Sitting just inside the closed glass doors that led outside onto the balcony, Katie tugged at the blanket tucked around her figure to tuck it in tighter. The chill outside seemed to easily find its way inside. Tucking accomplished, Katie curled her slender fingers around the warm teacup and blew gently across the top disrupting the steam drifting upward in a lazy spiral. Days had bled one into another and she had let herself get drawn along without much thought although she had taken time to write her letters. It was her way of journaling her life, of drawing her friends into the more mundane of day to day matters. She was not flashy like Portia or Sebastian and Katie fancied that they rather enjoyed getting a glimpse into the life of the less crazed.

And of course there had been letters to Jude. His were written more frequently and sent like clockwork. Little stories of what she was doing, thoughts that went through her head and always the hope that he was doing good. She sometimes added that she missed him but refrained from putting that in too often out of fear of sounding as if she were whining or trying to put pressure on him to come back. He had so much to do, she understood that and she wouldn't want him to be less than he was. When he was able, he came to see her but could she help it that she wanted more time? He made her feel so alive.

And then there was London. She worried about him. Sometimes he was going for days and days and she didn't hear anything then maybe a whisper of drinking and foul mood. She knew he didn't need a mother to come over and scold him so she didn't but her heart broke a little more each time she thought he was sinking into depression or something worse. He was important to her and she wished there was something she could do to uplift him. Maybe she should simply show up with a picnic basket and insist on some time with him. Slender fingers tightened around her mug at the idea. It was a good one. Maybe she would even engage Sebastian in the endeavor. Sebastian had a way of making London smile sometimes.

Eyes turned to the window, gaze searching the sky. The clouds were fluffy but had a heavy feel to them and there was gray mixed in with the white. Rain clouds but maybe not rain here or today but it was clear that the weather might not hold for to terribly long. If she were going to do something like that, she should do it quickly. Although unwilling to leave the comfy warmth of her chair, Katie set aside her tea and stood, stretching to work out the kinks in a body that had grown too comfortable. She sighed and moved to find her phone. First, Sebastian. Wouldn't he be surprised to get a call from her? She almost giggled as she dialed the number. She waited for the rings and then made a face when she got the answering machine. On the off chance that he was simply screening his calls, she left the message anyway. "Meet me at London's. Time to drag that boy out for some fun. Bring your friend. The more the merrier." She hung up and then went to the kitchen. She wasn't the best of cooks but she had things that would make a good enough picnic.

By the time she was ready to go, dressed in something much warmer than her previous shirt and skirt, Katie had still not heard back from Sebastian. She assumed he was busy with either Portia or that lovely friend of his and didn't count on his being at London's but that did not stop her. The goal was to get London out and Katie was quite determined to do so. With that goal in mind, she turned the sign in her shoppe to 'closed' and then stepped herself through the door of the shop. Her eyes narrowed up at the clouds as if daring them to ruin her plans and then off to London's flat she marched with a picnic basket over one arm.