Catra sprinted into her room, slamming the door behind her and struggling to lock it with trembling hands. A short cry came from behind her as Finn responded to the sound, luckily without waking up.

Adora was much more silent in waking up, used to being woken up in the middle of the night by loud noises. She slid out of their bed soundlessly and summoned her sword with barely a flash. "Catra? Is everything all right?" she whispered.

Without answering, Catra rushed into her, wrapping her arms around her, holding her close and pressing her face against her, crying uncontrollably. Adora took a glance at the door to make sure it was locked properly, dispelled the sword, and picked her kitten up, bringing her to the bed and holding her, caressing her messy hair as she cried.

"Hey. Heyyy, Catra. It's okay, I'm here. I'll protect you."

Still shaking, Catra reluctantly peeled away from her, walking over to Finn's crib. She reached down, but thought better than to wake them up. Instead, she just leaned on the barrier, watching their peaceful, teeny face as they slept, thumb peacefully sucked on. Sometimes, she was still scared they would cut themselves - they had gotten Catra's fangs, and loved to try out new things to chew on.

Adora snuck up behind her, wrapping her arms around her chest and hugging her from behind, leaning her face to Catra's furry ear. "Come on, Catra. Let's go cuddle, and you can tell me what happened."

"Double Trouble's here."

Adora froze up. The flirting warmth was gone, replaced by a cold grip around her. Her fingers twitched against Catra's belly, almost resummonning the sword on their own.

"Are you sure?" she asked, flatly. It was the same voice she had used during combat practice.

Catra nodded. After another couple moments looking at her dearest, she sighed and peeled off Adora's arms off herself once again, moving back to the bed. Digging into the pockets of her jacket, she dug out the letter from earlier. "I found this on our nightstand when I woke up earlier. I . . . I didn't think, didn't believe it could be them."

Adora took it and quickly read it, frowning further. "And then you went to meet them in a dark cave in the middle of the night."

"I had to. I thought it was a joke, but . . . after what happened the last time I met them, I couldn't not." She sighed again, admitting to herself that, all things considered, it had been a very dumb decision to go. "They knew about Finn. And they managed to sneak into our room without either of us noticing. What would you have done?"

Adora nodded in agreement. "And?"

"They were cursed. Couldn't shift . . . I took them to Micah, he, `lifted' the curse." She scoffed the last part.

"Catra, that makes things worse."

"Oh don't worry, he put a collar on them." Her claws dug into the bedsheets. "A lightning collar."

Adora considered it for a moment. "I'm . . . sure he had his reasons-"

"Adora!" Catra hissed. She wanted to yell at her, to let out all the pain it had caused her, but she knew better. "You know what that spell is used for. You know where he learned it. I do not want my child near anyone who would do something like that to a person."

The blonde thought a bit longer, and sighed. "Catra, I . . . I understand, but this is the safest place to be right now. Micah is, apparently worse than I thought, but he won't hurt us. And we cannot leave without risking Double Trouble following us, and if we do, Micah won't be able to-"

A knock on the door, two short raps. Before the second one was done, Adora was already armed, moving in front of the crib. Catra rose from the bed without making a sound, claws out.

". . . it's me, kitten." The voice was hoarser, but it was the same sultry voice they both knew. They looked at each other, Adora holding the sword and guarding the crib, waiting for Catra.

Catra went closer to the door, speaking in a low volume. "What do you want?"

"I . . . wanted to reunite with an old friend?"

Catra flinched.

"Okay fine. You are the only people here who I can actually talk to. And I'm bored."

"Not interested, Double Trouble."

A scoff came from the other side. "I can't hurt you without loosing my head. Literally. That applies to all three of you, by the way. Also, I'm tired of sleeping on hard ground, and the king kinda forgot to give me a room, sooo . . ."

"The prison room is free? And the bed there is quite comfy," Adora helpfully suggested.

"They don't actually care about a bed, dummy. If I know them right, they are just looking for a chance to slip into our room - aren't they?" Catra asked, loud enough to be heard through the door. There was a silent thud, likely from a head hitting it in desperation, and silent grumbling.

"Micah has me on a leash, and Casta is likely on her way here. If I'm lucky, I have until next sunset before you get a new doormat."

Catra bared her fangs, taking a deep breath. They weren't wrong.

". . . I wasn't joking when I said you've matured."

Adora put a caring hand on her kitten's shoulder. "Catra. We have to help them."

"Adora, we can't," Catra hissed back, closing her eyes as if it could keep Double Trouble away. "Even if they weren't going to betray us and stab us in the back the moment I let them in, we would still be going directly against the interests of Brightmoon. And we have something to care for now." She looked at her wife, pointing to the crib.

Adora wasn't frowning. She was not angry like Catra, or suspicious, or contemplative. She was disappointed. It stung worse than anything else.

"I . . ." Catra's voice trembled. Keeping her child safe. Living in Brightmoon. Her happy, carefree life.

Did Double Trouble deserve to die for that?

They had betrayed her, and rubbed it in in the most painful of ways. They had toyed with her when she was at her lowest. Did they deserve forgiveness for that? Was that the price of being a `good person'?

She remembered Double Trouble's eyes, the ones that still haunted her nightmares. She remembered how they had looked at her, back in the Fright Zone, when she had been too busy trying to get back at Adora to notice. She remembered Adora's eyes, the disappointment - and the passion, when she thought she was going to die, when Catra finally brought it over herself to confess her love.

She remembered her mother's eyes. "I'm proud of you, Catra."

She took a deep breath. "Keep your sword out," she told Adora, and twisted the doorknob.