𝐃𝐎𝐍𝐎𝐕𝐀𝐍

𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓𝐘

It's snowing. From her room inside the cabin, it sure is a pretty sight...but baring the chill that comes with it, in the dress she picked out...

"Fuck."

Sophia closes the suite door behind her. "Yeah?" 

Katherine glances over her right shoulder before looking back out the window. Sophia sets the big hat box down on the side table. "It's cold out there, huh?"

"Twenty-two." Sophia looks at Katherine's mother's dress hanging in the garment bag before the bathroom. "It's warmed up since this morning."

This morning...she snuck into Charlie's room in a cabin across the property to have breakfast with him. An assortment of french toast, fruit, meats, eggs. And then they napped.

And then noon rolled around, and everyone found out Charlie and Katherine were cooped up together, so of course they had to break it up. Tradition or whatever. 

So Katherine sat by the big glass window in her cabin and watched the snow fall and the animals emerge from the surrounding woods. 

"You seem calm."

Katherine purses her lips. "I don't feel it. I'm thinking about everything except today. Hell, I'd rather do this than deal with that." She looks down at her cup of coffee with a sigh. 

"Well..." Sophia sits on the plushy couch beside her and pulls the blanket down. "You wanna share?" Katherine gives her a funny look. Sophia chuckles. "C'mon, Kit. You used to tell me everything."

"Not everything," she hums into her coffee cup. 

"No, not everything," Sophia agrees. "It's been a while, too."

"I'm thinking a lot about what comes after," Katherine admits after a while.  "What solutions are available to the problem."

"What's the problem?"

"Dean is going to die in five months."

That's a way to suck the air out of the room.

"I knew it was coming, we all knew it was coming, but...just feels like we wasted a lot of time fighting things that don't matter when it comes to this."

"But you still helped people."

"I spent a couple months with my head in the sand," Katherine mutters. "With Charlie. They helped people."

"Katherine, you can't be mad because you're starting a life without them," Sophia murmurs. "Because after...after, all you have left is Charlie." Sophia clicks her tongue. "Not all, but you know what I mean." Katherine nods a little. "Don't borrow tomorrow's problems, Kit. Today's about something else entirely." Sophia pats her shoulder and sighs. "Everyone's gonna be here soon. Photographer's right downstairs, Jo and Ellen..."

"Yeah, all right," Katherine sighs. "Let's do the damn thing."

Three buttery nipples and fireballs later, the bridal cabin was in full swing. Blaring music, dancing, hair and makeup, the photographer. 

She's only getting married once. Best enjoy it. The more she did, the bigger she smiled, the more she felt like throwing up.

The more she felt like a bride.

Somewhere along the way, Jo started fixing up Katherine's hair. "Did you always have so much?" Jo asked, weilding a frown and a curling iron.

Then Sophia came round front, and it was double time.

"Are you excited?" Jo quietly asks.

"Yes," Katherine quickly answers. "But...I dunno, what if he doesn't want it anymore?"