A/N:
Hola mis amigos! How is everyone? I'm okay, surviving life as usual. Anyway, this was based on a suggestion/idea/prompt from Fanz4life! (But like seriously Fanz4life, you should write Newsies fics, you have so many great ideas). Please enjoy!
The crowd was angry, pushing and shoving at each other as they shouted and waved signs reading things like Votes For Women! and Mr. President, What Will You Do For Women's Suffrage? Katherine stood right in the middle of this crowd, looking excited as she jotted down notes on the pad of paper she held. Suddenly a loud whistle pierced through the crowd and the sound of women yelling and shouting became louder. Katherine looked around frantically, trying to place the source of all the commotion. "Excuse me," she said, tugging on the sleeve of the young woman standing next to her. "Do you know what's going on?" The woman nodded, looking concerned. "It's the police. They usually show up and drag some of us off to jail, or beat us." Katherine nodded, thanking the woman as she made a note on her paper. Suddenly she felt a tug on her sleeve, and looked up to see the woman she had just been talking to looking behind her with eyes that were wide with fear. Katherine frowned, confused, and turned just in time to see a policeman swing a club at her.
Jack was walking along the street with Crutchie and Davey, having just come from eating lunch together at Jacobi's. "How's Katherine?" Davey asked, and Jack grinned at the mention of his girlfriend. "She's good. Busy as ever, but good," he answered. Crutchie laughed, shaking his head. "Doesn't stop workin' that girl of yours." Jack laughed too, nodding in agreement. "Yeah. I think she's coverin' some suffragette march today, actually." They rounded the corner just as he said that, and were suddenly met with the sight of hundreds of women shouting and waving signs as they were pushed and shoved at by policemen. "Uh, Jack? Is that the march you was talkin' about?" Crutchie asked hesitantly, and Jack nodded as he watched the chaos. Suddenly he spotted a young woman standing in the middle of the crowd, her auburn hair messy and her eyes wide with fear. And he watched as she slowly turned around to face a policeman with a club.
Katherine closed her eyes, waiting for the blow to come. Instead, she felt herself be pushed out of the way, and the club came down on the pavement, making a loud clanging noise. Katherine opened her eyes and looked around wildly, finally spotting Jack fighting off the policeman who had tried to attack her. "Jack!" she cried, and Jack glanced back at her. "Run, Kath!" he yelled, but Katherine was frozen in shock. She watched in horror as Jack swung his fist at the police officer, who deflected it easily and kneed him in the stomach. Jack looked at Katherine again, his eyes desperate. "Kath, please! Run!" he yelled, and then screamed in pain. While he had been distracted, the police officer had grabbed his arm and twisted it behind his back, eliciting a sickening crack. Katherine screamed in horror, then felt strong arms grab her from the back and drag her away from Jack. She kicked and flailed, trying to shake off whoever had grabbed her. "Calm down, Kath! It's just me!" Someone spoke soothingly in her ear, and Katherine briefly stopped struggling as she placed the voice. "Crutchie?" Crutchie finally set her down a few blocks away from where the riot was happening and Katherine turned to face him, tears glistening on her cheeks. "Crutchie what are you doing here?" Crutchie breathed deeply before he answered, out of breath from practically carrying Katherine three blocks. "Me an' Davey were walkin' with Jack when we saw the riot, Jack asked me to get you out o' there while he distracted the police." Upon hearing Jack's name Katherine once again became distraught and tried to run back in the direction they came from, but she tripped over her skirts and went flying. Crutchie caught her before she fell down, and held her tightly when she tried to get away again. "Crutchie, let me go! I have to get to Jack, they're hurting him!" she cried, but Crutchie shook his head and held her tighter. "Davey stayed behind ta help him, Kath. He'll get him back to the lodgin' house, I promise," he said, his voice annoyingly calm. That was all it took for Katherine to break completely, and she slumped against Crutchie, sobbing as he held her.
Three hours later Katherine sat on the fire escape with Crutchie, watching the sunset and absentmindedly toying with the blanket he had wrapped around her shoulders. "It's my fault," she said after they had sat in silence for a while. Crutchie looked over at her in surprise, shaking his head. "No it ain't, Kath. Jack knew what he was doin'. He'll be fine." Katherine laughed bitterly. "I wish I could believe that Crutchie, but it's been three hours. Where is he?" Crutchie shrugged, looking down at his lap. Just then Race poked his head through the window, his expression serious. "Davey's back, Kath. He brought Jack with him." Katherine didn't hesitate for a minute upon hearing that, she jumped up and quickly climbed down the ladder, Crutchie close behind her as Race helped him down.
When Jack came to he was lying on a bed in what he recognized as the lodging house. He shifted slightly as he woke up, and immediately groaned. Everything hurt. His head felt like someone was trying to split it open, his chest ached every time he took a breath, and his right arm was in a makeshift sling. Jack blinked a few times, attempting to clear the tired, gritty feeling from his eyes, then turned his head slightly to gaze at Katherine, who had fallen asleep beside the bed holding his hand. He gave her hand a light squeeze and she immediately sat straight up, grinning with relief when she saw that Jack was awake. "Hello, stranger," she said softly, kissing him lightly on the forehead. Jack smiled back, then frowned. "What time is it?" he asked. "A little after 5 o'clock at night," Katherine answered as she brushed his hair away from his eyes. "You've been out for a while." Jack nodded in understanding before trying to sit up, but just the effort involved made him feel nauseous and Katherine quickly pushed him back down on the pillow. "Don't try to move just yet, Jack. The doctor says you have a pretty bad concussion, as well as a few bruised ribs and a broken arm." Here Katherine paused, and her eyes filled with tears. "Why did you do it, Jack? You could have died for goodness sake!" Jack smiled sleepily up at Katherine, and he reached up to wipe the tears away from her eyes as he answered. "Have I ever told you the story of the sun and the moon, Kath? He dies every night so that she can live." Katherine smiled down at Jack, blinking away the last of her tears. "You're such a hopeless romantic, Jack," she said, kissing him on the forehead as he fell asleep. "But you're my hopeless romantic."
A/N: There it is! Please review, reviews make me really happy and it's finals week at my school so I need all the happiness I can get. Also, I don't know if anyone is aware but I updated my Newsies/Anastasia crossover fic a couple days ago, so please go show that some love too. See ya!