Keep your tissues with you; this is another sad chapter.
Disclaimer: As usual, I do not own Kitty, Joan or Sherlock. :(
"Hey, daddy," Chelsea greeted her father, pulling herself up onto a chair.
"Hi, sweetie," Tyler greeted back. "What's up?"
"Where's Kitty?"
"I told you, Chels," Tyler explained. "She had to go away for a little bit. She'll be back."
"Daddy," Chelsea groaned. "A little bit of Skittles is five Skittles. A little bit of water is a small cup of water. A little bit of time is one hour. Kitty been gone lots of days!"
Damn, this kid was smart. Tyler wondered how long she'd been thinking about this. He also wondered if Jemima was involved in this somehow.
"Five days is not 'lots of days', Chelsea," Tyler reasoned. "Yes, it is more than 'a little bit', but she will be back. She just needs some space."
Tyler said the last bit more to convince himself than Chelsea. He hoped Kitty would come back, and he hoped to the moon and back that she was alright. Well, considering her emotional state, he doubted she was alright, but he hoped that she was strong enough to pull through. He really wished he could be by her side to help her pull through, but he knew that he had also been part of the pain she was feeling right now.
He then had an idea. Perhaps if he couldn't get to her, one of her other friends could. So, he picked up the phone and dialled Hannah, the girl friend closest to Kitty. She picked up and they did the usual small talk, and then Tyler spent the next half hour explaining everything on the phone to Hannah. Her reaction was much the same that Tyler had when he had heard the story.
Hannah promised she'd find Kitty and see what she could do to help. That was all Tyler needed to hear. He thanked his friend, hung up and breathed for the first time he had in days. He knew that this wouldn't ease the pain in his chest from how he hurt Kitty, but he knew he could rest easy, now that he knew that someone else was looking after her.
Hannah, true to her word, searched for Kitty and quickly found her at 221B Baker Street. There was a lot Tyler hadn't told her, but only because he didn't know. Hannah knocked on the door and heard shuffling inside the apartment.
Meanwhile, on the inside, Kitty had indulged in some ice cream and Good Luck Charlie to dull her emotions. She was so involved in indulging, that you can understand the fright she got when she heard a loud knock on the door. She cussed quietly, but got up to answer it anyway. As she had with Sherlock (twice!) she flicked her knife to reveal the blade and went to the door.
I hope it's not Ty, she thought to herself. She was relieved to see that it wasn't Tyler, but Hannah. Her closest girl friend didn't look at all different. She had only aged gracefully and still had everything that Kitty remembered. She somewhat hesitantly opened the door.
"Hannah," she greeted gingerly.
"Hi, Kitty," Hannah greeted. "Good to see you."
Wait. How did Hannah know her new identity? She hadn't told anyone but…oh, of course. This was all Tyler's work, wasn't it?
"Tyler sent you, didn't he?" Kitty skipped the small talk and got straight to the point. Hannah nodded and then slid her eyes down to the ground. "How much did he tell you?"
"As much as you told him," Hannah didn't hold back the truth. That's the one thing Kitty had always loved about her. Kitty nodded.
"So he sent you here because he's too cowardly to come himself?" Kitty found herself spitting out spite before she could get control of her mouth.
"No!" Hannah defended him. "It's nothing like that. He feels bad for hurting you, and he wanted to make sure you had a friend by your side while you deal with your emotions!"
"So he chose you?"
Hannah nodded, and Kitty felt kind of bad for speaking out hurtful words. But she decided not to let it affect her. Instead, she decided to take a different route.
"So, why should I let you come in?" Kitty asked, taking the conversation in a different direction.
"Because we're friends," Hannah answered. "And friends are always there for each other. Just like the song says."
It had started with only her and Hannah dancing to it, but, now all the gang were up, just dancing randomly. After all, that's what friends did, right? They made fools of themselves together?
They all sang the last line and struck a dramatic post, "I'll be there for you, 'coz you're there for me too!"
Kitty shook her head, trying to erase the memory. Now was not the time for flashbacks.
"No," Kitty hissed. "I don't need this."
"Kitty, please," Hannah begged, but Kitty cut her off again.
"No. Tell Tyler I don't need him and I don't need you. I don't need any of you. My past is in the past, and that includes you!"
Kitty slammed the door before Hannah could say anything else, and she locked all six locks before fleeing up the stairs to the safety and comfort of the bed she was sleeping in, and the little cushions of herself, Sherlock and Joan she had made.
Through her fresh batch of tears, she raised her head, ran her fingers over the toys of Sherlock and Joan.
"I really miss you guys," she whispered before losing it completely.
She broke and sobbed. But they weren't the loud, wailing sobs. They were the sobs that start in the pit of ones stomach then creep up the frame as the person racks their frame, trying to get it out. It eventually escapes the lips in a barely audible whimper, accompanied by tears of agony. It is the kind of sob that emerges from the deepest of the deepest of depths of pain and the kind that hurt the most.
They're the kind that come from the people who have endured the most suffering.
HA! You thought this chapter was going to end well, didn't you? Sorry, I have other plans. But don't worry, my little readers, there will be a happy ending. No, it may not be seen on the horizon just yet, but keep sailing on and leave reviews to make this boat sail a little faster. Peace out for now :)