Chapter 4- You may all go to Hell, I will go to Texas.
Back at the loft, Alexis was researching Texas' history, when Castle came in. Forgetting that she was already home, he jumped at the sound of the laundry buzzer going off. He walked over to where Alexis was and pulled out her headphones to talk to her.
"Hey pumpkin, your laundry is ready. Do you want me to change it over?" Castle asked searching her computer screen to see what his daughter was so fixated on.
"Uhh… sure. I was just researching some of the historical aspects of Texas. You know maybe sneak in a history lesson or two while we're there," she said realizing on his face that she had been found out.
"Really, Alexis? We have to learn on vacation? How are you even my kid?" Castle said picking her up and giving her a hug for being the responsible adult that he should be.
"It's just a thought, but I did find out a lot of interesting facts."
"Again, not my kid. If it wasn't for the fact that you have Gram's red hair and my dazzling blue eyes, I would've guessed that you were switched at birth," Castle said planting a sloppy kiss to his daughters face while she tried to squirm out of his grips.
"Ewww, gross," Alexis said wiping her face of his slobber. "Why are you back home anyways I thought you were going to stay at the precinct all day? Did you make up some lame excuse to get out of paperwork again? You know Kate can see right through your lies. I think she just hates hearing your whining!"
For that last comment Castle attacked Alexis tickling her till she squealed like a kid and begged for mercy. After their giggling subsided Castle sat up to explain himself. "No, I did not make up some lame excuse to get out of paperwork. Actually, Kate kicked me out to start planning our trip."
"So she agreed to go?" Alexis said cheerfully while bouncing where she sat. Castle nodded and she continued with a brief history lesson. "You know they have a county for every man who died at the Alamo, and they have a city called Slaughter, but a murder has never occurred there."
"Don't even mention that name, I still haven't gotten over that ride along," Castle said shivering at the thought of Detective Slaughter.
They spent the rest of the afternoon looking at different historical websites, but Castle only liked the ones about wars and battles. "Let's watch another one," Castle said after Alexis stumbled upon a documentary about the Battle of the Alamo. "I like that Davy Crockett guy, he wasn't even a Texan, but when there was a fight he was the first one to pack up and go."
At that moment Kate walked in looking surprisingly happy for the time of year. He knew that winter was hard for her after her admission to him last Christmas about how much it reminded her of her mom.
Castle stood as she walked towards the couch to see why they were huddled over the laptop sitting on the coffee table.
"You may all go to Hell, I will go to Texas," Castle proclaimed while lifting his foot onto the coffee table and putting a hand in the air as if he was wielding a sword.
Kate looked at Alexis quizzically, but the girl gave her a small grin and a slow shake of her head.
"May I ask why I am to go to hell, Castle?" Kate asked giving him a glare.
"Well if you must ask, it could have to do with some of those naughty things you like to do," he loudly whispered in her ear.
"Gross Dad, I'm right here!"
"Oh, right. Sorry Pumpkin still not used to you being back, but loving every second of it," he said giving her an apologizing smile. "Davy Crockett said it when he went to fight for Texas at the Alamo," turning back to Kate to explain for his earlier exclamation.
"So are you going to fight for the Texas militia when we go or am I going to have to explain to TSA why there's a musket in our luggage?" Kate said immediately regretting that she did knowing his mind would go off on a complete tangent. Pulling him back in, she gave him a chaste kiss and told him that Gates agreed to her vacation request for she and the boys.
Kate then headed for the kitchen to make herself a cup of tea asking over her shoulder if Castle and Alexis wanted anything. Castle stood there wondering why his girlfriend seemed strangely cheerful for the time being. He knew that he blew her off that morning to talk with Paula, and thought that for sure she would be mad at him, but maybe his vacation plans made up for it. She did seem kind of distracted when he came in, but that could've been because her mind was turning to mush after a morning filled with paperwork. Usually when she just had paperwork, and he was there to endure the boredom, she started to get a little frisky and stopped acting like her normal focused self. Maybe that was it, she just got a little too bored and her mind turned to mush. He didn't care though because he loved to see her smile, especially with it being rare this time of year.
"Hey Castle have you seen the tea bags?" Kate asked pulling him back to reality. The reality that he loved. The reality where his girlfriend was living with him and acted domestically with him. It was as if all his dreams were coming true right before his eyes. He stood there for a couple seconds before Kate chimed in with, "Never mind, I found them. No, thanks to you." Yeah, he loved his dream life.
"Oh, sorry. Let me help you with that," he said while reaching for the box of tea bags off of the top shelf. Kate put a kettle and a pot of milk on the stove to heat for Alexis' hot chocolate, while Castle snuck up behind her and grabbed her waist following her around the kitchen where she moved as if he wasn't even there. "Do you know how hot you look when you act all domestic?"
"Yeah, yeah. Your compliments aren't going to get you anywhere today, stud. Your daughter is sitting on the couch," she said while pointing her head towards Alexis, who was back to focusing on the laptop searching for interesting things to do in Texas. Kate turned her head back to kiss him on the cheek, and then shimmied out of his arms to stir the milk before it started to burn. "You know, you could help by rubbing my shoulders. I didn't have anyone to distract me today while doing paperwork, so I got a little sore from working straight through the day."
"Oh, I'm always willing to help when it comes to touching you," Castle whispered into her ear.
"Don't be creepy about it or it's not going to happen," Kate said while giving him a disgusted look.
After the tea and hot chocolate had been poured, they both sat under a blanket on the couch while Alexis sat at their feet researching places to visit. "You know that we still need a place to stay Alexis, before we can even think about a history lesson," Castle said pointing to the Teepee on the screen that showed the different types of homes the Native Americans of the plains used.
"Oh, right. I figured that out hours ago," Alexis stated as if it was common knowledge among the group. She then pulled up the website for a group of Bed and Breakfast listings in Austin, Texas. "See I have it all planned out. There is this house that overlooks the lake up on a hill, and this one that is in the Historic district. Which one do you like?"
"Wait, Alexis does that say Austin? My meetings are in Dallas not Austin," Castle said wondering how Austin even got put into the itinerary.
"Well I called Paula while you were at the precinct and she said that your first book signing was in Austin on the 27th. So I talked her into just meeting you there instead of having to fly down there on the 26th. That way we could have the 26th with you before coming back to New York."
"First of all, you called Paula? And second, how did you get so smart?" Castle said squeezing his daughter's shoulders.
"Well you weren't giving me any information, and I think you were right earlier about being switched at birth," Alexis said giggling and squirming at her father's impromptu tickle session.
Luckily before it got too out of hand to where Kate had to break them up, Martha came strolling through the front door.
"Alexis, my darling, what a pleasant surprise? I assumed that it was going to just be Kate and Richard," Martha said gracefully pulling her granddaughter off of the ground to give her a proper hug.
"Mother, what are you doing here? Were we supposed to have dinner?" Castle said confused at why his mother was at the loft and not at her own apartment.
"Kate called earlier asking about whether or not I was in for the Texas trip. I told her I had no idea what she was talking about, and it turns out that my own blood keeps me out of the loop. I'm glad you have her because I would never know anything about you without her," Martha said with a wink towards Kate.
"Well I thought you had already told her so I called her to see if she could help me convince my father to join us. Apparently you haven't told her a lot of things lately," Kate scolded Castle.
"Oh, right. I was so caught up in all of the plans for today that it must have slipped my mind, I'm sorry mother. Will you forgive me," Castle said apologetically.
"You know I can't ever say no to that pouty lip. Kate, darling, I don't understand how you can put up with him sometimes."
"It takes a lot of practice," Kate said with a hand over her mouth trying to stifle a grin.
After explaining to Martha what the trip would entail, they decided to stay on the house that overlooked Lake Travis and came with a butler and chef. Kate wondered why they even needed to have them, but Alexis explained that it was a package deal. Martha agreed to join them in Austin and fly down on the 23rd with Jim and the other two couples.
After a phone call with Paula, the trip was set in stone. They were going to spend this Christmas in Texas. They agreed on starting new traditions the year before, and if this wasn't a new tradition, then who knows what is.
A/N- I couldn't stop writing today, I hope you like it so far. Thank you for all the follows it really means a lot to me. Luckily my roommate also likes Castle, because I don't know who I would bounce ideas off of without her.