Changes
Chapter Seven
For Kate, their time in Sydney went by really quickly. They did as much as they could in the four days they were in the city, including a ferry trip to the zoo. Kate loved the animals, particularly the kangaroos and koalas.
"They have some cool animals here," she said to Rick at one stop in the zoo.
He smiled in return, "Yeah."
Mostly, they contented themselves to walk around, hand in hand. Being in a foreign country had its perks, with Rick being recognised very rarely. Kate enjoyed the fact that they could be any people they wanted.
On day four of their trip, Rick woke Kate up early and said, "You ready to go?"
Kate mumbled a bit as she woke up, before finally settling on, "Go where?"
Rick just grinned. Kate sighed, and slowly got out of bed. Rick was already dressed, and had breakfast ready on the table of their hotel room. Kate got dressed, and sat down at the table. It was still dark outside.
"So?" she asked as she took a sip of coffee, "Where to now?"
"Well, my dear, we are off to a place that I am assured it always rains."
Kate frowned, "What?"
Rick chuckled. "Don't worry. It's apparently very nice. It's in Queensland."
"That's north, right?"
"Yep."
"Hmm." Kate finished her breakfast, and then they were off to the airport. The flight wasn't too long, and soon they were landing in Cairns. True to Rick's words, it was drizzling slightly, but Kate didn't mind. It was very green, and beautiful. They made their way to their hotel, and spent an hour settling in.
"Well," said Rick. "There's a skyrail and a train up to a village called Kuranda. What do you say?"
Kate shrugged, "Okay."
Rick grinned, "Come on." He held out a hand, and chuckling, Kate took it. They seemed like a newlywed couple again, happy and loving spending time with each other, which they were.
They chose to ride the train up to Kuranda, and he skyrail back again, and so Kate found herself standing by a window on the train, gazing in wonder at the beautiful scenery, with Rick pressed up against her. Every now and then, he would press a kiss to the side of her neck, causing her to giggle in a very un-Kate-like way. When they got off the train, they found a small village, with some shops and a few places to eat.
"This is wonderful, Rick," Kate said at one point.
"All the more so because you're with me," Rick replied, pulling Kate close for a kiss. She melted against him, loving the feel of his lips against hers. Eventually Rick pulled away, and smiled down at Kate. "I love you," he whispered.
"And I love you," Kate replied.
"Thank you for marrying me," Rick said.
"Yeah, still don't know what I was thinking," Kate replied, an edge of humour to her voice.
Rick chuckled, and interlaced his fingers with hers. "How about some lunch, my dear?"
"Sounds good," Kate replied, walking happily alongside him.
The rest of the day passed easily, and eventually they were on the skyrail back to Cairns. The skyrail essentially was a ski lift, but with enclosed cabins, that ran along a rail from the top of the hill to the bottom. It didn't take very long, but the views were incredible, and Kate smiled at Rick.
"I got to hand it to you; you know how to impress a girl."
Rick grinned smugly. "Oh yeah, I do."
Kate chuckled. "So what are we doing tonight?"
"Why do you assume we're doing something tonight?" Rick replied.
"You have this whole trip meticulously planned," Kate answered.
"True that. Okay, you win, we're going out to dinner at a nice restaurant. That means you have to dress up."
"Ugh."
"I knew you'd be enthusiastic!"
They got off the skyrail, and made their way back to their hotel.
"You have an hour, by the way," Rick said, "So you'd better go start getting ready."
Kate rolled her eyes at him, and disappeared into the bathroom. She studied herself in the mirror, noting that she was starting to look better and more like her old self. She was less gaunt, and she had colour in her cheeks. Kate smiled at herself, and decided that she'd make tonight special. She slipped out of her clothes and into the shower, where she washed her hair, shaved her legs and armpits, and covered herself with scented body wash. When she was done, she blowdried her hair, and styled it so it hung down over her shoulders in loose curls. Then she poked her head out of the bathroom and called to Rick, "Can you grab me the dress I know you packed for me?"
"What makes you think I packed you a dress?" came the reply.
"Um, maybe, I know you." Kate called back.
She heard Rick chuckled, and a minute later he arrived at the bathroom door with a dress and underwear for her. She gave him a brief smile, and a peck on the lips as thanks, and retreated back into the bathroom. She got dressed and then did her makeup, and walked out of the bathroom to show Rick.
"Wow. You polish up good, Beckett."
Kate smirked. "What about you, writer boy? Not dressing up?"
"Give me a go, woman. You were hogging the bathroom."
"Which you insisted on!"
"Fair point."
There was a moment of silence. Then...
"But seriously, are you getting dressed?"
Rick smiled at Kate, and said, "Yes, dear." And he disappeared into the recently vacated bathroom.
Kate smiled to herself and sat down on the bed. She turned the TV on, and tuned into the news. She didn't know most of the places mentioned, but she found it interesting anyway. Eventually, Rick emerged from the bathroom, stark naked, and Kate couldn't suppress the giggle that arose at the sight.
"Going out like that, are you?" she asked with one eyebrow raised.
"S'thinkin' about it," Rick replied, striking a pose.
Kate laughed at him. "I'm sorry, darling, but I couldn't handle the women flocking to you if you went out like that."
Rick grinned, and said, "But where's the fun if you don't get jealous?"
"You're my husband! You're not supposed to attract other women... or men."
Rick raised an eyebrow.
"Come on, don't give me that look, you've been hit on by plenty of gay men, and don't deny it. It makes you feel sexy, doesn't it?"
Rick licked his lips, and nodded once.
"Well get dressed, I'm hungry," Kate said, looking him up and down.
"Oh, wow," Rick said with a slight hiccup. He quickly rounded up his clothes and got dressed before finally combing his hair, and they were ready to go.
Rick held out an arm, and Kate took it.
"Shall we?" he asked.
"We shall," Kate replied, and so they went to dinner.
A/N: Yay! Another chapter done. Sorry 'bout the wait. I've been working up on a mine site, crazy place, and I don't get much free time.
Anyway, reviews make me feel loved. :)
