Home

"We're home!"

Nick pushes his way through the door behind his called greeting, Katherine just behind him, shrugging off her blazer. Once, it would have been an awkward feeling, stepping through the Clarkes' front door, feeling like an intruder into their closely-knit family life. But now it's almost an automatic motion to follow Nick to his car when he inquires quietly at the end of the day whether she wants to come around for dinner at their house.

Abe's flopped on the Clarke's sofa as he seems to be so often now, playing on his phone, while Lily, Will and Eve appear to be having a heated discussion up at the table about whether they should invite Cain to the lake on their planned family trip out on Saturday. Will turns and smiles vaguely at his dad by way of greeting, his eyes flickering to Katherine and nodding almost imperceptibly, which Katherine curtly returns.

Nick takes her blazer and his coat, hanging them up on the coat rack in the hallway, before heading in to inquire after his son's day, as is customary of him to do. "So how was your day, Will?" he asks on cue, laying a hand briefly on Will's shoulder.

Will mumbles something. "M'okay, yeah," he tells Nick nondescriptly, before launching back into his tirade about Cain apparently not being 'trustworthy enough', or something.

Nick rolls his eyes at Will's adamancy, and Katherine chuckles lightly as both adults shake their heads. "We're planning a fishing trip – if it's not raining on Saturday," Nick explains. "You should come if you fancy it."

Reasons why she can't possibly attend. Go. "Well, as great as that sounds, I don't really think it's for me. I have no idea how to fish, for one thing," Katherine says, somewhat relieved that she does actually have a valid excuse.

"I can teach you how. You'll never learn if you never try, after all," Nick counters immediately.

Oh. Well, that scuppers that argument. "Um –" she starts, caught out momentarily. "I don't have any equipment!" she tries hopefully.

"We have lots. You can borrow a rod, that's no problem."

Damn. Foiled again.

"Besides, I wouldn't want to intrude on anything," Katherine says – realising too late that she's stuttering. Katherine Calvin doesn't stutter. "It's your family time, not work time."

Nick gestures. "This – this isn't you intruding on family time. Has there been any mention of work so far? No. Lily's coming, and she's not family. And really, I think you might need the break. Right, guys?"

There's a chorus of vague affirmatives from around the living room, although Abe is still engrossed in Tetris on the sofa, and Will is apparently trying to list all the reasons that Cain shouldn't join them on the fishing trip, omitting only the jealousy factor, which Lily is trying to argue against.

Katherine flushes. Seriously, this is ridiculous. What is going on with her body, betraying her like this? "Well it's your family trip," she tries to say – stuttering again.

"Well, you practically live here anyway," comes an audible mutter from behind her. Katherine swings around, sending a death stare at the unfortunate owner of the voice.

"What?!" complains Abe at the scathing glare that is now directed at him. "You're like here three or four times a week anyway! Why don't you just move in or something?"

Nick coughs. "He's right, you know," he says gruffly, not elaborating much further on the subject before he heads into the kitchen. "So you're coming on Saturday? Great. I'll go put some pasta on."

Katherine finds herself smiling oddly at the man's back as he disappears into the next room, before flashing her gaze around the lounge, slowly taking it all in. It's very different from her own business-like, clinically clean apartment where even the cushions are colour co-ordinated with the curtains and there's not a personal photo to be seen. Nick's house is very different: his wallpaper is practically made up of family photos, and there is pretty much random clutter everywhere. But it's somehow more – right, that way.

Maybe this wouldn't be such a bad place to call home.