Entering her daughter's room, the older brunette sighed as she found her daughter curled up on her bed; her arms clutching onto her old bear as Johanna continued to watch her. Approaching the bed, the older brunette sighed as her daughter quickly shook her head.

"Rick just called again Katie" she admitted, the brunette shrugging before she shut her eyes. "That's twenty times in the last hour Kate and that's before I even start counting the times since you locked yourself in here last night" Johanna explained before Kate shut her eyes and buried herself under her blanket; her mother sighing as she remained silent. "You've got college today" she whispered.

"I'm not going in today" the younger woman admitted from under the covers; Johanna sighing as she reached across and rested her hand on her daughter who was sobbing again. "I'm on the front of the most popular paper in New York mom; everyone is going to be looking at me. I'm going to stay here until it calms down" she explained through her sobs.

"And what about Rick? What about the man who you were madly in love with yesterday and who you're now refusing to talk too?" Johanna asked as Jim began to move up and down the corridor outside her room. "He loves you Katie and he desperately wants to talk to you and explain but you're building that wall up again".

"I'm not building up a wall" Kate responded as she continued to cling to her bear. "I just want some time to think mom. It's not every day your face appears all over the papers because you're dating an older and richer man" the brunette explained as Johanna continued to watch her; hating the fact that her daughter was so upset and she couldn't help.

"I'm going to take the day off" Johanna explained, Kate's head shaking as the woman groaned and stood up. "Don't argue with me Katie, you're my little girl and you need me more than anything else on this planet" she whispered, leaving the room for a moment, the door shutting behind her as she listened to her daughter sob again. Her little girl was lost and buried deep beneath another wall and she didn't know what to do to help.

XOXOXOOXOXXOXO

"She's not answering my calls, Johanna keeps telling me she doesn't want to speak to me" Rick sighed as he collapsed onto the couch and found his mother staring at him. "I didn't have any idea about the papers mom and now my eighteen year old girlfriend is being called all sorts of shit because of me" he explained, Martha's head shaking as he continued to stare at him. "She's never going to speak to me again".

"Don't be dramatic Richard" Martha sighed as he looked down. "She loves you, it's just a very big thing for a young woman to understand especially when she is forced into the spotlight" she explained as Rick nodded. "You just have to remind her why you're together and hope that this doesn't terrify her away".

"Kate's shy. She doesn't like being the centre of attention" he admitted, thinking about the brunette who had been so cheerful the previous day and had been waiting for him to call and who was now refusing to answer the phone to him. "What if she doesn't want to see me again?" he asked, his mother rolling her eyes as she stared at him.

"Richard Castle you're almost thirty years old. Grow up! Kate is just scared, it was a horrible article and I don't blame her for being slightly nervous about it" the older redhead smiled before standing and watching as Alexis ran over to her father and jumped onto him.

"Daddy when are we going to see Katie again?" she asked, the writer sighing as he pressed a kiss into her red hair and felt her cuddle up beside him. "I miss Katie daddy".

"I miss her too" he explained as he tightened his arms around her.

XOXOOXXOOXOXO

"Kate, Maddy's on the phone" Johanna sighed as her daughter slowly sat up and took the phone from her; the younger woman trying to calm herself down in the brief moment before she brought the phone to her ear.

"Hey Maddy" Kate whispered, still sounding upset as she spoke to herself.

"I saw you in the papers on the way to college today" Maddy explained; her excitement obvious in her tone. "A rich man Kate, I thought it was weird that you were dating a guy but when they mentioned money I could sort of understand why you're with him" she explained, shock covering Kate's face as she took in what her best friend was saying to her! "And I guess he's not that bad looking, shame about his wife. Is it true that they were working at being together again when you appeared in his life?" Madison began, remembering everything the article had said.

"That's not true" Kate declared. "That's just gossip Maddy, you know that. You know me" she hissed.

"Sure Kate" Maddy said sarcastically. "Have you two done it yet? I bet he's really good in bed, especially after all the women he's bee with. My mom's a fan of some of his work and she says he's seen with a different woman every week" she explained. "I bet he was great when he had you Kate, I mean we all know that you broke up with the last guy over sex".

"We?" Kate asked, Johanna starting to worry as she watched her daughter's facial expression.

"Just me, Hannah and a couple more of the girls; it's like public knowledge that you freaked when you guys tried" she explained.

"Maddy I told you that in secret" Kate hissed. "And I didn't freak, we didn't even try. You know that! He tried to force me Maddy" she explained, Johanna's eyes shutting as she caught up with the conversation.

"So what's Rick like in bed, not that you have anyone to compare him with" Madison smiled as Kate felt the tears run down her cheeks. Putting the phone down before she answered, Kate sobbed as her mother quickly wrapped her arms around her and held her tight.

"It's okay" Johanna whispered.

"Everything's falling apart mommy" she sobbed against her mother as Johanna shook her head, not knowing how to comfort her. "Maddy told everyone mom about him trying to force me and she made it look like I was the one who freaked out; she's supposed to be my best friend and she told them everything about it" she explained, Johanna nodding as she continued to hold her close. "The papers said that I destroyed Rick's relationship with Meredith" she explained, the older woman remembering that part of the article in horror. "He doesn't have a relationship with her! He hates her".

"I know Katie, it's just they're trying to sell papers so they tell lies sometimes to make life sound more interesting that it really is" she explained lightly as Kate continued to sob. "It will go away soon, someone else will do something and everyone will forget what they're writing about you and Rick" she whispered into her daughter's hair.

"I'm tired" the brunette mumbled, Johanna nodding as she moved to allow her daughter to lie down. "I love you mommy" she whispered.

"I know Katie, I love you too" Johanna explained before creeping out of the room.

XOXOXOXOXOXOXO

Opening the door to the apartment, Johanna Beckett sighed as she stared at the writer who was standing outside in the corridor; staring down at the floor ashamed. She'd called the writer after Jim had gone to bed and neither of them had been able to get Kate to respond to any of their questions. Silently moving, the brunette watched as Rick slowly crept into the room and she pushed the door shut; trying not to wake her husband or disturb her daughter.

"I didn't know about the papers Mrs Beckett and I haven't talked to any reporters about her, I promise" he began; the brunette nodding slowly as she looked in the direction of her daughter's bedroom. "I love Kate, she means the world to me and I wouldn't want to destroy our relationship. I've never been this happy with someone as I have been in the past few months that I've spent with your daughter" he admitted.

"Down the corridor, she's the last door on the left" she explained, Rick smiling as he nodded. "She's very upset Rick and when that happens Kate locks herself away; she builds up a wall and hides behind it" Johanna advised as Rick listened to everything she said. "Jim would be furious if he knew I was letting you into the apartment after this" Johanna explained as Rick thanked her before following her directions down the corridor. Stopping outside the door, the writer sighed before he gently knocked on the wood and heard the small sobs from inside.

"Can I just have a moment alone please?" she moaned from inside the room; the writer slowly opening the door to see her lying across her bed in the darkness, her arms wrapped tightly around the bear in her arms. "I said leave me alone" she screamed, turning around before falling silent; the light from the corridor filling the room as she sat up and noticed the figure in front of her.

"Hey Katie" he whispered, her head shaking before she turned to face away from him.