Katie - for Ralphie

For the past (insert disturbingly large length of time in here) I've been working on - well, I'm not quite sure what to call it to be honest. Like all aspiring writers, i tend to think of whatever I'm working on at the time as a novel, but I'm not sure that the six chapters of waffle so far written would really qualify for that description. One thing's for certain - there is at least one friend who is getting very impatient for the next installment in the life of Katie Barnes.

So Ralphie, just for you, here goes...for anyone else, I truly apologise for jumping in at the middle like this. In fact, I just apologise in general for what is to follow.

Standing nervously in the corner, Katie looked at her watch again. She didn't have long to get from the party to be sitting on her father's couch when the football started. She knew from past experience that if she was late, she wouldn't get let in until quarter time. Nick might have loved his daughters, but he hated to be interupted during a football match. But that aside, her general was running late. And it was his own party. The crowd of familliar and unfamilliar faces continued to shift around her. Out on the dance floor Emily was in the process of ebarassing herself - her favourite party past-time. Distracted by the movement, she didn't notice when someone spotted her from across the room and bagan to make his way towards her.

"Katie, you told me fibs," accused Wasim. Katie jumped around and smiled inspite of the lemonade now dripping down the front of her dress.

"Not nearly as big a lie as you told me," she joked. "And if you don't like the surprise, I can go?" She smiled again when Wasim shook his head in a happy no.

"Hmm, I didn't think you'd say that. I can't stay long though. I really do have to go to Daddy tonight. I can't leave him alone all night."

Wasim sighed, long used to the idea that, whatever anyone told her otherwise, Katie would always be happiest curled up on a couch somewhere, whether she had a book with her or the football on the television. He remembered the struggles he used to have to get her out on a Saturday night, and wondered what could be so important that she'd be out tonight. It might have been a party to celebrate his wedding, but he was under no illusions about her priorities.

"So, to what do I owe the pleasure?" he asked her.

"What, I can't jsut turn up at a friend's wedding celebrations?" Wasim raised an eyebrow.

"OK," she confessed. "I need your help on something. I declared war on Meredith."

Katie should have known better than to just spill information that large. Wasim's face told the story of his shock at the idea that Katie would even think of taking on her mother. His face fell even further with the realisation that she wanted his help to do it. Katie explained the situation, feeling that she owed it to him to expand on her reasons and to let him know just how awful Meredith truly was - how much worse than any of them had ever thought possible, that she'd been living a lie propped up by blackmail for the whole of Katie's life.

"Jack told me to get as much information as I can. But I don't know what to do with it," she finished. Wasim knew exactly what he wanted to do with such explosive information as she was bound to find - run away from it, as far and as fast as he could. He knew, however, that he couldn't run away from a fight like this.

"OK, Kat. I'll help. I know someone you need to talk to. But go, find your information,then come back to me. I'll set it all up." A light of mischief came into his eyes. "Actually, this could be interesting."

Katie hugged him, and moved towards the door, waving to Emily on her way out. A quick thumbs up to her friend, and she was gone, on her way on her first information gathering mission.

* * * *

So there it is...probably the scrappiest bit of writing I've done in a long time, thanks to the idea of actually having to do some work sometime today (although taht idea wasn't helped along by beer o'clock striking the office at about 2pm this afternoon...or the attack of the munchies that hit at about 4...). Comments? Thoughts? Opinions? Wish for more? Wish that Katie and her friends would land at the bottom of a very deep hole and never climb their way back out? I'm open to ideas!