ikissdhimbck | OOM: Room #100 - Visit from Bill, following fight with Ramon

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OOM: Room #100 - Visit from Bill, following fight with Ramon

[A few days after this:]

Kate isn't expecting company. Of course, she never is, when Doc already happens to be in the room with her. So when there comes a light, but steady, knock at her door this morning, they exchange glances.

Doc signals to her to step away from the doorway, taking quiet steps over to where he left his holster the night before. He quickly withdraws his Colt, and silently moves toward the door.

"Who is it?" he calls gruffly, while Kate waits on the other side of her desk, back pressed against the wall and sixshooter in her hand.

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"Yeah."

Considerin' I got my ass kicked.

"Got lucky the right people were around who could help."

He goes quiet a moment, looking down at his hands, rubbing at the knuckles on the back of one.

"Y'get Kate's note?"

"Helps t'have pals with talents."

Doc glances at Kate, and nods when Bill mentions the note - but he'll let her respond.

She doesn't look up.

"Yep."

She's braced herself for this; or, rather, for what she thinks 'this' is. Another argument; another fight; another conversation about how she went wrong.

He's about to open himself up for the criticism he knows he's due; when she berates him for what he's done and throws back in his face how she was right.

After the way he yelled at her and argued for his decisions, she deserves to say 'I told you so'.

He glances at Doc, but keeps his eyes away from Kate, turning his gaze back to his hands.

"After everything that's happened, an' the way things are I'd -- I'd like t'know what you're gonna do."

Doc sips from his water glass to clear his throat.

"Well, we've talked 'bout that," he answers. "After Kate's taken care of things here, we're lookin' to head t'Colorada."

She pauses in the middle of fastening her belt around her waist, fingers stiff against the buckle.

It's not that she was going to hide that from Bill -- not at all -- it's just that the words out in the open like that make her feel even more like a failure.

I can't do anything for you.

His head turns back to Doc quickly, and there's actually some relief in his expression.

"Y'are?"

He takes a slow breath and gives a small nod.

"That -- that's probably the smart thing t'do."

It helps knowing that Kate won't be staying here, now that Bill's made things worse, and he's glad to hear that she'll be going with Doc.

It helps him make his decision about what he's going to do, but he still feels like a damn failure, and like he's running away.

"It's all gotten outta hand. It's too hot right now, no tellin' what's comin' next."

The words are to himself as much as they are to the other two in the room, as he tries to convince himself he's making the right choice this time.

"He ain't hard t'handle when he's a tree, but we seen what he can do when he's angry, and God Almighty knows after gettin' turned into a tree, he's gonna be out for blood."

Doc looks between them.

"The safest thing for all of us is t'git out until they've gotten a handle on him. I don't want t'see nobody gettin' hurt when there's no tellin' what he's capable of."

Katherine, Kate, Bill, or Boo.

"I'll handle it."

She finishes with her belt, purposely keeping her eyes on the floor.

"I know I didn't do things right. Didn't do 'em the way I should'a. But I'm gonna set it right, this time. Been thinkin' it through."

She's been over this with Doc. He knows how much she hates this; she hates leaving them, she hates that she's drug so many people into this stupid problem now. She hates admitting she's in over her head.

But she knows it'll be best for everybody involved if she just leaves. It's the only way.

He's agreeing with what Doc is saying, and then Katherine speaks. He looks at her, and there's a wariness in his expression and tone.

"Handle it how?"

He doesn't want another argument, but if she means to do anything other than what they're talking about now, there'll be one.

He glances at Bill - the man's wariness is easy to pick up on, and it does strike a nerve, simply because Doc's been feeling wary about this for weeks, now. Then he looks at Katherine.

You ain't running scared, remember what we talked 'bout.

"Gettin' help."

She sucks in a breath, shooting Doc a quick look before she finally lets her eyes settle on Bill. Her normally vivid blue eyes are the color of slate as she speaks.

"I'm gonna talk t'security. Turn myself in. Hopefully, they'll contain him once Lady Demeter turns him back human 'gain."

She lets her gaze fall once again, slowly pushing herself up to her feet.

"Then I'm leavin'."

There's a note of finality in her voice that might make one think she doesn't just mean leaving for some holiday.

That's what he should have done from the beginning, gone to security. He had wanted to protect Katherine, but he sees now he hasn't protected her at all, and now everything is completely out of control.

"Kate -- "

He's not sure what to say. While he's trying to come up with something she finishes.

'Then I'm leavin'.'

The way she says it...

He looks up at her, searching for signs in her expression to go with her tone that says she's leaving, and not coming back.

Doc looks down at his glass of water, wishing again that it was whiskey instead, but he makes no move to change. He simply nods, but it doesn't matter - Bill's paying attention to Katherine, not him, at the moment.

She'd agreed to come to Colorado, with him. Leave Texas behind.

He can't help but feel like even though he's protecting her, he's taking her away from her home.

She doesn't have a home anymore.

"You an' Kate'll be safe. Your friends here have everythin' well in hand, and once Ramon's released and I ain't here no more, there'll be no more reason t'fight. He won't be stupid enough t'stand up 'gainst gods t'git t'you. It was never about you, from day one. It was about me."

She moves to her chest of drawers, where she'd put her little brass makeup kit earlier, and takes out her tube of lipstick.

She doesn't want to leave Texas. It's a part of her, no matter how much she's trying to ignore it right now. But it makes more sense to head to a time and place where she's not going to be hunted, with someone who wants to build a life with her, than to run out of the frying pan and into the fire.

It will be fine.

This is the only way.

"If I remove myself, then I remove the problem. You an' Kate can git on with your lives," she concludes, carefully applying the bright red color to her lips.

"But, Kate -- "

He glances at Doc and looks between the two of them, and he doesn't know what to say. He doesn't know how to feel about this.

She's leaving, and his first reaction is to try and convince her to stay, but she's going with Doc, and it won't be back to Texas.

It's what he's been trying for since he found out about Katherine's situation at home, ever since he first ran into her as an outlaw, but this way... it feels wrong.

It's by force, not by choice.

He watches her with the lipstick, then speaks quietly.

"Are you sure?"

She caps the lipstick quietly, pursing her lips.

"Yeah."

She turns back around, her eyes meeting Bill's. She hates looking at him, because it does nothing but remind her of just how much she's failed him. This is all her fault.

But it also strengthens her determination that this is what needs to be done.

"I'm sure."

It's obviously not an easy decision, and her and Doc have probably discussed it at great length, him butting in now wouldn't help anyone.

So he nods, and returns her gaze; trying to hide his own guilt. If he had done a better job it wouldn't be coming to this.

"When?"

"Soon as I know what my punishment's gonna be for my part in all this."

She slowly paces the room.

"M'gonna go down, have a lil' chat with Ramon, then find someone with Security. They could throw me out by tonight, or they could toss me in the cells, or any number of things. Lord knows. Whenever they decide, then I'll know."

"And then we'll make arrangements from there."

Doc doesn't plan on permanently leaving the bar - at least not yet. But he does know that he could very well get locked out for a longer stretch of time than he'd like, and he doesn't plan on coming back until Ramon is no longer a threat.

He'll have to take the risk that Ramon isn't at the door with a gun waiting for him, of course - but the man can't be everywhere at once. Especially if Security takes care of him like they should, for what he's done.

"Have a chat."

He lets out a short, humorless chuckle. He's already decided not to go out and have a look at Ramon, tree or not, Bill doesn't want to see the man again.

Listening to Kate talk makes him feel even more like he's abandoning her. He doesn't just want to leave her to handle everything alone.

"I don't know the policies security here has but, I'll speak for you, Kate. If y'want me to. This ain't all your fault, Ramon's the one who's taken it so far, an' I'll tell 'em that."

"Well. I can't just turn him in without warnin'."

She matches his humorless chuckle with a wry smile.

Shaking her head, she refuses his offer.

"You've done enough. Kate wrote 'bout takin' you an' Boo to France, t'be with Demeter. Sounds nice. You two should do that."

Doc wants to see Bill, Kate, and Boo safe - a house in France that's protected by an immortal goddess seems a pretty good bet.

He nods, still tipped back in his chair.

"If you guys can make arrangements t'get out of here, git safe until things die down...I'm sure there's some way that we can get word out."

'You've done enough.'

He's trying not to take it negatively, but guilt tightens in his chest after she says it, and he nods.

All of his decisions during this thing have been bad ones. Not telling security, keeping the gun, trying to talk to Ramon, and the fight out back have all been poor choices with harsh consequences.

He looks at his hands again, and rubs the knuckles of one.

"I think that's what we're gonna have to do. Reason the fight started is 'cause Ramon was goin' after Kate again. I don't think him knockin' me out is gonna keep him away from her."

Ramon had suggested it as a way of 'settling her account', but it's doubtful he'll stick to that.

"You're probably right."

She's standing with her arms crossed over her chest, half turned away from both men and eyes on the floor.

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