"I don't understand what the big deal is, Pete. It was just a phone call," Kat said as she rifled through a stack of papers. She and Pete were in the Warehouse filing away folders that Artie had taken out while assisting Pete and Myka on their latest mission. It had a few weeks since Kat's birthday and her late night phone call to the marshal who had been her handler during her time in WITSEC. Since then, it had been a game of phone tag as one would call the other when they were busy and left cryptic messages.
"It isn't just this phone call. You've been getting a lot of calls lately. I'm just curious who they're from," Pete said, trying to sound innocent.
"What do you expect me to say? That I have a stripper girlfriend who goes by the name Chastity?" Kat asked sarcastically. Pete almost looked excited.
"Do you?"
"No! I know better than to go after strippers, unlike you," Kat said playfully as she closed a filing cabinet.
"That was one time and I haven't done it since," Pete said defensively.
"I think I walked in on the wrong part of the conversation," Myka said as she entered the office.
"How much did you hear?" Kat asked with a grin.
"Something about Pete and a stripper, which I frankly don't need to know about," Myka said as Pete opened his mouth to explain.
"Probably a good thing. You never know what goes on in there," Kat said, playfully shoving Pete's head down towards the desk. She ran behind Myka as Pete tried to tickle her in retaliation and heard her phone go off. She checked the number and frowned.
"I'll be outside," she said to Pete and Myka. They looked at each other as she left through the umbilicus.
"Is everything alright with her?" Myka asked. Pete lifted his hands in the air in confusion.
"I was trying to figure that out before you came in," he said, staring at the door. Outside, Kat took a deep breath before answering her phone.
"Hi Tom," she said with a sigh.
"Hi Katja. I'm glad I was able to catch you and not your voice mail," Tom responded pleasantly.
"Sorry about that. Work has been a little hectic. You know what that's like," Kat said casually. "What's up?"
"I'm sure Mrs. Frederic must have told you this already, but your uncle was caught by the NYPD earlier this year and he's now awaiting trial," Tom said, using a more business-like voice at the change in topic. "The prosecution is building a case against him as we speak, but they've been pushing my boss to bring you in to testify."
"That's not going to happen," Kat said immediately.
"Please Katja. Your testimony could be the proverbial nail in his coffin," Tom said imploringly.
"Was that supposed to be a joke?" Kat heard a sigh over the phone.
"You didn't hear this from me, but the prosecution is pushing for the harshest punishment. As of right now, he's got prostitution, arson, drug trafficking, and murder on his jacket. If he is found guilty of any of these, it's doubtful the judge and jury will go easy on him," Tom explained.
"You better add rape to that list, Tom. A needle in the arm would be too nice for what he's done to me," Kat said viciously. There was a long silence on the other end.
"I had no idea that he put you through that, but that just adds to the fact that he deserves to be punished for his crimes. You could be key to making that all happen."
"You're asking too much of me. I'm not scared of my uncle anymore, Tom, I'm furious. If you put me in the same room as him, I can't guarantee that he'll be alive when he leaves," Kat said through angry tears. It was true - she wasn't afraid of Ivan anymore. She wanted him dead, but she also didn't want to be anywhere near him.
"I understand and I've tried telling my bosses that you are completely against the idea of seeing your uncle, but they're pressuring me to bring you to New York for the trial," Tom repeated with a heavy sigh.
"Has anybody considered asking my grandmother to testify?" Kat asked, rubbing her eyes in frustration.
"Your grandmother was diagnosed with stage three liver cancer a few months back and is claiming to be too ill to testify," Tom said with a hard edge in his voice.
"Of course she would say that. The woman was always good at getting people to do her dirty work," Kat said with a bitter laugh. She was quiet for a long time before speaking again.
"I want to see Sophie," she said firmly.
"How do you know that she's involved in the trial at all?" Tom asked. Kat knew that he was avoiding giving her an answer.
"I know she's the one who pushed for my case to be reopened. She's the reason all of this is happening. If I see her, I'll consider testifying."
"How could you possibly know that?" Tom asked incredulously.
"I did some digging. Either you arrange a meeting with Sophie or I'll make sure you or Mrs. Frederic will never be able to find me," Kat threatened.
"You would be letting your uncle get away with everything," Tom accused.
"That would get him released from custody and leave him open for me to find him. I'm not sure how long that would take, but I don't think your bosses will be too happy to find pieces of him floating down the Hudson River some day," Kat threatened. There was a tense silence and Kat heard the clicking of a computer in the background.
"I'll arrange the meet, but it may take some time," Tom said tiredly.
"I'll be in New York tomorrow. If I don't see her, don't bother calling me again," Kat said.
"Where will I find you?" Tom asked.
"I'll find you," Kat said as she hung up the phone. She took a deep breath, released all the tension from her body, and wiped her face dry before walking back into the Warehouse. Pete and Myka were standing there with their arms crossed, waiting for an explanation. Kat sighed again and went to the computer.
"My uncle's trial is coming up and they want me to testify," she said as she typed away.
"Why didn't you say something sooner? We could have helped you," Myka asked.
"What could you guys have done, Myka? You don't even know my uncle and I don't want any of you to come within fifty miles of him," Kat said as she looked at the printer expectantly. A second later, it started making noises and spat out two plane tickets.
"We could have at least offered some moral support, Kat," Pete said as he sat down.
"So what are you going to do?" Myka asked. Kat got up and went into the back room before coming back out with a file.
"I am going to New York to meet with the marshals. They're going to arrange for me to meet with Sophie, my old maid. She and I were in Witness Protection together and I haven't seen her in years," Kat said as she set the file under the plane tickets.
"But you are going to testify, right?" Pete asked. Kat leaned against the desk and thought about the question.
"I don't know, Pete. My uncle put me through a lot and I don't know how well I would handle seeing him again," she said with a frown. Myka went over to her and gave her a hug.
"Let us know what you decide and we'll support you with whatever you decide," she said softly.
"Thanks Myka," Kat said as she squeezed her back. She grabbed the file and her keys and left for the B&B. She went upstairs to pack and found Leena dropping off a stack of laundry.
"I thought you were still at the Warehouse," Leena said in surprise. She watched as Kat took out a bag and started stuffing clothes in it.
"I got a call from Witness Protection today. They want me to testify against my uncle," Kat said as she went into her bathroom.
"Are you going to do it?" Leena asked, sitting on the bed as she waited for Kat to finish packing.
"I told them I wouldn't do it unless I saw Sophie, but even then I'm not sure that I want to testify," Kat said. She came back with her toothbrush and toothpaste and stuffed them in her bag.
"Have you told Mrs. Frederic yet?" Leena asked with a frown.
"It literally happened 10 minutes ago. I'll call her on my way to the airport," Kat said. She pulled out a roll of duct tape from her desk drawer and tossed it at Leena, who put it in the bag without question. Kat went to her closet and pulled out a small black safe that Leena had never seen before.
"When did you get that?" she asked.
"Don't ask and I won't lie to you," Kat said. She pulled out a gun, two magazines, and a wallet that looked suspiciously like a Secret Service badge.
"Do Myka and Pete know that you stole Secret Service property?" Leena asked, her frown getting deeper. Kat grinned at her.
"What they don't know won't hurt them," she said. She pulled out a gun clip and took all of her Secret Service paraphernalia to her bag.
"Won't TSA know that you aren't Secret Service?" Leena asked with a resigned sigh.
"Most people won't question it, but I'm prepared for that. Give me a hug before I leave," Kat said as she zipped up her bag.
"Where are you going?" Claudia asked, coming into Kat's room.
"New York," Kat said as she squeezed Leena tightly.
"And you're going alone?" Claudia asked.
"Yup."
"Why?"
"Why do you want to know?" Kat asked.
"Are you going after an artifact? Do you need back up? Have you told Artie yet?" Claudia asked as she followed Kat into the kitchen.
"How can someone so cute ask so many questions?" Kat asked, pinching Claudia's cheek. Claudia felt her cheeks turn bright red and backed away a little as she tried to stop blushing. She watched in surprise as Kat pulled out a small red case from behind the fridge and opened it. Inside were 12 throwing knives of varying sizes. Kat pulled out each knife individually and studied them, not catching Claudia's reaction.
"Knowing Artie, he probably already knows and is renting a car and hotel for me as we speak. You don't have to worry about me, Claud," Kat said with a smile.
"She says, holding her knife up to the light," Claudia narrated sarcastically. Kat laughed and put her knives in her bag.
"I'm just taking them in case of an emergency. I'll be fine," Kat insisted.
"Fine. Let me know when you get to New York," Claudia said, watching Kat put on a sleek black leather jacket that she didn't know Kat had.
"I will," Kat said, pulling Claudia into a hug. After a minute, Kat pulled away and stared at Claudia. She hesitated before kissing the corner of Claudia's mouth and stepped away.
"I'll be back soon," Kat said on her way to the door. Artie walked in right as Kat entered the hallway. He held out a booklet and Kat took it, finding hotel and car reservations along with a wad of cash.
"Be safe," Artie said with a meaningful glance. The underlying "Don't get caught" didn't escape Kat's notice. Artie knew that Kat wouldn't go all the way to New York just for a meeting that could take 15 minutes. He was letting her know that he would support whatever she did in New York or at least bail her out of jail if it came to that.
"Thanks Artie," Kat said as she closed the door. She would need all the support he could give her over the next few days.
"Why are we here?" Kat asked with an attitude. Irene Frederic looked at Kat over the top of a menu. She had adopted Kat that morning and had brought her to a diner on Marti Gras Street to tell her.
"Because it's lunch time," Irene said simply, looking back at her menu. Kat frowned at the older woman.
"Why are we really here?" she asked. Irene sighed and put down her menu.
"For the foreseeable future, you will be living with me. I wanted a chance to get to know you better," she said to the 15 year old. Kat rolled her eyes and stubbornly crossed her arms. Irene grinned at the sight.
"How about this: for every question you ask, I'll give you an honest answer, and for every question I ask, you'll give me an honest answer. Are you alright with that?" Irene asked. Kat studied her before nodding. "Good, then you can go first."
"Do you always wear suits like that one?" Kat asked immediately. Irene looked down at her suit and smiled.
"I suppose I do," she said, as if it was a surprise to her. Kat smiled shyly at the way she said it. They ordered and continued asking each other trivial questions until their food came out.
"When was the last time you came to a diner like this?" Irene asked when she saw how fast Kat was eating.
"When I was 13. Sophie dragged me to one after we moved here. She said I shouldn't be afraid to leave my own house," Kat said in between bites. The mood turned dark as the meaning behind those words sank in. Kat sat back in her chair and took a sip of water.
"Do you know where Sophie is?" she asked.
"No. I can look for her if you want me to," Irene replied. She saw Kat hesitate in answering and asked a question instead of waiting for a response.
"What happened in that house?" Kat hugged herself and looked at the table for a long time.
"Uncle Ivan was always bringing girls through the house. One week he would bring in 20 or 30 and keep them in the attic. His friends would take them out one at a time until it was just me in the house," she said, putting her water down. "He gave me my own room. I guess it was a small mercy. I couldn't handle being in a small room with so many people for so long." Kat took a deep breath before continuing.
"He had a real bad temper. If he didn't get his way or if a business deal went bad, he would take one of the girls to his room and wouldn't leave for hours. And if I misbehaved, he would have one of his minions hold me down and make me watch him rape the girls before he raped me. It hurt for a while, but at some point it hurt more to watch him hurt the other girls." She wasn't crying, but her eyes were glassy. She looked at Mrs. Frederic.
"Are you going to hurt me?" That one question shocked Irene more than Kat's description of the past six months.
"I will never want to hurt you, but if I do, it will be unintentional," Irene said carefully. She did promise honesty after all. "Do you ever think about hurting your uncle?"
"All the time. He's the reason behind every shitty moment in my life. I want to hurt him like he hurt me," Kat said darkly, looking straight into Irene's eyes. It was a dare, a test to see if Irene would try to stop her or turn her into the police. They didn't break the stare until the waitress gave the check to Irene.
"If I ever find my uncle, I'm going to want to kill him. Are you going to stop me Mrs. Frederic?" Kat asked in a steady voice. Irene opened her purse and pulled out a small red case. She gave it to Kat and watched the girl's eyes widen as she saw the knives inside.
"Those were found in your uncle's house. I think you might find them handy," Irene said calmly.
"You didn't answer my question," Kat said quietly.
"I don't normally condone violence of any kind, but what your uncle did to you and those girls is inexcusable. If you ever feel the need to use these, think long and hard about what it is you're doing and if you're prepared to live with the consequences," Irene said to Kat. The girl nodded mutely and gripped the case tightly in her hands.
"What do you do for a living?" Kat asked as they were leaving the diner. Irene smiled and put an arm around her shoulder.
"I'll tell you in the car."
Kat blinked twice and took her coffee from the barista with a small nod before claiming a table by the window. She was sitting in a café in, discretely watching the building across the street. The café was conveniently placed across the street from the FBI building where Thomas Kane had disappeared almost an hour ago. It wasn't unusual to see one federal government agent go inside another federal building, but for that agent to spend so much time inside was indicative of two things – they were under investigation or they were looking for someone. Despite the short notice Kat had given Thomas, she felt confident that he would be able to bring Sophie out of hiding, or at the very least lead Kat to her. Kat pulled out her phone and sent a quick text to a new number and watched the FBI building closely. A teenage boy on a board skated into view, dropped a brown envelope in front of the doors, and skated away. Moments later a security guard came outside to take the envelope inside. Kat smiled and dialed Thomas' number.
"Hello?"
"It's Katja. Have you found Sophie yet?" Kat asked, taking a sip of her coffee.
"You make it sound like I don't already have her in custody," Thomas said.
"I know for a fact you don't have her in custody, Thomas. If you did, this conversation would be a little different," Kat snapped.
"What do you want me to do, Katja?" Thomas asked in frustration. Kat heard someone talking to Thomas in the background and her smile returned.
"Open the envelope that your lovely security guard just gave you." Silence was heard for a brief minute before Kat heard the soft ripping sound of a cardboard box being opened.
"Is there a reason you sent me a picture of an old man?" Thomas asked.
"That's Michael Reston, otherwise known as Mikhail Plechenkov. He's originally from Moscow, but emigrated here in '93. He currently works as a guard at the center where you're holding my uncle. He's been taking pay-offs from the Russian mob and the IRA over the last few years. His job is to look the other way when things go wrong."
"And why should I care?"
"He'll be the one driving my dear uncle to his court hearing in a few weeks. My uncle's associates have already made arrangements with Mikhail for my uncle to be taken to one of his safe houses in the city. Or that's what I hear," Kat said, lowering her voice as a woman and her son walked past her.
"This isn't like you, Katja. Don't do anything you'll regret," Thomas said calmly. Kat smirked as she saw four FBI agents exit their building, presumably looking for something or someone.
"You don't know a damn thing about me, Thomas Kane. I want to see Sophie," Kat said evenly, her smirk never disappearing.
"Well I came close to convincing my boss to let me get her, but that little care package you sent put him on edge," Thomas said sarcastically.
"He'll get over it if he wants me to testify. Bring Sophie to Central Park in an hour or I walk."
"Even if we had the resources to do that, I don't think my boss would give the go ahead."
"That just won't do, Tom. If I don't see Sophie then I'll pay Mikhail Plechenkov a visit and I won't be borrowing cream and sugar."
"And if we don't make it?" Thomas asked after a brief pause.
"How long do you think it'll take your boys to find my uncle when I've finished with him?" Kat asked before she ended the call. She sat back in her chair and took a sip of her coffee. And now I wait. 15 minutes later Thomas Kane walked into the coffee shop. He was tall with short copper hair and brown eyes. His black suit was open revealing a light blue shirt and darker blue tie that was loose around his neck. He looked around the store before his eyes landed on Kat and he walked over.
"You are smarter than I remember, Tom," Kat said, her smirk turning into a genuine smile.
"Cream and sugar. Really? You know I take my coffee black," he said with a tired smile. Kat took a sip of her coffee laced heavily with vanilla flavored creamer and smiled at him.
"You've certainly grown up," Tom said with a nostalgic smile. The wrinkles around his eyes were more pronounced as his smile widened and Kat was struck with the memory of a younger Thomas Kane with the exact same wrinkles.
"You have more wrinkles."
"Are those freckles I see on your face?"
"Are those grey hairs I see near your temples?"
"While this trip down memory is nice, I doubt it's the reason we're meeting here instead of Central Park," Tom said in a jovial tone. Kat drank the last of her coffee and tossed it into a nearby trashcan.
"I'm glad you noticed. It's a good thing you're so punctual because you almost didn't make it in time," she said, turning in her chair to face the door.
"Are we waiting for somebody?" Tom asked with a slight frown. Kat smirked at him, noticing how he fidgeted nervously.
"I think you know who we're waiting for," she said vaguely. The doorbell rang and the pair looked to the entrance as Sophie Devereaux walked in. She was dressed comfortably in jeans, a plain blue shirt, and running shoes, her blond hair pulled into a ponytail away from her face. Tom looked at Kat in shock and Kat's smirk turned bitter.
"Did you really I wouldn't find out where she worked?" she asked in Russian, angling her body to face the window. Sophie heard the words and her head snapped in their direction, her blue eyes landing first on Tom and then on Kat's head.
"Tom who is this?" Sophie asked in English. Kat looked at her and Sophie paled considerably, her eyes filling with tears.
"Kitten?" she whispered in Russian. Kat teared up and smiled at Sophie.
"Hi Soph. Why don't you sit with us?" Kat asked, holding out her hand. Sophie grabbed it immediately and sat in the chair next to her, her eyes never leaving her face.
"You look so grown up," Sophie said in French, her words catching in her throat.
"Seven years is a long time, Sophie," Kat responded softly. Tom cleared his throat awkwardly.
"Ladies I only took two years of Spanish so I don't know what you've just said," he said. Kat glared at him.
"You have no right to speak," she said, switching back to English. "Why did you lie to me?"
"She's still in Witness Protection, Kat. I couldn't just tell you over the phone without knowing who else was listening," Tom whispered.
"I'm glad you came, Katja," Sophie said, taking Kat's eyes away from Tom. "I never gave up hope that you were still alive."
"It would have been safer for you if you had. Where did they find Ivan?" Kat asked.
"Chinatown. It was a floating gambling ring that had been under investigation and he just happened to be there when it was busted," Tom said.
"Where have you been, Kitten? Why didn't you find Tom when you escaped?" Sophie asked. Tom looked a little put out by the intrusion, but waited patiently for Kat's answer.
"I was 15, Sophie. I didn't think I would make it and suddenly I was given a way out and I took it without a second thought. I thought of you everyday and prayed that you were safe," Kat said, blinking back tears. Sophie's grip on Kat's hand tightened. It was uncomfortable, but Kat didn't care. She looked at Sophie and thought of days when they would bake cookies in their apartment in Paris and weekend trips to Kiev with her grandmother. Then a new picture came into her head that made her tense up. She was sitting at the witness stand, staring into her uncle's eyes as he glared at her. A sense of pride filled her, knowing that she had said the truth about her uncle and had done her part in putting him away. Tom and Sophie sat together, smiling in encouragement as Ivan was led out of the courthouse.
"Are you okay, Katja?" Sophie asked in concern. Kat blinked to make the vision go away and smiled at the other woman.
"Everything is going to be okay. I promise," she said. She took a deep breath and looked at Tom.
"What do I need to do?"