AN: So, due to requests on Twitter for more post-ep for 6X08, I wrote this. However, it is more of a pre-ep. Anyway, I hope you enjoy. Thank you to Kylie, Cindy, and MsMorg for their input on this. It is greatly appreciated! As always, constructive criticism is welcome.
Disclaimer I don't own Castle.
They walk along the beach, just the two of them. There are no murders, corpses, or criminals for once and everything is quiet with the exception of the soft noise alongside them; the waves moving against the shore. It may be their last day in the Hamptons, but Rick is sure it's the nicest one out of the whole visit.
"Now, this is a vacation." Kate sighs as she leans her head on his shoulder.
He chuckles. "Definitely," he murmurs. He does not want to say anything more, afraid he will break the serene atmosphere around them. As much as he loves the hustle and bustle of the city, he does not mind the peace of his Hamptons home every once in a while. Having Kate with him just makes it even better.
They walk along the beach for a little while longer, losing themselves in their own thoughts. However, Kate stubs her toe against something, causing her to stop in her tracks, and he comes to a halt as well. She frowns and furrows her eyebrows in confusion, an expression that Rick cannot help but think looks adorable. Digging her fingers in the loose sand by her sandal, she pulls out what seems to be a seashell and grins.
"Hey look, Castle," she says, turning the object around with her fingers. "It's such an odd shape."
Rick nods. "It sure is."
"I bet there are more," she says giddily, almost child-like.
"Okay," Rick agrees, unsure of what his girlfriend is trying to get at. However, before he can question her further, she walks faster down the beach, periodically digging into the sand. Rick follows closely behind, observing her carefully. She seems happy and has an innocent exuberance about her. He smiles taking the moment in and treasuring it. It is rare that he gets to see her like this, so happy and care-free.
Soon, she returns to him, both of her fingers full of shells. She grins as she goes to put some in his hands. He chuckles, taking them. At first glance, he does not see anything too special about the items. Most of the shells look similar save for their size. However, as he looks closer, he realizes that each one has a unique detail about it, something that catches his eye.
"You really seem to like shells," Rick jokes, but there is an underlying question lingering.
Kate smiles a little and there is a certain look in her eyes; one that he knows well.
"We used to go to the beach during the summer, all three of us," she starts, smiling fondly at the memory. "Mom and I would have a contest to see who could collect the most shells. The one rule we had was that no two shells could be exactly the same, there had to be something unique about them. So, we would collect the shells throughout our walk on the beach." Kate chuckles. "I usually won, but I think it was because she let me." She shakes her head. "Anyway, once we were done, we would count how many shells each of us had gotten. Whoever won could keep the shells they had found, and the loser had to throw theirs into the ocean. But really, with the exception of one or two, we usually wound up throwing them all back into the water." The smile has stayed on her face the whole time and her eyes have a light in them. Her expression has the same sense of longing as the one she wore that day when she told him about her stick man story. He smiles, knowing that this is one of those special moments of her former life that she is sharing with him.
She then urges him forward by taking his hand and dragging him along. They continue their walk and make small talk and do their usual banter back and forth. When they near the house, Kate stops and pulling her shells out of the pocket of her dress, she closes her eyes and throws her handful into the ocean. Deciding to keep his shells, Rick plays along, pretending to do the same; not wanting her to know his sappier side. Instead, he throws a rock while her eyes remain closed.
As they walk into the house, he pats his pocketful full of shells, his head already conjuring up ideas of what to do with them. A necklace? A piece of art maybe?
Whatever it is, he will be sure to do it when she least expects it.
AN: So, there it is. Thanks again to Cindy, Kylie, and MsMorg for giving me a hand. Also, I was editing this; I was looking through the archive and noticed someone also wrote an episode insert for the walk on the beach. It's called "Seashells" by KroganVanguard. Go read it, it's awesome. Anyway, as always, constructive criticism is welcome.