Very Castle Celebrations
Chapter 2
It's both amazing and disquieting to Castle just how many sites there are on the web that list or even celebrate serial killers. Google cites 10.5 million entries on the topic. He just wants to find one whose subjects have a theme that relates to something Irish or at least Gaelic. He's not getting much done except for making his stomach turn at the descriptions of what the killers did to their victims. With all his research and the time he spent shadowing Kate, he still can't wrap his mind around that kind of evil. He can see why such murderers were and sometimes still are thought by some to be demon possessed. Intellectually, he can understand that these killers have seriously miswired brains, but it's hard to internalize that concept. Viscerally, he envisions them as twisted monsters masquerading as humans.
He decides to go at his search from another tack. Not much says St. Patrick's Day like a pub, and darts have been traditional in pubs for over 100 years. If there is a serial killer, perhaps he's the "Dart Killer."
Once he gets past the references to "killer dart games," he finds something promising. It's about a death that was classed as a tragic accident. Someone was accidentally hit on the head with a lawn dart, the kind that has since been taken off the market for safety reasons. Could the victim have been killed deliberately? Looking at it another way, could New York's dart killer have experienced a psychotic break after some past traumatic dart-related incident?
Castle decides that using his subscription to a database of news stories might be a better way to attack his research than just employing a popular search engine. He trims his keywords down to "dart" and "death," and starts again. Finally, he has a manageable list of citations.
He glances at the time at the bottom of his screen. It's midnight already. Any minute Jackson will… Right on schedule. Kate had hit the sack around 10 to get in a couple of badly needed hours of slumber. Castle lifts Jackson out of his crib and brings him to Kate, before stretching out beside them. When Jackson finishes his late-night snack, he'll carry a hopefully drowsy infant back to his baby bower. If his son protests, he may have some comforting to do before he can return to his research - if he can return to his online hunt. Kate's not the only one who's tired. He didn't notice it when he was immersed in tracking down clues to a killer, but now that he's had a few moments to relax, exhaustion descends like a lead curtain. Screw it! He'll get Jackson settled and grab some rest himself. His database will still be there after sunrise.
There's no database. In fact, there's no internet, except on his phone and tablet. His ISP has had an outage massive enough to have stopped taking calls and is just answering inquiries with a recorded message that they're working on it. His data service works off a whitelist and won't accept a query, even with the right username and password, if the IP address is unrecognized. He can't sign on from anything except his nonfunctional wireless network. He's not going to be continuing his research until his ISP gets its act together - however long that may take.
It is the perfect excuse to just curl up with Kate and Jackson. He won't be able to stream anything to his big screen, but his DVR, DVDs, and Blu-rays will work fine. It's a little early in the day for popcorn, but the perfect time for hot chocolate. With Kate's fondness for vintage music and Jackson's newfound appreciation of bagpipes, Castle decides to dig out the Gene Kelly version of Brigadoon. The movie is less than two hours long, but with any luck, the internet may be back by the time it's over.
Jackson falls asleep five minutes into the movie, something Castle makes a note of for future reference. That will give him and Kate some much-needed cuddle time. Dr. Sabatini has not yet given Kate her OK for traditional sex, not that they've had much energy for it anyway, but a quiet interlude together is like a gift from the gods. He draws her into his lap. Her breasts are fuller than they've ever been. He's seen her frowning at herself in the mirror a couple of times, running her hand over an abdomen that has yet to recover its hard-fought pre-pregnancy firmness.
He doesn't mind a little softness. He actually likes it, especially considering its origin. He has no doubt that Kate will push herself until she recovers the shape she believes to be perfection. She's as much a warrior in that as she is in everything else. But to him, she's nothing less than perfect now - and too goddamned sexy.
When Kate runs her hand up his thigh, he gets the loud and clear message that he's not the only one feeling the urge to do more than snuggle. There are things they can try that won't upset Dr. Sabatini. As long as Jackson is being so obliging, there are more satisfying amusements than watching someone else's love story. He hits the off button and carries Kate into the bedroom.
Wary of leaking milk, Kate wants to keep her nursing bra on, but there are many delightful unobstructed locations on her body for Castle to explore. He decides to start from the bottom up. There is that spot on the ball of her foot, just bordering her arch. Kate gasps as he finds it, thrashing against the bed. His lips blaze a trail to the tender skin of her inner thigh. Her hands fist in his hair, pulling him further upward.
Their lips meet with chocolate-tinged sweetness. His tongue searches for the intoxicating taste that is all Kate. She presses against him, running her fingers down his back until she grabs the firm muscle beneath. Even without the most intimate joining, the pressure builds between them, demanding more anything, everything. Every inch of his skin screams for her touch. The want that's been suppressed by parental responsibilities and sheer exhaustion is rising like lava from a volcano, kindling flaming trails of desire.
His hand finds the center of Kate's heat, even as she encircles his. Their tongues twine in an ancient dance as touch becomes harder, more desperate. He can feel himself approaching the edge as he works to bring her with him. She's almost there if he can hold back just a little longer. She arches and cries out, just as his own climax breaks free. They gaze at each other in relieved wonder before lying still for a moment, as Castle prays that Jackson is still in dreamland.
Whatever angel guards the sanity of parents of newborns is obviously on duty. No complaints are issuing from the nursery. Wow. Castle hugs Kate to him in silent thanks. As they bask in the afterglow, he vows that the first thing he'll do the next time he picks up his phone is to order a backup copy of Brigadoon. Better still, he'll get both formats of discs and the digital version, just in case.
