Kate's eyes lit up as she looked at the elevator in the precinct. All her taste buds came together in yearning as she saw him, carrying two coffee cups. No matter how many times she told him to stay away, he found his way into the precinct. Every time he finished a case with them, he carried her heart, leaving Kate empty, devoid of emotion. Leaving her heart with Castle was the only way that she could keep her mind focused on the case. For the fifteenth time that day, Kate wondered if leaving to investigate this case was the best plan. Maybe if she let him in on the secret, they could do it together?
As Castle inched closer, Kate's feet walked toward him of their own accord, as if his very presence made it impossible to stay away.
"I heard you had a late night, coffee seemed like a good idea," His hand shifted over the cup, fingers brushing with hers as she grabbed for the beverage. Electricity shot through her with the mere brush of his hand. It had been over a month since she had been intimate with her husband, her body pulsing with need at the thought of it.
Kate wondered if she could drag him by his belt loop into the supply closet and end this charade. She needed him more than she needed to work on this case. Her mind wandered at the thought of him kissing his way down her neck, them becoming one again. But could she live with herself if she let the case go? Didn't her friends deserve justice?
"What are you working on today?" Castle's voice broke her thoughts, his eyes lighting up, filling with a hope that she didn't know if she could fulfill.
Kate smiled as she realized that this is something that she could give him, a case that would ignite his inner storyteller.
"A man dressed like a hot dog was murdered by a man dressed like a ketchup bottle."
"What?" Castle grinned, jumping up and down on his toes, as if he had been given the best gift in the world.
"Since the ketchup bottle didn't work for the restaurant, we haven't been able to pinpoint who was inside the suit. But we are working on it," Kate's eyes melted as she saw her husband become transformed into the man she fell in love with, wonder and joy in features.
"That is the best case that you have ever had since I started working with you," Castle's eyes caught hers when he said it, then quickly dissolved himself of her gaze, looking down at his feet.
"I guess I better be going, unless you need help finding out who the ketchup bandit is?"
Kate took out the file and handed it to Castle, wanting to work with her husband a little longer, a note of reluctance ringing through her voice.
"Maybe you could look at the file, and tell me what you think?"
She handed the file to Castle and gasped when his hand reached for it. Kate hadn't noticed it before, her mouth dropped open as the words formed in her throat on a whisper.
"You took off your wedding ring."
Castle's gaze locked with Kate's, a note of surprise in his eyes at her response.
"No, I…uh…actually lost it."
"Oh," Kate tried to keep the tears from falling in her eyes. For that one moment, she saw a possible future without Castle, one where he had given up on her. She couldn't do this anymore.
"Can I replace it?"
Castle's hand landed on her arm, his fingers circling her elbow. He placed the file on the table and straightened.
"I wasn't sure you would want to replace it."
At that moment, Kate's worldview became clear. Her husband didn't know if she would want to replace his wedding band? How could she have been so stupid? Of course he didn't believe that she was coming back. She had given him no indication to the contrary. Words meant nothing when she was spending nights at her office, avoiding the loft and asking to pick up her stuff. This ended now.
She placed her coffee down on the table, careful to move the file to the other side. Grasping Castle's hand, her feet marched across the precinct, him following behind her.
As they both found their way into her office, Kate locked the door behind her. Her shaking fingers gathered the cord of the blinds and closed them, securing a place for her to end this ridiculous charade.
She grabbed Castle's shoulders, pushed him up against the wall and kissed him, her tongue scraping through his mouth as if discovering water after years in the desert.
Castle's stunned expression soon gave way to a mouth that was kissing her back, biting her lower lip, exploring her mouth expertly, in a way that only happens after years of loving each other.
As if a bucket of cold water splashed on his head, Castle immediately stepped back, realization seeping its way through his features.
"Kate, I can't do this with you if you aren't coming back. It's too hard to have you one minute and then have to say goodbye."
Kate ran a finger over his bottom lip, giving in to the last bit of hesitancy about giving up on this case.
"I want to come home, Castle. I'll tell you everything."
Castle observed Kate, she noticed a note of question in his features, "Ok, but I think we should go to counseling. We need to rebuild trust in this relationship. I can't be worried that you are going to leave whenever things get difficult."
Kate nodded her head, placing a perfunctory kiss on her husband's mouth, holding herself back from diving into his mouth again, showing him exactly how committed she was to their marriage. She needed to be honest with Castle before they rekindled the physical side of their relationship.
"That sounds fair," Kate placed her hand in his, fingers intertwining as she felt the lack of wedding ring. "First, we have something important to do."
"What's that?" Castle asked, his expression filled with promise.
"We have to go get you a new wedding ring. I don't want anyone else thinking that you are open for business."
A smile spread across Castle's face, "Don't worry, honey. The only one getting my business is you."