A/N: Hey everyone! I know what you're all thinking. Where the hell have I been? I knew that I wanted to deliver this next chapter ASAP, with many of us being required to stay home and all. I hope that this chapter puts a smile on everyone's faces considering the state that we're all in. I'm definitely taking advantage of the time to give you guys Chapter 19 as well as a two part Epilogue.

Chapter 18: Polarized

It happened again. Ben found himself waking up in the middle of the night after a nightmare that came with some tossing and turning. This was probably the third time tonight that he had attempted to get some sleep. Apparently, being back at Blackwell after getting released from the hospital didn't really help him relax. He found himself lying in the bed of his dorm room, the moonlight hitting against him through the window as he forgot to close his curtains. He slowly got up and sat against the edge of his bed. It had been almost a week since what had happened to him, and although the nightmare was over, his memories were still fresh. The night he was attacked in this very room, being trapped down in the Dark Room with Jefferson, and finding out the truth about Kate as well as the fate of Rachel Amber and all those other girls. He placed his hands against his head beginning to breathe heavily. It was too much for anyone to experience and process.

He got up and walked towards his desk eyeing the orange bottle of prescribed medication. It was a set of antidepressants. Ben had never had to take these before but it was now something the doctors back at the hospital had required him to take to treat any anxiety he may have developed from the previous events. He opened the bottle and poured three tablets into his hand. He took one of them and placed the others back into the bottle before sealing it shut and grabbed a water bottle to have the pill with. After taking the medication, he decided that it would probably be a good idea to take a warm shower. But before he could find a towel and a change of clothes, he heard a knock at the door.

'Who else could be up this late.' Ben thought to himself. He decided to check who it was anyway and after opening the door, he wasn't entirely sure what to think of when he saw who it was that knocked. "Kate?" He said. She stood there with a guilty look in her eyes dressed in her white t-shirt with a floral design on the center, teal pants rolled to her ankles, and a pair of pink bunny slippers.

"Hi, Ben." She said with a tired look on her face.

"What are you…" Ben began to ask but he stopped to look outside of his room to his left and then his right. "Quick, get in." He told her. Kate let herself into his room and Ben closed the door right after.

"Kate, what are you doing here?" Ben whispered. "It's practically four in the morning and way past curfew. If any of the other guys find out that you're here then…"

"Ben! Just please listen." Kate interrupted. "I came here because... I had a nightmare."

"Oh, I'm sorry. Was it about..." Ben asked but could see tears beginning to accumulate in Kate's eyes.

"It was horrible. I thought I lost you again. And then Mr. Jefferson came back and took me to that place again to take pictures of me and then he told me what he did to you and that he was going to do the same to me and…"

"Hey, hey. It's okay. You don't have to say anymore." Ben reassured her as he came in to hug her. He held on to her tightly to let her know that he was there for her. "It's gonna be okay now. Jefferson's locked up for the rest of his life. And I swear to you, Kate Beverely Marsh, that I will do everything in my power to protect you no matter what." Ben said. "I know these last few days have been pretty rough for both of us. Why don't we both try to get some sleep before we have to get up for tomorrow. You can stay here for the rest of the night and take my bed if you want. I'll take the couch." Ben suggested.

"Thank you, Ben." I do feel better already knowing that you're here for me." Kate said. She sat on Ben's bed, kicked off her slippers, and laid down using his comforter as a cover.

As for Ben, he grabbed an extra blanket from a drawer and plopped down on the couch, hoping to fall asleep this time. But until that happened he watched Kate fall asleep first and kept his eyes trained on the door. Afterall, he just swore to protect the girl he loved, and he was going to keep his word.

"Chloe!" A voice called into Chloe's ear. "Chloe wake up!" The voice called again.

"What's up, Max?" Chloe replied as she turned over in her bed to see her best friend next to her.

"It's 7:30." Max informed her "We have to get ready…"

"To go see Rachel one last time. Got it!" Chloe said in a sad tone. "This is still so fucked. It should have been me, Max." She continued.

"Chloe, listen…" Max said sadly in an attempt to console her best friend.

"No, you listen to me Max." She replied. "Rachel had her whole life ahead of her. She could have left this town and made it big on Broadway. Shit even Hollywood. But instead, she had to spend her final moments in a bunker trapped by that sick fuck who was posing as a teacher. And the whole time I searched for her, she was buried in the place we always used to hang out at." She wept. "After I lost my dad, I literally didn't give a shit about what would happen to me. But then when I met Rachel, I felt like my life with her was like taking a drug. And when she disappeared, it was like the high wore off." She continued.

"Chloe, you can't think like that. It's not what Rachel would want." Max stated as she walked back over to the bed and sat right next to Chloe. "You can't forget that you helped get justice for her and all of those other girls that Jefferson killed. And that will always be with you." She said as she held onto Chloe's hand.

"I know, Max. It's just that I'm gonna miss her even more now. I really wish you could've gotten to meet her you know. She would have liked you." Chloe said. "Max? I need you to do something for me."

"Whatever you need." Max replied.

"I need you to swear to me." Chloe answered.

"What?" Max asked in confusion.

"Swear to me that after today, you won't ever leave me again and be there for me. Because I can't lose too. And most of all I… I love you." Chloe stated.

"Chloe, I'll never leave you. Not like last time. And I love you too." Max declared. Already having her right hand still holding Chloe's, Max reached out her left hand and placed it on Chloe's cheek. Chloe had looked at Max and felt something much more than there friendship from the past few weeks and there time together as kids. Chloe had leaned in and soon felt her lips touch Max's. Never in all her life did she feel that she would be kissing her best friend from her childhood, but here they were. For both of them it felt as if time had frozen and they were unsure of when things would resume.

There was now an hour remaining until Rachel's funeral service would begin. Ben and Kate were already dressed and on their way to the Arcadia Bay Cemetery. Kate wore a black blazer and a skirt with a white blouse underneath, black nylons, black flats and her gold chain that shone brightly under the sunlight. Ben was dressed in a black suit with a pair of black dress shoes and a white dress shirt.

"Ben? How come you're not wearing a tie?" Kate asked.

"Oh, right. I was gonna put it on before we left Blackwell. It's just that I…" He sighed. "I never learned how to tie it properly." He admitted.

"Oh, I didn't mean to..."

"No, it's okay, Kate. It's just my Dad never had the time to teach me since I only saw him over the summer. And my mom was always too busy working two jobs to put food on the table for us." He explained. "To be honest, I pretty much got away wearing bow ties to school dances and even my high school graduation."

"If you want, I could help you tie it once we get to the cemetery. Then I could teach you how to tie it on your own for the dance tomorrow night." She suggested.

"Thanks, Kate. I'd appreciate that." He replied. Just seconds after their conversation, Ben pulled into a parking space and shifted his car into park. He then shut off the car and got a strange look from Kate.

"Ben, what are we doing here? This is…" She looked at the letters of the building to see exactly where they were: Arcadia Bay Police Station. "You're going to go see him aren't you?" Kate said as she looked down.

"I have to, Kate. It's the only way that I'm going to find closure on this. And if I don't do this, then it's going to bother me for the rest of my life." He explained. "You don't have to see him if you don't want to. You can wait here in the car and I won't take longer than ten minutes."

"Okay, Ben. Take as long as you need. I know how he was a friend before everything happened."

"Thanks for understanding." Ben replied. He stepped out of the mustang and approached the front door of the police station.

"He's not really gonna say much to you." The police officer escorting Ben stated. "It's not because he hates your guts, it's because he had a mental breakdown when he told one of the detectives everything. He hasn't said anything since. He's almost been like a zombie.

Ben continued to follow the cop to the end of the hall, who then led him into a room where visitors were allowed to speak with any incarcerated individuals they were friends or family of. There were a total of three booths, each containing a chair and a thick glass window that separates the visitors from the inmates and two phones used to speak to each other. One of these was being used by a middle aged woman who was speaking to a man on the other side who was dressed in an orange jumpsuit.

"Thank you." Ben said.

"No problem. Just try to keep your visit short." He replied. He then closed the door behind him.

Ben sat in the chair at one of the booths. He looked through the glass to see the other side had a door. He thought to himself what he was going to say once Nathan walked through that door. And soon enough, he entered, wearing an orange jumpsuit and having a blank, lifeless expression on his face. He had a pair of handcuffs on and was escorted by another officer. The officer pulled a set of keys to remove the cuffs from Nathan's hands so that he could use the phone on his side. He made eye contact with Ben as he sat down. Ben picked up the phone that was hanging by his right side and made a gesture for Nathan to pick up the other phone. Once Nathan did so, despite the minor difficulty he had with the handcuffs, Ben was ready to speak.

"Look, I know I'm probably the last person you wanna actually see right now. But I just came to say I'm sorry about what happened to you. From the beginning of the year when you let me into the Vortex Club, you were my friend and sometimes you were even like a brother to me. And I feel like I could have been a better friend by knowing how people in your life like your Dad, the kids in the past who bullied you, and even Jefferson treated you. But I know it doesn't change anything about what you did to those girls, like Rachel and especially Kate. It doesn't change how you tried so hard to stop me from making her happy. And it certainly doesn't change how you got a bunch of guys to jump me and kidnap me to be left for dead. But even after all of that… I forgive you." He stated, which made Nathan's eyes widen and look right up at him. "I'm actually gonna come to your trial and speak up for you. I don't know if my testament will do much, but hopefully it can convince the judge to reduce your sentence and maybe even have you sent to a psychiatric facility instead of prison. That way, you can get all the help you need. Goodbye, Nate." Ben said as he began to hang up the phone.

"Ben, wait!" Nathan called out before Ben could hang up. Ben stopped and put the phone close to his ear to hear what his old friend had to say. "Thank you!" He said with a faint smile before he began to cry and the officer came back into the room to let Ben know that his time was up. He looked sadly at the boy who was beyond broken. Ben knew deep down that prison was only going to make him worse and that he needed to do something to help him. And it was actually Kate who taught him to show forgiveness. Something he could never do before he met her.

It was a beautiful and sunny morning in Arcadia Bay. Most of its residents should have been spending the day going about their lives, commuting to their jobs, shopping for groceries, or even enjoying a hearty breakfast at the Two Whales. Most of Blackwell's students should have been walking to class together or studying outdoors on campus. But instead, they were walking through the gates of the town's cemetery all for one reason. To remember the life of Rachel Amber.

Ben and Kate still managed to arrive on time and managed to find themselves sitting in the same row next to Max and Chloe. Among the rows of chairs sat many students who all knew Rachel on some sort of level. Dana, Juliet, Trevor, Hayden, Justin, Victoria, and so many more. It was no surprise that every seat would be filled. In front of everyone sat Rachel's mahogany polished casket as well as a large photo of her which captured her natural beauty: her dark blonde hair, hazel eyes, and earring of a blue feather that she wore on her left ear. Once everyone had found their seats a man and woman soon stood up and walked to the front to speak. While some people like Ben, Kate, and Max did not know who they were, others like Chloe knew that they were in fact Rachel's parents.

Rachel's father, James, was the District Attorney of Arcadia Bay. He was a man with dark brown hair with streaks of white on the sides and green eyes. He wore a black suit with a white shirt and a solid black tie. His wife, Rose, had short brown hair and brown eyes and had a friendly, welcoming demeanor about herself. She was dressed in a black elbow length jacket with a cream colored shirt underneath along with black slacks and a white necklace.

"Good morning everyone and thank you all for being here." James spoke. "Many of you are here because you knew Rachel in some way. Rather she was a friend, a classmate, a student, or even a family member." He said as he choked up. "As a parent, it's always our job to know what our children are going through. But for me, I felt that it was harder to be a good father and maintain the relationship I once had with Rachel. I had thought she was angry with me, angry at the world. But I had no idea that she had been taken from all of us in the worst way imaginable. But I know that she isn't truly gone. Her kindness still shines throughout Arcadia Bay which is why all of you came here today."

Minutes later, after Rachel's eulogy had concluded, most of those who were attending the funeral came up to Rachel's casket to bid their final farewells. Chloe and Max walked up to the front as Ben and Kate followed right after. From where he was standing, Ben could tell that Chloe was dealing with all of this the hardest. She knew Rachel for three years, but to her, it felt longer than that. It felt like a lifetime and now, that was taken from both of them. She still felt like it should've been her. She also felt that it would be impossible to cope with such a loss. But one thing she did know was that she had the best group of friends who would always be there for her. She knew that the moment she felt Max's hand on her shoulder, telling her that she was there for her.

As Ben now found himself right in front of Rachel's casket, he looked at the photograph of her angelic face and back at the casket. "I know that we only met on one or two occassions because we were both mutual friends of Chloe." Ben said. "But I just want you to know that you didn't die in vain. You stopped Mark Jefferson. You gave justice to the other girls who met the same fate. And you brought this whole town together. You can rest now, Rachel. He said as he took his hand off the casket and moved along. Just as he was waiting for Kate, Ben found himself being approached by the Ambers.

"Excuse me, are you Ben?" James asked.

"Yes, I am. I'm very sorry for your loss Mr. Amber." Ben replied as he shook the man's hand.

"Thank you, son. And please, call me James." He said. "My wife and I have heard lots about you. Heck, we've even read lots about you in the paper. And from what we've gathered, we can tell that you must be a good person." He said.

"Thank you sir… I mean James. But I…" Ben tried to find the right words to say but couldn't right now.

"Listen. I know that you probably don't want to talk about what happened to you that night. But Rose and I both want you to know that you helped bring Rachel back to us. Thank you, Ben!" James said graciously.

"Excuse me." A familiar voice behind Ben said. Ben made a deep sigh as he felt a large hand rest upon his left shoulder and remembered the voice from a previous encounter. It was Sean Prescott. "I don't mean to interrupt but I was wondering if and I could talk in private."

"Of course. We were just finishing up our conversation with Ben. Take as much time as you need, Sean."

"Thank you. And James, you and your family have my condolences during this difficult time." He said.

"Thank you, Sean. Same to you. I know you must be having a hard time right now with everything happening to Nathan." James said as he walked away.

In just seconds Ben felt himself being thrown right to a tree hitting his back. Before he could even move, Mr. Prescott grabbed a hold of Ben's tie and pinned him against the tree.

"Is this how you get off? Is this funny to you?!" He hissed at Ben.

"What are you even talking about?!" Ben shouted.

"You know exactly what. You and your lowlife friends are the reason my son is in jail."

"Don't blame me or anyone else for that, you asshole! You only have yourself to blame." Ben replied in his defense.

"What?!" He questioned angrily.

"You knew for years that Nathan was being bullied by other kids at Blackwell. Even adults just like you. And all you ever did was treat him like a disappointment and distance yourself from him. I'm sure you even saw red flags just like everybody else. The times he would zone out or talk to himself. Or even the outbursts. You could have actually done something before he started hurting others and himself, but all you really cared about was turning Arcadia Bay into your own personal game of Monopoly."

"That's it you punk! I've heard enough from you!" He said, pulling his fist back ready to smash Ben's against the tree.

"Mr. Prescott!" Another voice called from behind. Both Ben and Sean looked to see that it was Officer Berry accompanied by another cop.

"Good morning, Anderson. What seems to be the issue?" Mr. Prescott asked.

"The boys at the station and I did some evidence collecting in that bunker that was underneath your family's farm. We happened to find several documents down there. Some that involved you."

"I beg your pardon?" He said with a smile, acting as if he was unaware.

"One just so happens to be a construction contract of that bunker which has your signature. The other was a letter from your son's psychiatrist. It stated how you had been ignoring his psychiatrists suggestions for serious help. And judging by how those signs were seen years before Nathan turned of age, that means you could be looking at charges of child neglect and endangerment.

"And we haven't even mentioned the other letters and notes involving your son that we found as well." The other officer mentioned.

"There has to be some misunderstanding here, officers. Your men should check those documents to see if they've been forged." He advised the two men.

"I'm afraid we may have to decide that in a court." Officer Berry replied. "Sean Prescott, you are under arrest for acting as an accessory to the crimes of Mark Jefferson and Nathan Prescott and. You have the right to remain silent." He stated as the other officer turned Prescott around to place handcuffs on him.

"You son of a bitch." He hissed at Ben. "Do you really think that you and your pathetic friends can ruin me like this? When my lawyers get me out of this, I'll run you and your father out of this town for good." He stated before being taken away by the cops.

Ben stood there processing what had just happened. For years it seemed like Sean Prescott was nearly untouchable. Until today. One thing was evidently certain though. Arcadia Bay would forever change.

"Hey, Ben." Kate had called out rejoining him. "I was wondering where you went." She said as she held his arm.

"Yeah, I just ran into a few people that wanted to talk with me."

"You're still popular as ever." She giggled.

"Yeah I guess". He said. "Sometimes, too popular." He thought to himself. "Ready to go?"

"Sure. I think Max mentioned something about going to the Two Whales for lunch." She said.

"Sounds like a plan. I think Chloe could use the company after the service." Ben suggested.

As the two made their way to the parking lot to get to Ben's car, they found themselves witnessing a sight that they wouldn't have expected. They saw Max and Chloe kissing right in front of Ben's Mustang.

Ben made a not-so-subtle cough to make the two aware that he and Kate were present. Chloe looked up, startled to see the two were watching her and Max.

"Oh fuck! How long were you there? What did you hear?" Chloe questioned quickly. "Ferris Buller I swear if you tell anyone..."

"Relax, Chloe. Your secret's safe with me. And Kate. And I'm happy for you guys. We both are." Ben said as he had his arm around Kate to emphasize their support." Kate let out a smile to show her support as well.

"Are you two coming to the Two Whales?" Max asked, still blushing.

"Of course. We'll meet you there." Kate said.

As Max and Chloe got into Chloe's pick up truck and drove off, Ben stood there, clearly having something on his mind. He needed to say something and was unsure if he wanted to.

"Kate, hold on." He said, getting her attention.

"What's wrong, Ben?" She asked looking back and seeing him staring at the ground with both hands in his pants pockets.

"I've been thinking about everything that's happened these past few weeks. I know I did so much to make you happy, but at the same time, I've made lots of enemies. And not only did I put myself in danger, but I did the same to you." He explained.

"Ben, I'm not mad at you, everything turned out fine in the end. Mr. Jefferson is in prison and he can't hurt us, and while I do feel bad for Nathan, I'm hoping you're right about what you said and he does get the help he needs. We can't let that stop us from spending time together."

"But that's the thing, Kate. Every time I think you're safe, I keep putting you in danger, Sean Prescott just came after me at the funeral and he blamed us for what happened with Nathan."

"Ben, you're confusing me, what are you trying to say?"

"I'm saying that we should stop spending time together. I'll try and go back to the Vortex Club and you should spend the rest of the school year with Max and Warren. Maybe even Stella and Alyssa. They actually deserve you unlike me."

"Ben, please! Let's just talk about this first." Kate pleaded.

"I'm sorry, Kate. I think I need some space right now." He said before walking away from Kate and his car. And Kate herself, ran off feeling so hurt.

Ben ran to where some gravestones were. He needed to find a particular one in order to find a sense of peace right now. His brother's. He still remembered the day that he and his parents had to see Ronnie one last time before he was buried. As he now found himself in front of his brother's grave, he still felt filled with pain of letting go of the one girl he loved.

"Benji? What are you doing here? The service is over and everyone's leaving" Ben's mother asked from behind. "Your father and I saw you with Kate earlier. Where is she anyway?"

"I let her go, Mom." Ben replied sadly.

"What?" She asked.

"It was the right thing to do. I did it because I cared about her." He explained.

"No, Ben. You did it because you're scared." She chided in a somewhat loving tone.

"What? Mom I don't understand. I just wanted to protect her." Ben explained.

"If you cared about her then you would never give up on her. From the short amount of time that I met her, I knew she was perfect for you. And that's just a comparison to the few girls you dated in high school."

"Mom!" Ben said, feeling embarrassed.

"What? I'm supposed to be honest if I'm your mother." She said. "Do you love her Benji?" She asked.

"Yeah! I do." He said.

"Well then I want you to have this." She said as she hugged him and placed a small box into his hand. As Ben looked at the little black box he opened it by lifting the top half of the box, which revealed something that surprised him.

"Mom! This is your engagement ring." He said in shock. "But I don't think I can take this from you."

"It hasn't meant anything to me since the day your father and I split." She said. "But I just see something between you and Kate that can last for so long. She's perfect for you."

"Don't you think it's a little too soon for something like this? I can't just ask a girl to marry me when I've only known her for three weeks." Ben said.

"You'll know when the time is right, so hold onto it. But for now, go find her, be good to her, and enjoy life together."

Ben hugged her tightly and smiled by how supportive his mother was. Not just now, but his whole life. "I love you, Mom." He said before he ran off to look for Kate.

Kate sat by one of the trees with her head in her arms. She couldn't do anything but cry. Others who attended the funeral were now making their way to the cars. And as everyone had passed by her, not one person stopped to ask her if she was alright. But at that exact moment, everything had changed.

"Kate!" She heard someone call out. She looked up to see Ben running as fast he could to reach her. She stood up in shock to see that he had returned. From afar she could see the look of remorse on his face. She felt so many different feelings at once, but all she felt like doing at the moment was running to him as well.

The two raced to each other, dodging other funeral visitors in the process. And once they met each other, they embraced as tightly as they could, both having tears in their eyes.

"I'm sorry, Kate! I'm so sorry! I was stupid to think I could be away from you."

"It's okay, Ben. It's like you said. People need to talk things out when they feel something isn't working."

"You're right. Maybe we can head back to your room and talk after lunch with Max and Chloe." He suggested. "Actually, there is something I have been meaning to say." Kate looked at Ben in curiosity to see what he would tell her. "Kate, even though we've only known each other for a few weeks, I enjoyed every minute of time that I got to spend with you. You make me feel that every little thing that I do for you is worth it as long as I get to see your smile again. You're so smart, kind, caring, and beautiful."

Both of Kate's cheeks were blushing red like a strawberry from what she was hearing and she had the biggest smile on her face to go with that. "Ben, I…"

Before she could say anything, Ben moved in closer and grabbed both of Kate's hands. "Kate, I... I think I want you to be my girlfriend." He stated.

For the first couple of seconds, Kate wasn't sure what to say. But then she found what seemed to her to be the right words. "Ben... I've... I've felt the same way for a while now. I'd be more than happy to be your girlfriend."

The two hugged tightly with smiles on their faces. As their eyes met, Ben placed his hand on Kate's right cheek. Feeling how soft it was, he then asked her out of respect "Would it be okay if... I kissed you?"

Still blushing, Kate smiled at Ben and said. "Yes, Ben. I'd like that." The two began to lean into each other and as Kate closed her eyes, and prepared her lips, Ben's lips softly connected with hers as they slowly hugged each other at the same time. The two sweethearts then pried their mouths away from each other, after remembering that they had to meet Max and Chloe at the Two Whales.

"You know, I was also going to ask if you'd like to go to the dance with me tomorrow night too." Ben mentioned.

"I'd love to." Kate said. "So will it be sort of like a date or a date-date?" She teased.

"Well, since I am your boyfriend now, I guess it's going to be a date-date? And I'll pick you up right after the homecoming game to prove it. He said. Kate grabbed Ben's hand and the two walked to the car while Kate rested her head on Ben's shoulder.

A/N: Well, there you have it. KatexBen are finally official. To be honest, I actually wasn't going to have them kiss until the next chapter, but I've held out on you guys for so long that it would have felt awkward for them to go through this entire chapter without locking lips at least once. Also, the Max and Chloe scene felt a little tough to wirte as this is mostly supposed to be a KatexOC fic. However, After playing the "Farewell" Chapter in BTS last week, I think I ended up finding some inspiration. I really do want to get the next and final chapter up along with an Epilogue that I already planned out. As always leave a comment and be safe out there y'all!