Jack And Katherine One-Shots

Little Angle

Authors Note- So this is a second part to "4 years, 3 months, 6 hours" it was requested by ruff1258 and I changed it a little bit from your idea just cause it flowed better. THANK YOU FOR REQUESTING!!! It really helps a lot!

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It was strange waking up in a bed next to his wife, Jack hadn't done such a thing in over 4 years. In fact it was strange waking up in a bed at all, he was used to cold hard ground (which hadn't been hard to get used to considering he grew up sleeping on the ground) it was a strange but wonderful feeling to feel Katherine's arms wrapped tightly around his waist and her head resting on his chest. He then realized he wasn't sleeping anymore and only then did he notice what had woke him up.

A small tentative finger was stabbing his cheek repeatedly, Jack blinked and turned to find big blue eyes starring at him in the dark. They seemed to glow at him as if to ask 'hello? Can you understand me, I'm standing right here.' It was Kathleen, her dark curls hung softly around her face just like Katherine's did, her cute dirty blue dress she wore that morning had been replaced by a soft white night gown.

"Are you awake?" She asked poking his cheek. She had only half whispered and Jack felt Katherine stir underneath him.

"I am now." Jack said softly cracking a smile. "Are youse okay? Do ya need something?"

"Yes." She said and poked his face again for good measure. "I need you to tell me if you really like to draw."

He felt Katherine stir again and decided it was best to take this conversation elsewhere. Very carefully he moved out from under her sleeping form and placed her back against his pillow and stood up.

"Of course I'se do, let's go talk in the living room and let ya mom sleep." Jack said letting Kathleen grab his hand.

"So all my mom said about you is true?" She asked looking up at him as they walked to the couch.

"I dunno, what did she tell you?"

"That you were a Newsie, went on strike, met my mom and annoyed her, made my grandpa eat his own words, then fell in love with my mom and married her, then someone took you away from her..." Kathleen said listing off things on her fingers as she crawled on to the couch. The couch looked so big around her small frame and the contrast against her white dress and her brown curls reminded Jack of an old fairy tale he once heard.

Instantly he wanted to draw her.

"Well she ain't been lying to ya." Jack said sitting down too.

"Then I came along!"

"Apparently you did."

She grinned at him and he abruptly saw himself in that smile and couldn't help the smile that crossed his own features. He itched for a pencil and paper to draw her small round face, the faint lighting from the moon outside cast a perfect shadow across her face making her features stand out against the darkness of the room.

"I like to draw." She said abruptly pulling him out of his thoughts.

"Are ya serious?" He asked surprised by the fact.

"Well, I like to paint more because then I can turn my hands into rainbows!" She squealed jumping up and down on the couch her hair bouncing out of control. "But Mom says I always make messes so she only lets me do it outside... or in grandpas office."

Jack chuckled at the last part and held up his hands to make sure she didn't fall of the couch. She was so full of energy and it was 2:30 in the morning, Jack wondered idaly if that had something to do with the fact that he was a new person and she was excited or if Katherine had to deal with this many times before. Jack felt a little guilty at that considering he never actually knew Kathleen existed until that morning, he felt bad Katherine had to raise her for four years all by herself. He wished he hadn't missed so much of her life, he felt like a stranger. Hopefully that would change soon.

"What do ya paint?" Jack asked trying to get her to calm down a bit, the last thing he wanted was to have Katherine wake up to find her daughter looking like she had just drank ten cups of coffee. Some father he would look like.

"Um, mountains and the sun! Oh and smiley faces, I love smiley faces! Uncle Crutchie says the smiley faces are his favorite so I make him one every time Mom lets me paint!"

She looked so happy that Jack had asked that he didn't dare ruin her fun by telling her she needed to quite down a bit. He was also pleased to hear about Crutchie, he couldn't wait to see his brother again after so many years.

"Really? I like to paint mountains and suns too! Have you ever heard of Santa Fe?" Jack asked smirking.

Kathleen abruptly stopped jumping and tilted her head to the side in confusion. She shooked her head and plopped down to her knees next to him and stared at him expectantly.

"No, what is that?"

"Well it's this place out west you see." He said making a mental picture in his mind of the clean valleys and big yellow sun. "It ain't nothin' like New York, it's bigger and better. An nobody got's ya worry about nothin', people over there are always happy to see you."

Jack suddenly found him self getting very emotional, weather it was because he was talking about his old obsession or the fact that Kathleen had wrapped her arms around is neck and laid her head on his shoulder.

"T-they's always got a song ta sing, and a meal ta eat. No one eva sleeps on da streets, and no one ever calls ya a street rat. There's c-clean air and a warm sun..." He struggled to find something else to tell about Santa Fe but found himself at a loss for words. Kathleen lifted her head up off his shoulder and looked up at him.

"Do you have friends there?" She asked her eyebrows creasing together.

"No, I got no one there." He said swallowing hard. Why the heck were tears filling up in his eyes? During all the long months he spent cooped up in a bomb shelter thinking about Katherine he had never cried, not once. Sure he'd thought about her constantly but he never allowed his emotions to show. So why couldn't he keep them in check now? Perhaps it was the fact that his daughter, his own offspring was starring at him with wide blue eyes. He still couldn't believe she was real and sitting in his lap, she seemed unreal and yet more than reality itself. She sure looked a lot like her mother but Jack could tell she was a lot like him in many ways, he hardly knew her but already he could tell.

"You have friends here, and my Mom... and me." She said pushing away a lock of hair out of her face.

"Y-y-your right, I'm s-so happy here, I don't need no... no... Santa Fe." He choked and one stray tear betrayed him and slipped down his cheek.

Her little thumb came up and brushed away his tear, she then wrapped her arms around him and hugged him tightly.

"You should take me there someday, so we can paint it together! Because I don't want you to go ever again..." her own high voice betrayed slight emotion and it made Jack fill with so much love for his child that he felt he would burst. He realized then that she was afraid he would leave again, no wonder she had told him he has people here that love him. She was so smart it was shocking how well she understood by the tone of Jacks voice and by the way he described Santa Fe that he was still thinking about that old dream. She wanted him to stay, or at least take her with him.

"I ain't going nowhere unless your coming with me." Jack said holding her tightly.

He felt her nod her little head against his chest and yawn loudly, he smiled down and kissed the top of her head slightly. He could tell by the way she was breathing that she was going to fall asleep.

"Goodnight little Angle." He whispered holding her as close as possible.

In less than five minutes Kathleen was fast asleep nuzzled against Jack, he had no desired to ever let go of this precious child so he just held her. Held her like she was as fragile as glass and yet could take on the world (which he knew she could) eventually he fell asleep too his cheek pressed against the top of her head.

And there they would stay until the morning came and Katherine found them still in the same position as they had fallen asleep. The sight brought her joy beyond any she had ever felt.

Kathleen truly was Jacks little Angle.