a/n: Hi all,

I hadn't planned another throwback chapter quite yet, but I needed a break from work last night and just got to writing; the storyline and continuity of these are a lot easier to draft quickly, so here's the next bit for you to munch on. I'm still behind on the next 'current' timeline chapter, but hopefully this will hold you over for a few more days until I get it uploaded.

Also, the last round of reviews were so great. To all of you: you're the absolute best.

Cheers, EQT.95


"Are you studying?" Sophie asked, stunned to see Kate hunched over her desk upon her return to the dorm room.

"Is that a problem?" Kate asked, not looking up from her desk.

"It's Friday," Sophie continued.

"And?"

"It's Friday night."

"And?"

"Are you ok?"

Kate looked up ready to spar back with a sarcastic remark when her eyes caught sight of Sophie for the first time and she found herself lost for words. Sophie was standing just inside the doorway having changed out of her uniform and was instead wearing a dress Kate had never seen before. It was a simple but elegantly fitted slate grey dress; the full skirt tapered out from her waist and fell to Sophie's mid-calf. The neckline was sharply cut back to expose her collarbone and wrapped just over her shoulders while the short sleeves settled snugly on her shoulders. It was just revealing enough to make Kate lose her breath.

"Uh..."

"I just mean… it's almost eight on a Friday night," Sophie continued, not recognizing that Kate's lack of response was directly correlated to her change in attire. "And you're still here."

"I know," Kate finally stammered out, torn between continuing to gawk and averting her gaze.

"What are you even working on?" Sophie asked, walking over to Kate. She immediately recognized the physics textbook propped up in the corner of the desk and realized Kate was playing catch-up from having to run the course again. "Oh, right..." she said apologetically, realizing the reason for Kate's Friday night house arrest was to finish physics homework due online by nine the following morning. Kate had missed Thursday's lecture because she was rerunning the Drill course and had stubbornly rejected Sophie's offer to catch her up on the lesson after ending the evening before in an argument.

"I can't believe you are suggesting this," Sophie said, raising her voice again. "And that you consulted Melvin, again I might add, before talking to me about it."

"It was late and I knew if I waited he'd be asleep."

"Oh, that's right. Because we're all out of tomorrows," Sophie shot back. "You didn't think maybe it could wait until after you talked to me about it?"

"Do you have a better idea?"

Sophie stared back at Kate, as she racked her brain for an alternative. Nothing else came to mind. "No, but that's not what I'm saying."

"So, I don't understand: are you upset about the idea or that I didn't come to you for your obvious approval first?"

"You really still don't get it, do you?"

"Apparently not. Because it sounds to me like you're on board with the idea."

"That's not the point. Your ideas aren't always right, Kate."

"But it is this time, so what's the problem?"

"That - just… it's. I can't do this with you right now."

Sophie placed her hand on the back of Kate's chair, leaning in to see what problem she was on. Kate, in turn, went rigid. Her stubbornness from the days before was prevailing, but that didn't stop her from feeling the effects that Sophie in the dress was having on her. She dared not glance up and left her hands placed squarely on the desk for fear they might do something inappropriate if not carefully watched. She sensed the space between them shrink as Sophie leaned in. Kate didn't know if she was imagining it or not, but she was certain Sophie's warmth was radiated from her as she scrutinized the papers on Kate's desk. After a moment of eternity, Kate realized she'd been holding her breath and, upon inhaling, absorbed the soft scent of Sophie's perfume. It was a subtle lilac scent. Having grown up in the city, Kate had never been exposed to many flowers, but the first time she experienced Sophie's perfume, she knew it was her favorite.

"It's, it's ok - I think I've got it, Soph," Kate offered weakly as a loose tendril of Sophie's hair fell and grazed Kate's cheek.

"Ah, you haven't converted the units from the first step. That's why this number is so high," Sophie said, pointing to the top of the page. "I made the same mistake," she offered, sliding her hand onto Kate's shoulder in consolation before stepping back to her side of the room.

Kate felt her cheeks burning and remained staring at her work, already forgetting Sophie's remark.

"Uh, so, you're all… fancy tonight. Got plans?" Kate asked, trying to seem casual.

Sophie smirked back but didn't respond leaving Kate both more confused and worried.

"S-so… is that a yes?"

"Oh, wait, you're serious?" Sophie replied quizzically, finally taking Kate's look as genuine. "Tonight's my 'date' with Melvin," she said, lifting her hands into air quotes around the word. "He had to move it up because he's going home for a funeral tomorrow. I thought I told you?"

"Ah, no. I mean 'yes' - right. That. That is tonight," she stammered, mentally cursing her momentary ineptitude.

Sophie eyed her curiously but stayed silent. She turned to her mirror, checking her make-up one last time before reaching for her jacket.

"See you later?" Sophie asked as she slipped it on. Kate noncommittally shrugged in reply, suddenly feeling aimless. She wasn't much in the mood to go out, but wasn't ready to commit to a night in either - especially if it meant Sophie wouldn't be around.

"Have fuun," Kate managed, drawing it out to make it seem like a joke while secretly wishing Sophie would stay back with her.

Sophie smiled back, shaking her head at Kate's remark. "Who knows? Maybe I'll even get lucky," she winked, reaching for the door and missing Kate's jaw drop to the floor.


"Ready?" Melvin asked. He had been loitering in the lobby when Sophie finally made her way out.

Sophie paused, smiling at his attempt to look dressed up.

"A bow tie?"

"It's not mine," he quickly excused, reaching up self consciously to adjust it, causing it to fall crookedly out of place.

Sophie laughed as she walked up to him. "You're telling me," she started, bringing her hands up to readjust it, "that this dashing red and white polka dot accessory is not part of your everyday wardrobe?"

"Depends - you think it's sexy?"

Sophie laughed, "Not in the least."


"How can you have no idea?" Sophie continued to press, her fork suspended mid-air and her eyes wide in disbelief.

"Just hasn't come up yet."

"You're telling me no one has ever asked 'hey Mevlin, what do you want to be when you grow up?'"

"Do people actually answer that honestly?" Melvin replied. Sophie glanced up, realizing he was serious.

"Did you not?" she asked, her mind racing with confusion. They were in the middle of entrees, and the discussion of their future plans had come up. Well, Sophie explicitly asked, and what was supposed to be a passing query was now an extensive psycho analysis into Melvin's life choices.

Three years earlier, Point Rock had rid themselves of the required five-years of active duty for all graduates. This was primarily done to increase enrollment which had been diminishing over the years, and in turn, it opened the floodgates to a new class of students who were interested in the training a Military Academy provided with the option to take it into civilian life. Anymore the number of privatized security services were offering more lucrative opportunities than the Military could, and students were now grappling with decisions that previous classes had never been privileged with.

"I guess I just assumed I'd go the traditional route," Melvin responded finally.

"Why do I feel like this isn't actually what you want?"

Melvin had become conspicuously quiet during the conversation; his lighthearted mood fading as he turned his attention to his food, taking painstaking care at curating his next forkful. He brought it to his mouth and chewed it slowly, thoughtfully.

"My dad's a bit of a hardass," he said. "He was raised by generations of fathers and grandfathers who served. It's sort of his master plan for me."

"Did he, too?" Sophie asked.

"That was the plan, but then he got my mom pregnant in high school, and he dropped out to start working and support her."

"Why didn't he enlist later?"

"Because he never got his high school diploma," Melvin continued, beginning to relax into the conversation with the facts. "You can't join the military without one, and whenever he thought to go back for his GED, my mom wound up pregnant again."

"Again? How many Bennett children are roaming around?"

"Seven," Melvin grinned. "Six girls. I'm the youngest."

"Six sisters? How did you survive?" Sophie gaped. She had always wanted a sibling or two growing up as playmates, but she couldn't imagine seven other little Moores running around the tight quarters of her parents' two-bedroom home.

Melvin laughed at this, recognizing the absurdity of the situation. "It was actually pretty great. Over the years my dad became more and more worried he'd never have a son, so with each new daughter he'd enroll them in more and more physical activities. When I finally came around, there was a whole generation of Bennett girls ready to rough house."

"But you said your dad was a bit of a hardass; how so? He doesn't sound so bad," Sophie mused, thinking about how her own dad had pushed her as a kid to be her best. She imagined that was the stance Melvin's dad had on his kids.

"Oh, he isn't if you're his daughter," Melvin countered quickly before catching himself. It was clear these weren't ideas he was used to vocalizing.

"How do you mean?" Sophie asked casually but already sensing where it was going.

Melvin stared off in thought. He seemed to be weighing his words, and Sophie imagined he was articulating his childhood for the first time. "Let's just say he wasn't going to mess up his one chance of turning his son into the version of himself he could never be."

Sophie was struck by this, but it suddenly clarified why Melvin didn't have an answer for her earlier question. If she let her imagination run with his words, that meant Melvin's life was predetermined for him; even if he had an opinion about his future, it was already set the day he was born.

"Enough about me, though. This is getting too serious for a first date," Melvin pivoted, noting Sophie's serious expression. "What did Sophie Moore want to be growing up?"

Sophie took Melvin's discomfort as cue to move on. "Easy: professional soccer player," she said quickly, as though rehearsed through the years. Then, more shyly, she followed with, "or a secret agent."

"What, like James Bond?" Melvin asked lightly.

"Oh, no. Well, sure. It was actually - " Sophie asked, suddenly looking uncomfortable. "It wasn't ever serious."

"It was actually what?" Melvin pressed, a smile returning to his face, taking a hint of joy at Sophie squirming in her seat.

Sophie looked like she was having an internal battle of wills before continuing. "Ok, you have to promise not to tell anyone else this."

Melvin broke into a laugh. "Are you serious?"

Sophie stared back in discomfort.

"Oh, you're serious. Yes, ok. I promise," he said, trying to hide his smirk into a neutral expression.

"I always imagined being like Sydney Bristow."

"Who?"

"From… from Alias."

Melvin couldn't help but break into a huge smile as he watched Sophie share the intimate details of her childhood dreams.

"Well who says you can't still be?" he asked genuinely and watched Sophie's concern for ridicule wash away. "Besides, you've got all the qualifications: smart, self-sufficient, strong, sexy. The 4 S's every successful secret agent needs."


"I must say, this has been unexpectedly nice," Sophie remarked as the waiter cleared their dessert plates.

Melvin chuckled. "Quite the endorsement, Sophie. Can I put you down as a reference for all future girlfriends?"

Sophie flinched slightly. "I - I didn't mean it that way, it's just-"

"It's fine," Melvin cut in, waving off Sophie's explanation. "I think we both know you'd rather be somewhere else with a certain someone else tonight anyway," he continued, slipping on his trademark mischievous grin. They had spent the entire evening enjoying each other's company without once mentioning the elephant in the room. Now that dessert had wrapped and normal conversation was drying up, it was the inevitable fallback.

"After your fine manners, I can't imagine having spent it with anyone but you," Sophie replied, unwilling to fold into the conversation so easily. She had enjoyed her evening with Melvin and was happy keeping the conversation light and fluid.

Melvin gave a sideways smirk at her, taking the hint. "How about we grab the check. Maybe I'll take you back to my place. You might have heard of it: it's this quaint little eight-story just north of here."

"It rings a bell," Sophie joked in response. "I hear it has over fifty bedrooms?"

"Eighty, actually," Melvin continued. "It could use a few more bathrooms, but it's a fine place. And it sounds like you're familiar enough."

"Well it just so happens I live around there."

"Ah, so your walk of shame will be that much shorter."

Sophie broke out in laughter at this. "It's a wonder you're still single."


"Well, this is me," Melvin joked as the two approached the residence hall. He had placed his hand around Sophie's waist for good measure when they got close, noting that a number of their peers were out and about, likely making their way to or from their own Friday night plans. It had initially caught Sophie off guard, but his playfulness quickly devolved any hesitancy. "Care to come up to see my etchings?"

"Are you from the 1940's?" Sophie smiled back. She wondered if Melvin was actually this forward with girls or if he was making an exception to keep their arranged date light.

"You caught me. It's a gift and a curse: I was actually born in the 13th Century and haven't aged a day since."

"You were born as a nineteen year old man?"

"What? No. I mean I stopped aging at this nineteen," Melvin backtracked, realizing his error. "I'll fix that detail for next time," he continued, grabbing the front door and swinging it open in a gentlemanly fashion for Sophie to enter.

The warm air from the vestibule was a welcome blanket after the brisk evening temperature. The restaurant they'd gone to was a local favorite among students, but it was a decent walk across campus to get to. When left to plot their own fake date, Sophie and Melvin both agreed it was an obvious choice to get the best exposure for their date, and it didn't fail to disappoint. No less than a dozen of their classmates had seen them together; a few were less than subtle about their gawks.

They lingered in front of the elevators, waiting for a lift for a moment.

"Thanks for doing this. I know this isn't exactly how you might spend a Friday night, but it means a lot. This was a lot of fun," Sophie remarked, trying to hide her surprise with a more genuine tone.

"Yea, it was. I mean, it's always fun with you, but it's always only ever been in a group or with Kate. It's nice to get to know Sophie Moore on her own," Melvin grinned back. "And I'd take this over a night at Wilfred Hall any Friday."

"I still can't believe I never knew you had six older sisters. The only boy; amazing," Sophie remarked, reflecting on the night's conversations as she stepped into the elevator.

"Hey, I'll have you know, my expertise in make-up application has gotten me a second date on more than one occasion," Melvin remarked following behind her.

They rode the elevator in a natural silence. After hours of talking the quiet between them felt nice. As the elevator door opened, they continued their silence in gestures encouraging the other to leave first. After a moment they broke into laughter as the elevator nearly closed in on them. Finally Sophie brought her arm between the sliding doors, causing them to reopen as she exited.

They lingered in the lobby, both unsure how to end the evening.

"We should do this again," Melvin said, continuing his corny rhetoric.

"Well, I don't think we have much of a choice. Didn't you hear? We're in a very committed relationship," Sophie joked back. "But, choice or not, I'd like that. Maybe you can show me that smokey eye you keep bragging about."

"You joke, but once I'm done with you, you'll be begging me for it again and again," Melvin countered.

"That's what she said."

"I didn't know Kate was here," Melvin murmured back, his eye glimmering as he watched Sophie blush in embarrassment.

"And you were doing so well," she muttered lowly.

"Hey, you started it. And also, I'm going to kiss you now," Melvin said softly, a grin still playing across his lips with his eyes fixed on hers.

"What?" Sophie asked, taken aback by his words.

"There are half a dozen people in the lounge watching us," he continued. "Might as well take advantage," he said, leaning in before Sophie could object.

His lips were softer than Sophie expected. There was a gentleness about how he pressed them against hers. It lasted only a moment before he pulled away, but the feeling lingered. Her surprise broke into a soft smile. It was a tenderness she didn't expect from Melvin.

"Uh that was-"

"The best kiss you've ever had?" Melvin said. "I know. I have that effect."

Sophie laughed softly, shaking her head at Melvin's inability to be serious for more than ten seconds at a time.

"Well, if we linger much longer I'm going to have to proposition you back to my place, and James isn't going to like that."

"Hint taken," Sophie shot back. "Thank you for a lovely evening, Melvin."

"And you, Sophie Moore," Melvin said with a small bow before leaning in and gracing her cheek with another soft peck.


Sophie quietly slid her key into the lock, wary of the hour and assuming Kate had pursued one of two trajectories for the rest of her night: she had either finished her work and left for Wilfred Hall or was asleep from the last three days of exertion. If it was the latter, Sophie wanted to be the last reason for waking her up. She knew Kate didn't blame her for what happened, but Sophie still carried a guilt for leaving her behind with Martha for something as trivial as a grade.

After bringing Martha back, Kate was expected to return for the exact same drill the following morning. Not only did it start two hours earlier than the day before, by the time Kate returned to the dorm room it was well past midnight. Granted, her belated return was because of a side trip to Melvin's where she hatched a plan that him and Sophie would be dating for "the foreseeable future."

Sophie had initially been miffed about once again about being left in the dark, but the swiftness with which Kate compiled and executed the plan left her less anxious as Kate broke the news to her. Sophie wondered how much Kate realized having a strategy in place would temper Sophie's reaction and how much it was just Kate being Kate. Although she wished Kate would be more upfront with Sophie during the planning stages, she appreciated her dedication to finding a solution.

A soft click of the latch gave way and she slowly slipped the door open and closed it behind her with another controlled click. She turned around, taking in the room for the first time, and she realized Kate's bedside lamp was dimly illuminating the space. Next to it was Kate, slumped half upright against the wall on her bed, a book resting on her chest.

Sophie smiled at the scene. Kate did not read for fun, but collapsed on her chest with one hand tucked softly around it was Sophie's copy of Little Women. She recalled the first time they had talked about the book: Sophie was reading it for the millionth time and her war torn cover had fallen off onto the ground. Kate collected it before Sophie could react, handing it back to her with some forgettable sarcastic comment. It resulted in some mild bickering that evolved into their first real conversation as roommates. In that time Sophie had revealed it was her favorite book. In the moment Kate had been dismissive about having a 'favorite' book, and Sophie had taken her comments personally. It was a few weeks later when Sophie was looking for her copy that she realized Kate had been reading it. She remained mum on the issue until one Sunday morning she walked in on Kate reading it. Since then, Sophie had discovered her copy missing from time to time as Kate would periodically take it to reread different chapters. They had never discussed it - they didn't need to. Instead there was an unspoken bond that grew out of the book. One of them would occasionally allude to a scene from it in public and they'd share a silent moment of recognition.

It was these small things that attracted Sophie to Kate. It wasn't that Kate was perfect - far from it, in fact. Between her bull-headed stubbornness and leaving the room in complete disarray, Sophie could fill a book with all the ways Kate was imperfect. But what she lacked in cleaning skills was made up in a bundle of other ways. She listened to the small things, even when it seemed like she was checked out. She cared about the people in her life to a fault, and Sophie had wondered how much of this trait was inherent to Kate from her childhood and how much grew out of Beth and her mom's untimely deaths. Kate thrived on maintaining an aloofness around people, but there were countless times she put herself in a jam to make sure others were better off. Martha was just the latest example of that - next to playing the evening's matchmaker, of course.

As much as Sophie had been angry about Kate going behind her back over winter break, she knew Kate's reasoning wasn't selfish; she was trying to find a solution. It was the same reason her and Melvin had just gone out on a fake date and why she was able to keep her scholarship after the incident in the woods: Kate saw a problem and, after evaluating the situation, immediately acted.

All of these little things added up to the person Sophie couldn't get out of her head. She knew the risks of her feelings, and, looking down on Kate's sleeping form, she couldn't help but feel like those risks didn't matter when it involved someone as truly remarkable as Kate Kane.

Sophie slipped off her jacket and set it on her bed and heard a shift from Kate's side of the room.

"Hey," Kate said sleepily. "You're back."

"Your observation skills are getting better," Sophie chuckled at Kate's obvious statement from the other side of the room. She was trying to change out of her dress into something more comfortable and was fighting with the zipper.

"How was it?"

"Fine," Sophie said distractedly, still struggling with the zipper. She felt it snag over and over.

Kate waited for Sophie to say more, her gaze averted for fear of breaking her poker face. Finally after a moment of silence, "That's it? Just 'fine'?"

"Can you help me with this?" Sophie's frustrated voice cut in. "It's stuck."

Sophie appeared in front of Kate, her hand still fidgeting with the zipper as though it might magically release after a twentieth try.

"Oh," Kate stammered out, frustrated by how such a simple request could send her into a nervous fit. "Uhm, sure," she continued, watching Sophie turn around to reveal the unruly zipper line.

Kate shifted forward on the bed, bringing her hands up to the zipper. She could still smell the faint scent of lilac and felt her pulse quicken as she nested her fingers around the zipper's tab. She pulled lamely at it, suddenly unsure where to put her other hand. The zipper extended down two inches before catching, and Kate was fighting to focus on the zipper and not the smooth skin being revealed behind the parting fabric.

"I think it might have a thread stuck in it," Sophie considered out loud feeling the resistance of the pull.

"Right," Kate replied, centering her gaze onto the teeth next to the slider, trying to find the culprit. "I don't see anything."

Sophie exhaled annoyed which encouraged Kate to redouble her efforts.

"It looks like it's the zipper," Kate said, now realizing one of the teeth had popped out of alignment. "It might be busted. Maybe you could just slip it off from here?"

"I don't know if you've noticed, but my body isn't exactly a pencil," Sophie shot back.

Kate had noticed. Kate had noticed this countless times.

"Right, sorry," Kate offered. "Uhm, ok, maybe I can just force it through? It might break the zipper though."

Sophie let out a small laugh. "Well, if the alternative is being stuck in this dress for eternity, a broken zipper isn't the worst thing."

"Ok," Kate replied, trying to keep her hands and fingers exclusively on the fabric. She gave it another try to no avail.

"Any luck?"

Kate didn't say anything, instead keeping her attention on the zipper.

"It might help if yo-"

"I know how to unzip a zipper, Soph," Kate cut in with more frustration than she meant.

"Ok," Sophie replied softly in surrender.

"Sorry."

"You don't have to be so delicate about it."

Kate was growing frustrated in more than one way, and at this suggestion finally gave in, realizing her choreographed hand placement wasn't doing the trick. She adjusted her left hand up to Sophie's exposed back, grabbing the edges of the fabric. She pretended to ignore the softness of Sophie's skin and her growing desire to feel more of it as she pulled more assertively on the tab. After two more pulls, she felt the zip finally give in and slide easily down the length of Sophie's back, stopping just below the top edge of her black panties.

"Thank you!" Sophie exclaimed, feeling the release of the fabric and the cool air on her exposed skin.

"Mhm," was all Kate could muster in reply, suddenly wishing the zipper had caught a second time.


"Scoot," Sophie said, motioning for Kate to slide over to make room. She had just returned from the bathroom, freshly makeupless and smelling faintly of mint. She climbed onto the bed to sit next to Kate, resting her back against the wall.

"So," Kate began. "How was it?"

"What did you want to be when you grew up?" Sophie asked, bypassing Kate's question.

"Oh, uhm, well, I have two answers. There's the one I put in my college essays, and then there's the real one."

Sophie chuckled. "Ok, give me both."

"The fake one is a state senator -"

"You didn't," Sophie cut in, trying to imagine Kate playing politics.

"I did," she said, grinning proudly back at Sophie. "I figured 'President' was a bit overplayed. Plus America's not ready for a woman, let alone a lesbian."

"All right, so that's your fake one. What's the real one?"

"Charlie's Angels."

"What?"

"Yea, I want to be a private agent; preferably I'm not answering to a mystery box, but you know, if given the option I suppose I could live with it."

"That's what you wanted to be when you grew up?" Sophie asked, looking at Kate in amazement.

"And still do. They're badass; way better than James Bond," Kate replied with a tone that suggested she was dead serious. "So, how was your night?"

"It was actually really great," Sophie said, wanting to continue discussing Kate's dream job but figuring it was best to get her night out of the way. She slowly broke into a detailed description of it starting from her meeting Melvin in the lobby.

Kate sat listening to Sophie summarize her evening with Melvin. She wasn't sure what to expect Sophie to say when she posed her question, but part of her had hoped it would be more cut and dry: where they went, who saw them, what they ate, done. Instead, Sophie was energetically sharing her 'date' in detail, and Kate couldn't help but feel her jealousy growing. She didn't want to hear about what a date with Sophie was like; she wanted to be the one on the date with Sophie.

"-and that's when he kissed me. After that w-"

"What?" Kate cut in, torn out of her silent simmering.

"What?"

"Kissed? He kissed you?" Kate asked, appalled at the idea. She didn't even try hiding her surprise.

"Well, yea. What did you expect?" Sophie asked, her tone level but her curiosity peaked by Kate's outburst. She wondered if this might be the opening to finally discuss the taboo topic that had been lingering on the periphery of their conversations for weeks.

"I… just… it's - was it - did you li- I mean, it was the first date, is all," Kate jumbled out, trying to recover from her initial reaction.

"Because you've never kissed someone on the first date," Sophie shot back, citing Kate's escapades from before Point Rock. "Oh, wait, that's right, I forgot you wait months like the well-mannered lady you are."

The double-edged jab landed perfectly, and Kate wordlessly gaped back at Sophie.

Sophie stared at Kate, expecting a quip in reply and hesitated when she realized one wasn't coming. "Are you ok with this?"

It was an open-ended question that could be translated any number of ways. Sophie knew this, and she had asked it to give Kate the opportunity to choose its meaning.

"What? Oh, yea, totally. Just was surprised Melvin would be so forward so early is all," Kate said. She struggled to keep her tone cool as she bluffed her way through the reply, and hoped Sophie wouldn't see right through it.

"Right," Sophie said softly, frustrated by Kate's words. They still hadn't actually discussed what happened that last night of term, and Sophie was finding it harder and harder to accept Kate's deflecting tone when it came to it. She wanted to know if Kate's feelings about it matched her own. She also wanted more than anything a repeat of that night without a Mike Miller interruption. Instead, Kate seemed insistent that it be swept under the rug like it was nothing.

"It would be nice to get a real answer from you one of these days, Kate," Sophie said after a moment. She let the words sit for a minute, but when Kate didn't respond, she couldn't help but sigh. "I'm off to bed. Thanks again for your help with the dress."

"Yea. Anyti- sure," Kate said, catching herself as she watched Sophie hop off her bed and transition back to her side of the room.