Very Castle Celebrations

Chapter 15

Memorial Day has unpleasant memories for Castle, and he suspects it does for Kate as well. Three years before, the holiday was when she refused his invitation to the Hamptons in favor of a weekend with Tom Demming. He found out much later that at the last minute she had broken up with Demming hoping for a getaway with him, but unfortunately by that time he was resurrecting his relationship with Gina. Love was definitely not better the second time. It wasn't even love. A celebration that had once been a sweet family time for him had morphed into a tragedy of errors. The worst thing was that he and Kate had ended up wasting two years when they could have been together.

This year will be completely different. Castle's not going to try to recapture the kind of days he spent with Alexis and mother at his beach house. Instead, he and Kate will be doing something much more appropriate to the origin of the observance than lazing by a pool.

Esposito is part of a group that organized an event supporting the military, and enlisted Castle's help. Castle will be lending his house, grounds, and facilities along with access to the beach, to the families of soldiers serving overseas, a place to picnic, swim, play games, or whatever else they feel like doing. He's hired a couple of professional lifeguards, but he and Kate will be on hand as hosts. Jackson will occupy his new backpack to survey the action and act as a mascot of sorts.

Castle looks out at the families sharing meals on blankets spread on the expansive lawns of his beach home. Some of them have brought their own food, but he provided coolers stocked with drinks and stocked portable tables with assorted cold cuts and salads. He also fired up the grill, but Esposito soon took over outdoor cooking chores, providing a steady supply of hamburgers and weiners to the hungry crowd. The gathering is lively enough, yet awareness of all the dads and moms who can't be there hangs over the assembly.

In addition to the kids, a few dogs are cavorting around. The furry companions seem to be capturing Jackson's interest. He coos and kicks his feet every time one comes anywhere close. Castle hasn't given serious thought to having a dog since he and Kate shared custody of Royal, a golden retriever who was key to solving the murder of his master. Life will be complicated enough without a canine right now, especially since Kate will be returning to the task force in July. Still, there is no doubt that many of the children find comfort in the presence of four-footed friends.

It is not at all comforting when a boxer begins barking wildly. A couple of the vets working with Esposito accompany Castle to check out what is upsetting the pet.

They find a man lying behind some shrubbery. He appears to be asleep, but not peacefully. He is jerking and grunting as if in the midst of a nightmare. Relying on their experience in combat, Esposito's friends rouse the stranger without putting themselves in a position to be grabbed. The visitor seems confused, as if unaware of his surroundings. They lead him into the house and Castle calls 911 for medical assistance.

As on most holiday weekends, emergency services are stretched thin. By the time EMTs arrive, Castle's new guest is beginning to make a bit more sense. He identifies himself as Staff Sergeant Walter Clapper but doesn't say much else. The EMTs check Walter over, but can't find a problem in need of emergency treatment. They suggest transporting him to a hospital for further examination. Esposito and one of his friends decide to take him, while another vet assumes cooking duties.

The rest of the event goes off without incident, and Castle wholly enjoys watching Kate's contortions when she is caught up in a game of Twister. He wouldn't mind playing one later - without the participation of minors. He, Kate and Jackson will be spending the rest of the three-day weekend in the Hamptons before returning to the city after rush hour dies down on Tuesday morning.


Jackson seems happy enough in his portable crib - especially with his favorite musical mobile suspended over it. Castle and Kate are just about to retire to their own bed when Esposito phones. Kate puts it on speaker. Espo had called in a favor from a friend still on active service, to get the lowdown on Walter Clapper. Clapper's record as a member of a special ops unit was exemplary - right up until the day he was declared dead.

He had not lost his life behind enemy lines, but in the United States, specifically at the Fort Hamilton Army Base in Brooklyn. There had been fire, after which a body had been found and identified by dog tags as Walter Clapper. The fingerprints of the man found asleep at Castle's Hamptons house identify him as a very much alive Walter Clapper. So who is the dead body and how did it end up wearing Walter's dog tags? It was burned too severely to identify it by fingerprints, but the Army JAG will probably be petitioning to have it exhumed, and its DNA run.

Castle stares down at Kate as she ends the call. Had a murderer been taking refuge at their refuge? Kate points out that there's no way to figure that out until they ID the actual dead body. She advises Castle to let the mystery go until they have more information.

She works her hands up under his T-shirt, proposing that a little distraction might help. He recommends their own personal game night. Kate grins and suggests that they start with a sprint for the bed.

Kate is quick, but Castle's longer legs put him at the finish line faster. They tumble together between cool sheets where the temperature quickly rises. Neither one of them has much clothing to strip away, having spent the day in shorts and T's printed with "Families serve too!"

Castle urges Kate to pick a number. When she suggests 39, he begins to blaze a trail of kisses upward from her ankles, counting as he approaches his goal. She writhes beneath his lips, plunging her fingers into his hair and wrapping her legs around his back to bring him closer. The creaking bed protests the wildness of her flailing as his tongue draws intimate circles around her feminine trigger. A sudden crack echoes through the room as a wood slat beneath the box spring gives way. A plaintive wail sounds from the alcove where they set up Jackson's crib.

Castle can hear Kate's groan in unison with his own. Kate pushes herself up and pulls her discarded shirt over her head as Castle regains his shorts. Jackson demands a half-hour's worth of holding, bouncing and rocking before his eyelids finally droop.

Finally, Kate grabs Castle's hand and leads him back to their own now chillier bower. She points below her waist to a spot that had never quite cooled. "I think you left off here."

"I did indeed," Castle agrees. But if I pick up where I left off, you're going to have to pick up something too."

Kate trails her fingers up his thigh beneath his shorts. "You mean something around here?"

Feeling the rush of heat at her touch, he tells her that she's getting warm.

She presses her reawakening ember against his reanimating arousal. "I'd rather be hot."

The broad span of his hands against the firm globes below her back pulls her tight against his groin. "Then we'll just have to rekindle the flames together." A merciful guardian angel wills the rest of the slats to hold.