"Words have no power to impress
The mind without the
Exquisite horror of their reality."
Edgar Allan Poe
The Breakfast dishes were loaded into the dishwasher. Kate and Rick headed into the living room. Today they planned on doing nothing. Just enjoy having the loft to themselves. Martha was gone to a retreat. Alexis moved into her own place, and she took Pi with her. (Rick didn't want to dwell on that fact.) They were going to relax and just enjoy the day.
Stress from planning a wedding, and moving Kate into the loft had taken a toll. They just needed time to enjoy each other. Trying to merge two households into one became a daunting task. Each of them was trying to accommodate the other.
The move-in went well. There were adjustments made by Kate and Rick. They were both excited as they began the merging of their lives. The loft was now home, not your place my place. Their home had touches of Kate. She felt comfortable and Rick was thrilled to have her with him.
Linus was gone from the bedroom and the seashells from their trip to Hamptons hung in his stead, a compromise made to make the loft their home.
Kate had her head in his lap they were snuggled on the sofa watching an old Sci-fi series on DVD. Some western series set in space. It was a lazy Saturday afternoon.
"Babe" Kate said
"Hum" Rick replied
"Do you think your Dad will show up at the wedding?" she asks
"We aren't putting the location in the paper; you said you didn't want media frenzy. How would he know where and when?" he said
"He's CIA, and he's kept tabs on you your entire life. I think he can find out where and when. Do you want him to come?"
"I would like for him to be there. Do you think my Mother would feel, uncomfortable?"
"I think she'd love to see him again."
"I'd like for you to meet him Kate." He said excitedly "He gave me the Casino Royal book when I was ten. That book made me want to become a writer. I wish I'd know that was my Dad when I met him. It was so strange, we had only just met and yet I felt a connection to him." His voice was quieter and softer. "He told me he was proud of me."
"He should be proud! You are a wonderful person. Your books helped me so much. I was so lost when my Mom died. Your books gave me hope, the evil ones would have a reckoning they had to account for the wrongs they committed, and that justice would prevail. I don't tell you often enough, I'm so happy you didn't give up on us. I know there were times that you could have, probably should have…..I'm so grateful that you didn't." Kate looked up at him with tears in her eyes.
Rick picked up her hand and kissed it. "There was never a choice. I knew you were the one. If you hadn't shown up soaking wet that night, I would have still come back. I can't live in a world that you're not a part of Kate."
She sat up and reached for him. Their lips met, and they kissed. Kate love kissing him. His lips were soft he knew how to kiss. They settled back into sofa, it wasn't long and they had settled and fallen asleep entwined. The DVD continued to play.
The Raven was sitting in the restaurant drinking coffee. Watching, as people of New York were coming and going. No one was paying any attention to the Raven. It was perfect.
The Raven had gone through a lot of pain and agony to achieve anonymity. The cost was great. The reward would come when Detective Beckett lay crushed, & defeated at the Ravens feet. Then the Raven would find peace. The rage that burned could only be extinguished by the breaking of Kate Beckett.
The Raven hadn't suffered the humiliation of being bested by anyone, until the day that fate brought the Raven and Beckett together. The detective thought, assumed the Raven was dead. That mistake would be her undoing. She shouldn't have stopped until she knew for sure the Raven was dead. The Raven smiled.
The Raven was trained to kill. They didn't have to use a gun. Guns were loud. There were quieter, more effective ways to kill. The Raven had employed several of the alternative methods. The look of utter surprise when the target drew their last breath never grew tiresome to the Raven. The targets all had the same questioning look just as the life drained from their eyes. They all seemed to say the same thing. It was you, how could I not have known.
The Raven sat and drank their coffee.
Kate awoke first. She felt the weighted arm of her partner across her chest. She began to rub his arm. He stirred.
"Hey" he said sleepily
"Hey" she said back. "I'm thinking Chinese food."
"Sounds good to me, do you want me to order?" He asks
"I've got it." Kate got up from the couch and placed their order.
"Hung said twenty minutes." Kate told him
Rick came and embraced Kate. "Wine?" he asks
"That would be great." She said
Rick went and retrieved a bottle of wine and began to open it.
Kate's cell phone rang
She looked at the screen Lanie was calling.
"Girl, did you get settled in?" Lanie asks
"Yea, I didn't have a lot to move, I'd brought a lot of stuff over already." Kate said with a chuckle.
"It's 'bout time you and writer boy got together. I don't think the rest of us could take it any longer. Ooh I gotta go; I've got a booty call on the line." Lanie said
"Tell Espo hello, and thanks again for his help with the move." Kate said
"Will do, love you girl, bye." Lanie hung up
"Do you think those two will ever get together?" Rick asks. He handed Kate a glass of wine.
"I think they used to ask the same thing about us." She smiled and took the wine from him.
A toast Rick raised his glass "To our home; may only love and happiness ever cross our threshold."
Kate touched her glass to his "To our home."
Eduardo sent a text. The Chinese food was on the way up. Rick got out the money he knew how much their regular order was. He added a generous tip.
They took the cartons and headed into the living room they didn't bother with plates. Today on casual Saturday they ate straight from the carton. Rick restarted the DVD they slept through earlier. Right now they didn't think life could be any better.
Meanwhile, across the city in a little coffee shop, evil waited. The Raven's plan was set. Round one would begin on Monday…..