Hello loves!
If this story seems familiar to you, then it is probably from reading it the first time around. I was looking through my posted stories last night & realised that the timings of the original were very off - so, I decided to edit/re-write this a little & post it as a new story. My apologies to anyone who is put off by the idea of reused stories... I hope that you will all still enjoy.
Disclaimer: Everything and everyone belongs to their rightful owners, I am simply borrowing them for a little while.
Sweet Disposition
Oh, reckless abandon
Like no one's watching you
The heated August air clings tight to her skin as the music and the laughter that surrounds them reverberates through the very atoms of her soul; a thunderbolt of life that drums so deeply within Kate's heart that it is almost too exquisite to bear.
The ballroom in which they dance is a sparkling daze of glitz and glamour that seems to belong to another universe entirely, too wonderful is the feeling of Castle's body pressed to her own for it to be real; strength and lust personified as his daring hands pull her nearer with every step that they take. So dangerously close that Castle is all that she knows, the heated whisper of his breath against her neck and the blood that races through his veins, her world alight with the man she so ardently loves - the man she has the honour of spending the rest of her life with; her partner, her best friend, her husband.
They both know that their intricately woven agreement of professionalism is on the very edge of unravelling entirely; that a single step in the wrong direction would push the boundaries of their personal relationship too far and spark concerns amongst the most important players present at the NYPD Detective's Ball, but they are both so tightly wrapped up within their own passion that they have begun to feel as if no one is watching. A daring affection so rarely allowed to be freely shown, a night of reckless abandon made not to dwell on the stifling hold of rules and regulations.
A night whose promise is written across her body as they dance and twirl amidst the spinning forms of their colleagues, nerves soothed by the memory of his touch, his kiss. His fervent love a teasing elixir that makes Kate brave in ways that only Castle is allowed to see.
A moment
She knows as the sharp chime of glass rings out across the ballroom that she must act soon, or else the opportunity to do so will have passed her by completely. Knows for certain that if she waits any longer to build the courage of her heart, they will be stuck in a stalemate of endless toasts and polite conversation for hours yet to come, and her body is so deliciously tingled with need for Castle that she isn't sure she could survive the wait.
As the music quietens and a sea of people gather to hear the annual speeches, Kate feels as if this fragile, fleeting moment in time holds the answers to all that her life has become; the wonder of a life lived for the person you love the most. Without a second thought to the consequences, she squeezes a little tighter to their interlocked hands and reaches her lips to speak breathlessly into Castle's ear, a single word that they will come to look back upon as the most important of their life together, "Run!"
A love
Laughter tumbles vivid and carefree from their lips as they race like teenagers fallen in first love down the blissfully empty corridor of their apartment building, fingers entwined and limbs woozy with champagne, hearts pounding a matching rhythm of giddy excitement for all that the night was still to offer them.
Reaching the threshold that Castle had clumsily carried her across almost a year before, Kate rests her weight against him as she hurriedly fumbles for the keys which are buried somewhere at the very bottom of her silver clutch. The hold of his hands sparking fire through the silken material of her dress, hungry with love, craving her just as much as she is him. The entire world alive with the delicious thrill of anticipation as her keys reveal themselves and the lock finally clicks open, the wonderful familiarity of their apartment welcoming them home.
A dream, aloud
The cold press of the door against her back is almost an echo of their first night together, desperate and terrified and existing for Castle alone; but tonight is also something more, something better, the memories of their years together propelling them both into a life that had fought for so long to become a reality.
Kate had felt for months that there would come a night so spectacular in the force of its love that neither of them would be able to deny their dreams any longer, that they would look into each other's eyes and find a truth too beautiful to not be spoken aloud. Fears consumed by hope, trepidation dissolved by courage. A night when those little flutterings of longing that had been cautiously growing from their roots in her heart would finally be brave enough to speak up for themselves, a hidden wish revealed to be a perfect mirror of Castle's.
Tonight was to be that night, of this Kate was certain.
A kiss
"Are you sure?" he asks, voice shaken with life as his hands instinctively reach to caress her flushed cheeks, fingers soft against the line of her jaw and thumbs seeking the answer they already know, an ethereal force existing between them.
"Yes," she whispers in return, "Yes, Rick, I'm sure." Kate's words are crafted from gold as her eyes hold to the ocean orbs that search her own, their shared dreams dancing amidst the flecks of midnight blue. A crystal reflection of all that they have ever wanted from life, of a beautiful baby sleeping peacefully in their arms and a family to truly call their own. A once distant imagining brought to certainty with the warm press of her lips, a kiss to launch a thousand ships.
A cry
Kate falls heavily against Castle's chest, ached and exhausted beyond understanding, hazy with memories of a glimmering ballroom and the night that had followed as the heart-warming cries of their baby boy fill the world for the very first time. Both too enthralled by their son to mind the tears that shine from their eyes. Castle's lips pressing gently against her temple as she is handed a tiny, wriggling bundle of blankets, their beautiful James with eyes of forest green and a smile to match his Daddy's. A feeling of magic in the air as an extraordinary future unfurls before them; the very hopes and dreams of their hearts knitted into the perfect little boy who held a half of each of them.
End.
Thank you very much for reading, it is greatly appreciated.
Please let me know what you thought if you have a moment to do so?
Katie xx
P.s. Just a little note on my name choice (I'm always a little nervous of Caskett baby names, as I think it is something that we all have our own opinions on & preferences for). I have always liked the idea of James for two reasons - from 'Jameson Rook' and 'Jim Beckett' - a name that I hope would hold happiness for both Castle and Beckett.