You all liked that last one! Thanks for moving reviews way past that ugly, evil number!
Recap: They're camping. Went rock climbing. Kate and Alexis had a chat about sex. Kate learned indirectly that Alexis is more experienced than Rick would ever want to know, and she promised to thwart Paige and Kyle doing it down by the river because Kyle might be a little scuz.
Chapter 43 – Chicanery
"We could make her think there's a bear outside her tent." They'd just stepped onto the path to the camp store.
"You've tried that before, haven't you? And Paige already flipped out over the spider in their tent."
"We could cut out all her pockets or—or put raw eggs in her sleeping bag."
"You want to deal with that mess?"
Castle shook his head.
"Yeah. Me neither. Pockets thing has potential, but…you paid for all those clothes, and you'd pay for the replacements, too."
"True. Plus, she'd just borrow Paige's clothes. We could—nah, that wouldn't work…no mattress." Castle paused.
Since they left the precinct, anytime Alexis was out of earshot, he'd been throwing out ideas to get back at Alexis. "We could fill her shoes with dirt…but that's not really messing with her."
"Plus she wears her sandals most of the time anyway."
"We could put food coloring in her conditioner. That'd last."
"Now, that's just mean."
"She deserves it after what she did," Castle whined.
"And what did she do, Castle? Some detectives we are. We still haven't figured out what she did."
"But we know she made a deal with Lanie. And she has that picture of us on her phone."
That was true. The evidence wasn't even circumstantial. They'd witnessed the handshake and Castle had snuck Alexis' phone away from her to see what was on it. He'd showed it to Kate, who'd promptly yelled at him for snooping before pulling the phone from him and shuffling through some of the pictures she'd take of them asleep together on the couch. Castle had protested, but she told him that he could not go through his daughter's phone. She could look; he could not. Confident that any other photos Alexis had of them were harmless, she'd clicked out of the camera app.
"Yeah, but I make deals with Lanie all the time. It could be harmless." She felt like they should be getting back at Lanie, and she'd told Castle as much. She would get back at Lanie, but with Lanie knowing what she knew, she was willing to wait this out. Withholding information might be the best form of torture. She was sure Lanie was already stewing—she'd never told her about falling asleep with Castle. When it came down to it, she knew that was the reason Lanie was making deals with Alexis. Lanie was definitely planning something and she was using Alexis to achieve her end goal.
"What about that proposal thing?"
Kate shrugged. "She didn't mean anything by it Castle. She just thought it would be a good way to mess with Lanie—and it was."
"You're going soft!"
"No, I'm not. I just…maybe she's got enough going on right now?"
"Kate?"
"She's fine Castle. You don't think our 'retaliation' is misplaced?"
"We are getting back at her. Trust me, she's not as innocent as you think."
"Oh, I know."
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Nothing," Kate sing-songed, reaching for the door. She loved messing with him. "Come on, Castle," she nudged him. "Let's just get the ice…and coffee. Cannot forget the coffee."
It was her first time in the store. It was bigger than she thought it would be. Heck, it seemed bigger than the Grab-and-Go a couple blocks from her apartment. They didn't have a lot of any one thing sitting on the shelves, but they had a lot of things: all the essentials—food basics and toiletries. She saw some tools, sunglasses, sunscreen, maps, lighters, some clothes, and some tourist trap stuff. It was all very unorganized, but the way the older lady bustled around and directed people, it was obvious she knew where everything was.
Kate stopped at a box of books with a "Have a book? Leave a book. Need a book? Share a book" sign. She browsed through those, but none of them caught her eye. She turned around and came face to face with and wall of towels and toys. The Super Soakers caught her eye and an idea began forming—something that would satisfy Castle, in more ways than one—he'd get to get back at his daughter and run around like a little kid—but, it wasn't malicious or long-term.
Castle came over to her, handing her coffee. "It's not Starbucks, but it's hot and better than battery acid." He'd arranged to have the clerk's grandson deliver more wood and ice in the John Deere Gator he'd seen the kid driving around. It'd save them from having to carry it back.
Kate accepted the coffee, but her eyes didn't move. Castle stood watching her think. He was tempted to follow her line of sight, but he didn't want to look away. He loved it when she was pulling the pieces together. She was clipping her teeth with her thumbnail.
"How do you feel about an ambush? We wait 'til after dark, when they're just sitting around?" She liked this idea because it didn't focus strictly on Alexis, but they could still get her back.
Rick looked at the wall, eyes narrowing in on the water guns. "That's perfect! Then I can use my night vision goggles!"
Kate rolled her eyes, and grabbed two guns from the shelf. Rick stopped her. The two she grabbed were green and neon pink.
"I'm not using a pink gun."
"What? I've seen you in pink shirts—from pastel pink to fuchsia."
"Yeah, but this is a gun."
"It's fake," Kate said with extra emphasis on "fake." Castle's eyes shifted to her lips and back. She was shorter in her sandals, but the effect she had on him was no less powerful than when they were eye to eye.
"So? I'll get the other one. Then we can tell whose is whose."
Kate lowered her voice. "You don't want me touching your gun, Castle?" She let her eyes travel downward, stopping at the yellow and orange gun in his hands. He deserved it after what he did to her earlier in the day. She didn't venture further south for her dignity's sake.
Kate looked back up at him. "You were that kid that took your toys and went home when things didn't go your way, weren't you?"
"I—"
"No. Really. It's okay, Castle." She paused, looking at him coyly from beneath her lashes. "I know how to…entertain myself." She turned and headed for the counter.
Speechless, she thought. Point me.
"Are you in town for the Hot Air Balloon Festival?" the lady asked conversationally, as Castle came up behind her. "We always get busy 'round this weekend."
"No ma'am," Castle answered. "Haven't heard anything about it."
"Oh, it's wonderful. They do a Glow Show after dark. There'll be one tonight and one tomorrow. My grandkids love it. Take 'em every year."
"I imagine they do love it. I took my daughter to a huge hot air balloon festival in Albuquerque once. They did a night glow with the balloons tethered. Some of them even put on a show coordinated to music. It was an exceptional experience."
"Yep. They do that, too. You're here with all those kids, right? The group that went climbing today?
"Yeah. It was fantastic. Please thank your son again for arranging it."
"Well, I imagine you want to rest tonight, but if you change your minds, it's about 30 miles from here. I could give you directions ."
Rick glanced at Kate. "Actually, I think we're just looking to relax. If they all want to go tomorrow, maybe we will."
"Well, either way," she leaned forward, "Let you in on a little secret Mr. Rodgers—their race route is right over us." She nodded toward the door and beyond that the open area, with the playground, half-court and volleyball sandpit. There was also a good amount of thick green grass that Kate had enjoyed walking through on her way to the showers.
"Most of the day tomorrow you'll see 'em from out there. They can be pretty far away, but Charlie's got some binoculars in the back room."
Kate secretly hoped they wouldn't want to go anywhere. As nice as the hot air balloon show probably was, she'd rather stay here and relax. The thought of being around a lot of people just didn't appeal to her.
Castle thanked Mrs. Schwartz for the insider knowledge and arranged for the water guns to be added to their delivery. Then, he ushered Kate out of the store with his hand at the small of her back.
"Come on, Detective. We can plan our blitzkrieg while I pay up."
"If you expect me to think while getting a massage—it's not happening."
"Fine. I'll plan. Then I can tell you what to do for a change."
"Don't count on it, Castle."
Kate wasn't surprised to find that Castle had already zipped their bags together. She honestly didn't mind because it would be more comfortable, but she was still a little surprised that she'd swung the door so wide open on that one. It's not like we're sharing a sleeping bag, she told herself. We're just using them for extra cushion.
Castle was sitting beside her, removing the water guns from their packaging and running through his plans for "Operation Ambush Alexis." He'd already stopped once before they got in the tent and forced her to look on as he drew out their "battle plan" in the dirt—complete with their positions, "X" to identify their mark, and arrows. He's way too excited about this, Kate thought.
Kate reached for his iPad and plugged it in to the mini speakers he brought along. She scrolled through his music library and selected the playlist they'd made for the Jamboree. Ultimately, they'd settled on a band that would play a mix of big band music, Swing, Motown, Sinatra and classics like "Brown Eyed Girl," "How Sweet It Is" and "Jailhouse Rock." She wasn't sure how her mother felt about the big band stuff, but she loved all things Sinatra and the classics. Besides, it felt wrong to have music her mother would have never heard at an event to honor her. Rick had voiced it, but she completely agreed.
"So, what do you think?"
"About?"
"Were you even listening?"
"Of course."
"What's the plan then?"
"We jump out of the wood and shoot them when they're least expecting it?"
"Well, yeah, but—"
"And Lanie accuses me of overcomplicating things."
"Maddie, too."
"Shut-up. You're no angel."
"I get paid to create intricate plot lines."
"Well you're not getting paid now."
"Not true." Castle cuffed his hand over his ear. "Hear that? That, my dear, is the sound of a new book sale in Texas. Oh, oh…and there's another. Russia. Oh, and…what's that, oh, yeah...royalties."
"Stop bragging, Castle."
"Roll over. Not bragging. Just saying. At a certain point it's easy to make money because you always are. Really, it doesn't make sense. When I was much younger and we didn't have money, we had to pay for everything. Now, I have money, and people want to give me stuff."
"What kind of stuff?"
"Expensive lotions, that heated shave cream, diamond bracelets, watches, vacations, dinners, clothes, shoes. They want you to be seen in their stuff or at their place. I can't imagine what it's like for A-listers. I'm not complaining. I'm just saying, it's weird how the world works. Why am I not the one standing in line at the soup kitchen or sweeping streets?"
"You act like you don't deserve it."
"I don't. No one does."
"That's not true, Castle. You do more good than you know." Reading his books had pulled her from unfathomably dark and hopeless places.
"Hey, I'm not saying I don't enjoy the money and the perks, but yes, I do try to help others out. Maintain some balance."
"That's not what I meant, but, yeah…I know that. You hide it, though."
"I don't hide it. But can you imagine how it would be if it were in the paper? They'd think I was only there for publicity's sake, and I don't want that."
She didn't believe him. He wasn't open about the community gardens, the playroom at the hospital, the soup kitchen and other things he did. She knew about some of it, but he hadn't been the first to tell her about most of it. She doubted their friends knew about any of it.
"What's the weirdest thing anyone's ever given you?" Kate asked, enjoying the way Castle started with her neck and shoulders. It was different though, lying down rather than sitting in front of him.
"Fans or sponsored events?" Castle felt her shrug. "Oh, uh…you don't want to know."
Kate looked over her shoulder at him. She could see that he was serious. "Okay, so not weirdest, weird though?"
Rick thought for a moment. "A chicken's foot—talon rather. No note or anything, so I don't know if it was meant to be symbolic."
"Most memorable?" Kate asked, happy with the way her voice was so even despite the moan she'd just cut off.
"Besides Dunn, you mean?"
"Yeah, good memorable."
"You know that jack-in-the-box in my office?"
Kate nodded. She was trying to concentrate on his words, not on his hands. His large, talented, capable hands. He was deftly manipulating the muscles of her back. Her ability to produce logical thoughts was quickly slipping away.
"Someone made that for me. Again I don't know who; a complete stranger. The box is all carved out of a single block of wood, and if you look at it, he—"
"Or she," Kate interjected
"—designed a kingdom. On one side, there's a castle. There's a side where the king is riding through town with townspeople all around him. One shows him standing before his throne knighting someone. Another shows the king in a garden with the castle in the background. It functions just like every other jack-in-the-box, but this one's special. And the jester inside is classic. Never seen anything like it."
Castle stopped rubbing her back. Kate looked up at him again. That wasn't how he normally stopped. She noticed he had a habit of squeezing her shoulders—or her feet—twice before rubbing just a little longer. That's how he'd warn her he was about done. Then he'd stop. His daughter had the same habit.
"Are you going to relax, or not?"
"I'm trying."
"You're tense. Now, come on. Pretend you're at the spa or something or this whole exercise is going to be pointless."
"Isn't the point of the massage to help me relax?"
"To help your muscles relax." Castle quickly grabbed ahold of her side and shook her back and forth. "I want ragdoll floppy, Beckett. Clay not marble."
Kate fought the urge to laugh. "Okay! Okay! Stop!" She said, swatting at his arms the best she could from where she was lying on her stomach. He was tickling her sides. She did not want him to know how ticklish she was. She let herself slump and go heavy. "Better?" she asked.
"Much." He started rubbing again, pleased with a more pliant Kate.
He did his best not to tease her, but…God, when she moaned. He knew, in the strictest sense, he was supposed to keep his hands off her, but how was he supposed to do that when he really just wanted to rip her clothes off? She was lying so close to him. Under his hands, really. And he was touching her. More than that, he had permission! He was doing his best not to abuse the privilege. He'd made only one trip down her arms even though he could tell she liked it because he couldn't stand feeling her soft skin. She was all sinew and softness—such an intoxicating combination. Such a dangerous, intoxicating combination.
Kate was walking back to their campsite along the path that led to and from the vault toilet. There were flush toilets, but they were way up by the showers, and the outhouse was clean, so she didn't mind. It was dark now, so she knew Castle would want to implement their plan when she got back.
Kate's flashlight roved the person stumbling toward her. She immediately recognized the shoes and legs as belonging to Castle. Figures, she thought, fighting a smile. She knew he was antsy. He couldn't even wait until she made it back.
"Castle?"
"Beckett?" He asked. "Turn off your flashlight. You're ruining my night vision."
Kate didn't listen. Instead, she shined the light up even higher. Yup. Goggles. "Seriously, Castle? Face paint?"
"I knew it had to be you. You're red-hot, you know? Squirrels are only green and yellow hot." She watched his night vision goggles bob up and down, so she knew he was quirking his eyebrows again. He handed her one of the two Super Soakers, already filled. As wet as it was, she wondered if any water had made it past the bore. "The camo paint came with the night vision."
"And you packed it? What? Just in case?" she asked, shaking her head, clicking her flashlight off. The path had opened up and they were no longer directly under thick tree covering.
"And look how well it worked out. Here," he said, pulling her to a stop. "We need to make you war ready."
"Nu-uh, Castle." She'd already put on her darker jean jacket and tennis shoes. That was good enough.
"But, Beck-ett."
Nope. Not going to cave. Stay strong, Girl. Thanks, Lanie, she wasn't putting war paint on. She wasn't. No matter how much he pouted or gave her sad puppy eyes.
"Oh, fine. Let's get this over with." If he ever accuses me of being a spoilsport again…
A half hour later, after sneaking through the woods with far more care and cunning than Kate thought was necessary for an all-in-good-fun ambush, they had their backs up against trees. Castle was pointing his index and middle fingers from his goggled eyes to hers and motioning to the kids, who were sitting around the fire laughing loudly about something. How could Castle be so serious about this and so blithe over a dead body? Kate rolled her eyes at him and moved off the tree.
"Hey!" he hissed behind her. She hadn't waited for his signal that he'd coached her on repeatedly.
Kate circled around to the right, while Castle went left. Alexis was sitting in the 4 o'clock position from where they started. She was their initial target, though none of them would escape unscathed. An overzealous Castle fired first, getting Alexis's legs, over the fire. Kate's streaming shot hit Alexis from behind. Kate saw Castle sniper-roll behind Ajax's chair. Castle was still focused on Alexis, but quickly turned his attention to Ashley—maybe relishing the opportunity to shoot him just a little too much.
Kate turned to hit both Ajax and Kyle just as they began to stand. She stopped short at Devyn, not wanting to give the girl anymore ammo. Castle didn't spare her though, and Kate secretly hoped he'd drench the little brat. The girls were shrieking almost as soon as they started, while the boys were yelling. Marshmallows tumbled over the ground and drinks spilled. They'd created the chaos they intended to.
With their faces painted, it had taken the kids a little longer to recognize who they were and their initial panic was quite funny. Alexis was the first to realize it was them. She was quick to react, retrieving an ice-cold water bottle from a cooler. When she caught up with her dad, it went right down the back of his shirt. He screeched like a girl and between the kids and Castle, Kate momentarily felt bad for the other campers. But then she was avoiding the three boys who had decided to gang up on her—and somehow, Ajax had ended up with Castle's gun. Good thing she was quick and it was almost empty.
"Yo, Devyn," Kyle called, "Toss us another water bottle." Kate looked the boys were pouring the ice cold water into the Super Soaker.
"Oh, no, boys. We've had our fun."
"Unfair attack," Ajax said gesturing to the rest of them. "We weren't armed."
Kate looked around. She realized everyone had stopped to watch. Ashley looked hesitant. Castle was watching her intently wondering what she'd do. He thought it was a bit funny. He'd heard the boys deem her "hot" and that was mild considering some of the other terms they'd used. They'd also called her "Alexis' dad's girlfriend"—and he'd hummed at the thought.
"All right. Fair warning. You point that at me—either of those, and I'll take you both down." Ashley was out, she could see that. He was already heading back over by Alexis.
Ajax turned to Kyle. "Come on. She can't get us both and she's hardly wet."
Kate just looked at them, eyebrows raised. Oh, so naïve. Castle laughed, thinking they'd make for some dumb criminals. Kyle moved to twist the top off a second water bottle while Ajax pumped the water gun. Kate moved swiftly and approached them too quickly for them to think. They hadn't considered she'd go on the offense.
Quickly, she grabbed Ajax's upper arm and used his considerable weight to knock him into Kyle. At the same time, she positioned her leg behind Kyle's knee. She allowed Ajax' forward momentum to topple them both over her leg and, before they knew it, Ajax had Kyle pinned underneath him and they were each scrambling to get out of the position they'd landed in. They were lucky Kate guided them down as much as she did or they'd have hit much harder.
They may have been embarrassed, but they were also impressed. They each popped up saying "that was so cool!" and begging her to teach them how to do it. Kate wasn't sure, but she told them that maybe—maybe—she'd teach them some self-defense moves the next day. She'd used a modified take-down move on them, and she didn't want to teach them stuff like that, but she wasn't sure they would know the difference.
They all agreed to a truce, but Alexis crossed her fingers behind her back. She's already made her deal with Lanie—and she was far more interested in Lanie's take.
Kate let the Castle change first because he was so soaked. He's been so kind as to remove his shirt and throw it over the top of the tent before stepping inside. Kate had been straddling the bench at the picnic table removing her war paint when she first caught sight of him.
Her view was mostly of his back and side, but she was entranced with the way his muscles flexed. His shoulders are so broad. Nothing new there. She'd had that thought thousands of times. But he was lean, too, that much was obvious. No love handles, no poufs or pooches as far as she could see. So why's he always hiding in those damn suit jackets? Less so, in this warmer weather, but still. He was solid, too, she knew. That's what came to mind every time she touched him. She wasn't touching him now, but she wanted to. The man exuded virility. She pressed the cool wash cloth over her face. She needed a full-body washcloth. A cold shower? Maybe the boys would break their truce and dump a bucket of ice water over her head?
In her lounge pants and her oldest, most comfortable sweatshirt, Kate expected to find everyone gathered around the fire. The kids, though, apparently didn't want to associate with their attackers because they'd set up around the second fire pit. They left only two camp chairs—the one that someone's flaming marshmallow had landed in during their ambush and the loveseat chair. It didn't leave Kate a lot of options. The marshmallow chair was definitely out and dragging the picnic table over seemed like more effort than it was worth, so she sat down next to Castle.
Castle looked at her in surprise. He looked around and, realizing her limited options had again worked out in his favor, he thanked the leprechauns and lucky stars and the ladybug that landed on his shirt earlier in the day. He stood up and Kate looked at him in confusion as he walked to the Explorer. He dug around in the back for a moment, and when she looked up at him again, he was holding a bottle of wine out for her approval.
Kate smiled. "I forgot the wine glasses. So Dixie cups," he said as he handed her two red, plastic cups and set to opening the bottle. "Actually they're SOLO cups, not Dixie cups…" he rambled. "Shouldn't diminish the redneck nature of the experience."
Kate took a sip of the wine, while he settled in beside her. "I'd say Rick Castle's redneck wine beats ghetto wine any day."
"You would say it, or you do?"
Kate elbowed him playfully. "I do."
Rick shifted on his side. "We should go steal back our chairs. This wasn't made to be confortable." It was true. Kate was leaning away from the center of her seat in in order to accommodate Rick's arm. There was no built-in arm rest, which she supposed would defeat the purpose.
"We could," she agreed. "But then we'd have to move." Neither made any attempt to do so. They just sat there uncomfortably, touching, but trying not to make it too obvious that they were each painfully aware that their sides were smooshed together.
We're being ridiculous, Kate thought to herself. That's it. She leaned forward and nudged her shoulder into Rick's armpit. She shifted sideways a bit and hooked her left leg over Rick's left knee and hugged his waist. She didn't want to think about it. She just did it. This new position would make it hard for her to drink her wine, but she didn't need to get sleepy too early tonight anyway…and the other benefits outweighed any downside.
Castle was as tense as she'd been earlier. With her ear pressed to his chest, she could hear the rapid BA-Boom, BA-Boom, BA-Boom as his heart raced. It matched her own. She'd heard once that people who laughed together shared the same heart rate. She wondered if it was the same for people who were… Who were what together? Sitting together? Scared together? About to dive in together? She didn't know. Involuntarily, she gave him a small squeeze. Almost immediately, his arm sank further onto her back and he relaxed under her. His heartbeat slowed to something melodious and soothing.
"This is my new favorite chair," he whispered after a while, interrupting her count.
She managed a just barely audible "Shh."
She, Katherine Beckett, was cuddling with her friend. Her partner. Her writer. Her confidant. Her love. And not because there was anything wrong in either of their worlds, but because it felt right. She meditated on that a moment. She was cuddling. She was cuddling with Richard Castle. The man she loved. And it felt right. Someday soon, she would tell him as much.
She'd gone from listening to his heartbeats to listening to him breathe in and out. They' stayed out by the fire for a good hour. Maybe it was two? She wasn't really sure. She hadn't been paying attention to the time. When they'd finally stirred, they'd walked to the vault outhouses together. Back at the campsite, they'd brushed their teeth together, spitting the foam into the edge of the woods where no one would walk. They'd entered the tent together; they'd removed watches together and tucked them into the tent pocket. They'd lain down together. They'd gone through all the motions of going to bed together, but they hadn't gone to bed together.
It was a strange paradox, this mix of comfort and nervousness she felt around him. It's not like she hadn't brushed her teeth with a man there before. Or gone to bed with a man before. Hell, she'd even peed with a man in the bathroom with her—not that she'd done that with Castle, but she could hear him and she was sure he'd heard her, too. But what she couldn't get over was how not perfunctory it all felt with Castle. It was strangely intimate, and fun. Yes, he'd made brushing her teeth fun—with a spitting contest. She could honestly say she'd never participated in a spitting contest until tonight. She'd lost, but she'd laughed.
So there was intimate and fun and unexpected. But there was also this God damned ball of nerves sitting in her gut and shooting out from her core every time they touched, every time she thought of him and every time she second guessed something she'd said or done or something he'd said or done. She wondered, if distance made the heart grow fonder, did proximity despoil reason and sanity? Did it cause the heart to explode?
She'd been so hurt and confused this time last summer; she'd worked obsessively to avoid addressing how she'd crumbled. Now, here she was, still confused, lying next to the source of all her confusion. Her heart still felt like it was going to explode. Seriously, it felt enlarged or like her chest cavity was closing in around it. This time, she wouldn't crumble, she'd shatter; and she was so scared—absolutely terrified—of relying on someone else to hold her together. It was all so unfamiliar, so foreign, so un-Beckett. But she already didn't feel whole without him, so, really, there was no other option. And she wasn't looking for any. She didn't want or need outs. She just needed a little time to clear the path.
Kate's thoughts were interrupted by the "zshhuup" as a tent's zipper was raked across the tiny teeth holding it shut. Kate punched Rick's iPhone for the time—her game of keep-me-awake angry birds long since forgotten. 1:38 AM. Little overzealous, kids? Gotta be Kyle. Kate listened, unsure if she wanted to hear the second zip or not. If she did, she could just get this unpleasant, jerky adult stuff over with and go to sleep. If she didn't, she'd still be waiting, trying to fend off sleep. A second "zshhuup" followed within a couple minutes. No choice now—she'd promised Alexis.
Kate slipped into her sandals and quietly unzipped the tent. She'd learned long ago that you could zip and unzip a tent near soundlessly by placing a finger ahead of the slider. She didn't want to wake Rick and she wanted the element of surprise over the kids. They'd have to walk past their tent to head toward the river and Kate had timed it so that she'd step out as they were walking by.
She knew she'd startled them. It was bright enough out that they didn't need a flashlight, though all three carried one. Paige seemed relieved when she realized it was Kate, not Rick. For some reason, the thought that the girl was more terrified of Rick than her amused her.
"Oh, hey guys," she said quietly. "Heading to the bathroom, huh? Great! Now, I won't have to walk alone."
She knew they couldn't argue with her assumption.
"Oh, uh, yeah," Kyle stuttered.
"Actually, I think I'd prefer the flush bathrooms," Paige said. If she was going to use the bathroom, she was not using an outhouse.
They were already heading in the wrong direction, if that was their destination.
"Good idea," Kyle said.
"I'll come with you," Kate said. "I wouldn't mind having lights, either," she explained.
The teens each depressed with her declaration. She could tell they wanted to talk to each other, but she stuck too close to give them a chance. She was reluctant and embarrassed and embarrassed for them. Thank God no one ever did this to me!
She and Paige entered the bathroom together. "Wait for me?" She asked before entering an empty stall. She waited for the girl to nod. When they came out and met Kyle, they headed back to their campsite, again silently. The two were walking very slowly. They came to Ajax's tent first. They all paused, while the kids waited for Kate to keep walking to her own tent.
"I'm feeling pretty awake," Kate lied. "You two want to start a fire with me? Sit up a while?"
Kyle caved first. "Nah, pretty tired. Guess, I'll just see you in the morning."
"M-me, too," Paige headed to her own tent.
Kate stayed out there a good 20 minutes, feeling chilly, but made enough noise digging around in coolers and walking around to let them know that she was up and wide awake. Kate entered the tent again as quietly as possible. Rick stirred, though.
"Kate?" he asked, lifting his head a little. She could hear the concern in his voice.
"Everything's fine, Rick. Go back to sleep."
She crawled in beside him, leaving her sweatshirt on. She was cold now, and thankful for the mix of blankets Rick packed. Her feet were freezing, though, and wouldn't warm up. She'd never been able to sleep with cold feet. She wanted to get her socks, but she didn't want to disturb Rick again. She could feel heat radiating off him. She didn't realize her feet had gravitated so near him.
"Feet. Cold. Kate." He sounded very caveman-like and not very awake. Quickly, she darted her feet away from him, but as she was moving her feet, a blanket-covered arm swiped over her and hauled her—blankets and all—up against him. His bare feet found hers and captured them between his own.
Kate inhaled quickly and exhaled slowly. She lips tightened into the faintest of smiles. It was a little painful, not the way he held her, but the way he made her heart ache with his care and tenderness—and he wasn't even awake! It was such a tiny thing, warming her feet, but no one had ever cared for her like that. A small tear formed in the corner of her eye. She felt like such a sap—Esposito had nothing on her.
Kate awoke on her pillow, facing Rick. She opened her eyes to see the most beautiful, startlingly blue hue she'd ever seen. She'd seen it before, but not fresh from sleep. It was like her dream world was welcoming her to reality.
"Good morning, Gorgeous."
"Yes."
"Yes?"
"Yes, it is a good morning." And YES, you're gorgeous. And in a good mood. "Are you always so cheery in the morning?"
"Nope." Castle reached over and brushed her hair back behind her ear causing it to trail off her neck and cheek. It tickled, and she fought a chill. He ran his finger down the line from the top of her ear to her lobe. She fought a bigger, deeper chill.
"You have funny ears."
She raised an eyebrow at him. It was not at all what she was expecting.
"Funny, fascinating ears." Castle almost laughed as her eyebrows now pulled together in confusion. "Most ears attach straight up and down. Yours slant back more than normal. They're adorable."
Kate was thinking that this man spent far too much time analyzing her parts to comment on such a small detail…her nose, her ears, her feet. On the other hand it was hard not to appreciate his attention to detail. He'd be a good lover. Kate flushed at the thought. Castle delighted momentarily in making his detective blush.
"Does it make me your Georgiana?" Castle was too caught up in the "me" and implied "yours" of her question to get what she meant at first. But when he caught up, he answered "no." For one, they weren't married. For another, he'd have to see her so called "imperfections" as imperfections. He supposed some did. The little overlap at her teeth…the… He really couldn't think of anything else about her that one could deem an imperfection. Not physically anyway.
And he loved everything about her…her large white teeth, overlap and all. The way she smiled—occasionally so big he could see her gums. Her perfectly arched eyebrows over the most intriguing eyes he'd ever seen. Sometimes green, sometimes gold, sometimes brown or a weird bluish-greenish-greyish color or hazel. With long eyelashes. So long he'd seen her itch at her upper eyelids sometimes from where they'd fluttered against the soft skin there.
"Do you have a birthmark?" Castle asked, with a sudden desire to know. He hoped she wouldn't turn him down.
"You mean besides this thing on my face?" Kate asked. He'd begun to trace her hand which was lying palm up between them on her pillow. His light touch around her fingers tickled and created an incredible flutter below her belly button. She captured his fingers in her hand. He pressed down, lacing their fingers together.
"That's not a birthmark; it's a beauty mark," Castle said knowingly. He got the impression from the way Kate spoke that she wasn't all together fond of it. He supposed that could be something some men didn't like. He did, though. "Never more aptly placed," he added.
Such a charmer. "I do," she answered, lifting her eyes from where their hands were clasped together. "But, it's very faint and I'd have to shave my head for you to see it. You?"
"Yeah. It looks like a jagged light bulb. I wanted something cool like a spaceship or a shark, but Mother gave me this." He removed his hand from hers and raised his shirt to high under his right arm, and pointed to his rib cage, just under his armpit. "Marked me as an idea man early in life."
Kate leaned up and forward to look at the light brown mark. "Looks more like a jellyfish."
"What?" Castle exclaimed sounding offended. "No way. That's totally a lightbulb."
"What? You can barely even see it!" It was true. Castle had to contort his body to look at it.
"I've seen it plenty. It's a jellyfish."
"No, it's not."
"Yes, it is."
"No, it's not."
Kate pushed him down onto his back and leaned over him for her purse. She leaned back with a pen in her hand. "Come here. I'm gonna show you it's a jellyfish."
Kate braced her left hand on his side, loving the feel of his warm skin. She wanted to move her fingers along his side and enjoy his soft skin, but she left her hand flatly in place and started outlining his birthmark. It was small, about the size of the tip of her finger. When she was done, she grabbed his phone and took a picture of it.
"See? Jellyfish."
"That's not a jellyfish. Where'd you learn to draw?"
"I wasn't drawing. I was outlining."
"Still doesn't look like a jellyfish."
"It looks more like a jellyfish than a light bulb."
"Kinda looks like a squid."
"Which looks like a freaking jellyfish!"
"Dad? Kate?" They heard from outside the tent. "I don't know what you're arguing about, but you promised us pancakes and eggs."
"I promised nothing, Lex." Kate said unzipping the tent, and let the flap fall in. "Tell your father I'm right."
"She's right, Dad." Her father was behind Kate, changing his shirt. Kate turned to gloat, but his half-nakedness retarded her thoughts.
Castle watched her mouth open and close twice before she closed it once and for all and pursed her lips and swallowed nothing. She hadn't taken her eyes off his chest, and her pupils had thickened. Castle's chest swelled when he realized the effect he was having on her. He'd seen it before, of course, but she was slow to hide it this morning. He couldn't help it as a grin grew on his face.
Seeing what was happening, Alexis moved away. So, so weird seeing women ogling her dad. Worse to see her dad enjoy it. More than anything, she knew it was going to mortify Kate.
Alexis movement brought Kate back, and she was pissed. She backhand his chest. "Dammit, Castle! Don't get undressed in front of me." She grabbed her bag and flew out of the tent toward the bathroom and showers.
It was ridiculous, she knew. They were camping. She'd been seeing shirtless men all weekend. Far too many that shouldn't be seen without shirts. And she'd seen Castle, too. But it was different in the light of day. She'd just been drawing on his rib cage, relaxed and in good fun, doing a good job of keeping hormones in check. And in the next moment that was all shot to hell. God, I'm a mess.
Castle was an excellent cook even removed from his kitchen. His blueberry pancakes and scrambled omelet eggs were delicious. They'd eaten every last pancake and scraped the egg pan clean. And the boys were still eating. She'd thought the amount of food Castle had insisted on buying to go camping was ludicrous. When they'd made back to his place and were unloading and packing up the dry goods, trying to find more space in the bins for everything Castle insisted on bringing, she'd assured him there was no way they'd eat all this food.
"Have you ever fed teenage boys?"
"No, but neither have you."
"Ah, but I was a teenage boy."
Kate shook her head and looked to Martha for some backup, but she was nodding. Kate must have had a confused look on her face, because Martha answered her unspoken question.
"Really, Dear. You've seen how he eats now. That's toned down. And you'll have three teen boys to feed. And one of them is a mighty fine looking athlete."
"Mother!"
"Gram!"
"What? Athletes have bigger appetites. That's all."
She was wrong. Already, they'd been to the camp store for more eggs and bread.
"So what's the plan for today?" Kate asked, while they were cleaning up.
"No plan." Castle said. "I wasn't going to mention the hot air balloon thing—unless you want to go?"
Kate shook her head no. "I'm content to watch from afar," she said.
Rick smiled at her. The shower seemed to have calmed her nerves, and she was back to the relaxed Kate they'd had since the beginning of the camping trip. Intriguing, intriguing woman.
They couldn't have asked for a better day, Kate thought, holding up binoculars. Some of the balloons were closer than others. She'd been surprised at how many were shaped. So far, her favorite was the one shaped like Noah's ark with animals jutting out of all the windows and growing off the deck. She couldn't believe it could fly. The one she was looking at now was just a logo. She handed the binoculars to Lex, who was leaned up against the upside-down "V" of her drawn up knees, reading a book of her own and building little grass mounds all around her.
"You're right, Lex. Boring."
Alexis' favorite was Gumbi. Her dad liked the traditional, colorful balloons, but this wasn't one of them, so she didn't bother him to look. She commented about doubting they'd see too many more, given the time and the number they'd seen already.
Paige had given up looking with them a while ago and went back over by Devyn, to take more pictures of the boys playing basketball. Kate had played a round with them earlier, after trying to get her dad to play, too. That had been fun to watch. But her dad wasn't willing to do more than play "PIG"—which, it turned out, he was very good at.
Kate dropped her book to her side and turned to look at Rick. He'd stolen her pillow while she was playing basketball with the boys and wouldn't give it up, so she was using him as her pillow. He hadn't minded. In fact, at some point his fingers had absent-mindedly snaked into her hair to gently massage her scalp. His hand would leave her head while he flipped a page, and then return. Leave, and then return. She didn't think he knew he was doing it, and she didn't mind. It felt nice. Relaxing. It about put her to sleep for a while after she no longer had her book to concentrate on.
She'd always been a bit of a sucker when it came to a boy in a ball cap. She just didn't know how much of a sucker she was until she saw Rick Castle in a ball cap. Talk about weak knees. Between his black, fitted baseball cap—no logo or anything, just a small Green Lantern symbol on the back—and his black, fitted v-neck…she was at risk of coming undone. She couldn't believe he was even wearing a hat—allowing something to touch his much fussed over locks. But he was. And all she could hear was Lanie in her head saying things like Da-amn, Girl! He looks fah-ine! and Mmmm, Mmmm, MMmmm!
Incidentally, they kind of matched. No hat for Kate though, and he had on cargo style plaid shorts, in white, greys, blacks and blues. Kate was in her board shorts—also black and blue with white piping—and black scoop neck tank. She'd pulled her hair into a loose braid after it dried. Rick seemed to like the braids. He'd made a point to tug on them a couple of times when teasing her. Now that really reminded her of her grandfather—and the words she'd said to him so long ago. And he was here still.
Kate grabbed her braid and used the tip of it to tease the inside of Rick's arm. He was so concentrated on the novel he was reading, she couldn't resist. His arm twitched, like he had a bug crawling on him. She waited a moment and did it again. He twitched again. She did it again, wondering how long it would take for him to catch on. His book came down and he scratched the spot with the spine of the paperback.
She did it again, very lightly, only this time she trailed a longer path, higher up the inside of his arm. She was hitting all those sensitive spots.
Rick's arm came down and flopped heavily on her stomach, with book in hand, startling Alexis, who'd been blissfully oblivious to what Kate was doing.
"Oh, my God!" he said. "You're a pest." He said it, not in anger, but with the delight of a man who'd just discovered something new.
"I'm not a pest," she defended. She was totally a pest and she knew it. "I'm bored. You promised to keep me entertained."
"Well, I am working." He was supposed to speak at Vanderbilt on developing a character's voice and the importance of colloquialism to establishing the character in the correct time and space. He'd chosen a few works by Mark Twain, this novel and, of course, one of his own to help draw the comparisons.
"How's it feel to be interrupted?"
"Something tells me if I pulled out tickle torture while you were at work, I'd be a dead man."
"Something tells me you're right, Dad," Alexis said beside them.
"You know…someone who hates to be tickled, probably shouldn't tickle others."
Kate's eyes widened. She thought she'd hidden that! He's moving. She heard him say something about "get her" and "not at work now," but it didn't fully register until after he had his hands on her. Alexis! The teen was lying across her knees, holding her down. She couldn't knee her! She didn't want to hurt her. Rick, maybe, but not Alexis.
She shimmied and squirmed under their fingers and shrieked girly, embarrassing, laugh-filled shrieks that made her assailants laugh even harder and falter in their efforts. Kate gave up trying to get back at either one of them; she couldn't move her arms away from her body without one of them seizing on the spot it opened up. Instead, she grasped around her. She found one of the grass mounds Alexis had made. She threw the first one at Alexis, knowing it would throw her off. With Alexis off her now, she grabbed another grass pile and threw it in Rick's face, rolling out of his reach as she did.
Kate couldn't even speak; she was doubled over, looking at the two sputtering to get grass out of their mouths. They were all laughing that silent, gaspy laugh that made your insides hurt.
"If either of you ever tries to tickle me again, I will not be so nice!" Kate warned. But she didn't sound very threatening, and neither looked too concerned.
The commotion they'd created drew the other five over to them. The boys talked her into that self-defense lesson, so she happily volunteered Castle for the demonstrations.
Kate went to bed before Rick again. Even though they hadn't really done anything, most of the afternoon, she wasn't used to so much sun. It had a way of wearing one out. That, and the game of Capture the Flag they'd played. Plus, she'd had less sleep than he had after waiting up for Kyle and Paige.
Capture the Flag had been fun. They'd played down by the river with a couple of kids the teens had met. The girls had insisted on boys vs. girls—an arrangement Kate found completely unbalanced. Did they want to lose? Castle could tell she wasn't pleased with the teams. She hated to lose and her team didn't stand a chance. At least the sister who had joined, Candace, had some street smarts and wasn't afraid to get dirty.
They'd still lost miserably. Kate wondered if the girls were incapable of running—even jogging! She'd never seen such a frill-filled effort. It's like they wanted the boys to catch them! Oh, crap! Kate thought. That's exactly what they'd wanted. And the boys had been happy to chase and catch them.
She'd caught Castle, though. She'd wound up on his back in an effort to keep him from reaching her—their—flag, but Ajax had come up behind them and swiped it out of the tree. She knew they should have put it up higher, but the girls didn't want to make it too hard. Kate fell asleep thinking about the question that had been the theme of one of her literature courses in college: If you plan to fail, and succeed, have you failed or succeeded?
Rick woke with his right hand clasped over Kate's left breast. His fingers contracted slightly with the realization. He froze. Then he felt her body react. Her breast tensed under his palm. Her nipple beaded and pressed against his hand. There was nothing between them now except her thin, soft tee.
It had been so damn long since he'd been with a woman. No one would believe him, but it had been since Gina, since before Christmas. Months. Long months. In which he'd ached for this woman who was now here beside him, basically in his bed. He looked at her face, so perfect, and traced the line where her dark hair met creamy skin with his eyes. His eyes followed the line from her nose to her mouth where her lips where parted. They twitched slightly.
Castle pulled his hand slightly away from her experimentally. Her lips twitched down into a frown. He settled his hand back where it was and they twitched upward again. Emboldened, Castle drew his fingers back along her breast until he held just the tip of her nipple. Her lips made a little "o" or kissing motion. Castle circled her nipple with his index finger, wishing it was his tongue. Her lips parted a little more.
Boyfriend, be damned, he thought. He wanted her. Why couldn't she see that? That they'd be great together? Forget this being friends shit. This giving her space. This backing off. Castle wanted to provoke her, wanted her to admit that this, this, wasn't just between friends. They weren't just friends. Just partners.
Sometimes, it's easier to apologize than ask for permission. Castle knew that. And he knew exactly what he was doing when he bent down and captured her lips with his own. He didn't wait to slip his tongue into the confines of her mouth, still dry with sleep.
Kate responded immediately, and was awake instantly. She knew it wasn't a dream, but she didn't want to open her eyes for the irrational fear that it would all go away and be over. Her hands grazed up Castle's chest and clasped together behind his head. She drew him closer to her, as close as she could. She didn't need air. She needed him.
And she had him. His mouth was insistent against her own. Their mouths didn't collide after they first touched; they never even parted. He never lifted away from her, only increased the pressure, and she held him there tightly. His tongue was in her mouth as deep as it could go, and hers had long since slipped past the barrier of their lips to discover the taste and sensations of his mouth. Their tongues dashed and dared and tested the other's dexterity.
It wasn't pretty, she knew. Definitely not the stuff movies are made of. It was incensed. Their want made them aggressive where they were joined, but Castle's touches were gentle. Kate felt his caresses along her cheek, and shivered when his hand ran down her side. She ached to have him back at her breast and arched into him, but he didn't go there. She caressed his jaw with one thumb, while her other hand slipped down the back of his shirt and pressed him closer to her. She moaned; she knew it was his name because aside from recognizing that this had been too long denied, "Rick" was the only thing she could think. But her moan was lost in their kiss.
Do it now, Rick. It has to be now. He knew he had to break from her first in order for this to work. That's part of the reason he never pulled away, never gave her a chance to back away. Just a little longer. Rick swiped his tongue around hers one more time. Do it now.
Suddenly, Castle sat upright, dragging her with him. Their lips smacked apart.
"What the hell, Castle?" Kate exclaimed. Why'd he stop?
"I am so, so sorry, Kate. Beckett. I never—I shouldn't have. I'm sorry." Alexis wasn't the only one who inherited some of Martha's acting skills.
"Rick—"
"I'm sorry, Beckett—"
"Kate." Why is he putting shoes on?
"—I should have never put you in that position. I know you're not a cheater. And neither am I and—"
"You're right. I'm not a cheater, but Castle, Rick, Josh and I are—"
"Beckett, please. I feel bad enough as it is. Let's not make it worse. We'll just go back. Forget this ever happened. You have before."
"What do you mean I have before?"
"No, it's okay. I get it. You have a boyfriend. You should forget it."
He unzipped the tent.
"What if I don't want—Where are you going?"
"Space, right? You probably want space."
"No, wait! We need to talk about this!" she hissed.
"I know. Don't worry. I'll never mention it again. To anyone. Ever. Don't worry. I can pretend it never happened as well as you can."
"Castle!" she whisper-hissed at his retreating back. Dammit!
Thanks to NikkiDog for the "how to get back at Alexis" ideas! Hope you like what I decided on. I thought it suited Kate and Rick well.
And FINALLY their first (second?) kiss. Do you approve of my treatment?