100 Sex Positions of the Kama Sutra
By Dana Keylits

Chapter 29: The Cross

He gave her some space, finding a balance between supportive and intrusive, as she stood before the grey tombstone and tended to the bundle of flowers she'd brought with them. A single tear traced a haphazard path on her cheek, meandering from her misty hazel eye to the gentle slope of her chin, and eventually dropping on the slab of granite, leaving a splatter of salty water on the surface of her mother's grave.

She'd never brought him here before, never shared this ritual with him, and he felt honored to be a part of it. That she'd let him into the darkest, most personal, painful corners of her heart spoke volumes to him about the commitment she'd made to him, to them, to herself. And, he wanted to scoop her up in his arms, hold her as she remembered, listen to her memories of her mom, laugh and cry with her…and be angry.

Because it still always came back to that. To the anger. To the injustice that was Johanna Beckett's death. The injustice that her killer still walked free with impudence, that he roamed the hallowed halls of Congress, a representative of the people. A people who had no idea that the man they'd repeatedly elected, might even elect as President of the United States, was a murderer. And, a mass murderer at that. And, that he, in all likelihood, would never be punished for what he'd done.

At least, not in this life.

And, that she knows this, carries the burden of that knowledge heavily in her heart, was entirely his fault. And, he carries that. That guilt, that responsibility, he carries it with him in his over-sized knapsack of regret every single day.

She'd forgiven him long ago. Told him that if it weren't for his prying into her mom's case, she'd never have found her killer, told him that when she did finally get justice, she'd want him around for it.

But, he still felt the weight of it, like a rock tethered to his heart, and, until the day that they could take Senator Bracken down, if that day ever came, he would continue to bear the burden of it.

It was the least he could do for her.

She aimed her gaze towards the clear blue sky and sighed, reaching behind her, wiggling her fingers as she waited for him.

He slipped his large hand in hers and stepped beside her. She curled her other hand around his bicep, resting her head on his shoulder.

"It's so crazy, Castle." She whispered, "I still miss her every day." She wiped at her cheek. "I've graduated from college, from the police academy, become a detective, found her killer," she paused, squeezing his arm, "…fallen in love."

He smiled at the last one, craning his head to kiss the top of hers.

"And, despite all of that. I still miss her every single day."

"Seems right," he replied.

She looked up at him.

"As much as I may complain about mother," he rolled his eyes. "I can't imagine my life without her." He grinned, further explaining, "It's a pea pod thing."

She looked at him quizzically, a sweet smile curving her lips.

"Parents and their children. Like, peas in a pod. We're bonded for life. Doesn't matter what happens or when you lose each other," he kissed the back of her hand, "…or, how." He smiled. "You'll always be bonded."

She turned back to her mom's grave, nodding. "Yeah."

After a moment of quiet reflection, a few more tears, a few more laughs, a few more stories, they walked back to the car, their arms around each other.

She glanced up at him as he opened the door for her. Tucking an errant strand of hair behind her ear, she squinted against the bright sunlight and asked, "We've got the rest of the day, Castle. What do you want to do with it?"

He leaned in and kissed her softly, her lips warm and supple, inviting, welcoming, full of hope and loving promise. They parted, and he grinned at her. "Whatever you want, Kate."

A sly grin captured one corner of her mouth, and her eyes sparkled and danced with mischief. "Wadda say we go back to your place and tackle position twenty-nine?" She looked up at him coyly from beneath the long fan of lashes that framed her hazel eyes. "And, then we can order pizza. And," she suggested, dropping her gaze to his lips. "…as we wait for delivery, practice position thirty?"

His eyebrows shot straight up and he gasped, "Wha-?"

"After all," she teased, her finger tripping along the collar of his blue polo shirt, "we have to keep up with Espo and Lanie and Ryan and Jenny if we're going to win that bet."

"What?" he cried, leaning backwards, a slack-jawed expression on his face. "Who? When did? Beckett, how do you know about that?"

"Do you really think the minute I saw Ryan in that neck brace I didn't know what had happened to him? Especially when Jenny showed up with her arm in a sling?"

"Yeah, but," he shuffled his feet nervously.

"Give me some credit, Castle. I cornered him after the briefing. Knew you three were up to something when I was in with Gates," she smirked, shaking her head, her loose chestnut curls bouncing softly against her shoulders. "He sang like a canary!" She fluttered her hand towards the sky in a bird-like gesture.

"You're not mad?" he asked, closing one eye and squinting at her, preparing for the lecture that should have been coming.

"Mad? Of course not! I threw in another twenty bucks for our team." She leaned in and softly cupped him, smiling as he flinched. "So, let's go, chop chop, time's a wasting." She nibbled his bottom lip, before letting go of his naughty bits.

After she climbed in, he closed her door and hurried around the front of the car to the driver's side, sliding into his seat, he glanced over at her. She looked lighter, happier, freer than he'd ever seen her, and the dichotomous reality of their current location was not lost on him, and he remembered what she'd said to him once. That, even on the worst of days, there's always the possibility for joy.

He turned the engine as she placed her hand on his knee, her eyes gazing out the window and back towards her mothers grave, and he was struck by how incredibly extraordinary she was.

And, by how extraordinarily lucky he was to be with her.

A/N: If you would like to see what this position looks like, simply do a Google search on "100 Sex Positions of the Kama Sutra," or PM me and I'd be happy to send you the link. Or, you can follow me on Twitter (krdaniels).