This chapter is short, but a bit of a filler for those who know the novels as well …. Enjoy…

Chapter 40

It was shortly after breakfast dishes were cleaned up, they were sitting on second coffees and there was still awhile before they were to leave the loft to get some fresh air. It was a going to be a cracker of a day weather wise, perfect for what they had planned to do. Rick was in his office doing a few things, said he needed to keep on top of his paperwork. Something about paying Alexis' school fees, the electricity and he mumbled he wanted to check on his shares.

Alone in the living room of the loft for the first time, and relaxed, Kate aimlessly wandered about, taking in the writer's home. The old typewriters perfectly positioned on the book shelves were intriguing and in mint condition. One of them had been used quite a bit in its day, its keys well worn by fingers of long ago. There were trinkets from other countries, little trophies or plaques awarded for his writing. Not much dust about but he did have a house keeper come in a few days a week.

Kate found herself in front of the piano, her finger tips softly touched the shiny black surface of the baby grand. She bit her lip, fighting a memory she preferred to keep suppressed. She glanced up and looked through the bookshelves to where Rick was busy shuffling pieces of paper and tapping into his laptop.

She sat on the piano chair then carefully lifted the lid to expose the keys. It had been a long time she hadn't sat in front of a piano and enjoyed playing it. Her fingers hovered over there home base as she contemplated whether she would have a tingle of it. Would she remember. She dropped her hands, doubtful she could play and she didn't want to sound bad in front of Rick. Alexis probably played piano like a concert pianist.

"Damn it." She whispered. "He won't care." Her hands returned to their position and she gently touched a C key. The piano released its sound in the large open living area. She paused to listen and to enjoy its resonance in the loft. More confident, she touched the key harder, then listened. She played the C major scale. The piano was in tune.

In the office, Rick concentrated on completing the review of a chapter he needed to get done to firstly keep his agent off him, and secondly so he and Kate could leave the house. With the weather expected to nice and sunny, he had decided it was a good day to take his girlfriend for a drive in the Ferrari and out of the city.

He heard the piano, and figured Kate was having a play on it.

At first, she was raw. She experimented with the keys but he could also hear she had been taught to play. A little bit of tune came from the piano, a few notes he didn't recognise. She stopped and repeated the notes, better and clearer. He smiled to himself please the ornament was getting used. Apart from his mother, the piano was rarely used by anyone. He continued to sort out the last few paragraphs of the chapter, email it to his agent, then turned to his finances. He transferred money to his investment account and sent an email to his accountant in response to a query.

For a while Kate bashed out various scales using the full range of keys, and it sounded as though she was reminding herself of how to play piano, particularly when her fingers stumbled over the keys and she cursed.

He was surprised when Kate released what sounded like singing. It did make him stop. She was immediately in tune but shy, probably conscious he was present. She commenced to warm up her voice along with her fingers. Gradually her voice became stronger, the fingers hit the keys more confidently and it became quite apparent she'd had singing and piano lessons in her younger years. She quietened her voice for a while and only fiddled with the piano.

Once he wrapped up what he was doing he quietly took himself to the doorway to watch his girlfriend. She was in her own world, playing bits and pieces of music and singing the words she remembered. She had a singing voice but because she didn't practice much, it was a little off the mark at times. He didn't care, because he was seeing a side of Kate no one else did. It was cute she was rediscovering something she once enjoyed.

She stopped playing and put her hands to her lap, staring in deep thought at the keys.

"You play piano." He softly said as he entered the living room.

Kate smiled, self-conscious and looked to him as he approached. "Yeah, but I'm out of practice, a lot."

"You've clearly had lessons," he pointed at the piano then his throat.

"Mmm. My mom taught me. She was very good on the piano. She enjoyed it more than I."

"She was a piano teacher?"

"Paid her way through law teaching piano and tutoring apparently. She couldn't sing."

"Piano teacher. What a great way to get into the lives of the rich and famous." He mumbled.

Kate's brown furrowed, "Strange way of looking at …" she stopped when Rick's eyes suddenly widened as though a thought had struck him. "What?" She was curious.

"Oh, my God. I just thought of something great for Nikki Heat." He turned around and in rush, headed back to the office shouting, "I gotta get this down, Honey."

"I need to read about this Nikki Heat." Kate called back, also wondering on earth what had just happened. It was moments later the thought struck her that she had just experienced her first occasion when an idea about a story struck Rick. She smiled in amusement stretching her body upward to see through the shelving. Castle was over the desk, scratching something down in the little note book he carried with him nearly all the time. It was written in daily but this time the excitement level had shot through the roof. Given a few seconds, he straightened up and gave several excited fist pumps.

When he returned to the living area, he was all smiles that caused her to smile.

"So, Castle, what did you think of?"

"Oh, I just figured out what Nikki Heat's mother did, how she became a spy," he replied. "C'mon, let's get out of here, take in some sun and fresh air. I'm so excited we can spend the day alone together."

"We have to be back for the night out tonight." She reminded him as she grabbed her bag and a denim jacket.

"Yes. Are we going there together?" He asked as he opened the front door.

"Yes. If anyone asks, I will say you picked me up." She passed him, "Everyone thinks you're trying to get in my pants so picking me up is something you would press upon me."

Rick laughed, pull the door closed, "If only they knew I've not only got in your pants on quite a few occasions, but I'm also buying you the damn panties. Beautiful ones, by the way."

A giggle escaped Kate, "Yes, they are, and I'm going to wear the dress tonight that you bought me in LA."

"I hope so. If we arrive together, it means we are going to our first social occasion with friends, as a couple, even if no one else knows." He hit the down button to the elevator.

Kate smiled. "That's true," she said, "Stop thinking about dragging me back to the bedroom."

"What?" He innocently asked then smiled devilishly. "But if you keep using that tone…"

She pressed her lips together, took his hand and pulled him into the elevator. "Later." She touched the ground floor button then continued to the back of the box. He followed, connected by their hands and stopped when he was close to her.

"Where do you want to go today?"

"How about we have lunch in a park or at the beach." She drew closer, seductively stared into his eyes, "We could find a place, a quiet place…"

He laughed, "You want to make love in public."

"Maybe."

"You're blushing, Kate. You thoroughly got off on it, the day we did it outside."

She giggled, "Maybe."

The doors opened to the elevator, and with her hand in his, they walked from the box into the parking garage. "You did." He stated,

"How about you tell me more about this Nikki Heat?"

"Sure, but not today."

"Please?"

"When I'm ready I will. She's still forming, Kate." He released her hand, so they could go to their respective sides of the sports car, "I promise you, she won't let you down."

"Alright." She sat inside the car, dropped her bag into the back.

Before Rick started the engine, he paused to look over his girlfriend. "She will be a combination of us. Trust me on this."

Kate reached out to his face, to give his face a caress and she nodded, "I trust you. She will be great."

A rich laugh escaped the writer, "With you as my muse she will be magnificent." He started the car.