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Jack heard talking as he stormed up the fire escape to his ‘penthouse’. He climbed the ladder to find Race and Katherine looking through his drawings talking. They both looked up when they heard him then Race just exploded storming up to Jack, grabbing his waistcoat, and shouting in his face.
“‘Ow could ya do tha’ ta us Jack?! Ta me! We’s yer family! ‘Ow could ya turn on us?! Afta everythin’ we’d been through togetha! Is Santa Fe really more impor’an’ than us?! Than me?!”
“He threatened you Anthony! He threatened the fellas! I couldn’ let yous be taken there again!”
Jack shouted right back making Race freeze as the words sunk in. Race’s face fell and he let his forehead drop onto Jack’s chest, his grip of Jack’s waistcoat relaxing.
“I’s don’ understand Jackie. Why’d yous do it?”
He mumbled as Jack gently wrapped him in his arms. Katherine watched on confused at the tenderness between the two boys until Jack spoke, his face buried in Race’s hair.
“He threatened ta send y’all ta the refuge angel. Yous know I’s’d do anythin’ ta makes sure the fellas don’ end up in there. An’ I’s don’ know what I’d do if yous was back in there ‘cause of me. Especially afta las’ time.”
Race let out a small whimper wrapping his arms tight around Jack’s chest gripping to his back causing Jack to hold him a little tighter. Katherine was just stood watching this all unfold. It suddenly clicked in her mind everything that was going on. She looked down at the drawing in her hand. The refuge. Three boys to a bed, rats everywhere. The one beneath was a drawing of someone curled up on a bunk. As she looked closer it was clearly Race; pale, thin, and scraggly. He looked dead. She glanced down at the drawings Race had discarded on the floor when Jack had come up. Minutes ago he was smiling fondly at them. They all showed a smiling, happy, peaceful Race. His features were so detailed and accurate Jack must have drawn him hundreds of times. The flirting and romancing women was a cover up. Everything about these boys finally made sense.
“These drawings. These are drawings of the refuge aren’t they. Is this really what it’s like in there? Three boys to a bed rats everywhere and vermin.”
Katherine finally said causing the boys to jump apart. Amongst the rush of emotions and fear they’d completely forgotten she was there. Jack’s eyes glazed over with anger when he finally noticed her, storming over and snatching the drawings from her rolling them up.
“What a little differen’ from where you were raised.”
Race watched confused at Jack’s sudden anger. It wasn’t uncommon for his temper to change like the wind but he’d only ever let himself get frustrated. He refused to be violent or shout around the boys. Race went over to him without hesitation putting his hands on Jack’s upper arms looking between the two.
“Wha’s I’s missin’?”
He had to jump out of the way slightly as Jack swiftly turned on his heel and glared daggers at Katherine practically shouting.
“Her father’s Pulitzer!”
Race’s mood almost switched as quickly as Jack’s, he wasn’t as close to shouting as him but he was almost there.
“What?! So yer the one tha’ double crossed us ta yer father!”
“My father has eyes on every corner of this city! He doesn’t need me spying for him!”
They were all shouting at this point. Jack and Race on one side and Katherine on the other. After a few moments Katherine calmed herself down and explained herself.
“I told that I worked for The Sun and I did. I told you my professional name was Plumber and it is. You never asked my real one. I’ve never told my father anything of any importance. I’ve only ever tried to help you boys.”
The three fell into silence all getting lost in their own thoughts. Jack’s arm had found its way around Race’s waist pulling him into his arms. It was clear to Katherine what the boys were thinking about by the way they curled into each other and held each other tighter. She had gathered from what she’d heard that they’d both been to the refuge and after what she saw in those drawings she didn’t blame them. After a while she heard Race whisper to Jack.
“So ya didn’ cave fer the money?”
Jack sighed and kissed Race’s forehead before dropping his head and running his had through his hair looking defeated.
“No. I spoke the truth. You win a figh’ when you got the other fella down eatin’ pavemen’. I don’t know what else we can do.”
Katherine perked up remembering the piece of paper in her pocket and her eyes drifted back to the drawings of the refuge.
“Ah but I do.”
Both boys jumped out of each other’s embrace once again remembering she was still there and stood awkwardly side by side. They both looked terrified but Katherine would guess it was more for each other than themselves. If anyone else had caught them in such an intimate moment they would be dragged straight to jail.
“It’s alright. You don’t choose who you love. You boys deserve to be happy.”
Katherine gave them a smile as they relaxed, Jack’s arm sneaking back around Race’s waist. She stepped forward with a grin reaching into her pocket.
“Anyway I have an idea.”
“Come on.”
She heard Jack groan which earned him a hard unimpressed stare from Katherine.
“Really Jack. Really. Only you can have a good idea.”
Jack started fumbling out an argument and an excuse until she told him to shut up earning a small laugh out of Race as Jack shut his mouth.
“Being boss doesn’t mean you have all the answers just the brains to recognise the right one when you hear it.”
With that Katherine pulled a small folded piece of paper from her pocket with a grin. Jack huffed giving her an annoyed look.
“I’m listenin’.”
“Oh. Good for you.”
Katherine teased earning another laugh from Race. She started unfolding the paper as she continued.
“The strike was your idea, the rally was Davey’s and now my plan will take us to the finish line. Deal with it.”
She held the unfolded paper in front of Jack’s face and he snatched it from her starting to read it. Race leaned against Jack reading the title out loud.
“The Children’s Crusade.”
As the two read the paper Katherine read it aloud as if from memory. Race recognised it from the other day when Jack was trying to convince the other newsies to join them. Once they finished reading Katherine started her explanation.
“With those words the strike stopped being just about the newsies. You challenged our whole generation to stand up and demand a place at the table. Think about it. If we publish this. My words with one of Jack’s drawings.”
Her face lit up as the idea started to form in her head. Race caught on and perked up beside Jack a smile on his face.
“An’ if eve’y worker unda twen’y one read it stayed ‘ome from work.”
“Or better yet. They came to Newsies Square. A general city wide strike. Even my father couldn’t ignore that.”
The two bounced ideas off each other excitedly formulating the plan between them. Jack watched them the plan piecing together in his own head until.
“We got one small problem. Got nowhere ta prin’ it.”
“Oh come on. There has to be one printing press he doesn’t control.”
Katherine groaned as the three racked their brains for ideas. That’s when the night before came back to Jack. The old printing press in the cellar he had slept on.
“Oh no. Oh. I know where there’s a printin’ press no one would ever think we use.”
Jack grinned letting out a slight laugh. Katherine rushed to the ladder starting to climb down eagerly.
“Then why are we still standing here.”
The two boys laughed a little at her eagerness but stayed in the ‘penthouse’ for a few moments longer. Jack pulled Race properly into his arms letting Race bury his face in his neck as they just held each other.
“I’s sorry I ever doub’ed ya Jackie.”
Race mumbled lifting his head and looking at Jack. Jack just smiled and kissed him passionately pulling Race into him as much as he possibly could.
“Is alrigh’ angel. Jus’ know nothin’ ain’t ever more impor’an’ than you.”
Jack practically whispered when they pulled away for air. A huge smile spread across Race’s face at his words and he pulled Jack into another kiss softer and gentler than the first. Except this one was quickly interrupted by Katherine shouting at them.
“Come on boys.”
“Ugh. We’s comin’.”
Jack called back with a huff giving Race one last chased kiss before climbing down the ladder and joining Katherine to tell the boys. Race hung back for a minute and tidied up the rest of the discarded drawings briefly admiring each one before he put it away then went to join the other two.