@KeliaMarie102 So I kind of turned your request into two parts so this is the make a part two aspect of your request and the next chapter will be the grown-up Jack and Katherine part of the request.
Katherine walked into Jack's apartment and was surprised by how quiet the area was. Between the three boys and Bella, there was always somebody laughing or yelling or singing off-key to some sort of song. Though the girl did snicker at the look of the Charlie Brown-style Christmas tree that was sitting on the coffee table in the living. Katherine was caught completely off-guard though when she saw that Jack's door was closed.
Over the weeks that Katherine had come over to the apartment she'd learned that the boys took their bedroom doors very seriously. If a boy's door was closed the others wouldn't dare open it even in the case of Crutchie and Race if that door belongs to your own room. However, Jack had told Katherine that he always leaves his door open even if it's just a crack to let the other two know that they were always welcome to talk to him if something was wrong.
"Jack?" Katherine called setting her purse and jacket on a chair in the living room.
Katherine heard a door open followed by Jack's, "Oh hey Kath-" The boy cut off his own words when he saw the brunette in a cranberry-colored dress that hugged her along with black tights and black heeled boots.
Katherine couldn't blame him because she felt the same way seeing him in a white undershirt and his dress slacks. "Come in, come in." Jack opened the door even wider and gestured for the girl to enter. "Sorry since Bell was talking a nap I figured keeping the door closed was a good idea so that if she woke up she wouldn't start wandering around the place."
Katherine gave the boy a reassuring smile, "You're fine Jack." She took a seat at the foot of his bed, taking extra care to not wake the sleeping four-year-old. "Although it is pretty quiet in here. Where's Race and Crutchie?"
"Oh, they're hanging out with Elmer and the rest of them. Apparently, the Spider is gonna be out for the night so the boys thought they'd all hang out together. That does lead to me needin' to ask you a question." Jack said, pulling on a button-up white dress shirt. "I don't gotta babysitta so I kinda need-"
"To bring Bella? That's fine Jack. My dad throws this party every year for the people at his paper and everyone usually brings their family, so they'll be a few kids running around."
Jack nodded, moving to riffle through the dresser, "I just didn't want to get off on the wrong foot with your parents."
"My parents will love you, and besides that I love you."
"I love you too." Jack moved to walk to the head of the bed, a red girl's dress in his hands. "Hey Bells. I need ya to wake up. We're going to a party with Katherine tonight.
"Party?" The girl mumbled coming out of her post-nap haze.
"Yep, and there'll be some yummy snacks too like cookies and a chocolate fountain and I even heard that Santa would be there."
That got the girl to shoot up out a bed. "Santa?"
Jack smiled and scooped up the girl in his arms, spinning around before setting her back on the bed. "Before you get to meet Santa you got to change though. So can you do that for me?"
The girl nodded before grabbing the dress and running to the bathroom that was attached to Jack's bedroom.
"Thanks for the help," Jack said, attempting to tie a tie around his neck. "Last time I wore this it was at the hearing to try and get Race and Crutchie."
Statements like that still threw Katherine for a loop, even though he was only one year older than her and she knew most of Jack's story it still shocked Katherine how much the boy had lived through.
Not long after Jack secured his tie, Bella ran out of the bathroom turning around in front of Jack so that he could zip up her dress and secure the bow that was on the back of the dress.
"Santa time?"
Jack chuckled, picking up the girl and setting her on his hip. "Santa won't be there till later for right now we're going to a party that Kathy's dad is putting on and that's where Santa will be ok."
The girl just nodded and rested her head on her father's shoulder, apparently she hadn't snapped out of that post-nap haze as much as they had thought.
================================================================================
"When will we get to meet this mystery man we've heard so much about?" Joesph asked his daughter.
Katherine had been trying to put off this introduction until later in the night when her father had a few more drinks in him.
"Your father's right dear. We'd both like to meet this Jack boy you've talked so much about. Did you say he was coming with you today?"
Katherine looked over her shoulder to try and figure out where Jack was. He had gone to the table they had set their stuff at and the place where Bella was currently napping again. "Yeah, he's just a little preoccupied."
As soon as Katherine finished her statement there was a commotion on the other side of the room and as if everyone were back in high school they began to crowd over to where the fight seemed to be starting.
Katherine was trying to push her way to the front of the crowd when she heard an all too familiar voice growls out, "Don't you dare touch her."
After elbowing a few more people Katherine made her way to the front and saw her boyfriend gripping the shirt collar of one of her dad's employees, although the smirk on the man's face made it seem as though he didn't mind the situation he was.
"Tsk, tsk. Kelly, Kelly, Kelly. Always overreacting. I just wanted to take a look at the little mistake." Jack pulled back again, although anyone watching could see his arm waver and Katherine could see tears pooling up in his eyes. "Always so emotional, I feel sorry for the poor slut that got tangled up with you. Don't worry though once you start shooting up all of that will go away."
It was obvious that that statement put Jack over the edge as he cocked back his elbow again. "Jack," Katherine called, rushing forward to grab his arm before any more damage could be done.
"Is this the poor hussy? Pulitzer's daughter?" The man whistled. "You really should leave him, lord knows his own mother didn't have a problem doing that."
"You shut the fuck up," Jack growled, a feralness in his voice that Katherine had never heard before.
"Why? The girl deserves to know Kelly." The man who Katherine has realized was the Snyder Jack and the boys had always talked about. "Does she even know the stints in Juive. How you barely graduated high school?" The man whispered something else in Jack's ear that Katherine couldn't hear but imagined wasn't good based on the wolfish smile on his face and the growl that tore out of Jack's chest. "But oh how he always liked to play the hero."
"Maybe I wouldn't have gotten arrested if you actually gave me and the boys anything instead of spending on your money on booze. Maybe I would have been able to awake in class if I hadn't stayed up all night using me as your personal punching bag. Maybe I wouldn't have to have played the hero if you weren't such a jackass." Each of Jack's sentences was punctuated by a punch to Snyder's face and Katherine was sure it would have continued if a certain girl hadn't begun to tug on Jack's pant leg, sniffling.
Jack let go of Snyder, shoving him to the ground before crouching down and picking the little girl up, cradling her to his chest. While there was still tension in his body, his eyes and facial expression had softened up.
Whatever haze of anger that had washed over Jack had ebbed away when he stood up and realized all the people gathered around watching the scene.
The boy locked eyes with Katherine, "I'm so sorry." He began to cut through the crowd before calling out. "It was a nice party Joe."
