March 3

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"Jack?" Katherine called out from the loft, looking down at Jack as he threw a backpack over his shoulder. "What are you doing?"

"Sneakin' out," Jack replied nonchalantly, "What's it look like I'm doing?"

"Are you insane?" Katherine called out, leaning over the bar, "It's freezing outside, and not to mention you could get in a ton of trouble with the Institute for sneaking out."

"Look, this ain't the first time I snuck out o' somewhere," Jack said. "I know what I'm doin'."

"And where exactly do you plan on going?" Katherine asked, peeling herself away from the railing to descend the staircase.

"Santa Fe."

"How do you know where that is? We're in the middle of nowhere."

"But that's the thing, Ace," Jack grinned, beckoning her forward. "It seems like we're in the middle o' nowhere, but we're only a short drive from Santa Fe."

"And you know this how?"

"On the way here, you noticed that small town, right?" Katherine nodded. "That, there, was Chimayo, New Mexico."

"Oh," Katherine breathed, looking down at the ground. "That makes sense."

"Well now that I got ya interested," Jack began, holding a hand out in offering for Katherine, "would ya like to come with?"

<><><>

"Remind me why I said yes to this," Katherine remarked, following Jack through an alleyway amidst two  buildings. They had just arrived in Santa Fe, cutting through alleyways to arrive in Sena Plaza, where—according to Jack—was a local hotspot.

"Here it is!" Jack expressed, ignoring Katherine's remark. "Ace, I'd like to welcome ya to Sena Plaza."

Katherine stepped up beside Jack, leaning against one of the buildings at her side. In front of them was a large courtyard with towering trees, walkways, and benches. It reminded Katherine of the parks back home, but much more charming than any of the metropolitan parks she had ever seen.

"So what exactly do you plan on doing?" Katherine asked, turning her head to face Jack.

"Somethin' normal that ain't stayin' locked up in that house," Jack replied, taking Katherine's hand and guiding her into the courtyard.

The two walked across the brick walkways, glancing occasionally at shops that they'd pass. Katherine was intrigued by the style of architecture, which was unlike any kind of architecture she had seen with her own eyes. It was a beautiful style; a mix between Pueblo and Territoral that Katherine couldn't help but marvel at.

"Wait!" Katherine expressed suddenly, pulling Jack to a stop in front of a shop. "It's a Christmas store!"

"Yeah, and?"

"I want to go in," Katherine said, stepping into the store without a second glance to see if Jack was following her.

"C'mon, its March. Why're you wantin' to come in here?"

"Because it's never too early to prepare for Christmas," Katherine replied nonchalantly, looking at the wall of ornaments. "Why are you so biased against it?"

"'Cause there are better things we could be doin'," Jack responded, watching as Katherine looked at ornament after ornament.

"Such as?"

It took Jack a moment to respond, thinking hard about the words he said. He couldn't say anything. Besides, he had taken Katherine out to Santa Fe so that they could get away from the house they had been trapped in for what seemed like forever (although it had only been a few months).

"That's what I thought," Katherine remarked, noticing that he was struggling for a response. "Okay, I need an opinion." She held up two ornaments, one being a sleigh and the other being a reindeer. "Which one do you think is better?"

"Does it matter?"

"Of course it matters!" Katherine expressed softly. "Quit asking questions and tell me which one you like better."

Jack sighed, looking between the two ornaments before motioning to the sleigh, "That one."

"See, was that so difficult?" Katherine asked rhetorically, but a smile was visible on her lips. "Do you want to find one for yourself?"

"Nah, I just want out o' here as soon as possible," Jack replied, looking at an ornament of a wrapped present. "Who would want this?"

"You obviously don't know how enjoyable Christmas season is," Katherine said. "Therefore, I'm taking it upon myself to make sure you enjoy Christmas this year."

"Oh, great. I'm so excited," Jack responded sarcastically.

Katherine wasn't listening anymore, however, and was now venturing down the wall of ornaments to the Christmas decor. "This is getting me way too excited for Christmas," Katherine mumbled to herself, the smile on her face deepening as she looked at the items.

Jack shoved his hands into his pockets, following Katherine throughout the store and glancing at anything that caught his eye. He reached out, taking a stocking out of a pile. "This place keeps getting crazier. Who needs a giant sock?"

Katherine chuckled softly, turning and taking the item out of Jack's hands. "That's a stocking, Jack."

"A what?"

"You're more uncultured than I thought," Katherine said with a sigh. "Just wait until December."

<><><>

Sena Plaza is a real place in Santa Fe and it's beautiful

and the Christmas shop in Sena Plaza is also real. it's not that big, but it's so cute and I really want to go

(but not as bad as I want to go to Bronners *cough*)