Time, Death & Scar Tissue...

21. Mr. Hyde and the Trojan War

“LaCroix.” The gruff, guarded tone still made Kathryn's voice catch in her throat.

“Hi.” Was all she could manage.

“Kathryn.” His voice warmed immediately and she heard music fade. “I thought you were unavailable this evening.”

Kathryn could almost hear him grit his teeth as he said it.

“I'm never unavailable to you, though I am out with the aptly named Mr. Hyde. I'm hiding from him at the moment.” She laughed softly. Kathryn had always wondered why there was a sitting room inside the ladies room, now she knew.

“Your father didn't choose well?”

“I'll put it this way, if the Inquisitors had REALLY wanted the heretics to confess they would have talked non-stop about the minute details of estates and trusts and how my father is such a great man.” Kathryn rolled her eyes and he chuckled softly. “You know I hate this, don't you?” She could hear the small hitch in her own voice.

“Being bored?” It seemed he wasn't going to make this easy for her. She sighed and forced herself to voice it.

“No, being out with someone other than you. I know that it’s only to appease my father, but it feels wrong somehow.” Kathryn could feel her cheeks burning as she said it.

“You're message said it all, my Kathryn. I won't pretend that I don't mind, but I'm confident of your feelings.”

“Thank you. For the gift and for understanding.” She didn't realize just how tense she was until that tension left her.

“So you liked my small gift then?” She could tell from his tone that he knew she did. She could almost see his small smile as she closed her eyes.

“I'm wearing the scarf and the book was incredible.” She smiled a little. “Although I did lie to Security.”

“Oh? Do they now ask if you intend to read trash on the flight?” He made no attempt to hide the mild disdain in his voice.

“No, but they did ask if I packed everything myself. I'm lucky I didn't run into someone with a Napoleon complex. I would be calling you from jail instead of a perfectly lovely restaurant. Some things are worth the risk though.” She laughed softly.

“Petty bureaucratic nonsense.” He snorted. “Perhaps people should be forced to walk around airports naked in the name of security.”

“Well if that happens I'm not flying anymore.” Kathryn laughed softly. “I supposed I should be getting back.” She sighed.

“Perhaps your companion isn't used to such sparkling company.”

“Maybe if I sparkle bright enough he'll have a seizure and I can leave.” Kathryn could almost feel the rumble of his laughter.

“You are a complex and wonderful creature, my Kathryn. Answer one question before you go.”

“Anything.” Kathryn felt the emptiness returning to her heart again.

“What is the Latin word for Conqueror?” The question caught her completely by surprise.

“Your Latin is better than mine, why ask me?” Her mind was spinning to try and come up with it and wondering what his real reason was for asking in the first place.

“I’m curious if you know the word.”

“One of them is Vinco, I think. Convinco and Supero are others, I think there are more but for some reason I always had a hard time remembering those. Why?”

“Just satisfying my curiosity about something.” She could hear the little smile in his voice and she knew that was going to be as much of an answer as she was likely to get. “Goodnight Kathryn.”

“Goodnight.” Kathryn felt the loneliness as soon as she ended the call. She touched up her makeup and made herself go back to the table.

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“You're in love with him, aren't you?” Kathryn's grandmother, Minerva, had asked her opinion on a dress for dinner that night. She should have known it was a pretense. Still, the words weren't accusatory and she wore and amused little smile that led Kathryn to believe that she already knew the answer.

“Arnold Hyde?” Kathryn kept her face impassive as she looked at the clothes arrayed on the bed, just in case she was wrong. “Grandmother, I think someone would have to be very desperate to seriously think they were in love with him.” She held up a cranberry silk dress.

“Cranberry on Thanksgiving? Mira's drunken brother would probably try to take a spoonful out of my shoulder.” She hung the dress again. “And you know perfectly well that I think Arnold Hyde is less a person and more of a failed science experiment. You also know that is not who I was talking about. I'm wearing the violet suit. Now sit down, we need to talk.”

“Grandmother, there's really nothing to say.” Kathryn sat obediently and the older woman swept the forgotten array of clothes aside and sat with her.

“Your father just about believes that, but you're good at confusing him. He's only a man after all and frankly there are some things that he's better off not knowing. You know what strange notions he has.” Kathryn could see the 'casual relationship' line wasn't going to work. Besides, she had questions of her own that still needed to be answered; Lucien had been sitting with her the last time she had called her grandmother and she hadn’t felt as free to talk.

“I don't know if I'm in love with him. I think I am, I know that I miss him so badly now that I almost hurt, even though it's only been such a short time. But there are times when he’s so possessive and he always has to be in charge of everything and it makes me crazy because I find myself just going along before I think about it. Besides, you told me that we don't fall in love, we just make a suitable match.” Kathryn's heart was beating faster.

“That doesn't apply to you.” She waved dismissively at the idea. “You would know that yourself if you would just listen to your intuition. You would probably have a sense of the rest too unless I miss my guess.”

“What is my intuition supposed to be telling me?” She was trying not to roll her eyes.

“He's familiar, isn't he?” Minerva said with a little smile. The absolute certainty with which she said it jarred Kathryn.

“Sometimes I think he is, but-”

“Well, there you are. If you intuit on it you'll figure it out.” She got up and kissed Kathryn's cheek. “Now go home. They'll start the football game without you.”

“Let them, since I’m being so up front there’s something else I need to talk about.” She said and Minerva sat down again, the little smile still on her lips.

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At a little after ten, the cell phone on Kathryn's hip started to play the Moonlight Sonata. When she programmed his ringtone she hardly needed to think about it, that piece of music always brought him to mind. She dried her hands to answer it.

“Hi there.” She was smiling as she said it.

“Hello, my Kathryn.” She could hear the smile in his voice as well. “I hope you weren't still dining.”

“No, I was just helping out with some of the washing up.” Kathryn sat down at the kitchen table and tried to keep the little wince off of her face. Her stepbrother Luke had hit her especially hard during the game and the pain in her ribs was enough to make her want to get in bed and not move for awhile. She wasn't about to give him the satisfaction though.

“You're hardly a domestic.” If it was possible to hear a raised eyebrow in a voice she heard it now.

“I know, but there's only Mrs. MacNamara and sometimes kitchen work is preferable to extended family time.”

“Ah. I realized last time we spoke that I didn't make sure that I have the correct information for your return flight.” She wondered if it was possible to miss him more than she did at that moment.

“Oh, it's American flight 220. I should arrive at 7:53, but who knows when I'll actually get there.” Kathryn's sixteen year old cousin Emma burst into the room, groaning as only a sixteen year old can.

“GOD! Why is Uncle Milo invited every year? He's SUCH a jerk!”

“Because of the Trojan War.” Kathryn said without missing a beat.

“What?” The girl looked confused now.

“Go into the library and look up the apple of discord. It should be in the second or third green mythology book on the third shelf, second case. Besides, no one is serving alcohol in there; Uncle Milo won't have a reason to follow you.” Emma rolled her eyes and left. Kathryn could hear him chuckling softly.

“The Trojan War?” He asked.

“Well you know the story; it just seems to me like the whole thing wouldn't have happened if the unpopular relative had been invited to the party to begin with.” Kathryn laughed softly.

“You never cease to surprise me.” She could hear the smile in his voice. “I'll be waiting for you tomorrow night.”

“I can't wait.” She said, and she truly couldn't.