One More Ace Up Your Sleeve

I Thought We Won

~Jack POV~

I walk down the hallway, Katherine following behind me. We's is going to check on Crutchie. Now that Davey has Les again, we can focus on the next problem. Crutchie's leg is all swollen and bruised, but his lip went back to normal, so he can talk. He's in another dressing room at the theater. He smiles halfheartedly when I enter the room.

"We got your crutch fixed." I say, putting his taped crutch on the floor next to him. "How is you'se doing?"

"As good as I can be." He responds, trying to keep a smile on his face.

"Crutchie, you'se don't hafta pretend you'se is okay. I'se is sorry we couldn't get you out sooner. This is my fault. They was looking for me. I don't understand why they is taking and hurting all of you'se. I thought we won. We's can't go on like this. Gettin' beat by them Delanceys and hauled off to the refuge. I almost lost two of my brothers." I say, letting everything out, and getting mad at myself. Katherine places a hand on my shoulder.

"Jack..." She starts.

"No! I can't take it anymore. I can't be the one responsible for this. I need to turn myself in. Nobody save me this time. These boys are young, they are innocent, they have lives ahead of them. They are gonna get off these streets. They will accomplish things. Me, I'm a criminal. A convict. I ain't going anywhere. I can't be the person who caused these boys to be stuck here forever. I'm sorry. I can't be responsible for so many people being hurt. I can't. I can't. Davey and Les, they've got a family. They can't lose that. I lost that. I've got nobody. These boys are my family, but family doesn't leave other family behind to get hurt. Family means that one person helps the rest. One for all and all for one kind of deal. Family doesn't mean that one person is the reason for other people getting hurt. I'm sorry. I can't. I can't. I thought we won." I panic and yell before running out of the room and out of the theater and into the street.

~Katherine POV~

Jack just blew up and ran out. Crutchie looks terrified. I look at the door, and then turn back to Crutchie.

"Is he mad at me?" Crutchie asks me, his eyes watery.

"No. He's upset that you and Davey both got hurt so bad. He's scared of what could happen. He doesn't know that it isn't his fault. It's my father's fault. He blames himself for everything that has happened. We did win. He doesn't know that turning himself in will only make it worse, because then they will think they won. He's not mad at you, Crutchie." I reassure him.

"Okay. You should figure out where he went." Crutchie tells me. I nod.

"I promise, it's not your fault Crutchie." I tell him. I walk out the door. I see Race standing outside. I motion him over. "Can you stay in there with Crutchie? I have to go after Jack. He got super angry. Crutchie thinks Jack is mad at him. If he says anything, Jack is mad at himself and my father. Jack isn't mad at any of you." Race nods. "Thank you." I say before running out of the theater and into the street to find Jack. I don't see him in the crowd of people walking by. I see a grey newsboy cap bobbing through the crowd. I follow it, and get close to it. "Jack!" I call out to it. It doesn't turn around. I tap the figure on the shoulder. "Jack, seriously. Listen to me." I say. The figure turns around. It isn't Jack.

"What do we have here?" The man wearing the hat asks. It's Oscar Delancey. Oh no.

"Why, it is little miss Pulitzer. Your father has offered a large reward for your return. It sure is a good thing we found you, isn't it?" Morris says, coming over to me. Morris drags Jack behind him, and Jack's hands are bound with some fabric. He is missing his cap. Oscar takes the cap off of his head.

"Thanks for letting me borrow this, Kelly." He says, placing the cap on Jack's head. Jack scowls at him.

" Mr. Kelly can be escorted to the refuge. Then we escort Miss Pulitzer back to her father." Morris says, grabbing a hold of my wrist.

"No! Leave him alone. Leave me alone." I say, struggling to break free of Morris' grasp. He raises his other hand and slaps me across the face. Hard. I raise my free hand to my face. That's going to leave a mark, especially because he is wearing his brass knuckles. I see Jack lose his annoyed face and gain a concerned and angry one.

"Oh you did not just hit her. You can hit me but you leave her alone. She has nothing to do with this." Jack says, angrily staring at Morris. Morris smirks and then twists my wrist. Jack's face got angrier. "That was not nice, Morris. You abuse me, you leave her alone. You bring her back to her father like that, she will tell him you hit her. Joe ain't gonna be to happy 'bout that. But you'll tell him, won't ya Ace?" He asks me. I nod, still struggling to break from Morris' grasp.

"Let me go Morris." I say angrily but calmly.

"No." He simply replies, smirking at Jack. Jack scowls.

"My father is going to be very angry with you when he finds out what you have done to me." I say defiantly. Morris slaps me again.

"Stop that!" Jack yells. "You okay Ace?" He asks me, concerned. I nod, biting my lip.

"Her father ain't going to find out. We is going to keep her until he hikes up the reward. Then, once it is at a price we like, we will turn her in." Oscar explains. Jack's face gets ten times angrier. But he has a loving look on his face every time our eyes meet. My eyes widen. One of the newsies has to come by soon and see this. Does nobody walking around here see this?

"You'se guys are gonna to let her go. Right now. Cuz I said so. You can turn me in, but you leave Katherine alone. She has done nothin' wrong. Ain't no crime to love people. Course you'se wouldn't know how it feels to love or be loved." Jack says, his eyes meeting mine and softening from the glare he had previously directed in Oscar and Morris. 'I love you Ace.' He mouths to me. 'I love you Jack.' I mouth back. Then Jack yells. "MANHATTAN NEWSIES!" He yelled it really loud. Elmer, Finch, Buttons, Mush, and Specs all run out of the theater and look around. "OVER HERE!" He yells. I want my free hand in the air for them to find. Morris hits my arm.

"Shut up." Morris scowls at me. They all run over. Then a fight starts.

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1188 words-excluding A/N

A/N
ITS FINALLY DONE!! Also, I have slowly started typing IHAD up again. So the next part may be pretty short but I'm working on it again. Sorry about not putting anything up last weekend on Sunday. I was with my family all day for Fathers Day. Thanks for reading!!

🗞~K