"What you need to understand about baking the ultimate cookie, my dear detective, is the realization that you don't actually follow the directions on the package exactly."
Beckett sat on the bar stool he'd led her to and leaned forward, with her elbows on the island in her kitchen. She couldn't see Castle, but with him giving her a non-stop commentary on cookie baking she wasn't having any trouble looking his direction like she normally would.
"Really?" she asked, amused. "Do I dare ask which directions you don't follow?"
"Sorry, Kate," he said, holding the tube of dough. "It's a secret Alexis and I will take to our graves…"
Beckett smiled.
"I bet if I called Alexis she'd tell me…"
"My baby?" he managed to sound scandalized and she could well imagine the amused look he'd have on his face; a mixture of that and pride that she saw every time that he was discussing Alexis. "She'd never tell…"
"Speaking of your baby," Beckett said, realizing that Castle hadn't mentioned her earlier when he was telling her about everyone else who had called while she'd been asleep. "Have you talked to her today?"
"Yeah. She's having a great time. So is Mother."
"And how did she react when you told her about almost getting blown up?" Beckett asked. Then she raised her hand to stop him from answering. "Let me guess. You didn't tell her."
"She would have wanted to come home - or would have spent the entire trip worrying about me - and you, by the way."
"So you lied?"
"I omitted," he corrected. "That's different. And if you are willing to keep it a secret if for some reason she calls you - at least until she gets home - I will tell you the secret to the perfect cookie."
"I won't tell," Beckett promised. It wasn't likely Alexis would need to call her anyway.
"You undercook the cookies."
She frowned.
"What?"
"You don't cook the cookies all the way. You let them finish cooking outside of the oven and on the rack."
"Seriously?"
"Don't believe me?"
"Isn't there something on the label about not eating the dough raw?"
"They don't mean it."
"I'm pretty sure they do, Castle."
"You've never eaten raw cookie dough?"
"No."
"Ever?"
"My mom wouldn't let me. She was afraid I'd get salmonella - and she's right. There are eggs in dough and -"
"Open your mouth."
"What?"
"Open your mouth."
She could hear the amusement in his voice and had also heard him open the cookie dough, so she knew what he was up to.
"No."
"Don't trust me?"
"You're going to give me salmonella, why would I trust that?"
"You're not going to get Salmonella. Alexis and I eat it all the time and we're perfectly normal."
Oh to be able to give him a look! But since she couldn't, and she couldn't roll her eyes at him or any of the other things she'd normally do, she finally just sighed and opened her mouth. A moment later a small spoonful of cookie dough touched her lip and she took the spoon automatically and licked the dough off of it, rather than be fed.
"Good, huh?"
She smiled, because she had to admit that it was kind of good. Of course, she didn't have to admit it to him.
"All I can taste is salmonella…"
He snorted, amused, and she chuckled. God, she loved messing with him.
"Fine. Wait until they're baked and all the delicious forbidden flavor has been charred out of them and see if I care." She could tell by the way his voice was muffled that he'd taken a mouthful of cookie dough, too. "Do you want me to make little cookies or big cookies?"
She licked the spoon again.
"Does it matter?"
"It does in the Castle household. But we are in the Beckett household and when in Rome…"
"Little cookies."
"Your wish, my command." He bustled around the kitchen, and she could hear cupboards opening and pans rattling. A moment later the oven door opened and then closed as he put the first batch in to bake. "I'll be right back. You okay in here alone?"
She scowled.
"It's my kitchen, Castle. I'll be fine."
"Right."
He walked by her, heading back into the living room and Beckett decided that she could at least get the glasses down for the milk if he was going to do all the baking and cooking. She stood up, one hand still on the island while the other reached out for the counter she knew was close enough to reach. The cool surface was right where she remembered it and she stepped over, already reaching up to open the cupboard above the counter.
"Kate, watch-"
His warning came too late. She slammed face first into the open cupboard door, and the edge hit her forehead, knocking her backward.
