Reborn in Castle (TV show)

[1 week later] [8 PM]

The glass doors of the movie theater opened, releasing Kate and Travis into the crowded shopping center along with dozens of teenagers who were already arguing loudly about vampires, werewolves, and which emotionally unstable supernatural boy deserved Bella Swan more.

Travis walked beside Kate with both hands inside his jacket pockets, his expression carrying the hollow exhaustion of a man who had survived something deeply unpleasant and had only recently realized nobody intended to apologize.

Kate glanced toward him and immediately noticed the look on his face. "You've been silent since the credits started."

"I'm still processing the movie," Travis replied as they moved through the crowd toward the escalators. "Like, what the hell did we just see?"

Kate laughed as she adjusted the strap of her purse over her shoulder. "It wasn't that terrible."

Travis stopped walking for half a second and turned his head toward her. "Why would anyone sane make such a terrible movie?"

A teenage girl wearing a Team Edward shirt looked over at him with immediate offense. Travis noticed her expression and lowered his voice slightly as he continued walking beside Kate.

"I'm asking a reasonable question," he added. "Every character spent the entire movie looking miserable, whispering dramatically, or threatening to fight over a girl who still hasn't figured out what she wants."

Kate's smile widened while they stepped onto the downward escalator. "Bella knows what she wants."

"Does she really know what she wants?" Travis asked as he rested one hand on the moving rail. "She wants to marry Edward, kiss Jacob, become a vampire, finish school, avoid hurting Charlie, and somehow keep everybody happy while two supernatural armies prepare to murder each other around her."

"She's eighteen and dealing with a complicated situation," Kate replied. "Most people at that age don't know what they want for dinner."

"She's choosing between eternal life with a hundred-year-old creepy stalker and a shirtless werewolf with anger management problems," Travis said. "That goes slightly beyond normal teenage confusion."

Kate gave him an amused look as the escalator carried them toward the lower level. "Edward isn't exactly a stalker in this one."

"He watches her sleep with a creepy look, controls half her decisions, disables her truck in the earlier movie, and keeps acting like protecting her gives him ownership over her life," Travis replied. "If he didn't sparkle in sunlight, he'd be the subject of a restraining order."

Kate laughed hard enough that a couple standing ahead of them glanced back. She tried covering the smile with one hand, though the effort failed almost immediately.

"You've clearly spent too much time thinking about this," she said.

"I spent two hours trapped in a dark room with these people," Travis replied as they stepped off the escalator. "My brain started examining the evidence because the romance wasn't helping."

They followed the signs toward the food court, moving past clothing stores. Kate stayed close beside him, clearly entertained by how personally offended he seemed by the movie.

"You've got to admit the fight scenes were decent," she said.

"The vampire training scene was fine," Travis admitted. "Jasper finally became useful for longer than thirty seconds, and the newborn vampires actually looked dangerous."

Kate pointed toward him with a satisfied smile. "There you have it. You enjoyed something."

...

[8:44 PM] [Parking Lot]

By the time Kate and Travis stepped into the parking lot, most of the evening crowd had started clearing out. The shopping center lights reflected across the rows of parked cars. Their quick dinner had improved Travis's mood considerably. Kate had ordered noodles with Szechuan chicken, while Travis had a cheeseburger and an entire serving of fish and chips.

Kate laughed at his joke as they reached the Aston Martin. Travis unlocked the car, though instead of opening the passenger door, he stepped closer and wrapped both arms around her waist.

Kate looked up at him with a warm smile before sliding her arms around his neck.

Travis held her comfortably against him while studying her face. "You know, I've been thinking about something."

Kate leaned a little closer, clearly interested now. "About what exactly?"

"Us," Travis replied, and the playful edge in his expression softened. "Since I'm still healing and you're taking a break from work while dealing with everything too, maybe we should go somewhere nice for a week or two."

'I've been thinking about taking a quick vacation. It'd be nice to spend some time away from here,' Kate leaned closer, her smile growing. "Yeah?"

Travis nodded. "Yeah. We could get away from New York for a while, relax, and spend some time together without hospitals, therapy appointments, or any thoughts of work getting in the way."

Kate looked into his eyes. "Where do you think we should go?"

"Bali."

Her eyebrows lifted slightly. "Bali?"

He nodded. "Warm weather, beach, good food, and plenty of quiet places where nobody from the precinct can bother us. Also, I heard there are some good healers who use ancient ways to treat wounds and find peace."

Kate narrowed her eyes playfully. "You've already planned this, haven't you?"

"I might've done some research."

"How much research?"

"Enough to know you'll love it."

Kate moved her fingers lightly along the back of his neck. "You sound very confident."

"I usually am."

"That confidence gets you into trouble."

Travis pulled her a little closer. "You seem to enjoy the consequences."

Kate laughed softly and shook her head. "You really don't know when to stop."

"I'll stop when you answer me."

She pretended to think for a few seconds, though the smile on her face had already given him the answer.

"Alright," Kate said. "Let's go to Bali."

Travis grinned. "You're serious?"

"I'm serious. A week or two away might be good for both of us."

He leaned closer until their faces were only inches apart.

Kate looked briefly at his lips before meeting his eyes again.

Travis kissed her, holding her gently against him. Kate tightened her arms around his neck and kissed him back, smiling when they finally pulled apart.

"So Bali is officially happening," Travis said.

Kate nodded. "Bali is officially happening."

He kissed her once more before opening the passenger door for her.

"I'm driving," Kate said as she took the keys from his hand and went over to the driver's side.

...

[Meanwhile...]

[Castle's Penthouse]

The elevator doors opened, and Castle entered the penthouse with Gina beside him. Their coats carried a faint trace of the cool night air, while the distant city lights shone through the tall windows across the living room.

Gina walked close enough that her arm brushed against his as Castle closed the door behind them. She turned toward him, rested one hand against his chest, and kissed him without hesitation.

Castle placed a hand lightly against her waist and returned the kiss. When Gina pulled away, she gave him a small smile before glancing toward the hallway.

"I'm going to freshen up," Gina said as she turned around and noticed Castle's mom and daughter. She gave a little smile and looked back at Castle. "I'll be back in a minute."

Castle nodded as she walked toward the bathroom. He watched her disappear down the hallway, then turned toward the kitchen area.

Martha and Alexis were both staring at him.

Martha stood beside the counter with a cup of tea in her hand, while Alexis sat at the kitchen table with an open textbook in front of her. Neither of them made any attempt to hide their interest.

Castle slowly removed his coat and placed it over the back of a nearby chair. "I recognize that look, Mother."

Martha lifted her eyebrows as she studied him. "So, you two are getting together again?"

Castle glanced toward the hallway before walking into the kitchen. "We met for dinner, talked about a few things, and decided there might still be something worth exploring between us."

Alexis closed her textbook and rested her arms on the table. "Does that mean you're officially dating again?"

Castle leaned against the kitchen counter and folded his arms. "We haven't put a label on anything yet. We're spending time together, and maybe we can get back together again if things continue going well."

Martha took a slow sip of tea while watching his face. "You've already married and divorced that woman twice, Richard. I think a little caution would be reasonable."

Castle's expression tightened slightly, though he kept his voice calm. "I know our history is complicated. Gina knows it too, and neither of us is pretending the past didn't happen."

Alexis studied him for a moment. "Why now?"

Castle looked toward her. "We've been talking more because of the publishing schedule. Somewhere along the way, we stopped arguing long enough to remember why we liked each other in the first place."

Martha placed her cup on the counter. "And you're certain this has nothing to do with Detective Beckett?"

Castle's eyes shifted toward her immediately. He gave a forced smile. "Why would Beckett have anything to do with this?"

Martha held his gaze with the patience of someone who had known him his entire life. "You came home from The Old Haunt looking miserable, spent half the night examining your face for wrinkles, and started seeing Gina again shortly afterward."

Castle straightened and tried to keep his expression neutral. "Those events aren't connected."

Alexis looked between them before speaking carefully. "Dad, you know you don't have to prove anything to anyone."

"I'm not trying to prove anything," Castle replied. "Gina and I had dinner because we wanted to talk. We enjoyed ourselves, and we decided to see where things might go."

Martha watched him quietly, waiting to see whether he believed his own answer.

Castle exhaled and looked toward the living room windows. "Beckett has her own life, and she can make her own choices. Travis has been good to her, especially after everything that happened. Whatever I might have imagined before doesn't change where things are now."

Martha's expression softened. "Does Gina know how you felt about Beckett?"

"There's nothing between Beckett and me, mother," Castle said with a sigh. "Anyway, Gina and I are taking things slowly. We're talking honestly, spending time together, and seeing whether we've changed enough to avoid repeating the same mistakes."

Alexis nodded slightly, though concern still showed in her eyes. "I like Gina, but I don't want either of you getting hurt again."

Castle reached across the table and rested his hand over hers. "I don't want that either. I'm trying to make a careful decision, even though everyone in this family seems convinced I'm incapable of making one."

Martha gave him a measured look. "Your romantic history does give us considerable evidence."

Castle opened his mouth to respond, but the bathroom door opened before he could defend himself.

Gina returned to the living room after adjusting her hair. She slowed when she noticed the three of them gathered around the kitchen with serious expressions.

"I feel like I walked into a family meeting," Gina said as she approached them. "Should I be concerned?"

Castle stepped away from the counter and moved toward her. "They were asking whether we're getting back together."

Gina looked toward Martha and Alexis, then gave them a calm smile. "We're spending time together again. We're trying to figure out whether we can make things work without rushing into old habits."

Martha nodded slowly. "That sounds more sensible than Richard's explanation."

Castle looked mildly offended. "I said almost exactly that."

Alexis rose from the table and walked over to Gina. "I'm glad you're both taking your time."

Gina reached out and squeezed Alexis's hand gently. "So am I. Your father and I have made enough impulsive decisions for several lifetimes."

Castle looked between them. "I'm standing close enough to hear this conversation."

Gina turned toward him and rested one hand against his arm. "That's probably healthy for you."

Castle studied her face, then allowed his expression to soften. "We're going to be careful this time."

Gina nodded while keeping her hand against his arm. "We're going to be honest this time."

Martha picked up her tea and looked between them. "Honesty would certainly improve your odds."

Castle glanced toward Gina before taking her hand. She linked her fingers with his, and the gesture carried less heat than their kiss at the door, though it felt more meaningful.

"By the way, we've decided to go on a family trip with everyone," Gina said with a smile.

Castle said, "We thought it'd be a great idea to bond as a family."

Alexis's eyes lit up in excitement, "Where are we going?"

"One week trip to Bali," Castle replied.

--

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[18 advance chs] + [Modern Family: 30 chs Early access]