Ok so this time I can't blame the long delay on the holidays. Umm how about...terrifying space monkeys dismantled my computer? No really it's a combination of factors, the need to do research and some future chapters demanding attention. I am very grateful to all of you who review, alert and favorite, and if you're reading this right now, THANKS for hanging in with me.

Now, on with the show. Oh yes, and happy episode viewing tonight.

Chapter 10

The first rays of dawn glinted on the balcony railing and began to illuminate their room. Kate extracted herself from Rick's embrace to peer eagerly out the large sliders. Venice lay before her in the distance. Her eyes shone as she looked back at him. "Come see, it's so beautiful."

He raised himself onto one elbow and regarded her. "Can't be more beautiful than you, but okay."

He rose from the bed and came to stand beside her. They watched the shoreline loom a little larger, before he pulled her in for a kiss. He drew back, then made a show of glancing from her to their view and back. "Nope, you've still got it beat." Winking, he patted her bottom. "C'mon, let's get dressed and packed."

They carefully folded and zipped all of their garments and souvenirs into their luggage. They visited the dining room for a final buffet breakfast, then arranged for a baggage porter to take everything down to the dock. Once on land, they found a sleek boat from the Hotel Danieli waiting for them. A man in a polo shirt and pressed khakis approached. "Signore and Signora Castle? I am Giovanni, I will be escorting you to the hotel."

Kate arched her eyebrow at Rick, who shrugged. "Apparently when you book into a place like this, even a little notoriety gets you star treatment." The pilot took them right to the private water entrance to the hotel, then procured a trolley and brought their bags inside. Kate's jaw dropped as she set foot in the lobby, and she noted even Rick looked impressed. Marble columns graced the space, drawing the eye to the sweeping staircase, protected by an actual red carpet. The atrium style allowed them to view upper staircases. The floor was constructed of tan and cinnamon inlaid marble tile. Small palm trees, strategically placed, gave an oasis feel. The ceiling was textured, accented with gilt molding.

They went to the front desk and checked in. They were escorted to their room by a uniformed bellman. Through the window, the lagoon was visible. Adorning the window frame was a set of drapes in a fabric that perfectly matched the wallpaper, off white with thin black lines in a scrolling pattern. The room was sub-divided by an archway, from which a set of medium blue drapes hung. At the moment they were drawn back and held in place with a satin cord. If they were released, they would create a privacy barrier between the sleeping area, outfitted with a king sized bed, and the sitting area, which contained a round table with straight backed chairs, a rectangular table, and two arm chairs. All of the chairs were upholstered with blue velvet in a shade that matched the carpet and the divider drapes. From the ceiling hung a beautiful light fixture of Venetian glass, a well known product of the city, so the bellman informed them when he observed Kate's admiring gaze. The glass was sculpted and tinted with delicate pastels to resemble flowers. Kate was certain that the furniture pieces were antique.

Once the luggage had been set aside and the bellman tipped, Kate and Rick indulged in what had become a bit of a trip tradition: standing side by side at the window, admiring their view. The water of the lagoon, and beyond it, the Adriatic Sea, sparkled in the sunlight. Kate leaned into Rick's side, and he brushed a kiss across her temple. "Welcome to Venice, Mrs. Castle."

After unpacking, they headed downstairs and out into the sunlight. Since they came in by way of the side entrance, they stopped for a moment to admire the front of the hotel. The building was the same size as its neighbors, though it was painted a bold terra cotta shade, making it stand out from the white buildings flanking it. The window moldings, painted white, looked like something that belonged on a church. The cornerstones were also white, for contrast.

Taking one last look they set out to explore the city. Built on a salt marsh, Rick explained, Venice consisted of 117 islands formed by 177 canals. The narrow footpaths were punctuated by arching bridges traversing the canals. Hand-in-hand they strolled, taking in the centuries-old architecture. When they tired of walking, they approached one of the gondolas that were for hire. They spent the rest of the day being guided around the city through the network of canals, viewing not only the touristy spots but the little neighborhoods.

Upon returning to their hotel they dressed for dinner. They ventured down to the restaurant and were seated on a terrace that overlooked the city. As they ate their dinner, partaking of the succulent seafood the region was known for, they gazed out at the gorgeous architecture, with the sunset as a backdrop.

Kate sighed contentedly as she chewed her monkfish. It had been prepared simply, broiled with a bit of butter and bread crumbs, with a twist of lemon. She'd politely declined when Castle offered her a bite of his shrimp with Black Squid Ink Risotto. She had come to accept that out of the two of them, he was more prone to culinary adventures.

"Penny for your thoughts?" She felt his hand on hers and turned to look at him. His loving gaze on her face turned her insides to mush every single time. Time to turn the tables.

"Can I ever thank you enough for this trip?" she asked softly. "It's amazing. YOU are amazing."

He merely grinned at her. "Thank you. I will remind you of that when you're threatening to kill me."

The next morning they walked through Piazza San Marco, flanked on either side by buildings that housed shops and restaurants on the ground floor and offices above. At the entrance to the piazza there were two tall columns capped by pedestals and atop them were statues. Ever the font of knowledge, Rick identified them for her. "That one depicts a winged lion, the symbol of Venice. The other, clutching a spear, is of San Teodoro, the patron".

They were drawn, by a magnetic force it seemed, to Saint Mark's Basillica and the clock tower beside it. The exterior of the Basillica was a work of art in of itself, warranting at least ten minutes of contemplation to fully appreciate the intricate details. There were onion shaped domes, gilt figures atop flagpoles. Some of the domes had ornate crosses protruding from their pinnacles. After a lengthy wait, they were admitted inside. Kate gasped as she beheld the ceiling. It glowed with golden mosaics. One had an unusual depiction, and she tilted her head as she tried to interpret it. She heard Castle chuckling over her shoulder.

"Ah yes. Only in the ninth century could you not only pull off grand larceny, but get somebody to paint a big picture on the wall about what you did," he remarked, amused. Seeing her brow furrow with confusion, he elaborated. "The relics of Saint Mark were stolen from Egypt by the Venetians. They hid them in pork barrels to avoid detection by the Muslims."

"And you know all this, how?" Kate questioned, her tone almost hinting that she thought he was making it up.

"Exhaustive research into criminal actions, what else?" he returned innocently. "Kinda hard to be a crime novelist otherwise…Speaking of thievery, there is another example upstairs, we can view it if you'd like. A bronze sculpture of four horses, life sized, dating to Greco-Roman times. They were stolen from Constantinople and brought here. Napoleon swiped them in his day, too, and brought them to France. They came back in the early 1800s."

When they left the Basillica, they wandered in and out of the various shops in the piazza. One such store held the Venetian glass the area was known for. Kate examined a small glass vase with sculpted glass flowers. "Lanie'd love this..." she murmured.

"Then let's get it for her." Foreseeing Kate's practical protest, he continued. "We can have it packaged and shipped right to her. Hell, it will be back to the states before we are, and the two of you will have lots to talk about." When she nodded her agreement Rick made the arrangements.

"The boys will be jealous, you know," Kate chuckled.

"More so than my actual child, I agree. We'll find something for them, too."

Leaving the piazza, they made their way past the Doge's palace, where the leader of the city had resided, until that form of government gave way in the late 1700.s The palace was beautiful on the outside, more rectangular but with an intricate geometric pattern on the façade.

Kate turned in her seat and pulled Rick to lean against her, wrapping her arms around his shoulders and resting her head next to his. The sunlight warmed them as they rode a vaporetti the full length of the Grand Canal, S-shaped and as wide as a half dozen of the regular canals put together. In no hurry today, they stayed on the water bus through all of the stops, all the way to the end and back to the beginning again. They watched people from various walks of life get on and off; a mother shepherded three young children, one clutching a dingy but well loved doll. Rick tried, unsuccessfully, to hide his quick frown as he looked at the little girl.

"Go ahead, call her," Kate urged.

"No, it's silly, she is an adult now, plus she's with Mother, for whatever that's worth. Anyway, we're on our honeymoon." Still, he fingered his phone wistfully.

Kate huffed at his stubbornness. "Fine, if you won't call Alexis, then I will." She reached in his pocket discretely and stole the phone right from under his hand. She dialed Alexis' number from memory, automatically adding in the US country code. She figured it would be quicker than trying to summon the number from Rick's directory. When her step-daughter's chipper voice sounded through the speaker, she handed the phone to Rick.

With a look of thanks, he accepted it. "Hey pumpkin." He chatted briefly, assuring himself that all was well with her. He ended the conversation with "Love you to. Yes, I'll tell her." He aimed a playful look at Kate. "Our daughter wanted to know why I was neglecting you on our honeymoon to call her."

Happily they returned to their people-watching A neatly dressed woman, probably a secretary, carefully unwrapped a lunch from a brown paper bag and sat balancing it in her lap as she enjoyed the sunshine. They traveled under the famous Rialto Bridge, an ornate covered structure, as well as the Scalzi and the Accademia bridges, snapping pictures at choice moments.

Finally completing the circuit, they stopped at a small café and had gelato. There were many flavors of the frozen treat to choose from, but after a lengthy negotiation they each ordered two different scoops and agreed to share. Kate dipped her spoon into her chocolate scoop and offered it to Rick. He responded in kind with his raspberry flavor, and Kate grasped his wrist on the pretense of holding the spoon steady. She took great delight in slowly licking the bowl of the spoon clean, all the while lightly massaging the inside of his wrist.

"Be careful," he warned, his eyes darkening, "You're going to melt all the gelato in this place."

She gave him a carefree smile and made a study of returning to her dessert. "Pistachio?" she asked, waving her spoon at him again. He accepted her offer, and smiled inwardly at the brief flash of disappointment in her eyes when he didn't take the opportunity to toy with her as she had with him.

Back in their room later that night, Rick took the pent up tension he'd been storing and made it work for him. "So, my Kate likes to tease?" he whispered in her ear as he wrapped her in a firm embrace. "I'll show you teasing."

At the conclusion of their Venice visit, rather than going to the airport or the docks as expected, Rick led her to the train station. She regarded him with an incredulous look. "God, Rick, are you determined to experience every form of travel imaginable? What's next, horseback?"

He appeared to be considering it. "Well, we have taken a horse drawn cart, does that count?"

"Not really. There is NO substitute for…straddling…a massive beast, feeling the power of the muscles, connecting on an animal level, just riding and riding until it's all lathered up, and it has taken you where you desperately wanted to go."

Listening to her description, his mouth went dust-dry. And he thought HE was good at painting a picture with words. Sweet heaven. For the hundredth time since he saw her coming down the aisle on her father's arm he thanked whatever higher power was listening that he'd been gifted with her, and with the wisdom to court and marry her. In his distraction, his shoulder slumped and his carryon dropped to the platform with a resounding 'thump'.

Recovering and clearing his throat, he decided to pay her back in kind. "Well, maybe once we reach our next destination, that can be arranged. In the mean while, you're going to enjoy the rhythmic rocking motion of another beast, one as hard as steel. It will keep going… and going, all night."

She watched him raise an eyebrow at her. If he expected to see her blush, he would have to wait a long time. Still, he deserved a consolation prize. "Not bad, Castle. But I still like mine better. Besides," she paused for effect, "what if it runs out of steam?"

He glowered at her, then led her to the luxury sleeper car and stowed the luggage. "Tell you what. Let's go grab dinner in the dining car, and if we get seats on the left side of the train, we can watch the sun set."

"Ok, so we're headed north this time. Where to? And don't stonewall me again, I don't want to have the same conversation we did at the beginning of the cruise."

Relenting, he informed her, "We're going to spend a couple of days in Vienna. Now can we please get dinner, I'm wasting away here."

They dined on simple fare, cold chicken and cheddar with Russian dressing for her, roast beef and Swiss with honey mustard for him. They split a bag of chips and washed it all down with peach iced teas.

They retired to their sleeper car. Rick locked the door and turned to her with a wicked grin. "What?" she asked, as she sat on the bed removing her shoes.

"Oh, nothing. Just contemplating how many ways I can keep that smart mouth of yours busy. 'run out of steam' indeed."

He pushed her backward onto the bed, kissing her senseless as he helped her out of her remaining clothes. Her hands found their way inside his clothes, cradling him intimately and making him gasp. She whispered in his ear. "Think I just found a good way to keep my mouth busy, you interested?"

He hurriedly removed his clothes. She urged him back onto the bed with her, then slid down his body and worked hard to dismantle his mind.