Kate snuck out of bed early the next morning to answer her ringing cell.

"Hello?" She murmured, closing the ensuite door behind her in an attempt to not wake Rick.

"Katie!" Her father's overly cheery cry filled the line and Kate felt her stomach drop as her eyes slipped closed.

"Daddy, do you know what time it is?" She sighed wearily, sliding down to sit against the wall.

"It's early, I know baby girl, but I wanted to talk to you." Kate let her head fall forward onto her chest.

"Okay." She plastered a smile on her face, forcing it into her voice. "What's up?" Jim made a happy noise over the line.

"I wanted to let you know, that I'm gonna stop the drink. For good, I've decided." Kate chose not to point out the irony of him making the decision drunk. "I want you to be proud of me Katie." Kate's eyes welled.

"I..." she desperately wanted to lie, to tell him she was proud, anything to take the hesitancy out of his voice, but she couldn't. "Okay." She whispered.

She knew better than to get her hopes up. She'd had a great uncle who was an alcoholic.

He'd said he was giving it up eight times in the four years she'd been old enough to be aware of it. He'd died of liver failure with a drink in his hand, shortly after she'd turned twelve.

"Rick has offered to pay. If you needed the financial help." She hedged softly.

"That was sweet of him." Jim all but hummed. "Sweetie, I love you." Kate cleared her throat, trying to shift the lump gathered there.

"I, I love you too d..." The dialling tone filled her ears just as she lost her tenuous grip on her emotions. Kate buried her face in her palms as she fought to sob silently.

"Kate?" Rick's sleep coated, husky voice broke the silence of the bathroom.

Kate startled and looked up at him, hastily wiping her eyes and nose while he folded his arms around his body, feeling the chill as he stood in just a t-shirt and his boxers.

"Hey, what's up?" He asked gently, coming further into the room. He slowly sat beside her even as she shook her head.

He grunted as his joints protested to the movement, before settling himself beside her and threading his arm around the back of her neck, drawing her into his sleep warmed chest. Kate burrowed into his body and wrapped her arms around his waist.

"Kate?" He murmured against the top of her head before pressing a kiss to her hair. "Come on, talk to me."

Kate chuckled wetly.

"He says he's giving it up." She murmured. Rick kissed her head again and laid his cheek against her crown.

"That's good isn't it?" Rick asked, entirely grateful he was able to follow her, not sure she'd be able to explain further if he didn't.

"If he means it, sure. If not..." She broke off, unable or unwilling to voice the rest. Rick sighed.

"My offer still stands Kate." She nodded beneath his cheek.

"I told him. He said that it was 'sweet'." Kate scoffed. "I wish he just wouldn't call when he's like this." She covered her mouth with both hands and shook her head quickly. "Oh god, I'm a horrible daughter." Rick threaded his arm under her brought up knees and pulled her onto his lap, wrapping his arms around her tightly, kissing her temple.

"No. Kate you're human. You have enough to deal with, with your own grief, without having to monitor and parent your dad. Without having to be ripped from your sleep at stupid o'clock in the morning to speak to your incredibly intoxicated father." Kate shivered against him. "Kate, you're freezing. Why don't you come back to bed?" Kate leaned back to look him in the eye.

"You sure you wanna take all this on?" She asked hesitant and vulnerable. Rick cupped her cheek and kissed her slowly, shallow and sweet. Kate sighed when he drew back and rested his forehead against hers.

"Wait till you meet my ex and actually have a conversation with my mother." Rick smiled softly, teasing. "Trust me. I can handle it Kate. I want to be with you. If that means dealing with him, I will gladly suffer through it. He being like this though Kate, him drinking, it's temporary. Trust me. He'll get better, and you'll be that much stronger for going through it. And I'd like to think I'll still be here, to watch when you come through the other side of this."

Kate smiled even as tears welled in her eyes at his sweet sincerity.

"I'm already really proud of how well you're coping Kate. And I will be so, so proud, when you come out the other side of this and finally get to shine as the beautiful, fantastic, extraordinary person you're meant to be."

Kate threw her arms around his neck as her lower lip trembled. He held her firmly, safely, and gently stroked her spine.

They sat in an embrace for a few minutes before Kate pulled back and wiped her eyes with the back of her hand with a wry smile. Rick smiled back and kissed her cheek.

She got to her feet and held her hand out to help Rick off the floor before leading him back to bed.

Once he was comfortable, she tucked herself neatly into the side of his body, her head resting on his chest, her hand lying over his heart.

He waited until he knew she was asleep to sigh deeply. If he had any right to, he'd have serious words with Kate's father for putting her through this.

He understood that the man had lost his wife, but Kate's world was being ripped apart and he wasn't helping.

The woman herself snuffled and buried her nose in his chest, bringing a smiled to Rick's face. At least she had him now. Between him and the bright happy little girl above them, they'd get her through this. She'd be just fine. She would get through this, and be brilliant, and Rick, for one, couldn't wait to see it.