The Rose of Manhattan

Bring Back What Once Was Mine

Jack's POV

"Rose?" I gasped when I saw her all too familiar smile. Without a second thought, I ran towards her. I heard her giggle as I wrapped her in a tight hug and spun us around.

"You're okay," I whispered to reassure me more than to reassure her. "I'm so happy you're okay," I said pulling away and tucking a piece of hair behind her ear. My hand lingered on her cheek. I looked down at our feet and intertwined our fingers. "When Medda told me you were gone, I looked for you everywhere. I even went to the Refuge but none of the boys had seen you. I spent all night looking for you Rose, but. . . I couldn't find you anywhere. I got so scared."

"I'm sorry," she said so softly I almost didn't hear her. "I. . . I was. . . I didn't. . ."

"What happened?" I asked her with pleading eyes. "Where did you go?"

Suddenly, she looked away from me with tears in her eyes. I followed her gaze to see her looking at Snyder. "Snyder had you?" I said trying really hard not to get angry.

I grabbed her chin and made her look away from him. "Where was he. . . What was he. . . What happened?" I had a million questions, but didn't know which one to start with.

"Well," she said clearing her throat. "I was on my way to Medda's when Oscar and Morris. . ."

"The Delancys?" I cut her off, my hands were shaking so bad I had to clench them into fists. "Rose, what the hell did they do to you? Did they hurt you? Did they take you back to the Refuge?"

"Jack," she said with a small laugh as she grabbed my face with both of her hands. "Breathe."

"I'm sorry," I sighed. "Just the thought of those three hurtin' ya. . . It just makes me so mad to think that I could've helped you and I didn't."

"It's not your fault," she said pulling me into a hug. "I'm okay now," she said softly as she had one hand rubbing my back and the other stroking the back of my head.

I pulled away suddenly, startling her. "I am never going to let anyone hurt you. No one is ever going to lay a finger on my girl."

"You're girl?" She smirked.

"Well, I. . . I just. . ." She cut me off by pressing her lips to mine.

"Did I not hear something about the strike being settled?" Pulitzer yelled, making us pull apart.

"Papes for the newsies. Line up, boys." Weasel said. "These papes ain't gonna sell themselves."

"Come along, Governor." Medda flirted. "And show me that backseat I've been hearing so much about." Rose and I looked at each other and started to laugh as they walked past us.

"Well, don't just stand there. You've got a union to run." She said as crossed her arms against her chest with a smile on her lips.

"Wait," I said catching her wrist before she could walk away. "You still haven't told me what happened."

She looked around to see the other boys join us, waiting to hear her answer. She cleared her throat before beginning to explain. "So, I was on my way to Medda's theater when I ran into the Delancy's. They kept buggin' me and wouldn't leave me alone. I tried to walk away, but they grabbed me. They then took me back to the Refuge."

"But. . . I went to the Refuge." I stuttered, looking around at the boys confused. "The boys had know idea where you were."

"That's because Snyder didn't want anyone to know that I was there. He knew that you would come looking for me and that the boys would help you."

Everyone was quiet, none of us knowing what to say. "Hey Rose? I gotta a question. . ." Race stuttered. She nodded, encouraging him to ask his question. "How did you get. . . When they. . . How?"

She laughed when Race didn't know how to phrase his question. "When the cops came to arrest Snyder, the boys told the cops about me and everything I have done for them. . ."

"And when I heard what she had done," Governor Roosevelt smiled as he joined our conversation, "I had every officer out looking for her. That's when we found her locked in the basement."

We all looked at Rose to see her looking at her hands, biting back tears and avoiding eye contact. I stepped up next to her and grabbed her hand. "This young woman," Governor Roosevelt continued pointing towards a blushing Rose, "has continued to put herself between Snyder and those boys, literally." 

"Thank you, Governor." Rose said sweetly. "For. . . For saving me."

"It was my pleasure, young lady. I've heard a lot of what you have done for those boys. They were lucky to have you. In fact, since Snyder is going to be preoccupied, I thought who better to run the Refuge than the girl who has already been taking care of the boys?"

"What?" Rose asked with wide eyes. "I. . . I don't think. . . I mean." She looked over at me, scared.

"Rose," I said softly, trying to help her relax. "I think that would be a great idea."

"You know, you would be able to do anything with it," Governor Roosevelt explained. 

"What. . . What do you mean?" She stuttered, looking between me and the governor.

"Well, it doesn't have to stay a jail for underage kids." He said with a slight smirk before walking away.

She looked around at the boys before she finally smiled. "I could turn the place around," she said excitedly.

"Yeah, you could." I smiled as I reached forward and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear. I wrapped my arm around her waist and pressed my lips to hers.

We pulled away when we heard the boys chuckling and making kissing noises. "Don't you boys have newspapers to sell?" Rose smirked over her shoulder at the boys. "And don't you have a union to run?" She smiled, looking back at me.

"Don't you have a Refuge to fix?"