Hello guys. Thank you so much for the feedbacks and reviews. Here's the new chapter. Hope you'll enjoy the tennis match ;) Oh, and soon, the "atmosphere" will be quite different...haha. :o Just be prepared! ;) xxx

Kevin Ryan sighed heavily. Again. And not for the last time.

"Nope. It's out, again!" Kate Beckett shouted, wearing a pretty rather short sporty white skirt – and a top tank that matched perfectly, on the opposite side of the court. Indeed, the ball Esposito had sent had fallen out of the white square. Very far away. Kevin turned to his partner and gave him a killer look.

"Your fifth double fault on this game...Seriously?!" he barked.

"Sorry, bro", Javier managed to say, touching his racket frenetically to regain composure. "I just can't focus," he whispered, hoping he would understand. But Ryan shook his head resolutely.

"You're not going to tell me again it's because of what Lanie told you earlier?"

"Man, the girl literally turned me on!" Esposito claimed, still upset. "If you had seen her…She touched my cheek…Besides, when I think of what happened last night in the bathroom…"

He didn't finish his sentence and Ryan looked at him, skeptically.

"There are things going on in that house…But I don't know if I want to know more about it actually…" he said, still looking at his friend with suspicion. Javier rolled his eyes.

"Nah, nevermind."

The Irish let out a laugh.

"Yeah. That's it. "She touched my cheek" Kevin mocked him, imitating his gesture. "I can't believe you're making fun of me and Jenny," he said.

"Don't you dare making the comparison, you little sugar," Esposito warned him, pointing his finger.

"Little sugar sure knows how to serve at least," Ryan retorted.

Javier sighed heavily, annoyed.

"Hey, listen…"

He stopped immediately as his eyes were caught by something right in front of them, a few meters away from the court. Something or…somebody. Curious, Kevin looked at the same direction to see what had caught his attention. Well, it wasn't really a surprise.

Lanie and Alexis, as well as Royal that Alexis was holding on a blue leash, were crossing the garden. They were about to go for the walk they were talking about earlier, in the woods. They seemed to be in the middle of a big conversation and Lanie was laughing out loud, probably because of something the young red haired girl had just said. Detective Esposito stared at them as they kept talking and walking away. He gazed at the tanned silhouette he loved, and especially that smile that always made him feel so weak and hypnotized that it was embarrassing.

"Here you go again…" Ryan chuckled as he shook his head.

"…What?" Esposito said after a few seconds, trying to focus on his friend.

"Nothing. Seriously, what did I do to deserve such a lousy teammate," he sighed as he scratched the back of his neck. Esposito frowned, offended.

"Hey, Irish Bjon Borg, what are you waiting for to catch up the score if you're that talented?"

"Well, I can't do everything on my own, Javier. You're useless on this court. And that little stupid smile on Castle's face is seriously starting to piss me off", Kevin said as he stared coldly at his opponents on the other side of the court.

Kate and Rick were giggling like kids as they studied the two detectives from their position.

"I can feel some tension from our rivals out there. That's a good sign," Rick smiled. Kate was also grinning, jigging and holding her racket.

"I have to admit you played well, Castle", she said as she jigged to keep warming up. Her movements made her long ponytail wave. She was also wearing a white headband and sweatbands around her wrists. Like a real tennis woman.

"Not as much as you", he said with a charming voice.

"I know", she said proudly.

"We're a good team, even at tennis…" Rick noticed. "You know, we should probably find some other fields we're good at, don't you think?" he added, almost sure he would get a racket hit for this remark. But surprisingly, Kate smiled and moved closer to him, playing sensually with the handle of her racket.

"Mmm…why not…what are you thinking about?" she whispered, a few inches away, as she started to play with the buttons of his polo. Rick swallowed hard as he didn't expect such a reaction except for in his dreams. Kate's eyes were teasing and sensual, and he tried hard not to lean on her and capture her lips right now.

"I…" he stammered, lost in her eyes and his lustful thoughts.

"Yes, you…?" she whispered as well, her warm breath brushing the writer's lips.

"When you guys finish giving puppy dog eyes to each other, maybe we can keep playing?" Kevin Ryan's voice interrupted, snapping them out of their reverie. Kate stepped back slightly from Rick who didn't move, still under her charm. Then he slowly turned his head towards Ryan who had come closer to the net.

"Somebody's grumpy on the other side…" Kate teased as she challenged Ryan.

"You shut up and take your position", the Irish said as he stepped back from the net.

"Oho. Somebody's a sore loser", Rick said, trying hard not to laugh as he looked at Kate from the corner of the eye.

Ryan didn't react and walked away, irritated.

"However, I can understand why he's mad. I know what it is to have a klutz as a partner."

Rick's smile faded as he glanced at her. How could she say something like that after what she just did a few seconds earlier?

"Why so much hate?" he asked sadly.

"Spare the rod and spoil the child, Castle", she replied as she grinned at him before she headed to the back of the court. She even winked as she walked past him, holding her racket. Rick gazed at her silhouette as she took her position, before he looked back at the net and held his own racket strongly to let go his frustration.

"You must be crazy about me, then," he said in a low voice as he waited for Esposito to serve the next ball.

Standing behind him, Kate had heard everything. She softly smiled as she gazed at his back.

If only he knew…

The ball had been served quickly and with more precision this time. Kate tried to catch it in time but she couldn't reach the little yellow ball before it hit the ground again.

"Vamos!" Javier Esposito shouted as he clenched his fist victoriously.

"Did you see that? Did you see this perfect ace?" he asked his partner who was standing next to the net. Kevin smiled and walked towards him, before they gave a high five.

"Not bad at all. But it was your first one, so don't brag too much."

"Not bad?! Come on! It was awesome!" Javier claimed, smiling. "Hey, tell me…Did Lanie see it?" he whispered to Kevin, trying hard not to grin. Detective Ryan looked at him and shook his head.

"I don't mean to hurt your feelings bro, but she already left 10 minutes ago."

"What?!"

Esposito looked around, the garden was empty.

"Oh. Damn, I can't believe I hurt my back on this service for nothing," he mumbled, disappointed, as he slowly walked back to the end of the court. Kevin had heard him and turned to him, grumpily.

"Hey! You mean you only did that to impress a girl who doesn't even look at you?"

"Yes she does!"

"She's not even here anymore!" Kevin mocked him.

"It's just a tiny little detail", Javier replied.

"Guys, are you playing or what?! We're waiting!" Kate Beckett called impatiently from the other side of the court.

...

The temperatures were getting cooler in the Hamptons. Lanie Parish lifted up the zipper of her black jogging suit that matched her curves perfectly and replaced her hair behind her back before she started walking.

Alexis and the M.E had decided to breathe some fresh air away from the property and enjoy the quietness of the surrounding woods, now they had become close friends. They had been walking for more than one hour now and Lanie had stopped a minute to look around, even if there was nothing special to see. Only green, bushes, big trees as far as her eye could see. A few steps ahead, Alexis was walking briskly, followed by the golden retriever who was happily trotting, sniffing out the bushes from time to time.

"Hey oh, slow down there," Lanie called the red haired young girl as she was distancing her. "Wait a second!"

Alexis slowed down her pace and called Royal before she turned to her friend.

"Am I too fast for you?"

Lanie caught Alexis again and breathed heavily.

"Don't forget I'm not as young as you, girl. Despite that stunning body", she added with humor as she pointed her waist.

Alexis smiled. "You can be proud. I hope I'll look like you at your age."

"Oh no, believe me honey, you don't. These girls sometimes hurt my back like hell…" Lanie said as she pointed her chest. "But I have to admit sometimes they're helpful in some awkward situations."

"What do you mean?" Alexis asked as she raised an eyebrow. Royal was sitting at her feet, a branch in his mouth, waiting for someone to play with.

"I don't know if I should tell you…oh nevermind. Once, I was late for a date. My car wouldn't start up and I was already thirty minutes late. Anyway. Finally I could start it up, and I was on the road and the traffic was hell. So I was driving, and suddenly, wham, I heard a loud siren behind me, I glanced at the rear mirror…it was a cop. And he was after me."

"Oho", Alexis said.

"Yes, I didn't know at first. So I played the nice girl, I parked. And then I saw the cop get out of his car with his notebook in his hand. I got it. I don't know why but I was sensing he was going to fine me."

"What happened next?"

..

The officer headed to Lanie's little blue car and leaned on the window.

"NYPD, hello", the officer said.

"Hello. Is there any problem?" Lanie asked shyly.

"Yes there is M'am. You didn't stop at the yellow light right there. Didn't you see it?"

Lanie's eyes widened, confused.

"Did I? Oh I am so sorry, I didn't notice it."

"Well, I did", the policeman said sharply. "Insurance and driving license, please."

The medical examiner bit her lips and turned to the passenger seat where her bag was put. Dammit. She was sure she paid attention though. Or maybe it was the end of the day and that officer was just overreacting and looking for extra money. She was thinking about it and suddenly she had a brilliant idea.

"Where did I put them?" she stammered as she rummaged through her bag.

The officer was looking around and tapping on the car's roof, impatiently.

"I'm so sorry, my bag is such a mess. Ah, here they are!" she said as she turned back to him and lent her papers.

"Hurry up, I don't…"

The officer had grabbed the papers and lowered his eyes. He swallowed hard and after five seconds of silence, he glanced at the papers and gave them back to Lanie.

"Well. Er…it's okay for this time."

"Can I go now?" Lanie asked innocently.

"Yes, but be careful next time, you may not find an officer as accommodating as me."

"Thank you so much, officer. You are adorable", Lanie said as she grinned at him.

The officer smiled back at her, blushing.

"All right, all right. Move along," he ordered as he tapped the hood of the car twice. "Have a nice day, miss."

Lanie gave him another smile and nodded before she started the engine. She had to bite her lips not to burst into laughter as she put the car in first gear.

..

Alexis looked at Lanie, her eyes widened. She was amused and in shock.

"Seriously? You did that?"

The young brown woman burst into laughter. "Okay, all right. It wasn't glorious at the moment to unbutton my shirt before grabbing my papers in my bag, but hey, I was in a hurry, and it just came into my mind. Just a sweet madness. And I wasn't even sure it would work, I just tried!"

"Well, it paid! He let you go like that. I'm sure he didn't even read your documents actually!" Alexis said as she let out a laugh.

"I think so too! Oh you should have seen his face. At first he was being cold and all, and then when he saw my shirt half opened, he didn't know what to do! Well, at least he surely knew where to look!" Lanie laughed.

"Geez! I didn't know you were so flirty with public authority, Doctor Parish."

Royal let go his branch. He finally stood up and started to sniff around, waiting for the girls to stop chatting and play with him.

"Are you kidding me? I've already done way worse!" Lanie said as she rolled her eyes.

"I can imagine…Speaking of which, I mean, public authority…" the young Castle girl said as she raised her eyebrows.

Lanie looked at her suspiciously, wondering what she meant.

"Yeah, yeah, don't you play the innocent. Do you really think I didn't see you turning detective Esposito on during the brunch?"

"Who? Me?" Lanie faked innocence.

"Yes, you. Come on, tell me. I bet you guys have already played the officer and citizen game at the morgue," Alexis teased.

Lanie opened her mouth, in shock. "Alexis Castle! I didn't know you could be that insolent!"

"Come on! I'm not a little girl anymore! And you're avoiding the question!"

"I shouldn't let you play with formaline that much, I think it gives you hallucinations," Lanie said as she messed Alexis' hair. The young girl tried to step back and laughed.

They kept laughing, the sound of their voices echoing through the woods. Suddenly Royal interrupted them, rising up his ears, making a low growl.

Lanie turned to him, still smiling.

"What is it buddy? You're getting bored, listening to us?"

Royal looked at her before he turned his head to the woods, as if he was feeling something.

Alexis grabbed his collar, stroked his head and his neck softly to comfort him. He let her do so and Alexis felt his tension ease under her touch.

"There. It's okay", she said. "You know, there's always…"

"Shh…Did you hear that?" Lanie interrupted gently. She looked at the forest, her hands on her hips. Did Royal feel something? In general, dogs always sensed a presence or something moving.

Lanie realized they had been gone for more than one hour without paying attention, and now these woods that had been so quiet and peaceful until now sounded too quiet for her. Way too quiet. She saw some bushes move. She turned her head to the left. A branch had cracked. Was it the wind?

"Lanie…?" Alexis softly called, interrupting her.

"Hmm?" she said without looking at her, her eyes still studying the woods.

"You know, this is quite a wild nature here. So if you hear some branches cracking, it must be an animal or something."

"Hm…" Lanie answered, still confused. She thought she saw a fern moving and turned her head quickly in its direction.

"Lanie…" Alexis called again, waiting.

The medical examiner finally looked at her.

"Yes?"

"You should see your face, you look so scared, it's quite funny", she said, grinning.

Lanie shook her head, trying to control her emotions in front of the young girl who was looking at her, amused. After all, Alexis was right; she was just imagining things.

"You must be right," she finally said, trying to stay rational. "Maybe it's nothing."

"I'm always right", Alexis teased as she raised her head up. "Oho, we better go home now. I just felt a raindrop falling."

Lanie looked up to the sky that had become cloudy and threatening. They still had a long walk to do before going home. Once again, the teenage girl was right.

"Okay, let's go", the medical examiner said as she put her jogging hoody on her head and put her hands in her pockets.

Lanie Parish, you're a scientist and a professional for God's sake. A tiny rustle shouldn't freak you out like that, she told herself as they were heading back to the manor.

.

...to be continued