Author's note: I couldn't resist. I had to write something about tonight's episode "Once Upon A Crime"...I just adored the ending and imagined what might have happend afterwards.

That means, it's a bit spoilery for this episode, so if you haven't seen it yet, don't read ;)

It's kinda cheesy, I know but I just needed that. Feel free to review ;)

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters, I just love them ;D

As she grabbed his hand warmth spread through his body that it was almost too much to bear. Sure, they had touched before but this gesture, it was comfort. She was there for him, there to protect him like she said and just like he would always protect her, be there for her.

He turned his hand, intertwined their fingers and she didn't let go but instead gave a light squeeze.

They finished watching the play and at certain points he wished he could just hide in the cushions of the couch. But that's when he could feel her squeeze again and it made it all better, bearable.

When it was finally over, Alexis and Marcus applauded and Martha bowed. He was about to clap a little too, just to humour his mother but then realised he and Kate were still holding hands. It surprised him a little, no, quite a lot actually, but he didn't let go of her and neither did she so he just smiled at his mother. She did have her moments in her play and although she might have mocked him quite a lot, she probably was right to do so.

Next to him Beckett smiled the smile he loved so much. Bright, lovely, genuine. He gave another squeeze with his hand and she looked at him, just looked. The sparks in her eyes, her beautiful green eyes, were unmistakable. She was radiating, then again, she always was for him.

She held out her champagne glass to him and he took his own.

"To your mother and her…well you know," she said. He grinned at her and they clinked their glasses. Kate toasted towards Martha as well who was deep in conversation with Alexis and Marcus and didn't really notice.

Kate shook her head lightly, amused.

"So, now everyone who saw the play has a nice new picture of you. Almost serial killer, huh?" she stated and made him frown.

"Yeah…I feared as much," he answered in the same tone he had spoken when he admitted to sleeping with Sophia. Not pleased.

"Oh come on Castle, it was nice!"

"You think?"

"Yeah. For once I got to see another layer of you, not the other way around… I don't know what was true and what wasn't but it really was nice."

"Hm…," he made as she relaxed back into the couch.

Beckett then realised that she couldn't hear the voices of Martha, Alexis and Marcus anymore and looked away from Castle to see they were gone.

Castle also noticed that. Date, huh? he thought and smiled. His mother, the dating agent.

When he looked at Kate again he found her watching him and he raised an eyebrow in question but she only shook her head lightly and smiled again. He leaned back and towards her so he could watch her better and suddenly had a déjà-vu feeling of a hotel room in LA. With one difference; they were holding hands now and none of them was about to let go.

Could this be it, he asked himself, the moment where everything changed, the moment he had been waiting for for so long?

She was still watching him, a strand of her hair falling lightly in her eyes. He brushed it out of her face without hesitation, without thinking what he was doing. When his fingers touched her cheek, he saw a shadow cross her face and he hastily tucked the hair behind her ear.

"Sorry," he mumbled and quickly withdrew his hand but she only closed her eyes and shook her head a bit.

"It's…okay."

He smiled. "Look how far we've come."

He knew he was entering dangerous territory. He didn't know if she was ready yet but it just felt so right. The way they were sitting there, holding hands, watching each other, it seemed like it was just a normal evening in their lives, like they did that every other evening and he wanted it to be normal more than anything.

But it wasn't and he finally wanted to change that.

"You want a top up?" he asked, pointing at her almost empty glass.

"No, thank you, I'm good right here" she answered and he was glad for it. He would have had to get up and let go of her hand and he definitely didn't want to do that. He watched her drink the last drop and then place the glass on the floor.

When she looked up at him again he could see something new in her expression, something like determination.

Kate only had the one glass but somehow this whole situation made her more…open. It was as if she could feel the alcohol and felt freer. She hoisted her legs up onto the couch, making herself comfortable. She was not about to reveal anything to him but she was about to enjoy this night as much as possible.

They needed small steps, mostly because of her but maybe it was time for her to make one of those steps. They had been pacing on the same spot for too long and she knew it was her fault. This was the right moment to maybe dare something. She knew Martha must have planned something like this, must have planned for her and Rick to end up alone as if they were on a date and it made her smile.

"Thank you," she now said.

"What for?"

"This. Being patient. Being you."

A wide smile spread across his face and she knew exactly what he was about to say even before he opened his mouth. Always.

"Always."

She couldn't hold back a smile herself, didn't even want to. She had been smiling at him so openly lately and it felt good, it felt real.

They sat in silence for a while, just looking at each other, losing themselves in each other's eyes. Oh how she loved his clear blue eyes, how they seemed deeper than the ocean and how they seemed to see right through her.

At some point they started talking again, just about things that they had in mind. Castle worried about Alexis again, she tried to reassure him, they stayed silent for minutes again but it never was uncomfortable, it was natural.

All of a sudden Kate started yawning. They did have a pretty exhausting case and she could see that Castle was tired as well.

"I should go," she said but he shook his head.

"Don't go yet."

She squeezed his hand and got up despite his words.

"We both could use some sleep, you know." She stood there, his hand in hers.

"Come on now," she said and tugged at his hand. He sighed and let her pull him up. He stood too close, it almost knocked the breath out of her and she let go of his hand, took a step back.

His smile faded a little but together they walked to the door. He helped her into her coat just as he always did and opened the door hesitantly.

They stood there in passing, both not quite sure what to do.

"Well, farewell then and until tomorrow," Castle said in a fairytale manner that made her grin.

He wanted nothing more but to kiss her but he also didn't want to kiss her because he feared he might ruin the nice evening they just had. So instead he took her hand again and only placed a light kiss on the back of her hand.

A shudder went through Kate's body as his lips touched her skin and she looked at him, mild surprise mirroring on her face but then she smiled. She made a small step closer. Yes, she needed to take that step, not the actual step, the figurative step towards the man she loved, the step that could take them a bit further away from the same spot they had been pacing.

With her heels she was almost as tall as him so it didn't take much to close the distance between them as she leaned in and placed a light kiss on his lips.

"Good night, Rick," she breathed and used his surprise to leave his side and step to the elevator.

He just stood there, perplexed, watching her. When the elevator door opened she turned around again, smiling lightly.

He couldn't react to it, not yet so instead he fixed his eyes on hers as the doors closed and then touched his lips with his fingers. It had just been a brush of a feather, nothing more. He wasn't even sure she had actually kissed him. But it didn't matter.