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So glad you enjoyed the last chapter! :) Thanks for all of your support!

Disclaimer: Castle is not mine :/

[Chapter 5]

"Let's go get dry, huh?" Kate suggested, leading Braden and Rick toward the RV.

"He so got you, Mom!" Braden chuckled, giving Rick a thumbs up.

She smirked and cocked her head to the side, gazing at her soaked husband. "Yes, he did get me. But he'll be paying for it later."

Rick noticed the confident stare she had as they climbed the steps to the large vehicle. He knew that she wouldn't back down on that threat and he could only gulp at the thought of what she was planning on doing.

"My clothes are sticky," Braden complained, tugging on his drenched shirt to prove his point.

"I know, buddy. We're gonna get all dry first and then get some clean clothes on."

The boy nodded as Kate led them to the bathroom. Kneeling down in front of Braden, she grabbed for his shirt and took it off of him. Reaching for a towel off the towel rack, she began to dry the four-year-old off.

He giggled when she started to tickle him, Braden shrieking as Kate's hands moved over his tummy. "St-stop! Da- Dad! Help!" he gasped, his hands pushing on Kate's trying to get her to stop.

"I'm sorry, what was that?" Kate asked, her eyes locking on Rick's. "Get Dad? Well, if you say so..."

Kate stopped tickling Braden and lunged at Rick, her hands moving as he swatted his hands at her. "Kate!"

"This is payback for the water balloons!" She smirked, her hands flying at his sides.

Braden stood up, wiping his wet hair off his face. The boy watched laughing as his mom attacked his dad. His parents were something else.

"What would you like to do today, Brae?" Kate asked as the three of them sat at the bench, trying to come up with ideas of what to do.

They had all dried off and gotten a new change of clothes. Kate re-wrapped Braden's injured hand, the marred skin slowly healing. After that, they cleaned up the campsite, picking up the remains of the many water balloons that were thrown.

"Um..." Braden sat in thought, his hand holding up his chin as he had a look of pure concentration on his face.

Rick and Kate shared a knowing smile as they watched their son. He finally came to a decision.

"Can we go fishing? Papa Jim says its lots of fun!"

Kate glance at Rick, an eyebrow rising as she silently asks him. He understood, turning to Braden, a huge smile on his face. "Of course we can go fishing. Maybe we'll be able to catch some lunch."

The boy's smile quickly disappeared, "We're gonna eat it?" He looked utterly appalled at the idea of eating fish.

Rick laughed, a hand coming up on Braden's shoulder. "Yes, we're going to eat it. It's yummy. Trust me."

Braden slowly nodded, the idea not appealing at all but he trusted his dad and if he said it was good than it must be. Right?

Kate reached over and placed a hand on her son's forearm. "If you don't end up liking fish, then I can make you something else to eat, okay?" He nodded. "But I do want you to try it." He nodded again.

Rick smirked and stood up from the bench. "All right. I'm going to go get the fishing supplies out of the RV and then we'll be off." At that, he headed to the RV, leaving Kate and Braden at the bench.

Braden slumped down his shoulders and fiddled with the gauze on his hand. "Mom?"

Kate saw the unsure look on her son's face, so she moved over next to him, placing an arm over his shoulder. "What is it, Brae?"

"Is fish good?"

She smiled, ruffling his hair. "I like it. So yeah, I guess it is good."

Rick came bustling out of the RV with fishing poles, nets, and tackle boxes in his hands. "Who's ready for some fishing?"

Kate silently watched as Rick taught Braden how to cast the fishing line. She was sitting on the ground a few feet away, her own fishing pole in hand as she waited for any nibbling.

Her heart warmed as she saw the look of utter excitement on her son's face as he cast the line, the red and white bobber floating in the water. Rick smiled as Braden jumped a bit, a hand pointing toward the line.

"I did it!" Braden shrieked pride and joy etched on his features. "Look, Mom! I'm fishing!"

Kate beamed. "Good job, Brae! You're a natural!"

The boy smiled, unable to contain his excitement. "I'm gonna get a huge fish!" Rick squeezed Braden's shoulder as the boy patiently waited to see if there was anything tugging on the end. "How long does it take?" He asked Rick after a few minutes.

Rick kneeled down, his own line cast as he held onto his fishing pole. "Wait a few more minutes and then if you don't get anything then you can cast again, sound good?"

"Yep!" The boy grinned, his focus on the water in front of him, looking for any signs of movement.

Rick smiled, standing up and looking over at his wife. "How's it coming over there, Mommy?"

Kate had just cast her line again, not catching anything the first time. "I'm doing alright, Daddy. Still nothing though," she called back. "How are my boys doing?"

Right before Rick could answer Braden shrieked, "I got one! I got a fish!"

Reeling in her line, Kate stood up and walked over to Rick and Braden as her husband helped her son reel in the fish. Braden was so excited that he couldn't stand still; his eyes grew wide as the line got closer and closer.

"Whoa," he breathed when Rick held up the fishing line with a small trout dangling from it.

Rick grabbed the fish by the tail and proceeded to take the hook out, being as gentle as possible. Braden held onto Rick's forearm in a firm grasp as he watched his dad hold onto the slimy (and stinky) fish.

"He's a big one," Braden exclaimed.

Kate smiled, "Yes, he is." She pulled out her phone and clicked on the camera app. "Okay, now Braden stay by Dad and I'll get a picture of you and your fish." He lit up and stood as tall as he could, a huge grin on his lips. Rick bent down, still holding onto the trout. Kate held up her phone. "Say trout."

"Trout," was the chorused reply as Kate snapped the picture, taking a few more just in case.

Braden left his dad's side and ran over to Kate, tugging on her forearm. "Can I see?"

"Use your manners, buddy," Kate chided, keeping the phone out of reach.

Braden dropped his arms. "Please."

She just smiled, kneeling down and showing Braden the pictures she just took with a swipe of her finger. He was in awe, completely speechless. She then set the phone down on one of the tackle boxes, not wanting it to get wet.

Rick had placed the trout in the ice box and recast his line, getting a tug after only a minute or so. "Hey, I think I got one, too!" He yelped, reeling the line in.

The two watched as Rick fought with the fish. It was not going out without a fight and it was sure giving Rick a tough job. His hands were losing their grip and he suddenly found himself flying head-first into the lake, the fish long gone and off the hook. His fishing pole floated in the water next to him.

Kate clapped a hand over her mouth as she tried to suppress her laughter. Braden's jaw was dropped and his eyes were wide.

Rick slowly stood up, his entire body drenched head to toe. Picking up the fishing pole with a grunt, he trudged out of the water to find his wife and son laughing like crazy. He gave them a dirty look, a frown on his lips. Pieces of wet hair were sticking to his forehead and some were sticking out in different directions. His navy shirt pressed against his skin and his cargo shorts felt extremely heavy. The whole thing was very amusing.

"Yeah, yeah. It's hilarious," he said sarcastically, shaking his head like a dog.

Kate walked up to Rick and raised a hand to his cheek. "I'm s-sorry. I-it's not f-funny," she choked out, biting her lip to keep from laughing.

Braden joined in. "It's hilarious!"

That's when Kate completely lost it and bent over as the giggling fits came. Rick stood there, utterly soaked, while his family chuckled at him. Tossing the fishing rod down, he picked Kate up bridal style and proceeded toward the water. "Rick!" She growled hitting him on the chest. "This isn't funny."

"We'll just see how funny it is when you're the one who is all soaking wet!"

Kate was not happy. "Richard Castle, you better put me down right now!"

He sighed, "Poor choice of words." And at that, he released his grip and tossed her in the lake, the cold water quickly surrounding her.

Rick turned to see Braden giggling. The boy came up right on the water's edge, his sandal-clad feet becoming soaked. He suddenly pointed at something behind Rick, his face in that of shock. "Dad, look out!"

He was submerged under water, the feel of slender arms wrapped around his shoulders and long legs hooked around his hips. Kate. Flailing his arms he came up gasping for air, Kate still clinging onto him.

"That's the second time you've soaked me today, Rick. And I must say: I'm not happy about it."

He grinned, standing up to his full height and causing them to be about knee-deep in the water. Kate clung onto him tighter, holding on for dear life.

"Throw her!" Braden yelped, his hands pumping in the air.

"Braden!" Kate flicked Rick hard on the ear. "You've turned my own son against me. I don't believe this..." She thumped him once more, earning a squeal of pain from her husband. "Don't let go of me."

He grinned mischievously. "Well, third time's the charm, huh?"

"Wait, what?" Kate was thrown off guard and by the time she understood what he meant she was under the water once again. And Rick was off.

By the time Rick and Kate had dried off (for a second time) it was nearing lunch. The three of them had the trout that Braden had caught. The boy finding it completely delicious. His parents were right! Fish is good!

After they were done eating, they went on a hike; showing Braden all over the camping area. They spotted a few, small wildlife animals from a distance and he was amazed. It was even better than the zoo, according to Braden. The kid was having the time of his life.

When they reached their campsite, the sun was already setting, casting an orange glow on everything the light touched. Rick got a fire started, the flames dancing. Not wanting hot dogs or trout again, they went simple for dinner: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Yum.

Braden helped Kate clean up afterward while Rick left to go prepare his little 'surprise' for them. Kate had a feeling on what he was planning but held her tongue so it wouldn't be ruined for the boy. Once finished she led Braden inside to grab some sweatshirts and blankets, the temperature was a little colder than the previous night. They needed to stay warm if they were going to make it through Rick's surprise.

The boy kept asking Kate what the surprise was but she didn't give in. Braden went into interrogation mode, his face serious and his tone low. He wanted- no, he needed to know what his dad was planning.

"Please, Mom. What is it?" Braden pleaded, the two of them sitting down against the massive logs that encircled the fire pit, a blanket resting on their laps.

She draped an arm over his tiny shoulders. "I'm sorry, sweetie. But Dad wants this to be a big surprise. You'll like it, but you have to be patient or there won't be a surprise at all."

He pouted in response, arms crossed. Someone was getting a little cranky; bed time was looming in the air. As soon as the little surprise was over, Kate decided that Braden was going straight to bed, no complaints. The boy was draining and fast. Where was her husband?

"Rick?" She called. "Come on, babe. We're waiting. Where's that surprise of yours?"

"I'll be right there!" Rick was over at the RV, looking through a storage unit that was located on the right side of the vehicle. He was smirking to himself, excited and anxious. Braden was gonna flip! Pulling out everything he needed, he turned toward his family. "Alright. Time for the surprise!"

There you go folks! :)

I'll try to have the next chapter posted as soon as I can! Thank you all for your support! You guys are AWESOME! ;)

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