((This immediately follows Ithaca))

Once again, Katarina was making her way towards Locke's apartment without proper wear for the chill that still lingered outside. Her burnt yellow dress lacked the usual sweater-like quality that she was favoring for the weather, revealing her intentions of not leaving the house. In her haste to get this unknown Sarah out of her cousins' house, she didn't think of anything else. And now, she had no desire to return and walked to the only other place she could think of.

During her walk, most of her anger ebbed away. It left raw, hurt and confused feelings along with pain. She didn't like to reach out and seek for help, but withholding all these months was wearing her thin. Silently hoping with any hope that she had left that Locke would be home, she unfolded one arm from across her chest to buzz Locke's apartment, "Locke?" Her voice surprised her as it cracked, and she took a deep breath, tried again. "Locke?"

The speaker crackled on immediately, though it took another moment or two for speech to come out of it, crackly and staticky. "I'm here." There was a pause, as the machinery hummed and whirred. There was a clicking sound, then Locke continued, in what was clearly a hurt tone. "Where were you?"

She closed her eyes and instantly moved to wipe away the moisture from her eyes as she thought about being absent when he was off work despite her word, before pressing the button, "Look, I didn't forget. Johnny came back this afternoon. Please, come down?" Her accent faded as she struggled to get control of her overwhelming emotions.

"...I need to put some clothes on first. Can you wait a minute or two?" He left the speaker still on, though there was little to hear besides the usual noises of the callbox once he had finished speaking.

Where else was she going to go? "Yeah, tha's fine. Kin ya jist lemme in th' lobby, please? I forgo' a bloody jacket."

"Certainly. I will be down shortly." The callbox clicked off, an orange light came on, and the doors to the lobby unlocked, granting her entrance inside.

"Thanks." The words were muttered to herself as she was quick to let herself into the moon-lit lobby. The room was warmer, but she still began to rub her arms as she slowly made her way over to the large tree in the middle of the room. She wiped more moisture out of her eyes as sweet memories bombarded her thoughts. Slowly, she sat down at the base of the tree, pulling down on her leggings for comfort, before folding her knees and placing her face in her hands.

It was no time at all before he was practically sprinting into the lobby, bright grin plastered on his face. He apparently hadn't noticed (or it hadn't gotten quite across to him through the speaker) her emotional status. The sprint faded into a jog, then a slow walk, once he spotted her sitting near the tree, knees up and face hidden. He'd left out most of the usual accoutrements in his appearance: no earrings, no belt, no spike and shine to the hair. He wore a white button-up with a set of light blue, dark blue, and purple stripes, black trousers, and black lace-up bluchers. He had a canvas-colored mackintosh coat tossed over his shoulder. Finally, he stopped moving, standing there and staring dumbly at her. "Katarina?" There was a brief pause, then a cringe as the words he wanted to say escaped him.

She didn't look up as he said her name, but his familiarity threatened to crumble the walls that she had been holding up for so long. "Locke... it was terrible! He showed up with this girl that was saying she was his wife, Sianna fainted and.. and.." her voice cracked again as her body trembled lightly, "I thought he was d-dead."

The dumb look was replaced by one of shock and horror. "I thought-I thought, thought it was aces that he was back! And-and...you thought he was brown bread?" The words were tumbling out, as awkwardly as they ever did from him, as he tried to process everything. Finally, though, he couldn't. "I...I don't understand. I don't..." He took a tentative step forward, looking towards her as if searching for a sign, a signal, a clue, anything to tell him what he should do in that moment.

"Oh, but it is." Perhaps that was where the deep guilt that sprouted her sadness was, in knowing that she was not all in joy at his return. She wiped at her tears with frustration before looking up to him, "He was whole and in one piece. But.. but he brought a woman with him, Locke. He brought a woman home that had the sole purpose of ruining everything. And-and I just can't forget that he was gone for six months. Six months!? Away from his wife, the kids they were having.. his family! I.. I changed everything to be there for Si, because I love her and because she's family. That's what family does.. and he left!

He took one more step, then another. His pace was halting at first, then gradually became smoother, quicker, until he had bridged the distance between them. He didn't address anything she said immediately, but rather crouched in front of her, pulling the coat off of his shoulder and holding it out towards her. "You said...you said you needed a jacket?"

A few more tears fell, and she was clearly trying to keep a firm grip from having any more fall. The green in her eyes appeared to pop against the redness that was beginning to form along the rims of her eyes. She nodded slowly, sighing before she took the jacket. "Thanks." Instead of putting it on, she draped it over her form like it was a blanket, "An' 'm really sorry tha' I didn' come. I wouldn' do tha' 'n purpose." Deep breaths were helping in calming the tears.

He popped out of his crouch, taking a few more steps to the side of Katarina, before he dropped into a seated position. Before he spoke another word, as soon as he was on the ground, he threw an arm around her, pulling her into a tight half-hug. "It is perfectly understandable, given the circumstances. No worries. No worries at all."

She turned into him, bringing up her hands to quickly wipe away the tears again so that the moisture would not fall onto his shirt. Still, she tried to squeeze in as close as she could in that half-embrace, "An' yanno, I wasn' real happy 'bout wha' happened las' nigh'. Bu', bu' now it jist all seems so dumb. All o' it does."

"We can talk about that later," he murmured quietly. "It does not seem a pressing concern at this moment." He sighed, glancing up at the stars on the ceiling, shining just as brightly as they ever did. Somehow, it didn't quite seem to fit with the pair's mood. "Johnny had no explanation for what happened? At all?"

She shook her head slowly, " 'm sure he does, bu' I didn' stick 'round long 'nough. He came, I opened th' door, he introduced me ta tha' girl, Sarah, and she says tha'.. tha' they were married." She continued to shake her head against him, "Jo kept sayin' tha' it wasn' so anymore.. an' then Si came down, an' she fainted... A righ' mess bringin' her back 'round. By tha' time, Jo was real anxious ta see his kids. So then I brough' 'em down.. and then Si was startin' ta ask questions an' tha'.." she crinkled her nose angrily, "tha' bloody woman start talkin' 'gain, so I promp'ly dragged her ou' an' put her 'n a inn nah far fra th' house. She was sayin' somethin' 'bout Johnny promisin' ta take care o' her. An' she's pregnant. Nah tha' far, bu' noticeabe."

He shook his head, and kept shaking it, as if repeating the gesture would make it all go way. "No..." His voice trailed off, then returned as a hoarse whisper. "He didn't...he couldn't have..." He leaned back and let his head bounce against the massive tree trunk. He had to resist the urge to repeat the gesture again and again, to bash the dark thoughts from his head. Not Johnny...not him.

She shook her head quickly, "Nah, I dun thin' he did. She's th' wife o' th' guy he wen ' ou' ta help 'n th' first place, bu' Jo said tha' th' guy - Evan, died."

The air audibly rushed out of his lungs, followed soon after by a sigh. "I...I still don't understand what happened. Why it happened. I just heard the barest details when he left, and then..." He threw up his hands, then let them fall back to the earth. "It-I can't make heads or tails of it."

"I dunno. I dunno." She repeated again as she truly believed her own words. There was no sense that she could make on her cousin's behalf. She sighed again and leaned against him, " 'm sure he's tellin' Si th' all o' it. Bu'.. I dun wan'ta go back, yanno? I moved 'n 'cause Si was all 'lone, an' so was I. How kin I go back wen' I kin't stand ta think 'bout it? I mean, I'll love Jo ta no end, bu' tha' dun mean I ain' got a single nice thin' ta say ta 'im righ' now." She closed her eyes, feeling the majority of her twisted emotions leave the more she talked about it.

She gave him a last squeeze before unwinding her arms from him. "Thank you." The words were simple, but her gratitude in them were unmistakable. She eased back from him slightly just so that she had room to rub her face a few times before looking up at the ceiling at the stars, "I dunno wha' th' bes' thin' ta do is, now. Mahbe I should jist stay 'n a inn fer a li'l bit, till thin's calm down."

He blurted out one of the thoughts he'd been thinking early, cringing almost as soon as it had escaped from his lips. "I wish you could stay here."

She looked away from the ceiling to him, before offering a sad smile, " 've though' 'bout tha', too. Bu' jist which floor da ya thin' a simple human like me's gonna survive 'n?"

Locke patted the ground and grass in front of him, a somber look of his own on his face. "This one would probably be it."

She looked around them for a moment, that sad smile still on her features, "While I kin't complain 'bout th' view, I dun thin' th' lobby's gonna fulfill all mah needs withou' tearin' it 'part."

"Well, at the very least, I can help you find an inn to stay at. Do you think you will be moving into another apartment, then?" His mouth opened and shut for a second, before he glanced over at her.

She folded her arms over her knees, "I dunno, yit. I mean, I had otha reasons fer movin 'n wit' Si, yanno? I wan'ta hav' mah own home tha' has a studio 'n it. Tha' goal's gonna be takin' a lot longa ta reach if I rent anywhere."

"There will be plenty of time to think on that on the morrow, salkaamin. I would be willing to bet that you are absolutely knackered right now." He tilted his head just slightly at her. "Yes?"

She felt drained more than anything, but traces of exhaustion was easily found in her self-searching, however much she didn't want to admit it. "Yeah, I guess so." A realization brought forth a chuckle as she rested her head against the tree with a 'thump'. "I dun hav' anythin' but this." Motioned to her dress, "Ah well."

"I'll go back and get some clothes for you as soon as possible, once everything else is all squared away. It will kill a few birds with one stone, savvy?" He winked at her, trying to get her to smile back at him.

She bit on her lower lip for a moment, before shaking her head slowly with a smile, "I 'preciate it Locke, bu' I'll go tomorra. I kin't jist... fade away, yeah? Be like everyone else." She reached for one of his hands so that she could press a kiss to his palm.

When she reached for his hand, he lifted it up a little and turned his palm up, eyes shutting in reflex at the kiss. "Were you ready to go then? Or did you just want to stay here for a little while longer?" The questioning look quickly reached his eyes as they reopened and studied her.

She frowned slightly, "Well, yanno I wan'ta stay as long as I kin, bu' I dun wan'ta keep ya up too late an' make ya tired tomorra. I know there's nah way 'm gonna be goin' ta th' theatre tomorrow." She shook her head.

"I can take a half day tomorrow. God knows my co-workers do so often enough." He rolled his eyes a little, before a slight chuckle escaped. "I can explain the situation to them tomorrow. I am certain that Gerard will understand."

"Ya sure?" She studied his expression, before giving a lopsided grin, "Me an' mine seem ta be th' cause o' yer midnigh' oil burnin' nigh's and goin' ta work late days."

"No trouble at all." He almost seemed to be singing as he faced her, brushing a gloved hand against her cheek. "Amin merna na sinome yassen lle."

Her smile was warm and reached her eyes, "Yeah, tha's real shiny, 'cause 'm nah too sure I could be ready ta par' jist yit, anyhow." She almost reached out, before remembering that for the second night in a row, she had forgotten gloves, and pouted slightly.

He spotted the pout, and wordlessly slipped the glove off of his left hand. He brought his knees up and balanced the glove across his kneecaps, shutting his eyes as he touched it. There was a brief gust of cool wind that rippled through his clothing and hair, before it died down abruptly. Once he was done, his right hand grabbed the other glove and held it out for her. It probably wouldn't fit, but it was the thought that counted, right?

She watched him with interest, pulling the jacket across her just a little closer at as the cool winds came. When he offered the glove, she all but clapped her hand with glee, "Thanks a'maelamin" She tried that different name, before nodding in approval and slipping the glove onto her left hand.

He slipped his bare left hand into his pants pocket, while lifting up his right hand and holding it in front of her face, palm towards her, as if waiting for her to touch it. "Lle creoso."


*My dancer
I want to be here with you
My beloved
You're welcome

"Are you going to fall asleep on me?" It was just a moment later, that he picked up on the possible dual meaning in his sentence, and he chuckled a little to himself. His left hand, stuck with little to do but fidget and fret, was jammed back into his pants pocket.

"An' if I do? Gonna complain 'bout it?" She tried not to giggle as she cuddled even closer and nuzzled his shoulder like it was a pillow.

"If you're comfortable..." Traces of doubt crept in, clouding his features slightly, though he soon regained his smile once she'd brushed her cheek against his shoulder.

She giggled now, "While ya ar' quite comfy, I dun think eitha o' us will be comofor'able sittin' unda this tree fer much longa." Still, she made no movement of moving.

"No. Likely not. Still..." he said, dragging out the word as long as he could without succumbing to giggles as well, "I can rough it for as long as you can stand to. You won't hear a peep from me." He removed his hand from his pocket, so that he could pretend to zip his lips shut.

"No? Nah one li'l peep?" She shifted only so that she could give him a rather suspicious look.

"Mmhhh hmh." He deliberately muzzled himself, shaking his head quite vigorously. It bounced a few stray locks of white hair into his eyes, and looked at them with surprise.

She laughed, sitting up and gently taking her hand out of his. First, she moved the white locks that came to his face back up and away. "Nah a peep." She reminded him, before narrowing her eyes once more. She scooted closer and moved her fingers feather-light behind and around his neck, to see if it provoked any sort of response.

Once the hair was out of his line of sight, he flicked his gaze down towards his neck, then her face, a mix of incredulity and surprise crossing his features. Though it quickly became clear that he was attempting to resist the urge to twitch and squirm and giggle from the tickling.

"Nah a peep!" She giggled, her fingers swift to find the right place around his neck. She moved to his midriff too, quite determined to make him laugh.

His face started to turn purple with the effort not to laugh, though by now he was trying to scoot out of the way. Finally, though, the dam broke, and he began to giggle uncontrollably, before he clapped a blue hand over his mouth. His eyes practically popped out of his head, as he kept his mouth covered.

It was too late, however and she celebrated her victory, "Nah a peep, Mista Locke!" She held her sides as she laughed warmly.

He snapped his fingers in disappointment. "Bugger, mate. You got me, fair and square." He found himself chuckling as well, the laughter and moment of good will infectious. For now, Locke clung to that moment fiercely, knowing full well how quickly it could disappear.

"I always git ya fair an' square." Of course her silly, lopsided grin belied her words. Her laughter finally calmed down enough to make her breathing more normal, and her arms relaxed around her middle.

"Square, maybe, but that was definitely and decidedly not fair." He set both hands on his hips, jaw jutting out quite sternly, one foot tapping on the ground.

"Nah?" She mirrored him with having her hands on her hips, and leaned forward at him, "An' jist wha' ar' ya gonna do 'bout it?"

He left his gloved hand on his hip, while the left one scratched his chin. Eyes narrowed just slightly, looking over her intently before opening up further. "I shall have to plan and scheme for a proper punishment for the likes of you."

She deliberately looked him up and down, before shaking her head slowly, "Nah, you wun't." Said with complete confidence.

"What makes you say that?" One of his eyebrows lifted up, and his forehead furrowed a touch.

" 'Cause I go' yer greates' weakness. 'Sides, how kin ya punish a face like mine?" She modeled his piteous look and fluttered her lashes.

At the piteous look, his gloved hand reached out to "honk" her nose and pretended to remove it. He "held" it tight in his right hand, thumb clenched between index and middle fingers to simulate the part of her face that was now "missing." "Quite easily, it would seem."

"Wha'..? Hey!" She laughed warmly, and since it was his gloved hand, she used both of hers to try and save her "nose." "Giv' tha' back!"

He tried to pull away, but instead lost his balance and flopped onto his back. Quickly, he attempted to hide his hand behind his back, pressed between himself and the dirt of the lobby. "Na-uh. It belongs to me now."

She giggled, following him until he fell. Then she put a hand down on either side of him and peered down with a small frown, "Ya 'lready hav' mah hear'. Must ya hav' mah nose, too? Mah face prolly looks awfully odd withou' it."