Castle had just finished loading Kate's two cases into his car and he was marveling over just how few of them there were. Even his daughter- who was oddly unconcerned with material things for a teen- usually packed more than this. Granted, half of her items were usually books…

He was just about to head back up to Kate's apartment when she suddenly appeared beside his car.

"You all ready to go?" he asked, surprised- though why, he was unsure.

Kate nodded. "Yep. Already ready already."

Rick smiled at her and shook his head. They each moved to enter the car and as they were settling, Rick noticed a third bag, now clutched in Kate's lap. He eyed the case and when Kate turned to look at him, he joked, "Please tell me there is something red and lacy in there?"

She smiled coquettishly at him and said, "Actually, there is." Kate reached to open the bag, her eyes remaining focused on his. She continued in a husky voice, "I was even going to wear it for you. Right. Now." She could see that she had his undivided attention as her hand searched within the bag. When it closed over the item she sought, she smiled wickedly and held it up.

It was a red sleep mask with a lacy ruffle around the edge.

Rick rolled his eyes at her, making an annoyed sound. "I fall for it every time," he complained, referring to the myriad, sexy little taunts Kate made. And then, before she could react, Rick's hand shot out and yanked the mask right from her grasp. "And you will not be wearing that. You're the navigator!"

"You don't know the way to your own house?" Kate asked in disbelief.

As he started the car, Rick made a disgruntled noise- something akin to the noise a little girl makes when she doesn't get her way, Kate thought. "Of course I do. But the navigator's most important job is keeping the driver awake through conversation."

"I am on vacation, Castle. No one does chores while on vacation," Kate informed him.

While pulling the car into traffic, Rick laughed sarcastically over her implication that talking to him a chore. But instead of calling her on it, he said, "Tough. You have to talk to me. And I'll bet you a buck you might even enjoy it a little."

Kate scoffed over the likelihood of that ever happening and then asked, "What will we talk about?"

"Whatever you want-"

"Good night, then," Kate quipped, cutting him off.

"…So long as you keep talking," he continued, finishing his sentence. A quick glance let him see her rolling her eyes and made him smile. "I know. You could tell me your deepest, darkest secrets, something that no one else knows about you."

"But if I told you, it wouldn't be a secret, would it?" Sounding annoyed, she added, "And then it would be common knowledge when everyone read about it in your next Nikki Heat novel."

"If you told me something in confidence," he began, angrily indignant, but then he scoffed. "I don't even have to tell you, you know better."

"Yeah, I know," Kate replied begrudgingly. If she told Castle something intensely personal- something that had nothing to do with her professional life- she had no question about whether or not she could trust Castle to keep it to himself. He wouldn't do something like that to her.

"Fine, if you really don't want to tell me all your secrets," Castle fished pointedly and when Kate gave him a look, he sighed. "We could play a game?"

"I am not playing strip poker with you, Castle," she teased.

"That would be a bit difficult to play in the car," he joked back, pointing out the obvious. Then he slanted a look at her and added, "But it is interesting to know that that was the first place your mind went."

She sighed in annoyance, but was grateful for the driving that kept his eyes on the road and off her blushing face. "What game did you have in mind if not something wildly inappropriate?"

"We could take turns telling a truth or a lie about ourselves. And then the other person has to guess which one it is."

"You're still trying to get me to tell you my secrets, aren't you?"

"It doesn't have to be secrets, just facts that you think I wouldn't know about you," he pleaded.

"Couldn't we just listen to the radio?" she pleaded in turn.

"No, the radio puts me to sleep. So, unless you were planning on dying tonight when I crash the car in my sleep-"

"Fine!" she sapped. "I'm a classically trained opera singer."

Rick glanced at her in confusion, and then brightened when he realized she was actually going to play the game with him. Then he thought for a second, and guessed, "Lie."

Kate turned a smug grin on him and waited.

When he noted her expression, his mouth fell open. "It was truth?" And then his face turned petulant, "Why haven't you ever sung for me?"

Her voice turned husky when she teased, "Only good little writer boys get to hear me sing."

"Did you ever sing for… Never mind, I don't want to know."

"No, I didn't," she answered him anyway. "I started taking lessons when I was young. I loved singing. But after my mom died, and my dad became an alcoholic, I couldn't find a reason to sing."

He looked over at her, at her expression- the smile trying to disguise the melancholy- and he wanted to say something heartfelt and sweet; anything to lift her sudden sadness. Instead he moved on, taking his turn in their game. "Alexis is actually the second child I've made."

Kate instantly responded, knowing Castle as well as she did now. "Lie. There is no way you have another child and they are not part of your life."

"Well," Rick began, surprised and pleased. "Thank you for the vote of confidence on my personal character."

"There is no way you would miss out on the chance for another playmate," Kate clarified, teasing him a bit. "I see how much fun you have with Alexis."

"Too true," Rick agreed. "But that was the truth." When Kate looked at him skeptically, he continued. "Meredith had a miscarriage before Alexis was born. That might have been part of the reason we broke up."

"Oh," Kate said, unsure what else to add other than an awkward, "I'm sorry."

Rick smiled sardonically then added, "Well, that and her sleeping with her co-star. And her manager. And her agent…" When Kate laughed- as he'd intended- Rick smiled and added, "It's your turn."

"Hmm," Kate thought about what she could say and then brightened when she came up with something good. "I was engaged once."

Rick slanted a look at her and decided, "Lie."

Kate laughed and nodded. "I was asked. In college. But I said no, and I never saw him again."

"Why'd you say no?" Rick asked, working to keep his tone casual.

She laughed again, seeing through Castle's casual tone and wondering just how serious he was taking this information. "I was young and in love, but I wasn't stupid. I just didn't feel that… thing, you know? I couldn't picture myself starting a family with him, or sitting beside him, old and gray, with our grandkids. That's all."

"Has there ever been someone you could picture yourself with?"

"That's not part of the game, Rick," Kate teased. "It's your turn."

"Fine," he griped. When he tried to think of the next thing to say, he didn't know whether to go serious or absurd. So, of course he went with the absurd. "We haven't had a pet in the Castle household since Alexis murdered our hamster when she was little."

Kate laughed loudly in shock and guessed, "Lie! That has to be a lie!"

Rick chuckled, but shook his head. "It's only partly a lie. She did kill Mr. Fluffy, but it was an accident. He was trying to wiggle his way out of her hands, and when I suggested she hold onto him tighter, she ended up suffocating him. It was very traumatic, there was crying for weeks… Alexis was fine, but I took it kinda hard."

Kate laughed again, and ended up marveling over how much fun she was having.

Seeming to have read her thoughts, Castle told her, "You owe me a dollar."

"Maybe I do," then her thoughts turned speculative. "But would you rather have one dollar or one secret?"

"You would actually tell me a secret? But would you make it worth my dollar?"

"Of course."

"Then a secret. Duh!"

Kate studied Rick's profile, barely visible in the darkened car. Every few seconds, a streetlamp would flash across his face, and Kate's heart sped up when she decided which secret she was going to tell him. She wasn't sure it was wise, or what it might mean for their partnership- or for their weekend alone in the Hamptons together- but when she made a decision, she stuck to it.

Rick couldn't see her face, but he could feel the serious tension in the car. He was almost worried she was going to tell him about some other trauma she had suffered in her life, but he didn't need to prompt her when she finally cleared her throat.

"I broke up with Tom specifically so I could come on this vacation with you this weekend," she confessed.

Rick took his eyes off the road for a long moment to stare at her face, surprised and incredulous. "You broke up with… for me?"

Kate thought for a moment, then answered truthfully, "Not for you, exactly. Though I guess that was part of it. I did it more for this weekend, and what it could mean. For us. For me." When Kate finally looked away from his face, she noticed the car was slowing down. Sure that they were nowhere near their destination, Kate looked around in confusion. When Rick pulled his car into a darkened strip mall parking lot and put the car in park, she asked, "What are we doing?"

He turned in his seat to face her, and said, "I wanted to look at your face, but I also didn't want to kill us, so we're stopping for a few minutes." He studied her beautiful face for a moment before he could speak. "Are you telling me… that after two years… you're finally willing to…"

"I'm not saying anything like that," Kate quickly piped in. "I'm just thinking it might be a good time to get to know you better. Personally, I mean. Which might be better facilitated by spending a weekend with you. Alone."

Rick wanted to reach out and take her hand, but he was afraid of the damage his fingers might suffer if he attempted it. Deciding the risk was worth the possible gain, he did it anyway, and was rewarded for it when Kate didn't pull away. She even held his hand tighter, and blushed when his thumb began moving back and forth over her skin. "You already know me, Kate," he told her, in an attempt not to deceive her. "I am exactly the same at home as I am at work. And at the precinct, and at a crime scene…"

Kate smiled and admitted, "I know. But you still have a lot to learn about me. I know I don't always make it easy for people to get close to me, and I wanted to change that. I think it's about time I let you get to know me. As Kate, not just Detective Beckett," She added, putting on serious voice when reciting her title.

"I look forward to getting to know Kate," he said warmly, then lifted her hand to his lips for a lingering kiss. When he finally pulled away from her soft skin, he smiled impishly and added, "Feel free to continue threatening me with your gun, though. It's very sexy when you do that."

Kate laughed, but told him, "You can count on it. I somehow doubt you'll suddenly become less annoying, simply because you're getting to know me."

Rick laughed too, then, unperturbed by being labeled annoying- yet again. "Ready to hit the road again?"

"Let's do it," Kate replied, and then wanted to smack herself for phrasing it that way.

But Rick only smiled, and denied the opportunity to tease her, saying, "Too easy." He pulled the car back onto the road and they continued their drive to Rick's private beach house.

A/N: I could not remember what that game was called- if it even has a name. I had no intention of posting today, seeing as I have seven papers to write for my classes this week- and I'm not exaggerating… if anything, I am under-exaggerating! But I sat down to work and this is what happened! Don't you love procrastinating?

I just had to add the bit about the hamster, because it did actually happen to me. In my defense, I was only two and my grandpa kept telling me to hold the wiggly little thing tighter so I wouldn't drop it! Then grandpa attempted hamster-CPR, but the poor thing was a goner. I should apologize to my uncle- whose only three years older than me, by the way- some day for killing his pet hamster.