Hey I know it's been a really long time and I don't blame you if you hate me! But I really haven't had time to update with school and stuff. Half of this chapter was literally sitting on my computer for months before I got the chance to work on it. But I really missed working on this so I should be updating more frequently now :) So yeah I'm back!

I'm not sure how I feel about this chapter but I really wanted to get this up because I figured I kept you all waiting long enough.. Hopefully you like it! I don't own Victorious.


[Can't pretend forever.]

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Beck and Cat spent the day by the water playing in the sand and lying in the sun, holding hands and being happy. Cat was especially happy, Beck was sure of it. He remembers because he lost count of how many times he saw her smile. And how many times she laughed and tackled him into the ocean, screaming and splashing playfully as she held onto him. He let her ramble on about silly things like mermaids and underwater sea kingdoms. And they kissed each other a lot. In the secluded area by the rocks and next to the ice cream stand, and even once underwater (which is not quite as romantic as you'd think but still good). That entire day was perfect, he remembers it clearly.

Though Cat was getting notably stranger as the time passed, it wasn't completely out of the ordinary considering it was her. As the sun went down, they held hands and walked on the boardwalk. Beck walked steady while she bounced along beside him, every now and then pulling away from him just to let him pull her back close again. They stopped next to a storefront where a man with a cart was selling dream catchers. Cat was the one who'd wanted to stop; she was immediately intrigued. Her eyes lit up when she saw them. "They catch dreams?" she'd asked.

"Only the bad ones," the man told her. He then went on to explain the story behind them and how they worked according to the Plains Indians. He set one of the dream catchers out, laid it flat and pointed to the webs in the center. "If you hang it by your bed at night, this is where the bad dreams get caught. And then the good dreams work their way through the center and rest on the feathers like dewdrops, until the morning when the sun evaporates them to the Great Spirit. Any leftover nightmares then get burned up by the prayer beads and you'll be left with nothing but pleasant nights sweetheart. Is that what you're looking for?"

Cat listened intently and hung on to every word he was saying, and then she nodded. "It's perfect. Beck?"

"Okay, how much?" Beck asked. Even though they were running out of money, he was sort of whipped now in that he would have gotten her whatever she wanted. Only because he was so set on making her happy. And he knew that she was having trouble sleeping at night, so if this would help with that then he was all for it.

He shelled out a few bucks and then they were on their way, Cat smiling and twirling her new toy in the wind as they walked. She kept singing, "No more bad dreams, no more bad dreams," and spinning around, despite the occasional glances she got from strangers.

When they got back to the trailer she hung it up right away, on the wall right next to their bed. That was the first night Cat fell asleep without any problems.

In the morning she ran outside and started skipping around the trailer because apparently her dream catcher really was magic. Beck had to run after her barefoot in only a t-shirt and boxers. She'd run away, deeper into the secluded area of grass and land where they were parked. She too was barefoot, spinning around in her nightie singing a high pitched note that sounded more like a sound a burning tea kettle would make. "What are you doing?" he called out to her. He caught her as she was running past him and grabbed ahold of her waist.

Cat spoke in between breaths, trying to get air into her lungs. "Last night I dreamed about you! You were in my tunnel with me." She smiled hazily, remembering and then she laughed. "And you had flower petals all in your hair."

"So it was a good dream. No more nightmares?"

She nodded. "Yes…Beck, I want to stay with you. I don't want to go with the elves."

He didn't bother trying to decipher that, he just told her simply, "Then stay."

They went back to the beach and spent the day there again, relaxing without a care in the world. After it got dark, Cat noticed a group of people were having a bonfire farther down along the beach, and she wanted to crash it. Beck was hesitant at first; from a distance it looked like a small group of friends that probably wouldn't want them intruding. But they turned out to be really easygoing people, all college-aged kids and Beck realized that the reason they were all so friendly was because most of them were stoned. Beck decided it'd be okay to hang out there as long as Cat didn't touch any of the stuff they were using.

They were really friendly and they immediately took a liking towards Cat, the way that everyone always did. Cat told one of the girls that she really liked her hair so she offered to do hers (French braids though, instead of the tight locks she kept her dark blond hair in) and when they were done they danced and sang around the fire to old music playing from the radio. Beck liked being on the beach at night, when it was so dark that aside from the fire, all you could really see was the stars and the moon's reflection on the ocean. And he liked how the beach was practically deserted at night because then he could have time to gather his thoughts in quiet. There were things that he needed to think about, he knew, but he kept avoiding them in his head. He kept looking over at Cat and telling himself that she was fine.

"So you guys are from Hollywood?" Cat's new dread-locked friend asked him and he jumped back maybe two feet. She came out of nowhere and it startled him. "Sorry! I'm Reycie by the way."

He recovered quickly and nodded. "Beck."

She tucked her hands into the back pockets of her cargo pants and dug her bare feet deeper into the sand. In the dark he could barely make out anything but her freckles and her nose ring, but she had a nice face, Beck thought. "Your girlfriend is really sweet. I don't think I've ever met anyone like her."

Beck smiled in his head. That was the impression everyone always got of her because she truly was special, one of a kind. "Yeah but she drives me crazy sometimes," he mumbled. She replied with a laugh.

Even though he was realizing that a relationship with her could never be as simple as he'd like it to be, he was also realizing that she was worth the trouble. So far they'd had some pretty good times together.

"If you guys are from Hollywood, then what are you doing here? You're runaways, right?"

"Did Cat tell you that?"

"No, but I could tell."

"It's a long story," he said. He didn't plan on telling anyone the whole story, just because. He didn't feel comfortable with anyone knowing about Cat's problem before he could fully understand it himself. "What do you mean you can tell?"

"You've been running from something and you finally got away from it. Or you think you got away from it…" She eyed Beck's expression and smiled, realizing that she had gotten it right. "I can read people really well. Actually, you look like you could use a drink. Are you thirsty?"

She pulled a canteen out of her sack and handed it over to him. Beck twisted the cap off. "What is it?"

"It's good stuff. Just try it, it tastes like coconuts."

He took a sip and it did taste kind of sweet and coconut-like but it was tinged with a familiar, dark bitterness that told him it wasn't just juice he was drinking. He didn't really mind it though. He kept drinking until his mood changed and it was at the point where he knew what he was doing but he didn't want to stop. He didn't know what made him want to drink like that; maybe it was all the anxiety he was feeling, (or bottling up because he was trying to pretend it wasn't there). But he'd been drunk before and he liked the feeling so he decided to just go with it.

The only problem was that whenever he was drunk he had a tendency to spill his guts to whoever was around to listen (his ex-girlfriend Jade could attest to this fact). He suddenly felt all these emotions piling on top of each other, trying to get out and those feelings were followed by a strong urge to talk to his current girlfriend, Cat. He caught up to her on the beach and put his arms around her. Cat enthusiastically turned to face him with a huge smile on her face. "Cat, can we go somewhere and talk?" he asked.

Her expression grew a bit more serious. "Is everything okay?"

"Yeah, but it's important. Just come with me." Beck lead her wandering farther down the beach away from the rest of the strangers they'd met at the bonfire, next to the rocks by the water. Walking was kind of hard for him though with his current state; he stumbled more than a few times and Cat had to help him up. "Are you sure you're okay?" she asked him.

"Yeah I'm fine, just listen to me. Just listen…" He cleared his throat.

"Alright, umm-"

"I just want you to know how I feel about you," he blurted.

Cat couldn't help but giggle lightly at how serious he was, just because she was feeling so lighthearted and giddy in comparison.

"Beck what are you talking about?"

He put his hand on her face to make her look at him and then he began his embarrassing, drunken speech. "I'm crazy in love with you, Cat. I want to be able to take care of you forever. All this stuff I've done I did it for you and if I could go back I wouldn't change any of it." He stopped speaking for a second to watch her reaction. He expected her to be happy, or to move or say something but she didn't. She just looked slightly confused and then suddenly her expression went blank; her smile fell right from her face down to the ground. "I can't remember whether or not I've said this before but I love you."

"You love me," she repeated, quietly.

"Yeah, I do." Beck furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, worry rising in the pit of his stomach. Something wasn't right. "You're crying…"

"No I'm not," she said quickly. But the tears were sliding down her face as visible as day.

"Don't do that," Beck told her and he tried to wipe them away but they kept falling, she wouldn't stop crying. Beck put his arms around her and held her head against his chest, squeezing her tightly. He could feel her shaking and shuddering, crying more intensely as the moments passed but he just held her there.

Bits and pieces of the rest of that night remain a blur to him but there were certain parts that he could remember. After Cat cried for a good twenty minutes, Beck wiped her face and she had to help him back to the trailer because he still could barely walk straight. As soon as they were inside he let himself fall on the floor, and Cat who'd had his arm around her, steadying him, fell beside him. Cat's eyes were puffy and red from crying so much and her braids were messy and loose, falling apart now. It was funny because they ended up right back in the same place where they had first kissed that night, on the floor beside the bed.

Cat asked him if he was drunk. "Maybe a little bit," he murmured, lying down on his back.

"Beck, I think there's something you should know. I don't know how to tell you."

He blinked his eyes open. "You can tell me anything." But when she started talking everything became blurry to him. He could vaguely hear Cat whispering things to him but his mind was somewhere else. He couldn't help it, maybe it was the alcohol. He just couldn't pay attention to her. He was too focused on watching her lips move; thinking about how much he wanted to touch her and how soft her skin was. He took a hold of her hands and started playing with them.

Cat moved closer and leaned forward, and Beck sat up on his elbow so that he could face her. The last thing she mumbled before that was "You'll miss me if I'm gone." Cat raked her fingers through her hair and smoothed her dress in an attempt to fix her messy appearance. "We should make the most of these moments," she told him.

"What?"

She slowly lifted her arms and locked them around his neck, then kissed him a bit forcefully, pushing him onto his back.

"Whoa." He grabbed ahold of her shoulders.

"Sorry. Was that bad?"

He smiled somewhat stupidly, "No it was good. Just slow down a little."

Cat nodded and he allowed her to reattach her lips to his, this time with a bit less force. And this time he leaned forward, cupping the side of her face and taking control of the kiss. Cat moved back with her fists closed tightly down at her sides, he could tell that she was a little bit tense. So he brushed her hair out of her face and started gently raking his fingers through it at the scalp until she relaxed. He kissed her temple and moved his mouth down to her lips again. Cat flattened her palms and slowly moved her hands up and started toying with the hem of his shirt. Beck broke apart from her briefly before moving back and kissing her again. This time was different from all the other times they'd been intimate because his mind was still a bit loopy from the alcohol; he wasn't exactly thinking about what he was doing, he was being driven more by a physical urge inside him. And Cat seemed to have the same feelings he did; or maybe it was just that she trusted him to have control over the situation like he always did. He would always stop things before they went too far. The last thing he remembered was her pulling his shirt up over his head and him fiddling around with her buttons. Everything after that was...

In the morning he woke attached to her, with his arm wrapped around her stomach and her body pressed close to his. He pulled away from her slowly, careful not to wake her and tried to piece together what had happened. Unfortunately the only thing he could focus on was the feeling of his brain trying to escape from his skull. He decided to let Cat sleep for a few minutes while he tried to concentrate.

Beck was staring up at the ceiling when he felt her stir beside him. She turned on her side facing him but stayed snuggled underneath the covers and eventually became still again. She woke up after he brushed a lock of her hair out of her face.

Cat blinked her eyes open, sleepily and smiled. Beck smiled back nervously and she began to blush.

"Hi."

"Hi."

They didn't really talk much after that. Beck just handed Cat one of his t-shirts and asked if she was ready to go out for breakfast.

Outside, despite it being early morning, the sky was a dull gray. And the streets were practically empty. Even though it wasn't exactly nice outside, Beck thought it would be a good day for them to go to the beach, just because he knew it'd be deserted. But first they needed to eat something, which was a problem because they were running low on cash.

Once they were inside the diner they decided to stop at, Beck tossed what was left of their money on the table, which totaled to about $4.83.

"I'm not hungry," Cat said.

They were sitting beside each other in the booth. Beck put his arm around her and kissed the top of her head. "We both have to eat. I'll order the pancakes and we can split it."

Cat nodded. "Okay."

But when the food finally came she barely touched it. She was too busy with the crayons and coloring book she'd asked the waitress to bring her. The only time she ate was when Beck literally put the food on the fork and brought it up to her mouth.

When the plate was almost clear Beck saved the last bite for her but she turned her head away when he picked up the fork. Then he started waving it around and making airplane noises and that got her attention. She turned to him and smiled and took the last bite. Beck couldn't help but smile too but still he was amazed by how child-like she could be sometimes.

When they got up to leave, he felt bad for not being able to tip the waitress but he couldn't exactly give what he didn't have. They were officially out of money now but Beck decided they would deal with that later. Eventually when it gets to be a problem (which it would) they'd be forced to figure something out but for the time being he pushed it to the back of his mind.

They went back to the trailer to get a few things and then hiked back to the beach to spend the rest of the day there. Cat wanted to bring Harry along too so she wrapped him inside a small blanket and put him inside her purse. Once they got there Harry didn't come out much because he was afraid of the sand but occasionally she'd take him out and lie down on her towel, place him on her stomach and let him crawl all over her body. She'd start giggling hysterically because his claws tickled.

Beck came over and sat beside her and she sat up, cradling Harry in her lap. "Is everything okay?" she asked. She must have been able to sense that something was wrong.

"Actually, I just wanted to apologize for something."

"Lay down with me." Cat scooted over on the blanket to make room for him. He laid down on his back beside her and she laid back down too so that they were lying shoulder to shoulder. Then she laced her fingers with his. "Whatever it is I forgive you."

"You can't just forgive me without knowing what I'm sorry for."

She shrugged casually and smiled. "I can do whatever I want."

Beck brought her hand up to his lips and kissed it. "I'm sorry about last night." When Cat didn't say anything, just looked at the hand he was holding, he continued. "I wasn't being responsible. I don't really remember all of what happened but if things got kind of…out of hand, then it's my fault."

When she didn't respond right away Beck started to get nervous. He began to worry that maybe he really had done something wrong.

"We didn't do anything," she finally said. "But it was nice. You were really gentle. Better than Riley…"

"Who's Riley?"

"Riley from last year," she told him. And then he remembered, that kid she'd dated for about three weeks last year. Beck's stomach turned at the realization of what she was telling him, not out of jealousy, but because he just didn't like what he was hearing. He should have been more surprised by the fact that his assumptions about her were wrong but to be honest he wasn't, just because he knew how naïve she could be. And he was just now seeing how vulnerable she must have been back then. He didn't like the idea of her being taken advantage of. Maybe if he had paid more attention he could have warned her about stuff like that but back then he'd been too wrapped up in his relationship with Jade to notice.

"I know we haven't really talked about it yet but I want wait before we do anything like that. There's no need to rush things. We have plenty of time," he said.

"Okay," Cat nodded and giggled at the rodent that started wiggling in between them. "Beck, we're like a little family. You, me and Harry."

He once again smiled at her innocence and pulled her in by her head for a quick kiss. Just as he was doing so they were interrupted by a voice and a familiar face standing over them.

"Well, aren't you guys cute."

"Reycie!" Cat jumped up in excitement and threw her arms around the thin girl. Reycie stumbled back a few inches, surprised by her enthusiasm and Beck smirked. She'd get used to Cat's over activeness eventually.

"What is that?" Reycie asked, pointing to the blonde fur ball sitting beside Beck on the towel. Cat's excitement grew even more, if that was possible.

"That's my guinea pig Harry," she said with a grin. She reached down and scooped him up so she could give her a better look.

Reycie petted him on the head with her fingertips, and then laughed. "You guys ran away from home and brought a rat with you?" Beck just shrugged. "He is cute though. I've heard all kinds of stories about these little guys. My friend Roger who moved here from Peru told me that in his country they actually raise them in farms and ea-"

Beck widened his eyes at her and she stopped.

"What?" Cat said.

"Uhh, nothing."

"So what brings you out here?" Beck asked, quickly standing up to change the subject.

She shrugged casually. "I don't know…I could ask you the same thing. It's not exactly brilliant weather out today, huh?"

"I think it's beautiful," Cat chimed in, spinning around with Harry in her arms just as a breeze picked up. The sky darkened a bit and Beck got the sense that it was gonna start storming soon. He figured they should probably head back.

"Actually a few of my friends are here too," Reycie said. "You remember Dougie and Chris?" She pointed off into the distance where two guys were throwing a ball around and tackling each other. "Do you guys wanna come hang out with us?"

Beck was hesitant at first; he was still wary about trusting people and to be honest he wasn't sure if he should trust her after last night. But in the end he ended up agreeing, only because Cat seemed to want to so badly. The four of them got a game of volleyball going but Beck ended up sitting out, volunteering to keep an eye on Harry instead. He sat cross-legged on the blanket with the rodent on his lap and thought about Cat, every now and then glancing over to observe her interaction with them and make sure she was okay. She seemed happy and she had been for a while, but Beck couldn't help but wonder how long that was gonna last. And then suddenly he remembered last night, standing by the rocks with her when she started crying hysterically. He remembered she cried so hard he didn't think she was ever gonna stop. Beck would never understand what made her go back and forth like that but the more he thought about it the more worried he got. He constantly saw her going from one extreme to the next and if that continued, that just meant that if she was happy now it was only a matter of time before she wouldn't be again.

And if she did end up going back to the way she was before they'd be all alone, left to deal with it themselves. They were miles away from any of their friends and family and Beck didn't see them being able to go back any time soon, mostly for the simple reason that they didn't have any money for gas to put in the truck. Beck couldn't help but wonder if things did ever get back to that point, would he be able to handle it by himself? He swallowed deeply and told himself he would, but really he just hoped it wouldn't ever come to that.

His thoughts were interrupted by Reycie running over to him and he couldn't help but be a little bit bothered by it. It wasn't that he didn't like her, he just hated how she was always catching him when he was deep in thought about he and Cat's situation and he didn't want her trying to "read his mind" again. He still wasn't comfortable with the idea of anyone finding out about it.

When she approached him she stopped short, probably noticing how tense he looked. Beck felt a bit guilty; he didn't like making people feel uncomfortable around him so he smiled to make things friendlier.

"If you wanna go play I can take care of the rat for you," she offered, digging her feet into the sand more. He noticed this was a nervous habit of hers.

"Thanks, but I'm okay. I don't really feel like playing."

They both turned their attention to Cat as she let out a scream, but it was one of excitement not fear. One of the guys had picked her up and threw her over his shoulder and he was now spinning her around in circles. Cat squealed with delight, her hair whipping in the wind. When he put her down she begged him to do it again.

Reycie laughed. "God, she's like a five year old. Where did you find her?"

Beck told her, "We went to school together since we were kids. She's always sorta been around."

"Well you're lucky," she told him. "You both are. To have found 'love' and stuff…"

Beck remembered telling Cat that exact same thing that night when he was trying to get her to go sleep. It had put her at ease and thinking about it put him at ease too. Hopefully they could continue to be lucky.

"Why are you over here and not with her?" she asked him, suddenly. And he paused at first, not knowing how to respond. He wasn't sure exactly what she was insinuating by the question. Was she trying to say that he didn't love her? Or was it merely just a simple observation and she wasn't trying to say anything at all. The look on her face showed concern so Beck figured that she could probably tell something was bothering him and cared enough to try to help. He didn't know why though, since they barely knew each other.

Finally, he decided to be honest. "I'm just thinking…" Beck could only really think clearly when he wasn't with Cat because somehow she always managed to cloud his judgment. When she was around he would believe everything she said and go along with whatever she wanted. "I love her and I want her to be happy. So I'm thinking of ways to make her happy," and then he added, "And to keep her that way." As simple as he'd put it, the underlying meaning in his words were revealed by the look on his face after he'd said it.

Reycie nodded, mulling over his words. It looked like the wheels were turning in her brain, as if she was suddenly realizing something. Then she whispered, "I knew it," so low that Beck could barely hear her.

"What?"

She shook her head, brushing it off. "Nothing. I think you're what makes her happy. You should go over and be with her."

Beck stared at her strangely for a moment, but she just urged him on. So he stood up and handed Harry over to her, assuming he was leaving him in good hands. When he ran over to Cat he was met with a hug, the shorter girl wrapping her arms around his waist and pressing herself up against him. He rested his chin on top of her head and wrapped his arms around her shoulders. The sky had darkened to where they couldn't tell if it was just getting later in the evening or if it was really about to storm, but then a low rumble heard from above gave them their answer. Cat shivered and withdrew her arms from around him to curl them against her chest, but she kept her close proximity. Beck rubbed her back. "It's okay it's just a storm…" he said, but then he remembered how afraid she was of them. "We should get back to the RV."

Cat nodded and he took her hand. They walked back over to the blanket where Reycie was sitting with the rest of their stuff. "I think we're gonna head back now," Beck said.

Reycie nodded in agreement. "It looks like it's gonna get pretty bad. How far away are you guys parked?"

"Not too far…just under a mile," he said. Then it started to rain, heavy drops and the wind started to pick up. Cat buried herself underneath Beck's arm to shield herself.

"My house is right up street. You guys are welcome to come over til the storm is over. I don't think you're gonna make it if you try to get back now…"

Beck didn't really have time to think about it. He could tell by the way Cat cringed at his side that she was scared and he knew there was no way they'd be able to make it back to the RV because the storm was already happening now. So they quickly packed up their things and followed Reycie, sprinting back to her house.

They managed to make it without getting too soaked. Reycie lived in a small home with one floor and two bedrooms. There wasn't much to it but they didn't really need much since it was just her and her mother living there. When they entered the living room her mom was sitting on the couch and she acknowledged them briefly before turning back to the television.

Reycie led them to the back where her room was. Which was pretty bare except for a bed, a stereo, and a million posters plastered all over the walls. "Make yourselves at home. I'll be right back," she said and then she disappeared down the hallway.

When Beck turned to Cat, her face yielded a completely different expression, he saw that her entire demeanor had changed. "What's wrong, Cat?" he asked.

Her eyes were a little red but he couldn't tell if her face was wet from the rain or if it was because she'd been crying. "Is Harry okay?" she asked, sadly.

"Yeah, he's fine. See?" Beck showed her the bag where he'd been tucked underneath the blankets, safe and sound.

Cat seemed to understand but it didn't really calm her down much. She still looked upset.

"I don't feel so good…" she told him.

"Are you sick?"

She shook her head and looked away but Beck took her by the chin and made her look at him. He didn't even have to ask to know what was wrong.

Reycie entered the room with a plate of mini bagels in her hand. "I thought you guys might be hungry, so I…is everything okay?"

Beck nodded quickly. "Yeah, thanks again for letting us come here. I hope we're not intruding."

"Of course not. You can stay as long as you need to. I already talked to my mom and she doesn't care."

Beck nodded and thanked her again while Cat fell to her knees on the floor beside him. She sat with her legs curled up underneath her and stared at the ground.

"What's wrong, Cat?" Reycie asked.

"I'm just tired," she replied, her voice slightly hoarse.

"Oh," Reycie looked at Beck for a confirmation but he didn't want to give anything away so he just kept his mouth shut.

The next couple of minutes were filled with awkward silence. Reycie got the hint that they didn't want her asking anymore questions so she stopped, but then she didn't really know what else to talk about. Beck didn't say anything because he was too busy silently freaking out, trying to figure out what to do next. Meanwhile, Cat sat completely mute, curled up on the floor cradling Harry in her lap. Beck figured they just needed to get out of there as soon as they could so they could talk but they had to wait for the storm to let up and in the end it didn't for a while. It was already past dark when things finally calmed down outside. Cat had stayed in her spot on the floor the whole time they had been there, but at some point she'd lain down on her side and managed to fall asleep. When Beck noticed this he moved over to where she was and lifted her up so that she was resting her head on his lap instead of the floor.

"We should probably head out soon," Beck told Reycie. She was fiddling with her radio, trying to find a station.

"Uhh are you sure?" she said, looking over at the sleeping girl in his lap. "If you need to stay you can stay."

"We couldn't."

But she just hopped to her feet and said, "No, it's fine. You guys can sleep here and I'll crash in the living room."

"But this is your room."

"It's cool; I usually fall asleep in front of the TV anyway."

Beck was still wary about sleeping in a stranger's house, but then again Reycie wasn't really a stranger now. And he didn't want to have to wake up Cat and drag her all the way back to the RV because he knew by the time they got back she would be up for the rest of the night. So he thanked Reycie about a hundred times for her generosity and he and Cat ended up spending the night.

Reycie stayed in the room with him for a while and they made lighthearted conversation but eventually they both got tired. So she helped him get Cat into bed and then retreated to the living room. As tired as Beck was, he had a hard time getting to sleep. Part of it was because he was so used to sleeping in his RV, that the unfamiliar surroundings were making it difficult for him. But the other part was just because he had so much stuff weighing down on his mind. He did manage to put his burdens aside for a little bit and eventually he drifted off, with Cat beside him, but it wasn't until hours later. And because of this he ended up sleeping well into the afternoon the next day.

He didn't realize how late it was until he looked at the clock on the stereo beside the bed. When he turned to Cat and saw that she wasn't there it didn't surprise him. She usually always woke up before he did anyway. He figured she'd probably gotten bored and went off to go find Reycie.

Beck rubbed his eyes and rolled off the bed to go find them. When he made his way to the living room he could see Reycie and her mom sitting down in the kitchen eating breakfast. Reycie spotted him and waved him over. "Hey, sleepyhead," she greeted.

"Hi." Beck scanned the area but didn't see Cat anywhere.

"You guys sure sleep late. I wasn't sure if I should wake you up or not."

"Are you hungry?" Her mom asked, offering a box of cereal.

Beck lied and said that he wasn't. He didn't want to intrude on them anymore than he already was.

"No, but thank you. We should probably go ahead on and get out of your hair."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded and once again looked around the room. "Where's Cat?"

Beck got nervous when Reycie and her mom exchanged confused glances. "She's not still asleep?"

Beck shook his head slowly but then went back to check again. Reycie got up and ran after him. He looked all around the room, in the closet and even under the bed but she wasn't anywhere. "We'll check the other rooms," Reycie said. And Beck nodded, his heart starting to pound in his chest. He'd never realized it before but this really was his greatest fear coming to life. He'd lost Cat before but he'd always found her immediately right after. Something about this time was different, he had a bad feeling in his gut.

He and Reycie split up to search the house but it didn't take long because there were only so many places she could be. Reycie checked her mom's room and she went to have a look outside while Beck checked the bathroom and the hall closets. Cat was nowhere to be found.

He joined Reycie outside and they took turns calling her name, looking every which way around the neighborhood. They walked back and forth, up and down the street looking for her but when they realized she wasn't there eventually they gave up. "Dammit," Beck cursed loudly because he was starting to freak out a little bit. "I don't understand why she would just leave? Why would she run away like this?" he demanded.

Reycie furrowed her eyebrows together for a moment in thought. Beck didn't expect her to have any answers but he was desperate, so he stood and waited for her to respond. She looked like she was about to say something but then she just shook her head and shrugged. "I'm sorry."

"I have to find her." He stated. There was no question about that. He started down the street; he didn't have a particular place in mind to go but he knew he couldn't just sit still for too long.

Reycie ran after him. "I'll come with you and help you look. She can't be too far right? We can check the beach first. I'll call Chris and Doug and they can help too."

Beck nodded and she put her hand on his shoulder. "Don't worry we're gonna find her."

After Reycie's friends showed up, the four of them spent hours searching. They walked the entire beach but after awhile they realized she wasn't there. They decided to split up, Reycie's friends promising to keep looking and ask around the area while Reycie and Beck went back to the RV to see if she was there. Beck didn't know why he hadn't gone to look there in the first place; if Cat had left in the middle of the night he figured that would probably be the first place she'd go. Unless she really did want to get away from him then that would be the last place she'd think to go. But when they finally made it over there Beck realized he was right. The door was left unlocked when he'd specifically remembered locking it and things inside looked like they'd been mussed about. Beck had hoped he'd find her there but unfortunately he didn't.

"You think she was here?" Reycie asked.

He nodded. Unless somebody had broken in and decided not to take anything. Reycie took a look around while Beck sat down for a moment, trying to think of what to do next. "Beck, if you're really worried maybe we should call the police," she suggested.

He had thought about that. And as much as he didn't want to Cat's safety needed to come first. She was out there somewhere all alone and the fact that she was sort of unstable right now just made things worse. "Yeah, if we don't have her back by tonight then we will. You have to wait 24 hours before doing a missing persons report anyway right?"

"But if it's a special case I'm sure that doesn't even matter."

"What do you mean 'special case'?"

"Just..." She bit her lip, struggling. "Nothing. I just mean if you guys ran away then cops are probably already looking for you so it doesn't matter."

"Right. I guess that does make sense." Beck stood up from where he was sitting and made for the door, Reycie following behind him. "Hey if you had something else you needed to do today I wouldn't get mad if you ditched me. I feel kinda bad," he admitted.

"Don't it's fine. I want to help you," she told him. "And besides, I know this town and you don't. You kinda need me."

"I don't even know where to look next," he admitted again, more to himself than to her. He really was at a loss for what to do next. The city was huge and the girl could have literally been anywhere.

"If you're really worried then let's just call the police."

There were a few reasons why he didn't want to do that but Beck knew it might eventually come to that. "I just wish I knew why she left in the first place," he muttered.

Suddenly she stopped walking and Beck did too. Reycie gave him an uneasy look and started kicking at the dirt road, shifting back and forth on her feet. "Beck, I have to tell you something."


The next chapter isn't as long as this one but I have most of it written already so it should be up soon. It mainly focuses on Cat so you'll find out where she's gone off to.

Thanks for reading and please leave a review! Pretty please? :)