Katarina stirs gently on the couch. She opens her eyes slowly, blinking to adjust to the light. The fireplace is crackling softly. In front of her sits Jefferson, staring into the fire. He's leaning against his elbow, laying on his side in front of the fire. Katarina sits up, rubbing her eyes and stretching. Jefferson turns to look over his shoulder.
"Are you feeling better after some rest?" He asks worriedly, turning himself around to face her.
Katarina looks to the fireplace, still crackling lazily in the fireplace. A sudden pain shoots through her heart, followed by a throbbing sensation. She folds her hands over her chest instinctively, breathing in slowly.
"What's the matter?" Jefferson continues to inquiry in response to her silence.
"It was just an odd pain, a sharp jolt, as if it were in my heart." She states more to herself than to answer his question.
Jefferson positions himself closer to the edge of the couch, looking up at her, he places his hand tenderly on her folded knees under the wolf-skin blanket. She squirms at his touch and snaps her attention to his face. His icy blue eyes pleading to her for some form of attention. Katarina tilts her head slightly to the left and smiles weakly at him. A pale red flushing her cheeks, she can feel the warmth returning to her body slowly. Realizing the cold, she wraps the wolf-skin higher on her arms and rubs them gently. Jefferson stands up quickly and offers out his hand to her.
"Please, come warm yourself by the fire." He insists in a hushed voice.
Katarina looks up to meet his gaze before taking his hand, he hoists her out of her seat and leads her to the hearth of the fire, adjusting the wolf-skin on her arms.
"I'll go grab you some warmer clothes, I know it gets terribly cold and drafty in this empty home." He begins to walk away, gesturing to his home with his right hand.
Katarina looks over her shoulder and watches him exit the room swiftly, she drops her gaze to the floor and then back to the fire.
'How is it still night time….I must have been out for hours.' She thinks to herself, allowing her mind to wander to before she fell asleep.
She looks over her shoulder again at the entrance to the living room. Quickly she stands up, clutching the wolf-skin tightly around herself. Hurriedly, she makes her way to the front door again, placing her hand on the door handle and checking over her shoulder to the top of the stairs again. There's no sign of Jefferson. She turns her attention to the door again and pulls on the handle gently, trying to avoid any sound. The door cracks open reluctantly with a quick squeak, moonlight spills through the crack. Katarina closes the door hastily and screws her face up in disappointment. She steps sideways to the window to her right, peeking through the curtains to the sky, the moon is full and directly above, shining brightly, as if taunting her.
She backs away from the window in disbelief.
'There's no way that I was only asleep for a few minutes….' She thinks to herself angrily.
"Is something wrong?" Jefferson's voice comes to her directly behind her.
Katarina spins around, tightening her grip on the wolf-skin. She shakes her head and looks down at the floor, her eyebrows furrowed.
Jefferson bends to try and meet her downcast eyes. He reaches up to place his hand on her exposed shoulder. She looks up, confusion displayed in her eyes. She searches his face for a hint of anything unusual.
Jefferson straightens up, keeping his eyes locked with hers. He furrows his brows.
"What happened?" Katarina asks in an accusatory tone.
Jefferson picks up on the tone and drops his hand from her shoulder, glancing away momentarily before raising his hand to his own face, rubbing at his own chin.
"Kat.. You became ill and-" He starts.
"The TRUTH, Jefferson." She growls out, her eyes ablaze.
Jefferson drops his hand to his side. Katarina sighs and walks past him towards the stairs quickly. Jefferson watches her make her ascent and disappear into the room to the right, closing the door softly behind her.
Jefferson rubs the bridge of his nose annoyed before clasping his hands behind his head and starting to pace in his foyer. He closes his eyes momentarily before strengthening his resolve. Releasing his hand, he begins to tighten his hands into fists repeatedly. Finally shaking them out and tucking his fingers into his vest pockets.
'Sure. The truth. The Dark One appeared, made some sort of deal with me for more time for you. Whatever that may mean. But yes, the one thing you can't stand and yet again thoroughly enjoy is magic and it has happened. You're welcome?' He thinks to himself irritated.
"I don't know what to do.." He whispers to himself before laughing dejectedly to himself.
Katarina sits atop of the bed, still clutching the wolf-skin around her shoulders. Peering into the dying fire in her fireplace. She's breathing rapidly, her heart racing, thoughts a hurricane in her mind. Conflicting feelings at war inside of her.
'Why do I feel this way…I know how I feel about him..and yet, this ebbing feeling of dread just keeps haunting me…changing me…' She furrows her brow in concentration, trying to make sense of it all. 'Where is my mind..'
A soft tapping fills the silence that previously reigned. Katarina recognizes it as footsteps up Jefferson's wood stairs. She draws her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around them before burying her face in the wolf-skin draped across her shoulders, covering her arms.
'Monster..' Katarina looks up suddenly, unaware of the origin of the thought. 'I certainly don't feel this way about him…' She retorts to her inner thoughts. 'I'm just telling you the truth…'
Katarina stares into the last burning embers of the fire, self-searching suddenly, surprised and afraid of where this is all coming from. A dull ache forms in her chest.
A soft knocking comes from the door, a sliver of light falls against the wall next to her.
"Katarina…" Jefferson's voice is soft and hollow.
She doesn't move or respond to him, still focusing on the ache in her chest.
"Please…allow me to tell you honestly what has happened." His voice growing stronger.
"Mr. Hatter. May I make a request of you?" She responds monotonously.
Jefferson steps through the doorway, the door opened wider, the light flooding over her form. He looks to the fire and immediately walks over, throwing another log on the fire and poking at it with the fire poker, bringing the dying embers to a full bodied flame, emanating a lush warmth. He turns without looking at her and walks back through the doorway, retrieving something from a side table. He returns with a vase with flowers ornately placed in them, he sets them down on her nightstand gently before returning to the hallway to retrieve another item. He brings in a tray with two white teacups and a pot of hot water. He also sets this tray down on the nightstand and pours the water delicately into the tea cup. He hands the cup to her gingerly. Katarina reluctantly takes hold of the cup and looks into it, the purple flower in full bloom floats atop it. The sparkle of a dark night replicated in its petals. She takes a long sip and rests the cup on her knee.
Jefferson sighs in relief and pours himself a cup, placing a few tea leaves in his cup. He swirls it around briskly before smelling it and adding another pinch of tea leaves. Katarina watches him from the corner of her eye. Satisfied with his concoction he turns to her again before taking a seat on the bed next to her.
"Your request, my lady?" He asks meekly, flashing her a small smile before returning his gaze to his teacup.
A pang of guilt shoots through her heart, removing all traces of the dull ache the resonated within her. She shifts herself to face him full on, the wolf-skin slipping further down her arm. Jefferson glances up to see it and tries to replace it higher on her shoulder.
"Thank you, Jefferson." She says sweetly, the obvious guilt in her eyes.
Jefferson meets her eyes and assesses her face quickly, acknowledging the sincerity of it. His face remaining blank and a little set back. Nervously he places his cup on the tray resting on the nightstand , stands up and crosses the room, his fingertips brushing across her arm gently and discreetly. He opens the standing armoire, the wood made of cherrywood with a darker varnish on it, intricately carved leaf filigree along the top with brass knobs. Inside a number of garments are covered with a soft material, opening in the center flap, revealing a selection of different color dresses. He shuffles through them quickly before coming to the left side, peaking through one of the flaps he removes the item from it's silk hanger and holds it in both hands, admiring the piece before setting it on the bed.
Katarina watches him the entire time and rests her gaze on the item.
"For you to sleep in. Anything in the wardrobe you are more than welcome to. Please." Jefferson explains quickly.
Katarina glances up through her lashes at him before reaching out to touch the clothing item on the bed. The material soft, breathy and quite lush under her fingertips.
"I've seem to come up on a small fortune and spend my earnings on things that I find appealing to my tastes. Including fashion that I admire. This selection was acquired from different worlds, highly respectable I assure you. It's become a hobby of mine to collect these things. I see so much, and enjoy very little. So it would really be an honor to see these worn by someone worthy, I believe all of them will be complimented by your beauty..I'm sorry. I'm rambling." Jefferson laughs to himself before closing the armoire and resting his back against it, his hands on the brass knobs.
He casts his eyes downwards, glancing up trying to catch her reaction.
She slips off the bed gracefully, her toes touching the carpet first delicately. She rounds the bed, her back to Jefferson and she picks up the night gown attentively.
"It's lovely Jefferson…but I could never-" Katarina starts.
Jefferson steps forward quickly, standing directly behind her. He can hear her breathing steady and slow and suddenly catch in her throat as she picks up his quick movement.
"Never? Such a curious word. But I insist. " He gently brushes the back of his fingers down her arms to the night gown in her hands.
The fabric the color of dusty roses, the texture soft and silky. Small embroideries of petals dance across the princess cut neck line. Jefferson inhales and exhales slowly. He retracts his hands from her arms. He then turns away from her and looks to the open doorway, light pouring in from the hallway.
"I'll leave you to rest. I'm just down the hall if you need anything." He states curtly before making his haste to the exit.
"Jefferson." Katarina calls after him as he's about to close the door behind him. Jefferson turns to look over his shoulder.
"Yes m'lady?" He responds playfully, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips.
Katarina smiles delicately, still holding the night gown she folds it over her forearm.
"Thank you." She says with a soft voice.
Jefferson's chest wells up with a light feeling and he smiles full heartedly before nodding his head once and finally closing the door behind him.