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Magic
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Poof! You're Dead post episode story
(For the purposes of this fic, the order of episodes goes - Last Call, Poof! You're dead, Nikki Heat)
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HAPPY BIRTHDAY JO!
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Okay, so technically it isn't your birthday today, but in four more weeks exactly it will be, and to celebrate the lead up I created this based on your prompt (which I *cough* subtly *cough* got out of you), post Poof! You're Dead!, fluffy post ep.
Two chapters a week until it finishes on your actual birthday! Enjoy!
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Taking the flowers from her hand, Castle grins, his delight slowly stretching until it spreads across his face. It's the first time tonight that he's felt a glimmer of happiness and he cherishes how her actions make him feel. It's amazingly sweet to have someone taking the time and effort to make him smile, to have someone trying to improve his day, and these flowers have just become sacred. Castle's sure that it would sound asinine to anyone else, but he wants to take them home where they will be safe.
"Are we aiming for the comfort truck straight away? Or can we make a quick stop first, Beckett?"
Lifting her shoulders for a fleeting moment, both eyebrows pulling upward to match her shrug, he reads her movements as 'I'm easy'. Well not easy per se; of all the words to describe Beckett, easy is not one of them, but he's assuming that she's willing to take his lead. For a change.
"Good, because I need to go home first," he announces as the elevator descends, and hoping that he will get a smile from her in return, he brings the flowers higher so that he can inhale deeply, pretending to breathe in a fragrance that doesn't exist.
Beckett's head dips forward, her curls falling to hide the wide grin he knows has erupted at his antics, and he slants the flowers her way while trying to smother his own glee as he waits for her reaction.
She doesn't move at first, her head staying angled toward the floor concealing her amusement but he can see the waiver in her stance, and he holds them aloft for a little bit longer.
And she caves. Using a hand to push the loose strands behind her ear, she tilts slightly, bringing herself close enough to give a delicate sniff.
Day. Made.
The doors open at ground level and he takes his usual place at her side as they walk in the direction of her car, the flowers still held proudly between them. They may be receiving second glances from those that they pass by, but he can ignore the conjecture. He has flowers from Kate, and nothing can diminish the glow that comes with that.
"So what are we doing at the loft, Castle?" she asks, her weight shifting from one foot to the other while she waits for him to unlock his front door. Her trepidation over her spontaneous invitation to dinner is increasing the longer it takes for them to get there, yet she reminds herself why she'd asked him in the first place - her unwillingness to have him go home alone. Although the fact that she actually asked him had taken her by surprise, seemed to catch him by surprise as well, but it's apparently the theme of the night.
She was surprised when she'd accidentally overheard him in the corridor, his private phone call to Gina becoming not so private as she'd listened in to him breaking things off. She was surprised that he was the one to end it, that whatever had been brewing between them had led to their ultimate demise - that he was now a single man once more.
Mostly she was surprised at the surge of anticipation that shot through her. The thrill that came with the knowledge that he was single. At least until she reminded herself that she is with Josh. Content and at ease with Josh.
"Beckett? You coming in?"
Giving herself an internal shake, she steps away from those thoughts, steps into the loft instead and the smell of dinner washes over her. Whoever cooked did so well.
"Make yourself at home. I just need to find a vase to put these in."
"Whatever you do, don't add water." She jokes while looking down at her feet; weighs up the pros and cons of taking off her heels. If they are only going to be turning around and heading out she doesn't want to take them off, but the pleasure of being free from them is already swaying her decision.
Placing them carefully under the stairs, she takes off her coat as well, assumes by the way Castle is haphazardly searching through cupboard after cupboard that they could be here awhile, and if she has to wait, she is going to do so whilst being comfortable.
"Okay, I found two. Which one goes with my flowers better?"
He holds a trendy looking blue glass one next to the hand painted terracotta that has the words 'Love Daddy' crookedly across the curved surface and she grins, her finger pointing to the school made masterpiece.
"Love and flowers go together so..."
His eyes widen, edges softening, and she replays her sentence, understands what she'd implied. Just how much her foot has found its way into her mouth.
The flowers aren't love, not like that, not love love, just be happy love and damn she needs to stop that trail of thought instantly.
There is no love love. They have friendship. Companionship. A possible partnership. That's all.
Clearing his throat, he nods a fraction, covers over her blunder by agreeing. "They'll look great in this one. Alexis had it specially made for me in the sixth grade, and I've been looking for an excuse to use it."
"No one has given you flowers before?"
His hand pauses, cupping the arrangement as he stares down into the plastic petals, a flash of something heart-breaking darts across his features, but it's gone by the time he looks in her direction.
"Nope. You're my first."
He wiggles his eyebrows suggestively and she rolls her eyes automatically at the innuendo, but his previous expression is caught, stuck, an image she can't shake. His joke is covering up something hidden, a baby elephant in the corner of the room, and she comments before realizing.
"That's sad, Castle. But I'm glad it was me who got in first."
His whole body relaxes as he loses the façade of the happy-go-lucky, wisecracking jokester, and he nods in reply.
"Me, too, Beckett. Me, too."
Castle's fingers drift lightly over the different colored flowers, tracing the outline of each one before he starts the process all over again. He can't stop touching them, has to make sure they are resting just right in the special handmade vase Alexis lovingly created for him.
He shoves the feelings that arise from Beckett picking this one over the other into a box he refuses to acknowledge while she is here. God forbid he does something that embarrasses them both, but he has to touch, has to feel the proof of her… friendship under his fingers.
"Hey, Dad." His daughter's voice comes barreling down the stairs as she does, and he's quickly engulfed in fiery red and loving arms. "You're back. And I made you spaghetti with the meat sauce just the way you like it. And I brought a new tub of ice-"
Her sentence evaporates, her attention caught by Beckett standing at the counter and he finds himself in the very definition of 'between a rock and a hard place.' Alexis has gone to all the trouble to make him feel better. She seems to have taken to heart his confession that all is not right with Gina. Yet the idea of not having dinner with Beckett leaves him slightly destroyed. Hence - rock and hard place.
"Oh. Hi. Detective Beckett. Um, is everything okay? Are you guys still on the case?"
Shaking her head, curls bouncing with her movement, Beckett appears to be waging her own war before she answers.
"No. We wrapped it all up. I was just going to provide dinner for your dad, but since you have sorted it out – it smells amazing by the way – I'm gonna head off."
He wants to stop her, desperately wants to do anything that will prevent her from walking out the front door, but as much as he wants to place a kiss on his daughters red hair and head out with Beckett, he knows that's not going to happen. Alexis comes first and her effort deserves his attention.
"Oh, please don't go, Detective Beckett. I made lots and you can tell me all about the case. You know, the proper version, not just the made up one dad usually tells us."
Her baby blue eyes find his and he could applaud her for having such a brilliant idea. Alexis' spontaneous invitation to include Beckett gives him the best of both worlds. But rather than bring attention to himself, he keeps it low key, settles for a smile of gratitude instead.
"Are you sure? I really don't want to…" Beckett's eyes dart between his face and his daughter's before her sentence turns into a shy smile and a nod of her head. Apparently, putting on their matching puppy dog expressions has won her over and she concedes gracefully.
"Thank you, Alexis. I'd be happy to stay." A mischievous sparkle glints wickedly as she adds, "Someone needs to set the record straight."
He wraps an arm around his daughter's shoulder in glee – jumping for joy seems a tad out of place - and squeezes tight. He doesn't care if Beckett spends the entire dinner retelling his every girly squeak or unmanly jump in alarm. He has two of his three favorite leading ladies under one roof and what more could he ask for?
All thoughts of how exactly tonight came about and the circumstances that led up to the here and now are pushed so far back they are almost forgotten. Nothing can put a dampener on tonight.
Alexis pushes back from the table as Castle finishes retelling the story of 'alakazam jackass', and Kate realizes as her laughter dies away naturally that she should probably be doing the same. It was late when they arrived and now it's gone past the point of indecent, but it all hardly seems to matter when the three of them have been having such a good time.
She can't remember the last time she had laughed so hard her cheeks ache, her stomach actually sore from the continuous fits of giggles. Castle brings a smile to her face most days, yet when he's paired with Alexis she sees a completely new side to him, which she loves.
Likes. She likes this side to him.
"I've got to head off, too. Paperwork tomorrow, and get this, Castle. It doesn't actually do itself!"
Gasping in mock surprise, he pokes a tongue out in her direction, no doubt for added affect, and she struggles against the urge to lean over and bite it off. Bite him.
And damn she needs to get home. The late hour is playing with her head, messing with her thoughts. What she needs is a good night sleep so the world can right itself by the morning.
"Thank you for staying, Detective Beck- Kate." Alexis' gratitude is quiet, but the success of hearing 'Kate' makes up for the hesitancy. She doesn't know how many times she'd correct the younger girl over dinner.
Waving her away from the dishes, Castle walks with her to the front door, his focus caught on Alexis as she waves her own goodbye before heading up the stairs, and Kate mimics the farewell before slipping back into her heels.
"I know the adorable red head already said it, but still, thanks for staying. It meant a lot to her... It meant a lot to me."
Her coat becomes caught in her hands as she stills at his words, peering up at him through her lashes. The lump that's forming at the sincerity in his words again has her wondering why no one seems to do anything for him. No one's given him flowers and now it seems no one has done the simple task of having dinner with him and his amazing kid.
"Castle, you don't need to thank me for that. I enjoyed every minute of it. Don't doubt that."
The obstruction in her throat makes her words more gravelly than she intended, but it's going to take more than a minute to get past the concept that for a man that spends a good part of his day worrying and ensuring others are okay, not many are doing the same for him, herself included.
"What are you doing next Sunday?" Her question lands between them before she's realized that it's out and her mind races. Where exactly is she headed with this?
"Ummm, like in six days' time? Nothing, unless we get a body drop. Why?"
Why, indeed. Because her spur of the moment questions have some major plot flaws, why being the most obvious.
"Just leave it free. I have comfort food to make up for, so it will be my treat."
His whole body seems to lighten at that, an internal balloon that swells and suddenly he is standing taller; she can see the happiness shining from every part of him.
"Done. I'm all yours."
She grins wide in return until reality crashes on her jubilant mood. Because the fact is - he really isn't. And with his declaration playing on loop, she flees from the loft, unknown plans made.
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Thanks to Lou for the beta and for being sneaky with me ;-)
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It's been so hard for me to keep this a secret, lol, but I couldn't have you editing your own present Jo!
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Thoughts are always appreciated xoxo