Tellurian
An early season 5 ficlet
"Got everything?"
Broad palms patted at his chest, then his hips, moving onto his back pockets in their survey for the essentials. "Phone, car keys, snacks. Yeah, I'm set. You?"
His companion smirked, lifting her arm to show him the throw blankets she'd stolen from the back of his couch. "Everything else is in the car, right?"
"Right."
She exhaled. "Then I'm ready. Let's go."
He made sure to leave the light on behind them, bathing the living room in a welcoming glow.
She did another inspection of their things as they loaded the rest into the trunk, lifting the bag of snacks and cocking an eyebrow in amusement.
"Funyuns, Castle?"
He shrugged. "They're good. I bought the chips you like, too. The garlic, basil, and olive oil ones."
Beckett grinned. "Really not worrying about bad breath tonight, huh? I'm surprised."
The keys slipped out of his hand, landing on the concrete with a clatter. "I – well – if we both have bad breath, it cancels out. You know this, Beckett."
His partner snickered, returning the snacks to the car. "Whatever you say. Just tell me you at least packed water."
Scooping the keychain off the ground, he nodded. "Of course. I made some coffee, too. It's in the thermos behind my seat." He moved to the driver's side, opening the door and lifting that bag to prove it to her.
Kate hummed, casting an appreciative glance his way. "Thinking of everything, aren't you?"
"Regular boy scout," he quipped, waiting until she closed the trunk and moved to the passenger side to slide behind the wheel.
Beckett rolled her eyes, but her lips twitched upwards anyway. "You were never a scout, remember?"
Delight rippled across his shoulders at her memory, the recollection of something he'd said to her on their first case together. "Honorary then," he said. "I think I probably qualify for that by now."
She snorted, clicking her seat belt into place. "Whatever you say, buddy. I've admitted it was good thinking; no need to get cocky."
"But I thought you liked it when I got co-"
"Castle," she interrupted, barely sparing him a glance as she programmed their destination into the GPS on his dash.
"Right," he said, glancing in his mirrors, waiting until she finished to back out of his parking space. "Getting on the road. Looks like we should make good time."
Kate hummed an agreement, kicking off her shoes and squirming to make herself comfortable as her hand fell to rest in the center of the console.
"Don't jinx us," she warned after the fact.
Thankfully, it seemed that he hadn't spoken too soon, as the city that never slept granted them a brief window where the traffic wasn't miserable. Still, he waited until they'd made it to the highway and pointed the car upstate to take his partner's hand and give it a gentle squeeze. They both seemed to breathe a sigh of relief, of gratitude that everything seemed like it was going to work out and the night would happen as they'd planned.
"You okay?" Kate asked a little while later, turning in the bucket seat to face him. "I can drive if you want."
Castle shook his head, brushing his thumb over her knuckles. "I'm good to drive. Just glad the killers of New York made their dirty deeds someone else's problem tonight."
"Me too," she admitted, leaning across the console to brush her lips over his cheek. "But really? Dirty deeds? That's one step away from 'dastardly,' Castle."
"Which is also a great word."
"If this were Dudley Do-Right, maybe," she retorted, grinning against his chin.
Rick laughed, jostling her hand when she retreated to her seat. This was one of his favorite things about being with her, the fact that they could go back and forth like this without missing a beat.
"You mock the world's most well-meaning Mountie, Beckett?"
"Oh, hush."
She was still smiling, though. He could hear it in her voice. And for that, he would suffer whatever teasing she wanted to dish out over his vocabulary.
"Anyway, I was merely expressing my appreciation for the fact that we didn't get called to a crime scene five minutes before you clocked out."
His girlfriend gave his hand a patronizing little pat. "Yes, yes you were. By quoting a 1960s cartoon."
Turning his head just a tad, he stuck his tongue out at her.
"There are better uses for that tongue of yours, Castle," she drawled, slipping her fingers up his arm. The touch sent a shiver through his limbs, and his blood warmed in anticipation.
"No fair, doing that while I'm driving," he argued, easing off the gas as the slowpoke ahead of them decelerated even more.
Kate hummed, swiping her thumb along the inside of his wrist. This time, though, it was hypnotic and soothing instead of arousing. Okay, a little arousing, too, but that was true for most of the things Kate Beckett did.
"GPS says we should be there in a couple of hours," Beckett started once he'd passed the slow driver, glancing behind them to check out the vehicle. "Plenty of time to do it when we arrive."
The transition from paved road to not-quite-gravel startled her out of her light doze, forcing her up in her seat.
"Sorry," Kate croaked, swiping a hand over her face, hoping she wasn't smearing what remained of her makeup too badly. "Didn't mean to fall asleep on you."
She really hadn't intended to conk out on him, but the hum of the engine and the warmth of both the car and her contentment had managed to lull her into a gentle sleep.
From the driver's side, her partner smiled. "Don't worry about it. You missed my epic drum solo during Tom Sawyer and a few people being idiots in the left lane, but not much else.
Her lips twitched. She'd seen said drum solo more than once during their partnership, a few of his guitar solos, too. But she kind of loved that he let himself be a dork with her.
"Kay." She twisted in the passenger seat, studying their surroundings with soft eyes. She could see that trees lined the drive, but nothing distinct beyond that.
"Almost there," Castle murmured, glancing in her direction. "The site said we'll pass an aid station and the clearing will be about a mile past that."
Beckett nodded, eyes still fixed on the landscape beyond his shoulder. Even though they were moving, everything around them seemed so still.
"Do you think we'll be warm enough?" she asked after a moment.
Castle glanced at the dash, as if noting for the first time that the temperature had dropped.
"We should be. You grabbed the blankets, we have coffee, and if nothing else we can always sit in the car to warm up."
She nodded in satisfaction, feeling her lips lift. "What? No promise that you'll find a delightfully devilish way to keep me warm? Are you feeling okay?"
He chuckled, offering his hand again. He must have taken it back after she'd fallen asleep. "That was a given, Beckett. That was a given."
She took his hand, slotting her fingers through his. Yes, she supposed it was with Rick.
"By the way, good call on doing this on a week night," she murmured once the car rolled to a stop. They were alone in the clearing, not another soul for miles. It was breathtaking.
Her partner nodded, looking around with the same curiosity and awe she had. "I figured most people would not want to venture out on a Wednesday in the middle of November. Looks like it paid off."
Kate agreed quietly, unbuckling her seatbelt and moving across the car to touch his face. Her lips brushed his, quick but gentle.
"It's beautiful," she said. Castle's cheeks lifted under her hand, but there was no trace of cockiness in his smile, just genuine joy.
"Good," he rumbled, cupping the back of her neck and drawing her closer for another kiss, biting and quick this time, leaving her sucking in a breath once he released her. "Let's get set up."
They worked together in silence, using one of the lanterns he'd fished out of storage for light. She watched him drape a sleeping bag and the blankets over the foam camping mattress, covering her mouth to hide her smirk when he flopped face down to test the set up.
"Yeah, that'll be good," he murmured into the plush fleece.
"You comfy, Castle?" she teased after a minute.
He mumbled a response that sounded vaguely like "very," but otherwise didn't move. Kate snickered, considering nudging him to make space for her, but decided to let him be instead, moving to the trunk of the car to grab the telescope and the tripod. She set it up just a few feet from their little camp, busying herself with perusing the sky to find what they were out there to see.
"There," she said, almost to herself, "ready to go."
"Not quite."
She turned to find her boyfriend holing out a cup of coffee, his smile soft in the moonlight. She took the mug with grateful fingers, stepping into the warmth of his chest. Rick's arm wound around her waist, keeping her close.
"Now we're ready to go," he added, resting his cheek against her temple.
"Let the Pleiades watching begin," she hummed, lifting her chin to the sky, brushing her lips across his jaw in the process.
They stumbled into the gas station convenience store as the first rays of light streaked across the sky, sharing tired grins and a few playful kisses before parting to slip into the restrooms.
What an amazing night. Unlike anything he'd seen in his life, including his daughter's birth, his first paycheck from Black Pawn, and Kate Beckett coming apart in his arms for the first time. There was something humbling about observing the sky, about contemplating how endless and ancient it all was, and how small they were in comparison. It had left his skin humming, and when Kate had turned to him on their camp mat and drew him over her, he'd seen that she felt it, too.
"Rick?" Kate touched his back, drawing closer when he turned to face her. "You can't possibly need more snack food," she chided, making him realize which display he'd been staring at while he waited for her to emerge from the bathroom.
Chuckling, he shook his head. "No, just… looking but not looking. Thinking about tonight, mostly."
She grinned. "Me too. I zoned out a little bit while I was in there."
His hand slipped around her waist, brushing her back through her thick sweater. She'd stolen his jacket when they were out there, but had left it in the car to run inside with him. "Coffee?"
Kate nodded, pressing her smile into his cheek. "Please. I could use the caffeine."
"I'll drive if you want," he offered, but she shook her head.
"You drove up, I'll drive back." Her lips brushed his. "Just try to stay awake with me."
"Of course," he promised, pecking her lips again.
Her smile carried him to the coffee machines and then to the counter to pay.
"Got everything?" Rick asked, watching in amusement as his partner reached over and placed a double pack of Cosmic Brownies beside their coffees.
"I'm set. You?" she asked, pulling her lip between her teeth.
Grinning, he nodded. "I'm good."
"Okay," she exhaled, leaning her cheek on his arm while the cashier rang everything up. "Let's go home."
Prompt from takeiteasykate/The-KLF: Riddle: they left at night and arrived at the gas station at dawn. Where did they spend the night?
It's been forever since you prompted this, but I hope you like it!
Thank you for reading!