I Want You

Disclaimer: Yeah, not mine.

Summary: For them, the songs always make sense.

A/N: AU, Just a little silliness that knocked me upside the head...

For Li, who brings out the best of my silliness. ;)

Saturday morning came earlier than expected. Richard Castle had already been up for several hours, working diligently on Frozen Heat. He had decided to take a break around ten, giving him enough time to play around before lunch, and then, it was back to writing.

Castle flipped through the stacks of Wii games to play... he wanted something different from all the Zelda and Mario Kart he'd play on lately. Eventually, he found it. Something he hadn't played in probably three or four months: Beatles Rock Band.

He turned the Wii on and let the game slide in while he set up the guitar controller. In a matter of moments, everything was up and running. He selected the 'Quick Play' option and went straight to the song list.

It was a hard choice, trying to decide which song to start out with, and he'd flipped through the selection several times before he gave up and clicked on the "Mystery Song" option. If anything, he figured that was an appropriate choice for a mystery writer, anyway.

He wasn't sure how many songs he'd gone through, but he was really jamming, so he just let them play in quick succession. He was having a blast, singing at the top of his lungs while playing the notes almost flawlessly. Well, except on Helter Skelter, but that song just didn't like him.

The next song that popped up was, "I Want You." Castle smirked as he tapped the green key for the song to begin. Yeah, that's exactly the song he wanted to play right now.

Kate had been trying to call Rick for about an hour, but his phone kept going straight to voice mail. It was becoming more than a little frustrating, trying to get Castle on the phone so they could finally talk and figure out whatever it was that was going on between them right now.

Finally, she decided her best bet was to try a face to face conversation, and headed for his loft. She walked up to the door and knocked, but no one came. After knocking a second and third time with no answer, she put her ear against the door and listened. There was sound in there, something like music, she thought.

Out of habit, she briefly considered the option of breaking down the door, but then she remembered she still had a spare key. That is, unless he changed the locks recently. With the way things had been lately, she wouldn't discount the possibility, as much as the thought hurt. It was worth a shot, though, so she dug into her bag and found the key.

Kate slipped the key into the doorknob. Thankfully it turned, and she quietly unlocked the door to the loft. As the door opened, the sound of Rick's singing could barely be heard over the music blaring from the sound system in the living room.

No wonder he didn't answer the door or the phone. He couldn't have heard anything over the noise to save his life.

She rolled her eyes and shut the door, then walked in to see what exactly he was doing. A smile tugged at her lips when she recognized the song, so she stayed quiet and listened.

There wasn't much to the song, basically a handful of words repeated over and over again, but still, it was The Beatles. And she had to admit, Castle's singing was doing pretty decent.

But then something caught her attention, and she listened to the next lines closely to see if he'd sing them the same way. Because, she was sure something wasn't quite right.

I want you, I want you so bad, Kate.

The rest of his words faded away, because her mind focused on that single line, and he'd already belted it out once before. It sent a shiver down her spine... they were certainly on the same page, but what a strange way to find out.

Kate was about to let him know she was there, when the tone of the song changed. Oh, hell no, she wasn't going to let him finish that right now.

Castle took a deep breath and was getting ready for the next line...

She's so-

Kate saw the plug and jerked it out of the wall. "Don't even think about finishing that lyric!"

The screen went blank, and Castle's singing came to a rather awkward end. The expression on his face upon seeing her was a mix of surprise and fear, or maybe it was terror.

"Hi, Kate," he said, "Um... how much did you-? No, don't answer that question." He took a short breath in and let it out. "Hi," he smiled, as he slung the guitar controller off of his shoulder and stumbled into the closest chair.

She'd obviously embarrassed him, and honestly, she kinda liked seeing him uncomfortable in front of her for once. "Hi, Castle," she smiled, "Having fun this morning?"

He swallowed and nodded, "A little... maybe." He got to his feet and stumbled over the coffee table as he attempted to walk toward the kitchen. "Would you like something to drink?"

She could tell he was still trying to look impassive. "Look, Rick, you don't have to do this. Just listen for a moment, and I'll be on my way." Her teeth started to pull on her lower lip, but she let go quickly. "I heard what you said, after I was shot... and just now."

"Yeah?" he replied as he took two glasses out of the cabinet. The tone in his voice sounded forced. "The funeral? When were you going to tell me?"

"Honestly?" Kate closed her eyes and took a deep breath. It was now or never, and this was actually part of the reason she came here anyway. "When I felt like I was strong enough to handle the idea that I feel the same way."

A glass shattered in the kitchen and it sent a jolt of fear down her spine. She was pleased she didn't scream or duck for cover, so there was at least that small victory in coming here.

Kate smiled again, and her eyes met his. Relief flooded her as she saw that he was smiling as well. Then, she could almost see the light bulb come on above his head. "I should... I should clean this up." He bumbled around the kitchen, and eventually found the broom and dust pan.

"Here, let me help you with that." She walked into the kitchen, took the dustpan from him and held it on the floor as he swept up the glass.

When all of the glass shards were collected, Kate emptied the dust pan into the trash and put it away. "So, I should leave? Maybe give you some time to think all this over?" She didn't mean for it to come out as a question, but there it was.

"You don't have to," he said, looking maybe a little nervous. He nodded toward the living room. "Wanna join me? I've got another guitar controller and a drum set... unless you'd like to sing."

Such a child, but that's what made him so endearing, right? "Sure, I'll play with you, Castle. Hand over the drumsticks."

The look he gave her made her feel warm all over. He definitely read too much into that. And it told Kate that things changing for the better, and she wouldn't have it any other way.