Christmas Story Chapter 21, a castle fanfic

Chapter 21

Kate made her way past the squeaky board without a sound. The clock had read 3:28 and she really didn't want to interrupt anyone else's sleep. Though she had been more than a little tempted to rouse Castle, if only for a midnight make out session. But then he would have been up for a while longer and she wasn't sure her body could handle another couple of- anyway she couldn't sleep and figured some reflective thinking time curled up in front of the large living room fire might help quiet her mind. Castle had lit the fire in their bedroom, but having him so close...listening to the steady in and out of his breathing...watching his face as it was utterly at peace...suffice it to say her mind had neither slowed nor quieted. If anything it insisted on projecting into the future. A future that she could see herself in; one that she was astonished to realize was not only possible but probable, but also a future that she was terrified of screwing up.

Were things moving too fast?

"Kate, darling. What are you doing up at this ungodly hour?"

Kate stilled at the top of the steps leading down into the living room. "Martha! I'm sorry I didn't think anyone else would be up." She was tempted to just creep back into bed with Castle but curiosity made her ask, "What are you doing out here at this time of night?"

The matriarch lifted a mug from her lap and shrugged. "Richard may think that I sleep like the dead, but I have my fair share of sleepless nights."

Her words made Kate pause. She lifted an eyebrow "Nothing too serious I hope?"

"No, no dear. I simply find myself pondering the great mysteries of life."

Ah. Perhaps she should have gone back to bed.

:What about you darling? What has you awake when you should be, I assume, quite comfortable and content?" Her smile was warm and inviting and Kate found herself stepping into the living room and settling on the other end of the couch.

How much truth to tell... "Um...similar lines of thinking I guess. Much pondering."

"Well I wouldn't go so far as to think that. I usually end up thinking about silly things that don't really matter. Such as: Why is it that being 'normal' is something that people strive for, yet being 'average' has a negative connotation? Normal and average. Ha! Same thing." She reached over and patted Kate's hands as they lay folded in her lap. "But I guess that doesn't really matter as I most certainly fall into neither of those categories! Ah, well, would you like something to drink? Keep an old woman company for a little while?"

Dear Martha. Kate wondered again, for what would most certainly not be the last time, what she had done to deserve a place in this most special of families.

"What are we drinking tonight?" She leaned forward and tried to peek into the cup that Martha was holding loosely in her right hand, but the other woman stood and made her way to the kitchen.

"The mulled wine isn't mulled yet, and I will concede that 3:30 in the morning is too early to imbibe...and the tea kettle would make to much noise so that ruled out tea...I made some virgin cocoa."

"Mmm. Sounds perfect."

Martha prepared two mugs complete with whipped cream and chocolate curls and they returned to the living room to sit in front of the fire. Kate sipped at her cocoa, unsure of where this conversation might go, but eager to get to know the woman who had raised the man she had fallen for so quickly.

That's right, Kate told herself, I'm done. Finished. He's absolutely ruined me for anyone else.

"I recognize that smile...tell me, what could possibly be torturing your thoughts when you've obviously got it bad for my son?"

Hm. The woman had no filter. Straight to the heart of things it seemed then. Kate stalled with another sip of cocoa, but was cut off before she'd even formed a response.

"Oh! I guess I've answered my own question." Martha clasped Kate's free hand and held it a moment until she looked her in the eye. "He loves you, you know."

She nodded in the affirmative. "I do. And I-"

"He's not smothering you is he? I can have a talk with him if you'd like. That boy does like to rush good things. I've told him time and time again-"

Kate shook her head, "No! No. He isn't rushing anything. He's been...quite patient with me, actually."

"Ah. I see." She dropped Kate's hand and scratched her nose. "Are we? Smothering you? Please don't let us run you off. Richard would never forgive-"

Kate laughed and held up a hand to stop the woman from going on. "Martha! NO! You have all been absolutely wonderful. That's not the problem."

"So there is a problem then?"

Shoot. Castle was right. She really did have Jedi mind tricks. She tried backpedaling. "I didn't- No, there's-"

"Don't worry," Martha soothed. "This is new territory." She leveled a look on the younger woman.

"For both of you."

"But-"

"No. No. Trust me darling, I know my son. I've seen him 'in relationships' if you could even call them that. This is quite different."

Kate felt flushed. She could blame the cocoa. She could blame the fire. What was it about this family that could set her blood running hot? But again, she was saved before she could dwell on it for long.

"Now about all of those...packages you brought in with you from the village...I'm guessing you'll need a certain male to be out from underfoot for some time...tomorrow shall we say? Oh! Later today I suppose," she said on a laugh.

Kate smiled a shy smile. "That would be...is that asking too much? If you already have dinner planned please don't let me get in the way of anything..."

"Don't be ridiculous. It's my turn to make dinner and I certainly don't mind putting it off." She stage whispered, "And I'm sure Richard and Alexis won't mind either."

Kate laughed at that. She had experienced few meals for which Martha had been responsible and most of those had been takeout.

"Darling, every woman should have one or two meals that she can make exceptionally well. In my case Bourbon Chili is the only thing that I make and it happens to be exceptional! It can also wait another day or two. Preparation is not very hard as the good ole' crock pot does all of the hard lifting."

Kate finished her cocoa and put the mug down on the side table. "Martha I'm sure you make more than one thing well," she argued.

"Oh no. It's true. But my best dishes come out of cartons and boxes! I can make a decent pancake, though it may be a tad overdone...but honestly, Richard started cooking here and there when he was a teenager. Apparently there is a limit to how much pizza a boy can tolerate." She smiled on a shrug.

"You raised a good man."

" He is that, I'll grant you, but I cannot take all of the credit. Mind you, I will take some of it, but he has done exceptionally well by himself."

"And Alexis changed him I'm sure?" Kate had seen the interaction between father and daughter. It was hard to miss. Plus the fact that Alexis was pretty much the best behaved kid (or not so much kid anymore) she'd ever met...they were good for each other. Rounded each other out.

"Alexis has changed him. Yes. But you are forgetting a major game changer in my son's life."

Kate thought about who else may have made a significant change in Castle's behavior. Surely not one of his ex-wives. Though, they may have played some part in his road to maturity.

"You. Ever since he met you he's become a different person. Even more so lately."

"Now tell her how I've acquired super powers because of her, Mother."

Both women's heads jerked up to find Castle, bed head and naked torso, pajama pants slung low on his hips, smirking at them from above.

Castle jerked awake palm hitting the cool sheet beside him. He flung his arm out reaching for Kate only to swipe at empty space. No wonder he was cold. He'd become used to sleeping with her—next to her. His eyes went to the bathroom door seeking light but found none.

Where had she gone?

How long had she been gone?

He glanced at the clock. 3:40. They'd finally given in to sleep around 1:00; both exhausted. Why then was she out of bed? Maybe he'd been too clingy. He grinned. He hadn't been the clingy one last night. In fact, she hadn't wanted to let go of his-

Right. Find her first...daydream later. Or better make dreams reality.

He climbed out of bed taking care not to stub his poor toe again and pulled on his pajama bottoms. That would do. No one else likely to be up and Kate wouldn't care. That and he wasn't planning on being out of bed longer than necessary. Find Kate. Drag back to bed. Get warm again. Ready. Go.

He made his way to the bedroom door. Cracked open. She was out there all right. He pulled it open and stepped around the creaky board straining to hear anything. Huh. Low voices. Kate wasn't alone out here. He took a step or two closer but stayed out of sight.

"He loves you, you know."

So they were talking about him. Interesting.

"I do. And I-"

Ha! She knew it! Although really she'd have to be deaf, dumb, and blind not know it. And Kate Beckett was most certainly NOT deaf, dumb, or blind. It wasn't like he'd kept his feelings for her a secret. But he had tried to tame things down a little. Keep to a pace she seemed comfortable with.

"He's not smothering you is he? I can have a talk with him if you'd like. That boy does like to rush good things. I've told him time and time again-"

Castle rolled his eyes. His mother could be such a drama queen sometimes, but maybe she was right. Maybe he shouldn't-

"No! No. He isn't rushing anything. He's been...quite patient with me, actually."

Yay. Win one for Castle the NOT SMOTHERER.

He was very glad to have learned this bit of information but listened as his mother continued with her questions: "Are we? Smothering you? Please don't let us run you off. Richard would never forgive-"

No. No he wouldn't. Not if they ran her off. Not true. He would, but damned if he wouldn't be angry with them for a while. His fleeting fears were assuaged when Kate's voice peaked a little.

"Martha! NO! You have all been absolutely wonderful. That's not the problem."

"So there is a problem then?"

Crap.

There was a problem.

She'd left him alone in bed because there was a problem. His poor sleep deprived writer's imagination couldn't handle that kind of information so early in the morning.

"I didn't- No, there's-"

Oh. Maybe not so bad after all?

"Don't worry, this is new territory." His mother paused. What he wouldn't give to see Kate's face right now.

"For both of you."

Wow. Very perceptive, Mother.

"But-"

"No. No. Trust me darling, I know my son. I've seen him 'in relationships' if you could even call them that. This is quite different."

This was true. He'd never felt this way in his entire life. It was a different kind of love. The closest he'd felt it was when Alexis was born. That strong kind of love that makes you certain that you would do anything for that other person. But different still because Alexis was his daughter and Kate was...Kate. The love of his life.

Wow.

Ok what were they saying? He'd kind of zoned out for a minute or two...something about food? Ah. His mother was talking about her cooking prowess...or rather, lack thereof.

This was very true. His mother could handle a crock pot fairly well, but the only thing that ever came out really well was her Bourbon Chili. He wondered at times if it was because she sampled certain ingredients as she 'made' it.

Kate was arguing with her, bless her heart. "Martha I'm sure you make more than one thing well."

He shook his head from his hiding place. No, Kate. She really doesn't.

True story. Pizza was good every now and again, but even a teenage boy had his limits.

"You raised a good man."

His heart flip flopped inside his chest.

"He is that, I'll grant you, but I cannot take all of the credit. Mind you, I will take some of it, but he has done exceptionally well by himself."

"And Alexis changed him I'm sure?"

She had. Kate knew that. He'd told her stories of how he'd had to make life altering decisions after Alexis had been born.

"Alexis has changed him. Yes. But you are forgetting a major game changer in my son's life."

Maybe he should intervene here.

His mother continued, "You. Ever since he met you he's become a different person. Even more so lately."

Time to interrupt this little heart to heart. His own heart was about to bust out and he really needed to drag Kate back to bed. Now.

"Now tell her how I've acquired super powers because of her, Mother."

Both of their heads whipped around startled to find him smirking at them.

AN: It'll be a few days...