Chapter Thirteen
Cuddling
Post-series

Rick sighs and leans back against the elevator wall. Every inch of his body is tired, and all he wants to do is lie down on the floor and sleep. He manages to keep his eyes open as the elevator takes him to his floor, and he drags himself to the door, rolling his suitcase behind him. As he unlocks the door he listens for any noise, but all he hears is the soft sound of jazz music.

The loft is mostly dark; the only illumination he can see is coming from the living room, so he makes sure to be careful closing the door, and just nudges his suitcase out of the way. He slips off his shoes, wiggling his socked toes once they're free from the confines of almost a full day in his sneakers.

He was only on the west coast for a week, but it had been a jam packed week, jetting from one city to another with almost no time to breathe. And he's ready to hug his wife and his children and sleep as long as possible.

On his way to the bedroom he sees a shadow out of the corner of his eye, and he freezes, his heart pounding as his fight or flight instinct kicks in. As he approaches the couch, though, his eyes adjust to the dim light, and he smiles at the sight. Kate must have let the kids stay up and try to wait for him, but none of them had made it: one of the twins is on the floor with Lily - it's too dark to tell which one - and the other twin is passed out on Kate's legs.

His heart swells, love and gratitude for his family overcoming his fatigue. He watches them sleep for a few minutes before reaching for Kate and trailing his finger down her cheek. "Kate," he whispers, pressing a kiss to her temple, "wake up, love."

Kate's eyes flutter open and her tired gaze meets his. Her lips lift in a lazy smile. "Hi," she husks. "When did you get home?"

Rick mirrors her smile and shifts to kneel on the floor next to her. "Just now. Having a sleepover?" he teases, nodding his head towards the sleeping children.

Kate lets out a throaty chuckle. "They insisted on welcoming you home."

"They succeeded." He presses a soft kiss to her lips. "Should we put them to bed?"

"Yeah," Kate agrees, starting to sit up. "Boys first?"

He's picking up Jake from the floor when he hears Lily stir, so he kneels on the floor and brushes her hair from her forehead. "Hi sweetie," he says when her eyes open.

Lily's eyes widen and she grins. "Hi Daddy." She sits up and throws her arms around his neck. "We tried to stay awake."

Rick chuckles. "I know. Let's get you to bed, huh?"

They get the kids to bed in almost record time, and Rick drags his suitcase to the bedroom, tucking it next to the dresser to unpack the next day. He jumps when he feels Kate's arms wrap around him from behind, and he takes her hands in his, turns to face her. "Are you working tomorrow?"

Kate shakes her head and leans into his chest. "Nope."

"What are the odds that the kids will sleep in?"

He feels her laugh. "You wish."

"Well then," Rick starts, taking a step back and cupping his wife's face with his hands, "wanna join me in the shower? I suddenly have more energy than I did a few minutes ago."

Kate smiles and shakes her head, but takes his hand and leads him towards the bathroom anyway. "Oddly enough, so do I." When he leans down to kiss her, she scrunches her nose and steps away. "On second thought, you clean up, and I'll meet you in bed."

Rick takes just a few minutes to rinse the travel off, but despite drying off and brushing his teeth in record time, Kate is fast asleep when he's back in the bedroom. He smiles at the way she's hugging his pillow, a habit she has when he's gone, so he just puts on a clean t-shirt and boxers, slides in next to her, and pulls her into his arms.

She snuggles into his chest, and he falls asleep with her in his embrace, and a smile on his face.

A/N: Shout out to Lou for this idea and for being able to give me ideas when I just throw her a word.