A/N1: Hello peoples and WELCOME to the 13th Chapter titled 'Viral. This chapter isn't the usual length and it's a bit of mindless fun. I hope you enjoy it! Thanks again to Bella my badass beta for her work!

"Are you and Alexis going up to the Hamptons this summer?" Kate asked one Sunday night two weeks later.

"Mmm hmm," Rick replied distractedly as he furiously typed away on his laptop. "We do every Summer for at least six weeks. Paige, Kelsey and their parents usually come with us, at least for part of it. My Hamptons house can hold a couple of dozen people. And finally this Summer the timing is right for you to come with us. You're going to love it. There's a little cove there I discovered while out walking with Alexis last Summer that I think would be perfect to go swimming in."

"What's wrong with the rest of the beach?" Kate asked in amusement, rubbing his shoulders and kissing the top of his tousled hair.

"You can't go skinny dipping," Rick replied, saving his work and turning his head to peck her on the lips. "I've owned this house on the beach for ten years and only discovered it last summer. That's another reason last summer sucked. I found an awesome private swimming area, like natures hot tub and had no one to share it with."

"I'm so sorry about that." Kate murmured, wrapping her slender arms around his neck.

"Don't be, last Summer is all in the past. A negative neither of us need to or should dwell on," Rick told her solemnly, swivelling around in his chair and pulling her down into his lap. "We're going to have more time together than we've ever had apart and I'm happy with that."

"That's very philosophical Mr Castle," Kate said with a giggle. "So when do you plan on going up there?"

"I was thinking all of July and half of August," The writer replied. "And I definitely want Jenny, Kevin, Lanie and Javier to come up for part of that. And if they want to your Dad and your Aunty and Uncle from Buffalo, the ones you took Alexis horse riding with."

"Shit, it's been three months and I still haven't taken you up there for your own horse riding experience!" Kate exclaimed, smacking herself on the forehead. "We're doing that before the summer."

"Good, I want to see you in those skinny fit jodhpurs again," Rick said with a grin. "They accentuated your butt rather nicely."

"Rick, I could wear a chaff bag and you'd say my butt was 'accentuated' nicely," Kate replied, rolling her eyes. "What is your obsession with my backside? I mean it's just a backside. Every person in the world has one, even the Queen of England."

Rick laughed heartily.

"I know but your butt is particularly attractive," he told her with a grin, threading his fingers through her brunette tresses and ghosting his lips across hers. "I like your whole body but if I were forced to pick a particular favourite part if would be your butt."

"And here I was thinking you were a pure tits man," Kate breathed as Rick lowered his lips to her clavicle and suckled on the little dip there. "Rick I-"

"Kate? Kate?" Alexis called from the lounge room. "Quick...you've got to see this! You're going to be on the news!"

Kate had just pressed her lips to Rick's and it was getting hot and heavy when the youngest Castle called her name.

"Next weekend is ours," she whispered with a groan. "Penthouse suite at the Waldorf. You...me, room service and bed."

Rick playfully pinched her left nipple. "Sounds good, Tulip," he murmured. "C'mon, let's go and see what my kid is so excited about."

Kate slid off Rick's lap and the pair made their way into the lounge room, hand in hand their fingers interlaced.

"What's gotten you so excited, kiddo?" the Writer enquired, dropping down beside his daughter.

"The video of the flash mob Kate and I took part in two weeks ago is going to be on at the end of the CBS news!" Alexis exclaimed. "And they know Kate was front and centre!"

"How?" the female detective exclaimed in surprise

"Kate, you're the girlfriend of one of the most high profile New York celebrities, everyone knows who you are." Alexis said dryly. "People are going to notice when you shake your butt Beyonce style in the middle of Grand Central Station."

Rick let out a great snort of laughter

"You certainly did that," he said with a hearty chuckle. "It was a very Beyonce like butt wiggle."

"Oh shut up," Kate retorted, elbowing the Writer in the side as an ad for Pepsi ran. "I told you I got lost in the music and choreography; must you always give me grief over it?"

"Sweetheart, I'm going to give you grief over it for the rest of my life," Rick replied with a snigger. "It was cute. I wish I had been there to witness it in person."

"Don't worry Dad. Kate, Jason and I are conspiring to get you in on the next one," Alexis informed her father, flashing him her trademark megawatt smile. "I wanted to get Detective Esposito and Detective Ryan in on one too but Lanie and Kate reckon that'll only happen if the world is on the eve of Armageddon."

"Or Javi and Kevin will agree to do it when you and I get them drunk at the Old Haunt one night." Kate said with a giggle.

"Might have to consider that," Rick answered with a grin. "The NYPD Spring Picnic is coming up, maybe you two girls can try and convince everyone else in the homicide department to form a troop and perform for the masses."

"I think we've got better chance of getting Kevin and Javi in on a flash mob than Gates," Kate countered.

"I'll give you that one."

The ads ended and the news bulletin came back form the break. Kate leaned forward in her seat and watched the TV closely as the anchor read out the weather for the following week.

"And that's the weather for the following week," the anchor said. "But before we go, at the end of the bulletin every night we like to bring to you a quirky bit of news from at home or abroad. This time the news comes from home right here in New York..."

And vision of Kate, leading the flash mob in Grand Central Station two weeks previously, flashed up on screen.

"Oh my god!" she yelped as the vision cut to her performing the spectacular back flip.

"Two weeks ago this flash mob took place in the centre of the Grand Central Station during the morning rush hour," the anchor continued. "It was uploaded to YouTube and in the time since has gone viral gathering four million views as of three PM today. Several people in our news room recognized the boot scootin' booty shakin' lead dancer, and after a little investigation we can tell you it is none other than high profile NYPD Homicide Detective Kate Beckett, who is based out of the twelfth precinct in midtown Manhattan and is currently heading up the investigation into the Knick Knack Killer Case. Detective Beckett is also the girlfriend of celebrity crime writer Richard Castle, whose next book Frozen Heat the last in the Nikki Heat series is released this fall. If investigating grisly homicides doesn't work out for this popular officer of the law, maybe a spot on Dancing with the Stars could be on the table...on tomorrow night's bulletin..."

As the telecast went to a video reel previewing the following evening's bulletin, Rick roared with laughter.

"Boot scootin' booty shakin?" he sniggered, tears of laughter forming in his ice blue eyes. "AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA! That is the national bulletin! Everyone in the country just saw that story!"

"Oh-My-God!" Kate moaned, covering her face with her hands. "Dancing With the Stars? That is the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard in my whole entire life! I'm gonna get hell the minute I walk into the precinct tomorrow morning."

Alexis giggled. "Your awesomeness made national news, Kate," she told the mortified detective as all three of their cell phones began ringing shrilly. "You're a star."

"I can't believe your badassery made a national bulletin!" Rick chuckled retrieving his iPhone from his pocket. "Ah, it's Mother..."

"Badassery is not a word!" Kate exclaimed, peering at her phone screen and seeing 'Lanie' flash up. "Oh, this is ridiculous...hello?"

"Did you just see the news?" the M.E asked without the usual perfunctory greeting. "That was Kate Beckett sex kitten big time."

"Oh Lanie, don't you start!" Kate yelped, watching the news bulletin end with more vision of her leading the flash mob. "My ass was just on national TV!"

"Yeah and now that Dancing with the Stars has been mentioned, the phones at the precinct are going to ring off the hook." Lanie teased.

"I don't care if they ring off the hook as long as it's related to an active case!" Kate yelped. "CBS edited that vision to make me look like a pole dancer!"

"Oh it did not," Lanie retorted. "They just showed you vamping it up. Your performance was not slutty at all. You're gorgeous girl, you ought to shake your groove thang more often."

"I heard that and I totally agree!" Rick piped up with a grin.

"Shush you," Kate muttered, her face turning a magnificent shade of scarlet. "God, I am going to catch so much hell at the precinct tomorrow. Tell Javier if he even thinks about giving me hell tomorrow morning, I'll leak those pictures of him wearing that neon pink taffeta and diamante tutu at Rick's birthday party."

"Oh come on honey, his teasing is only friendly," Lanie told her friend with a giggle. "I know you loved leading that flash mob. Look at the vision again. Your face was lit up the whole time. Like it is when you're giving Writer Boy goo goo eyes and think no one can see."

"I refuse to answer that question on the grounds I may incriminate myself," Kate grumbled but secretly agreeing with her friend. "You might catch hell at the morgue tomorrow too, Perlmutter is a news junkie. He would've seen that and recognized you as well. The only person shaking their butt more than me was you."

"Oh I got it when I turned up at the morgue that morning in the costume;" Lanie said dismissively. "Like you did at the precinct."

"That flash mob was two weeks ago and I still get wolf whistled at by the little boys in uniform on the ground floor," Kate muttered. "They're still in elementary school, everyone of them."

Lanie laughed. "I bet they don't do it when you walk in with Writer Boy," the M.E said in amusement.

"No, the death glare he gives them makes them shrivel up and disappear into the shadows," Kate replied, giggling as the writer slipped an arm around her waist and kissed her neck. "Hey I better go, said Writer Boy is getting too touchy feely for me to concentrate on this conversation. See you during the week alright?"

"You got it girl."

Kate hung up and leaned forward dropping her phone on the coffee table next to Rick's.

"Well that was an interesting conversation," she said as across the room Alexis chatted away at top speed. "Lanie called me a sex kitten."

Rick sniggered heartily as their iPhones lit up and beeped with dozens of incoming text messages.

"She's right you know," he said, flipping a bang of her hair. "I think you look sexy as hell, you ought to wear hot pants, porn heels, crop top and one of my shirts in public more often. Maybe for the precinct Casual for Charity Fridays."

Kate rolled her eyes and gave him a little shove. "Not funny Writer Monkey," she said dryly. "I wouldn't even wear that costume for you behind closed doors. I don't know what possessed me to wear it in the first place."

Rick clutched at his heart and fell back on the sofa with a theatrical groan.

"Nooooooo...you wound me!" he exclaimed, bringing a hand to his forehead. "My girl wounds me!"

"You definitely didn't inherit your mother's acting skills," Kate told the Writer dryly, rolling her eyes. "That performance was so bad it wouldn't even be considered for a Razzie."

"You seriously wouldn't wear that costume for me?" Rick asked cheekily, lacing his fingers through hers.

"I would, but you'd have to do an inordinate amount of grovelling and I'm not sure you'd want to go to that effort." The female detective informed him, resting her head in the crook of his shoulder and placing a hand on his chest right over his beating heart.

"I'd go to the ends of the earth for you, Tulip. You ought to know that by now," Rick murmured in her ear. "I'd go as far as I had to."

"Next weekend when we go to the Waldorf then," Kate relented.

"I can wait til then."

Kate was right, the moment she and Rick walked through the front doors of the precinct the following morning the cat calls, wolf whistles and whoops of admiration began.

"Good morning Detective Beyonce!" one of the staff sergeants called, a wide grin on his face. "Is Gates putting you on boot scootin' duty today?"

"Deep breaths," Kate told Rick, who shot the young man the filthiest of death glares as they made their way through the lobby toward the elevator. "Just ignore them."

"Assholes," Rick muttered as the sergeant and his team's howls of laughter filtered back to them. "They're treating you like a piece of meat. I should be the only one allowed to wolf whistle at you like that."

Kate dropped a lingering kiss on his cheek. "It doesn't worry me," she said softly. "Actually it's kinda flattering knowing all those guys want me but you're the only one that has me."

Rick gave a small smile. "R-really?" he asked uncertainly.

"Oh yeah, trust me Rick. All girls like to be admired but for the girl herself it's no bigger turn on to know that only one man has the permission to touch." Kate confessed as the elevator arrived with a ding. "And for me, it's nice to know I have someone willing to get so jealous over me. I'd feel the same if the shoe was on the other foot."

"Hmmph."

Kate playfully pinched his cheek. "Cheer up cupcake," she teased, walking into the elevator and pressing the '4' button for the homicide department. "It's not going to last. Give it a couple of hours and everyone will find something else to focus on."

Kate was wrong. From the minute the female detective arrived in the bullpen her desk phone and iPhone rang off the hook. Several were case related but most were from 'admirers' who just rang to congratulate on her on her performance or be overtly sexual in their admiration.

"Oh for fuc-that one just rang to say he wanted to re-enact every position in the Karma Sutra with me!" the female detective exclaimed incredulously after hanging up on the caller who had been very graphic in his admiration of her. "God, even you're not that obvious!"

"If I was, you'd arrest me," Rick replied with a grin looking up from the folder he was studying. "Would you like to try re-enacting the entire Karma Sutra with me?" he added in a barely discernable whisper.

"I'm not telling you that here!" Kate hissed, closing one file and dropping it in the 'done' pile. "It's lunchtime anyway. Want to head out for something to eat?"

"Sure, I'll just file these and we'll head out."

Kate collected her completed work and made her way over to Gate's office. The Captain's phone had been ringing as much as hers over the past four hours and the older woman looked mildly less annoyed than she did.

"Sir, Castle and I are just heading out for lunch," she said, placing the pile of folders on her superior's desk. "These are the files you asked me to go over."

"Alright detective, see you when you get back," Gates replied. "Take a little longer for your lunch alright? I can see all the phone calls you've been receiving here are getting on your nerves. Esposito, Ryan and I will filter them for you while you're out. I'll ring if you're required back here."

"Thanks Sir," Kate replied with a sigh. "I hope the NYPD actually get some recruits from all this fuss, not that taking part in that flash mob was to get more applicants to the academy. It was just a bit of fun."

"I'm gad you did it Detective," Gates informed her. "Mr Castle has told me abut these classes you take at the gym and I've noticed since you've taken them you put less unnecessary overtime in and are more efficient during the day. Keep doing them, they're good for you."

"Er thank you, Sir?" Kate replied, slightly surprised by her superior's response. Was Gates turning into a softie? "Back in a couple of hours."

Kate left Gates' office and made her way out into the bullpen where once again her and now Rick's desk phone were ringing off the hook.

"Let Gates, Javi and Kevin deal with it," she told the Writer as he reached for his phone. "She's given us an extended lunch. If it's dispatch, they can ring my cell."

"Are you alright?" Rick asked as he pulled on his jacket.

"Yeah I'll be fine, just a little pissed off that my usual work morning had been punctuated by people like that idiot who wanted to re-enact the Karma Sutra with me. I'd be pissed if you suggested that," Kate replied, pocketing her phone and checking her gun before pulling her own jacket on. "Of all the cheesy crude pickup lines I've been on the receiving end of in my life, that one was the grossest. If it wasn't a waste of police resources I'd have traced the line and gone to his house and given him a reason why he wouldn't want to re-enact the Karma Sutra with me."

"C'mon, let's head to Remy's," Rick said, holding out his hand and lacing his fingers through hers. "You need a burger and a shake to de-stress."

Within half an hour the pair had arrived at their favourite burger bar and were waiting for their order, thankfully having avoided the teasing of the officers on the ground floor of the precinct.

"Boy am I looking forward to this weekend," Kate said with a sigh. "I could really get into a couples massage, a foaming hot tub and two whole days of room service."

"Why don't you take a little leave and make it a week?" Rick suggested, circling the back of her hand with his index finger.

"I can't Rick, the Knick Knack case is still active," Kate replied, closing her eyes and concentrating on the pressure. "I can't in all good conscious take time off just to 'relax' when so many people are busting their ass trying to get that guy."

"I know, I didn't really expect you to agree to it," the Writer replied, pressing a kiss to the nape of her neck. "The two days ought to -"

The Writer was interrupted by his iPhone ringing shrilly.

He swore. "I better answer that," he said, retrieving the device from his jacket pocket. "That's Paula...hello?"

"Hello sweet cheeks, how's my favourite client?" the effervescent agent and publicist bubbled brightly.

"Yeah alright," Rick replied wearily. "The phone at the precinct has been running off the hook after that story about Kate in the flash mob made the CBS news last night and it's driven us both nuts. We're taking an extended lunch break to try and relax for a bit."

"Sounds similar to here," Paula informed him. "People out there know I'm your agent and publicist and have been ringing me all morning trying to get in touch with Kate, wanting her to do various media appearances and interviews."

"Really?" Rick exclaimed with a chuckle. "She'll love hearing that."

"D'you mind putting her on for a moment, honey? I only want to ask her if she might consider it," Paula went on. "I've had Ellen DeGeneres, Today and GMA pestering me all morning."

"Really?" Rick exclaimed again. "Seriously?"

"Oh yeah, The Ellen Show is quite keen to have her and the rest of that flash mob on the show."

"Alright, I'll put you on but don't be surprised if she says no," Rick relented.

"Thanks sweetness."

"Paula wants a word with you," Rick told Kate as he held out his phone. "Just hear her out, alright?"

The female detective gave the Writer a strange look but took the phone and lifted the device to her ear.

"Hello?" she said cautiously.

"Kate? Hi it's Paula, Rick's agent. How are you honey?" Paula asked.

"Alright, been hassled by an off the hook phone all morning," Kate replied. "Rick said you wanted to ask me something?

"I did hon, listen. Since that story of you leading the flash mob in Grand Central went to air last night, I've been peppered with media outlets wanting to hear from you," Paula began. "Three in particular are interested. The NBC Today Show, Good Morning America and the Ellen Show. Ellen DeGeneres herself rang me."

Kate's jaw fell open. "Are you serious?" she exclaimed. "Really?"

"Yeah, Ellen told me she's willing to pay for you and the rest of the flash mob to fly down to Los Angeles to perform on her show," Paula told the female detective. "Same with the Today show and GMA, they want you to perform outside in Times Square and in Rockefeller Plaza."

"Aw, I dunno Paula. Taking part in that flash mob was only supposed to be a bit of fun, something to do to keep fit." Kate told the agent with a sigh. "I didn't plan on going on breakfast and prime time television."

"I know that honey, but you were awesome, seriously. I went online after watching the news last night and was floored with how good you were," Paula went on. "This isn't a career change, it's just as you said 'a bit of fun'. And it's not going to be long term thing, like this aren't usually. The public like that a female cop heading up one of the toughest murder investigations in American history gets out and does something as light hearted and fluffy as leading a flash mob in a train station. You don't have to say yes but if you want a bit of fun, I'd go with it."

"Aw, I really don't know," Kate repeated. "It's not really me you have to ask. Jason Hetherington is the guy who leads the group who performed in Grand Central. He's a partner in SoHo fitness where the classes are held. I can give you his cell number if you like."

"Oh that'd be great doll, lemme grab a pen..."

Kate gave Paula Jason's cell number then hung up and gave the iPhone back to Rick.

"You didn't say yes?" the Writer asked in mild surprise.

"It's not really up to me to say yes or no," Kate informed him. "Jason is the founder and creator of the flash mob fitness program. I'm only the lead dancer of the group who performed at Grand Central. If GMA, the Today Show or Ellen wants a repeat performance they have to ask him not me."

"But those three shows are enthusiastic because you headed up the group," Rick countered as a food and beverage attendant arrived with their meals and drinks. "I reckon you ought to do it. I'm a little bit jealous, truth be told. I reckon being in a flash mob would be great fun."

Kate grinned. "Actually it was kinda," she admitted, biting into a heavily salted steak fry. "You should've seen Alexis, Paige, Kelsey and Lanie afterwards, they were buzzed up on god knows what. I've only ever seen Lanie that high after a night of clubbing and chugging down vodka and red bulls all night."

Rick let out a great snort of laughter.

"If Jason planned another flash mob, would you take part in it?" he asked curiously, picking up his burger and biting into it.

"Maybe, possibly. If I had the time," Kate replied. "I have to admit it was lots of fun and it gave me some bonding time with Alexis. It's always god to have a girl's night out with her."

Rick smiled. "I'm glad you two are so close,' he said softly. "None of the women I've been with after Meredith have made much of an effort to get to know her."

"I don't know why not, Alexis is good fun to be around." Kate told him. "She reminds me a little of myself when I was her age when life was good and before Mom died. I suspect a lot of the women you were with wanted the prestige of dating a celebrity and didn't want to parent someone else's kid."

"And you do?"

"Rick, I don't parent Alexis. I'm her friend, a female confidant," Kate explained. "You're her father, only you can parent her. I offer advice and support as a friend not a mother. It's not my place to be her replacement Mom. That would only change if she asked me to be a maternal role model and that's not likely, seeing as she is now an adult and is working at repairing the relationship she has with Meredith. I want to be a Mom one day but I want to give birth to my babies not inherit them-oh God that sounds so wrong! I didn't mean-oh, I mean just -"

Rick chuckled.

"I know what you mean," he said affectionately, cupping her face with a hand and brushing the pad of his thumb across her rouged cheek. "You do parent Alexis, whether you realise it or not. You always have. You've given me advice or told me stories about your childhood and growing up that I've applied in my role as her father. In my opinion, you've helped me be a better father."

Kate blushed a magnificent shade of scarlet. "Really?" she mumbled.

"Yeah really, that's why I think you're going to be an awesome Mom when you have babies of your own. You're kind, compassionate, sympathetic, patient and sufficiently hard ass to discipline our kids if they went feral."

Kate choked on her soda as she took in the Writer's words.

"S-sorry?" she choked, coughing hard her face going red from the lack of oxygen. "W-what was that?"

"I said 'you're kind, compassionate, sympathetic, patient and sufficiently hard ass to discipline our kids if they-ooohhhhhh um..." Rick repeated, going bright red. "I-erm well-ahhhhh....well this is not awkward at all."

But Kate didn't think the situation was awkward at all, he had imagined having kids with her! Her insides leapt with barely contained joy before she gave a little cough and grinned widely the smile lighting up her whole visage.

"W-what?" Rick asked, his handsome face still a respectable shade of rouge.

"You said our kids," Kate said softly. "You've imagined us having kids, haven't you?"

Rick rubbed his face with both hands hard, mussing up his fringe and causing it to stand up comically.

"I-I d-don't want to say anything that will scare you o-off," the Writer confessed hesitatingly.

"What makes you think I'd be scared Rick?" Kate asked, reaching across the table and grasping his hand.

"B-because you've only come around to us being in a serious relationship again Tulip and I don't what to scare you off with talk or even passing mention on us having kids together. We've only been together six months. I know that would scare off a lot of women."

"But I'm not a lot of 'women,' Rick," Kate said, running her fingers up and down the length of his hand in a rhythmic soothing motion. "I would've thought you've realised that by now."

The Writer gave a wry smile. "I do and I'm being stupid," he said, turning his hand and lacing his fingers through hers. "I'm letting my past experiences cloud my future ones. Meredith hadn't planned for children, though she doesn't regret having Lex and Gina refused flat out to have any period. Even the girlfriends I've had before and after didn't want any. You're the first woman I've ever been with that's clearly expressed a desire to have kids and lots of them. Once you said that to me a few weeks ago, I haven't been able to stop imagining you...well..."

"Imagining me what?" Kate pressed biting into a steak fry.

The colour of Rick's face deepened.

"Oh god, I never imagined actually telling you this," he mumbled, rubbing his face with his free hand. "I-I -"

"Rick, you should also know by now I'm not going to bite you," Kate answered, fingering the hematite dress ring she had given him for his birthday a month previously. "Well not unless you ask."

"Hey, that I'll be happy to debate," Rick replied with a chuckle. "Two nights ago you bit me on the shoulder."

"Yeah well that was in the throes of passion, that's allowed." The female detective said dismissively, keen to bypass discussion of her sexual habits in public. "Now what were you imagining me as?"

Rick tore his eyes away from her fingers, currently twisting his ring around his right ring finger and forced himself to look into her bright green eyes.

"I've-I've imaginedyoupregnant." he rushed.

"Pardon?"

"I-I've-I've imagined you pregnant, alright?" Rick confessed, leaning forward and speaking quietly so only she could hear. "I've imagined you pregnant with my baby with swollen ankles, sore boobs, unable to sleep, having weird cravings and bitching at me for making you 'fat and ugly with an ass the size of a house'. I imagine this every time you fall asleep before me. I just lie next to you and stroke your hair and fantasize about building a proper family with you. A big house in the suburbs, bordered by a picket fence a dog called Rover and a Parakeet called Birdy."

Kate let out an amused snort of laughter

"A dog called Rover and a parakeet called Birdy?" she giggled. "That's funny."

"Anyway the point is since kids came up in conversation a few weeks ago, I've imagined us making a family together." Rick finished.

Kate got up and slid in next to Rick. "Thank you for telling me that," she said softly stroking his face. "It was nice hearing it."

"It was? You're not scared off?"

"No, not one bit," Kate revealed. "It's a beautiful thing to hear. Rick, you're my one and done. And yeah I want to go all the way with you. I may not be ready for the picket fence in the suburbs and kids yet but I will be one day and I want to do it all with you, alright? I don't think either of us is ready to go that far yet but someday in the future we will be."

Rick lit up like the Vegas strip and enthusiastically returned her kiss.

"Forgive me for murdering the English language-you make me do that quite often. But you, my beautiful woman are the awesomest of awesomesauce women," he said happily. "Yeah, I know awesomest is not a word."

Kate laughed the bridge of her freckled nose crinkling up delightfully.

"That could be the name of a racehorse," she said in amusement. "Imagine 'Awesomest is Not a Word' winning the Kentucky Derby one day."

"I might have to buy a racehorse and name it just that," Rick countered. "Reckon Gates, Lanie, Kevin and Javier would buy into it? The silks could have the precinct coat of arms on it and -"

Kate rolled her eyes as the Writer steamrollered on. "The NYPD wouldn't allow that," she informed him. "Gates, Lanie, Kevin and Javier might buy into a racehorse but you couldn't have a set of silks with any NYPD insignia on it."

"Eh, that for contemplation over a poker game," Rick said with a sigh. "We'll have to organise another one soon. It's been too long since the last one."

"Name the time and place and everyone will be there" Kate said. "Come on, let's get the rest of our lunch take away. I want to take you to the Central Park Zoo."

"Now?" Rick exclaimed as Kate waved to catch the attention of a waiter. "We've only got an hour and a half left for lunch."

"Gates didn't actually give us a time frame in which we had to be back by," Kate said as a young man dressed in the Remy's uniform arrived at their table. "Can we get the rest of our lunch take away, please?"

"Yes ma'am."

"She'll ring us if we get too tardy," Kate continued. "C'mon Rick, I haven't been to the zoo in ages-"

"Neither have I, being snapped at by a hungry tiger sort of put a dampener on wanting to see any sort of wild animal." Rick confessed.

"Oh come on, that was months ago," Kate said, her green eyes alive with excitement. "Besides they don't have tigers at the Central Park zoo at the moment. I want to go and see the new aviary. Apparently they have a pair of Blue and Gold Macaws that fly around loose and you can feed peanuts to."

Rick smiled at her enthusiasm. "You sound like I did when the guest line up for last year's ComiCon was announced," he said with a chuckle.

"Aw, come on Writer Monkey, what other time are we going to have the time to go to the zoo?" Kate pleaded, squeezing his hands. "I'm too busy heading up this investigation and you're too busy with all the stuff leading up to Frozen Heat's production and release, plus helping me at the precinct. Let's go til a body drops or Gates rings us and gets crabby."

"Alright, let's go," Rick replied, dropping a kiss on her forehead. "But we are getting a stick of cotton candy while we're there."

"That's a deal!"

A/1: Reviews are my fuel people!