July 29

~•~

"Let's sneak out again," Jack insisted, following Katherine into the kitchen as she went to wash the dish in her hand.

"Jack, there's no point," Katherine replied, setting the dish in the sink and turning the faucet for the hot water on.

"Yeah, there's a point!" Jack expressed, leaning against the counter beside Katherine. "What's the point of bein' here for so long if we're just gonna stay in one spot?"

"It's an experiment, Jack," Katherine said with a soft sigh, not bothering to look up at him. "Look, I'm not saying you can't, but you'll have a hard time convincing me to go with you."

Jack exhaled deeply, stepping away from the counter. "All I wanted was to take you on a actual date."

Katherine spun around at his words, nearly breaking the dish in the process. Jack peered over his shoulder with a subtle smirk, noticing the flustered expression on her face.

"Wait, wait!" Katherine expressed, hastily turning the water off and drying her hands. "Fine! I give in! When?"

"Great," Jack grinned triumphantly. "How's tomorrow work for ya?"

"Does it look like I have anywhere else to go?" Katherine remarked sarcastically, running a hand through her hair and turning back to the sink. "Okay. Tomorrow it is."

<><><>

July 30

~•~

"Is this going to become a regular thing?" Katherine asked, following Jack as they began the walk to the nearest town.

"Do you want it to be?" Jack answered with a question, causing Katherine to huff quietly.

"My father—or anyone from the Institute, for that matter—could choose to go up to the house at any point in time. If they found us out of the house, we'd be in serious trouble."

"What's the consequences?"

"My father would be the one punishing us. I'd like to not think about it," Katherine frowned at the thought, unsure of what he'd do if there ever came a time for punishments.

"Hey, he ain't gonna show up," Jack said confidently. "He only came by once, and that was a long time ago."

Katherine shook her head, wanting to change the topic. "So was a date the real reason you wanted to leave? Or was it something else?"

"There's gotta be another reason?" Jack asked, turning to look at Katherine with an exaggerated look. "C'mon, Ace, just live a little."

Katherine heaved a sigh, shaking her head at Jack's words. "Fine. Doesn't matter to me anyway."

<><><>

"Santa Fe. Just as good as always." Jack was taking in the sight of the city, a grin growing on his face. Despite the fact that they'd already been here once before, it was still just as much of a dream-come-true to him now as it was then.

"Let's get into a building where there's an air conditioner," Katherine said, fanning her face with her hand. "It's the hottest it's ever been out here."

Jack simply laughed in response before taking Katherine's hand. "So, Ace, what d'ya wish to do on our first actual date?"

Katherine glanced over at him, her brows knitted together in thought. "Whatever normal couples do."

"Normal couples?" Jack repeated, one eyebrow raised.

"Yeah," Katherine nodded. "You know... they go out for a meal, talk about whatever comes to mind, then part ways."

"Kinda hard to do that last part," Jack commented, turning his head to look at the brunette at his side.

"Obviously," Katherine remarked. "So perhaps we can talk over lunch; do the normal date thing?"

"The normal date thing," Jack echoed, the words comprehending in his mind.

"Will you give me an actual answer instead of just repeating what I tell you?" Katherine expressed, slowing their steps so she could turn to face him.

Jack chuckled softly before nodding at Katherine. "Whatever's good to me."

"You're impossible," Katherine breathed, continuing to walk despite Jack still standing in the same spot behind her.

<><><>

After Katherine spent nearly half an hour just researching the top restaurants in the area, she finally decided on a locally-owned restaurant. Jack didn't necessarily care what restaurant she chose, so long as the food was good and different than the repetition of meals they had back at their house.

They were seated in the corner, away from the prying eyes of strangers so they could talk in peace. "So what is it about Santa Fe that allures you so much?" Katherine asked, leaning forward on her elbows.

Jack shrugged nonchalantly, tilting his seat back slightly. "Don't know. I guess it's the thought of bein' so far from New York. I got bad memories there."

"Bad memories?" Katherine echoed, her expression softening. "What do you mean by that?"

Jack exhaled deeply, "Family problems. My old man left without a word when I was just a kid, and my mom worked herself too hard. She died a few years back."

"Jack..." Katherine breathed. "Why didn't you tell me this earlier?"

"I don't like to think about it," Jack answered. "You know... 'bad memories.'"

Katherine frowned. "I can understand why you love it here, though. You can leave the places that only remind you of the bad memories, and go to a place that links to good memories."

"Hm?"

Katherine lowered her gaze, dragging her finger down the side of her cup to collect the condensation. She needed to do something with her hands. "Meeting each other," she began to list the examples on her mind, "falling in love, changing for each other..."

Jack grinned, a small chuckle leaving his lips. "Yeah, that's true." A thought went through his head, and he straightened in his seat, leaning forward so he could excitedly suggest his idea. "Hey, instead of finding a place back in New York, how about we just stay here?"

Katherine raised her eyebrows, "Jack, we can't."

"Why not?"

"You should know how my father is by this point," she said. "But, I will give you this: after a year or two, if we're still together, we'll move here. I don't want to stay in New York all my life either, but I can't leave my family immediately. Besides, don't you have all of your 'brothers' there?"

Jack took a moment to register Katherine's words before nodding, seeing the reasoning behind what she said. "Yeah, I guess."

"We'll be here at some point in time."

"For sure?"

"For sure."