A terribly belated going-back-to-school gift for Paola.
This is the last year, you'll rock it!
Nothing behind me, everything ahead of me, as is ever so on the road
Jack Kerouac
She loves dressing up as Lieutenant Chloe. It's something about the posture she has in the (admittedly a little eccentric) heels, and the way the purple dress seems to fit her perfectly and makes her feel more confident than she actually is. But most of all she enjoys the sense of belonging, of power and purpose that comes with dressing up as the heroine.
He notices her as she steps out of the long queue of Nebula 9 fans, all lined up to get their DVDs signed by Melinda Cohen. She stands out. And although he immediately degrades her to a Nebula 9 fan, he can't argue with the fact that she is hot.
He'd talk to her, but how do fans of that show greet each other? The show has never seemed to perk his interest. Maybe he could try Klingon? Although he guesses that he can't expect her to speak the language. He could go with "Hey your show is a disappointment but you look great". Yes Richard, she will surely fall for that.
He keeps considering his options but his knowledge of her show are more limited that he would have expected and so he watches as she and a couple of friends leave to join the Nebula 9 panel in the room next door. The door closes. He could've just said hi.
xx
He hates leaving early, especially from a Comic Con, but his meetings next day leave him no choice and he still has about three hours of driving back into the city ahead of him. Here's to the downsides of being a writer right?
He notices her immediately when he reaches the door, high-fiving some of his crew members good-bye.
Her hair is open now and her curls seem almost unnaturally beautiful. She's with her friends, apparently discussing some important matter and he catches some words here and there as he closes in on the exit.
"I really need to leave now"
"No I can't just wait a couple more hours, it's my parent's anniversary tomorrow and New York isn't just around the corner"
"Oh come on KBex, like they'll care whether you'll sleep for a couple more hours in the morning"
Her friends seem slightly drunk and he wonders how they were planning on getting back to New York anyway. The train connections here are seriously not that impressive.
"Yes, they will because I promised I'd go to Coney Island with them"
"And you will" the guy now puts his arm around her. The hug is short-lived as she shakes him off and gives him a glare that has Rick momentarily halting in his steps and praying that he will never be on the receiving end of that death glare.
Her eyes travel to him now and for reasons he can't seem to comprehend he finds himself unable to just keep on moving. So he just stands there, a couple steps away from the exit door of a Comic Convention, staring at a girl he doesn't know.
He is painfully aware of the way he looks, dressed as a space cowboy, ruffled hair, a little sweaty and more than a little worn out, while she is all the way over there looking like a freakin goddess.
"Uhh" he says. That's quite the striking first impression you make Richard, almost as good as if you'd just went with telling her, her show sucked. Seriously you're not usually this awkward around women what is wrong with you?
But now the group is staring at him and he feels obligated to expand on his wonderful conversation starter and unfortunately the first thing that comes to mind is "Nebula 9". He cringes at the way even his voice seems to degrade the show.
All eyes are on him now, hers included. "What about it?" asks the guy that previously put an arm around the girl.
"Uhh I don't know" nice safe, seriously nailed it Richard. Now get your shit together.
He finds her face again, all amused expression and barely held back laughter and for a second he reconsiders even talking again but seriously, by now, it can't get any worse.
"I couldn't help but overhear that you need to get back to the city?"
She seems surprised, probably because his voice finally seems solid again, lacking the previous insecurity and instead rumbling low, confident, himself.
"Uh yeah but someone" she glares at the guy next to her "decided to drink and stay a little longer than we had planned" she seems truly pissed off and for a moment he leads a silent debate as to whether this would really be a good idea.
"I can take you, if you want?" he sounds indifferent, not at all eager, perfect.
She sizes him up carefully and he feels the pressure of her eyes on him. But whatever evaluation she has been doing, he seems to have passed it, as she gives him a small nod and grabs her bag.
"Let's go then"
She briefly hugs her friends good-bye and walks toward the door next to him.
"I'm Richard by the way"
"I'm Kate"
xx
He's almost embarrassed of his car with her sitting next to him. It's tiny and rusty and he hopes that, in the dark, she can't see how messy it is inside. He wanted to get a new car. But a new place to live had been more important and even though his first book has been selling well he's still waiting for the next pay check.
"You know, you should never get into a car with a stranger" he's proud at how at ease his voice sounds, not even a little bit intimidated by the beautiful girl in the passenger seat. Good.
"Well, are you a serial killer?" she looks over at him and smirks.
"No" he frowns.
"See, I didn't think so Captain Tightpants"
His eyes fly over to her and after staring at her for a solid ten seconds he remembers that he is supposed to be driving and forces himself to focus his eyes back on the road in front of them.
"You watch Firefly" he can't suppress the excitement in his voice at the perspective of having found a fellow fan.
"Maybe once or twice, I'm not really a fan" she shrugs and once again he stares at her; in utter disbelief this time.
"Oh come on" he huffs "You don't just watch a show like Firefly only once or twice. That is completely impossible"
"And you're basing that on what exactly?" she laughs and it doesn't take him even a second to reply.
"Well only on the sheer awesomeness of the show"
"Right" she raises her eyebrows at him "now that I've been confronted with your scientific proof, I see how impossible my doing has been"
"It really is though, I mean what's not to like?" he truly sounds confused and she finds herself thinking that he's adorable.
"The show is brilliant. The story is pure genius, the writing, the scenery, oh my god, Kate it is all perfect. And it has it all. Romance, comedy, action, it blows your mind. And once you've finished it it leaves you empty and hollow, wondering why the hell they made the mistake of cancelling this piece of art."
She can't help but smile at his passionate and completely flustered rant and he notices the smallest smile on her lips as he glances over at her.
"Well I guess it's an okay show" she says then, dryly.
"Okay?" his voice slips into frequencies that should not be humanly possible "You cannot describe the genius of Firefly with the word okay. Okay is a word you use when you don't want to state your dislike. Okay is the most stupid term to describe anything and if you are going to describe the sheer brilliance of Firefly with the word, okay, of all words, I don't wanna be friends."
"Who said I wanna be friends" she laughs and purses her lips as he glances over at her. Yeah walked right into that one huh?
"Oh please" he huffs, and tries and fails to double huff at her.
She laughs again "Well, for what it's worth I did quite like some of the characters. I just never really got into it that much"
He looks at her again to give her a glare of indignation to which she raises both her hands in defense.
"I seriously only watched one or two episodes and-" she halts and shakes her head a little "wait why am I defending my taste in TV shows now?"
"Cause you know I'm right" he can feel the smug smile on his lips.
"Yeah, I'm pretty sure that's not it"
He laughs at that and decides that maybe a change of topic would be a good idea.
"So Nebula 9" what is it about this show that doesn't let him pronounce its name without that slight edge of dislike?
"Oh, please try to contain your enthusiasm"
"Not much of a fan, I'm sorry"
"Want me to give you a long and dragging explanation as to why your personal opinion is completely invalid and your lack of understanding for the genius that is Nebula 9 is concerning?"
"It wasn't long and dragging" he mumbles and he hears her soft laugh pealing through the car. It's beautiful and for once he is happy that he doesn't have a radio, for it would have drowned out the soft sound.
"Right, it was just annoying" but from the lightness in her voice he guesses that she actually didn't mind it. Maybe even enjoyed it?
"You wound me" he looks at her in feigned pain and finds her rolling her eyes while trying her hardest to suppress the threatening smile.
"Yes well, that was the aim"
"No but seriously explain it to me" he lets his voice return to normal now.
"Explain what?"
"Why you like that show so much"
I don't know" she looks out of the window and into the endless expanses of blackness ahead of them "I guess it's because it's about growing up and leaving home. I love the characters and it just makes me feel like I'm okay. Like I don't have to decide what I want to do just now and that it's okay to be many things, a woman, a warrior, I don't know" she glances over at him, almost shy and he nods. He won't make fun of her show. He won't make fun of her.
"And also it doesn't hurt that my legs look great in Chloe's outfit" she smirks and in a heartbeat his eyes are on her again. Well she is undoubtedly right about that fact.
"Eyes on the road cowboy" she smirks, and he blinks a couple of times, completely taken aback before he turns around quickly and focuses on the empty road in front of them again. After a second or so she hears a quiet and quite offended mumble from his seat
"Space cowboy."
xx
It's one and a half hours after leaving the convention and twenty minutes after passing the 3am mark that they decide to pull over for some coffee. The gas station is almost empty, except for the red VW in the parking lot and the couple leaning against it, arguing about who read the map wrong.
The girl at the checkout seems more than bored, chewing gum and twirling her hair, while watching the late night news , broadcasted on the small display above the counter.
"Yeah?" she stretches the word into infinity and keeps chewing on her gum as she sizes them up. They are still in their costumes but if she is irritated by their attire she is doing a great job at hiding it.
He orders both of them a tall coffee-to-go and after the girl, whose name tag suggests that her name is Mia, finally gets the hang on how to use the machine they are presented with two steaming hot mugs of coffee.
"Sugar and whatever is over there" she gestures vaguely into the direction of the other end of the counter before she turns her attention back to the display.
"They have vanilla flavored syrup, do you want some?" he asks as he puts some of it into his own coffee.
"I actually never tried that before, but sure" she nods and he puts two pulls of the sweet syrup into her coffee mug.
"How much do I owe you?" She asks after taking three, appreciative sips of her drink.
He looks almost offended as he replies with a "Please, nothing"
She raises the coffee mug to her lips again to hide her smile and takes a small sip before she replies with a simple, but heartfelt "Thank you"
"Sure" he replies and watches as she closes her eyes to relish the next sip of the hot coffee. Her hands are wrapped around the mug and he doesn't think he's ever seen anyone appreciate their coffee as much as Kate. She lets out a little humming sound and just to hear that small, tiny sound he'd bring her coffee until the end of days. (If there were a socially acceptable way of doing that of course)
xx
They're about 120 miles from the city now and he notices the way the fatigue is creeping in on her. They're subtle signs, well-hidden and small, but he notices the way her eyes drop every now and then, the way she ruffles through her hair, sighs a little and the way she lets her head rest against the window on her side when she thinks he isn't looking.
"You can sleep you know. I'll wake you up"
She struggles to sit upright again "No, no, who'd keep you entertained then?"
He tries to come up with something but seriously the sky is black and the roads are empty and the only things passing by are shadows of darkness. And so the best thing he can come up with is "My races with the imaginary cars next to me of course. They're really starting to challenge me"
She laughs but her eyes also say "I'm staying up with you, and there is nothing you can do about it" and for some reason he is glad for her determination to stay up with him.
"So what do you do, other than dressing up as Sci-Fi characters?"
"I'm in Stanford university" she yawns but seems glad that he started a conversation once again, as she is seemingly too tired to come up with proper questions.
"Oh what's your major?"
"I'm pre-law"
"That's quite impressive"
Yeah well, it kind of runs in the family" he looks over at her and catches her yawning again "My mom and dad are lawyers too"
"They must be proud"
"Oh yeah, especially my mom and especially because I had this phase where I would tell them I'd never ever become a lawyer myself and she now gets to tell me she told me so" she smiles a little at the thought of her mother and he catches the glint of pride in her eyes at the thought of choosing her mother's career path after all.
"So what brings you all the way over here then?" he asks.
"I'm spending the week with my parents. It's their anniversary tomorrow and we always spend that day together" she shrugs, like it's nothing but he looks at her with something like admiration in his eyes.
"So you travelled all the way over from California to be there for you parent's anniversary?"
"Yes, I always do, it's important to them and it's important to me" she smiles a little around the words "And also I quite miss my mom's cooking"
He laughs a little at that before he continues to ask "So when do you go back?"
"My flight's on Tuesday evening" she doesn't seem too happy about his fact and so he just nods and doesn't dig any deeper into those matters. It's getting harder to focus on the abandoned road in front of him and he feels the exhaustion creeping up on him too, his vision blurring around the edges and he has to blink twice as fast to keep the highway in solid focus.
"So what do you do then?" he has probably never been happier about a question before because answering at least keeps him from giving in to the fatigue.
"I'm a writer" he doesn't know why but somehow he always feels presumptuous when he states this fact. Like somehow he isn't yet allowed to say this, not when there is this vast amount of writers out there that actually seem to know what they are supposed to be doing in this job.
"Oh?"
"Yeah my second book is about to be published, I have a meeting for that tomorrow actually" he tries not to let the nervousness get caught in his voice at the thought of the meeting that will set dates on every upcoming event.
"What do you write about?" her eyes are about to drop but astonishingly enough she still manages to somehow have her mind in the conversation. And he begins to think that her determination is quite inspiring and that maybe he'll have Derek Storm team up with a strong-willed and kind-hearted lawyer in his next book.
"Crime fiction"
"Tell me about it" she yawns and lets her eyes slip closed for a second and so he starts talking. And he tells her about Derek Storm and his second case, and about writing and Paula and Gina and even about how scared he is sometimes that things won't work out. He talks for the rest of the drive until slowly by slowly the lights get higher and the speed slower and they start to enter the city.
She opens her eyes again and struggles to regain her orientation in the steady influx of traffic surrounding them.
"You need to turn in here" and for ten more minutes she navigates him through streets and around corners until ultimately she tells him to stop.
He parks the car in front of the most typical New York building. Tall and brick walls. She unbuckles her seat belt and then turns around to face him once again, unsure on how to end whatever they had going during the hours they spend in this contraption of a car. He leans back to the back seats of his car and starts shuffling around behind his seat until he resurfaces, all proud expression and elated grin and a copy of his first book in his hands.
"Here" he hands it over to her "Why don't you look at it, I think you'll like it"
"Quite self-assured are we?" she smiles.
"Well I just know my skills"
She laughs but accepts the copy. "Wait" he says and leans back again to shuffle through his belongings in the back of his car. "What good does it do to know the author if you don't get it signed" he says then, proudly presenting her the black bullet pen he found in the back of the car.
"Right" she rolls her eyes but lets him sign the first page of the book. He takes longer than she expected and when he hands it to her he whispers a conspiratorial "You're not allowed to look at it until you leave the car"
She shakes her head a little at his antics but leaves the book closed nonetheless.
"Well thanks for driving me you know"
"Oh no problem" he smiles and she knows that he means it "But Kate?"
"Yeah?"
"You really have to watch Firefly"
"Well you really have to watch Nebula 9" she shrugs, her lips curling into the smallest smirk.
"I'll watch Nebula 9 if you watch Firefly, Deal?"
"Well how would I be sure that you'd actually watch it" he's not sure whether she's just really sleep deprived and tired or playing along but he decides to just go with it.
"Well, we could always watch it together"he shrugs in feigned innocence.
"What makes you think I'd see you again after today?"
"My natural charm of course" he says, channeling his confidence solely from the fact that she's still smiling and hasn't outright told him no yet.
She rolls her eyes but can't prevent the corners of her mouth from curling upwards into a tired, yet honest smile.
"I'll take that as a yes"
"I think traditionally, rolling your eyes is perceived as being annoyed and not as an agreement"
"Yeah, no that would be way too cliché"
"You do realize that doesn't make sense right?"
"I am sensing your strive for logic will be the source of many interesting conversations"
"Yeah I don't see that happening any time soon"
"Your words hurt me" and he takes a dramatic sigh to illustrate his point.
"Think your ego can take it?"
He just laughs and she opens the door to step outside into the cold air of the night.
"It was really nice meeting you, Rick"
"You too, Kate"
And with that she slams the door shut and walks the few steps to the front door. She turns around when the engines of his car start roaring again, the sound is seriously anything but healthy, and watches as the car drives away into another part of the town. The brakes screech as he turns left at the corner and she thinks that maybe she should have just said yes.
The lobby is still well-lit and Michael, the doorkeeper, greets her with a happy "I'm glad to see you made it back Miss Katie." He's the only one allowed to call her that and she only lets it slide because 5 year old Katherine Beckett had told him to always call her that.
"Yeah me too" she smiles at him, makes her way over to the elevator and presses the arrow that points upwards.
It's only when the door closes behind her, in the frizzing lights of the elevator that she opens the book and flips the page to the one he left his signature on.
To Kate,
You were a lovely companion,
I'd really like to see you again
Rick
Underneath those words there are some scribbled numbers that make a phone number.
She thinks she's going to call him.
Soon.
AN: This story has been on my mind for the longest time and I finally decided to write this. I hope you enjoyed it a littleJ
Also here are some other pages you can find me on:
Tumblr: dancingontiptoes
Twitter: AlyssaLucyAnne