A/N: Something light and fluffy for the festive season…. The usual disclaimers apply.

"Ow!" Kate whispered. "You just elbowed me in the side."

"Sorry," Rick whispered back, retracting the offending arm. "It's pitch-dark in here. I can't see a thing."

"Shh. I hear footsteps – I think she's coming closer."

Rick sighed. This was not what he'd had in mind when he'd suggested to his wife that they escape to the Hamptons for a romantic interlude.

A week earlier…

Rick had come up with the idea over breakfast, while he and Kate fed their two-year-old twins their cereal and fruit. As usual, Nathan was more interested in creating messy artwork from his food. Noel, on the other hand, had finished his breakfast in record time and was demanding that his father make him what, much to Kate's chagrin, had become a Castle family staple.

"Smorelette, Daddy! Smorelette!"

Kate looked up from coaxing Nathan to eat "just one more piece" of his apple. She glared at her husband. "If you hadn't introduced him to those things, he wouldn't be asking for them every single morning."

Rick raised his hands and gave Kate an innocent look. "What can I say? He's his father's son."

Kate smiled in spite of herself. "He certainly is."

She rose to her feet, wiped Nathan's face and picked a few stray pieces of food out of his dark hair before kissing the top of his head. She smoothed back her own hair and picked up her keys. Then she bent to kiss Noel, who was still chanting for a smorelette.

She shook her head, placing her cheek against his. "You've just had a pretty big breakfast, buddy, so no smorelette today. But if you're really good, we'll take you and your brother to Grandma's house tomorrow."

"Gamma!" Noel's green eyes lit up, all thoughts of sweet, gooey, chocolatey eggs forgotten. The twins loved their grandmother's eccentric, entertaining ways, and always looked forward to their visits with her.

Smiling, Kate bent to kiss her husband. "I've got to go. I'll see you all later." As she straightened, she yawned and stretched. "It's ridiculous to say this considering how crazy things always are at the end of the year, but I'm actually hoping for a slow day at the precinct. I've been…."

"… Tired lately," Rick completed for her, with concern in his blue eyes. "I've noticed. You've been working too hard, Beckett. You need some time off."

"I'm taking three days off after New Year's Day," she reminded him. "That's just a few days away."

"Well, your three days off will be spent running around after these two," Rick said, gesturing towards the twins, who were running around the living room at that very moment, yelling at one another in the special toddlers' language that Kate and Rick had given up on ever understanding. They had hit the 'terrible twos', and adorable as they were, they rarely gave their parents a moment of peace and quiet, except when they were asleep.

Rick gave Kate a pointed look. "Doesn't sound very restful to me. Literally." He paused, then raised a finger. "I have an idea."

"Uh oh." She grinned.

"No, seriously. You're going to love this one. Why don't we leave the twins with Mother for a couple of days and go up to the Hamptons?"

Kate looked doubtful. "I don't know, Rick."

"Just for a couple of days. The Hamptons will give you a chance to really relax and refuel before you have to go back to work." Rick knew that his wife's work responsibilities would only continue to grow. She was well-respected in the NYPD for her inspirational yet practical leadership style as a Lieutenant, and rumor had it that she would shortly be promoted to the rank of Captain. And yet, in spite of the rigors of her job, she was a hands-on mom, spending as much time with the twins as her busy schedule allowed. Just a few days ago, she had joined Rick in creating a Christmas experience for the family that Alexis had called "absolutely magical".

Kate's brow was furrowed as she considered Rick's proposal. "You don't think Martha will mind? They're such a handful."

"Mind?" Rick scoffed. "You know how much she loves having them over. They're the perfect audience – too young and innocent to be anything but delighted and entertained at everything she does."

Kate laughed. "Not to mention the perfect cast." Martha was always trying to teach the toddlers numbers from Broadway musicals.

Rick nodded. "And I'm sure Alexis would be happy to help out. Besides, we'll only be a phone call and a drive away if they need us."

Kate sighed. "It would be nice to spend some time together, just the two of us, without having to worry about being interrupted." She dropped her voice. "And when I say 'some time together', I mean intimate, intense, bone-melting time."

Rick started to choke on his coffee.

"I'll think about it," Kate said, smiling and rubbing his back. She gave him a final kiss. "We'll talk about it when I come home."

That night, when they'd finally managed to put the kids to bed after over an hour of increasingly desperate maneuvers, chases and bribes, Kate shut their bedroom door behind her and sagged against it in relief. She turned to Rick, smiling. "Let's do it."

So they'd done it, dropping the children off with a delighted Martha and Alexis before driving to the Hamptons.

Even the drive was relaxing, the roads almost free of traffic. When they arrived, they saw that as usual, Mrs. Matthews, the housekeeper, had prepared the house for their arrival, leaving behind fresh flowers and a note of welcome. When they had taken off their coats and turned on the coffee machine in the kitchen, Kate twirled around, breathing in the fresh floral scents and bracing winter air.

Rick smiled as he watched her, pleased that she'd agreed to their getaway. The house occupied a special place in their hearts for many reasons. It held some painful memories, but it had also been the scene of some of their most precious milestones – their first weekend away as a couple, several family vacations, and of course, their wedding.

Kate stopped mid-twirl and cupped a hand to her ear. "Do you hear that, Castle?"

Rick looked around. "What?"

"The sound of silence. No tantrums, tears or toys being tossed." Kate scrunched up her nose. "It's a little weird," she confessed.

Rick moved closer, taking her in his arms, thinking how adorable she was, and how beautiful – seemingly more beautiful each day. "Missing the little rascals already?"

"Is it that obvious?" She sighed, leaning her head against his shoulder.

Rick chuckled. "You did a good job of covering it up, but your chin did tremble a bit when we drove away from Mother's apartment."

Kate groaned. "I'm a sap."

"No, what you are is a great mom," Rick said softly, his arms tightening around her. "It's one of my favorite things about you." He moved back slightly to look into her eyes. "But you work so hard, Kate. You, more than anyone, deserve a few days of rest and serenity."

"And you?" Kate asked. "Are you missing them too?"

"Not really," Rick confessed. "I love the little guys, but right now I'm just happy to be here with you." He looked after the twins when their mother was working, and while he enjoyed spending time with them, he felt no guilt about taking a break from their lovable antics and incessant demands. It was worth it to spend some precious uninterrupted time with Kate.

"Well," Kate said, lifting her arms to link them around his neck. "Now that we're here, with all these rooms to ourselves…."

Rick grinned. "And three toddler-free days…."

Kate ran one hand through his hair. "We might as well put it to good use."

"What did you have in mind?"

"I don't know." She shrugged. "We could… read, or watch TV, or get something to eat."

Rick laughed, the sound rich and deep with pleasure. Her words were familiar, and special, but he knew that what they both craved was something neither of them wanted to delay any further. He swept her up into his arms. "Or we could just skip all that and get to the really good part."

Kate tightened her arms around his neck and grinned. "I like the way you think, Mr. Castle."

It wasn't long before they were completely caught up in the 'really good part'. They ended up, quite unexpectedly, in one of the guest rooms, chosen purely for its accessibility, as the master bedroom had suddenly seemed much too far away.

And then, through their fog of mutual desire, they heard it. It was Mrs. Matthews' lilting voice, accompanied by her brisk footsteps. For some unfathomable reason, she'd come back.

"Mr. Castle? Mrs. Castle?"

They froze in position, up against the wall.

A/N: Just one more chapter to go….