Takes place after the bar scene in Season 2, Episode 1: Second Chances. I noticed quite a change in Kiera and Kellog's relationship (for lack of a better word) between Seasons 1 and 2. This was my attempt to explain what happened between the end of Season 1 and the beginning of Season 2 to bring about such a change.
Author's note: This is my second story for Continuum. It could be considered a sequel to my story Two Lost Souls. It may be helpful to read that story first, in order to understand where I was coming from with this story. Quotes from the show appear in italics.
Disclaimer: I don't own Continuum.
Denial
Matthew left the bar feeling hurt and angry. What had he done to deserve such treatment from her?
"I was just starting to get over you."
He had said the words, but he hadn't meant them. There was no way he could even begin to get over her that quickly. He just wished he knew what he'd done wrong.
She'd come to him after the bombing, he'd taken her out on his boat, and for a few days everything had been going great. He'd been a perfect gentleman, not attempting to hit on her even once, and he'd kept his feelings for her carefully hidden. She'd seemed comfortable with him, happy even. Then one morning, he'd woken up to find her gone.
He'd tried to ask her about it at the bar, but she hadn't offered any explanation. She'd been downright hostile toward him, and had blackmailed him into giving her money on top it! He would have freely given her anything she wanted, if she had only asked.
He'd been a fool, he realized bitterly. A fool to think she would ever return his feelings. A fool to hope that someday she'd forget her husband and choose to be with him, instead. A fool to think she'd ever see him as anything other than a criminal.
There was only one thing to be done. He was going to have to make himself forget about her.
Kiera hadn't wanted to call him, but she hadn't had a choice. She really had needed the money. She knew, of course, that if she'd asked him he would have just given it to her. She knew how he felt about her, and that's why she couldn't ask. She couldn't go there with him. Not after that last night on the boat.
They'd been cooking dinner together in his galley. He'd said something funny, she'd laughed, and he'd grinned at her. She'd seen the look in his eyes. The joy. The love. It had been unmistakable, shinning there so bright and pure. She'd felt her heart soar in response, and in a shocking moment of clarity, it had hit her. She was falling in love with him.
Inside, she had been panicking, but she'd managed to hold it together and pretend everything was fine through dinner, and while they cleaned up the galley afterward. Once the dishes were taken care of, she'd told him she felt a headache coming on, and was going to go to bed early. He'd been concerned. He'd asked her if it was her CMR, and she'd smiled and told him that it was just a headache.
She had gone to his room, lain in his bed, and pretended to sleep. All the while her heart had been racing, and so had her thoughts. She couldn't love Matthew! She was married! She still loved Greg. They had a child together. Sam. Her sweet boy. She had to get back to them! How could she have let this happen?!
She'd realized then what she had to do. She had to leave. She had to forget about Matthew. She had to convince herself, somehow, to stop feeling what she felt for him.
Then the tears had come, silently streaming down her face. They'd soaked her hair, and the pillow beneath her head. She'd held in her sobs so he wouldn't hear her. Eventually, her tears had stopped, but she hadn't felt any better.
She'd waited, and late that night, when the boat was dark and silent, she'd slipped up the stairs, past where he slept on the couch, and down the ramp to the dock.
When she'd seen him in the bar, the rush of emotions she'd felt had nearly overwhelmed her. Elation. Love. Longing. Pain. Regret. Loss. Sorrow. She'd done the only thing she could do. She'd hidden those feelings behind an angry facade, and hoped he wouldn't see through it.