Finding Home {Jack x Katherine}

Late Night Conversations

AN: This is a little drabble that connects the two chapters. I didn't want to put it in a completely separate book. So I hope you enjoy!

~&~

Katherine yawned, stretching back in her chair from where she was hunched over her keyboard. The moon high in the sky and the quietness of the apartment were the first indicators of how late it was. She glanced down at the bottom of her screen to look at the time. Groaning when she saw that it was two in the morning.

She rubbed a hand over her face before clicking save on her word document. Time to get to bed but she wasn't ready yet. She still felt a little restless from the day and the thrill of trying to find a good story to write. She made her way out to the kitchen and pulled down her box of chamomile tea.

"You couldn't sleep either?" Jack asked from the dining area table.

Katherine jumped, clutching a hand over her heart. "Dammit, Jack. Give a girl some warning next time, will ya?"

He just chuckled, walking over to the island. "Sorry, princess." He then smirked when she glared over her shoulder at him.

"I just now realized the time. I was working on a story." She finally answered his question as she prepared the coffee pot so it would just make hot water. It wasn't the best solution but it was the quietest. "What about you? Why are you up so late?"

"Had an idea, I just had to get out then couldn't go back to sleep." He shrugged, sipping on his warm milk.

She nodded and continued about making her tea. Once it was to her standards, she turned around and leaned against the counter, basking in the cup's warmth as she waited for it to cool down enough so she could drink it. "Have you always wanted to do set design?" She asked, figuring this would be a prime opportunity to get to know her roommate better.

Jack chuckled and shook his head. "I really didn't know what I wanted to do. I didn't want to be in a stuffy museum all day or in a school so that took those options away. Didn't really want to do the whole starving artist routine either. While in school I did newspaper illustrations and I liked that well enough but spending time with Medda and seeing how what I created came alive on stage each night just drew me in."

"What paper?"

"The World."

Katherine nearly choked on her tea. She coughed and sputtered as she twirled around to regain her composure. She set her cup down and gripped the countertop.

Jack jumped from his seat and went around the kitchen island as if he would be able to do anything. "You okay, Kath? Do you have some beef with The World that I didn't realize."

She nodded her head to answer his first question. "No, nothing like that. I just, uh, know someone there and wasn't expecting you to say that."

He chuckled, thinking that what he was going to say next was going to be a joke. What were the odds of her being from the upper east side and her knowing someone from the paper he worked at. "What, are you Pulitzer's daughter?"

The silence that fell between them quickly made Jack realize that his joke was not a joke at all. His eyes widened and he backed up some as she slowly turned to face him. "Wait, you're really Joe Pulitzer's daughter?" He couldn't believe it.

She nodded. She didn't really know what else to say or do.

"And you're not here to rebel against him, are you?"

"No!" She then clasped her hand over her mouth after she realize how loud her answer was. "No," her voice back to the quiet volume they had been using all night, "no, I'm not living here just to rebel against him. He ruined the home I had and I would never dream of going back there. The only people I could stand from that part of my life is Darcy and on a good day Bill. I was too ambitious in the wrong ways for the rest of them. There is more to life than the perfect dress and the perfect party."

He looked all over her face to see if any part of what she had just said was a lie. She definitely meant what she said, though. Jack began laughing, not believing their luck. "Well if this ain't just a small world after all."

When Jack began laughing, Katherine grew nervous that he didn't believe her but his comment made her join in on his laughter. "Yeah, yeah, I suppose it is." Once their laughter died down, she looked over at him, bottom lip in between her teeth. "Could we, uh, maybe keep this between us? Charlie didn't seem too thrilled when Darcy said where we were from and I don't think Romeo could keep a secret."

Jack nodded. "Yeah, your little secret is safe with me, princess." He smirked, chuckling at her rolling her eyes.

"So we're good?" She asked, trying to damper down her hope.

"We're good." He smiled at her. "Now get to bed. You've gotta be in the office early tomorrow, don't ya?"

She nodded, smiling softly. "Yeah, I do. Night, Jack."

"Night, Kath." He smiled back, shooing her away before setting their cups in the sink and going to bed himself.