Kate is crouched stealthily behind a pillar. Her senses alert to even the slightest little sound. Waiting; patiently. Like a ninja, ready to strike at a seconds notice. Her fingers grip the black steel as her hands remain upward, gun pointing to the ceiling. She grins, thinking to herself that right now she is in the Nikki Heat pose, and if Castle could see her she's sure he would have some smart, annoyingly sexy comment about the similarity between his fiction and her reality.
One would imagine after years of experience, and countless times stuck in a situation similar to this she would have found a way to reduce the steady thumping in her chest as her heart races with anxiety and adrenaline pumps through her veins. But this time is different.
Slowly, she takes a peek around the side, looking into the heart of the room and trying desperately to get a 10-4 on his whereabouts. Nothing…damn it! Where the hell is he?! She says to herself. Gracefully and bravely she cautiously inches her slim body out from the safety of the pillar, wanting to find a different place to protect her that will afford a better view. That's when she hears him. It's distant, but she still catches the muffled cries of pain.
Suddenly a flash to her left has her spinning on her heels, instantly moving into the shooter's position as she was trained to do so many years ago. She aims and fires, straight to the chest. Game over.
"Gotcha Castle, I win." Her hands are at her side now, gun lazily hanging from her fingers. The purple light is still spinning on her vest, alerting that she has not been shot.
"Ouch...ow...ow...oww..owwwww!" He's whining and hopping around the office on one leg. His vest now void of the circular blue light that's normally spinning in the center of his chest.
"What the hell Castle, it's just a laser gun?"
"Yes, but I stubbed my toe." He places his laser gun on the desk and bends down to caress the pained extremity.
She slyly giggles, "How'd you do that tough guy?"
"I must have caught it on my way thr...Nuh-uh Kate, you nailed me when I was wailing in pain and that's an unfair advantage therefore I demand a rematch for the winning point."
She rolls her eyes at his dramatic nature and smug facial expression that she's seen a million times before when he thinks he's got her cornered.
"Pfff…what? No way Castle; I won fair and square. You could have been faking to throw me off. You owe me coffee, that was the deal...loser makes the winner coffee and massages their feet."
He grimaces, still rubbing his toe, "Fine."
Slowly she walks towards him, tearing at the Velcro to remove her vest and other protective gear. She places her laser gun on the desk next to his, and bends down to his wounded foot. She takes his toe in her fingers and gently rubs away the last stinging remains of pain, and then kisses it lightly before standing back up.
"There, all better now?" She's smiling seductively at him, "I love you Castle, but you're a horrible loser." She pats her palm against his cheek and turns moving toward the sofa to sit and wait for her winnings.
He's bustling around in the kitchen, a master barista in his own abode. The aroma begins to twirl its way into the space she's sitting and tempts her taste buds as it curls through to her brain making it desperate with desire. She's watching him in a lovesick daze that she(if she was completely honest with herself) cannot decide whether it's for the man, or the coffee. She's hopelessly addicted to both.
Finally he makes his way over to the couch, carefully hands her the cup of magical liquid, kisses her on the top of her head, and then dutifully takes his place at the opposite end of the couch where he can attend to her feet like he'd promised.
He really does make the best coffee. She's only halfway through this cup and she's contemplating asking for another because it just tastes that good. Heavenly even.
"Mmm…Castle that feels amazing, we should play for these stakes more often."
"You do know it was a fluke that you won right, I mean think about it Kate…I've been playing this with Alexis for years, I'm kind of an expert. And besides I do know all the secrets of my loft; you haven't been here long enough to discover them all just yet." He smiles, proud of himself, and cocky that he's left her speechless.
Smirking, and taking another long sip of her coffee she pauses before responding to her goofball boyfriend. "That may be true big shot, but aren't you forgetting one very important fact? I'm a cop, I hunt for a living…real, dangerous criminals all over this huge city. Finding you in this small loft is a piece of cake!"
He's shaking his head, smiling at her response and rubbing a little harder on her feet to let her silently know he accepts her challenge. "Only time will tell. I just might surprise you Kate."
"You do surprise me Castle, every day." Her face is serious now and she's staring into the bottom of her coffee cup a questioning look on her brow. She slowly starts to smile and looks up at him.
"Castle?"
He releases his grip on her toes; carefully he places them on the couch as he climbs off onto the floor, walking towards her on his knees. He's nervous, she can tell, and his eyes have switched into that soft place they go to when he's just about to kiss her. She's just watching him, waiting for him to speak; tears slowly pooling in her eyes.
"I love you Kate. I love everything about you; everything. Each morning I roll over and see your beautiful face I feel like the luckiest person alive and I don't know how but I fall more in love with you as every minute passes. You are my best friend, my partner, and the only women that's ever known all of my heart. I don't want anyone else…ever, so please let me be your one and done."
Oh….. She gasps to herself, her heart racing. She's sitting there speechless, looking into his eyes and then back down to the cup in her hands. Staring into the bottom of the white bone china cup at two words looking back at her in typewriter font, traces of coffee left behind. Marry Me. Her fingers start to shake, her heart warms, and her belly fills with beautiful butterflies. Slowly a smile takes over her perfect lips and she raises her head, eyes looking straight back into his that are filled with warmth, love and certainty.
"Yes, Castle. Always."
She moves her hand to the side of his cheek, shyly bringing her face closer and closer until their lips melt together. "Yes," she whispers again when they break apart to take a needed breathe. And as she dives in for another taste, he pulls back and fumbles for something in his pocket.
"I hope you like it, to me it's you; simple but complex, extraordinarily beautiful with a bit of sparkle, delicate but strong." His fingers are grabbing at her hand, finding the ring finger and gently sliding the ring he's chosen for her to its now permanent home.
Looking down at her hand through tears; she's in awe of this ring, his words, and this moment. She wondered how he would ask her, where it would be, how he would say things, and this never came to her brain. Somehow, as Castle always manages to do, he's figured her out, and planned the most romantic, simple way to ask her to marry him. She couldn't have imagined it better, and wouldn't change a thing. And this ring, its exquisite, a band of white gold and diamonds…simple, gorgeous and just right.
"It's beautiful Castle, I love it."
He's smiling the big goofy smile he gets when he's insanely happy, "yeah?"
"Yeah, it's perfect for me, just like you. I love you." And with that she leans in to kiss him again, this time sliding her tongue along his lips asking for permission to enter and letting him know that she's had enough coffee for now…there's something else she's craving more.