"Whew! It's coming down out there!" Castle says with an awed sigh. He's standing at the back door looking at the snowstorm raging outside. Grey morning light started to reveal what the storm had done overnight and it was not pretty. Hard wind whipped the fat flakes into swirling flurries that drifted against the fence and made the temperature a very generous twenty. Cars were trapped in garages and on the street, and—thanks to blinking clocks he'd come down to —the power had gone out overnight.

"Good thing we're already on-call, huh?" Kate asks from her nest of blankets on the couch. "I wouldn't want to go out there even if you paid me." With school canceled the night before, her kids were taking a much-needed morning to sleep and she was enjoying a hot cup of coffee in peace. "Come sit with me." She gives her husband a soft smile and lifts her feet from the cushions long enough for him to sit and pull the blanket over his lower half, setting her legs on his thighs.

"God, your hands are cold!" Kate exclaims, feeling his cold fingers even through her flannel pajama pants.

"Sorry," Castle chuckles, leaning forward for his coffee.

After another hour of them reading from their respective tablets and books, and a second cup of coffee, they could finally hear the stirring of the kids upstairs. They trickle down one by one, each dressed in some combination of pajamas or sweatpants and hoodies, greeting their parents with sleepy kisses on their cheeks before claiming extra blankets and spots on the couches and chairs.

"Corinne wants to know if I can go sledding with her if the storm lets up later. Can I?" Miyana asks, reading the text message from her friend.

"No," Rick and Kate reply quickly.

"Why not?" the teen replies, indignant.

"Remember the last time you went sledding?" Rick asks her with a raised eyebrow.

"We fixed that fence!" The event was nearly a year old, and still her family took every opportunity to tease Mia about it.

"Baby, I don't think anyone is going anywhere today," Kate says. "This storm is supposed to last all day and into tonight. It's so cold and windy you guys wouldn't even have fun if you did go out."

"Okay, fair," Mia nods.

"I'm not going anywhere," Finn announces, a book already in her hands. As much as she tried to romanticize the season, Finn hated winter. Hated the cold and the dark and especially the way it made her muscles tight and stiff. This cozy snow day was exactly her style.

"I know one person who's going somewhere," Danielle pipes in. "Saccone has to go to work with her mom." Disgust is clear in her tone and she nods at her parents' shocked looks.

"Seriously? Doesn't her mom ever take a break? Or work from home?"

"Have you ever known Ms. Margret to take a day off?" Danielle questions.

"Yeah, you're right," Rick agrees.

"What about Callum? Can't he stay with her?" Kate asks.

"He and their dad are at a hockey tournament," Dani rolls her eyes.

"Have her mom drop her here! If she has to go out, she shouldn't be stuck in a law office all day," Castle suggests.

"I tried. But Sass is still grounded and this is part of her punishment."

"Ouch. That sucks."

"Yeah," Danielle sighs, throwing her head onto the back of the couch.

"Alright: breakfast? Pancakes?" Castle asks, pushing up off the couch and trying to hide a groan.

"Yes!" his kids shout. At twelve years old, they were starting to age out of that easy giddiness, but occasionally it came out and he loved it.

"Great! Who wants to help?" When no one jumps up, Rick hums to himself and goes to start breakfast.

He'd let them enjoy their snow day.

.

.

.

Kate sighed out loud and settled further into the padded lounger she was lying on. Waves crash against the shoreline and she can hear the distant sound of the family beach where kids laugh and scream.

But here on the adults-only beach? It was quiet; peaceful. Sure, laughter and conversations could be heard, but it was much less raucous than on the other section of beach.

This had been the best decision they'd made in a long time. A simple Christmas with a few presents under the tree to open, and then whisking their family away on December 26th to spend ten days at an all-inclusive resort in the Caribbean. The kids loved all the activities available and the friends they were making at the kids club, and Rick and Kate loved they could go off alone and not have to worry.

With warm sun beating down on her and the waves' white noise in her ears, Kate was inches away from slipping into another nap when something jolted her out of it.

"Ahh! Cold!" She shouts, sitting up quickly.

Castle pulls the chilled glass away from his wife's bare stomach and laughs.

"Not funny, Castle!" Kate scolds.

"It's a little bit funny."

"No, it's not."

'Okay, okay. I'm sorry. But it looked like you needed a fresh drink."

'So you thought the best way to give it to me was not to set it on the table, but onto my stomach?"

"Yes." He nods simply.

"Why?"

"Because seeing your muscles jump like that-" he sucks in a breath and hungrily looks her up and down.

"Oh my god!" Kate groans, rolling her eyes, but still taking the drink. She takes a sip and smiles; the perfect drink as always. He knew her so well.

"Come on, Kate! It's not my fault you look like that!"

"Look like what?" She dares, waiting for what he was about to say. Sure, the dusting of grey hair, and lines around her mouth and eyes, showed her age, but Kate looked amazing for a woman in her late 40s'.

"Like the beautiful supermodel I fell in love with," Rick tries, leaning over his wife to try and steal a kiss.

But Kate moves away. "I'm not kissing you. I'm still mad at you." she was annoyed at him, but the playful tone in her voice was evident.

"Come on, Kate give me a kiss." Castle tries, chasing her. Following as she lays back on the chair, straddling her thighs.

"No!" Kate giggles as he kisses her. "I'm not kissing you back." Trying and failing to fight off his heat and lust, Kate kisses back and digs her empty hand into his hair.

He sucks on her neck, and her hips involuntarily buck in response. She lets out a soft moan and then suddenly realizes the drink in her hand is close to spilling.

"Wait. Babe, wait," she stops him just long enough to set the cold drink down, the residual condensation on her hand is a welcome cool spot against the heat of his body. And once she's settled again, he continues kissing her.

Both of them trying to be as discrete as possible in the quiet of the adults-only beach.