A/N: Hi guys :D
I can't believe this story has over 100 reviews!:) It really means a lot to me.
And look at where we are...11th chapter? And there I was, thinking this would be a One-Shot! I'm not yet sure of how many chapters this is still going to have but I'm guessing that not many more. 3, 4? Oh well, we'll see :)
Hmm...It's 6:40 a.m here and I haven't slept yet so...I'm sorry if there are any typos that I'm not seeing xD Enjoy :)
Disclaimer: The same as usual. I don't own them blablabla. ;)
April the 19th, 2013
Kate,
Oh, Kate. I got it. I got your sign! (If it wasn't real than I proclaim myself endlessly lost.) I apologize in advance if I'm not one-hundred percent clear in this letter. It's just that there are so many feelings, so many things going on...That it's hard to put it all in words. (yes, even for me)
I'm currently sitting outside the house of a mysterious man that showed up two days ago on one of my book-signing sessions.
He gave me the book without saying a single word and I raised my head to ask for a name as I always do. He remained silent as if he was trying to decide which name to give me or if he should give me one at all. "Nikki Heat" he replied in a tone of voice that was everything but friendly.
"I'm sorry?" As common as you might think it is, people don't usually ask me to dedicate my books to fictional characters. In a normal case I would just ignore it but…that man was no hysterical fan, you could easily tell that by the discomfort that transpired from his eyes. He did not belong there.
"Ni-nikki Heat." He stammered a bit this time but hastened to cover it. "Do you need me to spell it for you or what?" When you're sitting in the same chair for nearly two hours and writing the same thing over and over again, fighting is the last thing you feel like doing. So I just grabbed my pen and looked back at the book. That's when I saw it. Right there, in the very first page.
Two cups of coffee, one with cherries on top, both ones with different labels. My heart stopped when I looked closer to read what was written in each one. The first one said "apples" and the other one said "always".
I think my hand started shaking as I traced every point of the sketch with my finger. The contours weren't perfect but they looked like the result of hours of drawing. And the handwriting, oh. I would have still recognized it even if twenty years had gone by. Although it wasn't so messy as usual, I could still recognize the weird "e's" and "a's" that only you know how to do.
"Is there any problem?" The guy asked in a harsh tone, waking me up from my trance.
"No, not at all." I said, as I tried to make my heart calm down. I couldn't ruin that, it could be my only chance. Our only chance. "I was just observing the nice drawings. I assume this isn't for you?"
"Listen, are you going to sign it or not?" His arms were now on my desk and he was looking me right in the eye. I managed to control the anger that was emerging in me, only to give him a smile and a whispered apologize. I then signed the book and handed it to him, reminding myself that that was what was going to lead me to you, otherwise I wouldn't have let go of it.
The man didn't say another word as he turned around and headed towards the door. I don't know how I managed to tell Paula to cancel the rest of the event and apologize to the people who were in the line and still making it to the street just in time to watch the guy entering his red car. I grabbed Alexis arm (she came with me because she was visiting a friend that lives in this area) and dragged her into my car, unconsciously ignoring all of her questions and protests.
Only after twenty minutes on the road I managed to put myself together, explaining her how every one of those drawings had a special meaning to me. She must have thought I was acting paranoid because she demanded to know every single meaning I was referring to, in order to draw her own conclusions.
"And it's not just that. He asked me to make it out to Nikki Heat. To Nikki Heat for God's sake!" I told her, as we followed the red car through endless streets. "Take down the plate, Alexis."
"Already did. It's in here." She said, shaking her phone in her hand. "Dad, Nikki Heat could be anyone. And since when would a kidnapper come to get a book signed for his hostage?"
"I don't know, Alexis! I don't know but I'm going to find out."
The car stopped and so did my heart. We were already in the suburbs, in what seemed to be a quiet and perfectly normal neighborhood. I parked a few streets ahead.
"You think it's really her?" Alexis asked hesitant.
"Ninety percent sure."
"Then I believe you."
Those words gave me a kind of strength that only a daughter can give to her father and grinning at her, I got out of the car. When I saw she was about to follow me, I stopped her. I didn't know what to expect, but I knew I couldn't afford to lose her too.
"You stay in the car."(Funny how these words give me a déjà vu feeling. Do they do the same to you?)
I wandered around his house for about fifteen minutes before I decided it was best to call Esposito and Ryan to seek some council. We all agreed it was best to talk to Gates, but we were wrong. She made me leave to go talk to her at the precinct, only to tell me that concrete evidence was necessary to invade someone's house and "random words and drawings are no concrete evidence". However she agreed on putting that man (that now we found out to be named Jason) under surveillance. So, this past two days the guy hasn't left his house yet (unless he did it during that time I was in the precinct and when there was still nobody here to watch him).
It's now 11.45 p.m and I spent my day here, hoping to catch a glimpse of him. Ryan and Espo were here too and Gates as already yelled at all of us because, apparently, we are risking the investigation.
I'm sorry. I can't leave. Not yet. What if you are in that same house and I am this much close to you? What if I could have already saved you and instead I'm just sitting here while you're probably in pain?
But on the other hand, if you're not here it's a good thing that I keep waiting until he leads me to you. Oh, Kate. You have no idea of how hard it is for me not to enter that house right away and not knowing if it is a good choice or not.
Part of me is afraid that I'm seeing it all wrong and that these were just a bunch of coincidences together. But even if I was trying harder to resist it, there's no way you can stop your heart from believing in what he truly wants to believe.
I'm going to find you. You are alive. You have to be. But there's just so much uncertainty...You know what? Fuck the rational side. I'm not afraid of getting hurt. You are alive and I believe it.
I love you. I promise, after this, I'm going to make you the happiest woman on Earth. You really deserve to be happy, Kate.
At mid-night I should probably return home or Alexis will be worried. Still, before I leave, I'll make sure the surveillance guy has got everything under control.
Yours faithfully,
Rick
So...I tried to create a version of what I imagine Kate's drawing to be like using Photoshop. But when I got to the labels I gave up. Still, I used it to do something different that I posted on tumblr. Check it out anyway, I think it gives you an idea of what Kate draw. Don't mind the words though.
http:/ 25. media . tumblr . com/ tumblr_lwhcvw6Ga81r3uqczo1_ 500. jpg
(delete the spaces in the link in order to get there)
As for the chapter itself...
Hum...I've always given Rick lots of "irrational hope" and now I decided it was time for him to ponder about it a bit. He can't really be sure if this were all consequences or not and he knows if he believes it and it turns out to be a false alarm, he is going do fall, badly.
Thoughts? :)
Love you guys!
Clara