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[Chapter 8]

Kate and Rick couldn't wipe the smiles off their faces as they packed their clothes, trying to be as quiet as possible so they wouldn't wake up Braden. The night they had planned would be unforgettable!

As soon as they finished packing, it was time for them to put their plan into action. The pair was so giddy that they had trouble focusing. When they were finished putting the final details together the two headed inside the large RV, intending to wake Braden up.

A small shake on the shoulder had the boy up, he wiped at his eye and turned around to find his parents smiling down at him.

"Hey, buddy," Rick whispered, kneeling down beside the bed. "You have a good nap?"

Braden slowly nodded, sitting up. His hair was a mess, a few strands sticking out in different directions and a few plastered to his forehead. His brown-green eyes were puffy from sleep.

Kate sat on the edge, her hands folded in her lap, concealing something. It looked like a crumpled piece of paper.

The four-year-old gave her a puzzled look, pointing to her lap. "What's that?"

Playing the part, Kate acted confused and a bit excited. "Dad and I were packing and we came across this." She handed Braden the paper, watching as his eyes grew wide.

"We think it's a treasure map," Rick supplied.

Rick and Kate bit their lips, trying to hold back the grins that were struggling to break free as they heard an audible gasp escape Braden's mouth.

It became even harder when the boy whispered to himself, "Pirates."

Rick shot Kate a look, their little plan was working. Perfect. He turned back to Braden. "What do you think, Brae? Want to see if we can find some hidden treasure?"

Pushing the sheets off of him, he stood up and jumped up and down on the bed. "Yes!"

They laughed, happy to see him so excited.

"All right, well come on down," Kate instructed, reaching out and grabbing his wrist. "We won't find any buried treasure if we jump on the bed, now will we?"

He immediately stopped, rushing to get off the bed. Once his feet hit the floor, he ran for it. Only he didn't make it as far as he'd hoped. A tug on the back of his shirt brought him back.

"Shoes and coat on, then treasure," Rick ordered, sitting the boy down on the bed and putting back on his hiking boots. He then went out to grab the boy's jacket, quickly returning to help him put it on. Rick also grabbed a flashlight, the sun was going down and they'd need the light.

Kate watched as Braden clutched the piece of paper to his chest, the smile never leaving his face. She couldn't help but think that this was one of the best ideas she's ever had.

"There we go," Rick breathed, gripping Braden's legs and giving them a small squeeze. "Let's go find us some treasure!"

Bouncing off the bed, Braden ran out the bedroom and headed outside. Rick and Kate were directly behind him, making sure he didn't run off far on his own.

"Where does it say to go first?" Kate asked, closing the RV door shut behind her.

Braden looked at the map, it was hand-drawn in markers by one Rick Castle (not that Braden knew that). It was a rough outline of the entire campsite, including the lake. Rick was proud of his work, it seemed pretty convincing and that's all he wanted.

"Um..." Braden stood in thought, staring at the map.

Rick had tried to draw it as simple as possible, but he also wanted to challenge his son. Braden was bright for his age and Rick knew he would be able to figure it out. If he needed help though, his parents would be there.

"The lake? The first clue?" He pointed to the outline of the lake with a fish on a hook, it had a large circle surrounding the lake in a deep red color. That was apparently where they were supposed to go first.

Glancing over his son's shoulder, Rick gave a small shrug. "Maybe. Only one way to find out, right?"

With a nod of his head, Braden tugged on his parents hands, leading them in the wrong direction.

Kate smiled, slowly turning him by nudging his shoulder and whispering, "Let's go that way," so that he would take them toward the lake. On the small trip it took to get there, Rick and Kate shot one another a look. Their little plan was turning out better than they could've hoped. Braden was trudging ahead, the map in his hands.

"We did good, Daddy," Kate whispered in his ear, her hot breath lingering.

Pecking her on the cheek, Rick nodded in agreement. "We did good? It was all your brilliant thinking. Not me. I just went along and did as told."

"Which is the first time you've ever listened to me," Kate teased.

He shrugged. "Hey, first time for everything."

She smiled, their hands lacing together as they followed their son to the lake.

"Where's the treasure?" Braden asked, his eyes scanning the gravel and water, not seeing gold or jewels. He faced his parents. "Where is it?"

Kate pointed to a fishing net a little ways away. "Maybe we have to fish it out," she suggested, Rick trying not to smirk next to her.

Braden walked over to the fishing net and picked it up, it had a hand-written note on the handle. Handing the note to his dad, Braden sighed, "What's it say?"

Crouching down, Rick held the note out so they could both read it. "We'll read it together, okay?" The four-year-old nodded.

"To find the first clue...fish for me in the deep blue."

Braden stared at the piece of paper in Rick's hands, "We gotta fish?"

"Seems that way," Rick stated, standing up. "Go see what you can find." He gave the boy a small push and nodded toward the lake.

He understood and began to fish for the next clue. Submerging the net under water, Braden moved it around trying to see if he could find the next part of this big puzzle. It took a little bit before he came across something. "I got something!" Lifting the net out of the water, Braden looked at what he'd found. "Whoa! What is it?"

Rick and Kate walked up to him and peered inside the net. "I think you just found the next clue, Brae," Kate smiled, pulling out a small, plastic bottle that had a note inside. "Go on and open it, read it."

The boy unscrewed the top and reached in to pull the note out with his fingers. Braden then handed the note to Kate.

"Want me to read the next clue?" Kate asked and Braden nodded, enthusiastically. "How about we read it together?"

He smiled, "Okay." Peering over her arm, his hands gripped her forearm as they read along together.

"I'm hot and I can cook. But be -"

Braden struggled on the next word, "Ca- car..."

Kate smiled. "Careful."

"- Careful because if you get too close, you'll get burnt."

Immediately Braden jumped up, hand raised in the air. "The fire!"

Rick and Kate smiled, he got it.

"Well, let's go!" Kate instructed, waving a hand to tell them to start walking. "We have a treasure to find!"

Braden, with the map in hand, started to head back to the campsite. Rick an Kate picked up the fishing net and bottle, figuring it'd be easier to pick it all up now rather than later. Kate pocketed the clue, not wanting to lose it.

The trio walked back to the camping grounds, Braden a bit head of his parents as he began to talk like a pirate. Rick and Kate chuckled, loving that he was having so much fun with all of this.

"Arg, I'd like you to be me first mate, darling," Rick mumbled in Kate's ear, earning a grin from the woman.

"I think you're having more fun than Braden is," she mused, nudging his shoulder with her own. "The whole hidden treasure and pirate thing going to your head there, Rick?"

He swatted Kate on the butt, his mouth right at her ear. "No, I've already got me booty." And he was off, running to catch up with his son leaving a smiling Kate behind.

I hope you liked it! I'm having a lot of fun trying to come up with different clues and hiding spots for this little treasure hunt. Please leave a review with your thoughts! And if you have any ideas for clues or hiding spots let me know! :) your ideas are always welcome!

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