The humidity is in the mid 70's. The temperature is in the mid 90's. It's hot, muggy and just gross. I could live in Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia... or even interior Florida with this weather.

But no, I live in Wisconsin. I'm just trying to remember this is better than the -20F we had several months ago.

Castle and Beckett are having a much more comfortable time than I am.


With keys in hand, they returned to the quiet cove on the backside of the island. They brought along several towels and Kate slipped a book into the bottom of the bag.

Castle stood, building anticipation for the locked storage box.

"What do you think's inside?" he teased.

"I suspect," she paused, "It's probably beach equipment."

"No fun," he pouted. "You were supposed to guess a body."

"You promised this one was murder free, I wouldn't dare." She laughed, as he opened the doors with a grand movement.

There wasn't a body, though Castle let out a breath that had a suspiciously nervous tone, reflecting his fear that they might have had their vacation destroyed.

"Just beach stuff," he declared, as if she didn't have eyes.

Inside was more stuff than seemed possible for the space. Water gear, a large green umbrella, a small old net, several buckets, a shovel and a water proof flash light, among other things.

Kate took the umbrella and set it up as Rick buried himself in the treasures of the box. He flopped around with snorkeling flippers, though it was obvious he had experience with them. They were awkward foot extensions, but he walked smoothly in them rather than looking like a fumbling clown, taking away any opportunity for her to tease him for a change.

"I'm going to go explore," he announced, "And when I find a good depth and the little reefs I'll come in."

"Wait," She protested, as she snapped open a low sitting beach chair. Two had been tucked behind the box, since they were too large to fit inside.

"What?" He asked with a grin from the water line. Kate walked to him, a bottle of the ecofriendly sunscreen in her hand.

"Your neck." She smiled, remember where they'd slathered on lotion after their shower, and where they'd stopped. Castle nodded and turned while she smoothed some of the lotion onto his neck and spread it into his already covered shoulders for good measure. "Be careful." She offered.

"When am I not?" Castle declared and Beckett arched her eyebrow. "Never mind, I will be. Heading that way." He pointed in the direction they'd seen the deeper water and little reef.

"I'll watch." She provided as he gave her a wave and headed into the calm waters.


Kate opened the new book, a hard cover.

She'd been suspicious of it when Rick had handed it to her a few days before the trip. It was, to say the least, not the type of thing she usually read. It was a romance novel, by an author she knew regularly made the best sellers list. She'd given him a look that probably could have frozen water, until he smiled. "Open it." he'd insisted and for some reason she followed his instructions.

That day she'd stared at the dedication in confusion.

I hope everyone finds their KB.

Her eyes had darted to him in shock. And he'd nodded his confirmation and then she'd laughed.

She ran her finger across the words again today, before glancing out at the bob of his back while he snorkeled around. Richard Castle was a lot like Jameson Rook.


Kate had read for nearly an hour when he wandered back into the shallow water that spread about a 100 feet from the little cove and beach. She'd gotten so wrapped up in the story line, much like she did in Castle's mysteries, that she almost felt like protesting the reappearance of her partner in the shallow waters.

"Come on." He waved, and she reluctantly agreed.

He gave her a quick lesson on the proper use of a snorkel and she practiced clearing the tube in the shallow water. Her mind played "Don't touch it, don't kill it" repeatedly as she caught her first view of the little reefs that had grown slowly to life over years and years.

The worry was soon replaced with fascination as they watched tiny fish in a variety of colors and patterns. She studied the intricate patterns on the corals before gaining confidence and venturing farther away from Rick. He grinned at her, carefully around the mouth piece before taking a deep breath and diving under. She stared at him in horror. He could play all he wanted, but she was keeping herself attached to the air supply above. He took several dives, the two of them sometimes swimming near each other and sometimes swimming a good distance apart. When he returned excitedly and motioned her up, she agreed. They bobbed at the surface.

"This is great," she commented.

"I found a cave."

"No," she dismissed immediately.

"It's not big enough for people, but I bet something cool lives in it."

"No," she insisted again. "Don't get eaten alive by something. How will I explain that to Alexis?"

"I just want to go get that flashlight." He pointed to shore.

"How about another day?" Kate offered and he debated the idea, "If it's something's home, they'll still be there tomorrow."

"Okay," he conceded, "Still good out here?"

"Yeah," she offered, putting her mask back on and carefully pulling hair free so it didn't break the seal. A while later her legs started to grow tired of kicking and the gentle warmth on her back suggested that she'd been under the sun far too long. When she came back into Castle's line of sight she motioned for him to come up.

"We should go in," he provided, "I'm getting hungry."

"Agreed," she offered. As many times as they disagreed, there were just as many times their opinions and ideas lined up perfectly.

They ate a small dry lunch they'd brought down. Granola with little pieces of dried fruit, some interestingly flavored Caribbean flavored jerky went down smoothly with the water and the can of coconut milk. Rick spent the rest of the afternoon scouring the shoreline taking little video clips of the tiny sand crabs peeking from their holes. He also proudly deposited two delicate, pieces of old dead coral that had washed ashore and explained that since they were white and dry it was okay to take them. Kate studied both, with her book carefully tucked under a blanket. She felt bad for the creatures who'd lost their lives to a storm or some careless human, but one in particular would look amazing on her bookshelf.


While Kate showered the salt off her body, Rick proceeded to unpack a few of his things, scattering little piles of clothing about the bed and hand crafted bench that sat at the foot of the bed. Satisfied with the outfit he selected for their first dinner on the neighboring island, he grabbed a fresh towel from the clean stack on low shelving in the kitchen that supported the little counter top and disconnected sink.

When he passed through the outer doorway opening, he spotted her back as she pulled the chain and rinsed the last of her hair. Stepping to the gate, he opened the door and held the fresh towel open for Beckett.

She walked into the spread of the soft cotton and met his mouth for a quick kiss. "Thanks," she whispered, pulling the material into a knot above her breasts.

"You're very welcome," he responded, as she took his clothing and her own discarded pieced and headed into their little house.

When Castle had finished his own shower, he was surprised to find a towel laying over the edge of the shower enclosure. He hadn't heard Beckett return, but suspected it was her training that allowed her to come and go so quietly all the time. Though, perhaps just a little bit of something unique to Kate added to her stealth as well.

Drying his body and hair, he took the steps inside quickly only to be frozen mid-step when he caught a glimpse of her pinning up her damp hair, wearing a tiny green dress.