Well after those last two chapters, I'm needing something a bit lighter how about you? If so, I think you'll like the next couple chapters indeed!
Thank you guys for continuing to read and review this story! I'm so glad so many people are enjoying it! I read every review, PM, and Tweet, you're words are so kind and encouraging! Thank you!
So now for the disclaimer... Instead of focusing on all the things I don't own, like Castle characters, the Old Haunt, or beach front property, I will tell you a few things I do own: At least 10 ponytail holders, fuzzy socks, copies of both Heat Wave and Naked Heat, a deflated yoga ball, all 8 seasons of The Cosby Show on DVD, a suitcase full of scrapbooking supplies that I only use maybe once a year, a pair of maternity pants that even though I am not and have not been pregnant in almost 3 years, are still the most comfy PJs ever, and a crockpot that needs washed and put away. Jealous? I thought not.
Happy reading!
Chapter 38
In the days that followed, Alexis packed and left for California to see Meredith. At first she wanted to cancel, but then realized maybe the change of scenery would do some good. By the time she left, she was actually looking forward to some shopping and a spa day with her mother.
The day he took Alexis to the airport, Kate came home to find Rick engrossed in the latest Halo game, venting some of his frustrations and stress that had begun building up inside of him again. She didn't say anything while she ate and he picked at their Chinese take out dinner that she'd brought home. She didn't even say anything when she cleaned up the meal without him even seeming to notice. But as the evening ticked by and midnight approached, she decided it was time to intervene. Using her charms as only Beckett could, she was quickly able to convince Rick to join her in more fun and "couple friendly" ways to unwind.
The next morning when the alarm went off, Kate opened her eyes enough to find the snooze button, but also found Rick propped on one elbow watching her.
"Please tell me you didn't watch me sleep all night." Beckett grumbled and pushed a messy lock of hair off from her face.
"Not all night, but I woke up about an hour ago with my mind racing and have been watching you ever since."
"I wish you wouldn't do that."
"Sorry Babe, but I just can't stop. Not looking at you is like not breathing. I can hold back for a while, but eventually I can't help myself."
"You and your silver tongue!." A devilish grin spread across her face before she pushed him back onto the bed and rolled on top of Rick. "What am I going to do with you Mr. Castle?"
"Oh, I have a few ideas," he answered with an equally wicked smile before bringing her head down to his for a heated kiss.
When his hands began to travel, she pulled away. "I wish we could. But I have to get into the station. My team is covering for Karpowski's team this week and then after a day off, we 'll pull our usual rotation. For the next ten days I'm on call almost every day."
"So, there's still no way to convince you to join me on any of my last tour dates?"
"No, but you won't be gone the entire time will you?"
"Tonight I'm headed to Indianapolis for three days, then St. Louis for two days. Then I'll be home for a couple days before hitting Pensacola, Tampa and Miami for the rest of that week."
"I'm going to miss you."
"I'm going to miss you too." They kissed again, slowly and sweetly. "But on the bright side, besides a trip to LA in November, after this, I'm done traveling for the rest of the year and can go back to being you plucky sidekick."
"I can't wait for you to come back, but you seem to forget that you aren't my plucky sidekick anymore. You're my plucky partner."
"And always will be."
XXXXXXXXXXX
During the next ten work days, Ryan and Esposito came in four times to find Beckett still there from the night before. The first time surprised them because no matter how difficult the case, since the infamous interrogation room fight that Beckett and Castle had, they'd never come in to find her asleep on the couch. The next two times surprised them because the cases they were working weren't anywhere near being all nighters. Apparently to their fearless leader, bed held little appeal if her beloved writer wasn't in it.
The fourth time the two detectives came in and found Beckett asleep in the break room, they shared a knowing look but stayed away. Hopefully the day would go quickly, because not only were they all off for the next four days, but their boss was sure to be in quite an unpleasant mood.
When Beckett did wake up, she grabbed a coffee and headed for the stairs without looking at or speaking to anyone. When she returned a half hour later, showered and changed, she still didn't speak, much to the boys relief. They hadn't seen her this uptight since the summer Castle spent in the Hamptons with his ex.
The entire day passed without any new cases, allowing them to finally catch up on the backlog of paperwork that had accumulated. By the end of the day, Beckett's mood had mellowed and she actually suggested that maybe Lanie and Jenny would want to meet her and the boys at the Old Haunt for some drinks. Everyone agreed that was a good idea and were soon sitting at their usual booth.
During their second round of drinks, Kate's phone rang. It was was Rick.
"I miss you." His deep voice said as soon as she answered.
Kate looked at her friends before answering. They were all overtly watching and listening. She looked around the crowded bar. Without going outside into the pouring rain, there was no other quiet place for her to go to talk.
"I miss you too."
"There's an understatement." Javier mumbled, which earned him Lanie's elbow in his ribs.
"Are you off work now, or pulling another late night?" Rick asked.
"I'm off. We're all at the bar unwinding. How about you?"
"My last book signing starts in twenty minutes, and I wanted to get a chance to talk to you before the chaos begins."
"So you'll be home tomorrow?"
"Um, well that was another reason I was calling."
Kate's body stiffened and her face turned down into a frown. Her friends noticed and decided that now was a great time to go play some pool.
"Don't tell me they roped you into another event? You've been gone for most of the summer. This was supposed to be the end for a while."
"It is my last trip, it's just that... an old friend has given me a last minute opportunity for a special engagement, and I couldn't refuse. Besides I'm already down here. I told him I'd take him up on the offer, but only if I could get you to come down here and join me. If you don't want to come, I'm coming home in the morning, but if I can convince you to come join me for a couple days... I know I could make it worth your while."
"I don't know, Rick. I'm tired. It's been a long week."
"I know, but you have the next four days off right?"
"Yes."
"Wouldn't you love a mini vacation with the man you love? Beaches, pools, shopping, dinner, or just laying around relaxing?"
"You do make a convincing argument."
"Would it be even more convincing if I told you I have a first class seat booked for you out of JFK at 9:25?"
"Rick, that's barely three hours from now! I still need to pack!"
"You don't need much, just a tooth brush and a swim suit."
"If only it were that easy!" Kate looked at her watch. Maybe if she rushed, she could actually pull this off.
"Ok. I'm coming. Text me the flight info, and your hotel. I'll see you tonight."
"Don't worry about getting to the hotel, I'll have a car waiting for you."
Kate was now smiling broadly. "I'll see you soon."
"I can't wait. I love you!"
"Love you too!"
Kate quickly went to her friends and apologized for her hasty departure, and explained where she was going. Lanie teased her a bit about how nice it must be to have a rich boyfriend to fly her anywhere at a moments notice. Esposito didn't find this as humorous as the women did.
When she finally made it to her terminal she had less than twenty minutes to wait before boarding. Kate still was in shock that she was just leaving for Miami at the drop of a hat, and was wondering if she would ever get used to these kind of things. Presumably life with Castle would always have moments like this, so she'd better.
The flight was uneventful and after half a glass of champagne, she dozed off. The next thing she knew, the pilot was announcing their final approach.
Kate was one of the first people off the plane, and since she didn't check any baggage, was quickly headed to the arrivals area to find her ride.
It was after midnight, so there weren't many people around, allowing Beckett to see the man in the dark suit and hat from quite far away. As she approached, she tried to focus on the sign the man was holding to make sure he was indeed her ride. The closer she got though, the more she realized something wasn't quite right. The driver was just a little too relaxed, a little to cocky in his stance. She'd recognized that posture from anywhere, and even if she didn't, the sexy grin was a dead give away. She knew it was Rick long before the words KATIE BEAR on the sign were clear enough to read.
Beckett ran to Rick and he caught her in a passionate embrace. The dozen or so people in the foyer with them, stopped and stared at the woman who was now making out with her chauffeur.
"Where did you get this uniform from?" Kate asked when she finally came up for air.
"We got here early, and I wanted to have a little fun with you, so Mark our driver, was kind enough to loan me his coat and hat. How did you know it was me from so far away?"
"I didn't! I thought you were Mark!" Kate tried to look serious, but failed miserably.
"Oooooh , so that's the way it is, huh?" Rick asked playfully.
"It is!"
"Well then, maybe you don't need that surprise I have planned."
"You didn't say anything about a surprise."
"That's why its called a surprise!"
By now, the couple was at the car, and Mark took Kate's bag and placed it in the trunk. Rick gave the chauffeur the hat and jacket again before climbing into the car with Beckett.
The hotel was very close to the airport, so they were only in the car for a couple minutes. When they got out, Mark received a generous tip, before the couple headed up to their room.
It was late and Kate didn't know it yet, but they had an early start in the morning, so Rick convinced her to unpack later. Instead, they quickly reunited before falling into a deep and relaxed sleep.
Kate was not thrilled to hear the alarm go off the next morning. This was supposed to be vacation! Rick turned off the alarm and told her to go back to sleep, he had some things to take care of.
An hour later, Rick woke her up gently. He had already showered and dressed and had two trays of breakfast that he must have ordered from room service.
As soon as she began eating, Rick began to speak. "So, you know that I mentioned that surprise last night?"
"Yeah."
"I decided you still deserved it. So if we're going to make it in time, we have about an hour and a half to get ready to go."
"Where are we going?"
"Can't tell you yet. But I promise you will love it!"
"What should I wear?"
"Something comfortable for outside."
"When will we be back?"
"Don't know."
"When's your speaking engagement?"
Rick smiled in an odd way that Kate didn't recognize. "Saturday night. Now stop trying to figure it out, and just let me take care of everything."
An hour later when they were almost ready to go, Rick ran around the room making sure they had everything.
Kate followed behind him finding things that he missed. "Why are we taking our bags? Aren't we coming back here?"
"Nope. I only had this room through today, so I made other arrangements."
"Is that what the surprise is?"
"Maybe. But no more questions! Here, if you can take your overnight bag, I've got the rest. Are you ready?"
"I think so."
"Good!" Rick kissed her quickly and playfully smacked her butt before heading to the door. "Then let's go. We don't want to be late."
After checking out, the couple went outside to find their driver Mark, from the night before was back and awaiting them. He held the door for Kate and then placed everything in the trunk.
"Are we going where we discussed last night, Mr. Castle?"
"Yes, Mark. Thank you."
Fifteen minutes later they were pulling up to the same airport that Kate flew into less than twelve hour before.
Kate opened her mouth to begin interrogating Rick again, but he gently placed a finger over her lips to cut her off. "Trust me."
As soon as they were nearing the first security check point, Rick put his bags down and turned to Kate. "Since they're undoubtedly going to question you at security, you need to know that we are going to St. Thomas for pleasure and will be flying back Sunday."
"St. Thomas! What about your book tour?"
"The tour is done! On my first day in Miami, I ran into my old friend Sam Brennan, and he was telling me he was in town for the day because he just left his villa in St. Thomas to go shoot a movie for a couple months. Then he told me if I needed a vacation any time, that his place would be empty until October, and I could stay there any time. So we made a few arrangements, I got you to come down here, and we're on our way! What do you think?"
"We're staying at Sam Brennan's place?"
Rick nodded.
"THE Sam Brennan, Oscar winning writer, director, producer, Sam Brennan?
"One in the same!"
Kate was sufficiently speechless until they boarded the plane.
"How do you know Sam?" Kate finally asked when they were in the air.
"He was my R. A. in college."
Beckett's face was awash in disbelief. "How did I not know this? He's done half of my favorite movies! I love his work."
"I didn't realize you were such a fan. I'll have to have him over next time he's in New York. You'll love him. He hasn't let fame change him, he's still really down to earth."
"Wow, we're headed to St. Thomas to stay at Sam Brennan's house. I'm in complete shock."
"Good." Rick leaned in close to Kate. "You do so much for me everyday, just by loving me putting up with all my crap. I love to do little things for you too."
"You call this a little thing?"
"I'd give you the world if it was mine to give. This is just a weekend away. So yes I would."
XXXXXXXXXXX
After landing, and catching a cab to the dock Sam told him about, Rick took Kate's hand in his. "After how far you've come this summer on my boat, I assumed that you'd be OK taking a boat down here. Is that OK?"
"I think so."
"It won't be a long ride, but the boat may be kind of small. If you don't want to do it, let me know. I'll make other arrangements.
"No. I'll be fine. Just don't let go."
The boat ride passed quickly. Kate was so distracted by the beautiful turquoise water and white sand beaches to be too frightened. When they docked, Issac, the quiet man who brought them to the island, hopped out of the boat and began carrying their belongings up the wood planked path that led into dense green foliage.
"Is this a private island?" Kate asked Rick as the followed the spry older man down the path.
"Sam said there are six residences on this island, and we'll probably never see or hear a single sign of anyone at any of them."
Just beyond the thick greenery stood a beautiful two story white villa. Behind it to the left were several smaller buildings and to the right a small and very private white sand beach in what appeared to be a sheltered cove.
A beautiful middle aged woman wearing a bright tropical dress stepped out of the villa to meet the couple. "Welcome! You must be Mr. Castle and Detective Beckett, Mr. Sam said you'd be here today."
Rick and Kate reached out to shake the smiling woman's hand. "And you much be Alma," Rick replied. "Sam told me that his housekeeper was sunshine on two feet."
"Ah. Mr. Sam is a charmer indeed!"
After getting Rick and Kate settled in, Alma showed them around the property and introduced them to her husband Paul, who maintained the buildings and the grounds. Isaac, Paul and Alma, lived in two of the small cottages on the property, and were Sam Brennan's full time staff. Not only did they speak highly of Sam, but they were also quite happy to assist Kate and Rick in any way needed.
After they completed the tour, Alma brought them back to the house for a lovely lunch of jerk chicken wraps and a fresh fruit salad.
Rick and Kate spent most of the afternoon in the shade beside the pool, reading and napping and just relaxing in paradise.
That night, Rick grilled fish that Issac had caught that morning and Kate prepared some rice and veggies in the outdoor kitchen. As they worked side by side, they sang along to the music coming from the speakers hidden in the foliage.
After the sun had gone down and Alma had swooped in to clean up everything, despite Kate and Rick's protests that they could do it; the couple took a long walk along the shore. The lights of the main island and the cruise ships that came and went seemed a world away. The twinkling stars above them almost seemed closer. When they returned to the small beached cove in front of the villa, Rick pulled Kate into his strong embrace.
He kissed her and she kissed him. Lips parted, tongues dances, and hands caressed. It didn't take too long before Rick was untying the straps of Kate's sun dress and tugging it down past her hips. In response, she found the drawstring to his shorts and soon had them around his feet.
Rick grabbed for Kate, wanting to pull her down into the warm sand, but she dashed away, shedding her remaining clothes and splashing into the gentle waves. Castle watched her dark silhouette move in the moonlight as she went out farther until the water was lapping just at her chest.
Fueled by desire, Rick pulled off his shoes and shirt and raced out to her. Just before reaching her, he dove under water and swam the rest of the way to her. He planted his feet and surfaced slowly so that his lips skimmed her skin as he rose up. When his mouth found hers, Kate could taste the salt water on his lips, but still opened her mouth to him.
Together they moved slowly, until at last they were united.
Before Rick and Kate fell asleep that night, they continued their lovemaking on the sand, in the shower and on the balcony of their bedroom that overlooked the bay. It was that night when they truly realized why this place was called paradise.