A/N Hey guys! This is just a one-shot that I typed up last night. It turned out better than I thought it would. :] Enjoy! xoxo

Magic; The first word that pops into your mind when you think of her. "Her," meaning Cat Valentine. The love of your life.

And it truly is magic. The way her smile can spread faster than an epidemic. How such a strong, powerful, soulful voice could possibly come out of someone so small. The way that those large, chocolate brown orbs capture you into a spell every time that you gaze into them, and you're hypnotized, never wanting to look away. She does things to you that no one else can.

It's hard to explain, really. You've tried discussing it with Beck and Andre, but neither one can quite seem to understand… Not that you ever expected them to. No, this is a very unique situation, with a very unique girl, and you wouldn't want it any other way… Most of the time.

Sometimes, it's difficult. Like when you see her talking to other guys, knowing that her flirty tendencies will lead them on. Or even worse, the way that she makes a habit of cancelling plans with you in order to make time for her dates (although it has been quite some time since she's been in a serious relationship). But worst of all, is the label that she has given you: "best friend." Nothing less, nothing more.

Oh, how it kills you inside when she calls you her "friend." It's as if your heart is ripped out of your chest and torn to pieces, and although you know that she means it in a kind way, you simply can't take it. It's slowly eating away at you. Sometimes, you feel like you simply can't stand it for one more second… That's when you lash out. That's what Rex is for.

It hurts her when Rex insults her. You can see it in her face, and to know that you caused her pain crushes you even more than knowing that you're nothing more than a close friend. The look in those beautiful brown eyes every time that you toss around insults (through the puppet, of course) makes you instantly regret it all. It's like kicking an innocent little puppy, and the second that you say something harsh, you wish that you could take it back. But you can't. Maybe that's why you're stuck in the eternal friend zone.

Right now, you're at Tori's house with the rest of the gang. All except Cat. Cat had a date tonight. You're not mad, really. Just disappointed. More in yourself, than in her. If you had confessed your feelings to her earlier, things might be different. But you didn't, and so they're not, and there's really nobody to blame but yourself.

"Robbie… Robbie… Robbie!" Suddenly, you're snapped out of your trance. You turn to see Jade's cold, hard, irritated face staring directly at you, and you wonder how long you've been completely checked out of reality. "You've been staring at that wall for five minutes. What's wrong with you!" Everything, you think to yourself, but instead just shrug it off and direct your attention to the movie that everyone else has apparently been watching.

Seconds pass by, then minutes, then hours. And finally everyone but you has fallen asleep, right there on the couches. Jade asleep in Beck's lap, Tori's head resting comfortably on Andre's shoulder, and Trina sprawled out on the floor, cuddling with a few blankets (you were so deep in thought that you didn't even notice that she was with you all till just now).

But then, you hear a knock at the door. A faint, barely-there knock, and at first you're not even sure if it was really there, or if your ears are just playing tricks on you. But after you hear it a second time, you decide to get up and check things out. When you open the door, you're shocked at who you see standing there.

Cat Valentine, soaking wet from the pouring rain, hair tangled, make-up smeared, and dress slightly torn. She looks…broken. And the look on her face is enough to break you as well. Even through the rain, you can tell that she has been crying, and as she collapses into your arms, you figure that it would be best to go inside.

You carry her bridal style back into the Vega house, being careful not to wake the others. Since Tori's parents are away on vacation for the weekend, you decide to take her upstairs to tend to the small cut on her arm, and hopefully convince her to talk to you. But the latter turns out to be easier said than done.

"Cat… Cat, please talk to me," you plead after what seems like years of waiting. The petite red head is currently sitting in your lap, head nuzzled into your chest, sobbing silently. It's a heart-breaking sight to see.

But then, she sits up and you're able to look her in the eyes for the first time that night. You see fear, panic, pain. She sniffles a few times, then opens her mouth to speak, but no words come out. "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to," you say sympathetically. But she shakes her head.

"It…it's about…Danny," she says in an almost-whisper. Her voice is cracking and shaky, just as broken as she is. You see a few more tears roll down her cheeks, but she continues nonetheless. "He took me out f-for dinner, but I wasn't feeling well, so I asked if he could take me home afterwards. B-but, he said that he would take me back to h-his house instead, because he had a surprise for me." She pauses for a minute, then looks back up at you reluctantly. "Danny tried to… He tried to… He tried to rape me," she blurts out, then instantly curls up into you and resumes her sobbing.

Time stops. Your heart shatters. You're so pissed off, it's not even funny. That asshole, you think to yourself. I'm gonna kill him. How could anyone ever lay a hand on Cat? She's just so innocent and pure and naïve. That's like trampling a baby cat. Except that this isn't just any cat. This is YOUR Cat. And you're determined to find that douche bag and make sure that he never comes anywhere near your Cat ever again. But that can wait till later. Right now, there's a weeping girl in your arms, and you're determined to make her feel better.

"Cat, look at me," you say calmly. You need to stay strong, for her. Slowly, she peeks out from behind her hands, and glances up at you. "It's going to be okay, alright? I'll protect you. I'll make sure that Danny never hurts you ever again."

"You promise?" she asks innocently, a sliver of hope in her voice.

"I promise," you say, forcing a small smile and looking at her reassuringly. "But first, are you sure that you're okay?"

She sighs. "Well, he didn't get very far. He was in the midst of trying to take off my dress when I was able to run away. He was holding me down pretty hard. That's why there's a cut on my arm and a tear in my dress. And then I had to walk here, which is why I looked like such a mess." Despite the fact that there are still tears in her eyes, she begins to giggle.

You look at her, confused. "What is it?"

"Dress and mess rhyme," she says, a smile creeping across her face.

You can't help but chuckle at how adorable she is, even when she's upset. But there's still one question on your mind. "Cat…" you trail off. But she looks up at you, expecting you to finish, so you do. "Why did you come here?" She appears puzzled at first, so you continue. "I mean, you could've gone home. Why did you choose to come to Tori's house?"

She looks away from you, suddenly becoming very interested with playing with the edges of her dress, and it's obvious that she doesn't want to answer the question. But after a few minutes of silence, she decides to respond. "Because I knew that you were here," she says quietly. And that makes your heart skip a beat.

You gaze down at her lovingly, but she's looking away, staring off into space (or at least, as far into space as you can get from being inside a house). You gently place two fingers under her chin and lightly lift her head up so that she's looking at you again. "I'll ALWAYS be here," you say softly. And before you know it, her lips are pressed up against yours. It's a sweet kiss yet a loving one and you never want it to end. Unfortunately, it's over all too soon.

She pulls back and gazes deep into your eyes. "I love you, Robbie," she whispers almost silently, and you're not even entirely sure if you heard her right. But once she kisses you again, you're sure.

"I love you too, Cat," you say to her after you pull away. And the smile on her face is bright enough to light up the entire world for the rest of eternity (although you may be smiling even brighter).

For the rest of that night, no more words are spoken. But actions speak louder than words anyways. And by the way that Cat is curled up into your arms, sleeping peacefully, looking like an angel, you're positive that this is even more than love.

It's magic.

A/N So what'd you think? Feel free to tell me all about it in a review. ;] Thanks for reading! xoxo