Set in season 4.

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or the characters.

"I need your help."

"With?"

"Beckett."

"What about her?"

"I'm going to ask her out and I need your guys help."

Ryan and Esposito both burst out laughing.

"Really, you're actually going to go for it this time?" Ryan asked, remembering what had happened last time Castle had tried to ask Beckett on a date.

Before Castle had a chance to speak, Esposito was talking, trying to hold back his laughter as he did, "Because if I remember correctly, last time you couldn't even get her name out of your mouth before you basically ran away from her."

Castle opened his mouth to defend himself but nothing came to mind to explain exactly what had happened last time. He'd just panicked. He'd thought about the fact that her answer could be no and not wanting to face that possibility, he'd made a quick excuse about being late to meet Alexis and then he'd left.

Not this time though. This time he had a plan and hopefully, with a little help, he'll be able to get her to agree to go out on a date with him.

"Okay, fine, I panicked last time, but not this time, not if you guys help me."

"Okay, what do you need?"

XXX

Again. He'd panicked again. Why was this so hard? But he knew why. He knew that Kate Beckett held his heart and he was afraid to finally give it to her completely because it gave her the chance to break it. He can't believe after all the work he'd put into his plan this time, he'd choked and ended up leaving the precinct again with a completely lame excuse of needing to do laundry.

So now here he was, pacing back and forth in his loft, trying to come up with a halfway decent excuse that would at least get him over to Beckett's apartment so he can simply just ask her out on a date like he was originally going to do before the boys got involved.

XXX

Half an hour later and he still had nothing, and frankly, he was slightly embarrassed to face her after his hasty exit from the precinct today. His phone ringing broke him out of his thoughts and he was surprised when he saw Beckett's face staring back at him from the phone's screen.

"Hey, do we have another case?" he asked, hopeful that this was exactly the excuse he needed to be able to see her again soon.

"Hey. No we don't but I..uhh…well I was cooking and I've made way too much pasta for dinner and I was wondering if maybe you wanted to join me?" Beckett asked quickly and Castle could've sworn that she sounded nervous but that thought was quickly forgotten when he realised what Beckett was saying.

"Are you asking me to have dinner with you?" Castle asked, not entirely sure he'd heard correctly.

"I am," answered Beckett, sounding more confident than she did before.

"Then I accept," Castle grinned, not believing that she had actually invited him over out of the blue and that now he had the perfect opportunity to talk to her alone.

"Great, I'll see you soon," Beckett replied, knowing that Castle was smiling by the tone of his voice and not caring if he could hear the smile in hers either.

XXX

Not long later, Castle found himself standing in Beckett's doorway, his breath caught in his throat as he took in the sight in front of him. There she was, wearing that soft smile he loved so much, the one that reached her eyes and made him feel like the luckiest person alive that she looked at him like that. On top of that, she was dressed casually in jeans and a dark coloured sweater and he loved how she was so comfortable around him that she didn't feel the need to dress up for him, that they were just two friends having dinner together.

"Come in," she said, smiling at him as he took the invitation and stepped inside before she shut the door behind him.

"I hope you don't mind, I brought dessert," Castle replied, following her into her kitchen where she began finishing up the meal she'd cooked them.

"Does it happen to be chocolate cake?" she asked, and Castle couldn't help but laugh at the hopeful look in Beckett's eyes as she did.

"It does," Castle grinned.

"Then I don't mind at all," Beckett grinned back, stepping forward to take it from him.

While Beckett put the final touches on dinner, Castle worked his way around the kitchen and began setting the table for the two of them.

He loved how at home he felt here, that he could walk around her kitchen and know where everything is. That he could take his coat off and drape it over the back of the couch. And that she didn't seem to mind how comfortable he was here, with her.

"Wine?' Beckett asked, once she'd placed the dish of steaming pasta on the table.

"Please," Castle replied and while Beckett grabbed a bottle of wine, Castle took down two wine glasses down from the cupboard and met her at the table.

"Thanks," Castle said after she'd poured him a glass of wine and they were both seated, ready to enjoy the meal that she'd cooked for them.

XXX

Dinner was wonderful and Castle can't remember ever having this much fun on a first date (which he then had to remind himself that this wasn't actually a date because he hadn't had the courage to ask her out earlier). But soon he would. Tonight was the night and he wasn't going to let anything stop him.

Now it was dessert time and after Castle had cut them both decent sized pieces of cake, they made their way over to sit on her couch instead.

They ate their cake in silence and it wasn't until they'd both placed their empty plates on the coffee table that Beckett finally spoke.

"I have a confession to make," she said and Castle could immediately tell that she was nervous.

"What?" Castle asked, his mind flashing through various possibilities of what he thought she might say and none of them were good.

"The boys told me what you were planning to do earlier," she said, her heart pounding at the mere thought that he'd been wanting to ask her out. It was no secret that he wanted her but she still hadn't been entirely sure that he didn't just want to sleep with but now she was. Now she knew that he had truly meant his "I love you" and that he wanted her in every way possible. Which had only been made more clear by how nervous he'd been when he'd attempted to ask her out and when the boys had told her what he'd been planning, she'd wasted no time in planning a way to tell him she wanted him just as much too.

"What?"

"I know about what you were planning earlier, that you were going to ask me out." She bit her lip nervously after she'd spoken, not entirely sure she had been right to tell him.

But when the faint blush spread across his cheeks and he dropped his head looking embarrassed, she knew she'd done exactly the right thing, she didn't want him feeling like this.

"Castle," she said softy, and his eyes shot up to hers when he felt her hand cover his.

He was relieved to see there was no teasing glint in her eyes, no hint that she thought this was a joke or she found it funny that he'd planned with the boys a way to ask her out.

"After you left today, I asked them if they knew why you were acting so strange and they eventually told me what you guys had been planning."

"Traitors," Castle grumbled and Beckett couldn't help the laughter that bubbled past her lips which caused Castle to smile in return.

"But what I don't understand is, why didn't you just ask me?"

"I…I tried. Do you remember last week, when I left suddenly to go see Alexis? That was my first attempt."

Beckett's mind flashed back to the moment he was talking about and she remembered how odd he'd been acting then too but she hadn't realised at the time that that had been why.

And then it hit her all at once, why he hadn't just asked her, why he'd been so nervous and afraid to, it was because of her. Because she was so closed off, had hid from him, had pushed him away and now she could see exactly why it had been so hard for him. It was because of her, he was afraid that she would hurt him.

"Oh, Castle, I'm so sorry," she said, gripping his hand tighter and wishing she could go back in time and change the past so she'd never hurt this amazing man. But then they wouldn't be where they were today, and she couldn't bring herself to regret where they were, so close to something that could be so wonderful.

"You're sorry?" asked Castle, confused to what she was thinking about now.

"I am, so very sorry. I'm sorry for hurting you, for making you doubt me and doubt how I feel about you."

"Can I ask you a question?" Castle asked, his mind reeling from everything she'd just said.

When she nodded her consent, he continued, "Why did you invite me over for dinner tonight?"

"Because I had something I wanted to ask you."

"And what was that?" Castle asked, his heart pounding, and this couldn't possibly be going where he thinks it is, can it?

"Will you go on a date with me?"

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