Disclaimer: I do not own Inkheart or any of its characters, I only own Joy, Basta Jr., Katherine (Kat), Graziano, Alexander and Illene.
Kat had her hands full, she had known that Joy had a busy job but she didn't know just how busy. She was constantly running around doing things for Cockerell (who still kept near); Capricorn was constantly ordering for her to write things for him or to lay out a clean suit for him; she stood over the maids when Mortola was busy to make sure they did as they were told; she helped Rosalia with breakfast, lunch, and dinner; she checked on Sophia often and spent a hurried few minutes assuring the little girl that her father would return one day; then at the end of the day when it was time for bed found herself having to make Capricorn's bed and seeing if he needed anything before he shut his eyes for sleep.
The only question that went through Kat's mind the next morning was how Joy did this every day without stop. She was certain the village could survive without Mortola (who seemed to be more of a main than a help) but without Joy (or her now) the village could fall apart easily. She carried Capricorn's breakfast on a tray carefully up the old stairs and winced when she heard one of the wooden steps crack again as she stepped on it. Please don't fall through, she thought to herself as she carefully continued climbing up the stairs; Capricorn's Orange Juice threatened to spill more than twice onto his poached eggs, toast, and pancakes. For a skinny old fart he ate enough to feed an army!
Kat froze as the hairs on the back of her neck raised, someone was watching her and it wasn't the guard. She paused on the landing and looked down and out the window, nothing; then out of the corner of her eye she saw a shadow peel from the wall and start racing down the other stairwell. Her heart froze in terror, the shadow froze and in some light it looked up; Kat held her breath in horror to avoid screaming...The face belonged to Graziano...Her feeling had been right, he was alive! He smirked at her, pursed her lips and sent a kiss upwards to her, she quickly and carefully went to Capricorn's room.
"For the sake of the Ink World, Katrina! You're going to spill my breakfast!" Capricorn exclaimed, he was sitting up in bed propped against a pile of his pillows. His bright silver eyes that reminded Kat constantly of two silver coins stared at her in anger mixed with curiosity; Kat carefully set the tray down onto the bed and rested the wooden legs on either side of Capricorn's lap.
"Capricorn, sir, I'm sorry....But I must tell you Graziano is alive and he was in your house-"
"Do not tell me of such nonsense, the man is dead," Capricorn said as if he were just speaking of the weather. Kat reached into her jacket's pocket and put the salt and pepper and a napkin on the tray for Capricorn.
"Sir, I saw him-"
"Katrina, if you truly believe he is alive then you have been speaking too Basta more than you should have been," Capricorn exclaimed, "he believes that ghosts haunt this world. If you continue this nonsense I will have you put into the Crypt for the shadow along with him, the maid, and the old woman...Is that your wish?"
"No Capricorn, sir," Kat replied with a bow, "I'm sorry, please excuse me...My mind was turning minnows into whales."
"Fine, you are forgiven, set my suit out then leave," Capricorn commented as he took a sip of his Orange Juice.
"Yes, sir," Kat replied before setting out a red jacket, black button down shirt, and black slacks for Capricorn. She quickly left the room her heart racing, she had seen Graziano and he was alive. She knew that she couldn't tell Cockerell; when she reached the end of the stairs she knew that Capricorn had probably already told the guard outside his door what she had said.
Since no one believes me I'll have to take care of it myself or find proof...But how...There was only one way she knew of, something she had sworn to never touch again...Her camera. She licked her lips, she really didn't want to touch the object that had gotten her into so much trouble in the first place. She paused, what would Joy have done in her place? Kat knew the answer, she would have grabbed the camera and found proof then have Basta take care of the man before he could hurt anyone else. If Basta wouldn't do it then she would.
Kat knew what she had to do, she watched over the maids for an hour before slipping into the vault as the room next to the armory was called, and found her digital camera. She grabbed it and smiled when she saw it still had full battery, good; she pocketed it and went to check on Sophia.
"Daddy, you came back!" Kat heard Sophia's voice exclaim.
"Yes, Sophia, I have," Graziano's voice replied, "I couldn't ever leave my baby girl. Was Ms. Katrina nice to you?"
"Oh yes, very," Sophia replied, "but Mr. Cockerell is really mean and grumpy, he says I'm a bother and he can't wait until I'm older so I can be a maid."
"Mr. Cockerell won't be around this village much longer, sweetheart, so don't worry about what he says; would you like Ms. Kat to be your new mommy?" Graziano's voice questioned. Kat felt her heart skip a beat in terror.
"Yes, she's nice and she says that I'm pretty like you do," Sophia replied.
"Soon she will be your new mother, sweetie," Graziano replied, "soon."
Kat ran up to the window and Graziano spun, obviously not expecting her, she snapped a picture. His face went from shock to rage, he ran out the door and Kat ran as fast as she could; her skirt kept wrapping around her legs as if trying to trip her to slow her down. She kicked off her high heels and ran faster in her bare feet, "Cockerell!" She shrieked.
"What?" Cockerell asked as he turned, his eyes widened and he pushed Kat to the ground before she heard the gunshot. She looked over her shoulder to see Graziano's body with a bullet hole between his eyes fall to the ground, dead. Finally dead. Kat cried in relief and horror, Cockerell squatted down beside her and instead of scolding at her or yelling at her he pulled her up to him and hugged her close, softly assuring her everything was going to be alright now.
-----------------------
Three hours later Kat went down to give Elinor, Resa, and Basta their last meals, fear and sorrow caught in her throat for Elinor and Resa. When she pushed Basta's meal through the bars she froze; no longer did she see the man that had scared her for so long. Instead she saw a tired, scared, and heart broken man trapped in a wiry boy's body.
"Joy," Basta exclaimed to Kat, "tell me Capricorn plans to allow her to live."
"Why would it matter to you?" Kat asked.
Basta froze and remained silent for such a long time period Kat figured he wasn't going to answer, she turned and prepared to leave before he finally replied, "because I love her."
Kat turned and stared at Basta in surprise, "Did I hear...Hear you right?"
Basta stared at her, and Kat realized he had been crying.
"When I first got her as my wife I paraded her around, I still do," Basta replied, "did...Anyway. She hated me at first now she loves me...I can't think of being with anyone but her, don't you tell anyone I told you that," he growled like a primitive animal.
"I won't," Kat replied, "Capricorn plans to make Joy..."
"What?" Basta asked, Elinor and Resa were also watching Kat with worry.
"He wants more power and...He thinks the only way to it right now is to have a pretty wife by his side-"
"Please no, she's mine," Basta exclaimed.
Kat actually felt her heart rip in two, so Basta did have feelings, especially for Joy; she bit her lip feeling really sorry for Joy and actually for Basta too, "I'm sorry." She said softly before turning and walking out.
Night came and it went by in a blur, Kat remembered rushing around trying to get everything ready, she remembered the 'ceremony', Meggie and Joy reading. And a fire, a very large fire...Then the Shadow was destroyed and Capricorn fell down dead; then before her very eyes Kat watched her husband go from a living and breathing human being into a tiny little words that blew away like sand did in the wind. When the village was silent she saw Meggie reunited with her family and Joy with hers; Basta was nowhere to be seen, had he been turned into words too?
"Katherine!"
Kat froze, she couldn't believe it, someone was actually calling her by her own name instead of Katrina's name (the fifteen year old had gone missing.) She turned and froze, "MOM?!" She ran over and hugged her mom close.
"I'm here, sweetheart," Illene said softly as she hugged her daughter, happiness and relief flooded through her, her daughter was alive sand safe. Thank the Lord! Alexander watched and smiled as he put his hands into his pocket glad that strange man with the scars who called himself Dustfinger had found him and told him where to go.
"Where's that horrid man, Cockerell?" Illene frowned, she wanted to see that man arrested. Illene looked into her daughter's green eyes and saw relief.
"He's gone mom, he's gone," Kat replied, "and he's never coming back. He wants nothing more to do with me..I'm free."
"Yes, honey," Illene smiled, "you are. Ready to go home now?"
"Mom, just one thing?" Kat asked.
"What's that?" Illene asked.
"Could someone else be your magazine's photographer; I know a picture is worth a thousand words...But it's not worth giving up my life for."
Illene smiled, "no more photographing, what about painting?"
"MOM!" Kat groaned, though she smiled from ear to ear, glad to finally be back with her mother and going back to her own life. She glanced back at Joy and frowned at seeing the red head happy but looking sad; Joy caught her glance, smiled and waved good bye.
--------------
1 Year Later...
"And do you, Billy Hartkins take Katherine Levingston as your lawfully wedded wife until death do you part?" Asked the priest as Kat stood on the altar next to her future husband. Who was not Cockerell, but her boyfriend of five years, Billy.
"I do," Billy replied.
"And do you, Katherine Levingston take Billy-"
"No she doesn't," rasped a new voice; fear like no other fear Kat had felt in an entire year returned to her. She turned and saw Cockerell standing just below the altar glaring at Billy in hate; but why could no one else see him? No, he wasn't a ghost, Kat didn't feel any emotions to the figure. She realized what it was then: her past was trying to hold her back.
The priest repeated the vow and Kat replied with an, "I do."
She never told Billy what had made her hesitate on saying I do that day; but she never forgot the terrifying experience of living in Capricorn's village. She hoped Joy was safe, though she had a feeling she hadn't seen the last of Basta the cat man.
The End.
Yasmine () - Thanks for all the reviews! I'm glad you like my stories so much, reading that review made my day.
Crystal- I'm glad you liked the story so much; thank you! I try to write as if I was the character, I'm glad to see that it's working and the story turned out well.
First Gurl Rider- Where's my pickle?! LOL
BookFlower- Thank you! I'm glad you liked it so much.
FictionalDiva- Thanks!
Music Rush- Glad you liked it so much.
Major Lynette- When are you going to update your story? I'm liking it a lot.
Krista- your characters in my other story the Knights of Old which I'm working on finishing next.