"And I will never try to deny, that you're my whole life, cause if you ever let me go, I would die. So I won't front, I don't need another woman, I just need your all and nothing, cause if I got that, then I'll be straight baby, you're the best part of my day."
They got him. He confessed. It was all over.
Senator Bracken was behind bars and would serve time for all the crimes he had committed, but something still felt wrong. Something still felt missing to her, and he could tell.
It was a long interrogation, and it ended in a confession. Thank God, he thought, I don't know what she would have done if he got away again.
They rounded the corner of into the bullpen and then made their way into the break room. Out of habit he immediately starting making her a cup of coffee and she sat at the table. She sat dead silent, and he knew not to push.
When he turned around her eyes were focused on to table in front of her and he simply set the coffee in her line of vision then moved to occupy the seat next to her. He knew no one could see them so he gently reached his hand out and placed it on her knee, showing her he was there for support.
Finally her head dropped in defeat, why he didn't know, but she grabbed his hand and laced their fingers together. All she needed was to know that he was here. He was still here, and he was still her's.
"I'm gonna head home, ok?" She didn't even life her head at his words just barely nodded. "Call me when you get home, please." He was almost begging, but under the circumstance he didn't care. He needed to know that she would be alright.
With that he carefully leaned forward and put a finger underneath her chin lifting her gaze to him. Her eyes closed and he could tell she was holding back tears. Because he knew that they were alone and that the boys were giving them privacy to work through everything going on in her head right know, he leaned in and kissed her lips gently. It was a kiss just to tell her that he was here. He wasn't leaving.
Finally he rose and left leaving her there with a cup of coffee and her own silence, her own way of working things out when they get hard.
"He's been booked. The D.A. will be here in a little while to transfer him to state where he'll stay 'till his trial." She could see Espo was trying to give her something bright and positive to look at, but she just couldn't bring herself out of her silence.
"Go home, Beckett." Her head shoots up when she sees her captain standing in the door way of the break room. "Get some rest, take the rest of the week off, spend some time with Mr. Castle."
"Uh, sir…" Wait Gates knew?! How did she know?! Beckett had no idea what came after sir, but luckily Gates just lifted her hand to the Detective and told her to save it.
"I've known since that explosion when Cole Maddox died. Just thought it was none of my business." Then Gates turned and walked out.
What the hell just happened, she thought, but not for too long. Gates had given her the rest of the week off and it was only Tuesday. She made her way to her desk, coffee forgotten on the table in the break room, packed up her bag, shut down her computer, and made her way out of the precinct.
Making her way out of her elevator she heard music coming from her apartment. Automatically her hand went to her shoulder holster making sure she had her piece on her. As she rounded the corner she began looking for her keys in her bag when her front door opened.
Castle. Of course.
She sighed deeply. Let her eyes drop. Finally she wasn't at the precinct. Finally she could just breakdown, let him hold her, let him take care of her. It was a side of her he had never seen before, but if she was being honest with herself, after today she was ready to show it to him.
He had a grin on his face. It was a welcoming smile and that's when she finally let go. She slid her arms in between his and wrapped her hands around his waist. He hadn't expected this, but was ready. He tightly wrapped his arms around her shoulders, holding her close. She shoved her head into the crook of his neck, trying to make herself safe in his embrace. He laid his chin on the top of her head, grateful that she wore sneakers to work today and not heals so there was a height difference.
That's when he felt the wetness on his black v-neck sweater. She was crying silently. He had never seen her do this. Of course, they got a nice embrace in her apartment right after they had figured out Bracken was the one behind her mom's murder, and in the hanger when Montgomery died, but this was different. This was her reaching out to him, letting him in, and he loved it.
Finally she pulled back moving her hand to her face to wipe away the tears, but was beat by his own hands doing the job. "You know I gave you a key for emergencies, Castle?"
"Well, this kind of seems like an emergency, Detective."
"Are you listening to Chris Brown?!"
"Yeah, I stole a mix Ashley gave to Alexis for their one month anniversary," he laughs.
She laughs half-heartily and then collapses into him again. This time there are no tears, but simply comfort from him and need from her.
"Do I smell roses?"
"Yeah, you kinda hug-attacked me and didn't get a chance to look at what I did," he says into her hair as he kisses the top of her head. Then she lets go and looks around.
Dozens of roses cover her apartment. Red, yellow, peach, orange, all spread out around her floors, and counter tops, and furniture.
"Castle, what the-"
"Shhhh..." he cuts her off, taking her hand and leading her down a path of red rose petals down her hall.
They go into her bathroom where she sees candles lit all over the room, no lights on and a bubble bath already drawn that smells like the smell of her bath salts. Then she notices one wine glass and a book on the table next to the tub.
"I wanted you to relax, and we've already been over how Nikki Heat would relax, I figured I would try it out on you."
"Why is there only one wine glass?"
"I didn't know if you would want to be alone, but after that hug I-" She cuts him off with a kiss. A kiss that says thank you.
"Go get another glass of wine, and then get your fine ass back here, stud." She smiles, but his eyes darken in arousal. He leans and smacks a passionate, haste kiss on her lips and practically sprints out of the bathroom.
When he returns she has already undressed and gotten under the blanket of the bubbles.
"You brought the whole bottle?!"
"Figured it would be better than having to get out and get it, and that you might need it after today."
"Come on, Castle."
She moves forward giving him room to get in behind her and he quickly undresses and steps in behind her, trying not to splash any water of the side, but failing at that. He maneuvers his legs so that she is sitting in between them, and when he's finally settled she leans bag into his chest. He hands reaches up onto the table to get his glass of wine he set down before getting in.
There is a comfortable silence between them. He is giving her room to think and work things out, and if just appreciating the fact that she is not pushing him away. Finally she leans her head back against his left shoulder. He cranes his neck to the side to give her a kiss at her temple and then rests his head against hers.
"Gates knows about us." Well that killed the sweet moment they were having.
"What?!"
"I don't even know. She told me to take the rest of the week off and 'be with Mr. Castle,'" she says doing her best impression of Gates, which she thinks is good, but is actually very poor. He laughs at that and she starts to giggle too.
"What does that mean for our…partnership?" Nine months since they started dating tomorrow, and they still have never officially named what they have.
"Probably nothing will change. She said that she's known since she saw us and Javi at the explosion that killed Maddox."
"Huh, does that mean we don't have to hide it anymore?"
"Don't push it writer boy. Just cause Gates knows does not mean that I am pushing boundaries, and you know that I don't like PDA-"
"Shhhh. This isn't relaxing, Kate." He skates his hand up her right arm which is resting against her chest in the water and works his way up to her shoulder, puts his left hand to her left shoulder and starts massaging. He feels her sinking further into him, possibly coming close to sleep.
"I thought it would feel better, Castle. I thought getting him…would make all the hurt go away. I thought it would be like a pain killer and that it would just stop sucking so much, but…" she fades the sentence off.
He stops massaging her shoulders and moves his arms down under the water to wrap around her waist. Then he drops his chin to rest in the crook of her neck. "But it didn't," he finishes for her.
"But it didn't," she repeats, almost as if she needs to say it out loud to confirm it.
He lifts his head from its resting place and turns his neck to look at her, she feels his gaze staring at her and she lifts her head to look at him too.
"I'm here, Kate."
"I know. Thank you, Castle."
He feels her drifting to sleep and eventually feels himself starting to drift off until he hears her voice.
"Castle?" It's weak, barely above a whisper, but he turns his attention to her in a silent sign for her to carry on. "Will you take me to bed?"
He slowly moves forward in the tub and they both move to get up. The bottle of wine is long gone. He slips on his boxers and t-shirt leaving the rest of his clothes on her bathroom floor. He gathers the wine glasses and the bottle and goes to the kitchen to put them in the sink while she pulls the plug for the bath and let all the water and the few bubbles that are left sink out of the tub.
Then she makes her way to her bed room, which is the second rose petal path. She pulls out a pair of grey yoga pants and her navy blue NYPD t-shirt and gets in to bed to wait for him.
He makes his way down the hall way, turning off lights and making sure all the candles are blown out along the way.
When he gets in her bedroom it is pitch black and all he can see is a lump of body under the covers. He slowly moves to his side of the bed and pulls back the covers to get under. She turns onto her side and makes her way over to him in the bed. He meets her in the middle.
Nose-to-nose they lay next to each other. He wraps his arm around her waist and she nuzzles her nose into his neck, pressing both her palms into his chest. She then lets their legs intertwine underneath the sheets, which he pulls up to keep them warm throughout the night.
They fall asleep like that, Castle basically sleeping on top of her, but she doesn't care. She doesn't care because at least she's safe. She knows that as long as he is there everything will be fine. She knows that they've already gotten through the storm.
End
