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Catalina is in her makeshift room at the old fire station playing fetch with Shadow when Runa knocks at her door. “Hey, I know you don’t have work to do tonight, I was wondering if you wanted to watch a movie? I brought some chocolate to entice you...” She trails off, looking at Catalina.
“What do you think, Shadow? Should we go watch a movie with Runa?” Catalina sing songs to Shadow as she grabs the tennis ball back from the dog. “Yes, I do think we would have fun watching a movie. No chocolate for you though, Shadow!”
As the two girls follow Shadow down the hall to the room that has been set up as the family television room, Runa tells Catalina, “Ragnar and Halle told me to go find something to do for a couple hours so they can have space.” She rolls her eyes as she makes air-quotes with her fingers, “They are frustrated with me ‘hovering’ over them constantly. So I thought a movie might distract me, and I know you could use some downtime as well.”
“You’re probably right about that. This is the first night I feel like I haven’t had case follow-up or housing related issues to deal with.” Catalina replies.
“I know it’s great that Baylor Investigations received our compensation from the ‘secret government agency’ so quickly so we were able to re-wire this place and turn it into temporary housing, but I didn’t immediately realize how much work was going to have to go into planning to rebuild the warehouse,” she continues while patting the couch to encourage Shadow to jump up as Runa puts a dvd into the player. “What’s the movie for tonight?”
“It’s my ultimate favorite holiday movie - 1986’s Babes in Toyland starring a young Keanu Reeves and Drew Barrymore. I watched this so much as a kid that my family made a rule that we could only watch it on Christmas Eve eventually. But since they’re not watching with me, I figured I’d go for a comforting favorite,” Runa answers.
Catalina grins. “I’m excited to see what movie you love so much that your family got sick of it. I’ve never seen it before.”
“Catalina, you are in for a treat. Or at least a mindless movie night. It may not be a groundbreaking, award-winning classic movie but it’s a lot of fun,” Runa replies.
“Oh, you once said chocolate helps with the guilt. I know we’ve both been stressed out and feeling it, so as I said, I did bring chocolate. It’s not Neuhaus truffles, but it’s still pretty good for being made here in Texas,” Runa says as she brings out a box of Delysia chocolate.
Catalina immediately reaches to open the box and take a piece. “Chocolate helps with everything, and these are delicious.”
Catalina runs to the kitchen to grab beverages for them while Runa deals with the dvd menus to get the movie to play. Once both girls are settled on the couch, Shadow getting pets from both of them, Runa hits play.
When Jack first appears on the screen, Runa lets out a dreamy sigh. “I had a huge crush on him when I was younger. I wanted to marry Jack. I would have fought Trollog in order to have him fall in love with me.”
Laughing, Catalina replies, “Well, no one can say you had bad taste. Keanu Reeves has turned out to be America’s sweetheart.”
“Too bad we’ll never meet and fall in love,” Runa says. She dramatically throws her arm over her face. “It’s not meant to be.”
“Maybe not,” Catalina responds, “but I’m sure you’ll find someone else to live happily ever after with, if that’s what you want.”
“I don’t know what I want, Catalina,” Runa says, this time serious, “with everything that has happened in the past few months. I’m still struggling to figure out what I need to do day-by-day.”
“It’s hard, everything you’ve gone through. But you’re doing well and it will get easier. And you have a lot of support if and when you need it,” Catalina reminds her. “Plus, Shadow for snuggles whenever you want them.”
Runa leans over to give Shadow a quick hug. “Dog snuggles do help. And I know eventually things will get easier to deal with. It’s just so much now. Mom’s funeral, trying to find a new home, figuring out how to take care of Ragnar and Halle, transferring to the University of Texas. It’s a lot. Sometimes I just want to stay in bed and pretend that Mom is here, I’m still back at school, and the kids haven’t gone through any trauma. But that’s impossible, isn’t it?”
Catalina hands over the box of chocolate. “You need more of this. I know it doesn’t fix things, but it helps.”
Runa takes the box and laughs slightly. “I guess you do have experience in these things. I’m just not sure Texas has enough chocolate to get me through this.”
“Well, between the chocolate, help from your siblings, and help from me and my family, we’ll get you through anything that comes up. That, and watching a really young Keanu Reeves in comfy flannel.”
“He does look very snuggly in that, doesn’t he?” Runa laughs.
The conversation slows as the girls pay more attention as the plot of the film begins to reach its peak. Catalina lets out a soft, absentminded sigh as Jack and Mary get married on screen. “Thinking about Alessandro?” Runa asks as she gently elbows Catalina with a smile.
Catalina frowns. “I don’t have enough chocolate to get into *that* tonight. Suffice to say, no, there will never be a wedding between Alessandro and me. No matter how much that ruins the plans of my sisters and grandma. He’s not interested in me like that, and I have my family to take care of.”
“Not interested in you?” Runa asks in disbelief. “Anyone who sees his face when you’re around knows he’s interested. And no, it’s not because of your magic. There are times when you don’t know he’s around and he has the same look. The boy is definitely interested.”
“In the interest of keeping things somewhat upbeat tonight, I’ll say we’ll just have to agree to disagree on this subject.”
“That’s fine. Just know I’ll be over with your sisters and grandma planning that wedding once you two figure it out,” Runa tells her as she settles back against the couch to watch the remaining few minutes.
“Okay, I admit, I probably should have seen that movie before tonight,” Catalina says as the credits began to scroll. “That was a lot of fun.”
“I know! I do not understand how it’s not a holiday classic that is watched in every household. Young Keanu Reeves! Young Drew Barrymore! A fun story! What more can you want from a holiday movie?” Runa asks hypothetically. She follows it with a yawn. “Okay, I think that means it’s getting to be time to go check up on Ragnar and Halle again - I think they should be happy with the two hours I spent not checking in on them.”
“They know you hover because you’re scared. Your family went through trauma, but you’re going to get through it all together. That’s what families do,” Catalina says as she begins to gather the glasses she and Runa had used.
“Thanks again, Catalina. Not just for the help after my mom’s murder - and, you know, everything else, and letting us stay, but for all of this,” Runa says as she gestures around the room, “for making us feel safe and like we are family. For helping take my mind off of things for a little bit. And the amazing dinners. Definitely for the dinners.”
Catalina shrugs her shoulders a bit. “Of course, Runa. Us unexpected Heads of Houses need to stick together.” She starts to follow Runa to the hall to take their glasses back to the kitchen before she heads to bed.
Runa turns back before heading out of the room, comes back by Catalina and extends her hand. “Runa Etterson, friend.”
Catalina smiles and laughs softly before taking Runa’s hand with hers. “Catalina Baylor, friend.” She then pulls Runa into a quick hug before letting go. “Okay, go check on your siblings and get some sleep.”
Shortly after, Catalina lays in her temporary bed, feeling, for the first time in recent memory, like things were going to be okay. Things were always going to be messy and dangerous for House Baylor, but she had her family, and now a real friend, to stick by her through anything, as well as Shadow to curl up with. She smiles to herself and turns to fall asleep.