A Spot on the Beach, Saturday Late Evening

[thismaskiwear]

Katchoo had, by some twist of fate or sick joke on the part of the universe, managed to completely miss seeing Francine at all since she'd woken up this morning, and wasn't even aware Francine was at the reunion; she hadn't exactly gone out of her way to ask. She left her current phone number with Francine's mother whenever she moved or changed

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[thatsamilkshake]

Air. One gin and tonic had turned into three and...something pink with glitter in it that may or may not have been meant to be drunk - much like Francine. Air would be good.

How air turned into a walk from the community center all the way to the beach, she didn't know, much like how she didn't know how she even made it there without tripping a million times, while the sounds and sights of a Fandom that wasn't even here anymore blew past her ears in the wind. Maybe it was because it almost felt like someone was holding her hand...

He was so sweet though - he even offered to build me a castle... Would you hate me if I kissed you? I'll hate you if you don't...

Francine stopped that thought where it started, and stopped herself as well, on a rock overlooking the sea, the wind blowing her hair from her face and her hand scrubbing the past away from her eyes while she paused

[thismaskiwear]

Said small, slim figure didn't turn around, no.

She was a little too engrossed in her own thoughts for such things, sadly -- the sound of the waves kept bringing her back to the house in Hana, with David and with Emma before that, and then back to Fandom in a kind of vicious loop of places she'd lived and people she'd loved, then lost.

Anyone watching closely enough might, not that Katchoo would realize it, be able to see her shoulders lift slightly then drop in a clear impression of a sigh.

[thatsamilkshake]

It probably wasn't her. It was some new kid at the school -- they were all new to Francine; she didn't want to think about how many had been through here since she'd left. Or someone back for the reunion who just looked like her -- at this distance it could be... what had her name been? Gabrielle?

That slump of the shoulders, though, like they'd slumped so long ago when Francine had tucked her legs into the limo, wedding gown wrapped around them, her dad holding that useless umbrella over her head while she pretended she wasn't looking back...

I don't care. Marry him. Have kids. Buy a Suburban. I don't care. Even soccer moms need a friend to have coffee and bagels with once in a while. I'll be your coffee friend...

[thismaskiwear]

You can't even come to my wedding without punching out the best man.

Why was that coming to mind now, even if it was still a viscerally satisfying memory? (Just not quite satisfying enough.)

It wasn't raining out, and she wasn't standing across the street from the limo in front of the church, feeling water trickle down her scalp and along her spine and into her shoes, not caring if she was cold and soaked and freezing. Not wishing that damn Billy Joel song would stop running through her head (but you can make decisions too, and you can have this heart to break).

Fandom had been one of the few places she'd been honest-to-god happy. The reason why was hard to shake, wrapped up as it was in the island itself, and sometimes Katchoo felt like as long as she was here, if she just turned around at the right time she might catch a glimpse of the past --

But that was stupid, wasn't it? Just a dumb bit of wishful thinking.