A/N: I was reading an FF by Mariah94, who just happens to be brilliant, so if you haven't read her stuff, I suggest you do or you are missing out on something amazing. =) This idea popped into my head, inspired by her work and I HAD to write down, I think you guys will appreciate it. It's fluffy… and sweet. =)
Beckett pushed open the door to Castle's apartment, and crossed the room to where he stood at the breakfast counter.
His eyes widened, surprised to see her there so early. It was barely 7 am. He'd just woken and was still dressed in his sleepwear, wearing nothing but his care bear boxer shorts and a black tank top. "Beckett, I-" he evidently blushed realizing how stupid he must have looked.
"NO!" she barked. "You let me talk. You just sit down and shut up!" she shoved him into the nearest stool, and he caught himself just before he lost his balance. He sat up straight, wide-eyed, staring at Beckett. She looked like she was a woman on a mission.
"What-"
"I said SHUT UP!" she screamed.
Castle cleared his throat and stared at her, waiting.
Castle had decided that going to the Hamptons was a good idea. He needed to distance himself from Beckett and her stupid Detective boyfriend. He had made plans to leave with Gina, but they had been postponed until early this morning, when Gina got a call begging her to finish of some final touches on a book. Her job was never done, so it seemed.
"When you first came into the precinct, I despised you… you were this cocky, arrogant, self-assured…" Castle cleared his throat again. Had she come just to throw him a few insults? Beckett paused. "Not that you've changed all that much, when I think about it. But you followed me around like a lost puppy, and I couldn't stand it, I never had a chance to breathe. You were in my face everywhere I turned."
"Does this have a point?" he asked coolly. He didn't like the direction of his conversation. "Cause I have to leave in about half an hour," he said glancing at his watch.
"I thought I told you to shut up," she glared. Beckett started the pacing the floor, glancing up at him every few seconds. Time seemed to go on forever, and then she spoke again. "I used to be able to look after myself. I used to be able to make decisions that involved me, and only me, as selfish as that is. It was about me, Castle."
"That's-"
"I'm not done!" she snapped. "I had boyfriends that were perfectly suited to my personality. I never wanted anything serious and as time went on I discovered neither did they! I liked it that way… it was easy. It was simple. Then I met Tom…"
Castle clenched his jaw at the mere mention of the man who had changed everything. If it wasn't for that stupid Detective, things might have been different. He might have not retreated to the Hamptons. He might have chosen to stay at the Precinct with her. But three's a crowd, as the saying goes. And castle couldn't stand watching the two of them together anymore. It was agonizingly painful, like a knife piercing his chest.
"I don't really want to hear this!" Castle announced coolly, standing up from the stool.
"TOO BAD!" she stated. She shoved him against the breakfast counter, and he winced in pain. "Do you think that I enjoy feeling this way, do you think this is NOT unsettling for me?"
"Well, I-"
Beckett raised her hand. "One more word uttered from you, and I swear…" she threatened.
Castle motioned a zipper across his mouth.
"I was fine, until you came into my life. I was content. I knew what I wanted and where I was going, and then you changed it all," she shook her head, the anger only increasing. "You waltzed into my life with your book parties and your Hamptons and your ex-wife! Well, I got something to say to you, now… you don't get to walk away. You don't get to make me feel like my world is collapsing because you want to leave for the Summer! Do you hear me, Castle?"
Castle frowned. She was having a nervous breakdown. There was no other explanation for her sudden change in behavior. All the nights she over-worked, all the cases she felt guilty for not being able to solve, all her-
"SAY SOMETHING!" she demanded.
Castle cleared his throat. "Are you sure?" he whispered.
She rolled her eyes. "Just… say something!"
He shrugged. "I don't know what the hell you're talking about," he admitted.
"You don't," she sighed.
Castle shook his head. "No, sorry… I don't."
"Did you know I broke up with Tom yesterday?" she confessed. His eyes widened, unsure how to feel about that. "Yeah, I broke up with my boyfriend, because my stupid writer-boy, stalker, shadow of mine, decided he was leaving for three months!"
"My?" he smiled.
"What?"
"You said my writer-boy, shadow of mine," he told her. "I resent the stalker bit."
Beckett shook her head. "Do you understand what I'm telling you?"
"Not really," he said. "You broke up with Demming."
"Why?" she challenged. She folded her arms across her chest.
"Because he's an idiot," he guessed.
"No, Castle, Tom is perfectly nice. He's smart, he's attractive…"
Castle rolled his eyes. "Yeah thanks for the memo, I got it."
"DO YOU?" she screamed. "Because I've been in your apartment for 10 minutes now, and you haven't once asked me why I'm here," she said.
He paused. "I didn't know I was allowed to speak."
Beckett shrugged, and turned and headed for the door. "Forget it."
She was leaving. "Beckett, wait," he called.
She didn't stop.
"KATE!"
She reached the door and turned the knob, but Castle jumped ahead of her slamming his palm against the door so that she couldn't open it. Her head turned and he met her eyes. She was crying. His heart pulled. "Oh, Kate…" he reached out his index finger and wiped the tears from her cheek.
Beckett sniffed. "I'm just… I'm gonna miss you," she said.
"That's what you came to tell me?" he asked.
She nodded. "Yeah."
"Is that all?"
She said nothing.
"Kate… I… why? Why did you break up with Demming?"
"Because he wasn't what I wanted," she confessed. Her eyes scanned his eyes… his lips.
Castle made a daring move, and slid his arms around her waist, drawing her into his arms. She didn't resist him, as he figured she would. "What do you want then?"
She seemed to struggle for words. "My stupid writer-boy, stalker, shadow," she smiled weakly.
"I guess it's your lucky day then," he grinned wiping a strand of hair from her face. "Because he's looking for a tempered, over-working, beautiful, Detective who causes his heart to ache because she won't go to the Hamptons with him."
"I'll go," she said.
"You will?"
"Yes," she nodded.
"And you'll wear a bikini?" he grinned.
"If you're lucky… I'll wear even less than that."
"Oh," he moaned at the image in his head, and pressed his lips to hers in one swift movement, creating an energy between them that could cause the earth to move.
Did you like that?
Oh la, la… *sighs* casket love is oh-so-wonderful. =)
Review would be appreciated, and loved, and treasured… and so would you.
