Disclaimer: I wish they were mine but AWM & Co do a brilliant job with them...
A/N: Hey... I'm back! This is a sequel to my 'When it stops being enough' story. You might want to read that one before you dive into this one! (oh come on it ain't that bad... ;-))
But just in case, here's a recap: After Castle got hurt in a freak hostage situation, Kate realizes she wants more out of her relationship with him; that she doesn't want to wait anymore and their current situation isn't enough anymore. Everything was laid on the table and they took that tentative first step toward one and other. On their two months anniversary, Castle invites Beckett at the loft for some a home cooked meal. One thing lead to another and they share their first night together... Here's the story that show how they start building something together...
Dedication: this is for TORONTOSUN for hinting to the whole sequel idea... Hope you like it...
CHAPTER 1: FIRST DAY
"So … What are the plans for today?" Kate asks.
"Well… I thought we could get more acquainted with those thousand thread sheets of mine"
"Urgh" she slaps him on the chest.
"What? You can't tell me you don't want a repeat of last night?" he says wiggling his eyebrows.
Kate rolls her eyes at him in a true Beckett fashion. "Not what I meant, Castle!"
Nothing's changed. They've just taken the next step into their relationship but they're still them. Castle's still the goofball who spins around crazy theories and makes her smile with his cocky remarks; and for that Kate's truly grateful.
"We can do whatever you want to do, Kate?" he sobers.
"As much as I would love to spend the day lazing in bed with you" she says, her ear pressed to his chest "I want to go out"
"Out?"
"Yes" she moves so her chin rests on the hand she just laid on his torso "I want to go out. I want us to walk, mingle, relax, enjoy ourselves and each other" she says a smile breaking out.
Castle's mesmerized by the woman currently smiling and making plans for them to spend the day together. He can't seem to get over the changes he sees in her; that he's seen in her the last two months. She looks happy and if he has anything to do with the fact that her eyes are shining so brightly now, he gladly considers himself the luckiest man in New York City and he'd do everything in his power to see her smile like that for the rest of his life.
"That sounds like an amazing idea" he days, tugging a stray curl behind her ear and grazing his thumb on her cheek in the process. The loving simple gesture sets a trail of fire across her cheek and Kate blushes slightly. In an attempt to keep her composure, she leans in and brushes a kiss to Castle's lips. "Great… I'm gonna take a shower". She wriggles herself out her partner's grasp and gets out of bed, only to be held back by Castle catching her wrist.
"You know we could also enjoy each other in the shower" he says suggestively.
That comment could have made her blush even more but the opposite happens. "I'm not sure you could handle me under the jet of streaming hot water just yet, Rick" she says, transforming into the saucy seductive woman he loves so much.
He gulps and his eyes widen. "You're killing me here, woman"
"Jeez, I hope not. I've got big plans for you"
"And what might those plans be" he stutters.
She crawls back onto the bed, like a lioness approaching her prey "How about you start…" she leans in, kisses a trail from his mouth to his ear, whispers "by making me…" she takes his lobe in her mouth and nibbles on it "breakfast!" she giggles and heads for the bathroom.
Horrible tease of a woman! "You're gonna pay for that" he says loud enough for his voice to carry through the sound of his shower as he hears the water being turned on.
He shakes his head briefly, trying not to linger too much on the image that's currently forming in his mind: a very naked Kate Beckett covered in water droplets…
Breakfast, right! He throws on a pair of boxers and a fated T-shirt and leaves the bedroom, his heart swelling with love once again when he hears Kate singing. He makes his way across his living room thinking about the perfect breakfast he could whip together… pancakes should be in order, right?...He goes to the fridge and takes out everything he needs: flour, sugar, milk, eggs and butter.
He's so engrossed in what he's doing; happily humming to the background music he put on, that he doesn't hear his mother come inside.
"Someone is in a cheery mood" says Martha, interrupting her son midway through 'lovers dance when they're feeling in love, spotlight shining, it's all about us…' "Judging by your overly sweetening song choice, I'm guessing you and Kate had a great night" says the actress, her tone leaving no doubt about her meaning of the word 'night'.
"If you must know, Mother, I couldn't be happier with how my evening turned out" he says while pouring the batter onto the grill, not even caring he must look like a teenager in love who can't seem to stop himself from grinning madly and singing along to lovey dovey songs.
The door of the loft opens again and Castle's relieved his daughter's not been privy to their latest conversation. Not that he wants it to remain a secret but there are certain things that a child shouldn't know about her father's love life.
"Morning, daughter"
"Morning, Dad" Alexis says, approaching the breakfast counter after dropping her overnight bag by the stairs. "Mmm pancakes… What's the occasion?" she asks.
Castle swallows… Euh come on think! He chides himself, knowing full well the 'Thank you so much for last night' might not be an appropriate answer to give his daughter. "Nothing special" he tries to evade. "Kate likes them and I thought…"
"Kate's still here?" Alexis cuts him a little surprised.
"Yes, she is in the shower" he says pointing in the direction of his bedroom. No point in hiding it now. But he still wants to know his daughter's opinion on the matter. "Are you alright with that, pumpkin?" he asks a little hesitantly.
"Yeah… I'm going to put my bag in my room. I'll be right back. Save me some" she says, eying the stack of pancakes on the plate.
"Of course" Castle breathes a sigh of relief as he watches his daughter climb up the stairs.
"That's a remarkable daughter you have there" Castle turns his head at the sound, only to find Kate Beckett leaning against the doorframe of his bedroom, bare feet and towel-dried hair giving her curls a looser feel.
"Hey" he smiles broadly at her "Breakfast is ready". Kate leaves her spot by the door and makes her way to Castle.
"Kate, Darling. How are you this morning?"
"Morning, Martha"
"How has my son been treating you?"
"He's been the most perfect gentleman" the detective tells the actress as her arms loop around Castle's waist and she stands on tiptoe to kiss him lightly on the lips.
They've been together for two months and although they haven't kept their relationship a secret from their friends and family, this is the first time they're engaged in such a public display of affection. And the fact that it is Kate, super cop extraordinaire, who initiates the connection even though she's been known to play everything close to the vest; takes the writer by surprise.
"So pancakes huh?" she says, a twinkle present in her eyes, knowing all too well the significance of his breakfast choice.
Martha watches the whole exchange and the way her son tries to shrug innocently tells her the situation is anything but. Nevertheless she decides to leave the couple to their apparent meaningful choice of food. She hears Alexis coming down the stairs and takes that as her cue to speak up.
"So can we eat those pancakes or is the whole stack for Kate?" she asks not able to resist teasing the couple.
Kate blushes, slightly embarrassed. "Dig in while they're hot" Castle drops a kiss on her head and goes to the cupboard to fetch the maple syrup. As he comes back, Kate's settling on the stool next to Alexis and not for the first time his heart swells at the domesticity and the family picture his two favorite girls make together.
Topics vary from their latest laser-tag match up to Alexis' job at the morgue. Kate takes the opportunity to ask the girl about colleges. Even though Castle sees the surprise in his daughter's composure, he doesn't let on. He knows why she's startled. Kate has always been genuinely interested in his daughter and that's something Alexis is not accustomed to. Even her own mother never showed any real interest in her life. So to have a 'stranger' pay attention to her is something that surprises the teenager. She recovers quickly though, smiling brightly and jumping at the chance to talk about her projects with someone other than her dad and grandmother.
Castle watches his daughter's eyes lit up at Kate's interest and he's left speechless, his heart full of love for the woman listening intently to his baby girl.
Eventually they clear the dishes and clean up. "Any plans for today?" asks Alexis to the two remaining adults; Martha having escaped to her room before the end of breakfast, effectively avoiding the cleaning up part.
"Euh… Kate and I wanted to go for a walk" answers Castle hesitantly, not wanting to sound like they'd leave the girl behind to spend some time together.
Kate senses her partner's discomfort and pitches in "We'd love for you to come with" looking first at Castle and then at Alexis.
"No, that's okay. I've got some homework anyway. But maybe we could all watch a movie tonight. I've been dying to see Forbidden Planet again and I'm sure Kate can't say no to the early work of Leslie Nielsen and neither can you, dad!"
Kate and Castle share a knowing look.
"I'm in" says the detective
"It's settled then"
"Great!" beams Alexis. "See you tonight! Have fun on your walk"
Twenty minutes later, Kate and Castle get out of Rick's apartment building and onto Broome Street. It's early November and even though the sun is shining brightly, the air is brisk. Much to Castle's delight, Kate huddles closer to seek his warmth. He takes her hand and they make their way towards Broadway.
SOHO's architecture is beautiful and they don't have to wait long to come across the 'Parthenon of Cast-Iron Architecture'. On the corner of Broome Street and Broadway stands the Haughwout Building. Kate lingers for a while, in awe of the intricate detailing of the whole structure. Sensing her interest, Rick provides tidbits of information in true Castle fashion.
"Did you know that Abraham Lincoln's wife, Mary, purchased custom-made China for the White House in this luxury shop?"
"Really?" she asks, a hint of teasing in her tone, but secretly loving the wealth of information he possesses.
"Mm. It was also the first building to install Elisha Otis' safe passenger elevator"
"I love that you'd know that" she admits. "It's like having your own personal tour guide"
"Well in that case… let me impress you some more" he says leading her across Broadway and making a right turn onto Greene Street.
"Where are we going?" she asks
"Looking for the subway map"
"Euh… it would have been closer to stay on Broadway. There's the Prince Street Station two blocks from there" she says a little confused.
"We're not taking the subway!" Seeing the confusion in Kate's eyes he continues. "Have you ever heard of Françoise Schein?"
"No. Who is she?"
"She's a Belgian artist whose first urban sculpture is situated at 110 Greene Street"
"And what might that be?" asks Kate to Castle who has suddenly stopped walking. She looks at him wondering why he would stop in his tracks, only to find him staring at the ground in front of them. Kate follows his gaze…
"Is that…?" she asks
"Mmhmm. It's called 'Subway Map Floating on a NY Sidewalk'" he explains "Pretty cool, huh?"
"Yeah… I can't believe I've lived in New York all my life and I've never known this was here"
"Well, it's only been here since 1986"
"Still… Any other wonders I should know about?" she asks.
"Oh… plenty. All in good time, detective. Wouldn't want you to get a 'Castle overdose'" he teases.
"Never" she says looking him straight in the eyes; honesty and love radiating from her in waves.
He swallows the lump in his throat, kisses the back of the hand he's still holding, tugs her closer and resumes walking.
They end up staying in SOHO looking at various architectural structures such as the Singer or Puck Buildings; entering the Apple Store because Rick had to see the new available gadgets; visiting the Museum of Comic & Cartoon Art because being both comic books fanatics, that was a must, right? When their stroll through the neighborhood takes them pass the Angelika Film Center they think about their 'date' from more than a year ago, because who were they kidding? That was a date! But they're also reminded of their little movie night with Alexis.
With that in mind they make their way back on Lafayette in order to stop at this little French bakery on the corner of Spring Street. After having purchased tonight's dessert, a Raspberry Chocolate cake, they return to the loft where Alexis is already installing the projector and movie screen.
"I guess you weren't kidding when you said 'movie' night" says Kate when she enters the loft.
"Oh … you ain't seen nothing yet" says Castle kissing Kate on the cheek and then moving closer to his daughter to drop a kiss on her head. "We brought dessert" he tells her gesturing to the box Kate's holding.
"I made a salad" says Alexis "Figured we'd eat light if we want to have some popcorn with the movie"
Halfway through the movie, Kate realizes how well, free and at peace she feels. She just spent the entire day with him, walking around the neighborhood, and now, she's snuggled up to his side, watching a movie, in his home, with his daughter… and there's nowhere else she'd rather be.
Castle nudges her, being aware that she's lost in her thoughts. She looks at him, smiles and kisses him before resting her cheek on his shoulder, sighing, utterly happy. She melts into him and Castle smiles.
And to think… it's only been their first day…
thoughts?
A/N: so that was the first chapter. Hope you liked it... I have several ideas in mind for upcoming chapters. But I won't be able to post them as quick as last time. This time of year is quite busy and a little crazy for a teacher: lots of papers to grade and exam questions to think of... not to mention the actual exam! But I'll try my best to update as quickly as possible
Have a great weekend and a great Castle episode on Monday!
Cheryl x