Kapitel 93: 93. Chapter 93
"Mommy?"
Castle lifts his eyes to the doorway and sees Ellery poking her head in. Kate is asleep in the bed next to him, so he puts a finger to his lips and gestures Ella inside.
"Mommy sleepin'?"
"Yeah, cricket. What do you need?"
Ellery comes over to his side, her head poking up over the bed. She lifts her hand and runs it across the comforter, finds his leg and curls her fingers over his shin. "Daddy."
"What happened to taking a nap? You looked so sleepy."
She twists her lips as if thinking and then shrugs at him, her fingers playing over his shin. She's not hesitant - she's never been hesitant - but it does look like she's trying to make up her mind. She wanted Mommy, and she's trying to figure out if Daddy will do.
"Ella?" he says softly, watching her.
She tilts her head and her eyes travel over the room, linger on her mother, and then meet Castle's gaze. "Can I get in?"
"Sure, baby girl. Climb up." He saves his document and shifts his laptop to the side, then reaches over and hauls Ella up the rest of the way.
She crawls up next to him and curls around his chest, then slides her hand out to Kate, touches her mother's forehead.
"Hey, shh," he murmurs, catching her hand and kissing it. "Don't wake Mommy. She's tired."
Ellery sighs, brings her hand under her chin. "Want Mommy."
"Not right now, baby girl," he murmurs, cradling the back of her head with his hand. He changes a typo on his manuscript, reads over the last couple of paragraphs.
"Mommy."
"No, baby." Felix is delicately explaining what's going on to his parents, and Castle wants to strike the right balance of kid-independence and a tad bit of responsibility since it is, after all, Nikki Heat and Jameson Rook's own child.
And in a way, his and Kate's as well. A character has never struck him with such a sense of, well, paternity before. He's created them and he's had some strange relationships with them, but he's never felt like he needed to watch over them, guide them, keep them from too much harm.
Nikki Heat can take care of herself, and Felix thinks the same. He just-
"Let's tell stories," Ellery pipes up, lifting her head from his chest.
Castle cards his fingers through her hair and glances down at his daughter. "What stories?"
"Castle stories."
His lips quirk at her, and his fingers encounter a tangle in her hair. He goes slowly, works it free as he saves his manuscript, shuts the computer with a sigh. "Okay. Castle stories. What first?"
"I go first."
"Oh?"
"Ghost stories."
"Oh, okay. Sure. Tell me a ghost story," he says, trying to mute his grin as he continues to guide his fingers through her hair. He hits another snag and tugs softly.
"And then jokes." She knocks his hand away from her hair, scrunching her shoulders.
"Um. Yes. And jokes."
"Once upon a time. . ." she draws out, wriggling her down between him and Kate. He catches Ellery before she can accidentally kick her mother, settles her a little higher up on the pillows, away from Kate who's still sleeping with her forehead pressed to his thigh.
"Once upon a time," he coaxes, curling his arm under his daughter's knees to keep her from waking Kate.
"There was a monster. A huge monster."
"Mm. What did he look like?"
"Purple. With teeth. Scary," she says, shivering dramatically. Like Dashiell.
Rick leans back against the headboard, brushes her hair out of her so-blue eyes. She gives him a look and does it herself, both hands pushing it back.
"Monster runs after me and the people. He yells at us, his terrible yell, his yellow teeth." She pauses and he realizes she's stealing bits and pieces from Where the Wild Things Are.
"Is Max with you?"
"Yes. Me and Max. We in our costumes. We run and run. . ." She trails off, a tiny finger sliding into the pocket of his tshirt. "We. . .we run in the house."
"Does Monster follow you?"
"Yes." She nods solemnly and squirms again, her knees against his ribs as she resettles beside him. "He follows in the house, start stomping their feet. The people scream oh no, the monster," she whisper-wails.
Castle can't help the chuckle that escapes, but he muffles it quickly and turns a somber face to his daughter. She narrows her eyes at him, but continues her story.
"The monster gets them all. Roar, roar, roar. But not me and Max."
"Oh? Not you and Max. You're too quick."
"I find a lightsaber."
"Yes," he crows, laughing, then presses his lips together as Kate stirs. "Yes, good job, cricket. That's my smart girl," he whispers.
"Max hides. I smart and get my lightsaber and swish-swish, down he goes - crash! The end."
At Ellery's crash, Kate jerks awake, startling up, staring at them.
Rick grins. "Hey there, Mommy."
Kate hums and sucks her bottom lip between her teeth, rubs a hand down her face, struggles to a sitting position at his side. She leans in and kisses Ellery, then curls around their daughter on the pillows.
"Mommy, I killed the monster."
"Oh?" she murmurs, her eyes closing again, her hand landing on Castle's hip.
"With my lightsaber."
Kate groans, opens an eye to look at Rick. He grins back at her. "She used the force."
"What?" Ellery asks, swiveling her head to look at him. She frowns. "I use lightsaber, Daddy."
"Mm, you're so chatty this afternoon, cricket." Kate lifts up a little, slides her arms under Ellery and shifts her so she can lean against Castle's side. He glances down at her, kisses her forehead.
"Ellery was telling me a ghost story."
"Oh, a ghost story. Nice. That's why you're slaying monsters. Got it." Kate yawns and buries her face in his shoulder, sighing. "Tell me a story too, baby girl."
"No. Time for jokes."
Castle pulls his arm out from between them and wraps it around Kate, tugs her into him a little more, making himself more comfortable. Her eyes are closed.
"Jokes then, Ella," he says softly.
"Why the chicken in the road?"
"Uh. . .why is the chicken in the road?"
"To get to the other side!"
He smirks, feels Kate stir with a laugh. "Uh-huh."
"Why the chicken in a tree?"
In a tree? "I - I don't know."
"To eat it!"
Kate laughs and curls her arms up tighter around Ellery. "Great jokes, sweetheart."
"Why the chicken . . . why the chicken get in bed?"
"Why?" Rick asks, actually curious about this one.
"Him so tired!"
Castle grins and pecks Ellery on the cheek, making her giggle.
"Tell me a bedtime story," Kate murmurs, stroking a hand along the side of Castle's face. He glances back at her, sits up again, takes them both in his arms so Kate can get back to sleep. He starts to open his mouth, but Ella wriggles in close to her mother and begins instead.
"Once upon a time."
Kate opens her eyes, smiles down at Ellery. He sees the brush of her lashes, the soft curve of her lips, the round cradle of her arms against the dark head of their daughter and her small little body.
"Go on, Ella," he says quietly.
"Upon a time there was . . . a queen. And a castle."
His lips spread in a smile.
"Queen of the Castle. With sand beasts coming. She have a - a - lightsaber."
Rick waits, brushing his hand through her hair, wanting to hear the rest of her story.
"She kill them sand beasts dead."
Ellery slides an arm around Kate's neck and lays her head against her mother's chest.
"The end."
Kate stirs against him; her hand slowly strokes Ellery's back.
Castle leans down and kisses her cheek. "Queen of the Castle. That sounds about right."
"Are we going to be all matching?" Castle asks.
Kate glances over at him, standing in front of the closet with a pained look on his face. "Uh. I hadn't thought that far ahead. I was just about to go rummage through the kids' stuff, see what they have."
"I know that Ellery's got that red sundress. Should Dash wear red?"
"Hm. Yeah, I - I'm not big on the twins thing."
He shifts on his feet. "Still, in family pictures don't they want everyone to try to go together?"
"I don't know," she says, coming up to stand beside him and stare into the closet as well. They packed for vacation, not really for pictures - although she wishes she thought of it. "Maybe so? We never did a family portrait. Did you and your Mom-? No. Okay. Well I know Dash has one nice shirt - that black polo. Only thing red he has are a bunch of tshirts."
"Black works? Black and red."
"You have this-" She reaches in and grabs his black dress shirt. "Why do you have this?"
He gives her a confused look, shrugs his shoulders. "I packed in a rush. Trying to get the kids packed too. I just shoved stuff in there."
Kate laughs and dangles the black shirt in front of him. "Wear this then. You and Dash can be in black."
"What are you gonna wear?"
"I don't know. My dress is ruined, and our shopping trip was interrupted by a trip to the urgent care clinic."
He turns back to look at the closet, sighs as if it's his decision what she wears, then takes the dress shirt from her fingers and slips it on over his tshirt. He rolls the cuffs, leaves it open, and Kate can't resist lifting on her toes to kiss the hollow at his throat. He catches her, holds her there a moment.
"You figure out what you want to wear and I'll start getting the kids dressed."
"Thank you," she murmurs. "Make sure Allie and Rafe know they're in it too. I don't care what color they wear."
"I'll tell them."
She slides back down to her feet and watches him leave, then takes his place standing in front of the closet. She really has nothing. Absolutely nothing.
Honestly, he's stunned. When he left Kate to get the kids ready, he expected to find her still trying to find something to wear, but she walks out of their bedroom within minutes of Ellery sliding on her sundress.
And she's stunning. He's stunned. Has he said that?
"You look amazing," he says, getting to his feet and moving around Ella.
Kate's eyes flicker to him, a little confused, but she smiles. "Thanks."
She's wearing some black, flowy shirt that drapes off her shoulders, peasant-blouse in some respects, with loose, three-quarter length sleeves. She's wearing white shorts that showcase the elegant line of her legs - not shorts exactly, but not pants, not capris. He doesn't know what to call them, doesn't know how she manages to look so exotic and gorgeous with just a simple change of wardrobe.
"Hey," she murmurs, brushes her fingers over his wrist. "Back to earth, Castle."
He grins back at her, leans in to steal a kiss. "If I said you sent me in orbit, would that be-"
"Yes," she huffs. "Totally cheesy. I was looking for Allie. Is she-?"
"I think she's on the balcony. Rafe's in with Dash - they're both changing."
"Oh good." She steps away from him, leans over to rake her fingers through Ellery's hair. "How's my girl?"
"I'm pretty as Mommy."
"Oh you're much prettier. Look at your beautiful dress." Kate kisses her cheek and straightens, glancing over her shoulder at him. "I'll get Allie. We have fifteen minutes to get down to the beach."
Castle watches her walk out of the room, sun-kissed skin, the long tumble of her hair over those exposed shoulders, a sprinkling of freckles, and what he wants to do is take her right back to their bed, lock the door, and slide that shirt off her.
Kate glances back at him over her shoulder, gives him a look he can't miss. "Pictures first."
Rafe chats with the photographer while Kate grabs Dashiell's hand and yanks him back. "I said no. Wait until we've got our pictures taken, and then you can get as sandy as you like, wild man."
"Can we make more sand beasts?"
"Sure, but you have to do what the photographer says when he takes our picture."
Castle is carrying Ellery down the boardwalk - finally - after they had to run back to the condo for her shoes. She refused to go barefoot and wanted to wear her pink, sparkling sandals. Kate couldn't care less what was on her feet, so she sent Rick back with the girl.
"There's Dad," Allie says. She's wearing a cute white skirt, a black sleeveless shirt against her pale skin. She looks mature and beautiful and happy - Kate leans over and gives her a quick hug, happy too.
A few other families seem to have had the same idea - photos on one of their last days of vacation - and the beach is spotted with well-dressed moms, dads, and kids. Most of them chose white shirts - all arrayed against the backdrop of sand and sunset.
Rafe joins them. "He's ready. He said he'd like us to stand in front of the water first."
"Okay," Kate agrees, tugging on Dashiell's hand as he leans for the sand. "Stand up."
As they cluster to one side, the photographer arranging them, Castle finally makes it, bending over to put Ellery down.
"Actually, Dad, if you could hold her. And Mom - put Son in front of you, hands on his shoulders or - perfect, yeah, like that. Now, you Boyfriend, stand next to Mom, and Oldest Daughter, stand here next to Dad."
Kate grits her teeth at the names - Mom, Son - but she watches her family get in line in front of the ocean. She reaches over and tugs down the skirt of Ellery's dress, smoothing it over her legs, makes a face at her. "You gonna smile for our picture?" she murmurs.
Ellery gives her a full-lipped grin, squinting her eyes, and Kate laughs. Castle glances over at her. "Pay attention, Mom. He's telling us what to do."
She nudges him but stands where she's supposed to, arms draped over Dashiell's shoulders, her fingers splayed over her son's chest. The photographer snaps a few, rearranges them, does a few more. She loses track of how many pictures he's taking as he gets the traditional poses, groups them together or separate, puts them against different backdrops. After a few minutes, he tells them to act naturally.
Kate glances to Rick, bites her lip as he raises an eyebrow at her - the flash goes off. Oh, so - okay.
The photographer takes a few of the kids wading in the ocean, she and Castle in a strange moment holding hands, Rafe swinging Ellery out over the water as she squeals, Dashiell hanging on Allie as they chase the tide, and then all six of them ranging out into the sunset, walking the beach together. She turns to look at the photographer over her shoulder, wondering what comes next, and he snaps another photo - or five or six - and she can't wait - can't wait to see what these will look like.
"Are we done?" she asks.
"Not quite?" He waves them back in, the kids coming running back to look at his digital display, but he holds the camera away from them, and Kate realizes that he's looking at Rafe-
Who has dropped to one knee in the sand, his black shirt snapping in the breeze-
Castle's hand closes around Kate's tightly, too tight, and she hears his breath catch.
Rafe reaches for Allie.
Wöchentlicher Energiestatus
-- Power-
Rangliste 
-- Power-
Stein