Hi guys!

I got a few comments on my last chapter about how people didn't like Kate and that they didn't feel anything towards here and I'm so happy you're all sharing your genuine opinions with me but here's the thing. I don't want you to like Kate, just yet. She isn't a good person at the minute and I'm happy that I'm able to convey that through how I am writing the character. I also want to remind you that these characters are 17 years old, during this time of your life you drift apart from friends, sometimes for no reason but I promise you there is a reason for the destruction of C/B's friendship but you'll just have to wait ;)

ALSO, keep in mind that this is an AU therefore the personalities of the characters won't be the same as they are in the show at this moment in the story.

Anyway, I hope you enjoy the new chapter!

KATE'S POV

Kate's fast feet slapped against the hard, snowy concrete of a New York City alley as she fled from the shadowy figure gaining on her. Her breathing was shallow and she knew she couldn't keep running, fear swallowing her entire body as she realised what was about to happen as her legs slowly froze and she fell to the ground, the only warmth coming from the tears rolling down her cheeks. Although her mind was moving fast, she was able to hear a pair of footsteps getting closer and closer to her as the figure came to stand over her now, shivering body. She still couldn't make out the figures' face which lit a fire of fury inside her but she was unable to move, scream...she was paralyzed. She watched with helpless eyes as the figure rose their arm, meeting her gaze with the barrel of a gun and before Kate could even make an attempt to scream there was a bang and then there was darkness.

Kate shot up, hair sticking to her face with sweat as she frantically checked her body for blood or any marks. It had been almost a week since her moms funeral and this has been one of the dreams that kindly visited her while she slept resulting in no sleep at all. It had been beginning to take it's toll on her face, leaving her with bags that even her concealer was struggling to cover. She'd have to solve that, she didn't need people having 'concern' for her. Although it had almost been a week, the days had seemed to roll into one, never ending nightmare with her dad having to go back into the office, she was left alone with her thoughts and occasionally Tom, her boyfriend, but he just got on her nerves after a couple of hours which would end in a huge fight that honestly, she couldn't be bothered with and didn't have the energy to fight. "Stop thinking" she told herself as she rolled her clammy body over to look at the time, it was 6am, she was awake at 6am on a goddamn Saturday. Although she could hear he dad moving around the kitchen, she didn't want to see him, she hadn't prepared herself for another day of putting on a smile and pretending everything was okay. She did, however, need a shower as her entire body felt disgusting so with a push she managed to get herself out of bed and walked into the bathroom, wincing at her reflection as she brushed her teeth. She'd really need to invest in some high end make up to solve this problem, she thought, making a mental note. She really did want to get some normality back into her life but there was something stopping her, a darkness, that got heavier with every nightmare that held her back. She shook the thought off, turning on the shower and slipping in letting her body relax.

Kate had accidentally spent longer than anticipated in the shower and when she got out, noticed the house was silent indicating that her father had gone. She sighed with relief at the thought she wouldn't have to put on a smile, it was easier to spend the day alone. She braided her long, wet hair and got dressed, slipping on a pair of black skinny jeans and a burgundy sweater. She moved out her jeans as she looked in the mirror, they had become looser but not so much that it was noticeable, she had time. Her thoughts were interrupted by four loud knocks on the door, she was confused as her dad would have left a note saying someone was stopping by and she hadn't invited anyone over. Kate thought about ignoring it and pretending she was home but there were another 4 knocks and she was curious. Making her way out of her room, she padded down the stairs and moved slowly towards the door. For some weird reason she started to get anxious, thoughts of the shadowed person from her nightmares clouding her thoughts. She shook the feeling off, internally telling herself that she was ridiculous as she forced herself to turn the lock and open the door. Regret hit her like a wave as soon as she saw the person standing on the other side, it was her boyfriend and she was still pissed off from the last time he was here and had gotten mad about not being invited to her mom's funeral. They were both kinda out of it but she remembers slapping him and she remembers not being sorry. Here's the thing about their relationship, it had started off great. He made her so so happy but after time, they had started becoming destructive and the only time they'd ever get along was either when they were drunk or high. Kate couldn't bring herself to break up with him though, she could tell much he needed her, how much he loved her and she felt guilty for not feeling the same way. The least she could do was wait for a few more days and blame grief right?

"What do you want?" Kate asked coldly, watching him anxiously search her eyes for some sort of feeling. She knew he was worried about her and she appreciated it, she really did but the walls she had built were way to high to let him in and she was sorry for that...he deserved someone better. "I wanted to check on you. I-uh-brought some vodka and um, Ryan hooked me up with some of these"he said hopefully as he anxiously held up a small bag of white pills. Kate contemplated him for a minute, taking in the items in his hands, she wanted to say no, to have a day she remembered fully but she wasn't strong enough as she pulled him past the threshold by his shirt, kissing him with all the effort she could muster. Kate led him to the kitchen, getting to plastic tumblers and blanket, it was cold outside and was probably going to get colder. It was for him more than herself, she thought to herself. They walked through the wet grass until they came to the large tree that Kate had passed out under the night of her mom's funeral. She knew Castle had carried her to the house and she was very aware that she had touched his face. Damn alcohol, it made her vulnerable and had shown him how not okay she was. She knew he'd be making sure she was okay when they next ran into each other and that irritated her. She was always awful to him, why would he care? She was brought out of her thoughts by Demming passing her a half-full tumbler and one of the white pills. Kate mumbled her thanks and in one swift motion, ingested the pill chasing it with vodka that stung her throat. She decided she liked the feeling though, it was nice to feel something.

2 hours had passed and in that time Demming and Kate had finished the vodka and the majority of the pills. Kate had been in and out of sleeping for the past hour or so, assuming that's what was supposed to happen...she hadn't actually asked what she was taking which was stupid of her, she knew but she trusted Tom, he wouldn't put her in danger. Before her brain could control her body, Kate had found Demming's body and was now sitting in his lap, their lips moving together in a struggle of dominance, ironically summing up their entire relationship but now was not the time, Kate told herself, she just wanted to feel something. She tried to focus of Demming's hands that had bunched up her sweatshirt and were now on her bare hips rubbing tiny circles and then slowly moved to remove her of the sweatshirt all together, leaving her in black lacy bra. The cold hit her then, it reminded her of her dream, lying in the snowy alley way living out her last moments. After that, everything hit her all at once, her body went rigid and her vision started to fade leaving Demming as nothing but a blurry, shadow who hadn't noticed the change in her body language making the panic worse. "St-stop! GET OFF ME" screamed Kate as her back hit the wet grass, Demming or in Kate's current state of mind, the shadow from her nightmare moving towards her, too high to realise what was happening. Screams and pathetic cries escaped Kate's throat, unwillingly, her mind was forcing her to get someone's attention.

RICK'S POV

Rick had been sitting in his room all day, editing an article for the school paper. He had decided early on to put his headphones on so he could block out any outside noise making it easier for him to concentrate and he really needed too. This was almost a week late due to everything that had been going on with Kate's mom but his life was almost back to normal and he was finally getting back into routine which gave him a strange sense of satisfaction. He had been at it for at least 3 hours now and his phone was backed up with missed texts from Alexis, an indication it was time to call it a day. Looking at his screen he made a mental note to text her back. He'd missed her a lot. Sliding his headphones off his head, he sighed deeply allowing the sounds of the world to flood his ears but what he was met with was a sound similar to a crying child. This confused him due the fact it was a disgustingly cold day and no parents would be letting their kids out. Curiosity took over as he moved to his window to get a better sense of where the noise was coming from. His stomach dropped as he realised it was coming from Kate's house, he hadn't seen her since the night of her mom's funeral and i had assumed that she didn't want to see him so kept his distance but there was something in her screams that sounded hopeless and terrified. He had to go check on her and he knew his mom had a spare key to her house, he knew he was being paranoid but he'd never forgive himself if he didn't check on her and something he could have prevented happened so he made his way downstairs, got the keys and went out of the door in a speed he hadn't seen in himself before.

Rick cursed under his breath and his hands fumbled trying to get the key in the lock. He finally got the door to open and ran inside "KATE? Are you okay?" he shouted receiving no reply. He went upstairs checking the her bedroom, it was empty and he was confused. Making his way back down the kitchen he was replaying the screams in his mind, had he been imagining things? No, no he wasn't as now standing in the kitchen he could see the door to the garden had been left open, explaining why the house was so cold and he could hear faint whimpers coming from outside, his hands formed fists as he stepped into the cold. At first he couldn't see anything, trusting his ears to follow the faint sounds but as he got closer to Kate's large tree, he was able to make out two figures, one a lot larger than they other. "HEY!" he screamed angrily, surprising himself as the larger figure turned around, it was Demming and he looked out of it and a bit further in front was Kate, in nothing but her jeans and a bra. She looked cold and terrified. Castle ran over to her, pushing Demming away and shouting "CAN'T YOU SEE SHE'S HAVING A PANIC ATTACK!" but he got no real response. Demming just stared at him with dark eyes and then stood up, walking off and leaving Kate. That sickened Rick, how could he just leave her like this? When he turned back to Kate she was just staring into the distance, her eyes dark and filled with fear. He couldn't comfort her, that would be crossing so many lines so he placed a hand on her shoulder "Kate...you in there?" he carefully asked. It seemed to get her attention as she turned to face him, dazed at first but he noticed the fear in her eyes slowly being replaced with anger as she finally came out of her panic and became aware of her surroundings. She must of as she she was quick to cover up her chest as she noticed who was facing her. This should be fun, Rick thought to himself.

"Kate, are you okay? I heard you screaming and i just thou-" he quickly tried to tell her before being interrupted by an angry Kate. "WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE, CASTLE?! WHERE THE FUCK IS TOM?" she spat back at him, it honestly took him by surprise. Was she really going to do this right now? Something in Rick snapped, his face becoming hard. "Like i said, i heard screaming and was worried. Demming left in a drugged up state when he realised you were having a panic attack. What exactly is the problem here, Kate? Cause all I did was having concern for someone who used to be my friend and i'm sorry if that is so outrages to you." he coldly told her, standing up to walk away. He had noticed Kate was a little taken a back by his sudden change in attitude. "Cast-Castle. wait." she said defeated but Rick was done and he decided that he was going to end this right then and there. "No, Kate. You've treated me like crap for years and i'm even sure why but it sucked. I tried to be there for you this past week but you've thrown it back in my face every damn time and i'm done, Kate. I'm glad you're okay, i'll see you around school." and with that he turned around and started to walk away, leaving Kate sitting in the grass. He felt tears stinging his eyes but he kept them back. He was not going to cry over her again.

Back in his room, Rick was hit with the reality of what he had just done. Suddenly hit with a wave of guilt, was he too hard on her? No, he was fair. It was something he had to do to move on from the ruins of their friendship. With that thought, he picked up his phone and texted Alexis "Hey, want too go get some ice cream later? Lots to tell you x" sighing as he pressed send. Alexis will help him clear his head, she kept him sane most times with her constant logic and seriousness which contrasted well with his over active imagination. Looking at the time he saw it was only 3pm and decided to do some more work so he could kill time until his plans with Alexis and too keep his mind off Kate. That chapter was done...for good.

Hope you guys enjoyed!

Remember to review/comment/share your general opinions cause i appreciate every single one :)

Sending everyone good vibes.