AN: So it's not as lengthy as I thought it was going to be, but it's exactly how I wanted to end it.

Three weeks flew by since Rick started to shadow Kate at work. He would go there on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays, days the kids had a babysitter. They just completed a case yesterday and he was already dying for more. He begged and pleaded for her to let him stay and it worked. Well, it only worked because he actually followed her rules, which were a buzz kill, but he understood. He didn't want to worry her when she already had to worry about herself and getting home safe for the people that loved her.

He finished packing his clothes in a suitcase, all ready for their one-week vacation that he managed to get her to agree to. He also persuaded Montgomery to let her have the time off, which didn't take much, only a couple Yankees tickets when the season started.

"Look at who I found in my makeup," Kate announced from behind him, making him spin around to face her.

She was holding Alexis under her arm. His daughter had purple eye shadow all along her cheeks, completely missing her eyelids. It also looked like she tried to paint a picture with mascara on her forehead; something he knew wasn't easy to get off either.

"Alexis…" He shook his head in disapproval, although he wanted to smile because he found it adorable that she went through Kate's makeup.

"I have to be pretty like Kate, Daddy," Alexis explained with a giant smile. She tilted her head towards Kate then back at her dad.

"You're very pretty, but you shouldn't go through Kate's things without her permission. And I bet if you asked, she would be willing to put makeup on you," Rick sternly spoke, witnessing his daughter's defeated sigh.

"Sorry," Alexis sadly uttered and attempted to squirm out of Kate's hold.

"Let's clean you up and finish packing your stuff," Kate suggested before carrying Alexis back to the master bathroom.

"Where's Noah?" Rick questioned behind his shoulder as he struggled to zip his bag. He ended up sitting on it to at least get the zipper started.

"He's watching Batman the Brave and Bold in the living room," Kate loudly answered because she started the sink on full blast.

"Oh, I love that cartoon," Rick softly said to himself before hopping off his bag and making his way to the living room. When he saw Noah lying with his legs on the back of the couch, so he would almost be upside down, he chuckled.

"Batman," Noah happily exclaimed and pointed to the TV.

"We can bring Batman DVDs into the car, so you can watch it while we drive down to Myrtle Beach. Unless your mommy agrees and we take a plane," Rick said as he planted himself on the couch beside Noah.

"Want plane!" Noah shouted and flung himself onto his stomach before sliding off the couch. He bolted to his mom's bedroom and diverted the bed he almost ran into. Once he was standing in the doorway to the bathroom, he lifted his arms and yelled, "Go on plane, Mommy!"

"No, buddy. We are driving. It'd be too much of a hassle with you two and security checks," Kate condemned her son's idea.

"But go on plane like Daddy. Go fast," Noah begged as he spun around with his arms straight out, illustrating that he was a plane.

Alexis giggled as she observed him, but ended up closing her eyes when she felt the washcloth Kate was using near them.

"I know you saw your Daddy's plane take off and now you want to go on one, but it'd be easier if we use a car," Kate tried to explain while she gently removed the eye shadow from Alexis' cheeks.

"It'd be quicker if we went on a plane," Rick added in from behind Noah. He lifted the boy into his arms and swayed side to side as fast as he could before securing him on his hip. "Right, Noah?"

"We are supposed to be on the road in the morning. How do you expect us to get plane tickets by then?" Kate annoyingly inquired as she got most of the mascara off of Alexis' forehead.

"I could get them right now. First class and everything," Rick excitedly replied as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He had to hold it a little ways from Noah's reach, but that was when Kate snatched it out of his hand. "Hey."

"If we are taking a plane, then I'm paying for mine and Noah's tickets," she insisted before helping Alexis off of the sink.

"Down, down!" Noah nearly screamed because he wanted to play with his friend. After Rick set him back on the floor, he chased Alexis out of the room.

"You're not paying because this is my treat. Next mini vacation we take, you can pay. I promise," Rick gently proposed as he walked further into the bathroom to pull Kate into his arms. "Okay?"

"This whole not-letting-me-buy-anything is really getting on my nerves," she growled into his shirt as her arms wrapped around him.

"You can pay for the food?" he asked, which was followed by a chuckle.

"Fine," she huffed before placing the side of her face against his chest, listening to his heartbeat as she always loved to do.

"Or you can pay for the bullet proof vest I'm having made."

"What?" she inquired, roughly pulling away from him to see his face.

"I, um, special ordered a bullet proof vest…"

She angrily slapped her hand on her forehead and gradually ran it down her face. She held her lips together with two fingers while glaring up at him.

"Better safe then sorry?" he nervously asked with a forced grin.

"If you think you will be following us into a suspect's home instead of waiting for my 'okay', you are out of your damn mind."

"I'll still wait, but what if something happens? Kate, I'm only thinking of the people that love me."

"And you want to pretend to be a cop." She shook her head and tried to hide the small smile that wanted to form across her lips. As much as she hated that he was shadowing her, he was tremendously helpful. "Okay, fine. You can have a bullet proof vest." She saw the look of achievement in his eyes, so she lifted her finger to silent his thoughts. "Only if you promise me that you won't follow us into a building like you did already."

"That was a one time deal. I wanted to do it at least once to get the feel of how you go about it."

"It's in the past," she quickly abolished the conversation at hand. Instead, she walked over to the bed to see his giant bag. "You packed everything?"

"Yes," he answered with a nod.

"Swim trunks?"

"Check."

"Boxers?"

"Check," he chortled while he shook his head.

"And we will be putting all the bathroom necessities in a separate bag, so we can still use them in the morning."

"Yes, Ma'am." She sharply turned toward him, making fear run through his mind faster than ever. "I was kidding," he anxiously squeaked.

"Mhm. Sure," she playfully teased before she exited the bedroom to see what the kids were up to. She skidded to a halt when she saw what they were doing.

They were both on the couch, Alexis standing behind Noah. She was putting barrettes and scrunchies in his hair while he ate Spongebob gummies and watched the TV. Before either one of them looked toward her, she withdrew her phone from her back pocket, zoomed in, and snapped a photo. After she saved it, she sent it to Rick and walked over to the couch.

"Is Alexis playing with your hair?" she questioned Noah with a smile.

"He has to be pretty too," Alexis answered since Noah was too engrossed in the cartoon.

"You both are pretty, silly," Kate gently replied before she quickly pulled Alexis in her lap and tickled her sides. "Got it?"

"I got it! I got it!" Alexis screamed through her silent giggles until she was set back on her feet. She cautiously eyed Kate while she stepped behind Noah again.

"And you-" Kate delicately set her hand on Noah's leg. "-need to stop eating so much."

"Num," Noah distantly responded as a gummy fell out of his mouth. He blindly searched for it, keeping his eyes glued to the TV.

Kate picked the gummy off of his shirt and tapped his lips until they parted. She set it in his mouth before pulling her fingers away and wiping them on her shorts.

"Are you two gonna help pack your things?" she asked while observing how focused Alexis was with getting Noah's curls between a certain clip.

"I will!" Alexis proclaimed as she finally got the clip to stay on Noah's head.

"Noah, do you want to help?" Kate questioned, but didn't get a reply. She rolled her eyes, reached for the remote, and turned the TV off, which definitely got his attention.

"No! Batman on!" Noah loudly whined and began to climb on his mom's lap for the remote.

"We're going to finish packing all your things. After, you can continue watching, okay?" Kate held the remote above her head just as he was about to latch onto it.

"No," he cried out while he gripped onto her shoulders, so he could easily stand on her thighs.

"Pack then Batman then bubbles!" Alexis enthusiastically said while she clapped her hands together.

"That's right. We can pack, watch Batman, take a bubble bath, and watch more Batman before bed," Kate explained as her arm snaked around Noah's body just in case he were to tip over and fall.

Just then, Rick came running into the living room with a Batman mask on. "Come on, Little Batman, we have packing to do," he deeply announced as he put his fists on his hips.

Kate shook her head and chuckled before setting Noah on the floor. She watched him run over to Rick and smile up at him.

"You too, Little Lady," Rick spoke to Alexis. He observed how she slid off the couch and ran to the stairs.

"I will win!" she shouted before dashing up them.

Kate slid off the couch and followed the giggling toddlers up the steps and down the hall. She leaned against the door frame to Noah's room and smiled when he started to pull things out of his drawers.

"Okay, Little Batman. Let's not make a mess." She entered his room just before he collided with her legs. "Jeez."

"Go sim, Mommy," he spoke into her legs, making his voice sound muffled.

"Yes, you and Alexis will be going swimming when we get to the beach," Kate enthused to match his excitement.

"And see fishies!" Alexis shrieked from the closet.

"We might be able to go fishing too," Rick replied with a grin.

"Let's pack and get there first." Kate nodded as Noah grabbed her pinky and led her to his dresser.

…..

"Mommy, plane!" Noah happily cheered as he turned toward her in her lap.

"Yes, for the fiftieth time, we are on a plane," Kate said through a clenched jaw.

"Oh, stop," Rick teased and lightly nudged her arm. "He's excited."

"I wish he would sleep like this little angel right here," she murmured as her free hand gently ran down Alexis' hair.

"She really, really hates flying, so I'm glad she fell asleep," Rick whispered as he readjusted his daughter against him.

"Mommy, fly," Noah eagerly said while he opened the shade to the window. His eyes went as wide as possible while his mouth went in the shape of a firm O.

"Okay, so maybe him being awake is more adorable than I thought," Kate softly laughed as she grabbed her phone off the arm rest. She quickly took a profile shot of his face before saving. "You like flying?" she hummed into his ear.

"Fly all time?" he questioned as his head whipped toward her.

"We will be flying again in a week," Rick answered with a grin.

"Fly afor bed?" Noah asked with a toothy smile.

"If you close your eyes, you can be flying while asleep," Kate attempted to persuade, but when Noah's attention went back to the window, she knew it was pointless.

The plus side with Noah being tremendously happy that he was on a plane was that he wasn't crying or pitching a fit like she heard a kid do earlier. Instead, he was calm and squealing every so often because of his excitement, which was obviously cute. He even tried to get Alexis to look out the window before she fell asleep, but she was too scared to move.

Kate rested her head against Rick's shoulder since it was a lot closer than before. She kept her hands securely on Noah's sides because he kept jerking around to look at something new. Despite the random popping in her ears, she was enjoying the flight, mostly because she was in first class with the people she loved.

"What are you thinking about?" Rick hummed into her ear.

"Noah, Alexis and how happy you make me," she answered in a whisper.

"You make me happy too, Kate. I couldn't have asked for a better girlfriend."

"Stop," she hesitated because her eyes were brimming with tears and she did not want to cry with Noah near her.

"I love you," Rick murmured before planting a gentle kiss on her temple.

"I love you too," she merrily replied as her eyes fell on Noah who had his faced pushed up against the window again. "You too, buddy," she hummed before she leaned forward to kiss the top of his head.

Rick cautiously lifted Alexis' arm, afraid it might wake her, and lightly waved her hand. "And me?" he spoke in a girly manner.

Kate scooted Noah, so he would be sitting against her. She reached over and bopped the side of Rick's head.

"Leave her alone," she demanded in a whisper. "Let her sleep, so she doesn't get terrified again."

"Fine," he childishly spoke before placing Alexis' arm back on her stomach.

"But to answer that question, yes. I love her too," Kate warmly murmured as she carefully tucked some of Alexis' hair behind her ear.

"And that makes me more happy than you will ever know," Rick admitted.

"I know how you feel because you love Noah too, so shush."

"Yeah." Rick let his eyes fall on Noah who was drinking his juice and looking out the window with his head against Kate's chest.

He loved the little boy next to him like he would his own son. They shared so many interests, even though they were many years apart. It was like Noah was his long lost best friend and they would always be that way. No matter what happened in his life, he would always look out for his little friend the same way he would his daughter.

His free hand found Kate's and he laced their fingers together. He leaned his head toward her, making hers turn. Their lips joyously connected, and he couldn't help but smile when he felt the corners of hers go up.

"Forever yours," he promised when their eyes met and smiled even larger when she slightly nodded her head. He knew he made her speechless and he didn't mind not hearing her agreeing words. He knew she felt the same.

"Daddy," Noah said while looking at Rick.

"No, buddy. I'm not your daddy," Rick stammered as he glanced over at Kate for some sort of help.

"We went over this, silly," Kate said, making Noah lean to his side to see her face. "Rick is Alexis' daddy. Your daddy went away on a plane last weekend, remember?"

"Him no Daddy," Noah grunted and furrowed his brows. "Him." He pointed up at Rick with an innocent smile.

"I wish I could be, big guy, but sadly I'm not. We can be best friends though. How does that sound?" Rick anxiously questioned.

"Liam fend." Noah nodded his head because he understood.

"Yeah, Rick is your friend just like Liam," Kate gently agreed while wrapping her arms tighter around Noah's small body.

"Otay!" Noah cheered and clapped his hands together. He leaned forward to glance out the window again.

"I think he wants you to be his daddy," Kate whispered as her eyes stayed glued on her son.

"Remember last weekend when he called me Daddy in front of Will?" Rick silently questioned.

"Oh my god. Do not remind me. The look on Will's face made me feel horrible yet I wanted to laugh," Kate replied in a whisper.

"Kind of his fault for not being around so Noah could make that connection."

"Exactly." She smiled as she laid her head against the seat and lightly ran her fingers down the back of Noah's head. "We are each other's kid's best friends."

"It will always stay that way no matter what."

Rick looked down at Alexis when he suddenly felt movement against him. He watched as she slowly opened her eyes and took in her surroundings. The fear that struck her blue eyes made him feel bad for taking a plane.

"It's okay, Pumpkin," he soothed as he kissed her forehead.

Noah placed his hands on the armrest next to his mom. He went on his knees and peered over at his friend.

"Otay, Lessis," he contentedly spoke. "No sad."

Alexis sluggishly sat up in her dad's lap and rubbed her eyes, trying to get rid of her sleepiness. She brought her gaze upon Kate and pouted as tears began to well up.

"Switch," Kate quickly said while she set Noah on the floor, keeping one hand on his shoulder, so he wouldn't run off. Once Rick placed Alexis in her lap, she wrapped her arms around the girl's small body. "It's okay, kiddo."

"No like flying," Alexis cried into her shirt as she began to tremble.

"Me neither."

Alexis kept the side of her face against Kate's chest and tilted her chin toward her. "You don't?"

"Nope." Kate shook her head with a slight shrug. She caught a glimpse of Rick struggling to get Noah to sit down, so she brought her attention to the boys. "Noah, sit."

"Mommy, plane!" Noah clapped his hands together as he bounced on Rick's thighs.

Kate shook her head with a large grin before kissing Alexis' forehead. "What makes you afraid of planes?"

"They hurt my ears," Alexis blatantly replied while she held her hands over them.

"Here." Kate grabbed the purple and pink sippy cup from Rick's seat and handed it to Alexis. "If you swallow enough, the feeling should go away." She watched as the girl feverishly drank her juice. "Better?"

"Yeah," Alexis whispered as she snuggled into Kate again. She ended up playing with the ends of Kate's hair. "Daddy?"

"Yes, Pumpkin," Rick pleasantly answered as he placed the portable DVD player on Noah's lap and hit play.

"I want long hair like Kate's," Alexis replied with an innocent smile.

"You always tell me to have the lady cut it short." Rick had to hold the DVD player in place since Noah kept trying to lift it up.

"No more." Alexis shook her head and beamed up at Kate in marvel.

"You can have long hair. It will take some time, though." Kate lovingly hugged Alexis and kissed the top of her head.

"Batman!" Noah shrieked at the small screen in front of him.

"Shh." Rick placed one of his fingers over the boy's mouth. He turned is head toward his favorite girls. "Are you okay, Pumpkin?"

"Yes, Daddy." Alexis slightly nodded. "Almost there?"

"Almost," Kate and Rick said at the same time, causing them to share a smile and quick kiss.

…..

"Beach now, Mommy?" Noah yelled his question while dashing onto the balcony where he last saw her.

"Noah, I told you that you need to lay down first," Kate frustratingly said as she looked down to notice him peering out of the balcony bars.

"What them?" he curiously asked with wide eyes at the waves. He felt his mom's hand on the top of his head, so he tilted it back to see why.

"Okay, you did take an hour nap from when we got off the plane. I think… maybe… we can go on the beach."

Within seconds of his mom's last words, he was back in the master bedroom of the beach house and toward Alexis' room.

"Lessis!" he excitedly squealed with his arms in the air.

Alexis closed the Dr. Seuss book she was looking through and set it on the bed. "Noah!"

"Go play on sand!" he enthused with a fast, continuous nod.

"I said maybe," Kate corrected from the doorway, making her son spin around and face her.

"Mommy, please?" he whined and sped to her with his arms in the air. Once he was hooked on her hip, he lightly patted his hands on her face. "Beach, Mommy!"

"You are way too excited," she laughed while shaking her head to get his hands off.

"Can we build a castle?" Alexis inquired as she swung her feet over the edge of the bed.

"Yes, we can build a castle," Kate happily answered with a smile, getting one in return.

"And swim!" Alexis bounced in her seat, silently giggling to herself.

"With floaties," Kate added in.

"Sim, sim, sim, sim, sim," Noah chanted as he was carried out of the room. He looked over his mom's shoulder to see Alexis following them.

"Our little monkeys would like to go on the beach now," Kate announced in the living room while she headed toward Rick who was typing away on his laptop.

"No monkey!" Noah disagreed with a loud grunt, which made him get set on the floor. He darted for Rick and attempted to climb on his lap.

"I would have said incoming, but I didn't know what he was going to do," Kate laughed as Rick lifted his laptop over Noah's head and set it on the table beside his chair.

"Go get your bathing suits," Rick said aloud to both kids and chuckled when Noah speedily slid down his legs and crawled a few inches before getting on his feet and chasing Alexis to their rooms.

"I wish I could have that much energy," Kate admitted when she saw the kids bolt out of her sight.

"You did once," Rick said, making her eyes fall on him. "You should suit up too."

"What about you?"

"Already have them on." He patted his light blue and plaid swim trunks.

"Will you help me tie my top?"q

His eyes went as wide as possible until he saw hers rolling. "What?"

"You're thinking sexually when I just want help tying the back," she pointed out her observation.

"You make it hard not to. I've seen you in just your bra… Can you wear a shirt on the beach?" He frowned at the idea of other men seeing how beautiful and sexy his girlfriend was.

"Oh my god. You are not telling me to cover up!"

"But…"

She shook her head while laughing pretty hard. She got off the couch and walked over to his chair to sit on his lap.

"You're such a big baby. You can't even handle the idea of other people looking at me. What's going to happen when Alexis is older and she's on the beach in a bikini?" she questioned with her eyebrow slightly raised.

He rubbed his thumb in circles on her thigh and sighed. "I will make sure Alexis eats so much that she won't want to go on the beach."

Kate playfully hit his chest and shook her head. "You're horrible."

"Not really. I'm being a protective father."

"Overly," she added in with a sly smirk.

He opened his mouth to say something, but quickly shut it when he couldn't find the right words to say. Instead, he threw his head on the back of his chair and huffed.

"Come on, big baby. Time to get the kids ready. I can hear the arguing." She slid off his lap and kissed his cheek before heading toward the bedrooms. "Alright, what's all the ruckus about?" she asked when she entered Noah's room to hear him screaming gibberish at Alexis.

"He won't let me help him outta his shirt!" Alexis shouted above Noah's yelling.

"I'll show you how to do it. Hop on the bed." Kate watched Alexis climb onto the bed and sit on the edge. Then, she guided Noah in front of Alexis' legs and whispered into her ear.

"Arms up!" Alexis repeated Kate's words and observed Noah's arms shoot up in the air. She paid attention at how Kate slowly bunched his shirt under his armpits before pulling it onto his arms.

"Grab the rest and pull," Kate gently commanded. She assisted with guiding Noah's head out of his shirt as Alexis pulled the rest off his arms.

"I did it!" Alexis cheered and waved the shirt around in her left hand.

"You did," Kate chuckled as her eyes traveled onto Noah who was patting his stomach with a wide grin.

"I have your bathing suit, Alexis," Rick enthused while he walked into the bedroom. He set it on the bed before taking a seat beside her.

"Mommy, I a fish," Noah exclaimed, making all eyes fall on him. Once everyone was watching, he puffed out his cheeks with wide eyes. It only lasted a few seconds before he started to giggle and fall into the side of the bed.

"I think the sun already got to him," Rick chortled loudly while he helped Alexis out of her shirt and watched her slide her shorts down and kick them off the bed.

"You are something, Noah." Kate shook her head with a smile before planting herself on the floor beside him. "Let's put your Batman trunks on."

"Batman sim?" Noah asked while spinning in a tight circle.

"Yes, Batman is gonna swim," she answered as she lightly grasped onto his shoulders to stop his movements. She unbuttoned his red and black shorts, letting them drop to his ankles. "Step out, silly."

Noah kicked his shorts away from his feet and tugged at his pull-up. "This off."

"Patience, Little Batman," Rick chimed in as he carefully pulled Alexis' bikini bottoms to her waist.

Noah held onto his mom's shoulders as he was guided into his Batman trunks. Once they were at his hips, he charged into his mom's arms for a hug.

"Love, Mommy," he spoke into her shirt while rubbing his face in it.

"Oh my goodness." Kate tightly snaked her arms around his body as her heart clenched from his words. "I love you too," she hummed into his ear. She swayed side to side with him before he wanted to pull away.

"Time to swim!" Alexis proclaimed while she hopped on the bed.

"Cute swimsuit, Alexis," Kate complimented with a grin.

"Tinkerbell." Alexis nodded before she continued to hop around.

"Let me get changed. Can you sunscreen him up?" Kate inquired as she got onto her feet. She ruffled Noah's hair before heading toward the door.

"I got it under control," Rick assured as he grabbed onto the sunscreen, opened it, and squeezed some into his palm. "Stay still, Pumpkin." The moment Alexis stopped jumping, he quickly lathered up her arms, legs, stomach, and back. "Close your eyes for me please." He dipped his fingers in the sunscreen in his hand and carefully rubbed it on her face. He poked her nose with a boop sound. "All done."

Alexis slid off the bed and tried to boost Noah up. Since she wasn't succeeding, she pouted at her dad.

"Help, please," she innocently said.

Rick playfully picked Noah up and dropped him on the bed, creating loud squeals and giggles. "Now stand still like Alexis did." Noah listened and let him put sunscreen over his entire body, but when he got to his face, screaming started. "Chief, I have to put it on your face."

"Why is he screaming so loud?" Kate asked from the doorway. She was holding her bikini top strings behind her back as she walked further into the room.

"He won't let me…" Rick's eyes widened as he lost train of thought from seeing his gorgeous girlfriend in her bikini.

"Put it on his face!" Alexis completed his sentence with a giggle.

"Tie me," Kate demanded with her back turned toward Rick. His fingers lightly brushing her skin made chills run down her spine, but she quickly repressed the feeling because there were two toddlers in the room, and one was still angrily screaming. "You," she said as she hoisted Noah into her arms. "You need to have sunscreen on your face." She held her hand out to Rick, so he could put sunscreen on her fingers. Once she had some, she quickly and cautiously put it on her son's cheeks, forehead, and nose. "All better."

"Sim?" Noah questioned with a large smile while he rubbed his nose.

"Let's get your towels and beach toys first. And Mommy still has to put on sunscreen," Kate explained as she set him on the floor.

"Can I help?" Alexis curiously inquired, hoping the answer would be yes.

"We can help her with her back," Rick answered with a large grin.

"Then we can swim!" Alexis practically screamed, causing more excitement to appear in Noah. She watched him dash out of the room, so she followed, quickly forgetting about helping Kate with her sunscreen.

"I think I might want a leash for when we are on the beach. Oh, and do you know where my multi colored pareo is?" Kate questioned as she began to put sunscreen over her arms.

"I think I put it… in one of the drawers," Rick answered as his eyes feverishly trailed down her body.

Since he couldn't have her now, like he wanted, he would have to wait until the kids were asleep. But since his hands weren't patient enough, he pulled her into his lap and trailed the tips of his fingers up her thigh.

She let a low laugh escape from her before getting back onto her feet. "You're so bad."

"You make me this way," he groaned into his hands, covering his eyes to try and get rid of his sexual thoughts.

"Here. Put this on me." She tossed the sunscreen on his lap and turned her back to him.

…..

The moment the four of them stepped onto the sand, Noah yanked his hand out of his mom's and bolted toward the water. He heard items drop behind him, but he kept running. His stare went to his feet because he liked the feeling of the sand on his toes. And when he looked up, he was only several inches from the water, so didn't stop.

"Noah!" Kate panicked in a scream as she chased him. Just as he was about to step further into the water, she scooped him up and stayed still. "Never. Ever. Do that again," she fretfully stammered while holding him close.

"Sim, Mommy," he happily said while being completely unaware of how his action affected her.

"I know you want to swim, baby, but you can't by yourself. You're too little and the ocean could really hurt you. Okay?" she murmured into his ear since his chin was against her shoulder.

"Otay, Mommy." He nodded against her while he lifted his head since he noticed Rick and Alexis setting up their umbrella and beach towels on the sand. "What doing?"

Kate slowly spun around to see what he was looking at. She hoisted him higher onto her hip before walking to Rick. She plopped down on one of the towels and let Noah sit on her lap.

"Are you okay?" Rick inquired since he could sense her distress.

"I will be." She forced a smile before kissing the top of Noah's head.

"Sim!" Noah anxiously shouted while he stood up. He was about to run forward until his mom's arm blocked him.

"Wait a minute. I don't want to go in yet," Kate soothingly explained, hoping it would help calm him down.

"Now!" Noah irritably cried out and reached his arms toward the ocean.

"Daddy, can we build a castle?" Alexis questioned as she dumped all the beach toys out of the bag.

"How about you and Kate start the castle while I bring Noah into the water?" Rick asked, making Noah's eager eyes fall on him.

"You sure?" Kate had to pull Noah closer to her because he was trying to flip over her arm.

"I'm sure." Rick got onto his feet and lifted Noah up. He held the boy above his head and smiled at him. "Does Little Batman want to swim with me?" Noah swung his arms at his face while squealing with joy. "I take that as a yes." He turned his head toward Kate and Alexis. "I'll be back."

"We gonna make a castle for you, Daddy!" Alexis yelled as she observed her dad walk toward the water with Noah hanging over his shoulder. She crawled in the sand before she cautiously climbed onto Kate's lap. "Make a castle with me?"

"Of course," Kate cheerfully answered as she poked the girl's nose. "How do we start?"

"Umm…" Alexis tried to remember what her dad did the last time she built one. "We need water!" she eventually exclaimed with a fast nod.

"Want me to help you?"

"Please?"

Kate got herself onto her feet and took Alexis' small hand in hers. She picked up the purple pail and headed toward the ocean. When they were at the shore, they bent down and scooped up water into it. Alexis hopped in the water a few times before leading the way back to their towels.

"Say hi," Rick encouraged Noah when he saw the girls.

Noah ignored him and splashed his hands on the water with loud shrieks escaping him. He didn't even mind Rick holding him by his stomach because he could still freely move his legs and arms. And when Rick began to spin around, making his feet come out of the water, he couldn't help but manically giggle.

"You're already tiring me out, buddy," Rick chuckled when he heard the boy's laughter.

"Again!" Noah clapped his hands together before he was being spun around. When the motion stopped he rubbed his eyes since water hit him.

"Okay, I'm going to show you what a wave is, alright?" Rick questioned as he moved further into the ocean. He patiently waited for a wave to come and when one began to, he pointed at it. "See it?"

Noah's eyes went as wide as possible. He looked up at Rick and attempted to turn his stomach toward him.

"Help!" he frighteningly screeched.

"It won't hurt you," Rick reassured as he securely held Noah on his hip. Once the wave hit them and brought them back a couple feet, he noticed the boy gripping onto his shoulder.

"No want. No want," Noah whined and attempted to get away. "Mommy," he cried out and reached toward the shore.

"Here. Let's go toward the shallow part, that way you can stand and hop in the water," Rick said as he walked toward the beach. He held Noah in front of him, swerving him around before he felt it was safe enough to let the boy stand on his own.

Within seconds of Noah's feet being in contact with the wet sand, he took off to his left. He dashed about while squealing with delight. He ended up tripping over his own feet and falling into water as a wave hit, making him inhale some through his nose. Immediately after the burning sensation registered, he began to painfully scream.

The instant Rick heard Noah's wails, he scooped the boy into his arms and held him close.

"It's okay, buddy. It's okay," he attempted to soothe him, but knew it was useless. Instead, he quickly rushed him back to Kate while avoiding other little kids.

"Oh, no. What happened?" Kate inquired as she sped toward them before they could reach the towels. She held her hands out to Noah who practically flung into them.

"He fell in the water just as a wave hit the shore," Rick explained with a frown.

Kate brushed back Noah's wet curls and kissed his forehead. "Did some go in your nose?" She got a nod in return as his cries turned into whimpers. "Let's help with the castle." She planted a soft kiss on his nose before sitting beside Alexis again.

"Wow!" Rick elatedly shouted. "You guys built this so fast! This is so awesome!" he complimented the medium sized castle that even had half of a moat built.

"Daddy!" Alexis gleefully exclaimed. "Look what we did."

"You did a good job, Pumpkin," he praised with a wide smile.

"Why's Noah crying?" She frowned at her friend.

"Because he fell into the waves and got some up his nose."

"Owwie!"

"Yeah." Rick guiltily said, feeling like it was his fault Noah fell.

"You didn't know that would happen," Kate whispered into his ear. "You let him run around the shore just like I was going to."

"I feel guilty whenever one of them gets hurt," Rick openly admitted as he observed Alexis putting damp sand into the turtle shaped toy.

"It's not your fault." Kate kissed the spot near his ear. "Do you want to help Alexis?" she asked Noah who was calmer.

"Stay," Noah answered as he let the back of his head rest against his mom.

"Okay." She lightly kissed the top of his hair and wrapped her arms around him.

"Look a turtle!" Alexis cheered as she pulled the turtle shaped toy away from the sand.

"That's so cool. Do we have any other sea creatures?" Rick questioned. Once he was handed a toy crab, he began to put sand in it.

"Let's make a line to the water, Daddy," Alexis enthused with a smile. "So they can swim!"

"How about you and Noah do that? Help cheer him up," Rick encouraged.

Alexis used her hands to push herself on her feet. She carefully walked around the castle before she was beside Noah. She handed him the turtle because she knew it was one of his favorite animals. When he smiled up at her while he rubbed one of his eyes, she held her hand out.

"Help make a line?" she asked with an adorable smile.

"Otay." Noah climbed out of his mom's lap and took Alexis' hand. She led him over to the other beach toys and he observed her picking up a fish shaped on.

"I show you how." She got down on her knees and used her hands to put sand in the toy. Then, she used one of her little shovels to scoop water from her pail and put it on the sand. "And press, and press," she said to herself to push the sand further into the toy. Once she was done, she slammed it onto the ground and roughly patted the fish. "Tada!" she exclaimed when she pulled it up, revealing the sand shaped fish.

Noah's eyes went as wide as possible. He got down on his knees and sat back on his legs. He did what Alexis just showed him, but glanced up every so often to make sure he was doing it right.

Kate sat under the umbrella and on one of the towels. After Rick was beside her, she leaned into his side, keeping her eyes glued on the kids just in case one of them got the idea to take off.

She was finally in a place where she could put her mother's unsolved case behind her for good. She had what she needed in life to die a happy person. Yeah, she crossed every single line she set up for her and Noah, so they wouldn't get hurt, but she was happy. She had her beautiful little boy, a man that loved her just as much as she did him, and his daughter who would always steal her heart. There wasn't anything else she could ask for. Nothing.

Rick kissed the side of Kate's head as his arm wrapped around her. He was happy, they all were. They've been through a lot within the months they've been together. But with everything that happened, it made them a stronger family. Someday he would ask Kate to marry him. Although they were in the perfect setting, he wouldn't do it at the moment. No, he needed to be with Kate for a longer period of time. He needed to prove to her that he wasn't just her boyfriend, but someone she could depend on through thick and thin.

He chuckled as he watched the kids leap over their small line of sea creatures, their laughter making its way to his ears. He knew they all loved each other and that was all he could ask for.

Love and happiness.

AN: Thanks to Cyn for always editing and Liam for his crazy ideas. This was a fun story to write, it really was because of all you readers (: And I've actually thought about writing a sequel, but it would take place a few years after this one. I don't know though.

Thoughts?