Sorry it's taken me so long to update but I had to figure out what to do for this one and I think I've got it! Enjoy!

Chapter Thirty Four

When Castle finally exited the bedroom, Kate and Alexis were no longer in the living room. He figured Kate must have taken her upstairs to continue her impromptu nap. But, before that, she must have cleaned because the living room was back to its original state, with all of Alexis's toys stacked neatly under the tree.

He wanted to go and find them, find his family, and ask Kate what was going on. Why had she left him in such a hurry? What had he done wrong that made her practically bolt from the room?

He was about to start towards the stairs when the door opened and his mother and father walked in.

"Hello, Darling!" Martha exclaimed. "We brought coffee!" She was holding a drink carrier with four foam cups, while Sr. followed after her, his arms filled with food containers up to his chin.

"I see that," Castle replied, forcing a grin, as he tore his eyes away from the stairs. "You need a hand, Dad?" he asked.

"It would be helpful," Sr. replied. Castle chuckled and relieved his father of half the food containers, placing them onto the kitchen counter.

"Mother," Castle said, "what is all this? I thought we all agreed that Kate's mother was going to handle the cooking…"

"We agreed that she could cook the goose," Martha said, "but I have the lasagna, candied yams, and the baked ziti to make."

Castle winced, sharing a look with his father, who just shook his head and mouthed, 'I've got this.'

"Sweetheart," he said, "why don't you wait until Kate gets up so she can help you? And Button, too; you know she so loves cooking with her Gram."

"Well," Martha said, "alright. But I shan't wait too long for them. Where are they, anyhow?" she asked her son.

"Uh, sleeping," Castle replied. It wasn't exactly a lie…was it?

Either way, Martha just shrugged and put him to work chopping vegetables for her pasta sauce, while she and Sr. pre-heated the oven and got out everything they needed to start preparing dinner.

Castle was barely paying attention as he chopped, his gaze drifting to the staircase. He barely even noticed how close the knife was getting to his fingers until the sharpness of the blade cut into his finger and he jerked his hand away.

"Shit!" he cursed, loudly. Martha and Sr. looked up from what they were doing, wide-eyed as he stuck the afflicted digit into his mouth.

"No curse!" a little voice said from the stairs and Castle looked up to see Kate standing there with Alexis in her arms. She wouldn't make eye contact with him, but she was smiling at his parents.

"'orry, Pmmpkih," he mumbled around the bleeding appendage.

Martha handed him a napkin. "Get that thing out of your mouth," she scolded. "You, sir, are no vampire."

Castle removed his finger from between his lips and wrapped the offered napkin around it, watching as Martha greeted Kate and Alexis.

"Good morning, Darlings!" she exclaimed. "I have gifts for both of you, but it looks like a little someone forgot to open her gifts from Santa, hmm? Why don't you go do that first and then I'll give you the one from Pop and Gram?" Alexis nodded and wriggled out of Kate's grasp, running straight to the tree and taking another head-first dive into the pile of gifts.

Martha just laughed and shook her head, before turning to Kate and taking a good long look at the chain around her neck. "Oh, Katherine," she gushed. "That necklace looks just beautiful on you! Did Richard get you that?" Kate blushed, nodding. "I always knew that boy had good taste! He gets that from me, you know." She winked at the younger woman and Kate chuckled. "But he always has been a bit clumsy," Martha added, eying her son. "Could you be a dear and get him the First Aid Kit and, Richard," she turned to her son, speaking sternly, "get away from the vegetables or you'll get blood on them!"

Castle quickly stepped away from the counter, knocking into the fridge and tottering slightly before straightening up and looking at his mother like a little boy caught with his hand in the cookie jar. The sight was enough to make Kate snort out laugh and roll her eyes, before she turned on her heel and made her way into the bathroom connected to their bedroom.

She located the First Aid Kit with ease (it was in the medicine cabinet) and was about to turn around when she closed the cabinet and nearly screamed when her hazel eyes met intense blue ones.

Castle was standing there, deathly silent, watching her with his blue eyes dark and locked on hers in the mirror.

Trying to play it cool, Kate focused on making her features blank. "Hey, Castle," she said, a bit breathlessly, despite her efforts, "I didn't hear you come in."

He didn't say anything as he stepped towards her, Kate's body still turned in the direction of the mirror, and placed his hands on either side of her body, onto the sink.

"Castle, what are—"

"Why did you run out on me this morning?" Castle's gruff voice interrupted.

"I…" Kate didn't know what to say to that. She didn't want to tell him the truth; about being afraid to fall in love with him, just to end up hating him sooner or later. But she didn't want to lie to him either…that wouldn't be fair.

So she went with the third option; she stayed silent.

Evidently, that didn't work as well as she'd hoped, when he suddenly turned her around in his arms, his bloody finger staining the t-shirt she was wearing. "Kate," he practically growled, before his lips descended on hers, his nipping teeth unforgiving on them.

When he pulled back, Kate's eyes were glazed over, much to his satisfaction, and her breathing was shallow, making her chest move slowly up and down with the effort to catch her breath. He smiled down and her, pecking her lips again, before moving back.

"Now, why did you—"

"KATE!" Lanie's voice floated through the loft as if she were right next to them and Castle jumped back, as if burned; as if they had anything to hide.

Kate took this opportunity to move, walking swiftly out of the bathroom and through the bedroom, leaving Castle, once again, staring after her, confused.

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