vanillajello | Overland Park, KS, A Morning in May [Wednesday Fandom Time]

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Overland Park, KS, A Morning in May [Wednesday Fandom Time]

The stupid thing about going to Kansas was that time was much slower. Kate was painfully aware that while she'd already been gone from Fandom over two days, it had barely been 18 hours for her. Still, after a night at home, she was just about starting to feel a little less raw. The general nausea had abated, at least, as had the panic.

The guilt, however irrational she knew it to be, would probably stay for a while.

Stretching out on her bed, Kate reached to get her phone from the nightstand, then turned it on. For a moment, she thought about making a call – to Bod, to Jack, to Mitchell, to Hannibal, to anyone – but she decided against it, unable to really decide what it was she wanted to say to any one of them. (Except maybe Hannibal. There was a certain amount of I get it now present.) She put the phone down on the bed next to her.

She'd be available now; that'd have to be enough.

[ooc: NFB, but open for phone calls and texts! Whoo, taking advantage of my 1,5 days at home.]

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Kate rolled onto her side on the bed and gave a sigh at reading the question. Always with that question.

i'm not sure.

That was somehow better than saying she didn't know, right?

I can let you go if you'd rather not speak with me, Bod offered before frowning. He was getting the feeling she wasn't coping as well as she said she was.

When was Kate ever coping as well as she claimed to be?

It took a longer while for the next message to come. She hesitated before writing it, and then she hesitated before sending it.

you don't hate me, right? not, like, scared of me or anything?

Both of the questions made Bod's heart ache and he couldn't bring himself to just send a text message telling her what he wanted to tell her. So, she'd have to wait a bit for the reply. That might be a little nerve wracking but he thought it worth it.

Bod dug out a few sheets of paper and a few pens. He wrote down several things and then took pictures of the messages on each piece paper. He sent them back sequentially.

The first picture was of him holding up a sheet of paper that said I know this weekend wasn't easy for you. Believe me. I know it. The message he was holding in the second picture read But I still love you with all of my heart and my mind and my soul. I'm not scared of you. The third read I would do anything to not make this hard for you. And in the last picture, the message read Just know that I LOVE YOU. FOREVER.

Yes, the wait was nervewracking, and the longer it took, the more ready Kate found herself to just cry. Which she then did, once the pictures started coming. It was good crying, though. Relief, not sadness.

It took a while her to be able to reply, though she eventually did.

thnk yoi

... You try typing correctly with your eyes all blurry with tears.

It took Bod a moment to parse that before he smiled softly. He brushed his fingers over the text and sent a message back.

If I caught a portal there just to see you, would that be all right? Bod sent. I won't stay long, your family doesn't have to know, but I'd like to see you.

Kate had actually managed to wipe her eyes properly by the time it came to send this particular message, and she didn't hesitate in typing it up, either.

come, i think they're out and busy anyway and even if they're not i don't care. come. <3

All right. I'll be there as soon as I can.

He dialed up Portalocity as soon as he sent that message and managed to schedule himself a portal at the causeway in about a half hour. That left him enough time to shower, change, and make his way to the causeway. The portal opened up and Bod stepped...

...right before stepping out at the end of Kate's street. He hadn't been to Kansas in awhile but everything seemed familiar. He set off down the street, looking for the familiar mailbox and house.

Oak Avenue was much the same as it had been previously, except for that time it'd been covered in tornado debris. There was none of that now: it was a nice day in early May.

Meanwhile, in the house he was looking for, barely ten minutes had passed since his last message, time differences between this dimension and Fandom's being as funky as they were. It was good for Kate, though, since she'd been watching the street from her window.

As soon as she caught sight of him, she was out of her room and making her way down the stairs.

When Bod saw the mailbox, he stopped to give it a smile before making his way up the steps so he could knock on the door. Really though, if she'd been watching and was now coming down the stairs, he probably wouldn't even have time to knock before she opened the door.

Yeah no, Kate just pretty much pulled it away from his hand. He was just lucky the door opened inwards.

"Hi," she breathed, looking happy to see him even if her eyes were still red and the last of the tears were still drying on her cheeks.

"Hullo. Come here," Bod said without hesitation. He was already stepping closer, already reaching for her to pull her into a hug right on her doorstep.

She'd been a vampire this weekend but that wasn't her and he wasn't afraid or nervous or anything but happy when he went to embrace her.

And if Kate was feeling any nervousness bubbling up, she was doing her very best to stomp on it. She was just a girl in a tiny shirt and some tiny shorts, and she was getting a hug from her boyfriend.

She could totally do that.

Bod kissed her temple and ear and cheek and the slope of her neck and her shoulder several times while he held onto her. If she was nervous, he could try and make some of that go away right now.

He rubbed her back and crushed her into a tight, tight hug, making sure she was close enough that she'd feel warm and shielded and not alone.

Kate responded by sliding her arms around his neck so they could be body to body.

She didn't feel alone, though she did feel a little unsure this was actually happening, despite the fact that he was warm and safe against and around her.

"I missed you," he murmured quietly, pressing his cheek against hers and sighing. "Are you sure you're all right? You can be honest with me, Kate. I love you. I'm not afraid of you and I want to help."

"I'm pretty fucking rattled," Kate whispered, watching the street over his shoulder for... anyone, really. She knew she should've gotten them inside the house, maybe up to her room, but she didn't want to let go of him just yet. "Don't suppose that means I'm all right."

"It's understandable," he assured her, still rubbing her back and keeping her close to him. "I can only imagine how it felt to wake up on Monday. It wasn't you, I know you know that but I know it doesn't matter. We'll get through this. I'm not going anywhere."

For a moment, Kate let her eyes close while she just soaked up his presence without saying a word.

And then she opened her eyes again, and tried to gently pull away, enough to see his face. "Would you like to come inside?"

Which was a stupid question but she was feeling a little stupid.

"I would," Bod said, reaching to brush his fingers over the tear tracks on her cheeks. "Yes, please."

Kate bowed her head when he did that, and caught his hand in one of hers so she could then turn and lead him into the house. "Come on."

The last thing they needed was Ted or someone spotting them right now.

Bod followed her inside and made sure to shut the door behind him as he did. It was instinctive to glance around her house to notice any differences but it had looked a lot different when he'd last been year after the tornado had blown through.

He gave her hand a squeeze and stayed quiet, letting her do what she needed to do to feel at ease and comfortable now that he was there.

The house was as it usually was. Less tornado-y, more just generally lived in. No one else was in, so it was quiet, too.

Kate had already started them towards the stairs when she remembered something, and turned to look at him over her shoulder. "Oh, do you want a drink? Something to eat?"

It was weird to have him visiting when she hadn't come with her, okay? It brought out the well-hidden Alice in her.

"No, thank you," Bod said, shaking his head. "I ate before I arrived and I'm not thirsty. So, I'm fine. Let's go upstairs."

"Okay, good." She nodded, and turned towards the stairs again, tugging him along with her. "Just thought I'd check. Random hostess instincts."

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