Kate Beckett was leading him by the hand, down his hallway, to his bedroom. Richard Castle, of course, was following, because that's what he did, follow her, and because it's what he's wanted for the better part of the last four years.
She was beaming. It wasn't often he used that word to describe Kate Beckett, or Nikki Heat for that matter, but she seemed lighter, unburdened. She turned to face him, unbuttoning the last two buttons of her blouse.
He stopped, digging his heels in, and squeezing her hand. He knew he had to make his argument convincing, because it would be so easy to ignore the faint voice of common sense that was whispering in the back of his head. "Why now? Why today? Why not last week or last month or last year?"
Thinking he was playing, she smiled at him, moving closer until they were almost touching. She stopped before brushing her lips against his, noticing that he was watching her intently. She didn't move away from him, but she looked down shyly, avoiding his penetrating stare.
He ran his knuckles over her cheek, and let them come to rest under her chin, lifting her face up to meet his. "You look happy." It was more of a question, than an observation.
She grinned at him teasingly. "Yeah? You look pretty pleased with yourself as well."
He responded by tangling his fingers into her hair, and pulling her a little closer, until her body molded itself against him. He felt her breath against his throat as she exhaled a deep sigh, and he knew that they were not going about this the right way. "What's not to be happy about, right?" He rested his chin lightly on the top of her head, hoping for a little insight into what brought her to his door that evening.
"You really want to talk about this now?" Her arms were still wrapped around his back, and he felt her breath seep through his shirt as she spoke. The smile slid off her face a bit when he didn't answer, but she recovered before she looked up at him. She stood on her tip toes, and let her lips brush over his ear, as she whispered, "This can't wait until… I don't know… tomorrow morning?"
He swallowed, trying to clear his throat, and his head. "There are a bunch of things I want to do right now, and surprisingly, talking is very high on my list."
He pushed her away gently, keeping his hands on her waist to put a stop to either of the two reactions he anticipated. Surprisingly, she neither backed off completely, taking everything she was offering off the table, nor did she ignore his reservations and make another advance on his senses. He breathed a sigh of relief, because either one would have shattered his restraint.
She blinked at him a couple of times, trying to gauge how serious he was. "So, you want to talk? Now?"
He let go of her waist hesitantly, and smiled warmly as brushed her hair away from her face, tucking the stray strand behind her ear. "I thought we just established that."
"Just making sure…" She took a step away from him, smiling shyly back at him.
He pulled her still damp shirt back up on her shoulder, letting his fingers trail over her bare skin. "And since I've clearly lost my mind, I would also like you to get some dry clothes on. We can go downstairs, eat something, talk about what happened earlier tonight…"
She took another, bigger, step backwards, crossed her arms over her chest to hold her shirt together. "Why don't you make us something to eat, and, if you don't mind, I am going to take a warm shower and change clothes."
He stood watching her cautiously, wondering what was going through her thoughts. He reached around her and opened the door to his bedroom. "Make yourself at home." He showed her the bathroom, and where the towels were, and gestured to his dresser. "You can borrow some of my things until yours dry."
She nodded, but didn't quite look him in the eye.
"Are you ok?" She wasn't. She was looking for space.
"No. But I will be. I think I am just a bit overwhelmed by everything." She took another step toward the bathroom. "You were right, about slowing things down…"
He hooked his fingers around hers. "Take your time. We'll talk when you come down."
When she came down the stairs, he was sitting on the sofa, his head tipped back, and his eyes closed. She watched him from behind the sofa for a minute to determine if he was sleeping. He opened his eyes, and looked right at her. She came around and leaned against the arm of the sofa closest to him.
"Did I take too long?"
"No. Dinner should be about ready. I was just resting. I guess I didn't realize what a long day it's been..." He rested a hand on her leg. "Hungry?"
"I could eat." She stood up, and watched him watch her. She smoothed her hands down the front of his button down shirt, which fit her more like a dress, hitting her mid-thigh. "Do you mind? I took the one off the hook in your closet. The other ones were stiff, starchy. This one smelled like you."
"No. I mean… no, it's fine." He cleared his throat, and smiled. "Whatever you choose to wear, or not wear, when you are at my home is completely ok with me. If it happens to be my shirt and it shows a disturbing amount of leg and makes me wonder what's under it, even better."
She surprised him by lifting up the side of his shirt to reveal the rest of her thigh, and a pair of his boxer shorts with the waist band rolled a few times to snug them up. "Now you don't have to wonder."
Now to explain... There are three things I want to see in the premier... so this is going to be a three chapter story. The first thing I want is for Castle to put a stop to the event they were leading up to in last year's finale. Does anyone else agree? **crickets** Ok. It's not that I don't want it to happen. I just don't want it to happen now, like this. Let me explain. I don't think the timing is right. As in, really wrong. Kate was beat up, almost died, let the guy get away, got her friend suspended, resigned, showed up on his step wet and crying... They waited four years, and this is how it happens? It's almost as bad as having her come to his place drunk. Anyway, thanks for reading, and let me know what you think. Chapter two will be up very soon.