A/N: I have it in my head, it's doing me no good staying in there, so I thought I'd pen it down. It's a one shot. Enjoy.
Disclaimer: Hiatuses are the worst! They are holes! HOLES! Umm.. I don't own Castle.
Xoxoxoxox
"Hey. Good morning, detective.", Castle said as he handed her a cup of coffee.
She looked up, slightly surprised and accepted the coffee with a thanks. "Umm. What are you doing here?"
He chuckled. Humor had always helped him. He prayed that it would continue helping him. "What I always do, Beckett. Avoiding paperwork and preparing to annoy you."
"Don't you want to go follow Slaughter?", she asked. She hoped of course, that the answer was a no – but recently …
"He doesn't take to annoyance as kindly. My roguish good looks and charms work better on you."
She couldn't help the smile but she rolled her eyes. Does he really think that things can just go back to normal?
He continued before she could put in a word. "It's a good thing that I followed him though."
Oh? Really? He as the nerve to say this to her? Even after she had to put her job on the line? "Oh.", she said through gritted teeth.
"Yeah. It made me realize something."
"That you'd rather keep your bones intact? That you'd think shadowing me would help you remember N. Y. P. D in the correct order?"
"I – wait. What? Who told you that?" He asked through narrowed eyes.
"Doesn't matter." She smirked at him. She had guys everywhere too.
"I was just, mixing it up. Keeping it real."
"Mixing it up is right."
"Whatever. Be that way."
She smiled at the pouting writer, at the familiarity of the banter that she missed so very much. "Fine Castle. What did you realize?"
"That I'm a one detective guy."
Oh. "Oh."
Huh. Wait. Why is she looking sad? That wasn't the reaction he'd been hoping for. Hmm.
"And you're the one."
She choked on her coffee, so that he had to thump her back.
"Beckett?"
"I'm – I'm good. I'm okay.", she managed through the choking and took deep breaths. OH! But then why?
"Are you sure you're okay? You look kind of pale.", he asked, now genuinely worried.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I'm – I'm confused?"
"How should I know if you're confused?", he asked, bemused.
"I'm not asking you, Castle. I'm saying that I'm confused. Why – I don't get what's going on. You're confusing me."
Oh that was rich. "I'm confusing you?"
"What's that supposed to mean?"
"Look, it's nothing. Never mind."
"It's obviously something, Castle. Just spit it out."
He sighed. This was definitely not going the way he'd hoped. "What do you care, Beckett? What difference does it make?"
"How can you even say that, Rick? After I had to put my job on the line. The job is everything to me. Or at least it was until –"
"Until?" He wanted to know. So badly, he wanted to know.
"Rick.", she said, with a pleading voice and looked away.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to get you upset."
"Then why have you been parading over here with the bimbo and the bozo?"
Woah! "I didn't think you'd mind?"
She looked at him as if he were crazy. So he continued.
"I was just saving you the embarrassment, okay? There. I said it." He exhaled through his mouth like he'd been bottling up that breath for months.
"What are you talking about?"
Not the time to be clueless.
"I know you know."
"Obviously I don't.", she said through narrowed eyes. But she could see that whatever it was that she was supposed to know was a big deal.
"You do. I heard you saying it to Bobby."
"Bobby. Who's Bobby?" Now she was thoroughly confused.
"Bobby the witness."
She had to think back, and noticed him looking at her furrow. He noticed her noticing and kept talking.
"After spending time shadowing Slaughter, I decided that I'm better off solving crime beside my partner than having nothing of her at all."
"Huh?"
"Why are you still confused?", he said, exasperated. "We're supposed to be in sync!"
"This has something to do with Bobby the witness? From the bombing case?"
"Yes. You told him that you remembered."
What on earth did she remember, that she told Bobby about, that in turn drove Castle crazy? What could possibly be so – Oh! OH! Oh no, no, no.
He saw her eyes go wide and she snapped her head towards him.
"You heard me?"
"There we go. Yes. I heard you."
"That's what this has been about? That's – Castle, I'm – but how are you saving me from embarrassment?"
He sighed. "Apparently I'm not doing a very good job of it. Beckett, I know you don't feel the same way."
"I – what?"
"I love you."
Her breath hitched and her eyes went wide again, and – did her lips just twitch. "What?"
"I should have brought you two cups of coffee today. I said I love you and you don't feel the same way, which is why you lied to me and said that you didn't remember. So I'm saving you the embarrassment of saying it. I know. You know. Can we just move on please?"
"Embarrassment? Castle, how'd you figure that?", she said with her pitch climbing higher with each word.
"Uh. What else would it be?", he said, now feeling unsure of his theory.
"Not that!"
"Okay. Then you don't feel the same way and you just didn't know how to tell me."
"Rick! Aren't you supposed to be good at reading people?"
He huffed. "No. I'm supposed to be good at writing people. You're supposed to be good at reading them. I just so happen to multitask."
She rolled her eyes. Of course he's trying to lighten things up. It's probably killing him. The moron.
"I love you too. Read that."
His eyes went wide. His pulse rate could probably win a horse race. His heart probably needs to be yanked out of his intestines.
"Rick, breathe.", she said evenly.
He did as she said. He always did what she said. Not true, he actually did the opposite of what she said a lot of times, but that's their thing. He let out his breath and frantically searched her face for signs of her yanking his chain, but she looked serious enough.
But then she smiled and pinched him.
"Ow!"
"You're not dreaming."
"I didn't say – "
"You were thinking it."
"How do you know what I was thinking?"
"Because we're back in sync."
He smiled. She did too. Ryan and Esposito were headed their way.
"We need to talk.", he said.
"It's been a long time coming."
"Later?"
She nodded her head and smiled.
"Kate?"
"Hmm?"
"All the songs make sense."
A/N 2: Hah! I know it's corny and very unlikely. But there you have it. Leave a review? On a scale of 1 to popcorn, what toppings do you prefer?