Kate was about to reply when they heard a door open upstairs. Kate was off his lap and sat beside him before Rick even knew what was happening.
He turned to her with a soft smile and laid his hand briefly on her knee. He pulsated his fingers once before standing and making his way up the stairs to check on Alexis.
Kate took the time to adjust herself to look more presentable and catch her breath. With such a rapid turn around in their relationship, she wouldn't be surprised if she had whiplash. She chuckled to herself at the thought before getting up and starting the coffee machine again.
Rick came down the stairs a few minutes later with Alexis on his hip, cradling her gently into his chest. He cleared his throat as he entered the kitchen to grab Kate's attention. She smiled at him but it quickly fell when she saw the solemn look on his face.
"Is everything okay?" She asked warily. Rick nodded slightly, absolving her fear that it was about them, before turning to Alexis.
"Pumpkin, why don't you tell Kate what you told me?" Alexis shook her head despite her father's soothing tone. "You remember I promised that she wouldn't be upset or angry?" Kate's brow furrowed in confusion and curiosity while Alexis nodded hesitantly. "So you should tell her Sweetie." The little girl turned to face Kate, watching the floor instead of making eye contact.
"It's okay, Little Red." Kate murmured carefully, using the nickname she'd adopted just this morning in hopes of calming the child. "You can tell me anything." She promised softly.
Alexis met her eye for mere seconds before looking back down at the floor. Kate looked to Rick for help but he was studiously watching his daughter.
"I, I had a bad dream." Alexis muttered only just loud enough for the two adults to hear her.
"Oh Baby, that's not good." Kate comforted her. "Was it really scary?" Alexis bobbed her head. "You wanna talk about what happened? It can help." Kate directed the last part at Rick, who met her soft smile with one of his own.
"Daddy?" Alexis asked tearfully. Rick nodded and she wasted no time burying her head in his neck.
"In her dream, her mom came back and wanted to take her away." Rick explained softly, trying to not upset Alexis further. Kate nodded, watching the little girl with concern. "Alexis didn't want to be taken away, and she told her mom that, but she didn't listen. I wasn't there and you fought with Meredith to try and stop her taking her. Meredith killed you and took her anyway."
Alexis sobbed and Kate's eyes immediately snapped to Rick's, frantically seeking permission.
Rick nodded and Kate quickly scooped the four year old out of her dad's arms and held her close. Alexis gripped her shirt tightly in her little fists and buried her face in her neck, while Kate held her tightly.
"It's okay, Little Red." Kate murmured softly. "It's okay. I'm here Angel. I'm right here. I won't let anyone take you anywhere you don't want to. I'm okay. I'm right here, Baby."
Alexis didn't leave Kate's side for the rest of the afternoon. She insisted on sitting next to her at dinner and asked her to give her her bath. Only after clearing it, and getting each and every detail step by step from Rick, did Kate agree.
Once she'd bathed the four year old, Kate helped Alexis into her pyjamas and settled her in her bed.
"Kate?" Alexis asked quietly once the young woman had finished tucking the covers around her.
"Hmm?" Kate asked, smoothing out the creases, suddenly a lot more nervous than she thought she should be. She was only putting her friend's, boyfriend's, daughter to bed. For the first time. By herself. No pressure.
"Are you gonna be my new mommy?" Kate felt her knees falter at the innocent question and she quickly knelt beside the head of the bed before she fell.
"What makes you ask that Lexi?" Kate asked cautiously. She really hoped the little girl hadn't seen her making out with her father earlier. That could be confusing and scary for her, let alone embarrassing for both adults. Alexis shrugged.
"You do mommy things." Kate's brow furrowed as she tried to follow her line of thinking.
"'Mommy things'? What sort of things are 'mommy things'?" Alexis rolled her eyes as Kate gently teased a strand of hair from her forehead, giving evidence to a point she wasn't aware of.
"You keep stroking me. And hugging me. And you made the bad dreams go away." Kate smiled softly before leaning in and kissing the young girl's forehead.
"I'm not trying to replace your mommy; I'm certainly not trying to be your new mommy. But I do care about you Little Red and I want you to know that you can come to me, about anything." Alexis smiled sleepily. "And, no matter how close your daddy and I get Alexis, I will never ever overstep and try and make myself your mommy." Kate promised softly, hoping she wasn't giving too much away but knowing it would come up again when she and Rick spoke to her about their developing relationship.
"Kate?" Alexis mumbled slowly, her voice dripping with exhaustion as her eyes slipped closed.
"Yes Alexis?" Kate whispered, gently stroking the backs of her fingers across Alexis' face.
"I wouldn't mind if you were my new mommy." Kate could see that the child was asleep almost the moment the statement was out of her mouth. She would never know about the tight feeling in Kate's chest or the welling in her eyes as she leaned over and kissed her goodnight.
"I'll let you in on a secret, Little Red." Kate whispered to the already sleeping child. "I wouldn't mind either."