AN: Hey guys, I have another fluffy little one-shot for you! This one is a bit different as it also includes a case - something I don't usually do. I'm not 100% happy with it but figured I'd post it anyway, and see what you think of my case-writing. So, please enjoy and let me know what you think :)
Disclaimer: Don't own it. The idea is mine, the characters are not. If I did own it, I would be too busy being awesome with Stana and Nathan and writing the show FOR REAL to write these little stories.
IBYL
xo
Richard Castle was up early this particular Tuesday morning, after having crashed out early the night before. Up, showered and ready to go, he decided to kill time by writing some more. Just as he sat down in front of his laptop his phone chimed, indicating an incoming call. He noticed the caller ID and grinned widely.
"Ah, if it isn't the lovely Detective Beckett. To what do I owe the pleasure?"
"You are way too cheery for 7am, Castle. Dead body, it's only a few blocks from your place. You in?" Kate Beckett sighed loudly as she strapped herself into her car. The early morning dead body, on top of the hellish day she had yesterday – it was safe to say she was not in the mood for murder. Or work. Or doing anything but curling up in a ball on her bed.
"Yeah. See you in 20?" He said, biting his tongue to refrain from commenting on her bad mood.
"If you're not ready when I get there, you are going to wish you were never born, got it?" She snarled for no real reason.
"Ouch, I'm wounded. I'll be ready, I swear." He said, before hanging up and trying to think of a way to win the angry detective over. First step: fresh coffee. He set to it, fiddling with his top-of-the-range coffee machine and finding two travel mugs. He'd just finished adding a little cream to each of the mugs when he heard a knock at the door, and he smiled running over to let her in.
"Hi, Beckett. Two seconds." He said, dashing back to the kitchen.
"I told you to be ready when I got here, Castle, is that really such a difficult" she trailed off as she noticed the travel mugs in his hands. "You made coffee?"
"You sounded kind of… crabby, on the phone – I figured that a little coffee wouldn't go astray this morning." He said, with a tiny grin, and she couldn't help but return it.
"Thanks, Castle." She said, pausing to take her mug. "Come on, we've got to hit this scene." She wandered towards the front door and he smiled behind her back before following her eagerly.
XXX
The pair wandered into the rather lavish apartment, and were directed to the master bedroom.
"What have we got, Lanie?" She asked, taking another sip of her coffee and holding back a grin.
"Marcus Baker, 43, single gunshot wound to the chest. Wallet is still on the nightstand, as is the watch. I'm gonna make a leap and say it wasn't a robbery. Time of death probably between 1 and 4 this morning, but I'm going to have to let you know for sure later." She said, looking Kate up and down. "You okay?"
"Sure, Lanie, why wouldn't I be?" She said, and Lanie shot her a glare.
"Well given the growl I got when I called you this morning, either you're suddenly awful in the morning or something's up." Lanie smiled knowingly.
"Long day, long night. I was just hoping for a sleep-in today." She said. "Josh and I broke up."
"Ouch, Kate. Who's choice?"
"It was a kind of mutual explosion with a lot of shouting."
"About?" Lanie pushed, and Kate subconsciously raised her eyes in Castle's direction, with a silent warning to stay quiet. Lanie nodded in understanding. "Babe." She said simply, and Kate shrugged.
"I know. I'll be okay. But I'll be better with some sleep."
"I'm not pushing it right now, but you know what I'm going to say, don't you?" She said knowingly, and Beckett paused.
"Yeah. I know. But…"
"You need to do things your way?" Lanie prompted, and Beckett nodded.
"Absolutely. This is big, Lanie. I may be ignorant, but I'm not blind – I just need to do this my way, tell him my way. Take it slow." She said, and Lanie hummed her agreeance.
"Alright, girl, I believe you – but don't make it too hard on him. Don't hide this from him. Because mixed signals really didn't work for you two either." She said, sneaking another glance at the oblivious subject of their conversation.
"Okay, thanks Lanie." She said loudly, attracting Castle's attention, and the pair went to find Ryan and Esposito. When she found Ryan, she pulled him aside quickly. "You know the drill. Canvas the area, get some details on our vic. These neighbours look like the nosy types. We'll be back at the station." She said, and Ryan nodded.
"On it, boss." He smiled lightly, before turning back to his tasks.
"You coming, Castle?" She asked her shadow, and he nodded.
"Of course." He grinned, catching up with her and slipping into the car, heading for the precinct.
XXX
An hour later, the whole team were back at the 12th. Ryan and Esposito were going through phone records and financials, while Beckett and Castle were sorting out the murder board. Beckett looked up at the boys and motioned them over.
"Okay boys, here's what we've got so far: Marcus Baker, 43 years old. Insurance broker, and partner in a large firm. Wife, Tina, is yet to be located, although neighbours say she spends a lot of time out of town with work, as did Marcus. His wallet, watch and a whole bunch of other valuables were untouched, so I'm going to guess that money wasn't the motive. Anything pop for you yet?" She said, and Esposito nodded.
"Yeah, phone records obviously had a whole bunch of numbers since he was in business, but two feature most – one we've traced back to his wife, but the computer's just died so it'll take us a few minutes to get the details of the other number." Beckett nodded in sympathy – the computers desperately needed some upgrades.
"Also, credit cards didn't give us much, except that he spends a lot of time in jewellery stores." Ryan inserted, eyebrows raised.
"Buying his wife's love?" Beckett asked.
"Or someone else's love." Castle chimed in, and Beckett smiled.
"An affair?" She asked, and he nodded.
"Terribly plain, I know, but look at it. Wife was away for the night, out with friends or on a business trip or something. She decides that she's uncomfortable away from home, and comes home early to sleep in her own bed with her husband. Only, the bed's not empty. So, she grabs the gun from the safe, by which point the mistress has run, and puts a bullet through her husband's chest." Castle smiles a charming smile, and Beckett ponders this for a minute before writing Affair? on the murder board, before turning back to Castle.
"Or, on the same lines, the wife really is out of town, and the mistress is bugging Marcus to leave her, to start anew. When Marcus refuses for the thousandth time, she's had enough, and decides to drop him." Beckett laughed at the impressed look on Castle's face, before turning to Ryan and Esposito.
"Guess we'll know more when we locate the wife. Boys, can you go to Baker's offices and ask around? See if any of the people there know much about his relationships."
"Sure thing boss." Esposito says, before slapping Ryan on the shoulder as they head for the elevator. Beckett watches them walk away before checking the time.
"Wow. It feels a lot later than 10am." She says, sighing. Castle hummed in agreement, before standing up abruptly and walking away. Kate threw a look at him but went back to work, smiling when a few minutes later a fresh cup of coffee was sitting on her desk. She smiled as he sat next to her again. "Thanks for this, Castle. Sorry I was so crabby earlier."
"You're welcome. And it's fine, Beckett. Being woken up early sucks." He said with a shrug.
"Not really, it's being woken up early after the night I had that sucks." She sighed, taking a sip of her coffee.
"Bad one?" He prompted, and she nodded.
"Josh and I split up. It wasn't exactly friendly." She said as explanation, and he grimaced in sympathy.
"Sorry, Kate."
"Hey, it's okay. I'm okay. I'm just tired, who knew yelling was so exhausting?" She said, and he smiled.
"Well as soon as we're done here today, you and I are going back to mine to ride with our dear friend the comfort food truck. What do you say? I'll make mac and cheese." He said, waggling his eyebrows, and she laughed.
"Comfort food sounds perfect. Thanks, Castle." She said, and a real smile split her face for the first time in what felt like ages.
"Hey, what are friends for? Are you hungry, or is it just me?" He asked, as his stomach audibly rumbled, making her laugh.
"I'm hungry too."
"I'll go grab something while you do the boring paperwork. Won't be long." He grinned, before leaping out of his seat and heading for the elevator. Kate immersed herself in her work and looked up when the elevator opened some twenty minutes later to reveal Castle. He wandered over to her desk and sat down.
"So it's not the healthiest breakfast ever but I figured we'd join the comfort food truck on his early rounds as well." He said with a smile, before passing her a hot dog and a soda. She laughed at the sheepish look on his face before taking a big bite.
"Sometimes I really do like the way your mind works." She said offhand, before taking another bite. This time it was he who was wearing a grin that could split his face in two.
XXX
Almost an hour later, the elevator dinged again, signalling the arrival of Ryan and Esposito.
"We have good news, and we have interesting news." Esposito said.
"Spill." Beckett replied, eager to hear their information.
"We found the wife. She didn't get our calls because she was just getting off a plane at JFK. She's been in Chicago for the past two days with work. She's on her way in now." She nodded, noting to herself that they'd just lost an apparent suspect.
"I'm guessing that was the good news?" She asked, and he nodded.
"Yeah, the interesting comes from the office. We asked around a bit, and found out that Marcus's secretary didn't come into work today – no phone call or anything. Others said that they weren't 100 per cent sure if anything was going on between the pair, but if they had to bet on it they'd say there was."
"Got a name?" Beckett asked, and Ryan chimed in.
"Rebecca Hastings."
"Look her up. I'll break the news to the wife." She said, sighing inwardly. She always hated this part. She looked up to find Castle staring at her, and knew instantly that he was thinking the same thing as her. The boys split off to their desks to get the information they needed, while Beckett awaited the arrival of Tina. The elevator sounded once again and a uniformed officer led in a businesswoman with a suitcase.
"Tina Baker?" Beckett asked, and Tina nodded.
"Yes. Are you the one I'm here to see?" She asked, and Beckett nodded.
"My name is Detective Kate Beckett. Come through, we'll talk somewhere in private." Beckett motioned towards the conference room, glancing back at Castle and shaking her head lightly, telling him silently to sit this one out. He nodded his response and pulled out his phone to play some Angry Birds.
XXX
20 minutes later, Mrs Baker had left the building, and Beckett was back at her desk.
"Are you okay?" He asked, ever concerned, and she smiled softly.
"Yeah, I'm okay. Wasn't the worst one ever. Obviously she was upset but… it was bearable." She said, and he nodded.
"Get any information?"
"She wasn't exactly thinking too clearly, but didn't give us too much. Most of his close friends were colleagues of his, and any free time that he didn't spend at the office was usually spent with workmates anyway, chilling at a bar or whatever. And she didn't know he had a secretary called Rebecca, but said that the company often switches positions around so it's pretty hard to keep up. He went on business trips a few times a month, to places like Seattle and Chicago, where his firm had offices – he came back from his last trip just under a week ago." She relayed, and he paused.
"I'm officially jumping ship to your story. Mistress wants him to leave his wife, Marcus refuses, mistress goes nuts. End scene." He grinned, and she couldn't help but laugh.
"Now we've just got to find her. Any luck, boys?" She called across the bull-pen, and they nodded.
"We've got an address." They said, and she smiled.
"Coming for a ride, Castle?" She asked, and he smiled.
"Absolutely." He pulled himself out of his chair and the four headed for the elevator.
XXX
Rebecca's listed address was only a short drive away, and the group pulled up in their two cars outside the apartment building. Beckett got out and strapped her vest on, before directing Castle to do the same.
"Probably not necessary but since we haven't found the gun, its safety first." She said, and he nodded before strapping on his WRITER vest. They headed up with the boys and after hearing no response to their calls, unlocked the door with the permission of the building's super. Beckett looked around and sighed. The safe was open and empty, as was the closet. Anything that would remotely be considered a personal possession was gone.
"She's bolted." Castle said, both breaking the silence and stating the obvious.
"If she wasn't guilty, she wouldn't have run." Esposito said, with Ryan and Beckett both nodding their agreement.
"Let's get back to the station. I'll tell the captain, and put out an APB. She's our strongest lead and the fact that she's fled would suggest that she did it. Captain won't want us wasting our time." She said, and the boys nodded their agreement as they left the apartment, asking the super to contact them if Rebecca returned. Castle removed his vest and sighed.
"Why the sigh?" She asked, and he looked over to her.
"It's just a little anticlimactic. And so… predictable." He said, sighing again. "It's okay, I guess, just…"
"Not what you wanted to see." She said, understandingly.
"Yeah. I like it better when we catch the murderous bastards."
"You and me both. Come on, let's go back." She said, gesturing to the car before getting in.
XXX
"Tristate APB is out, and the airports have been notified. So I think it's time for your team to quit for the day, you had an early one after all. Enjoy your days off." Captain Montgomery said with a smile, and Beckett nodded.
"Thanks sir, see you in a couple of days." She said, leaving his office and wandering over to the three men crowding around her desk. "Quitting time, boys. Afternoon off. I'll see you both on Friday" She said, and Ryan and Esposito 'fed the birds', before walking away to pack up. She turned to Castle.
"You have any problem with picking up the comfort food truck early?"
"Who am I to deny the comfort food truck, or you? No issues whatsoever. Let's get out of here." He said with a smile, which she returned easily.
"Yeah, let's go. Bye guys!" She called across the bullpen, before wandering with Castle to the elevator, chatting mindlessly about all the crap food they were going to eat.
XXX
An hour later, the pair were set up on the couch in Castle's loft with bowls of mac and cheese, and surrounded by popcorn, chocolates, lollies, potato chips and a huge bowl of fries, among many other treats. Beckett smiled, both at her current predicament, and the fact that she'd just had a phone call from Esposito, saying that Rebecca Hastings had been located, and confessed to killing Marcus. Her night was officially free to enjoy, as were her two days off.
"Thanks for this, Castle."
"Stop thanking me, it's cool." He said, before picking up a handful of popcorn with a smile. "Do you want to talk about it, or are you okay with letting me ramble aimlessly for a while."
"We don't have to talk about it if you don't want to. I'm really okay. I'm just exhausted from the yelling. Emotions are so draining."
"Yelling? You don't strike me as a yelling type. Not really. Well you've yelled at me plenty but… you know what I mean, right?" He said, befuddled by his own disjointed sentence.
"Generally when it comes to me, the relationship just kind of fades. Or they leave. But this was a full-on, red faced screaming match."
"About?"
"Don't… feel bad, okay? When I tell you, just don't feel bad."
"I was the catalyst." He said, picking up on what she was saying.
"You were a contributing factor." She said, and he almost cracked a smile.
"Dare I ask, why?" He said.
"You've always been something of a sore point, Castle. You're in my life every day, you're in most of the stories I tell. He is an insanely jealous man, and didn't appreciate that I was friends with men, let alone you. And ever since the freezer, we've been so much closer, and I just… you're my partner. And he was my boyfriend. He told me to make a choice… and he didn't particularly like the choice that I made. So there was more yelling, and then he left." She said, before taking some chocolate and scoffing it. She wasn't all that surprised when she felt his strong arms fold her into a hug.
"I know that this sucks and I'm sorry but, Kate, thank you SO much." He whispered reverently, and she smiled, knowing that nobody else could make her this happy just a day after a nasty break-up.
"Always." She replied softly, and he grinned, pulling her into his lap and looping his arms around her waist tightly.
And she couldn't help but think that nothing this simple had felt so good in a very, very long time – so she snuggled her face into his chest, breathing softly.
He settled into a comfortable silence, gently drawing patterns on Beckett's back with his fingers as she relaxed into him. He could feel her soft breath tickling his shirt, and he couldn't resist the urge to inhale her cherry scent – something that had becoming intoxicating to him over the years. She felt his action but decided not to comment, as she was far too content and happy to move. As that last little thought entered her head, she couldn't help but ponder her current situation. Sitting here, curled up in Castle's arms, the realisation hit her like a bolt of lightning – she was ready. Her conversation with Lanie had only taken place that morning, but she was ready. No other guys, no bombs or freezers or radiation scares. Nothing to stand in her way, their way. As Royce's words floated through her head, she knew. It was time. No more "If Only's"… but how to achieve that? She figured that simple was best and leant up, pressing a gentle kiss at the corner of his mouth. The look of stunned excitement that surfaced in his eyes was almost reward enough, and she smiled to herself, before looking directly at Castle.
"Castle. I want this." She said, and he raised an eyebrow.
"Want what, exactly?" He asked, covering his bases in case she didn't mean what she just said. Kate could read that in his expression, so she answered.
"I want to date you. I want to spend my spare time with you, I want to cuddle with you on the couch while we eat crap food, I want to take Alexis out shopping and tell Lanie salacious stories about us. I want you to introduce me to all of your sci-fi shows, and I want you to watch episodes of Temptation Lane with me. I want you to be my partner, in everything." She said, and managed to smile a little before his lips connected to hers softly. She barely bit back a moan as he began working his lips over hers, darting his tongue out to tease her. She decided to give him a taste of her own medicine, darting her tongue out to meet his – an idea which backfired on her, as a jolt of pleasure she'd never felt before ripped through her body, causing her held-back moan to slip out. When the pair finally broke for air, Castle rested his forehead against hers.
"In case I wasn't clear enough with that, I want it too. All of it." He said, kissing her softly once again.
"Good."
"But we're doing it slowly, Kate. You just got out of a relationship, and there's no way in hell I'm screwing this up. So we'll figure it out, slowly."
"Step by step." Kate said softly, agreeing. He was right. This had to be a slow progression, although she wasn't sure if she'd be able to resist those lips of his. "Does the 'slow' idea mean I can't kiss you? Because I draw the line at that." She said honestly and he laughed, kissing her.
"Do you really think that I, Richard Castle, would have the willpower to stay away now that I've had a taste?" He asked incredulously, and she couldn't help but laugh.
It was in that moment that she knew – they'd be fine. They were solid. They would always be solid.
Partners in crime, and now – in everything else.
Thanks for reading, let me know what you think! Reviews make me smile :)