Disclaimer: I still own nothing.
A/N: For Ris and for Sav because I love these two like they're part of my family and I really want them to know.
I was actually in a pretty bad spot in life and then I started talking to you guys. Now I remember how to be myself and make no apologies for it. I feel like I can tell you everything and you won't judge me, you'll just be there. I really do love you both like you're my sisters. So from now on, I'm claiming you as family because that's what you've been. You both helped pull me out of the hole I've been living in and I really just want to say thank you for that. And I really love you. That is all.
STRONG T RATING FOR THIS CHAPTER.
The day is a good one. Relatively. Kate weighs in on a few things that aren't so great but for the most part, she's pleased. A little too pleased, actually. Her mind keeps backtracking to the feel of arriving at the precinct this morning with Castle right next to her - their coffees in hand. It's been so long since he accompanied her. He helps out on cases but usually only when someone in the family offers to keep their little tykes for the day. So yeah, she's smiling a little more, leaning a bit too close when he spouts theories that are absolutely ridiculous.
There's no way aliens and ghosts are involved on the same case. No. Wait. What is she even thinking? There's no way aliens or ghosts are ever involved. And certainly not an alien's ghost. But it's still good to have him sitting next to her, in his chair, making her roll her eyes and flick her pen at him when he wiggles his eyebrows.
And then he does it. Says the one thing that stops her heart in her chest, has her craving him even more than when they were finishing each other's sentences. One simple question and she's glancing at him, eyes locking and heat surpassing the need to remain professional.
"Do you think the kids are okay? I know Cub was really excited about spending time with your dad but -"
"I'm sure everything is fine." She is. She knows her father is more than capable of handling one rambunctious little toddler and the girls are in good hands. She's never known him to the be the one worrying and it's refreshing. Stunning her, rendering her incapable of taking her eyes off of him as he stares into nothing.
"Ella was crying when we left."
"Castle, she's three months old. She cries, okay?" But it hurt her too. It always does. She just isn't making this about herself because clearly he's the one that needs the support. And even though she loves that he's here, that they're working together, that he's once again here as her partner, she's reaching out to stroke her fingers across the back of his hand. "If you want to go -"
"C'mon Kate, you can't get rid of me that easily."
"Who said I was trying to get rid of you?" She wants to do the opposite. She wants to keep him. "Besides, I think I've realized that's impossible."
"Took you long enough." The playful glint is back in those blue eyes, a spark that jumps out, ignites something inside of her. He's here. Working a case. Her husband is back as her partner. How they started and he didn't shave. He's scruffy and she absolutely loves it. "I was thinking for the girls' first birthday we could -"
Her brain is already silencing his words, her body reacting to the fact that he's planning so far ahead for their children and she's swallowing the lump in her throat. The knot that tangles. Maybe she wasn't ready for him to be here. Maybe she's still not ready because they can't do this. But she is. She's doing it. She's reaching for him once she stands, pulling roughly on his hand until he's stumbling along behind her. Because he's too much for her to handle when he talks about their perfect babies and his scruffy jaw is enough to push her into overdrive.
"Wha -"
"Quiet." She's not doing this. There's no way she's actually contemplating it but she knows as soon as they reach the empty room that there's no going back. But he has to be quiet. She just wants a brief second to hug him, maybe kiss him. That's what she tells herself to justify her actions. To justify the fact that she's about to pull him into an empty interrogation room.
She knows the moment she's looking around, making sure no one notices, he catches on. Or maybe it's that her hand has developed a mind of its own, abandoning his fingers and tugging on his waistband of his pants to drag him inside. He says nothing when she locks the door, only raising an eyebrow in question and gesturing to the door. His watch catches the light. The one she got him for Valentine's. The one that has all of his kids' birthstones. Alexis the twelve, Wes the three, and the girls are the six and nine. He rarely takes it off - only to shower and sleep - and he's so proud of it that he's wearing it now. Here. In the precinct and she knows.
She knows she's screwed. She's lying. She doesn't want to just have a little moment with him, no. No. She just wants him. Here.
It's dangerous, it's not something that she should even consider but her mouth is against his before she can stop herself. Hands with fistfuls of his collar, dragging him closer. He mumbles something into her. But she doesn't listen.
It's the rush in her blood, the heightened sense of awareness that has her pushing him against the wall, her mouth at his ear, teeth tugging. His hands surprisingly lax against her, a gentle weight resting almost timidly on her hips and she's been so sure this whole time that this would be hot for him, one of his fantasies coming true. But he's not moving. And that's what she really wants - why she really pulled him in here. His pants around his ankles and him moving.
"Ka- Jesus Kate! Aren't there ah, cameras?"
"Shut up." Her lips close over the lobe of his ear, hips pushing into his.
"I just -" She shoves at his shoulders, pushing herself away with a scrape of her teeth along his skin. Eyes locking with his, seeing the reality of how conflicted he is. Feeling the proof pressed against her.
"Castle, shut up. For once just stop talking. We need to hurry." And as soon as the words are out, his entire demeanor changes. Back straightening and the smug twist of his lips tells her that she's just tilted her hand. Let him see every card she has.
He turns the tables, and she's the one pressed to the wall with his clever smart mouth biting her name into her skin, hands fumbling to get her shirt unbuttoned. Her fingers already tugging the belt loop of his pants because honestly, she couldn't care less about anything other than wrapping her legs around his bare waist.
"Off." Her harsh breathy whisper flutters out between them as she pulls the fabric. "Now."
It isn't graceful, the way they push layers out of the way just far enough to touch. Her shirt snagged at her elbows, his barely undone. The quick escalation from groping to bodies joining. The push and pull, the part of her lips beneath his, the way they curl around each other. It's fast and messy and she moans out a laugh, slapping her hand over his mouth when he gets a little too noisy.
Something about it - about the risk - makes it so much hotter, has her dropping her head to his shoulder, face buried in his neck and hips moving to match his. The scrape of his scruffy unshaven face over her flesh. It's the sweat on their skin when they still, the sharp burst of pain at her collarbone, the stuttered gasp it pulls from her. The feel of his fingers slipping through her hair, pushing it back and she's raising up, meeting his lips for something softer, a loving kiss before it's a rush of panic and fixing clothes.
She can't believe she just did that. With him. In the precinct. But she isn't sorry. Doesn't care a bit because there was no real threat of being caught and he's here. With her. Talking about the case and then about Ella and she just wanted to show him how much she misses him pulling her pigtails at work. Although, she didn't quite plan on it being anything more than a private conversation, a few stolen kisses.
Instead, she's pulling her pants back up her legs, buttoning them with a smile on her face as he stumbles over his own, crashing into the table and cursing. She helps. Lends him a hand, buttons his shirt and fixes the collar. He steals another kiss when she's slipping her fingers through his hair, trying to tame it.
"Go. I'll be out in a minute."
She leaves with her lip between her teeth. And when he joins her, he has two steaming cups in his hands. Just like old times.
But she doesn't miss it when they're home. Doesn't miss the job or working with him because this is better. Having their family is so much better. With their little boy between them and each of them holding a sleeping baby, she doesn't miss anything. With her eyes on the dark haired Cash in her arms, her fingers stroking through the soft locks, she knows this is where their partnership matters the most.
"Want me to take Charlie?" She doesn't. Not really. But she lets him, knows that he's just putting both girls in the playpen for their evening nap. She can still see them. And as soon as he's laying them down, she's pulling her baby boy into her lap.
"Momma"
"Yes, Cub?" He waves his fingers in front of her face and blows her a kiss. His somewhat uncoordinated moves making it even cuter. She tickles his belly, makes him swat at her to get her to stop. And when he's breathless, no longer able to giggle, she does. Pressing her lips to his nose and rubbing her hand over his back.
Her dashing little boy in blue. His eyes curious and always full of questions, learning something new every single day and she's never bored with him around. There's always something interesting going on. Whether it's him and Booms getting into things they shouldn't like the cookies that used to be kept in the cabinet but now reside up on the counter out of reach, or if it's just when he's in a cuddle-me mood. Like now.
His head pressing into her chest, fingers clutching in the worn cotton of her sleep shirt. She cuddles back. Arms around him, mouth resting against his wavy hair. Castle eases down next to them and she lets her body lean against his. Shoulders touching as their son decides that cuddles are over and pulls back with a grunt when Kate tries to hold on just a moment longer.
He's not the most patient child.
"Alright, little Wes, no need to growl." He does it again. Smiling this time and then his eyes catch on something, his fingers coming up to poke at her skin. She winces, looking down to see why that actually stings.
"Ow. Momma ow, ow." The bruising is what she notices first, the fact that their little boy is poking at it doesn't help. And then she realizes what it is - where it's from. Or actually whom.
Teeth marks, imprinted into her. Oh. Oh. He bit her. She knows, has known since it happened but she didn't even think about it at the time. The fact that there's now a bruise over her collarbone. And her son - a one year old - knows that it's an 'ow'. She catches Castle's smirk, hears Wes say 'ow' again and she's narrowing her eyes.
"Oh no, don't even look at me like that. This isn't my fault. I'm not the one who dragged you into an interrogation room with my hand down your pants."
"My hand wasn't down your pants."
"Close enough." He has a point and she can't dispute but she wants to. She doesn't. Not right now. Instead she gently pulls Wes' fingers from the mark and leans further into the man that put it there. She'll just get him back later. "I mean, I'm not complaining."
"Didn't think so."
"But that actually happened." She'll let him have this moment. She's known it would come eventually.
"It did."
"And you started it."
"I did." She expects some smart ass remark, him pushing it, something - anything but the warm press of his lips to her temple, the arm that sneaks it's way behind her shoulders to pull her closer as their son grows uninterested and climbs down. His toys suddenly grabbing his attention. The laptop he carries around everywhere and the annoying song it sings.
She settles in content. Shifting closer until she's curling into Castle's side, arm settling over his stomach. Her body relaxed and a smile playing at her lips as she watches Boomer sidle up next to Cub, lie down and put his head by the boy's feet. Those two are inseparable. A boy and his dog.
"I'm gone for the day and I swear he's bigger, Kate, taller. Our son is growing."
"They all are." Her eyes drift, catching the snoozing babies, the shape of their noses, the curve of their lips. Ella's parted, mouth wide open and Charlie's closed, pursed as if she's dreaming about something unpleasant. All of their tiny little babies are getting bigger and she can't wait. She wants them all talking, all enjoying life, being in this, becoming their own person but she also wants to stop time, keep them little, keep them small enough that they'll never stop wanting to snuggle.
She squeezes the man she's wrapped around, closing her eyes for a brief second as Cub chatters happily to the dog at his feet. He's still little when she opens them. Still just her wild toddler.
"Promise me something, Kate?" Anything. She'll promise him anything when he's whispering, his eyes on their son, the blue full of love that doesn't leave when he gazes down at her. Well...almost anything. She gives a nod, wants him to just get on with it. "When they stop wanting to cuddle, I'll still have you."
And she's laughing into him, pushing up against him to press a kiss to his rough chin, then his lips. She doesn't tell him that she was worrying over the same thing. Doesn't tell him that that's the reason she just squeezed him tighter. He's sappy enough for the both of them.
"You're ridiculous."
"That's why you love me." She hums against him, her nose slipping down to press to the underside of his jaw. Yeah, she'll still cuddle with him. "And why you can't keep your hands off of me."
And just like that he has her rolling her eyes, shoving at him as she pulls away to watch as Wes sits on top of their sleeping dog. His laptop on his legs and smiling happily. Boomer doesn't even move.
"Weston!" It's not the warning she was hoping for, her voice cracking on a laugh. She's still pawing at Castle, pushing when he tries to snuggle back up to her.
"Momma."
"Wes, don't sit on Booms." The dog raises his head when he hears his name, blue eyes blinking. He doesn't move out from under Cub and Kate decides to just leave them alone. She likes to think their Boomer would be smart enough to move out of the way if he was uncomfortable. "Fine, silly dog."
And somehow in the mix of her trying to get their son to move, Castle has pulled her back into his arms. She's not sure how this happened or why her hands are the ones pulling him closer. She almost groans when she realizes exactly how true his words are. She really can't keep her hands to herself. She gives in, doesn't even care that he's smirking into her cheek, lips dancing softly along her skin.
She's too busy pushing at his chest, making him lean back until she can sprawl out with him, tuck herself between his body and the back of the couch. And when Cub places his fingers to his lips, telling them to 'shhh', she just smiles and makes herself comfortable. Burying her face in the writer's neck and squeezing at his side when he chuckles.
"Don't say a word, Castle."
a/n: Next up is family day. Cub loving his sisters and Becks enjoying a day off. THANK YOU EVERYBODY WHO READS AND REVIEWS. WILL REPLY SOON. ;)