Kate Beckett wasn't someone who worried easily. She used to, when she was younger, but after her mother's death it was as if all of her greatest fears had come true, as if she had nothing else left worth worrying about. At least, that's what she thought, until tonight, until that text. She felt her heart skip a beat when she repeated the words in her mind: "Come at my place as soon as you can. Please." Nothing else. If a message like this wasn't enough to make someone worry, the fact that is was by non other than someone who made a living with his ability to write, made her feel completely terrified. Richard Castle. She told herself not to go there, not to think about it, not while she was waiting at a red light and daydreaming was far too dangerous, but it seemed as if at the mention of the author, her mind shut off completely, and her feelings took over her.
She remembered that night, the stakeout, the kiss. How it was all supposed to be just a decoy. Decoy, my ass, she told herself. She could still hear Lanie's voice as she recalled the conversation she had with her girlfriend just mere hours ago: "Girl, you can lie to me however you want to, but there's no way you can lie to yourself." And she was right, as always.
A car honked behind her, and Kate woke up from her daydream, watching the now green light, and turning right. She parked her Crown Vic not too far from Castle's building, and tried to calm herself down while she walked to the door. She automatically imagined all the worst possible scenarios. Was Alexis ok, was Martha ok? And most importantly, was he ok?
She knew she couldn't afford to lose him.
The ride in the elevator seemed to take forever. When she finally arrived to his floor, she took a deep breath before knocking on his door, and tried to put her walls around her up again, putting on her best Beckett's façade. She had barely knocked, when the door opened, revealing a very alive and healthy Richard Castle. A very alive, healthy and smiling one, too.
"Oh Beckett, thank God, you're finally here!" He told her, with his usual, charming smile that made her feel butterflies in her stomach. Butterflies? Oh God, she was so screwed.
"What was so urgent that I had to drag myself here in the middle of the night, Castle?"
"But it's barely 11 pm, and it's a Saturday! Wait a second, did I by any chance interrupt your wild Saturday night plans with Dr Motorcycle boy, Detective?"
Was that jealousy she could hear in his words?
"You should really stop calling him that, Castle. By the way, Josh is on shift tonight. You interrupted my rendez-vous with a glass of wine, some bubbles and a good book."
"Oooh, was it one of mine?"
"Come on, Castle, I said a good book."
She smiled, ironically, and went past him, into the loft.
"Ouch, that really hurt, Detective!"
"Serves you right for interrupting my night in. So what is it, Castle? What was so urgent that I had to come here immediately?"
"I need another player for our epic game of Clue!"