It's been a day. A full 24 hours since she landed in Florida and found the house. The house was... amazing, beautiful and so big! She fell in love immediatly: the hardwood floors, the open space, the bedroom, the bathroom with that giant tub,.. And the view. Oh my, that view. Amazing didn't even begin to describe it. The – very private – beach, and ocean as far as the eye could see. She fell in love, deep, hard and fast.

So the first day, she lounged around a bit, and explored around the house and the beach. She walked miles on end, barefoot, and felt incredibly happy. All the worries of the passed few weeks just melted away. When it was time to go back home – amazing how soon you could call a place home if you loved it as much as she did – she took a nice, long bath. Lanie was a god send, a miracle. Without her, Kate wouldn't have done any of this. So that's why she decided her best friend deserved a very happy phone call from a certain detective.

"Girlfriend, everything allright?"

'Huh', Kate thought, 'not even a greeting.' She cringed and felt so incredibly guilty. Lanie was so worried about her, at a time when Kate didn't even care about herself. She must've looked terrible, and she didn't even realise it. She's so glad she had Lanie as a best friend, God knows what would have happened if she didn't. And it was time to let Lanie know just how much she loved being her friend.

"Kate?! Is there something wrong?"

"No, no! Everything is just fine Lanie, I swear!" Kate had to respond quicker, 'cause Lanie was getting anxious.

"Oh.. allright! You kind of left me hanging there. So, how do you like the house?"

"Oh my god, Lanie, I swear it's the most beautiful house I have ever seen! And so big! And the view, Lanie, have you seen the view? It's to die for! I mean come –"

"Wow, girl, you really like that place, don't you?" Kate could hear the smile in Lanie's voice. Good, that meant she was finally relaxing a little bit.

"Yes, Lanie! Really! I can't thank you enough, it's just wonderfull! Lanie, I really have to tell you something –"

"Kate, you know you can't come back right now, right? You have to take at least three weeks, so just spend them there! I think it would really be good for you, and I can even come up on the weekends if you'd like, but please, just stay there and –"

"Lanie! Relax! I'm staying, don't worry. Haven't I just told you how I much I love the place? I wanted to say thanks. You've been such an amazing friend to me, and I just didn't see how deep I had fallen. While I was walking earlier, I realised what could have happened if I didn't have friends like you and the guys. I'm really so incredibly sorry, and I'll try my hardest to get better, and to relax..."

"Sweetie, the fact that you actually see this now, makes me so happy! You can start the relaxing right now! Have you seen that tub? You could swim a few laps in it, if you'd like."

"It was the first thing I saw when I entered the bathroom, don't worry. It's heaven on earth, that tub! Now, I wanted to ask: are there some things to do, or places to see that you recommend? 'Cause I didn't go any further than te beach, which is amazing by the way!"

"Well, you should definetly go to St. Petersburg, the city near you. It's a bit touristy, but there are many things to see and to do! I also strongly recommend that you go scuba diving, or rent a boat to sail a bit. You could always do both off course!"

"Yes, that would be amazing! I will defintely do that! Now, when are you coming around?"

"Sweetie, this is your holiday! You decide. I don't have to come, you know. I mean, I would love to, off course, but if you don't want me to –"

"Just hold it right there Lanie, off course I want you to come! Now, when can I expect your lovely companionship?" Lanie coud hear the smirk in Kate's tone, and she couldn't be happier about it.

"Wel, today is Tuesday, so how about I try to catch a flight on Friday? I would be arriving very late, but I have a key, so I can let myself in.."

"Nonsense, I will see you on Friday then! But, we'll probably again before that, so we can arrange the rest over the phone. I'm kind of hungry, so if you don't mind, I'm going to grab a bite to eat."

"Girl, off course you have to eat. If you're in the mood for Italian, there is an amazing place about ten minutes walking distance from the house."

Lanie described the route to the restaurant, and they said goodbye. Kate never felt better: the whole place was amazing, and Kate absolutely loved the beach. This holiday would be the best she had in years. Come to think of it, she didn't take a holiday in years. Her stomach protested very loudly against the lack of food, so Kate decided to get ready. She always had been a proud woman, and although she would be dining alone, she still wanted to look good. So Kate walked up the stairs, and found herself a nice outfit.

An hour later, Kate was nearing the restaurant. She took quite some time to make sure she looked good. Not to lure some men for a one night stand, but for herself. It's been too long since she actually felt good – and sexy. She wore a dark green dress. It was short, but not too short. She finished her outfit with earrings and black heels. They were sexy, but not overly so. Her necklace with her mom's rings was tucked in between her breasts. She liked having it there, it made her feel strong, like she could rule the world. If only her dad would - ...

'No Kate' she tought to herself. 'Don't get lost in this again.' By now she could see the restaurant. It was a nice, small place. From what she could see, there were a few people inside, but not too many. That would be just fine, she wouldn't feel lonely that way. She was really hungry by now, and she almost missed the little girl standing alone outside. However, when she went to open the door, she heard a little sob to her right. She turned immediatly.

"Hello? What are you doing here by yourself, sweetie?" The endearment just slipped out, without her permission. She didn't even think twice about it. That was kind of strange, considering the fact that the last time she babysat must've been 10 years ago.

"I...I..." the girl was sobbing badly by now, and she was starting to hyperventilate. As a cop, Kate knew the basics of first aid, and at this moment, training kicked in.

"Relax, sweetie. Breathe, nice and steady. Here, blow in the bag, it will calm you down". Kate fished a plastic bag out of her purse, she had absolutly no idea how it got there. Damn. Focus, Kate! She rubbed relaxing circles on the girl's back, and she felt the tension slip away from her body. After she calmed down, Kate took her hand and let her to the side a bit.

"Now, sweetie, what's your name?"

The girl looked quite confused, like she had no idea how she got here. She looked Kate in the eyes.

"My.. My dad said I'm not a- allowed to talk to strangers. He says there could be bad people around."

Well, at least however lost this little girl was smart enough to warn the kid. She would think better of him if he didn't loose her, though. The girl couldn't have been older than six, seven tops.

"That's really smart of you, sweetie, but I'm a police officer. Wanna see my badge?"

The girl nodded and Kate opened her purse. She was glad she decided to take her badge with her on holiday, you never know when it would come in handy. Rather soon apparently.

"So, my name is Kate Beckett, and as you can see, I am a police officer. So would you like to tell your name?"

After seeing the badge, the girl seemed to trust her. Kate was relieved by this: God knows what could have happened to her if somebody else found her first!

"My name is Alexis, I'm six. I live in New York, but we are on a holiday. My dad and I went to see the animals at the zoo, but we got hungry. So daddy said we could have dinner at a restaurant, but when we were walking I was a dog. So I chased it, but when I looked behind me, my daddy wasn't there anymore and now I don't know where he is and I –"

The girl started sobbing again. Some kind of maternal instinct took over (she had no idea were it came from) and Kate hugged the little girl.

"Don't worry sweetie, we will find him! So, what is your dad's name?"

"Rick"

"Do you know how long you have been sitting here?"

"A couple of minutes?"

"Okay, sweetie, now show me where you were walking. If we don't find your dad on the way, we'll go to your house to find him. But don't worry, we will find him sweetie!"

"Okay" The little girl started walking, but when Kate started walking beside her, Alexis grabbed Kate's hand. Somehow, Kate really liked this feeling: the little girl was adorable and she seemed to trust Kate. A few minutes later, she heared somebody yell "Alexis!"

A man was approaching, and mighty fast for that mather. Kate looked at Alexis. From the smile on her face, Kate was quite sure that this man was her dad. However, her cop instincts told her to be 100% sure.

"Alexis, is that your dad?" The man was now within hearing distance, and Alexis nodded. She let go of Kate's hand and ran in her dad's open arms. She started sobbing again.

"S-so-sorry, daddy! I just really liked that dog and I wasn't looking and then you weren't there and I was so scared and –"

"Pumpkin, don't ever do that to me again! I was so scared! I'm so glad you're back!"

Kate couldn't hear what they were saying anymore. Rick was whispering to Alexis, while cuddling her really close. Those two loved each other, that's for sure. Kate's heart melted. The guy seemed incredibly relieved to have found his daughter. While the two of them were hugging (it's been a few minutes already), Kate took the chance to check out the father.

Oh dear, he is so handome! He was tall and strong, but very warm at the same time. He had the most beautiful eyes she had ever seen. Kate couldn't take her eyes of him, he was really hot! But she kind of recognised him, she wasn't sure where she'd seen him before. She liked the relationship with his daughter: they clung together and he kept whispering in her ears. After a few minutes, Alexis seemed to remember Kate. She stepped out of the hug and looked at her father. Only then, Rick really looked at Kate.

"Hello! Are you the one who brought my daughter back? You're a godsend really! I owe you so, so much!"

Instead of reaching out a hand, he just hugged Kate. It happened so fast that Kate didn't even have the time to react.

"I'm Kate" she mumbled, a little taken aback that he would just hug her like that.

"She saw this dog, and she just ran after it. I called her name and ran fater her, but she was so fast! She was only missing for five minutes, but it felt like a lifetime and... His voice trailed of. Rick actually looked at her for the very first time. This woman was really hot! She looked nice, and friendly, but she had this hurt in her eyes. And although he probably couldn't ease her hurt, he really should thank her for finding Alexis. He really didn't want to think what could have happened if she hadn't found her. He released her and looked her in the eye.

"Kate? Do you have any plans tonight?"

"Um, I.. I was abbout to eat dinner in this restaurant around the corner."

"Oh, you mean the little Italian place? That's where I was gonna take Alexis. If you want, I would really like you to join us, as a thank you for finding Alexis." He looked at her, and saw the confusion on her face. And that's when it him: she wouldn't be alone, would she? A beautiful woman like her, she would definetly have a date.

"Ow sorry, Kate, I didn't think about it. You have a date, right? Or your boyfriend of husband is waiting for you, I presume? I'm sorry, I didn't think about, I just wanted to thank you and..."

He was so cute! He was rushing the words out, afraid he offended her or something. But now Kate had quite the dilemma: would she take his invitation? Or would she just go back home and order some take-out? She decided to swallow her pride: it wasn't a big deal to eat alone, and now she had company. This could be really fun, and Alexis seemed to be a nice girl.

"Please, Kate? If you want to?" The little gril spoke at that moment. Kate's heart melted all over again.

"Pumpkin, she probably has somewhere to go and –"

"No, Rick, If you wouldn't mind, I would love to join you guys."

Alexis beamed up at her, and Rick's eyes started sparkling.

"Seriously? O, this is gonna be so much fun!" Without thinking about it, Rick took Kate's hand in his and let her to the restaurant. Alexis was holding on to his other hand.

When Rick took her hand, Kate was startled. But then, she found that she didn't really care. She actually liked the feeling of his warm hand around hers. Oh boy, this was gonna be a long, fun night!

I'm so, so sorry that it took me so long to update. It's a shame, really. I started working in September, it has been crazy busy! But I'll really try to update more regularly! In this story, Alexis is six, Kate is 22 and Rick is 28. I hope you liked it, and reviews are always welcome! Have a lovely week!