Sticking to my promise of a chapter a day. Currently writing chapter nine of the M-Rated version so I'm hoping when I publish that chapter, I will be publishing on both versions. Let me know what you think.


"I've had these emotions for at least three years now, just never acted on them, so my judgement won't be clouded." Kate shot back

"Don't you dare say that Kate is just a fling Gina, you have no idea what you're talking about, as Kate stated we've both had these emotions for around three years, so if this was just a fling we'd have got it over and done with a long time ago. Now I feel that you should leave."

"I KNEW IT!" Alexis exclaimed, causing all heads to turn to her. "Can I have my money back now Jo?"

"Argh! Thanks a lot guys." Jo shot back

"Are you kidding me? Will you two stop betting on us? You're our kids, you're supposed to be grossed out by the idea" Rick interjected

"Should have gotten your act together sooner" Jo told them.

"Johanna Beckett, don't talk to Rick like that!" Kate scolded her daughter

"Can we get back to the book launch Rick? Paula interrupted as she walked onto the stage

"Sure, done all of my announcements now, need a drink after all that." Rick replied, grabbing Kate's hand and pulling her towards the bar.

"That went well" Kate muttered as they left the stage, all eyes following them

"They're still staring right?" Rick whispered as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her flush to his side

"Yeah, I can feel their eyes on me, and trust me, Lanie's are burning a hole in my back" Kate whispered back

"She will be okay soon, don't worry too much, we will just have fun for the rest of the night." He placed a kiss to her ear as he whispered to her.

"Okay, I'm sure I will get grilled sometime tonight when you abandon me to sign a girl's chest." Kate murmured to herself as they reached the bar.

"Hey, look at me" Rick spoke softly, placing his finger under her chin and lifting her head up to his,

"I'm only interested in you and your chest. Can I sign yours by the way?"

"Rick" Kate laughed as she playfully slapped his shoulder before being pulled into a searing kiss.

"Okay, I believe you."

"Good, don't doubt that you are all I want ever again" He told her as they turned back to the bar to order their drinks.

The book launch went swimmingly after the little outburst of the announcements, Kate and Rick had managed to avoid their friends and family for the most of the night. Kate had yet to have the dreaded talk with Lanie, who she was avoiding at all costs. Knowing Lanie it would need to involve a lot of alcohol and no audience for the kind of information she wanted and the kind of ear bashing Kate was going to receive. They'd already decided that Kate and Jo were stopping at the loft that night, now Jim was also stopping, in the spare room that usually accommodated Kate.

"I'm a little nervous" Kate admitted as they walked towards their family

"The great Katherine Beckett is nervous? Why may I ask?" Rick mockingly replied

"Oh shut up Rick, and yes you may ask why, and I can't believe you're not nervous, the entire family, seriously? Do you know how weird that is going to be? How quiet we are going to have to be?" Kate whispered to him as they neared their family, causing Rick to halt their progress and stand in the middle of the room.

"Seriously, that's what you're worried about? Didn't I ever tell you all my rooms are sound proof?" Rick shot back, a huge grin on his face "But thank you for the reassurance that tonight I will once again get to ravish you."

"Or I could ravish you." She replied with a smirk as he pulled her towards him, placing a kiss to her forehead.

"GET A ROOM!"

"We have" they replied in unison, causing the entire room to look at them.

"Eew! Mum!"

"Dad! Gross"

Jo and Alexis returned at the same time, their parent's eyes finding theirs instantly as the blush increased on their faces.

The girls are silent when they sit in the car on the way home an hour later, like they are avoiding talking about sleeping arrangements for the night, knowing what the answer will be. Jim and Martha took Kate's car, since her father doesn't drink. They assured them that they were okay with not taking the limo; they wanted to give their kids some time with their own kids after recent developments.

"Are you not talking to us now?" Rick quizzed the girls as they sat at the opposite end of the limo.

"I'm sorry, what should we say?" Alexis shoots back, her eyes levelling on her father

"Alexis! What is wrong with you today?" Rick scolds as he stares at his daughter

"Being lied to does that to you" She replies instantly

"We didn't lie to you, we just didn't tell you"

"Because that makes it all better?" Jo interrupts

"Jo, do not start" Kate cuts in, wow the awkward conversation with their kids was going to be a long one "Do you girls have a problem with this? Because we would work something out. Probably won't be easy, but we would respect your wishes"

"Kate" Rick protests as she pauses

"No, Rick, we talked about this, we said if they weren't okay with us, then we'd stop" She shot back, her hand finding his and giving it a squeeze.

"They're okay with it, they were happy" Rick interjects as her strokes the back of her hand

"Clearly they aren't. Now, like I was saying, are you girls okay with this?"

"You'd seriously do that? You'd stay away from each other and forget about this thing you have for us?" Alexis enquires

"It won't be easy, but you girls are important to both of us, and we want you to be happy more than ourselves being happy. It's a parent thing" Rick told them, his eyes shooting up to lock with Kate's

"Okay, well," Alexis starts, pausing as she looks towards Jo who simply nods at her, "we're not okay with this"

The car pulls to a stop as Alexis finishes speaking, causing the girls to exit instantly leaving their parents behind, both with shocked expressions on their faces. The sound of the door clicking shut behind them causes Rick to break first, his shocked expression turning to sad as he moves his hand to stroke Kate's cheek, before resting it there.

"Did she just say 'not okay'?" She quizzed as she turned to look at him, her eyes filled with unshed tears as they lock with his again

"She did" He watches as the tears slowly find their way down her cheek, his thumb brushing over them, catching them. "Kate, I can't, I can't let you go"

"Rick, we talked about it, we said we could do it"

"Yeah but I never expected them to not be okay with this."

"Well now we know they're not, I, I guess I should get my dad to take me and Jo back to mine"

"What? No!" he shouts as she starts to turn away" Kate, just stay tonight, stay in my room, I'll sleep on the couch, give them some time to think about all of this first."

"Rick," she breathes in reply. "I can't stay here and not be with you. It's safer if we go home, let them think it over on their own, not with each other."

He doesn't give her a reply, just pulls her towards him, crashing his lips to hers, making it count, knowing it might be the last time he gets to do this with her. She responds instantly, returning the same level of passion and urgency as him, letting him know that she doesn't want this to end either. Her hands find his hair, as she gasps into his mouth, opening for him, his tongue sliding along hers instantly. He pulls her flush to him, one hand on her thigh the other at her neck, as he continues to stroke his tongue along hers before pulling back slightly to bite the bottom of her lip. She moans at the pain, the pain she may never get from him again, the kind she loves, the one that spurs her on, but now causes the tears in her eyes to roll down her cheeks again. They're uncontrollable, keep flowing down her face as they continue to kiss, she's not sure who's she tastes first, but they ignore them, both wanting to make their last kiss count. Rick pulls back first, looks at her tear streaked face before once again wiping them away with his thumb.

"I love you so much Kate, please, don't forget how much I love you"

"I know, god, I love you Rick, I don't think I could ever forget"

She moves her own hand to wipe at the tears on his face, both trying to compose themselves before they go and say goodbye in front of everyone.

"You okay?"

"No, but we knew this wouldn't be easy Rick, I need to be away from you for this to work, if not I'm going to be too tempted"

"Okay, let's go get your stuff into your car"

They transfer her things in silence, staying away from each other, avoiding any chance of contact.

"Jo's taken her bag already"

"She will still want to sleep over, despite the age difference, her and Alexis are really close. We can't stop seeing each other altogether; Jo can't lose someone else she's close to"

"I know, we will cross that bridge when we get to it Kate, come on."

They stand at opposite ends of the elevator, both looking towards the floor, resisting the urge to reach out and pull the other towards them. When the doors open he lets her out first, watching her as she walks in front of him before composing himself once again before they enter his loft. It seems too quiet when they get inside, they can't see anyone, they know the girls are here, and her car is parked outside, so their parents are here also.

"Jo, could you come downstairs please" She's surprised at how steady her voice is

"You're back" Jim states, a smile on his face which quickly falters at the sight of the pair "Katie?"

"Did you bring your things up already Dad?"

"Yes, there in the spare room why?"

"Go get them and make sure Jo brings hers down with her"

"Darlings, you're here. The girls came up almost an hour ago, dare we ask-" Martha stops abruptly when she sees her son and Kate, their standing apart from each other, too far apart, both with bloodshot eyes, both looking towards anything that isn't each other "Richard? What's going on?"

"Kate, Jim and Jo are leaving, stopping at her apartment tonight." He simply replies as he watches his mothers face turn to worry

"Richard? What did you do?"

"He didn't do anything Martha" Kate tells her, her eyes finding his as she looks up, before they both quickly turn their heads to look away

"Gramps why do I need my bag? And why do you have your bag? We're stopping here tonight?" Jo's voice echoes through the loft as she walks down the stairs, running after Jim who has both bags in his hands.

"Dad, what's going on?" Alexis' voice booms as she runs down the stairs behind Jo, stopping abruptly behind her when they reach the bottom, both looking towards their parents

"We're going home Jo" Kate states, her eyes on the ground once again

"I don't want to" Jo replies

"Well tough, you've gotten one wish tonight, and I'm sorry but that's all I can manage right now, so get your things, we're going" Kate almost shouts as she looks up at her daughter, the tears forming in her eyes again. "Now, Jo."

"Katie? Are you sure?" Jim asks his daughter while looking at his grandchild.

"Can we just go? Jo go to the car with your grandfather, I'll be down in a minute."

"But mum-"

"Jo" Kate scolds as she watches her daughter take one last look at Alexis then Martha before leaving the loft with her granddad.

They stand outside the loft, in the hallway waiting for Kate they needed to make sure she was okay

"Goodbye Rick"

"Goodbye Kate"

They lock eyes briefly, before Kate quickly turns away, her hand reaching up wipe a tear from her cheek, starts taking deep breathes as she exits the loft, closing the door behind her

"Mum?"

"Dad, I said the car" Kate tells them as she walks towards the elevator, not making eye contact with either of them, and pushing back the tears

"Katie, you're not okay" Jim states as yet enter the elevator with her

"I'll be fine, just give me some time" Kate states, her eyes once again focused on the floor

"Dad?" Alexis shouts after him as he makes his way towards his office, ignoring both his mother and daughter

"Richard! Your daughter is talking to you" Martha shouts after him as he enters his office, heading straight for his bedroom door.

"I'm not in the mood for talking, I'm going to bed" Rick states, his voice remaining calm, he closes his bedroom door behind him before sliding down the door and sitting on the floor, his head in his hands, the tears streaming down his face.

She keeps herself composed on the ride home, eyes glistening with unshed tears, forcing herself to hold it together until she's in the confides of her own bedroom.

"Katie where here" Jim states as he pops his head back inside the car, holding their backs

"Sorry" She exits the car quickly before running around and grabbing her bag from him "Thanks"

"Jo's already inside, she said she was tired and wanted to go to bed" Jim states as they walk towards the elevator

"Your room is already set up, I'm going straight to bed as well Dad, you know where everything is if you want to stay up" Kate replies before returning to the silence as they enter the elevator.

"Okay Katie" Jim answers before falling into the silence with her.

When they enter her apartment, they see Jo's bag thrown by the door, her shoes and coat thrown alongside them. Kate doesn't even falter to move them like normal, simply walks straight through the apartment to her room.

"Night Dad"

"Night Katie"

She closes the door behind her before sliding down to the floor, pulling her legs up to her chest, tears streaming down her face.

Neither bother to change as they crawl into bed, both facing the centre, hoping to see the other there beside them, knowing that it will never happen again. Kate doesn't even bother to climb under the covers, instead deciding to simply lie on top of them, while burying her head in the pillow. Rick manages to climb underneath before he also buries his face in the pillow. Neither one of them managing to sleep until the tears start again, memories of time spent together in the room, the bed they currently lie in, until they finally exhaust themselves enough, crying themselves to sleep.