Kate walked around happier than a clam, her new singing career constantly on her mind. She hadn't truly made any final decision, but acted as if she had and to her it seemed that everything was finally falling into place. All her years of being shunned into a corner and violently chastised seemed to now be offered compensation.

But even in her state of bliss, she noticed that everyone else around didn't seem all that thrilled. Here she was with the opportunity of a lifetime and everyone seemed more stunned than anything else and Kate sometimes wondered if she shouldn't feel offended. Leon was the person to surprise her most. She thought that a musician would understand a singer, but he took the news very coolly. Kate had told him about it, hardly being able to contain herself. He listened patiently and then took a long look at her.

"Just remember, church mouse, not everything that shimmers is a diamond." he noted quietly, "Sometimes it's just broken glass."

Kate knew very little about what the tour would actually look like and any of the details, she acknowledged, but she didn't think it was a good enough reason to rain on her parade. Leon's comment stuck with her as she walked back to the boarding house, the words trying to point out something that she wasn't completely aware of, but that bothered her nonetheless. Yet, whenever that strange sinking feeling in her stomach appeared when she imagined herself taking trains to far off cities or singing in front of strange crowds of soldiers, she would shake her head free of the images, take a deep breath, and convince herself that it was just the jitters and they would go away as soon as she started touring. And then she thought of sharing the news with Betty and forgot her fears. But Betty was totally blindsided by the news and Kate decided to tell no one else that night and to focus on her performance.

"She what?!" Gladys blurted out when she heard the news from Betty in front of the factory after their shift was over.

When Betty had told Gladys, the brunette had at first thought that it was a joke. Only after Kate had stepped in to explain she wasn't joking did the brunette finally understand where the awkward smile that was trying to hide Betty's pain came from. And then she felt her hope escape her with a heavy sigh. She had crossed her fingers for those two so many times that they had blisters already and, in the end, it would come to nothing. Gladys congratulated her while holding back the desire to kick Kate in the shins.

It had never entered the brunette's mind that Betty's awkward smile was hiding a real pain, one that Betty seemed to be doomed to feel over and over again. Gladys had been too stunned by the news and in too public of a place to tell Kate a thing or two, but seeing Betty's hurt as they made their way home made Gladys more and more angry. Finally, in an annoyed huff, Gladys stormed off to find the unruly redhead. She startled Kate when she barged into her room and demanded to know what the hell the redhead thought she was doing.

"I can sing, Gladys." Kate explained, "I can sing and tour all while helping the war effort."

"You help the war effort just fine on the line." Gladys pointed out.

"But this time I'll help without making things that kill people."

"By keeping up the good spirits of those who are sent out to kill people? Tell me how is that different from making bombs that our flyboys drop?"

Kate frowned a little at the brunette's logic, but had a feeling that Gladys didn't fully understand how this opportunity was something so much more. Kate had a feeling that no one understood.

"I can finally leave the factory... See the country... Meet new people... Live my life..." Kate pointed out.

"You, you, you." Gladys simply summarized and crossed her arms, annoyed.

"Excuse me?"

Gladys sighed heavily and looked at the floor. Every day in the factory, she would look proudly at all the girls working away, trying their best to live their lives that had all been changed without notice, working their hardest to win the war they had been plunged into. They were for the most part a good bunch, good friends and good people. And there was one person there in particular who would have gladly given up her life without a second thought for Kate. Something pricked Gladys' heart at the thought that life wasn't that generous to everyone. She herself had weathered more than one storm under Betty's defiant and protective gaze.

"Why?" Gladys asked quietly, turning her eyes back to Kate.

"Why what?" Kate asked in confusion.

"Why are you constantly on the run? What are you running from, Kate? Who or what is always chasing you?"

"I'm not running." Kate protested, automatically growing defensive, "This is a chance for me to follow my dream."

"And what is your dream exactly?"

"To sing."

"Well, don't you do that here?"

"It's not the same, Gladys." Kate said as if she was pointing out something obvious.

"Of course it isn't." Gladys replied, noting something else rather obvious, "It's farther away, living on suitcases with each day in a different city, having some guy you don't even know planning your every move, surrounded by strangers and singing to soldiers who will be looking you up and down the minute you step foot on stage."

"I'm singing to boost their morale. They're fighting to keep us safe." Kate said, her face cringing at the picture Gladys drew for her.

"Which doesn't change the fact that you're a woman."

Kate felt a slight chill run down her spine and she wrapped her arms around herself uneasily. She didn't like the image Gladys was painting and she couldn't understand why her friend simply couldn't be happy for her. A stubborn retaliation grew in her- no one wanted to understand her, to be happy for her, everyone wanted to take her joy away and lock her up again.

"This tour is a good thing, Gladys," Kate said defiantly, forcing her arms back down to her sides, "and it's something I want to do."

"Okay." Gladys conceded so suddenly and sadly that it surprised Kate, "But what happens when your voice dies down one day and all you can do is just whisper? Who will listen to you then?"

Kate had no idea what to say and simply stared at the defeated brunette speechlessly as she turned to leave.

"I don't know what it is you're running from," Gladys said quietly as she put her hand on the doorknob, "but whatever it is, Betty would have confronted it... and won."

Despite all the tension and unsaid feelings between them all, Gladys did one of the things she did best and threw a party for Kate's new singing career. Although the redhead had never really announced that she had decided on taking up Jimmy's offer, both Betty and Gladys decided there was no point in hoping for a miracle. So Gladys planned a day and time for the party at the boarding house and invited all the girls she could find and Betty slumped herself into corners, pretending to be reading the paper or doing mending when she was actually busy being miserable.

Betty simply didn't like it. She didn't like the story of some flashy upstart popping by the club and asking Kate to take a tour in the name of the Canadian Army. She didn't like the idea of Kate traveling God knows where with God knows who for God knows what reason. She hated the thought of Kate being gone. The fact that Betty had a feeling that Kate wasn't as set on the tour as she was making it out to be didn't make it any easier. But Betty had swore to herself that this would be the last time. There wasn't going to be any pining over the redhead, no moping and drinking herself into a stupor. They had their time and their chances and now they were gone. Kate had her priorities and evidently Betty wasn't one of them. And so every time she would think of holding Kate or the frantic kiss they shared not all that long ago, Betty would pinch herself hard, the pain tearing her from her thoughts. It was a good plan until she was changing at work and Gladys asked with concern why her legs were covered in tiny bruises. Nevertheless, Betty stubbornly went about the task of trying to fill in the giant hole in her life that Kate was going to leave behind her. And naturally, Kate wasn't going to make it easy.

During a lunch break the next day, Kate stood in line behind some of the girls gossiping about Ginger. They talked about how sassy she was and how some of the girls liked that while the others thought she was too cheeky for her own good. What caught Kate's attention most was when one mentioned that she was surprised that Betty had taken such a liking to the new girl since Betty had never liked workers who slacked off and had loose lips. 'There's a war on, things change all the time' one of them had said when the other nodded and replied 'Right. Friends come and go. Ain't going to be like this forever'. They had both nodded in agreement and then the first had mentioned something that made Kate nearly drop her tray- 'I'd like to go for a trip somewhere finally. Why don't you ever take me anywhere?'. 'You must have me confused with a banker's daughter' was the last thing Kate heard as she walked over to a table half conscious as her brain began to bring things together that didn't seem to match.

After lunch, Kate nearly stormed down to the amatol line in search of Betty. She found the blond refilling her can off to the side and Kate practically swooped in and grabbed Betty by the elbow as if she thought she might want to escape.

"What's this I hear about you and Ginger taking a trip?" Kate asked with unmasked annoyance.

"It's something she suggested." the blond answered with a shrug, "I said I'd think about it."

"But with Ginger?" Kate asked a little more loudly to show Betty her point, "Really?"

"It's just Ginger." Betty said and then glanced at the redhead's grip on her elbow and tried to keep her voice low, "What's gotten into you?"

"Just Ginger?" Kate repeated with surprise as if Betty had said that she was having drinks with 'just Hitler', "That's the point, Betty. It's Ginger."

"Well, what about it?" the blond replied in irritation, yanking her elbow away and scowling, "What difference does it make to you anyway?"

Kate just glared at Betty with no response at hand. They stared at each other in a moment that they often reached, but could somehow never find their way through. It was a point of no return, where they could light the fuse and let everything explode around them so that they could build it anew, better and safer. But they never could set the flame to the fuse and they often reached that point and turned back around claiming that it wasn't a good day for no returns and that they would come back another time. Maybe the fuse would be shorter or the flame bigger, or perhaps maybe they would simply be much braver that day. And as each struggled with all the things they couldn't figure out how to say, it seemed that that day was going to be like all the others. Today wasn't going to be a day of no return. Maybe tomorrow. Finally Betty just huffed, turned and walked back to her work leaving Kate to wonder why she was so angry... and hurt.

"What was that about?" Gladys asked walking up to Kate.

"She's making friends with Ginger." she replied absently, still watching Betty's back as she worked.

"So?"

"What do you mean 'so'?" Kate said, snapping her eyes to Gladys.

"What's so wrong with Ginger? Besides, you'll be gone in a few days." Gladys pointed out and then saw the strangest expression on Kate's face as it grew about two shades paler, "Kate... it's almost like you don't realize that you're not taking Betty with you."

And right then Kate realized that she had thought of everything except the fact that Betty wouldn't be coming along with her. Betty had been such a stable part of her life that Kate almost took it for granted, assuming that no matter where she went, the blond would be beside her. But this time she wasn't under the influence of her violent father, but only her own desires. Kate had finally reached the point where she was directing her life according to her own script and dreams. Yet that type of freedom carried a price in the form of always having to leave something behind in order to chase after something else. Betty wouldn't follow her. Kate didn't need saving this time and Betty would simply adjust to Kate's decision. The question suddenly entered Kate's mind if she would be able to do the same.

The next morning, Kate hummed to herself as she brushed her hair with her eyes closed. She saw the stage she was standing on in her mind's eye and the lights shining on her as she sang and took the audience's breath away. She could hear the cheers and thunderous applause when she finished and everyone looking at her with delight and amazement. Everyone envied her voice, everyone complimented her talent, and no one judged her. She could hear everyone in the crowd calling out her name; everyone wanted 15 seconds of Kate Andrews.

She opened her eyes and looked at her reflection and the cheers and applause in her head faded away. Kate Andrews.

Her reflection peered right back at her.

"We've come a long way, haven't we, Marion?" Kate whispered to the mirror.

"Hasn't all been roses, has it?" Marion replied.

"No, it hasn't... But we got what we wanted in the end."

"What you wanted." the reflection corrected with a scoff, "I didn't want to end up some kind of seedy singer. But you don't listen to me anymore."

"I'm not you, Marion. I never really was. I'm Kate Andrews and I like being Kate Andrews. Maybe someday you'll understand."

"The problem here is what you don't understand. But you always were weak and easily tempted by the evils of this world."

"That's the thing, this world isn't evil." Kate insisted, shaking her head gently, "There's good in it. There's good in people. There's good in singing. It brings people hope and happiness, letting them forget about their troubles at least for an evening. That's what I want to do."

"Whitewash it as much as you want, it's still sinful underneath." Marion retorted with a small roll of her eyes, "But at least it's the lesser of two evils. Vile as those soldiers may be, at least you'll finally leave that deviant freak behind."

"What?"

"That blond sodomite of yours. God is finally putting the distance between the two of you that you couldn't." Marion spat and then noticed Kate's shocked expression, "You do realize that Betty isn't going with you, right? That you might never see her again?"

"Betty..."

"Dear me, I don't know what is worse: you're consorting with a deviant or your blatant egocentrism. Nevertheless, we must see the good where it lies. The Lord works in mysterious ways."

"God wants me to sing. That's why I have this chance." Kate tried to argue.

"Did it ever occur to you that God wants you to make a choice?... No, of course it didn't. You were too busy basking in the spotlight in your head." Marion said, shaking her head with disapproval, "Well, the important thing is that you chose wisely for once. Let's just hope the Lord pulls you out of that singing before you start into it."

Kate stepped away from the mirror, looking at her shrinking reflection with a mixture of disgust and surprise. Marion was right- she had been so busy being happy for herself with what she had gained that she hadn't taken the time to realize what she might lose. She carried an entire inventory of prices paid on her back, but had never thought that something good might also come with a price tag. She sat down on the edge of her bed next to the open suitcase she had put there. Earlier she had began to fill the suitcase with her things, seeing how much she could squeeze in, afraid to leave anything behind. The pile of clothes and accessories topped by her Bible lay patiently to be neatly arranged.

Kate lost herself in thought over what she had said to her own self. Her whole life she had thought that when presented with something, it was either good or evil and had to be either promptly accepted or rejected. It had never occurred to her that she might be presented with a choice. She was never told she would be able to make her own decision. When Jimmy told her about the singing deal, she was convinced that God had finally smiled down on her and was repaying her for all the things she had to go through during her short life. It was that simple, she would take the offer, go tour, and everything would be great and the way it was meant to be. But as much as Kate tried to keep it out of her mind, the price kept coming back to haunt her. She would be leaving everything again; she would leave the boarding house, her job, her favorite places, her friends. And Betty. Her best friend Betty.

Kate sighed and absently picked up her Bible. Betty was the greatest joy and confusion of her life, her hope and her darkness. Her fingertips ran across the tattered edges of her Bible as she thought about what would happen to Betty when she was gone. Would they write or perhaps call sometimes? Would Betty come to visit once in a while? Would they even stay friends at all? She grew sad when she suddenly thought of the big, beautiful house that Betty would buy full of rooms and not a single room for her. Kate had promised to be her roommate, hadn't she? Kate smiled at the thought, but then chastised herself. Betty surely didn't take it seriously and wouldn't mind that much that Kate wasn't around. At least the blond would be getting a good night's sleep without her nightmares waking her up.

The thought of nightmares made her stop and stare at the cover of her Bible. It was almost as old as she was, almost as beaten and tattered, just as full of secrets and unanswered questions.

"I've known you all my life," Kate said quietly to the book and God, "and have carried many more questions than answers. All the stories about sin, evil, and salvation.. All the words about redemption and love... I don't think I ever really understood any of them. None of them ever helped me... Tell me, what in here makes any sense?"

Kate stopped for a moment, a part of her expecting God to hit her with lightning for blasphemy. But nothing happened.

"Where are the answers?" she whispered as a childhood memory slowly crept into her head, "Where is the guidance?"

The party had Gladys written all over it. A stranger would have probably thought that Kate had just been accepted to college or was marrying a prince and that everyone there probably had money to burn.

"Well, you went full out, didn't you?" Betty commented, taking a sip of punch and sweeping her eyes across the room filled with all kinds of decorations, "Almost can't tell there's a war on."

"What war?"

The two women grinned at each other, making a silent, determined pact to have fun that night though neither was really in the mood for it. The guest of honor arrived last, greeted by a loud cheer from all the girls there. Kate took her time to talk to nearly everyone there, answering all their questions which turned out to all be rather similar and slowly began to tire Kate out. But every so often Gladys would swoop over and suggest dancing or some little game that would save Kate from answering another pesky question. And even though the room wasn't all that big and the crowd wasn't all that large, Betty and Kate somehow managed to discretely avoid each other. They both knew they wouldn't know what to say or what to do and a big group of onlookers wouldn't help matters. But Kate wanted to talk to Betty, to set things straight, and to explain even if she wasn't sure she would be able to find the words. And finally she mustered up enough courage to find Betty only to realize that the blond had gone.

"Have you seen Betty?" Kate asked Gladys as the brunette eyed her warily.

After a short toss up in her head, the brunette gave a short nod towards Betty's room and Kate gave a small, tied smile of thanks. She slipped off unnoticed, feeling her breath quicken with each footstep.

Kate hovered in front of Betty's door almost feeling like Death undecided as to whether to take a soul or not. Singing had been her dream since she could remember. It was what had saved her in between the crushed hands, welted back, and repeated words of hatred. She thought that her singing sent her soul up to God where He could hold it for a while until her father was done teaching her a lesson or straightening out her path. And though her back looked like a war zone, there was still a piece of her soul that remained intact, innocent and in awe of the world and life. It was the part that wanted to love, explore, discover, and give praise of all that God had created. But that part was so small that Kate was worried that something would damage or break it and then she would be lost forever. So she kept it hidden in the far corners of her being and let it out only when she sang. Singing had been her savior.

But that was before she had met Betty. Betty walked right into her life as if there was an armchair standing right in the middle of it with the blond's name on it. And Kate had to admit that Betty fit in her life almost perfectly. Because it was in the times when Kate couldn't sing, when she forgot the words and lost her voice that Betty was there supporting her and telling her not to be scared. And there were a few times when Kate would sing not because she was seeking refuge, but because she was simply happy and wanted to share it with others so that they could also be that happy. It was those times that Kate's soul soared upwards towards God and far past Him, twirling above Heaven as angels looked on with content.

No, Kate realized as she knocked and waited for Betty to tell her to come in, we don't always get everything we want. There are prices to be paid even for the good things. And as she wrapped her hand around the doorknob she decided to put faith in the God she had so helplessly been pleading to. The door squeaked as it opened. No, dreams don't make everyone happy.

"Hi, Betty." Kate said quietly.

She knew everything was about to change forever.

Author's Note: I'm so sorry I've taken so long to update, but I've just had a whole lot of everything going on recently. I'll try to update a little quicker as this story starts to wind down to an end (such bittersweet).