The events of this episode take place over the fall of 1993 and 1994.
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In 1994, Kate discusses Martin's behavior with her therapist.
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In 1993, on the night of her birthday, Kate arrives at Martin's. After talking with Martin about how lonely she feels, she spends the night on his couch. The next day, Martin leaves earlier to attend a meeting, and trusts Kate will to walk to school on her own, but instead, Kate stays at Martin's for the day. When Martin returns home, he asks Kate why she hasn't been to school, especially since Joy came to see him. He tries to chase her away, but right before she walks out, he gets a call from the police informing him of Kate now officially being a missing person. Afraid for his job, Martin pours two glasses of whisky to help him think, forgetting Kate is underage, and Kate decides to play a game of "Never have I ever" to distract him, the game gaining more and more romantic undertones as the evening goes on.
Over time, Kate and Martin start behaving like a couple. Martin insists that Kate should remain hidden in his house until she is eighteen, after which they will be able to go out in public and even travel. After a sudden visit from Greg who asks to use the phone, Martin hangs thick curtains behind his front door. On Halloween, Martin tells Kate everyone thinks she ran away and is out of town. A month later, Kate starts visibly missing the outside world and Martin does everything to dissuade her from leaving.
By Christmas Eve, Kate is homesick and depressed. When Martin asks her what she wants, she asks for a soft pretzel from the mall. On his way to the mall, he is spotted by Jeanette, who wastes no time picking up her bike and rushing to his house. At Martin's, a bored Kate walks in circles, half-listening to an old movie. She calls Jamie and winds up a musical snow globe while waiting for him to answer, but when his answering machine picks up, she has nothing to say. Suddenly, Jeanette breaks in, prompting Kate to run and hide upstairs. Jeanette immediately zeroes on to the snow globe and takes it, then hears floor boards creak from upstairs and runs away, dropping her necklace, which Kate picks up. Kate turns off the lights, bumps into decorations and looks into the window, where she sees a shadowy hooded figure on a bike riding off. She decides to keep Jeanette's visit a secret from Martin.
That night, after going to bed early, she sneaks out to watch Joy and Rod through their window, but instead of seeing them distressed, she sees a happy laughing couple, which only turns out to be an unfortunate coincidence, as Joy then says she hasn't laughed in four months. Upset, Kate comes back to bed, not realizing Martin isn't sleeping. The next day during dinner, Martin tells her he knows she snuck out and asks her where she went, scaring her for the first time. After blaming her for being inconsiderate, he starts twisting her words to make them sound like she's insulting and ungrateful. When he flat-out says Kate cannot go outside until she is eighteen, she calls him her kidnapper and tells him she is leaving. Not wanting to let Kate go and afraid of everyone finding out what happened, he begs her to stay, before lying to her that her suitcase is in the basement.
Kate goes down to the basement, only to find it empty. Martin locks the door.
Tropes Used:
- Anachronic Order: First of the two episodes to avert this trope, abandoning the format that switched freely between the three years. The entirety of this episode takes place in 1993, with some scenes from 1994 serving as a Framing Device, and no scenes from 1995 at all.
