This is the entire Post-Gene Post-America thing (now posted for TJ)
TWs for gun mentions, abuse, etc.
Here we get the lovely elements that make up Kate's status as a crackfic OC... the mentions of Angel the vampire and Edward Elric. (And the very last part is based in Minas Tirith so... ya know.)
*flips hair* I DO WHAT I WANT THOR
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Kate was working on a spell upstairs in the spare bedroom when there was a knock on the door one October morning. Adrian, who was in the kitchen having some coffee, hurried down the hall and peered through the peephole, then opened the door wide to reveal an older woman with blonde hair peppered with grey.
“I’m looking for Katelyn Turner,” said the woman softly. “I’m Luella Davis.”
Recognition dawned in Adrian’s eyes. “Please come in. Kate’s upstairs; I’ll get her for you. Would you like some tea?”
“No thank you,” Luella said, looking around the entryway as she stepped inside. “I only wanted to speak with Kate for a moment.”
“Of course. Have a seat, and I’ll be right back.” Adrian gestured to the sitting room just inside the door, then headed upstairs, where she knocked on the open study door. “Kate, there’s someone here to see you.”
Kate looked up from her desk. “I wasn’t expecting anyone,” she said, but stood and followed Adrian back downstairs. Reaching the sitting room, she was enveloped in an embrace that smelled of gardenia.
“Kate! Oh, thank goodness it’s really you! We were so worried!”
“L-Luella?” Kate gasped.
Luella pushed Kate away and looked at her with a critical eye. “You’re so thin! You haven’t been eating enough!”
“Ah,” Kate said, looking nervous. “Yeah.” She gave Luella a tiny smile. “I’ll go make some tea. This is Adrian Viviano, by the way. I met her in the States.” She gestured to Adrian, then hurriedly escaped from the room down the hall into the kitchen, where she took a deep breath. How had Luella found her? She hadn’t contacted them in over a year!
The phone rang, and she snatched it up. “Hello? Speaking.” Her expression hardened as she filled the kettle with water from the tap. “Excuse me? I sent that payment almost two weeks ago!”
In the sitting room, Luella smiled at Adrian, who smiled tightly back as they heard Kate yelling in the kitchen. Something about payment reached Luella’s ears, and she immediately pulled out her checkbook.
“Don’t,” Adrian said softly. “She’ll only rip it up.”
“Surely there’s some way I can help,” Luella insisted. “What is she even paying for, anyway?”
Adrian smiled. “You’re just like she described you.” Sifting through a pile of papers on the coffee table, she retrieved one and handed it over to Luella, who scanned it quickly before gaping at the amount listed. “Medical care is really expensive in the States, and she was in the hospital for nearly a month. She’s determined to pay it off herself, but honestly? If you want to help, you could pay it in secret.”
“I certainly will!” Luella said, quickly tucking the paper away as Kate continued to yell. There was a moment of silence, and then they heard footsteps and the soft rattle of china.
“Sorry about that.” Kate set the tea tray down on the coffee table with a flick of her wand. “Idiots can’t keep track of their own things.” She poured tea expertly into three cups, just as she’d been taught while living at the Davis mansion. She then handed one to Luella, who took note that Kate avoided using her left arm, passing the tea instead with her right across her body. “How are you, Luella?”
“I’m fine. Everyone else is also fine. Noll and Mai send their love.” Luella dropped a cube of sugar into her tea and stirred.
“Are they still in Japan?”
“No. They’re back at the mansion with the twins and their new little boy named Takumi.” Luella smiled at her mental image of the little boy running around the gardens.
Kate smiled back, feeling conflicted. Perhaps it was her fault that Mai and Oliver had gone back to Japan after Gene’s funeral. “Sticking with the Japanese names, hmm?”
“His full name is Takumi Eugene.”
Kate’s face fell. “That’s—that’s nice,” she managed to say. “He’d like that.”
“I’m sorry dear,” Luella said, reaching across the table to cover Kate’s hand with her own. “I thought you should know.”
“Does he look like him?” The words were soft, and Luella had to strain to hear them.
“Practically the spitting image.” Fishing a photo from her purse, Luella handed it to Kate. It was of Oliver and Mai, with the brown-haired twins between them, and a struggling toddler in Oliver’s arms.
Kate’s eyes filled with tears as she stared at the photo. He really did look like Gene. She clapped a hand over her mouth and stood. “Excuse me,” she mumbled, fleeing the room.
The picture sat on the sofa. Adrian picked it up, curious to see for herself. He looked like his father—and by extension his deceased uncle—despite the baby fat. She smiled, but that was quickly lost when she heard retching from down the hall. Standing, she hurried towards the bathroom, but Kate had flushed the toilet and was rinsing out her mouth when she got there.
“So much for my breakfast,” Kate muttered, spitting into the sink. She glanced up at Adrian, who looked at her in worry. “I’ll be fine,” she said. “It’s just… Thinking about him after all these years, seeing that picture…” She wiped hastily at her eyes. “I’ll be fine,” she repeated, this time as if to reassure herself, then made her way back to the sitting room. “Sorry. My breakfast disagreed with me. Violently.”
Luella looked at her, concern evident on her face. “Does that happen often?” Perhaps that was why Kate was so thin.
Kate shrugged. “Sometimes the nerves in my arm decide to rebel, and the rest of my body follows.”
She was ensconced in another gardenia embrace. “You poor dear! What on Earth happened to you?”
Letting out a short, bitter laugh, Kate asked, “What hasn’t happened to me?”
Luella released her and sat back down. “When you left, Martin and I were concerned. But you seemed to be happier there, so we let you be. Then you stopped writing, and we were so worried! Did you get any of the letters we sent you?”
“Yes.” Kate looked at her hands, her eyes shifting to Adrian, who shrugged. This was Kate’s story to tell, and she’d only help if she felt the need to. “He cut me off from everyone, even Adrian.”
“He? Do you mean the boy you were dating?”
“Jason, yes.” Her mouth moved into a grimace. “I should have realized, should have seen the signs. I’d grown up with them, after all. But I guess after the years of safety with you and Martin and—and Gene, I was gullible. Gullible and stupid.” She closed her eyes and sighed. “He looked different from Gene. I thought it could work. I moved in with him—my biggest mistake.”
“I don’t think I quite understand,” Luella said slowly. “Did he—was he hurting you?”
Kate nodded. “And I let him.” Her right hand rose to rub her left shoulder. “I don’t know why. Maybe I thought I could change him. That illusion was shattered when he—” She cut herself off, shuddering. “I got away, finally. But he found me and tried to kill me. Pretty much did, since I died at least once on the way to the hospital.”
Luella was staring at her in horror. “Kate… oh, Kate.”
She leaned back against the couch cushions, closing her eyes. “Adrian.”
Adrian nodded, knowing what Kate was asking. “She was in a coma for two weeks. Her shoulder was really messed up; I had to sneak a couple Healers, including a specialist, into the hospital to get it fixed as best it could. The nerves were badly damaged, and her arm’s still not fully functional. They had to remove part of her liver, and her lung—”
“My lung is fine,” Kate grumbled, cutting her off. “Just scarred. It functions perfectly normally, unlike my arm.”
“Tell me the boy got caught,” Luella pleaded. This explained that incredible hospital bill, at least. If this Jason boy was still on the loose, she and Martin would certainly have something to do about it.
Kate gave Adrian a sharp look, and Luella got the feeling that she was hiding something.
“They caught him before he’d left the apartment thanks to Kate’s quick thinking,” Adrian said. “He’s doing twenty-seven years in a state prison.”
“Good! He deserves it.”
Kate hadn’t seen that look on Luella’s face in years, and she felt sick. “I’m sorry,” she said again. “It was my fault.” The phone rang again, and she groaned. “If it’s those idiots at the collection agency again—”
“Let us help,” Luella said as Adrian went to answer the phone. “If you’re having trouble paying, we can help.” She had to at least try.
“I got myself into this mess, and I’ll get myself out. Don’t worry about me.” She tried to smile at Luella, but it didn’t quite work.
“I will always worry about you,” Luella said softly. “You’re my daughter, or as good as.”
Kate’s eyes filled with tears, and she looked away and down at her lap. “But I left.”
“All children leave home eventually. It was inevitable, my dear.”
Kate let out a choked sob, and Luella moved to the couch and wrapped her arms around her. She let herself cry.
“I’m only sorry we couldn’t protect you,” Luella murmured, rubbing Kate’s back. “It’ll be all right. We’ll take care of you. You can come back to the mansion and live with us, Adrian too.”
“No,” Kate hiccupped, “I need to take care of myself. I’m an adult! I should have—I should have known he was bad, and I didn’t—Gene must be so disappointed in me.” She cried harder.
“I don’t think so.” Luella continued to rub soothing circles on her back. “He’d be happy you’ve lived through it and come this far.”
Adrian stood out of sight in the hallway, smiling. Kate definitely needed this.
“Will you at least come and visit? Have dinner once in a while?” Pulling her handkerchief from her purse, Luella began dabbing at Kate’s face.
“I—I guess, if Mai and Oliver don’t mind.” If she had been the reason for their move back to Japan, it was possible they didn’t want to see her.
“Of course not, sweetie! Why, when I told Mai we’d found you at last, she was ecstatic.”
“How did you find me?” Kate looked at Luella with curious green eyes.
“I have my ways.” Luella grinned at her. She wouldn’t divulge that Adrian had owled her as soon as they’d reached the country and gotten settled. “Now, what do you say to dinner tomorrow night? Adrian will come too, of course.”
“We’d love to,” spoke up Adrian, making her presence known. “When would you like us over?”
“Five sounds good,” Luella replied. “That’ll give you some time with Noll, Mai, and the children.” She stood. “I’ll leave you for now, Kate dear, and see you tomorrow. Please don’t be a stranger.”
All Kate could do was nod mutely. How had this happened? She’d been happily working on a spell, and now she would be seeing Gene’s family again. Her family, she supposed, if she was truthful with herself. The Davises and Adrian were the only family she wanted.
“Luella?” she said suddenly. The woman looked at her. “Don’t tell them about—about what happened. With Jason. Please?”
“Certainly. But I’m sure they’ll ask.”
“I’ll come up with something.” Kate gave Luella her first genuine smile of the day. “I just don’t want them to know. Not yet, at least.” She stood and hugged the elder woman, though her left arm more or less hung by her side.
Luella hugged her back, then released her and headed for the door. “Until tomorrow then.”
“Tomorrow at five,” Kate confirmed.
Adrian opened the door for Luella, who gave her a grateful smile and left.
“Who was it on the phone?” Kate laid down on the couch, her eyes closed as Adrian shut the door and locked it.
“Angel.” Adrian sat in one of the armchairs and shook out her hair from its braid. “He wanted to make sure we were getting settled—which is ridiculous, since it’s been a month—but he also had some news about Jason.” Kate did not reply, which Adrian took as her cue to continue. “He’s trying to get an appeal. Angel says the lawyers are telling him it won’t go through, though. Which is good news.”
Kate grunted. “He’s still locked up, right?”
“Right. Not really a chance of his getting out right now.” Adrian looked up from rebraiding her hair. “Will you be okay? Seeing them tomorrow?”
Kate sighed, running her right hand over her face. “Yeah. I guess. I mean, I have to try. They’re the only family I’ve got, apart from you.” She grimaced as she sat up, her left arm moving strangely. “I think I need the sling today.”
“I’ll grab it. Hopefully you won’t need it tomorrow.” Rising, Adrian headed out of the room to grab the object.
Kate ran her hand over her face again, letting it settle on her chin. What sort of excuse could she make for her injuries? She’d need to think.
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The next day, the two witches were ushered into the Davis mansion with a smile from Luella. “Everyone’s in the garden, dears. I’ll join you shortly after I check on dinner.”
Kate led the way outside with some trepidation, which only increased as the laughter of children reached her ears. She adjusted her sling, then stepped around the hedge to find Mai playing tag with the twins while Oliver sat on a bench, the toddler in his lap, talking to his father. The sight stopped her, and she gripped Adrian’s arm.
Adrian muttered something in Spanish. “What?” Kate asked, then glanced down at where she held tight onto her arm. Blood had begun to drain from Adrian’s arm there. “Oh. Sorry.” She immediately released it, and Adrian massaged the area. “Sorry,” Kate repeated. Her eyes were trained on the toddler who had escaped Oliver’s lap and was now running around the clearing.
Little Takumi suddenly caught sight of Kate and Adrian and ran as fast as his little legs could carry him towards them. “Hi!” he said, stopping in front of them.
Kate knelt—with Adrian’s help—to his level and smiled. “Hello, Takumi.”
His head titled. “How d’you know my name?”
“Your grandmother told me. Is that okay?”
He nodded enthusiastically. “What’s your name?”
“I’m Kate, and this is my friend Adrian. Why don’t we walk you back over to your father?” After he nodded again, he ran back over to Oliver and began talking excitedly to him, as Kate and Adrian followed at a more sedate pace.
Oliver glanced up, and his eyes widened at the sight of them. “Mai!” he called, standing. Martin turned to look and jumped to his feet.
“Kate!” said her father-in-law, hurrying over to her and embracing her. “It’s so good to see you! Here, come sit down.” He led her over to the bench he and Oliver had been sitting on.
Oliver took her free hand in both of his, looking her in the eye. “Mai’s missed you,” he said, and gave her the tiniest of smiles. Kate knew it meant he’d missed her too. She smiled back at him and sat down on the bench.
“I’ll go find Mai and the twins,” Martin said before walking off.
“Takumi, this is your Aunt Kate,” Oliver said seriously. He picked the little boy up and deposited him in her lap. “Say hello.”
“I already did,” the toddler replied. “Papa, what does ‘aunt’ mean?”
“It means that Kate is my sister.”
Kate’s eyes filled with tears. After all these years—after everything that had happened—he still considered her family. “Thank you, Oliver,” she said quietly.
“Aunt Kate?” Takumi asked. “Why are you crying?”
She smiled at the little boy. “It’s because I’m so happy to meet you. It’s been a long time since I’ve seen your mother and father. I didn’t even know about you until yesterday! Now tell me, what do you do for fun?”
“I read and play in the gardens! Sometimes I chase the house elves, but Mama doesn’t like it when I do that.”
“I can understand why! Don’t the poor elves have work to do?” Kate grinned, running her hand through Takumi’s hair. It was soft and silky.
“Kate!” Mai came running from somewhere in the gardens and embraced her tightly. “I’ve missed you so! Where have you been?”
Wincing, Kate replied, “Here and there. America. But I’m back now. Could you—er—let me go?”
The other woman let her go, gasping when her eyes took in the sling. “What happened to you?”
“Car accident. Bad one. Still healing.”
Takumi looked at her in curiosity as Mai exclaimed, “A car accident! How on earth did you manage that?”
Kate shrugged her good shoulder. “I was living as a Muggle among Muggles. Can’t exactly avoid them, unfortunately.” The twins came into sight, and her eyes lit up. “Wow! They’re huge!”
“Kyoya! Aika! Come say hello to your aunt!” Mai beckoned them over. The twins were five now, and had easily grown fifteen centimeters since Kate had last seen them.
“Hello,” the twins obediently said in unison, their heads tilting slightly.
“Hi,” Kate replied with a smile. “You two have grown since I saw you last. It’s been over two years.”
“You cried the last time you saw us,” Kyoya said solemnly.
“We’re glad you’re not crying now,” Aika added.
Kate stared at them, the smile stuck on her face. So they did remember her. “I’m glad I’m not crying either,” she said after a moment. “This is my friend Adrian. She’s from the United States, where I’ve been.”
The twins turned and began hammering Adrian with questions about America and Kate, relieved, turned back to Mai.
“You went away for school and came back like this.” Mai looked at her sadly. “Was it worth it?”
“Yes. I met Adrian, and school was amazing. I learned so much!” She was about to give Mai a detailed description of what exactly she’d learned when Luella called them in for dinner.
It was quiet, mostly with small talk and inquiries about Kate and Adrian’s life in the States. Luella kept insisting that Kate eat more food; she was too thin, but Kate protested that she would be sick if she ate another bite.
Eventually, they all retired to the sitting room. Kate sequestered herself away in a corner, content to watch her adopted family interact with her best friend from afar. Oh, how she wished Gene was still alive.
“You miss him, don’t you?”
Kate looked down at Takumi, who had insisted on sitting in her lap. “What do you mean?”
“Uncle Gene.” He looked up at her with clear blue eyes, which suddenly seemed too old for him. “He misses you.”
“How—how do you know about Gene? How do you know he—he misses me?” She could feel tears springing to her eyes. He was supposed to have moved on!
“I can see him. Nobody else can. He talks to me sometimes.” Takumi nestled against her chest and yawned.
“He—I—” Kate found herself at a loss for words. At last, she managed to ask, “Why is he still here?”
“Because I can’t seem to go on,” Takumi answered. She forced herself not to launch him off her lap at his words, instead stuttering his name. “Wrong, Kitty-Kate. It’s me.”
“Gene!”
The exclamation carried across the room to the others, who looked over at Kate with concern.
“He didn’t waste time,” Mai said softly. “I was hoping he’d wait.”
“He always did rush into things.” Oliver took her hand, then turned to Adrian, who looked more apprehensive than anyone. “As soon as Takumi could speak, he began talking about Gene. At first we’d hoped the twins or Mother and Father had mentioned it, but then we realized that Gene hadn’t moved on—he was lingering here for some reason.”
Adrian frowned. “So now he’s what, channeling through Takumi to speak to Kate? Isn’t that a little cruel of him?”
“I’ll go make sure nothing’s amiss, if you’re that worried.” Oliver stood and walked sedately over to Kate, who was weeping openly.
“You’re supposed to be gone,” she said to Takumi—Gene. “You said you were moving on.”
“I can’t. I’m not sure why. Maybe it’s the soul bond with you. I’m sorry. Please don’t cry.” Takumi’s chubby fingers wiped tears from her face, and his head turned to Oliver. “Hello Noll.”
“I’d rather you made this quick, Gene,” he said.
The little boy’s head nodded. “I’m sorry. I needed to speak to her.” He looked back at Kate. “I’ll talk to you later. Perhaps even tonight.” Reaching up, he kissed her cheek and whispered, “I love you, my Kitty-Kate.”
Kate choked back a sob as the toddler fell limp in her arms. Oliver scooped him up and gave him a quick once-over.
“Just sleeping,” he declared, then glared at the wall. “Next time you decide to speak to someone through my son, ask me first,” he growled, then stalked off towards the stairs. One of the pictures on the mantel wobbled in reply.
Kate stood on shaky legs, clinging to the back of the chair. “Loo,” she managed to say before hurrying from the room. Adrian followed after her, hazel eyes worried. When she reached the bathroom, Kate was sitting next to the toilet, looking pale.
“Are you all right? Going to be sick?”
“I don’t know.” It came out in a groan. “I just had to get away.” He was supposed to be gone! Why was he still here! She felt a swell of irritation.
There was a knock on the door, and Luella’s voice filtered through. “Kate sweetie? You and Adrian can stay here tonight if you’d like. It will be easier if you want to speak with him.”
“Who says I want to talk to him?” Kate retorted, knowing it was a lie. Her hair moved on its own. “Stop touching me, Eugene. I’m angry.”
Adrian opened the door. “We’ll stay,” she said. “I think she needs to talk to him.”
“Just like he needs to move on,” Kate grumbled, pushing herself to her feet. “But fine. I’ll stay. One night.”
They put her in the room she’d shared with Gene, with Adrian in the room next door. She fell asleep quickly, waking, or so it seemed, in a familiar dreamscape.
Gene stood amid the flowers, not looking a day over seventeen. He held his arms out to her, but she crossed hers and glared.
“I am so—”she began, then stopped and started again. “You said you were moving on! You lied to me, you asshole! Do you have any idea what’s happened to me since you died? Do you know what I’ve been through?”
He winced at her assault. “Sweetheart…”
“You used your nephew to talk to me! I can’t believe you!” Her face was pink in her anger. Gene took a step back. She was really, really mad.
“Well,” he said, holding his hands out, palms upward, “he was…open?”
“He’s TWO!” she screeched, hands balling into fists.
“I just… I just needed to speak with you. I love you, you know. And Takumi did say I could.”
Her breath came out in a hiss. "You were supposed to move on. I was trying to move on. How am I supposed to do that when you're hanging around like this?"
“I’m sorry,” he said. “I wasn’t—I couldn’t follow you when you left. I don’t—” He sat down, hard, on the flowers, which released the calming scent of lavender. “I don’t know what happened to you, but by the looks of it, it wasn’t nice.” Looking up at her, he gave her a smile and offered her his hand. “Will you tell me?”
Kate let out a sigh and managed to get down onto the flowers. Gene watched her anxiously.
“I couldn’t contact you after the funeral for some reason,” he said after a moment. “I tried. No-one could see me. And no-one could until Takumi. He’s special.”
“That doesn’t mean you should use his power for yourself.” Her eyes were closed, her voice weary, and her expression pained. She was massaging her shoulder.
“I’m sorry,” Gene said again, scooting closer and touching the hand on her shoulder. “May I?”
“No. Don’t—don’t touch me yet.” He dropped his hand and sighed. “When I left… I went to California. But you know that.” She opened her eyes and looked at him. “I met Adrian, and then I met Jason.”
“Jason?” Gene frowned. He wasn’t who he’d seen Kate with in the future.
“He was different from you. In so many ways. A Muggle. I—well, I started dating him. He was so kind at first, and I guess I fell in love. We moved to New York and lived together. Everything changed.”
Kate did not meet his eyes. “It was a mistake to think I could change him once I realized how he really was. Once he started—” She swallowed. “He hurt me more than Holly and Doug ever did, I think. Sometimes I didn’t eat.”
Gene let out a soft growl. “If he ever—”
“No,” she mumbled, cutting him off. “He tried. That’s why I left him.” She pulled the sling off, then began removing her jumper.
“What are you doing? You don’t need to strip!”
“It’s better to show you,” she replied as she tossed the garment aside. Now she was in just a camisole, and Gene could see why she was rubbing her shoulder. There was a small, circular scar there. The camisole blocked the scar momentarily, and then she was nude from the waist up. He forced himself not to look at her breasts, which she quickly covered with her hands as she looked away.
There was a linear scar between them, and three scars below her right breast—two round, one straight. “Kate,” Gene breathed.
She moved one hand to gesture to the scar between her breasts. “He gave me this the night I left. He was so drunk, and he’d never tried to touch me until that night. But he cornered me and started ripping my clothes off with his pocketknife.” Her hands pulled her knees up to her chest. “I was… really weak. Hadn’t been eating properly. He overpowered me, tried cutting my bra off. My magic burst out, I guess, because he went flying across the room and was knocked out. I grabbed my wand and got the hell out of there.”
“And the other scars?” he asked softly.
“Adrian snuck back for my stuff. That’s how he knew I’d left. He—he came looking for me a couple weeks later. Picked the lock. I didn’t have my wand on me; I’d left it in the kitchen. Managed to call the cops before he shot me the first time. Kept them on the phone even though I’d dropped it.” She showed him her wrist and the scar there.
He grasped her hand. “Kate, oh Kate, this should never have happened—”
“It did,” she said shortly. “Are you going to let me finish?”
“Yes, of course. Sorry.”
Kate pulled her hand from his. “He shot me in the foot, then in the leg. In the shoulder. Got my liver, and then he got my lung. That was the worst part that I remember.” She shuddered slightly, remembering the sucking sound her lung had made, as she gestured to the scars beneath her breast before reaching for her camisole and beginning to pull it back on. “They apparently had to remove a bit of my liver, and my lung’s scarred. The shoulder was bad. Adrian’s the one to ask about that though. She coordinated it. She’s also the one to ask about what he did to me after I passed out, because I don’t remember.”
Another growl escaped him. “You’re not trying to tell me he raped you.”
Shrugging her good shoulder, Kate replied, “That’s what Adrian, the doctors, and the police say. I don’t remember. I was unconscious and bleeding out.” A shiver ran across her. She’d have nightmares for sure now that she’d talked about it.
“I’ll kill him,” Gene said fiercely. “I’ll haunt him and then kill him for daring to hurt you.”
Kate’s eyes went wide, and she scooted slightly away from him, groping for her jumper. “Yes, if you’d like,” she mumbled. “He’s in prison though. You’ll need to get across the ocean.” She’d very much like to leave now. With a groan, she forced herself to her feet.
“Where are you going?” he asked.
“Hopefully waking up,” she said as she began to walk away. “You—you’re scaring me.”
He sighed. “Kate—Kitty-Kate, I’m sorry. It’s just—the thought that anyone had his hands on you like that—”
“That’s fine and all, but I’d still like to leave now.” Kate did not look at him.
“Okay. You’ll need my help.”
She let out a sigh and turned around, letting out a gasp as she found him immediately beside her. “Don’t do that!”
He looked chagrined. “I forgot I didn’t make noise here. I’m sorry, love.”
“Just hurry up and do what needs to be done so I can get some sleep.” She crossed her arms and looked away, forcing herself not to move farther from him.
“Can I kiss you goodbye?” he asked softly. His hand lifted to hover near her face.
“Whatever.”
He kissed her forehead, and then the tip of her nose, repeating a pattern she’d almost forgotten, before gently trapping her lips beneath his own in a chaste kiss. When he pulled away, he rested his forehead against hers. “Goodnight, Kitty-Kate. I love you.” His lips met her forehead again.
Her eyes snapped open to view the ceiling of her bedroom. “Arse,” she whispered quietly to no-one. It suddenly occurred to her that she hadn’t asked why he hadn’t moved on. Bollocks. Now she’d have to see him again, if she didn’t want him using Takumi.
----------------------
Late May 2003
“This has got to be a fever dream,” Kate muttered as she found herself in a field of flowers.
“No,” said Gene from behind her. She let out a yelp as she turned to look at him. “Sorry.”
“What are you doing here?” It had been six months since she’d seen him last. “I didn’t think you were able to follow me here.” They were in an entirely different dimension, and Merlin only knew who or what could have followed them through the Gate. They had assumed it was just themselves and what they carried, but apparently Gene had followed.
He shrugged. “I’m bound to you… until now. It’s time for me to leave.”
Her eyes widened. “Am I going to die?” She knew the fever was bad; it had killed Edward’s mother after all, and she was… what had Draco called it? Immunodeficient.
“Don’t be so fatalistic, Kitty-Kate.” Gene kissed her forehead. “You’ll get through this just fine.”
“But then why are you leaving?”
“Draco,” he said softly. “I know he’ll take care of you, and I can finally feel safe letting go. Ever since he arrived, I’ve slept longer and longer, and I know now it’s because he’s the one I was waiting for.”
Kate stared at him. “Waiting for?”
Gene took her hands in both of his and gazed into her eyes. “This is why I couldn’t move on. Because you weren’t safe. Now you will be. With him.”
“But—!”
He shook his head. “No. It’s him. I didn’t know that it would be at first, but now I do.” He let out a soft chuckle. “And you fought it pretty hard.”
“Gene, please,” she pleaded. “Don’t go.”
“It’s time for both of us to move forward. You especially.” He touched his forehead to hers. “Goodbye, Kitty-Kate. I love you.” With that, he kissed her forehead, and she fell backwards into darkness.
Draco was there when she woke, looking concerned. “You were talking in your sleep,” he said.
Tears sprung to Kate’s eyes, and she began to weep. “Gene,” she choked out. “Gene’s gone.”
He immediately gathered her in his arms, letting her cry. “It’s all right. It’ll be all right.”
She’d told him about her deceased husband during nights when he’d woken up to her weeping softly on the other side of the room because of dreams about him. At times she would have nightmares. He’d apparently died in the Battle of Hogwarts, killed by Yaxley. Draco suspected there was more to it than that—how had she known it was Yaxley when she’d been at home, far from the battle?
After a few minutes, her tears slowed. Her hands clutched his shirt as if she feared he would disappear too.
“He said he was moving on. He’s finally able to… because of you,” Kate whispered—or rather, rasped. She rubbed her throat.
“You really shouldn’t talk,” Draco murmured, rubbing her back. “You’ll lose your voice.”
She shook her head and sighed, gripping him tightly. “Don’t leave me.”
Draco considered the order he’d placed with a blacksmith the other day, before she’d gotten ill. “No,” he murmured, kissing the top of her head, “I won’t.”
“Promise?”
“Promise.”
