The Autumn Prince

33. Forces of Nature

"Nah, I'll be okay, let him rest. I'd rather start making a grocery list," she gestured at the marble-topped bar. "This is pathetic."

Once they began writing everything down it became quickly apparent that their needs went far beyond food for the four of them, which was an impressive enough list since they had to start from scratch. While the kitchen and its appliances were extravagant, there were no plates or tableware, no pots or pans or containers for uneaten food, no butter dish or sugar bowl or even a lowly salt shaker. They needed bath towels, hand towels, and washcloths for the bathroom, paper towels and drying towels for the kitchen, dish soap, hand soap, body wash and shampoo, and an assortment of cleaning supplies. There didn't seem to be an end.

By the time Tom appeared the list had grown alarmingly long. He glanced at it briefly before routinely kissing Katherine, then Rachel and finally Becca. As always, his touch wiped away all evidence of the world around them and she forgot herself for a few blissful moments. Returning from that was hard. Almost worse than going without.

"It's not that bad," Tom said once he scrutinized their shopping list.

"Uh huh," Rachel said. "You win some lottery I didn't hear about?"

"No, but I have twenty months worth of rent in savings from my scholarship."

Katherine gasped, "Thomas! You can't spend that, it's for school!"

"And lodging," he corrected. "Once we get our things from the apartment there won't be much reason to go back. We also have the bank card Miss Gold gave me. It doesn't look like any of us are dependent on the tea, so I won't feel too bad spending the money on other things we need."

"It's not a solution," Katherine insisted. "None of us has an income."

"We'll figure that out later," he said. "We need to work out a budget, then once Rachel and I get our laptops we can find something that'll let us work from home. After today, future trips shouldn't be quite so overwhelming."

After Tom picked a serviceable breakfast from the available food, he and Rachel left to survey the warehouse, identifying other needs before committing to their first trip back into the world without Fae protection. Becca stood and imagined the expansive cupboards full and organized, then placed the remaining food where it seemed to belong.

"Becca?" Katherine said quietly, and on some level the word registered, but it was attached to something else, something distant, and she didn't reply.

"Becca," Katherine repeated, a little more forcefully.

"Hmm? Oh! Hi... um... I'm sorry, I was just..." The warm tingling of a familiar blush crept into her cheeks. She didn't think it was embarrassment. It was more like shame, like being caught somewhere you weren't supposed to be.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm—I sometimes get lost in my head. I wasn't ignoring you, I just... I'm sorry."

Katherine cocked her head, smiling quizzically. "It's fine. I thought we could talk. We haven't had the chance yet, just the two of us."

"Oh, um..." Becca closed the cupboard and brushed at her overalls because it seemed like she should be more presentable speaking with someone who, with pale golden hair and a long, white robe, might have passed for an angel. "Sure, go ahead."

Katherine patted the bar stool next to her, and Becca tentatively, but obediently, mounted it.

"I wanted to apologize," she began.

"For what?"

"I wasn't very kind to you when we first met."

"So?" Becca said, but it was the wrong kind of word, or at least the wrong time for it, because Katherine frowned. "I mean it's just—I know why and I don't blame you. I think if the situation was turned around I would have handled it worse."