Title: Of Finding Innocence
Disclaimer: I own only the detectives and people of The Paige Series. However, if you want to give me rights to Castle, please, do.
Summary: When Kate Beckett went to get her book signed by Richard Castle, she never imagined that she'd end up meeting his daughter, much less offering to babysit for the afternoon. What happened next was nothing short of her wildest dreams, and so much more. AU.
Chapter 36:
"How is everyone, Beckett?" Montgomery asked.
Kate glanced back into the living room, where Alexis and Rick were seated on the couch, playing cards. Meredith had disappeared upstairs to take a shower and throw Kate's clothes into the laundry. "They're alright," she told the Captain. It had been a quiet night so far.
"Are you calling to tell me you're coming in tomorrow? Because Beckett, you have enough time saved up to take a decent break now."
Kate shook her head lightly. She didn't want to waste vacation time when they couldn't all enjoy it, but she did need a day or two. "I was calling to say that I'll be out tomorrow and for the morning Tuesday, just until we can hit a rhythm. Alexis finishes school tomorrow, and I think it's best that we have someone here who can go get her if she needs us."
"You know, family life suits you," Montgomery offered after a moment.
Kate smiled a little. "Thank you, Sir."
"Let me know if you need more time. We're happy to let you have as much as you need, though your boys seem a little lost."
"Gray?" Kate laughed. She couldn't imagine him feeling lost. A little petulant, maybe, but they weren't that close yet.
Montgomery chuckled. "Your other boys. Esposito and Ryan are moping around without you."
"Oh," Kate offered lamely. They were? That…really?
Montgomery laughed at her and she heard him shifting papers around on his desk, constantly busy. "Come back when you can, Detective. We'll talk tomorrow."
"Thank you, Sir."
"Have a good night, and give Castle my best."
"I will."
They clicked off and Kate leaned against the counter where she'd been doing dishes after dinner. Maybe the guys could come over on Tuesday and keep Rick and Alexis company when she went back to work. She sighed and watched as Alexis threw her sparkling hands up in victory, her soft exclamation of "Hah!" floating over to Kate. She didn't feel ready to go back to work yet, but she didn't want to take much more time; they were all okay, but it felt wrong somehow, leaving the two alone. She wanted to work, but there was something charming about painting nails with Alexis and relaxing on the couch—a glimpse of a life she could lead. Then again, as the sink gurgled behind her, Kate knew that after a week or two of nothingness, she'd go stir crazy, and no one would enjoy her company then.
She had to go back to work. She knew that both her father and Martha would happily help out, and Alexis seemed all right after the museum trip, if a little tired, and would probably be able to swing into summer with ease. Even so, Kate felt like she'd be abandoning them, and it wasn't a feeling she was comfortable with.
"Momma," Alexis called, rousing Kate from her thoughts. It was funny how quickly she'd adapted to the moniker. She wondered idly if Alexis would stop calling her 'Momma,' and revert to 'Mommy' once Meredith left. The thought left her rather sad. She liked 'Momma.' It made her feel needed. 'Mommy,' was wonderful, and she would take whatever Alexis was willing to give, but 'Momma,' was what you called the person you trusted most, in moments of weakness. Hell, Kate could remember climbing into bed with her mother a week before she'd left for college, whispering, "Momma" like a child, terrified out of her mind.
"Will you play a round with us?" Alexis asked as Kate found herself at the back of the couch, her thoughts having distracted her from the steps her feet had taken.
She glanced at the clock on the mantle. "Okay. One more round, and then it's bed time for you, missy," she conceded, walking around to sit on Alexis' other side as she pouted.
"But I'm not tired," she argued, turning to look at Kate, dwarfed by the two adults sitting beside her, one sprawled out like Caesar and the other sitting tall, towering above her little girl.
"Then you'll snuggle down in bed and relax before you fall asleep," Kate replied easily, carding her fingers through the girl's hair. "You need to sleep if you want to go to school tomorrow."
"I do!" Alexis protested, already on the defensive.
"Then we'll play a round, you'll have a bath, and go to sleep," Rick added. Alexis huffed but nodded and then fell back against the couch, sighing dramatically and crossing her arms over her chest. "Alexis," he chided.
Alexis looked over at him and then bit her lip, straightening up and shuffling the cards. "One more game," she said resignedly.
Kate smiled and plucked the cards from her hand, making a show of mixing them up. Alexis giggled and dropped her sullen petulance while Rick regarded her with some amount of pride.
"We really have to get you to one of the poker games," he said as she began dealing cards for Gin Rummy.
"What, so your poker buddies can whoop my butt? No thank you."
"I think you could beat them, Momma," Alexis piped up, watching as Kate cascaded the cards down into her left hand. "Michael's just a softie."
Rick laughed while Kate stared at the little girl. "I'm sorry, Michael Connelly is a softie?"
"He used to play hide and seek with me, until I got better than him, and then Jimmy made fun of him."
"Jimmy?" Kate repeated, arching an eyebrow at Rick. The Writers played hide and seek with Alexis and allowed her to give them nicknames? How had she missed that little detail?
"What? Cops don't like the innocence of little kids?" he asked, winking at her.
"Touché," Kate chuckled.
"Enough talk. Deal," Alexis demanded, her voice low in an attempt at intimidation.
Kate gave her a challenging look and dealt. They played silently, passing assessing looks among them. Alexis' poker face—Rummy face—wasn't very good yet, but she did a credible job of imitating Kate and Rick. It was such a normal activity and there was a certain amount of charm to the situation that eased the anxiety Kate was beginning to feel about the coming week.
Ten minutes later, Meredith descended, now dressed in a pair of slacks and a white button-down, and came to sit in the armchair it seemed she'd claimed. She watched as Alexis beat them and tossed the cards up in victory. Rick followed suit while Kate rolled her eyes.
"You do realize you have to pick them up," she told Alexis, shooting Rick a disapproving look.
"But Daddy…" Alexis trailed off, looking up at her father. "That was underhanded," she grumbled, climbing off the couch to pick up the cards.
"And how, exactly, did you learn what underhanded was?" Meredith piped up, watching as the girl quickly found all of the cards from their nearly 52 pick up.
Alexis giggled. "Daddy guilted Momma into coming home for dinner last week, saying that he hadn't seen her in three days, and then when she got home, she found us waiting to ambush her with laser tag."
"I was hungry," Kate offered. "And, as it turns out, there was no dinner waiting, and Rick was just tired of having Alexis beat him," Kate added.
"She had fun," Rick argued, smiling over at his fiancée. "And I fed you."
"I made dinner!" Kate laughed. Initially, she'd been peeved by it—insulted and angry that he'd conned her into leaving the precinct to come home and play. Granted, they'd closed the investigation and she had just been doing paperwork. And by the time they'd both pouted at her and she and Alexis beaten the pants off of her smug then-boyfriend, she'd been more relaxed than she had been in days.
And when they'd lain down to sleep that night, he'd admitted to just wanting to get her to take a break and relax. It stirred a small part of her that still wanted to be fiercely independent, but she pushed it down in place of turning in his arms and urging him to help her 'fully' relax. And by the time they fell asleep, she was left only with the feeling of contentment for having a man who cared for her so deeply.
"Regardless, we had fun. But," he turned to look at Meredith, who was watching them with a rather melancholy expression. "That's why Alexis knows what being underhanded is."
Alexis yawned beside her and Kate took her eyes off of the other woman, sitting across from them, somehow mourning a family she'd give up. "Looks like it's time for that bath and bed," she said gently, watching as Alexis nodded reluctantly. "But just think. After tomorrow, school's over."
The girl smiled and then frowned. "I don't know whether I'm happy or sad," she concluded after a moment, turning to look at Meredith. "How long are you staying?" she asked quietly.
"I have to leave in the morning," Meredith replied after a pause. Kate bit the inside of her cheek in disappointment for her daughter and she watched Rick stiffen. "I got a call just now about a part I need to be in LA to audition tomorrow night."
"Oh," Alexis murmured. "Okay."
"But," Meredith said, glancing at Rick and then Kate. "Maybe I can take you to school?"
"As long as she actually gets to school and doesn't end up in Paris, that's fine," Rick said. Meredith looked as though she wasn't sure of her own reaction, caught between amusement and lingering ill feeling.
"I promise not to whisk us to anywhere other than Starbucks for iced hot cocoa," she replied after a moment.
"Please?" Alexis asked, looking among them.
Kate caught Rick's eyes and he gave her a small nod, giving her a say in the matter. For an irrational second, Kate wanted to say no—wanted to punish Meredith for leaving again so quickly, and deny her that last time with her daughter. But the pettiness dissolved when she looked down at Alexis, who only wanted to spend time with her mother.
"That sounds good," she said softly, watching as Alexis' face lit up. "Now, bedtime," she added.
Alexis sighed but nodded and hopped off the couch. She looked at all three of them, biting her lip. After a moment, she leaned in and kissed Rick's cheek. "Night, Daddy," she said, smiling as he replied the same. She then looked between Kate and Meredith, picking at a newly painted nail.
With a maturity that seemed to win out over her more jealous impulses, Kate opened her arms for Alexis. "Why don't you take her up, Meredith? Can I have a goodnight hug, Alexis?" she beseeched, grinning as Alexis flung her body into her arms.
"Love you, Momma," she whispered as she kissed Kate's cheek.
Kate smiled into her hair while Meredith stood up. "I love you too, munchkin. Now sleep."
"Fine," Alexis giggled, taking the hand Meredith extended to her.
"We'll talk once she's asleep?" Meredith asked, looking at Rick.
He nodded and then they watched as the two left the room, in an odd parallel to the previous evening. Kate and Rick sat in silence, listening to the door close and the sound of water running through the pipes as Meredith drew her daughter a bath. The rest of the apartment was filled with soft Jazz from the surround-sound stereo system, and it washed over them as they sat there staring at each other.
"How much is there to talk about?" Kate asked quietly, breaking the still air around them.
"Most of it can be handled by our lawyers, giving you concrete rights, and then there will be papers to sign," he said easily. "It won't be messy. But Meredith will want to set that up."
"We have that in common," Kate murmured. "The leaving, though..."
"I know," Rick sighed, leaning his head back to stare up at the ceiling. "It's…at least she came this time."
"I know," Kate repeated, scooting closer as he beckoned out to her with his hand. "I just…Summer starts for Lex tomorrow, but she can't?"
Rick simply nodded and pulled her in for a kiss. She went willingly, sinking into the feel of him. When she pulled back she met his eyes. "She has you," Rick said quietly. "And that's kind of the whole point, right?"
Kate just smiled and ducked her head into the hollow of his neck, unable to think of a good response. Yes, Alexis had her, but that didn't mean that Meredith wasn't important. Wasn't that the point? They'd decided to share Alexis, because, however grudgingly, they acknowledged that they were both important to that little girl.
They sat quietly for a long time, and Kate felt Rick's breathing evening out. It was like the entire previous evening was replaying all over again, only this time, Meredith was leaving instead of staying. But Rick was warm underneath her, and she felt her own eyelids growing heavy, stress catching back up to her and knocking into her system. She could worry about Alexis and Meredith and her job and abandoning them in a few minutes. For the moment, she would just close her eyes.
(…)
Seeing Meredith and Alexis off the next morning was easy. Both left in high spirits, matching smiles on their faces as they giggled about where they would grab breakfast before Meredith dropped Alexis off. Kate shut the door to the sound of their laughter and leaned back against it, wearing a pair of boxers and a tank top covered by Rick's robe.
They'd decided to meet with their lawyers and then send the papers to Meredith's team. Then, when she came back in a month to visit again, they'd all have a legal meeting and that would be that. It was simple, all things considered, and for all the hype Kate had given it in her head, she felt oddly empty of a sense of catharsis. But, for Alexis' sake, she walked over and started the coffee maker. She could go without catharsis if it meant that Alexis would grow up happy, loved and safe.
She watched as the pot filled with their ridiculously good coffee. She was relatively immune to the wealth that surrounded her every day now, since it had always just been the loft in her mind. As friends, as lovers, as partners and now as fiancés, the loft had always been home for them and now for her. But the coffee? The coffee he got specially ordered from a small fair-trade plantation in Colombia? That was wealth, and damn if it wasn't worth it.
Kate was just about to pour herself a cup that would make waking up so early completely worth it when there was a knock on the door. Sighing, she put down the pot and closed her robe, walking tiredly over to the door. Paula Haas had to be the last person she expected to see, but there she was, impeccably coiffed and ready for the day. Why was it that all of the women in Rick's life could look like forest animals dressed them while they sang Disney songs before 9am?
"Paula," Kate managed around her surprise.
"Kate," Paula replied. "May I come in?"
"Uh, sure." She opened the door further and let the shorter woman into the apartment. "Paula, not to be rude, but why are you here?" she asked, following as Paula walked into the kitchen and looked around.
"Where's Rick?"
"Asleep," Kate replied, baffled. "He might be up soon though. Why?"
"Three days," Paula offered tensely. "Three days you've been engaged, and no one bothered to call me?"
Kate sighed and rubbed a hand through her hair. "Paula, Rick nearly died on Wednesday. And we didn't even know about the paper until Saturday, late."
Paula glared at her. "And you couldn't spare a five minute call?"
"Look," Kate barked. She stopped and took a deep breath. She had too many emotions for this right now. She'd shown remarkable restraint with Meredith, and had kept it together around Rick and Alexis, but she was a pressure cooker. She didn't want to unload it all on her, but the woman wasn't making it easy, and wouldn't it be fun to let Paula feel all of the insecurity about her skills as a mother and wife, worry about her family, fear of her own mortality, and general frayed nerves?
"Kate," Paula interrupted before she'd even begun. "I understand that you've been through hell, but this is important."
"I know that," Kate growled. "You think I like the fact that the press knew I was engaged before I'd even told my best friends? You think I like the fact that it's a picture of my mother's ring, and Alexis? I know it's serious, Paula."
Paula regarded her with wide eyes. "When will he wake up?" she asked after a moment of listening to Kate take a few deep breaths.
"I don't know," Kate replied just as they heard, "In here, Paula," float out from the bedroom. "Stop bothering Kate."
Paula rolled her eyes and gave Kate a fleeting glance before she strode away and into their bedroom. God, was there anything in there she shouldn't see? Kate did a mental check and then collapsed onto one of the bar stools; Rick was hurt, so of course the room was presentable. She buried her head in her hands and closed her eyes. It was too much. It was really just far too much.
Meredith, and Alexis' nightmares, and the accident, and the engagement, and her mother's ring, and the fact that this could happen again—everything spun dizzily, until she was taking shallow breaths and trying to figure out exactly how she'd gone from perfectly fine to panic attack in about two minutes. She rode it out, listening to the honking horns on the street below, and the muffled voices from the bedroom. She was stressed and scared and tired and overwhelmed, so it was bound to happen. But honestly, why now, with Paula in the next room?
She sighed and focused on her breathing, forcing herself to push everything out of her mind so she could calm down. Twenty minutes passed before Kate managed to pull herself back together, throwing her hair up into a cleaner-looking ponytail. It had been a while since she'd had a panic attack, and she was reminded, as she trembled while pouring her coffee, of just how much she hated them. At least this time she'd been able to come out of it on her own, and no one needed to know.
The voices in the bedroom stopped and a few minutes later, Paula emerged, guiding an unsteady Rick, who looked the worse for wear on all accounts. Kate quickly set down her coffee and hurried over to help get him down onto the couch. Paula, for her part, was doing an admirable job of being supportive, and Kate felt some of her irrational hostility fall away as a testament to the woman's help.
They stood side by side as Rick breathed slowly, his eyes shut as he rested on the couch. After a minute, he opened them and looked up to find Kate's. He opened his mouth and then closed it, staring at her. "You okay?" he asked.
Kate merely smiled and shook her head. "I'm just fine. Is everything ironed out?" she dismissed, turning to look at Paula. She needed to try and find that poker face; she couldn't be an open book all the time.
"Yes. Your fiancé just gave me a statement—very small, very private—to release to the press. And thank you. Next time you two do something big, try to give me a heads up, all right?"
"If I'm not busy trying not to die, we will," Rick fired back as Paula gave Kate's arm a squeeze and walked around her.
"Kindly shut it, Rick Castle," she called as she left, the door closing behind her.
"And there she goes," Rick sighed, looking up at her. Kate was still stuck on the, 'if I'm not busy trying not to die,' part of that sentence, even as she tried to shake it free. "Kate?"
She leaned down and kissed his forehead before resting hers against his. "Can you stop having disruptive women in your life?" she murmured.
He laughed and met her eyes. "I'll work on that. Are you sure you're alright?"
"I'm fine," Kate lied. She'd tell him eventually. But right now, she just wanted that coffee, and maybe a few hours to lie around on the couch and focus on nothing. She didn't want to think about leaving them tomorrow for work. She didn't want to think about him ever getting hurt again. She didn't want to think about the press, or Paula, or Meredith, or anything. "Do you want coffee?" she asked quietly.
"Kate," he said, staring into her eyes in that way that always made her wonder whether or not he could read her secrets. Because, as always, when he pulled back, he understood. She wasn't sure how, but he did. "Coffee would be great."
"Okay," she whispered, pressing her lips to his for a moment. Then she stood and walked back to the kitchen, determined to push it all away.
(…)
"Kate," Rick sighed, staring at her from the bed as she worried a nail at her mouth, staring at her reflection. "Hon, come on."
"What?" she snapped, spinning around to face him. "What?" she added, softer this time, aware that he was in no way at fault for her nerves.
"We'll be just fine," he said. He'd been quiet about it all night and now he was smiling at her and reaching out for her hands.
She slowly walked over to the unkempt bed and took his hands, standing beside his head and looking down at him. He'd showered already, but had gotten back into bed to rest while she got ready. She wore a light summer blazer and black slacks, her hair pulled up into a bun and power heels on her feet. She looked like Detective Kate Beckett, but she felt like Kate, failure of a mother and fiancé, leaving her family alone. She wasn't comfortable with either feeling, and her mother's ring shone up from her hand. She'd neglected her own mother and then…
"Whoa, Kate. Where'd you go?" Rick asked quietly, breaking Kate out of that downward spiral. His eyes were wide with concern.
"I…" she cleared her throat and shook her head. "Nowhere," she continued, giving him a soft smile. "Just…you're sure I should go?"
"Kate, Javi and Kevin are here playing laser tag with Alexis. She's cheered up since last night, and I'm sure they'll keep her that way, and entertain me too. We'll be just fine. My Mom and your Dad are on speed dial, and you know we'll call you if something happens. But Kate, we're just fine."
"I know," she laughed nervously. "I know that."
Rick considered her for a moment before tugging her down to sit next to his hip. His color was finally coming back and his cheeks were faintly pink, his eyes warm and wide as he looked her over. "You look fantastic, and you're going to kick butt. We'll be here when you come home."
"Yeah," she nodded, feeling foolish and irrational. But things happened. God, the last time they'd been just fine, they'd ended up in the ER. And logically, she knew that the same wouldn't happen today, but logic hadn't ever helped her before. Logic said that her mother should be alive and she shouldn't be a Detective, be engaged to Richard Castle, and be the mother of a little girl.
"Is this killing you?" he asked.
Kate snapped her head up to meet his grin. "Shut up," she grumbled. "And yes."
"You'll get more even keeled about it," he promised.
Kate narrowed her eyes at him. "Prove it." She could use whatever he had to spare, because she felt completely emotional and irrational, and it was annoying the crap out of her.
"Look at your left hand," he said quietly. Kate lowered her eyes to their hands, his larger fingers wound through hers, moving the ring back and forth. "See that ring?"
"Yeah," she whispered.
"Your mother and father started a life together with that ring," he continued, his voice low, and soft, and utterly mesmerizing. "They had you and your mother lived a very happy life with you and your father. And she didn't walk around worrying every day."
Kate dislodged his left hand from her right to swipe at her traitorous eye, which was leaking. "No," she agreed. "But then she was murdered."
Rick nodded sadly. "But before that," he urged, finding her eyes with his, "your parents were blissfully happy. We're going to have that."
Kate glanced back down at the ring. "They were," she said quietly. "But I just…" she trailed off and sighed, looking up again, only to find him sitting there, holding a small black box in his palm. "I…"
"I love you," he said, his voice soft and reverent as he brought her hands up to hold the box with him. "And I know this isn't me on bended knee, with roses and the whole shebang."
"I don't ne…"
He shook his head and she fell silent, content to let him say whatever it was he wanted to say, his voice washing over her like a balm. "I had it all planned out, but you know, plans don't always work out."
"No, they don't," she murmured, images of a night spent waiting at a diner, of her father sinking back into alcoholism, of Alexis and Rick lying in hospital beds, flashing across her mind.
"But this?" he continued, waiting until she met his eyes again. "What we have? That's going to work out, Kate. That's going to be forever." She smiled faintly and watched his eyes light up. "I am going to wake up with you, and kiss you good morning, and whine when you have to leave the bed. I am going to annoy you, and pester you, and make you laugh when you come home, so much that you forget all about murder and death. I am going to raise our kid with you, and watch her grow old, and listen as you try to console me when I can't handle that."
She couldn't help but laugh and the ache in her chest eased up, watching his face as he spoke, eager, excited, in love, and so very him.
"I am going to make you dinner, and drag you on vacations and give you bubble baths. I am going to get you pregnant, and talk to your stomach, and make you crazy because I won't let you do anything." Kate laughed as he winked and tugged her closer, the box still held between them. "I am going to hold our baby with you and tell you how proud of you I am and watch as we raise our beautiful family together. I am going to grow old with you and live life with you. And I'm going to love you until the day I die. I am going to marry you, Kate Beckett, and that's for keeps."
She was aware that she was crying. But it was beautiful, and he was so handsome, and there, and staring at her, loving her. "I…" she swallowed as he opened the box. There, nestled inside the black velvet was an Asscher cut diamond ring. The ring was platinum, and it surrounded the square diamond that lay flat along the rest of the ring, glittering in the sunlight that poured through their window. "Rick," Kate breathed, watching as he lifted it from the box.
"I thought something sleek and flat would be the easiest, and the most unique," he said quietly, as he slowly worked her mother's ring off of her finger. "And I figured that you already have a traditional ring."
Kate smiled, watching as he slid the other ring, her ring, onto her finger before bringing her hand to his lips, pressing a tender kiss just above the diamond. He reached out with his other hand and picked up her chain; she hadn't even noticed it on his bedside table. She watched through hazy eyes as he slid her mother's ring back onto the silver chain and then gently reached up to glide it over her head.
She sat still, allowing him to tuck the ring inside her blouse, his hand falling to linger over her heart. "I can't promise that nothing bad is ever going to happen," he said softly, breaking the silence that had fallen, her words stolen by his, and the ring, and his eyes. "But I can promise to love you for the rest of our lives, and to be here to come home to."
Kate nodded softly and leaned in to find his lips, bringing her hands up to cradle his scruffy face, the ring gliding over his short beard. "I love you. I love it. And I love you," she whispered against his lips.
"I'm going to marry you, Kate," he murmured, just before sucking her bottom lip between his.
Kate sighed, a breathy pant expelled as an almost-moan escaping as they pulled apart. "Rick," she said softly.
He smiled and brought a hand up to cover hers on his cheek, running his thumb over her ring. "Go to work, Detective," he murmured. "And then come home and kick my ass in poker with the boys."
Kate laughed loudly while he grinned. "This beautiful, beautiful moment," she sighed dramatically. "And you had to ruin it."
He chuckled and pulled her back in for one last, hot, warm, consuming kiss. "Go," he whispered as they pulled apart.
Kate stared into his eyes. "I love you," she repeated, driven to say it as many times as she could before she left.
"Love you too," he smiled.
He nudged her with his nose and she stood, smiling. "You be good for the boys," she told him, adjusting her blouse and jacket. The cool metal of her mother's ring slid against her neck and she stilled for a moment. She hadn't realized that she'd missed the sensation until now.
"I will," Rick promised, breaking her from the thought. "And you kick some ass, Mrs. Castle."
Kate simply smiled and stared at him for a moment before she turned and left the room, head held high. She retrieved her badge and gun, watching the way her diamond looked as she clipped the badge to her belt. Mrs. Castle. Married woman. God. And damn did the ring look good on her finger—right and beautiful and whole. She loved the ring around her neck, but this diamond, his diamond, her diamond, was theirs.
Bolstered by that feeling, she walked into the living room, only to feel Alexis scamper behind her and use her as a shield while Esposito and Ryan crouched behind the couch. All three wore intense expressions, vests and carried the laser tag guns.
"Okay, children," she laughed, reaching back to squeeze Alexis' shoulder. "I'm going out. Can I trust you all to behave?"
"We will if they will," Ryan replied.
Kate sighed and shuffled over to the door, plucking her keys from the bowl. "Honestly," she muttered, turning so that she and Alexis were face to face. "I'll be back tonight, okay, pumpkin?"
"Okay," Alexis said easily. Gone were all traces of the tearful girl from the night before, who had stayed up with them, sniffling into Kate's side. "Javi and Kevin said we could order pizza and wings."
"Sounds good," Kate smiled. It sounded a lot better than chasing down a murderer. "Have fun. I'll see you around eight," she called out for the general group. The guys yelled back their agreement, and Kate heard Rick's faint, "Go get 'em," waft through the loft. "Okay. I have to go. Love you, sweetie."
"Love you too," Alexis grinned. "Catch bad guys."
"Will do," Kate smiled. Alexis ran away, to the sounds of laser fire and grunts of discouragement. Kate shook her head and forced herself to leave the apartment. She closed the door and walked to the elevator, trying to let Rick's amazing proposal fill her up with confidence.
She wasn't abandoning them; she was just leaving for a while. They'd be there when she got back. But, she could come home to this. She could come back to a loft full of children of various ages, all waiting to make her smile. And she would go to sleep with the man who was going to marry her. Because he was going to marry her; she wore his ring, and that was for keeps.
Author's Note: This chapter did exactly what I wanted it to do, but it came out very differently from how I expected it to. I like it, and I'm curious to know what you thought.
Thank you to everyone who has gone to read my original series. I really appreciate your feedback, and I have to say, between that and the reviews for this story, you've made a very difficult week of midterms and tough life stuff much easier.
So thank you. I love you guys, and you're really and truly wonderful people.
Emma