65. Chapter 65

Chapter 65

AN: Again, I've drawn some of this chapter from an episode, "In the Belly of the Beast." I take no credit for the dialogue or situations from the episode. Some changes will be made to work better in this AU setting. Thanks for your patience with that in this chapter and the next one.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

A contented and well-practiced husband and wife woke up on Sunday morning to sunlight in their room with the sound of the surf outside, and were in no hurry to leave their bed. They took turns in the bathroom and quickly returned to their cozy nest of pillows and soft covers, playfully kissing and touching, talking and teasing, until they were hungry enough to get up. After putting on sufficient clothing not to embarrass themselves in the event of an early arrival of family, they went downstairs to start breakfast. The coffee machine had been programmed the night before to have their coffee ready, but they had successfully dawdled long enough that the warming feature on the fine machine was only a few minutes from shutting itself off.

"Just in time," Castle said as Kate handed him empty mugs. "Another ten minutes and it would have been cooling down."

"Our timing is impeccable," Kate answered flirtatiously.

"It certainly was last night…both times," her husband answered, putting the mugs down on the countertop.

"Yeah it was," she agreed, and giggled like a teenager as Castle grabbed her and nibbled little kisses randomly along her neck and shoulders.

"You won't get any breakfast this way," she warned, the warning rendered much less effective by the giggling.

"Worse things have happened," he answered, and blew a raspberry on the curve of her neck. "That was for being too practical. This weekend is for fun."

"I'm likely to be a lot more fun later if you feed me now," she answered, wiggling her eyebrows as she turned and wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Oh, yeah?"

"Mmm-hmmm."

"Coffee first?"

"Definitely. You do want me caffeinated, don't you?" Her narrowed eyes left no doubt that she was referencing his remark to the boys earlier in the week.

"Yes. Yes, I do. You handle annoyance much better that way."

She laughed. "Better stop before you're farther behind, Babe."

After a very thorough kiss, they both caught their breath as Kate turned to fill their mugs, and Castle pulled himself together enough to open the refrigerator and give his wife a list of available breakfast items. They decided, prepared breakfast, and went to enjoy it at the small table on the porch.

"I love it out here. It's almost like eating on the beach…without the grit."

"I'm never going to live down that hot dog in the sand story, am I?"

"Probably not," she answered with the grin he always enjoyed, the teasing one that left her tongue peeking from between her teeth.

"Hey, I was eight, I loved hot dogs, and it was the last one," he protested, but he couldn't help grinning back at her.

"Did you and your mom get to the beach often when you were a boy?"

"Usually it was the Jersey shore for the afternoon, and only once in a while. It was a real luxury for us then. For me it wasn't just about the beach, it was because it was always just the two of us. She was relaxed, and I had her all to myself. You'd never believe it of today's Martha Rodgers, but she'd sit down in the sand with me and build sand castles. She'd make up stories about the people who lived in the castle, and I'd always make up people to attack it…and she'd help. It would be back to piles of sand before we left. The waves never got a chance to take it down. The first time, she said dramatically that it was our castle, and the ocean didn't get to be in control of what happened to it."

"Martha sitting in the sand. Yep that's a little hard to picture, but that's a great memory to have."

"Of course she was much younger then."

"We were all much younger then," Kate teased. "As a matter of fact, some of us weren't even here yet."

Castle just stuck his tongue out at her.

"I like hearing about your childhood."

"Neither wife one nor wife two bothered to ask about it more than once in a long while."

"They didn't deserve you."

"You, on the other hand…"

"I probably don't deserve you, either, but I'm glad you're willing to overlook that," she said with smile.

"Fishing for compliments, Mrs. Castle?" he asked, running his bare foot up her calf and tickling the back of her thigh with his toes. Then he put his foot back on the floor and sounded more serious than before. "We deserve each other because we're good for each other, and we make each other happy. You've made my family everything I ever wanted it to be. We've put this family together around four adults and one teenager, all of us with emotional baggage of some kind; but we've made it work. We did that, Kate, and we're all so much better for it. Our family is full of so much love." He looked a bit overwhelmed at what he was feeling and seemed to run out of words at that point, so he simply reached across the table and took her hand in his.

Kate didn't have the right words, either, so she just nodded, and leaned forward to lift his hand to her lips and kiss it…one extra time for good measure.

"Come over here with me," he ordered gently, and she stood and walked over to sit in his lap with her arms around his neck and lean against him. They sat quietly for a few minutes, his arms holding her snugly. Then he kissed her head and pulled her closer.

"Upstairs?" he asked and placed another kiss on her head.

"Before Martha and Alexis get here? What if they get here before we're expecting them?"

"We're married. This is all legal, and everybody expects it of us…even if they don't want to have to think about it. If they get here too early, they know they're taking a chance on interrupting something." There was a little pause and he nuzzled his nose in her hair in a couple of places. "I need you, Kate…right now," he told her softly then cupped her jaw in his hand and raised her face to kiss her.

The emotional atmosphere had her returning his kiss and saying, "Whatever you need, Rick," before she stood, took his hand, and led him to their room.

He took charge and loved her slowly, gently, almost reverently.

Afterward, as they lay in each other's arms, Kate asked, "Where did all that come from? Not that I'm complaining," she added, planting a little kiss on his chest close to where her head rested.

"I don't know. The memories of Mother, knowing she's getting older, the family we've built, knowing you want to keep building it with me, the way we trust each other, maybe some residual effect of that last case…knowing you'll go home tomorrow and I won't see you for a week. I guess it all hit me at once…that and how…profoundly I love you."

"Words coming back now?" she asked, planting another little kiss near the last one.

"Not the right ones. I suddenly became a writer without words, and I needed to tell you somehow." He smoothed his hand over her back and shoulders. Did the message get through?"

"No doubt in my mind. Did you get the right answer?"

"Yeah. No doubts here, either."

They stayed there together, both feeling unquestionably loved, until they finally admitted to themselves that they had to shower and dress for the day. They expected Martha and Alexis around one, and at the last minute, Jim had managed Monday off and would be there not long after the other two arrived. Their entire family would have time with them, which they both enjoyed. And then three of the adults would go back to the city on Monday evening to give Castle and Alexis some dad/daughter time together before she moved into the dorm at Columbia in the fall. During the rest of the weekend, there was one on one time for varying pairs of family members to sit on the porch, have a short shopping trip together, walk on the beach, play cards, swim in the pool, play in the waves, etc. All of them enjoyed it and took full advantage of the relaxing atmosphere.

Recognizing that Rick and Kate might want some time alone before she left that evening, Jim insisted on taking Martha and Alexis for a late lunch on Monday. The couple realized what he was doing and took full advantage while they were gone. The loving still retained a lot of the gentle reverence from the day before, the appreciation of the kind of love they had found in each other.

"That was a beautiful way to say goodbye for a week," Kate said softly, looking up at him through her eyelashes. "You make me feel..."

He leaned to kiss her before she finished. "You make me feel the same way, but don't try to find a name for it. I don't think there's one to be found."

"You might be right," she agreed.

"So we just know and revel in it?" he asked with the smile that belonged only to her.

"Yeah. We can do that." She gave her husband the smile that belonged only to him in return.

They allowed themselves a little time before they cleaned up and dressed again, trying not to make the others uncomfortable by being too obvious. When the trio of the others returned, they found Rick and Kate on the loveseat on the back porch and went to join them. It was decided that Jim would drive everyone back to the city. That would leave two cars in case Rick and Alexis wanted to be able to go their separate ways for some reason. Kate would get a driver to bring her back on her day off the following week to drive the second car back…and soak in another breath or two of serenity before going back to murder and mayhem and the ensuing paperwork.

Around five-thirty, Jim and Rick had all the luggage in the car, and Rick and Kate were still hanging back just inside the front door.

"I'll miss you," he said quietly.

"I'll miss you, too, but you should have this time with Alexis. You'll both enjoy it."

"It won't be the way it was when it was just the two of us, though," he said, looking resigned. "I'll be missing you. She'll be missing JD…"

"Well, if either of you can't stand it without us, both of you know how to drive home. And neither JD nor I will complain."

"She'll be missing you, too, you know. She loves you and the place you've filled in her life."

"I know that, but there's a place only you can fill, and every now and then she probably still needs that, too…and I want her to have it. You never complain when I want some time with my dad."

He pulled her close against him and said, "I guess I have to let you go before they start suspecting we're up to something again. They've all been amazingly understanding."

She gave him one more kiss and left the house to meet the others at the car. "I love you," she said before he opened the car door for her.

"Love you, too," he answered and gave her one more respectable little peck on the lips before closing the door behind her. He and Alexis waved as the car left, and then they went back into the house.

"I'll miss her, too, Dad."

He nodded his acknowledgment and asked, "What do you say we go to some of our old haunts from when you were little, have a late dinner, and finish at the ice cream store? Then we'll be well fed, and we can sleep in tomorrow morning. We'll decide what else we want to do after breakfast."

"Sounds good. Can we walk on the beach for a while right now?"

"I would love that," he answered, swinging an arm up over her shoulders and walking out the back door with her.

Tuesday morning threw Beckett back into the rat race. She appeared at the precinct with a travel mug of coffee from home, but she had stopped at a little bakery and brought breakfast goodies to thank both teams for their hard work before they went back to working separately. Thanks to Castle's bringing pastries the week before, she now knew all their preferences; so everybody was happy.

"Beckett, Karpowski. My office for a minute," Gates called from her door. Both women went immediately, Beckett telling the boys, "Those bear claws better still be there when I get back."

"We'll see," Esposito said, picking up his morning treat. Ryan just smiled evilly at her from around the big bite he had just taken of his chocolate frosted doughnut. She gave them her best glare before turning toward the captain's office.

"I received a letter from the Deputy Chief this morning commending us for the work on the case last week. Your names as well as those of your team members are mentioned, and it will go into all your files. The commendation is well deserved."

"Thank you, Sir," was heard from the other two women.

"The deputy Chief seemed impressed with the precinct in general. I hope there was a letter for you as well," Beckett told her.

"There was. Thank you. It seems our precinct presented itself well. Please take these copies to share with your team members. Some recognition goes a long way in the morale department."

The detective and the lieutenant both nodded and returned to their teams to pass along the letters. As they were handed copies while Beckett explained, Ryan said to Esposito, "Guess it's a good thing we saved the bear claws. Otherwise we might never have seen these. Thanks, Beckett."

The cases that crossed their paths that week left them feeling like they were hardly earning their pay. The first was a drive-by shooting…thrill seekers looking for easy targets just to see if they could get away with it. A sixty-five year old man and his wife were killed as they left a movie theater. With the number of people leaving and the number of shots fired, it was amazing they were the only casualties. But the couple in the car were careless enough to be caught on traffic cams and CCTVs in the neighborhood, leaving the detectives with full facial recognition and plate numbers. It took no time to find them. The only problem they had to deal with was the well-heeled father of the young woman driving the car. He couldn't understand why his spoiled, twenty year old daughter would be charged when all she did was drive the car…and slow down and laugh while her boyfriend killed two people. The girl and her boyfriend were eventually charged with domestic terrorism and murder one and handed over to Homeland Security. With all the evidence, the father's fancy lawyer didn't have a chance of even making a deal.

The next case was a man who killed his wife for her life insurance so he could leave town and marry his mistress…and had been none too bright about it. The mistress was also charged with aiding and abetting.

Beckett was on call on Saturday, but Ryan and Esposito had Sunday; so Darrell was picking her up early on Sunday morning and driving her to the beach house. Taking the car service there was nice. She talked to Darrell for a while, and then she fell asleep as they travelled, waking about fifteen minutes before they arrived at the house. Darrell sent Castle a text when they reached the first traffic light in the area to let him know where they were.

As Kate took out her compact and hair brush to check her hair and makeup, Darrell said, "Miss Kate, you know he won't care about that."

Kate smiled. "Doesn't mean I won't keep making the effort, though."

Castle was coming down the steps to meet them as Darrell pulled up in front of the house, and he opened the door for Kate before Darrell had a chance to open his own door. Darrell just smiled to himself and got Kate's purse from the back seat as Castle took her into his arms. He handed it to her as the couple parted.

"Alexis probably has the food on the table by now. Stay for breakfast, Darrell. We got a little carried away. There's plenty."

"I couldn't do that, Sir."

"Of course you could. We even have homemade cinnamon buns…fresh from the oven. I'll never tell. Come on."

Darrell still hesitated, but Castle insisted. "You have to eat somewhere. We already have it set up on the back porch, and it gives you a little break before you have to drive back. Alexis would love to have you, too. You take good care of us. We should return the favor now and then."

"Cinnamon buns are a weakness," Darrell admitted, still seeming to be fighting with himself.

"We got him," Castle said triumphantly to Kate, and they both began to push him toward the house.

Alexis was surprised that he agreed, but she was just as pleased as her parents to see him and went to get an extra place setting. She had been around him since she was in junior high when he first joined the company.

"I lured him in with the cinnamon buns," Castle explained, and Alexis grinned and passed them to their driver.

During their conversation, they discovered that Darrell was getting married in the fall, and he realized that Alexis would be starting college.

"How are the wedding plans going?" Castle asked. "Have you set a date?"

"Still looking for a place," Darrell answered, but we're ready to set a date when we find one."

Castle nodded in understanding. "Looks like the fall holds a lot of new possibilities," he said, squeezing Kate's hand under the table and thinking of their fall intentions.

After Darrell left, the family took the breakfast dishes back into the house and cleaned up in the kitchen. Then they took a long walk on the beach before they loaded the SUV to head home. You two take the SUV," Alexis said. "I'm going to take the Mercedes and stop by to see JD for a few minutes before I go home. I'll be back for dinner."

"See you at home then," Castle said, hugging her and kissing her on the head. "I'll put your bags in your room when we get there.

"Okay. Love you, Dad." She gave him a big hug.

"Love you, too, Pumpkin." He returned the hug, leaning his cheek against the top of her shiny, red hair.

"Good week?" Kate asked after Alexis left.

"Great week," he answered with a satisfied smile. "We relived some old memories, and I think she enjoyed them as much as I did." He paused and planted a little kiss on her lips. "I think we did need that time before she starts school in the fall. You're a smart woman, Mrs. Castle."

"I know," she answered with her teasing, tongue between her teeth grin. "You might want to do it again before she actually moves out…maybe in smaller doses so it doesn't have to seem forced."

"I thought the same thing. We haven't had a good laser tag battle in a long time."

"One without me this time. I can invent a girl's night out with Lanie or something."

"You're one of a kind, Kate Beckett Castle. And I'm so glad you decided to be mine."

"Same here, Babe. Come on. Let's get our one-of-a-kind selves in the car and head home. I can't wait to have you back every day."

"I'm looking forward to that, too.

"Let's go. You can tell me about the memories you relived…if you want to share them with anybody other than Alexis."

"Definitely one of a kind." They stood on the front porch as he locked the door; then he draped an arm around her shoulders, she put her arm around his waist, and they walked to the SUV to leave the calm of the beach house behind until their next opportunity to come back.

"I have Thursday off this week, but I'm on call Friday and Saturday and work on Sunday. Maybe we can plan something together on Thursday," she offered as they walked.

"I'd like that," he said, and kissed her quickly when he opened the car door for her.

After he had started the SUV and they were on the road, she said, "Tell me about your adventures this week.

Castle talked, and Kate nodded, and laughed, and asked questions; and between his story telling prowess and her listening skills and responses, by the time they got home they almost felt she had been there that week.

"It sounds wonderful, Rick."

"It was, but we both still missed you."

Over the next couple of days, Martha and Alexis both announced that they had plans almost all day on Thursday. By Wednesday morning, Castle was suggesting that he and Kate make no plans for Thursday, that they just stay home and do what they pleased…suggesting they could still go out if the spirit moved them. Kate had no problem with having the whole place to themselves all day with nothing to do. While they were in the city with work to do, that was still a rare happening for them.

On Thursday, Kate had just plopped down on the sofa after calling the day a little piece of heaven, expounding on the fact that it was nearly two and they were still in their pajamas reading the paper with absolutely nothing else to do. They were heading for their room, just having thought of something they'd like to do, when Kate's cell phone rang.

Groaning when she saw the captain's name on the caller ID, she held it up where Castle could see it and answered, "Beckett."

"How soon can you get here?" Gates asked without prelude.

"Sir, I'm actually not on call today."

"I'm aware of that, but something has come up, and it can't wait."

"Well, I can be there in twenty minutes."

"One more thing, Lieutenant. Come alone. Do not bring Mr. Castle."

"Why not?"

"It has been requested that he not be aware of the work."

During this part of the conversation, Castle was motioning toward the bedroom, encouraging his wife to end the conversation and follow him.

"Then I can't agree to it. There was a time when we weren't entirely honest with each other, and it nearly cost us our relationship. If I have to make a choice, I'll lose my job before I knowingly strain my marriage. He works with us all the time and can be trusted."

"Lieutenant, I'm in a difficult position on this."

"If he isn't aware, I can't be involved."

"Give me a minute," the captain sighed.

Castle was impressed that Kate stood so firm for them. He knew she felt that way, but she had just shoved back at a superior officer to assure him of it. He made one more gesture toward their room before realizing it sounded serious.

When Gates returned to their conversation, she asked, "How soon can you and Mr. Castle be here?"

"We can still be there in twenty minutes."

Her husband looked perturbed when Kate closed the call. "So what's Gates up to, aside from sabotaging our domestic bliss? I don't suppose I could convince you to…"

"No. Whatever it is sounded important, but she didn't want me to bring you. I think I surprised her on that score."

"You stood up for me," he said, sounding pleased.

"You deserve that…both as my partner and my husband. We need to get dressed."

"Fine. We'll go see what's going on." Looking a bit twitchy in his aroused state, he added, "If I can stay focused."

Twenty minutes later, they were entering the twelfth precinct with no idea of what was about to hit them.