Castle 1. Chapter 1

**CH1**

"How are we doing?" Lanie asks, since she didn't remotely understand almost anything about this ship.

"The scanner is clear, so no signs of pursuit. The fuel system is full and the engines looked to have been worked on recently. The controls are a little sluggish, probably because they are 2nd generation. This ship is not exactly state of the art.

I should be able to activate the Star Drive in a few days. How is the medical?" Kate answers her question and asks one of her own.

"Pretty much like the rest of this ship. Antiquated but functioning for the most part, the scanner is operating, the onboard EMH is corrupted and non-operational and since I'm not a programmer it's going to stay that way. The refrigerator is however packed to the gills, so we should be fine.

It just depends on how far we are going and how often we can go without to make it last longer." Lanie explains. "So where are we going?" Lanie wanted to know.

"The tormented zone." Kate tells her shrinking to try and close her ears knowing what was coming.

"**HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?"** Kate was not disappointed. "No one goes there." Lanie points out the obvious.

"Precisely why we are going, no one goes there. Meaning no one will follow us, and unless it has escaped your attention, we are on the run for our lives." Kate points out.

Lanie knew that. She was only all too aware that they were being hunted. "That area will rip this ship to shreds. The electromagnetic storms are why no ship can survive in there." Lanie wasn't up on everything about ships, but everyone knew better than to enter there.

"That's the best part about this antique; it isn't state of the art. The EMH that isn't operational anyway is the most modern part of this ship. This baby is practically fly by wire meaning there is little for the storms to affect." Kate points out grinning, liking her idea immensely.

"And what if there isn't a planet in there for us to land on?" Lanie still hated this idea.

"Then it just became my best and last brilliant idea." Kate was still smiling at Lanie who huffed and went back to the medical area to look the place over a little more closely, since they were both about to die.

This place was going to be home for the two of them, she just didn't know for how long.

**Just hours ago:**

Johanna came dashing into her room where Kate and Lanie had been sitting and discussing boys. Kate didn't have any interest in any of the boys she had met, while Lanie had been a little more adventurous and had found at least one boy she liked.

Then they started talking about the girls. They had both noticed that a lot of them would shut-up when they got too close. Meaning they were being talked about.

Since Kate and Lanie went everywhere together it could be anything. From being lesbians to questioning who and what they are, which would be bad. The two had been doing everything they could to not give themselves away.

"Grab your GO BAGS you two, we have to run." And Johanna exited the room just as fast.

The four of them always had emergency survival bags handy almost everywhere they went, it was a requirement if they wanted to keep living.

Kate and Lanie were up in a heartbeat and out in the living room where Kate's mother Johanna and her father Jim were already standing with their GO BAGS in hand. "What's wrong?" Kate asked. Had the girls at school figured them out and then rated them out to the locals?

"Can't you smell them?" Johanna was ready to scold her daughter for letting her guard down. But she and Jim had done the same, this place was nice and they liked it here. Plus they had done a good job of fitting in; even if Lanie didn't look anything like that she could be their daughter.

Plus they had new friends that had helped them with small things, not knowing who and what they actually were. If they did, they would likely rat them out to the locals too. All that work down the drain.

Kate and Lanie took in big whiffs through their noses and finally noticed straight away. "HUNTERS!" How could they have been so stupid not to have noticed? They were never going to have a real life, were they?

"You know where to go girls, we'll meet you there." Johanna tells them. However she also notices the hurt in her daughter's face, getting Johanna to step over to her and pull her into a hug. "I know honey, it's not fair, and asking you two to grow up when you're only 19 is a lot to ask." Johanna kissed the top of Kate's head.

"You two just remember, Jim and I love you. Both of you. Now hurry up, they are both very close now." Johanna could smell them; they were both together and only a couple of houses down from them now.

Jim and Johanna watch as their daughter and her best friend, race back into their room and jump through the closed window, shattering it and take off running. No longer caring who sees them running, they both knew they didn't have the luxury of holding back anymore.

"This is going to be close Jo." Jim warns his wife.

"I know, but I would rather have them chasing after us, then after the girls." Johanna answers his question, still worried about her daughter and her best friend who had long since become another daughter to both of them.

"They're across the street now, they will likely have weapons." Jim cautions.

Johanna nods her head, already knowing what her husband had just told her. Neither of them was new at this. It was one of the reasons their little family was still alive.

Jim nodded his head and ran for the window on one side of the house while Johanna ran for the other side window. They both jumped through, smashing them into pieces just like Kate had done to the window out back.

Landing effortlessly they both ran for the front of the house and then each took off running separate directions.

Just as they reached the front of the house they both made out that a plasma ball had been fired and impacted on the front door, blowing the front half of the house into kindling.

Jim was doing his best to throw off the tracker on their weapons, using trees, bushes and cars to help block them getting a lock on him as he ran, throwing in an occasional jump now and then.

Jim could feel the impacts of the automatic rounds impacting onto the trees and cars around him, knowing it was only moments before something bigger showed up. So he used one of the cars as a spring board and leapt over the house, two houses down, trying to land in their back yard.

Just as he was reaching the ground he felt the house behind him blow up. Jim didn't waste any time wondering if there was anyone in the house that had just been killed by one of the hunters. There was nothing he could do for them anyway.

Jim leaped over the wood privacy fence into the neighbor's back yard and then used their deck as another spring board to leap over their house, landing on their car in the driveway. Smashing in the front section of their car, totaling it.

"Sorry." Jim whispered out, knowing the cost of replacing the car wasn't likely to be easy on them.

Jim then ran across the street and used the car in that front drive way as another spring board to leap over their house and almost ended up in their pool in the backyard. Quickly choosing to just keep jumping over the pool, followed by the next house, and the next, and the next …..

Johanna didn't have her husband's skill, but she did have one of her own. Johanna went the opposite direction of her husband, running and flipping all the way. Front flips, back flips, cartwheels with sudden bursts of speed.

However the entire time she could feel the rounds one of the Hunters was firing at her. Damaging the homes, cars and trees as she went.

Then a car backed out of a garage and Johanna slammed into the side of it, momentarily stopping her dead in her tracks. The damage to the car was enough to cave in the right rear quarter panel, and push the car sideways.

Johanna jumped up and ran into the open garage and crashed out the back door into their backyard. Just as she did the house and the car out front blew up. Probably from another plasma ball, Johanna was guessing.

Johanna felt momentarily sorry for the family that was in that car. They didn't deserve to die, and the Hunters who had killed them were untouchable. The locals would likely hold them momentarily, provided they managed to capture them, but end up forced to release them. Hunter's had Carte Blanche to do as they pleased in their quest, no one was above them. No one!

Johanna was happy if they were captured, it would slow them down a little, hopefully enough to allow all of them to escape and go somewhere else.

Kate and Lanie were close to their destination when Kate stopped and got Lanie to stop with her. "What are we stopping here for?" Lanie wanted to get to the site and get out of here.

"Smell anything?" Kate asks her, getting Lanie to take in a deep breath. "Nothing." Lanie tells her.

"And yet we are going to stay here and watch. If this site is under surveillance and we get there too soon, they will show up just as my parents do." So Lanie hunkered down with Kate and watched, listened and smelled.

They were in the middle of nowhere. _How can anyone be watching this site? There is nothing here. Not even a ship. _Lanie didn't understand, but then Kate always had been smarter than her. It was one of the reasons she was still alive. When her own family and everyone else she knew and loved was gone.

Then Lanie and Kate at the same time felt someone coming, fast, followed close behind by another.

The Hunters had speed, just not their speed. But they also had a scent dispenser that could be used to throw you off thinking it was someone else. Kate prayed they didn't have their parents scent. And why didn't they use it earlier?

The two showed up and leaped across the canyon to the other side, and then they just stepped off the cliff and dropped to the bottom.

Kate knew Hunters didn't do that. "Come on, time to go." Kate rises up out of the sand that had been covering them, hiding them in the desert. It had been hot and uncomfortable, just that dying was even more uncomfortable.

Kate, followed by Lanie leaped across the canyon just like the other two, and the turned and stepped over the side to drop to the ground below.

It was a long drop, forcing both of them to land while bending both of their legs so that one knee rested on the ground.

There was a small river still here that had over the centuries cut this canyon. Problem was there wasn't anything to see, not really. However part of the cliff face looked funny up close like this.

Johanna suddenly stepped out of nowhere, however Kate and Lanie saw that the wall was actually a painted camouflaged sheet of some kind. "Hi Honey, glad you two could make it."

Kate leaped into her mother's arms. "MOM!" Johanna simply hugged her back. "Where's dad?"

"Inside. … Come with me." And Johanna lifts the tarp off the wall exposing an opening behind it.

There was a ship hidden on the other side. The cave, it that's what you could call it was dark, save for the small lights that the ship gave off. Plus the door was open.

Kate and Lanie followed Johanna inside and went in search of Jim. As they did the ship started to come to life. The lights came on and they could feel the atmospherics come to life as the stale air was slowly replaced with fresh air.

They found Jim on the bridge going over all of the controls. Johanna stepped up behind her husband and placed a hand on each shoulder, leaning down to kiss the top of his head.

"Everything is up and operational, she is good to go." Jim tells her.

"Where did you two get this artifact?" Kate asks looking around. It looked old and that was being generous.

"It's an old modified Talyn." Jim tells her smiling. He was playing with his daughter. Jim knew that Kate knew her ships.

"**TALYN!** … Those things were hunks of junk not long after they were manufactured.

"Sometimes the oldies are the goodies." Jim counters. "Besides you know how to pilot this, not to mention how to repair practically everything on it. Which might come in handy since you two are going to be flying it."

**WHAT? **…. You're coming with us." Kate wasn't leaving without them.

Johanna takes a hold of Kate with one hand and Lanie with the other. "This ship will sleep up to 6 people, however with just the two of you, you'll have more space." Johanna starts to try and get them to see reason.

"MOM, … NO." Kate was shaking her head while the tears started. Lanie was shaking her head too, not liking this plan at all.

"We have our own ship, far from here. Your father and I are going to get the Hunters to chase us while you two work to get away from here. We plan on being right behind you, and I think you know where to go honey." Johanna hoped she did anyway. They had talked about it some.

"This plan sucks mom, really sucks." Kate wiped away a few of her tears.

"You know as well as we do that if there are two Hunters, there are others or there will be soon. It's your father's and mine's job to see you leave here safely. You two are our children; this is what parents do honey." Johanna pulls both of them in close with her own tears falling down her face.

Johanna knew she and her husband were playing with fire, but they had been on the run since Kate and Lanie were 5 years old. They had both grown up on the run. Jim and Johanna had taught them everything they could.

Getting them into schools when they could and home schooling when they couldn't. Life had been hard, what worldly possessions they all had just got left behind. …. Again! All they had was what was in each of their go bags.

"This ship is packed to the gills for you two; there are even a few spare parts that took no small feat to find." Jim adds. "I've been working on it off and on for months now and your mother has filled the galley with everything you need, plus you each have your go bags. If you are careful and smart it should last you a long time." Jim moves to the other side of Johanna and wraps his arms around the two of them.

"You better be right behind us." Kate adds knowing she was going to lose this argument.

"We have a plan to draw the Hunters away and then run for our own ship." Jim tells them, since he and his wife had no plans on dying either.

"So what are you two flying?" Kate asks that way she could be on the lookout for it.

"We have a Deviant class." Jim answers smiling again, knowing just what his daughter would think of that.

It got Kate to start laughing. "You two really know how to pick'em. … A Talyn and a Deviant." Kate was shaking her head. "I suppose I should be grateful that you didn't get us both an Eve class." Kate chuckles.

"Actually I did find one of those, however it had been stripped down to an empty shell, I couldn't even get parts out of it." Jim chuckled. Plus Kate would never believe what else he had found. Beggers shouldn't be picky and Jim didn't have the luxury of being picky.

"We need to get going honey, the Hunters will find this place eventually and none of us should be here when they do." Johanna kissed Lanie and then her own daughter. "We'll get them off your backs and you two should be fine. We'll catch up, I promise." Johanna didn't know when, but if they lived, they would catch up, eventually.

"Please be careful mom." Kate broke into tears. Then switched to hugging her dad while Johanna hugged Lanie.

"We love both of you, don't ever forget that." Johanna tells both of them wiping away her own tears.

Kate and Lanie are forced to watch Jim and Johanna leave them behind. "What's in the bag dad?" Kate watched him pick up something she hadn't bothered to see earlier.

"This?" Jim lifts up the bag. "This is a little something for our friends who are likely going to show up here soon." Jim pulls one out and hands one to Johanna and takes the other one out for himself.

Kate eyes open wide and her mouth falls open. It takes her a moment to get her voice back. "My god dad! … Where the HELL did you get those?"

"These little beauties?" Jim lifts his up to look at it. He was rather proud of them, unlike the ships these babies were state of the art. It was mostly round and about the size of a softball.

"Let's see a Hunter ship stand up to one of these babies." Jim was grinning wide and arched his eyebrows a couple of times. Jim was rather proud of them, he loved his toys.

Johanna was shaking her head. Her husband could be such a child sometimes with the proper toys, not that what each of them had was in anyway a toy. "We should be going babe." Johanna tells her husband.

"One of us will contact you when we want you to leave honey. Please stay safe you two, we love both of you." Johanna headed for the exit before she broke down and changed her mind.

"Just be ready for the blast wave." Jim advises her and steps up to kiss both of them before running off after his wife.

Kate checked the seal after they were gone and headed back for the bridge and started powering up the rest of the systems, getting the engines and other systems ready for flight. "Better strap in Lanie, this is likely to be a bumpy flight." Kate was thinking a damn bumpy ride.

Lanie was strapping in. "What were those things?" Lanie was medical trained and didn't know much about this ship or those things.

"Those were Proton Bombs. The blast will bypass most electromagnetic shielding doing damage directly to a ship. Each bomb has the capability of taking out a Command Carrier. They are the absolute latest in anti-ship weapons." Kate explains.

Now Lanie's eyes were open wide again. "Where did your dad get one of those?" While technically noticing that he actually had two of them.

Kate chuckled. "I have no idea." Kate didn't even have a guess. However over the years her dad had proven to be quite resourceful at finding what they needed.

Kate was sitting there watching her screens quietly with Lanie just off to one side watching Kate. They were both getting nervous. "We've got company." Kate finally calls out, sitting up a little straighter in her seat.

"It's sitting down right above us." Kate looks up as if she could actually see, knowing full well that there were hundreds of feet of ground/rock between her and it.

"Hunter ship?" Lanie didn't really think she was asking.

"The size and configuration matches known Hunter designs." Kate confirms, starting to get nervous. Hunters were the most dangerous things in the known Universe, and they would not stop until her and her family were all dead.


	2. Chapter 2

**CH2**

Kate sat quietly and waited. Since they were in a sealed ship there was no way for either of them to smell the Hunters. No way of knowing just what was going on. Then Kate saw a signal on one of her screens.

"Hang on over there, we are leaving." Kate mentions to Lanie.

The inertial dampers prevent either of them from noticing the movement of the ship, only Kate's screens tell her what is happening.

Kate has cleared the cave and is working on raising straight vertically as fast as she could get this antique to go. As soon as she was just below the cliff face Kate applied power to the engines and started traveling down the length of the canyon. Using the walls of the canyon to prevent any shots to strike the ship.

At a mile out she went vertical and increased to 100% power. Anyone within miles would have heard the sonic boom when Kate did this. Since there were no buildings near here, nothing was damaged.

It only took a few minutes. "We have feet wet." Kate announces. "Damn it, we also have company." Kate could see a ship coming up on their six rising from the planet.

"Do I want to know?" Lanie asked.

Kate shook her head. "No you don't, it's the Hunter ship that was sitting above us."

Kate was soon cursing, the Hunter's ship was gaining on them and Kate had already pushed her engines to 120% and knew that she couldn't hold this speed for long.

Kate was watching her screens and they were still gaining. "We're in trouble Lanie." Kate finally told her.

Kate decided to do what she could and dove for the closest gas giant to try and get its gravity to increase her speed. As soon as Kate noticed a slight increase in speed from this maneuver she increased power to 130% and watched the speed increase.

Problem was the increase on the engines was starting to get into the dangerous levels, red lining them was burning them up. Just if the engines didn't blow the Hunter's would blow them up. Pick your poison.

Then there was a sudden huge surge of energy and it was centered on the Hunter's ship.

"They're gone!" Kate yelled out. "My money is on one of dad's little toys." Kate was dancing in her seat turning to look at Lanie who was looking up thanking somebody she couldn't see.

Kate kept the engine power up until she was on the other side of the gas giant. The blast from her dad's little toy had been blocked by the gas giant so they were safe from the shock wave.

Kate reduced the engine power to 70% and continued her maneuver to escape the system.

It had been a couple of hours and Kate had been quiet. "How are we doing?" Lanie asks, since she didn't remotely understand almost anything about this ship.

"The scanner is clear, so no signs of pursuit. The fuel system is full and the engines looked to have been worked on recently. The controls are a little sluggish, probably because they are 2nd generation. This ship is not exactly state of the art.

I should be able to activate the Star Drive in a few days. How is the medical?" Kate answers her question and asks one of her own.

"Pretty much like the rest of this ship. Antiquated but functioning for the most part, the scanner is operating, the onboard EMH is corrupted and non-operational and since I'm not a programmer it's going to stay that way. The refrigerator is however packed to the gills, so we should be fine.

It just depends on how far we are going and how often we can go without to make it last longer." Lanie explains. "So where are we going?" Lanie wanted to know.

"The tormented zone." Kate tells her shrinking to try and close her ears knowing what was coming.

"**HAVE YOU LOST YOUR MIND?"** Kate was not disappointed. "No one goes there." Lanie points out the obvious.

"Precisely why we are going, no one goes there. Meaning no one will follow us, and unless it has escaped your attention, we are on the run for our lives." Kate points out.

Lanie knew that. She was only all too aware that they were being hunted. "That area will rip this ship to shreds. The electromagnetic storms are why no ship can survive in there." Lanie wasn't up on everything about ships, but everyone knew better than to enter there.

"That's the best part about this antique; it isn't state of the art. The EMH that isn't operational anyway is the most modern part of this ship. This baby is practically fly by wire meaning there is little for the storms to affect." Kate points out grinning, liking her idea immensely.

"And what if there isn't a planet in there for us to land on?" Lanie still hated this idea.

"Then it just became my best and last brilliant idea." Kate was still smiling at Lanie who huffed and went back to the medical area to look the place over a little more closely, since they were both about to die.

This place was going to be home for the two of them, she just didn't know for how long.

Lanie noticed that Kate spent the next 2 days working on the engines, Kate knew she had stressed them badly and wanted to do some maintenance on them.

When Kate wasn't doing that she was sitting in her chair looking at her screens. "Anything?" Lanie asked. Knowing what Kate was looking for. Jim and Johanna may be Kate's parents but Lanie had learned to love them like they were here parents too.

Lanie had only been with them since she was 5, and even now Lanie was having trouble picturing her parents in her mind. When she thought of the word parents Jim and Johanna came to mind.

Kate shook her head. "The screens are clear except for the standard mining ships for this system."

The planet they had just left was actually a moon around a gas giant that was a mining colony. They were mining material from other moons as well as the asteroid belt. It also doubled as a dumping ground for old space ships that were to be scrapped.

Perfect place for Jim to find two ships for them in case they needed them and get the necessary parts to repair them.

Four days after leaving the planet. "All strapped in?" Kate asks looking at Lanie who signaled she was all set. "There's still nothing on the screens. … Where are you damn it!" Her parents are supposed to be right behind them.

"Do we wait?" Lanie asks her not really wanting to do this alone anymore than Kate did.

Kate shook her head. "We only have just so much in the galley, the longer we wait the harder it's going to be on us later, and my throat is already burning." Kate points out getting Lanie to nod her head. Her throat was hurting her too.

"I'm going to activate the Star Drive, here we go." Kate crossed her fingers. Both of them soon felt the conversion to FTL.

"We didn't blow up!" Kate lifted her hands up into the air. It was overly dramatic and she knew it, but this ship was an antique and her dad might be a genius, but there is always that little grain of doubt.

Laine started undoing her restraints. "Ok into the scanner with you." Lanie tells Kate standing up. Getting Kate to moan. She knew it was necessary, it was just that she didn't want to know the answer.

They had already agreed during those four days to make the galley last as long as possible, and that meant using the scanner to determine how long between each meal they could each go.

Kate laid down on the table and watched the scanner bar pass over her body once and then back down to the other end.

Kate sat up. "AND?"

"22 hours from now maximum." Lanie tells her. Getting Kate to moan. Her throat was already on fire. Kate was convinced she was going to lose the ability to talk soon.

"Ok girlfriend, you're turn." Kate gets up and offer Lanie to take her place. Pressing the same buttons Lanie had pressed.

Two passes later, Kate read out what was listed. "16 hours from now maximum." Kate tells her. Listening to Lanie moan too for the same reason.

"If we're going to be this far off from each other we're going to have to be separated from each other. I don't know if I can handle watching you knowing that I can't." Kate actually massaged her throat since it was on fire already.

"I need to set the timers for our notification. After that we need to do another scan to determine when the next meal is. Likely have to do that after each one." They didn't have the luxury of repeating the time they waited all the time. Things change.

Lanie set up the timers. "Now what?" This ship was only just so big. The galley doubled as the lounge. There were 3 bunk beds they could use that were across from each other.

There was the bridge, engine area, just the one bathroom and a little bit of cargo space that presently was filled up mostly with a small 2 man shuttle along with what spare parts Jim could find that would work on a Talyn.

There was the water holding tank, air scrubbers, artificial gravity system and even a small greenhouse area that had a few plants.

Be it ever so small, it was home.

16 hours later with Kate sitting in her chair on the bridge watching her screens, Lanie was only too happy to pull a single bag from the refrigerator and place it in the microwave to warm it up.

Listening to the microwave ding, Lanie pulled out the nice warm bag and stabbed a straw into it and started to suck. The feeling of it going down her throat slowly erased the burning sensation in her throat. IT FELT SO GOOD!

Once Lanie was done Lanie cut open the bag and licked every last drop out of it before dropping it into the trash, to be ejected out into space later.

Her throat felt so much better as did the rest of her. Lanie was strong again and moved over to the scanner and laid down and pressed the button for herself. After her two passes, she had her answer.

Lanie however was too wired to moan about the time till the next one, so she headed for the storage area where there was a small amount of weight equipment so she could burn off some of the buzz she now had.

6 hours later it was Kate's turn. Kate pulled out a single bag, dropped it into the microwave and waited for it to ding. Pulling out the nice warm bag and puncturing it with a straw, Kate started to suck.

Just like Lanie 6 hours later, her burning throat started to feel better. Cutting open the bag after she was done to lick up every last drop, then dropping the empty bag into the trash. Next came the scanner so she could find out when the next one was.

Then Kate joined Lanie in the storage area to work off the buzz Kate now had.

Three months later Lanie was strapped in again on the bridge waiting for Kate.

"Ok, here we go. Conversation to normal space in 3, … 2, … 1, ..." And they both felt the strain of the ship leaving FTL.

"And?" Lanie was dying to know.

"We're right where we want to be, and the engines obviously didn't blow up." Kate comments, knowing she had been tending to them for the last 3 months.

Kate had also been working on the atmospherics. Cleaning the scrubbers as well as taking out parts and cleaning them.

"Even better there is a huge cargo ship headed out of the system." Kate made a course correction so she could intercept it.

"And that's a good thing because?" Lanie didn't see what Kate was so happy about.

"I'm going to bring us along side it, nice and quiet without using the engines and give us away to their sensors. If we are in close enough we will be inside their field when they go to FTL." Kate was smiling as she watched her screens.

"You're still losing me here." Land and Kate had traveled before, except Kate's parents had done all the flying while Lanie sat in the back waiting for when she was needed.

"Hiding in their field and going where they go will mask our trail, making it that much harder for any Hunters on our tail to find us." Kate explains.

It now made sense to Lanie, just one flaw. "We don't know where this cargo ship is going." Lanie points out.

"Doesn't matter, after they exit FTL, we're going to leave them and go somewhere else before heading to the Tormented Zone and crossing over." Kate explains her plan.

"Any idea on how long we will be staying with the cargo ship?" Lanie was trying to think ahead, plus she was already tired of waiting until her throat was almost literally on fire before drinking.

"If mom and dad are correct, this cargo ship should only be a 2 month trip. Followed by a 2 month trip to our next stop. We can decide what to do when we get there before leaving for the Tormented Zone." Kate explains. "Do we have enough for that length of trip?"

"Just depends on how long we are in this Tormented Zone of yours." Lanie counters.

Kate deflates. "It's not MY Tormented Zone."

"This is your idea girlfriend, so that makes it yours." Lanie counters.

**It was now 2 months later:**

Both Kate and Lanie were in bed when they suddenly converted to normal space, getting Kate to run to the bridge, with Lanie a little behind her.

"Where are we?" Lanie was curious.

"I'm working on it, give me a minute." Kate was trying to look at her scans on her screens.

"Well we pretty much went the right way. I'm going to use the maneuvering thrusters to coast away from the cargo ship. As soon as we are far enough away we can maneuver far enough out to activate our Star Drive and head to our next stop." Kate started working with her controls.

One day later Kate activated the Star Drive and was happy again when the engines didn't blow up. Not that she thought that they would. It was just that they were so old, you never knew what might go wrong. And she had pushed them pretty hard that first day.

**It was now 2 months later:**

Kate and Lanie were back on the bridge all strapped in. "Ok, here we go. Exiting FTL t normal space in 3, … 2, … 1, …." And the by now all too familiar pull had them straining against the restraints kicked in.

"PERFECT!" Kate was happy with herself. They were just outside of the atmosphere of a gas giant in a system that had just the one habitable planet.

Kate set course for the magnetic polar north of the gas giant and parked the ship there. Hoping the location would interfere with everyone's ability to detect them.

Kate turns to Lanie. "Now we have a decision to make. Do we go on and enter the Tormented Zone or do we stop here and get some supplies." Meaning do we break into a building somewhere and steal what they want or need.

"We only have about 3 months left." Lanie tells her. "How long to the Tormented Zone from here?" That would likely make the choice for them.

"About 2 more months." Kate cringes knowing that, that only left them 1 month of supplies. And she knew nothing about the Tormented Zone. Not its size or what they would find, if there was anything to find.

And the trip had already been hard on them. Their throats were already burning since it had been a few days.

"I guess that makes our choice easy then." Lanie points out. They steal.

It took another 2 days for them to come up with a plan. Most of the hospitals were in the middle of cities, everyone did so that was nothing new. They were too big to land anywhere and not be noticed, so that left them the shuttle down in the cargo/storage bay.

Let the shuttle drop through the atmosphere like a meteorite would, and just before they hit fire up the engines and hug the ground. Land on the roof of the hospital late at night, keeping all the exterior lights off.

Take out the first 2 workers they came across and take their ID tags and let Lanie guide them to the right section. Take what they need, bluffing their way all the way to and from. Then fly back to the ship and leave immediately.

Still it would be nice to have a diversion, something for security to be busy with. Just not busy where they wanted to be.

Kate began searching the cargo/storage area again looking for something that might be useful, finally finding something that might do the trick.

It was small, held a flammable substance and if exposed to the cold with a small leak, it just might give them what they want. Now they needed a hospital in a cold zone.


	3. Chapter 3

**CH3**

They had to be careful with the language problem and choose one they knew the language for. Plus it had to be cold there that night.

There was a smaller hospital to the north that spoke their language and there was actually a little left over snow on the ground, so it was perfect.

The hospital wasn't overly big. It was only 5 floors tall with a single one story satellite wing off to one side. They waited till late in the day.

The fall through their atmosphere in their little two man shuttle was very bumpy and it had them doing the best they could to stay in their seats, even with the safety straps to hold them in place.

Kate powered up the engines about 5,000 feet above sea level and applied power just as they reached tree top level and slowed down considerably. Kate didn't want to leave a trail of blown snow or downed trees or power lines behind her as she leveled off.

Kate landed on the roof right next to the roof access doorway. They gathered up their bags to carry what they were after in and headed for the roof access door, only a couple of steps away.

Finding the door locked was no surprise, however a quick twist of the door knob and it turned freely but was still locked. A quick push with her shoulder and Kate had the door open, listening to the pad lock tumble around the stairwell.

Kate pulled out her little toy and started walking towards the edge of the building. "What's that?" Lanie asks her.

"This?" Kate holds it up and shakes it a little. "This is an old igniter for an old charging coil. The gas inside this thing doesn't react well to the cold." Kate explains.

Then Kate pulls out a small eye dropper looking like thing and lets a drop fall on it and then throws it far out into the parking lot. "Give that a few minutes to weaken the casing allowing the gas to escape and, …. boom." Kate spreads her fingers wide and pulls her hands apart.

It was going to mean a lot of damaged or destroyed cars, but since it would help them live, Lanie didn't have a problem with that. Then they walked over to the open door and stepped inside.

"Space is cold, doesn't that kinda defeat the purpose of that thing?" Lanie questions.

"That's why they don't make them anymore." Kate started smiling.

"Where to?" Kate asked softly. Kate knew ships, hospitals were more Lanie's thing.

"Basement probably has the MRI, first floor will have emergency rooms, second floor is likely the operating rooms, labs, a few offices and the floors above that will be hospital beds. Since they need it for operations, what we want will likely be close by. In a conditioned space, likely with a glass front." Lanie explains.

They didn't encounter anyone in the stairwell on the way down to the second floor. Stopping at the door they each looked out through the small window opening that was likely security glass of some kind. Since it had criss crossing lines of wire embedded in it.

They were at a 'T' junction with a corridor off to the left and one to the right with another one straight ahead of them.

Down that corridor looked to be a nurses station about halfway down with elevators.

"I don't suppose we can just step out and wonder around looking for what we want?" Kate asks knowing Lanie was going to shoot her down.

"Sorry honey, without uniforms and ID badges hanging off of us, someone is going to call security and then we'll really have a mess." Lanie was forced to tell her.

That only left two options, so Kate opened the door and stepped out into the corridor when she didn't see anyone, with Lanie right behind her.

Just as the stairwell door closed behind them a nurse stepped out of a room into the corridor to their right. Lanie ran right up to her and lifted her sleeve up her arm and felt her fangs appear just before she bit into her arm and started sucking.

GOD BUT SHE TASTED GREAT! Better than that refrigerated stuff they had been drinking for months now. Nice fresh warm blood. It soothed the burn in her throat like nothing else could.

Lanie's throat stopped burning, at least for now, and the rest of her felt rejuvenated, stronger and better than ever. Lanie just kept drinking until Kate wacked her in the head.

Lanie lifted up and retracted her fangs. "Sorry, kinda got carried away. It has been such a long time since I've had it fresh like this." Lanie licked her lips to remove any traces of the blood, plus she didn't want to lose a drop of it.

Kate wasn't mad at her, and could only hope Lanie did the same for her when the time came.

"Take her upstairs, take her clothes, ID and get back down here." Kate tells her and lets the stairwell door close behind her as Lanie takes the unconscious nurse up to the door leading to the roof.

Kate already knew that when her kind bites someone they also inject something into their victim. It renders them unconscious and provides a short term memory loss so that they won't remember any of this. Kind of like what a mosquito does, just different.

If they keep drinking the victim will die from blood loss. Getting Lanie to stop before that will simply leave the victim feeling weak and a little nauseous. And the wounds will turn into simple scars in a couple of days.

Just as Kate heard Lanie starting down the stairs a nurse passed by the door and Kate opened it and grabbed her and pulled her into the stairwell and with on hand covering her mouth, Kate lifted up her sleeve quickly and bit her. Feeling her fangs extend just before she bit her.

And Kate started drinking.

GOD BUT SHE TASTED GREAT! Better than that refrigerated stuff they had been drinking for months now. Nice fresh warm blood. It soothed the burn in her throat like nothing else could.

And Kate kept drinking and drinking. It made the burn in her throat go away in a manner the refrigerated blood couldn't. Kate could feel her body rejuvenating itself; she was feeling better than she had in a long time.

Then Lanie hit her in the head, getting Kate to stop drinking and remove her mouth from her arm. Looking over at Lanie, Kate started shaking her head. Fresh blood was just so addictive.

"Thanks." Kate offered weakly. If not for Lanie she might have killed her and that was not what her parents had taught her.

Kate carried her upstairs and left her next to the other woman and took her coat and ID tag. Just as she reached Lanie there was a big bang outside, followed by three more smaller ones.

"That should keep them busy for a while." Kate offered Lanie to go first.

Kate followed Lanie as she walked for the nurses' station. There was only one person at the nurses' station and Lanie ignored her and went around the corner and started walking down the corridor past the elevators.

Lanie then stopped at a door and found it locked. Lanie gave it a little twist and they both heard parts breaking in the lock allowing Lanie to open the door easily. "Try through there." Lanie points while she starts looking around.

Kate twists the door knob breaking the lock on the door and opens it. "In here." Kate whispers out.

Lanie was right behind her and then stepped in past her and saw the reach-in refrigerator that had bag after bag of blood inside it.

They both found it locked with a cheap looking little built-in lock that Lanie quickly all but removed and then opened the door. Lanie took in a big breath through her nose. "Yeah, this is the stuff."

Lanie started handing over multiple bags to Kate so she could put them in her bag. Once the refrigerator was half empty Lanie started filling her bag.

"Are we taking all of it? What if they have an operation scheduled soon?" Kate wanted all of them, but at what cost.

"If they do they'll be in here hours before and find it empty. They will then either delay the procedure or have some driven or likely flown in. They'll be fine and so will we." Lanie keeps loading her bag.

Lanie is down to the last few. "Check the doors, see if the way is clear." Lanie asks of Kate.

Kate went to the first door into the space and took in a deep breath. The nurse at the nurses' station was still there, but that was all.

As they walked out the nurse was sitting at a desk with her back turned towards them so they walked right past her.

Upstairs the two nurses were still right where they left them. Kate and Lanie stopped long enough to drop the coats and ID's they took off of them. Just a couple of steps out the door and into their shuttle.

Kate fired it up and took off leaving away from the fire and all of the fire engine trucks that were in the parking lot. Figuring she was far enough north she headed for space.

"Feet are wet and screens are clear, mostly. The only thing out here is a couple of small cargo ships and what looks like a pair of long distance shuttles. We're going to need to leave as soon as we land." Kate warns Lanie.

"I can load our refrigerator. Both of us need to get into the scanner as soon as possible however." Lanie advises. It got Kate to moan, that meant going back to having their throats burn from not drinking for as long as their bodies would allow.

Lanie was done loading the refrigerator and was sitting on the bridge all strapped in. "Ok activating Star Drive in 3, … 2, …. 1, …. and they both soon feel the transition to FTL. Two months to the edge of the Tormented Zone." Kate offers up.

"I still think you're nuts. I just don't know of anyplace else to go. You better be right girlfriend." Or this would be their last trip, ever.

**It was now 2 months later:**

Lanie was pulling the straps on her chair a little tighter. They had been sitting just outside of the known edge of Tormented Zone of space for the last three days while Kate did more maintenance on the engines and environmental systems while letting Lanie handle everything medical.

"Ok, here we go. Activating Star Drive in 3, ...2, ….1, …. " And they both felt the familiar pull of transitioning to FTL.

Kate started studying her screens again, changing them to different readings of what was happening to the ship. A Talyn didn't actually have any windows, so there was no way to look outside with the naked eye. All they had were the two main big screens along with the three much smaller screens on each side.

While they may not have windows, they did have cameras spread out around the ship that Kate could activate to view the space around them. Looking outside while in FTL may sound simple, but what you were actually looking at wasn't really there. By the time you saw it, it had already occurred.

Three weeks later they were both sitting in the lounge area trying to watch something they had already seen countless time. They were both actually talking to themselves saying the words before they were actually spoken.

They were both ready to kill for a new movie or something, anything! When suddenly the ship jumped and it felt like they had just entered or just exited FTL.

It got Kate to run for the bridge to look at her screens with Lanie right behind her. "What is it?" Lanie asks.

"I'm not, … not sure." Kate was shaking her head. "None of this makes sense. … We're still in FTL, the engines are running normally, but I'm getting some really weird readings around us. It's like we are in the middle of a storm.

Not the eye of a hurricane obviously, but what I don't understand is that it looks like the storm itself is in FTL." Kate tells her. Changing screens to try and get answers.

"We're in FTL AND the storm is in FTL. We didn't pass through it and come out the other side?" Lanie didn't understand. "So instead we're trapped in it instead of going through it?" Lanie wasn't big on ship travel or how it worked, so Lanie was trying to apply what she knew about storms on land to storms in space.

"I think that's exactly what we've done. While we were and still are in FTL, we intercepted a storm that was itself already in FTL. Our two fields are intermingling somehow. Instead of ripping us to pieces like it should, the two fields are dancing with each other.

I don't, … I don't know what it has done to us." Kate went back to shaking her head.

Kate was still sitting in her seat hours later trying to figure out what is going on. Lanie had told her she was going to go get a bag of blood and pop it into the microwave to warm it up since it was her time.

Kate's time was 6 hours from now. Both of their throats were on fire since they were still trying to make what they had last as long as possible.

"You look worried." Lanie points out the strained look on Kate's face.

"A little, I don't know how we got into this and I don't know how we're going to get out either." From what Kate could tell, they were trapped. "I don't have any readings outside of the storm, so I don't know where we are or where we are headed. I'm flying blind here." Though technically Kate wasn't flying at all. No amount of course corrections seemed to have any effect, they were well and truly trapped in the storm.

**It was now 2 months later:**

Kate and Lanie were still trapped in the storm; however Kate had noticed on her screens that the storm seemed to be losing some of its punch over the last week. Kate still had no idea where they were however.

Kate was sitting in her chair two days later, strapped in as a precaution, and was watching her screens when suddenly the storm lost a lot of its power and dumped them out before moving on. Kate watched it slowly move away while it continued to lose more and more power.

This did however have an effect on them. Kate felt the familiar pull of changing from FTL to normal space however her screens told her they were still in FTL. Only this time under their own power.

It also got Lanie to come running in after picking herself up off of the floor. "What happened?"

"The storm let go us, we're free." Kate was actually a little giddy she was so happy at this change of events.

"It's about damn time. … Where are we?" Lanie now had another concern, one that was shared by Kate.

"That's what I'm trying to figure out now." Lanie could see Kate changed the views on her screens. "WOW, this area is a mess. If I read this right, our storm we were trapped in just got swallowed by an even bigger storm. … Jeez, and there are three electromagnetic storms over here." Getting Kate to point at her screen.

"And then there is this area here. It looks like there are storms dancing all around it. I'm trying to get my scans to tell me something, but the storms make it difficult." Kate gives out a heavy sigh. "This may take some time. When's my next blood bag?" Kate turned to look at Lanie.

"About an hour." Lanie tells her.

"THANK GOD!" Kate's throat was on fire and was pretty sure she couldn't take much more.

"You should be thankful that we raided that hospital along the way, or we would have run out a month ago." Lanie points out.

Kate knew she was right, that storm they were in had extended their time in the Tormented Zone for longer than she liked. And she still had no idea where exactly they were.

Granted this area of space had never been mapped, but still you should be able to see certain stars to gauge where you are in relationship to them. See galaxies in the distance and be able to place yourself. Except Kate had nothing.

Then suddenly it hit her. "MY PARENTS!"

That got Lanie's attention. It was like a light bulb went on over her head. "If we don't know where we are, how are they suppose to find us?" Lanie had it now.

The look on Kate's face was one of loss, panic, vulnerability, longing. They were lost in more ways than one now.

Kate was sitting in her chair staring at her screens sucking on her blood bag. "How much do we have left?" Kate asks.

"A little over 2 months if we keep to the same routine." Lanie answers. Burning pain followed by weakness, then drink and repeat over and over again. They might be alive, but this wasn't living.

Kate was just about trying to suck her blood bag inside out when what she was seeing started to make sense, maybe.

"Lanie." Kate motions her over. Kate adjusts her screen so that the two she was most interested in where on the big screens. "See these storms, here and here." Kate points, and actually stands up and leans over to touch the screen.

They looked like any other storm to Lanie, they were both out there dancing around. "Yeah, so?"

"Good, now keep your eyes on them as I move them to the side screens." Kate then brings up something else on the big screens. "This is from several days ago; I've been recording the scans. Now watch as I speed the tape up until it is present time."

Lanie watched the storms dance around until they were in the position they were in now. "Ok, what's your point?" And why was Kate even bothering to try? Lanie didn't get any of this.

"Now watch." Kate brings up a wire mesh view of what looked like a somewhat oddly shaped sphere on the far left screen and moved it across to the right screen, then Kate gave the sphere a different color.

"Now let me play the last few days again." Kate started over.

"They're dancing around something." Lanie sees it now. "It looks big, solar system maybe?"

"My scans read it as being 7,375,930,000 kilometers from the center. I think there is a solar system in there, which means planets. And they have a way of keeping the storms that are part of Tormented Space out of their system." Kate was smiling since they may have just found a place that might be their new home.


	4. Chapter 4

**CH4**

Kate rubbed her hands together. "Now for the fun part. … How do we get in past the storms without getting ripped to shreds." Kate was exaggerating, but it was fun to see Lanie squirm.

**It was now 3 days later:**

Kate used those 3 days to observe how the storms interacted with whatever barrier was out there that kept them out. Part of what she was looking for was if it kept the storms out, would it keep them out too. It was a barrier of some kind after all.

Kate also spent part of the time with Lanie making sure everything was tied down or in someway held in place. It was likely to be a bumpy ride.

Kate also spent part of the time looking over all the systems that she tagged as being a priority.

Then two hours before they started to move towards the barrier Kate went over all the emegency procedures if they needed to use them.

How to seal a breach in the hull, where the fire extinguishers were located, and to run for the shuttle if anything major happened. That shuttle was going to be their life pod if they had to.

In preparation for that case, they moved some of their blood supply into the shuttle along with some of their clothes.

"Ready?" Kate asks as she herself does what Lanie is doing. Tightening their restraints in anticipation of a bumpy ride.

Kate had decided on a certain area to try and make her run through. The problem was that the storms were unpredictable. It might be clear when she decided to go through, only to find out the storm had expanded just as she reached that spot.

"Applying thrust." Kate calls out.

Everything was fine, the hole she had chosen was actually getting a little bigger, so she increased speed. Kate wanted to get there before it closed on them.

"Almost, …. Almost." Kate knew they just needed a few more seconds, and then everything went straight into the toilet.

There was a sudden large movement of the ship. "We've been hit. … We've got at least one hull breach in the cargo/storage area." Kate calls out, noticing that the ship suddenly jerks again. "Make that 2 or more now."

Lanie undoes her restraints and jumps up and runs for the cargo/storage hold, grabbing one of the sealant kits along the way.

Only a few minutes later Lanie had all three locations sealed with a temporary patch and a sealant to hold the patch in place.

"How bad?" Kate asks noticing Lanie come back.

"Two were little holes, however the third looked more like a rip." Lanie tells her.

Kate instantly starts cursing internally. That rip, unless repaired, was only going to get bigger. It meant she was going on a spacewalk, however first things first. Where were they and was it worth it?

"We'll deal with the holes again later, for now let's see what we've got." Kate starts scanning the system or what she hopes is a system.

"There is a sun in the center; I'm seeing 4 gas giants, one of which has large rings around it.

Two of the gas giants are huge and both have a number of natural satellites around them.

The next four look like rocks, two of the four look like they are in the sweet zone, so maybe we will get lucky." Kate kept scanning and looking at her screens.

"Ooooo this is interesting." Kate is mostly talking to herself and starts working to bring what she had found up on one of the large screens.

Up on the screen comes a camera angle of watching a group of 2 different colored groups on a green field filled with white stripes that had large numbers on them, with dashes of short lines on each side.

A large group on one color was on one side with another large group of color on the other. Then Kate found the audio for what they are seeing.

"Who's Steve Mariucci, Steve Young, Garrison Hearst, Terrell Owens, Jerry Rice?" Lanie asks as she is listening.

Kate was nodding her head. "And who's Dennis Erickson, Warren Moon, Joey Galloway, and Rickey Watters?"

"They both seem to want that little brown thing as they try to go from one side to the other with it while the other color tries to stop them." Kate has noticed.

"Looks like they only get 3 tries at it before they give the ball(?) to the other color." Lanie has noticed, getting Kate to nod her head.

"This and a lot of other signals are coming from the third planet in the system." Kate points out.

"Well at least they look like us, but why are they speaking a language we know? This place is isolated, how is that possible?" Lanie was confused.

Kate and Lanie watch for a while while Kate pilots them closer to the third planet in the system.

"They seem to be going through a lot of players. This Steve Young guy and others were barely out there at all." Lanie points out.

"The people talking are calling it a pre-season game. Something about needing to look at all the new guys to determine if they want to keep them." Kate points out.

Kate continues to pilot them closer and closer. "The third planet has a natural satellite that orbits it. One side seems to always face the planet while the other is always in darkness.

I'm thinking of landing on it somewhere on the dark side so we can study the planet and then decide what to do." Kate offers. "Besides we need to land someplace so I can go outside and repair the damage."

Kate and Lanie spent the next 3 weeks studying their new home, trying to learn what they could from a distance. A lot of it was watching what was called TV.

Will and Grace, Charmed, Dawson's Creek, Hornblower, Price is Right, Toon Disney, Pre-season football game between the San Francisco 49ers and Seattle Seahawks, Who's Line is it Anyway, That 70's Show, Babylon 5, Bob the Builder, Don't try this at Home, Alias Smith and Jones, Xena: Warrior Princess.

Kate had tested her suit before sealing it up and going outside, walking the surface of the moon and the skin of their ship repairing the holes from the outside as well as other damage.

"What do you think?" Kate asks Lanie as they sit in the lounge watching an episode of Babylon 5.

"This planet is confusing." Lanie didn't understand this place.

"They don't have space travel, the near and far orbit is filled with debris from launches out into space. 2,465 artificial satellites along with thousands of pieces of junk." Kate points out.

"Countless countries each with their own language. What they call news casts occasionally gives reference to wars." Lanie adds.

"They are completely protected from the effects of Tormented Space, and yet they don't ever mention its existence. And since they don't have space travel, they certainly didn't create the barrier." Kate points out.

"There is no mention of our kind, so nothing has changed." Lanie is dejected. Just once she would like to find someone who wasn't afraid of them, being hunted their whole lives was tiring.

"We can't stay out here forever, so where do we live? It looks like we need ID's, money and countless other things." Kate offers.

"We need to be able to speak their language, which seems to limit us a little." Lanie points out.

"If we want to blend in and not get noticed, we need a big city. The bigger the better maybe." Kate offers.

"We need blood, so hospitals and natives. The bigger the city there is likely to be a greater difference between those that have and those that don't." Lanie points out. Knowing that for now, they fell into the "have not" group.

"What little we know it sounds like we only have two choices. Someplace called London and one called New York. … London looks to be on an island, so leaving it would prove to be more difficult. New York sounds like it is denser making living there more tight quarters." Kate offers.

"We don't have to stay there no matter which one we pick and how do we get there?" Lanie offers.

"The ship is too big to hide so I think we leave it here and take the shuttle. It weighs less so we could land on a roof somewhere. We can sleep in the shuttle if we need to for a short time." Kate offers.

"We don't have much refrigeration on the shuttle." Lanie points out. Meaning they were going to have to bite people to get the blood they need. It also meant they would need to be very careful, until they got better established.

"We can get the money we need off the people we bite, but to stop that means we need jobs, and for that we need ID's." Kate points out trying to follow her parent's teachings. They may be vampires but they are not killers. They were different from several of their kind.

"New York?" Lanie asks, liking it over London due to London being on an island.

Kate started nodding her head. "New York. … You load the shuttle while I shut down the ship for its long sleep. We may need it someday." Kate offers.

"I'll only take what blood we can carry, the rest will need to stay here. Do we use the scanner first before we leave?" Lanie wondered how Kate wanted to do this.

Kate scrunched up her face. "We drink only when we need to, which will likely be more often than we have been for the last few months." Kate shook her head. "We drink before we leave. That way we will have time once we are there before we have to again. Save the bags as long as we can." Kate offers her opinion.

Suddenly Lanie looked sad. "Think your parents will find us?"

The topic now made Kate sad and wishing her parents were here. She wasn't ready to grow up and be out on her own. They weren't mean and fixated on killed anyone. Neither had her parents, and yet they were being hunted to extinction, simply because they need blood to live.

"I hope so, they are better at this than I am. But we are soooo lost in Tormented Space. … I don't know Lanie, I honestly don't know." Kate wiped away a tear that escaped. She had to be strong and grow up. They were about to go down to a strange planet they knew very little about to live. They might never actually leave it again, dead or alive.

Kate decided on the same method she used to approach the planet with the hospital, drop like a stone until they were really low in the atmosphere before leveling out.

Kate chose to drop over the ocean and the approach nice and low, just above wave height. "WOW!" Kate was looking at her screens.

That got Lanie's attention. "What?"

"They may not have space travel, but their skies are full of aircraft. … What a mess." Kate could see air craft all over the place. There did however seem to be a corridor established between continents.

"Great! … This New York seems to be a hub for their aircraft. They've even got them going in circles over it." Kate moaned.

"Is London any better?" Lanie offers, since London was on their list.

Kate however shakes her head. "The traffic between the two is thick. We're going to just have to come in nice and low to avoid it all. I'm picking up a lot of voice communication between them and someone.

Sounds like orders on where to fly to and what elevation to be at. I think if we stay as low as possible we'll stay off their system and not have them send someone out to ID us, visually." Kate offers.

"Ok, here goes, better hang onto something, it's going to get bumpy." Kate warns Lanie, who already knew what to expect from last time.

Just like last time they were bounced around in their seats even though they had strapped themselves in tight.

Kate leveled out at 1,000 feet quickly and then gradually took them down to just above the water and made her way towards the city. It was all lit up, except they could only see it on Kate's screens.

"It looks pretty, lots of tall buildings." Lanie liked that part at least. There was lots of water near it too.

Kate needed some elevation as soon as she crossed over into land. It may be dark out, but this city was still very much active. People and cars were everywhere. Watching the news casts, they had worked out that all the yellow cars were taxi's that you had to pay to use.

They both decided they would just walk, since it wasn't tiring in any way. "We need someplace to land, so we can get out and explore." Kate points out.

"Most of these buildings look old, some are like really old. How much do we weigh again?" Lanie wasn't seeing anything on Kate's two main screens that looked useful.

Kate knew she was right; they weighed too much to land on a lot of these buildings. "Let's keep looking, keep your eyes out for something newer looking with enough roof space."

They couldn't afford to just keep cruising around the city just above the top of some of the buildings, someone was bound to spot them and raise the alarm.

"How about there?" Lanie leans over Kate to point. "The building looks newer and it's only 5 stories tall making the drop down to the street easy. Granted there are taller buildings a little near it that can look down on us." Lanie liked it and it looked like a lot of the flat roofs in the area had something on stilts above it, whatever they were.

"Ok, open your door and look out, if it looks like the roof is about to give way, yell." If the roof did collapse and take them with it, it would likely damage their shuttle and they really would be stranded.

Kate was standing with Lanie at the open door. "Shall we go take a look around at our new home?" Kate asks smiling since neither of them have a choice.

Together they are standing at the edge of the building looking down to make sure there is no one close and no obstacles in the way, and then take a step over the side. Falling feet first to land on their feet bending their knees a little as they do.

Stepping out onto the street, looking around to make sure they know this building and how to get back here.

There is a little street traffic and only a small amount of foot traffic. Kate motions a direction to start walking since it doesn't matter. Later they will take a different direction and see what that way is next time.

It turned out their starting point was the more quiet area, since they were soon saw a lot of people on the streets up ahead. Since they were not quite ready for that, they elected to make a turn and go someplace quieter.

Since it was easier to not get lost by just going straight after turning left, they soon found themselves crossing a bridge. It was long with two big columns made out of stone with cables spanning the distance between them and still more cables vertically from those down to the roadway. It looked really old and needed repairs.

A couple of hours later they were a lot deeper into that area of the city. It was also a lot quieter with fewer cars and no people out on the sidewalks. It was late, so they both attributed part of it to that.

Kate and Lanie knew they were there but didn't think anything about till one of them spoke. "You two looking for a party?" He was smiling, but it was a fake smile since it didn't reach his eyes.

"Just exploring, thanks." Kate answered and worked at continuing to walk, however him and one of his friends were in the way and crowding her.

"Exploring is boring, we have just what you need for a really good party." He was in Kate's face while two of his friends crowded in behind them.

"Not interested, thanks." Kate responds.

"It wasn't an invitation." His smile grows as he grabs Kate from the front while one of his friends does the same from behind. With his other two friends doing the same to Lanie.

Kate takes a hold of the guy in front of her and spins in place taking him with her, breaking the hold of the guy behind her and throws him into the brick building next to them.

Kate could hear the sound of him impacting the bricks, hearing several bricks breaking. Not hearing two of his ribs breaking along with his right shoulder and right arm. Nor did she pay any attention to his broken ribs puncturing his right lung.

Lanie grabbed the guy in front of her and promptly broke his right arm and then kicked her foot into his right kneecap, breaking it and dropping him like a stone.

The guy behind Kate tried wrapping his arm around Kate's neck from behind. Kate simply lifted his arm up and bit his arm and started drinking.

Lanie spun in place and grabbed the arm of the guy behind her and bit him and started drinking.

Kate and Lanie stopped after they were sure they were both unconscious and then let them drop.

Kate stepped over to the guy she threw up against the building and picked him up, and noticed that he was bleeding out his mouth. Kate then bit him too and started drinking.

Lanie bent over to the guy lying on the ground who by now looked scared for his life and no longer interested in a party. Lanie picked him up easily and bit him too and started drinking.

Kate and Lanie then started searching both of them. Only one of them had a wallet and two of them had loose amounts of paper on them. They were green with a number and a portrait in the center.

They also found little white bags that had a white powder in them.

Two of them also had what looked like a weapons on them. Kate and Lanie quickly debated what to take with them and what to leave behind. Since they didn't really know what any of it was, they took all of it and work out what it was later.

Looking around and not seeing anyone, Kate picked up the first guy and jumped up onto the roof of the lowest height building in the area and dropped him there, watching Lanie do the same for another.

Shortly they had all four up on the roof and were back down on the ground and started walking back to their shuttle.

"Any idea what we've got?" Kate asks as they are walking back across the bridge.

"The powder in the bags is likely a drug of some kind. If they are selling it, that would make the green paper money." Lanie speculates. "What's in the small leather case?"

Kate pulls out the wallet. "What is likely money." Kate stuffs it into her pocket with the rest of it. "I don't know what these are." Kate held up five little pieces of plastic. "They have numbers on one side and a black stripe on the back. The names on each are different." Kate tosses them one at a time over the side of the bridge.

They both are easily aware of the countless cars passing over the bridge going both direction even this late into the day.

Then Kate pulls out another small card made of plastic. This one had a picture of the guy she threw up against the building. "It says drivers license. Date of birth, color of eyes, along with a set of numbers and other words. Something called Bronx, NY." Kate explains.

There were also some smaller cards made out of paper, that all had what looked like names on them with numbers and the same Bronx, NY.


	5. Chapter 5

**CH5**

Lanie suddenly stopped about half way across the bridge on their way back to their shuttle.

"Kate, if they are selling this stuff then it stands to reason that they have more of this white powder somewhere, along with these green pieces of paper. This is likely the money we need." Lanie waves some of the bills she is holding.

"And that location would be either on this driver's license or on these little cards. But we don't know where this place is." Kate points out a flaw in her theory.

"No but we can ask." Lanie started smiling.

One of the guys behind a counter in a place that a number of cars that stopped at and put something into the side of their car, turned out to be very helpful.

Kate and Lanie learned that the green pieces of paper was money, something they were going to need.

They spent some of it buying a map of the city and he helped them pinpoint the address shown on the driver's license. It was back on the other side of the bridge.

He suggested that they not want to go there when it was dark, it was too dangerous for two lovely young ladies like them.

Kate and Lanie thanked him and went back outside and promptly ran to the address using the map as their guide. It only took them a few minutes and told each other that the cars on the bridge who saw them wouldn't believe what they saw, so they were safe.

"Here we are." Kate offers looking a door that had countless doors just like it on both sides of the street.

Kate took in a deep breath. "There are at least 3 more inside. I can also smell the white powder that is inside. There are likely more of these weapons." Kate holds up one of the guns they got from the first four.

Lanie took in her own deep breath. "They are awake and in the room just inside the door." Lanie adds. "The spaces on each side are empty."

"We force the door open and do this quickly, taking what we want and then run." Kate tells her.

Kate and Lanie step up to the door and each takes in another deep breath to help them determine what is inside. Kate twists the door knob, breaking it and then shoulders open the door.

The dead bolt was locked in place into the door jam, problem was the door no longer had a door jam after Kate pushed.

The three guys inside looked up and saw Kate quickly step into the room and grab the guy closest to her and spins in place and throws him through the wall and into the kitchen on the other side of the wall.

Lanie quickly steps inside and grabs one of the guys arms and bites him and starts drinking.

Kate quickly steps over to the other guy who was reaching for the weapon on the coffee table only to have Kate take his arm and bite him and start drinking.

Lanie stopped since she didn't really need his blood, watching Kate do the same.

Kate went in search of the guy she threw into the kitchen and bit him too.

"Interesting place." Kate comments as she comes back into the room, watching Lanie stuff money into a duffle bag she found in the room.

Kate picked up something that looked like technology and flipped it open. It had a screen on one panel and a set of numbers on the other. It also said Motorola on the outside. Kate dropped it and the other three just like it into the bag Lanie was using.

"Do we want the white powder?" Kate asks.

"We don't even know what it is. If they are selling it on the street and not to established companies, I'd say no. Though we could take it and throw it out later if we don't want it." Lanie adds.

"We need another one of those bags, I'll see if I can find one." And Kate leaves the front room to search the row house.

Lanie has finished picking up all of the money and stuffed it into the bag when Kate returned with another bag. "I also found these." Kate pulls out two somewhat thin items and flips open one of them, showing Lanie that one side had a screen and the other had a keyboard.

Lanie takes them and puts them into the bag with the money and helps Kate pick up all the bags with the white powder and stuff them into the second bag.

"Anything else?" Lanie asks.

"Have you searched these three?" Kate asks not knowing is she had while Kate was gone. Watching Lanie shake her head.

They both take a couple of minutes to search them. Finding two more wallets and a set of keys. "What are these?" Lanie asks holding up the keys.

"Open the lock on the door?" Kate offers, since it looked like at least one of the keys would fit in the door. "Take them and we can work it out later." Kate offers.

"What was upstairs?" Lanie was curious.

"Sleeping quarters. From the look of it, these guys are pigs." Kate was not impressed.

"No clothes for women?" Lanie would like to fit in, by changing clothes.

Kate shook her head. "All guys." Getting Lanie to curse internally.

"We should run before the sun comes up and this city wakes up." Lanie wanted to hide while they worked out where they were and tried to solve some of their questions.

It only took minutes to run back to the building their shuttle was sitting on. Stepping over to the same location they fell from, the jumped up onto the roof and walked into their shuttle.

Lanie took the bag with the white powder. "I'm not going to be able to tell us much about this stuff unless we go back to the ship and use its medical equipment, as limited as it may be." Lanie informs Kate.

Kate nodded her head and pulled out one of the smaller technology items they had found. It had a screen that lite up when she turned it on. The other panel had numbers 1 through 9 along with a star and another character. Pressing one of the numbers caused the device to beep lightly, along with noticing that the number she pressed was displayed on the screen.

Kate decided to experiment and inserted a set of numbers, then chose to press the green colored button.

Then a voice came from the device. "I'm sorry, the number you have entered could not be completed as dialed." Kate closed it. "It's a communication device of some type. A portable one." Kate comments.

Kate switches to the much bigger device that has a keyboard built-in. Finally finding the power button. 'Starting Windows'

It had a skull and cross bones on the screen with a number of mini-pictures on the left side. Kate could see an arrow like symbol move around when she dragged her finger across a small panel that had what looked like two buttons on the bottom.

The tags on the device said it was an IBM Thinkpad TP760XL, not that, that meant anything to Kate.

XGA screen and received the more recently developed 166 MHz Intel Pentium I MMX Processor. This model featured 48 MB RAM standard and a CD-ROM standard. Offered a 2.1 GB and 3.0GB hard drive option and came pre-installed with Windows 95.

It didn't take long to figure out what Norton and McAfee was. However some of the other things she found where going to take a little work.

Then Kate noticed it was presently working off of a battery that was already down to 76% power left. A battery meant it could be re-charged or needed to be replaced with a fresh one. However Kate didn't remember seeing any cables, so she turned it back off to save the battery for when she wanted to try again.

"Shall we start counting?" Kate offered after putting the computer off to one side.

A lot of the bills were badly crinkled making it difficult to place them in a pile after having been counted. There were 1's, 5's, 10's, 20's, 50's and 100's. Each number had a different picture in the middle.

It took some time to count it all out and then put it back into the duffel bag. $120,000

"I wonder if that is a lot or just a little." Lanie didn't know. The map they had bought hadn't cost but a fraction of this number, however it was just a simple map. They had a lot to learn.

However it had been a long day and it was time to get some sleep. They decided to sleep during the day and go out searching at night again. The darkness gave them some cover.

It was uncomfortable and since the two seats didn't fold flat, it made sleeping in the shuttle a little weird. The two duffle bags were behind the two seats since the shuttle didn't have any storage space to speak of.

The shuttle did however have something that the ship didn't have. It had a viewing port on each side. Though the piloting of the shuttle was the same as the ship. The screens in front of Kate were smaller, but not much else changed.

"The sun is still up." Lanie points out. "Though it should be down soon."

"Shall we take a look at our home with the benefit of the sun still being up?" Kate asks since she was interested, and started to open the door.

"Are your contacts in?" Lanie cautions since she knows her's aren't.

Kate cursed silently and jerked her head. They had been on a ship in the darkness of space for so long. Plus that little adventure at the hospital had been at night. Kate had gotten complacent about wearing them.

Being a vampire had a few negatives. They needed blood to live. And while they could survive in direct sun light, anything more than a minute or two and the sun would burn their eyes out, leaving them blind for the rest of their life.

However being a vampire meant they had greater strength, better eye sight, better smell, better hearing and lived a little longer than the average human.

Except it also meant the Universe wanted them all dead, hence the Hunters.

With contacts in place Kate opened the door and squinted since it had been a while since she had been in sun light. The building around them were more vivid and the noise around them was greater.

It was mostly noise from all the cars. Road noise and car horns. Surprisingly there was very little talking from the people on the street. "We need to bring some of the money with us. We need to understand how much or little we have." Kate comments and heads back to the shuttle.

After giving some of it to Lanie they step over the side and drop to the ground below. Bending their knees just a little as they land, not seeing anyone near them or looking this way.

"We need information." Kate comments, just not entirely sure how to get it.

This time they went the other direction from last night. They walked past countless places to eat at. Most had seating inside, however a few had seating outside. They also went passed a number of stores. One of them caught Kate's eye so she talked Lanie into going inside.

It was an electronics store. It was filled with TV's of countless sizes, most of which were on showing any number of different shows. Though several were showing the same thing.

"Can I help you ladies?" A guy inside the store approached them.

"Not really no, we just want to look." Kate answers.

"Of course, look around all you please. The TV's with a perfect size for a dorm room or sharing an apartment with are over there." And he points. "If you have questions just let me know." And he backs off a little.

Kate and Lanie didn't understand but went where he pointed. The TV's over here were a lot smaller than the ones that had gotten their attention. Still they were bigger than the screens on the side on the ship.

"These are mostly around $100, the bigger they get the more they cost." Kate points out.

"And we have $120,000, except we need a place to live, clothes and countless other things." Lanie adds.

It got Kate to nod her head. They needed a lot of things and it would all add up. Maybe $120,000 was a lot and maybe it wasn't.

"You ladies have any questions?" The guy was back.

"We don't know how much space we have yet." Kate offered, thinking if she got him talking it might give them something.

It got him to smile. "A lot of college students are only just arriving. I'm sure you can see a lot of advertising on campus. I don't think there is anyone on campus that can help you find something. You two are likely on your own." If their parents weren't here to help them it was going to be hard on them.

"We're still a little lost around here. Where is the college from here?" Lanie asks.

"Sure, follow me." And he leads them outside. "Go up this street and turn right at the first light. Then go straight for about a mile, maybe less, and you'll be on the edge of the campus. There are a lot of student apartments all around it. First come first serve, so I suggest you start there. Then come back and I'll help you pick a TV for your size and price."

"Thanks." Lanie offers and Kate and her start walking.

"Good luck ladies." He offers and goes back inside.

It was going to be dark soon so the two of them started walking a little faster. It took some searching before they found an advertising area about apartments. There were also a lot of other kids walking around all over.

Then a pair of guys walked over. "The better apartment offers are on the board just inside the library. These are the cheap ones with questionable owners who might not fix the hot water or the leak in the sink." Kate and Lanie sized these two up. They were obviously older than them.

"First year freshman, right?" One of they guys asks. Getting Kate to nod her head.

"We're juniors and roommates. You really should go to the library and look first. If you can afford it, it is a better option. Come on, we can walk you there. The campus is mostly safe, but it's getting dark.

Honest, no funny business." Him and his friend hold up their hands.

"The college has staff and offices to help you find housing, it's just that they are closed now, so the library can give you an idea on what to expect. …. What are you majoring in?" One of them asks as they walk.

"Medical." Lanie answers since that was what she had been studying earlier.

"Electronics or maybe criminal justice, I haven't decided." Kate had always been interested in trying to prove that her kind wasn't to be feared. But she was also good at fixing things, like space ships.

"The university has a good criminal justice course, or so I'm told. Don't know much about the others." One answers getting the other guy to shake his head.

"This is the library, the board is just inside." As he opens the door and holds it open for all of them. "Looks like most of them are still up. Still it would be best to go see the staff and get their help. They're good at it." The guy offers.

"I'm Alan and this is Eric, we'll let you look in peace. We can meet up for drinks later if you like. There are a lot of local places to go." Alan offers.

"I'm Kate and this is Lanie, and we don't, … Thanks but no." Kate tells him, they had helped enough.

"Freshmen!" Alan rolls his head, not old enough to drink. He kicks himself for being so stupid.

"Fake ID's?" Eric asks. Most good looking women had fake ID's didn't they. Watching Kate and Lanie shake their heads.

Kate and Lanie watch Erik pull Alan off to one side and start talking in whispers. Kate and Lanie can however still hear them.

They are soon back and tell Kate and Lanie what they had already heard. "If you've got $250 we know a guy who can get you a fake ID so you can get in. It'll only take him a day. They're not great, but it will fool most everyone." Alan offers.

"That'll be great, thanks." Kate responds and yanks down one of the advertisements for an apartment that she thought sounded interesting.

Alan took it and went over to a desk and picked up one of those mini pencils and wrote down a name and address. "Here, say around lunch tomorrow. He should have both of them ready about the same time the next day. … Below that is a place we can meet for drinks if you like." It was a neutral site. They didn't have to ask for their phone numbers or where they were staying.

Kate takes it. "Thanks, maybe if they are ready we'll meet you there." Kate offers.

Once outside they both go their separate ways. "Are we really?" Lanie asks, because she wasn't really interested in either of them, not that they weren't nice, because they both were.

"NO, but we did get some help from them so I do kinda feel bad about using them. … A little." Kate didn't have any interest in them either.

Kate and Lanie wandered around the campus getting used to it. Reading the names of each of the buildings and memorizing the layout of the campus. "We still need more information, a simple fake ID might not be enough. We may need to take some classes here." Kate points out.

"Or how much it costs." Lanie points out.

It got Kate to sigh. They didn't have jobs, they needed proper ID's to get them most likely. They needed to get established like they were at the last planet. For now they needed to bite and steal to survive and that just wasn't how Kate wanted to live.

They may be vampires, but they weren't mean and didn't want to have to steal to live. She wanted a life, one that didn't include being on the run.

"We may need to go back to the same place as last night again. I'm betting that was the bad area of this city. We need more money, classes, provided that we can get in, are not likely to be cheap." Lanie points out knowing that knowledge is gold.

Kate let out another heavy sigh. The early days, or even weeks on a new planet were always the hardest.

They did at least know what to smell for to lead them to those locations like the last house. So long as they were careful and fast.

Franklin St, Apt. 2b  
><strong>New York, NY<strong> 10013

This 2 bedroom 2 bath oasis boasts 1,123 square feet of space, clear finished oak plank flooring, travertine marble baths, chic crown moldings and bright floor to ceiling windows throughout. The large open kitchen features an eat-in bar area with pendant lighting illuminating the space, Bosch and Sub-Zero appliances, and a 24 bottle wine refrigerator.

It came furnished, pet friendly, which was something that interested Kate, it had a doorman, so it had at least some security, a large deck, club house and a large outdoor common area on the roof.

It would be a long drop if they decided to step over the side, but they both thought they could handle it. Jumping back up however was out. They may both be strong, but they weren't that strong.

And it was only $6795 a month, plus paying 6 months in advance with cash got them in easy.

It was this process that they found out they needed social security cards. It was part of the paperwork they had to fill out, but since they didn't know right then they were allowed to move in and provide the numbers later.

It was also really close to their shuttle that they left on the roof they had landed on. And since it came with a TV, they didn't need to go back to that store. Actually this TV was even better than the ones they had been looking at.

$40,770 out of their $120,000 down leaving $79,230 left to work with. Even after this they decided to go back out and look for another house like that last one.

Power, water, cable, all had to be worked out, that turned out to be easy enough. It did however give them a monthly bill that they had to keep track of.

Next came shopping for clothes to fit into their surroundings better with, contacts for their eyes, since they only had just so many of them, and of course blood. Fresh blood was always better tasting, and satisfying, but they wanted to fit in. This was home now and going around biting people could easily lead to trouble.

Classes at NYU would be starting in a few weeks. If they wanted in they needed to get their hands on a social security number, soon!

Kate and Lanie were relaxing on their white sofa in front of the TV watching the late night news, since they had a lot to learn. "I hope your parents are alright, I don't want to be the last of my kind." Lanie started blinking back tears. They had come far in only 3 or 4 days, but it was still just them.

"Dad is resourceful, they'll think of something. They'll be here, I just don't know when. … Just keep smelling when we are outside. We have to keep alert or the Hunters will sneak up on us again." Kate had learned her lesson from last time.

Her parents had to find them. They had to! Nineteen was just too young to be this alone.


	6. Chapter 6

**CH6**

Rick with Alexis in hand were exiting the plane first. One of the perks of sitting in first class in the front seats with your daughter seated next to you.

Gina was also in first class, however she was a few seats back so Rick didn't have to put up with her while flying home. He had put up with her on most of the other flights plus at the book stores as well as at the hotel.

It wasn't so much that he hated Gina, it's just all those not to subtle hints that he shouldn't have brought Alexis with him, were getting to him. Alexis was his life and the most important person in his life, leaving her behind with some nanny or baby sitter just didn't sit well with him. And having to listen to Gina tell him all this was pissing him off.

Rick and Alexis, hand in hand started walking down the tub that connected the terminal to the plane. "Glad to be back?" Rick asks her.

"Yup, I want to go home, but I'm hungry." Alexis offers up.

"We'll stop for something along the way." Knowing home was likely empty of food since they had been gone for a few days, five to be precise in four different cities.

Rick was however thankful that this was the last of these long distance multi-cities signings that Gina had set up. There was only a single one in New York left for this year. After that it was up to him, Black Pawn and their respective lawyers to work out the next contract.

Rick however couldn't escape from Gina again until he exited baggage claim. "Next time leave the kid behind Richard." Gina whispered out standing next to him waiting for their luggage.

"Her name is Alexis Gina." Rick spoke up loud enough for almost everyone to hear him. "And she goes where I go because she is my daughter, and my next contract with Black Pawn is going to exclude these long distance long term signing trips." Rick informs her.

"Richard keep your voice down." People might hear and word would spread and gossip would start. The type of gossip she didn't want.

"You should have thought about that before you insulted my daughter Gina." Rick informs her with his voice still loud enough to carry.

"Being seen at these signing with a kid hurts your image of being a playboy." Gina points out still whispering.

"This playboy image is your doing Gina, assigning me blonde women who hang on my arm like a ships anchor and chain. I have a daughter Gina, one who doesn't need to have her kids at school teasing her about her dad going through women one after the other.

I'm a family man, that's also something that is going to be in the new contract. Alexis comes first, not you, not Black Pawn and not the money. If I have to sell the loft and find someplace smaller, then I will." Rick spotted his bag with Alexis's bag right next to it.

Lifting his bag out and Alexis's, then pulled up the rods to pull them behind them.

"Come on pumpkin, we're going home." Rick hands over her little bag since she liked pulling it herself. "Don't call me Gina, I'll call you. … Just don't hold your breath." Rick all but yells out over his shoulder as Rick and Alexis walk away.

Gina can feel all the people with eyes looking directly at her as she waits for her bag, fuming!

It's not that she hates children, she just doesn't want any. And having Richard with one was something that did piss her off. He just had to have a child with some other woman. DAMN IT!

"What are you people looking at?" Gina yells out, trying to get all the eyes off of her.

It turned out to actually be a bad idea to yell. It was only now that she noticed a lot of them had cameras out and were still taking pictures. It hadn't occurred to Gina that a lot of these people were returning from being on vacation and would have cameras on them or in their carry-on bags.

Gina was on her way outside with her bag in tow, when she overheard. "We can sell the pictures and story to a tabloid." It got Gina to groan, this was all Richard Castle's fault. He just had to go and have a kid and bring the brat with him. DAMN IT!

Gina started working on a new plan all the way hone before going into the office. She needed to get started on damage control, before it all got out of hand.

"So what do we call and have delivered?" Rick looked at Alexis next to him since they were in an airport service car being taken home. "Chinese or pizza?" Rick offered, suspecting what her answer would be.

"PIZZA!" Alexis gave him her choice.

It got Rick to chuckle, he had expected as much. "Pizza it is then." Rick was smiling. Alexis meant everything to him. Listening to Gina make her out to be some kind of circus side show had him in a foul mood, for most of the trip. He honestly didn't know what to do about it, yet.

Stepping inside. "Take your bag to your room and dump your clothes into the hamper while I call for pizza." Rick tells her.

"Okay." Alexis drags her mini-suitcase up the stairs one bump after another bump followed by another, etc. It had Rick grinning while he went looking for the lists in the kitchen then grab the house phone and made the call.

Rick took his bag into his bedroom and started un-packing, knowing he would need to help Alexis with hers soon. The clothes went into the hamper downstairs and was just putting the stuff into the bathroom when he heard the front door.

Little early for Pizza? Rick headed for the door and found the upstairs neighbors at his door. It was a 5 floor tall building and he had the 4th floor, which was actually two floors tall.

"Hi, what's up? Alexis and I just got home." Rick tells her.

"Do you have any damage?" The neighbor asked.

"Damage? What sort of damage?" Rick hadn't been here long, but things didn't look any different to him.

"We were gone for the weekend and when we got home we found that parts of the ceiling had cracked with a little of the ceiling on our floor." She explains.

"REALLY!?" Rick left the door open and started looking around the loft, especially the ceiling.

His neighbor had stepped inside a little with him and started looking up too.

"No, I don't see anything." Rick didn't remember seeing anything in his bedroom and Alexis hadn't yelled that her room was damaged. "Let me look around a little and then go up to the roof after dinner and I'll let you know if I find anything." Rick offers.

"Thanks Mr. Castle, I appreciate that." She didn't want her husband up on the roof.

"Not a problem, I'll let you know what I found." Rick closes the door and heads upstairs. "Hi pumpkin, need a hand with that?" Rick starts helping her unpack her little suitcase and then puts it away in the closet. Hopefully not to come out for a long time.

"How about you wash up, while I go down and check the mail. The pizza should be here soon." Alexis was looking at her dad funny since he was walking around her room half the time looking up at her ceiling.

It got Alexis to look up at her ceiling after Rick was gone. Then she went in to wash her hands, and was just reaching the kitchen breakfast bar when Rick showed up at the front door with the mail and 5 days of local ledger.

Rick wasn't done saying. "Trash, … trash, …. trash, …." As he threw out most of the mail when the pizza arrived with a knock on the front door.

"So what was your favorite part?" Rick asks as they sit at the counter eating pizza.

Alexis thought it over since the trip had been mostly boring. Sitting in a bookstore watching her dad sign book after book. Listening to her dad fight with Gina over him bringing her with him. And yet after they got away from Gina and the bookstores her dad had made everything fun.

"The pool?" Alexis had talked her dad into using the pool if the hotel had one. Not all of them did.

"The museum." Alexis changed her mind, since two of the cities they had gone to the local museums. They were nice, just not as nice as the one at home.

"The zoo?" One of the cities only had one bookstore signing giving them enough time to spend the rest of the day at the city zoo. That had been a lot of fun.

"Anything else?" Rick was smiling happy that his little girl at least had some fun.

"Not Gina." Alexis's face suddenly went sad and a little scared. Alexis didn't like Gina and voicing her opinion might make her dad mad. Not that he had ever been mad at her before.

"I'm sorry." Rick stroked her long hair. "Gina and I just don't, …." Rick didn't know how to explain his association with Gina to a five year old, coming up on six soon. A couple of weeks before Halloween actually.

"You were yelling." Alexis confides now that they were talking about Gina.

This sent shock waves through Rick and made him mad, sad and embarrassed. His little girl had heard him having an argument with Gina and that was just not acceptable. He was going to have to be more careful when he was around Gina and his daughter at the same time.

"It'll never happen again, I promise." Rick drew a cross across his chest and then bopped Alexis on her nose lightly with his finger tip. Getting her to giggle.

"All done eating greasy pizza?" Rick asks Alexis. Getting Alexis to show him her greasy fingers.

"You go upstairs and wash, then we have to go check on something." Rick wasn't leaving her alone. Even if it was just to go up to the roof of his building.

Rick watched her head for the stairs. "Don't touch anything with those hands." Rick warned her as she had reached out to use the handrail. Watching Alexis yank her greasy hands back and take the stairs one step at a time.

Rick put the left over pizza in the refrigerator, noticing that he needed to go shopping tomorrow if they wanted to eat. Then washed his own greasy hands at the kitchen sink.

Alexis was soon back downstairs. "Ready?" Rick asked her. Getting Alexis to nod her head.

Rick decided on taking the elevator up to the 5th floor and then over to the stairs to get to the roof. The door to the landing was locked with a deadbolt and also had a padlock. Opening this door got him into a foyer area that housed most of the electrical panels for all of the units in the building.

"Remember, don't touch anything." Rick advises Alexis, watching Alexis shake her head and cross her arms. Getting Rick to grin.

The door to the roof was just like the other door except it also had a metal bar holding the door in place. No one was getting into the building by the roof access.

Rick opened the door. "WHAT THE HELL IS THAT?" Momentarily forgetting that Alexis was right behind him.

"Wow dad, what is that?" Alexis stepped right past him and out onto the roof.

Rick was momentarily frozen to the spot and watched Alexis step right up to it and place her palm on it. "ALEXIS!" Rick did however find his voice, even if it was a little late.

"It's cool dad, what is it?" Alexis turned to look at Rick to ask her question then turned back around to look at it again.

"I have no idea, but this must be what damaged Mr. and Mrs. Siemmens ceiling." Rick came up next to Alexis and reached out to touch it too.

"It's metal." Rick comments. "These look like portholes." Rick notices them and tries to look inside. Then brings his hand up to either side of his face wondering if that would help.

"What's inside dad?" Alexis was watching.

"It's dark." All Rick saw was black.

"Dad, … What's this?" Alexis asks just a second before she pushes it. Getting Rick too late to reach out and grab her hand before she did something.

The area around the porthole hisses and the door pops out and slides back revealing the interior.

"COOL!" Alexis was impressed and promptly went inside to sit in one of the two seats.

"ALEXIS, … Get out of there." His daughter was going to give him a heart attack one of these days.

"It's cool dad." Alexis was beaming. "There's even one for you." Alexis moves across to sit in the other seat.

It got Rick to hand his head. Oh well, in for a penny, and Rick stepped inside and sat down.

There were controls for him to touch like an airplane, except it didn't look like there were any windows except the little port holes on each side. There were however a number of TV screens in front of him.

"How do you see out dad?" Alexis was looking around. There was a wall behind the seats, so this was all there was. The seat backs were really low, forcing Alexis to sit up straight on her own.

The whole thing was confusing to her.

"I don't know." Rick answers her question. "Maybe they use cameras on one of these TV's" Rick waves at the back of TV's in front of him.

"Maybe one of these buttons." Alexis offers and reaches out to touch one of the ones closest to her.

This time however Rick is fast enough to grab her hand to stop her. "Don't touch. … We don't know how to fly it. We touch the wrong thing and we could end up going over the side of the building and crashing. Besides it's not ours." Rick points out.

"Stealing is bad." Alexis hung her head low. It's just that she was so excited about what they had found. "We can't keep it can we?" To Alexis it was another toy, something to play with.

"No we can't. We are however going to have to keep our eyes on it, see if we can find out who's it is. … Maybe they can include us in their movie." Rick offers smiling.

"Like Star Wars!" Alexis was suddenly excited and it gave her an answer as to who's it was. "COOL!" She was going to be in a movie. How exciting!

"Come on Alexis before we damage something and make them mad at us." Rick needed an excuse to get his daughter moving.

If they damaged it they wouldn't let them be in their movie. That gave Alexis a reason to get moving and out of whatever it was.

"How do we close it?" Rick asks looking it over. Only to watch Alexis reach out and push the button again and seeing the door close.

Rick re-locked all the doors and stopped at Mrs. Siemmens apartment. "Mr. Castle." She was glad to see him.

"There is some debris on the roof that came from somewhere. I'll arrange to have a contractor come out and repair your ceiling. If you're not home at the time I promise to sit inside and watch him the entire time." Rick doubted the contractor would steal anything, but it would make her feel better.

"Thank you Mr. Castle. One of us will likely be here." Thanking Rick before closing the door and taking Alexis back to their home.

"It's not debris dad." Alexis corrects him.

"Since the movie studio didn't ask my permission to put their object on my roof, that makes it debris." Rick counters knowing he is walking a really fine line here. Just that he's not convinced it was a fake.

Just that if it was real, what did that mean, and who's was it? And why his roof?

Except for going up there often to try and catch who the owners were, figuring they would come back at least to check on it, Rick didn't know what else to do. It would take days to have cameras added to the roof and wired down to his unit. Plus he would need to add video screens, and was it worth it?

Rick decided to do it the hard way, up and down the stairs from time to time. Just how were they getting onto the roof? All the doors were locked from the inside and the security bar was in place.

"Movie daddy?" Alexis snapped Rick out of his head.

"Sure, you pick one while I make the popcorn and get the drinks." Rick tells her.

Rick sat down on the sofa after putting the bowl of popcorn and drinks on the coffee table. "What are we watching?" Rick asks taking the VHS case from Alexis.

"Aladdin, excellent choice!" Getting Alexis to smile. Rick put the tape into the VHS player and sat back down on the sofa after picking up the remote and pressing play.

"Can we get a magic carpet daddy?" Alexis gave him her best puppy dog eyes, it almost always worked.

"You have to have a Genie first don't you?" Rick countered hoping that got him out of those puppy dog eyes.

"Oh yeah." Alexis was bummed. "Can we get a Genie bottle?" Alexis tries again.

"We can look for one the next time we are at the beach. Maybe we'll find one after it washes up on the beach." Rick offers, since the chance of even finding a bottle were thin, let alone one that had a Genie inside.

The answer did however make Alexis happy, she liked going out to their house on the beach.

Then Rick got the shock of his life. "They're kissing, yuck. … You don't kiss anyone daddy." Alexis had turned to look at him.

Alexis had seen her daddy with a number of different women but never more than once.

"You only kiss when you love someone." Rick points out. "And I love you." Rick adds and bends over to kiss Alexis on her head.

"But you're alone daddy. … There's no mommy." Alexis sounded sad and was looking at the floor now instead of the movie.

"You're mother loves you pumpkin." Rick kisses her again.

"No she doesn't. She never comes when she promises. She never calls. No birthdays, no Christmas, no, …. " Alexis didn't remember the word.

"Your mother does love you Alexis, she's just busy." Rick tries to defend Meredith even though he doesn't know why, except that she is her mother.

"DON'T CALL HER THAT! … I HATE HER!" Alexis jumps up off the sofa and runs for her room slamming the door behind her.

Leaving a stunned Rick sitting on the sofa. How did they go from watching Aladdin to her hating her mother? Except that Meredith was never here for her, and she did break all of her promises. No phone calls, no birthday presents from her. Rick had actually bought them for her and put her name on them.

Did Alexis know he was doing that? What Rick didn't know was that Alexis knew his handwriting.

Rick stopped the movie and pressed rewind and went upstairs. Knocking on Alexis's door, but getting nothing.

"Alexis?" Rick knocks again but still gets nothing, so he slowly opens the door. Finding her curled up on her bed, crying.

Rick sits on the bed and reaches out. "Alexis?" Only to feel her shake him off.

"Your mother does love you, she just doesn't know how to show it." Rick tries again, wishing Meredith would change.

"STOP CALLING HER THAT!" Alexis hated her, she really did.

At first she thought it was her fault that her mother didn't like her, but her dad loves her, so it must be her fault.

"Ok, I won't call Meredith your mother." Rick offers.

"STOP DAD. … Don't even talk about her. She's not my mother and I don't want her." Rick didn't like the sound of her voice.

"Alexis, like her or not she is your mother, …." Alexis however interrupts him.

"NO DAD! … A mother would be here. A mother would keep her promises. A mother would be here when I'm sick. A mother would tell me she loves me, not tell lies. A mother would call me to find out how my day went. Find out if I'm happy or sad." Alexis hated her and she was going to get her dad to see, no matter what.

"I don't have a mommy so stop telling me I do. You promised never to lie dad." Alexis points out the one truth they had told each other.


	7. Chapter 7

**CH7**

Saturday had been hell as far as Rick was concerned. First it was Gina and her attitude, then it was Alexis and her breakdown over her mother, who was acting like anything but a mother.

Meredith had given birth to her and promptly disappeared after that unless it suited her to show up. Alexis was just an afterthought. Still not matter how bad a job Meredith did at being a mother she was Alexis's mother, and there was nothing he could do about that.

Meredith was never here long enough to talk to her about their child. Actually every time he brought up Alexis, Meredith shut him down. Now Rick didn't know what to do.

It was Monday and he had just gotten home after dropping Alexis off at school and was sitting in his car in the underground parking garage. He had gone shopping yesterday so they had food to cook meals with. Maybe a little something to make Alexis happy? He just didn't know what.

Rick got out and started walking, maybe he would see something. He wasn't trying to buy here, it's just that he didn't know what else to do. Getting Meredith to listen was likely a lost cause.

Rick was still wondering around on a semi-busy street when he saw the front page of the ledger. Rick knew he had a copy waiting for him at home, but the cover caught his attention so he stopped and bought one.

**Richard Castle is dumping Black Pawn**

Numerous people had spotted Richard Castle and Gina Cowell at the airport having a heated argument. The argument was about Gina Cowell creating and trying to keep Richard Castle's playboy image intact.

Gina Cowell was obviously upset about Richard Castle taking his daughter with him on his latest book signing trip. It didn't take much imagination to determine that Gina does not like children, especially the daughter of Richard Castle.

Was this because Miss Gina Cowell wants to be the next Mrs. Castle and wants the daughter out of the picture?

Richard Castle was heard to refer to the blonde young women he has been seen with as being a ships anchor and chain, dragging him down. That he was a family man who had a daughter.

This appeared to upset Miss Gina Cowell greatly. Was this Gina's plan to have Richard Castle tire of the playboy image and take Gina Cowell of Black Pawn, who is his publisher as his next girlfriend?

What kind of game is Gina Cowell playing with Richard Castle as the prize?

Pictures of them at the airport on page 6.

Turning to page 6, Rick could see the pictures that were definitely them with his daughter in the pictures. There was even more coverage about how Gina blew up in the airport yelling at all of the passengers after Richard Castle had left with his daughter.

Rick was furious! His daughter had her picture taken and was in the paper all because of his argument with Gina in a public location. Ok, so having an argument in a public location wasn't one of his better ideas. But all of those topics in the paper had given him a lot to think about.

Rick pulled out his Nokia 5110 cell phone and called his lawyer after shoving the paper into the trash. Swearing to take the one at home and maybe burn it in the fireplace. Except his fireplace was gas fired.

"Damn it!" Things were going from bad to worse. Rick now had an appointment for later today with his lawyer.

Rick didn't get mad easily, but things were getting seriously out of hand. Rick was more than willing to let his lawyer be the bad guy.

Rick started striding for home in a really dark mood. After his meeting with his lawyer he needed to pick up Alexis from school, today being her first day of the school year.

Kate and Lanie had found out that the guy who got them their fake ID's couldn't help them with fake social security numbers. That was beyond his skill and he didn't know anyone who could help them.

Now they were walking for the building that had their shuttle on its roof. They wanted to look it over and make sure it was there. "We need to think of a more permanent solution for where to leave the shuttle. We may not have time to keep checking it." Kate points out.

Lanie knew it was their only way back to the ship on the far side of this planets moon. She just didn't know of anyplace else to leave it. The building it was sitting on was only a few blocks away, making getting to it easy.

They had both made it to the front door of the building with the intention of going around the side and then jumping up onto the building, when Kate suddenly stopped dead in her tracks.

From Lanie's point of view Kate looked like she was in a trance or something.

Kate suddenly felt weak in the knees. There was a smell that she had just noticed that was the most delicious thing she had ever smelled. It was absolutely heavenly! It also instantly brought out her fangs and Kate's ability to see clearly was getting difficult.

"Kate, your fangs are showing." Lanie didn't understand what was going on. Lanie knew she didn't need to feed, neither of them did. Besides if they found another house tonight like last time, they wouldn't need to feed for days still after that.

Lanie got in front of Kate to look into her eyes. "Kate! Retract your fangs before someone sees." Lanie put her hand over Kate's mouth while whispering to her since there were people around them.

Kate worked at getting her mind back and concentrated on retracting her fangs, still the smell was present and was actually getting stronger. It was soooo delicious smelling and it was clouding her mind again.

"You ladies alright, can I help you with something?" Rick asks the two women not far outside his front door. They were both relatively young looking. Likely college students. One was a lovely Latino looking woman. The other was a simply drop dead gorgeous brunette who looked a little thin, but still in great shape.

"We're fine honest, no problem." Lanie responds.

"You're sure? I'm perfectly willing to help you with something. Trying to find someplace? Looking for a good place to have lunch? I haven't had lunch yet, you can eat with me it you want." Rick had no idea why he said that, but the brunette was looking at him with eyes the like of which he had never seen before.

Lanie didn't quite know what to say, they did need to find someone who could get them better ID's, but his guy was just some random guy them met on the street. Then Lanie was suddenly shocked.

Kate walked right up to him and buried her face into his chest and wrapped her arms around him.

Rick didn't know just what to do. He had, had the women Gina stuck him with at parties try and get him to take them to bed for a one night stand or maybe more, but this was different.

Rick was soon shocked when he found his arms wrapped around her, whoever she is.

Kate had buried her face into his chest and was breathing him in. Whoever this was, was what she was smelling and she wanted more of it. Then she felt her fangs come out. She wasn't thirsty and her throat didn't burn, but somehow she just knew that his blood would be just as delicious as he smelled.

Kate buried her face in even tighter trying to will her fangs to retract, while breathing him in. Then Kate felt him push her away just as she got her fangs to retract and she was now looking into his eyes.

Then Kate felt a tingling like she had never felt before. His hands were on either side of her face as he looked into her eyes. "Are you alright? Is there something I can help you with?" Rick looked at her.

Rick felt a tingling run up his hands and then up his arms as he held his hands on each side of her face and looked into her eyes. Rick could now feel his heart pounding in his chest.

Kate was trying so hard to say something, anything, but no matter how she tried nothing came out. Kate could feel tears starting and her heart was pounding in her chest and she could still smell him, as she actively took in deep breathes.

"I'm Rick." Rick offered trying to get his mind to work. "Richard Castle." Rick used his thumbs to stroke her check just below her eyes and side of her nose.

"I'm Lanie, this is Kate." Lanie offers since it looked like Kate wasn't leaving anytime soon.

"Beckett." Kate whispered out, barely.

Rick knew he had things to do. A number of things that he had to take care of. As he forced his mind to work for him. "Pleased to meet you Kate Beckett." Rick withdrew his hands, though it was a struggle.

Rick started looking them each over. They didn't have any purses on them. Not unusual for college students. COLLEGE STUDENT! Kate was too young for him, still there was something. Something he didn't want to lose. He needed to learn more. There was a story in here somewhere.

"I have errands I have to complete, things I really need to take care of." Rick felt his heart was pounding on the outside of his body somehow. Kate Beckett!

Rick reached into a pocket and pulled out his ever present sharpie pen. He didn't think they had any paper on them and he didn't have any on him. Still his apartment was just inside, but Kate might be gone by the time he came back down with paper.

Rick pushed up the sleeve of Kate's shirt. "This is my home number." Rick writes it on her arm. Then switches arms. "And this is my cell phone number." Rick writes on her other arm.

"Call me and we can arrange something, hopefully. I live in this building here, it's mine actually. I'm up on the 4th floor. … Don't wash that off." Rick smiles at her.

Rick then takes a big risk and leans in to kiss Kate on the cheek.

Kate saw him getting closer and felt his lips on her cheek, wishing she had been fast enough to turn her head and get him to kiss her lips instead. Still the kiss almost had her knees give out, plus he was in really close again and his smell was delicious. Kate couldn't help but let a soft low moan escape her throat. Partially hoping her throat swallowed most of the sound.

Then her fears took over because her fangs were out again forcing her to lift a hand to cover her mouth to hid them. "I'll see you later." Rick tells her.

Rick forces himself to look at Lanie who looked completely shocked. "I'll see you two later. … Don't lose those numbers." Rick tells them and then gives Kate a quick kiss to her forehead and heads into his building and then down to the garage for his drive to his lawyer.

Though his mind was still swimming in Kate Beckett all the way to his car. How he got to his lawyers office he'll never know since his mind was still on Kate Beckett.

Part of him was telling him she was a college student and way too young for him, but another part of him didn't care.

"Kate?" Lanie tried to get her attention, however all Kate was doing was watching where this Rick went into the building, right past the doorman on the building.

"Kate." Lanie took a hold of her and guided her over to the side of the building, away from the foot traffic on the street.

"Kate?" Lanie tried looking into her eyes, which looked to be becoming more clear as Lanie waited.

"Lanie." Kate was back with her, looking at her.

"You good to jump?" Lanie wanted answers but wanted to do it in a more private location. Lanie looked up since Kate still looked a little lost.

Kate looked up. "Sure." Then Kate watched Lanie look around and take in a deep breath and then jump up onto the roof. Kate followed a second later.

Once Lanie had Kate sitting in one of the seats of the shuttle. "What was that?" Lanie started asking questions.

"I don't know Lanie. At first I started smelling something. Something that was the most delicious smell I had ever encountered. It was like I was drawn to it. … What did I do?" Kate asks.

"You don't remember?" Lanie asks shocked. Watching Kate shake her head.

Lanie reached over and pulled up one of her sleeves. "You remember getting these?" Again watching Kate shake her head.

"You wrapped your arms around him and buried your face in his chest." Lanie explains. "And then he took your face and kissed your cheek." You remember that?

"His touch was amazing, it was like electricity running down my body, and his smell." Kate started remembering it.

Lanie was watching and it was like Kate was smelling him all over again and she started to disappear on her again. "Kate." Lanie shakes her.

Kate shakes her head bringing her back into the here and now. "It was amazing Lanie. It was the most perfect thing. … What did you smell?" Kate looked at her, and then noticed for the first time that they were in the shuttle. "How did we get here?" Kate looked around.

"I didn't smell anything different, and we jumped up here while you were still in the clouds." Lanie tells her, not sure just what to think.

"Nothing?" Kate didn't understand. How could Lanie not smell him? It was the most delicious smell ever. Let alone his touch. It also told Kate that he wasn't a vampire. Rick was just another human. But maybe not just any other human.

"Are you going to call him?" Lanie pointed at her arm.

"I, …. I, …." Kate didn't know what to say. She was a vampire and he was a human. If he found out she was a vampire there could be trouble. They may have to run and start all over again. London maybe, or some other city. Another planet maybe? Just was that even a possibility anymore.

"Just be careful Kate, he's human." Lanie knew she was going to call or even just show up at his front door. Lanie didn't know who this Rick Castle was. "He said he lives on the 4th floor of this building." Lanie tells her.

That got Kate to open her eyes wide. She didn't remember that, but then she didn't really remember getting the numbers on her arm(s) either.

They had landed on his building? Why was she only just now smelling him if they landed on his building? Kate now had a mystery to solve.

Rick was parked at his lawyer's office when he finally came to his senses. "Oh I'm in trouble." He had never encountered anyone who had that effect on him, plus she was a young college student.

Kate Beckett was a child still, or at least she looked like one. Maybe she is older than she looks. There were a lot of women out there that fit into the role. And if she wasn't?

Oh who was he kidding. He still wanted to see her. Was she a fan of his work? Was that why she had moved right in and held him close? It had caught him by surprise a little, but found that he had liked it, and his arms felt empty without her in them even now.

"Yeah, I'm in big trouble." Rick got out and went inside.

"Hi Mr. Castle, let me tell him you're here." Jennifer wasn't going to win any Miss America awards, she was a little plain looking, and maybe just a little too thin, but she had one of the most bubbly personalities he had ever encountered. It was always fun to come into the office.

"You can go right in Mr. Castle. I hope it's nothing too serious, and for what it's worth, you should give that Gina Cowell a good swift kick in the ass. Alexis is far too sweet to be treated like that." Jennifer decided to give Rick her opinion after what she had read in the paper.

Jennifer may secretly wish Rick would pay attention to her, but also knew he didn't see her like that. It however didn't stop her from liking Alexis and getting to spend time with his daughter when Rick brought her with him, but had to leave her behind when going in to see Henry.

Rick smiled at her. "Thanks Jenn, I'll keep that in mind." Since kicking Gina in her ass was one of the things Rick had secretly wished he could do.

"Henry." Rick offered his hand.

"Rick." Henry took it and gave him a firm grip. "I take it you're here about what's in today's paper." Henry wasn't slow and Rick was one of his best and favorite clients.

"You saw that? …. Not surprising I suppose since Jenn also saw it. She thinks I should give Gina a good swift kick in the ass." Rick was smiling. He didn't want to get Jenn into trouble.

"I think she secretly adores Alexis, so I'm not surprised. But then Alexis is easy to love at first sight. … So tell me your version, likely it starts long before you landed at the airport." Henry offered up, knowing papers tend to make up their own stories, to get headlines and sell papers.

Rick spent the next 45 minutes going over everything he could think of from the moment they left New York, till he was in the car on his way home.

"That could be a serious enough breach to end the contract you have with Black Pawn if you want to take that route.

I did a quick review and except for one more local book signing session that is the only remaining item that is left on your current contract with Black Pawn. You can either keep it or we can try and get you out of it. In either case we can ask Black Pawn to not allow Gina to attend since likely Alexis will be going with you.

Do you want to keep them or find another publisher?" Henry only knew contracts, not what it took to sell books.

"I don't know if changing publisher's is something readers notice when they buy books, or if they even care. However the press I could get leaving Black Pawn might be construed as a negative and impact sales, in a bad way.

The new publisher may be happy to gain me, but I don't know if either of us would be happy if sales dropped because of this." Rick points out.

"Ok, so it sounds like we keep Black Pawn for now. Since your old contract is ending, we can create points together for your new one. One's that will not allow a repeat of what is in today's paper, along with anything else we can think of that might impact your family." Henry offers.

"Perfect, I'm also thinking of getting a publicist, someone who can help keep Alexis out of the papers or pictures. She shouldn't have to have herself dragged through this or anything else. I don't need kids at school teasing her because her father is slightly famous, at least locally." Rick wasn't that high on himself. He was happy to be recognized for the work that he did, so that part did stroke his ego a little.

It took them another hour to go over the points they wanted to convey to Black Pawn for them to keep Rick and publish his work.

Henry had brought Jennifer in so she could take notes and type it up for them to review later, and then make any additional changes.

Jennifer to her credit hadn't said a word, she had however grunted or coughed when Rick didn't press a point home about Gina and her actions. Still she did seem to get her personal point across and was smiling when Rick conceded to being a little more harsh with Gina and Black Pawn in general.

Jennifer had long since worked out that it just wasn't in Rick's nature to be strict with anyone. Jenn secretly wished Rick would get a back bone and stand up for himself and his daughter, instead of letting people or companies off the hook.

Still his being so nice was one of his most endearing qualities, it's just that it was also a negative when it came to things like this. He was a nice man who tended to only see the good in people.

Jennifer stopped Rick before he left the office. "I can do some research for you about publicists if you want. A law office has lots of contacts to find people." Jennifer asked shyly, she wanted Alexis out of the papers too.

"Thanks Jenn, I'll take it. Send me what you find and write notes on the side if you like. Then I can make appointments with a couple of them to decide." Rick appreciated the help.

"Not a problem Mr. Castle." Jennifer was glad to help.

"You are going to have to start calling me Rick one of these days Jenn." Rick smiled at her. Jenn had been with Henry for a little while now, and as often he was over here, being called Mr. Castle all the time made him feel old.

And he needed to think of himself as young if he was going to be around one certain Kate Beckett. Provided that she called.

Except it was two days later and Kate hadn't called, and he had no way of finding her. He had a name, but nothing else. It was only his opinion that she was a college student, she may not be.

"Will you call him already, you're driving me crazy." Lanie moaned watching Kate fidget and wander around the apartment for no apparent reason.

"I want to Lanie." Kate moans. Kate had liked being in his arms, holding him close so she could bury her nose into him. Plus what she really craved was to bite him. If he smelled this good, what would he taste like?

His taste might be the closest thing to heaven she was ever going to reach. She may not have ever killed anyone, but she was a vampire who lived off of other people's blood.

"But he's human Lanie. What if he finds out? We only just got here, and I like this place." Kate motioned with her arms meaning the apartment they had found. They did however need to go back out tonight and search another part of the city.

After shopping for clothes, they were below $70,000 now and they needed a lot of that to pay the other 6 months of their apartment. Plus they needed they didn't know how much money to attend the University.

They needed jobs if they were going to fit in. Plus they needed access to blood if they were to stop biting people.

"Yeah and look at yourself, human of not, you're hooked on him. … Turn and look in the mirror." Lanie tells her.

It got Kate to turn where she was and look into the decorative mirror on the wall.

Kate's hair was a mess, since she had forgotten to brush it out after showering this morning. He eyes were a little red showing where she had cried last night missing his smell and wondering what it was like to be in his arms again.

Plus as Kate looked she was biting her lower lip, and would likely puncture it if her fangs were out, and she could see that she was fidgeting with her hands to keep them busy.

This was all so unlike her. Kate moved over to plop down on the sofa, crossed her legs under herself and bent over to place her head in her hands. "Ok fine, I'll call him in the morning. We still need to go out tonight." They needed to find another house like the first one.

Just now Kate was scared. What if Rick didn't feel the same way and sent her away. She was a wreck because she wanted to smell him and taste him. But what if he found out? "I'm in big trouble." Kate moaned to herself, getting Lanie to smile because she agreed. But secretly happy for her friend, almost sister. If this worked out Kate may have just found the perfect person for her.

And they had to come to the Tormented Zone to do it. Now where were Kate's/their parents?


	8. Chapter 8

**CH8**

Kate and Lanie had been walking for what seemed like forever. They were now just north of the Lincoln Tunnel in an area called Hell's Kitchen, except that they didn't know that.

They both had duffel bags with them, just in case they found something.

"Kate?" Lanie had stopped and was sniffing the air, getting Kate to do the same.

"We're close." Kate points out. It was the smell of the drugs that got their attention. Where there were drugs there was money. And it was really late in the day, being a little after 3:30 am.

They both walked across the front of the place. They didn't understand the building since they had never been in one yet, but they could both smell a lot of alcohol. The smell of alcohol was so strong it almost overwhelmed the smell of the drugs.

The front seemed to be only alcohol, the back seemed to have the drugs, so they looked around and then jumped up onto the roof. The roof access turned out to be a ladder on the back of the building that was locked up. Not that either of them cared.

Kate took a deep breath. "It smells like just the three of them in back with one out front." Getting Lanie to breathe in deep and agree.

"We take the three in back as quickly and quietly as possible, then I'll watch out for the one in front while you collect the money. If there are bags, we can load the drugs and drop them in the river on the way home." Kate offers.

"Depending on how much there is and if all of it is in bags." Lanie cautioned. They didn't want to stay long and the drugs wasn't their focus. It got Kate to nod her head in agreement.

They both stepped over the edge of the roof and landed on the ground below. It was an easy drop since it was only a one story building.

Kate gave the back door a little push and broke the door jamb that the dead bolt was embedded in. It also ripped the locking bar out of the wood studs. Kate went forward to the guy on the far left while Lanie went right to the first guy.

Kate grabbed him and spun in place and launched him out the open door, slamming him into the brick building on the other side of the alley. It broke his shoulder, bruised 3 ribs and gave him a concussion, while rendering him unconscious.

Lanie grabbed her guys arm and bit him and started drinking. While Kate stepped over to the third guy who was just standing and grabbed his arm and bit him and started drinking.

They both stopped and Kate stepped over to the door that lead to the front area and listened and took in a deep breath. Kate motioned for Lanie to get started.

Lanie found drugs in bags and drugs in pans of some type with a lot of empty bags. This wasn't where they made the drugs, but it was where it was transferred to smaller bags.

There didn't appear to be a lot of money lying around, but Lanie picked up all she could find. It didn't even begin to fill her duffel bag and she was done in no time.

Now she started looking at all the drugs. A lot of it was in bags, small bags and much bigger bags. Some of the bags were the size of two hardback books put together. Lanie couldn't do anything about the loose drugs, but she could do something about all the bags.

Lanie saw two duffel bags about that were much larger than the one she had, so she picked one up. Except it weighed too much to be empty, so she opened the zipper to look inside.

Lanie was shocked and she pulled out an already bundled cake of money and held it up for Kate to see. "Kate?" Lanie whispered. It got Kate to open her eyes wide, then saw the bag Lanie had gotten it out of.

"Put it back and hand me the bag and pick up the other one and we're out of here." Kate was thinking screw the drugs. She wanted in and out fast and there just was too much of it to be fast.

Lanie zipped it closed and tossed the bag to Kate and picked up the other one that also felt heavy and then picked up her own bag and headed out the door.

Kate followed her and tossed her full bag up onto the roof and then stepped over to the guy she had thrown out the door and bit him and started drinking.

Kate dropped him and stepped over and jumped for the roof to join Lanie and picked up her bag. "Try to stick with the roofs until we can't, as fast as you can go." Kate offered. Getting Lanie to nod her head and started running and jumping from roof to roof until she couldn't anymore.

Then they ran till they were close to home. "Go to the shuttle, we can look at these there." Kate offered, watching Lanie nod her head and run for the building their shuttle was sitting on.

Kate was walking for the shuttle when her knees suddenly got weak. Lanie had spotted it and stepped over to Kate. "You ok?"

Kate however shook her head. "I feel funny and my legs feel like rubber and my vision is a little blurry." Kate answers. Stepping over to the shuttle and opening the door, dropping her bags outside and sitting in the chair.

Then Kate took in a deep breath. "Rick is here too." Kate took in another breath to breathe him in, and closed her eyes to let her feel his smell.

"Oh girl, you've got it bad." Lanie points out as she watches her friend breathing in deeply, obviously lost in Rick.

Lanie was by now also feeling a little weird, just that she didn't smell anything different, but something was wrong.

Since the came up here to look in the bags they had taken Lanie opened the new one she had in hand. Inside finding what she had already quickly seen. "Girlfriend?" Lanie opened it wide allowing Kate to look down into the bag.

Kate wasn't seeing straight or thinking straight either, still it looked like a lot. Kate was blinking her eyes, trying to focus. "What's in the other one?" Kate finally asked.

Lanie grabbed the other bag they found and opened it, finding big bags of white powder inside. "We need to lose that one." Kate comments while falling back into her seat not feeling very well.

"I'm going to go dump this bag, you ok for now?" Lanie asks her.

Kate nodded her head and took in still another deep breath, and it seemed to calm her.

Lanie found something to weight the bad down with and launched it out into the river, then ran right back to the roof, shuttle and Kate.

"Are you good to fly? I want to get you into the scanner. It isn't Rick that's causing this." Lanie asks her, since Kate was actually looking better after being here.

"Sure." Kate took in another deep breath and watched Lanie close the door. Then Lanie moved around to the other side, opened the door and stuffed the bags in behind her seat and closed the door.

Kate fired up the shuttle and looked at her screens. The sky above was still a mess with aircraft all over the place. "We need to stay low until out over the water." Kate informs her and lifts the shuttle up.

Kate takes her time getting out into space, not wanting to create a sonic boom to give them away.

Kate had to enter the ship very carefully since she had started feeling worse shortly after leaving the roof. Lanie had to practically carry her to the scanner bed. First Lanie had to power up some of the systems.

"Ok, let's see what we've got." Lanie activated the scanner and let it make its two passes.

"WOW, you're blood work is a mess." Lanie hadn't seen anything like it on Kate before, or her parents.

Kate only moaned. "I feel like shit."

"I'm going to hook you up and run your blood through the filter system." Lanie started gathering her supplies. "Sorry girlfriend but this is going to hurt." And Lanie injects the needle into Kate's arm and then turns the system on.

"Just try and sleep Kate, this is going to take a few hours." Kate's phone call to Rick was going to have to wait. Likely for a day, since flying back in daylight was out.

Lanie decided to spend the time counting the money they had gained. Her bag didn't take much time, since it didn't have that much in it. The bag they had found however was another question.

Counting that bag however had gone quicker than she thought it would, since the money was all wrapped up and all separated out. 5's, 10's, 20's and 100's per each wrap. It got Lanie to whistle after she was done. It was more than $120,000 this time. A whole lot more!

Rick was downstairs putting breakfast together when a still sleepy looking Alexis showed up and climbed up into one of the breakfast bar stools. "Good morning daughter of mine. You awake enough for pancakes?" Rick asked. Only to watch Alexis yawn and nod her head, and blinking to try and keep her eyes open.

"Would you like some gummy bears with your pancakes?" Rick tries teasing since Alexis was obviously still barely awake. Only getting her to shake her head.

"How about some chocolate?" Rick keeps teasing since he had no intention of doing that.

That however got Alexis to open her eyes wide. "No dad, don't." Her dad ruined her omelet with chocolate one time, it was more than yucky. "Ok, here you go." Rick put one in front of her and poured maple syrup all over it. "Nice and sticky just like you like it." Rick stops pouring only after her lone pancake was all but floating a lake of maple syrup.

"Thank you dad." Alexis picks up the fork and starts working on getting her pancake into her mouth.

"Alexis, … about your mother." Rick tries again since it was a new day.

"DAD!" Alexis warns him.

"I'm sorry you don't like her, but that doesn't not make her your mother." Meredith had given birth to her and he wanted Alexis to have a mother, and Meredith was all he had to work with.

Alexis however dropped her fork on her plate not yet half way done with her pancake. Alexis got down off her stool. "She's not my mother, dad." Alexis headed for the stairs and back to her room.

"Pumpkin?" Rick called after her.

"I hate her dad." Alexis trudged up the stairs.

"You want to go up to the roof to look at the space ship before school?" Rick asks trying to find something to undo what he has done. Watching Alexis only shrug her shoulders. Alexis wasn't listening anymore.

"DAMN IT MEREDITH!" Rick dumped breakfast into the trash, he wasn't hungry anymore either.

Rick retreated to his room to take a shower and get dressed and then went upstairs to check on his daughter. Finding her showered and dressed and sitting on her bed.

Rick opened his mouth, but closed it since the look Alexis was giving him told him that if he said the word mother or Meredith, he was even in more trouble than he already was.

Maybe as she got older she would think differently, … maybe.

"How about we go up to the roof and look before school?" Rick offers again.

Alexis gets down off the bed and goes out her bedroom door but doesn't say a word. Rick sighed, Meredith it seemed was a mess he just wasn't going to be able to fix anytime soon.

Up the elevator and up the stairs and through all the locked and barred doors. Opening the door to the roof. "It's gone!" Alexis ran out onto the roof and started running around looking for it.

Then turned to look at her dad with tears running down her face. "It's gone dad!"

Alexis had wanted to meet who owned it. She had wanted to go for a ride in it. She wanted to be out in space. They were probably nice and now they were gone.

Her world was collapsing around her. Here dad kept bringing up her mother. The woman who had abandoned her and made her feel unloved except for her dad. Now they were gone too, and without saying goodbye.

Alexis slouched, dejected. Rick stepped over to her and hugged her. "I'm sorry pumpkin, it looks like they left in the night." While they were asleep.

Rick did notice however that Alexis didn't even try to hug him back. He was in her dog house alright. It was likely going to take a lot of work to get back in his daughters good graces.

Rick dropped off his daughter at school and didn't get a kiss goodbye this time. It got Rick to sigh even louder and harder this time. He needed to come up with a plan to get her out of this funk she was in.

Rick's next stop was at his lawyer's office to go over what they had talked about yesterday. Jenn was probably done typing it up before he even reached his car yesterday.

"He is expecting you Mr. Castle, you can go right in." Jenn tells him as soon as Rick was through the door.

"Thanks Jenn, and I'll get you to call me Rick one of these days." Rick smiled as he went past.

After meeting each other Henry handed over what Jenn had typed out.

An apology for Gina's actions on the last book singing tour by Black Pawn since Gina is their employee and represents them on these tours.

Another apology for Gina's actions and comments concerning his daughter and the spectacle she created at the airport.

A limit of 8 local only book signings, with not allowed to be back to back dates or locations.

No long distance book signings unless pre-approved by Richard Castle, with no multiple city stops if approved.

Gina is not allowed to attend any approved out of New York City book signings, no matter anyone's availability.

Restricted access to Richard Castle or his family by any member of Black Pawn, particularly as concerning one Gina Cowell. Including but not limited to a.) Phone calls outside of business issues only. All such calls are subject to being recorded to guarantee compliance. b.) No residence visits are acceptable regardless of reason. c.) No encounters in public areas such as restaurants are acceptable unless limited strictly for business purposes.

The new contract is for 3 years with a buyout clause for Richard Castle or 3 books are completed by him. Whichever comes first.

Failure of acceptance to these adjustments to the standard contract will result in severing ties between one Richard Castle and Black Pawn.

"Any questions, additions or comments?" Henry asks Rick after they go over each point.

"You sure we're not pushing Black Pawn too far?" Rick did like working with Black Pawn, they had handled him pretty well until they assigned Gina to him.

"We are simply trying to exclude Gina from repeating what she has done in the past or having Black Pawn replace her with another person just like her. … Unless you want to go through all of that again, with Gina or someone else." Henry asks him.

Rick hated being this harsh with anyone, he wanted to help people not have confrontations. It just wasn't him, but he was a father and what had happened to Alexis, no matter how mad she was at him now, couldn't be allowed to happen again.

Rick signed at the bottom. "I'll get this over to the main office of Black Pawn before the end of the day. If we don't hear back from them by the end of next week, I'll contact them." Henry tells Rick.

Rick was on his way out. "Mr. Castle, here is your list of publicists. I've made notes for each one based on factual knowledge and past histories with other clients." Jenn stops him.

"Thanks Jenn, you've been a big help. I'll likely be back in sometime next week." Rick tells her and leaves. "And It's Rick, Jenn." Rick calls over his shoulder, grinning.

Rick went home and decided to get started on his next book, he didn't know who or even if it would be published, but he was a writer and he felt better when he was writing.

He was so busy writing up outlines of what he wanted to have happen that he missed lunch and almost showed up late to pick up Alexis from school. "How was school?" Rick tries to get her to talk.

"It was fine." Alexis was still quiet to him.

"Alexis I'm sorry ok, it's just that every child should have a mother, a family. And I want that for you too. I understand that your mother doesn't act like a mother. I wish she would too.

I grew up without a father, I don't even know who he is. You at least know who your mother is supposed to be. So you are already one step out in front of me.

I promise not to try and force you to accept Meredith as your mother. I just don't want you to be sad when she calls and promises, but doesn't keep it. … Or call at all for that matter." Rick adds softly.

"Not every child has a mother Alexis or even a chance at a mother." Rick hated defending Meredith since he wasn't sure she deserved it. But she was presently the only choice of mother Alexis had, and didn't know if that would ever change.

Rick and Alexis had made it into the loft. "How about you go change and get washed while I fix dinner. After that we can play laser tag. As I recall I deserve a re-match." Rick offers.

It got Alexis to smile for the first time that day. "That's because you lost dad." Alexis raced up the stairs before her dad could say something back.

Dinner was a quick stir fry meal using sliced chicken breasts. Rick was cursing that he didn't have enough fresh vegetables and was forced to use frozen this time.

Rick suited up Alexis and tested her weapon, and then put on his suit and tested it. "We who are about to die, salute you." Rick offers and salutes using his weapon, watching Alexis run off just before he turns off the lights.

"Da, da, da, …. da, da, da," Rick tries to mimic the theme to "Jaws".

"Spear gun." Alexis calls out and takes a shot at Rick and misses.

"I smell lunch. … chomp, chomp." Rick teases and takes a wild shot before moving quickly.

"Shark meat." Alexis teases back.

Rick hears one of the kitchen chairs move and Rick takes two quick shots, getting nothing.

Then Rick's suit lit up like a Christmas tree. "WHAT! … HOW?" Rick just stood there blinking in the darkness. Then felt Alexis tap him on his butt.

"You lose dad." Alexis was grinning in the glow of Rick's blue flashing lights.

"How do you feel?" Lanie asks as Kate wakes up a little after Lanie had disconnected her from the filtration system.

"Better, what happened?" Kate sat up slowly.

"You had drugs and alcohol in your system. I'm betting that one of the guys you bit had been using the drugs and maybe the other had too much alcohol in his system. Since you bit him you added both into your system temporarily.

It's been a long time since I've seen this effect, but then we've been drinking from processed plastic bags for so long, I didn't recognize it until after I ran you through the scanner." Lanie explains.

"Guess we'll have to be more careful with who we bite from now on. We need to get blood bags to prevent that again." Kate points out the best option.

"Well at least our little raid was successful." Lanie points out.

"Scanner?" Kate looks around. "How did we get here?" Kate looked confused.

"You flew us out here while you still could. In addition to the drugs and alcohol, it seems your Rick was home below us and you could smell him." Lanie points out.

"OH!" Kate started blushing. "It actually felt like he was helping. I'm sorry Lanie, I don't know why I find him so, … so, …." Kate couldn't think of the perfect word for what she felt.

"It's ok girlfriend, I just hope he's understanding or we're both in trouble." Lanie knew that if Kate couldn't stay away, he was going to notice something someday.

Kate opened her mouth to comment, but then closed it. "So have you had time to count what was in the bag?" Kate didn't know how long she was out.

Lanie started shaking her head. "It's a lot Kate, a whole lot. I just hope it doesn't get traced back to us somehow." Lanie didn't know how they would, but didn't know much about this planet's money system.

Kate looked at Lanie with her best. 'And how much is it?' on her face.

"It was a mix of 1's, 5's, 20's and 100's. … It added up to $1.23 million." Lanie tells her.

Kate's mouth falls to the floor. "One point, … point 23, … million?" Kate stutters it out. Watching Lanie nod her head.

**1.23 million dollars.**


	9. Chapter 9

**CH9**

Kate and Lanie had to wait before leaving since they needed it to be really late and dark when they went back down to the planet. Shutting down the ship again for another long sleep.

Kate carefully as she could landed the shuttle on the same roof as last time. Kate momentarily thought about landing somewhere else, but they needed for the shuttle to be close. Close enough to reach quickly if necessary.

As soon as the shuttle door opened Kate took in a deep breath to check if anyone was near, including Hunters. There were no Hunters close, but Rick was and it made Kate weak in the knees.

Lanie came around the shuttle and found Kate sniffing the air and it looked like she was barely standing. "Rick's here?" Lanie asked it like a question but knew by the way Kate was reacting it wasn't really a question.

"I really wish you could smell what I smell Lanie, I really do. He just, … It's like, …." Kate couldn't find words to describe it. Kate did however notice that her fangs were out.

The smell of him wasn't strong, not like when he was in her arms with her nose buried in his chest. Which is exactly where she wished to be right now.

"Come on Kate, we need to go home. I at least need to get some sleep, you can call Rick in the morning. We need to work out how to get better ID's and these social security cards and anything else we need. …. Here." Lanie hands over one of the small duffel bags that held the money.

"We should dump the bag after taking the money out of it. We don't want anyone tracing it to us somehow." Kate offers up and steps over the side of the roof.

They then run for their apartment, where Kate dumps the money on one of the beds. "I'll be right back." Kate tells her and steps outside onto their deck and steps off the side and drops to the ground, bending her knees on impact.

Then Kate runs, stopping at a construction site to pick up some debris to weigh the bag down with and then launches it for the middle of the Hudson River. Then runs back to her building and back up to their apartment.

"School starts in a few weeks." Kate points out.

"And we need ID cards to get in, some kind of history." Lanie points out. "But I'm tired so I'm going to bed. I'll see you in the morning." Lanie heads for her room.

It left Kate up to think since she had slept during her blood cleaning, to get the drugs and alcohol out. It reminded her to never intentionally use drugs or drink, she hadn't liked the effects.

Her thought soon got her thinking of Rick. What was it that made her react the way she does around him. Smell has always been a large part of their lives, vampires used it to get advanced warning when a Hunter was near.

It was also used to determine if any humans were close, and like the other night when they went looking for drugs, hoping to find money.

They were only guessing that the drugs were a bad thing and if what Kate experienced was any indication, they were used to disappear from life. Not that Kate understood why anyone would want to do that.

Then her thought went to why wanting to go to the University just north of them was such an important thing? Her parents had told her that an education was important, but what did she want to do when she got there, not IF she got there.

This planet didn't have space flight obviously. If all the junk in orbit was any indication they had trouble even doing that with unmanned, whatever they sent up there. So learning more about ships was out.

It didn't look like their communication system was exactly state of the art either. The only other thing that had ever interested her was learning why her race was being hunted to extinction, and what she could do to stop it.

Kate had met very few vampires in her life, none of the ones she had met were killers either. At least they didn't present themselves as being killers. What if this planet found out about them? Could she find a way to convince them they weren't evil monsters?

It all sounded like criminal justice to her. Lawyer maybe? Just defending who she really was not what she was, didn't require her to be a lawyer for that. Your actions told people who you were, not the words you used.

"So what do I do?" Kate asked out loud.

Not having an answer tonight, Kate went to bed.

Rick got up and started making breakfast. Pancakes again, hoping that this time they would actually eat them. Rick internally swore he wouldn't mention the words mother or Meredith this time.

Rick had just finished his third and final pancake when Alexis showed up at the breakfast counter still wearing her PJ's. "Here is yours." Rick places a single pancake in front of Alexis and picks up the maple syrup bottle. "May I pour, my lady?" Rick tries it with his best British accent he can manage.

Getting Alexis to nod her head and watch her dad drown her pancake with maple syrup. Then pick up her fork and start eating, making a mess of her face and her hands.

Rick was grinning at Alexis while eating his, watching Alexis get the syrup almost everywhere as usual. It was dripping off her face and onto her PJ bottoms.

After she is done Alexis runs her finger through the syrup still on her plate and lick her finger clean.

"You better go wash and take a shower, I'll lay your clothes out for school." Rick tells her, getting Alexis to grin at him since she always made a mess eating pancakes. "And don't touch anything with those sticky hands." Rick calls after her. Forcing Alexis to not touch the railing and take the steps one at a time.

Rick drove Alexis into school. "Have a good day in school, I love you."

This time Rick gets a kiss goodbye. "I love you too dad." Alexis smiles and runs inside.

Rick is back home and cleans up from breakfast, then goes to gather the dirty clothes and start a load of laundry. After that he went to his study to get some real writing done.

Rick was only just finishing cleaning up some of his outlines so he could start a chapter when the house phone rang. "Good morning Mr. Castle." Said Eduardo from the front door. There were actually 5 different doormen. One was on duty 24 hours a day, including holidays and weekends. They rotated 12 hour days for 3 days, then took the next 3 days off, and then rotated the final day of the week between them.

It may be Rick's building but he let them make their own hours. Rick would hire a temporary person when one of them took vacation time.

"Morning Eduardo, is there a package?" Not that Rick was expecting one, but one never knew.

"No sir, there is a young lady down here who would like to see you. Her name is Kate Beckett." Eduardo tells Rick.

It got Rick to freeze in place. Kate was downstairs!? He had told them where he lived, but he really thought she would call first, if she called at all.

"Sir? … Do I send her up sir?" Eduardo asks since Rick hadn't said anything.

Rick shakes his head to clear the cobwebs. "Sure, … I mean send her up." Rick finally gets out. Then hurriedly saves his work and closes his laptop.

"You can go up Miss. … 4th floor." Eduardo tells Kate.

"Thanks." Kate smiles at him and goes into the building through the door he holds open for her.

Finding the elevator and presses the up button, and waits.

Kate can feel her heart pounding in her chest. Nervous didn't begin to describe what she felt. Lanie's voice of encouragement just moments ago was what got her this far.

The elevator doors opened just as Kate had almost convinced herself to run away and go back home. Kate just stood there staring at the open doors for a moment. Just as Kate started to step into the elevator the doors started to close on her and hit her, only to re-open.

Kate with a shaky hand reached out and pressed the button marked 4. Watching the door close and then re-open shortly after feeling herself going up.

Stepping out into the hallway, there was a door just a little ways down on her left.

Kate forced her legs to take her to the door. Kate squeezed her eyes shut tight. Kate could already smell him on the other side of the door somewhere, it already had her weak in the knees.

Kate's breathing was becoming harder to accomplish and her stomach was in knots, then Kate forced her fangs to retract. Then lifted her hand and gave the door one weak knock and waited.

Kate could hear his footsteps and then watched the door swing open and the smell of him blew out the door straight into her face. "Hi Kate. … Come on in." Rick opened the door wider and stepped aside.

Kate willed herself to step inside far enough for Rick to close and lock the door.

"Come on inside and have a seat, do you want something to drink? Water maybe?" Rick asks.

Kate was breathing him in and losing her mind, barely making out if she wanted to drink something. "You." Kate ever so softly spoke. So soft even she didn't hear the word.

Then Kate felt Rick's hand on her back guiding her to the living room and the sofa.

_She was so beautiful, so stunning, so amazing, so deliciously nervous and so obviously frustrated, or scared._

Rick guided her to the sofa except when they got there she turned to face him and stepped in close and wrapped her arms around her and buried her head in his chest.

Rick knew she had done this the first time they had met, Rick was only mildly surprised to find himself wrapping his arms around her and holding her tight.

Kate buried her nose into him and started breathing him in, he was so delicious, and Kate felt her fangs extend. Kate knew, just knew he would taste just as good as he smelled.

Rick pushed her away a little to look at her. "Kate, are you alright, something wrong." She had been shaking and the sound of her breathing felt ragged.

Kate slapped her hand over her mouth. "I can't" Kate said through her hand. "I can't hurt you. … I can't." Kate easily broke away and was at his front door in a flash and starting to turn the lock.

"Kate stop, just stop." Rick watches Kate's hand freeze on the lock. So he moves and steps up behind her. "Kate I'm pretty sure you're not hurting me. Hurting me would be you running off after just getting here." Rick tells her.

Rick moves in close behind her and wraps his arms around her from behind. "You might as well stay Kate." And Rick worked to slowly spin her around to face him. She still had her hand over her mouth, so Rick reached up and slowly moved it away with the intent of kissing her hand softly.

The light of the room glinted on two sharp fangs, protruding over her bottom lip. She wouldn't look at him, she was so ashamed and scared. Kate didn't even smell him at the moment. Though the fact that she was holding her breath probably had something to do with that. He thought she was waiting for him to run. He waited for a moment, thinking about... Well there was a lot to think about.

"Are they real?" Rick asks looking at her though her eyes were looking down.

Kate looked up at him and with tears in her eyes nodded her head. Then Kate watched Rick reach to touch one with the tip of his finger.

Kate grabbed his hand to stop him. "Don't I might hurt you. …. It's not safe." Kate pleaded with her eyes.

"I trust you and you came here for a reason and it wasn't to kill me if you are this afraid." Rick tells her.

"Why are you here Kate? Not that I'm not glad you are." Rick continued to lift his hand and Kate let him and stroked a finger down her cheek, then brought both hands up to her face and cupped her face in his hands, using his thumbs to wipe the tears away.

Then Rick leaned in with the intent of kissing her, however Kate lifted her hand to his lips stopping him. "Rick?"

Rick could tell she was so afraid of hurting him. Rick kissed the fingers that covered his lips and then moved his hand to take hers away from his mouth and held in close to his chest.

Rick could feel his heart pounding in his chest. If those teeth were actually real it meant Kate was something really special, so he went back to slowly leaning in with the intent of kissing her. Only this time Kate didn't stop him.

The kiss was soft at first as their lips barely brushed across each other. Then Rick pressed the kiss a little harder and Rick used his tongue to stroke her bottom lip.

He was kissing her. It was amazing and so very soft. Kate could smell him and almost taste him. Just as Rick started to press the kiss and run his tongue across her lower lip, Kate wrapped her arms around him and squeezed and pressed her tongue into his mouth. She wanted to taste him.

Rick felt her arms tighten. She was strong. Like really strong. It almost took all the air out of his lungs. Still when he felt her tongue enter his mouth Rick reciprocated and used his tongue to search her mouth and taste her.

Kate was holding on for all she was worth. His smell and the taste of his mouth were intoxicating and she so wanted to bite him and taste the rest of him. Kate was just moments away from biting his lower lip when she backed off with great difficulty.

Kate and Rick were standing in each other's arms trying to get their breathing under control.

"**WOW!" **They both spoke at the same time getting Kate to giggle and Rick to just smile.

Then Rick reached up and ran his finger along Kate's lower lip, getting Kate to open her mouth just a little while they stared into each other's eyes.

Then Rick ran his finger over the tip of one of her fangs like he had planned on doing earlier. "OWE!"

Her fang was sharp and his finger tip started to bleed.

The smell of Rick's blood immediately assaulted Kate's nose and she grabbed his hand and stared at his bleeding finger, taking in a deep breath.

The only reason Kate didn't collapse since legs were now made of rubber was that one of Rick's arms was around her and one of hers was still around him.

Then Kate saw Rick smile and start pushing his still slightly bleeding finger towards her mouth.

Kate's hand let him rub his finger along her lower lip, leaving a trail of blood along her lip. Then Rick pressed his finger into her mouth and Kate immediately started sucking on his bloody finger.

_God he tasted even better than he smelled. His blood taste so rich and pure!_

Kate stroked her tongue over his tiny cut trying to draw out every last little drop.

Rick watched her squeeze her eyes closed and her face lost every edge it used to have. If Rick didn't know better he would say she was having an orgasm just sucking on the tiny cut on his finger.

She was so beautiful and being what he thought she was made her truly unique. Something to be cherished and loved.

Rick pulled out his finger that wasn't bleeding anymore and watched Kate try and follow it with her mouth.

Kate opened her eyes and saw Rick smiling at her, which melted her heart. Rick wasn't running or even looked scared. In fact he looked the opposite of that.

"You're a vampire?" It almost sounded like Rick was questioning. Kate nodded her head, still afraid of what he was thinking. Except that his now free hand went back around her to hold her close, so she did the same with hers.

"You don't feel dead and you feel warm, and I can feel your breath on my face." Rick was confused. Vampires were the undead. Weren't they?

Kate frowned, not understanding. "No, I'm alive, just like you. Why would you think I was dead?" It didn't make any sense to Kate.

Rick tilted his head, something wasn't adding up. "Vampire mythology tells us that Vampires are the undead. Dead but still walking and living." Rick offers up the short, short version.

"No." Kate tells him. "There is no such thing as undead Rick." Kate was confused, why would he think she was dead or this undead?

Rick brought his hand back up to her face and lifter her chin up and leaned down to kiss her again, using his tongue to search out hers.

Kate moaned into the kiss. His smell assaulted her and filled her lungs and got her to bring her hand around to fist his shirt to remain standing. His tongue was dueling with hers and she could taste his mouth and still taste the residue of his blood.

Kate broke from the kiss abruptly and stared up into his eyes. She was soooo close to biting him and she so feared that she couldn't stop and end up accidentally killing him.

What she wanted to do was run away from the risk, but her legs were rubber and she was lucky to be still standing.

Rick looked into her eyes. She was scared of something. Rick wanted so much more than just a kiss, is that what she was afraid of? Or was it ….?

"You want to bite me, don't you?" Rick guessed that was the problem. Especially after watching her suck his bleeding finger.

"Rick?" Kate silently pleaded not to go there. Just keep kissing me and let me smell you, I don't need more. Not yet.

Rick knew he was right. "Come with me." Rick took her hand and started walking her for his bedroom and passed the bed that Kate saw.

His bed was huge! So much bigger than hers, and it was a little darker than hers, and looked a lot more manly too. But Rick just kept walking and found they were both in his bathroom.

Rick let go of her and went over to this giant tub and turned on the water and kept adjusting the controls until he got the temperature he was after.

Then Kate watched him move over to the lavatory counter and open it and pulled out two bottles and poured a little of both into the tub, and then put them back.

Then Rick stepped over to Kate and started working on the buttons of her shirt. Kate didn't stop him but did question. "Rick?"

Rick switched to undoing his buttons. "Take your clothes off and hop into the tub." Rick asked of her and then leaned in to kiss the tip of her nose.

Rick pulled off his shirt and noticed that Kate wasn't doing anything. "Don't worry, I'm not going to hurt you or you me. … Now clothes off and get in the tub." Rick kisses Kate's cheek as he takes his shoes off.

Rick is soon standing in front of her naked and turning off the water, turning to see a naked Kate standing there a little self-conscious, but not covering up. Kate actually liked having his eyes on her, she should likely feel cold with no clothes and yet for some reason she felt warmed.

Kate watched Rick step into the tub and hold out his hand to her, offering for her to step in with him.

Kate took his hand and stepped into the tub and felt Rick turn her so that her back was too her. "Now sit Kate." As Rick slowly sat down pulling Kate with him.

Soon Kate was sitting between his legs with her back up against his chest.

Kate soon felt Rick's hands wondering over her body, leaving a trail of Goosebumps in their wake.

Kate moaned and leaned back into Rick, this entire thing was just so soft and sexual feeling. It was like nothing Kate had ever felt before, and Rick wasn't running. In fact he was doing the opposite of running.

Kate soon felt his lips on her neck as his hands worked their way up to cup her breasts. It soon had Kate moaning as she held her hands outside of his that were still on her breasts, felling him kiss, lick and lightly bite her neck.

Then Kate felt one of his hand wander down her stomach until it was firmly between her legs.

Kate loved his hands! His hands and especially his fingers were driving her mad.

Kate had arched her back to get her nick closer to his lips while she had spread her legs to give him easier access. She was close, so very close.

Kate was just one little stroke from crashing over the side for the very first time in her life, when Rick lifted up his other arm and pressed his wrist onto her mouth.

"Bite me Kate." Rick pressed his arm against her mouth feeling her teeth brush up against his skin, feeling the tip of her fangs lightly scrape across his skin, just as he moved his fingers to send Kate over the edge.

Kate would have screamed, as she arched her back lifting her rear up off the bottom of the tub. However her mouth was full, so all that came out was a muffled scream from her throat.

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There are some spelling errors, my apologies. Stupid site wouldn't let me save the changes.


	10. Chapter 10

**CH10**

Kate was still trying to recover from her first ever orgasm, when she became vaguely aware that there was some blood in the water and she still had a hold of one of Rick's arms. It had been amazing, she never knew she was capable of feeling like that.

Kate looked down and saw the puncture marks on Rick's arm, and instantly forgot about what he had done for her, … to her. Kate was instantly scared to death.

Kate spun around in the tub to look at Rick, still reclining with his back against the tub with his eyes closed.

"RICK?!" Kate placed her hands on each side of his face and tried again. "RICK!"

Now panicked, Kate leaned down and placed her ear on his chest. His heart was still beating!

Kate all but collapsed against him. She could have killed him, but he was alive.

Kate then lifted up and placed her face in front of his and could feel him breathing lightly. He was a victim of the result of her biting him. He was out cold with a little bit of memory loss.

It was meant to prevent a human from being awake for the bite or remembering it, so that the vampire wouldn't be recognized and remembered and hunted down.

Except Kate wanted Rick to remember, he had just given her something no one else had, and he wasn't going to remember it.

They did need to get out of the tub however, so Kate stood up and stepped out of the tub and searched for a towel to dry herself off with. Then found a few more and threw them on the bed.

Kate then bent over and lifted a still unconscious Rick out of the tub and carried him into the bedroom and worked to arrange the towels properly and lay Rick down on the bed. Then used still more towels to dry him off. Getting her first look at his manhood.

Rick was soft but Kate was still enjoying the view. Satisfied that he was dry Kate got into bed and laid her head on his chest so she could listen to his heartbeat, while keeping an eye on his, ...

Kate could still smell him and found that she wasn't the least bit thirsty. Kate had no idea how much blood she had taken from him, however as she moved her tongue around she could still find the traces of the taste of his blood.

His blood truly was rich and pure tasting. Kate had enjoyed tasting him immensely, but also found that she didn't feel the need to taste him again. At least not at the moment.

Still his smell was filling her lungs and she rested her head on his chest and felt it rise and fall with each breath.

It had to be close to a couple of hours as Kate didn't move other than to run her hand across his chest and feel him breathing. Now something else was happening. Rick was getting an erection in his sleep.

It just kept getting bigger and bigger. Kate had watched with wide eyes every last second of it.

Without even meaning too, Kate soon saw that her hand was holding it and slowly starting to stroke it. It was firm, hard and ever so soft all at the same time.

Kate knew from her talk with her mother just how enjoyable this part of a man could be. The idea that this could be inside her had her dreaming what it would feel like. It's just that Kate thought he was too big to be inside her. He would rip her apart if he tried.

Still it didn't stop her hand from stroking it or rubbing her finger over the tip of it, completely fascinated by the look of it and the feel of it.

"You keep that up and I'm not going to be responsible for what comes next." Rick told her.

It got Kate to yank her hand away suddenly and lift up to look at Rick, who was looking up at her, smiling.

Kate swiftly moved up the bed and started placing light kisses all over his face. "You scared the crap out of me Rick; I thought I had killed you." Kate had quickly changed from being glad he was alive and awake, to pissed off for what he had done. Well, part of what he had done.

Rick smiled back. "I had faith that you wouldn't drain me dry, and apparently I was right." Rick kept on smiling.

Kate lowered her head and kissed him deeply, using her tongue to search his mouth. "I don't know what to say Rick, … No one has ever, …. I mean I've never, …." Kate dropped her head back on his chest and started doodling with a finger on his chest.

It was only now that Kate noticed that her fangs were not out, so she rubbed her face across his chest, kissing it as she went. No longer worried that she would bite him.

Rick moved one of his legs and quickly flipped Kate onto her back, getting her to squeal and smile up at him, now that Rick was on top. "I warned you not to start something." Rick smiled down at her. Wondering if he had heard correctly. That she would be a virgin had crossed his mind momentarily, but a complete virgin?

"Oh really?" Kate smiled back up at him. Then Rick suddenly frowned since he was confused about something.

"I thought we were in the tub?" Rick points out, noticing that they were on his bed now.

"My bite causes unconsciousness and partial short term memory loss. It's a defensive mechanism, to prevent people we bite from remembering who bit them and render them combat ineffective." Kate cringes not sure what Rick would think of that.

"Ok, … I'll bite. … Sorry, no pun intended. But how did I get from the tub to the bed?" Rick was still confused about that.

"I carried you." Kate gave a weak smile.

"You carried me?" Watching Kate nod her head. "Just how strong are you?" This was an interesting development.

"Strong enough to lift you out of the tub and onto the bed." Kate offered, not wanting to scare him away. Then Kate stroked his face and lifted up to kiss him.

What Kate wanted now was another first. For Rick to make love to her.

"Unconscious?" Rick mulls that over. "How long have I been out?" Rick turned to look at the clock.

"OH SHIT! I have to pick up Alexis from school!" Rick leaps out of the bed and starts going through drawers finding clothes to wear, and then into the closet to find pants.

"Who's Alexis?" Kate was left lying on the bed, now in a state of shock.

"Alexis is my daughter and she gets out of school in about 10 minutes. She's going to kill me." Rick starts looking for shoes to wear.

_He has a daughter? Of course he has a daughter, he's older than me._

Rick is back on the bed hovering over Kate who is still lying naked on his bed. "Don't move, I'll be right back." And Rick bends down to give Kate a quick kiss.

"I mean you can get up and put some clothes on, just don't go anywhere. I expect to find you here when I get back with Alexis. Or I'll spank you for running off." Rick grins and then leans down to kiss Kate soundly.

It got Kate to raise her arms and hold his head in place as she kissed him back, noticing that yet again her fangs weren't out, which was confusing.

Rick starts to leave only to stop himself. "Be here when I get back." This time he bends down and takes one of Kate's nipples in his mouth and sucks and bites it a little. Getting Kate to close her eyes and hold his head in place. Feeling her blood going south in anticipation of something that wasn't going to happen because he was leaving.

Then suddenly Rick was gone and running for the front door, leaving a somewhat breathless Kate lying naked on his bed.

Kate laid there and couldn't help but smile. Rick wasn't scared, he hadn't thrown her out. In fact if she hadn't bit him something else might have taken place. And Kate found that she wanted it to happen.

Kate twisted around on the bed trying to work out all the kinks in her long body. It was now when she found that she could still smell him. Kate knew he was gone, but she could still smell him.

Kate started breathing in deep. It was the bed she was on! Getting Kate to pull the comforter back a little and bury her head in one of the pillows and breath in deep.

Kate found her clothes on the floor of the bathroom and decided to look around while she waited.

The living room was darker then her place, but it looked soft. The kitchen was bigger too. The dining room table looked big enough to seat maybe 6 or 8 people if they tried.

Then she found his study. There were lots of books that divided the area from the rest of the apartment, and he had a lot of books.

Kate started running her finger over the books reading the titles quickly. Then she found book after book that said Richard Castle on them.

Kate took one down and found a picture of Rick on the back. Kate looked up at all of the books. "He writes books!"

Kate sat down in the chair behind the desk. "Is this where he writes his books?" Kate asks herself. Then she saw a laptop sitting on the desk and opened it. Finding the power button quickly enough.

It wanted a password. Kate sighed and turned it back off and closed it.

Kate was sitting on the sofa relaxing when the front door opened.

Kate saw a little girl who couldn't be more than 5 or maybe 6 come rushing in and see Kate standing over by the sofa, and watch her run right over to her. "Hi you must be Kate."

"That's me. … You must be Alexis." Kate liked her almost instantly. She looked and sounded bubbly, and her hair color was really something.

Kate kneeled down so she was at Alexis's level. "I'm told you were in school. What grade are you in?" Kate asked smiling, again noticing that her fangs were not out.

"I'm in first grade. I got to start early. It's really cool." Alexis beams at Kate.

"You must be pretty smart to be in first grade. … You're very pretty and I love your hair." Kate reached out to stroke the side of Alexis's head running her fingers through her hair.

"You're pretty too." Alexis stepped in closer. "Can I give you a hug?" Alexis almost whispered out.

"Of course, I'd love a hug." And Kate holds out her arms. Feeling Alexis walk right into them and wrap her arms around the little girl. While feeling Alexis's arms around her.

It allowed Kate to bury her nose in Alexis's hair. She smelled nice, and caught just a whiff of Rick on her. Was that natural or because she was around Rick a lot?

If Kate was around Rick a lot would she start to smell like him too? And him her?

"You should go upstairs Alexis and get washed and change clothes." Rick tells her.

Alexis lets go of Kate. "Ok daddy." Alexis starts to leave. "Are you staying?" Alexis turns back and asks.

Kate looks up at Rick, not sure if she is supposed to stay. He had asked her not to leave while going to get Alexis. Now that he had, was she supposed to leave?

Kate decided to risk it, besides maybe he would make love to her after Alexis went to bed.

"Yup I'll be here." Kate tells her, getting Alexis to smile at her, and turn and run for the stairs. The sooner she was done the sooner she could come back downstairs.

Kate stood back up. "She's cute Rick." Kate told him smiling.

"Yeah, she's the love of my life. As soon as they put her in my arms I fell in love with her. There isn't anything I wouldn't do for her." Rick answers. "She's at that perfect age right now. Now if she just could stay there for the rest of her life." Rick knew she would grow up and move away some day. He just wanted that day to be a long time from now.

Kate walked over to Rick and put her arms around his neck. "I'm sure she'll grow up and be amazing, and make you proud of her."

Rick kissed Kate for her response. The kiss soon had Kate moaning and pushed herself in closer too him. Searching his mouth with her tongue and feeling him do the same.

Kate squeezed him and deepened the kiss. Finally breaking for air.

"We keep kissing like that and I'm going to need hospital care." Rick was sure she was trying to kill him, just not by drinking his blood.

"Does she know Rick?" Kate asks looking into his eyes.

"That you're a vampire?" Watching Kate nod her head. "No, she just knows your a new friend. … You are a friend?" Rick asks her.

"I want to be. You're sure that you're not concerned about me being a vampire?" Kate still had insecurities. Her race was being hunted to extermination after all.

"It makes you special, and that alone makes me want to know more about you. … You want to help us fix dinner?" Rick gives Kate a quick kiss and extracts himself from Kate's arms and starts walking for the kitchen.

"I don't eat." Kate is forced to tell him.

That got Rick to stop in his tracks and turn to look at her.

Kate shurgs her shoulders. "I'm a vampire, I only eat one thing. Technically I can eat a little, but I have to purge it not long after eating it, since I can't digest it." Kate is forced to admit.

"Drink too?" Rick asks and watches Kate nod her head.

"Wow, no wine, no beer, no T-bone steak. Doesn't sound fair." Rick starts walking for the kitchen again.

Kate moves to the breakfast bar and sits to watch him in the kitchen. "I can taste all those things, I just have to purge all of it soon after."

"Do you need to drink?" Rick asks as he starts searching the refrigerator.

Kate shakes her head. "I had you just a few hours ago. I'm good for days still."

"So is my blood better than the others?" Rick asks pulling out a few vegetables and placing them on the counter.

"Want me to stroke your ego Rick?" Kate was smiling, teasing him.

Rick reaches across to take one of Kate's hands. "Just the thought of you biting someone else disturbs me somehow. If you need to bite someone I'd just as soon it was me." Rick squeezes Kate's hand.

It got Kate to blush as she tries to hide her face. "I'll keep that in mind." Kate answers.

The sound of Alexis running down the stairs got Kate to take her hand away. Kate didn't want to confuse the little girl.

"Hi Kate, are you staying for dinner?" Alexis asks moving her step to where she could reach the counter where the vegetables were located.

It got Kate to open her mouth not sure how to answer that question. "Kate ate a really late lunch before she came over. Maybe she'll have some ice cream with us just before you go to bed." Rick answers for her.

"Dad's a really good cook." Alexis was beaming. "Mostly." Alexis adds whispering to Kate.

"I heard that." Rick takes exception. It got Kate go giggle while watching Alexis smile at her.

Kate was sitting at the table watching them eat. Kate could however smell the food and it did smell pretty good.

"You sure Kate, it's pretty good." Alexis tries again.

"Thanks Alexis I'm sure it is, but I'm full." Kate places her hand on her stomach.

Was that why her fangs weren't out? Because she was filled with Rick's blood? He did taste better than anyone she had ever bitten before. The blood bags were almost bland in comparison. Did his blood do even more for her?

Kate did however help clean up and load the dishwasher.

"Movie pumpkin?" Rick asks.

"YES!" Alexis runs for the cabinet filled with VHS tapes.

Rick sits up against one of the sofa arms, forcing Kate to take the middle. "What are we watching?" Rick asks watching Alexis put the tape in the machine and push it down into the machine.

Rick presses play. "The Mask of Zorro. … Nice choice."

It was only about a third of the way through the movie when Rick maneuvered his arm around Kate, who promptly leaned into him and placed a hand on his upper thigh. And was soon scratching his leg with her fingertips. Not even trying to see if it was having any result.

About half way through the movie an asleep Alexis was lying in Kate's lap while Kate slowly stroked her hair with her other hand.

"I should probably take her upstairs and get her changed for bed." Rick offers, since Alexis was out like a light.

"I can carry her." Kate offers.

"You sure?" Rick asks, since it wasn't her job.

"I carried you to bed." Kate points out.

"Good point." Rick surrenders the duty to Kate, who carefully picks up the sleeping child and carries her upstairs and places her on the bed.

Kate starts to leave the room but is stopped when Rick takes her hand. "Are you staying?" Rick asks her.

"There is still the movie to finish, and it does look pretty good." Kate answers not sure what Rick means by staying, but is internally praying.

"I meant spend the night." Rick moves in close and whispers his lips over hers. "I want to spend time with you. All I can actually."

"I don't have anything to wear tomorrow, or tonight." Kate counters.

"I can find you something, or you can go home and bring something back. … How far away are you?" Rick asks not knowing where she lives.

"Just a couple of blocks. 50 Franklin to be precise." Kate tells him, just leaving out the apartment number not knowing why. Maybe because he hadn't asked her.

"Seriously? That's like just around the corner." Rick is shocked. "I'll tell the doorman to add you to the list to let you in every time you come over." Rick offers.

"I'll be back in a few minutes." Kate gives Rick a quick kiss and goes downstairs and walks as fast as her feet will take her to her place. Feeling her heart pounding in her chest in anticipation of tonight.


	11. Chapter 11

**CH11**

Kate stepped into their apartment and found Lanie sitting on the sofa watching TV, or was she waiting for her.

"Well girlfriend, how did it go?" Lanie asks, telling Kate that Lanie was waiting for her.

Kate plops down on the sofa next to her. "I, … It was amazing Lanie, simply amazing."

"It must be good if the look on your face tells me anything. So give, I want details girl." Lanie moves in closer and looks directly at Kate.

Kate squeezes her eyes shut, and then slowly opens them. "I got lost in his smell again; it went into my lungs and spread out from there. I still can't explain what I smell, it just fills me in a way nothing else ever has before." Kate starts off.

"And?" Lanie pushes the story along.

"Rick saw my fangs and then cut his finger on one of them. He put his cut finger in my mouth and I got to taste him. It was like, …. I've never tasted blood so pure and good before." Kate starts to lose herself remembering what Rick tasted like.

"So he knows you're a vampire? Do we start packing?" Lanie needed to ask, but since Kate walked in and not in a panic, the answer was likely no.

Kate shook her head. "He didn't run Lanie; he didn't even try to run. He did the opposite in fact." Getting embarrassed now.

Lanie simply stared at Kate this time. "We kinda had sex in his tub." Kate confides starting to blush.

"You mean he, … You lost your virginity?" Lanie was surprised now. Kate didn't waste time when she found the right guy. Was it her inability to resist him because of the smell?

"No, not that. However he did give me an orgasm, my first. … Plus I bit him Lanie." Kate cringes; she was still ashamed of herself for doing that.

"You bit him." Lanie repeats shocked again.

"I didn't mean to. It's just that, just as he was giving me my first orgasm he put his arm against my fangs that were out and told me to bite him.

He scared me to death Lanie, I was so afraid I had killed him. I was a wreck, I was so scared." Kate had found the perfect guy in her mind and the thought that she had almost killed him, scared her to her core.

"Then what?" Kate had obviously recovered.

"He left to go get his daughter." Kate tells her.

"WAIT, HE HAS A DAUGHTER?" Lanie is now stunned. That wasn't something she was expecting.

"She's so cute and sweet. She fell asleep in my lap while we watched a movie. She's adorable Lanie, and you should see her hair!" Kate liked her. "Which reminds me." Kate jumped up and went into her room to start packing an overnight bag into one of their little duffel bags that used to have money in it.

Lanie followed. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going back over to spend the night. I think he might make love to me, and I so want him to." Kate confides as she packs.

"Is he married Kate? … He has a child." Lanie points out.

It got Kate to stop in her tracks. He did have a child and she didn't know if he was married. GOD HE MIGHT BE MARRIED!

Probably was married and was only using her. God she had screwed up so big.

"Start packing Lanie we need to move." Kate goes looking for her big suitcase to put her clothes in.

"Slow down Kate. … Does he know where we live?" Lanie asks.

"He knows what building, just not which apartment." Kate responds still working on packing.

"Did it look like he was married? … Did his place have any feminine touches? Did his closet have any clothes for a woman? … Did his little girl talk about having a mother?" Lanie asks a number of questions.

It got Kate to stop. Everything did look rather manly. Especially the bedroom. His closet only had his clothes, and Alexis had only talked about Rick.

Still he was quick to overlook the fact that she was a vampire. Maybe the smell was artificial in order to attract her. Just why didn't it work on Lanie?

Hunters used scent to cover their existence. Was Rick a Hunter? Just why wait this long to kill her?

Kate couldn't take the chance, they were vampires, and their lives were lived living on the run.

"Just go pack Lanie, we are out of here. … Remember to pack your half of the money." Kate got busy packing, watching Lanie leave for her bedroom to pack.

Kate met Lanie on their deck each with two duffel bags. "You sure about this girlfriend?"

"We're vampires Lanie, we stay alive by always being on the run. Maybe London will be better, or we have to steal a lot of blood and leave completely." Kate stepped over the side and landed on the sidewalk below, bending her knees a little.

Lanie followed a moment later. Together they walked to the building with their shuttle on the roof.

Kate stopped in the side street before the jump up to the roof. "Smell anything?" Kate asks her. Watching Lanie take in a deep breath.

Lanie shakes her head. "Nothing close."

Kate jumps up first, followed by Lanie and make their way over to the shuttle. Kate opens her door while Lanie opens hers and the do their best to stuff the duffel bags in behind their seats.

Kate sits in her seat with Lanie doing the same. "What Kate?" Lanie can see tears rolling down Kate's face. Lanie reaches out to take Kate's arm. "What?"

In a broken crying voice. "I can smell him Lanie." Kate squeezes her eyes closed. "If you could smell what I smell. … It hurts. He was the first, I was going to, … He could have been my first." Kate's chest is heaving trying to hold in the sobs that are trying to escape.

"You're thinking the smell is because he's a Hunter." Lanie thinks she understands.

Kate nods her head, if was just the sort of trick a Hunter would use to get close enough to kill.

"So why aren't you dead already?" Lanie knew no Hunter would delay in killing a vampire. "Plus you bit him, did he taste like a Hunter and would a Hunter even let you do that to him?" Lanie offers.

"Doesn't matter, …. He's married with a little girl." Kate's tears are still falling as she fumbles to start powering up the shuttle.

"You don't know that for sure Kate. She may have died. She may even have died in child birth. …. There's only one way for you to find out." Lanie offers. Knowing her friend is falling for him, fast. Though his smell and taste may have something to do with that.

Kate stops trying to work the controls and turns to look at Lanie and wipe away some of her tears. Was it possible?

"Go talk to him and find out. All you have to do is yell and I'll come running. If he is married I'll personally help your break every bone in his body without killing him." Lanie smiles, since it was a joke. Since if she did break every bone in his body, he'd likely die in the process or soon after.

It did however get Kate to chuckle. Leave it to Lanie to brighten her mood. "Now go talk to him, I'll be right here one way or the other. … And if he isn't married, ask him if he has a brother." Lanie grins, getting Kate to laugh a little.

Kate stepped out of the shuttle and walked over to the side of the building and looked around. Not seeing or smelling anyone close Kate stepped over the side and landed on the ground, bending her knees just a little. It was only a five story drop, easy.

The doorman let her in after giving her name and was now standing at his door, almost scared out of her mind. There was so much at stake.

Kate gave the door one very light knock and waited. Once again the door flew open to find Rick standing on the other side and his smell hit her in the face, and started to permeate every open pore in her body.

Kate couldn't help but breathe it in and let it fill her lungs and make her weak in the knees.

"Hi Kate." Rick was smiling and opened the door wide and stepped aside to let her in.

Kate willed her feet to move and not into Rick's chest like she so wanted to do. "Where's your bag?" Rick looked Kate over and then looked outside the door, now confused. That was why she left, wasn't it?

Kate didn't get very far and turned and watched Rick close and lock the door. Not that it mattered, her or Lanie could break it down easy. If nothing else she could run and jump through one of the windows and land on her feet and start running.

Kate did her best to stand up straight and ignore his most delicious smell. The smell that whispered to her that she should be in his arms right now. "You're married." Kate did her best to make it sound like an accusation, and that she was mad.

It forced Rick to blink and shake his head. This was not what he was expecting. Sure he knew they needed to talk. About a lot of things actually, since he still had a lot of questions.

"I'm divorced. … Have been for years. Marrying Meredith turned out to not be one of my finer moments. It did however give me Alexis so I guess I can take the good with the bad." Rick tells her shrugging his shoulders. Everything about Meredith seemed to be bad.

"Kate." Rick stepped in closer to at least touch her, but Kate took a step back.

"You don't believe me." Rick deflated and his shoulder drooped. "I suppose you have no reason to. We haven't actually talked much." Rick tried to think of something that would reach her.

"Kate, go upstairs and wake Alexis and ask HER your questions. She's only 5 Kate. … Well almost 6 in a couple of months. She's growing up fast. Maybe a little too fast." Grown up and gone leaving Rick alone in his old-ish age.

"Go on, first door on the left." Rick motions for the stairs, and flips his hand when Kate doesn't move.

Alexis was 5, had she been taught to lie by the Hunters? Just why all this work to kill just one vampire? They would normally just blow up the entire building they were in and not care about the collateral damage in lives lost.

Kate started backing up and made her way to the stairs, never taking her eyes off Rick for more than a heartbeat.

Kate found the door partially open with a nightlight on inside. Kate opened the door and closed it softly behind her and waited for her eyes to adapt, quickly.

Kate saw her orange hair before she saw anything else. Alexis was still all tucked in nice and comfy.

Kate kneeled down onto the floor and looked at Alexis. She was obviously asleep and looked so peaceful. Kate couldn't help but run her hand through her hair, getting Alexis to wiggle a little.

Kate moved to sit on the edge of the bed and reached out to shake Alexis a little to wake her up. "Alexis?" Not getting much result, Kate put a little more effort into it. "Alexis?"

Kate watches the little girl open her eyes and then rub one of them with her hand and turn to look who's hand was on her. "Kate?" Alexis was pretty sure it was Kate, but she was still pretty sleepy.

"Hi!" Kate gave her, her best smile. Forgetting all about Rick.

Alexis was quick for someone who had just woken up and was soon up on her knees with her arms wrapped around Kate. It got Kate to wrap her arms around Alexis too.

"You awake? I want to talk with you, I have a few questions." Kate whispers into her ear. Burying her nose into Alexis's hair. Kate could kind of smell Rick on her, but she was different. Maybe it was because she was around Rick all the time, or maybe it was because Rick was her father.

"Okay." Alexis answers back but doesn't let go of Kate.

"I need you to tell me about your mother." Kate instantly felt Alexis stiffen, and could feel Alexis shake her head.

Apparently this was a touchy subject. Kate loved her mother, and at the moment wished she was here. "I need you to tell me about her. I want to understand. … Help me to understand." Kate offered, slowly stroking her hair.

"I don't have a mommy." Alexis answers, never letting go of Kate.

"Everyone has a mommy honey. You can't be born without one. … Or a daddy." Kate may not know a whole lot, but that was the easy part.

"My mommy doesn't want me, she doesn't love me." Kate could feel Alexis only tighten her hold on her.

"Where is your mommy?" Kate tries a different question.

"I don't have a mommy. … I hate her." Alexis tells her.

Ok, this was bad. "Tell me where she is honey." Kate decided to start leaving off the mommy part since that seemed to upset her.

"California." Alexis answers. Except that didn't help Kate much since she didn't know where this California was.

"Is that far?" Kate asks feeling Alexis nod her head. "Really far?" Far to Alexis may not be far to Kate. Getting Alexis to nod her head.

"Does she come for a visit?" Kate tries again. Getting Alexis to shake her head.

"She promises to come, but never does. She doesn't call, she doesn't come to my birthday parties, she didn't attend my school play. She promised she would, but she didn't even try." Kate could feel and hear the tears, which got Kate to start blinking back here own.

Kate loved her mother; she was still alive because her mother and father loved her. Even if it had caused them to be separated for the moment. At least Kate hoped it was only temporary.

How could a mother give birth and then abandon her own child?

"I'm sorry Alexis, my mother loves me. I don't know what it feels like to not have your mother love you too. …She never comes to see you?" Kate tries again. Getting Alexis to shake her head and hear her sniffle.

"Well I love you, and your father loves you. Maybe that's enough for now." Kate offers, squeezing Alexis to her a little tighter.

"Really?" Alexis sniffles again.

Kate pulls away from Alexis so she can place her hands on each side of her face. "Yes, really. It's hard not to love you. I'm sure anyone would be happy to be loved by you and love you back." This got Alexis to launch herself back into Kate, and hug her.

"You should get back into bed and go back to sleep." Kate offers, getting a "NO!" from Alexis.

"You need to sleep honey." Kate tries reasoning with her.

"No, … stay?" Alexis asks.

"You mean stay and sleep with you?" Kate asks, since her original plan was to sleep with Rick, in more ways than one.

"Please. … It's a big bed." Alexis offers. It was just a twin bed, but it was big to Alexis.

"Tell you what, I'll ask your father and if he says yes, then I'll be back. How's that?" Kate offers a compromise, smiling at Alexis. Getting Alexis to nod her head.

"Let's get you all tucked in again and I'll be back." Kate helps her get back into bed and kisses Alexis's head before she leaves. Leaving the door slightly open like she found it.

Kate found Rick sitting at the breakfast bar drinking something. "And?" Rick asks as Kate steps up to him. Though Rick could see a tear that escaped and got wiped away quickly.

"I don't understand, how could a woman give birth and not pay any attention to her own child? … She never comes here, ever?" Kate looked across to Rick.

"Meredith has been in New York a couple of times I think. She was more interested in getting me back into her bed than in paying attention to Alexis." Rick is forced to admit. Even if he did try to get Meredith to act like a mother and Alexis to think of her as being her mother.

"Alexis hates her." It was one more thing that Kate didn't understand, since she loved her mother and was having a pang of withdrawal and missing her. It hurt her heart a little listening to that little girl explain what she thinks of her own mother.

"I know." Rick hangs his head low. Rick still had no idea how to fix that. "Alexis was still just a baby when I came home one day and found Meredith in bed having sex with another man. Seems she was using him to try and get some part. I never did find out if that worked out.

I threw both of them out. Two days later Meredith filed for divorce. I got sole custody of Alexis while Meredith got almost everything else." Rick gives Kate the short version of how he is divorced.

"She wanted sex more than being married or being a mother to her own child?" Kate was still having trouble wrapping her mind around this. Kate stepped up to Rick and buried her nose in him while wrapping her arms around him.

"I'm sorry. … I jumped to conclusions." Kate breathed him in to try and calm herself.

Kate pulled back and looked at Rick. "I need to go get my bag, Alexis made me promise to spend the night with her and it sounds like she could use someone to hold onto tonight." Kate informs Rick of their deal.

"And who am I supposed to hold onto tonight?" Rick moans.

It got Kate to smile since her original plan was to spend the night in his arms instead. "You'll think of something." Kate gives him a quick kiss and heads for the door.

"I'll leave the door unlocked, no need to knock." Rick calls after her.

Kate walked outside and around the building and waited till it was clear to jump up onto the roof, finding Lanie right where she had left her. Sitting in her seat in the shuttle.

"And?" Lanie asks.

The tears in Kate's eyes told Lanie a lot. "He's divorced, has been for a few years now."

"And you believe him?" Lanie asked, after all it was just his word.

Kate however shakes her head. "Alexis told me." Kate hangs her head down, then back up to look at Lanie. "Her mother gave birth to her and has ignored her ever since. … I mean what kind of mother ignores their own child?

Never keeps her promises to come visit, never even calls. And when she is here she doesn't spend any time with her. … I don't understand Lanie. Alexis is cute, smart for her age and you can see she's hurting.

She actually told me that she hates her own mother." New tears started falling down Kate's cheek and were wiped away with Kate's fingers.

"I'll see you tomorrow Kate, you need to get back in there and prove to that little girl that someone on this planet loves her. Someone besides her own father." Lanie exits the shuttle and grabs her bags and then closes the shuttle door.

"Don't forget to introduce me to her Kate, she sounds like she could use all the friends she can get." Lanie was now dying to meet this little girl that had Kate already wrapped around her little finger.

"Thanks Lanie, you're the best." Kate smiled while still sitting in her seat.

"Don't I know it Kate Beckett." Lanie smiled and headed for the roof edge and soon stepped over the side.

Kate grabbed her two bags, closed up the shuttle and followed Lanie over the side of the building. However Kate went back into the building after passing the doorman.

True to his word, the front door was unlocked and Kate just walked right in, closing and locking it behind her. Then carried her bags upstairs to Alexis's bedroom since she didn't see Rick downstairs.

Except Alexis wasn't in her bed. Kate dropped her bags and started searching the room, but not finding her. It got Kate to race downstairs.

Kate could still smell Rick so he was still here, and it leads her to his bedroom.

In here Kate found Alexis all tucked in on one side of the bed with Rick nowhere in sight. Kate stepped over to the bed and kneeled down to stroke Alexis's hair and then kiss her forehead. Then heard Rick enter from the bathroom.

All he had on were a pair of boxers and it got Kate's heart to do a flip. The last time he was this naked was in the bathroom he just came from.

"If you brought your bag you can go change. I thought we could all sleep in the same bed tonight. Alexis could likely use the cuddling and after the day that it sounds like you've had, I figured you could use some too. And I'm only too happy to oblige." Rick was smiling.

It got Kate to run for her bag and change upstairs and run back, leaving her bags behind in Alexis's bedroom.

Rick already had the covers lifted and waiting for her. Kate had switched to shorts and a t-shirt and climbed into bed and worked her way across to wrap her arms around Alexis and pull her in tight.

Then felt the bed dip as Rick got in behind her and soon felt his arms around her pulling his chest in tight against her back. Then she felt Rick kiss the back of her head. "Good night Kate." Rick whispered into the back of her head.

"Night Rick." And Kate nuzzled her face into Alexis's hair. She smelled like Alexis and yet she could still smell Rick right behind her. Kate let their scent fill her lungs and sighed. "Night to you too Alexis." And kissed the back of her head.

It wasn't the night she was planning on having, but she liked it just the same.


	12. Chapter 12

**CH12**

Kate woke up in the morning and found Alexis was still spooned into her chest and Kate's face was at her neck and she breathed in her own unique smell. It wasn't Rick but she found she was learning to like it.

Speaking of Rick, her back felt cold, and while she could smell him, it was a residual smell. Which told her he was no longer in bed.

Kate rolled over and left Alexis to sleep as Kate got up on the other side of the bed and went out into the living room, finding Rick in the kitchen.

"Hi." Kate shuffles her feet over to the kitchen and sits down.

"Morning, breakfast will be ready soon. … Coffee?" Rick asks.

"No thanks." Kate blushes a little and looks down at the counter.

"You're not hungry?" Rick asks. … And then slaps his head. "Of course you're not hungry. This is going to take some getting used to." Rick drops his cooking utensils.

"I'm sorry Rick." Kate knew he was trying to please her.

Rick reached a hand across and took one of hers. "Don't be sorry Kate, it's who you are. I'm the one that needs to adapt.

Since you don't want breakfast do you need to drink?" Rick was going to offer to let her bite him if she did.

Kate shook her head. "No I'm fine. … I'm going up to Alexis's room to change and then go home. Lanie and I have things we need to accomplish. Just now sure how yet." Kate tells him.

"Anything I can help you with?" Rick was willing to help.

"I don't think so. We are looking into getting into the local University, but we need proper ID's, social security numbers and maybe some other things." Kate tells him, getting up and start for the stairs.

"I know just the guy if that is all you need. It'll cost you though." Rick tells her.

"You know someone?" Rick had Kate's attention now.

"I know lots of people. He can get you a good driver's license, social security cards, passports, high school diploma, almost you name it." Rick tells her happy he can help.

"Today?" Kate asks, watching Rick nod his head.

"You go change and go home and come back with Lanie and after I drop off Alexis at school I can take you to him. We can find out from him the cost and how long it will take him." Rick offers.

Kate started smiling and stepped over to Rick and gave him a quick kiss and then ran upstairs.

By the time Kate came back downstairs, Alexis was sitting at the counter eating breakfast. "Are you eating Kate?" Alexis asks.

"I ate earlier Alexis, but thank you. You have a nice day at school." Kate steps over and kisses the side of her head and walks for the front door with both bags in hand. "Lanie and I will be back in a couple of hours." And Kate lets herself out.

"Kate's coming back?" Alexis asks her dad.

"Yup, Kate and her friend need some help with some paperwork, and I know just the guy to help them." Rick explains. "Now hurry up and finish and get changed or we're going to be late." Rick tells her. Grinning wide as Alexis starts inhaling her breakfast and then runs upstairs.

"Make sure you wash first." Rick calls after her.

Rick watched Alexis run into her school before going back home and wait for Kate and her friend to show up. Not that he has long to wait, since both of them are early.

Opening the front door Rick finds Kate and her friend. "You must be Lanie, it's a pleasure to meet you again. … You two ready?" Rick pulls out his keys.

Rick was driving them to his contact. "Have you two known each other long?" Rick was dying to ask if Lanie was a vampire too, but since they were obviously together the answer was yes.

"We met when I was 5." Lanie answers from the back seat. It got Rick to open his eyes wide. They had been together a lot longer than he thought.

"Where were you before coming to New York?" Guessing that they were somewhere else.

"We were in a mining city." Kate answers. Not yet ready to say on a mining moon in another system.

"A mining town." Rick was interested. "Moving to New York must have been quite a change. This city is a lot bigger than any mining town I know of." Rick comments.

"We wanted a change. There were more options in a big city." Lanie answers.

"And here we are." Rick points out as he stops the car. Rick goes inside without concern.

Inside Kate and Lanie come across someone who is likely their age, or there about. "Ladies, this is, … Bruce." Rick points him out. Rick puts his hand up next to his mouth. "Not his real name." Rick points out.

"Richard Castle. How much trouble is he in this time?" Bruce asks.

It got Rick to smile. "None this time. These fine lovely ladies are in need of your fine services." Rick offers.

"And what do these lovely ladies require." Bruce gave both of them a predatory smile that told both of them that there were now standing there naked. At least in his mind.

"We need ID's and a background. Good enough to get us entrance into a college." Kate tells him.

"Hhhmm, the real thing or fake?" Bruce asks.

Kate knew they had fakes and stood likely no chance of getting anywhere. "Real, please."

"Okay.

US Driver's License is $3,000 each.

A Canadian Passport is $11,000, UK is $17,000 and US is $25,000 each.

Social security is incredibly easy so $1,000 each.

Birth Certificate for Canada is $9,000, UK is $11,000 and US is $19,000 each.

High School diploma for Canada is $75, UK is $90 and US is $120 each.

SP and SAT scores for Canada is $2,000, UK is $4,000 and the US is $7,000 each.

I'll even throw in an out of the States bank account that you can put your money into that the US government can't get to." Bruce tells them.

"School starts in 3 weeks however enrollment is in less than a week. Does that change anything?" Kate asks.

"I don't have any US passports at the present time. That may change tomorrow, but there are no guarantees." Bruce answers. "That leaves you with UK and Canadian passports, high school, AP and SAT scores and birth certificates."

Kate didn't understand the difference and was afraid to ask, however since one was more expensive than the other, …

"We'll take UK if you can be ready in 5 days." Kate offers.

"Half now and half on completion and come back in 5 days." Bruce tells them.

It got Kate to open her bag and start taking out the cash needed. Kate put down $36,000 in cash.

Bruce was smiling. "I think I like your friends Castle. Give me 5 days and I'll be ready." Bruce tells them, not bothering to count the money in front of them. He'll do it later. A few photos and some samples of their signatures, and they were gone.

"Just drop us off at home Rick." Kate tells him as they are driving back after meeting Bruce.

Now parked out in front of 50 Franklin, Kate leans across to Rick and gives him a quick kiss. "Thanks Rick." Rick had solved their major problem.

"Alexis is out of school Saturday (today was Wednesday), you want to come with us to the Zoo?" Rick asks her.

"Sure, what time?" Kate did want to spend time with them.

"11:00 am my place?" Rick offers.

"I'll be there." Kate tells him smiling and gives Rick another quick kiss before getting out of the car, and waving goodbye.

"Well your boyfriend has come in really handy." Lanie points out, teasing as she drops on the sofa.

"He's not my boyfriend." Kate counters.

"Uh huh, says the lady who had her first with him." Lanie teases countering her denial.

"That's different." Kate doesn't give in to her calling Rick her boyfriend. Getting Lanie to just smile at Kate. Teasing Kate in her denial mode was going to be fun.

The next day Lanie came out of her bedroom to find Kate sitting on the sofa with all of the NYU papers they had gathered yesterday. They didn't need ID's to talk to the staff and gather information.

In fact they had been very helpful about everything. The only thing they wouldn't help with was what to do with your life.

Lanie already knew she was going into medical to be an ME. All of her other courses on other planets had been about being an ME, plus she liked it and thought she was good at it.

Kate however looked to be struggling with her choice.

They had found out that tuition alone was $45,000 per year, so 4 years for both of them was going to cost in tuition alone $320,000 or roughly 1/3 of the cash they presently had. Plus they had to pay rent likely for those same 4 years. Which would be $326,160. Their just over $1 million was disappearing fast.

They had talked about it and decided to go out again back north to the same area tonight and look around again. They just needed to try and drink less this time, if they wanted to prevent another episode like last time.

"You look lost girlfriend." Lanie would have sat down but Kate had taken up all the space with all the papers they had.

"I don't know what to do Lanie." Kate moans and drops the papers she had in her hands and watches them fall in Kate's lap, sofa and floor.

"I thought you had this limited to just a few?" Lanie asks.

"I did, … I have, …. I think." Kate leans back into the sofa, thinking she was in big trouble.

"Have you called your boyfriend and asked his opinion?" Lanie tried not to grin, but she failed badly. It only got Lanie a growl from Kate.

"Ok, let's start from scratch again." Lanie was ready to moan. "You are good with fixing the ship. Always have been actually." Lanie points out.

"Except this planet doesn't have space flight." Kate points out.

"Except with what you know would have them out there in no time." Lanie points out.

Being an Engineer didn't sound so bad, just she was better at working with her hands when it came to ships. Not so much designing them.

Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. There might be better schools for this, but NYU was a place to start. Besides she had to learn what this planet already knew about before taking them WAY past that.

Maybe if she got in deep enough, Kate could find out about that barrier that kept the storms out and what this planet knew about it. If anything at all, which so far looked like very little.

It was after midnight when Kate and Lanie started walking for Hell's Kitchen again. Not that they knew it was called that, yet. They both still had a lot to learn about New York City.

They walked near the previous bar that they had hit last time, and only smelled people and alcohol. Not the drugs or money that went with it. So they kept walking till they came across a building that had the smell of drugs inside.

Just that it had the smell of a lot more people inside so they decided to jump up onto the roof and wait. Spying down onto the building to see who came and who left.

The sun was going to be up in about an hour when a car arrived and flashed its lights, and Kate and Lanie could hear some kind of sound of metal rolling on metal. It was noisy and the car drove in after the noise stopped.

Then the same noise was repeated. There was no way to see inside from up on the roof, however Kate talked Lanie into staying on the roof to wait.

The sun was going to crest in a few minutes when that sound was repeated and the same car drove out and stopped. Then Kate and Lanie heard that sound yet again and the car drove off.

Kate and Lanie had taken in deep breathes and both found that the car was filled with drugs. "Drug warehouse?" Kate offers a guess.

"Unless they are getting their drugs from somewhere else, either they are storing it here or making it here." Lanie offers.

"In either case it does not bode well for there to be a lot of money here, just drugs." Kate points out, since they have little need for the drugs.

"Unless it is also a storage area for the money." Lanie offers being hopeful.

"Well we're here, lets walk the roof and see if we can determine how many and where." Kate offers.

Ten minutes later the sun has started to rise in the distance. "I've got 4 inside. One over there and the other three are together. … You?" Kate offers what she has found.

"The smell of them leaves the one diluted. He may be in a room away from the other 3." Lanie adds her opinion.

"We take the three together first and then blitz the one that is alone." Kate offers getting Lanie to nod her head.

Stepping off the roof they both land easily just outside one of the door. "We do this fast." Kate whispers. Getting Lanie to nod her head.

Kate twists the door knob and breaks it till it is spinning freely, then puts her shoulder into it breaking the dead bolt out of the door jam.

It was a warehouse of some type. Along the edge there were various sized crates stacked on metal shelving. In the middle looked like a larger version from last time. There was a method of taking the drugs out of large bags and putting it into smaller bags.

There was also a pair of machines that had metal forks stinking out the front down low.

Around this table were 3 guys who all turned to look their way when they heard the door open.

Kate rushed the first guy and grabbed him and spun in place and threw him to the other side of the room, hearing him slam hard into one of the stacked crates.

Kate then stepped over to another and grabbed his arm and bit him.

Lanie meanwhile as Kate launched her first guy across the floor grabbed the third guy by the arm and bit him. They both drank until their two were unconscious.

"You take him." Kate points to the guy lying on the floor at the far end. "I'll take the guy upstairs."

There was a wall of offices on the short side of the building. Kate knew now, with Lanie's suggestion, that the 4th guy was upstairs.

Lanie runs across the floor for the guy on the ground and bites him quickly.

Kate easily jumps up onto the second floor, landing on the walkway and kicks the door open.

Inside Kate finds a single guy who was standing in front of something big made of metal, that he had just finished closing and was spinning the wheel on the front of it.

Kate quickly stepped up to him and took his arm and bit him and started drinking. Letting him fall after she was convinced he was unconscious.

Lanie was soon back. "What do you think this thing is?" Kate asks, looking at the big metal box that obviously had a door on the front. It had that big wheel he was turning and a little one.

Lanie stepped up and looked at the little one first. "This one has numbers on." Then Lanie looks at the bigger one and tries to turn it. "It's locked in place."

"Sounds like the perfect place to put something you want to keep." Kate points out.

"I don't know how it locks, shall we just pull and see what happens." Kate shrugs her shoulders.

Kate plants herself and grabs the big wheel with both hands and starts pulling. "Hhmmm, stubborn." Nothing like a challenge.

Kate rubs her hands and plants her feet against the base of it, grabs the wheel again and starts pulling. Kate is soon squeezing her eyes closed and pulling for all she's worth.

Getting nowhere, Kate stops. "A little help please." Kate turns to Lanie.

Kate moves over to give Lanie some room and grabs one side of the wheel while Lanie takes the other. "On three?" Kate offers. "1, … 2, ….3, …." Kate and Lanie start pulling.

Kate is soon groaning as she puts everything she can into it. Then there is this loud breaking sound and the big metal box suddenly tips forward. However all it does is get Kate to double her efforts.

When suddenly the wheel they were holding onto breaks off sending both of them flying backwards, out the door and stumbling over the railing falling to the floor below.

They are both lying of the concrete floor, and Kate throws the wheel that was now in her hand across the room and ends up embedding itself into one of the crates. "This thing is pissing me off."

Kate stands back up and jumps back up onto the walkway and walks back inside, followed quickly by Lanie.

"Well at least it has a hole in it now." Lanie chuckles. Watching Kate slide her hand into the hole and feel around.

Then they both hear metal sliding on metal. "I found something." Kate takes both hands and puts her fingers in the holes and starts pulling again and is soon groaning again, when suddenly the door swings open, causing Kate to lose her balance and land on her butt.

"This damn thing better be worth it." Kate gets up and brushes her hands over her pants, paying attention to her butt.

Then watches Lanie finish opening the door, getting Kate to whistle.

IT WAS MONEY! Lots and lots of money! It left Kate and Lanie standing there gawking at all of it.

"We need bigger bags." Kate was still standing there gawking at it. Not seeing Lanie nod her head agreeing, silently.

Lanie pulled her little duffel bag around and started filling it with bundle after bundle, with Kate finally snapping out of it and joining her.

Their two bags were soon full, and they hadn't even half emptied it. "Look around, see if there is something else we can put the money into and carry with us." Kate offers and starts searching the desk, while Lanie went outside.

Kate found a slim suitcase on the floor leaning up against the desk. Opening it she found it was filled with papers and a book. Kate dumped the contents onto the desk, barely noticing that the book landed open.

The pages were a light green in color and they were filled with lines that had information and numbers on most of the lines.

Kate put as much as she could into it and then closed it. Lanie was at the door, having just jumped up there. "Kate there is another car just outside."

"Crap!" It got Kate to pick up the suitcase and her duffel bag and step outside of the room onto the walkway.

"There." Kate points for a far door. "Jump and run." Kate tells Lanie.

Lanie jumps first with Kate right behind her. As Kate runs she can just make out that the car outside has flashed its lights.

Lanie has crashed through the door and stops just outside to get her bearings.

Kate pulls up right behind her. "Roof." Kate points. "Then roof to roof until we can't anymore, then run for home."

They are both soon inside their apartment having had to slow down and walk normally not long after exiting the roofs. There were just too many people up and around for them to keep up their speed.

Kate dumped the money out of the suitcase, re-closed it and went out onto the deck and threw it as far as she could. Maybe it would land in the Hudson River and maybe it wouldn't.

Giving what they had a quick look, it was mostly 10's, 20's and 100's. So they got busy counting what each had in their respective bags.


	13. Chapter 13

**CH13**

**$2.33 Million**

**$2.33 Million**

Kate and Lanie can't believe it! And that was barely half of what was there that they could take, because they couldn't carry it all. But then they may not have had the time anyway since another car showed up.

Drugs were really worth that much? They hadn't done anything to the drugs this time, though they may have if they had the time. Still they would need to not go back there anytime soon.

Of course since they had enough money to do what they wanted and then some now, they had no reason to.

Four more days until they had their ID's and then they could go back to the University and enroll and sign up for classes.

Since they had been up all night they slept the day away, only taking cat naps that night.

**It was now 2 days later:**

It was still 2 days till their ID's would be ready. Kate and Lanie had plans to go directly to the University with them and sign up for classes and pay their tuition.

It was presently 15 minutes till 11:00 and Kate was just stepping into the elevator. It had taken forever to get to this date and time. Lanie had been teasing her for the last two days. Kate Beckett, the vampire was going on a date with a human. Well two humans technically.

Kate hesitated at the door, but managed to raise her hand and give the door a couple of knocks.

A moment later the door opened and the smell of Rick who answered the door came flying out and slammed directly into her face. Kate took in a deep breath and filled her lungs with him.

Three days without him and Rick hit her as hard as the first time. Kate opened her mouth to say something, but never got the chance. The next thing she knew she was being hit in the legs as Alexis slammed into her.

"Hi Kate! … You going to the Zoo with us?" Alexis had been waiting for this day too.

Kate placed a hand on her and held her close. "Yes I am, you excited to go?" Kate looked down at Alexis.

"YUP!" Alexis looked up at her.

"Me too." Kate answered.

Rick drove, paid to park and paid for the tickets to get in. Rick had a hold of Alexis's left hand while Kate had the right. "So what do we see first?" Kate asks, since she has never been here.

"Penguins!" One of if not the most favorite of Alexis's animals.

"King Penguins, Gentoo Penguins, Rockhopper Penguins and Chinstrap penguins. The average life span is 10-15 years in the wild and up to 30 years in captivity." Kate started reading the info card, never having seen penguins before.

"Why are they all over there in the corner?" Alexis asks, pointing to where all of them were huddled together far from where the visitors were.

"I don't know. … Maybe they're cold?" Kate offers. Kate had quietly noticed that they all started to walk that way when Rick, Alexis and her showed up.

The three of them waited around for a while to see if the penguins would move, however none of them did. "So what's next?" Kate asks looking down at Alexis.

"Daddy likes monkeys." Alexis offers up.

"Then let's go see monkeys." Kate offers smiling.

Once more they are off following the signs that lead them to the monkeys. Again with each of Alexis's hands holding one other theirs.

As soon as the three of them entered the enclosed habitat area that had a canopy to prevent the monkeys from escaping they ALL suddenly started screeching and ran for the far end of their tree, and continued to screech, huddled together.

It forced Alexis to cover her ears and got most of the visitors to exit the area. Even Kate was forced to cover her ears from all the noise.

They only stayed a couple of minutes. Once outside and away from the noise. "They always do that?" Kate asks.

"No, that's a first. We've never seen them do that before and we've been here a few times." Rick answers her question, looking confused.

"So are there any big animals?" Kate asks since penguins and monkeys were all small.

"Yup, there are cats." Alexis answers and takes their hands and starts pulling.

Kate noticed that they would pass by cages that held smaller animals. Some had fur while others had scales. Then they past a much bigger area that had some really big white animals. "What are these?" Kate starts to read the card out front.

"Polar Bears, 25 to 30 years in the wild and up to 45 years in zoos." Kate looked up and saw that there were only two of them. "Gus and Ida." Kate starts to watch and both of them suddenly get up from what looked like a nap, and relatively quickly run and climb to a section as far away from the zoo visitors as they can get.

"Is there something up there?" Kate asks. "Food maybe?" Kate offers, starting to get an idea why all the animals are doing this.

"No they feed them out here up close so visitors like us can see them." Rick explains.

Kate noticed there were even a pair of balls floating in the water. No doubt a toy for them to play with.

"Cats are this way Kate." Alexis takes her hand and starts pulling again.

Like the polar bears this one was another outside exhibit area that held two cats.

"Snow Leopards, Zoe and Askai. This beautiful cat is able to leap 50 feet horizontally and jump 20 feet vertically! Snow leopards are solitary, spending most of their time alone." Kate starts reading the card, but soon notices that both of them have started to growl and move far away.

Kate deflates, knowing precisely what the problem is. While Alexis is up against the fence watching, Kate steps close to Rick. "I think I should go, they know or suspect what I am." Kate tells him.

Rick whips his head around. "Kate you can't possibly know that. It could be anything, and how would they possibly know anything?"

"Its instinct Rick, they can either sense what I am or smell what I am. Either way they are afraid for their lives. … I need to be going." Kate tells Rick a little louder.

"You're leaving!?" Alexis had heard that last part and soon had Kate's legs all wrapped up.

Kate did her best to kneel down. "I'm sorry honey, but I'm not feeling well. I thought I could tuff it out, but I'm tired. I really should go home and rest." It was a lie and Kate knew it, but telling Alexis she was a vampire and all of the animals were on the run from her, just wasn't going to happen.

Alexis had a look of shocked and sad, plus concerned. Alexis didn't want Kate to go, but she also wanted Kate to feel better.

"I can drive you home." Rick started to offer.

"NO! … You two should stay and enjoy the Zoo, I can take a cab, and I have money. No reason you two should suffer because of me." Kate tells them and doesn't offer to give either of them a kiss since she was leaving on the pretence that she was sick. Though Rick did try.

"DAD?" Alexis looks up at her father. _Please read my mind dad._

"Come on pumpkin." Rick takes her hand and Alexis has to run to keep with Rick while they both try to catch up to Kate. It had Alexis smiling all the way.

Kate had wished many times that she wasn't a vampire, today just happened to be one of those days.

Kate was almost out of the Zoo, except the smell of Rick wasn't lessening any, and it should be.

Kate turned around and saw Rick walking quickly with Alexis running next to him. "What do you two think you are doing?"

"You're sick, so we're going to take care of you." Alexis tells her smiling. Alexis thought it was one of her best plans ever and glad that her dad had read her mind.

"Come on Kate, the car is this way." Rick takes her hand and walks the both of them to his car.

Rick drives Kate to his place and takes her upstairs and escorts her into the bathroom and turns on the water to fill the tub. "A nice hot bath and a nap will have you feeling better in no time." Rick tells her.

"Rick, I'm not sick." Kate whispers.

"I know that, but she doesn't. So to appease her you are sick. ... So hop in the tub, and I'll find you something to wear after you get out, and they you can take a nap." Rick tells Kate, pouring in more of the same thing into the tub as last time, and then he leaves.

Kate is in the tub when he comes back and lays something for her to change into when she gets out and then leaves again.

Kate is out of the tub, having liked her little soak very much, and dresses in the shorts and way to big t-shirt Rick had left her.

Stepping out into the bedroom, Kate found Alexis in her sleep clothes lying on Rick's bed. "Alexis?" Kate didn't understand.

"When I'm sick dad has me snuggle with him after a hot bath and hot soup. Dad said to skip the soup part." Alexis tells Kate and pats the bed.

It got Kate to internally chuckle and smile on the outside, and move over to the bed and lay down with Alexis, who promptly moved closer and cuddled in close with Kate.

Kate holds Alexis in tight. "Now what?" Kate asks.

"Now you sleep knowing the person holding you loves you and takes the sick away, making you feel better." Alexis explains. Trying to snuggle into just the right spot.

Kate didn't know if this fixed being sick, but it did feel pretty good.

Kate woke up she didn't know how much later and found that her arms were still wrapped around Alexis who was still snuggled in close.

_Yup, if I'm ever sick, I'll have to remember this. ... Wait, Alexis said it worked because the person holding them had to love them._

_Alexis loves me!? ... Oh I'm in big trouble!_

This insight didn't however get Kate to let go of Alexis, however she also didn't go back to sleep.

It was another hour with Kate watching the clock for every minute of it before Alexis woke up. "Hi." Kate tells her.

"Hhhmmm, Hi." Alexis yawns in Kate's face. "Feel better?"

"Much better, you're very good at this." Kate buries her face in Alexis's hair, breathing her in. She still wasn't Rick, but it was nice.

Speaking of Rick, Kate could smell him. He was out in the living room or kitchen somewhere. The door was closed so it was faint but still identifiable.

"You ready to get up?" Kate asks Alexis. "I really need to go home. My friend Lanie and I have plans." Kate told a white lie. They didn't have plans, but they did have things they needed to talk about.

"You coming back?" Alexis asks not letting go of Kate just yet.

"Not today, but your father is helping us with something, so I'll be back in a couple of days." Kate knew their ID's would be ready in roughly 2 days.

"Okay." Alexis answered softly. Two days seemed like a long time, but at least Kate was coming back.

Kate was up and dressed and met Rick at the front door. "I'm sorry I ruined the trip to the Zoo."

"You didn't ruin anything Kate. You are who and what you are. There's nothing to be ashamed of." Rick steps in and kisses Kate softly.

Kate stepped into Rick and wrapped her arms around him and buried her nose into his chest, and breathed him in.

"You need to drink?" Rick asks her confused why she was doing this confusing it with needing blood.

Kate shakes her head. Her throat wasn't burning, she had blood just a couple of days ago, she and Lanie would be good for a few more days still. "I'm fine."

Rick pulled back but didn't let go of her. "You'd tell me if you did. The thought that you're drinking someone else's blood un-nerves me. If you're going to drink it should be mine." Rick really didn't want her drinking some other guys blood.

It would be like finding out that she was seeing some other guy. Rick wanted Kate all to himself.

It got Kate to smile and start to blush. "I'm fine, honest. ... I'll see you in a couple of days to go get our ID's." And Kate gives Rick a quick kiss and heads for home.

Kate arrives home to find Lanie looking though some of their NYU brochures. "I thought you knew what you were doing?" Kate asks her.

"Oh I do. I'm just looking over the information about the campus. Did you know they have a library? We should be able to use it to learn more about his planet." Lanie offers.

"Anything in the news recently?" Kate asks since she lets Lanie keep track of that.

"US Embassies in Kenya and Tanzania were bombed by terrorists. So far over 100 dead, but more deaths are expected." Lanie supplies.

"Oh joy." Their new home wasn't exactly stable.

"They are still discussing the underground nuclear tests by India and Pakistan a couple of months ago." Lanie supplies.

"Oh and the President of the United States has admitted that he had an affair with a single woman, with his wife standing right next to him." Lanie supplies what transpired on last night's news.

"And she didn't break both his legs?" Kate is shocked. Watching Lanie shake her head.

"Maybe she's waiting until he least expects it and then, ... snap." Kate imitates breaking something in her hands.

"How was your date?" Lanie changes the subject.

"Pretty much a disaster." Kate falls onto the sofa, dejected.

"The Zoo animals sensed that I was a vampire and they all fled from me. The worst was the monkey pen. Those things put up a horrible noise and ran to the far side." Kate hangs her head.

"It was embarrassing Lanie. I didn't do anything to them and didn't even want to, and yet they all ran from me." Kate shakes her head.

"I presume you left early, so why are you home late?" Lanie was digging, and enjoying it.

"I gave Alexis the excuse that I wasn't feeling well and needed to leave. Then her and Rick ended up right behind me and took me to their place.

Rick put me in a hot bath and Alexis cuddled up with me while we took a nap. She's so sweet. ... I still don't understand her mother. If I had a child I'd kill to get her. She just wants someone to love and love her back. I mean how hard is that?" Kate just didn't understand a mother not loving her child.

Lanie decided Kate didn't need her teasing her at the moment. Just that she knew Kate was in deep, and getting deeper.

**It was now 2 days later:**

"Alexis!" Rick yells out from the front door. "Kate and Lanie are here, it's time to go."

And only a moment later Alexis comes flying out of her room and takes the stairs as quickly as she can, and is over to Kate with her arms wrapped around Kate's legs.

"You ready?" Kate looks down at her.

"Yup!" Alexis looks back up, beaming. She hadn't seen Kate in two whole days.

"Say hi to Lanie and let's go pumpkin." Rick tells her. Getting Alexis to say "Hi" to Lanie.

Lanie is in the front seat with Rick while Kate is in the back seat with Alexis. "What's in the bag?" Alexis asks pointing to the little duffel bag Kate had in her lap.

"We're going to go pick up our paperwork that we ordered a few days ago, and we have to pay him for his hard work." Kate explains.

"Oh." It seemed to satisfy Alexis.

They all walk inside. "Mr. Richard Castle, don't you have a new book due out soon?" Bruce asks.

"In a couple of months, yes. My publisher is likely hacking it to bits as we speak. Which reminds me I need to go over that list I have, I keep forgetting to do that." Rick kicked himself for forgetting to go over the list of publicists Jenn had given him.

"I look forward to reading it, hopefully you got the facts right. ... Ladies, I have all of your paperwork." Bruce starts handing out each piece one at a time, making sure it is going to the right person.

"Keep in mind, if anyone snoops too deeply they will not find your pictures in any high school yearbooks. Nor will whey find out where you worked previously, so you may want to create a cover story. One that fits your situation.

These are however the real deal and no amount of just looking at them will tell anyone different." Bruce explains.

Kate and Lanie each open up theirs to look at them, not that they would now if they were good or bad.

Kate pulled the money out and handed it all over to Bruce. "It has been a pleasure doing business with you two. ... Oh, one more thing." He hands over a piece of paper. "This is your own personal bank account in the Cayman Islands. Your account numbers and temporary passwords are indicated.

I suggest you change the passwords immediately, or at least before you wire transfer any money into them. Try to pick a password that is easy for you to remember but difficult for someone like me to guess at.

For the love of god, don't pick something simple like Doom, Fired, IRS. In fact no simple words at all. Try to mix up the upper and lower case letters. Add some numbers and specialty symbols. Something that makes sense to you. Something that you can remember." Bruce advises. "And change it say once a year."

Kate, Lanie and Rick had thanked him for his work. "Can you drop us off at the University Rick, we need to get started enrolling, selecting classes and paying for the first years tuition." Kate asks of him.

"Might I suggest that you take all that cash you have in that bag and go use it to go get a cashier's check from a local bank, made out to the school to pay for tuition? Most people don't carry around that amount of cash." Rick advises. "And get your money into that back account he set up for you. It's a lot simpler to get money orders or cashier's checks to pay for big things, than carrying around large amounts of cash.

I don't know where you got it, and I'm sure I don't want to know. Just that flashing large amounts of cash can cause people to pay attention to you." Rick cautions.

Kate gave Alexis a kiss and then leaned forward to give Rick a kiss before getting out of the car. "Thanks Rick, give me a few days and I'll call you."

Kate and Lanie had a lot of work to do still if they wanted in to start classes in about 3 weeks.


	14. Chapter 14

**CH14**

**It was 1 week later now:**

Lanie pulled a blood bag out of the refrigerator and popped it into the microwave. "Want one?" Lanie asks Kate who was sitting on the sofa looking over her class load for the first semester.

Kate still didn't know if it was enough or too much. "No thanks I have a date in a little bit." Kate answers her question. "Plus we need to be careful with those. We only have just so many."

"You intend to bite him." Lanie isn't really guessing, but still wasn't sure this was a good idea.

"Rick made me promise that if I got thirsty I would bite him. I think he's jealous that I might like some other man's blood better. It's kinda sweet actually." Kate's throat was actually burning at the moment, and a blood bag did sound tasty. However Rick's blood sounded even better.

"So what are you doing this time? Going back to the Zoo?" Lanie couldn't help but tease Kate while trying to swallow her laugh.

"Oh funny." Kate glared at her friend. "No, the three of us are going to an art class. At least that's what he called it." Kate didn't know what to expect. It was the most she could get out of him about where they were going.

Kate was soon at Rick's front door giving the door a couple of knocks.

The door soon opened and with it came Rick's smell washing over Kate as she breathed him in. It had been almost a week since the last time she saw him, and his smell was almost overwhelming.

It made Kate weak in the knees and it also brought out her fangs, since her throat was burning.

Rick didn't notice her weak knees but he did notice her fangs. Rick moved quickly to take Kate in his arms, which only made things worse for Kate.

Kate instantly buried her face in his chest and breathed him in, filling her lungs with his smell.

He still smelled heavenly and Kate still didn't understand why he had this kind of effect on her. However it also caused her to want to bite him to sooth the burning in her throat.

"You need blood?" Rick whispers his question. Feeling Kate nod her head.

"You can bite me before we leave." Rick offers.

Kate however shakes her head. "If I do it will put you to sleep for a couple of hours and we have a date." Kate reminds him of the effect on him if she does bite him.

"But you need this. Are you in pain?" Rick didn't understand what she was feeling.

"My throat hurts. It's like a burning sensation. The pain becomes worse the longer I do without." Kate answers his question talking into his chest.

"We can schedule this for another day, after you have had blood." Rick offers.

Kate however shakes her head. "I've gone without for a lot longer than this, and I haven't seen either of you for a week." Kate forces her head off of his chest to look up at him. "Please Rick, I want to spend time with you two."

"Only if you promise to bite me after this." Rick offers a compromise.

"I have blood at home, I don't have to bite you." Kate tells him.

Rick looked into her eyes. "Either you bite me now or later. The blood you have at home isn't mine." Which suddenly gave Rick an idea. Time to do some research.

It got Kate to smile at him. "Where's Alexis?"

"She's up in her room, still getting dressed. She'll be down in a minute." Rick guides Kate in through the door and closes it.

When all three of them entered the room there were a number of easels scattered about along with a number of small flat desks or tables. "What kind of class is this?" Kate asks with a questioning face looking around.

They were not alone, there was another couple already sitting on stools. "It's a painting class, water colors to be precise." Rick answers her question, looking like a kid in a candy store.

_Painting!? Our date is to learn that she can't paint worth a damn? Great! I'm doomed!_

There were no other people coming so after they sat down their instructor got right to work. Teaching them how to mix and how much water to add to get the color they wanted.

Kate was being tentative, while Rick and Alexis had dived in head first.

The instructor was walking around trying to give everyone a little undivided time and get Kate to come out of her shell. When suddenly Kate felt something go down her exposed arm.

"Ooops, sorry. My brush slipped." Rick offers an apology. Kate could now see a long stroke of green down her arm, so she glared at him.

Not too long later she was being poked in that arm with the very same brush. "Oooops sorry, must be my nerves. I haven't done anything like this since I was a kid." Rick apologizes again.

"You're supposed to paint the canvas Rick, not me." Kate points out.

"Canvas, not you. … Right." As if he was actually trying to learn something.

A very short time later there was something trailing down her left arm. Kate quickly turned her head and found Alexis painting a line of orange down her other exposed arm. "Sorry Kate." Alexis tells her, except Alexis was trying to hold back a serious case of the giggles.

_Oh I see how this class works now!_

Kate deliberately took her brush and drew a line of red down the side of Alexis's face. "Oh I'm sorry Alexis, my brush slipped." Kate apologies.

"That's ok Kate." And Alexis promptly dipped her brush into her water color of choice and flicked it at Kate getting little dots to hit Kate all over.

Kate promptly changed from a little brush to a paint brush and got it wet and flicked it at Alexis, getting paint dots all over her and a little on the floor.

Then Kate felt wet spots hitting her body from the other side, turning to see a grinning and not very sorry Rick holding a paint brush just like hers.

**It was now 4 hours later:**

A giggly and extremely happy Kate unlocks her front door and closes it and re-locks it and steps into the living room, see Lanie watching TV. Some kind of new channel by the look of it.

"Have fun with your art class?" Lanie asks, then turns to look at Kate and instantly starts laughing her ass off.

Lanie started out all over the sofa pointing at Kate and laughing, and was now down on the floor after having fallen off the sofa. And was now on the floor pointing and laughing.

Kate wanted to be mad at her, but Kate's smile that she had walked in with only got bigger. Kate had no idea what she looked like, but considering what Rick and Alexis looked like, Kate had a pretty good idea.

It took a few minutes for Lanie to calm down enough and sit back down on the sofa. "What happened, …. (laugh, laugh, laugh), what happened to you." Lanie was doing all she could not to end up on the floor laughing her ass off again.

"It was a water color class and apparently Rick and Alexis think the canvas for this should be a person and not the paper." Kate was holding in her own laughing, but it was a struggle.

"So I suppose those two look just like you?" Lanie was struggling to hold it together.

Since Kate was long since dry, she sat down on the sofa. "It started out simple enough. Rick's hand slipped and painted me instead, and then Alexis soon followed.

I got back at Alexis using a bigger brush and flicked paint on her all over. We were all soon using bigger paint brushes to flick paint at one another or just brush it across some part of the body.

Then it elevated to throwing entire bottle of watercolor paint at each other. At least until we ran out." Kate explains. Watching Lanie trying to hold it all in, as she is squirming all over the sofa with her hand over her mouth.

Kate still had a huge smile and was almost ready to bust out laughing herself. "Then we had to spend the next 2 hours cleaning up our mess. The other couple that attended the class left about the time the first bottle of paint got tossed." Kate adds, still smiling.

Lanie couldn't take it, and burst out laughing once again, taking Kate with her.

It was minutes before either of them were calm enough to talk again. "Then what happened?" Lanie asks, still smiling and holding in laughing.

"We drove to Rick's place and Rick dragged me and Alexis into his bedroom. Rick sent Alexis into his bathroom to get ready for a bath to get the color off, when Rick begged me to bite him.

He already knew I needed blood and didn't want me drinking someone else's blood.

I swear Lanie, his smell and taste is the most delicious and purest thing I've ever had." Kate instantly went from trying to keep from laughing again to trying to keep from crying.

"It knocked him out so I gathered up Alexis and put her in bed with her father and came home." Kate concludes her date with Rick and Alexis.

"Please tell me he has a brother, or at least a distant relative." Lanie pleads.

Kate however shook her head. "Sorry Lanie, only child." It did hurt Kate to know that Lanie didn't have what she had. She didn't get to smell or taste what she did.

"I'm going to go shower and get changed." Kate tells her and heads for her room with her own on-suite, just like Lanie's bedroom had.

Lanie was just sitting there working on recovering from all the laughing, wiping away the tears, when Kate suddenly screamed. **"MY HAIR!"**

It got Lanie to fall on the floor laughing yet again. Kate had come in looking like an 8 colored abstract work of art, from her head down to her shoes.

"**DAMN, NO PICTURES!"** Lanie moans.

Rick was still multi-colored and was helping Alexis take a bath to get all the color off of his little girl. "Did you have fun?" Rick asks her, while working shampoo into her hair, to try and get it back to just one color.

"It was great dad." Alexis was smiling wide. "Kate is fun dad."

"Yes she is, isn't she." It got Rick to think about all the things he did like about her. Kate being a vampire only added to her mystery.

"Can Kate come over again?" Alexis really did want to spend time with her.

"She's starting school soon, so she is going to be really busy." Rick needed to calm his daughter down. He knew Kate couldn't come over whenever Alexis or he wanted her to.

Alexis deflates a little. She had to go back to school herself tomorrow. The weekend was over. "Dinner?" Alexis offers an excuse for Kate to come over.

Rick stopped cleaning her. Kate couldn't or didn't eat, so food was out.

It got Rick to wonder just how much longer they could keep Alexis in the dark about Kate? "How about a movie night instead?" Rick offers something else.

It got Alexis to brighten up. "Can we call Kate?" Alexis was excited now.

"Sure, just as soon as you are clean and dry." Getting Rick to chuckle.

Alexis was soon clean and dry, best part about water colors. Rick grabbed the house phone and dialed Kate's number and handed the phone to Alexis. "I'm going to go get clean. It's all in your hands pumpkin." Rick heads for his bedroom, grinning.

Kate ran for the phone dressed only in a towel with another towel wrapped around her head. "Hello?"

"Hi Kate!" Alexis responds sounding excited.

"Hi Alexis." Kate sat down on her bed. "Are you clean yet?" Kate was ginning wide, remembering how many colors Alexis used to be in.

"Yup! Dad gave me a bath." Alexis was still happy.

"Me too, we were both in a lot of colors." Kate was still glowing from how much fun she had, had.

It got Alexis to start giggling. "Where's your dad?" Kate asks since Alexis was on the phone.

"Bath." Alexis simply states.

That got Kate to twist her head. "Does your dad know you are on the phone?" Was Alexis sneaking around behind Rick's back?

"Yup, he called and gave me the phone." Alexis was still smiling, knowing she had a question and hadn't done anything wrong.

"Ooohhh." Kate responds. _Alexis must want something._

"Kate, … can you come over for a movie?" Alexis asks softly, worried the answer was no.

"I just finished a date with you two, and you want me over again?" Like tonight? Kate is wondering.

"Please." Alexis gives Kate her best puppy dog eyes, even though Kate can't see her.

"Don't you have school tomorrow?" Kate knew she did, and would need to go to bed early.

Alexis deflated, that question meant nothing to her. "Yeah, … please?" Alexis tries again.

Kate did want to spend time with them and school classes started soon, limiting her free time.

"How about Saturday when you are out of school, we can have a movie marathon. Watch all the movies we want to watch." Kate offers, spend the day with Rick and Alexis. It had Kate smiling at her own idea.

It also had Alexis smiling. Spend the entire day with Kate watching movies. "OKAY!"

"Great, it's a date. I'll come over right after lunch and we can spend the day watching movies." And cuddling with her two favorite people. Kate added to herself.

"Thanks Kate." Alexis already wanting it to be Saturday.

"Night Alexis." Kate hangs up the phone.

"**YES!" **Alexis leaps up into the air, beyond happy. She was going to get to spend the entire day with Kate!

Kate was smiling as she put the phone down and went back into the bathroom. It was only now that she noticed the wide smile that was on her face. Remembering how it got there only got it to grow wider.

Kate walked out into the living room where Lanie still was, back to watching TV.

Lanie watched every move Kate made as she sat down on the sofa with a huge smile on her face too. Just for a different reason. It earned Lanie a whack in the face with a throw pillow.

They both settled down smiling while watching TV.

The early news turned into Touched by an Angel, changing the channel got them Sabrina the Teenage Witch, changing the channel again got them Spin City, followed by changing the channel that got them Millennium.

"This planet has one serious imagination." Lanie points out turning off the TV after Millennium ends.

"We need to understand this planets idea what a vampire is. Rick thought I was dead, or undead at first." Kate points out, still confused how he could think a dead person could be up and walking around. Dead was dead, wasn't it?

"We have access to the University Library." Lanie offers.

"We'll go tomorrow, we have a lot to learn if we want to fit in. We also need to come up with a plan on how to get more blood bags. All we have is what was on the ship and in our Go Bags." Kate points out.

Kate and Lanie spent the next three days at the library, reading. Since they didn't eat or drink (except blood), they had no reason to leave.

Real Vampires by Daniel Cohen

Dracula by Bram Stroker

They Thirst by Robert McCammon

The Hunger by Whitley Strieber

Slave of my Thirst by Tom Holland

Hellsing, Vol #1 by Khota Hirano, Duane Johnson

"Guess that explains why Rick thought I was dead, or this undead." Kate comments.

"You really know how to pick em' Kate. An entire planet that thinks vampires are blood sucking killers, bent on eliminating all of humanity." Lanie points out. This was only 6 books out of countless others. Six books selected at random.

It got Kate to inhale deeply and then suddenly deflate. It made her question why Rick was the exact opposite of all this, and what was Alexis going to think if or when she found out?

Maybe it was best if she didn't see Rick or Alexis again. They were human and she was a blood sucking vampire.


	15. Chapter 15

**CH15**

Kate decided to attend the movie marathon since she promised and then put an end to this. It just wasn't going to work out.

Kate breathed a heavy sigh and rested her head against the door. This was going to hurt.

Kate knocked and the door opened resulting in Rick's smell that she hadn't been near for almost a week, hit her in the face and fill every open pore of her body. Breathing him in and making her legs weak.

"Hi Kate, come on in." Rick stepped aside and opened the door wide. Kate stepped inside and moved to wrap her arms around Rick and bury her nose into his chest, and started blinking back the tears.

It was going to be so hard to give this up, but they were just too different. Rick and Alexis deserved better.

Kate could feel Rick wrap his arms around her and held her close. They were interrupted by Alexis yelling. **"KATE!"** And Alexis came flying down the stairs to slam into Kate's legs and wrap her arms around Kate's legs.

Kate let go of Rick so she could kneel down to Alexis's level and soon found herself wrapped up again in Alexis's arms. "Hi Alexis." Kate buried her nose into Alexis's hair. She didn't have the smell Rick had, but she had learned to love it too.

"Come on, we're going to have lunch first." Alexis takes Kate's hand and takes her to the kitchen.

"I ate before I came over Alexis, I don't need to eat lunch." Kate hated lying, but the alternative was now worse.

"Oh." Alexis was suddenly deflated.

"I came here to watch movies honey, not eat you out of house and home." Kate tries to lift her spirits that she had just broken.

_Another reason to end this. I can't ever be a part of this family. They're human!_

"You and your father can go ahead and eat, I'll just watch." Kate offers.

Lunch turned out to be tomato soup and grilled cheese sandwiches with milk to wash it all down with. Kate could appreciate the smell of the food, just not what it tasted like.

Alexis chose the first movie and sat down in on the sofa next to Kate and took a hold of Kate's arm as she leaned into Kate. While Kate had Rick on the other side that Kate was leaning into, burying her nose into his shoulder from time to time.

The Princess Bride

"That was terrific Alexis, very heart warming. Hello. My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." Kate picks a line that is stuck in her head.

"As you wish." Alexis states, knowing it means 'I love you'. It got Kate to smile at Alexis.

_How am I going to do this? Her own mother has abandoned her, and I'm leaving. … But I'm a vampire!_

Rick chose next.

Sleepless in Seattle

What if someone you never met, someone you never saw, someone you never knew was the only someone for you?_ Did Rick somehow know she was thinking about breaking it off with him? But she was a vampire! There were just some things they were never going to be able to do._

Kate was offered to choose next.

Kate saw a couple of them that looked interesting, but wasn't sure they were suitable for Alexis. So she skipped Saving Private Ryan and Armageddon.

Blade really had her interest. A movie about a vampire slayer. It was morbid sounding, but this was the planet she was living on, so Kate needed to know all she could.

A Bug's Life

"Oooo, I like this movie." Alexis likes Kate's choice. "Can we have popcorn daddy." Lunch was over 4 hours ago and dinner was likely to be after this movie.

Rick looked at Alexis and then at Kate. Saying no to Alexis was just something he couldn't do, and it was just popcorn, not something serious.

"Sure." And Rick got up and made a big bowl of popcorn.

Kate elected to hold the bowl since Rick was on one side and Alexis on the other.

The movies were making Kate emotional and Kate was turning to bury her nose in Rick from time to time still. Making it all that much harder to break this off after today.

"You don't like popcorn?" Alexis asks looking up at Kate. Alexis had noticed that Kate hadn't even tried any.

"Sorry Alexis, I was just caught up in watching the movie." And Kate takes a few pieces and eats them.

Rick leans into Kate. "Kate?" Rick whispers.

"It's fine Rick." Kate turned to him and smiled. And continued to occasionally eat popcorn.

They had just launched the fake bird to drive off the grasshoppers when Kate put the bowl of popcorn on the coffee table. "Excuse me." And Kate got up and ran for the bathroom off of Rick's bedroom.

Rick was soon right behind Kate holding her hair off to one side for her as Kate hurled into the toilet.

Kate knew when she started eating the popcorn that it was going to have to come right back up sooner or later. Kate went right on hacking with Rick right behind her, until her stomach was completely empty.

It wasn't really painful, but it wasn't exactly comfortable thing to be doing either.

Rick wet a wash cloth and handed it to her. "I'm sorry Kate, I shouldn't have let you eat. I knew better, but somehow having Alexis asking wiped my mind." Rick wrapped Kate up in his arms after Kate had flushed her mouth and used the wash cloth.

"It's alright Rick, I knew I shouldn't have eaten it, but I couldn't say no to her either.

It's not that I can't eat, it's just, ..." Kate is interrupted by Rick.

"You can't digest it and you can't keep it so you have to purge your stomach." Rick finishes it for her, remembering what she had told him.

"I'm sorry Rick, I really shouldn't be here." Kate saw the look on his face, and it looked like pain. And she was sorry she put it there.

"I'm a vampire Rick, and you and Alexis aren't. You eat food and I drink blood. I'm the one that's hunted and hated, not you two. Being with you and Alexis is just a dream Rick, being a vampire means it's one I can't have." Kate moved one of her hands to stroke his face and close her eyes and breath him in.

Then her eyes suddenly shot open and looked past Rick to see Alexis standing in the doorway. How long had she been there?

Kate let go of Rick and was on Alexis as fast as her vampire speed could take her and wrapped her arms around Alexis.

"Please don't fear me honey! …. Please? …. I'm not evil, I swear. I have no intention of killing you or your dad. I'm not like that, neither is Lanie. We don't kill people. … Ever!" God Kate didn't want it to be like this. Hurting these two was the last thing she wanted to do.

Kate pulled back but didn't let go of Alexis. Kate needed for her to understand.

"You're a vampire?" Alexis asked Kate searching Kate's eyes.

Kate nodded her head. "I'm sorry Alexis, I'm so sorry." Kate's tears started to fall down her cheek. Just one more time to wish she wasn't a vampire. Life was hard enough as it was.

"You drink blood instead of food." Alexis may be five, but she was quick. Kate had never eaten food when offered.

"You want to bite me?" Alexis wasn't scared of Kate, she was already in too deep to run now.

"No honey I don't want to bite you." It was the truth in more ways than one. Kate's throat wasn't burning and even if it was she wasn't going to bite Alexis.

"But you need blood, right?" Alexis asks.

"Every few days yes, but I would never bite you. Ever." Kate wanted to wipe away her own tears but didn't want to let go of Alexis.

Kate could feel Rick step up behind her, but neither of them said anything.

"But you need blood Kate." That got Kate to open her mouth wide. Had Alexis just said what she thought she said?

"I'm not going to bite you Alexis, I would never hurt you. Not for any reason." Kate searched her eyes. Just what was Alexis thinking.

"You don't want my blood?" Kate thought the look on Alexis's face was one of hurt or rejection, not fear.

_Of course it's rejection. Her own mother has rejected her. Made her feel unwanted and unloved._

"Alexis, …." Rick started but stopped when Kate raised her hand to stop him.

Kate put her hand back on Alexis to hold her in place. "You want me to bite you?" Kate was now beyond shocked. Just who were these two?

Alexis didn't speak but nodded her head. "Why honey?" This time Kate did wipe away her tears.

Alexis looked nervous and looked up at her dad. Kate caught on fast. "Back off Rick."

Except Kate could feel that Rick didn't move. So Kate turned her head and mouthed the word 'Please'. Only then did Rick move deeper into the big on-suite bathroom.

Kate turned back to Alexis. "Why Alexis? You should be afraid of me, not asking me to bite you, so why honey?"

Alexis wanted to, really wanted to, but Kate might run if she did. And Alexis herself wasn't sure. So Alexis remained silent.

_She's afraid of something, but it's not about me being a vampire. So what is it?_

"You're not afraid of me, … are you?" Kate didn't sense that Alexis wanted to run and she wasn't shaking, and saw Alexis shake her head.

"But I'm a vampire, I bite and kill people. You have books and movies all about hating and fearing my kind." Kate points out.

"But you wouldn't and movies are make believe." Alexis may be only 5, but even she knew movies were for entertainment, not real life.

It got Kate to smile. "You're right, I wouldn't. … You know you can't tell anyone right. There are a lot of people who would be afraid of me and want to hurt me." Kate wanted to know if Alexis understood how important this is.

Alexis simply closed her mouth and zipped it closed. It got Kate to smile. "That's my girl." This got Alexis to launch herself into Kate's arms. It was just the kind of three words Alexis wanted to hear.

"You don't want my blood?" Alexis whispers into her ear since it was right at her lips.

"I'm not thirsty." Kate tells her the truth.

"Promise?" Alexis whispers to her.

"Promise." Kate tells her. Though what was she promising? That she wasn't thirsty or that she would bite Alexis if or when she was?

Kate standing up was Rick's Que that he could return. "Everything good?" Rick asks, knowing he would quiz Alexis later.

"I think we're good. … We're good, right?" Kate looks down at Alexis. Watching Alexis nod her head.

"I think we're missing our movie." Kate comments.

"We can start another one or rewind the one we were watching." Rick offers.

It turned out to not be too hard to rewind to where they left off, and the ants won out over the grasshoppers.

"Thanks for the movies." Kate tells them.

"You're leaving?" Alexis moaned.

"We've watched four movies and you two haven't eaten dinner yet, and you don't need to starve on my account." Kate tells her.

Alexis deflated, Kate was supposed to stay for a movie day. It wasn't time to go to bed yet.

"We can have something delivered and eat quickly before the final movie." Rick offers. "You can call and talk to Lanie while we eat." Rick offers an option.

And Alexis looked like she was ready to cry. Kate rolled her head. "Fine, one more movie. Then I'm going home." Kate points at them.

Rick headed for the take-out menus and phoned for delivery while Kate sat on the sofa and waited. Just not alone since Alexis was huddled in close.

"How long have you been a vampire?" Alexis asked softly.

"I was born this way, and no I'm not dead or un-dead, like your movies or books suggest." Kate answers her question.

"You were born a vampire?" Alexis didn't understand.

"I'm part of a race of vampires. I had a mom and dad just like you did when you were born, or when Rick was born." Kate explains simply.

"Where are your mom and dad now?" Alexis was going to have her dad invite them over.

"I don't know, we got separated." Like really separated.

"You don't know." Alexis thinks about it while Rick is in the kitchen getting ready for the food. "You've got us." Alexis offers.

Kate hugged Alexis close. "Thank you." Kate kisses the top of her head.

Thirty minutes later the Rick answered the door and Chinese food was delivered.

Kate joined them at the table. "You sure you're not hungry Kate? It's good."

Kate could smell it and it was interesting. "No thanks, I don't eat." Kate is forced to tell her.

"Ever?" Alexis was suddenly sad about that. Good food was fun to eat. Watching Kate shake her head. "Just blood." Alexis whispers.

"I'm sorry honey, but yeah, just blood." Kate smiled at Alexis. She was so sweet and innocent.

"Want some?" Alexis stuck her arm out. She was eating so Kate should to. This got Rick's attention.

"I'm not thirsty, … but thank you." Kate smiled and kissed the side of her head since Kate was sitting next to her with Rick on the other side.

Since Kate was the guest she got to pick the last movie of the day.

The Adams Family

Kate was enjoying it. This family was just too weird. Wednesday spent her time trying to kill her brother, and a body less hand running around.

"Do you speak French Kate?" Alexis asked looking up at her, since Alexis was practically in Kate's lap.

"No I don't." Kate knew other languages, just French wasn't one of them.

"Pity." Rick snapped his fingers. If Kate did it would have given Rick an excuse to start kissing Kate in front of Alexis.

Kate leaned over and nibbled on Rick's earlobe. "You don't need me to speak French to kiss me Rick." When suddenly Kate felt her fangs extend. It was only now that Kate noticed her throat was a little sore.

Kate willed them to retract before Rick or Alexis saw it.

Kate was chuckling at the end of the movie. That family was just nuts. "Alexis fell asleep about half an hour ago." Kate informs Rick.

"I can carry her to bed." Rick starts to get up.

"I can do it." Kate offers. And seeing the look on Rick's face. "I carried you remember."

Rick moaned. "Don't remind me." It was embarrassing to have little Kate Beckett carrying him out of his own tub and onto his own bed, when it should be the other way around. It did however earn him a quick kiss from Kate.

Kate had no trouble picking Alexis up and carrying her up the stairs to her room.

Placing her on the bed Kate got to work removing her clothes and then went in search of her sleeping clothes, searching various drawers.

Getting Alexis to wake up just a little as Kate worked at changing her clothes.

"Hhhhmmm, Kate." A sleepy Alexis mumbles out.

"Sshhh, go back to sleep." Kate coos at her.

"Not sleepy." Alexis fights to keep her eyes open.

"I think your heavy eye lids say otherwise." Kate smiles and kisses the side of her head. Feeling her fangs extend again. "Now go to sleep." And Kate retreats before Alexis can notice.

Rick however was right outside Alexis door and didn't miss that Kate's fangs were out. "You actually are thirsty, aren't you?" Rick points out.

"I'll be fine." Kate tells him and starts for the stairs. However Rick takes her hand and stops her.

"Kate I told you, so I'm going to tell you again. You need blood, take mine. … Now come on." Rick guides her down the stairs and into his bedroom.

"I know I won't remember it, but if you leave without biting me and put yourself in pain because you are too stubborn to do it. That will hurt me a lot more than the bite itself.

Now bite me and take what you need Kate and stop worrying about it." Rick tells her and lays back to relax on his bed.

"You're an amazing man Richard Castle." Kate works to blink back tears and takes Rick's arm in her hands.

"Just remember to come over again tomorrow. Alexis is still out of school and yours starts in about a week." Rick tells her before she bites him.

_He wants me over again tomorrow!?_

Kate kissed Rick's head and then bit his arm and started drinking. Closing her eyes and moaning as Kate tasted him again. His blood was still the most delicious and pure tasting blood she had ever had.

Just who was Richard Castle?

Kate stopped herself before taking hardly more than a single swallow and licked her lips. Noticing that Rick was unconscious. Kate leaned in and kissed his lips softly and willed her fangs to retract.

Kate stroked his hair and ran her fingers through it and kissed him softly once more. Then left locking the only part of the door she could without having a key.


	16. Chapter 16

**CH16**

Rick was sitting in his office early next morning going over the paper Jenn had given him.

There were 5 names.

Lara Shriftman – 26 – Young and determined. In 6 months made Larkin the toast of New York City, was Jenn's comment on the side.

Amanda Carter – 30 – Her motto is "Make it happen", was Jenn's comment on the side.

Lauren Cerand – 35 – Best of the best, was Jenn's comment on the side.

Paula Hass – 27 – Blunt, possessive and rude, was Jenn's comment on the side.

Johnathan Hay – 39 – High profile and you pay for it, was Jenn's comment on the side.

Each had a phone number and an address associated with them. Rick took his list and placed a priority number to each one and would contact the first one Monday while Alexis was in school.

While he was making his plans the house phone rang. "Hi Henry." Rick greeted him after finding out his lawyer was on the phone.

"We have a response from Black Pawn that we need to go over." Henry tells him.

"Anything I need to be concerned about?" Rick asks him, more than a little curious.

"Have you been keeping up with news in the Ledger?" Henry asks.

Rick curses silently, since he had been ignoring the paper lately. "No I haven't, what's it saying now?" Rick squeezed his eyes closed. This was going to be bad, he just knew it.

"Black Pawn has made it public that Gina Cowell has been transferred to their LA office, meaning you will be getting a different publicist if you re-sign with Black Pawn, and what they have offered is what we need to talk about." Henry tells him.

Rick opened his eyes wide. NO MORE GINA? No more snotty remarks about Alexis going with him? No more having to fight with his publicist over how he is treated and the fact that he is a father, who is trying to protect his daughter from being teased in school.

"Is Monday after I drop off Alexis at school soon enough?" Rick asks.

"Monday morning at 10:00 am will be fine." Henry writes Rick in for that date and time.

"Great, I'll be there." And Rick hangs up, feeling like a weight had been lifted off of his shoulders. No one was more important to him than Alexis. He may like Black Pawn, but what Gina did just couldn't be repeated.

Finding places to take Kate that didn't include food, wine or anything else had proved to be challenging. Still Rick found one thing that might be interesting.

Rooftop films, specialized in special films at special locations.

8:00PM

Doors Open

8:30PM

Live Music by ARMS

9:00PM

Films Begin

11:00PM

After Party Dance Party

THE FILMS

Sun of a Beach (Arnaud Crillon | 6 min.)  
>You're at the beach. It's hot. Too hot…<p>

Numbers & Friends (Alexander Carson | Canada | 7 min.)  
>In his search for happiness in North America, a European man discovers the pleasures of Fantasy Baseball. Using his new appreciation for sports as a metaphor to re-imagine his life choices, he begins to find new meaning in the world around him. Numbers &amp; Friends is a playful and amorphous cine-essay about sports fandom and cultural identity.<p>

Krisha (Trey Edwards Shults | 14 min.)  
>Krisha has not seen her family for many years. When Krisha decides to join her family for a holiday dinner, tensions escalate and Krisha struggles to keep her own demons at bay.<p>

The Lion's Mouth Opens (Lucy Walker | 15 min.)  
>A stunningly courageous young woman takes the boldest step imaginable, supported by her mother and loving friends in this stunning documentary from acclaimed filmmaker Lucy Walker.<p>

Balance (Mark Ram | Groningen | 11 min.)  
>Two mountain climbers are scaling the extreme peaks when disaster strikes. They are dangling three thousand feet above the ground. What seems certain death becomes a balance between the two, connected by a single rope.<p>

Yearbook (Bernardo Britto | Rio de Janeiro, Brazil | 6 min.)  
>A man is hired to compile the definitive history of human existence before the planet blows up.<p>

Of God and Dogs (Abounaddara Collective | 12 min.)  
>A young, free Syrian soldier confesses to killing a man he knew was innocent. He promises to take vengeance on the God who led him to commit the murder. Winner of 2014 Sundance Grand Jury Prize.<p>

The North Sea Riviera (Joshua Wedlake | 12 min.)  
>A tale of love, life and lunacy told via an estranged odyssey through the digital uncanny. Set along the East Coast of Britain in the latter half of the 20th Century, two deeply introspective and nostalgic men wander through a melancholic seaside resort as it languishes in its dying throes.<p>

The Missing Scarf (Eoin Duffy | Ireland | 6 min.)  
>A black comedy exploring some of life's common fears: fear of the unknown, of failure, rejection and finally the fear of death. Narrated by George Takei.<p>

Rick knew Alexis would be asleep before the last film was shown, but he didn't really want to find a baby sitter, so going to the dance after the movies was likely out.

In this case it was on a rooftop, if it rained the films would be shown inside, no refunds permitted.

Rick did his best to get Alexis to take naps during the day hoping that would help her keep her eyes open later at night. Still having her awake at 11:00 pm to go dancing just wasn't going to happen.

Kate showed up at 3:00 pm because that was the time they had agreed on.

Kate noticed that while Rick's smell hit her in the face like always, it didn't leave her quite as weak in the knees as yesterday. It still didn't stop Kate from wrapping her arms around him and bury her nose into his chest and breathe him.

Rick wrapped his arms around Kate and breathed her in too. It was somehow comforting to have her in his arms.

With the door closed and locked they were now sitting on the sofa. "Where's Alexis?" Kate could smell her but it might be a residual smell, this was where she lived.

"I'm trying to get her to sleep during the day so she'll be up longer tonight. There is a small party on a rooftop tonight. They will have a live band, a series of short movies after that, followed by dancing.

Except the dancing doesn't start till 11:00 pm and I don't think Alexis can stay up that late even with sleeping the day away, plus she has school in the morning. So we will likely be leaving after the last movie." Rick explains.

Kate couldn't help but smile. It made Kate wonder if this choice was all because of her?

Rick shifted a little closer and took Kate's hands in his. "About yesterday, you looked nervous yesterday. You want to tell me about it?"

Kate opened her mouth to say it was nothing but closed her mouth instead.

Rick released one of her hands so he could lift her chin so she would look at him. "Kate, please talk to me. I know there a lot of things we don't know about the other, however that's to be expected. We haven't known each other that long, and we're still learning.

It's just we're past the big one. Alexis and I now both know you're a vampire and neither of us is running from that. Granted I'm still trying to process hearing my little girl offer you her blood, and just what that means.

But we're not scared of you, …. so talk to me. Please?" Rick moved his lips in close to hers and let them brush across hers before pulling back.

Kate was still amazed at these two, everyone wanted her kind dead and here were these two who only wanted her closer.

"I don't think you understand how special you two really are. My kind have been on the run since I was little. There is even a dedicated group out there whose only job is to see my kind exterminated.

Everywhere we've ever gone we've had to hide so the locals wouldn't rat us out, and this group is good at what they do. … We call them Hunters. They have been placed above the law, above everyone. In their attempts to exterminate my race, they can kill anyone who gets in their way and not worry about the repercussions.

I have no idea how many people have died because they were in the wrong place at the wrong time.

My race has always been nomads for as long as I can remember. My parents told me stories about we used to have our own home. It didn't really make sense since we need blood to live and another vampire's blood will not work.

Some of my kind decided to fight back and went on a killing rampage. Thousands if not hundreds of thousands of humans were killed. Drained dry and not because they needed to feed, but to really kill.

It was somewhere around this time that the Hunters were formed. They are good at their job, plus they have access to the most advanced weaponry available, anywhere." Kate pauses since she got off track of the point she was trying to get across.

"I'm a vampire Rick. … I drink blood to survive. To a lot of my kind you are prey, someone to be hunted down and drained dry. Not someone to do what we are doing." Kate cast her eyes downward again.

"But you're different." Rick points out.

Kate nodded her head. "My parents raised us, Lanie and me, to not kill and live with the humans. To try and fit in. To learn how to live off of blood bags instead of biting people to get the blood we need to live.

But we have to stay vigilant. To always watch for signs that the Hunters have found us, and then run. Lanie and I have changed homes countless times, always trying to stay one step out in front of the Hunters.

I can't have you two getting killed by the Hunters when they finally show up to kill Lanie and me. They'll kill you too and not have to pay a price." Kate freed one of her hands to stroke Rick's face.

Then Kate's hearing had her hear a sniffle and Kate whipped her head around quickly to find Alexis sitting at the top of the stairs, crying. "Alexis?" Kate now hated herself, she had never intended for Alexis to hear all of that.

Rick had never seen anyone move that fast, though to be honest he hadn't actually seen Kate move at all. Kate was sitting right next to him with one of her hands in his and now she was at the top of the stairs with her arms around Alexis, crushing Alexis close to her body.

"Alexis!" Kate's heart was breaking. Alexis was far too young, sweet and adorable to have had to listen to all that.

"You're leaving." Alexis cried into Kate's chest. Kate could feel Alexis shaking as the crying turned into sobs that were making her body shake.

"I'm a vampire honey, I'm too dangerous to be around. If the Hunters killed you or your father I would never forgive myself. The pain would be too much for me." Kate didn't want to leave them, but it really wasn't safe for them to be around her. Kate was beginning to wish she had never gotten involved with these two in the first place.

Leaving them was going to hurt her heart. Plus she was going to miss both of their smells and the taste of Rick's blood, but it was for their own good.

"NO! Please? …. We can protect you." Alexis sobbed into Kate's chest.

"The Hunters are too dangerous honey, they would kill you and your father in a heartbeat, and the thought of you dying breaks my heart. I shouldn't be here." Kate was trying to convince herself yet again in addition to Alexis.

"Maybe, maybe not." Rick was right behind Kate by now.

Kate didn't let go of Alexis. "They're too good Rick, they are almost as strong and fast as my kind. The suit they wear increases almost everything. It's state of the art, along with all the weapons they have access to. Far better than anything this planet has to offer." Kate tries to talk him out of this.

"You'd be surprised at what I can do." Rick had his own secret. "Wait, you said planet." Rick's mouth fell open.

_Oooo shit! I just had to open my big mouth._

Might as well come clean, since she was leaving. "I'm a vampire but that is also my race. Vampire. I'm not a dead or undead vampire because my race wasn't born or created here. Lanie and I came here from another planet, far, far away from here." Kate cringes now sure how this was going to go over.

"You're a space vampire?" Rick didn't think he got shocked easily, but this was a big one. "You're an alien, a real live alien from another planet."

Kate could feel Alexis's head pull away from her chest, where Kate had it placed firmly between her breasts. It got Kate to look down at her. The look on Alexis's face wasn't one she was expecting.

"**COOL!"** Alexis whispers out.

"Really cool!" Rick adds right after her getting Kate to turn her head to look at Rick.

_Just who are these two? Really! Being a vampire doesn't scare them away. It seemed to do the exact opposite actually. And now they know she's an alien from another planet and their still not running._

"WAIT! … Is that yours up on the roof?" Rick asks, thinking he has 2+2= Kate.

"You've seen it?" Kate was shocked again, as her eyes open wide.

Rick nodded his head. "Alexis even got it to open. It has two seats, a bunch of TV screens and two portholes. One in each door." Rick tells her.

"You've been inside?" Kate's mouth was now the one hanging open.

"Alexis has, she was so fast I couldn't stop her. … Then it was gone one day and back the next. I think Alexis cried for half the day it was gone." Rick chuckled lightly.

Kate looked down at Alexis again, who was still in Kate's arms and her in Alexis's.

"It was COOL!" Alexis looks up at Kate smiling. "Can you fly us in your ship?" Alexis was excited at the prospect. Alexis had wanted to meet the aliens who were on her roof, and it was Kate all this time.

"PLEASE?" Alexis gave Kate her very best puppy dog eyes that always worked on her dad without fail.

"It's a shuttle not my ship, but sure, some day." Kate didn't stand a chance against those eyes.

It got Alexis to place her head back between Kate's breasts and let Kate hold her tight. Just where Alexis has wanted to be for some time now.

Kate shakes her head. "It doesn't change anything. The Hunters will kill you if they find us together." Kate points out the original problem.

It got Rick to fidget in place, not that Kate was looking his way since her face was buried in Alexis's hair, not seeing Kate blinking back the tears of what this separation was going to cause her.

"We can protect you." Alexis mentions again, talking into Kate's chest. "Dad has a gun." Alexis tells her.

"**ALEXIS HARPER CASTLE!"** Rick stood there shocked yet again. Today was just getting out of hand really fast.

"Oooops!" Alexis whispered out and buried her head even further into Kate's chest. She was in trouble now.

"Rick?" Kate turns her head to look up at him.

Rick squeezed his eyes shut. Having Alexis see them or at least one of them was bad enough, having Kate find out about his past like this, wasn't what he had planned.

Rick squeezed in and sat down next to Kate and his daughter. "It was a long time ago, before Alexis was even born. Even before I ever met Meredith." Rick paused waiting for Alexis to say something since he had said a bad word, but thankfully Alexis remained silent.

"I was seeing someone while I was in college. College after college actually. Her name was Kyra Blaine. I was actually thinking of asking her to marry me. While in college I got what I would call today as being conned into joining the military, the Navy to be precise. At the time recruiters were all over colleges, or just outside.

I hadn't been in very long, just enough to go through training. Since I was in I decided to go into specialized training. There are only a very small few of us, divided up into teams. Then I got called up suddenly and had to ship out. Still not sure how I got talked into joining. I hadn't planned on doing it, and then suddenly I was.

The mission wasn't that long, but I took a round in the back during extraction from the site. The rest of my team dragged me into the boat and got me out to our ship. It was supposed to be simple, and it was up until it came time to leave.

The ship's doctor wasn't good enough to remove the round from my back. It was wedged up against one of the disks of my spinal column, he was afraid that if he or the ship suddenly moved a fraction I would be paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of my life.

The round never was removed actually. No one in the VA thought they could take the risk at removing it. I still have to worry that if the round moves for some reason it will leave me paralyzed.

I was discharged from the military due to medical reasons. Kyra found out about the injury and ran away to Europe before I even got home, I've never seen or heard from her since I shipped out." Rick hung his head low.

_Now Kate has another reason to run away. Rick is thinking. He has a medical problem that has the potential to change their lives._

_GOD, first this Kyra and then Meredith. What is it that these women can't see that she can? And how after all of this is he the most kindest, gentlest person she has ever met, and not afraid of her being a vampire? And then there was Alexis._

Except what Kate did next was to keep her head turned looking at Rick and kiss the side of his head and start smiling at him.

"So tell me about these Hunters." Rick needed to know what he was up against.

"Hunters." Kate pauses, talking about them wasn't an easy topic. "Some are human looking, others are not. Doesn't really matter since nothing of them can be seen, just the suits that they wear.

They have a built-in targeting system in their helmet. The weapon they use will follow the targeting system. The helmet itself can see normal, infra-red, ultraviolet, and is capable of magnification. There may be more to it than that. Most upgrade their systems when they can.

The suit they wear doubles as armor and enhances their normal ability. They also have a scent dispenser to fool anyone from smelling their presence, allowing them to get in close.

They have two basic weapons. One is a fully automatic weapon that fires an explosive round or an armor piercing round, depending on the Hunters personal choice. They also have a launcher that can fire a small plasma ball. It is powerful enough to take out half of a building, like this one.

Most carry a small side arm and all of them have various knives built into their suits. They can walk through any gas they chose and not be affected. Fighting in the dark is actually a preferred method. Their suit even has a limited air capacity, so they can be out in space for a short time." Kate explains a Hunter, or at least what she knows of them. "They are highly trained fighters and more than capable of killing my kind in hand to hand. They are the most feared thing in the universe that my race knows of."

"And they want you dead." Rick wasn't really questioning.

Kate could feel Alexis stiffen at Rick's comment and Alexis had soon twisted in place and wrapped her arms around Kate's neck. Alexis pressed her lips into Kate's ear. "Please don't die." Alexis whispered ever so softly. It sounded like a heartfelt plea to Kate, and it made her heart flip.

Rick stood up coming to a decision. "Come with me." Rick holds out his hand for Kate to take.

Kate takes his hand and lifts with Alexis in her other arm and carries her downstairs with her easily, following where Rick takes her.

Rick steps into his study. "I had this installed not long after I moved in." Rick reached down and pulled open one of the drawers that was under the bookcase. Inside Kate could see what looked like a weapon behind a glass case that had a lock in one corner.

Rick pulled out a set of keys out of his pocket and opened the glass and pulled out the weapon locked away inside the drawer.

"The FN SCAR®-H CQC features a 20" heavy barrel and an improved two-stage trigger module, with an FN-FCU 1.5M fire control system." Rick easily ejected the clip holding the rounds. There were 3 more clips in the drawer.

Rick used his thumb to eject one of the rounds into Kate's hand.

"7.62x51 mm NATO round FMJ+AP with an experimental coating designed to penetrate the armor of an M-60 tank. …. Each clip holds 30 rounds." Rick explains.

Kate held the round. "What's the tube attached to the bottom of it?"

"FN40GL-L grenade launcher, fires a 40mm low velocity grenade that bursts in an area upon impact." Rick explains.

"I don't see any of these grenades." Kate points out.

Rick puts the weapon back and closes the glass door and re-locks it, then opens the drawer below that one. Behind this piece of glass Kate could see 6 grenades that would fit in the launcher. She also saw 2 hand guns with 3 spare clips for each gun.

Then Rick closed the drawer and opened a side drawer built into the shelving. Inside this drawer was hanging a thick looking vest along with some shelves that held small boxes.

"It's a flak vest, it won't stop the rounds the FN can fire, but it will stop the rounds any hand gun can fire." Rick rocks his head. "Most any round." Rick modifies his statement.

_Who is this Richard Castle?_


	17. Chapter 17

**CH17**

Kate had watched them eat dinner, only this time Alexis felt better about having Kate only watch.

A few of the movies were a little mature for Alexis, but none of them had anything she shouldn't be seeing at her young age.

Alexis managed to stay awake enough to dance with Rick and Kate at the same time for just one dance. After that Kate carried her all the way home. She weighed almost nothing to Kate.

By the time they got home Alexis was completely asleep and didn't even try to wake up when she had her clothes changed. Kate tucked her into bed and kissed her forehead. "You've been perfect." And Kate runs her hand through her hair.

Kate opened her mouth again, but closed it again. She wanted to say it, she did. Kate just couldn't get the words to come out. And did she already feel the same about Rick?

Kate makes it back downstairs and finds Rick already changed for bed and was holding a small pile of clothes in his hands. "What are those for?" Kate asks pointing.

"They're for you. …. This is my way of asking you to spend the night. No funny business, I promise. It's just that there have been a lot of revelations today, and I really want you to stay." Rick walks up to Kate and offers the clothes.

"You can change in the bathroom if you're shy." Rick grins and arches his eyebrows a couple of times. Noticing that it got Kate to smile back. "You're wanted here Kate and I want you to know that. Vampires and Hunters notwithstanding. I've had training too, even if it has been a few years, and if these Hunters do come we'll handle them together.

Just give us a chance Kate, there is no reason to run away, I'll fight them if they show up right next to you." Rick offers.

It got Kate to blink back the tears. She had spent her life running, was this a place she could stay?

Kate took the clothes and stepped into the bedroom with Rick, but she didn't go into the bathroom to change. Rick made himself busy adjusting the comforter and pulling the sheets back while Kate stripped of everything except her panties and put on Rick's boxers and one of his t-shirts that smelled like him.

Rick was lying in bed on his back having taken his top off and only saw Kate pull down the t-shirt he had given her to wear. All he saw was her bare back.

Kate climbed into bed and cuddled in close with her head on his chest. Kate found out she was right over his heart and could easily hear it beating, and buried her nose into his chest and breathed him in. It made her melt and want to smell him for the rest of her life.

Kate could feel his arms holding her in place, and she felt safe and happy for the first time in a long time. "Where are your parents?" Rick asks softly, moving his hand to hold her head in place.

"Two Hunters showed up at the last planet we were at. A mining moon technically. We got separated while my parents tried to draw them away from Lanie and me. They know roughly where we were supposed to go, but we are so lost I don't know if they'll ever find us again." Kate's tears started, she might never see her parents again.

"Trust me Kate, if they love you and they're still alive they will never stop trying to find you. I would never give up trying to find Alexis and would pay any price to get her back.

They'll be here Kate. I don't know when, but they will be here. Loving parents never give up, … never." Rick tries to instill some confidence back into her. Rick got a kiss to his chest in return.

Kate woke up in the morning and found she was still lying on top of Rick. She could still hear his heartbeat and breathed him in deeply, loving the way it filled her lungs. Kate also woke up feeling different somehow, there was a need that she wasn't used to feeling.

Kate wanted something and the need seemed to be centered between her legs. It reminded her of that first time in the tub with Rick's fingers raising her to heights she had never achieved before. It also reminded her of a moment in time when she was ready to lose her virginity.

And while she still wanted to feel his fingers and feel him inside her, she wanted to be in love with him first, and she could feel she was getting there fast.

These two only wanted to help her and spend time with her. Even share their blood with her when she needed it. They were learning a lot about each other lately and Kate was enjoying the process.

Kate could feel that Rick was awake, so Kate turned her head to look at him. "Hi." Kate whispers to him.

"Hi, you can have the shower if you want. I need to get Alexis up and into the bath to get ready for school." Rick tells her.

It got Kate to lift up and move forward far enough to kiss him. Soon stroking her tongue along his bottom lip asking for entrance and getting it instantly. Kate pressed into the kiss, searching his mouth and taste him in the morning.

Kate could feel his arms wrap around her and hold her close. Kate finally breaks from the kiss and turns her head to bury her face into his neck, and was soon kissing his neck, alternating between kissing and licking.

It gained her a moan from Rick, which got her to smile into his neck. "You keep this up and you're going to be delayed making it to the shower and Alexis is going to be late for school." Rick warns her, but not releasing his hold on her.

"Oooo, I'm so scared." Kate teased, and soon squealed as Rick had her flipped and below him and kissing her deeply again.

Kate could feel his hands finding their way under her t-shirt and could feel skin on skin, and her mind was starting to leave her as she kissed him back.

Kate decided while she could still think straight and used her strength to flip Rick back onto his back while she straddled him. Then used her hands to grasp the lower edge of her t-shirt and pull it up over her head and throw it who knows where, or care.

Rick's eyes were now firmly on her breasts as his hands came up to palm them as Kate bent down to kiss him again, searching his mouth with her tongue. This time it was Kate who moaned as Rick's hands started pinching her nipples since her back was arched allowing him access.

Kate was ready and left his lips and started to work her way down his chest, kissing and licking all the way. Kate had just put her fingers below the rim of his boxers with the intent of pulling them down and off his body so she could reach her prize.

"Daddy?" Getting Kate to squeal and fall over the side of the bed and onto the floor. It also got Rick to grab a pillow and place it in a strategic location, just as Alexis walked into his bedroom.

"Daddy?" Alexis walked up to the side of his bed.

"I'm awake pumpkin, how about you go back upstairs and I'll be right up to give you a bath and make you breakfast while you get dressed." Rick offered, knowing that's what he should have been doing all along.

"Okay. …. Love you daddy." Alexis turned around and started to slowly walk back out of his bedroom.

"I love you too pumpkin." Rick started breathing as soon as Alexis was gone.

Kate could tell she was gone so she was up on her knees next to the bed, with her exposed chest pressed into the side of the bed. "Damn that was close." Kate pressed her face down into the sheets. Finding that they smelled like Rick too, which only started to fire her back up.

"She damn near gave me a heart attack." Rick comments sinking back into the bed. "We are going to have to be a little more careful after this." Rick points out.

Kate could only silently agree, and then stood up. "I'm going to go take that shower." Kate states and heads for the bathroom.

Rick is up and out of bed in a flash and shows up behind Kate and wraps his arms around her, and starts kissing Kate's neck.

Kate bends her head to give him better access and can feel his hands work their way up her stomach and soon feels them cupping her breasts. "Rick?" Kate cautions.

Rick starts nibbling on her earlobe. "I am going to make love to you one of these days Kate. … One of these days." Rick switches to kissing her shoulder.

Kate twists in place so she is facing him and pressing her breasts into his chest while wrapping her arms around him. "I look forward to it." Kate tells him and kisses him quickly, and then pulls away to head for the shower.

Kate is leaning against the cool shower wall. "So close, so close. Maybe too damn close." Kate knew she didn't love him yet, but knew she was getting there. Kate wanted these two in her life. She had never felt like this before.

Rick was in the kitchen making breakfast knowing Alexis was upstairs getting dressed with the clothes Rick hand left out for her.

Kate sneaked up behind him and snaked her arms around him. "Hi." Kate buried her face into his shoulder and breathed him in again. Rick hadn't taken a shower yet, so he still smelled like all Rick.

Rick twisted round in her arms and wrapped his around her. "Hi, Alexis will be down soon." Rick warns her.

"Yeah." No more fun this morning. Kate gave him a quick kiss and moved around to sit at the breakfast bar and waited. Kate was soon grinning as Rick's eyes were still on her. "Something is burning." Kate points out.

"SHIT!" Rick spins around and gets back to work making breakfast for himself and Alexis.

"**KATE!"** Gets yelled out from the top of the stairs and Alexis does her best to race down the stairs as fast as she can without falling down them.

It gave Kate just enough time to get off her stool and stand before Alexis crashed into her legs and wrap her arms around them. "Hi Alexis." Kate bends over to kiss the top of her head.

"How long have you been here?" Alexis asks innocently.

Kate swallowed. "I, … I actually, …." Kate is interrupted.

"Kate only just got here while you were dressing for school. She wanted to see you off to school today." Rick answers her question for Kate.

"Really?" Alexis looked up at Kate smiling.

"Really, I start school this time next week so I'm going to be busy with school and not here as much." Kate adds a little truth to Rick's lie.

"Oh." Now Alexis was suddenly sad about not seeing Kate very much.

"Maybe if you invite Kate over for a sleep over you could see her more often." Rick offers. "We can create a fort in your room to sleep in." Rick offers.

"PLEASE KATE?" Alexis gave Kate another of her puppy dog eyes look.

"Uhm, …. sure." Kate tells her and then turns her head and mouths "I'm going to kill you" to Rick, who only smiled back.

Kate watched Rick and Alexis eat their breakfast. Alexis was eating, her dad was eating. "Do you need blood Kate?" Alexis offered up her arm in front of Kate and her father yet again.

"No honey, I don't, … I'm not thirsty." Kate told her the truth. Kate's throat wasn't burning.

Alexis looked like she didn't believe her, since Kate always said no. But Kate was a vampire who needed blood. Was she starving herself.

"You're sure?" Alexis wasn't sure.

"You're father offered me his just the other day, so I'm good for a few days still." Kate tells her the truth again.

"You bit dad?" This was new to Alexis.

"Twice actually, so I swear Alexis, I'm fine." Kate tells her, leaving out all the guys she has bitten getting all the money they have. Even Rick didn't know that and unless it came up she wasn't going to offer that information either.

Kate kissed Rick and then Alexis at the door so that Rick could take Alexis down to the car and Kate could walk home. "You coming over for a sleep over?" Alexis asks before Kate leaves.

"How about Thursday?" Kate offers knowing her and Rick would have another date on Saturday.

"YES!" Alexis jumped up, getting Kate to smile.

"Where have you been girlfriend, or do I already know the answer to that question?" Lanie spots Kate as she comes home.

"I spent the night with Rick." Kate was in a telling the truth mood still. "And nothing happened, we just slept in his bed together." Leaving out that Kate was going to do until Alexis interrupted them.

"And you bit him again?" Lanie questions.

"Actually no, however Alexis offered hers at breakfast this morning." Kate tells her.

"ALEXIS KNOWS YOU'RE A VAMPIRE?" This was new to Lanie.

"Yeah, she caught Rick and I talking about being a vampire on the run from the Hunters." Kate explains.

"So they both know about Hunters too?" Lanie questions and wonders just how deep Kate is in now?

"Rick was in this planets military at one time a few years ago. He even has a number of guns at his place." Kate tells her.

"Lanie, … You're medical." Kate paused. "Rick says he has a bullet lodged next to a disk in his back that they are afraid to remove. But if it moves, he may end up paralyzed for life. … Can you remove it?" Kate knew Lanie was good at medical things and they had a medical area on their ship that might be old, but it was still likely better than anything this planet had.

Lanie could see the pleading on Kate's face. Lanie could see Kate was in love, even if Kate wasn't talking about it yet.

Lanie thought about it. "He would have to stay on our ship for at least a week after the operation." That meant food and water problems, both things that their ship didn't presently have. "However having said that. I don't really know that much about his human body. It's the reason for the classes we start soon.

Could I? Probably, but without knowing a human body well enough, I might make a mistake and be the reason he ends up paralyzed for life." Lanie warns Kate. "It would be better if we had a more advanced medical system. It would also be nice to have the EMH operational." Lanie adds.

"Can you download the EMH and work on him while we take classes?" Kate asks.

Lanie shakes her head. "Downloading him is easy, fixing him is beyond me. We need a computer programmer and that just isn't me." Lanie wanted to help, she did.

"Maybe Rick knows someone?" Kate whispers to herself. Now she had a task to do. Go download the EMH and give it to Rick, maybe during her sleep over.

"Oh I'm also sleeping over there this Thursday." Kate informs Lanie ahead of time.

"OH?" Lanie was grinning now.

"Not that Lanie." Kate shakes her head. "Alexis wants a sleep over with me in her room."

"And of course you said yes." Lanie was still grinning.

"Seriously Lanie, I'm not having sex with Rick in Alexis's bedroom." Kate was ready to smack her.

Lanie just kept on grinning Kate with wanting to smack that look off her face.

Kate with Lanie's help spent the next 3 days and nights finding things and shuttling them up to the ship.

They already had a microwave, so they bought these frozen meals that could be cooked in the microwave and put them in the freezer. It addition that had bought these large containers and filled them with water. Then poured them into the ships water storage tank.

They also went up with sheets, blankets and various medical items that Lanie picked out and stored all of it on the ship.

They were flying home Wednesday night. "Think of anything else we need?" Kate asked.

"We've got frozen food, canned soup, crackers, Jell-O and something to make it in. The water storage tank is at ¼ full, should be enough for Rick and Alexis.

Enough sheets comforters and pillows for them, we just need their clothes and something to keep Alexis busy with while Rick recovers. The drugs we need are already on the ship, this stuff is just an addition to all of that.

We'll need to move blood bags up just before we take them." Lanie points out.

"You think you can do this?" Kate finally asked her biggest fear.

Lanie shrugged her shoulders. "I think I'm pretty good, it would be great to have that EMH as a backup. Someone to hand me the items I need and who understands the equipment.

I could probably do it now, but I think both or all of us would feel better about it if I understood these human bodies better. Maybe a few months of classes along with extra reading in the library each night, …." Lanie trailed off.

"Best guess?" Kate asks.

"It's not that easy Kate, I screw this up and I'll leave him paralyzed for life, just like the both of you fear. … Does Alexis know anything about his injury?" Lanie asks her own question.

Kate shook her head. "I don't know, maybe I can get Alexis to tell me something tomorrow."

"Just don't scare the girl Kate, if Rick is keeping it from her, he's doing it for a reason." Lanie warns her.

"I know, I wasn't planning on just asking her. 'Honey do you know about the bullet in your fathers back that might leave him unable to move anything for the rest of his life?' Yeah, that'll go over big." Kate rolls her eyes.

"Honey?" Lanie teases.

Kate turns her head to look at Lanie. "Shut up." It only got Lanie to grin wide. Yeah, Kate was in deep and going through all of this long before they were even ready to attempt it, or talk to Rick and Alexis about it told Lanie a lot.

Now did this tell Kate anything too?


	18. Chapter 18

**CH18**

**Three days earlier:**

Rick had made the necessary phone calls and now had appointments with 3 of the 5 publicists. First on his list was Amanda Carter, second was Lauren Cerand and third was Lara Shriftman.

Jenn's notes on Paula Haas and Johnathan Hay had made him not call them unless these three didn't work out.

Rick really kinda wished all of them were men instead of women. Gina was what got him into this mess, plus his bad luck with women made him leery of them. His past with Kyra and Meredith hadn't helped.

Actually he was still waiting for his involvement with Kate to up and implode on him. He was cursed when it came to women. It was part of the reason he didn't want Alexis to grow up, she would grow up and see what all the other women obviously saw, and run the first chance she got.

Rick took a deep breath and sucked it up, Kate was different, Kate was better, and Kate didn't see what the others saw.

His meeting with Amanda went alright, she just didn't seem to understand writers and why he needed a publicist. Not that she said that, it was just the feeling Rick took from meeting her. Plus she seemed bashful around him.

His meeting with Lauren went much better. Her age was actually helpful and Rick had no trouble relating with her. Lauren didn't want to interject herself into his life, except to understand him. Find out what his needs and expectations where, why he was looking for a publicist.

Lauren was shocked at how Gina had treated him and his daughter. If she had been there she would have put Gina in her place and taken her attitude straight to Black Pawn and made sure that any pictures taken at the airport would have been about her and Gina. Rick and his daughter wouldn't even have been in the picture.

Lauren was also happy to hear that Gina was now out of the picture. It would allow her to work with his new publisher. A new team to achieve better results.

Lara turned out to be a young, way too young, energetic person. Lara reminded Rick of a young teenage groupie, meeting her favorite someone. Not that Rick was that someone, she had never heard of him and she had never been involved with books.

Since Lara was such a bust Rick actually called Johnathan Hay and made an appointment the next day.

Johnathan turned out to be a full of himself person. He spent most of the time talking about himself and nothing about helping Rick, except about how good he is at helping people.

Rick hated him and couldn't wait to get out of there. Right after he left he called Lauren to set up another appointment and discuss what she could do for him.

The meeting with Lauren the next day turned out to be quick as she needed time to get in touch with Black Pawn and reach out to other publishers as well as countless magazines, TV companies and the various shows that they were associated with.

Rick signed a short term contract with Lauren Cerand. It was only good for 6 months after which they would both revisit their association to determine if a longer association was beneficial to both of them.

Rick had actually left happy with his choice. Lauren hated the idea of the playboy image that Gina with Black Pawn had been trying to create. She was intentionally limiting herself to a small demographic group of people; she was actually limiting the number of people who would be interested in his work.

"Why would she do that?" Rick had been shocked.

"I did a quick search on you Mr. Castle, …." Rick interrupted her.

"Please call me Rick, Richard or just Castle. Mr. Castle makes me sound old." Rick offered smiling.

"Of course Castle. … I found the incident you had at the airport and your argument with Gina about your daughter. As a publicist I don't understand her actions; however as a women I do.

Turning you into a playboy would limit the type of women who would take an interest in you, personally. Greatly limiting the number of fish in the sea. Only the women who are shallow or only see you as a playboy or only are interested in you for your money would be around you." Lauren explains, feeling really ashamed of her gender or some of them at least.

"Leaving Gina as the only one in my life that didn't see me as a playboy, because she created me." Rick tries to understand.

"I'm only speculating here Castle, only Gina really knows what her plan was. But women only interested in a playboy aren't going to be interested in you as a father who has a child. The child would need to be taken out of the picture." Lauren continues her theory on Gina's actions.

"I would never abandon Alexis, never! Not for anyone for any reason. Alexis is my life, has been ever since she was just a day old." Rick defended his daughter and didn't understand what Gina was trying to accomplish.

"Good to know Castle, I can use that. As for Gina, ..." Lauren shrugged her shoulders.

"Compared to the airhead women interested only in the playboy you, Gina would have stood out as the opposite of that. Except by the sound of your encounter at the airport she also wanted Alexis out of the picture or at least in the background, under her control." Lauren finishes her speculation.

It made Rick furious, to think that he had been being used all this time for some plan Gina had, to obtain what. Get into his bed? Permanently, like with a ring on her finger?

"I have a woman in my life now, and I need her to stay out of the papers or magazines as much as possible. It's early still, but I'm not losing her because of some scum paparazzi." Rick tells her.

"What's her name?" Lauren asks grabbing a pen and paper.

"Katherine Beckett." Rick tells her, and Lauren can see he cares for her in the way he says her name and the look in his eyes. She was more than just in his life, or soon would be.

"I'll be on the lookout for her and your daughter. Combined with your new publisher, we'll have a new plan in no time. Certainly before Thanksgiving, we don't want to miss the Christmas season." Lauren tells him.

Rick was in both a better mood and a foul mood during his drive to his lawyer to go over the Black Pawn response. Especially now that he knew what Gina had been trying to achieve.

It made him want to see Kate all that much more. He needed her to soak up some of his fury and calm him down. Just being near her was making him feel better than he had in a long time.

Problem was, today was Wednesday and Kate wasn't going to be over until tomorrow for her sleep over with Alexis. Lucky Alexis!

Rick was leaving his lawyers office 3 hours later. He had gone in confused and had left furious.

Black Pawn had rejected everything! Henry had called it playing hardball, well that's what he had Henry for.

Rick had gone over everything that Lauren and he had talked about. Everything Gina had ever done since first being assigned to him by Black Pawn to Lauren's conclusions about what Gina was trying to accomplish.

Jenn had been in the office with them taking notes to be typed up later, and it didn't take long before Henry and Rick could hear her sniffling.

Jenn was going through paper quickly since she was pressing her pen into the paper with such force. She was sooooo mad! What she was going to do to Gina if she ever saw her again, ….

They not only kept all of their original points for a new contract but added a few more, and Henry was going to describe to them precisely what their employee had done to Rick under their watch.

Jenn was dismissed so she could type it all up, leaving Henry and Rick to talk.

"I still don't understand what Gina thought she was accomplishing?" Henry didn't get it.

"Can you look into her life? Financial's amongst other things? Phone records, credit rating, I don't know. Something that would explain all this?" Rick asks.

Unfortunately there were limitations what Henry could look into, but he knew someone who could look into her life. Maybe there was something there and maybe there wasn't.

Rick had agreed and asked Henry to send him the bill.

Jenn was done before Rick left and gave a copy to Henry and one to Rick.

"I take it you liked Lauren?" Jenn asks Rick on his way out.

"I talked to everyone except that Paula person. She seemed to be the best of the group you provided." Rick tells her.

"Lauren is good, you're in good hands. Better than Gina's!" Rick didn't miss the venom Jenn had in her voice when she mentioned Gina. "You want Gina hurt, let me know. I know a few people in LA. … Dump a garbage truck in her front yard, paint her house, teepee her house, paint her car." Jenn offered some of the things she knew her friends would be willing to do.

It got Rick to smile and almost start chuckling. Rick was thinking Jenn was actually talking about hurting Gina, like break her leg or an arm, not what Jenn was suggesting.

"I'll keep that in mind Jenn, thanks. And thanks for that list and your comments. I might have ended up with someone else without your help." Rick was thankful for her help.

"No problem Mr. Castle." Jenn smiled at him. Jenn was happy Rick had found someone in his life, she only hoped it made him happy. Rick was too nice to be treated this badly by women he met or worked with.

"It's Rick, Jenn. … Rick." Rick smiled as he walked out.

Rick couldn't help himself; he was up on the roof as soon as he got home. "Yup, still here." The shuttle that could go out into space was still here, and thanks to Alexis he knew how to open it.

Pressing the button and watching the door open, Rick was now clear to sit in one of the two seats. "How do you start this thing?" Rick reached out for one of the buttons, since it had "Don't touch" written all over it.

"And Kate will shoot me if I wreck it." Rick pulls his hand back. "More likely bite me and drain me dry." Rick deflated, this thing was the ultimate toy and he couldn't play with it.

"Oooo wait. If Kate bites me and drains me dry, will that turn me into a vampire? …. That would be so cool! …. Then we could be married vampires and have vampire babies. She'll have to bite Alexis too and turn her too." Rick wasn't so sure Alexis would go for that, but maybe.

"I wonder how long a vampire lives? Is Kate going to have to watch me grow old and die while she stays young forever? …. Yeah, she definitely needs to turn me. Live with Kate forever." Rick was smiling at the prospect now.

"Wait, I thought vampires couldn't be out in the sun? Isn't it supposed to burn them to a cinder?" Rick got out of the shuttle and closed it back up and went back to his apartment locking the doors behind him.

Picking up the house phone. "Hi Kate, …. can you come over early for your slumber party? You can go with me to pick up Alexis from school." Rick offers an incentive for his ambush of a thousand questions.

It had been three days and Kate found that she actually missed being around Rick and Alexis as she stepped off his elevator. Kate had already caught a whiff of him as soon as she approached the door.

After only a couple of knocks Rick opened the door and Rick's smell hit her in the face and she breathed him in. This time Rick stepped out and wrapped his arms around Kate and held her tight.

It allowed Kate to bury her face into his chest and inhale deeply, filling her lungs and relaxing into his embrace.

"Thanks for coming." Rick lets go of her and lets her come inside so he can close the door.

Rick escorts Kate to the sofa. "Can I get you something?" Rick motions for the kitchen.

"Rick?" Kate questions him.

"Oh right, sorry. I'm still getting used to, … I mean I'm trying to, …. " Rick shut up before he dug his hole any deeper.

Kate moved to sit in his lap with her legs spread on either side and put her arms around his neck. "Seeing flustered Rick is kinda cute." Kate gives Rick a quick kiss to his lips. "So what are you stumbling over in that HUMAN brain of yours?" Kate smiled at him.

"Human. … Yeah, kinda my point." Rick was stumbling over how to ask what he was interested in knowing.

Kate removed her arms and sat back a little. "Oh?"

Rick saw the withdrawal and the tone of her voice, and Rick slid in close and wrapped his arms around her. "It's not that, I swear. Actually I'm more afraid that you'll figure out I'm just some stupid human and dump me for the first handsome vampire you see."

Kate puts her arms back around his neck. "Not going to happen." Besides no vampire could smell or taste as delicious as Rick does, and Kate was nowhere near giving that up at the moment.

Kate may have her fears, but she's trying to work around them.

Rick moved his lips to just a fraction from hers. "Since I'm human and you're not, is there a way you can turn me?" Rick asks his first of many questions.

"Turn you?" Kate was confused.

"Yeah, drink my blood and feed it back to me, or have me bite you and drink your blood. Turn me into a vampire like you." Rick tries to explain.

Kate looks at him funny, what was he talking about? "I'm a vampire because that is my race. I was born this way, I can't turn someone into a vampire. Any more than you can turn me into a human." Kate tries to explain.

"So you're not immortal?" Rick asks.

"Immortal, as in live forever?" Kate questions, watching Rick nod his head.

Kate shakes her head. "No, my life span is likely the same as yours give or take a few years. I'll get old and gray and die hopefully of old age." Kate explains.

_With you right next to me hopefully._

That thought got Kate to lean her head into his chest and breathe him in. Spend her life with him. It didn't sound so scary.

"Can we have children?" Rick asks.

This question got Kate to stiffen in Rick's arms and Rick could feel it. "No, you're not a vampire." Kate was only 19, working on 20, and she had never really thought about having children. Kate had spent her life running; raising a family just wasn't considered an option.

Rick pushed Kate away a little so he could look at her. "Do you want children?" Should Rick let her go so she can find someone else so she could have her own family. Provided there were other vampires.

"I've grown up on the run Rick, thinking of having children when I can't even have a home to live in wasn't something I had the luxury of ever thinking of.

Do I want children? … I honestly don't know. And if I never do have a child of my own, it won't be the end of the world. Maybe that will change someday, but right now, ..." Kate shook her head.

"Any more questions?" Kate grinned, shifting her gaze from his eyes, down to his lips and then back up to his eyes.

Rick could think of some really serious questions, but didn't feel ready to ask them, so he shook his head.

"Good, then kiss me." Kate tells him and kisses Rick.

Kate was searching Rick's mouth, getting his taste as she started working on his buttons.

Kate only managed 3 buttons when she put her strength to use and yanked on his shirt causing the remaining buttons to go flying.

Kate searched his chest with her hands as Kate's kissing moved to Rick' neck, where she buried her head and sucked and nibbled on his neck, trying hard to give Rick a hickey.

It got Rick to start moaning as Rick started working on Kate's buttons.

Kate's shirt was soon gone as was her bra and Rick's hands were on her breasts as he plays with her nipples, while Kate has started grinding around in his lap while kissing Rick deeply.

Kate's mind was slowly leaving her and Kate never noticed that her fangs suddenly extended and a tip pierced Rick's lower lip and Kate could suddenly taste his blood.

This caused Kate to start licking his lower lip to get every drop. Kate's throat wasn't even remotely burning, though it did have a slight tickle, telling her she needed to feed again in a day or two.

Kate could smell Rick, could feel Rick with her hands and feel his erection. And now she could taste his blood after tasting his mouth, and Rick's hands were driving her to new heights.


	19. Chapter 19

**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!


	20. Chapter 20

**CH20**

**It is now 8 months earlier:**

Jim and Johanna had found a ledge to hide out on in the canyon and watched as the Hunter ship landed just above the location of the ship the girls were in, far below.

The second the engines started to shut down, Johanna raced for one of the landing gear. With the Proton bomb in one hand Johanna set the timer just as her husband had shown her and then jumped up to grab hold of something.

Johanna shoved the ball into a cavity inside the hold of the landing gear and dropped back down and then raced back to where Jim was still hiding.

"We wait for them to step outside and then we run." Jim tells her getting Johanna to nod her head.

Not long after a door opened and a ramp fell out from the bottom of the Hunter ship. As soon as both of them started walking for the edge of the canyon Jim tapped his wife on the shoulder and they both took off running.

Just before they did, Jim pulled out a communicator and signaled his daughter to take off.

They were both hoping that they would chase them, but knew chasing the ship was more likely.

Jim and Johanna stopped a few miles away and looked back. They could see the Hunter ship rising up into the sky. Knowing they were after their girls. "This better work Jim, this damn well better work." Johanna could feel her heart beating faster.

Those two were after the heart of their family and they were both in no position to help.

"It'll work. …. That proton bomb would overcome even a Hunters shielding and blow it to pieces. Since it is already inside their ship, their precious shielding isn't going to help them. They're going to need a microscope to find the pieces it is about to become." Jim knew the bomb would work. He just hoped the timing was to the girls benefit and they didn't get caught up in the blast.

"Come on, our ship is a long ways from here." Jim takes off running with his wife right behind him.

They ran and they ran, it was a long ways to where Jim had hidden their ship. The girl's ship was in a desert while theirs was in the snow, far to the North.

Jim stayed on the rocks and jumped from one to another, anything to avoid put foot prints in the snow. "Down there." Jim points.

Johanna had stopped next to him; however she didn't see a thing. "You sure it hasn't been stolen?" Johanna didn't see anything.

Jim just grinned and kept jumping until he stopped with his wife right next to him, and then Jim just stepped over the side and landed literally on the ship. It was only now that Johanna saw the camouflage cover that was over it.

Johanna waited for her husband to go over the side and start removing the cover, before she jumped down to join him and help.

Once inside Jim headed for the bridge and started powering up the systems. As soon as the section Johanna was interested in had power she checked the refrigerator.

Unlike the girls, theirs was not filled to overflowing.

It wasn't long before Johanna could smell fresh air, meaning the environmental systems were operational.

Stepping up behind her husband who was still bringing the ship to life. "How are we doing?"

"So far everything is operational, the fuel system is full, and the engines are warming up and are on stand-by. The air should be clean soon and I've got nothing on the scanner so far. Likely there is someone out there somewhere." Jim doubted they were going to get away scott free.

"And if there is another ship up there I take it you have a plan?" Johanna hoped he had a plan, since dying wasn't a plan.

"I've got an idea of one, but you're not going to like it." Jim tells her.

Johanna glared at her husband. "You need to get suited up and in the airlock with a tether to secure yourself. I plan of going past their thrust tubes with the outside air lock door open, with you in the air lock holding one of the proton bombs."

Johanna didn't have words for this plan of his. "And what am I going to do with this bomb of yours?" It was a dumb question since she was pretty sure she didn't want to know.

"You're going to activate the magnetics of it and throw it into one of the thrust tubes. When they fire up their thrusters it will slowly burn away the outer shell, and when it gets weak enough it'll explode.

Their engines will explode taking their fuel core with them, leaving nothing bit itsy bitsy pieces of their precious Hunter ship." Jim states his plan.

Johanna was right, she hated this plan. "And how are we going to survive the blast wave?"

"We are going to dive for the planet, letting the magnetics of the planet help shield us. That and the mountain range." Jim adds.

Johanna was shaking her head. They had spent all these years running from Hunters, not fighting back. Though having them lose 2 ships in this sector of space did have its appeal.

"Fine, but if I end up going for a spacewalk, it will be all your fault." Johanna states and heads for one of the space suits located on the ship.

Johanna was suited up and standing in the air lock with the outer door open just after they exited the planet's atmosphere. Sure enough just as they feared there was a second Hunter ship already on its way into the atmosphere and even Johanna could see it through the open doorway.

Jim slipped right past them just off of their 6-o'clock and flipped the ship allowing Johanna to activate and throw her bomb, watching it disappear into one of the thrust tubes.

Jim went out into space a little to try and draw the Hunter ship back away from the planet.

Jim was soon grinning as the idiots wasted the speed they had built up so they could turn around and chase their ship. Just as his screens showed this Jim dove for the planet and raced for the mountain range with his engines set at 120%.

Jim had just reached the mountain range when the Hunter ship blew into countless tiny pieces, giving everyone on the planet looking that direction a spectacular light show as those pieces burned up in the atmosphere.

Jim dove behind the mountain range and headed for the deck, letting the mountains shield them from the blast wave.

After loitering at the bottom of the mountain range to let the blast wave go past them far above, Jim headed for space.

Two days later Jim and Johanna were sitting in the lounge kitchen area discussing what to do next. "How much blood do we have?" Jim asks, since he had left that to his wife.

"Just a little over 2 months." Johanna was forced to tell him. "And that's using the scanner to find out how long each of us can go without."

Seeing the look on her husband's face. "I gave almost all of it to the girls." Johanna defended herself. Getting Jim's look to soften greatly.

"We're going to have to find the closest system we can reach then, even if it is in the wrong direction." Jim is forced to tell her.

Johanna could only nod her head. She had anticipated that when she gave the girls almost everything they had. "We need basic medical supplies in addition to the blood."

"Is the EMH working?" Jim asks. Getting Johanna to nod her head.

"The girls EMH should be operational too, if they find and download the update I left them. Their system is operational, just that the EMH program was corrupted. Cleaning the system of that one and downloading what I left them should work." Johanna tells him.

**It was 2 months later now:**

Just like the Talyn the girls were using, their ship was just way too big to land of some building and landing it on such a habitable planet as this one was just out of the question.

Jim parked their ship right in the middle of the North Pole magnetic field of the planet to help mask their presence. Now Jim was just landing their shuttle on the roof of a building next to the hospital they were going to enter.

With large duffel bags in tow they both jumped across and down a little to the roof of the hospital. Finding the roof access and forcing it open. This one was just a roof hatch that lead down to a mechanical room located on the top floor.

Hoping that the night shift was lighter than the day shift, they stepped out into the hallway of the top floor. "Stairs." Jim pointed to the exit sign.

Johanna took them down to the second floor thinking that would be where the operating rooms would be located. Unless there was an emergency, this floor should be lightly manned.

Jim hoped over the counter at the nurses' station and bit the lone nurse that was on duty, while Johanna started looking for the blood bank.

Unlike their daughters, Jim had no problem stopping without having to have his wife whack him in the head. "Down here." Johanna calls to him.

The door was locked but a little twist of the door knob had that taken care of. Inside was a large supply room filled with a large refrigerated unit filled with blood. On the opposite side was the drug cabinet, both locked.

Johanna tossed her bag to her husband and let him start filling them with blood bags while she found a metal case that she emptied and opened the drug cabinet and started searching for bottle that had names she wanted on them.

Jim had one bag full when someone opened the door to the room they were in. It got Johanna to stop doing everything to grab her arm and yank her inside and immediately bite her arm.

Letting the lady gently fall to the floor Johanna re-closes the door and gets back to work, this time taking a cloth bag and filling it with first aid supplies.

"Done." Jim tells her hefting up both bags.

They stopped at the door and smelled. "Damn, not alone. … They find that nurse and they'll call security." Jim tells Johanna.

It got Johanna to put her bag and case down on the floor followed by Jim, and then they stepped out and ran for the nurses' station. Jim reached the nurse just as she was reaching for the phone, while Johanna made it to the other one.

After biting both of them, they left them in the nurses' station and went back for their bags.

After racing up the stairs and up the ladder to the roof, Jim kicked the door closed and stepped over to the edge of the roof and looked across and up. "You first and I'll throw the bags to you." Jim offers.

A few minutes later Jim had jumped and picked up the blood bags while Johanna took the others and they got into their shuttle. It was really cramped with three bags and a case in their little 2 seat shuttle. Jim could only just make out his wife hidden under all of it.

After landing Jim let Johanna put the blood away while he piloted the ship to leave the system.

"How much blood did we get?" Jim knew how far it was to where they wanted to go.

"We've got about 6 months, maybe a little more." Johanna answers his question.

"Two months to the next system, two months to the next one, followed my 2 months to the edge of tormented space, plus who knows how long in there." Jim points out.

Johanna visibly deflated, 6 months just to get to tormented space. "We need to stop at both of those systems and do the same thing all over again." Johanna states the obvious, getting Jim to nod his head.

Johanna dropped into the other bridge chair. "I hope the girls are alright." No way of contacting them. Not even knowing if they would ever make it to the tormented zone. Even if Jim and Johanna got there, they may end up searching in vain.

"The girls are in better shape than we are, and we've taught them everything we can. Plus they have each other. They'll be fine. Those two Hunter ships are likely the only ones anywhere near here. It'll take them months to get new ship(s) out here." Jim points out.

Johanna had to admit, attacking the Hunters this time likely bought them some time.

"I'll be happy when we are actually in tormented space. You sure this thing can handle that area?" Jim was the pilot, engineer and weapon specialist. Johanna was medical and computer programming.

Johanna wasn't as good as Lanie is, but she could handle what they were likely to need.

"That's the best part about having these old ships. The newer ships, like Hunter ships are going to have nothing but trouble in there. We'll be fine." Jim crossed his toes where his wife couldn't see.

Johanna however was eyeing him, which gave Jim the creeps. _How does she know I'm crossing my toes?_

Watching Johanna go from glaring at him with her "I know what you're doing" look to, now you know I know look. Which was even more creepy looking.

**It was now 2 months later:**

Jim and Johanna were flying back to their ship sitting above the pole after hitting another hospital.

There were two good things about hitting hospitals for blood. They got to bite people instead of using up their limited number of blood bags, and this time they came back with more than blood just like last time.

Instead of first aid or drugs, they came back with clothes. Granted they were all scrubs, but since all they had was what was in their go bags, and the paper suits that were more emergency clothes.

Granted they were better than nothing, even if Jim had argued that he didn't mind having his wife walking around the ship naked.

"This is not a clothing optional ship." Johanna had countered. Then hugging her husband, and then turned to go somewhere else with a big grin on her face. Johanna was silently happy that her husband was still interested in her. She had plans on proving just how happy tonight, since they had both just bitten someone getting their supplies.

Jim spotted a huge cargo ship of some giant conglomerate leaving orbit and he moved their ship so it was hugging it closely. "I recognize this one, it's going where we want to go. Staying in its FTL field will mask where we went next." Jim explains, making it harder for the Hunters to follow them.

Granted they were leaving hospitals with empty blood banks behind, so they weren't exactly invisible.

**It was now 2 months later:**

Jim and Johanna were on the run this time. A lot of things had gone wrong at the next hospital.

They had each bitten three different people and were just making it to the stairwell when they were spotted by a security guy. He had actually managed to get two shots off at them.

He had seen them too long for their bite to remove enough of his short term memory, so Jim and Johanna decided to run for the shuttle.

They were already in space headed for their ship when Jim's scans showed they had atmospheric fighters in the air in an attempt to intercept them.

A couple of days later and Jim jumped to FTL on their way to the border of the tormented zone.

"How are our supplies?" Jim asks his wife since she was in charge of keeping them alive.

"We've presently got just over 8 months' worth." Johanna answers her question.

"Meaning we have about 6 months to either find the girls or find someplace to get more." Jim notices. "I hope that's enough. We don't know where they went or if there is even anyplace in there to go to." Jim was shaking his head.

"Katie knows to go in there, or at least she should. We just have to find them." Johanna points out. Jim could only hope they found them. Space was vast and they were trying to find a needle.

**It was now 2 months later:**

Jim and Johanna had been sitting on the edge of the tormented zone for the last 3 days. There were no ships on his scanners, not overly surprising given no one goes here.

Jim spent those 3 days doing maintenance on everything he could think of. While Johanna downloaded a copy of the EMH onto a small drive, just in case it's electronics took a hit.

Johanna also did maintenance on the scanner. Like Kate and Lanie were no doubt doing, Jim and Johanna used it too, to make their blood supply last as long as possible.

"All strapped in?" Jim asks looking at his wife pulling her straps tight. "If we get a breech in the hull, patch it as fast as possible, or it may get too big for us to handle." Jim adds a warning.

"Here we go, FTL in 3, ...2, … 1, …." And they were off into the tormented zone in search of the girls.


	21. Chapter 21

**CH21**

Rick was restless and found himself cleaning every corner of the kitchen he could find.

Alexis hadn't come down for dinner and even though Rick made something, he couldn't force himself to eat it. He was far too worried about what was wrong with his little girl. So it all went into some Tupperware and into the refrigerator for some other day.

Looking up the stairs and actually putting a foot on the first step, but he turned away and went to his study. Maybe writing would take his mind off what was happening upstairs, maybe.

It didn't!

It had been a couple of hours after dinner and Rick finally couldn't take it anymore. Alexis was his daughter and he should be helping to solve whatever was wrong. Kate may mean well, but Alexis was family.

Rick had reached the door to his study. "What if I'm the cause? …. What did I do?" Rick turned away and walked back to his desk.

"I'll apologize and mean it since I don't even know what I did wrong." Rick heads for the door again.

"And do or say what if she isn't talking? She's 5, I can't force her to talk." Rick turns around and goes back to his desk.

"I'm her father and it's my job to protect her and help her, even if she does get mad at me." This time Rick had conviction and opened the door and headed for the stairs.

"What do I tell Kate?" Rick turned around and headed back into his study. Why had this suddenly gotten so hard?

"Play it by ear." Rick head for the stairs again. As soon as Rick made it to the stairs he could hear crying, but it didn't sound right somehow. The tone was different.

Looking up the stairs Rick could see Kate sitting on the floor with her back against the wall and her legs tucked in tight to her chest with her arms holding them in place.

It wasn't Alexis that was crying, it was Kate! Rick flew up the stairs. What was wrong with Kate? He had to fix her problem first before going into his daughter's room and fixing hers.

Rick was down on his knees and looking at Kate who had her head buried in her knees. Placing a hand on her arm got her attention and Kate turned to look at him. What Rick saw however was not the Kate he knew. This was little girl Kate who looked lost and sad.

"Kate?" Rick asked softly and soon got another display of just how fast a vampire could be when Kate was now on her knees with her arms wrapped around his neck holding him tight and suddenly new tears came and Rick could feel her body shaking.

"It's Alexis, isn't it?" Rick asks, not getting a response. "Did someone hurt her?" This time Rick could feel her shake her head.

"Alexis talked to you, didn't she?" Rick asks softly. Rick pulled back and pushed Kate far enough out that he could look at her while still holding onto her. "What is it?"

"She's hurting Rick, really hurting." Kate uses her hands to wipe away some of the tears, only to be replaced with new ones.

Rick saw the Kate he knew slowly come back and the little girl Kate fade away.

"Alexis's first day of school. New teacher, some new kids she hadn't seen before. The teacher wanted to get to know her students a little better, so she asked each of them to say a little something about their parents." Kate started off.

"OH NO!" Rick whispered out and hung his head low.

"Alexis's wasn't exactly first so she had to listen to the kids in front of her say something about their mom and dad. Nothing much, really. By the sound of it, it was mostly names and what they did.

Alexis only talked about you. …. When the teacher asked about her mother, Alexis told them she didn't have a mommy."" Kate's tears only started up again as she could still hear Alexis's voice explain it all to her, through all of her tears, let alone Kate's.

"Meredith." Rick whispered out again, only this time his voice had venom in it.

"It wasn't this that made her sad, not that it didn't make her sad. It's just in the days that followed; she would overhear some of the other kids talking about their mom with each other. My mom did this or my mom did that.

It wasn't directed at her and if she hadn't gotten to class early as is apparently usual, she wouldn't have heard a thing. But she did.

It's been eating away at her for days ever since, hour's maybe. They have a mommy to talk about and never talk about their dad. It's eating her alive from the inside Rick, little by little." Kate explains wiping away still more tears.

"Meredith." Rick says with more venom a little louder this time.

"If she hated Alexis, Alexis might be able to deal with that. If she beat Alexis, at least she was paying attention to Alexis. But no, she ignores her very existence.

That woman is slowly eating away at that little girl's soul and is forced to listen to all the happy kids talk about their mother. A mother she hates." Kate while still on her knees stood a little more erect.

"I swear Rick, if I ever get my hands on that woman. … I'm going to bite her and drain her dry. Every last drop, so help me. Then I'm going to take her wrinkled up body and drop her sorry excuse into the middle of a giant compost heap.

Or put her into a wood chipper and then drop her into a compost heap. … My parents taught me not to kill, but I swear Rick, what I want to do to that woman. Alexis is far too nice and sweet to be treated like this!" Kate had stopped crying and was letting her hate take over.

Rick was mad, shocked, falling in love with Kate fast, along with a countless number of other emotions. Problem was he needed time to process it all. There was just so much in all of what Kate had just told him.

"How is she?" Rick asks nodding his head at the door.

"Sleeping, or at least she was when I came out here." Then Kate's tears started all over again.

Rick brought Kate back into his embrace and held onto her tightly, and could feel Kate wrap her arms around him. "What Kate?"

"It's just, …. I can still hear the sound of her voice, crying and sobbing as she whispers out each word, ever so slowly. Stopping and starting in lurches. It was so painful Rick, ever so painful. It's going to give me nightmares." Kate was having her own problem getting the words out through her own tears.

"You want to go home? Alexis is my daughter, I'm the one that should be doing this." Rick still has his guilt that he was letting Kate do his job for him.

"NO!" Kate pushed back from Rick. "I just needed a few moments. …. I promised her a sleepover and that's what that beautiful child is going to get. I'm not disappearing on her like her mother has done.

I may be a vampire, but I'm not an evil monster." Kate insults Meredith intentionally.

Rick didn't really have words for what Kate was doing for Alexis, so he did the only thing that came to mind. He kissed her and tried to tell her what he thought of her into that kiss.

It had left Kate breathless yet again. Kate got to smell him and taste his mouth with her tongue and feel herself in his arms. For all her strength if was all she could do to remain upright as she let her head rest on his shoulder with her face planted firmly against his neck, breathing him in.

_One of these days he's going to make love to me and it's going to be amazing!_

Kate has somehow managed to stand with the intention of going back into Alexis's room for that sleepover that she promised. When Rick stands with her running a hand up her leg, just barely brushing along the edge of her ass. Then continuing up her side until it has reached the side of her breast.

Kate grabs Rick and spins him to slam him up against the wall and kisses him, hard. Doing her best to shove her tongue as far down his throat as it will go, while at the same time sucking all the air out of his lungs.

Kate had never wanted anyone as badly as she wants Rick, right now!

Kate uses her strength to pin his hands to the wall above his head and moves her mouth to his neck and starts to kiss, lick and suck until she has created the biggest hickey Rick has ever had.

Satisfied with her results, Kate lets go of him. "Alexis needs me and I'm not abandoning her. I'm sure you can take care of this, …." Kate grabs his crotch to find that he was hard yet again. "By yourself."

Kate leaves Rick and enters Alexis's room and closes the door behind her softly so as not to wake Alexis and then leans her back up against the door.

Kate was doing all she could to get her breathing under control. Kate knew if they kept this up much longer one of them was going to explode.

Kate picked up her bag and went into the attached bathroom to change. Kate also needed to change what were likely stained and soaked panties as well as clean up a little.

As Kate changed she could see that her nipples were hard, her lips were enlarged a little and even after cleaning up a little she was still wet and getting wetter since her mind couldn't get off what happened outside the bedroom door.

Kate had never touched herself before but soon gave into the urge to at least pinch her own nipples just a little. Maybe later she would get brave enough to finish that thought fantasizing what Rick would do to her.

For now Kate needed to calm down and slip into bed with Alexis. Kate might need sex, but Alexis needed a cuddle more.

**It was now one month later:**

Kate was standing outside of Rick's door having just knocked a couple of times. This time it was with more confidence that than very first time. And Kate was rewarded with Rick opening the door allowing Kate to breathe him in.

The second the door was open Kate stepped into his arms and pressed her nose into his chest.

It has been one whole week since she had last seen him. Not since the night of Alexis's melt down. However it was one whole week without either of them that got her into his arms.

However before Kate or Rick could say anything, Kate's legs were wrapped up by someone small. It got Kate's attention so she let go of Rick and kneeled down to wrap her arms around Alexis.

"Hi honey, how are you?" Kate whispers into her ear.

"Fine. …. Are you staying?" Alexis asks her.

"Yup, all weekend long like usual." Kate responds kissing her head.

Kate had started school a month ago and had been spending her weekends at the loft until the next school week on Monday.

"Throw your bag into the bedroom and then come back. We have a surprise for you." Rick tells Kate, earning him a look from Kate. Rick knows how much Kate hates surprises. "You'll like it, trust me. Right pumpkin?" Rick looks down at Alexis who was in on the surprise.

Kate watched Alexis nod her head enthusiastically while grinning wide.

Kate dropped her bag in Rick's bedroom and came back to the front door. "Follow us." Rick tells her and they exit the apartment, locking the door behind them. And are soon taking the elevator down to the underground parking garage.

Rick walked over to a bank of doors. "Each apartment has its own storage unit down her. Mine is R for Rodgers." Rick explains. Kate had already learned that Rick had changed his name, not that she understood the reason for changing it.

Kate had already dreamed of Katherine Castle, and didn't care if it became Katherine Rodgers.

Rick pulls out a set of keys and unlocks the door. Inside was a storage unit that had a few items in boxes along with 2 refrigerators. It was the refrigerators that had Kate's attention. He had one in the apartment, why did he need two more?

"These are your keys." Rick hands over the set of keys he had used. "This one will unlock the door leading into the garage and the other will open the storage room. There are two of each. One for you and one for Lanie." Rick explains.

Kate takes the keys but looks at Rick with a puzzled look on her face. "Open it." Rick offers sweeping his arm at the refrigerators.

It got Kate to open the first one wondering what could be some special about them.

Kate opens the door and sucks her breath in and slaps her hands over her mouth. The refrigerator was filled with blood bags. Lots and lots of blood bags. It got Kate to close it and open the other one finding it just as full as the first one.

Kate closed the door and put her back up against the refrigerator door to stare at Rick.

"I know a person who runs a mobile blood bank that she uses to go around to collect blood from donors. I got her to give me her latest load that took her a month to obtain. I had to stretch the truth a little to get her to give me her inventory." Rick wiggles his hand a little and scrunches up his face. Since it was a lot more than just a white lie.

Kate had heard every word and it had her mouth hanging open. There had been more blood on their ship when they had left the mining moon almost a year ago, but not by much. Kate did a quick attempt at the math. There had to be close to six months' worth of blood for the two of them in these refrigerators.

Kate couldn't believe these two. "You knew about this?" Kate looks down at Alexis, who was nodding her head.

"Now you can eat with us." Alexis tells her. It was the reasoning Rick had used as getting Alexis to keep it a secret until they were ready to surprise Kate with this. Alexis and her dad could eat food and Kate could drink her blood, instead of just sitting there watching.

It instantly brought tears to Kate's eyes and Kate kneeled down opened her arms wide to Alexis, who didn't hesitate to step into them and hug Kate back.

"Thank you!" Kate whispers into her ear and kisses her head, while squeezing her tight.

Kate hadn't been paying attention but Alexis was in her heart now and while Kate felt it, Kate couldn't yet say the words, "I love you."

"The plan is to have the refrigerators refilled every 6 months." Rick explains. "There are already 3 bags in the refrigerator upstairs." Rick adds.

Kate let go of Alexis so she could stand and kiss Rick to thank him for what he has done. They didn't have many blood bags left at home, so it was excellent timing.

Back upstairs they got started with their family weekend that started with a game of Chutes and Ladders. It was a first for Kate so she was actually interested in how the game worked.

Kate spins the little arrow and gets a number to move her piece. "You go down the chute Kate."

"But that puts me down 3 whole levels." Kate moans as she moves her piece, not noticing that she sounds a little like Rick now.

Alexis spins the arrow and finds that she gets to go up a short ladder to the next level. "How come you get to go up and I had to go down?" Kate moans again.

"Ladders go up and chutes go down." Alexis explains smiling.

Alexis only had to worry about two more chutes, though she also had a possibility for two more ladders. While Rick was somewhere in-between.

In the end Alexis didn't land on either a chute or a ladder and won the game.

Kate wasn't sure she learned anything about what the game might be trying to teach her, but it was fun to spend time with Rick and Alexis. Plus it made Kate happy to see Alexis smiling again after Alexis's meltdown over her mother.

Next came lunch while Kate chose to watch and save her blood bag for dinner. Alexis had come to understand that Kate could eat; just that she had to empty her stomach shortly after.

Alexis was still a little self-conscious about Kate not eating but she was slowly adapting. Alexis had also come to learn that she was just too young for Kate to bite her and drink her blood. "Sixteen is old." Alexis had moaned.

Alexis had so wanted to be a part of Kate's life and since Kate drank blood, she was like Rick. Kate should be drinking her blood not some strange person's blood.

Next came a movie of Rick's choosing this weekend. Last weekend was Alexis's choice. In this case Rick chose Star Wars since Kate was from outer space.

"Do you have ships like that?" Rick asked during the movie.

"Ships that look like that, … no. Are there ships that carry fighters, … yes." Kate explains.

"Their idea of FTL is similar, however there is definitely no one who can blow up a planet with a single shot." Kate was thankful for that. These people had a serious imagination just that they were lacking in actual knowledge.

Kate thought her teacher was an idiot. Kate already knew more that he did or likely ever would. Kate was doing great in most of her classes since these people were so far behind the times.

"How about the Force?" Rick asks curious, only to watch Kate shake her head.

Life out there was a little duller than this movie tended to suggest.

Rick had excused himself leaving Kate and Alexis alone. "You know what the plan is for the rest of the day?" Kate asks, since this weekend was whatever Rick wanted to do.

Alexis shook her head, however she also zipped her mouth closed. Which told Kate that she did know.

"And you don't want to tell me?" Kate pouted, only to have Alexis smile while shaking her head.

"And there is nothing I can do or say to change your mind?" Kate asks, already formulating a plan. Only to see Alexis shake her head.

"Well maybe I can convince you to tell me." Kate grins wide while she wiggles her fingers, getting Alexis to squeal and try to make a run for it. Except Kate is much faster than Alexis is and Kate soon has Alexis in her lap holding her in place, while Kate tickles her.

Alexis is soon laughing her ass off as Kate lets Alexis escape on purpose.

Alexis is on the run only to find Kate hot on her heels tickling her as she runs. Kate soon has Alexis in her arms again. "Tell me Alexis, where are we going?" Only to watch Alexis shake her head.

Kate starts tickling her again. "I'll take you for a piggy back ride to show you just how fast I can run." Kate offers something else after she stops tickling her.

This got Alexis to open her eyes wide and nod her head. "You can whisper into my ear." Kate offers and turns her head.

Alexis held her hands on either side of Kate's ear and whispered to Kate. It got Kate to scrunch her face not understanding what Alexis has told her.

Kate was all set to ask for an explanation when Rick came back into the room. "You two ready to go?" Rick asks pulling out his keys.

Brooklyn Bowl; 61 Wythe Avenue (between 11th and 12th streets)

Kate was completely out of her element here. She was watching the others taking balls and rolling them down towards these white sticks knocking them over and then try again.

They had to get shoes first and Rick took both Kate and Alexis looking for a ball for them to use.

"The idea is to roll your ball down the lane and knock down as many pins as you can with the first ball. Any that remain standing you get a second ball to knock those down with.

The more you knock down at the end of the game, the higher your score the better chance you have of winning." Rick explains. "Oh, you also get two practice rolls before we start keeping score." Rick adds.

After changing shoes Rick goes first and leaves four pins in a bunch on the left side. Of those he leaves one and the system re-sets.

Alexis was next and Kate watches her take her ball right up to the line and put it down and give it a shove and watches it go into the gutter about a third of the way down and slowly make its way down, missing all of the pins. Only to repeat this again the next time.

It looked simple enough. "Is it hard?" Kate asks Alexis as she walks back, not looking dejected.

"It's heavy." Alexis tells her.

Kate had no form and just kind of walked up to the line reaching back and launches it down the lane, way too fast for a human. Still she clobbers only 3 pins.

Rick is waiting for her and she comes back to wait for her ball to come back. "No one can throw that hard Kate." sitting at the scorer's table.

Kate over corrected and got the three pins on the other side. Throwing the ball a lot softer this time.

Rick got eight pins leaving one on each side and missed both of them with his second ball.

Alexis was next and Kate went with her and bent over her to help her push her ball straight down the lane. Kate only guided it and didn't apply any of her strength to it. Well tried not to apply any of her strength to it.

They watched the ball roll ever so slowly down the lane and hit the head pin knocking over a number of pins, getting Alexis to celebrate like she had never done that before in her life.

By the end of the first game Alexis was having fun and was celebrating with Kate getting and giving hugs and kisses.

Rick won both games however it was Alexis who was sitting in the back of the car dancing in her seat who had the most fun. And it had Kate smiling all the way home since it was Kate who had helped her roll all of her balls down the lane.

Dinner turned out to be a beef stew that Rick had left to cook in a crock pot. It was also the first time that both Rick and Alexis got to watch Kate take a bag of blood out of the refrigerator and warm it up in the microwave and poke a straw into it and drink while they ate.


	22. Chapter 22

**CH22**

**It was now 1 month later:**

It was two months into classes at NYU and both Kate and Lanie were sure they were doing great. For both of them it was about learning what they already knew about, mostly.

It was towards the end of October and it was Alexis's 6th birthday today. Kate had learned that this planet celebrates by giving presents and Kate had been trying to figure out what to get her.

It had taken Kate a few days to figure out what to get Alexis. Rick had told Kate to get her something from the heart, something she meant. So Kate had finally worked out just what to give her.

Rick had called the day before to tell Kate to bring something warm to wear and bring a swimsuit if she had one, or she could skinny dip if wearing a swimsuit presented a problem.

Kate knocked on the front door and was again greeted by having the door open and the smell of Rick blowing out and into her lungs, breathing him in. It had been an entire week without him and Kate stepped into Rick and buried her face into his chest.

Before she could kiss him however and taste his mouth Kate had her legs wrapped up by Alexis.

Kate dropped her bag to wrap her arms around Alexis. "Hi birthday girl." Kate kisses her head.

"You coming with us?" Alexis knew where they were going.

"You know where were going?" Of course she would know, she lives here. "Where are we going?"

Alexis however shakes her head and zips her mouth closed.

"Well maybe I won't give you your birthday present than." Kate teases since she has no intention of not giving it to her.

"NO!" Alexis grabs Kate again.

"Go get your bag pumpkin so we can start driving, I'll keep Kate from escaping." Rick offers.

Alexis however was conflicted, if she let go of Kate she might not get her present and Kate might escape. However she needed her bag and get Kate in the car so they could leave.

"Better run birthday girl. The sooner we get wherever we're going the sooner we can celebrate." Kate tells her kissing her head again.

Alexis was silent in the back seat of the car while Kate was stewing in the front seat. Kate hated surprises and Rick was keeping one about where they were going.

"Alexis, honey tell me where we are going." Kate tries something different.

However before Rick could caution Alexis not to talk or Alexis to give up the secret, Rick saw Kate take in a strong breath through her nose. Now Rick was looking at Kate with a question on his face.

Kate was looking around with a concerned look on her face. "Slam on the brakes Rick! … DO IT NOW!" Kate yells at him since he didn't do what she told him to when she first asked.

Rick slammed on the brakes, feeling the tires lock up and leave black marks on the road since the car did not have ABS. ABS was becoming more available, however Rick's car was old enough to not have it.

Rick was trying to pay attention to several different things at the same time. First, there was a car behind them that was almost riding his bumper that was forced to slam on the brakes too. Second, was watching Kate undo her seat belt and open the door and was opening the driver's door of the car behind them almost instantly.

Third there was a car out in front of them that also had slammed on the brakes.

Kate had the driver's door open and ripped the driver's seat belt out of its mounting and pulled the driver out of the car and spinned quickly slamming his head into the side of his own car. Letting him fall unconscious onto the road.

Kate then leaped into the car and grabbed the passengers arm and bit him and started drinking.

Rick was trying to keep an eye on what was happening behind them while also watching the car in front of them backing up very fast till it stopped just in front of his car.

Kate was still in the car behind them when the passenger of the car in front of them got out with a gun pointed at him.

Rick still had the car running and he slowly put the car back into drive and waited.

Then suddenly in the blink of an eye, the man with the gun was gone and Kate was standing in his place. Then he watched her slide over the top of the car and rip the driver's door off and toss it far into the distance.

Kate then grabbed his arm and bit him and started drinking.

Kate then undid his seat belt and lifted the guy out of the car and carried him to the back of Rick's car. "Open the trunk babe." Kate calls out. Having Rick push the button and Kate drops him in the trunk and closes it. Then Kate gets back in the passenger seat and buckles up.

"Drive please." Kate tells him.

Rick doesn't even think, just starts driving. It took Rick a few minutes. "What was that?"

"That's what the guy in your trunk is going to tell us." Kate tells him, only to see Rick still has a question on his face while Alexis didn't look scared but did have a look of something else.

"I'm a vampire. That means my sense of smell is improved, as is my strength and speed. I could smell the men in the car behind us. They were excited and worried. It told me they were up to something.

The two in the car in front of us was something I didn't see coming." Kate explains.

"I don't suppose you can read minds too and tell us what is going on?" Rick asks.

"Sorry, I just know they are up to something, just not what. And I was not going to let them get to either of you. Maybe the guy in the trunk can tell us something." Kate explains. "How long until we get to where we are going?"

"About an hour." Rick tells her.

"He'll be out for about two hours since I bit him." Kate tells him. Kate then turns to look back at Alexis. "You ok back there?" Alexis was just smiling back at her.

Alexis was simply impressed by the entire thing. To her Kate was amazing.

Kate watched as Rick pulled up in front of a huge house. After stepping out of the car, Kate could smell the ocean. "Who lives here?" Kate was looking everywhere.

"I bought a house in the Hamptons not long after I moved to New York with Alexis. We usually spend some of our summers out here. It's getting a little cool to be out here this time of year.

I thought since you hadn't been here before and it was Alexis's birthday, we could combine the two." Rick explains.

"WOW!" Kate was still impressed.

"Come on I'll give you a tour and then we can figure out what to do with our friend." Rick offers.

Kate has let Rick take her bag while Alexis gives her a tour.

"I need some rope and something to use as a gag." Kate tells Rick.

Kate soon has what she wants and takes the guy out of the trunk. "I'll be right back." Kate tells Rick with their friend from the car over her back, and Kate takes off running for all she's worth.

It's an hour later when Kate comes back without their friend. "Do I want to know?" Rick asks.

"He's hugging a tree in the middle of nowhere. I was going to let him stay there for a few hours before I go back and ask him some questions." Kate tells him. "You recognize any of them?"

"I didn't see most of them, but the two I did see didn't look familiar. … I have no idea what they wanted." Rick wasn't involved in anything. "Have you seen the house?" Rick changes the subject.

"A little, Alexis here gave me a quick tour." Kate looks down at her smiling. "Right?"

"Before it gets too cool outside we should show you the best part." Rick offers and takes her hand and heads for the back door.

Outside is green grass, beach just yards away and the sound of the ocean. "I've written a lot of my books out here. It is so calm and peaceful to sit out here. … The pool is this way." Rick starts walking taking Kate with him.

"I need to turn the heater on, to warm up the water. It should be ready some time tomorrow." Rick disappears into a small building and comes back out a moment later.

A little later Rick is making lunch for himself and Alexis while Kate watches on. "Do you need one of your blood bags?" Rick asks. Knowing that they had brought 5 of them with them in a cooler, with the plan of leaving what Kate didn't use behind for next time.

"I'm fine, I actually bit two of those men on the road, so I don't really need any of the ones that we brought with us. … But I will for birthday dinner anyway." Kate leans over and kisses Alexis's head.

Kate had noticed that Alexis had been paying attention to Kate drinking blood while she and her dad ate food. It seemed to be important to Alexis that Kate ate when they did.

"So what do we do first?" Kate asks looking at Alexis.

"Beach, before it gets too cold." Alexis offers. It got Kate in the master bedroom where she found her bag. Kate was in her bikini and just sliding on a cover when Rick walked in to change.

Rick stepped up to Kate. "You just remember who gets to take that back off later." Rick whispers into her lips.

It earned Rick a kiss. "We'll just have to see." Kate teased as she left the room. Finding Alexis waiting for her at the doors leading to the beach.

"You need a towel Kate." Alexis shows her the one she had.

"OH!" And Kate ran for the closest bathroom to grab a towel and was back standing next to Alexis in no time.

"Better?" Kate asks smiling at Alexis.

Kate never did take her cover off, it was just too cold for that. However Kate could dream what this place was like when it was warmer. Walk on the beach just in her bikini; go out into the ocean to swim.

"It must be very nice out here when it is warmer." Kate commented while she and Alexis walked.

"It's the best in summer. We can make sand castles. Dad won't let me swim in the ocean; he says the ocean is too strong for me." Alexis confides.

"It's cold Alexis, we should go back inside." Kate leads her back to the house.

They are half way back by the time Rick finally makes it outside. "We're cold and going back inside." Kate tells him as they collect him and go back inside.

Kate found herself searching the house alone looking at everything. Kate found another study room similar to the one on New York. Kate was running her fingers across several of the books located here. "His life involves books." Kate talks to herself. And yet he had mentioned that he was in the military once. How did he get from that to writing books? There were still so many things Kate didn't know about Rick.

But if she was fair there were a lot of things Rick didn't know about her either.

They had only known each other for close to 3 months. Kate had already reached one conclusion that was going to come out later. Maybe it was time to get an answer to another question.

Kate found Rick sitting on the floor helping Alexis build something with what looked like brown and green wood sticks. And there were a lot of them too, a whole lot.

Alexis seemed to be building something simple while Rick was trying something much larger.

"Hi you two. …. Can I borrow your father for a moment?" Kate asks, holding out her hand to Rick.

"You just want to kiss him without me watching." Alexis teases.

It did however get Kate to freeze. She hadn't planned on kissing him, but since she brought it up, Kate helped Rick to stand and kissed Rick in front of her. "Happy now?" Kate smiles at Alexis who was grinning.

Kate guided Rick to the study filled with books and closes the door. "I have a couple of questions Rick."

"Do I get another kiss if I answer them?" Rick was smiling. Kate however looked back at him with a serious look.

"Fine be serious, little miss boring. Ask your questions." Rick leaned up against one of the book cases that was from floor to ceiling.

"You said you were in the military and took a bullet in your back. How did you get into the military and then from that into writing books? … I mean you have a lot of books." Kate sweeps her arms at all the books. "There are some back in New York that have your name on them."

"Mother is an actress, however unlike Meredith, mother would take any job she could find. Some of them paid very little. We lived in some real dive locations, or sometimes didn't have any place to live at all.

I went from school to school because we moved so much. Even state to state. … I spent a lot of my time behind stage hanging out with other actors or actresses. Mother did what she could. I never did know who my father was. He was gone before mother even found out she was pregnant.

Since I had a lot of time to myself, I got into my fair share of trouble. … One of the things I found I could do was writing stories. I had a lot of imagination when I was young. However it was also that young imagination that got me into trouble.

Even I could see I was headed for even bigger problems if I kept it up. It was all just wasted fun and games. … Then I ran across this guy just outside of one of the many little colleges that I attended. The next thing I knew I had signed up for a four year stint in the Navy.

The navy's idea about making military people was to break them and then re-build them. I found that I could be very, very serious. It was a different me. I had spent all my life being the jokester and having fun. Since i was a very serious person now, i applied for specialized training and gave it my all to get in. I've always thought why do things half way when you can put your entire soul into doing it.

I'm still not sure how or why i joined the Navy. My memory of that time is kinda a blur. It may have had something to do with not having someplace to live at that time. I may have wanted to take some of the pressure of raising me all alone off my mother. There may be a dozen other reasons.

We went out on my very first mission that I can't talk about, and took a bullet in the back while we were working on extracting ourselves. It was my first and last mission and I found myself discharged from the Navy for medical reasons.

I went back to writing, however I also had a more serious nature about me. And I worked real hard at finding more fun in my life. Being serious got me a bullet in my back.

I started writing and had a few books published when I met Meredith. What started out as just a good time, turned into her getting pregnant." Rick paused since he had been doing a lot of talking, and Kate was just standing there listening.

"Alexis." Kate whispers out.

"My life changed the second I held her the first time. Then I came home and found my wife in our bed having sex with another man. I threw both of them out and Meredith filed for divorce two days later.

I guess having sex with whoever she wanted to was more important to her." Rick pauses again. "Maybe being part of a family frightened her. I don't know. I still don't understand Meredith."

"And she has ignored Alexis since day one." Kate reflects on what she has learned and already knew. "I don't understand that woman. Alexis is the most precious thing I've ever met. How can she give birth to a child and not care about her own child?" Kate still didn't understand Meredith and it soon had Kate blinking back tears.

"I've spent years trying to get Meredith to be a mother to Alexis. She'll call to say she is flying out to spend time with her, only to call an hour after she was supposed to show up telling me that she isn't coming. Leaving both of us at the airport waiting for her flight that she isn't on." Rick thinks he has answered her question.

Kate couldn't keep the tears back anymore, what that woman was doing to Alexis hurt too much.

Kate soon found herself in Rick's arms while Kate let go and cried into his shoulder. Kate could feel her heart breaking. "You love her, don't you?" Rick asks. Feeling Kate nod her head. "Does Alexis know?" Feeling Kate shake her head this time.

"It's one of my birthday presents for her. I came to the conclusion that I loved her and decided she should know that she is loved and not ignored." Kate talks into his shoulder.

It got Rick to hold her tighter. Kate loved his daughter and was spending her weekends with them, even out here in the Hamptons. Rick knew he was falling in love with her. Backing off from the sex had allowed him time to get to know her and her them.

"Any more questions?" Rick asks while still holding onto her.

"I'm a vampire." Kate mentions again.

It got Rick to chuckle. "Yeah, I noticed. Pretty cool huh?"

It got Kate to pull away from Rick just enough to look at him, sniffling and wiping her eyes. "I'm a vampire Rick. You're technically my prey. I hunt humans so I can bite them and get the blood I need." It was a cruel way of putting it, but it was the truth.

"And you think that should keep us apart? …. What you need physically Kate isn't what my mind or my heart sees. Fine you drink blood, something I can easily provide, even if you can't live from biting me.

Humans live by breeding their food and then slaughter it to live. We live because we kill, what makes you so different from us? Who or where we get our food from?

I don't care about that Kate, and neither does Alexis. You've given her something she doesn't have, and trust me, she's going to go nuts when you tell her that you love her. I'm already going nuts knowing that you love her.

You're a vampire. … So what?" Rick didn't see any problem that couldn't be overcome.

Kate smiled, wiped away a few more tears and kissed him. "There is still one more problem between us." Kate points out.

It caused Rick to put on his best "What?" look on his face.

"I'm a vampire and you're human Rick." It seemed obvious to Kate, however Rick had a "So what" look on his face.

"We're not going to have children together." If they do end up staying together, their family isn't going to get any bigger. Kate wasn't going to get pregnant.

"You sure about that?" What made Kate so certain?

"Pretty sure, yeah." Her parents had never brought it up, but then Kate hadn't actually asked either. They were too busy just trying to stay alive and live their lives.

"So you have no intention of having sex with me?" Rick teases, since he was pretty sure that Kate did.

Kate lightly slaps his chest. "That's not what I meant and you know it."

Rick's smile gets wider. "So you do want me to make love to you?" Rick keeps teasing.

Kate could now feel her heart beating in her chest and was instantly nervous. They were talking about something Kate had only ever dreamed about before. Being a vampire that was being hunted to extinction made it something that could only ever be a dream.

Kate buried her face back into Rick's chest so she could breathe him in. She needed the courage to answer his question and Kate was already thinking about what it would be like to be made love to by Rick and how she could make love back to him.

"YES!" Kate answers by talking into his chest.


	23. Chapter 23

**CH23**

"Come on, it's someone's birthday and you're only 6 once." Rick kisses Kate's forehead.

Rick had a few questions of his own, but he could wait. Kate needed her answers more than he needed his. Besides, a lot of his questions had just gotten answered already.

Kate was down on the floor helping Alexis build bigger and better than Rick's, then Alexis started stealing pieces from her dad's pile to build her's bigger. "Hey, no stealing." Rick moans.

"You weren't using it dad, and it's my birthday." Alexis points out. Getting Rick to growl at her.

"Since I'm losing pieces and yours is already bigger than mine, I'm going to go start dinner." Rick got up and kissed Alexis's head followed by a kiss to Kate's head.

Alexis had soon taken Rick's apart and with Kate's help made hers even bigger.

Kate had moved to the sofa where it was more comfortable. Alexis soon joined her so they could look down on their creation. Alexis finally asked what was on her mind. "Did you get me a present?" Alexis didn't see Kate come with anything wrapped like her dad had.

"Of course, two actually, and when it gets dark I'll give you both of them." Kate placed an arm around her to pull Alexis in close and then kiss her head. "They're both straight from my heart." Kate offers a clue.

That got Alexis to snuggle in closer and start thinking about what they could be that would be from Kate's heart.

Kate could see Alexis lost in thought and had to poke her after her dad had called out that dinner was ready. "Dinner is ready." Kate tells her smiling.

Rick and Alexis had started eating while Kate got out a blood bag and warmed it up in the microwave. And with a straw poked in it, sat down at the table and started drinking while they ate.

"Do they hurt?" Alexis asks out of the blue.

"Do what hurt?" Kate answers back, watching Alexis poke her own canines in response.

It got Kate to smile and chuckle. "No they don't hurt." It hadn't ever occurred to Kate that her fangs were out while she drank.

"What does blood taste like?" Alexis asked another question in-between bites.

It got Kate to open her eyes wide. What DID blood taste like? "If I don't drink often enough my throat starts to hurt. It's like a burning sensation and it hurts. Blood makes the pain go away and makes the rest of me feel better, stronger. …. As to what blood tastes like?" Kate really didn't know how to answer that question.

"Blood is thick and I like it warm best, it tastes fresher. Still it's nothing like the taste of warm blood taken from a body. It's not so much how it tastes as what it does. There is a difference between fresh and blood that is stored in a plastic bag." Kate tries to explain.

"But you can't bite me." Alexis states remembering what Kate had told her.

Kate holds out her blood bag to Alexis. "This is how much I need to drink. If I bit you and drank that much it would damage you, and I'd rather die than hurt you. You're just not big enough or old enough to provide me with what I need. Not for a number of years yet." Kate was forced to explain.

Alexis was silent for the rest of dinner as she thought about what Kate had told her.

Rick had cleaned up and was sitting with Kate and Alexis on the sofa. "You ready for presents?" Rick asks.

Alexis's face lit up. "YUP!"

"Good, here's your first one." Rick hands over an envelope that was in birthday colors.

Alexis rips it open and pulls out a little red card. "Walt, … Disney, …. World." Alexis reads the words slowly. **"We're going to Disney World?" **Alexis had worked out what it meant.

"Yup, I have a pass for you, me and one for Kate, if she has the time." Rick explains.

"Kate is going with us?" Alexis was practically jumping up and down sitting on the sofa.

"We'll work out when later." Rick leans over and whispers to Kate. It got Kate to smile knowing that she didn't have to say yes or no right that minute.

"I think Kate is next." Rick offers.

"Okay." Kate screwed up her courage. Getting the courage to think of it was one thing, to actually do it was another. "You need to go put on something warm to wear, its cold outside." Kate tells Alexis.

"It's outside?" Alexis was confused and excited. It was so big it wouldn't fit inside?

"Go find something warm to wear and we can go outside." Kate offers. It got Alexis off the sofa dropping her precious Disney pass on the coffee table, already forgotten.

It took a few minutes but Alexis was back wearing tights under her blue jeans. Two t-shirts under two sweaters and her sneakers. She even had a hat on her head to cover her ears to keep them warm.

Kate escorts Alexis outside with Rick right behind them. Kate kneeled down low. "Ok Alexis, I want you to climb up on my back and hang on tight. I'm going to show you just how fast a vampire really is." Kate was smiling.

"**Really?"** Kate had said she would show her one time, but Alexis had thought she would watch not participate.

"Really, now climb up and hang on tight." Kate helped her get on her back. "Now wrap your arms around my neck and your legs around my middle." Kate waited until she could feel Alexis wrap herself around her. Then Kate grabbed Alexis's legs and held onto them.

"Ready?" Kate twists her head to look behind her a little. Watching Alexis nod her head. "Tell me to stop if it gets to be too much for you and I'll stop." Kate tells her.

"Here we go." Kate delayed a second and then took off running like her life depended on it.

From Rick's perspective Kate was standing next to him one second and saw a blur of Kate as she took off towards the beach and then up the beach and was soon out of sight. **"WOW!"**

It looked like a blur to Alexis, they were going past things so fast Alexis could barely make out what some of the things were.

It was a short time later when Kate stopped. "You ok back there?"

"Wow, you're fast." Alexis tells her.

"Not scared?" Kate asks.

"No, just hard to see things." Alexis's mind couldn't keep up with what she was seeing.

"I'll go a little slower for you. … Ready?" Kate asks waiting for Alexis to nod her head, and Kate was off, just a little slower this time.

The beach was basically empty given how cold it was, plus it was at night.

Kate stopped again a little later and let Alexis off her back. "How was that?" Kate was curious.

"You're fast!" Alexis was impressed.

"Like your birthday present?" Kate asks watching Alexis nod her head enthusiastically grinning wide. "I've got one more for you." Kate screws up her courage a little further.

Kate kneels down on her knees and takes Alexis in her arms and holds her tight and squeezed her eyes closed tight and could feel Alexis's arms around her.

Kate takes a couple of deep breaths to breath in Alexis's unique smell that she was getting used to and liking a lot. Kate moves her mouth to Alexis's ear and whispers in her ear with her lips brushing over her ear.

"I love you Alexis. … I love you a lot and I swear to do everything I can to keep you safe." Kate tells her and can soon hear Alexis crying. Except Alexis held Kate even tighter instead of trying to run.

Kate could feel Alexis turn her head. "I love you too." Alexis keeps on crying. It was her best birthday present ever!

When Alexis calmed down a little Kate pulled back a little and looked Alexis in her eyes. "I love you honey, a whole lot." And Kate gave her a quick kiss.

Kate used her thumbs to wipe away Alexis's tears. "Kate?" Alexis apparently has a question.

"Hmmmm?" Kate responds.

"Can I call you mom?" Kate loved her and Alexis loves her back.

Kate opened her mouth to tell her she already had a mom, till she remembered that Alexis hated her. Not to mention that Kate hated Meredith too. "I'm not old enough to be your mother, I'm only 19 honey. I would have been just a little girl when you were born." Kate tries to get out of being mom, not sure why.

"But you're all I have." Alexis looked ready to start crying again.

"Your father loves you and I love you so you are definitely not alone." Kate knew it wasn't the answer she was looking for. "How about we wait and see what happens then you can ask me that question again someday." Kate offers a compromise.

It wasn't the answer Alexis was hoping for, but Kate didn't say no. Still Kate was mom to her.

"Come on birthday girl, it's time to get you back home." Kate kneels down so Alexis can get on her back. Kate can feel Alexis wrapped around her and has a hold of her legs. "Ready?" Kate asks her.

"Ready, …. mom." Alexis adds softly, getting Kate to turn her head to look at her but Kate doesn't say anything, which gets Alexis to smile.

"Here we go." Kate warns her just before she takes off running.

It was all a blur to Alexis till Kate stopped just outside their back door where they started, not seeing Rick. Kate kneels so Alexis can get off her back, and Kate twists in place to face Alexis and then wraps her arms around her in a hug. "Happy birthday Alexis. … I love you."

It got Alexis to start crying again and hug her back. "I love you too mom." Alexis presses her luck.

"Alexis?" Kate mildly chastises her over the use of the word mom. "We had a deal. I really am too young to be your mom honey, so you need to stop for now." Kate knew if she didn't get Alexis to stop now, Alexis would call her mom every chance she got.

"It doesn't mean I don't love you or do everything I can for you. But I'm not your mom honey, at least not yet." There may be a time in the future when Kate felt like her mom, but Kate didn't see that happening anytime soon.

Alexis however latched onto the "not yet" part and held it close to her heart. "Will you keep my mom away? …. She's mean." Alexis had a new mom, even if she couldn't call her mom yet.

It got Kate to smile. "Yes, I promise to keep Meredith as far away from you as I can. That woman has hurt you enough already and it breaks my heart knowing what she has done. …. I promise Alexis, that's not me. I love you and I'm going to prove it every chance I get." Kate opens her arms wide and allows Alexis to step into them.

"I'll never hurt you Alexis, and if by some accident I ever do, you are free to kick me anytime that I do and tell me so. Because I didn't do it on purpose." Kate kissed the side of her head. "Now let's go inside, it's cold out here." Kate picks Alexis up with her when she stands and carries her inside.

They both found Rick in the kitchen. "You two look cold." Rick saw red noses, red cheeks and red ears on Kate. "Have a seat I know just what both of you need."

It was a couple of minutes later when Rick sets a cup of hot cocoa in front of Alexis. "What about me?" Kate asks, knowing she could drink it, just that she would have to purge it soon after.

"You need to come round here into the kitchen first." Rick answers her question. It was enough for Kate raise her eyebrows in question, but got her up off the stool and into the kitchen. Where she soon found Rick's arms wrapped around her. Feeling her cold body suck up all of Rick's warmth.

"Better?" Rick asks rubbing his hands up and down her back.

"Getting there. … Thank you." It earns Rick a quick kiss.

"Kate is fast dad. …. Really fast." Alexis tells him after sipping her drink.

"So I saw. …. We should put her in the Olympics, Kate would clean up. We'd need a whole new display case to hold all the gold medals she would bring home." Rick offers grinning wide.

"Is there a physical I would need to pass first?" Kate asks, spoiling Rick's moment.

Rick's vision of a wall filled with gold medals, for the 100 yard dash to long distance running that would only take Kate minutes instead of hours, along with countless other races all goes up in a puff of smoke.

"Just had to ruin my moment didn't you." Rick does his best to glare at her. Kate kisses him to take that look off his face.

"Any other parts of you that need warming up?" Rick asks with ulterior motives.

"Maybe later." Kate whispers into his ear, feeling Rick shiver at the thought.

Kate carried Alexis up to her room at Alexis's request, and Kate helped her change into her PJ's and tucked her into bed. "Thank you for the presents, …. mom." Alexis tells Kate just as Kate finishes tucking Alexis into bed.

"Alexis!" Kate scolds her. "Honey I know you mean well and you want a mommy, but I'm too young to be your mommy. That doesn't mean I don't love you, because I do. So very much." Kate kisses her to prove it.

"Call me Kate honey, please. …. I'll still be here to help you every chance I get, so ask me anything you want to, anytime at all. I love you and I'm going to prove it by helping you every chance I get. … Okay?" Kate needed her to stop. Kate was convinced she was too young to be a mom. She still felt like a child somehow.

"Okay." It wasn't what Alexis wanted, but if Kate stayed Alexis could think of her as mommy even if she couldn't call her mom.

"That's my girl!" Kate was happy. "Now give me my kiss and go to sleep." Kate bends down to get her kiss.

Kate finds Rick downstairs sitting in front of the fireplace watching the flames burn the wood.

Kate sat down next to him and cuddled in close and buried her nose into Rick so she could breathe him in. Kate still didn't understand what it was about how Rick smelled. Her parents might understand it, but Kate didn't have anything.

"What's wrong?" Rick asks having heard a sniffle. Feeling Kate shake her head. "Something I can help you with?" Rick didn't want her crying. Only to feel Kate shake her head.

"I take it Alexis liked her birthday present." Rick changed the subject. Maybe if he got her talking she would keep talking. Except all Kate did was nod her head.

Rick didn't know what was eating at Kate, but whatever it was she intended to keep it to herself. "Come on Kate." Rick rises and offers his hand and leads Kate to the master bedroom.

Rick closed the door and started kissing Kate, working his way to her cheek and then down to her neck.

When Kate started kissing him back, Rick started undoing the buttons to her shirt.

It was still dark out when Kate woke up. It took Kate a moment or two to work out where she was and start remembering what happened last night, or this night.

Kate was becoming more aware. She was sleeping on Rick and she was naked still. Kate turned her head and buried it in his chest and breathed him in. There was soon a smile on Kate's face. Rick had made love to her last night.

He was soft and took his time, to run his fingers over every inch of her body. It had left a trail of fire in their wake. Kate started remembering what Rick's lips had done. Kate slowly moved her fingers to her breast and found that her nipple was still hard and in one piece, even after all that Rick had done to it.

It was now that Kate could feel the pain between her legs. Except it wasn't really pain per say. Rick had used his fingers at the start that gave Kate her second ever orgasm. Then Kate felt his lips move down her body kissing all the way. Until Rick's lips replaced his fingers.

Kate was now grinning wide since she couldn't remember how many orgasms he had given her. Kate had lost her mind and couldn't feel or think of anything except for the orgasm after orgasm that Rick had brought out of her. Her memory was telling her it felt like she was never going to stop.

Kate was still lost in the clouds after one of the orgasms when Kate found that Rick was inside her while being on top of her. Rick had done it so slowly that Kate had barely noticed.

Rick had climaxed inside her and Kate could remember that she had her legs wrapped around him, and with her strength was holding him in place. Kate had wanted to tell him to go faster and harder but Kate couldn't talk. Partly because Rick had never stopped kissing her.

Kate's fangs had come out and she had cut Rick's lip and could taste his blood and as she licked his cut and tasted him. It was during this when Kate had, had yet another orgasm with Rick still inside her having his own orgasm.

Rick had sent her to the showers while Rick had replaced the sheets. Kate had been cleaning when she found the blood between her legs and had washed it away. Kate had lost her virginity.

Then Rick had joined Kate in the shower and Rick had ended up inside here while standing in the shower, giving each of them yet another orgasm.

Once back in the bed Rick had started all over again, and had repeated all of it. Kate was still smiling remembering everything that had happened. Kate ran her lips over his bare chest as Kate's head was on his chest.

Now there were tears in her eyes as she remembered what had happened in this bed last night. Kate had never known sex could be like that. It hadn't been just the physical side of making love, but mental as well. It was now that Kate noticed the unbelievable, Rick was asleep but getting an erection.

Kate was grinning as she reached down to hold it in her hand. It was her turn to do what Rick had done for her as Kate slowly worked her way down his body without waking him, just yet. However Rick would definitely be awake soon, since Kate had every intention of teasing him till he begged her to let him come again.

And Kate had the strength necessary to make sure Rick kept his hands to himself and did nothing to help himself as Kate teased him till she finally let him have his release.

Kate was taking her time getting dressed after both of them had taken a shower together again. This time there was no sex involved, but there had been a lot of wandering hands and lips.

Rick had left to go make breakfast for himself and Alexis.

Kate had just exited the master bedroom when Alexis, still in her PJ's exited her bedroom. "ALEXIS!" Kate scooped her up easily into her arms and held her close while kissing the side of her head. "How is my girl this morning?"

Alexis was instantly smiling. "Hi, …. Kate." It took effort for Alexis to not call Kate mom, like Kate had asked. It got a grin out of Kate.

"I think your dad is making breakfast. Are you hungry?" Kate started walking for the kitchen with Alexis in her arms.

"Pancakes." Alexis said brightly.

"Well we'll just have to see won't we?" Kate smiles back at Alexis, kissing the side of Alexis's head.

"I found someone who is hungry for pancakes." Kate announces as they enter the kitchen.

"Well what a coincidence, I just happen to have made pancakes." Rick responds smiling at both of them. "Shall I pour for her majesty?" Rick asks holding up the bottle of syrup.

Kate gets an up close example of how Alexis likes to eat her gooey pancakes and the mess Alexis makes.

Next came Alexis flexing her fingers at Kate threatening to get her gooey fingers all over Kate.

"You keep those messy fingers to yourself young lady." Kate threatens, only to watch Alexis advance on Kate slowly while smiling a devilish smile with her gooey fingers reaching out.

"Alexis?" Kate warns as she starts backing up, only to squeal and run for it when Alexis lunges for her. Getting Rick to burst out laughing.


	24. Chapter 24

**CH24**

The guy tied to the tree had been uncooperative giving Kate the answers that she had wanted. It wasn't in Kate's nature to torture anyone for information so simply asking him was all she knew to do. Being a vampire didn't mean she was a monster.

In the end Kate had left him tied to the tree with a gag in his mouth, out in the middle of nowhere, where it got to below freezing at night. Or at least came close.

It was late as they were arriving just outside the loft. Rick had mentioned that he needed to do some shopping if him and Alexis were going to eat breakfast in the morning. Rick would only be gone a few minutes, half an hour at the most.

Kate had easily carried Alexis into the loft and up the stairs to her room, taken off her clothes and slipped on her PJ's. Kate had just finished tucking Alexis into bed. "I love you." Kate whispered to the sleeping child before exiting her room to go downstairs and wait for Rick.

They had delayed leaving the Hamptons at Kate's request. Kate had spent most of the day in her bikini in the pool with the two of them. Even after spending half the night making love, Rick was still flirting with her and trying to get frisky in the pool.

Kate had spent part of the time squealing and laughing as Rick chased after her while Kate would turn tables and use her strength to dunk Rick into the pool. Since only the pool was heated and not the space around it, it was a long time before Kate ever left the pool.

Alexis was taking a nap while Kate and Rick sat on the sofa inside after having fun in the pool.

It wasn't long before Kate could feel Rick kissing her bare shoulder where her oversized t-shirt she was using as a cover had fallen to expose that area. This was soon followed by feeling one of his hands on her breast.

"Don't you ever get tired?" Kate whispered out while she could still think to ask questions. Kate already wanted him and had missed his answer.

It was only moments later when Kate found Rick's head placed firmly between her legs with the bottom of her bikini having been thrown who knows where.

Kate was just putting her bikini bottom back on as was Rick his swim trunks, after Kate had, had 3 orgasms followed by one more with her on top and Rick naked on his back on the floor, when Alexis had shown up.

They were both too busy recovering from making love to each other and stammering out a greeting to Alexis to notice that Alexis had said. "Hi mom, hi dad." While shuffling her feet over to Kate to get a hug and a kiss while yawning after having just gotten up from her nap.

Rick had made dinner for the two of them while Kate pulled out a blood bag and warmed it up in the microwave.

"Do we have to go back?" Alexis was moaning and to Kate it sounded a lot like her father.

"Yes pumpkin, both you and Kate have school in the morning. … Which reminds me, I need to know when you don't have classes for a few days. I need to schedule when we can go to Disney World together." Rick offers up.

"I'll look when I get home. I think there is a break somewhere around something called Christmas." Kate tells them, trying to remember her schedule.

"You don't know Christmas?" Alexis's eyes were wide and had a look of disbelief on her face. Watching Kate shake her head.

"WELL, we'll just have to fix that oversight, won't we pumpkin." Rick now had a reason to go all out this Christmas. And it gave him a reminder that he needed to do some Christmas shopping, and this year it would include Kate.

What do you get a vampire from outer space for Christmas?

Rick had finished shopping and was sitting in his car thinking. Gina was gone, Black Pawn was gone, his lawyer was studying the contract that another publisher had offered. He had a publicist, Kate had entered his life and he was happy. A lot more happy than he had been in a long time. And it was all thanks to Kate.

Kate the vampire, who just wasn't the kind of vampire their culture, movies and books, said they were.

Did he care that they couldn't have children together? Not really, yes he would miss having the chance at having children with the woman he loved and married because he loved her, but he would rather have Kate than have more children.

_Wait, did I just say that I loved her and was going to marry her? Too fast Rick, way too fast._

Rick shook his head and started the car to drive home.

Kate had sat at Rick's kitchen but hadn't really used it, except to get a blood bag out of the refrigerator. So now Kate was searching it for what there was. Most of the appliances did things she knew nothing about.

Kate was inspecting the coffee machine when there was a knock at the front door.

This presented Kate with a problem. Should she answer it? This wasn't her home, she didn't live here. Alexis was asleep upstairs and Kate knew she was fast and strong enough to handle anyone at the door, so Alexis would remain safe.

Kate worked out it wasn't Rick, he wouldn't knock at his own door. Rick says he knows a lot of people, was this one of them? It must be someone though since whomever it was made it past the doorman without calling up first.

Kate decided to answer the door and let them wait for Rick to come back inside instead of sitting on the floor outside his front door.

Kate opened the door after taking in a deep breath, confirming to her that whoever it was, was alone and human. Opening the door Kate saw a woman, about as tall as her, a little pale skin with reddish hair. She was dressed trying to impress someone or just herself, and she had a large bag next to her.

"It's about time you came home; I've been waiting outside forever." The woman started off with, until she saw Kate. "Who the hell are you? And where is Rickie."

"My name is Kate and what do you want?" Kate responds back.

"Babysitter." The lady at the door whispers out. "Where is Rickie?" She grabs her bag and starts to try and get past Kate and into the apartment. Kate however blocks her path and doesn't move.

"Who are you and what do you want?" Kate tries again.

"Get out of my way and tell me where Rickie is." The lady tries to push her way past Kate again, who doesn't give an inch. This wasn't her home but it wasn't this strange lady's either.

"No one named Rickie lives here, so last time. Who are you and what do you want?" Kate stares at her all set to close the door on her.

"Rickie is mine and you're just the stupid babysitter, now get out of my way and tell me where he is. I suppose my daughter is up in her room." The lady tries again to push her way past Kate but doesn't gain an inch. "I said get out of my way bitch." And tries again to push her way past Kate.

_Rickie? Rick? Daughter? Alexis? …. Red hair, pale skin? …. __**MEREDITH?**_

Kate stood up straighter and changed her demeanor for this woman instantly. "You're Meredith?" Kate questions.

"Finally, your few brain cells are working, now get out of my way and out of this apartment." Meredith tries again to gain entry.

However what she gets is not what she expected. Kate reaches out with her hand and wraps her fingers around Meredith's neck and walks her to the far side of the hallway and slams her up against the wall, and easily lifts Meredith up off the floor till her feet no longer touch the floor.

"You thoughtless, insensitive, egotistical, pompous piece of shit. Have you any idea what you have done to Alexis? … You never keep your promises, you don't even give her a one minute phone call to talk to her. One lousy stinking minute for your own daughter.

What I'm going to do to you! …. I'm going to enjoy this." Kate states glaring at Meredith as she struggles to even breathe. Never having been treated like this before. No one had ever stood up to her like this, let alone ever laid a finger on her before.

Kate promptly bit her and started drinking, and drinking, and drinking.

Kate stopped and let her fall to the floor unconscious. Kate had a plan. Kate picked her up and slung her over her back and then grabbed her suitcase and started for the stairs after closing the front door.

Making it down to the parking garage, Kate stepped out and went over to the door leading outside, by-passing the doorman. Once outside Kate took off running.

Kate made it to the building she had chosen for this encounter ahead of time and jumped up onto the roof.

Kate walked over to the box she had left behind and dropped Meredith on the roof, then took the suitcase over to the edge of the roof and launched it for the middle of the Hudson River, which was not that far away, along with her purse.

Stepping back over to Meredith, Kate got to work on her.

Stripping Meredith of all her clothes and then Kate started ripping them into shreds, and let them fall over the side of the roof.

Kate opened the box and pulled out the cans and brushes that were stored inside. Lanie and she had watched this one show on TV and seeing this person on TV had given Kate an idea.

About 1-1/2 hours later Kate was done and stood back to look at her work, and then one by one Kate threw her tools out into the middle of the Hudson River.

Happy with herself Kate stepped over to the edge of the roof and stepped off and then ran for the loft, stopping at the refrigerator's in the garage to grab some blood bags before walking back up to the loft.

Kate found the front door closed, which was right since Kate had closed it. Except now it was locked, so she knocked. The door soon opened with Rick on the other side with Kate outside holding a number of blood bags.

"I was wondering what happened to you?" Rick smiled and let her in, closing and locking the door and follows her to the kitchen.

"I think there are already a few bags in the refrigerator." Rick mentions.

"These are going home with me. Lanie needs a few too." Kate tells him.

"Is Alexis asleep?" Rick asks.

"She never woke up even when I changed her clothes, she should be fine." Kate tells him.

Kate waits until Rick was done and guided him over to the sofa. "You staying the night?" Rick asks leaning in to kiss Kate. However Kate stops him and sees a look of hurt and question on his face.

"I need to tell you something." Kate was nervous, this might make Rick mad.

"Okay." Rick didn't like the sound of this. It sounded like a version of "We need to talk" Which was never good.

"Please don't be mad, it's just I hate what she has done, and I couldn't stop myself. Actually I wanted to do a lot worse, a whole lot worse." Kate starts off with.

"O-kay." Rick is guarded.

"While you were gone this strange lady knocked on the front door and I answered it. … She called me the babysitter and demanded that I get out of her way so she could enter." Kate scrunches her face, silently praying that Rick won't get mad.

Rick now had a million questions but let Kate continue, since she seemed to have a story to tell.

"She kept asking for Rickie and demanding entrance. … Then she questioned if her daughter was upstairs in her room. It was about now that I worked out the lady at the door was Meredith, since you told me once that she has a habit of just showing up suddenly." Kate tells him.

"About your height, skin color a little paler than Alexis with reddish colored hair, all dressed up wearing heels?" Rick offers, watching Kate nod her head. "Yeah that sounds like Meredith." Rick closes his eyes and tries to take some breaths.

"Where is she now?" Rick didn't see her when he got here.

"I bit her and started draining her dry. …. It took a lot of effort not to finish drinking, but I did. Then I took her to a roof near the river. … And then I painted her after stripping her clothes off of her." Kate tries to close her ears, convince Rick is going to go ballistic on her.

"Meredith is naked and all alone on some roof somewhere and she's got paint on her?" Rick tried to understand.

Kate was nodding her head. "I threw her suitcase and purse out into the river and then shredded her clothes and dropped them over the side of the roof and then I painted her."

"Painted her, what?" Rick really didn't know what to make of all this.

"Well, … Lanie and I saw this show on TV a few days ago. Something about this guy who dresses up in a costume to fight crime. The bad guy was named Joker and he has this lady with him who was all painted up.

Red on one side and black on the other with a white face and a mask around her eyes." Kate explains, while motioning the locations with her hands.

Rick was ready to start laughing his ass off. "You painted Meredith to look like Harley from an animated Batman cartoon?" Rick was grinning and ready to burst at the seams. Watching Kate nod her head was all he needed to burst out laughing.

This was not the reaction Kate was expecting. "You're not mad?" Kate was sure he would be furious with her.

"Meredith, … is all painted up, …. To look like Harley, ….. half red and half black, …. With a mask?" Rick had fallen off the sofa and was now down on the floor laughing. Only getting words out when he could between laughs.

"Are there pictures?" Rick was slowly calming down. And watched Kate shake her head.

"We need pictures." Rick managed to get up off the floor and go into his study to find a camera, and come back out to give it to Kate and show her how to use it. "Lots of pictures, … lots and lots." Rick was still ready to burst out laughing.

Kate didn't understand, she was sure Rick would be mad. However what she really had wanted to do was drain her dry, but her mother had taught her not to kill, so she didn't.

Kate ran back to the site and found Meredith right where she had left her, still unconscious and started taking pictures, from every angle she could think of. Kate had even rolled her over to take pictures of her back since it was painted too.

If it had been a normal bite Meredith should be awake by now. However Kate had drained her pretty good, so she was going to sleep longer and be a lot weaker when she finally woke up.

Kate ran back to the loft and knocked on the front door. Rick opened it and snatched the camera out of her hands and walked for his study, leaving Kate to close and lock the door.

Rick had already pulled the memory card out of the camera and was downloading the pictures onto his computer when Kate joined him.

As soon as the first one popped up on the screen Rick started laughing again. Rick soon had tears running down his face and needed to blow his nose as he would occasionally press the wrong key on his computer since he was laughing too hard.

It was only after Rick had gone through all of the pictures. "You used body paint, right?" Wondering if Kate even knew the difference.

"Body paint?" There was paint meant to be used on a body?

It had Rick laughing all over again. "Did you leave some portion of her body un-painted?" Rick knew if her entire body was encased in paint it might kill her. Skin needed to be able to breathe.

"Just her feet, hands, scalp and maybe the back of her neck." Kate answers weakly, still not sure why Rick wasn't mad at her.

Rick thought about it and grunted. _That might be enough to not kill her._

"You realize that if you didn't use body paint it will take days if not weeks for all that paint to come off." Rick turns to look at Kate. "Oooo, hold that thought." Rick holds up a finger at Kate and picks up the house phone.

While the phone is ringing. "Where is she, exactly?" Rick asks Kate.

Kate really wanted for her to suffer some more and have to yell for help to get down and be found naked covered in paint. But Kate told Rick where the building was.

Rick holds up a finger. "Hi Suze, it's Rick. … I'm doing fine thanks. Listen I have a story for you. Perfect for your page 6 tomorrow. You'll find the lady in question, …." Rick gives the location of where Meredith all painted up is located.

"How do I know? You of all people should know better than to ask who my sources are Suze. You can thank me later, so long as I don't read my name associated with this find in tomorrow's paper." Rick hangs up the phone.

"And you did this because, ….?" Rick wanted to hear it from Kate.

"That woman hurt Alexis and I wanted her to suffer for what she has done." Kate defends herself.

"So you did this for Alexis, because, …?" Rick wanted to hear it.

Kate fidgets, telling Alexis took a lot of her courage, telling Rick, … "Because I love her." Kate was ready to get yelled at again, not that she was yelled at the first time.

However what Rick did do was kiss her, and then he picked Kate up bridal style and carried Kate into the master bedroom, where Rick showed Kate just what he thought of why Kate had done what she did.


	25. Chapter 25

**CH25**

"Anything babe?" Johanna stepped up behind her husband. They had been IN the tormented zone for a month now and they had nothing.

Jim shook his head. "There are a lot of storms, they are seriously messing with my ability to scan. I thought I had the residue of used fuel that an engine like a Talyn would give off, and then a storm came along and blew it all over the place.

Right now I'm trying to speculate on the direction the trail was taking me and going that way, but I've got nothing. No other signs and no other ships in scanning range. No systems either." Jim was shaking his head.

They really were looking for a needle in a haystack, a really huge haystack.

Johanna kissed the top of his head. Her husband was doing his best and she knew it. At least the storms had left them alone. They had so few automated systems for the storms to affect.

"There is something we need to talk about however." Johanna hated bringing it up, but it was important.

"Leave it to you to get serious." Jim teases, which earns him a light swat to his shoulder. "So what's on your mind?"

"We had just over 8 months of blood when we left the last system. It took us 2 months just to get to the edge of the tormented zone, and we've been in here for a month now. One month from now and we'll be down to 4 months worth.

If it takes us 2 months to get back to the edge of the zone, plus 2 more months to get to the closest system, we'll only have a few days of blood left. And we'll have to hit every hospital in that system just to get back to 8 months again." Johanna points out.

"And only get 2 months deep into the tormented zone before we are forced to leave again to go back to that same system. Likely filled with Hunters and probably with help like a Command Carrier.

We'll be dead before we can even blink." Jim deflated.

"Or we stay out here until we find them or run out of blood." Johanna points out.

Jim twisted in his seat to look at his wife. His eyes told her "The girls may already have run out of blood and we'll all die out here". It got Johanna to lean down and kiss him.

Jim turned back around to look at his screens. They stay until they find them alive or drifting in space, dead, because their daughters ran out of blood.

Johanna leaned down and placed her arms around him and kissed the side of his head. They stayed till they found them or they died trying.

**It was now 2 weeks later:**

Jim was lying in bed with his naked wife lying partially on top of him. They were both depressed since they had no leads on where the girls had gone. They had both decided they needed a distraction and they both reminded each other why they loved the other.

Vampires didn't get pregnant easily so when Johanna had found out she was pregnant with Katie, it had been a happy surprise. The fact that she was their only child together had made her even more special.

They both loved their daughter a lot. Running across Lanie shortly after a pair of Hunters had found her parents had been another happy accident. Now they had two daughters that they had done everything possible for.

Jim could feel the soft rise and fall of her chest and his wife slept. His thoughts were interrupted by the beeping of his scanner. It got Jim to jump and unceremoniously dump his wife on the floor while he ran naked for his screens.

It took Johanna a few moments to get her composure after having been dumped on the floor out of a dead sleep. Johanna ran for the bridge a little behind her husband, just as naked.

"What is it? …. Is it them?" Johanna was actually conflicted if she wanted it to be the girls. If they were out here in the middle of nowhere after all this time, it likely meant they were dead. And if it wasn't them, it might be Hunters or something or someone just as bad.

"It's a Marauder." Jim tells her. "It looks like it has been zapped by a storm. It's just drifting and it's power output is at zero." Jim tells her.

"A Marauder." Johanna didn't like the sound of that. Marauders were only assigned to one type of ship, a Command Carrier. "Any sign of the Command Carrier?" A Marauder had range, but not that much range.

Jim however shook his head. "The two of us are alone. … "I'm going to pull up right next to it." Jim tells her.

"WHY?" Johanna would just as soon let it float dead in space.

"I'm going to go over and search it and bring back what is on its computers and anything else I can find." Jim tells her. "And before you go ballistic on me, if there is one that means there is more than one. It also means there is a Command Carrier out here somewhere.

And if there is a Command Carrier out here in this mess, there is likely a Hunter ship with it or near it. Who else has the authority to order a Command Carrier into the tormented zone where they are likely to take a pounding from all these storms." Jim points out.

"If we can get the data off the Marauder, it will be one section of tormented space we don't have to look in." Johanna got it, and gave her husband a kiss to the back of his head.

"I'm going to get suited up. Keep an eye on the scanner and let me know if someone else shows up." Jim gets up and runs for his clothes and then his suit.

"Anything?" Jim yells out before he gets in the airlock.

"All clear." Johanna yells back.

It was an hour later when Jim was back to find that Johanna had met him at the airlock desperately looking for news, still naked.

"They got hit and had a catastrophic hull breach. One pilot and two Marines. … I down loaded everything on their flight system for us to review. However I have an idea." Jim had thought this up on the way back.

Johanna groaned, Jim's plans always gave her a headache.

"I think I can fix the hull breach and fire the Marauder back up. Using their flight recorder I can use it to find their Command Carrier and fly the Marauder back to it." Jim starts off with.

Johanna however was convinced her husband had lost his mind. He had been out for a spacewalk for too long. "Have you lost your mind?"

It got Jim to smile. "I'm going to take the last Proton Bomb with me. When I get close enough I leave it on automatic and jump with you in our ship a little ways behind me. You swoop in and pick me up and then we run for it.

Hoping to outrun the blast wave, and poof, they are down one Command Carrier." Jim liked it since that would free them up from having to worry about the damn thing sneaking up on them while they looked for the girls. Plus it meant the Command Carrier wouldn't find the girls.

Johanna however was worried about this plan. "We've lived this long because we run when they get close. Fighting back just isn't us."

"I know, believe me I know. But think about it. They are already down 2 Hunter ships. We do this and succeed they will be down 2 Hunter ships AND a Command Carrier. They will never enter the tormented zone again.

After we find the girls we will be free and not have to run. Hopefully ever again." Jim tries to get his wife to see what he sees.

Losing a Command Carrier would be a big lose for them. It would make the tormented zone sound even more dangerous than it already was.

"Fine." Johanna moans. "But if we die doing this, I'm going to kill you." Johanna points her finger at him.

**It was now 2 days later:**

Jim had spent the two days patching the hull breach and ejecting the bodies out into space.

Jim had fired up the systems on the Marauder and activated the engines and was on his way to the location of the Command Carrier. Jim had left it on auto-pilot and was just finishing working on the communication system.

Now when the Command Carrier tried to contact him, they would get back this broken static mess that would sound like the Marauder had been hit by one of the storms taking the communication system down.

Jim did however still have his suit communication system that he still had on except for the helmet. Johanna was just barely on his scanner as she followed him in.

The beeping of his scanner alerted him to the fact that the Command Carrier had just shown up on his screens. A Marauder had state of the art scanner systems, however the storms were making a mess of them.

Jim kept going and slowed down just a little and then suddenly added power, only to slow down dramatically. This got the desired result as he picked up a communication from the Command Carrier.

"The Zelbinion!?" That told Jim a lot. "Selto Durka." Jim spoke his name with pure venom in his voice. Jim suddenly liked his plan a whole lot more now.

Jim gave the Marauder another sudden surge of thrust only to have it back off again and then grabbed his helmet.

"Here I come babe." Jim opened the air lock and pushed off with all his strength straight for his wife who was a little behind him.

Johanna cut power and tried to go dark except for her ability to scan for her husband.

Johanna was standing at the airlock waiting for it to cycle and then helped her husband take his helmet off so she could kiss him. "Please babe, no more crazy plans. I'm not sure my heart can take it."

It got Jim to smile. "Let's get out of here." Jim ran for the bridge and fired up the engines and turned around and set the engines to 120% and headed back the way they had just come.

"It was the Zelbinion." Jim tells his wife who was strapped in, in the other seat.

"Durka." Johanna spoke his name softly with pure venom in her voice. She suddenly liked her husband's plan a lot, a whole lot.

"If this is going to work, it should blow just about, …." Jim's screens started beeping. "Grab hold of something, here comes the blast wave." Jim warns her.

There was a storm forming not far from them and Jim changed course to get the other side of it. This would place the still small storm between them and the blast wave. Jim was hoping it would help deflect some of the blast.

There was some buffeting from the storm however the blast wave seemed to go around the storm allowing Jim to sit on the back side. "We're clear." Jim starts breathing again, noticing his wife do the same.

Johanna instantly un-did her restraints and went over to her husband and wrapped her arms around him from behind. "I love you babe and I like that last plan of yours." Then Johanna kisses his head.

No more Durka! They had heard stories from people, not just other vampires about what Durka did to vampires before allowing them to die. Johanna would have preferred that he suffered greatly, however just dying was enough.

"Now what?" Johanna asked still with her arms wrapped around her husband with her chin resting on his shoulders, looking past him at the screens.

"Now we are going to go over to this storm over here and use it as a shield for the moment." Jim points to a different storm than the little one they are still sitting next to.

Their little storm was just sitting there, getting bigger. That one was bigger and on the move.

"Why?" Johanna didn't see anything as her eyes scanned the screens.

"This is why." Jim places it up on one of the larger of the two screens.

"I still don't see anything." The area was a mess. Had been ever since they had entered it.

"Let me replay it for you." Jim goes back to just before the Command Carrier blew up. "Now watch this area here, closely." Jim points and lets the recording play.

Johanna saw something. …. It didn't make any sense to her, however there was something. "What is that?"

"That, love of my life, is a Hunter ship riding out the blast wave behind their precious shielding." Jim explains.

"Hunters." Johanna whispered out the word with pure disdain for their very existence. "Now what do we do?" They were out of Proton Bombs and stood no chance against a Hunter ship.

"We are going to use this storm here as cover and follow them." Jim moves their ship so it is a little behind the storm. Not close enough that it affects them, but allows them to hide in its shadow. "So long as the storm and them go the same direction."

"WHY?" Johanna was sure her husband must have gone space mad now. "Shouldn't we be putting as much distance between them and us as possible?" Vampires run, Johanna wanted to run.

Jim nodded his head. "Except for one thing. We are both looking for the same thing." Jim points out.

Johanna stood up straight. "The girls!"

"The storms are going to be hard on them, however their scanners are state of the art. They can see things that we can't. Plus they aren't called Hunters for no reason." Jim points out.

Now Johanna understood what her husband was thinking. Hunters may kill vampires, but they did so because they were so damn good at hunting for their kind. "We let them lead us to the girls." Johanna suddenly liked this plan. "And then what?"

Jim shrugged his shoulders. "Depends on what we both find. … They find the girls ship floating dead in space, we ram them and we all die out here." Jim describes one possible scenario.

They would be too low on blood bags to last long enough to get out of the tormented zone, and living without the girls, just wasn't living. It would be a new form of hell.

"If we find a system that the girls have landed in, then so do we and we fight to live. It's likely only this one Hunter ship and that Command Carrier are all that's in here. And if neither of them ever come back out, its likely no one will follow them. …. Ever!" Jim points out another option.

Johanna wasn't one for fighting, she didn't have her husband's ability to think and do what he was talking about. "And what do we fight with?" All it got Johanna was a grin from her husband that was almost scary looking.

"That was the Zilbinion." Tom states to Josh who was standing behind him running his hands down his chest. Tom could also feel Josh stiffen.

They both remembered what Sorenson had told them about losing either their ship or the Zilbinion. "Was it a storm?" Josh asks standing up straight but never taking his hands off Tom.

"Storms are everywhere, there's even a new one forming here." Tom points to the storm Jim and Johanna were hiding behind to avoid the blast wave.

"Nothing else?" Meaning was it a ship that had killed the Zilbinion? Not that anyone in their right mind would take on a Command Carrier.

"They have Marauders out all over the place just as we ordered them to. I've got one that was headed their way and likely another one right behind it. The first one was obviously damaged in a storm. There was even contact between the two." Tom adds still looking at his screens.

"What happened to those two? They go up with the Zilbinion?" Josh asks.

"All three ships are off my scanners, I do have debris from the Zilbinion all over the place though." Tom tells him. "Nothing seems to be under power."

"We still chasing that scattered mess we picked up?" Josh knew they had found something that looked like a trail, just that it was jumbled and really large. It's just that it was also faint.

"Our last contact with the Zilbinion had their Marauders were finding nothing, so as little as it is, it's also the best we've got. …. Unless you want to go back to Sorenson without finding the Beckett's AND losing the Zilbinion." Tom points out.

"I'm thinking we get the Beckett's and then we retire." Josh states, thinking of spending his time in bed with Tom.

"And leave behind our winning's for taking out the most number of vampires?" Tom reminds him.

"Like Sorenson is going to keep his word when we come back without the Zilbinion?" Josh counters his thinking.

Tom let out a heavy sigh, knowing Josh had a point. They were the best Hunter team out there, however losing the Zilbinion, even if it was to a storm in the tormented zone, meant they would never see their winning's.

"I'm going to go make lunch and check our galley. We're going to need to find a system in a few months or we'll die of starvation." Josh pats Tom's shoulders and kisses the top of his head and heads for the galley.

Tom could only agree, they were already past the point of no return. Even if they found the Beckett's and killed all four of them, if they didn't find a system to replenish their galley and get fuel, they were just as dead.


	26. Chapter 26

**CH26**

**It was now one month later:**

Kate had greeted the doorman as she walked past him and into the elevator. Kate stopped at the door only long enough to insert her key to unlock the front door. Rick had given her a key to the loft last weekend and hold enforced his words. "Use this; there is no reason for you to knock." Rick had finished it with a kiss.

Kate was grinning as she opened the door and stepped inside, followed by closing and re-locking the door. Kate had only made it inside by a step. "KATE!" And Kate caught sight of Alexis running for her to slam into her legs and wrap her arms around her.

"Hi honey, how was your week?" Kate kneeled down to Alexis's level and wrapped her arms around Alexis and held her tight.

Kate could smell Rick so she knew he was here somewhere. "Where's your father?"

"Writing." Alexis told her. It got Kate to smile wide knowing that when Rick was lost in his study writing, he was lost to the world. It also meant that the two of them were on their own until Rick stopped writing.

Something called Thanksgiving was coming up soon and Rick had already made sure that Kate and Lanie would be over. Granted Rick and Alexis would be eating some huge meal, and Rick had done his best to explain it to both of them. Rick and Alexis had made sure that both Kate and Lanie were only too welcome to drink blood while they ate.

Halloween had also turned out to be something special. Rick had answered the door dressed in a suit and was waving a wand around. "I'm a warlock." Rick had been forced to explain what a warlock was.

A **magician** or **mage** is someone who uses or practices magic derived from supernatural or occult sources.

Then Alexis had shown up wearing something totally different carrying a stick with straw on one end.

"I'm a witch." Alexis had stated proudly, forcing Rick to explain what a witch was.

**Witchcraft** (also called **witchery** or _spellcraft_) broadly means the practice of, and belief in, magical skills and abilities.

Kate had kneeled down to Alexis's level. "So that's why I love you. You put a spell on me." Kate had teased her.

"YUP!" Alexis was beaming and it earned her a kiss from Kate.

"So what shall we do today?" Kate asks since it was just the two of them, at least until it got dark.

"Movie?" Alexis offers.

"Deal!" Kate goes with Alexis towards the living room while Alexis picked a movie.

"So what are we watching?" Kate asks as Alexis climbs up onto the sofa and hands Kate the remote.

"Adams Family Values." Kate sees the introduction. "Excellent choice!" Kate loved this family. They were weird, just like this family and they loved each other immensely, just like this family.

Kate pulled Alexis in tight and kissed the top of her head.

Since that first time Kate and Rick had been making love to each other every weekend that she came over. It still amazed Kate just how many orgasms Kate could have from all the things Rick would do.

They would make love to each other each night, then again in the shower, followed by more sex in the morning. Rick usually started it the first time that first night, only to have Kate initiate something the other times.

Kate knew Rick wanted her and after Kate got started, Kate found that she wanted him so very badly, and was extremely happy that Rick was able to keep up with her. "I've created a monster." Rick had teased her once, which had earned Rick a light swat to his chest as Kate relaxed lying on top or Rick after having just finished making love.

Kate had called it sex once, and only once. After Kate had called it sex that first time Rick had explained his difference between simply having sex with someone and making love to someone. After that Kate had called it making love. Kate was falling in love with Rick and she knew it and didn't want to stop it anymore.

It had gotten Kate to giggle suddenly. "Something funny?" Rick had asked with his arms holding Kate in place, while Kate was kissing his chest, grinning and doodling a finger on his chest.

"It's just, … I'm a vampire and you're human. A lot of my kind would be telling me I should be biting you to get the blood I need. Not making love to you, and falling in love with you.

They would see you and Alexis as nothing more than food, not letting both of you into my heart. Especially knowing that we can't create a family together. It'll always only going to be just the three of us." Kate was only making a statement, she had no intention of leaving either one of them, if she could help it.

"The heart wants what the heart wants, all we have to do is listen to it. …. What are your parents going to think?" Rick didn't know if they would ever show up now. Not after Kate had explained how they got here, mostly by accident.

Rick also had no knowledge of this barrier Kate had mentioned at the edge of their system. They could barely get off their own planet as it was, let alone worry what was out there. It did help explain why the Hubble telescope was sending back a jumbled up mess.

Rick however was already proud of Kate. If she succeeded, they would finally get a man out into space, since she knew so much. Way more than even her teacher was trying to teach her.

"I don't know. My parents have always taught us to live with humans, not drink them dry or even bite them if we could help it. They wanted to fit in and live their lives." Kate answers his question.

"Except you were always on the run thanks to these Hunters." Rick comments. Getting Kate to nod her head and kiss his chest and relax listening to his heartbeat and breathe him in, so she could go to sleep.

"This family is amazing!" Kate leaned over and kissed the top of Alexis's head while they watched the movie.

"Mom?" Alexis had a question while snuggled in tight with Kate.

Kate caught her breath as the baby got the bowling ball moving. "What honey?" Kate's attention was on where the bowling ball was going.

"Can you and dad have children?" Alexis had a dream.

That got Kate's attention and Kate was now looking at Alexis. "We're not even married yet honey."

_Wait, I just used married and yet in the same sentence. Am I really in that deep?_

"Do you want a baby sister or brother?" Kate countered, wondering where this question was coming from. Only to see Alexis with her killer eyes look up at her.

Tell the truth, Rick had said. Always tell the truth. "I don't think we can honey. I'm a vampire who drinks blood, while your father is human who eats food. We're just not the same." Kate explains what she thinks to be true.

"Oh." Alexis looked down and sounded so sad.

"I'm sorry honey. …. It doesn't mean I don't love you, even if you're not mine." Kate tells her kissing her head.

"Not yours." Alexis whispered out sounding even more sad.

"I didn't give birth to you Alexis, but if anyone asks you, you can tell them your mine. I love you." Kate pulled her in tight and wrapped both arms around her. "And I'm not sharing you with anyone except your father."

It got Alexis to look up and Kate smiling now and then Alexis buried her head into Kate's chest, where Kate placed a hand on her head to hold her there. "I love you too mom."

"Alexis. … We had a deal." Kate reminds her.

"You said I was yours." Alexis counters. It got Kate to start opening and closing her mouth like a fish.

Kate moaned softly. "You keep this between us and only call me mom when we are alone. … Deal?" Kate knew she was in deep, still seeing herself as being too young to be Alexis's mother.

Alexis smiled into Kate's chest. "Deal." Alexis adjusted her head on one of Kate's breasts. It was now when Alexis started to softly cry. She had a mom who loved her. A mom who was there for her birthday, went trick-or-treating with her, was going to be there for Thanksgiving, and maybe even Christmas. Who tucked her into bed at night and kissed her even in public.

Kate and her vampire hearing could hear Alexis sniffling. "You alright honey?" Kate kissed the top of her head. Feeling Alexis nod her head. It was enough to get Kate to go back to watching the movie.

The movie was over. "I don't know how to cook, so if you want lunch we either need to get your father or figure it out for ourselves." Kate offered.

"I can show you if you'll help me." Alexis offered smiling up at her.

"I'm willing to learn." Kate stands up and follows Alexis into the kitchen after pressing the rewind button on the remote.

Alexis told Kate where the bread was while Alexis started pulling out items from the refrigerator necessary to make a sandwich. Alexis took Kate through every item and then let Kate put it all back in the refrigerator. Followed by pouring out a glass of milk.

"Well that was easy." Kate stood in the kitchen watching Alexis eat her sandwich.

After Alexis was done. "Now what? It looks like your father is still typing." They needed to stay in the loft because Kate couldn't ask Rick if she could take Alexis anywhere.

"Can you read to me?" Alexis offers.

"We can do that. … First one to your room gets to select what to read." Kate offers and uses her vampire speed to be standing at Alexis's door before Alexis can even say OK.

Alexis takes the stairs slowly. "Not fair mom."

"Seemed fair to me." Kate countered, picking up Alexis and spinning her around while kissing her face, getting Alexis to start laughing.

Alexis was literally in Kate's lap with Alexis leaning back into Kate with her head between Kate's breasts, while Kate read a book to her.

Kate had gotten pretty far when Alexis started to yawn. "Getting sleepy?" Kate asks her. Feeling Alexis shake her head. "Well I have a surprise for you later tonight, but you need to be awake enough for it. So how about a nap?" Kate tries again.

Alexis yawns. "Are you staying?"

"Sure." Kate puts the book away and lays down in Alexis's bed and pulls Alexis back close into her chest while draping an arm over her to hold Alexis in place. "Go to sleep young lady." Kate strokes her hair and kisses the top of her head.

"Hhhmmm, … love you mom." Alexis whispers out before sleep takes her off to neverland.

"I love you too honey. …. I love you too." Kate buried her nose in Alexis's hair and breathed her in.

Rick had wound down from typing and saved his work and went out into the living room, finding it empty. Moving to the kitchen he found a plate that had crumbs along with an empty glass of milk. After rinsing both items and putting them in the dishwasher, Rick went upstairs in search of someone, … anyone.

Alexis's door was partly open so he gave it a quiet knock and pushed the door open slowly. Inside he found Alexis asleep still in her clothes all wrapped up in Kate's arms who was also asleep and still in her clothes.

Rick moved in a little closer and saw that both of them had such a soft peaceful and untroubled look on their faces. It had Rick standing there with his heart melting. Kate and his little girl had been doing a lot of bonding since they had met Kate. And it did his heart good to see his little girl accepting Kate in their lives.

Rick found it difficult to leave them without kissing either of them, but they were so peaceful looking. So Rick shuffled his feet back out of the room and then slipped back downstairs to his study and then hurried back upstairs with his camera, to take a few pictures of it, so he could remember this.

Rick had missed spending the day with them because he had been writing instead. Still it wasn't the first time and Kate hadn't said anything that time. Still they only saw her on weekends since she went to school on the weekdays.

It was starting to get late so Rick started work on dinner for the two of them. While he worked on dinner Rick would write down a few things for the upcoming Thanksgiving day dinner. His mother had declined since she was busy, they had a show for Thanksgiving night. She had however promised to be there for Christmas this year.

Rick was sipping on a glass of wine when he heard Kate and Alexis coming down the stairs.

Kate came right up to Rick and buried her nose into his chest and breathed him in. It still made her weak in the knees. "You get a lot written?"

"Almost four chapters in total." Rick tells her wrapping his arms around Kate and kissing her head.

"How is your new publisher?" Kate asks remembering what Rick had told her about the last one.

"So much better, … it's amazing. Which reminds me, you ready to go shopping for a dress?" His publisher and publicist had talked him into going to a fundraiser to promote his and other writers books. Rick had wanted to take Kate and Alexis with him so very badly.

Kate lifted her head off his chest to look up at him. "You're sure you want me to go with you?" Rick had talked her into it, but Kate wanted to be sure.

"Absolutely! … Unless you are uncomfortable being out in public with me." Rick was will to give her an out still.

"I just don't want anyone getting the wrong impression. I know that you don't care that I'm only 19, but there may be others that do." Kate didn't want this to affect Rick's status.

"If I cared what those people thought I wouldn't have asked. And I want people to get to know you and that you are with me. My old publisher spent so much time trying to turn me into a lose playboy willing to bed any woman who came my way, and that's not who I am. I need you there to quiet all those voices. Plus Alexis gets bored easily." Rick smiles and gives Kate a quick kiss.

In that case Kate was happy to be going. It would show all those women out there that Rick was hers, and she was willing to fight for him to keep him. "Just making sure." Kate patted his chest and went around the counter to sit with Alexis.

Just as Rick and Alexis were sitting down to eat Kate was taking a blood bag out of the refrigerator and popping it into the microwave to warm it up. Then sat down at the table with them after poking a straw into the bag. "Is anyone coming for this Thanksgiving besides me and Lanie?" Kate didn't know what her and Lanie were going to do if someone else was here.

"I had asked my mother but her play has a show on Thanksgiving night, so it will be just the four of us." Rick answers her question. His answer took some of the worry off of her shoulders.

"How is school going?" Rick asks in-between bites.

"Boring!" Kate rolls her eyes. "I'm so far out in front of what they are teaching. I think I'm pissing off some of my teachers since I keep correcting them with all of their mistakes. Sometimes I wonder who is teaching who." Kate knew schools was necessary. She had to have a history in order to get a job.

"Mechanical Engineer, right?" Rick thought he had it correct.

"Yeah, the idea is to someday design a space ship so you can at least get off your own planet and visit the other planets in your system. I prefer working on ships instead of designing them, but with what I know about fixing them should work in design just as well.

My long term goal is to get out there and find out why this system has a barrier keeping all those storms from getting in. The ability of that is above anyone I know of. It's a mystery that I'm dying to solve someday.

Maybe how that works could be designed into our ships and we could search the area free of worry about all the storms out there." Such a system might be even better than a Hunters shielding.

They were done eating and the kitchen was clean. "You ready for your surprise?" Kate turned to Alexis to ask her. Watching Alexis grinning wide nodding her head enthusiastically.

"Good, we need to go up to your roof first." Kate leads Alexis to the front door and over to the elevator and down to the first floor.

"Why are we going down here? This is my building and I have keys for access to the roof." Rick points out.

"You can go up to the roof your way, however I'm taking Alexis up to the roof my way." Kate and Alexis went outside all bundled up for the cold, past the doorman and around the corner to where they couldn't be seen while Rick took the elevator back upstairs.

Kate picked up Alexis in her arms and held her tight. "Ready? We're going to jump up there." Kate points up to the roof of their 5 story building.

Alexis's eyes are wide. "REALLY!?" Alexis's mouth falls open. It wasn't possible. Alexis didn't know anyone or had even heard of anyone capable of jumping that high.

"Ready?" Kate asks again, getting Alexis to nod her head looking up in anticipation. "Here we go." And Kate leaps up onto the roof with ease.

Alexis's eyes were wide again. "WOW!"

Kate has Alexis sitting in her seat inside the shuttle with Kate in her seat when Rick finally shows up. "What kept you Rick? Did you crawl up here on your hands and knees?" Kate teased him.

"Oh funny, ha, ha." Rick responds and then leans in close. "I'll make you eat those words later tonight." Rick nibbled on her ear, getting Kate to moan in anticipation of what Rick was going to do later.

It caused Kate to place a hand behind his head and force his lips onto hers where she could kiss him soundly.

"So why are we up here?" Rick asks.

"I'm going to fly Alexis out into space and take her to my ship and give her a tour of where I have been for the months it took us to get here." Kate explains turning to look at Alexis, who was sitting there with her mouth hanging open. "You want to go?"

It got Alexis to nod her head even more enthusiastically then before. "Let's get you strapped in then." Kate reached across to adjust the straps for her before working on her own.

"Better step back Rick, it's not bad but no reason to take chances." Kate tells him.

Rick stepped back inside through the roof access door and watched Kate close up the shuttle, see the shuttle fire up and take off. "WOW!"

It took a few minutes. "We're in space on course for your moon." Kate tells her. "You can look out the little window on the side." Kate offers and twists the shuttle so that Alexis can first see the Earth below and then around for the moon they are still headed for.

"WOW!" Alexis's eyes were wide again.

It took a few more minutes for Kate to approach her ship and open the hanger doors. "We're entering my ship." Kate explains. Alexis watches all of it out her little window.

"The air is going to be a little stale, so it is going to smell funny until I can turn on some of the systems." Kate warns her, and opens the shuttle doors.

Kate has Alexis's hand as they walk for the bridge to turn on the environmental systems to clean the air. Alexis was holding her nose the whole way.

Alexis watches Kate sit in front of a number of TV screens as all of them come to life and the air soon starts smelling better. "Is this where you fly it?" Alexis asks her first question.

"Yup. … Come on, I'll give you the tour." Kate gets up and takes her hand.

"This is the kitchen and living room. We can watch movies on this screen. This bank of refrigerators held all our blood bags. … This is the medical area. We used the scanner to determine how long we could go without drinking blood for as long as possible. We needed to make our blood supply last as long as possible.

Come on, I'll scan you and you can see how it works." Kate offers and lifts Alexis up onto the bed. "Now lay down so I can turn on the scanner." Kate offers, and presses the button. Allowing Alexis to see the scanner bar run from her head down to her feet and then back again. "See didn't hurt a bit did it?" Kate smiled down at Alexis.

Then Kate looked at the readouts. It didn't show what Kate was expecting, but then Alexis wasn't a vampire so it was supposed to look different, still something was different. Kate now wished Lanie was here to look at this.

Alexis however was fidgeting while lying on the bed. "You want down?" Kate moved in to help Alexis off the scanner bed and onto the floor. However Alexis shook her head, so Kate stopped.

Then Kate watched Alexis reach somewhere and pulled out something from the edge of the bed.

Kate snatched it from Alexis's hand and stared at it. "What's that?" Alexis asked.

"It's a drive. We use it to hold computer programs. My mom used them all the time." Then a light bulb went on over Kate's head. Kate stepped over and plugged the drive into the medical computer system and did a search of the drive.

"It's a program. … My mother must have left it for us." Kate tried downloading it.

It took a few moments when suddenly this guy appeared out of nowhere. "EMH is active, how may I help you?" It immediately, then stepped over to the scanner bed where Alexis was still laying.

"Interesting." It said and activated the scanner again, only this time it pressed several more buttons.

"Very interesting!" The EMH stated while looking at the readouts located above the scanner bed.

"Please take her place so I can calibrate the equipment." The EMH turned to Kate.

Kate helped Alexis off the scanner bed and got up onto the scanner bed and laid down. "Is there something wrong with the equipment?" Kate needed this equipment to work if Lanie was going to be able to remove Rick's bullet from his back.

The EMH activated the scanner and started pressing buttons as the scanner bar passed over Kate twice, just like it did for Alexis.

"Very interesting." The EMH stated without emotion.


	27. Chapter 27

**CH27**

"How are we doing?" Johanna steps up behind her husband and places her hands on his shoulders.

"Not much has changed. We're still a little behind and far off to one side. Our storm that is helping to hide us is still going the same direction the Hunter ship is going. Without it they are likely to have seen us and blown us to hell and gone by now." Jim answers her question.

"How is our blood supply?" Jim asks with his throat burning so badly it felt like it was on fire.

"We've got a little under 2 months left and your next bag is in about half an hour." Johanna taps his shoulders. It got Jim to sigh, he could almost taste it already. He was long since ready to make the pain go away.

"Aren't those two in the same boat as us?" Johanna knew they ate food, but that had to be replenished too.

"Yes." Jim responds, knowing that if they didn't find a system either, they were just as dead in about the same amount of time as they were. "Their shielding is better than I gave it credit. It has been pushing storms out of the way without too much trouble. However most if not all of them have been the smaller variety."

Jim was glad they didn't have to find out if a proton bomb would take out their ship, since it might not work completely.

"How are we on fuel?" Johanna asks, since it was their only other non-renewable item.

"It'll last only a little longer than the blood sounds like." Jim was forced to answer.

Great, just great. Johanna was thinking. While they are dying from lack of blood they'll also be freezing to death. It did not sound appealing. "Is following them our only option?" Johanna wanted to find the girls or at least a system to get more blood and fuel.

"I don't know of any other options. At least being this far off to one side allows us to see off to one side. If they find something we should know about it, and if we find something way at the edge of our scanners but out of theirs, ..." Jim trailed off. It allowed them to have a wide angle of scanning for something. A better chance of finding something.

Johanna kissed his head. "Trade you places while you go get a blood bag." Johanna tells him.

"Thanks." Jim gets up and kisses his wife and heads for the bank of refrigerators that only one of them had anything in now.

Jim was soon back standing behind his wife looking at the screens as he sucked the blood out of the bag, and then eventually ripped it open to lick every last drop out of it before putting it in the trash.

"**TRASH!"** Jim ran back to his seat where Johanna was sitting looking at the screens. "Up honey, I have an idea."

Jim sat in his seat and started looking at his screens, and was soon looking at the recordings of all his scans. "What are you doing?" Johanna was watching but not really following what her husband is doing.

"We put our empty blood bags in the trash and every once in a while eject our trash out into space." Jim tells her.

It got Johanna to slap her hands over her mouth. The girls would have done the same. "Anything?" Johanna prayed there was something out there. Jim however was shaking his head, however he had months worth of scans to go over while keeping his eyes on the live scans.

Johanna was pacing back and fourth behind her husband. This had to work, it had to.

"THERE!" Jim pointed to one of his screens. "It's a small amount of trash still roughly bound together, about a month after the girls would have entered the area."

Johanna was practically jumping out of her skin and started kissing the back of her husband's head.

It was sometime later when Jim spoke up again. "Another one." Jim pointed.

Johanna was ready to burst. They were right behind the girls and they finally had concrete evidence that they were on the right track.

Jim however never saw another one. "What does that mean?" Johanna asks him now deflated.

"Could be anything. There is no wreckage of a ship so the girls haven't had their ship destroyed on them because of the storms. … Those same storms could have dispersed their trash to the point that I can't find them. … The girls may have stopped discharging their trash. … Or, ..." Jim trails off.

"OR?" Johanna was dying here.

"Or we are going the wrong way after the girls made a course change for whatever reason." Jim is forced to offer another option.

Johanna placed her head down on her husband's shoulder. "Please!" Johanna whispered out, her heart couldn't take much more of this. Getting Jim to place a hand on her head. He could only agree.

Josh was lying next to Tom after the two of them had just finished making love to each other. Tom was asleep, however Josh couldn't. He was worried too much. He was also the worrier of the two of them.

They had less than two months worth of food and they were going to have to be careful how they used the fuel they had left or it would run out first. Plus they were still chasing a ghost of fuel residue as burned off by a ship.

They were only hoping it was the Beckett's. Still it was a ship which hopefully meant there was a system near for it to go to.

They were already down to eating rations for food and water (Think MRE's). They couldn't even do laundry or water the plants anymore. The plants were starting to look ill already.

Josh got up and headed for the bridge to look at the screens. They needed to find something soon. Josh didn't even bother to get dressed, his clothes had all been worn anyway and needed to be cleaned so he might as well go without.

He was still looking at the screens hours later when Tom showed up behind him and ran his hands down his chest from behind kissing the back of his head. "Anything?" Tom asked him.

"Nothing new on the Beckett's or any system. Our fuel is running low too, plus we really need to stop soon to do maintenance on the shield emitters. They are way past their usual maintenance or replacement time." Josh points out.

"In the middle of the tormented zone with storms all around us, not likely to happen unless one of them fails." Tom counters.

"We don't and one of them fails and we'll have even bigger trouble." Josh points out.

"And changing an emitter means a spacewalk. Are you volunteering?" Tom asks knowing the answer. Listening to Josh remain silent. "Did you get any sleep?" Watching Josh shake his head no.

"You better go sleep. Anything happens soon you need to be rested, now go." Tom pokes him in the back.

It was enough to get Josh up and kiss Tom as he headed for his room to get some sleep.

Tom took the chair feeling it already warmed from Josh's heat. Getting him to remember the heat the two of them had not long ago created together. At least they had each other.

Kate sat up quickly. "What's interesting?" Kate was getting scared. What had the EMH found? Found with Alexis and found with her. "What have you found?" Kate's voice was cracking, her fear for Alexis was getting to her.

"The child, …." Kate interrupts him.

"Her name is Alexis, mine is Kate." Kate explains. Alexis wasn't just some child, she was a person and she was her's.

"My apologies. Alexis's scans indicate that she has a fraction of vampire DNA in her system. To have this amount of non-human DNA would indicate that one of her parents would have vampire DNA in their system when she was conceived. Also these genes appear to be dormant and may or may not remain that way.

Scans would suggest that it was the father, however I cannot rule out that it was the mother. However it was certainly not both." The EMH explains.

Kate is shocked silent and turns to look at Alexis. "Alexis is part vampire?" Kate asks still looking at a silent Alexis.

"She has only a fraction of vampire DNA, it is not enough to alter her human system in any way. She will not develop any vampire traits more than likely. However when she reaches puberty her vampire DNA may manifest itself in some small way. It is more likely that nothing will happen. It is presently inactive" The EMH explains.

"I'm a vampire?" Alexis had heard but not really understood.

It got Kate off the bed and into Kate's arms. "No honey, you are human. You're just not 100% pure human. I don't know what that means as you grow up, but likely nothing will happen." Kate tells her kissing her head.

"But I want to be just like you mom. … PLEASE?" Alexis loved Kate, couldn't she be more like her mom?

"I can extract some of your vampire DNA and attach it to hers so that when Alexis reaches puberty she will exhibit more vampire traits. However she will never be a full vampire." The EMH points out.

"However such a procedure will need to be delayed several months." The EMH adds.

"Delayed, as in a medical reason for a delay?" Kate keeps her arms around Alexis but looks at the EMH. "Why, what's wrong with me?"

"There is nothing wrong with you. You and your child are perfectly healthy." The EMH tells her.

That got Kate to start breathing again. Alexis was perfectly healthy. "If Alexis is perfectly healthy, why is the delay necessary?" Not that Kate was going to have her DNA introduced into Alexis without Rick's approval, no matter how much Alexis begged her.

"Alexis is healthy, although she is beginning to develop a cavity in one of her teeth, which is not uncommon and can be easily repaired. Also you and your child are perfectly healthy, even if it is extremely early." The EMH tells her.

"Alexis is, …. my child. …. MY CHILD! AS IN I'M PREGNANT?" Kate's mouth falls to the floor and she stops breathing again.

"You are presently about 2 weeks pregnant. Initial scans suggests that the child is part vampire and part human. Also initial scans suggests that it shares DNA with Alexis. Which suggests that the father of your child is also the father of Alexis.

Plus since Alexis has a fraction of vampire DNA in her it is likely that it is the father that gave her this DNA." The EMH explains.

Kate's mouth is still on the floor and her mind is still having trouble wrapping her mind around her being pregnant. "Your pregnant mom?" Alexis had no trouble grasping the concept, since she was smiling wide. Her dream of having a baby sister or baby brother was coming true.

That got Kate to snap her head around to look at Alexis. "Rick has vampire DNA?" Kate whispers out.

"If this Rick is the father of Alexis and your child, then yes, he has a fraction of vampire DNA in his system. Likely it is small enough that it does not manifest itself and unless he has had his DNA examined he would not be aware of it. Most likely his vampire DNA is as inactive as Alexis's." The EMH explains.

Kate sits back on the heels of her feet while still holding onto Alexis. "I'm pregnant." Kate was slowly wrapping her mind around this. Alexis however was still grinning wide.

"What does being half vampire and half human mean for the baby?" Kate asks. If she really was pregnant she didn't want to lose the baby.

"Difficult to tell at this time. Your pregnancy is still too early. It will likely take until the third trimester to answer that question with any confidence. … Since you are 100% vampire I suggest you start drinking blood more often. Your baby, even a half human baby will require you to be drinking more often to keep the baby healthy. You will also need to stay away from biting strange people who have not had their blood examined.

Drugs or alcohol in their blood stream could be detrimental to the baby since their blood becomes a part of your system." The EMH advises.

That was easy since Kate was only drinking from blood bags. She wasn't even biting Rick anymore since they had more than enough blood bags.

"I'm pregnant." Kate stared out into nowhere, still shocked.

Alexis however launched herself at Kate and hugged her. "I love you mom."

"Alexis is your child?" The EMH asks, a little confused since he knew Alexis looked to be about 6 while Kate looked to be about 19. It was not entirely beyond the realm of possibility, just not likely.

"It's a long story, but I'm not her biological mother." Kate explains. The EMH remains silent since the answer did not involve any medical information.

Kate looked at Alexis. "You do not tell your father honey. Not until I have a chance to explain it to him. … Promise me." Kate looks directly into Alexis's eyes. "You need to promise me honey, please." Kate begged her with her eyes.

"O-kay." Alexis really did want to tell her dad.

"Promise?" Kate tries again, watching Alexis draw a cross on her chest and then zip her lips closed.

Kate takes Alexis into her arms and holds her tight. "You cannot tell your father honey. Not until I tell him, this is very important." Kate whispers into her ear.

"Does this mean you can make me a vampire like you?" Alexis having a new prayer.

"Not until Kate has delivered the baby." The EMH answers her question for Kate. "We cannot risk causing any damage to the unborn child while it is developing inside Kate. However the sooner the vampire DNA is introduced into your system it will give your body time to adapt to the new DNA material and utilize this vampire DNA when you reach puberty."

"I'm pregnant." Kate stated it believing it this time. "Two weeks?" Kate turns her head to look at the EMH.

"Close to two weeks to the day." The EMH confirms.

Kate knew her and Rick had been making love to each other for roughly two months now. They hadn't used any protection even though Rick had offered. Kate was so sure that she couldn't get pregnant since Rick was human.

Except now it looked likely that Rick wasn't 100% human. Kate suddenly sat up straight, even though she still had Alexis in her arms. Did this help explain why Rick and even Alexis to a lesser extent smelled so good?

Rick was a hybrid human/vampire, even if the vampire part of him was only a fraction. Maybe that was why Kate loved the smell of Rick so much, he was special. He might be the only hybrid on the planet.

He did say he didn't know who his father was.

"I'm only 2 weeks pregnant, can you not remove my DNA now while it is still early and attach it to Alexis's?" Kate needed options.

The EMH was silent for a time while its program used the computer to run some simulations. "So long as we avoid your uterus wall and only take the required DNA from say your stomach area, it is likely the baby will not be affected at this early stage." The EMH answers her question.

"And you can do this procedure here, with this equipment?" It was all Kate had, even her parents ship wasn't going to be any better. And both ships were already years ahead of anything on Earth. Lanie had been moaning constantly about how far behind the times this planet was.

"Yes, the entire process will take approximately an hour." The EMH answers her question.

"Can you also assist Lanie in removing a bullet lodged against Rick's spinal column?" Kate needed Rick healthy and not looking at being rendered paralyzed.

"I will need to place Rick under the scanner and have time to analyze the findings, however it is likely that it could be accomplished." The EMH answers.

Kate had a lot to think about and needed time to think about all this. "We need to go home." Kate tells Alexis. "We'll be back, EMH off." Kate calls out and watches the EMH vanish in an instant.

Kate took Alexis with her back to the bridge where she started shutting the systems back down again, putting the ship to sleep again. "Come on honey, let's go home."

Kate had Alexis strapped in tight since the ride home was going to be bumpy. "The ride home is going to get scary so try and relax honey, but we'll be fine." Kate warns her before letting the shuttle plummet down to the planet like a meteor. Leveling out just above the water in the Atlantic Ocean and making her way towards Rick's building just like the other times.

They found the roof access door closed so Kate walked over to the edge of the building and picked Alexis up. "Remember honey, you can't talk to your father about anything we learned, not until I tell you that you can. … Promise?" It got Alexis to zip her mouth closed.

"That's my girl." Kate gave her head a quick kiss.

It also got Alexis to wrap her arms around Kate's neck. "I love you mom." And I'm going to be a vampire just like mom!

"I love you too Alexis. … Now we are going to step off the roof and land on the ground below. Everything will be fine." Kate warns her.

"Can I do this when I'm a vampire?" Alexis asks.

It initially scared Kate, they were going to have to have a long talk with Alexis about her getting some of Kate's vampire DNA, and why she wants it so bad and what it means for her.

"I don't know honey, and we need to talk about that long before we add my DNA to your system." Kate tries to get her less excited about this. Being more vampire was a big decision and once her DNA was bonded with Alexis, it couldn't be removed when or if Alexis didn't like the results.

"But I want to be like you mom! …. I love you." Alexis held Kate tighter and buried her face in Kate's neck.

It got Kate's heart to flip a few times and forced Kate to blink back the tears. Alexis had gotten so far into her heart it was difficult to deny Alexis anything.

Kate jostled Alexis. "Ready?" Kate looked around to make sure the area was empty. Getting a nod from Alexis, Kate stepped off the roof and dropped to the ground, bending her knees a little on impact.

"COOL!" Alexis could hardly wait until she could do that.

Kate carried Alexis all the way back into the loft, using her own key to get in. Kate let Alexis down who immediately went looking for her dad. "HEY DAD, we're back!"

Alexis found Rick in his study. "It was really cool dad!" Kate could hear Alexis from the front door where she was still standing.

Telling Alexis that she loved her and taken a lot of her courage. Telling Rick that she was pregnant was going to take even more. And then add to that, "Oh by the way, you and Alexis each have vampire DNA in your system". Kate ran her hands over her face.

"You better get here soon mom, I'm dying here." Kate exhaled her breath heavily.

Kate made her way into Rick's study and stood in the doorway listening to Alexis tell Rick all about her trip to Kate's ship.

Alexis tried to describe the bridge area, the kitchen, the sofa in front of a TV, space for 3 bunk beds, the one bathroom, and the area where the shuttle landed.

"What did the ship look like?" Rick asks Alexis after she slows down enough for Rick to get a word in.

"Oooops, I forgot to let her see." Kate answered his question, making a face of apology.

"So you enjoyed it?" Rick asks Alexis, kinda stating the obvious.

"It was cool dad!" Alexis was out in space and on a real space ship.

"It's your bedtime pumpkin, better go get ready and I'll be up to tuck you in." Rick sets Alexis down on the floor. "Now shoo." Rick gives her a little nudge to get Alexis going.

Rick saved his work and went upstairs with Kate right behind him. "Did you wash and brush your teeth?" Rick asks as he tucks Alexis into bed.

"Yes dad." Alexis asks a little exasperated that her dad would think she wouldn't.

"Good night pumpkin, I love you." Rick kisses her forehead.

"I love you too dad." Alexis meant it too. Rick had been there for her every time she needed him.

Rick stopped just outside the door, but could still see in. "Good night honey." Kate kissed her head too. "I love you too."

"Night m, … Kate, I love you too." Alexis almost broke her promise not to call Kate mom where her dad could hear. "Are you going to tell dad?" Alexis whispered softer.

"Yes honey, I promise to tell your dad. Now go to sleep." Kate stroked her hair and kissed her again.

Rick walked with Kate down the stairs. "Tell me what?" Rick asks.


	28. Chapter 28

**CH28**

Johanna stepped up behind her husband who had his mind buried in his screens and kissed the back of his head and placed the already warmed up blood bag with a straw in it in front of his eyes.

"Thanks!" Jim took it and started drinking, feeling the blood smooth his throat that was on fire. His throat soon felt so much better.

Jim stopped drinking about half way done and relaxed back into his seat letting out a contented sigh, and then went back to drinking. Just a little more slowly this time so he could relish the taste and feeling.

"Anything yet?" Johanna asks her husband with her hands on his shoulders.

It got Jim to stop drinking. "No, I've got nothing. … For reasons that escape me our storm we are using to hide from the Hunters with is still traveling in the same direction they are.

I'm beginning to fear that these two aren't as good as we are hoping they are." Jim was getting worried. "How is our blood supply?" Jim asks his wife, not really wanting an answer.

"A little around a month, barely. We'll be gone before the end of two months." Johanna points out the obvious.

"I hope the girls are alright. I don't mind dying, it's stared me in the face since I was born. But knowing that we failed our daughter is going to haunt me." Jim's tears started.

Johanna placed the side of her face down against her husband's. "We haven't failed them yet babe." Johanna kissed the side of his head. Noticing that Jim was done with his blood bag. "Come on, into the scanner with you. We need to make what we have last as long as possible. We give up when we run out of blood and fuel." Johanna taps his shoulders to get him up out of his chair and into the scanner.

Jim was just finding out how long until his next blood bag when he could hear his screens beeping for him. It got Jim up and running with Johanna right behind him. "What is it?" Johanna asks getting Jim to hold up a finger for a moment while he worked.

"Our storm is changing course away from the Hunter ship." Jim tells her. "We either go with it or reveal ourselves to stay close to the Hunter ship." Jim tells her their options.

"Without the storm to cover us the Hunters will see us." Johanna doesn't see a choice, but maybe her husband has yet another plan.

"And when they do they'll walk right over here and blow us into pieces. Even a Command Carrier would have trouble taking on a Hunter ship." Jim agreed.

"So we go with the storm." Johanna doesn't see an alternative.

"Maybe we can pop out long enough to spot the Hunter ship in a couple of weeks, before retreating back to our storm." Jim offers. Johanna remained silent, they were making big decisions now. Life and death decisions.

**It was two weeks later now (time stamp places this at the same time as Kate finding out she is pregnant):**

Johanna was standing behind her husband. "We've got barely under 3 weeks of blood left." Johanna tells her husband. Three weeks later and they would be dead.

"And our fuel is only going to last another month." Jim adds. Both knowing their time was up.

"Do we leave our little storm to look for the Hunter ship?" Johanna asks him.

Jim sighed. As soon as they showed up on the Hunters scanner they would pounce on them. "Die now or die a month from now." Jim offers their choice.

"I want those weeks babe. I'm not giving up on the girls just yet. … Maybe the girls will find us." Johanna offers. Johanna was grasping for straws and she knew it, but she wasn't ready to die just yet. They had a month still. A painful month maybe, but still a month.

"Jim, … Babe?" What did her husband want to do?

Jim flexed his head. Dying of blood starvation was not how he wanted to die. Maybe they could ram the Hunter ship, overload their shielding and they die together. Maybe saving the lives of the girls, where ever they were. Not having Hunters breathing down their throats.

Jim was all set to argue his case when his scanner started beeping, getting his fingers to fly over the controls. "What is it? … The Hunters?"

Jim however was shaking his head. "It's a trash bundle. … Still mostly tightly packed." Jim answers her question.

"THE GIRLS!" Johanna squeezes his shoulders getting Jim to moan a little from the pain. Johanna yanked her hands away. "SORRY!" And kisses his head.

A few hours later Jim has their ship sitting right next to the trash bundle. "Anything?" Johanna was still standing right behind him, not wanting to leave his side.

"They are definitely blood bags, cut open and drained dry. About a month's worth for two people, maybe longer." Jim tells her. It got Johanna to sigh. They were close, she could feel it.

"Now where did they go from here?" Johanna asks. They were running out of time.

Jim had his head tilted heavily to one side. It was a look Johanna knew well, since she knew her husband. "What babe?"

Jim points to something on one of his main screens. "This area here, there is something about it." Jim tilts his head to the other side, trying to make sense of what he thinks he sees.

Kate steps out of the bathroom wearing literally nothing but one of Rick' dress shirts that only has one of the buttons buttoned. Kate could see it got Rick to stop breathing as he watched every move Kate made.

Kate was relishing that she could do this to him. Wondering if he knew that he could and had done the same to her?

Kate climbed into bed and rested the side of her head on his chest, listening to his heartbeat and breathing in his unique smell, thinking that she understood now why that was. Kate could feel that Rick was a little fidgety under her. Actually Kate felt the same, she hadn't been over here for a week now as usual, and she wanted to make love to Rick likely as badly as Rick wanted to make love to her.

"There is something we need to talk about babe." Kate moves so that she is laying on her side with her arms holding Rick close to her with her lips just a fraction away from hers. They could feel each other's breath on the other.

"I haven't heard from Meredith since that one day she showed up when I wasn't here. Meredith in black and white was only in the paper that one day." Rick however did know that pictures of Meredith all painted up in color were still out there.

Rick didn't know what those pictures had done to her supposed acting career, not that he cared. Even his mother had called to find out if he had seen the pictures. They were all still on his computer that he would look at from time to time when he thought he needed cheering up.

Kate had really done a good job on her. Meredith looked just like Harley Quinn from the Batman animated cartoon series. It had likely taken days to get all that paint off. Rick had laughed his ass off picturing Meredith sitting on a plane wearing who knows what, still all painted up.

As to how she got back to California, without money or her driver's license, or even found clothes to wear since she had no money on her. Kate had thrown all of that into one of the rivers. Rick had no idea. Still it was amusing to think that the egotistical, stuffy, pigheaded, full of herself Meredith had been reduced to who knows what to get back to California had been amusing.

For an alien from outer space vampire, Kate had one hell of a sense of humor. It did tell Rick to never get her mad at him, who knows what she would do to him.

"Talk about what?... Is Alexis alright? Did you see a Hunter ship?" Rick started dreaming up all kinds of ideas, most of them bad.

"Alexis is fine, and no I didn't see a Hunter ship." Kate takes those worries away from him.

"I put Alexis in the medical scanner to show her how it worked to explain how Lanie and I used it during out trip here. …. We used it to determine how long we could go between drinking blood bags. We needed for the blood we had to last as long as possible." Kate explains.

"You two haven't even emptied one of the refrigerators yet." Rick points out since he had been checking. He needed to know when to call his friend again to get another batch.

It got Kate to smile, Rick was always looking out for her, and by extension Lanie too. Kate was even finding new panties in the drawer Rick had cleared out for her to put some of her clothes in for when she was here.

Rick had been teasing Kate causing Kate to get wet and stain her panties and forced to throw some of them out. After the first three were ruined and tossed in the trash Rick had replaced them with 6 new pairs. And not the simple inexpensive Fruit-of-the-loom type Kate had bought either.

It had gotten Kate to smile wide at how thoughtful Rick truly was. He was just way too good for her.

"When Alexis was in the scanner she found something my mom had left us. Basically it is a computer controlled doctor. I downloaded it into the computer and he redid the scan on Alexis and kept saying interesting.

Then he had me get in the scanner, and kept saying interesting." Kate tells him.

Rick was suddenly scared. "Something is wrong with Alexis? Something is wrong with you? …. Come on, you're killing me here Kate." Rick started stroking Kate's hair, willing for Kate to talk.

"Rick, don't freak out. … Promise?" Kate stroked Rick's face and kissed the tip of his nose.

"I'm already freaking out, the best I can offer is to not freak out any further. … Now what?" Rick moved his hand to Kate's shoulder.

"The doctor found a small amount of vampire DNA in Alexis's system." Kate tells Rick scrunching up her face not sure how Rick was going to take that.

Rick however was silent. Too silent. "Rick, … say something." Rick had also stopped stroking her hair.

"Alexis has vampire DNA?" Rick doesn't believe it.

"A very small amount yes. Without doing a scan of her parents he suggested that she got it from only one of them. You being the most likely candidate." Kate explains.

"I have vampire DNA?" Rick's eyes were wide.

"An equally small amount yes. Not enough that either of you have noticed and likely never will." Kate tells him.

Rick was silent for a time. "You sure your computer doctor isn't broken or missing a few memory cells?" Rick questions.

It was true Kate had been too shocked to have the computer run a diagnostic of the EMH. "Pretty sure yeah."

"O-kay, for the sake of argument Alexis and I have vampire DNA, and I want to have a chat with this computer doctor of yours, just how did Alexis and I get this small amount of vampire DNA?" Rick was dying to hear this.

"I don't know, but I have a guess." Kate offers looking at Rick, thankful that he wasn't running.

Rick just stared at Kate willing her to tell him her guess. "You said once that you didn't know who your father was and that your mother had only met him that one time." Kate offers.

"So my mother got pregnant by a vampire?" Is that what Kate was telling him.

"In a manner of speaking, yes. It's just that a 100% vampire can't get a 100% human pregnant." Kate prays he didn't take this wrong.

Rick's eyes opened wide. "Your suggesting that my mother is a vampire? …. That's not possible Kate, I grew up with her. She eats food and drinks alcohol. … Sometimes too much alcohol, but I would know if my mother was a vampire." Rick counters her theory.

"Not a true vampire like me or Lanie. For your mother to get pregnant by a vampire she would need to have a small amount of vampire DNA in her. Just like you and Alexis." Kate explains.

Rick started trying to work this out in his mind. His mother has a small amount of vampire DNA that was transferred to him when his mother got pregnant by a true vampire. He in turn transferred this small amount of vampire DNA to Alexis.

"Does that mean Meredith has or is a vampire?" Rick asks, thinking it might explain a few things about her.

"Likely not, no. For the most part you and Alexis are human, capable of having a human child. You simply transferred a small amount of your vampire DNA to Alexis." Kate counters his thinking.

It got Rick silent again for a while as he thought all this over some more.

His father was a true vampire who got his mother pregnant because she has a small amount of vampire DNA in her system, somehow.

Now he and Alexis have a small amount of vampire DNA and Kate is a true vampire.

_SHIT! Was it possible? Was Kate capable of? Was she already? Her computer doctor had said "Interesting" while Kate was in this scanner of hers._

"**KATE?" **Rick searched her eyes. What he saw was tears and fear. SHE WAS! And she's afraid. Afraid of his reaction or afraid for the baby or both. A half human half vampire baby. Just what did that mean for their child?

Kate started nodding her head. "I'm pregnant. …. About 2 weeks." Kate tells him and starts praying.

_Please don't run Rick, I can't do this without you! … PLEASE!? I love you! … There I admit it._

"You're pregnant?" Rick needed to hear it again or confirm it somehow, watching Kate nod her head, wiping away tears. However there was still fear in her eyes.

"We're having a baby." Rick started smiling. "A human baby, a vampire baby or both?" Rick questioned quickly. "Who cares, we're having a baby." Rick didn't let Kate say a word and was suddenly kissing her.

Kate woke up in the morning and found herself lying on top of Rick with his arms holding her in place, like he was afraid she was going to run away. It got Kate to smart smiling as she moved a hand to her mouth to feel her lips, they were still tingling after all this time. Rick hadn't sent her away or even panicked.

They had even made love to each other last night, several times actually as usual. Kate had long since stopped trying to count the number of orgasms she had, had last night. The things Rick had done to her Kate didn't know could even happen. He had even teased her about tying her to the bed so he could have his way with her.

Ignoring the fact that Kate had more than enough strength to break anything he used to tie her down with. It had however sounded interesting enough to let him try sometime.

Kate soon felt Rick's hand soothing up and down her back which told her Rick was awake. Kate turned her head to look up at him. "Hi."

"Hi pregnant lady." Rick responded back. It got Kate to turn her face into his chest to hide the blush that was starting to form. "Since all of this took place on your ship I presume that Alexis knows all about this?" Rick questions.

"Yeah, she knows everything. I got her to promise not to tell you until I had a chance to talk to you." Kate admits.

"So Alexis knows she has vampire DNA in her system as well as me." Rick isn't questioning.

"Yeah, she knows everything. … That leads to two more things we need to talk about." Kate turned her head back to face him, not taking it off his chest.

"There's more?" That was a bit of a surprise, what more could there be?

"Please don't get mad, …. Promise." Kate didn't want Rick to get mad about this.

"It's about Alexis, isn't it?" Rick could guess.

"Yeah, you remember when we went out to your house in the Hamptons?" Kate started off. "I took Alexis out for a run to show her how fast a vampire could be. It was one of her birthday presents."

Rick remembered, he actually saw Kate disappear into the distance in the blink of an eye. Granted it was dark out when she did, so they kinda disappeared into the dark.

"I actually gave her two presents that day. You asked me to give her something from my heart as a gift. So I did, I gave her my heart." Kate tells him.

Rick remained silent not sure what Kate meant by that comment. "I told her that day that I loved her. And I do love her, so very much." Kate reached out a hand to trace her fingertip along Rick's lower lip.

"I take it Alexis took it well." Rick had noticed his daughter come alive when Kate was over and moody during the weekdays when she wasn't.

"She asked if she could call me mom." Kate confesses. "I got her to promise not to call me mom in public or when you were around. I was afraid of what you would think if she did, and I'm only 19, which is far too young to be her mother.

However Alexis has been calling me mom more and more lately. It's only a matter of time before she does it when someone else is present." Kate confides, praying that Rick doesn't get mad.

"So what happened on your ship?" Kate was leading him to something.

"Alexis found out she had a tiny amount of vampire DNA and she asked if she could have more so she could be just like her mom, meaning me." Kate scrunches her face, not sure how Rick was going to take this.

"Alexis wants to be a vampire." Rick stated it smiling, remembering that he had once asked Kate if he could turn her into a vampire like her. "Is that even possible?" Rick asked getting Kate to lay there on top of him in shock.

"Apparently it is, to a point. The doctor can take my vampire DNA and bind it to hers. Then when she reached puberty she would begin to manifest vampire traits, whatever those would be." Kate confides, still in shock.

"So Alexis would be just like our baby most likely. Half human and half vampire. So if this is possible when do we add the DNA to her system?" Puberty could happen anytime, it seemed to be happening earlier and earlier lately.

"Now or after I have the baby. The doctor wants to do it early to allow Alexis's system time to bond with the vampire DNA." Kate explains.

"Did this doctor say what was going to happen to our baby? I mean what happens if he or she is half human and half vampire?

Have your speed, smell and hearing? Need to drink blood to survive or eat food? Or other vampire traits? …. Wait you told me once that your eyes can't take direct sunlight. It was early and I probably wasn't listening. How are you overcoming that?" Rick asks.

"Lanie and I wear full eye contacts. We've been cleaning and re-using the few we have." Kate explains.

"WHY THE HELL DIDN'T YOU TELL ME?" Rick was instantly mad. "I thought we were past keeping secrets. You think I want you to have your eyes burn out because you run out of contacts?" Rick sighs and places his arm over his eyes. "What am I going to do with you?" Rick tries to calm down.

"I'm sorry Rick, I'm not used to having humans helping me. I've spent my life hiding what I am from humans, so they don't turn us in to the authorities who would call in the Hunters and kill us." Kate had spent her life on the run.

Rick instantly calmed down. "I'm sorry Kate, I forgot you've been on the run all your life. It's just that I love you and I forget that humans would fear your kind." Rick stroked her hair.

Kate sucked in a breath. "You love me?" Kate searched his eyes.

It got Rick to smile, it was not how he imagined telling her. Rick had some grand event forming in his mind to tell her. Something during Thanksgiving maybe. "Yes, I love you. So very much."

It got Kate to leap up and kiss him, stroking his bare chest with her hand. "I love you too Rick." Kate's tears started. "I love you and Alexis so very much. So much that it scares me. I'm a vampire and you're human. Someone I should be running from not falling in love with." Kate tells him smiling into his lips.

"Well apparently not ALL human." Rick teased arching his eyebrows a couple of times. It got Kate to start giggling. "If it will work for Alexis will it work for me?" Rick revived his wanting to be a vampire just like Kate, the woman he loved.

Kate started giggling again. "Sorry, you're already past puberty, unless there is something you need to tell me." Kate grinned wide.

"DAMN, just my luck." Rick is bummed. "Come on into the shower with us, we need to talk with Alexis about her desire to be more like her mother." Rick bent down to kiss Kate.

An hour later after sex in the shower Rick and Kate were in the kitchen. "You go get our girl while I make breakfast for us, we need to talk to her." Rick leaned in to kiss Kate.

Kate flew up the stairs happier than she ever expected to be.

A freshly washed and dressed for the day, Alexis came down with Kate to have breakfast. "Soooo, Kate is mom I hear." Rick places a plate of gooey pancake in front of Alexis.

It got Alexis to start smiling and start nodding her head, picking up her fork since she loved her gooey messy pancakes.

Kate sat there watching both of them eat breakfast, smiling. Her life was changing and she was liking the changes. Still not sure what to think about being pregnant. She was likely going to miss the beginning of school next year, since she would be very pregnant by then and just about ready to give birth.

Give birth! "We need to talk with Lanie. I can't have this baby in one of your hospitals. They'll lock all of us up if I do." Kate suddenly thought of new hurdles they needed to overcome.

That got Alexis to stop eating. "Dad knows?" Was Alexis let out of her promise?

It got Kate to smile at Alexis and kiss the side of her head. "Yes your father knows I'm pregnant. We talked last night." Kate tells her.

"It's cool dad!" Alexis was so happy.

"I hear you want to be a vampire too." Rick tells her.

That got Alexis to look up at her dad in surprise. "Please dad, I want to be just like mom. … Please?" Alexis put her fork down and didn't finish her precious pancake.

"You understand what you are asking for pumpkin? It may mean you have to switch to drinking blood. You can't be taken to the hospital or they will find out you are part vampire. You may not be able to have children when you grow up. You may get sick from something that only a vampire can catch." Rick was just getting started. They were all things that might pertain to their baby too.

"Please dad?" Alexis tried again. Then turned to look at Kate. "MOM?"

"The Hunters if they show up will want to kill you too." Rick points out, which got him to suddenly inhale his breath. If they showed up they would try to kill Kate and their baby. Rick started coming up with another plan to deal with them. It was in his nature to love and protect his family, and Kate and their baby were family.


	29. Chapter 29

**CH29**

**It was now 2 weeks later:**

Jim and Johanna were sitting there in space looking at this one huge storm dancing. "What do you think?" Johanna was right behind her husband again as they both watched the screens.

"I'd like to give this storm some time to calm down a little or at least move some." Jim would settle for almost anything, not what it looked like they were going to have to do.

"You think the girls are in there?" Johanna and her husband had left the safety of their little storm, but didn't have the Hunter ship anywhere on their scanner.

"I wish I knew, however if it is what I think it is, we can at least replenish our blood supply. As for our fuel, we can work that out after we are on the other side. Provided we can get on the other side." Jim points out their one major obstacle.

"You still think it's a barrier?" Johanna asks him. Johanna was forced to rely on her husband's expertise. It was one of the reasons their family had lasted as long as it has.

"Oh it's a barrier alright. The question is how much of a barrier. It is obviously keeping the storms out, just will it keep us out as well? And then there is the storm itself. Damn thing is so huge we don't have the time or fuel to go around it. So we got through it. … Hopefully." This time Jim crossed his fingers in front of his wife.

Johanna reached out and uncrossed his fingers. "The girls are in there babe, we just need to find them." And Johanna kisses the side of his head.

"I've done maintenance on every system I can think of. You need to handle any hull breeches or fires we get going through this thing. … How are the refrigerators and the EMH?" Jim asks.

"The lone refrigerator that has the three whole blood bags we have left is presently on emergency power. I took it off the ships main power. It should last as long as our fuel does. And I've downloaded the EMH onto a drive so I can re-load him if necessary. All the other systems are off-line." Johanna answers his question.

"Better strap in then, there's no time like the present." Jim tells her and watches his wife take the other chair and secure her straps.

"No matter what happens, I love you babe and I'm proud of you." Johanna blinked back her tears.

"I love you too." Jim smiles at his wife. Happy that she came into his life. "Here we go." And Jim applied thrust and charged for one edge of the storm, praying for the best.

Tom and Josh were both racing around their ship trying to patch all the holes in the hull with only the emergency lights operational. They had run out of food 2 days ago and had decided to try and run through the barrier they had encountered.

It was two hours later when Tom and Josh met up on the bridge. "How are we?" Josh asks since Tom was sitting in the pilot seat.

"I'm not reading any hull breaches so we got them all it would appear. …. Three of our emitters are fried, leaving our entire port side exposed. It'll take both of us hours to replace them and require an extended time doing a spacewalk.

Problem is we don't have the time to spare. We have no food and only about a week's worth of water, and only enough fuel to get to the other side of this system. If there is somewhere to land that has an atmosphere we won't have enough fuel to make it back into orbit." Tom explains.

"So what is out there?" Josh asks.

"I've got 8 planets, 4 of which are gas giants and the other 4 are rocks. Two are in the so called sweet zone, so those two may be promising. … I've got no ships on scans. There are no other ships but us in the system." Tom explains.

"Communications?" Josh asks.

Tom shakes his head. "That system is fried and will take us days to repair, provided that we have the parts. We won't be sending any signals or receiving anything anytime soon, if at all." Tom is forced to tell him.

"It gets worse I'm afraid. Our rear scanners are just plain gone." Tom is forced to tell him.

"Meaning someone could come up our ass and we wouldn't know it until after it was all over." Josh hates this part of the news.

"Not until we see each other in our next life." Tom agrees.

"How can there be no ships in the system? Someone created that barrier. I don't know of anyone who has that kind of technology. Just think what it took to design such a system, let alone the power requirements." Josh didn't understand. It had Tom shaking his head too.

"I'm setting course for the two planets in the sweet zone, it's our best option." Tom fires up the thrusters and sets course for the closer of the two planets.

Kate unlocked the front door of the loft and stepped inside closing and locking the door. The entire front door and the wall itself had been replaced. Rick had, had all of it replaced.

The lock on the door had also been replaced too. It now required a coded magnetic card run across a reader along with a normal key to unlock the door.

And then just inside the door along with other locations around the loft there were these little LCD panels that allowed you to view an angle from any one of the almost countless video cameras spread out all around the building, including the roof. Each of the eight mini screens was about two inches across, two across and four down, all in black and white.

Kate could even see her shuttle sitting on the roof. In order for that camera to be installed Kate had been forced to move it for a whole day. Rick had told her that the front door would now need to be blown open with explosives. Normal weapons fire wouldn't have any effect on it.

Kate had only just finished closing and locking the door. "MOM!" And Kate got slammed into by Alexis who wrapped her arms around her legs. It got Kate to kneel down to her level. "Hi honey, how's my girl." Kate wrapped her arms around her and kissed her head.

"I feel fine mom." Alexis rolled her eyes. Her dad and Kate had been asking her that for days.

Kate had relented and had taken Alexis back out to her ship to undergo the procedure to have some of Kate's vampire DNA bonded to Alexis's system.

Kate still worried about what this would do to Alexis, however Rick hadn't been concerned. "Our baby is going to be half vampire and half human Kate. This just means that Alexis will be just like him or her. … Besides it will make Alexis more yours than it does Meredith's." It was the last straw Kate needed to agree to this procedure.

Kate wanted any trace of that witch removed from Alexis's life, she had done enough damage already.

There had been a minor amount of discomfort for both of them; however it had only lasted a few days.

Thanksgiving with Lanie had been great. Lanie had spent the entire day with them. Alexis had taken Lanie's hand as soon as she got through the front door and dragged her up to her room to show it off to her.

They came back downstairs and watched a movie while Rick spent his time in the kitchen cooking. Alexis had run for the kitchen when the movie was over and rewinding for the next one.

"You look happier than I've ever seen you Kate." Lanie commented.

It got Kate to start smiling. "Yeah I am happy. I'm still worried about the baby though. I mean I only drink blood, how is that going to translate to a half human baby?"

"The baby develops using the nutrients you provide it. So long as you remain healthy, so will your baby. There's nothing to worry about. … Now after the baby is born is going to be more interesting. Will he or she drink milk like a human or blood like a vampire or will it be a mix of the two.

You're about to make history Kate, I've never heard of anyone having a hybrid human/vampire baby before. This is new territory. … I'm just glad you found that drive with the EMH that your mom left for us. He is going to come in real handy in the future." Lanie had kicked herself for thinking Johanna would leave them with a useless EMH since she was a genius at programming.

"How is Alexis?" Lanie also knew Kate had let the EMH take some of her vampire DNA and bond them with Alexis's system.

It got Kate to smile. "Alexis is her normal happy self if not more so. Somehow being half vampire has made her even happier than she ever was before." Kate chuckled.

"I'm still dying for your parents to find us and hear Alexis call you mom for the first time. It'll really blow their minds if it is a few months from now, like 6 months or more." Lanie was teasing Kate again.

It earned Lanie a light swat to her arm, but Kate was grinning wide thinking the same thing.

"It's hard to tell as much as we've moved around, but you might be 20 now." Lanie pointed out.

"LANIE, not so loud." Kate chastised her. "We don't know for sure and Rick loves these kinds of occasions. I'd never hear the end of it if Rick thought he had missed my birthday." Kate wanted to just celebrate it in peace, with no big fanfare.

"IT'S YOUR BIRTHDAY!" Alexis yelled out. This was followed by a crash in the kitchen. "It's whose birthday?" Rick had heard his daughter.

Rick was over into the living room in a flash. "Kate?" Rick glared down at her.

"I don't know for sure. A year here and a year on the mining moon we were at last are likely not the same. I could have turned 20 months ago or next month for that matter." Kate tells him.

"Details, details. We need a birthday cake." Rick commented. "And birthday balloons, birthday presents and of course we have to sing happy birthday. … Right pumpkin?" Getting Alexis to nod her head enthusiastically.

"I can't believe you didn't tell us. I am so going to get you for holding out on us. Its Thanksgiving Day so all the stores are closed today. OK, tomorrow is now officially your birthday." Rick was suddenly all happy, and then it changed just as fast.

"That means I have to go shopping for a birthday present on the Friday after Thanksgiving! … OH GOD!" Rick ran his hand down his face. Tomorrow was going to be hell, he just knew it.

Lanie and Kate had gotten their first ever Thanksgiving. Alexis had been thankful for Kate being her mommy. Rick had been thankful for Kate landing on his roof and letting them love her.

It was also Lanie's first time at watching Rick and Alexis eat food while her and Kate drank from their warmed up blood bags. Noticing that neither Rick nor Alexis cared. Alexis had even called it Thanksgiving blood.

Rick had spent the time after eating cleaning up while Lanie, Kate and Alexis watched a movie, with Alexis cuddled in close to Kate. It had Lanie grinning at Kate watching the two of them cuddling in close seeing how obvious they loved each other. Kate had mouthed "Shut up" at Lanie as Lanie teased Kate with her eyes.

"Where's your father?" Kate asked Alexis picking her up to hold Alexis in her arms after stepping into the apartment.

"Downstairs, putting blood in the refrigerators." Alexis explains.

Kate had forgotten that Rick had arranged for his friend to restock the refrigerators for her and Lanie today. "That means you get to come with me and cuddle on the sofa. I need some loving." It got Alexis to smile, only too happy to snuggle with her mom.

Kate didn't know what was keeping Rick, still it was nice to just sit and hold Alexis and bury her nose into her hair and breathe her in. The smell of Alexis didn't do for her what the smell of Rick did, however she did enjoy it. Now she had a reason why.

Alexis was all but sitting in Kate's lap. "Mom?"

"Hhmmm, what honey?" Kate was relaxed and Alexis's question was intruding on her quiet time.

"What do you want for Christmas?" Alexis needed to think of something to give Kate.

It got Kate to suddenly think of Christmas. Rick had explained the part that most interested him. Kate was pretty sure there was more to it than decorations and presents, however all of the commercials on TV tended to suggest otherwise.

"I have what I need most. I've got you and your dad." Kate answers her question and bends her head down to kiss the top of Alexis's head. "What do you want for Christmas?" Kate turns the tables on her.

Alexis had Kate and she was now a vampire just like Kate, there wasn't really anything else she wanted most in the world. So Alexis shook her head.

"Well you think of something, you let me know." Kate pulled Alexis in a little tighter.

Kate could smell Rick entering the apartment before he had even tried to close the door. "There you are." Rick moved over to the sofa to kiss Kate's head. "Your refrigerators are all full again. I've even added a small Honda generator to the room to serve the outlets they are plugged into. So if the power goes out all one of us needs to do is making sure it has fuel.

"You want some lunch pumpkin?" Rick calls out over his shoulder as he walks for the kitchen.

"Thanks dad." Alexis adjusts her position up against Kate, until Rick calls to tell her that lunch is ready.

It got Alexis to sit at the table with Kate right behind her. "Lunch is served your majesty." And Rick places a plate with a warmed up blood bag on it in front of Alexis." Rick was doing his best to keep from grinning at his little joke.

"DAD!?" Alexis looks at him.

"What pumpkin, one not enough? We wouldn't want to spoil your dinner, now would we?" Rick countered, trying mightily not to smile.

Kate however was behind Alexis so couldn't see her and Kate was ready to burst out laughing, which wasn't helping Rick any since he could see Kate's face.

"Dad?" Alexis looked at him complaining that this wasn't lunch.

"I thought you were a vampire now. Vampires drink blood." Rick was about to fail keeping a straight face.

Kate however saved him since she couldn't take it anymore, not that looking at Rick's face was helping any, and burst out laughing.

Kate was clutching her stomach and was doing all she could to remain standing as Kate stumbled around using whatever she came across to help remain standing.

It was now all too much for Rick as he started laughing with Kate. "Drink, … drink up pumpkin. It's, …. It's good for you." Rick tries holding his breath to see if that would help.

"It tastes yucky." Alexis whispers out.

Kate puts herself back together just long enough. "You've tasted blood before?" Kate looks down at her.

"I caught her in the refrigerator taste testing one of your blood bags the day after she got some of your DNA." Rick explains.

It had Kate stumbling around laughing her ass off all over again.

"Fine, I'm sure Kate will drink it. At least she knows good blood when she tastes it." Rick pushes the plate in front of Alexis aside and goes into the kitchen to pick up the sandwich he had already pre-made for her.

A few minutes later both Rick and Kate are sitting at the table, with Rick eating his sandwich and Kate drinking Alexis's discarded blood bag. The EMH doctor had told her to drink more often for the health of the baby.

Everything was fine until Alexis turned to glare at Kate about her dad's little joke and Kate's laughing. The look Alexis gave her caught Kate in the middle of sucking on her straw, when Kate had to start laughing again.

This caused the straw to slip out of her mouth and Kate sprayed part of the contents of her mouth all over Alexis. Who now had little drops of blood all over Alexis.

"I'm so sorry honey." Kate was mortified that she had just done that, but was laughing at the same time. Which set off Rick to start laughing.

Kate grabbed the paper towel in front of Alexis and started wiping at the blood spots, except all this managed to do was smear it over Alexis's skin. Kate gave up using the paper towel and leaned in to kiss the spots that had blood on Alexis, and use her tongue to lick up the blood.

"Ooooo, mom?" Alexis could feel Kate's tongue.

Kate looked embarrassed and Rick started laughing all over again.

Kate went back to sucking on her bag. "I think you better go shower pumpkin and change your clothes." Rick tells her.

Alexis gave up on her sandwich and trudged up the stairs glaring at the two of them. As soon as her bedroom door closed, Kate and Rick gave up trying to hold it in any longer and started laughing again.

In the end it took Kate going up to Alexis's room to get her to come back downstairs. Kate found her all cleaned and changed sitting on her bed. "I'm sorry honey, we shouldn't have teased you. It was wrong." _It was however a heck of a lot of fun!_

"It was your idea to get my DNA." Kate reminds her.

"I love you." Alexis whispers. She only wanted to be more like her mom and less like her other mom, whom she still hated. Being more like Kate would accomplish that.

"And I love you too Alexis. … I just hope you don't regret this decision when you're 16 and have developed a taste for blood. Or worse grow fangs that won't retract like mine. Everyone will make fun of you." Alexis may think it's cool now, but what about after puberty?

Alexis however didn't care. Kate was her mom now; Alexis had selected her and wanted to be just like her. If that meant drinking blood. … Maybe she could find a way to change the taste.

"Come on honey, back downstairs. We still have the rest of the day to go do something. Get you out of the house and into the fresh air." Kate gets up and reaches out to Alexis. "Maybe you can put on your big warm coat and we can go to the park." Kate offers something that might get Alexis up and moving.

Turns out there was a park not too far away. Washington Square Park on the north side of the college Kate and Lanie were attending. It wasn't the biggest park, though it did have a large fountain in the middle.

It did however have a hot dog vendor and Rick stopped and got a hot dog and shared it with Alexis as they walked.

Alexis was soon between Rick and Kate with a hand in each of theirs. "1, … 2, … 3, …" Rick and Kate would swing Alexis forward and then back behind them, getting Alexis to giggle.

"1, … 2, …. 3, …." Swing!

By the time they make it home, everyone has red noses and red ears. This was followed by cuddling to warm up on the sofa while watching a Christmas love story on the Hallmark Channel.

Alexis was asleep with her head in Kate's lap and Kate mindlessly stroking her hair while watching the movie, leaning up against Rick.

When the movie ends Kate finds that Rick is asleep too. "So only the vampire is awake." Kate silently chuckles at this situation. A vampires prey is so comfortable with her that they are sleeping on her. Not to mention that one calls her mom and the other got her pregnant.

Kate extracts her from Rick's arm and carries a sleeping Alexis upstairs and changes her clothes for her and tucks her into bed. "Good night honey." Kate strokes her hair again and kisses her forehead. And just stays right there looking at her sleep.

_She loves me so much that she wants to be like me. She even wants me to bite her._

Kate lowered her head till their foreheads touched and then Kate squeezed her eyes closed tight and breathed her in.

Blinking back tears Kate went back downstairs. She had one more to get into bed.

Lifting up Rick was just as easy, however Kate had to be more careful taking his clothes off to keep from waking him.

Kate then removed her clothes and went into the bathroom to brush her teeth and wash her face, before returning to bed. Climbing into bed and lifting the covers up over them and then snuggle into Rick, creating a nice warm cocoon to sleep in.

Kate went to sleep staring right into Rick's closed eyes with her lips just a fraction away from his, feeling him breathe on her. Breathing in his smell that still made her feel weak and loving it.

Kate could feel Rick's lips and they were doing amazing things to her. She was buried under the covers and didn't see Rick, but someone who could only be Rick was kissing and licking in just the right place.

Kate knew she was moaning and trying to get away from that tongue while at the same time get even closer. It was so intense and so enjoyable.

Kate's eyes opened and she was in Rick's bedroom, in his bed, and she was naked. And Rick's head was between her legs with his tongue driving her insane.

IT WAS REAL AND NOT A DREAM!

Kate was stepping out of the shower with Rick right next to her after making love to each other in the shower yet again.

Kate was beginning to adapt to have an unimaginable number of orgasms because of Rick. It was all Kate could do to remain standing as she used the lavatory counter to keep herself standing as she looked into the mirror and saw all of the marks on her body that Rick had left behind.

Rick showed up right behind her and looked at her into the mirror and Kate could see and feel his hands work their way up her body till they were palming her breasts.

Kate was watching it all in the mirror and couldn't believe that she was wet yet again, how was this even possible? Then Kate could feel him between her butt cheeks. My god, he was hard yet again.

Kate was brushing her teeth knowing Rick was in the kitchen making breakfast and had told her he would have a blood bag ready for her too. Kate had told him that since she was pregnant she would need to be drinking more often now.

Kate looked at herself in the mirror while she brushed, as a smile came to her face. Rick had taken her from behind with her hands planted on the countertop watching herself and the faces she made as Rick fucked her. Until they both came and Kate saw the face both of them made as they came together.

If it wasn't for Kate's hands on the countertop and Rick still holding onto her from behind while still inside her, Kate knew she would have collapsed onto the floor. Her vampire legs were now made of liquid rubber.

Now she was seeing a smile on her face with her mouth filled with toothpaste. It was a smile of pure love and Kate was loving the look, and the man who put it there.


	30. Chapter 30

**CH30**

**It was one week later now:**

Kate and Lanie were coming over this weekend to help Rick and Alexis decorate the loft for Christmas, which was next week. This time Lanie was going to stay upstairs in the guest room, Rick was going to make sure of it. Lanie and Kate could go back to their apartment on Monday.

It was 4:00 am Saturday morning and Rick was wide awake lying on his bed. He was excited for this weekend. It was time to turn the loft into a winter wonderland. Though if he was honest with himself it was also because he hadn't made love to Kate in a week. One whole damn week!

Sure they talked on the phone some when Kate was out of classes, but it wasn't the same as having her here, in his arms where he could kiss her senseless. And he was pretty sure he was making Kate weak in the knees. However Kate with her vampire strength was hiding it pretty well.

Not that it mattered; she had managed to make him weak in the knees too.

Rick had spent the entire day getting Christmas boxes out of storage and piling them up in his study. It was a good thing they were all marked since they had countless items inside them. Plus they had to go get a tree to put the three boxes of ornaments onto.

Lanie walked out of her bedroom annoyed that a certain someone was restless and making too much noise. "What are you doing up girlfriend?" Lanie plopped down on the other end of the sofa.

"I can't sleep." Kate moans, sounding a lot like Rick.

"So you thought I should be awake with you, while you suffered. So why are you awake at this ungodly hour?" Lanie asks, hoping she can fix Kate's problem so she can go back to bed.

Kate however remains silent; however a slow blush starts to work its way up from her neck to her face.

"Oh you've got it bad girl." Lanie is pretty sure she knows what the problem is.

"I can't help it." Kate moans. "My bed is lonely without Rick in it. I just want him to make love to me, is that too much to ask?" Kate draws her knees up until they are under her chin and wraps her arms around her legs to hold them there.

"So go put on some clothes and go over there and jump him. … You've got a key girl. You can ambush him." Lanie points out the obvious.

Kate thinks about it but doesn't move. So Lanie gets up and drags Kate off the sofa and shoves her into her room. "Now get some clothes on, so he can take them right back off of you and get your skinny butt over there and ravish him. Show that human what a vampire can do when she's horny." Lanie retreats to the sofa to wait.

It only takes Kate a few minutes to put on a t-shirt, blue jeans, socks, shoes and a heavy coat and is back out in the living room.

Lanie jumps up and pushes Kate over to the front door. "I'll be over in a few hours, AFTER I have gotten some sleep." Lanie opens the door and shoves Kate out into the hall. "You can thank me later." And Lanie closes and locks the door on Kate and goes back to bed.

"Merry Christmas MS. Beckett." The doorman greets her as she approaches the door.

"Merry Christmas. " Kate answers back. Kate however stops just as she opens the door. "Aren't you cold?" Kate knew it was freezing outside and he was just standing there.

"No Miss, I've got heated socks, heated mittens and long johns on under all this. Compliments of Mr. Castle. Likely get heated ear muffs this year for Christmas, along with the usual Christmas bonus. I'm fine Miss, I've even got a thermos of hot chocolate compliments of Mr. Castle just inside the door." Is Kate's answer.

Kate smiled and went inside. _One more reason to love this man._

Kate used her keys to get into the loft, since it was more complicated now. Kate knew she was the reason for the added security. Rick had even taken her to a gun range to teach her how to shoot a pistol.

Kate had used simple target rounds at the range, Rick however had experimental rounds for the hand guns in the loft. Just like the rounds he had for the big FN. Rick had also told her that he had, had a film attached to the inside of all the exterior windows.

Something about making it harder for a sniper to hit the target he wants to hit. A round meant for the heart would likely hit the arm instead.

Kate stepped inside and closed and locked the door, finding the loft dark and quiet. Kate made her way to the master bedroom and started shedding clothes as soon as she reached the doorway.

"KATE!?" It was now that Kate found out that Rick was awake lying in bed. It got Kate to peel off her clothes faster and jump into bed.

It wasn't until the sun started peeking in through the windows when Rick and Kate woke up again. "Hi." Rick smiled down on Kate who was lying on his chest still just as naked as he was.

Kate started doodling a finger on his chest. "Hi." Kate started smiling and blushing.

Kate had attacked him as soon as she jumped onto his bed. Kate had used her strength to pin his hands down while she ravaged him. Kate had kept his hands pinned to the bed while she got on top and stayed there for most of the night.

"I am going to find a way to tie you to the bed and have my way with you, mark my words." Rick warns her while stroking her hair.

It got Kate to widen her smile and feel her blush deepen. "I look forward to it." If he could do to her what he already did, what would it be like when she couldn't stop him or even touch him? Just thinking it started to get her wet again, ready for round ?.

Kate stepped out of the bathroom after taking a shower that included Rick being inside her again, as she searched for some clothes to wear. Kate was grinning as she searched noticing for the first time that it looked like half her clothes were already over here.

Kate was the first one into the kitchen as she pulled out a blood bag from the refrigerator and popped it into the microwave to warm it up. Just as the microwave went "Ding" Kate smelled Alexis coming down the stairs. So she left her bag in the microwave for now as she waited for Alexis to spot her.

Didn't take long before Alexis was wrapped around her legs smiling up at Kate. "Hi mom!"

Kate leaned down to pick her up. "Hi honey." Kate gave her a kiss. "What do you want for breakfast?"

"Pancakes?" Alexis answers.

"In that case you need to wait for your father." Kate knew how to make sandwiches and put cereal into a bowl and then pour the milk. Cooking was not her forte.

Alexis was debating if she should change her mind when someone knocked on the front door. Kate spun to look at one of the monitors in the kitchen. "SERIOUSLY!?"

Alexis saw who it was too and wrapped her arms around Kate's neck tight. "RICK!" Kate yelled out.

Rick came out of the bedroom dressed. "I see who it is." And Rick headed for the front door.

"I'll be in Alexis's room with Alexis. If she's still here when I come back down, …. I'll drain her dry this time Rick, I swear. I'll apologize to my parents later." And Kate with Alexis sill in her arms, pulled her blood bag out of the microwave and walked upstairs.

Rick stood at the door and took in a couple of breathes and let them out slowly. It didn't help. _What the hell does she want now?_

Rick stood there waiting for another knock, praying she would stop at one and go away. It was a cowardly way to think, but it beat having another fight.

It didn't work, there was a knock on the door again. It got Rick to unlock it and open the door.

"KITTEN!" And Meredith stepped in and kissed him, soundly, shoving her tongue straight down his throat.

Rick shoved her off him and pushed her back out into the hallway. "What the hell are you doing here Meredith?" Compared to Kate's kisses, hers felt more like poison and almost physically hurt.

"I came to see you kitten, before that bitch of a babysitter showed up." Meredith moved in to kiss Rick again. Except she was met with one of Rick's open hands keeping her away.

"Kitten." Meredith tried purring, except to Rick it sounded more like some kind of irritating rattle.

"You should have called ahead Meredith, we have plans. But then you don't call at all do you, or care about anyone but yourself. So last time, what do you want Meredith?" It wasn't in Rick's nature to be mean, but Meredith was sorely testing him.

"What did that babysitter tell you? Where is she anyway, I have something for her." Meredith was going to give her something alright, and put her in her place.

"Kate, who isn't the babysitter, is upstairs with HER daughter, probably trying to keep Alexis calm since Alexis hates and is afraid of you." Rick points out.

"WHAT? What has that bitch done to my daughter?" Meredith was momentarily shocked and then mad.

"Kate loves Alexis, unlike you. Kate is here for her birthdays, she's here to go to the park with her, she's here to play with her, she's here to kiss her and prove to Alexis that she is loved and worth being loved. Kate is here to make her happy when she's sad, she calls to talk to her when she's not here. Kate is interested in what makes Alexis happy, and Kate is here to protect her." Rick starts his list of all the things Kate does for his, their daughter.

"I love my daughter!" Meredith is insulted that Rick would thing she doesn't love Alexis.

"And that's why you refused any and all rights to Alexis at our divorce. All you wanted was money. That's why you call promising to come only to cancel long after you were supposed to show up, ..." Rick gets interrupted.

"It takes a lot of work to be a successful actress. I have no control over when casting calls happen or when I get an opportunity to read for a part. I'm busy, unlike you I don't just sit around doing nothing all day." Meredith defends herself.

Rick ignores the insult. "To busy to take one whole minute out of your life to call Alexis, just to talk to her. Too busy to send one single birthday card, or buy her one single birthday present, that I've been doing for you for the last 5 years and putting your name on it.

Too busy to care if she is healthy or sick. Too busy to find out if she is happy or sad.

Alexis has a mother now. One who cares about her and would do anything for her, and it isn't you.

Go home Meredith. …. Or I'll find someone to tattoo all that paint on you next time. And I know people, lots of people who are only too willing to do me favors or me them." Rick closes the door and locks it.

Rick heads for the kitchen and pulls down a bottle of scotch and pulls out a glass and sloppily pours out some into his glass and onto the countertop. "DAMN IT!" Rick pounds the bottle down onto the countertop only to spill still more.

Rick is pissed! Pissed that he spilled some, pissed that he's thinking about drinking before he's even had breakfast. and pissed at Meredith. Just plain pissed.

Kate had been holding onto Alexis who was sitting in her lap while Kate sucked on her blood bag before it got cool. Warm blood was best.

Alexis was staring at her bedroom door, fearing that her old mom would show up at it and take her away. "MOM?" Alexis asked with tears in her eyes.

Kate could smell Alexis's fear and feel her shaking ever so slightly. "Nothing is going to happen to you honey. … I won't let it. Good mothers don't let anything happen to their daughters." Kate knew her mother would never let anything happen to her if she could help it. It's partly why they were still alive after all the Hunter attacks.

That got Alexis to spin her head to look at Kate. _Kate called me her daughter!_

Alexis did her best to wrap her arms around Kate. "I love you." Alexis whispers out. _A real mom, I have a real mom._

Now Kate could tell Alexis was crying and incorrectly assumed it was because Alexis was scared.

Kate kept a hold of Alexis, kissed her head and went back to drinking from her bag.

Rick placed his hands against the edge of the counter and bent over like he was going to throw up on the floor. Rick was actually trying to calm down.

Rick put the bottle of Scotch back, poured the contents of the glass down the drain, cursing as he did. It was a waste of good scotch. And then cleaned up his mess.

Looking at the panels in the kitchen he didn't see Meredith on any of the screens. _Note to self: make sure the doormen never lets Meredith back up here again._

Alexis stiffened when there was a knock on her door. "You two can come out again." Rick's voice came through the door.

It was almost lunch when Lanie showed up with a suitcase knowing Rick and Kate had asked her to spend the weekend with them.

With three adults and one 6 year old the Christmas decorations were going up fast. Rick was starting to think about going to get the Christmas tree after lunch.

Kate had, had breakfast and didn't need another bag till tomorrow, and Lanie didn't need one for another couple of days, so they both sat and watched Rick and Alexis eat lunch.

A small shuttle landed at an old abandoned coal planet behind a chain link fence. Their scans showed there was no one near to see them land. "This planet is so backwards. Did you see all that space junk they have in orbit?" Josh comments.

It got Tom to nod his head, not that Josh could see his head. Just the helmet that was on his head, along with his suit that encased his body. Just like the one he was wearing.

"It's going to make finding fuel for the ship difficult, but at least they have food we can use to fill our galley with." Tom commented on the obvious.

"At least two of them are around here somewhere. There was a shuttle missing from the ship we found on the dark side of this planets natural satellite." Josh comments.

"We'll find them. … They're in this city somewhere. …. we're likely going to encounter obstacles on this planet. They don't know us since this planet is not likely part of the system." Tom points out.

The chain link fence was cut and pulled away to allow them exit and started walking. It didn't take long before they started walking across people walking and driving on the streets.

Tom and Josh were soon J-walking across streets getting people in cars honking at them. They never really came close to getting run over so they held their fire; however they could easily have shot the car to pieces along with whoever was in it. It simply wasn't necessary, yet.

"I'm picking up signs that there was vampire activity in that warehouse looking building over there." Tom points.

"I'm only picking up humans in the building at the present time." Josh adds.

Tom walked over to a door and pushed, breaking the lock on it and causing the door to crash into the room and slide across the floor. This got the occupants to jump up and open fire on Tom who stepped inside followed by Josh.

They both opened up on the four occupants watching each round hit their target. The rounds shot at them simply bounced off of their armor.

As Tom and Josh stepped in the started taking fire from two men up on a railing where there was a row of offices. Their rounds simply bounced off of Tom and Josh's armor as well, while their rounds all but cut them to pieces.

Tom and Josh looked around. The walls were filled with crates stacked on the outside walls with a set of tables in the middle.

"The white powder is a drug of some kind. Analysis indicates that it is addictive to humans. Our filtration systems should keep any traces from entering our systems." Tom calls out.

"They seem to be transferring it from these big bags into much smaller bags." Josh adds.

"There is a transport approaching the large door on the side of the building." Tom cautions and they both watch as the door starts to retract up into the ceiling area. As soon as the door is fully open Tom fires a plasma ball into the car blowing it and its occupants into tiny pieces.

Tom kicks open the rear door and goes outside, away from the fire at the front of the building. "They went this way." And Tom jumps up onto the roof, followed by Josh.

From here they start jumping from roof to roof as they trace the trail left behind by Kate and Lanie, several months earlier.

Tom stopped and jumped down and started walking, with Josh right behind him always checking behind him.

There were kids everywhere it seemed, all about the age of the younger two Beckett's. "Their trail is all over the place here. They seem to have been in every building around here." Tom mentions as he re-scans the area.

"We seem to be attracting attention." Josh comments as all the kids who see them look their way, however most just keep on walking. A pair of them however stop and have gathered a small crowd around those same two.

Josh turns up his surveillance mike so he could listen in. "I've never seen anything like what they are wearing. Kinda reminds me of those Storm Troopers from Star Wars."

"Except those were white and these are gray, except for the visor on their helmet."

"Yeah, it's kinda a reflective goldish color."

"They must be shooting a movie around here somewhere. You know another Sci-Fi movie with Storm Troopers of some kind. I mean look at the weapons they are carrying."

"There aren't any classes on a weekend, but why would they need a college campus to do the shooting?"

"And where are the camera crews dude? I mean like, don't they need camera guys, microphone guys, a director and other people?"

"Maybe they are lost?"

"More likely going from one shooting location to another. Bet those things are hard to walk in. They just fell behind the others is all."

"If it's a movie, that means there are trailers, lights, set cameras and other things around here somewhere."

"Let's find them dude, like maybe they need extras and we can sign up. Get our 15 minutes of fame."

That group split up and started jogging various directions.

Josh forgets them, they weren't a threat. "Anything?" Asking Tom.

"I've got two trails, one goes that way and another goes that way. Map indicates that this way leads deeper into the city and over a bridge, while that way leads to a dead end at a tip of a peninsula with water all around." Tom offers.

"They wouldn't trap themselves on a peninsula, so we go that way across the bridge." Josh offers.


	31. Chapter 31

**CH31**

Tom and Josh were jogging back across the bridge to get back to where they took a fork in the road.

This direction led them to a row house that was abandoned. The search of the place turned up nothing. "What were they doing over here? There's nothing here." Josh was getting pissed.

"What or whoever was here has moved out. Maybe this is where they started before moving." Tom offers.

"So what was that first place with all the drugs? Are they hooked on it somehow? This planet has a drug that affects vampires and they raided it?" Josh didn't understand.

As they ran back across the bridge all the cars slowed to look at them. They had traffic backed up for miles. They had just finished crossing the bridge when a car with lights blinking pulled over out in front of them and two men in uniforms got out at started yelling at them.

Tom and Josh simply ignored both of them and started running faster to leave them behind.

They soon saw several other cars just like it with their lights flashing that seemed to be working together to try and stop them. Ultimately there were two cars that had blocked their way with the men that were inside the car standing outside with their weapons drawn.

Tom opened fire on the two on the left with rounds from his weapon while Josh shot the two on the right. After they jumped over the two cars they kept running only pausing long enough to fire a plasma ball that blew up the two cars along with two civilian cars.

The shrapnel from all four cars exploding struck 8 other cars. Behind them they left 4 police officers dead along with 4 civilian deaths and 12 injured. It also stopped all traffic going both ways.

Tom and Josh didn't encounter any more trouble until they reached the fork in the road where they stopped to consult their scans of the city to see where to go now after determining where the vampire trail was going to take them. There was some mild interference on their scans. It was suggesting that everyone around them was part vampire, or maybe it was because the Beckett's had been everywhere recently.

Their built-in alert system alerted them to another 4 cars with lights blinking that had all stopped with the occupants getting out and using their cars as cover. Ordering them to drop their weapons and get on the ground.

Tom fired one plasma ball while Josh fired another. The result was 4 more destroyed police cruisers and 8 more dead police officers.

Tom and Josh took off running in the direction that their scans told them the vampires had gone. However now they were traveling down smaller side streets and only ran across people walking and only a little traffic. Most of the traffic being taxi's.

"I've got a trace of vampires in the taller building over there and in the shorter 5 story building over there. Life signs show that the taller building presently has a larger number of life signs, while the 5 story building has only a handful." Tom informs Josh as they try to hide from being seen.

"If we fire enough plasma balls into the taller building it may be enough to cause it to collapse, perhaps temporarily trapping the vampires in the rubble, allowing us time to clear the other building.

If we don't find them in the 5 story building we come back to the rubble and search it." Josh offers.

"The destruction of the building will likely cause this planet's emergency services to show up. Care for the injured, put out the fire, take away the dead." Tom comments not caring how many civilians die in the process.

"And likely more of those humans with weapons will arrive." Josh adds.

"Depending on how many there are we can switch to hand to hand while we search the rubble, saving our ammunition for later or for larger organized attacks." Tom points out.

"Filthy vampire lovers." Josh curses.

"I'll take the left, you take the right and we meet in the middle. Fire only at the ground floor." Tom tells him. "3, … 2, ….1, … Fire."

Tom quickly fires two plasma balls at the building on his end and meets Josh in the middle each firing another two plasma balls.

Neither of them stays long enough to see the results of their attack. However their HUD built into their helmets shows them the results of their attack as they approach the 5 story building. They were both clear of any interference from the local authorities for the moment.

Both of them knew that getting back to their shuttle would likely be more trouble. However they had an entire planet to get their food and fuel from.

Kate was with Alexis putting stickers on the window. Snowflakes, Snowmen, Santa and Candy Canes. "Did you hear that?" Kate turns to look at Lanie.

"It sounded like multiple explosions." Lanie answers back looking at Kate. "Hard to tell how many, four maybe."

"Demolition of a nearby building maybe?" Rick answers having heard both of them as he brings another box filled with Christmas decorations in it. Rick however hadn't heard the explosions they were talking about.

Kate takes in a deep breath and is suddenly panicked. "HUNTERS!"

It got Lanie to do the same. "Two of them and they are close, just outside the building." Lanie adds.

Rick literally drops the box he is carrying and runs back into his study.

"Take Alexis upstairs and hide her." Kate tells Lanie and literally picks up Alexis and tosses her across the room into Lanie's arms who instantly runs upstairs and into the far bedroom.

Kate runs into the study and has a vest hit her as soon as she clears the door. Kate finds Rick bent over and unlocking the bottom drawer allowing Kate to take out a weapon along with two clips and then runs back into the living room.

Rick is left behind as he pulls down the other vest and straps it on quickly using the velcro straps to secure it in place. And then closes that drawer and opens the one above it. Unlocking it, he pulls out the FN and two clips. One goes in the weapon while the second goes into his back pocket.

Kate has gone into the dining room and upset the dining room table and shoved it up against the breakfast bar and then jumps over all of it landing in the kitchen.

Kate quickly puts on her vest and readies her weapon and then she opens a cabinet and starts pulling out knives. All of them are throwing knives made of the hardest material Rick could get.

The table and the kitchen cabinets stood no chance of stopping any of the Hunter rounds. Kate was simply hoping for that fraction of speed that the rounds might be reduced. Enough for her vampire speed to avoid them.

Neither of them had long to wait as suddenly rounds started penetrating the door in a loop, shooting the lock off as it fell on the floor.

The door was then kicked open and Tom was the first one in. Before his HUD could identify Kate's location, Kate threw all six throwing knives one at a time striking almost the exact same point on his visor.

None of them penetrated, however what they did accomplish caused Tom's visor to shut down as a spider web formed because of the impacts, impairing his vision.

Tom stepped inside allowing Josh room to follow in behind him.

Kate switched to her weapon and emptied her first clip into almost the exact same point in Josh's visor. This caused the same affect on Josh's visor. His HUD system shut down and his visor was filled with spider webs, impairing his vision.

Trying to take away one of the Hunters advantages had been one of Rick's ideas, hence the weapons training Rick had taken Kate to on occasion.

For both Tom and Josh the automatic system took over and retracted the visor allowing both of them to see without obstruction. It did however mean their faces no longer had any protection, from damage or gases.

Tom opened up first and used full automatic and sprayed the dining room table from left to right causing Kate to jump, roll and spin behind the makeshift barrier.

Kate however screamed out in pain as a single round struck her side and caused her to land on the floor trying to stay flat as the rest of the rounds went over her body.

Rick meanwhile pushed some of his books aside and emptied his first clip into the armor of Josh, watching him dance in place as each round struck his armor.

Of the 30 rounds fired only a third managed to penetrate his armor a little. Those 10 rounds however caused both of his lungs to collapse and severely damaged his left side as he started bleeding out.

Josh lifted his weapon and fired on full automatic as he sprayed the area where Rick was located. However thanks to Rick's training he had fallen to the ground and rolled to one side to get into a new position, and started changing out his clip for a fresh one.

Problem was as Josh started to fall to the floor as his body started to shut down from the damage he had taken, his weapon started falling too, while still firing on full automatic.

One round easily penetrated Rick's vest and entered his left shoulder, while still another penetrated his vest and entered his right shoulder. A third ripped open his vest on his back as it traveled from his shoulder to his butt and out. Ripping open his back causing Rick to scream in pain.

Kate could smell his blood and turned her head to look his direction. **"NO!"** As Kate saw blood splattering all over up into the air.

Kate struggled through the pain to crawl to the edge of the counter so she could look around it and see Tom.

Tom opened fire and sprayed the kitchen area, ripping the floor to pieces as he panned from left to right again. Kate had lifted her weapon and ejected the spent clip and slapped in a new one, and was just getting ready to try and aim for his open visor when suddenly his entire arm holding the weapon fell from his body as it continued firing.

However all of these rounds were impacting the sofa. It got Kate to alter her vision from the weapon firing still in his hand lying on the floor to the body it came from.

As Kate watched she saw something shining and crackling with energy run upwards from between his legs until it exited out the top of his head. As the two pieces of the body fell off to each side, Kate could see someone standing right behind him.

"**DAD!" **Kate's eyes went wide. Jim was standing there with a flickering blade that looked and sounded like a sparkling super thin yellow piece of lightning about 3 feet in length, maybe a little less. DAD HAS A VIBRO BLADE!?

Right behind him was her mother who had the exact same thing in her hand who stepped over to the other Hunter and sliced his head off his body.

Jim was on his daughter in a heartbeat. "Honey, you alright?" Jim looked her over. "You've been hit." Jim's blade disappeared and he bent down to lift his daughter up. He needed to get her to their shuttle and up to their ship for their EMH to patch her up.

"No dad, we have to help Rick." Kate shoved him away and staggered over to where Rick was lying in a pool of blood.

Kate fell on the floor next to him. "RICK, NO, PLEASE!" Kate started crying. And then Kate looked up. "MOM? …. PLEASE?" Kate knew her mom had training in medical.

Johanna deactivated her blade and knelt next to her daughter. "He's human." Johanna could smell his blood, and see the pure anguish of pain on her daughters face.

"Please mom, you have to help him. …. Please!?" Kate's tears were falling fast and landing on the floor.

"Our shuttle isn't very close to here." Johanna points out a problem. Running as fast as she could in broad daylight was going to cause attention.

"Ours is on the roof." Kate points out.

"Did you fix your EMH?" Johanna asks Kate.

Kate was nodding her head "Alexis found it and I downloaded him. It works fine." Kate answers her question.

Johanna stared at her daughter with a face of "Who's Alexis?" However Johanna picks Rick up and carries him bridal style and runs up the stairs headed for the roof. Kicking open doors until she saw the shuttle.

Johanna placed Rick in the passenger seat and strapped him in, then ran around to the other side, and fired up the shuttle. Taking off and headed for space instantly.

Jim turned to his daughter. "Where's Lanie?" Kate was hurt but where was his other daughter.

"Upstairs with Alexis." Kate answers his question.

Jim lifted his head. **"LANIE HONEY!" **Jim yelled out. "LANIE, … you up there?"

Lanie cracked the door open and slowly approached the railing. **"DAD!"** And Lanie leaped over the railing and landed on the floor and jumped into Jim's arms.

Then Lanie saw Kate lying on the floor, bleeding. "KATE!" Lanie kneeled down to get a better look at Kate. "You're bleeding bad Kate. We need to get it to stop."

Lanie looked upstairs. "Alexis honey do you have a first aid kit?" Lanie yelled up.

It was only now that Jim saw a little girl with reddish hair show up at the railing. Who instantly ran down the stairs as fast as she could.

Alexis was instantly at Kate wanting to hug her and make her feel better and make herself feel better. Then she saw all the blood and instantly started to cry.

"Alexis honey, I'm fine. I'll be fine. Show Lanie where the first aid kit is honey. … Go on, Lanie needs it to help me." Kate offers motioning to Lanie to take Alexis.

Lanie takes Alexis by the hand. "Show me the first aid kit honey."

Alexis was conflicted, she wanted to stay with her mom, and yet her mom had told her to do something. So Alexis took Lanie into the master bedroom bathroom, where Lanie started searching the cabinets for what she wanted.

"There are blood bags in the refrigerator and the microwave is on the counter. The straws are in a box next to it." Kate tells her dad and motions with her head.

Jim gets up and heads for what looks like a refrigerator and opens it find some blood bags inside. Jim's throat was burning however he only took out one bag and placed it in the microwave to warm it up.

After poking a straw into it, he took it back to Kate who instantly started drinking.

Lanie with Alexis right behind her was soon back with the first aid kit, which was a big one. Lanie opened it and went to work on Kate.

"MOM?" Alexis was ready to go back to crying.

Kate reached out a hand to stroke Alexis's hair. "I'll be fine honey. Lanie will fix everything."

Jim's eyes were open wide and his mouth had fallen on the floor. "Mom?" Jim stares at Kate.

Kate smiled with a "Please don't shoot me dad, I can explain" look on her face. "A lot has happened dad." Kate smiles weakly.

"That's an understatement." Lanie adds nodding her head, as she continued to work on Kate.

"**OWE!" **Kate complains.

"Sorry." Lanie smiles weakly.

"MOM!?" Alexis was getting ready to give up not crying.

"Come on down here honey." Kate lifted up her good arm and helped Alexis onto the floor so Kate could hold her on her good side, and kissed the side of her head again.

Jim was taking it all in unable to form words for what he was seeing and thinking. Jim had no trouble working out that the little girl in his daughter's arm was human. Except there was something off about her. Something was different.

"This isn't going to hold for long Kate, we need to get you to the EMH eventually." Lanie points out. "And get that round out of you."

"MOM?" Alexis has a question.

Kate kissed Alexis's head. "What honey?"

"Where's daddy?" There was just her mom, Lanie and some strange guy that her mom was calling dad. Alexis hadn't yet seen the one whole body lying on the floor. Well almost whole since it was missing its head. Or thankfully the one cut in half.

Johanna landed in the hold of the Talyn that their daughters had gotten here in. It was almost literally right next to theirs. The Hunter ship was just on the other side.

Jim and Johanna had worked out that the Hunters had taken their shuttle down to the planet and they had decided to do the same when they found the one for the Talyn gone.

Johanna carried an unconscious Rick inside and dropped him off at the scanner table. "Computer, activate the EMH." And then Johanna continued on for the bridge, not listening to the standard greeting the EMH always gave.

Johanna sat down and started powering up the ship. Looking at the screens Johanna found that the Talyn still had a lot of fuel left. "How is that possible?" They were DEEP inside the tormented zone, like really deep.

The air started feeling fresher after a couple of minutes.

Johanna got up and went back to the scanner table where she found the EMH had already removed the vest Rick had been wearing, cut his shirt off of him and was busy cleaning the affected areas.

"Can I help you?" Johanna had some training, just what Rick needed was beyond her skills.

"He needs blood, he has lost a lot of it. Plasma will do however blood would be better." The EMH tells her.

Johanna moves to the bank of refrigerators and opens the first one. Empty. Moving on to the second one she finds four bags of blood along with some other items. Food items!

"Marie Callenders?" Johanna had picked one up and put it back. It looked like human food, which made no sense at all.

"I have two O+ and two A+." Johanna informs the EMH.

"Excellent, we can use all of them. Do you know how to set one up?" The EMH asked since he was busy.

"Yes." Johanna grabbed one of them and got to work.

Once she was done. "How is he?"

"One round has entered each of his shoulders and shattered each of his shoulder blades. The third round has traveled down his back and entered and exited his ass. No major organs have been damaged.

However it is his existing wound that is going to be the most difficult." The EMH tells her, never stopping what he is doing.

"He has an existing wound?" He had been in combat before.

"If this is the human named Rick, I was asked if I could remove a round that was lodged up against his spinal column. The answer was yes, of course. I was told they would be back." The EMH explains.

_Katie had called him Rick._

"I do however have a problem. … While none of the injectors are empty, all of them have very little left in them. They will need to be replenished if I'm to make an attempt at removing the round lodged against his spinal column." The EMH points out.

"Our ship has some." Johanna knew they did, she had stolen it earlier at the first hospital they had stopped at to get blood. And if theirs didn't the Hunter ship was on the other side of this ship.

"Distance, time involved?" The EMH asks not looking up from his work.

"Five minutes there, five minutes back, … tops." Johanna just needed to suit up and step across to their ship and back again.

"Go." The EMH responds.


	32. Chapter 32

**CH32**

The EMH did most of the work while Johanna was forced to mostly just watch.

The EMH had started with the round embedded up against Rick's spinal column. Then he moved on to cleaning up the wound on his back, sealing it closed finishing by repairing the damage to his collar bones.

"How is he?" Johanna asks as she watches the EMH finish sealing the wounds on the last shoulder.

"The round next to his spinal column will take the longest to heal. The cell regeneration will only keep him in bed for a few hours after he wakes up.

The damage to his back, while more damaging was mostly just superficial, even if it didn't look like it.

The knitting of his shoulder blades is complete, however he is going to have pain in both arms as he tries to use his arms, likely for weeks to come. A little physical therapy should reduce that time a little.

Right now I have him on anti-biotics and pain killers. When he wakes the pain will be intense and I will likely need to increase his pain medication. It would be best if he slept for the next couple of days.

Otherwise he will live and in time never notice that he was shot at all, except for a few scars. The biggest of which will be the one running down his back." The EMH tells her.

Johanna sighed. By the sound of her daughter's voice he was someone important to her. "Now I just need to find out who you are." Johanna comments.

"You can reactivate me at any time. I have already pre-programmed in a couple of times based off of his injuries." And the EMH disappears, leaving Johanna alone with him.

"Now what do I do?" Johanna looked around. She had already spent months on a ship. "And no way to contact Jim." Johanna hung her head low.

Lanie had backed off from Kate having done what she could for her, needing to get her to an EMH soon.

Kate was relaxing with Alexis still in one of her arms. It had taken Kate a little work to calm Alexis down.

Jim had a lot of questions, however Kate was injured and he didn't want to add to her obvious discomfort. "I can go get our shuttle." Jim offers.

Kate however shakes her head. "This planet doesn't have space flight yet dad; they can barely get off their own planet. If you fly your shuttle in broad daylight, it will attract attention. Attention we don't need." Kate tells him.

"What about these two?" Jim waves his arm at the two dead Hunters.

"Put them on the roof for now, we can move them again later tonight when it gets dark. And dad, find out what happened to the guy on the door to the building." Kate asks of him.

"They threw him across the street slamming him into a building; I'll look at him before I come back." Jim tells him and moves over to Josh and starts to pick up his headless body.

"Oh these two also blew up a building not far from here." Jim comments picking up Josh.

"Eighteen floors tall? Mostly white with a lot of windows?" Lanie asks, as she starts work on cleaning up the mess.

"Yeah, they blew out the first floor causing it to topple over into a giant heap of rubble." Jim heads for the door with Josh over his back.

"They destroyed our home!" Lanie moans. "All my clothes!" Lanie deflates.

"Good thing you brought a sleep over bag with you." Kate comments smiling.

"Oh funny, you're a riot. Maybe I should check you bandages." Lanie glares at Kate.

"If the police have trailed them to here, we're going to have company soon." Kate points out.

"You won't be running anywhere Kate. You'll bleed out before you get very far." Lanie cautions her. "And you should probably drink another bag. You lost a fair amount of blood, and the baby needs you to be healthy." Lanie points out.

"What baby?" Jim asks from the front door, having come back from dumping Josh on the roof.

"Ooops." Lanie tries to melt away and disappear as she moves to the kitchen to get a blood bag out of the refrigerator.

"Uhm, dad, …. I can explain." Kate tries to shrink into the floor. "I think." Kate whispers, though still loud enough for Jim's vampire hearing to hear her.

"Then I suggest you start explaining Katie." Jim stands over his daughter who was still on the floor holding onto Alexis.

"You be nice to my mommy!" Alexis stands up and faces Jim.

"And this redheaded fireball is? ..." Jim asks not backing off from a 6 year old.

"My daughter." Kate scrunches her face while trying to smile at the same time.

Jim simply tilts his head, knowing his daughter didn't give birth and suddenly have a 6 year old child.

"Take the other Hunter to the roof and we'll talk dad." Kate offers. "Alexis honey." Kate motions her over so she doesn't have to see her dad pick up two halves of a dead guy.

While Jim is gone Lanie hands a warmed up bag of blood to Kate with a straw in it already. "Thanks Lanie." Kate gives her a weak smile.

"I'm glad I'm not you girlfriend." Kate was likely going to have to explain all this twice.

Kate closed her eyes and sighed as she sucked on her straw.

Jim has been sitting in a chair listening to Kate explain the last few months after they arrived on this planet. Kate doesn't specifically mention Rick's smell or the taste of his blood. Kate explains it as finding Rick " Irresistible", and that she just couldn't stay away from him.

Kate could see her father's face darken when she talked about Meredith and how she had treated Alexis. Kate could see Jim's initial facial reaction to the fact that Alexis wasn't biologically hers, naturally. And then harden the more Kate told him about Meredith.

Jim's eyes opened wide when she talked about Rick having a small portion of vampire DNA in his system, which the EMH explained as a reason why Kate was allowed to get pregnant from a "Human".

Jim's eyes opened even wider when Kate explained that Alexis now had some of Kate's DNA making her half vampire and half human. "I get to be a vampire like mom." Alexis had stated proudly.

It got a chuckle out of Jim. And Kate explained what the EMH had explained about the baby being half vampire and half human, and that she was likely somewhere near 4 weeks pregnant now.

The silence after Kate thought she was done and had explained everything was deafening, and Kate was starting to sweat under the stare her father was giving.

"Say something dad." Kate was dying here.

Jim opened his mouth and then re-closed it and sat silently for a moment. Then he looked down at Alexis who had been mostly silent through all of this.

Jim however could see that Alexis was trying to bury herself into Kate's side, she had even buried her head into Kate's chest from time to time. And even now Kate was mindlessly stroking her hair, which just screamed "I love you" to him.

Jim had heard his daughter's voice and how she spoke of this Rick. A Rick who had risked his life to take out two Hunters using primitive weapons. Though it had worked to a point Jim was forced to admit.

"Are you marrying him Katie?" Jim had already worked out that Katie loved him and the redhead next to her.

Kate finally smiled. "We haven't talked about it yet. We only just found out I was pregnant a week or two ago. I'm only over here on weekends when I don't have classes, like this weekend." Kate answers his question.

Jim didn't know if Rick was going to ask his daughter or not, and he wasn't going to ask her if she was going to say yes when or if he does. That wasn't up to him. He just wanted his daughter happy and it sounded like these two made her happy.

"And where do you fit into all this?" Jim turned his attention to Lanie.

"I know Kate loves both of them more than anything. They've been out on several dates, gone places and done things together. You should have seen what Kate did to Alexis's birth mother. Kate fought for Alexis.

You should have been there when Kate came home from a date where Rick took the three of them to a water color class." Lanie rolled her head. It got Kate to smile and start to giggle. Even Alexis was smiling and giggling.

Jim watched Kate hold Alexis a little tighter and simply kissed her head without thinking about it. Like it was the most natural thing in the world.

His daughter was growing up and had found love. Someone to love and love her back.

"I just wish I had pictures." Lanie commented.

Johanna was sleeping when the EMH clock activated his program, since Johanna had left him on. The EMH activated the scanner and it did is customary two sweeps of Rick's body.

The EMH adjusted the injectors to allow for Rick to wake up on his own time. There was no internal bleeding, his shoulders were still healing, and there was no indication of infection and no indication that Rick was paralyzed. However everyone was going to have to wait until Rick was awake to verify that.

Satisfied with the results the EMH turned himself back off and waited for the next alarm or was activated prior to that time.

Johanna was awake and sitting in the pilot seat looking at her screens, wishing that there was a blood bag left over. The EMH had used all four of them on Rick since he had lost a lot of blood. Johanna's throat was on fire.

They had run out of blood bags when they set down on the moon a couple of days ago. Jim had insisted that they wait a little while he scanned the planet below. When he found the location of the Hunters shuttle, they had taken off and landed not far away.

Following the Hunters after they left their shuttle was easy. They had left chaos everywhere they went.

Johanna was sitting there waiting for Rick to wake up when her screens started beeping. There was something coming up from the planet. Size and configuration suggested it was their shuttle.

Johanna watched it land and enter their ship. Johanna got up and went over to the airlock and waited.

The airlock soon cycled and Johanna could make out that it was Jim and he had brought some kind of box with him. It was blue with a white top.

Johanna helped him remove his helmet and then kissed him. "Katie took a round in her side, our EMH is working on her." Jim explains his presence. "I also brought you something." Jim sets the cooler down and opens it.

Inside were four blood bags in chips of ice. Jim reached in and pulled one out and handed it to his wife. "This Rick guy has six months' worth at his home for Katie and Lanie." Jim explains.

Jim had practically fainted when Lanie had shown him the two refrigerator's down in the parking garage. "Bless you." Johanna took the bag, kissed her husband and put it in the microwave.

"How is he?" Jim motions to Rick.

"The EMH had a lot of work to do. However none of his major organs are damaged. He's going to need physical therapy to regain the use of his arms. Both of his shoulders were shattered by Hunter rounds." Johanna tells him and goes back to sucking on her straw, feeling her throat start to feel much better.

"Who is he?" Johanna asks.

"You better sit down for this honey, you're not going to believe this." Jim tells her smiling.

Johanna was ready to start to panic at those words, however the look on his face suggested she needed to sit down.

Jim proceeded to explain what Katie had told him. **"PREGNANT! **Our Katie is, … Pregnant?" Johanna turns to look at Rick who was still asleep on the scanner bed.

Jim was still explaining what he knew when the airlock cycled and someone stepped into the ship.

Kate pulled off her helmet and walked directly to Rick sleeping on the scanner bed.

Jim and Johanna watched as she dropped her helmet on the floor and leaned over Rick and started stroking his hair while whispering into his lips. Then they saw Kate wipe away some of her tears and then kiss Rick on the lips, while her other hand rested on his chest.

They both continued to just watch as Kate stroked his hair and give his face whispers of kisses as she whispered to him.

It was eye opening to Johanna. Sure she had heard what her husband had said, however watching Kate show how much she loved him told Johanna even more.

Kate stood up. "Computer activate EMH."

Jim and Johanna stepped up to the scanner with Johanna right behind Kate and they all listened to what the EMH told Kate about the condition Rick was in.

Kate then turned and fell into her mother's arms. "I was so scared that I had lost him mom." Kate started crying into Johanna's shoulder.

Johanna could feel her daughter shaking as her crying turned into sobs and all Johanna could think to do was hold onto her daughter.

Kate was beginning to wind down and all three missed seeing Rick blink open his eyes, it wasn't until Rick gave a grunt from the pain he felt that he got anyone's attention.

Kate was out of Johanna's arms in an instant and back to leaning over his face looking at him while stroking his hair. "BABE! How do you feel?" It was a stupid question but it was all Kate could think of at the moment.

"I got shot, didn't I?" Rick's voice sounded like crap and even though they were the words Rick knew he wanted to say, it sounded like someone else was saying them.

"Just a little, yeah." Kate smiled down at him.

"Did we win?" Rick didn't remember much after getting hit.

"Yeah, my parents showed up and took out the last one." Kate tells him, still stroking his hair and then Kate gave Rick a feather light kiss. "Go back to sleep babe, I'll be here, and Alexis is fine."

"Sounds, … like a, …." And Rick was asleep again.

Kate laid her head down onto Rick's chest so she could hear his heart beat, it helped calm her down. Burying her nose into his chest and breathing him in, helped even more.

"You should be lying down, you just had surgery." Jim steps up and lifts his daughter up and takes her back to one of the beds.

"Alexis?" Kate turns on her dad before getting into bed.

"We don't have a suit her size, so we have to play musical shuttles." Jim explains. "I'll go get here and bring her up. Now get some sleep." Jim all but puts Kate into one of the beds.

It took a few hours, however the shuttle door opened and Jim escorted Alexis over to where Kate was sleeping. "Your father is this way." And Jim escorts her over to a still sleeping Rick.

Jim lifts her up so Alexis can see him and touch him. "Daddy!?"

It was actually three days before the EMH would let Rick leave the ship. In that time Rick and Alexis ate up almost all the food and drank most of the water that Kate and Lanie had brought up earlier.

Kate, Jim and Johanna finished off the other three blood bags in that time.

Jim and Johanna also got to know Rick and Alexis a whole lot better.

"I still don't understand something." Rick commented as they were closing up the ship and putting it back to sleep. "If we are deep into this tormented zone as you say, how did my father the vampire get here? And an even bigger question, how does my mother have vampire DNA in her?" Rick didn't understand.

"We are likely never going to know the answer to that son." Jim answers. "My first guess, for what it's worth. Your father being a 100% vampire would likely have been lonely here on a planet full of humans. In order to have a family he needed to add some of his own DNA to someone in order for her to become pregnant." Jim offer his opinion of how.

"So he bound some of his DNA to my mothers in his ship, like your EMH did to Alexis with Kate's DNA." Rick tries to wrap her mind around this.

"It's just a theory, unless we transfer everyone on the planet up here one at a time to run them under the scanner." Jim offers.

"So it's possible that everyone of Earth might have this dormant vampire gene, just waiting for a 100% vampire to show up." Rick tries to understand.

"Possible I guess. Once your medical finds this dormant gene they may find a way to activate it for those that want it. Turning your entire population into half vampire and half human." Jim points out.

"And the way nature works, if these hybrids have a child there is a chance that the baby will be either 100% vampire or 100% human, though the vast majority will be hybrids." Johanna adds her voice.

"So our coming here has the possibility of rejuvenating the vampire race?" Kate was following but keeping silent till now.

"It is possible. … If true a few hundred years from now our race will exit the tormented zone and re-join the rest of the universe. And we have our knowledge, plus a functional Hunter ship to design our ships off of." Jim points out.

It got Rick to start grinning wide and almost chuckling. "What babe?" Kate kisses his cheek.

"The universe is talking and maybe someday, long after we're gone, everyone else in the universe will have to start listening." Rick was smiling wide.


	33. Chapter 33

**CH33**

**Epilogue:**

**It is 30 years later now:**

A lot had changed over the last 30 years. Granted some things didn't change, however some things had.

"Mission Control this is Barrier one, we are approaching our first storm. All systems are green." Ell called out back to Earth.

"We copy, you are cleared to proceed. Please be careful sweetie." Mission Control responded back.

It got Ell to roll her eyes just like she had seen her mom do countless times, and leave it to her mom to embarrass her over the communications with most of the planet listening.

"She loves you Ell, just grin it and bare it. You'll live." Jenn points out, who was sitting next to her.

"I know, but did she have to tell over half the planet?" Ell moans. "Ok, I'm bringing up the power and applying thrust, let's see what this new shielding can really do."

**20 years ago:**

"Houston this is Search one, I'm approaching the barrier and beginning my scans." Kate informs the control room in Houston, Texas.

Kate had designed this ship just for this purpose. It was actually a mini version of the Hunter ship. It had its engine design, its shielding system, and a small refrigerator that had a secondary power source with enough blood bags in it to last Kate a month. Not that her flight was scheduled to last that long.

The larger companies hadn't recognized Kate's potential after graduating from NYU, almost literally teaching the teachers, let alone the students in class with her.

A small company had however decided to take a chance on her. Rick had taken all of his royalties off of his last two Storm books and bought thousands of shares of stock of this company. As the company started designing some of the systems for the ship Kate was in, their stock started rising.

It only dipped once when they missed a construction deadline. After 5 test flights in preparation for this flight out to the barrier, the company had been bought by General Dynamics and the stock price increased to three times the original cost overnight. It had continued to climb since then, simply at a slower pace.

Rick and Kate were rich. Rick thought he had money from writing books, that was almost pocket change compared to the money they had now.

Kate had designed this little ship and she had also proven that she was an excellent pilot, plus she knew how to fix on every system on this ship.

There was only the one seat and the ship was about the same size as an atmospheric fighter F-15E Eagle. It even had wings for atmospheric flight.

Kate was doing her best to keep her mind on her flight, it's just that it still took a little time to get out here, so she had done some reflection on her life on the way out here.

Alexis was in high school and some of her vampire traits, thanks to having Kate's DNA bonded to hers where beginning to show themselves. So far nothing terrible had happened.

Alexis had developed fangs and Kate had spent time with her to teach her how to force them to retract when she didn't want them to show. Alexis's strength had increased. Her skin color had changed making her less pale and her hair color had actually gotten a darker red, instead of fading to a more orange color.

Alexis had developed a taste for blood, she actually craved it from time to time now. Her system didn't seem to need it for any particular reason, however after taste testing when her fangs developed for the first time, Alexis had stated drinking blood. Like others would drink beer or alcohol.

Now Alexis was drinking an occasional meal just like her mother.

Alexis was also the big sister to her sister and brother. Both had turned out to be hybrids just like she was now. Kate's pregnancy for her first child had been full of scares for everyone.

Instead of breast feeding, since Kate's breasts didn't work that way, they found that she needed blood when she was a baby. Hence she had bitten Kate by accident one time and found that instead of milk, she needed blood.

For the first few weeks Kate would allow her to bite her to get the blood she needed. She was still just a child, however she was also the fastest child on the planet. Rick's vision of having a wall filled with Olympic medals had come back in full force as they all watched little Ell run. Kate had worked at weaning her off of biting her and into biting blood bags.

There had been one other major change in those early years. Rick hadn't wanted to go back to the loft after the shooting. It held too many bad memories now, and he had wanted to make new ones with Kate, Alexis and their new baby Ell, who wasn't even here yet.

Even though all the blood had been washed away, Rick and Kate could still see it, so Rick with Kate right next to him had gone looking for a new home. Jim and Johanna had gone with them once.

"You're both staying with us until you get yourself established. I need to arrange for the refrigerators downstairs to be filled more often." Rick had told them.

Since their apartment was rubble, Kate moved in and stayed in their bedroom. Alexis had hers, Lanie got one of the guest rooms and Jim and Johanna got the last guest room.

It had been a new experience for Jim and Johanna, coming down to eat with everyone, watching Rick and Alexis eat food while the four of them sucked on their straws. Rick had even purchased another microwave so they could heat up more bags at the same time.

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**Upper West Side - Townhouse**

**33 W 71st St **Extraordinary 20 foot wide, five story single-family townhouse on a most picturesque and exclusive central park block. This completely renovated home boasts approximately 8,300 square feet of total living space over 6 floors including a fully excavated cellar and is comprised of 6 bedrooms, 6 full baths plus 3 half baths. An elevator services all floors including the basement and roof terrace. With expansive windows, soaring ceilings throughout and a bow-front, natural sunlight brightens every level of this unique townhouse. Painstaking effort was put into each floor to create the most thoughtful layouts maintaining the best light and flow on each floor and each room. This grand mansion intelligently combines old charm with luxury and technology to create an unmatched living experience. Fabulous original woodwork details were preserved, including a majestic banister staircase, wainscoting, 2 massive fireplaces, and lavish crown-moldings throughout. There are 5 outdoor spaces in this Townhouse. Features include: State of the art kitchen with Cesar stone countertops, 2 Sub Zeros, Wolf 48' range plus convection oven, Miehle Dishwasher, wine fridge, dumb waiter from garden to parlor level, Gym, Wine cellar, Jacuzzi on roof deck, 2 working Fireplaces, wired for smart home technology with a closed circuit TV monitoring system, security system throughout, separate zoned Daikin central air-conditioning system, and state of the art radiant floor heating throughout all bathrooms. The layout is as follows: Cellar: Recreation room, Laundry room, Wine Cellar, Steam room, Powder room, Storage and Mechanicals. Garden Level: Spectacular Eat in Kitchen opening up to a beautiful garden, rear curved staircase to Parlor, one bedroom studio in front with kitchenette and bath, access via separate entrance under the stoop. Parlor Level: Formal Living and Dining rooms, soaring 13'+ ceilings, powder room, wet bar, 2 fireplaces, dumb waiter, plus access to terrace. 3rd Floor: Spectacular Master suite, a full width 400 sqft master bath/spa, separate half bath and enormous walk in closet. 4th Floor: 2 full sized bedrooms each with full bathroom and walk in closet, washer/dryer, Terrace off of Rear bedroom. 5th Floor: 2 full sized bedrooms each with full bathroom and walk in closet , rear bedroom has large L shaped terrace. 6th Floor: Open roof deck with spectacular Jacuzzi, gas grill and vanity.

Kate thought she was going to miss the loft. It was where she had landed her shuttle, it was where she fell in love with Alexis and Rick. It was where she got pregnant, however Kate had found that the new place was a place she loved even more.

It was theirs! It was where their children were growing up. It was 6 floors tall and while Rick wasn't fond of the stairs, Kate, Lanie and the kids had started loving them as they used their vampire blood to race up and down them. Even Alexis had gotten into it.

Since Rick owned the building the loft was in, they simply moved out and rented it to another family. All of the rent paid was profit since Rick didn't have a mortgage for the building.

They never did understand why the police never showed up at their door that day. It was all over the news what Tom and Josh had been witnessed doing everywhere they went. So many people had died because of those two. The police had finally showed up asking everyone in the building questions. By then of course the bodies were long gone. The shuttle was sitting next to the other two until they could find a better place to store them. The repairs to their door had caused questions, but the police hadn't pushed.

And since the Vibro blade had actually cauterized the wounds closed as it made them, there was actually very little blood to clean up. And the kitchen was getting a remodel, the police were told when they asked.

Rick had even arranged for a party with all proceeds to go to a fund that would help support all the families of all the police officers that had lost their lives thanks to two Hunters. Rick had felt somehow responsible for having their families ripped apart with all the pain they must be going through.

It was one more reason for Kate to love him, and it gave Jim and Johanna a glimpse into the soul of the man that their daughter was in love with.

Rick had bought Jim and Johanna their first place for them. Jim and Johanna had sworn they would pay him back after they both got jobs, not knowing Rick had no intention of accepting a penny.

**145 WEST 88TH STREET**

**145 W 88th St **Located on one of the prettiest townhouse blocks in all of Manhattan, this 4-story Renaissance Revival single-family house is the home you have been looking for! Built in 1890 by architect/builders McDowell & Henry, much of the unique Eastlake style of original detail remains throughout the home. Climb the restored brownstone stoop and enter the home through the original oak double wide doors. Stepping through the vestibule, the ornate spindles on the original box stair and detailed front parlor fireplace mantel immediately impress. The spacious dining room is at the rear of the parlor floor and has beautiful honey-colored wood wainscoting, and another fireplace with original mantelpiece and in-laid tile. French doors with two-over-eight glass panes lead to stairs down to the verdant garden. The windowed kitchen has modern stainless steel appliances and is conveniently located off the dining room. There are a total of 4 original fireplaces in the house. All of the original wood shutters have been preserved. 3rd & 4th Floors: The home retains its original historic box stairs with cut out at the parlor landing. There are 4 spacious bedrooms and 2 full baths. The master bedroom has an artist-loft-style skylight spanning the width of the house, a large walk-through closet and renovated spa-like bathroom with a Jacuzzi and 2-person shower. Some interesting original details remain throughout, including a marble shaving sink, pine cabinetry, and mantel in the 3rd floor front bedroom, restored spindles on the stair banister, and a fantastic stained glass skylight over the stairs. The 4 skylights and oversized north and south-facing windows make this townhouse unusually bright. Garden Floor: Currently used as a media and recreation space, the opportunities are many for this loft-like 17' x 50' floor. A full bath and a washer/dryer are located at this level. Double wide French glass doors lead out to the landscaped garden where a fabulous wall of ivy provides a lovely backdrop for entertaining or quiet relaxation. Cellar: The home has a full cellar level which, while unfinished, provides ample room for dry storage.

Kate was falling in love with Alexis all over again, she was the best biggest sister anyone could hope for.

"Ell, dinner!" Kate yelled out, not quite sure just where she was.

"I'll get her mom." And Alexis was off in a flash. Alexis's vampire DNA had kicked in and started making changes. Each was a new surprise to all of them.

"You still happy you got my DNA?" Kate asked when Alexis was back with Ell in her arms, holding her easily with her vampire strength.

Alexis stepped into Kate and kissed her head. "I wouldn't change a thing mom." Alexis was more like her mom now, something she was only too happy to be no matter what those changes worked out to be. The name Meredith never came up again, she didn't exist for any of them.

Kate's scans started beeping at her. "Houston I've got something. …. Make that a lot of somethings." Kate transmitted her scans back to Houston.

"**WOW!"** Kate was getting close enough that she could actually see it now. It reminded Kate of seeing a black hole swallowing up everything. Way out here in the asteroid belt. Kate could see one of them, while her scans were seeing several more of them.

"Houston, are you seeing this?" Kate needed confirmation.

"Confirmed Search One, we are all analyzing the data. Suggest you move on to another site and scan." Came back quickly.

It was one more thing that taking the Hunter ship apart to learn about. A new communication system that didn't have the delay everyone on Earth had gotten used to.

"Search One acknowledges." Kate moved along the edge, bringing up the power.

Kate watched black hole after black hole, sucking in storms on the outside into a tight location on an asteroid. "Houston I have a dead zone on my scans, moving to investigate." Kate increased power to close the distance faster.

"Acknowledged Search One, cleared to proceed." Too late since Kate was already on the move.

It really was a dead zone. There was no black hole in this area, unlike the areas around it. "Houston scans suggest that there is a signal or more likely a power transfer taking place between the black holes. This same transfer is by-passing this location. I'm maneuvering in closer." Kate eased off on the power and worked to pull into the biggest asteroid in this area.

"Interesting." Kate adjusted her scans and tried to narrow it down to where she could no longer see the black holes around her. "Houston, scans suggest there is an artificial construct on this asteroid. I'm going to go EVA and investigate." Kate proceeded to close up her helmet and remove the atmosphere in her cockpit.

"EVA is not advised Search One, it is not part of the program. The EVA system has not been tested enough for this." Houston was worried about getting the atmosphere to change from one to the other and back again.

Kate had already popped the cockpit and had hooked herself to the inside of her ship and was already on her way over when Houston had responded. Kate had done it on purpose, not giving them enough time to say no. Kate had fought to be the pilot of her own ship and she wanted to know what was out here, so she was going to look, period.

Kate looked back and saw her tether looping around behind her as it floated in space with no gravity to hold it in place. Kate calculated just how much further she could go before her tether became taught and stopped her progress.

Turning back to where she was going, Kate landed on the asteroid and started searching. It didn't take long before she found something, make that a lot of somethings. They were small and organized in some kind of pattern. Each seemed to have a gem of some king on the tip. Plus there was a transfer cable made of an unknown material that linked all of the gems to a central location.

Kate spent the time searching all of the gems till she found one and its housing that was no longer connected to the central unit. Kate dug it out of the rock and bagged it.

"Search One, this is Houston. Be advised you are down to half an hour of atmosphere in your suit. Suggest you return to the ship and plug in." Kate could hear them over the communication system routed through her ship.

"Search One acknowledges." Kate didn't want to, but she pushed off and started reeling in her tether headed back to her ship. Once back inside, Kate connected her suit, closed the canopy and turned the environmental system on again, allowing her to remove her helmet.

Kate pulled her find out of her bag and started studying it. It was definitely a module of some kind meant for a power system. It looked like a collector and power transfer module. It was like nothing she had ever seen before.

"Houston, this is Search One. I'm going into sleep mode while my suit recharges for another trip." Kate started shutting down systems including communications before Houston could forbid her from going back out again. She came out here to learn and by god that was what she was going to do.

**Back to 20 years later:**

Kate and a small design team had designed a new ship, it was modeled after the Hunter ship. It was a prototype and was designed to leave the tormented zone, so it had plants, bedrooms, bathrooms, shields and weapons. However it didn't have a flight bay holding 2 fighters that could go into combat in space as well as in an atmosphere.

It did however have something the Hunter ship didn't have. Something they had learned about after Kate had returned with what she had found.

The gem and its housing were still intact and functional, the control panel in the middle however was not. It had taken a few years to learn its secrets. Kate had taken those secrets and applied it to her latest new ship design.

Ell and Jenn watched all of their instruments as they entered the storm. "It's working!" Jenn sounded excited as she monitored the screens she was sitting in front of. Ell was the pilot while Jenn was the flight engineer. "Ready for phase 2?" Jenn looked at Ell smiling wide.

"HELL YES! …. Mission Control, all systems are green and functional, I'm setting a course and activating the FTL. Talk to you in a few." Ell tells over the communication as she works her controls.

"We copy barrier one, enjoy the ride." Kate answers back to her daughter.

Jenn was making sure everything was working as intended. "FTL in 3, … 2, …. 1, …." The result was the energy of the storm being sucked into the power system and Barrier one took off into FTL taking the storm with it, siphoning off some of its power to feed the ships engine.

It had taken Kate, Lanie, Jim, Johanna, Tom and Josh months to get from the edge of the tormented zone to the barrier that the system the Earth was in. Three days later Barrier One exited the tormented zone and stopped to scan the surrounding area.

"I've got nothing on scans, we're alone." Jenn tells Ell. "Our storm is still with us feeding us power, the shielding is holding it in place with no loss of power to the storm itself. … Looks like we are ready for phase 3." Jenn points out.

"Setting course for the closest system using the records we have. FTL in 3, … 2, … 1, …." And Barrier One disappeared into FTL only to come out a day later just outside of the intended system.

"I'm reading 16 ships in the area, running the scans through the analyzer. …. Some appear to be cargo ships of different sizes. Some appear to be personal shuttles or yachts, and one is a Command Carrier." Jenn points out smiling.

It got Ell to start smiling. "Phase 4 here we come." Ell altered course straight for the Command Carrier and applied maximum thrust.

The command carrier saw a rogue storm that had obviously escaped the tormented zone and started to maneuver to avoid it as it came screaming right for them.

As the storm got closer the Command Carrier started launching its fighters and Marauders. The idea was to have the fighters and Marauders open fire on the storm while the Command Carrier warmed up its main guns.

"We're taking hits to the shielding, shields are down to 99%." Jenn comments. "Activating fire control." Jenn sets the on board emitters to automatic. From the Command Carriers point of view the storm started shooting out large numbers of small balls of storm energy. Each ball struck unerringly onto each fighter and Marauder. Each ball enveloped their target and when the energy dissipated the fighters and Marauders simple ceased to exist.

The Command Carrier couldn't get out of the way fast enough or warm up their primary weapons. Only their secondary weapons managed to get any shots off as the storm slid down one side from bow to stern.

The energy of the storm overloaded their shielding and ripped the Command Carrier open on one side from bow to stern.

As the storm turned to head back for the tormented zone, Jenn watched her scans as the internal explosions inside the Command Carrier blew itself apart. No more Command Carrier and its crew of 50,000.

"Mission Control, all four phases are complete, all results are as expected. We're coming home." Ell communicates to Earth.

"Acknowledged Barrier One, you're father and I will be waiting for you at home. Enjoy your shake honey." Kate answered back.

After Barrier One entered FTL, both Ell and Jenn went over to the galley area of their little ship. Jenn cooked a meal for her mostly human system while Ell whipped up a milkshake that had blood in it.

Jenn and Ell were both hybrids. Ell was more vampire and Jenn was more human.

Earth was now a jumbled up hodge podge of races. A lot of people on Earth had elected to have their dormant vampire DNA activated while others wanted to be more pure human. As a result, a lot of babies born now were hybrids. Some were more vampire while some were more human.

Only occasionally was a 100% vampire or 100% human born these days. There were blood stores all over the planet now. Human blood and animal blood. Several of the hybrids had found that blood was blood, it didn't matter if it was human or animal.

Kate was entering the home they had bought years ago and found Rick in the kitchen working on making dinner. Kate walked right over and wrapped her arms around him and buried her nose into his chest and breathed him in. Kate hadn't ever lost the joy of smelling her husband or of tasting him and making love to him.

Rick had given her a surprise a few times during their marriage after Ell had been born. Kate hadn't wanted Rick to marry her just because she was pregnant. He had done that with Meredith. She wanted him to ask her because he loved her, not because he felt it was the right thing to do.

Kate's plan had not gone over well with Jim or Johanna. They wanted their daughter's baby to be born into a loving AND married family. Jim had thought sure he was going to have to give that father talk to his future son-in-law. He hadn't expected to have it be with his own daughter. So three months AFTER the birth of their daughter, Jim followed local tradition and happily handed over his daughter to a man who loved her more than his own life.

Now he just had to wait for Lanie to follow. And he thought Katie was stubborn. Lanie was just far too picky and it was driving both Jim and Johanna crazy.

Kate had pulled out a bag of blood out of the refrigerator, popped it into the microwave and jabbed a straw into it and started drinking with her family during dinner.

Alexis mostly still ate food as did Noah after he was born. Ell was the only one who preferred a mix. Ell's favorite thing was a food milkshake with blood in it. "Hhhmmm, tasty!" Ell had commented.

Kate had started drinking and had immediately melted into her chair. Kate's eyes rolled back into her head. It was her husband's blood. He occasionally, like every three months to be precise, had someone come out and take his blood, put it into a bag and leave it in the refrigerator tagged for Kate only. Kate had spent that night thanking him by making love to him.

They never did find any material that Kate couldn't break out of if she put her mind to it. However that hadn't stopped Rick trying to find something to tie Kate to the bed so Rick could have his way with her, and the results of his attempts had blown Kate's mind. Kate thought she knew just what her husband was capable of doing to her when they made love. However she had been wrong, so very wrong.

"How did it go?" Rick asked wrapping his arms around Kate and kisses her head.

"It went just as planned, Ell should be home in a few days. … How was Noah?" Kate inquired about her little man. Not really all that little anymore. Kids grew up just too fast to her mind.

"Last I saw him he was flying up the stairs to get to the roof, he finished his new kite and wanted to see it work. … Dinner will be ready soon if you want to go find everyone. And your parents should be here any moment." Rick answers her question.

"I'll go find him and my parents are still put out that you haven't cashed any of the checks they have sent to pay you back for buying them their home." Kate pats his chest and gives Rick a quick kiss.

"They can spend that money on the renovation they've been talking about, we've already got more money that any of us know what to do with." Rick points out.

It earned Rick another quick kiss. "I'll go find everyone babe, be right back." Kate uses her vampire speed to fly up the stars and is on the roof in a heartbeat watching her son fly his giant homemade kite.

"WOW!" Kate walks up next to her son. "You've outdone yourself this time." Kate was staring up into the sky.

"Hi mom." Noah acknowledges her presence. "I was just getting ready to release it and see if it will work properly." Noah informs her, as he presses the button to release the tether holding it to the Earth.

They both watched as the power system activated and it flew around the area of their home, avoiding trees and going between buildings. Making complicated turns, flipping and turning before heading for their roof. The AI system that Johanna was working on seemed to be working.

Kate helped her son reach up and capture it and bring it down to the roof. "Another success!" Kate was happy for him. "I see you listened to my mother this time." Kate points out.

"Yeah, grandma Jo is a genius when it comes to creating or fixing programs." Noah was smiling. Noah was now properly chastised for doubting his grandmother.

"I'll tell Ell you said that when she gets back." Kate teases her son.

"How was the flight?" Kate had his attention now.

"Our understanding of those crystal emitters and control panel have worked out perfectly. Together with my mother's programming all four phases of the flight worked out just as anticipated." Kate was grinning.

"Look out Universe, here come the vampires. No more running from Hunters, now the Hunters run from us." Noah points out smiling.

Kate was smiling with him. Her children were going to grow up NOT being hunted. NOT being looked down upon. NOT being singled out for extermination simply because nature had selected you with the need to drink blood to live.

Vampires had hopes and dreams too, and it didn't include being singled out for extermination from a group of humans who thought they were better.


End file.

Castle, Romance, Sci-Fi