Hearts. Why do people have hearts? Why do we feel such a strong connection to some one? Why is it that by one simple act, our hearts can be ripped from our chest an thrown in the dirt? Katherine had been asking herself these questions for nine years, right now her heart had long cracks spiraling around it like at any moment it would shader into a million pieces. The only thing that had kept her heart from breaking completely was the black haired boy who ran around her apartment every day, this boy, her son, was the best thing that had happened to her in nine years. Peter had always been there for her, from the time she found out she would be expecting a child, to every time she couldn't write a sentence the way it was in her head. She had been horrified when she learned she was pregnant, she still reambered her father shouting at her and how afraid she had been, but the very thought of a child growing inside her calmed her, even when the logical response would have been to freak out. Of course there had been a few moments of panic when she first learned she was with child, she had good reason to. A) She was 17 B) She was pregnant C) The father had decided to take a trip to Santa Fe with no goodbyes or any intentions of coming back, he had simply vanished. Peters father... No, Katherine stopped herself she had taught herself to not think about him, thinking about him hurt and Katherine had had enough hurt for one life time. Try as she may to keep the handsome artistic boy from her thoughts he always ended up finding his way back just as she fell asleep at night.

"Mom?" A small voice called to her as Katherine stared at the back wall in there small apartment. Katherine turned and saw Peter sticking his head out from behind the couch, his black hair hung in his eyes as he peered up at her.

"What's wrong?" She asked sitting foreword, Peter looked down at his hand which was displaying a cracked in half pencil.

"I broke it." He said crawling over to sit by her on the couch. Katherine chuckled at how he was upset by this.

"Your supposed to draw with pencils not break them in half." She said sweeping his hair out from his eyes. Peter tried in vain to stick the two ends together frowning when they dropped back in his lap still broken.

"I was just drawing and they snapped in half!" He exclaimed turning to face his mother. Peter drew every chance he got, if there was a piece of paper and pencil in his reach, he drew, if he found a left over piece of coal in the fire and a corner of a newspaper, he drew. He'd draw anything from random animals to familiar faces. They weren't typical nine-year-old-boy drawings but Peter wasn't a typical boy. Sure his drawings weren't perfect, he was nine for heavens sake! But Katherine loved when he drew it reminded her of Jack... She stopped herself again and shook him from her mind.

"I'll get you another one." Katherine said getting up from the couch, Peter scrambled up with her and skipped to her desk where he knew she kept them. He bounced on the balls of his feet as she pulled open her drawer pulling out a thin yellow pencil and handed it to him smiling.

"Thanks!" He beamed already making a beeline for his small room.

"Work on your letters too!" She called after him know very well that he would not, she had given up years ago trying to force him to practice the alphabet, he was stubborn, just like her. Katherine sat at her desk and stared at her blank type writer she hadn't written an article in a while. After she had had Peter she could no longer go to work every day so (with a little help from her father no doubt) The Sun had her write part time, calling her up when ever they saw a story she could cover. Katherine was happy with this, she could stay and take care of Peter while doing the thing she loved most. Sure it had its draw backs, she didn't write as much as she would have normally but it sure beat all the dirty looks she would have gotten from the men and women who labeled her as "The one who got pregnant before she was married." Stupid people.

"Knock Knock!" A voice sounded from the front door.

"Come in!" Katherine said knowing very well who it was. David grinned at her and came in glancing around the room, no doubt for Peter.

"Davey!" Peter called from his room and a second later he was bounding into the main room beaming at David.

"Heya kid!" David said ruffing up his already messy hair. David had probably been the closest thing Peter had to a father, David had always been there for the two making sure every thing was all right.

"Will you take me too Newsies Square again? You promised you would!" Peter said looking up at David.

"Of course I will, sorry I haven't been around much I've just been so busy" David said it was true he had gotten married to Clara (Katherine's life long friend) a few mouths ago and hasn't had the time to stop by as often as normal. "Go get your shoes on and will go." Peter went back to his room in search of his shoes. David turned to Katherine, he hadn't changed much sense the strike all those years ago, he seemed to have mostly grown out of his awkward teenage years.

"How's my favorite reporter?" He asked , Katherine leaned back in her chair and shrugged in response.

"I'm great, hows marriage life treating you?" She asked. David smiled and took his hat off rubbing his close cropped hair.

"I'm lovin' it" he replied.

"Must be nice." She said, longing in her voice. David's eyes softened and he studied her with deep sadness.

"Ready Davey!" Peter called from his door way his shoes securely on his feet. David moved back to the front door pulling it open and Peter rushed out with a little "Bye Mom" thrown over his shoulder.

"See ya guys" Katherine said but it sounded forced. David pursed his lips and nodded to her as he pulled the door closed behind him. Katherine closed her eyes and listened to the silent echo of the house. She really hated it when people felt sorry for her, it's not like there sorrow helped her deal with her own problems. And she really, really hated talking to David about Jack, in her opinion those doors needed to stay closed but Katherine could recall quite a few times the subject had came.

*************Flash Back************

"Peter asked about Jack today." David had said one night a few years back. Katherine stiffened and looked up from her cup of tea.

"What did he say?" Katherine asked her eyes wide. David pursed his lips and took a long look at his own steaming cup of tea before answering.

"He wanted to know where he was, and why I wasn't his dad." David said sadly. Katherine closed her eyes.

"And you told him what I want him to know about Jack?" Katherine asked. When David didn't answer Katherine opened her eyes to look at him, "David, what did you tell Peter?" She asked with an edge to her voice. David shook his head.

"I did what you said, I told him his father died in a building collapse, he already knew that" David said "I just don't understand why we can't just tell him the truth." Katherine stood up in her seat suddenly.

"Why can't we tell him the truth?!? He left David!" Katherine shouted suddenly angry. David clenched his jaw.

"He deserves to know Katherine" David whispered dangerously. Katherine glared daggers at him.

"Don't start that with me." She said through her teeth. "I do not want Peter growing up to know his father had left me for some day dream of his!" David put his hands up.

"I know, I know all I'm saying is someday your gonna have to tell him the truth whether you want to or not" he said trying to calm her down. Katherine snapped her mouth shut and plopped back down in her seat, "The kid needs a father, and sense he doesn't have one he at least needs to know why." David's words rang in her ears, they made her feel a stab of regret. She knew David was right, he always was but she folded her arms stubbornly and shook her head.

"He's my kid." Katherine said, her tone indicated not to press the matter any more. David shook his head and haunched his shoulders over his cup muttering something that sounded like "He's Jacks kid too."

*******End Of Flash Back*******

Katherine snapped out of her flash back and rubbed her eyes with the back of her hands attempting rub away her tiredness. She felt as if the very room was sucking her energy away and she decided that maybe a short nap would be wise. She got up and made her way to the couch, she reambered when her father would take naps during the day when she was younger, she always thought that when you took naps during the day you were old. Katherine had just turned 26, this was the prime of her life, she should be spending it writing font page articles not taking naps at 3 in the afternoon. But that thought didn't stop her from nestling into the small couch wrapping a thick blanket around her dress. She let her eyes flutter closed and once again Jack drifted among her thoughts she didn't push them away because it would be no use, he would find a way in, he always did.

AUTHORS NOTE: So I was watching Love Never Dies and thinking about Newsies when this story popped into my mind! This is my second shot at writing this story and I feel good about it, yay! I might add a few things I've seen from movies and TV shows and change it up a bit depending on what material I have to work with. Tell me what you guys think, and as always. I own NOTHING!! Sadly :(