A/N: I read all of your wonderful and caring reviews and found myself writing again. I would like to take the time now to thank you all for your concern and care for me. It means a lot to me that you all would take the time to read my story, and then review. A lot of people in my life have let me down, and it means a lot to know that there are total strangers out there who care. I'll leave another author's note at the bottom if you care to read some more about my life right now...but now...onto the story. A bit of TATE-ness, but considering the storyline, it won't be too much just yet.


Tony drove through the rain that fell onto the streets as he made his way to Kate's apartment. He was worried. She just didn't seem like...Kate. She wasn't the Kate that would joke around with him at work. She wasn't the Kate that would laugh at him because he couldn't use chopsticks. She just wasn't the Kate that he...that he had fallen for. He shook those thoughts from his mind as he pulled up to her apartment. He looked up to her window, and saw that there was a soft glow, but no real light. He ran from the safety of his car, through the rain, and let himself in with the emergency key that she had given him. This was it.


Kate sat alone, in the darkness of her apartment. She wiped the tears from her face and lay down on her couch. She tried to push all the thoughts from her mind, but the flashes of memory kept returning. All the memories...the smell of his breath, the feel of his hands...the look in his eyes. She shook with fear when she heard a knock on the door. She had just goten off the phone with the investigating officer, so she was sure it wasn't the cops. She carefully shuffled to her door, barefeet against the cold floor. She looked through the peephole, careful not to make any noise. She sighed in relief to see it was Tony.

"Kate?" Tony called from outside the door.

"Tony...I just want...I don't feel good Tony. Please just go away." Kate rested against the door.

"Kate, look." Tony sighed. "I know that something is up with you, and I'm...I'm worried about you Kate. Please...let me in. I want to help. I...I care about you, because you are my friend, and I want you to trust me. Please Kate?" Kate's eyes filled with tears as she listened to his words. She turned to look out the peephole again. Tony was leaning on the wall beside the door with his elbow, his head resting on his hand. He was tired, she could tell. She slowly unlocked the door, and opened it to reveal herself, wrapped in a fluffy cotton robe. Tony could see that her eyes were red-rimmed from crying. She moved to let him in, and shut and locked the door behind him. He sat down on the couch, after removing his wet coat and shoes. Kate sat down on the opposite end of the couch, trying to look comfortable and happy, when all she felt was scared and upset.

"Kate? Are you...OK?" Tony asked.

"Yeah...yeah Tony...just a little upset stomach." Kate avoided eye contact with him. He slowly reached out to touch her hand, and she quickly pulled away. The sleeve of her robe slid up slightly, revealing two red lines across the backside of her forearm.

"Kate?" Tony questioned. She followed his line of sight to her arm, quickly covering up the marks. "What's going on?"

Kate looked into his eyes, and upon seeing the concern there, she broke down. Her eyes filled with tears, and she began to speak.

She told him everything. About that night, her fear, her pain, and the cutting. She opened herself up to him, slowly at first, reluctantly. But as she spoke, she began to trust him.

"Oh Kate." Tony's eyes began to fill with tears as well. He drew in a shaky breath. "Kate, I...I'm so sorry. I don't know what to say. Just know that I'm here for you." He held out his hand and looked at Kate. She looked from his face to his hand, and reached out slowly to lace her fingers with his. And in that moment, when he squeezed her hand, she felt herself trust him entirely. It was Tony, her co-worker, and her friend. She moved closer to him, and wrapped her arms around his neck, crying into his shoulder. He carefully wrapped his arms around her waist, not to scare her, but to reassure her that he was her friend, and that she could trust him. He rocked her gently, soothing her tears, until he felt her relax. She was asleep. He gently lifted her up, and carried her into the bedroom. He lay her down on the bed and covered her up with the blanket. He brushed her hair from her eyes and gently kissed her forehead. And for the first time that night, a hint of a smile crossed her pained features. "Goodnight Kate." He whispered. He made his way to her living room, and sat down on her couch. He didn't want her to be alone. He sat there for hours, until the stress and the worry of the finally affected him, and he fell asleep.


A/N: Awww...ok...so there was some definite fluff there. Yep...I know...but these next few chapters are going to be her dealing with the pain, and dealing with the conflicting feelings for Tony.

OK, for those of you who are wondering, I am going through a rough time in my life. Conflict between my mother and her parents, who are currently living with us, is making my life quite stressful. Combine that with all teenage angsty problems; school, boys, friends and family, and you have got yourself a problem. I don't know what it was exactly that made me start cutting, but I know that it was faith in God, and the strength that my mother showed, as well as the support of my closest friends that gave me the courage to stop cutting. Thank you all for caring. And thank you all for reading and reviewing my story:)

Love You Guys:)