On her first day back, Lanie had chided her for even returning to work, "Girl, you have a rich, handsome husband and a beautiful baby girl. Why are you here? Did I mention RICH?"

Kate only glared at Lanie, ignoring her remark. "Hello, Lanie. I'm happy to see you, too. What brings you to my office this morning?"

Lanie recognized Kate's obvious displeasure, "I just wanted to welcome you back and see if you brought any pictures of my favorite baby girl."

The two women looked at a collage of pictures of Lily, that Rick had arranged in a frame for Kate's desk. They talked about the baby for a short while, until Lanie had to return to OCME.

That moment was replaying in Kate's mind as she trudged through New York's icy streets. She had tried to call Rick, when she left the precinct. He must have been giving Lily her bath, so she had had to leave a message. It was only a short walk from the subway to their loft, but in the current weather conditions it felt like a marathon. Kate was freezing despite her weatherproof Squall Coat. Her pants legs were soaked, and her boots were ice encrusted.

She had only been back to work from the shooting for a month or so, when they found out she was pregnant. She took 5 extra months of unpaid maternity leave after Lily was born. After this miserable day weather-wise and work-wise, she was mulling over Lanie's words from two months before. Why was she working? She could have spent the day safe and dry at home, enjoying her baby and her husband.

When Kate reached the entrance to her building, Roger opened the door for her. Eduardo would have gone home hours before. "Captain Beckett, I'm happy you made it home in this mess. Watch your step, the floor can be a tad slippery wearing those wet boots."

Kate thanked the doorman for his concern and pushed the call button for the elevator. Roger slipped into the office and picked up his phone. Kate leaned against the wall of the elevator as it rose to her floor. Her workday had been full of logistical headaches due to the bad weather. She was exhausted.

As Kate neared the door to the loft, it swung open and her husband smiled at her. "You're Home! I'm sorry I missed your call. I was rocking Lily to sleep." Rick helped Kate out of her wet coat and wrapped her in a heated blanket that he had taken out of the dryer just moments before.

"How did you know I was in the building? This blanket feels heavenly, by the way. Thank you, Babe." Kate kissed Rick's cheek while toeing off her boots. Rick held the blanket around her as she shimmied out of her wet jeans.

"After I listened to your message, I put the blanket, a towel and some socks in the dryer. I called Roger and asked him to call me when you arrived. I had just enough time to grab the things from the dryer and open the door after he called. The socks and towel are on the sofa."

"You are so thoughtful. What did I do to deserve you?" Kate asked Rick as she lifted her lips to his. He wrapped his arms around her and deepened the kiss. Kate felt herself warming up from the blanket and the contact with her husband's lips.

"I made cocoa or I can pour a glass of wine. I wasn't sure which you would want. You know you could have called the car service, and avoided the walk to and from the subway."

"Yes, Babe, I know I could have, but the roads are a mess. I had two patrol cars get into accidents today. Getting a cab would have been impossible, and I realized the car service would take a while to get to me. I thought the subway would be faster. After all the headaches at work, I just wanted to be home."

Rick handed Kate a pair of warmed, fuzzy slipper-socks and a hot towel. He went to the kitchen to get her cocoa and wine. She slipped off the wet socks she had worn with her boots and dried her feet. The warm socks felt amazing on her icy toes. Her husband thought of everything.

"You're perfect, you know that, right? Wine, hot chocolate, warm socks and towel, this cozy blanket. Best Husband Ever!"

Rick chuckled as he placed the mug of cocoa and glass of wine within her reach. He leaned down to place a kiss on Kate's forehead as he cupped her cheeks in his large hands. "Any man lucky enough to have you for his wife, would do the same. Now, I'll go run a bath for you."

Kate sipped the hot chocolate and wrapped her hands around the ceramic mug. The heat from the mug soothed her fingers. She tucked her feet underneath her on the sofa. She wanted to see her daughter, but not until after her bath.

Rick returned to the room, bowed to her and spoke with a cultured British accent, "Come, my Lady, your bath awaits."

Kate laughed at her silly husband and took his proffered hand. She grabbed her wineglass and leaned into his side as he wrapped an arm around her. The bathroom was divine with its heated tile floor and the steamy air rising from the water flowing into the large tub. Rick reached down and turned off the taps. As he lifted the blanket from Kate's shoulders, Kate inhaled the aroma of the Japanese Cherry Blossom Bubble Bath that Rick had added to the water. She stripped and slid into the hot water. Rick gathered her wet garments. "I'm going to check on the baby. Have you eaten?"

"I had some pizza at the station, but I'm not even sure when that was. What do you have in mind?"

"I made tomato soup and a sandwich for me. Would you like that?"

"I'll just have soup and crackers. Thanks. I won't be in here long. I want to see my daughter."

"She missed you today. I told her a story about Mommy fighting dragons. She's too young to understand, but it helped her go to sleep. I'll check on our girl and heat up your soup."

Kate sipped her wine and lounged in the bubbles until she felt the water begin to cool. She pulled a bath sheet from the towel warmer. She used the luxurious towel to dry her body and wrapped herself in it.

After dressing in yoga pants and one of Rick's old t-shirts, Kate slipped on fleece-lined slippers. She sipped her wine as she walked to the kitchen. Rick ladled her soup as she approached. A sleeve of Ritz and a spoon were already sitting on a placemat waiting for her.

"I hope the bath was to my Lady's satisfaction," Rick teased using the highfalutin accent again.

"Most definitely. Your ability, to know what I need and when I need it, still amazes me. Thank you, Babe. I love you." Kate lifted the first spoon of soup to her mouth. It was delicious.

Rick raised the wine bottle and held it above Kate's glass. She nodded her approval, and he refilled her glass. He smudged a kiss to Kate's cheek after he rounded the counter. He sat next to her and stole one of her crackers. Kate laughed before she spooned more soup into her mouth.

Rick sipped on his glass of Scotch while Kate ate. She filled him in on the hardships of her day. He told her about their daughter's messy fun with her lunch and her babbling attempts to speak.

"Rick, we need to talk."

"That is not what I expected to hear from you tonight. Did I do something wrong, Kate?"

"No, Babe, no. You are the Best Husband Ever. Do you recall what Lanie said to me, when I returned to work after my maternity leave?"

"I seem to remember, that she thought you were nuts to work at all. She told you that you should be home with your baby and your ruggedly handsome husband," Rick responded with a smirk and dancing eyebrows. Kate nudged Rick's shoulder and laughed.

"After dealing with all the insanity at work today, I was thinking while slogging home through the slush and ice. I realized that she's right. I don't want to miss Lily's milestones. When she takes her first step, I want to see her. When she speaks her first sentence, I want to hear it. I want to be there to hug and praise her with each new thing she does."

"Kate, if you want to quit your job, you know Lily and I would love to have you here with us all the time. Do you believe you can be happy at home? You could take a leave of absence. That would allow you to return, if you change your mind."

"The most important part of my life is my family. I don't want Lily or her siblings to grow up without a mother. Even as Captain, I could get killed on the job. I don't want to take that chance anymore. We worked hard to build this life, and I want to live it with you. I want another baby in a couple of years. I want to watch our children grow to adulthood. I want to see Alexis get married and give us grandchildren. I want to see our children have children." Kate ran her fingers through Rick's thick hair, "I want to watch you obsess over the first gray hairs as you become silver-haired and remain ruggedly handsome."

Rick enveloped Kate in his arms. He kissed her mouth and then pressed his lips to her temple. With his lips close to her ear he asserted his agreement, "Kate, Honey, I want all those dreams with you. If you get bored and want a new challenge in your life, I will support you in any dream you want to pursue. I love you, Kate, always."

Kate kissed Rick full and deep and strong. "I love you, too. Now, let's check on our daughter."

The couple entered Lily's room quietly and gazed at their sleeping baby. Kate couldn't resist brushing the hair back from Lily's face. Her daughter's eyes slit open and closed. Lily re-opened her eyes and smiled. "A-mama," she mumbled. Lily raised an arm to Kate.

Kate looked guiltily at Rick, before she lifted Lily from the crib. "Hello, Princess. I missed you today."

Lily settled into Kate's shoulder and sighed. She smiled at Rick and patted Kate's chin with her tiny hand, "Dada, Mama." She closed her eyes and clasped the neckline of Kate's t-shirt. Kate swayed with the baby in her arms, humming a lullaby. Within moments, the little girl had drifted back into dreamland. Kate continued to sway until she was certain Lily was truly asleep.

Once their daughter was nestled in her crib, Kate and Rick quietly left the room. Rick trailed Kate down the stairs and into the great room. He flipped off the overhead lights and set the security system as he passed. Motion-activated lights came to life as their movement triggered them during their walk to their bedroom.

The couple prepared for bed without words. Touches and kisses were exchanged when opportunities occurred. Rick settled into bed. Kate joined him and laid her head on his shoulder while her hand played with the hairs on his chest. "Are you sure about resigning, Kate? That decision will be final this time."

"I'm finished, Rick. When our kids are older, I'll think about finding a new career," Kate assured him. She continued combing her fingers through the hair above his sternum.

"Am I allowed to be ecstatic about this, or should I try for a low key celebration?"

Kate laughed and playfully tickled his chest. "What type of celebration did you have in mind?" Kate lifted her head and started a line of kisses at Rick's right nipple and continued kissing up to his ear.

Rick turned his head to catch her mouth. He paused their kissing, "I think you read my mind. I'm sure I heard you say our kids? When do you wish to have these additional children?"

"How about we start working on that after Lily's first birthday? I don't want you to be using a walker, when our youngest child graduates from High School."

"Ouch, Beckett, you wound me," Rick pretended to sulk. "Sadly, you do have a valid point."

"I'm actually more concerned about my aging eggs than your aging knees. I don't want to miss our chance." Kate kissed Rick. "So, husband of mine, would you like to practice our baby-making skills?"

"My wife has the best ideas," Rick grinned as he grasped the bottom edge of Kate's t-shirt.

Kisses and touches preceded the shedding of the rest of their nightclothes. Moans and pleas accompanied skin sliding over skin until they both lay sweaty and sated wrapped around each other. Kate got up to visit the bathroom, while Rick checked the video on the baby monitor. Within minutes, the lights were out and Kate's hand was resting within Rick's as they slept.