I was away for a bit and so, I kind of felt like I owed you guys an extra update.
For those that were confused by the timeline in the last chapter, the whole of it was a flashback to 8 years ago.
Enjoy.
It's late - no auto-correct, apologies.
BOLD & ITALICS - are flashbacks
Emma tugged the bag with her own toys out of Kate's hand with an excited squeal, accidentally tripping her mother and propelling her forward, one palm connecting with the bench and the fingertips of her other hand gripping the glass bottle tightly.
Breathe.
Not only had she nearly become one with the bench, but almost with one Richard Castle. Taking a shallow breath in, heat spreading hotly from her lungs to the edges of her fingertips like cobwebs. Their chests brushing when he attempted to take a step backwards, the heel of his shoe connecting with the bench behind him, her waterfall braid tickling along his jawline, she could feel the warmth seeping out of him. Her wrist slid further forward when she attempted to take an identical step backwards; sliding her right leg in between his and effectively crushing her body closer to his, the wine bottle clattering against the edge of the wooden bench.
"Ri-Cas..Castle," She breathed, her eyes drifting up from the gap in his shirt where his button had popped open from their little struggle.
This was why this was a bad idea.
"I've already...already started dinner," He started, pressing his hands to her shoulders gently and pushing her back.
Kate looked back up into his eyes, brow creasing as she settled back onto her feet steadily, both hands now clasping the bottle of red. As though reading her mind, Rick motioned to the kitchen behind him. "For the kids, of course."
"Of course." She said softly.
A few glasses of wine and a few menial conversation topics later, Kate was just putting down the last set of cutlery her brow creased, tongue poking between her teeth in concentration when a loud squeal echoed from the hallway, drawing her attention from her current task at hand.
What the?
Before Kate could do anything more than turn her head, there was a fluorescent blur that had her head spinning. Kate took a steady step back, fingers wrapping around the back of the table chair; the cool, familiar wooden reassuring the butterflies wreaking havoc in her stomach.
"Look what 'Lexis has!" Emma squealed, bouncing up and down in front of her, a wide smile on her lips and eyes sparkling in excitement.
Kate shook her head, her left hand reaching for her glass of red and pressing her index finger to her lips attempting to hide a small smile. The two girls were now standing side-by-side by matching outfits - plaits and all.
"I ordered extras ones in the day we planned the play date," He said softly, standing behind her.
When did he- Wasn't he just in the kitchen?!
Kate tried to keep her focus on something that wasn't Rick-or his mouth, or his hands...anything other than him.
"Extra ones?" Kate breathed, only now turning to look at him.
Surely enough, clasped in both of his hands was another pair of identical outfits, exactly like the ones currently being worn by their daughters. Daughters? Kate swore she had temporary tachycardia just thinking about that.
"No."
As soon as the word left her lips Rick took an advancing step forward, seemingly undeterred by her refusal. Kate's eyes flitted to the girls, who both now had the large goggles framed over their small faces and were giggling loudly at the ridiculousness of it all.
"Please mummy!"Emma took a few stumbling steps forward until she was standing in front of her. "Just one game, please?" Another voice spoke, quietly. Emma tugged on Kate's sleeve, almost sloshing the glass of red all over the carpet.
Kate looked up to see that Alexis was now standing next to Emma, twirling the laser tag gun between her small hands, the large pink cast making it difficult to navigate and veering to the left everytime she tried to center it. Placing the glass back on the table, pressing two fingers against the base of the glass until it was securely near the center of the table.
Turning back to face Rick, Kate shot him daggers with her eyes; a look he was all too familiar with. Years ago it would have caused his eyes to widen and run as far away from her as possible before she inflicted some kind of bodily harm on him (twisting his ear, or thumping his arm etc.), most of the time - it was well deserved, much like it was right now.
However, that same expression now sent shivers up his spine, the familiarity of it bringing a smirk to his face that he couldn't hide even if he wanted to.
Holding one of the laser tag outfits out to her, he raised an eyebrow when she muttered something underneath her breath, obviously aimed at him.
"I'm sorry, what was that?" He asked loudly, fingers brushing the underside of her wrist.
Kate tried to tamp down her body's reaction to having him at such close proximity, heat spreading from the gentle touch of his fingers along her pulse point and seeping into her skin, he was acid dripping into her veins. Contaminating her. Changing her. Ruining her.
Both Alexis and Emma's eyes shot up to them, obviously waiting for their parents to hurry up and get the gear on so that they could start playing. Eyebrows wrinkling as they observed the interactions between the both of them, not quite sure what was happening. But it was something.
"Castle." Kate huffed, snatching the items from him and loosening the straps so that she could slip easily into it.
The two girls turned to each other, their gazes confused. "Cass-le?" Emma giggled.
Kate froze with only one leg securely strapped inside, her eyes raised and connecting with his. When Alexis started nudging Emma with her laser gun, Kate breathed a sigh of relief that she hadn't known she was holding in this whole time. Thank God for those young short attention spans.
"Girls against boys? What do you say, girls?"
Legs dangling over the edge of the wooden park bench, Kate kicked at the dirty granules mixed in with the grass, her gaze unfocused; shoulders slumped as shadows flickered across the ground in front of her. The breeze was chilly against her skin, biting at her neck and arms, which was odd for a normal midday in the city.
A shadow temporarily covered her, wrapping a coat across her shoulders before taking a seat beside her on the rickety bench, stretching their legs out next to her; too short to touch the ground, dangling a good few inches above the grass.
"I got your voicemail message..."The woman spoke quietly, picking at her fingernails as though she weren't sure what to do or where to look.
Kate nodded slowly, looking up from the ground to offer Jenny an attempt at a reassuring smile; her face a ghastly pale and grey, the rings underneath an almost black, her eyes as wild as a hurricane.
Jenny pressed a hand to the middle of her friends back, accidentally smearing flour, sugar - or something along those lines - across the leather of her jacket.
"Does this have something to do with that guy you've been seeing?" She tried.
Kate looked away from her, a humourless laugh escaping her lips. But it wasn't funny, none of this was. The circumstances weren't fathomable, or honourable and she didn't know how she had managed to get herself into this mess. But now she didn't know how to get out and it was a black hole sucking at her life, trying to destroy her and suck her and everything she loves into oblivion.
"I'm pregnant. I-I..Jenny...I don't know wh-what to do?" She couldn't breathe, or think.
Since when had I become so incompetent that I can't make decisions for myself?
Jenny's hand dropped away from her, one hand covering her mouth and her eyes growing wide. "Oh my god!" her voice muffled, worry etching into her features as every second passed. "I don't-? Does your mother know?" Jenny asked, reaching for Kate's hand.
She flinched away from her touch, she couldn't do the touching right now. It was all too much, she could practically feel the sympathy in the air and she didn't need that. I need a plan. "My mother?" Kate rolled her eyes, turning her gaze back to the blonde. "What the hell would she know about this kind of thing?"
"More than you would know." A shaky, calm voice spoke from behind them.
Kate carried the left over dessert bowls, still half-filled with their ice cream creations into the kitchen and placing them in the sink. Pausing whilst the creamy substance continued to melt against the edges of the ceramic.
Rick cleaned up the toys around the lounge room, making sure to separate what was Alexis' and what was Emma's so as to avoid confusion when it came to leaving time. Turning to the couch, he grabbed a blanket from one of the single chairs and tucked it over both of the girls, so that they wouldn't catch a cold - or worse, pneumonia.
"Sweet dreams, beautiful girls." He whispered, pressing a kiss to his daughters forehead and gently squeezing Emma's hand.
Opening her eyes and squinting blearily at him, Emma let out a quiet yawn; the edges of her mouth rising in an adorable sleepy smile. "Wish you were...m'dad."
Kate was just making her way into the lounge room, dishcloth in her hands as she dried the suds from her fingertips. The words her daughter whispering spilled ice water over her body, her insides twisting and face freezing over and over. Remain calm. You've prepare for this...
What the hell do I say? Fuck!
Turning away from the sight of the three of them, Kate tried to whisk herself away back into the kitchen undetected when his voice stopped her dead in her tracks, voice quiet but clear as day.
"Kate..."
He was standing right behind her now, his body always having been a natural heater against hers. She canted backwards against him trying to follow the familiar warmth, no more than a mere inch from touching him. Not a good idea. Don't. Do. It.
"No."
He laughed a gruff, quiet laugh. "That seems to be your new favourite word."
Kate turned on her heel, looking at his shoulder blade, just as she had all those years ago. As if she could avoid this conversation, avoid him. Them. "If you knew me at all, you'd know it's always been my favourite word."
Shaking his head slowly, biting down on his lower lip to stop another laugh from escaping his lips. That didn't stop the smirk from making an appearance though.
"Come on Kate, you know more than I do that we need to talk."