A/N: Howdy, ya'll! Just 3 more weeks before we all die and meet each other in 'Castle' heaven. I literally cannot wait! Anywho, the next chapter is just something that popped into my head and I will continue with it for another chapter or two.
Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I have absolute faith and trust in Andrew Marlowe. We love you.
Chapter 52 - Early in the Morning
It was early - just past 7am. On a Saturday. So, why was her husband not in bed, curled around her? She was cold.
Somewhere nearby she could hear the clicks of fingers on a keyboard.
"Castle," Kate mumbled sleepily, eyes fluttering open against the pale sunlight streaming in through the windows.
The typing stopped and she felt the bed dip close to her side.
"Morning," Rick greeted softly, a hand brushing along her back as he sat down next to her.
She pushed up onto her elbows and yawned. "What are you doing outta bed, babe?"
He laughed softly – she rarely used that moniker. "I couldn't sleep anymore." He lowered his voice. "Nikki whispered in my ear and I just had to get a scene down."
Her mouth curved into a grin. "Oh, Nikki whispered in your ear, huh?"
Rick slid down and lied next to her on his side. "She sure did."
Kate hummed, her eyes still drooping. "What did she say?"
He reached out and twirled a finger around a strand of wayward hair, painted golden in the light of their room.
He shrugged. "Oh, you know? Sexy little things."
Kate quirked an eyebrow, unable to keep the amusement off her face.
"Really? You were writing a sex scene at seven on a Saturday morning?"
He chuckled softly. "Well, I was getting there. Building up to it." He flashed a completely indecent grin. "You know how much I enjoy foreplay."
Kate laughed, soft and light. "God, you're insatiable."
"I don't hear you complaining, Mrs. Castle," he murmured, shifting closer to press a kiss against her lips.
"So what do you want to do today?" Kate asked after they broke apart.
"Besides you? Now? Under the hot spray of the shower?"
She barked out a surprised laugh and swatted his chest.
"Is that all you ever think about?"
He grinned. "With you around-" He made a show of checking her out, clad only in boy shorts and a tank-top. "-scantily dressed? Absolutely. How could I not? You should take it as a compliment, Beckett."
She rolled her eyes, a smile lingering at the edges of her mouth.
"Get your head out of the gutter, Rick. What do you want to do with your daughter and me today?"
He stared at her and Kate frowned at him. "Just taking a mental picture." And suddenly he was up. "But to answer your question – I want to go the Museum of National History and then maybe to the Park."
"Seriously, Castle? The museum?" She deadpanned.
He was literally bouncing on his feet. "They have mummies there. Mummies, Kate! Oh, and dinosaurs. So awesome."
Kate rolled onto her back and groaned, covering her face with a hand.
"I'm married to a twelve year old."
"Beckett, come on," he all but whined in her ear. She was going to kill him. Slowly, painfully. Limb-by-limb.
It was barely past five.
She was supposed to be the morning person in this relationship, not Castle. Well, the universe was probably turned on its head while he was on a writing binge.
"Kate, come on." He was literally dragging her out of bed to watch the sun come up. He threw off the covers and pulled her into a sitting position.
She scowled at him, hair in disarray and still half asleep. "I'm going to kill you," she muttered menacingly.
He seemed completely oblivious to the grievous bodily harm that he was threatened with. Rick only held out his hand and smiled at her; his features glowing with joy, eyes sparkling with little-boy-delight. She couldn't help but find it utterly adorable.
Irritating and infuriating. But still-
Cute.
She relented with a heavy sigh and offered him her hand.
"This better be worth it," she muttered.
He pulled her up and towards him before pressing a quick, sloppy kiss against her mouth; sharing his happiness with her.
"Oh, you'll love it. I know you will."
Kate placed a hand against her mouth, trying to obscure her smile as he led her by hand out of the room. Silly, adorable man. He was babbling on about how he was writing and eventually caught sight of the sun rising over the New York skyline and how he could not let a romantic moment such as this one get away.
It struck her then - how completely he shared himself with her, every moment, every little thing. How completely he loved her.
"I made coffee," he said, breaking her train of thought. Rick held out a cup of coffee to her with a grin. She returned a smile, her eyes soft on him as she accepted it.
"Thank you." She lifted up and pressed her lips against his cheek.
He returned a gentle smile and took her smaller hand in his. "Come on, we don't want to miss the show."
Rick led her up the stairs in her kitchen and out onto the veranda. On the horizon, the summer sun was rising over the city. The cool morning was crisp and the sky a blend of brilliant hues of orange, yellow and pink.
They were both silent, drinking in the quiet beauty of the breaking dawn.
Kate shivered and stepped closer to him, cradling the cup of coffee against her chest; both of them watching the quick rise of the sun.
"It's beautiful," she said softly after a while.
Rick nodded and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, a hand curling around her upper arm.
"Yeah," he said softly. He turned to look at her, a smile on his lips. "So, was it worth getting out of bed for?"
Kate laughed softly, dropping her head back against his chest while her eyes scanned the horizon.
She lifted her eyes to him and smiled.
"You're always worth it."
"Oh, look at this one, baby girl," Rick said, pointing towards the large display of dinosaur bones. Lizzy was bouncing in his arms, babbling around the little fingers in her mouth. She was in a cute yellow polka dot summer dress complete with a small, white cardigan and sandals. Her dark, curly hair fell over her forehead and framed her rosy little cheeks. She was a few weeks away from eighteen months - growing up entirely too fast for her parents' liking; walking everywhere and starting to express herself in words.
"This is the T-Rex or tyrannosaurus rex," Rick continued talking to his daughter, moving slowly around the display. She shot her arm out and pointed her little hand towards the display. She turned serious blue eyes to her father and babbled incoherently; only a few words recognisable - the most prominent being 'Dada'.
Of course, her parents have argued about whose title she graced with her first word - 'Mama' or 'Dada'.
Kate was slowly meandering behind them and pushing the empty stroller, watching them fondly. They were in their own bubble; a father and his daughter sharing a special moment.
They were so going to tag-team her.
"You still want to show her the mummies, Castle?"
He whipped around, nodding eagerly and grinning widely at his wife.
"Definitely."
She returned a smile as she made her way to them.
"Of course you do." She brushed a finger over her daughter's nose, making the little girl giggle. "Should we also tell our daughter about you and the mummy's curse?"
He narrowed his eyes at her. "Don't you dare."
She grinned, raising an eyebrow. "What?" She shrugged. "Don't you want her to know about all the exciting cases we closed over the years?"
Lizzy was kicking her small legs against her father's chest, watching everything and everybody over his shoulder.
"Only the ones where I look like an all-conquering hero."
Kate smirked at him. "Well, that would be a short story then, wouldn't it?"
He stopped to put Lizzy in the stroller, the girl babbling and bouncing in her seat.
"Excuse me, Detective Beckett, but should I remind you of all the times I've saved your life?"
Kate rolled her eyes as they slowly walked through the exhibition, bantering like they always did.
"Oh, Castle, you don't let an opportunity go by to remind me of your heroics."
"Well, someone has to," he murmured, pouting slightly.
Kate bumped her shoulder with his, trying, but failing to keep the mirth from the lift of her lips.
"Oh, honey, you are my hero. And yes, you have on occasion saved my life," she said, wrapping her hand around his arm as he pushed Lizzy's stroller. "We've saved each other's lives. That's what partners do, right?"
"Some more than others," Rick muttered softly.
Kate let out a laugh, attention on Lizzy who was chattering excitedly; little hands gesturing to everything around her. She was a bright, curious and attentive little girl; picking up on things quickly and absorbing new knowledge rapidly.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
He turned to his wife with a self-satisfied grin.
"It means that I've saved your life about. . . mm. . . eleven times and you've only saved mine about nine times."
Kate's eyebrows shot up in disbelief, her eyes flicking back to her husband.
"Firstly, I can't even believe that you've kept score and secondly, there's no way you've saved my life more than I've saved yours. Eleven? Please." She rolled her eyes.
"Oh, really? Let's review shall we?"
She was smiling against her will, pressing against him as they walked through the Museum of National History.
"Castle-"
He continued, unperturbed. "First, there was that mad gun man who I distracted with the champagne bottle-" Lizzy let out a squeal and clapped her little hands together. Rick grinned broadly and bent down towards his daughter. "Yes, baby girl, I bravely saved your mother's life with a mere champagne bottle."
Kate made a face and started to protest, but Rick held up a hand to stop her.
"Even you admitted that I saved your life that day."
He resumed reciting his heroics. "The second time was when that madman blew up your apartment and I braved the hellish flames to break down the door. I found you naked in your tub. Yeah, won't be forgetting that anytime soon."
Kate rolled her eyes again, her lips tipping up. "So, what am I? Chopped liver? What about the times I saved you?" She turned to him, a clever smile painting her face. "I've also saved you from a madman, Castle. And I have the scars to prove it."
He immediately tensed, the smile fading from his features, the amusement leaking out of his eyes. Kate briefly closed her eyes for a moment and bit her lip.
Stupid, stupid mouth.
"Rick," she said softly. She stopped him, her hand squeezing around his arm to get his attention. "Wait, I'm sorry-"
He shook his head, lifting his eyes to her. "No, no. It's fine, babe." He wrapped an arm around her shoulders for a quick hug. "It just. . . gets me sometimes," he said quietly, his voice low.
Kate pressed her cheek against his collarbone, eyes falling shut. "Still - I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking."
He gave her a small, lopsided smile. "It's okay. Really." He pressed a kiss against her cheek. "It's done, it's over - I'm just glad we got the bastard."
She was clutching her side, blood trickling over her fingers. "Castle, you okay?"
He nodded absently, concerned eyes on her. "Fine. You?"
She nodded and then winced as she crouched down behind the chair where he was tied to. "Yeah. Ryan and Esposito are on their way with back-up and EMT's."
"He dead?" Rick gestured to the lifeless body of Jerry Tyson a.k.a. the 3XK-killer.
Kate grunted. "Yeah, I put two bullets in his chest. The son of a bitch is rotting in hell as we speak," she said, cutting the ropes off her partner. As soon as he was free and standing, she launched herself into his arms for a tight embrace and finally let the emotions that she had been bottling up, to come out.
"Oh god, Rick, I'm so glad you're okay," she sobbed, tightening her arms around his neck. "I'm so glad you're okay."
He pressed a kiss against the side of her head, his trembling arms building a wall around her.
"I'm fine, we're fine," he soothed. He rubbed a hand down her side and encountered the sticky warmth of her blood.
"Kate, you're bleeding," he said with urgency, pulling back to look at her wound
She glanced down to where his hand was hovering. "It's just a scratch. I'm fine."
His eyes snapped up to her; fiery blue. "Doesn't look like just a scratch."
Kate sagged against him, her hands on his chest. "Make you a deal - while you get this-" she gently touched the nasty abrasion on his forehead, making him flinch. "-checked out, I will let them sort me out as well. Okay?"
He nodded and carefully wrapped his arms around her again. "Okay." He feathered his lips over her forehead, her cheeks and finally down to her mouth. "Thank you."
She offered him a soft, tired smile. "That's what partners are for."
[][][]
Early in the morning, I'll come calling,
I'll come calling after you
darling if you answer, oh we'll wander,
down the garden where it's cool
later we'd discover, all in covers,
children silent as the stars
early in the morning, in the morning,
everything at once is ours
A/N: These characters have a mind of their own sometimes - I didn't intend writing that last part, but just couldn't help it. Anyway, the chapter will follow on from this one; just something light and fluffy.
Thanks for reading and reviewing.
Title - from a James Vincent McMorrow song of the same name. Lyrics at the end - from the same song.