Disclaimer: I don't own Castle.

Prompt #10: Midnight - It was a dark and stormy night...when he heard a knock at his front door.

Words: 1,081

Storms in New York City were always an exciting affair at the Castle loft. Thanks to huge floor-to-ceiling windows that opened to a fantastic display, all thunderstorms were watched with a panoramic view that would make an IMAX theater jealous.

The Castles were ready for the show. Alexis had made popcorn, and Castle was finishing up his latest chapter for Nikki Heat. Martha was prowling through the house and shutting off the unneeded lights. A small collection of flashlights and candles were piled on the coffee table in case there was a power outage.

"Weather Channel says it's a big cell," Alexis said, helping Martha move the couch to face the window. "We might get some good lightning tonight. Dad, hurry up!" she called towards the study as the clouds opened up and dumped buckets of rain down upon the Big Apple. "We need to turn off the lights soon!"

Her father came out less than a minute later. "I'm done, I'm done," he assured her. "Are we all ready for Nature's big show?"

"Oh yeah. I so need this." Alexis flopped down on the couch and drew her legs up underneath her. "Nothing like seeing flashes of heated air and light to help you put your life in perspective." Obviously the scars from her recent break-up with Ashley were still raw, given the way her voice held a trace of anger.

Castle wisely decided not to comment on his daughter's words. Instead he called out, "Mother? Are you going to join us sometime soon?"

"You know, many families consider movie night an acceptable pastime," said the actress, bringing over a bottle of soda and three glasses.

"But stormwatching is epic!" Alexis said.

Castle hugged his daughter with a laugh. "I knew I raised you right." A low rumble drew three gazes to the steadily darkening sky. "It's starting," he said. "Everyone ready?"

"It was a dark and stormy night..." Alexis said with a wicked little smile.

His reaction was instantaneous. "Hey! Bad form. No clichéd opening lines during the stormwatching."

"You have the weirdest pet peeve, Dad," she replied. "Literary clichés? Really?"

"I am a writer. A bestselling author," Castle said, not without a bit of pride. "I didn't sell twenty-odd books by using such tired openers like "It was a dark and stormy night," or "In the darkness, there came a knock on the door,"..."

Then there actually was a knock at the front door. Three sets of eyes widened, meeting each other with the same silent question. Who could that be?

"I'll get it," Castle finally said. Getting off the couch, he padded over to the front door. "We didn't order pizza, did we - Beckett?"

"Hey Castle."

"What are you doing here?" She was absolutely drenched. Her jacket and jeans were plastered to her body like cellophane wrap, and on any other day Castle would've only stopped oogling when snapped at. But he barely even acknowledged her revealing attire.

He was more concerned with the puffy, red eyes that apparently lent their own downpour to her wet cheeks. "Come inside," he said getly, taking her by the elbow and bringing her inside the loft. "Alexis, grab some towels. Mother, did you do any laundry?"

Despite her protests, Beckett was soon toweled dry and dressed in a pair of Alexis's pajama pants and one of Castle's t-shirts. She joined the Castle family on their couch, bringing her bare feet up to nestle under Castle's thigh for warmth. Normally she would've felt awkward, but Beckett needed the physical contact. Castle, in one of his moments of understanding, hadn't teased her about it.

When Alexis finished her explaination, Beckett couldn't stop her frown. "Stormwatching?" she asked, puzzled by what had just been explained to her. "Really?"

"It's fun," Castle interjected. "Don't knock it til you've seen it." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders like it was the most natural thing in the world. "Now relax, woman, and enjoy nature's show."

Some part of her screamed about this being awkward and inappropriate and crossed so many lines in their partnership. However, the rest of her was screaming at this little part to shut up and not ruin the moment.

Luckily, both parts shut up when the first lightning strike exploded in the sky, closely followed by the crack of thunder. Yelping in surprise, Beckett dove for cover - straight into Castle's arms.

His shock at her action melted in seconds once he felt her trembling against his chest. One hand moved to rub her back in soothing circles. "Shh, Kate, it's okay," he whispered. When she had her flashbacks, they sometimes made her overreact to loud sound like thunderclaps. Now he knew why she'd come over in a downpour; being alone wasn't an option for her anymore. "Come on, get up."

"No." Even terrified, she was still stubborn as a mule. "Don't let me spoil your tradition."

"Hush, woman. I won't have any fun if you're uncomfortable." Goading Beckett to her feet, Castle shot Alexis and Martha an apologetic look. "Ladies, carry on without us. Let's go, Kate."

They disappeared in the direction of the writer's room, and they never returned, even long after the storm passed. Martha chuckled and mentioned white knights reaping the benefits of saving damsels in distress, but practical Alexis knew her father wouldn't take advantage of a vulnerable Beckett. He loved her too much. So, taking a candle, she softly padded her way back towards her father's bedroom.

The door was only open a quarter way. Alexis peeked inside and saw Castle and Beckett lying on top of his bed, fully clothed (thank God, the teenager breathed silently) and fast asleep. Beckett's head was lying on his chest and one arm was slung across his abdomen, like she was hugging a giant teddy bear. Castle had one arm around her waist, that arm's hand in her hair, and the other arm was folded behind his head as a makeshift pillow.

Smiling softly, Alexis pulled the door all the way shut and walked back down the hall to go to bed.

Awwww! So fluffy and cute!

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