Details.
Rick Castle was a details-man. Being an author, it was kind of an occupational necessity. You don't write twenty-plus bestsellers without the details. And his favourite pastime for the last few years has been cataloging every detail and nuance of a certain beautiful homicide detective and engraving them on the slates of his mind.
Rick sighed. He never got tired of studying his muse.
His gaze swept over her in fervent reverence, silently worshipping every inch of her with his pilgrim eyes (which she, of course, found excessively creepy). He was rubbing gentle, slow circles on the long, slender fingers that were laid on his upper leg, occassionally running his thumb over the diamond encrusted wedding band. Her small hand rested on his leg with the familiarity of being there for the last fifty years. They were matching pieces of a puzzle, in synch and wholly besotted with each other and the life they have built.
His eyes came to focus on the column of her neck – he loved her neck; it was the first place he went to in order to draw out that first moan. It was the place he felt her life; her strong, pulsating heartbeat. He really, really wanted to kiss her there now, but if he did, he wouldn't be able to be held accountable for his actions which might include ripping off her $1000 dress and having his way with her in the back of a limousine (again) with Louis the Driver as a witness. His eyes slowly moved down towards her collarbone and bare shoulders to where his lips always seemed to be drawn out of their own volition. He couldn't stop himself – she was intoxicating. Her skin was soft and glowed and shimmered in the darkness (was she wearing that glitter body lotion he loved so much?). His eyes continued their journey and came to an immediate halt to where her chest was rising and falling, making him thank the powers above for figure-hugging dresses. His pilgrim eyes paid a lengthy homage to that beloved part(s) of her body before slowly making their way up again - this time to her beautifully sculptured face. God really outdid Himself with her. Rick made a mental note thank Him later.
He looked at her up-do hair which his hands loved so much to weave through. He loved it in any style, but mostly when the silky locks were haphazardly spread across his chest. He studied the curve of her jaw which he loved to trace with his fingers (and lips). Her high cheekbones that he loved to pepper with soft kisses. Her olive green eyes that he loved to see sparkle with mischievous amusement, scorching desire and genuine, unbridled affection. Her mouth which he loved, well, because it was the part of her that he first got a taste of. Her soft, trance-inducing, all-coherent-thoughts-melting lips.
He really, really wanted to kiss her now.
A thumb, however, was blocking his way. Rick cocked his head to the side and frowned as he brought all the details that was Kate Castle together. Her brow was furrowed, her eyes seemed troubled and her thumb nail was lodged in between her lips like when she was thinking really hard or over-analyzing something. His hand left hers on his leg and gently brushed her cheek with the back of his fingers, startling her from whatever she was obsessing about.
"Hey, what's going on in that pretty head of yours?" Rick asked softly. Kate smiled faintly and dropped her eyes from his.
"Nothing." She looked out the window again, her brow furrowing once more. His did too. "Maybe I should call Lanie and just make sure that she hasn't forgotten something. That they're alright." Rick's expression cleared when the realisation hit him: his tough detective was having a little bit of separation anxiety.
He stopped her when she started to pull out her cell phone. "Honey, I'm sure they're fine. We're talking about Lanie here. You know her right? She has five nephews and nieces and Esposito has about six. They've done this before... I think they can handle it."
She nodded silently (and reluctantly), her eyes and fingers suddenly finding his second anniversary cufflinks fascinating.
"Besides, they'll call if it's necessary."
Kate returned a brief smile and nodded. "I know. It's just-" She let out a breath and pursed her lips. "-what if she gets scared or something or what if her fever starts again. The doctor said that it could get worse. I mean, what if-"
He held up a hand and cut her off. "Kate, relax. She's fine. You saw her earlier, she didn't have a fever anymore and again, it's Lanie, who by the way is a doctor." He paused for a moment, watching her adorably chewing her lip, fighting to keep her emotions in check. "You're just having a little bit of separation anxiety, aren't you?" He stated softly; her eyes snapping up to meet his.
After a moment she nodded and replied on a sigh. "Yeah, I guess so."
He gave her a sweet, lopsided smile and pulled her closer. "It's perfectly normal, Sweetheart." Rick pressed a kiss on her temple and wrapped an arm around her shoulders. They stayed like that for a few moments before he broke the silence. "You wanna skip the party?" He didn't want to; in fact he had been looking forward to this since they got their invitations a month ago. But whatever Kate wanted, he wanted.
She sat up, took a breath and shook her head stubbornly. "No. I've been looking forward to tonight for a long time... I'm just being silly."
He cupped her cheek. "You're not being silly." A teasing grin lit up his features. "Well, except when you're imitating the Chipmunks or playing guitar hero. But that's cute-silly and I love it when you're cute-silly." Kate rolled her eyes and smiled widely. Rick grinned broadly, pleased with himself for making her smile.
Her expression sobered after a few moments, her tone low and sincere."Thank you."
"Always." Kate pressed a sweet kiss against his mouth.
The car came to a stop amid flashing lights and loud screams.
"Well Mr. Castle, let's go and have ourselves a good time."
He gently grasped her chin. "You're sure?"
She nodded her head with a smile before leaning in for another kiss. "Yeah. I'm in need of some dancing and adult conversation."
"Hey, I'm adult conversation!"
She grinned widely as Louis opened the door. "Oh puhlease, Geekboy. Don't make me laugh!"
After surviving the red carpet, flashing cameras and irritating gossip mongers, the two Castles finally entered the arena for the Mayor's Annual Charity Ball that attracted New York high society. The ballroom of the Waldorf was a vision of gold and red, beautiful flower arrangements and elegant tables. They made their way to table 5 (heads turning as the dark-haired beauty passed by) and was met by two familiar faces.
"Rick! Kate!" Jonahtan McFarlane greeted with a broad smile. His wife, Denise, turned around and greeted them with the same expression her husband did. If there were ever two people who were made for each (other than our favourite couple, the Castles, of course), it was Jonathan and Denise McFarlane. Tall, blonde, blue-eyed beauties - and both doctors. They were freakishly alike. At first, Rick and Kate were skeptical about their 'charity buddies' and their perfect Stepford-Wiveish vibe (as Rick called it), but after bonding over boring speech after boring speech at the two previous charity events, they became fast friends.
"Hey guys!" Rick grinned, pulling out his wife's chair.
"Hey!" Kate greeted with genuine excitement as the two women hugged briefly. They exchanged the customary 'wow-you-look-so-gorgeous-I-wish-I-could-wear-that-like-you-do'-compliments and took their places at the table. After exchanging pleasantries, the conversation shifted towards the other patrons attending the shin-dig.
"So, who do we have with us this year?" Rick inquired, placing his arm around the back of Kate's chair. The McFarlanes glanced at each other then turned back to the Castles, their expressions unreadable.
Kate's smile dropped. "Please don't say Vivienne Rutterford," she said quickly.
Denise laughed and shook her head. "No, no! Luckily not. Table 12 has that delightful privilege."
"Thank God," Kate murmured.
"But we will be joined by Gary Johnson and his twenty-something bimbo wife... Again," Jonathan commented. Kate rolled her eyes and Rick shook his head in amusement. Gary Johnson was a wealthy seventy-year old banking tycoon who had an insatiable appetite for young playboy-bimbo's; it was his third wive in five years.
"That should be amusing. Maybe we should discuss Moby Dick again," Rick said. The four burst out laughing, recalling how one of Gary's bimbo's frowned upon hearing the name and asked whether 'Dick' was that famous, bald-headed DJ's surname.
"Other than that we don't know. We're hoping for the best," Denise commented. She turned to look at Kate as the two men started on a discussion about golf. "So, how's the baby? What's her name again?"
"Lizzy. Ah, she's great... perfect." She seached for her phone, her face alight with a beaming smile. "Here. Take a look." She handed her phone to Denise.
"Oh Kate! She's adorable!" Kate nodded and grinned proudly. "Aw, she's just beautiful. Congratulations," Denise said smiling, handing the phone back.
"Thanks," Kate replied still beaming. "She just grows so quickly, you know?"
Denise let out a laugh. "Tell me about it."
Before Kate could reply, Rick turned to her. "KC, do you want something?"
"Uh, yeah-"
"A glass of red wine?"
She smiled and nodded. "You know me too well."
He returned a cheeky grin. "See, staring is useful."
Kate raised her eyebrows. "Still creepy." He laughed and kissed her cheek before getting up.
Rick walked towards the bar, completely unaware of the predatory pair of eyes following him. He stood at the bar and placed his order, not noticing the predator stalking her prey.
"Richard Castle-" He jumped at the sudden voice behind him and turned around. Bottle blonde hair. White teeth. Boobs. Lots of boobs. "-what a pleasant surprise," Vivienne Rutterford said in a sultry tone, her eyes slowly raking over his tuxedo-clad form.
Rick instinctively backed up against the bar as she took a step closer. "Uh Vivienne... hi." He let out a nervous chuckle and immediately started to glance around for Kate.
The petite and attractive 40-something real housewife of New York took another step closer. "My, don't you look handsome in a tux." She flashed him a broad grin.
"T-thank you..." And as an afterthought he added: "You look well too." 'Kate, help!' his mind yelled.
Meanwhile back at table 5...
"...So that's why decided on contributing to Red Cross. It just made sense," Jonathan finished with a shrug. The three remaining occupants of table 5 were discussing the reason they were at this function in the first place.
"Well Rick and I thought about contributing to the NYPD's children's fund." Kate's brow furrowed as she started to look around for the mystery novelist. "By the way, where is my husband?" The other two also started to glance around for the fourth member of their little group.
"Uh-oh," Denise started. "Seems like Viv has cornered him, Katie," she continued, pointing towards the cougar and her helpless prey at the bar. Kate tensed, clenched her jaw and narrowed her eyes.
"Excuse me." Her tone was low and strained.
Back at the bar...
"I really loved your last book, Richard." Vivienne flashed a perfectly white grin. "Especially the love scenes," she added in a mock-whisper.
"Uh, yeah. Thanks," he replied awkwardly. "I wouldn't be able to do it without-"
Vivienne cut him off and shifted gears. "Are you here alone?"
Before a clearly rattled Rick could answer, Kate sidled up next to him; possessively pressing herself into his side while taking hold of his arm.
Pretending not to see Mrs. Plastic Surgery, she chatted eagerly with her husband. "Honey, you will not believe what Nathan just told me!" If looks could kill, Kate would be dead and Vivienne Rutterford would be behind bars. "They got a little place on the French Riviera for a reasonable price. I think we-" Then pretending to notice the other woman she exclaimed in fake surprise. "Oh Vivienne, hi! Didn't see you there." Lie, lie, lie.
Vivienne flashed a stiff smile. "Kate." If it was said with anymore coolness, the world would be experiencing a second ice age. "So good to see you."
Kate returned an equally taut smile, laced with 'I'll-scratch-your-eyes-out-if-you-make-a-move-on-my-husband'-subtext. "You too."
Fake. Fake. Fake. Rick struggled to keep an amused smile off his face - his wife was on top of her game tonight. Despite being almost completely surrounded by women for most of his life, Rick Castle still found the polite cat-fights that the female gender engaged in, fascinating.
The other woman glanced back and forth between the couple and shifted uncomfortably. Finally she said: "Well, enjoy your evening." With that Bottle Blonde & Boobs went off to find fresh meat.
Kate immediately released her tight, possessive grip on Castle's arm and muttered a few insults under her breath as she stared daggers into the other woman's back. Vivienne Rutterford had been after Rick Castle for years... and she didn't care whether he was married or whether he had just become a father for the second time. She was Delilah and Jezebel all rolled into one; the kind of woman mothers warned their sons about. She was also the reason why Kate once had her way with Rick in one of the linen closets of the very same Waldorf Hotel (he was very fond of that linen closet). But that's a story for another day...
Rick grinned and gave her a quick kiss. "My hero." He let out a relieved breath. "Thank you."
"Don't mention it, Writer Boy," Kate smiled while adjusting his bowtie. After a few moments, she pursed her lips and frowned. "She just never gives up, does she?"
"No." A devilish grin appeared on Rick's lips. "Does this mean I'm getting a repeat performance of the infamous linen closet-episode?"
Kate returned a sly smile and bit her lip flirtatiously. "Not. A. Chance."
His impish grin grew as he leaned in to whisper in her ear. "Do you know how it turns me on when you mark your territory like that, Mrs. Castle? It's hot, incredibly hot." His breath tickled her skin and he heard her suck in an unsteady breath. His smile grew - she was just as turned on. Maybe that linen closet may well see a repeat performance tonight... A guy could only hope.
"Cool it, Loverboy." She looked at him, her eyes sparkling playfully. "I want dinner and dancing before dessert."
And dinner and dancing, a lot of dancing, were what Kate got. The two Castles got off the dance floor laughing and panting after a lively swing number; they've been on the dance floor on-and-off for the last hour or so. They were having a blast and Kate was thoroughly enjoying herself - this was just what she needed, what they needed. A night out on the town, a little bit of dancing and adult conversation. But, despite the fun she was having, a small, plump and adorable human bundle and that bundle's welfare were constantly in the back of her mind.
"What's the time?" Kate asked Rick once they were seated again.
"Uh... about eight-thirty," he replied after checking his watch.
"I'm quickly going to make a call." Rick nodded in understanding; she was going to call Lanie. "Excuse me," she directed to the rest of the group which now consisted of Gary and Amber (bimbo-wife number five) Johnson, a Peter Davies and his date for the night (Sue or Susan or something like that) and Scott Avery, one of the mayor's campaign contributors, and his beautiful, red-headed, but haughty wife, Michelle.
A few minutes later Kate returned, her expression a little bit more tense than usual. She smiled politely at something Denise said and tried to engage in conversation, but when she grew quiet during a particularly funny story that Scott Avery was relaying, Rick knew - from studying her closely for years - that something was off. It wasn't major, but it definitely wassomething.
He leaned in towards her while the others continued to laugh and talk. "Is everything okay, KC? What did Lanie say?" His voice was filled with concern.
She took in a breath and fixed her eyes on her hands in her lap. "Uh, yeah... yeah. They're fine," she answered softly, her brow briefly furrowing. Rick frowned; he was sure that nothing was wrong with their daughter, but there was something else bothering his wife. He turned his body fully towards her and tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
"Kate," he said firmly, but softly. She looked up at him, her eyes hesitant. "What's wrong?"
Her olive green eyes darted away from his and vaguely looked around the room before fixing them on her hands again. "She was crying," came her meek reply. She swallowed hard, frowned and pursed her lips. Kate looked up again and met his gaze; her eyes glistening with emotion. "When I spoke to Lanie, I heard her crying in the background."
He nodded. "Oh... And?"
She gave a noncommittal shrug. "When I asked Lanie, she said that Lizzy was fine, it was just some winds."
Rick let out a relieved breath, but his brow furrowed again. "Okay, so what's got you so upset?"
Her eyes snapped up to his again. "She was crying, Rick," she shot back heatedly. Her voice, however, quickly softened. "And I wasn't there," her tone was vulnerable and small.
He watched her for a long time, not sure what to say. Suddenly he stood up and held out a hand towards her. "C'mon." Kate looked up at him in confusion. "Come on," he repeated. She took his hand and he led her to the dance floor where a slow ballad was playing.
"Rick I'm not in the mood-"
He placed a finger on her lips. "We're here to enjoy ourselves, right?"
"Yeah, but-"
"No, Kate." His tone brooked no argument as he tugged her towards him. "We're here to enjoy our evening. We're not doing anything wrong, so stop feeling guilty."
She nodded slightly and sighed. "I know," she mumbled unhappily, letting her eyes drop onto his chest. He lifted her chin.
"Tell you what - we'll call Lanie again later to check up on things, okay?" She nodded again and smiled faintly. "That sound good to you?"
"Yes, okay." Kate let out a breath, her mouth curving into a grin. "Castle, if you're going to dance with me, we need to start moving."
He laughed and pulled her closer before kissing her deeply. "Aye, aye Detective."
Two hours later outside the Waldorf...
Rick pulled out his phone and dialled the familiar number. After a few rings, the petite ME answered.
"Hello?"
"Hey Lanie," Rick greeted.
"Oh hey Castle." She checked her watch, 22:51. "You do realise it's almost eleven right?" Lanie reprimanded lightly. He shook his head and chuckled while turning around to look for his wife who was still inside.
"My apologies Dr. Parish." He paused for a moment. "So, I take it everything's still alright?"
Lanie sighed. "Castle, your daughter is still in one piece, I assure you. She's sleeping like an angel."
"Ah, that's good to know - especially the whole she's still in one piece-part," Rick replied sarcastically. His tone, however, grew sincere. "Thank you, Lanie. I was really just calling for Kate's sake. If I hadn't stopped her tonight, she would have been checking up on you every half hour."
Lanie's mouth curved up. "Separation anxiety, huh?"
He sighed and nodded. "Yeah, something like that."
"Well assure our girl that her mini-me is just fine... and incredibly adorable."
Rick smiled proudly. "She is, isn't she?"
"The most precious thing I've ever seen!"
"Again, thank you. Tell Esposito as well. We needed tonight."
"It's not a problem, Castle. We love her. Hell, I'm considering keeping her all to myself." He chuckled. "And Writer Boy?"
"Yeah?"
"Please get my girl laid, she's way too tense."
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