Triangles

"Isinia?" Kat stopped dead, staring at the form of her best friend's wife leaving his room with a duffle bag. "Isinia, what are you doing? Where are you going?"

Isinia sighed to herself. She had almost made it out without being spotted, but she should have guessed Doggie's friend Kat would find her. She was a bit fond of the young Felid woman, as much as she also resented her. Although she had never told Doggie, she couldn't help but feel a little jealous of the obvious connection between her husband and the young lady. Still, that wasn't her reason for leaving. "Kat, you should leave this matter be."

"Isinia, where are you going?" Kat asked again, firmer, walking in front of her.

"I'm leaving," Isinia bit back, frustrated and impatient. She didn't want to risk running into Doggie. "Now, please move."

"W–what?—no!" Kat held her arm out to the doorframe, blocking the older woman. "This doesn't make any sense, Isinia, you just got back."

"Katherine, I cannot stay here. I can't do this—Doggie is a wonderful man but we're both too different now!" Isinia pressed, trying to get Kat to understand. "It's not going to work, me being here. I'm a huge reminder of destruction to Doggie and he's a huge reminder to me of all that I missed out on. I spent forty years in hell, do you know what that's like?"

"He does; he spent forty years of giving himself hell for losing you! He has been looking for you and fighting for you for years so why would you leave?!" Kat raised her voice, angry at how she could just be up and leaving. "Why would you break his heart again?!"

"Look," Isinia barked, voice turning cold. "You might not know what I'm talking about now, but you'll learn one day. One day you'll wake up...you'll wake up and everything will be different. Your world will have changed too much while your back was turned and you won't belong there anymore. You will have lost everything."

"Isinia, I don't know what you went through, but we can help. What ever it is, PTSD, Stockholm, we can help you," Kat tried to reach out but Isinia recoiled and growled, baring her fangs. "Isinia...please don't do this."

"I'm going, Katherine, and you can't stop me. I can't stay here, it's just too painful," Isinia shoved her way past Kat with an angry growl. "Tell Doggie not to contact me."

"Isinia!" Kat tried to catch her but Isinia spun around, clawing her hand. Kat hissed and held her hand. "Okay, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have startled you like that."

"Kat, you can't stop me from this. It's not right to be back here," Isinia shook her head. "Doggie and I were happy in the past but now is different. He's not the same Anubis I married and I...I can't be the same person as back then. If you come after me again, I'll do more than scratch you."

"Why are you leaving him?" Kat asked in a cold voice, holding her bleeding hand.

"I have to leave because if I don't, it'll destroy both of us. The marriage he once knew will decompose, and then what does he have? At least now he can still have some happy memories." Isinia shrugged coldly, unable to do anything else. Her mind, hardened from captivity, was adamant. "I'm not the same as I was. I can barely feel anything, let alone love him."

"What the hell am I supposed to tell Doggie?" Kat asked, still angry with Isinia.

"Tell him just what I said," was all Isinia offered before continuing on.

Kat let out a heavy breath as the Sirian woman continued on as if everything were fine. The harsh stinging of Kat's hand reminded her that no matter much she wanted to go after her, it wouldn't change anything. She could argue and fight for her all she wanted, but Isinia was going to leave. "Dammit...dammit—DAMMIT!"

Blood began to drip but Kat clenched her fist. She couldn't tell Doggie, there was no way. She couldn't be the one to break his heart—how was she to tell him that his wife didn't love him anymore? This was just...it was all wrong. Kat wasn't even a particular advocate of their relationship, but she was a full supporter of Doggie Cruger.

When Isinia came back Kat couldn't help but be happy for her friend, even as she stewed in her own misery. Isinia was back, so Doggie had his wife, and he and Kat would...or wouldn't... There had been the occasional session of "stress relief" between the two of them. Doggie sometimes hit low points and Kat was only too willing to help him out. She always valued those times but Doggie never spoke of them, so she left it alone.

Honestly, the return of Isinia broke her heart, just a little. Of course, she was happy that Doggie was happy, but...well, in her heart of hearts, she still loved Doggie. She had fallen in love with him – completely out of her control – long ago. Now, though, she had to tell him that his wife was leaving him? The same wife for whom he had searched, and waited, and fought, for decades? This was not right.

"Kat, what's wrong?" Bridge asked, seeing Kat looking more distraught than he had ever seen her. Her hand was clenched in a tight fist but bleeding profusely. "What happened to your hand?!"

"Never mind it, Bridge," Kat tried to force a smile, shoving her hand behind her back. It still burned horribly. "I'm just on my way to the lab."

"Your lab is in the other direction Kat, now what's going on?" Bridge asked, entirely worried. He was pretty happy–go–lucky, but not stupid! "What was that scratch from?"

"I was just, being reckless," Kat waved off with her good hand, though she could see that Bridge wasn't having any of it. "It's okay, Bridge, really, I'm headed to check on some stuff."

Bridge continued to frown at Kat's vagueness. "Kat, this—"

"Kat!"

Kat spun around at Cruger, hand still behind her back. "Doggie, what's the problem?"

"I was just told that Isinia has left the perimeter. What happened?" he asked his friend, distressed over the sudden absence of his wife.

Kat stayed silent, face contorted in anguish. She couldn't do it—she couldn't tell him that Isinia left him without so much as a goodbye. "I...she left, Doggie."

"Why, where would she go?" he frowned. He knew things had not been great between him and Isinia but he truly thought they could work through it together. Isinia had been so distant since she got back, after the defeat of Omni. He was partly at fault as well, emotionally guarded as he was, but still, he didn't think it warranted leaving. "What made her leave?"

Kat shook her head and tried to muster any words but nothing came.

Doggie turned to Kat, now blind with distress and anger. "Did you tell her about us?"

Kat took only a second to recognize that this was her only chance. He would hate her, and she would hate herself, but at least it might hurt him less than Isinia had. "Y–yes, I–I'm sorry, Doggie, it just slipped out."

Cruger growled, blood hot under his scales. "Kat, I never took you to be so stupid!"

Kat winced at the rage in his voice as he barked at her. Her ears folded back as she backed up in submission. "I'm sorry, Doggie."

"Silence!" he roared. "Kat, you are fired! You will be gone from my sight by the end of the day or so help me Sirius I will kick you out myself!"

Kat swallowed back her tears at hearing her friend speak so harshly. Nodding, eyes squeezed shut, she whispered, "yes, sir."

"Dismissed," he spat out, fangs bared.

"Wait—" Bridge tried to interrupt but Kat stopped him, just before Cruger snapped his eyes over and growled at him. "Commander Cruger... "

"Would you like to join Doctor Manx in exile, Bridge?" he growled. Kat shoved Bridge behind her, head and ears bowed. "That's what I thought. Now, please escort her out of my sight."

Kat withered inside at the disgust in Doggie's voice. "Bridge, trust me and leave it alone."

"Kat, this isn't right," Bridge tried to argue but Kat just ignored him and went into the security office. Sighing, he waved an ungloved hand around him. The residual auras still wavered in the air. Kat's was a swirling mass of pain, a darker, more steely green shade than normal. Cruger's aura was raging and uncontrollable, which made sense to Bridge, considering how unreasonable he had been. Another aura lingered, though. It was unfamiliar to Bridge. Mustering his concentration he picked up a purplish aura, cold, similar to Cruger's. Bridge gasped; "Kat! Kat, was this about Mrs. Cruger?!"

"Bridge," Kat addressed, dropping her voice low, holding a memory chip in her left hand while her right kept bleeding. "I'm leaving in an hour, Isinia can't be contacted, that's just how things are. Make sure Doggie takes care of himself and I'll...I'll try to keep in touch. You guys...don't fight too much, okay? Remember to look out for each other and...be good."

"Kat," Bridge tried to argue again but Kat laid her soft palm to his skin. He felt warmth and the aura of motherly love radiate into him.

"I love you all like my own kids. Be the best you can be, take care of the city, and Commander Cruger. I might see you again," she shrugged, trying to end on a positive note. Her smile was teary. "Take care, Bridge, and don't worry about me."

Bridge watched as Kat, the woman who had taken care of B–Squad like a mother, walked off. He could see her shoulders shaking, holding in her crying. Her right hand was still bleeding and her ears were still low. This wasn't right. Kat was one of their own, dammit! Turning and bouncing on his heel for just a second, Bridge ran to the B–Squad lounge. "Guys!—guys, we have a problem!"

"Whoa, Bridge, what's wrong?" Z asked, surprised to see Bridge in such a panic.

"Commander Cruger fired Kat."