justdidntseeit | [[ wheelsy, south carolina ]]

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[[ wheelsy, south carolina ]]

[ "i believe i have met your sister, kate." ]

Marie's been in the bar.

Kate all but stumbles inside the kitchen, gripping the back of one of the wooden chairs with her free hand as soon as the door closes behind her.

(She didn't want to show any more weakness than she already had as she left Milliways and Ramon's cruel smile.)

Knuckles bloodless around the smooth curve of oak, she can't stop the shuddering breaths that burn in her lungs and catch in her throat.

don't cry don't cry don't cry, Bill doesn't need this, not now

But her stomach's on fire and the walls are underwater; sinking into the chair, she squeezes shut her eyes. The ice pack is on the table in front of her, forgotten.

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Bill is in the living room where he's been since before she left; playing Madden with a building intensity.

He didn't sleep much last night (his trip to Milliways didn't really help) and was up fairly early and has been at the game nearly all day.

"Christ! Catch the damn ball!"

With an angry sigh he leans back against the couch, hand splayed over his face as the replay of the dropped pass plays out on the screen.

When he thinks he hears the sound of wood scraping against the kitchen floor he pauses the game, glancing towards the kitchen.

"Kate? You back?"

Letting out a slow breath, she opens her eyes and unzips her thin blue fleece, concentrating on the simple action.

The sudden absence of background noise from the game and Bill's voice cause her stomach to lurch.

"Yeah," she says, hoping her voice is steadier than it sounds to her own ears. "I'm back."

He thinks he hears something off in her voice but isn't sure.

Setting down the controller he grabs the empty Coke can off the coffee table and heads for the kitchen.

"Hey, you hungry? I haven't-- "

When he sees her sitting there his words cut off and he moves over quickly.

"Kate, what's wrong?"

Spotting the ice pack on the table he puts a careful hand on her shoulder.

"What happened?"

"I -- "

She sniffles and looks up at the touch.

"I'm okay. Fatso and Wally were excited to see me -- I just banged my knee on one of the steps."

She swallows and nods toward the ice pack.

"The, um, the bar showed up."

"Damn dogs."

Frowning he sets his can on the table and kneels down to look at her leg.

"Did you twist it or just scrape it?"

Reaching for her pant leg he glances up at her.

"How long were you in the bar?"

"It's fine -- just scraped."

And swollen.

She tugs up the leg of her yoga pants so he can see the Band-Aid already there.

"I -- I wasn't in the bar very long."

Her chin trembles; she presses her lips together.

He nods seeing the scrape's already been taken care of.

"It's swollen, you sure-- "

Lifting his head again he catches her expression and his chest tightens.

"Kate, what's wrong?"

God, it's Katherine.

I'm scared.

"Do you -- "

She tucks a stray lock of hair that's escaped her ponytail behind one ear.

"Do you know Ramon Salazar? He said -- he said he met Marie in Milliways a few years ago."

Her voice cracks and she can't keep her eyes on Bill's.

"No, I don't-- Marie? Are you sure?"

Something cold settles in his gut and he's hoping it isn't true for Kate's sake. Already he's trying to find something to say to reassure her that it couldn't be Marie, or that it will be okay if it is.

Setting a hand on her thigh, the other rests with his forearm on the tabletop.

"What'd he say about her?"

"That he thought she came in from 2010, and she was in a mental institution."

Her red-rimmed gaze falls to the back of his hand on her thigh, and she doesn't realize she's shaking.

"She can't -- Bill, if you ever run into her -- she's not the person she used to be, and if she ever hurt you, I ... "

She can't finish the awful thought.

"Hurt me? Why would she... "

He can feel her trembling and shifts so he can reach an arm out to pull her into a hug.

"Kate, it's all right. She ain't gonna... we'll be all right."

She wraps her arms around his neck and closes her eyes.

"You wouldn't understand, Kate. People have to die for things to change."

"But she killed Reza, and she loved him. She didn't care if Dad and I died in the blast if the bomb went off. And I -- "

She shakes her head against his jaw.

"I didn't stop Jack when he was questioning her that night. She probably hates me -- she has to -- and god, if she knew how much I care about you -- "

Her arms tighten around him.

"She'd make you pick, just like in my dream, and you wouldn't pick me."

"You heard the officer."

"You'd let her kill you."

She knows she's probably not making sense to anyone but herself, but the words tumble from her mouth, muffled against his collar.

He holds onto her tightly and his hand rubs her back slowly, trying to comfort and calm her.

"Kate, I don't... "

He doesn't understand half of what she's saying but he knows Marie is dangerous and it's obvious she's worried about him.

"Listen, it's gonna be all right. I promise, it's gonna be okay."

She takes in a breath, then another, focusing on the warmth of his palm through the layers of fleece and cotton.

"Okay."

it's not okay, what if she comes back

Blinking hard so she won't cry, she nods against his neck.

Ignoring the part of his mind asking how the hell he's going to keep this promise he nods, pressing his lips against her hair.

"Okay."

He doesn't let go of her right away, he hangs on just to be there and hopes that he's helping.

"I'm sorry, Kate. I know everything with your sister has been hard... "

Her breath hitches; she hopes Bill doesn't notice.

"It's fine."

(It's not, but she's worried him too much already.)

She pulls back just enough to attempt a smile that he can see.

"I'm sorry, I -- "

She shakes her head.

"Talking with Ramon just ... surprised me."

It's not.

Not only has Marie been in the bar but, she, and everything that happened with her, is still waiting in Kate's world; no matter how much he tries to forget or ignore it.

Looking at her he offers a faint smile of his own, reaching a hand up to brush back hair from her cheek.

"Don't be sorry. An' don't be scared. Remember, in Milliways there's plenty of folks to watch out for you. If she does show up ain't nothin' gonna happen with her there."

Her eyes close at the gentle touch and she turns her cheek into his palm.

"Yeah."

But that's something neither of us can guarantee.

She swallows thickly and opens her eyes.

"Don't be mad at the dogs."

When her eyes close he looks her over, trying to see and decide if she's better or just covering up.

When they open again he gives her a stronger smile than his last one and shakes his head.

"Those dumb ass mutts. Coulda broke your neck, but if you ain't mad at 'em I guess I can't be."

She sees the concern still shadowing his features, and she hates herself for putting it there.

Shaking her head, her fingertips stroke his hair at his nape.

"They meant well."

"I know, they just like you too much is all."

Her touch distracts him from his worry but he makes himself refocus, not ready yet to let it go.

"Are you sure you're all right? There anything I can do?"

It's about her leg, about what happened in the bar and about whatever it is she's afraid of happening.

Stay out of the bar as much as possible, in case she comes back.

Pushing down the thought as soon as it surfaces, she forces her lips to quirk in a wry half-smile.

"You could take pity on me and carry me to bed."

She's still unsettled -- from the spill on the stairs just after her run and because what she learned from Ramon -- and her muscles feel like they've endured much more than four miles. Right now, she's putting all of her energy into breathing.

(Into not falling apart.)

"I'm just not feeling so great."

"I can," He replies honestly, not sure if she's kidding but perfectly willing to if she's as run down as she kind of looks and sounds.

"Sure you don't need to get it looked at?"

"I've got ice and pillows -- it'll be fine."

She brushes her lips against his forehead in reassurance.

"I won't make you carry me, but leaning on you would be nice."

He smiles at the kiss and stands. He'll let it go when he sees how she walks on it.

Bending to offer her his shoulder his arm is ready to wrap around her waist to help her up and take her weight when she's on her feet.

"C'mon then, we'll get you to the back."

His other hand is held out to her to steady by. He may not be sweeping her off her feet, but he's going to carry her as much as he can without actually doing so.

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