I'd been having some issues with writers-block when I saw this idea for a fic-challenge (One word - one sentence) on live-journal where it was done so well that I contacted the author to see if she would mind me blatantly stealing her idea. She was gracious enough to encourage me, and even give me my list of words, so here we have it.
Disclaimer: I wish, I wish, I REALLY wish… but sadly Castle is not mine. Neither is Nathan Fillion, but that's another story…
Hear - Despite all her assertions to the contrary, Castle does actually listen to Beckett, wholly because he just loves to hear her talk.
Purple - His face is a startling combination of purple and black, but Kate knows if it wasn't, she'd very likely be dead right now - although she makes a note to work on his idea of 'diversionary tactics'
Lamp - He's a writer and so he usually avoided clichés like the plague, but he didn't much care when she pulled him towards her and kissed the lips right off his face - in the rain and under the light of the solitary lamp post.
Webcam - He remembers in vivid detail what physical harm she'd promised she'd inflict if he ever pinged her on the new webcam while she was at work, but he knew he was safe when he saw her eyes soften as he tilted the camera so she could see their daughter sleeping softly in her crib on Momma's first day back at work.
Fortune - He would give his entire fortune and then some if only he could feel her touch him just one more time.
Window - Bored now after several hours on his first real stakeout, Castle takes to fogging up the window and drawing silly pictures in the mist while Kate takes to rolling her eyes and resisting the urge to break her shadow's fingers.
Keys - She can't decide if he's going to squeal like a teenage girl or start to cry the first time she hands him a set of keys to her apartment; turns out he does both.
Toys - When she tells him that he absolutely cannot buy the baby another single toy, he agrees and promptly goes out and buys the baby two, grinning mischievously at the verbal loophole she left for him - a writer - to purposely exploit.
Xbox - He pouts like a girl when she whups his ass at Guitar Hero but there are actual tears when she does the same to him in Halo ODST.
Corvette - She tries hard, but can't help laughing at him when he tries to fold his excited six feet plus frame into the drivers seat of the hired Corvette, the laughter stops abruptly when he is finally inside and the speed freak – and the girl - inside her hears the engine roar hard under his control.
Boots - Her black boots with the ridiculous heel were something of a trademark for her and a turn on for him, but they didn't come close to seeing her barefoot and sleepy as she wandered out of his bedroom that first morning after.
Shower - Castle turned the water as hot as he could stand it, hoping the heat that was scalding his skin would wash away both her blood and his guilt.
Sun - Seeing Rick Castle dressed in nothing but sunlight was well worth enduring the boy's teasing when she told them she was going away with him for the weekend.
Spaceship - She doesn't ever ask about the perfect scaled replica of a spaceship he has in pride of place on his shelves, simply because she already knows that it's "love that keeps her flyin'".
Mirror - He's never worried about her more than the day he watches her nearly shove the oh-so-cool drug dealer through the interrogation room mirror for taunting her with her Mother's memory.
Hammer - He knows his heart is beating like a jack-hammer, his palms are sweaty and he feels a little faint but he forces the words out of his mouth anyway, hoping she can make sense out of the confused rush; '''Beckett-no-sorry-Kate-will-you-go-to-dinner-with-me-like-a-real-date-with-you-in-a-dress-where-there-are-napkins-and-silverwear-and-everything-please?'.
Snow - It's almost Pavlovian, his reaction to snow; although he doesn't smile quite so wide when the snow is leaching down his neck from her perfectly aimed snowball.
Wall - She acknowledged that he'd struggled to overcome the walls she built around her heart, but she never for one second expected that she'd struggle to breach his.
Cup - Beckett smiled into her cup, realising that she and Alexis bonded over tea, while she and her father bonded over coffee.
Highlight - Lanie smiled, the dynamic duo of Beckett and her Writer-Boy were by far the highlight of her day, especially when she got to make one or both of them blush.
Pillow - When Kate let him use her thighs as a pillow while they watched TV, Rick couldn't control the contented sigh as her hands absentmindedly started stroking through his hair.
Book – The first dedication shocked her, the second was bittersweet at best, while the third never failed to make her smile, but when she read the dedication in the newest Nikki Heat, she had to hold back tears because what it said meant more than three words ever should – 'For KB, Always.'
Clock - He watched it obsessively, because he knew for every second that ticked by, it was another second that she made it through alive.
Sing – A visit to Sing-Sing isn't something that you ever forget, especially the day you go there to watch New York City enact the death penalty upon the man that took her away from you.
Date - Alexis goes on her first date with the man she'll end up marrying the same night that her father goes on his first date with the woman he'll end up marrying and years later they both feel like there was an elegant symmetry to that.
Gum – "Wow, it really is possible," Rick grinned as he offered back the gum that had previously been in her mouth before their lips had met several minutes earlier.
Magnet – She smiled as she walked into the kitchen seeing the mismatched magnetic letters on the fridge spelling 'I love u' and then smiled wider as she read the handwritten note stuck under the errant letter Z explaining that he wasn't in any way illiterate, nor was he condoning 'text speak' he just couldn't find the Y or another O and so was going to pick up some more magnetic letters while he was out for bagels and coffee 'so that this travesty would never happen again because if you are saying something important you should say it properly, damn it!'
Vibrate – Beckett rolled her eyes, feeling the excitement positively vibrate off his body, "Oh my God, Beckett, this time the butler really did do it!"
E-mail – The written word was his domain, but she managed to eloquently reduce him to a gooey pile of mush with every email she sent while he was away.
Brownie Batter – There was brownie batter in her hair, over her t-shirt and smeared on her cheeks, and she knew if she looked there would be more than a little all over the expensive floor, but damn it, Alexis needed post-break-up comfort food and Kate was going to provide it.
Now for the fun bit.
There is a 'second' part to this, wherein I've written an oh-SO-very R-rated version for each of the above words. I'm not sure if there would be interest in the second part, so I've not posted it simultaneously with this chapter. However, and without this turning into one of those blatant attempts to garner more reviews by holding new chapters to ransom, if you'd be interested in the R-rated version of this, let me know and I'll post it up separately.
Callie.