Keep Showing Up
Chapter 13
Martha returned from her drinks-date just as they started clearing the table. Her presence was announced by a click of heels on the timber floor and a loud "Good evening, all," as she removed her coat and strolled into the dining room.
"Hi, Gram," Alexis greeted warmly, "How was your date?"
"It wasn't a date, dear," she corrected, "It was a rendezvous."
"What's the difference?"
Martha replied with, "Expectations," and a saucy wink while Castle tried to speak over her with a loud, "Don't ask!"
"How was dinner?" Martha asked, her attention on Kate.
"It was lovely."
"Did you find time to eat during your rendezvous?" Castle asked cheekily.
"Nibbles only; I might help myself to something more substantial. Oh, and I see there's wine."
"And a second bottle where that came from," Kate agreed.
"Can you keep me company? Or have you finished at the table?"
"I'm up for more company," Kate said, depositing the dirty plates next to the sink, "Can you fill my glass while I get the dishes started?"
"I'm sure Richard can start on the washing up, right, darling?" she turned to her son.
"Castle cooked," Kate replied, "I don't mind washing up."
"Nonsense, dear! You're a guest."
Castle smiled at the two women, but stayed out of the discussion as he put the salt and pepper away in the cupboard and then took the second bottle of wine back to the table.
"Richard!" Martha protested again when Kate started filling the sink.
"Kate's right, Mother; I cooked, it's definitely her job to wash," he took his seat.
"You can come dry." Kate called out, and threw a towel onto the kitchen bench for him.
He chuckled and came back into the kitchen. Martha swatted him on the shoulder and he sidestepped her and picked up the dish towel.
"Gram, wait until you see this electric motorcycle Kate recommended." Alexis placed her notebook on the counter next to where the older woman was dishing out her dinner.
"Oh, look at that," Martha glanced between Kate and her grand-daughter. "It's rather sleek looking," she said to a grinning Alexis.
"Do you have time to go shopping this weekend?"
"Shopping with you? Need you ask?" Martha replied.
"You're not looking at motorcycles!" Castle protested.
"No, Kate knows a boutique that does these amazing leather boots. I thought we could check them out."
Kate busied herself with the washing up and tried to ignore the death stare Castle was sending in her direction.
"I go away for one weekend and suddenly there are pod-people in my house!"
###
With Martha's help the three of them easily finished off the second bottle of wine. They remained at the dining table, talking and laughing over Martha's accounts of her current classes and the school's most recent performances. Kate listened again as Castle repeated stories of his weekend for his family, and she found she enjoyed them even more the second time around being able to watch his face instead of being so focused on the nuances of their physical connection.
The topic of conversation had changed again and it took Kate a moment to catch up. She looked up and caught Castle watching her.
"– heartbreaking for her, but a revelation for me, nonetheless." Martha was talking about the woman that had broken her leg.
"A revelation, why?" Castle asked, clearly having followed the conversation better than Kate.
"The young woman that had previously been selected as her understudy is simply astounding. Don't get me wrong, for a while I was worried," Martha waved her hand to emphasis her point, "she was woefully underprepared," An eye roll this time revealed her thoughts on the girl.
Kate loved the way the diva used her whole body to tell her story.
"We persevered, a few late nights at the studio – as Alexis will tell you – but in the end... startling!"
"What happened?" Alexis asked, fascinated.
"She is, quite possibly, the most talented actress I have ever mentored. She had simply never been forced to delve into her psyche." Martha stood up and began gathering empty glasses, "When I think of what lay right there in front of me! And of the gift that girl could have wasted! Incredible." She sashayed into the kitchen. "Are you kids having more wine or should I rinse these glasses?"
"I'm done, thanks, Martha," Kate said standing up from the table.
"Are you heading upstairs for the evening?" Castle asked his mother.
"Trying to get rid of me, dear?" Martha teased, coming back around behind her son and resting her hands on his shoulders
Kate would have glared at him over his luck of subtlety if Martha weren't also in her line of sight.
"I'm going to read a few chapters of one of my new books," Alexis said, also making her move to leave, "Goodnight, everyone."
"Goodnight, pumpkin," Castle stood and opened his arms for a hug.
Alexis gave him a quick squeeze and then allowed Martha to return the favour as the three of them exchanged goodnights.
Martha and Alexis walked up the stairs together, still chatting. Castle turned from beside the table and faced Kate.
Neither of them spoke immediately. Kate warred with herself; torn between her desire to return to the loungeroom with him, and the knowledge that things were probably best left as they were for the night.
"Are you staying?" Castle asked, eventually.
"Is that alright?"
"Of course it is. I changed the sheets in the guest room this afternoon, just in case. Let me run up and get some of Alexis' pyjamas for you."
"Thanks, Castle."
He nodded and pushed up from the lounge.
Kate watched him disappear up the stairs before she wandered over to the lounge area. She lay back along the length of the couch and let out a slow breath. She'd had enough wine to have a pleasant lightheaded buzz, but not enough to be able to claim deniability. Anything she did tonight would follow her into the morning.
She very briefly entertained the fantasy of staying where she was and inviting Castle to join her... she pushed down the flare of arousal that had been sparking all afternoon from her chest to points much lower. Not bothering to sit up, despite the sound of Castle's return, she watched him as he paused at the foot of the stairs and studied her.
"Do you feel okay, Kate."
It would have been nice to have been able to smile at the concern in his voice, but she suspected he was still waiting for her to step back, shut him out, and retreat safely back to her apartment. A voice inside her head replied silently that she felt wonderful, but she knew saying it aloud would probably make him doubt her even more.
Instead she stood up from the lounge and walked to stand beside him, "Everything is fine, Castle. I'm going to go take a shower."
He reached for her then; hooking a finger around her wrist and placing one hand at her waist, he turned into her. Kate dipped her head slightly and her hair fell to tickle against his upper arm. She placed her hand on his chest and her fingers skimmed the ridge of his collarbone. Her heart thudded and she grinned; relieved that he was stepping up and not allowing to her to run.
"We still have tomorrow, Castle," she said quietly, spreading the fingers of her hand to splay across his chest as she stepped away. "I'm going to shower and change. Will you still be up when I get out?"
"I'll probably be in the study."
"I'll come find you," she assured him, and headed up the stairs.
###
A set of pale blue pyjamas and a bath towel were laid out on the top of the vanity cabinet along with a robe, a pair of socks, and a toothbrush. She closed and locked the door, and then proceeded to undress.
She was hyper aware of the fact that Castle was downstairs and quite likely undressing to shower in his own bathroom. She liked the thought. Even more than that, she liked the fact that she could admit to herself that she liked the thought.
Kate turned on the water and twisted her hair in a rough knot on top of her head while she waited for it to heat up. As she stepped into the spray she wondered what Castle was thinking about. A smile blossomed, and she turned her face skyward to let the water fall over her.
If this was how she felt after having only run her hands across his arms and back, she couldn't wait to have access to the rest of him.
###
Once she was dressed in the borrowed pyjamas she opened the door before brushing her teeth and combing her hair.
She was tidying up and wiping down the counter when Alexis leaned shyly on the door frame as if worried she were imposing.
Kate smiled and said, "I think he's going to have nightmares about you on a motorcycle tonight."
"Somehow I don't think he will, but we definitely have him worried."
"We'll have to find one of the motorcycles in the city and see if I can take it for a test-drive; get a photo of you on it."
"We really should," she agreed.
"Thanks for the loan of the pyjamas."
"You would be welcome, but those aren't mine."
"They're not?" Kate looked down and frowned.
"They're not Martha's?" she asked, puzzled.
Alexis giggled," I don't think I've seen Grams show that much leg since she did Temptation Lane."
"Are they too short?"
"No, of course not! They suit you. But you needn't worry about them belonging to Grams."
"Okay."
"Will you be here for breakfast?"
"I have the day off, so no reason to have to rush off."
"I'll see you in the morning, then."
Kate wished her a good night and then carried her clothes back to the guest room. She put on the socks and debated crawling under the covers and falling asleep. She looked down at the pyjamas and felt an annoying niggle that threatened to blossom into anger. She didn't mind borrowing Alexis' clothes, but wearing something of Gina's, or worse, made her uncomfortable.
She headed back downstairs and found him, as promised, in the study.
From behind his desk he looked up at her approach, and she saw his eyes flick along the length of her legs before managing to settle at eye level.
"I really don't need to be wearing pyjamas that you found kicked under your bed one morning," she started, an edge to her voice.
"What are you talking about?" He asked, puzzled.
"These aren't Alexis'," she pointed to the clothes she wore.
"No, but I can assure you that anything I may have found kicked under my bed in the past would be well and truly out of season by now."
Kate considered that for a moment. She knew perfectly well that he hadn't been casually dating any more than she had been of late. "Then whose are they?"
"No one's worn them before you. "
"They're new?" She pushed, still fighting the irritation she probably shouldn't have felt.
"That's the general definition."
"Then why did you say they belonged to Alexis?"
"Because I didn't want you reading too much into my buying you pyjamas."
"Then why did you buy me pyjamas?"
Castle sighed, clearly not happy with the tangent their evening had taken, "Alexis is heading off to college, I assume she'll be taking most of her stuff with her, and while I'm happy to have you sleeping in my boxer shorts, or not," he tried to defuse the tension with a playful eyes-wide leer, "I thought you'd be more comfortable in something else and not likely to bring your own."
"It's not like I spend the night here very often," Kate persisted.
"You're spending tonight here... look, Kate, I have nothing against cranky-Beckett, in fact I kinda like the way her eyes flash at me, and I'm more than happy to state my case on an issue if I need to, but can we save it for something more important than sleepwear?"
Kate studied him, "How did you think I'd react to you buying me underwear?"
"For one, it's not technically underwear seeing as you're not wearing anything over it, and two, I thought you might say 'Rick, these sleepshorts do something amazing for my legs; your thoughtfulness is appreciated'."
Kate chuckled at the exaggerated doe-eyed look on his face, "That's what you thought I'd say?" she said dubiously, and then asked, "Since when do I call you 'Rick'?"
"If you're done pouting, come see this," he distracted her with a book.
She levelled a glare at him just to be safe, before taking the book and turning it over in her hand to look at the cover, "He did have a new one out."
"It's being made into a movie. I got him to sign it for you."
Kate opened the book, found the title page, and read the inscription. She laughed, "You told him I was a fan?"
"I may have suggested you didn't have room for him on your bookshelves for it but you might get around to reading it," he teased, "It's actually quite good."
"You got one for yourself, too?"
"I read yours on the plane," he admitted. "It was either that or suffer through Patterson's latest. I'm not sure if this was meant for you or me." He held up a hardcover for her to take.
"Angel; Maximum Ride?" she asked.
"I know, it sounds like a porn story, but it's actually just been added to the kid's reading program. He thought he was being funny with the inscription."
She flipped the pages to see his note. "Spend time every day listening to what your muse is trying to tell you - Saint Bartholomew."
"I've always liked Patterson." Kate said closing it and cradling both books loosely in her arms. Looking back up at Castle she was not surprised to see his gaze fixed on her. The tension level in the room increased immediately.
The door to his bedroom was open. Beyond it she could see the dark browns, greys, and golds of his furnishings; masculine colours that, in her current mood, she found vastly appealing.
"Do something with me tomorrow?" Castle asked, breaking the silence and bringing her eyes back to him.
"Like what?"
"I don't mind, whatever you like; but spend the day with me."
"Okay."
"Okay?"
"Yeah, Castle. Okay." Kate shifted her weight to her other foot and took a half step closer to his desk, "Did you think I'd say no."
Castle stood up. He didn't move any closer but sat on the corner of his desk; reducing the height difference between them, "I thought it was possible. We've had a big night."
"I'm a big girl, Castle. I can back it up the next day."
His grin was a mix of amusement and something akin to pride, "Never doubted it. I'll see you in the morning then."
"You're heading to bed?"
"Probably for the best," his voice was serious but before the mood had a chance to change he added, "Might be a big day tomorrow."
.
:-)
A/N- can i give you a hint? It really will be a big day tomorrow...