"What do you mean she isn't seeing anybody?" Ben asked for the third time that night. The nurse was no longer amused by the young man's persistence.

"She asked to have no one enter the room," she said yet again. "So no one is allowed in, not even you."

"I'm her medically attorney," Ben said. "I have the right to make decisions for her and I am deciding that she is allowed visitors. Especially me."

The nurse stopped and looked up at the young man who towered over her. She glared at him. "First of, your father is appointed medical attorney, Benjamin Benedict. Secondly, only when the patient is not of sound mind and considered inadequate to make her own decisions would you be allowed. And, we have very much decided that she is adequate to speak for herself. Now I have other patients to look at, and I expect you to either be in the waiting room or gone home by the time I've returned." Turning pointedly, she walked off, leaving Ben fuming behind her.

He'd returned from calling his parents to find out that Kathryn had woken up, had a confrontation with her father, leading to a panic attack, and then kicked everyone out of her room. While he was assured that she was fine from the attack, Gordon and John having calmed her through it, he was very much upset that he hadn't been there for her. He hadn't been there when she woke up, and now wasn't even allowed to see her. He needed to see for himself that she was finally back and safe.

"She thinks she can get rid of me that easily," he muttered and walked towards her room. He didn't even slow as he grabbed the door handle and threw the door open. He saw Kathryn, on her side, her auburn hair shielding her face.

"Get up you brat," he told her, stalking over to the end of her bed. "I know you aren't a sleep."

Kathryn turned around and glared at him. "You aren't supposed to be in here Benjamin."

"You think that's going to stop me you brat?" he asked, knowing very well she didn't like being called a brat. But he wanted her fullest attention.

"Stop calling me that."

"I'll stop calling you that when you stop acting like that."

"Leave me alone Benjamin! I don't want you in here so get the hell out!"

"I won't! As your best friend it is my job to tell you when you're in the wrong, and this is it!"

"When I'm in the wrong? I was just abducted and forced to relive my nightmares! Don't you dare tell me I'm in the wrong!"

"Don't you think I know that?!" Ben shouted and huffed. "What do you think I've been doing the past couple hours? Sitting in my room waiting for you to get back from yours? Hell no! The second I knew something was wrong I went out of my room and ran to get you! But you know what happened? I was attacked from behind, and left there unconscious. I've been trying to get to you ever since I woke up. And all I've been thinking was that I had to get you, get you out of there." He broke off, taking a deep breath. "Don't you think I know?" he said softer. He walked over to the side of her bed and sat down. "I woke up to your brother over me and I knew you were gone. I ran to our tree to see if you'd made it there. But you weren't and I knew that I had let you down. I'm sorry Kat, but you can't shut me out."

"Yes I can," Kathryn said avoiding his gaze, her voice was stern. "And I will."

Ben started to panic, because he'd never heard her say something like that before. This wasn't their first fight, not even their first screaming match. But never had he heard that she was willing to keep him out. Not since she'd finally let him in. He'd finally let her down. That's why he'd marched into this room to begin with, because he couldn't believe she was shutting him out. She'd done it before, but never like this. "Kat, I'm sorry. I'm so sorry I wasn't there to protect you. That I hadn't believed you earlier, that I hadn't taken you away from Princeton earlier." He grabbed her hand, which she tried to pull away only to have him hold on to her stronger. "I'm so sorry Kat, please don't shut me out. I need you, you're my best friend." He placed the back of her hand to his forehead waiting for her to respond.

"Stop Ben," Kathryn said, sounding pained and upset. She was looking away from him, at the white wall. "Stop it. You don't need me, okay, you can't. You have to stay away from me Ben, I'm broken. I'm only good at getting people close to me hurt. He could have killed you and it would have been my fault. I can't have someone else die because of me. And you're going to be a doctor, a famous one, you don't need me. I'm one of those people who nothing good comes to the people around them. My brothers are fine without me, and when Virgil came close, he got hurt. He almost died because of me. I can't have that happen to any of the others. And I definitely can't have that happen to you, never you." She was crying, softly and it killed him to hear her words.

"Shut up," he told her softly and turned her face towards him gently, stroking her tear soaked cheek. Ben looked into her gray eyes, seeing them pained he knew that if would rather die than see her like this. "I do need you Kathryn Tracy. I'm pretty sure I've needed you more than you needed me."

"Ben," she whispered.

"I can't imagine my life without you," he went on. "There are so many choices I made in life because of you, and I am happy with how those choices turned out. Even if I tried, I don't think I could stay away from you. And the doctor thing? Well I'd go insane at school without you Kat. Whenever I think I'm about to go insane, you're right there dragging me off to the park, or the river, to try some new camera you got." He chuckled, wiping away her tears with his thumb. "And then I'm happy, especially just to see you happy. So never think I'm better off without you. You're stuck with me forever, got that?" He placed his forehead to hers, bumping heads slightly.

"Why do you want to be stuck with me for anyhow?" Kathryn whispered softly. And Ben smiled as he chuckled softly.

"So I kiss you any time I want," he whispered back and did just that.

Ben had meant what he said, that she was stuck with him. Whether it was as her best friend, or more than that, he wasn't going to leave her side. Because she was wrong, she wasn't broken. And maybe he was pushing it, kissing her right here and now. But there were just certain things he wouldn't let himself control.

He kissed her softly and tenderly, because he knew what he wanted but he didn't know what she did. He pulled back, not getting a response from her. But then she leaned into him and kissed him just as softly as he had, and Ben smiled. He placed a hand at the nape of her neck, his fingers burying themselves under her auburn hair. Then Kathryn tilted her head slightly, and their kissed changed. It was no longer a question of caring, but a confirmation of what they now had.

"I thought you didn't like Sweet Home Alabama," Kathryn whispered after pulling back, a smile on her face.

"Have I told you how cute you look when you blush?" Ben asked, smiling and changing the topic on her. She blushed a deeper color as he stroked her cheek. "Now scoot."

A/N: Super short fluffy piece for Kat and Ben. Reunited at last. Thanks to everyone whose kept reading up to this point!