don't ask me to dance

Because Delta just doesn’t cut it anymore.  A girl tries to fly home for the weekend and doesn’t get to come back until Tuesday morning.  This is what I get for being sentimental.  Regardless: Hello, Seattle, I am a Kitty just trying to get the heck out of the airport.

Focus on the game, Kit.

She turned her eyes out to the field when he did and yeah.  Max was just like this little version of Finn and Marley and the fact that she could see the woman in him?  God, she could only imagine what Finn felt.

Kitty laughed under her breath and couldn’t help but imagine the proud parent that Finn was.  The fact that his son played sports probably made him the happiest dad around.  Hell, she’d probably just join him in all of that cheering.  If he wanted her to.

He agreed on the food stop and Kitty rose to go with him, but then he seemed to stutter over his thought to her.  Then again, she probably would have to.  Say hi to Max already?  She thought that maybe she would have to when the game ended, but…before it?

“I want to.”

The words were out between her lips before she could stop herself and she bit down on her lip.  “Uh…here.  You go get Max and I’ll get the stuff.”  Before he could even argue she pushed on his back gently, off towards the diamond to go get his son.  “I got it.  Go.”

While he was gone she took the time to get two dogs, three waters, and a couple of other little treats.  She knew that Finn could pack it away and well…Kitty wasn’t far behind him.  When she came back with the goodies and saw Finn standing there waiting for her, Max at his side, Kitty almost tripped over her own feet.

Luckily she somehow managed to make it over to them and she handed off Finn’s water and hot dog and then gave a hesitant smile down to Max. 

“Is that Kitty??” he asked, eyes bright. Finn only nodded, saying anything probably could give Max more hope than the poor kid needed.. and well, more than Finn needed, too. “She’s prettier than the pictures, dad,” Max had to add and Finn laughed.

“Get over here, she’s getting you some stuff,” to which Finn only got out half the sentence before his mini-me was already rounding his way around the fence ready for whatever he was about to get.

Neither said anything until Kitty made her way to them. Finn observed the small interaction close lipped as he took his own food and drink.

“Hi, I remember!” Max greeted overly excited, something he’d gotten from his mother, and he graciously took the water and gum from Kitty before starting to run back. He stopped right where the fence met the dug out and then he turned to yell right before running away, “Thanks! And thanks for hanging out with my dad!” 

Max.

That was a whole dilemma in itself.  Max was Finn’s son.  But he was also Marley’s.  Marley, who had died and who didn’t want Kitty to know her son until it was official that Kitty was someone important in Finn’s life.  And yet…here they were.  Max only knew the very least of his father’s ex-girlfriend and they were arranged to hang out.  Or at least for said ex-girlfriend to watch him play his game.

What did one wear to a baseball game when it was bound to be more awkward than anything else in the world?  Did she go literal with her baseball tee and jeans?  Or did she try the whole Cosmo tip of dressing up so that the exes always thought you were doing better than you really were.

God, no.  She wasn’t that girl.

In the end she just decided on a pair of jean shorts, an old University long-sleeve, and cap. She was running only a few minutes late and so when she pulled up to the field and saw that the kids were warming up she gave a sigh of relief.  Showing up late.  What an impression to make.

It only took a few minutes to find Finn in the stands.  He was the tallest one there and it showed, even while he was sitting.  Kitty skated by the side of the diamond and popped up into the stands with a grin.  His arms opened and it felt like a weird gravitational pull.  Before she could second guess herself, Kitty folded herself into his arms and hugged him right back.

“Thank God for the invention of GPS, right?”

She pulled back and only held on for maybe one second too long before unwrapping herself and fixing her hair, “I hope so.  Did you, um.  Did you tell him that I was going to be here?”  Kitty took a seat on the stands and pulled her purse into her lap.

“Totally,” Finn agreed, “If I ever left Seattle I’d be so lost without it, like, I’d never make it home.” 

Instinctively, when Max was brought into the conversation, Finn’s head turned so he could get a glance at his son to make sure he was still there and still okay, which he was, laughing with one of his teammates during a warmup drill. Coincidentally, Max’s smile was contagious and Finn grinned at the sight.

“Kind of?” he questioned to himself, “Told him that you might come to a game soon and that I told you when they were, so he was happy with the answer. He said I’d be a lot less loud if I had someone here to distract me.”

Cause, you know, proud father cheers sometimes get a little out of hand... but whatever.

“A hot dog sounds good though,” he perked up with the suggestion, Finn wasn’t one to turn down food, especially during a sporting event, “I’ll grab Max a water too and have him come get it before they start so you can say hi...”

Finn paused since, maybe she didn’t want to say hi? Maybe she was being polite by being there? Finn couldn’t tell.