By the time Rick got back, Kate was in the kitchen, Alexis perched on her hip, while she mixed something in the bowl Alexis was holding.
"And what are my girls up to?" Rick asked, making Kate smiled gently before she turned to him. She could never let him know just how much she enjoyed him calling her 'his girl'.
"We are making brownies. We decided it was a good time for chocolate." Kate explained.
Rick nodded. "I agree." He quickly made his way over to the kitchen and kissed Alexis' crown before leaning round to reach Kate's cheek.
"They're nearly mixed." Alexis assured him. "Then they bake and then we can eat them, right?" She asked, looking up at Kate for confirmation.
She nodded. "That's right. They bake and then we let them cool a little so we won't burn ourselves, but then we get to eat them." She leaned down to blow a raspberry to her neck, thanking Rick's reflexes when Alexis dropped the bowl to push her off. Rick's expert catch earned him a kiss from Kate before she passed him Alexis and took the bowl, pouring the mixture onto the tray.
Rick couldn't help the grin that split his face at the domesticity of the situation. They were normally quite domestic, Kate had never left after coming to stay all those months ago, not that either of them were willing to bring it up, lest the other want to change the situation, but Kate baking in his kitchen with his daughter on her hip, her earlier calling Alexis 'theirs' instead of 'his', it made his heart trip in the best way.
"Where did you go by the way?" Kate asked as she slotted the tray into the oven and set the timer.
Rick smiled. "You told me to do something today that both me and Alexis enjoyed, right?" Kate nodded, cocking her hip to lean against the counter. "So I thought about it, and remembered that one time, shortly after Meredith left, that we went to laser tag." Alexis' head popped up at that. Both adults smiled. "And I remembered what fun it was."
Alexis nodded. "Daddy beat me first, but then I beat him, twice." She giggled, making Kate's smile grow.
"You did Pumpkin. So, I brought us a set." Kate wouldn't have been surprised if the five year old's eyes popped out she looked so excited.
"Wow! Thank you daddy." Rick beamed, his polite little girl.
"I got you a kit too Kate. Thought maybe you'd wanna play too?"
"Oh please? That would be so much fun." Alexis pleaded.
Kate smiled. "I can't say how good I'll be, but I'll certainly give it a go."
Alexis cheered, doubling Rick's proud smile.
"Can we play now?" Alexis asked.
"How about we get you a bath, freshen you up, stop you smelling like aeroplane," Rick chuckled, "and then we'll eat your delicious brownies," he winked at Kate, who granted him a shy smile while she looked at him from beneath her eye lashes, "and then we'll play until dinner or we get bored. Sound good?"
Alexis nodded enthusiastically.
"Good. Then let's go get you bathed." He made his way to the stairs, stopping to kiss Kate on the way. "You're brilliant, you know that?" He whispered in her ear. She blushed and kissed him again before he left her to it.
They played all afternoon.
Once Rick had assured Kate that she was to play properly, that Alexis would know if they let her win, she quickly picked it up.
Rick used the opportunity to play instructor, crowding around Kate's back, sliding his hand down her arm to 'help' her position her gun correctly, smoothing his palm down her thigh to 'correct her stance'. Kate wasn't fooled for a moment but let him have his fun. By the time they were done, she was trembling with more than adrenalin.
They decided to order Chinese for dinner.
Rick rang in their order and sent Alexis to get herself showered while he and Kate stumbled into their own, the trail of their clothing a near death hazard as their mouths never broke contact on the journey. It was quick, and a little rougher than he had dared all weekend, but still tender, still loving. And Kate seemed to enjoy the experience just as much as her partner.
Rick left her in the shower to go collect their dinner, giving her a few minutes extra to wash up and catch her breath before coming to join them.
The sultry smile she gave him, her warm palm slightly higher than decent on his thigh, made it hard for him to concentrate, and one look at Kate's face told him she knew exactly what she was doing. Payback was a bitch.
They saved the brownies until after, both Castles complementing Kate on her baking abilities. She shyly announced that it was her mom's recipe, garnering her a soft smile from Rick and another round of complements from Alexis.
Once they had put Alexis to bed together, Kate and Rick retired to their bedroom and practised being quiet for the next hour. They fell asleep tangled in each other's arms, neither of them thinking of Meredith or how badly she had hurt their precious little girl. That would come tomorrow, for now, they just enjoyed their night.