Kate's POV

"Kate, I really don't like the idea of him going back to that house so soon," mom said as she sat across from me on the back porch. She had been smoking a cigarette when I walked out and told her that me and Rick were gonna go pick up some clothes for him and such.

"Yeah I know, but I promise we'll be right back. Won't be more than an hour or so" I promised.

"Or so" mom mocked as she patted her cigarette to get the ash off the end. It fell into the ash tray and then she took another puff.

"He needs clothes," I said. Mom shrugged.

"Then go grab them, just don't be too long over there" mom said. I nodded and then stood up, walking back into the house. I made my way through the living room and the hallway, and then up the stairs. Rick was in the bathroom finishing up his morning routine, I walked by just in time to see him taking two more pills for a headache before standing in the doorway.

"You know me and mom could go grab you some clothes if you don't wanna go" I suggested.

"No, I appreciate the offer but I really should go and pick out my own things. Plus you need your car back" Rick said. I didn't reply as he walked past me, shutting off the bathroom light. I did follow him down the stairs though, waiting for him to put his shoes back on. Once he did he went to open the front door and instantly we were hit with the colder side of the morning air. I felt a shiver and grabbed my jacket.

"We'll make sure you get a jacket as well" I said as we stepped outside. Rick began walking to his truck as I locked the door and then turned to follow him. This morning felt slightly colder than the other one, but still I could hear the morning birds singing and smell the morning dew. To me it was such a beautiful sight and feeling. The way the early orange light reflected off the houses, making everything seem so calm. I wish Angel were here to experience it. I climbed in the truck and we were off. It was a silent ride, honestly the whole time I was thinking how Rick was not freezing. He was wearing the same shirt he was wearing yesterday and no jacket. It wasn't too bad out but it was certainly enough to give you a chill even with fur. We pulled into the driveway and stepped out, looking at the empty house. It was a sad sight.

"Hey Kate… could you do me a favor?" Rick asked.

"Of course. What did you need?" I asked.

"Could you check the mail for me? I just don't want the mailbox to get too full" Rick explained. I nodded and went to check it. It was a good thing too, it was nearly completely full. I took the letters out and then returned back down the driveway and to the house which by now Rick was already in. I stepped inside and placed the letters down on a small table that was in front of the front door. I shut it and then turned back to the inside of what was now one of the heaviest places I've ever been to. What was once full of fun members, and a happy family now felt alone and odd. I sighed and looked around to find Rick. I could hear clicking upstairs which I found out once I reached the top was Rick taking hangers off of shirts. Already he had a duffel bag on his bed and was placing the shirts into it. I sat on the edge of the bed as I waited.

"I'm sorry Rick" I said. Rick stopped doing what he was doing to look over at me for a second. He kept going not long after and picked up the conversation as he went.

"Why?" he asked.

"I just… I feel like I could have handled things better, took care of you better. If I was in your shoes you probably would have done what was best" I said.

"Well what's the difference?" Rick asked as he got more shirts.

"You would have done what was actually for the best" I answered. I didn't look at him as I spoke, instead looking forward and out of the room as I swayed my feet, raising my legs to fiddle with something.

"Kate, the fact that you tried as hard as you did, makes me love you even more, I didn't think that was possible but you proved me wrong. Plus, who said you tried and failed?" Rick asked as he placed more shirts in the bag. He then walked over to the dresser that sat to the right of me and began fishing for socks and underwear.

"No one I guess, but I kept you in this house, I know you said that you didn't want to leave but I should have tried harder, and then I didn't feed you… I should have brought you to mom sooner" I said. Rick placed the clothes in the bag and then walked over to me, kneeling over and looking up at me. He raised his hand to my face to cup my cheek while his other hand was placed on my leg.

"When I said I didn't want to leave the house, it was because I wasn't ready to say goodbye, I still ain't ready. Honestly it hurts to stay here but I don't wanna leave. I grew up here… but it wasn't only that, I didn't want to be around anyone, and if there was someone to be around it was you" Rick explained. I offered a kind smile but it faded pretty quickly.

"Then… What about the drinking?" I asked. Rick's eyes darted away from mine as he thought of a response.

"You… you left" he said. I felt my heart drop as a wave of guilt washed over me.

"Oh Rick… I'm so sorry" I said sadly. Rick shook his head,

"Dont be, it was a stupid thing to do, I just… I miss Angel… I miss my parents" Rick said sadly as he stood up and went back into his closet. This time for jeans. He only pulled out three pairs before folding them and forcing them into the bag.

"I know… there's still some healing to do… just know that I'll be here the whole way through okay?" I said. Rick looked over at me and smiled.

"Wouldn't have it any other way" he said. We shared a smile for a moment before Rick walked over to the dresser again and picked out three pairs of sweatpants before also shoving them in the bag. After that he zipped it up and threw it over his shoulder. "Ready to go?" he asked.

"Yeah, all ready," I said, standing up. Rick walked past me and down the stairs, making me notice how cute he carried that duffel bag. I still can't believe I never noticed him before this year. We walked through the house until we got to the door. Rick reached his hand for the doorknob but stopped his hand in mid air once he heard three knocks come from it. He looked back at me, making me shrug with a confused look of my own. He turned back and opened the door to see a tan wolf with the same colored hair. I could have sworn I had seen her before but she didn't ring any bells. Rick connected all the dots I had though when he said her name.

"Stephanie?" he said. She seemed nervous as she stood on the step, not knowing what to say.

"Hey… long time no see Rick" she said nervously. Rick seemed to not know what to do. "Can I… come in?"

"We were just about to leave actually" I said, poking my head around the corner.

"Oh, hey Kate… how's Lilly been?" she asked. I didn't exactly know how to respond. I barely remembered this girl and she was asking about my sister when none of us were currently in a good place.

"She's… okay" I answered. Stephanie nodded and then turned back to Rick.

"Is everything okay? Did I come at a bad time?" she asked.

"We were just heading over to her house" Rick said, motioning tome with his head.

"Yeah I heard you two finally got together… How are things?" Stephanie asked, kind of making me angry. I don't really know why but it did.

"Great, she's the love of my life. Always has been" Rick said. Stephanie nodded awkwardly.

"Well I'm glad I was wrong… I see your parents aren't home. Is Angel here, I really miss her" Stephanie said, making my heart drop. I looked away as Rick sort of did the same. Stephanie tilted her head in confusion for a moment. "What? What is it? Where's Angel?" she asked.

"Angel um… she died… my parents died too" Rick said, still avoiding eye contact. I looked back over to Stephenie to see that she seemed shocked, almost like she didn't believe what Rick had just told her.

"Angel's…" she started. Rick nodded, I could tell he was getting upset. "Rick I'm… I'm so sorry… I didn't know, Lilly didn't say anything about-"

"Wait, you talked to her?" Rick asked, snapping out of it.

"Yeah… on valentines day. She didn't tell you?" Stephanie asked. Rick shook his head.

"No," Rick answered.

"It only just happened recently, we're still… kind of healing" I said. Stephanie nodded.

"Yeah I get it… listen I… when I talked to Lilly I kind of blew her off, I felt bad so I came over to make up with everyone. She was my next stop. But I wanted to see you and Angel first. But…" Stephanie started but didn't finish as she was clearly tearing up.

"Steph?" Rick said, trying to see if she was alright.

"I'm fine. I'm fine just… look if Lilly isn't in a good spot right now I understand. Just please take my number and keep in touch? We can hang out whenever" Stephanie said. Rick nodded before exchanging phone numbers. It was a quick process but Stephenie wrote down what she needed and then quickly scampered away to her car as she tried to hold back her own tears. She got in her car and drove off as we watched. Now I kinda felt bad, if she really did talk to Lilly earlier then she must have felt awful knowing that she couldn't have talked with Angel before she passed.

"Let's get out of here," Rick said to me. I sighed as he stepped down onto the front steps. I followed him and turned around, looking back into the house once more. I gasped lightly though as I almost forgot the mail. I stepped in and grabbed it before turning around and leaving again. Rick locked up and then we were off.

"Listen, why don't I drive this time? Your truck will be here" I offered. Rick shrugged and walked over to the passenger side of my car. I felt good knowing that he trusted me and hopped in. I unlocked the rest of the doors and waited as Rick tossed the duffel bag in my car and then hopped in the passenger side. After that we left and rode to my house. As we did I wanted to ask him about Stephanie.

"Hey. Do you mind if I ask you something?" I asked. I saw Rick glance at me before turning back to the windshield to look at the road.

"Sure," he said.

"Are you okay? I mean with Stephanie, I know you guys haven't talked in years and the last time you did it was… it was on bad terms" I said. Rick sighed before speaking.

"Right now, I have bigger things to cope with, Stephanie was in love with me when we talked, for the longest time too. She loved me like I love you. So I crushed her when I did what I did, I know that. But I didn't love her like that. I felt bad but… if it meant that I got you out of it then it was more than worth it" Rick explained.

"So are you going to talk to her?" I asked.

"Yeah… why not?" Rick said. Just then I noticed some rain drops on my windshield. It was only a few but then they started falling faster until I had to put the windshield wipers on. Only then did I notice how cloudy it had gotten. I sighed and took a glance at the clock. The time was eleven thirty-two. From that point on I kept my eyes on the road and didn't say a thing until we got to the house. Once I parked Rick waited until I opened my door and stepped out until he did it himself. He hopped out and quickly turned around to open the back door and grab the duffel bag as we were both rained on. After that we ran to my front door and kept our heads down as I fumbled with my keys, trying to find the one to my front door. Thunder roared as I looked, finally I found it and unlocked the door, running inside. Rick followed me in and shut the door behind us. We were both panting as Rick moved to my left and I took off my jacket to hang it up on the coat rack, making me realize.

"Oh no, Rick, did you grab a jacket?" I asked.

"Two" he answered, pointing to the duffel bag on his back. I smiled and then wiped my face with my arm, trying to somewhat dry off my fur.

"You guys are back" mom called happily from the living room.

"Yeah, I told you we wouldn't be long," I said. Rick plopped the letters on the table and then walked up stairs. I followed him and watched as he plopped the duffel bag on the ground.

"Want me to dry off first?" he asked before he sat on my bed.

"It's fine, I got pretty wet myself" I said, taking a seat on my bed. My tail felt heavy as it dripped onto the floor, hopefully it wouldn't soak my bed. Rick nodded and took a seat next to me.

"Thanks," he said.

"Of course," I replied, rubbing his arm. He smiled lightly and then looked ahead to where my TV was.

"Hey… how about a game or two?" he suggested as he kept his eyes in the same spot. I turned my head to see that he was looking at what was just under my TV. it was the chess set he got me, I felt as though it had been so lng since we played. But this was more than just that, it felt like he was making somewhat of a recovery after everything. And the thought of that made me so happy. I smiled and stood up to grab the set. As I did Rick took his shoes off and scooted over to his side of the bed. My tail wagged as I excitedly brought the board over and sat on my side. We put the board in the middle of us and began playing not long after. We played for a while, I would say about over two hours. As we played it felt as though we had finally gotten something back, something that we never thought we would see again… happiness. It wasn't much, but it was enough.

After a while we laid down and watched some TV as the rain grew harder, hitting the window and making the scene feel extremely relaxing. Thunder roared every now and again, making everything even more calm. We even grew cozy enough to cuddle each other. We watched TV and again, it felt as though maybe just maybe, things were getting back to normal. Obviously they would never be normal again, we were still missing family, but we were on the right track, we just had to stay on it. Around seven the sun had gone down and the rain was still going. Mom had called us down for dinner and as expected Lilly didn't come out of her room. The sight of her shut door was saddening and I was about to go in and see if she wanted to come down, but dad walked past me just in time before I did.

"Don't worry Kate, I'll bring her something after" he said. I gave the door one final glance before heading downstairs. The table as always was set beautifully. Plates by each seat and glasses, even if all of us didn't use them. Me and Rick took a seat on the far side by the window, and waited as mom brought out the food. I was so happy that Rick was eating again, I could still tell that he didn't want to, but he had passed the point of being sick to his stomach over it.

"How is everything?" mom asked dad. Dad responded to her, telling her how he still had to get the hang of all the virtual stuff when it came to work. Since Angel had passed the two had called off, but not for them to not be doing work at all. They decided to see if they could bring some of the paper work here, and finish it up. So far it was okay from the sounds of it, but that didn't mean that it still wasn't a bitch to get used to. Mom placed the plates down in the center which were country fried steaks, mashed potatoes, and corn. It all looked so good. "Lilly isn't coming down is she?" mom asked.

"No, I'll bring her something after" dad said, taking a seat. Mom took her seat as well, making the only chairs at the table that aren't taken, the ends. Mom looked across from her and over at Rick, making sure he was comfortable.

"Is this okay Rick?" she asked. He nodded.

"Yeah, everything looks great. I really appreciate you guys… thank you" he said.

"Anytime sweetie, anytime" mom said. We all grabbed our food and began eating. I looked over every now and then to see how Rick was doing. He was eating, just not at a normal pace. He was still very slow and clearly eating only because he had to. But hey he did take a sip of coke, that's a step right? Mom saw that I was checking on him and nodded to me once Rick wasn't looking. I still felt bad for him, but right now, I just need to eat something too. "Oh Rick, was that your mail on the table earlier?" mom asked. Rick looked up from his plate.

"Oh, sorry. I meant to come and grab it, I guess I forgot" he said.

"Oh it's okay, i just wanted you to know that it's on the windowsill behind you" mom said. Rick turned around and sure enough, there were the letters.

"Thanks" he said, turning back and taking another bite of mashed potatoes.

"No problem" mom said right before another sound of thunder was heard.

"Huh, didn't think it would get this bad," dad said.

"Yeah, it was only supposed to rain for a bit but hey, I guess we needed it" mom replied. The rest of the dinner was mostly just that. Mom and me checking up on Rick, and dad and mom saying something average to each other every now and again. Eventually when all was said and done, Rick had cleared two plates while I cleared a plate and a half almost. I think mom was just happy to see the two of us eating. Dad ended up bringing Lilly a plate in the end while mom and I cleaned up. Rick offered to help but I told him that it was okay. He nodded and began looking over the mail.

"Oh, I'm so glad you two finally ate properly" mom said as she loaded the dishwasher. I put the other plates in the sink for her to get while I wrapped up the leftovers.

"Yeah, I didn't think I would ever see Rick eat again. Its just been so long since we've had something like that, we finally had somewhat of a normal day today, would have been perfect if we didn't have to go to that fucking house" I ranted.

"Well I told you that I would have gone instead of Rick" mom said.

"Yeah well, he said he wanted to pick out his own things. I'm just glad that he's finally starting to come around" I replied.

"I know, just don't push it okay? He might seem like it but I promise you he's still fragile. One little move might set him back to square one" mom warned.

"Yeah mom I know… I just want him to be happy is all" I said, turning back to the dining room and noticing something. Rick was looking at a letter with tears in his eyes. "Oh no" I said, walking over into the room. Mom lifted her head up and saw what I was looking at and followed me. "Rick? You okay?" I asked. Rick wiped a tear from his eye and slid the paper over to me. I picked it up and gave it a quick read, only to realize that it was an eviction notice.

"I… I'm gonna lose the house" Rick said. I knew something like this would happen but shit… I thought we had more time.

"Rick… I…" mom started but Rick quickly got up.

"I um… I gotta go, I can't lose this house, I can't" Rick panicked, running upstairs.

"Rick!" I called, running to the bottom of the steps. I looked to mom for some guidance but even she looked frozen. When I turned back around I saw that Rick had thrown on his black jacket and shoes. "Where are you going?" I asked in a panic.

"I gotta get home, that letter was sent two days ago, I don't want to lose this house" Rick said quickly before darting out the door where it was still pouring. I looked at mom again.

"He doesn't have his truck," I said.

"Well go after him" mom ordered. Instantly I grabbed my jacket and ran outside as I was still trying to put it on. I raised my hand in front of my face to see if I could see Rick, but he was already gone. Quickly I turned back to the house and stepped inside, running upstairs to grab my keys.

"Where is he?" Mom called.

"What's going on?" dad asked. I ignored him and relied on mom to fill him in. as I went to mom I saw that she too was wearing her jacket, and was about to go after Rick.

"Stay here, I'll get him," I said. I didn't give mom a chance to respond before I was out the door and in my car. I turned it on and instantly put my windshield wipers as fast as they could go, and then pulled out to start my ride. I wasn't just gonna head to Rick's house though, he couldn't have gone far on foot. I couldn't believe that he just ran out. I turned my headlights on as well and began driving down the roads, taking several loops in case I missed anything. I couldn't find him though.

"Please… please God please let me find him" I begged, I didn't want him getting hurt. In weather like this it was extremely easy, it didn't help that it was night time and anyone who wasn't being careful could run him over. About twenty minutes of circling around multiple streets, and getting halfway to his house, I finally found him, walking down the road as the rain kept on pouring. I stopped the car and put it in park, making sure to keep the headlights on him so that I could see. He kept walking as I ran up to him calling his name. He turned around, confused that I followed him almost, but come on. I was never leaving him like this. The rain instantly soaked my hair and fur as I ran over to him, keeping my hand above my face as I tried to shield myself. It did almost nothing.

"Rick! Come back, it isn't safe for you to be out here like this!" I yelled. I had to yell because of the downpour that was happening around us. We could barely hear each other.

"No! I have to get back. I can't lose this house Kate! Or at the very least I cant have time with it!" Rick yelled back. Finally I made it to him as the headlights illuminated us perfectly. We were now face to face, standing very close to one another just so that we could hear.

"Rick, what do you think is gonna be waiting for you when you get there? There's nothing there for you anymore. Just let it go!" I told him. I didn't want to do this now, but that fucking letter was forcing me to.

"Imagine if you lost your family Kate! Your mother, your father, your sister. All gone, and the only thing that you had to remember them by, was the place that you made memories with them! Why can't you understand that? I didn't want to even leave but I did, and now when every second counts you want me to leave again?" Rick yelled angrily.

"I'm not saying to forget them, I'm telling you to let these things go, they're just things, they don't have value anymore. They belonged to them yeah but you always have other things to remember them by. You don't have to hang on to this house!" I called. Wind blew, making the hard rain shift and my hair go in my face. I tried to swing it over my shoulder but the wind was too strong.

"It's not just a house… it's a place of memories" Rick said.

"But what about the photos? What about the family that you still have? What happened to following in your fathers footstep?" I asked.

"I made a promise, and I'm gonna keep it, but I need time… and I just found out that I don't have much of it, without this house I'll have nothing… no more memories, no more siblings, no more old life" Rick cracked, starting to cry.

"Yeah, you might not have that old life anymore, but things happen, things change, and you still have a family that loves you" I said.

"Where? They're all broken or dead" Rick ranted. "I just want a fucking break… why can't I just be happy?" he said, starting to walk away again. I leaned forward quickly though to grab his arm, making him turn around,

"You can be… and that house… that house isn't gonna do you any good. I know it will be hard, but you gotta let go… you gotta let go and move forward. That's what your parents would have wanted for you… that's what Angel would have wanted… that's what I want for you… I want you to be happy… and I'll be here every step of the way I promise… and we're gonna build that life that you deserve… that's why I'm here… I'm here and I'm not going anywhere…" I said as confidently as I could. Rain continued to pour, making it hard to see Rick's expression soften. He then pulled me into a tight hug as he sobbed. I hugged him back as I held in my own tears.

"I love you Kate… I love you so much" Rick sobbed.

"More than I'll ever know" I replied. Rick broke the hug to look into my eyes, or at least as best as he could as the rain hit us with everything it had. "Right?" I added. Rick said nothing and instantly went in to give me what felt like the most passionate kiss we had ever had. Our muzzles collided, and immediately our tongues started wrestling hard. We kept going, even as rain hit us and ran down our faces, soaking the fur even more on them. Rick broke the kiss after about thirty seconds and panted. I panted as well but Rick spoke as I tried to catch my breath.

"I'll let it go… I'll let it go… but I have to go back… just for tonight" Rick promised. I gave him a slight nod before scooping his tongue up again and sucking on it aggressively. i t wasn't long until we got in my car and out of the rain, even so however we were still drenched until we got to Rick's house. When we got in we went right upstairs where Rick tossed me on the bed, making out with me again. I didn't know if this was the right time, but both of us could really use it, especially after everything. I ripped my jacket off and threw it to the side and on the floor, Rick did the same and then immediately went for his pants while I took off my shirt and bra. When Rick had tossed his boxers he went for my pants next, pulling them down my legs and then tossing them on the floor as well. He then went for my panties which he didn't get off all the way as they still dangled around my left foot after he was done. He got on top of me and kissed me fiercely again as I lifted his shirt up. Once it got to a certain point we broke the kiss and tossed the shirt across the room. I then pulled him on top of me and enjoyed the kissing so much, that it didn't even bother me that all of my fur was still drenched from the rain, as was his. I lifted my head to break the kiss and then watched as Rick spit into his hand to rub it on himself for lubricant. Once he felt like he was ready to go he put it in, making me instantly gasp and close my eyes. We didn't even bother getting under the covers like we usually did.

"God I've missed you" Rick said.

"Hmm" I hummed. Rick laughed lightly and then began sucking on my soaking neck as he began to plow me. I moaned loudly as my legs stayed wrapped around him. My hair was also soaking his pillow but I don't think he cared. He just kept me close as he kept his hands under me, pressing my breasts against his chest as he kissed and sucked my neck. He humped me hard but as usual never pulled out, instead fully grinded on me as I felt him throb, bringing us both closer and closer, even though it had only been about forty seconds. I lifted my head from the pillow to suck at his neck a bit, but he thrusted into me hard, making my head rest back into the pillow. He went back to my neck as I moaned loudly, and about twenty seconds later, adding up to just over a minute of love making, I got the warning.

"Hmm, cumming," Rick said.

"Hmm do it… do it, do it" I begged. I gripped his back and felt my nails almost sink into it as Rick grunted. I felt four long and hot cum shots shoot deep into me. I screamed in pleasure with each one until finally the shots got shorter, and I myself had stopped cumming. Now I couldn't tell what was part of the rain spots on the bed, or the cum spots. Although it was just one big pool with us laying on top of the bed still soaked from outside. however downward were specks of white rope that blended both of our cum. I sighed happily and relaxed as I felt his semen ooze deeper into me. Rick kissed my cheek and across my face until he reached my lips which he scooped up with his own to give me a sweet kiss.

"I love you," he said.

"Hmm, I love you too… we'll get through this… I promise" I said, running my fingers through his hair again. Rick nuzzled my hand and sighed as he relaxed. He then gave my hand a soft kiss and pulled out of me, making both of our cum ooze onto the bed, and join the rest of the puddle. I made some room for Rick and nuzzled into him. "You okay?" I asked.

"I have to be… thank you Kate" Rick replied.

"Hey… it's what partners do," I said. I felt Rick give the top of my head one more kiss, and then we were out for the night. We had some serious things to do tomorrow.

Author's note - hello again, sorry but for this ark I have been waiting until we got to a bit of a grounded area before I did this. I wanted to leave the reader with the feeling that the chapter ended on and not just a "HEY AUTHORS NOTE" so I've been holding off on it. We're a little over half way through this ark and I just wanted to say thank you for the support. I want to thank everyone for making it this far, and I wanted to thank everyone for reviewing.

Spirit omega wolf

Chris the spix

Alpha lover02

And the guest accounts.

Thank you for leaving reviews and support. It really gives me motivation and helps me make the story better. Also fun fact, in early versions of the scripts and story lines I wrote, this was supposed to be Rick and Kate's first kiss. Yep, we were gonna get all the way here before they finally got together… but I changed it, I feel like it could have worked out, but I'm much happier with what we have now.

Yeah there isn't much to this author's note. I just wanted to say thank you because of all the support it's been getting. Thank you guys again. Till next time.