Kate Beckett is itching to go home. Not literally itching, but she does sometime feel like her skin is going to crawl off her body if she doesn't go back to Manhattan, so he can be beside her mother and be close during her recovery
BUT! Her father gave her an ultimatum that she finishes the year, or he will remove the funding and she will have to pay for all her schooling. Not having a job that pays enough for her to attend Stanford, she decided to go back until the year is over.
When she returns to New York in the spring, then she will have a long conversation with her dad. She knows he will still win the argument, but she will try anyway
She has finished her day's classes and has returned to her room in the dorm. Looking at her watch the time is early in California, but she knows the three-hour time difference makes it a little late in New York, but she just wants to hear the voices of her parents
She takes her cell phone out of her purse and she lays down on the bed. Quickly punching in the numbers to make the call, she smiles as she is waiting for the ring back to change to one or both of her mom or dad's voices
After several rings, she begins to become concerned that no one is answering. It is after six or seven rings before she hears the soft warm voice of her father "Hey Katie"
"Hi dad! I was getting worried. Did I interrupt something?" she has put a little playfulness into her question hoping that maybe with her not in the house every day that her mom and dad have taken the opportunity to spend a lot of private time together
"Oh? Uh. No Katie, you didn't interrupt anything….um it is great to hear your voice"
Kate senses that something is 'off'. Her dad sounds distracted on the phone
"Is there something wrong, dad?"
"No Katie. Why do you ask?"
"DAD. You seem distracted. Has something happened to mom?"
"Uh, no. Nothing she is healing very well"
"Can I talk to her?"
There is a brief pause before he answers "Sorry, she is busy…she…she is working on a case and asked not to be disturbed"
Kate Beckett has instincts, that her dad has not realized, she has fine-tuned over the years "Dad…what are you not telling me?"
"Nothing Katie"
"Then why do you sound like there is something wrong?"
"I don't know girl. I just must be tired. It is late here in New York, you know?"
Kate pauses for a moment considering what her dad just said and how he is correct in the time difference. Seven o'clock in California is ten PM in the big apple.
"OK dad. I just wanted to hear your voice and hoped to talk to mom too"
"Well, Katie, I will tell her that you called"
"Thanks, dad" she responds just as her phone beeps indicating another call is coming in. "Hey, I have another call coming in…dad tell mom that I called her"
"I certainly will"
"Tell mom I love her, and I will talk to her later"
"10-4 daughter"
"OK, dad…I love you"
"Love you too, Katie"
She looks at her phone and sees a familiar name, Henry Burnett, then presses the answer button "Henry" she puts a lot of glee in her voice
"Where are you, Kbex?"
"Where am I supposed to be?" she glances toward her clock
"The Nebula 9 meeting? We are making plans to attend the Sci-Fi convention"
She suddenly remembers the planned get together with the other cos players "Sorry! I was talking to my dad and forgot all about it…I am on my way"
She rushes into her closet and finds her Lt. Chloe costume. Slipping it over her head and donning the mid-calf thigh-high boots, to go along with the very short skirt and that completes the part of her hero. She first pauses in front of her mirror looking at herself. She is thinking how amazing her long legs do look in this costume.
She then rushes out of the building toward the student center where all her fellow cosplay friends are waiting to plan a trip the next weekend to see all the original actors and get autographs
/\/\/\/\/\/\
"Jim…who…who was on the phone?" Johanna mumbles in a voice Jim Beckett barely knows anymore.
"It was Kate"
"Katie? My Katie?" is the slurred words coming from the woman
"Yes. It was our daughter"
"I wanted…" a long pause enhances the stumbling she is presenting "wanted…I want to talk to her. Give me the phone"
"You are in no position to talk to her or anyone else for that matter"
She stumbles toward Jim, "I SAID I WANT TO TALK TO MY DAUGHTER" she almost screams then she falls on the couch
"And I said NO"
"Give me the phoned…" she cannot even say the name properly without mumbling as she tries to take the instrument from her husband, he pulls it away from her grasp
"GO TO BED"
"I'm not tired…I wan my Kate" she is still trying to grab for the phone
Then just as if someone turned off a motor, she drops her head to the pillow on the couch and she is asleep.
/\/\/\/\/\/\
Kate makes it to the meeting, in the student center, just as one of the other women finishes telling what she plans to do when they get to the convention. Raylene Brooks, who is dressed in an almost identical costume as Kate, is planning on trying to get into Captain Max's dressing room and get a photograph with the actor who plays the part.
Another of the group starts talking about how he heard the show's rights had been sold to some woman who bought it for next to nothing. He remarked that show only ran for 13 episodes and the critics had pounded it for poor science and even worse writing, so the media outlets were surprised it sold for any price.
After further discussions as to what time to meet, what outfit to wear, as if there were much differences between any of them, what times to meet and what they planned to see the group broke up
Just as Kate is turning to leave, Henry stops her "Hey, Beckett, you want to go to the coffee shop and grab a latte or regular coffee?"
She looks at the man. He is a nice enough fellow and a much more responsible person than any of the wild guys she dated in high school, but he is definitely not her type "Thanks Henry, but I need to get back to my room to study. I have a major exam tomorrow and I will probably be up all-night studying"
"Well, even more reason to grab a double expresso. That should keep you going like that advertising pink bunny on the commercials"
She lets out a laugh being compared to a pink furry creature on television "OK. I might try that if you think it will keep me going…and going…and going"
/\/\/\/\/\
Not wanting to have to clean up one more mess from the couch, Jim Beckett, has picked up his passed out drunk wife and carried her to the settee that he set up in the spare bedroom. The one with the plastic cover to protect the fabric. He takes off her clothes and gets her into a pair of cheap pajamas then placing her on the bed, covers her, walks to the door, turns off the lights and retires to the bedroom where he will sleep alone
