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Chapter 12

Epilogue

It is one year later

"Hi, babe!" Kate was headed home and bumped into him the open market that was on the ground floor of their building today. He was clearly buying fresh produce for them.

"Hi." They gave each other a quick kiss. "How was your day?"

"I know you said people can't have weapons even as tame as my stunner, but that doesn't mean people don't have weapons," Kate said and helped him look for good produce.

"Uh-oh." Rick stopped looking and she now had his undivided attention.

Kate gave him a clue about what her day was like. "Apparently people can get divorces here, too."

"It does happen. We may call it being mated for life but that doesn't mean people always see it that way," Rick admitted.

Kate picked something, smelled it, and handed it to him. "Apparently it can get mean, as well." She reached for another one just like it.

"Love gone bad can be just as emotional as the original love. …What did he do?" Rick inquired.

"More what she did," Kate replied.

"Really! Never underestimate a woman or what anyone might possibly be capable of. We may have gotten rid of the weapons and armies but every race is full of emotion." His race wasn't perfect. They simply had a system to prevent the worst a race could do to either itself or someone else.

"Yeah, well now he's in Medical and she's in my jail. She'll get shipped out when the next police ship lands here." Kate only had to hold onto her for a little while. "How was your day?" Kate approved of another one and was done searching.

"I spent it doing a survey of our little planet. It came up clean except for your weapon which I found easily. I think I scared a lot of animals, though, so you may have someone pissed off at me tomorrow." Rick apologized in advance before someone yelled at her.

"They'll live. …Have we got everything?" Kate asked.

"Just need the meat and I'm good." That had both of them walking to that area. "Red, white, or seafood?" Rick asked her since they had everything. It was all local and very fresh.

"Seafood, please," Kate said and let him look and choose.

"I still can't believe how your people do vertical farming." It was something she had known nothing about.

"Interesting, isn't it? You build these metal cages from the floor to ceiling as high as you want. Put lights above each level and spray nutrient enriched water at the hanging roots. No dirt involved. The lights use almost no electricity. You just need water and nutrients. The only real drawback is that it only works for leafy vegetables. Some still require dirt hence the farmland not far from here." Rick understood the concept. He just hadn't seen it until here.

"We have acres and acres of farmland in a fraction of the ground area a normal farm has. It's amazing." Kate still loved it.

"All done." Rick had what he wanted and had paid for everything. Now they just needed to walk over to a tube to reach their floor. Place a hand on the door and go inside.

Over the year Kate had made the place look more like her. It had initially been like all the other apartments. A little too white and minimalist on the inside for her taste. However, now one year later and with a little care their plants on the patio were now going over the railing and beginning to hang down.

There were even potted plants out front. Kate had also found out why the roof of each building was flat. It was a green roof and was filled with plants that were mostly herbs used for cooking. Then there was the ceiling just under the roof in the very center of the building. Someone had painted an assortment of murals for each of them. Theirs looked like a vegetable farm. The entire place was almost living and alive.

Kate had finally gotten a couple of walls painted a nice vibrant color instead of plain white. One on the living room and one in each of the bedrooms. Every apartment had been either three or four bedroom with two full baths. Even if they didn't use all of the bedrooms or filled them with children.

Rick began prepping dinner though Kate would be doing all the cooking. She had proved to be better at it than him. But he could still start it. "Oh, I found this at our front door when I got home." He handed her a mini pad.

Kate turned it on and skimmed it. It was a list of repairs that were needed for various buildings. "AGAIN!?" Kate didn't understand what was wrong with that apartment. It was always something and it was never the same thing each time.

"Maybe it's ghosts or gremlins" Rick knew just what she was talking about and had no useful answers for her. He didn't get it either.

"There are no such things as ghosts and even if there were, why is it just them? No one has died since we've been here." Kate didn't get it. "And gremlins hate sunlight so it isn't that either." She used an old movie from Earth to deny it was that.

Just then a crack of lightening sounded. "Uh-oh," Rick said since that sounded like everything was going to get wet. It also meant the farmers market downstairs might be closing in case the rain came with wind and blew sideways into the market.

"I forgot to water the plants anyway so let it rain." It would save Kate and their plants from her bad memory.

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Kate was cooking when suddenly she felt Rick's arms wrapping around her from behind. She loved him deeply. Yes, they'd had a few fights and more than one was because of her and her fears. But it still had her humming from the feel of his arms.

"Still miss Earth?" Rick questioned her.

"On occasion. I wonder how my friends are doing. What my dad's doing. I know I was able to leave him a message but it was so short and I couldn't tell him much mostly because I didn't know what to tell him. When Mom died he became an alcoholic. I really wish I knew if he had fallen again." She had left so much behind when she had left. She had even left behind finding out who had killed her mother.

While not knowing still hurt, it didn't hurt nearly as much as it used to. Rick had filled her heart so it wasn't nearly as heavy as it used to be.

"Well, I put in a request for you to send another message," Rick told the back of her head.

That had Kate turning to face him with a look of shock which was replaced with even more love for him. "What did they say?" She would kill for the chance.

"They haven't answered me yet, but maybe. Just don't get your hopes up." Rick kissed the side of her neck.

"Too late." For Kate it was already far too late the second he had told her. "You think my chances are bad?"

"Depends. Maybe we'll have a ship that will be going past it to explore the next system over. Find out if there's another Earth that needs to be talked to. I really have no idea." Rick kissed behind her ear.

Then Kate kissed him for thinking of her. She turned to finish their dinner and was already thinking about what she wanted to say this time.

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Kate stripped off her clothes, climbed into bed next to him, and let herself be enveloped in his arms. It felt safe and comforting and she knew that he loved her.

"What do you think my chances are in being permitted to go home for a quick visit?" Maybe instead of a message she could see and talk to them.

"Rather poor, actually. Not because they don't trust you. Just what would you tell them? Will they let you talk about where you've been and are staying? …And I'll admit that I don't want you to go. You might decide that you want to stay and have me move there with you." Rick truly was afraid she might ask that of him.

Actually that idea hadn't occurred to her but she was thinking about it now. It was just that she knew he wouldn't fit in there. He would be totally lost. Even more lost than she had been when she found herself here.

"No, I wouldn't do that. Earth might be home for me but it's not for you. Besides, I might have a home here." Kate had something she wanted to talk about because she thought she was ready.

"Good, you're definitely wanted here. A lot of the people that live here even just in this building are your friends now. How many of them call you Kate instead of something else?" Rick queried.

That had Kate thinking and he was right.

"And don't forget about your arm," Rick reminded her.

Kate sighed. She actually had forgotten all about her arm. Her arm worked perfectly now. She didn't even really think about trying to get her arm, hand, or fingers to do something. It just happened like it always had.

"Yeah, if they found out about my arm." Kate had little doubt that they would try and take it from her. Maybe even kill her to get it. This place would never let her leave to go to Earth with her arm. "Message it is, I guess." It really was the best she could hope for.

However, there was one more thing she wanted to talk about. "Babe. This is home now so maybe we can start a family. What do you think?" They hadn't even talked about children save for what it was going to take. She didn't hate kids she just hadn't really thought much about having kids until now. So what did he think about having kids?

"I'll talk to Medical in the morning as to which one of us needs a shot or if both of us do. We need to talk to them anyway. Say I can get you pregnant. Will that mean our children will have deformities or an increased risk of diseases? Will we be dooming our kids because we want to have a family?" Rick didn't want to do that to them.

Kate actually hadn't thought about that. Maybe what she was asking was doomed before they even started. Her heart was taking a beating over what his fears and her imagination was doing to their kids.

"We need to both go to Medical tomorrow. We may even have to ask to go to the home planet to find the right doctor. But I'm game if you are. I'll put in the request if our local Medical can't help us," Rick said.

Kate turned so she could face him. "Yes, please."

"Consider it done," Rick assured her. "We could get in some more practice until then." He kissed her above her heart.

Kate smiled broadly. "I'll get the camera." She jumped out of the bed to find it and get it set up.

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Kate should have been at work most of today. Instead she and Rick were in Medical having samples taken and then more samples as well as having every part of their bodies scanned, or so it seemed.

They'd been left alone together in the same room; it had been over an hour when finally the doctor came back.

"You two!" These two had given him the challenge of his life.

"We can't do it?" Kate had feared a negative outcome so badly that she couldn't help thinking it.

"I'm sorry for the delay but I needed Dr. Bean to be available. He's far more qualified than I am for this. We've both reached the conclusion that it can be done." He paused.

"Here comes the but." Kate was still in the it-can't-be-done mode.

Doctor Hanson continued, "In order for this to work and not risk having your child with an unwanted disease you two are going to have to conceive under the direct supervision of Dr. Bean. Shots for both of you. Then the second she's certain that you have conceived she's going to have to do as many tests as necessary on your zygote to make sure it will be healthy.

"Now keep in mind that if she does find something really bad that doesn't mean your baby will die. It might mean that it will be mentally challenged. Possibly have a deformity. If it does you will be given the option to end the pregnancy and try again. It might be something simple as the wrong shot.

"Having said that, Dr. Bean is going to offer having the baby conceived outside of your body. Then once everyone is happy with the potential outcome she'll take it and impregnate you and you will have a normal birth. It's not impossible but there will be some future challenges. Dr. Bean is willing to help you if you elect to try. However, you can't do it here. Once you're pregnant you can come back and I can deliver the baby just like normal.

"Go home, talk about it and let me know, and I'll inform Dr. Bean. Between all of us we'll find a way to get you to her and then back here."

Kate looked at Rick but didn't say anything. "We'll do it. We'll decide what to do if there are issues when that time comes," Rick told him.

"I'll get things started on my end. I look forward to delivering a nice healthy baby. Keep in mind if or when this works and you want another one you're going to have to go through all this again," he warned them both.

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It is now 6 months later

Rick and Kate were back in their medical center back at what was and had been home for a while. The nurse had seen both of them and had paid more attention to Kate.

"Mr. Castle, Mrs. Castle. I'm told you two got married while you were there. I trust it was all you hoped for?" Doctor Hanson asked them.

"It was beautiful. It was perfect." Kate gave Rick a quick kiss. She even had another ring to go with her other one only this one was on her wedding finger.

"I was also told that you're pregnant and everything went perfectly even if it did take a little time." He was doubly happy for them.

Rick rolled his eyes. "It was exhausting."

"Not to mention intrusive and embarrassing." Kate rolled her eyes.

"I warned you. So was it worth it to you?" He was betting it was since they were both smiling.

They both answered at the same time. "Yes."

"Dr. Bean suggests that you come in every month. Everything looks great and in a few months we'll have a nice healthy baby. Congratulations are in order." They had gone through a lot just to have one baby. "Did she tell you the sex of the baby?"

"She did and we're having a boy." Kate didn't care either way just so long as it was healthy.

"You'll need his name soon so I can keep my records straight. No pressure." He didn't want to keep calling the baby an it.

Ryder James Beckett-Castle.

She was married, she was pregnant with a perfectly healthy baby, she had a job to keep her busy, and she was about to have a family.

She was HOME.