THE SECOND OFFICIAL DATE
Disclaimer: All publicly recognizable characters, settings, etc. are the property of their respective owners. The original characters and plot are the property of the author. The author is in no way associated with the owners, creators, or producers of any media franchise. No copyright infringement is intended.
Spoiler Warning: Possible spoilers up through the season 3 finale.
Chapter One:
This one is a little different than the previous One Date story, but continues the saga. The pending finale had me struggling with the tone of the story, but hopefully you will enjoy this!
"Oh, Castle, that's good!" Kate grinned as she leaned down to take another taste from the spoon he was holding, overflowing with his secret, homemade and, according to him, world famous pasta sauce. "Really, really good."
Castle beamed proudly as he turned to stir the pot of goodness. "Just wait until you taste it with the special fettuccini I bought in Little Italy today." Earlier as they had been returning from interviewing a witness in their current case, he had insisted on making a quick stop at an Italian grocery.
"Although I wished you'd let me start it sooner so the sauce could simmer longer for added flavor," he worried.
"You know the case has to come first, Castle, "she reminded him, sounding like a mother lecturing her teenager.
"Yes detective," he answered obediently.
Rick put down the spoon and wrapped his arms around her. She turned so her back was up against his chest, sighing as he leaned in and kissed her cheek while holding her even tighter. "By the way, have I told you lately how beautiful you look?" He was almost mumbling into her hair as he began to place kisses on her ear and neck.
"Only about six times tonight, Rick," she said contentedly.
"Oh, then I'm way behind!" He turned her in his arms and placed a slow, lingering kiss on her lips, allowing his hands to gently roam up her back.
"You are the most beautiful woman on the planet, hands down," he whispered, while looking blissfully into her eyes.
Kate laughed. "Here I am in old jeans and one of your baggy tee shirts, smelling like the inside of our squad car, and you say that? How much wine have you had tonight, Castle?"
"You look great in anything, and you know it," he said while stepping back to admire the view in front of him.
Castle's grinned happily. After the glorious success of their first date two weeks ago, they had been besieged by a horrific murder case, requiring long hours at the station. They had even been devoting most of their free time to investigating the murder, spending evenings and the past weekend in Kate's living room or in Castle's den, dissecting leads and pouring over evidence.
The case had caused Kate to put a hold on their dating, insisting that she wanted their second official date, as he had dubbed it, to be as special as the first one, and maintaining that it wasn't possible as long as they were obsessing over a dead body.
Castle had reluctantly consented, but had gotten Kate to agree to a significant concession: when they were working privately at home as they were now, kisses and hugs were permitted. The fact that Kate always put the brakes on anything beyond that frustrated him, but he was determined not to push her. The mere thought of scaring her off was simply more than Castle could bear.
The arrangement permitting private affection had made the wait for their second official date more bearable. For Castle, who wanted desperately to please Kate and make the date special, it had also given his creative brain time to conjure up dozens of possible scenarios. Unfortunately, so far none of these options had satisfied him and he was privately growing frustrated.
Kate absently took a sip of her wine as she watched Castle scurrying about the kitchen. "Anything I can do to help?" She asked, while picking an olive out of the gorgeous salad he placed on the counter.
Castle swatted playfully at her hand. "No eating until everything is done, Beckett! You'll ruin my presentation!" He made a gesture with his hand for her to move away from the food.
Kate realized how contented she was right now. Martha and Alexis had gone out, and
after several hours of debating potential leads, she had consented to take this much-needed break, allowing Castle to prepare the "Italian feast" he had been boasting about all day.
"You know this sauce recipe is one of Mario Batali's favorites," Castle bragged, as he dutifully chopped herbs while she poured more wine. "Did I mention he loves my books?"
"I prefer Bobby Flay, myself." Kate teased.
"Really? Maybe our second official date should be at his Mesa Grill restaurant! I could call Bobby tomorrow," Caste answered sincerely, relieved at the possibly of having a destination for their date decided.
"Rick, I was joking!" Kate's face registered slight surprise. "You really know him? I mean 'you have his phone number' know him?"
"Castle sensed that she was slightly bewildered. "Is that a problem? You didn't used to date Bobby Flay or something, did you?"
"No, don't be ridiculous. You're the celebrity- tag-a-long, not me. It's just..." Kate looked around the loft, feeling the intimacy of the private world they had carved out for themselves.
"I guess I sometimes forget that the guy I've been spending almost 24 hours a day with lately is the Richard Castle, that's all. The famous you….it just seems so surreal sometimes," she added softly.
Castle walked over and took her into his arms. "Kate, you've known me for almost three years now. That celebrity world has always been a career perk, but it doesn't define who I am. I'm still just the plucky sidekick who brings you coffee!" He lightly kissed her cheek.
She smiled. "You don't talk about that part of your life much anymore. Is there a reason for that?"
Castle thought for a minute. "Well, I guess I was a bit of a name-dropper when we first met..."
"A bit?" Kate interjected.
"OK, OK. The wise-ass me used to do that a lot. But I also told you that most of the crap you'd read in the papers about the famous party-boy author was set up by Paula to help sell my books. Before I met you the majority of my time was spent at home, being a Dad to Alexis and writing."
Kate was slightly annoyed. "Castle, you know a bunch of very famous people! Does Joe Torre ring any bells?" She lightly slapped his shoulder. "Be honest with me. You spent a lot of time in that world. Its part of who you are." Kate was firm.
He looked concerned. "It bothers you, doesn't it?"
It was Kate's turn to look concerned. "No. What bothers me is that you've pretty much given it up altogether. First to shadow me, and now for this." She gestured to the tiny space between the two of them, as they stood wrapped in each other's arms.
Kate's voice grew somber and she looked earnestly into his eyes. "Please tell me the truth, Castle. Do you miss any of it? The parties, the celebrities, the lifestyle?"
Castle studied her for a moment. He dropped his voice to a low, sultry tone. "Only the smoking hot babes."
An exasperated Kate reached up and began twisting his ear. "Castle, I was being serious!"
He bent over, squealing in mock pain. "Beckett, please, I'm joking! Ouch! Apples! Apples!"
She finally let go but crossed her arms over her chest as a signal of annoyance.
Castle grinned and quickly pulled her tighter, while guiding her chin so that their faces were almost touching. "Kate, let me be clear," he said softly, "You are the only smoking hot babe for this ninja."
She rolled her eyes. "Castle."
"You really want the truth?" He asked.
She nodded silently, her arms dropping to her sides.
His voice grew serious. "I have never, ever been happier. I don't miss any of that stuff. I swear to you, I don' even think about that world or those people. I don't want anything in my life but you…and our families, of course."
He paused before adding a thinly veiled reference to his mother. "Although some of them I would prefer in smaller doses."
Kate smiled at his joke before adding sincerely, "Just always be honest with me about it, Rick, please,? If you need to go to some fancy premiere or want to socialize with one of your famous friends, or I don't know, whatever." Castle nodded appreciatively.
Kate's face suddenly grew mischievous. "I mean an occasional night out at say, Mesa Grill, wouldn't kill me, you know? It would even give me the chance to see my old flame, Bobby!"
Rick grabbed her playfully and pulled her into a heated kiss. It was so intense and Kate was so relaxed and happy that it may have turned into much more had the stove timer not interrupted them, forcing Castle to return to his chef duties.
Kate signed contently while watching him work, stopping to pick up her glass of red wine. "He's just so wonderful and thoughtful about everything. And he would do anything for me." She mused.
Initially she had felt guilty about putting off the second official date, as Castle insisted on calling it, and she knew he was struggling trying to plan something special for it. But she also realized that simply 'hanging out' together for the last few weeks had allowed them to grow closer and more comfortable as a couple.
In fact, between work and their off-the-clock cram sessions, she had spent almost every waking hour with Castle. Their private routine was filled with debating, caressing, discussing, teasing, reasoning, laughing, analyzing and of course, kissing - lots of kissing.
Lately, even their non-waking hours had been spent together. Kate blushed as she thought of Castle crashing on her couch, claiming he was too exhausted to drive home. And this would be her third straight night spent in his spare room, using the same flimsy excuse.
"Who am I kidding?" She taunted herself. "I've worked many a case on virtually no sleep, driving included. I just want an excuse to see Rick in the morning. What on earth is happening to me? I'm absolutely obsessed with this man." But then why was there still a tiny part of her that was hesitant about taking this to the next level?
Kate shook her head in annoyance, but then quickly relaxed. Her heart told that she was very close to overcoming the last of her fears. And as she glanced over at Castle, slaving over the stove while still managing to give her a quick and very sexy glance, she knew he would wait for her. Always.
"Do you know how far we've come in these few short weeks, Mr. Castle?" She gently asked.
"Why Detective Beckett," he answered coolly while plating his pasta, "I can assure you that we've only just begun."