Blessedly, it was Kate Beckett's (Castle's?) weekend off. The past few days had been relatively stressful what with the two murders, the mound of paperwork, and Castle working his way into her cases and driving her crazy. He was annoying as hell at the precinct, and she would never ever tell him this, but he was also kind of fun to have around. He kept things light and playful, spinning wild theories that had her fighting a smile.
But that wasn't for today. Today was for relaxing with her new husband while the rest of the Castle women were away. Peeking at the clock, Kate sighed when she saw it was only 8:07; she never really slept in all that much. She rolled over and was met with the broad expanse of her husband's bare chest, his head lolled to the side, face slack with sleep. One arm was thrown over his head and she couldn't help staring for a minute at the bulge of his bicep. Not wishing to disturb him, she folded her arms beneath herself and just watched him sleep for a bit, noted his deep and even breaths, how he would softly snore every fifteen breaths or so—just a soft little puff of air that brought a smile to her lips.
She didn't know how long she stayed like that before he was slowly drifting back to wakefulness, his breathing picking up pace, his head rolling on his pillow to face her. She didn't take her eyes from his face as she saw him open first one, then the other eye and meet her gaze.
"Good morning," she breathed.
"Hi," he replied, sleep still heavy on his voice. As he stretched his arms above his head and reached his legs toward the foot of the bed, she watched him lazily, admiring his body and remembering all it had done to her the night before—the dull ache pleasant between her thighs. When he was relaxing, he extended the arm closest to her and she scooted into his welcoming embrace, her head finding its new favorite spot on his chest as her arm slung over his stomach.
"You sleep okay?" Kate's voice was quiet in the morning air, her fingers tracing mindless patterns over his chest and side.
Rick snuggled into her embrace and released a contented sigh. "Like a rock. Must've been a combination of the emotional breakdown and mind-blowing sex."
She chuckled and agreed with him. They laid together in silence for several minutes before Rick finally spoke. "So what do you normally do with a whole weekend off?"
Looking up at him, Kate's brow furrowed. "You know, I can't remember the last time I had a whole weekend off. I probably ran errands or something, caught up on some reading. Occasionally, I'll go to a café in Little Odessa if I'm really bored."
Rick's eyes lit up with curiosity. "Little Odessa? Why there?"
Kate couldn't help but smile up at him. He looked like a little boy who had just been given a hint to some grand secret. "Because I spent a semester in Kiev between my junior and senior year of college and it helps me keep up with my Russian. Rick? Is something wrong?"
Rick's face was totally stunned. His eyes were huge and his mouth was slightly ajar. "You speak Russian?! That is so hot!"
Her laugh brought a smile to his face. "Well maybe if you're lucky, I'll use it on you sometime." When she winked at him, he growled and kissed her hard. She returned the kiss, but when he tried to deepen it, to slide his tongue past her lips, she pulled away and kissed his nose instead. "Later."
Trying not to pout too much, Rick drew her in close and kissed her forehead instead. "So, what do you wanna do today?"
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Two and a half hours later found Rick and Kate walking hand in hand through Chelsie Market, the beautiful lights hanging from the ceiling giving the crowded room ambiance. They took their time winding through all the little stores, stopping for food and then dessert and then (supposedly for Alexis) some artisan candy before they ended up toward the end of the building. Kate was looking at some of the old posters stacked against the wall and when she turned around, she didn't see Rick.
When she turned back around, he was there, his hands full of scarves. "I got these for you," he said as he held them out to her, almost timidly.
Instead of accepting them and thanking him like any normal person would do, Kate's brow furrowed. She nearly had to shout over the noise of all the other shoppers. "Why?"
Rick stared at her incredulously. "Because I saw them and they reminded me of you. You couldn't stop staring at them in Mexico and I wanted to spoil you a little."
Taking the scarves from Rick, Kate tried for a grin but failed a little bit. "Thanks, I guess," she said as she turned to leave the market and head for the High Line above them. They made it to the benches before he couldn't stand the tension that had popped up between them.
"Did I do something, Kate?" His concern was etched into the lines around his eyes, the crease in his brow. The normal sky blue of his eyes was slightly darker, worry bleeding through.
Kate sat down on a bench, scarves in hand and tried to collect her thoughts before looking up at him. When she finally did, the knot forming in her chest tightened. "No, Rick, you didn't do anything wrong. I'm just not used to anyone 'spoiling me' is all. You didn't have to buy me these scarves—I have enough."
He watched her pick at one of the fringes in her hand as she spoke. "Okay, well I care about you, Kate. I wanted to do something nice for you and when I saw these, I thought you'd like them."
Managing a smile this time, Kate met his eyes. "Do you mind if I ask how much these cost?"
Although he did look a little taken aback, he answered her question. "Uh, about two hundred fifty, why?"
Kate's face scrunched a little bit when she answered. "I don't mean to sound ungrateful, but you shouldn't have spent all that money on me. You don't have to buy my affection or respect, Rick."
"I wasn't trying to," he shot back. Clearly, they were not on the same page with this conversation and by her look of surprise at his slightly raised voice, he took a breath and then said, "Look, why don't we go back home and we can talk about this some more?"
Glancing around them to see if anyone was staring, Kate nodded at him. "I think that's a good idea, Rick. Let's go."
When they got back to the loft, Kate deposited the scarves on the kitchen table before taking her coat off. Rick was already hanging his up when she turned to do the same.
"I don't see what the big deal is, Kate. I wanted to do something nice for you so I bought you some scarves. It doesn't mean any more than that."
"Yes, it does, Rick," she said gently as he took her coat from her to hang up. Just as she opened her mouth to continue, Alexis came bouncing down the stairs, completely oblivious to the tension in the room. That is until the conversation between the adults stopped and Kate couldn't meet her eye.
Alexis's movements slowed as she rounded the island, watching her dad and new stepmom stand there awkwardly. "Uh. . .I'm just grabbing a snack. Got a lot of homework to do this weekend."
Rick walked over to her as Kate stayed frozen to her spot, but able to at least offer the girl a small smile. Kissing Alexis's forehead, he told her, "I'll call you when lunch is ready, okay?"
"Okay, Dad," she replied quickly as she grabbed a banana and some peanut butter from the cupboard next to the fridge. "Hi, Kate," she added, taking the long way back to the stairs to give the new family addition a side-hug.
Kate returned the affection. "Hey, Alexis."
Once the teenager had gone back upstairs and the door had clicked shut, Kate turned back to Rick who was gripping the island. "Why does me buying you something have to mean more than what it is?"
"Can we sit down, please," Kate asked as she gestured to the couch. With a nod, Rick met her there, sitting far enough away that he could look at her properly but still close enough that he could reach her.
Taking a deep breath, Kate began. "Rick, I'm sorry for the way I reacted at the Market," she said softly. "It was really sweet and thoughtful of you and I really do appreciate the gift."
"Then I don't see the problem," he interrupted, anxiety flowing from him in waves.
Smiling gently at him, she placed her hand on his knee. "On the way over here, I was trying to figure out the real reason I reacted the way I did back there and I don't think it had anything to do with you buying me the scarves. I think it was the fact that you effortlessly dropped two hundred and fifty dollars on four scarves for me."
Rick's head tilted to the side and his brow furrowed in confusion. "I don't understand."
She took a moment to think about her response. "I obviously am not a best-selling author, which means that I'm not making the money a best-selling author would make. I'm making a cop's salary. I just barely have enough to save for a decent retirement. There isn't a whole lot that I would drop two-fifty for, especially something as frivolous as scarves."
Understanding flashed across Rick's face, but Kate continued. "I guess it just made me uncomfortable to know that spending sixty three dollars on a scarf wouldn't cause you to bat an eyelash when I don't usually pay twenty-five for one."
"Okay," Rick said slowly. "How do we fix this then?"
"Well, Rick," Kate's face became deadly serious. "We need to have the money talk."
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"Okay, so I make about 87,000 dollars a year and I have about ten thousand in savings right now. Bills usually take up about one paycheck for me, not including groceries and (more often) takeout. I don't own my own car, but I can use my Crown Vic from the precinct or my bike if I need to. I rented my apartment, I have two credit cards on which I owe about four fifty each, and I still have about six thousand dollars in student loans." Kate sat back and looked down at her hands, drawing in a deep breath. She didn't think he would judge her, but she had only known the man for two weeks. And he was a lot better off than she was.
He surprised her. "That's pretty average, I think."
Kate's eyes shot up to meet Rick's and the understanding that she saw, the normalcy, threw her off. "I guess," she stammered.
She was in the middle of a thought when Rick blurted out, "Wait, you have a bike?! As in a motorcycle? That is so hot."
Laughing at him she gently nudged his shoulder and said, "Go on. Now you."
Taking a deep breath, he began. "Okay, well I get paid based on how well my books are doing. I get a paycheck every time I publish one, and then a percent of all the sales as well as a cut of book tours I go on. I have about five million dollars in my accounts right now." At the widening of her eyes, he quickly added, "but some of that is put away for Alexis (her college, etc.) and then some for my mother." That seemed to lessen her anxiety, but just barely.
He continued. "I own the loft and also a house in the Hamptons. I own a sedan and a Ferrari, but I also sometimes use a car service. I have a few credit cards, but I pay them off monthly. They're mostly for back to school shopping for Alexis, vacations, and the occasional larger purchase. I don't have any student loans, but I do have alimony to pay for."
That earned a chuckle from Kate. She knew he had been married before, but she didn't realize he had to pay alimony. Regardless, there was still something tugging at her mind as she wrapped her head around his ample finances. Taking a breath, she met his eyes once again. "How are we paying for bills then?"
Rick regarded her for a moment, trying to carefully choose his words. "Well," he began, "since you're so used to earning what you have, I would imagine that you would want to help me pay for utilities and groceries. . .?" He trailed off, unsure of her reaction.
Luckily for him, she just nodded her agreement, giving him the confidence to continue. "So why don't we do this: you can contribute what you would normally pay for your utilities while living alone. Or, if that amount is greater than half the bill, we can split it down the middle. I don't want you paying more than what you normally do and I don't think it would be wise to combine our accounts just yet."
Despite the logic of that statement, Kate was a little hurt at the implication that he thought she was either after his money or that they wouldn't stay together. Either way, it made her sad and a little uncomfortable.
"You know this doesn't change anything, right?" she asked him, needing to clarify that she wasn't staying with him for the money. "I care about you as a person, Rick. I couldn't care less about how much money you have."
The sincerity in her eyes caused him to release a breath he didn't realize he was holding, a smile blooming across his face that drew a matching one from her. "I know," he whispered as he leaned in to press a kiss to her lips. "But thank you," he added, "for not making a big deal of it."
Leaning in for one more press of her lips, Kate smiled as she said, "No problem, Castle," then got up to start on lunch.
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Hey, so sorry for the lengthy pause between posts! Anywho, keep up with the feedback and suggestions! :*