Disclaimer: Y'all know the drill...
A/N: From Kate's point of view. Established relationship between Kate and Castle. Set sometime after season 3. Not been beta-d so all mistakes are mine.
Rooftop Surprise
You rub your temples, hoping to will away the headache that is beginning to pound there. The paperwork in front of you lays unfinished, having no energy to complete the last of it. You run your hands through your hair, to the back of the neck, feeling the tight muscles. You sigh and lift your head, glancing at the clock on the wall. 11:42 pm.
Fifteen more minutes, you promise yourself, then laugh bitterly. There was no way you were going to finish in those fifteen minutes. Not in this lifetime anyway.
The whirl of the elevator makes you jump. You frown. You were pretty sure were the last one here apart from the security guards, the boys having left hours ago. Slipping your Glock free, you pad softly to one side, keeping a clear view of the elevator. You raise your gun as the doors ding open.
The silhouette on the other side steps out then freezes, catching a sight of you.
"Don't shoot," he says quickly, holding up his hands in surrender.
"Castle? What are you doing here?" you ask in confusion. "Wait, is something wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong, and can't I just come by to see my girlfriend?" he replies. He looks at the gun now resting by your thigh.
"You were going to shoot me?" He adopts a wounded look. "I thought I meant more to you, Kate."
"Oh, shut up. I didn't know who it was and you were supposed to be at home." He tugs the gun from your hand then pulls you into his embrace. You relax into his arms, feeling some of the stress disappear. Something clicks.
"Why are you here?"
"You don't want to see me?"
You flap a hand. "You know what I mean."
"You weren't there. I couldn't sleep," he says simply. Those simple words brings tears to your eyes. "Hey, no crying."
"I'm sorry." You sniffle into his chest, breathing in the scent that is uniquely him. You step back, instantly regretting the loss of contact.
He is silent for a moment before speaking. "Time to come home?" he asks, hopeful. Your heart falls, not wanting to disappoint him.
"Paperwork," you say sadly, gesturing to the stack of files that seemed to have a life of its own. He looks crestfallen for a moment but bounces back quickly.
"I thought you'd say that, so I got you a surprise instead. And trust me, you'll love this surprise," he adds before you can voice your protests.
"But..."
"It's not going anywhere," he says, tugging on your arm. "C'mon, Kate, where's your sense of adventure?" There's a sparkling twinkle in his puppy dog eyes.
"Fine," you huff, pretending to be annoyed. He brandishes a black silk cloth from one of his coat pockets, indicating for you to spin around. Knowing your protests would be ignored, you comply. Ever so gently, he ties the cloth around your eyes, obscuring your view.
"Rick? Where are we going?" you ask as he leads you carefully up the stairs.
"Shh," he says, bringing you to a stop. "Just listen and breathe."
The door opens and the first thing you feel is the cool breeze on your face. The smell of the fresh night time air immediately puts you at peace. The sounds of traffic, still busy even at this time of night, seem so far away.
The blindfold drops away and you can see again. You're standing on the roof top of the precinct building, staring down at the city below. The buildings glow, accompanied by the flashing of headlights and taillights as taxis and other cars speed past. You stare down in wonderment for a moment before turning back to Castle, still standing in the doorway.
He wordlessly points over to one side. You look. A soft rug is spread out, a picnic basket placed atop of one corner. You glance at him in surprise.
"I know you probably haven't eaten." You open your mouth to say you have but he stops you with a gentle finger to the lips. "A vendor sandwich and countless cups of coffee is not a meal, Kate," he carefully admonishes. You refrain from rolling your eyes. He knows you too well.
Leading you over to the rug, he indicate for you to sit. Once you have, he pulls out two place wine glasses.
"Sparkling apple juice," he grins before you can protest. You laugh. Mixed sandwiches consisting of salad, cheese, egg or ham are spread out on a platter. A coleslaw and potato salad follow. You raise your eyebrow at how much food he has managed to pack in to the basket.
"Alexis helped. When she heard it was for you, well..." He shrugs and gestures around them.
"Why do I get the feel it was the other way around? That she was the one tell you how much was enough?"
"Who? Me?" He adopts an innocent look. You laugh, and he cracks, laughing as well. Your stomach growls, giving away just how hungry you really are. He was right, not that you'd ever admit that, a meager vendor sandwich wasn't enough. Your rumbling belly makes him crack up more.
"All right, mister funny man. Are you going to feed me, or shall I just go back to my paperwork?" That makes him sober up quickly. Not that you were aching to leave anyway.
Sandwiches, coleslaw and potato salad are dolled out and the covers are slipped over the rest. Taking a large mouthful of the homemade potato salad, you can't help but moan. Food a la Castle is simply delicious.
"You like?" he asks. You nod, too intent on taking another mouthful. He grins, and starts into his own midnight dinner.
"Please?" he begs, giving you puppy dog eyes. You can't help but melt inside at his face. You have never been able to really resist him.
"Fine, but if I puke, it's all your fault," you warn, face stern.
"I promise to clean up any messes." You look at him suspiciously. "Pinky promise." He shoves his pinky in your face, waggling it until you link your own with his.
You roll your eyes and mutter, "Overgrown child." beneath your breath. He merely grins and pulls a large plastic dish.
"Vanilla cheesecake, a la Castle," he quips, using your own words for his cooking against you. "Open wide." Spoonful by spoonful, he slow feeds you the dessert, alternating between himself and you.
"Oh, God," you groan once it is all gone. "No more." He chuckles but wisely doesn't say anything more. Leaning back, you stare up at the twinkling stars.
"Kate. Kate." Castle's voice holds slight amusement, and you realize you had zoned out.
"Sorry," you mutter.
"Come here." You crawl across the rug to settle between his outstretched legs. His hands come to rest on the back of your neck, slowly massaging the muscles there. You tense up at first, but slowly you feel the tension dissipate. Carefully, he kneads your neck and shoulders, moving down your back. You melt like butter beneath his touch, your body turning to liquid Jello. He stops, content just to hold you. You shiver, realizing just cool it is.
"Cold, Kate?"
"Just a little." He wordlessly slips his jacket over your shoulders, and you snuggle into the warmth, breathing in his scent.
"Home?" he suggests softly in your ear. You glance at your father's watch on your wrist. 01:30 am. It's later than you had planned stay but it's still early enough to get some semblance of sleep. Together, you make quick work packing up the left over food and folding the rug. Chivalrous as always, he opens the door for you with a slight bow.
Rolling your eyes, you can't help but give a silly grin as he flicks the catch then wraps one arm around your body, resting his hand on your hip. You shiver slightly as he rubs small circles on the silky skin beneath your shirt.
Later, as you lay in bed, again wrapped in his arms, you think just how lucky you really are. Three years ago, you'd have never thought you'd be sleeping next to Richard Castle. Staring up at the man beside you, you give him a soft kiss on the lips.
"I love you," you whisper, snuggling further down into his embrace.
"I love you, too," comes his quiet reply. You fall asleep, a happy smile gracing your features.
Hope y'all enjoy.
Let me know what you think.
Monkeywand.