Disclaimer: I don't own Rurouni Kenshin. Sadly, I never will.

Gin-Soaked Roses

Chapter Four

The sunlight woke her the next morning. Peeking through the wave of raven hair surrounding her, Katie looked out the open window to see the sun filtering in from low in the eastern sky. Still in her uniform and sprawled uncomfortably over the bed, she rolled over and looked up the ceiling.

Her dreams had been full of him. Him and their old life, the three of them together. She had met him in the streets, rescued by a terrifying yet thrillingly handsome "Battousai", who she instantly felt comfortable with. She began sneaking out to get a glimpse of him, occasionally needing his rescue. Annoyed by the barely legal teenager following him around, he confronted her one night in the streets. They had barely left each other's sides after that. Married when she was 20 and him 24, they spent four blissful years together, apart only when he went out to kill. Then they had Kenji.

Everything had changed then. For the better, yes, but Kenshin knew then that he had to abandon being an assassin. Many of his fellow syndicate killers were loners, no relationships and no families. Now he knew why. Making the daring but stupid move of quitting, it was not much time before they came to either get him back or kill him. They put up with it for two years, but when Kenji was three, he left. With hardly a note (a flimsy piece of paper with 'Goodbye. I love you.' written on it), he was gone into the night.

Enough reminiscing, she thought, scolding herself, rising slowly from the tangled sheets. She listened at the bathroom door to make sure he wasn't in there, then entered to take a shower. The water beat comfortingly against her bare skin, almost cleansing her of everything that had happened in the last 12 hours. She wanted him gone. She had just gotten over him, had just found Akemi, and was just ready to really forget him. And then he had to show up again. He had ruined everything.

Stepping out into the family room in a bathrobe, she saw him moving around in the kitchen, at the time his back to her. She smelled something wonderful, much better than the monstrosities she served to Kenji, herself, and the occasional daring dinner guest. He always was a surprisingly good cook. She stifled a giggle, attracting his attention just the same.

"Good morning, Katie." She felt her eyes widen. Apparently he had resolved to listen to her and call her by her 'new' name. She smiled.

"Good morning, Kenshin."

Someone poked around the corner of the counter. Katie stiffened and froze in the middle of the room. Jake giggled and ran out to grab his mother's legs. He pressed his face into her thighs and then released her.

"Uncle Kenny is making pancakes for us, Mommy! He says he's an old friend of yours," Jake said with a grin, before running back to help 'Uncle Kenny'. Katie was shocked.

"You could have told him the truth," she said softly as she walked up to sit on a stool at the counter. Jake was too preoccupied to listen, digging in the cupboards for a plate for the pancakes.

"I didn't think you'd approve of that, at least without you there to supervise. And besides, I didn't know what you had told him about me and my... disappearance."

She looked away and out the window. She hadn't really told Jake anything. He had been so young, asking about Daddy constantly until he figured out it only made Mommy cry more. He stopped, and supposedly soon forgot about the man who would scoop him up in his arms, spin him around, and shower constant love and attention on the little boy. Now, Katie figured he barely remembered his father, ironic though it was that now he was standing right before him.

The phone stirred her from her reverie. Kenshin reached to grab it. Katie looked at the phone lazily. Who could it be? Oh no, could it be...?

""Kenshin, don't answer the phone!" Not hearing her, or ignoring her, he pulled the phone from its cradle.

"Hello?"

"Hi, this is Akemi. Who is this?"

"This is-" She knocked the phone out of his hands, and it fell onto the floor. She quickly picked it up.

"Hi, this is Katie!" Kenshin stared at her, confusion and suspicion entering his eyes. Jake had dropped a large pan on the floor though, and it distracted him for the time being.

"It's Akemi. Katie, who answered the phone? It was a man, and it didn't sound like Rob or your friend's husband, that quiet guy." Katie felt a fearful sweat build up on her forehead. She couldn't lose Akemi now- he was such a wonderful guy.

"That was my, uh, brother. Yeah, um, uh, Yoshi. He's here from Kyoto for a little while," she said quickly, feeling Kenshin return his attention to her conversation.

"Don't lie to me, Katie. I don't care what you have to say, just don't lie to me. Please."

She took a deep breath and braced herself against the counter.

"It was... my husband, Akemi. Please don't hang-"

Click. Dial tone.

She placed the phone back into its cradle and leaned heavily against the counter. Tears blurred her vision for what seemed like the thousandth time in the last day and she willed them away. Kenshin was giving Jake a pancake and ushering him into his room, telling him he needed some time with his mommy.

"Who was that, Katie? Be honest."

Katie burst into tears, and nearly fell if it weren't for strong, gentle arms catching her and easing her down onto the floor. She curled into a ball and ignored the stroking fingers running through her hair. Once again, there was silence.

"It was your boyfriend, wasn't it? I suppose he wasn't too happy with your confession." Kenshin fought back feelings of jealousy and helped Katie sit up and lean against the counter.

"I... I didn't want him to know at all. He knows about you, but I didn't want him to ever know you came back. I'm sure he thinks we've just... forgotten the past and gotten back together again." She wiped away her tears and stopped the sobs before they broke from her throat.

They both said nothing for a while, just staring at the floor or the wall.

"Have you and he..." He couldn't say it. He wanted to know, desperately he did. It burned at him in ways he didn't think possible, more than jealousy and possessiveness causing him to break the awkward silence.

Katie knew what he meant.

"I just... can't, Akemi. I'm sorry."

She was sitting on the bed, in nothing but a white t-shirt and her underwear, close to tears. He was standing across the room, angry at her sudden rejection in the middle of their... intimacy. They hadn't even gotten started yet, but he really wanted to make love to her.

"Why, Katie? I love you, and this is the next step for us."

"I know that, it's just that... I guess I can' t hide it forever." She breathed a deep sigh. "You know that long, serious relationship I told you about. It was more than just a relationship. We were... married."

Something about that just made him lose it.

"Goddamnit, Katie! You've been lying to me this whole time? If you can't be honest, I'm not staying here. Goodbye-"

She gripped his wrist tightly, a tear rolling down her cheek.

"He left me three years ago, Akemi. I wanted- no, I needed to move on. But I didn't want to tell you 'cause I thought you'd react just like this. Please, don't leave..."

His eyes softened and he came and sat beside her on the bed. Wrapping his arms around her, he sighed. He leaned his forehead against hers.

"I'm sorry. I overreacted. Look, I'll wait for you, as long as you need. I'm not going anywhere." He kissed her, softly and gently.

"No, we didn't."

Relief surged through Kenshin. But he hid it from Katie, simply turning his gaze to her and smiling softly. She bowed her head, hair shielding her from his view.

"I wanted to. But I just... couldn't. I really did want to get over you. So badly, I did. I thought I had but..." Her words faded to silence, unable to find a way to explain all of this. It just hurt so much to have him back in her life. So, so much.

"I'm going to leave now. But I am not going to disappear from my son's life for good, Katie. I'm sorry, but I can't do that again. I've learned my lesson, once and for all. I'm going to be here for Ken- I mean Jake, and I won't take no for an answer." He rose from the floor and walked to the door. "Tell him Uncle Kenny will be back tomorrow, and we can go to the park. Please?" Katie nodded numbly, as Kenshin walked out the door.

He's finally gone. Then why do I feel... sad?

To be continued...

A/N: Yay! Longer chapter that time. I hope you liked it. Just in case you didn't know, the italics were a flashback. The ending is approaching swiftly, and I hope you all aren't too disappointed. Anyway, I can't force you to review, but I can withhold updates until you do. MUAHAHAHA! (I'm just kidding, I won't do that). But I do really love reading your reviews. So please, for a poor fanfic writer, put in your two cents! See you next time.

Preview:

And in his hands, dripping blood on the pavement, was her heart.