Susanatc asked for it.
You got it.
Blame her.

The newest chapter- now I tried to keep it from getting TOO incredibly cheesy, I hope it's not too bad.
This chapter is just full of fluff and sunshine so if you're one of those people who can't stand happiness, you are most definitely reading the wrong story. Seriously, how did you make it all the way to chapter 11?

Another thing of some importance, there are POV changes, I hope I've made them clear enough. :)

Anyways, thanks sooo much for the reviews, they have been most encouraging, and I can't wait to see the response on this new installment.
Keep it up kids.

Thanks to Bugg for help picking out an appropriate song, and to Emily for putting up with me.
And of course to Susanatc for the wonderful update.

And now…


Sax Appeal

The night had set in fully- the last traces of the sun disappeared for the moon to take over its shift.

Alexis was curled up on the couch, fast asleep. The three had completely lost track of time and the late hour caught up with the young girl. She didn't mind in the least- Kate's couch was extremely comfortable, and the sound of her father's voice was like instant sleep to her- so calming and relaxing. It worked like a charm when she was a toddler with a nightmare, and now was no different.

"She's so cute," Kate observed, grinning as she watched the redhead.

"That's supposed to be my line," Rick told her, tearing his eyes from his sleeping daughter to the woman beside him. She was sitting now in the armchair parallel to the couch he and Alexis were occupying- she had moved so the girl could stretch out. He looked back nervously from her to Alexis and back. "This is going to sound really presumptuous but-" before he had a chance to finish, she interrupted him.

"You guys should stay here tonight. You've had wine, and it's getting late," she told him. He smiled his gratitude before returning his loving gaze towards his daughter. He liked the idea far too much to mention that they took a cab.

"She just looks so peaceful. I would hate to wake her up." Kate smiled her agreement. Castle closed his eyes and listened to Sinatra's sultry voice, erupting low and smooth from the speakers. He had been the ambience of the evening, playing in the background of every joke he told. As worried as he had been about the dinner tonight, things had worked out surprisingly…well.

Kate and Alexis had always gotten along. They were both adorably shy at first, as always, carefully easing into the careful conversation that suited them. He could tell Alexis was nervous- she respected and although she would never say as much, admired the detective. He could tell Kate was nervous because she kept pulling her bottom lip between her teeth and there was always a thoughtful pause before she answered. She liked Alexis, of this Rick was sure, and that showed itself in her wariness. Like she was afraid of screwing up something great. He smiled at the sight of them after they had grown more comfortable- laughing and joking, about this and that or the other thing. They complimented each other in a way he couldn't help but notice.

It wasn't like the other women he dated- taking them out, bringing them around only when Alexis was a safe distance away. When she was a child Alexis thought he was ashamed of her.

Ashamed.
Of her.

It damn near broke his heart when her little 8-year-old self told him this between sobs, thee innocent Monkey Bunkey suffering the wrath of her iron-tight grip on his battered left arm.

He had to sit her down, a tiny little thing in a giant's armchair, and explain why he never introduced her to his girlfriends. Why she never met them. Why he never brought them home. None of them were special.

Even with Gina he sheltered her, the stepmother-daughter relationship never moving past polite formalities, never extending boundaries and never breeching what was not only Gina's but his comfort zone. But he found this so much...different. He wanted Kate to be a part of Alexis's life just as much as he wanted her in his.

In a very very big way.

"You there?" Kate's voice broke his pensive thought. He could tell even before cracking open an eyelid to see that she was smiling- the amused expression left a pleasant infliction in her voice- an infliction he could place anywhere. He swore he could tell without looking the eye roll as well. This thesis has yet to be proven, though.

He opened his eyes and smiled at the sight of her. She was curled up, legs tucked underneath her, in the armchair juxtaposed to the couch, clutching the half-full wine glass by the bowl and swishing it lightly before sipping at it. Her green eyes had a spark of light in them- it may have been the dim lighting in the room, but Castle fancied himself an alternative explanation.

"Present," he told her, eyeing her, the corner of his mouth lifting devilishly.

"What?" she asked, not missing the glint in his eye and the smile that never led to something she would like.

"Nothing," he said, dismissively, knowing she wouldn't let it go.

"What?" she asked again, as loudly and authoritatively as she dared without waking the sleeping girl beside him.

"How cheesy would it be if I asked you to dance?" he asked her, studying her reaction.

"How cheesy would it be if I answered with 'but there's no music,'" she responded, her voice raising a few octaves to mock the cliché movie quote.

"Touché," Castle said. "But alas, we do have music. The dancing kind, even." He watched her as he could see her resolve fold. The idea was growing on her, he realized. Her brow relaxed and a small, agreeing smile threatened to break on her face.

"Why would you want to dance with me, Castle?" she asked, mischievously, again pulling her lower lip between her teeth.

"Now who's being corny?" he asked right back, and at last the smile she managed to repress broke. Without another word he stood, careful not to upset Alexis, and held out a hand towards Kate, pulling her onto her feet. In the same fluid motion he pulled her into him, and she had to place a hand on his chest to catch herself. Instead of moving it to his shoulder Castle covered it with his own, holding it in place.

-x-

The tracks changed, she could hear the familiar shuffle of the multi-cd stereo, and a new song began to play.

It was the same mix of smooth jazz and an almost bluesy symphony that reflected most of Sinatra's songs, accompanied not long after by his rich, charming voice. Kate recognized it as Summer Wind, one of her all-time favorites. They began to sway with the trumpets and sax, and mostly with his enchanting words. She dared hold his gaze at first, content to just watch them watch her. She let him lead, much to his surprise, letting him guide her around her small living room, holding her against him. After a few long moments she rest her head on his shoulder, taking comfort in the beat of his heart under her hand. She was glad from this position he couldn't see her foolish smile. She thought about how ridiculous this all was- the dancing- tucking her face into his neck to stifle her laughter.

"What?" he asked her, his voice low. She was not as good at hiding her humor as she thought, apparently.

"Nothing," she said, knowing as well as he before that he wouldn't let it go.

"What?" he asked her, and he laughed at the déjà vu.

"This is so ludicrous," she said, lifting her head from his chest and grinning despite herself.

"What- our dancing or the fact the you like it so much?" he asked her, earning another laugh from her.

"Both." She replied simply, content to rest her head back in that crook where his neck met his chest.

He inhaled her scent, relishing in the smell of sweet summer cherries that assaulted his olfactory system. She smelled so good, and in a fleeting thought he wondered what shampoo she used. In an equally quick thought he wondered when he could find that out. "If you try to spin me around I will mimic gagging sounds and kick you out," she warned, this time without lifting her head.

"Would you really wake Alexis up because I am a hopeless romantic?" he asked her, pretending to be offended.

"Oh no, Alexis could stay," she told him.

"I knew you liked her better than me," he pouted only slightly. It was then he felt her soft lips on his neck, planting a brief kiss there. The simple gesture sent a shiver up and down his spine. It struck him odd how…intimate this whole thing was- even more so than the sex.

This was so personal.
So close.
So open.
She was opening.

And then the song was over.

They broke away maybe a good thirty seconds after the song ended, neither wanting to end the moment and neither wanting to admit so out loud. "We should get some sleep. Knowing Alexis she will have us up by the crack of dawn," he told her. She pulled away almost coyly, leading him to her room to call it a night.

"Wait," he stopped short. As much as he would love to follow her into her bedroom, the small body sleeping on the couch made him hesitate. "Maybe I should sleep out here tonight. I don't think Alexis or her therapist can handle the trauma if she sees us walk out of the same room with bedhead quite yet."

As disappointed as this made her, she could see where he was coming from. "How about," she said, stepping closer into him, regaining the proximity they shared dancing. "I break out the sleeping bags and we all camp out here."

He couldn't help but grin at her idea. 20 minutes later their casual dinner-turned romantic evening morphed into a revival of childhood memories as they both laid out sleeping bags. Kate, with her one pillow, Castle with his six.

"Have enough pillows?" Kate asked, turning to face him. The candles had been blown out, the incense diminished, and the lights off completely, cloaking them in the dark and the familiar glow of the city below them.

"No," he replied simply, nearly completely hidden by the white cushions. He flopped around dramatically, no doubt for her benefit, before at last digging himself out of the hole of pillows and facing her, cradling one of them to his chest, in a manner that bordered child-like desperation. "Never enough pillows."

She responded by snuggling deeper into her sleeping bag, pulling her pillow with her, and scooting, with great effort, as she was lying horizontally, closer towards him. Even with two layers of fabric and warmth to separate them, she longed for the contact. He scooted closer as well, wiggling his body, again, dramatically, until they were touching. He retracted a hand from the warm depths of the bag and traced a finger down her face before leaning over and claiming a kiss, lingering a moment before returning to his pillow pile.

Again, she smiled.
She was doing a lot of that lately.
Smiling.

-x-

She woke just as she had fallen asleep, on the couch.

This would not be unusual, not if the couch was brown and leather.
Not if the couch smelled like Old Spice and Coast soap.
Not if the smell of bacon and the sounds of her father's singing was in the air.

But none of this was the case.

No, she was on a black couch.
That smelled like Cherry incense and Pantene.
With nothing but silence in the air.

It was then the night came back to her.

Kate's, she was at Kate's.
She had fallen asleep here?
Yes, asleep.
Apparently her father didn't see fit to wake her.

She peered over the edge of the couch and saw them on the floor beside each other. They were in separate sleeping bags, yes, but the scene was too cute anyways. It looked like the sleeping bag swallowed the detective whole, nothing but the top of her head sticking out from the top, and her dad, spooning her unabashedly, his mouth hanging slightly open in sleep.

She was happy for them, she really was. Kate was so good for her dad, and he was good for her, too. They worked, somehow. They shouldn't, be any means, but somehow…somehow they did. Something about a panda named YinYin and chemistry, she thought to herself. However it was, she was happy.

For him.
For her.
For them.

Alexis smiled and returned to the couch, readjusting the throw over her and snuggling deep into it. She would be perfectly content to just lie here a moment longer. Just a moment longer…

And the next thing she knew, sleep was claiming her again.


The title is my favorite so far. I just crack myself up sometimes.
Anyways I will now proceed to drop to my knees and beg you wonderful readers to review.
Seriously, it means the world.

I eat reviews for breakfast.
So feed me?

3 softer

Ps- susanatc, as soon as you review, you get your butt to writing.
Pleaseandthankyou.
love, softer.