Chapter 10 - we're almost back in New York, but not quite yet. In a flash of writing, I got the two additional chapters done in the last two days, but I'll have to go through them again. Writing in a second language while your brain is barely able to work in your first one results in a couple of funny things I wouldn't like to publish.
But let's go on with this one for now. I hope you enjoy, and as always, thank you for your feedback!
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Kate woke with a start as the "Good morning!" shouted by the deep voice tore her out of her sleep. She had already sat up halfway as the arm around her waist pulled her back down on the mattress and into the warm body beside her.
It took her a second to process where she was and what was happening, but when she did, she relaxed into the touch that felt so new and yet familiar at the same time. Unlike her, Castle didn't seem so easy to wake up. A sleepy grumble came from him as he buried his nose into her hair until he reached her neck to kiss it softly.
Kate closed her eyes, allowing herself to sink back into the foggy sleepiness for a moment. He fastened his grip around her waist, pulling her even closer, the touch of his lips on her neck becoming more intense and working its way up to her ear.
She suppressed the little moan that wanted to escape her lips and fought back the tingling feeling that pooled in the pit of her stomach. It was so tempting, so warm and cozy, and his touch felt so good. Her hazed mind would have been willing to give in to it if the sounds outside the tent weren't becoming louder every second.
Voices, tent zippers, steps, a few frustrated groans. One of them came from the man behind her, who still didn't let go of her but seemed to be awake enough now to realize that what he longed to do wouldn't happen. For more than one reason.
Kate sighed and reached behind herself to softly pat his hip. He loosened his hold on her, and she slowly turned in his arms to face him. His eyes were still closed, and his brows furrowed as if he tried to concentrate very hard on not letting the reality of having to get up get to him.
Leaning forward, she softly kissed the little creases by his eye, his cheek, and then the corner of his mouth, like she had done the night before. She felt his features softening under her lips, his embrace fastening once again, pulling her into him. She let her lips linger on the stubble on his cheeks a while longer, but eventually, the moment was interrupted by a call outside of the tent.
"Yo, Beckett, Castle, get up! The faster we pack up, the sooner we can get home." Esposito's voice rang through the tent's walls.
A soft smile curled over Castle's lips as he brushed his nose against Kate's. Esposito had a point. The sooner they got home, the better. Still, it was hard to pull away from her. With all that had happened the day before, he was convinced she was serious, she wanted to give what had blossomed between them a real chance.
But that didn't mean it would work, how scary it was to think about it. He just wanted to stay in this little bubble where it did work out perfectly for a moment longer. In a tent somewhere in the woods, without responsibilities or the need to say anything. Just the amazing feeling of her lips on his skin, her body so close to his that he could feel her warmth all over him.
Eventually, it was Kate who pulled away. With fluttering lids, he opened his eyes to take her in. She looked so beautiful, it was breathtaking. He could have easily laid there all day just staring at her ruffled hair, sleepy eyes, and slightly blushed cheeks. But again, Esposito's voice reminded him that wasn't possible.
"Hey, are you deaf? Hello?"
"We've heard you. Loud and clear." Castle grumbled back, hiding the smile in his voice that lit up on his face as he saw Kate grin at him.
She leaned forward for another small peck on his cheek and then sat up. He hated the feeling of cold air against his skin instead of her body. What he wouldn't give to spend the day cuddled up under the blanket. Or even just for a few more minutes.
Sighing, he sat up too, rubbing his hands over his face as Kate started gathering her clothes that weren't damp or dirty and began to put them on. He watched her and waited, enjoying every second he got to look at her and, especially, the fact that she didn't feel the need to hide anything from him.
When she was ready to leave the tent, she turned around once more and crawled back to him. Softly, she whispered into his ear, "I can't wait to go home." Shot him a bright smile and then headed out of the tent.
Staring after her, he took a minute to gather his composure back together before getting dressed himself. Suddenly, he felt very determined to return to New York as soon as possible, just like the rest of the team. Only for very different reasons.
When he emerged from the tent and looked over to the left side, he saw that Esposito's tent had already been taken down and neatly packed back into its bag.
"Wow, you're really in a hurry, aren't you?" Castle asked, trotting over to him.
"What, you want to stay any longer? I think I've had my share. I just want to get home, take a shower and place my ass on the couch in front of the TV for the rest of the day. Thank God we've got Monday off. I'll definitely need a day to recover from this." Esposito ranted as he stuffed his belongings into his backpack.
"What exactly is it that you need to recover from, Espo?" Kate's teasing voice said, and Castle looked over at her. She was also stuffing her tent, or better, what was left of it, into the bag, but she didn't seem to care about doing it neatly.
Esposito stared at her, opening his mouth but closing it again before anything came out. The grin on Kate's lips grew only wider.
"Oh, no need to be ashamed, buddy," Castle said, the same grin on his face. "We all catch crushes we're not proud of."
The glare he received almost made him laugh out loud, and when Esposito turned on his heel, walking over to the fireplace with stiff steps where the people already started meeting up, he couldn't hold back a chuckle.
"That was mean." He heard Kate say behind his back, but the grin was evident in her voice.
He turned to her and waved it off. "He'll get over it. In about two or three years, when we stop making jokes about it."
Kate chuckled and proceeded to squeeze her tent into the bag. He walked the short distance to her and took it from her hands.
"Need a hand?" He asked while already pushing the crippled material into the back far enough to be able to pull up the zipper. Holding it out to her, she tilted her head and smiled at him.
"I could have very well done that myself." He couldn't help but think that a few days ago, he would have probably received a glare for even trying to take anything out of her hands. Now he got a soft smile and the sweet little head tilt. He liked this development very much.
"I know. But you don't have to." He smiled back and leaned a little forward to add in a whispering tone, "And the words you're searching for are 'thank you'."
She shot back a short grimace and took the bag from him, laying it on the floor beside her backpack. "Thank you." She tried to make it sound as sarcastic as possible.
"You're welcome." The impulse to lean forward and kiss her washed over him, and he had to take a step back to not give in to it.
"Come on," he said, running his hand through his hair. "Let's get to the last meet-up. Esposito's right. The sooner we get back to the city, the better." He winked at her before he turned around to walk over to Ryan and Esposito, already sitting on the trunk that had been their spot for the last couple of days.
It didn't take long for everyone else to gather around the burnt-down fire. It seemed like no one wanted to stay longer than necessary. Castle didn't really get that, this trip hadn't been so bad at all. He looked over to his left side to find Kate sitting beside him, not even noticing him looking at her.
Well, his opinion on this trip was probably a little bit influenced, he thought to himself, a smile on his lips. Yes, that new couch for the precinct had definitely been worth it.
"So, guys." His thoughts were interrupted by Coarly's thundering voice, quieting every other conversation that was still going on around the circle of people. All eyes were fixed on the huge woman who stared around the group of people, her hands resting on her broad hips.
"You did it. Most of you have been successful, so congratulations." Castle's glance automatically shot over to the group of men who had been bothering Kate and had been sent back on the hike the day before. The way they stared at the ground or into the air with clenched jaws didn't let him doubt they were the ones who were excluded by most.
His eyes wandered over to Kate, who was biting her lip to hide her smile but failed to do so. Castle carefully bounced his knee to hers, drawing her attention to him. She looked up, and as their eyes met, her smile turned into a grin that made his heart beat a little faster. Probably, he felt the triumph just as much as her. He always would when it came to someone doing her wrong.
"All of you who passed this camp will get a certificate you can pick up before you leave. For those who didn't, I will make a negative report to your Captain, you'll have to discuss the consequences with him. I usually recommend repeating the camp. On the second try, most people realize taking it seriously is the smarter choice."
One of the men rubbed his hand over his eyes, and Castle felt a wave of satisfaction wash over him. The best part was that neither Kate nor he had to do anything, and yet these idiots got what they deserved. Giving her another glance, he could read on her face that she was thinking the same thing.
"I don't have much left to say. Just make sure you leave the campsite all cleaned up and take all your stuff with you. I won't be sending anything after you just because you didn't think of it. And then just stop by to get your certificate before you leave. That'll be it."
Coarly turned away and walked back to her cabin, getting a pile of paper from it. Ryan went off to quickly pack up his tent since Esposito was already moaning about wanting to get going.
Castle walked back to his tent, too. He hadn't even started to pack anything. He crawled into the tent and started to carelessly stuff everything into his backpack. Suddenly, he held a piece of clothing in his hands that wasn't his. It was the dark green shirt Kate had been wearing the first night when she had come over to his tent, completely soaked.
Smiling at the crumpled fabric, he hesitated for a second and then packed it along with his stuff. He would have enough opportunity to give it back to her once they were back in New York.
It was a little tricky to close the clasp of the backpack since he had just stuffed everything in there instead of folding it like he had when he had packed for this trip. With a little force, he did it and threw the backpack out of the tent before getting out himself. He was a little surprised to find Kate standing outside, waiting for him.
"I thought I could give you a hand so we can leave before poor Espo loses his patience. I'll have to sit in a car with him for a while, I would like to keep his mood up." She grinned, pointing her thumb over her shoulder at Esposito and Ryan, who were already waiting by the big wooden arch that marked the entry and exit of the camp, both of them holding a sheet of paper in their hands.
Castle chuckled at the thought of Esposito's whining on the way back to New York and was relieved that his mother and Alexis would pick him up.
"That's very thoughtful of you but not necessary." He answered, a mischievous grin spreading over his lips. Kate arched her brow at him, and he bent down to pull on a leash coming from underneath the tent.
"I'll just have to pull on this and…" He pulled the leash, and the tent fell into a crumpled pile. Both of them stared at the mess for a moment.
"And?" Kate asked, trying to keep the teasing tone from her voice.
Castle kept quiet for a moment longer, then looked at her. "And then I could maybe do use a little help." The disappointment was clearly written on his face.
Kate walked past him, briefly placing a hand on his shoulder, and then started to fold the tent together so they could fit it into its bag. When they were finally ready to go, they headed towards Coarly's cabin to get their certificates.
As Coarly saw them coming up to her, she started to fill out one of the sheets, and by the time they reached her, she had stretched out her hand for Kate to take it. Kate mumbled a quiet thank you and smiled at the woman, even though she knew it wouldn't be returned.
Castle looked at the Ranger expectantly, but she didn't move.
"What about mine?" He asked, and Kate could immediately see the shift in Coarly's features.
The woman crossed her arms in front of her chest and straightened up to her full size, making her look even more intimidating.
"Mr. Castle, this is a camp for detectives, not writers. I don't give this certificate to anyone who would like to have one. No matter how much money you paid or how many books you sold."
Kate carefully glanced over at Castle and saw him swallowing hard. She hoped he would keep his mouth shut, but she knew better before he even took a breath to speak.
"But I participated in everything! We even won that canoe race because of me!" He said, sincerely upset.
"I don't care. You can come back when you completed the academy, got your badge, and worked your way up to become a detective." The tone in her voice made clear that Coarly wouldn't take any more talking back.
Kate pulled on Castle's sleeve to make him follow her, and he did, even though it was with big reluctance and mumble about how unfair all of this was. When they were out of hearing distance, Kate looked over at him and gave him an encouraging smile.
"Don't be upset, I'll never look at this certificate again, it doesn't matter."
He didn't answer more than a grumbling sound.
"You're not starting the academy to become a cop just out of defiance, are you?" She made it sound like a joke, but the thought that it wouldn't surprise her worried her a little.
He looked up and grinned at her. "That's not a bad idea! Then I could be your real partner."
Kate laughed and then smiled when she answered. "Yeah, in like five to ten years. I don't think I would be able to wait for you."
She nudged her shoulder into his as they walked. "And besides, you already are my real partner." More quietly, she added, "Actually, more than that."
Suppressing the desire to just grab her and kiss her, he smiled at her. "I think that's enough for me." His heart swelled in his chest at the beaming smile she gave him in response.
Just before they reached Esposito and Ryan, he mumbled, "I wouldn't mind if you made me a certificate, though."
Together, they headed back to the parking lot at the bottom of the hill. The way back was far easier than the one leading up to the camp. With the path leading them downhill, most of the time, no one had to struggle with his breath, and all in all, it was an enjoyable little hike with joking around and looking forward to getting back home.
"I just want to spend the evening on the couch and go to bed early," Ryan said, rubbing his hand over his neck and rolling his shoulders. I should have packed more than Jenny's yoga mat."
"Yeah, I can imagine you want to go to bed early. It's been a long weekend apart, right?" Esposito teased with a grin. Ryan rolled his eyes and failed to hide how uncomfortable the comment made him feel.
"Oh, speak for yourself," he mumbled back. "What about you, Castle? Do you have any plans? Or didn't you miss home at all in your fancy tent with your self-inflatable mattress?" Ryan smirked and led the conversation away from himself.
Castle casually shrugged his shoulders while Kate felt her heart rate speeding up a little. "No big plans. But I also look forward to spending some time in bed."
He said it in the most nonchalant tone, and still, Kate had to try very hard not to blush, staring down at the ground.
"And you, Beckett?" Esposito asked, causing her to look up, hoping no one would connect the soft crimson on her cheeks to Castle's words.
"Nothing, really. Take a shower or a bath, that's it." And break up with my boyfriend, who's at the other end of the world, so I can be with the man I betrayed him with. She added in her mind. Thinking about that phone call made her feel nauseous. But she knew she had to do it, and she wanted to get it done as soon as possible.
She noticed Castle looking over at her but kept her eyes on the ground, pretending to watch her steps. The last thing they needed were suspicious glances to give Esposito and Ryan an idea of what was going on between them when there was still so much to figure out.
After a while, the parking lot came into sight. A few other camp participants had already driven off, and some were still gathered around their cars, talking or packing their belongings. With horror, Kate noticed the dark-haired man who had spent the first evening of the camp telling her the story of his life walking up to her.
"Hey," he said with a smile that Kate couldn't bring herself to find attractive in any way. "So, I thought we had a really nice talk the other night. Maybe you want to catch up on that and exchange phone numbers?"
Kate forced a polite smile to her face, uncomfortably shifting her weight from one leg to the other. "Um, no, I'm sorry. I already have someone." She answered, feeling the stares of her colleagues burning on her back, one especially.
The other man took a small step back, his smile frozen and fake. "Oh, okay. Well… then…" Slowly, he backed away, and Kate was relieved when he finally turned around and left.
With a sigh, she opened the trunk of her car, throwing her backpack and tent inside. She left it open so Ryan and Esposito could also pack up their stuff and walked over to Castle, who was standing a few steps away.
"I didn't like that guy," he grumbled and looked over to the other side of the parking lot where the dark-haired man just got into his car.
Kate shook her head, a soft smile on her lips. "No, me neither."
She looked over to her car to make sure Ryan and Esposito wouldn't hear her next words. Esposito had just saved himself the passenger seat while Ryan got into the backseat, frustration written over his face. She turned her back to the car and smiled at Castle, suddenly feeling a little insecure.
"So, your family is coming to pick you up?"
Castle smiled back at her and nodded. "Yeah, they should be here any minute."
Kate slowly nodded and tore her eyes away from his, looking at his chest instead. Her fingers wanted to straighten a crease in his shirt, but she stopped them from moving by folding her arms in front of her chest.
"So…" She started, almost whispering even though no one was near to hear her. "Do you think you could find an excuse for not being home tonight?"
A playful little grin spread over his lips when she looked back up to his face. "Why's that? Is there any place I have to be tonight?"
It took her all self-control not to reach out to touch him. But if it was hard for her to keep her hands under control, she could make it hard for him, too.
"Assuming I can get a hold of Josh and, you know…" She built in a brief pause to tilt her head in the way she knew would drive him crazy. "Yeah, I could think of a place where you would probably love to be tonight."
Seeing his eyes growing wider, she added a slight biting of her bottom lip, satisfaction washing over her as he swallowed hard and seemed to have lost his voice.
"So, see you at my place?" She whispered, and all he could do was nod.
Kate noticed his gaze wandering away from her face over her shoulder, and she turned around to see what was drawing his attention away from her. Seeing the car with Martha behind the steering wheel pull up to them, she suddenly felt nervous.
Her first instinct was to run over to her car and drive off, but she knew that would be very rude and not any less suspicious than staying where she was. So, they waited the few moments it took for Martha to park the car before she and Alexis got out.
"Hey, kids!" Martha called happily. "How was your trip?"
Alexis came running around the car to hug her father. "Hey, Pumpkin." He mumbled, smiling down at his daughter. He glanced over at Kate, sensing that she felt a little uncomfortable.
Martha reached them and laid a hand on Kate's arm. "Oh, it's so nice to see you, Katherine. I hope Richard didn't bother you too much? I warned him he might be a little out of place on this trip."
Kate smiled at Martha, like so often surprised by how open and caring Castle's mother was towards her.
"No," she answered, looking back over to Castle with a small smile. "Actually, he was quite helpful."
Martha looked over at her son with arched eyebrows. "Is that so?"
"Quite?" He replied, playing shocked. "Beckett, you can tell them we won the canoe race because of me. And don't forget that you wouldn't have had a place to sleep without me."
Now Martha's and Alexis's eyebrows shot up in pure surprise, exchanging confused looks.
"Someone accidentally destroyed her tent, so I shared mine with her," Castle explained briefly, his smile not fading from his lips while the one on Kate's face froze. She damned him for mentioning that.
"Yes, he's been a perfect gentleman the entire trip." She said, her voice tensed, but it just made Castle's smile turn into a grin. Her stare told him she had just added another thing to the list of things he would have to pay for. And, oh, he couldn't wait to recoup his debts.
"I think I'd better be going now, the boys are waiting." Kate pointed over to her car. Looking at Martha and Alexis, she couldn't help but notice the unconcealed curiosity in Martha's eyes.
"It was nice to see you, Martha, Alexis." Kate smiled before looking back at Castle, her expression turning strict. "Castle." She just said, and even though she was terribly irritated that he couldn't keep his mouth shut for once, she didn't like to go.
"See you." He smiled back at her, unimpressed by her stare and his voice sounding a little bit too meaningful in Kate's ears as she turned away.
When she shut her car door, Castle put his arms around his mother and daughter and led them back to his own car. Alexis got into the backseat, and before Martha got into the car herself, she looked over at her son and quietly asked, "Care to tell me what that was about?"
Castle just grinned and opened the door to the driver's seat. "Not at all, mother." With that, he got in and pulled the door close behind him.