I found this on my computer and thought I'd post it. It's rather short and I'm not sure if I'll leave it as a one-shot or continue it to be something more. Just a short Cate/Lux bonding moment. I think it would come sometime mid-season when Cate and Ryan are kind of seperated...not that that really matters for this piece!

It was the fourth night in a row.

The first time she had dismissed it as a simple dream. A usual occurrence that happened to almost everyone at least once.

The second time had worried her a little more. She asked her about it the next morning only to get a stone wall of no answers and a shrug.

The third time she had nearly bounded into her room as if she could save her from the night terror but decided against it. If there was one thing she could say about her daughter it was that she liked her privacy. It seemed that sometimes trying to help did more harm than good.

But this fourth night, as the uneasy whimpers and unconscious screams pulled her from rest, she could not find it in herself to ignore whatever was taking place above. She ungracefully pulled herself out of bed, tripping over her feet as she crossed the cold hardwood floor. In the darkness she could spot the outline of her oversized college sweatshirt and hastily pulled it over her head, sliding the long sleeves over her icy hands. She tripped once more on her way for the door and for a moment paused to worry about making so much noise; until coming to another harsh realization that her bedside was as empty as it had been for nearly the past month.

Her steps stopped as she came to the attic ladder. She folded her arms across her chest, listening carefully to the ruffling of sheets and cries that came from the room above. Logic told her to go back to bed. But her emotions and her heart, and something that she had come to recognize as a maternal instinct, had her nearly sprinting to be at her daughter's side. She pulled in a calming breath. "Don't screw this up Cate," she murmured to herself as she twisted her hands in apprehension. It seemed that was all she knew how to do when it came to her daughter but now more than ever she prayed that she could do something right. She had been trying to prove herself for months. Trying to prove to both herself and Lux that she was capable of being a mother. Now as another chance presented itself she found she was shaking with panic and swallowing down pits of fear.

She carefully climbed the steps of the ladder, timidly placing one foot in front of the other and retaining her balance the best she could. With each move closer Lux's panting and yelps became louder and had her heart clenching tighter. The room was dark when Cate finally entered and she walked slowly to ensure that she did not stumble over loose shoes or unkempt laundry.

"Lux . . ." she whispered gently. Her voice was hardly audible over the thrashing that took place on the bed as the sixteen year old tossed and turned with her dreams.

"No!" Lux cried out, eyes still sealed shut in fitful sleep. "Stop!"

Cate moved without hesitation now, propelled by the pain of her child and less concerned with the after effects. She pulled the chain of the infamous bong lamp, illuminating the bedside in a subtle glow. She simultaneously found a spot on the side of Lux's mattress as she gently grabbed one of her slender shoulders. "Lux, honey, it's just a dream," she said in an attempt to pull her from sleep.

"No . . ." she whimpered.

"Lux," Cate said more firmly, nudging her with a little more force. "Lux, it's Cate. You're having a nightmare. Wake up. Lux!"

With a harsh draw of air Lux bolted up in bed, sweat dampening the back of her neck and her face flushed of all color. Tears clung to the corners of her cerulean eyes as she panted helplessly for air as if she had just sprinted a hundred yards. "Oh God," she breathed with a sob.

"It's okay now," Cate told her gently. Her voice shook as she said the words, unable to comprehend exactly what was taking place. "You were just having a nightmare . . ."

Once setting eyes on her mother, Lux's tears came more quickly and in an instant Cate had thrown her arms around her, pulling her in for a close embrace. Lux melted in her grasp, shuddering violently with each sob, clinging helplessly to Cate as more cries ripped through her.

"Shhh," Cate soothed softly. She rubbed gentle circles on Lux's back and rested her chin on the top of her head of blonde locks. Only worry gripped her as she sought to understand the magnitude of the situation. In her heart she knew something much greater was waiting for the pair and she shivered as she waited on the prospect. "Its okay, Lux. It's okay . . ."

She could say nothing in response. The recurring nightmare had sucked all the life and energy out of her. She leaned desperately into Cate, allowing her head to rest limply on her chest and relishing in the comfort granted from her mother's tender arms. Her tears soaked into Cate's University of Oregon sweatshirt, forming a damp spot on the front. A surprising calm came over her at Cate's familiar sweet smell, a strange combination of lavender and the cold Portland streets. Her voice was softer now than it had ever seemed possible had anyone heard her on the radio. It was soothing and made her feel warm and safe. In fact for the first time in her life she could only feel nurture surrounding her.

And suddenly she thought she finally knew what a mother felt like.

"You're okay now," Cate was whispering gently.

"I'm sorry," Lux managed as her cries slowly subsided, making it easier for her to breathe.

"No don't be sorry, honey," she replied, rubbing down the hair on the back of her head. There was silence for a moment as Lux's sobs calmed and Cate no longer had to hush her. After a moment of quiet, she swallowed hard and cleared her throat. "Lux, what were you dreaming about?"

She could feel Lux stiffen beneath her and another soft whimper escaped her lips. Her voice cracked as she answered, "The past."

"Do you want to talk about it?" Cate asked timidly. It secretly killed Cate to be cut out of a part of Lux's life. To be in the dark of her past. It killed her more to know that whatever grief stemmed from said past was existent because of her.

"No," Lux answered weakly.

"Okay," she whispered. A moment of quiet passed again and Cate shifted her position, causing Lux to nearly jump with fright and panic.

"Cate," Lux whimpered in alarm. "Don't leave me."

Her heart shattered at the words and she hugged her daughter closer. "I won't. I won't," Cate insisted softly. "I'm right here. I'm not going anywhere."

Lux's body slackened with ease once more, resting back against Cate who had moved herself so her back was against the headboard. She sighed in relief and nestled deeper into her mother's hold. "Thanks Cate," she whispered as she closed her eyes again and stifled a yawn.

"Of course," she replied gently. "I'm here Lux. And . . . and whenever you're ready to talk, I'll be here. I don't . . . I don't know what's wrong, but I want to help make it okay."

"You can't," Lux told her sadly.

"I can try," Cate said hopelessly. She kept her arm close around Lux as she pressed her cheek to the top of her head. Tears peeled slowly from her mahogany eyes and a lump grew in her throat. "They hurt you, didn't they?"

"I don't like to talk about it," Lux whispered hoarsely.

Cate shuddered at the response. It killed her. But she couldn't avoid it any longer. She had to know, even if it hurt her and Lux in the process. "But you dream about it?" Cate asked.

"I don't like to talk about it."

"Lux, what did they do to you?"

"I don't like to talk about it!" Lux exclaimed, sitting up. Sobs overcame her again. "Please Cate. Please, don't make me. I don't like to talk about it. I don't like to talk about it. I don't like to talk about it."

"Shhhhh," Cate hushed frantically as Lux continued to chant in hysterics. She pulled her back into her arms, rocking her back and forth. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry. You don't have to . . ."

"I don't like to talk about it . . ." Lux drifted off with a sniffle.

"I won't make you," she whispered. "But nothing bad is going to happen to you again, Lux. Okay? I'm not going to leave you again. You're safe here."

"I know," she said.

"I love you, Lux," Cate whimpered genuinely.

"I love you too, mom," Lux murmured back, eyes fluttering with one last blink before she fell into rest.