"No activity," came Esposito's voice over the crackle of the scanner.
"None here either," she responds, releasing the button and following it with yet another long sigh. She wishes Castle was here, but he'd already promised Alexis one last circuit of favorite eateries before she heads off for the dorms. By the time the team figured out they needed to sit on Robert Conner's apartment building, Castle was putting on his coat.
Her shiver was reminder that soon, she was going to need to turn over the engine or risk freezing to death waiting for Conner to sneak out. She smiled at the thought of Castle appreciating the irony of dying in the line of duty while sitting in complete boredom.
The neighborhood was quiet, and Conner's apartment building sat on a corner with two possible exits. The boys were around the corner watching the west side, she could just make out their unit from her viewpoint.
So far the only illegal activity they'd witnessed was the old man who hadn't cleaned up after his miniature schnauzer.
"Rude," came the disgusted voice of Ryan over the radio, breaking the silence.
Other than that, watching the billow of white ephemeral swirls that came from her mouth and nose when she sighed had been her only companion. Her phone vibrated in her pocket.
"Hey sexy, you catch him yet?" His greeting warmed her instantly.
"Hey, no activity yet. How's your dinner with Alexis?"
"Ronnybrook Farms. Monster ice cream sundae. Worked it like a champ, you'd have been proud."
"All you ate was ice cream?" a judgmental tone crept in.
"Yes detective, all we ate was ice cream, I live on the edge."
"The edge of a sugar coma. Where are you now?"
"Still here, Alexis is flirting with the counter boy, and for some reason she doesn't require my help. I thought I'd do a little flirting of my own. You know, like daughter, like incredibly handsome father? "
She rolled her eyes, "Castle."
He didn't miss a beat, "so, what are you wearing?"
"A badge Castle. I'm wearing a badge, which means I'm on duty."
"Is that all you're wearing?"
"No, actually I'm also wearing a gun."
"You will always be my bad ass."
"And you'll always be my jackass."
He sucked his teeth, "Doesn't that just say my taste is better than yours?"
"I'm hanging up on you."
"Before you go, come by when you're done? I miss you." She bit her thumb.
"We'll see, I have no idea how long we'll be here."
"Do you at least have coffee?"
She glanced at the convenience store swill that Ryan had supplied. It had long since gone cold. "Yeah, sort of."
"Come over and I'll fix you a cup." And then she could hear Alexis in the background, "We'll talk later."
And then he was gone.
She watched Ryan make his way down the sidewalk, avoiding small piles of dirty snow and rounding the tree growing out of the urban landscape. She pressed the auto-lock to let him in.
"Jeez, turn on the car before you become a human popsicle Beckett. Gates will kill you if you show up without a trigger finger."
Castle's flair for the dramatic was definitely rubbing off on the junior detective. It struck her that just about everything made her think of Castle.
He slides down into his coat, shoving his hands deeper into his pockets, "Javi says to tell you he needs some alone time." They smile at each other, the silent message conveyed between partners. Her boys are looking out for her.
She turns the key and the engine roars to life but it still takes a minute for the blowers to produce anything but cold air.
A comfortable silence suffers them through the wait and when the air finally warms, Ryan blows on his fingers and holds them over the vents. And then he turns to her.
"I've been waiting for the right time to tell you something."
She tenses, their companionable silence suddenly jeopardized. The look of worry changes her features, her mouth turning down.
"Jenny's pregnant."
"Oh. Oh my god. Kevin, congratulations!" she chokes out, her eyes shiny as she reaches to hug him awkwardly. When they pull apart, Kevin Ryan's enthusiasm pours out in the speed of his next words.
"We just told our parents last week, I've been dying to tell you guys. I just now told Javi, and I wanted to tell you and Castle together, but neither one of you have been hanging around the precinct when we get any downtime."
A shot of guilt goes through her. She tries to remember a good reason why she and Castle are hiding things from their family. Before the thoughts are fully formed Ryan is continuing.
"She's due in May, and Jenny has been such a trooper. No morning sickness yet!"
"That's great, I am so happy for you guys." As she says it she feels every bit of it. Life is going on around her. Happy life. A smile lights up her whole face.
"You tell mom about the thing?" Esposito's voice interrupts Kevin's relaying of Jenny's first ultrasound.
"Yeah, tio, I know," she says into the handset, "Guess we need to make him do all the dirty work from now on so he doesn't gain any sympathy weight."
"Hey!"
"Works for me, I'm out of coffee over here, I think I saw a 24-hour bodega around the corner." There's a brief static break before he breaks in again. "Not it."
And before Kevin knows what's happening, Beckett too declares, "not it."
He rolls his eyes and comically braces himself to open the door against the wintry blast. Before he closes the door he throws in, "the baby will not be named after either of you."
A baby.
It gets her thinking.
Kevin has grown up so much in the four plus years she's known him. He's settled in, marriage has matured him, his love seasoned after his wedding vows. There was a depth in his life she suddenly envied. He was tied to the earth, tied to responsibilities and people, and he was content in that.
She looks around at brick apartment buildings lining the street, a few windows still lit. Rockwellian scenes play out in her mind. Her mind drifts to Castle's loft.
Damn, why did all roads lead to Castle?
Which reminds her. She yawns as she pulls her phone from her pocket. No message from him.
The wind picks up and she notices she can see her breath again.
The knock on her window makes her jump.
Speak of the devil.
Castle struggles to cram the picnic basket in the seat between them. "Hoha, its freezing out there," his unceremonial greeting. He nods toward the street, "where are Ryan and Esposito?"
"Up the street. You wanna explain this?" She gives a nod at the basket.
He smirks, reaches into the basket and produces a coffee in each hand, hiding the rest of the contents from her as she leans over to see what else he may have.
"Extra shot of espresso," as she reaches for the cup he doesn't let go. "Don't forget to tip your delivery man."
She smiles and looks around quickly before leaning over to peck his lips.
"That's all I get? I mean seriously, it is freezing out there and I did come all this way to bring you coffee.
She raises her eyebrows and gives him her classic stare, "Are you saying I owe you?"
"No?" he says weakly.
"Cause I'd say you were forgetting about last night a little too quickly, delivery man." She shoots him a knowing look and takes a swig from her coffee. His eyes get big and he swallows.
"I think we'd be more comfortable in the back seat."
"Stake out, Castle. This is an investigation." She's said it stoically, but he catches her smile before she hides it behind her coffee cup.
He lets his eyes roam over the neighborhood, "no movement yet?"
"Nothing. Looks like everybody's snuggled down for the night. But I'm thinking our guys got to make his move tonight. Limaco and he were into something, either he killed him, or he knows who did. Too much heat on him not to make a move."
"Wish there was a little more heat on me." He says it seriously and then laughs at his own unintentionality, "Didn't even plan that one." His lips suddenly look really good to her.
"What else you got in that basket?" she asks, curious and needing the distraction.
"Oh wouldn't you like to know, Detective?" And he moves to place it on the back seat, shuffling around and coming back with a blanket and Styrofoam container. "Pasta Primavera. Bet you haven't eaten since lunch."
He wraps himself in the blanket as she joyously attacks her lukewarm food. "You only brought one blanket?" She asks between bites.
"I did mention the back seat Kate. Loads easier to share back there."
"I'll bet."
Although, she would love to take her shoes off and shove her frozen toes under his thigh right now.
Determined, she puts the food carton on the dash and slowly moves into him. She lets him see her flick her eyes from his to his lips and back again. His eyes go wide as she wraps her gloved fingers around the edge of the soft material at his chest. She's practically nose to nose with him and she knows he thinks she'll kiss him.
Instead she steals his blanket.
"Hey!" he complains following her to her side of the seat and leaning in to tussle with her. He loves her games.
Suddenly the back door opens, interrupting them.
"Hey Castle," Ryan calls as he slips in the back seat.
"Who brings a picnic basket to a stake out?"
A/N: flying by the seat of my pants.
AxM, you see the potential for the M chapter don't you? A little back seat treat? A little steak-out on their stakeout? I challenge you to write it.