AN: Closing out the Christmas season with my specialty, some Jackrine fluff! I'm so exhausted but so filled with joy from the day. I had a wonderful Christmas, and I hope you all did as well! Merry Christmas to all, and to all a good night! (And happy Tuesday (Wednesday?) to all my non-celebrating readers!)
Christmas at the Lodging House always exhausted Jack, despite the fact they didn't have the typical luxurious day filled with food and toys. They did, however, get a day off of work, yet for reasons that Jack couldn't understand, that didn't mean they wanted to sleep in and lay around all day doing nothing.
The day started off with a large, mildly dangerous snowball fight in the lot in front of their building. They spent around two hours pelting each other with snow, This never ended well - usually with someone getting hit in the face with a piece of ice, causing overdramatic cries of pain, arguments, and at least a few more chunks of ice being thrown around. The boys seemed to forget that every year however, and so every year, the tradition of the snowball fight continued.
This meant that, after fruitless complaints about the cold, they all spent at least as much time inside trying to warm up as they had spent outside in the snow. It seemed counterproductive, but they'd all gotten used to the fact that that was how it happened.
After they had all become sufficiently defrosted, one of the boys - usually Albert or Race- was pestered to retrieve sandwiches from Jacobi's, until one of them finally gave in. When they returned with food, that was when the games broke out - poker, charades, and a few things with fuzzy rules that the boys had made up. This was fine, but Jack was always the one who had to supervise all of this. So needless to say, he was tired.
By the Christmas of 1899, however, he had found a saving grace in the form of Katherine Pulitzer. The two had decided to forego any gift giving their first year, to avoid any awkwardness, and agreed that merely seeing each other on the day was good enough. However, Katherine's Christmas day was filled with galas and meals and teas, and Jack was plenty busy taking care of his boys. So, when it had gotten late enough that some of the boys were finally starting to tire themselves out, Jack left Crutchie and Race in charge, and set out into the snow.
After a freezing walk over, he arrived at the Pulitzer Mansion, and climbed his way up the fire escape with ease. He knocked gently on the window, and after a few seconds spent crouching in front of it, it opened to reveal his angel.
Though he was freezing cold, the sight of her still never failed to put a smile on his face. "Hi, Ace. Merry Christmas."
She grinned right back at him. "Merry Christmas."
She held out her hand and helped him crawl through the window, and he reveled in the warmth of her bedroom, rubbing his hands together to conduct even more heat. Katherine frowned slightly at the action, and her gaze drifted down to his hands.
"You don't have gloves?"
"Can't afford 'em." He grimaced as she started to say something. "I know, I need to get rid of my pride and let you help me pay for things."
She rolled her eyes as he recited the words she'd probably told him countless times already. "You do. I don't want you getting sick on me."
"It's a miracle I ain't gotten sick already." The two of them walked over to the couch (she had a couch in her room, he still marveled at that) and eased themselves onto it. "This winter's been giving us hell."
"It's a cold one." She agreed. "I'd buy coats and gloves for every one of the boys if I could."
Jack laughed. "They's got so much energy today, they don't need nothing else to keep them warm."
Katherine smiled knowingly. She was already well acquainted with the boys' boundless energy. "Long day?"
"The longest." Jack nodded, closing his eyes for a moment. "A good one, but a long one. And I missed you."
He opened her eyes when she took his hand in hers and squeezed it. "I missed you too. You know, we should trade Christmases one year; the company my father keeps is mind-numbingly dull."
He grinned. "The boys is anything but dull. You can always count on 'em for that."
Katherine laughed and leaned against his shoulder. "You're amazing Jack Kelly, do you know that?"
He smiled when he felt the weight of her head resting against him. "I think that's you, Ace. God, you're something else, and I love you for it."
He felt her hand tighten it's grip on his, but just enough that it felt completely secure. "I love you, too." She said, softly.
She snuggled up closer to him and he felt her relax. It seemed as though she could fall asleep right there on his shoulder, and he wouldn't mind if she did.
He heard her breathing even out, and he turned his head slightly to press a kiss to the top of her head. She was an angel in every sense, and sitting right there he felt as though his heart were about to burst. They'd been together since August, and he still couldn't believe that she'd picked him. She'd seen something special, and chosen to spend her time with him.
He squeezed her hand gently, let his eyes fall closed, and leaned his head back. He was determined to fall asleep right there, with an angel on his shoulder, and he was pretty sure that moment made this the best Christmas he could ever remember having.
