CH25

The years explained. Kate was a 15 year old person in a 20 year old body. Kate has spent the last 8 years of her life with the aliens. (rounding up to make things easier). 15 + 8 = 23. Since Kate's body didn't age those 8 years she is now a 23 year old woman inside a real 20 year old body.

To Kate she feels somewhere between 15 and 23 since she has still lost 5 years of her life. 5 years of experience that she still doesn't have. People looking at them will see a 26 year old Rick and a 20 year old Kate.

Clear as mud?

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Rick watched Kate teleport away and immediately teleport back as though the first one had been rejected or redirected. She was even wearing the same clothes. She just stood there for a moment, began crying, and launched herself into his arms.

"I love you, I love you, I love you," she stated between several kisses to his face. "God I've missed you." She kissed him like she hadn't kissed anyone in ages. She finally broke from the kiss but didn't let go of him. "We're getting married, like right now. Where are we?" She looked around. "How fast can you get married in New York?" She had waited 8 very long years.

"We have to get back to Reno where our parents are located," he pointed out gently. "Reno, parents. I forgot. …Can we get married in Reno?" she asked. "We only got engaged a few minutes ago Kate," he said, reminding her. She opened her mouth to argue that it had actually been 8 long years, more or less. "You're not ready," she stated, disappointed.

Now it was Rick's turn. He opened his mouth to say something only to close it again. She placed a finger on his lips to silence him. "Just say you still want to marry me. I can wait. I just thought… It's been a long time and I missed you terribly." She collapsed onto him and wept on his shoulder.

"We have time Kate. Time to enjoy being engaged before being married. Do you want to skip that part?" She sniffled, wiped her tears away, and sniffled again. "Miss out on mindless amounts of sex?" Her hesitant smile was his answer.

"Do you remember what we were doing before you left?" he asked her. She tilted her head to one side like that would help. "Refresh my memory please."

"Our parents are in Reno for a week to attend my mother's show and meet each other, not that they have yet. Your mother has taken up a case with a mob enforcer named Pulgotti."

"Who is the start of someone - we don't know who - that is going to blow our planet to hell and gone. Remind me again why we don't know his name?" she asked.

"Because our aliens…"

She interrupted him. "Key," she pointed out. Rick opened his eyes wide. "You met Key?" he asked. She smiled. "She or it said to tell you hi."

"I can't believe we both had the same trainer!" He was astounded.

"Reno, my mother, Pulgotti?" She got back on track.

"Right. Our aliens can see what happens and understand that only the President of the United States has the authority to order that massive of a ballistic missile launch. And when this disaster had a beginning, which is about now. There are likely things that have already happened prior to this that they just don't see," Rick said.

"Like not knowing the Russians had already launched a boomer sub that had a caterpillar drive installed for testing," she offered. She had just shocked Rick yet again. "How the hell do you know about that?" he demanded and stepped away from her. "Key made it a part of my training. She had me do the same mission you did" she replied, not liking the distance between them.

"Seriously? How did you do?" he wondered. "I passed," she stated and watched his face. "After it took me I don't know how many times to get it right." She scrunched up her face. "And I hate you for getting it right the first time. Though in my defense, it was difficult to be a woman on a cramped submarine filled with men," she added.

He laughed and took her back in his arms while kissing her head. "I still think you cheated," she grumbled. "But you made it. And you now know what these can do." He wiggled his fingers. "I do," she replied and wiggled her fingers at him. "Now I want to put these fingers to use babe." She grinned and played with his chest.

"Our parents are expecting us and Alexis is waiting for you," he prompted her. "ALEXIS! I almost forgot about her. Let's go!" she announced. She took hold of him and pressed the gem embedded in her palm.

"ALEXIS!" She scooped her up, hugged her, and let Alexis rub her face against hers. "God I've missed you!" Her tears started all over again. Kate, however, missed the temporarily shocked look on Rick's face. She had just done something she had never done before.

"Meow?" Did you do it?

She nodded. "Just short of 8 long years that were full of pain. They poked and prodded. Took samples of everything. Cut my arms off and gave me these that I couldn't even get to move," she explained. It was nothing Rick and Alexis didn't already know.

"Meow." Now we are a family.

"Almost. Rick wants to wait to get married."

"MEOW?" DAD?

"Don't be angry with him Alexis. I'm a new me. He may not even love me anymore. It's been almost 8 years." Kate went fishing for confirmation of his feelings towards her.

"Meow!" Never!

Rick stepped up close to both of them. "It's been 8 years for you and only seconds for me. I know what I feel. The question is what you will feel for me after being gone. You need time," he told her gently. They both needed time. It was looking like the Kate he knew was gone and replaced with this one.

"I don't need time Rick. I've missed you badly. Key told me we have a year to get married though," she shared, giving him an out if he wanted it. What Key hadn't told her, and she hadn't thought to ask, was what would happen if they didn't marry.

'A year,' he thought. Had he offered to marry Kate too fast? He knew what the aliens had done to his body meant he would live longer than the average human and that included Kate, or at least it had til now. Now she was an agent. Did the aliens plan on her staying with him? Had they given her an AI unit? Was he supposed to share B5 with her? He had been alone since Meredith left him and he didn't share.

"Rick?" she didn't like him being so quiet. Was he having second thoughts?

He shook his head. "We both need time. We haven't even worked a mission together. Yes, I love the Kate Beckett I knew, but it's been 8 mostly lonely years later for you. Are you Kate Beckett?"

Her mind told her he was right, that Kate was gone and she was the new Kate. However her heart felt like a dagger had been shoved into it. Still she loved him and her training had taught her to never give up. If this was another caterpillar drive mission, then she would just keep trying until she won.

"Then we date, go on missions together, and make love to each other." She put Alexis down and placed her arms around his neck. "If I have to fight to keep you, then I will. You're mine Rick and I'm keeping you. And we are getting married, even if it takes us 355 days to do it." She kissed him.

"Meow." Don't be an ass Dad.

It was her dedication to them along with Alexis admonishing him that got Rick to wrap his arms around Kate and kiss her back. She wasn't 15 years old anymore. "What's wrong Rick?" she asked him after breaking from the kiss. "Nothing." He tried deflecting, but noticed that she wasn't buying it. "I'm sorry. It's been just me and Alexis since the moment she was born. Maybe even before that actually," he began and soon found his face in her hands.

"And just the two of you ever since. Alexis was 2 when she…died." Kate didn't know any other way to put it."Followed by 8 years all alone like I was. But my time was different than yours, Rick. I already loved you and I had your audio book. You wouldn't believe how many times I listened to your voice and breathed in your scent from a shirt I was given. You were gone but never really gone. I didn't spend those 8 years completely alone like you did. It was different for me," she said quietly.

Then they heard a knock. She let go of Rick and started for the door. "You loved Alexis and it kept you going. I love both of you and it kept me going." She opened the way to letting him think about it.

"MOM, DAD!" Kate hugged an unsuspecting Johanna who was momentarily shocked but recovered quickly to hug her back.

"Meow." Don't screw this up Dad, please.

"Katie?" Johanna was perplexed; they had seen each other in their room only a few minutes ago. "Just happy to see you." Kate didn't explain beyond that. "We'll have to not see you for a few minutes more often." Johanna hugged her daughter again, having gotten the type of hug she had longed for for years.

Kate picked up Alexis. "Shall we go?" Rick's mother had today and tomorrow off followed by at least 2 weeks of shows before moving on. Larger cities got more weeks. Las Vegas was next and the theater company was going to be there for 2 months.

It took two taxis to get to Martha's hotel. The women and Alexis ended up in one while the men ended up in another.

"So what's up Katie?" Johanna wanted an explanation. "About what?" she asked. "You've changed. I don't know what it is. It only took minutes, but something has changed." Johanna looked her in the face. The eyes told some people a lot. "Nothing has changed Mom, I'm still me." She denied everything.

"THERE, right there. You've been back what, only a few months? And in all that time you almost never called me mom. In fact you went out of your way to not call me anything. Now suddenly it's mom? …Something has changed Katie." Johanna studied her daughter closely. "You got back more of your memory!?" she guessed and deflated when Kate didn't agree right away. So it wasn't that. "I don't know what you're talking about Mom." She silently cursed for using the word mom again. She couldn't tell anyone about who and what she was now.

"Uh huh." Johanna wasn't buying it.

"Meow." She's relentless.

Kate petted Alexis and bit her tongue to keep from responding. People weren't supposed to understand cats.

Johanna suddenly grabbed Kate's hand and held it up. "KATIE!?" She had spotted the giant rock on her hand. Kate started grinning. "Rick proposed," Kate whispered. "OH, KATIE!" Suddenly she found herself in her mother's arms again.

"Meow!" Don't crush the cat!

The yowl of protest from Alexis got Johanna to let go of Kate and back off. "Sorry." Johanna looked at Alexis and then at Kate. "When did this happen?" She had to think about that. To her it was 8 years ago and they weren't married yet. "When we got to our room," she explained. It was actually in their kitchen at home, but she couldn't say that.

"And here I thought Rick would have planned something romantic. A balloon ride maybe. Top of the Empire State Building. Something special and heartfelt." Johanna knew hers had been simple and she had loved it because it was Jim asking. She just thought Rick would do something dramatic.

"It was simple and perfect Mom. I've been trying to talk him into getting married while we're here in Reno, but he wants to wait."

"Getting married here would be great, but I can understand his reasoning. You want the joy of being engaged Katie. It's a fun time in your life that will never come again. He's probably right. Enjoy this time. Show him that he made the right choice and just love him. I'm so happy for you!" Johanna started to hug her again but remembered Alexis was in Kate's lap.

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"So when is your next book out?" Jim asked.

"I didn't think you were a fan," Rick replied, remembering their brief conversation in the frozen food section of the grocery store.

"I'm a good husband and need to know my options to keep my wife happy. If she's happy then she makes my life happy. Otherwise she'll make my life a living hell," Jim replied.

Rick chuckled. He could just see Kate making his life hell if she wasn't happy. The problem was he didn't know just what made her happy.

"The latest one is already out. Kate and I just got back from a short book signing tour. The audio version of that book will be out in a couple of months or so." He had given a copy to Kate before she left for 8 years.

"An audio version. Who did the reading?" Jim asked, wondering what celebrity had done the recording. "I did actually. I haven't talked so much in my entire life. There were far too many times of 'CUT! Let's do that paragraph again and this time put some fear into it. He's a trained killer and this could be your ticket that gets punched.' All I wanted to do was punch someone alright." Rick related, chuckling.

"And you didn't lose your voice?" Jim questioned.

"They were actually very good about that. They always had something for me to drink to keep my voice going. It worked pretty well," he admitted.

"So you and my daughter. Did you already have Katie when we met the first time?" Jim demanded.

Rick paused, trying to think of just what to tell him. "My friend had found her and had just brought her to me to take care of. Kate wasn't even awake at that time. And even when she woke, she had a huge gap in her memory. Believe me, if I had known you were her father at the time, I would have said something." He didn't want Jim angry with him.

"Why you? Why not take her to a hospital?" Jim asked.

"I wish I could answer that question, I really do. To help you understand... I've always wanted some realism in what I write. I like to think that making it real makes the story better. I asked one time and still don't know how, but I got into the CIA for a while. Didn't really see anything or get to go anywhere, but I got to meet a lot of people. One of them was the guy who found your daughter. You'd have to ask him why me instead of a hospital, but I have a few guesses," he half lied.

"North Korea," Jim whispered. "So you and my daughter?" He got to the heart of the matter.

Rick smiled, wondering when Jim would turn the screws. "She is an amazing woman. She's not hard for any man to fall in love with. Her strength, considering her memory loss, is amazing. A lot of women would simply have given up, but not her." He still needed to see what this Kate was like after being gone almost 8 years in her reality.

"She has a lot of her mother in her. Jo doesn't back down to anyone. Katie missing got to her and when she was ready to give up, she would pick herself up and keep fighting." Jim was so proud of Jo; she was the best.

"That and some timely ice cream," Rick agreed while smiling.

Jim chuckled. "A good husband understands the woman that he married and the little things that make her happy."

That gave Rick something to think about. What did make Kate happy? Maybe his desire to wait wasn't such a bad thing.

Kate, Johanna, and Alexis arrived first, though Rick and Jim were right behind them. As Jim waited for Rick to get out of the taxi, he watched his wife drag Kate by the arm while Kate tried to hold onto Alexis.

"JIM!" Johanna grabbed Kate's hand and offered up her left hand to display the giant rock that was on it. "They're engaged." Johanna was beaming. Jim, however, looked shocked and turned to look at Rick who was only half out of the taxi. "I think I'll stay here," Rick said weakly and sank back into the taxi.

"RICHARD CASTLE! You get your butt out of that car!" Johanna yelled at him. "Yes ma'am." He got out of the taxi, watched it drive off, and waited to be skinned alive.

"Meow." Suck it up Dad.

"They're engaged Jim, can you believe it? Our daughter is marrying my favorite author!" Johanna was thrilled beyond measure. "Maybe I'll get advance copies of his books. I expect all of them to be signed. Ooo, maybe inside information..." Johanna had all kinds of things whirling around in her head.

"MOTHER!" Kate put her foot down. Johanna backed off a little. "Well, it's possible."

"Sorry babe, but she saw the ring and I ended up in the frying pan," she explained. "I did not put you in a frying pan." Johanna took exception to drilling her daughter. "Okay, maybe a little," she relented.

"And before you go ballistic Dad, Rick wants to wait before we actually get married." She was still willing to get married here in Reno if she could talk Rick into it.

Before Jim could say a word they watched a loud group of people walking away from a large bus. "DARLING!" Jim and Johanna watched an older red head hurry up to Rick and hug him tightly. "And Katherine dear." Martha gave Kate a partial hug since she was holding Alexis.

"Mother, this is Jim and Johanna Beckett, Kate's parents. Jim, Johanna, this is my mother, Martha Rodgers." Rick cringed and waited for the inevitable while hoping for the best.