A/N: I own nothing. Alternate ending to Scribbler of Dreams. Oneshot! R&R!
He has to be wrong. Bram Crutchfield willed himself to believe this. Rick is mistaken; Kait's last name is Hampton, not Malone. Rick is wrong. Kait lives on our side of the fence. "Kait?" he addressed her tightly, hoping--praying--that it was not true, and also praying that if it was, she would continue lying about it for a little longer. He shook his head, trying to dismiss the thought, because Rick was mistaken. Suddenly, Bram saw the guarded appearance that had veiled Kait's eyes since she had learned his name fall away, and he saw the truth in her beautiful eyes.
"Bram, let me explain!" she pleaded. Bram shook his head, allowing the same guard that had covered Kait's true colors to veil his own eyes. Then, he ran. He ran away from Kait, from his family--away from everything. He dashed to his convertible, and collapsed into the driver's seat. Before he could turn the key, Kait appeared at the passenger's door and opened it, dropping into the seat beside Bram. They sat for a moment in stony silence.
"Bram," Kait finally said, "I am so sorry." Bram now found that no matter how hard he tried to meet her hazel eyes, he could not. Suddenly, he snapped like a rubber band.
"You're sorry?" he almost shouted, and Kait winced as if he had slapped her. "Are you sorry that you lied to me for months?" Bram knew that what he was about to say was particularly low, but he added for good measure, "Kait, are you sorry that your snake of a father murdered mine in cold blood?"
"Don't you see?" Kait asked. "It doesn't matter what happened that night. Your father wasn't perfect, and neither is mine!"
"At least your father is still alive." Bram said quietly, all of his rage gone as quickly as it had come.
"Bram, I'm so sorry. I should've told you, and I didn't, because I knew you wouldn't accept me if I told you the truth."
Bram nodded. "I probably would've punched you." Kait Hampton would have laughed at the idea of Bram Crutchfield punching a girl, but Kait Hampton didn't exist. Only Kait Malone existed, and she didn't laugh. "Did your family know?" Bram asked quietly. It would be even worse to him if her family had known.
"My parents have only known for a few days, but my sister figured it out weeks ago. I'll never know why she didn't tell."
"Maybe she realized something that I just did."
"What?" Kait's heart raced.
"That we belong together."
"Can we do this?" Kait asked, still with a seed of doubt in her mind, but it was uprooted and cast away by his next words.
"Yes." Bram said, taking her hands into his. "We can, and we will."