Perfect Storm

Chapter 10 - Can You Stay?

It was nearing midnight the day before Christmas Eve and Kate was curled up on her sofa in some black yoga pants and an oversized grey sweatshirt with a glass of wine in hand watching 'It's a Wonderful Life' for what felt like the hundredth time. It was a Meadows family tradition that Kate had continued long after she left home.

Some of her fondest childhood memories included being curled up on the sofa with her Dad and her brother, drinking eggnog and sneaking a peak at the presents under the tree when her Mom wasn't looking. When she went to college, the tradition changed somewhat but she could always count on a call from her Dad on Christmas Eve wishing her a Merry Christmas, the underpinning sentiment still very much present. It had been thirteen years since the last Christmas Eve call and every single year it left a dull ache in her chest that never seemed to ease.

She had somehow been roped into going back to New Haven for the holidays, succumbing to her mother's frequent and not-so-gentle persuasion techniques which meant the she was flying home on Christmas Eve to spend a few days with her family. The only silver lining was that she had dragged her brother into the line of fire with her and told him in no uncertain terms that he would also be making the trip home.

She had just finished her last mouthful of rosé when she heard a knock at the door. His knock to be precise. She wasn't expecting him but there was only one person who'd be on her doorstep at this time of night and the thought bought a silly grin to her face. Kate threw her legs off the sofa and got to her feet, her moccasins shuffling across the wood flooring as she padded the short distance from her couch to the front door. Pulling the deadbolt back and cracking the door open, her heart fluttered at the sight of Hank Voight on her doorstep, hands stuffed into his pockets, a dusting of snowflakes in his hair and an almost shy smile on his handsome face.

"To what do I owe this pleasure?"

Kate swung the door open fully and stepped aside to let him in, the brutal Chicago winter already sucking the warmth from her apartment. Once he was inside and Kate had shut the door behind him, he wasted no time in taking her into his arms and leaning down to seal his lips over hers. Sliding her hands up over his arms to wrap around his shoulders, Kate leaned in as close as she could, basking in his scent and the feeling of his hands creeping up under her sweatshirt, cool fingers roaming leisurely over the bare skin of her back.

It had been almost a week since that first night but, due to a flurry of festive homicides, gang hits, overdoses and the like, they had barely found any time to be alone together. The dinner that Hank had promised her turned into him showing up on her doorstep with an apologetic smile and a bag of take-out food. They had both been too exhausted to do anything other than eat and fall asleep curled up together on the couch but the one thing they had discussed and agreed upon between bites of food was that they wanted to continue seeing one another and, for the time being, keep the rest of the unit in the dark about their newfound relationship. With Hank being her direct supervisor, they knew that they would need to file the relevant HR paperwork sooner rather than later but, for right now, they were content to stay in their own bubble.

When he eventually pulled his lips away from hers, he kept both arms wrapped around her waist, fingers interlaced at the bottom of her spine to ensure she stayed pressed against him.

"You know how many times I've wanted to do that this week?" He muttered, his eyes trained on her face as he watched a slow grin slide onto her kiss-swollen lips.

"Hmm, I could probably have a good guess." It was likely to be a similar figure to the number of times that she'd wanted to drag him off into a quiet corner of the precinct and behave inappropriately.

"Can you stay?"

Hank gave a gentle nod, pecking her on the lips one last time before releasing her so that he could shrug out of his coat and hang it on the hook next to hers. Whilst he was ridding himself of his outerwear, Kate moved out into the open plan kitchen-living room and made her way towards the fridge.