We saw you headin' back with a shovel, Miss Katherine

It's Tommy's first day working in the stables. Kate sets him up with a grooming bucket and shows him what to do, handling her morning chores between bringing him horses — though she works a little more aggressively than usual. It's just been a few days since Tommy fought with Voodoo, and despite his claims that he feels much better, the bruises have mottled and turned uglier colors. Kate's temper hasn't abated, and likely never will. God help Voodoo if he ever tries approaching her.

Once it's time for afternoon tea, Tommy suggests they go someplace quiet to eat together. It only takes her a moment to decide on the field out beyond the lake where she likes to take Beaut from time to time. Instructing him to finish up and put his tools away, she heads out first, on horseback. It's a typical sight around this time of day, so nobody else is likely to suspect she'll be meeting someone.

When Tommy does mosey along, he'll find her just a few paces away from the beaten path in a great field of dandelions and poppies. Beaut is grazing freely while she's unpacking a basket of food on a large checkered blanket.

Dream of me . . .



Kate awakens suddenly in the middle of the night. She can feel a thin trickle of sweat creeping across her temple, and beneath her nightshirt her heart is pounding.


'Dream of me'


Doc is fast asleep behind her, his arms wrapped around her middle securely. But she barely even feels him there. She's lost in a dreamlike state, her mind clouded as if by a dark pall. The fine hairs on her arms and at the back of her neck are on end, and, though she's not sure why, she feels the urge to get up.

Doc stirs and mumbles in his sleep, and she hushes him, saying she just remembered leaving a gate unlocked in the stables.

"Leave't fer th'morn'n," he mumbles, reaching for her.

"I'll only be gone a moment," she whispers, kissing his forehead and brushing her fingers through his hair. He's already half-asleep, and she uses that to her advantage, coaxing him back into restfulness with just the right touch and a quiet, hummed song.

Dream of me.

She pulls on clothes -- her boots, and a blouse, and a long, flowing skirt that cinches at her waist -- and gathers her hair back into a braid, before stepping out of the room and down the stairs, feet quick with a strange tremble of excitement that runs through her blood. She's not even sure where she's going until she has her coat on and the backdoor open, and soon she's on the dark path outside, blinking at her surroundings.

.

They had discussed it. Kate had said she wasn't going to leave the bar until she knew that Bill, Boo, and Kate Warner were safe with Demeter. So when Doc got word that they were leaving, early in the pre-dawn hours when most folks would be sleeping, they agreed to get their belongings in order and see them off.

Satisfied that things were well in hand, she answered with a nod when Doc squeezed her hand, silently asking if she was ready to go.

She paused to drop off a few notes and things with Miss Bar, and once settled, she shouldered her duffel -- stopping to hush the kittens nestled carefully within -- and followed Doc out through the backdoor.

She watched his long strides in the gray light, his black duster occasionally billowing and allowing glances at the gleaming sixshooter at his hip. He reached out for her hand, and she gave it to him -- a bond that felt impossible to sever as they made their way towards a new life.

Together.

.

[following this:]



She leans against the sink for a moment, not immediately reaching for that empty drinking glass. Blood is caked and drying on the inside of her thighs, and she still feels just a little weak. When she looks up at her reflection in the mirror, she's not sure she likes what she sees.

'You're growin' up to be such a fine woman, sweetheart. She woulda been proud.'

She remembers the way her father's hands had trembled, passing her mother's wedding dress on to his young daughter. He had smiled, so proud.

'Now, don't you just look like an angel.'

'One-a these days, I'm gonna give you away to a good man, sweetheart. And you're going to be beautiful, and happy, and you're gonna love him the way I loved your momma.'

She catches something out of the corner of her vision, through the blur of tears in her eyes, and turns her head. The bathtub is full, steam drifting off light blue, bubble-coated water. She blinks a few times, brow furrowed.

I didn't think Miss Bar could ... ?

There's a small piece of notepaper on the edge of the tub when she moves closer to inspect things.

'Special occasion.
Relax, and try not to panic.
Everything is normal.'

The bathwater smells like Epsom salt, and eucalyptus, and chamomile, and there's a small bottle of something on the edge she can't quite identify. It makes her smile, a little, carefully bringing her leg over the side of the tub.

She settles into the warm bathwater, laying her head back and stretching those tired muscles. It feels so incredible she can hardly bring herself to move for several long moments.



Her thoughts wander.

(He'll never see me walk down the isle in that white dress. Never.)

Her knees curl in to her chest before she even realizes she's crying, shoulders shaking with quiet, repressed sobs.

.

She wasn't joking.

The next morning, Katherine shows up at Doc's door, bright and early.

(The sun might not even be out yet, but eh, details.)

She's bundled in high boots, a long coat, and a scarf--his scarf--in preparation for the chilly morning. One gloved hand reaches out, and raps lightly on his door.

If he doesn't answer, she will only take that as invitation to knock louder.

.

[Following this thread:]

Katherine unlocks the door to her room, making way for Boo as they settle in for the night.

The room is pretty standard: bed against one wall, framed by two end-tables; a dresser across the room; a vanity and mirror next to the dresser; a desk and chair near the door; a small, but nearly filled, standing bookshelf, and two plush-looking chairs nearby.

She has only been bound here for a few days, so she hasn't had much time to make the room homey.

(However, there is a wonderful, sweet scent to the air, and a plate of cookies on the desk, as promised.)

"All right, make yourself comfortable, sweetheart," she tells the young one, setting her things on the foot of the bed.

.