Hoof

"I don't like it," Bea wails, both arms wrapped tight around Castle's thigh. Jackson is behind his father, his face mashed against the back of Castle's leg.

Kate rolls her eyes and folds her arms across her chest, sighing at the rest of her family. Mabel takes a couple of steps closer and nudges her head against Kate's hip; her kids scream as the cow approaches, and even Castle makes a decidedly unmanly noise.

"Guys, Mabel is lovely. Look, see how gentle she is.

"She's too big, Mom," Jack says fiercely, but he's got one hand fisted in the bottom of his father's shirt. "Way too big."

A sigh escapes her and Kate shares a look with the cow, laying her palm against the top of Mabel's head. The cow nudges against Kate's touch and calls out a low noise of contentment, shifting her weight. "She is a normal cow size."

"But Mama," Beatrice says, peering up at her from under the shelter of her father's arm. "We never seen a cow before."

"I know sweet girl, and you're lucky," Kate says, smoothing her fingers over Mabel's fur. "A lot of kids that live in the city have never seen a cow, never been to a farm."

"Lucky them," Castle grumbles, and Kate scowls at him. She wanted to do this because she always loved going to the cabin as a child, getting out into nature, and these days her kids complain if she even suggests a weekend visit to the park.

She doesn't want that for them, doesn't want them to spend their free time playing video games in the dark. So she brought - dragged - her family upstate for the weekend, and now they're visiting a farm. "Come stroke the cow. Come on. She's friendly."

"I don't wanna stroke her," Jack says bitterly, knocking his head against Castle's leg. "Dad, tell Mom we're not stroking the cow."

"You don't have to stroke the cow," Castle says, and Kate jabs her index finger into his chest. He jerks, a yelp escaping him, and Mabel lifts her head and blinks at him. "Ouch, Beckett. No violence in front of the kids."

Kate scowls at her husband, feeling a ridiculous heat at the backs of her eyes, and she squeezes them closed a moment to dispel it. "This is supposed to be a fun, family day. If I'd known you guys were going to hate it so much, I would have just stayed in the city."

"Beckett," her husband says, fingers coming to her shoulder, but she shrugs him off. "You're acting like a child. What's going on?"

"Being at the farm with my mom and dad are some of my best memories. I just wanted them to have that same thing."

"Oh, sweetie," Castle breathes, wrapping both arms around her. Kate lets herself get drawn in against his chest, both kids mashed between their legs and grumbling, and she tucks herself underneath her husband's chin. "We're just being silly, aren't we guys? And you have to admit, the cow is kinda huge."

Mabel moos as if she knows that they're talking about her, lifting her head to look Castle dead in the face and he gulps, reaching out a hand. His fingers don't quite make contact and then he curls them into a fist and draws his arm back.

"Touch the cow, Dad!" Jackson yells out, untangling himself from where he's trapped between his parents. He walks up to Mabel, his little body humming with confidence, and he lays a palm against the cow's flank. "See. I'm not scared."

"I'm wearing red," he hisses against Kate's ear and she laughs, knocking her temple against his.

Extracting herself from their hug, she scoops Beatrice up into her arms and carries the girl closer to Mabel. "That's bulls, Castle. And anyway, it's not the colour they respond to, it's the motion of the flag. Mabel is not going to fight you."

"Daddy fight," Bea giggles, leaning out of Kate's arms. She sets a hand against the cow's face, fingers stroking against the grain of Mabel's hair growth, and the cow snorts a breath out of her nose. Kate's daughter doesn't even jump, only laughs louder and pats Mabel. "Love her, Mama."

"Mabel loves you too, baby girl," Kate smiles, dropping one hand from around her daughter so that she can palm the back of Jackson's head and keep him close beside her. "Well done you guys. Good job being gentle."

Castle gruffs out a little noise and comes to stand with the rest of them, finally daring to reach out and stroke the cow. She knows that he's hamming it up, that he's not really all that afraid, but the kids always laugh whenever their daddy pretends to be terrified, whenever he cowers behind Kate.

"Brave, Daddy," Bea grins at her father when he strokes the cow.

Mabel bats her eyes at him again, her lashes long and dark, and Kate laughs. Setting their daughter down, she watches as Jack and Bea stroke one of Mabel's legs, and she slips her hand into Castle's. "I think the cow is flirting with you, babe."

"Sorry Mabel," Rick laughs, leaning in to dust a kiss to Kate's cheek. "Only one beautiful, brown-eyed woman for me."

"Don't break the cow's heart," she laughs, brushing the backs of her knuckles against Mabel's nose. "It's okay, pretty girl. Rick loves you."

That makes her husband grunt and he snags her hand away from the cow, tucking it into his pocket as if for safekeeping. "I don't love the cow. I tolerate her. They really are a lot bigger than you imagine them to be."

"You've seen cows before."

"Yeah," he shrugs, glancing down at their children. "But not when my kids are nearby. Not when they could get trampled at any moment."

Kate snorts a laugh and reaches out to stroke the cow's head again. "She's not gonna step on them, are you Mabel?"

"Now who's flirting."