A/N: This one came to me through two avenues. One was the quote from Andrew Marlowe about how coffee has always been a subtle form of expression between Castle and Beckett. The other was through a lovely tumblr blog called Castle Confessions. One said that they wanted Castle and Beckett's first date to be over coffee. So, I took the two ideas and ran with it. And I'm a little in love with the result (and by a little, I really mean, a lot).
Disclaimer: I don't own Castle - that honor goes to Andrew Marlowe. I do, however, claim ownership of Ian and Zelda O'Malley.
"Go on a date with me."
She looked up from her computer screen, hitting the 'shut down' button on the desktop. Castle was staring at her, his hands twisting nervously, his foot tapping against the floor. Beckett tilted her head to the side, her face scrunching up a little. "I'm sorry, a what?"
"A date. With me." When she shook her head, he quickly clarified. "Not a date-date."
"Define 'not a date-date' for me, Castle," she said, turning to him with her hands folded patiently.
He paused – this hadn't been a scenario he had prepared for. "Just coffee."
Beckett shook her head again, holding up the now-cold mug of coffee he had gotten for her three hours ago. "With that definition, we have been on hundreds of dates, Castle."
"Well, yes. But this one would be different."
She crossed her arms, sitting back in her chair. "How so?"
The writer in him kicked in. He leaned forward, coming a little too close to her. "First, it wouldn't take place here," he said, gesturing to the bullpen. "Even with the espresso machine, this coffee is not considered good on any level. There's a little coffee shop I know, tucked away from the street and something of a hidden jewel. They import beans from everywhere in the world. They have the best pastries in the city and some of the most comfortable seats I've ever sat in.
"Just you and me. Tonight. We can go from there."
"And by 'from there?'"
Castle shrugged. "Dinner, dancing, 'goodbye until tomorrow.' Up to you."
She felt his eyes on her as she thought it through. Then, she stopped, looked up at him and nodded. "Lead the way."
"Wait, seriously?" Castle stumbled as he got up, jogging after the detective who had already grabbed her jacket and was headed to the elevator.
Beckett spun around, Castle stopping just before they collided. "Yes, seriously."
When they got to the parking garage, Castle scurried ahead to block the driver's side door. "I need to drive." Beckett crossed her arms. "No, my new rule. I get to drive you to our date. Keys, please."
His expression of determination didn't falter. Beckett rewarded him by dropping the keys into his hand, circling the car to look at him over the top. "Don't pull anything just because you're in an unmarked, got it?"
"Oh, Detective, would I ever do such a thing?" he threw out before ducking into the driver's seat. He adjusted the wheel and mirrors before backing out of the parking spot.
Traffic was light considering it was only four o'clock and most of the rush-hourers were still in the office, staring out the window. Kate was trying to memorize turns from the precinct. She wasn't worried about Castle kidnapping her, but she liked to know where she was.
He poked her sharply in the shoulder. "Stop counting streets and just sit. Trust me."
Kate sat back, pulling her phone out of her pocket, and scrolling through for new e-mails. When she thought he wasn't looking, she shifted her eyes to look out the window, recognizing some of the buildings in Times Square.
"Hey!"
Her head snapped around to face him, "What?"
Stopped in traffic as they made their way through tourist locations, he waved his hands around. "I said no looking!" Without a pause, he grabbed the scarf she had left in the car and looped it around her eyes. "I never thought I'd have to resort to blindfolding you, Detective Beckett."
He surprised her again when she didn't try and stop him. Sure, she crossed her arms, but she let him loosely knot the light pink scarf over her eyes. Castle started forward when the cab behind him honked.
Kate was playing with the fringe on the scarf, keeping her hands busy so they wouldn't twist nervously. She shouldn't be nervous, really. It was just coffee. Coffee with her partner. Same thing they did every morning. She sighed and could feel his eyes shift over to her. Except it wasn't the same at all. They weren't at her desk, the coffee might be in actual mugs. They'd talk about something other than murder.
"Stop."
"What?"
"Thinking. I can see the steam coming from your ears, Kate. Calm that brilliant brain of yours for an hour."
The engine came to a stop beneath their feet. Castle pocketed the keys, going around the car to open Kate's door. He took her hand from where it was curled around the scarf fringe, tugging her fingertips gently so that she stepped out of the car, her feet steadying once she knew where the sidewalk was.
"Do I get to see anything before the big reveal?" she asked, annoyance weaving its way through the amusement in her voice.
Castle put his hands around her head, pulling at the loose knot at the back until the scarf fell away from her. Instead of tossing the scarf back into the car, he looped it around her neck, letting it fall against the bright blue of her jacket. "This way," he said, placing her hand in the crook of his elbow and starting toward an alleyway.
"Seriously?" she said, halting after a few steps. The alley was lined with dumpsters, trash overflowing onto the stained concrete. As a cop, she had done her fair share of dumpster-diving, but this supposedly-amazing coffee shop didn't seem to warrant such actions.
Castle nudged her forward again, pushing a trashbag to the side with his shoe. "Come on. Ian and Zelda keep this place dirty for a reason. Hides the diamond in the rough."
The back of the alley was just as filthy. But in the corner, at the dead end, there was an unobtrusive door. Castle knocked three times, paused, then knocked twice.
"Secret knocks?" Kate laughed. "What is this place? An old speakeasy?"
"Of sorts. Except with coffee instead of alcohol."
The door swung open, a tall man with a head of red hair mixing with grey holding the handle. "Richard! I thought you had forgotten about us!"
They embraced in one of those typical man-hugs that involved clasping hands and banging shoulders with a pat on the back. When they separated, the man turned to Kate. "And who is this pretty woman, Richard?"
"Ian, this is-"
Kate pushed her way between the men. "I can give my own introductions, Castle." With a genuine smile, she looked up at the man, holding out a hand. "Detective Kate Beckett. I assume you are Ian?"
Ian took it, giving her a firm handshake. "I am. Ian O'Malley. Please," he said, shifting to the side and opening the door further. "Come in."
The coffee shop was dimly lit with track lights on the ceiling. The walls were lined with old art next to book jackets and what appeared to be scrap metal. Despite the eclectic mix of decorations, it felt homey against the scared oak tables. Chairs were just varied – some tables had wrought-iron chairs, others had university chairs, some even had long benches instead of individual chairs.
A bar ran along the right side, except instead of alcohol bottles along the back of it, there were oversized mason jars with black beans. Sitting on a bar stool behind the bar was a petite blonde woman, her hair falling in tight curls around her face as she read a book.
"Zelda, love!" The woman looked up, closing the book on a dollar bill. "Richard's back!"
The smile from the woman lit up the room. "And here I thought you had forgotten our little establishment back here." She ran around the bar, throwing herself into his arms for a hug. "Or did the trash smell too much for your New York Times bestseller nose?"
"Neither, Zelda. Just waiting for the right woman to bring around here. Kate, this is Zelda. Zelda, Detective Kate Beckett."
Kate was shocked when Zelda gave her a hug as well. "Welcome, Kate." Stepping back, Zelda waved an arm around the little café. "Pick any spot. Full crowd this afternoon," she said with a twinkling smile at her own joke – the room was empty save for them. Zelda bounded off to the bar again, Ian in tow.
Castle walked over to his favorite seat, the one that Ian and Zelda had always reserved for him when he made regular trips here. It was in the corner, three chairs clustered around it. Kate took off her jacket, draping it over the back of the white wicker chair he pulled out for her. The moment of chivalry had her fighting back the light pink blush creeping onto her cheeks.
"So, how did you meet those two," she asked, giving her head a small jerk back toward the man and woman currently making nonsense noises at each other over the bar.
He settled into the dark-stained university chair, shifting uncomfortably. "They came into the Old Haunt back when I was writing In a Hail of Bullets. Sat in the booth across from me and was there to witness a breakdown. Not just a little one, either."
"Oh, now you have to tell me," Kate said, resting her elbows on the table and leaning forward.
"I might have thrown my laptop against the wall. A few of the keys bounced off the wall and hit Zelda in the face. Ian was about to defend his wife's honor when this little blonde woman ducked between us and stopped him. After I explained my frustration, Ian bought me a pint and we just started talking, the three of us. Hit it off, I guess. They bought this place. You were on the nose when you mentioned speakeasies since this started as one."
"I could tell from the bar."
He shook his head, smiling at her teasing. "Except they used it for coffee instead of mixed drinks. Ian used to be a professional coffee taster before he started up here, so he's crazy smart about this stuff. And Zelda has a Masters of Business and runs the books."
They paused when Zelda skipped over. "What'll we have, you two love-birds?"
That blush was back. Kate tried to hide it by letting her hair fall forward. Castle gave her a little kick under the table.
"Vanilla latte for Kate. I'll have black – whatever Ian thinks is best today."
With her head still ducked, Kate spoke, "Who else comes here?"
She managed to see his shrug. "Other writers, artists, business friends of Zelda's. It spreads through word of mouth and you need to know the knock to get in. It's like an exclusive, coffee-lovers club."
The silence that fell between them was comfortable, nothing like the awkwardness of a first date. When he noticed her fiddling with the hem of her light grey v-neck sweater, Castle placed a hand over hers. Her eyes rose from the fabric to meet his. She swallowed, the contact a little too heated for her.
"So, how's the third book coming?" Kate asked, sticking to neutral subjects. Writing was neutral.
There was a flash of something that looked like disappointment in his clear blue eyes before the smile that graced his face reached them. "Well, actually. But we're only just catching the case, you know." When she raised her brows, he shook his head, "You know what I mean. Nikki's catching the case, Rook is along for the ride."
Zelda came back over, more sedately that her earlier prancing, holding a plate of pastries. Ian had the two mugs, also mismatched like the furniture. He set the deep green one with paintings of lighter green vines in front of Kate, a black one with thin white lines in front of Castle.
"We went with Panama beans today, Richard. You'll be glad you didn't add sugar or anything to that – those would mute the flavors in a way that should be illegal. For the latte, we went with a lighter bean to let the sweetness of the vanilla shine through."
Ian linked his arm with Zelda's. "Won't be like Starbucks. You'll be ruined by this one cup, Kate, and you'll be coming back, begging for more."
"Basically, you'll become an addict and we'll have control over your supply," Zelda added helpfully as her husband pulled her away.
Kate placed a finger on the handle of the mug, spinning it on the table. She could feel Castle watching her, waiting for her to take a sip. With a little smirk, she raised the mug to her lips. The liquid was hot, but not enough to burn her tongue as she took a sip.
"So?" he asked, his own hands wrapped around his mug, leaning forward on his forearms.
Feeling bold for a moment, she looked at him through her lashes. "Castle, we have a problem."
"Wait, what? What's wrong?"
Her laugh filled the room. Ian and Zelda looked over, but didn't move as Kate tried to control her amusement. "Nothing's wrong, Castle. Unless you count the fact that you'll have to stop here every morning for my coffee from now on."
Castle let out a breath he didn't know he was holding. "You, Katherine Beckett, are the biggest tease I have ever met," he muttered, taking a sip of his own coffee.
Their conversation fell into the usual pattern of jokes and simple comments. He asked about her father, she mentioned how nervous Ryan looked as his wedding date approached. She'd comment on a passage from the last Nikki Heat book and how it would never happen in real life, he remarked on how her shirt made her eyes stand out.
They argued about who would pay the bill. Kate insisted on paying her half, Castle refused her repeated offers. When he slipped the money into the little chocolate-brown folder, Kate managed to tuck her part into his pocket when he turned after holding her jacket up to help her into it.
The wind had picked up during the hour and a half they had spent inside the warmth of the café. Kate didn't even ask for the keys; she just slid into the passenger seat and turned up the heater. It was temperamental, so she remembered to give it a quick kick until it shuttered to life. She finally took the opportunity to try and figure out where in the city they were. The architecture gave nothing away – just typical office buildings and typical apartment buildings.
"TriBeCa. About five blocks from your apartment, actually."
Her head shook slowly. "No way…"
Castle pulled out into the traffic, shrugging. "I told you it was a hidden jewel." They were quiet on the short ride to her apartment until he pulled up against the curb, turning the car off.
This time, Kate got out before he could open her door. She held the door to the building open, taking the stairs up the one level to her apartment.
"You take the car. I can take a cab in tomorrow." When a childish spark crept into his eyes, she poked him once in the chest. "Behave. I don't need a rap on my official jacket because you got pulled over in my vehicle."
"Understood, Kate."
And then they were back to typical first-date behavior. Kate kept her eyes to the side, Castle twisted his hands together. The only thing missing was her father watching from the chair in the living room, the shotgun tucked between the cushions.
"So, I'll see you tomorrow?" she asked quietly, finally looked up at him.
He took a step forward. Kate held her ground, her chest brushing his. Castle bent his head as his hand cupped her cheek as he kissed her sweetly, gently. It only lasted a few seconds before he pulled back, letting his hand trail down her neck before it felt to his side.
"See you tomorrow," he replied with a tiny smile as he went back down the stairs.
Kate unlocked her apartment door, closing it by leaning back against it. The smile she had been fighting since getting out of the car made her look like a high school girl back from prom again. Unashamed, she bit her lower lip as she hung her jacket up, toed her shoes off, and dug through the fridge to find the bag of salad to make dinner.
A/N: So, there it is. My cute little one-shot. Review away - it would make me insanely happy.