Author's notes: We'd like to thank Takersgurl35, littleone999 and IMissPadfoot for your reviews for chapter nine. We're glad you're all still enjoying the story and we greatly appreciate your comments and support.

Chapter Ten: So Close But So Far Away

Marissa was on cloud nine as she softly touched her fingers to her lips where John Cena had just kissed her. It was like a dream but so much better. There was no point in mooning over him in the hall and she slipped the keycard into the lock, pushing the door open. Two steps in, she stopped and immediately began to back up. "I am so sorry," she gasped and turned, reaching for the door.

"I was just leaving," Dave Batista said, having already risen from the bed and heading towards Marissa. "I'll see you tomorrow, Kate. 'Night, Marissa."

The wrestler let himself out and the redhead turned back towards her best friend, mouth agape. "You and Dave…you were…did you…"

"Because I love you," the brunette began, "I'm not going to say anything about the interruption."

Kate was teasing her but there was something in her that made her wish Marissa hadn't returned. With Dave reclining on the bed against the wall and the sound tech sitting cross-legged facing him, the two had been talking about everything and nothing, music, politics, the state of the economy, anything but about the two of them and this odd relationship they had. As the hour grew long, Dave glanced at his watch and stated, "It's getting late. I should probably go and let you get ready to go out. Where would Jeff be without his dancing partner?"

The brunette wasn't sure how to respond. Did he want to leave to finally be away from her? Was she wearing on his nerves? Did he think she would rather be out at a nightclub with Jeff Hardy or the other guys than be with him? When did she begin to even worry this much about what a guy thought? Shaking her head, she replied, "I'm not going anywhere until Marissa gets back. I want to make sure everything goes all right."

"And what if she doesn't come back tonight?" Batista asked suggestively, sitting upright.

Kate's stomach stirred at the tone of his voice. "She's not that way. She'll be back."

The wrestler took the statement to be one of chastisement and immediately replied, "I wasn't insinuating that she's—"

The brunette thought she had offended him and quickly put a hand on his arm. "That was just a statement of fact. I wasn't…" she trailed off. Neither one of them spoke for a moment and neither did she remove her hand. Finally, Kate broke the silence. "So, what do we do about Marissa and John now?"

"I don't guess there's anything that we needto do now except sit back and watch."

"Yeah," Kate replied, slowly nodding her head and tucking her hands under her chin. She was fishing for another invitation to go out and she didn't know why. "But, still, it's just one date between the two of them."

"Then we'll intervene if we need to," he replied, suddenly noticing how hot her fingers had been against his skin.

"Do you want me to drag everything out of her about tonight and call you?" Kate asked with a crooked grin.

He loved her smile and chuckled at her response. "You love meddling in your best friend's love life, don't you?"

"This is the first time that I've gotten to meddle in it. She hasn't been this serious about someone since Maddie's father."

"I don't want her to get hurt. I don't think John would do it intentionally but you know how he is with girls. He never gets serious about anyone," Batista explained and Kate nodded because it described herto a tee for the past three years. "Who knows? He's never acted this way with a woman either. I think he thought that I wanted to date her."

"Really?" she asked, grabbing his wrist as if to hold him still until he explained. "That's interesting."

Batista laughed and answered, "Yeah, he said that if I was so worried about her that I should ask her out. But Marissa and I are just friends. If I wanted to ask her out, then I wouldn't be trying to get the two of them together. Why would I have gone out with you?"

"Because I'm just that cute?" she asked with a soft smile.

There was that smile again, he thought and found himself leaning towards her. He wasn't thinking rationally. He wasn't thinking about anything but her lips. "Maybe so," he whispered as she tilted her head up to his.

Kate was so mesmerized by his eyes, his voice, his presence, that she could only think about kissing him. She was so consciously aware of her hand on his wrist that she was afraid it would be too obvious if she let go of him. However, she didn't want to and let her fingers slid up to his chest as they inched closer.

Both of them didn't hear Marissa enter the room until she gasped and they immediately broke apart, not having kissed. Kate had stopped breathing and she lost all words, trying to come out of the daze that Dave had left her in. She didn't even reply to him as he hurriedly saw himself out.

Now, the redhead was staring at her, her eyes demanding an answer, but Kate wanted answers of her own. "Don't look at me that way. There are flowers in the sink and a note that says you were out with Cena. Start dishing."

Marissa blushed and giggled. "Oh, it was so wonderful," she gushed and began telling the brunette everything. The woman finally finished with a sigh. "And he kissed me goodnight."

Kate squealed and grabbed Marissa's hands. "You're kidding me?" The other woman shook her head. "That is so awesome! Are you going out again?"

"I guess. He just said that next time he wouldn't wait so long to take me out."

"Was it everything you thought?" the sound engineer prodded, wanting to hear more. She may not kiss and tell but she had no problem listening to others who did tell.

"The kiss or the date?"

"Both," Kate answered.

"Yes," the redhead sighed again but then her eyes snapped back into focus. "It's your turn. Start talking."

"About what?" Kate said, rising from where she sat on the bed and acting as if her suitcase was more important.

"You know," the redhead warned. "Start with where you've been all day and end with you kissing Dave Batista."

"First off, I didn't kiss Dave," she replied over her shoulder but then gave up and settled back on the bed beside Marissa. "I didn't exactly go for a walk earlier today..."

When Kate finished, the redhead was grinning from ear to ear. "And to think you didn't even want to go out with him to begin with."

The brunette shrugged her shoulders and responded, "It's no big deal."

"Yeah, right," Marissa sarcastically replied. "The look on your face when I walked in, you could have killed me."

"What's so wrong about getting a kiss from a good-looking guy every now and then?"

"Nothing," the video tech replied with a sigh. "When are you seeing him again?"

"How do you know that I am?" Kate coolly replied.

"Please, the stars in your eyes gave it all away."

"I sorta agreed to play for him some time," the brunette sheepishly replied. "Do you think that's a good idea? I'm not all that great."

"You can't bring him to the house. My father would have a fit," Marissa warned, afraid that her friend had already made plans.

"I thought your dad was okay with Dave," Kate replied, her forehead wrinkling in question.

"Apparently not. He gave me a lot of trouble earlier about Dave not being the kind of person Maddie needed to be around."

"He's got a point," the brunette matter-of-factly stated. When Marissa frowned at her, she added, "Look at the guy. Tall, dark, mysterious, muscles out to here." Kate gestured widely, a distant look in her eyes.

"Okay, okay," Marissa interrupted and rose from the bed to gather up her pajamas. "We're not done talking though because you can't convince me that you don't have something for that man," she added, drifting into the bathroom.

The words, 'another houseshow,' could hardly describe Sunday night. Marissa was still walking around in a fog, mooning over her date and kiss with Cena; Kate was still trying to figure what had possessed her yesterday to spend so much time with Batista; and Maryse Ouellet was still wondering why John Cena had stood her up.

The bleach blonde had replied back to Cena's text message, telling him that she was free that night. He didn't respond by text or a call. She had waited for him all evening and finally gave up, calling him twice. When he didn't answer, she decided to hit the clubs with some of her friends; maybe he was already out. By Sunday evening when the houseshow started, she was livid. How dare he not reply to her at all?

Mayrse was only at the show to make an appearance with several of the other divas to parade around the ring in bikinis. No wrestling and no talking — she was much better than that. Still, she had to take a shower to get the hairspray off her butt from holding the bikini bottom in place. As she wrapped a towel around her body, she heard Victoria talking. "Did you see that cute little redhead John Cena was having dinner with? She's the video tech they hired last year."

"I know her," she heard Mickie James gasp. "She's adorable. I bet they look good together."

"I heard," Victoria continued, "her best friend is dating Dave Batista."

"Kate? Really?"

"Yep," the dark-haired beauty replied.

Maryse was fuming. She was stood up by John for that little redheaded slut that was friends with that bitchy soundgirl. Instead of calling her back, the wrestler had taken that woman out to dinner. Kate saw Maryse with Cena at the nightclub — the brunette knew that she had her sights set on John. She probably talked her friend into going out with him to get back at her. Before the blonde could step out of the shower, she heard the door open and Mickie exclaim, "Torrie! We've got some gossip."

The newest diva retreated back into the shower, waiting for the women to stop acting like teenagers. It was about to be everywhere backstage that John Cena was dating that video tech. Well, she was going to do something about it. What Marissa didn't know was that Maryse was out for blood.

Finally, the diva was dressed, her hair and make-up done to perfection and a red dress that revealed her best assets. She was going to find the WWE Champion but found Marissa first. Deciding how to attack the redhead, she noticed Cena out of the corner of her eye and immediately put herself between the two. The video tech hadn't noticed and drifted on down the hall and out of sight.

"Hey, you," Maryse began, running a crimson fingernail down his bulging bicep.

"Hey," he replied, looking over the blonde's head in the direction Marissa had disappeared.

The diva noticed and moved directly in front of him, crossing her arms underneath her breasts to make them stand out. "I missed you last night," she purred.

"Oh, yeah, about that. Sorry I forgot to call you back. Dave and I were hanging out, time got away from us," he replied with a shrug of his shoulders.

The diva caught on very quickly that he was distracted and she couldn't believe that little redheaded tramp had caught his attention. There was something else going on when he'd prefer that woman's attention over hers. "You'll have to make it up to me," she said, ignoring his lie. She couldn't attract him if she was accusing him of lying.

"Uh...yeah," John replied. "Look, I gotta run."

"What about tomorrow night?" she suggested, placing a hand on his arm to stop him.

"Uh, sure," he threw out and dodged her, setting off in search of Marissa.

Maryse blew out her breath in frustration. Yes, that tramp was going down and, if she took her friend with her, it would be sweeter. She had at least until tomorrow night to come up with a plan. Tapping the scarlet fingernail against her teeth, she set off for the women's lockerroom. If she ran across Marissa or Kate, she might react too soon and spoil all the fun.

The WWE Champ had lost sight of Marissa due to Maryse's interruption. He wanted to see her for a moment and talk, just a little something more than a phonecall. After looking around for her a while longer, John gave up and decided to catch her later. He needed to talk to someone else in particular just as well. Heading back the way he came, John caught sight of Dave in the canteen, his back to him as the larger wrestler was pouring himself a cup of coffee.

"Hey, Dave, you got a second?" Cena asked as the other man turned around.

"Yeah," he replied, raising the coffee to his lips.

The Champion glanced around and there were no wrestlers around and few staff. He nodded his head towards the tables and commented, "My dogs are killing me." The man dropped into the nearest seat and then propped his feet up on another, Dave following suit.

"What's on your mind?"

"Sorry I snapped at you the other day about Marissa," John began.

"Already forgotten about it," Batista replied with a dismissive wave.

"How's it going with you and Kate?" Cena asked, taking a backdoor approach.

Dave shrugged his shoulders. "We spent almost all day yesterday together. She's not as…"

"Weird as you thought," John finished for him.

"That's not it. We are so different and yet…"

"You know you like her," the WWE champion taunted with a grin.

"Isn't it about time I pounded your ass into the mat again?" Dave asked, raising the cup of coffee to sip it.

"So…" the younger wrestler began again, "Me dating Marissa is alright? You don't want…"

"To date her myself? You are insane, Cena. Nothing between us. She's a sweetheart but there's no chemistry. What happened on yourdate last night?" Dave asked and then accused, "John Cena, are you blushing?"

The brunette wiped the grin off his face and shrugged his shoulders, acting if it was all cool. "What happened between you and Kate?"

"Nothing. We just talked," Dave answered, nodding at Jeff Hardy who had waved from across the room and was making his way towards the two other wrestlers.

"See, that's the problem."

"What's the problem?" Jeff's Southern drawl broke in.

"Kate and Dave aren't getting it on yet," John answered, earning him a hard punch to his shoulder. "Damn, dude, that hurt."

"Then shut up," Batista replied, downing the rest of his coffee and rising from his seat. "Stay out of trouble, you two."

With the larger wrestler gone, the WWE Champion turned to the Intercontinental Champion. "Have you noticed that Dave has been a little less moody since I set him up with Kate?"

"Except when you mention her," Hardy replied.

"You going out with us tomorrow night?"

"Why wouldn't I?"

"Got any thoughts on Dave and Kate?" John asked.

Marissa and Kate always had to be at the arena earlier for televised events and they arrived not long after lunch to begin setting up. Neither had talked to Cena or Batista beyond a nod to Kate to cue their music but both men were on their minds respectively. The video tech was in her own little daydream as she twined cords and cut a section of duct tape to secure them to the floor. She was considering all the things she'd like to do to the WWE Champion with duct tape if it didn't hurt so much when it was ripped off skin. But there were always scarves and ties and the like and John was currently secured to her bed when the man in question reached out to touch her.

"You okay?" he asked. "You didn't answer me."

Startled, she squealed and the blush quickly rose from her neck and into her cheeks when she realized who it was. "I, uh, I, yeah, I'm f-fine," she stuttered.

"We're going out tonight. You wanna come along?"

She swallowed hard, still trying to catch her breath from being scared half to death and being caught by the man about which she was having lurid thoughts. "Sure," she replied, her hand finally dropping from her chest where she clutched her necklace.

"Be sure you get Kate to come. We're gonna work on the two of them," he stated, deviously rolling his hands together.

"What are you going to do?" Marissa curiously asked.

"I talked to Dave this morning and it seems he's looking forward to hearing her play. So, Jeff and I were thinking…" The redhead smiled as John explained his suggestion and nodded in agreement.

The beauty of Kate's job was being able to talk to all the wrestlers and staff that passed through the gorilla position. As a social butterfly, she was in her element. The down side of it all was that she hadto talk to everybody that came through, including those with which she didn't want to speak, and couldn't hide from anybody looking for her. No more than four words were exchanged between her and Maryse and several shy glances passed between her and Dave. Jeff Hardy, who occasionally spoke to her, stepped up on her elevated platform and told her where and when to be after the show. She had only been hanging out with them in the clubs for a couple of weeks and it was a surprise for him to be telling her she was basically expected to show up to go out with their group. Brad and Josh would be very disappointed in her if she ditched them, so she sent them both a text to invite them along. The more the merrier, she thought.

After the show, Kate immediately began to break down her station to get out of the way of the rest of the crew who had to dismantle the stage. Carrying two cases by the handle, she passed Maryse — it was impossible to miss her hair and breasts — giggling and putting a hand on John Cena's bicep. The brunette loudly dropped the black cases to the concrete floor. Out of the corner of her eye, she saw the blonde shoot an angry glare as she sashayed off.

"Kate, you need help?" Cena asked, striding over and reaching for one the cases.

"No, I'm absolutely fine," she bit out and then gestured towards the direction in which Maryse had left. "What was that about?"

"Ineed help," he pleaded. "I accidentally agreed to go out with Maryse tonight but Marissa's coming with us too."

"What?"

"Don't shout," John protested. "I have no doubt you know about the little text message mix-up." When she nodded, he continued. "I never replied back to Maryse and I sorta stood her up. I said something to make her think I'd make it up to her tonight. I didn't know what to do, so I told her to meet us all in the lobby tonight."

"Why didn't you just tell her to get lost?" Kate demanded.

"'Cause I'm not as mean as you are," he replied with a crooked grin. He knew she was seriously mad when she wasn't calling him names. She jerked the pen that was stuck in her pony-tail and brandished it in his face. "Seriously, now, I don't want to hurt her, so what do I do?"

"Let her come along and she'll figure it out herself," the soundgirl replied. John looked uncomfortable with her response but picked up the cases of equipment and asked where he needed to take them.

With Kate and Marissa's responsibilities fulfilled, the two women rushed back to the hotel, washed up, and changed before hurrying down to the lobby. The redhead balked at the sight of Maryse, who was mere feet from the WWE Champion. "She's here," the woman hissed.

"Anybody could have invited her. C'mon," the brunette replied, linking elbows with her best friend and dragging her up to where John and Dave waited. She wasn't about to tell Marissa the truth.

However, moments later, it was Marissa dragging Kate into the karaoke bar. "C'mon. It's what they picked," the redhead cajoled.

"You know how much I hate these places," she hissed in reply. Kate firmly believed karaoke was about wannabe singers butchering songs or comedians who thought it was funny to do so. It was a crime against music, blasphemy in her eyes.

The tables sat six comfortably but they somehow managed to squeeze about ten people around theirs. Kate was going to play coy with Dave but she was suddenly shoved up beside him on her left and Marissa on her right. John somehow managed to get stuck between the redhead and Maryse. Kate knew that this night could prove to be very interesting indeed. Brad and Josh were across the table from them, Jeff Hardy sitting beside Brad.

After the server took their drink orders, Kate leaned over to whisper to Batista, "Why the karaoke bar?"

"I don't know," he replied with a shrug.

The brunette rubbed a hand over her face and leaned back in her seat, prepared for an agonizing night. At least Dave's leg was firmly planted against hers and he wasn't trying to move. With her being left-handed and him being right, their arms rubbed against each other constantly. Usually Kate tried to seat herself so that she was to a person's left but, tonight, she didn't mind so much.

Everyone at the table spent the night in laughter as they made fun of singers and even persuaded Jeff to do a horrible rendition of Garth Brooks' 'Two Pina Coladas.' That led Cena to try his hand at 'Friends in Low Places.'

He may have been a rapper but he was no country singer. It hardly mattered as the place was shouting the lyrics with him and he couldn't be heard above everyone else.

After John finished the song, he stayed on the small stage and announced, "A friend of ours can play piano." He gestured at the baby grand and the man the bar employed to play sets in between the karaoke singers shrugged his shoulders and stood up. "Kate Alistair, get up here."

The brunette froze, not having realized it was she whom he was talking until he said her name. She couldn't play in front of all these people. They weren't nameless fans of Chrome Bumper or bored parents at a recital. She started shaking her head but Marissa was standing from her seat and tugging on Kate's arm.

"Kate! Kate! Kate!" John started chanting and the rest of the bar joined in.

The sound engineer shook her head but Jeff was on her other side, pulling her up in tandem with Marissa. He then propelled her towards the piano. She finally gave in and stepped up on the platform and settled on the bench. She made a big show of cracking her knuckles and rolling her shoulders before caressing the ivory keys. The woman plunked out 'Mary Had a Little Lamb' with one finger to be met with groans by the patrons. "Just kidding," she said with a grin and then began one of her own compositions, an alternative sounding instrumental that could be filled out with drums and guitar. It was slow but driven with a hard sound. She was going to pitch it to Austin for the band as soon it was finished but they had broken up by that time.

As the last chords died away, the place erupted with clapping and her table was standing and cheering. She stood up, took a bow, and started to step down but John and Jeff were shouting for another one. Most of the patrons knew the wrestlers and joined in the request. Kate reached for the microphone and quieted them down. "I'll play another one only if Marissa Carlson will sing the lyrics." The brunette knew she was going to catch hell for this but, if she got her friend to sing, Cena wouldn't look twice at Maryse.

Time stood still for the redhead, her heart pounding in her chest as the group at her table all turned to stare at her in anticipation. Her legs grew numb and she had no idea how she managed to get up to the stage and who had their hands on her to drag her there. Marissa took the microphone from her formerbest friend — at least she would be after this stunt — with a glare and the brunette mouthed, "The Broken Wings of an Angel."

Kate started the song with a flourish and then dropped the volume, softly tinkling the notes as Marissa began the first verse. Her voice was so soft at first that the patrons had to strain to hear her. She nervously glanced at the brunette who mouthed, "Louder. Just relax." The redhead closed her eyes and let the music take over. If this was the song that Kate always played to sooth herself when she was troubled, she'd let it do the same for her. Without staring back into expectant eyes, she sang the story of an angel who dared too much and broke his wings. He didn't belong in heaven and left for earth where he hoped to find a place in which he fit. That was only among those on the street, the broken-hearted, the poor, the homeless. God saw his angel and beckoned him home, offering to heal his broken wings. Marissa raised her voice as the dynamics rose for the angel's reply.

I'll keep my broken wings,

I'll shoulder the burden;

They are my badge, my honor.

I'll wear them proudly

Until all the broken wings

Of the world are healed.

The patrons held their breath as Marissa's voice dropped low, her soft soprano drawing them as she echoed the last of the words. "Until all the broken wings of the world…are healed," she crooned and Kate finished the song with a few more bars that faded into silence. The place was on their feet, cheering and whistling. The redhead bobbed a short curtsy and hurried off the stage.

She didn't see Maryse scowling at John whose face was beaming the silent words of 'I'm with her.'

Throughout the night, Cena had attempted to talk to everyone at the table so as not to give Maryse the idea that she was getting special attention. He had only showed off his karaoke skills because the blonde was inching her hand up his thigh and had settled dangerously close to the zipper on his jeans. He felt like such a man-ho sitting between the two women.

When Kate called Marissa to the stage, John had worried for the redhead. She was so shy that he couldn't see her up there singing but Kate had to know something that no one else did. He had felt bad for her as she barely squeaked through the opening verse but then her angelic voice shone through and everyone else disappeared. She was so unlike the other women who had stood up there and belted out songs in that she was modestly dressed in wide-legged black pants and gray pull-over. Yet, for some reason, she was just as sensuous as the others. He even found the glint of her diamond stud earrings sexy as he thought about nipping at those pixie-like ears.

Everyone congratulated Marissa as she returned to the table, followed by Kate accepting her own praise. "You are so good," John asserted, hugging the woman. "I didn't know you could do that."

The redhead blushed, her cheeks turning the same color as her hair. She waved everyone off and replied, "It was nothing. I used to sing in the choir at church."

"Nothing? Are—" Kate began but Marissa cut her off.

"I need to go to the ladies' room. I'll be back in a moment," the video tech stated and backed out of the crowd.

Kate was about to offer to come with her but Dave had slipped an arm around her waist. "That deserves any drink you want," he said, steering her towards the bar. "What do you want?"

"I don't know," she replied with a laugh. "How 'bout some Stolichnaya?"

"That's not much," he replied, reaching out a hand to flick her long locks over her shoulder.

"I don't need much," Kate responded with a shrug, placing a hand on his chest.

Dave had refused to admit that he liked the sound mixer after their first date but he knew better. After spending Saturday with her, he had to admit it and, now, he knew he was really starting to like her. Another woman would have asked for the finest tequila or wine, even daring to order Cristal. Of course, almost all the women he had dated wouldn't have dared step foot on a karaoke stage, especially dressed in a cream tanktop with gold studs, chocolate gypsy pants, and woven flip-flops.

The bartender pushed the small glass across the counter and Kate tipped it towards the wrestler before downing the drink. "Wow, that's good," she breathed and then smiled at Dave but he wasn't smiling back. His eyes were dark and he was intently staring at her. She drew her bottom lip between her teeth, trying to stave off the desire that was rising within her. He was already having a hard enough time not tracing the four inch treble clef tattoo on her shoulder with his fingers but the action was more than he could take and the dark-haired man leaned in, catching her lips with his. He could taste the vodka on her tongue and his arms wrapped around her waist. Kate melted against him but the screech of feedback was like a jolt that jerked them apart.

"God dammit," he muttered, running a hand over his face.

The brunette twisted a finger in her ear, trying not to be pissed off at the interruption. "Jeez, how stupid do you have to be for that to happen?" she asked, glancing at the stage but noticing that two women were absent from their table — Marissa and Maryse. "Let's get back," she said and began to quickly weave her way towards their friends. Kate arrived at the table at the same time as Maryse.

The other woman still had to be in the ladies' room. She excused herself and headed straight for the restroom but Marissa was just coming out.

"What did she say?" Kate demanded, noticing how red her best friend's cheeks were.

"Who?"

"Don't play stupid with me," the brunette stated, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Your face is red. You're either upset or mad."

"If you're talking about Maryse, I hid in the stall until she left," the video tech lied. "As to my face, I think you know. You called me out in front of the entire place."

"You can't tell me it wasn't worth the look on John's face," Kate prodded and the redhead smiled. "Let's get back before that blonde bimbo moves in on him."

Marissa nodded and she only returned because John was waiting. She didn't know how she was going to face Maryse again without giving something away. The blonde had followed her into the bathroom and waited until she was done cooling off her face with wet paper towels.

"You!" the diva accused, pushing a red fingernail into Marissa's chest. "You need to get the hell away from John Cena."

"Ex-excuse m-me?" the redhead stuttered.

"You are a nobody, a wallflower. He deserves better than a whore with a kid. He needs someone with class, someone who's not tied down who can cater to his every whim, someone who looks as good as he does. Stay away or else," the blonde finished and flounced out the door.

Now alone, Marissa swallowed hard and placed her hands on the vanity to hold herself up. She couldn't believe that she had been verbally attacked by Maryse Ouelett. She couldn't compete with the diva and she knew it. She was so close to her dream but, now, it was all going to slip through her fingers like sand.

The video tech knew she couldn't tell Kate or she would provoke a fight with the bleach blonde. Bailing her best friend out of jail was not something she particularly wanted to do, not to mention that the consequences within the company would be much worse. She didn't know what she was going to do but she couldn't just run away. Straightening her shirt, she had pushed the door open and was met by an accusing Kate.