Hi, guys. I've had this story ready for a few weeks now, it's in accordance with canon, although I can't point to a specific episode. Caskett is married, but Alexis only recently left home for college. It has a little fluff and smutt, but it's just my excuse to write a little about my favorite fictional family.
I hope you like it! (For those who follow Bedroom, I'm finishing the chapter so I can post it, so I should post it next week, maybe sooner.
xoxos,
lehh
"Babe, we need to talk."
It makes him tighten his eyebrows instantly. But knowing him, she knows this has nothing to do with what she said, because he isn't paying attention.
Kate inhales air, then lets it out in a sigh.
"Castle," she just says, and pauses. Hoping to get his attention. It takes a second, and another, and another.
"Kate" Her name still comes out strange on his tongue. Not Beckett. Not Detective Beckett. Just Kate. "Did you say something, honey?"
Honey.
She smile. They've been together for a while now, but sometimes it's easy to get lost in the timeline and go back to before that. When they were friends and partners and they had this undefined thing that they pretended not to see even when it was right in front of their eyes.
Part of her thought she'd never be ready, so maybe that's why it sounds unrealistic sometimes.
"Yes. Can you please put down the video game and listen to what I have to say?"
His posture adjusts in the seat, and his hands fiddle with the game controller, and he presses a few buttons, but nothing that indicates he's doing what she asked.
"Oh, yay! That's absolutely what I'm talking about, Lester!" In some other maneuvers with the posture in the armchair and the hands on the device, Rick celebrates. Another five seconds pass for him to process that his girlfriend said something to him. "Yes, sure. Just a moment, dear."
She huffs but doesn't say anything else. She just backs away and walks into the bedroom. Kate starts by taking her blouse over her head and then her pants and putting them together in a basket where her dirty clothes are kept. In just her underwear, she walks to the bathroom. It's been a stressful day, and hopefully some time in the hot shower will do enough to relax her like the video game is doing for Castle right now.
With a few more steps, she manages to reach the closet and pull out her shampoo, conditioner, and body wash. The aromatic add-on foam in the tub glares at her, but she resists. For today only the shower is fine. Maybe a glass of wine and then drift off to sleep soon after. It's a good plan.
Kate removes her bra, then slides her panties down her legs, adding them to the other worn pieces in a pile in the hamper. She turns on the shower and regulates the water jets and temperature.
Steam rises through the shower immediately, invading the air and turning the space into some kind of attractive sauna.
For a moment, Kate thinks about what she has to say to Rick. She'd spent the day waiting to be sure about this, and at the end of the day, when she closed this case and got the answer right away, she couldn't wait to tell him. A small frustration tightens her chest. She knows it's not on purpose, he doesn't know what it is, and he's just being that essential part of himself: the 12-year-old obsessed with some game.
She sinks under the steady, steady jets of warm water and takes another deep breath.
The frustration isn't necessarily all his fault. It was a case from hell, this one she closed. And he wasn't there with all the crazy theories because he needed to turn in the last three chapters to finish the book, so there was just her and the fact that she missed him. It had shootings and Ryan trying to replace him in theories, and while some came relatively close to the crazy things Rick would say, it was far from the same thing.
Warm water slams against her, invading everywhere, running over every stretch of skin and making everything just a little bit better. A relaxing distraction for a day of anxiety and stress. Suddenly her eyes are closed and the soaked hair joins her nape and the curve of her neck, at the same time that her hands roam her own body, taking the concentration of water to specific parts of herself. It's when the bathroom door opens, it's not subtle, it's exaggeratedly loud. Rick is announcing her entry, but she doesn't open her eyes to see.
In fact, she turns her back, opening her eyes to the tiles and the shower head, offering him time to undress before joining her, and an exceptional view of herself. Kate is fully aware of what the sight of her does to him. She's already felt the aftermath of it pressed against her too many times to have any clouding of confidence. 30 seconds later – maybe less, she's not sure – he's wrapping his arms around her waist and pressing his chest against her back. Kate brings her hips together and fits them directly against his groin. A growl comes from Rick's lips and she smiles, proud and familiar.
"You said you wanted to talk," he murmurs, brushing his mouth against the wet locks pressed against her ears. The hot breath so close gives her the shivers, even though everything else in the room is hot too. "There's something wrong?"
His first response comes with his head. A negative nod, passing her hands through his, hugging her arms like he's hugging her. It's comforting, the position, the smell, the heat.
"Everything's fine," Kate assures, a whispered reply. "It's been a tough day, that's all." She adds, not feeling the need to hide or sugarcoat anything. He's already seen her behind all her masks. He knows she's strong, but he's allowed to see her in her complete and total vulnerability, always.
He settles into the crook of her neck, as if to say he understands. He leaves a lingering kiss on her shoulder.
"I got the answer on the vacation petition today." She tells, unpretentiously. His chest swells behind her.
"And then?"
The anticipation welling up in his voice is adorable.
"I start next week."
"No!" Rick says, vibrating with childlike excitement. "How much time?"
"Last year's initial project. Two weeks."
"This is fantastic, Kate! Me, you, exotic island, honeymoon 2.0!" He squeezes her tighter in his arms like he can't believe it, let alone contain himself from all the excitement. "I'll make all the arrangements!"
She smiles, deeply happy at the satisfaction rolling in waves from him, into herself, she's always kept her excitement about the island thing, but then so much has happened in the last year.
Kate snuggles closer, as if that were possible.
"Later, yes?" It's like a purr. "Now I just want to enjoy the feeling of my husband wrapping me in his arms."
"You won't find any disagreement on my part." Rick assures, brushing his lips and leaving more hair along his neck.
"Excellent."
They stay like that for a while longer, until they finally start taking a bath. She rubs his chest with a soft sponge and body wash that smells woody and cologne, and he strokes and washes her hair with the cherry vanilla shampoo. They are finishing their shower when he corners her against the shower wall.
There is no dissent on her part in that either.
His mouth drops to her collarbone, exploring with tongue and teeth as if he has all the time in the world, and her nipples automatically harden in anticipation. The air starts to feel thin, and she swallows hard.
"Did everything work out with the chapters?" It comes out breathlessly, but she doesn't care. Anyone would be breathless at the things Castle is doing to her.
He purrs a confirmation and caresses the areola with the tips of his index and middle finger, and when a loud sigh comes out of her, he covers her other breast with his mouth.
His tongue circles her nipple, then presses down before pulling it between his lips.
"Let's just say Gina and Paula won't have any reason to bother me for the next six weeks."
Kate nods, having trouble forming and pronouncing whole, logical words as his remaining hand is moving down to the exact spot where she aches for him the most. They've barely started and she's already so wet. Not that it's unheard of or anything, after all her body reacts to his long before they have anything official, but if it was anyone else, she'd be kind of embarrassed by how easy she gets like that; hot, wet and wanting.
There is no one but him, however, and all she feels is need and yearning for more.
"Let's enjoy it then," she summons the coherence of herself to say. He's sucking on her breasts, and he's so good with his tongue that it makes her want him deeper, where she's tingling and wet. "And Rick?" ' His answer is a questioning noise because his mouth is too busy to speak. "Don't say other women's names when your mouth is on me, okay? Especially if you've slept with them before."
"Understood, love." His eyes are level with hers suddenly, and he's closing the space between them to kiss her mouth. It begins with a sounding of the waters, like getting your feet wet before diving. He brushes her lips over and over until she moans in frustration at not being able to deepen the kiss. "I think I must redeem myself for this terrible transgression, what do you say?"
"I think it's an excellent idea. May I ask how you intend to do this?
She's playing along to his game, even though she's already sure what he has in mind, and Kate approves. She approves a lot. Suddenly his hand is sliding down the center of her, and her very slippery folds are being slowly stroked, an exploration all too familiar, but one that somehow still feels like the first time. She opens wider for him, an instantaneous contraction, and her eyes flutter closed at the same moment as a sigh escapes her sealed lips.
"I think you'll approve a lot." Rick murmurs against her flushed lap, lowering himself down until he's the height he intends. His breath being felt in the corner of her groin.
Kate leans back against the tiled wall, and follows Rick's lead, who takes her leg to drape it over his shoulder. More openness to work.
He takes his time to giving her what she wants. He's a provocateur, but above all, he believes in delayed gratification and will do anything to enhance her pleasure. The anticipation, the preparation, all of this will make her more sensitive to enjoy better. Rick kisses her thigh with infuriating slowness, and when his teeth graze the skin and pull, giving it not quite enough friction but it's something, she murmurs a moan and runs her fingers through his hair with a roughness so may he understand your frustration.
But nothing changes. If anything, her slowness only amplifies it, and her desperation only shows him that he's doing something right. His tongue runs along her crotch line in surprise and it feels like Kate's body is instantly combusting. She moans, and with her eyes closed waits for the next place her husband's hot tongue will be. But that moment never comes.
"Rick" There's frustration, and anger, and horniness and everything mixed together and she knows she must sound like a mess right now, but Kate just doesn't care. "If your idea of redeeming herself was to torture me, I'm not sure I approve."
He doesn't take her tongue away. He kisses the length of your other thigh until he reaches your hip, and then looks up.
"You will approve it soon." The guarantee comes out hoarse and hazy along with his eyes, which have dilated and hungry pupils.
"How soon?" Kate didn't mean to sound so desperate.
Maybe it's mercy, a compassion that came from seeing how much she needs him, because the next thing Kate remembers is the sensation of his tongue running in the exact spot between two folds. Her body shudders without her having anything to say about it, and automatically leans closer to Rick's mouth. His tongue licks between her lips, and moves up until it presses against her clitoris, which in turn makes her scream.
It's not low, and not even the shower jets can calm the heated reaction in her voice to the sensation that is running through her. The way he does it, as if he's inflicting pleasure not only on her, but on him as well, makes the Edenic feeling even better – if that's possible. Intensifies everything.
"Rick" This time it's a groan of approval. "Oh, babe, fuck," Kate adds, as if it were a fully formed lament song. "Just like that."
His fingers slide down her canal and she welcomes them so easily and with such need that she can almost see her orgasm flickering to life. Rick rubs them inside her, and presses on that spongy spot before pulling them out and entering them again. Her mouth still lingers on her, sucking on her clit like it's some kind of tasty exotic fruit that you don't taste very often.
"Castle" It's a whimper, the burning taking over her along with all the sensations, his fingers curling and hitting her G-spot, his tongue stimulating her clit, it's just too much to bear for long. "I-I'm almost there. Please don't stop."
He doesn't disappoint her. Castle fucks her with his fingers, plunges his mouth into hers, and only stops when her body is spasming, signaling that he's already tipped her over the edge. Her scream also confirmed this, so he licks her more, prolonging her entire orgasm, and only then stands up to hold her because he had the feeling that maybe she wouldn't be able to stand on her own.
She kisses him vehemently, invading his mouth with her tongue and keeping her breathing uncontrolled.
"I love you." Kate whispers to him between the kiss.
"I love you." Castle responds, holding her to him. Then he puts on a smug smile on his lips. "I said you would approve."
She rolls her eyes. She knew he would approve too.
Simply exceptional.
It's almost 1am and Rick can't sleep a wink, so naturally his eyes are on her.
Itt's no secret that his eyes are always on her. That even her vast vocabulary as a writer of more than two dozen books is scarce when looking for adjectives that can describe her accurately. The term 'extraordinary' is certainly her favorite, but it's still not enough.
His wife is absurdly remarkable, and that's been Richard Castle's mental voice since the moment his eyes fell on her some six years ago at his book party. And every moment he's been able to spend with her since then has only solidified his deeply immersed admiration for Kate Beckett.
They've been married for several months now, and even waking up next to her every day still feels pretty unreal. He can hardly believe that she, in all her stubbornness, obstinacy and gigantic ability to be infuriating, is his. It's even harder to maintain belief in the fact that she said it in so many words just two nights ago. It had been an enthusiastic affair until they needed help from the robbery department, which in turn brought Demming back, and which automatically brought out the green-eyed monster that lived in Rick when someone threatened the natural balance and got too close to anyone who didn't should.
He knows it's nonsense, that they are partners in every way and there is nothing more solid than their relationship, but he can't just help it. Her mind went straight back to when there was no point in bringing her coffee anymore because she had already had coffee with Demming. Or when he saw her kissing the detective at the end of that case when he was going to congratulate her. These are painful memories. They fought about his childish attitudes, and the way he was calling her "wife" half a dozen times in a short space of time as if he needed to prove something. But eventually, Kate understood him.
She kissed him everywhere that night, whispered multiple apologies against his bare skin for everything she'd put him through before, and how much she loved him. And when she mounted him that night, riding him to heat and ecstasy, she confessed more than once how she was his. How she belonged him.
The next day, he only became more possessive. And to her surprise, when he dragged her to the supply room in the middle of the day, she didn't object once. And while they fucked, she looked at him in a completely different way. He knew her looks, but this was new. Rick is still trying to figure out what it means.
Now, he's watching her sleep. And yes, wow, she is exceptional. In the depths of her sleep, hair covering half her face, she looks completely ethereal.
"Stalker" Her hoarse voice suddenly accuses.
"Admirer" He corrects, without moving. Kate still has her eyes closed.
"Fine line that can be crossed easily. It's still kind of scary."
She opens her eyes this time, and moves the strands of hair from her face. Rick smiles.
"You are cop. " He points. Kate hums in confirmation. "And he has a gun, love. " Rick adds and she hums again. " If anyone is scary in this relationship, it's you."
Kate smiles, as if he's proven her point.
"You should be careful, then."
"Oh no. You wouldn't hurt me."
"I wouldn't? Really?"
"Yes, because you love me too much for that."
She rolls her eyes, but doesn't deny it.
"What is wrong?" It sounds like a whisper. "Why can not you sleep?"
Rick mutters an indefinite response.
" don't know. Nothing is really wrong." He says, more clearly.
Kate hums, neither acknowledging nor doubting, but she lets her fingers run unbidden down his chest. "So there's nothing going through your head?"
"I miss Alexis." Her confession arrives, eventually.
In geographical terms she's not that far away, it's about a 40-minute drive from Soho to Columbia, but in emotional terms it's a lifetime away. The sweet red-haired figure he refers to has been sharing an apartment near campus with a friend for almost three weeks now, and all he can think is that he wishes she would never leave – and he really means never.
Perhaps that's why these past few weeks your attention has been drawn to anything that provides the slightest distraction. He spent more hours on video games than usual, and he didn't leave the precinth until Kate left too, even when that meant it was later than dinner time. The exception was only when procrastinating was no longer a thing and he needed to turn in the chapters, as happened today, specifically. But nothing is enough to make up for this arduous feeling of missing your little girl.
Kate looks at him with that affection in her eyes and some sympathy for his pain.
"I'm sorry, babe" She says. Her hand walking to the side of his face, where some of her fingers wander around leaving light caresses there. He loves it when she is affectionate. "I bet she must feel that way too."
There is something he doesn't really believe in. She must have this within her, of course, but the likely expectation of living alone is probably greater than the homesickness – than the longing for her father.
But he just nods to what Kate said to him.
"Why don't you invite her to lunch tomorrow?" His wife suggests, still persisting in constantly caressing him.
"She already has an appointment." He says, trying not to sound so affected. "Ithink he's going out with Dylan or something."
Kate sighs.
"Well, call her on Saturday then. We can cook and have lunch together here. Maybe some laser tag too?"
He nods again.
"It seems good. I'll text her when I wake up."
"Do it." Kate agrees. "Until then, can I do something to make you feel better?"
"Just stay with me."
Sinuous lips curve into a bright smile that knows just being around is enough to make him feel better. Rick pulls her close, skin to skin, and as she lays on his chest and synchronizes the steadiness of her sleep with the beat of his heart, they gradually fall asleep in each other's arms.
It's Sunday night.
Kate sighs as she finally takes the elevator to the loft.
It's almost dinner time and she can only be immensely grateful for having managed to close this new case in record time. The body didn't fall until after lunchtime on Friday, and today was her last day working before vacation. And although she's pleased with herself for being able to do it, she's also quite frustrated that she wasn't able to enjoy much of Alexis's company, who has been home since Saturday morning.
So the moment she walks through the door and sees the red-haired form immersed in a book – the usual – Kate breaks into a huge, genuine smile. Rick is in the kitchen, preparing dinner and looks up the moment the door closes. Alexis too.
"Kate!" The exclamation appears, looking incredibly happy to see her. It's such an amazing feeling to know that Alexis's feelings are reciprocated with Kate's. "You've finally arrived. We missed you. Dad didn't stop whining about how much he wished you were here."
After taking off her coat at the door, the sounds of heels come along with the detective's approach. She leans in to kiss Alexis.
"I hope not just him. " With a raise of her eyebrows, Kate asks for an admission. "I missed you more than him, to be honest."
"Hey!" Rick makes a face at the two, expressing himself terribly offended.
Alexis laughs, Kate too.
"You're so easy, daddy." The girl says. And then turns to Kate." And well, it definitely wasn't just him. College doesn't have you, it makes me want to come home every day."
Kate's chest overflows with affection at the confession. "You know I'm always a phone call away, right?"
She nods. "I know. That's what Dad said too. I guess I'm just not used to not having you guys home every day."
"Well, you've got both of us home right now. Let's enjoy it." Kate looks at Rick, who is watching them. "Is it long before dinner is ready, Babe?"
He shakes his head. "But you two can set the table in the meantime."
During dinner they talk a lot. They talk about Columbia, about living alone for the first time, about the trip for the next two weeks, about having fun and missing each other. And it might just be an impression, but Kate can tell there's something wrong with Alexis. She seems a little less expressive tonight, although she's done a good job trying to act normal.
Maybe it's the smiles she's giving that don't seem as genuine and bright as usual, or just Kate's intuition is really good, but she makes a mental note to ask later when they have some privacy.
They marathon a sequence of classics chosen in random order this time, Alexis lying on Kate's lap and with her feet on her father's lap.
Rick is the first to fall asleep, which Kate doesn't blame, he was visited by a sudden inspiration in the early hours of the morning and woke up early to enjoy Alexis. She smiles fondly about it. So while stroking her red hair, like her mother used to do to her, Kate asks:
"What's wrong, dear?"
She can feel Alexis's body instantly stiffen, and her breathing rate increases. It takes a moment, but the answer comes.
"You noticed?"
Kate nods.
"Do you want to talk?"
Alexis agrees with a silent nod.
"Ok. I'll send your dad to bed and I'll meet you upstairs in a few, okay?"
After the TV is off and Castle is asleep in bed, Kate goes up the steps until she reaches her stepdaughter's room, she knocks and waits to be invited in.
Alexis is lying across the bed looking at the ceiling.
"It's awkward that you know me better than Dad. He didn't notice. And he spent all of yesterday and today with me."
As she walks to bed, Kate brings a bit of humor. As it is inherent to the Castles.
"Let's say you inherited your grandmother's acting talent." She says and Alexis laughs. "But I think he's just too focused on having you here. It's been hard for him to feel firsthand how much you've grown."
The red-haired form nods, as if to say he can understand that.
Kate sits on the edge of the mattress, hoping her stepdaughter is ready to look at her and no longer at the ceiling.
"I thought I was pregnant this week." Alexis says, she swallows hard, and her eyes fall to Kate. "I didn't panic or anything. I was scared, of course, but Dylan and I have been together for a while, I really like him and our relationship is stable."
"But?"
"He freaked out, Kate." Alexis looks strangely small and vulnerable as she elaborates. "And it wasn't the usual freak-out-of-confusion-about-being-a-parent-in-college kind of freakout, it was just... Scary. The way he reacted. He said if I had it I should have an abortion. He didn't even ask me how I would feel if I was. What I would like to do. He just said it as if only his opinion mattered."
Alexis is strong and well resolved, and perhaps that's why it's usually very rare to see this fragile side of her. Kate generally has a policy that physical touching during difficult conversations should only be initiated by the person who is most vulnerable, because you don't always want to be touched when you're not okay, and she respects that, but Alexis and this family uses a lot of physical comfort and she needs to give the option, just in case.
She puts her legs up on the bed and says. "Come here."
Alexis swallows hard, there are unshed tears in her eyes and she keeps them that way. In fact, the next second when she lays her head on Kate's thighs, just like when they were in the living room moments before, she have to stops herself from crying immediately.
"We never talk about children, you know? But it's just, from his tone, Kate... It seemed like if I was, and I chose to have this baby, it just wouldn't be there. How can I be with someone who wouldn't be there for me and their own child?"
It's not hard to see what Alexis means. The possibility of being pregnant brought other things too, things that won't go away even if she's not expecting a baby.
They remain silent for a while, Kate still stroking her red hair, and wishing she could make her stepdaughter feel better.
"It kind of made me think of my mom."
Meredith's 'motherly' ways have never been something openly mentioned between the two, and although Kate loves the relationship she's built and has been solidifying with Alexis at every opportunity, the idea of it ending up being a conflict between mother and daughter is not something she desires.
"I mean, Dad raised me alone. And look, he did a great job."
Alexis has more to say, but Kate interrupts her with humor anyway. "I'm sure the credit for how you did has more to do with you and less to do with him."
It works, because the young woman lying on her lap smiles. "Well, there's that. But it's just, he loves me unconditionally, you know? I don't think Mom loves me like that. And that's okay, I guess. It's just that because I loved Dylan, I expected him to be more like Dad, and not the never-present kind. It's..."
"Frustrating? Painful?" Kate tries to complete. Her stepdaughter nods. "Honey, it's normal to expect our wants and desires to align when we meet someone who makes our heart skip a beat, but if this is something you haven't talked about, unless he gave you an impression that he wanted a child, straight up or indirectly, it was more of his expectation than something he did wrong."
Sucking in air, Alexis swallows hard.
"I know. I just hate that it's like this."
"Yes, me too. I think I developed that maternal thing of wanting to protect you from everything. In fact, I almost want to go over there and show him my gun."
Alexis laughs. "You sound like dad talking."
Kate smiles too. "Yes, well, I guess I've been spending too much time with him."
"But Kate, even if the expectations were mine, that doesn't cancel out that as a father, he should have been there, right? Isn't that what everyone expects when they get into a relationship? May your spouse be there for you?"
"Yes. When we enter into a committed relationship, that's exactly what we expect. And I didn't mean to say you're wrong, darling, far from it. You were raised by a man who showed you that your opinions and desires are important and should be heard, and you thought that the man you like and are in a relationship with values that, but you discovered that this is not the case, and that he is possibly untrustworthy. . You know you deserve better, but it's not like you stop feeling the way you feel just because of present logic.
"Exactly." With a sigh, Alexis focuses her eyes on Kate's green ones. "Have you ever thought you were pregnant before?"
"You mean in college?"
She nods.
"Well, it was more like my senior year of high school. I was 17 and so scared. I tried to hide it from my mom, but I kind of needed her, so I didn't have much of a choice." Kate says, a little nostalgically. "It was a false alarm too. But I never forgot the feeling."
"I kind of felt that way too. I wasn't afraid for the future, it was a spur-of-the-moment thing, but I felt desolate. Like everything was falling apart, you know?" Before adding the last part, she looks away. "I tried to call you, but your cell phone was busy. So I called Dad, but you know, I just pretended I was fine and he asked me to lunch. I knew I couldn't control myself, so I said I already had plans and was going to lunch with Dylan.
The guilt eats away at Kate a little. It was the day she closed the damn case. She barely picked up the phone.
"I'm sorry I wasn't there, Alexis."
"You are here now." She points.
"I'm here now." Kate agrees.
Kate hugs her, whispers to her that she loves her, and that even if everything goes wrong, or whether or not she is pregnant, she would never be alone in anything. And she knows Alexis believes her.
And by the time she reaches her room, Rick is waiting for her, looking serene and slightly worried.
"She is fine?" He asks.
"She will have to choose between what she feels and what she believes. It will hurt, but she will get over it."
"Thanks."
"For what?"
"For loving her too."
"Rick, we've been through this. We are family, what if she doesn't have my blood? What's more, she is a very easy girl to love."
He smiles, and Kate thinks he loves her more for it. For giving Alexis the same importance he taught her since she was a child.
And as she showers, Kate thinks that maybe she'll want to watch very soon as Rick teaches the same thing to a baby, who this time will have her DNA too and an amazing big sister.