This is based on a prompt from Tumblr and set during 1x06, Always Buy Retail, after Beckett mentions that Castle saved her life and he says that she owes him. This is how I think it should have ended. Not for the kiddies!

Disclaimer: If I can convince you that I am Andrew W Marlowe then I know I am doing my job right, but sadly I am not.

Water and Twinkies

"Probably saved my life."

"I definitely saved your life. And you know what that means, don't you? It means you owe me."

"Owe you what?"

"Whatever I want."

Beckett lifted a brow, incredulously. "And what exactly do you want, Castle?" She had a pretty good idea, but she wanted to see if he'd be brave enough to ask her.

Castle's eyes darkened as he stepped towards her. "Oh, I think you know what I want, Detective Beckett." He was now only a few inches away from her and still getting closer, his face leaning into hers. At first Kate was sure he was going to kiss her but then his lips swerved left, stopping at her ear and Kate nearly shuddered at his next words. "A date."

Then he pulled back, causing her to blink is surprise. "Wh-what?"

He was grinning, aware of the effect he had on her, but choosing not to comment. "You heard me," he said, "I want to take you out on a date. A real date with dinner and a movie and everything."

Beckett took a deep breath to compose herself. "Castle, I-"

"No no no," he said, shushing her, "no excuses, Beckett. I am taking you out. Tomorrow. Wear something pretty."

Beckett glared at him, crossing her arms. "What about your deep-fried Twinkie?"

"My wh-Oh! Meredith?" He shook his head. "No, that's over. She's going back to California and I'm kind of over the whole Twinkie thing. It really is a horrible habit, you know." He smiled softly at her, his blue eyes shining. "So, what do you say? Tomorrow night?"

Kate wanted to say no-well, not really. But she should have said no, because this was not just any guy asking; this was Richard Castle. The womanizer. The playboy. The twice-divorced dad. The dad of a teenaged daughter. The son of a former Broadway actress. The man who would let said actress live with him without paying a single dime because that was just who he was. Not to mention her favorite author and her-dare she say it?-friend. Yes, Rick Castle was her friend and her colleague at work and for those reasons alone, she should just say no. But when he was looking at her like that-with so much hope in the deep blue depths-she just couldn't.

"Fine," she huffed, forcing herself to sound annoyed, "one date. But don't get used to it, Castle. And don't even think about buying me flowers or anything. I will not be putting out."

Castle chuckled. "I really didn't expect you to." He beamed at her, looking like a little boy on Christmas. "I'll see you tomorrow, okay? I'll pick you up at 7 and we'll go to dinner." He tipped his champagne flute to her. "Until tomorrow, Detective." Kate rolled her eyes, suppressing a smile as he disappeared around the corner.

Suddenly, Esposito and Ryan were right beside her. "What did we just hear?" Espo asked her, grinning. "Did Writer Boy just get you to agree to go out with him?"

"Wha-no! He just…he just invited me to dinner because-"

"Because he likes you!" Ryan teased. "Castle likes Beckett!"

"And I bet Miss Beckett likes Castle too! Don't ya, Beckett?" Espo asked.

"Wha-no! Come on, Javi! It's Castle! I'm just doing him a favor because he saved my life. No big deal."

"What? Kevin and I have saved your life a dozen times and we never got to go on a date with you!"

"First of all, it's your job. Secondly, ew! No offense guys but you two are like family."

"None taken," Ryan said, "I've already got a girl, anyway."

"Dude, if she blows up, it doesn't count," Javi teased. Ryan glared at him and elbowed him in the arm. Beckett rolled her eyes.

"Let's just go. We have paperwork to do." She began to walk away with Esposito and Ryan following after her, singing:

"Castle and Beckett sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"

Kate turned around and glared at them. "How old are you guys, anyway?" she asked, annoyed.

"I'm seven," Ryan said.

"Six and three-quarters," Javi followed. Kate just grinned and continued walking. The boys continued their song.

"First comes love, then comes marriage, then comes Katie with the baby carriage!"

The next night, Kate was practically digging through her closet to find something to wear. She didn't know why it was so hard tonight; it was just Castle.

And dinner. And a movie. And their first-only-date. There was no reason to be so picky about what to wear. So then why was she tossing aside every single blouse and pair of jeans she came across? Why was every single article of clothing she put on so unflattering and inappropriate?

And why the hell was she freaking out about this?

She was Kate Beckett, homicide Detective. She beat criminals' asses on a daily basis. In her wild child days, she'd gotten a tattoo on her ass, pierced her naval, snuck out to go to Brooklyn on school nights, and bought a motorcycle, while completely rebelling against her parents. She'd been arrested a couple of time, too, but for minor things; like graffiti and getting into fights.

But the point was that she had been a badass in her teens. So why did she feel so much like a teen girl right now; the kind that had spent her High School years in her room reading and studying and who'd never been able to speak to a boy, but who'd just been asked out by the star quarterback.

Which was absolutely ridiculous. No way in hell was Richard Castle the equivalent of a high school quarterback. He was more like the class clown. But, she did have to admit, he was ruggedly handsome.

Damn him! Damn him for making her feel this way about him. Damn him for making her so nervous that she might be forced to go out and buy a whole new wardrobe for this date.

Damn him for saving her life.

Kate sighed and closed her eyes, taking a deep breath and deciding to do what she'd done every morning during her Junior year in High School. She kept her eyes closed and reached out; deciding that the first thing her hand came in touch with would be what she'd wear.

When her hand touched soft, silky fabric she opened her eyes. In her hand she was clutching a plain black dress, with no straps, that would go down to above-knee length. She figured if she paired it was a red scarf and cardigan, it might pass for casual dress. It would also go great with a pair of black heeled sandals she owned. She unhooked the hanger from the bar and walked back into her bedroom, throwing it on her bed. Quickly, she showered and dried her hair, letting it sit a bit damp so that the ends would curl a little bit.

After slipping into the dress and locating a gray, long-sleeved cardigan, she applied some light makeup and tied a red scarf around her neck. Just as she was slipping into her heels, there was a knock at her door.

"Coming!" she yelled as she fastened the strap on her and stood up straight, walking to the door. When she looked through the peep hole, she saw Castle standing there with a potted plant. She rolled her eyes and grinned, schooling her features before opening the door. "I thought I told you no flowers."

Castle grinned cockily. "But this is not flowers; this is Fern."

Kate looked down at the plant. "It's a ficus…"

"Named Fern," he grinned like a little boy and Kate couldn't help her smile.

"Why did you bring me a ficus named Fern?" she asked.

Castle shrugged. "Because you said no flowers. So I brought you a tree."

Kate sighed. "Loopholes…you ever consider being a lawyer?"

"I did, but then I realized that I'd much rather stab myself in the eyes with rusty nails."

Kate shuddered. "Thanks for that visual."

"My pleasure. So, you ready to go?"

"Yeah, just…you're not bringing Fern, are you?"

"Nope. Just tell me where to put her and we can be on our way." Kate could think of a few places where he could stick "Fern" but thought it'd be rude. He did bring her a present, after all. Oh, and he saved her life. He'd probably never let her forget that.

"You can put her in the corner over there," she said, motioning with her hand to a far corner of her apartment. "I just gotta grab my purse."

Castle nodded and deposited Fern in the corner. Kate could swear she told the ficus to be good and go to bed at a respectable hour. She gave him an incredulous look as he walked up to her at the door.

"What?" he said. "Plants like being spoken to. It helps them grow better."

Kate just rolled her eyes and walked out with Castle right behind her.

When they got outside, Kate nearly lost her breath. Right in front of them sat a cherry red Ferrari. "Is that…is that yours?" she breathed.

Castle grinned. "Yep," he said, "that's my baby. I call her Sadie."

Beckett lifted and eyebrow. "Sadie?"

"Yeah, like that Beatles song; Sexy Sadie."

Beckett nodded. "Nice car…can I drive?"

Castle shook his head firmly. "Nope. It's my turn now. You just sit back and enjoy the ride." He pressed a button on his key remote and the doors unlocked. Walking up to the car, he opened the door and held out his hand. Kate rolled her eyes and bypassed the hand, slipping into the car and settling down in the soft, comfy leather seats. Castle closed the door firmly behind her before jogging around to sit in the driver's seat.

He started the engine with a purr and swiftly pulled out into the street. As they moved down the blocks towards the restaurant, Kate marveled at Castle's swift driving. She made a comment about it and he grinned proudly. "I guess that means you're gonna let me drive to the scenes more often, huh?"

Beckett scoffed. "In your dreams, Castle."

"Well, actually, in my dreams, I'm not driving the car; we're having-" Kate's hand clasped over his mouth.

"Finish that sentence and I'm getting a cab back," she warned. Castle nodded and she let go of him, feeling her palm tingle with the proximity to his lips. She rubbed the feeling away, though.

The rest of the ride went by in silence and when they pulled up at the movie theater, Kate gave Castle a confused look. "I thought we were going to dinner first," she said.

"Oh, we are," he said, pointing to a storefront about fifty feet away. It was a place called "Lola's Pizza Palace". "I figured you wouldn't go for some candlelit place, ya know. Besides, Lola's makes the best slice on the West Side."

Kate smiled; he really was such a caring and considerate man…sometimes. She didn't say anything as he got out and ran around to open her door for her, deciding to just humor him.

He enveloped her hand in his as he pulled her out, warming it in his. Beckett felt a slight shock run down her arm, straight to her spine. She decided that it was probably just a bit of static electricity and that she should just ignore it. But still she didn't let go of his hand as they walked into the pizza place together. Neither did he.

Kate was surprised as they approached what looked to be a Host podium. There was a woman there, with black hair put up into a messy bun and cat-eye glasses, her crystal blue eyes shining behind the thick lenses. "Ricky!" she squealed when she saw him. She came out from her podium and raced into his arms, which he wrapped around her, dropping Kate's hand, immediately.

"Lola!" he greeted back, pulling back. "How are you? How's Harry?"

"He's doing good. Just gotta go on that diet; his cholesterol is horrible!" The woman had a Jersey accent and a light, natural tan. She looked over at Kate. "Oh, hello there!" she greeted brightly. She stuck out her hand. "I'm Lola Mastriani, the owner."

Kate smiled warmly. "Kate Beckett. Nice to meet you."

Lola beamed. "Likewise! Ricky, she's a beaut! Such an improvement over the last one! All of them, really!" Castle blushed, his eyes going wide in horror. Lola seemed to realize her mistake. "Oh, well not that there are so many!" She said. "In fact there may have only been two, and it's been over a year since Ricky brought anybody here, anyway!" She cleared her throat. "Would you like a booth or a table?"

Castle was too embarrassed to even speak so Kate answered for him. "Either would be just fine," she said. Lola nodded and grabbed two menus before leading them to a table by the window.

They ordered drinks and Lola left them alone to read the menus. When she was gone, Kate dropped her menu and eyed Castle. "So who else have you brought here, exactly?" she asked, trying to make the question sound casual, but her heart was drumming. He'd only brought two other women here, and not in over a year.

Castle blushed. "Well…I…promise you won't take it the wrong way?"

"I swear, Castle," Kate said, rolling her eyes.

Castle took a deep breath. "Meredith and Gina."

Kate's eyes widened and suddenly she wanted to bolt from the restaurant. But she forced herself to stay anchored to her seat as she asked, "Your ex-wives?" as if she didn't already know who they were.

"Yeah, but that's not-I mean…I brought you here because it was convenient. Not because I- I mean not that you're not…I'm just going to stop talking now." He buried his head in the menu and Kate smiled softly at him. Never had she seen Richard Castle at such a loss for words. She nearly laughed out loud but cleared her throat instead, dissipating the laugh in her throat that was threatening to bubble up.

"It's okay, Castle," she said, "I get it." She smiled warmly at him before going back to her menu, her heart thumping loudly in her chest even as she relaxed slightly.

When Lola came back with their drinks, they decided to order a half sausage, half pineapple pizza. Lola scratched down their orders and told them it'd be ready in about twenty minutes, before leaving.

Kate turned back to Castle. "I can't believe you order pineapple on your pizza, Castle. That's so gross."

"Hey! It happens to be delicious and way healthier than your greasy sausage," he came back.

"What can I say, Castle; I'm a girl who likes my sausage." Kate realized what she said too late and blushed furiously, but tried to hide it by taking a sip of her Coke. Castle's jaw dropped but he quickly composed himself, clearing his throat and trying to hide his own smile with his drink.

"You know, I used to take Alexis here when she was a little girl," he said, looking off a little bit, as if seeing it in front of his own eyes. "She used to love reading the menu to me out loud and convincing me to order the strangest toppings, like anchovies and M&Ms. Sometimes Lola would even invite her in the back to help her prepare the dough. She'd return her to me all cover in flour and then Alexis would chase me around the restaurant, trying to cover me with it. She always got me." He laughed, smiling softly at the memory. "But, you know, she got too old for that. We haven't been back here together since she entered High School. Sometimes, I come in here when I'm trying to get inspiration for a new story. Usually Lola's at home, though, taking care of her kids, so we don't get to see each other that often."

Kate smiled. "She seems nice," she said.

Rick nodded. "Yeah, she is. She first opened the store when Alexis was about four years old. I-I took her to see some kids movie down the street once and we were just getting out of the movie and she was all hyped up on candy and soda and she was running ahead of me. I told her to slow down but she didn't listen and ended up tripping over a rock, scraping her knee. Oh, God, you should have heard her. She was screaming bloody murder, tears pouring down her face; it near broke my heart. So I scooped her up and walked into the pizza place to see if they had a first aid kit anywhere. Lola was there, three months pregnant with her first child, Henry, and she practically fell all over herself for Alexis. Getting her a First Aid Kit, a glass of water to calm her down and stroking her hair while I applied the disinfectant. Then she offered us both a free slice. Ever since then, I've been back here whenever I can spare the time. I only brought Meredith and Gina once each. But I don't think you want to hear those stories."

Kate shook her head. "I don't have to." She pointed to the wall, where there were two pictures of Castle with either of his ex-wives. Both with the women holding out their hands, with big fat engagement rings on their left ring fingers.

Castle blushed. "Oh…I almost forgot about those." He cleared his throat. "Yeah, this is where I proposed to both of them. The first time I did it because it was supposed to be special, but then I think I just got lazy when Gina came around."

Kate chuckled. "Such a romantic, Castle," she teased. He smiled back at her, relieved that she wasn't taking this information so seriously.

"Well you know; I do what I can," he wiggled his brows at her and Kate rolled her eyes back.

They kept eye contact for a few moments before being interrupted as a platter was placed in between them.

"One large half-sausage, half-pineapple pizza!" Lola announced.

Kate and Rick quickly looked away from each other, smiling in thanks at Lola, before digging into their slices. They shared small talk over the meal, stealing glances at each other when they thought that the other wasn't looking.

Both were hiding shy smiles and blushes throughout the entire meal.

Okay, so this is going to be a two-shot. The M-rating will come about in the next chapter, I swear! REVIEWS!