31. Business before pleasure

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"He's going to kill me," Castle whined into the phone, causing Beckett to roll her eyes on the other end of the line.

"He's not going to kill you Castle," she muttered with clenched teeth, slowly but steadily starting to get annoyed with Castle's childish refusal to come into the precinct.

"Well, he surely wanted to last time," he exclaimed, not understanding how she could not see that he was absolutely not overreacting, but simply judging the situation on evidence and facts. After all she'd been in that alley with him over two month ago.

"First of all," Kate sighed as she tried to keep her voice neutral, "He didn't want to kill you back then either, he was just looking out for me and Jamie and second, a lot has changed since then if I remember correctly." She heard him huff over the phone.

"I don't know," he pouted and she could so see his face right now. The man could be such a child and while sometimes she thought it was adorable and sweet - though she would never tell him that - this was getting ridiculous.

"Listen Castle," Kate was starting one last attempt to convince him, "I'll need at least another 20 minutes to finish up the paperwork before I can go. You're standing outside, in the rain with our daughter who I can already hear asking for cookies, so would you please, please just get off the phone and get your ass in here so I can get started?"

"Fine," he huffed, "but if we don't make it to the Hamptons because he kills me, it's not my fault."

"Fair enough," Kate muttered and ended the call.

Two minutes later Castle was standing in front of her desk in the squad room, Jamie sitting on his hip as he nervously glanced around, looking for what he believed to be the enemy.

"Where is he?" He whispered.

Kate let her head sink down into her hands, shaking it slowly from side to side, "Would you please stop it? He's not going to hurt you."

"Sure," Castle answered sarcastically, giving her a fake smile.

"I give up," Kate sighed as she got up to greet her daughter and decided to ignore Castle on that matter from now on.

"Hey Baby Bird, did you and Daddy have fun this morning?" She asked instead.

She'd dropped the girl off at the loft in the morning along with their luggage so that Castle and Jamie could come and pick her up at the precinct to drive straight to Alexis' school and from there on to the Hamptons.

Since Alexis' birthday the week had flown by, everything suddenly so much easier and more comfortable between them ever since they had talked things through. They were settling into a new rhythm and Kate wouldn't deny that she liked it, the new them.

Jamie nodded eagerly, "Jamie packing." She told her mother proudly and Kate laughed.

"You helped Daddy packing? That's great, at least someone knew what she was doing." Kate smirked at Castle while she took Jamie from his arms and started for the break room, confident that Castle would follow.

"Do you want to have a cookie while you wait until mommy is finished?" She asked on the way, already knowing the answer to the question as she rounded the corner and stepped into the empty break room.

"I want a cookie too," she heard Castle mumble behind her and had to bite down on her bottom lip not to laugh at the pout that was clearly evident in his voice.

She handed Jamie back to Castle and got out the cookie jar, placing it on the counter, "Don't overdo it," she warned and mainly talking to Castle who was giving her a sheepish grin.

"There's coffee if you want," she told him, ignoring his eager hands that were already reaching into the jar to get the cookies.

"Thanks, but no thanks," he shook his head, "The coffee here tastes like a monkey peed in battery acid."

"Very mature Castle," she rolled her eyes and turned to leave, "I'll come and get you when I'm done."

When Kate returned to the break room fifteen minutes later, already changed out of her uniform and into a comfortable pair of jeans and a sweatshirt, she found Castle cornered, sitting in one of the chairs with Jamie fiercely clutched to his chest, his terrified eyes fixed on the man standing in front of him.

Narrowing her eyes Kate made herself known, "What's going on here?" She demanded to know, her eyes moving from Castle to her training officer and back.

Royce was the first to find his voice, trying to play it cool, "Nothing," he shrugged. "Castle and I just had a friendly talk, didn't we?"

Castle looked at her with wide, panicked eyes and it almost made her laugh, a friendly talk was so not what had happened between the two men.

"Leave him alone Royce," she said as she poured herself a cup of coffee and her tone making it clear she was serious. It was not Royce's place to have the talk or any talk for that matter with Castle and it was totally unnecessary and uncalled for as well, though she also knew he only meant well. He cared for Jamie and for her.

Royce lifted his arms in a gesture that said, I didn't do anything and with a slap on Castle's shoulder that must have hurt he walked out calling, "Nice seeing you again, Castle," over his shoulder.

Kate looked down trying to hide the smirk on her face, but Castle looked right through her, "Very funny," he muttered, pulling Jamie even closer as if the girl could protect him, while she snuggled happily into his chest. "I told you he wants to kill me."

"Castle, I'm sorry," Kate sobered as she crossed the room to take the seat next to him, "I apologize for whatever he might have said, it's not his place and none of his business, but he's not going to kill you." She looked at him and added with a smile, "I won't let him."

She squeezed the hand that was not holding onto Jamie for dear life until he looked back at her, a small hesitant smile blossoming on his face, "You know, I could have done without the intimidation, but I'm glad he's looking out for you, even though I'm certainly not a threat."

She smiled back, "No you're not," and somehow that sounded as if she was making fun of him.

Kate looked away, not giving away what she had actually meant as she took a sip of her coffee, immediately scrunching up her nose. Castle was right it did taste like acid monkey piss.

"You're ready to go?" he asked then, watching Kate while she poured the coffee down the drain and placing the cup next to the sink.

"Yes, all set," she nodded.

Castle got up from the chair starting to follow Kate out of the break room when their path was suddenly blocked by someone standing in the doorway.

"Captain Montgomery," Kate gasped surprised, immediately recognizing how her captain's eyes zoomed in on the stranger who was carrying her daughter.

"Beckett," he nodded. "You're leaving for your weekend trip I assume?" Montgomery asked his eyes never leaving Castle.

"Uhm - yes Sir," she stuttered, "We were about to leave." She had told him about her plans when she had asked to have half the day off, but she hadn't told her boss that she and Jamie weren't going alone.

"I'm Richard Castle," she heard the man behind her say, sensing that Castle was stepping up next to her and holding out his hand with a nervous smile.

Her captain took it, "Roy Montgomery," he introduced himself before looking at Beckett with a sparkle of curiosity shining in his eyes.

"Captain," she took a deep breath, buying herself some time, she had filled in Royce about who Castle really was, what difference would it make if her boss new as well, "Castle - I mean Mr. Castle is - He's Jamie's father."

"I see," Montgomery raised his eyebrows, but didn't really look surprised and Kate wondered if Royce had told him something, but her Captain was quick to set her straight when he said, "The blue eyes kind of give it away," he winked.

Castle grinned and nodded, "Well, she definitely got those from me," he agreed.

Montgomery smiled friendly at all of them, before he bid his goodbye, anything else was none of his business, "Enjoy your weekend," he said before looking once more at Castle, "It was nice meeting you."

"You too, Sir," Castle returned the pleasantries, glad that at least her Captain didn't seem to feel the urge to hurt him.

"I like him," he mumbled when Montgomery was out of hear shot.

"Me too," Kate returned quietly, before tugging on Castle's arm, "Come on, let's get Alexis."

They had left the city behind them an hour ago and Kate was struggling to keep her eyes open while Castle's Mercedes was silently eating up the miles with the girls already fast asleep in the back.

They had chatted for the first half an hour of the trip until Kate grew more and more tired and as a result more quiet.

"Go to sleep," Castle's soft voice reached her, while she was still fighting against her heavy lids.

"Don't want you to get bored," she mumbled, though she knew it was a lost cause already.

"Sleep Kate," he simply said again and only seconds later she was gone as well.

Glancing over at her sleeping form from time to time, Castle was glad to see that the lines of exhaustion had left her face, making her look relaxed and happy. The girls had woken up somewhere along the way but they kept each other entertained so that he didn't have to worry about them getting bored.

They stopped once on the way in a small town so Alexis could use the restroom of the local gas station, while Castle checked Jamie's diaper.

Kate slept through all of it and only rose when the wheels of the Mercedes crunched over the pebbles on Castle's Hampton estate driveway.

When she saw what laid in front of her though, she was suddenly wide awake, "Castle." She gasped, looking at what was easily a multi-million dollar house. She had suspected that he had money but seeing his property made it very clear that he was not simply rich but loaded.

"You like it?" He asked and sounded surprisingly nervous. Did it really matter to him what she thought it?

"Castle, it looks magnificent," she replied honestly, while she got out of the car to get a better look.

"Wait till I give you the tour," he smiled excitedly, while helping Jamie out of the car and Kate opened the door for Alexis to jump out as well.

She shook her head at his boyish excitement as she helped him with the bags, while Alexis took her little sister by the hand and waited with her at the front door. She would never admit it, but his childish attitude towards certain things was something she found very appealing and she couldn't remember the last time she'd laughed as much as she had since Castle had stormed into her life. He was fun, making her loosen up a bit and yet she knew he was serious about the important things.

"Here's the plan," he started as he fished for his keys to open the door. "We'll get you all settled in your rooms, then I'll give you the grand tour which includes the pool behind the house and the beach and then -," Kate frowned at him.

"The pool is outside? It's in the middle of October," she stated but only received a self-satisfied grin in return.

"It's heated," Castle brushed her concerns away with a smirk, holding the door open for them,

"Anyway where was I?" He mumbled before his eyes widened in shock, "Wait, don't tell me you didn't bring you swimsuit?" He looked at her as if forgetting to bring her swim gear was the end of the world.

"I told you," he whined.

"Calm down," she rolled her eyes at him, "I packed one just as you requested."

"Thank God," he sighed relieved before he finally continued his original train of thoughts, "Okay, so after we've been to the beach Alexis and I will introduce you to a Castle family tradition."

"And that would be?" Kate questioned still amused by the panic attack he just had over her swimsuit.

"The Castle Cookie Baking Contest," both Castles exclaimed at the same time.

Kate laughed, while Jamie shrieked along, "Didn't you already have enough cookies today Castle?" she asked, "Don't think I didn't notice the empty jar in the break room."

He looked sheepishly, pointing at Jamie, "She ate them."

"U-huh, sure," Kate nodded, not believing a single word he said.

By the end of the tour Kate was slightly intimidated, the house was even bigger than it looked from the outside and she had never put foot into anything close to it. But she instantly liked it as well, because besides being immensely huge it was also surprisingly cosy, feeling like a real home, rather than an expensive summer house.

"So what do you think?" Castle asked as he pulled out the baking supplies, while Jamie and Alexis were already impatiently sitting at the kitchen counter.

"It's gorgeous Castle, honestly," she reassured him, since he really seemed to be worried about her reaction.

"You like your room?"

She smiled, "It's perfect, would you please stop worrying?"

"I just want you and Jamie to feel comfortable," he shrugged.

"We do," she patted his shoulder gently. "And Jamie loves staying with Alexis." She confirmed before asking a question that had been on her mind ever since Castle had showed them their rooms, "Where did you get the bed by the way?"

"I still had it in the basement. It's Alexis' old one and I asked Charlie to put it up before we got here."

"Who's Charlie," Kate frowned, taking the flour from him and starting to mix eggs and sugar in a large bowl.

"Charlie takes care of things when we're in New York. He's also the one who filled the fridge," Castle grinned.

"He's really nice," Alexis threw in, tapping her small fingers against the counter.

"Charlie has a granddaughter about Alexis' age, they usually play together in the summer," Castle explained, adding chocolate chips into the batter, before handing the rest of them to the girls to keep them occupied until the batter was done.

Finally they were rolling out the cookie dough onto the floured counter and Castle sat down next to Jamie to help her with the forms until they decided to just use their hands and soon father and daughter had produced a little chocolate chip cookie castle.

"Mommy castle," Jamie exclaimed happily and then her batter-and-chocolate-smeared fingers reached for her father's face, "Daddy."

When Kate turned from where she stood on the kitchen counter, cleaning up the bowls to look at them, she burst out laughing. Father and daughter had both smeared the cookie dough all over their faces while Alexis looked as if she hadn't even been involved in the baking at all.

"I think you two need to clean up," she finally got out, while she held her stomach and exchanging knowing looks with Alexis.

"What? You don't like us all sweet?" Castle mocked her.

"Not when it means you're sticky too," Kate shook her head and then saw something like mischief flashing over his face.

"Well, I know some things that can be sweet and sticky and hot," his eyes bore into hers and she had to swallow when she realized this time it hadn't been a slip of tongue, he knew exactly what he was saying.

"Castle," she warned, but he kept looking at her, his suddenly dark eyes boring into hers until Alexis innocently asked.

"And what is that Dad?"

Kate watched with amusement how his whole face turned red as he desperately tried to come up with a PG version of his thoughts.

"Hot chocolate, Sweetie," Kate helped him out with a wink and turned to hide her smirk.

She really had no idea how he'd talked her into having a barbeque at his outdoor pool in the middle of October, but once they had settled in front of the pool house and Castle had gotten the fire started in the big fireplace it actually was quite cosy.

The sun had faded and except for the fire, the lights from the main house, the stars in the sky and the lighted pool the rest of their surroundings lay in the dark, giving the impression they were the only people in the world. Kate might have almost thought it was romantic.

All four of them where wrapped in fluffy bathrobes and while Castle was still roaming through the basket which contained their dinner, Alexis already shimmered out of her robe and started for the pool.

"Dad, can I go in?" She asked, already dipping her toe into the warm water.

"Sure," Castle nodded. "Go ahead."

With a big splash Alexis jumped into the pool, causing Jamie to struggle down from her mother's lap, trying to follow her.

"Wait, wait, wait," Kate sneaked her back. "We need to get you equipped first." She said ignoring Jamie's whining.

Castle was already fishing for her swimmies, handing one over to Kate, while he attached the other one to Jamie's left arm.

"Alexis can you stay with her for a second?" Kate asked, walking over to the edge of the pool, with Jamie, where Alexis could easily stand in the water and wouldn't have trouble to have an eye on her sister until Castle and Kate would join them.

The redhead nodded eagerly, proud that Kate trusted her with Jamie and carefully helped her sister into the water. Jamie giggled in excitement and immediately started splashing around.

"We'll be right in," Kate laughed but had no worries that Alexis couldn't handle the ball of energy.

She walked back to Castle who had set out the table for later and was now raising a questioning brow at her, "Ready to go in?" He asked and watched as Kate nodded and started to pull open her bathrobe.

And then all the air left his lungs as she stood in front of him in a sinful, red bikini.

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