Hawknell just the two of us

Okay, so this sucked. Heather was pretty practical about how circumstances were always subject to change, but it was hard not to feel kind of blindsided by Avienne’s decision to hit the road.

Like, obviously Heather wanted the best for the girl and wished her a happy life and all that, but was she selfish to be a little peeved?

The pact was hanging on by a thread. All the work they’d done to get there, and now what had once felt like unbreakable chains was just the single link between her and Cat. Good thing that one was not so easily served. No matter if the pact magic dissolved, she knew she’d still have Catriona.

Speaking of. She was here to complain. And figure out what to do next. So, knock knock, please let her in!! She brought wine!

First Ruby. Then Avi. It hurt. Catriona got it. She did. But it didn't mean it didn't hurt. On many levels. Heather was on her way over, so she pulled herself out of the funk she found herself in and cleaned up a little. Did the dishes. Put away some clothes. Put on something that wasn't just a pair of sweats and a baggy t-shirt.

Kit was there too, getting a few scritches from Catriona every few minutes. At least she had her cat. And Heather. God, why was this so miserable? Would they have to do everything all over again with someone else if they wanted to remain a pact? She thought of all of the perks they'd lose. Shit. Just back to being regular psychics who couldn't tell a vampire from a shifter.

There was a knock at the door, and Catriona made her way over to welcome her best friend inside.

"Hey," She said with a small, sad smile.

Cat had the luxury of being fucking gorgeous even when she was sad. The kind of melancholy beauty you see in historic romance heroines. Still, she just wished she didn’t have to see her friend mourn so much.

Heather was someone more inclined to angry, ugly sadness. The kind you do in private, before seeing anyone else. Throw some things around the room, light a match and shut the door behind you. So that when she had to come and comfort her friend, she was fueled by a sense of defiant optimism.

Like fuck she’d come over here for them to drag each other down.

“Heyo,” Heather said as she entered, feeling more at home here than in the house she still lived in with her mom and brother. Pause at the door to plop a kiss onto Cat’s cheek, then into the kitchen she went, in search of glasses and a bottle opener, “Please retrieve the cat.” She was allergic to cats, but was also a firm believer in exposure therapy.

Catriona gave Heather a gentle pat on the back when she was welcome inside the apartment. She stood back then to give her friend space and chuckled.

"Pspspsps, Kit, c’mere."

The cat came running out from the bedroom to tentatively sniff at Heather before brushing against the other woman’s pant legs. It was easier to focus on this moment then jump into the shit they needed to figure out.

Did every cat come when called, or was Catriona just a kitty whisperer? Probably that. She was basically a Disney princess anyway. Beautiful, magical powers, cute animal companion. And loud weird sidekick friend!

"Hello, madam." She greeted the tabby, squatting down to offer her a fist to sniff and rub her cheeks on. "Isn't it kinda weird that your boyfriend and your cat basically have the same name?"

"Oh, it's so weird!" Catriona snorted, surprised by her own laughter. "But I rarely call Kit her name anymore anyway. Which is Kitten. Because I was very creative when I was younger." Kit was old but not weathered. She was a proper cat lady, thank you very much.

She gestured to the fridge.

"Do you want anything to drink?" Felt like a drinking kind of occasion.

Heather snorted, "And what's Kidd's gross cutesy name?"

At the offer for a drink, Heather grinned, and pointed up at the wine she'd brought, "We probably should be civilized and use glasses for it." But she wasn't above passing the bottle back and forth between swigs.

"That's a secret," Catriona laughed, playing along. She didn't even call Kidd "babe". She never really liked that word. Mostly, she called him by his name.

But, yes, the wine! She got glasses for them after Heather suggested it and took out a wine opener in case the wine wasn't a twist-off. Getting intoxicated with her best friend sounded like the perfect way to heal.

It's was definitely "pookie-bear".

Heather ventured on to stroking the top of Kit's head and giving her chin a little knuckle rub, but figured it was probably smart to not push her luck. Being in the apartment with the hair would be exposure enough. So once the wine was poured, Heather took hers, and turned to lead the way to Cat's bedroom. She sighed as she sunk into the little yellow couch. "Okay, are we cheersing to us being the only loyal bitches in Ridgefield?"

Wine: successfully poured and distributed!

Catriona: successfully sitting down on the couch next to her best friend.

"God, aye, what the fuck, right?" Not that she held any ill will toward Ruby or Avi. She just missed them and this sucked. :(

Cat would clink her glass gently against Heather's before taking a sip.

"I don't want to lose anything we've built." But how the fuck did they just pact up again?

Clink, drink, think.

"It still feels like it's there, but I don't think two people can make up a pact for very long. We won't be able to handle the big stuff." She frowned, drank again, kicked off her shoes and stretched out her long legs.

"I think there's a way to add someone new? I know three-person pacts can add a fourth."

Add someone new. Hm. Who would they even ask? Catriona nodded, silently taking it in for a moment. She had liked their pact. Loved it, even. It felt daunting to do it all over again.

"Should we ask Grace? I feel like she'd probably know."

Cat frowned and looked at Heather beside her, then leaned her neck against the back of the couch to stare up at the ceiling.

"Yeah, she's like psychic guru. What would we do without her?" Heather laughed, joining Cat in leaning her head back, idly staring at some of her friend's decorations. "If we can, though, then who?"

Psychic guru indeed.

HMMMMMMM.

Catriona was tempted to pull out her phone.

"There's my cousin, Rhona. Um." Maybe it was weird to reach out to family though?

"I honestly can't think of anyone else who might want to." Cat sighed and tilted her head to look over at Heather. There was Kidd, too. But... that felt... weird? Like. What if things didn't work out? Cat also didn't want to third wheel Heather. So. Yeah. Not Kidd. Maybe not even Rhona.

Heather had no such hesitations that Cat did.

"Okay, I didn't even know you had a psychic cousin?!" She started, laughing, "But I do know you have a literal psychic boyfriend."

Right, right. Cat hadn't had a chance to really introduce Rhona. She should probably check in with the younger woman. She laughed though and nodded.

"Ayyyyyee, I know. I just, uh, feel weird about asking him." She wrinkled her nose. No offence, Kidd! It was just a commitment! And one she didn't think he wanted!

"What, is he like, anti-pact?" She questioned, incapable of dropping the bone thrown her way. She didn't often press for too many details about Kidd, mostly because she knew that she'd never think anyone was good enough for Cat. On second thought, maybe she was the reason why. "Or anti-me?" She added with a waggle of her eyebrows, somehow amused by the idea.

Catriona laughed.

"No, that's not it. I just. I don't know if he wants to be in a pact. Plus I don't want to, uh, scare him off or anything by asking. Feels big." Like it was one thing to pact with your best friend but another to pact with your boyfriend. A whole other thing to have those two people in the same space. Had they even met? Catriona didn't think so... She wasn't opposed! Just. Concerned.

Oh, so it was a commitment thing. Heather guessed she could see it. A breakup would be made ugly if there was a pact to break in the process. See; them sitting on the couch sulking over wine. It would be worse with intimate feelings involved. Plus, it would be crossing streams that maybe Cat wanted to keep flowing separately.

"You're right," Heather nodded, "It's basically marriage." Smirking, she nudged her friend, "Maybe just ask Rhona then? I wanna meet her." Did she want to meet Kidd, too? Yesandno. Nyeah. Yo. Maybe.

Catriona was relieved Heather understood. She laughed at the marriage remark, though there was something very intimate about sharing the space with two or three other people in a pact. You saw each other at your best and worst. And everything inbetween.

"I can, yeah. Maybe we can find a fourth as well?" It felt better with four. But maybe that's just because they'd started with four. Cat didn't know.

"She's cool though. Has a pet squirrel. Total weirdo, but in the best way," Cat grinned, clear that she wasn't judging her cousin here, just setting up expectations for Heather.

Three was a crowd, four was a party. Heather was down.

Though Rhona seemed like she'd be a lot of personality.

"What, like, a normal tree squirrel?" Snow White??? "Does she have animal powers or something?"

"I'm not... exactly sure." Oh my god. Worst cousin award goes to...

"But she doesn't have animal powers. She can manipulate the fucking weather."

Crazy, right?! Like absolutely wild!

Not sure about... oh, the squirrel. How many kinds of squirrel was there? Questions for Google, later. Or for Rhona, when she met her. Because, hell fucking yes, she was meeting her. The weather?

"Holy shit. Like Storm." And here was Poison Ivy sitting beside her. What did that make Heather? She wasn't hot enough to be Jean Grey.

Storm... Storm was a comic book thing, right?

Catriona looked confused for a moment.

"Storm?" Clarification was needed. "The comic book, uh, person?"

Heather snorted. "Yeah. Is there any Horror movie person that can do weather magic?" Maybe there was some mutual ground.

Hmmmmm.

"Jason's body gets struck by lightning and comes back to life in Part Six. It makes him indestructible."

Catriona grinned. It was the closest she could think of in the moment.