Chapter 41

"Aye, aye Captain." At her baleful look, he snorted. She really was something else. "Hey bro, time to get up." Getting no response he walked to the door and tried again. "Richie, come on man. GET UP!"

"Does he always sleep like the dead?" Kate called from the kitchenette.

Jon laughed. "Pretty much." He shook his head and pitched his voice a bit louder. "Richard Sambora! RISE and SHINE MAN!"

"Do you hear an annoying voice?" Richie mumbled into Elena's hair.

She snuggled closer to the heat, her lips finding the smoothness of his chest. "Mmmm no, just a pesky whiny mosquito I think. Wanna smash it for me?"

"Don't tempt me," he said with a half laugh, half moan as her hip brushed against his morning erection.

Jon sighed. It looked like he might be up, but the two of them looked to be barely stirring. "GET THE FUCK outta bed, dude!" He turned back towards Kate. "Fucking bucket of ice might work," he muttered.

Kate opened the freezer. He was probably kidding, but it was too delicious a thought not to extend at least the option. "I have ice."

Jon grinned. "Bring it here Katy. This is gonna take more than my voice to do the trick."

She tugged the automatic ice-maker's bucket out and handed it to him. "Here you go, Sugar."

Jon ran back to the room, when Richie’s head lifted he tossed the first handful of ice. "It’s—Time—To—Get—Up!" He punctuated each word with a half dozen cubes each.

As the ice cubes pelted him, he rolled from the bed, dragging Elena up with him. "Fuck! Enough!" he said and shook a stray cube out of his shirt. He held up a hand as three more cubes came at him. "Cut it out!"

"I hate to interrupt your beauty sleep, but we have a plane to catch in a few hours. Thought you might want to spend that time conscious with your lady." Jon felt Kate at his back, handing the bucket back to her with a grin over his shoulder. "Works like a charm every time."

Kate snagged a few cubes and tucked them down his jeans. "Doesn't it just?"

"Kate!" Jon tugged at his zipper, reaching around to dislodge it, forcing it to go down the back of his thigh. “FUCK!” He headed for the bathroom. "You'll pay for that one, Katy!"

She snorted as the bathroom door opened and an ice cube skittered across the linoleum, followed by Jon’s booted heel. "Yeah, Yeah...just drink up," she said and placed the pot of coffee on the table. "Anyone want breakfast?" she called, hoping she could stay civil to Richie. Knowing that if her hands were doing something, she had a better chance of keeping her mouth shut she started gathering things from the fridge.

“Behave,” Jon muttered as she slammed down a pan. “I’ll just have toast.”

Kate rolled her eyes and started cracking eggs. "You should be eating protein by the truckload there metabolism boy." She motioned to his skinny self with an eggshell. "I wish I had to eat to gain. I have to remember to put down the chocolate box or I won't be able to climb on the gurneys to do CPR."

He pictured her straddling a patient. Somehow he figured that would cause a heart attack, more than cure it. "You look awesome to me."

"Dark toast or light?" she asked changing the subject smoothly.

He grinned. So his doctor didn’t like compliments. Hmm. "Light is fine." He glanced back at Elena's now closed bedroom door. "SAMBORA!!"

Richie threw open the door. "Relax, man. Some people need a little privacy to change, unlike you nude boy."

Jon arched a brow. "Right, King. I think half the county has seen your lily white ass, not mine.”
Ignoring him completely he straddled a chair and reached for a mug that was set out on the table. "Thanks for breakfast, Kate." he said and poured coffee while nearly drooling over the eggs and buttery toast he could already taste.

She dropped a plate in front of him letting it thunk. "Welcome."

Jon reached out, took a piece of toast, munching as Kate banged around. Not very subtle, his Kate. Swallowing with a little difficulty, he tried to pinpoint when his and Kate had become interchangeable.

Richie arched a brow and lifted a fork from the pile on the table. "Thanks," he said cautiously.

Elena breezed in, flipping her hair over her shoulder. "Morning Katydid, Mop-Top, Richie."

Kate, under the cover of passing out plates, studied her friend. She’d quickly dressed in a pair of faded cut-off denim shorts and a rather bright purple halter top. Good grief, she’d even managed some make-up. She seemed much more alert and like her old self that morning.

Kate didn't think she'd ever miss hearing one of her crazy nicknames until the silence of the last two weeks. Her chipper self was a welcome balm to the harried last two weeks of over-partying and vicious highs and lows. "Well sit down, Sugar and load up on protein and carbs," she gave her a sly grin, trying to lighten up about the Richie subject, "unless you've had your fill of protein."

"Umm haven’t had a thing in...." She paused a moment when Kate’s meaning actually hit her, "KATE!" She picked up a piece of toast and halved it, nibbling on it as she willed the blush away.

Richie choked on his coffee and sat back in his chair then pointed a fork at Jon, "Not a word, Kidd."

Jon leaned back his eyes wide, "What? I didn't say a thing!"

Elena glanced up at Richie, her eyes glittering devilishly. "He just doesn’t wanna admit all he did was sleep."

Kate sat with a leg curled under her as she halved a slice of toast. She glanced from Richie to Elena, jammed it full of eggs before wrapping it tightly and popping it in her mouth. She tucked a lock of unruly curls behind her ear. "Sleep?” she said around the eggs, honestly surprised.

"Yeah like you and Jon on the couch, sleep." Richie said sadly.

Kate's face flamed. "Yeah well, Jon and I are platonic unlike the carnal duo that you guys are."

“That would be her idea not mine,” Jon grumped.

Richie inclined his head. "She wants to start over, so we're starting over...from scratch."

Elena wrapped her hands around the mug Kate pre-poured, her eyes on Richie. "Some people have a bit of groveling to do."

The table barely seated the four of them without elbows overlapping. Richie leaned to his right, teasing her jaw line with a quick buzz of his nose. "I grovel with the best of them."

"I bet you do, Richie.” She lifted her shoulder against the quick thrill of his touch. How the hell was she supposed to keep him at arm’s length if the smallest of touches could distract her? Turning to Jon she smiled. "Moptop, I hear you’re heading overseas tonight. I bet you’re looking forward to it, right?"

Jon laughed, "Oh yeah Teensy, a laugh a minute.” He scooped up some eggs, waving his fork. “One more long flight and fight with customs, my favorite.”

Kate leaned forward. “Do you guys actually have trouble?”

Crunching on a piece of bacon he nodded toward Richie. “I swear they think Rich is the kingpin of a Columbian Drug Cartel.”

“You watch too much Miami Vice,” Richie muttered.

Watching Richie twist was too delicious. It was true, they got stopped more often than not and questioned about their travel plans, but it was Tico and Al that got the most jumps. “I swear! We get stopped all the time. Christ, Rich, how many times have you been strip searched?”

“Fuck off,” Richie said. “Don’t mind him, the eggs are going to his head.”

Jon sat back. “What about you and Kate? What are you two ladies doing today?"

"And more importantly, what are you guys going to do for ten days without us," Richie asked.

Elena tilted her head, batting her lashes with exaggeration. "Plan your suffering.” At his quick grin, she took another bite of her toast and chased it with her coffee. “Then there’s a party or two I've been invited to, classes, just the usual stuff. So exciting, ya know?"

Richie cupped his mug and leaned back on the chair. "Will there be handstands at these parties?"

Kate paused before gathering more plates to clean off the table. "Do I want to know?"