The disclaimer thingy: I don't own any of the characters. Except Tyler, Chelsea and Jemima. I also own all the tears that I cried writing this.

The flight to Essex was a really long one, and gave Kitty plenty of time to think. Not that she actually wanted to think. She just wanted to get it over with, so that if Tyler turned her away, it would be quick and hopefully painless. The agonising hours of thinking just made the thought of being rejected hurt even more, and made the whole ordeal scarier.

If she was honest with herself, the person she wanted by her side most at that moment was Sherlock. But that was not an option, as he was staying in New York to continue his work. Kitty couldn't ask him to give it up to follow her and coddle her like a father coddling his five-year-old girl.

Just like Tyler was doing at that moment. His little girl, Chelsea had just fallen off the monkey bars and gotten winded for the first time. The little girl was terrified because she couldn't breathe. Tyler was there, assuring her that it was okay. Chelsea soon gained her breath again and stopped crying, eventually calming down.

"That was scary, daddy," she said quietly, cuddling up close to his chest.

"I know, Chels," he said, giving her a hug. "Now, how about showing me how you can get up on top of the monkey bars?"

Chelsea shook her head, no. It was far too scary to get back on the play equipment that she had been injured falling from mere minutes before. But, after several more minutes of persuasion, Chelsea got up on top of the monkey bars and showed off to her father. Tyler applauded her, and they spent another half hour at the playground before racing each other home.

When they got home, Chelsea's mother got her off to a bath and then set her in front of the TV to watch some kid's show. Tyler informed his wife about the whole incident at the park, and did it in such a way that made her laugh. He always could make her laugh.

Several hours later, Tyler's wife, Jemima, served up dinner for her family, which they all enjoyed. Chelsea rambled on about everything: friends, school, the playground, the TV show she was just watching, food and anything else that came to mind.

Meanwhile, Kitty had landed and looked Tyler up. She was standing on his doorstep and heard laughter from inside. She assumed it was his family having dinner together. She heard a little girl and it finally hit her that he had gotten married and had a child. Maybe even several children. This just made it even harder for Kitty, because she did not want to interrupt a family having dinner. She considered just booking a hotel room and coming back the next day.

But, before she could walk away, her body seemed to gain a mind of its own and she found herself pressing the doorbell.

Tyler, Jemima and Chelsea heard it from inside, and Tyler said that he'd get it, which he did. He assumed that it was some door to door salesman, again, and he opened the door. In front of him stood a woman, no older than 25 years of age. She had reddish-brown hair, brown eyes which were glistening with tears and a tear-stained face. For some odd reason, Tyler felt like he knew her from somewhere.

"Can I help you, miss?" Tyler asked, stepping outside and almost closing the door fully. He then noticed the woman had a suitcase with her and a backpack slung over her shoulder.

Kitty took in her friend's appearance. He hadn't changed a bit, except for his height and the fact that he looked older. She didn't know what to say to him. Her heart was both relieved and broken after seeing him after such a long time.

"Tyler, I…" Kitty started, but trailed off when she felt her voice cracking. She choked back more tears. At the woman's voice, it was as if a lightbulb clicked in Tyler's head. Now he knew why she looked familiar. A smile spread across his face.

"Sarah-Jane Kirke!" he exclaimed. "It's been, what, five years since we saw each other! How are you?"

"Not too good," Kitty admitted. "And my name now isn't Sarah-Jane. It's Kitty. Kitty Winter. I didn't know where else to go."

At the sight of one of his closest friends about to cry, Tyler opened his arms, which Kitty instinctively leaned in to. She let a few tears fall, but forced herself to stop. She pulled back, ending the hug.

"Do you need a place to stay?" Tyler offered. Kitty nodded. "Well, come on. I have a guest room you can stay in."

"What about your family?" she asked, swiping at her nose. Tyler gave her a suspicious look. "I heard them laughing from inside."

Tyler nodded. "They won't mind," he assured her. "Now, come in. I'm not going to let you freeze out here in the cold."

Tyler opened the door and let Kitty in. He led her up the stairs and invited her into the guest room, before grabbing a few linens from the cupboard.

"Now, Sa-, sorry, Kitty," he said, correcting his mistake. "Why don't you have a bath? I'll finish dinner with my family, and then we can talk. We have a lot to catch up on."

Kitty nodded accepting the towel gratefully. Tyler quickly showed her the facilities and then left her to her bath. Or shower. Whichever one she chose. Kitty managed a weak smile as she heard Tyler and his family laughing downstairs. He seemed to still care for her, which is exactly what she needed.

She stepped into the shower, and she let the hot water scald her skin. She welcomed the pain to take her mind off her raw emotions. As the water ran over her body, she hummed the "Friends" theme to herself to try and re-create that moment from some ten years ago. As she sung the last line, her voice cracked.

Kitty slumped down to the shower floor and wept.

Legit, like, only one person has seen the first installment of this story. And I'm pretty sure nobody follows me on here, but I don't care. I'm gonna post this anyway.