Sorry for the delay. But here you go.
Chapter 12
The next two weeks passed too quickly for Kate and Rick's liking. Her departure to California growing steadily nearer; neither had brought up the subject of what they would do when it came time for her to leave, they didn't want to think about that in the happy bubble they created around themselves for the time being. The dates they shared became more and more them as time passed. Kate learned that Rick knew more about famous art than he let on. Rick on the other hand learned that Kate wasn't all the sweet girl he knew, and that she was strangely good at paintball and laser tag.
They didn't spend every minute of everyday together, but they saw each other enough for Jim to ask Kate when they got to meet Rick's mother, hearing so much about the Broadway actress. Kate had shrugged off the question and asked Rick the next day while they strolled aimlessly down New York's streets.
"Well... has your mother asked when she gets to meet my parents?" Kate asked when Rick didn't answer her question about what they should do.
"Sure. She would love to meet your parents, but I didn't want to push you into anything." He continued when she looked up at him, then back down at her feet.
"I mean when you meet her and Alexis they could barely leave you alone. They adore you..." Rick nudged her gently, pulling her gaze back up to him. "Kate, do want our parents to meet?"
She stared into his ocean blue eyes, wishing she could find the answer there. "I don't know. I mean..."
She hesitated, not wanting to bring up the subject that they had avoided for as long as possible. "Rick what I'm trying to say is that we haven't even discussed what we are going to do when I leave New York to go to Stanford."
Rick looked down at her and veered her to the right, pushing her gently toward a park bench.
"Well then let's discuss what we're going to do." Rick suggested pulling Kate down next to him.
"Rick..."
He interrupted her. "Kate, we've got nowhere to be, nothing to do. We've been putting this off for weeks."
"What does this have anything to do with our parents meeting?"
"Dunno, but if we don't talk about this now we won't..." He looked at Kate. She wasn't looking at him, but watching the people pass by slowly. Rick slid off the bench and knelt in front of her.
"Kate..." He grasped her hands in his. "Do you want to try a long distance relationship?"
Kate finally looked down at him. "Do you?"
"I'm not saying that I won't try, but that I don't want either of us to get hurt, if things don't work out." He looked at her, carefully choosing his words.
"So... is that a yes or no?"
Rick dropped her gaze, thinking over his next words. "It's an 'I don't know'." When he didn't pull his eyes back to hers she ran her fingers gently through his hair, he looked up at her with sad eyes.
"I care about you Rick, and I don't want to lose what we have, but what you said just now about not wanting either of us to get hurt is a pretty damn good reason not to do it." He looked like he was about to interrupt, but she continued. "And what about Alexis, if I hurt you, by being away it could only hurt her too. I think a clean break would be best. But just not yet, when the time comes we will know."
He smiled at her. "Kate, you could never hurt me." He kissed her hand softly. He stood, pulling her with him.
She leaned against his strong body, her head resting right beneath his collarbone, her arms wrapped around his middle.
"You do know that we didn't really answer the question that we started with." She stated. He could feel her smile against his chest, whilst his hands moved gently, his fingers stroking her back. Smiling he closed his eyes.
"Kate, my mother would love to meet your parents." He said matter-of-factually. She pulled her head up and looked at him through her long lashes.
"Good, cause I think my parents are dying to meet Martha." She smiled.
"Then it's a date." He leaned down and brushed his nose against hers, before catching her lips in his.
X-X-X-X
"Please call me Martha." Martha said shaking Jim Beckett's hand.
"Jim and this is my wife Johanna." Jim introduced himself.
"Who's this beautiful little girl?" Johanna knelt before Rick, and looked at Alexis, who was holding tightly onto her father's leg as if it were a life line.
"Alexis say hello to Mrs. Beckett." Rick prompted her nudging her gently with is hand. Alexis burrowed her head into Rick's dark jeans. Kate smiled and released Rick's hand and moved to the floor beside Alexis.
"Alexis, you remember me, Katie?" Alexis nodded, peering out at Kate from beneath a veil of flaming red hair. "Look this is my mom. Her name is Johanna." Alexis didn't remove her grasp from Rick's leg. "You know what you my mother have in common?"
Alexis shook her head, becoming more curious with the woman behind Kate. She shook her head and waited for Kate to continue.
"Tell her what your favorite flower is." Kate suggested with a soft smile.
"Rose." A small whisper came from the small girl.
"Really?" Johanna asked. "Me too. I love roses so much that Katie's middle name is Rose." Johanna smiled at the red head.
Rick watched the whole exchange from above, smiling at the shyness of his daughter, but hearing Johanna he moved his gaze to Kate. She was blushing a bright shade of pink, and glanced up in his direction he smiled crookedly at her causing her to blush even more.
Minutes passed, while Kate coaxed Alexis out of her shell, before Jim cleared his throat.
"Dinner is already made, if you could just please follow me to the dining room." The group moved to follow Jim, but when Rick looked down to grab his daughter's hand he saw her already hand-in-hand with Kate and Johanna. She was talking animatedly now about her favorite stuffed animal, Monkey-Bunkey. Rick could help but smile at the scene he was now witnessing. When he felt his mother beside him, he turned trying to wipe the smile from his face.
"What?" He asked when she grinned at him knowingly.
"Oh, nothing. Just don't mind me." She said walking past him to follow Johanna, Kate, and Alexis.
He rolled his eyes and moved to follow the family to the dining room.
X-X-X-X
Rick was seated at the head of the table, Kate to his left, Alexis on his right. Martha was beside Kate, and across from Johanna who didn't mind a single bit about being beside Alexis, who always had her wrapped in a different conversation then what was going on around the table. Jim was at the opposite head of the table.
The group exchanged stories, most including a five-year-old Rick or Kate. Neither could wipe the pink tinge that had colored their cheeks since the beginning of dinner from their faces.
"Richard was the craziest little boy I had ever seen." Martha laughed. "And half my friends said the same thing. Did I tell you he was banned from the theater?"
"No." Kate said, smiling at the possible new blackmail material she was about to learn.
"Well, one day when Richard was about 4-"
"No mother please don't tell that story." Rick groaned.
"What did daddy do?" Alexis asked confused. Everyone laughed as Martha went.
"Anyway, he ran around the entire theater, butt-naked and destroyed nearly the whole set. Worst part was the first showing was that night."
Rick groaned and Kate laughed, placing her hand on his and squeezing it gently. She smiled at him evilly, knowing he had nothing on her.
"Wow." Johanna said. "Glad I didn't have to put up with a boy, they'd probably be worse with Jim here teaching everything."
"Hey, Katie has become a smart young woman." He defended.
"Yes she has." Rick whispered, just for Kate to hear. She turned and looked at him. "Also beautiful, and kind." The couple was too immersed in the others eyes to notice the continuing conversation around them.
"That she has." Johanna smiled. "All thanks to the fact that I taught her everything she knows." She teased her husband.
Hope you enjoyed, please review. I know it started out serious and probably not what you guys were hoping the outcome would be, but this story is not close to being over and I hope you enjoy what I have store for future chapters.
ALWAYS. thanks for the reviews and please keep writing them.