Living in the Spring Time


They work together as a family to unload everything from the car. Even the boys have a job, and they look so pleased as they carry their own backpacks, their sister's, and Mommy's messenger bag inside. Lily takes Cosmo's leash in one hand, her grip tight. He's a sighthound, so if he sees anything in the underbrush he might charge off. He's patient too, though, and Castle is fairly sure the dog wouldn't drag Lily through the forest even if something did catch his eye.

"She's got it," Kate says teasingly. Her fingers slide inside of his shirt, cool and smooth at the soft skin of his sides. It sends a shiver rippling through him and he grunts. Their sons are inside, exploring the cabin, and Lily is just disappearing through the front door as well.

It gives them precious moments. He slides his hands to the swell of her ass and squeezes. Her body cants towards him on a sigh and she kisses him, her tongue warm and insistent. His wife has been shot four times, been pregnant twice, and still she's the most gorgeous creature he's ever seen. She'll turn forty five this November. Age has only mellowed her, made her more graceful and sure of herself.

"I love you," he says into their kiss. Kate returns the sentiment and they break apart. She cut her hair short again after the boys were born, because as babies they loved nothing more than to grab handfuls of it and yank until her eyes watered. It's grown out a lot now, falling past her shoulders again, and she tucks it back out of her face.

They follow the kids into the cabin with the bags from the trunk. Once the suitcases are inside, Kate calls for the boys and the two of them come thundering out of the bedroom. Lily is in the kitchen, filling Cosmo's water bowl for him. She's not quite tall enough to reach the faucet properly, and water is spraying all across the counter and dripping onto the floor. Her teeth cut into her bottom lip as she concentrates. It reminds him so much of Kate that his heart squeezes tight in love for both his wife and his baby girl.

"Here, Lilypad." He takes the dish from his daughter and sets it down on the floor. Cosmo bows his head to take a long drink from the bowl, his neck a graceful line. "Mommy, did you bring a stepping stool?"

"Grandpa said there's one in the garage," Kate calls back to him. She's on the couch with the boys now. Both of them have tried to take off their own shoes and gotten tangled, so she's putting them back on. She has Reece in her lap, one arm around his belly, and she keeps having to hook her free hand around Jake and draw him back down the couch so that he doesn't escape.

Castle ducks into the garage and comes back with the plastic stepping stool. He sets it in front of the sink in the kitchen and Lily hops up onto it, grabbing his arm for balance. "Here you go. Why don't we get a jug and you can use that to fill his bowl instead of having to pick it up."

He finds a plastic pitcher in the cabinet and he sets it down next to Cosmo's dishes for Lily to use. She was the one who really wanted a dog, the one who pleaded with them to consider it. Castle had been needling Kate about it for years, and with their daughter on his side Kate didn't stand a chance. Lily has blossomed under the responsibility, doting on Cosmo and making it easy for the dog to fit in with their already hectic lives.

Every morning Castle drops the kids at school and then he takes Cosmo to the park. They usually visit for a second time with the kids once they're done with school, unless the weather is against them. He loves watching his children and the dog race around the grass. If they're very lucky, Kate can carve a free hour out of work and come to join them.

"Okay," Kate says. The boys have both got their shoes back on properly and they're waiting by the French doors, little bodies thrumming with energy. "Let's go and explore a bit, stretch our legs."

The back doors are still locked, and they'll stay that way for the duration of the trip. They've heard too many horror stories, are too keenly aware of how easy it is for children to drown. The kids have floatie vests and they won't be allowed anywhere near the lake without Rick or Kate supervising.

The key still hangs on a hook in the kitchen, high enough that the little ones won't be able to reach. Castle snags it and heads for the door with Lily and Cosmo right behind him. He unlocks the door and they spill out onto the back deck.

"Lilypad," Kate calls out. "Why don't I take Cosmo's leash? You explore with your brothers."

Lily hands it over and Kate clicks the button to let Cosmo have the full scope of the extending leash. They pile down the steps, the five of them and the dog. The kids run on ahead, heading for the dock that juts out into the lake.

"Mama," Jake turns back to them. Their boys are so similar they almost seem identical, but Reece has chubbier cheeks and Jake has a straighter nose. Once you know them, their personalities make it almost impossible to get them mixed up. "Daddy. Cosmo could swim in the lake too?"

"Sure baby," Kate says. "We bought him a floatie vest too, remember? He might not like it though. Some greyhounds don't like to get wet."

Reece pats his mother's thigh. "We can just see, right Mommy?"

"Exactly peanut. We'll see."

Lily has tugged off her sneakers and socks and she's sitting at the edge of the dock, dangling her feet into the water. Castle isn't convinced that it's going to be very warm, not in April, but his daughter doesn't seem at all bothered. The twins sit on either side of their sister and start tugging at their sneakers again. It makes Kate huff a sigh and she passes Cosmo's leash to Rick so she can help their sons.

The twins' toes only just skim the surface of the lake when they dangle their feet over the edge. They seem pretty content with trying to splash each other and their sister. Lily wraps an arm around each of them and Jake lays his head against her shoulder.

"Don't move," Kate murmurs to Castle. "I'm gonna go grab the camera."

She's back in less than a minute and she frames a few shots of their children, silhouetted against the waning afternoon light. Insects hover above the surface of the water and fish leap out of the lake to catch them. It makes the kids cry out in surprise every time. Kate laughs, three fingers against her lips as if to trace the curve of her own amusement.

The kids will probably start grumbling for dinner fairly soon, but for now they're content. Once Kate is done with the photographs, Castle slides his hand into her free one. The dog seems to have realised they're staying here for a bit and he lays down on the dock, head resting on his paws. Rick gives the leash a little bit of slack and he turns his attention to his wife.

One eye is still on their kids at the end of the dock, but they're smart. He trusts Lily, and he and Kate are barely a foot away. "Remember the last time we were here?"

"It snowed," Kate smiles. "I had just married you. I can't believe it was nine and a half years ago."

"I can't believe we will have been married ten years in November," he says back. It makes her blush and she ducks her head on a smile. He loves this shy, girlish side of Kate even after knowing her for fifteen years.

Kate glances at their kids. They're laughing together, drops of water scattering all three of their pants. The air is getting chilly as evening rolls down from the mountains and Kate folds her arms across her chest. "So much has happened. But sometimes I still feel like a newlywed."

The confession makes his heart roll over in his chest and he reaches for her. He doesn't want to distract himself kissing her, not when their children are so nearby and so near to the water. Instead, he tucks the spill of her hair back behind her ears and he dusts his lips to her forehead.

"Love you."

"Me, too," she hums. "Hey guys? Who's hungry?" Their answer comes in chorus and she laughs. "Thought so."

The kids scramble to pull their feet out of the water and get their shoes back on. These days the twins don't like to accept help from Mom and Dad, so they stay back and let their sons figure it out for themselves. Jake has a much easier job with his buckles, but Lily has to help Reece tie his shoelaces. He thanks his sister with a wet kiss to her cheek, and Lily waits until he's not paying attention to wipe it away with the back of her hand.

"I have an idea," Castle says. Cosmo is leaping at the end of the leash, excited that the kids are moving, and Rick gives him a little bit more slack. "Why don't we get dinner at the diner tonight? I really don't feel like cooking, and I'm sure you don't either."

"Joe still owns it. I'm sure he'd love to finally meet the kids. Every time Dad's up here he tells me Joe's eager for us to come up."

Reece barrels into Castle's leg and he laughs and swoops his son up into his arms. It makes his ribs twinge in protest, but he ignores it and cuddles his son close. Reece isn't as much of a snuggler as his brother, and he'll probably start wriggling to get down in a moment. For now, Castle buries his nose in the folds of his neck and breathes in the smell of apple shampoo and leftover sleep.

They herd their family back towards the house and everyone uses the bathroom again. The sun is starting to sink into the lake now and dusk settles in the bowl of the mountains. Castle rummages in the bag of the dog's things in search of his jacket. It's grey with a fleece lining, to protect his skinny body from the cold. Castle whistles for the dog and Cosmo stands patient and still while he gets his jacket on.

Kate comes back with all three kids trailing along behind her in a line, as if they have their trunks wrapped around the tail in front of them. Adoration makes his heart contract hard and then expand again and for a moment he has to stay where he is on the floor.

The kids charge at him and he laughs, opening his arms to his three youngest and holding them close. Kate's fingers sift through his hair, her thumb rubbing the shell of his ear the way he sees her do to their children all the time.

Reece is trying to clamber up Castle's body, Jake is balancing on his thigh and Lily has her skinny arms tight around his neck. The dog licks his face and he twists to get away. It sends a searing line of pain up the right side of his body and he grits his teeth.

His wife notices, as she always does, and she whistles sharply. It's the police one, the one that makes the kids and Cosmo snap firmly to attention.

"Let's let Daddy off the floor so we can go and get dinner."

Castle gets to his feet with a groan that's not entirely to make his kids laugh. The dog nudges his nose into Kate's thigh and she scratches absentmindedly at his crown.

"Beckett I don't think we should leave him here while we get dinner. He's not used to the house yet. I don't want him to panic and destroy anything."

Lily giggles, her head dipped low to share the amusement with her little brothers. The twins don't seem to really understand the joke, but they laugh along and hop around their sister in circles.

He doesn't call his wife Beckett very often these days. They don't work as partners anymore, so he doesn't have to maintain that professionalism. She's his wife, the mother of his three youngest children. She's. . .she's Kate. Whenever it does slip out, their daughter latches on right away and teases her mother with the name for the rest of the day.

Kate settles a hand at the top of Lily's head and ruffles her hair up. It makes her abruptly stop laughing and smooth it back down, the tip of her tongue poking out at Kate.

"I thought so too. Joe has a specific part of the diner where you can sit with your dog. We can bring him."

"Yay!" the kids cheer. Jake gets his hands either side of the dog's long face and leans in until they're nose to nose. "You can come to dinner, Cosmo."

The dog licks a long stripe up the middle of Jake's face and he shrieks. He wipes the slobber on Castle's jeans and gives him a sly look. Castle has long resigned himself to being covered in dirt and slime and food, so he only shrugs and scratches behind the dog's ear.

Being in the car makes all three of their kids sleepy. By the time they make it back into town they're waning, but all three of them are still awake. Kate parks the car in the lot in front of the grocery store and they let the kids out. When Castle unfastens Jake's seatbelt he stays right where he is and scrubs his eyes. His little mouth opens wide on a yawn. Castle chuckles and scoops his son out of the car seat.

Jake's body is warm against his chest and his soft breaths puff against the skin of Castle's neck. Lily has the leash tight in her grip and Kate's got Reece's hand. They head for the diner, Castle lagging behind a little bit. He hates to admit it, but since he was shot his body has grumbled and groaned at him whenever he's asked too much of it. He's not young anymore, not by a long shot, but he will carry his sons until the day they decide they're too big.

Inside, they head for a booth big enough for the five of them. It's close to the door and there's a water bowl laid out that Cosmo immediately drinks from. Castle slides into the booth with Jake still in his arms, and Reece and Lily sit opposite him.

Kate goes to find Joe. The kids crane their necks to watch their mother, even Jake lifting his heavy head from Castle's shoulder to see where she's gone. When Joe sees her he wraps his arms around her tight enough that she almost comes off the ground. There's a lot of loud laughter, a vibrant spill of emotion from Joe that is echoed by Kate as if in the surface of a pond, rippling and a little less sharp.

"Daddy? Does Mom know that man?" Lily asks.

The waitress has set water down for them all already. The twins have theirs in paper cups with straws, but Lily has a glass like the grownups and she traces a fingertip around the rim of it.

"Mommy has known Joe since she was the same age as you are now, Lilypad. Back when she used to come to the cabin with Grandpa and Grandma."

Kate heads back towards the booth with Joe's arm hooked through hers. As they approach Castle stands up again. He tries to ease Jake down onto the seat but his son whines and clutches at Rick's shirt. Castle keeps him close, managing to free up one arm so he can shake Joe's hand.

"Good to see you again, Sir."

"Great to see you Rick," Joe says warmly. "Don't leave it nine years next time, alright?"

It makes Castle and Kate laugh. The kids are watching in silence, fascinated as always by their parents' interaction with other adults. Kate lays a hand to Jake's back and ducks in close to kiss the crown of his head. "We've been busy."

"I see that." Joe extends a hand to Lily and their daughter takes it confidently, giving Joe her best smile. "Nice to meet you. I'm Joseph. What's your name?"

"Lily."

"Well, Lily, you look just like your mother did when she was about your age. It's a pleasure to meet you."

Reece holds his hand out next and Joe laughs and shakes it. Their son has all of Rick's charm, and already Joe looks smitten with him. "I'm Reece. I'm older than Jake by two whole minutes."

"Two minutes, wow." Joe whistles through his teeth and the dog perks up, poking his head out from underneath the table. "It's nice to meet you Reece."

Jake lifts his head and smiles at Joe, apparently comfortable with the stranger now that his brother and sister have said hello first. Joe introduces himself to Jake as well, and Castle's heart fills up with gratitude.

They settle back into the booth again and Kate slides in as well this time, opposite Castle. Reece clambers across his mother's lap so that he and Lily are either side of her. Jake seems a little more awake now and he lets Castle put him down, getting comfortable beside him on the bench seat instead.

"You guys take a look at your menus and I'll be back to get your orders in a few minutes. And it's on the house Katie, no complaining."

Kate opens her mouth to argue but Joe is already disappearing. When she turns back around Lily is frowning at her, mouth open. "Mom. I thought only Grandpa calls you Katie?"

"When I was a little girl, everybody did. Like how we call you Lilypad. When I went to high school I changed it to Kate because I wanted to feel more grown up, but Grandpa and Grandma and everyone who knew me before still called me Katie."

Lily's face scrunches up. "Are you and Daddy still gonna call me Lilypad when I'm. . .when I'm thirty."

A laugh bubbles up in Rick's chest and he lets it free, sharing an amused glance with his wife across the table. "I'm afraid so. Like how I still call your sister pumpkin."

"Great," Lily sighs. She picks up her menu and buries her nose in it, but her eyes keep darting to her mother beside her. Sure enough, Kate wraps an arm around their daughter's shoulders and leans in close, pressing hot kisses to her cheek and neck.

"Sorry, baby. You're stuck with us."

Lily sighs again, but her body rests against Kate's side and a smile haunts the corners of her mouth.

The waitress left crayons and colouring sheets for the kids along with the menus. Kate has swiftly collected up the three little packages and she holds them hostage while their kids decide what they want to eat. If they're allowed to start colouring it's impossible to get a decision out of them.

Joe comes back to take their orders himself. Kate gets a chicken salad, and orders chicken tenders for the boys and a burger for Lily. Castle gets a burger as well and his daughter sends him a pleased little look from across the table.

"Mommy," Reece lays his head against Kate's shoulder and blinks up at her. He inherited her long lashes and they feather almost against his cheeks. "We can colour now?"

"Sure peanut." Kate opens a package of crayons for each of the boys and passes them over. "Lilypad, you want yours?"

She thinks for a second and then she nods and accepts the packet from her mom.

While the kids are somewhat distracted with the colouring in front of them, Castle reaches across the table for his wife's hand. She turns hers over beneath his so she can lace their fingers together, and she circles her thumb at the base of his.

"Good to be back here?"

"Yeah," she murmurs. "Kind of weird. But it's nice. I'm-" she pauses and swipes a hand over her face. "Glad Joe's still around."

Castle chuckles and squeezes her fingers in his. "I think we have a fairly skewed perception of how close to dying most people come over the course of their lives."

It makes her laugh too, which was all he was looking for. Jake shifts to get his knees underneath himself in the booth so he can lean over his colouring paper a little more. His tongue pokes out and he frowns as he tries to stay inside of the lines. Reece has already scribbled all over his sheet and he's moved on to the spot the difference part of the sheet.

"Senator gig would be safer," Kate muses.

She's being groomed to run for state senate, but his wife is finding the decision even more difficult than that summer almost nine years ago. They've got kids now, young kids, and he knows Kate is desperate not to miss a second of them growing up.

"Maybe too safe?" He's been her foil for a lot of the talking it out, playing devil's advocate so she can weigh the pros and cons. "All that bureaucracy."

"I don't want to do this now." She squeezes his hand, but her words were soft and he already has a smile ready. "Let me enjoy dinner with my family."

Jake pats Castle's thigh to snag his attention and he shifts over in the booth to get closer to his son. "You okay buddy?"

"Daddy, you can help me with the word search?"

He wraps an arm around Jake so he can see a little better. Kate arches one elegant eyebrow at him. She rummages in her purse and passes his reading glasses silently over to him. The words sharpen into focus and he blinks hard a couple of times.

"See this letter here. Do you know this one?"

"It's a D! Like for Daddy."

"Right. So see if you can find another one just like it in the word search."

They carry on until the food arrives. Kate helps Lily and Reece with their own activity sheets. Her main job seems to be stopping the crayons from rolling off of the edge of the table, but she wears an easy smile. The way she looks at their kids makes Castle's breath come short and he has to focus on Jake.

A couple of waitresses bring their food out to them, but Joe is right behind them. He slides into the booth beside Castle and he chats with them while they eat. Kate shares with him a heavily abridged version of how they got to where they are now. Their kids have seen their scars of course, but they don't seem to really understand where they came from.

When they watch action movies and people get shot, the boys yell out in that childish mix of delighted horror, and they don't for a second imagine that it could have happened to their parents.

By the time everybody's finished eating, it's getting pretty late. Castle is proud of his children, that they've remembered their manners and nobody has pitched a fit. Jake is slumped in the booth now, his cheek to Castle's arm and his eyes only half open.

Reece's jaw cracks wide on a yawn and he crawls across into his mother's lap. One arm comes around him and with the other she smoothes his hair down.

"Looks like you should be getting these guys home," Joe says. "I'll let you go, but stop in again before you go back to the city."

"Please let us pay for something. There's five of us now, it's not just free hot chocolate anymore."

Joe waves a hand at Castle in dismissal. "Absolutely not. After everything the Becketts have done for me over the years, it's my pleasure to feed Katie's family."

He opens his mouth to try again but Joe is already getting up from the booth, his hands over his ears. Kate stands as well, Reece still in her arms, and she accepts a kiss to her cheek from Joe.

"Thank you for our dinner, Mr. . ." Lily trails off and darts a glance to her mother for help.

"Joe's fine, doll. It's my pleasure. You be good for Mom and Dad now, you hear?"

Castle eases his way out of the booth with both arms around Jake. Their son is out already, just that fast. He's heavy in Castle's arms, his mouth open against Castle's neck. Kate has one arm under Reece and she palms the back of Lily's head with her free hand to keep their daughter close. Even the dog seems suddenly exhausted, dragging his feet as Lily walks him out into the parking lot.

The keys are in the pocket of Castle's jeans and he shifts Jake as out of the way as possible so that Kate can get them. Once the kids are all strapped into their car seats and Cosmo is in the trunk, Kate stops him with a palm against his chest.

"I'm gonna go get some cereal and milk for breakfast tomorrow. We'll have to come back and get real groceries, but I can't face doing a full shop now."

"Good plan." He kisses her cheek as she heads past him towards the store. It makes her falter, and she turns her head to kiss him properly. He tastes the zest of the salad dressing and underneath, his so-familiar wife.

She breaks apart from him and disappears inside the store, and he climbs into the driver's seat. The twins are sacked out in their car seats, looking far more similar asleep than they do when they're awake. Lily meets his eyes in the rearview mirror and he twists in his seat to see her.

"Thank you for your good manners with Mommy's friend, Lilypad. I'm proud of you."

"He was really nice." She yawns wide, remembering at the last second to hide her mouth behind her palm. "I liked his stories about when Mom was a little kid."

Castle chuckles and reaches back to squeeze his daughter's foot. "It's funny to think of Mom being your age, huh?"

"Yeah. I've seen those pictures at Grandpa's house, but stories are different. Mom was silly."

"Mom is still silly, isn't she?" Castle says. When he first met Detective Beckett, fifteen years ago now, he never would have guessed just how goofy she can be. He's seen her team up with their kids to prank him, seen her tell jokes and pull faces and chase their children around the loft.

Lily cracks on a grin and murmurs her agreement. Their daughter has always been a little in awe of her mother. She wants so badly to impress Kate, for her to think she's smart and good and kind, that it makes her almost shy.

Kate appears from the store then. Castle pretends like he's watching his wife, but really he's watching Lily's face as her mother comes towards them. She has that same confident stride. Illuminated in the beam from the headlights she looks other-worldly, like a divination of God. And then she tugs open the door and peeks into the back to grin at Lily and she's just Kate again.

"Hey Lilypad. I got Lucky Charms. Vacation treat." She fastens her seatbelt and Castle turns on the engine, eases the car smoothly out of the lot.

He has always loved driving at night. There's something solitary about it, something peaceful. He loves to put on a haunting playlist and bask in the splendour of the universe. Every time he checks the rearview mirror he sees the pale moon of his daughter's face in the back of the car.

It sends a strange mix of melancholia and gratitude through him and he plucks a hand from the wheel, searches blindly for his wife. She slides her fingers into his immediately.

"Kate. Thank you. Thank you for our life. For our kids."

"You're really tired, huh?" she teases.

He grumps, but it does shake him out of it. Kate's phone has connected to the bluetooth in the car and it starts playing automatically. She sings softly, careful not to wake the boys, and Lily's voice joins in as well.

When they make it back to the cabin they carry the boys inside and lay them down on the bottom bunk. The sheets are still packed in one of the cases. They leave them there, fast asleep with their bodies curled towards each other, while they make up the beds.

Lily gets the top bunk, partly so the boys don't argue over it but mostly because four years old still seems too young to be up there. Once the sheets are on, they change the boys into their pajamas. Jake stirs a little when Kate eases his shirt over his head, but Reece stays out all through it.

They leave Jake in the bottom bunk and move Reece over to the twin bed against the other wall. Castle tucks Jake in and brushes the hair back away from his forehead. He kisses his cheek and wishes him sweet dreams, and then he and Kate switch to say goodnight to the other.

Out in the living room, Lily is on the couch with Cosmo standing beside her, his head in her lap. "Mom, can he come onto the couch?"

"Oh, why not?" Kate shrugs. Lily pats the cushion and the dog hops up and makes himself comfortable. Kate squeezes herself in between Lily and the arm of the sofa, their daughter ending up sprawled half in her mother's lap. "Bed in half an hour Lilypad, okay?"

There's a blanket draped over one of the armchairs and Castle tucks it around the two of them, careful to get Lily's feet inside. He settles himself in the armchair, happy to watch his girls talking together.

When Johanna Beckett died, Kate lost the mother/daughter relationship in her life. And then Lily was born, and Kate got that relationship back. It's not the same, of course not, but watching Kate with their daughter it seems as if she's been waiting her whole life for this girl to be in her arms.