So that was it. Things were settled. Kitty slipped into a kind of dissociative state as the new Sheriff left and she got to the task of cleaning out the office and moving to the smaller one. Marshall helped in any way he could but Kitty didn't seem to want the help. She needed something to do. Keeping busy was what kept her from absolutely losing her mind.<br/><br/>When that was all done and the day was coming to an end, the deputies locked up and shuffled off toward their respective homes. Kitty could tell Marshall was weary. It had been a long day and he'd been doing all he could to keep this whole mess from coming apart at the seams. Kitty made a mental note to do something nice for him tomorrow. He'd saved her from going through a great deal of trouble by offering to look after a lot of the crimes going on while her and Compton focused on the bigger things. She just hoped it didn't wear him too thin. Marshall was more easy-going than she was, and Kitty worried about him in that sense.<br/><br/>At the end of the day, Charley trudged up the stairs to the townhouse with the feelings of guilt and anger practically weighing her down. She stepped past the door's threshold, hung her hat up on the hat rack nearby, and tread across the floor quietly toward the duster, hat and boots that hung over a closet door. "I'm home, sweetie," she called out meekly upon looking over Will's favorite outfit. It had been there since the day he set it out to wear after the Easter picnic.<br/><br/>Everything in the house was just about the same as when he had been there before. Charley didn't have the heart to get rid of any of it. Not yet, at least. She figured there'd be a day where she'd get rid of some of it, but she knew she'd hang on to some of his clothes for sure. Hell, she wore his hat and badge every day. Most of what she ever wore after taking up the mantle as the Sheriff of Driftwood was Will's clothing. Maybe there was something morbid about that. Some folks thought she'd lost her damn mind, and weren't shy about telling her as much. But it didn't matter to Charley. Wearing his clothes was the closest she'd ever feel to being held in his arms again. Keeping the house the way it was gave her a sense of security she hadn't felt since Will was alive.<br/><br/>It had been a long day and Charley felt tears welling up in her eyes. She felt like she was letting him down. "What am I gonna do, Will?" she asked, sitting in his rocking chair in the dark living room and watching the clothes as if he were going to materialize in them and come over to say something, anything, to make all this go away. And that was a maddening thought, in itself. Grief can make a person crazy.<br/><br/>Charley sobbed.<br/><br/>It was only when she heard footsteps coming up the stairs and over the porch that she remembered she was supposed to have company. A breath caught in her throat as she jumped up and tried making herself a little more presentable. She wiped away her tears, turned on the lights and cleared her throat just as there was a knock on the door. "Just a moment!", she called out. Her voice was huskier than usual from the crying. There was no way in hell any man but Will was going to see her cry.<br/><br/>Kitty swept across the house toward the bathroom to splash herself with some cold water. She cleaned up, ran a brush through her hair and put on a bit of makeup to liven up her pale and dour face. She was still in her clothes from earlier in the day, minus the hat and duster, and she felt a little bad for that.<i>Oh well</i>, she thought. It's not like he was a family member or gentleman caller or anything. What did he care about what she wore?<br/><br/>After about a minute or so, Kitty came to the door and apologized casually, hoping Julian didn't notice her reddened, puffy eyes. "Uh, well hi. Come on in. I kinda forgot you were supposed to be here tonight, so I apologize for that." She looked down as he entered the house, noticing that he had brought some food along. That...was a relatively nice gesture that she didn't think he'd be the type to do. "Feel free to make yourself comfortable. But try not to touch stuff. I haven't really done anything with the place since...well, since Will died. I'd kinda like to keep it that way a little while longer." She felt the tears coming up again.<br/><br/>Kitty cleared her throat harshly and blinked the tears back. "Anyway..." she left the conversation hanging so that Julian would pick it up and they could begin to discuss things that didn't enrage or encompass her in grief. Although the sight of Julian<i>did </i>put her into a bad mood, but she was trying her best to remain civil.