Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It started with Anne.

(It's only fitting)

Of course, it took a while. Bad habits are hard to break.

(The good news is, though, she didn’t have to do it alone.)

And it was the little gestures that really mattered.

“Anne, are you sure that was the truth?”

A pause. Then the second Queen slowly looked down, shaking her head in shame.

“That’s alright.” A gentle finger lifting her chin, Catalina smiling lovingly at her. “Thank you for being honest with me. I know it's not easy.”

or

“I’m not hungry, thank you though.”

“Anne” Jane’s disbelieving tone stopped the girl in her tracks before she could even reach the stairs.

“Sorry, I just really want to finish the movie I was watching.”

“Just take some upstairs with you, love. Here.”

or even

“Annie, are you in the mood to go to the park with me?”

“Um, ye-” Anne suddenly stopped. “I will if you need me to.”

“Annie? That didn’t answer my question.”

“I’m sorry, I really didn’t want to lie to you.”

“Oh Anne.” Kitty sat down on the bed and pulled her cousin into a tight hug. “That’s progress. I’m proud of you.”

Needless to say, neither of them went to the park that day.

Of course, progress was not linear.

(It never was. Especially not in situations like this)

“Anne Boleyn!”

“Ughhhhh” the second Queen whined, sitting up from where she had been lounging, scrolling through her phone. “What do you want?”

“What is this?” Cathy slammed the broken shards of her favorite coffee mug on the table before crossing her arms and glaring at Anne.

“Well” She tilted her head playfully and clicked her tongue. “That looks like a broken mug to me.”

“I’m not in the mood to play games. Did you break this? You are the only person I let borrow it.”

“Wasn’t me. Why don’t you ask Kitty?” Anne smirked.

“Stop lying! Come on, Anne!”

“Oh, is that all I am to you? Am I incapable of telling the truth? Really?” The Queen scoffed, before promptly turning back around and returning her attention to her phone, refusing to acknowledge another person’s presence for the rest of the day.

(It was her. She had broken the mug. But her instincts had gotten the better of her. And it’s not like she was going to go back and fess up now. That's ridiculous!)

There were many occasions like this one. Sometimes she was caught in the lie, and one of the other Queens would sternly, but lovingly, nag her until she told the truth. Other times, she got away with it, and the guilt would gnaw away at her insides for days. But never, ever, did anyone kick her out for the lie.

And so, slowly, Anne was able to stop herself before a lie escaped her mouth, take a breath, and tell the truth. There were good days, and there were bad days, but that was just how life worked.
On the good days, Anne didn’t even think about the words coming out of her mouth, and her impulse to lie was virtually nonexistent.

And on the bad days, she still didn’t have to worry.

“I’m trying, Anna, I really am.”

“I know, Liebling. All of us Queens know, it's alright. We don’t expect you to break the habit in just a few weeks.”

Anna sat on her bed, holding Anne in her arms. The younger woman had broken down after Anna called her out on yet another lie, this time when she denied any involvement in the mysterious disappearance of Anna’s favorite hoodie.

“I know, I’m still sorry. I just... everything... I can’t help but be reminded of... him.” She shuddered slightly at the thought.

“Anne. Look at me in the eye.” Anna paused as the woman in front of her mustered up the courage to lift her chin. “I swear to you, I will never hurt you. Never. No matter what you do, no matter how many times you lie to me. I will always love you. We all will. Do you understand me?”

The second Queen thought about for a moment, and then gave a shaky nod.

“Good. I know it’s hard, love, it’s so hard. But you don’t have to do it alone.”

Chapter Text

Jane was next.

(Her case was a little different. Instead of dropping a habit, the third Queen had to find balance. Between over-apologizing and doing it on purpose. So every step towards progress had to be measured, in order to avoid stepping too far.)

At first, she seemed to be doing fairly well.

“Crap!”

“Jane Seymour, did you just swear?” Cathy looked up from her book, chuckling.

“Sorry, sorry. I just knocked over the toaster.”

“I was joking, silly. No need to apologize”

or

“Guys, look! I remembered Kitty this time!”

“Too soon, Jane. Too soon.” Anne shook her head, laughing despite herself.

or even

“Sorry”

“Jane, no, you don’t need to-”

“Oh, right. I’m sorr-”

“Jane!” Anna threw her hands in the air dramatically.

Jane clamped a hand over her mouth, eyes wide. Anna sighed and reached out to pat the Queen’s head awkwardly.

“Good girl.”

The younger woman couldn’t help but chuckle.

But the balance was difficult to maintain. While trying to avoid falling back onto old habits, Jane found herself falling back onto old-old habits. So then, when trying to avoid doing old-old habits, she would revert to old habits.

(It’s confusing to keep up with. Which was probably the reason that Jane seemed to make negative-progress for a long time.)

“Jane”

Catalina was trying very hard to not sound condescending, but the girl in front of her was making that very difficult.

“Hmm?” Jane tilted her head innocently, looking up at the older Queen with eyes as wide as saucers.

(Since when did Jane master Kitty’s puppy-dog face? Unfair.)

“I know you. There is no way on God’s Green Earth that you managed to go to the store and get everything but the one thing we needed. What’s up?”

“Nothing. I told you, I just forgot.”

“Jane” Catalina sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose. She could definitely feel a migraine approaching. Just what she needed. “I’m sorry, I can’t deal with this right now. Just- please go back to the market and get...” she trailed off, gesturing to the shopping list in Jane’s hand. “...whatever it is you were supposed to get.”

(It was on purpose, of course. Jane followed the shopping list religiously, marking everything off and triple-checking before she left the store. But she hadn’t really felt like walking all the way back over to the medicine aisle, so she just left. Besides, one mistake wouldn’t kill her.)

And it didn’t. No matter how badly she messed up, or how much she apologized, the other Queens were always there to remind her that they had her back. That she was allowed to fail.

Of course, she forgot that sometimes. On occasion, she would do something brash, just to see how they would react. Other times, she would cower away after a mistake, terrified of the consequences of her actions.

And every time, she would always be greeted with open arms.

“Mum? Are you ok?”

Kitty poked her head into Jane’s room, quickly identifying the blob on the bed as the third Queen.

“Mhmm”

“Come on, Jane.” The younger woman pulled gently at the blankets, revealing a dishevelled mat of blond hair. “What’s up?”

“ I’m fine, Kit, don’t worry.”

Kitty didn’t dignify the obvious lie with an answer, instead just giving her a disbelieving look.

“I don’t know, love. I’m just confused and I can’t ever seem to do anything right.”

“What do you mean?” The fifth Queen slid onto the bed and pulled the rest of Jane from under the covers.

“I just- Remember earlier when I spilt tea all over Anne’s shirt?”

“Um, yeah. That was like five minutes ago. That’s why I came up to check on you.”

“Ok, sassy pants.” Jane poked Kitty lightly in the ribs, smiling gently at her, causing a small giggle to escape from her mouth. “But I left because I panicked. Can I apologize for something like that? Am I supposed to? I don’t want them to think I did it on purpose, but I need to apologize less. And I can’t tell where the line is, so whenever I-”

“Woah, woah,” Kitty interrupted before Jane could talk herself in circles any further. “I get it. It’s super confusing. But you don’t need to stress yourself out over it so much. Just... do whatever you think is right in the moment, and if it’s wrong, that’s perfectly alright.”

“But I don’t want to be wrong.”

“Oh, I know. Everyone in this house is a perfectionist.”

Jane nodded in agreement at this, smirking softly at the thought of all the Queen’s tendency to overcompensate for perfection.

“But... everyone in this house is also here for you. So you don’t have to be afraid.”

Chapter Text

They should have seen Kitty’s coming.

(Not in the same way as before, of course. But her road to recovery was different.)

After the long discussion they had addressing the recent events, Jane had talked to Kitty and given her a possible solution. They needed to know whether or not the accusations she made were true, especially if it was as serious as last time.

So, whenever Kitty needed to prove that she was telling the truth, she would surrender one of her stuffed animals to one of the other Queens until her claim could be proved. If she was lying, the toy went into Jane’s closet for a week. If not, it was returned to her immediately.

(The fifth Queen wasn’t sure how she felt about this plan, mostly because it felt like a punishment for a five-year-old, but no one ever forced her into it, and it turned out to be quite effective.)

“It wasn’t me, I swear. Must have been Anne.”

“Kitty.” Catalina held out a hand expectantly. The fifth Queen looked from it to the stuffed lemur on her bed, before sighing.

“Fine. It was me.”

“Thank you.”

or

“May I please have Mr. Benedict back now?” Kitty blinked up at Jane, only pouting a little. The cat had been residing in “Toy Jail” for a whole week, following an incident Kitty would rather not think about.

“Yes, you may.” Jane smiled and reached up into her closet to retrieve the animal.

(Never mind that Kitty was basically the same height as Jane, and that she could retrieve her belongings easily if she so desired. It was the thought that counted.)

“Awesome!” Immediately the childlike persona was gone as Kitty transformed back into a fully grown woman and skipped off, leaving the third Queen behind, shaking her head lovingly.

or even

“Uggghhh. Here.” Kitty shoved Mr. Benedict back into Anna’s arms, just a few mere hours after getting him back.

“Just until we talk to the costume department about your claims, love. I trust you, I do, but it’s helping you.”

“I know,” Kitty conceded, but still remained pouting on the bed, arms crossed.

“Come on, sour-mcsourpuss. We can call them right now.” Anna pulled her up by the shoulders, leading her out of the room.

Less than twenty minutes later, the cat returned to its rightful owner.

Unfortunately, this strategy didn’t always go the way they had planned.

(It was to be expected. She wasn’t actually a child.)

“Go away! Just shut up and leave me alone!” Kitty stormed away from Cathy, who was watching her expectantly.

“It’s part of the rules, Kit. You can’t just accuse me of that and not face the consequences. Catalina is furious with me, cause she thinks you were telling the truth.”

“I was!”

“Then give her your stupid little stuffed animal and prove it! Or are you too scared, huh?”

“Shut up!”

Needless to say, Cathy and Kitty didn’t speak to each other for three days straight.

(It had been a lie. Cathy hadn’t done anything. But Kitty was tired of being treated like a baby. And getting Cathy in trouble with her godmother almost soothed the pain of being in trouble with Jane. Almost.)

Despite the few rough patches they went through, the ability to deal with these issues in a relatively immature way did actually help Kitty. Having physical consequences served as a reminder to think before she spoke, but it wasn’t the end of the world if she lost a stuffed animal for a week. She had plenty more, after all.

And this strategy saved them from making as horrible a mistake as last time. The Queens took everything Kitty claimed with a grain of salt, but made a point to avoid outright disbelief.

Because, after all, they wanted to believe her.

“I... nothing. Nevermind.”

Five Queens stared at Kitty, who just moments ago had burst through the front door sobbing. Now, however, she was violently wiping away the tears and trying to push her way past the group.

“Kit-Kat?” Anne grabbed her arm gently, keeping her from fleeing.

“Don’t call me that, I’m not a child!” The fifth Queen ripped her arm from her cousin's grasp, breaths becoming closer together as she backed up against the wall.

“Ok, ok, I’m sorry.” Anne raised her hands in surrender, then gestured to the rest of the home’s inhabitants that she had it handled. As the four other Queens slowly returned to their previous seats, Anne gently helped Kitty slide to the floor, making sure to keep some space between them.

“I’m fine, I’m fi-” The younger woman was cut off, throat closing up, as she struggled to suppress a sob.

“I don’t believe you, but that’s ok. Come on, Katherine, you can tell me anything.”

“Yeah, but you wouldn’t believe me.” She huffed, folding her arms across her chest.

“Kit, if anyone would believe you, it would be me. I understand, I really do. Come on, love,” Anne urged her cousin, scooting over so she could wrap a protective arm around the girl.

“Fine. It was that creep again. He didn’t do anything though!” Kitty hurried when Anne whipped her head around to stare at her cousin, looking about ready to go hunt the man down. “He just followed me home, and it reminded me of last time. I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have freaked out so much.”

“No, no. Don’t be sorry, it’s completely understandable. But Kit, that is the exact reason we set this whole system up. You know that, right?”

“Yeah,” Kitty sighed, nestling farther into her cousin's arms. Anne ruffled her hair playfully.

“We will always have your back, kiddo.”

Chapter Text

Catalina was much more direct.

(And, as such, the Queens were much more direct to her.)

They did not shy away from showering the first Queen with reassurance and compliments, and she was not afraid to let them know when they had gone far enough, when she was once again certain that they would not tire of her and send her away.

“I love you.” Jane draped herself over the armchair, wrapping her arms around Catalina’s neck and pressing a soft kiss to her hair. Catalina, who was just beginning to spiral into a rather unpleasant period of self-doubt, marvelled at her friend’s ‘mom senses’, and reached up to squeeze her arms.

“Thank you, my dear. I love you too.”

or

“Hey, Cat, think you can help me with these muffins? I have yet to master your secret recipe.”

“I’m alright, Anne. Thank you, though.” Catalina gave the girl a reassuring smile, looking up from her magazine.

“Oh. Well that’s great, and I’m glad, but I really do need help. Your instructions don’t make any sense.” Anne waved the index card around aimlessly, trying to demonstrate her confusion. Catalina chuckled and nodded, setting her magazine to the side.

or even

“Alright! Let’s see, we got comfort food, your favorite tea, the entire “Lord of the Rings” movie collection... ooh, it's the Extended Edition. Fun. Also, there is some bath bombs from the upstairs medicine cabinet that Kitty has been hogging, for later of course, and-”

“Woah, Anna. Slow down.” Catalina sat up from where she had been lounging in bed, shaking her head at the fourth Queen’s excitement. “It’s called a ‘self-care’ day, not a ‘get pampered by Anna’ day.”

“Part of self care *is* getting pampered by Anna. Ask Cathy, she’ll tell you. I’ll give you privacy if you really want it, but I had to gather all the necessary supplies.”

“I would like some alone time, but I really do appreciate it, Anna. You are incredibly sweet.” Catalina began to sort through the heap of items the younger woman had placed at the foot of her bed.

“Thank you. Just text me if you need anything. Oh! And before I forget. This is the most important part of the ‘Anna self care package.” Anna rounded the bed to stand right in front of Catalina, leaning down to envelop her in a tight hug,

“You are needed. You are loved. I hope I never have to live in a world without you in it again.”

But there were some rough moments too.

(Catalina prided herself on being self-aware, being able to recognize when she was becoming overly-demanding or needy. But sometimes, she would lose herself, and step over some boundaries. And one thing that Catalina really didn’t pride herself on was the explosive anger that would rear its ugly head whenever she felt especially insecure.)

“Why are you so pouty, Catty? Heh. That almost rhymed.”

Kitty flopped down next to Catalina, who was sitting on the couch, arms crossed and all but glaring at the television. She didn’t answer.

“Hey, come on. What’s up?” The youngest Queen nudged the older gently, smiling widely. Catalina scowled and sunk further into the couch.

“Cattyyy” Kitty whined playfully. This word apparently broke whatever remaining patience Catalina had, and she rounded on the taller girl.

“What?!” she spat, almost venomously, causing Katherine to recoil quickly.

“Sorry. I just- Are you alright?”

“Do I look alright? Why won’t you just go away?”

“Ok, fine. Whatever you want.” Kitty mumbled, quickly escaping upstairs.

(Catalina regretted her words the moment she said them, but perhaps it was best for her to be left alone when she was like this. Pushing everyone else away, keeping herself isolated so they couldn’t do it to her. Plus, this way, everyone else was safe. Perhaps it was better for her to be alone.)

It wasn’t, not really. Sometimes, of course, when she needed it, but the other Queens always made a point to check in, make sure that she really wanted to be alone, and wasn’t just saying that so she wouldn’t have to face her problems.

She was good at that. Avoiding her problems. Pushing them away until everyone else forgot about them (hopefully) and their relationship could go back to normal. Unfortunately, this plan never seemed to go that well.

It was quite a good thing, that the others never shied away from helping her in this sort of situation.

“I really am truly sorry. I should never have shouted at you like that.”

Catalina muttered as she stroked Cathy’s hair, the girl in her arms while she leaned up against her headboard. Cathy shook her head, chuckling softly.

“I know, mum, you’ve apologized a hundred times. And I’ve told you, I forgive you.”

Catalina nodded, a little embarrassed at the apparent annoyance she had caused her goddaughter. Cathy noticed this though, and gently squeezed the first Queen’s arm.

“It’s alright, though. I’ll tell you that as many times as you need, and then even more, just for fun.”

“Thank you, my dear. What did I ever do to deserve you?” Catalina leaned down to place a soft kiss on Cathy’s head, holding her tighter.

“I ask myself the very same question every day, except about you.”

“It’s a miracle you still put up with me.”

“Hey.” Cathy swatted her leg gently. “Don’t say that.”

“Sorry.”

“We, all of us, love having you around. You can’t get rid of us that easily.”

Chapter Text

Anna was subtle.

Unfortunately for her, the other Queens were not at all.

(Perhaps they tried to be, but they weren’t really all that good at it.)

Their (usually successful) attempts to comfort and reassure Anna were very obvious.

“Hey, Anna, can I come on that walk with you?”

“Kitty, it’s going to be really boring. You don’t have to.”

“But I want to hang out with you. Please?” Kitty begged, smiling widely. Anna looked at her suspiciously for a moment, before nodding hesitantly.

“Fine, if you really want to.”

“Yes!” The youngest Queen fist-pumped into the air, rushing off to grab her shoes.

or

“Woah, guys. Chill out.” Anna held her hands in front of her, holding off what felt like a hoard of Queens as they greeted her at the door. In reality, it was just Catalina and Anne, but she hadn’t been looking as she came inside, and when she looked up, both of them were in her face.

“Hi! Did you have a good time at the library?” Anne was practically bouncing, eager for an answer.

“....Yeah?” The fourth Queen looked from one woman to the other in confusion, but something quickly dawned on her. “Ohhh. You know that sometimes I really do just leave for fun, right? I know that you guys care about me, I appreciate it, but I’m alright, I swear.”

“Hmmm.” Anne looked doubtful for a moment, but when Anna just stared her down, the younger girl simply shrugged. “Alright. You get away with it this time.”

Anna shook her head, chuckling as the two Queens walked away, returning to their previous projects.

or even

“Hello? Cathy?”

“Anna, where the hell are you?” Cathy’s worried tone carried through Anna’s cellphone, and the fourth Queen sighed softly.

“I’m on my way back, Cath, don’t worry. We still have an hour until curtain.”

“Oh, ok.” Cathy sounded slightly embarrassed at her premature panic.

“It’s alright, Catherine, I really don’t mind. I’m actually quite glad that you worry so much about me. It’s sweet.”

Anna could practically hear the girl’s blush over the phone. (No one ever called Catherine Parr ‘sweet’, but she definitely could be sometimes.)

“Oh. Good. Well, I’m glad you’re alright. I’ll just... see you soon, I guess.”

Of course, even Anna was not immune to falling back into old patterns.

(She would never tell the other Queens, but she felt that she had much better self-control than the rest of them. So she was sure that this process would be easier for her than the others.)

And in some aspects, she was right. But other times, when she wasn’t thinking, she would wander back into unhealthy territory and isolate herself until someone had to come pull her out. Which usually wasn’t a pretty picture.

“Anna!”

The distinct sound of a very upset Catalina shook Anna from her thoughts, and she turned around on the park bench to spot the first Queen approaching quickly. With a sigh, she stood and waited for the inevitable scolding.

“Hey,” Anna mumbled, voice barely above a whisper. The odd tone made Catalina pause for a moment, studying the younger woman, before taking a few more, slower steps to shorten the distance between them.

“Do you know what time it is? This is the fourth park I’ve searched. Everyone is at home, practically panicking.”

“Oh, I’m sorry. Didn’t realize I had a curfew.” Anna rolled her eyes, crossing her arms across her chest and trying not to think too hard about how much she felt like a petulant child.

“You might soon if you keep this up! Get in the car.”

Anna almost argued, but Catalina was already gone and in the front seat, and she didn’t really want to stay out in the cold much longer.

(And of course she knew what time it was. That was the whole point. Logically, she should probably feel comforted by the fact that they had come looking for her, but it just made her feel angry.)

The good news was that, more often than not, Anna was able to be fairly level-headed in these situations.

And, if she wasn’t, someone else could always step in and help her out.

“Jane?”

Anna knocked on the third Queen’s door, a small part of her hoping that there would be no answer.

“Come in, Anna”

No such luck.

“What’s up, love?” Jane looked up from her book as Anna entered.

“I was just... I was thinking...” The older woman was uncharacteristically nervous, fidgeting restlessly with her hands. Jane just watched her patiently. “You said that if I ever needed, well, comfort or reassurance or something, I could come to you, and I’m fine, I am, I just...” she trailed off, shrugging awkwardly.

“You can come to me even if you’re fine, you know. That’s what friends are for.”

“Oh. Well, good. Thank you.”

Jane shifted so that there was plenty of space next to her on the bed, and Anna, taking the hint, accepted the invitation gratefully.

After a few awkward moments of Anna looking incredibly uncomfortable as she sat stiffly next to the younger Queen, and of Jane trying her best not to seem overly concerned about her friend, Anna’s resolve began to break.

Jane barely noticed the slow movement at first, but before long, Anna was nestled securely against her side, with Jane's arm around her waist and her head leaning on her shoulder.

“I don’t ever want to abandon you guys. You’re my family.”

The third Queen paused at this, continuing to stroke Anna’s hair, but taking a moment to fully digest what she had just said.

“I know you, Anna. You would never abandon us. Plus, if you tried, we wouldn’t let you.”

Anna nodded, but still didn’t seem completely convinced.

“Love, it’s like you said. We’re your family, and as such, we could never leave one of our own.”

Chapter Text

Cathy was last.

(Technically, they all should have been working together to address all the issues at once, but Cathy was very adept at hiding her troubles away and pretending that everything was alright until it all became too much. As such, the other Queens almost forgot that she was still struggling.)

‘Almost’ being the key word. But even if they didn’t forget, Cathy encouraged them to leave her be and take care of the others first.

That didn’t stop them from trying.

“I don’t want to.” Cathy grumbled, trying to avoid Jane’s stern gaze.

“Cathy, do you really want to get into an argument over something this trivial?”

The sixth Queen began to nod stubbornly, but paused, then after a moment, a reluctant-

“No”

“That’s what I thought.”

or

“If you want to fight just to fight, I volunteer.” Anne announced proudly, startling Cathy as she was about to start another petty argument over the remote with Anna.

“What?”

“I mean, just ask Catalina. I’m very good at arguments. And I won’t take it personally. So... have at it!”

or even

“No.” Kitty crossed her arms firmly over her chest, giving Cathy a look that she definitely learned from Catalina.

“Wait, what?” The older woman paused her oncoming tirade to stare at the girl in shock.

“No,” she repeated. “I’m not going to fight with you over something so stupid. So you can yell at me all you want, but I’ll just stand here and nod.”

“Oh.” Cathy looked very uncomfortable all of the sudden. “I didn’t mean... I wasn’t thinking.... I’m sorry.” Her gaze became fixed on her shoes as she fidgeted incessantly with the end of her shirt.

“It’s alright.” Kitty’s demeanor shifted faster than Cathy had expected, and before she knew it, the younger girl had enveloped her in a hug. “I just wanted to snap you out of it. I know you didn’t mean it.”

“Thank you,” Cathy mumbled, moving so she was resting more comfortably against her friend.

“Any time, love.”

For the most part, their efforts paid off. It didn’t take much for Cathy to realize that she was being unreasonable and back off, especially when one of the other Queens confronted her about it.

The hard part, though, was the fact that every so often, Cathy would take any opposition as a personal attack and it would make the situation worse.

“You said that I should feel free to always express my opinion, even if no one else agrees.”

“Well, yes, but Cathy this is different. You took it too far, and you know it.” Anna tried to reason, but to no avail.

“Oh, I get it. That kind of stuff is only alright if it’s convenient for you.”

“No, Cathy. But you can’t just-”

“Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot do, huh?” Cathy interrupted, standing from her place on the couch to tower over Anna. The older Queen sighed and ran a hand over her face, trying to keep from escalating the situation any further.

“That’s not what I’m saying. There’s a fine line between expressing your opinion and attacking others. You’ve crossed it, and you need to stop.”

This made the sixth Queen pause as she processed what the other woman said. Suddenly, all of the fight left her body and she sunk back into the couch.

“Whatever. It’s not like you guys are worth it.”

(They were worth it. They had to be worth it, or else no one would be and Cathy would end up alone. In all honesty, she couldn’t even remember what the argument had been about in the first place. But it was so much easier to push them all away, so she did.)

Luckily for Cathy, they didn’t let her.

No matter how much she pushed them away, they always made a point to push back even harder.

“Shut up! Just shut up and go away!”

“That’s not going to happen and you know it, Catherine.” Catalina stood between her goddaughter and the door, blocking her escape from the room. The older woman had interrupted a rather dramatic argument between Cathy and Kitty that had ended with the latter in tears and the former fuming.

“Then get out of my way!” Cathy tried to push past Catalina, but the woman just grabbed her arm firmly and held her in place.

“Nope.”

After a few moments of silent struggle, Cathy gave up and became slack, only for her godmother to catch her easily and hold her steady.

“I hate you,” the younger Queen muttered under her breath. Catalina paused for only a moment before softly shaking her head. Without another word, she simply led the smaller girl to the bed and sat them both down.

“I don’t hate you.”

“I know, love.”

“I’m sorry.”

“I know, love.”

“I don’t know why I keep acting like this.” Cathy nestled farther into her godmother’s arms, and Catalina shifted so they were both leaning comfortably against the pillows.

“It’s so confusing, isn’t it? And it's so hard, because nothing about our situation is textbook. But you don’t have to do it alone, you know that right?”

“I know. I just... don’t want to bother the rest of you. You all have your own struggles.”

“You could never be a bother. Recovery from something like this is difficult, and it will take a long time, but if we work together as a family, I believe that one day we can all come out the other side as better people.”

“Yeah?”

Catalina smiled at the simple innocence of the question, and pulled her goddaughter into a tight hug. She took a few minutes to appreciate the calm before responding-

“Yeah.”