52. Chapter 52

"Dashiell, not in the corn. If you run off in there, I will never be able to find you," Kate says, her tone tinging towards more than just exasperation.

Castle comes up behind her, trying to be sneaky even as Ellery giggles, and whispers in Kate's ear, "Children of the Corn."

She reaches back - not even missing a beat - and tweaks his ear. "Not funny."

Ellery kicks her feet, so Castle lets the girl down; she runs ahead to take her brother's hand and they creep forward together around a corner. Kate is right at their heels, so Castle hurries to catch up.

"Was too, funny."

In this strangely lit section of the maze (they are seriously, hopelessly lost), Kate throws him a glance meant to be strident or rebuking, but it ends up being half-smiling. He grins and reaches for her hand, mirroring their kids, lacing their fingers together.

"Hey, babe," he says softly, glad to have her back. Not the woman over-sensitive about what a couple of idiots said in line, not the woman ready to scratch his eyes out because their kids are enjoying themselves (at a hanging, and a haunted maze, but really; they're enjoying it).

"Children of the Corn," she scoffs, shaking her head. "Lame, Castle. You can do better."

"It was first published in 'Penthouse'," he adds, knowing it won't help. He just likes saying it.

"Which is kinda funny, because it makes me think of-"

"Of what?" he gasps, blinking at her in staged shock.

She laughs, actually laughs, and that's so good to hear. "Flowers in the Attic."

"Oh, gross."

"Yeah," she says, and she can't seem to walk straight, because she keeps bumping into him, nudging him with a hip or a shoulder, their arms pressing together at the wrists and elbows too. "All the girls in my middle school were passing it around. But I never thought it was all that racy, despite the promised incest."

"Ew, ew, Beckett. Don't soil my ears."

"And rural farm children killing all the adults in town is somehow better?"

"I'll choose Stephen King's brand of horror over that any day."

She laughs again. "Well, I didn't much like it either. The girl is locked in an attic with her brothers and sister, slowly being poisoned, and she doesn't do a thing to stop it. She just lolls in bed moaning about how their mother doesn't love them anymore-"

"And how attractive her brother looks-"

"Ew. Yes. Ug. It was terrible." Kate bumps his hip again and this time, he's pretty sure it's on purpose. Touching him, getting close. He likes it; he'll take it. Though he wishes they could stop talking about incest.

"I think Alexis read that too."

"Oh, sad; I would've saved her the trouble."

"Not sure she would've listened. Of course, you were nowhere on our radar then. I think she was twelve-"

"Oh." She sighs and turns her cheek, her lips brushing his shoulder. "That makes me sad."

"What?"

"Nothing." She shrugs and tugs him around another corner, following the kids. "You want to know the really terrible part about that though?"

"Yes, yes I do."

She purses her lips at him, but continues. "When I later read Jude the Obscure - have you read it? I don't want to ruin it-"

"I've read it. Nothing like Thomas Hardy for a real depressing time."

She shoves on his shoulder to shut him up, but, come on Kate, it's true.

"Well, when the little boy kills his brothers and sisters? He leaves a note that says 'Done because we are too menny.' His parents are first cousins; they were struggling to make ends meet, trying to hide their kinship, but they can't get married because of it. Their relationship falls apart after that, but all I could think about - those little bodies - were the four kids locked in the attic, slowly being poisoned. That terrible, incestuous book - or the story at least - it affected me."

"That *is* terrible. Thomas Hardy is turning in his grave."

She hums at that, part acknowledgment of his lame attempt to keep the humor going, and part reflection. He knows that hum - some kind of crazy, mind-altering statement is going to come from those gorgeous lips, and he'll be standing in the middle of the corn trying to figure out how the heck she blindsided him again.

"Do you think there's such a thing as too many?" she asks. "When we live like we do."

At that moment, a chainsaw roars to life farther ahead in the maze and both kids come flying back to them, a collision of shrieking and arms and legs and elbows, and he's trying to keep one of them from climbing his ribs even as Kate kneels to scoop up the other - and then -

then, it hits him.

Too many what?

Kids?

She has a ringing in one ear from the persistent and high-pitched screaming (from *Ellery* of all people) as the teenager with a non-spinning chainsaw lumbered out of the rows of corn near the end of the maze. Ella never once buried her face or closed her eyes; nope, not at all. Neither did Dash. They didn't cower either. They weren't quiet about it, but the chainsaw-wielding Jason-masked individuals who sprang out of the cornstalks made even Kate's heart race and her hand twitch for her gun.

Ellery nearly choked Kate trying to get away, but in between the screaming was hysterical giggling, her brother in Castle's arms right behind them and doing the same. Which now makes for two tired, over-stimulated kids.

As soon as they exit the maze, both kids want down so they can run around and act like little monsters, pretending to terrorize each other. This is seriously the most animated Kate has ever seen little Ellery, and Castle is trying to show them both the aerial photograph of the corn maze posted near the ticket booth. People in line are throwing the kids these indulgent, soft smiles even as they bounce like Tiggers from hay bale to wooden fence to parent's leg.

Okay, Castle was right. They loved it.

Kate wanders over towards them as well, but catches a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye, turns to get a better look.

The girl behind her holds up a finger to her blood-red mouth, lifts an eyebrow, then nods her head at Castle.

Ohhh, this is the ghost in white he complained was following him and Ellery around all night. The ghost-girl kept popping up whenever he and Kate got separated, so he said, but Kate thought he was making it up to get her attention. Castle has a tendency to exaggerate the truth if it makes a better story.

But this? This is good.

Kate nods and bites her lip to keep from laughing, watches from a few feet away as the girl glides into position. Not even three inches away from Castle. Silent. Waiting. Patient. Damn, the girl is good.

Ellery sees her first, a flicker of real fear that tumbles across her face. Kate sways, about to hurry towards her, but Ellery looks immediately to Kate, sees there's no harm, and instead watches the girl. Dash figures it out next, probably because he's so attuned to his little sister's needs, and he swivels his head to see the ghost.

Dash almost ruins it; he's opening his mouth to tell Castle, but Kate catches his eye first, shakes her head slowly, grinning. Dash gives her curious I don't understand kind of look, but he closes his mouth.

Castle is prattling on about the aerial photograph, reading the little facts to the kids: "It took three months to cut the corn into the shape of a surfer catching a wave, but-"

"Castle," she calls, calmly, waiting.

And of course, Castle turns around.

And screams.

Like a girl.

The kids burst into laughter even as Castle jumps a mile, his body contorting in that way she's only seen a few times before (on cases that didn't go so well), his high-pitched scream immediately tapering off into that yelling-release kind of thing as he shivers and realizes what he's seeing.

"Oh God," he moans, slumping back against the wooden fence.

She has to say - to his credit, he shoved both kids behind him first. Ellery doesn't look too pleased by that move, but Dashiell is already squirming to get around his father.

Kate walks forward, gives the girl a nod of thanks as she turns silently back to the maze. Ellery is jumping up and down now, while Dashiell giggles uncontrollably on the ground, holding his belly, gasping for breath.

Castle opens his eyes when she gets close. "You are evil."

"Mm, I certainly am. That was payback for this afternoon."

"That is not the kind of payback I look forward to," he says, still sounding winded.

"Sure you do, Castle. You loved it."

He closes one eye, narrows the other one at her, hand to his chest. "You - that thing - practically gave me a heart attack."

"Getting old, stud." And even as she grins at him, teasing, it strikes her that he *is* getting old. Not old old, but older. Jeez, they both are. And they run around here, have this life like they've got all kinds of time, when really, Kate needs to start thinking not about how she can get Castle back at the 12th, but how she can get herself out of it.

She's never - she would never have thought, only a year ago, that she'd want out. But she does - eventually. She wants to make it out of the 12th alive. Not this year, or anything, but it's definitely a goal. She wants to retire, like Castle said, and go live on a beach with her kids and her husband. She wants to make it home in time for dinner every night; she doesn't want to miss her son's karate demonstration or her daughter's swimming lesson when she finally jumps off the high diving board.

It's not just that. She expected to be done with the baby thing, but it's been coming back up lately, and they need to talk about it seriously because they are both getting older. And - and -

"Kate?"

She snaps back to here and now, finds him leaning over, hands on his knees, his face half-turned to look at her, apparently still caught up in playacting his fright for the kids' benefit.

"Yeah."

"You believe me now, right? Little Ghost Girl is seriously freaky. Dash says no, but I say-"

Kate rolls her eyes and hooks her arm under his, tugs him up. "Oh, get over it, Castle. She wasn't that freaky."

"But back there in the maze-"

"Sure, Daddy, sure," Dashiell says, grinning at them, looking oh-so-superior. Kate really wants to do something to wipe that smug look off his face, but that would be mean.

It would be mean. Wouldn't it?

She still wants to scary him silly when they get to the car. She's just not sure how to do that.

"Oh-ho, someone is asking for it," Castle says, following alongside Kate as they head back through the crowd towards the parking lot.

Ella speaks up. "She was too scary. Right Daddy?"

"Thank you, cricket. At least someone-"

"Yeah, big man, your littlest is taking your side."

Castle gives her a glare, but she just grins at him, entirely pleased with herself. And it wasn't even her idea.

Kate leans over and scoops up Ellery as the girl dawdles, evidently starting to crash after her jaunt through the maze. Jaunt. It was more like - Kate checks her watch - three hours. Three hours? Ella's laying her head against Kate's shoulder.

"Castle, it's ten o'clock," she says, catching up to him and Dash. "We've got to get these kids in bed."

"Ten? Wow. We suck at mazes," Castle laughs. "Okay, Dash-"

"Can I have the clicker?" he interrupts, holding his hand back for the keys as they enter the long rows of irregularly parked cars in the middle of the field.

"Uh, sure. Hold on." Castle digs through his cargo shorts pocket, a look of close-panic on his face.

Kate grins to herself and slides her hand into her back pocket, pulls out the keys quietly. She waits a moment, lets the tension build, then holds them out, letting them dangle.

"Here you go, Dash."

Castle turns and gives her one of his I should be angry at you looks that only makes her laugh. Kate comes in close, Dash snatches the keys from her hand, and Castle takes her by the hip, lands a hard kiss on her mouth.

Delicious. He smells like adrenaline and his heart is still racing; she can feel it under her palm.

Ellery pushes on their faces. "No kissy-face. Ew."

Kate breaks away with a laugh, bites her bottom lip as Castle tries to eat her up with only his eyes.

"No kissy-face, Daddy," she warns, taking his hand again. Ella's cheek is flushed and pressed against her clavicle; Kate kisses her instead.

Ahead of them, Dashiell is jumping up and down and pointing the remote unlock button on the key fob, searching for the answering lights of their rental SUV.

"I found it!" he says excitedly, and almost breaks into a run.

But something stops him; he waits, looking both surprised at his own restraint and eager for someone else to notice.

Castle does, of course. He notices because he really is a good daddy. "Thank you, Dashiell, for *not* running away in a parking lot. Slytherin gets 500 points for their house."

Dash giggles. "I'm not in Slytherin, Daddy!"

"Oh right, right. What house are you in again?"

"Ravenclaw!"

"Sure, okay. Ravenclaw gets 500 points then."

"How many points am I at now?" he asks, holding his arms up to his father.

Kate arches an eyebrow when Castle glances back at her for help. *She* has no idea; this is their game.

"You are at three thousand five hundred," Castle says, easily picking Dash up and curling his hand around the keys.

Kate shifts Ellery higher on her hip and nudges Castle for the keys back. She needs to drive tonight; she's got things going around in her head and she needs to be in control for awhile.

Castle watches her a second, but releases the keys into her hand. "Thinking how many is too many?" he asks softly. "Or maybe not enough?"

Kate sighs. He always knows.

"I'll talk to you later."