Always Right
A Reference Material Verse Ficlet
She's drifting on the edge of consciousness when he puts his knee on the bed and crawls beside her, rocking her into full awareness. He fits his body to hers, his chest warm at her back, his jeans scratchy against her bare legs, but she doesn't shrug him off or elbow him away. He'd already been out of the house when her shift ended, and she'd missed the opportunity to curl up with him and reconnect.
She can't wait for her current rotation to be over; albeit it's good practice for what's to come, the graveyard shift – even on desk duty – is nothing short of exhausting.
"Sorry," her husband rumbles, dusting an apologetic kiss to the curve of her neck. "Didn't mean to startle you."
"You're 'kay," she hums, swiping sleep from her eyes. Her fingers come away dark with the remnants of her eye makeup, reminding her how little attention she'd paid to doing anything but getting changed into her pajamas when she got home. "I locked the door behind me, didn't I?"
Rick chuckles, leaning over her shoulder to steal a kiss from her mouth. It's a little sloppy with her drowsiness, and the angle is weird, but she smiles against his lips anyway. "'Course you did. Though your keys ended up dangling off the table instead of in the bowl."
"Whoops," she exhales. "Little bit out of it; I forgot to take my makeup off, too."
He nods, skimming his fingers down her side. "Rough shift?" he asks, thumbing the curve of her waist.
"Just long," Kate explains. Her fingers fumble for his, eager for the heat of his palm and the splay of his fingers over her belly, eager to feel their child's kicks and flutters. "Cap'n had me doing paperwork until I couldn't see straight."
Rick nods, tapping the curve of her stomach with his index finger. His greeting goes unanswered; the baby must be sleeping, finally settled after spending most of the night nudging her while she worked.
"Sounds boring."
She laughs. There's nothing exciting about filing reports, especially given that she's not the one collecting most of them, but it's a small price to pay. If she's going to make detective soon, she'll take all the grunt work she can get. "I got to watch an interrogation, though. From the observation room."
That perks him up. "Hey, that's cool. Was he the perp?"
Kate hums, squeezing his hand. "She was. She whacked her husband with an umbrella because she found out he was having an affair."
"Oh, sounds like he won't be singing in the rain again."
She shouldn't laugh, but she can't help the chuckle that spills from her lips. "No, he's pretty well covered and quiet now."
Rick grins against her shoulder. "Good one. Hear that, baby? Your mommy's really embracing that cop humor."
It shouldn't please her to hear that, but Kate can't help the thrill that rolls up her spine. She's been out of the academy for over two years, but still feels like a rookie in many respects. She works every single day to prove herself, so any indicator that she's fitting in helps. Especially on days when she wonders if anyone at the precinct sees more than just a belly in a uniform.
"The donuts, too," she adds wryly, rubbing a slow circle under her navel. "But we won't talk about those, or I'll be sending you out to buy me more."
Rick snickers at what a cliché she has become, bumping his hips against hers as he slides closer. "I can if you want."
Kate grins into her pillow. Her sweet husband, always ready to get her what she wants – no matter how illogical the request. "No, just stay here and tell me what Black Pawn said about the book."
She expects bad news based on the way he falls silent, but his next words aren't shriveled and coated in disappointment, instead they're awed.
"They said sales are through the roof. They want to arrange for another printing, and start marketing it more heavily overseas."
She turns, flinging her arm around him, her lips already seeking his. "That's amazing, Rick. I'm so proud of you."
He's almost bashful about it, holding her cheek and keeping her close for another kiss. "Thanks, Kate. I have to admit, I was stunned when they told me."
"You shouldn't be," she chides, stroking the shell of his ear. "You're so good at what you do; they're lucky to have you as their author, and after six – soon to be seven – books, they damn well better know it."
His lips curve against hers, amused at the ferocity of her defense. "I'll let you be the one to remind them, should they ever forget," he assures, nudging her to settle against her pillow once more.
"I'll do it," she confirms, resolute. "But they'll have more than just me to contend with, I think."
Reaching back, her fingers flutter against his jaw before she seeks out his hand, covering the swell of her belly where their child – his number two fan – kicks.
"I think you're probably right," he murmurs, puckering his lips against her shoulder.
"Of course I am," Kate scoffs. "I'm always right about you."
To see the inspiration to this ficlet, check out the cover photo on this story, or visit: bunysliper tumblr post/164063777659/ photo-is-not-mine-to-reblog-just-the-picture
Other stories in this universe (in chronological order):
Late Night Study Break
Reference Material
TGIF
A Persuasive Argument
Extracurricular Activities
Make it So Easy
summa cum laude
Always Right
and more tagfics and drabbles, which can be found on my tumblr at bunysliper dot tumblr slash reference - material!