I've been writing too many things at once, and this one seems to be falling to the bottom of the heap - here is a slightly smaller chapter than usual, to end it on a better note for now. I do plan to write some more, but I'm doing so many things at the same time! Plus, trying to get good grades at uni so I get considered for a year exchange to the US :D. Thanks for reading, please review as always - depending on popularity, I can write more if you're desperate.. Lots of love and hugs, Z xxx

She closed her eyes.

Kate ran across the dance studio, throwing herself into the dance, wishing it would swallow her up, wishing that after one of the jumps, instead of landing sure footed as she always did, she would smash into the floor, and never have to think again. She flew higher and higher, tears streaming down her cheeks. She could see herself in the huge mirror on the wall, but she barely recognised the girl. She ran towards this stranger, this alien creature, slamming her fists into the glass. It stayed smooth and strong. She moved back, tumbling to the music, feeling it ripple around her. And then she charged forward, letting go of everything but her passion, the fire that still burned inside in her heart. And she hurled herself into the girl who must be her enemy, and felt the world fall down around her in shards of silver.

She jolted awake.

"Rick?" she said, terrified.

"Yeah? You okay – oh, God, Kate, you look awful."

"I was dreaming. I was dreaming that I was dancing."

"I thought you liked dancing."

"I haven't danced since... Since I thought you were dead."

Rick put his arm around her and held her close. "You should dance again. I'll take you dancing."

Kate smiled. "This still feels like a dream. I'm afraid that any minute, I'm going to wake up, alone in this horrible place, and realise you were just a hallucination."

"That's not going to happen. Would you like me to pinch you to prove it?"

Kate laughed, but it almost turned into tears. "I've missed you so much. I barely even knew you – I didn't understand how I could miss someone I'd been with for so little time. But I did."

Rick kissed the top of her head. "I've missed you too. I thought about you every day. At first, I wanted to believe you were alive. I tried to find you, but New York is a big place. I didn't know where to start. And then... So much happened. I'm just glad we're together now."

"Me too."

The dealer came over, and told them they would have to leave. He told Kate he would see her again. She smiled, and told him no, he never would. Rick squeezed her hand.

"Brave girl."

"Not really. I only did it because I thought... Well. It doesn't matter. But now you're here – that's better than any high."

Rick smiled at her, and waved a cab for them. He told Kate to say her address, so she did.

"Is this just a sneaky way of finding out where I live?" she asked. She sounded almost like the girl Rick remembered, instead of the shadow of her former self that was sitting beside him.

"You got it," he answered, winking at her.

He walked her to the door, giving her his new cell number and taking hers.

"I'll call you tomorrow," he said, and for once, he actually meant it.

Kate smiled and nodded. She took a deep breath, and went in to face her parents. Her mother was sitting in the dining room, nursing a cup of coffee.

"Katherine, it's 4am. Where have you been?"

Johanna was almost crying. Kate wondered what to say. She decided that at least some of the truth would make the most sense.

"I was out. And then I found Rick."

"Who's Rick?"

Kate couldn't believe her mother didn't remember. She was almost angry.

"Rick is the reason for everything! He's the boy I was with in the accident, he's the boy I thought was dead because no one told me different! No one cared enough about us to realise we would want to know about each other – you were all too busy taking us away, 'protecting' us. Well, Rick's alive! He's not dead, he's fine. Fine is an elastic term though, because he thought I was dead too. But he's a writer now. I can't believe I didn't notice, but he writes crime books. They're doing well, too. And before tonight, my life meant nothing – all I wanted to do was go get fucked out of my head so I wouldn't have to think about him, dream about him, wonder what he would have been doing if... It's all changed now though. He's going to call me tomorrow."

Johanna looked at her daughter, stunned. For the first time since the accident, Kate's eyes had looked alive. She got up from her seat at the table and put her arms around her little girl, crying.

"I'm so sorry, honey. I didn't know... I didn't know what to do."

Kate leaned in to her mother, and actually relaxed into the hug. She knew her Mom was always busy with work, and that there was no point wishing she was something she wasn't. But she still loved her, and wanted her love and respect returned. Since the accident, she had felt totally separated from her family – she just lived with them, that was all. But now she wanted to be a better kid.