Merry belated Christmas to everyone who celebrates! FF net was being a meanie yesterday and wouldn't let me so much as login to give you your ficalicious Christmas present. But better late than never, I guess. Right? Enjoy!

Summer at the Cabin, 4

The boys arrived a little over a week later and the first thing they did was ambush Castle and toss him into the pool, laughing the entire time. Castle surfaced, glaring at them and spitting out water, like a fountain, while the boys laughed even harder.

"Very funny, you guys," Castle grumbled. "You're lucky I didn't have my cell phone on me or my mother would have had your heads."

"Aw," Javi mocked, "Mommy's gonna protect her baby boy? How sweet!" The boys broke into another fit of laughter…just as Lanie and Kate crept up behind them and sent them headfirst, into the water.

Kevin came up first, choking and sputtering. "Hey," he coughed, "what was that for?"

"You know damn well what that was for, Kevin," Lanie replied, her arms crossed. She glared as Javi appeared next to him. "Now, y'all stop messing around and go unpack your things. Mr. and Mrs. B are taking us out to dinner tonight and you better be dressed to impress, got it?" She glared right at Javi when she said this and he swallowed thickly, nodding. The girls shared a look and turned on their heels, their summer dresses flowing in the wind as they walked away.

Once they were gone, Kevin turned to Javi. "You are so whipped, Dude," he said.

"Shut up," Javi grumbled, splashing the shorter boy.

A couple of hours later, Castle was fixing—or attempting to fix—his tie in the mirror while Javi and Kevin were practically drowning in their spray-on cologne. He rolled his eyes, giving up on his tie as he dabbed on the green apple spray that he knew Kate liked. It complemented her cherry spray perfectly; he hoped she would wear it tonight.

Just as the thought crossed his mind, there was a knock at their window. He turned, grinning as he saw Kate standing there, wearing a dark red sundress, with thin straps and a skirt that went to her knees. She smiled at him and waved, before motioning for him to join her. He spared a passing glance at the boys, who were fighting for the use of the only other mirror in the room, before slipping out, quietly.

Kate wrinkled his nose. "What's that smell?" she asked, pinching her nostrils as they began to sting.

Castle sniffed his own shirt, his face twisting in disgust. "Javi brought enough AXE to suffocate a small country. I sprayed on that spray you got me."

Kate's eyes widened at that and her hand fell. "Where?" she asked, stepping towards him.

He lifted his chin and she stepped towards him, burying her nose into his neck. "Mmm…" she murmured against his Adam's apple. "Apples."

He chuckled and leaned down to kiss her forehead, surreptitiously taking a whiff of her hair, which fell in gentle waves around her shoulders. "And you're wearing the cherry stuff," he commented. "I love it."

Kate chuckled, wrapping her arms around his waist and holding on tight as she mumbled the next words into his neck.

"And I love you."

Castle's eyes shot open and he pulled back to look her in the eyes. Kate was grinning up at him with a tiny grin on her face, gazing lovingly up at him.

"Really?" he asked. She nodded.

"Yeah," she said, softly. "I know we've only been together for about a month and everybody says that we're too young, but—

Castle's lips on hers cut her off, kissing her sweetly. When he pulled back, they were both grinning. "I love you, too," he said, breathlessly, pressing his forehead to hers. "God, I think I've loved you since the third grade, when I saw you punch out that jerk, Sorenson, for calling me a spazz."

Kate chuckled. "You are a spazz," she teased, "but you're my spazz."

Castle snorted. "That was so cheesy," he laughed.

Kate giggled. "I know," she groaned. "Sorry." Castle shrugged and kissed her again, smiling against her lips.

They pulled back when they heard somebody knocking on the window behind them and turned to see Javier and Kevin making faces at them. Kate rolled her eyes and gave them the finger and they faked shock.

Kate turned back to Rick and smiled. "You need help with your tie?" she asked, pointing to the offending object hanging from his neck. Castle nodded, having forgotten that he still had it on.

Kate tied it quickly into the common double Windsor and tightened it, pulling him down to kiss her once again, before letting go and pushing him towards his room.

"Go," she said. "Mom and Dad said we'd be leaving at six and it's a quarter-to, now. Besides, I have to reapply my lipstick."

Castle groaned. "The one that tastes like strawberries?" he asked.

Kate grinned. "One and the same."

"You're gonna kill me," he moaned.

Kate just winked at him and made her way into her own room, while he stared at Javier and Kevin, who were still making faces at him. He rolled his eyes and opened the door, causing them both to fall forward, onto the balcony. Castle stepped over them and into the bedroom, spraying on some more green apple cologne and made his way out of the room.

The restaurant was, as promised, a nice one, and while the boys were both tugging at their uncomfortable tie, Castle felt almost…right. Like he was where he was meant to be, at least for right now, while Kate is holding his hand.

They'd finally come out and officially told Jo and Jim that they were dating, though neither was surprised that the two adults already knew.

"Well, it's about time!" Jo exclaimed, hugging them both, tightly. When she pulled back, she was smiling brightly at Castle. "You'll take wonderful care of our Katie," she exclaimed, "I'm sure."

"If you don't," Jim added, "I have friends in the NYPD…with guns."

"Dad!"

"Jim!" Johanna swatted her husband and he chuckled.

"I'm just joking," he assured them, but the look he sent Castle was dead serious.

Castle was well-aware of what it might mean for him if he ever broke Kate Beckett's heart and he treaded carefully after that, making sure to keeps his hands off of her—besides the occasional hand-holding and hug—whenever their parents were present.

Even now, as he pulled out Kate's chair for her, he was painfully aware of Jim's gaze, following his every movement as he took the seat adjacent.

As they ate, Kate's hand held his, under the table. At first he was scared that her parents might notice, but they seemed to be too interested in Lanie's tales about dance class, Kevin's description of his sister's wedding, and Javi's grumbles about his father's inattention while he was in Florida.

"He was more interested in making out with his wife than he was in spending time with his own kids," he grumbled. "We coulda run away and he wouldn't have even noticed."

Jo frowned in sympathy and laid a gentle hand on his shoulder. "They're just newlyweds, Sweetheart," she assured him, "still in the Honeymoon phase. It'll pass soon, I promise. Just give him some time."

Javi nodded, picking at his food. "I hope so," he mumbled.

Castle felt his pain; he, too, wished he had a father he could rely on—or even just one who knew of his existence.

He imagined his father running around the backyard with his own kids, playing football or catching fireflies, unaware that he had another son somewhere in the world.

Kate squeezed his hand, bringing Castle out of his thoughts. He turned to her and she gave him a concerned glance. He gave her a soft smile.

"I'm okay," he mouthed. She smiled back, unsurely, but didn't press the issue. Instead, she squeezed his hand and went back to her dinner. He did, as well, listening to everybody laugh as Kevin regaled them with tales of his sister's disastrous reception.

When dinner was done, Castle helped Kate get to her feet and she groaned.

"I am stuffed," she groaned, falling into him. Castle caught her, chuckling.

"I can tell," he replied, righting her and placing his arm around her shoulders, supporting her as they made their way to the car. He let her have the window seat and he sat in the middle between her and Lanie, both girls leaning their heads on his shoulder, dozing.

Javi and Kevin sat in front of them, in the middle aisle of the large SUV Jim had rented, in their own separate seats, across an aisle from each other, arguing about something or other.

Castle felt himself start to doze off, as well, his head falling onto Kate's, inhaling the sweet smell of her cherry-scented perfume, a soft smile on his face.

REVIEWS please!