Kate pulled the rolls from the oven just as she heard the knock. Richard usually had terrible timing in her opinion, so this was a first. She set the plate down and brushed her hands down her skirt. When she answered the door, Richard handed her a rose. Kate reminded herself it was part of their cover. Still it was nice.

She smiled at the flower as Richard shed his hat and coat. "Dinner?" Richard asked looking at her dumbly for a moment. Kate was tempted to laugh; she'd never seen Richard look so confused. Even his surprise at seeing her at the hospital couldn't compare with his confusion.

"Cover," she responded. She took his hat and coat as his expression returned to neutral. "Thank you," she told him as she put the rose in a vase and set the rolls on the table. Richard was still standing near the door. "Come. Sit," she commanded.

Richard sat obediently. "How is Anka?"

"Settled. She asked about her family." Kate kept her gaze on Richard. His eyes locked with hers as she spoke.

"What did you tell her?"

Kate motioned for Richard to eat. "The truth. Her family is safer without her right now. Someday she might see them again."

Nodding Richard took a bite as she spoke. "It'll be safer for her as well. Does she know what to listen out for?"

"I went over the details with her. She knows how to contact Agent Willis if she hears anything." Kate fell silent and slowly ate a few bites. She watched Richard for a moment as she chewed quietly. "I assume you're not just here to talk about Anka."

Richard smiled slightly before quickly suppressing it. His eyes locked on hers. "You're headed to Rome next week." Kate nodded, she was told to switch flights with another stewardess for the Rome flight in place of Berlin. Richard passed her a file, identical to the file he'd brought last time. "The Agency would like you to set up safe houses in Rome. At least five, if possible. Agents were burned there two weeks ago. They would like you to set up some new locations. Everything is in the file."

Taking the file Kate took a deep breath before opening it. She'd never set up safe houses before. She'd never even been in a safe house. "A safe house can mean the difference between life and death to an agent or an asset," Richard told her. He reached across the table and covered her hand with his. She hadn't realized her hand was shaking until the warmth from his hand crept into hers, stopping her movement.

"I know," she replied. "I can do this."

Richard smiled reassuringly. His gazed shifted between her eyes. Kate always wondered what he was thinking when he looked at her so seriously. "Once you're in Rome there won't be anyone available to help you, so call before you leave if you have any questions."

She nodded trying not to be affected by his lack of encouragement and pushed her potatoes around her plate with her fork. "No one questioned my absence." Richard watched her between bites, showing no reaction to her change in topic. She smiled in spite of herself as she watched him eat. "I thought I'd wait until I got back from Rome to tell the girls about us." She glanced away as she told him.

Us, it seemed such a simple word. Not a word Kate considered for herself often, but this was pretending. A fake relationship. Cover. Like the safe houses, their cover could at some point be the difference between life and death. "Do you have any family?" Kate asked him.

Richard glanced at her for a beat. She held her breath wondering if she was prying. "My parents," he told her with a slight nod. He wiped his hands on his napkin and devoted his attention to her.

Kate was used to have a man focus on her. But she'd never seen Richard so open. His normally observant visage was almost relaxed. "What's your professional cover?"

He took a moment to suppress his smile. "I'm a business man, working for an export company."

"Isn't that a little obvious?" Kate smiled across the table at him.

Richard's lips twitched in a shadow of a smile. "Perhaps, but it's common enough and allows me the freedom to travel."

"You travel?" Kate asked without thinking. She'd met him Rome, but he never spoke of traveling. Richard smiled and Kate felt silly. "Of course, you travel." She slid to gaze to catch his. "But you've never flown Pan Am."

His smile disappeared. Richard tilted his head away from her, almost physically ducking the question. "Not on any of your flights."

Part of her was bothered that he would intentionally avoid her, but she knew it was for the best. She could easily break his cover. "Is Richard Parks your real name?"

He turned back to her with a curious expression before nodding. "And if I fly on any of your flight, I'll be sure it's under the same name." He touched her arm and she focused her attention on his hand. "Anything else you need, just ask."

Kate nodded though she didn't look at him. She was nervous, but didn't want to share that. She would prove that she could do this. "I'm used to hearing Laura talk about her relationships. Talking about myself is a little different." She hoped he would think her awkwardness was about them and not her upcoming mission.

"I meant what I said." He pulled back his hand and her gaze with it. "Whatever you need, I'm here."

She shifted her gaze over his face. Richard was hard to read when he wanted to be, but she couldn't detect any dishonesty. Realizing she was staring, Kate lowered her gaze. "I'll call you if I need you."

Richard nodded. "Thank you for dinner," he told her as he collected his coat and settled his hat on his head. "I set up a meeting," he paused until she looked at him. "After Rome. We'll go over it together." It was the first time he'd told her what the plan was.

But Kate still felt like he wasn't certain in her abilities. She wanted to ask him for his help and yet she wanted to prove that she could do this on her own.

She didn't stop him from opening the door and then he was gone.

xxxxx

Thanks to Guest for reminding me that I hadn't finished this. And apologies for the long wait.

The references about Kate's meeting with Richard in Rome come from a pilot script I once read that had more Richard and Kate in the original episode.