Hello!

First off, I am blown away by the response to the first chapter! You guys are awesome! I got a ton of +StoryAlerts and +StoryFavorites, but not a whole lot of reviews. Please, please, please leave one! It'll help me improve my writing & it'll give me a chance to hear from all of you! So please leave a review when you're done reading!

Also, now that I am done with school, I'll be able to post chapters on a regular basis. I will try to get the next chapter up as soon as I can. But it probably won't be up until later in the week. Thanks again for all of your support!

Disclaimer: Castle is not mine :/

[Chapter 2]

"Sweetheart, time to wake up," Kate cooed, gently rubbing Braden's back and coaxing him from his sleep. "We're here."

"Sleep, Mommy..." he mumbled as he cuddled his Batman closer to his chest. His scrunched his eyes and pulled away from Kate.

She just sighed and began to unbuckle him from the car-seat. Picking him up, she carried him outside. "You're getting heavy, buddy," Kate breathed, her left hand rubbing small circles on his back. She took Batman out of his small hands and set it in the car-seat.

Braden burrowed his head into her shoulder, letting out a small sigh. The long trip to the campsite wore him out and he fell asleep about an hour into the trip, not being able to stay awake.

Rick was waiting outside, smiling as Kate carried Braden out. "Hey, Brae," he grinned, kissing his boy on the crown of his head and then giving Kate a kiss on the cheek. "Hey, Mommy," he whispered.

"Hi, Daddy," she returned, turning her focus to the campsite. "Wow, it looks the exact same...smells the same, too," she added after taking a big whiff of air.

"You having a sense of Deja Vu here?"

"Big time," she chuckled, the memories flooding back. "Brae, look. We're here."

The four-year-old slowly opened his eyes and at the sight before him he became fully awake. His brown-green eyes shone with wonder and amazement. The sun was shining brightly down on them; a few scattered clouds covered the sky in a curious pattern. Birds flew over their heads and the smell of pine trees was in full abundance. She twirled them in a small circle, giving Braden a full view of their surroundings. The old picnic bench sat to their right, along with the grill and fire pit. Looking to the left, in the far distance, was a lake with a mountain range over looking it.

"Mommy, put me down!" Braden ordered, squirming in Kate's arms.

Rick quickly got after him. "Braden, watch the attitude. Don't go yelling at people just because you want something. Use your polite words and apologize." The boy didn't say anything; he just let out a small grunt. "Now."

The little boy sighed, his arms wrapping around Kate's neck. "I'm sorry, Mommy. Can I get down? Please."

Kate smiled at him. "Thank you for apologizing. And yes, you can. Rick? Go with him, okay? Maybe take him down to the lake."

Her husband nodded, "what about you? Aren't you coming with us?" He watched her set Braden down, the boy bouncing with excitement.

"Maybe later. Right now I need some sleep," and as if to prove her point, Kate let out a huge yawn.

"Don't be too long, okay?"

She smiled, kissing him. Braden let out a grunt of disapproval, not wanting to see his parents kissing. "Eww..." he mumbled, hiding his face behind his hands.

Kate and Rick both looked at Braden with interest. "What's so gross?" Rick asked.

The kid made a disgusted look and bit his lip. "Girl cooties."

"Girl cooties, huh? Well, come here, Mommy. I want some girl cooties." Rick pulled Kate into another kiss, both grinning.

"Stop!" The boy pushed on the back of Rick's legs as hard as he could, trying to get his parents to break apart. "Let's go, Daddy!"

The couple could only smirk at each other.

Kate looked down and ruffled Braden's hair, a mischievous glint in her eyes. "Your turn!"

Braden's eyes grew wide as Kate grabbed him around the waist, lifting him up and kissing his cheeks like crazy. "Daddy, help me!" The boy cried out, giggling while doing so.

"I'm sorry, buddy. Mommy has magical powers. I'm stuck and I can't move my feet," he teased, just loving to see the interaction between his wife and his son.

Kate planted one more kiss on his cheek before setting him down. Braden rubbed his cheeks, attempting to get rid of the feel of the kisses. Then, he booked it. Rick grabbed Braden by his shirt before he scampered off too far on his own.

"Slow down there, Flash. It's not a race," Rick said, holding his hand out for his son to take. "Let's go see the lake so Mom can rest." Braden nodded, grabbing his father's hand and looking at his mother with an adorable smile.

Kate chuckled as she watched her two boys laugh and joke with one another as they walked to the lake. She let out a deep breath of air, climbing inside the RV and heading toward the back where the bedrooms were located. She unceremoniously plopped down, her eyes falling shut as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Kate was startled by the sound of shrill screaming. Quickly standing up and running outside, she saw Rick carrying Braden. The little boy's eyes were puffy and red from all of the crying.

She ran to them, freezing as soon as she saw the blood. "Rick, he's..."

"I know. Let's get him inside."

"What happened?" Kate asked as they got inside.

Rick shot her a look that clearly said: don't ask. He set the boy down, searching the cabinets for the first aid kit. Kate sat down by Braden and rubbed his back, pressing a kiss to his hair. Braden was grasping his left hand in a tight grip, his lips quivering as he silently cried.

"Got it," Rick stated, coming in front of his son and opening the kit.

"Rick, we should clean his hand first," Kate informed as she looked at her worried husband. His eyes were wide and his demeanor was faltered. "Don't want it to get infected."

"Okay."

Kate picked up Braden and carried him to the bathroom. Setting him down on the toilet, she grabbed a washcloth and ran it under some water. She kneeled down and reached for his hand but he pulled his away.

"It hurts, Mommy," Braden sniffled, his head shaking.

"I know it does, baby. But we have to clean it so it doesn't get infected, all right?" Braden slowly nodded his head, tears streaming down his face.

Kate delicately took her son's hand and flipped it over, seeing the gash up close for the first time. It wasn't as bad as she'd previously thought but it wasn't minor either. A long, red line ran from the bottom of his palm to the middle of it. Blood was seeping out, covering his hand.

She gently dabbed his hand with the washcloth, soaking up the blood. Braden winced in pain but didn't pull his hand back. Kate mumbled apology after apology as she cleaned it. Braden wept silently as he watched his mother.

Rick stood at the doorway of the tiny bathroom, watching his son in pain. He felt terrible about what happened and he knew Kate wasn't asking about it now for the sake of Braden, but she definitely would later.

"There. All done." Kate let out the breath she didn't know she was holding. "You were so brave, sweetheart. So very brave."

Rick handed her the first aid kit, "Here you go."

She nodded in thanks and turned back to her son. Getting down to his level again, she opened the kit and pulled out some Neosporin. "This is kind of gooey but it'll help make your hand feel better. Rick, can you get me a band aid please?"

"Yeah."

She unscrewed the cap and squeezed a dime-sized amount into a bandage that Rick had just opened for her. Kate carefully placed the band aid on Braden's palm, making sure it was going to stay in place.

"Kate, we should probably wrap it in gauze. That way the band aid doesn't come off when he moves around," suggested Rick as he remained by the door.

"Good idea," she smiled, searching in the kit for a gauze wrap and some clips. "Here we are."

Braden wiped his nose with his free hand, looking down at the Superman band aid on his palm. Kate began to wrap Braden's hand in the material; she placed the loose end of the bandage on the outer part of his wrist and wrapped it twice. She then crossed the bandage up over the back of Braden's hand diagonally and pulled it down across the palm. And then Kate pulled the bandage up between his index finger and thumb. She did this a few times and then secured it with the small clips.

"There. All better. How's that feel, buddy?" She wondered.

"It doesn't hurt anymore," he said, inspecting his bandaged hand. The material felt funny around his wrist and hand, he wasn't used to it at all. "It feels funny."

"It will for a bit," Rick told him. "But it'll be better before you know it! Now, what to do you say to Mom for helping you?"

Braden gave Kate the biggest smile he could muster and practically jumped in her arms. "Thank you."

She hugged him right back. "You're welcome, Brae. I'm so glad you're okay."

He pulled back. "Can you kiss it?"

"I thought I had girl cooties?" She asked, smirking. Kate was happy to see that her boy was no longer crying because she wasn't so sure if she could handle any more tears.

"I don't care."

That wasn't the answer she was expecting. "You sure?"

He held out his hand. "Please."

Kate smiled softly, bringing his little hand in hers and kissing it, being cautious of his scrape. She peppered his hand with kisses, a smile making its way on Rick and Braden's faces.

The trio slowly moved their way out of the bathroom and outside to the fresh air. "How about we have some lunch? That sound good?" Rick asked.

Kate nodded, looking down at Braden. "You want lunch, Brae?"

"I want a hot dog!" He exclaimed, tugging on Kate's hand with his uninjured one. "With mustard!"

Rick laughed, "Hot dogs it is!"

While Rick was preparing their lunch, Kate and Braden put plates and cups on the table. About fifteen to twenty minutes later, they were all seated at the bench; Kate sitting next to Braden and Rick on the other side of the bench.

"How's your hot dog, Brae?" Rick asked, taking a bite of his own.

"It's good!" He smiled, opening his mouth. "See."

Kate tapped him on the shoulder, Close your mouth, buddy. We don't want to see that. It's not polite."

Braden slumped down, gazing at Kate with apologetic eyes. "Sorry," he mumbled, chewing on his food.

"What do you want to do after lunch? We can do whatever you'd like," Kate told Braden as they ate. "We can go fishing, we can go on a hike." She ran her fingers through his hair, sweeping away a few strands that lay on his forehead.

He sat there thinking, taking a bite of his hot dog as he weighed his options. "I don't know…"

Rick leaned on his forearms, "We could also set up the tent if you'd like. It's where we'll be sleeping this weekend. And I could sure use your strong muscles to help me put it together."

Braden raised his arms out to show his muscles, "I'm strong!"

Kate laughed. "Yes, you are! Very strong."

The boy was bouncing in his seat, unable to contain his excitement. "Can we do it now?"

Rick nodded toward his son's half-eaten hot dog on the plate. "We can as soon as we're done eating. So finish your hot dog and we can get started."

At that, Braden picked up his hot dog and began stuffing it in his mouth.

"Whoa, slow down there. We don't want you to choke," Kate said, pulling the hot dog away from her son's vacuum of a mouth. "Remember, small bites."

Braden did as he was told and took smaller bites. Rick and Kate could tell that he was doing his best to hold back his excitement, but it was clearly evident on his face. "Done!" He cheered, hands raised and plate clear. "Now?"

Rick smiled, nodding his head as he began to clear off the bench table of the paper plates and cups. "Let me clean up and then we can start."

Braden did a small fist pump.

Ta-da! :)

I hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! It was kind of hard for me to write for some reason...so hopefully it turned out alright. Please leave a review! They mean everything to me because it lets me know what you guys think! And they are so helpful, too! So just take a minute and leave me one with your thoughts :) I'll try to post the next chapter as soon as possible! And I am sorry that these chapters aren't very long, I will try to work on that as time goes on.

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