Saturday Evening

Kate fell down on her big grey sofa and put her phone to her ear. She had wondered if this call would come, and hoped that it wouldn't. Now here it was. There were no 'hellos' or 'how are you doing' from Jessica. Simply, "I thought you would have called."

"I didn't think you'd want me to." Kate said.

"Ryan was my son. It's his birthday. Nobody cares."

Kate held her breath and let the long pause swallow her. Calling Jessica or not calling her would have been a mistake. Her mother in law had a way of making almost anything Kate's fault.

"I'd like to talk to you when you return. Face to face. There's matters I want to discuss. I assume you'll be returning to London shortly?"

"No," Kate cleared her throat, "I resigned my position at the museum."

"You did what?" Jessica's voice was shrill, accusatory.

"I've taken a new post in Manchester."

"You've already left them for a year, was that not long enough? Your family is here. You won't see them when you're doing more of your soul searching at the other end of the country."

That's what Jessica had called Kate's move to America, 'soul searching', she'd also called her many other things which were hardly worth repeating. Kate had let it slide and blamed it on grief but her Mother in Law had never liked her before their world fell apart. "It's not them in that place Jessica. I don't want to think of them like that. I can't…"

"You're a weak, cruel girl. Abandoning them and me. Ryan wouldn't have heard of it. You know I still don't know why he ever married you. He didn't have to. He wouldn't have wanted me to be alone like this. I lost him…" the sound of Jessica's sobs filled the phone. "You're heartless."

Kate looked at the collection of photographs that sat on the side board and felt her body fill with a heavy numb feeling. Maybe she was heartless now. "I have to go."

"I haven't-"

"I'll call you when I return to England." Kate ended the call and switched her phone to silent before letting it slip from her fingers to the floor.

The last thing she wanted to do right now was get ready to go to a party but backing out was not really an option. She stood up and found the bottle of scotch that Lou had received as a present from the head curator of the last museum before passing it on to her. She wrapped her hand around the lid and turned it, breaking the seal with a satisfying click before she poured herself a full glass of the 25 year old scotch.

/

"You're heading into work?" Charlene barged into the kitchen with two big bags of groceries and set them on the counter.

"Yeah I gotta babysit some party," Daryl sat on a kitchen chair while he pulled on his boots.

"Cassie called…" Charlene smiled coyly and he didn't take the bait. He knew that would drive her crazy.

"Don't you wanna hear what she said?"

He grunted and finished tying his laces.

"She thought you were a little… shy" Char patted his back and laughed. "Good job I already warned her about you."

What did she mean by that? Daryl stood up to give her his best scowl of displeasure. There was no point talking to Charlene when she got like this.

"She also thought you were… I believe her exact words were… a steaming hot slice of man pie," Charlene laughed even louder than before and he felt his ears burning red.

"Shut up." He didn't wait around for her to tease him anymore. He grabbed his jacket and headed straight for his truck. As he drove into Atlanta he thought about Cassie saying he was good looking. It wasn't the kind of thing that people ever said to him and it made him feel good. Made him wonder if Kate thought that about him.

Daryl arrived at the museum a little later than he had promised Mr Blake but it was still half an hour before the guests were due to arrive. There had been a big catering truck and some others parked in the staff carpark and when he entered the exhibition hall it was a flurry of activity. A huge amount of people running around, making last minute preparations. The party looked like it was spilling over into three of the big halls.

"You're late," Mr Blake shouted from the hallway before he marched over to Daryl. "Go and find Rick, he'll brief you on your duties."

Daryl's duties included nothing but standing around and trying to pretend he wasn't there. No talking to people, no eating the canapes and definitely no drinking. So that was what he did. He stood with his back against the wall and watched the room start to fill with guests while servers slinked around with trays of food and champagne. Eventually the murmur of voices started to grow so loud that it outshone the string quartet that played in the centre of one of the halls.

"Good evening son," Lou approached him and broke one of Mr Blake's rules.

"I'm not supposed to talk to you."

"Nonsense, but I confess I'm actually looking for Katy…"

That was exactly who Daryl had been trying not to look for. He stared at Lou for a moment before he allowed his eyes to scan the room. There were a lot of people. Yet through them all he picked her out of the crowd easily. She had her back to Daryl and her hair was pinned up in a way she'd never worn it before but he just knew it was her. He knew she'd look beautiful and she didn't disappoint. Her dress was floor length in a deep sapphire blue colour that reminded him of the deepest part of the lake that he liked to go fishing on with Jim. The dress had a big cut-out at the back exposing a mile of soft creamy skin then it cinched her waist before flowing down to the long floaty skirt. He let out a long sigh and leaned his whole body against the wall.

Kate picked up a glass of champagne from one waiter, downed it, then pick up a second one from a different waiter. Jesus.

"She's over there…" Daryl pointed her out to Lou who he finally remembered was standing there looking at him.

"Ah yes, thanks son," Lou weaved through the throng towards Kate where he wrapped her in an embrace and said something that made her laugh. Just like that. Daryl wanted to break all of Mr Blake's rules. He wanted to leave his place at the wall, grab a drink from the bar and join her in the middle of the room.

When Kate was picking up her fifth glass of champagne Daryl wondered if he really should leave the wall and say something to her. If she was in some kind of drinking competition she was the only one competing.

Kate moved to the next room and he did too. He reasoned with himself that he was trying to stop her doing something stupid. That was what Lou and Mr Blake would want him to do. It wasn't because it was what he wanted to do. It wasn't because from the second he had spotted her, Daryl had known he wouldn't be able to look away for a single moment.

"You realise that Ms Ashwood isn't the precious artefact that you're here to guard," Lou laughed as he appeared from nowhere.

"What?"

"Katy. You haven't taken your eyes off her all evening."

Daryl pulled at the collar of his shirt and felt his cheeks burning. "I just…"

Lou jabbed him in the thigh with his cane, "faint heart never won fair maiden."

Daryl's head snapped around to look at Lou who gave him a shrewd smile and swung his cane dramatically onto his shoulder, "I might be an old man but I'm not a blind one."

"I pissed her off…"

"Flipping heck lad... did Custer give up?"

"Custer died." Daryl replied but it was then that he knew Kate wasn't the only English person to enjoy the champagne at the party.

"Ah yes… but Custer rolls oh so nicely from the tongue. Like Custard."

Daryl saw Kate stumble out of the room and towards the staff corridors. Lou was chuckling away to himself and as much as he wanted to talk with him some more while he was in such a merry state he followed Miss Uppity down the dark corridor towards her office where he grabbed her forearm to stop her stumbling, "what ya doin'?"

Kate pulled her arm from his hand and half laughed, "do you know…" she looked from side to side, "I believe I have forgotten."

"You're drunk."

"I'm not drunk…" she finished the last of her champagne as she tried to stand straight. "I'm relaxing."

Kate definitely looked relaxed. Oh how the mighty had fallen. "You're gonna embarrass yourself."

"Do you think I care what anybody thinks about me?" Kate leaned her back against the wall and pointed her empty glass in his face. "What you think of me?... I don't." She peeled herself off the wall and began to stagger back to the party.

"Ya do care," he decided as he manhandled her into the office and into her chair. "Ya won't want people seein' ya like this. Wait 'ere I'll be right back." He shut the door let out a small laugh then opened it again, "I mean it woman, wait 'ere."

Daryl went to tell Mr Blake that he was going to take Kate home. He lied and said she was feeling ill rather than drunk and his boss was grateful that he was taking care of her so he wouldn't have to. He actually smiled and said, "well done Daryl." Except it wasn't too well done since when he went back to get Kate she was gone. Of course she was fucking gone. He should have just taken the risk and left with her when he had her in his hands. Damn woman couldn't do as she was told.

Daryl pushed his way through the party to the security monitors. He rewound the camera that sat outside of her office to watch her stumbling out and leaving the building via the staff door. He could hardly believe that Miss Uppity was in such a state.

Daryl jumped in his truck and drove around the streets until he spotted her walking in the dark. He rolled down his window and shouted, "hey."

Kate paused and turned to look at him before she rolled her eyes and carried on.

He drove slowly alongside of her, following her for several steps before he said, "let me take ya home."

"Piss off." she didn't even look at him that time and he let out a heavy sigh. She was so fucking stubborn it was ridiculous.

"It's cold an' dark, ya shouldn't be out 'ere…"

Miss Drunk Ass Uppity flipped him off.

"Well ya got a long goddamn way to walk in those shoes…" Daryl barked feeling exasperated. She was wearing strappy heels that looked painful and uncomfortable to walk in even if you weren't on a drunken hike.

Kate paused and turned to look at him as she began to pull off one shoe. Then she threw it at him and shouted "don't you fucking know when to leave someone alone?"

Daryl jumped back and lucky for him she had terrible aim. She was acting insane, unruly and yet somehow he still found himself more attracted to her than ever. He pulled over, jumped out of his truck, threw her discarded shoe into the cabin and marched over to her.

"What are you doing?" Kate demanded as she fell back against a post box.

"Get in the goddamn truck."

"No, I won't."

"Yes, ya will." Daryl's hands clamped on Kate's shoulders.

"What are you going to do, kidnap me?" she laughed and sank a little into his arms.

"Well I already asked ya nicely. If ya want me to beg ya it ain't gonna happen darlin'."

Kate straightened up and decided to pull herself from his grip but he could easily overpower her. There was no way she was going to say yes and give in to him and there was no way he was going to leave her out here. That only left him with one option. Daryl picked her up bridal style and threw her into his vehicle where she landed in a tangled pile of sapphire blue dress with a wild look on her face.

"Arsehole."

"That's what ya get for throwin' a damn shoe at my head." Daryl climbed in his truck and started the engine before she had a chance to jump out.

Kate sat silently seething, casting furious glances at him in between soft little huffs.

"Ya sure as shit know how to hold a fuckin' grudge."

"You sure know how to piss me off."

Daryl coughed to cover up the laugh that escaped his mouth. "I said I was sorry. I didn't mean it... you poured a pitcher of beer over my head in front of half the damn town so I say we're 'bout equal."

Kate sniggered.

"Yeah laugh it up… that's what everyone else does. They say I got my ass handed to me by a girl."

"Ha…" she waggled her finger in his face. "that's what you get Mr Dixon."

Daryl batted her hand away and she sank back into the seat in a fit of drunken giggles before she began to take off her other shoe and inadvertently give him an eyeful of her thigh while she did it.

"Oh my god," Kate bent down, almost falling into the foot well as she received something from the floor. When she clambered back into her seat she held a diamante dog in between her fingers. It looked like it had broken off a keychain.

"That must be Cassie's," Daryl decided out loud.

"Cassie?" she threw it at him. "Urgh... let me out of this… sex truck, before I catch something."

"Jesus Christ woman…" he picked up the dog and shook his head, "you are somethin' else. What the hell are ya talkin' 'bout now?"

"You… and your car full of condoms and loose women…"

Like a teenager he felt his cheeks tinge pink at the sound of the word condoms rolling from her mouth in her seductive accent that made him hot under the collar no matter what she was saying. "What… condoms?"

"I threw them out the window. Ha."

Daryl snorted. "You're a goddamn lunatic."

"Well you're a bit of a… slutty slut."

Slut? Daryl let out one loud laugh and shook his head. She couldn't have been further from the truth. "I ain't had sex…" he cleared his throat, "in this truck for a long time…" then he couldn't resist "'less ya offerin'…"

That wiped the satisfied look off Kate's face and she blushed before tucking the errant strands of hair behind her ears, "I'm sure that's what you would say."

"That ain't a no…"

Kate's blush deepened and she leaned close to him before jabbing him in the rib and saying, "no."

Jesus, he hoped she had forgot this conversation by the morning about as much as he hoped she remembered it.

Daryl pulled up outside of her house and she was quick to clamber out of his truck before screeching, "shitting hell."

She had a worse damn potty mouth than he did. Cassie and her swear jar could make a small fortune off a friendship with Kate. Daryl jumped around the side of his truck to see Miss Uppity haphazardly leaning one hand on the car door while she tried to balance on one leg and look at the sole of her foot.

He held in his laugh at her terrible coordination as he kneeled down and took her foot in his hand, to try and take a look, "stop ya damn wiggling."

"Stop tickling me then," Kate snatched her foot from his hand and fell forwards bumping into him.

Daryl tried to ignore the fact that her breasts were mere inches from his face as he let out a shuddery breath and wrapped his hands around her waist to steady her before he stood up from his kneeling position on the floor. Then he lifted Kate onto the hood of his car to take another look at her injury. He wondered if she might stop him from lifting up the hem of her dress and cupping his hand around the back of her ankle to investigate the underside of her foot but she didn't. she just sat there silently watching him with her big brown eyes.

Kate was cut but not bleeding. "You'll live… darlin'." The word slipped out for the second time and he kind of liked it. She might have been a slightly unhinged, messy drunk but she was still cute and sexy. His girlish crush was not going anywhere so he might as well resign himself to it while she was still here.

"Hmph," Kate slid down from his truck and hobbled to her door while she opened the tiny purse that was dangling from her tiny wrist.

Daryl wasn't exactly sure what to do now he'd brought her safely home but he followed her anyway. Kate fell through her front door and half hopped, half walked towards what looked like her kitchen. Daryl hung back in the doorway and laughed before he decided to step into her house. He might have rationalised that he wanted to make sure she was okay but in reality he simply wanted to talk to her some more.

There was a little table in the hallway that was covered in a bowl full of sunglasses, a tube of Chanel lipstick and a bottle of perfume. He picked up the little glass bottle to smell the scent and it filled his lungs like the first much needed and much satisfying drag of his morning cigarette. It was the smell of Kate and it was good. There was something strangely enjoyable about snooping around her house like this. He knew it was a rental and the furniture wasn't hers but the mess of handbags that dangled from the coat hooks were. Why the hell did she have so many? He ran his hands along them all making them swish and dance before he poked his head into the living room.

Daryl glanced around the room before he noticed a group of picture frames sitting on a cabinet. His eyes went wide and he got a sick feeling in the pit of his stomach as he locked onto one of them.

Kate was married? She had a fucking husband? What the fuck?

Daryl's heart began racing and his stomach continued to churn as he threw himself across the room to pick it up to get a closer look. He looked at Kate then he looked at her husband. He was tall, slim, fair but there was something else. It was hard to tell because of the expanse of white lace but there was a definite shape to that wedding dress. His eyes quickly scanned the next photos. They were family pictures. Kate had a son. He felt even more sick. Why hadn't she said anything? Why hadn't Lou said anything? A million more things started to run around his brain as he stared at the pictures, rooted to the spot.

The sound of footsteps began to thud along the hardwood of the hall. Daryl quickly put the wedding photo down but it was too late. He caught her brown eyes looking at him then at the pictures. She wrapped her arms around herself and plodded towards him to pick up the middle picture, the one that was just her little boy standing on some stone steps with a huge smile of his face and the same eyes that she had. Exactly the same.

"They're dead." The words seemed to fill the entire room.

Daryl felt like he had been winded. Shock, mixed with pain, replaced anything else he had been feeling. "I'm sorry."

Kate didn't say anything, she just stared at the picture, then back at him.

He reached out to touch her. He wanted to wipe away the one big tear that had spilled over from her big brown eyes and rolled a path down her cheek.

Kate jerked her face away from his fingers and her voice was strained as she whispered, "please leave."

"Kate…"

"I don't want your pity… just leave me alone…"

Daryl wanted to say no but he didn't want to upset her. He wanted to say something meaningful but he had no words. So he stepped past her and paused at the door frame to look at her one last time before he left her house just like she had asked. He felt awful but he hadn't been prepared. Suddenly any part of Kate that had never quiet made any sense, now made all the sense in the world.

A/N- Thanks for reading. I'd love to hear some feedback.