Moving Forward (Completed)

Chapter Fifty

Most evenings ended with Katherine and MJ working at the dining room table, Katherine planning or grading... sometimes both, her laptop, calendar, notes, and student work taking over half the table, while MJ's school work encompassed what was left. It required carrying more bags back and forth to school everyday, but was an easy compromise considering it meant she'd be home earlier to spend time with MJ.

Rafael entered the apartment, pausing at the familiar sight from the last few months, chuckling to himself as he left to drop his briefcase off in his office.

"Can any of this wait until tomorrow?" He smirked, quickly joining the two in the main living space again.

"All of it, why?" MJ set her pen down to look at him.

"What about yours Katherine?"

"I'm actually ahead." She grinned, setting her own pen down. Her new system had been working really well. MJ was so focused while studying that the quiet let Katherine work faster and the one aspect of working at school that she had never really factored in was how often other teachers stopped by her room. Whether it be to discuss upcoming events, ask for help, or merely decompress, the interruptions made her work flow less efficient. Now the bulk of her planning was done without interruptions, copies were made in the mornings if possible, after school if not, and she'd gather anything else to work on once her room was set for the next day and head home. This happened everyday except Tuesdays and Thursdays. She had scheduled grade level meetings on Tuesday and school wide staff meetings on Thursday.

Rafael smiled as they both looked to him curiously. "I thought we could go out for dinner."

"I'll change." MJ hopped up from the table, quickly making her way to her bedroom to put on something that wasn't her uniform.

They went to a restaurant in the building next door to theirs. It was new, well newish, but they had been meaning to try it for a while. There were windows looking out over the street, but the view was from the second floor and while a nice addition, didn't bring about disappointment when they were seated along the wall opposite the windows instead.

"I thought you had some crazy case that was sucking all your time." MJ didn't look up from the menu, scanning the options as she spoke.

Rafael decided faster than the other two and set his menu down. "New evidence led to a guilty plea opening my schedule up enough for dinner."

Katherine set her own menu down, smiling at her husband. "I'm certainly pleased with the surprise dinner out."

He'd been late every night for the last two weeks. They'd see him in the mornings, chat on the way to work and school, then if Katherine was lucky she wouldn't have fallen asleep by the time he crawled in bed next to her. The first few days she'd left food for him in the fridge, but then the squad started ordering in at the precinct so she'd stopped. Most communication had been reduced to quick text on whether he needed food when he got home and what time he thought he might leave.

"Have you decided?" The waitress's smile was forced but it wasn't a reflection on them, more the day she was having.

Katherine turned to MJ whose nose was still stuck in the menu. "Do you know what you want?"

"It's between two things." The one she really wanted and the cheaper option. She knew they'd volunteered to take her in, that part of doing that involved buying her food, but she still had an urge to make it so that they spent as little on her as possible.

"Which one sounds better?"

MJ scrunched up her face and ordered the one she really wanted, relief settling in when Katherine ordered the same thing and Rafael a more expensive entree.