Potions of Love
Chapter 12 - #Monday, October 17, 2022
Monday morning, Rick and Kate decided to meet in the parking lot outside the Med/Sci building at 8:30 am to steal a few minutes together before separating and going into their lab. They stand face-to-face with their fingers touching as they bid each other a good morning. Rick would love to bend his head and give Kate a quick kiss, but he isn't sure how she would feel about PDA in front of the other students. So he settles for a few precious moments of conversation, telling her how great it is to see her again. Kate reminds him that they've only been apart for about 12 hours, but Rick shakes his head and says, "That's still too long."
Rick checks his watch and sees that it's 8:50 am and says, "Well, I guess we better get inside so our lab pals don't get nervous and think we bailed out on them on a test day."
Kate chuckles and says, "Yea, I hate when that happens."
The two friends walk into the building bumping shoulders as they near the entrance to their lab, pausing again to share smiles before they enter the room.
Mike immediately picks up on Rick and his apparent euphoria and says, "Well, man. Someone must have had a good weekend!"
Rick responds, "You have no idea." Rick pulls his lab notebook out of his backpack while he looks across the room and watches Kate talk with her partner, Emily. He smiles and pulls out his chair, settling in just before the lecture begins.
Emily notices a change in Kate but doesn't ask any questions since Professor Andrews has just stepped up to his podium.
Today's lecture was abbreviated to allow time for the group's 2nd lab test before their November finals.
Kate and Rick meet at the lab's entrance and exit the building back out to the parking lot. They chat about the test, and both feel they did well. Rick then invites Kate to join him for lunch at The Gonda cafeteria.
"I'm sorry, I can't make it today. My neuro fellowship advisor asked me to meet her in her office at 12:15 pm. I don't expect it to be a long meeting, so I will call when I get home, maybe around 2:30 pm, if it works for you," asked Kate.
Rick is disappointed but understands and says, "Sure that works for me. My professor canceled our afternoon class because he came down with some bug. So, yes, please call me when you get home. I hope the meeting goes well."
"I have no idea what's going on. This Advisor usually gives me a day or two notice when she wants to meet, but I'll find out. What are you going to do with your free afternoon?" Kate asks, wishing she could stay and spend more time with Rick.
Rick sighs; having the same feelings as Kate, he says, "I think I'll stop and grab a burger, then head home. I could do a final read-through of our joint paper before we turn it in on Wednesday."
Kate smiles to herself, sensing Rick's disappointment, especially since they have proofread their paper three times, and they both know it's polished and ready to go. Kate smiles and says, "Sounds good. I'll talk to you a little later." Just as she's ready to walk toward her Harley, she pauses, leans in, gives Rick a quick kiss, and pats his arm as she heads to her Harley. Rick is still standing in the same spot when Kate, still smiling, looks over her shoulder as she pulls out of the parking lot.
Rick cracks a big smile as he watches Kate drive away, thinking, "Well, that certainly answered my question about Kate's feelings about PDAs."
Rick has a little more bounce in his step as he walks toward his Jeep. Once inside, he tosses his backpack into the passenger seat, leans back still smiling, and decides to treat himself to a sandwich from his favorite burger joint, 'The Flying Elbow.'
Rick had gotten his burger and fries and headed back to his apartment. Rick drops his backpack on the table by the window and walks into his kitchen. He takes a bottle of water out of the refrigerator and goes back into the living room to enjoy his lunch. Neddie wanders out of Rick's bedroom, jumps up on the couch, and gives Rick one of her 'welcoming meows'. As soon as she picks up on the aroma of his burger, the fun begins. They have had a battle for years, which always ends with Rick caving and giving her a few morsels from his meal.
Rick cleans up after his lunch, then decides to take one more look at their joint comparative analysis report that he and Kate had prepared for Professor Andrews. He, too, knows that they have reviewed it three times, and in essence, it's perfect and ready to submit. But he needs something to do, to fill in the time before Kate calls.
Rick's cell phone rings around 2:15. He quickly answers without even looking at the caller ID. "Hi," he says, hoping the call is from Kate.
Kate smiles when she hears his voice and responds, "Well, hi, to you too, pharmacy boy."
Rick laughs at the nickname she has given him and responds, "Please, do I have to remind again that it's pharmacy man, not boy!"
They both laugh as they continue to banter back and forth for a couple of minutes. Rick then asks, "How did your meeting go with your advisor?"
Kate answers immediately, "I was surprised. She wanted to know if I would be interested in extending my Neurology Fellowship through next year. She said if I chose to do that, it could help me get into the University's advanced program. I would be spending several half days a week meeting with patients and learning more about the evaluative process and how to interpret the results better. It could lead to being assigned to a specific clinical trial area, such as pediatrics."
"That is awesome, Kate. That could help you achieve your goal for further brain injury research for kids! When do you have to make a final decision?" Rick asked.
Kate explained to Rick, "The actual program would run from November 2023 through April 2024. Since they only accept three applicants per session, Miss O'Neil wants my answer before Thanksgiving break, so she can put her wheels in motion and submit an advisor's recommendation as early as possible. I will also have to submit a student application and complete it by January 2023. Miss O'Neil also told me she would help with my forms to ensure all the i's are dotted and the t's are crossed."
"Kate, this sounds too good to be true. What are you thinking?" Rick asked, knowing one of her concerns may be the amount of time involved to move into this type of clinical program.
Kate sighs and hesitates to say what she's thinking. Her relationship with Rick is so new, and she doesn't want to make any assumptions. But she knows if she pursues this expanded fellowship, she will have limited time for outside interests.
Kate feels this is too important of a conversation to have over the phone, so she asks, "Hey Rick, could I come over and we can finish this conversation face-to-face?"
Rick can hear the serious nature of Kate's tone and immediately responds, "Definitely, come over right now if it works for you. Or would it be easier if I came to your place?"
Kate smiles to herself as, once again, the considerate side of Rick comes out. "Rick, if you could come to my place, it would be easier. I want to show you the information Miss O'Neil gave me at the end of our meeting."
"No problem, I am on my way. I should be there in about 10 minutes." Rick sweetly responded.
"Thanks a ton, Rick. I appreciate this. I will see you in a few. The front door is unlocked, so just come in," Kate answered.
Precisely 10 minutes later, Rick walks into Kate's apartment and sees her sitting at her dining table by her large kitchen window.
Kate looks up and smiles as she hears her front door open. "Hey Rick, you made great time! Come on over and sit down. I hope Dr. Pepper is okay with you, I would prefer wine, but I need to keep my head clear as I sort through all of this information that I got from Miss O'Neil."
"Sure, Dr. Pepper is fine," Rick responds as he sits in the chair opposite Kate.
Kate begins, "There is a ton of material here, but honestly, the essential area of my concern is the time required for the entire program."
Rick immediately realizes his previous thoughts were on target, so he steps in and asks, "Kate, are you concerned that the time required could interfere with our relationship and cause problems?"
"Wow, you didn't waste any time hitting that nail on the head. Yea that is one of my concerns. This thing between us is so new, and neither of us knows where it's headed. And from the experiences I had with Josh, I know that the lack of time together can cause issues," Kate responds, also deciding to be direct about her feelings.
Rick leans back in his chair, takes a large gulp from his bottle of Dr. Pepper, clears his throat, and begins sharing his true feelings. "Kate, I appreciate you first thinking of the time element and how it could impact us. But let me make it clear. First of all, I am not Josh! I would never take advantage of or use the limited time we may have as a deterrent in our relationship. I know this whole thing is still new for us, but honestly, I have no desire to be with anyone else but you, and I will be very thankful and make the best of any time that we have together."
"Looking ahead, I don't know what my next year will look like yet. I have some thoughts about the direction I'd like to go, but I haven't voiced those to my supervisor. But whatever time we have together outside of class, I promise you, I will do everything to make it special for both of us," Rick says authoritatively, coming up just short of telling her his true feelings, that he thinks he is falling in love with her.
Kate's eyes begin to water, and Rick is afraid he said too much and scared her. But she stretches her hand across the table, wiggling her fingers and inviting Rick to do the same. Rick takes Kate's hand and smiles, looking deeply into her eyes. "Hey, are you okay? I hope I didn't say something that hurt your feelings."
Kate bows her head and tries to compose herself before saying, "No, Rick. What you said was perfect. I continue to be amazed at how caring and compassionate you are, and now I am also learning that you are sincere in sharing your feelings. What you just told me takes a tremendous weight off of my shoulders."
Rick immediately stands up, keeping hold of Kate's hand, and pulls her into a tight hug, whispering, "Kate, I will always do all I can to make our relationship the greatest that either of us has ever experienced." He then bows his head and gently kisses Kate, trying to express all of his feelings to her in the only way he can right now.
Kate pulls her hand from Rick's hold, wraps her arms around his neck, pulls him in tighter, and begins kissing him back more passionately than they have experienced before.
Finally, Rick breaks off the kiss, saying, "Wow, that was something. I could get used to this!" Rick says with a massive smile on his face. He extends his arms out enough to see Kate's eyes and continues, "Kate, I meant everything I said earlier. I care for you so much, and I will do whatever I can to make what we have, grow and become very special for both of us."
Rick pulls Kate in for another hug, kissing the top of her head, and says, "Okay, do you want to show what all of this means?' As he passes, his arm over the numerous documents lying on her table.
Kate laughs and says, "Sure. But you have to promise you won't fall asleep. Some of this is pretty dry."
The two sit down, and Kate begins to explain in detail what this new clinical program will include and tells Rick how thrilled she is that her Advisor approached her, asking her to consider this change in her academic path.
The two remain at the table, with Kate sharing what she knows about the program and Rick asking questions, some of which Kate hadn't thought of yet. So she jots them down to talk further with her Advisor about some of Rick's thoughts and ideas.
Suddenly, Kate's stomach growls, and Rick looks up, asking, "Hey did you eat lunch?"
"No, now that you mentioned it. How does pizza sound to you? Can you stay for dinner?" Kate shyly asks Rick hoping that he'll say yes.
"You bet I can stay. Pizza is one of my favorites, especially if you get sweet Italian sausage with basil and double cheese," replies Rick.
Kate stares at Rick and says, "You've got to be kidding me. I guess we hadn't talked yet about our favorite pizza, but that is also the kind I love."
Kate quickly dials a number from memory for the pizza place only a few blocks from her apartment and finds that their pie can be there in 20 minutes. She then stands and starts clearing up all of her papers and putting them back in a large manilla envelope.
After Kate and Rick finish the pizza, they do quick clean-up work and go back to Kate's living room. There is a comfortable silence between them when Rick says,
"Can I ask you a question?"
"Sure, what's on your mind?" Kate gently responds.
Rick turns, facing Kate, and asks, "Have you heard about the Campus-wide Halloween Party and Dance on October 31? I know it's a 'school night,' but I wondered if you'd like to go to it with me?
Kate smiles as she can tell Rick is hesitant about asking her, but she responds, "No, I hadn't heard about it. Is it a costume party?" Now Rick is nervous, so he just nods his head, yes.
"I see, and is a costume required?" Kate asks with a bit of teasing in her tone.
Rick swallows and says, "I think costumes are optional, so we can just go in our regular street clothes if you don't get into that sort of thing."
Kate can tell Rick is disappointed with that option, so she says, "Yea, I'd be glad to go to the dance with you."
"Really," Rick replies, shocked that Kate agreed so fast.
Kate raises an eyebrow and asks, "Why are you surprised I accepted your invitation?" She's messing with Rick but can't pass up a chance to tease him. He's so easy sometimes.
Rick is getting nervous and concerned and has no idea how to proceed. Kate lets him off the hook by admitting,
"Hey, stop worrying; I'm just teasing you. I really would like to go to the party with you."
Rick smiles and says, "And you want to wear a costume?"
Kate can't resist, so she replies, "No, I didn't say I would wear a costume; I just said I'd be happy to go to the dance with you." Kate doesn't add any more to their conversation about a costume but senses Rick's hesitancy in asking any further questions about costumes.
They both notice the time, and Rick says, "I better be heading out. My class starts early tomorrow. Can I call you tomorrow night?
Kate walks with Rick to her door and takes his hand, saying, "Absolutely. I have a full day, but I should be home by 6:00."
Rick says, "It's a date." Then leans down and gives Kate another hug and sweet kiss before wishing her goodnight. He adds, "If anything comes up, call me. You take care and have a good Tuesday."
Kate holds her door open and watches Rick again walk down her sidewalk, climb in his Jeep, roll down his window and wave back to her.
Kate thinks, "This is getting to be a routine for us. I've never waited and watched a guy as he left my apartment. I mean, I never waited and watched Josh as he left."
Once Rick's Jeep is out of sight, Kate closes and locks her door, then leans back against it, thinking, "I think I am falling for this guy."Kate goes about her usual evening routine and finally crawls into bed a little before 11:00, thinking how thankful she is that Rick has become such an important part of her life.
Rick and Kate have busy study schedules for the remainder of October as both prepare for their mid-term finals. Sometimes they study together at the library or meet at their respective apartments, though they are easily distracted. They also have lunches together after their labs if their schedules allow.
Rick and Kate enjoy the times when they can physically be together; they both know and understand that their relationship is growing. They talk practically every evening, especially if they haven't been together during the day. They share innocent kisses and touches and have become very comfortable and relaxed with one another. Kate always smiles, as Rick, ever the gentleman, always insists on carrying her messenger bag whenever they are walking together.
When time allows, Rick and Kate try to keep in touch with their friends. On occasion, Rick meets the guys at the Screaming Fox and has gotten comfortable with his friends' ribbing about how he seems so much happier.
Kate calls Lanie, and they get together when their crazy schedules allow. Kate has been able to fill Lanie in about her relationship with Rick, and if Kate only knew, she wouldn't have had to work so hard to convince Lanie of her happiness. Lanie saw the difference in her friend's demeanor shortly after she began seeing Rick, and she is so thrilled that her good friend is now so happy.
Halloween finally arrives! As soon as Rick learned about the costume party, he had no problem deciding what costume he would wear.
Rick arrived home around 1:30 pm on Halloween afternoon and fed Neddie before taking a shower and laying out his outfit.
Rick had decided against shaving that day, hoping that a little facial stubble would add to the ruggedly handsome appearance he was hoping to attain with his costume.
After showering, Rick decided he should have a light dinner if the party hors-d'oeuvres bombed. He checked his fridge and discovered he had some leftover chicken alfredo. Rick plated up his pasta and took a bottle of water into the living room to watch the early evening news. After finishing his light meal, he cleaned up his dishes, put down some fresh food and water for Neddie, then headed back to his bedroom to get dressed.
He scoped out all of the pieces of his outfit, recalling how much money he had spent to have a look-alike costume of his favorite sci-fi character. Once, he had his burgundy logger shirt on and his tan pants. He adjusted his suspenders before pulling on his tall brown leather boots.
He checked out his appearance before putting on the long faux brown leather trench coat. He nodded in approval as he reached for the one 'non-official' part of his costume. He knew better than attempting to take a toy gun into a university event in this day and age. He was probably pushing his luck by having the plastic pirate sword in his drop-thigh gun holster. He again checked this appearance in the mirror before grabbing his dark brown long cuffed gloves and saying to himself,
"Eat your heart out, Captain Mal Reynolds. You've got nothing on me, and my date will blow your ensign Zoe out of the water," as he again wondered what Kate's costume would be for the dance.
Rick is still chuckling to himself as he tells Neddie goodbye, being sure to leave the bedroom lamp on for her. He locks up his apartment and hops into his Jeep for the 15-minute drive to the Kahler Grand Hotel.
Across campus, Kate, too, was enjoying getting ready for the dance. Earlier she had a short telephone conversation with Lanie about the party, confirming plans to meet up at some point, so Lanie could officially meet Rick.
After showering, Kate also decided to have a quick dinner. After eating, she washes up her dishes and finds herself humming as she walks back to her bedroom to get dressed.
Kate went to her walk-in closet and removed a purple garment bag from the back rack. She placed the bag on her bed, and as she was unzipping the bag, Kate smiled as she recalled how she came into possession of her prized costume.
Her long-time high school friend, Linda B, had passed on the outfit to Kate as a graduation gift. Linda's older sister Carol had bought the uniform during her sophomore year at Stanford. After the show's cancellation, a small group of diehard fans of the short-lived TV series bought their uniforms from a Hollywood costume shop. Then on the anniversary of the airing of the show's first episode, the group would gather at the apartment of a group member and binge-watch the entire series in a single night.
After Carol's graduation, Linda B talked her sister into giving the costume to her to pass it on to Kate, who was also a big fan of the show.
Kate carefully removes the black and purple mini dress from its protective bag and gently lays it out on her bed. She then goes back into her closet and pulls a clear plastic shoebox off the top shelf that encloses the last piece of her costume. She laughs to herself as she envisions Rick's first reactions when she reveals her costume choice to him in a couple of hours.
Kate then moves to her dressing table and styles her long brown highlighted hair into delicate tight curls that fall gently over her shoulders. She then selects a beautiful small purple-colored hair comb from her jewelry box, takes a few strands of her carefully curled hair, and secures it to the right side of her head, revealing the slender shape of her neck.
She looks over her cosmetic case, selecting a light-colored foundation that will enhance her facial features, then two colors of eye shadow that will set off her hazel-colored eyes and match the purple color of the top section of her dress.
When Kate finishes styling her hair and completes her makeup, she removes her robe and carefully slips into the form-fitting mini dress. Once she has pulled up the small side zipper, she moves to her full-length mirror on the inside of her closet door and smiles and assures herself that this costume will rock Rick's world. Kate reaches for the clear plastic shoe box removing her black and clear strapped 5" stiletto platform heels to add the finishing touch to her evening outfit.
Taking one last look in her full-length mirror, she again silently smiles and says to herself,
"Linda B, thanks so much for remembering how I loved the short-lived Nebula-9 series. I hope my version of LT. Chloe would meet Carol's high standards for the character."
Kate then returns to her living room, goes to her closet by the front door, and removes her long black trench coat. She will keep her costume a secret until she meets Rick at the hotel's front entrance.
Kate hears the blare of the cab's horn that has arrived right at 6:45. She picks up her small black clutch and heads out to give her boyfriend the surprise of his life. "Wait, boyfriend, where did that come from?" She instantly thinks to herself. Kate shakes her head after that thought and walks down her sidewalk to meet the waiting cab.
Kate purposely arrived at the hotel a few minutes after 7:00. She knew this would make Rick even more nervous, but her timing was part of the costume reveal that she had planned for Rick. After weeks of listening to him as he begged her to tell him what she planned to wear, she's very optimistic that his first view of her costume would immediately silence any further questions from her sometimes frustrating friend.
As Kate's cab waits in line to pull up to the main entrance of the Kahler Grand Hotel, she scans the crowd looking for Rick. Since Kate had refused to give Rick a clue about her costume, he had decided to join in her game, and he wouldn't tell her about his costume. That was okay with her; fair is fair. And she was looking forward to his surprise too.
When Kate's cab finally reaches the hotel's main entrance, she spots Rick standing just to the right of the main doors in a full-length brown trench coat that is buttoned clear up to his chin.
She laughs, thinking, "Well, I guess two can play this game."
Rick sees Kate as she begins to exit the cab and races down to meet her at the curb.
When he gets close to Kate, Rick notices that they are now almost at eye level with one another. As he reaches to take her hand, he quickly glances down at her 5" stilettos and whispers a quiet WOW to himself.
Rick beats Kate to the draw and pays the cab driver before holding his arm out to Kate to escort her into the hotel. Once inside, they move toward the coat check area, where Rick gets a ticket and hanger for both himself and Kate and moves off to the side to allow other guests to do the same.
Once they are out of the main flow of human traffic, Rick holds a hanger out and asks, "May I help you with your coat?"
Kate gives Rick a rather sultry look and responds, "Of course, thank you," as she slowly begins to unbutton her coat noticing that Rick's eyes follow every move of her fingers. After she unbuttons the last button, she turns her back to Rick and allows him to lift her coat from her shoulders, allowing her to slip her arms out of the coat, the last thing blocking Rick from seeing the surprise she has been hiding from him for the past couple of weeks.
As Kate slips out of her full-length trench coat, she begins to turn back, facing Rick, standing in front of her as if he is frozen in time. His outstretched arms continue to hold her coat, and his eyes are repeatedly scanning her from head to toe, thinking to himself, "Kate's legs seem to go on forever in this costume."
Kate remains silent for a few seconds, then pulls Rick back into reality when she asks, "Are you planning to do something with my coat, or would you prefer that I leave you two alone and go into the auditorium on my own," she concludes with laughter in her voice.
The word 'leave' seems to resonate with Rick, and he shakes his head slightly as he quickly answers, "No, don't leave." Rick then places Kate's coat on a hanger and hangs it on the coat rack nearest to where they are standing. Rick then looks back at Kate and says, "You look incredible, Kate," and gives her one of the special smiles that he reserves for only her. Rick continues to stand in front of Kate, totally blown away and completely surprised by her choice of costumes.
"I had no idea you were a Nebula-9 fan!" Rick says with a bit of awe in his voice.
"Well, my dear Rick, I do not recall you ever asking if I was a sci-fi fan, so I decided to take the first step and show you," Kate states with a seductive tone.
"Well, that's my bad," Rick replies with his own rather sexy voice as he too unbuttons his trench coat, showing Kate his costume for the evening.
Now Kate's eyes brighten as she takes her opportunity to check out Rick in his tribute to Firefly's lead character, "Well, Captain Mal, you make that uniform look pretty hot. It looks like we both missed out on discussing a crucial topic, but that's fine with me. I say we go for it now and enjoy the evening while we pay special tribute to our favorite sci-fi programs."
Rick and Kate spend the evening talking, dancing & laughing as they enjoy each other's company in a most public environment. A few guys from their lab ask to dance with Kate, including Rick's partner Mike, but Kate declines their requests and stays close to Rick.
Kate and Rick take a break from dancing when a fast-paced set begins and walks into the banquet hall to check out the appetizers. To their surprise, they find mini shrimp cocktails, mini cubes of gourmet cheese, a chocolate fountain for dipping strawberries, plain peanut butter cups, other types of fruits, and what they call Hi-Hat cupcakes. Even though they had light dinners before the party, they enjoyed several delicacies together.
Out of the corner of her eye, Kate sees Lanie quickly walking toward them with a guy she hasn't seen before and has just a second or two to whisper to Rick, "Alert, we have incoming," as she turns and accepts a welcoming hug from her best friend.
Lanie, being Lanie, turns from Kate to give one of her pattened stares at Rick. Kate had told him a few specifics about her friend, and one trait was that she would always be direct and never beat around the bush.
Rick looks at Lanie, smiles, extends his hand, and says, "Wow, Lanie, it is wonderful to meet you finally. I feel I know you somewhat by all of the great things Kate has told me about the friendship you two share."
Lanie's eyebrows immediately fly up as she extends her hand to Rick while she moves her to stare from Rick to Kate, asking, "Okay, girlfriend, what have you been telling this guy?"
Kate laughs at her friend's reaction and says, "Oh Lanie, don't get bent out of shape. I kept the juicy things to myself," laughing as Lanie's stare changes to a glare. Kate continues laughing as she puts her arm around her friend, suggesting that the four of them find a quiet table where they can talk for a few minutes before they return to the dance floor.
They locate an open table near the back of the hall, and Todd, Lanie's friend, offers to get the group some punch from the nearby table. All agree and thank Todd as he walks away.
When Todd returns to the table with a tray holding 4 cups of refreshing-looking punch, the three friends are laughing and joking, and he quickly learns that Rick just shared the story of when he first saw Kate in her leather gear riding up to his apartment on her Harley Softail.
Todd joins in the conversation saying, "Lanie, you never told me that Kate has a Softtail! That is so cool." Todd then turns to Kate and says, "Kate, I have a 2020 Harley FLHR Road King that I just bought from a friend."
Kate, of course, is excited and replies, "That is neat. Mine is a 1994 Softtail that was completely refurbished from the ground up right before I moved out here from California."
"Awesome," Todd replies with a very excited voice. "Come Spring, the four of us need to go for some rides. Are you up to that?"
Kate again laughs and says, "By all means, I'm in." She looks toward Rick, who is excitedly nodding his head in agreement. Kate then looks at Lanie and says, "Lanie, what do you think?"
For the second time that evening, Lanie sits in total silence and finally answers, "Well, I've only been on that ride with you, and you know how that went, but I'm game to give it another try."
Now, new friends, the four agree that they are already looking forward to Spring.
As the conversation dies down at the table, Rick looks to Kate and asks, "Can I interest you in one final dance before we go? It sounds like the music has toned down a bit," as he stands and extends his hand out to Kate.
Kate, sweetly answers in a more subdued tone, "That sounds wonderful."
Kate then turns to Lanie and Todd, saying, "It was good to meet you, Todd. I will look forward to our Spring motorcycle rides."
Kate then turns to Lanie, hugging her and promising to call her next week.
After enjoying their conversations with Lanie and Todd, and some delicious snacks, the couple returns to the reception hall and joins in the final slow dance of the evening.
Rick pulls Kate in close as she wraps her arms around his neck, and they slowly sway back and forth to the gentle beat of the music, neither noticing nor having eyes for anyone else but each other.
The two friends exit the reception hall and collect their coats following the Halloween festivities. Rick helps Kate into her coat, then slips into his own and extends his arm out to Kate.
Rick and Kate ride to her apartment in companionable silence, reliving the evening in their thoughts. Rick arrives at Kate's apartment and instructs her to wait while he hops out and moves to the passenger side of his vehicle, opening Kate's door and assisting Kate as she steps down to the sidewalk.
They again walk arm in arm to her front door, where Kate unlocks her front door, then turns back to Rick. Sharing loving looks at one another, knowing they wish the night weren't about to end, they also realize it's after midnight, and they both have to be up and around and be at their lab by 9:00 am.
Rick asks, "Do you want to meet in the parking lot again before heading into our lab?"
Kate immediately agrees and then leans in, and the two friends share a very passionate kiss that curls both of their toes. They finally separate, resting their foreheads against each other, smiling, and quietly communicating their growing feelings for one another.
The two go through their traditional routine of wishing each other goodnight, and Kate watches Rick until he pulls away from her apartment. Rick doesn't pull away until he sees Kate open her door, so he knows all she has to do is step inside and lock her door.
Rick's continued attention and concern for Kate and her well-being keep touching her heart to greater depths each time they are together.
A/N - I hope you enjoyed the salute to a few Castle episodes with Rick and Kate's Halloween costumes.