"Please tell me you did not sleep in the breakroom again."
She cringes when the words reach her. "I… Maybe?" she responds, turning from the murder board to see her partner's disapproving expression.
"Good thing I bring you coffee. Though it's no substitute for an actual full night of sleep." He holds up his hand as she begins to protest. "And don't try to tell me you slept well on that lumpy thing. I know you only snatched a few minutes."
She wants to huff petulantly in response, but he holds to cure to her admittedly exhausted state. "Thank you for the advice, Rick." Her voice is sugary sweet and he just knows how his words have wound her up (not his intention at all, of course). "Please may I have my coffee now?"
He's tempted to withhold the beverage some more, but getting between Beckett and coffee is risky enough on a good day. After a night of poor sleep? He decides he's poke the bear enough and dutifully hands over the Styrofoam.
The look of utter bliss on Kate's face as she takes her first sip of the vanilla-laced liquid is reward enough. And the grateful smile she shoots his way is the reason he keeps supplying her with caffeine every day. If he manages to make her smile just once in the middle of a frustrating case after a tough night, he thinks he's done his duty as her partner.
"Anything new?"
She makes a disgruntled noise and he hides a smirk. "I had another go at our suspect but he's still not talking. The fingerprints at the scene were a bust, and we still haven't found our runaway witness." She jumps up from the edge of her desk, running a hand through her hair as she surveys the murder board. "We've got nothing, Castle. The case has stalled and we've got nothing."
Castle takes in the detective's tense shoulders, the dark circles under her eyes and the prominent vein across her forehead. "Come on," he says, standing abruptly and holding his arm out to her. "Come with me."
"What?"
"You've been cooped up in here all night and had next to no sleep. You need a break."
"I can't take a break, Castle. I can't take a nap in the middle of the day while there's an active case."
He wisely chooses not to point out that it is far from the middle of the day. In fact it's early morning, and the working day has begun for only a handful of the precinct's cops. Instead, he shakes his head, taking a risk and snagging her elbow when she steadfastly refuses to take his arm. "I'm not asking you to sleep, Beckett. Half an hour, with me. Come on."
Despite herself, there's a glint of intrigue in her expression, and after a moment's hesitation and further cajoling from the writer, she allows him to lead her across the bullpen and into the elevators. "This better be good."
A walk in the nearby park with Castle is apparently just what she needs. The fresh air combined with her coffee serve to clear her mind and dampen her frustration. She even acquiesces and loops her arms through Castle's, a manoeuver that is uncommon in their friendship.
Castle talks quietly to her, eliciting the occasional laugh, and for that she's grateful. It's true what she once told him; he does make her difficult job easier. For his part, Rick feels no small amount of pride at each laugh. And it doesn't hurt that her vocalisation of her amusement is contagious and he finds himself grinning along with her.
As promised, he leads them back to the precinct and has her back at her desk within half an hour. She's surprised to find some regret at having to return to her case. She's just about to murmur her thanks to her partner when Ryan calls across to her.
"Our suspect's in Interrogation One. Thought it was time to take another shot."
"You feel better?" Castle speaks low in her ear.
She nods reluctantly. She just knows he's going to boast about being right for the foreseeable future.
He gives her a gentle nudge in the direction of interrogation. "Then go get him, detective."
A/N: Thank you for reading! If anyone has any ideas/prompts for future chapters, please let me know and I'll see what I can do.