When Kate woke up in the morning the first thing she did was to magic her phone over. She tried calling Rose's number again but still only reached the answering machine. In the end she decided on leaving a short message after all.

"Hey, it's Kate. Please call me when you're available."

She had breakfast, headed to the hospital, and went about her work as usual. When she had the opportunity she checked her phone to see if Rose had tried calling back, which wasn't many times as she had several lengthy cases that day. Before she knew it, it was evening. They had run late but she still had paperwork to finish up in her office.

She switched on the light, sighed, and sat down to start the task. At that moment her phone rang. She scrambled to answer it but instead ended up dropping it in her hurry. As she was bending down to pick it up the door to her office opened. When she lifted her head to see who it was she met the gaze of a very worried nurse.

It pained Kate, but Rose would have to wait.

As often was the type in these types of situations, her patient in trouble wasn't just a quick fix. An hour had passed by the time Kate finally was able to return to her office, and she still had to fill out the paperwork. She grudgingly sat down and went about the task, as it would take even longer if she put it off and painstakingly had to pull the details from her memories at a later time. When she finally was able to return home she felt the same level of exhaustion she expected from carrying a backpack full of rocks up a mountain.

Still, she was going to try calling Rose before she went to sleep. She curled up on her couch and called. After three trills, the call connected.

"Hello, Kate." It was Rose's voice, sounding exhausted. "To be honest, I'm not sure what game you're playing this time. First you call me several times without leaving any message, then you tell me to call back but when I do you're the one who's not picking up."

Kate felt her throat tighten. Right. Things might have come across the wrong way. "I'm really sorry. It's not that I didn't want to answer, but I had to attend to a patient."

"I see," Rose said. "So what's this about?"

It wasn't the way Kate had hoped for their conversation to start off, but she'd just have to make do. Chickening out at this point might result in Rose not picking up at all if Kate attempted another call. She did her best to ignore the sudden tension in her shoulders.

"I received your letter," Kate explained. "At first I didn't know how to react, so I spent some days thinking about it. The thing is, I'm also curious about what could have been. If it hadn't been for that whole situation, I think things would have turned out very differently."

"Right... I did send you that." Rose sighed. "We really blew it, didn't we?"

The tension in Kate's shoulders eased. There was hope left after all. "Just to be clear on one thing, you don't have a problem with magic or witches specifically?"

"I don't," Rose confirmed. "I won't be causing your colleague any trouble if that's what you were worrying about. I think it's a great thing that she is using her skills to help people who would be out of hope otherwise."

"Isn't it?" Kate played along for the time being. It was the easiest, not to mention it was a half-truth as it were. "I know you've left for now, but is there any chance you'll be back in the area? I would really like to give a second date a try. If you're still willing, of course."

"Just a moment," Rose said. Kate could hear the rustling of pages on her end. Was she checking her planner?

"It won't be for another three weeks," Rose continued, "but I'll be observing at a hospital in the next town over. We should be able to meet a few times during that time frame, if it's okay with you."

Three weeks would be a challenging wait, but Kate figured that it at least offered her time to make sure that this really was what she wanted. "That's all right," she eventually said. "Let's just make sure we agree on the dress code so we're not stuck in some hotel room again."

Rose laughed softly. "True, I'd like to try for a proper dinner date the next time we meet."

---

With much effort, Kate somehow managed to pass the time. She occasionally messaged Rose, asking little questions to get to know her better. It was just simple stuff like her favorite color, which by the way was azure but she found to be too overpowering for work wear. Rose quickly caught on and began to ask Kate questions in turn.

At last, the day came where Rose would be visiting town. They decided on casual attire this time and Kate had picked out a local italian restaurant for them to visit. Kate stood at the station, wringing her hands as she waited for Rose's train to arrive. Before it came into sight, she felt the vibrations. Next, red-painted passenger cars flew by her until they gradually slowed before coming to a stop. The doors opened and people poured out. Kate turned her head trying to pick Rose out among the crowd.

"Kate!"

There she was, dressed in an azure t-shirt and gray shorts. Just as Kate was pondering the contrast between Rose at work and casual Rose, she got hugged. She squeaked at the suddenness of it.

"Oh, sorry, did I startle you? It's just so good to see you again." Rose smiled. "Now let's make this right, shall we?"

That short interaction was enough to make Kate's heart race.

"Let's," she said and offered her hand. "I know a place that has great food."

"That's a nice bonus, though you should know by now that it's you I'm interested in," Rose teased, causing Kate's cheeks to flush.

They left the station walking hand-in-hand. Things were off to a good start.