"Jack?" Davey called to him.
His head shot up from his paper and focused on his friend. "Hiya Dave, what's new?" He asked with his best attempt at a smile.
"Jack, there's something I have to tell you. It's about Katherine." Davey said solemnly.
Now Jack's attention was even more interested. He set down the paper and pencil and used the railing to help him stand.
Once he finally was, he walked over to Davey and saw the shocked and scared expression he wore.
"Davey, what happened?"
"Joey and Katherine were kidnapped."
(A.N. Heeeelllllloooooo!!!!!!! I'm so sorry for not updating for a few months. I had lost interest and I was just soooooo busy. But I finally got it done! This chapter, however, does start the final faze of my story. I may have 2-4 more chapters before the epilogue. So keep a look out for updates soon! As always, please comment and vote!
Peace out!)