[Pokes head in briefly] Hi. Yes, I know, I know, I said I wouldn't be writing anything more until after Christmas, but I ACTUALLY dreamed this last night - it was so scarily vivid. I'll tell you about it at the end. This will only be a two-shot. It's not a Xmas story - though I am so in love with many Christmas stories on here right now... that I read when I should be focusing on work :D

Anyway, as usual, I hope you enjoy it :-)

Merry Christmas!

Love,

Renee.

Richard Castle had always felt a sense of bittersweetness as he drove the bush-clad road to his summer home.

Typically, it meant a holiday away, usually with his daughter, his mother and sometimes whatever "flavor of the week" was currently sharing his bed. Most Summers, his friends would make an appearance, some he was close to, some; stragglers that he hardly knew - friends of friends; but all as welcome as each other.

The trek to his favorite hide-out was also usually filled with a feeling of melancholy; or at least that was the way it had been for the last four years.

For at least two months, he would have no murders to solve, no killers to track down and put away. That feeling of accomplishment and pride would only be found in the making of a perfectly made waffle - a far less impressive, much more meager form of achievement.

And then of course, that emotion that made his chest hurt whenever his mind wandered from whatever trivial conversation he was having with an old buddy, where his thoughts drifted to his very important work, and then, of course... to her.

The Summers he had spent here since he had met Katherine Beckett, had been so different from the ones before he ever knew she existed. She had made him miss the city, crave the business of it, the excitement of that thriving metropolis that she so desperately cleaved to.

He knew when he first asked her to join him at his luxuriously peaceful palace, she would turn him down outright. The second time he asked her, he expected her to at least think about it, and she did, but still declined, almost like the pure indulgence of a break away, was something sinful.

The third time he asked her, she considered his offer more than she had the first two times, despite being in a relationship with another man - but he was in another country at the time, so it didn't really constrict her decision (not that any man would ever dare tell Kate Beckett what she could or couldn't do.)

This year, the young detective was single. And the writer had no arm candy to accompany him to his holiday hangout. So he asked her again, in a way that was as ritualistic as their daily coffees that he bought.

Like every year previously, he had expected her to either be unwilling or unable to come with him. So when he sidled up to her that morning in the break room, it was with no reserved hope that he spoke to her about going to The Hamptons again.

"So it's my last day today", he reminded her, passing her a 12th Precinct coffee mug for her to fill with a delicious hot beverage from the intricate and complicated machine, made available to the Homicide devision by a very generous man's donation.

"Mhm" she replied softly, she always got slightly quiet when their hands touched, even for the brief duration of the passing of a coffee cup.

"It's going to be kind of hard, being there without Alexis for the first time in... well, since she was born", Castle pouted, his face contorted with sadness.

Beckett clipped her cup under the coffee spout, and turned to look at him. He looked truly wounded, like a dog who had just been slapped on the nose.

"It'll be different, there's no question about that. But just think, one day, the house will be passed down to her and she'll bring her own family there, start memories with her own offspring. And I'm sure Grandpa Castle will always have a room made out for him."

Castle hissed. "Hey, easy!

A smile cracked on her face.

"Firstly, that scenario will not happen for many, many years..." he said seriously. "And secondly, the house is not entirely going to Alexis - I set up a trust earlier this year so that if Alexis ever decides to sell it, seventy per cent of the sale price will go to her, and the other thirty per cent will go into a funding account for the Police Widows and Orphans Foundation."

Beckett looked at him, speechless. "Really?"

Castle nodded. "I made the decision the moment I arrived there last Summer, after, Montgomery..." he inhaled a quick breath, pausing awkwardly.

Beckett shook her head slightly. "That's an amazing gesture, Castle, truly."

Castle smiled, with a small shrug. "Swindling more money out of my pocket and into the hands of cops... I think Montgomery would have approved."

Beckett chuckled lightly and picked up her coffee. Walking to the door of the break room, she had a sudden decisive urge.

She spun around to find him close to her, he had been following in her wake, as usual. She opened her mouth but no words came out, she bit her lip instead.

Castle raised his eyebrow at her. "Yes?" He asked her softly, a hopeful tone not being able to keep itself from infiltrating the question.

"Is there still a room on offer this year?"

Castle's body straightened up intently. "Of course, there's even an extra one now that Alexis won't be coming."

"I'd like to join you... if I'm still invited." The words were out of her mouth before she could stop them. Her face turned red, and she almost moved to withdraw the comment.

"Really? You're not joking around, right now, are you? You seriously want to come to the Hamptons with me?"

"I seriously do", she told him. "In fact, I had considered going last year, if the conversation came up, but well..." She smiled bitterly. Fate had intervened on that idea - fate in the form of a bullet.

Castle groaned internally. When they finally caught the guy that shot Beckett, the sniper was going to wish he'd never been born.

"E-even with... Josh?" He asked her uneasily.

Beckett shrugged. "He wasn't here... you were."

He looked on at her, feeling slightly dazed, as she turned and walked out of the room. He followed her to her desk and stood beside it for a while, just staring down at her in disbelief.

"Are you going to act all moony-eyed the whole day? We still have one more day of work to get through, you know", she said.

"I-I just... you're not doing this because you think I'm going to be lonely without Alexis are you? Because mother will still be there with me..."

Beckett tilted her head to the side. "Do you not want me to come?"

Castle's eyes went wide and he sat down in his chair. "No- yes, of course I do. I just am amazed that you even have the time off."

Beckett inhaled. "Yeah, well I arranged it a few weeks ago. I was just going to get some things done here and then book a flight to Paris but... I know that that would just be running away again, and I'm sick of doing that, especially when there are people here that care about me. It's about time I sat down with them and let them know how much I really appreciate them." She gave Castle a lingering look. His eyes dug a tunnel to her soul.

"Tripping off to Paris on my own would just be selfish", she said looking away.

"Well hey, when's the last time you did something just for yourself? I'd say if anyone deserves to be a little bit selfish it's you", Castle told her sincerely.

She smiled. "I think a couple of months in the Hamptons sounds pretty indulgent."

Castle grinned. "I am going to spoil you rotten."

Beckett laughed. "Bring it on", her eyes gleamed with an openness so welcoming, it made Castle's heart stammer.

And now, driving along in his convertible, top down, winding through the roads that seemed to have no end, Rick Castle drove with his mother next to him and a quite unexpected brunette guest in the back seat.

"I really am terribly sorry I couldn't offer you the front seat Kate, but I don't think anyone would be particularly enthralled by the sight of my stomach contents - least of all me... That crab stew I had last night is definitely something I never want to see again."

Castle caught Beckett's reaction in the rear-view mirror, she was laughing silently. "Really Martha, it's fine. I like the back-seat."

"Ah, see, I'm already treating you like royalty. Chauffeur driven and even given the choice of radio station... you're living the good life now, detective."

"Yeah I'd probably be hard pressed to find company any better than this, too", Kate smiled.

Her eyes met with Castle's in the mirror and she bit her lip, shifting her gaze to her knees.

"Oh well, I'm just so thrilled you could join us, darling! I know Richard's been trying to get you up here for a long time."

Beckett nodded, although Martha couldn't see her. "Yes, well I was planning to fly to France, but this seemed a lot more relaxing than walking around Paris being hit up by street performers every five seconds."

Martha and Castle laughed.

"And, of course, this way, my wallet won't take such a beating."

"Ah, well I have a proposition for you. Next Summer, we'll forget about the Hamptons. We'll jet off to Paris instead. We'll see the Louvre, do the little canal rides, drink barrels of wine, eat tractor-sized wheels of camembert...mm."

Beckett laughed. "That's a rather stereotypical view of things to do in Paris, Castle."

"Well what would you do in the city of love, Miss "world traveler of the year"?"

Beckett rolled her eyes at him. "Well, I've always wanted to go there and just spend some time out of everything, away from civilization altogether. France has this thing called "countryside", you know, something New York really has nothing of. I just want to travel around, meeting new people, experiencing a world totally opposite to mine. Walking around all day and backpacking at night... that sounds like a real holiday to me."

Castle smiled at the wistful look on her face, but shook his head. "I'm sorry, but I won't be staying in any backpackers... I'm a best selling author, people know me over there, they'd be expecting me to maintain a certain profile... Nope, I know a perfect hotel where we could stay, fine food, luxurious accommodation - and don't worry, it'll all be covered."

Beckett shook her head, feeling slightly embarrassed. "Oh, Castle."

Martha put a hand on her son's arm. "Oh, would it be permissible for an executively-deprived old woman to tag along? It's been such a long time since I've been to Paris."

"Mother, you were there last year", Castle gave her a look.

"Yes but that was only a layover on my way to Dubai".

Castle rolled his eyes.

"We'll have to take Alexis with us, she's practically adopted France as heråå motherland", Martha told him.

Castle chuckled. "Alright then... we'll make a family holiday of it. Sounding good Kate?"

Beckett couldn't speak for a moment. Did he just include her in the idea of a "family holiday?" Where she fit in his family, she didn't know, but the image of the grandmother, the daughter, the father and.,. whatever she was, walking around as a "family" - in Paris no less; was rather appealing.

"Wow, it's sounding like a dream come true Castle, but it would really be way too much."

"Nonsense, taking you on a trip to your dream location would be my way of saying thank you for finally agreeing to come with me to my favorite holiday destination."

Beckett smiled. "The Hamptons, Paris... worlds apart. But perhaps one day we'll be able meet each other half-way." Beckett locked eyes with him in the mirror again, but this time, she didn't look away.

"Ooh like Hawaii? Now that's MY kind of holiday", Martha interjected, spoiling any kind of moment the two might have been sharing.

...

They arrived at The Castle holiday chalet in record time, according to Castle, and when they got out of the car, they decided not to unpack straight away, as Castle was keen to show Beckett around the place.

"Richard, Martha!" A voice sounded from across the street. A man with a wide cat-like face and black slicked-back hair smiled and waved at them.

Beckett's eyes popped open. "Is that... Nathan Lane?"

"Yeah, he's our neighbor... I'll tell you it's a good thing I've been living with my mother my entire life, If I wasn't so tolerable of show tunes, I'd have chopped my own ears off by now", he muttered, beaming widely over at the Broadway actor.

He turned to the young woman. "Hey, come round back, I want you to see it", he grinned like a child at Christmas and took her by the hand. She let herself be dragged around the back of his modern, glass and wood, square-shaped house.

"Tada!" He exclaimed, presenting his backyard to her. There was a well-manicured lawn, with a barbeque pit and a large swimming pool.

"Wow, this is... gorgeous" Beckett whispered the last word.

Castle's grin widened.

"I'll never understand why people who live right by the beach have swimming pools, though", Beckett mused.

Castle cleared his throat. "They frown on ah... public nudity at this particular beach."

Beckett turned to him with raised eyebrows. "You, skinny dipping, really?"

"Worse...mother", Castle grimaced.

Beckett pursed her lips.

"Why do you think everybody has such high fences round here? I've only heard rumors, but in Mr. Lane's case, let's just say, I'm oh so very, very glad."

Beckett snorted with laughter.

"But, no I've never had the desire myself."

"Not even with Gina?" Beckett questioned him.

She thought she saw a flash of regret in his eyes, but she could have been imagining things.

"Oh, Gina, no she was never into the whole nude in the water thing. In fact, she was never really into the whole nude thing", he frowned.

Beckett shifted uncomfortably on the spot.

Castle laughed. "It was tempting some nights though, you know, just to rip all my clothes off and dive in. Especially that heat wave of '99, when I was between wives. But Alexis was at that stage where she would just wander around all over the place, half asleep, babbling "I'm not tired, daddy, I swear!" He chuckled at the memory, and then sighed. "It's so weird being here without her."

Beckett watched him, as he surveyed the place, recalling more memories with every shift of his eyes. Suddenly she felt envious that this place was only an unfamiliar, blank canvas to her. She found herself hoping there would be many opportunities for her to develop some memories of this place for herself.

"But hey, I guess I don't have to worry about her getting the shock of her life at seeing her father completely butt bookie... maybe this Summer will be a first", he winked.

Beckett would have looked away, blushing, but she was doubled over laughing. "Butt bookie?"

"What?" he said in a defensively high tone. "I'm up with the kids!"

Beckett only laughed harder. "If you were, you would know that the word "up" was actually replaced by "down", like when I was a teenager."

Castle chuckled "Oh, OK... you got me."

Beckett dried her eyes and shook her head at him. He was watching her intently.

"What?" she asked him as he stared at her.

"Nothing", he sighed. "I've never seen you laugh this much, in four years of knowing you."

She bit her lip that wouldn't turn upside down. "Must be the sea air."

He nodded, a large smile on his face.

"Come on, I want to see it all", she told him, extending her hand for him to take.

He stared down at it, and then up into her eyes. "You wanna see me get butt bookie?"

She rolled her eyes at him. "The house Castle, show me your house."

"Oh, the house, right", he said, feigning innocence.

He grinned as he took her hand in his.

Laughing at his humor until she cried, speaking of trips to Paris, of his nudity, of meeting him halfway? Who was this woman standing here on the back lawn of his home in the Hamptons with him, holding his hand so tightly and yet so gently at the same time? Who was this new and exciting Kate of The Hamptons and what had she done with Detective Beckett of New York City?

...