Title: Wonderful Tonight

Characters/Pairings: Castle/Beckett

Spoiler alert: None

Author's Notes: Set season 5, therefore Caskett is established. The story is written in first person, from Castle's POV. Disclaimer: Castle and it's characters do not belong to me, nor does the song, "Wonderful Tonight." It belongs to Eric Clapton. However, the story is mine all mine! : )

Wonderful Tonight

It's late in the evening

She's wondering what clothes to wear

She puts on her make up

And brushes her long brown hair

I watch her as she rummages through her closet for a dress to wear for the Mayor's annual Christmas party, that we have been invited to. Or more aptly, that I have been invited to, with Beckett definitely being my plus one. She picks out her "little red dress." She has said that all women have a little black dress. She has one, but she also has a little red dress. That is what she calls it at least. She puts it on a hanger and hangs it up in the bedroom doorway. She gives me a sexy smile, and then heads into the bathroom to do her hair and make-up.

I sit on her bed talking to her as she gets ready. She takes her time putting on her make-up, and then begins to do her hair. She takes out her brush and curling iron, working to make her hair exactly as she wants it. I don't think she realizes that no matter how she wears her hair, or does her make-up, she is still the most beautiful woman in any room, hands down. I watch her, completely immersed in her every move. As Detective Kate Beckett, she is strong, loyal, focused, beautiful, smart, and serious. As just Kate Beckett, she is still all of those things, but there is a femininity and fragileness about her, that is irresistible to me. Kate Beckett cares how she looks, but is a little insecure about her looks. She doesn't realize how beautiful she is. All of those reasons are what make me love her so much.

She is giddy and excited to go to the Mayor's party. This is not a side I see of her very often. I like this side of her. She tells me that she is going to put her dress on now, and that I need to go in the living room and wait for her. We both know I've watched her get dressed before, but she wants to make an entrance for me, and I go with the flow. She gives me a sexy smile, pulls her dress down out of the bedroom doorway, and pushes me out of the room.

And then she asks me, "Do I look alright?"

And I say, "Yes, you look wonderful tonight"

I sit on the couch, playing a meaningless game on my cell phone. Even though it is just to pass time, I find myself immersed in it. I suddenly feel lips on my cheek. She had been so quiet, I never even heard her come out of the bedroom. I close my eyes at the feeling, and a groan escapes my lips. Feeling her lips anywhere on my body makes me woozy. She walks away and I open my eyes.

"Do I look alright?" She asks almost shyly, as she twirls around giving me the full view.

My eyes finally focus on her. My breath catches in my throat at the sight of her. I am speechless for a moment. Her hair flows down her shoulders in wavy curls. The dress she is wearing is short, but very classy; it makes her already amazing legs look even shapelier. It is a low cut dress, cut in a V style, but it doesn't show too much. Just enough to leave me wanting more. It is smooth on top and sleeveless. There is a tie in the middle of the dress, that ties in the back. The bottom is sort of a pleated material that fans out. It ends a few inches above her knees. She is wearing her mother's pearl necklace and the matching pearl stud earrings. She is wearing red heels that match her dress perfectly. A thin and satiny white shawl completes the outfit, covering her bear arms and shoulders. Her face is glowing. She looks much more than alright. She is an angel in red, a vision.

I realize I haven't spoken yet. I know I better say something soon, but my throat still feels constricted. She has literally taken my breath away.

"You look wonderful, amazing, beautiful," I croak out. I know I am not even doing her justice, but there are no words for how beautiful she looks.

She smiles, and I can't help it, I have to go to her. I get up off the couch, and close the distance between us, quickly. I take her in my arms and my lips find hers. I kiss her slowly and passionately. We both groan. I know we need to stop, or we will never make it to the party. I continue until I bring us both almost to the point of no return, but then I somehow untangle myself from her, even though it is the last thing I want to do.

"You take my breath away," I whisper in her ear. "I still can't breathe. You are amazingly beautiful, Katherine Beckett." The smile that spreads across her face is worth every word and every minute with her. It makes my heart leap.

"Thank you," She whispers and kisses me one more time. We both compose ourselves, and then she is herself again.

"Come on, Castle, it's time for you to wine and dine me," She says, and gives me a wink. She grabs her coat, her purse and my hand all at once, and pulls me out of the apartment. I laugh, and happily follow her. It is nice to see this side of her.

We go to a party

And everyone turns to see

This beautiful lady

That's walking around with me

We pull up to the Mayor's house and get out. She looks around in wonder, just like she had when I took her to my house in the Hampton's.

"Wow, how the other half live," She marvels. Being a homicide detective isn't bad money, I imagine. However, I know she doesn't make enough to live like this. And even if she did, I don't think she would live extravagantly, it's not her.

We walk up to the open door and let ourselves in. A butler is there waiting to take our coats and Kate's purse. She hands it over, and we are guided into the living room/dining room area where the party is taking place. I take her hand, not wanting to let it go. It looks like the party is in full swing. It is a big dining room, with a huge chandelier hanging over a large oak dining room table. The food spread is monumental, and I see her eyes widen. I get the feeling that she feels a little out of her element. What she doesn't know is that this is completely her element. She is so much more sophisticated than most of the people here. They may have money, but they don't have her grace, sophistication, elegance, and most of all her class.

People start to notice us. And as they do, it almost seems like the entire party stops, and everyone turns to look at us, as if Queen Elizabeth were entering the room. I know it is her they are taking in. Many of the men are staring at her, letting their eyes roam her body and face, their jaws hanging open. Immediately, they want to be with her. Even the women are looking at her in the same way, because they want to be her. Everyone can see how beautiful she is on the outside and inside. Everyone can see her grace and elegance. I squeeze her hand a little tighter. They can look all they want, but she is here with me. I am the lucky man who brought this living embodiment of an angel here. She is mine. The thought brings a smile to my face, and it takes everything I have not to pull her into my arms and kiss her passionately.

Everything begins moving again, and the party gets back into full swing. People I know begin to come over and say hi. What they really want is to be introduced to my beautiful date; it is very obvious by their words. This is not my first time at the Mayor's annual Christmas party. This is my fourth year in a row being here. Every year I bring a different woman. They are beautiful women, but not beautiful like Kate. This is the first year I have been here with someone that I really care about. The people who know me here, immediately know she is different from the other women I have brought. They know she is not here for show. Not just some date that I may never see again. Maybe it is the way I can't keep my eyes off of her, maybe it's the smile that hasn't left my face since we walked in. Maybe it's how proud I look to have her on my arm. Whatever the reason, they know, and it just makes me love her all the more.

And then she asks me, "Do you feel alright?"

And I say, "Yes, I feel wonderful tonight"

After a little while of schmoozing and introducing her to everyone, I whisk her away, down the hall, to a small room. I pull her in, and shut the door behind me. I am still holding her hand when I speak.

"How are you doing with all of this?" I ask her, pulling her closer to me, my right arm around her waist. "I know it can be overwhelming," I pause and stare at her. I can feel her breath on my face, and smell her shampoo. How can standing this close to her still make my heart race, my palms sweat? The glow has not left her face, and her elegance and grace come shining through. How could I have even doubted this would too much for her? Kate Beckett can handle anything.

She smiles, and says, "I'm in control, Castle. I can handle it." I know she is teasing me. I also know her words are true. She can handle this. With everything she has gone through in her life, I don't think there is anything she can't handle.

She then asks me, "Do you feel alright? Are you handling this well?" She knows for me, this comes along with my job. I have to go to parties, show my face in public, do talk shows, and book signings. It's just part of the job. Therefore, I am used to the public demands. This party is not for work, it is for fun, though. The Mayor and I are good friends. However, it is sweet that she is making sure I am doing alright as well. When she cares about someone, they know.

"I feel wonderful tonight," I respond, and kiss her deeply, as I have been wanting to do all night. Every time I kiss her, I become tangled up with her, and it is so hard to pull myself away. We are not in our house though, and people will begin to wonder. I pull myself away begrudgingly, and again say, "I feel wonderful tonight." She smiles, and I know she knows that I feel wonderful because of her. I take her hand, open the door, and we go back into the dining room, where the party is taking place.

I feel wonderful

Because I see the love light in your eyes

And the wonder of it all

Is that you just don't realize how much I love you

We are once again working the room. These are not people I work with either as an author, or at the Twelfth Precinct. We can be ourselves here. The Mayor does have contact with the people we work with at the Twelfth, but he knows the seriousness of Gates finding out. He has already told me our secret is safe with him. We were friends before he became the Mayor. I trust him.

I have been introducing Kate all night as my "girlfriend." It seems like such a childish word for what we are to each other. Boyfriend and girlfriend. There is no other word to describe to the public what we are to each other though. It is the only word they will understand.

However, every time I introduce her as my girlfriend, I see the light shining in her eyes. She may not be able to always voice how she feels about me, but on nights like this, I can see it on her face. I can see the love shining in her eyes. That is why I feel wonderful. Having this beautiful woman on my arm, a woman every man here wants, and having it written all over her face that she wants to be here with me and only me. Wonderful isn't even the right word to describe how I feel. Happier than I've ever felt, more in love than I've ever been in my entire life. What word can describe this feeling?

When I think about how much I love her, I realize she has no clue exactly how deep my feelings go for her. I told her months ago that I loved her and that is why I kept Montgomery's secret for a year. That is why I kept her safe for a year. I try to show her on a regular basis how much I love her. However, nothing I do will ever truly illustrate to her just what she means to me, how much I care about her. I squeeze her hand again. She looks at me and smiles. I am the luckiest man alive, and I know it.

It's time to go home now

And I've got an aching head

So I give her the car keys

She helps me to bed

It's late and the party is winding down. Many people have already left. We are making our way around the party one last time to say our good-bye's. Everyone is still enthralled with Kate, and our good-bye's seem to take a long time with the guests gushing, "It was so great to meet you, Kate. We hope to see you again next year." She is taking it all in stride, and is amazing.

As happy as I have been tonight, I find I have had too much to drink. I know I took all the drinks that were offered to me. They were mainly champagne and wine, but enough to give me a headache. Enough to know that I can't drive. Enough to know I can barely even walk. However, she is keeping me a float. Her arm is around my back, and she is the one guiding me around. She has only had a glass and a half of wine all night, and it was when we first arrived. I know she loves wine, but I also know once she saw me celebrating, she chose not continue drinking. Her line of work makes her very observant. Just another reason I love her so much.

The man who took our coats in the beginning of the night, brings them back, along with Kate's purse, as we stand in the entry way. Kate lets go of me to put her jacket on, and I help her. I then put my own jacket on, reach in my pocket, grab my my car keys, and hand them to her, without a word. She smiles, and guides me out to the car. It should be me opening the car door for her, but instead she opens the car door for me. Once we get going, I put my left hand on her leg.

"Kate," I say, and I know I am slurring my speech. "I'm sorry I drank so much," I end, not even sure how I got the words out. I don't think I even realize just how much drinking I did. If I already have a headache now, I know I will really pay for this tomorrow.

"Why?" She asks, slightly confused. "It was a Christmas celebration. This is not something you do on a regular basis. You are allowed to overindulge every now and then, Castle," She ends, not taking her eyes off the road, but smiling nonetheless. Have I mentioned how amazing she is?

"I should be driving you home. You were my date for the party. I should be taking care of you, not vice versa," I end. My words are slurring more, and I don't even know if I am making sense. Even though it is not a long drive home, I don't even know if I can keep my eyes open. She's right. I don't drink very often anymore, so when I do, it really affects me. I used to drink a lot when I was younger, but found I hate the hangover.

I watch her and her response. I can't keep my eyes off of her. She is so beautiful. I want nothing more than to take her in my arms. I can't wait until we get home so that I can.

"Castle," She begins in a caring tone of voice, "In a real relationship, two people are there for each other. When one person needs to be taken care of, the other person takes care of them. That's the way it works," She pauses and seems almost a little nervous to speak her next words. I encourage her, by squeezing her leg. She smiles and continues.

"I like it when you take care of me. I always give the impression that I am strong and can handle anything, that I don't need anyone to take care of me. I can handle a lot, because I have been through a lot in my life. But the truth is, I like it when you take care of me. I feel safe," She pauses again, catching her breath to continue. "But I like taking care of you, too. I like the side of you that can admit he needs help sometimes. I want to take care of you. So let me take care of you tonight, Castle," She ends, taking her eyes off the road just for a split second to look at me, and get her point across.

"Kate," I say hazily. She is wonderful. She wants to take care of me. How did I get so lucky as to land a woman like her? I want to respond, but I can't keep my eyes open anymore, even though I know we are close to home.

Next thing I know I hear her calling my name, saying we are home. I open my eyes, and my car door is open and she is standing above me gently shaking me.

"Come on, sleepy head," She whispers, smiling. I open my eyes a little bit, and see that she looks like an angel standing above me. I pull her down to me, and find her lips. I kiss her hungrily, and passionately, the way I have wanted to all night. God, how I love this woman. She responds in the same manner, but them pulls herself away. I can hear that she is breathing heavily, trying to catch her breath. The kiss has affected her the same way. Rendered her speechless. There is a part of me that is glad that I have the same affect on her that she has on me.

"Castle," She says breathily, "Let's get you upstairs." She helps pull me up and out of the car. I almost lose my balance, but she wraps her arms around my waist, keeping me from falling. Once I am steady, I close the car door and lock it, and we start walking toward my building. She has her right arm around my waist. I am trying my hardest to stay steady, but the alcohol is still affecting me. 'That is the last time I drink that much,' I think to myself. We make it to the elevator, and she pushes the button. We patiently wait for the elevator to find the ground floor. I kiss her forehead as we wait. Her hair smells so good.

The elevator finds us, and takes us up to my floor. We get out of the elevator, and somehow we make it to my front door. She still has my keys, and takes her hand from around my waist and opens the door. My waist feels naked without her arm there. I want to go sit on the couch, but am pretty sure I would never get back up. She knows exactly what I am thinking, and takes my hand and pulls me to the bedroom. Once we are there, she leads me over to the bed, and pulls the covers back for me. I fall into the bed. Wordlessly, she removes my shoes since I already am half asleep. I feel her pulling off my pants as well. I wish I had a witty remark, but all I can think of is how amazing it is she is doing all this for me, without complaining. She is taking care of me.

And then I tell her as I turn out the light

I say, "My darling, you are wonderful tonight

Oh my darling, you are wonderful tonight"

I have almost fallen asleep, even though the lamp on the end table is still on. I can vaguely hear her getting ready for bed in my bathroom. I know tonight will not be a passionate night of lovemaking, as I haven't the energy. I also know that she understands. There is always tomorrow. I hear her open the bathroom door, and make her way over to the bed. She slips in beside me, wearing a little night gown, facing me. I immediately turn and face her, and pull her into my arms. I love the feel of her in my arms and I can't help the groan that escapes my lips. She curls up into me. My right arms leaves her for a second, as I turn out the light. I slide right back into my position of both arms around her.

"Kate, my darling," I begin, slurring my speech, I am sure, "You are wonderful tonight. So wonderful tonight. You are so beautiful, and so amazing. Everyone at the party loved you. And yet I am the lucky man who gets to bring you home tonight." I can feel her smile against my arm. She curls into me tighter. I kiss the top of her forehead. No more words need to be spoken. The happiness we both feel is evident in the way we are holding each other. Sleep quickly overtakes us both, with the sweet memories of our wonderful night floating in the air.