Kate just loved to be in this moment. Laying in the sunlight, letting the warm rays caress her face and make her warm. She was slowly combing through the hair of the head she had in her lap. She carefully slid her fingers through the dark brown curls, savouring the feeling. These curls were perfect, so soft and lovely. Looking down to the face of the beautiful lady who owned those locks, she just felt the bubbles of happiness bursting inside her. She smiled to her and the girl smiled back.

They were sitting down on a little red checkered blanket under a big tree that was in the far end of the grass area. Central Park was buzzing with people today, since the winter was over and the warmth had arrived to the city. A cold breeze sent a chill down the body now and then, but it didn't ruin the perfect spring weather in New York. Everything had gone green in a few short days and warmth still lingered around the city. It was the perfect day to enjoy the sunlight and breathe in the fresh air.

"Mom?" Kate heard a soft sleepy voice from her lap. She smiled.

"Yes, darling?" Kate answered.

"Do you think dad got held up by that game?" the quiet voice asked again.

"What game?" Kate was puzzled.

"You know, the shooting game near to the ice-cream truck. We passed it when we came to the park," girl answered.

Kate snorted out a laugh. Her daughter knew her father too well. "I am pretty sure that's where he is," she answered back. "I am hoping to see those ice creams he promised. Today, not tomorrow," she added with a smirk, looking down at her daughter's face. The head in her lap was now facing her. Brown eyes as intense as hers were looking back at her, amusement in them. She started laughing at her mom's words.

"Yeah, me too," she answered with a chuckle. She turned her face away from her, looking over the cityscape view.

They continued sitting in silence, soaking in the sunlight, listening to the voices of the city and the park around them and enjoying their mother-daughter bonding time. It had been too long since they last had been here and just sat down and enjoyed the day. Kate's work had gone crazy lately and she had been having trouble finding the time to spend with her family. Finally, she had taken a week off to do just that. They had decided to come to the park for the afternoon, before Alexis and her husband arrive.

A few minutes had passed by since either of them spoke. Kate felt her daughter shifting on her lap, turning her head to the right. She decided to follow her daughters gaze and turned her head to the right too. She immediately noticed what her daughter had seen - her dad waltzing closer with 3 ice creams in his hands. Kate chuckled at the sight. "Some of us will never grow up," she mumbled to herself but loud enough for her daughter to hear.

"Hahaha, mom," she laughed at the statement, her hazel eyes sparkling with laughter, making Kate smile and let out a little laugh too. She lifted her head from her mom's lap and sat up more upright, her brown curls cascading down her shoulders. Sitting there together, they looked so much alike, laughing together with the same throaty voice.

"What are my two favourite girls laughing about?" Rick asked as he approached them.

"We are laughing at you," Kate heard her daughter answer him before she could react. She smiled again, looking at Rick. He stopped right in front of them and held out the ice creams for the ladies. They both took the cold desserts from him with a little 'thank you' and started eating them. Rick groaned as he settled himself down to the picnic blanket beside to Kate.

"Getting old?" Kate teased Rick with a smirk on her face. Rick settled himself down while trying to come up with a retort. His face was full of smiles and as soon as he had settled, he answered, "Only together with you." The usual game the two of them played daily, teasing and prodding, loving and caring. Kate looked at him, her heart melting again. It never got old, the words they shared were real and they meant them, each and every time they said them. They smiled at each other lovingly.

"You ARE old, dad," their daughter poked her opinion in the middle of their mental cuddling.

"Why, thank you, Mads!" His face went from smile to horrified. "I am not THAT old!" he hissed.

"Oh PLEASE!" Maddie rolled her eyes, the very same way her mother always did. Guess, she had learned from the best. "You already have some gray hair in there," she smirked, her eyes getting sneaky and she pointed to his hair. "And I am pretty certain there is a bald spot... riiight there."

"What!" he looked truly horrified now, his free hand flew up to his hair, touching the spot his daughter had pointed out. Finding everything in place, no bald spots, he narrowed his eyes and held his finger up, his daughter laughing loudly at him.

"You, my darling, are pure evil!" he said, wagging his finger and catching a breath, making Maddie laugh even more. "I am too old for those kinds of tricks." He put his hand down and touched his chest. "You almost gave me a heart attack. Do you want to get rid of your old man?" He was on a roll, a smile started to crawl back at his face. "You are as cruel as your mother!" he finished.

Kate's, who was looking at the interaction between her darlings with a smile on her face, her eyes widened now. "What did I do?" she asked him, trying to look horrified and innocent but the sparkle of fun in her eyes blew her cover.

"You are teaching her ways to give me heart attacks, just like you always do to me," he stated, pulling her closer to him and placing a kiss to her cheek. She leaned in, letting his lips ghost against her face. He sighed and whispered in her ear. "You are always teasing me, you cruel woman." Their daughter now had stopped laughing and was glaring at them.

"Please, dad, please keep things PG (rated) here, you know that I am still under age," Maddie exasperated looking at her parents and rolling her eyes at their silent smooches. Kate chuckled at her. She was cute when she was annoyed at them.

"Hey, don't roll your eyes, little lady!" he raised his voice in amusement. "It was only a peck! We are in a public place now," he said, mildly amused. "Who do you think I am?" he snorted out a puff of laughter.

Maddie rolled her eyes again. "With you two, I can't be sure of anything," she stated matter of factly.

"Oh really?" he said smirking and his face lit up in joy. "Then watch this," he mumbled and he caught Kate's face with his free arm and pulled it towards him. Kate, letting out a little yelp of surprise, didn't fight back and leaned more in to him, He covered her lips with his and started moving them in a slow, but passionate way. Maddy turned her face from them, her free hand covering her eyes, making the sound imitating of vomiting.

"You guys are disgusting!" she sighed, in an annoyed manner. Then her cell started to vibrate and loud pop music came somewhere from her pants pockets.

Her mom and dad smiled in unison as they separated from each other, when the cell started ringing. Raising her eyes to meet his, she leaned in and gave a little peck to his lips. Settling back to a sitting position again, she smiled again. It really was a good, sunny day in park. She continued to eat her ice cream and watched her daughter with interest, as did Rick.

Maddie, with one hand up in the air, holding her half melted ice cream, was trying to desperately find her cellphone from her pants pockets. When she finally found it, she raised it to her ear and cheered in the microphone. "Heeey Jaimeeee!" she squealed. "Where are ya?" she asked hurriedly. "Yeah, I know, yes... um... about 10 minutes, why? Okay, I'll be there!" she hung up and raised her head to observe her parents.

Rick's interest was peaked. "Jaime is in the city?" he asks. "Why didn't he say something before?" he wondered, looking at his daughter.

"I really don't know," she answered. "He called me to meet him at the 69th and Madison. He says that I need meet him there. I have no idea what's up. Sorry, dad." she sighed.

Rick smiled, watching her rambling nervously. She reminded him of himself, when he is nervous and wants to do something without Kate knowing it. He cut in, "Go, be back soon. Bring Jaime here for a minute too, since he is in the city."

"Hey Mads?" Kate called her, as her daughter stood up from the picnic blanket. She turned herself, facing her mom. "Could you get us coffees from that coffee shop 5th ave? The one we like should be near to the 69th, if I recall correctly." Kate finished.

"Of course, mom," she said while she bent down and kissed her mom on the cheek. Then she shifted and did the same to her father. "I'm gonna go now." She turned and hurried away.

"Be back soon!" Kate called her as she was walking away fast. Maddie threw up her hand in sign that she heard her.

After looking her daughter disappear behind the trees, Kate turned her face to observe Rick as he was watching the same direction where Maddie had disappeared. Slowly he turned his head to face her too. They looked each other for a long time, love and trust flowing between them. She shifted herself closer in his embrace bringing her head closer to him. He lowered his face to hers and their lips met in slow and loving kiss. They took their time, exploring their lips and mouths again and again. It felt like hours when they finally part, trying to catch their breaths. He pulled her closer, resting his nose to the crook of her neck while she did the same. He whispered softly in her ear, "God, I missed you." This quiet statement made her hug him even harder. She whispered back. "I know," she sighed. "I'm sorry."

"It's not your fault," he said back in a soft tone. "You have been busy, so have I." He shifted in their embrace, leaning away a bit, so that they were looking at each other now.

She whispered, "I know."

They sat in silence for a long while. He pulled her back in his embrace, her head rests on his shoulder. He sniffed her hair, those beautiful brown curls that now have some lines of silver in them. They still had that distinctive smell of her in them. The smell he still remembered when they first met. He smiled then.

"Do you remember what day it is?" he asked tentatively.

"Yes," she sighs. "How can I not remember this day?" she raised her head and looked at him, rolling her eyes but smiling widely.

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A/N: Thank you for reading this fiction of mine. I hope you enjoyed it as I did while writing it. I have lots of ideas where to go with it, so keep up! Hehee. I would love you to review my story as well, make suggestions where to go with the story! I am still new at fanfiction field and I am still testing myself. If you find mistakes, please ignore or point them out to me in PM. It will help me to evolve. A big thanks goes to my best proofreader and bestie in CastleTV chatroom – PenguinOfTroy. Thank you Dave-ck, Fooxoo and HippyDragonGirl for reading it through and making it better!

Disclaimer: Nothing from the show Castle belongs to me, everything is from the genius named Andrew Marlowe

Again, thank you for reading, mi darlings!