Late
Anne giggled as Cathy pecked her face all over, their legs tangled together as they lounged on Anne's bed spending some much warranted time together.
"Cathy, we have to.." Anne tried to interject but then threw her head back with a moan when Cathy latched onto her neck. "C-Cathy we...we have to...my mum's c-coming home s-s-oon-n…" Anne trailed off when Cathy's lips met hers hungrily.
"Don't care, few more minutes!" Cathy whispered before latching onto Anne's lips once more, as her tongue traced Anne's bottom lip, demanding entrance.
"Anne, Kat I'm home!" Their mum called out slamming the front door and Cathy whined pecking Anne's lips once more before she just collapsed against Anne and buried her face against her neck.
"What's wrong puppy?" Anne teased smiling widely at her girlfriend as she scratched gently against said girlfriend's scalp.
"We never get any alone time, Annie," Cathy whined as she snuggled closer to Anne. Anne chuckled softly as she played with Cathy's curls.
"I'm sorry Cath, the joys of living at home." Anne reasoned gently and Cathy just whimpered pitifully into her neck making Anne giggle.
"YOU'RE JUST BEING A FUCKING BITCH!!" Both Anne and Cathy sat up and quickly detangled from one another at the proclamation of sixteen-year-old Kat.
"YOU DO NOT TALK TO ME THAT WAY KATHERINE HOWARD SEYMOUR!!! I WANT HIM OUT OF MY HOUSE!!" Jane raged making both eighteen-year-olds share a look before they jumped up and Anne threw open her bedroom door just in time to see some boy scurry down the hall half-naked, Anne blinked back her shock as Cathy slowly appeared at her side.
"GOD YOU'RE A TYRANT! WE HAVE A CONNECTION! SOMETHING SOMEONE LIKE YOU AND YOUR FAILED MARRIAGE WOULD NEVER UNDERSTAND!" Kat screamed before slamming her door so hard it vibrated the walls. Jane's eyes welled with tears and she ducked her head into her hands in frustration. Anne quickly rushed to her mum's side and wrapped her arms around her silently sobbing form.
"I'm sorry for when I acted like that.." Anne whispered softly and Jane shook her head sadly as she wrapped Anne in her arms.
"You may have been wild and rebellious at times but Kat's just out of control lately." Jane sniffed and Anne scowled at her sister's bedroom door as Jane kissed her cheek and retreated quietly to her own room, softly shutting the door after herself. Reluctantly Cathy appeared at Anne's side gently taking her hand as she rubbed her thumb against the back of it trying to provide her girlfriend with some semblance of comfort.
"God she's been such a brat lately." She growled lowly before tugging Cathy towards the living room. "Connection, please that's the third guy this week she's brought home," Anne grumbled more to herself than Cathy as she dropped onto the couch with a huff of irritation. "She keeps this attitude up, I'll kick her ass I swear it!" Anne grumbled and slowly Cathy dropped in front of Anne placing her hands on the green-eyed woman's knees.
"Annie, just let her be, she's just rebelling right now because everything is changing. No one's heard from Anna in two months, she's probably worried and doesn't know how else to express herself except through anger." Cathy reasoned gently and Anne tugged her onto the couch and onto her lap, kissing her forehead.
"You're so smart," Anne whispered softly as she nuzzled into her hair and smiled slightly.
"I do try," Cathy whispered kissing her cheek, after a few blissfully comfortable moments Anne reached over grabbing the remote she clicked on the telly and settled close to Cathy watching some random show.
Anne huffed when she saw her sister slip back into the house at noon the next day after a night of doing who knows what.
"The bloody hell have you been?" She demanded because their mum was at work and Kat was definitely taking advantage and walking all over their mum's sensitive heart.
"Like that's any of your bloody business!" Kat snapped sharply as she dropped her shoes by the door and took her hair from her ponytail, letting it fall around her face.
"Obviously you can't take care of yourself so I have to!" She exclaimed bitterly as she stood from the couch, glaring at her younger sister disdainfully.
"Oh please you're too busy-" before she could finish her sentence, however, Cathy, who'd been in the bathroom, carefully stepped in between the two sisters trying to calm the heated argument.
"Okay, Anne calm down, Kat knock it off." She exclaimed calmly before she turned her back on Kitty and took Anne's hands. " Annie I know you love her, but Kat is old enough to make her own decisions and take whatever consequences come with them." Cathy reasoned and Anne narrowed her eyes at her girlfriend, if she was in a more rational state of mind and hadn't stayed up all night waiting for Kat to come home, then maybe she would've seen her girlfriend's reasoning. However, Anne was running on two hours of restless sleep and she was extremely irritable and out of it.
"Well since I'm so controlling-" She spat.
"Whoa wait, I didn't say you were controlling! I said you just like to ensure your sister's safety all the time-"
"So I'm just a controlling wench, how do you put up with me Catherine Parr Aragon?" Anne snarls darkly before turning on her heel angrily starting for the hallway. Cathy quickly tried to stop her pursuit by grabbing her hand. Kat cringed realizing how upset her sister really was.
"Anne, I didn't mean it like that, I'm just saying… let Kitty be stupid it's her own fault… you shouldn't treat her like a baby you know, I mean you were stupid and messed up for a while and turned out okay..." Cathy tried and Kat shook her head at Cathy's attempts.
"Cath maybe just quit while you're ahead," Kat whispered softly. Anne's face reddened with rage and her eye twitched.
"Well, fine then maybe you should spend our date with Kat tonight since I'm such a moron I probably couldn't find my own car keys!" The eighteen-year-old growled just irritated with everything before she yanked her arm away and stormed to her room.
"Wait that came out wrong, Annie, Sunshine I didn't mean to-"
Both Cathy and Kat cringed at the slam of her bedroom door. Kitty met Cathy's confused look and gave her an apologetic smile.
"I'm sorry, it's my fault she's so upset…" she muttered and Cathy shook her head lamely.
"No, I could have worded that better...um I'll let her calm down...talk to you later maybe…" she murmurs turning to go.
"Anne can I borrow your car!?" Kitty demanded shaking her sister awake, Anne groaned rolling onto her side as she sat up in bed sleepily meeting her little sister's impatient gaze.
"Why...you need m' car?" She slurred tiredly and Kitty sighed restlessly as she ran her hand through her hair and scowled.
"Look I just need to borrow it, so can I or not!" Her little sister demanded sharply as she crossed her arms and Anne scowled back.
"No you can't it's …" Anne grabbed her phone wincing as she clicked it on "four thirty-one in the bloody morning! What in the hell do you need my car for at this time?!" She demanded her sleepiness giving way to irritation.
"I just need to run a quick errand, come on Anne please!" Kitty begged giving her sister a pouty expression. Anne glowered at her bitterly.
"Go away." She grumbled burying her face in her pillows. Kitty shook her roughly as she tugged her pajama top annoyingly persistent.
"Please Annie, please, please, please can I borrow your car please!!!" She whined overly dramatic. Anne sighed throwing off her blanket with a tired groan.
"Fine, but I'm driving you there, and if this is something crazy that gets us killed, I'm haunting you for the rest of eternity," Anne grumbled as she stumbled around her room, tugging a sweatshirt over her head and slipping some shoes on.
"Thanks, sissy you're the best!" Kat exclaimed brightly and Anne sighed heavily because she'd do anything for her sister, even when she was being a horrible person.
Anne paused just before walking out the front door, pulling her phone out she scheduled a quick text to Cathy that would arrive around noon, before she pocketed her phone and grabbed her keys, locking the front door behind herself.
Cathy was woken up before the sun had even risen, to pounding from the living room, she vaguely registers her mama rushing to answer the front door. It was barely five in the morning maybe almost six at the latest and Cathy was too tired to care right now.
Sobbing, painful sobbing coming from the living room, filling up her house, catching Cathy's attention. Oh God...it wasn't...it couldn't be..it could only be …
Anna!
That was all that registered in Cathy's foggy subconscious as she stumbled from her bed and down the stairs and towards her living room in a blind state of delirious panic.
"Jane, just breathe, what did they say? Calmly tell me, take a deep breath." Her mama encouraged kindly and Cathy felt herself grow sick as she rounded the corner standing in the doorway, watching the two women fearfully. Why would Jane be here so early?
"Anne and Kat… they...they w-w-were.." she began to sob painfully loud once more and Cathy's mama gently brushed the blonde's tears from her cheeks, patiently waiting for her to finish. "M-my b-b-b-b-babies! Oh, C-Catherine what will I do without my-my babies?" She sobbed hysterically her words slurring together and Cathy felt her stomach lurch.
"Shh shh Jane love, tell me who called you." Catherine Aragon calmly requested brushing a tear-soaked lock of Jane's hair behind her ear.
"T-t-the H-hos-s-sp-pital…" Jane whimpered lips trembling sorrowfully.
"What's happened? Where's Anne!?" Cathy cried catching both women's attention instantly as the young woman stood in the doorway quivering in fear, wrapped in her girlfriend's sweatshirt.
"Car crash, there was...drunk driver...Anne didn't see…" Jane bit her lip hard as more tears started dripping down her blotchy face.
"No, no is...are they alright?" Cathy demanded sharply feeling like someone had socked her in the stomach, she felt sick.
"I d-don-n-n't know." Jane whimpered and Cathy felt the walls closing in on her, her breathing was harsh and jagged. Anne, oh God the last thing she said to Anne...that stupid fight. Stupid fight.
What had Cathy been thinking!?
Now Anne was...was hurt…
"Cathy."
Or worse Anne was dead...oh God Oh God...dead...how can someone who radiates so much life be dead?
"Cathy!"
Anne was her sunshine, her heart...what would Cathy do without her heart! How would she survive? Everything was pressing against her, her heart was beating frantically. She brought her hands to her neck.
"Catherine Parr!"
She swallowed thickly but it stuck within her throat, Anne couldn't be gone...she loved her! Cathy was shaking her whole body quivering. Sweat pooled in her palms and her mouth filled with vile rising from her quaking stomach.
"CATHY!"
She was panting, her knees knocked together, oh God what if she lost Anne, and she never got to apologize?! What if this was it? What if Anne really was gone?
"CATHY STOP!" She blinked taking in her mama's fearful eyes, when had she laid on the ground? Cathy shudders as she pushes the inhaler from her face and forces herself to sit upright. How long had her mama been trying to get her attention? "Cathy, listen to me closely, we are going to head out to the hospital, are you able to go?" Her mama questioned in concern as she kept Cathy firmly in her grasp to ensure she was alright. Cathy started nodding before her mama even finished her sentence, as she struggled to her feet.
"I wanna go, let's go to the hospital!" She exclaimed tugging from her mama as she scrambled to find her shoes. Catherine didn't push it but vowed to keep her eye on both Jane and Cathy.
"Let's go then, I'm driving." She insisted as she wrapped an arm around Jane and took Cathy by the waist leading them out the door.
Jane practically threw herself at the front desk upon arrival to the hospital. Cathy felt numb, tingly this all seemed unreal, the hospital lights too bright. Cathy clutched her head as she numbly followed after her mama. This all felt like some kind of awful dream...or dreadful nightmare. She quickly rushed for the elevator the minute she heard a room number. But it was to Kitty's room, and even though Cathy was glad she was alright she wished it was Anne.
The elevator dinged, feeling like a weight had dropped onto her shoulders. Oh, Anne what would she do without her? Cathy began to cry because Anne's welfare was unknown and her sister was MIA. Her mama gently slid her arm across her shoulders, pulling her close as they watched the floors slow tick towards the floor Kat was on.
"D-did…" she hiccups her lips shuddering miserably. "D-did you h-h-hear anyt-t-thing a-about-t-t…" she shuddered rubbing at her teary cheeks. "A-a-a-ann-n-nie?"
"She's in surgery right now love," Jane whispered softly as she gently rubbed her hand up and down Cathy's arm needing to soothe someone. "We don't know a-anything else yet." She murmured as the doors dinged before they slowly shook open. Carefully they stepped from the elevator and stumbled towards the tan double doors that lead towards the patient rooms.
"My poor baby!" Jane sobbed, Kat had never looked so small before, so broken. Her arm was in a cast, her face was so bruised, all of her skin was cut up or bruised. Cathy took a sharp intake of breath, she couldn't believe Kat looked this bad. To Cathy's shock, Kitty's eyes snapped open when she heard their voices.
"Mommy?" She slurred, voice sounding broken and small. Jane carefully slipped into the chair next to her bed taking her good hand in her own carefully.
"That's right Kitty, mommy's right here." She soothed smoothing down Kitty's hair from her face. Tears started welling up in Anne's little sister's blue eyes and she gently removed her hand from her mum's grasp and silently cried.
"Anne...where's Anne mommy…" she whimpered tearfully and Jane looked down at the beige-colored hospital bedsheets, trying not to cry.
"Anne's in surgery now…" she muttered trying to keep her voice steady. "We'll know more later baby." She soothed trying to keep Kitty calm.
"What happened Kat? Why were you out so bloody early in the morning anyways!?" Cathy demanded, her own sorrow turning to anger when she realized that though Kitty was a bit beat up and upset, she was otherwise going to be fine. She shrugged off her mama's hand and stared down at the girl she considered like a little sister to her waiting for an answer.
"It ...it was my fault...it was all my fault…" she muttered tearfully. "I didn't mean for this to ...to happen.." she whimpered turning her head to meet her mum's kind eyes.
🚑🚑🚑A FEW HOURS EARLIER 🚑🚑🚑
Anne huffed as she drove towards God only knew where, while her sister gave her vague instructions.
"Katherine Howard Seymour, either you tell me where I'm taking you or I'm bloody well driving us home!" Anne threatened but she hardly believed that she'd actually follow through because after all this she was damn well curious. She raised an eyebrow at her sister as she drove on. Kitty sighed sadly before meeting her gaze dejectedly.
"There's a home office for the company Anna went off with, the main guy said I could meet him at six and we could search for Anna...I'm just so worried about her...no one's heard from her in months sissy, what if something's wrong?" Kitty's lips trembled and Anne sighed because she was worried too.
"Alright, forward him your information and tell him both of us will be there as quickly as possible." Anne enthused and Kitty smiled brightly, quickly kissing Anne's cheek before she settled back in her seat more relaxed.
Anne pulled up to a stoplight carefully, God she was exhausted still. She shook her head a couple of times and covered a yawn with her fist.
It happened so fast suddenly headlights were shining from behind her and she quickly stuck her arm out to lessen some of the impact for her sister, as the car slammed on its breaks trying to stop in time, but with a sickening crunch, the large van hit into Anne's little green car sending them hurling into the middle of the intersection.
"Kitty, get out of the car!" Anne hissed dangerously, blood dripping from her lip, Kitty nodded, fearful as Anne's headlights flickered and she'd just opened the door and got one foot out, when headlights, brighter than the sun, filled the car, Anne met her eyes gave her a watery smile and shoved Kitty out of the car, just as a deathly crash filled the early morning. Kitty went flying rolling painfully against the concrete, her arm hit the ground hard, her eye hit the lamppost. She wasn't aware how long she'd been laying on her side, her body numb with unbearable pain. Before a pained whimper escaped her lips.
"Oh God, there's a lass stuck in her car, please send an ambulance!" An unknown voice snapped Kitty into action.
She stumbled to her unstable feet, using the lamp post for support as she surveyed the scene in front of her.
"ANNE!" She sobbed seeing the crushed little green car, the guy from the van earlier was calling an ambulance, while the other driver was clearly intoxicated. Anne's car looked like it had been in a trash compactor. Kitty stumbled to the driver's side of the car, limping over the glass, and maneuvered around the other car. Her lips trembled when she caught sight of her sister.
"Anne!" She sobbed stumbling unsteadily to the shattered window.
Anne was covered in blood, so much blood. Still, her eyes snapped open unfocused at the sound of her little sister's voice, she rasped, blood pooling from her mouth. "Shh it's...gonna be okay Anne, don't talk sissy….your door is in your stomach…it looks like…" Kitty trembled looking down at the caved-in door and Anne smiled, it was weak but she smiled.
"K-k-k-k-kit-t s'rry l-lo-v" she winced painfully and shuddered as her eyes slipped close and Kitty feared the large gash on her sister's head from hitting the steering wheel.
"I love you too Anne, I love you too. Please just hold on the ambulance is coming!" She sobbed and Anne murmured incoherently, her head lolling to the side. "Anne the ambulance is coming please…" she sobbed painfully as her legs gave out and she collapsed against the glassy floor with a pitiful whimper. "Please."
It was a long day, after Kitty told her story she passed out in pain. Cathy was curled up in the chair in the corner of her room. Why hadn't she called her Anne last night? Why? Why? Why? Why? She choked on her own emotions, just when she thought she'd cried herself out too, more tears came.
"Sorry to bother you, but the surgery was successful, she's still out of it, but we will notify you the moment she wakes up." Some faceless doctor whispered to Jane before checking Kitty's vitals and escaping out the door. Cathy shuddered, she didn't care if Anne was awake yet or not, she just wanted to see her. Cathy rested her head against her knees a yawn slipping from her lips. She'd just shut her eyes for a second, that way she could stay more alert for when Anne woke up. Cathy shuddered feeling the weight of her long night against her eyelids as she felt her subconscious slip away.
Suddenly she was gently being shaken awake, she met Jane's soft blue eyes and instantly felt like crying again.
"I'm sorry for waking you up love, but Anne's woken up around twenty minutes ago and I thought you might like to see her." Jane reasoned gently and Cathy nodded seriously as she quickly stood from the extremely uncomfortable plastic chair and rushed to the door where she waited to follow Jane to her Annie. The blonde mother kissed Kitty's forehead, promised she'd bring her to see Anne the moment she was able to, then she turned and led Cathy from the room and down the hall; leaving Kitty in Catherine's capable hands.
Just before walking into Anne's room her phone dinged, curiously Cathy removed the item from her pocket and was shocked to see Anne's name lit up on her screen. Quickly she clicked open the message.
'Hey Puppy, I'm sorry about being such a psycho. I hope you can forgive me! I know it's not an excuse, but I was a trainwreck with legs, well I scheduled this message because I'm going joyriding at 4 AM w/ Kit-Kat so if I'm still alive by the time you read this ...jk but when you do get it meet me behind the lilac Bushes and maybe, if you've totally forgiven me, we can discuss rescheduling our date xoxoxoxoxoxoxo'
Cathy swiped away her tears and pocketed her phone, this gave her hope. Smiling she followed after Jane into her girlfriend's room. Upon seeing her girlfriend her heart broke, and her hope evaporated.