AN: I'm back! Here is the sequel to "A Friendly Challenge" that I wasn't actually going to write but you all managed to convince me. If you haven't read it, you might want to... It's only just over a thousand words and shouldn't take too much time. You can find it on my profile :)
This one is totally fluffy and stupid again because all of my stories need to have happy endings :)
IBYL
xo
It was 6.45pm, and Kate was pacing in her bedroom. She couldn't believe it, but she was impatient. Only 15 minutes until her date. Her date. With Richard Castle – partner, writer extraordinaire and… boyfriend? She was fairly certain she'd used that word at some stage today, and while trying to figure out what to wear earlier in the evening, she'd also decided she quite liked the label on Richard Castle.
Since Castle had given her no hints whatsoever after he'd gotten off the phone today from making their dinner reservations, she'd elected for her best little black dress, a long-sleeved, tight-fitting, short skirt number that she absolutely adored but never seemed to wear. Teemed with her favourite vivid purple heels and the matching clutch that she couldn't quite resist when she went shopping for the shoes, she actually felt confident of her fashion choice, and had begun pacing simply to pass the time before Castle arrived. The thick silver necklace around her neck thudded softly against her chest as she walked, and she began contemplating it when she heard a soft knock at the door. She smiled to herself and strutted to the door.
"Hey, Castle." She smiled, and he grinned back before noticing her outfit. She smiled as she watched his jaw drop, and he not so subtly checked her out.
"Hey, Kate. God, you look amazing." He breathed out, and she smiled.
"Thanks, Rick. So do you." She smiled. While he'd been momentarily speechless, she'd been auspiciously checking out the outfit he'd picked – a pair of black jeans, a tight-fitting blue shirt and a nice jacket which suited him perfectly. He held out his hand to her and she smiled, taking it willingly as they wandered toward the elevator.
XXX
Rick had stubbornly insisted on driving, and she reluctantly agreed – mostly because she still had no idea where they were going.
"Come on, Rick, tell me where we're having dinner."
"Why would I do that?" He asked, trying hard not to grin.
"Because I hate surprises." She scolded, and he laughed.
"You'll like this one. I promise." He smiled at her and toyed with her hand, making her smile against her will.
"Okay, I concede." She said, but kept smiling. They made their own special brand of small talk while Rick drove, chatting aimlessly about Alexis's college choices, Martha's acting school and the shenanigans of the precinct. Kate couldn't help but marvel at how fantastically normal it felt to be on a date with this man – even though it was their first. Their first real date anyway. She smiled contentedly as Rick recalled another story of one of Martha's less than savoury acting roles that he'd been forced to witness as a youngster.
XXX
They'd arrived at a cute little restaurant, an authentic Italian place she'd never even heard of before. Castle gallantly opened her car door for her, and she couldn't help but be a little impressed by the chivalry. He held out his arm to her, clearly fishing for a reason to be close to her again, but she wasn't about to deny him. She hooked her arm through his and smiled to herself as they wandered into the restaurant.
Even though the place was small it was relatively busy, so it was lucky that Rick had made a booking. They were led by a waiter to a cosy little table.
"Wine? Or are you on call?" He asked, and she shook her head softly.
"Not on call, so a glass of wine would be great, thanks." She smiled back and he beamed.
"You're not on call?" He asked, excited.
"I managed to get Karpowski to do it for me, since I covered for her a few times in the past couple of months." She explained, and Rick smiled.
"I'm glad that our date will not be interrupted by a dead body." He announced, just as the waiter had arrived. The young boy paled significantly as Rick finished his sentence and Kate had to work really had to stifle a giggle.
"Uh, here are your menus." The boy said nervously. "I'll be back in a bit to get your orders." He eyed them quickly before walking away, and Kate allowed herself to laugh, really laugh. She regained some control of herself, and looked up to find Rick smiling at her.
"What?" She asked, and he grinned more.
"You're beautiful." He said simply, and she blushed a vicious shade of red.
"Thanks, Rick. So, what's good here?" She asked, picking up her menu.
"Basically everything. Haven't eaten something here that I didn't love, and I'm sure Alexis would agree." He said softly.
"You bring Alexis here?"
"All the time. Good food is good food – and there's a cinema just a few blocks away. Makes for a good daddy-daughter date night restaurant." He said, and she smiled.
"You guys have the best relationship I've ever seen." Kate said quietly.
"She's very patient with me. I told her, about… this. I had to."
"Oh… what did you say?" Kate said, suddenly nervous.
"I just said that I was taking you on a date, and that maybe… maybe you'd be around more." He smiled nervously, and Kate couldn't help but grin.
"Being around more sounds nice." She murmured softly, and she would've sworn that an astronaut could've seen Richard Castle's responding smile from the moon.
XXX
A few hours and a couple of delicious pasta dishes later, Kate and Rick were leaving the restaurant, and surprisingly, the night had gone off without a hitch. He drove in the general direction of Kate's apartment, and stopped out the front of her building. She took a deep breath, and turned to Rick.
"So… I have ice-cream." Rick raised an eyebrow and she laughed. "That was not a line, that was just me thinking that I don't really want my last first date ever to be over just yet." She grinned, and suddenly his mouth was on hers. She totally lost herself in the kiss and they didn't break away until they were gasping for air. "Wow." She whispered.
"So… ice-cream?" He prompted, and she smiled.
"Come on." She gestured, before exiting the car and sprinting toward the door, leaving Rick in her wake. He grinned stupidly to himself before running over to catch up with her.
In the elevator, Rick put his arm around Kate and she leant into his embrace, before sneaking a glance up at the giant grin on his face. She chuckled softly to herself, and the ever-observant man noticed.
"What's funny?" He asked.
"You." She replied easily, and he quirked an eyebrow.
"May I ask why?"
"I lean into you slightly, and you grin like you just won the ultimate lottery or something." She said, still smiling.
"Kate? I hate to break it to you, but hanging out with you, being able to hold you, dating you? About a million times better than any lottery I've ever seen." He said, and she blushed furiously.
"Jeez, Castle, don't inflate my ego. Yours is big enough for the both of us." She started to laugh but was cut off by Rick's lips. He slowly devoured her and she felt herself melting into him before she lost the last of her breath and pushed him away. "We can't make out in an elevator." She scolded, and he pouted.
"Why not?" He retorted, and she paused for a second, studying his handsome face carefully.
"I'm sure I had a good reason, but I can't for the life of me remember." She murmured, before wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling him impossibly close to her, and they resumed their make-out session.
The elevator dinged, signalling their arrival at Kate's floor, and Rick wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her back against his solid chest so that he could maintain close contact with her while she opened the door. When she finally swung the door open Rick tightened his grip and lifted her off the ground, making her squeal. He kicked the door closed behind him before walking to the couch and sitting down, pulling Kate onto his lap with him. She looked at him and grinned.
"Smooth move." She teased, and he laughed.
"I've never tried it before, but I'm pleased with the result." He said, resting his forehead against hers.
"So am I." She whispered, leaning in to kiss him softly. She pulled away from him after just a few seconds and smiled dreamily at Rick.
"I love you." He murmured, and she grinned more.
"I love you too." She whispered into his ear softly, before hooking her arms around him and snuggling into his shoulder and chest.
XXX
She woke up an hour later and smiled at the scent of her pillow.
"Hey." She murmured, and Rick smiled down at her.
"Hey snoozy. Never would've picked you for a cuddler." He grinned cheekily, and she slapped him.
"Never really have been until about an hour ago." She said, and he beamed.
"Well I love it."
"Seriously?" She asked.
"Uh, yeah. I like being close to you. Clearly." He added, gesturing to the space between them, and she laughed.
"I like it too. I promised you ice-cream." She said, suddenly remembering why they were at her place at all.
"I like this better than ice-cream." He mumbled softly into her ear, and she shivered noticeably. "Are you cold?" He asked, perplexed, and she managed to stifle a giggle.
"No, Rick. Not cold." She smiled, nipping his earlobe softly as he figured out her last sentence.
"Oh… not cold. I got it." He murmured in response, before pulling her over his shoulder and walking towards her bedroom.
Nearly two weeks had passed since their first date, and things were going well. They'd so far managed to keep the relationship out of the precinct, mostly because Ryan and Esposito were blissfully oblivious to anything happening directly in front of them. Lanie knew, after Kate had to gush excitedly at someone, but she was just as curious as to how long it would take the boys to notice the change in relationship so had sworn not to say anything. The new couple had only spent one night apart for the entire time, and even then she was at his place at 6am the next morning because a body dropped, and they'd managed to grab breakfast together.
Although they spent so much time together, there had only been one more 'real' date – at an authentic little Chinese restaurant that Rick had found one night, and insisted they go. The rest of their time was split between movie nights with Alexis at the Castle loft, or much more adult nights in at her place. She was loving the time they had together, relishing in his company – which was strange in itself, since she usually craved solitude. Although right now, she was about ready to kill Rick. He'd very subtly suggested to the boys and Lanie that it was about time for another night at the Old Haunt, and the boys had suggested that night. When Rick agreed and carefully raised an eyebrow at her, she'd nodded her assent before remembering what she was set to do at the next evening at the Old Haunt, and sent Rick a death glare to end all death glares, while he just grinned stupidly. She dragged him into the break room and turned.
"Oh, hey honey." He murmured softly, giggling, and she hit him. Hard. He cringed and started rubbing his arm. "God, you're vicious." He said, and she laughed.
"You love me. And since you love me, you should not make me sing tonight." She said, and he grinned.
"Hey, you've got to! Bet's a bet." He smiled back, before kissing her softly. She responded, but broke away from him shortly after.
"I don't like you." She said, glaring at him, and he grinned.
"Nope. You love me." He teased, before caressing her shoulder softly and walking away.
"Damn!" She cursed, before walking back to her desk.
XXX
6pm rolled around and the 12th precinct's most successful homicide department walked into the Old Haunt, taking a seat at their usual table while Rick waved to the barman, signifying their arrival. The barman nodded in response and busied himself organising drinks. Kate slid into one side of the booth, with Rick by her side. Lanie and Esposito assumed the same position opposite them, and Esposito slung his arm around Lanie's shoulder. Kate smiled to herself and shot a look at Rick, before curling up to him, and he wrapped his arm around her with a smile. Ryan sat himself down at the stool perched at the end of the table, and scanned his surroundings before turning to Esposito.
"Bro. Tell me you missed that too." He asked, and Esposito looked up.
"Missed what?" He asked, and Kate chuckled before turning to Rick and placing a gentle kiss on his lips.
"That." Ryan said, pulling a face.
"Oh, ewww, Mom and Dad making out? Wrong on so many levels." He cringed, and Kate pulled herself away from Rick to laugh. He joined her, as did Lanie, while the boys stared at them like they were nuts.
"Clearly we're out of the loop." Esposito grouched, and Ryan nodded his agreement.
"You both suck." Ryan smirked, and Kate glared at him.
"We haven't exactly hidden it, detectives. Makes me wonder why you chose this particular career path." She retorted quickly, and Esposito's eyes darkened.
"Hey, Beckett? Shut it." He said, and she laughed.
"Gladly." She smiled, before kissing Castle again.
"I miss Jenny." Ryan murmured, and collective laughter rang out from their table. Drinks arrived at the table and Kate snagged a beer for her and passed one to Rick, and they moved in to more relaxed conversational topics.
XXX
By 8pm, Kate was anxious to get Rick's stupid bet payback out of the way. The pair had had a few drinks, but Kate was still eager to get out of singing, or at least singing alone. An idea formed in her head and when Rick ordered another round, Kate pounced.
"I bet I can down this next beer faster than you." She said.
"Bet me what?" He asked, grinning.
"Ok, Ricky, if I can down this next beer faster than you, you have to sing with me."
"What do I get if I win?" He smiled, and she grinned.
"If you win… you get to scheme as to how we announce this" she gestured between them "to everyone else at the precinct." She said, and his eyes widened.
"Seriously?" He asked.
"Yeah, Rick. They'll figure it out anyways, but if you win, you can pick how they find out."
"Deal!" He said, kissing her to seal it.
"Oh, writer-boy, you really don't go drinking with Kate enough." Lanie murmured, while Esposito nodded in agreement. The beers arrived and they clinked glasses, before Kate began downing hers. Castle was only three-quarters done when she slammed her glass on the table.
"Start warming up, Ricky boy." She grinned, while he just stuttered.
"I shouldn't be proud, but I am." He said, and she laughed in response.
"Thanks, I think. Now go pick what song we're singing." She said, before clocking the confused looks Esposito, Ryan and Lanie were shooting her.
"We had a bet a couple of weeks ago. He thought he could keep up with me at the gym. Deal was that if he failed, he'd have to keep totally silent for one whole day at the precinct, but if he kept up I had to sing the next time we were here." She said, waving a hand to signify the Old Haunt.
"It's how we got together." Rick piped up as he scooted from the booth, and Lanie laughed.
"Seriously, after all this time all it took was a dumb bet and the precinct gym?" She asked, and Kate shrugged, before nodding.
"Apparently. And him dancing like a goof." She laughed at the memory, and Lanie raised an eyebrow as Esposito yawned dramatically.
"Save the story for girl time." Lanie smiled, as Rick gestured wildly from the karaoke machine. Kate smiled before sliding out of the booth and heading over to Rick, laughing wildly at his song choice. He hit the 'go' button and passed Kate one of the two microphones. The opening bars of the song started, and Rick apologised in advance to other patrons before they started belting out…
Love Shack. By the B-52's. Kate and Rick stumbled their way through it, amusing themselves and judging from the large amounts of laughter at their regular table, they were amusing their friends too. Rick tried to deepen his voice but it just didn't work, and they barely made it to the end of the song before Kate collapsed from laughing so hard.
XXX
Not long after the song had finished, Esposito, Lanie and Ryan bid the lovebirds farewell, and Kate and Rick shared another quiet drink, cuddled up together in their little corner of the bar. He kissed her forehead softly and wrapped her in a hug that had her practically falling asleep from the simple comfort he provided.
"I think it's time to go home, don't you?" Rick murmured into her hair, and she grinned.
"Home sounds nice." She smiled, still slightly dopey from being so relaxed.
"Which home?" He asked subtly, and she grinned.
"Yours, Rick. Take me home." She whispered into his shoulder and he laughed, before cradling her in his arms and taking her out of the bar.
And as Rick held his beautiful detective in his arms after a great night relaxing with their friends, he couldn't help but think that home sounded REALLY nice right now.
Okay, sequel complete! Hope you liked it, folks :) If you did, let me know! And if you didn't... let me know anyway!