When Kate came down the next morning, she was met by a look from Alexis she couldn't decipher.

"Hey Sweetie." Kate smiled, coming to sit beside her at the table for breakfast. "Where's daddy?"

"Office, writing." Alexis murmured. Kate couldn't help the twinge of concern that pulled at her heart strings.

"Hey, you okay?" She asked softly, stroking the back of the girl's head with her palm. Alexis looked at her carefully.

"Are you okay now?" Kate's brow furrowed.

"Me? Why wouldn't' I be okay, Alexis?" The four year old looked down at her lap. "Hey, Lexi, look at me." Kate asked softly. She did as she was told. "Why wouldn't I be okay?" Alexis shrugged.

"Daddy had to help you with your bad dream." Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I heard you crying." Kate's eyes slipped shut, utter mortification rolling through her.

"I'm okay. I, uhh, I'm just going to go talk to your dad for a minute okay?" Alexis immediately looked guilty.

"Did I do something bad?" She asked timidly. Kate shook her head with a small smile as she stood.

"No, of course you didn't." She leaned down and kissed the top of her head before heading to the office.

She knocked on the doorframe as she took a small step around the open door. Rick double saved his work before looking up.

"Hey, sleep alright?" He asked with a smile. Kate frowned at him, depleting his own expression.

"Can I come in?" She asked quietly. Rick nodded and set his laptop back on the desk, taking his feet off the corner before holding out his hand towards the couch in the corner.

"What's up?" He asked as she sat down, staring at her hands and sighing.

"I woke Alexis up then huh?" She asked so quietly he almost missed it. Her shoulders slumped as she buried her hands in her hair. "I'm sorry Rick." He quickly wheeled his chair forward until he was in front of her.

"Kate?" He gently slotted his hand under her chin and applied a gentle pressure, just enough to make her look at him.

"The nightmares aren't new. I've had one almost every night since. Sometimes up to four in a night. Sometimes I wake myself up; sometimes my dad won't be paralytic yet and wakes me." She shrugged. "I should have told you. I should have warned you just how broken I am, before you brought me into your home with your angelic daughter, I should have said something, I should..." Rick gently placed one hand at the back of her head and the other over her mouth.

"Kate, stop it. Nightmares are natural. Alexis went missing in a store last year and I had nightmares for three weeks. They're a normal reaction to trauma, you never have to apologise for them. Not to me." Her eyes slipped closed for a moment before she nodded. "If you wanna talk about them however, my door's always open." Kate slipped her hand up to gently take his, entwining their fingers as she pulled it away from her face.

"Was it bad? I don't remember." She murmured. Rick stroked his thumb back and forth at the base of her skull where his hand still rested.

"It wasn't great, I'll admit." Kate sighed. "It really frightened me when you cried out and then went limp." He chuckled self-consciously. "I check your pulse." He admitted softly. Kate sighed again, squeezing his hand.

"I'm s..." he shot her a look and she changed tactic. "I didn't mean to frighten you. I didn't have one the night I phoned you and I thought it was because I knew you were there. So I thought, maybe, I wouldn't have them here. Guess I was wrong." She shrugged disheartened. Rick wheeled forward some more until his knees bracketed hers.

"Kate, if..." he paused, not really sure how she'd take this offer. "If you have a nightmare, and it doesn't wake Alexis and she doesn't come wake me, you know you can come wake me, right?" She opened her mouth to protest but he shook his head. "No, Kate. I mean it. In fact, I'm asking you. If you have a nightmare tonight, come down here and wake me." He pointed to a door to his left. "That's my bedroom. It's never locked. If you have a nightmare and wake yourself up, and need someone, come wake me Kate. I will never be angry with you if you do." Kate nodded slowly.

"I, thank you." He could tell she was struggling. He gently guided her head forward and placed a lingering kiss to her forehead. When he pulled back, he smiled at the soft smile curving her lips.

"Now, have you eaten yet?"

It took very little persuasion to make Kate stay the night again. They had managed to look at a few rehabs, but it was all too raw for Kate and once she started trembling, Rick stopped, unable to handle making her so sad. Once again, they spent the evening together with Alexis, watching a Joss Whedon show about a space cowboy that they both apparently loved. By the end, Kate had realised why.

Rick went up to tuck Alexis in while Kate took a shower, and then made his way into her room. She was running a towel through her hair in her pyjamas as she sat on the end of the bed.

"Now, you gonna come wake me if you have another nightmare?" He asked softly. Kate sighed.

"Rick, I'm not a child." She murmured a little defensively. Rick chuckled.

"I am well aware of that Kate." He smiled and couldn't help dropping his eyes to her long, tanned, perfect legs, drifting up to her face slowly, lingering on the swell of her bust for perhaps just a moment too long. She blushed furiously. "But that doesn't mean you have to suffer in silence." He continued soberly. "I want to help you through this, and you need to help me to do that." Kate nodded.

"Okay, I'll..." she sighed resignedly. "I'll come wake you. I promise." Rick smiled.

"Good. I will hopefully see you in the morning, if not, I'll see you in a few hours." Kate nodded.

"See you soon."