Vampire
Chapter 8
After breakfast, Kate and Alexis headed out to find a photographer. The third one was also unavailable. Then they saw the sign for another one. She was available on the day and was affordable! With that taken care of, they went home. When they got there, they realized Rick wasn't there. "Where is he?" Kate asked, not expecting an answer.
He finally showed up an hour later. "Where have you been? You didn't even leave a note, Rick!"
"I got my hands on the Atto Notorio and found out where we take it." Rick was proud of himself.
"You did? That's great!" Kate kissed him for it. "We found a photographer who's available, and we can afford her."
"That's good because we need the money. You're right," Rick admitted. "We need the money from my book. We've been spending too much money and not bringing any in."
"I don't like telling you I told you so, but I will. I told you so,Richard Castle."
"Anyway, the sooner Gina sends the corrections, the faster I'll get paid." Rick didn't say anything else for a minute and just stared at her. "Are you sure you're ready to get married?"
"I'm ready." And Kate kissed him.
"In two weeks, we'll be gone. It'll take longer than that for these Hunters to find you here. Please try to relax, Kate."
She shook her head. "I'll never relax. It's how I've stayed alive this long."
~oo0oo~
Kate and Alexis went to the bridal shop to pick up her wedding dress. It was finished and waiting for her, and Kate thanked everyone for their hard work.
They returned to the Sara, where they got Kate ready to marry Rick. Kate did her hair and makeup and put on her dress with help from Alexis. Alexis stepped back and looked at her. "You're gorgeous, Kate, absolutely gorgeous!"
"Thank you, Alexis. I feel funny."
"It's just nerves. You're about to get married. Now I need to go put on my dress and check on Dad. Don't go anywhere. And whatever you do, do not cry." Alexis hurried off to get changed.
She came back about twenty minutes later. "Kate, you can come out now." Alexis watched her exit her bedroom and escorted her upstairs to the Main Deck, where they saw Rick, clad in a tuxedo, waiting for his bride.
"Hi, handsome."
Rick looked her over from head to toe. "You take my breath away, Kate."
Kate actually blushed. "Thank you. You don't look so bad yourself." She liked what she saw.
"Come on, we need a taxi to get to the wedding site." Alexis guided both of them to the dock and into the taxi.
~oo0oo~
The ceremony was simple. It was only the three Americans: Alexis and the soon-to-be-wed couple. It was a small wedding, but it was very special to them.
Katherine and Richard said their I-dos, kissed, and they were married. Then they moved to cut the cake together and kept the top layer. They would put it in the freezer for their first wedding anniversary. At least Rick could have some of it then.
Rick was holding her. "We did it, Mrs. Castle."
"Yes, we did, Mr. Castle. I feel strange. I've never been married before."
"You'll get used to it, Mrs. Castle."
Kate tried it out for herself. "Mrs. Castle." She realized that she liked it.
They went home, where Kate took off her wedding dress, put it back in the plastic bag for safety, and got dressed. This time, she chose to wear one of her sundresses.
Alexis did the same, and so did Rick. He put his tux in plastic to save it for later and got dressed. They met each other on the Main Deck. "What do we do now?" Rick asked.
"We go play miniature golf, what else," Alexis told them, so they did that at Coral Cay Adventure Golf. It was eighteen holes of miniature golf, and Kate wiped the floor with them both. It was her vampire ability that did it.
"I think we got played," Rick complained.
Alexis was with him. "Played, most definitely." Kate just grinned at both of them.
They couldn't think or agree on anything else to do, so they did nothing for the last week they were there. The only exception was the sex between Rick and Kate on their wedding night.
So it was on to Athens. It was going to take them two weeks to reach it. They filled their fresh water tank and pumped out their waste tanks. They went grocery shopping on another day and persuaded Kate to go with them. They needed her to help carry part of they had bought.
~oo0oo~
Kate caught Rick in their bedroom, sitting at the computer. "Whatcha doing?"
"Gina sentthose changes, and I'm working on them. The sooner I finish, the sooner I get paid."
"How much are we talking about again?"
"Two million dollars." Rick heard Kate whistle. She thought that was a lot of money.
"Good, I'll leave you to it then." Kate kissed his cheek and left him. She headed for the Fly Deck, where she saw Alexis sitting there.
Alexis looked up at her. "We've got a problem."
"What kind of problem would that be?"
"A big problem – a generator problem. I'm hoping there will be someone in Athens who can fix it."
"A hydrogen generator problem?"
Alexis nodded. "Fortunately, at the moment, we're on sails and have enough hydrogen stored for motors when we get there, but it's going to be a problem."
"It was bound to happen sometime," Kate said. "Oh, and before I forget, Rick is working on the changes Gina sent him. When he finishes, he'll get paid. It's two million dollars." Kate still thought that was a lot.
"Sounds about right." Alexis was used to her dad making lots of money. How else could they afford the boat?
"It sounds like a lot of money to me, Alexis."
"No, it's pretty much standard for Dad. How else would he be able to afford this boat? It cost him millions."
"All because he didn't want you to hear whispers about him being a playboy. He's a good man." Kate was thankful she married a good man.
Alexis agreed wholeheartedly with her. "Yeah,he is."
~oo0oo~
It took Rick a week to make the changes, but he was out of range to send them back to Gina, unfortunately. He was going to have to wait until they were in Athens. Alexis told him about the generator problem, but he wasn't too worried. Athens was a big city.
The Athens Marina had space for them, and while they were slowly making their way to their berth, they spotted another trimaran already tied there. It wasn't as large as the Sara, thoughit was a trimaran still.
Rick made the call and told them where to find him and his boat. They told him it would take them four weeks to reach them. Rick said that was fine. Then they told him what it would cost. He told them that was fine as well.
"I found someone in Austria who can work on the generator. It will take them four weeks to get here, and don't ask me what it costs."
But Kate didn't listen. "How much does it cost?"
"I just told you not to ask me. Be happy there's someone local. The next closest place is in England. Be grateful they're coming at all."
Kate asked again. "How much does it cost, Rick?"
"It's a lot, and that's all you need to know. Thankfully, now that we're in Athens, I can send the chapters back to Gina and get paid."
Kate wanted to ask him how much it cost again, but she hesitated. She was thankful that they were coming from Austria. Two million dollars was a whole lot of money, though. She wanted to know what the cost would be.
~oo0oo~
The first thing they didwas take a taxi to a local grocery store, the ΚΡΗΤΙΚΟΣ Supermarket. They shopped by looking at pictures on the items. Thankfully the meat was easy enough. It was all in Greek, which was Greek to them. Kate went with them since they needed her to help carry bags back to their boat.
Kate was in bed with Rick; they had just finished making love to each other. "Rick, how much did it cost?" Kate really wanted to know. "I'm your wife; I should know."
Rick sighed; he finally gave in and told her. "It cost one hundred twenty-four thousand."
Kate sat up. "One hundred twenty-four thousand dollars!?" Had she heard him correctly?
Rick corrected her. "It's ineuros, not dollars."
"Rick, babe, that's, that's...I don't know how much that is, but that's too much." Kate couldn't convert euros into dollars in her head.
"It covers the private jet, a hotel, the rental car, and however many men show up."
"Private jet?" Did they
really have to travel that way?
"They explained that they couldn't take the parts they might need on a commercial flight, hence a private jet." Rick studied her. "Still mad?"
"I'm not mad, only surprised, is all. 124,000." Kate settled back on the bed and laid her head on his chest.
"It was either them or we go to England next, and that's a long way away. We would have to stop at marinas all along the way."
"I suppose when you put it that way, but 124,000 euros, Rick?" She shook her head. "That strikes me as a whole heck of a lot."
"It is a lot," he agreed, "but if we want the hydrogen generator repaired, we'll have to pay for it. Just be thankful we don't have to pull the boat out of the water. If we had to do that, we would have to return to Barcelona."
Kate reached down to take him in her hand and began massaging it. "Are you interested in another round, babe?"
"Always." Rick watched as Kate got on top of him and lowered herself down on him.
~oo0oo~
Two days later, they took the Athens Half Day Tour, saw the Acropolis and Parthenon, the Temple of Olympian Zeus, and Temple of Hephaestus.
"That was cool, Dad," Alexis told him once they were back on the boat.
"It was, wasn't it."
The Greek Small-Group Athens Cooking Class & Dinner was a couple of days later, and Rick and Alexis planned to attend. But Alexis felt bad about leaving Kate by herself on the Sara. "You're sure you don't mind?"
"Yes, I'm sure. Go and have fun cooking. I'll be fine."
"All right." Alexis hug
ged her and left with her dad.
Forty-eight hours later they attended the Athens Bike Tour: E-Bike or Regular Bike + Optional Acropolis Visit. All three of them chose a regular bike. Kate didn't have an issue with it, nor did Alexis.
"I should have chosen an E-Bike," Rick panted once he returned to where they started.
"You need to work out more, babe."
A couple of days later was Corinth, Cave of Lakes, Odontotos Railway Private Tour with Greek Lunch Included.
Only a few days after that,Rick and Kate took a taxi to the General State Hospital of Nikaia "Saint Panteleimon" in Nikea, Greece. "I'll wait here." Rick kissed her. "Good luck." He was beginning to get used to her being alone in a hospital, though he still worried. He waited to see if the cops showed up or if anyone in the hospital came running. That was until he saw her walking toward him with her bag in her hand, and he relaxed.
They were outside waiting for a taxi. "How did it go?"
"I was able to get six bags. I could have gotten more, but I didn't want to chance getting caught."
"I'm just glad that you're all right, Kate."
Alexis was all over them once they got back. "I got six bags."
"And you had no trouble?" Alexis had worried about her the whole time they were gone.
"Nope, it was a piece of cake." Kate went down to the kitchen and put her bags in the refrigerator.
~oo0oo~
Kate stood in front of the mirror, turning from side to side. She could see the baby bump now. There was no hiding it any longer. It just became real, and she was fine with that.
"KATE!?" Alexis called out to her.
"In here," she replied, and in walked Alexis.
"What are you doing?" Alexis didn't get it.
"Just looking at my baby bump. There's no hiding it now. I'm pregnant." Kate showedAlexis her baby bump.
Alexis didn't hesitate this time and ran her hand over her belly. "Nope,you can't hide it. You're definitely pregnant. How do you feel?"
"I'm actually happy. I don't know why, but I'm happy. Is that weird?"
"Maybe a little, but that's good. I'm happy that you're happy, Kate. The reason I came down was to find out if you know how much the hydrogen generator repair will cost. Any idea?"
"Yes, I do know. I finally dragged it out of Rick. It's going to cost 124,000." Kate watched as Alexis' mouth fell open.
"One hundred twenty-four thousand euros! You're serious?"
"Yep The way Rick explained, it's paying for a private jet, hotel, rental car, and however many men show up. And before you ask, they're flying a private jet because they couldn't bring the parts they might need on a commercial airline."
"I guess I can see needing the private jet, but 124,000? That's a lot of money. Though I presumeDad can afford it, provided he gets paid for the latest book."
"I asked him about that too, Alexis. He was paid two days ago, a cool two million dollars."
"I suppose 124,000 out of $2,000,000 doesn't sound so bad," Alexis observed. "We're going to need a fair amount of money to get ready for your baby, more than I care to think about right now. Do you plan to breastfeed?"
"I have no idea whether I can breastfeed. I don't think I can produce milk. She, or he, will have to bite me."
"We'll figure it out. MOM!"
Kate glared at her. "Alexis!"
"You better get used to it because eventually, you'll be hearing it a lot. MOMMY!"
"Fine, you can call me mom – from time to time. Just don't overuse it."
"I won't, MOM." Alexis to ok off and ran for it.
"You better run," Kate called after her. She went back to looking at her baby bump in the mirror.
~oo0oo~
Rick got a call that the men he hired were an hour out. So he stood at the gate waiting to let them in andgreeted them shortly after they landed. "Welcome, it's good to see you all."
"Are you Richard Castle?" It was the tallest man who asked; his name was Edmund Frazier.
"I am. Please follow me. I'm glad you're here."
"We're glad to be here," a younger man stated. He shook Rick's hand. "I'm Jesse Williams. It's good to meet you." He looked around. "Athens, huh?"
"It's a beautiful city full of history, and it's where the system broke down." Rick took them to the boat and down to the hydrogen generator. He stood to one side. "Here's the system."
"We'll take a look." This time, it was the redhead, Donal MacNeal, who spoke. There were three men ready to tackle the problem.
"I'll leave you to it. I'll be on the Main Deck if you have any questions." Rick left them to get started.
He saw Alexis after he boarded the Sara. "The repairmen are here."
"Good, let's hope they can fix it since returning to Miami is out of the question." Alexis wanted it taken care of as soon as possible.
"That would be bad, all right. Hopefully, it won't come to that." Rick sat down and waited. Kate joined him after two hours.
"It must be bad if it's taking this long," Kate remarked after four hours.
Just then, MacNeal showed up. "There's a part I need, Mr. Castle. I know where to go and I shouldn't be gone too long."
"Here's the key to let you through the Security gate." Rick handed him his key and watched him leave.
MacNeal returned about 45 minutes later carrying a bag filled with parts. He gave Rick's security key back to him and went down to join his friends.
It was four and a half hours later when all three of them came up. "You're all set, Mr. Castle," Frasier told him. "We tested it, and it's working fine."
"Alexis, test the system," Rick yelled upstairs to the Fly Deck.
It wasn't long before Alexis yelled, "It works, Dad!"
Rick shook each man's hand. "Thank you. I appreciate your hard work and that you got here as soon as you could." He paid the bill and watched the three men leave.
Alexis came down to join them. "Sara says it's working fine. With any luck, it will last longer than that last one did."
"Knock on wood." Rick knock
ed on his own head, getting Kate to grin since she found it funny. He checked the clock. "It's past time for me to start on dinner." Rick kissed Kate and hurried toward the kitchen.
"I think I'll join him. I need a cup of blood."
"If either you or Dad needs me, I'll be on the Fly Deck."
Kate went down and squirted out a cup of blood and put it in the microwave. She watched as Rick came to her and put his arms around her. She automatically slipped her arms around his neck.
"Hi, husband." Kate found herself being kissed very thoroughly. She kissed him back, naturally. Then,Kate heard the microwave ding and stepped out of his arms to drink her blood. She stood there sipping it while watching Rick work. "Whatcha making? Not that I'll know what it is."
"Individual chicken pot pies. I've made them before, and Alexis loves them. They're pretty good."
Kate hummed her response and watched him as he put those pot pies together. She ran her finger to get every last ruby red drop and sat the cup in the sink. "I'm done with my dinner." Kate kissed him and left.
"That's right, drink your blood and run away," Rick called after her.
Kate stopped right there, turned around, and returned to the kitchen. "I'll watch you work for a while."
"So, how is your baby bump?"
"I can't hide it any longer. Soon you'll be able to tell I'm pregnant."
"We're going to need so much. Diapers, bottles, and formula, to name an exceedinglysmall part of the list. Unless you plan to breastfeed. Are you?"
"I don't think I can breastfeed. My breasts don't need to create milk. The baby will have to bite me to get the blood it needs."
"We can't put the blood in a bottle and feed him that way?"
"I suppose, but I don't know for sure. She'll be half human and half vampire. I don't know what she'll need."
"She?"
"Yes, Rick,she.It's my baby, and they will be a girl."
He bristled a little at hearing Kate say that. "I had something to do with it, and I say it's going to be a boy!"
"Maybe both," Kate teased him.
Rick blinked. "Is that even possible? Oh, I get it. You're teasing me. Very funny, Kate."
Kate smiled at him sweetly. "I thought so."