Ok so I feel absolutely horrible. I did not mean to be away from this story for so long! I went to clear my head a bit, get out my writer's block, and I ended cpmpletely neglecting this story.

Quintuple apologies to all of you.

Expect this story to wrap up in about two more chapters.

Enjoy.

Kate's eyes stuck to the road as she drove the path back to New York, to home.

Yet honestly, she couldn't say she missed it too much. This weekend, her & Rick, had been magical. It was physically and emotionally taxing, but it was worth it. She had somehow managed to win him back. He was hers and she would never let him go again, not if ahe could help it. She looked over at his sleeping face and smiled, all the weekend's events running through her mind. A faint blush colored her cheeks.

"Thinking about me?" Rick's voice startled her as she turned to find him awake & alert.

"I hope you enjoyed your nap because you'll be staying up with me the rest of the way home." She pokes his chest and he snags her hand.

"Not my fault my delicious girlfriend wore me out." He punctuates the sentence with a lick to her pulse point that has heat pooling in her belly immediately.

God dammit, what has he done to her?

"On second thought, go back to sleep." She snatches her hand away and laughs at his pout.

They reach city limits and sit in a comfortable silence as they navigate their way through the familiar concrete jungle. Kate finds herself wapped up in the city. The familiar smell of gas fumes and honey roasted peanuts fill the air. The vibrant colors of traffic lights and wall art catch her eye. God, their city is gorgeous. Once she reaches the outer limits of Time Square, it suddenly dawns on her that she has yet to inform her parents about she & Rick.

"Hey."

"Mmm?" He hums distractedly.

"I was thinking... maybe when you drop me home you could come up and... meet my parents." She kept her eyes firmly on the road as she muttered throught the sentence.

"Your parents already know me." His look of confusion would be adorable if her heart wasn't pounding in her ears.

"Well... they know of you. The never met you as... ya kno... my boyfriend. And now would be the perfect oppurtunity." He says nothing and they sit in silence until they arrive at her house. She sits thinking of something to say, then decides against it and hops out of the car, retrieving her bags.

Her body jolts when she feels a warm hand encompass hers. She looks up and finds the beautiful blue of his eyes on her. He says nothing, convays everything he can through his stare, and follows her into the house.

They sit around her family dinner table, two hours later.

After properly introducing everyone to everyone and unpacking, Rick had been asked to stay for dinner. He helped out in the kitchen and even earned some brownie points from Johanna by offering a special technique to make any cake more soft & rich.

Jim Beckett, however, was much harder to please. Rick had often looked up or over his shoulder and found Kate's father staring at him blankly. It shook him everytime and everytime his hands would tremble for ten minutes straight. Kate giggled everytime it happened and Johanna threw reprimanding glances to her husband.

Now, they sat in a semi-comfortable silence as they ate Johanna's homemade lasagna.

"So Rick," Jim said, breaking the silence "what do you plan on doing once you graduate high school?" He knew it was coming.

"Well, I actually want to be a writer, sir. It's always been a passion of mine and I believe it's something that I can turn into a career." He answered as honestly and honarably as he could.

"What kind of stuff do you write?"

"Murder mystery. I like mysteries, especially weird ones. I'll sometimes read the newspaper and look at cases then put a twist on them and try to figure how to solve them. It's great practice."

"Yeah well, of course, not everyone can be bestselling authors. What's your back up plan?"

"English/language teacher, sir. Even if my dream doesn't get realised, I'd love to mentor some up and comings. Teach them the ins and outs so maybe they can have their dreams realized."

Both Johanna and Jim looked equal parts surprised and impressed. Never before had they heard someone so young sounds so planned, organized, and dedicated for the the future. Well, no one except their Katie. She had planned out the first 5 years of her college education by the time she was twelve.

Jim opened his mouth to speak, but Johanna cut him off promptly. "Good lord Jim, this isn't a court room, and he isn't on trial." Jim looked down shyly and Rick threw a greatful look to Kate's mother. She winked at him and he smiled.

"Well now that questioning is over," she threw a teasing look at her Dad "Rick, why don't you use your wonderful knack for storytelling and inform my parent's about are time in the Hamptons?" After that Kate collected everyone's plates and put them in the dishwasher, before getting out bowls for cake & ice cream.

While she was in the kitchen, she listened to her family & boyfriend laugh at all his funny stories and she reveled in the sound. She could truly get used to this. After all bowls were prepared, she set them on the tray and brought them into the dining room. Rick, who was in the middle of telling about his unfortunate run in with a jellyfish, hopped up and helped Kate carry in and set down the bowls.

Rick told more stories, along with Kate, and they often bickered over who's version of whatever story was actually true. This, of course, made everyone laugh harder. Johanna absolutely raved about the richness her cake had never had and made Rick wrote down the recipe for it. Overall, it was a successful night and Rick found himself wishing he had done this before. Johanna and Jim said their goodbyes and Kate walked him to the door.

"Well that went quite well." She smiled and nodded.

"Yeah definitely. My parents seem as in love with you as I am, if not more!" He smiles. His heart stutters at her words. Love. He just wants her to say that all the time, forever.

He leans toward her and she wraps her arms around his neck. Their lips meet and electricity flows throughout their bodies. "Haha, you'd think we'd had enough." He jokes and she smiles

"It'll never be enough with you.

Really hope you enjoy!

Love Always, XOXOX