Dread Your Demons (Natasha Romanoff x OC)

~17~ Sanctuary

~And every time you leave me, the quicker these tears dry ~

Kate's POV:

Rose Hill, Tennessee 12/12/14

Ever since that night Kate had started to take the first few steps. Steps to get to know herself, to trust herself. She cooked different dinners, not just to put something on the table, but to really make something nice for herself. Even if the first few bites were hard to swallow. She went jogging through the surrounding woods, and when her body said it was enough, opposite to the voices in her head, she stopped and walked, admiring the sun falling through the snow-dusted branches. But most of her free time she must've spent on Atlas's back. The gelding has become her favorite to be around. She loved his calm presence, the connection the two formed, and the time she could spend far away from the case files up in her room. Her nights were still short as she made it a habit to distribute any leftover foods from the market she visited every day. She never had to pay much to get the products and with the money from Stark, it was no problem either way. She didn't need it for herself. Well, mostly. With the help of Ms. Keener, she had ordered a few clothes and a pair of good scissors online. She hoped they had arrived during the day. She needed it tomorrow. Maybe that was why she stayed away from the farm for most of the day. The sun had gone down half an hour ago and it was a dark night, the moon and the stars covered by the clouds. She wrapped the blanket around Atlas's neck as she released him into his box. He was off duty now. Hers only just began.

She walked inside and knocked on the kitchen door to say hello. The two were already sitting at the dining table, having dinner. She apologized for being late, then excused herself to change into cleaner clothes. When she came back downstairs Harley was cleaning their plates in the sink and Lizzie was writing a list. Under closer inspection, she realized that it looked more like a financial math equation. She was going to talk to Stark about that.

Kate ruffled through Harley's locks and earned an annoyed grunt. When she reached the stove, she asked: "Harley, are you still up to get the tree tomorrow?"

"Hell yeah!", he replied, but changed it quickly after his mom shot him a look. "Heck, yeah."

Kate smiled and her smile widened as she saw his face to her next sentence. "Good. We'll go at seven so, I have enough time to pick up the things from the list." His mouth stayed comically wide open, but the protest was cut short as his mom spoke sooner than he could.

"Good idea."

"Fine.", he begrudgingly complied. He dried his hands with a kitchen towel and walked away.

"Your package arrived.", Lizzy declared pointing with the pen in her hand to the opposite side of the kitchen, while Kate shoved some pasta and veggies on her plate. 

Kate thanked her, licked her fork clean, and sat down to eat next to her. But the only thing she could think of now where all those new things. Or more specifically how they would look on her when she wore them to court tomorrow. The date had been preponed due to the high public interest but was still held in private. Tomorrow morning, she was going to fly to Washington DC and pray for her life that Tony's lawyers were truly as good as he made them sound. She stood up, put her plate in the fridge, and picked up the box. She rested it on the kitchen counter and sliced it open with her dinner knife. Inside was what she ordered. A white, slick T-shirt, a pair of clean blue jeans, a black blazer, and a pair of nice black shoes. She put it all back inside and walked out. Up in her room, she undressed, then put the new clothes on and bound her hair up into a quick and therefore messy bun. The mirror on her wardrobe's door seemed infinitely too small. She could never fully see herself and it drove her mad. Worked up and warmed up she rushed downstairs and through the kitchen door. Lizzie's surprised but tired look calmed her down. She must've caused quite some wind.