This is set in my Toothbrush verse, so if you haven't read that this might be a little strange. But you don't have to have read it. just wanted to let you all know!

It still felt strange, using his key. She still got permission each time she did. Sometimes her roommate drove her nuts and she wanted a place to sleep. Sometimes she just wanted a home cooked meal instead of cafeteria food. On those days she would call him, tell him she'd see him at his place, and wait for him to be done with any meetings or signings he happened to be at. She never once told her parents that she was spending her nights with a man, she'd never hear the end of it. They had met him, and they liked him, but they didn't need to know just how much time she spent over at his place.

But this time it was different. This time he had invited her. Which wasn't exactly uncommon, but it was the first time he'd invited her to let herself in. I have to go pick something up, but if you'd like you can come to my place and wait for me and I'll bring you a surprise. She was still learning how much fun his surprises could be. Once, he had ambushed her from around the corner in a glowing vest and goggles, tossing her one of her own. They chased each other all night with those things, making bets, talking smack, and taking each other down. Today, she could smell his surprise as soon as the door swung open, the odor from the kitchen making her stomach growl and her mouth water. So much better than cafeteria food. She kicked off her shoes at the door and followed her nose toward whatever he had prepared for them. She could see from her short journey into the kitchen that the dining room table was set, complete with a large bouquet of brightly colored flowers in the center.

The food was all laid out on the counters in the kitchen. Roast chicken, potatoes with cheese, salad with fresh vegetables, and acorn squash roasted with maple syrup. She had to stop herself from grabbing a fork and digging into that squash. It was clear that he had put a lot of work into this, and she didn't want to ruin his surprise. An impish grin stretched across her face as she made her way from the kitchen to his bedroom. She knew just how to thank him for his hard work.

After much deliberation, she decided that his bed was the best place for him to find her. Her hair was pulled up into a bun, and she was wearing nothing but the necklace he had given her a couple of weeks ago, his latest book chapter spread out in front of her. Whenever he finished a chapter, he left it out on the side of his bed that she had claimed as her own. She would edit it, make some suggestions, and give it back. He did what he wanted with what she gave him and then sent the chapter to his editor. She was halfway through the chapter when she heard him trip over her shoes in the doorway. A grin stretched across her face as she repositioned herself and started twirling the red pen in her hand. He knew she was there, and he would start looking for her.

The look on his face when he entered the room made her heart flutter. She felt the blush in her cheeks spread through her entire body as he took in the sight in front of him. His mouth had dropped, his eyes flickering from her hair, to her legs, to the manuscript pages, and back to her face. He closed his bedroom door hastily behind him, looking over his shoulder as he did. He swallowed a lump in his throat as he approached the bed. "Okay, so I'm going to start by saying that this is, by far, the sexiest thing I have ever come home to." He sank down next to her, his hand running up her leg, sending chills up her spine. "But Kate, is there a reason you are naked in my bed?"

"To thank you. For dinner." She leaned in to press a kiss to his lips, but as soon as their lips touched, he pulled away. Her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she pulled back, crossing her arms and raising one eyebrow in question.

"So you saw." He started, the question slow and deliberate.

"Yeah, dinner looked and smelled amazing."

He grinned, his chest puffing up with pride. "It is! But did you see the dining room table?"

She nodded, unsure of where he was going. "I mean, I saw the flowers. I didn't walk in and inspect it or anything."

"So you didn't see how many place settings there were."

As her brain caught up with what he was saying, her heart stopped. She looked at his bedroom door, and then back to him, throwing an arm across her exposed chest as if someone was going to burst in and find her there, naked in his bed. "Rick!" She hissed, her voice low. "You said you were picking something up, not someone!"

His eyes widened comically at her reaction. "I mean… I thought… I wanted to… I didn't want to ruin the surprise!" His voice was hushed as he stumbled over his words, and under different circumstances, she would find it adorable.

"Who is here then?" She asked, rolling her eyes.

His shoulders hunched up as he prepared for her reaction. This wouldn't be good. "My Mother."

Her mouth dropped as she jumped up, scrambling to find all of her clothing. She had only heard stories about the actress, who had been touring with one of her shows for the last few months. Rick had mentioned that she was coming back to town, but the discussion had stopped there. "Really Rick? This is the first impression I'm going to make?"

He chuckled as he found her pants, tossing them up on the bed. "It's really okay, it could be worse!"

"How could this be worse?" The look on his face would have made her laugh, like he was afraid to say the wrong thing and set her off. "You know what? No. Don't answer that one."

"Thank God." She heard him mumble, and despite her annoyance, she chuckled.

She managed to find all her clothing, throwing it on and smoothing out the wrinkles. "Do I look okay?" She asked him, casting a worried look in his direction.

He walked over and pressed a kiss into her hair. "Perfect, as always." He opened the door, letting her go out first. She felt her stomach leap up into her throat as she heard the jumpy show tune being sung in the kitchen. She wasn't expecting the bright red hair. That threw her off. That and the loud outfit that Kate never would have thrown together that somehow the older woman made look amazing. "Mother." When the woman turned to face them, Kate saw exactly where Rick got his blue eyes from. "This is Kate. Kate, this is my Mother, Martha."

Martha grinned as she walked over to embrace the younger woman. "Oh Katherine, it's wonderful to meet you. I've heard so much about you!" Even when she talked, the flair for the dramatic came through, causing Kate to smile and relaxing her nerves.

"It's great to meet you too." Kate pulled away from the redhead and walked toward the food, helping Martha put it all out on the table.

"I hope I wasn't interrupting anything?" Martha started, pulling out three wine glasses and a bottle of red wine.

Kate sat at the table, giving herself healthy portions of everything at the table. "Nope, just reading a chapter your son gave me to edit." Rick grinned at her as she said it and she shrugged. It was true enough. "He is a really talented author, you know."

Martha chuckled as she walked to the table, placing a glass of wine at each place setting. "I believe I still have a notebook filled with his short stories somewhere."

"Do you really? I'd love to read them again, see how I've improved." Rick sat across from Kate, leaving Martha the seat at the head of the table. Kate breathed a sigh of relief as the conversation relaxed. This was going great! So much better than she had originally feared.

"I'd be happy to give it back to you. Or maybe to Kate, I'm sure she'd like that."

Kate grinned, nodding her head as she took a bite of the squash. "I'd love that! I'm sure the stories are adorable."

"From what I remember they are, except for this one about finding a body in the woods. I don't know where you came up with that one, Richard." She glanced between the two of them again. "Are you sure I wasn't interrupting anything earlier?"

"No you didn't, Mom, it's okay." Rick assured her. Kate only nodded, trying to control the heat she could feel rising to her cheeks. She took a sip of wine. She could always blame her blush on that.

Martha sighed, turning to face Kate. "Well then, I'm sorry to tell you this dear, because I know it's awfully embarrassing, but your shirt has been inside out all day." Kate looked to her shoulder, panicked. Sure enough, she could see the seam. She couldn't blame her blush on the wine this time. "I'm sorry, I just thought it would be better to bring it up now than to have some stranger point it out later."

"Thank you." Kate responded. "I'm just going to go to the bathroom and fix this really quick. Be right back." She stood to leave, not making eye contact with either person at the table. Yep. This was going great.

prompt: Is there a reason you're naked in my bed?