Summer Rain, Chapter Five

Disclaimer: Not mine... characters are property of ABC

Summary: After Kate's shooting, Castle finds he can't stay away. They discover that nothing clears the air like a summer rain.

A/N: Co-written with lms2457.

The sounds of the rain as it fell against the windows mixed with the crackling fire was soothing. Rick held Kate and enjoyed the warm silence they shared. He smiled to himself, thinking of how much things had changed between the two of them. It was almost too good to be true.

A flash of lightning coursed across the sky, quickly followed by a thunderclap and darkness. Kate turned in his arms, her head buried in his shoulder.

"Kate?" he asked, as he held her close, "I've noticed you're a little jumpy. Are you-"

"I'm not afraid of storms, Castle," she snapped. He felt the movement of her lips and breath where his shoulder and neck joined. It might have taken him a moment to remember exactly why she was in his arms.

He kissed the top of her head, "I never said you were. I tried to ask if you were okay."

"Yes - no. I don't know." Kate lifted her head. She was so close and her eyes were so wide, like a deer caught in the headlights of a car. "It's so loud. There have been plenty of showers and storms pass through..."

"But this one has been pretty loud," he said, once he realized what she wasn't telling him.

She nodded, "Yeah. Kinda like a shooting range."

Rick pulled her back against him, hoping he could give her a little comfort. His heart ached for her. It was no wonder she kept jumping, if every roll of thunder felt like another shot aimed at her.

He rubbed her back and played a little with her ponytail. "I'm here, Kate, and I promise I won't let anything happen to you."

Several moments passed before Kate huffed and shifted so her head was against his chest. "I know. Just stay here for awhile, okay?"

"As long as you need me." He reached down and caressed her cheek, feeling the dampness left by her tears. "We're partners, right? It's part of the job description."

Rick was pretty sure he felt her smile. "Partners, right."

"Yep," he gave her a squeeze. He was so thankful he made the drive here. He couldn't imagine what a mess she would have been if she'd had to suffer through this storm alone.

"I'm glad you're here," she said. It was like she was in his head, and he was glad that part of their relationship hadn't faded away during the time apart.

"Me too," he said, then stifled a yawn. It could be so easy to fall asleep like this, Kate in his arms, the steading fall of the rain... minus the thunder.

"It's going to get darker soon, Kate," he said, "I need to either stoke the fire or find a few candles to light. Would you like to help me?"

The look she gave him could be taken in so very many ways. "What did you have in mind?"

He swallowed hard. Oh, he had a lot of things on his mind now, but most of them wouldn't be right to express at this exact moment. "I... I was thinking about having a little more light in the room, actually."

"Liar." She's biting her lower lip and giving him that look. That. Look.

"Okay, I admit, several of my thoughts aren't the most pure." Rick sighed as he drug his fingers through his hair. Sometimes, he hated being responsible. "However, earlier, you implied there would be no monkey business, and I'm holding you, and myself, to that."

Kate's expression fell a little, then she smiled and laid against him again. "You're a good man, Castle. You know that?"

He breathed a sigh of relief. She was testing him, that's what it was, and he honestly couldn't blame her. "And you are one evil woman, Beckett."

"You still have no idea," she answered, probably moving her lips a little too close to his, then got to her feet. "There are a few candles in the kitchen. I'll get them while you put another log on the fire."

He nodded, thankful the conversation didn't explode like he thought it might. "I can do that."

"Would you like something to snack on?" Castle could hear her as she rummaged through the cabinets and found a flashlight. "I found some popcorn. I could set a kettle of it by the fire..."

"That would be great," he answered just as he'd placed a couple of small logs on the fire. "I think this is ready. Anything I can help with over there?"

"I guess if you want to, you can get a bottle of water for me out of the fridge," she pointed to it with the light beam, "I've got that and a few sodas, so get whatever you like. Hope that's all right."

"Water will be fine," He said as he found his way to the refrigerator in the warm orange light from the fire and the candles Kate had found and lit in the meantime. As he took out two water bottles, he saw she had set several tea light candles in the center of the coffee table. That small gesture gave the whole evening a slight romantic touch.

Kate finished arranging the lights and brushed against him as he walked toward the table. He was pretty sure it wasn't an accident, but it didn't seem to be anything to look too deeply into, either. He could get used to this.

Rick watched her pour a little oil into the kettle and add the popcorn, then set it on the bricks closest to the fire. "Fire's burning pretty hot, so it shouldn't take long for things to heat up."

TBC...