Love on Ice

Chapter 22

Kate loved baseball and had finally gotten a day off that coincided with a home game before Rick's next season started. She learned very quickly that Alexis didn't understand baseball and got bored easily.

Thankfully Alexis hadn't whined loudly during the game but at first she wouldn't sit still until finally she went to sleep and slept through most of the game. Rick picked her up and carried her back to the car in the middle of the 8th inning. It was that or it might have taken them forever just to reach their car let alone get home which was about an hour away.

However, Kate was undaunted. She had just gotten another day off that coincided with another home game. "Where we goin', Mommy?" Alexis questioned as she let Kate dress her.

"We're going to go see a baseball game," Kate told her and while Alexis didn't complain she did stop helping Kate dress her. "You like hockey and I like baseball so for me can you give it a chance? Please, sweetie?"

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Rick was carrying Alexis as they climbed the stairs to the upper deck area. Last time they had been lower down but these were the best tickets Kate could find at the last minute. At least it was right up against the rail so there was no one in front of them this time.

"WOW!" Alexis was holding on tight while looking over the edge and Rick had a firm hand on the back of her shorts. This was really different for Alexis and she was finding that she liked it.

"Alexis!" Kate caught her throwing kernels of popcorn over the side and down onto the people below. "Stop throwing your popcorn onto the people underneath us. It's not very nice." What Kate really didn't want her to start doing was throwing the ice from her drink over the side.

Sadly Kate wasn't enjoying the game nearly as much this time while Alexis was. The Yankees were being creamed and it wasn't pretty. Baseballs were flying and men were running so finally Alexis was being entertained. Except it was the other team doing it all and not Kate's beloved Yankees.

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Alexis was still awake and was being carried by Rick up the stairs then back down to the car at the start of the 8th inning. Kate was silently happy to leave since her team was losing.

"Well that sucked." Kate was not happy. That got Rick to start laughing. "What are you laughing at?" Kate was going to take her misery out on Rick for that.

"Alexis is happy and you're miserable instead of the other way around." Rick stopped laughing but he was still smiling wide. All Kate could do was growl at him.

Alexis had had popcorn, Sprite, and a hot dog. A naked hot dog. As in the bun went on the floor while she ate just the dog itself, naked. She really did love finger food.

By the time they reached home Alexis was asleep and stayed asleep while Maria was left to strip her and get her ready for bed.

Rick and Kate went to the basement. "Okay, here you go as promised." He turned on his computer and brought up the first page of the book he was still working on. Since his season was starting soon he wasn't going to finish it this year.

Kate rubbed her hands together and sat down with a huge smile on her face. The deal had been to get Rick to help her with Alexis so they could enjoy a baseball game. While Kate hadn't enjoyed the game, Alexis, at least, had been entertained.

"I'm going to go to bed, enjoy." Rick kissed her head and headed for their bedroom.

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Kate didn't even know what time it was when she finally went upstairs to go to bed. She found Rick naked and asleep. She did her normal routine and kissed him lightly before getting into bed and trying to wrap herself around him. She was sure his next book was going to be a hit since she'd loved it and wished he had time to finish it.

She had no idea where he got the idea for Derek Storm from. Storm was part James Bond and part John Wayne. Bond had his gadgets and Storm had his muscles. Not to mention more weapons than most countries had. He even had a storage locker filled with weapons that could blow up half the city.

Now she was even more proud of him. He was good at hockey and she knew positively that he was good at writing. She wasn't even sorry that he was asleep which meant no sex that night.

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Kate had yet another case at work and was surprised as she watched Captain Montgomery actually leaving early. He didn't say anything to her or anyone else and she didn't stop him. However, the boys were still there. "Where's the captain going?"

"Beats me," Javi replied. "But while the cat's away the mice can play. A six pack of beer sounds good right about now."

"It's against regulations," Kate reminded him.

"You would turn us in, wouldn't you?" Javi suddenly really didn't like Kate quite as much. "I thought you were the cool mom."

"For Alexis I'm the cool mom. You're way too old, Javi, and if you were my son I'd have shot you by now. So back to work."

"Yes, evil queen." Javi turned his back on her and got hit in the head with a pen.

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Kate finally gave up and went home. She hadn't caught her killer yet which meant Alexis would be in bed and her dinner would be in the warmer, compliments of Maria.

Kate found her in the kitchen cleaning up. "Hi, Maria."

"Miss Kate. Dinner's in the warmer and Alexis is asleep." Maria was just about done.

"Where's Rick?" Kate opened the warming drawer to see what Maria had made today.

"In the basement. Good night, Miss Kate." Maria rinsed her dishrag and left it to dry in the sink.

"Writing. Excellent." Kate knew he'd finished another chapter and she was dying to read it.

"Not tonight, Miss Kate." Maria left her to enjoy her supper and went upstairs to her room.

"Not writing?" Kate ate her dinner and poured a glass of wine. Rick had a lot of it and it was becoming her drink of choice. Then she went downstairs. However, she could hear that he wasn't alone long before she reached him.

"Ante up, boys," Rick called out and began dealing the cards.

"Poker!" Kate saw Rick, two guys from the team, and her boss. Worse, Rick hadn't invited her.

"Hi, Kate." Rick delayed dealing cards just long enough to greet her.

"Beckett," Roy nodded.

"You didn't think to invite me?" Kate was thinking about handcuffing him to the bed tonight in retribution.

"Women don't play poker," Tim informed her loftily.

Kate glared at Tim. "The hell they don't! And that remark was terribly sexist."

Trent was willing to let her play. "Fresh money, provided you have money."

"On your pay, Beckett?" Roy teased her. He watched her put her glass of wine down on the table and run up the stairs. She needed to find her purse and see if she even had any money to play with.

Kate soon found that she had just enough money for a couple of taxi rides. Now Rick really was going to suffer tonight.

Kate went back downstairs and was just in time to watch Trent rake in his little pot of money. "I've got forty bucks. Where's a chair?" Kate left them then rolled one of Rick's chairs from the computer room to the table.

Rick plopped the cards in front of her. "You're up, Kate, deal."

Soon all of them were watching Kate shuffle the cards and show off her skills. "You didn't tell us she was a card shark, Rodgers," Tim grumbled.

"I've learned to never underestimate Beckett," Roy informed them, his eyes focused on Kate as she shuffled and he began to fear for his money.

"Ante up, boys…and girl," Rick told them and threw in his five bucks. "Five bucks, Kate."

"FIVE!" Kate only had two twenty dollar bills. Suddenly she wasn't so sure about this. At this rate she'd be out before she even started. "I may need a loan."

"We can raid Alexis's college fund," Rick offered and grinned at her. Kate glared at him since there was no way she was taking money from Alexis.

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In the end she got money from Rick to keep playing with, however, she found that these four guys knew how to play poker. She didn't lose but she didn't really win, either. In the end she left with $35 of her original $40.

"Your place is next and last, Roy." Rick shook his hand and reminded him as he left.

"Bring Alexis. She can play with the girls and Evelyn will watch all of them," Roy said and clapped Rick on the shoulder.

"I'm sure Alexis will love it." Rick was definitely going to bring her.

"Beckett, don't be late." Even if Roy did have an hour drive in front of him. However, it was late so traffic should be light.

"No, sir." She wasn't sure how she was going to get in early and still get some sleep but she had done it before so she could do it again. "I mean yes, sir."

The second everyone was gone Kate punched Rick in his upper arm. "You didn't say anything about a poker game."

Rick was rubbing his arm since it had hurt. "It wasn't strip poker so I didn't see the need." He chose to tease her to avoid being in trouble with her for not inviting her. He'd really just intended on playing with the guys like always and inviting Kate had never entered his mind.

Suddenly Kate wanted to play strip poker with him. But she had another idea. "Last one to our bedroom gets handcuffed to the bed." Kate pushed him and raced up the stairs, giggling most of the way. Damn if she wasn't going to have some fun even if it did mean no sleep tonight. Her life was amazing.

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Rick's new season of hockey had come way too soon for any of them. Kate and especially Alexis had gotten used to Rick being home all day. Granted he spent a lot of that time down in the computer room working on his new book that was about half way done. Still he was at least home.

The season had started out terribly. After the first seventeen games they had five wins and one tie. Morale in the house and even at Kate's work, since everyone who knew Kate was now following the Islanders, was at an all time low.

"What's wrong, babe? I'll let you tie me to the bed again if you'll start winning." Kate thinks maybe an incentive was needed here.

"I wish I knew. Most everyone came out of the offseason in the dumps for some reason and transferred that to the ice." Rick didn't know and so far their coaches hadn't figured it out, either. Yes, they'd had a couple of early injuries since those two hadn't gotten in enough workout during the offseason. It was just losing was generating even more losing.

Three wins and two ties later and it was November 29, just days after an amazing Thanksgiving, mostly thanks to Maria's cooking skills. They had invited Roy and his family over for Thanksgiving.

Kate liked Roy but was silent about adding him to her family mix. He was her boss, after all. Still it had made Alexis happy to see his girls and Roy had even brought swimsuits for them so they could use the hot tub up on the roof out in the cold night air.

The adults huddled in front of the fireplace while the girls laughed, splashed, and kept warm.

Kate had the day off and Rick had gotten her a ticket to the home game against the Columbus Blue Jackets. Kate even got to sit next to Chloe. While sitting next to her for the whole game was fun, the game itself wasn't so much fun. The Islanders had lost yet again 4-2. They'd even managed to score a goal while Rick was on the ice. Granted it was during a power play, but they had still scored against him.

They were both silent as they walked out to his car for the trip home.

"This sucks, Rick." His team was supposed to be winning. They hadn't really made any changes from last season. It was all the same groups of guys. It was just that they were losing instead of winning.

"Tell me something I don't know," Rick answered tiredly. He didn't really need the GPS to tell him where to turn, but he was using it anyway as a force of habit.

Kate didn't see how it was everyone being out of shape any longer. They were too far into the season for that. They just didn't seem to be playing well.

"Maybe a pot luck lunch with everyone and families? Take their minds off of losing. A trip to an indoor pool for everyone, perhaps? Or more alcohol?" Kate was trying to think of something to help them start winning again.

"The coach has called for more practice during our down time. So even if we have the day off we'll be skating. It means less time at home, though," Rick warned her.

"If you start winning again it will be worth it. Maria and I can keep Alexis company and happy." Kate had learned that Alexis knew when her dad went to play hockey. It was just part of her life. Sure she missed him but she wasn't that sad.

Unfortunately it meant a lot of driving for Rick. An hour or even more into the city, then practice, followed by an hour to get home. Those days turned into really long days when he could've had them off to spend with his family which included Kate.

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The month of December started out great. Three straight wins, followed by three losses and two ties. By Christmas they were 13-16-5-0 and not even close to first place.

The next game was a home game against the Carolina Hurricanes on December 28. Right now it was Christmas Day, though.

"MOMMY, DADDY!" They were late and Alexis was awake, in her pajamas, and downstairs looking for presents that had her name on them.

"Come on, Kate, Santa has been here." Rick kissed her and rolled out of bed.

"You know Santa doesn't actually exist," a sleepy Kate reminded him.

"Don't say that! He might not come next year and we have a fireplace. Two, actually. Or three if you count the one on the roof." Though only one had stockings hanging from one of them. That gave Rick an idea for next year. Two fireplaces with stockings and a tree meant double the presents. It was a no-brainer for him. He just didn't see why he hadn't thought of it before.

Still yawning, Kate got out of bed, put on pajamas that she almost never wore, then followed Rick downstairs to find Alexis was already handing out presents for everyone. At least the ones she could move using her 4-year-old body.

"Daddy." Alexis sat him at his stack of presents. "Mommy." She sat Kate at her pile. The only person missing was Maria who was spending her Christmas with her family this year.

"GO!" Alexis yelled gleefully. She took one of hers and ripped it open with joyous abandon. She cared nothing for the mess she made so long as she got to find out what was inside.

"Really, Rick?" Kate's first one from him had a box inside of a box after she had carefully unwrapped it. Only to find another wrapped box. Rick simply smiled at her. He knew something she didn't and he was quietly happy she had started with that one.

Alexis was on her third present while Kate was carefully unwrapping her second one that was technically still her first one. This one revealed a box that had her sucking in her breath and had her heart skipping a beat before it began beating really fast.

"Rick?" Kate held up the little box and didn't know what to say or do. Save that her tears did start. Then just past the box she saw Rick down on one knee in front of her.

"Katherine Houghton Beckett, we've been together for just over a year." Rick hadn't actually kept track of just when their first date had been but he knew he was close.

"I love you. We love you," Rick added Alexis who amazingly enough was actually watching all this. "Would you do me the honor of being my wife?" Rick reached out and opened the box for her. It revealed a 1.5 carat heart-shaped, very good, H, VS2 diamond, split shank ring in 18 carat white gold with a total of 1.69 carats of diamonds.

Kate placed her hand over her mouth and couldn't stop the tears. She knew that dating Rick and living with him was going to lead to him proposing some day. She just didn't see today being that day. She actually thought she would have more time to decide what her answer was going to be.

"Maybe this will get us to start winning," Rick said which caused Kate to begin laughing while crying at the same time. Leave it to Rick to make her this happy.

Kate couldn't get the word yes out so she just nodded her head while still crying.

"Mommy?" Alexis saw her crying and to her that meant something bad had happened and she needed to fix whatever it was.

Rick took the ring out of the box, kissed her palm, then slid the ring on her finger. Kate watched it slide on easily and fit perfectly. Her hand had never had a ring on that finger before now. Now she was wearing one.

Kate didn't know when or how but she was down on her knees with her arms wrapped around Rick and was kissing him while her tears still flowed.

Now Alexis wasn't so concerned that her mommy was crying. Any time Mommy kissed Daddy she was happy.

"So that's a yes?" Rick whispered into her lips which had Kate smiling and laughing again.

"Yes." She was getting married. She, Kate Beckett, with no mother was getting married.

She'd found him by accident all because of one little girl who had gotten bored in a clothing store just as she was finally making it to being a homicide detective.

Life couldn't get any better than this.

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They had beaten the Carolina Hurricanes, followed by the Buffalo Sabers, Florida Panthers, and Boston Bruins. It seemed their getting engaged had been transferred to winning hockey games.

Sadly it didn't last. They went on a terrible losing and being tied streak. Near the end of January they were 22-20-5-2, still a long way out of first place.

It was January 25 and they had just lost to the Columbus Blue Jackets, 1-4 in Columbus.

Rick was flying home with everyone else. However, he had something in his hands that he was reading yet again. It was his official notification. He'd just been traded to the Vancouver Canucks. Unlike the Islanders, the Canucks were winning, making a push for the playoffs and the Stanley Cup. Rick, it would appear, was one of the people they were looking for to help them do just that.

He had no idea what Kate was going to say. He'd warned her a few times that he could end up traded. Now it was real. He was almost officially a Vancouver Canuck.

He needed to be in Vancouver for their next home game on January 28 against the Minnesota Wild. It also meant he needed to sell his house, get packed up, and move after he found a place to live in Vancouver.

He was still working out just how to tell Kate, Alexis, and Maria about the trade as his plane touched down. Their lives were about to be upended and all because he'd been traded.

It wasn't personal, it was business. That, however, didn't stop it from being personal.