Birthday Lost Fic for gottalovev - Kate, Ed Mars - Little Girl Lost
Title: Little Girl Lost
Author: tinkerbell99
Rating: PG
Characters: Kate, Ed Mars
Spoilers: Through "What Kate Did"
Notes: Birthday ficlet for the fabulous gottalovev, who requested something with our favorite marshal. I hope this will do! :-)
Summary: He was wrong about her, about that little girl.
"You hungry?"
She doesn't respond, just turns her head toward the window and watches the rain run in streams down the glass.
"Hey," his eyes flicker to the right, then return to the road. "I asked if you were hungry."
"I heard you," Kate half-whispers. "I'm not."
The squeak of the wipers fills the silence, and miles pass before they speak again. He hits the brakes and turns with a sudden jolt to the right. Kate works fast to steady herself. Hands shackled, she slips to her left. He's amused as she bumps awkwardly against his arm.
"Why are we stopping?" Her words are clipped, accusing.
"It's forty miles to the next town. We're eating here."
"I told you I wasn't hungry."
"That may be, darlin', but I can't leave you here all alone." Gravel crunches under tires as he pulls to a stop in front of a diner.
"Why not?" Kate raises her wrists. "Not like I can go anywhere."
Edward laughs at her display. "I'm supposed to trust you to sit in the car like a good little girl? I think you've lost that privilege." Yanking the key from the ignition, he exits the car and Kate watches as he walks around the front to her door, head bent from the rain.
"Stand up," he commands, reaching one hand down to pull her forward.
Her legs shake as she steps from the car. Unsteady, she leans back against its frame. Water spots her face, runs down her collar, and she winces away from its cold pricks.
Leaning past her, he reaches into the car and removes her jacket from the seat. Wordlessly, she holds out her hands as he wraps it through her arms, disguising the metal that binds her wrists.
"There," he grins a wolfish smile. "All prim and proper." With a hand gripping her arm, they walk slowly toward the door.
Inside, the diner glows in yellow light. Green marker on a whiteboard outlines the specials while the smell of old coffee fills the air. Their shoes squeak on wet tile floor as Edward steers her toward a booth. Seated, her eyes focus on the flecked Formica table before them. A radio's chatter comes in quiet waves from the kitchen nearby.
"Menus?" asks a waitress, her too-red lipstick and obvious eye shadow disguising a tired, defeated face. She holds two greasy laminated strips, offering one to Kate.
Hands placed firmly in her lap and covered in cloth, Kate shakes her head. "No. Not for me." Her eyes drift to the window. Conversation closed.
"Thanks, darlin'." Edward accepts a menu from the woman. "Two coffees. Black."
Alone again, he glances at the menu before studying Kate. "Not very talkative, are you?" He waits. "Won't have another chance to eat until morning. They say prison food isn't very appetizing." Still, Kate studies the rain. "Sure you don't want a menu?"
"I can't eat with cuffs on," she tries.
"Well, then," he grins. "I guess you don't eat at all."
The waitress returns with two steaming mugs. The oily liquid runs in rivers down the side of the mug, and Kate fights against the urge to retch at the bitter smell. "Did you decide on something?"
Edward orders, and with one last curious glance, the woman tucks straw-like blonde hair behind her ear and leaves them alone.
"She remind you of your momma, Kate?"
"Go to hell," she hisses.
"Well now," he leans back and grins a satisfied smile. "Little girl like you shouldn't use such words."
"I'm not a little girl," and even as she says it, she knows it's exactly the move he hoped she would make.
"Right," he nods, then leans in closer. "You're a murderer."
She starts at the words, and her eyes flicker toward the door. His hand strikes at her across the table, clasps her arm so hard it hurts. She twists, clenches her teeth against the pain.
"Nowhere for you to run, Kate. Even some lazy backwoods cop could find you...Night like this and them cuffs on your hands." He relaxed his iron grip. "Might as well sit here like a good little girl."
Easing back into his seat, he turns his face into a grin as the waitress brings him a plate. He salts his food and eats while Kate stares at the rain, unshed tears burning in her eyes. The untouched coffee before her cools into an oily black pool. He accepts a second cup.
"I need to use the bathroom." She's careful to take the anger away from her eyes.
"What's that?" He mops up the last of the gravy with the end of a biscuit and lays down his fork.
"Bathroom," she repeats. "I need to go before we leave."
He counts out bills, one at a time, and wedges them under his empty mug. "So I'm supposed to take out my key, trust you not to find some back window out of this place while I wait at the door?"
She swallows.
"It's not gonna be that easy, Kate." Rising, he again clutches her arm while she shifts awkwardly out of the booth. "Excuse me," he smiles in the direction of the waitress. "We're looking for the bathroom."
"Restrooms are in the back," she returns to wiping down Formica with a dirty, wet rag.
"Let's go," he whispers to Kate, steering her toward a crooked wooden door. Despite the "ladies" sign, he propels her in and follows right after.
"What are you doing?" she whispers.
"Like I said, Kate. It's not gonna be that easy." He releases her arm. A sink and two stalls are all that furnish the tiny room. "Go ahead. I'll wait."
She chooses the far stall, putting as much distance between them as she can in the confined space. It's awkward still cuffed, and it takes her two tries to latch the door.
"You know, Kate," and her eyes roll to the ceiling tiles at the sound of his voice, "all that talk about you being a little girl. Maybe it's not so far off. Good grades in school, working from the time you were fourteen. Detasseling, wasn't it? Summer days out in the sun in the middle of a field of corn. That's hard work for a little girl."
She watches his feet approach from the gap under the door of the stall. Her teeth sink into her lower lip.
"Always taking care of your momma. Didn't even go away to college. Now, why was that, Kate?"
The toilet flushes, and he backs away as she opens the door, making room for her to approach the sink. The jacket bound around her arms makes every movement difficult, slow. He turns on the water for her, hot only. It scalds her hands.
There are no paper towels and she's helpless for a moment, shaking water droplets into the sink. He removes a handkerchief from his pocket. She turns her head while he dries her hands. "That's a good girl," he grins. She swallows back a venomous reply.
It's still raining outside when they leave. Settling back into her seat, she watches from the side mirror as the diner lights fade into the distance.
***
It's hours later when they crash to the side of the road. He finds some irony in the fact that it was a horse - something about ponies and little girls comes back to him as his face hits the dirt, water beating down and the tail lights of the car he was driving disappearing with that little girl down the road.
He was wrong about her, about that little girl.
Then everything around him turns to black.
When he wakes, he chases again.
***
Author: tinkerbell99
Rating: PG
Characters: Kate, Ed Mars
Spoilers: Through "What Kate Did"
Notes: Birthday ficlet for the fabulous gottalovev, who requested something with our favorite marshal. I hope this will do! :-)
Summary: He was wrong about her, about that little girl.
"You hungry?"
She doesn't respond, just turns her head toward the window and watches the rain run in streams down the glass.
"Hey," his eyes flicker to the right, then return to the road. "I asked if you were hungry."
"I heard you," Kate half-whispers. "I'm not."
The squeak of the wipers fills the silence, and miles pass before they speak again. He hits the brakes and turns with a sudden jolt to the right. Kate works fast to steady herself. Hands shackled, she slips to her left. He's amused as she bumps awkwardly against his arm.
"Why are we stopping?" Her words are clipped, accusing.
"It's forty miles to the next town. We're eating here."
"I told you I wasn't hungry."
"That may be, darlin', but I can't leave you here all alone." Gravel crunches under tires as he pulls to a stop in front of a diner.
"Why not?" Kate raises her wrists. "Not like I can go anywhere."
Edward laughs at her display. "I'm supposed to trust you to sit in the car like a good little girl? I think you've lost that privilege." Yanking the key from the ignition, he exits the car and Kate watches as he walks around the front to her door, head bent from the rain.
"Stand up," he commands, reaching one hand down to pull her forward.
Her legs shake as she steps from the car. Unsteady, she leans back against its frame. Water spots her face, runs down her collar, and she winces away from its cold pricks.
Leaning past her, he reaches into the car and removes her jacket from the seat. Wordlessly, she holds out her hands as he wraps it through her arms, disguising the metal that binds her wrists.
"There," he grins a wolfish smile. "All prim and proper." With a hand gripping her arm, they walk slowly toward the door.
Inside, the diner glows in yellow light. Green marker on a whiteboard outlines the specials while the smell of old coffee fills the air. Their shoes squeak on wet tile floor as Edward steers her toward a booth. Seated, her eyes focus on the flecked Formica table before them. A radio's chatter comes in quiet waves from the kitchen nearby.
"Menus?" asks a waitress, her too-red lipstick and obvious eye shadow disguising a tired, defeated face. She holds two greasy laminated strips, offering one to Kate.
Hands placed firmly in her lap and covered in cloth, Kate shakes her head. "No. Not for me." Her eyes drift to the window. Conversation closed.
"Thanks, darlin'." Edward accepts a menu from the woman. "Two coffees. Black."
Alone again, he glances at the menu before studying Kate. "Not very talkative, are you?" He waits. "Won't have another chance to eat until morning. They say prison food isn't very appetizing." Still, Kate studies the rain. "Sure you don't want a menu?"
"I can't eat with cuffs on," she tries.
"Well, then," he grins. "I guess you don't eat at all."
The waitress returns with two steaming mugs. The oily liquid runs in rivers down the side of the mug, and Kate fights against the urge to retch at the bitter smell. "Did you decide on something?"
Edward orders, and with one last curious glance, the woman tucks straw-like blonde hair behind her ear and leaves them alone.
"She remind you of your momma, Kate?"
"Go to hell," she hisses.
"Well now," he leans back and grins a satisfied smile. "Little girl like you shouldn't use such words."
"I'm not a little girl," and even as she says it, she knows it's exactly the move he hoped she would make.
"Right," he nods, then leans in closer. "You're a murderer."
She starts at the words, and her eyes flicker toward the door. His hand strikes at her across the table, clasps her arm so hard it hurts. She twists, clenches her teeth against the pain.
"Nowhere for you to run, Kate. Even some lazy backwoods cop could find you...Night like this and them cuffs on your hands." He relaxed his iron grip. "Might as well sit here like a good little girl."
Easing back into his seat, he turns his face into a grin as the waitress brings him a plate. He salts his food and eats while Kate stares at the rain, unshed tears burning in her eyes. The untouched coffee before her cools into an oily black pool. He accepts a second cup.
"I need to use the bathroom." She's careful to take the anger away from her eyes.
"What's that?" He mops up the last of the gravy with the end of a biscuit and lays down his fork.
"Bathroom," she repeats. "I need to go before we leave."
He counts out bills, one at a time, and wedges them under his empty mug. "So I'm supposed to take out my key, trust you not to find some back window out of this place while I wait at the door?"
She swallows.
"It's not gonna be that easy, Kate." Rising, he again clutches her arm while she shifts awkwardly out of the booth. "Excuse me," he smiles in the direction of the waitress. "We're looking for the bathroom."
"Restrooms are in the back," she returns to wiping down Formica with a dirty, wet rag.
"Let's go," he whispers to Kate, steering her toward a crooked wooden door. Despite the "ladies" sign, he propels her in and follows right after.
"What are you doing?" she whispers.
"Like I said, Kate. It's not gonna be that easy." He releases her arm. A sink and two stalls are all that furnish the tiny room. "Go ahead. I'll wait."
She chooses the far stall, putting as much distance between them as she can in the confined space. It's awkward still cuffed, and it takes her two tries to latch the door.
"You know, Kate," and her eyes roll to the ceiling tiles at the sound of his voice, "all that talk about you being a little girl. Maybe it's not so far off. Good grades in school, working from the time you were fourteen. Detasseling, wasn't it? Summer days out in the sun in the middle of a field of corn. That's hard work for a little girl."
She watches his feet approach from the gap under the door of the stall. Her teeth sink into her lower lip.
"Always taking care of your momma. Didn't even go away to college. Now, why was that, Kate?"
The toilet flushes, and he backs away as she opens the door, making room for her to approach the sink. The jacket bound around her arms makes every movement difficult, slow. He turns on the water for her, hot only. It scalds her hands.
There are no paper towels and she's helpless for a moment, shaking water droplets into the sink. He removes a handkerchief from his pocket. She turns her head while he dries her hands. "That's a good girl," he grins. She swallows back a venomous reply.
It's still raining outside when they leave. Settling back into her seat, she watches from the side mirror as the diner lights fade into the distance.
***
It's hours later when they crash to the side of the road. He finds some irony in the fact that it was a horse - something about ponies and little girls comes back to him as his face hits the dirt, water beating down and the tail lights of the car he was driving disappearing with that little girl down the road.
He was wrong about her, about that little girl.
Then everything around him turns to black.
When he wakes, he chases again.
***