CH19

Kate took his hands off of her breasts and used her superior strength to pin his hands to the sofa. Kate could feel him try and regain control of his hands but her strength easily held them in place.

Kate rested her forehead up against Rick's as Kate worked at regaining her ability to breath and calm her heart and squeeze her eye's closed.

"Kate?" Rick questions her.

"I don't think you understand what, … " Kate caught herself before she finished that sentence with "What you do to me."

Instead. "I was so close to biting you, …. so close and your blood is so, …." Kate strength still held his hands in place and didn't finish with, "So delicious and addictive."

"You can bite me Kate, I want you to want to bite me." Rick pleads with her. If she needed blood Rick wanted it to be his.

"I can't Rick, … I can't. As much as I want to, and I soooo want to." Kate starts crying.

"Then bite me Kate." Rick all but begs her to.

Kate only shakes her head. "If I bite you too often it may cause damage, and I don't want you damaged. I want you, but I'd never forgive myself if I damaged you. … You and Alexis mean too much to me now." Kate's heart rate and breathing is almost back to normal.

"How often can you bite me?" Rick asks as he feels Kate's hold on him lessen.

"Roughly every 3 months, maybe less by a couple of weeks." Kate answers his question.

"How often do you need blood?" Rick asks trying to figure out what he can do for her.

"My throat will start to burn in about a week. A few days later the pain will be severe. A day later and I'll start receiving damage. Close to 3 weeks and I'll be dead." Kate explains as she releases Rick's hands.

Then Kate stands and retrieves her bra and starts to put it back on. As she reaches back to clip it into place her hands are replaced by Rick's who does it for her. Then slides his arms around her to hold Kate from behind while kissing her bare shoulder.

"How can I help you then?" Rick comes to the realization that Kate has to have more than just his blood. "How did you get here?"

"Our ship is sitting on the dark side of your natural satellite. Even before then we lived off of drinking blood bags, stored in a refrigerator. We take one out and warm it up in a microwave.

We don't have many at home at the moment. It's a problem we are still working on fixing. We have the money, just not the access yet." Kate explains and then leans back and turns her head to kiss the side of Rick's head.

"A blood drive is what you need. … I think I know just the person. She runs a mobile RV that stops at places almost daily. Mostly large companies. Let me make a call or two.

Does it matter what blood type the donor is?" Rick asks, knowing there are a few. Getting Kate to shake her head. To her kind, blood is blood.

Kate twists in place and wraps her arms around him. "We can solve our own problem Rick." Kate didn't want him getting into trouble.

"And yet you are going to let me help you, and it's not like you have a choice, since you can't stop me." Rick smiles into her lips.

It got Kate to giggle. "What did I do to deserve you?"

"You landed on my roof." Rick responds arching his eyebrows a couple of times. Getting Kate to chuckle. Her and Lanie really were lucky when it came to that.

"You want to come with me to pick up Alexis from school?" Rick asks while giving Kate a quick kiss.

"As soon as I find my shirt." Kate mentions giggling again.

"I need a new shirt it would appear." Rick responds.

Kate scrunches her face in an apology. "Sorry about that."

"It was worth it. … Feel free to rip my clothes off of me anytime." Rick tells her, getting Kate to start to blush and dip her head down to avoid his eyes. Only to have Rick lift her head back up and kiss Kate deeply.

While Kate searches for her shirt. "Can you even bite Alexis?" Rick asks, noticing that Kate always said no when his daughter offered. Being so proud of his daughter and how she reacted to Kate being a vampire.

Kate shakes her head as she finds her shirt. "She's too young. If I took the amount of blood from her that I took from you it would damage her. And I'd rather kill myself before I hurt her. Alexis is the sweetest most precious thing I've ever come across.

I honestly don't understand her mother. What she has done to that child pisses me off so much. My mother loves me and I love her back just as much. Anything else just baffles me.

She better hope I never meet her, what I want to do to that woman!" Kate gritted her teeth and willed her fangs to retract.

"I don't understand Meredith either. I've tried so hard to try and get her to be a mother to her own child." Rick tells her, stepping up to Kate to help her button closed her shirt.

"That woman doesn't even call Alexis. I mean how hard is it to take one whole minute out of your life to just say hi? …. Did you know Alexis hates her?" Kate tells Rick and starts tucking her shirt into her jeans.

"I know, Alexis and I had a fight over Meredith just a few days ago." Rick confirms. Then Rick looks up. "How did you know?"

"Alexis told me. We somehow got on the topic of mothers and I asked her who hers was. She told me she didn't have one.

Alexis really is hurting Rick. That woman has done some serious damage to that little girl." Kate points out.

Rick knew that the relationship between Alexis and her mother wasn't good, and he just didn't know how to fix it. It didn't look like Meredith was ever going to change.

"Now I'm glad I'm here for this little sleep over. Alexis needs to feel better about herself. I'm actually amazed that Alexis doesn't hate me since I'm a woman. This sleep over might be just what Alexis needs." Kate was going to do everything she could think of to make tonight a success.

"I'm going to go get a shirt and then we can leave." Rick thought about what Kate had said as he searched for a shirt and put it on.

Rick pulled up at Alexis's school and got in line with all the other parents. "She usually comes out that door over there. You can either wait in the car or get out and wait." Rick offers, and watches Kate exit the car and actually walk up to the door and wait.

They both had to wait a few minutes when the doors opened, and like a flood kids started pouring out.

Kate was standing away from the doors at the time and soon found herself in the middle of the flood as kids parted to go around her. Kate was busy giggling at all the movement and antics of the kids to notice Alexis until someone was wrapped around her legs.

Kate kneeled down and soon found Alexis had her arms around her neck. "Hi Alexis, how was school?" It was only now that Kate noticed Alexis had tears. "Something wrong?" Kate took Alexis's head in her hands. "What happened?" Kate just wanted to make it better as she searched her eyes.

"I can't help you if you don't talk to me Alexis. …. Please!" Kate kept looking at her.

Except all Alexis did was wrap her arms around Kate's neck and sniffle into her ear.

Not knowing what was wrong, Kate picked up Alexis easily and carried her to the car and getting into the back seat with her.

Rick didn't see the tears until he started driving. "Alexis something happen?" But didn't get anything back from Alexis and looked at Kate in his mirror.

Rick only watched Kate shrug her shoulders and shake her head. Alexis hadn't talked to her either.

Rick parked in the underground garage and watched Kate carry an Alexis who had her arms wrapped around Kate's neck tight.

Rick opened his mouth to start to say something when Kate shook her head and carried Alexis upstairs to her room.

Kate sat down on Alexis's bed after closing the door. Kate managed to get Alexis to sit on the bed next to her and kiss the side of her head. "Can you talk to me? … Did something happen in school today?"

Kate only sees Alexis shake her head.

"Ok, do you not feel well? Do you have pain?" Kate tries another question. She was only 5, what could possibly be wrong.

Kate only sees Alexis shake her head.

Ok, it wasn't something at school and she's not sick. "Did someone or something make you sad?"

And yet again all Alexis does is shake her head.

Kate was now at something of a loss, she just wasn't used to understanding children. Whatever it is, it has affected her deeply enough to keep her silent.

It looked like the sleep over was going to start early and for that Kate needed her bag that she left downstairs, so Kate started to get up to go get it.

Except Alexis latched onto Kate with a vice like grip and started shaking her head, blinking back tears.

"Alexis honey, if I'm going to spend the night with you I need my bag so I can change clothes. I'm only going to go downstairs and get it, and come right back." Kate tried to reason with her.

Except when Alexis looked up at Kate all Kate saw was tears. "Promise?" Alexis whispered out of so very softly.

"Yes, I promise. It'll only take me a minute. Vampires are really fast, maybe one day I'll take you for a piggyback ride and show you just how fast." Kate offers, actually getting a smile out of Alexis this time.

Rick was all over Kate the second she stepped out the door and closed it behind her. "Well? What did she say? …. Come on Kate you're killing me here." Maybe he shouldn't have let Kate go alone. Alexis was HIS daughter and not have left it to Kate.

"Alexis doesn't look or smell scared, however she is sad for some reason. I've barely gotten a word out of her. Whatever it is it's important to her." Kate tells him as they walk down the stairs.

"Maybe I should talk with her? I am her father." Rick didn't like not being able to help.

Kate shouldered her bag. "Rick do you trust me?" Kate searches his eyes.

"You're a vampire Kate, I trust you with our lives. Admittedly I'm still working on why I do, but I do. And so does Alexis, … I think." They hadn't discussed having Kate in their lives. Maybe that has something to do with this?

"Then leave her with me, I've got all night to find out what is going on. The second I know, you'll know. I promise." Kate gave Rick a quick kiss and jogged up the stairs.

Kate gave Rick a quick smile before she went back into Alexis's room and closed the door behind her.

Problem was, that left Rick downstairs with nothing to do while his daughter is up in her room, hurting. And that alone was hurting Rick.

Kate sat on the bed next to a sniffling Alexis and put an arm around her and held her close.

Kate didn't say a thing for some time, just sat there holding onto Alexis while occasionally kissing the top of her head. Eventually adding Kate's other arm so that Alexis was now practically sitting in Kate's lap.

The sniffling had stopped some time ago, however Kate never did let go of Alexis and Alexis made no attempt to get out of Kate's arms. "You ready to tell me what's wrong now?"

However all Kate got back was Alexis shaking her head. It got Kate to sigh, this was so unlike the little girl she thought she knew. Something was wrong, just didn't know what and Alexis wasn't yet willing to talk.

Rick meanwhile has been walking his apartment, feeling helpless and turning his stomach into knots worrying about what could possibly be wrong. Alexis had never done anything like this in the past.

Alexis was smart for her age, and Rick knew that. She just wasn't experience smart being only 5 years old. She didn't look hurt. Were there bruises under her clothes and she was ashamed out how they got there?

Yet Rick knew Alexis came to him for everything. He didn't judge and did everything he could to make things right.

Rick had gone up and down the stairs a number of times now. He wanted to knock on the door and find out what was going on, but he trusted Kate.

Then it hit him, why was it that Kate thought she could fix this? Alexis was his daughter!

Rick went up the stairs and this time he did knock lightly, very lightly.

It took a moment before Kate came out and closed the door behind her. "Anything?" The not knowing was eating Rick alive.

Kate shook her head and stood right in front of the door. "All my questions are met with silence. … At least she has stopped crying." Kate tells him.

Rick spun in place and walked over to the railing and grabbed it with his hands and leaned into it.

GOD, she has been crying!?

"I just want to know what's wrong with my little girl, so I can fix it. …. She hasn't said anything?" Rick twists his head to look at Kate, only to see her shake her head.

It got Rick to lean his head down onto the railing, now it was him that wanted to cry.

Kate was now conflicted, Alexis was hurting and her hurting was hurting Rick.

Kate stepped over to Rick and wrapped her arms around him. She was strong enough to hold him in place should he decide to make a break for the door now that she wasn't blocking it.

"Is she hurt, is there bruising under her clothes?" Rick asked.

Kate silently cursed to herself. Was that why she was quiet? She had been beaten and was ashamed about what happened? It hadn't occurred to Kate to look.

God Kate wished her mother was here to do this. Kate just wasn't any good at this. "Why don't you go start dinner, maybe we can convince her to eat something? I'm going to get her in the tub on the pretense of giving her a bath." Kate offered. It would give her an excuse to look Alexis over, completely.

Half an hour later and Alexis was out of the tub, dry and in clean clothes and lying on her bed wrapped up in Kate's arms.

Kate hadn't seen a thing, Alexis looked perfectly healthy and she smelled just like Alexis always does. In fact Kate had her nose buried in her hair and was breathing her in. She wasn't Rick, however Kate was learning to like her smell.

Being a vampire with excellent smell capabilities had proven useful in the past. Humans who were stressed gave off a particular odor when they were lying, and Kate had learned early to listen to her nose and not so much what someone said.

She could even on occasion smell when someone was sick. None of these described Alexis.

"How do you feel?" Kate tried again. Only to get Alexis to shrug her shoulders.

Kate buried her face into Alexis again and kissed her head. "PLEASE Alexis, you need to talk to me honey. This silent treatment is breaking my heart. I can't help you if you don't talk to me.

You've got your father worried too. Please, tell me what happened." Kate has had enough of this.

Meanwhile light years away from here:

William Sorenson was sitting in his office waiting for the two Hunters that he had summoned. Will was presently mad and in trouble.

He hadn't just lost 4 Hunters, but also 2 state of the art combat ships. Hunter ships weren't state of the art without reason.

They may only hold 2 men, but they had a recreation deck, a flight deck that held 2 Peregrines (fighters), real bedrooms each with its own bathroom, a lounge area, a real galley were they could cook meals, flight deck, engine room and even a medical bay. Complete with the latest EMH to heal Hunters that were injured in the performance of their job. Even a docking area where a small shuttle was attached. It was practically a house in space for 2 people.

Hunter ships didn't just grow on trees. Now he was waiting for two of his better men.

Tom Demming and Josh Davidson. Behind their backs they were known as a lot of things. The double D's, the dumb twins, dumb and dumber, Tweedledee and Tweedledum, Death and Destruction, just to name a few.

These two were always together, which led to scuttle but that they were also lovers (gay). Not that Will cared, so long as they did their jobs.

With Will being the section chief he was the one that got yelled at for the loss of 2 ships.

Tom and Josh were just outside the main doors leading into the complex. "Any idea on what flat face wants this time?" Tom asks his partner.

Josh however just shakes his head. "I have no idea what Mr. Boring wants this time. His timing however sucks." Josh was pissed. They had only just spent the last 15 teasing each other, slowly removing the others clothes, leaving both of them with raging boners.

They were both actually still hard, however that was going down slowly. Just that the pain of being interrupted was more than just mental.

"Well let's find out what Mr. Celibate wants this time." Tom offers and opens the door, getting Josh to start laughing. It was funny since they both knew there wasn't a man or woman on the planet that wasn't safe from Will Sorenson, since he was known to still be a virgin, with good reason.

Tom knocked and opened the door to enter Will's office. "Reporting as ordered sir."

"Sit down you two; we have a lot to go over." Will orders them, broaching no option of not doing as told.

After Tom and Josh sit. "We just lost 2 ships in the Sinus system." Will starts off with.

"Sinus system. … A mining colony if memory serves. A fairly large and established mining colony actually." Tom offers up.

"Correct, we got word that the Beckett's may have been on that moon. So two ships were dispatched to take care of them." Will tells them.

That got both of their attentions. Everyone was after the Beckett's. They had escaped being killed by several Hunters over the last roughly 15 years. Killing Hunters in their obvious escape this time was something new however.

"Who?" Josh asks.

"Ott and Christ." Will tells them, seeing both of their mouths fall open.

Ott and Christ were their closest competition to beating them in the number of vampires killed. The next group down wasn't even close.

While losing two of their best, it also meant they were a shoe in to win, and winning had its own reward.

"They both had rookies with them, and yes their deaths have been confirmed. Both of their ships were seen exploding on the mining screens as they watched their own space." Will confirms that they knew they were gone.

"I want you two in the Sinus system, yesterday. The Command Carrier Zelbinion is also in that system. She yours, put her to use. I want the Beckett's dead, do we understand each other?" Will growls out, because if they return without killing them, he'll have them castrated. Let's see them do each other after that.

Both Tom and Josh's eyes opened wide when told the Command Carrier Zelbinion was theirs to use.

50,000 crew plus a large number of Prowlers and Marauders at their disposal. The captain wasn't likely to enjoy having 2 Hunters take control of his carrier and be ordered around. Not that Tom or Josh cared.

A Command Carrier may be a powerful ship, but it was no match for 2 Hunter ships.

"Questions?" Will asks them. After getting both of them to shake their heads. "Good now get out of my office, and if you lose either your ship or that Command Carrier, I suggest you kill yourselves. Because you'll both end up on the Hunted list." Will warns them.

"Yes sir got it. The Beckett's are as good as dead." Josh tells him and they both exit and head for their ship.

It was time to start Hunting!