Book 5, Chapter 8: Our Causes Can't See Their Effects (2/2)
Title: Our Causes Can't See Their Effects (2/2)
Authors: kiltsandlollies and escribo
Characters: Billy, Cate
Word Count: 4704
Summary: Continues from here
Index
Note: Original text and characterization of Cate created by magickalmolly; in some chapters through this story, we’ve adapted both text and characterization, but Molly’s work happily remains the foundation for Professor Blanchett.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction; the recognizable people in the story belong to themselves and have never performed the actions portrayed here. I do not know the actors nor am I associated with them in any way. If you are underage, please do not read this story. I am not making any profit from these stories, nor do I mean any harm.
"I'm a jealous girl, too, Bill. I'm sure your car and I will understand each other." Cate's words are spoken softly, but with a heated undercurrent to them that she doesn't try to tone down. She had felt how Billy had reacted when she'd slipped her hand into his pocket; not in a crude, physical way, but something subtler. He'd been aroused by her touch, and surprised by that arousal. Cate had felt it, like a wave of energy emanating from Billy's body, and she'd been hard pressed to smile and laugh and pretend she hadn't noticed. Consider yourself shocked, professor, Cate thinks, and she settles into the driver's seat of Billy's car, flashing him a smile.
Small adjustments of mirrors and seat take no time at all, and in a moment Cate has them out on the main road again, her driving rivalling Billy's own from what she's seen of it today. She delights in the pleasantly surprised look on Billy's face, at his laughter when she pauses briefly at stop signs and weaves her way through traffic, and she hums a little in appreciation of how this poor beater of a car still shifts and weaves beautifully. She can see Billy looking first at her and then his dashboard, checking the speedometer, feeling the car settling into the turns, the tires hugging the road like a friend. When Cate relaxes along with the car on a straightaway, she hears Billy release a mild shout of strange triumph, and she turns to face him briefly, double-taking as she sees him sliding out from under his seatbelt.
"Bit hot," he says, just over the sound of the radio, and Cate forces her attention on the road as Billy removes his suit jacket and tosses it to the back of the car. When Cate reaches another stoplight, she's ready to remind him to belt up again, but Billy stretches across her quickly, pressing the buttons that open the front windows. The breeze that rushes inside the car makes Cate blink, and Billy's smile grows thinner, his next laugh a little darker. He moves more slowly back to his own seat, turning sideways to face her before he even pretends to put his seatbelt back on.
Cate knows she's staring at him, letting the breeze and the fact that there's no one behind them at the light buy her time to gather her sharp focus from before. Billy takes her free hand gently from where it rests near the hem of her skirt, and it's Cate's turn to blink as he wraps her hand back around the steering wheel before he speaks in a gentle but firm voice.
"I think you're a little too comfortable driving my car, Cate," Billy says. "Let's see you pick up some speed on the motorway. Hit the road, see if it hits back." The light changes, but Cate is still staring hard into Billy's eyes, and she holds her breath when he shifts closer, so she can hear his little teasing challenge. "Go."
Cate's foot hits the accelerator, and they speed off. Billy falls back into his seat laughing as Cate roars out of the intersection, and it takes her a moment to transfer her attention fully from Billy to the road, but she does, her survival instinct kicking in. Yes, he's caught her off guard, but not entirely, and Cate allows herself-and gifts Billy with-a smile, wide and fierce, and she grips the steering wheel tightly. She's rarely handed challenges she can't meet, and this car won't be one of the few she couldn't. Not bothering to signal, Cate takes the exit to the motorway proper, downshifting so she can maneuver around the cars that are going far too slowly.
The wind whips through the open windows of the car, cold and bracing, and Cate's carefully upswept hair begins to come loose, slipping free to dance about her face. Shifting again and pressing hard on the gas, Cate reaches to unclip her barrette, tossing it behind her carelessly and laughing as she shakes her hair free; she and Billy might be playing roles straight out of a bad Italian film to make up for the all-too-good Italian food earlier, but why not, she thinks; why not.
Cate works the gearshift strongly as they race down the road. She's not afraid to push Billy's car hard so she can work her way through the traffic. Her heeled feet press the pedals; accelerator, then clutch, then accelerator again, and by the time they've hit what feels like the safest possible limit, Cate isn't even bothering to check the speedometer any more.
The road opens up before them as they crest a small rise, and that's when Cate puts her foot to the floor. Billy's turned the radio up higher and his fingers twitch in the air a little, the unconscious gesture of a man desperate for a smoke, Cate recognizes, and she laughs at the thrill of learning that little secret too. Her eyes meet Billy's over the edge of his sunglasses, and she reaches across to him, yanking a bit at his tie before she curves both hands around the wheel again.
Billy takes the cue easily, to Cate's delight; the tie is loosened and abandoned to the floor at Billy's feet in another few seconds, and while the air looks to be sobering him up a bit, he's still relaxed enough to sit comfortably, to slouch a bit like Cate's never seen him do before. Billy's humming along to the music, occasionally throwing out an actual lyric loud enough for her to hear, and she listens with a private smile until they both catch sight of the taller buildings of Baskerville's grounds at the same time, but only Billy inhales sharply and tenses up, pushing a hand through his messy hair as he leans forward again.
"Pull over, Cate," he says over the music, and the sound of his voice is harsh to Cate's ears in comparison to what she's heard from him today. "The next exit'll take us back there, and we'll go, but not-yet, yeah? Just go to the breakaway over there. There's a lot just behind those trees, and a stream bed, and I'm not about to go back into that place without-breathing in some other air. Just-pull over."
Cate does so unthinking, easing the car off the road, behind the trees Billy had pointed out, and to a stop before she turns off the engine. The urgency in his voice had surprised her, and Cate wonders whether it is because Billy doesn't want their afternoon to be over yet, or it's only that he doesn't want to face the campus yet. She slips off her seatbelt, then steps out of the car, mirroring Billy doing the same on the other side. Billy circles around the car to her, offering his hand again, and Cate takes it, clasping it firm and warm with her own. But before she'll let Billy lead the way, Cate kicks off her heels and tosses them into the driver's seat. She knows her shoes will only stick in the mossy ground, and it's been a long while since Cate's felt grass between her toes.
There is a beautiful outcropping of trees in front of them, rowan with their thick, fat red berries and tall oak, ash and silver birch growing closer to the water; Cate names them in her mind as they walk, unconsciously appreciating the landscape. The ground is cool under her bare feet, but Billy's hand is warm in her own, and his smile is enough to keep her from feeling chilled. The sound of running water comes to them, and Cate listens closely and then gasps in surprise when the trees give way to reveal a picturesque stream cutting through the mossy bank. It reminds Cate a little of her time spent in the rainforests, where little magical spots like this could be found if you looked hard enough, and sometimes without any real search at all.
Taking the lead, Cate makes her way over to the nearest tree, a leafy and tall birch, and leans against the sturdy trunk. She hasn't released Billy's hand, and she uses that hold to pull him a bit closer to her. Her smile stretches warm, and she tips her head back momentarily, letting the rays of sun filtering in through the trees above them play across her face.
"Fess up, professor," she says gently. "You've got plenty of air to breathe now, so why here?"
"You're the one in bare feet, professor," Billy shoots back, but he's laughing, too. "You tell me. No, you want truth, Cate? We're here because it's not there. I can't go back, not just yet. I spend so much time in that dark with my books, and you in the artificial light of a laboratory. I don't think either of us gets enough natural light."
Billy pauses for a moment while his hand unconsciously plays in Cate's. "I saw you," he says finally. "You know the trees here. I'm guessing you know their Latin names and the creatures they harbour, their root systems and their expected lifespan. But here-" Billy moves quickly, pulling his hand from Cate's and moving it cover her eyes gently. Cate releases a surprised breath, and then sinks into his touch, opening up her senses to compensate.
"So," Billy continues, his voice soft and lulling. "Tell me the colours of the leaves you saw above us. Tell me whether the flowers to your left were orange or blue." Billy laughs so quietly Cate can barely hear it. "Tell me what colour tie I'm wearing. Was wearing."
He give her time to answer before he laughs again. "Y'see so little. Even if you produce the answer like the quickest girl in class, the moment we leave this place, you'll forget it all." Billy's words are clearly not meant to be harsh, and Cate can hear him measuring them carefully, his voice level and sweet, but even though his touch quickens her pulse, she finds herself affronted, annoyed even, by Billy's assumptions. He thinks she doesn't see, doesn't appreciate all that surrounds them both, and for a moment Cate has to force down a retort explaining all she does see and will remember, including things Billy has no idea he's made known. "Keep them closed, Cate," he murmurs now, and Cate nods unconsciously as he continues. "Let me try something a little more your speed."
She can hear Billy moving away slightly, can imagine the smile still playing on his face. There's a shift in the grass and the soft sound of Billy's huff as he moves around and then laughs at something he's found, something he's bringing back to Cate with a light step and lighter heart.
"Hold out your hand, Cate. Don't worry, just do it. For me." Cate's hand is quick to open, and she can feel Billy cup its underside, letting what Cate immediately recognizes as a spider crawl from his palm to Cate's. Cate's lips twitch up in a smile at the touch, and Billy laughs again, warmly this time.
"I brought you here so you could see, Cate. You're familiar with tickly little things like this bugger, but you watch him and his friends under glass and glaring yellow light. He's much better looking out here, even I can tell that. Y'can open your eyes now," he says, releasing Cate's hand again, and as Cate does so, she sees him turn on his heel to move closer to the water, his gaze on a small cloud of birds resting near the edge of the riverbed.
"Look around, Cate," Billy says calmly, throwing it over his shoulder as he walks, leaving Cate with her little prize of a spider. "Be sure to see this place before you forget it forever."
Reaching up to the tree behind her, Cate lets the common wood spider patagiatus crawl out of her hand, and then leans back against the trunk once again, watching Billy as he watches the birds and the flowing water of the small river. She lets her eyes fall half-closed again then for a moment, breathing, and carefully takes control of the anger pressing up inside of her. Now is not the time for it, not after they have spent such a delightful afternoon together, and not when Billy's obviously spoken without thinking, a specialty of his, she's beginning to think. Another thing Cate has learned from the professors she's known over the years is their penchant for assuming they know best. Cate herself chooses to think carefully before letting anything past her lips, and she often feels silence is the only appropriate answer.
Another deep breath, and Cate's control slides back into place. She leans her head against the tree again, like she had earlier, and closes her eyes completely. When she speaks, her voice is soft, but she knows Billy is listening.
"I see a lot more that you give me credit for, Bill, but you wouldn't know that, so no point in arguing it, is there? Other than what you find pretty about what you're looking at, how much do you see? Yes, the trees are green, and yes, those birds are speckled, but what does that mean to you? Just because they look prettier in this light doesn't mean you see them better or more clearly than I do through my microscope. If their relationships to each other and to the rest of the world mean nothing to you, then you haven't seen them at all." Cate smiles as she opens her eyes to find Billy staring back at her now from his spot at the edge of the water. "I can see you, Bill. Perhaps opening your eyes a bit more would do you some good as well."
Pushing off of the tree, Cate pads quietly across the mossy ground to where Billy is, and she smiles at him gently. She offers him her hand, and her smile brightens when he takes it.
"Your tie was navy, with maroon stripes and a spot of crema on the end." Cate pulls Billy up until he is standing, and without another word begins to retrace their steps back to where they left Billy's car. She isn't ready to leave this place, but it suddenly feels like the right time to get Billy back to his books and his ideals. Billy follows behind for a few yards, allowing her to pull them back to the greyness, back to reality, but then Cate feel a short, sharp tug on her hand, and turns to see Billy's gaze caught again by the birds, flying away as if startled by something. The wind, moving between the trees, blows harder, rushing to sting their eyes and making Billy's hair go in a hundred different directions as Cate reaches to calm her own before it can do the same to hers. When Billy looks back at Cate, he's smiling again, shrugging in apology and explanation.
"It's just so beautiful," he says gently as they begin to walk again. "I know y'can see, Cate, probably more than I've ever wanted to. It's just--I haven't even been here that long, but I've already seen too many people come to this bloody school and lose their lives to it, going all pale and irritable and book-bound when there's light to be found outside the walls. Have you been through the town yet? Have you walked down the promenade behind the shopping arcade? Some nights there's a band that plays, and people dance-" Billy stops himself and laughs when Cate looks over her shoulder, amused. "My point is that I'd hate to see it happening to you. There's no rainforests here, Cate, and no rare specimens of life, unless you want to classify some of those children running that little hookah bar behind the bookshop. We're lucky to even have that bookshop. It's not St. Andrews, and thank Christ for it, but-"
Billy stops them only feet from the car, and turns Cate lightly in his grip. In the long breath Billy takes now, Cate thinks she could easily tell him that she is here for a reason; to start a new life, a life with none of the complications she left behind at St. Andrews, and that she won't leave, that she can't. But again, this isn't the time or place. She's moved by Billy's touch, pressing warm and strong just inside her wrist, and the feeling of it there pulls all of her attention toward him. That simple and likely unintentional touch on such a sensitive patch of skin makes all of Cate feel terribly aware, awake. Her feet are cold against the ground, the setting sun taking the day's unseasonable warmth with it, but Cate's cheeks are flushed with a heat she has to shake off when Billy speaks again.
"This town, this school-we have nothing to keep you," Billy says softly. "And already we'd hate to lose you to boredom or irritation or-loneliness, Cate. I just wanted you to see. I'm sorry."
"I'm not going anywhere, Bill. Especially not since I've just arrived." Cate clasps Billy's hands in her own, squeezing them warmly, and she offers him the softest smile she can manage. "I'll let you know when you have reason to apologize, though, and now's not the case. This was-" Cate looks around them and takes a deep breath, letting her smile grow warmer. "Lovely. Thank you for showing me this place. I have a feeling it won't be the last time I'll find myself here."
Billy nods, relief and happiness moving over his face before he looks down and then up again, suddenly more serious. "We should go," he says and turns once more, this time helping Cate up the last rise to the car door. He walks Cate gently around the car, opening the passenger side and gesturing for her to enter. Cate settles inside slowly, and she looks up in time to see Billy blinking into the fading sunlight one more time before opening his door and sliding into his seat. "Back to the walls, yeah? Back inside." Billy murmurs then, coaxing the car out of the lot and onto the road for the short drive they have left. "Back home safe."
The drive back to the university is quiet, nothing like before. Billy drives carefully now, his face set in a thoughtful, contemplative expression, and Cate watches him as he navigates the little turns and strange one-way streets inside the grounds. He taps his fingers softly against the steering wheel at zebra crossings, waiting for students to pass in front of his car, then pulls away at only slightly less speed than he manages off campus. They leave the radio off, and as much as Cate had enjoyed the music, the quiet is nice, too. Their comfort in each other's silence feels like another small victory to Cate, one Billy's ceded more easily than she thinks he will others.
It isn't until she sees her own car not far away from where Billy's parked that Cate realizes how far down she's let herself slip, settling down in her seat during the drive, arms wrapped comfortably around her middle. She rights herself again and runs a self-conscious hand through her hair, smiling across at Billy as she slips on her shoes, her eyes still on Billy, working his tie back on and meeting her stare without blinking this time. He's the picture of rumpled happiness, his shirtsleeves still rolled up and the tie a bit askew. Cate smiles more at the thought of someone coming across them right now, looking for the world like they've been up to no good.
Billy breaks first, to Cate's immense pleasure, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "Lovely's a good word for it," Billy says quietly. "Thanks for coming with me, Cate. I won't forget it. Next time, you pick the restaurant, though, yeah? I'll find some other way to get myself in trouble." Before Cate can answer that, Billy jumps from the car, walking around to open Cate's door with a more confident smile in place. "I'll walk you back to your office, and maybe in the meantime I'll remember what I'm supposed to be teaching this afternoon. I'm a gentleman, see," Billy smile turns cheeky again as they walk, the lines around his eyes deepening as his hand settles gently on Cate's back. "Not abandoning you to the wilds of these children just yet. I doubt they're equipped to handle such a force of nature."
"Well, that's part of the job, isn't it?” Cate muses. "It's what we're teaching them to do. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. It's been too long since I've had a day like today, Bill." The disbelief is apparent on Billy's ruddy-cheeked face, and Cate laughs, shaking her head at him. "I mean it. It's good to have a friend here. Thank you most of all for that."
The walk to the sciences building is relatively short, but both Cate and Billy take it leisurely. Whatever she'd said, Cate certainly isn't ready to face school and staff again; her mind is still on wine and music and the way Billy's eyes had caught the late afternoon sun as it reflected off of the stream. Billy can't know what Cate really means by her words, can't possibly understand how different her life was at St. Andrews. There were no friends like this, no proper dates or what the more mundane population would call them. Some things for Cate will never change; her desires, her needs, but Billy doesn't know any of that, not yet, and she feels she'll be able to both show and tell him when the time is right. Cate's not just looking for another plaything; she wants a man, a partner who will give himself to her, and to whom she can give herself in return. Billy could possibly be that man. Patience, Cate tells herself, and she knows there will be another time. She'll make sure of it.
Smiling to herself, Cate leans back into Billy's touch, and she lets him open the door for them both after they've climbed the stairs to the science building. The halls are fairly empty; several classes can be heard in session, and Cate is almost sorry there aren't more people to see them like this. Billy is still in his sunglasses and shirtsleeves, Cate has her hair down and loose, and she's pretty sure she can feel a blade of grass stuck between her toes. It makes her smile more, more warmly that she usually does at school, and for once Cate is all right with that.
Billy's eyes flit around the halls, catching sight of the large boards trumpeting advanced programs and calls for papers, and from the corner of her eye Cate can see his smile. He follows her down the last hallways to her office, stepping into an already somewhat changed habitat, and Cate nearly blushes at the appreciative noise Billy makes as he looks around. Cate is well on her way revamping the office to better reflect her tidy, bright mind and work, and she likes that Billy can admire the colour scheme and the cleaner, clearer window as much as he looks to be privately coveting her beautiful, immaculate desk.
"This is fantastic, Cate," he says, a little more loudly than he expected, and he laughs when Cate closes the door. "Sorry. 'S just so ... different, already. And so bright in here. I love it." As he walks to Cate's side, Billy places his hands behind his back and leans in a little. "No place to hide in this light. I knew the dust wouldn't have a chance, and now neither will anything else."
Billy spins on one heel to face the window, pulling Cate over so they are facing the glass. She can feel his gaze moving slowly to her profile, measuring the way Cate knows the sun now catches her eyes and high, fine cheekbones, and she forces herself still, detached, more interested in what's outdoors in that light than Billy beside her. "I was right," Billy murmurs, and Cate raises an eyebrow, waiting. "The light does suit you better."
They are silent for a moment, and then Billy smiles again, dropping his hand back into his pocket. "You have work to get back to. And I have twenty students who need my attention. We should do this again soon, Cate. I think we need all the friends we can get here, yeah? Y'can tell me your secrets when you're ready, and until then, I'm happy enough to just share another bottle or three with you."
Cate wants to roll her eyes at the mention of work, but she smiles instead, and captures Billy's wrist in her hand when he makes to move back. Her thumb rests against the soft underside, right where she knows the skin is thin and sensitive, and she presses there, rubbing in a slow circle. She walks backwards, letting her smile turn as cheeky as Billy's had been a moment before, and her voice is laced with amusement as she leads him slowly towards the door.
"I'll take you out next time; my treat. Someplace fun, where we both can sing. No, we will. It's no fun to go it alone. And instead of Vernaccia, we can share a bottle or three of Guinness. With a few shots of Macallan to go along."
Billy's expression at Cate's suggestion has Cate laughing again, and Billy laughs, too. "I don't sing in public, Cate, but I'll take you up on the rest."
Cate and Billy are both quiet again, both leaning against her office door until the clock on Cate's wall chimes once, and a moment later she can hear the muffled chatter of students making their way from the lecture halls. Billy's clearly startled, and he instinctively straightens, standing taller than before and smiles as Cate smooths down the front of his tie, her fingers dragging down over the navy and maroon stripes. Not for the first time today Cate wishes that Billy hadn't had an afternoon class to come back to, but it was better than waiting until after the weekend. Besides, Cate thinks to herself as she opens her office door, this is only the first step. The next will be worth the wait.
"Have a good class, Bill," she says gently, then quirks her smile in a little challenge that makes Billy's eyes light up pleasantly. "Don't be late for another important date."
"Now or then," Billy returns immediately, walking backwards so their stare remains unbroken until he's forced to turn around and walk back into his beloved outside light. Cate stays where she is for as long as she can, too, plans whirling around in her mind until she forces them still as well.
Authors: kiltsandlollies and escribo
Characters: Billy, Cate
Word Count: 4704
Summary: Continues from here
Index
Note: Original text and characterization of Cate created by magickalmolly; in some chapters through this story, we’ve adapted both text and characterization, but Molly’s work happily remains the foundation for Professor Blanchett.
Disclaimer: This is a work of fiction; the recognizable people in the story belong to themselves and have never performed the actions portrayed here. I do not know the actors nor am I associated with them in any way. If you are underage, please do not read this story. I am not making any profit from these stories, nor do I mean any harm.
"I'm a jealous girl, too, Bill. I'm sure your car and I will understand each other." Cate's words are spoken softly, but with a heated undercurrent to them that she doesn't try to tone down. She had felt how Billy had reacted when she'd slipped her hand into his pocket; not in a crude, physical way, but something subtler. He'd been aroused by her touch, and surprised by that arousal. Cate had felt it, like a wave of energy emanating from Billy's body, and she'd been hard pressed to smile and laugh and pretend she hadn't noticed. Consider yourself shocked, professor, Cate thinks, and she settles into the driver's seat of Billy's car, flashing him a smile.
Small adjustments of mirrors and seat take no time at all, and in a moment Cate has them out on the main road again, her driving rivalling Billy's own from what she's seen of it today. She delights in the pleasantly surprised look on Billy's face, at his laughter when she pauses briefly at stop signs and weaves her way through traffic, and she hums a little in appreciation of how this poor beater of a car still shifts and weaves beautifully. She can see Billy looking first at her and then his dashboard, checking the speedometer, feeling the car settling into the turns, the tires hugging the road like a friend. When Cate relaxes along with the car on a straightaway, she hears Billy release a mild shout of strange triumph, and she turns to face him briefly, double-taking as she sees him sliding out from under his seatbelt.
"Bit hot," he says, just over the sound of the radio, and Cate forces her attention on the road as Billy removes his suit jacket and tosses it to the back of the car. When Cate reaches another stoplight, she's ready to remind him to belt up again, but Billy stretches across her quickly, pressing the buttons that open the front windows. The breeze that rushes inside the car makes Cate blink, and Billy's smile grows thinner, his next laugh a little darker. He moves more slowly back to his own seat, turning sideways to face her before he even pretends to put his seatbelt back on.
Cate knows she's staring at him, letting the breeze and the fact that there's no one behind them at the light buy her time to gather her sharp focus from before. Billy takes her free hand gently from where it rests near the hem of her skirt, and it's Cate's turn to blink as he wraps her hand back around the steering wheel before he speaks in a gentle but firm voice.
"I think you're a little too comfortable driving my car, Cate," Billy says. "Let's see you pick up some speed on the motorway. Hit the road, see if it hits back." The light changes, but Cate is still staring hard into Billy's eyes, and she holds her breath when he shifts closer, so she can hear his little teasing challenge. "Go."
Cate's foot hits the accelerator, and they speed off. Billy falls back into his seat laughing as Cate roars out of the intersection, and it takes her a moment to transfer her attention fully from Billy to the road, but she does, her survival instinct kicking in. Yes, he's caught her off guard, but not entirely, and Cate allows herself-and gifts Billy with-a smile, wide and fierce, and she grips the steering wheel tightly. She's rarely handed challenges she can't meet, and this car won't be one of the few she couldn't. Not bothering to signal, Cate takes the exit to the motorway proper, downshifting so she can maneuver around the cars that are going far too slowly.
The wind whips through the open windows of the car, cold and bracing, and Cate's carefully upswept hair begins to come loose, slipping free to dance about her face. Shifting again and pressing hard on the gas, Cate reaches to unclip her barrette, tossing it behind her carelessly and laughing as she shakes her hair free; she and Billy might be playing roles straight out of a bad Italian film to make up for the all-too-good Italian food earlier, but why not, she thinks; why not.
Cate works the gearshift strongly as they race down the road. She's not afraid to push Billy's car hard so she can work her way through the traffic. Her heeled feet press the pedals; accelerator, then clutch, then accelerator again, and by the time they've hit what feels like the safest possible limit, Cate isn't even bothering to check the speedometer any more.
The road opens up before them as they crest a small rise, and that's when Cate puts her foot to the floor. Billy's turned the radio up higher and his fingers twitch in the air a little, the unconscious gesture of a man desperate for a smoke, Cate recognizes, and she laughs at the thrill of learning that little secret too. Her eyes meet Billy's over the edge of his sunglasses, and she reaches across to him, yanking a bit at his tie before she curves both hands around the wheel again.
Billy takes the cue easily, to Cate's delight; the tie is loosened and abandoned to the floor at Billy's feet in another few seconds, and while the air looks to be sobering him up a bit, he's still relaxed enough to sit comfortably, to slouch a bit like Cate's never seen him do before. Billy's humming along to the music, occasionally throwing out an actual lyric loud enough for her to hear, and she listens with a private smile until they both catch sight of the taller buildings of Baskerville's grounds at the same time, but only Billy inhales sharply and tenses up, pushing a hand through his messy hair as he leans forward again.
"Pull over, Cate," he says over the music, and the sound of his voice is harsh to Cate's ears in comparison to what she's heard from him today. "The next exit'll take us back there, and we'll go, but not-yet, yeah? Just go to the breakaway over there. There's a lot just behind those trees, and a stream bed, and I'm not about to go back into that place without-breathing in some other air. Just-pull over."
Cate does so unthinking, easing the car off the road, behind the trees Billy had pointed out, and to a stop before she turns off the engine. The urgency in his voice had surprised her, and Cate wonders whether it is because Billy doesn't want their afternoon to be over yet, or it's only that he doesn't want to face the campus yet. She slips off her seatbelt, then steps out of the car, mirroring Billy doing the same on the other side. Billy circles around the car to her, offering his hand again, and Cate takes it, clasping it firm and warm with her own. But before she'll let Billy lead the way, Cate kicks off her heels and tosses them into the driver's seat. She knows her shoes will only stick in the mossy ground, and it's been a long while since Cate's felt grass between her toes.
There is a beautiful outcropping of trees in front of them, rowan with their thick, fat red berries and tall oak, ash and silver birch growing closer to the water; Cate names them in her mind as they walk, unconsciously appreciating the landscape. The ground is cool under her bare feet, but Billy's hand is warm in her own, and his smile is enough to keep her from feeling chilled. The sound of running water comes to them, and Cate listens closely and then gasps in surprise when the trees give way to reveal a picturesque stream cutting through the mossy bank. It reminds Cate a little of her time spent in the rainforests, where little magical spots like this could be found if you looked hard enough, and sometimes without any real search at all.
Taking the lead, Cate makes her way over to the nearest tree, a leafy and tall birch, and leans against the sturdy trunk. She hasn't released Billy's hand, and she uses that hold to pull him a bit closer to her. Her smile stretches warm, and she tips her head back momentarily, letting the rays of sun filtering in through the trees above them play across her face.
"Fess up, professor," she says gently. "You've got plenty of air to breathe now, so why here?"
"You're the one in bare feet, professor," Billy shoots back, but he's laughing, too. "You tell me. No, you want truth, Cate? We're here because it's not there. I can't go back, not just yet. I spend so much time in that dark with my books, and you in the artificial light of a laboratory. I don't think either of us gets enough natural light."
Billy pauses for a moment while his hand unconsciously plays in Cate's. "I saw you," he says finally. "You know the trees here. I'm guessing you know their Latin names and the creatures they harbour, their root systems and their expected lifespan. But here-" Billy moves quickly, pulling his hand from Cate's and moving it cover her eyes gently. Cate releases a surprised breath, and then sinks into his touch, opening up her senses to compensate.
"So," Billy continues, his voice soft and lulling. "Tell me the colours of the leaves you saw above us. Tell me whether the flowers to your left were orange or blue." Billy laughs so quietly Cate can barely hear it. "Tell me what colour tie I'm wearing. Was wearing."
He give her time to answer before he laughs again. "Y'see so little. Even if you produce the answer like the quickest girl in class, the moment we leave this place, you'll forget it all." Billy's words are clearly not meant to be harsh, and Cate can hear him measuring them carefully, his voice level and sweet, but even though his touch quickens her pulse, she finds herself affronted, annoyed even, by Billy's assumptions. He thinks she doesn't see, doesn't appreciate all that surrounds them both, and for a moment Cate has to force down a retort explaining all she does see and will remember, including things Billy has no idea he's made known. "Keep them closed, Cate," he murmurs now, and Cate nods unconsciously as he continues. "Let me try something a little more your speed."
She can hear Billy moving away slightly, can imagine the smile still playing on his face. There's a shift in the grass and the soft sound of Billy's huff as he moves around and then laughs at something he's found, something he's bringing back to Cate with a light step and lighter heart.
"Hold out your hand, Cate. Don't worry, just do it. For me." Cate's hand is quick to open, and she can feel Billy cup its underside, letting what Cate immediately recognizes as a spider crawl from his palm to Cate's. Cate's lips twitch up in a smile at the touch, and Billy laughs again, warmly this time.
"I brought you here so you could see, Cate. You're familiar with tickly little things like this bugger, but you watch him and his friends under glass and glaring yellow light. He's much better looking out here, even I can tell that. Y'can open your eyes now," he says, releasing Cate's hand again, and as Cate does so, she sees him turn on his heel to move closer to the water, his gaze on a small cloud of birds resting near the edge of the riverbed.
"Look around, Cate," Billy says calmly, throwing it over his shoulder as he walks, leaving Cate with her little prize of a spider. "Be sure to see this place before you forget it forever."
Reaching up to the tree behind her, Cate lets the common wood spider patagiatus crawl out of her hand, and then leans back against the trunk once again, watching Billy as he watches the birds and the flowing water of the small river. She lets her eyes fall half-closed again then for a moment, breathing, and carefully takes control of the anger pressing up inside of her. Now is not the time for it, not after they have spent such a delightful afternoon together, and not when Billy's obviously spoken without thinking, a specialty of his, she's beginning to think. Another thing Cate has learned from the professors she's known over the years is their penchant for assuming they know best. Cate herself chooses to think carefully before letting anything past her lips, and she often feels silence is the only appropriate answer.
Another deep breath, and Cate's control slides back into place. She leans her head against the tree again, like she had earlier, and closes her eyes completely. When she speaks, her voice is soft, but she knows Billy is listening.
"I see a lot more that you give me credit for, Bill, but you wouldn't know that, so no point in arguing it, is there? Other than what you find pretty about what you're looking at, how much do you see? Yes, the trees are green, and yes, those birds are speckled, but what does that mean to you? Just because they look prettier in this light doesn't mean you see them better or more clearly than I do through my microscope. If their relationships to each other and to the rest of the world mean nothing to you, then you haven't seen them at all." Cate smiles as she opens her eyes to find Billy staring back at her now from his spot at the edge of the water. "I can see you, Bill. Perhaps opening your eyes a bit more would do you some good as well."
Pushing off of the tree, Cate pads quietly across the mossy ground to where Billy is, and she smiles at him gently. She offers him her hand, and her smile brightens when he takes it.
"Your tie was navy, with maroon stripes and a spot of crema on the end." Cate pulls Billy up until he is standing, and without another word begins to retrace their steps back to where they left Billy's car. She isn't ready to leave this place, but it suddenly feels like the right time to get Billy back to his books and his ideals. Billy follows behind for a few yards, allowing her to pull them back to the greyness, back to reality, but then Cate feel a short, sharp tug on her hand, and turns to see Billy's gaze caught again by the birds, flying away as if startled by something. The wind, moving between the trees, blows harder, rushing to sting their eyes and making Billy's hair go in a hundred different directions as Cate reaches to calm her own before it can do the same to hers. When Billy looks back at Cate, he's smiling again, shrugging in apology and explanation.
"It's just so beautiful," he says gently as they begin to walk again. "I know y'can see, Cate, probably more than I've ever wanted to. It's just--I haven't even been here that long, but I've already seen too many people come to this bloody school and lose their lives to it, going all pale and irritable and book-bound when there's light to be found outside the walls. Have you been through the town yet? Have you walked down the promenade behind the shopping arcade? Some nights there's a band that plays, and people dance-" Billy stops himself and laughs when Cate looks over her shoulder, amused. "My point is that I'd hate to see it happening to you. There's no rainforests here, Cate, and no rare specimens of life, unless you want to classify some of those children running that little hookah bar behind the bookshop. We're lucky to even have that bookshop. It's not St. Andrews, and thank Christ for it, but-"
Billy stops them only feet from the car, and turns Cate lightly in his grip. In the long breath Billy takes now, Cate thinks she could easily tell him that she is here for a reason; to start a new life, a life with none of the complications she left behind at St. Andrews, and that she won't leave, that she can't. But again, this isn't the time or place. She's moved by Billy's touch, pressing warm and strong just inside her wrist, and the feeling of it there pulls all of her attention toward him. That simple and likely unintentional touch on such a sensitive patch of skin makes all of Cate feel terribly aware, awake. Her feet are cold against the ground, the setting sun taking the day's unseasonable warmth with it, but Cate's cheeks are flushed with a heat she has to shake off when Billy speaks again.
"This town, this school-we have nothing to keep you," Billy says softly. "And already we'd hate to lose you to boredom or irritation or-loneliness, Cate. I just wanted you to see. I'm sorry."
"I'm not going anywhere, Bill. Especially not since I've just arrived." Cate clasps Billy's hands in her own, squeezing them warmly, and she offers him the softest smile she can manage. "I'll let you know when you have reason to apologize, though, and now's not the case. This was-" Cate looks around them and takes a deep breath, letting her smile grow warmer. "Lovely. Thank you for showing me this place. I have a feeling it won't be the last time I'll find myself here."
Billy nods, relief and happiness moving over his face before he looks down and then up again, suddenly more serious. "We should go," he says and turns once more, this time helping Cate up the last rise to the car door. He walks Cate gently around the car, opening the passenger side and gesturing for her to enter. Cate settles inside slowly, and she looks up in time to see Billy blinking into the fading sunlight one more time before opening his door and sliding into his seat. "Back to the walls, yeah? Back inside." Billy murmurs then, coaxing the car out of the lot and onto the road for the short drive they have left. "Back home safe."
The drive back to the university is quiet, nothing like before. Billy drives carefully now, his face set in a thoughtful, contemplative expression, and Cate watches him as he navigates the little turns and strange one-way streets inside the grounds. He taps his fingers softly against the steering wheel at zebra crossings, waiting for students to pass in front of his car, then pulls away at only slightly less speed than he manages off campus. They leave the radio off, and as much as Cate had enjoyed the music, the quiet is nice, too. Their comfort in each other's silence feels like another small victory to Cate, one Billy's ceded more easily than she thinks he will others.
It isn't until she sees her own car not far away from where Billy's parked that Cate realizes how far down she's let herself slip, settling down in her seat during the drive, arms wrapped comfortably around her middle. She rights herself again and runs a self-conscious hand through her hair, smiling across at Billy as she slips on her shoes, her eyes still on Billy, working his tie back on and meeting her stare without blinking this time. He's the picture of rumpled happiness, his shirtsleeves still rolled up and the tie a bit askew. Cate smiles more at the thought of someone coming across them right now, looking for the world like they've been up to no good.
Billy breaks first, to Cate's immense pleasure, closing his eyes and taking a deep breath. "Lovely's a good word for it," Billy says quietly. "Thanks for coming with me, Cate. I won't forget it. Next time, you pick the restaurant, though, yeah? I'll find some other way to get myself in trouble." Before Cate can answer that, Billy jumps from the car, walking around to open Cate's door with a more confident smile in place. "I'll walk you back to your office, and maybe in the meantime I'll remember what I'm supposed to be teaching this afternoon. I'm a gentleman, see," Billy smile turns cheeky again as they walk, the lines around his eyes deepening as his hand settles gently on Cate's back. "Not abandoning you to the wilds of these children just yet. I doubt they're equipped to handle such a force of nature."
"Well, that's part of the job, isn't it?” Cate muses. "It's what we're teaching them to do. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't. It's been too long since I've had a day like today, Bill." The disbelief is apparent on Billy's ruddy-cheeked face, and Cate laughs, shaking her head at him. "I mean it. It's good to have a friend here. Thank you most of all for that."
The walk to the sciences building is relatively short, but both Cate and Billy take it leisurely. Whatever she'd said, Cate certainly isn't ready to face school and staff again; her mind is still on wine and music and the way Billy's eyes had caught the late afternoon sun as it reflected off of the stream. Billy can't know what Cate really means by her words, can't possibly understand how different her life was at St. Andrews. There were no friends like this, no proper dates or what the more mundane population would call them. Some things for Cate will never change; her desires, her needs, but Billy doesn't know any of that, not yet, and she feels she'll be able to both show and tell him when the time is right. Cate's not just looking for another plaything; she wants a man, a partner who will give himself to her, and to whom she can give herself in return. Billy could possibly be that man. Patience, Cate tells herself, and she knows there will be another time. She'll make sure of it.
Smiling to herself, Cate leans back into Billy's touch, and she lets him open the door for them both after they've climbed the stairs to the science building. The halls are fairly empty; several classes can be heard in session, and Cate is almost sorry there aren't more people to see them like this. Billy is still in his sunglasses and shirtsleeves, Cate has her hair down and loose, and she's pretty sure she can feel a blade of grass stuck between her toes. It makes her smile more, more warmly that she usually does at school, and for once Cate is all right with that.
Billy's eyes flit around the halls, catching sight of the large boards trumpeting advanced programs and calls for papers, and from the corner of her eye Cate can see his smile. He follows her down the last hallways to her office, stepping into an already somewhat changed habitat, and Cate nearly blushes at the appreciative noise Billy makes as he looks around. Cate is well on her way revamping the office to better reflect her tidy, bright mind and work, and she likes that Billy can admire the colour scheme and the cleaner, clearer window as much as he looks to be privately coveting her beautiful, immaculate desk.
"This is fantastic, Cate," he says, a little more loudly than he expected, and he laughs when Cate closes the door. "Sorry. 'S just so ... different, already. And so bright in here. I love it." As he walks to Cate's side, Billy places his hands behind his back and leans in a little. "No place to hide in this light. I knew the dust wouldn't have a chance, and now neither will anything else."
Billy spins on one heel to face the window, pulling Cate over so they are facing the glass. She can feel his gaze moving slowly to her profile, measuring the way Cate knows the sun now catches her eyes and high, fine cheekbones, and she forces herself still, detached, more interested in what's outdoors in that light than Billy beside her. "I was right," Billy murmurs, and Cate raises an eyebrow, waiting. "The light does suit you better."
They are silent for a moment, and then Billy smiles again, dropping his hand back into his pocket. "You have work to get back to. And I have twenty students who need my attention. We should do this again soon, Cate. I think we need all the friends we can get here, yeah? Y'can tell me your secrets when you're ready, and until then, I'm happy enough to just share another bottle or three with you."
Cate wants to roll her eyes at the mention of work, but she smiles instead, and captures Billy's wrist in her hand when he makes to move back. Her thumb rests against the soft underside, right where she knows the skin is thin and sensitive, and she presses there, rubbing in a slow circle. She walks backwards, letting her smile turn as cheeky as Billy's had been a moment before, and her voice is laced with amusement as she leads him slowly towards the door.
"I'll take you out next time; my treat. Someplace fun, where we both can sing. No, we will. It's no fun to go it alone. And instead of Vernaccia, we can share a bottle or three of Guinness. With a few shots of Macallan to go along."
Billy's expression at Cate's suggestion has Cate laughing again, and Billy laughs, too. "I don't sing in public, Cate, but I'll take you up on the rest."
Cate and Billy are both quiet again, both leaning against her office door until the clock on Cate's wall chimes once, and a moment later she can hear the muffled chatter of students making their way from the lecture halls. Billy's clearly startled, and he instinctively straightens, standing taller than before and smiles as Cate smooths down the front of his tie, her fingers dragging down over the navy and maroon stripes. Not for the first time today Cate wishes that Billy hadn't had an afternoon class to come back to, but it was better than waiting until after the weekend. Besides, Cate thinks to herself as she opens her office door, this is only the first step. The next will be worth the wait.
"Have a good class, Bill," she says gently, then quirks her smile in a little challenge that makes Billy's eyes light up pleasantly. "Don't be late for another important date."
"Now or then," Billy returns immediately, walking backwards so their stare remains unbroken until he's forced to turn around and walk back into his beloved outside light. Cate stays where she is for as long as she can, too, plans whirling around in her mind until she forces them still as well.