CH 21 (101)
It was now 9 months later:
It had taken Rick almost a month to digest the information that is home planet was gone. He was just glad Alexis wasn't here. He didn't like the thought of having to tell her. Though he knew he was going to have to tell her when he did see her.
Emily and Kali were growing up fast. Even Rick had caught Emily looking at one of the videos Alexis had sent her. She watched them over and over again. "Soon honey, soon." And kissed the top of her head.
Jim had been here for almost 6 months now and was scheduled to be here for at least another 2 years.
Jim however wasn't sad his daughter and her family were leaving. His Katie had what she needed most already and she should go where they go. Plus when he found out about the doctor who was going to fix the rest of her leg, he all but ordered her to go.
Jim would catch up to them in a couple of years. Besides when the cruise ship showed up for them the Moon Shines had come with it. Captain Zhukov had some specialists on board this time.
He had brought a system to replace Lucy who was going with Kate to control the satellite system, and he had brought the parts needed to upgrade the satellites for real time communication between Callisto and Tellus. Ariel was to be next followed by Athos and finally Cyliene which only got their satellite system just a couple of months earlier.
Shawn, Madison and Matt met the Castle's at the shuttle. "We'll meet you on Athos when your ship is complete. My transfer has already been accepted." Madison tells them.
"The other submarine is there waiting for me. I get to pick up where I left off. Should be fun." Shawn tells them.
"You take care of yourself Katie. Give me a couple of years or so and I'll be right behind these three. Or maybe four by then." Jim was grinning, and was still grinning after Madison slapped him in the arm.
Kali moved in and hugged Matt. She was going to miss him. Matt was actually walking a little now. "Bye baby brother."
Emily was conflicted. She wanted to get to Alexis but didn't want to leave Madison behind. "You are coming?" Emily asks softly.
Madison leans down to hug her. "Yes honey we're coming. We all get to see you and sail around Athos on your ship. I promise." Madison had tears too.
Rick shook Shawn's hand and patted him on his back in a hug.
Madison and Kate were hugging and crying. "Roy said he was going to arrange for you to get to Athos on one of the cruise ships. So you don't need to worry about baby food this time.
You just make sure you make it. I've gotten used to having you around again. … And it'll be good to see mom and dad again." Kate tells her wiping away tears.
"Hug and kiss Alexis for me. I still owe her a lot." Madison tells Kate getting Kate to nod her head.
Kate needed to thank Alexis for a lot of things. Finding Madison was only one of a long list.
The Castle's found that they needed two rooms for four people. The beds were combined but you could separate them. Rick took Kali and Kate took Emily.
The Castle's went to the buffet located on one of the upper levels for the first two days on board. It took a little while to get used to the ship.
"It says it has a specialty steak restaurant and we need reservations to guarantee a table." Rick was grinning as they were sitting in the open atrium area eating an ice cream cones.
"Really! Does it say what kind of meat?" Kate was interested in something, maybe anything that wasn't croc, emu or kangaroo.
"No, it just talks about the atmosphere, various cuts are available. Hopefully they have children's portions." Rick doubted Emily or Kali could finish off an entire T-bone.
"Maybe was can order a New York cut and split it between them." Kate offered.
"I'm going to go find it and make reservations. You'll still be here?" Rick got up.
Kate was grinning. "For a porterhouse steak? …. I'll wait as long as it takes. As for these two, I think a cookie is next. …. Just one." Kate tells them as she sees both of them stop eating interested in a cookie.
Rick was grinning at his two girls and their sweet tooth. Kissing Kate before leaving.
Cookies were all gone when Rick came back. "We've got reservations for 6:00 tomorrow. Seems they know who we are."
"Why?" Kate didn't get it.
"The lead chef is Jean-Georges Vongerichten." Rick arches his eyebrows a couple of times.
"NO! … Seriously? He was one of the guys you taught on Ariel in that big open lodge. … Did you see him?" Kate was interested now.
Rick however shakes his head. "He wasn't in yet. They weren't actually open yet. They're only open for dinner. There was a lady taking reservations who said he had been telling stories about his time there.
Apparently we have been included in his stories."
"It'll be good to see someone from that time. I wonder if the old lodge is still there?" Kate would like to see it, just not live there again. She was spoiled and looking to be spoiled by her home on Ariel and then their ship on Athos.
"It says there is a movie starting in half an hour and there is a band tomorrow. Maybe we can figure out how to go dancing before putting the girls to bed." Rick offers.
"Dancing?" Kate was scared now. She hadn't danced since before her mother was killed. What little she knew her dad had taught her.
"You can step on my toes all you want." Rick offers. He just wanted a chance to hold his wife in his arms in public to show her off.
"Well, …. Maybe." Which Rick took to be a yes.
"What''s the movie?" Kate asks thinking of the girls.
"The Great Muppet Caper." Rick was grinning.
Kate immediately saw the 12 year old of her grown husband come out so knew it was ok for the girls. "Sure." Kate hoped she didn't regret this. And what are muppets?
Kermit the Frog, Fozzie Bear, and Gonzo the Great play newspaper reporters for the Daily Chronicle. Kermit and Fozzie, specifically, are playing identical twin reporters, which becomes the source of a running gag - supposedly, nobody can tell they are twins unless Fozzie wears his hat. While Gonzo is too busy taking pictures of a chicken, the biggest fashion designer of London named Lady Holiday (Diana Rigg) gets robbed of her necklace. The trio are eventually assigned to investigate the theft of the valuable jewels from Lady Holiday, which they have to beg for after their boss Mike Tarkenian (Jack Warden) dismisses them following the Daily Chronicle's headline about the twins joining the staff (while the other papers report on the jewel heist).
They travel to London to interview her, but with only $12 for the trip, they are forced to fly in the airplane's baggage hold and are thrown out of the plane as they arrive over Britain while it continues on to Italy. They stay at the dilapidated (but free) Happiness Hotel, run and populated by Pops, Scooter, Rowlf the Dog, Dr. Teeth and The Electric Mayhem, Sam the Eagle, Swedish Chef, Rizzo the Rat, Annie Sue, and Lubbuck Lou and his Jughuggers. When Kermit seeks out Lady Holiday in her office however, he instead finds the alluring Miss Piggy, and mistakes her for the fashion designer. Piggy (who was interviewing for a job) masquerades as Lady Holliday, even going so far as to sneak into a ritzy townhouse (located at 17 Highbrow Street) to impress Kermit with her dwellings much to the surprise of the true British residents Neville and Dorcas.
At a night club restaurant, Lady Holiday's necklace is stolen by her jealous brother Nicky and his assistants Carla, Marla (Erica Creer), and Darla, three of her put-upon fashion models; during the robbery, Miss Piggy's charade is revealed and she bolts, leaving Kermit behind, though they later reconcile in a park. Despite Nicky's instant attraction to Miss Piggy, they successfully frame her for the theft and plan to steal an even more valuable prize: the coveted Baseball Diamond on display at the local Mallory Gallery. Unfortunately for them, Gonzo is under a nearby table and overhears the plot. Kermit's crew, along with their friends from the Happiness Hotel, decide to intercept and catch the thieves themselves in order to exonerate Miss Piggy.
The Muppets get to the Mallory Gallery, and get to the Baseball Diamond at the same time as the thieves, use the Baseball Diamond in a game of Keep Away and later baseball, complete with Louis Kazagger commentating. Piggy, meanwhile, has escaped from prison and, in a bout of serendipity, finds a motorcycle which she uses to crash into the Gallery's window, knocking Nicky, who is holding Kermit hostage, out in the process. Carla, Marla and Darla confront Piggy, only to be quickly dispatched by a flurry of furious karate chops. As the police arrive, Piggy is cleared from all charges, Nicky and his fashion model-accomplices are arrested, and the Muppets get their deserved credit for foiling the heist.
The Muppets then return to America the same way they departed, being thrown out of the cargo hold and parachuting back to The USA, over the end credits which concludes with Gonzo taking a photo of the audience with his overly powerful flashbulb causing the screen to go black as if he blinded his subjects again.
Kate was carrying Kali while Rick was carrying Emily since both of them were asleep. They had both given up staying awake about the time of the fight.
"That was actually pretty good Rick. Are there more of these?" Kate had liked it. It was funny and endearing.
"I think there are 6 or 8 of them actually." Rick thinks but isn't certain.
"Maybe Lucy can find them for later at home." Kate offers liking them for the kids. And how often do you see a frog and a pig interested in each other. And what the hell is Gonzo?
It's time to play the music
It's time to light the lights
t's time to meet the Muppets on the Muppet Show tonight.
It's time to put on makeup
It's time to dress up right
It's time to raise the curtain on the Muppet Show tonight.
Kate was humming all the way to their room.
Rick talked Kate into going dancing. The Castle clan were sitting there listening to the music, when Rick got up and held out his hand to Emily. "Могу ли я пригласить вас на танец?"
Emily put her hand in his and let her father take her out onto the dance floor. However she didn't know what to do. "положить ноги на шахте." And Emily did as he told her and Rick held her and they danced.
When the song finished. "спасибо прекрасная леди." And took Emily back to their table and offered his hand to Kate, who took it and followed her husband out onto the dance floor.
Fortunately for Kate the song was nice and slow so she just shuffled her feet around, and soon had her hands wrapped around his neck, enjoying being close to him.
"It's not that hard babe." And Rick leans down and pulls Kate close. "And Emily and Kali are going to sleep in their own room tonight."
Kate shivered at what that meant. "Oh, you have something in mind?" Kate had one now.
"My personal thank you for letting me take you dancing, and the bed has pillows." Rick whispers to her. And it was a good thing Kate's head was buried in his chest. It helped to hide her blush.
The Castle's were just exiting the cruise ship and had made it thru the lobby when Emily broke away from Kate and took off running. "Emily!" Kate yelled after her. She had just started to think about running after her when she saw where or better to who Emily was running to.
Emily slammed into Alexis who was standing next to Martha having just come in thru the doors.
Then it was all hugs and kisses. "It's good to have you back dears. … These two have grown a lot." Martha almost didn't recognize them.
"It's been almost 3 years Martha. I never thought it would take that long. … Alexis how is school?" Kate wanted to know what she had done was the right thing.
"It's been great. Grams has a 2 bedroom condo unit and I've been taking the GETS trains to and from school since I got here. It's been fun." Alexis wasn't mad anymore about coming here.
"Any new friends?" Kate asks as they leave the building headed for a train station.
"Alexis and this girl Elena have been inseparable for the last 6 months. She's terrific, I wish I had even half their energy." Martha answers for Alexis, even though Martha still had a hold of Rick.
Kate internally sighs. "Where is this Elena now?" Kate wanted to meet her.
"It's her mother's birthday so she couldn't come, she'll be over tomorrow." Alexis explains.
Rick, Kate and Alexis stand giving the seats to Emily, Kali and Martha. It felt like old times as Kate watched where they were going. Noticing that Rick had his head looking everywhere.
Kate takes his arm in her hand. "I'll take you sightseeing, I promise." Kate leans in to kiss his cheek.
"You should see the city dad. It's HUGE! …. I've never seen anything so tall. And it's big too." Alexis sounded excited. She wanted to show him everything she had found.
"You've been to Kazan then?" Kate guessed. Alexis had been taken by it from the pictures she had shown her.
"Yup, all the way to the top even. All I saw was clouds. Elena and her family live in it so I'm over there a lot." Alexis informs them.
"What do you think of its people mover?" Kate was curious.
"It was weird at first. You pull out this, thing, that you unfold and punch in where you want to go and it takes you there. And if there isn't one available you can call for one. And the ground floor has this system that is just like the ride on Spaceship Earth in Epcot. It's continuous and winds its way around all over.
"It's a little slow though, they should change it out for something faster. It's kinda a pain." Alexis didn't like everything about the city.
Kate and her family checked in with her doctor the next day. "Detective Castle." He greets her. "This first visit is just a physical and will take some time, your family may want to come back for you in say four hours." He didn't think they would like to just sit around for that long, plus they had children.
"We'll be back in four hours. We'll find something to do." Rick kissed her. Rick was on his own since it was a school day, so no Alexis.
Four hours later:
"What did he say?" Rick and family were out of the building walking around headed for a park that Kate knew of.
"He wants me back in a week. I've got this list of things to do that you are going to have to help me with. Then a week later he wants me back again for another physical. He'll decide then if I'm a candidate for the operation." Kate explains.
"We'll all help you as much as we can, you know that." Rick was going to do everything he could.
Even Emily and Kali helped Kate with her exercises and stretching that Kate was required to do. They tried to do everything Kate did while giggling when they fell on their butt.
Kate was accepted a week later. "The operation is relatively invasive and you will not be walking for the next two weeks. Your family can come visit but you will be in bed for the next two weeks.
After that you can only walk short distances and follow the directions I send home with you." The doctor warns her.
"I'll see you tomorrow babe." Kate kisses Rick who was alone since it wasn't a school day and Emily and Kali were with Alexis and Martha.
Emily didn't go anywhere without Alexis. She even asked if she could go to school with Alexis.
Rick was back home. "How's mom?" Alexis asks while Emily is helping her with her homework at the table.
"We'll find out tomorrow. Kate is going to be stuck there for the next two weeks though, and no walking. And even after that very little walking and another list of things she has to do." Rick warns them since it wasn't over yet.
"It'll be fine darling. Katherine is a fighter. After what she has already been thru this will be easy for her. And we'll go see her every day." Martha is convinced everything will go perfectly.
It was now 2 months later:
Kate had been home for weeks now and doing her exercises and letting Rick give her leg massages after going thru training the doctor had requested. This had left Martha to watch the girls when Alexis was at school.
They had met Elena several times. She was taller than Alexis with jet black straight hair that almost reached her butt. She was a very vibrant girl so unlike Alexis who was more reserved.
However Martha was correct, the two went everywhere together and Emily and Kali had decided almost immediately that she was a new sister.
They were presently in Martha's condo and Kate had been cleared to go for a longer walk.
Alexis had been to Kazan countless times, however since Kate's operation he hadn't left her side so he had yet to see it. Emily and Kali hand now seen it several times.
Martha had an appointment to view some new actors for the play she was in and helping direct so couldn't go anywhere with them today.
"Well if you want to show me this city, I'm willing to go look. Just so long as Kate has chances to rest." Rick didn't want her to overdo anything.
"There are a number of observation levels. The view can be amazing on most days." Elena tells him. "My Parents are out, they had an appointment of their own today. There is a nice restaurant about a mile up that we can have lunch at."
"Oh you should see it dad, it has this wall of all glass with this plant atrium behind glass in the middle. It's really cool." Alexis had been there a few times with Elena. Even Emily and Kali had been there twice now.
Emily was nodding her head. "It's cool dad."
They had to take a GETS train to get close before changing trains since they wanted Rick to see it from a distance first, even though a GETS train station was in the city.