Moving Forward (Completed)

Chapter Five

    The bullpen was relatively quiet when Katherine walked in. A few people she hadn't seen before sat at various desk around the open space. For a moment she thought she had gotten off on the wrong floor, but then Liv and Carisi rounded a corner.
    "Kate, right?" Carisi asked, noticing her.
    "Yes. You're Carisi?" She smiled, it had been a few weeks since she had met the people Amanda worked with at the bar that evening, though Amanda mentioned them enough she knew his name.
    "Sonny, please," he smiled, "are you looking for Rollins?"
    "I am."
    "She should be back any moment. You can hang out at my desk while you wait." Carisi offered.
    Katherine followed him, sitting at the chair he gestured to.
    "Are you two having dinner?" Carisi asked.
    "We are, unless you guys have picked up a case."
    "No y'all?" Carisi chuckled.
    "I'm sorry?" Katherine questioned, not following his question.
    "You said you guys instead of y'all... Amanda always says y'all." He clarified.
    Katherine chuckled. "Yeah, I've never really used y'all. I know it's common in the south, but I've never been fond of it."
    "Are you from Atlanta originally?"
    "No. My parents moved there while I was in high school."
    "From where?" He inquired.
    "Austin."
    "Texas?"
    "Yes."
    "And still no y'all?" Carisi smirked.
    "Not everyone from the south has a southern drawl." Katherine smiled, doing her best Georgian accent.
    Carisi was quiet for a moment as he looked at her.
    "What?" Katherine asked, furrowing her brow.
    "Do you have a boyfriend?"
    Katherine paused, clearly unsure of how to answer him.
    "It's not that complicated of a question." Carisi smirked.
    "It's new. We haven't exactly discussed labels, but I'm not looking to date anyone else." She replied.
    "Lucky him." Carisi smiled.
    "How do you know it's a him?" Katherine questioned, lifting her brow.
    "Oh... or her... is it a her?"
    "No, it's a him." She grinned.
    "Sorry I'm late," Amanda said, interrupting the conversation, "Fin drives like an old man."
    "No. I just don't think the badge gives me an excuse to speed when I don't have a reason." Fin countered.
    "Like Amanda needs an excuse." Katherine chuckled.

    Do you want a Martini?" Amanda asked. They had been seated, but Katherine had stood again to find the restroom.
    "Yes. This week has been long and I don't even feel like I've done anything." Katherine sighed before heading in the direction the hostess had pointed that the restrooms were.
    When she returned, their drinks had arrived and Amanda had ordered an appetizer.
    "So it's been a long week?" Amanda asked, shoving a forkful of calamari in her mouth.
    "Hungry?" Katherine chuckled.
    "I've been running around the city all day and forgot to eat lunch." She shrugged. Katherine chuckled again and Amanda rolled her eyes. "So why was your week so long?"
    "Just boring, mandatory professional development, repeating the same information I've heard for the last ten years or so. I did get some lesson plans reworked in between the games we had to play." Katherine replied.
    "Games?" Amanda questioned, lifting her brow.
    "Examples of how we can engage our students, but using our training topics instead of the standards we have to teach."
    "Were they engaging?" Amanda chuckled.
    "No, but I get the purpose. They're to make sure we're paying attention and give us ideas for our classroom." Katherine grumbled.
    "To make sure you're not working on other things... like your lesson plans." Amanda smiled.
    "Exactly," Katherine smirked, "honestly, it would be more beneficial to sit with our grade levels and create a few engagement activities we could actually use the following year."
    "You like your school?"
    "I love my school." Katherine smiled.
    "When's the last time you talked to your mom?"
    "That's slightly random."
    "I was just curious. You never mention her and I didn't know how well you were getting along after..."
    "The divorce." Katherine interrupted, doing the best interpretation of her mother's shame she could manage. "I talked to her a week after I moved to let her know I had settled in ok and all she could tell me was that I had made a huge mistake and that one day I'd see that and it would be too late. She can call me if she wants, but I really don't want to listen to her uninformed opinions on my life."
    The waiter stopped by to get their dinner orders and Katherine ordered another Martini having downed the first one.
    "She may be more on your side now."
    "Why?"
    "Just..." Amanda sighed, "nothing."
    Katherine furrowed her brow. "What?"
    "It's been a year. She may have come around."
    "Then she can call me." Katherine huffed.
    "Ok... lets change the subject." Amanda said, lifting her hands up in a form of surrender.
    "Sorry... it's just my mom made things so much worse than they needed to be." Katherine apologized.
    "I get that, you've met my mom right?" Amanda smiled.
    "How are you and Nick?" Katherine grinned.
    "Still not me and Nick." Amanda replied, rolling her eyes.
    "But you are sleeping together?"
    "Yes. It's complicated and I try not to get attached to complicated." Amanda shrugged.
    Katherine chewed on her lip a moment. "That's probably for the best."
    "Why?" Amanda clipped.
    "Woah, defensive much?" Katherine chuckled.
    "Why do you think it's a bad idea to get attached?"
    "Because you wont tell me anything about him, you keep telling me it's complicated, and you two work together. I really have nothing else to go on." Katherine shrugged.
    "Oh, I thought Barba might have said something."
    "I've never mentioned Nick to Rafael. I didn't think you wanted anyone to know and you do work with Rafael."
    "I just thought you might have asked him what he thought of him, they don't always see eye to eye." Amanda stated.
    "Bringing up Nick without context could give Raf the impression that I might be interested... and I'm only interested in Rafael." Katherine smiled.
    "You and Carisi were pretty chatty when I walked up." Amanda smirked.
    "I'm pretty sure he almost asked me out." Katherine whispered.
    "Why are you whispering, no one here knows who Carisi is."
    Katherine shook her head and rolled her eyes.
    "What did you tell him?" Amanda asked.
    "The truth, that I'm seeing someone."
    "Did you tell him it was Barba?" Amanda's eyes looked mischievous causing Katherine to frown.
    "No. I don't know how private Rafael is at work."
    "Pretty private, no one even suspects he's seeing someone. I'm pretty sure an 'he really needs to get laid' is muttered most days we see him." Amanda chuckled.
    "Even by you?" Katherine lifted her brow and Amanda grinned. "Thanks..." Katherine muttered.
    "It's all in good fun."