August 24, 1980
It was a balmy summer's day. The sun had sat high in the blue sky with no cloud all day long while a heat wave was blanketing the bustling city of New York. By the time evening had come, there was a somewhat considerable drop in temperature, but it continued to linger nonetheless.
The impact of the weather was stifling for some, horrid for others and plain irritating for most. However, not for Jim and Johanna Beckett, who had spent most of their day at their local outdoor swimming pool relaxing in the cool cerulean water. Of course, this was under Johanna's strong insistence and her methods of approaching life, to seize each and every opportunity possible as they present themselves. What's a better opportunity to go swimming outdoors than during the peak of summer anyway?
It was Katherine, or more affectionately, Katie's, first time to the pool today. She'd started walking the week prior and Johanna was certainly a lot more than eager to let her only daughter begin exploring the world on her own two feet. Katie had loved it; she'd splashed, waded around the toddler's pool, started numerous water fights to the best of her ability and went in the big pool with Jim.
Hours later, the family of three were in the kitchen together; Johanna cooking hers and Jim's dinner, Katie strapped into her high chair and Jim feeding her before having his own dinner. There was never a shortage of laughter and good vibes in the Beckett household, and tonight was no exception. Johanna and Jim regaled each other with the antics of the day while Katie babbled along, letting out the occasional giggle or high pitched squeal.
"More!" demanded Katie, banging her hands on the table of her high chair after Jim had finished feeding her all the food that was in her bowl.
"That's enough. She's had plenty to eat now and across today. If she's still hungry later, we'll give her something then," said Johanna, as she turned around from the stove upon hearing her daughter's request, her long dark hair flicking over her shoulder as she spun.
Presented as a rational, reasonable and logical request from his dear wife Johanna, normally he'd recognise and accept this. However, since the arrival of baby Katie, he'd been doing things differently, even more so since she's now very capable of vocal communication in basic English.
Jim unstrapped Katie, removed her from the high chair and sat her against his hip as he navigated them through the kitchen and into the lounge room, where he sat her down on her blanket with her various toys.
As he pulled away, Katie was doing quite possibly the best impersonation of the puppy dog face he'd ever seen; her big hazel eyes staring up at him and her adorable pouty mouth.
Jim sighed. He was fighting a losing battle with his nine month old daughter. He made sure the coast was clear before snagging three crackers from the dining table to hand to Katie, who giggled in delight upon receiving them.
Little did Jim Beckett know, things would operate like this for years to come; he absolutely adored his daughter and she had him wrapped around her little finger.
November 17, 2011
Detective Kate Beckett sat cross legged at her desk, filling out the remainder of her paperwork from yesterday's case with her steaming cup of coffee, courtesy of Castle, who seemed to have disappeared yet again, positioned to the left of her computer, the heavenly aromas consuming the airspace she was currently in, making her only want it more and more.
She sat back in her chair, reading over the various words she'd penned across her case report while gently chewing on her pen, a habit she was still yet to break. Being satisfied with what she'd written and how she'd articulated her recount of events, she pulled the pen from her mouth, neatly scrawled her signature across the designated line, dated the report, reinserted it into the correct folder, and then dropped it into the document sorter reserved for completed cases. This was the cathartic part for her; case closed, justice delivered and the huge gap that the affected families felt would slowly begin to close. If only all of her cases were this easy.
Kate closed her eyes and leant back in her chair, muscles flexing and bones cracking, the feeling of sweet relief flooded her body and she grinned to herself in approval. She heard soft footsteps approaching her desk. Cracking an eye open, she silently welcomed the vision of Richard Castle, smiling warmly at her.
"Happy birthday, Kate," he greeted, dropping two colourfully wrapped boxes onto her desk, one slightly larger than the other, before pulling up his chair to the side of her desk and sitting down in it.
"Thanks Castle," replied Kate shyly, touched by his sweet gesture, which presented itself in the form of mysterious boxes.
"Go on, open it," instructed Castle, eager to see her reaction to what he'd purchased for her birthday, not that he'd already decided that this would be the highlight of his day, not at all.
Kate gave a soft laugh at his child-like enthusiasm.
"If you insist," agreed Kate, opting to open the larger of two boxes that were currently sitting on her desk. Snagging the box, she slipped her sharp thumbnail underneath the end fold of the wrapping paper on the side of the box, slicing the tape, repeating the action on the other end and on the tape holding the paper together on top of the box.
Almost dumbfounded at what was hidden under the wrapping paper, Kate looked from her present, to Castle, to the present and back to Castle again.
"You bought me a Pandora bracelet?" questioned Kate, after finally being able to find some words. Castle only nodded at her enquiry. "Why?" she probed further.
Castle leant closer to Beckett, in an almost conspiratorial way, picked up the box and opened the lid to display the contents.
"Kate, when I first met you I told you everyone has a story of how they became the person they are at a particular moment in time. These Pandora bracelets, they're a different method of storytelling; the charms people put on these bracelets represent the things that are important to them. So, when you open the other box, you'll find the charm that represents a big part of who you are today, it's not all of who you are, but it certainly is a big part," explained Castle in a soft, warm voice.
"Thank you, Castle, that's really sweet," replied Kate, removing the silver bracelet from the box, opening the clasp and sitting it on her desk. She picked up the smaller box, which was yet to be unwrapped, sliced the sticky tape with her fingers, pried open the paper, revealing a similar white box, but minus the logo this time.
She hesitated for a moment, pondering which charm Castle had bought, almost reluctant to discover what he saw as one of the biggest elements which made her Kate Beckett. Deciding to rip off the bandaid and simply face the music, she snapped open the box, removing all the mystery surrounding the charm.
Handcuffs.
"Handcuffs," she vocalised, looking up at him. "You bought me the handcuffs charm," she beamed at him, only to quickly break their sustained eye contact to slip the charm onto the bracelet and then gently place it back into the box. She wanted to wear it all the time, but it was liable to get broken, damaged or catch on something if she wore it at work.
"Well, you are a detective, so I thought I'd start with the most obvious one first of all," laughed Castle, subtly winking at Kate, causing her to duck her head blush slightly.
"Hey, are you still coming out with us tonight?" asked Kate, looking up to meet his gaze.
"What! Of course I am!" squeaked Castle "As if I would ever miss your birthday!" he exclaimed, slightly hurt by her uncertainty of his attendance at her small and informal, yet perfect birthday celebration which was going to take place that night.
"Jeez Castle, it's just my birthday," replied Kate nonchalantly while she turned to pick up some case files, as if it was no big deal, all while knowing how important birthdays were for Castle.
"Precisely," countered Castle, waggling a finger at her, causing her to laugh softly.
"We've got a hit on Corbin's car. It just passed through a toll point in the Queens-Midtown tunnel," said Ryan, jogging into the room while waving a piece of paper residing in his right hand, and then handing it to Kate.
"Let's move," ordered Kate, accepting the piece of paper, grabbing her jacket before heading to the elevator with Castle.
Later that night...
"Did you see the look on Esposito's face when Lanie walked in tonight? He was fully gawking! Smitten, he is the epitome of smitten!" enthused Castle about his favourite not-couple as he and Kate walked back to her apartment after dinner and drinks with Ryan, Esposito, Jenny, Lanie and surprisingly enough, Gates.
"Well Castle, it was kind of hard to miss it," replied Beckett, bumping her shoulder with his as they walked along the footpath, side by side in the chilly, but still, November air.
"It was so intense!" exclaimed Castle, earning himself a look from Kate due to his apparent fangirling over Esplanie, while they entered the lobby and made their way to her building's elevators.
The elevator ride up to Kate's apartment was silent, but a comfortable, familiar silence, the kind that almost feels like home.
They walked down the hallway of her floor, remaining silent until they reached her front door, only the gentle sounds of their footfalls against the carpet to fill the space.
"So," Kate started turning to face him, keys in hand, both preparing but not yet ready to say their goodbyes for the night.
"So," echoed Castle, reaching down to toy with the Pandora bracelet wrapped around Kate's slim wrist that she'd put on just before they'd left for dinner, his warm fingers brushing against the skin of her arm. "You really are extraordinary, you know?" he murmured, abandoning the bracelet in favour of her hand, twining her long, slender fingers with his own, a gesture the two only share on occasion.
Something inside Kate snapped, as if every piece of the jigsaw of her life suddenly fit together and everything just seemed right. Her resolve crumbled; his raw honesty finally being the last sledgehammer to that wall inside which she had built all those years ago, it was gone and she no longer had anything to hold her back or hide behind.
Suddenly feeling a bout of extreme confidence, she shook her hand free of Castle's while simultaneously dropping her keys and grabbing onto the lapels of his suit jacket, tugging him down to her level and fusing her mouth to his.
Castle stumbled backwards in shock, but quickly recovered, eagerly responding, while using his large hands to span her waist, moving them to her hips and tugging her impossibly closer. He moaned into her mouth as she nipped at his lip with her teeth, quickly soothing with her tongue, her fingers delightfully digging into his shoulders as she continued her passion fuelled assault on him.
Breaking apart ever so slightly for oxygen, they were both all swollen lips and laboured breathing, yet still sharing the same air as they gradually calmed down.
"I'm ready," she whispered before leaning in and claiming his lips one final time.