She awakes abruptly, face half buried into the cushion of her couch as her eyes peel open to what she thought was banging. Confusion washes across her face, lips parted as her head slowly lifts from the position. Her eyes begin to adjust to the light coming from the lamp beside her that's illuminating half of the open plan living space.
Her hand comes up to her face, rubbing at her eyes as she glances down at her watch to see the time: 12.04am. She can't help but yawn as she sits herself up and stretches her legs out from the curled-up position they'd been in.
She'd fallen asleep about an hour ago; hadn't even meant to fall asleep. She only wanted to rest her eyes for a minute as the words across the copied files were starting to jumble inside her brain.
Before she can reach out to pack away the files, the knocking that she thought had woken her up comes again and Kate's brows pull together. So it hadn't been a figment of her imagination. But, who the hell was here at this time of the night?
She tucks the loose strands that have fallen out of her bun behind her ear as she carefully gets to her feet, stretching her limbs for a moment as another yawn slips through her lips before she's padding across the living room towards her front door.
She glances through the peep hole and can't help but blink a few times; shock beginning to course through her. Because what on earth was Rick doing at her door at this hour? She almost groans, but instead a sigh falls from her lips as her hand reaches for the lock to undo it.
She pulls open the door, brows pulling together and furrowing as she's met with the blue gaze of her neighbour.
"Rick?" Kate's head cocks to the side slightly, fingertips gripping the door. "What – why are you here?"
He flicks her a small, tensed smile as he rubs the back of his neck. His adams apple bops before he's clearing his throat, gaze shifting to his feet. "I uh…" He can't help but laugh, eyes falling closed as his head shakes and Kate only continues looking at him with more confusion than ever.
"What's so funny? Is everything alright?" Kate looks him up and down and for a brief moment she remembers the elevator ride and the small red headed young girl she'd met. "Alexis?"
His head snaps up and he's quickly shaking it. "No, she's fine. I'm fine, we're both fine. She's upstairs asleep, but I wanted to come down here and, well… I wanted to ask if everything was alright with you actually."
Surprise washes over her, her furrowed brows slowly easing apart as one slowly raises before they're pulling back together. "Wait." She pauses, tongue slipping out of her mouth to run along her lips as her free hand lifts to hang between them. "Let me get this straight…"
Her gaze lands on Rick who's watching her, waiting for her to continue.
"You came down here at –" She glances at her watch quickly before back up at Rick. "Almost ten past twelve in the morning to ask if everything was alright with me?"
The irony and the role reversals was about to make her head spin, though she's sure the slight banging that's starting to surface in her head is to do with the multiple glasses of whiskey she had no more than an hour ago and not with the situation at hand.
The edges of Rick's lips crease, a breath of air slipping out. "Yeah… déjà vu, right?" His small smile turns to a smirk and Kate can't help but roll her eyes.
"It's just… well. You checked up on me when you thought something was wrong, and I wanted to do the same." His tone turns too serious too quickly, his hands slipping into the pockets of his jeans as his shoulders shrug, and Kate lets go of the door to fold her arms across her chest.
"What – why would you think something was wrong?"
"Well, at the crime scene this morn–"
"You were still there? After I told you to go?" Kate's jaw can't help but tighten, a small lump beginning to form in the middle of her throat as Rick's hands come up before him in a way of defence.
"Yes… I was hanging around the corner."
"What did you hear?" Her heart is beginning to thump; pulse quickening with each second that he leaves her hanging, and is it suddenly really hot inside her apartment?
"Nothing, really. I was too far back. I just – I've never been at a real crime scene, and I was curious." He shrugs, lips stretching out to the sides of his face. "I may not be a detective, but I am a writer, and as a writer it's kind of my job to observe and pay attention to detail. Hey, our jobs are pretty similar."
"They're very different, Rick." She cuts in sharply, her chest slowly rising.
The last thing Kate wants is for Rick to have overheard just how concerned her co-workers were for her wellbeing and why she might not be able to cope with this case. She didn't need him looking at her or viewing her in a different light. She also didn't know him well enough to tell him her messed up life story. She'd checked up on him once and asked how he was once, it didn't make them friends.
"Okay, different. But, as I was saying… I noticed that your co-workers seemed… very concerned. I couldn't make out what any of you were saying, but I can read body language and facial expressions pretty well. And then earlier in the elevator I heard the bottles clinking."
"It was a crime scene. Ever think about how hard it is to see a dead body on the daily? Her brow raises, shoulders lifting in the slightest. She knows it's cheap, that even she doesn't buy what she's saying. Becoming a detective means you have to be comfortable with seeing dead bodies on the norm, and she was – they all were. But she needs to detour away from this conversation quickly. "And what, now I'm not allowed to buy alcohol without everything not being alright? If I remember correctly, you answered the door to me drinking a bottle of wine."
"And you were uncomfortable about that."
He watches the quick intake of her breath, and he knows his observation is one she didn't think he saw.
"I'm sorry. I'm not trying to pry – though, you did pry a little into my life." He pauses briefly, eyes widening slightly as his head tilts to the side while Kate only shoots him a look. "I'm not saying you owe me any explanations, but you don't look okay, Kate. And you were there to listen to me, so I'd like to do the same for you." His smile is comforting and warm, and Kate is reminded why she first approached him the following week.
A sigh falls from her lips, arms untangling themselves from around her waist and dropping to her sides as her gaze shifts to the ground. "I'm – I'm fine, Rick." She sucks in a breath, holding it for a moment before letting it out and looking up at him. "Just been a long day, tough case." She shrugs, lips forcing themselves to curl into a very forced smile.
He sees right through her – can see the pain laced behind her eyes and the mess over her shoulder that's sprawled out atop of her coffee table. He knows there's more to what happened at the crime scene and the reasoning behind the alcohol. He won't push her though. He doesn't know her well, but he can tell she doesn't wear her heart on her sleeve like he does. She's not as willing to open up to a complete stranger as he was.
He nods, lips forming into a line. "Okay, alright. Only if you're sure."
"That's the life of a detective. I have to deal with death and bringing justice to those whose lives have been taken on the daily. It gets a little tough and tiring sometimes. But I'm sure I'm fine."
He believes that; admires her for wanting to bring justice, but he also believes there's so much more there. So much more as to why she became a detective – why her eyes seemed so old and tired for a woman so young and beautiful.
"Alright then. I'm – I'm sorry if I woke you." He can't help but sigh, his brows pulling together slightly.
"No – it's fine, if you hadn't woken me up I probably would've shown up to work late. I hadn't even set an alarm yet." She smiles lightly, sees the small smile twitch at his lips. "Thank you, Rick." She does appreciate it – appreciates him coming down here, even if the hour is ungodly and she's a very private person.
"Anytime. And I mean that – anytime you want to talk, maybe grab a cup of coffee… I'm just a floor above."
She nods her head, fingertips lifting to wrap around the door. "You better get back to Alexis, now. You wouldn't want her waking up to find you not there."
"Yeah, I should. I hope you don't think I'm a bad parent, leaving her up there. We've been here since she was born and the building – I trust it, it's safe and everyone is so nice and friendly."
"I don't think you're a bad parent, Rick, and you don't need to explain yourself to me." If it were any other building, she definitely would've questioned his parenting skills, but over the five months she's been here, she's noticed just how safe and friendly the building was.
He smiles at her, the edges of his eyes creasing before he's nodding his head. "Goodnight, Kate." And with that he slowly turns around, heading towards the elevator.
"Night." She murmurs, watching him get onto the elevator before she's closing the door to her apartment and pressing her back against it. Her head leans back, eyes falling closed as her chest rises slowly.
The second time she wakes, it's less abrupt, and more natural. She'd woken up a few minutes before her alarm and simply laid beneath her covers while staring up at the ceiling.
Her mind had one too many thoughts running through them and she wasn't even sure where to begin. She hadn't touched her mother's case in months. Had kept the files stored away in a box high up above in the corner of her closet that the top was slowly starting to gather dust on it.
She hates the little self-control she has, how the year of therapy and all the hard work she'd put into putting her mother's case away was slowly starting to resurface. She didn't want that, didn't want to fall back down the rabbit hole, but she knew if she didn't solve the Reynolds case; that if a case too similar to her mother's went unsolved – she wouldn't be able to handle it.
As her alarm goes off, Kate reaches over, her fingertips silencing the clock before she's shoving the covers off herself and heading into the bathroom.
It doesn't take her long to shower, dress herself and apply minimal makeup before she's slipping on her necklace with her mother's wedding ring attached to it, and putting her father's watch on. Two things she can't leave the house without wearing – two things that remind her why she's in this line of work.
She puts her gun into its holster and clips on her badge before she grabs her coat and keys and heads out the door.
She shouldn't be too surprised when the elevator doors open and she sees Rick standing there. She almost zips towards the stairwell, but he spots her; smiling at her before she can run off and not have another conversation about whether she's okay or not.
"Morning." He chirps and it's too early for this, she needs coffee in her system before dealing with over enthusiastic adults.
"Morning." She nods at him, rolling back her shoulders before focusing her attention on the numbers above the elevator, hoping and praying they'll go down faster and she can escape this metal box.
"How are you this morning?"
She turns her head, glancing at him as her brow arches.
"Not asking for a tell-all book." He puts his hands up in defence again, and she really should stop shooting him looks and shutting down his generosity. He was being kind, trying to return the favour as she'd checked up on him. She didn't have many people in her life that checked up on her regularly or wanted to know if she was okay, and there was no harm in being on good terms with her neighbours.
"I'm doing fine, bit tired." She shrugs, and soon sees slight worry begin to wash across his face. "Oh, that's not your fault. I stayed up a bit after you left." She watches the tension in his face begin to ease before she's turning away from him, tucking a loose strand behind her ear. "So, how are you this morning? Where's Alexis? You haven't left her upstairs again, have you?"
He's about to get offended till he sees the small smirk playing on her lips and his head shakes in the slightest, an airy chuckle escaping through his lips. "No, I haven't left her upstairs again. Though I did package her neatly in a box and send her on her way."
"I hope you poked air holes for her."
"Of course, I did! What kind of father would I be if I didn't?"
She shakes her head at him, the edges of her lips lifting.
"My mother came and picked her up, wanted to take her out for breakfast and have a girl's day since she doesn't have pre-school."
Kate nods her head, her smile softening at the mention of his mother. It warms her heart knowing he must be close with his mother, though she also can't help but be saddened and miss her own mother.
The elevator dings and soon the doors open. The pair both walk out, heading towards the entrance of the building.
"Hey, Kate." He stops in his tracks and Kate turns around, sees him pull his bottom lip into his mouth and her brow arches.
"Yeah?"
"Feel free to say no. But, would you want to grab some coffee?"
A small lump can't help but form in the middle of her throat as her own teeth sink into her bottom lip and her gaze flicks away from Rick. "I'm – I can't. I really have to get to work, I can't be late." She really doesn't want to be late. She really needs to close this case, and she's hoping that Ryan or Esposito have found something on their victim that can lead them somewhere.
"Okay, not right now. But how about later? When's your lunch break?"
A sigh falls from her lips and she scratches the side of her head. "Rick."
"Hey, it's just coffee. You don't have to reveal all your secrets and spill out all your feelings." He takes a tentative step towards her, head cocking to the side as his hands stuff into his pockets. "But, I do need a friend right now. Aside from you, the only people I really have to talk too are my mother and my daughter. And although I love them both to bits, my mother is, well… a lot sometimes, and I can't talk to my daughter about most things because one; she's only four and doesn't know what's going on half the time, and two; despite being four, she scarily gives good advice. I don't think I want to be put in a time out for telling her about some of the things I've done…"
He laughs, rubbing the back of his neck as Kate can't help but snort at his words.
"And what's some of the things you've done, Rick? Anything illegal? Because you know I'm a cop, right?"
"Well, if you want to know whether I've done anything illegal or not… you'll have to meet me for coffee." He waggles his brows, a smirk growing wide across his face as Kate shakes her head and rolls her eyes, her teeth dragging through her bottom lip.
"My lunch break is at 11.30."
She watches his face light up, his smirk turning into a grin. "11.30 it is then. I'll text – Wait, I don't have your number."
She snorts once more, head shaking again. "Give me your phone." Her hand stretches out as Rick digs through his pocket for his phone before handing it over to Kate.
She takes a hold of it and quickly puts in her number and name before handing it back to him.
"Just text me a place, and I'll meet you there at 11.30."
He grins once more at her, letting his phone tap this side of his head. "No standing me up, I know where you live remember."
She rolls her eyes, tries to refrain from letting a smirk crease her lips and instead shrews her lips to the side. "Not something you really want to say to an officer. But, I'll be there if it means I get to hear about all these illegal activities you've done."
"Oh, I can definitely promise you'll hear about all the fun things I've done." He nods at her and Kate glances down at her watch before her eyes are widening.
"Crap, I really have to go."
She spins round, quickly heading for the door.
"See you at 11.30, don't be late!" Rick calls out to her and Kate's arm lifts, hand waving at him slightly before she disappears out of the building and into the brisk New York air.
