Thanks to KateMB for helping to get the creative juices flowing on this one!
Murder, He Wrote
"Cold?" Castle asked, emerging from their bedroom while toweling the water from his hair.
A pair of sweatpants hung low on his hips, the strong lines of his chest exposed by his lack of shirt, and any chill that might have been in the air vanished as heat rushed through Kate's veins.
"No."
He raised an eyebrow, crossed to the fireplace and turned it on anyway. It was early November and as fall melded into a New York winter, the air temperature had dropped drastically over the course of the past week, brisk and unyielding. It had yet to snow but the clouds on the horizon announced the arrival of the first winter storm of the year.
And he fully intended to 'celebrate' the occasion with a warm fireplace and delicious hot chocolate. And his fiancée.
Kate was seated on a bar stool, head bent over a crossword puzzle on his iPad, probably the same one she'd been stuck on since this morning. He knew from last time that his offers of help weren't well-received and wisely skirted around her on his way to the kitchen, tossing the towel on the counter as he retrieved mugs and packets of cocoa mix.
Castle went about making the cocoa, adding a dollop of peppermint schnapps to each mug while the water heated, pulling out a package of mini marshmallows from the cupboard and popping a few into his mouth while he waited.
By the time the water was bubbling, he'd also collected a handful of blankets and pillows and dumped them in a fluffy pile in front of the fireplace in preparation for their night of snuggly warmth. He filled the mugs, mixed in the chocolate packets and the marshmallows, and only then did he risk interrupting his fiancée.
"Kate."
"Hmmm?"
When he offered no reply she lifted her head, took in her surroundings. The only light still on was in the kitchen, the living room lit by the flickering flames in the fireplace. There was a mound of blankets and pillows and warmth on the floor and two mugs of hot cocoa in his hands.
She smiled adoringly, saved her puzzle and set the iPad aside. Only Castle.
Kate reached for a mug with one hand, stole a kiss from him as he transferred it to her.
"What's all of this?" she murmured against his lips.
"Starting off winter the right way," Castle replied as though the answer was obvious.
Kate raised an eyebrow, lifted to the mug to her lips and took a swallow. "Is that so?"
He smiled proudly. "Hot chocolate with peppermint schnapps, fire in the fireplace, blankets and pillows, and you in my arms."
"Who says I'm going to curl up in your arms in front of a fire?" she teased.
"The part of me that knows you well enough to know you actually really love my idea," he replied confidently.
Kate rolled her eyes but crossed to the pile, set her mug down out of the way and began to organize the pile of pillows. While she worked, Castle sneaked across the loft and into their bedroom, grabbing a shirt and also retrieving their journal from the nightstand and slipping it under the edge of the blankets as he slid into place next to her.
She curled into his side right away, head resting on his shoulder and his arm around her as they gazed at the fireplace, mesmerized by the dancing flames.
At long last, Castle fumbled around for the journal, lifted it from beneath the blankets. "Want to?" he asked softly.
She lifted her head, smiled softly, unsure of why he brought it out here but glad that he thought to do so. "Sure."
Dear Kate,
I wish I'd thought to bring the journal to the Hamptons with us this weekend, because I think this entry would be much more accurate had I been able to jot down my thoughts and feelings while they were happening. I suppose I could have written on a separate sheet of paper, but then again, when we weren't solving the case, I was otherwise occupied and writing was the last thing on my mind.
Not that I'm complaining.
I think I owe you an apology for this weekend. I know it ended fantastically, but I still feel bad about pulling you into an investigation. From what I know of both of us, it felt like it was inevitable that we would've gotten pulled into it in one way or another, but I still feel bad because it should have been a romantic getaway, not another case.
I promise, I'll make it up to you. We can go again sometime and I will make sure it's a weekend of sex and sleeping and soaking up the sun and skinny dipping. After I have the pool drained and scoured with bleach. Twice.
But I'm still glad we went and that we did have time for some fun, even if your skinny dipping plans were thwarted. And I'm glad you enjoyed yourself because I did too. It was nice to get away for a while and have some time to ourselves.
One of these days, I'll convince you to take a week off from work and we'll spend it at the beach house. A week of relaxation and sunshine. I may have brought other women up there in the past, but I want you to know that there won't be anyone else in the future. Just you.
Love,
Rick
"We should get married there," Kate suggested upon reaching the end of the letter, surprising both of them as the words poured out of her mouth.
"I... what?"
"The Hamptons. That would be a good place for a wedding, right?"
"Kate..." he breathed, simultaneously blown away by her suggestion and upset at himself for the things he'd said to her the day before, the accusations that had slipped out of his mouth.
"If you don't want to..."
"No," he whispered, reached up to cup her cheek. He guided her in to press his lips to her forehead, spoke against her skin. "That's perfect."
She lifted her head, radiant smile splitting across her face, skin glowing amber in the flickering light. "You think so?"
"Absolutely," Castle replied, hands falling back to his lap. "And... I'm sorry," he offered after a moment.
She cocked her head.
"For yesterday. For getting upset about the picture and for doubting you. It just caught me off-guard, finding out that way, you know? But I shouldn't have taken it out on you."
"I'm sorry too," Kate murmured in reply, "for not being honest with you a long time ago. I do want to get married, it's just... hard to think about planning a wedding without my mom here to help me."
His face fell instantly and he felt a wave of shame for not considering that earlier. No wonder she'd been putting it off, avoiding talking about it.
"I should've realized," Castle offered by way of continued apology.
"It's... I know it's not going to be easy," Kate admitted. "But I know it's what she would've wanted for me. For us."
He turned to face her, covered both of her hands with his. "There's no rush," he said softly. "We can get married whenever you're ready."
"The Hamptons," she repeated, a determined smile on her lips. "Sometime next year. The fall, maybe?"
A broad smile spread across his face, eyes twinkling with joy. "If that's what you want," he agreed.
Kate opened her mouth to speak again, to assure him it was, but stopped when she saw the faraway look on his face, eyes glossy and distant. It was quite evident he was currently marrying her on the beach in his daydream and she wasn't going to interrupt that.
How could she?
Instead, she simply sat back and watched, Allowing her smile to grow as she took in his besotted grin, bright blue eyes, the flickering shadows of the fire casting patterns on his skin, the crinkles at the corners of his eyes that were always enhanced when he was happy. Right now, she could tell he most certainly was.
And so was she.
Because someday soon, she was going to marry Richard Castle at his beach house in the Hamptons.
Thoughts?