Chapter 1 - Tuesday Night
"Lovers to be, friends of old.
I command thee to do as told.
Deny no more, the truth inside.
And let these dreams be your guide.
Join as one, heart and mind.
So that you may stay far behind.
Let them set you both astray.
And keep you close yet far away."
She threw the match into the bowl, igniting the photos and the potion in a puff of purple smoke. Smiling to herself at the success of the spell, she rubbed her hands together with glee. 'Perfect. On to the next stage.'
Walking through the door to the loft, Kate kicked off her shoes and sighed in pleasure. As much as she loved heels, there were some days where they couldn't come off fast enough. After the day she'd had all she wanted was to soak in the tub then curl up in bed. It took her several seconds to realise something was different.
"Castle?" Looking around she saw a beautifully laid out dinner, complete with some romantic candlelight and mood music. "What is all this?"
"I know this case has been hard on you," He handed her a glass of wine, "so I wanted to do something to help you unwind. After dinner I'm going to draw you a bath, so you can relax, before we settle in with a movie - your choice - to complete my evening of relaxation."
"Sounds like you've got everything planned out." Kate took a sip of wine whilst making her way to the table. "This looks amazing."
"Thank you." He pulled out a chair for her before seating himself and grinning. "I slaved in the kitchen for hours, I hope you like it."
Smiling at his exaggeration she took his hand. "You made it for me, Rick, so I love it already." He kissed her hand then dished out pasta carbonara and salad for both of them. The first bite was heaven, causing Kate to moan in bliss and close her eyes. She was about to speak when she saw Castle's slack-jawed reaction, sitting there with his fork halfway to his mouth. Any other situation and she would have laughed at the absurdity of his expression, but not tonight. She leant over, closed his mouth with her finger and kissed his lips. They continued to eat in silence, listening to the soothing tunes playing in the background. Once the meal was complete, Castle left Kate enjoying another glass of wine whilst he cleaned up and put the leftovers in the fridge. Ten minutes later
Castle returned to find Kate sat right where he left her.
"Hey, where'd you go?"
"What do you mean?" Kate looked up, perplexed.
"You were a million miles away." He retook his chair, positioning it closer to Kate.
"Just thinking." She answered vaguely, running her hands through her hair.
"About the case." She nodded, confirming what he already knew. "Did he at least tell you why he did it?"
"Yeah, he said she made him do it." She looked up into Castle's steady gaze. "That simply isn't a reason, especially not when she was his daughter." Concentrating on his face, she saw the horror and confusion he felt at that statement.
"No matter how much I study human behaviour, I will never understand how one person can harm or even kill a loved one." Rising from the dark place the conversation had taken him, he stood up and offered Kate a hand. She smiled at him softly and took his hand, rising from her chair. He led the way to the bedroom, ordering Kate to sit on the bed and wait. Rolling her eyes at him, she did as she was told and he left the room, heading for the bathroom. Sitting there alone, Kate let her mind drift, and wasn't terribly surprised when her thoughts inevitably returned to Castle and how he could make her smile, no matter what was going on. She was roused from her thoughts again when Castle returned announcing that her bath awaited. Taking her hand, he kissed her quickly and led her into the bathroom. She was stunned at the sight that greeted her. Hundreds of candles gave off a warm glow, and her favourite lavender bath soak lent the air a soothing aroma.
"Rick, you shouldn't have. It's gorgeous." Turning to him she threw her arms around his shoulders and kissed him passionately. When she pulled away slightly, they were both out of breath.
"Perhaps I should do it more often if this is the reaction I get." He waggled his eyebrows at her suggestively. Laughing softly, she leant in and kissed him again, softly this time. Smiling slightly Castle pulled away. "You should get in before the water gets cold."
"Stay with me, please." She pleaded, not ready to be alone again.
"Alright, I'll stay. Let me grab the wine and I'll be right back. Get in." He left Kate to get settled whilst he refilled their glasses. Returning to the bathroom he smiled, Kate had fallen asleep in the tub, even though he'd only been gone a minute. She looked so peaceful, so relaxed that he hated to idea of disturbing her. Setting the glasses down, he undressed and gently put a hand on her shoulder.
"Kate, honey, wake up." Kate awoke at Rick's words and saw him kneeling next to her.
"Hey" she smiled lazily, "Join me." Moving forward she made space for Castle to sit behind her and settled against his chest. He kissed her neck and wrapped his arms around her, content to just hold her and enjoy a rare moment of peace they had. They stayed that way for a long time, just revelling in each others company. Unfortunately the water started getting cold so Castle rose and grabbed a large fluffy towel. Helping Kate out of the tub he wrapped her up, before taking another and drying himself off. Looking over he saw Kate hadn't even attempted to dry off, she was watching him with a calculating look.
"I know that look, and you can stop right there. I planned this evening to relax you and I will not be swayed. Now put on that dressing gown and meet me in the living room." He drew on his robe and left the bathroom, muttering to himself about insatiable detectives and one track minds. Kate smiled and dried off, enjoying the softness of the towel, thinking about all the luxuries he's already bestowed upon her. There were definitely perks to dating Richard Castle, but it meant nothing to her compared to the love they shared. It was all that mattered to her, even her mother's case wasn't as important as their relationship. Shaking herself from her musings she pulled on her robe and padded into the living room in search of the man she loved. She found him pulling cushions from the couch, attempting to make a nest on the floor. Standing in the doorway she watched as he tried to wrestle them into some sort of comfortable arrangement. After a few minutes she decided to put him out of his misery and lend a hand.
"You know, the couch was fine the way it was." She said, walking over to join him.
"I know, but I wanted you to be comfortable. The couch isn't really conductive to lying down." He picked up the cushions, unsure of what to do next. Kate grabbed them from him and remade the couch. Then she turned to face Castle.
"Castle, you don't have to try so hard. I'm here and-" A shrill sound interrupted her, making her jump.
"Do you want to get that, Beckett?" Castle asked.
"Get what?" She looked around, trying to locate the noise.
"Your phone. It's ringing." She whipped back round to face Castle, confused, as she couldn't remember what she did with her phone, other than turning in on silent. "You need to wake up and answer it. It's a new case."
Kate awoke with a start, to the sound of her phone ringing. Fumbling on the night stand she found it and answered it with her customary "Beckett."
"We got a body in Midtown." Detective Esposito said by way of a hello.
"Got it, thanks." She hung up abruptly, too mystified by her dream to bother with niceties. A beep alerted her to the fact that Espo had texted the address. She lay in bed a moment more, convincing herself it was just a dream, no matter how vivid and realistic it was. That done, she called Castle.
"Castle." Was his curt response.
"Hey, we got a case. I'll pick you up in 30." She told him.
"Ok, thanks." He hung up, without saying anything else. 'That was unusual.' She thought to herself. Not wishing to ruminate on it further she got up and headed for the shower.
