Disclaimer: I doubt Marlowe and his laptop get cockblocked by homework and parents...
A/N: I watched "Knockdown" too many times while writing this... that is all.
Still not beta-ed.
Enjoy,
~Rose
Chapter Twenty-Eight
"Everything You Gave"
Kate's cell rang as she was cleaning up the dishes from supper. Jim had been upset over the shooting but he was glad that her and Rick were okay and relieved that she had decided to stop looking into her mother's death.
She looked down at her phone and was delighted to see Rick's home number on the caller ID.
"Rick?" she said into the outdated cell, trying to keep the desperation out of her voice.
"No, Kate, it's me Martha."
Martha had a worried edge to her voice and Kate's heart sunk. What had happened to him? "Is Rick okay Martha?"
"Yes hun, he is," the actress answered quickly, feeling bad for making Kate jump to conclusions. "He's fine. Well maybe he's not."
"What are you talking about Martha?" Kate's chest was tightening and she couldn't breathe.
"Your mother's case. Richard told me that you decided to give up looking into it."
"Yes I did," Kate replied, a little confused, "I decided it was far too dangerous."
"I agree," the actress added, "but apparently Richard doesn't. He is still looking into it."
"He's what?" Kate couldn't believe what the actress had just said. He had been pushing her to quit for ages and now he was still looking into it!
"Please get him to stop," the concerned mother begged, "he won't listen to me; you're the only one he will listen to."
"I'll try," she replied honestly.
"Thank you Kate darling."
Kate and Martha hung up and Kate sighed. She had to go find Rick and she had a feeling she knew exactly where he was.
~O.o.O.o.O~
Rick walked into the twelfth precinct, more determined than ever. "I want to talk to Detective McCallister," he told a patrol cop who gave him a questioning look.
"The detective is busy," the meek looking officer replied.
"It's urgent," Rick lied smoothly, "I need to talk to him straight away."
"I'm sorry kid but this is a police station, "we're busy solving crimes here."
"That's what I am trying to do!" Rick was getting frustrated but he was also near pleading by this point.
"I'm sorry kid," the officer started, a tone of authority finally creeping into his voice.
"It's okay O'Brien," Detective McCallister called out walking over to them, "I know the kid."
Officer O' Brien mumbled something about having some paperwork to do and left swiftly.
McCallister led Rick over to the interview seating and motioned for him to sit down. "What would you like Mr. Rodgers? Do you have any information about the shooting of Detective Raglan that you witnessed?"
"No," Rick answered, "but I do have some questions."
"I cannot share confidential information about a case," McCallister informed him.
"I'm not exactly asking you to. What I want to know is why you and your partner knew information about the Johanna Beckett case and never did anything about it. I know you know something; Raglan started to let information slip just before he got shot."
"Listen kid," McCallister said in a stoney tone, "I don't know what the hell you know but it's really none of your business. Playing with fire will only get you burned. This is far bigger than you can imagine and if you value your life I would stop now. Now get out of here." He had such finality in his voice that Rick didn't dare say anything else. After a final cold look from the detective, Rick turned and left the precinct—knowing he had lost.
~O.o.O.o.O~
She was waiting for him when he got out of the police station.
"What the hell were you thinking Rick?" Kate spat in anger.
"Kate," he started softly. His mother must have called her and told her that he was still working on her mother's case.
"Why Rick? You can't look into this anymore! You're going to get yourself killed! Do you know what it would do to me if I lost you? God Rick..." Tears were streaming down her face by now and she was embarrassed by the fact that she was crying.
Without sating anything, Rick stepped forward and wrapped his arms around Kate. She sobbed into his neck and shook under the firm grip of his arms. Kate knew that she would eventually break down it was just a ticking time bomb of when it would happen. She would never have imagined it would happen outside of a New York City precinct while Rick was holding on to her.
She cried for her mother, she cried for her father, she cried for Rick, and she cried for herself.
"Shh Kate, I'm here," Rick soothed. He knew he had to get her out of here—and soon.
~O.o.O.o.O~
Kate knew her father wasn't home but Rick figured it would be better to take her back there opposed to his place where they would have to face his mother. Even though she had argued he had insisted on paying for a cab back to her apartment. She was too drained from everything that had happened to argue anymore so she finally let him.
Kate shakily grabbed her key and went to unlock her door but to her surprise it was already unlocked. "Dad?" she called out, "Are you here?"
There was no answer which worried Kate—what if her father fell off the wagon and was passed out with a bottle in his hand again? "Dad?" she called out again.
She heard a noise coming from the next room so her and Rick went to check it out.
"Ah, Miss Beckett," a strange man said calmly, coming into sight, "so happy you could join us."
Before Kate or Rick could respond another man was behind them shoving gags into their mouths and bags over their heads. All went black.
~O.o.O.o.O~
When Rick came to, he was in what appeared to be an empty warehouse. He looked over and saw Kate who had also stirred and they shared a brief look of fear.
The mystery man was in front of them again. He was a fairly tall man with blue eyes that were much colder than Rick's and an almost sinister smile.
"Who the hell are you?" Kate demanded, finally finding her voice.
"I normally wouldn't answer that question but it's not like you two are going to live for much longer anyways," their captor told them, "my name is Hal Lockwood and this here is Dick—Dick Coonan." Hal pointed to another tall man (this one will dark hair instead of fair) and both teens assumed he was the one that had grabbed them.
"What do you want?" Rick spat.
"I want to know what you know about the murder of Johanna Beckett," Lockwood urged. Both teens denied knowing anything and both men were clearly getting angry. "You tell us what you know and we put a bullet through your brains. You don't—you jerk us around—and you'll be begging us to by the end of the night!" Lockwood threatened.
Both teens stayed silent and Coonan stepped forward to speak, "Come on Hal, let's leave them here to think about what they know. They'll tell us eventually and if they don't we can torture them then. We have to report back to the dragon.
Lockwood gave a nod of agreement and both men exited, leaving Kate and Rick alone.
"I am so sorry Kate," Rick said going over to her and wrapping her up in his arms, "I am so sorry I got us into this mess."
"Shh Rick," she said into his chest, "this is not your fault."
"I'm the one who couldn't give up the case," he insisted against her hair.
She pulled back a little so she could look into his eyes and whispered, "Don't you dare blame yourself Richard Rodgers. I am the one who got us into this. I was the one who had to go and meddle in things that were too dangerous to be meddling in."
She looked away and Rick reached out and tipped her chin up so she was looking him in the eyes again. "Look at me Kate; this isn't your fault either. This is the fault of the bastard who is behind this all."
Neither said anything for what could have been minutes or what could have been hours. Finally, Kate gently touched Rick's face and spoke so softly it almost seemed like a caress, "I didn't want to say this in a life or death situation but if we never got out of here alive I just want you to know that I love you Rick."
Rick wanted to tell her not to talk like that—not to talk about not getting out of there alive—but he was too hung up on the last four words she had said. "Kate," he said just as lightly, "I love you too."
Emotion swelled up in both of them. They were both terrified of what had happened and the current situation they were in but their love for each other danced in their eyes. They curled up against each other in a corner and murmured words of love and comfort to each other. "You gave me everything Rick and I gave you my heart."
"My heart belonged to you from the moment I met you Kate."
She cupped the back of his neck and pulled him towards her, pressing her lips to his for what may be the last time.
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