You say Cicada, I say Cicadah
An IFP Companion
by RGoodfellow64
Alternate title: There's trillions of them!
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Disclaimer: Honestly, do I have to go through this every time? Ok, don't own Castle or Cicadas.
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Richard Castle was leaning over his dining room table pouring over maps of several states. To his left was a map of Pennsylvania; while to his right were maps of Maryland and Virginia.
"I think we need to go to Pennsylvania," he stated, while looking up to see that his family had abandoned him.
"Where is everybody?" he called out, and shortly Alexis' head popped over the upstairs railing while Martha came out of the kitchen with a cup of coffee.
"Really, Richard, must you yell so?" Martha asked as she sat in one of the dining room chairs as Alexis came back downstairs to sit next to her.
"Pennsylvania!" Castle exclaimed in triumph. "After weeks of investigating I have determined that Pennsylvania, specifically near the Mason / Dixon line, will be our best viewing option."
Martha took a sip of her coffee, then shook her head exasperatedly before she said, "Richard, under no circumstance will I ever travel anywhere to view some bugs." As he was about to interrupt she quickly added, "I don't care how short the ride is, how beautiful the countryside is, or how lovely the weather is, a bug is a bug and I can see plenty in New York if I desire…which I don't!"
Castle looked over to his daughter who was typing on her phone, "Pumpkin?"
Alexis looked up after sending a text and replied, "Sorry Dad, I'm busy that day."
Scrunching his eyebrows in confusion Castle asked, "What day? I never mentioned any day, how can you be busy?"
Alexis smiled, got up from her chair, gave her father a kiss on the cheek and walked back towards the stairs, "Doesn't matter what day you pick, Dad, I'm busy that day." Alexis then continued up the stairs and back into her room.
"Richard, she's going to be twenty seven this year. Working towards a doctorate takes much of her time. Be thankful she wants to stay here with us."
Pouting, Castle said, "But they only show up once every 17 years, and they're gone after just a month or so! She can't miss this opportunity!"
Alexis leaned over the railing again and said, "I've got plenty of time, Dad." As Castle's pout turned into puppy dog eyes to try to change her mind she added, "And just think, in 17 years I could be married and you'd have grand children to show the next batch of bugs!" With a smile, Alexis turned back to her room but not before hearing her father say, "Traitorous child. At least Lily, Jake and Reece will come with me."
Martha laughed and replied, "Richard, Reece is afraid of bugs, can you picture him being happy surrounded by thousands of them at a time? Also, keep in mind that Lily will probably talk Jake into eating them." With a proud smile Martha added, "She's very good at getting the boys in trouble."
Castle ran his hand through his hair; all his plans seem to be breaking apart before he can even get them started. His mother was right; his youngest son Reece is frightened of bugs, any kind of bug, ever since a queen bee landed on him when he was three. Although he wasn't stung, just the sound of insect wings frightens him. His darling daughter, Lily, who just recently turned 7, was so much like her mother it was scary. Of course, Kate just laughed, sang some Gershwin to him and left for the park with the children to visit with Auntie Lanie.
He shook his head, for some reason the Universe has decided to not like him again, and he wasn't happy about that.
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Meanwhile at the park, Kate and Lanie were enjoying a late morning cup of coffee and pastry while watching Lily explain to her two brothers exactly how to swing on the swings without ruining their cloths. The two women could see both four and a half year old boys, and Lanie recalled that you should never forget their four and a half, looking longingly at the swings while their sister educated them in something they had no want to know, her two hands curled into fists and resting on her hips as she continued to talk.
After a while, Kate called out, "Lily, let the boys go on the swing." As Lily turned around to look at her mother, the boys both took off and grabbed a swing, excited to finally play.
When Lily sighed and picked out a swing for herself, Kate looked back at her phone and chuckled. "What did Alexis say that's so funny, Kate" Lanie asked.
"Rick." Kate replied, and although that was usually enough for anyone to understand that something weird was either going on, had just ended or was about to start, Kate added, "He wants us all to go to Pennsylvania to see the 17-Year Cicada's."
Lanie shook her head and asked, "What did Alexis say to that?"
Kate laughed out loud as a second text arrived, "She told him she was busy that day and she had plenty of time to see them again in 17 years. She also said that by then she could be married with her own kids for him to take."
"Doesn't he think that at 27 she's still too young to date?" Lanie asked with a grin.
"Yep. It doesn't matter that she lived in Paris for 18 months and Singapore for a year, she will always be his little girl." Kate looked over at Lily and added, "He plans on Lily only going to all girls schools till she's 40."
The two women smiled at each other and then looked back at the children who were now enjoying a slide, having had enough of the swings. As she watched, Kate started to hum a tune for a while till Lanie asked her about it.
"What are you humming? It sounds familiar." Kate replied, "Gershwin, it seemed appropriate after Rick was pulling out maps for the last couple of weeks trying to determine the best cicada viewing spots."
"Why would an old movie song be appropriate?" Lanie asked.
"Because I changed the words and Martha decided to join in with me as we sang it."
With a smile Lanie said, "So sing it for me."
Kate grinned and started, "You say Cicada, and I say Cicadah, you say tomata and I say tomatah, Cicada, Cicadah, tomata, tomatah, let's call the whole thing off!"
Lanie started to laugh after the first line and could just picture the look on Castle's face as Kate and his mother sang that to him. "That's priceless! Can I assume that no one is going to go looking for the bugs?"
"If Rick wants to go to Pennsylvania to see bugs, he's more than welcome to go. As for Martha, Alexis, me and my kids, we'll be safe, and bug free, at home."
Looking at her watch, Kate called the children back; it was time to go home as it was getting close to lunchtime. Lanie packed up their paper cups and bag and placed them in a nearby recycle bin as Kate wiped off the dirt on Jakes knees and then on Reece's butt.
"Honestly, Mom, I tried to keep them clean, but you know how they are." Lily said as she frowned at her brothers for getting dirty. She told them to be careful!
"Come on, let's go," Kate said as the children gave Auntie Lanie a hug and kiss goodbye. "Hold each others hands like a train!" Kate said as they started to walk back home.
Lanie smiled as she watched them hold each other tightly and walk away. Although it was a long time getting the two of them together, Lanie was proud that she finally got Kate married to Castle. Naturally, it never would have happened without her!
As she walked away from the park, the song stuck in her head and she laughed as she sang, "You say Cicada, and I say Cicadah…"
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AN: Well who knew that was coming? How did this happen, well I live in the Shenandoah Valley and we've heard nothing except there will be trillions of cicada's arriving in the coming weeks, making a loud mating call noise up to 100 decibels! Although I am excited to see something that only happens once every 17 years, Mrs. G isn't. She's more concerned on cleaning up thousands and thousands of dead bugs. Actually it's kinda sad, they spend 17 years waiting to get out to party and it lasts only a short time till they drop from all the…ahem…exercise. As for the song, well, those of you who know me understand that my mind is a sometimes scary place to visit, as Mrs. G can attest, and the other day as we spoke about the cicada's while driving in the car, I burst out in the song written above and Mrs. G joined in. Now for info on the story, since it's 2021 with the bugs, and Alexis was 18 years old in 2012, she is now 27 and working towards her doctorate while staying at home. According to Castle Wiki, the three kids Rick and Kate have are Lily, and twin boys Jake and Reece. One of my nephews is afraid of bugs so I gave that to Reece.