"This one?"
"Too draughty."
"Well, what about this?"
"Too green! That garden will take us over in our sleep!"
"Well... this?"
"Too..." Kate hesitates, tipping her head as she flicks idly through the photos on display.
Mike reaches over and pokes a finger in her ribs. "Come on. What? Think of a negative! Come on!"
Kate lets out a huff so great, the loose hairs floating around her face fly upwards. "Okay. That one is okay. But I still maintain it's not perfect!"
"Hmmm..." Mike hums in a non-committal way, snaking an arm around her waist. Kate lets out a near-indistinguishable grumble, halfheartedly attempting to peel his hands away, but surrendering quickly as his lips traipse down her neck. "We should just live on a boat."
"You think I'm suited to live on a boat?" Kate scoffs, depositing the laptop blindly on the bed next to her, head tipping back slightly as he trails his lips along her collarbone. "Stop! The girls are in the lounge room."
"Watching TV." Mike points out.
"Wishful thinking." Kate mutters.
As if on cue, there's the sound of exaggerated footsteps accompanied by loud clapping, and Kate rolls her eyes as Mike pulls away as quickly as though he's been electrocuted. "You can come in!" Kate calls out; all three girls had begun announcing their arrivals into a room with as much noise as they could. Of course, there's nothing really wrong with them being in here. The door was open, they were both fully clothed (Kate tugs the hem of her shirt back down), and they'd only come in here to get away from the noise of the movie the girls were watching.
A flash of blue precedes Cal's entrance into the room; her latest hair colour. Then, completely at odds with her cautious entrance into the room, Cal takes a running leap and settles herself on the bed, squeezing in between Mike and Kate. "Sooo..." She coos sweetly. "How goes the house-hunting, kiddies?"
"About as fun as when we picked this place." Kate huffs, unphased by Cal's less-than-mature entrance. Mike, on the other hand, immediately shuffles over to give her more space.
Cal sucks in a breath and claps a supportive hand on Mike's shoulder. "Oops. You're in for it, bro. She's a terrible house-hunter."
"Am not!" Kate protests. "I just... like to be absolutely sure-"
"She looked up the building approval plans and made us review fire plans before we even set foot in the place!" Cal pokes her tongue out and Kate catches a flash of silver.
"Cal, have you gone and got another bloody piercing?" She frowns, dragging a hand over her face.
Cal's grin widens as she pushes herself to her feet. "Ask me no questions and I'll tell you no lies, Katie. I'm headed out." As she reaches the doorframe, she turns back. "Don't do anything I wouldn't do!"
Kate huffs as she closes the laptop. "Come on." She murmurs, pulling herself to her feet. "Let's go watch the end of this movie."
"Still no luck finding a place, hey?" Dutchy quips as he and Kate go about their routine checks of all the equipment. "My mate's selling a place if you're interested. Not on the market yet but could get you a look in."
"Ha." Kate lets out a dry laugh, scraping a stray piece of hair behind her ears. "Alright, I'll bite. How many rooms?"
"Four with a study."
"We don't need four bedrooms." Kate shakes her head. "The girls are happy to share and-"
"Errrr!" Charge enters the room, making a noise akin to a buzzer. He stops in front of Kate, holding a finger in front of her eyes. "No. You need a bedroom for each of them."
"They want to share!" Kate protests.
"Yeah, they might now, but when they hit the terrible teens, it'll be I hate you from dawn 'til dusk. Kids need their own space. Especially women." He gives a significant nod. "Trust me."
Kate is a little too concerned to argue back with him, and although she would never admit it aloud, she has to concede he might just have a point.
"Plus!" 2Dads chimes in, also appearing and throwing himself straight into the conversation. "What happens when the Kid-Kates and Mini-Mikes start arriving?"
Kate closes her eyes for a moment, turning her head skyward for a brief moment of piece before returning back to earth. "Who... who says I'm having more kids anyway?"
"Because you're in luuuurve!" Dutchy quips, dodging her punch easily as he jogs backwards, laughing. "Trust me! This house just screams you."
"I'm sure it-" Kate stops, catching sight of the lone figure outside the shed. Dropping the gloves she is holding, she freezes. "I'll be back." She mutters. And ignoring the curious looks following her, she makes her way towards it.
Savannah has lost weight since the last time Kate had seen her, alarming in itself as she was always quite slim to begin with. Her hair has none of its previous shine, none of the bounce and health it had once held. And her nails are bitten down to the cuticles. "Sav?" She doesn't quite know why she voices it as a question. After all, she'd know her face anywhere.
Savannah fidgets nervously, twisting her hands around and around. "Is there... is there somewhere we can talk?"
"Claire's just shut herself off from everything... since..." Savannah swallows awkwardly, hands cupping the as-yet-untouched mug of coffee in front of her. The break room was empty but for the two of them; everyone else was out cleaning and prepping still. "She's dropped out of school and... and she's barely eating and she's up at all hours. She's barely speaking. I just..." Savannah rakes a hand through her hair. "I don't know what to do to help her." She looks up at Kate. "I didn't want to burden you with this. I... but I just don't know who else to turn to."
"Is she in counselling?" Kate asks softly. "Sometimes another person to speak to... outside of it all... it can really help."
Savannah shakes her head. "No, she's refusing to go. She barely even leaves the flat." Savannah's voice cracks and she clears her throat drily, taking a sip of the coffee and barely supressing a shudder. "She doesn't want to stay at... at the house after everything that happened. I'm just in a flat with a few uni mates and... and she's just staying on the lounge at the moment." Sav's shoulders droop. "Not exactly the best environment I can offer my little sister. The girls I'm staying with are cool with her being there though. That's good at least." She sighs again. "I mean, half the time she slides into my bed in the middle of the night. I think she's having nightmares or something. But she won't say..." She trails off once more.
"I know some will do house calls." Kate suggests. "Maybe if she was in an environment she felt safe-"
"I thought..." The words tumble from Sav's mouth in a rush. Her fingers snag on a knot. "I don't know what I thought. I just... I can't get over how. How could he do something so... so evil? How could he live with himself? How could he lie to us all. And... and why just her. I mean, I just wish it was me. I can't stand the thought that my little sister is suffering with this and... and I'd do anything to protect her and I just... I don't know. I don't know how I can help her get through this."
"I think..." Kate begins. "Most days, the only reason I did get through was that I had to. I... I had to eat because of the baby. I had to sleep because of the baby. And then... when I got Cal out I had to be there for her too."
"He..." Sav's voice cracks. "With Cal... he never-"
"No." Kate closes her eyes and says a swift thanks to the universe for this fact. "No. He never touched her."
"Good." Sav nods solemnly. "Look, the reason I'm here is... I guess I was wondering if you'd be willing to... to try to talk to her?"
Kate hesitates. "Sav, I'm not a therapist. I'm not trained in psychology or any-"
"But you've been there." Savannah tightens her grip on the mug. "All Claire can tell me is that I don't understand and... and maybe I don't but you do. Please, Kate."
And after a moment, Kate nods. "Shit. Yeah, of course I will, Sav."
For a moment, Savannah says nothing. And it looks as though she's lived a hundred years of misery as she sits, shoulders hunched and hands shaking. Then she says, so quietly Kate almost misses it, "I feel so guilty."
"None of this is your fault."
"I... I know he's done terrible things. I know what he did was... unforgivable. And I want to tear him apart for what he did to you and to Claire. But..."
"He's your Dad." Kate murmurs softly.
A tear splashes from Savannah, landing almost in the centre of the coffee mug. "He taught me how to ride a bike and... and how to swim. He would sit through all of those awful plays I did in high school and he... he was our Dad. And part of me just..." She falls silent, shaking her head. Then, giving an apologetic sort of laugh, she hastily wipes her eyes. "I'm sorry. You're the last person that wants to hear-"
"He taught me how to drive." Kate interrupts. "Once I accidentally hit a pole trying to park. He just laughed and said it was only a car. That he trusted me." Kate turns to face Savannah. "You're allowed to be sad, Sav."
"I just never thought it was possible to hate and love someone at the same time."
"Neither did I." Kate agrees softly. And in that moment, Kate is sure that they both understood each other perfectly. And then, the moment is shattered as a voice interrupts.
"Ah, Kate?" Both women look up as 2Dads enters, looking slightly unsure. "Sorry. But we need you back."
"Sorry." Savannah pushes herself to her feet and swipes at her tears once more. "I'd better get going. Thanks for everything."
"Sav, you're welcome any time. Claire too, okay?"
Sav nods and makes her way towards the door for a moment, before turning back. "If it's alright with you, I'd... I'd like to meet Bridie. Properly. Get to know her. I mean..."
"Yeah." Kate nods. "I'd like that too."
"She wants to meet me?" Bridie repeats, one finger fiddling with a hole in her doona while the other squeezes Kate's hand a little tighter.
"Yes." Kate nods. "If you want to."
Bridie nods solemnly, looking so completely beyond her years with wisdom. "But not the other one? The... Claire. She doesn't want to meet me?"
"Claire..." Kate hesitates for a moment, searching for the right words. "Look, Claire is struggling a bit. She's not ready to meet you yet. And... and she might never be ready."
Bridie nods once more. "Will she be okay?" She voices tentatively.
"I hope so." Kate murmurs. She knows she was one of the lucky ones. She had Bridie and Cal, already luckier than most. Kate moves slightly and wraps an arm around her daughter. "I hope so, Bridie."