A/N: Part 2/2 of the Chapter 10/11 combo below. Make sure to read Chapter 10 before 11; they were uploaded at the same time so they could be read together.

-EQT.95


"Oooh, that's a fancy looking bottle," Sophie remarked as Kate pulled it out of her bottom desk drawer. They had just finished midterms and, instead of going to and getting plastered in celebration, Kate had decided to stay in for the night. That also meant Sophie was going to get her first lesson in hard liquor.

"I'm spoiled, remember?" Kate joked, grabbing two glasses and sitting on the couch next to Sophie. She uncorked the lid and poured two glasses: a full pour for her and a smaller pour for Sophie.

"Laga… Lagavlavlin," Sophie sounded out, her head cocked to the side trying to read the word as Kate poured.

"Lagavulin," Kate corrected her. "It's scotch, from one of the islands off Scotland's west coast."

Sophie scowled, "You people and your fancy things."

Kate laughed, "You people? Are you even allowed to say that to me?"

"How do you even find something like this? A scotch off some remote island? Did you send your army of servants to hunt it down for you?"

Kate laughed again at Sophie's appraisal. "Of course not - we use our servants for other more important things like bed-making and school diorama projects. It's actually a pretty popular island for whisky-making. There are a bunch of distilleries there."

"Sure," Sophie replied, feigning disinterest.

"I grew up watching my grandma drink this, actually. When I was… fifteen maybe? she poured me a dram expecting me to hate it. Turns out I loved it. This was her gift to me for getting into the Academy, and now I bestow the blessing of the caramel liquid onto you, Sophie Moore."

"Well, cheers to that," Sophie said, taking her glass and lifting it. They clinked and Sophie brought the bronze liquid to her lips and let it slide onto her tongue. She immediately regretted it as a strange smoky flavor erupted on her palette. Her face must have contorted in disgust because Kate broke out into even more laughter.

"It's not for everyone," she remarked.

"It should be for no one," Sophie corrected. She watched Kate take a sip with ease and felt a challenge to want to like it. She brought the glass to her nose and inhaled. "It smells like a campfire."

"Mhmm, that's the peat. A second sip won't taste as harsh if you want to give it another go," Kate offered, seeming to read Sophie's thoughts.

She let another sip in and set the liquid on her tongue, taking in the different flavors. A slight burn followed as she swallowed. She thought about it for a moment as though negotiating with herself whether she could learn to like it.

"You don't have to like it," Kate interjected.

"It's… it's weird? I mean, I don't not like it, I just-"

"Sophie, the exams are over - you don't need to over-analyze this," Kate interrupted with a slight grin.

"Oh, fine," Sophie replied. She set the glass down and examined the bottle more closely. It was strange to get glimpses of Kate's lifestyle because it was so different from her experiences. She wondered how much growing up with money influenced how confident she was, but then she also recalled a number of classmates who had grown up with similar wealth and were nothing like Kate.

"Your intense thinking face is making me uncomfortable," Kate said, interrupting Sophie's thoughts. "What part of 'midterms are over' is not getting through that skull of yours?"

"Real talk for a minute?" Sophie asked, surprising even herself by her question.

"Sure?" Kate responded, seemingly just as surprised as Sophie by her question. This question had become a way for them to have a completely open conversation. So far it had only been used three times: the first was when Kate told Sophie about her mom and Beth's deaths, the second was when Sophie shared about her mom's run in with cancer, and the third was in the middle of The Incredibles when Sophie told Kate about her family's history of financial problems.

"When did you realize you were gay?"

"Huh, that is not where I thought this was headed," Kate said, reaching for the bottle from Sophie to refill her own glass. She took a moment to splash into her glass and take a sip before speaking. "I didn't have like, an epitome one morning and then suddenly I was gay. It was always just this lingering feeling of being different. I probably benefited from having Beth as a twin sister to help me figure it out so quickly: she oohed and aahed over the latest boy bands, and I had no interest. Instead I wanted to watch things like… like-"

"Like The Mask of Zorro?" Sophie offered.

Kate laughed, "Well, yea, exactly. Plus I had the privilege of growing up in a more progressive world than most - we went to things like Pride Fest every year which I'd guess wasn't something every kid would grow up doing. But basically it made coming out a normal thing - I didn't need to work up the courage to say it. My cousin, Bruce, had an out friend. She would sometimes be around the office when I visited Bruce, and I remember talking about it once or twice with her."

Sophie listened to Kate, and she began to understand why she seemed so confident about her sexuality: it wasn't that she was doing or being anything exceptional - she was just being normal about it.

"So to answer your question: it was a slow evolution. The more time I sat with it, the more comfortable I felt in my own skin. I don't think I ever announced it in the way some people have to. I mean, I definitely remember telling some people like my grandma and dad. Beth and my mom had passed by that point though, and then when my dad remarried it was just a fact that Mary and Catherine were handed one day. But I'd say my fate was definitely sealed when I kissed Krissy Kreiger in ninth grade."

Sophie tried to imagine a thirteen year-old Kate Kane kissing a girl for the first time, and she couldn't imagine she'd be anything but perfect at it. She just seemed like someone who wouldn't let nerves keep her from doing something she wanted.


The sound of the door opening made Kate smile from her desk. They had all been assigned the obstacle course for the afternoon, and Kate had breezed through in the first group. Sophie had been stuck in the last group, and by the time they went, it was already getting dark, making the course trickier to run. That didn't stop from Kate taking a swipe at Sophie's overly belated return. She glanced at the clock, seeing it was nearly an hour past when Kate had expected her back.

"If you want me to stop bragging about my record time, you're going to have to start running the course fast… Sophie? What happened to you?" Kate asked, having turned from her desk to see Sophie standing in the doorway, soaked and shivering to the bone.

"Miller… slipped and dislodged a… a…thing. C-crashed down..."

"Hold up, you're shaking like crazy," Kate interrupted, dropping her grin and crossing the room to Sophie. She placed a hand on Sophie's cheek and felt the sharp sting of cold against it. "Shit, Sophie, you're freezing. You need to get out of these clothes and warmed up."

Sophie nodded, but Kate could tell she was only half-listening. She watched Sophie reach up to unzip her jacket, her numb fingers fumbling against the zipper. After a moment of struggling with it Kate finally lifted her own hands and quickly unzipped it for her.

"It landed on the tube a-and - pin-pinned me insi-"

"Forget what happened - how are you feeling? Are you hurt?," Kate asked while simultaneously helping Sophie out of her jacket. She felt the weight and cold of it and saw the rest of Sophie's clothes beneath were just as soaked. Kate tossed it in the corner and put her hands on Sophie's shoulders, centering her. She looked directly into Sophie's eyes and repeated her question, "Sophie, I need me to tell you how you're feeling. Are you dizzy? Confused?"

"Your eyes are so green," Sophie responded, her face marked with slight surprise. Kate tried to keep her gaze steady as a sense of genuine worry filled her.

"I think you might be suffering from hypothermia, Sophie," she said. Kate had experienced a mild case of hypothermia as a kid, and Sophie looked like a worse version of that. She tried recalling how to get someone warmed up: she knew a shower was an option, but she also knew it could result in rewarming shock which was just as dangerous. "Do you think you can take a shower? That's the fastest way to warm up."

Sophie nodded slowly, swaying slightly as she closed her arms around herself in an attempt to warm up. Kate wasn't completely convinced.

"Ok, how about this: I'll wait outside the shower, and if you start feeling dizzy, you tell me, ok?"

"What if I'm already dizzy?" Sophie asked between clamoring teeth.

Kate faltered. She couldn't have Sophie shower if there wasn't a reliable way to ensure she didn't fall into a shock.

"Change out of the rest of your clothes. I'll be right back," Kate said, moving toward the door. She remembered Chelsea down the hall had an electric blanket and figured that would be better than nothing.

A few minutes later, she returned with it in tow and found Sophie curled up on the couch wrapped in a thin blanket, shivering uncontrollably.

"You're practically freezing to death and you choose that rag to warm you up?" Kate remarked sarcastically. She was trying to stay calm, but seeing Sophie in such a weakened state had her frantic.

She grabbed her comforter off her bed and placed it over Sophie before searching for a spare extension cord. Once found, she plugged in the electric blanket, and set it to the lowest level. She considered setting to the highest level but knew the best way to raise Sophie's body temperature was slowly. She tucked the blanket around Sophie before grabbing the comforter off Sophie's bed for an added layer.

"Thanks, Kate," Sophie muttered, giving a weak smile of appreciation.

Kate sat down at her desk chair and watched Sophie for a moment. She felt her heart racing against her chest as she rattled off all the ways she could think to bring Sophie's body temperature up: shower… blankets… warm beverages. She glanced up and saw the box of Swiss Miss sitting on the shelf. She reached up and grabbed a packet and pulled a mug off the shelf next to it. She lifted them to Sophie as way of communicating her plans and left the room.

When she returned again, the mug was steaming with sugary warmth.

"How's it going?" Kate asked, sitting down next to Sophie and setting the mug on their makeshift coffee table.

"F-fine," Sophie responded, shaking beneath the blankets. "Can you t-turn on the - the blanket?"

Kate's eyes narrowed. She checked the remote and saw it was lit and felt the blanket to double check: it wasn't warming. Kate clicked it up to a higher setting and left her hand on the blanket, waiting for signs it was heating up. After a minute of feeling no change, she sighed in frustration.

"M-my dad had hyp-hyp-hypothermia once," Sophie said. "His snow p-plow broke down one winter..."

Kate was only half listening as she tried thinking of whether another electric blanket might be hidden somewhere in the building. Chelsea had talked about hers one Fall day after someone else had talked about theirs… Kate mentally cursed unable to recall who had said it.

… and she u-used her body heat."

"What?" Kate said, catching the last bit in surprise.

"My mom u-used her bod-dy heat."

Of course, she thought, wanting to beat herself on the head, body heat. Before giving it a second thought, she slid under the blankets next to Sophie before pausing.

"Is this ok?" she asked, torn between her instincts of warming Sophie up and not wanting to make her uncomfortable.

"Unless y-you're pl-planning on killing me… I'd s-say you're fine," Sophie said with an unexpected amount of sarcasm and a bemused look on her face.

Kate adjusted herself to have Sophie's back against her chest. She wrapped her arms around Sophie's shaking body, hugging her close in hope of passing on as much heat as possible. It was a slightly awkward arrangement with Kate trying to refrain from making it appear too intimate out of fear Sophie might get the wrong impression. It was a ridiculous fear given the circumstances, but after weeks of overthinking these things, it was practically natural now.

A moment of silence passed between them as Sophie's shaking continued between Kate and the layers of blankets.

"I guess we're not studying tonight then?" Kate joked.

She felt Sophie chuckle softly in reply.

"I could always put on Entrapment," Kate continued, trying to make light of the situation by calling back to their conversation from a few weeks earlier. She expected Sophie to react to this, but instead, what came out surprised her.

"That's fine with me."

"Oh! Really?" Kate asked. Feeling Sophie nod, Kate realized she wasn't kidding. "Well, ok," Kate continued, trying to hide her surprise. She worried for a moment that Sophie's lack of reply was a sign of how unwell she was feeling, but she remembered Sophie had slapped her with sarcasm only a minute earlier. "Just let me…" she said, shifting from under Sophie to set up the movie.

"This really is a terrible movie," Kate commented once she hit play.

"Oh hush," Sophie replied from behind the blankets. "You defended Zorro."

"I defended Catherine."

Once confident the movie was running, she flipped off the lights and returned to the sofa, handing Sophie the cup of cocoa. This time they adjusted their position to better see the movie: Kate settled her back against the armrest and brought one leg around so Sophie was nestled between her legs. She felt Sophie lean back and relax into her as she brought her arms back around Sophie's torso. She noted Sophie's shaking hadn't reduced much, and she made a note of the time as a way of tracking her progress.

Kate had never imagined the first time holding Sophie like this would be under such dire circumstances. She was nearly three months into the longest crush of her life, and had yet to find a way out of it. It didn't help that she was using any excuse to be around her, and rooming together was only making it worse. By the ninth week of term, she had resigned herself to a life of standing at a distance watching her peers flirt endlessly with her.

But now that Sophie was here, for a moment everything felt right. She had imagined holding her like this on so many occasions she'd actually lost count. After a few minutes, Kate felt the amount of shaking reduce, and she wondered if Sophie had fallen asleep when she spoke over Sean Connery's dapper Scottish accent.

"Hey Kate?"

"Yea?"

"Thanks for taking care of me."

"I needed a break from all that math anyway," Kate replied, gesturing over at the open textbook and papers. "You've actually done me the favor."

Sophie half-chuckled at this. "You know you can just accept a 'thank you,' right?" she asked, adjusting herself slightly against Kate to get more comfortable.

"Hmm."

Kate knew she wasn't great at taking praise or compliments, and Sophie was always the first to call her out for side-stepping them with a joke. In fact, Sophie was usually the first to call her out for most the stuff she tried to pull. At first it drove Kate crazy - that Sophie could so easily see through Kate's facade, but over time, Kate grew to appreciate how direct and astute she was. It made her feel seen, even if it also meant being unmasked.

Twenty minutes into the movie, Kate felt Sophie's breathing fall into a constant rhythm, and Kate considered waking her so she could move to her bed, but she also considered that her body temperature may not be normalized for a while longer. As she reasoned with herself, she felt Sophie stir; her hand moved up and rested softly on Kate's upper arm. Simultaneously, Sophie's head turned and nestled into Kate's chest before letting out a small sigh. The impact this had on Kate sent her mind reeling. Did Sophie know what she was doing? She shook the thought from her mind: Sophie was passed out and would have no recollection of her actions. It didn't do well to cling to these things because it would inevitably mean disappointment for Kate. Three months of evidence had driven that point home.

As the movie credits rolled, Kate knew she should wake Sophie, but that last 108 minutes of bliss were persuading her otherwise. She could tell from Sophie's lack of shaking and consistent breathing that she'd be ok alone, but, even with all of that in mind, she justified that a few extra minutes couldn't hurt. She stared at the digital clock on her desk: 10:49. Ten more minutes, she thought, closing her eyes for a moment, then I'll wake her up.


Sophie stirred from her sleep, feeling the morning rays of light against her eyelids. She slowly opened them, a wave of confusion rushing through her as she absorbed her surroundings. It was her dorm room, but she was on the couch?

Suddenly the night prior came flooding back: getting trapped in the mud pit, coming back to the dormitory soaking wet and freezing, the electric blanket, the hot chocolate, Kate. It was then she felt the soft, rhythmic breathing next to her and Kate's arm draped over her waist, tying the warm comfort of Kate's body to her.

A smile crept over her lips as she remembered Kate's intensity and care. For all of Kate's efforts, Sophie felt much better - sore, but no longer bone-chilling cold. She wondered how much of the soreness was an effect of being pinned into the metal tube by a fallen post or from sleeping on the couch.

Her mind wandered back to Kate sleeping next to her. It could be seen as a completely harmless and platonic event if not for the suppressed feelings Sophie was harboring. She knew she should get up, that she should interrupt the moment and these feelings. She wasn't supposed to feel this way about a girl. Maybe for Kate it was fine, but Sophie wasn't raised in a world where that was acceptable. Instead, Sophie had spent the better part of her life wondering how to hide the growing feeling of doubt about her attraction to guys and her often lingering thoughts toward women. Kate was her greatest and most persistent offence, and this was just one more wrong to add to that category.

Kate stirred and Sophie froze, weighing her mixed emotions: part of her hoped Kate would wake and put a stop to the whole thing for her. She knew Kate was especially wary of giving the wrong impressions to Sophie, and she used that as a crutch to never let her thoughts wander too far. The other part of her wanted Kate to stay asleep a while longer.

Fortunately for her, the second part won out: Kate stirred only enough to press closer to Sophie, her draped arm shifting slightly to wrap more directly around Sophie's stomach.


"Shhhh!" Kate said through a laugh. "If you keep shouting someone's definitely going to hear us, Sophie."

Sophie was tipsy and laughing at a joke she'd already forgotten. They were on their way back from Wilfred Hall where the second years had hosted an end-of-semester party. Exams were over, and it was the first time Sophie had agreed to Kate's invitation to go out. She had never been to a party before and could count on one hand the number of times she'd had alcohol, but she knew Kate would be there and that brought some comfort to her.

They hadn't been there long before splitting off to different areas of the floor. Sophie found herself in a dorm room talking to Henry and Melvin about final exams and winter break plans. She hadn't quite realized how quickly she was sipping her beer until she looked down and saw her cup was empty.

"Time for number three," Melvin chuckled, replacing her empty cup with a full one. "Man, Sophie, had I known you could pound them this quickly, we'd have made you come out earlier in the semester."

"Come out?" Sophie asked, taking the phrase out of context.

She saw Henry's face break into laughter, "So maybe you can't pound them this quickly. Let's get you some water."


Kate had made her usual rounds, jumping between rooms to say her goodbyes to people before break, and she was looking for Sophie who had split off shortly after they arrived. She hoped the guys were keeping an eye on her like they'd promised, but she had her doubts.

Finally she found them on the other end of the dormitory, and her anger swelled when she realized the shouts of 'chug' that had been resonating down the hall were them pressing Sophie on to finish her drink.

"What the fuck, Melvin? I asked you to watch out for her, not get her shit-faced," she cut in, pulling Melvin's arm as Sophie crushed the rest of her drink.

"How many is that?" Kate asked, her serious tone cutting through Henry's laugh.

"Kate, I'm fine," Sophie interjected, but Kate ignored her, focusing her anger on Melvin.

"Wha? Oh come on Kate, we're just having some fun. Besides, Sophie needs to let off some steam after a semester of all that cooped up tension," Melvin winked at Kate.

Kate glowered at him suspiciously. "You're an ass. I told you she doesn't drink so that this wouldn't happen."

"Relax Kate, it's just water. We stopped her at two," Melvin said, sobering at the unwavering seriousness on Kate's face.

"Yea, we wouldn't let anything happen to your girlfriend, Kate," Henry laughed through his own cup of beer.

Silence fell over the group as Kate glanced around to see whether anyone in the room had heard Henry's comment.

"Dude," Melvin whispered to Henry, "not cool."

Melvin knew the danger a comment like Henry's could have in a room of strangers on campus, and while he joked with Kate about it, she trusted him to have tact when discussing it. Henry, on the other hand, was a loose cannon.

"But also, I'm not," Sophie said defensively.

"We know, Sophie. Henry was just messing," Melvin remarked. "Henry is also drunk, so I'll be taking him back to the dorms now. Right Henry?" he added with an underlying threat that meant it was nonnegotiable.

"Thanks, Melvin. And sorry for-"

"No apology necessary," Melvin cut in, giving Kate a quick nod before grabbing Henry's arm with one hand taking his beer from him with the other. "Have a good break - see you all next semester."

Kate stared at them go, still fuming with anger, but not because Melvin hadn't watched out for Sophie. She was frustrated with herself for not trusting Melvin who, over the last few weeks had shown a resounding amount of loyalty and friendship. He had confronted her about Sophie, and after a few minutes of question dodging, she admitted her feelings to him. She was worried he'd take advantage of that information, but instead he was nothing if not supportive. Sure, there was the occasionally well-placed joke, but he kept them infrequent enough that it didn't bother her. Instead, her anger was over the ill-timed comment and the effect something like that could have in a room of strangers.


Sophie had convinced Kate to stay for one more drink after appealing to her sentimental side: this was their last night to hang out for a whole month. Kate had tried to point out they would be sharing a car ride for eight hours the following day with Sophie's parents on their return trip to Gotham, but she waved that off, declaring it wasn't the same thing.

She was pleasantly buzzed as Kate navigated their way back to the dormitory, and she started understanding the appeal of partying on Fridays: after weeks of nothing but studying, letting off some steam was exactly what she needed.

After a less than graceful attempt to unlock the door, Sophie surrendered the task to Kate who swayed a little less than her. Kate made quick work of the door and finally they were back. Sophie collapsed onto her bed with a satisfied grin on her face. She had survived her first semester and, as reward, would spend the next four weeks relaxing back home.

"I'm gonna miss you, Kate Kane," she muttered, realizing that the one person she had seen every day for over the last three months would be away from her.

"You'll be just fine," Kate said from the other side of the room. She had extracted the same bottle of Lagavulin from earlier in the semester and was in the middle of pouring a glass. "Besides, think about all the privacy you'll have back at home," she grinned.

Sophie rolled her eyes. Kate was alluding to an argument they'd had earlier that week when Sophie had nearly kicked Kate out of the room: it was well past midnight and she had just finished up some studying and was getting ready for bed, but Kate was still wide-awake. Instead of sleeping, Kate had turned on the t.v. and the volume paired with Kate's laughing at whatever show was on had sent Sophie in a mood and that mood stirred up an argument. In hindsight she knew the stress of studying had gotten to her, and she was being unreasonable, but in the moment, she accused Kate of being "a controlling, selfish, spoiled brat who didn't know the first thing about being considerate". Fortunately for Sophie, Kate let the remarks pass like nothing. Instead, she offered to leave and crash at Melvin's for the night if that's what she really wanted. The ultimatum deflated Sophie's anger, and by the next morning the fight was behind them.

"That was a moment of weakness," Sophie countered, apologetically. She sat up and watched Kate take a seat on the couch. She stretched her long legs out in front and leaned her head back, staring at the dimly lit ceiling. It was in that moment Sophie realized they hadn't turned on the overhead lights. Instead, the room was lit only from the street lights outside. She found the atmosphere calming.

She slid off her bed and moved next to Kate on the couch. Eyeing the glass in Kate's hand, she casually took it from Kate's hand and brought it to her lips, taking in the smokey smell and flavor. The taste didn't feel as stark as she remembered and couldn't decide if it was because she was already tipsy or she was getting used to it.

"Do you ever get tired of it?" she asked.

"I'll need some more context to answer that one," Kate responded, a smile playing across her face. It wasn't uncommon for Sophie to ask something mid-thought, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Oh, right, sorry," Sophie said, dismissing Kate's glance. "I mean about tonight; what Henry said. Do you ever get tired of lying?"

"I'm not lying," Kate replied. "I don't go around saying I'm straight to people."

"Ok, sure, but you're living in fear of being found out."

"Why would you say that?" Kate asked, turning to look at Sophie.

"Wh- because of how you reacted to Henry's comment," Sophie said, not understanding why Kate was deflecting. "It was the most on guard I've ever seen you."

"I'm not afraid of being found out, Sophie."

"Were we not at the same party? I saw you and Melvin both react."

"And I'm telling you I'm not afraid of someone finding out about me," Kate repeated, her voice raising slightly.

"Ok, then what am I missing," Sophie asked, "Because you looked afraid Kate. And you can be a tough guy about it now, but that doesn't change the fact that if the wrong person found out you'd face expulsion, and I think that has you worried," Sophie reasoned.

Kate sat up at this, her face difficult to read in the moonlight. They both sat quietly for a minute, and Sophie began worrying she had overstepped. Until now, there wasn't anything they couldn't talk through, but this felt different. This challenged the carefree lifestyle Kate seemed to be living, and Sophie wondered if she'd have been better off biting her own tongue.

"Sophie, I'm not worried about being kicked out of school. If they want to expel me for this archaic belief, then let them."

"Ok… but that still doesn't answ-"

"Henry's comment wasn't just about me, Sophie. It included you, too."

Sophie fell silent, stunned by Kate's words resonating in the air. Kate wasn't worried about herself, she was worried about how Sophie might be impacted. It was both the most flattering and careless thing she had ever heard someone say. For a moment Sophie had questioned Kate's integrity, and instead of being made right, she realized Kate's integrity was unwavering. She felt a hint of shame at what she'd just accused Kate, but more than that, she felt a resolve about her feelings for Kate.

"It's one thing to be me and take on that risk for myself, but you didn't ask for this, and the way these clowns run this place, you wouldn't be given a fair shake if the wrong thing was insinua-"

Kate was cut off mid sentence by Sophie's lips. Sophie's brain had been spinning with emotions when the one thought that made any sense crossed her mind: she needed to kiss Kate. Her reaction was instantaneous as she leaned in and pressed her lips against Kate's lips, and she felt a combination of shock and thrill pulse through her as she felt Kate return the kiss eagerly.

The heat between them was electric as they both fumbled on the edge of the couch, releasing a semester's worth of bottled up feelings as they worked every angle to get closer. Finally frustrated by it, Kate pushed Sophie down onto the couch and climbed on top of her, letting her lips find Sophie's again in the dark. She supported herself with one hand while the other slid down and under Sophie's shirt. A soft moan from Sophie only encouraged Kate on. She let her mouth trail along the soft skin of Sophie's jawbone while Sophie's hands wandered Kate's body, landing on the hem of her shirt and sliding it up to-

"Kate?"

They both froze, realizing the room was being lit by a second source of light. It was the hallway light, flooding through their open door.

"Kate, are you… woa." Kate's eyes widened in fear as she made eye contact with Mike Miller standing in the doorway. "Your… your door was open and… you're... Sophie?"

"Mike, I can explain," Kate said, jumping off Sophie and walking toward Mike like he was a cornered animal ready to strike.

"I… I have to go," Mike said, backing out of the room and out of sight.

Kate's stomach plummeted as she cursed aloud - she hadn't shut the door. In the matter of a minute, she had gone from the happiest person in the world to the most terrified. Mike was one of the few who didn't know about Kate, and that made what he saw just now even worse: Kate couldn't know if he was running off to tell someone what he saw or not, and that meant Sophie ran the same risk as her.

"Kate… what... oh... shit… Kate… what… what are we..."

Kate turned and saw Sophie, her eyes wide with terror as she realized what was at stake.

"I'll take care of it. Just… I'll take care of it," she said, leaving the room.


The next morning arrived, and with it came overcast, a headache, and a feeling of dread but no sign of Kate. Sophie had stayed up for another hour in fear before eventually passing out on the couch, and when she woke up and saw Kate still hadn't returned, she wondered if messaging Melvin or Henry would bring any news. It was only when she went to grab her phone charger that she realized Kate's travel bag, which had been sitting next to Sophie's the night before, was missing. Instead, on top of Sophie's bag was a note:

Hey Sophie,

Change of plans - I'm going to spend the holidays with my dad in D.C. after all. Please tell your parents sorry for me. Have a good break.

- Kate.

Sophie dropped the note onto her bag, a feeling of emptiness and confusion filling her. What happened?