Author's Notes: Thanks to Stonedtoad for betaing.
Enjoy
The shop assistant handed Kate her change before handing her the bag packed with chocolate, chips and other snacks she was stocking up with. They were docked for the next 48 hours so Nathan had given them some shore leave. They'd separated after lunch and were due to meet up to head back to the boat. Wandering slowly through the sun drenched streets she reached the meeting point before anyone else. She saw Tim after a few minutes strolling towards her with Ford and Brody, the three talking as they walked.
Kate spotted a girl marching the other way towards the three men and watched with amusement when she banged into Brody, lifting his wallet without him even noticing. She was tempted to ignore it, to just act innocent when Brody discovered the loss but decided against it. Not for Brody but for the kid instead.
"Hey," Tim greeted the moment they reached her.
She smiled, "Hey. I have to do something before we head back."
"Okay," he shrugged.
She held out her shopping to him with a sweet smile, "Can you drop this off for me?"
Tim rolled his eyes at her but took the bags, "Is something wrong?"
"No," she replied innocently, "Just an errand I forgot."
She gave him another smile before walking away.
x
She'd paid attention to which way the girl had gone, thinking back to the best routes through the town and where she might have headed. Reaching an apartment block Kate climbed up to the roof to give herself a better view, she quickly saw the girl in a nearby alley going through the contents of Brody's wallet. Kate climbed down the fire escape, before dropping the last few feet in front of the girl.
The girl, she looked to be about 12 at the most, jumped back into a corner.
"I'm sure that doesn't belong to you," Kate said lightly.
The girl stared at her before pulling out a small knife, "Get away from me."
Kate rolled her eyes and grabbed the girl's wrist, twisting the knife from her grasps before kicking it away, "One, I have a better knife. Two, never let anyone see you have that because what just happened will happen again. You only use it when they're so close they can't take it from you."
"Who are you?"
Kate smiled slightly, "Someone who's been in your position. Give me the wallet and let's go."
Nervously the girl handed the wallet over, "Go where?"
"To get you something to eat," Kate replied before stopping the girl speaking, "And before you ask, you have no choice."
x
The small café was only a few blocks from where they were, the girl walked slowly but didn't try to run. The moment they reached their destination Kate motioned her in and the girl hesitated.
"You go in or I make you," Kate told her.
A scowl covered the girl's face before she stepped through the door. Kate smiled to herself walking in behind letting out a soft sigh.
"I'll be with you in a minute," the woman behind the counter said, stopping in her tracks when she saw Kate standing there.
Kate gave a slightly smug smile, "Hello, Dee."
Dionne Avery stared; she hadn't changed in the past six years. A little older maybe but other than that she looked almost exactly the same as she had the day Kate met her. Her dark skin was flawless, her dark brown eyes sharp and her black hair pinned up neatly, she wore a white blouse and black pants which Kate was sure hadn't changed size despite the fact she ran a cafe with the best food in three states.
"Well, well, well," Dionne mused walking over to Kate, "Look what the kitten dragged in."
Kate rolled her eyes, "Funny," she noted before turning to the girl, "Table in the corner, sit down and don't steal anything."
The girl nodded before she slunk over meekly and sat down.
"Friend of yours, Kitten?" Dionne asked.
"Not exactly," she replied before adding, "And I go by Kate these days."
Dionne chuckled, the rich sound filling the room, "You have changed, more than I'd heard."
"How about you get a special for the kid?" Kate asked with a smile, "And I'll take one as well."
"So," Kate took the seat beside the girl, "What's your name?"
The girl hesitated before answering, "Rain."
Kate chuckled, "Okay, I'm not going to ask if that is the name your parents gave you or you gave yourself. I am going to give you this piece of advice, choose a name that makes you invisible, forgettable. You want them to barely think of you and an unusual name doesn't do that."
"Why do you care?" Rain asked softly.
Kate shrugged, "Because I was you once and I was lucky. I'm just trying to pass on some of that."
Rain frowned confused, "What do you want with me?"
Kate shrugged, "At the moment I want to get you something to eat."
At the moment Dionne placed a plate down in front of them, she disappeared before placing a glass of milk down also.
"What is it? Rain asked.
Kate rolled her eyes wondering if this kid knew how to do anything but ask questions, "It's a cheese and ham toastie with a glass of milk."
"I don't like milk," Rain stated.
"But you need the calcium," Kate replied as she took a bite, "Once you finish Dee will get you something you want to drink."
The girl frowned before she took a large swallow from the glass, grimacing at the taste. She then started to eat.
"Slowly," Kate told her as Rain began to attack her lunch, "You don't want to get indigestion or worse be sick."
Rain grimaced but she did as Kate told her. They ate in silence for several minutes and Kate studied the girl. She remembered this moment, the fear that this stranger would hurt her and she had been one of the lucky ones.
x
"Dee, can you bring Rain one of the chocolate doughnuts," Kate asked when she finished her meal, "What do you want to drink?" The girl shrugged making Kate roll her eyes, "Give her a coke."
Once the girl was eating the doughnut and drinking her soda Kate joined Dionne who was standing watching her with the look Kate knew well.
"Are you going to ask me?" Kate slid to sit on the table beside the other woman, "Or just glare at me some more?"
Dionne sighed but before she could say anything Kate's phone rang.
"Nathan," Kate answered it jumping off the table and pacing slightly, "What's up?"
"The others arrived back without you," he stated concern in his voice, "O'Neill said something about an errand you had to run?"
"There is nothing to worry about," Kate told him, "I am simply visiting an old friend."
"Kate…"
"Nathan," she cut him off sharply, "This is my business and nothing to do with you or the Seaquest. I made you a promise a long time ago and I am not breaking it. I will be back on board before my leave is up. Okay?"
After a pause he replied, "Okay. I'll see you soon."
"Oh, and tell Brody I found his wallet," she said before hanging up.
x
"What are you doing, Kate?" Dionne asked the moment she'd hung up the phone, "An engineer on a military vessel?"
"I'm getting on with my life making an honest living," Kate replied, "It's what everyone always told me to do."
"I never told you to leave," Dionne reminded her, "You don't belong on that boat, Kate."
Kate stared at the other woman stunned, "What?"
"I have never known anyone as good as you were, Kitten," Dionne told her, "You were an artist whose reputation meant you could pick and choose whatever job you wanted."
"Those jobs almost got me killed a few times," Kate retorted.
Dionne shook her head, "Because you were careless and forgot what Harkens taught you. You let yourself get emotional and lost focus."
"Dee…" she stammered to a halt for a moment before continuing, "I thought you, an honest business woman, of all people would have been happy I'm no longer living outside the law."
Dionne sighed, "Kate, I argued against them training you but I am a firm believer in being who you are. And you are Kitten."
Kate shook her head, "I was Kitten. She is now currently in a box where I keep her until I need her. I like being Kate Foster, I like the Seaquest and I like not being alone all the time."
"Kate…"
"These days, Dee," Kate continued cutting her off, "I'm not Kitten anymore and I don't want to be." She let out a long sigh and changed the subject, "Look, I came here because I wanted the kid to have someone she could trust, someone she could turn to. Are you still that person?"
Dionne nodded, "I keep an eye on the kids around here."
"I'm just asking that you add one more to the roster," Kate told her.
The older woman paused and looked over to where Rain was finishing her soda, finally she nodded, "Explain the rules to her."
x
"How was your lunch?" Kate asked when she rejoined Rain at her table.
"Good," the girl answered still unsure.
"Well you need to pay for it," Kate said, aware of the panic filling the girl's eyes which became confusion when Kate pulled out Brody's wallet once more, "Here," she removed the money and passed them to Rain, "I believe this is yours."
"But…"
"You earned it," Kate replied with a smile, "I brought you here for a reason, Rain. Dee looks out for the homeless kids in town. You can get a meal here and help but you have to either pay or do chores for her. You steal anything from Dee, you're out. You cause problems, you're out. It's that simple. Any questions?"
"No," Rain replied softly, still looking confused.
"What is it?" Kate asked with an annoyed sigh.
Rain hesitated for a moment before asking, "Why are you doing this?"
Kate chuckled, "Ask Dee about Kitten sometime. Rain, I'm going to leave you now. Look after yourself and listen to Dee."
She started to leave but turned back when the girl called her name, "Yes?"
"Thank you, Kate," Rain said softly.
Kate gave her a soft nod before heading over to Dionne to say goodbye.
"Rain will follow your rules," Kate assured the older woman, "Take care of her. If we pass this way again I'll come visit."
Dionne reached out and pulled Kate into a tight embrace. "You can try as hard as you like to stop being Kitten," she whispered in her ear, "But one day you won't be able to suppress her. You will only end up hurting the people you claim you care about."
Kate pulled back from Dionne her eyes cold and flat, "Goodbye, Dee."
Kate walked onto the bridge, finding Brody standing with Lucas she walked over and placed his wallet in his hand.
"Where did you find it?" he asked, frowning to find all his cash was gone.
Kate shrugged, "In a dumpster. You're lucky I spotted it."
Before he could reply she headed over to her station, sliding into the seat Kate logged on and begin the diagnostics waiting to be run.
"Everything alright?" Tim asked from his station just across from her.
Kate gave him a quick smile, "Yeah. Just went to see an old friend."
When he returned to his work Kate frowned, thinking back to Dionne's words to her hoping the other woman was wrong.