Chapter 1
It's another normal day at the twelfth precinct. The team just wrapped up the case two days earlier. It had been a pretty tricky case. Javi, Ryan, and Beckett are sitting at their desks doing paperwork while Castle is playing Angry Birds on his phone.
He wordlessly gets up and heads into the break room. A few minutes later he comes back with two steaming cups of coffee in his hands. Kate looks up from her paperwork and can't help but let a smile spread across her face.
To Castle and Beckett, coffee isn't just coffee, it's so much more. It represents how much they love each other. It shows that they will always be there for one another no matter what. Castle loves brining Kate coffee just to see that little smile on her face.
As he hands her the cup of coffee, their hands touch. They hold the contact for a little longer then they probably should, but they can't help it.
At work, they aren't supposed to show any physical contact. They can't let the fact that they are more than partners get in the way of their work. A few months ago Gates had found out about the relationship. To their surprise, she had allowed them to remain partners at the precinct. Gates had obviously warmed up to Castle, especially after noticing how much the closure rate had gone up since he started at the precinct. With being there for five years now, everyone considered him a part of the team. Beckett and Castle were partners just as much as Esposito and Ryan were. The only difference was that they were partners in all aspects of the word.
Gates had told the pair that as long as they kept their private and professionals affairs separate, there would be no problems. Beckett and Castle found it harder than they expected. Castle always found himself wanting to hold Kate's hand when she was sitting at her desk, frustrated over a case. He wanted to give her a hug when she was tired and wanted to go home. There were also those moments when he found Kate completely hot, such as when she is interrogating a suspect. He just wants to go up and kiss her, and it takes all his might not to. Castle isn't the only one who wants the physical contact though. Beckett also finds herself wanting that physical contact with him. She wants to run her fingers through his hair when he gets that adorable grin on his face. Castle's eyes just make her melt and get butterflies in her stomach. Kate has a hard time resisting contact as much as Castle. Knowing that they have to hold back their feelings, they settle for other things. Something as simple as a brush over each other's hand, a stolen glance across the room, or the bumping of shoulders as they walk is a way they can sneak their relationship in. But coffee…that is one thing they can give each other and show how much they really care without actually saying it.
It's close to 9 o'clock at the precinct as the team is just about done with their paperwork. At 8:57 a.m. the phone on the desk rings twice before the detective answers. "Beckett." She says in a monotone voice. "Alright, thanks." She replies before hanging up the phone. "We got a body, 47th and Lex."
The teams stands up, grabbing their jackets, and head towards the elevator.