AN: I would get some tissues out for the end of this one if I were you
Most things just are what they are
And not what we wish them to be
But then I see you again
And a new world starts spinning
Katherine had never liked being a Pulitzer. She loved her parents of course, that was never in question, but everything else about the family name, she hated. She hated the fact that people gave her special treatment when they found out what her last name was. She hated that people assumed she was spoiled and entitled because of that special treatment. She hated that she could very well never know if she got a job because of her talent or because her employers were all afraid of her father.
There was one person that she knew those worries didn't apply to, though, and that person was Jack Kelly. He knew her, and that was all he cared about.
So, when she had bad days at work, she had no qualms in ranting about all her frustrations to him once she got home.
This day had been rough in particular, her editor having gotten on every last one of her nerves, to the point where she seriously (only not really seriously) considered quitting her job. Now Jack wasn't stupid, so when she unlocked the door to their apartment and walked in, he could tell that she was very clearly annoyed about something. He pushed himself up off of the couch, where he'd been sitting and crossed over to her.
"You okay, Ace?" He asked her genuinely, opting not to pull her in for a hug just yet (she would often rather pace around the room as she vented her frustrations rather than be comforted).
Katherine instantly felt better once she saw him. She knew he wasn't going to judge her about anything that she did or said, and that was a comfort that she didn't have with anyone else. She knew, of course, that it would be unreasonable to ask that of everyone, but she was so grateful that she had it with Jack. It was if when they were alone together, it was just the two of them against the world, and no one else mattered.
"Fine. Just my editor, being a jerk, as usual."
"What'd he do now?" Jack correctly interpreted her new, somewhat calmer demeanor as a sign that he could put an arm around her shoulders and lead her to sit down on the couch next to him.
She sighed, resting her head on his shoulder. "What didn't he do? 'Katherine, you need to learn that just because your father is well known in this industry, that does not give you excuse to expect me to publish your subpar work.'"
"Has he even read anything you write? None of that's subpar."
"Personally, I think he's the one who needs to learn that just because I am a female, it doesn't give him an excuse to pretend that my articles aren't as good as any other reporter's."
"You oughta tell him that. 'Cause if he can't see that you're the best reporter in all of New York, then I don't see why someone let him be an editor in the first place."
Katherine grinned against his shoulder. She felt safe with Jack. And the best part was, she knew that he wasn't lying to her. He believed every single word that he said, and she knew that that made her so much luckier than she could have ever imagined she'd be.
I never said this out loud
But sometimes I just,
I get scared
And then I see you again
And it's like I'm protected
Jack had always had a problem with nightmares, even as a kid. Of course, that problem amplified by about a thousand after his mother died, his father was arrested, and Jack himself got locked up in The Refuge. He never told any of the boys, but his nightmares were one of the reasons he slept on the roof of the Lodging House most nights - he couldn't stand waking up from a nightmare to see a bunch of boys staring at him.
