And to Us a Good Night
A Caskett AU
Rated T
This is for everyone who asked for a Christmas fic in the Waking Up in Vegas-verse. Thank you all for being amazing, wonderful, and so very supportive. I hope you like this.
“So
that went well.”
She can’t
help the heavy breath she releases, but she manages to cover most of it with
the palm of her glove. Rick must hear it anyway, because he pauses his scarf
adjustment to turn his attention to her.
“You
don’t think so?” he asks, his cobalt eyes widening under the rolled hem of
the sock hat she had shoved his way on the way out of the restaurant. After
seeing the tips of his ears turn bright red on the walk over, she knew he’d
needed it more than she did. “I mean I didn’t think it went badly.
Your dad didn’t fly across the table and strangle me or anything.”
Kate
winces. All in all, it hadn’t gone badly. Both of her parents had been stunned
by the news – the confession – that the man she had brought to dinner wasn’t
just her boyfriend, but her husband, and that they had been married to
for six months already, but she had expected that. She had even expected her
mother’s transition from astonished to excited the more Johanna talked to Rick,
though the book had probably helped more than a little bit. Her father’s
reaction – or lack of – had been a bit more surprising, but she hopes maybe
having a night or two to process the news will help.
Especially
since Rick and his mother are coming for Christmas in just over a week.
“No,
it didn’t go badly,” she agrees, stepping closer and toying with the ends
of his scarf.
“But,”
he supplies, dusting a kiss along the curve of her cheek.
Kate
shakes her head, slipping her arms around his neck, keeping him close. Her
father will come around eventually; there’s no reason to tell Rick that Jim’s
silence tonight had been more brooding than thoughtful, or that even at his
most furious, her father would never come flying across a table to do him
physical harm.
“No
but,” she promises. “Given the situation, it didn’t go badly at
all.”
Her
husband grins, taking the opportunity to press his mouth to hers, to sneak a
kiss that is absolutely not suitable for the polite company they’ve just left,
or even the general public. She’s breathless and a little bit wobbly when he
releases her, her fingers tight in his hair, her hips flush with his.
“I’m
glad,” he breathes against her mouth. “Ready to go home?”
“Uh
huh.”
She tucks
herself into his side as they make their way toward his apartment in the
village, passing bright, festive displays on every block. Her cheeks lift at
some of the more extravagant ones, and she nudges Rick to show him, too, to
share it with him.
By the
time she had finished work for the year and packed her things to come home for
break, most places had decorated for Christmas, but it just hadn’t felt the
same. It hadn’t felt like home.
Her
husband grins against her temple. “C'mon, I have a surprise for you.”
“You
do, huh?”
“Mhmm.”
No doubt
it’s something holiday-related. He knows her mom loves to decorate, knows she
has a fondness for it, too, even if she hides it underneath a layer of
aloofness she hasn’t quite managed to
completely
shake.
“Show
me,” she insists, tugging him along once again, her arm looped through
his.
She sees
the surprise – or knowing Rick, the first surprise – the moment they leave the
elevator and start down his hall. His front door has been framed with crystal
white lights, and a wreath bearing the Stanford logo has been placed around the
peep hole.
It’s
adorable.
“You
did this for me?” she murmurs, touching the string of lights as he slips
his key into the lock and nudges the door open.
“Well,
I usually decorate a little, but I couldn’t resist the Stanford wreath. You’re
just lucky I didn’t have the chance to put something that says ‘Dean’s List’ or
'4.0’ on there, too.”
Her
cheeks burn. He had been more excited than her when her final grades came back.
“It’s
just first quarter, Rick, don’t get too crazy.”
He
laughs, ushering her into his apartment – their apartment? At some point
they’re really going to have to figure these things out, aren’t they? – and
flipping a switch by the door. The light in the corner blinks to life, bathing
the room in a warm glow, giving her a glimpse of more lights, the stockings
hanging from one of the windows, one proudly bearing a swooping K and the other an elaborate R, as
well as a small pile of boxes beside a bare tree.
She
blinks, giving the room another slow look. “When did you do all this? I
saw you just a couple of hours before dinner!”
Rick’s
hands frame her hips, his chest solid at her back. His nose nuzzles under her
hair, brushing the spot behind her ear that never fails to make her shiver.
“I
got started after you dropped your bag off and picked up the book. It’s not
done, obviously, but I figured we could do it together if you wanted. Or if you
want to just sit and watch me work, that’s fine, too. I am very nice to look
at.”
“No,”
she denies, spinning in his grip. “I want to help. I– you really got us a
tree?”
“Of
course I got us a tree,” he scoffs, slipping his hands between them to
unbutton her coat. She does the same for him, tossing his scarf and his hat in
the general direction of a chair before letting him wiggle her sleeves down her
arms and send her outerwear flying.
His
fingers return to push the wild strands of her hair behind her ears before
cupping her face between his palms. “First, it’s Christmas. Second, it’s our
first Christmas and I’m sentimental like that.”
Lifting
onto her toes, she brushes a kiss across his mouth, lets him feel the way
excitement thrums through her veins. “Kay. Tomorrow I’ll ask my mom for
some ornaments to add, but for tonight… did you put up any mistletoe? Or do we
need to do that?”
“Well,”
he hums, stealing another kiss – because who really needs mistletoe anyway?
“I did find somewhere for the mistletoe, but it’s not in this room.”
“Hmm,”
Kate murmurs, pretending to consider his answer, “I think you better show
me where it is.”
His
fingers curl around hers as he leads her to his bedroom.
“So,”
her mother asks a few days later, barely glancing up from the sale rack she’s
browsing. “Have you bought anything for Rick yet?”
Shifting
her pile of potential presents, Kate grabs a deep blue sweater off the rack. If
it’s her husband’s size, it will be the perfect finishing touch to his gift.
That includes the things she’ll wrap and put under the tree, as well as the
things she absolutely won’t be telling her mother about.
“I
got him a few small things last week before I left California, but this – aha –
this is the last of it. Now I’m just shopping for Dad.”
The older
woman nods. “Any idea what you want to get him?”
“Do
they make 'Sorry I got married in Vegas and didn’t tell you, Merry Christmas
anyway’ gifts?”
Johanna
snorts, catching her eye over the top of the clothing. “He’ll be fine
eventually, sweetheart. He’s just surprised. Hell, I’m surprised.”
“Yeah,
but you had a fangirl crush on my husband already. I bet you’re itching to go
back to work to tell everyone in your book club that you get inside info on his
books now.”
“Hush.”
Twin patches of color spread over her mother’s cheeks, though, making Kate’s
smile deepen.
“By
the way, thank you,” she adds a second later, waiting until her mom looks
up to continue, “For not freaking out. And for liking him. He’s not
everything the papers make him out to be, which I realize might be part of
what’s bothering Dad. But he’s not that guy, not really. So thanks for being
willing to give him a chance.”
Her
mother laughs. “I admit, I expected you to come home from your trip last
summer having done something wild. I just thought it would be another tattoo
instead of a husband.”
She can’t
help the giggle that spills from her lips. “He’s better than a tattoo. I
can’t necessarily say cheaper, though.”
Johanna’s
lips lift. “Good.”
“But
part of why we didn’t tell anyone was so we could be sure about each other.
That’s why we dated all summer and this fall before we said a word; we wanted
to know it was… I mean it could still crash and burn, but we’re not total
strangers anymore. And I–”
“You
love him.”
Pulling
her lip between her teeth, Kate nods. “Uh huh.”
“And
he loves you. That much was obvious the other night.”
This
time, it’s her cheeks that heat up. It had been obvious the other night, the
first time he’d ever told her he loves her, the first time she had told him,
too.
“Yeah.
He does.”
Her mom
nods, adding another shirt to her pile. “That’s what matters. The rest
you’ll have to figure out for yourselves – and it won’t be easy all the time –
but that’s what matters. Because you’ll put in the work for one another.”
Something
loosens in her chest, some knot she hadn’t even realize had been slowly
tightening until the pressure has practically dissolved.
“Thanks,
Mom. And he’s so sweet and supportive. I mean, I showed you the picture of the
wreath he put up. It’s ridiculous, because he’s on the bestseller list, and he
put my school colors on our door.”
“He’s
proud of you.”
“Yeah,
but… bestseller list.”
“Uh
huh,” Johanna answers, turning an amused look on her. “And are you
proud of him for that?”
Well,
duh. Of course she’s proud. He’s not even twenty-four and he’s a bestselling
novelist. He’s smart, he’s hardworking, he’s hot, and he chose to stay married
to her. He could be dating a full-time model or an actress or something, but he
picked her.
Her
mother nods knowingly. “That’s what I thought. So let the boy who’s gaga
for you be proud of your accomplishments, Katie.”
Yeah, she
does kind of like the sound of that. “I draw the line at him telling
strangers on the street that I made Dean’s list.”
Johanna
laughs, slipping around the rack to join her. “As you should. Now, I think
your father was talking about needing a new wallet and tie bar the other day.
Why don’t we try to find him those here?”
She nods,
shifting the clothing in her arms and following her mother across the store.
“I
was thinking about grabbing some lunch when we finish here. You should call
Rick and see if he wants to meet us.”
That
makes her smile. Her mom’s trying. “I would, but he’s meeting his mom for
lunch already. You’re stuck with just me.”
Johanna
nods, poking through a ransacked pile of genuine leather wallets. “Have
you met her? Rick’s mother?”
Kate
hesitates. “Kind of. She doesn’t know about – she knows we’re dating. I
met her in August. By accident.”
Her
mother’s face blanks. “Ah.”
Oh god.
She just implied to her mother that her mother-in-law caught her having sex
with Rick. Fantastic.
“No,
no. Not like… not like that.”
Had
Martha walked into Rick’s apartment twenty minutes earlier, she wouldn’t be
able to say that, but they’d gotten lucky. They’d been very lucky. And yeah,
okay, maybe they could’ve been wearing a little bit more clothing, but
they were dressed, and their hands were in relatively safe territory when the
redhead waltzed through the door.
“We
were just having breakfast and she came to Rick’s place to pick something up.
It was a quick introduction.”
“So
she doesn’t know?” Johanna lifts an eyebrow. “Don’t you think you
should tell her? Before a major family holiday?”
Okay, her
mom has a point. She can only imagine how different her own parents’ reactions
would’ve been if she had showed up on Christmas Eve with a husband and
mother-in-law in tow. “I'll… hold these for me? Let me call Rick.”
Snagging
one of the deep mahogany bifold wallets from the stack, Kate passes her pile
over to her mother. Johanna grumbles, but the lift of her lips says she isn’t
bothered by the sudden addition to her load.
Rick
answers on the third ring, greeting her with a honeyed warmth that has Kate licking
her lips. It’s absurd to want him this badly, this often, but she doesn’t know
how to make it stop. She doesn’t want to make it stop.
“Hey,”
she breathes, clearing her throat. “Have you left for lunch with your mom
yet?”
She hears
papers shuffling, the squeak of his desk chair, and she pictures him sitting at
the desk nestled in the corner of the apartment. “Ah, no. Not yet. I’m
about to, though.”
“Oh,
okay good. Good. 'Cause my mom asked me if your mom already knew about us and
if we really thought it was wise to wait until you guys came over on Christmas
to tell her. So I was wondering if you wanted to tell her today instead?”
Her
husband exhales. “I thought about that after you left. Because while my
mother does love a bit of drama, that might be too much. So I have a
plan.”
Plans are
good. She likes plans. “Yeah?” she asks, twisting a strand of hair
around her index finger before realizing what she’s doing. How love-struck and
giddy she must look.
“Christmas
Eve? Before you go to your mom and dad’s for the night, I thought we could have
her over and tell her then, just us. I’ve got a gift in mind and
everything.”
Kate
stops, blinking in surprise. “A gift?”
Rick
chuckles. “Yeah. I framed that picture from the football game in October,
and I figured we’d give that to her, and then tell her the second part of the
gift is the daughter-in-law sitting across from her.”
That’s
actually really thoughtful. Sweet, humorous, with just a touch of the drama Rick
swears his mother lives for.
“I
love that.”
“Yeah?”
he preens. Even over the phone she knows he’s preening. “I’m sorry I
didn’t think of it before we had dinner with your parents.”
Kate
laughs, dipping her head. That probably wouldn’t have made the reveal any less
shocking, but it would’ve been fun. “That’s okay. But oh, can you get
extra copies of that picture?”
“Uh
huh.”
“Stocking
stuffers for them, maybe?” She sways, glancing in her mother’s direction.
Her
mother will love the photo. It’s sickeningly cute – Kate tucked against Rick’s
shoulder with her fingertips pressed to his jaw, her wedding ring visible for
all to see – but somehow it’s genuine and gorgeous.
“That’s
a great idea. Done.”
She
grins. “Thanks, babe. Get ready for lunch. I’ll see you later.”
“Kay,”
he says. “Have fun with your mom.”
“You,
too,” she answers, waiting a mere half-second before adding, “I love
you.”
Rick
doesn’t even miss a beat. “I love you, too.”
She hangs
up, flipping her phone closed once she’s sure the line has been released.
Johanna steps over to join her a second later, lifting an eyebrow as she hands
Kate’s potential purchases off to her once again.
“Well?”
“New
plan,” Kate says, breathing deeply. “We’re going to spring it on her
on Christmas Eve.”
“Oh.”
Her mother’s brow furrows. “Well… good?”
A laugh
falls from her mouth. “She’s coming over for presents, maybe a late lunch,
and we’re going to tell her then. But I’ll be home for dinner and
everything,” she hastens to add.
Johanna
softens, winding an arm around her shoulders. “I wasn’t worried,
Katie.”
“I
know.” It comes out too quickly to be believed, but her mother doesn’t
call her on it. Her lip finds its way between her teeth, a question poised on
her tongue. “That’s another thing that we’re going to need to figure out,
isn’t it? How to do Christmases and holidays?”
“Ah,
Katie,” her mother hums, “welcome to married life. It’s all about
figuring this stuff out. When your dad and I were first married, your
grandmothers almost came to blows trying to claim us for Christmas. It was not
pretty.”
“Oh
god. Please don’t do that. Ever.”
Johanna
laughs, squeezing her. “Come on, let’s get out of here and get some
food.”
Kate nods
in agreement. “But ah, first I need to pick up something for my
mother-in-law.”
Christmas
Eve at the Beckett house is always a quiet affair. Some years they go to a
party, or find a church service to attend, but for the most part, they stay
home and enjoy the warmth. This year is no different; Kate slips into the house
as mid-afternoon gives way to evening, shedding her coat and scarf and trying
to adjust to the quiet compared to the busy street and the whirlwind lunch
she’d just left.
Rick’s
mother had laughed at them. Not chuckled in amusement or snickered delicately
into her hand. No, Martha had laughed deep, full laughter that made the
bracelets on her wrists knock together in a noisy sort of harmony before she
pulled them both close and kissed their cheeks.
“For
the last six months, Richard, I have never seen you happier,” Martha had
said, her voice strong and clear over the soft refrains of Christmas music
coming from Rick’s stereo. “Who am I to disagree with that? No matter how
unconventional the circumstances.”
She had
gone on to push Kate’s hair away from her forehead, telling her she had liked
her from the moment they met.
And that
the cat had been out of the bag for exactly that long, because they’d both been
wearing their wedding rings that day.
Oops.
“Mom?
Dad?” Kate calls, shaking herself from her thoughts. “I’m home.”
“In
here,” comes from the living room, encouraging her deeper into the house.
Her father looks up from his book when she steps into the room, offering her a
quick smile. She returns the affection, dropping her bag and sinking onto the
plush chair beside him.
“How
was your lunch?” Jim murmurs, turning his page with a steady hand.
Kate
rests her head on his shoulder, feeling his stoicism soften as she settles in.
“It was good. Martha loved the smoked salmon you made.”
“Good,”
he says, offering nothing more for a long moment. “And Rick?”
She sees
her mom’s lips lift, no doubt holding in Johanna’s favorite phrase of them all.
She won’t say it yet, it is still too soon for 'I told you so’s, but Kate knows
she’s itching to let it out.
“He’s
good. He says hi, and he’ll bring his famous Christmas brownies to dinner
tomorrow.”
Her
father nods, thoughtful. “What’s he doing tonight?”
Surprised,
Kate lifts her head. “I… he’s just hanging out, he said. Doing some
writing before he gets behind. His mom had something to do for a little while,
but then she said she would be back.”
“Ah,”
he hums.
She
watches her parents exchange a look, watches the way her mother’s eyes flare
wider in insistence.
Finally,
her father closes his book, turning to her. “Call him, Katie.”
“Huh?”
She blinks, pulling away to stare at him. “But I thought… you wanted it to
just be us tonight?”
Jim
shakes his head, drawing her into a hug. Kate sinks against him, pressing her
nose into the warm cotton of his sweater.
“I’m
still wondering what possessed you to get married to a complete stranger and
then stay married to him, but you care about Rick, and it’s more than
obvious that he cares about you. So he’s not going to spend Christmas Eve
alone.”
Breath
seizing in her chest, Kate hugs her father tightly. “Thank you, Dad. I
know it’s insane, I know, but I think – no I know – you’ll like him.”
Jim
kisses her temple, rubbing a hand down her back. “I just don’t want you to
get hurt. That’s all. Remember that awful musician you only dated at first to
spite me? How badly things ended with him?”
She
snorts. “I remember. Vividly. It’s not like that with Rick.”
“Better
not be,” Jim grumbles, wrapping her up again after she fishes her phone
from her purse and fires off a text to Rick.
“It
isn’t. And I told him to bring Martha if she’s there, too. I don’t want his mom
to be by herself either.”
She also
told Rick to bring clothes to spend the night, but she’ll refrain from
mentioning that to her dad for the moment.
After
all, it’s better to ease him into the fact that she’ll have a boy sleeping in
her bed tonight.
Rick and
his mother are both smiling broadly when she opens the door to them almost an
hour later, though her husband’s expression is soft with affection as well.
“Hey,”
she greets, already stepping aside to let them slip into the house and out of
the blistering wind. “Sorry to change plans on you like that, but–”
Martha
waves her apology away, stepping forward to kiss her cheeks. “Thank you
for having me, Katherine. And having me tomorrow too. Do your parents know what
they’re getting themselves into?”
Kate
laughs, returning her mother-in-law’s affection. “To be honest with you,
Martha, I don’t think they’ve put two and two together yet about who you are,
so I’m not sure they do.”
Behind
them, Rick chuckles. “Feeding her ego, good plan,” he teases,
slipping his arm around Kate’s waist and pressing his lips to her cheek.
“Hi again,” he adds.
“Hi.
Did you bring clothes?”
Rick
nods, twisting so she can see the messenger bag on his shoulder, as well as the
plastic grocery bags in his free hand. “I did. And I brought the
ingredients to make the brownies. Mother said she’s going to go home, and if
she’s still welcome, come back tomorrow.”
“You’ll
still be welcome,” she assures, taking half of the bags and leading her
husband and his mother down the hall. “I’ll introduce you and then I’ll
put everything down.”
She can’t
help the glee that bubbles from her lips as her parents’ eyes go wide when they
realize that Rick’s actress mother is none other than Martha Rodgers, TV
actress and Tony Award nominee.
“Dad
loved you in The Incredible Hulk, Martha,” she murmurs, turning a
cheeky smile in her star struck father’s direction. “I’ll let you guys
talk; we’re going to put the groceries away.”
Reaching
behind her, she finds Rick’s hand, curls her fingers around his, and gives him
a gentle tug toward her bedroom first. The motion knocks him off-balance, but
he just laughs, following her without a word of protest.
“You’re
a little devious,” he murmurs as they step into her room. “I love
it.”
She slips
his bag from his shoulder, letting it land in the center of her bed with a
delicate bounce.
“It
distracted them, didn’t it?” Kate asks, looping her fingers in his belt
loops and bringing him closer. His nose brushes hers, still chilled from being
outside, but his mouth is warm when he opens to her, allows her to taste the
coffee on his lips.
“And
you get to see my bedroom for the first time,” she adds, bumping his hips
with hers. “Whatcha think?”
Her
husband hums against her lips. “I think it is everything I thought it
would be. Right down to the Nebula 9 poster,” his voice lifts
higher in amusement, not question, forcing her to hide her face in his
shoulder.
“I
knew I should’ve taken that down after I texted you,” Kate grumbles.
“No,
no, Kate. That is amazing. In fact, it makes me love you more.”
Her eyes
narrow. He’s not a fan and they both know it. “Keep mocking me, buddy, and
maybe you won’t be sleeping in here.”
Rick
gasps, thumbing her hip. “I would never mock you. Not for being a big ol’ Nebula
9 mega-fan.”
“Shut
up,” she orders, poking his chest with a firm finger. “Or I won’t
show you my new Lieutenant Chloe cosplay.”
She pulls
away, leaving him gaping at her back.
“You
are so hot,” he mumbles, following her on eager feet, catching her
free hand as she crosses the threshold into the hallway. “And hey, you
know there’s a convention coming up? If you don’t have anything due that
weekend or right after, you wanna get tickets and go?”
It’s
tempting. “Here? Or in California?”
Rick
lifts a shoulder. “Here, but I can get your plane ticket.”
“You
got my last one,” she reminds him, half chiding. Yes, it’s nice to be able
to come back to New York for short weekend jaunts, and it’s nice to go out on
the town in San Francisco when Rick is in California, but he can’t pay for everything.
Not when she can’t return the gesture as easily.
“And
that weekend was also my idea.”
“Rick,”
she exhales, making a beeline for the kitchen to deposit the bags on the
counter. “Get the convention tickets. I’ll get the plane ticket.”
He drops
a kiss on her shoulder. “How 'bout we do it the other way around? You get
the con tickets; I’ll get the plane ticket.” Off her protest, he adds,
“You’d have to work so much harder than I do to make that money, Kate. Let
me treat you.”
Twisting,
Kate gives him a long look. He’s serious. But so is she. She can’t just sponge
off of him because they’re married.
Reaching
for him, her hands frame his sides. Her chin lifts, eyes catching his, making
sure he’s paying attention.
“I
don’t want to take advantage of you, your money. That’s not why I’m with
you.”
“You’re
not, I’m offering,” Rick insists, cupping her shoulders through her
sweater.
“But
I am if I always say yes, and I never give anything in return.”
Her
husband kisses her forehead. “You give me so much in return, Kate.
Besides, I could spend the money on stuff for us, or I could spend the money on
more Star Wars collectables. Seeing you seems like a much better choice.”
“You’re
sure?” she asks, tightening her fingers in the cashmere of his sweater.
“That
I selfishly want to see my wife?” Rick grins when she does. “Yes, I’m
very sure.”
Lifting
onto her toes, she seals her mouth to his. “Okay. On one condition.”
Rick
hums, slipping his hands down her arms, drawing her closer to his chest.
“Anything.”
“You
cosplay as Captain Max.”
Her
husband groans, but agrees. She simply grins, turning back to empty the bags.
They’re
in the process of putting Rick’s brownie supplies away, stealing kisses for
every ingredient, when Martha calls for them to – in her words – stop
canoodling in the kitchen and join them.
Kate’s
cheeks darken, but she hears both of her parents laugh (though her mother’s
amusement is louder and clearer than her father’s) at Martha’s words.
“Canoodling,”
she murmurs, looking up to find Rick shaking his head.
“I
could’ve left her at home,” he says, though the gleam in his eye tells her
he’s joking. From everything she’s seen, he has an interesting relationship
with his mother, but Kate knows he loves Martha like crazy.
“Yeah,”
she agrees, stretching onto her toes to kiss him. “But you wouldn’t
have.”
His hand
falls to the small of her back, keeping her steady. “Yeah? How do you
know?”
“Because
it’s Christmas. And you want this to go well.” Kate smiles, dusting her
mouth over his again. “Even if it involves them making jokes at our
expense.”
His face
brightens with his smile. “I guess you’re right.”
“Course
I am,” she hums, sinking into the kiss he presses to her lips. “Now
why don’t we take them drinks and some snacks to tide them over until dinner is
ready, and we can sit and enjoy our Christmas Eve?”
Rick
nods, slipping his thumb over the shell of her ear before both of his hands
fall away from her body and he grabs the bottle of red wine he had brought.
“Perfect.”
“And
then later on, more canoodling,” she adds, biting her lip and wiggling her
eyebrows. “In private.”
“Merry
Christmas to us,” Rick singsongs, pouring five glasses of wine with a deft
hand.
“And
to us a good night,” Kate finishes on a grin, lifting the first two
glasses from the counter and delivering them into the living room, trusting her
husband to follow.