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The Adoption

"Carry on." The Doctor intoned when Kate quieted down.

She took a deep breath, then continued with her recounting...

She had heard the pronouncement in stunned disbelief, glancing up at the matron, hardly able to bring her in focus as her face etched in disturbing shadows. Then she had sucked in a huge, shuddering breath.

"I can't go." She had said in conviction, "Will won't let me."

"Sweetheart," the matron had said in an oddly thick voice, "Will came to speak us a few days back and he has already met Johnathan and Doreen, and he...he wants this to happen."

She had been dumbfounded, staring at her blankly, until something had suddenly clicked, "Oh!" She had whispered, letting out a breathless laugh of relief, "They must have adopted Will, too!" and somehow, she had irrationally thought, they must have adopted Luke as well, because she knew they weren't leaving him behind, he had been a part of them.

The expression in the matron's face had stalled her. She had looked at her pityingly.

"You know only one child gets adopted, Kate. It's just you."

Irritation that they were going through this again had caused her brows to crumple, "No." she denied with absolute conviction, "I won't go. Will won't let me."

"Sweetheart--"

"I can't go."

"It's already been done--"

"No!" She had yelled, losing her control in a rare moment of anger, "I can't leave Will!"

"Will wants this to happen. He discussed this with us maturely and he agrees that it's in your best--"

"You're lying! All of you! My brother won't leave me!"

"Kate--"

She had stumbled off the chair, blindly racing out of the office in the darkness, furious tears tracking down her face, a fierce urgency overtaking her. She had to find her brother and Luke, she had thought. Once they found out what the Home was planning to pull, they would take it in their hands and everything would be okay. They wouldn't let anyone take her away. She just had to--

She had suddenly crashed into a figure in the hallway, spitting nails as she felt two hands grip her. She had screamed at the top of her lungs, struggling furiously, terrified that they were about to drag her away before she could find her brother. Her nails had scratched at whoever held her captive and it took a while for the familiar yells to break through her fog.

"-Calm down, Kate! Kate! It's me! Calm down, for fucks-"

"Will!" She had whimpered, falling into his arms, and she complained seethingly, "Will, they thought they could-they were about too-"

"Calm down." He had whispered, his voice harsh but not with anger, and he had rubbed her back. She had realized through the tears that Luke stood beside him, his expression guarded. She thought she detected the tightness around his lips.

After a few shuddering, calming breaths, she had whispered furiously, "They thought they could foster me out. I told them you wouldn't let them. I told them, Will! How could they do this?!" Her hand had raked across her cheek to irritably wipe her tears because she didn't like that they look miserable because she was crying.

She had looked beseechingly at her brother's face for confirmation, but his face had been taut, his eyes blazing with a mix of anger and frustration.

"You just have to figure out how to scare these people." She had said shakily, suddenly remembering the muscles Johnathan had had, wondering if two preadolescent boys stood a chance at scaring him. Those two hadn't been like the usual past-their-prime foster parents. But surely they wouldn't adopt a child against her will?