If The Loft Is Rocking

Thud… thud… thud.

Alexis slowly emerged from her room, her face twisted in a grimace as she tentatively walked down the staircase, her eyes locked in the direction of the master bedroom. Her grandmother was sitting in the living room, casually skimming through a theater magazine. It was then that Alexis noticed the unusual sight of white wires dangling down from underneath Martha's red hair, evidence that her grandmother had earbuds plugged in. And if she strained her ears just enough, while trying to ignore the steady pounding thud from the far corner of the loft, Alexis could make out the faint sound of show tunes emanating from the earbuds her grandmother had pushed into her ears to drown out the sound of Rick Castle and Kate Beckett having sex.

Groaning in disgust, not for the first time wondering if she'd been perhaps a little hasty to move back home, Alexis covered her ears with her hands and dashed across the opened floor to the kitchen. She quickly retrieved a water bottle out of the refrigerator before returning for the stairs.

Alexis paused in the living room, exchanging a mutual look of nauseating grief with her grandmother. It surprised her a bit, as typically her grandmother had no qualms with boisterous and enthusiastic sexual behavior, never once shying away from the subject, but there was just something about tonight's… performance, for lack of a better word, from her father and Kate, that even the eccentric Martha Rodgers found it bothersome.

Thud… thud… BANG!

The whole loft almost shook after that, and not long after the peals of Kate Beckett's laughter flowed out from the master bedroom, followed by another bang, and the thudding resuming, though less steady now.

Martha smirked, tugging the earbuds out and glancing up at her granddaughter. "Don't worry, kiddo, sounds like their approaching the crescendo!"

Alexis winced at the innuendo, nearly gagging. "Ugh," she croaked out, swallowing thickly as her eyes flickered over towards her dad's office. "I hope so. I've been trying to study for the last half hour, but they're just being so… loud."

"They're just in love, Alexis, darling," Martha declared, the numerous colorful bands jangled noisily around her wrists as she gestured theatrically with her hands. "Granted, they're usually more quiet when they know we are home. But you can't fault them for finding pleasure in each other."

Alexis shuddered, trying to purge the images her grandmother's words manifested in her head. "Well, I'd rather they waited until I was asleep or out. It's bad enough I've got a test tomorrow without being distracted by Dad and Kate going at it like rabbits."

"Just plug yourself in," advised Martha, clutching the earbuds in her hand. "And turn the music up. Works for me."

Alexis sighed and shook her head. "I would if that could work," she said. "But with how they're going at it tonight, I can feel the vibrations all the way up in my room."

Martha gave her a sympathetic look. "Don't worry, Alexis. Your father's not as young as he once was. They should be finished shortly."

"Um… okay, what does that mean?" Alexis inquired, furrowing her brow uncertainly.

"Stamina, my dear," Martha gave her a salacious wink. "Stamina."

Alexis shuddered, closing her eyes and shaking her head. "I didn't need to know that."

Just then, they heard Kate scream, "Oh God, Castle!"

Martha snapped her fingers with a smile. "And they're done!" she declared.

"About time," Alexis grumbled, and turned to leave, intent on returning to studying for the midterm exam she had tomorrow morning. But before she could make it to the stairs, the damn pounding continued, only more vigorous and enthusiastic than before. She could even hear her father curse, and Kate moaning.

Alexis clenched her teeth and growled in frustration. "That's it! I can't stand this anymore." And before she could even think, she stalked towards the master bedroom, going through her father's office. Through the bookshelf wall, she could just about make out her father and Kate tumbling around on the bed. Her dad was grunting, and Kate was giggling softly. Checking over her shoulder to see her grandmother was behind her, hopefully as back up, Alexis curled her fingers around the door handle, before yanking it open, ready to give her father and her stepmother a piece of her mind.

Nothing could have prepared her for the sight now in front of her.

Kate laid sprawled out on the mattress and her dad was on his knees, hovering over her… pillow held high as he prepared to strike. Kate screeched and squirmed around, causing her father to miss. She watched as Kate rolled to her side and sprang up to her feet, bouncing on the mattress springs as she raised her pillow and plummeted him with several blows. Her dad groaned and flopped down, raising his hands in the air.

"I surrender, I surrender!" he shouted.

Kate laughed triumphantly and bounced down to her knees. She pumped her fist in a manner similar to that of her husband's.

Alexis watched in stunned disbelief as her father and her stepmother collapsed on the bed, out of breath, chests heaving as they gasped for air after their vigorous and intense pillow fight.

"You've got to be kidding me!" she nearly shouted. "You guys were having a pillow fight and not sex!?" Her face went immediately red when she realized she'd said that out loud. What on Earth had she been thinking when she'd decided to confront them on all the noise they had been making? God, she was so embarrassed. She wished the floor would open beneath her and swallow her up.

XXX

Castle jerked up, and Kate bit her lower lip, ducking her head down as her cheeks flushed a rosy shade of pink to match her stepdaughter's blush. Before Castle could say anything, a mortified Alexis ran off. Martha lingered and gave her son and his wife a knowing smirk.

"Well, that's one way to bounce on the bed," she chuckled, and then winked at them before making her usual dramatic exit.

Kate groaned and buried her head in her husband's chest. "Oh God, they thought we were having sex," she moaned. "I'm so embarrassed." She pulled back and poked him in the side with her finger.

"Hey," he yelped, flinching back, sticking his lower lip out in a pout. "What was that for?"

Kate sat up, and brushed her hair back from her face as she huffed in annoyance. "This is all your fault," she insisted with a scowl.

"How is it my fault?" he questioned.

"You're the one who started the pillow fight," she reminded him with a pointed look.

"Yeah, maybe," Castle shrugged noncommittally, not willing to accept the blame. "But hey, I wouldn't have if you hadn't told me that story about six year old Katie Beckett bouncing on the hotel bed." He snagged her around the waist and pulled her body flush to his. "Admit it. You had fun."

Kate remained stubborn for a minute or two, refusing to concede, but eventually her lips betrayed her and spread wide in a happy, delighted smile. She ducked her head down, and played with a loose thread on his shirt. "Yeah, okay, I had fun," she said.

Castle grinned, and dipped his head down to capture her lips in a kiss. She released a sigh of contentment when he pulled back and shifted down into the mattress, allowing her to snuggle comfortably into his side.

"And to think," Castle pontificated. "A while back you were worried we'd be boring."

"Yeah, not boring at all," she concurred with a small smile.

They laid there in silence for a while, simply enjoying one another presence. Eventually, Kate became restless.

"You know, babe," she said in a low and seductive voice, playing her fingers across his chest. "Since they already thought we were having sex, perhaps we could—"

"Have a rematch?"

"Sort of," Kate hummed out in response, letting her hand wander down her husband's torso, until she cupped him in her palm, giving him a playful squeeze, making his hips jerk up into her touch. "Perhaps without clothing this time."

Castle remained silent for a long moment, until he jerked his head up and grabbed her around the waist, rolling her over onto her back. "Challenge accepted," he declared, just before he slanted his lips over hers in a delicious kiss.

prompt from an anon from the castlefanficprompts blog on tumblr: Alexis and Martha hear noises coming from the bedroom and assume that Caskett are having sex only to find out that they are pillow fighting while jumping on the bed.