The thing Kate was looking forward to the most, she thought as she turned her key in the door; was a heavenly soak in her beautiful bathtub. Oh how wonderful it would feel to just wash the day off her. With that thought, she snipped the door shut, and turned around, her eyes still closed, savoring the peaceful atmosphere of her home.
The festive season always held an air of uncertainty for Kate. On the one hand, she felt a shared happiness from being around the people that she felt were family. She had her boys, Lanie, Montgomery, and lately, even Castle. She had her phone calls with her father. It would be hard to meet him the closer it got to Christmas. It was so much harder for him. They did do Thanksgiving together, so at least there was that.
Kate took off her gloves, and hung up her coat and scarf almost robotically, as she moved towards the inviting warmth of her bedroom. It was then she heard a hissing sound coming from the kitchen.
There was a moment of panic where her heart must surely have skipped a few beats as she wondered if she left the stove on, or something to that effect. But her well honed detective instincts and cop reflexes had her pulling her gun out of its holster, which she'd unthinkingly not yet taken off. She heard sounds of movement, soft footsteps, and huh, … joyous humming?
She took careful steps forward, until she was hidden from view by the couch. It granted her a great viewpoint of the kitchen. But whoever it was had just moved out of sight.
She ducked quickly not wanting to give herself away just as he seemed to come back into view, with a weapon in hand? Kate took a steadying breath and readied herself for the inevitable.
Just as he turned to head towards the table, which was about midway between then, she jumped up, her weapon drawn steadily on the perp.
Little did Kate know that her shouts of, "NYPD! Freeze" would garner a squeal befitting a thirteen year old girl evidently originating from a grown man. Thought the grown part of the equation was questionable.
It was the second time tonight that her heart stopped beating because she'd pulled the trigger. The air was trapped in her lungs, as she watched events unfold as if in slow motion.
His girlish scream of terror was drowned out by a pan flying out of his hand with the food it held splattering across the kitchen. In his attempts to stop himself from falling he grabbed onto a cloth that just pathetically fell along with him, taking along a glass that shattered as it probably hit the floor.
"Ow," Castle finally said.
"Castle? Oh my God, are you okay?" she said, her breath leaving her frantically as she rushed to get to him.
He stood up as she reached him, her hands reaching out to steady him. He opened his mouth only to close it, seemingly taking stock of himself, or their proximity. It was a bit hard to concentrate with her hands all over him.
"I think so?" he said hoarsely, sounding more awed than he should. But it really was hard to concentrate while her fingers were combing through his hair looking for signs of a head wound, no doubt. She'd tugged is head down and it was so close to her face. He couldn't help but gaze at her eyes so full of concern. For him. It was beautiful.
Kate's eyes caught his, and for an infinitesimal moment slid down to his lips before she abruptly pulled back and poked him in the chest. Hard.
"Hey! Ow!" he yelled with more conviction than before, rubbing at his chest where he was surely going to bruise.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Kate yelled.
"With me? What the hell is wrong with you? You shot me!"
"The safety was on."
"You still shot at me!"
"You broke into my apartment!"
"It's not breaking in if you use the key given to you," he retaliated.
She gaped at him. "I gave that to you for emergencies!"
"This is an emergency! It's almost Christmas and you have a dead furry animal in your fridge!"
"What?" she asked, her eyes scrunched up in confusion.
"Okay, it's more a piece of chicken that's growing a very scary colored mold. Same thing."
"Oh. I meant to throw that out."
"Yeah, see? Your take out shrine is turning into a toxic hazard. I had to save you!" he said, trying to grin charmingly.
Kate pushed her palms gently into her eyes, till she saw stars. "God Castle. I could have actually shot you!"
"Kate, hey, no," he said, his smile falling off and his voice gentling. He tugged her wrists away from her face, and to her sides, moving closer to wrap her up in a hug.
"What are you doing?" came her confused and muffled question from where her mouth was squished against his chest.
"Hugging you. You must be out of practice. Your arms are supposed to go around me."
As if compelled by some unknown force, her arms did go around him, sneaking below his arms holding on to his back.
"Thanks, Captain Obvious. Why are you hugging me?"
"To assuage you of the tremendous burden of guilt."
"What?" she bit out, able to move away only an inch before he reeled her back into his embrace.
"You know!" he said almost a little impatiently. "The guilt of nearly having killed me. How would you ever be able to live with that?"
"At this point I'm only feeling a little guilty about forgetting the safety."
"Pshaw! You don't mean that, Beckett."
"I think I do."
"I think you often kid yourself."
"I think I might complete the job," she gritted out.
"And yet here you are, holding on to me just as tightly as I am you," he said, able to feel his shirt fisted in her hands.
She released her grip on him as if suddenly burned, and he chuckled. Her hands trailed as she finally took a step back only to gasp.
"What?" he asked concerned.
"You're bleeding."
"Am I?"
She brought her hand up to show him. Once he saw too, she held his face, angling his head down again to take a better look. His hands held her waist to steady her as she stood on her toes. "You must have cut yourself on a shard of glass."
"Oh. It - it doesn't hurt," he whispered breathily as her thumb swept gently across where the wound must have been.
"It's very superficial."
"Lucky me."
"Hmm."
It must have been something in her oddly tight voice that made him drop his gaze, feeling a guilt of his own. That's when he noticed that she was barefoot. "Kate!" he cried out urgently.
"What? Are you hurt anywhere else?" she said, dropping back down to the balls of her feet.
Castle gasped. "Careful!"
She gave him questioning look in reply.
"You'll step on glass, if you haven't already."
"Oh. Yeah," she said, only now noticing the state of her cold feet on the partially wet floor. Hopefully it was just water she was feeling.
"Don't move," he said as she shifted to do just that. "Does it feel like you've stepped on glass?"
"I don't think so. My feet feel wet, but I think that's just the water," she said, echoing her previous thoughts.
"Okay, hang on."
"What fo-" she stopped abruptly as she was lifted straight up off the ground. She automatically brought her legs around his waist, hanging on for dear life. "Castle, what the hell!"
"Sorry," he breathed into her cheek, not sounding the least bit apologetic. "I would have carried you bridal style but there's not enough space."
"Put me down!"
"I will, once your feet are safe to do so."
She rolled her eyes. Her hands that were resting on his shoulders wrapped tightly around him instead when he jostled her a bit. "Aagh!" she screamed, "Stop that!"
"Sorry!" he repeated, sounding a little bit actually sorry this time. "Just adjusting my grip. Don't want to drop you."
"Yeah, I can feel your grip just fine," she said, breathing heavily into his hair.
One of his very strong forearms was supporting her butt, while the other lay across her back, holding her tightly to him. "'kay, I'm about to move. Hold on tight."
"I feel like you're enjoying this a bit too much."
"Life and death situations do that to a man."
"It was not a life or death situation."
"Do you know how many accidents happen in the kitchen every year, Beckett? You don't know how dangerous kitchens are."
"I think you're thinking of bathrooms."
"I wasn't, but I will start thinking of it if you remind me."
"What? No, that's not what I meant."
"I know what you meant."
"Why aren't we moving?"
"Oh, I think you're couch is far enough away from the kitchen, don't you?"
"Yeah."
"Good. That's why we're not moving."
"You can put me down now."
"Do I have to?"
"Castle!"
"Fine," he sighed, squeezing her close just for a second, before he bent suddenly.
She squealed the cutest squeal he'd ever heard as he took his forearm out from under her.
She still had a grip around his neck, and her legs around his waist, though she now lay securely on her rather soft couch.
He debated pointing this out to her, but the position was slightly uncomfortable for him, without any support.
"See? I knew you're enjoying this just as much as I am."
"Huh?"
He nodded his head once indicated their current state of one-sided embrace.
"Oh, sorry," she apologized, blushing profusely as she let go.
"Don't be. I'm not," he said, as he leaned in closer instead of straightening up.
"We should probably clean that up," she whispered.
This time he did straighten up. She didn't miss the look of disappointment on his face. "Right, yeah. Just tell me where I can find a dustpan. I'll take care of it."
"That too, but I meant the cut on your neck."
"Oh!" he said, surprised that he'd forgotten about it. Now that she mentioned it, it was hurting just a bit. Not much, but like the nasty sting of a paper-cut. "Oh!" he exclaimed again, his hands landing on her thighs as she made to sit up. He watched, enamored as her gaze met his, instead of her hands breaking his like he would have thought.
"Castle?"
"Your feet," he remembered, shaking himself out of it. He stepped back to examine them. She was right. They were just a bit damp, but it looked like she got really lucky. "You're okay!"
His smile melted her heart. "Come here, Castle," she said softly, sitting properly as she made some space for him next to her. He sat down on command, facing her.
Kate tilted his head so he was facing the kitchen again as she looked closely at his cut, the angle better for her now that he'd sat down. "It's already stopped bleeding."
"Great."
"Are you hurt anywhere else?" she asked again.
"No. Doesn't hurt anywhere. Except maybe my ego and my chest."
"Your chest?"
"Where you poked me. You don't know your own strength."
"Oh please, Castle. Don't be a baby."
"I'm not being a baby. It hurt! It's gonna bruise."
"Yeah, well, you deserved it."
"Was my fall not enough for you, you had to hurt me here too?" he said, grabbing dramatically at his heart.
"You scared the crap out of me."
"I scared the unflappable Detective Beckett?" he smirked.
Her face fell, and she turned away from him, "I'm anything but, Castle."
"Kate, I'm sorry. I was just kidding. I'm –" he turned her head to him with a gentle nudge under her chin. "You're laughing at me."
"Hah! You're so easy."
"You're mean," he said, pouting and folding his arms.
"You'll get over it."
"Nuh uh. First you nearly shoot me."
"You invaded my home, unannounced."
"Then you don't appreciate my having valiantly saved your tired but beautiful feet from imminent doom."
"My God, how could I?" she said dryly.
"Right? And this while I already suffered a near fatal fall in your kitchen. I even have the wounds to show for it."
"You have one cut that's already healed."
"All this after I was cooking you a pre-Christmas meal out of the goodness of my heart, which has totally gone unnoticed in all of this," he said, looking genuinely put out.
"Oh. You're right. I didn't thank you for that, did I?"
He shook his head in response.
"Castle?"
"Hmm."
"Thank you for my pre-Christmas meal," she said, and kissed him softly on the cheek, lingering only just.
Castle was surprised into silence. He couldn't do more than look at her, his gaze filled with delight and adoration.
Her thumb swept over his cheek. "And thank you for saving my tired feet," she continued, before dropping a kiss close to the corner of his mouth.
He swallowed, with a bit of effort. "Tired but beautiful."
"Sorry for poking you." Another kiss followed at the corner of his mouth.
His eyes were closed. He didn't want to open them, should he wake up and all of this end up being one of his elaborate dreams.
When her breath landed on his lips, Castle thought he would spontaneously combust.
"It's okay," he barely croaked out.
"Good. And lastly –"
"Lastly?" he choked out.
"Thanks for the hug. I didn't know how much I needed it," she said softly before capturing his lips in a sweet kiss.
When he remembered how to breathe, he opened his eyes to find Kate smiling shy at him as a pretty pink blush coated her cheeks, and ever so endearingly, even the tip of her nose.
"I need to hug you more often."
She chuckled softly.
"And no one else is allowed to hug you. Ever."
"Oh, really?" she said, raising her eyebrow.
"I mean, you know. Not like I can."
"Is that so? Any one else on the receiving end of your hugs?"
"Yes, I hug a lot," he said, watching Kate's face fall.
"Oh."
"But not these hugs. These are special Castle hugs."
"Ah."
"Just for you."
"Just for me?"
"Yes. Exclusively yours," he said, grabbing her hand with his slightly sweaty one.
His nervousness told her that he was being serious. And that they were talking about more than hugs.
"A girl might hold you to that, you know."
"Oh, I know. I kind of really want her to."
As she tightened her hand around his in reply, he wondered whether pre-Christmas miracles were a thing. No, they were. They were definitely a thing.
A/N:
Ah, Pre-Christmas. A perfect time for sap and fluff.