[RP for ki2k] Welcome home, honey...

[hattie_notqueen]

Hattie had made dinner. Her back was now killing her, but she'd made it. Something she hoped Kitt would like, since she realized that they didn't eat much together. Still, food was food and while she wasn't a big cook-

Oh, who was she fooling? It wasn't very tasty looking at all. A little black on the outside and maybe a little under-done on the inside? Meatloaf wasn't SUPPOSED to be good, was it?

"Hi, honey, welcome home!" She called it, meaning it to be a little on the cute side, wincing at her meatloaf attempt. Tossing the towel over it, she shook her head and grinned as he came down the hall.

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[ki2k.insanejournal.com]

"I am so glad that life is getting back to normal. And surprised that I'm finally coming 'round to the idea of all this," he waved expansively around the room, "as normal." He smiled at her. "I'm glad to be home, too." Kissing her on the cheek, he rounded the table and headed into the kitchen for a glass of water, turning to lean against the counter with it.

He didn't say anything, just looked around and smiled at the kitchen, at Hattie, at his life. So unexpected. So welcome. His wife. He still couldn't get over that.

[hattie_notqueen.insanejournal.com]

He was a little too close to her attempt at dinner for her liking and she skirted the same table with a smile that was way too innocent. Still, the look on his face made any attempt at normalcy worth it and she'd burn any number of dinners and sacrifice whatever kind of pride she had just to see Kitt talk about 'normal'.

Pushing the Pyrex dish with the dinner-that-wasn't away from his elbow, she leaned next to him and looked up at him, her smile turning from almost-guilty to truly-pleased. "I'm glad," she told him. "That smile makes it all worthwhile."

[ki2k.insanejournal.com]

He looked down to watch what she was doing with puzzled curiosity, suddenly realizing what the burned smell was. Thankfully there hadn't been a fire, then. He shook his head with another smile and looked down at her instead. "I love you, Hattie." He bent slightly to kiss the tip of her nose. "But I see we'll be eating out tonight."

He felt... relaxed. There wasn't a desperate edge to his life, an edge that he realized had become all but second nature to him. No, the edge was gone. Instead, it all felt right.

[hattie_notqueen.insanejournal.com]

She knew better than to let something get to 'start a fire' stage, thank you very much. Mostly. Usually. At least this time, thankfully. Touched, she wrinkled the her nose when he pulled away from the kiss. The fact that he said they were eating out caused her cheeks to pink with embarrassment and she bit her lip with a mumbled, "Sorry."

Realizing it was futile to hide the dish, she dumped the whole thing in the trash under the sink. "It didn't quite work the way the recipe said. I'll figure it out next time. It just sounded good." Still embarrassed, she pushed her hair out of her face and gave him a smile that showed how much she loved him. "I love you, too."

Her husband. She was married. To KITT, and she couldn't be happier.

[ki2k.insanejournal.com]

He had to purse his lips to keep from laughing. "Don't be sorry, Hattie. If anything, I'm delighted. No one's ever cooked for me before. I would have eaten the whole thing." He smiled, touched. There would be plenty of next times, and that idea made his heart swell. He pulled her in close for a hug, kissing the top of her head. "I don't think I've ever been this happy in my life."

[hattie_notqueen.insanejournal.com]

"I don't know that that would have been safe," she told him with a wince as she tried to move away only to find herself pulled in close. She blushed and smiled when he spoke and then ducked her head. "Kitt..."

Looking up at him, she slipped her arms around his waist, feeling bulky. "I know what you mean, though. I mean, kind of. My happiness always kind of hinged on what we could get out of the Asgard core. And then what I could get from Dad's wallet when I went shopping after stealing his car. Being with you is perfect."

[ki2k.insanejournal.com]

"Safety is relative. Nothing a good doctor or mechanic can't put right." He nodded, satisfied at his reasoning. "Hattie."

He thought for a moment, resting his chin on her head and swaying slightly. "I always thought that my happiness was contingent on job performance. The knowledge I'd kept Michael safe for one more mission. I never realized there could be something outside of that. Something more to life."

[hattie_notqueen.insanejournal.com]

"Life is more to life," she murmured, nuzzling her face against his chest. He smelled so good and felt so warm and solid and she could have stood there forever. The slight swaying motion only served to make her more comfortable where she was and she sighed. "I just don't want you to stop being you."

[ki2k.insanejournal.com]

"It is now." He was still thinking, not quite frowning, but putting some things into perspective and taking stock of certain events. The idea that he could hold Hattie like this was beginning to seem so natural that he was starting to take it for granted, something he never wanted to do. He was realizing that she was right, life was more to life, and he'd wasted far too much of it already.

Her next statement did make him frown, and he pulled back to look into her eyes. "Never stop being me?"

[hattie_notqueen.insanejournal.com]

"No," Hattie said, sighing for real and not out of contentment as she pulled back. The tender moment was clearly over. "I said don't stop being you. You're always going to be YOU of course, but this isn't all there is to you. Just like-" She took another step back and threaded her fingers through his. "Just like being a car isn't all there is to you anymore."

Lifting their hands, she brushed a light kiss across the back of his, and smiled at him, a bit shyly.

[ki2k.insanejournal.com]

"Mmm." He nodded, but he was still clearly frowning. While he was grateful he didn't have to choose to be one or the other exclusively, he did see that there were distinct differences within himself between the two forms. There were times that it was difficult to reconcile them. Each form seemed rather dream-like when he was in the other.

He pushed the thought away, his mouth tugging into a smile when she kissed his hand. "You are beautiful, Hattie."

[hattie_notqueen.insanejournal.com]

Hattie was aware that he was still turning it all over in his head, the overly analytical part of himself working overtime yet again and it made her smile. She loved every part of him, particularly the parts that he wasn't even aware that he carried from form to form with him.

Her cheeks heated when he spoke and she took a deep breath, trying to brush it off. "You say that because you have to. I'm pregnant."

Grinning, she kept the hold she had on his hand and pulled him through the spacious kitchen and toward the large doors that opened into the courtyard in the back. "Come with me."

Without giving him a chance to answer, she swung their hands a bit and crossed the courtyard. "You being you," she started, "I have to admit, I've missed all of you." Below the courtyard lay acres and acres of land. But there, in the not-too-far distance, one could see an almost exact replica of Kitt's previous test track from the Foundation. "I thought you needed a place to play."

[ki2k.insanejournal.com]

He looked at her and snorted. "Do not. I'm saying it because I love you and I think you're the most beautiful woman in the world, pregnant or not." So there. The frown lines on his forehead had finally smoothed out as the smile touched his eyes. Silly creature. Silly, beautiful, wonderful Hattie.

He followed her silently, the smile firmly in place as he wondered what in the world she was up to. First dinner, and then what? He shook his head, amused at her instruction. She didn't even need to ask - he'd follow her anywhere. He only stopped following her when his eyes found what she'd brought him out to see.

For a moment, he stood there, gripping her hand tightly, stock-still and barely breathing. The next moment a smile big enough to split his face had broken out as he let go of Hattie's hand and picked her up, all the way off the ground, to squeeze her to him instead as tight as he dared. The moment after that, he'd put her down and dashed off with a little whoop of excited joy as he ran for the track, shedding his tie along the way.

[hattie_notqueen.insanejournal.com]

"Meanie."

She gave him a Look and pulled a light robe on over her tank top. Taking the money, she headed downstairs and across the house to wait by the door. When the food came, she paid and carried it all back upstairs.

"I would kill for an eggroll," she practically moaned, salivating at the boxes and tins she'd brought up. Finding her prize, she took a bite, closing her eyes as she sank onto the bed. "Mmmmm."

[ki2k.insanejournal.com]

Whatever she was doing in there sounded... intriguing. He toweled off, smelling the food and seeing her lying on the bed, suddenly feeling very jealous of that eggroll. With a smile to himself, he crossed the room to the dresser, rummaging through for a pair of briefs to pull on. Then to the closet for a bathrobe of his own, and finally he joined her on the bed, grabbing the remote from the nightstand as he did so and flicking on the television.

"What'd you choose?" He reached for the pizza box and grabbed a slice, looking at her curiously.

[hattie_notqueen.insanejournal.com]

"Didn't," she admitted with a shake of her head, her mind completely focused on the eggroll at hand. In fact, for someone who had been so focused on seeing Kitt naked, she had completely missed his naked walk across the bedroom, she was so entranced with her food. Opening her eyes she focused on the television with an almost confused look.

"Unless you mean the eggroll, in which case? I decided it was mine." She dropped her head onto his shoulder and frowned at the screen. "Something light-hearted, okay? Nothing too dark. Don't wanna ruin all of this." She kissed his shoulder and stood to eye the DVD's on the shelf. "Ideas?"

[ki2k.insanejournal.com]

"I see that." Luckily, he'd ordered several. He stuck the pizza in his mouth, letting it dangle while he rifled through the boxes and bags of Chinese for an eggroll of his own, then nodded and smiled around the slice, as he'd had the same idea himself.

"Mmf." Bite, chew, swallow. "Comedy, romance, romantic comedy?" He could do sensitive, unlike some other men.

[hattie_notqueen.insanejournal.com]

"Romance," she told him, crawling to the top of the bed and tucking her feet under her as best she could. Propping a hand on her stomach she added, "Comedy if you must."

After a moment, she gave him a tender smile and said softly, "I could watch you forever."

[ki2k.insanejournal.com]

"Romance." Right. Sensitive. "I have no idea what we have." Which meant he'd have to get up to check for himself. "Old or new?" He ran his finger along the titles. He had to admit that he was impressed; whoever had stocked the movie library seemed to have chosen a good representation of just about every genre in existence. He read off the titles in between bites of eggroll.

"Let's see. Ah, here we go. Sleepless in Seattle, The Notebook, Dark Victory, Amelie, Love Story, West Side Story," he laughed as he read the next title, "Lady and the Tramp, Wings of Desire, Harold and Maude, The Princess Bride, Ghost, Annie Hall, Moonstruck, Gone With the Wind, An Affair to Remember, Wuthering Heights, Titanic, and finally we have Casablanca." He turned around to look at her, hoping one of those sounded appealing. He didn't expect her to say what she did. He smiled self-consciously, the blush creeping up his cheeks. He could parade himself around naked in front of her, but if she mentioned that she was watching him and liked it, it made him flustered. Good grief.

[hattie_notqueen.insanejournal.com]

The best part was, she didn't just mean naked or half-naked or completely dressed. She meant as a car, too. The only thing was, with that wonderfully adorable blush on his cheeks, she wasn't sure she should say anything more. In fact, she ducked her head, almost to blushing herself.

"Titanic?" she finally said with a grin at him. "Haven't seen it yet, but my mom likes it."

[ki2k.insanejournal.com]

"Titanic. Right." He made a little gesture with his hands, smiled at her in embarrassment at his blush, blushed some more, then turned around to grab the DVD, managing to drop it on his foot as he fumbled around with it. He bent over to pick it up, then waved it at her a little with a self-deprecating half-smile on his face.

[hattie_notqueen.insanejournal.com]

His blush only enhanced her blush and when he dropped the DVD, she popped the last bite of eggroll in her mouth and stood to go after him. The wave did her in and she shook her head and laughed just once. "Kitt?" She had reached him. "I love you more than I've ever loved anyone. Ever."

Kissing his cheek, she took the DVD from him and put it in the DVD player. Then she wrapped her arms around him and hugged tight.

[ki2k.insanejournal.com]

"That's good, because you're stuck with me now." He gave her the tightest squeeze he dared in return, murmuring his love into her neck. Then taking her hand, he walked her back to the bed, making sure she was comfortable before skirting around the other side and climbing in beside her.

[hattie_notqueen.insanejournal.com]

Once she was tucked in, she eased to her side and propped her head on her hand. "Stuck with you? No one I'd rather be stuck with, actually. Maybe you're the one stuck with me." With an overly bratty 'so there' look, she sat up and snagged another eggroll. "Seriously, though? Best idea you've ever had. Besides coming to see me, I mean."

She set to work on the second eggroll much like she had the first.

[ki2k.insanejournal.com]

"If that's the case, I must have been very good in a past life." He smiled, matched her position, and reached for another slice of pizza for himself. He'd leave the last of the eggrolls to Hattie, as she was obviously enjoying them, and he was enjoying watching her. "Definitely one of my best. We still have to make it official in this time, though. I think the license may be out of date." He smiled, looking into her eyes, then rolled over to hit 'play' on the remote. If he didn't, Hattie wouldn't get the movie watched tonight, either.