Alexis ran up the beach towards Kate, wringing her hair out. Her pink floral Betsey Johnson bikini looked good against her pale (but not too pale) skin, and she was shrieking. Rick ran a few feet behind her, yelling, "I'm gonna get you!"

Kate laughed. She had been in the ocean for a few hours before Rick has gently suggested she take a break and sit in a comfy lounge chair on the beach. She grabbed her phone from the table next to her and brought up the camera, snapping a picture of Rick grabbing Alexis around the waist.

"Daaaaddd!," Alexis screamed. She was laughing so hard she was almost crying. "Surrender! Surrender!," Alexis yelled, until Rick put her down. He grinned at her.

"Aww yeah."

"Dad," Alexis said, smiling and shaking her head. "You never get sick of that, do you?"

He kissed her cheek and put his arm around her, walking towards Kate. "Never."

Rick sat down on Kate's chair, at her feet. She just winked at Alexis and kicked him off, onto the warm sand. Alexis burst out laughing as Rick spit out sand. He looked at Kate.

"Oh, it's on. I'll give you a 5-second head start since you're a cripple."

Kate smiled with determination. She took off her straw fedora and tossed the towel off her body. She stretched her arms, giving Rick a chance to stare at her toned body in her black bikini.

"I'm up for the challenge," she said, taking off down the beach. She ran along the water, about a foot before the waves. She could hear Castle counting 5 Mississippis before running after her. She grinned to herself and sped up. It seemed Castle had forgotten how often she had to run down suspects.

She waited until she was far enough away from the house that Alexis looked like she was 3 feet tall, and Rick was a good couple yards behind her, to dart into a nearby group of palm trees. She circled back, making sure not to get too close to any neighbors as she ran back towards Alexis, Rick nowhere in sight.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, something collided with her, knocking her onto her back. She was breathless, panting in a totally non-sexy way. Rick grinned, having landed on top of her. He kissed her quickly, then let her regain her breath.

"Hey there."

"Man! I thought I was being so clever!," Kate protested, still panting slightly.

Rick nuzzled his nose with hers, clasping their hands together in the sand on either side of their bodies.

"You were. Never have I thought to cut through the trees and double back. I usually just head for the ocean."

Kate grinned. "So I outsmarted you?"

"Maybe. But I caught you, didn't I?," Rick asked smugly, kissing her. They made out on the sand for a few minutes until Kate was breathless again, this time in a sexier way. She smiled up at him, breathing heavily.

"Hot."

He nodded and went back in for more. "Yeah, I know, right?"

"No, Rick, the sand is hot," she wheezed.

"Oh!," He quickly pulled her up so she was sitting, then he took her in his arms and carried her about twenty feet to the house. Kate was still panting when they reached the shady back deck. Rick sat her down the lounge chair as Alexis jumped up to go get her a glass of water.

"Kate, honey, are you okay?"

Kate nodded. "My lungs… are.. just.. still…," she coughed out. "..healing."

Alexis came back out of the house and handed Kate a glass of water. She nodded her thanks and took it, taking a few sips.

"Are you sure?," Rick asked worriedly. Kate nodded, then started to cough again, spitting up some water. She clamped her hand over her mouth. Rick frowned and picked up Kate's phone. He handed it to Alexis.

"Honey, will you dial her doctor and follow us upstairs? I think someone needs to lie down."

Alexis nodded and followed behind Rick as he swept Kate up in his arms once more and carried her upstairs. She closed her eyes and leaned against him, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Yeah, I don't feel so hot all of the sudden," she mumbled into Rick's neck. They reached the bedroom, and Alexis put the phone on speaker as she helped her dad lower Kate onto the bed gently. Alexis then kissed Kate's forehead and left, telling Kate to feel better soon.

"Dr. Stevens? Hi, yes, it's Rick Castle. No, Kate's ankle is fine. She and I are actually on vacation with my daughter in the Hamptons.. yes…. Well, Kate was moving around a lot, doing a lot of running, and started panting a lot…. Yes, coughing too… she said she wasn't feeling that great all of the sudden… yeah, sure…"

Rick put his hand on Kate's forehead.

"Yes, she's a bit warm. But we were also just lying in the sand... give it ten minutes? Okay….. great… thanks, doctor. Will do… okay, bye."

"Rick, I'm a little dizzy… and my head hurts," Kate whispered hoarsely. She closed her eyes again and lifted her hand to her face, pushing the heel of her hand against her forehead. Rick moved her hand and kissed her forehead where it hurt.

"The doctor said you might be slightly dehydrated. He also said no more heavy-duty running, until he can check your lungs out."

Kate nodded very slowly, frowning. She felt for Rick's hand and he reached out for her to take it.

"Oww… it hurts, Rick."

"I'm so sorry, baby. How about we take a nap? I'll be right here if you need me."

Kate murmured, "Yess… but not in the wet swim suits…"

Rick nodded in agreement. "I'll change you, okay baby? You just lie there."

Kate laughed weakly. "What a charmer." Rick laughed with her as he untied her bikini. He went through their drawers until he found a long, slightly oversized tank top and a pair of boyshort panties. He dressed Kate and changed into boxers and a t-shirt himself. He made sure the ceiling fan was on the highest power it went to, and hung their wet swim suits up in the bathroom to dry.

"Remember, honey, I'm right here," he whispered, slipping into bed next to Kate. She shifted, resting her head on his chest. He kissed her hair and kept his eyes open, watching her sleep.

xxxx

They must have missed dinner, because when Rick and Kate woke up, it was 2 am. Kate looked at the clock and groaned.

"Naps always fuck with my sleep schedule."

Rick yawned and stretched his arms. "Oops. You're feeling better, I take it?"

Kate nodded. "Yep. I just need to drink more water when it's hot out."

"Soo… what do we do now?," Rick asked, wiggling his eyebrows at Kate. She laughed.

"Well, we can talk about the wedding," she said, smiling. Rick nodded and stroked her hair.

"Late night wedding planning? Sounds good to me."

They talked about planning a date for Kate, Lanie, Alexis, Jenny, and Maddie to go shopping for bridesmaids dresses and a wedding gown. Rick didn't have much family besides Martha and Alexis, but he had a few close friends to invite. Besides her dad and an aunt, Kate didn't have a lot of family either.

"You know, I think a small, intimate wedding is perfect," Kate said, kissing Rick. During their conversation, she had shifted from his side to lying on top of him. He grinned and kissed her back.

"Mmmhhh, me too," he mumbled, deepening their kiss. He worked his way down her neck until he reached her collarbone.

"Hey, honey?," Kate whispered, with a little moan of pleasure. "I actually want to talk about something with you."

Rick lifted his head up. "What is it?"

"Our first dance," Kate said, pushing a lock of hair behind her ear and looking at her lap. "I'm a little nervous. I mean, we dance around the kitchen all the time, but this will be different."

"Well, don't worry my dear, I'm sure you'll be able to keep up with me," Rick said, a twinkle in his eye. Kate sighed.

"What makes you think I'm talking about my dancing skills?," she asked mockingly. He pressed a kiss to her cheek.

"I don't know… Maybe I just don't want to admit that it's possible I could be that fool who can't keep up with his gorgeous new bride."

Kate smiled and laughed, and Rick got up from the bed. He walked over to the dresser, and searched through his music library for a few minutes before hitting play on his iPhone, which was sitting in a docking station. Moments later, the first verse of a slow song played:

"Dancing where the stars go blue, dancing where the evening fell…"

"Music from One Tree Hill?," Kate smirked at him. "I didn't know you were into teen dramas, Castle."

"Ha ha," he said, a cute grin on his face. "When she was 13, Alexis made me a mix of what she thought were the best love songs ever. I actually really like this one." He held his hand out and Kate took it, placing her hand on his shoulder. He put his other hand on the back and started to move to the music.

She smiled. "That's cute. What else was on there?"

"Hmmm," Rick said, thinking. "Teardrops on My Guitar by Taylor Swift, some songs by Avril Lavigne…"

"Aw," Kate said, letting Rick twirl her. "That's cute."

"Yeah, it is..," he chuckled. Realization spread across his face. "Wait, how do you know this is from One Tree Hill?," he asked. Kate blushed and he laughed. "Busted."

She kissed him softly to shut him up, and they fell into a perfect pattern, waltzing around the bedroom.

"So," Rick said as the last few verses played. He twirled Kate. "Detective Katherine Beckett, where do you go when you're lonely?"

She twirled back into his arms and stopped dancing, wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Right here," she whispered, burying her face in his chest. He tilted her face up towards his and kissed her lips softly. "And you?"

"Same," Rick whispered, sweeping her up in his arms and setting her down on the bed gently, following her down and never once breaking their embrace. "With you."

xxxx

Since Kate and Rick and been awake from 2 am to 4 am, they didn't wake up again until noon. Kate woke up first, and she decided to take a shower and let Rick sleep. She hummed "When the Stars Go Blue" as she showered, and when she emerged from the bathroom wrapped in a towel, Rick was sitting on the edge of the bed in his pajamas, talking on the phone. Kate waved at him and he smiled at her, with that look of pure love and adoration in his eyes that made Kate feel like she was walking on air. She went through her drawers, trying to find the shorts and tank top she was looking for while Rick finished his conversation.

"Yup…. 4747 Towne Lane… no, we've have everything we need here… yeah.. okay, sounds good bro… see you then."

"Who was that?," Kate asked, clasping her bra. She pulled a thin gray embroidered tank top over her head and slipped on some beige shorts. Rick kissed her cheek and adjusted the strap of her tank top.

"Ryan. He and Jenny are going to drive up soon, they should be here by dinner."

Kate smiled and pulled Rick to her for a more passionate good morning kiss.

"Sounds fun," she said, leaning her forehead against his. "And your mother?"

"Her play was extended 3 more weeks, and she is ecstatic. The West End really loves her, or so she says. But she sends her love."

Kate laughed and started to brush her hair. "Sounds like Martha."

Rick nodded in agreement and got dressed in an indigo t-shirt and cargo shorts while Kate brushed her hair. They brushed their teeth side by side in silence, enjoying the sound of the waves outside their window.

When they arrived downstairs, hand in hand, Alexis was in the kitchen, making waffles. She smiled when she saw them.

"Wow, took you guys long enough. It's 1 in the afternoon!"

"We woke up in the middle of the night," Kate admitted, sitting on a barstool facing the kitchen. Rick stood behind her hand wrapped his arms around her.

"Sorry we missed dinner, sweetie," he said to Alexis. "Kate wasn't feeling well."

"It's okay, dad," Alexis said, pouring batter into the waffle iron. "I went on Craigslist and invited a few male strippers to join me. We made hot dogs on the barbecue."

Kate laughed and Rick scowled.

"I'm glad you're better, Kate," Alexis said with a mischievous smile. Kate just nodded her thanks, trying to stop her laughter.

"Okay, the Craigslist joke isn't funny the 2nd time.. or 3rd," Rick grumbled. Alexis winked at Kate.

"Really? Because it seems like it still works on you," she said, opening up the waffle iron and setting the 2 fresh waffles on top of the small stack she had already made.

"Anyone hungry?"

"Say you have whipped cream for these and all is forgiven," Rick said, eyeing the plate hungrily. Alexis nodded and Rick ran for the fridge. He piled whipped cream miles high on his plate and sat down at the kitchen table, a huge grin on his face.

"Yummmm….."

Heroic Rick to the rescue once again :) I love when he can save her, because she saves him a lot on the show.