92Las chapter my dear readers. I know, I'm sad too. But I don't want to be sad, I just did an exam today, it went good, so I'll say goodbye to this story with a smile as well! This one is about photos, I thought it would be a great ending chapter.
Kate just loved to, once in a while, got through photographs. She brought from the closet a small box and sat on the edge of the bed.
Lanie was the one who took that photo. Kate's favorite for sure. The photo was taken on the beach. Kate was wearing a white summer dress that reached her by the knee. She was barefoot, on the tip of feet with her arms around Rick's neck. Her hair was wavy, down, framing her face and there was a full grin on her lips. His face was close to hers; he was gazing into her eyes with the same smile on him as the one she had. He had his arms wrapped around her waist and the sun was setting right behind them, amazingly positioned, illuminating their faces.
Kate smiled holding the photo. The only thing portrayed on it was Johanna's face, more specifically her bright greenish eyes, her nose and her lips put together, ready to give a kiss. Rick told her to send a kiss to the camera. Instead the two-year-old walked to him and he got the shot before her lips cracked a kiss on the lens of the camera.
She remembered that photo. But, well, she did remember all the five days. Paris was the background outside the window and that was, if she was not mistaken, the second day of their honeymoon. It was a honeymoon, seven months after their wedding, but it was still lived with the same intensity as if had been enjoyed at the right time. Kate was pregnant at the time, so they agreed to delay the travel. But that photo, whenever she looks at it, she blushes and thinks that she can actually be sexy. Rick sure had a great eye for that shot. She was lying in bed, without any piece of clothe on. Yet, nothing private was exposed. Both her legs were shrunk, hiding her groin area and her right arm was put across her chest, covering her breasts. She had her head turned to the camera and her hair fell over her cheek and chest, dazzling framing her.
Oh, Jimmy and the boys. Kate was more than smiling, she was near giggling. Jimmy, Ryan and Esposito were beyond words on that photo, taken right in the 12th, better, in a cell. If she ever imagined everywhere Castle, Ryan and Esposito had been taking that kid they'd be dead just with her look! For some reason all of their kids knew that police station too well… She couldn't tell if the two detectives were in some way adorable or just being ridiculous, standing next to her son. The three of them were on a pose of demonstration of power and masculinity, showing the muscles. It wouldn't look that bad if they were not clenching the teeth…
This photo she was holding now was taken on one of those days when the team got the chance to be all together, outside work, just like old times before everyone having a family at home. Not that they didn't like having a family at home, waiting for them, but sometimes they all wanted a night out for a couple of drinks; to just be like they used to be, all single and without obligations. They were on the Old Haunt, she, Castle, Lanie, Ryan, Esposito and Jenny that usually joined them on those nights. Just the five of them and Jenny, or like Castle likes to say "the fantastic five and a beautiful lady", "the best team of the Homicides and a beautiful lady" or "the New York finest ones and a beautiful lady", always including Jenny, because she was part of the team just like he was even though both didn't belong to the precinct. They were all sat at a booth, each man with the arm over his woman shoulder, grinning to the photo, holding the beer bottle. Logan, one of the Rick's employees took the photo of the six, all almost on top of each other's to fit in the picture.
It was Richard Castle's ninth book release party. The ninth of the Nikki Heat series, four of them already turned into movies and all of the books, as always, had been selling hits. Everyone was there, literally everyone. Castle obviously invited his friends to come, but now his friends also brought their families. And he also invited her father, Jim Beckett. He was part of the family. So, as they, the adults, were entertained, so were their kids, stealing food just for fun, doing pranks to the waiters, being the five of them little devils. But they were able to behave for the photo. All the men, with no exception of age were dressed in tuxedos and the ladies, well, it was impossible to tell who was the most stunning, because they all were beautiful. From Beckett, to Lanie, Jenny and Martha, the four women were the most gorgeous of the party, and even little Johanna, who put up a fuss to wear a dress, was adorable.
Beckett had to admit, looking at the photo, that other than her kids, there was only one more person she considered adorable when sleeping. And that was her husband; her boyfriend at the time. She decided to take a photo of that adorableness sleeping. She caught him on this shot on a winter night, and they were not in bed but on her couch, watching a movie. Rick's hair was messy as Kate had been running her fingers through it, and she just couldn't explain why she loved so much seeing him sleeping. Maybe it was because he was profound and peacefully sleeping with his head over her legs. That day turned out to be very important. She stroked his cheek with her thumb and kissed his forehead, the tip of his nose and pecked on his lips until he opened up his eyes. That was the first time she ever told him that she loved him…
Kate held another photo in hands. She was didn't know this photo had been taken, but she certainly remembered the date. Mother's Day, two years ago. She, Jimmy and Johanna were on the photo. They were on the zoo, next to the area of the elephants. Beckett was ducked as her two kids were hugging her; Jimmy was ten-years-old and Johanna was five-years-old. Their gift for her, with a little help from their father, was, as Kate loves elephants, having her adopting an elephant since, and as Rick explained Johanna, they couldn't take one home.
Beckett made the promise to herself of only grabbing one more photo. And she couldn't have picked a better one than the family photo. Martha suggested a walk on the park to take the kids out of the house for a couple of hours; Castle and Beckett agreed. At some point the actress stood behind and watched them walking. Her son and Kate were walking hand in hand when Jimmy held his mother's hand. Then Johanna came running to them too and Rick picked her up in arms. Martha caught that shot with them back turned to the camera, but it was beautiful as the sun helped creating a warmer atmosphere, shedding the reds and oranges colors over the greenish of the trees. After that, Martha joined them and they walked home.
Home. Now every time Beckett says she's heading home, she only thinks of that loft where she lives now with Rick, Martha, Jimmy and Johanna. And she says "this is our home". Home is where the heart stops, and if the heart wants what the heart wants, then that home is exactly where she's supposed to be. With the ones she loves, with the ones who love her. With her family, with her friends. With her memories…their memories.
THE END
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