Young at Heart
The sky is grey, foreboding when Kate steps out onto the balcony with her glass of orange juice. It's humid but the air sparks with energy.
"Storm coming," Castle says from behind her, leaning a shoulder on the doorframe.
She grins, stepping around him with a quick kiss to the side of his jaw. "That your next title?"
Al is at the table, breaking apart PopTarts into orderly squares. Sprinkles and bits of the frosting are littering the area around her. She's dressed, feet kicking out the skirt of the seafoam green sundress, hair curling around her face even though Kate pulled the front part back into a half-ponytail.
"Don't play with the food, Al," she warns, moving to the couch rather than the table; she can smell the coffee still sitting in the pot on the counter.
He's good at reading her. Like she was one of his books. He leaves his mug on the table before sitting next to her, propping his feet up on the coffee table. "Impossible." When she raises a brow, he leans closer. "Derrick Storm's dead."
"Ah, yes. Bullet to the head." She's still not entirely over the death of the first character of his that she fell in love with. "How about Nikki's next title? Got that one in the works?"
"Playing with a few options right now. Summer Heat. In Heat." She grabs his ear before he can slap a hand over them and twists it. "Okay, okay! Uncle!"
"Mom, don't hurt Rick!" Al shouts from the table. She's already scrambling down off the chair, a piece of pastry in one hand as she runs toward them. "He's nice."
Castle is grinning as he rubs a hand over the burning ear that Kate releases. "Hear that, Mom? I'm nice. Anyway, that last one was a joke. I have way more respect for you than to go around titling books In Heat."
Al squeezes herself between them, stuffing the rest of the PopTart into her mouth, sending crumbs across their laps. "We're gonna see the animals today?"
"As soon as you're done with breakfast, kid." Kate sips at her juice, nudging Al back toward the table and her plate of food.
The girl is up again, using Castle's knee to propel herself back to the table. "I wanna see penguins!"
Kate laces up her Converse, pulling her jeans down over the top as Al puts her plate in the sink. "Well, we'll see if we can hook you and the tuxedo birds up. But," she trails off, checking to make sure she has some cash in her wristlet, "we'll never see them if you don't go put some shoes on." Al runs off to her room.
"Feeling okay this morning?" His fingers, warmed from the mug of coffee, skate over her arm, tugging on the sleeve of her white t-shirt.
She tilts her body into his, letting him wrap her up in a tight hug. Squeezing out the stress. "Stomach's a little flippy but if I stick to basic food, I'll be okay."
"You're tired."
Kate hums against his shoulder, shrugging just a little. "Do you men not understand how much work it is to create another human being?"
His arms band around her back, keeping her close against his chest for a moment. She can feel his nose burying into her hair, loose around her shoulders. "Nope. Not exactly taught the finer points of baby-making at boarding school."
"News flash, then. A lot. It takes a lot of work."
Castle surprises her, kneeling on the carpet in the living room area. His hands drift along the curve of her back as he presses a kiss to her stomach through the fabric of her shirt. "Hey, Minnie. Be nice to Mom?"
She shifts, threading her hands through his hair. She thought this might be weird, having a man at her side through this whole pregnancy thing.
No. That's a lie.
She didn't think she'd be doing this again. Period. Just she and Al making their own way in the world.
But as her husband crouches in front of her, whispering words of comfort to a baby that had barely begun to form, Kate can't imagine doing this with anyone else in the world.
"What're you doing, Rick?" Al asks, standing behind him with a sneaker in either hand.
He grins, touching his lips to the area just near her bellybutton before turning around, folding his legs under him so he plops against the wall. "Saying hi to Minnie. Need help with the shoes, kid?"
"I wanna say hi to Minnie!" She drops the shoes and Castle snags them, working on unlacing the strings as Al pushes her face into Kate's midsection. "Hi, sister! We're gonna go see penguins." Al tips her head up, blinking at Kate with bright blue eyes. "Can I bring Penguin? She wants to see her friends."
"I think it would be better if Penguin stayed here, guarding the fort," Kate says, brushing a loose curl back from Al's face. "Let Rick help you with your shoes."
Al sits, wiggling her feet toward Castle so he can lace up her sneakers, matching Converse that clash a little with her sundress. "I think Minnie likes penguins. Can Penguin guard Minnie tonight?"
Kate smiles and she can feel her heart beating its way up her throat. "I think Minnie might like that a lot."
"I'm a good big sister," Al says confidently.
"Yeah," Castle agrees, tugging Al closer so he can tickle her sides. "You really are."
It's the third time Castle has had to drag Al back from the fence separating the path from the animals' enclosures. The first time was right inside the entrance of the park where the girl was captivated by the spoonbills dipping their beaks below the water for food. Then she had found the macaws and proceeded to hold a conversation with them. And now it was the ring-tailed lemurs, swinging from branch to branch, chattering to one another.
"Can we get one?" Al whispers, awestruck by the creatures.
Kate jumps in before Castle can answer because of course he would say yes. "I think they're happier here than they would be back at home, don't you think?"
"Maybe. Are there penguins we can take home?"
"And make Penguin jealous?" Castle suggests, gently nudging Al off away from the lemurs. "Let's stick with stuffed animals."
They round the corner and the Tree of Life dominates the view in front of them. And this time it is Al who runs over to one of the cast members with cameras hanging around their necks and tugs on their pocket.
"Can you take our picture?" she asks, bouncing on the balls of her feet as she glances back at Kate and Castle for confirmation that it was okay to talk to the person. "In front of the tree?"
The photographer juggles her cameras as Kate curls her fingers around Al's t-shirt. "Sound good to you, Mom and Dad?"
Castle hands over the little PhotoPass with a grin. "Definitely."
The woman gets them into a tight huddle, one that gives Castle an opportunity to slip his fingers under Kate's shirt and along the soft skin of her waist. She squirms away and, keeping the smile in place for the picture, reaches back and pinches him in that one spot on his back.
He screeches, jumping away from her and glaring. "Hey!"
"Get back in position, Rick. One more picture," Kate says innocently. Then she turns to the photographer, apologizing.
Once he has the PhotoPass back in his wallet, he grabs Kate's wrist, tugging her up against him. "With great power comes great responsibility. Use your knowledge for good, Kate."
"Don't know what you're talking about."
Kate strategizes their way around this park just as she did with the others. Holding one of the map brochures that Castle snagged from a container and leaning against his side, Al tucked safely between them, she slides her forefinger across the map.
"Start in Africa and do the safari," she says. "See if some lions and giraffes are awake, right, kid?"
"And zebras and elephants and hippopopopotomuses?"
She grins as Castle ruffles Al's hair. "Think you added a few syllables to that last one," he says.
Al shakes her head, hands settling at her hips in a manner that proves that the girl spends time watching her mother's every move. "No. I'm right. Girls are always right, silly."
"I've taught you well, grasshopper. Anyway," Kate continues, tracing a path over the map, "maybe we can go to Asia after. FastPass Expedition Everest before going to the jungle trek to kill time. Do the rollercoaster, go see Nemo, and go from there?"
Castle takes the map, folding it up to stuff into his pocket. "Solid plan. Come on, girls-who-are-always-right. Off to Africa."
They cross the bridge from the center island of the park to Africa, a sign welcoming them to Harambe. The queue line for the Kilimanjaro Safari is long, twisting around. Wait time says they've got about thirty minutes to stand around.
She sees Castle starting to get antsy after only ten minutes in line. "Patience," she murmurs. "It's so worth the wait."
"You can see elephants," Al reminds with a pat of her hand against his. "Like the ones in your room."
"And lions, like what Mom looks like after a rainstorm," he adds, leaning down to touch his fingertips to Al's.
"What is that?" Kate asks, brows quirked at the little movement the two are sharing.
Al shrugs, stepping forward when the people in front of them move. "We're feeding birds."
Not enough of an explanation, she turns to Castle. "Feeding birds?"
"Yeah! Look," he says, holding out his fingers, steepled into a triangle pointing toward the ground. Al mirrors the gesture, tapping the tops of her fingers to his. "See? Al's the birds and I feed them."
"So weird," Kate murmurs, shaking her head at the two of them.
"So jealous," Castle intones, tickling Kate's sides lightly.
The safari car they board has open sides and Castle takes the furthest spot when the cast member tells them that children can't sit on the outside seats. Still, Al keeps wiggling closer, practically climbing into his lap as the ride starts up.
Their guide points out animals as he drives the vehicle with one hand. Rhinos and elephants roam the savannah. They pause in the middle of the road when a group of gazelles cross in front of them. Castle has his phone out, taking pictures of the herd, one hand still around Al's waist to make sure she doesn't topple off his knee.
Lions lounge on outcrops of rocks, the lionesses higher up on the cliff than the male, who is sprawled out under a tree in the shade.
"See the lionesses?" Kate asks Al, pointing out one of them to the still-enraptured girl. "They do all the work in the family. Just like in real life."
Al giggles, her head touching Kate's temple briefly as she claps. "See, Rick? Girls are way better than boys."
"Ganging up on me," he mutters, ignoring them by snapping a picture of the lions.
"Sure you still want another girl?" Kate asks, looping her arm through his free one. "Three to one."
He nods, leaning over to place a quick kiss on her cheek. "Because I'll be able to train this one to stand with me."
As the safari continues, the driver receives word of a missing elephant that they must help find. There are poachers in the area that make the whole thing a lot more dangerous than it seems. They cross a bridge and it wobbles under the weight of the vehicle. Kate keeps a straight face as Al clutches her arm as they learn about Little Red.
"Mom, we gotta help the elephant," she whispers breathlessly, eyes scanning the savannah for the missing creature. "What if… What if we can't find her?"
A couple in front of them turns around, smiling at Al's concern.
Al doesn't seem to notice as she worries the hem of her t-shirt between her hands.
Her relief is evident as she relaxes against Castle's chest with a sigh as soon as they catch sight of Little Red, safe and back on the savannah. "She's okay," she says, patting Castle's cheek as though he were the one worried about the elephant, the one wiggling around nervously with each turn of the vehicle's wheel, expecting the worst. "See? She's okay."
They take a narrow path that leads from Africa over to Anandapur, home to the two towns within Asia. Kate keeps straight and watches Al's mouth drop. Everest looms over the treeline, the snowcapped tops a contrast to the wet heat lingering in the air. The sky is still a sickly grey color with tiny bits of sunshine peeking through.
"That's a mountain," she breathes, eyes wide. "There's a mountain in Disney."
"We'll go into the mountain later. Just gonna get some of those passes before we go see tigers," Kate tells the girl.
Their time isn't for another two hours so they wander leisurely through the Maharajah Jungle Trek. There's a Komodo dragon sunbathing on a large rock, eyes closed to the visitors gawking at it. Tigers are just as lazy as the lions on the savannah, though two little cubs wrestle off in the distance of the habitat. A peacock spreads it's brilliantly colored feathers, strutting right past the glass as Al waves at it.
"They have funny antlers," the girl comments, pointing out one of the blackbucks as it grazes in a little meadow. The male's antlers are striped, twisting in tight spirals.
"I think they're cool," Kate says, studying the deer. "Imagine running into things with antlers stuck out of your head."
Al's face scrunches up as she thinks of it. "Good thing we don't have antlers."
Once they get out of the trek, Castle suggests grabbing lunch. "We have time," he says, looking at his watch. "Might as well fuel up before we conquer Everest."
So they bypass Everest and the theatre where Finding Nemo: The Musical is held, moving into DinoLand, USA. The McDonald's is disguised as Restaurantosaurus. Kate finds a table easily; it's not yet eleven o'clock and most people aren't thinking about lunch yet.
"You bring Al and go get food. I'll hold the fort," she says. Mostly because her headache from the lack of caffeine and the edge of exhaustion make her think she can't stand in line too long. Food will help, she tells herself, gathering up napkins and straws to bring back to their little table.
She watches Castle point things out on the menu to Al, bent down to her level, smiling like a fool. He glances back, catches her staring. Castle pokes Al and she turns, waving wildly back at her. Her heart leaps into her throat because God, how did she get so lucky with those two? She gives a small smile back, waving, and waiting until they both step up to the counter before she wipes away a tear that escaped from her eye.
"Okay?" he asks, sliding the tray of food onto the table while Al balances the drinks in her arms. His fingers brush the wet track on her cheek. Of course he'd see.
Kate nods, helping Al distribute the drinks before she boosts up into her chair. "Hormones. Get used to it, Rick."
"Gonna be okay to go on Expedition Everest?"
"I'll be fine. You're the one who screams like a girl. You sure you're good to go on a rollercoaster?" Kate stabs lettuce, catching a bit of chicken on her fork. "We don't want any scaredy cats riding with us, do we, Al?"
"He can ride in the back," Al says decidedly.
They don't make him ride Expedition Everest in the back of the car, but they do kick him to the row behind them, more because each row is for two people rather than his girlish screaming. As the car climbs that first big hill, Kate nudges Al to get her to look out over the park, taking in the entire expanse of Africa and Asia and DinoLand and the huge tree in the center.
Al's giggles in her ear drown out any of Castle's screeches as they zip along the track through the mountain. And then, suddenly, the car rounds a corner and they're facing the broken end of the track.
"Mom," Al trails off, hand wrapping around Kate's wrist tightly.
The car lurches once before they hurdle backwards through the darkness. And it's Al that screams this time.
When the stop again, the fuzzy shadow of the Yeti appears on the wall of the cave, ripping up the tracks of the rollercoaster. Al's hand becomes a vise around her wrist, short-trimmed nails digging into Kate's skin.
They start forward again, faster than before as they burst out into the open, dropping quickly enough to make Kate's stomach flip with adrenaline. The flash of the camera surprises her and she knows it caught her making some strange face. Maybe she can get Castle and Al past the wall of screens showing the photos fast enough for them not to see.
When the ride halts, Al scrambles out, grabbing for Castle's arm. "That was so cool! Were you afraid, Rick?"
"Me? No. You?"
Al shakes her head, following Kate to the exit. "No. Mom was scared," she whispers.
They get to the theatre just in time for the start of the musical adapted from Finding Nemo. As they sit in the squished row of other park-goers, Kate helps Al track the little clownfish that flirts from bubble to bubble on either side of the stage.
But when the music begins and they get to see the larger-than-life anemone, Marlin and Coral remarking on the fantastic view they have and bickering over naming their children, Kate feels Castle's hand on her thigh. Actors use puppets as the characters, swimming across stage and singing about the "big blue world" they live in.
The story is condensed into half an hour of singing mixed with dialogue that Al could quote directly from the movie. No matter how many times Kate has seen that movie, the scene in the jellyfish with Dory still makes her tense up because of what could have happened. Then Crush and Squirt swoop in and lighten the mood with their surfer talk, banging their noggins together. Gil and the fish tank crew from the dentist's office help Nemo escape and find his way to the ocean, running into Dory.
When Nemo helps free Dory from the fishing net against his father's wishes, Kate finds Al's hand; the girl hates the scene where it looks like Nemo is dead. But everything ends happily as Nemo and his father make up, heading back home.
It's a mad rush to get out of the theatre once the show is over. They stay in their seats until most of the audience has left, letting everyone else clear out before they start to fight their way to the door.
And straight into the pouring rain.
"It's raining," states Al, tipping her head up so that the drops fall onto her face.
There's a flash, a fork of lightning across the sky, a moment before a crack of thunder follows.
"And thundering," adds the girl.
Castle takes both of their hands, slippery with the rain, and starts toward the exit. "Let's get back to the room. Unless there's anything else…?"
Kate shakes her head, pushing at her already-wet hair until it is mostly behind her shoulders. "Nope. To the buses."
Most of the other visitors have the same idea as the paths to the exit start to clog. The birds Al had admired on the way in had come out in force, relishing the torrential downpour. Ducks splash in the little lake and seagulls waddle through puddles on the paths. Al mimics them, feet landing in every puddle she can find as they make their way to the bus lines.
The bus's air conditioning blasts, making them shiver on the ride back to the resort. Castle's hand shakes as he unlocks the door, shooing them into the relative warmth.
"Shower, Al," Kate chatters, rubbing her hands over her arms.
"Can I be a fishy in the shower?" Al asks, trotting after Kate as she turns on the shower, testing the temperature.
Kate taps Al's nose. "Sure. Call if you need anything, okay?"
Castle already had their shower going, steam curling in the room.
"She's gonna be a fish," Kate remarks, tossing the soaked shirt into a corner.
"You're a lion," he says, touching the uncontrolled curls. "Crazy hair."
"Just for that," she says, knocking his hand away and giving him a shove toward the door, "you can wait to take your shower until I'm done."
The last thing she sees as she shuts the door on him is him fighting to keep a frown in place. A small smile takes over as he shouts "Love you!"
Kate opens the door, just enough to sneak her head out to kiss him. "Love you too."
The three of them have dripping hair as they cuddle up on the couch, the opening credits of Monsters, Inc. rolling on the TV. Al had dragged Penguin in, snuggling the bird into Kate's lap.
"She's protecting Minnie" is all that she offers as explanation. "Gotta make sure my sister is okay."