Disclaimer:Characters belong to ABC and the creators of Castle.
Summary: An unexpected storm has New York in a blackout and a surprise visitor at Beckett's door. Set somewhere mid-season 3, after 3XK and before Setup/Countdown. Obviously, Josh is not in the picture.
It was not supposed to be that bad of a storm. They were supposed to get a few inches of snow, and a severe drop in temperature, but that was it. Luckily, she is at home when the storm hits.
She is sitting her bathtub, enjoying the warmth of the water and reading a book with a glass of wine, thanking the universe she didn't have to be out catching a killer in the biting cold winds.
She was so engrossed in the book that she didn't notice the increase howling out the window from the wind buffering the building. However, a few minutes later, when the lights flickered and died, there really was no way not to notice.
"Shit," she hisses as the darkness suddenly surround her, making her jump and whack her knee against the side of the tub.
She fumbles for a towel as she rises from the tub in complete darkness, knocking over a few bottles of soap in the process. She finally finds one and quickly dries off before putting on a robe. She can already feel the chill seeping through her apartment, meaning that the heating went out throughout the building as well. Great.
An automatic texting system from her building informs her that the storm has knocked out power throughout most of the area, and it would probably be out for a couple of days. Even better.
She manages to find her stash of candles and lights about a dozen of them, spreading them throughout her kitchen and living area. She moves to look out the window and is shocked to see the thick wall of snow flurries blowing in what looks like a fierce wind. It's then that she notices the howling. Shit, it's a blizzard.
She's gathering her thickest blankets and quilts and laying them on the couch when a sudden rap on the door makes her jump. What the hell? Who would be insane enough to venture out in this weather? To her door, no less?
Opening the door, she physically steps back at the sight that greets her.
"Cas-Castle?" she gasps.
He's standing in her doorway, bundled up in a thick coat and a scarf wrapped around his neck, a hat is pulled down over his ears. His hands are shoved deep into his pockets and large white flakes are dusted all over his clothing and he is shivering from the snow that is soaking into his clothing.
"H-hi! I, um, I was out w-walking when the s-storm hit and your place was cl-closer…" he stutters, giving her a sheepish grin. He continues to stand there as she stares at him, her mind not quite caught up with what she is seeing and he's giving her this kind of shy look, embarrassed, like he's afraid she's going to shoot him for showing up like this and it's a look that is so unlike him that it's adorable. But his body convulses with a shiver and she is snapped back in to reality as she grabs his wrist and hauls him inside.
"What the hell were you doing outside in this?" she asks, incredulously.
"I was trying to clear my head so I could write, Didn't really exp-expect this, y-you know?" he responds as she pulls him through her bedroom and into the bathroom.
"Well it's not like it's a nice spring day outside," she responds sarcastically.
"What can I say, I like the cold. Oooh, never seen your room before," he grinned.
"Shut up, you need to get warm, and we're not done talking about this" she retorts, rolling her eyes. She pulls out a soft fluffy towel and lays it on the counter by the tub before she turns to leave the room. "I'll put some of my dad's old clothes that I have laying around out on the bed for when you're done."
"Aw, you mean you aren't gonna join me?" He pouted.
"No, Castle," she huffs "I'll see you when you're finished."
"Thank you," he says, his pout disappearing as he gives her one of his soft smiles he saves just for her. As always, it makes her heart stutter.
She returns the smile "Of, course." She closes the door and walks into the bedroom to gather the clothes as she hears the spray of the shower turn on and the low sound of Castle humming to himself. Castle's in her shower, she thinks. Just a door separates her and a naked Castle. It would be so easy for her to just slip in and join him and press herself against his wet, chiseled ch—No, no she is not thinking about Castle naked in her bathroom and she is definitely not thinking about joining him. No way. Never. Not gonna happen.
She moves into the kitchen, deciding to put as much distance between her and Castle as possible. She puts a kettle on the stove for some hot cocoa, grateful for having a gas stove for once. Shivering, she grabs one of the blankets off the couch and sits in the relative darkness until she hears the door to her bedroom open and Castle steps out. He is wearing a pair of grey sweats and a dark blue hoodie that brings out the cerulean blue of his eyes. His wet hair is ruffled where he has dried it with a towel and it makes him look absolutely adorable.
"What?" he asks. Damn, she had been staring.
"Uh, um…nothing," she gets out quickly, standing up to walk into the kitchen to try to hide the red that was creeping up her cheeks. "I'm making us some cocoa if you want some." She says, trying to divert his attention elsewhere.
"Sounds good," he replies with a knowing grin and damn it, she needs to get a grip. Of course he would notice.
She quickly prepares their drinks and hands one to him as she walks back to the couch. Their fingers brush in the process and it sends tingles up her arm. They had been doing that a lot lately when he has handed her coffee and she knows it is on purpose. But what surprises her is not only how much she does not mind it, but how much she actually likes it.
They sit down on the couch and she chastises herself for being disappointed that he puts four inches between them, fully expecting him to sit close enough for them to touch. She writes it off as just wanting the warmth he would supply. So she says nothing and makes no show of it, instead simply handing him one of the blankets, which he gratefully accepts.
"So, I guess this means you have to stay here tonight, huh?" she says, narrowing her eyes at him.
His eyes widen as he stammers out an answer. "Well, I-I was just trying to get out of the storm, I wasn't-wasn't really thinking," he trails off and he truly looks panicked.
"Its okay, Castle, I'm just giving you a hard time. But have you told Alexis? I mean, she has to be worried by now?"
He relaxes and his face turns into another one of those soft smiles. "All taken care of. I called her right before I came out here. Told her that I was safe and with you and she made sure to chastise me for going out in the first place, which I guess is warranted"
"She's a good kid" Kate replies with a small smile.
"Yeah, she is."
They sit in a comfortable silence for a few minutes. She suddenly shivers, the cold now seeping through, even with the blanket. Castle looks like he wants to reach over and wrap his arms around her and part of her wishes that he would.
"So, do you have cards or anything? Something we could do to keep our minds off the cold?" he asks.
"Um, not cards but I do have Scrabble, if you're up to it?"
"Oooh, Scrabble! Now that's my kind of game. Are you sure you want to go up against me in a word game? I mean, I am the best-selling author here, and I'll have you know, I have never lost a game of Scrabble." He grins
"And I'll have you know that he who brags doesn't get another cup of cocoa. Besides, I'm pretty sure you're the one who appreciated my impressive articulation? You rescinding that now?" She quips. Making sure to emphasize what he would call the four-dollar words
"Oh, oh definitely not! You're on! And you will definitely owe me that second cup of cocoa when I inevitably win." He challenges.
"Oh, we'll see about that!"
And instantly, the raging storm outside and the chill of the apartment was completely forgotten.
Authors note: So this took a different direction than I intended for when I started out this fic, so it will most likely be turned into a two or three-shot depending on if you guys want me to continue.
Also, thank you Leah for being my awesome beta and for helping me out when I got stuck! You guys should go check out her story and her tumblr, which are both under the name encantadaa.:)
Thanks for reading! I hope you like it!
-Ellie
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