AN: As you can probably tell, updates are going to be slowing down for the next few months because my life is about to get significantly crazier, but I still love this story (even though I don't remember how many readers it actually has? it's been too long). BUT I stuck some incredibly light, subtle, not-really-Jackrine in this chapter so that's always fun! I hope everyone enjoys it!

Jack frowned and tugged at the sleeves of the new brown suit that had been supplied to him by The World. He had officially started working as an employee at the newspaper company, though he didn't exactly have a job title, other than 'John Doe', though it seemed his first task was to pretend to be a model. He wasn't exactly thrilled about this.

He adjusted his sleeves again, only to have his hands pulled away from the fabric by Katherine herself, who fixed the coat back into it's proper place.

"Stop messing with them Jack, it fits you fine."

Jack sighed, resisting the urge to run his fingers through his hair, which had also been styled somewhat uncomfortably. "I don't get it, John Doe's supposed to be a regular guy, so how come I've gotta wear suits and pose in fancy places like this?" He gestured to the upscale hotel room window he was currently positioned in front of.

Katherine grimaced slightly. "Mr. Connell and Mr. Norton both agreed on it - I think they want to show that The World is sufficiently taking care of their new most important public figure. Besides, you'd look out of place standing here in your old clothes and cap."

"We could've just done this at The World. Would've made sure everyone knows who John Doe is working for, and I wouldn't be as out of place there."

"Well, this room was initially booked for you to stay in -"

"I ain't gonna leave my boys to live in some fancy hotel."

"Exactly, so we might as well get some use out of it. And Jack, the sooner you learn that it isn't easy to convince people like Mr. Norton to abandon their luxurious ways, the easier this will be for you. Frivolity will be a part of this process."

"Seems pretty hypocritical to me." Jack muttered, but his protests ended there. "So what do you want me to do?"

Katherine bit her lip as she thought, glancing at the photographer, who was setting up the camera. This would be the city's first real introduction to John Doe, and they had to get it right.

"You need to look strong and determined, but not angry. John Doe isn't angry, not at the people. It needs to show everyone that you're ready to stand with them."

Jack stared at her blankly. "But what do you want me to do?"

Katherine let out a soft laugh at that. "Don't do anything too fancy - just standing with your arms at your sides would be fine. But don't smile. Just... think about the things in society that need changing."

Jack, who had never posed for a picture in his life - in fact, he didn't even think any pictures of him existed - still didn't really have any idea what they needed from him. But he tried anyway, though his thoughts kept wandering back to the fact that he was incredibly aware of the camera being pointed at him.

Katherine shook her head, and he stopped his attempt at posing, rolling his shoulders, trying to relax.

"You're trying too hard."

"Yeah, I'm trying to get it right."

"But it looks like you're trying, and it needs to look natural. You are John Doe, you're not pretending."

He knew she was talking about acting, but he hadn't realized there would be so much of that involved. "So, how do we fix it?"

She tapped her fingers against her thigh. "How about you just talk to me? Talk to me about the ways people have wronged you, the ways people are being wronged, the things that need to stop."

The thought of that instantly made him tense, but he tried hard not to show it. He didn't like talking about the things people had done to him in the past to his brothers, much less a complete stranger. He understood why she wanted him to, though. The photographer would take a picture of him as he was talking, and it would be genuine. Besides, he could leave out the gory details. So, he took a deep breath, and started talking, as Katherine moved to stand just beyond the camera.

"My ma died when I was little, so it was just me and my dad when I was a kid. My old man did the best he could to keep us going, but he got fired from his job down at the docks, and no one else'd hire him. Not 'cause he couldn't work, no one cared about that. They didn't hire him because he was Irish, 'cause they didn't want him taking jobs from Americans, or 'cause he was Catholic, or just because he was poor. It didn't have anything to do with whether he could work or not. It ain't supposed to be like that. If folks would just help each other, give guys who're down on their luck a chance, then everyone would be better off."

Jack had kept his eyes locked on Katherine's the whole time, ignoring the sounds of the camera going off, and focusing on her. Because he could tell that she was listening, and she wasn't just using him for the picture. He stopped talking, but his eyes stayed locked on hers until the photographer cleared his throat.

"I think we have a few good ones to work with here."

Katherine jolted forward slightly, as if she was still lost in Jack's story, and stared at the other man for a moment before nodding.

"Yes. Alright, thank you. Um, you can go ahead get back to the office, decide on which one is newspaper-worthy. I'll meet you there in a few minutes."

The photographer nodded and packed up rather quickly - the man could read a room, after all - and headed down stairs.

"So, how'd I do?" Jack tried to act as though he hadn't just told Katherine a piece of his story that he tried to avoid talking about, even though it was a very small piece.

"Wonderfully." Katherine gave him a small smile. "You really are John Doe, you know? Your stories aren't the same, but you've been through the same things."

The former newsboy never thought that he would take being compared to a fictional man as a compliment, but for some reason, he did. "Yeah? Thanks, I guess. Though I think I'd rather not have been through 'em."

"All of us wish that. But if anyone has to go through it, I'm glad it's someone like you, who can use it to make sure it doesn't happen again."

"Thanks." Jack said weakly. "I hope this works. The movement."

"It will." Katherine said, looking more confident than she had since this whole thing started. "I know it will."

She gave him a smile and gestured for him to follow her out of the room. And for the first time since she'd come up to him on the street, he knew without any doubt that he was doing the right thing.