Disclaimer: Castle belongs to me... I wish.
Spoilers for 3:6 3XK. This is how I imagined the episode ended, hope you enjoy.
Only a Matter of Time
"I know the feeling." Kate said, her voice soft as her fingers warmed Rick's thigh.
"I know you do." Castle responded, covering her hand with his, linking their fingers together as their eyes met.
The spots of the streetlights were blurry in the water as the couple sat by the pool, the reflections glittering, fluttering across their faces. They remained close, the intimacy providing comfort. Castle only broke their eye contact to rest his head carefully on Kate's shoulder, their palms together now. She felt him exhale, his breath a puff across her collarbone, and gripped his hand tighter.
"I'm so glad you're okay, Rick." Her voice was so quiet, but Kate knew he had heard from the way he squeezed her hand back. After a moment Castle lifted his head to look at her and Beckett could see the exhaustion and fear dark in his blue eyes, usually so light. "Come on," She continued. "Let me take you home."
Kate's Crown Victoria sped through the sparse traffic, slowing to a stop outside Rick's building in fifteen minutes. The two of them made their way up to his door in silence, hands touching once more after the brief separation in the car.
Not bothering to find his key, Castle simply knocked, a tired smile lightening his features at the sound of his daughter's rapid footsteps across the wooden floor inside. The door swung open and he only had a second to take in the relief on the girl's face before Alexis was hugging the life out of him.
His hand had slipped from Kate's allowing him to hold Alexis firmly against his chest, pressing kisses into her red hair. Martha had also hurried over and wrapped her arms around her son's neck, as Rick assured the two of them that he was indeed alright.
Kate hovered in the doorway, wanting to slip away unnoticed, feeling like she was intruding on a private family moment, one made worse still by the recurring stabs of guilt at leading Castle into such dangerous situations. It was because of her that he had come into contact with the Triple Killer, had almost been another of his victims. She'd signed up for all this when she got her badge. Rick hadn't. So he'd signed a waiver, big deal... It was supposed to be her job to keep him safe. If events tonight had gone south, this meeting could have been completely different-
Her reverie was broken when Martha released Castle and instead moved to Kate, pulling her into a warm embrace.
"Thank you for keeping him safe." She said, her arms still secure around Kate's shoulders. "We're so relieved both of you are alright." Martha pulled back but didn't release her.
"Martha I-" Kate started, trying desperately not to let the older woman hear the waver in her voice.
"Darling, don't say it. Don't even think it. You kept him safe – not that I would expect anything else. Partners, families, look out for each other."
A tear trailed down Kate's cheek; Martha brushed it quickly away before tucking a strand of Kate's hair behind her ear. "And I think you know it, kiddo." They shared a smile before Martha released her, leaving Kate feeling a little self conscious as she knew Rick had witnessed their interaction. The heat of his gaze was almost unbearable as she finally looked over at him, still cuddling Alexis, who seemed sufficiently reassured of her dad's safety and was now smiling again.
"I think this late night celebration calls for... cheese toasties." Rick declared. Alexis agreed loudly, happy that everyone was safe and feeling hungry after all the anxiety.
"I second that!" Martha announced, before Alexis led her by the hand into the kitchen to start getting things ready. The two of them were already chattering away as Rick turned to Kate, stepping closer and touching her arm.
"You'll stay?" He asked hopefully, and Kate nodded, suddenly not wanting to leave. His face lit up as he reached around her to shut and lock the door, glad not only that she was staying but that she seemed keen to. The truth was Kate felt safe with him, and Castle did with her.
"May I take your coat, m'lady?"
She smiled, letting him pull the garment from her shoulders and watching as he deposited it in the closet along with his own. Castle took her hand and led the way, not to the kitchen, but down the hall, not stopping until they reached his bedroom.
"Castle what-?" He led the way inside.
"You need to relax, have a shower, get changed. It'll make you feel better." Kate felt her heart thud against her ribs as she looked into his eyes; the sincerity, the concern, the... love. It was almost overwhelming.
"Change into what, exactly?" She asked, trying not to get lost in those gorgeous eyes. Or to blush as she imagined slipping into one of his shirts, still warm from his body, the scent of his cologne seeping into her bare skin...
Her musings trailed off as colour flooded into Rick's cheeks instead.
"Err well, actually now that you mention it... I do happen to have, err, your, erm... pyjamas..." The look of guilt on Castle's face made her want to laugh. "From when you were staying here, you know after your apartment was... you know..."
"And never in the last however many months since then did you think about returning them, right?"
"I was going to... I forgot I had them, to be honest. I thought you might need them if you, you know... ever stayed over again..."
Kate was biting her bottom lip to stop from laughing at the scared expression on his face, but couldn't keep him hanging on for much longer, even if he did look so cute.
"Guess you were right then." She told him, smiling as relief flooded over him. He grinned back at her before disappearing into the walk-in closet.
"Here." He said, handing her a huge fluffy towel and her pyjamas and pointing her towards his ensuite.
"I can wait, you should go first. It is your house after all." Kate offered, turning to face him. "Besides, you're the one who's been-" Her voice was quieter, her face serious. Castle cut her off, refusing to let the conversation go there.
"And you're a guest." He assured her, hands on her shoulders, spinning her round to face the bathroom once more. "I insist you go first. I'm nothing if not a gentleman, detective."
As the door closed between them Kate heard him continue. "Besides I know how cranky Alexis gets if I steal all the hot water, and she doesn't have a gun..."
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Rick showered once Kate was finished. Leaving him to get dressed she ventured back down the hall to find Martha and Alexis busy with the food.
"Ah Kate, darling, there you are." Martha spotted her in the kitchen doorway. "Could you give Alexis a hand with the plates?" Together the two of them set places for everyone at the bar, while Martha sorted out the drinks. The older woman poured Kate a generous glass of red wine, pressing it into her hand before she could protest. Neither redhead commented on the detective's attire.
When Castle reappeared and the toasties were ready the four of them settled themselves along the kitchen bar, father and daughter in the middle, Kate on Rick's left and Martha beside Alexis. The conversation was kept deliberately light as they ate; Alexis talking mostly about the latest dramas at school and Martha about her recent audition.
Once the food had been consumed – which didn't take long – Martha led a yawning Alexis up to bed; despite Rick offering for her to miss school the next day, the difficult evening had taken its toll.
Castle and Beckett cleared the dishes away and moved to the couch with the last of their wine.
"Tough day." Rick stated, his right hand cradling his wine glass, his left stroking Kate's shoulder as his arm lay along the top of the couch between them.
"Yeah." She replied with a tired sigh. Silence fell for a few moments before Kate spoke again, voicing the concerns that had been weighing on her mind for the last couple of hours. "Rick, I'm so-"
"You have nothing to be sorry for, Kate." Castle interrupted, easily anticipating her apology; he could read her like a book. "None of this was your fault."
"But you're not the cop – I am. It's my job to keep you safe and because of me you were this close to... Alexis would be without her dad, your mother would be without her son. If anything happens to you it'll be on me. Because I wasn't good enough, because I wasn't there when I should have been-"
Covering her mouth with his was the only way Rick could think of shutting her up, of stopping her from beating herself up for things she couldn't control, things that weren't her fault... So he did. It took a second for the shock to pass before her lips were moving against his. Kate leaned into him, kissing deeply but softly, her hand cupping his cheek, sliding round to curl her fingers into the hair at the nape of his neck. Castle's hand settled on her waist, his thumb warming her bare skin above the waistband of her sweatpants.
They parted, reluctantly. Rick exhaled as he rested his forehead against Kate's before pulling back to look at her. His hand moved from her hip to remove the wine glass from her hand, depositing it safely on the coffee table with his own.
Castle leaned back against the couch, pulling Kate close, stroking her hair affectionately. She swung her legs up, curling them beneath her as he folded her into his arms, her head comfortable against his chest. His steady heartbeat was reassuring and comforting as much as the warmth of his body and the gentle caress of his fingers.
"Will you stay tonight?" He asked. "We'd all feel better with you here."
"Okay."
"Thank you." He whispered, tightening his hold on her a little.
"Always." Kate answered quietly, closing her eyes as she settled against him, feeling sleep claim her.
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When Martha came down for a glass of water a short while later, she couldn't help but smile at the sight that greeted her; her son with his arms around Kate, curled up together on the couch, both fast asleep.
Those two were really something, she thought to herself as she crept closer. Completely blind to what was so obvious to the rest of the world. Ah well, Martha sighed, reaching for the blanket from the back of the couch and carefully covering them; they couldn't ignore it forever. She smiled again as Kate shifted slightly but didn't wake, Rick's hand stroking reflexively across her back, settling comfortably on the curve of her waist.
Martha slipped away, leaving the couple to sleep, happy in the knowledge that whatever the world would throw at them, they would always have each other to lean on, and confident that they would get there... it was only a matter of time.