A/N - I was writing so much for this couple and at such a rapid rate that I decided to turn it into a series of drabbles instead of individual stories. This was originally titled "Growing Up in Mexico."

Takes place from the time they leave the Titty Twister to about the pilot of the second season.

Song used: Bloodsport by Raleigh Richie.

Warnings: language, drug use, and slight molestation.

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"Nothing is perfect but your imperfections are quaint.

And your love is worth it and for that I will wait.

And though you hate me when you have a turn

I drive you crazy but you always return."

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In the beginning, Kate had imagined a happier future for them.

Not one that was perfect, mind you, but one that was better than this. One that didn't involve him shooting up every night, one that didn't include him killing every boy that came near her.

Kate imagined a house, not a hotel room, and a little car that they could keep as theirs, one that wasn't getting stolen all the time. She was okay with the stealing, she'd gotten used to it. She'd never admit to it, but she felt like the world owed her, too. Kate wouldn't have looked twice if Seth had set them up in a foreclosed house, or any empty house, or a vacation home while the owners were away - anything would've been better than the same two dingy rooms every day.

She celebrated her eighteenth birthday in those two rooms, the walls green and stained, the bathroom covered in mold, alone. Seth was out finishing his tattoo, at least that's what he told her he was doing. It wasn't his fault, though, she'd never told him. Birthdays didn't matter in a time like this, when you could only sleep when a man ten years your senior (if not more) was beside you, when your brother was definitely going to hell and you found yourself not caring if you went there to.

When Seth looked at her now, it was hard to remember she was still just 17. She had the brain of a child, the imagination to go with it, but Seth found himself enjoying her innocence a bit. For a while, down under the Titty Twister, he thought she would be the last truly pure thing he ever knew. She was in the real world now, and not just that, but his world. The constant stealing and running had hardened her, reminded her of how fragile she really was, he really was.

After a while, she wouldn't let him pull a gig alone anymore, too scared for him, too anxious about being left alone. She thought she understood how the Virgin Mary felt, on a level, being left alone, waiting for her son to come back, waiting to hear if he was alive or dead or not. Kate wondered, if Seth got caught, would she go to the trail? Would she beg and pray and cry over him for ages, like Mary did for her son?

When she was running around with Seth, she had less time to think about these things. He was better at them, too, when she was around. More careful.

"I don't want to hurt the princess," He'd tease, stroking the inside of her thigh through her jeans, not wanting to seem weak. He didn't need a reminder that Kate had sliced him open and reached inside him, picking on his most fragile, sensitive parts, holding them in her hands. He didn't want to tell her that he felt they were safer there than inside him.

She took care of him, the least he could do was make sure she didn't end up with anything more than a bruise while he was around.

Seth remembers the first time Kate did a gig with him, the first time she almost got them caught. Her face sunk, her pretty green eyes widening. The bank teller holding her at gun point looked at her with lust, and she mouthed for Seth to run, to get out of there. Lord knows what they'd do to a gecko in a Mexican prison.

Kate looked older then, she always did when she was scared. He loved that. And, although he hated to admit it, Seth liked seeing Kate scared. She looked towards him, her bottom lip quivering and her hands shaking, like he had all the answers. She expected him to protect her, defend her, save her. He knew he always would.

Kate's captor was too caught up looking at her, tracing his pudgy fingers round her clothed nipples, to notice Seth racing towards him, delivering a swift punch to his jaw, knocking him out cold. Kate looked shaken, but determined not to show it. Her only indication was how she spun around to face the man, napping on the ground, and spit on his face. Seth smiled at her then, putting his arm around her and leading her to the car.

They didn't get far before she was nuzzled up against him, her seatbelt off (she always insisted on wearing one) and her lips pressed against his neck. Her chin pressed into his shoulder, where he'd just gotten more of his tattoo done, and it gave a dull ache, but a good one. He pulled the Chevy Trailblazer to the side of the road, glad they'd upgraded to something bigger, with tinted windows, and put it in park as Kate pulled him towards the backseat.

"Who knew a preacher's daughter could be so pushy?" He teased, helping her get her shirt off.

Seth remembered what the man in there had done to her, touching her like she belonged to him, like Seth wasn't in the room. He sucked on her neck, going back and licking the spot when he was done marking her as his.

"A hickey, really?" She giggled. "What are we, in high school?"

And he blushed but he was so tan and so burnt from the Mexican sun that he was sure she couldn't tell. He continued anyway, making bruises with his lips that trailed all the way down to her core.

Kate lost her virginity in the back of the Trailblazer, Seth asking her if this was okay the whole time. She had lied a few months back, telling him she wasn't a virgin so that he might not feel as bad when this day came. Seth knew she was lying though, he always knew, and it was obvious enough then, anyways.

She was screaming, and the backseat of the Trailblazer was stained with her blood, but it was a good kind of screaming. Seth had heard her cry out in pain and terror, but this was not that - this was enjoyment. When he looked at her, she was smiling, and he didn't last very long anyway, once he was inside.

The day they had to get rid of that Trailblazer, they were both a little sentimental.

Seth was sure there were things she wanted, things any preachers daughter would want. She used to mention it in the beginning, the first month of their travels together, before they'd started any kind of relationship beyond longing looks and guilty flirtations. She'd talk about finding a house for them to stay in, instead of the dirty hotels, or about her finding a real job. Kate was waiting for their fairytale ending, for the house in the suburbs and an SUV in the driveway, for her chance to be team mom and head of the PTA. He didn't think he could give her those things, didn't think he deserved to be the one to.

She hadn't brought it up at all, though, since the night they almost got caught, the night the bank teller fondled her breasts and whispered dirty things into her ear, the night she lost all of herself to him. He wondered if she was losing herself in more ways than one, and he wondered if that was a bad thing. Either way, Seth had always kept close what he was his, and he's not about to lose her when he's only just had her.

Nobody was looking for Seth anymore, Richie had taken care of that. As far as Kate knew, no one knew she existed. Her family was just another causality, gone on vacation and never returned. She was still bright, still just as optimistic as that day at the Titty Twister, despite that being months behind them. She was still his sunshine in a world that had gone dark with drugs and thievery and sleep, a world that existed only at night. They existed only at night, when the lack of light would hide how young she really was and could disguise the color of their getaway car, when a lack of headlights could hide them from the police.

Katie was sentimental, though. She would wake up in the early hours of the morning, her internal clock much better than his, and watch the sun rise. She said she was doing it for Scott and her daddy, because they'd never get to see another one. He assumed she was doing it for her mother, too. He'd feel the movement of the bed and wake up as well, watching her in the morning glow. She glowed too, and it wasn't because of the sun.

"You're an angel," he'd mutter, and he'd pull her back into him, kiss her so hard their teeth clinked together and he drew blood from her chapped lips, kiss her until they were gasping for breath, until she wanted nothing but him.

After they fucked, he'd shoot up. It was a new thing ,and she hated it, Seth could see it in her eyes. She wasn't about to say anything. He was a loose cannon when he was mad, especially when drugs were involved, and although she didn't think he'd ever touch her, she didn't want to take any chances. They'd go back to bed then, Seth on his side with his arm wrapped around Kate, falling asleep while she traced his tattoos, her body curved into his.

She said a quick prayer that he'd make it through the night, that he'd make it through all the nights, forever and ever amen. Because forget Scott and Richie and Santanico and all the other Culebras, the only person she wanted to save was him. She was lost in Mexico, robbing banks and driving around in stolen cars and her mother would yell at her for saying that she loved this man, this criminal, but she did and she was too far gone to care. If he died, she died too, and she hated herself for saying that, even if it was just in her head.

Somehow, though, she knew it was the same for him.

Seth was in his own world but he knew that Kate was near him, and he wrapped his arms tighter around her, tucking her beneath his chin. Nothing mattered more than this, not a house or a car or a baby - Seth was what she wanted, what was right.

She wondered briefly if that was what growing up was all about, picking one thing over another and hoping you made the right choice, doing it over and over again and hoping you haven't fucked up. Kate closes her eyes tightly when she gets a headache from thinking too hard, and pulls Seth's hand up to her face, kissing his battered knuckles. They are battered because of her, because she's a pale brunette in the middle of Mexico and, even though she never asked him to, he just wants to keep her safe, keep her his. She smiles at this, breathing him in; it helps her clear her thoughts. Then and only then can she sleep.

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"And even if you ask me to stop it's too late because I've already decided their fate

It's not a distaste it's pure hate and it pulsates and it works it's way around my brain

Anyway what I'm trying to say is I'll protect you till the day I meet my maker

So don't fight me now cause you might need me later."

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A/N - I really hoped you all enjoyed this. It took me a while to post because I started writing it and then I wanted to edit and correct a few things. I love putting music to my work and it took me forever to find the perfect song for this because there are sooooo many good ones. Seriously, if you're interested head over to 8tracks because it's probably the best arrangement site I've been on, and there are so many options to chose from of Seth/Katie mixes. Anyways, thanks so much for reading this. xx.