41. 42: Saturday

42

He groans at the feel of fingers skimming his ear, poking inside. "Go 'way."

A laugh and a brush of lips, but really, too heavy. He is too heavy and it's too early and Kate's at home, her home, and-

Oh. Kate.

He opens his eyes, catches the clock numbers just past her face. "Kaaaate. It's seven in the morning."

"Alexis called me."

He jerks, arms pushing him upright, staring at her. "What?"

But she's shaking her head, stroking a hand down his back. "She invited me to Father's Day weekend."

Castle blinks, disoriented.

She looks amused and that's not fair. Too early for amused at him. "Castle. The Hamptons. Father's Day weekend."

Right. He huffs out a laugh and sits up. He sorta forgot. "Oh. Yeah. Yeah?"

She nods and sits back at his hip, waits for him to wake up. "Yeah."

"You coming?"

"Is it okay if my dad comes down Sunday night for-"

"Of course," he says in a rush, reaching for her waist and her neck, pulling her in for a kiss, thinking better of it with his morning breath, and just hugging her hard against his chest. "Of course your dad can come. Does he want to spend all weekend with us?"

"No," she murmurs, laughing a little. Her hands come up to his back. "He's not much a beach kind of guy."

He twists them back down to the bed, falling on top of her, and she shakes her head at him, stroking her hands up his shoulders to his face.

"What are you doing, Castle?"

"We're not leaving for another few hours. Plenty of time." He grins, decides to just go for it and kiss her. She tastes like toothpaste and coffee, and her tongue strokes against his teeth.

She pulls back then, fingers at his ears. "You should pack though."

"It'll take fifteen minutes."

"Alexis is awake out there," she adds.

He sighs, drops his forehead to hers, closing his eyes, thinking about that. "Okay. Fine. I'll get up and shower and pack-"

"I can help," she murmurs, darting her mouth to his cheek, the corner of his eye. "I'm very good at showering."

With the window down, she lets the wind batter at her fingers as he drives. New feeling, being in the passenger seat while Castle takes the wheel. Different.

She's relaxed - more so that she expected. Helps that he's a smooth driver, no mashing on the brakes, no surging forward. He holds the steering wheel at five and seven, cradling it, and for some reason, she keeps picturing her thighs in his hands when he spreads her over his lap-

Shit. She really shouldn't. Alexis is in the backseat.

"What are you watching?" she says, turning her head to look at the young woman.

Alexis rolls her eyes on a sigh. "America's Next Top Model. I'm addicted."

Kate laughs, but Alexis points to her father.

"It's his fault though."

"Castle?" she laughs, glancing to him. "You got your daughter hooked on ANTM?"

He shoots a sly smile her way. "That and slowtap."

"Slowtap?"

"SLOTAT," he says slowly. "Secret Life Of The American Teenager."

She groans, pressing her palm to her forehead. "Are you kidding me?"

"I told you that you had nothing worry about. My DVR puts yours to shame."

"Somehow I was expecting. . .I don't know. Like a couple episodes of some terrible Sci-fi show you can't bear to erase-"

"How about Glee instead?" Alexis interrupts, sitting forward and propping her elbows up on both of their seats.

Kate reaches back and squeezes that elbow with a smile. "Glee. Hm, that's appropriately shameful, sure."

"Hush. I like the music," he mutters.

"Of course you do."

"The arrangements I mean."

"Uh-huh," Alexis joins in. "That's why you downloaded both the Glee version and the Kesha version-"

"Stop spilling all my shameful secrets," he gasps, his eyes flickering away from the road, towards his daughter, glancing to Kate, back to the road again. He is actually blushing, very slightly, but his lips are quirked up.

He looks happy. Very happy. She can't explain it better than that, the way he looks likes he's just on the edge of crazy-amazing joy but still trying to hold back, keep it under control. Happy Father's Day, Castle.

She slides her hand over the console and squeezes his thigh, smiling at him.

"And," he says slowly, dropping a hand over hers but talking to Alexis again. "If you're going to mention that particular artist, you must say her name correctly."

"Correctly?" Kate asks, turning her head in time to see Alexis roll her eyes. "Kesha? Is it really Keisha? I thought maybe so, but-"

"No, it's not," Alexis interrupts. "Dad got this from Glee and he thinks he's so funny-"

"I am so funny-"

"-but he's not-"

"It's Key-dollar sign-HA."

"Key, dollar siii..." Kate laughs, hard, suddenly getting it. Ke$ha. Right. "Actually, sorry, Alexis, that was funny."

"Ha! (as in Key-dollar sign-HA!)"

"Castle," she warns, lifting an eyebrow. "Once is funny. Twice is asking for it."

"Third time deserves a spanking," Alexis smirks, and apparently this is one of their family in-jokes, some phrase Castle must have used at some point, or that they appropriated from a book or movie, but Kate's face flames and she bites her bottom lip.

Castle shoots her a look that says he knows exactly what she's thinking of, and when, and how she-

Shit.

Alexis suddenly groans. "Are you kidding me? I do not need to know this stuff, guys. Parents, jeez. There is a line here."

She leans back into her seat; Kate can see her putting her earbuds in her ears, and even though her words were laced with huffiness, she still doesn't look that put out; she looks secretly pleased and amused and-

And she said parents?

What-

No.

Just.

In general. Right? Just parents in general.

Castle laces his fingers through hers and she glances over to look at him.

He's grinning at her; eyes darting back and forth from her to the road, as if he doesn't want to miss a second of this.

She rolls her eyes, but-

No good. She's both mortified and aroused and weirdly emotional all at the same time.

"Jeez, you Castles," she mutters. This is a different kind of family. Is it wrong that she can see just how she fits in? How it will be for them in the future. . .

From the kitchen, Castle watches her head upstairs, hopes he did right by putting her bag in one of the guest rooms. The one nearest his, of course, but still. . .

Alexis hooks her arm through his and tilts her face up to look at him, still smiling that little girl smile he's always loved.

"Hey, Dad."

"Hey, pumpkin. Thanks."

"I figured it wouldn't be much of a father's day celebration if Kate wasn't here."

"You don't mind her and her dad coming-"

"Not at all," Alexis says, bumping his hip with hers. "It's your day, right?"

"Hey now. It's my weekend. And don't you forget it." For old time's sake, and maybe to prove he still can, Castle drags Alexis in her socked feet across the slick bamboo floor, heading for the freezer. "Ice cream for lunch?"

"Dad. Don't you wanna. . .I don't know. . .watch your girlish figure?"

He laughs, turning back to look at her, all impish smile and bright blue eyes. "I can just work it off."

She smirks, lets go of him to reach down for the freezer drawer at the bottom of the fridge. "That's gross, Dad."

"Wow. That was not what I meant." Castle shuffles back so she can pull the freezer drawer all the way out and they both stare into its depths. Frozen foods are pretty much the only thing they've got to eat right now.

"Have to go grocery shopping-"

"Oh no you don't," he laughs, wrapping an arm around her shoulders and tugging her into his side. "I meant - I'll run on the beach or swim or something. What did you mean?"

Alexis laughs and cuddles in at his side. "I meant it looks like. . .jeez, Dad, don't make me say it."

"Say what? I am clueless-"

"You know exactly what I mean. You guys are pretty much. . .gross. All the time. So. Um. I'm sure you're. . .burning calories."

Well that is gross. "Alexis."

"You made me say it. Why in the world do I have to explain that to you? Why isn't your brain already going there, straight to the gutter every time? I mean, come on, Dad, you're-"

"Okay, okay. Enough. I need to go wash out my ears. And scrub my brain. Ew. Alexis."

She huffs at him and reaches inside for a tub of Ben and Jerry's, wrinkling her nose. "Family Discussion is over. I'm not talking about this anymore."

"You were the one who started it."

"You were the one. . .argg. . .shut up. Now you're doing it on purpose."

He laughs at her and she opens the drawer looking for spoons. He's pleased when she pulls out three, runs them under the faucet to clean them off quickly. Three spoons. It makes him stupidly, ridiculously happy.

"What's he doing on purpose?" Kate asks, coming down the stairs. He has no idea what she thought about having her own room, but she doesn't seem upset.

Alexis starts dishing out ice cream. "Making me talk about you guys having sex."

Kate stops in the middle of the stairs; he can see her mouth drop open and he shoots Alexis a glare. "Not funny."

"It is too. Look at her face. Priceless."

"You guys do this a lot, don't you?" Kate says, starting her descent again, composed once more. "You mess with each other."

"And now we mess with you," Alexis says, lifting her head from the ice cream to give Kate a predatory look.

Castle's heart stutters. Because no, however it may look to an outsider, it's not mean, it's not vicious, it's Alexis inviting Kate inside their family life, adopting her.

"This means I get to mess back though," Kate says, and she lifts a slow eyebrow, giving Alexis a long look.

Alexis grins back. "True."

"You ready for that?" Kate asks, leaning her elbows against the kitchen island. She's not even looking at Castle, but he gets the feeling this is halfway intended for him.

Alexis smirks. "Bring it on."

God, he loves her. And Kate. Both of them. This is amazing.