TSI and I aren't getting along again.

I watched The Final Frontier again the other day, and this happened.

They're just about to get in the elevator when Castle comes bursting out of it, a frantic look on his face, near fear in the blue eyes that she's become so fascinated with. She and Esposito freeze on the spot, stunned at his apparent panic.

"Hey, tell me you guys, do you think my hair is thinning?" He's oh so gently passing his fingers over his locks, almost shakey as the words fall from his lips.

Kate wonders if she should be at all concerned that her boyfriend is so shaken up over this whole 'Thorian blaster' thing. Regardless, she sure as hell isn't going to indulge him.

"You're not losing your hair, Castle."

He looks at her, pointed and deadly serious. "Okay, so if I wake up bald tomorrow, you'll still be attracted to me?"

She says nothing.

"Oh my god, you wouldn't!"

Okay, so maybe saying nothing wasn't her best reaction. Clearly he's very near to going completely haywire. "I didn't say that!"

"No, but you were thinking it. I can see it in your eyes."

She has to bite back her words when he flips, defending his mop from Esposito's touch. Besides, she really has no idea what the hell she's supposed to say in this situation. All logic and reason in her wants to say that he'll be perfectly fine, that it's all in his head just like the time he thought he was going to turn into a vampire. But then...then a little voice in the back of her head pops up with genuine concern that he could be right. What if he does lose his hair? Rather irrelevant in the grand scheme of things but what if he really is-"

She stops herself before she can go there. He's not infirtile. And it's too early for that anyway, Kate, she tells herself.

The elevator doors slide shut - she didn't even notice Esposito standing beside her until he brakes her from the odd trance she's been in.

"You okay?"

"Huh?"

"You, uh...you look a little out of it."

"Oh," she laughs, thinly, "just...Castle."

"Yeah," he smirks, "Castle. He's something."

"That's a good way to describe him."

Esposito leaves it at that, for a moment as she waits for the elevator to begin its descent. Until...

"You really like him, don't you?"

Again she can't find words, just turns her head at his comment. Judging by how deeply he's looking at her, she's sure that it's written all over her face.

She really does like him.

A lot.

"Yeah, Javi. I do."

He nods, must be taking it all in. She had known that he'd be all for her finally welcoming Castle into her life, but she had been more or less confused at his lack of comments on the subject since learning about them. He had been the one pushing her to him for the past two and a half years, trying to get through to her, so why has he been so quiet?

"Still can't believe you didn't tell us. Tell me. After everything that's happened? Between the four of us?"

Then it hits her - he had been hurt by their silence.

"That's exactly it, though. I, we, Castle and I - we wanted to make sure that we were completely comfortable and that we really worked before we told anyone. It's not like we just up and decided one day, it took me nearly dying again before I could see it. We were going to tell you guys, you have to know that."

He just looks at her.

She sighs, "I had to do what was best for me, Javi. I can't apologize to you for that. But, I am sorry if it felt like we were hiding from you."

For a moment she thinks that her whole speech was a waste of her breath, because he's just staring at her as if she had confessed to a crime. Then his eyebrow quirks and a smile peeks out.

"I'm glad he makes you happy, Beckett. You deserve it."

She can't help it. She's in a relationship with Richard Castle and he makes her happy - the grin spreads across her face despite her usual attempts to hide it all. "Thanks," she whispers in reply to the unusally sweet sentiment from the man who is the closest thing to a brother she will ever have.

They're slowly coming to a stop at the first floor when he finally makes that comment.

"So, is he serious about losing his hair?"

"You know him, too," she shrugs, "what do you think?"

He laughs, deep and altogether too entertained by her plight. "I think you're in for a long few days, Beckett."

She may roll her eyes at him, but she finds that she really doesn't mind Esposito's joking, not when it's compounded by how much she actually kind of enjoys Castle's insanity now. As they step out of the elevator she shakes her head with a smile, hip checks one of her three partners, and actually laughs a little.

"Gee, thanks."

I think Espo's a Caskett shipper. And I love he and Beckett's relationship.

Drop me a line!

Tappin

=)