I Think I'm Broken

Participants:

katherine2_icon.gif veronica_icon.gif

Scene Title I Think I'm Broken
Synopsis Just to prove to herself that this isn't all just a mistake, Veronica comes to see June for herself.
Date September 23, 2009

Homeland Security Holding Facility


She's been asked to stay put, however, the guards have had a hell of a time keeping her in the room. Her ability allows for her to easily manipulate doorknobs and latches so she can turn them and walk out of the room as she likes. The guards have been instructed that June is not a hostile, so using force on her would be frowned up. However, after a few frustrated attempts to keep June in the holding room, the guard thought it might be a good idea to handcuff her. Though June took it all in stride, she easily slipped from the handcuffs, though they are no longer usable for that purpose.

It's been a few hours since Minea Dahl left June in her room, saying that someone would be by soon to talk. June was allowed to clean up, so she is once again clean, with her hair pulled back into a ponytail as she waits for someone to come. She occasionally glances at the mirror on the far wall with a bit curiousity as something strikes her as being odd or not quite right with that mirror, but she can't quite put her finger on it.

After several hours looking up any doctor on the eastern seaboard with the name of Allison, Alison, Alyson, or any variation thereof, Veronica finally gives up the hope of finding a quick answer. Nothing's ever that easy, especially not for Veronica Sawyer. Not since she was sixteen years old anyway. Once, life was simple. Albert Paulson changed all that. She wonders idly what her life would be like if her father had not been killed ten years ago. She would probably be in medical school, on her way to fulfilling her dream of being a neurosurgeon like her father.

She might never have met Kat.

If she hadn't met Kat, she wouldn't be here, looking through that "mirror," that is of course a one-way window, watching Kat — June. The current agent looks about as lost as the former agent. Finally she takes a deep breath and leaves the window, moving instead to the door.

"Hello," she says quietly as she enters the room. She has one of Kat's jackets and Kat's Ipod with her favorite music still loaded on it. Things to spark the memory, if there's anything to spark. The photo album, she left for another day.

The door opens and when Veronica enters the room there's a brief flicker of a wide range of emotions that cross June's face. A quick look of surprise, then indifference when someone she at first doesn't recognize comes through the door. Then a flash of puzzlement when something triggers inside her at the woman's face, then a brief moment of doubt followed by something more. Her eyes widen as she stands. The voice that comes from the woman's mouth another 'something familiar' as words are spoken in return.

"Veronica Sawyer."

That voice familiar to the other as her own was familiar to June. Somehow June knows there is an importance attached to the name she speaks and her eyes falter towards the ground as her mind scrambles to try and figure out why that is, who this is and how she knows her. It's like that word that you know you know but it won't cross your tongue to be spoken. As she leans against the table, her palms flatten on the surface and her fingers beging to flex and bend as she makes her hand prints embed within the wood as it molds around her palm and fingers. And her eyes return to those of the woman she knows.

"Vee."

"The word rolls off her tongue and into the air with a confused inflection to it. As she straightens her back, her handprint is left embedded onto the table as she only then lowers her gaze to the coat and the gadget that the woman carries in.

"Kat."

Veronica's eyes well with tears when she hears this stranger that is not a stranger say her name. "You know who I am, or just… my name?" she asks, quietly, stepping closer, moving slowly toward the table to put the jacket and the iPod on the table. Her fingers trace over the handprint in the wood — clearly, Kat's ability has changed a bit, grown stronger. Veronica puts a hand on one of the chairs, her eyebrows lifting. Everything feels so fragile, like she's walking on eggshells. "Mind if I sit?"

June nods at the request to sit.

"I know your name. I know there's a great importance attached to it. Something about you." June, or Kat, lifts her hand to her heart. "It's pounding so hard right now. Her second hand comes up to cover the first as if she could slow its beat by holding it just so. She slowly lowers herself to sit in the chair across from her. She watches as Veronica traces the outline of her handprint and slowly she slides one of her hands over to gently graze Veronica's fingertips with her own. "You were special to me in some way." Her blue eyes lift up to gaze across at the eyes on the other side of the table. "I feel like I should know so much about you.."

Vee's eyes move up from the handprint to June… Kat's… face and when the other woman acknowledges that Veronica was someone important to her, Vee swallows hard, her brows knitting as she wills herself not to cry. Her hand turns over to let June's lie on top of her open palm. She nods, licks her lips, swallows again. It's so hard to speak.

"I … we thought you were dead," Veronica says quietly. She's not sure exactly what the woman has been told. "Did they tell you what happened? How they fixed you? Where were you, before they brought you to Staten? I need to find out who did this to you and why, and why they didn't tell us where to find you, Kat." She frowns, and shakes her head. "June." She offers a slight smile, her dimples appearing for a brief moment. "Do you care? Which I call you by? I don't want to upset you and call you the wrong name."

"They said my name was Katherine. That they call me Kat. So it's okay, if you want." Her hand is warm and clean, though there are a few scratches from her time on Staten Island, picking up trash and such. There's something very comforting about the way it lays on top of Veronica's hand. "I woke up in a hospital and I was told they were taking care of me. Then something happened. It was bad, I think. I was told to run away and not come back. That's what she said. Go to Staten Island and be careful. But everyone was nice there, though it was dirty and broken." As she watches Veronica smile, though briefly, she mimics the action though doesn't quite pull off the dimpled effect. She realizes she's rambling and her voice goes quiet for a moment, not wanting to distract from this reverent moment that she feels is happening.

"But I didn't die after all, so that's good, right?" Nothing that Katherine has to say seems to be right for this moment, and it's because everything she feels she should say is just not coming to her. For the first time since waking up months ago, a tear trickles down her cheek. "Something's wrong with me. I don't know what. I think I'm broken." Just like Staten Island.

The tear breaks Veronica's mask, and her eyes well with tears. "You're alive. That matters. That's good. It's better than good. It's great, okay?" Vee says, and her hand curls around the familiar yet unfamiliar hand that lies on her own. She would try to hug Kat, but she's afraid of frightening the woman, and also perhaps a little afraid of letting herself that close again.

"We'll find out what's broken, all right? I'm working on it, I promise." Veronica smiles again, her own tear sliding down the opposite cheek, so they're almost mirrored halves as they look at one another. "Who told you all this — who is this 'she'?" she asks.

The hand is held a little more firmly now as Katherine reaches up with her other hand to wipe at the tear that clings to her cheek. "Alison. She was a doctor there, I think. At the hospital. She would bring me medicine to help me get better. She would ask me to do things with my hands." She runs her hand over the impression she left on the table. Slowly it smooths back over, leaving no trace that the print was there in the first place. "There were others but I didn't know anyone else's name. She was nice to me." The tone indicates that maybe there were others who weren't so nice.

"Were others not nice to you? Did anyone hurt you? Make you do things you didn't do?" Veronica bites her lip at the thought of anyone harming Kat, anyone using her, doing things to the lost soul that no one knew even existed. "I need to find out where this place was, too. Is there anything about the place you were staying that stands out to you? Anything strange about the building? Do you remember anything about when you left it — where it was? Street names, anything like that, before you went to Staten?" It's a lot of questions.

Katherine's gaze falters for a few moments as she looks down at the joined hands. "All I know is that it was Pinehearst Hospital and I traveled a long way before I got to Staten Island. I had to take a ferry to get across the river. The bridge was broken and I don't think I could fix it. But I could ride on a boat." Her thumb gently brushes across Veronica's palm as she thinks. "No one hurt me. I mean, the others just weren't very friendly. I don't think they liked me. Only Alison did. She told me so." Her eyes glance past Veronica towards the door. "How long do I have to stay? Thalia might be worried if I don't come ho.." she pauses for a moment, as if she only now thought of something. "I don't even know where my home really is.. do I?" She bites her lip as her eyes begin to water again. These things she never thought of before now starting to come to a realization for her.

Pinehearst. Veronica's eyes narrow. She can't even get revenge. "I don't know. We'll work on getting you out real soon. I think maybe someone will have to come see how much you remember. You have a nice apartment. I brought you some things…" She lets her attention be distracted by the items — the jacket and the iPod. "The iPod has your favorite music on it, so maybe that will help pass the time. And I thought — well, these rooms are always cold. Is there anything else you'd like? I can bring you anything you think you might want." It's easy to push the rest of the anger and fear and hurt away when one is trying to be helpful.

Katherine's ponytail gives a small swish back and forth as she shakes her head. She reaches for the items and lets her fingers run over the fabric of the jacket and the plastic of the iPod. "Thank you for bringing these." Her fingers are already moving down touching one button at a time and counting to herself. She glances up at Veronica when she finishes. "I feel like I should say more. I.." she pauses, ".. I just don't know what. I'm afraid to let you go." Something inside her wants to grab the woman across from her and hold her tightly, but she doesn't. "You'll come back?" Blue eyes are hopeful.

"There's nothing you have to say. Nothing I'm expecting you to say. There's no rules. No worries, okay?" Veronica says, and reaches out to touch the other woman's cheek lightly. She glances at her watch. She actually has an appointment, or she would stay longer — just to make sure Kat won't disappear on her all over again. "I'll come back. I promise." She squeezes Kat's hand and then leans over to give Kat a hug. "I missed you. So much." It's not really Kat, not really, not yet, but it's still a miracle of sorts. Even if a miracle begotten of evil doing, in Veronica's mind.

Hugging the familiar body with a stranger's mind is too much too soon for Veronica, and she straightens quickly, standing and turning toward the door. Getting teary is one thing — but Veronica's sure that if she loses it, it will only upset June needlessly, and she doesn't want to upset the poor lost soul any more than she already is. "I'll see you soon, June. Kat." Veronica hurries for the door before the other woman can see the tears spilling onto her cheeks.

The door closes as Veronica leaves after the hug, which Katherine returned warmly. It felt right. As if she belonged there. The room is quiet again and then Katherine stands and walks to the door and places her hand on the doorknob, considering leaving the room and trying to go after Vee, but something holds her back. She rests her cheek against the cool metal of the door as she whispers softly.

"I think I missed you too.."


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