Chapter Six
Star Gazing
Season Five

"Babe, you ready?"

Rick looks up from his laptop and blinks several times to help his vision adjust. He'd been staring at the screen for hours, with just a few breaks, and he hadn't noticed it get dark outside, or in his office. "Ready for what?"

Kate turns on the lamp on the corner of his desk and taps her finger on the top of his laptop. "We have plans."

"We do?"

She grins. "You really do get lost in your writing, don't you?" she teases, sidling around his desk and nudging his chair back.

His hands go to her hips when she sinks onto his lap, and he leans his head back against his chair so he can look into her eyes. "Yeah. I'm sorry."

He feels bad; it wasn't his intent to spend the majority of the day glued to his computer, but Gina had reminded him of his upcoming deadline. And thanks to all the time he's been spending with Kate he's horrendously behind. But the chapter is done now, until he receives the barrage of edits he expects, and he can enjoy the rest of the weekend with his girlfriend.

A weekend that he hopes doesn't get interrupted by a murder. Again.

Rick flexes his fingers against Kate's hips, and he smiles when her eyes flutter shut. "Can our plans involve staying here?" he grumbles, lifting his own hips slightly. He feels her breath stutter and grins.

Kate shakes her head and slides off his lap. "No. I made other plans," she adds when he frowns, and she holds her hand out to him.

He quickly saves his document and jots a note to send it to Gina in the morning before letting Kate pull him from his chair. "Okay, well, what are we doing?"

"You'll see."

Rick stretches, groaning when his back pops. "Can it involve a massage?"

Kate chuckles and steps into his side, laces her fingers through his. "Maybe later," she teases, bumping him with her shoulder. "If you play your cards right."

"Ooh, are we playing cards? Poker?" He gasps. "Strip poker?"

"As tempting as that is, no, we're not."

Rick lets her lead him to the front entry, where he sees a pile of blankets, a thermos, and his portable telescope. When he glances up at her she looks nervous and has her bottom lip between her teeth. "What's this?"

"It's a clear night, and you've been inside all day," Kate says, "so I thought it would be fun to go somewhere and look at the stars."

Rick grins and pulls her into his arms. "I love it. Let's go."

He takes them to a secluded park where he's watched meteor showers, and he finds the darkest parking area, turns off the engine and all the lights. "Kinda spooky," he teases, reaching over and drifting his fingers along her thigh.

Kate grabs his hand and he assumes her eyes are narrowed. "Funny. Although I think we shouldn't have watched Zodiac last week."

Rick chuckles. "It was your movie choice," he points out, twisting so he can reach the blankets. He hears the moonroof open as he situates a blanket over himself. After a few minutes of putting their seat backs down and getting comfortable, Rick looks towards his girlfriend, can just make out her profile. "This was a good idea, Kate."

She turns her head towards him and smiles. "I'm glad. If we were in your backyard we could actually snuggle, but the stars are more visible here."

"Plus," Rick adds, reaching out and brushing his fingers along her jaw, "if we were at the house we probably would have stayed inside."

Kate chuckles. "True. You did look pretty sexy all concentrating on work."

"Well, feel free to seduce me at my desk any time."

"If that wouldn't stop you from doing any work, I totally would."

They both fall silent, and Rick shifts his gaze through the moonroof, marvels at the vivid sight. As much as he loves living in the city, he does like to escape the light pollution so he can just enjoy nature. And he can't wait for all the adventures he and Kate are sure to have together.