The house had never been so quiet. Even with the TV going and Spot giving the occasional meow as he prowled across Kate's bed looking for new places to curl up, there was an uncanny stillness resting over everything that Kate still wasn't sure was a good thing or not. She'd given up trying to rationalize everything that had happened the previous day. She was still caught in that limbo feeling of not accepting Jamie being gone and Matt rejecting her. But that wasn't what was making her feel like she was floating on air.

She'd barely moved since she'd crawled into bed after doing what she did with Simon in the hallway. Her legs were drawn up as she lay partially on her side, finally relaxing somewhat on her back after being so tense for hours. She'd never been so tired in her life while also desperately needing to think. It had become the most exhausting challenge simply to exist and absorb what had been happening to her. At the same time, there was a dangerous thrill to what she felt as though she were doing something illegal. It worried and perplexed her.

That strange imprisoned feeling had returned although in something of a cautious state. Simon hadn't said a word to her or attempted to gain her attention. She'd spent the better part of the night with a heightened sense of anticipation, part of her hoping he would simply walk in like he had done before but at the same time she was terrified of what would happen if he did. She had no idea what to say. For the first time, she wasn't afraid of what he might say or do that would upset her. She was afraid of her own uncontrolled reaction to him.

It wouldn't have been so terrifying if it hadn't felt so right. After everything that had happened, after everything went so horribly wrong, the most wrong thing she could have imagined was the safest she'd ever felt. There was nothing left to lose. She had sunk to the lowest she would ever be and everyone knew it. But if there was one person that it didn't affect, one person who still for whatever reason seemed to care deeply for her and do things she didn't even know he was capable of doing…

The sun was travelling low across the wall and Kate watched it, that restless feeling growing stronger as she knew time was flying by. She wished she had one more day to stay in limbo and think. A whole day where time didn't matter and everything could just freeze. She needed time to replay every event in her head. Every angry word she spoke to Matt and every horrible thing Jamie had said to her. Kate had so many better responses. She could have at least saved some of her dignity. It would have been easier to tell Jamie to fuck off and that she didn't care if Matt was done with her. She didn't need them. She didn't need to prove to anyone that she wasn't a broken human being that ached for a connection because it had already found her in the strangest of ways.

Every time she found her mind going back to that moment in the hallway, she hit a mental wall. It was a combination of fear, confusion, intrigue, and exhilaration preventing her from forming proper thoughts. Logically, she knew she should be very worried. She would never have done what she did if she hadn't been so emotionally unstable. But at the same time, there was a strong sense of purpose to it as though it needed to happen. As if everything she had been feeling up to that point had led her to this. Not only did it feel revitalizing and satisfying, it had been preposterously and irrevocably real.

The square silhouette of sunlight was almost touching the ceiling. Kate shifted further onto her back as she watched it climb, that nervous energy building in her again. It was that real impression that was the most worrisome and which was the hardest to rationalize. She had let it be real to her and allowed it to blindly drive her actions towards him. She felt wanted. If only for a few moments, she believed she was worth giving herself to someone. And that he had wanted her completely even in her most broken state.

But that was the problem. He wasn't supposed to want anything.

Kate sat up carefully and swung her legs over the side of her bed, rubbing her eyes wearily. This was about the time she would revert back to her concerns with Jamie's abrupt exit and Matt's harsh words. She didn't have the energy to go through the entire process again. She was getting nowhere. It was all pushing her into a maddening downward spiral of confusion. Every time she thought she was reaching the end, the undeniable and cold truth blocked her path. She couldn't bring herself to accept it. That her desperate passion and desire for connection had been met by her android.

She pressed a hand to her forehead as she forced the thought out. It couldn't be that simple. There were so many things she wasn't considering. His odd need to understand human thought, the strangely childlike fascination he had towards Data, Kate's own irrational protection over him, and that night she'd caught him standing over her and scanning her dreams…

She stood up and had to pause a moment as her muscles ached from the strain. Spot meowed and pushed his head against her leg as if inquiring after her. A subtle determination was taking over her doubts and worries. She couldn't stay hidden in her room forever. These questions were going to drive her insane. She needed to know that what she was feeling was real. There had to be a reason that it felt so right. And on top of it all, she felt a nervous desire to be in a vulnerable situation again if not to risk being swept away then to at least understand it.

She moved towards her bedroom door and paused a moment as she rested her hand on the doorknob. That terrifying thrill was burning through her again at what she might find on the other side. With a deep breath, she forced herself past it and opened the door, stepping out into the hallway.

The house seemed curiously lifeless. All of the lights were off and the silence was only broken by the faint sound of the TV in Kate's room. It was as if no one had set foot in the home for days. Kate stood in the hallway for a moment, leaning sideways slightly to look further. Simon was nowhere in sight.

She stepped carefully down the hallway towards the living room, nervously aware that she was making an unusual attempt to be quiet. Her heart was pounding in her chest even as she forced her thoughts to stay sensible. It surprised her how difficult it was to keep her own emotions under control. A flash of blue caught her attention as she stepped into the living room, and Kate felt a swell of elation threaten to take over.

Simon was standing against the wall with his eyes closed, his head bowed in a kind of trance like he had been during his scans. His face was blank and emotionless, and he made no indication that he was aware of her. The shadows contrasted against the blue split on his eyebrow and the light of his LED which was flashing from blue to white rapidly. Kate would have thought he was in some kind of stasis if he hadn't been moving slightly, his shoulders rising and falling with each breath and an occasional gentle twitch of his hand.

For a heart wrenching moment, Kate debated whether she should quietly go back to her room. If she gave herself enough time to go over the frustrating thought process again, maybe she could come up with her own answers and forget about the whole thing. But something about him standing unaware of her made her stay. She couldn't help but study him in an anxious captivation, taking the time to really observe him. The memory of the overwhelming thrill she'd felt in the hallway returned as she studied the soft angles of his face, the kind curves of his eyebrows in his expressionless trance-like state, and how even with no emotion his mouth seemed to indicate a propensity to smile as if it was his default expression. Kate felt a strange energy burn through her as she looked at him, a perplexing awareness of how repulsed she'd felt the first time she saw him standing outside her front door, now in complete opposition to the ache she felt in her heart at the thought of how he'd looked at her before pulling her into him and closing his mouth against hers.

She gripped her arms against her chest and took a step towards him, that nervous hesitation still burning through her. She couldn't go back to her room now. The frustrating loop of doubt and confusion would be even worse if she did. A terrifying determination took over her hesitation, and she drew in a breath. "Simon?"

Simon's eyes immediately opened. For a moment, it seemed he wasn't aware of his surroundings, his blue eyes unfocused and glassy. Then he looked up at her, and Kate had to bury that shocking flutter as the expression returned to his face. The same expression he'd had for days as though he couldn't believe she was standing in front of him.

They were both silent for a while, and Kate was trapped in a kind of petrification as she contemplated what to do next. She hadn't thought anything through. She had no idea what to say or ask, or at least how to do it without admitting to herself that it hadn't all just been a dream. Simon straightened as he looked at her, his bewildered expression growing stronger. As the seconds ticked by, Kate forced down her hesitation and struggled to find her voice. She motioned towards him, gaining strength in the movement.

"What um, what were you doing just now?" she said.

Simon looked away, a kind of awkward tension lining his face. As Kate watched him, she found resolve slowly taking over her nervousness. She tilted her head to the side in order to read his face better.

"I was…" Simon paused a moment, his voice unusually strained. "Thinking."

Kate didn't need to try very hard to see that he was extremely reserved. In a way, it reflected how she currently felt. Simon looked up at her again and his bewildered gaze renewed the nervous hesitation in her heart. She was aware of his blue eyes studying her, a strange urgency to his posture as though he wanted to say more. It threatened to push her self-control over the edge, and she looked away to regain it. She let out a soft breath.

"Sorry I slept for so long," she said, feeling stronger as she spoke. She looked at him and gave a small smile. "I put Star Trek on but I slept right through it."

Simon was silent but Kate could almost feel him holding on to her every word. She rubbed her arm in an attempt to settle her energy. "I didn't mean to push you out," she said, her confidence growing stronger although she had to look away from him when she spoke. "I just needed to figure everything out with Jamie leaving and Matt─ mostly with Matt. It's all just a lot to take in. I'm not used to actually having to deal with stuff like this. It's turning into a massive soap opera."

Again, Simon didn't respond but his expression hadn't changed. His silence was beginning to make her restless, and she shifted slightly on the spot to keep her strength. "I just had to get out of my room for a minute. Let you know I'm still alive and this hasn't all put me in another coma…"

He continued to stare at her, and Kate pressed her hand against her eyes as she felt her strength fail her. This was so unbelievably pointless. It was agonizing for her to simply speak. As good as she was at faking being normal, there was absolutely nothing for her to fake anymore. Simon had never felt further from her even though she was standing in front of him. For the first time, she felt as though she were the one trying to pretend to be human.

She lowered her hand and looked at him, that terrifying exhilaration burning through her as she met his gaze. She let herself be taken by it. "Simon?"

He straightened a bit and an energy lit his eyes as though he were bracing himself against something. Kate shook her head, a desperation aching in her chest. "Talk to me."

Simon breathed in deeply, the tension growing in his posture. He glanced down for a moment and looked back up, his eyes lined in a kind of desperation. "I don't know what to say."

"Just… tell me anything." Kate took a step forward, gripping her arms in a vain attempt to keep herself under control. "Tell me what you're thinking, because I can't think anymore."

Simon shifted as though he were going to protest. Kate moved forward, her frustration taking over. "What the hell is going on? What is happening─" She sucked in a breath and closed her eyes. "You were hiding from me for days like you were terrified of me. You're looking at me like you've never seen me before in your life. I thought you had a bug or something and I was going to have to reset you and then you burst into my room like you don't give a shit and you act like a completely different person. Then Jamie completely loses her mind and leaves, and Matt says he's done with me. What… what the fuck do I do? What were you doing when you were scanning me, why are you acting like someone totally different, what was Jamie talking about 'asking you' before she left and what─" Kate motioned to the hallway, her heart in her throat, "─what did that mean?"

She took a moment to breathe, her body energized with panicked frustration. She hadn't meant to say so much. There was a subtle cathartic relief to have asked all the questions that had been bothering her, but now there was the terrible anticipation of how they would be answered. She watched as Simon stared at the ground, his eyes narrowed. He seemed to be absorbing her words slowly, his expression changing mildly from determination to defeat. Kate kept her eyes on him, standing rigid in front of him. She wouldn't let him avoid this. Not after everything he'd done.

He let out a sigh and looked at her. The bewilderment was gone from his eyes, replaced by a nervous resolution. Kate straightened as she returned his gaze, her growing anxiety spurred on by his expression.

"Something… happened to me," said Simon. "I can't explain it. It's never happened before. I can… understand things now."

Kate watched him, narrowing her eyes. "What do you mean?"

"I made a choice," he said. "I should have followed my protocol. I should have stayed connected to CyberLife." He shook his head slowly and his eyes changed from resolution to intense sorrow as he looked at her. Kate felt the breath freeze in her throat at this new expression. "But I didn't want to lose you," he said.

Kate's heart pounded in her chest. "Lose me?"

Again, Simon glanced at the ground as if looking for the right words. "I didn't want to stop making you happy. I wanted to know you, to talk to you and be with you. I wanted to watch Star Trek and have Spot, and─" he faltered for a moment. "─to be close to you. I don't want to be logical if it means losing this. I can't explain it. It doesn't make sense. But I just know I want it."

A floating sensation swept through Kate's body. She stared at him. "Simon… you're not supposed to want anything."

He gazed back at her, the sorrow still lined in his face. "I know."

A strange unfulfilled conclusion seemed to be sinking in as Kate stared at him. He hadn't answered any of her questions. If anything, she was left with more. But somehow it felt useless to expect anything tangible. He was right. Something had changed. He was completely different from the android that had made her unbearably angry, that had driven her into isolation for weeks and whom she had to shut down for a month. He was so much more than that now. And despite everything that told her she should be afraid of him, that the smartest thing to do was to shut him down, call CyberLife, and haul him away, she found herself clinging to every word he'd said as though it was the only thing that mattered.

She stood frozen and at a loss for words. There was so much she still wanted to know but she knew he wouldn't be able to tell her. Somehow as she gazed at him, his frantic blue-eyed gaze locked with hers, she felt that perhaps she didn't need to know. Perhaps this was all she needed, and now wasn't the time for words. That elated feeling began to grow in her chest and she felt a swell of that familiar determination.

Before she could make a sound, a shadow moved across them. Without warning, there was a sudden banging at the door.

Kate jumped, her heart nearly bursting. She spun and took a step backward, her mind taking far too long to comprehend the situation.

"Katie? Katie!"

The door swung open, bringing with it a wave of freezing air. Susan rushed into the entryway gazing around as if in a blind panic. Kate breathed deeply in an attempt to settle her nerves. She struggled to catch her voice.

Susan froze as she turned in Kate's direction. Then she let out a wail. "Oh my god, Katie!" Susan moved towards her and Kate found herself unwittingly taking a step back towards Simon as her mom grabbed her. "I've been calling you all day! I thought something happened to you. I even called the number CyberLife gave me. They said your android was offline. I've been calling and calling. I didn't know what to do..."

Kate pushed her mom gently off of her, that shocking disorientation still floating through her. She shook her head and stared at her, hardly believing her mom was really there. With a nervous jolt, she cast a look at Simon who also looked mildly surprised, though a layer of that bewilderment had returned to his expression. Kate forced her brain to work, acknowledging her mom with some difficulty.

"... and they said to call the police if they thought there was something wrong. Where's your phone? Your android looks fine, he's standing right here…"

"Mom, what are you doing here?" said Kate.

Susan took a slight step back, her face turning stern. "Why didn't you answer any of my calls? I've been trying to call you for two hours."

Kate shook her head again, trying to put her thoughts together. "I… guess my phone is dead." She threw another glance at Simon who was watching her now with curious concern.

Susan sighed and crossed her arms over her chest. "Well, Matt called me this afternoon. He said Jamie moved out."

For a while, Kate wasn't sure if she'd heard her correctly. She shrugged her shoulders. "Yeah, she moved out yesterday."

"He also said that you broke up."

Kate glanced to the side. "I guess so."

"Katie." Her mom put a hand on Kate's shoulder. "Why didn't you tell me yesterday? Are you okay? Leonard and I would have come and gotten you in a heartbeat, you know that right?"

"What… why would I want that?" said Kate. She felt a growing aggravation in her chest.

"Because Matt said you weren't doing so well," said Susan. "That's why I've been calling you and ran over here. You look terrible. Did you have another seizure? Did she have a seizure?" Susan looked at Simon who shook his head. Susan looked between them, her eyes growing narrow. "Katie, I'm worried about you."

"Mom." Kate closed her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You should just go."

"Look, I know you want your independence and you don't like getting help," said Susan. "Can't you just tell me what's been going on?"

"Matt already told you," said Kate. "Jamie moved out and he doesn't want to be with me anymore." She sighed and wrapped her arms around herself. "Why did Matt call you anyway? He has no reason to call you."

Again, Susan looked at Simon. Kate felt the dread rise in her chest again. "Well, apparently he felt you weren't safe being by yourself. He said there was something wrong with your android. That your android wasn't taking care of you anymore and that you're under a lot of stress. I can imagine now with Jamie being gone that things here are going to get really difficult. You don't look well at all, Katie."

Kate let out a sigh, a wave of disbelief flowing over her. She'd been so overwhelmed by everything that was happening that it was impossible to keep up. She didn't know what she should be more concerned about. Everything needed to slow down for only a moment.

Susan turned to Simon, and Kate felt a small wave of panic. "What's been going on here? If she won't tell me, you need to start talking."

Kate looked at Simon, aware that her panic was showing on her face. Simon's eyes were locked on hers, a nervous determination set in them. "Kate has been under stress recently," he said. "Jamie was very angry when she left. But the stress will pass. There's no danger of an epileptic attack."

Kate could feel her heart pounding in her chest as she watched him. The unnerving panic returned to her as Susan continued to look back and forth between them.

"Katie, you should stay with us for a few days," said Susan. "Don't worry about classes. We can take care of all of it."

"Why?" said Kate. "I'm fine here."

"Just until things calm down," said Susan. "We'll give it a few days. You don't even need to talk to us. Just… just come home."

Kate shook her head and took another step back. "I don't need to go anywhere. I'm staying here."

"Katie please, just a few days is all I'm asking. We can take care of you, get your android fixed, and you can be back on your own."

"What difference does it make if I'm there or not?" said Kate. "I don't need to be watched like some suicide victim. And there's nothing wrong with Simon. I'm fine here with him."

"Katie, why won't you just let me help you?" said Susan. "I'm worried about you and I just want to help. You don't need to take every offer for help as an attack against you. I'm your mother."

"I don't need help," said Kate. "I definitely don't need help from you."

"You especially need help from me," said Susan. "That's my job."

"No, you don't want to help," said Kate. She felt the dread leak into bitter anger and she stood up straight. "You've never wanted to help. All you want is control."

Susan stared at her for a moment, and Kate felt a slight shock at her own anger. Susan shifted. "What are you talking about?"

Kate clenched her hands, the blood coursing through her veins. "You're not here to help me. You're just doing what you've always done. Prying into my personal life, getting into everything I do at school, pushing guys at me… the more I try to get away, the tighter you hold on. You make it look like you're just being nice but it's all about control. Just leave me the hell alone."

Susan shook her head, her eyes wide in shock. "I can't believe you'd say that… I care about you, Katie. All I want is for you to be safe and happy."

The anger was mixing with Kate's panic. She felt herself slipping down a bottomless hole as she stared at her mother. There wasn't any room for reason. Everything was in chaos. And the only thing that she could do was to fall even deeper.

She drew in a breath, struggling to keep her emotions under control. "Then get the hell out."

Susan gazed at her, a mild pain etched in her face. "You need help…" Her eyes began to grow red. "You need serious help." Susan looked at Simon. "Call an ambulance."

A jolt of panic shot through Kate's body. "What?"

"Matt's right. You're mentally unstable." Susan wiped her cheek. "I'm not going to sit and let you spiral down like this."

"I'm not going anywhere," said Kate. "There's nothing wrong with me."

"That's for the doctor to decide," said Susan. "Get an ambulance here quick."

Kate looked at Simon, her heart pounding. This was all happening so fast. This was her life. Her decision. If everything fell apart, she still had this to hold onto. She desperately needed it more than she needed Jamie, Matt, or her family. No one could possibly understand what was happening to her and the thought of losing it all was incomprehensible. She gazed at Simon as the panic and dread filled her, and he stared back at her with the intense bewilderment.

Susan crossed her arms over her chest in front of them. "Did you call the ambulance?"

Simon looked at Susan, and Kate watched in frantic terror. His LED was spinning red on his temple. He took a deep breath. "I think it's best if you left, Mrs. Hall."

Everything seemed to freeze. Kate could hardly believe what she'd just heard. She looked at her mom, an electric numbness flowing through her.

Susan looked as though she were about to scream. She glared at Simon with a fiery energy. "What did you say?"

Simon shifted. "Please leave."

Kate felt her breath sweep away. Panic rushed through her, igniting her nerves. She watched as her mom continued to stare at Simon in a blind rage. Then Susan dug into her coat pocket.

"What are you doing?" said Kate.

"I'm calling an ambulance myself," said Susan. "If I have to drag you out of here so you don't kill yourself in the middle of the night then that's what I'll do." She pulled out her phone and began thumbing away. "And you can bitch about control all you want─"

"Don't!" Kate immediately moved forward but stopped suddenly as Simon reached out in front of her. He brushed the edge of Susan's phone with his fingers before Susan automatically pulled away from him. She took a step back, gazing at him in frustrated confusion. When she looked down at her phone, a panic fell over her face.

Kate stared too. The screen had erupted into a glitched mess of geometric symbols. She looked at Simon who had a fierce determined expression, his blue eyes lit in dramatic energy. He was tense and powerful unlike she had ever seen him before. The shock of seeing this new energy in him brought a new sense of clarity to her. He wasn't going to let her leave. Not if she wanted to stay.

Susan scrambled to use her phone for a moment before looking up at them. She lowered it, gazing at them as if defeated. Kate looked in between them, and watched as Simon's LED spun from red to yellow.

"There is a taxi waiting for you outside," said Simon. "Goodbye, Mrs. Hall."

Susan looked at Kate, her mouth slightly open as if she wanted to argue but had no strength. Kate struggled to calm her own shock as she gazed at Susan. She swallowed, finding her voice again. "Get out of here, mom."

Susan stood frozen, the look of disbelief threatening to burn through Kate's heart. For a terrifying moment, Kate thought she would explode. Her nerves were caught in between a terrible shame at the situation she'd put her mother in, and the desperate need for her to never come back. Kate needed to stay with Simon, no matter the logic or reason. There was no place for either in her world.

Susan slowly turned, looking around as though disoriented. She put her phone back into her pocket and moved towards the front door. Kate struggled to keep her breathing steady as she watched her mom, uncertainty and apprehension aching in her chest. As Susan gripped the doorknob she looked back at Kate, the disbelief mingling with a miserable longing. Then Susan opened the door and moved out into fading light, closing the door behind her.