"Oh, morning Katie," Jim says as he staggers into the kitchen with his ice fishing gear. "Didn't think you would be up, since you're on West Coast time."

"I just wanted to get a head start on the day," Kate shrugs as she takes a sip from her coffee mug. She continues to read through her emails. Less than a day into her "vacation" and she already had dozens of messages sitting in her inbox.

"Yeah, well, I thought you were on vacation, what's the deal with the laptop?" Jim huffs.

"Lawyer vacation isn't actually vacation. Don't you remember that?" Kate sighs.

"Things were different in my day, I suppose," Jim offers. "Well, I'm gonna head to the lake for a while, see if the fish are biting."

"That your excuse to be drunk before noon?" Kate can't resist a snarky comment.

"I think you need some fresh air, Katie," Jim says. "Why don't you take a walk?" He slams the side door as he exits the kitchen and heads down the path to the lake.

Kate stares at her screen until her eyes glaze over. She won't admit it, but a walk did sounds pretty nice. Even with the trees reduced to bare branches, the snow transformed the rural Vermont landscape into a different kind of beautiful this time of year. Kate closes the laptop and grabs another layer of clothes for her walk. It wasn't too cold, but she was definitely going to need a coat. The New Yorker in her might have braved the temperatures that hovered just above freezing, but she's been in California for too long. She flips the light on to the small laundry room off the kitchen and opens the dryer, pulling out her coat, which looked good as new. No trace of Richard Rodgers or his bowl of chili anywhere.

And thank god for that, Kate thought.

She didn't know why she hadn't thought it possible, but it truly never crossed her mind that coming back here meant she'd have to see him again, too. She buttons her coat and buckles her boots, slides her phone into her pocket, and heads out the side door. Kate turns down the driveway and onto the path next to the road headed for town. It was a short drive, no more than 10 minutes, to the main square in town. Walking, it was half an hour or so, unless you're a pent up city girl in need of some stress relief, then it was 20 minutes flat. She'd made it to town so quickly, she had barely clocked the views she had passed on her way there.

Now what?

Her stomach rumbled. Taking a cathartic walk on nothing but a cup of coffee had some merits, but if she was going to make it back to the cabin, she should probably grab something to eat. She stands on the corner of the town square and orients herself in the direction of the bakery and café where the smell of fresh pastries made Kate's stomach yell out once more. She secures a croissant breakfast sandwich and a non-fat sugar-free vanilla latte (she's Kate Beckett, after all), and loops through the park to stretch out her walk home.

As she passed the frozen pond, she watches a family teaching their youngest daughter how to ice skate. A group of tween boys are pelting each other with snowballs in the flat field next to the playground, and a man and his young daughter laugh as they hike up the sled hill just to her left. The laugh of the man is wholesome, genuine, as the little girl's cheeks turn as red as her hair. Kate immediately recognizes them. It's Rick Rodgers and his daughter Alexis. She keeps walking, watching them from afar as their laughter fills the crisp air. It's enough to warm her cold heart, if she wasn't already thawed out by her piping hot latte. She finishes her walk back to the cabin and immediately logs back on to her laptop. As midday approaches, she hears her dad shuffling home from the lake.

"Ach, Katie, you're exactly where you were when I left!" Jim exclaims as he stumbles into the kitchen.

"I got coffee," Kate shrugs, picking up the empty to-go cup and shaking it, entering into evidence that she did not in fact sit in front of her laptop all day.

"Well, you should close that thing," Jim sighs. "I'm about to head over to Martha Rodgers's place to help her set up for the Christmas party tonight. Care to join me?"

"I'm good, I've got work to do," Kate says stoically.

"Katherine Beckett, I know that sounded like one, but it's not a request. You are coming with me," Jim says. "And put that damn laptop away!"

Jim storms off to change out of his fishing gear and returns dressed in a mild-mannered blue sweater and tan pants. "You ready?" He asks.

"Fine, but I'm bringing my laptop," Kate says.

"I'll take that as a win," Jim smirks. They both get into Kate's rental car and drive down the road to the magnificent Rodgers family country home.

"Oh, Katherine! It is just marvelous to see you, dear!" Martha exclaims when the Becketts enter the foyer. The red head throws her arms around Kate into a tight hug. Kate smiles widely at Martha's greeting. As much as she didn't care for her son, she'd always greatly admired the woman. "How long has it been?" Martha wonders. "I haven't seen you since you moved to California. And now you're a lawyer! Your father must be so proud."

Jim pastes a smile from ear to ear. "Her mother and I always dreamed she would be. Wish she would've known that she could be a lawyer in New York, but..."

Kate rolls her eyes loudly and turns to Martha. "Uh, speaking of being a lawyer, I have some work I need to get done. Is it okay if I set up my laptop somewhere?"

"Oh, of course dear," Martha says. "You know your way around, so grab a spot wherever you're comfortable."

Kate nods gracefully as she works into the study off the living room, one of the only quiet places in the otherwise elegantly decorated, increasingly raucous home. Aside from being a talented actress, Martha Rodgers was one hell of a party host, too. With the holiday party a few hours away, the catering staff and servers were starting to arrive. As much as Kate tried to focus on her work, the house was getting louder by the minute, and then the biggest distraction of all arrived at the door of the study.

"You better be watching porn on that laptop," Rick says as he saunters next to her at the desk.

"You are so childish," she replies without physically acknowledging his proximity.

"C'mon, Kate, I'm joking," Rick replies.

"I'm not."

"Sheesh!" Rick exclaims. "They suck your sense of humor right out of you in law school, huh?"

"Richard! Oh, Richard, there you are," Martha says from the doorway of the study with Jim at her hip. "The vendors are here, so I need you to go into town and pick up a few things from the local shops."

She pulls a list out of her pocket and holds it out for him. "Oh, but please, darling. Do not mess this up like you did last year."

"Mother, I promise, I will do exactly as this...now does this say gold wreaths or gold sheaths?" Rick says as he holds the list away from him and squints to pretend he can't read it.

"Oh, Richard! I'm better off sending Alexis the way you monkey around," Martha scolds. "Gosh, I need to find you a chaperone."

"Mom, mom, I got this–"

"Why doesn't Katie go with you?" Jim suggests.

"Yes! Oh, yes! That's a marvelous idea," Martha rejoices. "A woman of taste and truthworthiness!"

Kate stares just beyond her computer screen, mouth slightly ajar with bubbling anger at just being volun-told.

"You'll go with Rick, won't you Katie?" Jim asks. Martha looks at her with bright eyes, Rick with devious ones. Kate sighs. Rick's cheeks get redder with excitement and Kate's get redder with rage. She shuts her laptop, reaches out her hand for the shopping list, and scoffs.

"Fine."

a/n: sooo, if you couldn't tell, there's a...history.

I hope you're enjoying so far, hoping to update with a chapter a week, with probably ~10 chapters or so!