Title: The Stranger
By: greygoose70
Chapter One
He had no father, no mother, at least none he knew about. He was raised in an orphanage, never got adopted, that is why upon his eighteenth birthday he walked out the front door, walked down to the Marine Corps recruitment center and enlisted.
He discovered he was well suited to life in the Marine Corps, the discipline they taught, the combat training, the schooling, whatever you wanted to learn they had classes for it. One day as he was passing the companies bulletin board, he saw the notification for Force Recon tryouts the first to be held at the swimming pool, so he signed up.
Just as he completed that sentence, he heard the front door open and the sound of his wife's footsteps making their way toward the office. "What ya doing Babe?" She asked when she entered coming over to give him a kiss. "Working on my next book," he answered accepting her kiss returning it with one of his own.
In a few short months, his wife Kate would be celebrating her forty-second birthday and she is still the most beautiful, extraordinary women he has ever met. She has accomplished so much already, youngest to make detective in the NYPD, retired at the age of thirty-seven, returned to college, got her law degree, passed the bar exam on her first attempt, elected to the New York State Assembly on her first run, same for her try at U.S. Senate and this past January she was appointed head of the Senate Judiciary Committee and through all this she gave birth to their now three-year-old daughter Lily. She is now two months pregnant with their second child, children since they just found out she was carrying twins.
"Another Senator Heat political thriller," Kate commented as she began unbuttoning her blouse. "No," he answered, "working on a new character and if you unbutton that blouse any farther, we're going to be late getting out of here."
"Why Babe what are you suggesting," as he popped another button. "Only that you're the sexist woman I've ever known and it's hard for me to control my sexual desires for you."
"FYI Mister Castle you're kind of hard to resist also but you're right and besides the girls should be here shortly."
Those words were no sooner out when they heard the front door open and their three-year-old daughter shouting "is mommy home."
"In here Lily," Kate shouted back just as the little girl came rushing through the doorway. Kate stooped down snatching the girl up in her arms and giving her a kiss to the cheek. Standing up Kate was instantly wrapped up in a hug by her other daughter, Alexis Marie Beckett-Castle, receiving a kiss to her cheek and a "Hi Mom."
"Okay everybody let's let your mother go get changed so we can hit the road," Rick told them.
Two hours later they pulled into the circular drive at their Hampton house sans one passenger. They dropped Alexis off at Paige's parents' house, she was staying with them for a week before having to go back to the city. As they entered the house Kate immediately knew something was different, she smelled fresh paint and there appeared to be another door in the hallway that let back to the study, "What's that Babe?" she asked.
"An elevator Kate."
"And why do we need an elevator Rick?" Giving him an eye roll and walking over to it. "For when you have trouble making it up the stairs," walking over to her Lily right on their heels. "You had some difficulty at the Loft when you were carrying Lily, this time you'll be carrying two, so I figured…." He never got to complete the remainder of his explanation when suddenly Kate's lips were on his in a much appreciative kiss. "Thanks Babe," she said releasing him from the kiss; "I love you."
"I love you too," he reciprocated.
Later after giving the elevator a test run and a walk on the beach they placed a very tired Lily down for a nap. Kate deciding, she could use one as well laid down on the sinfully soft leather sofa instantly falling asleep. Rick covered her with a blanket then went to the study to get some more writing done.
TBC