Ricky was walking along, his feet on the ground and his head in the clouds, as always. But unknown to all who saw him, he actually wasn't trailing his feet down the icy paths of Central Park, but slaying fearsome dragons in a kingdom far, far away. Which is why he didn't notice the little girl in front of him 'till it was too late. The collision of the two toppled the tiny thing down as Rick struggled to gain his balance. Tears immediately formed at the corners of her eyes, and her mouth opened in a wail of sheer distress.
"Hey don't cry. Come on please! I'm really sorry." Rick immediately turned to comfort her, half worrying about the trouble he stood to face, and half wondering if she was alright. But the kid kept sobbing, nearly pushing Rick to tears himself.
"I'll give you a lollipop. Promise!" The kid sniffed and looked up at him, guileless green eyes meeting his. "And read you a story." he offered, pulling a large book out of his backpack.
"What's the story about?" murmured the trouble maker.
"It's really cool! It's about a knight that has to save the princess, so he goes on a quest and has to fight tons of monsters and a DRAGON!" he gushed.
"Is the princess beautiful?"
"Of course!" All princesses are. But she's really cool too! She's the one who makes sure the knight keeps up with it all."
"OK I guess." The kid finally smiled at Rick, as she eyed the book curiously.
Ricky smiled and sat down on the crisp autumn leaves, motioning for the girl to join him.
"I'm Rick. Here's your lollipop. It's cherry, my favorite!"
"I'm Katie. Cherry is my favorite too."
A few hours later, a worried looking woman came bursting through the bushes that surrounded the two.
"Katherine Beckett, do you know how much trouble you're in?" exclaimed the woman. She glanced at the candy in her mouth and the child sitting next to her on the grass. The two had a book laying next to them and where obviously in the middle of it, before she had interrupted.
"But m-o-o-o-m," Kate drawled out the word in protest, bringing a tiny smile to her mother's face, "Rick was reading me a story. Leaving in the middle would have been rude!"
The woman's smile widened as she turned to Rick, who smiled back.
"Why Rick, how sweet of you."
"He ran into me and then I cried cause it really hurt! So he read me a story. But I didn't cry a lot, just a bit." Kate said, smiling at the embarrassed boy in the middle.
"It's very late Katie, we have to go." Kate rose to join her mother, brushing leaves off herself and stretching her sore arms out. "Rick, are you here alone?"
"Yes ma'am, I walked here alone. I live really close."
"We'll give you a ride. Won't we, Katie?"
"Of course mom!" Kate grabbed Rick's hand and forcefully pulled him through the thick shrubbery to the waiting car.