Capítulo 28: 28. Chapter 28
Kate twists the water on in the kids' bathroom, leaves the shower curtain pulled back but angles the nozzle towards the tile wall. Ella is jumping over the scattered beach towels, dusting everything with the sand that falls from her skin, her hair, her swimsuit. Dashiell is howling in the hallway after his little breakdown on the way up.
Castle comes in with Dash tucked under one arm, the kid's face bright red. Ella claps her hands over her ears as her brother's howling echoes in the bathroom; her face screws up into a nasty look.
The kid hates the shower, but this is the fastest way to get all the sand off him. "I'll count till 3, Dash. And then you're going in. Quietly. One."
Castle pins his arms as Dash tries to flail; Kate ducks to grab Ellery out of the way of his kicking feet.
"Two."
His howls turn into screeches, but the moment Kate opens her mouth for 'three', Dashiell is fuming silently and being dumped under the shower spray by his father. One time Kate got to three because Dashiell hadn't heard her and he fell apart, absolutely flipped out that he hadn't made it in time. So ever since then, she's given him extra long between numbers. Little crazy man.
Castle gets in with Dash, still in his own swimsuit, and Kate hands over the shower gel and shampoo. She turns to get Ellery and the little girl has already started tugging off her swimsuit.
"No, baby. Leave it on. We're gonna get all the sand out of our suits first." Kate guides her to the shower; Ella lifts her arms and Castle leans over to pick her up and drop her in. For a second, Kate debates leaving them all to it, getting her own shower in the privacy of their master bath, but both kids and Castle are looking at her expectantly, and really. . .
Really, this could be fun. She grins and steps inside carefully, trying not to slip, feeling sand gritty under her toes already. Ellery throws her wet arms around Kate's knees and jumps up and down, nearly knocking her off balance.
"Whoa, not in the shower. You'll fall and crack your head open," Castle says, leaning over to grab Ella by the shoulder.
Kate sits down on the edge of the tub and places Ellery between her knees, scraping the girl's hair out of her face as the spray hits the girl's neck and back. Castle follows Kate's lead and sits close beside her, taking up all the rest of the ledge, and pulls Dashiell in front of him.
They work on rinsing as much of the sand out of the kids' suits first, then peel the wet suits off; Castle throws them into the sink from his sitting position, high-fives Dashiell when he scores. Ellery, somehow, has morphed into the bouncing kid, unable to keep still, slipping out of Kate's grip to play in the water or to dance around like a silly thing. Of course, she's the one who loves to shower, while Dashiell cringes at the touch of every needle of water.
Kate and Castle pass shampoo and soap back and forth, bumping elbows, hanging on to the kids, tangling legs. They reach around each other when the other's hands are full, grab a bottle from the ledge or the washcloth from where it's draped over a thigh. Kate has to scrub Ellery down to get the last of the ocean life from her skin, pieces of seaweed, pulpy brown things, sand, flakes of fine shell, more sand. Then she dumps water over her daughter's hair, again and again, to get the sand that's trapped at her scalp. Those bright blue eyes blink through water, grinning up at Kate.
While Dashiell definitely starts out less sandy than his sister, his aversion to the showerhead makes Castle's job harder. Dash attempts a foolish escape between his parents when Castle has his hands soaped up, but Kate and Castle close ranks, squeezing the kid until he drops back into the bathtub. Ellery giggles and tries to paint the walls with soap suds, writing letters with her finger.
When both kids are nominally clean, Castle stands up and lifts them out of the tub, one at a time, while Kate leans forward to shut the water off. Dashiell streaks off, naked, before Castle can wrap the towel around him. Ellery shrieks and follows after him, calling his name loudly.
Loudly. Who is this kid?
Kate laughs, realizing her laughter is half relief, reaches out to grip Castle by the elbow, staying him. "What is up with her? I've never heard her say so much."
"I don't know. She's getting a lot of sleep? Oh, I also told her that Alexis was skyping them tonight after dinner."
"Ohh," Kate breathes. "I hope it's that easy. Excitement? That would be a blessing."
He leans in and kisses her on the mouth, nipping at her lip before pulling away. She licks the mark, smiling at him from under her lashes. He groans and reaches for her neck with a hand, pulls her against him, tight and close.
"I'm trying to be good, Kate. You can't look at me like that."
"But it's so much fun to tease-"
She gets a mouthful of his tongue for that, making a noise in her throat as he works at her, swift and sure and hungry. Her knees lock to keep from falling; she wraps an arm around his neck, feels like climbing up his bare chest, hook her legs around his waist. They're both still in swimsuits - how easy would it be to just-?
A shriek has her jumping away even as Dashiell chases his sister back into the bathroom, brandishing a fork like a weapon. Castle reaches over and yanks it out of his hand, grabs him by the shoulder.
"I told you no, Dashiell." His voice is low and threatening even as Ellery hides behind his legs. "No knives, no forks. No weapons aimed at your sister."
Dash's face is twisted. "Tell her to leave. Me. ALONE!"
"Time out," Kate says, pointing to the front door. "On the mat. Five minutes for not respecting Daddy."
"But I'm NOT FIVE YET!"
"Dashiell Alexander-"
"I'm going!" he roars, but his voice breaks at the end, tremulous tears coursing down his cheeks. "Don't say all my names, not all my names. I'm *going,* Mommy-"
She watches him stomp to the front door and plop down, his face to the wall, his shoulders shaking. But he stays quiet because he knows better than to weep and moan in time out.
Ellery giggles and Castle rounds on her. "Leave your brother alone. We don't laugh when people make mistakes. We try to help them be better."
Ella stands rooted to the spot, stubbornness etched into every line of her face. Her jaw sets and she flashes a quick look at Kate, as if to see if her mother will negate the pronouncement.
"Daddy's right. Let's get pajamas on and then you can stay in your room and play quietly until dinner. By yourself."
Ella's nostrils flare and she marches to her room, almost stomping but not quite. Castle sighs. "She provoked him. I've seen her do it before. She thinks it's funny when he flies off the handle."
"I've seen her do it too. You don't have to justify it to me," Kate says, slipping her arm through his. "Plus these kids are seriously worn out. I think it's dinner and then we'll let everyone in the big bed to skype with Alexis on the iPad. Maybe they'll fall asleep."
He gives her a chagrinned look, leans over to kiss her temple, fingers brushing her hips. "You are a smart woman. Now go get a shower yourself and put on some clothes; I'll dress Ella. You're just too sexy for me like this." He runs his hands down her sides, too purposeful to be anything other than erotic.
She laughs, but she catches the dark look in his eyes and stops laughing, only grins instead. "You'll let Dash up?"
"If I remember," he says casually, wriggling his eyebrows as he heads for Ellery's room.
"Be good, Daddy."
He sighs. "No fun, Mommy."
After everyone's had pizza and been cleaned up, after Dashiell apologizes for threatening Ellery and Ellery apologizes for goading Dash, after warm little bodies are tucked in beside them in the master bed, Kate texts Alexis from her phone to find out if she's around.
She texts back while Castle loads Skype; they connect within seconds. After a moment, both Dash and Ella are crawling into Castle's lap and crowding the screen, bouncing and yelling at Alexis. Their older sister is laughing, and apparently using her phone to skype because the view keeps changing, her apartment bedroom, the kitchen, a window, the hallway, the living room.
"Dashiell! Ellery! Hey, Dad! Where's Mom?"
Castle adjusts the ipad and Kate leans against his shoulder, smiling at Alexis. "Hey, Allie."
Alexis groans and rolls her eyes at Kate, but Ellery and Dashiell both giggle at the nickname. "Isis, when you gonna be here?" Dash says, putting both hands on the screen as if to touch her.
Castle wraps an arm around his waist, pulls him away from the screen. Ella wriggles into a space next to her brother, tilting her head in askance - her way of repeating the question.
"Wednesday. I've got a flight down in the morning."
"Need us to come get you?" Kate asks. Now that her head is resting against Castle's shoulder, it seems impossible to move it.
"I'm renting a car. I figure it might be good for there to be two cars among the three adults."
"Good idea," Castle says. "What time can we expect you?"
"Uh, nine or so. Flight is way early. But I didn't want to miss another day. Hey, Dash - have you gotten to jump in the waves, little brother?"
"Yes. They are HUGE. And then they get smaller, and they fake me out and I get smacked in the face! It's so cool."
Alexis is laughing hard; Kate can hear one of her room mate's giggling too. The other girl comes into view and waves, hugging Alexis, dark cheek to pale cheek.
"Hey there, Alisha," Castle says. "You guys having a good semester?"
"The best, of course," Alisha grins and releases Alexis. "Hey little Ellery - you have gotten so big, girlfriend! Look at you!"
Ella sits up straighter and shoots a pleased look over her shoulder at Kate, as if proud to be remembered. Kate grins down at her, smooths a hand over her dark hair.
"And Dashy-" Alisha grins at him. "Dashy, your birthday is soooo soon, isn't it? I got you something. Allie's gonna bring it with her."
Alexis makes a face and shoves at Alisha. "Stop calling me that. Mom, this is your fault," she accuses, turning back to the screen and catching Kate's eyes, pointing her finger. "No one will shut up with that."
"It's fate, pumpkin," Castle grins. "It's better than Tex-Lex. Remember when Lofton kept calling you that and then Dash couldn't stop either?"
"Oh, jeez, Dad-"
"Tex-Lex!" Alisha crows, pumping her fist. "Oh my gosh, NEW ONE!"
"Tex-Lex, Tex-Lex!" Dashiell chants, bouncing in Castle's lap.
Alexis shoots daggers at her father. "Thanks. This is sooo much better."
"Allie's not so bad now, is it?" Kate laughs. Ellery is glancing back and forth from the screen where Alexis and Alisha are to the faces of her parents, then to the giggling Dash, trying to follow. She reaches up and presses a hand to Castle's cheek.
"What so funny?"
This sends Alisha into peels of laughter. "Ella-babe, you are too cute. Okay, I gotta run guys. Ya'll have fun on vacation. Allie, see you later?"
"I'll meet you after this," Alexis says, the two embracing before Alisha leaves.
"Where she go?" Ella says, reaching out to put her finger on the screen.
Alexis meets Kate's eyes, gives a little laugh. "Well, hey there, baby girl. You talking a lot today?"
Ella draws her finger down the screen; Castle huffs and closes his hand over hers, tugging her back against his chest. Kate smiles to herself; he absolutely hates getting the ipad smeared with little fingers.
"Alisha is headed to a friend's. I'm gonna meet them later. Ellery, did you get to play in the sand and build castles with daddy? That's what he and I used to do on the beach."
Ella nods, her lips spreading into a grin. Dashiell jumps in. "We made alligators in the moat too! And then daddy made us sand bad guys and we shot arrows at 'em and then we crunched 'em and Ella stomped, and I stomped, and then Daddy took us to stomp on the waves too."
"Whoa. Sounds awesome. Weren't the waves too big to stomp?"
"Daddy dragged us up and helped us."
Kate glances to Castle with an eyebrow, her chin against his shoulder. He shrugs, and Alexis laughs; Kate glances at her and sees she's watching them, looking smug.
"Daddy's good at helping. What else have you guys done?"
Dashiell launches into a long, exaggerated rendition of his terrible dinner at the Mercantile and how his father took him over to the market and let him pick out new dinner. Kate wriggles closer to Castle, sliding her hand around his waist, dipping under the waistband on his pajama pants, warming up her cold fingers.
He lets go of one side of the ipad, wraps his arm around her shoulders, tugs her in closer to kiss her forehead. "Love you," he whispers, trying not to interrupt Dashiell's imitation of a shark he swears he saw in the ocean. But don't worry, he stomped it too.
Kate lifts her mouth to his ear, brushes a mild kiss across his jaw. "Love you back."
"Ew, guys, have they been like that for your whole trip?" Alexis laughs, wrinkling her nose. Castle sticks out his tongue at her and Alexis laughs harder, making Dash turn around to check out what his father is doing.
Castle wears an innocent expression. "Turn around. You'll miss your big sister."
"Huh?" Dashiell squints one eye, totally unconvinced that something didn't just happen over his head. Ellery is wearing a knowing look; she leans in and touches Dash's chest to get his attention.
Dashiell looks at her, then Alexis, then back to his littlest sister. Ella sticks out her tongue and touches it, then points at Castle.
"Ohh, Ellery told on you!" Alexis chortles. "Or signed it at least."
Dashiell turns around with a huff. "Daddy, you sticked your tongue out!"
"Stuck."
"Stuck," Ellery agrees, then turns in Castle's lap and holds her arms out for her mother. Kate takes her, cuddling her against her chest, kissing her hair, smelling of sun and soap.
"You told on Daddy, baby girl," she whispers with a grin. "Can't let him get away with that, right?"
Ella curls her little fingers in Kate's hair and rests her cheek against her mother's shoulder. She doesn't say anything else, and her eyes are drooping.
"Someone's tired," Castle murmurs.
Dashiell and Alexis are making silly faces at each other on the screen, cross-eyed and tongues out, wriggling fingers, sound effects on Dash's side of things.
"Hey kiddo, you and Allie wanna talk while me and Mommy put your sister to bed?"
"Which sister?" Dashiell cracks up, laughing deliriously at his own joke.
Kate rolls her eyes - what a Castle - and Alexis, through the video, is doing the same, laughing.
"Wow, you have no idea how much I miss you guys," she says.
Kate's heart drops to hear the wistfulness in Alexis's voice. "We miss you too, Alexis."
"Do I get a good-night from you, Ellie-bean?"
Ella lifts her head from Kate's shoulder and blows Alexis a kiss, then another and another. Alexis laughs and pretends to catch them, then blows kisses back.
"Love you, little sister." On the screen, a chat window pops up to display the heart icon. Kate points it out to Ellery, kissing her cheek.
Ellery sighs and snuggles down into Kate, her smile soft and sleepy. Castle has already grabbed a pillow to prop up the ipad, admonishing Dashiell not to touch it - on pain of death - and he moves around the bed to help Kate up.
She reaches out a hand for him; Castle slides her to the edge of the bed by the ankles, making her laugh, then helps her stand with Ella snuggled in her arms.
On the bed, Dashiell is chatting to Alexis about his new swimming trunks and how they attract sharks with their special meat smells. Alexis is laughing and asking why they don't reek of meat all the time.
As Kate follows Castle out of the door, she hears Dashiell say, "Because I have to turn them on, silly. But it's okay. When I'm in the water, I got a sonic shovel like Dr. Who and none of those sharks can get me. I sonic 'em and they flip over and go - ug, ug, ug - and sink down to the bottom of the ocean where they can't get us no more."
Kate laughs to herself and rubs her hand up and down Ella's back, her chin to the top of the little girl's head.
Castle turns with a question in his eyes.
"Oh, just your son, making up stories."
"Yeah, he lacks grammar, but he more than makes up for it with his excellent use of rising action."
Kate bumps into his back with her body, Ellery between them and nearly asleep. "Of course, that would be what you care about."
"Oh, you're worried about the untruthfulness of the stories? Yeah, well, it's not that bad."
"Other than the fact that he's lying."
"He's not lying. Not exactly. He's story-telling. It's. . .there's a difference. He doesn't lie about other things."
"Except when he's in trouble."
Castle sighs. "Well. Yeah. Can you blame him?"
"Castle."
"Don't get me wrong; he gets time-out for that. But the story-telling is a natural thing. I don't think he even knows-"
"Yeah, see, Castle, that's what worries me. He doesn't even know he's telling these huge whoppers."
"I just. . .I don't think it's a big deal. But we'll talk later, okay?"
Which means, he's hoping to appease her, and he'll never bring it up again. Kate sighs but follows him into Ellery's dark room, letting it go for now.
She waits while Castle pulls down the sheets and finds all of Ella's little loveys - the blanket, Totoro, the tshirt of Kate's from a 5K that Ellery doesn't seem to want to give back. Kate leans over and places her in bed, drawing the covers up to her chin as Ellery hums and turns onto her stomach, arm snuggling around Toto.
"Good night, sweet baby girl." Kate kisses her cheek, but Ella throws her arm around Kate's neck and hangs on. Kate buries her nose in Ella's neck, blowing a soft raspberry until the girl giggles. "Night-night, baby. We're going shopping tomorrow morning."
"Shoes," she whispers in the dark.
Behind her, Kate hears Castle chuckle as he bends over her, kisses Ellery's forehead, presses his palm into her chest and jiggles her into the mattress. Ella giggles again, letting go of Kate's neck to wrap her hands around her father's forearm.
Castle jiggles her until her eyes fly open, her giggles making her breathless. "Be good. We might be persuaded to get you some new shoes."
"Rick," Kate sighs, twisting his ear to get him away, trusting that the darkness hides enough so that Ellery doesn't copy her later. Though she might. Stupid move, Kate.
Castle turns his head and nips at her arm, rubs his lips over her skin when she lets go, then wraps an arm around her neck like Ellery did.
"Sleep, Ellery Kate. See you in the morning." He pushes on Kate to get her moving, but she detaches from him and leans back over Ellery, unable to help herself.
"I love you, Ellery. All the time-"
"All the ways," Ellery whispers back, her nose brushing Kate's, hands up to touch her mother's cheeks.
"That's right baby. Always."
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