paradisalogs | Cruising down the coast goin' 'bout 99 [closed]

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Cruising down the coast goin' 'bout 99 [closed]

Who: Meg & Kate
What: Girls day at the beach
When: Friday
Where: Four Seasons Room: Summer
Rating: PG

After yet another round of castle bullshit, Meg was feeling incredibly entitled to some rest and relaxation. Nothing better came to mind than a day spent on the castle's very own private beach, and she figured it was as good a time as any to reconnect with Kate a little. Of course this Kate wouldn't see it that way, but whatever. She was cool regardless, and one of the few people Meg actually gave a damn about. That made her a prime candidate for an invitation to share some mimosas with their toes in the water.

By the time Kate showed up, Meg had wished up the perfect setup of fresh squeezed orange juice, champagne on ice, and a nifty cabana with a couple of lounge chairs right at the waters' edge to enjoy their drinks in. She'd be sitting there with a coy smile on her face, reminiscing about that one time her and August had really made the most of this place, sipping a sex on the beach that had suddenly materialized without her actively wishing for it. Giant spiders and monsoons aside, she really did have to admit that Paradisa at least had a decent sense of humor at times.

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Kate hadn't even considered saying no to Meg's offer; partially because she was overly curious about this woman that the past 'her' had been friends with, but also because she really did feel like she deserved some down time. Now that the jungle had made its way out of the castle, and everyone seemed to be in one piece after all of it, even Kate Beckett could admit that it was due time for a little relaxation.

She hadn't really understood Meg's plan; something about water and a beach, but seeing as it was in the castle, Kate was having a hard time visualizing what she was talking about. Kate showed up in her swim suit and sandals, a sheer wrap tied around her waist and a towel draped over her arm as she made her way into the room.

What she saw wasn't the least bit of what she expected, though, and Kate's mouth dropped open as she wandered in and stared out over the water. Meg was already there, a smile playing on her face that Kate took less as reminiscing and more gentle mocking in regards to Kate's own amazement, but it didn't really bother her. Kate just stood for a long moment, looking out over the water before she turned back to Meg and raised her eyebrow.

"Shut the front door."

Meg snapped out of her little trip down memory lane when Kate walked in, and she certainly wasn't wrong about the amusement. Meg's own reaction had been much the same the first time she stumbled across this room, but since then it had become one of her personal favorite getaways in the castle.

"I know, right?" She nodded her head sideways at the open lounge chair and smiled at Kate. "Say what you want about this place, but it sure does have its moments."

Not like she was complaining, overall. As far as she knew, she was dead back home. This was her end-all, be-all, whether she liked it or not. Choosing to like it tended to make her a little less miserable on the whole, so she usually went with that option.

It took Kate another long moment to finally make it to the lounge chair, and she dropped her bag and sunk into it. She couldn't help the wide smile that suddenly spread over her face and she shook her head as she looked out into the water.

Up until that moment, Kate had still been fighting the idea of a magic castle as hard as she possibly could. But this; the water lapping the sand, the sound of waves and the smell of salt in the air... That was the ever day magic that Kate had always believed in. She couldn't help but start to wonder if, just maybe, there was something magical about this place after all.

"It's gorgeous," she said, knowing better than to ask how it was possible. Meg probably wouldn't have any answer better than Kate did at this point. "How long has this place been here?"

Meg smiled as she watched her sink down in the chair and take it all in. She wasn't really as taken aback by magic in general, but the first time she had found this room her reaction had been much the same.

"Not really sure. The whole castle got a little bit of a face lift a while back, this used to be one room that was this beach some days and a frozen forest on others. Now this whole tower has a room for each season, so you can go to any of them on any day."

The spring room was nice, and as pretty as it was, the autumn one was a sad place for her. It reminded her too much of a certain first real date to really enjoy it. Winter carried a few too many memories, too, and she idly wondered if she'd still be miserable by the time the seasons rolled around again.

Luckily she'd gotten better at hiding the pain that even those fleeting thoughts brought up (or so she thought, anyway) and Meg cleared her throat, reaching for a bottle of champagne. "Anyway, neat huh? Mimosa?"

Still staring out over the water, Kate didn't quite hear Meg at first. She had her own memories to contend with; summer was fine, spring and autumn the same. Winter still held it's own kind of special pain for her, although that had started to change over the years. The chill still brought in the memory of her mother's death, down to the bone, but Kate had begun to build new memories with Castle and it helped. It didn't mask the sting of the blow completely, but it did soften it.

"Sounds good," Kate finally replied, turning to Meg and offering her a warm smile. She picked up her glass and held it out. "This was a great idea. It's nice to have a break." The beach reminded her of Castle's place at the Hamptons, and that held nothing but good memories for her. "I don't get it, though. The... The castle spends half it's time torturing us and then gives us paradise to visit whenever we want? It doesn't make any sense."

If she thought about it too much, the whole castle was tainted with bittersweet memories, but Meg was trying to move on. She was trying to connect more with other people, to stay in the ballpark of sanity instead of just wallowing in self-pity. It wasn't easy, and demons aren't particularly known for their ~positive thinking~, but dammit, she was trying. She glanced over at Kate, amused, and tilted her head to the side thoughtfully.

"Doesn't it though? The place loves extremes. It's damn near impossible to predict, but best I can tell there's some weird sense of balance to it all."

She hands over a mimosa with an equally warm smile and holds up her own for a toast. Hint: Meg's version doesn't involve much in the way of orange juice.

"To this crazy place and its screwed up karmic injustice."

Kate smirked and held her own glass up to Meg.

"Cheers."

She took a sip, thankful that Meg had erred towards the side of too much alcohol rather than not enough. She felt like she was going to need all the booze she could get in this place.

"You know, I never really thanked you for helping out with Castle was... You know." Unconscious, comatose, whatever the mess had been. Kate still didn't get it, she was just happy that he had woken up, seemingly no worse for wear. "Thanks, though. I was pretty worried about him."

Meg smiled into her glass as she took a sip, then scooted down to the end of her lounge chair, leaning back on one hand and letting her feet dangle down to where the small, gentle waves gradually rolled up to every so often.

When Kate spoke again, she turned to her and smiled.

"You're welcome. He's a good friend, wasn't gonna let that one slip by unnoticed," She took another sip and looked out over the water, keeping her expression as neutral as possible. "I had just lost my... well, someone else I really cared about. Scared the hell out of me thinking I might lose Rick, too. Guess I was feeling a little protective." She took another sip and glanced sideways back at Kate. "Wouldn't wanna see you go through that, either."

Kate pressed her lips together, staring down into her glass. It was a nice thing to hear about Rick, actually, knowing that he had made bonds with other people, made friends. He was a good friend, that was for sure. He had always been for her, even if it had taken her four years to understand that it was far more than just that.

"Rick... He was here for a while before I showed up, wasn't he?" She turned her head slightly, looking at Meg and trying to keep her expression neutral. "Is that... All you two have ever been? Friends, I mean." She managed not to make it sound accusatory. She knew how things were and really, with her absence, she wouldn't have been angry if he and Meg had ever been more than that. She would have understood, but that didn't mean she wasn't curious.

Meg almost spit out her mimosa and couldn't help laughing. "Yeah, that's definitely all we've ever been. For one, there was another version of you here when I showed up and they - you - whatever - were super happy together," she paused, her smile fading a little. "And for two, I had someone else here, too."

She drained her glass and turned back to Kate, forcing a smile. "We clicked as friends as soon as I started working at the bar, but that's all it ever was. He's a great guy but I guess you could say he's not quite my type."

"Thank God," Kate said with a nervous laugh, looking relieved. She took another sip of her drink and shook her head, staring down at her lap for a moment.

"Sorry. Rick is a great guy but before we started dating he..." Kate paused, rolling her eyes up towards the sky as she thought of the nicest way to say he was a playboy, but she couldn't really think of one. "But we are happy together. I'm glad I'm here with him." Kate looked back at Meg again and tilted her head curiously. "What is your type?"

"No kidding," Meg practically snorted. "Look, I love the guy, he's a great time. I'm just positive that we've just spent too many hours in a tiny old bar making stupid booze puns to ever think of him like that." She took another sip of her drink and smirked over at Kate. "What, he was kind of a slut? I can see it," Meg chuckled. "He sure is all yours now, though. The way he talks about you..." she trails off, giving Kate a knowing smile.

That smile fades a little at the question about her type and she stares out over the water for a moment before turning back to Kate. "Nerdy angels, apparently," she sighed. Realizing that probably made no sense, Meg elaborated, "He was from back home. Weird sense of humor, couldn't understand a pop culture reference to save his life, always trying to save the world, kinda dreamy..." She attempts a smile, but her eyes remain somewhat sad. "He's also pretty good at disappearing."

Edited 2014-07-02 02:14 (UTC)

Kate's smile faded at she watched Meg's face. "I'm sorry," she said honesty, feeling terrible for even having brought it up.

Honestly, she couldn't imagine getting by here without Castle - but worst, she couldn't imagine having him only to lose him and be stuck there alone. It wasn't a thought that had occurred to her as a possibility yet, not until Meg had spoken, and she felt a sick feeling form in her gut as she looked down at her drink.

"I was the one that tended to do the disappearing acts in me and Castle's relationship. I guess even here." She smirked again, hoping to cheer Meg up a little bit.

"It's fine," Meg reassured her. It wasn't - nothing was fine, not really. Some days she wished she could go back to feeling absolutely nothing for anyone and not giving a damn if the stupid angel was here or there. Some part of her knew she had it pretty good here regardless, though. She had people she cared about, and even if she wasn't worth their time of day, it gave her a cause. She'd look out for them as long as she was still in Paradisa, and that was enough to get up most mornings.

She gave Kate a wry smile. "I know. You and Cas pretty much disappeared around the same time. I think that's part of the reason we're so close now," she sighed, looking thoughtful.

"Thank you for being there for him," Kate said, sipping at her drink and staring over the water. "And I'm glad you could be there for him. I know he would have taken losing me pretty hard."

It wasn't something she was saying to stoke her ego; she said it because she knew how inconsolable she would be if Castle disappeared. He was so much of her life now, and it would be hard - perhaps impossible - to put herself back together if she lost him. It was an awful thought and she swallowed down more of her drink, trying to push it out of her mind.

"'Course. We stick together, y'know? Kinda happens here. Could have a lot worse company, though, that's for sure."

She was right. It hadn't been pretty, then again, neither had she been when she went through the same thing. They'd both been messes. It was different for them, having someone from home - Paradisa yanked their emotions around so much that it was ultimately too easy to lean on those you already felt something for, and losing them was especially hard. Losing them back to a world you knew you could never go back to was even harder.

If Meg was more the type to sugar-coat things, she'd say she was sure Kate would never lose Rick. But the truth was she could at any moment, so she just took her glass when she emptied it and filled it to the brim again.

"Just gotta make the most of it while you've got it, y'know? This place is pretty good for that, at least." And it was. It had been. At least she'd always have that.

Kate watched Meg drain her drink and looked down at her hand, staring at her engagement ring as it glinted in the sun.

"You're right about that," she mused quietly, considering. They'd been kind of putting off the wedding, taking their time planning and organizing, dancing around the fact that they should seriously be thinking about it. And then they ended up here, and Kate was fully aware of the fact that she could wake up any day and find him gone. It made her wonder if they should start making the most of what they had right now.

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Cruising down the coast goin' 'bout 99 [closed]

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