Welcome back Castle! With the season back in full swing, my brain is both rejoicing and plotting to destroy the writers for giving everyone such grief!
Of course, welcome back to the Little Island.
Castle made no move to hide the bottle of wine he purchased from Marcus. Beckett carefully studied the label and hummed her approval as he handed the bottle down to her to hold as he boarded the boat.
When they pulled up to the dock, Castle could barely keep himself from jumping from the boat in his hurry.
It was dusk when they made it back to the shore line and the unearthed fire pit. Kate spread a spare, equally fluffy, comforter spread across the sand while Rick lit the previously build fire wood. A little fanning and the smallest dry pieces of kindling sprang into flames. The wine poured crisply into the glasses they brought down with them, and despite missing the actual sunset inside their little house, they enjoyed the mix of colored flames from brittle driftwood and shore dried pieces.
They'd made love after the fire had been firmly established, the flame dancing warm patterns of light across their skin as they fell into each other. Oblivious to the fact they lay on the less private side of their island, comforted by the darkness and the evening hour.
When the fire had died enough to consider putting it out, they softly discussed sleeping down on the beach. His fingers trailing up under the shirt she'd pulled on incase they'd be disturbed or discovered by a passerby on the sea. He'd laughed at her and tugged his boxers on at the time only to lower the arch of her eyebrow.
There wasn't even a wisp of a cloud to cover the millions of gleaming stars that winked down on them, rain posed no threat tonight.
"I didn't realize there were this many stars. Even outside the city," he'd mused out loud.
"I went on a trip one summer with my parents. We'd ventured across the country in a motor home and somewhere out in the flats of the Midwest, I saw so many stars I thought something was wrong with the sky compared to New York." Kate remembered, "This is even more."
In the end, they'd drenched and buried the fire before heading back up to their soft bed.
Two nights later, Kate found herself awake. His steady breathing and arm draped over the edge of the bed away from her, left her wondering what had woken her. Typically his shifting movements and clinging hands brought her to some degree of wakefulness a few times a night. When she saw a soft flash before a low rumble passed across the water, she realized it was the incoming storm that had woken her.
Climbing from the bed, she carefully dropped and tied most of the canvas tarps around their bungalow. With awe, she left the bedroom window facing east open to watch the storm coming in. Returning to the bed, the gentle dip her body caused on the mattress brought him awake and rolling towards her.
"What are you doing up?" his voice asked sleepily, before the lightning struck out over the water, providing a beautiful show. "Oh, wow."
"It's stunning," her voice murmured in return. His voice simply hummed as they watched it, his body spooned behind hers. When the first drops of the heaviest rain they'd encountered started to fall, she slipped away from him to shut the last canvas. She smiled at him from across the small room, before shedding her thin tank top she'd taken to sleeping in here. "Don't think I didn't notice," she teased softly, dropping her panties and climbing back into bed beside him.
"I'd tell you I was sorry, but I'm not." He told her before drawing her mouth to his.
That evening at dinner, they'd brought in a basket of dirty towels. While Kate dropped them off, Rick had excused himself to talk with Marcus about the little piece of glass. Marcus had been empty handed. Castle was unbelievably disappointed, but the man had promised it would be done soon.
"He'll radio me when it's done. He wanted to do it justice, but was overwhelmed with other half-completed projects." Castle had agreed with a nod.
"As long as it's here before we leave in 5 days."
"It will be. He's never late, which is why his other orders had to come first."
"Respectable," Castle agreed, before he returned to the table where Kate had sat down, with a drink for them both.
"I'm getting the soft shell jerked crab." Kate announced, "If you dare touch one crispy little leg I will break yours."
A smile touched his lips, "I don't doubt it."
After dinner, they'd waited for the towels to finish their bouncy ride inside the generator powered dryer. Kate laughed as she drank her third fruit and rum drink. She spun the little umbrella between her fingers while Castle teased her. He enjoyed the way she laughed with alcohol seeping into her veins.
"This isn't as much fun without you drinking too." She pouted just a tad.
"I've got to drive the boat," he reassured her, "I will however, dance."
"Oh, yes. I like dancing with you." Fell from her lips, before she rolled her eyes slightly at the confession.
"I'm going to remember this," he whispered, "someday down the road I'm going to use it against you to produce new information."
"And I'm likely to call you an ass."
Marcus smiled as he flipped a different CD onto the player and turned it up just a little more for them. Rick stood, hand held out as she scooted off the little bar stool and slipped her hand into his.
Kate spun with him until she laughed, dizzy from the rum and spirals they'd turned. The next song proved slower and a gentle tug brought her flush to his chest. Her ear resting over his heart, head tucked beneath chin, she hummed.
"I love you," Rick promised.
"I know, I love you too. My mom really would be proud, and not just because you're so stinking-rich you rented me an island," Kate scoffed in a tease, her eyes coming up to mean his.
"Whine, whine, whine."
"I do not whine."
"I'll admit its far less frequent than my own, and often disguised as annoyance, but it happens."
"As long as we're clear on your state of whining affairs, we can let mine go."
"Shh," he told her, "Let's just dance."
Castle was thankful he'd left the light on at the end of the dock. It was the first evening they'd arrived home well after dark. While some of her buzz had vanished with time, the strong rum drinks left her carrying her shoes while he carried the basket of clean towels up the path. Twice she'd stumbled, and he'd nearly dumped the basket trying to stop her fall.
"You're drunk." He laughed.
"No! This path is full of rocks and sticks and bumps. Add a marginal amount of liquor and it's simply impacted my motor controls. I can walk easily, but it's not easy to walk around a rock."
Knowing better than to correct her, he tucked the basket against his hip and simply pulled her over for a kiss. Leaving his arm around her as they stepped up the few stairs, he was satisfied she didn't stumble again.
They spent the entire day down on the most private side of the island; neither of them had witnessed a single boat through the waters there during their entire stay. This side sat opposite the main flow of boats from St Lucia, but it was also shallow and reef covered making it far from ideal for boats. It did however make it perfect for privacy.
Kate had put on her sunglasses that morning and adjusted the umbrella to give her the most shade, despite her denial to his accusations that she might have a hangover. She'd milled over the book for a long time, though did not burn through the pages at her usual rate of speed. This was not lost on Rick and he smiled at her determination not to lose a day out in paradise because of a headache.
Rick had spent more time in the water, going through the shallows recovering prizes he unearthed from the sandy bottom. Nothing as spectacular as the tiny piece of glass appeared, but he estimated that he'd turned and tossed nearly a thousand shells back into the sea over the first half of their trip. Only a select handful had made it back to Kate for approval, but he'd had an incrediable time doing it. A little bowl full of them now sat beside the box near the steps, and a he smiled as he brought back another treasure.
He held it out to her, as she tucked the book away.
"Do you like it?"
"Yes." Kate smiled, "But what are you going to do with all of them?"
"I'm not sure, bring a few home I hope."
"And the rest of the collection?"
"We'll make something, a sand castle."
"Shaped as a castle or a Castle?" She teased.
"The historical kind, not the human kind."
"Today?" She sighed, bringing her fingertips up to her temple.
"It will help."
With a longing look towards her book, she looked back at his childlike face. It would be nice to let go and keep her mind off the headache.
