Time To Go Home

⋅•⋅⊰∙∘☽༓☾∘∙⊱⋅•

The sun, barely a sliver of gold peeking over the horizon, cast long shadows across the kitchen floor as Hailey hummed along to the radio, her voice a jarring contrast to the quiet hum of the vacuum cleaner. Katherine, meanwhile, was a picture of stillness at the counter, the rhythmic clinking of eggshells against the bowl a counterpoint to the world waking up outside. 

"So..." Hailey began, her voice a little too high-pitched for the early hour, the vacuum cleaner whirring to a halt. "Are… you seriously just going to let them get married?"

Katherine sighed, her eyes never leaving the whisking eggs. "What else am I supposed to do, Hailey?" 

"I don't know… I mean, you can just sit here and do nothing while your whore of a twin steals your life!" Hailey’s voice had risen a notch, laced with a venomous edge. She turned off the vacuum and walked closer to Katherine, her hand resting on the countertop, her voice a whisper despite the anger simmering beneath the surface. "Let’s go back to Willow Haven." 

Katherine's hand tightened around the whisk, her face a mask of surprised indignation. "No."

"Don't you at least want to get back at her?" Hailey pressed, her voice laced with a barely-contained desperation. "Caroline's not a good person, Kat! She doesn't deserve to live a happy life while you're stuck here in the country side, letting the world wonder why you're letting your own sister marry your ex-husband! Don't you see?! This is why Caroline has always gotten her way! You never fought for anything! Why are you so afraid of her? She's nothing but a bitch!" 

Katherine blinked, her eyes widening at Hailey's outburst. She lowered the whisk, the sharp metallic clang echoing in the otherwise peaceful kitchen. "There isn't much I can do, Hailey. Caroline has always been able to get everything she wants… and I can't." 

“Well not with that attitude,” Hailey said, her face an epitome of frustration. “Let's go back to Willow Haven. Let's show her that you’re not just going to sit here and let her have it all.” 

Katherine slammed the knife she had been using to slice up a cucumber down harshly, the sound of metal meeting wood echoing through the kitchen. “No,” she said, her voice flat and emotionless. “I’m not going back. And I'm certainly not going to fight her for Castiel."

“You don’t want him back?” Hailey asked, her voice incredulous.

Katherine stared down at the chopped cucumber, a silent plea for understanding in her eyes. “It doesn't matter, Hailey. He’s marrying Caroline. I can’t… I can't change that."

"That's not what I meant," Hailey said, her voice softened. "Of course you can't change her marrying him, but you can change how you feel about it."

"But what about you?" Katherine asked, her voice tinged with concern. "Are you sure you're okay with leaving everything behind? Leaving your life here in Willow Haven?"

"Don't worry about me," Hailey said, her voice a little too bright. "I'm not leaving my life behind. I'm coming with you." 

Katherine’s eyes narrowed slightly, but she didn’t say anything. She knew Hailey was determined.

"I'm not just going to sit here and let her get away with everything," Hailey continued, her voice a low growl. "I'm going to show her that she's not the only one who can play the game. And you need to come with me." 

"But why?" Katherine asked, her voice barely a whisper. "What's the point? He's not going to want me back, Hailey. Not after all this time. Not after all the hurt..."

"He will if you give him a reason," Hailey said, her voice taking on a determined edge. "And besides, it's not just about him, Kat. It's about you. It’s about you taking back your life. It’s about you showing Caroline and everyone else that you're not going to be the one who sits on the sidelines while your life is ripped apart."

Katherine stared at the counter, lost in thought. Was Hailey right? Could she really take back her life? Could she really face Castiel and Caroline? Could she really be the one to break their happily ever after? 

"You're not a kid anymore, Katherine," Hailey said, her voice soft but firm. "You have to stand up for yourself. And I'm here for you. We can do this together." 

"But what about the farm?" Katherine asked, a hint of uncertainty creeping into her voice. "What about everything I've built here?"

"You can always come back," Hailey said. "But you need to go back to Willow Haven first. You need to see Caroline and Castiel, and you need to see how they're going to react.  You have to show them that you're not just going to disappear and let them live their lives together. You need to show them that you’re strong."

Katherine thought about her farm, her life in the country, the quiet solace she had found in the rolling hills and the smell of freshly tilled soil. But Hailey was right. She was not a child anymore. She had built a life for herself, but it wasn’t the life she had dreamt of as a girl.  

“I’m going to go get some air,” Katherine said, her voice a little shaky. “Can you finish making breakfast for me?”

Hailey blinked, her face a mixture of amusement and apprehension. “Uh… sure.” 

Katherine moved to the veranda, the old wood creaking beneath her weight. She took a deep breath, the crisp morning air filling her lungs. The sun, now rising higher in the sky, painted the countryside in shades of gold and pink.  The small village nestled in the valley beyond her home seemed to hold its breath, waiting.  

Looking out at the sprawling landscape, Katherine felt a wave of emotion wash over her. The past two years, spent in solitude, had been a time of healing and growth, but they had also been a time of quiet resignation.  She had accepted her fate, her life, the hand she had been dealt. But Hailey’s words had shaken her out of her complacency, ignited a spark of defiance within her. 

Was she ready to return home? Was she ready to face Caroline and Castiel? Was she ready to claim her life back?  

Her mind raced, replaying Hailey’s words in its own understanding: “You need to show them that you're not just going to disappear and let them live their lives together.”

And Hailey was right.  She had been the one to disappear.  She had been the one to let them have their lives together. She had been the one to let Caroline win. But this time, she wouldn’t. This time, she would fight back.  This time, she would show them that she was not the same girl they left behind. This time, she would reclaim what was rightfully hers. 

A smile touched her lips, a flicker of hope igniting in her eyes.  It was time to show the world, and Caroline, that

she was ready to reclaim her life. It was time to go home.