A/N: Fought the writer's block and am gifting you with this little chapter.

Rick awakened to the smell of brewing coffee and fried bacon. It reminded him of the Sunday mornings when Alexis was little and he'd prepare a big breakfast in preparation for their day of adventures in the city and it happened to be a good hangover meal for his mother. Rubbing his hand over his face to try and wake himself up more, he searched Kate's childhood bedroom for the pants and shirt he wore the night before. While the new couple only snuggled in the small double bed, Rick didn't want his second encounter with Kate's father to be when he was clad only in boxers coming from his only daughter's bedroom.

Rick buttoned up his shirt and left the bedroom. He could hear Kate's voice in the kitchen and like a siren she lured him down the hall. Kate sat in a kitchen chair, one foot on the floor and the other resting on her seat, her leg pulled to her chest. She wore a bulky sweater he'd never seen before and cradled a cup of coffee between her hands as she spoke with her dad. The sight of Kate Beckett right out of bed, no makeup or shower made his heart stutter. She was beautiful and despite the heaviness of their visit, she had a lightness, a radiance, that sparked his heart back into rhythm. Rick's movement from the hallway caught Kate's attention and her smile radiated joy at the sight of him.

Jim Beckett was not visible from where Rick was standing, but he leaned away from the counter he was standing against into Rick's sightline and greeted him with a smile and a wave of the tongs in his hands. "I figured by the way my daughter lit up like a Christmas tree just now that you had woken up."

Kate blushed but still grinned. "Stop it, Dad."

"Is the Kate Beckett afraid to admit how smitten she is by me?" Rick teased.

"Oh, don't think she is the only lit tree in this apartment, son. People will think it's Christmas in July with you two staying here."

It was Rick's turn to blush.

"Don't stop the glowing on my account. I'm just happy to see my daughter so happy." Jim motioned his tongs between the two lovers and turned back to cooking the bacon.

Rick had made his way to the kitchen and pulled out a chair beside Kate. While Jim was turned around, Rick bent down and kissed Kate on the lips like it was something he had been doing for years. Kate smiled up at him as he pulled away, but she put a hand on the scruff of his neck and pulled him back for another quick peck.

"Did you want some coffee?" Kate asked, already reaching for the pot in the center of the kitchen table.

"Yes please."

Kate poured a cup and added cream and sugar for him. Rick took a sip and said, "how did you get it exactly how I like it?"

"I'm a librarian. I'm very observant." Kate bumped her shoulder against his then took a sip of her own coffee.

After breakfast Rick made a quick call to his mother to let her know he was in town and set up a tentative dinner with her if Kate was up for it. Once Rick and Kate had showered and gotten ready for the day, they took a cab to One Police Plaza.

Kate had her hand clenched around the tape when they arrived at their destination, she didn't dare even put it in her pocket. Rick paid the cab fare and took Kate's free hand before they entered the building.

The pair went straight to the front desk where Kate asked to speak with Lieutenant Gates regarding an open murder case. They were told to have a seat in the lobby until someone from Lieutenant Gates's office came for them.

To Kate it felt like time had stopped while she and Rick waited an hour to be acknowledged again, but after an officer finally escorted them to the fourth floor, time flew to catch up. Lieutenant Gates spoke with Kate and Rick in separate interrogation rooms then left them in the station break room in case she had more questions. Before Kate realized it, lunch had passed and they hadn't heard much more about the case.

Around one in the afternoon, Gates returned. "My team doesn't have any further questions for you two. We have a few leads, so we will let you know the progress as soon as there is some. We have your phone number on file, correct?"

Kate stood from the couch she and Rick were sitting on and approached the other woman. "Yes, you have both of our numbers. I really appreciate the work you are doing on my mother's case."

"It's been a pleasure meeting you Miss Beckett and my team and I will do our best to get justice for your mother."

"Thank you." Kate held out her hand for Gates to shake and smiled warmly at her.

The remainder of their day in the city was spent visiting places Rick and Kate frequented before they knew each other. One place they had in common was the little diner that Rick had arranged for them to meet his mother for dinner. Remy's was one of Kate's favorite places to grab a meal at any time of the day or night and it didn't surprise her that Rick was a fan too considering his penchant for middle of the night writing and large milkshakes.

Rick led Kate to a booth in the corner of the restaurant near the windows and took a seat beside her while they waited for his mother. It wasn't long before the flame haired actress waltzed through the doors and spotted her son.

"Richard, it is so wonderful to see you!" Martha Rodgers engulfed Rick in a hug when he stood to greet her.

"Mother, it's great to see you too." He smiled, then turned to Kate who had also exited the booth, "and Mother, this is Kate Beckett, my girlfriend."

Martha grabbed Kate in her arms and said, "Darling Katherine, it is great to finally meet the woman my son cannot stop talking about and you are even more beautiful than he described."

Martha's wide and warm smile was contagious and both Kate and Rick reciprocated the enthusiastic greeting.

The group placed their orders and held a lively conversation while they waited for their meals. When Rick noticed Kate suddenly turn silent, he followed her gaze to the TV across the restaurant where a picture of her mother took up half the screen while the other half showed a live feed of a man in handcuffs being escorted from a building. Below the split screen was the headline, "Senator charged with murder."

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