Set mid season 4. Two-shot.

Disclaimer: I don't own Castle or the characters.

Castle was nervous. He was extremely nervous. He's not even sure that he should be here but he just had to see her again after last night. So he'd arrived at the precinct early, two coffee's in hand, and now he's just waiting for her to arrive as well.

But sitting there in his chair, he really started to panic. What if she doesn't want to see him? But then he remembers that she was the one that kissed him. Had that really happened?

His mind flashes back to yesterday. Inviting her to Remy's for dinner, walking her up to her apartment afterwards. And that was when it had happened. He'd just said "goodnight" and she was smiling at him with the most amazing smile he'd ever seen and then she was leaning forward and pressing her lips against his. The kiss had barely lasted a few seconds and then she was smiling again as she pulled back, whispering "goodnight Castle." And then she was in her apartment and the door was closed behind her and he was left alone in the corridor staring at her door with a dazed expression on his face.

The sound of the elevator broke him out of his thoughts but he was too afraid to look up in case it was her. But when he heard the unmistakable sound of her heels on the floor approaching her desk, he couldn't help looking up and his eyes locked on hers when she was just a few feet away.

The smile that broke out on her face when they made eye contact was enough for all of Castle's worries to vanish.

"Hi," Beckett said shyly as she took off her coat and sat down at her desk, picking up the cup of coffee he'd left her and taking a sip.

"Hi," Castle replied, smiling back warmly, not entirely sure what to do now.

"Thanks," Beckett said gesturing to the cup of coffee he'd left sitting on her desk.

"You're in early?" she questioned, entirely glad that he is, not sure she could've waited the time between when she usually gets into work and he usually does. She's been waiting since she'd closed the door on him last night to see him again.

"Yeah...I…thought you might like the good stuff early," he finished lamely, gesturing to the coffee she was cradling in her hands. He couldn't say that he hasn't been able to stop thinking about her since their kiss last night, that he was desperate to see her again, even if that's all it was, just looking at her.

"Thanks," Beckett replied, the smile still present on her face.

They sat in silence for a few minutes just sipping their coffee, neither really sure what to say now.

Beckett couldn't stop her eyes from flicking down to his lips, remembering the feel of them pressed against her own last night.

All last night she had wanted to kiss him, which wasn't much different to a usual night when they were alone together but last night it seemed stronger. But she'd resisted, wanting to wait until she was ready to give her whole self to him, wanted to wait until that wall inside of her was gone and she could give him her heart forever.

But then the time had come to say goodnight and she just couldn't help herself. Couldn't help but lean forward and press her lips softly against his. She wished she could've stayed there forever. But she knew she couldn't have and so she'd pulled back way sooner than she'd have liked, knowing that if she had stayed pressed against him any longer, she'd be pulling him into her apartment with her and he wouldn't have been leaving until the morning. She'd quickly said "goodnight" before spinning and closing the door on him.

What had she just done? she'd thought when she was safely on the other side of the door. She didn't regret it, she could never regret it, but she'd hoped she hadn't just ruined everything that was building between them.

"Just paperwork today?" Castle asked eventually, breaking Beckett from her thoughts.

"Yeah, so not very exciting I'm afraid," she answered, kind of wishing they had a case just as an excuse for him not to leave.

"That's fine, I need to get some writing done anyway," Castle answered and then he looked at her pointedly before continuing, "and I'm feeling particularly inspired recently."

He was extremely pleased when she blushed.

It took her a moment to recover before she spoke again, "so you'll be going home to write then?"

He could hear the disappointment in her voice and that gave him confidence so he couldn't help replying, "why would I leave when my inspiration is right here?"

"Castle," she laughed, quickly looking around to make sure no one had overheard him but there was pretty much no one around yet.

"Sorry," he grinned but he didn't look sorry at all.

"It's fine, just don't say things like that when Ryan and Esposito are around, okay?"

"Is that permission to say things like that when they're not around?" Castle asked, his mind flashing to other things they could do when the boys weren't around. He had to stop those thoughts right there before they got too far.

He was worried he'd taken it too far when she didn't reply straight away, worried that maybe she did regret last night after all and he'd just pushed her further than she was ready to go at the moment. After last night, thinking that she did want him after all, confirming what she'd said on the swings, he was ecstatic, but now he wasn't so sure. He was willing to wait for her, knowing that she wanted him too, but if she didn't want that, he had to know.

"Beckett?"

"Sorry," she replied, her name having broken her out of her daydreams, her daydreams about him and exactly what they could be doing if they were in fact alone.

"No, look, can we talk?" Castle asked, breaking their usual no talking rule but needing to know the truth, needing to hear the actual words from her this time.

Looking around quickly and realising the precinct was beginning to fill up, she didn't think the conversation she was assuming he wanted to have should be in a room full of people. "Sure, but can it wait? We can go out to Remy's for lunch?"

"Okay," Castle replied, smiling in reply to the smile that was on Beckett's face again.

"Okay," Beckett answered, reaching out quickly to squeeze his hand before she returned to the paperwork in front of her and went back to work.

Now all he had to do was wait a few hours so they could talk together. It was going to be a very long few hours.

Thoughts?