A/N: Hey guys! I'm not sure if this'll be a one shot or if it might turn into more. Anyway, this takes place in 2x06 in the 'cherries' scene. Oh yes, that scene. What might've happened if Espo and Ryan hadn't cock blocked. So yeah, I'm not sure why I picked this snippet, it just sort of popped into my mind. Maybe it's because of the finale on Monday. Can I just say… No I can't. I can't anything right now. Except write. So here it is!

Disclaimer: Nope… Still not mine. Otherwise they'd already have children and we wouldn't be worried about that stupid job offer!

This guy actually had some talent. Not what he had been expecting. He was just a kid right? Usually you get these amateur teens who think they're invincible and just know how to do everything perfectly. Life isn't always so simple, Castle thought, most of the time, it was either you got it or you don't. Then there are others; those who believe in destiny or even in the power of redemption. Much like him. God knows he couldn't have written a decent research paper to save his life in high school. But in an instant life can change. Losing a loved one, experiencing a traumatic event, and in some cases realizing you've made a terrible mistake.

Contemplating now, he'd done a lot of crazy things in the spur of the moment. Steel a police horse, ride it… naked. Hide his moms props back stage when it got boring. He had so many wild and inappropriate stories; ones that he couldn't share with his children. But looking back on those, he realized they weren't mistakes. Those were adventures. Sure they were spontaneous, uncalled for and somewhat disturbing for those who didn't know him personally, but they made him who he was. It built his character and without those stories, what was he really? Not much when you come to think of it. That's what life should be about, he decided. A story. Make it worthwhile, so that the reader would buy it. If you've got no story, you've got nothing.

Mistakes were common though. Some of them were necessary. Although they say that everything happens for a reason, he'd like to think he would have ended up here even if it weren't for those mistakes. He knew better than that. As cliché as it might sound; mistakes do shape you. They build a foundation and you learn to stand on your own two feet. That term paper he had paid someone to write; he would never forgive himself for it. A phony, that's what he had been. At the time at least. Now he had, effectively, in his opinion, proven that he did deserve the applause that day. Marrying Meredith had been a mistake; however Alexis had come out of that, so how could he ever have any regrets? Gina, well, at the time he'd been looking for something secure, something that wouldn't have hurt as much if it had come apart. Which it did because he'd realized that that's not how love works. It hadn't hurt as much; however he did come out of it knowing what he really wanted in a relationship. He knew that waiting for a woman was a sacrifice he had to be willing to make if he ever wanted a glimpse at what true love felt like.

Well, obviously he knew what it felt like; otherwise he wouldn't still be here. He wouldn't have bothered apologizing to her, stepping over his ego to make sure that he knew how truly and deeply sorry he was for sticking his nose in her mother's case. He had done it with the best intentions but he had put his curiosity ahead of her personal needs. That too, had been a mistake.

Not knowing if that feeling was mutual, that was the hardest part of it all. Investing so much time, devotion and attention into someone and not knowing whether or not it would pay off in the end? That was that true dilemma. That's what had him putting up a façade. At least if he pretended he was still the playboy he portrayed for the tabloids, maybe no one would notice when he fell. Well, he'd already fallen, he just wasn't sure if he would be left lying there on his own or if she would reach out, grab his hand and pull him up to stand with her. He wanted to be the one that she wanted to stand beside.

He'd been so engrossed in his thoughts, his eyes skimming a cross the page of the comic book he currently held in his hands, that he didn't notice her walk up. She sat down abruptly on the table and knocked his feet off with her butt. She looked down at him and smiled.

'Hot on the case Castle?' Kate asked with a sly grin. God he loved it when she smiled. Yep, he was a goner. When had he become such a sap? Jeez Rick, get a grip, he though.

'On the case of a good read!' he clarified quickly. 'It's actually not bad!' he added for good measure. Comic books were the best. Plus, now that she'd admitted to reading them, they became sexy as hell. He hadn't been kidding when he told her it was the sexiest thing she'd ever said. It had him concocting all kinds of fantasies, including her in a sexy Elektra costume maybe and-

Okay no. This was not okay. He was at the precinct for heaven's sake.

'Esposito found Morgan Lockerby,' she said pulling out a picture of a strange looking man. Wait that was-

Oh yes! He knew it had been a good idea to read this comic book! Maybe she'd start taking his interest in the more, shall we say, subtle aspects of the case, more seriously.

'You mean, Morlock!'He said in wonder, not able to contain his excitement towards this discovery. He took the picture she was holding and placed it beside the comic book copy. They were exactly the same. This was awesome, he thought! As he stared at the two pictures, she slowly came to stand beside him, her head leveled with his.

That's when it hit him. The air changed. It was suddenly filled with such a sweet scent. He looked up and then directly at her. He hadn't even noticed their close proximity until her particular odor had passed through his nose. And now he couldn't look away. He inhaled again and it was still there. She smelled sweet, but at the same time authoritative. That wasn't a smell was it? No, but he definitely got that vibe from her scent. It was elegant and feminine but it also said that she held her ground. It was perfect. It was her. He couldn't have come up with anything better himself. He heard her mumble something but he wasn't paying attention at all. All he could focus on was the cloud of heaven that surrounded him and, God; he would give anything he had just to smell this and nothing else for the rest of his life.

'You smell like cherries.'

Did he just say that out loud? Oh, now he was in for it. He'd be lucky if she let him keep his leg, or any other member that he was particularly attached to. Kate turned her head and only then did she realize they were so close.

Their faces were mere inches apart and he could feel her breath hitting his cheek. Then it stopped. He realized she had stopped breathing. Just like the world around them seemed to have stopped turning. He looked into her eyes. They were green. He'd noticed that they changed from day to day. Sometimes they were green other times they were hazel. The specks of gold always remained though. They were the constant variable.

He watched in wonder as her eyes slowly drifted down to what he could only imagine were his lips and then flickered back up to his. They had turned to the color of a pine forest, growing a shade darker. He'd be damned if let a moment like this go by. One in which she wasn't hiding whatever feelings she had for him. He had to make a move.

Slowly, as if not o startle her, he inched closer never breaking eye contact. He watched as her eyes shut and he could only take that as encouragement. He wasn't going to lie; he'd expected their first kiss to be hard and frantic. It was nothing like that. He gently laid his lips on hers. They were barely even touching but he felt Kate release the breath she had been holding in. He moved back slightly and opened his eyes only to see that hers were still shut. He moved forward again and this time he rested his hand on her cheek. She was the one who made the next move.

Her lips reconnected with his in a way just as passionate as he had. It was electric. He'd never experienced anything like it. He knew that he would never be able to kiss another woman again without comparing it to this kiss. His heart hammered in his chest and all he wanted to do was stay in this moment forever. He would never grow tired of this. She had been slow as well only she applied more pressure, as if seeking more of him. He obliged and returned the favor. Their lips moved together creating the sweetest friction. His hands were tangled in her hair and she grasped his neck. He heard her whimper from the back of her throat. Kate Beckett whimpered? Well! That was not something he had been expecting. However, he knew he would work forever to hear her make that sound again because it was unbelievably sexy. He sucked her lower lip between his and she did it again. That woman would surely be the end of him.

Suddenly she stiffened. Castle felt her disconnect their lips and move away. He didn't know what to think. Please let her not regret this, he thought. Her face was tinged red, her lips were swollen and her hair was a bit of a mess. He got up and followed her into the corner of the room.

'Hey,' he said praying that she wouldn't shy away or shut him out.

'Castle,' she whispered.

He wasn't crowding her, because he wasn't going to force her to do anything, but he also didn't want her to think this was a mistake. 'Kate, that was…' He tried to describe their kiss but no words came to him. There were no words. He simply looked at her and tried to convey everything he felt. He hoped she could see it. Read the love in his features. In the way he'd kissed her.

'We umm… We have a case to solve,' she told him, avoiding his gaze. She was about to step out the door when he found his voice. 'Kate, please,' he begged. He didn't know what he had been expecting but it certainly wasn't that.

She was on him in a millisecond. Her fingers in his hair, and their lips reattached. It was his turn to moan at the sensation. His hands were at her waist in an instant. This was just as passion filled as the first two experiences, if not more. After a few seconds she moved back, looked into his eyes and placed both of her hands on either side of his face.

'Just… After the case, okay?' She asked nervously. He looked at her and smiled with all he had. A shy smile illuminated her features. It was the most adorable thing he'd ever seen.

'Okay.'

A/N: Jeez I've missed writing! I feel so much better after that! Well I had planned for this to be a one-shot but I'm not quite done here. The ending sort of snuck up on me. I hope you guys enjoyed! I'd love to know what you think!