Author's Note-I hope this answers questions brought up by the last one. Also, this is for a very awesome person to whom I owe the world, and my life. Happy nearly birthday my Angel, see you tonight xx

Later, after they had played all day- letting Alexis choose their activities, thus playing laser tag again for hours- Kate found Rick sat alone in his office, staring at the blank screen before him, head in hands.

"Hey." She murmured as she leaned against the door jamb.

He looked up slowly, dragging his eyes to hers, offering her a weak smile. "Hey. You okay?"

Kate nodded and pushed off the wood, slowly making her way over to him, perching on the edge of his desk. "You're fight, with Meredith, this morning..." She filtered off, unwilling to push beyond what he was comfortable to share; unable to voice the conclusions her own imagination and mind had drawn. But she had to ask, had to know, even to only put her own thoughts to rest.

"Kate, ask your question." He murmured wearily, knowingly.

"She's not yours, is she?" While voiced as if a question, it was clear to them both it was anything but.

Rick shook his head slowly.

"When, uhh, how..." she stuttered desperately grasping at her composure, her heart already breaking for both her partner and the adorable little girl upstairs.

"Meredith and I were married for three months when she discovered she was pregnant with Alexis." Rick started slowly, resting his hand gently on Kate's knee, running his thumb up and down the seam of her jeans, needing the connection to the present as he relived that past. "I knew." He murmured. "I never for one moment supposed the baby would be mine."

Kate's breath hitched at the desolation on his face.

"She was determined to, she'd already booked the appointment, had the cheek to ask me to pay." He shook his head slowly. "I convinced her to keep her, to continue with the pregnancy."

"Why?" Kate couldn't help but ask.

Rick looked up at her, a little stunned.

"I mean, having met Alexis, having loved her, I'm ever so grateful that you did but before that, when it was just your wife pregnant with another man's child..."

Rick squeezed her knee gently.

"Once upon a time, I thought Meredith was the most beautiful woman in the world, and I knew any child of hers would be stunning, whether or not they shared my genes. And I'd always wanted kids."

Kate's heart broke just a little more. He had wanted children so badly he'd take the child his wife and another man had created.

"So, nine months later, Alexis was born. I'd been right. She was stunning."

"Still is." Kate offered, receiving a slight upward turn of his mouth for her efforts.

"Alexis was about three weeks old when the attraction wore off for Meredith. She started paying less attention to the baby, doing less. By the time she was six months old, Meredith started going on "business trips" for "roles". She'd be gone for weeks, sometimes months. She'd call every few days; never ask about the baby unless prompted. Eventually, I stopped prompting."

He sighed, the sound covering Kate's slip in composure as the first tear fell in tandem to her breathing hitching.

"I always knew Alexis wasn't mine. Knew from the beginning, knew for sure when she was born. We just never brought it up. It was convenient for us all. Meredith had a babysitter so she never needed to see her daughter unless it suited her, I had the child I had always wanted, and Alexis had a parent who loved her and would do anything for her. Win, win, win." He shrugged.

"I knew she was cheating on me every time she went away. She wasn't exactly subtle and I'm not as dumb as I sometimes look. But I just didn't care. I had Alexis, my whole life revolved around that little girl, so my wife playing away wasn't even a blip on my radar. The first time she brought it home with her, the first time she exposed our daughter to that; it was the straw that broke the camel's back. I wouldn't have Alexis frightened by her mother bringing strange men into her home. That was the time I told you about. That argument was also the first time she confirmed that I wasn't Alexis' dad. Screamed at me in an argument wasn't exactly what I had in mind."

Kate barely contained a sob at the thought.

"She said she was leaving- well I kicked her out- and she said that she would fight me for Alexis, that she was her mother and that I wasn't anything to her, it would be an easy battle. I told her, rather foolishly, to do her worst. I knew she would never want to be a full time mother, that her taking Alexis would be about power, rather than an actual need, or want, to have her daughter full time. I also knew, even if she could identify who it was that fathered Alexis, he would never step up. Meredith wasn't a huge star, but her pregnancy had been in the papers. If he had wanted to step up, he would have by now. About a month after Meredith left, I received a phone call from her, telling me she wouldn't fight me for custody. That I was the best thing for Alexis and she knew I would love and care for her for as long as she lived. She was very drunk at the time, hence the honesty, but she never again seriously threatened to take Alexis from me. Sure, she throws it in an argument every now and then, but I know that she doesn't mean it."

Kate sobbed and Rick's gaze snapped to her before pulling her across his lap, letting her bury her face into his neck.

"I'm so sorry Rick." She murmured tearfully.

Rick shook his head. "Don't be sorry Kate. I have Alexis, I was happy with my end of the deal. But Kate, may I ask a favour?"

"Anything." Kate agreed quickly, pulling back to see him, wiping her eyes. "Anything, you know that."

"You can't ever tell her..."

"Never." Kate interrupted. "It isn't my place..."

"Your place is with me." Rick squeezed her, letting her know that wasn't up for debate. "None of this changes that. But Kate, you have to promise not to treat her differently now you know she isn't mine. You can't..."

"Rick, I love that little girl. And she's yours. In every way but blood, every way that matters. That won't ever change in my eyes. I love her as your daughter and nothing could ever effect that."

Rick kissed her gently, cupping her back of her head, them both tasting each other's desperation.

"Thank you Kate."

Kate shook her head. "Always."