Ayy whaddup here's part two, in which you learn about (Y/n)'s secret past. Yay.

Part 3 might take a bit cause I have a surprise for y'all in it. ;)

But in the mean time, enjoy, my children.

-:-:-:-

Two years ago...

You sat in the corner, knees pulled to your chest. There was no room for you on any of the beds again, so you were stuck on the floor for the time being. It was early February and the Refuge had no insulation whatsoever. Your threadbare clothing did little to protect your gaunt frame from the winter chill. It was honestly a miracle that you had even survived alone in the world for as long as you did. You shivered; a combination of the cold and the thought of how close you were to dying before coming here. You had been so grateful a couple months ago when Snyder said he'd take you to the Refuge.

Oh, how naive you were...

You felt a tear slide down your cheek. All you wanted was for your parents to be here. Alive. Loving and warm. The three of you had never been affluent, but you scraped by. And you were happy.

Now? you were packed into a tiny, prison cell-like room with about twenty other kids, all of whom appeared to be boys. No food to speak of and rats swarming every corner, every crevice, every spare bit of cloth that served as a sorry excuse for a blanket.

You were indoors but you were cold. You were surrounded by people, but you were utterly alone. And you were stuck here until you turned eighteen. Which was two entire years away. How on Earth were you supposed to survive in this Hellhole for two freaking years?

You didn't hold back the tears, though you knew you should; they hadn't brought any water in a while. You tucked your head into your knees to hide your tear-soaked mess of a face.

"Hey, yous okay, kid?" you heard a heavy New York accent from above you. you peeked up to see a rather short, but very good-looking boy who appeared to be about your age.

"Don't worry 'bouts it. I's fine." You mumbled, pulling your legs still closer to your torso. Your strong New York dialect was very prominent in that statement. You could almost hear your teacher cringing. Sorry, Miss MJ.

"Don'chu lie da me, kid. I's seen hundreds of snot-nosed boys come in 'ere back during my first time here. Chin up kid, My name's Jack Kelly. What's yours?"

"My name ain't none of your business, Kelly." You quipped, snapping your gaze up to meet a pair of sparkling green eyes. Your accent remained present and very strong. Being around this boy, it seemed out of place to speak in the manner you'd been taught. Too refined. Not harsh enough to deal with this infuriating little jerk.

"Suit yous- Hey, whadda we have here?" He said, crouching down to your level and pulling your chin up with his finger. He tilted his head and smirked.

"Hello, Sweetheart." he said, smiling.

"I tells yah, I didn't expect to see no girl here. Thought it was beneath them to toss a dame into this place. Shows what I know, huh?" He laughed. It sounded like music after a long, empty silence. Wait, no. It sounded like a... cheese grater. You know? Grating? Cause... bad? Yup. Perfect save.

"Yeah, course I's a girl. Anyone who don't see that don't got eyes. I's a snack." You sassed, wiping he residual tears from your eyes to prove just how much of a knock out you were. You sighed a little. You'd been in the Refuge for a little over two months, so you honestly had no clue how horrible you looked right then, but whatever. Confidence is key, right?

Jack leaned closer, eyes roaming over your face, as though he were trying to commit it to memory.

"Oh, I gots eyes, alright. Hey, I know! You is gonna go by Beautiful from now on, aright?"

"What?!"

"Well I gots to call yah something, so until you decides to tell me what to call you, you's gonna hafta get used to bein' called Beautiful." He leaned closer and whispered  "Beautiful." once more in your ear. You shivered, but it wasn't due to the cold that time. 

Oh crap, you're done for.

-:-:-:-

Two months later...

"Jack, stop stealin' my pillow. A girl needs her beauty sleep over here."

You said, turning away from the wall. You were as far as you could scoot away from Jack on the paper thin mattress you shared. Yeah, it wasn't the ideal situation, but you were more comfortable with Jack than you were with any of the other boys in the Refuge, as surprising as that seemed. At least you knew Jack wouldn't hurt you.

"You don't need no beauty sleep; you's already gorgeous, Beautiful." he whispered, snuggling closer to the pillow and effectively preventing you from getting it back. You slapped his cheek.

"Stop callin' me that. I ain't no object. I's a strong girl who don't need to rely on looks."

"Doesn't change how beautiful you look, Sweetheart." Wow, he was really throwing on the charm this time.

You pretended to gag.

"That one's even worse. I ain't your sweetheart. You's just a cocky little fifteen-year-old boy. I could do much better."

Jack sat up and rolled over a couple times so he was right next to you "Hey, you can makes this stop any time ya want. I would love to puts a name to da face." He said, leaning closer as he spoke until the two of you were only inches apart. For a moment, you were frozen, stunned into silence by the utter gorgeousness of the boy in front of you. After a moment or two of silence, you regained your senses and shoved him away.

"Go away Jack, you slippery little snake."

"Don't cha mean snack?" he teased, leaning in once again.

"Dammit, Jack." you huffed, rolling back towards the wall.

"Dat's my name. Don't wear it out, love."

"Oh, and you and I both knows you would love to be my sweetheart." He said, grabbing your pillow and smacking you in the face with it. And of course, you had to retaliate. And of course it turned into a full-blown pillow fight at two in the morning.

Yeah, the attendants weren't all too pleased that you woke them up when they were taking their mid-shift nap. Sure, you and Jack were both soaked and assigned bathroom-cleaning duty for a month, but you did it together, just like everything else. Having Jack the Snack by your side made life in the Refuge bearable.

-:-:-:-

One week later...

"Jeez, Beautiful, didja hafta make it hurt that much?" Jack sucked in a breath as you treated a cut on his forehead he received from an oh so friendly guard that morning.

"Do yah wants it to get worse? I could spit in it, if that would makes you feel better." You scoffed, ripping a strip of fabric from a semi-clean rag of a blanket to use as a bandage. you wound it around his head and tied a small knot in the back, effectively making Jack look like a pirate. Huh. Jack the pirate has a nice ring to it...

"I thinks that just your way of sayin' you wanna kiss me, Beautiful." He winked at you. You rolled your eyes and flicked his newly bandaged injury. Not hard enough to make it worse, but enough that it would hurt.

"GAH- You little piece of sh-" he started, but you cut him off with a finger on his lips and a loud

"Shhhhhhhhhhhh..."

"Language!" You laughed as you danced away.

-:-:-:-

One month later...

"Let's go, before one of them guards sees us." Jack whispered to you, pulling you along by your hand.

"Are you sure this is gonna work, Jack? If it don't we's gonna be in more trouble then we've ever been in before." You frowned. You were both already beaten and battered, and you could only take so much more before permanent damage would be done. You were afraid that this time, they wouldn't stop and they'd kill Jack.

"I swear, everythin's gonna work out. Now come on!" He pulled you around one final corner to see the governer's carriage, almost glowing with the hope, the dream of freedom.

Jack pulled his cap more firmly onto his head and ran over to the carriage,  hopping into the back. The glint of freedom shining in his eyes warmed your heart. It had been a while since you had seen a spark of hope in his eyes. The glint faded, however, when he saw that there was only room for one person. You saw this as well, and at that moment, you made a decision that would change both of your lives for good.

"Jack..." You started, your voice wavering. You didn't know if you could get the words out. there was a lump in your throat and you knew that at any second, you would lose your composure and start sobbing.

"No. No, I knows what you's gonna say and the answer is no. I ain't leaving you here. I can't do that. You knows I can't do that." He said, sliding out of the carriage and putting his hands on your shoulders.

"Think about it, Jack. As bad as this place is, it's still safer for me than to be out there. I's a girl. A woman. It ain't safe for me to be alone out there." You reasoned with him. In all honesty, you knew that no matter where you were, whether it be in the refuge or out in the streets, you wouldn't be safe.

But you knew Jack was made for bigger things than rotting away in a prison.

"Jack... Please. For me. Please just go. You can bust me outta here soon, yeah?" You said, attempting to keep the mood light.

Of course, it didn't work. You both knew, if only subconsciously, that once Jack was out, there was no way he could get you out too.

"I can't leave you here, Beautiful. I wouldn't ever forgive myself."

"Hey, we's a family. We'd always gonna be together, even if it's just in our memories."

He stared at you long and hard, an indescribable pain in his eyes. He stared at you in a way that made your heart break.

"Okay, Sweetheart. You win this round. But you's best be expectin' me to save you from this dungeon just as soon as I can." He said emphatically, sliding his hands down your arms to hold your hands in his.

You stared up into his eyes and realized that he had grown since you first met him. The thought made you tear up, and suddenly, you couldn't hold it all in anymore.

"I sure is gonna miss you callin' me Beautiful." you choked out, pulling him into a hug that conveyed all the feelings you couldn't express with words. He was stunned for a moment, then hugged you back, holding you as though he could never dream of letting go.

"Hey, don't you worry your pretty little head about it. I is gonna get you outa here and then we can... I dunno... Get outta here. Hop a train and head out West somewhere. Start a new life in a small town, just the two of us."

You laughed sadly and pulled away a little so you could see his face. It held the same bittersweet look as your own.

"How's about Santa Fe? I heard they built it all outa clay. The entire town! Imagine that..." You smiled, letting the built up tears fall.

"Clay? Wouldn't that all just turn ta mush as soon as it rains?" He asked, brushing a piece of hair out of your face, leaving his hand on your cheek.

"Maybe its a special kinda clay." You whispered, leaning in to his hand.

"Santa Fe, huh? Sounds good to me. That'll be our dream. Our little piece of heaven after living in this hell." He said softly, his own eyes getting misty. He gently wiped a tear from your face with his thumb.

In the moment, time seemed to halt. It was just the two of you. There was no Refuge, no stabbing hunger pains. There were no bruises on your bodies, no rats scurrying around. Jack wasn't leaving and you weren't being left behind.

But then the carriage began moving.

And his hand left your cheek.

The magic of the moment was broken and so was your heart. He gave you a small, pained smile, finally letting a single tear slip down his cheek.

And then he was gone.