Title: Bedtime Story, II

Author: TracyT

Rating: T

Category: Romance, Humor, Family

Summary: Kate has a plan

Spoilers: None, really

Archive: Yes, please

Feedback to:

Disclaimer: Not mine, but I wish they were, No profit will be made on this. It was a labor of love.

Author's note: I really didn't intend to continue this, but after a few requests I got to thinking about it and this is what developed. Hope you all like it!

#######

When Kate came downstairs the next morning, she saw Emma sitting on the kitchen island watching Rick mix up the Sunday morning pancake batter. Emma greeted her with, "Mommy, Daddy says he's going to eat eighty-four Daddy-sized pancakes!"

Kate snorted. "Really? If he does there will be considerably more of Daddy to go around." Kate gave him a raised eyebrow. He grinned at her.

"Oh, fine," he said in mock disappointment. "I'll just have four regular-sized pancakes, okay?" Rick winked at her and gave her a quick kiss as she reached him.

"And how many pancakes are you going to have, young lady?" Kate held Emma's chin to look into her eyes.

Emma held up three fingers. "Four Emma-sized pancakes." Emma-sized pancakes were considerably smaller than regular-sized pancakes. Kate reached over and pulled out another of Emma's fingers and said, "Four." Emma looked at her corrected fingers.

"How about you, Mommy? How many pancakes are you going to eat?" Rick asked.

"Just two regular-size pancakes for me, thanks, and a very large cup of coffee."

"You got it." Rick put the first of the batter on the griddle. "Emma and I were thinking of going to the park after breakfast. What do you think?"

Kate nodded. "Sounds like a plan. It's a gorgeous spring day, we should soak it in."

####

There was a park several blocks away, so they put Emma in her stroller and headed out. Rick had bought her some little sunglasses and with her hair pulled back into a pony tail she looked just too cute.

Emma played on the slide, letting Rick catch her at the bottom, let Kate push her on the swings and found some new friends to play in the sandbox with. Rick and Kate watched her from a nearby bench. "It seems like five minutes ago when I was bringing Alexis here," Rick remarked softly. Kate squeezed his arm. She knew he missed Alexis deeply since she'd gone off to Princeton.

After a few moments Kate leaned her head against Rick and said, "So, here's my evil plan."

Rick lifted his head off hers in surprise. "You have an evil plan? Do tell."

Kate gave him a somewhat seductive look and said, "We rendezvous at nap-time."

#######

Emma insisted Rick carry her home, and fell asleep against him almost immediately, worn-out from playing all morning. Kate pushed the empty stroller with all their stuff in it, and they headed home.

Rick carried Emma upstairs and put her in her bed. He untied her sneakers and took them off, and gently pulled her sunglasses out of her grip before tucking her in. He closed the door quietly and headed downstairs again.

Kate was changing clothes in their bedroom, so he wandered into his office and picked up his laptop, intending to look over some of the work he'd done the day before when Kate came hurrying into the room in her bath robe.

"No, no, no." She said, taking the laptop from him and putting it down. "Time is of the essence."

Rick frowned. "What's gotten into you?"

"Listen, Emma just went down, right?"

"Riiight?"

"She'll sleep for at least an hour, maybe two if we're lucky. I have the baby-monitor set up in our room in case she wakes up." She put her arms around him. "In the meantime I intend to have my wicked way with you." She kissed him. It only took him a few seconds to catch on before he nearly crushed her to him, his kiss turning heated and demanding. He started to guide her toward the couch in the corner, pushing her robe off one shoulder. "Oh, I love your plan. Let's just stay here."

"Oh no." Kate stopped him. "We definitely need to go upstairs and close the door. The baby monitor is up there, and since it's been a while, I fully intend to be very, very loud." She gave him a seductive look. Rick gulped. She pulled on his hand. "Come on, we're on the clock."

They took the stairs two at a time.

Fin