CH41

"So when is Oscar coming back here?" Kate asked during a silence about Rick's past. "Monday of next week actually. He just called to tell me and to arrange for someone to meet him and pick him up," Johanna replied. "I'm not sure where I'll be on Monday." Kate really didn't know what to do now. The sheriff was gone and she had helped to take him down, so what did she do now? "I'm going to go get him so you don't need to worry about it," Johanna informed her. "Just call me if you need me Mom. I guess we can wait until Oscar gets here to see how construction's going on the restaurant," Kate mentioned.

Watching Alexis yawn got Rick up. "Tired pumpkin? You do have school tomorrow and the two days following." He stroked her hair as Alexis rubbed her eyes sleepily. "Time to go home," he announced. "I'll be right back," Kate said and ran upstairs.

"Oscar really is the best. Are you happy with how things are going?" Rick asked Johanna. "I don't know what I'd do without him. I'm so sorry I went ballistic on you that day. It was wrong of me but I wasn't sure exactly what I wanted to do. We had just moved and left so many memories behind." She knew she shouldn't have blown up on him. Rick waved his hand slightly. "No, you were right, I shouldn't have made decisions without you. That was my fault. I really wanted to help and I knew someone who could do it so I went for it. I'm just glad you like him." He was very thankful that Oscar was working out for her.

Kate came jogging back into the living room carrying an overnight bag and a uniform on a hanger. "I'm driving myself since I'll need a ride into the sheriff's office tomorrow. I'll see you after work tomorrow Mom, or earlier depending on what happens. Gotta go. Love you." She hurried out before her mother could ask about what was going to happen.

"Hiding from your mother?" Rick teased. "If I stayed I might never get to sleep because she still has a gazillion questions," Kate said, defending her actions, besides she wanted to go home with him.

He opened the passenger door of his truck and lifted Alexis into her booster seat in the back seat then patted the floor. "Okay, up you two." He watched as the dogs jumped one by one up onto the floor before jumping up onto the back seat with her. Rick went with it since he didn't have to pick them up, too.

Kate immediately went up to the master bedroom, changed clothes, and came bounding down the stairs finding Rick and Alexis getting ready to watch a movie. "I'll be in the exercise room." She hadn't been over to use it in days and her mother was still cooking meals to die for. She was afraid she was putting on the pounds.

Rick and Alexis only made it to half way through their movie before Alexis fell asleep on her dad. He smiled, picked her up and carried her upstairs, then put her to bed. He went all the way downstairs to the exercise room where he found a sweaty Kate pounding the crap out of the bag. "Have you thought about what you're going to do tomorrow?" he inquired.

"I'm going into the office first. I have my incident report to fill out and I want to talk to the other deputies. I have an appointment to see the mayor after lunch. I may be the new rookie but I still have more law enforcement experience than anyone there. So I'm going to go in and take charge. Dahl has to be replaced so I'm going to run for county sheriff," she said, sharing her plans with him. "Finally someone who isn't on the take in charge of this county," he commented. "My main problem is the other deputies. A couple of them actually tried to stop us. I don't know if it was due to loyalty to the office or because they're in it with him," she told him.

"Yell if you need help," he said and went back upstairs to make her lunch for tomorrow followed by going out the front door. 'I'm going for a run. I'll be back in a couple of hours. Alexis is in bed,' he told her.

'Do you want some company?' She was almost done and tired but she would go with him if he wanted her to. 'I'm going to shift and run as a bear. You stay and keep working out,' he said. That was enough to get Kate to stop and run upstairs and over to the wall of windows in the living room as she watched Rick walk over to the tree line completely dressed. Moments after she lost sight of him she saw a really big bear running on all fours through the trees. It had been weeks since she had seen him as a bear and she wanted to see it again. Kate went back downstairs and began working out.

It was a couple of hours later and Kate was sitting in the living room reading when Rick walked back inside. "How was your run?" she asked him. "My bear is pleased. Buying this piece of land with all the trees was partly to make my bear happy, to have room enough to be able to go out and run," he replied. "So that was why your laptop kept beeping and showing a map where lights kept popping up in different places," she commented. "I'm sorry, I forgot to tell you about those. I got a friend to send me some sensors and I planted them around the perimeter of my property. I wanted to know if anyone entered my property and where it happened," he explained. "That also explains how you always met me out front with coffee and my lunch," Kate suddenly realized.

"Come on babe, it's late and we both need a shower." She stood, took his hand, and pulled him upstairs to their bedroom. She tugged at him all the way into the bathroom where she began shedding her clothes and eyeing Rick until he did the same. She turned on the shower and soon the water was nice and warm. Taking his hand, she dragged him into the shower with her. The bathroom was really bright thanks to all the lights, perfect for what she wanted to do.

Rick started to wrap his arms around her with the intent of kissing her. "Uh, uh. Turn around mister and hand me the soap." It brought a smile to his face thinking Kate was going to wash him so he did as she asked. She took the soap and brought her face really close to his back. She began soaping up his back, but she wasn't paying attention to washing him. She soon found what she was looking for and traced a finger along the scar. It was barely visible, but still she could see the ripple of white that showed where one slash used to be. As she traced it with a finger she found another and ran her finger over it. "Kate, what are you doing?" Rick started to turn around. "NO! Don't move." She wasn't done; now that she had started she was going to finish.

She tried to count the scars on his back but gave up counting when she reached the high twenties. She kneeled down and started running her finger over the white marks on his butt as well. By the time she reached there her tears were flowing freely. He hadn't just been beaten, he had been whipped mercilessly. Kate stood back up and placed both of her palms on his back. Her fingers touching, she ran them over a set of scars while winding them around his body and buried her face into his back.

She didn't resist letting him twist around to face her and didn't try to hide the tears or the hurt on her face. "That was years ago Kate." Rick used a finger to lift her face up so she could look at him. However the look he saw on her face broke his heart. She was crying heavily, the tears flowing down her face, her lower lip quivering. He used his thumbs to wipe away some of her tears only to have them replaced with new ones.

"They don't hurt Kate. I don't even know that they're there anymore," he told her then pulled her into a hug. She had placed her palms on his chest and got her hands trapped between them. She buried her face in his chest and let the power of his hug take away her pain. "He whipped you. He literally slashed your back until it bled," she said brokenly. She used a couple of fingers to wipe away a few of her tears as she calmed down. "Hush love, it's long since over now." He rubbed his hand in calming circles over her back.

'We will kill that thoughtless beast the next time we see him and I don't want to hear anything about it,' her dragon informed her. Either pleading or a statement, Kate wasn't sure, but she didn't disagree.

Finally clean, she fell asleep still wrapped up in Rick's arms, yet feeling a lot of pain for what he had gone through. The power of his hugs barely helped.

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Rick woke up suddenly after a particularly vivid dream of Kate licking, kissing, and sucking his erection, only to find her doing just that. His running his hand through her hair told her that he was awake. She squeezed the base of his erection to prevent his orgasm which allowed her to climb up his body and place the head of his erection at her entrance. This time she was the one to rub it along her lips while listening to him moan.

Finally she slowly lowered herself down onto him until he was buried deep inside. She had stretched to accommodate his size and was soon bouncing up and down, slamming him inside her while rising up until he was almost out of her before burying him deep inside her again. Kate leaned down to kiss him while grinding herself on his erection. "I'm so close, so very close. Come for me baby. I want to feel you fill me with your come." She kissed him, bit his lower lip pulling it out a little, then screamed when they both climaxed. She looked in his eyes while her head felt like it was exploding. She collapsed, lying on Rick trying to recover with him still inside her. "I'm not sure I'm going to survive these orgasms," she whispered into his ear, which only got him to chuckle.

The next morning Kate was in her uniform and in her Jeep with Rick standing by her car door. "Alexis has school today, tomorrow, and the next day but is off the last two. Feel like going on another road trip? Just the three of us?" he asked her. "I can't think of anything I would like more." She met him half way for a kiss. "I'll let you know how things are going," she told him before driving off.

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Kate drove to the sheriff's office. She stopped outside and just sat there for a minute. She thought she was either going to have to pull her weapon to defend herself or that they were going to ignore her completely. She finally got out of her Jeep and went inside. What surprised her was the fact that the place felt so empty. "Beckett!" the closest deputy greeted her while the only other two deputies that were there waved since they were both on the phone. In addition there were two civilians that did the office work and manned the 911 line. "Where is everyone? Or is it always like this?" Kate had been continually out on the road and not in the office so she had no idea. "The other three deputies are the Sheriff's men. If their noses were any browner it would stink in here 24 hours a day. I'm guessing they're all at his place coming up with a plan," he answered her.

"So who's out on the road?" she wondered out loud. Who was out there keeping people safe? "Only Wayne, Quinn volunteered for the night shift. Wayne got a call just before you came in which will likely leave him out of the office for the rest of the day. So it's just you, me, and the office staff," he told her. "Oh, and Melissa called in sick. Well, technically it's her son that's sick, but since she and her husband both work she's taking the day off to be with him."

"How old is he?" Kate asked. "He's seven, why?" He didn't see how his age was important. "It means he's in elementary school and probably shared his germs meaning Alexis may end up sick soon as well." She was really hoping Alexis wouldn't be sick during their vacation on her days off.

'Can Alexis get sick?' Kate asked him out of the blue, not explaining herself. 'Come again?' Rick didn't understand. Did she want Alexis sick? What was he thinking! Of course she didn't. She loved Alexis. 'One of the kids in school is sick which means the other kids will get sick,' Kate explained. 'Oh! The answer is yes, she can just like any other little kid.' Just because she was also a bear didn't stop colds and other things as Rick had already found out. 'Could she spend her time at home as a bear? Would that help keep her from getting sick?' she asked him. However Rick didn't answer her right away. 'Babe?'

'Alexis has never spent any time as a bear. Her bear's immune system should help her a lot though. I can try to get her to shift into her bear after school.' It had never been an option for her before now. 'Play bear games with her,' she suggested. 'Gotta go. I don't think there's anyone in charge here!'

"I have a meeting with the mayor after lunch. Something needs to be done. I still have to finish my incident report and will probably have to give it to the mayor. Now who's in charge?" Kate asked him. "We were thinking you are. Harris has the most seniority but he's out at the sheriff's house. You used to be a detective with the NYPD. That puts you way ahead of us in terms of experience," he told her. "But not local experience. I don't know that much of what happens in the county other than what I ran across while patrolling," she mentioned. "We'll take the roads if you'll stay here," he responded. "Fine. Please don't go anywhere until I get back from my meeting with the mayor," Kate told him and sat at the desk she had been using last time to finish her paperwork.

It was hours later and the alarm on her cell phone sounded. She had just gotten off the office phone with a citizen that had a question. Not a problem, a question. Working in a county in the State of Wyoming was definitely different from New York. "I'm headed out for my meeting. DO NOT LEAVE THE OFFICE EMPTY. I want at least one deputy in the office at all times and find out if Melissa thinks if she will be back in the office tomorrow or if she'll need more time off, please." Kate gathered up her equipment, her car keys, and left.

She was driving when her cell phone vibrated. "Beckett." She didn't look at the caller ID since her eyes were on the road. "KATE! How are things in little town Wyoming?" a friendly voice asked her. "LANIE! It's so good to hear from you!" She was elated considering what she was about to do. "What's wrong girlfriend?" Lanie had never heard her sound like that before. "I'm about to find out whether I keep my job or not. Our local sheriff is dirty and has been arrested," she told Lanie. "How does his being dirty and arrested affect you?" Lanie didn't understand that part. "I was part of the team that arrested him." Kate scrunched up her face. So that's what Lanie heard. Kate sounded tired and just a little bit guilty. "If you arrested him Kate then he must be dirty. What are all their names; I'll have the guys look them up for you," Lanie offered up Espo and Ryan immediately. "That's not necessary Lanie, I've already got enough on him to put him away. Thanks though."

"If you say so. Actually I was calling with good news. The guys asked Montgomery for some time off and I asked my supervisor. I got the week but the guys only got 3 days. We're going to take that time and fly out to spend time with you. You can show us what's so special about nowhere Wyoming. We already have our airline tickets, hotel reservations, and a car rental. Oh, and Kevin is bringing a pregnant Jenny with him," Lanie informed her. "PREGNANT? Really? I'm so happy for those two and you can cancel your hotel reservations. Rick has a spare bedroom and so do Mom and I," she said.

"We're not…" Kate interrupted her. "I don't want to hear it Lanie, you're staying with us and that's final." She absolutely wasn't taking no for an answer. "So you and this Rick again. Just how special is he?" Lanie knew something was going on. "He's a nice neighbor," she deflected. "Nice neighbor my ass, girlfriend. If you're offering up his house for us to stay in he's a lot more than a nice neighbor. Please tell me you two have finally gotten together," Lanie begged her.

"I've arrived for my meeting with the mayor Lanie, I have to go." She was telling a white lie since she hadn't actually parked yet. "Send me the details and I'll have your rooms ready for you," she said. "This is so not over Kate Beckett. You can't hide Rick from me forever." Lanie talked fast before Kate could hang up on her. "Gotta go Lanie, bye." And she hung up on her and parked her jeep.

Lanie's call left Kate even more rattled than she already had been. She was about to have a meeting with the mayor about her future. AND her best friends were coming out to see her and wanted to find out about her relationship with Rick and Alexis! She had no illusions about how that meeting would work out. 'We need to talk when I get home babe,' she told Rick. 'Why does that sound like bad news?'he replied. 'I just found my friends from New York are flying out soon for a visit and we need to talk,' she warned him. 'That's great! I'll get to meet your friends and ask them embarrassing questions about you!' he said gleefully. Kate leaned her head against her steering wheel and groaned. The day couldn't get any worse could it? 'I'll have the spare bedroom ready for them,' he told her. That got her to sit up straight. He just automatically assumed that they would be staying with them and she would be staying with him in their bedroom. She shook her head to clear it; she had a meeting about her future to attend and needed to focus on that.

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Rick was driving Alexis home from school. "How was school?" he asked her noticing she barely seemed able to control herself. "School is almost over Dad and we can go camping soon!" Alexis exclaimed. "With your friends from school you mean." He got to the point. "P-L-E-A-S-E!?" she begged him. "I already said yes Alexis, we just need permission from their parents," he reminded her again, only to watch her open her little backpack for school. She pulled out four pieces of paper and tried handing them to her dad. "Just hang onto those pumpkin and I'll look at them when we get home," he informed her. He watched her lose some of her enthusiasm as she stuffed them back into her bag. "I'm driving pumpkin; I can't read them and drive at the same time," he told her, trying to make her feel better. "Sorry Dad." Alexis hadn't thought of that. "I do have a surprise for you tonight though," he offered while taking a peek at her to see her smile again.

He walked her inside through the garage. "I want you to go upstairs and get undressed," he told her, which got Alexis to look at him funny. "I want you to shift into your bear and the two of us are going to play bear games until Kate gets home," he said trying to sound excited. "Are you playing too?" Alexis was still uncomfortable with being a bear even though she was feeling better about not being a monster. "Of course! I'm the daddy bear and you're the baby bear! We're going to go outside and be bears until Kate comes home. Now go to your room, get undressed, and come back down here as a bear and we'll get going," he told her and watched his little girl run for the stairs leaving him feeling so much better.

Rick used the bathroom downstairs to undress after opening the doors that still had plywood where there used to be windows. The glass was scheduled to be installed in about a week if everything went according to plan.

He shifted; Rick was a huge bear weighing over a ton. He patiently waited while he watched a tentative little bear come down the stairs on all fours. The sight of her had him crying inside; his little girl looked so cute as a bear. He sat on his ass and held out his arms until Alexis was in them. It allowed him to hug her and take away her fears. He stuffed his nose into her fur and snuffled her causing her to wiggle. He let go of her, got back up, and walked outside. The sun was going to be up for at least another 3 hours. When he looked back Alexis was right behind him so he took off running for the trees while she ran for all she was worth to keep up.