Burning

Part Two

Catherine woke up the next morning not particularly refreshed. For half a moment, she wondered where she was, but quickly regained memory. She rubbed her eyelids, then sat up, recounting all the horrendous things that had happened last night. Stretching, she dragged herself out of the bed and slid her feet into her slippers. She hadn't taken off her bathrobe last night, choosing to remain with one of the last remnants of her home.

The woman walked over to the door, hesitating a moment before trying the handle. It was unlocked. She slowly slipped into the hallway, heading towards the close-by end of it. Tony was in the bar area, leaning against the counter as he gazed listlessly across the room. Catherine put a hand on the trim where the hall ended, waiting to see if she was still welcome. Sure, she was still angry with him, but she really had very few options. She had run through them during the night and realized how uncomfortable and unsafe it would be to sleep in her car. In a way, she was grateful that Tony had stopped her.

Her brother glanced over, as if feeling her presence. She noticed how many lines had been added to his face since last time she had seen him, and how many hairs had turned to gray in her absence. They had nothing to do with her, he was a forty-two-year-old man with a stressful job. Stark Industries was a big company and took a lot to run.

"Hey," he said, standing up straight. "I thought you would sleep later."

Catherine shrugged. "Couldn't." She wanted to tell him that she really did love him, but saying that would only mean the conversation would come back up again and they would most likely renew the arguing.

"All right, well, I've got... pop tarts."

A tiny wisp of a smile curved her mouth. "Great." She sat at a bar stool while the man fetched them for her, placing the box in front of her with a hard thump. "Thanks." She knew he was still upset about last night as well. Maybe it was time to address it. "You locked me in my room."

"Couldn't let my sis spend the night on the street."

"Yeah, that would have looked bad in the papers."

He glared at her. "I'm trying to protect people now, you included."

Catherine ripped open the pop tart packet and took a large bite of her breakfast to choke back the impending unpleasing argument. After a moment, she took a deep breath, calming herself. "I didn't want to argue. I just needed a place to stay for the night. I'll make a withdrawal from the bank, request a new credit card, and get a hotel."

"That'll drain your small resources too quickly, there won't be much left for getting an apartment." Catherine shifted her jaw, irritated by his constant mention of her poorer living style. "That reminds me, why didn't you get a better job? You had the world at your feet and you decided to work at a small dentist's as a receptionist? Doesn't add up, Kate."

"It pays the bills," she said. "Unlike you, Tony, I don't use my name to get everything I ever wanted. I had it changed as soon as I left so I could make my own way and not have to follow the path our father's name carved. I had no experience doing anything, the dental office was accepting people with little experience, so it was one of the only jobs I could have gotten. Eventually I grew to like the people and just never got around to finding a higher-paying job. Money isn't everything to me."

"I never thought I would hear a Stark say that," a clear, sly voice said, tinted with a British accent. Catherine jerked in her seat from the surprise announcement, glancing over to see who was there.

A tall, handsome, black-haired man casually stood where the hall emptied into the bar/living room. He was dressed in loose pants and an untucked t-shirt with no shoes. His sharp green eyes were trained on Catherine, a small smirk on his face.