A/N: whew, i accomplished my goal of finishing this before Monday. which, in case you were wondering, is in FOUR DAYS! :D
warning: lack of a plot and excessive fluff. yay. :P
disclaimers: 1) if i owned Castle, you'd be able to watch my stories on TV. 2) Bon Jovi owns the title & lyrics quoted. (they have a new single available on iTunes now, btw. ;]) 3) thanks to the lovely Pendragon & Speff from castlescapers . com, and our very own foreverhopefuloflove for giving me ideas for Castle's embarrassing stories! 4) all character names borrowed from my real life family members :) ... well, except Izzy. but he's just special, lol.
One Wild Night
Life is for the living, so you gotta live it up, come on, let's go.
*
"Where do you keep your alcohol?"
"I think there's something wrong with the toilet!"
"Change the channel, damnit!"
"Seriously, I'm running on empty here. Where is it?"
"Whoops, can someone get me a paper towel?"
"So the other day I met this chick…"
"Ew, who made the food?"
"Fine, I'll find it myself!"
Rick Castle sat at the kitchen island, chin resting in his hand, morosely watching the chaos in his apartment. In recent years it had become the tradition that he, Alexis, and Martha would host a family reunion-style New Year's Eve party. The apartment was always crammed with relatives of all shapes, sizes, and decibel levels; this year was no different in that respect.
But this year, he had a girlfriend. That changed everything.
He sighed and ducked out of the way as Aunt Linda lifted a platter of food over his head. Placing his chin in his hand again, he resumed his thoughts. He didn't like the term "girlfriend," because Kate Beckett was not a girl. No, he thought with a smile, she's a woman. But nobody uses the term "womanfriend," and "ladyfriend" would be just plain stupid, as would "lover" or "partner." He took a moment to curse the English language for its lack of proper terminology for his … whatever she was. Either way, he had one. And she would be arriving at his apartment momentarily.
On one hand, he couldn't wait for her to get there. Sure, he liked his family well enough, but he couldn't snuggle up on the couch with any of them. He couldn't play with their hair, or rest his hands at the small of their back, or delight in their shivers as he kissed their neck, because he wouldn't be kissing their neck in the first place. Nor could he tell them anything of great personal significance; weakness was not appreciated from the men in this family, so admitting any sort of self-doubt would be disastrous. No, that's where Kate came in. She wasn't just someone to wiggle his eyebrows at suggestively; she was a sympathetic ear as well. And he appreciated that to the nth degree, probably more so than he could express to her.
But on the other hand … it took a special brand of person to deal with the crazies he called family. He winced as his mother began belting out some showtune or another, accompanied by Uncle Lou on the piano, to rousing cheers from his relatives. Yes, this could be quite a disaster.
"Don't look so excited, dad. It's a little overwhelming." Alexis came up beside him, grinning.
He chuckled. "And what about you, huh? I don't see you joining in on the festivities!" he said, nodding in the direction of the piano.
"Showtunes really aren't my thing. Besides, this is way more fun to watch than to participate in! Why so serious?"
He raised an eyebrow. "I'm bringing an innocent outsider into this…" he struggled to find the right words, "…bizarre … dysfunctional…"
Alexis placed a hand on his arm. "Relax. I'm almost positive that Kate's seen worse than a rowdy party on New Year's Eve."
He paused. "But we've only been a couple for five days. Was it too soon to invite her to a family party?"
"First of all, you've been friends with her for a lot longer than five days. And second, she said she'd come, didn't she? Of her own free will?"
"No, actually," he said seriously. "I tied her to a chair and threatened her with my gym socks."
She rolled her eyes and shoved his shoulder. He laughed. "If she agreed to come, that means she's okay with it," she said reassuringly. The doorbell rang, and she smiled. "That's my cue to disappear." She kissed his cheek and darted into the living room.
Rick headed quickly for the door. Despite his trepidation about what may ensue, he couldn't deny that he wanted to see Kate. They'd seen each other every day since Christmas, and he … crap, did he miss her? After less than 24 hours apart? He rolled his eyes at himself. You, sir, are pathetic.
But when he peeked around the door, all internal mutterings evaporated. If there was anyone in the world to miss after 24 hours, it was definitely her.
"Hey," he said. After a slight pause, he added, "You look fantastic."
Kate's brow furrowed. "I'm wearing a coat."
"Yes, but I see some leg under it."
She raised an amused eyebrow. "That's what constitutes 'fantastic'?"
"Well, you look fantastic in anything."
She smiled. "Well aren't you easy to please!" He laughed. "I wish I could comment on what you're wearing, but there seems to be a slab of wood and metal in the way." She looked at him expectantly. "Are you going to let me in?"
"I need you to promise me something first."
"Um. Okay?"
He glanced nervously over his shoulder. "Promise me you won't leave me because of anything you might see in here."
She hesitated, unsure of whether she should laugh or be worried. "Sure?"
"No, you have to promise."
"Rick, what the hell are you talking about?"
"My family. They're insane."
"Yes, you did warn me about that."
"I need to know that they're not going to scare you off!"
She sighed. "Are they doing anything illegal?"
"Not that I'm aware of, no."
"Then there shouldn't be any problems."
"They're all like my mother."
"And I like your mother."
"You haven't seen twenty of her in the same room, though."
She glared at him. "Seriously, are you going to open the door, or am I going to have to kick it down? Because I'm coming in one way or another."
"Promise, and I'll let you in."
She sighed. "I promise, but you're being completely ridiculous."
He smiled. "I know," he said, opening the door and stepping aside to let her in, "it's part of my charm."
She rolled her eyes but smiled as she stepped over the threshold and shrugged out of her coat, revealing a midnight blue scoop neck shirt and knee-length black skirt. Closing the door, he stepped closer to her, taking her coat, and said softly in her ear, "You really do look fantastic."
He felt her smile. "You don't look so bad yourself," she murmured.
He placed his free hand on her waist, heart pounding happily. "Would it be totally lame of me to say that I missed you?"
She chuckled breathily, sending shivers down his spine. "No."
He turned his head slightly, so the tip of his nose rested where her ear curved into her cheek. "Then I missed you."
She grinned and bit her lip, turning her head so her nose brushed the side of his. "Good to know the feeling's mutual."
He couldn't help but grin as he gazed into her eyes. How was it possible that a woman this amazing felt as silly about him as he did about her?
Martha, in the midst of her performance, spotted the pair by the door. The sight warmed her down to her toes and almost brought a tear to her eye. They looked so happy. Truly, honest-to-god content. And if a mother wants anything in the world, it's to see her baby happy.
Unfortunately, however, the crowd in the room noticed her lapse in concentration and collectively turned towards the door.
"When did she get here?!"
Martha sighed. Whoops.
There was a roar of noise and a rush of movement towards the door. In the blink of an eye, Kate found herself pulled from Rick's arms and standing in the middle of a crowd of people, all of whom were talking to her.
"It's so nice to meet you!"
"Ohmygosh, I love your skirt!"
"How'd Rick manage to hook a hottie like you?"
"Can I get you something to eat?
Kate looked over her shoulder towards Rick, who was still standing by the door. His arms were crossed over his chest, an amused "I told you so" look on his face. Laughing, she turned back towards his family and began shaking the hands that were waving in her direction.
Within about five minutes, she'd been introduced to the vast majority of the family, and couldn't even pretend to remember all of their names. It was a complete whirlwind of faces, relations, and stories, and she loved every minute of it. She'd never had a big family; she was an only child, as was her mother. Her dad had a brother, but he and his family had lived in Miami since before she could remember. All of her grandparents had passed away (of natural causes, for which she was extremely grateful), and both her parents had been ripped from her, one admittedly more permanently than the other. So having a revolving door of relatives coming and going before her was a bit disconcerting at first. They were all friendly though, she noted thankfully, and more inclined to wonder what she saw in Rick than what he saw in her. "It's a long story," she'd reply with a chuckle. She saw glimpses of him in almost everyone she met; Aunt Brenda shared his deep blue eyes, cousin Marty had the same rapier-like wit, Uncle Paul was a big teddy bear, and grandma Myrna was still a child at heart.
Before she knew it, she was being handed a plate of food, squished on the couch with several aunts and uncles intent on finding the most embarrassing stories possible about Rick to tell her.
"Personally," Uncle Bob said with the distinct Castle twinkle in his eye, "I loved hearing that my nephew was put in detention for catapulting a French fry into his principal's face."
Kate laughed. "By accident, I hope!"
He grinned. "The jury's still out on that one. But now he's got himself a cop to keep him in line!"
She chuckled. "I can't promise anything, but I'll do my best!"
"I don't know," said Aunt Sherri, shaking her head in exasperated amusement, "I'll never forget the day I heard Rick was caught sneaking into the girls' locker room."
Kate rolled her eyes and grinned. "Why does that not surprise me?"
"'Cause I haven't changed much since then," Rick chimed in, strolling past the couch. He paused to kiss Kate on the cheek before continuing. "Just for the record, they had me out of that school within the month."
"So you could wreak similar havoc on the next school that would take you?" Kate called at his retreating back.
He turned around, grinning. "You know me so well," he said, before disappearing into the kitchen.
"Hm," mused cousin Molly, "that was brave of him."
"What was?" Kate asked.
"Attempting any kind of forward momentum while looking at a pretty girl."
Everyone on the couch erupted in laughter, except Kate. "I'm sensing a good story?"
"The best!" Molly said with a grin. "When he was like thirteen, he really liked this girl that lived up the block from me. So he was visiting me once, and she was outside, so the genius decided to casually go for a bike ride in her direction."
"Oh boy," Kate sighed, seeing where this was going, "what'd he run into? Tree? Telephone pole? Pedestrian?"
"Better. A parked car."
Kate burst out laughing.
Molly giggled at her reaction. "I know, he's an idiot, right? I hope this doesn't change your perception of him. 'Cause I'll be really mad if I'm the reason you decide to ditch him, I like you!"
Kate grinned. "Thanks, I like all of you too. And don't worry, I'm fully aware of how much of an idiot he can be."
"Are you sure?" Martha piped up, joining the conversation as she sat down on the coffee table. "He once ran out on stage naked during one of my plays."
Kate couldn't hide her glee. "Oh, he is never going to live this down!"
----------------------------
Later on, Kate managed to escape to the kitchen for a moment to refill her glass of water. She chuckled to herself when she realized she equated it to escaping, which had an entirely negative connotation. She was really enjoying herself, she just … needed a breather. And another glass of water. The Castles sure knew how to keep a conversation going!
"So," drawled a voice. She turned around to see a man she hadn't met yet. "You're the new beau, huh?"
She took in his dark hair, clear blue eyes, and chiseled features; this was clearly a man who was used to women swooning at a mere glance. She refused to play that game. "I prefer Kate."
He raised a suggestive eyebrow. "So do I."
She bit back a disgusted retort; he was a member of Rick's family, and tonight was still about making a good first impression. Besides, she'd already been warned that something like this might happen. "You must be Izzy."
"You've heard about me, huh?"
"In a manner of speaking, yes."
"Well," he said, running a hand through his hair (Kate rolled her eyes), "I do have a bit of a reputation."
"From what I've heard, that reputation isn't something to be proud of."
He chuckled. "Ooooh, no wonder Rick likes you so much!"
She didn't say anything, merely folded her arms and leaned casually on the counter next to her.
His eyes flicked down her body and back up to her face. "Listen," he said, stepping closer to her and taking a card out of his pocket in one swift motion. "Take this." He held his card out to her between his pointer and middle fingers. "When you get tired of Rick, let me know. There's this really nice club that I know you'd love."
Kate had to hold back a smile; this guy was ridiculous! She glanced down at the card, but made no move to take it. "Clubbing really isn't my thing," she said coolly.
He raised his eyebrows in disbelief. "And you're dating my cousin?"
She paused for a millisecond. Did he think that Rick went clubbing? Because that was definitely not the Rick Castle she knew. No, the man she'd fallen for played laser tag with his daughter at night. He stayed with her at the precinct, or even the morgue, at night. He played poker with friends at night. He sped home to write a chapter out of his latest brainwave at night. Clubbing? Not so much on the agenda. But she didn't want to argue, so she answered simply. "Yep."
Across the room, Rick was talking to Molly.
"Seriously," she was saying, "if you let this one go, you're going to need to be put in a straightjacket and spend the rest of your life in an asylum."
"What makes you think I'm going to let her go?"
Molly looked at him pointedly. "The fact that you were previously married to two completely wrong women doesn't speak well upon your judgment."
"Good point." Rick's eyes scanned the room, absentmindedly looking for Kate. He found her in the kitchen and smiled, before realizing who she was talking to.
He sighed. Damn. Izzy.
"Don't worry, I have no plans to let her go," he said to Molly without taking his eyes off Kate.
Molly turned to look in the direction he was, and sighed as well. "I apologize on behalf of my brother."
"So you won't mind if I hit him?"
She stepped aside and held out her arm towards the kitchen. "Have at it."
Rick chuckled and tore his eyes away from Kate to look Molly in the face. "I knew there was a reason why you're my favorite relative." He cuffed her affectionately on the shoulder before striding towards his delinquent of a cousin.
"Sorry," Kate was saying, the hint of a smile playing across her lips, "but I'm quite taken at the moment."
His heart skittered happily in his chest as he approached her.
"You sure?" Izzy asked, "because—"
"Oh young Isadore," Rick said, shaking his head sadly and throwing an arm casually around Kate's shoulders. "When are you going to learn not to question women?" Kate straightened up from the counter and put her arm around his waist, hooking a finger through a belt loop on his opposite side.
Izzy bristled at the use of his name. "Am I supposed to be taking relationship advice from you?"
"Well, seeing as I'm the one in a relationship, it might serve you well."
Izzy sighed and rolled his eyes. "Relax, I was just talking to her."
Rick looked at him incredulously. "What, do you think I'm five?" Kate placed a hand on his chest. He looked at her, and she shot him a look that clearly said 'Relax.' He looked back at Izzy. "Seriously man, you hit on every other woman in the country. Just let me have this one, okay?"
Kate bit her lip to stop herself from grinning as her heartbeat sped up considerably. Yeah, she could definitely get used to being the one woman Rick wanted.
"Alright," Izzy said moodily. "I think I know a lost cause when I see one." He turned and strutted out of the kitchen.
"I've always wondered how he manages to strut even when his ego's bruised," Rick mused.
Kate chuckled and leaned her head on his shoulder. "It must run in the family."
He smiled and looked down at her. "Sorry about him. I didn't think he'd be that forward."
She shrugged a shoulder. "Don't worry about it. It's always flattering to be hit on. And besides," she said with a smile, stepping in front of him and sliding her arms around his waist, "I like that you got all territorial. Never would've pegged you for the type."
"That's 'cause I'm not the type. What the hell have you done to me?!"
She laughed, and paused slightly. "Can I ask you a question?"
"Anything."
"Do you go clubbing?"
He gave her a bewildered look, tinged slightly with amusement. "No."
"But you used to."
"Yeah."
"When's the last time you did?"
"Before Alexis was old enough to know what was going on."
She smiled. "'Kay."
"Why'd you want to know?"
"Because Izzy found it weird that I don't go clubbing and am dating you."
"Ah yes," he sighed. "My family still thinks I'm a man-about-town."
"And you're not?"
He laughed. "Don't you know me? I spend more time in the precinct than I do at home, let alone 'out on the town'!"
She chuckled. "You have a point there."
"Trust me," he said, lowering his voice and looking into her eyes. "You know me much better than anyone else here can even pretend to." She smiled shyly, and he felt his heart melt. "Now it's my turn to ask you a question."
She heaved a dramatic sigh. "Fine, I guess I do owe you one."
He smiled. "Are you really 'quite taken'?"
She returned his smile, and paused slightly before speaking. "Actions speak louder than words, right?" She stood on tiptoe and brushed her lips against his in a soft kiss that curled his toes.
She pulled away slowly and giggled as he composed himself for a moment.
He cleared his throat. "Well…" he swallowed hard. "As a writer, I'm bred to disagree with that statement, but I like that action too much to bother."
She grinned and stepped away from him, beginning to head back to the living room. He caught her hand. "Where're you going?"
"I told your aunts and uncles I was going to refill my glass of water."
"So?"
"That was fifteen minutes ago."
"So?"
She laughed. "At some point they are going to wonder about my mental faculties."
He pouted. "But I feel like I haven't seen you all night."
"So come with me. I believe we have a date with Dick Clark."
He narrowed his eyes in mock suspicion. "You have a thing for us older men, don't you?" She flicked the tip of his nose. He winced. "Ow, I'm kidding, I'm kidding."
She smiled. "I know."
"So you just enjoy abusing me for the fun of it?"
She paused contemplatively, and nodded. "Yeah, that sounds about right."
"Ah, okay, just making sure we're on the same page."
Rolling her eyes in amusement, she turned and led him towards the couch.
----------------------------
As the clock ticked closer to midnight, Rick and Kate watched the madness of Times Square on TV from the back of the living room, his arms wrapped around her from behind. The room was full, but they had a decent amount of privacy back in their little corner.
"Stay over after everyone leaves," he murmured in her ear.
She shivered slightly, only partly because his breath tickled. It wasn't a question, she noticed happily, it was a statement, a request. "Yeah. I have somewhere to be tomorrow morning so I can't stay too long, but I'm yours for a couple hours."
He smiled. "I like how that sounds."
"What?"
"'I'm yours,'" he answered, squeezing her gently.
She grinned and felt her face flush, and was suddenly very glad they weren't face to face. "So it's okay that I have to leave?"
"Well, that depends."
"On what?"
"On who you're ditching me for."
She sighed. "My dad."
He furrowed his brow. "So he doesn't want to see you on Christmas, but New Year's Day is deemed convenient?"
She slumped her head backwards to lean on his shoulder momentarily. "I know, right? He's making it so hard for me to like him."
"Is that a good enough reason for me to say that it's not okay that you have to leave?"
She chuckled and touched her forehead to his cheek affectionately. "I wish."
"THREE … TWO … ONE!" yelled the TV, "HAPPY NEW YEAR!"
Rick sighed contentedly as he watched the room around him erupt into chaos, resting his chin on Kate's shoulder. "Happy New Year," he said softly.
She smiled and squeezed his hands. "Happy New Year."
---------------------------
Two hours later, Rick threw the final piece of trash into the garbage can with a satisfying thunk. He'd cleaned up after the party by himself; Martha had mysteriously disappeared, and he'd shooed Alexis upstairs when he saw her nodding off while doing the dishes. And he'd refused, point blank, to let Kate help at all. "You're a guest," he'd said firmly, sitting her down on the couch, "and guests do not do chores." So it'd taken him longer than he would've liked it, but he'd gotten it done, and now only wanted one thing: time with his woman.
He stopped short as he entered the living room, and he couldn't stop a grin from splitting his face. Kate had fallen asleep on the couch, legs curled under her, head resting on a pillow.
He approached her quietly and knelt down. He wasn't really sure what he was going to do; he'd be perfectly happy to just let her sleep, but she had said she needed to go home at some point. But at this distance, he found himself unable to do anything at all. He was far too content to simply watch her sleep. He felt a surge of affection rise in his chest. She looked so peaceful, so relaxed, so…
Young.
He sighed and gently tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. Damn.
She opened her eyes suddenly, as if realizing she was asleep and knowing that someone was watching her. Seeing who it was, however, she smiled apologetically and rubbed her eyes blearily.
He smiled. "Morning, sunshine."
She chuckled. "How long have I been out?"
"I don't know. Not long. Fifteen minutes, maybe."
She sighed, and stretched. "Sorry about that."
"Don't apologize. I told you this couch was easy to fall asleep on!"
Kate could see something in his face had changed; his smile didn't entirely reach his eyes, and there was some worry hidden there. "What's wrong?"
"Nothing."
"Don't play that game with me, I can tell there's something bothering you."
"What do you mean?"
She glared at him. "Rick?"
He sighed, and gave in. "You know I'm thirty-eight, right?"
"Yeah. And?"
"And you're … not."
She smiled when she realized where he was going with this. "Rick, I'm thirty, not thirteen."
"Still, that's eight years."
"Age ain't nothin' but a number."
"You do realize that I'm basically middle-aged, right? And that I have a teenage daughter?"
She chuckled and rubbed a hand down her face. "You know I think Alexis is great. And age is a mindset, so you're never going to get old."
He smiled. "I'm going to get gray and wrinkly at some point, though."
She raised an eyebrow. "Yeah? So am I."
"Ya know," he sighed, "you're really hard to argue with."
"I do my best," she said with a smile. "But seriously, are you trying to convince me not to be with you?"
His gaze softened. "Of course not! I just want to make sure you know what you're getting yourself into."
She sighed, and touched his cheek. "Do you trust my judgment?"
"Absolutely."
"Then this shouldn't be an issue."
He smiled and turned his head to kiss her palm. "'Kay."
She scooted closer to the back of the couch and patted the cushion in front of her. "Care to join? Or am I too young for you to feel comfortable doing that?"
He rolled his eyes. "You're mean," he said, lying down next to her and placing a hand on her waist.
She giggled. "You make it so easy."
He grinned, unable to contain his happiness at being so close to her. "So you know what I realized?"
"No, what?"
He moved closer to her, so the tip of his nose was touching hers. "I didn't kiss you at midnight."
"Ya know, that did cross my mind," she murmured, her fingers curling into the front of his shirt.
"How can I make it up to you?" he asked, voice barely above a whisper, moving still closer, so his lips almost brushed hers when he spoke.
She smiled and answered almost inaudibly against his mouth. "I think I've got a few ideas."
FIN.
A/N: see you on the flip side of September 21st! :D :D :D