An extended scene to the dance at the end of 6x15.
Castle extended his hand towards his fiancée. "Would you go to the dance with me?" he asked, trying to keep a smirk from gracing his lips. He could tell Beckett wanted to laugh in his face, declare that there was no way she was going to a dance with a bunch of pimple faced teenagers looking to score at the end of the night. Hell, if she had attended her own prom, that was probably exactly how her night would have ended, and she couldn't help but think the same would have happened for Castle, too.
For as much as she wanted to laugh at the idea of reliving a teenage moment denied to Castle and that she had denied for herself, the idea that this was Castle asking her remained at the front of her thoughts, and sent sharp tingles up and down her spine. Prom. With Castle. If only she had known him back then - if only there wasn't ten years between them, she couldn't help but wonder for a sliver of a second how different they would be now.
Prom. With Castle. Damnit, there was a dream come true in there somewhere. She smiled and slipped her fingers into his hand. Those tingles were still ever present when he guided her into the gymnasium, filled with corny decorations befitting a teenaged prom. In the middle of the dance floor and standing practically a full foot over the other students, Castle pulled Beckett into him with just enough force so she didn't crash into him, but her body molded to his perfectly. They complimented each other in every way. Fortunately, a slow dance song was just beginning, and aside from a mutual silent enjoyment of the rhythm and lyrics, neither thought anything further about it.
Castle hummed softly, a deep rumble in the back of his throat as he exhaled. The scent of cherries teased his nostrils. God, This woman in his arms, he knew now that he could never get enough of her or the tiny stories she shared with him about her past, if 'Rebel-Becks' is any indication. Oh, how he wanted to know more about Rebel-Becks. He wanted to know it all, but damnit, she was a mystery he was never going to solve. That was okay with him, too. It wasn't her past he was overly concerned about, though it was nice to know the light tid-bits along with the deep dark pain she kept buried beneath her beautiful exterior. Her soul was beautiful, every dark recess, every bauble of light. All of it formed her. Beautiful, unique her.
She pulled her head off his shoulder, meeting his blue eyes with genuine curiosity. Over time, she had come to realize that Castle also had a wall built up inside, guarding his own insecurities from judging eyes and prying ears. Just as he had defeated her defenses, she had done the same to him; she stripped down those bricks, turned them into rubble and fell in love with him all over again with each shared past memory, good or bad. "Do you regret it?" she asked, cocking her head just so, and elaborated exactly what she meant. The prank he pulled, the missed childhood experience, the hot date (that did cause a pang of jealousy to coil deep inside her). It wasn't like she could blame him for something that happened decades ago. She had regrets herself, but somehow, being here, now, with him on the dance floor at prom (she realized it sounded ridiculous, but there they were!) felt so incredibly right. The waves of time between them - ten years to be exact - parted, allowing them to meet in the middle: how it should have been from the start.
Castle should have expected her to prod a little more into his past. She was ever so curious about it. He took a second to ponder his response, and all he could come up with was that it didn't even matter, because he was there, now, with the most beautiful woman (sorry all you pimply-faced teenagers) dancing to a song that he always loved since the first time he'd heard it. "Not even a little bit," he replied with conviction, swaying with her gently. The music fell away, and it was just them, lost in a moment of honesty, destined to quench Beckett's thirst for all things Castle, if only for a moment. At the very least, it served to stomp on the little green monster inside her. His eyes were piercing hers, willing her to believe in his words and what he was feeling at that moment. "Everything I've ever done... Every choice I've ever made... Every terrible and wonderful thing that has ever happened to me... It's all led me to right here, this moment, with you."
God, if that isn't the sweetest thing he has ever said to her. Beckett suddenly felt like mush inside. Her legs felt like they had turned to jelly. Her heart fluttered, and she couldn't help the slight flush gracing her cheeks. The dim lighting of the gymnasium hid it well, but it was there for Castle to see. A smile reserved for him alone graced her features. He had such a way with words, and she melted every time he used them against her, always out of love and devotion. Never did he leave her wondering how he felt about her. He wore his love for her on his sleeve, spoke it out loud, and showed her every day that he meant every word, whether it was just with a cup of coffee to see her smile, or when they made love, like every time was the first time. The connection she felt with him was so intense, so complete that she couldn't believe she had been scared of this, once upon a time. So much wasted time, but he was right: it all led up to this perfect moment, another addition to their story. He healed her, soothed her soul. It was magic. Everyday magic, because you couldn't convince her that telekinesis was real, but magic nevertheless.
She tried not to grin like a simpleton as his words washed over her, sending more tingles through her entire body, filling her with want and desire. Passion. This man, she thought to herself and rested her head on his shoulder, inching their bodies closer together. Any closer and she'd be standing on his feet, and she was sure he wouldn't mind in the slightest. Hang the cost of his shoes. He'd tell her he'd buy a new pair. And the music was every present again, perfect in speed and sound, and it just complimented the scent that was Castle. "I've always loved this song," they said in unison, tapping into their shared brain that can either appease Laine or drive her crazy. Beckett raised her head suddenly, seeking out his eyes.
"Could it be we have just found our song?" he inquired.
She's about to declare that they have, when someone over his shoulder catches her eye and she directs him to look, watch, and witness a teenagers dreams come true. "Talk about magnetism." It earns him a hum of appreciation in response, because he's right. What they are witness to is something special, but it reminds her to tell Castle about what the uniforms found at the boy's house, or rather, what they didn't find. She can see how it shocks him, how he desperately wants to believe in the impossible. "You don't think…?"
Beckett struggles to hold in her smirk. The same smirk that reveals she was only joking. Castle really is an easy mark, and she loves that about him, the way they play a game of tug o' war with one another. If it's not April Fools birthday bashes, it's 1am laser tag in the living room. "No," she cut him off before he can actually put words to the ludicrous idea. "Now, shut up, and kiss me." The hand on his shoulder drifts to his neck, pulling him closer. The smile on her face is big as the distance between them no longer exists, and she closes her eyes in anticipation. The kiss was sensual, showing once again the intensity of their feelings towards one another. She can't stop smiling because of how he makes her feel, his moist mouth upon hers igniting fireworks. They're going off, she could swear it, exploding bursts of light, right behind her eyelids. For a second, it felt like it might be a quick kiss, a quick public display of affection, but the room isn't even a blip on their radar anymore as they get lost in the moment. It's just them, their mouths fusing together again in a longer dance this time around, and the music.
Her right hand joins her left around his neck, and she cards her fingers through the short strands of his hair, pressing her body into his. It's not close enough. It will never be close enough for either of them. Oxygen isn't something either of them crave at the moment.
Suddenly, there's a loud, obnoxious cough coming from right beside them, and they tear their lips away from each other startled back to reality and the fact that they are in a high school dance. Somehow, Principal Duncan had come back to the gymnasium and had Castle dying a little inside. "Would you like to spend the rest of the evening in detention, Mister Rodgers?"
Crap, Castle thought to himself, but his grip on Beckett's coat tightened, keeping her pressed to him, and she couldn't help but feel like she was being used as a human shield, and that it was so adorable. "You are in a room full of teenagers in close proximity to each other. Set an example, for God's sake."
Castle visibly recoiled under the glare the Principal was giving, before the old bat turned to chastise another couple who had gotten too close to one another, and were snogging on the dance floor. Beckett blushed a brilliant shade of red to match Castle, and she buried her face into the softness of his coat. "Oh my God," she whimpered, mortified. She couldn't believe that just happened. "What are we? Teenagers?"
His chest rumbled with his laughter and he rested his chin atop her head. "You certainly make me feel that way, Kate," he murmured. "What you do to me…"
"I can feel what I do to you," she said in a sultry tone, pressing her lower body into his. "And you… are no teenager, writer-man."
Castle closed his eyes, squeezing them tightly as he willed himself to calm down. "Please, Kate," he begged, resulting in her pulling away just enough. She looked up at him with her dreamy eyes, and a playful smirk to boot. She delighted in the knowledge of knowing just how she affected him, but he wasn't alone. He had affected her, too, and she could see it in his eyes that he knew she was just as affected.
Their dance continued, and she kept her arms looped around his neck. She eyed the Principal over Castle's shoulder, snuck in the soft press of her lips against the exposed skin of his neck. She felt giddy, definitely like a teenager with no self control.
Prom. The thought didn't strike her as funny anymore.
The music ended, and yet continued in her head, because their dance would never end, and the music would never stop. She felt his hands moving along her sides, trailing to her arms and detaching them from around his neck. He held both hands in his own and pressed a kiss to the back of each before he guided her off the dance floor. His eyes never wavered from hers, and she followed him, accepting that those tingles she felt weren't going away anytime soon. She loved those tingles. They made her feel alive. He, Richard Castle, made her feel alive. Her arm was suddenly looped with his and he walked her out the entrance of the school and towards her cruiser. The two girls were probably at the precinct by now, and Ryan and Esposito were probably getting them situated in the interrogation room. They could handle it, she decided.
Castle opened the driver's side door. Ever the gentleman, she thought to herself. She slipped into her seat and he closed the door. He quickly rounded to his side, got in, fixed his seatbelt. Her hand reached across the armrest and her fingers tangled with his for a second. Neither wanted to ruin the moment. It was perfect just as it was. She put the car in drive, and her hand found his again.
They didn't go to the precinct like Castle had been expecting them to. He was dreading the moment they stepped into the elevator that their perfect evening (aside from arresting two girls, mind you) would come to an end. He quickly recognized that they were going home. Parked, they stepped into the elevator, and Beckett crowded into him, arms wrapping tightly around his waist. She hummed a portion of their song, and he swayed with her as the elevator rose higher and higher. He had been afraid the mood would be lost once they had left the gymnasium, but it seemed to follow them. It cloaked them.
The ride was over too quickly, the doors chimed open and they moved down the corridor. She had her keys out first, opened the door to the dark loft. Castle flicked on the lights. He then helped her out of her coat. When she was detangled from her sleeves, she pulled out her phone.
Castle sighed to himself, watching her move across the living room so engrossed in the little device. He hung up her coat, followed by his. Suddenly, some music sounded through the loft, and he came to a halt and looked at his fiancée. She had finished situating her iPhone on the iHome dock and was now lighting candles around the room. He recognized the music immediately as In My Veins started. They both could listen to this song over and over again. This was one of the mysteries of Beckett he had solved a while ago. The secret love song playlist. He couldn't take his eyes off her as she moved around the room, and eventually turned off the lights. She set the lighter down on the table next to her badge and gun and turned to face him, a warm smile complimented further by the warm candle light.
She moved closer to him, five steps and counting. "Dance with me," she whispered. "Hold me. Kiss me."
He needed no encouragement from her. He pulled her flush against his body, which had already begun to react the moment she began to light the candles. There was no danger of Principal Duncan interrupting them here, and he was thankful his mother had theatre tickets. Castle's lips descended upon hers, swallowed up her moans as their tongues dueled. He knew she was a take charge kind of woman. Strong. Independent. However, there were times, like now, when she gave in to her more submissive side. She just wanted to feel everything. She loved when he took charge, and showed her just how much he loved her. Whether she was handcuffed to the headboard, or he was just moving over her lost in both of their passions, he always showed her how much he loved her.
A/N: If you liked it, please review! I might make this a two-shot, into rated M territory, but we'll see.