Live to Serve

[raven]

This was not her day, definitely not her day. Evidently Mrs. Santorini had passed away overnight to her horror. The woman had been nothing but a bitch to her, but she took care of her son and treated him so sweetly. She couldn't exactly drop him off at the Manhattan Lodging house, so this was her only option. Work.

She had no idea how Mrs. Ellyson would react to her bringing her child to work...her bastard child at that. Raven had decided, as she was running through the streets to make it on time that she wouldn't say anything. She would just hurry in through the servants entrance and leave Sean in the kitchen with Marcy...

She pushed open the door to the servants entrance, scurried through the hall and then rushed into the kitchen.

"You're late," Marcy said as she stirred a pot of oatmeal.

"Yeah yeah, is she even up yet?"

"Don't matter, you're late." Marcy chided in her gravelly voice.

Raven rolled her eyes and removed her sweater expertly with one hand. Then she lifted Sean up into her arms and plopped him into the basket of potatoes. He blinked at her and squealed.

"Ssh!" Raven said immediately and grabbed her apron on the wall which she began tying around her waist.

"Is that..."

"A baby. yeah," Raven said as she grabbed a piece of bread and started chewing it.

"Your?"

"My baby."

Marcy stirred the oatmeal furiously, scowling. "Well you can't leave him in the potatoes!"

"Marcy...please, I've had a rough morning," Raven sighed heavily and then like clockwork the bell rang. "Please..." Marcy glared at Rae.

"Go!"

Raven grabbed the tray of biscuits and tea and rushed out of the kitchen.

"Your mother owes me," Marcy said and Sean glared at her. "Oh no, you better be nice or I'll mistake you for a potato."

[Kathryn]

Kathryn was staying at her grandmother's house, which she did whenever her parents were annoying her. Okay, her parents always annoyed her, but when they really annoyed her, she came here.

She sat in the sitting room in her dressing gown and robe, her knees tucked underneath her as she read the newspaper. It had become a daily thing now; as she read, she would formulate the headlines she would hawk if she were a newsie, like Blink.

"Man Breaks Leg in Carriage Accident...Hmm... Maybe 'Man Trampled to Death in Horse Stampede?' Yeah, that's a good one," she muttered to herself after ringing the bell for some breakfast.

[raven]

"Burning run away carriage tramples children," Raven said absently as she set down the tray in from of Kathryn and poured her tea into a mug. She glanced at her for a quick second and then stepped back.

[Kathryn]

Kathryn gasped, her mouth agape. "Oooh, that's a good one!" she replied, looking up at Raven. She looked awfully familiar.

"Haven't I seen you somewhere?"

[raven]

"You're welcome to it." Raven said with a smile and then shrugged. "No...I don't think so, well here in the, kitchen maybe?"

[Kathryn]

Kathryn scrunched up her nose, shaking her head. "No...that's not it. I'm sure I've seen you around somewhere...Where do you live?"

[raven]

"In Brooklyn, near the docks." Raven said with a smile, "in the summer the water is a blessing." She studied Kathryn's face more and then her eyes lit up with recognition. "Irving Hall. What were you doing there?" She asked in a whisper.

[Kathryn]

"THAT'S IT! I knew I'd seen you somewhere," Kathryn replied excitedly, folding her newspaper up in her lap. "I've been there with my friend Tara, and I went there with Blink the other night!"

[raven]

What was this girl doing hanging around a bunch of newsies? "Blink? Really? The boy who's forming a harem?" Raven asked with a raised brow, she shook her head.

[Kathryn]

Kathryn just sighed, lifting up one shoulder in a half-shrug.

[raven]

Raven started to smile, "You like him don't you?" she chewed on her bottom lip and then laughed, "Listen, Blink means well and all that harem talk is just that, talk." She shrugged.

Her eyes widened when Marcy came in carrying a screaming Sean Conlon in her arms.

"I told you, can't leave him in the potatoes." Marcy said angrily. "The wee monster won't stop screaming." She shoved him into Rae's arms and then immediately left the room.

Raven gaped after her for a moment before trying to control her son. "Sean!" she said in exasperation.

[Kathryn]

Kathryn watched all this with wide eyes, her body frozen.

"...You have a baby?"

[raven]

"Yep," Raven said with a sigh and bounced Sean trying desperately to get him to be quiet. Then she stuck her knuckle in his mouth. Sean grabbed her wrist and sucked at her finger.

"He's teething so he's been extra cranky lately." With her free hand she tenderly brushed a hand over his head before giving him a kiss.

[Kathryn]

Kathryn's heart melted a bit as she how much Raven obviously loved him. "How old is he?"

[raven]

"Five months," she said with a smile. Sean rested his head against Rae's chest, staring at Kathryn.

"This won't be an everyday thing, I swear. I just didn't have anyone to watch him today."