“No. This is the first time they’ve done this. At least, I’ve never seen it before, and I’ve worked with them since I was seven.”

“So, they just came together on their own? To celebrate?”

“Yeah. I think so.” When he didn’t reply, she gave him a slight nudge. There was emotion in his eyes she’d never seen before, a fullness she didn’t recognize. “Are you okay? Do you want to leave? Do you want me to leave?”

Clark ran a hand through his golden locks and stammered, two things Kate wasn’t sure she’d seen him do.

“No, please. Will you…” He trailed off, voice thick with emotion. “Will you sit here with me for a while? I need to think. I want to watch.”

At the edge of a hill that might have been the edge of the world, they sat in the damp grass, not caring how the wet seeped into their clothes. They shared in the awe of the sight before them. Clark promised to take everything from the people of Miller’s Point. Kate promised to do everything to get it back. Yet, there they were. Spending the most sacred night of the year being in fellowship together, lifting their voices up and coming together as a community. There was nothing there but their love for one another and their belief in the goodness of this holiday.

Kate’s humility consumed her. She thought she needed to save the world, but really…what was she doing? Trying to make herself the town hero? Trying to force herself into the center of a conflict that wasn’t really there? Was she really so self-obsessed to think anyone in this town needed her? That it would die if she didn’t save the day? She swallowed hard to hide the tears. She didn’t want Clark to see them.

“What’s wrong?”

Rats. Too late. Clark saw everything; Kate considered it his worst quality. Too perceptive. She sniffled.

“It’s just beautiful, that’s all.”

Until now, they’d been sitting an honest distance apart. Close enough to feel his heat, but far enough that she thought he couldn’t easily reach out and touch her. Another miscalculation. His warmth wrapped its way around her as his arm crossed her shoulders and pulled her into his side. At first, she resisted. But it felt so nice. Beyond nice to be held when she wanted to fall apart in her own shame. She’d lived in Miller’s Point her entire life and still didn’t understand anything about it. Collapsing into his side, she welcomed his chaste embrace. There wasn’t a bit of harm or prowl in it. It comforted her.

“I’ve never seen anything like this.”

“Me either.”