277. Chapter 277

After Law and Boarder

By

UCSBdad

Disclaimer: It would be extreme for me to claim to own Castle. Rating: K Time: See above

"That was very quixotic of you." He whispered in her ear.

"Um?" She frowned. "Does that mean we're taking up tilting at windmills, or are you still just my comic sidekick?"

"Neither. It means that you are a true knight errant, giving up your…all, for your love." Rick nibbled lightly on her ear.

Kate giggled. "I'm not sure I gave up anything. If anything, I got something."

"We'll compromise. We both got something."

Kate ran her hand down his naked chest. "Does winning really mean that much to you?"

He nodded. "Absolutely. Especially if the prize is worth winning. And you are the best prize I gave ever won." Before Kate could reply, he spoke again. "That didn't come out right. It makes you sound like something I got in a Cracker Jack box. You're way more than that."

"No, you were right the first time. You had to win me. It was like a battle. One the one side was Rick Castle, all wild theories, the story is important, and lots of fun, and on the other side was the grim, broken, insecure Kate Beckett. We were more like a war than a love affair. You did have to win me. "

Castle kissed her to shut her up. "Let's not talk like that. So you were a little serious at first. You had reason to be, remember? And I fell in love with that Kate Beckett."

"Yeah, but I wasn't exactly fun and uncomplicated." Kate regretted the words as soon as they were out of her mouth. "Oh, Castle. I didn't mean that. I'm sorry. I shouldn't have…"

"Yes you should have. I made my share of mistakes over the years, too."

"Oh? Like lying to me about hearing me tell you that I love you when you were shot? Oh, wait. That didn't happen, did it? That lie was all mine, Castle. It almost destroyed us."

"And this is not what we should be talking about! That's in the past. We have a great present and a spectacular future ahead of us. Look at how you've changed. I remember a Kate Beckett who played poker with me, Martha, Ryan and Esposito. You were so very serious and you wanted to beat me so badly."

"And you threw away a winning hand to let me win. And that made me mad, Castle. Why did you do that, anyway?"

Castle pulled Kate close to him. "Because you were the very serious Kate Beckett and you had had so much taken away from you, I just couldn't be the one to take anything at all away from you."

She smiled. "How very quixotic of you, Castle. Letting your lady love win?"

"And you were my lady love, Beckett."

"I was?" She asked, seriously.

"Madly, passionately, hopelessly in love with you. Always."

"So naturally, I had to let you win the next time we played."

"Oh, yes. Did you want me to look good in front of Montgomery, Judge Markaway and Bob Weldon?"

"No. I wanted to let you know that I wasn't some helpless bimbo who needed big, strong you to look after me."

"I have never thought of you that way."

"I know. Rather, I know that now, but I didn't know that then. Your type then tended towards…"

"Bimbo-osity?" He suggested.

"Is that a word?"

"I plan to use it in Scrabble, so it must be a word."

"So, really, is winning so important? Winning games?"

Castle thought about it. "Games are important. I was always the new kid in school, or so it seemed. Being good at games gave me an in. It got me accepted."

"You were one of the cool kids?" She teased.

"Oh, I was never one of those, but I was accepted." Castle thought some more. "Part of why I married Meredith was that she was fun."

"And uncomplicated?" Kate kissed him lightly on the lips.

"Meredith is anything but uncomplicated. Meredith is the most complicated, disturbing…" He shook his head. "No, I do not want to talk about Meredith."

"Sorry. I didn't mean to bring up anything unpleasant."

"We were talking about games and winning, not about…What's-her-name. I really, really got into games with Alexis. I was her only parent and how can you not get into games raising a child? The thing was, that Alexis was so smart, even as a toddler, that I had to work at it or she'd walk all over me."

Kate giggled. "I have this mental image of Alexis building a replica of the Empire State building with her blocks while Daddy Rick is trying to get his out of the toy box."

"Not too far from the truth." He said, nodding his head slowly.

"And you do have something of an over-sized ego." She added, smiling so it wouldn't hurt.

"You noticed?" He asked innocently.

"I am a detective."

"Of course, our biggest, best, longest running game has been laser tag. We've been playing since she could just barely lift the laser gun, but now with her classes and everything, we hardly have a chance to play any more."

Kate rested her head on his chest. "I could have a solution to that."

Later.

Castle ducked down behind the sofa, carefully watching where his opponent had last been. She should he right…

Alexis rolled to her right, surprising Castle and got off a shot, which luckily missed.

"You cannot defeat the forces of the Empire, Rebel scum." He laughed, maniacally.

"You cannot defeat the forces of liberty, Imperial dog." Alexis taunted him.

Castle knew exactly where she was and exactly what she'd do next. He smiled and waited. Victory was in his grasp. Suddenly his vest lit up! No! He had been shot! "That's not fair! You're ganging up on me!"

Kate stepped out from under the staircase and holstered her weapon. "All's fair in love, war and laser tag, Pilgrim." She drawled.

"Don't worry, Dad." Alexis said, coming over to hug Rick. "We'll get her next time. I have a cunning plan."

"Like your last cunning plan?" Kate scoffed. "The one that caused both of you to lose in, what was it, Castle? Record time?"

"You got lucky."

Kate put her arms around Rick and kissed him. "I got lucky after the last time we played this, didn't I?"

"Care to make it two in a row, Rebel Princess Becks?"