A/N: A little one-shot fic set sometime after the movie. I'm not sure how the movie was suppose to make us feel about Betty and Kate, but somewhere down the road I'm hoping maybe it went something along these lines.
Kate opened the door and stood to the side as Betty swayed past her.
"I don't know why we had to come home anyways," Betty said, shaking her head as she plopped heavily onto the couch. "It was no big deal."
Kate followed her in and tucked her keys away in her purse, placing it on the table by the door.
"It kinda was," she shrugged, watching her friend flop back against the couch cushions behind her. "When you punch people, they tend to get mad, especially when those people turn out to be the bar manager and have the power to throw you out."
"Well, he shouldn't have started it," Betty said begrudgingly, crossing her arms in a way that reminded Kate of a pouting toddler.
Kate smiled softly to herself and wondered if this was how Betty looked when she didn't get her way against her brothers as a child. Although, she was certain childhood stubbornness had nothing to do with this current bout of scowling.
"Is the world spinning for you?" Betty asked, suddenly unsure of her topsy-turvy world.
"No, that's still just you," Kate replied, going into the kitchen and coming back with a glass of water and bottle of Aspirin. She sat down beside her friend and offered her both while giving a look that told Betty she had no choice but to drink a little until she got her bearings again. She knew the Aspirin would come in handy the next day and smiled in triumph when Betty did as she was instructed and took both with a stubborn huff.
She hated to see Betty like this, so broken and hurt. It seemed the other girl was turning to the bottle more and more in order to drown out the pain she was feeling. Ever since Betty's reappearance from prison, Kate had noticed some of the light in her eyes had dimmed. The once rambunctious, brave girl that she had known now seemed deflated, lost, and on edge. Like she wasn't sure where she belonged or how to stop the empty feeling life tended to leave you in at times. All Kate wanted to do was to chase the doubt and pain away.
"Come on," She said instead, grabbing Betty's hands to pull her up off the couch. "Lets get you to bed. You're going to feel this in the morning."
She led them into Betty's room, which was right across from hers. Even though they no longer lived in the boarding house, their rooms still sat right across from each other like they were always meant to. Only steps away if bad dreams became too much or drunken nights resulted from pushed away feelings. Like other nights, Kate took Betty into her room and gently helped her into her pajamas. Never saying a thing about the one too many drinks. Just as Betty never mentioned the nights she held Kate until the dark shadows receded back into the world of her nightmares.
Kate giggled at the way Betty swayed when she pulled her blouse over her head. She placed steady hands on Betty's shoulders, keeping her grounded to this world.
"Woah, there sailor," She smiled. "You don't want to go overboard in these choppy seas."
"Ah, I'm fine," Betty said, flailing her arms out as if making a point. Kate simply held Betty's pajama top up and helped her into its first arm, then helped her with the other arm, before pulling the nightshirt's two sides together to carefully close it one button at a time.
Kate looked up and gave her a look that was somewhere between a gentle smile and a skeptical raised eyebrow, causing Betty to swallow nervously as she watched the other girl's soft hands ghost over the fabric, handling each button with such delicate care.
"Really, I am," Betty tried, shaking her head to clear the hazy cobwebs, only her balance betrayed the truth as she swayed forward and leaned heavily on Kate, who carefully guided her to the bed, sitting them both on the edge. "Why, I could go back to that bar right now and go another round with that numbskull."
"You could, huh?" Kate smirked over at her. "Pantsless and all?"
Betty looked down at her bare legs and noticed she was only wearing her undergarments from the waist down. She snorted in surprise, causing Kate to laugh in response.
"Well, that'll just get me arrested," Betty laughed, leaning towards Kate again.
"Mmm hmmm," Kate hummed, placing an arm around Betty to help steady her again. "Just a little bit."
Kate reached over and grabbed Betty's pajama bottoms behind her. With one arm to keep her upright, she helped Betty put her pants on. Once Kate sat back up, she took the drunken girl in. Betty sat there smiling softly at Kate as if she had just managed to lasso the moon for her.
"Why don't we get you into bed?" Kate said.
"Only if you'll sleep with me."
They both paused a moment as they realized how it sounded and then both broke out laughing as Betty crawled backwards and flopped heavily onto her pillow. Kate followed and stretched out beside her, gently landing on the pillow beside Betty's, turning to lie on her side to keep a careful eye on her friend.
"Back in my glory days," Betty said, her eyes becoming heavy with the sleep that was fast approaching. "I could have taken 'em. Quick and nimble, they use call me."
"Who called you?" Kate asked, her brow knotting in confusion.
"My boxing coach," Betty yawned. "Or whatever you'd call a guy who coaches you on how to throw fights."
"You boxed?" Kate asked, alarmed at this new revelation.
"Yeah, for a time after I got out," She paused and then turned to her side towards Kate when she realized something. "But I wasn't suppose to tell you that, so lets just keep that between us."
Kate frowned at the statement that didn't make sense. And yet, it was just another piece of the puzzle that made up the picture of Betty's life after she turned herself in for her father's death. Its jagged piece locking into place, revealing more colors of Betty's inner turmoil.
Kate reached out and took Betty's hand into her own. The one she used to punch the bar manager earlier that night. The one she had used to box with she presumed. She traced Betty's knuckles lightly with her fingers, searching for any abrasions.
"It was no big deal. I lost mostly, easy money that way."
"It's hard to picture," Kate whispered, softly.
"What, that I could box?" Betty huffed, the edge in her tone creeping back in again. "I did what I had to do."
"No," Kate said gently as her fingers came up to the rise of Betty's cheekbones to trace the skin there, exploring the expanse as if she half expected to find the bruises and scrapes that once lay there. "Losing. It's hard to picture you losing."
"It was a theme in my life at the time," Betty said, her voice barely over a whisper.
"And now?"
"It's better in moments like now," she smiled softly, turning more towards Kate's exploring fingers.
"Good, lets just keep the bar fights to a bare minimum then, okay?"
"Okay, but that guy had it coming to him tonight. He said your singing wasn't musical. I mean, what does that even mean? He's no Bing Miller… no wait, I mean Glenn Crosby… no wait…"
"You got into that fight tonight because of me?" Kate interrupted, leaning in closer to the truth. She sighed heavily as she took in the information. "Oh, Betty… you shouldn't do such things."
"Why not? You're the only one I want to fight for. You're the only one I ever want to fight for."
Kate breathed in the statement and felt it warm her to her very soul. Her eyes focused on the truth before her, meeting the heavy, drunken gaze, which lay only inches away now.
Betty was the one who had fought for her since day one and would be fighting for her for the rest of her days it seemed. Kate realized she was okay with that only if it meant she got to spend the rest of her days by Betty's side. She wanted to take care of Betty too, in her own way, like she was doing tonight.
"You won't remember any of this in the morning will you?" Kate asked.
"Probably not."
"Well, I guess I'll have to do it again in the morning then."
"Do what again in the morning?"
Kate leaned in the short distance between them and kissed her. Her lips' gently brushing across Betty's surprised ones. She tasted the alcohol, apprehension, and then the hunger once Betty began kissing her back. When she pulled back, it was Kate's head that seemed to be spinning now.
She watched as Betty's eyes slowly opened, half afraid it was some cruel, drunken dream. Kate gave her a smile to assure her the kiss was, in fact, reality.
"Promise me that when you fight… we'll fight whatever it is together… and we'll win this time."
Betty's slow smile lit up her whole face, reminding Kate that the once rambunctious, brave girl was still in there.
And she was worth fighting for.