Hi people! Here's the second chapter of the transition part. We were thinking that they all needed a break after these emotions. :) Hope you'll enjoy your reading! xxx
"All right, now, come on, let's eat something," Martha said from behind the kitchen's counter. "Look at you, you're all overwhelmed, exhausted. Alexis and I prepared something to eat, with the leftovers and the canapés…it wasn't easy to warm this up without electricity but thank God we had the emergency gas cooker left. Of course it won't be a five-star cooking but…"
"It will be perfect, Martha, thank you so much", Kate interrupted her, smiling.
"I also made some soup for Kevin when he wakes up," the actress said, looking at Jenny.
"Thank you Martha, that's adorable," the pretty blond girl replied, touched.
"No need to thank me, honey. We're going to take good care of your husband. Before he wakes up, what about you eating something?" Martha asked her as she invited her to take a seat at the counter. Jenny nodded and took a seat. She was starving because of her pregnancy, and even if she mostly wanted to stay near her husband at the couch to watch over him, she knew the best thing to do for now was eating something as she was exhausted and her stomach was gurgling.
Martha offered her a plate while Rick came to the counter.
"I'm starving too…and it looks delicious," he smiled to his mother. He kissed her on the forehead before he headed to Alexis who was stirring something in a pot at the bottom end of the kitchen. Kate watched them with a soft smile.
"Are you okay, sweetheart?" he whispered, stroking her long red hair.
"No", she replied honestly, still stirring the vegetables as if it helped her taking her mind off all this.
"I know you're scared, Alexis. But I promise you we're going to be fine," he whispered. Alexis raised her blue eyes to his and shook her head.
"I'm not even thinking about me…I'm worried about Royal. He has never run away before. Even the first day, he was gone for ten minutes and then we heard him knocking at the door. He knew that was his home. So why isn't he coming back? It's been hours," she stammered, her voice trailing off.
Rick sighed. He wished he could tell he would come back soon, but as the hours passed, he wasn't sure of it.
"Do you think…the guy who killed Gina…hurt him too?" she asked, fearing the answer.
"No, sweetheart. I don't think so…I think he got lost because of the storm, but he's a dog, Alexis. He has instinct. I'm sure he found a safe place and he's just waiting for the storm to end so he can come back."
"Your father's right, Alexis," Kate interrupted as she approached them. She grabbed a bottle of wine and glasses to serve everyone.
"Royal is a clever dog. Besides, Golden Retrievers are extremely resistant to the cold and rain. Maybe he's lost but he'll be back," Kate said as she gave the young girl a soft smile. Alexis smiled back at her but she wasn't so sure. She was missing his pet so much.
"Rick, would you like a drink?" Kate offered.
"I think I need some, yes," he said, accepting.
"Me too, after everything that happened," Kate admitted.
"Something's bugging me though," the writer said as he took a piece of carrot from Alexis's pot.
"What?" the detective asked as she filled a glass with wine.
"Do you really think it's the same person? I mean…He killed Gina…in a horrible way. He slaughtered her. But then, using a gun to shoot you? It's not logical..."
"Is that all that's bugging you, seriously?" Martha asked, surprised, as she served a plate to Jenny.
"I'm just saying I can't figure out his psychological profile, with these contradictions."
"I don't need 5 years of psychology to understand he's a maniac…it's enough for me to get him under arrest," Kate said as she took an olive before she lent him the glass. Rick took it and followed her to the table at the end of the kitchen.
"You're right," Rick said as he took a seat in front of her.
"Are you okay?" the detective asked him, gazing at him. He frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"You know, with Gina's murder. I know how hard it must have been for you, to see her like this."
"Well…" He sighed heavily as he seemed hesitant. "I guess I'm not." Then he shrugged. "But what can I say? She's gone. There's nothing I can do to change that. I guess I have to accept it. I just don't understand who did this, but what bothers me the most, is imagining he could hurt Alexis, Martha or…even you", he admitted shyly. Kate felt her heart skip a beat and her cheeks blush, but she did her best to hide her emotions as she dropped her eyes to her glass of wine. Then she raised her look again and gave him a sweet smile.
"To be honest, I don't want you to get hurt either, Castle", she replied. "I'll do everything I can so he won't approach you," she added.
"I trust you on that," he whispered, lost in her green eyes.
While Castle and Beckett were having a one-to-one discussion in the kitchen, Martha and Jenny were chatting and eating something at the kitchen's counter and Alexis was cooking vegetables thinking about Royal, Javier noticed that Lanie was checking on Kevin for long minutes now. She was watching the Irish sleeping on the couch. As if she was hoping he would wake up, to prove her she did a great job and he was safe, thanks to her.
"Yo."
Crossing her arms, Lanie turned her head and saw Javier Esposito walking towards her.
"Everything's okay?"
She nodded.
"He's breathing normally. The more I think about it, the more I think maybe the bullet touched his spleen, and he might need a splenectomy. Of course he can live without it, but…"
"Lanie", he interrupted her. Lanie looked at him.
"I meant you. I was asking if everything's fine for you," Javier replied with a soft smile.
"Oh", Lanie said, swallowing hard. "Well, to be honest…Not so much," she admitted, dropping her eyes. "I'm afraid…I'm afraid I didn't do everything that needed to be done for Kevin", she managed to say.
Javier rolled his eyes.
"Don't think about it. I saw you doing the surgery. You did everything you could, now stop torturing yourself," he whispered. Lanie looked at him for a few seconds before she smiled softly.
"Thank you for assisting me on this, earlier," she whispered shyly.
"You're welcome. So, do you think I rock as a surgery assistant?" he asked, trying to make her smile again.
"You're not bad at all," she admitted. "Very competent. You missed your vocation," she teased.
"All right, then, when Kevin is out of danger, I'll help you all the time at the morgue," he said, proud of him.
"If we are all out of danger, you mean", Lanie corrected, giving him a concerned look.
"Why wouldn't we?"
"Oh, I don't know…Maybe because a maniac who loves torturing people in the woods is chasing us?" she said sarcastically as she looked at him. Javier knew every time she was afraid, she always tried to hide it with humor.
"He won't hurt you," he said as he shook his head.
"How can you be so sure?"
"Because I won't let him to," he replied with determination. Lanie was taken aback by his honest answer. She smiled as they gazed at each other for a moment. They were all alone in this part of the living room, while Jenny, Martha, Castle, Kate and Alexis were trying to relax in the kitchen.
"Well, of course, except if…he kills me before," he added with humor to break the awkward silence between them. Lanie gave him the eye.
"It's not funny."
"Yeah…" he said as he cleared his throat.
Finally Lanie couldn't help but smiled. She even missed his humor -sometimes lame, though.
Gazing at each other, they forgot for a few seconds the bad turn of events. Not only the way their weekend turned bad, of course, but also how their relationship has been for the last months.
"Javier, I wanted to tell you…" Lanie began as she bit her lips.
"Yes?" he said, taking a step towards her.
"I know it hasn't always been simple between us lately, but…"
She didn't even look at him, focusing on her shoes as if they suddenly looked interesting.
"But…" he repeated impatiently, waiting for her to finish her sentence. Lanie ran a hand through her hair and scratched her temple to find her words.
"But I think…I think I really need a hug right now, after all this", she managed to say, finally raising her eyes to his.
She didn't even know how she managed to look at him, or finish her phrase. But she did. And what comforted her is seeing Esposito smile back at her and stepping further.
"Come here," he whispered as he opened his arms. Lanie leaned against him a few seconds after. She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned her head against Esposito's torso. She felt him closing his arms around her body and resting his chin on her hair, cuddling her gently as she was intoxicated by the scent of his polo-shirt.
"Thank you."
"You don't have to thank me…I have to admit I like it too," he teased, closing his eyes.
He felt Lanie smile against his torso. Then she raised her head towards him and looked at him, still in his arms.
"I know it sounds horrible to say that, but…I'm glad you weren't hurt during the shot. I know it's unfair for Ryan, but if it had been you…I would have been crazy," she admitted in a whisper.
"I'm sure you would have saved me, anyway."
Lanie let out a laugh.
"I'm sure I wouldn't."
"What? You would have let me die?" he said, frowning.
"I wouldn't have been able to see you like this…I think I wouldn't have been able to grab a scalpel or a needle…it would have killed me. And by the time I'd get a grip, you would have time to die ten times at least," she admitted.
Seeing how much it affected her to think about it, he nodded and decided to comfort her.
"Shh, stop thinking about it, Lanie. I'm fine," he whispered, rubbing her back. Then he kissed her on the forehead, and Lanie put her head against his torso again, next to his neck. The silence remained for a few seconds until the feelings were too strong and Lanie let her heart speak.
"I miss you, Javi," she admitted, in a barely audible voice. But he had heard her. He felt a shiver down his spine.
"I miss you too, chica," he replied, cuddling her, tracing circles on her back with his fingertips.
Then he stroked her long dark hair endlessly and Lanie closed her eyes against him, enjoying his touch. Feeling him so close was all she ever needed.
"You know I could fall asleep right now…" she admitted after a few seconds of silence, in a sleepy voice.
He smiled and stepped back a little.
"I could be your mattress, baby…But not now."
She frowned a little, surprised by his words but let him grab her hand.
"Come on, you need to eat something," he added as he leaded her to the kitchen. She followed him, gazing at him tenderly as he intertwined his fingers to hers.
.
to be continued...