Title: When It's Over
Summary: The last of the wall crumble when the final arrest is made. Short, sappy one-shot. Brief spoilers for Rise and Cops & Robbers.
Rating: T
Disclaimer: The usual. Sadly.
Author's Note: Yet another of my 'it came to me in a dream, already written' fics... Dunno why it happens, but as long as it does, I'll keep writing 'em! ;-) Perhaps it's the late-night conversations with my muse, Manuxinhace that spur on my Castle-dreaming... Anyway, I'm happy with this one, and it's the first time in a while I've been able to sit down and write a short one-shot that's actually stayed that way. Enjoy, and remember: feedback feeds the plot bunnies!
The flickering red and blue of the police car lights strobed the scene, now eerily quiet after the commotion only minutes before. The solid thud as Beckett closed the car door more firmly than required seemed to echo slightly, the closing of it signifying the end of her long quest for justice.
After nearly fourteen long years, the man who ordered her mother's murder was finally caught, brought down by her, her partner and her team. Light-headed and feeling somewhere between elated and empty, she turned to face Castle.
A slow smile forming on her face, she stepped forward and found herself immediately wrapped in a hug. The familiar scent of him enfolding her as completely as the writer's arms, she relaxed, resting her cheek against the smooth fabric of his shirt. The steady beat of his heart sounding loud in her ear, Kate let out a soft sigh, letting his presence anchor her once more, her tether to reality.
Since they sat on the swings after her shooting, she'd made more of an effort to be open with him. Acknowledging the wall had been the first step on the path she had chosen, hoping that he would understand, fearing that he wouldn't be waiting for her at the end of it all.
Her wall had taken a massive knock with the bank incident, along with the realisation that as much as she might prefer to take things slowly and wait, sometimes the world didn't work like that, and whatever they had could be snatched away in an instant. Her confession to the psychologist weeks later weakened the wall even further, when she realised that her wall was no longer protecting her heart. It had been stolen long ago, and all the damned wall was doing was keeping her from being happy.
With every passing week, she found herself opening up more to Castle, spending time with him outside of the precinct: movie nights, dinner, lunch, the occasional play. Relaxed and happier than ever before, they still hadn't addressed the issue openly, although she was pretty sure that Rick knew she recalled his words to her at the funeral, he was content to let the matter drop, happy knowing that she would address it when she was ready. Content in the mean time to spend time with her, he didn't push.
Their relationship a constant source of gossip at the precinct, they gave up trying to stifle rumors of anything more than 'just friends', instead just going about their lives without putting a label on whatever it was they had. 'Just friends' they weren't, but still they hadn't closed the final steps between them. Content to sit on the couch and watch a movie with her head resting on his shoulder, his arm draped around her, Kate had fallen asleep on the writer on more than one occasion. The casual way they both invaded the other's personal space did almost as much to fuel the will-they-or-wont-they rumors as the constant flirting or the intense, wordless conversations they seemed to have more and more often.
Now, here they stood: out the front of a gorgeous house in the suburbs, wrapped up in other's arms while Esposito and Ryan finished a final sweep of the scene.
"Hey guys, I'll just..." Ryan's words faded off as he rounded the corner and saw them, still hugging. Glancing between their faces, he noted the way Castle's arms loosened slightly as he prepared to let her slip from his grasp. A surprised look flitted across his face as, rather that pull back in embarrassment, Beckett tightened her grip on him, holding him firmly in place. "Am I interrupting something?" Ryan asked, trying to keep the smirk off his face.
Unsure how to answer, Castle held his breath, floored when Beckett responded.
"Actually, yeah. Can you give us a minute, Ryan?" Looking down at the woman still in his arms, Castle couldn't help the teasing grin that crept onto his face.
"Who are you, and what have you done with my Detective Beckett?" Knowing the writer was never one to use words lightly, she felt a surge affection sweep through her as she realised he'd never referred to her as his detective before. Beckett looked him full in the face as she replied, both of them oblivious to Ryan still standing there, his mouth hanging open.
"She's in the car, waiting impatiently, Rick." Pulling her bottom lip between her teeth briefly, she knew things would never be the same between them again, and she was more than fine with that. It was time. A shy smile on her face, she continued. "I thought I might try being your Kate for a while instead..."
Castle let out the shaky breath he had been holding, unable to contain the smile that split his face at her words. Lifting one hand from her hips, he tenderly cupped her cheek and dipped his face towards hers. Their lips ghosting together gently, the kiss slowly deepened as they poured their emotions, so long held in check, into it.
Finally, they broke for air. Resting their foreheads together, Castle couldn't help but press a couple of quick kisses to her lips, quite happy to make up for lost time. A small sound finally intruding on their privacy, they turned, only to see Esposito hitting the 'send' button, before slipping his phone back into his pocket, a massive grin on his face.
"You two gonna come back to the precinct and help with the paperwork, or just stand there making out like teenagers for a while longer? Either way, we don't mind..."
"We have a choice?" Castle asked, knowing the answer already.
"Come on, Castle." Beckett said, enjoying the fact that she could lean in and kiss him again. "Let's get the paperwork taken care of. We can continue this as soon as we're done..." Goofy grins firmly in place on both their faces, they headed for the car. Justice and happiness, all in the same day, their eyes locked, the words hanging unspoken between them...
Best. Day. Ever