This little number has not been leaving me alone so I gave in and typed it up last night and tonight. It literally is a first draft so be kind. Not sure where it's headed, so I'm in this with you. Perhaps its my way of dealing with what we are all experiencing. It's a sensitive subject, it's going on all around us and I'm not making light of it. Stay inside, read my stories and keep the pressure off the health care system of your country by staying virus free. And for the fun of it, when you finished reading this chapter, please send a review telling us your country of origin.
Chapter 1 – Morning, March 8, 2020
Castle pointed the remote at the TV and muted it, tired of the continual drone of news feeding from around the world. Corona virus. There was no other news. It was disturbing and the longer he was caught up in it, the more unsettled his mind became. He'd barely slept for two nights and this morning while he'd been drinking the first coffee of the day, his patience and his level of calmness had bubbled over. It had been a long time since he'd felt anxious.
"Kate?" He called.
He heard the girls' laughter coming from the master bedroom. It was common, and he loved the life they brought into the house. The laughter fell silent.
"Baby, come here." He paced, rubbed his whiskered chin. There was the soft tones of his wife's chatter seconds before she appeared, carrying their daughter on her right hip. They were still in night clothes, Kate's long legs bare, her top slipped off her right shoulder. Her hair was messily piled on top of her head. She always looked happy now. She was happiest when she was at home with her family. Their daughter was in pink PJ's. Her dark hair hung in loose curls the soft toy teddy that never left her side was gripped in her left hand.
For a moment or two he forgot why he'd called for Kate. She had that way of making him forget his woes. Seeing his girls together, safe and healthy was the most important thing in his life, especially now.
"What is it?" Kate asked, looking from the TV to him. "Castle." She kind of growled and pointed at the screen with a furrowed brow. "You're watching too much news, Babe." She didn't alter her mood much, never got that flustered or angry in the presence of Lily.
"No, I'm not. Can you please sit down? We need to talk." He took the child that reached out to him and jiggled her and the teddy bear into the cradle of his right arm. He carried her to the couch.
Beckett folded up beside him, watching him with their baby.
"C'mon Castle, don't get too caught up in the hysteria. We have plenty of toilet paper." Beckett maintained a straight expression until he gave her a look. She laughed.
"Funny girl. Bloody Australians really went to town on that, didn't they?"
"Had fights about it. You saw those three crazy women. Over toilet rolls?"
"Ashamed to say I have seen it, and I got caught up in watching it. Got you running for a pack."
"Uh," she corrected, "We were running low."
"Then the pasta, the other crazy shit."
"Don't join them, Babe," she lightly warned. "Though stocking up on wine might be a good idea."
"Yeah, but got plenty of that here and at the beach house." Castle sat back, stared at the muted TV. The band at the bottom of the screen was all about the virus and breaking news. He stroked Lily's small body. He sighed with worry. He didn't want them getting ill. "Kate?"
"Mm?"
"I want you to pack up your stuff that you want, for long term, and head up to the beach house. You and Lily must get out of the city. The house is secure and we have the space around us."
"What about you?"
"I'm going to talk with Alexis and see if I can persuade her to join us."
"You can do that over the phone, Castle-"
"Castle," Lily echoed and sloppily kissed his cheek.
Rick frowned, then muttered with a good dose of affection, "She will never call me Daddy." He planted a kiss on his daughter's forehead. She giggled.
Beckett had a snicker at both of them. "No. It was the first word."
"Mm. She will use it when she wants something. She's like her mother that way."
"I don't call you Daddy."
He frowned at Kate, "Ricky? Huh?"
Her cheeks blushed. "Yes, I refer to you as Ricky when I want something. And my Dad gets the other."
"Yeah, I know." He removed Lily's hand from his mouth. "I forgot what it's like to have a two year old."
"So far so good." Kate answered watching her little family. "Castle?"
"Mm?"
"You have to be with Lily and me." She smiled softly at her daughter who was hugging into her father, but when she looked back at her partner, her eyes were serious, concerned. "Seriously."
"I will follow you up," he reassured.
"No. We stay together."
He sighed, "What about Alexis?"
"She's an adult, Rick. She has a life with her partner."
"She's still my child."
"Agreed, and I want her to be with us, but we have to respect her decision. Tell her we are going and she can catch a ride with us. Or they can follow us up."
He thought about it while he watched the TV and juggled Lily who was all action this morning.
"Hamptons or the lake house?"
"Hamptons, Rick. It's a big house. My Dad might go to the lake."
"He can join us if he wants. The house has six bedrooms, and then we have the keeper's apartment over the garage that is vacant and has two bedrooms."
"I will call him. We could stay up there until the fall if we need to, huh?" She urged, her hand holding his forearm.
"Yes, we can. We go up a month earlier than we planned to and stay there. I have to write, you can edit," he said while he wrestled a playful toddler that climbed him. "This child is your daughter."
"You love it," Kate responded watching Lily battle it out with her Dad, full of giggles.
"We will be lock down buddies," Castle joked and caught the mischievous expression that had him point at Beckett, "Honey, I know exactly what you are thinking."
"What?"
"Lock down buddy?" He inquired.
She grinned. "We get this kid into bed by six thirty each evening and we will have the whole place to ourselves, she hinted as she shifted closer to Rick's ear. He looked into her hazel eyes, the same color as the baby's and waited, fully aware she was seducing him.
"We won't be alone if everyone in the family joins us," Castle commented. "Good thing our bedroom there is huge."
"Like apartment huge." She gave him a seductive look, "I could pack my sexy lingerie, Ricky."
"You will be packing that for sure." He encouraged, particularly as she wasn't as body confident since being pregnant and giving birth. No matter how much he told her he loved her, more than he thought possible, she still carried a form of postpartum body issues even though her body had recovered exceptionally well. "Cannot wait to see you in that."
"Maybe," she teased then kissed his cheek.
Rick smiled in pure pleasure. He had his wife doing her usual behaviour and the little one performing her version of affection.
"God help me." He gave Kate a kiss. Like always, it stopped Lily in her tracks. She loved it when her parents kissed. It caused her to giggle and them to laugh.
Castle took a hold of Kate's hand and lifted it. He pressed his lips to her knuckles. "I will give Lily her breakfast. Give me the clothes you want her dressed in today. Go pack your things, her things. We'll pack both cars and leave today."
She sobered. "Castle," she whispered. "Don't scare me."
"I'm keeping you as safe as I can."
"What about your Mom?"
"She'll come up. It's not safe for her to be in the city alone and she'll drop anything to spend time with this bundle of joy. I'm going to call her and tell her to pack."
"Good. Shall I pack the toilet rolls into the car?"
"Kate," he groaned but smiled, "Yes. It might be a good idea."
"Okay. All jokes aside, we might be right. So, we shut this place up for the long term?"
"Yes. Just make the beds, we do the laundry while we pack. I will empty the fridge."
"Castle." Beckett said to put the brakes on his plans, and was instantly echoed by her daughter. "I will get a note pad and we will write out a list of to do's. We won't leave here until this afternoon."
"That's fine. So long as we leave in the next 12 hours," he replied and lifted Lily up, passed her back to Kate. I'll go make her breakfast. Reconvene in ten to draft the list and feed your offspring."
"I will get your offspring changed." She stood off the couch and carried the baby to her bedroom.
TBC
I'm Australian