November 1st (Frerard)

15: Monday, October 15th

Kat was at least a thousand percent sure that this was some kind of fucked dream, because as they'd walked out of their bedroom that morning, and down the hallway, they'd noticed something in the kitchen, and that something was indeed their mother, making breakfast.

Kat couldn't quite believe it, frozen in shock for a good few moments, before curiosity getting the better of them and finding themself making their forward and into the door way, watching with disbelief as their mother stood waiting for the toaster to finish toasting the bread she'd put into it, a smile on her face, oddly content, oddly motherly.

Kat was then at least ten thousand percent certain that this had to be a dream.

Their mother turned a little, jumping a little as she noticed Kat stood in the doorway, watching her every move with a mixture of intrigue and concern. "You scared me there, honey." She noted, glancing back towards the toaster, before turning her full attention to the youngest of her children. "Morning, are you alright?"

"Am I alright?" Kat exclaimed, laughing aloud at that one, "I'm not the one who's suddenly decided to act... act... 'normal' again after just abandoning all responsibility for a week!" They continued to exclaim.

Mrs Way let out a sigh, biting her lip, "I'm sorry, honey." She paused, "I just... I'm sorry. I messed things up big time, and I couldn't deal with that. I chased your father away, and I was horrible to you, horrible to him too, and all out of my own insecurities. It's hard to cope, I'm sorry. Gerard said something to me yesterday, and I... I have to try, I'm sorry. I'm your mother, I'm really sorry."

Kat remained skeptical, raising their eyebrows, but stepping closer, "is dad coming back?" They found themself asking: hopeful, despite all odds.

Mrs Way bit her lip, turning her head away, "I'm afraid not... at least I think not."

"Oh..." Kat let out a sigh, even though they'd known this all deep down from the start. "I told Gerard that I'd make sure his dad came back, I promised, I-"

"Gerard talked to me, honey, he said he thought dad wasn't coming back." She let out a sigh, "he's changed somehow, don't you think?"

Kat nodded, "Frank. He met this boy called Frank. And suddenly Frank Iero is the most fuc- err... important person in the world."

"And you're jealous?" She asked, raising her eyebrows: her tone remaining oddly gentle, and Kat wasn't even sure that this was their mother anymore.

"Frank just doesn't understand, like Gerard, you know, you know that he's different and he needs someone that understands and Frank doesn't even know." Kat exclaimed, gesturing with their hands a little.

"Mmm..." Mrs Way added, "so that's who he's been spending time with recently. And what about you? Where were you yesterday? See, this is me being motherly. This is me trying."

Kat paused for a moment, unsure if they wanted her to try anymore. Unsure if they could ever trust her at all. Unsure if they just wanted her to fuck off and to never be seen again, but unsure, unsure as to what Gerard wanted, because what Gerard wanted was always what mattered most overall. "I was with Pete."

"Oh..." she continued, her tone remaining so calm and perhaps even pliant that it began to irritate Kat, because they found themself thinking of her as less of the hated mother figure and one that they could perhaps begin to understand, and they hated that, because they didn't need this bullshit sympathy from someone who'd made their life hell, someone who'd fucked this all up, because if Kat began to like her, then they'd find it harder to pin all the blame upon her, and they weren't quite ready to admit the faults in themself yet. "Who's Pete?" She continued.