A/N: Thanks for the reviews people! You guys are amazing! And I've finally gotten over my writer's block. Kind of a boring chapter, but enjoy and please review nonetheless :)

Chapter 14- City Of Black And White

Cate and Baze followed Lux as the teenager slowly walked into the house, flinching in pain as she carefully sat down on the couch.

"Do you want anything?" Cate asked, breaking the silence as she and Baze stood back, neither knowing what to do.

Lux shook her head, watching her parents. Cate went into the kitchen, opening the fridge and cupboards before returning seconds later. "There's no food in the house. I'm going to go shopping. Are you going to be okay?" Cate looked at both Baze and Lux.

Lux nodded, grabbing a pillow and holding it in her lap as Cate kissed her cheek and rushed out of the house, her car starting seconds later.

Lux looked up at Baze, both thinking the same thing. They knew Cate needed to get away, and frankly, they couldn't blame her. Baze nodded to the couch, asking Lux for permission to sit. She smiled slightly, nodding.

"Can I ask you something?" Lux whispered, not looking at Baze. "Did you kill him?"

Baze looked at her, not sure what to say. It was a simple yes or no answer, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to respond. Instead, Baze reached over and placed a hand on Lux's knee, silence overcoming them.

Lux was asleep on the couch by the time Cate got back, and Baze covered her with a blanket before going out to help Cate.

Cate sat in the driver's seat, gripping the wheel of her car. Baze walked around and opened her door, concerned, but Cate wiped away her tears embarrassed. "Sorry."

"Cate..."

Cate forced a smile, grabbing her bag and walking around to the boot where she started to grab a few of the grocery bags.

"Cate." Baze tried again, placing a hand on Cate's shoulder.

Cate dropped the bag she was holding at the touch, instantly bending down to pick up the loose items. "Dammit!"

"Hey..." Baze bent down with her, taking the items out of her hands and forcing Cate to look at her. "It's okay."

Cate shook her head no, running a hand through her hair as her eyes once again glassed over. "No. It's not." She paused. "I can't do this Baze. I don't know how to do this."

"Cate..."

Cate shook her head. "No. It's not fair. We just got her back, and now... She's pushing me away."

Baze looked at her, not knowing what to say, but knowing Cate was right. Finally he stood up and held out his hand, pulling Cate to her feet.

He handed her a bag and took the other two himself, walking back inside slowly. Cate placed the bag on the table before walking over to the couch and squatting down in front of Lux. She smiled slightly, brushing back a piece of Lux's hair, happy to see her daughter finally sleeping peacefully.

"Do you mind if I hang around tonight?" Baze asked as he and Cate packed away the groceries.

Cate shrugged, looking at him tiredly. "Feel free. Lux is more likely to talk to you anyway."

"Cate, she's closing herself off from everyone. It's not just you."

Cate stopped what she was doing. "Yeah, well, apparently I'm just the main one."

"Just give her time, Cate."

Lux choose that moment to enter the room, taking a seat at the table. "Talking about me again?"

She wasn't really expecting an answer, and neither Cate nor Baze made any movement to give her one.

"What do you want for dinner tonight?" Cate asked gently after a few minutes.

Lux shrugged. "I'm not really hungry."

"You've got to eat something..."

Lux rolled her eyes, standing up. "Look, Cate, just back off, okay? I said I'm not hungry."

With that, Lux left the room, walking slowly up to her room and laying down on her bed. Cate turned to Baze, raising an eyebrow. "And you still say she's not only pushing me away?"

"Cate..."

There was nothing Baze could say, and both of them knew that, so he put his hand on her shoulder, watching Cate concerned as she took a moment.

They eventually decided on pizza; it was quick and easy and they knew what to order in case Lux happened to get hungry after all. Lux, however, stayed in her room despite the constant pleas from her parents.

"Hey." Cate smiled tiredly, knocking on the stairs and waiting for a reply before entering the attic. "Can I come in?"

Lux shrugged, nodding slightly, and Cate made her way over to the bed, sitting on the end and handing Lux a plate. "You don't have to eat it. It's just in case you get hungry."

Lux nodded, immediately putting the plate of pizza on the bedside table. After a few minutes of silence, Lux looked questionably at Cate. "Can I help you with anything else?" Her tone was almost sarcastic. "I'm kind of tired."

"Oh, okay." Cate stood up, hesitating at the end of the bed as Lux turned off her bedside lamp and rolled over in the bed.

"Well... Goodnight." Lux said, noticing Cate had no intention of moving.

Cate looked surprised but nodded. "Oh... okay... goodnight."

Cate looked at her once more before slowly walking back down the stairs and into the lounge room where Baze was waiting. "She okay?"

"She's fine." Cate nodded. "I think we spoke a total of ten words to each other."

Baze shifted on the couch, making room for Cate to sit down as he looked at her sympathetically. "It'll get better. Just give it time."

"God, I wish everybody would quit telling me that. 'Give her time, give it time'." She squeezed the bridge of her nose tiredly. "No one ever tells me how much time. I mean, how much time do you need to get over a rape?"

Baze placed a hand on Cate's back, rubbing it comfortingly, not knowing what to say. "I don't know, Cate."

Cate nodded, resting her head in her hands before looking up at Baze, a realization flowing through her.

"You killed him, didn't you?" Baze didn't answer causing Cate to nod, tears filling her eyes. "I just need to know... was it you or Ryan?"

Baze looked at her sincerely, not knowing how to answer. "I don't know."