No spoilers for 7x18 as I haven't seen it yet. Set pre-Caskett for those who asked.
Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or the characters.
It started out like any ordinary day.
Beckett woke Castle in the early hours of the morning for a body drop so Castle met her at the scene, a travel mug in hand. She gave him a soft smile when he handed it to her, something that had been happening a lot more recently.
After the crime scene they had headed to inform the victim's family before they went back to the precinct to go over some evidence while Ryan and Esposito had gone out to track down a witness.
And that's when it had happened.
They'd been standing side by side in the elevator and the next thing Castle knew, Beckett had stepped in front of him, pushed him back against the wall and then her lips were on his. And his mind had gone blank, the only thing registering in his brain was that Beckett was pressed against him and her soft lips were moving over his.
And then she was stepping back to his side just before the elevator door opened and they had to walk out into the busy bullpen when Castle wanted nothing more than to be alone with her again.
Beckett stepped out in front of him while Castle stood frozen, watching her walk away. The doors started closing and his arm shot out to stop them before he followed Beckett out into the bullpen and took his seat beside her.
"Beckett?" he asked, putting a considerable amount of effort in not looking down at her lips because he wasn't sure if he could handle that right now.
She had been feigning looking down at paperwork on her desk but she looked up sheepishly, not sure exactly what to say and not certain that she could explain her previous behaviour.
But luckily she didn't have to because Gates called her into her office to get an update on the case.
XXX
He couldn't stop staring at her. Both Ryan and Esposito had made several comments about it but that didn't deter him. He couldn't stop thinking about that kiss, why she'd done it and why they weren't alone right now so they could either discuss said kiss or repeat it.
Occasionally she'd look up and meet his eyes before she'd blush and look away. Castle loved the way the colour spread from her cheeks and down her neck, making him want to kiss her again even more.
But he couldn't figure out why she had kissed him. He certainly wasn't complaining but he did want to know why. And if it was likely to happen again anytime soon.
The staring continued all day, even when they left the precinct to run down a lead. Everytime he tried to bring up what had happened earlier, Beckett would deflect and change the subject. So Castle spent the time thinking instead, thinking about her. Why she'd kiss him like that. How her nose scrunched up when she was thinking sometimes. How absolutely stunning she was. How she bit her lip after she changed the subject yet again while they were in the car. And he couldn't stop thinking about all the things he wanted to do to and with her.
XXX
Finally the day was over. They'd run out of leads and could do nothing until the morning so Beckett had told him to go home. Which he of course refused, he wasn't leaving until she did. He wasn't going to let her get away with not talking to him.
She finally acquiesced and they stepped on the elevator together, the boys having already left.
And it was Castle's turn this time, spinning around in front of Beckett, pressing her against the wall and kissing her thoroughly, as he'd dreamed of doing for so very long.
He pulled away reluctantly as the elevator began to slow and retook his position beside her as the doors slid open. He could see Beckett out of the corner of his eye, breathing heavily and not making any move to step off the elevator.
"Beckett?" he prompted, motioning towards the open door when she looked his way.
She nodded at him, looking slightly dazed before stepping off with Castle right behind her.
They walked silently towards Beckett's car, both lost in thought about the days events and how neither of them could've anticipated it happening like this.
When Castle could no longer handle the silence, he spoke, "do you want to come over? I think we need to talk."
Beckett bit her lip, looking like she was considering the offer before she nodded her head in acceptance, smiling shyly at him.
He smiled at her in return and then climbed into the passenger side of her car.
XXX
The ride was silent, both too busy thinking about what may happen now and what the other was thinking.
"Castle?"
"Yeah?"
"We're here," said Beckett, smiling at Castle who seemed confused that they'd already arrived at his place.
"Right," said Castle, exiting the car after Beckett and then following her into his building, nodding to the doorman as he did.
Castle was thoroughly distracted in the elevator up to his place since two times they'd ended up kissing in an elevator and he desperately wanted to make it a third. But no, they needed to talk first, he needed to know what it meant to her. Because it, she, meant everything to him.
Beckett avoided Castle's eyes the entire ride, blushing a dark red as she thought about all the things she wanted to do with Castle in this elevator and once they arrived at his loft. But she was also trying to figure out what she was going to say once they reached his place because she had no idea why today had been the day she'd snapped and kissed him.
"Do you want anything to eat or drink?" Castle asked, unsure now of what to do but wanting to be a good host.
"I'm good," replied Beckett, smiling nervously at him as they made their way over to the couch and took a seat.
Again, the silence got too much for Castle and he spoke first, "Are you going to tell me what today was about?"
"You kissed me too," Beckett blurted before she could stop herself.
Castle chocked on a laugh, surprised that she was the first one to bring up their kisses, "but you kissed me first."
Beckett was blushing again because it was true, she had kissed him first, and now she couldn't help but imagine doing it again (which she had been doing all day), how his lips and body would feel pressed against hers again.
"I did," Beckett replied once she'd found her voice and made her way out of her day dreams.
"Why?" Castle couldn't help but ask.
"Because," Beckett paused, "because I wanted to."
Castle just stared at her in shock. Had Beckett just admitted that she wanted to kiss him? Well, that kind of makes sense, he thought, she was the one to first kiss him in the elevator.
"Why now, then?" he asked, still curious as to what had prompted their earlier kiss, well the one she instigated anyway.
She decided that honesty was the best way to go. She did want this, this thing between them, and she thought the truth was the best way to go about getting it. "I guess I was just tired of waiting, and I don't know why today. I just looked over at you in the elevator and all the times I'd imagined kissing you flashed through my mind and then suddenly I couldn't hold back any more."
"You've imagined kissing me before?" he asked smugly and she blushed yet again when she realised what she'd just admitted. But then the true meaning of her words registered in his mind and his smug look turned to one of shock. She'd thought about kissing him before? Could that mean she had deeper feelings for him than just friendship? He'd had that thought from time to time, when she looked at him in a certain way, her smile wide and her eyes soft, but he'd always been too afraid to hope, too afraid that if he did and his feelings weren't returned, that his heart may never recover.
"Yes," she admitted, breaking eye contact and looking down so some of her hair fell over her eyes.
He put his hand under her chin to raise her head so that he could look her in the eye again, needed to look her in the eyes as he said what he was about to say.
"Kate?" he asked quietly, wanting her full attention and continuing when he saw he had it, "you must know how I feel about you by now and if this, us, is something that you could want, now or in the future, we can have it, we can have anything you want. But if you don't, you have to let me know because-"
"Castle," she whispered, cutting him off. She leant her head forward, resting her forehead against his as the enormity of what was happening crashed over her. This was it, this was what they'd been moving towards since they'd met, even if neither of them had realised it at the time.
He moved his hand from where it was under her chin to rest against her cheek as she leant forward to close the gap between them.
He pulled back just before their lips touched.
"Are you sure?" he asked, because he couldn't let himself truly hope if it was going to be taken away for him.
She surged forward, her lips pressing against his because she was sure, had never been surer of anything in her life.
She was breathless when she pulled away but she had to tell him, he had to know.
"I want this. I want you."
And then her lips were back on his.
Let me know what you thought.