Kat

Alexa, Final

 Some hours ago, she'd picked them up. Hell, yesterday by this point. They were in a neat little packet, as thick as her pinkie finger, with tons of signature blocks and fine print. Here they were. The court documents that would free Kat from her bondage. She studied the papers, flipping through them, burning oil late into the night in her study, with the fire crackling and the stars and moon outside watching in, silent observers. She signed here and there, reading this and that, it was all exhausting, and by the time the morning had come, she'd not even noticed. And in the end, all it really amounted to was, "I hereby say this slave is free."

As the morning sun rose, she looked out her window to the garden below. An early morning breeze rustled the growing trees and bushes, and it brought her some solace to know that some piece of Kat would remain with her, even if it was just her garden. She didn't want to lose Kat. She didn't want to lose Sarah either. But look at how it panned out both times, she thought.

Though, she had to admit, this was a much happier end to a story than Sarah's. If Kat never became a repeat of Sarah, Alexa had done well and could sleep at night. Just knowing Kat was out there, surviving, hopefully thriving, would be enough. Alexa planned to give her a large sum of money for college and a home, so hopefully Kat would use it wisely and get on her feet again after all this awfulness was over. And maybe they could even stay in touch, she thought wistfully.

Kat would be free. Free like she'd never been before, and she'd be able to one day look back on the past five years and maybe even have a laugh. Hopefully. Hopefully there were fond memories made here, with her. Hopefully she recovered from Antwon's abuse. Hopefully she reconnected with her family. Hopefully. There was a lot of hope going into every signature she blotted onto the papers. A lot of hope, and a lot of fear. And sadness. So much sadness.

All the ink that was spilled just signing her name felt like blood straight from her heart. Her hand felt heavy, signing these documents, her mind, numb. She wanted to cry, but couldn't. It was such a happy occasion. But it wasn't. Her heart felt like it was sucked into a vortex, being thrown between this emotion and that, and it hurt. It physically hurt. She winced and clutched it.

The tears would come later, she knew. Later, when Kat was gone. Later, when she was all alone again. That's when the real tears came. When she was alone, truly alone, the tears wouldn't stop, she knew. There was a coming darkness that she feared. At least, she thought, she'd always have Cobb. But losing Sarah, and now Kat... she vowed to never own a slave again.

She shuddered, and started to sign the documents faster. She felt weary, exhausted, but confident in her decision. Still, her eyes were heavy, and she found herself wanting to take a nap. When Cobb brought her coffee, she'd nearly jumped out of her own skin. He looked down at her, then at the documents as he poured her a cup of steaming, fresh black coffee.

"Cobb, you nearly killed me," she said, clutching her chest.

He smiled at her. "Wouldn't be the first time, Madam. May I ask, do you really plan on going through with this? There is still time to stop, you know."

She frowned. "Yes, I do. But... I won't stop. Not for me. This is for Kat, Cobb. Only for Kat."

"Madam," he said, standing straight up. "I can see it in your face. The hurt and the fear. I believe you may regret this once you do it. And what kind of butler would I be - nay, what kind of friend - if I were not to warn you about this?"

"A shitty one," Alexa said, offering a grin. He grinned back.

"Fair, fair. So you plan to continue ahead, then." It was more a statement than a question. She knew that Cobb already had the answer. He just wanted her to say it.