He quietly shut the door and waited for a few moments, trying to hear whether there were any footsteps hurrying down the stairs. He glanced at his watch and let out a breath. 00:16. She was most likely asleep. Rick grinned and started making his way upstairs.
He was a genius.
Kate had no clue of his homecoming. His grin grew wider as he imagined her reaction - she'd probably be startled, scowl at him, punch him in the arm for scaring her and then jump his bones in a moment of frenzied passion and desire.
He couldn't wait. So couldn't wait to for the wicked ways they would have with each other...
They had made up in the week after their argument due to a heartfelt apology from Kate, a frank discussion of the-issue-that-shall-not-be-named, a few very, very steamy phone sex sessions and another couple of videos of adorable baby Lizzy exploring their home. He was impressed by his ability to keep his mouth shut about his master plan of returning home. He kinda felt like James Bond for being able to keep a secret.
Well, maybe James Bond was a bit of a stretch.
He made his way down the hallway and stopped by the nursery. First things first - he had to see his baby girl. He had missed so much in the five weeks that he'd been away. He had to make sure that she was still just a baby. His little girl. Not yet a bright, young woman finishing college-
He made a mental note to phone Alexis later. After all, she was also still his baby girl and he missed her terribly.
Must be a pea-pod thing.
Rick stepped into dark room and walked over to the cot only to discover that it was empty. He frowned and then realized that mother and daughter were probably cuddled up together in bed. His smiled broadly at the thought of finding them there. He imagined that Lizzy was sleeping on her back - as she usually did - with her little mouth agape while Kate held a protective hand on her small body. He also imagined that his side of the bed would be left open. With that line of thinking, he quietly opened the bedroom door and froze.
Empty.
The bed was empty and made up. No sign of his wife and no sign of his baby girl. He stood there for a while, totally confused and extremely disappointed. His frown disappeared and his eyes grew wide.
Panic set in.
He quickly switched on the light and scrambled his phone out of his pocket with jittery hands. When he spoke to her earlier - before boarding his plane - she had mentioned they were going to her father's just for a, quote, "quick visit". Obviously they hadn't made it back home.
"Come on! Come on!" He hissed, hoping that jedi mind tricks could get his phone to restart faster.
His heart was slamming against his chest.
The what ifs started floating around in his mind. It was in times like these that he cursed his (overactive) writer's imagination. What if they got in an accident? What if they were in the hospital? What if no one could get through to him? Or worse. What if they were kidnapped? What if the kidnappers were waiting for him to call-
Two new messages. Huh. From said kidnappers perhaps?
'Hey Babe, couldn't get through to you earlier; must be something wrong with the connection. 'Nway, just wanted to say goodnight and sleep tight. We're staying at my Dad's, our daughter is exhausted because she had way too much fun at Granpa's! I'm sending you photographical evidence. :-) Love and miss you so much. Come home soon.'
Oh.
Thank God.
Best. Text message. Ever.
He breathed a sigh of relief and collapsed onto the bed, scrubbing hand over his face. Stupid overactive imagination.
He sat for a few moments before remembering the second message and opened it. He laughed, eyes crinkling in delight as he took in the picture.
It was one of Lizzy with something - probably chocoloate - smeared all over her small mouth and fat little cheeks. And also on her tiny groping hands it seemed. She was sitting in her grandfather's lap and smiling happily.
Was that the distinctive Castle twinkle in her eyes?
'What do you get when you add togehter a curious little baby girl, a mischievous grandfather and a chocolate bar? This. FYI - we're never leaving them alone together. Ever. Two words: sugar rush.'
He chuckled at the message. Yep, that was Granpa Jim's doing alright. The kid was going to be spoiled rotten by her Gramps. No doubt. Kate probably scolded her father and then took the picture, most likely thoroughly amused and laughing at the overwhelming adorableness that was their daughter.
Rick smiled and laid back on their bed; tired, disappointed, but mostly relieved. Relieved that he was back and relieved that they were fine. He drew in a breath and glanced around. The scent of her perfume were in the sheets. Her favourite pair of slippers were on the ground next to her side of their bed. Her NYPD hoodie was slung over the chair. Her lingerie was in the drawer above the one with his underwear and socks in. Her red toothbrush was in the holder next to his blue one. Her cherry body wash took up residence in the shower. Her picture adorned his bedside table. Her heart was carried in his.
She was everywhere, even in the places he still had to discover. Surrounding him, invading him, anchoring him.
He was home.
Now he just needed his girls - all of them - together under one roof with him.
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Kate sighed as she closed the door, pushing the pram with Lizzy in it into the loft. It was still relatively early and quiet. And her daughter was cranky. The sleepover at Granpa's threw out her routine.She sighed - it was going to be a long day.
Kate shrugged off her jacket and bent down to get her whiny little girl out of her seat. "Alright baby, let's get you out." Once she freed her daughter from the confines of the pram, she started making her way upstairs all the while talking to her mini-me. "We need to get you out of these clothes, don't we? You and Gramps got chocolate all over you, Cupcake. And we have to get you in a bath as well." She smiled and kissed Lizzy on the nose, causing the nine month-old let out a giggle. "Yes we do, baby girl. Mommy also needs to take a show-" She lifted her gaze and froze.
He was here. In their bed. Asleep, tangled in the sheets and clutching her pillow.
He came home.
Her eyes quickly welled as a disbelieving smile grew on her features. He was home. She was snapped out of her daze when Lizzy gently slapped a tiny hand against her mother's cheek. Letting out a watery laugh and wiping at her eyes, Kate walked over to her husband's sleeping form. She carefully sat down next to him while Lizzy squealed excitedly and wriggled in her arms, desperately wanting to go to her daddy.
Rick was dragged into consciousness when he became aware of a warm weight resting on his arm, wetness seeping into the fabric of his shirt and something small plastered against his cheek. He opened his eyes and were met by a twin pair of blue orbs like his own and a smiling, drooling little face. He smiled broadly, turned onto his back and grabbed his baby girl who shrieked happily.
"Hey Sweet Pea!" He held her above him while she kicked and cackled loudly before bringing her down again. "Heya baby girl!" He kissed her forehead and hugged her close to him before lifting his eyes to meet Kate's, still grinning like an idiot. "You've grown so much, Squirt," he continued to speak, kissing his daughter's chubby cheek while Kate beamed at them. Wordlessly he took his wife's hand and tugged her to him; she burrowed into his side while he wrapped an arm tightly around her and placed a kiss in her hair.
"You're home." Kate whispered with a smile, lifting her head to meet his gaze. They stared at each other for a few moments before indulging in a sweet, lingering kiss. When she heard herself moan, Kate broke away. They could celebrate his return later. After all, there was a cute nine month-old present.
He grinned and pressed his forehead against hers as Lizzy clambered all over her father's chest. "I'm home."
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That evening..."You are so fast! Come here!" Rick laughed as he chased after his quick-moving daughter. He scooped her up and blew a raspberry in her neck, causing Lizzy to shriek and giggle.
"Told you she was fast," Kate threw over her shoulder as she continued to wash the dishes.
He quietly - with Lizzy still wriggling in his arms - stepped in behind his wife, invading her space. "Must get that from you," he murmured into her ear. Kate closed her eyes and let out a shaky breath, leaning back into him.
"Mmhmm." Was all she could manage. Rick's lips tilted slightly before he pressed a kiss in her neck and stepped away.
Hot damn.
She blinked a few times and cleared her throat. "Uh, s-so what did Alexis say earlier?" Kate asked as she turned around to face him while he placed Lizzy in her playpen. He straightened and was still wearing a self-satisfied smirk. Bastard.
His eyes flickered with excitement. "Oh, she's coming for a visit soon!"
"Really?" Kate responded, equally excited as she walked over to where he was sitting. "When?"
He beamed. "Two weeks."
She sat down, throwing her legs across his lap. "Aren't you glad you cut your trip short?"
He nodded while watching Lizzy. "You have no idea," he responded, turning back to her. A soft smile graced his features as he cupped her cheek. "I missed you so much, Kate." His tone was gentle and sincere. And there was something raw, fervent in his gaze. It made her stomach flip. She leaned into his touch and briefly closed her eyes.
"I- we," she glanced at Lizzy, "-missed you too." She paused for a moment, looking down at her hands. "Thank you."
His brow furrowed. "For what?" He asked softly, tucking a stray lock behind her ear.
"For coming home." The smallness of her voice struck him.
Rick watched her face closely, noticing the gleam in her eyes. Without saying a word he bent forward and captured her lips in a warm, uhurried, toe-curling kiss. It didn't take long for the kiss to deepen, escalate into a make-out session and eventually for Kate to end up straddling his lap.
Five weeks of celibacy - Best. Aphrodisiac. Ever.
Finally, she had the sense to break away. Eyes dark, hair wild and breaths coming in short pants. "Honey-" Rick immediately wrapped his arms around her middle and pulled her closer while continuing to place kisses in her neck and along her jaw. Her eyes slipped for a moment. "-before we, uh, continue, I think we have to get the audience-" she turned to glance at Lizzy who was still crawling around in her playpen. "-to bed. It's a little past her bedtime anyway."
He looked up at his wife, his eyes clouded with desire, and nodded numbly. "Uh, yeah. Yeah, of course." He released her and pulled a hand through his hair in an effort to gather his scattered thoughts. "You go ahead, I'll be there in a minute."
She squeezed his hand and flashed him a smile; a dazzling, carefree, beautiful smile. Her eyes shining with promise... and naked desire.
Hot damn.
"Come on Cupcake, time to get you to bed." Kate bent down and scooped Lizzy out of her playpen; she was already rubbing her eyes and yawning. "Oh yeah, someone is really tired, isn't she?"
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A few minutes later, Rick was leaning against the doorframe of the nursery and contently watched his wife as she gently cradled their daughter, singing softly to nine month-old. After a few moments, Kate glanced up and smiled at her husband as he approached them where they were rocking in the rocking chair."She asleep?" He whispered, bending down to get a closer look at his baby girl.
Kate glanced back at her daughter. "Almost."
"May I?" He was holding out his arms when she looked up. Kate smiled slowly and nodded; she stood and carefully placed Lizzy in her father's waiting arms.
He sat down in the rocking chair, his eyes drinking in his baby girl; engraving all the changes that had occurred; cataloging all the developments he had missed. Kate stood next to him, her attention forcused on his face while a hand absently drew patterns on the back of his neck.
"I used to do this with Alexis," he said quietly, lightly tracing a finger over his daughter's cheek. "Just sitting and rocking her quietly. Sometimes I even read to her, which she loved of course." A large, sentimental smile bloomed over his features. "She was such a curious baby - exploring everything. I had to keep an eye on her twenty-four seven."
Kate chuckled softly. "Sounds familiar... Must be your ADD-genes running through their veins."
"Or just my inherent curiosity and intelligence," he shot back, still watching his daughter.
"What you call being inherently curious and intelligent, I call being a nosy smartass."
He grinned. "Is there a difference?"
She rolled her eyes. "Probably not. Not with you anyway." She paused for a moment. "Alexis must have been a beautiful baby with the red hair, blue eyes and fair skin. I've only seen the pictures of her as a toddler. She was adorable."
He nodded and smiled. "Yeah, she was. She was a really beautiful baby. Still is. All my baby girls are beautiful." He glanced up at Kate and grinned. "The common denominator in that equation seems to be me."
She rolled her eyes as her lips quirked up. "Yeah, Castle, whatever."
"I wouldn't mind having another one of these-" He glanced at Lizzy. "-soon again, though," he said suddenly, looking at his wife. "Another one who looks like you."
Kate laughed softly, a little nervously. Her husband had that (baby-making) look in his eyes and the wheels were turning in his mind.
Whoa.
"Hold your horses, Mr. Castle. This one can't even walk yet. So don't get any ideas in that head of yours," Kate responded, lightly tapping a finger against his skull. She shifted her eyes to their baby girl who was fast asleep against her father's chest. "Actually, I wouldn't mind having a little you running around."
Rick smiled broadly. "A boy, huh?"
She shrugged and nodded. "Yeah. Change things up a little."
He chuckled quietly, carefully getting up. He pressed a kiss on his daughter's head and gently placed a fast asleep Lizzy in her crib. Kate bent down and also pressed a kiss in her daughter's soft, dark hair while whispering a tender goodnight.
"Honey, are you sure you could handle another me running around?" He asked, guiding Kate out the door before quietly shutting it.
"Who says he'll be like you. Maybe he'll be as sensible as his mother." She paused abruptly and gave her head a shake. "Uh, you do realise that we are talking about a son that we are not even trying to beget yet?"
He arched an eyebrow. "Beget? Really?"
She shrugged, entering their room. "What? You can use weird, outdated words, but I'm not allowed to?"
He leered at her, shutting their bedroom door. "Oh, you are allowed to do anything, Mrs. Castle. Anything. You. Want." He approached her slowly.
Kate flashed him a sultry, dirty grin. "Really?" He reached her and wrapped his arms around her.
"Mmm-hmm," he responded, nuzzling her neck.
"Even if it's wild and kinky?" She arched an eyebrow and chewed on her lower lip, her hands sweeping over his chest.
His grin grew delightfully devilish. "Especially if it's wild and kinky. I encourage it."
"Well, in that case, Mr. Castle, let me show you just how wild and kinky I can get after five weeks of not getting any."
He was grinning like a kid at Christmas. "Oooh! Please do-"
Before he could finish, she was on him; her long, muscular legs tightly wrapped around his waist and her hot, demanding mouth fused with his.
Phone sex just didn't beat the real thing...
[][][]
Distance makes the heart grow fonder.And apparently libido to grow stronger.
Just ask the Castles - three and a half rounds in and still going strong.
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Your lipstick stains on the front lobe of my left-side brains
I knew I wouldn't forget you
And so I went let you blow my mind
Hey soul sister
I don't wanna miss
A single thing you do tonight
Title is a Streisand song and the lyrics at the end from Train's song "Hey soul sister!"
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