- Katherine -

He'd held her hand all day. The whole time. He'd kissed her goodbye, on the lips, and away from prying eyes before dropping her off at work. She'd gotten the story of the week, punched it out and Glendale had loved it. She woke the next morning, dressed in her simplest outfit and knocking on Nora's door the two of them had headed to the Parlor to clean. It would be good to do something physical and Alois had been right, the rooms were starting to smell.

"So David lives here too?" Nora, hair tied up in a scarf like Katherine's, looked up at the door of the Parlor. They were laden with buckets and several types of soap.

"You two Katherine and Nora?"

Two slightly younger girls, also dressed for cleaning, and practically identical to Owen approached from down the street.

"Yep, I'm Nora Champagne, this is Katherine Plumber. You must be Jane and Emmy Donoghue."

"You're right. I'm Emmy and this is my little sister Jane. You got soap?"

"You got sponges?"

The girls exchanged a few rather mischievous glances before looking at the still shut door.

"It's early." Emmy said.

"They are probably still asleep." Nora concurred.

"But there is so much to do." Jane bemoaned.

Katherine smiled at her companions "I filched a key off Jack yesterday, we can let ourselves in."

And so they did and immediately got to work. They were mostly quiet. Nora and Jane moved furniture and got the rugs up and out the back. Katherine washed dishes and prepared breakfast. Emmy started to collect laundry and sort through their supplies. Davey was the first to appear, wearing the same pair of trousers from the day before. Nora snickered at him when she came in with Jane.

"Well, so much for being a fancy pants smart boy."

Davey just grinned. "I haven't even had coffee yet. Just you wait girl."

Emmy tapped Dave on the shoulder and point towards his room. "Can we go in there?"

Davey scratched his head. "Yeah, just don't touch the books please."

"I just need your laundry."

Dave sat and Nora served him food and conversation. Katherine remained at the stove resisting the urge to knock Jack's door down.

"Let him sleep girly. He's a bear in the morning." Owen came into the room followed closely by Alois. Owen kissed his sisters despite their cries of dismay at his horrid morning breath. Katherine gave them eggs and bacon and coffee. They sat and immediately began discussing work matters, the girls continuing to work around them.

Katherine put a platter of rolls on the table."Alois, do you have sisters?"

Alois met her eyes over his coffee cup. "Ja, four of them."

Katherine nodded. "And you Davey?"

"Jus' one, Sarah."

Katherine laughed as went back to scrubbing pots. So these boys knew what it was to be cared for. They'd probably even taken it for granted at one time. Women-folk were mysteriously capable of cleaning and cooking in a way that could never really give a man satisfaction. Sure, they'd made due without women around, but they had been content to make sure things didn't smell. Women made sure things got clean.

But their attitude was as foreign as it was familiar. For Owen and Alois asked Nora and Emmy their opinion on matters of work and such as much as they asked Dave or each other. This would never happen in her Father's house. Women and children and servants were all seen and not heard. It had never been easy for Katherine to stay quiet especially as she grew older and more educated. But here although everyone had different opinions they all had equal footing. That impressed her.

"What the blazes are you all doing?" Jack, rumbled, hair on end, barely awake, and gorgeous came into the kitchen. "It's only 5:40 in the morning. It's too damn early."

Katherine laughed at the sight of him. "Come have coffee."

Jack saw her and his eyes brightened. "You made breakfast, Ace?"

Katherine nodded.

"Good. Then this wasn't such a dumb idea." He sat and started the serve himself food. Katherine brought him coffee and when she made a move to go back to her dishes he caught her wrist. "Sit here and eat with me."

"There isn't a chair."

He pulled at her waist so she was leaning against all but sitting on his leg. Katherine's stomach skipped a bit but no one blinked at the sign of affection. So she grabbed a mug of coffee and a roll with jam. Jack balanced her with an arm about her waist and ate, contributing his opinion about the subject being discussed, with the other. Katherine listened without fully comprehending as they discussed barriers to fair division of labor and fathers being able to take leave when their wives were pregnant. She sipped her drink and leaned into her beau.

As the meal came to a close Katherine attempted to get back to her job but Jack seemed reluctant to let her go.

"I need to clean up."

Jack just sighed and let her go with a kiss to her temple. The other girls had started cleaning the carpets outside. Katherine got to work on the dishes from breakfast. A window from the kitchen looked out on the back alleyway that came with the floor. She hummed to herself as she scrubbed. The boys kept talking for a while before Alois was called away to help lift some heavy furniture for Emmy, Davey headed to his room to study, and Owen went to get groceries for dinner. That was when Jack came to stand behind Katherine, arms circling her waist.

"Seeing you in my kitchen has made my week that much better."

Katherine hummed as his thumb rubbed down her ribcage. She could feel the warmth of his fingers through her layers. "You're distracting me."

"Am I?"

She nodded. He felt so good and she didn't mind leaning back into him. "The others are working."

"I'll contribute at some point but I have been distracted all morning. The only thing that would make this even better is if you were barefoot."

Katherine looked at him over her shoulder. "And why is that?"

Jack shrugged. "For me it would mean you belong here. You do belong here, in my arms and in my kitchen but that would be definitive proof."

"You just want to see my ankles."

He pressed a kiss to just under her ear. "That too."

"I need to finish this."

"I'm not stopping you."

Katherine sighed and assumed that she'd better learn to work around Jack Kelly sooner rather than later. So she washed dishes while he leaned on her shoulder and rubbed her sides.

"Ace?"

"Jackie?"

"I don't ever want to lose you."

Katherine froze. His voice was raw but held the same determination she'd heard him use when he spoke of freedom or told her he wouldn't explain his scars. She dried her hands on her skirt and placed them over his.

"You won't." She whispered. They stood frozen. A million thoughts spun through her head. How could she guarantee that? She felt her heart begin to break. She didn't ever want to lose him either. And even as she said it she wasn't sure could keep the promise that she'd stay. There was a veritable storm that threatened to drag her away from him. Her family stood like a barrier between them that she couldn't overcome. Katherine wasn't one to cry but she felt tears run down her face.

- Jack -

He felt the first tear hit his hand. He turned Katherine around and bent close to her so he could look her in the eyes. His voice was barely a whisper then he spoke. "What I should have said was I refuse to lose you. You're all that I want and all I am asking for is that you need nothing but me. Nothing will come between this."

He paused and made sure he had her gaze. He could see the mix of fear and joy amounting to anticipation inside her.

"Katherine Plumber, I am going to marry you."

Her breath caught and fresh tears burst from her eyes. Jack's heart ached all the more.

"Please don't cry. I know this hard. Can you let me prove the world wrong? You will have your career and you will have a family but mostly you'll have love. Can you give me your heart? Can you fall for me? Can you please not cry?"

Katherine reached up the brush the tears from her face and her reply was steady. "These are happy tears. You already have my heart."

Jack kissed her then, full to bursting. He hadn't been able to explain the emotions that had ripped through him he'd seen her standing in the kitchen. She belonged there, permanent in his life. He would marry her. Nothing would get between them. They fell into a silence, just looking at each other in the early morning sun of a New York Saturday. Life would interrupt them but right then and there was nothing more important.

After a moment Dave called for Jack. Pressing a kiss to Katherine's temple and reluctantly made his way to the parlor. Davey stood behind one of the desks.

"Help me move this?"

Jack grabbed the end. "Where are we taking this?"

Davey indicated the other end if the small room. "Not far, just enough to get the carpet up. The girls want to scrub the floor."

Jack couldn't hold back his smirk. "Speaking of girls, today you seem fine with Katherine but going back a few weeks you almost took my head off over this."

Davey set the desk down. He made a face that only succeeded in making Jack laugh. "I was wrong."

Jack stopped and grabbed his friend by the arm. He didn't really anything to say to.

Dave smirked then. '''Sides that was before I met her friends."

Nora and Emmy came in loaded with buckets and sponges and laughing as they splashed suds and water everywhere. Katherine followed them with an empty basket in her arms. "Jack, we need your laundry."

Jack glanced towards his room, legitimately worried about what she'd find there. "Are you sure…"

Katherine smirked. "I'm sure."

He led the way into his room. Easels stood in the corners, sketches covered every surface. Katherine grinned, taking in the whole and then zeroing in on the pile of laundry in the corner. She gathered it up with efficiency, and as she headed out passing Jack let their shoulders brush. Jack watched her come in and go out with the same conviction that he'd had seeing her in his kitchen. She belonged there.