Moving Forward (Completed)

Chapter Seventeen

Katherine had just taken Frannie for a walk and they were both back in her apartment, Frannie on the couch and Katherine in the kitchen. Rafael had accepted the dog would be there but made it clear he preferred that Frannie stayed at her place... especially after he spent an afternoon removing dog hair from various surfaces in his apartment, including the leg of his favorite slacks.

"When is Rollins coming back to pick up her mutt." Rafael snapped when Frannie greeted him by jumping on him as soon as he entered Katherines apartment.

Katherine tensed at his tone, but didn't respond. Instead she slowly started stirring the sauce she was working on again. She really hadn't thought he'd be annoyed by Frannie when she had agreed to keep her. In fact, he really hadn't seemed that annoyed before now. Sure he had asked that they stay at her place until Frannie was back home, but even when he had made the suggestion he had been sweet about it. He had even started giving Frannie belly rubs and ear scratches once he was out of work clothes and they were all cuddle on her couch. That's the reason Frannie was so excited to see him, otherwise she would have just lifted her head and watched him from the couch.

Rafael sighed and squatted to pet Frannie when she settled. "I'm sorry it's not you... but you could try not to jump on my suits."

Katherine smiled and her body relax as she watched him quietly apologize to Frannie for snapping at her.

"You know," he smiled, moving closer to Katherine, "when I'm being an ass you can snap back." Rafael wrapped his arms around her waist and rested his chin on her shoulder to see what she was cooking.

"With something like... Sunday, when her plane lands." Katherine smiled trying to sound cross when she said the response that had initially gone through head, knowing he knew when Amanda's flight got in.

"Exactly." Rafael smirked, kissing her neck.

"Why did you snap at her?"

"It's been a long day... I hate this case."

"How's Nick doing?" Katherine asked, pulling a baking pan with English muffins that had been toasted on it from the oven, placing Canadian bacon and poached eggs on them and setting them back in the oven while she finished the Hollandaise sauce.

"Not so great... it didn't help that I left him with a terrible choice to make. Testify and risk alienated his mom and sister, or don't testify and his father gets away with fracturing his fiancés skull." Rafael sighed and pulled away from her.

"Are you ok?"

"I'm taking this one more personally than I should."

"Because of your father?"

"Yeah... What made you make Eggs Benedict?" He asked changing the subject.

"Because you like it and you're stressed."

"You know I love you right?" He smirked, wrapping her in his arms again.

"I believe you've mentioned it," Katherine chuckled, "but the sauce will break if I don't finish this up soon."

Rafael grabbed two dishes and Katherine plated the food, ladling the sauce on top.

"Can you grab the ketchup?" She asked as she pulled breakfast potatoes from the oven and plated them as well.

"If you cook like this too often I'm going to weight five hundred pounds." Rafael chuckled after a few bites.

Katherine laughed and rolled her eyes. "I would blame your incessant snacking at work before the occasional meal I cook."