50. 51: Monday

51

Castle crashes on the couch at five o'clock, shoulders sunburned after spending so long in the water, and closes his eyes. He knows he's getting the couch wet, but he can't be bothered to care.

He feels her fingers trail through his hair and she laughs softly. "You tired?"

"Worn out."

"Long day."

He hears his mother rustling in the kitchen, banging the cabinets, half-singing a show tune. "Mother. What are you pouring?"

"Whatever I can find, dear boy. Whatever I can find," she trills.

"I'll take one," he calls out, opening his eyes to glance in the kitchen. His mother gives him a nod and takes another glass out of the cabinet. Castle looks up and Kate is sitting on the arm of the couch, watching him. She smiles and her hand presses at his forehead, cool and lovely.

"Kate? Darling, do you want a drink? I think we've got a bottle of white," his mother asks.

"Sounds good," she says back, her fingers making soft designs along his cheek, his nose.

"Where'd Alexis go?" he asks her.

"Upstairs to her room. She wanted to take a shower before dinner."

"Hey, let's go out for dinner," he says, but it's kind of a question.

"Your face is a little pink," she murmurs. "Do you really want to?"

"We might have to," Martha interrupts, coming into the living room of their little villa with two glasses of white. "This place is not exactly well stocked. We have pop-tarts and goldfish crackers that you bought at the market on the corner, and that is it."

"Yeah, I don't want pop-tarts for dinner," Kate murmurs, sipping her wine.

Martha sits across from them in a chair, the late afternoon light spilling in through the glass doors, her fingers around her wine glass and tilting the vintage back and forth rather mesmerizingly. Castle tilts his head to look up at Kate.

"You wanna sit?"

"Good right here," she says, smiling at him with a brush of her fingers down his nose.

"Okay, so where do we want to go for dinner?" Just thinking of making the decision is wiping him out; he closes his eyes again and Kate's palm rests at his forehead, her fingers making forays down his face. "Feels good."

"Hey guys," his daughter calls out. Castle opens his eyes and she's coming down the stairs, her hair pulled back into a french braid she must have done herself. "I was thinking we could get lobster. Is that okay?"

"Ooh, good idea, Alexis." He grins at her as she comes over to the couch and sits on his shins. He pops his knees up and she tumbles into the arm, laughing at him.

Kate thwacks his ear, but it's gentle, probably due to the almost-sunburn. "So. Lobster?"

"After we finish our drinks," Martha says. "Then we'll go."

The Blue Water Grill is built right on the beach, so all they have to do is walk down a few blocks. Kate has changed into a long purple skirt, loose and cotton, and a black tank; her earrings dangle nearly to her shoulders, while her hair is pulled back off her head, wisps curling.

Castle watches her walk ahead of him, talking idly with Alexis, her skirt billowing around her legs as the breeze picks up. Beside him, his mother is comparing the various resorts along the beach, pointing out their amenities or lack thereof. The wooden slats of the boardwalk creak under his feet, and the sky is brilliant yellow and orange as they head into the sunset.

Kate stops and turns, walking backwards. "Hey, Castle. What would you say those fish were?"

"The ones that kept nibbling at your legs?" he grins.

Even at this distance, he can see her roll her eyes.

He shakes his head. "I don't know what they were."

"Hey, can we go snorkeling tomorrow?" Alexis asks. "I saw on a sign near the boats that you can see sting rays and sharks."

"Sharks?" Castle asks. "That would be so cool."

"Surely not," Kate says. "Not really sharks - not while you're snorkeling."

"It said sharks," Alexis insists. "You scared?"

Kate laughs. "No. But I'm also not stupid."

"Not anymore, at least," Castle mutters.

Kate stops on the boardwalk, giving him a glare, and he grins back, catching up to her and taking her by the hand. His mother moves ahead of them and walks with Alexis.

"You forget, Castle." Her hand squeezes around his. "I'm just stubborn. You were the stupid one."

He leans over and kisses her cheek. "Yeah. That's why I wanna snorkel with some sharks. You gonna join me?"

He groans as they trudge back up the stairs. "I am so full. I am so tired. Oh man. Today was awesome."

Kate curls her hand at his elbow and her cheek presses against his arm. "It was awesome."

Alexis pushes past them and unlocks their door with the keycard, holding it open for them. "The water and the sun really just sap all your energy, don't they?"

"Yeah," he answers, but the word is cracked in half by a huge yawn. His mother chuckles at him as they go inside.

"Dad, tomorrow? You need to use my sunblock. The spf 75. Your face is redder now than it was when we first got in."

"It is?" he asks, pressing a hand to his cheek. His skin is hot and Kate is already brushing her fingers against his neck.

"Red here too," she murmurs. "Want some lotion on it?"

"You offering?" he leers, his eyes on hers. "Oh, look at that. Now Kate's red too."

She squeezes his elbow tightly and nudges him towards their bedroom. Alexis is already on the stairs, yawning too, saying good-night. His mother waves them both off as he glances at her in question.

"Go, go. I'm going to use your computer to catch up on business," she says, heading for it.

"Sounds good," he says, following Kate into their room.

At the bed, she gently pushes him down, her fingers coming up to frame his face. "How you feel?"

"Just tired," he says, watching her. "You gonna play nurse?"

"Well, not now."

"But you were?" he whines, but he sounds more tired than whiny, even to himself. "Eh, whatever. I'm too tired to do anything but lie here."

"That can be arranged," she murmurs.

He shoots an eyebrow up, stunned, but she's laughing at him, pushing him on the shoulder.

"Not what I meant."

Castle grins up at her, lifts his arm to wrap his fingers around her wrist. "Come here."

"Lotion?"

"In a minute. Come here."

She comes, and he wraps his arm around her waist, pulls them both down onto the king-sized bed, curling up at her back. Kate turns slightly to look at him, but he just puts his head on the pillow and presses his mouth to her neck, breathing her in.

Sunshine and sunscreen and beauty. Faintly cherries, but that's mostly gone.

He feels Kate draw his arm up against her chest and he tilts his body towards hers, eyes closing.

"You're really tired," she murmurs with a little laugh, brings his palm up to her lips, pressing a kiss that he curls his fingers around.

"Yeah."

"Castle, you'll be more comfortable in pajamas."

"Let me just take a nap here first."

Castle wakes disoriented, half on top of Kate, his arm having fallen asleep under both of them. He slides his arm out, rolls onto his back, blinks in the darkness until he's managed to gather himself. Then he turns his head to look at her, the moon brilliant through the window.

Kate's still in her skirt, her bare toes peeking out, a knee sharp under the material. He raises up on an elbow and draws his hand over her body, paints a line down her side with a fingertip, then kisses her cheek softly.

Castle gets out of bed and heads for the bathroom, washes his hands, changes into pajamas.

When he gets back, Kate's still asleep, her hair in the the bun. He loosens it, brushes through the strands with his fingers, rubs his thumb down her cheek. Her lashes flutter.

"Kate. Do you want to change?"

Her eyes open finally, stare at him.

"You're still in your skirt," he says softly.

"Okay."

"Yeah, but do you wanna take it off?"

"Not right now. Tired," she murmurs, and her eyes are slipping shut.

"Kate." But she doesn't wake again. So he gets back into bed and slides under the covers, tugs them out from under her, pulls the sheet up over them both.

He leans over her and brushes her hair back, but she still sleeps. So he curls up behind her again, draws his arm around her, and closes his eyes too.

Just as he's drifting, about to fall asleep, she suddenly turns into him, snuggling, her nose at his neck. She sighs deeply, and her hand rests at his chest, and he can tell she's slowly lifting up out of sleep. He feels her knee shift between his, drawing closer. She hums, and it could be a question, but she doesn't open her eyes.

"You're it for me too, Kate." His thumb brushes at her cheek; he lowers a kiss to her forehead. "You have been for a while."