This chapter exists for the conversations. Some subtle, but important points follow.
Enjoy. The time for this one was hard won, but it's long to make up for it!
Recap (these were requested): Lanie just found Castle and Beckett hugging in the stairwell. She interrupted a maybe kiss. Kate didn't back away from Castle though, and Alexis sent Lanie a text to make her believe Castle had proposed when, really, he'd just returned Kate's mother's ring.
Chapter 41 – Accord
"Alexis Harper Castle!" Detective Kate Beckett's voice sounded through the bullpen just as soon as she rounded the half-glass partition.
"You little maggot!" Castle hissed at his daughter. "Are you trying to get me killed?"
"Nuh-uh," Lanie said, "she's mine."
Uh-oh. Alexis' eyes widened in surprise.
Kate and her father weren't a threat. Her dad was, well, her dad, and really, if it hadn't been for him, where would she have learned such a trick? It was his own fault, really. And Kate? She was an NYPD homicide detective. She couldn't kill her. Lanie, though? Lanie…maybe she shouldn't have messed with Lanie.
Lanie bodily dragged Alexis away from the boys and toward the small conference room.
"Whoa, Chica, what's going on?"
Lanie didn't answer. She just shut the door behind them. Castle, Beckett, Ryan and Esposito all watched from the outside as Lanie's angry hands motioned "crazy," "jogging," "proposal" and general agitation. To, Alexis' credit, she didn't run away and she didn't cower.
Beckett laughed when she watched Alexis raise her hand. When Lanie paused to give Alexis permission to speak, Alexis pulled out her phone. She said something to the ME, smiled conspiratorially and showed the agitated woman something on her phone. Lanie pulled the phone from Alexis' hands, then turned to glare at Kate.
Kate glared back, but now she was the one feeling uncomfortable. She risked a glance at Castle, only to find he'd turned to her as well. The question hung between them, each wondering what it was? When they turned back to Alexis and Lanie, they were smiling and shaking hands.
While they stood there watching, Castle whispered out of the side of his mouth to Beckett. "Why do I feel like she just made a deal with the devil?"
"Which one?"
Castle only grunted in response.
When the two came out, Castle put his arm around Alexis shoulders and drew her in.
"You know we're taking up the gauntlet with full vigor, right?"
"Ah, Mr. Micawber," Alexis put on with her best British accent. "Find yourself in need of job?"
"No," her father responded, "But it is best not to let one's debts go unpaid."
"And we definitely owe you," Kate promised with a wry, closed-lip smile.
Beckett's ears perked to the conversation going on beside her. She caught enough to know that the boys were concerned that Lanie now had "insider knowledge." Great, she thought. This—whatever "this" was—coupled with the team-contained knowledge that she actually would be spending the weekend with the Castles meant their friends would be doubling down on the snoopiness. Oh, well, Kate thought. I won't be here for them to scrutinize or interrogate. Let them wonder…and waste their money!
"Kate, you got a minute?" Lanie asked.
"Oh, nope," Kate said, turning to punch her monitor off. "Running late. Gotta go." Though curious, she refused to give Lanie the satisfaction. Let her wonder—I've got Alexis all weekend!
"You're not running late," Lanie replied indignantly. "You're starting vacation. You don't need to be anywhere."
"Sorry, Lanie. Have fun, Gentleman." Kate handed a file over to Ryan. "Captain signed the file transfer request. Call me if anything pops or if we catch a body—I want to be kept in the loop."
"You got it, Boss."
"Kate, come on," Lanie begged. "I need your opinion."
"Sorry, Lanie," Kate smiled a fake, knowing smile and shrugged unapologetically.
Castle backed her up. "Lunch reservations," he lied. "You know. Gotta go." He put his hand at the small of Kate's back and ushered the two toward the elevator.
Her crew echoed "byes" and "have funs" and as the stepped past Karpowski's desk she called, "See ya later! Have fun camping!"
"We will," the trio chorused. Kate realized her mistake immediately. It showed only in her flaming cheeks which, thankfully, were covered by long hair and a sudden fascination with the precinct's flooring. If it weren't for the unanticipated pause and trip-step in her normally smooth and confident stride—causing Castle to stumble as well—and Alexis' head whipping back to stare at her, she could have passed it off as a cursory, meaningless response or pretended no one heard her above the Castles' own responses. But, she did trip.
Thankfully, the elevator was at their floor. When the doors closed, Kate was just barely inside the elevator. Castle collapsed on the back wall, biting his knuckles. Alexis stood in the corner, concerned over Kate's reaction.
"Look at you!" Castle gasped, nearly doubled over. Kate was alternating from ghostly white to bright pink. She was obviously concentrating very hard—either counting or attempting to breathe. Castle wasn't sure. "You look like you can't decide whether to be happy, mad or just really, really embarrassed."
Kate hadn't moved from her spot in the elevator. She brought her hands up to hide her face, and noticed again her mother's ring, secured over her thumb. She knew it was ridiculous to feel so strongly over a ring—it was just a thing—an object, but she still felt incredible elation over its return.
Kate's smile grew into one of genuine happiness and affection.
"No, Castle," she responded, lifting her head to meet his eyes. "I'm happy. So happy. Thank you."
Hearing that, Castle put his arms out. Kate almost laughed at the hopeful look on his face, but she couldn't deny him. Truthfully, she couldn't deny herself.
Castle wrapped his arms around Kate's shoulders. He couldn't believe his luck. This made, what? Three, maybe four times, depending on how you counted that he'd had Beckett in his arms today. He hadn't wanted to let her go in the stairwell, and he'd been even more pleased when Kate didn't seem to want to leave his embrace. She'd stayed in his arms, not caring that Lanie would harass her about it later and not attempting to move. 'Til Lanie ruined it with that proposal talk. Grrr Lanie. Grrr Alexis. Though…it was kind of funny.
Kate reached out and pulled Alexis into their hug, kissing her forehead. "Thanks, Lex."
Kate squeezed them to her tightly, and felt both Castle and Alexis reciprocate. After a moment, Alexis leaned back, pretending to check the time, but really just wanting to see her dad's face. Kate stayed, and didn't move until the elevator jerked to a stop.
When the elevator doors opened, Castle and Beckett were standing beside one another, as close as they normally did, but with no sign that they'd been much closer only a moment earlier. It made Alexis wonder how close the two were when no one else was around.
Lunch had been a bit hurried, as Castle was excited to get to the "Outdoor Store" as he called it. He'd simply pulled out his phone and found something with good reviews on Yelp or some other app he had on his phone. It was just another way Castle expanded her horizons. He was always up for trying something new.
She'd been blindly following Castle while talking with Alexis when they walked in, so she still wasn't sure what exactly the store was called, but she was surprised that she'd never been there before. The "Outdoor Store" was three stories of everything you could possibly imagine for outdoor sporting and recreation activities. Kayaks hung from the ceiling along with skis and snowshoes. Among others, there were sections for clothing, shoes, sporting equipment, hunting, camping, biking and scuba diving. You name it, they had it. They even had a center for equipment repair—including an ice skates sharpening center, a tidbit she filed away for winter.
"Where should we start, Ladies?" Castle asked.
"I say we start with the essentials," Alexis said, pulling out her list.
My kind of girl, Kate thought. "That's fine, but I do want to head up to women's clothes to see if they have any shorts that actually fit."
The two gave her an odd look, wondering how she couldn't find shorts that fit, but she only had a few pairs of shorts she would actually wear out in public—one pair of jean shorts and two pairs of Bermuda shorts.
With her long legs, most shorts left her feeling indecent or like she should be standing on the corner of 28th and Lexington. That's why her summer wardrobe consisted of a lot of skirts. She wasn't sure what the difference was; she could wear a skirt—of any length—and feel fine, but most shorts left her feeling from classy.
"'Kay," Alexis replied. "Me, too."
"So, what are the essentials?" Kate asked, following Castle to the camping gear section.
"Well, since your dad has a tent we can use, we just need one more for us girls. We need another cooler, another table cover, a couple more camp chairs. Dad wants to get a game. And we need more hobo pie makers."
"Hobo whaters?"
Castle stopped short and looked at her. "I thought you'd been camping before?"
"I have," Kate stressed. "But keep in mind…the last time I went camping, Alexis would have been what? Five?" She nudged Alexis. "How's that for perspective? Now I feel old!"
"So you've never had a hobo pie?" Alexis asked.
"I don't even know what you're talking about. I've had a moon pie. Nasty, by the way."
"They're not nasty."
Kate rolled her eyes. "'Course you wouldn't think so." He'd eat anything, so long as it wasn't pickled.
"So, who's going to fill me in? What's a hobo pie?"
Castle grabbed Kate's arm and drug her through the camping aisles until he found the cookware. He explained as he went.
"A hobo pie isn't any one thing. It's more about the tool." He reached out and grabbed something, and held it out to her. "It's like a cast iron Panini press suitable for making all sorts of things over the fire: grilled cheese, pizza pockets, eggs, sausage, toast—all sorts of stuff. We also make pies with them. Two slices of bread with pie filling. My favorites are cherry with bits of chocolate and apple with cheddar cheese."
"Mine's peaches with marshmallows."
"Hmm…sounds…convenient."
"Convenient?" Castle questioned her. "All that, and the best you can come up with is convenient?"
"With six teenagers—all of whom can be responsible for making their own meals? Genius."
Castle pulled out his phone.
"Dad, what are you doing?"
"Marking this on my calendar—the day Detective Kate Beckett called me a genius."
"I didn't call you a genius. Whoever created these whatchamacallits is the genius."
"No take backs."
"I don't have to. I didn't say it."
"I'm going to pick out a tent. You coming, Kate?"
"Yes, you did."
"You need to clean out your ears."
"You just don't want to admit it. You upgraded from 'these will be convenient' to 'Castle, you're a genius."
"You're delusional."
"I'm right. But, of course, you already know that. I am a genius, after all."
"I'm going to help Alexis go pick out a tent." With that, Kate pushed past Castle to find Alexis, leaving him to fill the cart.
Kate didn't find Alexis near the tents, so she grabbed traditional red and white checked table cover and a pack of table clips. When she met up with Castle and Alexis again, they had collapsible camp chairs set up down the whole aisle and into the main one. They were testing them all, discussing the merits of adjustable arm rests, foot rests, rocking chairs and cup holders.
Kate shook her head and threw her stuff in the cart. She leaned against the shelf and watched the two of them. When they saw her, they insisted she help them pick.
"Fine." Kate eyed the chairs. She found one with a high back, arm rests and a cup holder and sat down. "I like this one."
"Ah, but the question, my dear Detective, is, 'Is that chair better than this one or that one?'" he said nodding to another chair.
"It doesn't matter, Castle. If you've already found what you like, what you want, what's the point of continuing to look?"
"What if there's something better?"
Castle's comment unsettled her. "What if there's not? How do you know when to stop looking? We could be here all day."
"I guess that's why we're all trying them, seeking accord. As for me, I've tried enough to know which one I want."
"And which one is that?"
"The one you're sitting in."
"See? I do have good taste."
Castle grabbed two chairs in the style they liked, while Alexis threw in her picks—a lounge style chair and a loveseat chair—a twofer she'd claimed, fooling no one.
"Why don't you two go look at clothes like you wanted while I check this stuff out and make a few trips to the car?"
After double checking to make sure Castle didn't need or want assistance, Kate headed up to the third floor with Alexis. They looked around at tees, tanks and shirts. Kate debated over a new bathing suit, but after learning from Alexis that there was only a river near where they were staying, no lake, she decided against it. She liked to be in the water, and she could swim, but she hated to be cold—especially after the freezer—and rivers always seemed colder.
Kate found some shorts to try on and was thrilled to find a pair of sporty looking board shorts. They weren't as long and formal looking as her Bermuda shorts and they were more comfortable than her jean shorts. They were the perfect length—and she didn't look like a porn star on stilts.
"Hey, Lex, what do you think?" She asked as they each stepped out of the dressing room. Alexis was trying on a new tennis outfit.
"Looks great. Now all you need is a surf board—maybe a henna tattoo, and you'd fit right in with my cousins. 'Cept they're blonde. Did I tell you they're coming for the 4th? You'll get to meet them. My grandparents are bringing them. They all live in Santa Monica, but I haven't seen them since last summer. My cousin Lacey is going to start at Stanford next fall, same as Ashley." Kate watched as Alexis' smile faded.
"Hey, you still have all summer, not to mention, if you're cousin's going to be at Standford and you have family not too far away—imagine how much easier it'll be to go visit."
"I know."
"But you'll still miss him."
"I just don't want to be away from him, you know? What if something happens? Or..."
"He meets someone else?"
Alexis shrugged.
"Are you really worried about that?"
"Well, you know, if I'm not there…and someone else is…"
"There are no guarantees, but Ashley's not like that, and, if he were, he wouldn't be worth worrying your pretty little head over."
"Logically, and in my heart, I know that, but…I'm still going to miss him and I'm still going to wish he was here or I were there. How do you do it? You know, with Josh gone all the time? Don't you miss him?"
Kate knew what the answer should be after being with someone so long, but she also knew the truth—several truths, really. One was that she never really missed Josh when he was gone, not in any way that mattered. That's why he was gone, or would be gone, when he got back—even though that thought made little sense. Another was that she missed Castle even on days when he simply showed up later than normal. But, there was no way to explain that to Alexis without giving away the truths that she was keeping closely guarded.
"I, um…" Kate had no idea what she wanted to say.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have asked. Too personal." Alexis started to turn away.
"No, Lex," Kate stopped her with a hand on her arm. "I've told you before. You can ask me anything—even if it's personal, and I'll always be honest with you. But sometimes, I don't know the answers and sometimes…I don't think the answers are what you want to hear."
"What is it this time?"
"A combination of not knowing the answer and fearing you'd think less of me."
"You know that would never happen, right?"
"It could."
Alexis looked at her hard. "Okay, you're right. It could…but it won't."
Kate wished she could be so sure. There were things that she could do that she knew would hurt the red-headed teen she'd become so fond of, but, there was one thing she knew for sure: she would never knowingly do anything to hurt Alexis. The teen's unwavering confidence gave Kate hope that maybe she could pull it together and be what they wanted her to be. What she wanted to be.
"The truth is, Lex, that you can't compare you and Ashley to Josh and me. There is no comparison. You guys are fresh and young and idealistic—and I'm not saying that as a bad thing—but you have no reason to be skeptical of your ability to exist as a couple. Josh and I exist primarily as separate entities, with lots of baggage and different priorities."
She wanted to tell Alexis that, though they were each moving forward, their paths rarely crossed and they'd never be on the same path. But, again, this was something that Josh needed to know first.
Her answer seemed to satisfy Alexis because she smiled and was joking with Kate through the changing room walls in no time.
"So, are you getting the outfit?" Kate asked.
"I'm going to get the skirt. But, I already have couple shirts that would match—so rather than this court tank, I think I'll just grab a new sports bra. Boobs suck."
Kate laughed. She remembered a time when she'd felt that way. She'd been younger than Alexis, though. "Yeah, it's better when they settle into a size, but," Kate said, winking at the girl, "I'm sure Ash disagrees with your assessment."
Alexis blushed furiously, and turned from Kate to look through the racks for a size and style she liked.
Kate was browsing through the items on a nearby table when something caught her eye. She stopped to pick it up. There was a shirt with a metallic colorful fish—it looked like the Rainbow Fish in the books they read to Lanie's niece. It read "Kiss my bass!" Kate found this rather amusing, but when she glanced over and saw a pair of white boy-style underwear with pink trim featuring the same colorful fish and the "Kiss my bass" line, she decided to show Alexis. No one else was around, so she held them up.
"Hey, Lex," she said spinning around.
She was greeted by one Richard Castle. His red-headed daughter was nowhere in sight.
Castle took in the panties Kate was holding up and the mounting blush on the detective's face. He raised his eyebrow at her. Kate quickly put her arms down still clutching the panties.
She watched as Castle took a step toward her. He brought his fingers up to his lips and kissed them. Kate didn't want to watch him tease her by blowing her a kiss, so she turned to put the underwear back where she'd found them. Then, before she could even think properly, Castle swung his arm down and slapped her ass. He groped her tightly as he brushed by her whispering, "Gladly, Detective." Then he was gone.
Kate sucked in a breath and bit her lip as she watched him walk away. She still felt warm from his nearness and his husky voice had done things to her that a man's voice alone shouldn't do. She sifted through the stack of underwear for a pair in her size. They totally weren't her style, and she'd probably never wear them—but they were her new favorite panties.
They were almost to her dad's. Even though her dad had lived in Beckett family home for seven years, she still thought of it as her grandparents' place. It was a little over an hour north of the city, but right on the way to their destination.
Kate felt a little nervous as she pulled Castle's car onto her grandparent's street. They were making a pit stop there to pick up some of Kate's things, another cooler and some fishing gear. She hadn't told Castle, but her father and grandmother had also planned an early lunch for the crew.
They'd agreed last night that Kate would drive the girl's in Castle's car. She and Alexis picked up Paige and her cousin, Devyn. Alexis and Paige spent the car ride shuffling through the music on Kate's iPod to see if there was anything they wanted. Devyn spent the entire ride staring out the window, with her Bose buds buried in her ears. Kate wouldn't admit it to anyone, but she'd taken an immediate dislike to the girl and suspected it was mutual.
It had started with a "seatbelts" command from her and inaction on Devyn's part. Kate had eyed her through the rearview mirror.
"I'm 17 and in the backseat, so it's optional."
"Trust me. I know the law." Kate fought the lowering, tight smile that she used on suspects, and tried for a lighter tone. "Car doesn't move until everyone is buckled up. My car, my rules." Okay, so it wasn't her car.
She'd sensed Devyn's desire to snub her even before, as she was helping the girls load their stuff into the trunk. Thankfully, Castle had left it pretty bare, joking that girls always over-pack. She hadn't, but these girls? Definitely over-packed.
Kate pulled into a short, paved drive, leaving Castle to park the Ford Explorer he'd rented in front of the Beckett home. Her father must have been waiting for them because he was coming out the front door immediately. Kate left the girls, and went to greet her father while the boys clamored out of the SUV and bee-lined for the girls.
"Hey, Dad," Kate said hugging her father. He stopped hugging her all too soon, and was welcoming Alexis into his arms.
Kate again wondered about this family. Huggers. That didn't surprise her anymore. But then, it was her dad who was holding out his arms for Alexis. What is going on here? They'd only met once.
She looked over at Castle, curious as to what he'd think about seeing this part of her life. He stood there hands in his pockets, admiring the house. The street wasn't crowded with homes, but it was obviously a nice neighborhood where people took care to make a nice impression. The Beckett house was quite large, with an oversized two-car garage and a roof that pitched steeply upward in four different spots. The ground floor exterior was brick, while the second floor had traditional Tudor-styling with dark half-timbering contrasting with the white stucco.
When Castle turned to look at her, she smiled, but was embarrassed that both he and her father caught her staring at him.
"Oh, I have something for you," Alexis said, warmly. She dug into the bag she carried over her shoulder. She pulled out a large Ziploc bag of cookies.
"You made him cookies?" Kate asked, still wondering. She'd talked a lot about Alexis, but...those looked like his favorites. Then she remembered mentioning it when they first met. The night she first met Sheryl; oh, that horribly cloudy night.
Alexis nodded. "Oatmeal scotchies. They're your favorites, right?"
Jim eyes were alit. This sweet girl had made him cookies. He was already digging into the bag.
"Mmm. These are delicious," he said, bending in exaggerated form toward Kate. "Rival your grandmother's for sure." He offered one to Kate. They were good.
"We're keeping her, right?" Kate laughed. It wasn't that long ago Lanie had asked her the same thing.
"Yeah, we're keeping her. Might have to arm wrestle Castle for her, but I can totally take him."
Castle made a face at her. "Way to make me feel manly, Beckett."
"Well, if you're good, Castle, maybe I'll let you build the fire."
Castle quirked his eyebrows at her and smirked. "Maybe, I—" He stopped at seeing Jim's narrowed eyes, daring him to finish that thought. "Will shut up now."
He saw Beckett standing behind her father lips pursed in an amused smirk. "Good choice, Dad," Alexis said.
"So, Miss Alexis," Jim asked, "which of these fine looking gentlemen is your boyfriend?" He didn't take his eyes off Rick as he spoke. Jim knew Castle would hate the boyfriend, just like he used to. And, though he liked Rick and knew he didn't need to remind him to respect his daughter, he hadn't had the opportunity to intimidate a suitor in a long time. His intent wasn't lost on Castle, who swallowed hard.
Fine looking gentlemen? Why wasn't she getting the third-degree about boys? Kate was trying to figure out when her father had mellowed. Alexis took both him and Kate over to meet her friends.
"And this is Kyle," Alexis said, gesturing to a boy with sandy brown hair about Ashley's height, trying to pull off the skinny jeans and knit cap look. Kate knew this was also Paige's boyfriend.
"And this is Ajax, Ashley's best friend." He was a good looking kid. Based on the shoes, shorts and sleeveless shirt, Kate was going to guess: basketball player. Plus, he was tall—about Castle's height—if not taller.
"Ajax?" Jim asked.
"It's really Alex Jackson, Sir," the boy said shaking each of their hands and smiling, "but we already have an Alex in our class and it just stuck."
They talked for a few minutes before Kate asked, "Is Babi home?"
Castle thought she said "Bobby," and wondered if he was family or a friend. "I want to introduce Castle."
"I don't think so, but why don't you go check?" Jim invited the kids inside, asking Alexis to help him put the finishing touches on lunch.
Kate took Castle's hand and started leading him across the yard. "Come on, Castle." She turned back to him and smiled. "I want you to meet my babushka."
That will never get old, Castle thought. Seeing her smile. Then, what she said caught up with him.
"Hold on," Castle said stopping her, "your grandmother lives right next door?"
"I told you my parents were next door neighbors, that they grew up together." Kate said looking puzzled.
"I know," Caslte said. "I just didn't think you meant it so…literally." They continued walking. "So, your dad really did marry the girl next door. That's so—"
"Sweet?" Kate suggested, not wanting him to ruin it with something stupid.
"Sweet, yes. Very Peter Parker meets Mary Jane."
"It gets even better, Castle," Kate said, leading him between the two houses. She pointed up to a window on the second floor of her grandmother's brick home.
"My mother's room." Then she drug her hand across the sky and pointed to a directly across from it on the Tudor-style home. "And my dad's."
"No way."
"Way."
"That's so…"
"Something About Mary?"
Castle laughed. "Well, let's hope not." Castle thought for a moment, following Beckett. "But here's what I don't get. I see you standing here, with that look on your face. I know you believe in love and know that it can last, and want that…but what is this then, if not fate?"
"They still had to work at it Castle. They still had to choose to be together."
"But you don't think they were destined to be together? Even with all this evidence?"
"I'm glad they chose to be together, but the 'girl next door' could have just as easily been the girl across the street."
"But it wasn't. And yes, they could have chosen other people, but it wouldn't have worked because they were destined for one another. Soul mates."
"If they were soul mates, why's my dad with Sheryl? Why'd he sleep with other women after Mom died? Those are choices, Castle."
"It doesn't mean your mom was strictly a choice."
Kate shook her head. She was in awe of his confidence. He never hesitated to believe in the fantastic—hell, his zombie and alien theories were proof of that.
Truthfully, she'd always put what was between her parents on a pedestal, and she was secretly pleased that he did, too. It was up there with the unicorns, Chimera and fairies. It seemed unreal and unattainable. Until recently. Because how else would she explain whatever force propelled her toward Castle? Why else would he be on the periphery of every thought, every emotion—even when she didn't want him there? She knew it took work, too, but maybe there was something to Castle's postulation.
"Come on, Castle. You can convince me over a campfire. For now, my babi."
Her grandmother wasn't home yet, so Kate led Castle back to the garage to help her get stuff down. Her father had already set out most of it, but she still needed the fishing poles, which were lying across the rafters, the tackle box and she was planning to borrow a few other tools.
Castle was inspecting something on Jim's workbench.
"Dad's into woodworking," she called over her shoulder.
Castle decided to let the first comment that came to his head about "woodworking" go. "It looks like a dollhouse."
"Huh?"
"A dollhouse."
"Oh, he makes things for people sometimes, since he retired. He's even got an online store for people to order from."
"I tried making Alexis a dollhouse once. Failed miserably. About the fifth time I cut myself with a grout saw—something I'd never seen or heard of until then—and that I still wasn't sure how to make shingles with, I quit. Went to eBay and ordered the most elaborate looking dollhouse I could find. She hated it."
"That's your first mistake, then, Son." Jim said, walking into the garage.
Kate's head whipped around. Son?
"Grout saws aren't meant for shingle-making."
"Useful information six years ago."
"You tried making her a dollhouse when she was ten, eleven years old? No wonder she hated it."
"Hey!"
"You kept the dollhouse I made you—you know, 'til it was blown up."
"Yeah, but you made it…and you gave it to me when I was four. It had sentimental value. When I was 10, I wanted a pony."
"Don't remind me."
"Tell, you what Rick. If she wants a pony, get it for her. It will save you years of heartache and worry."
"Yeah, we already skipped to Vespa."
"I'm glad you realize you should have gone with the pony, Dad."
"You know, if it's still a sticking point, I did offer to buy you a pony."
"Right, Castle. But then, wouldn't my bike be jealous?"
"Please tell me you're not still riding that thing. I gave you a car."
"Only for fun, Dad."
"Can't you do something about this, Rick?"
"Me? What am I going to do about it? She doesn't even let me drive!"
"She will," he said under his breath, on his way to the door. "Lunch is ready."
"'Kay, Dad," Kate said, adjusting the ladder. "We'll be right there."
"Here, Rick." She said handing down the first of the fishing poles. The other two were tangled in the fishing net. No response. She knew full well that he was doing. She didn't really mind, but she had to keep him on his toes.
"Castle! You better not be staring at my ass!"
She was greeted by "Ekaterina" and her grandmother's Russian, telling her to watch her language. Kate came down the ladder, looking sheepish, but smiling all the same.
"Сожаление, Babi!" Kate apologized.
The shared a few other words, while Castle marveled at their likeness. There was no doubt which side the eyes, flawless skin and beautiful hair came from. He was mesmerized by Kate's lips and the sounds coming out of them. So hot!
Then her grandmother turned an assessing eye on him. She said something to Kate, causing her to giggle.
"She says you're bigger in real life."
"Oh, uh, well," Castle smiled magnanimously and bowed a little, "I try not to exaggerate."
"Liar."
"And what about your alter ego, Mr. Rook?" Kate's grandmother asked. "Is he bigger in real-life?"
"Babi!"
He could see glimmer in Babi's eyes. Oh, I love her, Castle thought. They liked to mess with Kate as much as he did.
He grinned and stuck out his hand. "Richard Castle, Kate's partner."
Interesting, she thought. Not writer. Not shadow. "Rosemary Petersik," she answered, "Grandmother of muse." She admired how the gentleman before her brought her hand to his lips. Warm eyes, like her grandfather's. Eyes for my Katherine, obviously.
"Come, Dear. You father said lunch was ready." Rosemary, took Castle's arm, and led him through the door into the house. "So, tell me, Mr. Castle" she said, "what is the nature of this research?"
Kate couldn't believe it. He had charmed her relatively straight-laced grandmother. Her grandmother. Or had she charmed him? She actually wasn't sure. She was a little mortified. Had her grandmother really just asked how big he was? Her grandmother.
Later, after they'd filled up on soup and sandwiches, filled the borrowed cooler with drinks and packed up everything, they were waving goodbye to father and grandmother. Beside her, Alexis was telling her how cool her dad was and how neat it was to meet her grandmother. Kate had a feeling of contentment, almost whole even. She hadn't felt that in quite a while.
Kate was following Rick now, knowing they were close to their final destination. Still, she was wondering how many more bends they'd have to take as they kept driving lower and lower into the valley. It was getting a little annoying having to pay so much attention to the drive. She sighed.
The girls had fallen asleep on her, her iPod was in the back with Paige and she couldn't find a station she liked on the radio. Finally, Castle pulled onto a drive. Ahead of them, she saw the sign for "Adirondack's Outback Pioneer Park."
Castle got out to go check them in and came back with a map and two campsites circled, so they could go ahead. He said he had a few things to wrap up, and would just walk to the site when everything was set. He even let Ashley drive the Explorer to the site.
When Castle made it to the campsite, the girls were just heading back from the bathrooms, while Kate and the boys were pulling stuff out of the vehicles.
"Tents first, people," he said. "Then s'mores!"
The girls opted to put their tent between the two sites, brushing stones and sticks out of the way at Kate's suggestion. The boys haphazardly threw their tent up on the other side of the fire pit, a couple yards away. Castle, with Ajax's help, put his tent up on a grassy patch near the back of the other campsite.
Kate was surprised at how quickly they were done with the tents. The boys were still chucking stuff in the girls' tent while the girls were laughing, laying out their sleeping bags. Kate ducked her head in, with her sleeping bag in hand and her bag thrown over her shoulder. It didn't take long to realize her stuff was not going to fit.
"Oh, Kate," Alexis said. "Hold on. We just need to move some stuff around."
"Really?" Devyn asked. "She's sleeping in here? With us?"
"There's not really that much room, Alexis," Paige said looking doubtful.
Alexis climbed out. "Guys, it's a four-person tent. Trust me. There's room for all of us."
Ashley picked up the tent bag from the picnic table where Castle was going through the bins. Kate dropped her stuff on the table, and went to look over Ashley's shoulder. She was looking for the picture showing how to layout sleeping bags, but the picture only showed 3 bags.
Ashley realized it about the same time. "It's only a 3-person tent."
"What?"
"Three. Alexis. That's what it says."
"No. I'm sure I grabbed the four-person tent."
"'Fraid not." She was growing exceptionally suspicious of Castle in the wake of Alexis' seriousness and his own lack of comment.
"Alexis," he said, after considering their dilemma. Two 3-person tents, plus his. "Grab your stuff. You're bunking with me."
"What?" Alexis asked, spinning around on him. "Dad! That's the whole point of camping with my friends! Why can't Kate bunk with you?"
"You know why, Alexis. Now, come on. Grab your stuff." Well, that dispelled the 'Castle did it' notion.
"Dad, that's totally unfair! It's not like you and Kate," she lowered her voice, so hopefully just the two in front of her would hear. "It's not like you two haven't slept together before!"
Kate felt bad for her and decided to step into diffuse the situation. "Castle?" she asked, needing to know he was okay with it. She knew she'd have to be the first to bring it up.
"What?"
She raised her eyebrow at him and cocked her head toward his tent.
"Yeah, I switched the tents," he said sarcastically. He started to walk away. Obviously, he'd caught onto her earlier hesitation.
Kate grabbed his arm, noting the rigidity and the way he bristled at her touch.
"Hey," she said quietly. "I trust you." He was having trouble believing this from her. "And I believe you, but that is not at all what I was asking."
He shook his head at her, wondering what the question was then.
"I'm just going to put my stuff in your tent. And you are not going to laugh or joke about it, got it?"
"Can I be happy about this unfortunate turn of events?"
"If you must, Castle."
Castle sat down at the picnic table and felt his daughter's arms close around his neck.
"You can thank me later," she said, kissing his cheek. "I'm thinking shopping spree." She walked off toward her tent. Castle wondered if she wasn't spending too much time with his mother? Alexis had never put on that good of a show before. He'd believed it was an honest mistake until she told him otherwise!
Best. Daughter. Ever.
This happened to me a week ago Thursday (Sept 1), and since no one in my life can really appreciate it (though my hubby was amused), I'm sharing it with the Castle fandom. So, here it is, an entry from my journal…
But then tonight, the greatest, funniest thing happened to me. We ordered pizza and I walked in to pick it up. No one else was there, and some pimply-faced teen comes out holding two pizza boxes, looking at a piece of paper.
He looks up at me and says...wait for it...
"Are you Beckett?"
I had a tiny, fleeting moment of joy over the idea that anyone could possibly confuse
ME with BECKETT! But, realized quickly, yeah, the comparison in no way crossed his mind.
You should have seen his face when I said (with lots of feeling!) "I WISH!" Priceless. He was so confused. Poor kid.
I laughed all the whole way home and I'm still grinning like a fool! Joel's planning to call a mathematician to figure out the odds of someone saying that to ME, the only Castle fanatic we know!