A Companion -- A Forever FanFic

Fifteen

When Kathryn finally made it back to the Antique shop, she greeted Abe happily.

"Someone's in a good mood!" He smiled. Kathryn nodded and eagerly replied, "Major breakthrough in the case! I found a fingerprint on the body!"

"Sounds interesting. How'd you find it?" Abe asked.

"Well, I noticed what looked to be makeup on the body. Since both Medical Examiners are unmarried men, and most likely wouldn't recognize the substance, I decided to see for myself. I was correct in my hypothesis that it was makeup. Then I began to wonder why there would be makeup on a body. I figured out that it must be to hide something. I pulled out my fingerprinting kit and dusted for prints. We found one intact print." she explained.

Abe was impressed. "And how long did this thought process take?" He asked. "About two minutes." Kathryn replied.

"Only two minutes!?" Abe was now dumbfounded. "My brain is on hyper-drive all day, everyday. I've trained it to think fast. You need to when there's the constant possibility of having to run for your life."

"Fair enough." Abe said.

A brief silence passed over the two, leaving Kathryn with a few moments to think.

"So, Abe, what's it been like living with an immortal? I've always wondered." She asked.

"Well, it's certainly different." he chuckled.

Kathryn cracked a smile; A real, genuine smile. Something that she once would've considered to be a rarity, but seemed to be growing more and more common.

"I don't believe I ever thanked you, Abraham." she said through her smile.

The older man looked over at her, confused. "For what?"

"Well, to start, putting up with a second immortal- especially one stuck inside a teenage girl's body. Also, restoring some of my faith in humanity. You're always welcoming towards me, and I cannot express how much I appreciate that! I will always be grateful." She said, a bit quieter.

Abe, not knowing what to say, smiled back at her. A simple "you're welcome" seemed a bit too informal for what the immortal girl had just said, and anything else sounded a bit too awkward.

Before any more words could be exchanged, the door opened, accompanied by the jingling of a few bells.

A man walked into the store, looking at several old objects as he made his way towards Abe. Kathryn watched in awe as the man took several ancient-looking and extremely valuable chess pieces out of a small bag he had been carrying.

She continued to watch as Abe appraised each individual piece with care. At some point, she forced herself to tear her eyes away when she heard the door open again and more jingling of the few bells hung above the door.

A middle-aged couple walked in, the woman looking amazed by all the artifacts, and the man looking less-than-eager to be there.

Rather than having the couple wait in line, Kathryn decided to help Abe out and give the customers a hand.

"Hello! How can I help you today?" She asked the couple.

"Well, we're looking to have this lamp appraised. We're also hoping to find an antique china set." The man sighed. He was probably here for his mother.

"Well, I do believe we have a china set or two around here-" "Oh isn't that wonderful! Honey, did you hear that? They have a china set!" The wife cut her off.

Kathryn found herself trying not to throw up at the woman's perkiness. Some people are as frilly and maddening as people in the eighteenth century! She couldn't help but think.

"Right over here, then." Kathryn said, forcing a smile.

The next two hours were torturous. The wife stopped and fawned over nearly every item she passed by, and was completely indecisive when it came to which of the four china sets to buy.

The Husband and Kathryn had a silent conversation, sending each other looks of agony.

When finally the couple made their purchase, the sun had already set and it was nearly closing time. "Shall we move on to the appraisal then?" Kathryn asked, desperate to end the encounter with these people.

The couple agreed and followed her over to the counter near the cash register. As Kathryn studied the lamp, she felt Abe's presence behind her, presumably seeing how accurate she was.

"This lamp appears to be from the Victorian era. Seeing as it's in almost perfect condition, I would say that it's valued at $113." As she said this, Kathryn glanced at Abe, who have her an impressed smile.

Within another few minutes, the transaction had been made and the couple finally left. In fact, as soon as they were out the door, Kathryn raced to turn the 'open' sign over to the 'closed' sign.

Abe couldn't help but laugh at Kathryn as she locked the door to the shop. "Do you often have customers like them?" she asked. "Every once in a great while." he replied.

For a while, Abe told stories about some of his customers, until, at last, Henry arrived back. "Took you long enough." Kathryn called to him.

Henry glared at her, but his expression held no mirth. Kathryn thought for a moment about how glaring did not suit Henry. Rather, it made him look like a big, pouty puppy. She smiled at the thought.

"Anyone else care for some tea?" She asked. "If it's not too much trouble." Henry said.

When Kathryn came back with two hot cups of tea, the three sat and talked about anything and everything until the early hours of the morning.

That night, it was a good night in New York.

To the world, you may be one person. But to one person, you may be the world. It was an old quote, one that she never thought pertained to her. She didn't bother to remember who had said it, but now she wished she had.

Because for once in her unnaturally long life, she meant something to someone.

And the thought struck her once again: it was a good night in New York. One of the few.