Thank you all so much for the kind words!

Now, bear with me please. I want to get to the trip as much as you do, but there are a few things that have to happen first. So, I know they're not in a sleeping bag together yet, but I hope you enjoy this anyway.

Feedback is not required, but I'd really love to hear from all of you.

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Kate moved slowly from the elevator to the door of her apartment. She had no energy left. Mentally, physically and emotionally drained, she dragged herself up the stairs and prepared to go to bed.

The moment she lay down though, she knew that sleep would elude her despite her intense fatigue. This was always the way it was when Castle did something that confused her. She would toss and turn for hours going over every word, glance, and gesture. She just couldn't help it. Well, Castle was not going to get the best of her tonight.

She picked up her phone and dialled. After three rings the lucky recipient of her early morning call answered.

"Hello? Kate?" A tired and irritated voice moaned.

Kate got some perverse pleasure out of knowing that someone else was being forced to be awake at this ungodly hour.

"Lanie?"

"No, this is Wong's Chinese Restaurant and you've got the wrong number. I'm going back to bed."

"Lanie wait!"

"Kate, I love you, but it's four in the morning. Can't it wait?"

"I can't sleep."

She heard a long, exaggerated sigh before:

"What did he do now?"

"How do you know it was Castle?"

"You just told me."

"I'm serious."

Another sigh, this one clearly asking how dense she could possibly be.

"Isn't it always?"

Kate remained silent, knowing her best friend was more than right.

"I'm going camping with him."

Insert very long pause.

"I must still be asleep…you're what?"

Kate winced. Did she really sound that crazy?

"He invited me to go camping with him, Alexis, Ashley and Ashley's family…and I'm going."

"Why?"

Trust Lanie to ask the tough questions first.

"Because I want to."

"You want to go spend the weekend with Castle…"

"And Alexis, Ashley and Ashley's parents," Kate interjected.

"…but what about Josh?"

"Josh is great. I like Josh, but he's….what we have, it's…." She trailed off, knowing Lanie would hear the unspoken words.

"He's not Castle."

"No. Lanie, ever since he's come back we've just…we seem to have fallen back into our old habits of finishing each other's sentences, hanging out all day while on cases. I don't know what it is Lanie, but life itself just seems brighter when he's around."

"Thank you Meg Ryan."

Kate groaned. "Please Lanie, this is a big deal for me."

"Honey, I spent the entire summer helping you get over him and…are you sure? I saw his face when you were with Demming. You both got burned last time around. If you go on this trip you're admitting to yourself and him that you want to get on that crazy roller coaster all over again. This isn't like you Kate."

"I know, but since he's come back and I've been with Josh, something has just felt so off. I can't do it anymore."

"Isn't he with Gina?"

"Umm..."

"No?"

"Not really."

"Not really? What the hell does that mean?"

"He said they were kinda on the outs."

"Kinda?"

"Damn it Lanie! You're not helping."

"Okay."

"Okay what?"

"You just need to be careful."

"I know that."

"I'm serous!"

"I know!"

"Good, because writer boy isn't as suave and nonchalant about his personal life as he'd like us all to think and I don't want to see this blowing up in anyone's face."

"Lanie, whatever happens this weekend…I don't know what that will be, or what I want it to be…I just know that things, the way they are right now, aren't right and I want things to be right. We'll go, we'll swim, eat, hike and we'll have fun. Last summer was hard and I'm not going to jump into anything unless I'm sure. I'm a big girl and I can make rational, informed decisions when it comes to Richard Castle."

"…"

"I'm serious!"

. . .

The next morning Castle could hardly contain himself as he stopped for coffee and rushed into the precinct. He looked around, finally spying Kate deep in thought in front of the murder board. She was thinking hard about something so, not wanting to break her train of thought, he set her coffee down beside her and hung back and waited. The suspense was killing him.

Kate grinned internally, keeping a straight face for the sake of the man watching her intently. He was so easy.

Castle cleared his throat.

"Oh, Castle. I didn't see you there."

"You're too funny detective."

"I know. Can I help you with something?"

"The possibilities are endless," he said dramatically.

"I'm sure."

He looked at her expectantly.

"You know what I want."

"All too well, unfortunately."

Her voice dripped with sarcasm. This is what she loved, the banter, and the easy volley of words between them. Never had she found this anywhere else, with anyone else.

"Okay, now I'm being serious."

"And I can hardly recognize you."

"Fine. I'll ask. Have you made up your mind about next weekend?"

He held his breath; all of his immediate, and possibly long-term, future plans all hinged on this answer. So he was being a bit melodramatic, so sue him. It was her fault.

"Yes."

She loved watching him squirm.

"And?"

"I'll come with you."

"Yes!"

Suffice it to say, the day was a very exciting and very unproductive day for Richard Castle.

. . .

Castle sat at his desk, his laptop open, fingers poised and…nothing. He had nothing. He couldn't concentrate. He couldn't believe he'd worked up the nerve to ask her. More than that, he couldn't believe she'd said yes.

He knew he could lie to himself. He could embrace denial with the best of them, but when it came to Kate Beckett that was impossible. He'd asked her to go away with him for a weekend. Sure, they'd be going with Alexis, Ashley and his parents, but still. She had a boyfriend. He had an on-again-off-again ex-wife. What had he been thinking?

Oh yeah, he hadn't. He knew how he'd belt the last few months during the times he'd spent with Gina and he was enough of a realist to recognize that the feelings he had for her didn't hold a candle to the way he felt about Beckett, they never could. He'd tried, but trying to move on was clearly an exercise in futility. He knew when to admit defeat.

He hadn't talked to Gina in days. He was dreading the conversation he knew they'd have to have. He'd never meant to hurt her, but getting back together with her had been a mistake. It hadn't been fair to her to use her to try to get over someone else.

Was he ready to try again?

He'd been hurt once by her before, but if his numerous superficial flings had taught him anything it was that women like Kate were worth fighting for and damn it if he wasn't going to go down swinging.

He was going to do it. He was going to show her that he was worth taking a chance on. Yeah, maybe Josh was the better man, but he was better for her. She had to see it.

"Dad?"

His head snapped up as his daughter walked into his office.

"I called you for dinner three times. Are you alright?"

His eyes darted around the room. Deflect! His daughter didn't need to hear about the problems in his love life…she'd be too interested.

"Sorry pumpkin, lost in the world of Nikki Heat."

"Really?" She asked, a challenge in her voice.

"Really," he said, meeting her gaze defiantly.

She slid behind him before he could shut his laptop.

"Ha! Your document is blank. I knew it. You're not okay!"

"You don't have to sound so happy about that."

"Sorry, heat of the moment. Victory does that to me. Now what's really up?"

"The sky, the Empire State Building, really tall trees…"

"I mean it Dad. You've been quiet all day."

Pausing, he looked at her before blurting out:

"I asked Beckett to come with us on the camping trip."

Alexis looked at him wide-eyed.

"Are you serious?"

"Yes…" Unable to hold back his anxieties anymore, all his fears and worries came pouring out of him. "Was that wrong? Should I have let well enough alone? I mean, we're good now and maybe that's fine, maybe that's how it's meant to be, but I can't ignore…" He trailed off, looking at her as if pleading with her to understand.

"Ignore what Dad?" He saw in her eyes the understanding he sought, but knew that she wanted him to say it.

"I really screwed up Sweetheart. You'd never make such a mess of your personal life. I can't ignore the feelings I still have for Kate. I can't ignore the fact that I'm with someone who doesn't make me happy."

She smiled softly at him.

"We all make mistakes Dad. We all have to apologize sometimes and face the consequences of our actions. You'll have to talk to Gina, make things right with her so that you can have a clear conscience if or when you want to try things with Detective Beckett."

It never ceased to amaze him how wise his little girl was.

"Well, I don't have much time to do that."

"What do you mean?"

He couldn't stop his smile.

"She said yes. She's coming with us."

Alexis giggled at his excitement.

"I'm happy for you, Dad."

"Why? She's only coming camping; she didn't agree to marry me or anything."

"I know, but you look really…content. And I haven't seen you smile like that in a long while. You know I like Detective Beckett. I'm glad she's coming and I hope…I hope that whatever it is between you works out."

He knew that, including Beckett and Gina, the last few weeks hadn't really been fair to his daughter either…not that she noticed. She'd been in a whole other world since her and Ashley had started dating.

"Thanks honey, but you know that Beckett coming along to distract me doesn't mean that you and Ashley can just slip off anytime you'd like."

She sighed before getting up and heading back to the kitchen.

"I know Dad and we won't try anything…Ashley's parents will be there."

She disappeared from sight, but he continued to call after her.

"And what am I? Chopped liver? I'll be keeping an eye on you two!"

He smiled. It was nice to see his daughter so happy. Standing up he made his way to the kitchen for some quality time with two of his favourite women, the third of which he hoped was doing something besides freaking out and scrambling for an excuse to back out of the trip.

TBC