this story went from like a simple crossover to a complete train wreck woah

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Three years was all it took for Jack and Katherine to recover. Not once did they dare to attempt and conceive again. For though they recovered, but they hadn't healed completely. Katherine was fearful of the chance to lose another innocent life, and Jack was afraid he'd fail his family again.

The process was long and hard, extending past the parents' twelve months of mourning until their grief was left empty. Their hope and loyalty to their family filled that shell of grief, enabling them to lead a better life after three years.

Yet for Katherine, that all came crashing down as an envelope slipped under their apartment door. Her eyes found the wax seal, only expecting perhaps a note from work or even the school where Velma and Veronica received an education. But the moment she saw the seal of Katherine 'Kate' Davis Pulitzer accompanied by soiled spots in the paper that Katherine only assumed were made by tears, a nervous knot tied in her gut.

Katherine Davis Pulitzer
October Thirty and None, 1911

My dearest Katherine Kelly,

     I find it to be a terrible announcement that your father—Joseph Pulitzer—has passed away on the afternoon of October 29, 1911 from a disease undergoing research by the Pulitzer family doctor.
     As you must know, your father had been traveling on his yacht Liberty whilst accompanied by C. Louis Leipoldt. Though he was traveling down to the winter home in Jekyll Island, Liberty made a stop in Charleston Harbor. As your father lay ill on the ship, his German secretary recited about King Louis XI. As the secretary neared the end, your father spoke in the German language, "Softly. Quite softly."
     Your father died at the age of 64 and in peace. As I write this, your father's body is being transported back to New York to be buried in Woodlawn Cemetery. A viewing service will take place Sunday, November Fifth to celebrate Joseph Pulitzer's life.
     In his will, Joseph Pulitzer left The New York World to be owned by your elder brothers Ralph, Herbert, and Joseph. However, he has requested in his will that you take the job of executive director as well as head reporter. Your father saw potential in you, and he wanted you to use that potential to improve the company. Though you have faced many trials in your recent years, I, too, can see that your partaking in the newspaper will help develop the company into something new and better. Do not fail his trust, my dear daughter, for this is an opportunity few women have the honor to receive.

Love,
Katherine 'Kate' Davis
Mother and Widow

Katherine set the letter down shakily, her mind spinning. She clutched at the vanity positioned against the wall in the entrance hall, supporting herself as she stared in numb shock at the floor. Slowly peeling herself away from the vanity, she entered the room where her three children were in. She leaned against the doorframe, catching their attention.

Velma and Veronica were now eleven and twelve respectably, entering an age where they'd be expected to do more. In a normal household, they'd be taught the ways of a mother and wife, but Katherine wasn't one to do that. Instead, she'd teach them to empower themselves and help make the future of their gender a better destiny.

Katherine smiled sadly, fighting back the tears building in her eyes. "Grab your coats."

"Where are we going?" Velma stood, observing her mother. Katherine looked down, the smile she attempted to place on her lips vanishing and turning into a trembling frown

"Your grandfather has passed away," Katherine said with a quiet, shaking voice. "Now hurry."

She stepped out of the room, dabbing with her fingers at the corners of her eyes in an attempt to rid them of the tears building up. Katherine had never been extremely close with her father, though she knew he doted over her with the rest of her siblings. He was a worker, definitely, with an aspiration to be successful. Sometimes that would blind him from his duties as a father, as well, but he was always there to help his children in times where he was needed.

Katherine could remember the days of her childhood when her father would let her come into his office while he worked. Sometimes she would sit on his knee, and he would show her how to write and attempt to teach her the German and French alphabet. Without her father, Katherine wouldn't be the inspired writer and reporter she was. His departure from the world left a wound in her heart. Though he was never fond of Jack, he always wanted Katherine to be happy, and that was an honorable action for her father. Sure, he was often an unreasonable man, but he was also misjudged.

A single tear escaped Katherine's eye as she slowly slid her shawl over her shoulders. Unlike the time when she lost James where her emotions were empty, Katherine's emotions this time were full of sorrow, heartache, and melancholy that she didn't know how to deal with. The last time Katherine ever dealt with emotions similar to these was in 1897 when she was fifteen and her sister—Lucille—died at seventeen. Even then, Katherine struggled with the loss and she wasn't sure how she could deal with it now.

The only difference this time was that she lost her father: the man who she learned to love and despise at the same time. Yet as it came down to the time where she lost him, she couldn't help but imagine all the things she could have done to make their relationship better. There was no turning back now, though, and she couldn't fix a relationship that was already gone.