SOUNDTRACK:  "Fences" - Isabel

The slamming of a door upstairs told Jared that Kate was home. He sighed and put his guitar down. It was Tuesday evening and the last two days had gone about the same: Kate wasn't talking to him, slamming doors and ignoring his questions. She would come home and go right to her room where she'd sulk all night. He didn't know how to fix things this time. It seemed like she was just angry to be angry, now. If she was trying to send a message, he wasn't interested in listening any longer. And if she was trying to teach him a lesson, he wasn't interested in learning it. He'd had enough.

He walked through the house, intending on giving her a piece of his mind, but then he paused. She wanted him to yell at her. She wanted him to make a mistake. But he wasn't going to fall for it. Instead of walking to her room, he went to the hall closet and pulled out his toolbox. Calling it 'his' toolbox was silly since he had never used any of the tools in it once. But the interns used them on a regular basis to set things up and fix them, so it was handy to have around. He grabbed the drill and walked to her room. He knelt down and started taking the screws out of the door knob.

"What the hell are you doing?" Kate snapped, flinging the door open. Vedder's head poked around her leg.

"What does it look like? I'm tired of you slamming this damn door all the time. So you don't get a door," Jared said without looking at her. He took the door knob off with ease and set the parts on the floor next to his foot. "Move," he said, forcing his way past her into her room, nudging the dog's large shoulder with his knee.

"You can't do that!" she protested. "I need my door!"

"Yeah? Well I need to not be deafened by you slamming it," he quipped, taking the top hinge off. "I also need my house to not fall down because of you slamming the damn door. So this is the best solution." The top hinge came off and Jared slipped it and their screws into his pocket. He looked over at her as he caught the door. "You're gonna want to move," he said, tilting it into her room.

Kate watched in astonishment as he carried it through the house to the living room and set it on the floor against the wall. Vedder walked beside her into the hallway.

"Are you serious, right now?" she asked.

"As fucking cancer," Jared replied without thinking, walking over and picking up the door knob from the floor. He walked into the kitchen and grabbed a plastic bag, putting all the small metal pieces and screws into it. "I'm tired of the attitude. I'm tired of you slamming doors. I'm tired of the silent treatment."

"What happened to 'Behave and I'll stay out of your way'," she asked, mocking his voice.

"You're not behaving, are you?" he snapped. "You're slamming doors. You're ignoring me. You're disrespecting me. And I know you fucking messed with the settings on the mixing board in the studio. So stop acting surprised."

It was true: she had been deliberately trying to set him off. And to Jared's credit, she thought he'd have cracked a lot sooner. Kate didn't know why, but she only felt like yelling and screaming at him. As if, shouting at him would somehow fix everything. She was so angry with everyone and everything and it was coming out in the wrong ways. She knew it was childish and stupid, but she had been mature for far too long and deserved a childish, stupid outlet for once.

"You suck at this," she said. "I wish you had just let me stay with Ryan! You're a terrible father!" she shouted at him.

Jared bit his lip, forcing himself not to respond. She was baiting him and he knew it.

"Hell, you won't even tell people I'm your daughter! It's nice to know you're so embarrassed of me that you want to keep me a secret forever!" she yelled. "I don't understand why you wanted me so fucking badly if you won't even own up to being my dad!"

That was it. He spun on his heel and hurled the bag of metal across the room. Kate jerked out of the way when it hit the wall near her head, leaving a dent in the drywall. Vedder growled at him, leaping between the two of them, barking. Jared didn't pay him any attention.

"THAT IS IT!" he shouted. Kate actually took a step back from him in fear. "You want to know why you're here?" he asked her. "Do you?!" Vedder growled louder and Jared turned on the dog. "SHUT UP!" he shouted. The dog whimpered and hid behind the girl.

All she could do was stand there, her mouth opening and closing like a fish on a hook.

"Ryan didn't want you, Kate. He didn't. He showed up here one night and told me that he couldn't do it anymore, that he never wanted you," he started, knowing there was no way to stem the flow now. "He begged me to take you. He said if I didn't, he'd sign you over to the state."

"You're lying," she whispered as his voice echoed through the house.

"I wish I was, Kate. But I'm not. This is the truth. You're here because Ryan didn't want you," he said, his voice picking up a menacing tone. "So don't fucking blame me for picking up the pieces. Blame him for being the douche that put you in this situation in the first place."

She spun on her heel before Jared even had a chance to process what he had said himself. He heard her slam the side door and growled.

"Again with the motherfucking doors!" he shouted, rushing through the house after her.

By the time he got to the door and tore it open, she had run down the driveway and out of sight. He contemplated going after her, but he was barefoot and didn't particularly feel like running. Plus, the less he saw of her at that point, the better. He scoffed, slammed the door behind himself, and stormed downstairs, leaving Vedder huddled behind the sofa.

Meanwhile, Kate was running along the street, hair flying behind her. The sun had set and she was only running via the street lights. Even though she was exhausted from practice, she willed her legs to carry her further and further from Jared's house. She couldn't be there any longer. Not with him, not like this. Not after what he told her. It had to be a lie. There was no way Ryan would have done what Jared said he did. He had raised her since infancy, come to every parent/teacher conference, every game, and been there for every milestone in her life. There was no way he didn't want her. It was impossible.

She finally came to a walk near a park. She had no idea where she was. She pulled her phone out and opened Maps. After a second, she realized she was at a park about two miles from Jared's house, nestled between two housing developments. She had no desire to go back to Jared's house and didn't really care if the cops picked her up or something else happened. Anger and frustration and confusion coursed through her veins, hot enough to ward off the chill of the mid-November evening.

She ran through her options. She could stay where she was and go back to the house later...except she didn't have any keys. She could go to Shannon's but it was on the other side of the canyon and she was already starting to feel the cold. The Compound was obviously out of the question. She absentmindedly scrolled through her contacts and her thumb froze over the T's. Tomo's condo wasn't far away from Jared's. They hadn't actually met, but she had seen a few photos of the guitarist around the house. She knew he was due in town from Detroit to do some recording with Jared, but she wasn't sure if he had arrived yet.

Another gust of cold air blew across her bare arms and her decision was made. At the very worst, she'd have to call Jared and have him come pick her up. At the best, she'd have a place to warm up. She looked at the map and started walking in the direction of Tomo's condo, grateful that Jared had programmed the addresses of important people into her phone. Aside from the house, Shannon's place and the Compound were prominently displayed in her contacts, alongside Emma's apartment, Connie's house, and Tomo's condo in case of emergency.

About twenty minutes into the walk, Kate felt like her arms were frozen off. She had left the house in a pair of jeans and a thin t-shirt and her anger had long since dissolved. Fortunately, Tomo's building loomed in front of her, giving her the extra push of energy to walk up the driveway to the front door. She pushed the buzzer next to his name and shivered slightly as it rang.

"Hello?" a tinny voice came from the speaker.

"Tomo?" she asked.

There was a pause. "Yeah?"

"It's Kate," she said, hoping that would explain things.

"I think you've got the wrong address," he replied quickly.

He probably thinks you're some stupid fan girl, she thought.

"Jared's Kate," she added.

"I'll be right down," he muttered. Sure enough, a minute later, Tomo appeared in a Red Wings jersey, sweatpants, and house slippers. He pushed the door open for her and let her inside. "Hi," he said awkwardly. "Let's - uh - let's go upstairs."

An older couple gave them a bit of a dirty look as they passed them in the entry way and Kate could hear the woman mutter something about 'girls getting younger and younger'. Tomo led her up several flights of stairs and to his condo. He held the door open for her and she walked ahead of him.

"So...hi, again," he said nervously holding his hand out. "I'm Tomo. Nice to finally meet you."

She took his hand and nodded. "Yeah. Kate. Sorry to just drop in like this," she said, looking around at the slightly messy living room. "Did I interrupt something?"

"Oh - no. I was just watching a game," he said. He rushed over to pick up a dirty plate and several cups. "Can I - can I get you anything?" he asked. "Water...juice?"

She watched as he hurried around the living room, straightening things up. "No, I'm fine."

"I have to admit, I'm a little confused as to why you're here," he called from the kitchen. "Jared didn't say anything about you coming by and..."

"We had a fight," she sighed. "I walked out and kept walking." She crossed her arms over her chest. "And I'm not ready to go home yet."

Just then, Tomo's phone rang and he held up a finger for her to wait. "Make yourself at home. I'll be back." It was Jared. "Hey," he said, walking into the bedroom and pushing the door to. "What's up?"

"Is Kate with you?" Jared asked immediately.

Tomo actually looked around the room for cameras wondering how Jared knew. "Uh - yeah. How'd you know?"

"Her phone," he sighed. "I had something enabled on it so I'd know where she was. It shows your address."

"Yeah she's here," Tomo replied. "Mind telling me what the fuck is going on?"

Jared sighed again. "We had a fight. I said something really stupid, even though it was the truth. And she left."

"That's it?" Tomo asked.

"No. It was...it was pretty bad," Jared answered. "Like probably one of the worst things I could have said to her."

Tomo didn't want to be in the middle of family drama. He was pretty sure that was how he managed to stay with the band so long. He figured, the less he knew, the better he was in the long run. But none of his experience in avoiding Leto family conflicts would help with the sixteen year old sitting in his living room.

"What do you want me to do here, Jared?" he asked.

"Can you just - can she stay at your place tonight and you can drop her off here in the morning?" Jared suggested. "She's got school tomorrow and she needs her uniform and everything."

"Sure, what time?"

"Like seven, I guess?" Jared offered. "I don't really know when she gets up and all that."

"Yeah. I can do that," Tomo responded. "I just - is everything okay between you two? I mean, I don't want to pry, but she seems kinda shaken."

"Is she okay?" Jared asked immediately.

"Yeah - I mean, she's fine, I guess. But she's been crying. And she's pretty cold. She didn't have a jacket or anything," Tomo explained. "I don't really know what to do with a sixteen year old girl."

"You've got nieces and nephews. You've got more experience than I do," Jared said.

Tomo sighed. "Fine. But you fucking owe me a good explanation in the morning," he relented.

"Thank you so much, man," Jared said in relief.

Tomo ended the call and walked back out to the living room. "Sorry about that," he apologized. He reached over and turned off the TV. "So, uh, you can stay here tonight, if you want."

"Really? You're sure?" she asked, her face lighting up.

"Yeah. Definitely. But I'm sure you've got school tomorrow, so I'll take you over to Jared's in the morning," he said.

She nodded and sniffled a little, her nose running.

"You can have the bedroom tonight," he continued. "The bathroom is through there. Feel free to take a shower or whatever. Warm up."

"I don't have any clothes," she remarked.

"Come on," he said, leading her to the bedroom with a smile. "Take anything you like, it's fine," he said, gesturing to the closet. "There's a few things of my wife's in there, too if you're more comfortable with that."

Kate nodded and he left the room. She took a quick shower, enjoying the heat as it brought feeling back into her fingers and toes. When she was done, she pulled on an over sized t-shirt and hoodie and a pair of pajama bottoms before walking back out to the living room.

"Oh come on, ref! Seriously?!" Tomo shouted at the TV. When he saw her, he blushed a little. "Sorry, I get a little animated sometimes," he said sheepishly.

"It's fine," she smiled. She noticed he had his iPad out and was video chatting with a woman. "Shit, sorry," she said, ducking behind the sofa out of sight.

The last thing she needed was Tomo's wife or whomever to think he was sleeping with her. She was wearing his clothes.

"It's fine," he chuckled. "Kate, meet my wife Vicky. She's in Detroit. We like to watch the games together." He held the iPad out to her. "Vicky this is Kate."

"Oh my God she looks so much like Jared," the woman said. "Nice to meet you."

Kate nodded and smiled. "You, too."

"Do you watch hockey?" Tomo asked, scooting over to make space for her next to him.

She sat down. "Uh - not really. I'm into soccer mostly."

"Hey that's alright, too," he smiled. "I'll get you into hockey in no time."

Kate laughed. "We'll see."

She relaxed next to Tomo, enjoying the attention he and Vicky gave her. It was something she and Jared never had. They had never sat down together and watched TV and aside from his late night hike with her a couple weeks ago, they hadn't really spent much time together at all. It was just the nature of their schedules.

Tomo seemed extremely animated and exactly like she thought he'd be based on the photos. He was quirky and weird enough to get along with Jared, but he was also incredibly funny and goofy and soon made Kate forget all about her fight with Jared. The game continued and Tomo actually managed to teach her a few things (with Vicky's help via Skype) by the end of it. His team won, so everyone was in good spirits.

"Alright honey," he said to the iPad. "I should probably get to sleep."

Kate could tell this was a bit of an intimate moment between them and she stood and walked into the kitchen under the guise of putting her plate in the dishwasher. When she was done, she walked back into the living room.

"Kate?" Vicky called. "It was nice meeting you. And just remember...Jared is...eccentric. But he's really protective of people he cares about. And I know he cares about you. You just have to give him a chance," she said.

Kate nodded. "Yeah. I'll keep that in mind."

"Okay honey," Tomo said clearing his throat. "I love you. I'll call you tomorrow, babe."

Kate looked at the floor as he bid her goodbye and ended the call. "She's really nice," she said, trying to fill the silence that followed.

He smiled. "Yeah. She's definitely a keeper," he chuckled. "Do you need to charge your phone or anything?" he asked standing from the sofa.

"Oh - no. I'm fine. I'll have enough time before school in the morning," she answered.

He nodded. "I'm gonna grab a shower and some clothes real quick, okay?"

Kate nodded and watched as he went into the bedroom. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and went to text Hayley, but stopped. How could she tell her about what had happened without revealing too much? And suddenly she realized it had been quite some time since the two of them had had a conversation longer than a few words. She had heard of friends drifting apart after a move, but that was usually after months of attempting to keep in contact. But when you can't talk about your new life, it made communication a little difficult. She couldn't blame Hayley for ditching her.

"All yours," Tomo replied. She went into the bedroom and got into the bed awkwardly. Tomo returned to the doorway. "Need anything else?" he asked.

"No, thanks," she said. "Oh - and thanks for letting me stay here."

He shook his head. "Not a problem. I've toured with Jared for years. I know he can be...challenging," he smiled. "But he does care about you. He called me, asking if you were here."

"Really?"

"Yup. I know it might seem crazy, but he cares. In his own way, he cares," he assured her. "Just...just give him a break, like Vicky said. He's new to this."

"You didn't hear what he said to me," she whispered. It felt a little weird to be telling these things to a complete stranger, but that was the affect Tomo had on her. He felt like someone she could talk to. "He told me Ryan didn't want me. He lied."

"How do you know he lied?" Tomo asked, crossing his arms and leaning on the door frame.

"Because...because Ryan isn't like that," she said.

"Are you sure?" Tomo had never met the guy - hell, he could fit what he knew about the guy on a sugar packet - but he never put it past people to change. "If there's one thing I've learned over the years it's that people aren't always who you think they are. Maybe Ryan really was that way. Maybe Jared's telling the truth."

"But why would he wait so long to tell me then?"

"If I was in his position, and I knew how much you thought of Ryan, I wouldn't want to hurt you," he said. "I'd lie so you wouldn't think poorly of him."

Kate blinked. No way was Jared that selfless. He didn't care about her enough to lie to her and make himself look bad. He was selfish and only thought of himself. This was evidence; he told a blatant lie to her out of spite, knowing she'd get hurt. He didn't care at all. Tomo could see the conflict on her face.

"It's too late to talk about it now. Get some rest. In the morning, you can talk to Jared and figure it out," Tomo assured her. "Goodnight."

In the morning, Tomo took Kate back home. She walked right past Jared and to her room, gathering a few things before heading to her bathroom. She was conscious not to slam that door for fear that she'd lose it, too. Tomo disappeared downstairs into the studio. When she appeared in her uniform, Jared stopped her.

"Kate, sit please," he said softly. She sat next to him and waited. "Last night, I was out of line and I should have handled the situation better. I scared you, and that was never my intention." He swallowed and she could tell he was nervous. "But what I said was the truth. And I probably should have told you a little sooner, but I just didn't know how to."

"Wait - you mean Ryan didn't want me?" she whispered in shock. Her world was crashing down around her.

Jared swallowed again. "That's what he told me," he said quietly. "He told me he couldn't raise you on his own. I tried to get him to stay, but he was pretty serious about getting out of it." He paused, letting his words sink in. "And - and I couldn't just let you go...not like that."

"So here we are," she whispered.

"So here we are," he repeated, looking into eyes that were identical to his. "I should have told you sooner. But it was easier to have you hate me than see you heartbroken over Ryan." He paused. "I'm sorry I lied to you."

She didn't know how to process his words. It was like her brain was just refusing to acknowledge them. Her first thought was that she had school in an hour. So she stood and walked to her room before remembering that she didn't have a door to close. Jared followed her.

"Kate, " he asked. "Are you okay?"

She nodded in silence as she gathered her laptop and put it into her school bag, blinking rapidly to hold off tears. Jared hadn't lied at all.

"This is exactly why I didn't want to tell you the truth," he said.

Looking back on things, it all suddenly made sense to her. Why her mom and Ryan had never had any other kids. Why Ryan pushed so hard for her to be on soccer teams and sent her to training camps when school was out for the summer. Why he seemed more distant after her mom died and started treating her like she was a bomb about to explode. He didn't want her. He never had.

"No it's fine," she answered softly. "At least you finally told me."

She picked up her bag and turned toward the doorway. Jared had essentially let her hate him for something he had no control over. And she had been terrible to him. A car pulled into the driveway and he made to move aside so she could get past him. But instead of brushing past him, she embraced him quickly. He barely had time to open his arms to her before she hugged him. And it was over just as quickly as it started.

"See you later," she said without looking at him.

He blinked in shock as she left and stood in Kate's doorway for several seconds before moving. He walked through the house and found Tomo.

"Hey, how'd it go?" the younger man asked.

"I'll tell you while we put Kate's door back together," Jared said, waving for his friend to follow him.

"What?" Tomo asked in confusion, following Jared upstairs.

~~~

On Thursday afternoon, Kate found herself sitting in the hallway outside of the Drama auditorium, butterflies floating in her stomach as she waited to audition for the fall play. They were doing A Streetcar Named Desire and she really didn't have any idea what the hell she was doing. She was fulfilling her end of the bargain her guidance counselor had set up, auditioning. Though she wasn't confident in her acting abilities, she could at least audition. She had already signed up to be on the crew, so she knew she'd be busy one way or the other.

Several other students sat nearby on benches and on the floor. At least two of them were doing improv exercises and Kate had to force herself not to laugh at the absurdity of it all. She looked up as a senior walked out of the theater with a clipboard.

"Kate Wexler?" she announced. Kate stood. "You're up."

Kate took a deep breath and followed her inside. Theater was dark and several professors sat behind a table in the middle of the audience. The girl led her up to center stage before walking away. Kate gripped the crumpled piece of paper in her hand and stood in the spotlight awkwardly. The senior walked down to the table and sat next to an older gentleman.

"Name?" he asked.

"Kate Wexler."

"And what are you auditioning for?" he asked.

"Uh - Stella," she responded softly.

There was movement as one of the professors leaned over and whispered in the gentleman's ear. Kate could swear she heard 'Jared Leto's daughter' drift through the cavernous space, but she wrote it off as her mind playing tricks. This whole experience was making her nervous. She was worried that people would put two and two together and she'd end up having to live up to higher expectations than she planned to. After this conversation, the older man surveyed her carefully over half-moon glasses.

"We're actually going to ask you to read for Blanche for us, if that's alright," he said.

Kate paled. "I - I didn't prepare for -"

"That's alright. You can cold read it," he told her.

Kate unfolded the piece of paper with the audition parts printed on it and found the long monologue listed under Blanche. She looked up at the adults in front of her.

"Whenever you're ready," the man said.

Kate took a deep breath and started.

BLANCHE: I, I, I took the blows in my face and my body! All of those deaths! The long parade to the graveyard! Father, mother! Margaret, that dreadful way! So big with it, it couldn't be put in a coffin! But had to be burned like rubbish! You just came home in time for the funerals, Stella. And funerals are pretty compared to deaths. Funerals are quiet, but deaths--not always.

Sometimes their breathing is hoarse, and sometimes it rattles, and sometimes they even cry out to you, "Don't let me go!" Even the old, sometimes, say, "Don't let me go." As if you were able to stop them! But funerals are quiet, with pretty flowers. And, oh, what gorgeous boxes they pack them away in! Unless you were there at the bed when they cried out, "Hold me!" you'd never suspect there was the struggle for breath and bleeding. You didn't dream, but I saw! Saw! Saw!

And now you sit there telling me with your eyes that I let the place go! How in hell do you think all that sickness and dying was paid for? Death is expensive, Miss Stella! And old Cousin Jessie's right after Margaret's, hers! Why, the Grim Reaper had put up his tent on our doorstep!... Stella. Belle Reve was his headquarters! Honey--that's how it slipped through my fingers! Which of them left us a fortune? Which of them left a cent of insurance even?  

Only poor Jessie--one hundred to pay for her coffin. That was all, Stella! And I with my pitiful salary at the school. Yes, accuse me! Sit there and stare at me, thinking I let the place go! I let the place go? Where were you! In bed with your--Polack!

Her voice resonated through the empty theater and the older gentleman - presumably the director - stared at her for a few seconds before speaking.

"Have you read Streetcar?" he asked.

"Y-yeah," she answered.

"So then you understand why Blanche has come to see Stella, correct?" he asked.

Kate nodded. "Because she's lost her home to creditors."

"Exactly. She's lost the only home she knows," he repeated. "And she's describing how she's lost everything her family worked so hard for. So put that emotion into it, Kate. Show me something."

Blinking, she looked down at her sheet of paper again and took a deep breath. She had hoped to just go through the motions of auditioning to fulfill her agreement and move on to the behind the scenes aspect of things. Having to go through the script again and actually work was not what she had in mind. Still, she was nothing if not obedient, and she read the part again.

But this time, she put emotion into it. The image of her home in San Diego shrinking in the side mirror as Jared drove her to Los Angeles appeared in her mind. The sadness she felt at losing it and fear she had of starting over again appeared, aching like a fresh wound. Her mother's funeral flashed behind her closed eyes as she spoke and she was reminded of the way she had placed the white lily on her casket before it was lowered into the ground. Without realizing it, tears had sprung to her eyes and her voice faltered as she made eye contact with an imaginary person in the audience. When she was done, the three adults stared at her in silence, amazed looks on their faces.

"We'll uh - we'll let you know," the director said with a pleased smile.