Chapter TWENTY-EIGHT: Finally (KATE: Part III)
The third part to my Kate storyline, this one has allot of imagery and emotion it but I seriously hope you enjoy this one, it has been of my absolute favourites to write! :D
The magnificent and beautiful golden glow of the setting sun made Kate Marsh feel warm inside. A warmness that she so loved yet missed as for so long up until this point, she had felt just…nothing. The Vortex Club incident was only the beginning and the vicious storm only served to make Kate feel even worse and almost hollow inside. Her faith had been almost destroyed…her faith in friends…her faith in family…her faith in God! Yet now she stood, staring into the bright and beautiful sun. She liked to think that the incredible glow that had descended on the ruined town that night was a sign from God that everything could and would be okay from that point on, that she could finally have complete faith in everyone again. Finally…after so long!
Kate stood right by the sea front, so much so that her shoes were beginning to get soaked but she didn't care, the golden reflection of the sun in the water was just so mesmerising and had an intense beauty she couldn't ignore. There was still allot of discarded debris left floating aimlessly in the water and most of the beach was still devastated but Kate knew the town was only just starting to rebuild. She had heard from Max that the Prescott family had offered a huge donation to help finance the incredibly large rebuild of Arcadia Bay, a surprisingly generous thing coming from a corrupt family such as the Prescott's but Kate knew the truth. She knew that they were only doing that to draw attention away from the fact that their prized son was currently in jail awaiting trial for his and Jefferson's crimes. Kate didn't judge Nathan, not anymore, she figured he was just a pawn in Jefferson's vial 'activities'. Although he wasn't a nice person at all, Kate heavily believed in forgiveness and she did forgive him but it would be hard to even start thinking about forgiving Jefferson.
Kate's thought train was interrupted by a movement to her left. Victoria Chase now stood by Kate and joined her in simply gazing upon the warm beauty in front of them. It had been a really great day, relaxing and fun for everyone and it would seem they now were all friends and would probably even hang out in the future multiple times, at least Kate hoped they would. Victoria didn't even try to hide a smile as she looked at the setting sun. She felt proud to be in Arcadia Bay and even prouder to be standing next to the girl she almost indirectly killed. Suddenly, Victoria's smile faded when a sharp twinge of guilt pricked her out of nowhere. Victoria knew why and she thought about them every day since they died, they were her best friends and yet she treated them like slaves and now they were gone, she really missed them! She glanced at Kate and felt the need to tell her new friend what she was thinking. Victoria trusted Kate now more than ever and wanted to show that trust by opening up to the Christian, something she wasn't particularly famous for,
"I…miss them. Taylor and Courtney I mean. I wasn't good to them, I acted like a first-class bitch and yet they stayed with me until the end…until I yelled at them to get me something for a fucking hangover!" explained Victoria angrily. Kate could tell she was angry at herself more than anything and felt the need to simply hug Victoria. Her shoes splashed in the shallow water as she stepped over to the angry woman and slowly wrapped her arms around her. There was a nice and calming warmth to a hug from Kate Marsh and Victoria felt her emotions fade away as she returned the hug.
When they finally separated, Victoria took a moment to admire the girl in front of her. Kate Marsh looked…beautiful! Victoria had often felt jealous when people in Blackwell would compare Kate to an Angel but now she knew they were right. Kate's signature hair style looked just as golden as the sun and her eyes were deep and hypnotic almost. She stood with a quiet confidence that Victoria had grown to admire over the last few hours and of course, there was Kate's smile that was almost guaranteed to send Victoria's heart into overdrive.
'Was this it?'
'Should I tell her?'
'Would she like, tell me it's a huge sin and never speak to me again or some shit?'
Victoria stopped her internal interrogation and focussed, once again, on Kate who was now staring at the water again. They stood like that, silent, for a few more minutes before Kate decided to speak,
"Victoria…what did you want to tell me earlier?" she asked sheepishly, trying not to sound too emotional. Kate had a pretty good idea what she was going to say but she didn't want to presume anything, after all it was Victoria. Kate couldn't deny her own feelings for her former bully and even though she was sure some of her church would most likely hate the idea, she wanted to see if it could work. There was something between the two that Kate really enjoyed now and loved! They had texted eachother nearly nonstop since their first meeting after the storm, on that lone picnic table. Kate could never tell anyone, not even her sisters, that she might like a girl and she kept her admiration from Max and Chloe as she feared their reactions and possible judgement, especially from Chloe. Chloe was an amazing person but she could be a hot head sometimes. This feeling had divided her ever since she first met Victoria after the storm and she was finally ready to admit it!
"Kate I…I think it's pretty obvious what I want to tell you. I get it if you never want to see me again, I did bully you for so long and nearly made you kill yourself. I can never forgive myself for that Kate and I want to promise you I am changing and to be honest…I'm not changing for Max or Price…I'm changing for you Kate and for everyone I've hurt in the past. You finally made me realise that I don't have to overcompensate all the time, I don't have to act like a bitch for people to respect me. You are the best thing that has happened to me in a long time Kate and I…wish we could…" she was stopped dead in her conversation when Kate simply leaned over and met her lips with Victoria's. The golden glow from the sun shined brightly between the two girls. When Kate pulled back from the kiss, she looked almost shocked and surprised at what she did but it went away almost instantly and was replaced with a reassuring smile and a few tears welling up in her eyes,
"I know. I know Victoria. I think…maybe I feel the same way. After everything that happened before the storm, I can see you are c…changing and it means allot that you are doing that for me. We can't reverse what you did but it was my choice to go up on that roof and it was also my choice to come down from it. We can get past that Victoria but I think we can only do that t…together" explained Kate, the tears now making their way down her cheeks. Victoria stood shocked, so much so she had to put her hand over her mouth and couldn't stop the sudden stream of tears.
She was happy!
So damn happy!
Victoria gently grabbed Kate's hands in her own and smiled through the tears at the girl in front of her, the beautiful and amazing survivor. She was right, they could do it but only together and right now that was all that mattered!
"T…thank you Kate. Thank you so much! I don't d…deserve this. I…I…think I…love you, Kate Marsh" she chuckled but they both knew she meant it. Kate smiled again through her own tears and looked up at the one person she never thought she would ever say this too,
"You let me decide what you deserve Victoria and…I think I maybe…love you too" she laughed. As soon as those words came out of Kate's mouth, Victoria instantly brought the Christian into a huge hug and they both buried their faces into eachothers necks. Victoria smiled again,
"So…this actually happened. I think this is going to be an interesting thing to tell your parents Kate" joked Victoria. Kate laughed in response and wiped her eyes clean of tears and responded,
"I think it is going to be even worse telling Chloe to be honest" both Kate and Victoria laughed at this comment and they both gazed at eachother before looking out into the distance, smiling and holding hands, not noticing the small ghostly rabbit looking right at them who raised its ears and nose happily and sprinted away….
