For Two
"Castle, you did not get a Slurpee when it's 12 degrees outside."
His only answer is a pointed slurp on the extra-wide plastic straw sticking out of the extra large plastic cup.
"You were supposed to be going in there for coffee to warm us up while we're sitting in the car for the next four hours."
He hands across the paper tray holding their two large coffees before he slides into his seat and pulls his door shut against a sideways gust of snowy wind.
Buckling in one-handed, he juggles the giant beverage but never loses his pucker around the straw.
The ice-pick headache hits just as Kate deposits the second coffee into the center console cup holder.
"What the hell are you doing?"
Castle can't speak and simultaneously follow his sure-fire ice cream headache cure, so he concentrates on squinting his eyes and sticking out his tongue as far as it will go.
"Oh come on - blue raspberry?"
The worst of the pain eases, and he opens his eyes, flipping down the mirror to assess the turquoise shade of his tongue.
"Of course. Alexis was cherry. We would have contests to see who could slurp the most before the headache hit. But wait, does your scoffing at my flavor choice mean at some point you have deigned to try a Slurpee?"
Kate puts the car in reverse and pulls out of their parking spot, tires crunching through the still-packed banks of plowed snow.
"Dr. Pepper ICEE. Only way to go."
"ICEE? I'm surprised at you, Beckett. I'd have thought you'd have better taste in convenience store frozen beverages. Besides, Dr. Pepper wouldn't even turn your tongue a funny color. That's half the fun."
Her eyes roll as she pulls out into the light traffic still out on the streets despite the obscenely late hour and single-digit temperatures. A few minutes later, she slots into a spot with a decent view of the exits of the the rundown walk-up, as long as the flurries don't turn into blizzard snowfall.
# * # * # * #
Three and a half hours later, Castle sucks down the last swallow of his ice-cold coffee and shakes the cup. Not a thing has moved across the street since they arrived, unless you count the snow plow that rumbled through about an hour before.
"Why did you agree to help robbery with this stupid stake-out again?"
Kate has been sneaking M&Ms from the pack he bought her every time her eyelids start to droop, but her answer comes out bright and perky despite it being almost four AM.
"Because Morris handed over our suspect last month complete with a signed confession after he caught the guy attempting to steal the murder weapon from evidence."
"Good point. But you've gotta admit, that Samurai sword was pretty awesome."
Castle reaches into the side pocket of his overcoat, digging around until he pulls out a flat plastic bag.
"Speaking of awesome, I almost forgot. Look what I found next to the Corn Nuts."
Hmm. Corn Nuts... As he pulls open the cellophane, a distinctly smoky scent wafts to her nose.
"Is that-?"
"Bacon. Yup. But not just any bacon. This is bacon jerky."
Castle whips out a hunk and offers it up to Beckett.
Her only response is a decided nose scrunch.
"Come on, Beckett, it's bacon. Everybody loves bacon."
"Actual bacon? Sure. But that petrified, over-smoked, pork byproduct? I think I'll pass."
He pops a sizeable piece into his mouth.
"Oh my gaw- zis suff iz amazin-"
His exclamation is stopped short by a paroxysm of coughing, caused by his unfortunate choice to inhale with a mouth full of jerky.
Beckett slaps him on the back a few times, narrowly avoiding any use of the Heimlich maneuver. Once he has recovered, he tries again.
"I can't believe I didn't know this existed. It's like porcine ambrosia."
Her eye muscles strain with the force of the roll.
"And you call yourself a jerky connoisseur."
Castle shoves a second piece into his mouth before turning the bag over to search the fine print.
"I know, right? Who makes this? They'd better have it online."
"I swear if you buy a case of bacon jerky, I may be forced to divorce you."
He hits her with his best puppy-dog eyes.
"But I'm almost halfway through that second case of chocolate dipped strawberry Valentine's Peeps."
A slight gagging noise escapes the back of her throat before she responds.
"And this is supposed to improve my opinion of your snackfood taste?"
He ignores her in favor of finishing his scan of the packaging.
"This just keeps getting better. Guess the name of the company."
"Coronary Angioplasty Associates?"
"Hey, now, it's not that bad for you. Zero grams of trans fats. But come on, guess the name."
"No."
"Fine: Monogram Meat Snacks. I tell you I couldn't make this stuff up."
She presses her lips together to hide her grin.
"Are you sure you don't want to try some?"
"Absolutely not."
Now her cruiser smells like bacon. Fantastic. Her stomach sounds off with a nauseated grumble.
"Come on, Kate, who doesn't enjoy a tasty meat snack every now and then?"
"If you don't shut up about that bacon jerky, I'll monogram your meat snack, Castle."
"Whoa - OK, snarky much, tonight? I'll quit with the meat snacks, but you know mine is only for you, no monogram required."
Yes, she does know because she has been enjoying it fairly frequently.
Hmm.
Really frequently.
Touchy sense of smell. Moody. Tired. Craving Corn Nuts. Now nauseated...
Beckett digs in the console for her phone and pulls up her calendar, the fine hairs starting to rise on the back of her neck.
The flush starts at her cheeks and floods out until she is sure she must be glowing.
Glowing. Of course.
Chancing a sideways glance at her partner, she finds his eyes blinking heavily, head starting to drift toward his shoulder.
A smirk draws up one corner of her mouth as she thumbs to a map program.
As the sun begins to color the horizon two hours later, Kate nudges her husband, who is now drooling on his lapel in the passenger seat.
"Wha? Where's the perp?"
Kate puts the car in gear and hopes for traction in the slippery snow.
"Relax, Castle. No perp. It's time to go home. The daytime crew just parked around the corner."
The package of bacon jerky slips off his lap as Castle scoots up in his seat. She swears she can smell it when his hand snatches for it and then opens the resealable pack.
"Crap. I'm out of bacon. If I promise to make you extra special coffee later, could we stop by that 7-11 again on our way home?"
Kate pulls out into the right lane, steering carefully in the icy conditions, her gaze alternating between mirrors and the traffic.
"Actually, Castle, I think we should stop at the pharmacy instead."
"Why, have you seen bacon jerky at the Walgreen's? You've been holding out on me!"
"Nope. No meat snacks. But some Ben and Jerry's sounds kinda good. Maybe one of those giant pickles in a pouch."
The smirk won't be repressed. One look at the crinkle in his brow and she can tell it hasn't hit him yet.
"What the hell? You sound worse than me. Kate did an alien take over your body just now while I was asleep?"
"Actually I'm guessing it was more like three weeks ago, give or take, and it would be only half as bad as you."
As she slots into a gap on the curb outside the closest Walgreen's, her eyes find his, now wide and sparkling and maybe a little wet.
"Well in that case, when we get home I'm making you both a s'morelette."
# * # * # * #
A/N: thanks to Alex and Dia for rapid fire stereo beta today! I own no stock in any snack food companies. Read all nutrition labels thoroughly before enjoying. Yay for the finale!
Twitter: Kate_Christie_
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