Title: The Hamptons

Summary: Ryan and Alexis take a trip to Castle's home in The Hamptons. Takes place about a month after the party at Castle's apartment.

Genre: Romance

Characters: Ryan, Alexis

It was here, finally. After a month and a half of nonstop work at the precinct he was finally able to take his vacation with Alexis to The Hamptons. It was just the two of them for now, Castle bringing Devlin up halfway through the week and staying with them until all four returned to the city. Ryan and Alexis had discussed it and thought that spending time with Castle away from the hustle and bustle of everyday life would help everyone connect more and hopefully make Castle feel more at ease with the relationship he was trying his very hardest to fully accept.

Halfway there Ryan looked over at his passenger and frowned at her stormy expression. His right hand, which had been sitting on the shifter, slid over and grabbed hers. After lacing their fingers together she finally offered a weak smile.

"You ok?"

She didn't answer just returned her attention to the road making him uneasy. "If you don't want to go we can go back."

"No, I want to. It's just…" She trailed off and sighed heavily.

Whatever was bothering her was obviously upsetting her enough to warrant a conversation so he pulled over and gave her his undivided attention. "What's bothering you?"

She met his eyes and just stared silently, it almost appeared like she was looking for something and he tried to not squirm under her intense scrutiny. "I'm late."

He frowned in confusion before his eyebrows shot up to his hairline, "Huh?" Well that was an eloquent response he thought to himself. Shaking his head to try to get his brain working he finally responded with actual words. "So do you think you're…"

"I don't know," she said quietly. "I'm almost a week late but I can't bring myself to test. What if I am Kevin?"

Ryan sat back into his seat and stared out the windshield as he tried to come up with something to say that would make her feel better. In all honesty the possibility of another child thrilled him but Alexis looked nervous and scared. This was an outstanding example of how far apart they were in their ages and lives. Ryan was thirty and ready for another child but Alexis still needed to live a little. Keeping his face as neutral as he could he squeezed her hand and met her eyes, "Why don't we wait to worry about anything until we know for sure there's something to worry about. It might be nothing."

"If I was would you be happy? I know you said you'd like more kids but I know you have a hard time supporting Dev and me already and I know you have a lot you're working through emotionally."

He leaned over and kissed her, "Alexis I love you, nothing could ever make me unhappy if it has to do with you. Like I said we'll think about everything once we know for sure and don't worry about me. If I'm still going after everything that's happened I don't think much can stop me. Now let's just enjoy our drive and we'll talk there."

The drive was mostly quiet after that, Alexis fidgeting in the passenger seat and sighing every so often. This was not the vacation Ryan had been looking forward to so before they ever even made it to the house he stopped at a drug store.

"I'll go," she said quickly and jumped out of the car before he could even utter a word. Once inside she slowly walked down the isles trying to keep calm and eventually found pregnancy tests sitting on a shelf mocking her with their bright pink packaging. Her shaking hands grabbed one and with heavy steps she began to make her way to the register. This was all too real, too much for her to handle right now and doubts about her entire relationship began to creep into her conscious.

After paying she returned to the car and the heavy silence continued, Ryan having no idea what to say to make her feel more secure about the situation and Alexis just sitting in a terrified silence. This was different than with Dev, if she fell pregnant now she couldn't follow her dream of becoming a journalist for several years. It would change everything.

Arriving at Castle's home Ryan climbed out of the car and let out a low whistle at the huge house in front of him. He didn't have time to enjoy the view since Alexis was already through the front door. Not wasting any time he jogged inside and tried to figure out where she had gotten off to, he finally found her in the master bedroom on the second floor.

"Just… wait here," she said quickly as she closed the bathroom door.

Ryan fell onto he bed and stared at the ceiling dejectedly. Would it really be that bad if she was pregnant? It's not like it was the end of the world or anything. Even though he knew he shouldn't be a part of him was excited for the results. They could have a child nine months from now, a little girl or another boy. A perfect child that was a part of each of them.

The door swung open and Alexis steadily met his gaze.

"So?"

She finally smiled, "Negative. Just like you said nothing to worry about." It was so quick she almost missed it but for just a fraction of a second pure disappointment shone in his eyes. She had never taken into account his thoughts or feelings on the matter but it was too late to rectify that now.

"That's… good."

"Yeah," she said quietly suddenly feeling sad at the fact the test wasn't positive. No she didn't want to be pregnant right now but seeing Ryan wilt slightly at the news made her almost feel guilty. Visions of a little girl with bright blue eyes and long auburn hair hit her, she could almost picture a little angel in a white sundress running around happily.

Ryan noticed more than other people did and he knew he hadn't hid his disappointment as well as he had wanted to. Fighting against himself he smiled and looked outside, "Hang out on the beach?"

She walked over and wrapped her arms around him, "That sounds nice."

Hours later the two entered the house, skin burnt and covered in the ocean's salt. Small grains of sand were stuck to Alexis's butt and Ryan's entire back from where they relaxed on the beach and watched the light slowly dim until darkness surrounded them. Showering together was a given, it was something they did as often as they could. It allowed them time together amid hectic school and work schedules, under the warm spray no one could call and no small voice could interrupt them. After getting the sand and salt off of each other they had a quick dinner and relaxed on the couch, Alexis lying down on top of her boyfriend while they watched a movie. "Why can't life be like this everyday?" she asked as Ryan struggled to stay awake.

He yawned and pried his lids open, "It'd be boring after a while. Let's go to bed, we'll have a day just like this tomorrow."

Alexis woke alone and climbed out of the bed to go look for her boyfriend when she realized he wasn't in the room or adjoining bathroom. She thought about grabbing a shirt but it was just the two of them so dressed in only her pale blue underwear she wandered through the house looking for where Kevin might be. Music from her dad's grand piano met her ears when she reached the edge of the living room and she quietly moved towards the noise and paused at the doorway to the small music room facing the beach. He was seated on the bench with his back to her dressed in only his boxers playing a soft and beautiful song. She herself knew how to play as did her father but something about the way Kevin played was different, it sounded more real.

She didn't want him to stop but she had to be near him. Slowly she walked over and stood behind him, her arms softly resting on his shoulders. He never even flinched indicating he knew she had been there the entire time and leaned back slightly into her. They stayed like that for quite a while until he finally stopped playing and turned with a smile. "Good morning."

She smiled down at him when he hugged her around the waist and laid his cheek on her warm stomach. Her fingers ran through his hair and goose bumps appeared on her skin she he kissed her right above her navel. "Can I request a song?"

"Of course."

She slid onto the bench next to him, "You probably don't know it but it's The Ice Dance from Edward Scissorhands."

Ryan gave her an expression she couldn't quite decipher before he turned and began to play the song completely from memory. Something about the way he played made her feel uncomfortable; like she was witnessing something she had no right to. It felt too raw, too pure. When he finished he simply dropped his hands and kept his gaze on the keys. "I was eight when I saw that movie for the first time. I... didn't have a lot of friends growing up, didn't talk much. When I watched this movie I felt like there was someone else who understood what it was like to be on the outside looking in. I had a really bad stutter until I was eleven so it was hard for me to communicate with people. I was small and different than the other kids and people don't like different. That movie changed my life, taught me you can't change who you are. If someone truly loves you they won't love you in spite of your faults, they'll love you because of them."

When Alexis didn't respond he lifted his gaze and met her eyes, which were shining with unshed tears. "Just when I thought I couldn't love you anymore you go and say something like that," she said softly. She wrapped him in a tight hug, the two finding comfort in the warmth of the other, skin on skin contact grounding them both.

"One of my biggest fears is Devlin feeling like I did growing up. I don't want him to ever feel like he isn't good enough."

Alexis squeezed her lids closed to stop her tears from falling. It hurt so badly to hear him talk about feelings of inadequacy because she knew he still struggled with his self esteem. Now she knew why, he had grown up with a stutter and she knew how cruel kids could be. Years of verbal and physical abuse from bullies had worn him down. "I love you so much."

"I love you too. I didn't mean to put a damper on your morning."

She quickly shook her head, "You didn't. I want to know everything about you, good and bad. When did you learn to play the piano?"

"My mother started to teach me when I was five, she thought it would be a good way for me express myself. When I'd get upset my stutter would worsen so I'd go play. You hungry?"

Apparently he was done speaking about his childhood and Alexis nodded, "Come on, I'll make breakfast. Are you going to eat?"

"Why not," he answered before rising and following her into the kitchen. His eyes raked over her from behind taking in her bright hair that fell messily down her bare back and ended right above the soft curve of her butt. "You know you should walk around the apartment like this all the time."

She smirked and cast him a mischievous look over her shoulder, "I'll keep that in mind."

Breakfast took over three hours, but that also might have had a little to do with the fact that Ryan couldn't keep his hands to himself. She burned the french toast the first time when she got distracted because a powdered sugar fight had broken out and finally gave up on the second batch when Ryan kept grabbing her into kisses that made her forget about what she was even doing. The two had made love right there on the kitchen floor and even though it wasn't the most comfortable place the spontaneity they got to experience, something they never got to have at home with a five year old, made it worth it.

The following two days were like a dream, no stress or any problems. It was just the two of them and while both loved Dev more than life it was nice to not be mommy and daddy but just Alexis and Kevin. They swam in the ocean, went out in the evening, swam in the pool and went for walks under the moonlight. It was perfect but the small nagging in the back of their heads that reminded them something was missing was getting worse and when the day came that Castle would bring Dev Ryan heaved a sigh of relief.

Castle entered the house in the early evening holding a sleeping Devlin snugly against him and began to look around for his daughter and Ryan. He found them on a couch in the den sitting almost in the dark, Alexis seated at one end lazily running her hands through Ryan's hair, the man lying down and fast asleep.

She smiled in greeting at her dad and they both grinned at the fact they each had a sleeping Ryan. After setting Devlin down on the other couch Castle walked over to the chair next to his daughter's seat. "How's the vacation going?"

"Great, we played in the ocean all morning. Kev's exhausted." Wondering how much she wanted to share she was silent for a moment before offering more. "This trip has been really good for us, it was nice to have privacy to talk about everything."

Castle nodded, "And I'm assuming everything you talked about turned out like you wanted?"

Alexis stared down at her boyfriend's lax face and remembered the disappointment in his eyes from their first day, "Most of it."

"So how is it living at Ryan's? I know it's only been a few weeks but is it what you wanted it to be?" he whispered.

She nodded, "That and more. It's nice to just wake up and be there with Devlin and Kevin. I know it seems like we're moving too quickly but I'm really happy dad. We talked about my degree and what I wanted to do with it."

"What did you decide?"

"I'm going to try to get on with any newspaper I can right now but I'd love to get on with the Times. I can just write from home and submit my stories and pieces through email. Kevin said I should go for whatever I want but I'm kind of happy just hanging out with Dev. I've always had this master plan and I'm enjoying just winging it right now."

Castle smiled, "I've been winging it since I was born and I think I've done pretty well for myself."

They quieted when Ryan mumbled something under his breath and tightened his grip on her leg. "How's Ryan really doing? All we hear at the precinct is the crap he feeds everyone."

"Honestly really well. He's been talking to someone for a while now and he's made quite a bit of progress but he still has a ways to go. He has nightmares sometimes about getting shot and Jenny's birthday is in a couple weeks and I know that's weighing on him. At least he talks to me about things and doesn't bottle anymore."

"I'm glad to hear that. So any plans for dinner?"

She shook her head, "Nothing yet."

He nodded and just stared at his daughter and her boyfriend for a few minutes. "I never thought I would say this but I'm glad you're with Ryan. I'll always worry about you but I worry less when you're with him, if something happened I know he would do whatever it took to protect you. Plus he loves you and treats you like the princess you are, that's all I could really ask for."

"Thanks dad."

"He looks really young when he sleeps," Castle commented. "Not that he really looks thirty on most days but you know what I mean." He had never seen the other man looking so innocent and vulnerable before, all his defenses down as he quietly slumbered on the person he apparently trusted explicitly. It seemed almost wrong to see him so defenseless, it felt intimate in a way that made him have to look away feeling he didn't have the right to see the detective this way.

Alexis smiled, "I know. We were looking at pictures a while back and he hasn't aged since he turned twenty-four. It's like he just stopped, it's crazy. It's only when he starts talking that you realize he's not as young as he looks."

The sat quietly for a few more minutes until he stood, "Well I'll get something started for dinner. I know Dev will be hungry when he wakes up."

Ryan was awoken by soft breathing tickling his nose and he opened his eyes and grinned at the sight of his son. Quickly gathering him in a hug he buried his head in his small shoulder and breathed in his scent. "I missed you so much buddy."

"I missed you too daddy," he said happily. "I tried to wait for you to wake up."

"You don't have to wait for me, you can wake me up whenever you want. How was it with Castle?" he asked his son who he was still crushing.

Dev smiled happily, "We had fun. The drive was boring."

He laughed, "Some things can't be helped. When did you get here?"

He shrugged his tiny shoulders, "I was asleep. Mommy and Castle are in the kitchen making dinner I think. Are you hungry? I'm hungry."

"Lead the way Dev." Ryan rose and stretched before following his son to the kitchen where he watched him run over and hug Alexis. Castle turned and smiled in greeting at Ryan who was fighting against another yawn, "Hey Castle."

"Hi Ryan, having a good vacation?" he asked pleasantly as he began to dish something out of a pot and onto plates.

He nodded and glanced hungrily at the plate, "It's been great. What's for dinner?"

"Macaroni and Cheese with breadcrumbs, bacon bits, and mushrooms and you are really burnt."

Ryan laughed at the sudden statement as he accepted a plate from his friend, "Yeah I know."

Dinner passed nicely for everyone, Castle getting to really see the family his daughter was now unofficially a part of. She looked happy as she poured Devlin a glass of water and smiled graciously when Ryan passed her a napkin. He couldn't help but smile at how content the young family looked and felt privileged that he was a part of it.

The following day Castle walked onto the back patio and laughed at Alexis and Devlin playing Marco Polo in the pool before making his way over to Ryan who was sitting in just his swim trunks drinking a dark beer. His greeting died on his lips when he finally got to see the two scars from the shooting. The scars weren't overly large but still looked angry, a brutal reminder of what had happened. One was smaller than the other, the one closest to his heart larger and longer than the one the ripped through his lung. He could still perfectly picture Ryan drenched in his own blood trying to breath as Esposito tried to keep him from going into shock.

Ryan noticed his gaze, "Brutal huh?"

Castle's eyes jerked to meet his and he blushed, "Sorry, I've never seen them before."

"It's fine, they're hard not to notice. They'll never go away but they'll fade, all scars do."

The writer just nodded, knowing he wasn't just talking about the physical ones they could see. "Thank you for inviting me to stay here with you three."

"I figured it would be in everyone's best interests for us all to hang out without the stress of our daily lives and thanks for offering the house, this place is unreal."

Castle began to laugh and Ryan frowned, "What?"

"This is just a little surreal, I mean I wasn't aware you even owned anything except three piece suits. It's strange to just see you sitting here and not running around and relaying info to Kate with your other half."

Ryan shook his head and pointed to him with his beer, "See? We need to hang out more and get to know each other. You want a beer?"

Castle eyed the bottle in his hand, "That is some black beer."

"That means it's good. I saw that light crap you keep stocked in the fridge, come on Castle you own a bar. Beer is not supposed to look like dirty water."

The writer smiled at how at ease Ryan seemed and took the offered drink. They sat comfortably next to each other until Castle laughed and pointed to him, "Is that a tattoo of a four leaf clover?"

Ryan grinned and nodded as his hand slid over the small tattoo on his side, "Jenny's idea. She thought it would be adorable to have matching tattoos, I thought it was corny. You see who won that discussion. I'm kind of glad that she did though, it's just something to remember her by now."

"Jenny was something special," he said carefully hoping he wasn't going to upset Ryan.

He nodded, "Yes she was. Lightening struck twice for me thankfully, Lex is pretty damn special too."

"Yes she is," Castle agreed.

Both men watched her swim around with Devlin until Ryan looked at his phone and shouted for Dev to come over. The little boy immediately swam to the edge and pulled himself out of the pool and over to his father who began to towel him off and apply sunscreen. "You might have to put on a shirt bud, you're already burning."

"Daddy," he whined.

He finished rubbing the sunscreen in and spun him around and handed him a bottle of water, "We'll see ok? Drink this please then you can get back in."

Devlin looked at Castle who shook his head, "Do what your dad says Dev, water is important."

"He's getting really sassy," Ryan commented after Devlin had walked away.

Castle chuckled, "It'll get worse before it gets better. You've done a good job with him Ryan."

He looked over at the larger man and nodded in thanks. "I'm trying but it's tough. Just when you get one thing figured out something new pops up. I can't believe he's already turning six this year."

Castle was quiet for a moment until he frowned suddenly, "You got married in September right? And Devlin was born on March 23rd?"

Ryan smiled softly, "You never did the math? I thought it was sort of obvious." He glanced at the pool and made sure Devlin was far away. "Dev was… unexpected. We wanted kids but were going to wait a few years. Jenny wanted to get married before she got big so we moved the wedding up a couple months from when it was originally planned. A few months before Dev's due date Jenny ate something that must have been undercooked or something because she got Toxoplasmosis. They tried to prepare us for him to be blind or have epilepsy but I don't know how you're supposed to prepare for something like that. When he was born they ran all these tests but he was just fine. He's my little miracle."

It amazed Castle that he was sharing intimate details about his life with him but he understood why. Sharing things was a way to establish trust and it was a two way street.

"Growing up my mother was… well you know how mother is, she's more of a free spirit than a parent. I spent a lot of time with nannies and quite a few days in the library, which worked out because it laid the foundation for a career as an author. We never really spoke about it because it wouldn't change anything but it always bothered me I never knew my father. If I knew what happened to him, or if he was alive or not, it would help but just thinking that he didn't want me gets to me some days. It feels like no matter how successful I become it still isn't enough because he's never shown up."

"His loss," Ryan said instantly. "Not only are you a multi-millionaire best selling author you're also a genuinely good person and that's a rarity. You don't need to prove anything to him."

Castle's eyebrows shot up, "You sound like you're speaking from experience."

Ryan was saved from answering by his phone ringing. He quickly grabbed the object and walked away from Castle before answering it.

The writer watched him through curious eyes, what was the deal with Ryan and his family?

"Hey Javi, what's up?"

"Not much bro, how's the vacation going? Sun, sand, and sexy bikinis? You two are probably going at it like bunnies. I guess we'll know how the trip went if another Ryan pops up in nine months. Details."

Ryan laughed, "I'm not sharing anything."

"Oh come on! I'm stuck here at the precinct interviewing all these people that swear an alien took their friend. Give me something."

"It's only going to make you jealous. I'm hanging by the pool drinking Guinness, not a cloud in the sky and there's a little bit of a breeze coming off the ocean. Castle and Dev are here and he's going to make ribs for dinner on the grill."

"I hate you so much right now. Nah, I'm happy for you bro. You needed to get out of here."

He nodded and glanced at the pool when a large splash sounded, Dev laughing as Castle's head popped up out of the water. "Yeah. So what's up?"

"I hate to bother you but I wanted to run something by you about this case, the actual case not the alien thing."

Ryan listened intently to what his partner was saying and offered his thoughts about what was said. They were each other's backboard and he knew how difficult it was to think without the other there to converse with. They functioned better as a team than solo.

"That's what I was thinking too. I'll grab Beckett and we'll go look at the apartment again. Have fun Ry, I'll see you in a few days."

"Bye Javi." He walked back to the pool and slipped in quietly, unnoticed by the other three. He sucked in a deep breath and dove under the water before swimming all the way across the pool and pinching Alexis who screamed. He popped up and laughed before being dunked by his girlfriend. A strong hand attached to his shoulder and hauled him up where he coughed and sputtered, "Thanks Castle, she's trying to kill me."

"I have to get you back in one piece, Kate will kill me if she loses a detective."

Ryan grinned and whispered something to Dev before swimming away.

"Kate and Castle sitting in a tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g," Dev sang happily. Alexis burst out laughing at her dad's blush, Ryan doing the same from the other side of the pool. Was it childish? Yes. Did they care? No.

The end of the week came too quickly for all of them and with reluctance Ryan loaded their luggage into the car and stared at the large house in front of him. Alexis appeared in the doorway and made her way over to him, her sundress lightly billowing in the ocean breeze. "Everything packed?"

He nodded and pulled her closer for a kiss. "Can we just stay here for like a month?"

"Somehow I don't think Dev's school or the precinct would like that very much," she said softly. "We'll come back again."

"Promise?"

"Promise."