This is completely inconsequential fluff, just a heads up.
If I owned castle I probably wouldn't even have them do this but it made me smile and I thought it might make you smile.
The Best Laid Plan
It was a quiet morning. There were no cases, and yet Castle had come in with me. Despite the fact that I knew he needed to get some writing done if he actually wanted to spend the weekend with Alexis while she was visiting. But this morning when I'd extricated myself from the tangle of limbs, intending to get dressed and slip quietly off to work, he'd hauled himself out of bed too and insisted on coming with me.
Now I know why. He wanted to talk to the boys. They've been stealing words with each other every time I leave the room whether to get a drink of water or make a copy. And, every time I come back they all shut up and just go back to their paper work. Like they weren't doing anything suspicious in the first place. Which of course they were, because even Castle is doing paper work and he really hates it.
This time I decided to give them a little more time. Let Castle actually get through what he needs to ask them. Why he didn't just arrange a Madden, or what game it is, date with them I don't know. But he wanted to talk to them here. So, I went to the bathroom and then went to the break room. Finding that we were in need of a fresh pot of coffee on the old machine I busied myself making it for the officers that didn't have the time for the fancy espresso machine, before I went about making myself and castle a fresh cup.
In the mean time, I just watch them through the blinds. For a group of men that spend their whole lives at a police station you'd think that they'd be more aware of their surroundings. But, it seems that Castle has finally gotten to what he wants to talk to them about they're not keeping an eagle eye out for me. Instead, they all have their heads together whispering to each other rather animatedly.
Further stalling no longer possible I take my cup and slip as quietly as possible back over to my desk, and I can hear them. They're really quiet horrible at whispering it's a miracle that we've lived this long. "Guys what should I do. It has to perfect." Castle practically whines to them.
Ryan's just shaking his head like this is the worst thing that he's had to deal with in a long time. Esposito on the other hand is grinning like an idiot. "Bro, you know her better than anyone, you're going to have to figure this out by yourself."
Sinking into my seat as quietly as possible, I lean over, sliding my hand up Castle's back. "Who do you know better than anyone?" I ask and all three of them jump.
"Alexis." Ryan supplies quickly. Esposito has his lips pressed tightly together hoping not to mess up the situation, and Castle looks like he's been struck by a two by four.
"I should hope that you know your daughter better than anyone. Certainly these two." I tell him trying to figure out what the hell is going on.
This is one of the rare instances that Castle is actually speechless, though and he just looks at me, "Rick?" I ask almost concerned.
"I should go." He finally manages to get out, as he stands stiffly and he'd have me worried if it weren't for the fact that Ryan and Espo are fighting grins. "I should go get some of my novel done before Alexis comes home."
"Oh. Yeah you should. I don't know why you came in this morning." Other than, to talk to the boys but that seems to be over. "I'll see you when I get home?" I asked looking up at him.
"Yeah, unless Alexis wants to go out. I'll let you know." He said with a smile, ducking down brush a kiss across my lips. "Love you." He added softly for my ears only.
I smiled, even after a year of him telling me that openly, it still made my stomach flutter. "Love you too. Now go write and stop annoying me." He grinned grabbing his coat, strolling out of the precinct as he whistled.
When I was sure the elevator doors had closed, "Ok guys, spill. What's Castle planning?"
"I have no idea what you're talking about." Ryan said very carefully.
Esposito went a different route, "Why would Castle be planning anything?"
I narrowed my eyes and glared at them, too little effect, other than them ducking behind their computers and pretending to focus on the paper work. I had a sneaking suspicion as to what the planning was about but I didn't want to make assumptions.
Alexis bags had been dumped by the door when I got home, and dad and daughter were dancing around the kitchen assembling dinner. Chatting about something rather animatedly. "Hey guys." I smiled hanging up my coat and kicking off my shoes into the hall closet. "Is Martha joining us tonight?" I asked making my way across the living room to a pair of uncommittal of sounds agreement.
Sliding my gun and badge into the safe hidden amongst the books. Taking a deep breath before turning to make my way back to the kitchen contemplating again, what on earth Castle could be up to, given that his office didn't show any on the usual strains of writing. But before I really had a chance to do anything, "Hey pretty lady," was whispered in my ear with a pair of arms wrapping around me for a quick squeeze before turning me around.
"Hey." I said softly, brushing his hair out of his eyes, "Did you do any writing?"
He shrugged, "Not really. I need your help sorting out a few details. But it's not important we can get to it next week."
I kissed him softly, "Ok just let me know and we'll go through it."
"Thanks."
"What are you planning, Castle?" I asked hoping to catch him off guard.
He pretended to look momentarily stunned, "Me, plan something? Never." But the full on grin on his face told me otherwise, "I'm going to go change my shirt, go finish dinner with my daughter before my mother comes and puts too much salt in something."
"I'm going to figure it out." I narrowed my eyes at him.
"Well I hope not, but it's an eventuality that I've come to accept given that you're a detective it is possible that you will figure it out. So I'm relying on my experience crafting a good mystery to keep you guessing." He said with a wink.
"Alright now you're being annoying. Go change." I swatted him on the ass, as I went out to finish dinner.
He grinned, grabbing and kissing me, before disappearing into our room as I went the other way. "Alexis, what is your Dad planning?"
"I know nothing about anything." She protested, with a smirk as she drained the pasta.
"Sure you don't."
"I do know that we're going shopping this weekend, and between Gram and I, we're to talk you into a new dress, on dad of course." She said with that Castle twinkle in her eye.
"So I'm planning a shopping trip on this weekend?" I ask moving the plates to the table as Martha breezed in.
"Shopping trip, indeed my dear." Martha jumped right in, "I'm always available for a good shopping trip. We'll get you a fabulous dress."
What on earth was going on, "What do I need this dress for?"
Martha waved her hands, "Who doesn't need a new dress, particularly when Richard has offered to pay for it."
"Kate, we'll make a girls day of it. Massages, mani-pedis, and then we'll all get new dresses." Alexis reasoned.
"Do I hear a shopping trip being planned?" Castle chose the perfect moment to emerge from the office.
"Apparently your daughter came home for the weekend to take me shopping for a day on your orders."
"Sounds like fun to me. Go tomorrow; I have something else that I need to do any way." That obnoxious smirk firmly in place.
"I don't like being left out of the plan." I told the three of them, scowling.
"Sometimes you just have to let them surprise you dear." Martha told me, taking her seat. "In the mean time let's have a wonderful family dinner."
That's when it clicked. Staring at him as I pulled out my chair, "You're going… you're planning on…" I managed to stop myself from ruining everything.
He cocked his head towards me, "I'm what."
"Never mind." I shook my head quiet certain I knew exactly what he was planning now.
Case closed, he smiled at me, exhausted. "What a day." He sighed pulling me into his chest in the empty elevator on our way down to the garage. I let him, needing the contact just as much as he did after the world wind of a case. "Ugh and now I need to go home and figure out that scene." He groaned.
I smiled, pushing off his chest as the doors opened to the garage. "Well that's what you get for procrastinating even though you had all of Friday afternoon, and Saturday while Alexis, Martha and I were out."
"Hey I got something done while you were out." He protested climbing into the passenger seat of the unmarked. "I just need help with this one part. But a certain detective promised to help me."
"You're right, I did." I told him pulling the car into traffic, "Call for takeout Castle and we'll solve the Nikki Heat problem together."
Hours later the take out containers were abandoned on the desk and I was climbing over Castle trying not to step on the random pages or Castle to put the last note cards in place on the clothesline across the office. "Tada." I told him, striking a pose. "That should make sense and be as factual as novels ever are."
"Hey!" he climbed to his feet catching me around the waist, "I do believe my novels have been praised by the NYPD for their accuracy."
I laughed, allowing him to pull me into a slow dance to the jazz that he'd put on when we got in to fill the loft noise as I worked through the scene that was giving him trouble. "Well, you do have plenty of help with that."
"Seriously though, thank you." His face alight with joy.
"No problem. I like solving mysteries with you." I told him settling my head on his shoulder, "Besides if someone had told me ten years ago that I'd be helping Richard Castle work out a problem in his next book based on me, I probably would have had them committed."
That earned me a laugh before, "Marry me?" Slipped from his mouth.
We both froze him in shock that it had fallen out of his mouth. Me at the fact that he'd almost made it to whatever event he had planned for tomorrow that he'd gotten his daughter and mother to take me dress shopping for. His face was priceless. Like he was terrified that I'd say no with the surprise of it.
I couldn't help it I dissolved into laughter. Releasing him to clutch my sides as I tried to hold it in because I knew he was very seriously asking.
Fortunately, my laughter, knocked him lose from whatever panic he was in. He grinned, "Is that a yes?" I nodded not being able to hold in my laughter any more. He grabbed me and kissed me hard and fast before pulling back. "I have a ring. I have a ring, just hang on." He hopped across the papers strewn all over the room into the bedroom, leaving me surrounded in the details of the next Nikki Heat novel.
But before I could wrap my head around it, the man himself was kneeling in front of me with a jewelry box open revealing a stunning diamond ring. "Kate Beckett will you do me the honor of becoming Katherine Castle?"
I nodded, tears escaping. "Yes. Yes I will."
He slide the ring on, standing up, holding my hand as his other hand came up to cup my cheek, kissing me, before resting his forehead on mine, "I love you so much."
"I love you too."
He sighed squeezing my newly ring clad hand, "Everyone's going to kill me." I pulled back looking at him skeptically. "I had an elaborate plan."
"I know you did." I told him with a smile.
"Of course you did. Did you know what the plan entailed?" I bit my lip shaking my head, "Well then all in is not lost. Still the boys and Lanie are going to be mad. They were looking forward to seeing your face."
"They'll live."
"I suppose they will."
"Whatever it was you had planned Castle, this was perfect."
"Yeah?"
I kissed him running my free fingers into his hair closing the distance between us, "Absolutely perfect." I kissed him softly, rubbing my lips over his hinting at where we were going next. "Take me to bed, Rick."
"Is that an order, Detective?"
"Most definitely."
He grinned, "Well in that case." He scooped me up, "I wouldn't want to disobey orders."
"I'm tired." He yawned into his coffee cup as we rode the elevator up.
I quirked an eyebrow at him, giving his hand a squeeze, one last time before releasing it to stride into the bullpen. "I didn't hear you complaining."
He grinned, "I can't think of a better reason to be tired."
Shrugging out of my coat, "Well that's good to hear." I smiled plucking my coffee from his hand taking a sip.
"CASTLE!" Echo across the bull pen and we both turned slowly to find Ryan and Esposito staring at us in disbelief. "Seriously after all the grief you gave us getting tonight all worked out and we get here to find she's already wearing the ring." Esposito groused.
"Seriously man. I was looking forward tonight and then you couldn't even wait."
Castle was still speechless behind me as the two of them glared at him. "Cause your proposal worked out just as planned?" I raised an eyebrow at Ryan.
"Well… she said yes and that's what counts." He stuttered.
I smiled, "Exactly." Now I waved my new piece of jewelry at them. "I said yes. So that's what counts."
The glares held for just a minute, before they broke. A chorus of congratulations, and way to go man's, and slaps on the backs, from the boys and uniforms in the room as I got picked up in a couple of hugs by the boys, Esposito going as far as to spin me around in a circle.
A clearing of some ones throat made every freeze, silence settling rapidly over the bullpen, as Captain Victoria Gates stood in the doorway of her office. Fortunately, she was smiling. "I see congratulations are in order."
"Yes, Sir." Castle finally found his voice.
"Well it's about time." It sounded like a scolding.
"Sir?" I asked.
"He's had everyone around here all a twitter with plans for weeks." She waved a hand at him. "Now they can all go back to being cops and not seeking whispering like seventh graders."
"I apologize for that Sir." He did sound, humble, at least he was trying to be.
"Don't bother. Just kiss her and maybe we can all go back to work. I know they were all looking forward to plans this evening."
"Sir?"
"Yeah, Castle is it still on?" Esposito asked.
"I don't see why not." He shrugged, "It's still an engagement party. Plus now it won't be awkward because she already said yes."
"Perfect." Ryan grinned, as I watched the whole exchange torn between amusement and confusion.
"Does this mean that I get to wear my new dress any way?" I asked, turning to Castle.
He hooked his arm around my waist pulling me in, "Yeah you do." He smiled, "And I believe we were issued and order."
I laughed looping my arms around his neck, "You were issued an order, I'm just waiting for you to follow it." Which had the desired effect of him leaning in and capturing my lips in a short kiss earning applause from the room of cops that had been watching.
Disengaging from him, with a smile, I turned back to the crowds. "Alright everyone back to work. Apparently there are plans this evening." I took my seat pulling the stack of papers towards me.
Sweet. Linchpin tonight!
Thoughts.
Babyrose