A/N This is a little companion to my story Legacy, what happened 18 years later.
Katie
"Sophia Katherine Goren," the speaker announced. She marched across the stage and cheerfully accepted her diploma. Bobby, Alex, Mike, Carolyn, Andy, Lewis, Liz, Terry, Nate, Johnny, and Mel all cheered heartily. Once Katie returned to her seat, Bobby threw his arm around his wife's shoulders and kissed her on the cheek. It was Katie's accomplishment, but it was theirs, too. They'd raised her to adulthood.
Mike Logan clapped his hands on his son's shoulders. "You're next, Andy," he said.
"In two years, Dad," Andy corrected. Mike looked over at Goren and gave him a wink. His friend had already prepared him for this phase, when parents knew nothing and teenagers held all the wisdom of the world.
After the ceremony, they connected with Katie in the parking lot and gave her hugs. After a million pictures of Katie with her family and friends, Alex looked up into her daughter's eyes. "I'm proud of you, sweetie," she said quietly.
Bobby reached out and scooped them both into his arms. He kissed his daughter, and then his wife. "Rocksome," he said to his daughter, who laughed and gave him a high five.
"Rocksome, Daddy," she said.
"What's your plan?" He asked her, serious now.
"Jenny's having a party at her place, and then there's one at the Lowell twins', and then there's another one at Daniel's place. And there's a rumor about breakfast at Park Central."
His heart clenched at the thought of her partying all night, but he knew she had a good head on her shoulders. "Okay," he said. "Call and let us know where you are."
"Watch the drinking," Alex warned. "Be smart."
"Mom!" Katie whined, dragging the word into a long groan.
Alex took a deep breath and smiled at her daughter. "Just being a mom," she said.
"I know," Katie replied, and gave her another hug. They said their goodbyes and the group dispersed.
At home, Bobby and Alex cuddled together on the couch. They reminisced about the last 19 years of their lives, and how Katie had changed everything.
"I remember when I went undercover, how hard it was to be away from you," Bobby said. "I never hated an undercover assignment so much in all my life."
"I remember you and Logan were like brothers after that."
"Still are," Bobby said.
"Do you remember when she was born, and they forgot to show her to me?"
Bobby laughed. "I stopped them. I knew that would never fly with you, doped up or not."
"You probably prevented a homicide," she joked.
"And that time she cracked her head on the icy sidewalk," Alex said with a shudder. Bobby nodded soberly.
"All those storybooks you read… and practicing her multiplication tables with her…" Alex took his hand in hers. "You did great as a Dad," she said. "I don't know what you ever were worried about." She grinned again. "You even had to buy her that first box of menstrual pads!"
Bobby groaned, "Don't remind me," he complained. Then he looked over at his wife. "You did great, too, Alex," he softly said. "All those nights when she was sick in 2nd grade… Do you remember you used to sing to her?"
Alex nodded. "All the time."
"And then when that," he grimaced as he said the name "Marcus… dumped her… I thought she would die of a broken heart. But you got her through it."
"Me and Carolyn and her friend Jenny."
"Yeah, but there wasn't anything I could say to her then…"
"We did do all right, didn't we?" She asked.
"Salutatorian," Bobby said with pride.
"Off to Yale next," Alex added.
He pulled his wife into a hug. "Don't remind me." His phone rang, and he snatched it up off the table. "Hello," he called.
"Daddy, we're headed to Phil & Fred's now."
"Okay, honey. Have a good time." He ended the call, and Alex looked at him with concern. "She sounds sober," he said.
Alex smiled. "Good girl."
"It's midnight, we should hit the sack," he suggested. He took his phone with him to the bedroom and Alex followed along behind.
And as was their custom when they had the apartment to themselves, they made love. Alex fell asleep with her arm wrapped around his waist, and he made sure the phone was where he could reach it on the nightstand before he drifted off, as well.
At 3 a.m., the phone rang. Bobby caught it after one ring. "Hello?"
"Hi Daddy, we're going to Daniel's now."
"Who's driving?"
"We're taking a cab."
"Okay, love you, sweetie. Be safe."
"Love you too."
As he replaced the phone on the table, Alex gave him a pat on the back. "Well?" she asked.
"I'd say slightly tipsy, but not drunk."
"Who's driving?"
"Cabbie."
"Good girl," Alex breathed and soon they were both back in a fitful sleep.
At 6:30, the phone buzzed again. "We're going to breakfast now, Daddy."
"You okay?"
"Yeah, just tired. We're having fun."
"Okay, be safe."
Alex sat up beside him and waited for the report.
"Sober, but exhausted. They're going to breakfast."
"I can't remember partying this much when I graduated."
"Eames, you graduated?" he teased.
She elbowed him in the ribs. "Oh yeah, that's right. I never graduated because of the partying," she joked.
He wrapped her in a hug and gave her a kiss. The two climbed out of bed and started their morning ritual: Alex for a run, Bobby preparing the coffee and hitting the shower.
Katie rolled in at 10, unlocked the front door and stumbled her way to her bedroom, where she fell onto her bed and was immediately asleep. Bobby followed her in and removed her shoes. Alex tossed a throw blanket over her and they both placed a kiss on her head before turning the lights off and shutting the door.
"Good girl," Alex said, and finally relaxed. "I'm going back to bed," she said, and he followed her. Alex fell asleep hard and fast, the same way she used to when she held little Katie on her lap before bedtime every night. Katie would fall asleep, then Alex would fall asleep. Then Bobby would carry the child to her bed and come back to wake up his wife. That was the routine for years.
Bobby smiled, remembering, and laid down beside Alex. He couldn't drift off so easily, and found himself thinking of the years they'd spent together. He'd never realized, all those years ago, when Alex had first told him she was pregnant, how his life would change. In his mind, he assumed Alex would grow tired of him, and would take Katie and move on with someone else in her life, but she never had. She had only grown more and more in love with him, as he had her.
Katie had bound them together tighter than any declarations they'd ever made to each other. She was the evidence of their love, and she constantly both proved it and challenged it.
His mind drifted to his little girl sleeping peacefully in the next room. She'd amazed him when she was very young. He was fascinated by how quickly she learned and then applied what she'd learned. By the time she was five, they were able to have real conversations. As she got older, she inspired him with her creativity.
There had been hard times, too. Katie was only 7 when Alex had almost died from a ruptured appendix. Bobby had relied on Mike and Carolyn to help him with his little girl, but he remembered how painfully alone he felt at home in the apartment with Alex in the hospital and Katie at Mike's. In fact, that whole year had been a nightmare. That was the year Alex's father had died. And Katie had gotten the concussion. The sweet girl had actually apologized for slipping on the ice.
The phone rang, interrupting Bobby's thoughts. He slid away from Alex and answered it quietly, walking out to the living room.
"She get home okay?" Logan asked.
"Yeah, about an hour ago," Bobby said. "She's sleeping now."
"Alex too."
Bobby grinned. Mike knew them well. "Yeah."
"Andy wants to know if you'll play some ball with him this weekend."
"Don't you really mean you want to play?"
"Yeah, okay, whatever."
"Her graduation party's Saturday. Maybe Sunday? After church." Logan's family attended church every week. Family life had changed him, as well.
"Okay, good. I'll tell him."
Bobby gave up on sleep and went to continue his musings on the couch. He'd been lucky, lucky as hell to find Alex, to marry her, to have been given Katie. He never dreamed he could have it all, but it had happened after all.
Now, at 66, he still wasn't retired. Alex was planning to put in one more year at least. He was planning to retire after they got Katie settled into Yale. Thank God the girl had earned a scholarship. She would have ended up at a state school without it. Even now that Alex was a Captain, they didn't have the money for Ivy League.
He heard her talking to herself in her room and he smiled. Katie had always talked in her sleep. Alex always said it was proof she was his daughter. Bobby's thoughts never slowed down, but he coped by staying awake and sleeping erratically. Katie slept in spite of the constant firing of her brain.
Most people would say Katie took after him, but he had always seen Alex in her. From the first time, when she was 18 months old and she dug in her heels and told him "No!" to the first time she got behind the wheel of a car and managed it just as expertly as she did her bicycle. She had Alex's will, and Alex's strength. She was a master at sarcasm, too, something he both loved and loathed about his daughter.
And now she was all grown up. In two months she would no longer be under his roof, checking in when she decided to party all night. He closed his eyes at that thought, then felt familiar hands over his shoulders.
"Hey," she said softly. "Couldn't sleep?"
He shook his head, and reached up to hold her left hand in his. "I never dreamed life would be like this," he told his wife.
She reached down and gave him a hug from behind, pressing her cheek against his. "It's wonderful, isn't it?"
Alex came around and sat beside him. She looked past the white hair, trimmed short, the lines at the corners of his eyes. She saw Bobby, the same way she'd seen him the first night they'd kissed, full of strength and compassion and love.
Bobby never saw the signs of Alex's aging, either. All he ever noticed was the spark in her eye. He leaned down and kissed her deeply. She returned the affection, making out with him like they did when they were first dating.
He started to reach for her breasts, and she pushed his hands down. "No, Katie's—" she said.
"She's gonna be out cold until dinner time. And besides, she's an adult now." He kissed her again and placed one hand firmly against her breast. This time, Alex let him.
Twenty minutes later, they were interrupted by a cry of disgust. "What are you doing?!"
They stopped, and Alex leaned heavily against Bobby's chest. He kept his arm firmly around her. "Oh, you know," Bobby teased. "You're all grown up now… we thought maybe we'd start over."
"Dad!" This time his name was drawn out like a groan.
Alex just giggled, shaking against him, while Katie disappeared into the bathroom and came back.
"Are you up now?" Alex asked.
She yawned. "No… I'm going back to bed."
"Good."
"No funny business," she warned, wagging her finger at the two of them.
They shared a glance.
"Good night," was all they said as she went back to her room. As soon as her door shut, they resumed their kissing.