When Rick and Kate arrive back at their home and they see Jim's car is gone.
"Dad must have taken the kids into town" Kate remarks
"Yeah probably" Castle responds "He enjoys the two of them. He is a good granddad"
"Yes, except my dad spoils them to no end" Kate gives a little smirk
Rick smiles at Kate as he is placing the SUV into park "That's what a grandparent does. They spoil the grand kids then send them back home to mommy and daddy to deal with"
Kate opens her door as her husband tries to get to her side to help her out.
Once inside the house Kate removes her jacket and Rick does as well dropping them onto the back of the couch
When they go to the kitchen they find a note on the refrigerator from Jim 'Went to town to see a movie and have supper. Will be back in time for bed'
Kate looks at the time and then to her husband and smiles. She looks down at his hand and wraps her fingers around his and begins pulling him in the direction of their master suite. When they enter, she closes the door behind her
She silently walks up to her husband and begins unbuttoning her blouse "Now…let's see…I believe I said I had someone I needed to do when we got home"
Castle looks at Kate's hands as she is slowly removing her top causing her to pause "Is there something wrong babe?"
"Nothing…nothing is wrong at all. In fact everything is fantastic"
"Then why are you looking at me that way?"
Castle wraps his arms around his wife "I am trying to figure out how I have ended up with the most beautiful…intelligent…sexist woman in the world"
"You wooed her with your books. You know fangirl things and all that"
He kisses the top of her head. "Well then let me do some more wooing"
She mumbles into his chest "It's about time…"
The next hour is spent in the most gentle lovemaking either of them has ever experienced. Not rushed. Not frantic. Just slow and easy
/\/\/\/\/\/\
Looking at the clock Castle decides that Alexis will probably be home any minute and Jim will probably be not far behind. He pulls in behind Kate and draws her to him "That was unbelievable"
She moves softly back against her husband "Umm" her eyes are still closed "It WAS very nice"
"Is there something I need to know about Kate?"
She never turns her head "No…why?"
"We almost had wild crazy sex at the top of a lighthouse and a few hours later we did what we just did... Soft…slow…gentle lovemaking. Two very different experiences"
She turns her head toward him "I love you babe"
"I love you too…Kate are you sure there is nothing wrong?"
"No. All is good
"Why do I not believe that?"
She turns on her back so she can see his face "We are good together…aren't we?" She makes it sound more of a statement than a question
"There have never been any better"
"I mean not just the sex which is fantastic…but we are so different, you and I, yet we are so good together?"
"You and I are like puzzle pieces. When you look at them alone they seem to be unrelated and there is nothing there that can be seen or connected. But when they are assembled they fit together perfectly and you can see the big picture"
He pauses for a heartbeat "And I love the big picture we created"
She is not telling him that this big picture is what she has on her mind at this moment
She turns over on to her other side and is facing her husband "Have you ever thought about our future?"
"Yes…all the time"
She lets out a little giggle "I'm not talking about planning the next time we make love or come up with a crazy place to have sex. But where our lives will be in five or even ten years? Jimmy will be 16 and Alecia will be 13. Both still in school and when they have parent's day we come in and tell the class we chase murderers who cut people up and grind them into gearboxes at lighthouses"
"Well I only write about that"
"I do investigate that and together WE do chase the bad guys and they are brutal and do terrible things. I am not sure I want that to be our children's legacy"
After a pause she continues "Earlier I was sitting out on the patio reading the paper. There were No murders to report. Only stories about local citizens….including you and I"
"Kate that is the way it is out here. That is why we come here. To get away from the city…the grit and the grime of everyday life there"
She looks deeply into her husband's eyes "Have you ever thought about what would happen if I retired?"
This question pulls Castle away from any other thought he has "What? You want to give up what you have been doing for the last twenty plus years?"
"I don't know" she seems to think a little more "When I lost my mother I made a conscious decision and decided that I would never love another human being and I would focus only on finding her killer and bring justice to the families of other victims"
"I know. That focus is one of the things that I fell in love with about you"
"I know it was. Then you gave me a reason to love again and then gave me two children to love. Now my life is filled with love. You, Martha, Alexis, Jimmy, Alicia, and my dad. This is what makes me wonder where I need to be"
"Kate….you are the best investigator the City of New York ever had and you are important to the citizens"
"I know. But I also know that being here with you…with our more important"
"Are you seriously thinking about putting in your papers?"
She shifts a little in the bed "I would receive full retirement complete with insurance. I have the trust fund my mom set up that I have not had to touch…" she slides her hand across his chest "because of you"
"Kate…you don't need any of that. You know my books have been good to me. Fortunately I invested well we are financially stable. There is nothing we or the children will ever want for"
She gives his chest a slap "If I retire from the police force you might not be as interested in me anymore and just dump me on a nearby street corner with just the clothes on my back and I will have to fend for myself"
Katherine Beckett-Castle…the one thing I will never ever do is to dump you. Especially on a street corner. Maybe in front of a homeless shelter but never…"
He can't even finish before she pokes him then give him another soft kiss "We better get up and get dressed before Alexis gets home" and she stands up and heads into the dressing area
Castle calls out behind her "She's a doctor now you know. There is nothing that she hasn't seen before"
Kate sticks her head around the corner giving her husband a glare. Castle realizes what he just said "That sounded better in my brain before I said it"
/\/\/\/\/\/\
The two have dressed and are in the kitchen preparing dinner when they hear the door open and the sound of their red headed medical professional "Mom, Dad…I'm home"
"In the kitchen Kate responds "Dinner is almost ready"
"Great! I'm starved" Alexis enters the room and drops down on the stool
"Hey pumpkin how did it go?" Castle asks his daughter
"Dad. I am a grown woman. Don't you think I have outgrown the pet names?"
Kate looks at her step daughter "If I haven't outgrown my dad's pet names…what makes you believe you ever will?"
"Okay. So we got the man out and to the morgue. He is a white male around 30. Six foot 210 pounds. Well kept. Short haircut…almost military. Clean shaven. He had defensive marks on his arms and hands. His wallet was missing"
Beckett speaks up "So a robbery then?"
"Probably not, he still had cash in his front pocket. More like the killer took the wallet to find out who he was"
"So no ID on him yet?" Castle asks his daughter
"I just got the prints into AFIS before I left. It might take until tomorrow to get the first return"
Beckett asks the follow up "Were you able to get a definitive COD?"
"On quick examination the stab wounds were the cause"
"WOUNDS…as more than one?"
"Yes the one I saw before we extricated the body was only one of four we found, but for tonight we just packed him onto the vault and I will finish in the morning"
There is a moment of silence then Alexis continues "You know I didn't realize how much I missed the work I did with Lanie"
"So you were glad to do this for the police?" Kate asks
"It felt good to accomplish what we did and I am looking forward to finishing tomorrow"
"Well that is great pumpkin…" Castle starts a statement when there is a knock on the front door
Alexis stands and up "I'll get it" and she heads for the entry
When she opens the door a man's voice can be heard "I need to see Doctor Castle?"
"I am Doctor Alexis Castle. What can I do for you?"
"I need to talk to you about a set of fingerprints you sent into AFIS" the man answers
Castle has recognized the voice and walks quickly into the foyer followed closely by his wife
"Agent Fallon…what are you doing here?"
I told you nor angst for our lovebirds...well maybe leaving the force?
A nice place to leave the weekend