They've lived their life in subtext for over 4 years. 4 years of lobbing innuendoes back and forth, endless teasing, subtle looks and even the occasional emotional handshake. Communicating without communicating is such a part of who they are as a couple and how they live their life. That being the case, she has to get this right.
The week has been a brutal one. The body drop on Sunday morning led to a case with no leads and more dead ends than a suburban neighborhood. Her writer has been gone since Saturday evening on a last minute signing trip that Gina insisted happen before months end. Alexis has been scarce with her dad out of town and Martha has been busy with her classes. Without the outlandish theorizing her partner provides and the emptiness of the loft, Kate is out of sorts.
The case has left her distracted, exhausted and his absence has left her angry, all of which come through on their nightly phone calls. Short one or two word answers, vague descriptions and long silences have punctuated their talks. She can hear the concern and insecurity in his voice but is powerless to soothe him.
Her rational self knows this wasn't his choice, knows that this is his job and what he must do. However, the girlfriend self in her is angry he's been gone so long and frustrated that she feels too much unlike the bad ass Kate Beckett when he is not around. At least it's now Friday afternoon and he promised to catch the first plan back tomorrow after the last signing session. By Kate's calculations Castle should arrive at the loft by dinner time. Her subconscious begins to formulate a plan.
A little more than an hour later, Lanie breaks the case wide open, finding an errant finger print on the victim's body. The print pops in the database leading to the arrest of the ex-boyfriend. She can almost hear Castle stating the obvious. "It's always the ex boyfriend."
It takes a couple of hours to complete the paperwork and put the case to bed. Glancing at her watch she's dismayed to see it's already after 8:00, too late to begin her plan. She pushes herself back from her desk, grabs her purse and heads out of the precinct. She has a full day ahead of her tomorrow.
Returning to the loft, she unwinds with a glass of wine, a hot bath and a few chapters of Naked Heat. Relaxation is beginning to settle in when she hears her phone ring. Glancing over she sees his face light up the screen. Grabbing the phone and putting it on speaker she answers, "Hey Castle." The talk is brief as he's only on a dinner break and she's distracted by her book, her plan and what needs to be done before he arrives tomorrow. She can tell he wants to talk more, that he's hurt she won't let him. They end the call with an "I love you" and a "until tomorrow, Detective." Her bath and the phone call wrapped up, she climbs into their bed, pulls his pillow over closer and drifts off to sleep dreaming of her partner, her writer, her everything.
The day dawns bright and hopeful and she's up by 7 with coffee in hand and her list of places she'll hit once the stores open. Grabbing her phone and her purse she locks the loft and heads out on her quest. Stops one, two and three yield nothing in terms of what she is looking for. Yes, they're beautiful, soft, revealing, however, not yet close to what she needs. Her purchase today has to leave no doubts, has to shout out her message silently for only her writer to hear.
Frustration building she decides to stop in at a little café for a cup of coffee and a bite to eat. Sipping her coffee, she looks at her watch and realizes there are less than three hours before Castle be home. She people watches as she drinks her coffee, making up stories for the strangers that come and go within her sight. As she's watching a family walk by the café she spies the window of the boutique across the street. Her breath hitches and she's pretty sure she's looking at exactly the item she has wasted her morning trying to find. She quickly finishes her coffee, throws some bills on the table and makes quick strides to the cross walk.
Ducking inside the small boutique, Kate walks directly to what caught her eye earlier. Yes, this is what she's been looking for, this is EXACTLY what she has been looking for. The leather is soft, pliable, the straps breathtakingly thin and the rhinestones shine in the sun's rays. Quickly finding an associate and requesting her size, she slips it on. The fit is perfect, almost as if it was made for her and her alone. The price will blow her budget for the next month but he's worth it. Wrapping up her purchase she leaves the store with just enough time to get home, bathe and be ready when Castle gets there.
Once inside the loft she lays everything out on their bed before quickly running a bath. She uses the cherry scented bath soap he loves, conditions her hair with the vanilla formula that renders him speechless and pops a brand new blade into her razor insuring extra smooth results. A slow coil of anticipation spreads through her body as she steps out of the bath and begins the final phase of her plan.
She decides to leave her hair down, letting the long golden brown curls fall just past her shoulders. Her makeup is light, barely there but still exotic and sexy. With just 15 minutes to spare she dresses, dims the lights in the loft and open a bottle of wine so it can breathe.
The slow burn that has followed her all week is becoming unbearable when she finally hears his key in the lock. Kate glides across the room to meet him at the threshold of the loft. He stops suddenly at the sight of her. She's breathtaking as she pulls her bottom lip under her teeth, anxiously waiting his response. He takes her all in with one sensuous look. His eyes slowly play over her beautiful face, slide over the peek a boo lingerie, breathes in the scent that is uniquely her, stopping only when he reaches the end of her long legs and eyes today's purchase. With the adorable smirk she loves so much splaying across his face, he whispers only, "Nice shoes."
Subtext. Yeah, he gets it. It's their thing.