You never know how much real life gets in the way until it comes back to bite you in the ass. Sorry it took so long to update, hopefully it won't take that long next time. Don't forget to R&R, thanks! Happy summer!


The loft was quiet, the television humming in the background with no other sound filling the warm air. It was barely eleven in the morning, but the air in the loft was heavy, warm.

A slender pair of bare feet softly padded through the loft, the silent steps doing nothing to disturb the eerie quietness of the apartment.

One foot was slightly slower than the other, hesitant every time it touched the hardwood floor, but it moved forward stubbornly, refusing to be left behind. Every few steps, the toes, with toenails painted a bright shimmering purple, would stretch and then curl against the floor as if to make sure they were still moving properly.

The slower foot almost stumbled as it tried to go faster, and suddenly another pair of feet, those much bigger and heavier, moved closer to assist. They stopped abruptly as the feminine feet paused, tapped impatiently before resuming their journey.


Deep in concentration, her brows burrowed and biting her lower lip, Kate ignored the slight pull from her foot and kept her eyes on something only a few feet away from her now.

The floor was cool under her feet but she enjoyed the loft's warmth. She had been a big fan of air conditionings until she and Castle had almost frozen to death the year before. Heat had since become her best friend, and she had taken on other ways to stay comfortable during New York's summer heat.

Like today.

Her eyes locked on her prize, Kate bit her lip and pointedly ignored the pair of intense blue orbs that were focused on her every move. Only a few feet and..."Yes!"

Kate moaned shamelessly as she snatched the cold beverage from the kitchen counter and brought it to her lips, her eyes closing in pleasure. She could practically hear Castle shaking with laughter behind her but she didn't care. For now.

As she took another sip of her mocha frappucino, Kate felt arms sneaking their way around her waist and pulling her back against a warm chest. "I feel obligated to say I'm a little jealous of that frappucino right now. Those sounds you just made should only be heard when we're alone doing...things."

"We are doing things. I'm drinking a delicious, icy, caffeinated beverage." Kate pointed out with a smirk, gasping softly when the writer's hands found their way underneath her top. "I've walked around the apartment, twice, to get that frappucino, by the way. That's another thing I've done."

"I know, and I'm proud of you. You ditched the crutches faster than the doctor had predicted." Castle whispered to her ear, a delighted smile on his face as he gently tugged on the hand holding the cold beverage, watching intently as the straw left his girlfriend's lips with a soft 'pop'. "Hey!"

Castle leaned forward and pressed his lips to hers, swallowing Kate's protest as he ran his tongue on her lips. The writer moaned as he tasted the plethora of flavors on the cop's tongue, the usual warmth of Kate's mouth mixed with the sweet, cold aromas of coffee, chocolate and...mint. "I can't believe you had me to put mint in that thing."

"You like mint in your mochas too, writer boy." She talked back against his lips as her free arm came up and loosely wrapped itself around the writer's neck.

"Yeah. During the holidays. Mint in a frappucino? That's unnatural- Ow!"

Kate soothed the man's skin on his neck where she had just pinched him, a soft smirk on her face. "Unnatural? That from the guy who tried to make me eat a smorlette?" The fingers grazed his skin again, daring him to contradict her.

"Yes, Richard. Really. We all warned you that no good would come out of trying to feed the poor woman your repulsive concoction." Martha piped in as she walked in the kitchen, brightening the place with her emerald sundress and her mint colored pumps.

Castle gasped and pulled away to gawk at this mother. "Repulsive? Mother!"

Martha rolled her eyes, an habit that she had quit but came back full force ever since Kate had temporarily moved in with them. "You don't feed ungodly food to someone who's already down, dear. Don't you remember what happened when you begged her to at least try a bite?"

Castle glanced guiltily at Kate before nodding sheepishly. "Yeah, not the best idea ever." He conceded at the memory of seeing the cop fighting down waves of nausea for a few hours after having tasted the writer's infamous creation. "I'm still sorry about that."

"It's okay, don't worry about it. Just don't ever cook that thing ever again and we're good." Kate smiled gently as she gave the man a quick, chaste kiss and gave him a push so she could get back to drinking her coffee.

"You're pushing me away for coffee? No no no, not coffee, a frappucino? A frappucino? Good luck taking a shower alone later, detective." Castle pouted as he walked around the counter to get started on lunch.

Kate smirked as she took an extra long sip of her beverage. "Ahh, that's too bad. But you know, I could always ask Lanie. She'd come and help me."

"Ooh, that is evil. Brilliant, yet evil, darling." Martha piped in with a broad smile on her face as Kate laughed at the slack-jawed look on Castle's face. Grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge, Martha rounded the corner and stopped by Kate's side. Letting her hand rubbed the woman's back in the light yet comforting manner, the older woman smiled as she briefly hugged Kate. "It is a real pleasure to see you back on your feet, sweetheart."

Castle smiled as he watched his mother's retreating back. Martha had proven a priceless ally in the cop's recovery, giving the woman the motherly support she had so painfully missed ever since her mother's death. Martha Rogers had never been a traditional mother figure and it would be fair to assume that she and Johanna Beckett were complete opposites when it came to motherhood, but Castle would be forever grateful that the actress so willingly tend to the younger woman's need with as much heart as if she was her own daughter.

Switching her gaze back to Kate, Castle grinned at the look on his girlfriend's face. The detective was beaming, her eyes gleaming with unshed tears. Castle would never know to what extent exactly Kate had suffered to her mother's disappearance, but if his mother could help soothing his partner's shattered heart with her quips and her newly found mother hen persona, then he would be more than grateful. "So. How about grilled cheese sandwiches and a salad for lunch?"

"Sounds good." Kate replied after a moment, her voice lower than usual. "Hey, do you think we could go up to the roof after? It's too beautiful out today to stay inside." She asked with a shy glance to the writer, her dark lashes blinking lazily as she removed the lid on her drink and, after a brief hesitation, dunked a finger in the whipped cream and slowly licked it off her finger.

Castle shook his head and focused back on the woman, repressing the thoughts of what he would love to be doing to her right now with that whipped cream. Clearing his throat a little too loudly, Castle missed Kate's smirk as he turned around to grab a spoon and, a little too forcefully, all but shoved it in the glass. "Yes. Of course. Oh, you could take that opportunity to- um, never mind."

"What?"

"Nothing, it's just..." Castle hesitated, doubting his proposition would be taken well. "Lanie said it'd be good for your skin to be exposed to fresh air more. You know, instead of being confined under fabric all the time."

Kate raised an eyebrow at the shorts and the thin cotton tank top she was wearing. "You just want to see me in a bathing suit, aren't you?"

"Come on, I've only seen you wear one once, and it was years ago." He argued weakly while he took the cheese out of the fridge and began to make the sandwiches.

A perfectly shaped eyebrow rose, incredulous. "You see me naked every day, Castle."

Castle choked on a piece of cheese. "Yeah, but it's not the same." He coughed, his eyes watering, his hand reaching blindly for Kate's beverage. "Hey!"

"I'm choking here!"

Kate let Castle grab her drink but watched him with narrowed eyes as he drank. "Don't drain it, stud, or you'll have to go and get me another one."

Castle rolled his eyes and grimaced as he put the glass down. "Eww, Pepper Jack cheese and mint? Worse combo ever!"

"Again with the mint! You know what, you cook and I'll go change before I change my mind and decided to nap all afternoon. Alone." She added after a beat, cutting Castle off.

"Will you at least wear a bathing suit?"

Kate waved her cast in the air and groaned as she dragged herself into the bedroom.


"I told you it was hot."

There was a glare directed at him behind those sunglasses, Castle knew. Just like he knew that the detective was too hot with his shirt still on, but that she was too stubborn to take it off. It was a white, thin shirt that she had wanted to use as a way to cover herself while moving from the loft up to the roof, but then she had refused to let go of it, arguing that it wasn't that hot outside. "Fine, you cook in that thing while I go and admire the view over there."

Castle slipped his sandals back on and walked over the other side of the roof, where they had a clear shot of Central Park. There was traffic in the area, but not many pedestrians, the park being closed because of the heat wave.

Standing still, letting the warm air swirl around him, the writer didn't hear footsteps coming his way until they were already by his side. Castle peeked from the side of his sunglasses to check and, sure enough, his partner had finally shed the shirt and was standing by his side, only clad in a bikini.

It wasn't one that left little imagination to the observer's mind, but at least it wasn't a one piece either. He knew that was what Kate had wanted to wear but the fabric had felt too tight around her ribs and too rough for her still tender skin, forcing her into a two pieces instead.

Castle bit back a smile as he appraised his girlfriend's deep purple bathing suit. The color suited her perfectly and made her light brown hair seemed even more golden than usual as the sun hit the long curls framing her face. The way her arms and shoulders were taut told him the cop wasn't happy about being that much exposed, even though they were alone.

Under the harsh light of the sun, Castle could nonetheless breathe in relief as he took in Kate's scars: the bullet mark and the first surgery scar spread along her ribs had faded remarkably, much to the woman's delight. She had come to accept them but he knew they still bothered her from time to time, especially whenever the weather got too warm for turtlenecks and high collar shirts.

The latest surgery mark, a few inches over her right hip, still stood brighter against her alabaster skin, but it was healing well. The special ointment Castle had discovered through the help of one of his 'guys' had helped immensely with the healing process and had also minimized the scarring, something Kate was particularly grateful when it came to the road rash she suffered on her side, shoulder and legs. A few more months and, if she was lucky, there would be no scarring, only a slight blemish of the skin that would disappear as well over time.

"Stop thinking so hard, Castle."

Kate's voice snapped him back to the present and he turned sideways to face her as his arm wrapped itself around her waist in a warm but loose hug. "I love you."

He watched as Kate bit her lip, but the corner of her mouth was twitching. "You love me, huh?"

"Like it is news to you, woman." Castle barely avoided Kate's cast as it swung in the air to smack him in the chest."I tell you that I love you and your way to say it back is to hit me? I'm appalled. Shocked."

"Stop whining, you big baby. It doesn't suit you." Kate whispered as she brushed her lips against his in a short but sweet kiss. "I love you too, Rick."

Castle grinned as his hands moved south his partner's body and stopping only when they found purchase on warm, silky skin. "Let go of my ass, Castle."

"Yes, that'd be good, please."

Castle and Kate jerked apart, mortified. "Alexis!"