Couples

Chapter 106

Kate leans over Rick's shoulder as he watches the returns come in on his computer. "Anything on Eli yet?"

He shakes his head. "Just national races, so far. Polls in some other states close before they do in New York. I got an email from the campaign not too long ago, though. When the results are in, Eli's making a speech. The campaign is going to livestream it and post it on YouTube so everyone can see it. Apparently, Eli is hinting at a surprise of some sort."

"What do you think that's going to be?" Kate wonders.

"No idea," Rick admits. "I'm going to stay up for a while and see what happens. I can catch a nap tomorrow when Lily does. Are you going to be on stakeout in the morning?"

"No, I'm going to research the family that Momentous Mops visited yesterday. I also got images of the Moppers. I'm going to run them through facial recognition. But I'll need to be at the 12th at start of shift. I hate to think of what kind of a mood Montgomery's going to be in if Eli loses."

"Eli is part of Evelyn's family," Rick notes. "Unhappy wife, unhappy life."

Kate nips at Rick's ear. "Something to remember. You know, I'm not that sleepy yet, but Lily's dead to the world. We could fill in some of the time until the votes are counted together."

"And how would you like to do that? We haven't played scrabble in a while," Rick teases.

"That's because you're such a lousy loser. Anyway, we both have more fun with strip poker."

"We could skip the poker and go straight to the stripping," Rick suggests.

Grabbing Rick's hand, Kate pulls him from his chair. "Even better."

They quickly cover the short distance from Rick's office to the bedroom, with Kate pulling her top off as they go. Rick runs his fingertips over the black lace of her bra. "Much as I love our daughter, this is sexier than a nursing version." He unhooks the front clasp. "And easier to remove."

Kate reaches for the buttons on his shirt and starts to slip it from his shoulders. "We need to catch you up."

Rick's palms trace Kate's curves. "I feel like we should have 'The Stripper' playing in the background."

Stepping out of her slacks and kicking them away, she shakes her head. "Too slow. That music is to get the audience excited. I'm excited already."

Rick's hand finds a lower target. "So you are." He strips her final barrier away as she tugs at his belt. His last garments fall to the floor. "We should get this show on the road – or at least on the bed."

Kate falls backward onto the comforter topping the bedclothes, and opens her arms. "So, what are you waiting for?"

Rick lowers himself above her, moving in for a kiss. "Nothing, nothing at all."

Eli sits at a workstation in his campaign headquarters, watching the figures on a monitor change. "How much of the vote is in?" Lana asks.

"Almost all of it. Only two precincts are outstanding, but one of them is where the crazies tried to block the entrance to the poll. That's one of the places we figured I'd do well. If they managed to scare off too many of the voters, I could be in trouble."

"I don't think they scared off many," Lana offers. "After we got the entrance cleared and put in our reports, I drove by that location several times on patrol. The voters were getting in with no trouble. And toward the end of my shift, there were a lot of them. It's just as well that confrontation got the publicity it did. People hate having anyone try to take things away from them. Some of the biggest fights I've ever broken up had to do with somebody grabbing something someone else thought they had a right to, even if it was just the last can of olives. Even if they hadn't intended to vote, the residents of that precinct might have decided to, just to make a point."

"I hope you're right." Eli points at the screen. "More returns are coming in now. We're up by more votes than are left outstanding. We're there! We've won!"

Eli wraps his arms around Lana, bending in for a kiss, as the room explodes in applause.

Lazing with Kate tucked against his side, Rick hears the alert he set on his computer for a message from Eli's campaign. "Kate, I think the results are in. I'm going to go check."

Slipping from between the sheets, he grabs his favorite Darth Vader robe, hoping that the dark side of the force won't bring bad luck. As soon as he reaches his desk, he opens the email to see emojis of blowing horns, dancing women, and grinning yellow circles. That the text announces, "We won," is unnecessary. Rick chuckles. Eli won the election, but he wasn't the one who sent out the email. With his lawyerly precision, emojis have never been his style. Still, his staff got the message across better than any crafting of legalese could."

Wearing Rick's discarded shirt, Kate joins him. "From your smug look, I'd guess that Eli took the race."

"My smugness is indeed justified," Rick declares. "I'd say this calls for a toast, but the announcement has an embed for live video. It's counting down with a minute to go."

As the stream begins, Eli fills the screen. "I want to thank everyone whose hard work and support led to our victory tonight. Whether you gave money, posted on social media, made phone calls, stuffed envelopes, or just cast your vote for me, we couldn't have done it without you. Winning tonight is important. I believe I can do a lot to bring justice to this city, and I intend to put everything I can into making New York a fairer and safer place. But there's something that means more to me than winning an election.

"I planned on what I'm about to do now, whether I won or lost the election. Lana, could you join me please?" Hesitantly, Lana comes to stand with Eli in front of the camera. "All of you know what this brave and beautiful woman has had to put up with during this campaign. She's been bombarded with insults and accusations too obscene to repeat. That culminated today as she did her job to ensure everyone's rights were honored. Through it all, she's been unwavering in her strength and resolve. The sages say that love conquers all. I know that her steadfastness, despite the most trying circumstances, has conquered my heart. I can only hope that I've conquered hers as well." Eli falls to one knee, pulling a ring from his pocket. "Officer Lana Springer, will you marry me?"

Swallowing, Lana extends her left hand. "Of course I will."

As Eli slips the ring on Lana's finger, the room's walls vibrate with the ovation of Eli's supporters.

Rick pumps his fist in the air as the image fades. "Yes! I've seen and written a lot of proposals, but never one like that. The video is going to go viral so fast that the haters' heads are going to explode. I need to throw those two an engagement party like I did for Lanie and Lorne."

"This time, I think you might skip the lightsaber battles," Kate suggests.

"Yeah," Rick allows. "You may be right."