Young at Heart
It's hot in New York City. She's surprised that the pavement hasn't started to bubble under their feet yet, that the Hudson and East Rivers haven't dried up. Crime rates were up – the heat made people do crazy, stupid things like murder one another over the last bag of ice at the convenience store – and she had spent the last week working down her pile of paperwork until the inbox was empty.
But the fact that it's scalding hot in the northeast only means that it'll be nearly unbearable in the south. Although there's the promise of days spent by the pool in her swimsuit rather than in a precinct bullpen, suffering in pants and short sleeves.
She has the air conditioning blasting, trying to beat back the heat seeping through the cracks of the windows as she packs the carry-on bags, focusing heavily on snacks rather than entertainment for the three hour flight. Kate figures Al will be out asleep by the time they take off – the nine thirty flight out of LaGuardia was the only one available once she found out the days she'd have off from work – so amusing the six year old isn't at the top of her list.
Kate yawns, feeling her jaw crack with the motion. Nap on the plane. Just need to get to the plane. She zips up the baggie of Cheez-Its and dropping them into the tote bag on the bar stool.
"Don't forget the gummy bears," he calls quietly, rounding the couch to lean on the counter.
She grins. "Those for Al or you?" she asks with a wink, opening the cupboard and taking the plastic tub of gummy bears out.
"Al, of course. I eat civilized snacks," Castle says proudly.
"Oh yes. Doritos and Skittles and peanut butter and fluff sandwiches are truly refined snacks." Her eye-roll is good-natured, transferring the gummy treats into a smaller Tupperware container, snapping the lid into place. "You got the suitcase packed?"
He reaches across the granite countertop, snags Kate's sleeve, and tugs her closer. "Just need to get Al's from upstairs. Ours is all set," he says before kissing her softly. "You packed the purple swimsuit."
"Mmm… So I did. You'll never get to see it in action if we miss the plane." Closing the top zipper of the carry-on, Kate gives him a shove. "Go get Al's suitcase, make sure she has everything."
As he heads upstairs for Al's room, Kate moves to the doorway of the loft, adding their second carry-on bag to the first, which has Castle's iPad, the book she has been working through, a few coloring books and a bag of crayons for Al in case she doesn't sleep. But Kate knows her daughter; Al will be out cold. Walking through the living room, she sees the girl already curled up on the couch with Penguin, snuffling as she naps in the Minnie Mouse dress that Castle had insisted on getting from the Disney Store uptown. Kate had vetoed the hair bow so Castle had improvised with a red headband, the same one currently slipping off the mass of brown curls.
She leaves the girl alone, knowing that waking her up will just rile her up, causing her to get underfoot as they do the last-minute packing, and goes to get her and Castle's suitcase from the bedroom. She checks, not that she doesn't trust his packing skills, to make sure that the bathroom bags are tucked into the mesh netting on the cover of the wheel-along suitcase. They had divided up the bag, half hers, half his, and she can tell the difference just from glancing at the colors. His was neutral, ranging from whites to tans and greys and the occasional splash of color. Hers, on the other hand, was the polar opposite; lots of color with the hint of jean and khaki shorts.
Closing up the bag, Kate wheels it out into the living room, setting it by the door with the carry-ons. Castle is carrying Al's bright purple suitcase down the stairs so that the wheels don't hit the wall and wake the girl up.
"She have everything?" Kate asks, reaching up to comb her hand through his hair, thumb brushing his brow.
He ducks down, kissing her briefly before letting Al's suitcase join the collection. "That and more. We ready to move out?"
"Looks like. Let's wake up Minnie over there," Kate says, nodding toward Al. "She'll be upset if she misses the first part of this."
Castle stays by the door, looping one of the carry-on bags over his shoulder, and watches Kate move over to the couch. Even after four months, he's still blown away that she is, that they are, here. His wife and his almost-daughter – the lawyers were still working through the adoption process.
"Going?" Al slurs, rubbing her eyes as she walks over with Kate to the door.
"She's barely awake," Kate murmured into Castle's ear, grinning as Al fumbles with the handle of her suitcase. "Here, kid. Let me help."
But Al tugs away from her mother, shooting a look that she had to have learned from Kate, saying firmly, "No."
They wait, front door open as Al finally gets the handle up with a little shout of triumph and a glance that told both Kate and Castle that she obviously did all of it herself. Al pushes her headband back into place, grinning as she starts out the door.
"Going, Mom and Rick," she declares, down the hall to the elevator. "Come on."
Kate follows, letting Castle lock the apartment behind them. Castle has a car waiting down outside the lobby for them, the driver helping them load the suitcases into the trunk. Al crawls into the backseat after Kate, curling up against her side with her feet up on the seat, barely hidden by her polka-dot skirt.
"I guess I'm up front," Castle says when he ducks his head into the car and sees Al stretched out along the seat. "See how it is, denying me my girl."
"Oh, shush you," she returns after he slips into the passenger seat. "You can sit next to me on the plane. She'll still be out."
"Wasn't you I was talking about," he teases, bracing his hand on the driver's seat and turning around to meet Kate's eyes.
"Turn around, goofball," she says, slapping him lightly on his cheek. He catches her wrist, nipping at the thin web of skin between her thumb and forefinger. Kate can't stop the little groan that escapes as her eyes flutter shut when his tongue darts out to taste the salty sweat dried on her hand. "Rick… Stop."
There's no will behind the demand and he knows it. Still, he drops her hand with a cocky grin. He knows exactly what he does to her.
He keeps his hand stretched back, fingertips brushing her bare knee the entire ride to the airport. Castle helps the driver unload the luggage from the trunk as Kate rouses Al again. With the girl perched on her hip, Kate shoulders the carry-on bag and pulls Al's suitcase behind her toward the sliding doors.
"You have the tickets?" she asks, turning her head to talk to Castle, trailing behind her with the rest of the luggage.
"In your carry-on. Back pocket."
It's tricky, balancing the half-asleep toddler while trying to find the tickets and her wallet for her driver's license. There's one moment where Castle has to dive to push Al's shoulder back up onto Kate's chest as she slides toward the ground. But by the time they get to the front of the security line they've separated the tickets out, Kate holding onto Al's. The security guard doesn't try and get Al to walk through the body scanner by herself once the older man sees how out of it the six year old is.
The attendant is just calling the first group of passengers and they're able to sneak in with the crowd before the second bunch is called, Kate still fighting with getting Al's sandals back on until she gives up, handing their tickets to the woman scanning them.
"She's beautiful," the young woman says, smiling as she hands the tickets back to Kate.
Castle brushes his hand over Al's hair, pushing the headband back up and taming the front of the girl's curls. "We're rather fond of her when she's quiet like this," he says, all charm as he hands the attendant his ticket. "Chatterbox when she's alert."
They have the row to themselves. Kate settles Al in at the window seat knowing the girl will want to look out at the dark clouds if she stirs during the three hour flight. As soon as her seatbelt is clicked into place, Kate turns back to Castle, sitting on the end of the row. "Ready for this?" she asks, linking her fingers with his on his thigh.
"Ready for our four month over-due honeymoon? You bet."
Al never wakes up on the flight from New York City to Orlando. They get off the plane with Castle carrying the sleeping girl and Kate toting the two carry-on bags. He leads the way to the car rental after they gather up the two suitcases from the conveyor belt, moving through the lobby of the airport hotel with its palm trees and fountain. He speaks quietly to the man at the rental desk, aware of Al's head lolling against his shoulder as he exchanges a signature on the receipt for the keys.
"Nothing extravagant," Kate warns as she watches him scan the rows of cars, his eyes lingering on the sports cars. When he still hesitates, she steals the keys and heads toward the sedans, picking out one of the unobtrusive silver cars from the lines.
Castle groans as she unlocks the doors. "Awww, Kate. It's our honeymoon. Can't we have a little fun?"
"Nope. Safety first, especially with that one," she says, pointing the keys at Al. "Buckle her in while I get the luggage in and set the GPS."
She can't hear him whine about her taking over the driving as she pockets the keys and starts loading the suitcases and carry-on bags into the trunk of the car. He flashes her a disapproving look on his way around the front of the car to the passenger seat. "You owe me," he says as she pulls out from the slot, following the instructions from the voice from the dashboard GPS.
The highway is dark at almost half past midnight and more than a little deserted. The usually thirty minute drive from the airport to the gates takes only fifteen with Kate zipping between cars and eighteen wheelers until she can see the spotlight-lit gateway.
"Wake her up," she whispers, nudging Castle. "She'll want to see this at least."
Al's groggy when Castle shakes her foot slowly. "What?"
"We're here," he says, pointing up through the front windshield.
"Disney!" Al says, fighting through sleep to smile. "Look! Minnie!"
Kate smiles, looking back at the girl through the rear view mirror. "Just like your dress, kid. And Mickey. What're they?"
"Mouses."
Castle doesn't have the heart to correct Al's grammar. Not when she staring out the front of the car with wide awake eyes, hands curled around the hem of her dress. She grabs up Penguin by the wing, sitting the bird on her lap and letting him look out the window too. "See, Pen? Minnie and Mickey Mouses."
It's another five minutes from the front gates of Disney to the security check-point at Old Key West, long enough for Al to drift back into sleep. A perky brunette, too perky for past one in the morning, confirms that they're on the arrival list, welcomes them home, and wishes them a good night. They drive over the bridge and Castle can make out the fountain in the water next to the golf course before Kate takes the left hand turn into the parking lot in front of Hospitality House.
"You want to go check in while I stay with Sleeping Beauty," Kate asks, still speaking softly as Al mumbles in her sleep.
"I'll be back," he returns, leaning an elbow on the center console to press a kiss to her lips, feeling them turn up under his mouth.
Kate sits back in the seat, closing her eyes. The air is heavy with humidity, alive with the chirping of cicadas. She's glad her dad passed on the timeshare that came with the Vacation Club because some time surrounded by Victorian architecture and cool pastels will be a welcome change to the skyscrapers and harsh neutrals of the city.
"Mom? Here?"
She turns around, hand on the back of Castle's empty seat. "Yeah, kid. We're here. Just letting Rick get us our room and then we'll be able to go to sleep for real."
Al stretches, rubbing a fist of her eyes before sighing back into sleep, her head hitting the window. "'Kay."
Castle slides back into the car, a packet of information in his hands. "We're in 3321. First intersection, take a right then our second right."
Kate pulls back onto the main road, traveling along the river to their left until she turns onto the correct road. The parking area in front of the building has a few empty spaces and she backs into the one closest to the stairs; no need to struggle getting the sleeping toddler and the luggage up to the second floor.
Castle stuffs the information booklet into his carry-on, keeping the room key out, before shouldering the bag. "I'll get Al, you grab the suitcases?"
"Deal."
When Castle pushes the front door open, the room is dark. He doesn't flip one of the lights on knowing it would wake Al up. Instead, he drops the carry-on in the hallway and figures out which of the two bedrooms is going to be Al's. There're two queen-size beds to pick from so he throws the covers back on the first one his foot connects with.
"Should probably change her into her pajamas," Kate murmurs from behind him. "Come on. Help me search for them in her suitcase."
They go into the living room and turn the light on in the kitchenette. While Castle explores, Kate opens Al's bag for the pajamas that she packed. "Find our pajamas," she reminds him as she takes the shorts and tank back into Al's room. "Meet me in our room."
It takes a few minutes to wrestle the Minnie Mouse dress off her daughter, laying it out over the table in the corner of the room. Al's pajama shorts are colorfully striped, the bright red tank picking up one of the shades. As soon as Kate has her changed, Al curls up onto her side, snuggling the pillow against her cheek.
"Night, kid," Kate whispers before kissing the girl's exposed cheek.
She nearly screams when she turns around and hits Castle in the chest. "What're you doing?" she demands, hissing under her breath.
"Saying goodnight to my daughter," he says simply. "Go to bed, Kate."
But she doesn't. Not right away. Instead, she leans against the doorframe, watching with the dim light as Castle braces his hand on the bedside table to say something to Al before taking the headband from her hair and kissing her temple.
"You happy?" he asks, linking their hands on the walk down the hallway to the master bedroom.
Kate hums, stepping out of her shoes and shorts before stripping her shirt over her head. "More than. Sleepy, though." She turns down the bed, crawling into the cool sheets moments before Castle joins her. His fingers trip over her side, down along her waist before up again at her hips. "Too tired for that tonight, Rick."
He sighs, breathing hotly against her ear. "Tomorrow night, then."
She turns enough for him to capture her mouth. "Love ya," she mutters on a yawn.
"Back atcha, Kate."
Note from Logan: Here's to another journey with Kate, Rick, and Al. I'm still overwhelmed with the support for Falling in Love at a Coffee Shop, by the way. Let's see if we can do it all over again?