Disclaimer: I do not own Life is Strange, it belongs to DontNod, etc etc.

Life is Strange

Salvation

Chapter Four

Victoria spent the whole of Sunday with Kate, taking care of her as she recovered from her drugging and subsequent sickness. As it had been with Victoria's own sickness, the effects seemed to pass after a few hours, and then it was just a matter of resting to regain strength.

For the first few hours, Victoria napped on Kate's couch, using her arms as a makeshift pillow. It wasn't exactly ideal, but she still didn't feel comfortable leaving Kate alone. She did manage to get a few hours though, so she wasn't completely exhausted when Kate woke up late in the afternoon.

They sat on Kate's bed and talked, all about the events of the night before, about Victoria's experience, and what it meant. Victoria reassured Kate that she didn't think the intent was a sexual assault, at least not of the strictest sense, but she had no idea what the goal had really been.

At one point early in the evening, there was a knock at the door, and the voice of Dana Ward called through the door, "Kate, you there?"

Victoria motioned for Kate to stay in bed, and went to answer herself. When she opened the door, a brief look of confusion came over Dana's face. "Victoria?"

"Can I help you?" Victoria asked, her voice even, perhaps a little chilly. Kate had told her that she had attended the Vortex Club party with the cheerleader, that the other girl had promised to keep her company, and that she couldn't remember what had happened to separate them. Safe to say, Victoria held Dana at least partly responsible for what had happened to Katie.

"Kate?" Dana called into the room, unable to keep the note of concern from her voice.

"Victoria," Kate said, from the bed, "let her in please."

Victoria stepped back, reluctantly. She found herself feeling incredibly angry with Dana, a feeling she was all too familiar with, but one she hadn't felt in a long time. Fear had been the overwhelming emotion she had been feeling for the past month, but now, seeing Dana, knowing how she had put Katie in harms way, it was like a cap had been released, and all that anger that normally filled up Victoria, but had been held down by her fear, was released in a torrent. She wanted to scream at the other girl, call her out on how stupid she had been, leaving Kate all alone at the party, but she somehow managed to hold it all in. Kate wouldn't want her to, for one, and this wasn't the place to do it.

Dana entered the room, clearly relieved to see Kate. "Kate, hi, I just wanted to make sure you're okay. I'm so sorry for flaking on you at the party. Juliet just had to come pick a fight with me during the party, and I know I said, well, forget all that. I let you down, and there is no excuse for that. I just wanted to make sure you got home okay…"

Victoria watched Kate's expression flicker, saw clear as day how upset she was, how she was completely not okay, but Dana didn't seem to read that at all. She was convinced when Kate replied, her voice full of false assurance, "I'm fine, Dana. Thank you for coming to check on me."

"Good, good," Dana said. The cheerleader cast another glance at Victoria, obviously very curious as to her presence, but she didn't question it. Instead she looked back at Kate. "Next time, I promise I won't leave your side, no matter what. I mean it. I owe you one fantastic time, okay Kate?"

How Dana didn't see the fear in Kate's eyes when she mentioned a next time, Victoria would never understand. Kate forced a smile. "Okay."

"Awesome. Okay. So," again, she flicked her inquisitive eyes to Victoria, even as she was backing up out of the room, "I'll see you later then. Bye."

"Bye," Kate called as she left.

And the she was gone. Victoria shut the door behind her, more forceful than she indented, still feel that anger coursing through her body. The door thumped loudly in the small room, making Kate jump a little. Victoria sheepishly looked over at her. "Sorry."

"Are you okay?" Kate asked, frowning.

"Yeah… no… no, I'm not." Victoria moved to crouch by the bed, looking Kate in the eyes. "I'm furious. I'm so damn furious at Dana for leaving you alone at the party. If she had just stuck with you like she promised, you would never have been… drugged like that… and you wouldn't have been in the position you were in when I found you."

Kate shook her head. "It's not her fault. She didn't know."

Victoria reached out to take Kate's hands in her own. "You're too nice sometimes Katie. You forgive too easily. You had no one else at that party except Dana. She left you alone, out of your element, and put you at risk. Even if what happened didn't, it's still a terrible thing to do to a person. She ditched you because, what, Juliet got mad at her for something, yet again, and she had to placate her friend? What about you? She didn't even think about you before rushing off, I bet."

"You don't know that… I don't remember what happened… she… she might have…"

"But she didn't. Whatever you're going to say, whatever excuse you're going to make for her, she didn't do it, because if she had, we wouldn't be here right now. I wouldn't be in your room, I wouldn't have spent the night, and I wouldn't have had to drag you out of that party, so out of it that you could barely walk."

Victoria sighed.

"Look, I know you like Dana. And maybe she isn't a terrible person, maybe she just got distracted, maybe she's just dumb and she didn't think, but I don't care. She put you in danger and damnit, that pisses me off."

Kate was looking at her with that same curious expression Dana had worn. "Why?"

"Why? Why what?"

"Why does it… you know? Make you angry. Why do you… care so much about me all of a sudden? You never did… before."

Victoria couldn't meet the earnest, honest and curious expression reflected back at her from Kate's eyes. She looked away, focusing on her hands, still wrapped up with Katie's, and wondered, for the first time, why she cared so much.

Why did it make her so angry? Was it just that she could relate, having gone through the same thing? Or was it something else? Was it because she had always seen Kate as this thing of pure decency, like some rare flower blossomed amongst a field of ordinary tulips? And to have that decency, that beauty attacked in such a way was like the ultimate act of evil to her?

If she was being honest with herself, she had always been jealous of Kate. Of how easily she seemed to radiate that decency, how easy being kind came to her. Victoria had told herself that Kate was just naïve, and weak, and so laughed at her for the very thing she admired most about her, because she didn't want anyone to know how she really felt. How she wished she had the confidence to just be that kind, and not worry what anyone thought about her.

Not worry how her sister would laugh at her for being so weak.

The answer, then, was all of the above. Victoria could relate, after having suffered through the same thing, but she also cared deeply for the other girl, and wanted to protect her inherent decency, and not let anything tarnish it. The anger came from feeling like she had failed this, without even trying. For letting her own jealousy and insecurity prevent her from treating Kate the way she had always deserved to be treated.

"I always cared, Katie… I just…" Victoria couldn't think of a way to say it, without sounding like a total loser, and so found the words stuck in her throat.

"What?" Kate prompted after a few seconds.

"I just… know how it feels, to be in your position, and I wouldn't wish it on my worst enemy." Victoria cursed herself for chickening out on telling Kate the full and honest truth.

"Oh." Kate's face had fallen, her expression one of deep sadness as she pulled her hands out of Victoria's grip.

Oh, shit, Victoria thought, sounding the words back over in her head, and realising how Kate must have took them. Does she think I mean her?

"Katie, no," Victoria climbed back up onto the bed, taking Kate's face between her hands, "I don't mean you. You're… uh…"

"It's okay," Kate said, fighting tears, "it's not like I thought we were friends…"

Fix this, Victoria! Her mind screamed at her.

"Katie, we… we are friends! I mean, I know we haven't always, you know, gotten along perfectly. I've done and said things… I can make no excuses for that… but… the truth is that I don't hate you, not even close, and me saying those things… it's not on you, it's on me. I actually like you, Katie… admire you in many ways. You're always so kind, even when you don't have to be, and you have values and principles that you stand by, no matter what. Not to mention how great an artist you are! So… please don't think that… that I don't want to be your friend. Fuck Katie, I spent all night last night, fighting sleep, determined not to leave you alone for a second because I couldn't bare the thought of something happening to you while I slept. Doesn't that show… I might not be good at saying how I feel… but doesn't that show how I feel?"

After this speech, Victoria, feeling her cheeks a bright shade of red, fought to maintain eye contact, trying desperately to convince Kate of the sincerity in her words.

Kate was looking back at her, no longer fighting the tears, but allowing them to glide down her cheeks. "Victoria," she whispered, voice choked with emotion. "You're… better than you think… at saying how you feel." And she smiled.

Victoria couldn't stop the laugh that bubbled up and out of her mouth, a laugh of relief and happiness. She smiled back. They remained in that position, smiling at each other for a few moments, until finally, nervously, and with slight embarrassment, Victoria pulled her hands away from Kate's cheeks and glanced away.

"Thank you, Victoria."

Victoria didn't know what to say, so she just smiled again.

For the rest of the evening, the two girls talked well into the night, losing all track of time, until finally they both let out simultaneous yawns, and realised how tired they were.

"Wow, it's getting pretty late, isn't it?" Kate said, hand over her mouth as another yawn threatened to escape.

Victoria looked out of the window, where she could see, just through the blinds, sunlight setting with a red and orange glare. "Yeah, I guess so."

"So, erm," Kate fumbled, picking at imaginary lint on her blanket. "I guess you, ah, have to be going soon?"

Victoria looked over at her, studying the nervous expression dominating the other girls face. It couldn't have been more obvious that Kate did not want her to leave, and Victoria understood that completely. The first night after her own ordeal, Victoria didn't sleep a wink, too afraid to close her eyes, lest someone come back to finish what they had started the night before. In hindsight, not likely, perhaps, but to her it seemed all too possible. It took several sleepless nights before she finally crashed due to exhaustion, and eventually, over time, she learnt how to sleep again. Even so, she was still plagued with nightmares. Kate had all of this to look forward to, except, the difference was that she wasn't alone in dealing with it.

Victoria didn't want her to be alone in it. She wished she had someone to help her through that pain, and if she could be that person for Kate, she was going to do it. Which is why she looked her clear in the eyes and said, "Not if you don't want me to."

Kate suddenly hugged her, reaching across the bed to wrap her arms completely around her, and buried her face into Victoria's shoulder. "Please stay," she begged, voice muffled, but clear enough.

"Of course," Victoria replied, reassuringly, hugging her back. "You don't mind if I, ah, go and get a pillow and stuff from my room though, do you? You can come with, I won't leave you alone."

Kate pulled back and looked at her, confused. "A pillow?"

"Yeah, I mean." Victoria gestured to the couch. "Using my arms last time wasn't the most comfortable way to sleep."

"Oh." Kate looked down into her lap, a faint blush coming to her cheeks. "You don't… you don't have to sleep on the… uh… couch, if you don't want to…?"

Victoria smiled at how shy and cute Kate was being as she offered to share her bed. Victoria never would have asked, but she was glad that Kate offered. She really didn't want to sleep on that couch again.

"Are you sure?" Victoria was going to make sure though.

"Y-yes," Kate confirmed, with a small stutter.

Victoria used a finger to tip Kate's head up and meet her gaze.

The two locked eyes.

"Thank you, Katie."