Rick stayed with her as long as possible that morning, dreading the inevitable goodbye more than usual. They shared a cab to a little café in Alphabet City where he bought her a latte and a pastry. Then, he walked her the two blocks to the precinct. Across the road from the building's entrance was where they finally parted ways. He kissed her lips, so soft and tender, and then he watched as she disappeared into the brown-bricked building with little more than a smile and a wave in his direction.

She had seen the questions in his eyes, the desperate need to know exactly what was on her mind, but he respected her boundaries. He didn't push. And he hadn't pushed her in the days that had passed since. They hadn't talked about any of it: not Pulgatti, not Rick's novel, not her mother or the unsolved case that now haunted them both. No, she couldn't talk about any of that.

Another thing they hadn't talked about was the change between them that took place that night. To anyone else it was probably unnoticeable but, to them, there had been this undeniable shift. It was almost as if they were bound together by this experience. She had opened up to him in a way she hadn't with anyone else; let him in, let him see her at her most vulnerable. Not only that, she had allowed herself to need him. And he didn't let her down. He was there for her, supported her, cared for her. All without pushing for more than she could give him.

He never wanted anything in return; nothing more than just her.

The connection they had shared beforehand already had her questioning everything she thought she had known about fate, and soulmates, and happily ever after. But now... now she was certain that this man was it for her. Their souls were intertwined; he would forever be a part of her.

The thought filled her heart with warmth.

And fear.

But mostly warmth.

It had been over a week since she had (almost certainly) uttered those three little words to him. She hadn't managed to say it again since. She wasn't sure why; she felt it so deeply, yet the words always seemed to get caught in her throat. Rick hadn't said anything, though. He didn't make her feel bad about her inability to vocalise what was so obvious. Each time she stuttered and stumbled over the words, he would just smile like he knew exactly what she wanted to say, like he had no doubt - even without the words - about how she felt. Each time, he would hold her face in his hands and kiss her like he didn't care if she never actually said those words aloud again.

He just kissed her until the rest of the world melted away, until nothing else mattered: just them.

It was just past noon when her phone vibrated in her pocket. She had been staring at her computer screen with a frown on her face, struggling to focus long enough to finish filling out paperwork, when the welcomed distraction so easily garnered her attention.

She pulled her phone from her pocket and smiled as soon as she saw Rick's name.

How's work?

He'd told her he would be pretty busy this week with his writing so they hadn't been able to see each other as much as they would have liked to. Still, he checked in with her every day, whenever he had a chance.

I thought finally being medically cleared would get me out of the precinct a little more. It hasn't. I've been filling out forms for three hours now and I'm pretty sure I'm going cross-eyed. How is the writing coming along?

His reply was almost instant.

Splendidly.

She laughed quietly to herself. She knew his tone, even over a text, and could tell from that one simple word that his writing was not coming along splendidly. Before she could type out a response, another message came through.

You get a break soon, right?

An hour for lunch. I can take it whenever I'm ready.

She stared at her phone, watched the three little dots at the bottom of her screen as she awaited his reply. They disappeared and the message she had been hoping for popped onto her screen.

Feel like some company?

Meet me at Remy's in half an hour?

See you there :)

She pocketed her phone and looked up from her screen only to find the boys sitting (not even attempting to look busy) and watching her with smug grins plastered on their faces.

"What?" she asked defensively.

"You texting your boyfriend?" Ryan teased in a sing-song tone.

Esposito chuckled, seeming all too pleased with the teasing, and God she hated that it made her smile.

She felt like she was sixteen again; all giddy and smiley just at the mention of her boyfriend. Even at sixteen she would have had the self-respect to at least try to hide it a little bit. But she couldn't help herself; she didn't want to hide anything.

She rolled her eyes. "Like you can talk! I see the way your eyes light up when Jenny calls."

Ryan blushed.

"You're both pathetic," Espo grumbled. "What happened to miserable, brooding Beckett?"

Kate looked at him, defiance in her eyes. She could spill so many of her colleague's secrets right now: the way he showers Lanie with affection when no one else is looking; the I miss you already's that he would whisper each morning as they would part ways; the fact that he loved to be the little spoon to Lanie's big spoon. Kate had witnessed first hand just how pathetic Esposito could be when he was in love.

However, she decided to play nice. She'd let him keep his secrets, protect his macho reputation.

"She disappeared around the same time I stopped practically living with you." A satisfied smirk spread across her face at Esposito's shocked expression. "I'm sure that's just a coincidence," she added sarcastically.

Ryan didn't try to hide his amusement as he looked at his partner, eyes lit up like a kid on Christmas morning.

Esposito didn't retaliate.

A file dropped to Kate's desk pulled her attention away from the boys. She turned to find Captain Montgomery staring down at her.

"You sure you're all good?" he asked, both concern and frustration evident in his voice.

"Yes, Sir."

He tilted his head toward the file he had dropped on her desk.

"You got a floater," he stated bluntly. "Discretion on this one is of the utmost importance," he advised before turning to head back to his office.

As she, Esposito and Ryan made their way toward the elevator, she pulled out her phone.

I don't know if you're a curse or my good luck charm. It seems all I needed to land a case was to make plans with you.

The elevator and parking garage were reception dead-zones, so she wasn't surprised that her phone didn't go off again until they had cleared the building. She didn't check the message until they had arrived at the marina.

Simultaneously happy and devastated to have been of service to you. Good luck catching your bad guy.

Can I make it up to you with dinner tonight? I should still be able to get out of here on time.

I look forward to it. Just let me know if something else comes up.

It was late, nothing was adding up and she honestly just wanted to go home and crawl into bed.

With Esposito to her left and Ryan to her right, the three of them stared at the murder board as if they could intimidate it into giving them some clue that would crack this case wide open. It may have been delirium, but she could have sworn it was smirking back at them, taunting them. She'd never wanted to slap the smugness from an inanimate object before. Thankfully, her phone rang before she had the chance to do something really stupid.

"Beckett," she answered without so much as a cursory glance at the caller ID.

"Hey."

The voice drained the anger and frustration from her body and she jumped up from where she had been sitting on the edge of her desk.

"I know we never specified where home is, but I had assumed you were talking about your apartment."

"Rick, I'm so sorry."

"Did you have some other home that I don't know about?" he asked, a hint of humour in his voice.

She knew he was trying to assuage her guilt but one look at her watch was enough to ramp it up even more. 8:26pm.

"How long have you been waiting?"

"It doesn't matter," he insisted.

"It does." Kate sighed. "I got caught up in the case and lost track of time. I'm so sorry."

"It's okay, I understand." There was a slight hesitation before he asked, "Do you want to reschedule?"

"No," she said definitively. She hadn't seen him since Sunday and, even though that was only three days ago, it felt like forever had passed in that time. "I'm leaving now. Give me, like, twenty minutes?"

"Don't rush," he said, firm but sweet. "Drive safe. I'll see you soon."

She tucked her phone into her pocket and grabbed her jacket from the back of her chair, then looked at the boys.

"Go home," she instructed and they both nodded. "I don't think that security footage will be here until morning, anyway."

"They have my number," Ryan reminded her. "Said they'd call once they send it through, so I got it covered anyway."

She smiled her appreciation. "But you'll call if you need help," she said.

Ryan smiled and nodded. "I will call," he said. He waited until she was walking away to add a hushed, "Esposito," to the promise.

She flashed a grin over her shoulder. "See you both in the morning."

She, thankfully, managed to hail a cab fairly quickly.

She was only about five minutes away from home when she received another text from Rick.

Fate is really not on our side tonight. Gotta bail, Alexis in crisis. I really don't remember my teenage years being so intense. Actually, scratch that... they were.

Kate sighed and hung her head back against the seat. She had been really looking forward to seeing him.

I imagine your teenage years were full of trouble! I hope Alexis is okay.

As the cab pulled up outside of her building, she tucked her phone away, paid her fair and headed inside.

"Good evening, Miss Beckett," Teddy greeted as he opened the door for her.

She smiled politely, but rolled her eyes. She had told the man to call her Kate a dozen times before finally accepting that it simply wouldn't happen. The older man was lovely, and she knew that he meant no offense by denying her request for a less formal greeting, but it still felt odd being referred to as Miss Beckett by someone she interacted with on a daily basis.

"Good evening, Theodore," she replied pointedly. She couldn't resist.

She had eaten, showered and readied herself for bed by the time she received another text from Rick. She had just tucked herself into bed with a book when, out of the corner of her eye, she saw her phone light up on her bedside table. With a smile, she picked it up.

I assure you, I was a perfect angel as a teenager. She rolled her eyes, then continued to read. Alexis will be okay. Nothing that ice cream and Monkey-Bunkey can't fix.

Her thumbs tapped away at her phone's keypad; she couldn't type quick enough.

Ah, the road kill.

You remembered!

She abandoned her book, tossed it back onto her nightstand in favour of talking to Rick.

Of course I remember. My imagination has created some pretty horrific ideas of what a Monkey-Bunkey is! Your answer didn't exactly give me any clarity.

Three little dots appeared at the bottom of her screen, then disappeared. She waited for their reappearance, but it didn't come.

She opened her book again, tried to read while she waited for his reply to come but she just couldn't focus on the words. She reread the first paragraph for a third time before her phone lit up and the book was, once again, hastily discarded.

Alexis might actually kill me if I told you about him.

She began to type out her response but another message came through before she could send it.

Completely unrelated, though: have I ever shown you my favourite photo of Alexis and I?

The text was accompanied by an image of a much younger looking Rick asleep on the couch with a tiny (and also fast asleep) toddler in his arms. Even if he hadn't told her who the child was, the red hair and dimples were instantly familiar. In the girl's arms - being held in almost the exact same way Rick had been holding his daughter - was a stuffed monkey that was almost the size of Alexis. The toy looked well-loved, like it had never been too far from the girl's side, and Kate put the pieces of the puzzle together. Monkey-Bunkey.

Cute Monkey, she replied. I think my heart has melted into a puddle. I definitely need to see more family photos!

I'll show you mine if you show me yours ;P

Kate rolled her eyes and shook her head, but she couldn't stop the small chuckle that slipped from the very back of her throat. She had walked right into that trap! But, it was a fair request.

She opened the image gallery on her phone and scrolled back through the images. She only kept one family photo on her phone; one of her favourite memories from not long before her mother passed away. She hadn't shown it to many people. She sent the photo to Rick before she had time to talk herself out of it. Then, she took a moment to study the image as though she had never seen it before, to soak in every detail of her mother's face and her father's unbridled smile. She remembered the day fondly: the ice rink; the laughter; even the falls brought a smile to her face. Her father generally stayed behind the camera, this photo was one of the few she had of all three of them. She cherished it.

Several minutes had passed while she was lost in her memories, only drawn back to reality by the ring of her phone. She looked at the device in her hand and smiled when she saw Rick's name on the screen.

"You should be asleep," she told him, despite how much she wanted to hear the sound of his voice.

She hadn't realised just how much she had wanted to see him tonight, hadn't realised just how much she had grown used to his presence in this apartment.

"Soon," he promised. "I'm pretty tired but-" He hesitated, just for a moment. "I wanted to say goodnight first. Wanted to hear your voice."

Her heart skipped a beat, overjoyed by his admission.

"You have her eyes," he added. For a split-second, she was confused, until she realised he must have been talking about her mother. "And her smile."

She had heard it all her life but there was something about the way Rick had said the words - with such reverence and respect, as if he had known Johanna, as if he missed her just as much as Kate did - that had her emotions rising to the surface. This man had this extraordinary ability to make her feel less alone in her grief.

"Her stubbornness, too, according to my father."

They both laughed. Just a small but much-needed chuckle to lighten the moment a little bit.

"Can you tell me something about her?" Rick asked.

The request took her by surprise and she stumbled over her response. "I, uh. Like- like what?"

"Anything," he said, encouragingly. "You can tell me anything. I just- I would love to know her a little better, if that's okay?"

Tears welled in her eyes as she sunk her teeth into her bottom lip.

"But only if you want."

His words were so soft as he tried to delicately persuade her to open up to him, to keep letting him in to this part of her life. No one else had done that for her before, they only ever saw the darkness and tried to keep their distance from it.

But Rick... Rick saw something no one else had: he saw light and he saw love.

"I'd love to know the story behind the photo."

She swallowed past the lump that had formed in her throat and summoned the strength to tell him all about that day.

"I was home for Christmas," she started, trying to ignore how raw her voice sounded already. "You know, I never would have admitted it at the time but I missed my parents so much while I was at school."

She heard Rick's huff of laughter, the only noise to come from his end of the line. He was otherwise quiet, listening so intently to every word she said. She had no doubt in her mind that he was soaking up each little detail she shared - how her mother was so graceful on the ice, how she was anything but, how her father spent most of the afternoon doubled over and almost in tears from laughing so hard - and locking them in to the vault of his mind, like he seemed to do with every little fact she shared about her life.

He was incredibly patient with her, too. Each time she would have to stop, to take a breath and regain control of her emotions, he would simply wait until she was ready to continue.

There was no pressure, no sense of obligation: she wanted to tell him these stories about her mother just as much as he wanted to hear them, even if the memories were bittersweet.

"Do you ever take Alexis skating in winter?" she asked once she finished reliving the memories with him.

"Yeah," he said, and she could almost hear his smile. "We usually go every year, around Christmas. She was a natural, of course. Was skating rings around me by the time she was six."

Kate closed her eyes and smiled to herself as she imagined the girl, much younger than she is now, playfully taunting her father. Oh, to be a carefree child again. Her nostalgic joy vanished, so quickly replaced by concern as she remembered why she was having this conversation over the phone, rather than actually being with Rick tonight.

"How is she?" she asked.

Rick sighed. "Ashley leaves for Stanford in a few weeks," he explained. "I'm still not entirely certain of what exactly happened today but it seems reality came along and burst their little love bubble. He thinks they can make the long distance thing work but she thinks it's only postponing the inevitable."

"I mean, statistically speaking-"

"Katherine Beckett!" Rick gasped, theatrically. "You're such a cynic."

"I'm a realist," she defended. "There's a difference."

"So, what? You think that just because it isn't easy that means it isn't worth the risk?"

"I think-" She paused. What exactly did she think? "I think that when the right person comes along, cutting your losses won't be an easy thing to do."

In the silence that followed her words, their implicit meaning rang loud and clear.

"Hey, Kate?"

"Yes, Rick."

"If it's not too late, would you like to come over?"

She smiled. "I thought you'd never ask."