A/N: I still do not own these characters. They are the property of ABC and all others responsible for the lovely Body of Proof.
"I brought a blanket" Kate blurted out, her nerves getting the better of her. Megan replied with a plain "good girl", her eyes focused on the road ahead of her. "You do realize we're going to the park, don't you?" Megan kept staring ahead when she asked this, not noticing the frown that appeared on her passenger's face.
"Sure, why?" Kate looked at Megan in expectation. "Your shoes!" Megan released one hand from the steering wheel to point at Kate's black high heel sandals, "And maybe such a light colour of pants wasn't a wise decision either?" Megan now looked directly at Kate, so that the blonde could see her forthcoming expression, hoping that she would not be too offended by her remark. "I've had my share of picnics, I'm sure I can handle one more, Megan" Kate replied while staring at the houses they were passing, careful not to show Megan that she had actually put her off balance with her remarks. "Very well" followed Megan's soft response.
At work Kate had realized quite quickly that she liked the feeling of being in charge. She excelled at giving orders and ever since she held the position of the chief medical examiner, no one had really tried to compromise her superior position. Until Megan. Of course. Kate hated to have to admit it but with just one glance Megan could make her feel so small, even in her own office. From the beginning it had been perceptible to Kate that the former neurosurgeon liked a challenge and it seemed as if with her, Megan had finally found a suitable competitor.
Now that they were outside their work environment, Kate felt her confidence border on the edge of vulnerability and panic started to take hold of her. And even though minutes ago she had felt on top of the world, she now began wondering whether it had really been a good idea to agree to this trip. What are you doing to me, Megan?
"Oh I love this song!" Before she realized what was happening, Kate was being softly bumped to the side by an overly enthusiastic Lacey, reaching for the radio, trying to turn up the volume. Megan looked at her daughter from above her sunglasses, all set to initiate a lecture on hearing damage when she was interrupted by her blonde companion singing along to Madonna's Open Your Heart.
"I see you on the street and you walk on by, you make me wanna hang my head down and cry" It didn't take long for Lacey to join Kate, expressing the words in an exaggeratedly dramatic voice "If you gave me half a chance you'd see my desire burning inside of me" Megan shook her head at first, but by the time Madonna hit the chorus, the car was nearly quaking with the sound of three women warbling "Open your heart to me, baby, I hold the lock and you hold the key! Open your heart to me, darling, I'll give you love if you, you turn the key!"
During their little singing moment, Kate directed subtle glances towards Megan, finding an actual truth in the lyrics of the silly pop smash. One is such a lonely number. However, the sight of Megan letting go was so adorable that Kate could not help but smile, bit by bit regaining her confidence.
In the car mirror Megan could see that her daughter was beaming with happiness and she quietly congratulated herself for inviting Kate to their trip. She also thoroughly enjoyed seeing a smile on her boss' face, the image of a shattered Kate still fresh in her memory. When she felt her phone softly ringing in her lap, out of the corner of her eye noting that it was Aiden, she did not pick it up.
When they reached the park Lacey frantically jumped out of the car, looking out for the perfect spot to lay down their blanket. She grabbed their stuff from the car and ran towards a bright piece of grass close to the water, surrounded by cherry blossom trees. "She surely knows what she wants" Kate said in an amused tone to Megan, who responded with a wink "Well, she's her mother's daughter!"
The two women were slowly walking towards Lacey who was already taking off her sweater as the sun shone on her quite brightly. "Hey! Don't forget your sunscreen!" Megan called to her daughter, looking for a little flask inside her handbag. "It's okay mom, I don't burn that easily. I got that from dad, don't worry!" Lacey looked at her mother with her brown doe eyes, hoping she would let it go for she had wanted to leave the day looking a bit more tanned than when she had arrived here. "The sunscreen won't be blocking your ability to tan, Lacey, it will simply protect you from the sun" Kate jumped in to help Megan. "I'll put it on if you'll put it on" Lacey stared at Kate in triumph, for the blonde made no effort accepting the flask of sunscreen Megan was offering her. Megan was already rubbing the sunscreen on her own arms, looking expectantly at Kate and Lacey. "Come on, I went first, now you two!" Megan once again lowered her sunglasses to study their faces. "But mom! You're as white as snow! We don't need this as much as you do!" Lacey exclaimed, putting her arm around Kate's waist, trying to team up with Kate against her mother. For a second Kate was torn between the doe eyes of the young girl and the death glare of her mother, hurriedly giving in to the latter, taking the flask from Megan whose eyes softened at the gesture.
"Here, let me help you" Megan caught Kate by surprise as she ran her fingers up and down Kate's arms, making sure her skin absorbed the cold fluid. "Hey! I'm a big girl" Kate pouted at Megan, but she did not make any attempt to push the redhead away from her. She allowed her eyes to close for the briefest of a second, concentrating on the feeling of Megan's fingers roaming over arms, rubbing a bit harder than necessary. Kate could feel Megan's nails digging into her skin just a little, causing goosebumps to flutter all over. She quickly opened her eyes, hoping Megan had not noticed her reaction to her touch. She feels so good.
After Megan had made sure that Lacey was protected from the sun as well, the three of them sat down on Kate's checkered blanket. "Can we eat now?" Lacey asked, drawing her basket full of food closer. She carefully unpacked three bowls of cold potatoes spiced with a bit of onion and basil and three glasses that she filled with fresh mint flavoured ice tea.
Kate reached for her salad, which was soon covering Lacey's potatoes with green vegetables, apple and bacon. "That looks yummie!" Lacey looked at her mother and Kate, waiting for a sign to start eating. As Megan reached inside the basket to hand over the cutlery, Kate teasingly leaned over her shoulder "I thought you didn't use those?" Megan playfully pushed Kate away, using a white plastic fork anyway to dive into her salad.
While they were eating, Kate was listening attentively to Lacey recalling stories from school and riding school, every once and a while interjecting an anecdote of her own. Megan on the other hand chose to remain quiet and simply enjoy the two women in front of her having a lovely time. When Kate would talk, Megan would find herself drawn to her lips, barely hearing the words that came out of them as she was distracted by the pleasure she got from observing Kate's beauty.
As Lacey was working her way through the ice tea, Megan decided it was time for her and Kate to open a bottle of wine. Kate held a firm grip on her glass while Megan was providing her with a drink, softly brushing her hand against Kate's fingers, causing the goosebumps to make a steady return.
Kate reached over to put their things back into the basket so they would have enough room to lie down on the blanket, letting the sun project its warmth upon them. Somehow she had assumed that Lacey would put herself in between her and Megan, but she chose Megan's left side, leaving Kate no choice but to settle for Megan's right.
Although the blanket was spacious, it surely did not leave them much room to move and while trying to find a comfortable position, Kate felt her arm brushing against Megan's. Her body released a great dozen of butterflies, making her feel slightly dizzy. Kate's initial reaction was to shift her arm to her stomach, but whilst doing so she felt Megan's hand gently putting her arm back against hers. Dearie me.
The three of them continued their chatter for a while until a change appeared in Megan's breathing pattern, signaling Kate that she had fallen asleep. She turned over to grab a book from her bag and saw Lacey imitate her action. With every page she turned, Kate rewarded herself with a subtle glance at Megan, who had the most serene expression on her face. She's divine.
"Kate!" Lacey was whispering her name, smoothly leaning over Megan's sleeping figure, "I can see some of my friends over there" the teenager pointed towards a group of girls sunbathing on her right side, "Would you mind terribly if I joined them for a while? I would ask mom but I don't really dare to stir her when she's sleeping" Lacey looked sheepishly at Kate. She smiled at the petite brunette "Go ahead, but don't leave with them without telling us first, okay?" "Sure thing!" Lacey jumped up and ran towards her friends, leaving Kate alone with Megan.
With Lacey gone, Kate felt her inhibitions disappear to stare at the beautiful redhead who was lying right beside her. She even got the courage to let her left hand rest on Megan's arm, softly caressing the M.E.'s right hand.
When Kate felt Megan closing her hand around hers as her breathing became more regular, Kate hastily closed her eyes pretending to be asleep. She could sense Megan looking at her, their hands still locked together. Next thing she knew, she felt Megan lower her head onto her chest, cautiously not trying to stir her, nuzzling her head in Kate's blonde locks. Within minutes, they were both sound asleep.
[R&R!] - the picnic does not end here of course, there is more to come!